Publication (9.99 MB)

NuclearPlantJournal

Limerick, USALimerick, USAISSN: 0892-2055ISSN: 0892-2055

January-February, 2016January-February, 2016Volume 34 No. 1Volume 34 No. 1

Instrumentation &Instrumentation &ControlControl

See

Insi

de

Cov

er

JF16 Cover.indd 1 2/9/2016 10:59:22 AM

This issue featured a barn door ad by GE Hitachi, click here to see ad.

http://us.areva.com

http://www.hfcontrols.com

http://www.glseq.com

Nuclear Plant Journal, January-February 2016 NuclearPlantJournal.com 5

Instrumentation & Control

Articles & ReportsIndustrial Internet Applications 20 By Eric Mino, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy

Fixed In-core Assembly 22 By Martin Parece, AREVA North America

Best-Practice for Operating and New Plants 24 By Jan Dudiak, Westinghouse Electric Company

The Unique Safety Attributes of the NuScale Power Module 26By Jose Reyes, NuScale

Nuclear I&C Modernization Update 30By Otto Fest, OTEK Corporation FPGA Safety Implementation 32By Allen Hsu and Steve Yang, Doosan HF Controls Corp

New Technology and New Resources 36By Eugene Grecheck, American Nuclear Society

Software QA 38By H.M. Hashemian, Analysis and Measurement Services Corporation

Post- Fukushima Engineering 40By Steve Brinkman and Jim Harrell, Zachry Nuclear Engineering, Inc

White House Nuclear Summit 50

Identify Operating Effi ciencies 51

Advanced Reactor Innovation Bill 52

Departments

Nuclear Plant JournalJanuary-February 2016, Volume 34 No. 1

Nuclear Plant Journal is published by EQES, Inc. six times a year. It is mailed in February, April, June, August, September, and December (the Annual Directory).

The subscription rate for non-qualifi ed readers in the United States is $210.00 for six issues per year. The additional air mail cost for non-U.S. readers is $30.00. Payment may be made by American Express, Master Card, VISA or check and should accompany the order. Checks may be made payable to "EQES, Inc." Checks not drawn on a United States bank should include an additional $45.00 service fee. All inquiries should be ad-dressed to Nuclear Plant Journal, 1400 Opus Place, Suite 904, Downers Grove, IL 60515 U.S.A; Phone: (630) 858-6161, ext. 103; Fax: (630) 852-8787, email: [email protected]. 33 years of Journal issues are available online through the Journal website www.NuclearPlantJournal.com (search box on the right-top) for a nominal fee of $25 per issue. Contact: Anu Agnihotri, email: [email protected].

© Copyright 2016 by EQES, Inc.

ISSN: 0892-2055

Nuclear Plant Journal is a registered trademark of EQES, Inc.Printed in the USA.

Staff

Senior Publisher and EditorNewal K. Agnihotri, P.E.

Publisher and Sales ManagerAnu Agnihotri

Assistant Editor and Marketing ManagerMichelle Gaylord

*Current Circulation: Total: 12,273 Utilities: 2,904*All circulation information is subject to BPA Worldwide Business audit.

34th Year of Publication

Mailing Identifi cation StatementNuclear Plant Journal (ISSN 0892-2055) is published bimonthly. It is mailed in February,

April, June, August, October, and December by EQES, Inc., 1400 Opus Place, Suite 904, Downers Grove, IL 60515 U.S.A. The printed version of the Journal is available cost-free to qualifi ed readers in the United States, Canada and 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.

New Energy News 10

Utility, Industry & Corporation 11

New Products, Services & Contracts 14

New Documents 16

Meeting & Training Calendar 17

Research & Development 18

Journal ServicesList of Advertisers 6

Advertiser Web Directory 23

Editorial Calendar 28

Cost Free Digital 37

Banner Advertising 47

Advertising Advantages 49

On The CoverLimerick Generating Station where analytics have been utilized to enhance performance. See page 20 for more information about how big data and analytics will soon be utilized across the Exelon fl eet.

6 NuclearPlantJournal.com Nuclear Plant Journal, January-February 2016

Nuclear Plant Journal Rapid Response Fax Form

To: _________________________ Company: __________________ Fax: ___________________

From: _______________________ Company: __________________ Fax: ___________________

Address:_____________________ City: _______________________ State: _____ Zip: _________

Phone: ______________________ E-mail: _____________________

I am interested in obtaining information on: __________________________________________________

Comments: _____________________________________________________________________________

List of Advertisers & NPJ Rapid Response

January-February 2016

Advertisers’ fax numbers may be used with the form shown below. Advertisers’ web sites are listed in the Web Directory Listings on page 23.

Page Advertiser Contact Fax/Email

2 AREVA Inc. Donna Gaddy-Bowen (434) 832-3840

19 The Austin Company Jennifer McKenzie J [email protected]

7 Birns Eric Birns (805) 487-0427

* GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy Julia Longfellow [email protected]

4 GLSEQ, LLC Eugene Gleason [email protected]

3 HF Controls John Stevens (469) 568-6589

8-9 HydroAire Service, Inc. Faisal Salman [email protected]

13 InterTest, Inc. Thomas Daly (908) 496-8008

25 iRobot Corporation Kim Monti [email protected]

43 Nutherm International, Inc. Stan Stack [email protected]

54 OTEK Corporation Otto Fest [email protected]

39 Superior Tube | Fine Tubes Bettina Schadow 44 1752 733301

29 Thermo Scientifi c- CIDTEC Tony Chapman (315) 451-9421

31 UniTech Services Group Steve Hofstatter (413) 543-2975

53 Westinghouse Electric Company LLC Jackie Smith (412) 374-3244

35 World Nuclear Exhibition Laurence Gaborieau [email protected]

* Barn Door Cover (Under the main cover)

http://www.birns.com

Critical Pump Testingfor the Nuclear IndustryWith a state-of-the-art Test Lab dedicated to the needs and requirements of the nuclear pump aftermarket, Hydro provides repair and testing services for safety related, non-safety related and code pumps.

HYDROAIRE, INC. CHICAGO, IL

800-223-7867hydroinc.com

A WORLDWIDE PUMP SERVICE ORGANIZATION

ATLANTA l BEAUMONT l CHICAGO l DEER PARK l DENVER l HOUSTON

LOS ANGELES l PHILADELPHIA l AUSTRALIA l CANADA l ENGLAND

FRANCE l INDIA l KOREA l MALAYSIA l UNITED ARAB EMIRATES l VIETNAM

Accident Scenarios Off Design Basis Scenarios Pump Endurance Tests Void Fraction Tests

To assist your plant with regulator requirements, Hydro has the flexibility to quickly mobilize and test a variety of scenarios. Compliant to Hydraulic Institute Standards, Hydro can provide a range of tests, including but not limited to:

http://hydroinc.com

Endurance Testing for Service Water Pump

A 48-hour endurance test was performed for a nuclear power plant when they contacted HydroAire about conducting a research study. The power plant engineers wanted to collect data to assess how long the 1750 HP motor driving their essential service water pump could continue to operate with a deteriorating lower bearing. To learn the complete details of this research study, contact Faisal Salman at [email protected] or call 312-399-9913.

Performance Testing for Safety Injection Pump

Within a critical 2-week timeframe, HydroAire helped a nuclear power plant avoid de-rating by reverse engineering and rebuilding a Goulds 8-stagesafety injection pump rotor. The rotor, rebuilt with engineered upgrades, was performance tested. Performance was proven at 1288lbs. pressure – 8lbs. better than the original rotor and 88lbs. above the minimum allowance. Read the full case studyat hydroinc.com/performancetest.

Air Void Testing for Safety-Related Feed PumpHydro's engineers performed 40 air void tests in10 days for a nuclear power company that had to prove their Pacific 4” BFIDS auxiliary feed pump would perform its safety-related service if an air void greater than 2% passed through the pump. Hydro’s Test Lab provided a live video feed of real-time performance data for the NRC to monitor. Read the full case study at hydroinc.com/voidtest.

Proven Experience Makes All The Difference

Actual Performance of Underfiled Impeller

Projected Performance of Impeller withunderfiling using Hydro's in-house program

Impeller without Underfiling (spare rotor)

Characteristic curves

H (f

t)

Flow (GPM)

http://hydroinc.com/voidtest


New Energy

FangchenggangOn December 24, 2015, Unit 3

of Fangchenggang NPP, China, the HPR1000 demonstration unit, has offi cially started construction, with the fi rst pouring of nuclear concrete. Units 3 and 4 of Fangchenggang NPP are considered as the reference units for the Bradwell B nuclear project in the UK, and the construction of Unit 3 lays a solid foundation for “going global” with HPR1000 technology.

HPR1000, Gen-III nuclear power technology co-developed by China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN) and CNNC, draws on the over 30 years of accumulated experience, technologies and expertise, and assimilates domestic and overseas experience on nuclear design, construction and operation. In addition, HPR1000, innovatively applied the safety design concept of the combination of active and passive and based on domestic mature nuclear equipment manufacturing system, is regarded as a sustainable and proprietary Gen-III nuclear technology which achieves the balance of safety and economy, the combination of active and passive safety systems and the integration of technological advancement and maturity.

In December 2014, the National Energy Administration approved the two-unit (HPR1000) construction plan for Fangchenggang NPP ProjectⅡand on December 16, 2015, the proposal was fi nally approved at the Executive Meeting of State Council chaired by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

Contact: CGN, website: en.cgnpc.com.cn/index.html

VogtleGeorgia Power announced the latest

construction achievement in the expansion of Plant Vogtle near Waynesboro, Georgia – the recently completed 15-hour continuous concrete pour for the Unit 3 “turbine tabletop.” The milestone marks the fi rst turbine tabletop placement for a U.S. AP1000 new nuclear project.

The turbine tabletop is comprised of approximately 2,400 cubic yards, or 250 individual concrete trucks, of self-consolidating concrete measuring 10 feet-thick. The tabletop serves as a pedestal for the Unit 3 generator and turbines and is designed to support the weight of the heavy components.

Contact: Georgia Power, telephone: (404) 506-7676.

Shin-KoriKorea Hydro & Nuclear Power

Co., Ltd (KHNP) (president: Jo Seok) announced that it has started the initial fuel loading of Shin-Kori Unit 3, Korea’s 25th nuclear power plant, which is of the same model as those exported to UAE (APR1400). Shin-Kori Unit 3 was granted its operation license from the nuclear power safety committee on October 29, 2015. It is scheduled to start commercial operation after fuel loading and start-up tests are complete, a process that is estimated to take about seven months.

Fuel loading involves completing the performance testing according to the regulations, obtaining the operation license from regulatory institutions and loading the nuclear reactor’s fuel for the fi rst time. The APR1400 has a capacity of 1400MW, making it the largest capacity reactor in Korea, uses 241 bundles of nuclear fuel; and the loading process is expected to take about 9 days.

After fuel loading, KHNP will initiate the start-up test. During this period, 5 stages of tests are carried out: hot functional test to verify that the essential facilities operate properly under normal operating temperature and pressure conditions, initial criticality, low power physics test, power ascension test and the fi nal stage, which is performance guarantee test. Notably, in power ascension test, which takes the longest period of time to complete, the power plant’s output is adjusted from 0% to 100% over a period of 80 days to test the proper operation of equipment.

As failure signals are artifi cially generated during start-up test to confi rm that the power plant’s equipment operates safely as designed.

Contact: KHNP, website: http://www.khnp.co.kr/eng

OlkiluotoTesting of the instrumentation &

control (I&C) systems of Teollisuuden Voima’s (TVO) OL3 plant unit began on January 12, 2016. The I&C systems now under testing will be used for operating, monitoring and controlling the OL3 plant unit.

The start of I&C tests is the fi rst milestone achieved in 2016. The next signifi cant steps will be taken in April 2016, when starting of the process systems tests is scheduled to take place. At the same time, also the Operating License application of the plant unit will be submitted to the Finnish Ministry of Employment and the Economy.

Contact: Jouni Silvennoinen, TVO, telephone: 358 2 8381 4100.

SanmenThe fi nal module - the containment

water tank - has been installed at the second AP1000 unit under construction at Sanmen in China’s Zhejiang province.

The operation to lift the 312-tonne containment cooling tank - with an outer diameter of almost 26 metres (85.3 feet), an inner diameter of 10.6 metres (34.7 feet) and a height of just over 10 metres (32.8 feet) - was completed on December 27, 2015, plant constructor China Nuclear Engineering Corporation (CNEC) announced.

The large round component is a major part of the AP1000’s safety systems. It will hold some 3000 cubic metres of water ready to fl ow down to evaporate from the surface of the containment vessel in any emergency situation where the reactor system may be overheating. This evaporation would help to cool the overall system. The water could also be directed to top up the used fuel pool, while the tank itself can be refi lled from water stored elsewhere on site.

Sanmen unit 1 is expected to be the fi rst AP1000 to begin operating, in September 2016. Haiyang Unit 1 is expected to start up by the end of 2016. Containment tests have already been successfully conducted at both units. All four Chinese AP1000s are scheduled to be in operation by the end of 2017.

Contact: World Nuclear News, website: www.world-nuclear-news.org �

http://en.cgnpc.com/cn/index.html


(Continued on page 12)

Utility, Industry & Corporation

UtilityMOU

AREVA and Ukrainian nuclear utility ENERGOATOM have signed a Memorandum of understanding to reinforce cooperation between the two companies for safety upgrades of existing and future nuclear power plants in Ukraine, lifetime extension and performance optimization. The agreement covers areas and expertise in fi elds such as reactor maintenance and inspection, outage optimization, electric systems, fi ltered containment venting systems as well as equipment and material obsolescence management.

Contact: ENERGOATOM, telephone: 380 (44) 277-78-89, email: [email protected].

BraidwoodThe Nuclear Regulatory Commission

(NRC) approved Braidwood Generating Station’s license renewal application on January 27, 2016. Braidwood Unit 1 will operate until 2046 and Unit 2 will operate until 2047.

In a 2014 report by the Nuclear Energy Institute, Exelon Generation’s nuclear fl eet’s total economic output impact on the state of Illinois is estimated at $8.9 billion – of which $1.7 billion is attributed to Braidwood Station alone. The study cites nearly 20 economic sectors benefi tting from Braidwood’s continued operation, including construction, manufacturing, transportation and retail trade.

Braidwood Generating Station generates nearly 2,500 megawatts of electricity, enough for more than two million homes. Over the last 10 years Braidwood Station has operated at 97.3 percent of capacity, a key measure of reliability and a fi gure far ahead of other sources of electricity generation.

Contact: Krista Lopykinski, Exelon Generation, telephone: (630) 657-3602, email: [email protected].

ByronThe Nuclear Regulatory Commission

(NRC) announced the approval of Byron Generating Station’s license renewal application. Byron Station Unit 1 will operate until 2044 and Unit 2 will operate until 2046.

Byron Station supports approximately 5,100 direct and secondary jobs in Illinois, and the facility contributes $1.7 billion to the state’s economy annually.

Exelon personnel spent thousands of hours preparing the license renewal application that was submitted to the NRC on May 29, 2013. This process involved reviewing thousands of documents, a detailed review of historical equipment and component performance, a safety and environmental review and a rigorous review of the existing maintenance and engineering programs. The reviews were conducted to ensure the station is capable of maintaining plant systems over the extended license period.

The plant’s original 40-year operating license was set to expire in 2024 for Unit 1 and 2026 for Unit 2. The 40-year term for initial nuclear plant operating licenses is based on amortization schedules to fi nance large utility projects, not on safety, technical or environmental considerations.

Contact: Krista Lopykinski, Exelon Generation, telephone: (630) 657-3602, email: [email protected].

Sendai-2, JapanOn November 17, 2015, the Sendai-2

Nuclear Power Plant (890MWe PWR), owned and operated by the Kyushu Electric Power Co., Japan, returned to regular commercial operation. After having its operation adjusted over a fi xed period of time, the reactor then completed an integrated performance test by Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA).

This is the second NPP in the country, following its sister reactor Sendai-1, to clear the new regulatory standards.

Toward resuming the operation of the two units, Kyushu Electric Power applied to the NRA in July 2013 for examinations to be held to confi rm their compatibility with the new regulatory standards. As the units were designated as NPPs to be examined “with priority,”

their examinations were carried out intensively, with permission granted for changes to their reactor installations related to basic design on September 10, 2014.

One year later, on September 10, 2015, Sendai-1 resumed commercial operation. On October 15, 2015, then, Sendai-2 was started up, and resumed power generation six days later, on October 21, 2015.

Contact: Japan Atomic Industrial Forum, Inc., website: www.jaif.or.jp/en

Takahama, JapanKansai Electric Power Company

restarted Takahama Unit 3 nuclear power plant in Fukui prefecture. The company soon plans to start loading fuel into unit 4 at the plant ahead of its restart.

