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CCalvertalvert CCliffs,liffs, UUSASA IISSN:SSN: 2162-64132162-6413

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(262) 820-2525 Nuclear Plant Journal  Plant Maintenance & September-October 2016, Volume 34 No. 5 SMRs 34th Year of Publication

Nuclear Plant Journal is published by Articles & Reports EQES, Inc. six times a year. It is mailed Modernizing the Nuclear Industry 20 in February, April, June, August, October, By John Connelly, Exelon Nuclear and December (the Annual Directory). Delivering the Nuclear Promise 24 The subscription rate for non-qualifi ed By Maria Korsnick and Marvin Fertel, Nuclear Energy Institute readers in the United States is $210.00 NuScale Power: Blazing the Trail 28 for six issues per year. The additional air By Mike McGough, NuScale Power mail cost for non-U.S. readers is $30.00. Payment may be made by American Better Plant Response 32 Express, Master Card, VISA or check By Ronald Jarrett, Tennessee Valley Authority and should accompany the order. Checks may be made payable to "EQES, Inc." Deploying Control Room Modernization 36 Checks not drawn on a United States By Bruce Hallbert, Idaho National Laboratory bank should include an additional $45.00 service fee. All inquiries should be ad- Industry Innovations dressed to Nuclear Plant Journal, 1400 Opus Place, Suite 904, Downers Grove, Continuous Mobile Boration 40 IL 60515 U.S.A; Phone: (630) 858-6161, By Johan Hallén and Ryan Vanston, Westinghouse Electric Company

ext. 103; Fax: (630) 852-8787, email: [email protected]. Optimizing SMR Staff 44 By Electric Power Research Institute 33 years of Journal issues are available online through the Journal website www. Online Asbestos Abatement 46 Mark Lloyd, American Electric Power, Nuclear Generation NuclearPlantJournal.com (search box on the right-top) for a nominal fee of $25 per issue. Contact: Anu Agnihotri, email: Departments Journal Services [email protected]. New Energy News 10 List of Advertisers 6 © Copyright 2016 by EQES, Inc. Utility, Industry & Corporation 11 About the Journal 23

ISSN: 2162-6413 New Products, Services Advertiser Web Directory 38 & Contracts 14 Editorial Calendar 44 Nuclear Plant Journal is a registered New Documents 16 trademark of EQES, Inc. Product & Service Directory 2017 47 Meeting & Training Calendar 17 Published and printed in the USA. 2017 Advertising 49 Research & Development 18 Staff On The Cover Exelon's digital upgrade strategy is to Senior Publisher and Editor develop standardized, best-in-class Newal K. Agnihotri, P.E. solutions to common issues and implement Publisher and Sales Manager them across their fl eet. Examples include Anu Agnihotri Turbine Controls, Open Phase Detection, Assistant Editor and Marketing Manager Digital Voltage Regulators, Feedwater Michelle Gaylord systems, Reactor Recirculation Adjustable Speed Drives and NSSS control systems See page 20 for more. The cover picture is Exelon's Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant.

*Current Circulation: Mailing Identifi cation Statement Total: 12,273 Nuclear Plant Journal (ISSN 0892-2055) is published bimonthly. It is mailed in February, Utilities: 2,904 April, June, August, October, and December by EQES, Inc., 1400 Opus Place, Suite 904, Downers *All circulation information is subject to Grove, IL 60515 U.S.A. The printed version of the Journal is available cost-free to qualifi ed BPA Worldwide Business audit. readers in the United States, Canada, India and the United Kingdom. The digital version is available cost-free to qualifi ed readers worldwide. The subscription rate for non-qualifi ed readers is $210.00 per year. The cost for non-qualifi ed, non-U.S. readers is $240.00. Periodicals (permit number 000-739) postage paid at the Downers Grove, IL 60515 and additional mailing offi ces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Nuclear Plant Journal (EQES, Inc.), 1400 Opus Place, Suite 904, Downers Grove, IL 60515, U.S.A.

Nuclear Plant Journal, September-October 2016 NuclearPlantJournal.com 5 List of Advertisers

Page Advertiser Contact Fax/Email 39 AAF Jon Jageman jjageman@aafi ntl.com 2 AREVA Inc. Donna Gaddy-Bowen (434) 832-3840 11 BIRNS, Inc. Amy Brown (805) 487-5393 3 DRS Consolidated Controls Jeff Engelberger [email protected] 21 GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy Julia Longfellow [email protected] 8-9 HydroAire Service, Inc. Faisal Salman [email protected] 43 Lifting Gear Hire Christina Czeszewki [email protected] 37 Mitsubishi Nuclear Energy Systems, Inc. Rhonda Bishop [email protected] 29 NuScale James Mellott [email protected] 31 Nutherm International, Inc. Stan Stack [email protected] 52 OTEK Corporation Tony Spear [email protected] 45 Remote Ocean Systems Kendra Klint [email protected] 4 Rotating Equipment Repair Katie Wilde [email protected] 7 Structural Integrity Associates, Inc. Bud Auvil [email protected] 35 Thermo Scientifi c- CIDTEC Tony Chapman (315) 451-9421 19 Tri Tool Inc. William Atkinson (916) 351-9125 15 TW Metals, Inc. Al Valentine [email protected] 51 Westinghouse Electric Company LLC Jackie Smith (412) 374-3244 25 WITTENSTEIN, Inc. Will Vinson [email protected] 33 WM Symposia Jaclyn Russell [email protected]

Advertisers’ fax numbers as given above may be used with the form shown below. Advertisers’ web sites are listed in the Web Directory Listings on page 38.

Nuclear Plant Journal Rapid Response Fax Form September-October 2016

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800.223.7867 l hydroinc.com HydroAire, Inc. A Hydro Company Contact: Scott Burnell, Nuclear corporation’s ‘Proryv’, or Breakthrough, New Energy Regulatory Commission, telephone: project to enable a closed nuclear fuel (301) 415-8200. cycle. The ultimate aim is to eliminate production of radioactive waste from V.C. Summer 2 nuclear power generation. Westinghouse Electric Company’s In addition, the decree approves Hinkley Point C successful placement of the reactor vessel construction by 2030 of a VVER-600 unit AREVA welcomes the decision of into the nuclear island of the AP1000 Unit 2 for the Kola nuclear power plant and a the UK government to build two EPR at the V.C. Summer site on August 30, 2016 total of seven VVER-TOI units at the sites reactors at Hinkley Point C. On July 28, marks a major shift in the project from solely of the following nuclear power plants - 2016, EDF’s board approved the fi nal structural work to assembly of the unit’s Kola II, Smolensk II, Nizhny Novgorod, investment decision. Within the scope reactor system itself, including pumps, piping Kostroma and (the planned) Tatar. of this project, AREVA NP will supply and cabling. Russian nuclear engineering company the nuclear steam supply system, the OKBM Afrikantov is developing the BN- instrumentation and control system and 1200 reactor as a next step towards future the fi rst fuel loads. reactor designs. The BN-1200 project The UK Offi ce for Nuclear is based on the pilot, Beloyarsk 4, a 789 Regulation validated the EPR design MWe fast-neutron reactor of the BN-800 in 2012. The EPR is the only Gen III+ design. reactor to be certifi ed in the UK. The EPR Source: World Nuclear News, reactor is the only reactor with a capacity website: http://world-nuclear-news.org/ of more than 1600 MW and is the result of extensive research and development Vogtle Photo courtesy of SCE&G. programs. With four units at different test Southern Company subsidiary phases around the world, the EPR has a The reactor vessel, which weighs 278 Georgia Power said the CA20 module wide-ranging construction experience. metric tons, is the main structure used to and sub-modules were assembled from Contact: AREVA, telephone: 33 1 34 support and house the reactor core and prefabricated wall and fl oor sections 96 12 15, email: [email protected]. all associated components including the within the modular assembly building reactor vessel internals which support at the Vogtle site. The completed CA20 William States Lee and stabilize the core within the reactor module was installed within Vogtle 4’s The Nuclear Regulatory Commission vessel, provide the path for coolant fl ow nuclear island on August 20, 2016. The staff has completed its Final Safety and guide movement of the control rods. three-hour operation involved the use of Evaluation Report for Combined Licenses for Contact: Westinghouse Public the world’s largest crawler crane to hoist two proposed reactors at the William States Relations, telephone: (412) 374-2707, the module, which weighs some 840 Lee site. The report concludes there are no email: westinghousepublicrelations@ tonnes, into position. safety aspects that would preclude issuing the westinghouse.com. licenses for construction and operation of the proposed reactors at the site, near Gaffney in Sodium-Cooled Reactors Cherokee County, South Carolina. A Russian government decree The staff will provide the report and published yesterday indicates the country Final Environmental Impact Statement on plans to construct 11 new nuclear power the application to the Commission for the reactors by 2030 - including two BN-1200 mandatory hearing phase of the licensing sodium-cooled fast neutron reactors. The process. In the mandatory hearing, expected document, which covers “territorial planning Photo courtesy of Georgia Power. to take place in 2016, the Commission for energy” for the period, also identifi es six will examine whether the staff’s review points for radioactive waste disposal. The CA20 module comprises plant supports the fi ndings necessary to issue the The 11 units do not include those and equipment for used fuel storage, licenses. Following the mandatory hearing, already under construction - Kaliningrad, the heat exchanger and waste collection, the Commission will vote on whether to Kursk, Leningrad, Novovoronezh among other things. The module - authorize the staff to issue the licenses. and Rostov - or the fl oating reactor measuring 20 metres (65.6 feet) long, 14 Duke Energy submitted its Academician Lomonosov. The BN-1200 metres (45.9 feet) wide and 20 metres application for the William States Lee site reactors are to be built at the Beloyarsk high - is the largest component to be used on Dec. 12, 2007, for permission to build and South Urals nuclear power plants. in the construction of AP1000 units. and operate two AP1000 nuclear reactors The decree also approves building Over 1800 cubic yards (1376 cubic at the site. The NRC certifi ed the amended a facility to produce high-density metres) of concrete will now be poured to 1,100-megawatt AP1000 design in 2012. uranium-plutonium neutron fuel and the fi ll the walls of the CA20 module. More information on the certifi cation construction by 2025 of the BREST- Source: World Nuclear News, website: process is available on the NRC website. OD-300 fast neutron reactor. BREST- http://world-nuclear-news.org/  OD-300 is part of Russian state nuclear

10 NuclearPlantJournal.com Nuclear Plant Journal, September-October 2016 of dollars in short-term investments in Darlington Utility, energy infrastructure in upstate New York. Refurbishment Without the CES, upstate nuclear plants Years of preparation, planning and Industry & would have been at risk of closure. practice has ensured the Darlington Under the agreement totaling Refurbishment will begin mid-October Corporation $110 million, Entergy would transfer 2016. Ontario Power Generation FitzPatrick’s operating license to Exelon. (OPG) released the latest in a series of The New York Power Authority has agreed performance reports that have tracked the Utility to transfer the decommissioning trust fund company’s efforts for the past two years. and liability for FitzPatrick to Entergy, “I’m pleased to report it’s all systems James A. FitzPatrick and if regulatory approvals are obtained go for Canada’s largest clean energy Exelon Generation has agreed to and the transaction closes, Entergy would project,” said Dietmar Reiner, SVP assume ownership and management of then transfer the fund and associated Nuclear Projects. “Come October 2016, operations of Entergy Corporation’s liability to Exelon. Transaction closure we’ll shut down Unit 2, the fi rst of four James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant is dependent upon regulatory review and nuclear units to be refurbished, and begin in Scriba, New York. New York Governor approval by state and federal agencies, removing, replacing and overhauling Andrew Cuomo, who asked the New including the US Department of Justice, critical components.” York Public Service Commission (PSC) the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Highlights from the semi-annual to adopt a Clean Energy Standard (CES) Federal Energy Regulatory Commission performance report include: benefi tting the state’s nuclear power and the New York State Public Service • Cost performance has been excellent plants, helped facilitate the transaction. Commission. The transaction is expected and has improved since the last In recent months, Entergy and Exelon to close in the second quarter of 2017. reporting period; began discussing a path forward that would Contact: Paul Adams, Exelon, • Safety performance has been allow the plant to continue operating telephone: (410) 470-4167, email: paul. excellent – the team has worked beyond January 2017. The CES, approved [email protected]. 2,372 days without a lost-time last week, will save thousands of high- accident; paying jobs and spur hundreds of millions (Continued on page 12)

Nuclear Plant Journal, September-October 2016 NuclearPlantJournal.com 11 extreme events based on lessons learned deploying X-energy’s High Temperature Utility... from the 2011 accident in Japan and Gas-cooled Reactor (HTGR): the Xe-100. (Continued from page 11) implemented them at all U.S. reactors. The Xe-100 reactor series will produce Contact: Nuclear Energy Institute, zero-emission energy around the clock telephone: (202) 739-8000, email: to ensure reliable electricity that can be [email protected], adapted to a variety of markets. This • OPG remains within the $12.8 billion collaboration aims to make available an project estimate; Trade Mission additional nuclear solution that supports • All necessary materials have been Representatives of Canada’s nuclear the global clean energy movement. delivered; industry talked business in Paris, France In early 2016, the U.S. Department • Worker training at the state-of-the- with global nuclear organizations at the of Energy (DOE) separately issued art reactor mock-up continues; World Nuclear Exhibition (WNE). X-energy and the Southern Company- • The detailed execution plan has been Organized by the Organization of TerraPower partnership each with fi nalized. Canadian Nuclear Industries (OCI), the fi ve-year Advanced Reactor Concept To ensure a reliable supply of low- trade mission of 11 Canadian companies Cooperative Agreement awards. The carbon power during the refurbishments engaged in three days of targeted one-on- X-energy award focuses on: furtherance at both Darlington and Bruce Nuclear, one meetings, technical presentations, of reactor design; fuel development; and OPG will seek regulatory approvals to events and tours. Activities were largely initial licensing activities. continue operating Pickering Nuclear focused around the WNE 2016. Contact: Melanie White Lyons, Generating Station until 2024. Extensive The diverse WNE community X-Energy, telephone: (301) 363-2839, technical work indicates Pickering can provided Canadian Delegates the email: [email protected]. operate safely during this time and that opportunity to discuss future nuclear doing so would avoid eight million tonnes needs on a global scale. Corporation of greenhouse gas emissions. “We all recognize that Climate Contact: Ontario Power Generation, Change is a clear and present danger Engineering Lab Facility telephone; (416) 592-4008. and that the nuclear industry must Atkins celebrates a commitment of play an important role in coordinated investment to the Tri-Cities engineering Industry international efforts to reduce overall and research science community. Atkins’ Green House Gases (GHG) emissions to Energy CEO, Martin Grant, hosted an NEI President & CEO target levels,” commented OCI President open house on September 22, 2016, at Maria Korsnick was elected Ron Oberth. the Atkins Engineering Laboratory, in president and chief executive offi cer of Canadian delegates at the WNE Richland, Washington. the Nuclear Energy Institute, the policy played key roles in several areas. The Atkins Engineering Lab facility organization for the U.S. nuclear energy Francesca Ottoni of SNC-Lavalin spoke will provide a future operating laboratory industry, effective Jan. 1, 2017. about CANDU reactor fl exible fuel environment for Washington State Korsnick has served as NEI’s cycle capability in a panel discussion on University Tri-Cities (WSU –TC) students chief operating offi cer since May 2015 the role of nuclear energy in combating and faculty to gain hands-on science, as a loaned executive from Exelon climate change. Paul Murphy of Gowling technology, engineering and mathematical Generation and Constellation Energy WLG participated in a panel discussion experience. The 13,000 square-foot Nuclear Group (CENG). In that role, on innovations in nuclear development building currently houses a Large-Scale she has guided NEI’s day-to-day fi nancing, while OCI President Ron Integrated Test (LSIT) platform which is operations and represented the industry Oberth spoke about the Canadian market vital to the success of the Waste Treatment before a multitude of stakeholders— potential for SMRs in another panel. In Plant (WTP). Testing will allow designers including the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory addition, Dr. Oberth was honored to be to verify and revise designs of critical Commission, the Obama administration, one of six jurors that selected the winning mixing equipment prior to installation in Congress, state lawmakers, international company for the WNE Operational the plant. The lab meets a growing demand nuclear professionals, think tanks and Excellence Award. for large scale testing to support Hanford policymakers. Contact: Dr. Ron Oberth, and other US Department of Energy site She will succeed Marvin Fertel, who Organization of Canadian Nuclear contractors. retires on Dec. 31 after nine years as Industries, (905) 839-0073, email: ron. The open house event provided an NEI’s president and CEO. [email protected]. opportunity for Atkins to showcase its Prior to joining NEI, Korsnick was local and global offerings to the nuclear Exelon Generation’s senior vice president Advanced Reactor industry. Atkins works on projects that for Northeast operations and chief Development cover the complete nuclear fuel cycle nuclear offi cer for CENG. She oversaw X Energy, LLC (X-energy) and a including fuel fabrication, new build, operations at three nuclear energy subsidiary of Southern Nuclear Operating existing generation, decontamination, facilities and chaired the industry’s Company (Southern Nuclear) have entered waste management and waste processing; Fukushima Response Steering Committee into a memorandum of understanding all supported by a differentiated that identifi ed safety enhancements for as a step toward commercializing and technology portfolio and integrated

12 NuclearPlantJournal.com Nuclear Plant Journal, September-October 2016 nuclear safety and specialty engineering. remain a member of the leadership team. Interim Storage Facility Supported by the broader Atkins group, Contact: Jud Simmons, BWXT, The State of New Mexico has Atkins’ Energy Americas business has telephone: (434) 522-6462, email: approved the land sale option allowing the expertise and ability to undertake [email protected]. Holtec International to purchase 1,000 major nuclear infrastructure projects acres of land from the Eddy Lea Energy worldwide. Radiation Monitoring Alliance (ELEA). The land acquisition The event also highlighted a Systems option paves the way for Holtec to build celebration of a very important milestone General Atomics Electromagnetic a Consolidated Interim Storage Facility for Atkins - two full years without Systems (GA-EMS) announced that (CISF) in Southeast New Mexico, which an OSHA recordable injury and over its radiation monitoring systems have has been named HI-STORE. The New two and a half million hours without been successfully installed throughout Mexico State Board of Finance (SBoF), a recordable injury. By putting safety the fi rst new U.S. nuclear power plant led by Governor Susana Martinez, as our primary core value, Atkins has scheduled to be put into operation since overwhelmingly supported the CISF created an environment where employees 1996. Tennessee Valley Authority project by approving the land purchase and management have the knowledge and (TVA) selected GA-EMS to provide option. The land deal is a major milestone tools to engage in a proactive approach to full plant radiation monitoring systems for the Holtec International-ELEA Team a safe working environment. for the new Watts Bar Unit 2 nuclear and a huge step in assuring Holtec that Contact: Paul Childs, Atkins, power plant. Watts Bar Unit 2 recently the Company’s agreement with ELEA to telephone: 44 207 1212828, email: paul. achieved criticality and is scheduled to be purchase the property is secure. [email protected]. commercially operable by the summer of The HI-STORE CISF will deploy 2016. Holtec’s HI-STORM UMAX, a Purchase Agreement “We are proud to be an integral part subterranean storage system sized to BWX Technologies, Inc. announced of the operational launch of the fi rst new accommodate all currently licensed that its subsidiary BWXT Canada Ltd. U.S. nuclear power plant in over two storage systems making it possible to store (BWXT Canada) has entered into a share decades,” stated Scott Forney, president of all U.S. commercial fuel at our planned purchase agreement to acquire all of the GA-EMS. “Since 1965, we’ve maintained Eddy-Lea alliance-sponsored storage shares of the GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy a solid reputation for designing and facility in a common storage system. An Canada Inc. (GEH-C) joint venture. manufacturing the highest quality, most amendment request to the HI-STORM The transaction is expected to be reliable safety-related products, and UMAX CoC to store the NUHOMS completed, subject to required Canadian for continually supporting our products 24PT1-DSC canister was recently regulatory reviews and other closing and our customers throughout a plant’s submitted to the USNRC (HH 31.12). The conditions, during the fourth quarter of lifecycle. We now look forward to site specifi c license application for the HI- 2016. This acquisition roughly doubles working with TVA and supporting our STORE CISF is scheduled for submission BWXT’s footprint in Canada and signals products and the new Watts Bar Unit 2 to the USNRC in March 2017. a long-term strategic commitment to the plant for the decades to come.” Contact: Caitlin Marmion, ® attractive CANDU nuclear power segment GA-EMS designed, manufactured telephone: (856) 797-0900, email: and the attendant growth opportunities and delivered full plant radiation [email protected]. related to plant life extensions. The monitoring systems to meet a variety transaction is expected to be accretive of safety and non-safety requirements, Joint Venture within the fi rst year and to favorably impact including area and process monitors, SNC-Lavalin announced it signed margins in the Nuclear Energy Segment. and control room indicators. Each an agreement in principle for a new Joint GEH-C, a Canadian company, system fully complies with the highest Venture with China National Nuclear is a leading supplier of fuel, fuel nuclear industry standards including Corporation (CNNC) and Shanghai handling systems, delivery systems and 10CFR50 Appendix B, NQA-1 and Electric Group Company Ltd. The replacement components for CANDU® Regulatory Guide 1.97, “Criteria for new company would develop, market reactors. GEH-C employs approximately Accident Monitoring Instrumentation for and build the Advanced Fuel CANDU 350 employees and operates three sites Nuclear Power Plants”. Watts Bar Unit 2 Reactor (AFCR™). The creation of the in the Province of Ontario, including is currently undergoing comprehensive joint venture in principle follows the Peterborough, Toronto and Arnprior. testing to validate plant systems and signing of a framework agreement in Following the completion of the controls at various power levels to ensure 2014, and is subject to all government transaction, GEH-C would maintain its the entire system safely operates as and regulatory approvals. headquarters in Peterborough, Ontario designed before becoming commercially The new company is expected to and its activities would be operated as part operable. be registered in mid-2017, and would of BWXT Canada’s overall commercial Contact: Meghan Ehlke, General be followed by the formation of two nuclear business. John MacQuarrie, Atomics, telephone: (858) 964-7058, design centres — one in Canada and BWXT Canada’s President, will lead the email: [email protected]. another in China — to complete the combined organization and Mark Ward, AFCR™ technology. This could lead GEH-C’s current President, is expected to (Continued on page 50)

Nuclear Plant Journal, September-October 2016 NuclearPlantJournal.com 13 Contact: Andy Bruce, MHW PR, consolidated tool to generate ultrasonic New Products, telephone: 0191 233 1300, email: andy@ testing at multiple orientations, helping mhwpr.co.uk. to accurately detect and characterize all Services & fl aws surrounding the weld. Lighting Solutions AREVA NP’s new delivery Contracts Dialight is the World Leader in manipulator for the enhanced ultrasonic Industrial LED Lighting Solutions with technique features a rotational and over 850,000 LED fi xtures installed extending feature, which enables New Products horizontal and vertical weld examinations without removing the tooling from the Sensor Package reactor for orientation. CMR GROUP, the engine control In alignment with the industry's best technology and instrumentation specialist, practices, this new technique incorporates has combined its high performance the latest interim guidance on off-axis temperature sensors and electronic fl aw detection and sizing from the Electric monitoring unit series into an integrated Power Research Institute’s Boiling Water solutions package for applications in the Reactor Vessel and Internals Project. nuclear power industry. Contact: Curtis Roberts, AREVA, telephone: (202) 374-8766, email: curtis. [email protected].

Dialight’s Vigilant LED 60,000 Valve Solutions Lumen High Bay. ValvTechnologies, Inc. has been delivering the US “Nuclear Promise” worldwide including an installed base since 2008. ValvTechnologies has partici- in more than 60 nuclear power plants. pated in a megawatt recovery effort with With precision optics for high mounting a Westinghouse PWR in Europe, that to heights, Dialight’s Vigilant LED 60,000 date has seen the recovery of eight of 13 Lumen High Bay is the ideal solution lost Mw’s through leaking valves in their for retrofi tting your nuclear power plant main steam system. turbine deck lighting. This high output, By addressing application obsoles- low glare fi xture is designed to withstand cence, changing linear technology with CMR AMB sensors. the high temperature and seismic vibration quarter turn metal seated ball valves, the environment without compromising plant has also realized improved person- The move will meet the requirement light output while Eliminating Lighting nel safety, eliminated downstream pip- for instrumentation in the nuclear Maintenance with our industry leading ing degradation and improved equipment sector where technology can add value 10 year full performance warranty. reliability. In addition, the plant has re- throughout the engineering supply chain Contact: Andy Smith, Dialight, duced maintenance, spare parts and ser- and ensure compliance with domestic email: [email protected]. vice needs by addressing vent, drain, iso- nuclear safety authorities, who provide lation, applications for three inches and regulation and technical approval. Services under in high energy nuclear applications Incorporating four different sensor with ValvTechnologies’ solutions. series, CMR’s newly combined offering Ultrasonic Testing Contact: Julie Bodine, features the K3 or K3ad performance Technique ValvTechnologies, telephone: (713) 715- temperature sensors, which are During a recent U.S. outage, AREVA 5546, email: [email protected]. environmentally compliant for the NP demonstrated new ultrasonic testing ambient temperature monitoring of fl uid, techniques that successfully included Contracts gas and bearing temperatures in the off-axis inspection for cracks in a boiling nuclear industry. water reactor’s core shroud welds. The Steam Generator Design The AN sensor series is designed new approach pairs a phased array BWX Technologies, Inc. announced for the temperature measurement of high technique and a specialized multi-axis that its subsidiary BWXT Canada Ltd. has pressure fl uids and aggressive gaseous manipulator. been awarded a steam generator design, fl uids used in nuclear power generation, The nuclear energy industry regularly manufacturing and delivery contract although they can also be used effectively uses ultrasonic tools to inspect for cracks valued at approximately $130 million with non-pressurised fl uids. The parallel to the core shroud weld. However, CDN (approximately $100 million U.S.) AMB sensor series is recommended some core shroud exams indicated from Bruce Power for its Bruce B Unit 6 for the conventional measurement of perpendicular or “off-axis” cracking. As reactor. ambient temperatures to very low or a result, AREVA NP developed the new Under this contract, BWXT Canada sub-zero levels in damp or refrigerated will design, manufacture and deliver atmospheres, and ventilation ducts. 14 NuclearPlantJournal.com Nuclear Plant Journal, September-October 2016 eight steam generators for Bruce B’s Unit Contact: Brian Mershon, Fluor on its current exposure in the land-based 6, which will go offl ine for refurbishment Corporation, telephone: (469) 398-7621. power generation sector, which has been starting in 2020. The contract follows growing steadily over the last three years. a memorandum of understanding, Engineering Design Contact: Judith Patten, JPPR, which was signed by both companies Harris Pye UK Ltd has been telephone: 44 208 241 1912, email: in December of 2015 after the Ontario awarded a contract by GE Steam Power [email protected]. government announced that Bruce Power Systems for engineering design work will advance a long-term, incremental life on two tank sets, including all required Full Scope Simulator extension program. services, for the turbine halls of EdF’s L-3 MAPPS announced that it has The contract is expected to secure Hinkley Point C nuclear power station in signed a service contract with Liaoning over 100 jobs in both engineering and Somerset, UK. Manufacturing contracts Hongyanhe Nuclear Power (LHNP) to skilled labour for Cambridge-based will follow, now that the fi nal decision update the reactor core model on the BWXT Canada through 2020, which is has been taken on Hinkley Point C. Hongyanhe Phase I full scope simulator. when the units will ship from Cambridge Each tank set comprises a fl ash Service will start immediately, and to Bruce Power, located near Kincardine, tank; horizontal head tank; vertical H2 the updated model is scheduled to be Ontario. gas separator tank; horizontal service air completed in the fourth quarter of 2016. BWXT Canada has supplied all receiver tank; two horizontal control air L-3’s Orchid Core Builder will be used steam generators installed at the Bruce receiver tanks; horizontal hydraulic seals to update the simulator’s fuel cycle data to the Nuclear Generating Station since the tank; horizontal demineralised water latest plant data. The updated Comet Plus™ station went online in 1977. storage tank; vertical surge tank; and a reactor model will support an 18-month Contact: Natalie Cutler, BWXT, horizontal buffer tank. The design contract refueling cycle to refl ect the upgraded telephone: (519) 620-5288, email: encompasses mechanical designs, risk refueling cycle undertaken at the nuclear plant. [email protected]. analysis, calculations and drafting. Orchid Core Builder is L-3 MAPPS’ With the UK government having graphical utility for the easy creation and Savannah River given the go ahead for this project Harris validation of cycle-specifi c reactor core Fluor Corporation announced that Pye sees the building of the Hinkley Point data. The utility generates an advanced the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has station as a major opportunity to expand reactor kinetics model (Comet Plus) exercised its option to extend the current (Continued on page 43) management and operating contract at the Savannah River Site near Aiken, South Carolina, for an additional 22 months. The contract is currently being executed by Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, ® LLC (SRNS), a Fluor-led partnership, together with SN3 Stoller Newport News Anti-SpinAnti Spin U.S. and Worldwide Patents Nuclear and Honeywell. Fluor will book Locking Device the undisclosed contract value in the third Torq N’ Seal Heat quarter of 2016. Exchanger Plugs PluPluggB Bodyody SRNS was originally awarded provide a mechanical the Savannah River maintenance and contact seal when SerratSerrateded installed into the operating contract in January 2008 after Expansion an open and competitive bid process. By Contact tubesheet area of a leaking exercising the option to extend the term of Zone tube. With just a 3/8” drive the contract, DOE and SRNS will continue torque wrench and 400 uninterrupted management and operation in. lbs. of applied torque, a Torq N’ Seal plug can ensure activities as outlined in the contract. ExpandingEdi DOE’s Savannah River Site focuses Drive positive sealing to 6,500 psi. on supporting and maintaining the nuclear NEW Hex Hex US Patents weapons stockpile as well as processing • 6,883,547 Capture and storing nuclear materials in support • 9,249,916 Driver of U.S. nuclear non-proliferation efforts. Work performed at the site includes _____ environmental management and the Safety Related Applications Licensed to TW Metals cleanup of legacy materials, facilities and wastes left over from the Cold War. The Savannah River National TW Metals, Inc. 880 Brickworks Drive • Leetsdale, PA 15056 Laboratory, a federally-funded research 810.394.0181 • www.torq-n-seal.com and development center, is also located at [email protected] the site.