Takahama 3 was restarted at 5.00 pm on January 29, 2016, Kansai said, adding that it expects the 870 MWe pressurized water reactor to reach criticality on January 30, 2016. The unit's output will gradually be increased while tests are conducted and, following a fi nal inspection by the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA), it is expected to re-enter commercial operation by the end of February, 2016. However, Kansai said this schedule may change "depending on the result of the ongoing inspection by the NRA".

Kansai completed loading 157 nuclear fuel assemblies - including 24 mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel assemblies - into the core of unit 3 in December, 2015.

The company planned to start loading fuel into the core of Takahama 4 on January 31st as all necessary preparatory inspections and activities have now been completed. That unit is expected to resume operation in late March, 2016.

Units 3 and 4 of the Takahama plant have remained offl ine since being shut for periodic inspections in February 2012 and July 2011, respectively.

Kansai fi rst applied to the NRA for permission to restart the units in July 2013. It subsequently submitted various amendments to its plans to increase the plant's resistance to extreme events, such as earthquakes, tsunami and tornadoes, in accordance with the regulator's requirements. Such amendments have resulted from the fi ndings of reviews

mailto: [email protected]


Utility...(Continued from page 11)

carried out along the way, incorporating details from the latest equipment designs.

In February 2015, the NRA gave its fi nal permission for Kansai to make the required safety upgrades at the units prior to their restart.

Contact: World Nuclear News, website: www.world-nuclear-news.org

Darlington Refurbishment

Ontario Power Generation (OPG) is ready to deliver on the Government’s decision to invest in refurbishing the fi rst of four units at the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station. The Province has also approved plans to pursue continued operation of the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station to 2024.

The $12.8 billion investment will generate $14.9 billion in economic benefi ts to Ontario, which include thousands of construction jobs at Darlington and at some 60 Ontario companies supplying components for the job. This investment will also preserve about 3,000 jobs as it provides 30-plus years of clean, reliable, base load power, at a cost lower than other alternatives considered. The budget is about $1.2 billion less than originally projected by OPG, and all four units are scheduled for completion by 2026.

The refurbishment project will be subject to strict oversight to ensure safety, reliable supply and value for customers. OPG has also implemented a robust risk management strategy to ensure that contractors are held accountable.

Contact: OPG, telephone: (416) 592-4008.

IndustryCommittee on Reactor Safeguards

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) has elected Dennis Bley as Chairman, Michael Corradini as Vice-Chairman and Peter Riccardella as Member-at-Large.

The ACRS, a group of experienced technical experts, advises the Commission, independently from the NRC staff, on safety issues related to the licensing and operation of nuclear power plants as well as issues of health physics and radiation protection.

Contact: Maureen Conley, NRC, telephone: (301) 415-8200.

White House SummitThe Nuclear Regulatory Commission,

participating in the White House Summit on Nuclear Energy, highlighted its independent role in technically evaluating reactor designs to ensure public health and safety. The NRC also committed to providing the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Gateway for Accelerating Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) program with up-to-date information.

“The NRC is familiar with the innovative approaches to nuclear power plants,” said NRC Chairman Stephen Burns. “We look forward to reviewing evidence to support the safety case for these designs’ fuels, operation and emergency systems. We also look forward to working with DOE to ensure today’s innovators are well-versed in the path towards earning regulatory approval.”

As part of the summit,the NRC, consistent with its role as an independent safety and security regulator, committed to providing DOE with accurate, current information on the NRC’s regulations and licensing processes. DOE’s GAIN program will help prospective advanced nuclear technology applicants understand and navigate the regulatory process for licensing new reactor technology.

The NRC also committed to partnering with DOE to hold the Second Advanced Non-Light Water Reactors Workshop in spring 2016, building on the successful fi rst workshop held in September, 2015.

The second workshop will explore options for increased effi ciency, from both a technical and regulatory perspective, in the safe development and deployment of innovative reactor technologies.

Workshop topics could include examining both near-term and longer-term opportunities to test, demonstrate and construct prototype advanced reactors, and evaluating the most appropriate licensing processes.

Contact: Scott Burnell, NRC, telephone: (301) 415-8200.

Advanced Reactor Development

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) made two announcements on November 6, 2015 at the White House Summit on Nuclear Energy that will bolster our nation’s commitment to nuclear power as a clean energy solution for combating climate change. One of the efforts by DOE will accelerate the development of advanced designs for nuclear reactors through the Offi ce of Nuclear Energy’s Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN). Additionally, DOE’s Loan Programs Offi ce will issue a supplement to the agency’s existing Advanced Nuclear Energy Projects loan guarantee solicitation that clarifi es eligible project costs.

In close coordination with DOE’s offi ce of Technology Transitions and the Clean Energy Impact Investment Center, GAIN will serve as the access point for the nuclear industry and entrepreneurs to benefi t from the broad range of capabilities—people, facilities, materials, data, and land—across the DOE complex and its National Labs. This new effort will build on DOE’s efforts to provide America’s nuclear power industry with access to the technical, regulatory, and fi nancial support needed to move new or advanced nuclear reactor designs toward commercialization.

Additionally, DOE is supplementing its existing Advanced Nuclear Energy Projects Solicitation that makes up to $12.5 billion in loan guarantees available for eligible projects that can include construction of advanced nuclear reactors, small modular reactors, uprates and upgrades at existing facilities, and front-end nuclear facilities. The new supplement clarifi es that project costs for an eligible project that are incurred as part of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) licensing process, such as design certifi cation, construction permit, and combined construction and operating license (COL), could be eligible costs that may be fi nanced with a loan guaranteed by DOE.

Contact: DOE, telephone: (202) 586-4940.


Climate Action PlanAs detailed in the Climate Action

Plan, President Obama is committed to using every appropriate tool to combat climate change. Nuclear power, which in 2014 generated about 60 percent of carbon-free electricity in the United States, continues to play a major role in efforts to reduce carbon emissions from the power sector. As America leads the global transition to a low-carbon economy, the continued development of new and advanced nuclear technologies along with support for currently operating nuclear power plants is an important component of our clean energy strategy. Investing in the safe and secure development of nuclear power also helps advance other vital policy objectives in the national interest, such as maintaining economic competitiveness and job creation, as well as enhancing nuclear nonproliferation efforts, nuclear safety and security, and energy security.

The President’s FY 2016 Budget includes more than $900 million for the Department of Energy (DOE) to support the U.S. civilian nuclear energy sector by leading federal research, development, and demonstration efforts in nuclear energy technologies, ranging from power generation, safety, hybrid energy systems, and security technologies, among other things. DOE also supports the deployment of these technologies with $12.5 billion in remaining loan guarantee authority for advanced nuclear projects. DOE’s investments in nuclear energy help secure the three strategic objectives that are foundation to our nation’s energy system: energy security, economic competitiveness, and environmental responsibility.

Contact: The White House, website: www.whitehouse.gov

CorporationASME Code Training

AREVA Inc. recently signed an agreement with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) to provide training on the ASME code and its applications for the nuclear energy industry.

Consisting of a three-day session, ATC-001 “Overview of Codes and Standards for Nuclear Power Plants” introduces participants to the ASME code and its uses within nuclear plants. This includes Sections II, III, V, IX and XI of the code as well as training exercises. The training program, which is taught by AREVA instructors, can be provided at an AREVA location or at a customer site.

This training joins AREVA’s suite of seven engineering qualifi cation training modules available to the U.S. nuclear energy industry on topics ranging from commercial grade dedication to environmental qualifi cation to reactor theory.

Contact: Curtis Roberts, AREVA, Inc., telephone: (202) 374-8766, email: [email protected].

Factory Acceptance TestAREVA Inc. recently completed the

factory acceptance test for the installation of a digital control rod drive control

system (DCRDCS) at the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station in Oak Harbor, Ohio. With the successful completion of this test, the company can move forward with completing the system assembly and documentation, and preparing it for delivery next year.

The control rods, which manage the power of a nuclear reactor, are inserted into and removed from the reactor by control rod drive mechanisms. These mechanisms are powered and controlled by the DCRDCS. Manufactured in Lynchburg, Va., AREVA’s DCRDCS provides pressurized water reactors with simplifi ed maintenance, streamlined system confi guration and overall operational reliability.

The Davis-Besse DCRDCS instal-lation is planned for spring 2016. Once complete, this will be the fi fth installation for AREVA in the United States.




New Products, Services & ContractsNew ProductsNeutron Quench

3M™ Neutron Quench is manufactured by Ceradyne, Inc., a 3M company. Developed for situations where criticality control exceeds normal control methods, this highly soluble boron-based compound enhances neutron absorption to elevated levels. 3M neutron quench may be injected into the reactor coolant to affect a complete core shutdown during emergency scenarios.

3M neutron quench may be dispersed in the fuel storage pools post-disruptive events, such as seismic incidents or mechanical failures, to maximize criticality safety margins when moving fuel under high levels of uncertainty.

Contact: Sandra Rushin, Ceradyne, Inc., a 3M company, telephone: (918) 336-8120, email: [email protected].

ServicesHydrogen Risk Monitoring System

GLSEQ, a provider of Equipment Qualifi cation and Seismic services, introduces a new Intrinsically Smart Severe Accident Instrumentation Line (IS-SAIL™) featuring its advanced Hydrogen Risk Monitoring System (HRMS). HRMS sensors follow the progression of a Severe Accident by monitoring hydrogen concentration, oxygen concentration, temperature, pressure and relative humidity. This is the fi rst system to be able to measure hydrogen from fuel damage, carbon monoxide from Molten Core Concrete Interaction (MCCI), evaluate risk of explosion, and identify pre-engineered mitigation information to the operators. HRMS provides real time severe accident conditions and hydrogen and carbon monoxide levels in and outside containment during Severe Accidents. The IS-SAIL technology converts critical gases to electrical signals at the point of

origin and therefore eliminates the older methods of gas sampling.

Contact: Eugene Gleason, GLSEQ, LLC, telephone: (520) 572-3651.

Carbon Fiber PipesPipe Reconstruction, Inc. (PRI)

provides carbon fi ber composite design, engineering, procurement and installation. We provide innovative, cost effective solutions to inspect, design and repair large and small bore pipes, tanks, walls, expansion joints and more. In 1997 the KPFF Advanced Technology & Industrial Group and PRI invented the fi rst application of a carbon fi ber / epoxy resin composite to be used in the repair and strengthening of buried piping systems for the U.S. nuclear power plant industry.

With almost 20 years of testing, approvals and hands-on experience, our proprietary carbon fi ber composite application for pressurized and non-pressurized pipe repair and replacement stands far above any other carbon fi ber composite company. PRI has now produced more than 1.6 million square feet of carbon fi ber for over 500 reconstruction and repair engagements around the world, including the repair of pipes that range in size from 4 inches to 144 inches in diameter, with pressures as high as 400 psi.

Contact: Brian Raji, Pipe Reconstruction, telephone: (480) 513-3725, email: [email protected].

ContractsRailcars

AREVA Federal Services, an AREVA subsidiary, has been awarded an $8.6 million contract by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for the design and fabrication of prototype railcars for nuclear material transportation. These railcars will be used for large-scale transport of used nuclear fuel and other high-level radioactive material (HLRM) to interim and eventual permanent storage facilities.

This contract includes the conceptual design and dynamic modeling of HLRM transport casks cars as well as buffer cars, which provide spacing between the cask railcars and the locomotive.

Once the concepts are certifi ed by the Association of American Railroads

(AAR) for HLRM transport, AREVA will begin the fabrication of the prototype cask and buffer railcars.

AREVA Federal Services will lead a team that includes KASGRO Rail, the fabricator of the only cask car currently certifi ed for HLRM transport, and Transportation Technology Center, Inc., a railcar dynamic modeling and testing facility. Stoller Newport News Nuclear and MHF Services will support conceptual design reviews.

The nuclear transport railcar concepts are an integral part of the DOE’s Strategy for the Management and Disposal of Used Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste. This outlines a fi rst step in the path to pilot the operation of a national consolidated interim storage facility by 2021 and to site and to license a larger national consolidated interim storage facility by 2025.


SMR Fuel AssembliesAREVA Inc. has signed a contract

to manufacture fuel assemblies for NuScale’s small modular reactor (SMR). Under this agreement, AREVA will supply the initial cores for the reactors as well as subsequent reloads.

AREVA’s HTPTM fuel assemblies have been designed for use in the SMR advanced pressurized water reactor currently under development. Mechanical and thermal hydraulic testing of these new fuel assemblies are underway as part of NuScale’s 50MWe SMR design certifi cation application, which is planned for submission to the NRC in 2016.

Contact: AREVA Inc., telephone: 33 (0)1 34 96 12 15, email: [email protected].

Dry Fuel StorageAREVA TN recently signed a

contract with Xcel Energy to provide wide-ranging dry fuel storage management services to the company’s Prairie Island and Monticello nuclear generating plants in Red Wing and Monticello, Minnesota, respectively.

Under this multi-year contract, AREVA will oversee and perform the removal of nuclear fuel from the Prairie Island reactor’s spent fuel storage pool, its placement in dry storage casks and



its secure storage on the site’s existing interim storage pad.

At Monticello, AREVA will deliver and install 10 NUHOMS® 61BTH dry fuel storage systems in 2017, and will manage and perform the pool-to-pad process to place the used fuel in the shielded NUHOMS® storage modules in 2018.


Outage ServicesTVA has awarded a contract to GE

Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) to provide outage services for Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant units 1, 2 and 3.

The contract, valued at more than $70 million, calls for GEH to provide a full portfolio of outage and inspection services including refuel fl oor, under-vessel activities and control rod drive mechanism exchange services for the reactors near Decatur, Alabama.

The agreement runs through 2020 and includes a total of nine outages (three at each reactor).

FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company also awarded GEH a contract to provide outage services for the Perry Nuclear Power Plant.

The contract calls for GEH to provide a full portfolio of outage and inspection services including refuel fl oor, under-vessel activities and control rod drive mechanism exchange services for the boiling water reactor in Perry, Ohio.

The agreement runs through 2021 and includes three outages.

Perry’s single unit GE boiling water reactor produces 1,268 megawatts of electricity, enough to power more than 1 million homes.

Contact: Jon Allen, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, telephone: (910) 819-2581, email: [email protected].

Fuel ReloadsGlobal Nuclear Fuel (GNF), a

joint venture, majority owned by GE, announced on January 6, 2016 that it has been selected by Energy Northwest to continue to provide fuel reloads for the Columbia Generating Station near Richland, Washington.

A new fuel supply contract awarded to GNF runs from 2019 through 2027 and includes fi ve reloads for the 1,190

megawatt boiling water reactor. The total value of the contract is approximately $90 million.

Columbia began using GNF2 fuel in 2015. The GNF2 high performance fuel assembly is designed to deliver increased energy output while decreasing overall fuel cycle costs. GNF2’s advanced design saves utilities money by reducing the total amount of uranium and the average enrichment in fuel reloads.

Fuel for Columbia is fabricated by GNF at its facility in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Contact: Jon Allen, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, telephone: (910) 819-2581, email: [email protected].

Pusher Furnace LineHarper International was recently

awarded a contract for a Pusher furnace line with KEPCO Nuclear Fuel (KNF). Harper’s relationship started with KNF over nineteen years ago with contracts to supply fi ve new sintering furnace systems.

Over the past two years, Harper’s Applications, Engineering & Technology Groups have carefully developed an advanced heating system for KNF’s current project of producing nuclear fuel for their pressurized heavy water reactors.

With this sixth furnace for KNF and all furnace iterations, Harper continuously aims to advance equipment performance. In addition to the advanced heating element that allows for higher temperature operation, an enhanced furnace shell cooling design has been developed, and both yield longer uniform operational life cycles. Additionally, advances have been made in exit water cooling design, insulation designs, which reduce ambient heat release, and energy usage. Harper is compliant with nuclear specifi c control systems for mandated upgrades for increased security and reliability.

Contact: Diana Robbins, Harper International, telephone: (716) 276-9900, email: [email protected].

Feasibility StudiesMitsubishi Heavy Industries of

Japan have awarded a contract of four Feasibility Studies to NUKEM Technologies (NUKEM). The Studies are part of a National R&D Project, which the Japanese Government launched in order

to develop suitable technologies for the dismantling of the damaged reactors in Fukushima. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will be a major contractor to perform the execution works on the Fukushima site.

The Studies comprise the “Mapping of Primary Containment Vessel (PCV) fl ooring and Removal of Interference Materials” which is the concept for scanning and removal of materials inside the PCV and the “Biological Shielding Wall (BSW) Cutting and Dismantling Method” a concept for remote cutting of the BSW. Besides NUKEM will also prepare concepts for a “Rail-bound carrier system” which describes the remote installation of a rail system and a “Fuel Debris Retrieval Cell Transportation” in which a remotely operated transportation system needs to be developed.

Contact: Bea Heinze, Nukem Technologies, telephone: 49 6023 911549, email: [email protected].

Steam Generator Cleaning

SNC-Lavalin has been awarded a contract by BWXT Canada Ltd. for the primary side cleaning of the steam generator tubes at Cernavodă Unit 1 for the Societatea Nationala Nuclearelectrica S.A. (SNN) in Romania.

BWXT Canada is the original manufacturer of the steam generators at Cernavodă Unit 1 and the lead contractor on this project as part of a 10-year comprehensive agreement for steam generator services with SNN, dating back to 2011.

SNC-Lavalin has held a strong position within the nuclear industry in steam generator cleaning. Its Canduclean™ system uses a special blasting material to loosen and remove deposits that have built up inside steam generators, while ensuring that adjoining areas are not contaminated. Primary side cleaning can be performed in parallel on multiple generators, cleaning up to four tubes simultaneously. Canduclean equipment is modular, and can be adapted to any plant layout.

Contact: SNC-Lavalin, telephone: (514) 393-1000, website: www.snclavalin.com.





New Documents

NRC DocumentsNUREGs1. NUREG-1021, DFC, Rev. 11, “Operator Licensing Examination Standards for Power Reactors.” Accession Number ML16028A409, January, 2016.

2. NUREG-2114, “Cognitive Basis for Human Reliability Analysis.” Accession Number ML16014A045, January, 2016.

3. NUREG/IA-0459, “EPR Medium Break LOCA Benchmarking Exercise Using RELAP5 and CATHARE.” Accession Number ML16007A003, January, 2016.

4. NUREG/CR-3469, Vol 7, “Occupational Dose Reduction at Nuclear Power Plants: Annotated Bibliography of Selected Readings in Radiation Protection and ALARA.” Accession Number ML15363A392, January, 2016.

5. Branch Technical Position 11-3, Design Guidance For Solid Radioactive Waste Management Systems Installed in LWRs, Rev 4. Accession Number ML15027A198, January, 2016.

6. BTP 11-5, Postulated Radioactive Releases Due to a Waste Gas System Leak or Failure, Rev 4. Accession Number ML15027A302, January 2016.

Reg Guides1. RG 1.212 Rev. 1, “Sizing of Large Lead-Acid Storage Batteries”. Accession Number ML15170A003, October, 2015.

2. Draft Regulatory Guide DG-1319, Integrated Response Capabilities for Beyond-Design-Basis Events. Accession Number ML14265A070, November, 2015.

3. Draft Regulatory Guide DG-1317, Wide-Range Spent Fuel Pool Level Instrumentation. Accession Number ML14245A454, November, 2015.

4. Draft Regulatory Guide (DG)-1301, “Flexible Mitigation Strategies for Beyond-Design-Basis Events” Accession Number ML13168A031, November, 2015.

5. Draft Regulatory Guide (DG)-5043, Training And Qualifi cation Of Security Personnel At Nuclear Power Reactor Facilities. Accession Number ML14297A272, December, 2015.

6. Draft Regulatory Guide (DG)-1324, “Guidance on Making Changes To Emergency Plans For Nuclear Power Reactors.” Accession Number ML15054A370, December, 2015.

7. Draft Regulatory Guide DG-8033, “Operating Philosophy for Maintaining Occupational Radiation Exposure as Low as is Reasonably Achievable”. Accession Number ML15203B410, December, 2015.

8. Draft Regulatory Guide (DG)-4025, “Assessment of Radioactive Discharges in Ground Water to the Unrestricted Area at Nuclear Power Plant Sites”. Accession Number ML15237A388, December, 2015.

9. Draft Preliminary Regulatory Guide 1.229, Risk Informed Approach for Addressing the Effects of Debris on Post-Accident Long-Term Core Cooling. Accession Number ML15335A179, December, 2015.

EPRI1. Reactor Cavity Decontamination Sourcebook. Product ID: 3002005479. Published November, 2015.

A variety of factors impact the optimized management of a nuclear power plant’s post-refueling reactor cavity decontamination program. The absence of an acceptable, comprehensive methodology for evaluating and coordinating that program continues to pose a challenge to program managers. There are several benefi ts of a structured cavity decontamination program, including dose reduction, low-level waste cost optimization, and potential critical path time savings. This document outlines a generic method for systematically evaluating and identifying improvements

to reactor cavity decontamination strategies.

2. Program on Technology Innovation: Analysis of Hazard Models for Cyber Security, Phase I. Product ID: 3002004995. Published November, 2015.

U.S. nuclear power licensees currently identify critical digital assets and apply cyber security controls using a variety of regulatory commitments and expert opinions. As a result, licensees have adopted strategies that may result in the selection of controls that are not aligned with real cyber risk. For example, a nuclear plant might not identify a non-safety digital controller as a critical cyber security digital asset, even though this controller, if compromised, could potentially trip the plant. Conversely, a plant might devote an unwarranted amount of resources to applying or justifying cyber security controls for an isolated safety-related system with low risk signifi cance. This report documents research that is identifying and developing methods to accurately determine cyber risks at nuclear facilities. Specifi cally, this product identifi es hazard analysis methods that will lay the foundation for an enhanced cyber risk methodology.

3. Advanced Nuclear Technology: Evaluation of Self-Consolidating Concrete Mixtures and Structural Members - Phase 1. Product ID: 3002005228. Published December, 2015.

This technical update report provides a compilation of data collected for self-consolidating concrete mixtures and includes a comparison of plastic and hardened properties of self-consolidating concrete with conventional concrete mixtures. This report accounts for only the fi rst phase of this project, with phase 2 scheduled to begin in 2016.

4. 2015 Underground Piping and Tank Integrity (UPTI) State-of-the-Fleet Self-Assessments. Product ID: 3002005462. Published December, 2015.

The Buried Piping Integrity Initiative was approved by the Nuclear Strategic Issues Advisory Committee (NSIAC) in November 2009. The original scope was limited to piping that was below grade and in direct contact with the soil


Meeting & Training Calendar

1. Waste Management Symposia, March 6-10, 2016, Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, Arizona. Contact: website: http://www.wmsym.org/

2. World Nuclear Fuel Cycle, April 4-6, 2015, Ritz Carlton, Abu Dhabi, UAE. Contact: Denise Bell, Nuclear Energy Institute, telephone: (202) 739-8091, email: [email protected].

3. International Conference on Effective Nuclear Regulatory Systems: Sustaining Improvements Globally, April 11-15, 2016, Vienna, Austria. Contact: Julie Zellinger, International Atomic Energy Agency, telephone: 43 1 2600 21321, email: [email protected].

4. The International Congress on Advances in Nuclear Power Plants (ICAPP), April 17-20, 2016, Hyatt Regency, San Francisco, California. Contact: American Nuclear Society, website: icapp.ans.org/

5. Used Fuel Management Conference, May 3-5, 2016, Omni Champions Gate, Orlando, Florida. Contact: Denise Bell, Nuclear Energy Institute, telephone: (202) 739-8091, email: [email protected].

6. Indian Nuclear Society National Workshop on "Fabrication of Nuclear Power Plant Components, May 09-13, 2016 at AERB Auditorium, Anushaktinagar, Mumbai, India. Contact: Shri M.K. Mathur, NPCIL, telephone: 022 25995501, email: [email protected].

7. 63rd Annual Industry Conference and Supplier Expo: Nuclear Energy Assembly, May 23-26, 2016, Trump National Doral, Miami, Florida. Contact: Denise Bell, Nuclear Energy Institute, telephone: (202) 739-8091, email: [email protected].

8. Emergency Preparedness Forum, June 8-9, 2016, The Westin, Indianapolis, Indiana. Contact: Denise Bell, Nuclear Energy Institute, telephone: (202) 739-8091, email: [email protected].

9. 2016 American Nuclear Society Annual Meeting, June 12-16, 2016, Hyatt Regency, New Orleans, Louisiana. Contact: American Nuclear Society, website: www.ans.org/meetings/c_1

10. 36th Annual Canadian Nuclear Society Conference, June 19-22, 2016, Toronto Marriott Downtown Eaton Centre Hotel, Toronto, Ontario. Contact: Canadian Nuclear Society, telephone: (416) 977-7620, fax: (416) 977-8131, e-mail address: [email protected].

11. EPRI International Low-Level Waste Conference and Decommissioning Workshop with American Society of Mechanical Engineers/EPRI Radwaste Workshop 2016. June 20-23, 2016, Loews Royal Pacifi c Resort at Universal Orlando, Orlando, FL. Contact: Linda Nelson, EPRI, telephone: (828) 318-8428, website: www.epri.com.

12. International Conference on Nuclear Engineering, June 26-30, 2016, Charlotte Convention Center, Charlotte, North Carolina. Contact: Robert Power, American Society of Mechanical Engineers telephone: (212) 591-8351, email: [email protected].

13. World Nuclear Exhibition, June 28-30, 2016, Paris Le Bourget, France. Contact: Cynthia David, telephone: 33 (0) 1 47 56 65 80, email: [email protected].

14. U.S. Women in Nuclear Conference, July 10-13, 2016, Hyatt Regency Newport, Newport, RI. Contact: Denise Bell, Nuclear Energy Institute, telephone: (202) 739-8091, email: [email protected].

15. Nuclear Fuel Supply Forum, July 19, 2016, The Mayfl ower Hotel, Washington, D.C. Contact: Denise Bell, Nuclear Energy Institute, telephone: (202) 739-8091, email: [email protected].

16. Institute of Nuclear Materials Management (INMM) 57th Annual Meeting, July 24-28, 2016, Atlanta Marriott Marquis, Atlanta, GA. Contact: Christopher Viglione, INMM, telephone: (847) 686-2365, email: [email protected].

17. Decommissioning and Remote Systems (D&RS 2016), July 31-August 4, 2016, Sheraton Station Square, Pittsburgh, PA. Contact: American Nuclear Society, email: [email protected], website: http://drs.ans.org/

18. International Light Water Reactors Material Reliability Conference and Exhibition 2016, August 1-4, 2016, Hyatt Regency McCormick Place, Chicago, IL. Contact: Linda Nelson, EPRI, telephone: (828) 318-8428, website: www.epri.com.

19. Utility Working Conference and Vendor Technology Expo, August 14-17, 2016, Amelia Island, Florida. Contact: American Nuclear Society, website: www.ans.org/meetings/c_2

20. 13th International Conference on ‎CANDU Fuel, August 15-18, 2016, Holiday Inn Waterfront Hotel and Conference Center, Kingston, Ontario. Contact: Canadian Nuclear Society, telephone: (416) 977-7620, fax: (416) 977-8131, e-mail address: [email protected].

21. 13th International Conference on Radiation Shielding, 19th Topical Meeting of the Radiation Protection & Shielding Division of the American Nuclear Society, October 3-6, 2016, Novotel Paris Centre Tour Eiffel Hotel, Paris, France. Contact: Cheikh M. Diop, CEA, email: [email protected], website: www.icrs13-rpsd2016.org

22.International Uranium Fuel Seminar, October 16-19, 2016, Naples Grande, Naples, FL. Contact: Denise Bell, Nuclear Energy Institute, telephone: (202) 739-8091, email: [email protected].

23. 2016 ANS Winter Meeting and Nuclear Technology Expo, November 6-10, 2016, Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, NV. Contact: ANS, website: ans.org. �







Research & Development

Hungary Joins EPRIThe supplier of half of Hungary’s

power consumption has joined EPRI’s nuclear research program. In 2013, Paks Nuclear Power Plant’s four units produced 51% of the country’s electricity, according to the Nuclear Energy Agency. Leaders and staff at the 2,000-megawatt facility now will have access to a global R&D collaboration and key EPRI guidance to support safe, reliable operations.

Paks’ collaboration with EPRI will provide nuclear plant operators around the world with new opportunities to draw on plant technical knowledge spanning more than three decades of operation. The Russian-designed VVER 440 nuclear reactors at Paks are also deployed in other eastern and central European countries. The Paks collaboration will allow EPRI to broaden the reach of its technical guidance to this technology.

Other VVER operators participating in EPRI nuclear programs include CEZ (Czech Republic), Slovenské elektrárne (Slovakia), and CNNC (China)—operating 16 VVER units with an aggregate capacity of 10 gigawatts. With Paks, CEZ, and other VVER plants, EPRI is expanding its opportunity to capture the state of industry knowledge and R&D on degradation mechanisms in VVER plants.

Radiation Dose Reduction

In demonstrations at two nuclear plants in Korea, a fi rst-of-its-kind system that remotely monitors radiation, reduced worker radiation dose by 37%. Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) has been developing the system since 2010, assisted by EPRI researchers and its radiation monitoring guidelines.

Traditionally, nuclear plant workers wear personal dosimeters that monitor radiation and require separate devices to transmit data to radiation protection

personnel. KHNP’s system integrates lighter personal monitoring devices with wireless communications, enabling radiation protection personnel to track radiation levels in real time. Through continuous video, the protection personnel view plant maintenance workers, using the integrated audio communications to advise workers of abnormal conditions and provide safety instructions in real time.

Building on the successful demonstrations, KHNP plans to deploy the technology throughout its 23-unit nuclear fl eet. The utility estimates that developing the system in-house will save more than $10 million.

EPRI is looking to use data collected from these tools, along with its 3-D Radiation Field Estimation Algorithm and a source term analysis tool, to more accurately predict outage dose rates and to estimate worker dose in areas where direct measurement is not available. Nuclear utilities can use these estimates to enhance their radiation protection programs. Potentially, the data can be combined with augmented reality tools to help workers visualize radiation fi elds as their work takes them to various parts of a plant.

Nozzle InspectionBy Chris Warren

To ensure that pressurized water reactors in certain nuclear power plants are functioning properly, it’s necessary to insert an ultrasonic inspection device through three-quarter-inch nozzles on the reactor vessel’s bottom head (known as bottom-mounted instrumentation nozzles).

There’s little room for error. The technician must remotely guide a robotic arm from the top of the reactor to the bottom of a 110-foot-deep cooling water pool surrounding the reactor. Video transmitted from the delivery tool inside the reactor helps guide the technician through the task. “It takes the skilled hand of an operator to get the probes where they need to go,” said EPRI Principal Project Manager Robert Grizzi. “It’s like threading a very tiny needle.”

Nuclear plant operators conduct this comprehensive nozzle inspection when initial visual exams reveal potential areas of concern.

Mock-up RequirementThis job cannot be done by just

anyone. It is standard practice for nuclear utilities to hire specialized vendors to complete the inspection procedures, which are governed by federal regulations and American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) codes and standards.

In 2013, Arizona Public Service (APS) asked EPRI to help ensure that the vendor it selected for comprehensive nozzle inspections at its Palo Verde Unit 3 nuclear plant could do the work properly. “The vendor needed to demonstrate that its inspection technique works and follows standards and federal requirements,” said Grizzi.

To assess the vendor’s effectiveness, EPRI built a full-scale replica of a bottom-mounted instrumentation nozzle at Palo Verde Unit 3, incorporating cracks and other defects in it. The vendor successfully inspected the mock-up in accordance with standards and regulations, locating all the cracks.

By qualifying the vendor, the demonstration enabled APS to decide to move forward with its inspection. It also helped the utility prepare for future inspections, avoiding extended outages.

“If APS didn’t have the vendor, equipment, and processes ready for the comprehensive inspection, it could have taken fi ve to six months to fi nd and qualify the vendor,” said Grizzi. “The plant can’t go online until all that is in place.”

Application to Other PlantsGiven Palo Verde’s unique reactor

designs, the results of the EPRI-APS collaboration are not directly transferable to other nuclear plant operators. Nevertheless, the mock-up methods and experience equip EPRI to construct and test customized mock-ups for other plants. “There will eventually be follow-up work,” said Grizzi. “When we have the opportunity to apply the same methods, it can enable as positive an impact for other utilities as it did for APS.”


Reduce Capital Costs for your Engineering & Construction Projects

CONSULTANTS DESIGNERS ENGINEERS CONSTRUCTORS

We offer Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) services, from Conceptual Design to Construction Management and Commissioning, for nuclear support facilities nationwide.

Contact Eric Bockmuller to learn how Austin’s approach can help with your on-site nuclear support facility needs.

[email protected] www.theaustin.com

Reducing Radiation ExposureBy Michael Matz

Culminating almost 30 years of materials research, EPRI has demonstrated in the laboratory a new alloy for hardfacing select nuclear plant components to improve their resistance to wear and galling, a form of damage in which material is extracted from the component’s surface. Use of this alloy, called NitroMaxx, will also help reduce worker radiation exposure. EPRI is seeking to patent NitroMaxx and in 2015 continued to characterize its properties through laboratory and fi eld testing.