Nuclear Plant Journal, September-October 2016 NuclearPlantJournal.com 15 3. Nuclear Maintenance Applications information about external hazards. This New Center: Valve Specialist Guide. Product process supports U.S. nuclear utilities ID: 3002007696. Published September, in addressing Recommendation 2 of the Documents 2016. Institute of Nuclear Power Operations The individuals responsible for valves (INPO) Event Report Level 1-13-10, in the nuclear power industry are known “Nuclear Accident at the Fukushima by various titles—valve specialist, valve Daiichi Nuclear Power Station,” which EPRI component engineer, valve manager, and calls for the evaluation of credible 1. Nuclear Maintenance Applications valve engineer, to name a few. Although new information that challenges Center: Purge Valve Maintenance Guide. valve duties and responsibilities are often the conservatism of current design Product ID: 3002007711. Published spread across several departments, such assumptions for external events. August, 2016. as maintenance, operations, engineering, The nuclear industry continues to and procurement, it is up to the valve 6. Program on Technology Innovation: experience purge valve failures resulting specialist to ensure that valve health and State of the Art of Wearable Enterprise in impact to plant outage schedules and reliability are maintained. Augmented Reality Displays. Product considerable time and effort to make ID: 3002009258. Published September, repairs. Stations have also performed 4. Maintenance Strategy Reference Guide 2016. design changes to make the purge valve Overview. Product ID: 3002009068. In order for workers to perform inoperable (installing blanks or stops) Published September, 2016. tasks using both of their hands while due to an inability to perform a timely This Maintenance Strategy Reference receiving the content of augmented repair. A focus on proper maintenance Guide incorporates portions of the reality (AR) experiences, they will need and repair can reduce the impact of Preventive Maintenance Basis Database, hardware that has heretofore not been these events. The information in this Reliability Centered Maintenance, generally available outside of testing and report represents a collection of industry Condition Based Maintenance, As-found research labs. New, wearable products processes and practices being used in the Reporting and Equipment Reliability such as “smart” glasses, helmets, and maintenance, repair, and replacement of process documents. This document headgear—specifi cally designed to the most common purge valves used in links these processes together resulting provide enterprise AR experiences—can the nuclear industry. The Electric Power in continuously improving maintenance now be purchased for evaluation in the Research Institute (EPRI) has undertaken organizations that strategically respond to workplace. Unfortunately, suppliers and this effort with the intent of addressing operational and equipment conditions by customers are delayed in their ability to and improving the understanding of adjusting to the needs of the components agree on fi nal product features due to lack purge valve issues. and systems. This report provides greater of understanding of requirements and The major objective of this report clarity related to the fundamentals used in unclear benefi ts and tradeoffs associated is to provide technical guidance for the evaluation steps for the development with the various options. maintenance and support personnel to of a consistent maintenance strategy. Increased awareness of features and help correctly determine the condition The term maintenance in this guide options—and adoption of conventions of their purge valves, as well as refers to all the aspects of maintaining through which to convey them—will recommendations for good maintenance the physical plant. Maintenance includes permit developers of wearable AR practices. engineering (system, component, displays to communicate specifi cations program, design, rapid response), clearly. This report describes the current 2. Nuclear Maintenance Applications maintenance, procurement, work state of the art of wearable AR display Center: Pump Specialist Guide. Product management, operations, and all who devices and informs customers about ID: 3002007700. Published August, contribute to keeping the systems, key options and enabling components by 2016. structures and components operational. which suppliers are able to differentiate This report presents a tiered approach their offerings. to developing the necessary skills and 5. External Hazards: Information Customers will gain understanding knowledge required to become a pump Compilation and Analysis - Catalog of about wearable AR display challenges specialist. It includes recommended skill Relevant Information Sources. Product that need to be resolved, learn how sets, industry involvement opportunities, ID: 3002008097. Published September, the devices are already being used in training options, mentoring insights, and 2016. enterprise settings, and discover trends references to pump-related technical and This report summarizes the that will impact the product segment. training material. This report contains development and contents of a catalog nuclear-specifi c information; however, of relevant, credible information sources The above EPRI documents may be any organization can use it by excluding related to external hazards that are ordered by contacting the Order Center information that is not applicable to a important to nuclear power plants in the at (800) 313-3774, Option 2, or email at non-nuclear industry. United States. The catalog sources are [email protected]. used to support identifi cation of new (Continued on page 27)

16 NuclearPlantJournal.com Nuclear Plant Journal, September-October 2016 8. Nuclear Power Plant Life Management 15. Te c hnical Meeting on the Meeting & & Extension, November 16-17, Responsibilities of Owners/Operators 2016, Paris, France. Contact: in New and Expanding Nuclear Power Training Mado Lampropoulou, Active Programmes, December 12-16, 2016, Communications International, Vienna, Austria. Contact: Martina Calendar telephone: 44 203 414 0607, email: Neuhold, IAEA, telephone: 43 1 2600 [email protected]. 21314, email: [email protected].

1. 4th International Technical Meeting on 9. International Conference on the Safety 16. Nuclear Fuel Supply Forum, January Small Reactors (ITMSR-4), November of Radioactive Waste Management, 24, 2017, The W Hotel, Washington, 2-4, 2016, Delta City Centre Hotel, November 21-25, 2016, Vienna, D.C. Contact: Denise Bell, Nuclear Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Contact: Dr. Austria. Contact: IAEA, email: Energy Institute, telephone: (202) Paul Chan, Royal Military College of Offi [email protected], website: www. 739-8091, email: [email protected]. Canada, telephone: (613) 541-6000, iaea.org email: [email protected]. 17. Nuclear Decommissioning & Waste 10. Workshop on Advanced Nuclear Management Summit, March 1-2 2. 2016 ANS Winter Meeting and Nuclear Knowledge Management for 2017, London, United Kingdom. Technology Expo, November 6-10, Practitioners, November 28-December Contact: Claire Taylor-Payne, Active 2016, Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, NV. 2, 2016, Vienna, Austria. Contact: Communications International, Contact: ANS, website: ans.org. Martina Neuhold, IAEA, telephone: telephone: 44 (0)20 3141 0601, email: 43 1 2600 21314, email: m.neuhold@ [email protected]. 3. The Nuclear Materials Conference, iaea.org. November 7-10, 2016, Montpellier, 18. Waste Management Symposia France. Contact: website: www. 11. 42nd Meeting of the Nuclear Safety 2017, March 5-9 2017, Phoenix, nuclearmaterialsconference.com Standards Committee, November 28- Arizona. Contact: Jaclyn Russell, WM December 2, 2016, Vienna, Austria. Symposia, telephone: (480) 557-0263, 4. Third International Conference on Contact: Martina Neuhold, IAEA, email: [email protected]. Nuclear Knowledge Management – telephone: 43 1 2600 21314, email: Challenges and Approaches, November [email protected]. 19. 19th Annual Electric Power Conference, 7-11, 2016, Vienna, Austria. Contact: April 10-13, 2017, McCormick Place IAEA, email: Offi [email protected], 12. NIA Nuclear 2016, December 1, 2016, West, Chicago, Illinois. Contact: Jill website: www.iaea.org Victoria Park Plaza, Victoria, London. Dean, Electric Power, telephone: (713) Contact: Nuclear Energy Association, 343-1880. 5. Facility Decommissioning Training telephone: 0207 766 6648, email: Course, November 14-17, 2016, [email protected]. 20. World Nuclear Fuel Cycle, April 25-27, Tuscany Suites & Casino, Las Vegas, 2017, Delta Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Nevada. Contact: Lawrence Boing, 13. International Conference on Nuclear Canada. Contact: Denise Bell, Nuclear Argonne National Laboratory, Security: Commitments and Actions, Energy Institute, telephone: (202) telephone: (630) 252-6729, email: December 5-9, 2016, Vienna, Austria. 739-8091, email: [email protected]. [email protected]. Contact: Martina Neuhold, IAEA, telephone: 43 1 2600 21314, email: 21. 64th Annual Industry Conference 6. WM Symposia Australian Nuclear [email protected]. and Supplier Expo: Nuclear Energy Fuel Cycle Conference (ANFC16), Assembly, May 22-24, 2017, Westin November 15-16, 2016, Adelaide, 14. 10th Nuclear Plants Current Issues Kierland, Scottsdale, Arizona. Contact: South Australia. Contact: Jim Voss, Symposium: Assuring Safety against Denise Bell, Nuclear Energy Institute, WM Symposia, telephone: (520) 241- Natural Hazards through Innovation & telephone: (202) 739-8091, email: 5398, email: jamesvoss@wmarizona. Cost Control, December 11-14, 2016, [email protected]. org. Marriott City Center, Charlotte, North 7. Division of Spent Fuel Management Carolina. Contact: North Carolina 22. 37th Annual Canadian Nuclear Regulatory Conference (REG CON), State University, telephone: (919) 515- Society, June 3-7, 2017, Sheraton on August November 16-17, 2016, 2261, email: continuingeducation@ the Falls Hotel, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, ncsu.edu. Canada. Contact: Canadian Nuclear Rockville, Maryland. Contact: Haile Society, telephone: (416) 977-7620, Lindsay, NRC, telephone: (301) 415- email: cns_offi [email protected]  0616, email: [email protected].

Nuclear Plant Journal, September-October 2016 NuclearPlantJournal.com 17 Risk Factors Analysis and guidelines for this Research & EPRI’s susceptibility criteria phase are expected in 2018. report has been particularly valuable While Chu admits, this will be a Development to members, said Shannon Chu, senior unique challenge, her goal is to ensure technical leader for EPRI’s Used Fuel that EPRI members—many of whom and High Level Waste program. “I expect face relicensing of their ISFSIs in 2020— ISFSI Aging that members will benefi t from EPRI are prepared for a new approach to aging Management Guidelines providing a technical basis to focus the management that answers plant operator Nuclear power plant operators concern for CISCC on particular sites and NRC concerns. with independent spent fuel storage that have more susceptibility factors, “I’m hoping for a path forward installations (ISFSIs) due for Nuclear mainly being close to a source of salt like for continued storage and continued Regulatory Commission (NRC) the ocean and being in an environment operation indefi nitely, but at least for relicensing within the next fi ve years that has high humidity,” Chu explained. another 40 years,” Chu said. urgently need suitable strategies to EPRI concluded that CISCC of address canister aging degradation. For stainless steel reactor components can Long Term Operations this reason, EPRI has been working to occur when the following three elements EPRI is working with our members develop aging management guidelines are present: and various government and international that address the potential for chloride- • Tensile stress agencies to support the technical basis induced stress corrosion cracking • Susceptible material for nuclear plant license renewals. In (CISCC) in welded stainless steel • Corrosive environment, such as the Unites States, most plants already canisters in dry cask storage systems. surface contamination by atmospheric have been approved for the fi rst period Now in its fourth year, this initiative has chlorides and suffi cient humidity of license renewal (out to 60 years of three key focus areas: There is currently very little operation), and are interested in second • Understanding the potential for experience and no tools have yet been license renewal, out to 80 years. degradation to predict how, where, fully demonstrated for inspection in dry The EPRI Long Term Operations and when CISCC has the greatest storage confi gurations. The challenges (LTO) program was established in risk of occurring, for inspecting canisters include limited 2010 and leverages decades of previous • Developing guidance and technology access to the surface via cask vents, research to focus on the technical basis for inspections and management, and and a high-temperature, high-radiation for operation to 80 years. So far, no • Understanding and developing environment. EPRI is working to develop generic technical “show stoppers” have response measures for CISCC failure. remotely operated vehicles and low- been identifi ed, said Rich Tilley, senior EPRI will publish aging management profi le sensors in order to meet these technical leader for EPRI’s LTO program. and inspection guidance in early 2017. challenges. As of October 2015, 250 nuclear This report will serve as a follow-up to Consequences of Degradation power plants worldwide had been the Literature Review of Environmental To date, much of EPRI’s research in operation for more than 30 years, Conditions and Chloride-Induced has been focused on understanding and 68 more than 40 years. This Degradation Relevant to Stainless susceptibility to CISCC and developing successful operating experience is Steel Canisters in Dry Cask Storage aging management guidelines, but providing valuable data on plants and Systems published in March 2014 and the institute has begun looking at the their maintenance processes to support the Susceptibility Assessment Criteria actual consequences of such a failure. safe, extended operations. Importantly, for Chloride-Induced Stress Corrosion EPRI expects to publish a literature without license renewal beyond 60 years, Cracking (CISCC) of Welded Stainless survey in early 2017 that will evaluate the United States will lose 30,000 MW Steel Canisters for Dry Cask Storage available references for determining the of power between 2029 and 2035. This Systems published in September 2015. consequences of a through-wall crack represents a major loss of non-carbon In addition, EPRI will work occurrence in a used fuel dry storage dioxide producing generation. through 2019 to transition its research canister, including general and work- Renewal Process and technical guidance to the American related exposure to radiation. The lead time for the renewal process Society of Mechanical Engineers for a “The expectation and understanding is driven by both the utilities’ need to code case. among most people in the industry and perform due diligence and the Nuclear even with the NRC is that there is very Regulatory Commission’s review process minimal dose impact and that the presence to ensure continued safe operations in of through-wall CISCC wouldn’t result compliance with the plant licensing basis. in exceeding the normal operating dose The original license period for nuclear Excerpts from EPRI’s The Nuclear limits,” Chu explained. “We don’t have an plants was 40 years, and more than 70% Connection Summer 2016 newsletter. analysis yet that confi rms this, especially of the plants in the United States have These were reprinted with the permission at a generic level that applies to any site. received the fi rst license renewal for an from EPRI. Contact Renita Crawford at So, we’re working to develop that.” additional 20 years of operation. (704) 595-2888 or [email protected] with any comments or questions.

18 NuclearPlantJournal.com Nuclear Plant Journal, September-October 2016 Two plants in the United States have program manager for EPRI. “The basis Offsite Power Reliability identifi ed themselves as lead plants for for safe, long-term operations is the Loss of offsite power (LOOP) to a the second license renewal, and EPRI implementation of aging management nuclear power plant (NPP) poses serious is working closely with them. Renewal programs,” she said. “The technical problems to plant operation, personnel, applications for those two plants are basis for aging is based on operating equipment, and systems. LOOP events expected to be submitted in late 2018 or experience and decades of EPRI research. can lead to core damage, and they early 2019. The aging management programs represent the single largest contributor The data from those plants will be address inspection, repair, and as-needed to a site’s core damage frequency (CDF) used to support the generic technical replacement of components important to risk. evaluation that will cover all plants. EPRI safety.” In 2015, EPRI began work to develop has targeted that for completion in 2021. Through its LTO program, EPRI a roadmap to address NPP offsite power “It’s a parallel effort,” Tilley said. is collaborating with global research reliability based on detailed operational “We’re looking broadly for the data for 80 institutes, national laboratories, the experience reviews of LOOP and partial years, but we’re also looking specifi cally International Atomic Energy Agency, LOOP events over the last 10 years. The at the data needs for these units. At EPRI, universities, and vendors. Of particular Nuclear Offsite Power Reliability (NOPR) we are always looking over the horizon interest is the U.S. Department of Energy roadmap includes a review of completed and taking a holistic approach to the plant (DOE) Light Water Reactor Sustainability and ongoing EPRI reliability projects and its needs.” Program, which also is looking for life- from multiple sectors to determine which Still Performing Well, After 40 Years limiting factors on nuclear plants. EPRI projects can be applied now to improve The aging of the United States’ is coordinating studies with the DOE and reliability, and identifi cation of areas nuclear fl eet is being well managed; using its data to avoid duplication. The where more research and development capacity factors have been well above combined results are providing a robust are required. 90%, which means these plants are very technical foundation upon which utilities These reviews revealed that there are often operating 24 hours a day, seven can build their decisions for operating a variety of causes for LOOP events, such days a week, for 365 days a year. plants to 80 years. as severe weather, equipment failures, and Of course, that doesn’t just happen, human performance issues. Equipment explained Sherry Bernhoft, LTO (Continued on page 45) When Performance and Safety Matter

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Nuclear Plant Journal, September-October 2016 NuclearPlantJournal.com 19 1. What drives the need for I&C We apply the same concepts to our cyber Modernizing modernization at Exelon? security implementation strategies and There are two principle drivers. modifi cations. Improving equipment reliability and We derive a lot of benefi ts from the Nuclear managing obsolescence. There are many standardization, common procedures, collateral benefi ts of course but these are deeper bench strength, better vendor Industry the predominant drivers. engagement, and the ability to share By John Connelly, Exelon Nuclear. The capabilities of modern digital intellectual resources across the I&C (DI&C) systems are exceptionally organization when necessary. compelling. We expend signifi cant resources maintaining our analog systems to very high levels of reliability but we invariably see signifi cant performance improvements when we move these John Connelly systems into the digital domain. John Connelly manages the Capital Digital systems are more fault tolerant, Projects Team at Exelon. The team's reliable and open up charter is to opportunitieso to apply maintain technical advancedad control oversight of multi- strategiesst that we site digital upgrades, simplysi can’t achieve management of in the analog domain. the cyber security ExelonE has been program and doingd these types of ownership of the upgradesu for decades. digital and cyber WhenW we compare security processes for theth performance of the Exelon fl eet. digitald systems to Digital rod control logic cabinet theth performance of upgrade at Braidwood Station. theth analog systems theyth replace, it’s not unusualu to see forced 2. What are the lessons learned from losslo rates fall by 80% major digital upgrades? oro 90%. It’s about There are many. Rather than go into a eliminatingl initiating specifi c experience, I would rather speak events. The bottom line is that digital about our processes. We are a learning I&C further improves margins of safety organization. Even with standardized of very safe plants. solutions, each project we deploy provides Equipment obsolescence is the other insights and improvement opportunities driver. While this is a common theme that can inform successor projects. across the nuclear sector, the size of the Implementing standard solutions gives Exelon fl eet, affords us a unique op- us the opportunity to quickly and portunity to address these issues using effi ciently incorporate these insights a more holistic approach. Our strategy both forward and backward – every site is to develop standardized, best-in-class ultimately inherits these performance solutions to common issues and imple- improvements. The fl exibility of digital ment them across our fl eet. Examples technology is what enables us to do this. include Turbine Controls, Open Phase Detection, Digital Voltage Regulators, 3. How is the organization structured? Feedwater systems, Reactor Recircula- The lead times for larger digital tion Adjustable Speed Drives (ASD’s) projects can be as long as 48 months so and NSSS control systems to name a few. we are structured for scalability. We call this concept “Design One – In- As digital upgrade projects move stall Many”. Because digital and cyber into our Long-Term Asset Management An interview by Newal Agnihotri, Editor security are obviously very closely re- plans (LTAM), we assign a Corporate of Nuclear Plant Journal, at the Utility lated domains, the Capital Projects Team Project Engineer with specifi c digital Working Conference in Amelia Island, also manages the cyber security program. expertise to work with the impacted Florida on August 16, 2016. (Continued on page 22)