A Tale of Three Hardfacing Alloys: Stellite, NOREM, and NitroMaxx

Power plant components are typically made by forging or casting metals and then applying surface treatments called hardfacings to provide resistance to wear and galling. In nuclear plants, cobalt-based hardfacing alloys, such as Stellite, have been used for many years because of their weldability and wear resistance. But breakdown of such materials releases elemental cobalt, which is transported


Palo Verde Unit 3 reactor vessel has 61 bottom-mounted instrumentation nozzles.


Industrial Internet ApplicationsBy Eric Mino, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy.

Eric MinoEric Mino joined GE in 2005 and has held a variety of positions at GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy including Nuclear Controls and Systems Upgrades Manager, Innovation Leader and Vice President of Asset Management Services. He currently serves as Vice President of Digital Nuclear Services. Eric holds a Bachelor of Science in Facilities and Plant Engineering from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy and a Master of Business Administration from the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Responses to questions by Newal Agnihotri, Editor of Nuclear Plant Journal.

Exelon Generation has utilized data and analytics to optimize performance at Limerick Generating Station. Now the utility is working with GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy to develop digital solutions based on GE’s Predix platform.

1. Last year, it was announced that Exelon would pilot GE’s Predix platform. How did this decision come about?

GE Hitachi (GEH) and our GE Digital Teams have been working with Exelon since the summer of 2014 to explore how Exelon could benefi t from the Predix platform. Exelon saw our approach with Predix as a Platform as

a Service (PaaS) solution unique in the Industrial Internet arena. Exelon and GEH also had very c o m p l e m e n t a r y thought processes and goals around i n n o v a t i o n , digitization and the use of advanced analytics. Predix is designed to be system agnostic, which means it is able to interact with existing systems and infrastructure. The fact that Exelon would be able to leverage its existing analytics with Predix and then merge and

develop new analytics on the Predix platform was an additional major benefi t.

2. Describe the Predix Platform and the applications that are being built on Predix for the energy industry?

Predix is the platform that powers GE’s Industrial Internet applications. The Predix platform is a secure, cloud-based platform built for and by industry experts to support the unique scale and requirements of industrial data. The platform was designed to allow developers to quickly build, test and deploy applications for highly regulated industries and incorporates decades of experience in operational and information security. To help corporations like Exelon deliver on commitments by operating proactively and predictively, this software

technology can align operational and performance insights agnostically across the full spectrum of generating options.

The Industrial Internet is all about connecting big data, machines and the people who operate them. With this in mind, GE recently unveiled our vision for the Digital Power Plant at our global 2015 Minds + Machinesconferences held in San Francisco and Dubai. The Digital Power Plant enables greater effi ciency and output, more fl exibility for a range of generation types including intermittent sources, and helps grid stability. The Predix platform and solutions are at the heart of the Digital Power Plant, where three core Predix suites are pulled together: Asset Performance Management, Operations Optimization and Business Optimization.

Digital Power Plant’s Asset Perfor-mance Management (APM) suite of applications helps our customers reduce plant downtime and production costs through predictive and physics-based analytics. By taking a holistic, predic-tive maintenance approach coupled with decades of monitoring and diagnostics (M&D) experience, we are helping op-erators manage their power plants at high levels of performance and reliability. Ev-ery day at GE’s remote M&D Center in Atlanta, we collect more than 30,000 op-erating hours of data from a fl eet of more than 1,500 assets. Insights drawn from this volume of power generation big data have translated to total customer savings estimated at $70 million in 2014, up from more than $53 million in 2013.

For example, one of the pilot projects at a plant within Exelon’s nuclear fl eet is called Watchtower and focuses on equipment reliability by utilizing APM. The ability to foresee and forestall issues is at the very core of APM for the power industry. Reliability management combines predictive advisories, expert diagnostics and situational troubleshooting to turn reactive maintenance processes into predictive ones. Analysts and operators can benchmark and compare the performance of assets, anticipate confl icts to improve reliability and extend overall asset output.

Digital Power Plant’s Operations Optimization suite of applications drives better plant and fl eet performance across equipment manufacturers, site

sIaGctaiduaiswaeaTwla



confi gurations and power cycles. This technology delivers enterprise data visibility across power plant and fl eet-wide footprints, providing a holistic understanding of the operational decisions that can expand capabilities, such as related to outage management, lower production costs and improved reliability. Operations personnel can compare fl eet performance historically, or to operating specifi cations of a digital twin of the plant, or to our benchmark data. Plant managers can measure performance, operational fl exibility, system availability and dispatch optimization.

Digital Power Plant’s Business Op-timization suite of applications will help deliver exceptional forecasting. Today, the most competitive power producers understand that the value of forecasting performances and related operational factors is based on the right combination of engineering expertise, physics-based analytics and current plant operating data. This blend of capabilities can de-liver dynamically not only the visibility, but also the insights needed to identify any underlying degradation impact and resulting true plant capability. Business Optimization solutions will be available to our customers in 2016.

3. How does Predix address cyber security concerns for the nuclear industry?

The current Predix nuclear applications focus on providing better information to decision makers in the plants at either a management or maintenance level. At this time Predix in not being deployed at the machine or safety related system level, often described as zone 4 in the nuclear industry, and we are adhering to all cyber regulations that apply. There are many potential confi gurations for user access, however in most cases users will access the applications we are developing via Predix Cloud which is designed with the most advanced security protocols available, including customized, adaptive security solutions for industrial operators and developers. We leverage advanced connectivity-as-a-service for industrial assets which combines proprietary technologies with global telecommunications partners to enable rapid provisioning of sensor data,

gateways and software-defi ned machines. Predix Cloud will operate seamlessly with applications and services running in a broad spectrum of cloud environments. As such, businesses will be able to take advantage of its optimized security and data structure offerings while also maintaining existing solutions at their facilities. Unlike public cloud services, which are open to any individual or organization, Predix Cloud is based on a “gated community” model to ensure that users of the cloud belong to the industrial ecosystem.

4. In addition to applications built on Predix, how are customers considering Predix in other aspects of their business?

As Predix is open source, partners, customers and others can also become developers on Predix to create their own analytics and applications. On the Predix Cloud, developers will have visibility into their operating environments. In doing so, businesses will be able to deploy and monitor machine apps anywhere, continuously adjusting to new demands in the physical and digital world while providing the security and visibility required for operational effectiveness. Again, it is about providing more insightful information to make better decisions, faster than organizations have in the past.

5. What is driving interest in Predix among nuclear industry customers?

Predix was created to help industrial organizations take the next big step in operation performance, asset performance, and a total improvement of their individual power generating assets as well as their entire fl eets. Some of the greatest advantages seen by Predix users so far include industries with a high volume of deep human know how.

The nuclear industry has been sharing know how and best practices openly for many years which has led to extreme levels of performance. However, this has often required extreme levels of effort. There are limited levels of improvement that the human brain can continue to make across the nuclear fl eet. Predix is the tool that can unlock the next major step change as an enabler for deep domain experts to do things they previously only dreamed were possible.

Within our industry, there is both the need and opportunity to change how we approach our outages, monitoring, operations, knowledge management, and maintenance of the systems in our plants, and more through data analytics. We want to work with our customers and partners to create those next major step changes in our industry. The openness and continuous improvement culture of the nuclear industry is a great match for what we created within Predix and the Platform as a Service (Paas) methodology. Predix simplifi es our ability to leverage and merge information from existing data, systems, analytics and human know-how to create these new digital industrial solutions.

Contact: Jon Allen, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, 3901 Castle Hayne Road, Wilmington, North Carolina, 28401; telephone: (910) 819-2581, email: [email protected]. �

Core Shroud SupportWestinghouse Electric Company

with subsidiary WesDyne Sweden AB has been selected by OKG AB to develop and qualify techniques and equipment to inspect the core shroud support at OKG AB’s Oskarshamn unit 3 Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in Sweden.

The contract scope includes developing and qualifying ultrasonic and eddy current techniques for 70 millimeter thick Inconel 182 welds, as well as two new manipulators to inspect approximately 35 meters in fi ve different weld segments. One of the manipulators will enter the inspection area through the restricted core grid openings inside the reactor that measure only about 300-by-300 millimeters.

The work will be performed primarily at WesDyne Sweden AB, a nondestructive inspection branch of Westinghouse located in Täby, Sweden.

Contact: Westinghouse Electric Company, telephone: (412) 374-6379, email: [email protected]. �

Contracts...(Continued from page 15)


Fixed In-core AssemblyBy Martin Parece, AREVA North America.

Martin PareceMartin Parece is Vice President, Products & Technology for the Reactors & Services Business Group of AREVA in North America. He is responsible for development, technical oversight and confi guration control of pressurized water and high temperature gas reactor designs planned for deployment in North America.

In addition, Mr. Parece directs product development, fabrication and testing at AREVA’s U.S. Technical Center. Mr. Parece has B.S. and M.S. degrees in Nuclear Engineering and is a member of the American Nuclear Society. During the last 33 years with AREVA and predecessor companies, he has gained extensive experience in plant operations, safety and performance analyses, computer code development, accident mitigation, thermal-hydraulics, plant auxiliary systems, Class 1 component design, reactor design, and licensing. Prior to his appointment as Vice President, he served as Chief Engineer for AREVA.


1. What are the current applications for ICDAs?

An In-core Detector Assembly (ICDA), also known as a “fi xed in-core assembly,” is an assembly that allows for the permanent or fi xed positioning of temperature and radiation sensors inside a reactor. This provides for continuous monitoring of localized reactor power in all regions of the core.

Each ICDA has self-powered neutron detectors distributed along the length of the assembly, which allows operators to measure power from the top to the bottom of the core. Depending on the design, between 40 and 60 ICDAs are distributed

around the core to allow operators to get axial power shapes in many locations in the core, which yields a 3-D power map. The ICDAs also have a thermal-couple that provides fl uid temperature at the core exit during normal operation and for post-accident monitoring.

2. Do the displays for these detectors need power to operate?

ICDAs need power to operate. The self-powered neutron

detectors operate by an (n, ß) reaction, whereby the emitter absorbs a neutron (n) and decays (beta) by emitting an electron. The electrons are collected by an electrode within the detector, providing a current that is proportional to the power. Hence the name self-powered neutron detector. However, this current is very small and must be amplifi ed, conditioned and sent to the plant process computer, all of which require external power. In the event of loss of offsite power, the thermal-couple signals are powered by emergency power supplies and batteries.

3. Describe tests to ensure operability of these detectors in a beyond-design-basis accidents?

During production, we test a sample of the thermal-couples up to 1750 degrees F and we calibrate each thermal-couple up to 750 degrees F. We also perform a

pressure test up to 3200 psi, which is 150 percent of operating pressure.

4. Describe the displays designed to support the ICDAs in a beyond-design-basis accident?

Only the thermal-couple of the ICDA is designed to operate during an accident. In this case, the normal control room displays would be used to monitor core exit fl uid temperatures. These displays are powered by emergency sources in the case of loss of offsite power. Core exit thermal-couple readings from the ICDAs, coupled with fl uid temperature measurements from the reactor coolant system piping and various loop fl ow indications, give operators an understanding of fl uid fl ows and core cooling during a postulated or beyond design basis accident.

ICDA thermal-couple temperatures that signifi cantly exceed saturation temperature of the reactor coolant indicate inadequate core cooling. In that event, plant operators would implement inadequate core cooling procedures. Temperature readings approaching the failure point of the thermal-couples (>1,750 degrees F) indicate fuel damage is imminent, causing the plant operators to implement severe accident management guidelines.

5. Do ICDAs have self-diagnostic feature?

Loss of signal due to a bad connection or failures in the signal conditioning electronics is detected immediately. More subtle failures of the individual detectors are identifi ed by the operator or software. This is done by comparing detectors in the same ICDA or by comparing detector signals from a suspect ICDA to those signals from an ICDA in the matching location in a different quadrant of the core (i.e., match signals from “symmetrical pairs” of ICDAs).

Monitoring detector signals and declaring suspect detectors “out of service” is necessary because the detector readings are used to monitor power peaks within the core and to ensure that power variations from quadrant to quadrant are within limits during power operation.

6. Which plants worldwide are currently using ICDAs?



ICDAs are a standard feature on pressurized water reactors designed by Combustion Engineering (predominantly in the United States and Korea) and Babcock & Wilcox. In addition, one or two Westinghouse plants use ICDAs. The KONVOI units in Europe use both fi xed

ICDAs and a moveable system called aeroball measurement system.

7. Describe the procedure to replace old detectors with ICDAs in an operating plant?

Self-powered neutron detectors based on rhodium or cobalt deplete

or “burn-out over time. Therefore, the ICDAs are periodically replaced.

Replacing one or more ICDAs requires drain down of the in-core tank since it is initially fl ooded during the outage. After approximately six hours, the ICDAs are disconnected and pulled to the park position for the outage. This removes the assemblies from the core to allow fuel shuffl e.

Then the in-core tank is re-fl ooded so the ICDAs scheduled for replacement can be pulled and cut into pieces under water. This minimizes radiation dose to the workers. The pieces are then placed in a canister for storage on site. The tank is drained and the new ICDAs are installed.

8. How has the vulnerability to cyber threats and electromagnetic interference been addressed in ICDA systems?

ICDA signals are amplifi ed, conditioned and sent to the plant computer via hard-wired connections. Data access ports are often available to engineers or computer software specialists that need to review the data or use it for core fl ux mapping. The approach to cyber security and eliminating threats is specifi c and confi dential to each site. Vulnerabilities related to electromagnetic interference are addressed by testing the signal processing equipment to industry standards such as MIL-STD-461E, Requirements for the Control of Electromagnetic Interference Characteristics of Subsystems and Equipment.

Contact: Curtis Roberts, AREVA, Inc., telephone: (202) 974-8766, email: [email protected]. �

In-core Detector Assembly.

Nuclear Plant Journal Advertiser Web DirectoryAREVA Inc.www.us.areva.com

Birnswww.birns.com

GE Hitachi Nuclear Energywww.nuclear.gepower.com

GLSEQ, LLCwww.glseq.com

HF Controlswww.hfcontrols.com

HydroAire Service, Inc.www.hydroinc.com

InterTest, Inc.www.intertest.com

iRobot Corporationwww.irobot.com

Nutherm International, Inc.www.nutherm.com

OTEK Corporationwww.otekcorp.com

Superior Tube | Fine Tubeswww.superiortube.com

The Austin Companywww.theaustin.com

Thermo Scientifi c- CIDTECwww.thermo.com/cidtec

UniTech Services Groupwww.UniTechUs.com

Westinghouse Electric Company LLCwww.westinghousenuclear.com

World Nuclear Exhibitionwww.world-nuclear-exhibition.com

http://www.world-nuclear-exhibition.com

Best-Practice for Operating and New PlantsBy Jan Dudiak, Westinghouse Electric Company.

Jan DudiakJan “John” G. Dudiak is the vice president of New Plant Automation for Westinghouse Electric Company. He is responsible for digital instrumentation and control (I&C) systems for all Westinghouse new plant projects worldwide including digital I&C systems design, fabrication, testing and commissioning.

Mr. Dudiak joined Westinghouse in 1981 as an auxiliary equipment engineer and then became project manager for upgrades of pumps and motors used in commercial nuclear power plants. His career continued in roles of increasing responsibility and diversity, serving in leadership positions in supply chain and materials management, reactor services, pump and motor operations, fi eld services and business strategy.

Mr. Dudiak holds a bachelor degree in mechanical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University.


1. What changes will Westinghouse recommend in USNRC’s guidelines for digital equipment for safety-related systems?

Westinghouse has worked closely with USNRC over the years, and it is no different now as they prepare the guidelines for digital equipment for safety-related systems.

We would certainly recommend that any new guidance provides certainty for digital instrumentation and control (I&C) upgrades to utility owners. As part of that recommendation, it would be our hope that the guidance allows new failure modes that may be introduced with digital systems to be evaluated with coping studies within the governing 10 CFR 50.59, Changes, Tests and Experiments process. Currently, utili-

ties are required to go through the licensing amendment process and it is time-con-suming and expensive for the utilities and for the regulator.

Westinghouse is actively involved in the Nuclear En-ergy Institute’s [NEI] and Pressurized Wa-ter Reactor Owners Group’s efforts to provide more guid-ance to licensees on performing 10 CFR 50.59 evaluations. Once a revised set of

guidelines for the evaluations is issued, we look forward to the NRC’s full engagement in reviewing and endorsing the document. A lack of certainty in the licensing process on the part of utilities could cause owners to delay upgrade decisions concerning these systems while also struggling with potential obsolescence of current components.

2. How does Westinghouse help utilities optimize the equipment performance by advance warning of equipment problems?

Over time, Westinghouse has innovated solutions for utilities that optimize equipment performance and provide advance notice of potential problems. These include systems to monitor loose parts in the primary loop and also to monitor core barrel and reactor coolant pump vibration and fatigue. Westinghouse also has diagnostic tools

such as EnergiTools™, an online balance-of-plant performance monitoring software that identifi es lost megawatts from defi ciencies in secondary side components.

Through our work supporting AP1000® plant startup testing and power operations, we have developed several state-of-the art monitoring and diagnostic systems. They include the Integrated Work Management (IWM) package, which accesses data throughout plants to enable real-time, data-driven decisions. The IWM is a valuable tool for supporting reliability-centered maintenance plans through which maintenance activities can be performed more effi ciently and effectively, reducing outage duration and cost.

Coupled with the IWM system, Westinghouse has developed a scalable “Big Data” platform to allow additional wired and wireless sensors to be deployed while using an open and modular technology platform. This plant wide “Big Data” collection technology, coupled with powerful predictive monitoring analytics, provides an unsurpassed view into plant conditions.

3. What are Westinghouse’s new initiatives to bring digital technology to the nuclear power plants?

In addition to the technologies just discussed, Westinghouse established a cyber security program that is integrated with our Quality Management System (QMS). The Westinghouse Quality Program defi nes how the company meets customer and regulatory requirements. The QMS describes our quality program and commitments for 10 CFR 50 Appendix B Quality Assurance Criteria for Nuclear Power Plants and Fuel Reprocessing Plants, and other nuclear industry and international standards and is approved by the NRC. Integrating our cyber security requirements into the QMS helps make sure that the cyber security requirements of our customers are met routinely through the products and services we offer.

Additionally, in preparation for assisting our customers in complying with 10 CFR 73.54 Protection of Digital Computer and Communication Systems and Networks, Westinghouse has created actionable requirements for our safety and non-safety digital system designers. These steps result in a common understanding of our customers’ regulatory-driven

taasff

iieatGpap5O



requirements. By using a requirements-based approach, Westinghouse can show how our cyber security solutions meet any regulatory-driven customer specifi cation or industry standard.

Westinghouse is deploying cyber security systems with upgrades to digital control systems. Just as we are using new experience gained through startup testing and operations at our new plants to assist operating plants, lessons learned and operating experience from these upgrades to our operating plants will be incorporated into the AP1000 cyber security monitoring systems.

4. How did Vogtle 3 & 4 benefi t from Sanmen Construction Experience in ensuring expedited closure of Inspections, Tests, Analyses, and Acceptance Criteria (ITAAC)?

ITAAC are a fi rst-of-a-kind U.S. regulatory requirement and are used to verify that the plant has been constructed and will operate in accordance with the design and combined license. All ITAAC must be closed before fuel loading and plant startup. While ITAAC are not part of the regulatory code in China, similar activities and documentation are used for the same purpose.

Westinghouse’s AP1000 Nuclear Power Plant construction experience at the Sanmen Nuclear Power Station has proven very benefi cial to our U.S. plant construction. The practices and lessons learned from Sanmen are being used by the Vogtle 3 & 4 ITAAC project team in planning and performing the inspection, testing, and analysis activities and producing the documentation necessary for determining that the ITAAC acceptance criteria have been met in full and notifying the NRC of these conclusions.

5. How did Vogtle 3 & 4 benefi t from Summer Construction Experience in ensuring expedited closure of ITAAC?

Approximately 95 percent of Vogtle Units 3 and 4 ITAAC are common to the AP1000 Standard Plant design. This allows the Vogtle 3 & 4 ITAAC project team to work very closely with their Summer Units 2 & 3 counterparts to ensure consistency and best practices exchange while performing inspection, testing and analysis activities, and for developing the associated technical

documents used for closure of the Standard Plant ITAAC.

The sharing of information and best practices between the Vogtle and Summer ITAAC project teams, and the use of common processes, extends to ITAAC-related assessments of corrective action process issues, design changes, construction non-conformances, and planned work that could potentially have a material impact on the ITAAC acceptance criteria being met. It is this open dialogue that ensures both Vogtle and Summer projects are implementing ITAAC in the same way under 10 CFR 52 Licenses, Certifi cations, and Approvals for Nuclear Power Plants.

6. Provide an example of two most challenging safety-related construction ITAAC resolved by Vogtle 3 & 4.

ITACC were designed to perform a good scrub of the quality of the plant construction through multiple aspects such as engineering, procurement, construction and testing. Each area has its own challenges, which drove development of robust programs to ensure quality implementation. We continue to learn as we move forward and implement lessons learned to our processes.

7. What were the major challenges in installation and testing of digital equipment related ITAAC?

There are always opportunities to learn when implementing new systems. Fortunately, Westinghouse has facilities at a variety of phases of construction and we are able to learn processes from each. Through deliberative project management, the Vogtle 3 & 4 ITAAC project team proactively identifi es weaknesses in the organizational interface while ITAAC equipment was installed and tested. The cross-functional team successfully modifi ed procedures and practices to avoid stumbling blocks to successful ITAAC closure. This thinking has made the project better prepared for upcoming digital equipment installation and testing activities at the site in support of ITAAC closure.

Contact: Donna Ruff, Westinghouse Electric Company, telephone: (412) 374-4705, email: [email protected]. �


The Unique Safety Attributes of the NuScale Power ModuleBy Jose Reyes, NuScale.

Jose ReyesDr. Reyes is the co-founder of NuScale Power and co-designer of the NuScale passively-cooled small nuclear reactor. He is an internationally recognized expert on passive safety system design, testing and operations for nuclear power plants. He has served as a United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) technical expert on passive safety systems. He is a co-inventor on over 60 patents granted or pending in 17 countries. He recently received two national awards; the 2013 Nuclear Energy Advocate Award and the 2014 American Nuclear Society Thermal Hydraulic Division Technical Achievement Award.

He holds Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Maryland and a B.S. degree in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Florida.

An interview by Newal Agnihotri, Editor of Nuclear Plant Journal, at the American Nuclear Society Winter Meeting in Washington, D.C. on November 10, 2015.

1. How does the NuScale design ensure that the reactor keeps cooling in a beyond design basis accident?

First, we need to have a basic understanding of the NuScale plant. NuScale Power Modules are comprised of an integrated reactor vessel which houses the fuel, steam generators and pressurizer, which sits inside of a cylindrical containment vessel. So our containment is a steel vessel, factory manufactured, and rated at 1000 psi. Typical PWR containments operating today are less than 20 psi. Our design does not have Reactor Coolant Pumps. Instead, the driving force for primary system reactor coolant is natural circulation, using convection, conduction and gravity, within the unique system geometry, to provide coolant fl ow.

NuScale Power Modules reside be-low grade in a common concrete pool with a stainless steel liner that provides stable cooling for an unlimited period of time

following any ac-tuation of the emer-gency core cooling system (ECCS). During normal plant operations, heat is removed from the pool through a closed loop cooling system and ultimate-ly rejected into the atmosphere through a cooling tower or other external heat sink. In the event AC power is lost, core decay heat is trans-ferred to the reactor

pool by the passive safety systems previously mentioned and the pool will gradually heat up and be-gin to boil. Water inventory in the reactor pool is over 7 million gallons and is large enough to remove core decay heat from all the NuScale Power Modules for an unlimited period of time without adding water. In the evolution of a design-basis accident scenario the reactor core never becomes uncovered with water.

The events of Fukushima highlighted the importance that traditional reactors have of needing back-up sources of

electricity to power the essential valves and pumps needed for long-term cooling of their nuclear power plants. The complete station black-out caused by the earthquake and subsequent tsunami eventually led to extensive damage to the Daiichi nuclear units because of their inability to power their safety systems.

Their fi nal lines of defense were banks of DC batteries with a limited life.

Two years after the Fukushima event, we introduced a safety system for our NuScale Power Module that does not require DC batteries to place the plant in a safe cool-down condition following an extreme event. This is a revolutionary solution to one of the biggest technical challenges for the current fl eet of nuclear energy facilities. Because of our unique design, it allows the NuScale plant to achieve a ‘Triple Crown for nuclear plant safety’—to safely shut down and self-cool, indefi nitely, with no operator action, no AC or DC Power and no additional water. The patent pending breakthrough eliminates all of the DC batteries usually needed to align valves

ftgsDoitcslaaospdf

Cutaway of the NuScale Power Module.



and to power systems needed to provide cooling of the nuclear core. We do have emergency diesel generators and backup battery systems in the plant, but they are not required to protect and maintain the cooling and safety of the core.

2. How did you achieve unlimited coping time period?

All commercial nuclear power plants currently use large banks of DC batteries as backup power for their Engineered Safety Feature Actuation Systems (ESFAS) when all AC power is lost. Because these batteries serve a safety function, they must meet the IEEE standard for classifi cation as a “1E system.” One of the key functions of the ESFAS is to start the emergency core cooling system (ECCS). Because of the simplicity of the NuScale design, only a handful of safety-related valves need to be opened or closed in the event of an accident to ensure actuation of the ECCS. These safety-related valves have been designed to mechanically align to their pre-set safe condition without the use of batteries following a loss of all station power. No AC or DC power is required for this valve alignment. Similarly, the inherent, passive cooling capacity has been designed such that no pumps or additional water are required to provide an unlimited period of core cooling.

3. Did you say that you are not using DC power?

Neither AC nor DC power is required to establish a safe, long-term cooling confi guration for the NuScale design. We do have back-up AC power and a highly reliable DC power source available as part of our defense in depth program and to assure post-accident monitoring for a minimum of 3 days.

4. What have you done with the SMR design so that the instrumentation that you have will support you during this unlimited period to get the correct data and also will sustain the brunt of the accident?

With regards to post-accident monitoring needs, the NuScale design is quite a bit different because of its simplicity, very low decay heat and

passive safety systems. Because of its very simple and passive safety systems, for example no pumps, there are very few parameters to monitor. We implement a highly reliable DC power system for post-accident monitoring for the fi rst 3 days. However that power is not required to establish or maintain a safe long-term cooling confi guration. After 3 days the

core decay heat in each module is only 800 kW - a factor of 20 less than what was generated in the reactors at Fukushima. Natural convection and conduction heat transfer from the modules to the water in the pool where they reside are more than adequate to assure cooling to the core without instruments or power.

5. How have you taken advantage of the technology in the control room, in the local control panels and auxiliary electrical equipment room?

I think there’s probably no other place that has changed as much as the control room. The digital I&C capabilities today are just phenomenal. If you look at the existing fl eet of nuclear plants compared to what can be done with state-of-the-art digital I&C, it’s a pretty remarkable change. We built the world’s fi rst SMR control room simulator in Corvallis with the goal of controlling 12 modules from one control room. The control room simulator has 12 independent work stations each dedicated to simulating the operation of a NuScale Power Module.

The fi rst NuScale plant will be a 12-module plant, controlled from one control room. The reason we can

do that today is because of all of the advancements in computer systems and software in the digital I&C arena.

In terms of the instrumentation that we’re looking at for the NuScale design, wherever we found suitable existing instrumentation, we tried to use it because it already had the pedigree. These types of instruments have been used in the

nuclear industry for a while. What we’re fi nding that’s a little bit different is that the accuracy of the instruments has greatly improved, in terms of what you can measure, and also, how you access and connect that instrumentation to your control room - to your digital controls. We are taking advantage of things like fi ber optic cables to further improve the safety of the design.

Wherever we could apply lessons learned, we’ve done that. We have been working with different instrumentation groups. There’s the sensor side, and then there’s our module protection system side, where we’re looking at a digital protection system.

We recently partnered with Ultra Electronics in the UK, who work with Rock Creek Technologies, LLC in the US. They’re one of our strategic partners now and are the designers of reactor protection systems.

In terms of things that we’re measuring, they are pretty much standard—core inlet temperatures, outlet temperature, pressures, etc…. But the types of technology available and the accuracy of the measurement systems have really moved forward signifi cantly.

Cross-sectional View of Reactor Building.



6. Talk about like local control panels or starting from the instrumentation itself, local control panel, auxiliary electrical equipment room.

Since our simulator has 12 independent working stations, we’re able to run a scenario on any one of them, using state-of-the-art computer codes; RELAP5 for thermal hydraulic simulation coupled to Casmo-Simulate for neutronics simulation. Our simulator allows us to explore the integrated behavior across the entire plant. We’re using our simulator to perform our human factor studies, to optimize how many operators we need to control 12 modules. That’s part of the learning, the research that we’re doing right now. We’re following the NRC guidelines on how to do that work and also to develop our human-system interface to defi ne what our control panels will look like. We have about 20 reactor operators with over 500 years of combined commercial and naval nuclear experience helping us to lay out the panels so that the operators would feel comfortable operating multiple modules. We’ve had the NRC visit our simulator to participate in three days of running scenarios. Again, it wouldn’t have been possible without the advancements in digital I&C over the many years.

7. What is Fluor’s contribution? Fluor is our primary investor and a

strategic partner. A good majority of the balance of plant work is being done by Fluor. And of course, when it comes time to build the plants, Fluor would like to be the EPC. Recently, Fluor was awarded two contracts to manage the completion of construction at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station in South Carolina, and at Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 in Georgia. Vogtle and V.C. Summer are the only commercial nuclear reactors currently

under construction in the United States. This is really valuable experience that Fluor is gaining right now—completing those plants under 10CFR part 52. When those plants are complete, Fluor will be in an excellent position to build the NuScale plants.

8. What’s the concept for the refueling?In partnership with Areva, our design

consists of 17 by 17 fuel assemblies with 37 assemblies in each module. NuScale Fuel assemblies are about half the height of standard 17 X 17 PWR fuel assemblies. So our core contains roughly 5% of the fuel contained in a typical Gigawatt-size LWR. The refueling process of shuffl ing assemblies is itself very similar to what’s being done, conventionally today. However what’s different with the NuScale plant is that because you have 12 modules, you refuel modules one at a time, allowing the rest of the plant to continue to produce power. In addition, this sequence allows refueling to be performed by in-house plant maintenance staff, who will perform a refueling every other month. So this team will become very good at performing refueling and we will not be bringing in a thousand temporary nuclear outage workers to support refuelings, as is common practice for other plants. So you only take 50 MW off the grid, and you continue to produce 550 MW. The NuScale plant is producing 24/7; never shut down, always producing power.

9. Concluding comments.I look at what NuScale has to offer

in terms of the size and fl exibility for deployment, and it’s a great match with developing countries, with a smaller grid, or with countries like the US, who are retiring coal-fi red plants and need a replacement. The fl exibility to install NuScale Power Modules as needed is a perfect fi t.

Contact: James Mellott, NuScale Power, 6650 SW Redwood Lane, Suite 210, Portland OR 97224; email: [email protected]. �

The Unique...(Continued from page 27)

January-FebruaryInstrumentation & Control

March-AprilPlant Maintenance & Plant Life Extension

May-JuneOutage Mgmt. & Health Physics

July-AugustNew Plants & Vendor Advertorial

September-OctoberPlant Maintenance & SMRs

November-December Annual Product & Service Directory

Contact: Michelle [email protected]: (630) 364-4780

Nuclear Plant Journal1400 Opus PlaceSuite 904Downers Grove, IL 60515USA

AnnualEditorialSchedule

AAAES

NuclearPlantJournal

KiloRAD PTZ radiation resistant

camera with integrated

Pan/Tilt/Zoom

Imaging in radiation environments just got easier with our MegaRAD line of

radiation hardened cameras. With superior capabilities for operating in radiation

environments, they provide excellent image quality well beyond dose limitations

of conventional cameras. MegaRAD cameras provide excellent signal-to-noise

and sensitivity with wide spectral response, making the MegaRAD series of

cameras well suited for radiation hardened imaging applications.

see what you’ve been missing

got radiation?

© 2

014 T

herm

o F

isher

Scie

ntific

Inc. A

ll rights

reserv

ed

. A

ll tr

ad

em

ark

s

are

the p

rop

ert

y o

f Therm

o F

isher

Scie

ntific

and

its

sub

sid

iaries.

MegaRAD1 cameras produce

monochrome video up to

1 x 106 rads total dose

• Learn more at thermoscientific.com/cidtec

MegaRAD3 cameras produce color

or monochrome video up to

3 x 106 rads total dose

http://thermoscientific.com/cidtec

Nuclear I&C Modernization UpdateBy Otto Fest, OTEK Corporation.

Otto FestDr. Fest attended Polytechnic University (Mexico) where he graduated with a BS in EE. He taught in vocational schools and was an assistant professor until offered a scholarship by Heidelberg University and Armour Research Foundation in 1960. He opted to attend Illinois Institute of Technology Research Institute (IITRI) and graduated with a Ph.D. in EE.