20 NuclearPlantJournal.com Nuclear Plant Journal, September-October 2016

84165_pwr_ginna_final.indd 1 5/23/16 10:37 AM 84165_pwr_ginna_final.indd 1 5/23/16 10:37 AM vendors. The fi nal design is typically including procurement, design, and Modernizing the... turned over to the installation team 12 maintenance practices. This represents a (Continued from page 20 months in advance of the installation. body of work that is hard to overstate. The project team remains engaged until We view DI&C and Cyber Security the modifi cation is installed, tested and as concentric rings around the same turned over to operations. center. We address Cyber Security sites to identify a solution that can be requirements as a basic element of any applied to all. The process generally 4. What impact does Cyber Security design change. Standardization helps us begins with the development of detailed have on digital modifi cations? with cyber security compliance because specifi cations that defi nes all the system The governing regulation is 10 the solutions we develop can be applied performance and technical requirements. CFR 73.54. The scope of the regulation broadly to all similar systems. We use the specifi cations to communicate includes any asset that performs a with prospective vendors. Vendors Safety, Important-To-Safety, Security 5. What are the barriers to greater will develop conceptual designs that or Emergency Preparedness (SSEP) degrees of modernization?

we evaluate to a structured process to function. The scoping creates a very The largest barrier we face right now determine which option best meets our large population of assets that must be is regulatory. The systems we modernize needs. evaluated and managed. The industry today are all non-safety related (NSR). Once we have identifi ed the preferred and NRC worked for several years to These modifi cations are largely done solution, the funding authorization create a regulatory framework that allows in accordance with 10 CFR 50.59 process begins and once approved, a licensees to manage these assets more and generally do not require a license project team is scaled up to implement. effi ciently. amendment to implement. Since we can’t deploy these solutions all The entire industry has put very Moving safety systems into the digital at the same time, we sequence projects formidable defensive measures in place domain is very different proposition based on where the need is greatest. to ensure that our digital assets are well because this generally requires a license While every project is different, a typical protected from malicious actions. We amendment in accordance with the ISG-6 project team is comprised of a Corporate continue to build out our program to meet (Interim Staff Guidance Association with Digital Engineer, Site Digital Engineer, the full compliance deadline of December Digital Instrumentation) process. This Site System Engineers, Project Managers, 2017. Cyber Security impacts nearly process is very burdensome and lacks the A&E design team and equipment every aspect of how we conduct business, certainty necessary for a licensee to make

22 NuclearPlantJournal.com Nuclear Plant Journal, September-October 2016 the large investment required to move a safety system into the digital domain. This issue is confi ned to existing plants Nuclear because new plants fall under a different body of regulations that do not include Plant ISG-6. New plants are being built from the ground up with all digital technology. Journal The industry and NRC recognize An International Publication that the digital regulatory framework for Published in the United States existing plants needs to be made more effi cient and predictable. The Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) has assembled a team of industry experts to work with the NRC to help resolve these long standing issues. This is referred to as the • Currently in its 34th year NEI Digital Working Group. The NRC of publication. has also developed an Integrated Digital Action Plan (IDAP) that defi nes and • Reaches all plants in the prioritizes the major issues that need to world and all countries be addressed. The most urgent issue is providing the correct level of assurance with civilian nuclear that digital safety systems are not energy programs. susceptible to software common cause • The highest BPA audited failure (SCCF). Digital technology in safety systems is circulation with over pervasive outside of the US. International 12,000 readers. operators have been modernizing safety systems for a long time and the operating • Digital versions experience is very compelling. Once link your ads’ and press these regulatory issues are resolved and releases’ emails and the path forward becomes predictable, it is likely that domestic licensees will URLs directly to customers. begin migrating safety systems to digital • Provides technical technology. There are signifi cant benefi ts to doing this that both the NRC and information exchange industry recognize. among managers and engineers in the nuclear Contact: John Connelly, Exelon Nuclear, 4300 Winfi eld Road, Warrenville power industry. IL 60555; telephone: (630) 657-3860, • Free editorial pa rticipation email: [email protected]  in the Journal.

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Nuclearar Plant Journal, September-October 2016 NuclearPlantJournal.com 23 1. Defi ne what “the nuclear promise” Would it be so paper intensive? Would is. Is there any other industry that has it have all these things that you have, or Delivering used a similar model? would you have a fresh view? Well, the Maria Korsnick: I’m not aware of any reality is people are saying mm, I would the Nuclear other industry doing this. But your other have a fresh view, not only of the process, question is what is the nuclear promise. I but maybe some of the stuff I put through would say it’s recognizing nuclear value. the process. Maybe I’m putting so much Promise What I mean by that is recognizing the stuff through, it doesn’t even need to go By Maria Korsnick and Marvin Fertel, nuclear value from the nuclear worker through. Nuclear Energy Institute. perspective, recognizing it and bringing It’s really, as I said, an opportunity the best that we can, the most effi cient to think fresh, and it’s really unleashing process, and recognizing the nuclear value quite a creativity fl ow because, again, Maria Korsnick in the markets, where right now we would people have felt for a long while, why do Maria Korsnick has extensive nuclear argue that the electricity markets do not I do it this way in nuclear, because when industry operations and executive appropriately refl ect nuclear value. From I go over and work at the fossil plant and experience. She a nuclear owner- I work on their turbine, it’s really very joined the Nuclear operator,o supplier- different, and I kind of get to work very Energy Institute vendorv standpoint, quickly, and I get right about my business. (NEI) in May 2015 wew appreciate the You know what? Your turbine looks very as a loaned executive importanceim of safety. much the same. How come I have to do from Exelon and We’reW not changing all this other stuff? Our challenge is why is serving as chief that.th We appreciate the is it that I have to do all that other stuff? operating offi cer. valuev of reliability. But Why don’t we tailor our processes to be In this role, she is we’rew smart enough very robust on the systems that require it, responsible for all to know how to keep and maybe I have some systems that don’t of NEI’s divisions bothb of those. In fact, necessarily need all of that, and why don’t (Nuclear Generation; notn just keep them, but I differentiate? That’s just one example. Governmental improveim them, but also But again, we’re very passionate Affairs; to do it smarter. about safety and very passionate about Communications; I think if you’re reliability. The other question I get a Legal; Policy notn part of the lot of times is oh, I get it, Maria. You’re Development and industry,in you might going to lower your standards. That’s Planning; Suppliers notn appreciate it well, how you’re going to get it to work. and International if I changed this thing Absolutely not. At INPO, an example Programs; and Member Relations and over here, I might affect that. We are of a standard is a PO&C, performance, Corporate Services). smart enough to appreciate what brought objective and criteria. That’s what you us those high levels of safety and what get judged against. We’re not changing Korsnick serves as a leader in several brought us those high levels of reliability. the performance objectives and criteria, if industry groups, including chair of the We can still respect and embrace those you want to say that’s the standard. That’s U.S. Industry’s Fukushima Response while we make our processes more the high bar. But what we’re changing is Steering Committee. effi cient. The reality is if you look at how how do you achieve those POs and C’s. some of our processes were invented, 30- Korsnick earned her bachelor’s degree 40 years ago you started out with, and 2. What is the role of industry suppliers in nuclear engineering from the then you added something on. Then in, “Delivering the Nuclear Promise”? University of Maryland and she has held somebody else had a best practice, and Korsnick: Let me start with your a Senior Reactor Operator license at you bolted that on. Somebody else got in fi rst question, in terms of what has NEI Calvert Cliffs. trouble for something. You didn’t want done to drive this collaboration to make the that to happen, and you bolted something nuclear promise a reality. It’s actually been else on. We have sort of a patchwork very deliberate on our part, that we felt that quilt of things, and it would be amazing if the best product on behalf of the industry we were effi cient, quite frankly, because was going to be collaboration, whether we never designed it for effi ciency. We that was with the utilities or the suppliers. just added and bolted things on. Now Specifi cally, with the suppliers, I’ll be the challenge is to step back and say honest, in the beginning, they felt a little left An interview by Newal Agnihotri, Editor okay, but if I gave you a clean sheet of out because we started with the utilities, and of Nuclear Plant Journal, at the Utility paper, how would you design your work we started with the chief nuclear offi cers, Working Conference in Amelia Island, management process? Now that you have and we were trying to get sort of a critical Florida on August 17, 2016. computers and digitization and all this mass, get the concept going. stuff, would you design it the same way?

24 NuclearPlantJournal.com Nuclear Plant Journal, September-October 2016 We have a specifi c group within NEI, 3. Is nuclear promise going organic? the suppliers advisory committee. We got Korsnick: Oh, absolutely. In fact, advice from them and worked with them I’ll just refl ect, we had a delivering the and wanted very much for them to feel nuclear promise steering committee Nuclear Specific involved, but by the same token, if they meeting yesterday. Again, both Marv and Servo Motors all just represented themselves, and they I attended that. A new item on the agenda wanted to participate in teams that we had, was international. We’ve had so many it was just way too many people. So, we international requests. When we started said well, let’s fi gure out how to get you this, we obviously just thought of the represented on a team, but if you’re on a United States. We thought of the markets team, you need to represent the supplier that we’re operating in. As Marv said, community. So, if you’re planning on the it’s to work on the market structure, as engineering team, and let’s say you’re one well as to work on the cost structure. But vendor, you need to represent the other we’ve had people from Spain. We’ve had vendors. Whatever’s going on with that people from Korea. We’ve had people team, then you need to bring back to the from the United Kingdom, people from Optimize performance in CANDU other vendors and collaborate with them Canada. So, a lot of interest. In fact, so fuel channel inspection tools, and make sure that there’s appropriate much interest that the products typically fuel handling robots, control understanding. It was really part of the that we would put on our member website rod actuators, high-level waste processing and motor-operated formula, if you will, in terms of their that if you’re a member of NEI, that you valves and dampers with participation in some teams that had would have access to, we’ve had so many WITTENSTEIN cyber® motor. already kicked off, that the vendors were requests we’ve put them on our public meeting to collaborate more closely than website, just to create openness and perhaps they had in the past. awareness, to say we’re more than happy s Control rod actuation to share. Now our effi ciency bulletins s Fuel channel Marvin Fertel: I think the big thing in Delivering the Nuclear Promise are inspection tools right now, both for the vendors and the written for the structure that we have here s Recovery robots utilities, is they know that the industry in the United States. If you don’t have needs us to get much more effi cient. It’s that structure in whatever country, you’re s Decommissioning, not going to necessarily result in saving going to have to appreciate that these are fuel handling all the plants that are at risk, but one of written to INPO guidelines, or they’re s Valve actuation in the things about delivering the nuclear written to our structure here. But again, containment promise, is that it’s not just how do we we’ve received a lot of interest, quite a lot s All-in-one motor, get more effi cient and therefore, reduce internationally. So, I was pleased. We had gear box, brake, cost, it’s how do we get more revenue too. an international representative yesterday resolver assemblies It’s, how do we get much more and invited him to continue engaging us. Most compact and effi cient? How do we do that in a way I just share that as an example. When you s energy efficient that really, culturally, isn’t just an event say it’s gone organic, it is really has. motion solutions today, but something that is sustainable It’s really sort of taken on a life of for the long term, and then, also, how do its own. And what’s nice about that is s Single point of we drive more revenue to the companies? when Marv and I originally had some of expertise/supply In our supplier meeting yesterday the early ideas for this, I said well, any s Proven record at (August 16, 2016), when we asked them kind of an initiative, it’s sort of a fl ash in world’s largest what they thought was the top priority, the pan. You kind of get it started, and nuclear plant their top priority was saving the existing then you think of an initiative, then it plants. goes away. I said it would be a shame to Learn more at Their second priority was proceeding get all of this energy and focus and effort, with new plants, which we actually agree and then somehow it goes away. Well, wittenstein-us.com/ with, that you need to do both if we’re we always wanted to be about safety and servomotors going to provide kind of what we need to, reliability. We’re very safe, very reliable, to our country, and to be honest, beyond but also a good business. The idea was our country, globally. So, delivering the to create something that is an initiative nuclear promise is having a substantive now. The initiative part just means get benefi t, and it’s going to get much more your attention, put the ideas out there, benefi cial as we get into some of the but we never really wanted it to die, so to things that are going to go on over the speak, or to go away. The idea of these next 12 to 18 months. On improving effi ciency bulletins, as Marv stated, that [email protected] performance, it’s going to have a much any item that fi nally comes to fruition 1249 Humbracht Circle Bartlett IL 60103 bigger benefi t for the long term on getting (Continued on page 26) 630-540-5300 effi ciency built in. Nuclear Plant Journal, September-October 2016 NuclearPlantJournal.com 25 table. This is an example of an effi ciency Marvin Fertel Delivering the... bulletin, where we say everybody has to (Continued from page 25) Marv Fertel is president and chief do this one because it minimizes the value executive offi cer of the Nuclear Energy if we don’t all do it, but we’re all going Institute (NEI). to do in-processing the same way, so Mr.M Fertel has through this initiative gets documented in that from a vendor overo 40 years of this bulletin. The steering committee we perspective, once you experienceex working attended yesterday is the fi nal approval get a badge at one site, withw the electric of these bulletins. The bulletin basically then you are badged utilityu industry on said here’s the problem. Here’s what we at another site. That’s issuesis related to think the best solution is. If the solution very powerful for designing,d siting, goes through anything from, let’s say, the vendors and much licensingli and NRC or INPO, we’ve already worked more effi cient for managingm both fossil with NRC, or we’ve already worked with them to go to work anda nuclear plants. INPO. We’ve already done a pilot or and therefore, much done a lead plant. So, we’ve paved the more effi cient for us. HeH has worked way. in executive One example of something is that 4. Concluding com- positionsp with when we say in-processing, it’s if you ments. suchsu organizations want to come to work at my plant, Fertel: The great asa Ebasco and you go through in-processing. You go momentum we’re Management Analysis Company. In through a process that you take tests, I get seeing across the industry is indicative November 1990, he joined the U.S. information, and I make sure that you can of the important role that I think we all Council for Energy Awareness as have a badge at my station. If you’re a know nuclear is going to play, both for vice president of Technical Programs. vendor, you come to work for my plant, America, both in the short term and With the formation of NEI in 1994, he I give you all these tests. Then you go much more importantly in the long term, became NEI’s vice president of Nuclear to work for Marv’s plant. You stand in and globally. We are going to export Economics and Fuel Supply. line, and you take all these tests again. our technology. It’s the most advanced He adds a little tweak. Then they go to technology in the world. We have the Mr. Fertel was named senior vice your plant, and they’ve got to take all the best safety culture for operating plants in president and chief nuclear offi cer tests again. You ask a couple different the world. While we don’t always agree in 2003 and in 2009 he was named questions, something specifi c to your with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission President and Chief Executive Offi cer of station. on everything, they are one of the best NEI. We said well, geez, guys, we’re all regulators, if not the best regulator in the essentially asking the same questions, so world, and they’re moving much more He is a member of the Board of why are we all giving our own tests? The into risk informed regulation, which we Directors of the Center for Energy in-processing is to take one version of think will also improve safety because Workforce Development, the United these tests, and then if I give you a badge, it’ll be more safety focused, and reduce States Energy Association, the then you can go work at Marv’s plant. burden because we won’t go chasing Foundation for Nuclear Studies and the They’ll do some checking, but you don’t things that don’t have a lot of safety National Energy Foundation. have to take the test again. They’ll make focus. So, I think that you’re pursuing sure that they understand what you did a good line of questioning and a very between my plant and his plant. Did you good momentum for our industry and our work at another plant? Have you been country. you think about it, we’re working today in trouble, from a security perspective? on the inside, if you will, to pull together They have to ask a few questions, but Korsnick: We’re paving the way the best processes and the best way that you don’t have to take any retest again. for the nuclear of tomorrow. Nuclear we can operate these plants, and it will be If you go to Marv’s plant and you get is more than just the hardware. It’s the transferred as we continue to build on the qualifi ed to be a fi re watch or to work people, and it’s the processes. If you strong foundation that we have of today’s with foreign materials exclusion, FME, can imagine what we’re doing today to fl eet, for that new foundation for those which is something that is pretty typical make our processes more effi cient and to new fl eet of tomorrow. at a plant, then if it’s good enough to get our people engaged in defi ning what work at his plant, then it’s good enough those processes are and the most effi cient Contact: Tom Kauffman, Nuclear to work at my plant. As an industry, we way to do it, these are the same processes Energy Institute, 1201 F Street NW, Suite always wanted to tailor just to ourselves, that those new plants are going to use. 1100, Washington, DC 20004; telephone: each plant, what exactly you needed for These are the same processes that those (202) 739-8010, email: [email protected].  a badge. We’re getting everybody to the advanced reactors are going to use. If