Dr. Fest worked for Armour Research Foundation (ARF) in advanced solid state research and co-authored several patent papers. He was a contributor to the development of the PBX at Automatic Electric Co. and then joined Zenith Radio Corp. under contract with NASA, working on the Apollo program. In 1974 he established OTEK Corporation.

It all began after the 2011 Fukushima accident, when I read about the fl ooded emergency DC generator that failed to charge the batteries for the pumps for the spent fuel pool. This failure prompted the NRC to mandate dual and independently powered instruments for spent fuel pools to avoid operator misinterpretation of a dead signal or stuck needle (NRC directive EA-12-051, Order Modifying Licenses with Regard to Reliable Spent Fuel Pool Instrumentation).

This was a situation crying out for current-loop technology, a classic solution for monitoring a signal without an external power source. I have created

many innovative digital panel meters and have received many patents for my work on using free existing energy from the current loop, so I decided to fi nd a current-loop solution that would help nuclear power plants modernize and digitize their instrumentation.

With assistance from customers, OTEK developed a “must-have” list of features (see sidebar on page 31). It was a very de-manding set of speci-

fi cations for a small company with only three engineers, but we got to work on it and rose to the occasion. We successfully designed a meter that operates solely on the power of the AC or DC signal—i.e., on loop power—and that replaces in form, fi t, and function, obsolete AC or DC analog meters based on 1800s technology and ob-solete digital meters from the 1970s.

In 2013, at the American Nuclear Society winter conference, I introduced three prototypes from our new NTM (New Technology Meter) line. The attendees who saw them were positively impressed and encouraged me to proceed.

However, our experience at the conference showed us two important things. First, competitive pricing would be an important feature to add to our list. Second, demonstrations of the prototypes revealed a sticking point—literally. The demonstration panel included brand-new GE-180 (now YE-180) and DB40 analog

meters (identical to the Class 1E versions but not certifi ed). But when the signal fell below approximately 8mA, the display’s needle didn’t move unless I tapped it—it was stuck! So, I had one more item to add to my long list of requirements: post-mortem detection and alarming of a failed signal.

Back at the offi ce, I got to work on how to overcome the “dead signal or stuck needle” problem. The solution? I added a super capacitor in series with the current loop. It stores energy when the loop is normal and powers the meter’s circuitry and its bright, tricolor LED display if the loop fails. The display and the isolated serial and on-off alarm outputs are powered for approximately 30 seconds after the loop fails. This solution to the newest feature requirement became part of our fi fth patent on loop power technology (patent no. 9,054,725 B1). I give a lot of credit for the patent to our customers for their help in focusing on the development process.

We’ve made the new meters as adaptable as possible: no more expensive non-recurring engineering! Because of the common fi rmware and modular hardware design of the NTM series, OTEK is able to inexpensively develop new form factors to meet its customers’ needs, as long as its patented technology and published specifi cations can be used. The technology is suitable for applications with at least 10 mW AC/DC signal power in the loop.

Customers tell us that it would fi t many of their applications, especially since they do not have to change existing panel mounting or wiring. They say that the robust design is a plus, as is the ease of confi guration and maintenance; furthermore, the new meters share the same mechanical construction as OTEK’s HiQ series meters, which operators have been using for more than 20 years.

The NTMs’ loop power has been 100% tested and qualifi ed by an independent 10CFR50, Appendix B, Quality Assurance Criteria for Nuclear Power Plants and Fuel Reprocessing Plants, qualifi er; we are awaiting an “outage” for installation. Our goal is to become an NQA1 Appendix B qualifi er and provide fully Class 1E-qualifi ed NTMs in the very near future. EMI and RFI testing and software verifi cation and validation are 100% completed, and the



Top: 1st 100% LOOP POWER meter model 518 in 1974.

Bottom: Current NTM-F.

fi rmware is now frozen. This technology will enable plants to manage replacement of obsolete safety-related analog and digital meters either individually or throughout the I&C room and simulator at about 50% of the cost of current solutions.

One of my customers asked me what I would do if I were the manager of the I&C room. Here’s what I said. First, I would convert all my signals to 4–20mA current loop, since I already have the existing wiring. Second, I would install the best 4–20mA transmitter. Third, I would use only loop-powered meters and if necessary include an external supply as an emergency backup. And fi nally, I would use the same model in all locations. That way, I would reduce my spares inventory, and in an emergency I could

exchange a critical with a non-critical meter just by changing the confi guration via the GUI (graphical user interface) and the faceplate. Everything else would be the same: just two wires to change, even in a hot swap!

The author gratefully acknowledges feedback on this article from several customers.

Contact: Dr. Otto P. Fest, OTEK Corporation, telephone: (520) 748-7900, fax: (520) 790-2808, email: [email protected]. �

Critical features identifi ed by users for 100% form, fi t, and function replacement of analog meters Signal power (like analogs) and/or

external power

Signal fail detection and alarming (unlike analogs)

Trend indication (like analogs)

100% digital technology

Auto-tricolor (R/G/Y) LED bar graph and digital display for human-machine interface (HMI)

Isolated serial communication for machine-to-machine interface (MMI)

Colored alarm set-up points (like traffi c lights)

100% isolation between all input/output

Retransmission and relay outputs, serially controlled for Distributed Control System (DCS)/ Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition System (SCADA) interface

Isolated on-off drivers for enunciator

Obsolescence hardened to outlast any existing power plants (>40 years)

Economically customizable for wire-by-wire replacement (analog or digi-tal; panel-mounted and rear-wired)

Fully Class 1E compliant, including IEEE323/EPRI-TR-10-2323, Safety Related Instrumentation for Nuclear Power Plant Applications, or equivalent

Robust fi rmware “frozen” after Software Verifi cation & Validation (SV&V)

Graphic user interface (GUI) and P/N confi gurator for customized online user’s manual

Open market pricing (no single source)

USA • Canada • Germany • UK • The Netherlands

(800) 344-3824 • www.UniTechUS.com

ISO 14001ISO 9001

RE-USE tools & equipmentrather than re-purchasing.

RECYCLE obsolete equipmentand metals rather than dispos-ing as radwaste.

REDUCE staffing withUniTech’s offsite labor & RP.

Our nationwide licensed pro-cessing and warehouse facili-ties maximize your assetmanagement and recovery.We are your ideal contaminat-ed materials solution for:

ScaffoldingTools & EquipmentFRAC TanksLead BlanketsHEPA & Vacuum UnitsMetal Scrap

GREEN • CLEAN • SUSTAINABLE

ISO 9001


FPGA Safety ImplementationBy Allen Hsu and Steve Yang, Doosan HF Controls Corp.

Allen HsuAllen Hsu designed and tested industrial distributed control system for power plants, water treatment facilities, petrochemical process plants, and cement plants. Hsu designed and programmed software on controllers, peripheral devices, and host computers. He designed and programmed software for digital and analog control interpreters and networking software. Hsu is familiar with HFC control system architecture and network communication scheme, Intel microprocessors used in HFC, the Assembler language programming, and the Microsoft Visual studio environment. He had experience to supervise system hardware and software development teams for advanced distributed control systems, burner management control systems, and nuclear plant control systems. Hsu had experience to handle the multiple overall projects execution of Nuclear Power Plant Control System in HFC.

He has been the President & CEO of Doosan HF Controls Corp. since 2007.

Hsu has a MS in Computer Science from the University of Texas at Dallas.

Executive SummaryField Programmable Gate Arrays

(FPGAs), as programmable logic devices (PLDs) have gained interests for implementing safety I&C applications in nuclear power plants (NPPs) owing to the FPGAs’ specifi c advantages over the currently more common microprocessor-based digital I&C applications.

There are commonalities between FPGA-based and microprocessor-based

I&C application de-velopments. The FPGAs are viewed as a mix of hardware and software. The development lifecy-cle of software and hardware therefore can be applied to the FPGA-based I&C applications as in the case for micropro-cessors-based ap-plications. To reach high confi dence and reliability in the implementations of

the FPGAs applications, it is necessary to follow the lifecycle development process that is consistent with the IEEE Std 1074, IEEE Standard for Developing Software Life Cycle Processes, and the rigorous V&V methodologies that are defi ned in IEEE Std 1012, IEEE Standard for Soft-ware Verifi cation and Validation, as much in the implementations of microproces-sors-based applications.

However, the specifi c implementation of the FPGA-based I&C applications is very unique and has its own characteristics that are also dictated by the FPGA manu-facturers. The implementation activities of the FPGA architecture and design involve the FPGA programming, coding, simula-tion and binary fi le generation processes.

The paper presents a detailed implementation process of FPGA for safety I&C applications in the light of a successful case for one of the NPPs, I&C upgrade using FPGA-based components to replace the obsolete Intel 8085 Microprocessor-based controllers, where FPGAs emulates the process of the existing microprocessors and interprets the execution of the CPU processing.

To validate the implementation and ensure that the end user’s functional requirements are fully met, it is critical that functional and structural as well as simulation tests be performed with well-constructed test design/cases and the FPGA manufacturer’s tools be evaluated and qualifi ed for their suitability in use. The FPGA simulation test is an essential part of the FPGA implementation. The simulation related tools qualifi cation is integral of the FPGA simulation tests.

BackgroundFPGA, as a mature technology used in commercial, industrial and military, has been aggressively adopted by the nuclear power industry. One factor is that FPGAs can bring cost reduction in an I&C digital upgrade because FPGAs can provide simpler licensing process than microprocessor-based digital I&C, and FPGAs can be implemented effi ciently within a normal outage period. Simpler and more effective safety justifi cation and dependability assessment can be a very signifi cant contributor to cost reduction.

The cost benefi ts plus improved test-ability of the overall architecture provide reasonable justifi cation for the imple-mentation of FPGA-based applications in NPPs. These applications will cover the full range from highly safety signifi cant reactor protection systems to non-safety interface modules. While there are many papers that cover FPGA subjects in the nuclear power industry, however, very few papers describe the implementation of successfully deployed applications.

This paper will present one successful case for Yong-gwang NuclearUnits 3 and 4. (YGN Unit 3&4) I&C upgrade using FPGA-based components to replace the obsolete Intel 8085 Microprocessor-based controllers.

ImplementationThe purpose of the upgrade is to

resolve the component obsolescence issue. The redesign uses a FPGA to replace the 8085 microprocessor, the 8155 peripheral device, the static RAM, and various digital logic ICs used on the original design. The redesign is required to be form, fi t, and functionally compatible with the original AFS-SBC01 (single loop

vFaadchcFaccphri


FPGA Implementation for Safety I&C Applications



Steve YangDr. Steve Yang is Sr. Vice President of Operations of Doosan HF Controls Corp. Steve has more than 20

years of digital Instrumentation & Control (I&C) engineering and managerial experience in the nuclear safety-related and non-safety-related digital I&C program planning, digital I&C systems design, HMI fi rmware development, computer simulation and modeling, safety-related software

Verifi cation & Validation (V&V), Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) software dedication, digital control RPS/ESFAS implementation, DCS factory acceptance testing, and digital I&C licensing.

controller) design. A new retrofi t board containing fi rmware and patch-panel EPROMs removed from the existing AFS-SBC01 board must function as a drop-in replacement for it when inserted into the safety sub-system (an AFS-1000 system where AFS-SBC01 is the single board controller in a control loop).

In such upgrade case, FPGAs emulated the process of the existing microprocessors and interpreted the execution of CPU processing.

The most common FPGA architecture consists of an array of logic blocks [called Confi gurable Logic Block (CLB), or Logic Array Block (LAB), depending on the vendor], I/O pads, and routing channels. Generally, all the routing channels have the same width (number of wires). Multiple I/O pads may fi t into the height of one row or the width of one column in the array.

From the lifecycle process perspective (e.g., IEEE Std 1074-1995, which is endorsed by the US Regulatory Guides 1.173, Developing Software Life Cycle Processes for Digital Computer Software used in Safety Systems of Nuclear Power Plants), FPGA, as a system element when used in nuclear I&C applications, design and programing is part of the System Implementation Process in the overall I&C system design. The purpose of the System Implementation Process is to produce a specifi ed system element implemented as a software and hardware product or service. Within the System Implementation Process as in the FPGA applications, FPGAs are themselves developed using the full lifecycle process (requirements, architecture and design, implementation, integration, and test).

During the System Implementation Process, the design of FPGA products start with System of Interest functional and performance requirements (from the end user aspect), which are derived from overall safety I&C system requirements.

The System of Interest functional and performance requirements are then developed into the FPGA specifi c requirements as FPGA Requirements Specifi cation.

Based on the FPGA Requirements Specifi cation, FPGA architecture and detailed design are developed.

The implementation of the FPGA design is what distinguishes FPGAs from the microprocessors. The implementation

of the FPGA architecture and design is the process for the FPGA programming, coding, simulation and binary fi le generation.

Once the implementation is com-pleted, the FPGA product is integrated into the system for system integration test and subsequently for qualifi cation and acceptance test.

During this FPGA design and implemen-tation process, where FPGA being treated as System of Interest ele-ment, V&V has to per-form in sync with the development to maxi-mize the V&V bene-fi ts. The V&V process aims at building quality into FPGA design and ensures correctness of the FPGA products.

The implementation of FPGA design itself consists of the following steps: To implement FPGA design,

designers use a hardware description language (HDL) or a schematic design. IEC 62566, Nuclear Power Plants–Instrumentation and Control Important to Safety–Development of HDL-Programmed Integrated Circuits for Systems Performing Category A Functions, provides guidance for programming HDL. The HDL form is well suited to work with large structures because it’s possible to just specify them numerically rather than having to draw every piece by hand.

Then, using an electronic design automation tool, a technology-mapped netlist is generated. This process is called synthesis, in which the HDL or schematic design is translated to logic gates, memory units, registers and connections.

The netlist can then be implemented by the FPGA manufacturer’s proprietary software to fi t to the actual FPGA architecture. This includes translation, map and place-and-route processes. The designer will verify the map, place-and-route results via timing analysis, simulation, and other verifi cation methodologies.

Once the design and verifi cation process is complete, the programming

fi le generated (also using the FPGA manufacturer’s proprietary software) is employed to (re)confi gure the FPGA. This fi le is transferred to the FPGA via a serial interface (JTAG) or to an external memory device like an EEPROM.In a typical design fl ow, an FPGA

application developer will simulate the design at multiple stages throughout the design process. Initially the RTL description in VHDL or Verilog is simulated by creating test benches to simulate the system and observe results. Then, after the synthesis engine has mapped the design to a netlist, the netlist is translated to a gate level description where simulation is repeated to confi rm the synthesis proceeded without errors. Finally the design is laid out in the FPGA at which point propagation delays can be added and the simulation run again with these values back-annotated onto the netlist.

More than 160 of the FPGA-based SBC-01 controllers replacing the Intel 8085 Microprocessor-based Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) have been installed effi ciently and running successfully for safety I&C applications over the last fi ve years. In this upgrade, the new

yeIn&enanexnuresadiplI&Hdecoanre

V ifi ti & V lid


FPGA-based controller board SBC-01 emulated the functions of Intel 8085 microprocessor correctly. The successful case provides valuable reference and know-how for a greater scope of digital upgrade in years to come for the industry to resolve the obsolete problem.

Summary and Discussions

The FPGA implementation at YGN Unit 3&4 was very successful, within budget and schedule. The intended objective and safety functional requirements were fully met. The upgraded system has been running for more than 5 years now, which shall be used as an excellent example for the nuclear industry to follow. The upgrade process complied with the US NRC and South Korean KINS (Korean Institute of Nuclear Research) regulatory requirements.

As lessons-learned, it is important that the FPGA design and implementation follow acceptable lifecycle process (e.g., one as defi ned in IEEE Std 1074-1995) and rigorous V&V process as defi ned in IEEE Std 1012-2012, as well as fundamental safety I&C design principles such as simplicity, single-failure tolerance, determinism, and fail-safe. System design requirements such as redundancy, diversity and defense in depth has to be considered and built into design in coordination with the plant stakeholder’s requirements and reference to the regulatory guidance.

It is equally important that the industry's best engineering practice and digital I&C know-how experience were applied to produce effective managerial and effi cient implementation outcome.

The successful implementation of FPGA replacing the obsolete Intel 8085 microprocessors in which FPGA emulates the process of the microprocessors and interprets the execution of CPU processes, when coupled with knowledge base of HFC-6000 platform, which has been extensively reviewed by the US NRC and has obtained its Safety Evaluation Report (SER) from the US NRC in April 2011, provides valuable experience and know-

how for a greater scope of digital upgrade in operating power plants. The FPGA digital upgrade on existing NPPs is technically feasible and economically attractive.