26 NuclearPlantJournal.com Nuclear Plant Journal, September-October 2016 New Documents... 2. Implement Graded Approach to personnel to focus on more signifi cant Walkdowns (EB 16-02). Online: www. activities and reduce administrative (Continued from page 16) nei.org/bulletin1602 burden. This bulletin will result in greater Level 1 PCEs will continue to be effi ciency by implementing a graded tracked and summarized at the end of a approach to detailed inspections plant outage or year. If the frequency of (walkdowns) of plant systems and Level 1 PCEs is above industry metrics or NEI indicates a negative trend, a more detailed The nuclear industry is issuing equipment. analysis will be required. effi ciency bulletins as part of a multiyear Nuclear power plant personnel Target implementation date: Utility campaign to increase operational spend a considerable amount of time discretion; consistent with business effectiveness while advancing safety at each day conducting walkdowns of plant environment. nuclear power plants. equipment and systems. These consume These bulletins are specifi c signifi cant resources that could be better 4. Source Checking Personnel and Tool effi ciency recommendations to nuclear used on other maintenance tasks. Contamination Monitors (EB 16-04). plant operators as part of an industry The graded approach to walkdowns Online: www.nei.org/bulletin1604 initiative known as “Delivering the will defi ne the type of work that merits This bulletin will result in greater Nuclear Promise: Advancing Safety, scheduled inspection and defi ne the level effi ciency by reducing the frequency of Reliability and Economic Performance.” of detail required in those inspections. personnel radiation monitor checks from This strategic plan will strengthen the Walkdowns would no longer be required daily to weekly at nuclear power plants’ industry’s commitment to excellence before carrying out frequently performed, radiologically controlled area exits. in safety and reliability, assure familiar or repetitive work. Walkdowns As a result of this bulletin, contami- future viability through effi ciency would continue to be performed before nation monitors with enhanced technolo- improvements, and drive regulatory and new or infrequent work tasks, planned gy at the exits of radiologically controlled market changes so that nuclear energy outages to coordinate work schedules, areas (such as the reactor building) will facilities are fully recognized for their and for some tasks in unfamiliar locations be source-checked weekly instead of value. of the plant. daily. This will align personnel radiation Teams of industry experts have Target implementation date: Utility monitor checks with industry guidelines identifi ed initial areas where effi ciencies discretion; consistent with business for radiological protection at nuclear or process improvements may be gained. environment. power plants and also take advantage of The pace and scope of implementation newer technologies capable of perform- at each nuclear power plant site will be 3. Align Personnel Contamination ing self-checks. determined by the company that owns Event Response to Industry Guidance Target implementation date: June and operates it. (EB 16-03). Online: www.nei.org/ bulletin1603 2016. 1. Eliminate Administrative Changes This bulletin will result in greater 5. Training Task List Reviews (EB 16- to Preventive Maintenance Work Orders effi ciency by ensuring the response to 07). Online: www.nei.org/bulletin1607 (EB 16-01). Online: www.nei.org/ very low levels of personnel radiological This bulletin will result in greater bulletin1601 contamination is commensurate with the effi ciency by reducing the administrative This bulletin will result in greater health risk to workers and the public. load for performing diffi culty- effi ciency by reducing the amount of Level 1 Personnel Contamination importance-frequency analyses, a process paperwork associated with routine Events (PCEs), the lowest contamination used to prioritize and schedule training preventive maintenance at nuclear plant event on an industry scale, present little for personnel. sites. health risk to workers or the public. After This recommendation will ensure A substantial amount of paperwork a level 1 PCE, workers are restricted from each nuclear power plant reduces the is generated for even routine preventive re-entering radiologically controlled frequency of diffi culty-importance- maintenance activities at nuclear areas (such as the reactor building) on frequency analyses of its required work power plants. Changes dealing with the plant site and management begins as compiled in task lists. Companies personnel or equipment safety would an investigation into the event. Detailed will perform these analyses every six still be performed. With this change documentation must also be completed years rather than in two-year increments, implemented, automated preventative and corrective action developed. Under thereby eliminating this administrative maintenance work orders and other the revised approach, companies requirement and focusing training related documentation would be reduced, would follow industry guidance resources on higher priority tasks. resulting in substantial process effi ciency for responses to level 1 PCEs that Target implementation date: June and cost savings. requires decontamination, logging and 2016. Target implementation date: Utility periodic review of the log for program discretion; consistent with business improvements. The elimination of For more bulletins go to the Nuclear environment. unnecessary requirements and actions associated with a level 1 PCE will allow Energy Institute website at www.nei.org 

Nuclear Plant Journal, September-October 2016 NuclearPlantJournal.com 27 Helping to Reestablish the US’s Leadership in NuScale Nuclear Energy Power: 1. What is the status of the UAMPS to INL, they determined fi ve possible Carbon Free Power Project? sites that they liked at INL, and then Blazing the NuScale’s fi rst Customer, Utah they narrowed it down to one location. Associated Municipal Power Systems is UAMPS knows precisely where they Trail developing a 12 module NuScale nuclear want to locate their plant on INL property, By Mike McGough, NuScale Power. power plant. UAMPS began evaluating and they have informed the Idaho what they were going to do to replace National Laboratory of their desire to Mike McGough their aging coal plants, and we began put it there. UAMPS shared this location In his role at NuScale, Mike McGough working with them on that in earnest in at the recent Intermountain Energy oversees all sales, marketing, business early 2012. At the time, it was not clear Summit in Idaho Falls in August 2016. development, what the EPA rules In February 2016, UAMPS and the proposal were going to say Department of Energy (DOE) signed a management, about carbon, but 99-year site use agreement that allows media engagement, they knew that they UAMPS to develop and site their plant on tradeshows, website, had to do something DOE property at INL. We’re at the step and branding. to replace their coal in the process where INL has to agree McGough joined plants. UAMPS and approve that site selection; determine NuScale from begin to evaluate that it will not impact any other missions UniStar Nuclear how they were going of the lab, and ensure that it wasn’t real where he was Senior to do that, and they estate that INL had reserved for some Vice President, determined, they other purpose. In some number of Commercial wanted to do it with months, we expect that INL will give Operations. nuclear, and they UAMPS, the okay, and then UAMPS will selected NuScale’s begin the Combined Operating License McGough is a 37- SMR technology Application (COLA) process. year veteran of the as the answer. When UAMPS begins that process, commercial nuclear UAMPS formally they will write their COLA and send it industry supporting launched the Carbon to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission construction, Free Power Project (NRC) sometime in 2018 (it takes a year operations, (CFPP) in 2015 as a and a half or so to write that document). maintenance and decommissioning of part of the Western Initiative for Nuclear, The COLA will be based on the NuScale nuclear plants worldwide. He has been which commenced two years earlier. design. NuScale’s DCA (Design involved in new plants at Westinghouse Once UAMPS did that, they began Certifi cation Application) is what we’re and UniStar, dry fuel storage as senior evaluating siting. The site selection writing and fi nishing now. NuScale will vice president for NAC International, process to locate a nuclear power plant submit that design certifi cation application low level waste management and is fairly well known. You start with a by the end of 2016. Once submitted and decommissioning at Duratek and Energy very wide region of interest. In UAMPS’ docketed with the NRC, a 40-month Solutions. case, it included four or fi ve states. They review process commences. When we narrowed it down to a region of interest submit the DCA, it gets reviewed and McGough holds a Bachelor of Science that included parts of the state of Idaho granted, and then UAMPS submits their in Physical Metallurgy from Washington and, most importantly, the 890-square- COLA, and it gets granted shortly after State University, and MBA from the Katz mile Idaho National Laboratory (INL). NuScale gets our design certifi cation. At School of Business at the University UAMPS selected that area as a highly that time, the UAMPS project will start of Pittsburgh. He is also a graduate of interesting location for obvious reasons. safety-related construction (in probably the Kellogg Management Institute at The INL has been the home of 50 late 2021) for a commercial operation of Northwestern University. operating nuclear power plants. It has their plant in mid-2024. Those are the an installed base of industrial resources, key timelines we’re focused on right now. of personnel, who are well familiar We’ve been working on this schedule with nuclear, an open community, and for a long time, and it requires UAMPS a governor who’s very supportive of and NuScale, to be thorough with our An interview by Newal Agnihotri, Editor nuclear. Once UAMPS narrowed it down applications and be sure that when we of Nuclear Plant Journal, at the Utility Working Conference in Amelia Island, (Continued on page 30) Florida on August 15, 2016.

28 NuclearPlantJournal.com Nuclear Plant Journal, September-October 2016 34.5

Modularity

NuScale’s innovative concept incorporates all the components for steam generation and heat exchange into a single integrated unit, the NuScale Power Module™ (NPM). The compact design of the NPM allows it to be built and assembled in a U.S. factory, then shipped to a prepared 34.5 acre site for easy deployment. The design eliminates many costly, complex systems while cutting-edge manufacturing cuts time and cost of production. The 50 MWe NPM provides power in increments that can be scaled to 600 MWe (gross) in a single facility. Modularity: The Element of Nu™.

NuScale Power @NuScale_Power @NuScale_UK © 2016 NuScale Power, LLC. All Rights Reserved. nuscalepower.com To request information on NuScale’s upcoming NuFAB event in November, email [email protected]. right-minded people with the right kind companies to export nuclear technology NuScale Power... of resources, the right needs and the to other countries for peaceful uses of the (Continued from page 28) commitment to do it. Because as you atom. can see, the UAMPS project has been If they don’t have those agreements going for over four years and we have in place, then the conversation goes no eight more years to go before we’re further. And the list of people who have send them to the NRC, they are complete commercial. those is fairly short. That’s the fi rst submittals. If, for some reason, they screen. fi nd our application to be incomplete, 2. Are there other utilities who you The second screen is do you have an then the 40-month review clock doesn’t consider to be good prospects? owner? Is there a utility that owns poles start until it is deemed to be complete. Yes, in those six western states that and wires, and has a couple of million The UAMPS project is part of what we I mentioned, and UAMPS has 44 or 45 customers that they provide electricity to, created as the Western Initiative for members. Their membership changes and does that utility want a nuclear power Nuclear, back in 2013. The Western every once in a while. UAMPS had one plant to help meet their customer needs? Initiative for Nuclear is of interest to member that joined recently, just because They’ve got to have approximately the 19 Western states that are members they want to be a part of the CFPP, and $3 billion to do what it takes. They’re of the Western Governors’ Association. they have several other new municipal going to pay NuScale $2.5-$2.6 billion, It was in their 10-year energy plan as a utilities that are considering joining and they’re going to need a couple specifi c stated goal in 2012 to facilitate because they want to be part of it too. hundred million dollars to do all the other the development of small modular reactor They all want some of the offtake from stuff. And patience is defi nitely a virtue. projects in the West. Within those 19 the plant. If you started today at a brand-new place Western states, there were six specifi c Energy Northwest will operate that met all those criteria, you might get states that had not just the government UAMPS’s plant because Energy this done in 15 years, maybe 10 if you interest from the governor’s offi ce Northwest wants to build one of their own really hurry--assuming that the country and the governor’s energy offi ce, but before 2030. Energy Northwest was the had an existing nuclear regulatory had major utility interest for the same fi rst utility to select NuScale technology infrastructure. If they don’t have an NRC reasons that UAMPS had. They have back in 2011. Again, in those six states or NRC equivalent, they have to stand to replace baseload coal. Those states that I previously mentioned, there are one up. Look at what ENEC (Emirates include Washington State, New Mexico, utility consortiums and utility owners in Nuclear Energy Corporation) did. Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, and of course each one of those states that intend to When the United Arab Emirates said, Idaho,. There are NuScale projects being someday own a NuScale plant. we want to build nuclear power plants, contemplated in various degrees or stages they had to build the nuclear regulatory of development in all six of those states. 3. Internationally, which other infrastructure. And when I say various stages, I mean countries have expressed interest in some of them have already gone through NuScale technology? 4. Why is the NuScale plant called a siting. Some states are just trying to NuScale will provide its technology “digital plant”? see if they have enough critical mass of to any country, anywhere, anytime, In the NuScale 12-module control potential ownership to own a 570 MW provided they meet certain criteria. One, room you can control and operate all nuclear power plant that’s going to cost they have to have a 123 agreement, and 12 NuScale power modules. Each one them $2.5 or $3 billion. And that takes they have to have an 810 agreement. of the stacks of fi ve monitor screens is some work—to make sure that you have Those are the agreements that allow US everything necessary to monitor and

NuScale Power commissioned the world’s fi rst control room simulator for a multi-module small reactor power plant in July 2012 at its Corvallis, OR, offi ce.

30 NuclearPlantJournal.com Nuclear Plant Journal, September-October 2016 control one NuScale power module. The two months later start the next one. Every all just an intellectual exercise. This is bank of seven screens in the middle are other month there will be a refueling not an intellectual exercise. This is a the common systems; the common pool, outage on one NuScale module. They’ll commercial, viable project being built the reactor building HVAC controls, be staggered like that. And the people for people who are prepared to spend the everything in common systems is right that do the refueling will be indigenous kind of money it will take and who want there. You can also tell from looking at the plant staff—no outside nuclear staff from the benefi ts of clean, safe, carbon-free panel (if you’re trained how to read it) the all the different companies that provide baseload nuclear energy as part of their condition and trends in 14 characteristics, them. generation portfolio. So, we’re proud of whether they are trending normal, being a leader in this industry. We take whether they are slightly increasing, 7. Do you have any fi nal comments? very seriously the responsibility that goes whether they are signifi cantly increasing I would like to mention that we with receiving several hundred million or decreasing for all 12 modules in one have nearly 600 people working very dollars of taxpayers’ money to help part of that top screen. hard to complete our design certifi cation develop our technology, and we intend to If you’re in a control room in today’s application by year’s end—achieving a make the country proud and put the US in plants and something’s going wrong, major milestone. We are hopeful that our a position where we can reestablish our there are a number of audible and visual eight years of pre-application engagement leadership in nuclear energy. alarms that may remain. In the NuScale with the NRC will help make sure that control room, once you’ve acknowledged the application is found to be acceptable Contact: James Mellott, NuScale an alarm, and understood it, then it will and complete, and is put into the review Power, 6650 SW Redwood Lane, Suite go silent, so that the operator can move process quickly. That allows us to meet 210, Portland, OR 97224; telephone: on to the next items that matter. the needs of our many customers who (503) 715-2233, email: jmellott@ Our approach to the control room really want a NuScale plant. There nuscalepower.com.  is based on human factors engineering are a lot of people, a lot of companies studies that we’ve done at the National around, talking about developing new Labs over years. It’s based on how projects and new plants. Without real people receive information and respond customers and real money being spent to it. Everybody is different, and younger with real commercial signifi cance, it’s people today receive information and process it differently than people who are 55 or 60 years old in the control rooms of today. People that are going to operate Nutherm our control rooms are today’s high school International, Inc. seniors, and they’re going to be running www.nutherm.com this plant in 10 years. NEW QUALIFICATIONS TO SUPPORT 5. What will the refueling outage look Power Uprates • License Extension • Changes in Postulated Conditions like, as compared to the conventional EXPEDITED QUALIFICATION 1200 MW nuclear power plant? DEDICATION & PERFORMANCE TESTING It’s going to be very different. The gigawatt size reactor outages probably INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS TO average around 40 days, unless it’s OBSOLESCENCE ISSUES a major one. A 10-year ISI, a steam generator replacement, a turbine change COMMERCIAL GRADE QUALIFICATION AND DEDICATION SINCE 1979 out—the bigger outages—those will run a couple months. A NuScale plant refueling operation will take less than 10 days. About 9.6 days is the current schedule for one module. The refueling cycle is 24 months, and you have 12 modules.