One such future upgrade will include a replacement of all existing I/O boards (both analog and digital), and controller boards, which are Intel 188EB and/or

386EB based microprocessors, with the latest FPGA based technology. With the upgrade using the latest FPGA based I/O and controller boards, the addition of HFC-6000 rack will enhance the communication master capability to 100 Mb/sec (from the existing ICB’s (inter communication bus) 10 Mb/sec). This will greatly increase the capability for status and diagnostic information passing between remotes.

Shown in the Figure is an exemplary illustration for a greater digital upgrade scope using FPGAs to replace existing I/Os, single loop controllers, and loop masters. In this confi guration, the FPGA based single loop controller performs its dedicated loop control functions on its own, independent of other loops. The controller can also communicate with a remote, through which status information can be passed to another loop or vice versa via asynchronous message passing. When single loop controller communicates in this fashion, one loop controller failure will not cause failures of other loop controllers or the entire system.

When an FPGA based single loop controller communicates with a remote, a communication protocol called F-Link (FPGA Communication Link) is implemented via a safety redundant RS-

485 serial communication port. The loop status information is passed from one remote to another. The communication between remotes is implemented via a proprietary protocol of deterministic pass token Ethernet through Communication Link (C-Link), which is a super highway of communications of the HFC-6000

system. Engineering workstations can be connected to the CL (communication Link) via a secure gateway as a safe fi rewall in such a confi guration.

On the other hand, with the experience in FPGA applications and knowledge base of HFC-6000 platform, the FPGA based controller platform development has become mature. The FPGA based platform will utilize HFC-6000 existing I/O boards, communication modules, and enhanced safety I/O modules. The new FPGA based platform will enhance HFC-6000 product line diversity, and become part of the qualifi ed HFC-6000 family.

Either in digital upgrade, which solves the industry pressing obsolete issue, or in developing a new platform for use in new nuclear power plants, FPGAs will be used greatly in many years to come.

AcknowledgementsWe would like to express our

gratitude to Xu Huang, William Luo, and Huaisong Xu for benefi cial discussions.

Note: A detailed version of the paper is available from the listed contact.

Contact: John Stevens, Doosan HF Controls Corp., telephone: (469) 203-1381, email: [email protected]. �

FPGA Safety...(Continued from page 33)


THE LEADING EVENTFOR THE GLOBAL NUCLEAR ENERGY SECTOR

2ND

EDITION

An event by Organised by

NEW IN 2016 Awards Ceremony, Technical panels

New areas:“Training Planet”

and “Innovation Planet”

A SUCCESSFUL 1ST EDITION IN 2014 98% satisfaction (both exhibitors & visitors) 495 exhibitors More than 7,200 qualified visitors from 71 countries 50 ministers, vice ministers, secretaries of state and senior officials

A UNIQUE PLATFORM FOR BUSINESS-MEETINGS AND NETWORKING WITH NUMEROUS PROFITABLE SIGNATURES AND PARTNERSHIP CONTRACTS

700 EXHIBITORS from all over the world representing the whole supply chain

10,000 VISITORS

PANEL DISCUSSIONS with most distinguished International speakers

www.world-nuclear-exhibition.com

New Technology and New ResourcesBy Eugene Grecheck, American Nuclear Society.

Eugene GrecheckEugene S. Grecheck is a seasoned executive with 40 years of experience in commercial nuclear power generation, including operations, engineering, licensing, training, security and emergency planning, new plant development, and nuclear safety review.

Grecheck’s career spanned over 38 years with Dominion Resources, where he held positions including nuclear station manager, site vice president at two different stations, and vice president over nuclear services and nuclear engineering.

He received a bachelor’s degree in physics and a master’s degree in nuclear engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He earned an MBA from Virginia Commonwealth University and an MBA Upgrade from Syracuse University.

He currently serves on the Mechanical/Nuclear Engineering Advisory Board for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and was a representative for the United States on the Gen IV International Forum.

An interview by Newal Agnihotri, Editor of Nuclear Plant Journal, at the American Nuclear Society Winter Meeting in Washington, D.C. on November 9, 2015.

1. What initiatives related to the climate conference of parties (COP) 21 has been taken by ANS?

The American Nuclear Society (ANS) has been very active with several international scientifi c societies and we were instrumental in the formation of the grassroots organization, Nuclear for Climate (N4C). Nuclear for Climate is an initiative of various international groups that hold the common belief that nuclear is part of the solution to climate change. On the fl ip side, the existing framework prior to COP21 came from the Kyoto Protocol as revised by the Bonn Agreement, and it actually prohibited nuclear from being used as a climate negation strategy.

The Bonn Agree-ment also stated that nations cannot take credit for using nu-clear. To clarify, you can use nuclear if you want, but you cannot take credit for apply-ing nuclear as a car-bon dioxide emissions strategy, nor can you fi nance nuclear proj-ects in less developed countries as a way of mitigating their emis-sions. There was a situation stating that our goal is to de-carbonize power

production, yet you can’t use the only technology that really accomplishes this. Our point as part of Nuclear for Climate, has been that goals are being set that are destined to fail, unless we do something about the exclusion of nuclear. Together, the groups that are part of N4C have been doing more and more social media work over the last several months. There has been a lot of very good material posted to Twitter and on various Facebook pages, including the ANS social media pages. So much so, that when I was in Vienna at the IAEA general conference in Septem-ber 2015, the young people who are part of Nuclear for Climate, told me about all of the social media they were planning on doing. They said press releases don’t get the attention they once did, and that you need to be visible in social media by

posting on Facebook and Twitter, and us-ing the hashtag #nuclearforclimate. I had opened a Twitter account a long time ago but never used it. I actually tweeted the speech that U.S. DOE Secretary Moniz had just given in support of nuclear as part of climate change strategy. Amazingly, within 24 hours, I was astounded by the number of people who had retweeted my post. Then NEI picked it up and put it on their webpage.

The message is that you cannot achieve climate goals without including nuclear. And there’s a subsidiary piece to that, which I think is even more important. There are almost 2 billion people in the world today who have no access to electricity at all. When we hear about what needs to be done to control carbon dioxide, there’s an underlying assumption that usually implies using less energy. That’s kind of an implicit assumption that we have to eradicate. We’re going to close coal plants and do all these things, but somehow, in the fi nal analysis, we all just need to be more effi cient and more effective. I think for those of us in the developed world, that is easy to say. But, if you have no access to electricity at all, I think it’s immoral for us to say we’re going to do this, and we’re never going to allow you to have electricity.

If developing nations are going to have electricity, then what is going to be the way they can do that? It is naïve to say that we are going to provide access to electricity for 2 billion people on the back of intermittent energy sources. It’s just not going to happen . We have a very strong story to tell. I was really encouraged at the White House Summit on Nuclear Energy in November 2015 when I heard policy makers essentially repeating back the same talking points that we’ve been using for several months, which is that there’s a huge population out there that needs electricity. They need access to energy. They need access to clean energy. And if you really are serious about that, the way to do that involves nuclear energy.

2. Is nuclear research getting a boost from the venture capitalists?

What we’re seeing now is a fascinating proliferation of individuals,

mncccwtainbstfi ecmsathd



fi nanced by venture capitalists, coming up with new ideas and addressing many of the issues that have been sticking points for a long time. Like what do you do with used nuclear fuel? And you have transuranic actinides in the fuel. What do you do with that? The traditional answer is that you store it in Yucca Mountain, right? That was the answer. But now people are saying, maybe that’s not the best idea. There’s plenty of energy in there. We could get that energy out if we develop different kinds of nuclear systems. And so, there are smart people thinking up all kinds of alternative ideas. The difference is that they are actually getting interest from prominent venture capitalists, for example Bill Gates, who is fi nancing TerraPower.

And the recurring theme is, we can do this better. An example that brings this home is if you think about what has happened in every other element of technology over, let’s say, 40 years. We have evolved into things that we couldn’t even imagine. I think we’re long overdue for some real technological breakthroughs in this industry.

3. Now that we are having this “grassroot” approach with these young people directly going to the venture capitalists and trying to raise funds, is that going to fuel the growth of nuclear energy technology?

I think it has the real potential for addressing many of the issues that have been the problem or have been among the reasons why nuclear has not received as much recognition or support in the past. What we’ve ended up doing is building large machines that produce great, safe, reliable, economic energy, but cost a lot of money to build. Unleashing innovation and the creativity around that will make a big difference. It was exciting for me to hear at the White House Summit on Nuclear Energy that the government is now saying, we need to encourage that innovation. They are coming up with ways to get the national labs more accessible to the private sector, so if you have a concept you can test it. Currently, we have very little testing capability left in the United States. If you have a fast

reactor concept, there are no operating fast reactors in the United States, and you would have to go to Russia to test materials in a fast reactor.

Let me say, we have made tremendous progress in commercial nuclear power. Capacity factors are obviously way up from what they were 20 years ago. Capacity factors used to be 60%, and now they are consistently over 90%. We have been good at making the existing technology better, but fundamentally it’s the same technology, and little has changed in half a century. Now, we have a great opportunity.

4. Describe the current challenges to the nuclear power industry in the United States?

We have 61 plants, 100 operating units in the United States today1. The statistic that everybody always hears is that it’s just less than 20% of the total electricity generated in the United States. I think an even more important number is the 20% of electric generation makes up two thirds of all the non-carbon emitting generation in the United States. So over 60% of the energy production that doesn’t release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere comes from nuclear.

That’s an important number when you start talking about any of the existing nuclear plants shutting down. We keep hearing the announcements of companies making the decision to shut down their operating plants. Every one of those plants is being replaced, and that generation is being substituted with a carbon-emitting source. It’s usually natural gas. You don’t meet the goal of decarbonizing the electric sector by replacing nuclear

units with natural gas units. The question is why we are allowing this to happen? It has been occurring because we have created a market framework in the United States that does not give nuclear credit for what nuclear does. Nuclear runs 24 hours a day; it runs all the time. We have 90% capacity factors without any CO

2

emissions. Yet, there is nothing in the market that gives credit for that.

Nuclear fuel is on-site. It’s reliable. You have the ability to generate it under all weather conditions. In the marketplace, the primary thing that matters currently is the next day’s generation cost. You bid into the market, and many of the other sources, the intermittent sources, are subsidized to the point that they can bid into the market at essentially zero cost. That makes it very diffi cult for nuclear plants to compete in that framework.

5. Provide an overview of the effect of EPA’s current ruling on nuclear energy?

The big fl aw in the EPA’s rule as it currently exists is that it gives no credit to existing plants, nor does it give any credit for those plants, if they go for license extension. The only thing you can get credit for is a power upgrade or a new plant. You don’t get any credit at all for the existing generation. The world cannot even begin to approach reaching climate targets if existing nuclear plants are not retained. There is still work to be done there.

Contact: Tracy Marc, American Nuclear Society, 555 N. Kensington Ave. La Grange Park, Illinois, IL 60526; telephone: (708) 579-8224, email: [email protected]. �

http://digitaleditions.nuclearplantjournal.com

1 Nuclear Regulatory Commission, http://www.nrc.gov/info-fi nder/reactors/

http://www.nrc.gov/info-finder/reactors

Software QABy H.M. Hashemian, Analysis and Measurement Services Corporation.

H.M. HashemianDr. H.M. “Hash” Hashemian is president of Analysis and Measurement Services Corporation (AMS), a nuclear engineering company headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, specializing in testing the instrumentation and control systems of nuclear power plants.

Dr. Hashemian holds three doctorates in nuclear engineering, electrical engineering, and computer engineering. He specializes in process instrumentation, equipment condition monitoring, on-line diagnostics of anomalies in industrial equipment and processes, automated testing, and technical training. He is the author of 3 books, 9 book chapters, and more than 300 papers and reports, including 70 peer-reviewed journal and magazine articles and more than 250 conference papers. In addition, he is the author or co-author of 22 U.S. patents (15 awarded and 5 pending).

Dr. Hashemian is a Fellow of the American Nuclear Society (ANS), a Fellow of the International Society of Automation (ISA), a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and a member of the European Nuclear Society (ENS).

An overview report of the Instrumentation Session by H.M. Hashemian. The papers were presented at the American Nuclear Society’s Winter Meeting in Washington, D.C. on November 11, 2015.

Estimation of Software CCFsBy Kim Koh-eun, KEPCO International Graduate School.

The common cause failure (CCF) paper was presented by Koh-eun Kim and was an excellent paper on how to as-sess the reliability of a software package for a safety-related application in nuclear power plants. The paper was somewhat unique in that it introduced a software quality assurance process starting with a failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA). An interesting discussion ensued after the presentation as to an acceptable number that can be assigned to software reliabil-ity. We heard values in the range of 10-4 to 10-2. What I learned from it was that it presented a systematic and unique ap-

proach for an objec-tive assessment of probability of soft-ware common cause failure.

Another note-worthy point men-tioned by the present-er was that there is a ton of guidelines and standards for software common cause failure assessment but no objective regulatory

guidelines.Software common cause failure

(SW-CCF) represents the triggering of common latent fault of the software which results in, or contributes to the simultaneous failure of redundant channels in the safety system. An SW-CCF may disable the intended functions of safety systems when they are required. The risk of SW-CCF remains a concern in the use of digital safety system software. The methodology combines the SFMEA (Software FMEA) and SPN (Stochastic Petri Nets) which enables evaluating SW-CCFs and software design. The methodology proposed in the paper consists of four steps: system level modeling, root cause analysis, fault modeling, and simulation. The fi rst step identifi es the possible failure modes and their causes which lead to a signifi cant probability of a CCF. The second step identifi es potential vulnerabilities, that is, the fault in the life cycle of software

development which may introduce the causes of failure identifi ed in the previous step. The third step builds the SPN model from the output of root cause analysis to fi nd the probability of latent fault in the fi nal software state. The fi nal step simulates the SW-CCF SPN models and estimates the SW-CCF probability. A case study of a Plant Protection System (PPS) was used as an example. The case study estimated the probability as 4.27x10-4/cycle. If the approach is extended to all the failure modes, it is expected that the SW-CCF probability can be estimated and be used as an input to the PSA for safety-critical digital system in NPPs.

Contact: Kim Koh-eun, KEPCO International Graduate School, email: [email protected].

Modelling Radiation-Induced Failures in FPGAsBy Phillip McNelles, Zhao Chang Zeng and Guna Renganathan, Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC CCSN).

This was another outstanding paper dealing with the assessment of the reliability of embedded software in FPGAs. Canada uses 10-3 as an acceptance criteria and this paper presented an experimental method whereby signals were injected into digital devices with embedded FPGA to assess the level of their reliability and vulnerability to radiation damage. Brent Shumaker and I particularly liked this paper as it spoke of an effort similar to what we are doing at AMS to develop a software tester. The tester will inject analog and digital data into digital systems to quantify their reliability. The discussion after this paper centered around a lack of a consistent method/means for quantitative software quality assurance and objective presentation of software reliability. I was very intrigued to realize that radiation can affect the output of FPGAs to the level that the author described.

Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) are a type of programmable logic device (PLD) used to make digital logic circuits. FPGAs do not include software or operating systems, as the logic functions are confi gured (synthesized)



onto the chip itself. In the nuclear fi eld, FPGAs are being considered for the replacement of obsolete components in use in existing Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs). In this work, an FPGA-based test system was modeled and analyzed using a dynamic (time dependent) reliability methodology known as the Dynamic Flowgraph Methodology (DFM). This methodology was used to model and analyze the effects of radiation-induced failures, known as Single Event Effects (SEE) on an FPGA-based Vanadium dynamic signal compensator and trip logic system. The DFM analysis showed how these SEEs could cause failure conditions such as Spurious Trips or Missed Trips, in a system that was otherwise functioning normally. This work has been expanded upon, to include research into DFM modelling of Error Detection and Correction codes (EDAC), as well as comparisons between DFM and Fault Tree Analysis (FTA), for the reliability analysis of FPGA-based systems.

Contact: Phillip McNelles, CNSC CCSN, email: [email protected].

Concluding RemarksEveryone is interested in a way to test

software and come up with an objective assessment of its quality (people are looking for a number). Common cause failure probability is what people are striving to quantify and thereby arrive at an acceptance criteria. The regulators have apparently not issued clear guidelines as to what will be acceptable. Apparently, many people, including my company, are working in both analytical/theoretical and experimental means to determine software reliability. Some people are doing this by analysis on paper and others like AMS are developing hardware and software products to help the industry to test software that is used in digital I&C systems.

Contact: H.M. Hashemian, Analysis Measurement Services Corporation, AMS Technology Center, 9119 Cross Park Drive, Knoxville, TN 37923; email: [email protected]. �

Superior Tube and Fine Tubes have over 70 years of expertise in developing tubing solutions for critical applications in nuclear power plants.