6. And you don’t have to do all of them simultaneously? No, you’ll never do them all simultaneously. You do a one module refueling outage in 10 days button it up, put it back online, fi nish your paperwork, begin your planning for the next one, and [email protected] 618-244-6000

Nuclear Plant Journal, September-October 2016 NuclearPlantJournal.com 31 1. What is the scope of a digital upgrade to the main feedwater control valves. project at TVA? That was a very sensitive control area Better For TVA Nuclear, we put our formal due to the valve sizing differences and digital program in place in the mid-‘90s the high gain of the colder water at low Plant due to a lot of lessons learned during power (aka. shrink and swell effect). the early ‘90s in the non safety area. When our operators would crack the Response We look at what tasks add value, what main valve open manually, you would By Ronald Jarrett, Tennessee Valley doesn’t, what things to do and don’t do. get signifi cantly more fl ow than the Authority. We developed a set of defensive measures full open bypass valves. In our control to be used in our designs. For example, scheme, we went to three element control vendors will have built in features that (feedwater fl ow, steam fl ow, and SG they say will take care of this failure and level).The fl ow signals are not of high Ronald Jarrett that failure. You’ll say okay, that’s fi ne, quality at low power, so we start control Ronald Jarrett is an I&C Engineering but when we do our application software, in single element mode, SG level only, Specialist and Digital Project Manager we design in an extra level of redundancy until at least one feedwater and one steam in the Corporate Design Engineering with our preventative design measures. fl ow signal is on-scale and is acting in a Staff for TVA These features such reliable manner. As these input signals Nuclear (NPG). He as,a if an input signal come on scale with good quality, they are is responsible for failsfa out of range, high automatically placed in service. SG level engineering expertise oro low, the system itself control transitions to three element control regarding nuclear site willw take the failed mode. We’re in a load following mode so Instrumentation and inputin signal out of scan as the turbine comes up, feedwater just Control (I&C) Systems. automatically.au We don’t follows it on up as we increase power. relyre on these built-in The operator brings in the condensate Jarrett is the featuresfe because they and main feedwater pumps during power Program Manager arear for gross failures ascension. Bringing in the pumps are responsible for NPG’s andan not bumpless. still manual functions but as far as steam Instrumentation That’sT kind of an extra generator level control, it just follows Setpoint Program and backupb feature. We have providing signifi cant improved control for NPG’s Engineering hadh some issues with response during the normal startup program for the oneo of these features progression and not just on transients. design, procurement, recently.re The use of 3 We’ve had trips and transients due to qualifi cation, and redundantre inputs and the other plant events and we go back and application of Digital mediumm signal select is look at how steam generator level control Instrumentation and Systems. a very powerful tool that we utilize in our functioned during these events. We have application software. a lot less shrink and swell problems. He is Co-Chairman of ISA 67.06 Work We design these defensive measures Our steam generator levels variations Group for Performance Monitoring, for availability. In the non safety area, are smaller and recover to set point a lot Chairman of ISA 67.04 Work Group plant availability is our key focus only quicker on a transient condition. So, it’s a for Data Quality, Co-Chairman of second to safety. We want to eliminate signifi cant improvement. PWROG Transmitter Calibration our single point vulnerabilities. When Extension Project, an NEI Digital we did our feedwater upgrade, just in the 2. Which plants are in this scope? Work Group Representative for NRC feedwater control system alone 37 single Watts Bar, Sequoyah and Browns ISG#4 development, and part of NEI points of vulnerability were eliminated. Ferry. Browns Ferry was our most Digital Federal Regulation 10CFR50.59 That system had been tripping us, digitalized plant before Watts Bar “Changes, tests and experiments” and probably, on an average, once per year. Nuclear Unit 2. We’ve been doing digital Common Cause Failure Working Groups. To date during the past 5 to 7 years, we mod since the mid-‘90s. So, a lot of have not had any trips. Due to feedwater the plant has been upgraded in the non Jarrett received a BSEE in Electrical control system failures the improved safety area. For the safety area, we’re still Engineering from the University of plant performance has prevented several using analog Rosemount trip units and Tennessee with centralized study in the trips. transmitters. At Watts Bar and Sequoyah, areas of Electronic design and Control We now have a low power control we put in digital Eagle-21 Reactor System design. system that automated the bypass Protection System (RPS) and Engineered controls. All the bypass valves were Safety Features and Actuation Systems An interview by Newal Agnihotri, Editor manual requiring constant monitoring (ESFAS) during the late 80s’. of Nuclear Plant Journal, at the Utility and time consuming adjustments. Our We started up Watts Bar with Working Conference in Amelia Island, operators would get to a point where they Eagle-21. I wouldn’t say it’s a simple Florida on August 15, 2016. would transfer from the bypass valves system, but compared to today’s systems,

32 NuclearPlantJournal.com Nuclear Plant Journal, September-October 2016 it is simple such as peer to peer serial we can only attach one at a time. There’s no Foxboro I/A has been migrated to communications and is deterministic. cross divisional type issues/concerns. We Sequoyah and now to Watts Bar. You gain It runs over and over again at a defi ned don’t have inner channel communications a lot of advantages from standardization. cycle. It has an external test processor and we don’t really need that. We’ve had You can develop Subject Matter Experts system that monitors the protection no spurious trips or actuations out of the (SME), on the standardized platform. system’s operation, each cycle. If it sees Eagle-21 during the past 25+ years. What So, whether it’s a Foxboro, Ovation, or any deltas, it will alert the operator via protects you from those events is your Siemens platform, standardizing is very MCR alarm and automatically place itself voting/logic channel which is Westinghouse important for a multi-unit, multisite. Our in a safe state (i.e., partial trip condition). Solid State Protection System (SSPS) for SMEs at Browns Ferry were brought If the system has a locks up, there is a most Westinghouse designs. You’ll get one up to Sequoyah during the Feedwater watchdog timer that will detect and place channel that goes to a trip state, but for SSPS controls upgrade to work with the these affected channels in a defi ned safe you need to have two out of three or two out Sequoyah Nuclear Plant (SQN) system state We put the 25+ year old Eagle 21 of four logic to get a trip or actuation. This engineer onsite. The Sequoyah individual system into Watts Bar Unit 2, so the provides with some time to fi x the problem is now a SME. Those two SME then went units would be the same. Actually, I before another trip condition occurs. When to Watts Bar when we were doing the have more confi dence in Eagle-21 than a partial trip occurs, the plant will enter into Watts Bar NSSS upgrade, and they were some of the other newer systems due to the appropriate Limiting Conditions for critical to the success of that project. its performance history, self monitoring Operability (LCOs) while the problem is We’re developing new SMEs at Watts Bar design, and deterministic nature. You being fi xed. now. This provides our fl eet with a value exchange new issues with old issues. resource of SMEs. If we have a problem 4. What vendors are involved? at one site, we can get all our SMEs on 3. What do you mean by that, exchange For Sequoyah and Watts Bar, it’s the line. Hey, here’s what’s going on. new issues? been Westinghouse on the protection Have you seen this before? Also, they You have different or new issues. I don’t system side. We’ve have standardized, have users groups where you can ask want to compare systems, but there were a as a fl eet, on the non safety side with other industry experts about an issue, not lot of issues over having the maintenance Foxboro I/A. We fi rst implemented a just nuclear, but the process, chemical terminal attached to all four divisions, Foxboro I/A system in the ‘90s at Browns industry, fossil, the whole community. where Eagle 21has maintenance carts that Ferry. Due to the Brown Ferry’s success, (Continued on page 34)

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Nuclear Plant Journal, September-October 2016 NuclearPlantJournal.com 33 Westinghouse has been great in System and Software Verifi cation and Better Plant... supporting us with a very old digital Validation” to align with our Nuclear (Continued from page 33) Eagle-21 system. They built us brand- Quality Assurance Plan. new Eagle-21 boards for Watts Bar It’s a graded approach where for Unit 2. Those boards are still available and Safety related, we’ll meet the regulatory manufactured at request. Westinghouse is requirements. For Non safety upgrades, You say hey, we’re seeing this issue. supporting those after 25+ years. They’ve we have adapted our approach based upon We’re seeing this problem. Have you bought up spare parts to support our plants different grading and adapted the IEEE seen this before? And you can get an along with Sizewell, Diablo Canyon, and 1012, "Standard for Software Verifi cation instant feedback via a website or search Turkey Point. and Validation", structured process using the knowledge base. You don’t even have We have a users group that meets the areas that add value based upon our to go to the vendor, necessarily. every six months at the PWROG and we 25 years of lessons learned. There are You can get a lot of information. talk about obsolescence, what specifi c some things in IEEE 1012 that we haven’t That’s a very knowledgeable and very components are going obsolete, and what seen the value in it for across our different important database resource that exists is the path forward. There are parts on the categories of grading. We will take pieces for us. That’s one of the advantages of board that go obsolete that Westinghouse and parts from IEEE 1012 that have standardizing. We’ve standardized in has to address through commercial worked for us in the past. We also design other areas. The Rosemount transmitter grade dedication. At some point, we’re conservatively and get to know our is kind of becoming a standard by going to have to signifi cantly upgrade a vendor and their products. We perform default because we don’t have a lot board due to a processor change driving critical digital reviews (CDR) to learn of choices. We love Rosemount, but a software change. You need a vendor about our vendors and their products. the Appendix B vendors seem to be that has a track record or past history of I’ve been on fi ve CDRs in the past six shrinking, less and less. Vendors that supporting the users. Now, in commercial months, looking at our commercial are dedicated to supporting nuclear are grade dedication, that becomes more of vendors for non safety applications. A lot getting out of the nuclear business due a problem because you have dedicated of our vendors have very good structured to regulations, low volume sales, costly that specifi c board or multiple boards. development processes. internal O&M required to maintain an Commercial products get upgraded at a Some of them have processes Appendix B program. The challenge lot faster rate forcing you to go rededicate which are better than some Appendix B for us, is maintaining vendors that can the new revision again. That’s a major processes I’ve seen in the past. Because support us and addressing new vendors. problem because it’s done once, and they’ve gone to the electronic era, having That’s why commercial dedication is you have to stay at that revision. The parts traceability down to a little surface very important to us as we have to address commercial vendor may work with you mount resistor manufacturing history. obsolescence of aging equipment. There on how to freeze the hardware board and They know exactly where a lot comes are a lot of vendors that are working on associated software for that design. But from and this information is automatically protection systems and getting them at some point, the processors go out of stored in their information systems. But reviewed and approved by the NRC. We production driving a new hardware with a getting back on things that help us, in our as an industry do not upgrade protection probable software revision. The hardware program, we’re very conservative. We systems frequently. Most of our digital portion really drives the obsolescence have digital defense measures that we use upgrades are like digital recorders, smart in the digital area. Can you get the parts to design our system to help protect us from transmitters, control systems, safety/non anymore to manufacture new boards? unforeseen type of failures because some safety indication systems, embedded Commercial grade dedication has other of the failures will not be predictable such digital showing up in breaker protection problems that we have been seeing more as failure downscale (i.e., slowly drifting such as digital trip units, generator recently. We’ve got obsolete dedicated input). That’s why medium signal select protection type relays, etc. That is really chiller controls at a plant and no spare will select the middle input, even if it was where our focus is. parts but we were able to get the last 10 the one that’s drifting now. It will control available boards. At some point in the for a few moments, but once it drifts 5. Are you seeing the obsolescence future, we’re going to have to have a through the region between the highest issue in the digital cards? The second replacement option which is a signifi cant and lowest signals, it’s kicked out and the thing is how are you are improvising so safety related upgrade. previous lowest good signal comes in and that at least for the next 30 years, you will takes control. We try to avoid any type of not have the obsolescence issue? 6. Concluding comments. bumps for the operators. As far as obsolescence, we see a A structured digital design approach From operations feedback, they faster obsolescence in the digital. The I/A is important to have within a utility. This love the new systems. It provides less series 100 system at Browns Ferry, we’re structured controlled design process must challenges for them and better plant going through our project right now. address frontend requirements related response. We’re upgrading to the latest Foxboro to the multifaceted levels of testing that I/A, with the 200 or EVO series. Foxboro occur at different phases of the project. Contact: Ron Jarrett, TVA, telephone: provided a migration strategy bridging Our program is a graded approach based (423) 751-8298 email: [email protected].  the 100 and 200 series evolution. off of IEEE 1012, “IEEE Standard for

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KiloRAD PTZ radiation resistant camera with integrated Pan/Tilt/Zoom © 2014 Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. All rights reserved. All trademarks © 2014 Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. All rights of Thermo Fisher Scientific and its subsidiaries. the property are 1. What is the scope of INL’s work in has been redesigned with an end state in Deploying modernizing control rooms? mind. We call that long-term end state We at the Idaho National Laboratory vision. Control Room (INL), have been working with the We’ve been working on developing existing fl eet of light water reactors this end state vision with several different through the Department of Energy’s Light nuclear utilities around the country and Modernization Water Reactor Sustainability Program, looking at different ways to achieve the By Bruce Hallbert, Idaho National where we are partnering with the Electric end state vision, working with vendors and Laboratory. Power Research Institute through a suppliers to those utilities and following consortium of light water reactor owner- a regulatory approach and process, and operators to address aging and pending human factors engineering principles, Bruce Hallbert obsolescence issues in technology that incorporating those into the design, so Bruce Hallbert is the Director of are facing the existing fl eet of light water that at the end of this, the operators, the Nuclear Energy Enabling Technologies reactors, especially with regard to control engineers, the entire organizations that are at the Idaho National Laboratory, a rooms. involved, and have had a signifi cant deal U.S. Department Sometimes when of interaction, a lot of design infl uence, of Energy National thingsth age and fail, and the resulting design has followed Laboratory located in thereth can be a very a very rigorous approach that is highly Idaho Falls, Idaho. shortsh planning hori- usable, very safe and is highly integrated, He is the research zonz to respond. What with regard to modern design principle, pathway lead of we’vew been trying especially human factors engineering. Instrumentation, to do is to develop Those are the kinds of things that Information, & a more incremental we’re doing right now. We’re also Control Systems processp to moderniz- developing some advanced technologies, research for the ingin things that allows like computerized software support DOE-sponsored forfo integration of new systems that employ advanced modeling Light Water Reactor digitald technologies, and simulation tools underneath them, Sustainability employingem things like that can incorporate faster than real-time Program (LWRS) humanh factors engi- analyses to study system performance and and the national neeringn principles and report issues to the operating crew before technical director of a more systematic en- the operating crew would ever become Advanced Sensors gineeringg approach, aware or detect it themselves. These are and Instrumentation soso that the resulting based upon new multiphysics codes that research for the newn digital technolo- the National Laboratories are very good at DOE-sponsored Nuclear Energy gies look and feel like they belong to- working with. We’ve just started testing Enabling Technologies (NEET) gether. some of these concepts with operating program. He is the past President If you can imagine, over time many crews recently. We’re not looking at of the International Association of of the systems in a nuclear power plant implementing those anytime really soon, Probabilistic Safety Assessment and control room, the analog technologies are but the reception and feedback has been Management (IAPSAM). He received going to need to be replaced by digital overwhelmingly positive. Crews are very his Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental technologies. One thing we have to interested in how these systems work, Engineering from Vanderbilt University consider is how is that going to be done. and they can see the value and benefi t of in Nashville, Tennessee. Well, we have an approach to manage these technologies immediately. that, so that to the operating crew, it feels as though there was a logical approach to 2. What is the progress of your outage it. management control center being Another approach that we’re taking implemented at Palo Verde nuclear power is working with several utilities to take plant? a longer view, which says look, 10 to 15 That project is continuing. It’s called years down the road, 5, 10, 15 years, and the advanced outage control center. A say is there a way to look at the systems number of utilities have picked up on that are going to be affected by capital that technology, which is free. It doesn’t asset management plans, and is there cost them anything to use it. There are a a way for us to plan how the control number of utilities now that have sort of An interview by Newal Agnihotri, Editor room could be modernized to develop an a working group around this technology. of Nuclear Plant Journal, at the Utility integrated design for the operating crew, They share lessons learned. They Working Conference in Amelia Island, so that they feel and it looks as though, in benchmark a little bit with one another. Florida on August 16, 2016. 5, 10, or 15 years, that the control room My hope is that INPO and vendors will

36 NuclearPlantJournal.com Nuclear Plant Journal, September-October 2016 pick up on this technology, begin to safety requirements. Those have led about what we’re doing with Palo Verde integrate it and move forward with it. to a number of licensee event reports, and some idea of what sort of progress We are completing our efforts with this technical specifi cation violations during you might expect to see in time, but I’d technology this year, meaning by the end outages, even in the past year. We’re like for Palo Verde to really speak about of September 2016, but we’re planning looking at developing technologies that how they plan to implement it. on another project that’s related to this would assist utilities with integrating that with the same lead researcher, Shawn St. picture into their outage management, to 4. Provide me an update on the status Germain, and it’s going to be an outage not only see and observe how well they’re of Research & Development of the Main risk management. staying on top of technical specifi cation Control Room project? Now, this is a little bit different than management, but also to look ahead and We have just hosted several crews of risk monitors. It’s not risk monitoring. foresee any potential confl icts, so that operators to look at preliminary end state This has more to do with how do you outages not only are done effi ciently, but visions of a redesign of control rooms gather information about all the different to the extent that we can, think of ways from one of our partner utilities at the requirements that you need to manage in that we can improve upon outage safety. INL in our Human System Simulation real time during an outage, given all the Laboratory. What we did there was we work that you’re executing and planning 3. In how many years will the control took the 10 or so years of their long- and the way that things actually are rooms have some special products, just range planning for managing control carried out. You plan work to be done in like an outage control center? room technologies. We used that to a certain way. Things actually occur in We are working with Arizona create 3D models of the control room, ways that are slightly different. There’s Public Services and the Palo Verde both a CAD model as well as a CAVE new work that you identify or discover nuclear station, as well as with Exelon. model, meaning an immersive model, that has to be performed. So, during To help inform Exelon, so that they can where you can step into it, in a high- an outage, there’s over 10,000 work make decisions about what approaches performance visualization environment. activities that have to be accomplished they want to take in terms of managing We implemented it in a virtual control in a very limited period of time, and at their plants and making investments for room. any given time, there’s the potential for the long term. The project that I’ll be (Continued on page 38) confl icts between technical specifi cation, presenting tomorrow shows a little bit

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Nuclear Plant Journal, September-October 2016 NuclearPlantJournal.com 37 Deploying Control... (Continued from page 37)

We had a workshop, a one-week 10-year long-term modernization plan. driven by the exact same simulator as the workshop, with each crew that came Then we started looking at ways that plant simulator. through. We developed these end we could reclaim that physical real We’re able to run scenarios like state concepts, where we showed them estate on the control panels and started plant startup and shutdown, as well as progressively how we would step through looking at plans for digital replacement transients. Operators are able to start to a modernization process by replacing technologies and then started looking interact with their current design, as well different aspects of the older technologies at how that could actually materialize as a future design, and start to get a feel with newer technologies and how we in new display technologies. One of for what it would be like to test these would reach the end state over time the things that we’ve done is, we’ve not differences out in practice, in design, very, with more, let’s say, digital displays touched any of the safety related devices. very early preliminary design, before any throughout their control room, as opposed Even the annunciators that used to be technology has been selected, just to get a to what they currently have. Then we ran the old analog annunciators are all now feel for what those differences are. through a number of dynamic simulation digital and have additional functionality The other thing that we can do is scenarios, where they could see, how that and features. using modern technologies, we use a would look and feel. Then as we did that, tool that goes through and evaluates the we collected data with the crews. We 5. Where are the ammeters and ergonomics. The Nuclear Regulatory gathered information from them about voltmeters, temperature indicators, and Commission has developed requirements, how that might affect their performance, pressure indicators? Are they part of a in NUREG 0700, Human-System the pros and cons of those issues. We’re computerized system now? Interface Design Review Guidelines, for following a very systematic design It depends. If it’s a safety related human factors engineering, especially process. There were also engineers and instrument it’s not touched yet. So, these ergonomics, saying, you have to be able vendors and independent human factors are all developed into a 3D design. We to see things, have to be able to reach consultants who participated in those also developed these into a CAVE, a 3D things. We’re able to take a 3D model studies, so that we get the upfront input immersive environment, so that you could of the Palo Verde control room. It’s a on the design engineering process. actually walk into this with a headset on complete and exact replica. Into this, we We have identifi ed the systems and experience, what it would be like can put a 95th percentile male for height that are up for replacement over their to operate in that. This is actually being and a 5th percentile female for height,

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38 NuclearPlantJournal.com Nuclear Plant Journal, September-October 2016 and we can check the visual envelopes 7. Concluding comments. the NRC on pilot projects for digital and make sure that all the relocation of The Department of Energy, through technology implementation. I think once devices conforms with all the regulatory the Light Water Reactor Sustainability we’ve reached that stage and once digital and ergonomic requirements. Program, wants to play a key role in technology starts to be deployed on a supporting the long-term operation of our more frequent basis, I think we’ll start to 6. Do we have an owners group for the nation’s light water reactor commercial see effi ciency gains and improvements control room redesign? nuclear power assets. We understand in our light water reactor fl eet that are We do have a utility working that these are our nation’s vital energy necessary in order for it to remain a vital group, and it’s comprised of a number resources. They comprise a key part of and cost competitive asset that the nation of the nations’ nuclear operators. They our carbon-free electricity generation needs it to be. We’re very happy to be all participate in different ways. Our capacity. And so, we’re doing a lot of involved in that, to the extent that we are research is available to everyone. It’s the R&D and other supporting activities and the role that we play. available to utilities. It’s available to necessary to address the long-term aging vendors. It’s available to suppliers, management operation and effi ciency Contact: Bruce P. Hallbert, Idaho consultants, and other organizations. improvement for those assets. We’re National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1625, It’s available especially to the Nuclear very fortunate to be able to partner with Idaho Falls, ID 83415; telephone: (208) Regulatory Commission and to other organizations like EPRI, INPO, NEI 526-9867, email: bruce.hallbert@inl. stakeholders, NEI, and INPO. We want and the owner-operators themselves. gov.  to work with the broad nuclear power We really look forward to the time industry community. when these technologies start making it through the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and begin to work with

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Nuclear Plant Journal, September-October 2016 NuclearPlantJournal.com 39 Continuous Mobius™ System for Operational Flexibility In a pressurized water reactor, the reactor coolant system indefi nitely. regularly replenishing borated water During cold shutdown and refueling, Mobile during normal plant operations is the normal methods for core cooling are required, as borated fl uid is necessary for assumed to be inoperable. The reactor Boration the safe operation of the reactor coolant coolant system is itself designed to vent By Johan Hallén and Ryan Vanston, system and other systems throughout heat through steam into containment as Westinghouse Electric Company. the plant. As a result of the Fukushima part of the core cooling process, but the Daiichi event, utilities identifi ed the need boric acid from the borated fl uid within to quickly and fl exibly generate borated the system will remain as precipitate. A water sources as part of new beyond- fl ow of borated water must be available to Johan Hallén design-basis accident response strategies. keep the boric acid concentration below Johan Hallén brings 25 years of Westinghouse responded to this need precipitation limits and remove decay experience in the nuclear industry by developing a more effi cient, higher heat. to his current role as vice president fl ow rate, skid-style mobile boration sys- The FLEX guide also stipulates of Operating tem,te called the Mo- that there are diverse connections to Plant Automation bius™b system, as part the reactor coolant system capable of Engineering and ofo a mitigation strat- handling fl ow rates that are suffi cient Products for egyeg for core cooling for simultaneous heat removal and Westinghouse thatth would address boron fl ushing, as the mode of operation Electric Company. internationalin regula- demands. Flushing with a continuous In this position, he toryto requirements. fl ow of borated water allows the boric is responsible for TheT Mobius system acid concentration that remains in the leading the delivery usesu water, boric acid reactor coolant system to be maintained of instrumentation powderp and energy to below the precipitation limit while still and control products createcr a continuous maintaining sub-criticality. The current and pressurized outputo of borated fl u- industry response plans do not include water reactor id at a specifi ed con- a continuous system as the requirement engineering services centration,ce fl ow rate can be alternately satisfi ed with an onsite globally. andan pressure and will tank or an offsite resource depending on beb used for the fi rst analysis or timing results. Prior to this position, timeti in the fi eld in the For normal, emergency or Mr. Hallén was springsp of 2017. augmented boric acid supply systems, vice president and In parallel plants have relied on single-batch tank managing director for Westinghouse with Westinghouse’s development of systems due to the signifi cant amount of in Northern Europe, where he was the Mobius system, the U.S. Nuclear energy required for heating to maintain responsible for project delivery for Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued the ability to continually dissolve boric operating plants business in Finland, Order EA-12-049, “Order Modifying acid crystals in water. This high-energy Sweden and Ukraine. Mr. Hallén Licenses With Regard To Requirements heating and dissolution process limits progressed through increasingly For Mitigation Strategies For Beyond- the overall capacity for a single-batch responsible positions beginning through Design-Basis External Events.” This was system. System capacity can be directly roles with ABB and Westinghouse in closely followed by the NRC-endorsed translated to an overall discharge fl ow project management, design engineering “Diverse and Flexible Coping Strategies rate of borated fl uid, which may be too and management to his current executive (FLEX) Implementation Guide” (NEI low to meet the high fl ows necessary to role. 12-06) published by the Nuclear Energy alleviate early post-accident decay heat Institute. In the emergency situations rates. Mr. Hallén attended the Royal Institute addressed by the NRC Order and FLEX The Westinghouse Mobius system, of Technology, KTH, in Stockholm, guide, it may be diffi cult to have ready by contrast, is a specialized, continuous Sweden, where he earned a Master access to borated fl uid if current systems fl ow, contained mobile boration system of Science Degree in Mechanical or storage tanks are not designed to that resolves the challenges presented Engineering. withstand the postulated severe external by single-batch tank systems and can be event scenarios. used for normal and accident operations. Requirements for core cooling and The continuous fl ow capability addresses heat removal, as outlined in the FLEX the indefi nite nature of the FLEX guide, stipulate that all plants have a means requirements, and the Mobius system to provide borated water to replenish reduces the days required by other

40 NuclearPlantJournal.com Nuclear Plant Journal, September-October 2016 systems to hours and can be used outside of controlled areas. Additionally, this system is a solution for plants that have not implemented low-leakage seals or that do not have enough protected borated water sources to support shutdown modes indefi nitely, as required. Arizona Public Service worked with Westinghouse to customize the design, and Palo Verde will use the patented Westinghouse Mobius system as part of its operational fl exibility strategies. The system has been tailored to Palo Verde’s system performance requirements and provides plant-specifi c operational benefi ts, connection interfaces and operational enhancements, including a fully automated control system with a touch screen graphical user interface. The plant also has future plans to use it at the start of outages to borate the reactor coolant system to refueling boron concentrations at a rate much faster than current methods can accommodate. Palo Verde Engineering Director Panos Paramithas said, “Other systems on the market were batch systems that (Continued on page 42) Westinghouse Mobius System for continuous borated fl uid supply.

Preparing the Mobius unit for travel to site.

Nuclear Plant Journal, September-October 2016 NuclearPlantJournal.com 41 Continuous system and touch screen interfaces. Ryan Vanston While the fl ow rate and concentration Ryan Vanston P.E. is a Principal Mobile... can be adjusted online, it self-regulates Engineer in the Technology Development (Continued from page 41) and processes boric acid powder at Group for Westinghouse Electric a calculated rate Company.Co Since without need of 2012,20 he has been were limited in fl ow rate and duration. operator intervention involvedinv with design This was the only system on the market unless a change andan implementation that could provide a continuous fl ow of is desired. The of post-Fukushima highly borated water and meet our needs. automated operation safetysaf upgrades By pre-deploying this system at the uses a programmable forfor nuclear plants beginning of an outage, we will increase logic controller to aroundar the world. He our safety margins through operational dissolve boric acid in is the lead engineer fl exibility by having an alternate method a series of three batch forfor the patented of borating the plant if needed.” mixing tanks before WestinghouseWe Mobius resides on a skid to simplify the borated coolant is Mobius™M continuous transport, storage and deployment and supplied. The timing mobilemo boration provides borated coolant on demand. of the dissolution in system.sys Mr. Vanston The construction of the system allows the three batch mixing hasha also worked for over-the-road transport, power from tanks is staggered, as the Pressurized a site source or diesel generator, and which contributes to WaterWa Reactor setup utilizing industry standard quick a steady fl ow of the OwnersOw Group Post- disconnects. It requires four main inputs: borated fl uid to the FukushimaFu program water, a power source, boric acid powder fi nal dilution tank of directordir and the lead and a pH control agent powder. From the Mobius system for discharge to the systems engineer for the AP1000® plant these inputs, the trailer-sized system receiving plant system without requiring chemical and volume control system. synthesizes a solution at the specifi ed additional pumps. concentration and fl ow rate, which can The current Mobius system design He holds a Bachelor’s degree from range from 2,000 ppm boron at 150 focuses on using boric acid as the neutron The Pennsylvania State University gpm to 7,000 ppm boron at 30 gpm, poison but the system can be designed and a Master’s degree from Carnegie Mellon University, both in Chemical Engineering. He also completed the Nuclear Engineering Certifi cate program at the University of Pittsburgh.

Westinghouse completed acceptance testing in August 2016 for the Palo Verde implementation, and Mobius made its way to Palo Verde in September 2016 to support the spring 2017 outage. The plant plans to make full use of the Mobius system’s capabilities to fi ll refueling water storage tanks more easily and quickly, inject coolant into the reactor coolant system if needed during off- normal events and to augment or replace normal plant batching operations. Final check – the trailer-size system is ready to roll. Contact: Donna Ruff, Westinghouse depending upon plant requirements. to accept other powder, such as sodium Electric Company, 1000 Westinghouse The powders are placed into hoppers pentaborate, as required by a reactor Drive, Cranberry Township, PA 16066; and added automatically at a calculated design and accident scenario. The high telephone: (412) 374-4705; email: rate by a metering conveying system. fl ow rate design allows the ability to keep [email protected].  The discharge fl ow rate and level of the core cool during early post-accident boron concentration are monitored and scenarios when decay heat is the highest. controlled using the automated control

42 NuclearPlantJournal.com Nuclear Plant Journal, September-October 2016 Contracts... Harry Holt, Rolls-Royce, President of electric power Alejandro Sruoga; – Nuclear, said: “We are delighted to assistant secretary for nuclear energy (Continued from page 15) be awarded preferred bidder status to Julian Gadano; CNEA president Norma supply the Ultimate Diesel Generators Boero; and representatives from Siemens for Hinkley Point C. This is in addition and Tecna. to the preferred bidder status that we The contract was awarded following based on the Nodal Expansion Method. have already been awarded for contracts a three-stage tender, launched in 2014. Orchid Core Builder is also equipped to design and manufacture a number of It covers the entire conventional island with an initial condition (IC) transfer heat exchangers, and coolant treatment and the tertiary circuit, as well as the mechanism to automate the process of equipment for the reactor systems." demineralization plant and the auxiliary creating ICs following fuel cycle updates. Contact: Debbie Huston, Rolls- boiler. Work under the contract is Contact: Sean Bradley, L-3 MAPPS, Royce, telephone: 44 (0) 1925 781027, scheduled to be completed by the end telephone: (514) 787-4953. email: [email protected]. of 2018, followed by a trial operation period ending in July 2019. Commercial Preferred Bidder Status Small Integral Reactor operation of the prototype reactor will Rolls-Royce has been awarded Argentina’s National Atomic Energy then follow. ‘preferred bidder’ status for a contract to Commission (CNEA) has awarded a In a statement, CNEA said: “This is supply an integrated nuclear emergency contract to a joint venture between Tecna a new milestone in the development of diesel system for Hinkley Point C nuclear and Siemens to supply the balance of plant this strategic project.” It said Argentina power station in Somerset, comprising (BOP) for the prototype CAREM-25, a hopes to use CAREM to compete in the an MTU diesel generator made by Rolls- domestically-designed and developed market for the supply of small modular Royce Power Systems and Rolls-Royce small integral reactor. reactors “in the near future”. patented instrumentation and control The contract was signed on Source: World Nuclear News, website: technology (I&C). August 3, 2016 in the presence of http://world-nuclear-news.org  The preferred bidder status has been Argentina’s minister of energy and awarded as the next stage in early works mining Juan Jose Aranguren; secretary for Hinkley Point.

Nuclear Plant Journal, September-October 2016 NuclearPlantJournal.com 43 They focused on the following areas, • Automated processes and reporting identifying 25 tasks that warranted (e.g., work planning, Radiation Work Optimizing further development of technology and Permit generation, dose calculations, design details (TDD). plant health monitoring). SMR Staff Each TDD contains the elements • Automated monitoring, analysis, By Electric Power Research Institute. that would allow a third party, such as and reporting (e.g., chemical and an SMR design team or an industry radiological parameters, component Although small modular reactors research development group, to move and system status and condition). (SMRs) feature passive systems, the concept forward. However, because • Automated procedures and training. repeatable designs, and small footprints, additional R&D will be needed, the ANT Although EPRI’s study focused on optimizing the SMR staff size is not program will be incorporating several SMRs, most of the TDDs are technology without its challenges. Traditionally, of these elements into its multiyear neutral. While SMRs are uniquely able demands from industry programs, planning process, starting with chemistry, to appreciate the cost savings of this policies, regulations, and protocols have radiochemistry, intelligent alarms, and technology, new advanced light water been met through the use of staff, rather Integrated Public Alert and Warning reactors and the existing fl eet also can than available technology. New SMR Systems (IPAWS). benefi t. designs that use modern technology provide an opportunity to better address Critical Areas Contact Renita Crawford, EPRI, these industry expectations and maintain Pinpointed telephone: (704) 595-2888, email: safety while also reducing operational The project identifi ed six [email protected].  and maintenance costs. overarching concepts critical to SMR “With the increasing popularity of staff optimization: intermittent renewable sources such as • Cross training of plant staff in wind and solar, SMRs have the potential multiple disciplines and tasks. AnnualA to provide robust, dependable generation, • Design details that seamlessly feed Nuclear making them an ideal component of plant programs and organizational EditorialE electrical grids responding to national needs. Plant ScheduleS environmental goals,” said Ron King, • Remote support of plant functions by program manager, Advanced Nuclear fl eet capabilities. Journal Technology at EPRI. “To be truly viable, • Fully developed and mutually however, SMRs must be designed and compatible digital controls, operated with an optimized staff, without monitoring, analytic reporting, and compromising safety.” archival systems. January-February EPRI and the U.S. Department of • Connectivity from and among Instrumentation & Control Energy are collaborating to address this all necessary plant areas and need. In March 2016, the EPRI Advanced capabilities. March-April Nuclear Technology (ANT) program • Digital integration of the plant’s data- Plant Maintenance & Plant released the results of a project identifying centric confi guration management Life Extension technologies and design details that will processes, access, use, and May-June inform decisions regarding SMR staff maintenance into all plant-related Outage Mgmt. & Health optimization. The project details and activities on a real-time basis, Physics conclusions are available in Product supported by an industry-wide July-August Number 3002007071, "Using Technology common plant information model. New Plants & Vendor for Small Modular Reactor Staff When viewing the assembled TDDs Advertorial Optimization, Improved Effectiveness, in their entirety, fi ve mandatory common and Cost Containment". infrastructure platforms were identifi ed September-October as necessary to achieving maximum Plant Maintenance & SMRs Examining Tasks, SMR staffi ng optimization: November-December Developing Technology • Data-centric plant information model Annual Product & Service For the project, an international and confi guration management system Directory technical advisory group and multiple (e.g., system and component condition subject matter experts considered more database, plant confi guration and Contact: than 250 individual tasks performed status database, 3-D plant model, Michelle Gaylord at nuclear power plants, King said. training/qualifi cation database). [email protected] • Communications and connectivity telephone: (630) 364-4780 (e.g., in-plant wireless and off-site Excerpt from EPRI’s The Nuclear management channels, internal Connection Summer 2016 newsletter. positioning system).

44 NuclearPlantJournal.com Nuclear Plant Journal, September-October 2016 Research & coatings may reduce the occurrence of from the NOPR Technical Advisory such events. Committee, and will incorporate Development... Final proposed products also preliminary results from ongoing (Continued from page 19) include a methodology to identify projects.” This collaborative research critical equipment for NPP offsite will result in knowledge, methodologies, power reliability, additional monitoring and technologies to improve NPP offsite failures affect numerous components, and prognostic technologies for critical power reliability. NPP operators and including transformers, circuit breakers, equipment, and resiliency (event associated transmission owner/operators protective relaying, and insulators. recovery) recommendations. will be the primary end users. In addition, The issue is further complicated by the Collaborating to Improve Reliability vendors for commercialization of the division of responsibilities for the plant’s “The cross-sector cooperation with monitoring and prognostic technologies interconnection with the transmission T&S has been a key contributor to the will benefi t from the results of this grid. project thus far,” said Chris Kerr, the research.  Ongoing Development nuclear project lead. “Going forward, The NOPR roadmap project is roadmap updates will refl ect input focused on building a strategy to improve offsite power reliability with a more collaborative approach, bringing together stakeholders, and focusing EPRI research on implementing solutions. A series of joint nuclear and transmission and All-Digital PTZ Inspection System Delivers Exceptional substation (T&S) workshop sessions were Color Clarity and Resolution in Radiation Environments held to review operational experience from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations, and EPRI’s T&S organization, and then The PTZ Compact, evaluate this information against existing High Definition Color EPRI guidance. Several joint efforts Camera offers 360° were identifi ed, including projects for pan and 155° Tilt large power transformer (LPT) asset capability with a 36.5° management, high voltage circuit breaker wide field of view (HVCB) maintenance, and advanced and a Dual Led lighting coatings for insulators. array for exceptional The LPT asset management project color clarity during will focus on research to evaluate the inspections. use of the T&S Power Transformer Expert (PTX) software tool for NPP station auxiliary transformers (SATs) and generator step-up (GSU) transformers. The HVCB maintenance project will focus on more effi cient condition monitoring and maintenance of these critical components. Finally, T&S program 35 (Overhead Transmission) has been performing New PTZ Control Console enabless evaluations of various superhydrophobic precise positioning and control with ann and icephobic coatings to determine 18.5” monitor, Ethernet Interface andd their effectiveness for application to HD Recorder with text and audio overlay.y. switchyard equipment, such as insulators Console can be rack mounted.d. and overhead conductors. Operational experience reviews revealed that many LOOP events were caused by insulator fl ashovers. Flashovers can be caused by contamination on the insulator, coupled with moisture buildup from snow, ice, and For More Information and rain. There were also events related to ice Complete Specifications on buildup on switchyard buses that led to The ROS PTZ Inspection electrical faults and plant trips. Advanced System Visit - www.rosys.com

Nuclear Plant Journal, September-October 2016 NuclearPlantJournal.com 45 The AEP, DC Cook Projects Safety Online Department evaluated the required  AEP met with Physicians from their work necessary to remove & replace Occupational Health Clinic to discuss feedwater heaters (FWHs) during their job conditions, work environment, Asbestos Spring 2014 Outage. The Projects Team and physiological demands of determined that they needed to remove workers due to elevated temperatures asbestos insulation from the 5A and 5B while wearing personnel protective Abatement FWHs with approximately 600 lineal equipment (PPE). They determined Mark Lloyd, American Electric Power, feet of piping while online to prevent that workers would need to pass a Nuclear Generation. negatively impacting outage duration. If revised, more stringent physical to this material would have been removed ensure they could work this project during the Outage, the duration would safely. have been extended approximately 10 ½  Each specifi c abatement area Mark Lloyd days. Additional effi ciencies were gained was evaluated to determine the Mark Lloyd is the Engineering Vice by removing this material online allowing appropriate design of the work area President for American Electric Power’s visual inspection of the bare piping, and potential engineering controls (AEP) Nuclear Generation, responsible vessels, and equipment including cut lines to reduce physiological stress on for the execution of major projects, prior to the Outage start. This resulted workers. design engineering, plant engineering, in improved planning, scheduling and  The labor team was selected and nuclear fuel and safety analysis. ultimately reducing work area congestion instituted specifi c communications during the outage itself. to inform them of the of the Lloyd joined AEP in May 2013 prior A diverse project team comprised of upcoming work environments and to which he worked at Westinghouse industrial safety experts, craft insulators, potential hazards. The Project Team Electric Company for 19 years, holding construction mangers and project and Industrial safety personnel the positions of the Vice President of managers was assembled and presented assembled training packages to New Plant Business Development, the challenge of online asbestos improve skill sets of Supervisors and Director of New Plant Business abatement from the FWHs and associated workers. AEP instituted & performed Development, Fuel Business Manager steam piping while at full temperature and site specifi c, pre-job training for and Thermal Hydraulic Design pressure. The primary goal was clearly Supervisors with comprehension Engineer. He also worked for two communicated that there could be no evaluations. years in Westinghouse’s Continuous injuries, including burns and heat related  The team recognized that they Improvement organization, implementing events. The actual metal temperature of needed to acclimate all workers Lean and Six Sigma projects. the FWH shell was measured at 392⁰ F, and supervisors to the elevated so the team knew they had a daunting temperatures that would be Lloyd attended The Pennsylvania State challenge. Ultimately the project was encountered in the negative pressure University, graduating with a bachelor’s completed successfully as scheduled, on enclosures. They took advantage of degree in nuclear engineering in 1992 budget, and most importantly performed preparatory activities like staging of and a master’s degree in nuclear with Zero Harm. There were no burns, materials as well as the set-up of the engineering in 1994. no heat related injuries, and no other enclosures as a work task that would industrial injuries. The full realization of allow them to begin the acclimation outage benefi t was obtained. process. They further educated The key to the success of this project the craft and got them involved lies in the innovative techniques used by discussing necessary pre-work to educate workers on the hazards of hydration with appropriate fl uids heat stress, get them involved up front (mostly plain water) and by limiting in developing prevention strategies, and Nuclear Energy Institute’s Top Industry alcohol, tea, coffee and beverages using a multi-tiered approach to manage Practice (TIP) Awards highlight the with large amounts of sugar & jobsite conditions and personal heat nuclear industry’s most innovative caffeine. tolerance. There were no proprietary techniques and ideas.  AEP took wet bulb temperature techniques, methods or evaluations readings of their work areas and used. As demonstrated here, a wealth of This innovation won the 2016 communicated these readings to all information from industry experts was Maintenance Award. of their team members to ensure compiled to develop a sound, repeatable everyone had as much available process for preventing heat related AEP team members who participated information as possible, to assist in injuries while working in challenging, included Bryan Horvath, Construction the decision making processes. high-heat environments. Manager ; Jim Petrides, Project  As they began the setup of Negative Manager ; Jeff LaDuke, Portfolio Pressure Enclosure (NPE), they Manager. (Continued on page 48)

46 NuclearPlantJournal.com Nuclear Plant Journal, September-October 2016 Nuclear Plant Journal An International Publication Published in the United States

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Contact: GGrandrand GGulf,ulf, UUSASA Anu Agnihotri, (630) 352-3686, [email protected] IISSN:SSN: 0808922-2055-2055 directory.nuclearplantjournal.com can be disorientation and impaired  AEP used multiple measures to Online Asbestos... mental performance. motivate their work teams including (Continued from page 46)  AEP asked for volunteers to supplying lunch as they completed participate in specifi c measures they an individual phase of the project. could use that in other circumstances, They supplied items such as “Italian might be viewed as being personally Ices” & “fruit pops” on exceptionally continued the education process invasive. For example, they had hot or humid days, (they avoided any with intensive hands-on, on the job several individuals use wrist worn items with milk products, added or training during set-up for all site devices, which would measure artifi cial sweeteners that might make personnel. This training included heart rate, skin temperature, blood an overheated worker feel nauseas). application of process control pressure etc. They asked others to They supplied different fruits/ theories, with a top down emphasis measure their blood pressure, heart vegetables that are touted by many on an ultimate goal of absolute rate and skin temperatures as they as being “internally cooling”, such safety for all removal procedures entered and left the negative pressure as peaches, watermelon, cucumbers, & practices. They had to re-think enclosures. AEP used specifi c grapes, etc.

past practices and techniques with non-subjective devices, such as Cost Savings explanations of the reasoning behind fi ngertip blood pressure monitors, Typically this work would be the construction methods they non-contact thermometers, etc., to performed with the unit shutdown and employed and discussions of the measure physiological conditions. steam lines cooled down. By eliminating engineering processes behind their They used these readings to establish this scope from the outage it’s estimated construction methods. baselines that they would use as that AEP saved 10.5 outage days – critical  They worked in pairs, conducting indicators to determine if workers path. This results in a very signifi cant peer-checks, while performing were encountering unsafe levels cost avoidance. This does not include all work tasks & asked each team of heat stress or were overexerting the cost of replacement power, the labor member to implement evaluations of themselves inside the negative associated with support organizations for each other during their work cycles, pressure enclosures and becoming (Continued on page 50) as one of the symptoms of heat stress overheated.

48 NuclearPlantJournal.com Nuclear Plant Journal, September-October 2016 Nuclear

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CCalvertalvert Cliffs,Cliffs, USAUSA IISSN:SSN: 080892-20552-2055 Contact: Michelle Gaylord, [email protected], (630) 364-4780 nuclearplantjournal.com its own expertise and techniques for Online Asbestos... Corporation... radiological monitoring and decon with (Continued from page 46) (Continued from page 13) its newfound ability to provide licensed Bulk Survey for Release (BSFR) disposal at reduced rates. Radioactive waste disposal is a costly service for nuclear facilities, at a longer outage durations (e.g. security, to construction of the world’s fi rst time when plants may have limited or no station laborers, outage command center two AFCR™ in China, and possibly budget for post-outage management of staffi ng, etc). Other savings are harder to subsequent builds in China and around potentially contaminated materials. quantify, but include: the world. By purchasing Babcock’s Oak Ridge  Was worked on line vs. outage so "This is a game changer in the waste processing operation, UniTech there was a signifi cant reduction in nuclear industry, and a great endorsement has added the fi nal key component overtime burden and outage labor of our expertise and CANDU nuclear to its materials processing and waste costs. technology from the largest nuclear management system. UniTech’s regional  Reduced outage in processing costs market in the world,” said Sandy Taylor, facilities can now accept tools, equipment (inprocessing personnel on straight President, Power, SNC-Lavalin. “Each and other materials from customers, then time vs. overtime). new build in China, and anywhere in monitor, decontaminate, and, as needed,  Reduced congestion meaning around the world, will benefi t Canada in terms ship contaminated materials to UniTech’s the FWHs during the outage allowed of job creation, innovation and nuclear newly acquired Oak Ridge facility for other craft like pipefi tters, carpenters, research & development, environmental fi nal disposition. UniTech customers electricians to work more effi ciently. stewardship, and will contribute to reduce have the assurance of a turnkey process, global carbon emissions.” Canada's along with fi nancial savings. Transferability nuclear sector directly contributes to Contact: Gregg Johnstone, UniTech The multi-tiered approach used to over $6 billion to the economy annually, Services Group, telephone: (413) 543- ensure worker safety under hazardous employs more than 30,000 highly trained 6911, email: [email protected]. conditions are not proprietary. In fact, the and specialized people, and creates an real take-away is how readily available additional 30,000 jobs indirectly through NUPIC Audit the information and techniques are to contracting. ValvTechnologies, Inc., designer anyone. The key is customizing the tools The market potential for AFCR™ and manufacturer of zero-leakage high- to the specifi c site and job by engaging technology in China is considerable. Each performance valve solutions, recently craft, supervisors, and Industrial safety AFCR™ can use recycled-fuel from four achieved NUPIC-approved suppliers list personnel. The more time spent in light-water reactors (LWRs) to generate status, upon successful completion of the prevention and detection will eliminate six million megawatt-hours (MWh) of Nuclear Procurement Issues Committee the cost and time spent in correction. additional carbon-free electricity without (NUPIC) audit conducted at the Houston, needing any new natural uranium fuel. Texas facility. NUPIC members include Contact: Bryan Horvath, AEP, This would be enough new electricity to all domestic US nuclear utilities as well telephone: (269) 465-5901, email: power four million Chinese homes, and as several international members. [email protected].  also displace six million tonnes of carbon Formed in 1989 and committed to emissions per year vs. coal, the equivalent the future of commercial nuclear power, of removing one million cars from the NUPIC has a proven process for evaluating road. China has more than 33 LWR suppliers furnishing safety-related nuclear power reactors in operation and components and services and commercial- another 23 LWRs under construction. grade items to nuclear utilities to ensure Contact: SNC-Lavalin, email: the highest standards of quality. Once a [email protected]. company is placed on the NUPIC-approved suppliers list, any nuclear utility can use Acquisition this supplier as long as it approves the audit UniTech Services Group, a that was conducted by NUPIC. provider of protective clothing and tool The week-long audit was led by and metal decontamination services, Southern Nuclear Operating Company www. announces the acquisition of Babcock who concluded that ValvTechnologies Services, Inc.’s Oak Ridge, TN service has implemented an effective 10 CFR50 NuclearPlantJournal. center waste processing operations and Appendix B and 10 CFR 21 quality com IceSolve, LLC, its industrial cleaning and assurance program that meets the remediation service. requirements of NQA-1 -1994, 2008 and The nuclear industry faces 2009 Addenda. unprecedented pressure to reduce costs. Contact: Julie Bodine, ValvTechnologies, UniTech’s acquisition of Babcock telephone: (713) 715-5546, email: jbodine@ Services allows UniTech to combine valv.com. 

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