Precision, integrity and reliability are paramount for the safe operation of nuclear reactors where tubing has to withstand extreme heat, pressure and radiation.

Therefore, involve us at the early stages of design engineering and contact us for custom-made tubing solutions in stainless steel, nickel, titanium and zirconium alloys.

QUALITY:

CAP Welding

+1 [email protected]

+44 (0) 1752 876416

Instrumentation tubes and thermocouples

Fuel rods and cladding tubesand steam

generators

Super heaters and condensers

Structural tubes and grid sleeves

Control rods and poison tubes


Post- Fukushima EngineeringBy Steve Brinkman and Jim Harrell, Zachry Nuclear Engineering, Inc.

Steve BrinkmanSteve Brinkman serves as Engineering Director for Zachry Nuclear Engineering, Inc. (ZNE), where he is responsible for operational and engineering execution across the ZNE enterprise. His resume includes over 36 years of operations, maintenance, engineering, outage/work planning & project management experience, including 17 years with an electric utility where he held an NRC operating license. He holds a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering and Master’s Degree in Computer Science..


1. Describe Zachry’s top two projects which have helped the utilities meet USNRC’s beyond-design-basis (BDB) requirements.

Steve Brinkman: The Great East Ja-pan Earthquake of March 11, 2011 created a tsunami that devastated the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear site. This impacted the worldwide nuclear community and re-sulted in efforts to address what had long been identifi ed as contributors to nuclear power plant risk in plant-specifi c PRAs: The extended loss of alternating current (ac) power (ELAP) and loss of normal ac-cess to the ultimate heat sink (LUHS). The occurrence of these beyond-design-basis (BDB) events places the nuclear facility in a condition outside of what it has been ana-lyzed to cope with to ensure reactor safety. Subsequently, the addition of diverse and fl exible mitigation strategies—or FLEX—

to increase the de-fense-in-depth for b e y o n d - d e s i g n -basis scenarios to address an ELAP and LUHS occur-ring simultaneously at all units on a site has been undertaken for the entire US op-erating nuclear fl eet.

While there are many components to the overall FLEX strategy, Zachry was signifi cantly involved in two primary areas to

help utilities meet the NRC’s BDB requirements: the use of portable equipment to obtain power and water and the staging and protection of the portable equipment. Zachry was responsible for the design of, and supported the installation of, numerous modifi cations to plant systems to allow the quick deployment and hookup of portable pumps to facilitate inventory replenishment of water storage tanks and to allow makeup water into necessary system fl ow paths to maintain or restore key safety functions for all reactors at a site. The scope of these activities involved

piping modifi cations to numerous safety systems (AFW, ECCS) to incorporate new connection hook ups which included the development of adapters that could be installed on valve bonnets and blind fl anges to facilitate the connections. Modifi cations were also required for the electrical systems necessitating the installation of cables, breakers and transfer switches to support the connection of portable diesel generators to supply electrical power to vital busses and instrumentation, battery chargers and air recirculating cooling units. Similar modifi cations were designed and implemented to support the use of new communication equipment to allow for both onsite and offsite communication. These projects were essential for assuring the ability to maintain or restore core, containment and spent fuel pool (SFP) cooling capabilities until they can be accomplished with resources brought from off-site.

All of this temporary portable equipment needed to be staged and adequately protected from applicable site-specifi c severe external events to provide reasonable assurance that it would remain deployable following such an event. This warranted the development of BDB storage buildings that are designed to withstand the effects of a BDB event and provide protection to the equipment stored within. Zachry was responsible for the development of modifi cation packages and for the installation support for these new storage buildings.

2. Describe the application of GOTHIC, PROTO--Suites, and RADTRAD-NAI in the beyond-design-basis analysis of nuclear power plants.

Jim Harrell: GOTHICTM* is based on fundamental physical models and has been extensively benchmarked over its 30+ years of development. Both these attributes made GOTHIC capable of responding to the beyond-design-basis analysis needs following Fukushima. Since that time, GOTHIC has been utilized extensively to support multi-dimensional analyses of extended loss of power (ELAP) and investigate

*GOTHIC incorporates technology developed for the electric power industry under the sponsorship of EPRI, the Electric Power Research Institute.




possible mitigation strategies (FLEX) in various buildings, compartments and containment. The accurate GOTHIC pressure and temperature results assure that technically appropriate and correctly timed actions and modifi cations are implemented and that unnecessary plant or procedure changes are eliminated. GOTHIC’s capability to account for transient heat transfer in the determination of equipment/component temperatures often provided additional margin to temperature limits.

GOTHIC has also been utilized to determine the hydrodynamic loads produced by fuel pool water waves/oscillations on equipment in and above the pool during beyond design basis seismic events. That required a minor change to GOTHIC that has since been incorporated in the new version of GOTHIC to be released in late 2016. Improvements have also been made to the radiation heat transfer modeling to improve capabilities for simulating spent fuel heat up and oxidation.

GOTHIC was also used in a nuclear industry project for post-event analyses of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant accident, evaluating the potential for thermal stratifi cation of a BWR pressure suppression pool during extend RCIC operation, hydrogen mixing in the RPV and the reactor building, and fl ooding of the plant buildings from the tsunami. By providing additional technical details, these analyses evaluated nuclear operating plant response to the event.

PROTO-FLO has been used to analyze the hydraulic performance of supplemental cooling paths and equipment. RADTRAD-NAI, in conjunction with shielding codes, has been utilized to support the determination of dose to new equipment and personnel mission dose.

3. What enhancements have been made to Zachry’s engineering services, fi eld services and its software suites to help utilities meet the post Fukushima beyond-design-basis event requirements?

Harrell: Interestingly, very few en-hancements to GOTHIC were required

to analyze some very interesting Fuku-shima phenomena. Many people think of GOTHIC as a containment code since that was the original and most common application, but GOTHIC is actually a

toolbox of thermal hydraulic capabil-ity that can be used to analyze a wide range of events. One of the more inter-esting Fukushima related applications for GOTHIC was analysis of the seismically-induced hydraulic loads in the spent fuel pool due to wave action. GOTHIC was used to analyze the wave action and ensu-ing load forces to qualify a hardened level instrument system. Another application was the use of GOTHIC to analyze heat-up profi les of control rooms, auxiliary buildings, switchgear rooms, etc. result-ing from extended loss of power; Beyond Design Basis events.

Proto-FLO was used to analyze the hydraulic adequacy of supplemental cooling paths and equipment as part of the FLEX strategy. No modifi cations were required since this application is fundamental to the purpose of the code.

4. What is the scope of Zachry’s involvement in plant digital upgrade, including Instrument & Control modernization at US nuclear power plants?

Brinkman: Zachry has provided innovative and cost effective solutions for integrating digital Instrumentation and Controls (I&C) into the US nuclear operating fl eet. This has been successfully accomplished at various levels: from the single microprocessor component replacement to the large scale, multi-platform digital upgrade. In addition to ensuring that the critical attributes and design functions of a system are adequately met by the digital technology, the nuclear arena requires assurance that the licensing and design basis for the plant, upon which the license to operate a nuclear power plant was issued, has not been adversely impacted by the introduction of this “new” equipment. Zachry has intimate familiarity with the regulatory challenges that accompany projects of this type and our acquired knowledge and experience has laid the


Post Fukushima...(Continued from page 41)

groundwork for improvements in the areas of system specifi cation, system design, on-site management, system installation, and test support resulting in signifi cant savings to our customers. Zachry has established unique relationships with some digital platform vendors that have allowed us to gain a valuable and thorough understanding of their platform design, control functions and system architecture. This has provided us the ability to more effectively assess common cause failures (CCF) and to develop more thorough hazard analysis. We are also actively engaged with industry working groups focused on digital I&C in order to remain current with issues and concerns as well as to allow a venue to contribute and infl uence digital progress. Zachry has demonstrated the ability to effectively combine our unique skills in digital technologies with our extensive experience in the I&C arena. This combination has allowed Zachry to be recognized as an industry leader in digital upgrades and has allowed us to be sought out by numerous organizations including those involved with new reactor technology designs.

5. What are Zachry’s major accomplishments in Plant Life Extension, plant-up-rate, and refueling outages in the last two years?

Brinkman: Zachry has extensive experience in providing a full range of Analysis and Engineering services. We possess all of the traditional skills required to analyze and modify the plant engineering confi gurations, and are extremely well-equipped to analyze systems and structures to understand the root cause of a particular technical issue, and to present a variety of solutions. Time and again, we have provided solutions that have successfully avoided costly modifi cations, provided clear justifi cation for continued operation to the regulator, and identifi ed the most effective solution given several competing options.

In support of the US operating fl eet we have performed thousands of plant design changes, engineering evaluations, studies, and calcula-tions addressing the full spectrum of cli-ent needs including, Plant Life Extension and refueling out-ages.

Zachry has an accomplished his-tory regarding plant up rate. We have as-sisted clients in the process of evaluat-ing plant NSSS and BOP interface sys-tems for proposed higher power oper-ating limits. Our capabilities regarding power uprate projects include: Feedwater Flow Measurement Upgrades, Thermal Hydraulic Flow Analysis, I&C Setpoint Evaluations, Electrical Voltage Evalua-tions, Structural Evaluations, HVAC Sys-tem Evaluations, Programmatic Impacts.

We have accomplished signifi cant power uprate projects that have included: High & Low Pressure Turbine Replacements, Main Steam Isolation Valve (MSIV) and Feedwater Regulating Valve (FRV) upgrades, installation of new Leading Edge Flow Meter (LEFM) Systems, replacement of obsolete pneumatic level control equipment with digital electronic level control equipment, and replacement of analog EHC systems with new digital EHC systems.

6. How does Zachry train it’s a staff to ensure that they provide the best service to the plants?

Brinkman: Zachry has a dedicated Training Department that provides training and development opportunities for all employees. We use the Systematic Approach to Training to analyze, design, develop, implement, and evaluate all training needs. Our Training Department collaborates with client Training Departments to meet the training needs of our employees and our clients. Perhaps unique to Zachry, we have developed a Qualifi cation Card process for our major clients as an added service to ensure

our staff assigned to work for specifi c utilities has been trained for the task, understands the specifi c procedures, and has demonstrated competence in completing the task. These Qualifi cation Cards provide required reading, reference documents, Zachry classroom training, client lead training, mentoring, and required on-the-job training.

In addition, we have developed and delivered several engineering specifi c training instructions and courses to our employees, including Licensing and Design Basis Identifi cation, Failure Modes and Effects Analyses, Design Change Preparation, Engineering Review Guidance for Design Change Packages, Design Inputs, and Safety Classifi cations. We have opened this training to our clients, and have received very positive feedback from utility training staff. We believe that this open door policy on training has mutual benefi ts in not only improving technical abilities, but also in fostering a common understanding between our staff and the utility.

Jim HarrellJim Harrell, PE, serves as Director Nuclear Analysis at Zachry Nuclear

Engineering, Inc., where he is responsible for operational execution and strategic initiatives associated with nuclear analysis, including methods development, software development and applications. His organization’s goal is simply to solve problems through analysis. His

experience includes over 33 years in the nuclear industry with focus on nuclear, radiological and thermal-hydraulic analysis, software and design, including 10 years with an electric utility. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Nuclear Engineering from Georgia Tech.

Inisfoesanindsdaoispa


www.NuclearPlantJournal.

com

Finally Zachry also provides training for each of its software packages (e.g., PROTO-FLO™, PROTO-HX™, PROTO-HVAC™, PROTO-SPRINKLER™, GOTHICTM, and RADTRAD-NAI) both to employees and clients at our offi ces and at client locations. In addition to training, Zachry hosts a periodic Users Group Meeting, open to any client that uses the software. Users Group Meetings include basic training as well as in-depth discussion on advanced uses, techniques, and specifi c scenarios that have been encountered while using Zachry software.

7. How has Zachry helped the plants meet cyber threat challenges?

Brinkman: It is impossible to escape the harsh reality that in the technological world we live in, cyber attacks are, and will remain a constant threat in our everyday lives. Unfortunately, this is a condition that is also faced by our nuclear operating plants that also rely on the capabilities offered by a digital environment. The nuclear industry has proactively developed guidance documents to establish a consistent methodology for assessing and addressing cyber security vulnerabilities to comply with the NRC requirements prescribed in Security Orders and associated rulemaking.

Zachry has been intimately involved with implementing the industry established cyber security guidance for several nuclear facilities. The introduction of digital solutions to deal with equipment obsolescence inherently introduces cyber related vulnerabilities and threat vectors. This requires efforts which include, at a minimum, digital asset classifi cation, performance of Cyber Security risk assessments and applying defensive models with a defense-in-depth approach to name a few.

One type of solution involves the installation of Data Diodes to ensure unidirectional data transfers between critical layers and network appliances. While this appears to be a simple and straightforward, it still requires an evaluation of the impact to heating, ventilation and electrical loading conditions and how it must be protected by the overall site’s physical security strategy.

Zachry continues to expand our cyber knowledge and actively participates in cyber security training to remain on the leading edge of this challenging area. In addition to remaining fl uent with the NRC requirements and industry guidance, Zachry has elected to invest in our understanding of the tools, techniques and exploits of the cyber hacker to provide us a different perspective and put us in the best position to recognize and know how best to defend these future challenges.

8. How has Zachry helped the plants minimize radiation dose to workers in the plants?

Harrell: Zachry has performed radiological analyses to support the location of new instruments, such as fuel pool level indication, and controls to assure that both personnel and equipment doses are maintained well below limits. Zachry has also performed radiological analyses to assess the best travel routes to minimize operator and engineer mission doses during the performance of critical post-event activities. Additionally Zachry has performed outage evolution

dose analyses to determine timing and personnel location to assure dose was maintained as low as reasonably achievable. This included determining the dose during pool level change evolutions. Zachry has additionally performed dose analyses to optimize the storage of nuclear materials, such as control blades and fuel assemblies, to assess HVAC performance changes and intake relocations to reduce personnel dose, and to determine the dose in emergency response facilities during system maintenance.

Contact: Robert Atkisson Jr., Zachry Nuclear Engineering, Inc., 14 Lords Hill Rd, Stonington, CT 06378; telephone: (860) 405-3066, email: [email protected]. �

[email protected] 618-244-6000

NEW QUALIFICATIONS TO SUPPORTPower Uprates • License Extension • Changes in Postulated Conditions

INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS TOOBSOLESCENCE ISSUESCOMMERCIAL GRADE QUALIFICATION AND DEDICATION SINCE 1979

E X P E D I T E D Q U A L I F I C AT I O ND E D I C AT I O N & P E R F O R M A N C E T E S T I N G

NuthermInternational, Inc.www.nutherm.com

A W o m a n - O w n e d S m a l l B u s i n e s s


http://www.nuclearplantjournal.com


Corporation...(Continued from page 13)

Maintenance FacilityIn a joint venture agreement, The

Austin Company and Kiewit Power Nuclear have partnered to design and build a new Maintenance Facility at Tennessee Valley Authority’s Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant in Athens, Alabama.

The existing wood structure that housed the various departments has outlived its life expectancy and needs to be replaced. Portions of the existing building have become unusable, requiring the development of a new facility.

The project is underway, with Austin performing the Engineering Services required and Kiewit leading the Construction Management services.

The new 87,000 SF Maintenance Facility will replace the existing Maintenance Facility at Browns Ferry, and will house the Electrical Maintenance, Instruments and Controls, Mechanical Maintenance, Work Control departments and Components Engineering.

The new facility will provide TVA with adequate workspace for the maintenance departments and work control, with an on-site, full-service cafeteria for all site workers. The cafeteria will also serve as an All-Hands meeting space during re-fueling outages and for other site meetings.

Construction of the new facility is scheduled for completion in the spring of 2017.

Contact: Susan Riffl e, The Austin Company, telephone: (440) 544-2267, email: Susan.Riffl [email protected].

Project ManagementFluor Corporation confi rmed that it

has been named by Westinghouse Electric Company, LLC (Westinghouse), to manage construction of two Westinghouse AP1000® nuclear power reactor projects in Georgia and South Carolina – owned and operated by Southern Company and

SCANA/Santee Cooper, respectively. Fluor will immediately engage as a subcontractor to Westinghouse in the development of transition plans and defi nitive agreements.

In a news release issued, Westinghouse confi rmed that Fluor will manage a signifi cant portion of the construction of Vogtle Electric Generating Plant’s Units 3 & 4 near Waynesboro, Georgia, and two additional nuclear electric generating units at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Generating Station located in Fairfi eld County, South Carolina, and will be providing project execution and direction, accountability for and management of professional staff and craft personnel, and a focus on safety, quality and project delivery certainty.

Contact: Brett Turner, Fluor Corporation, telephone: (864) 281-6976, email: brett.turner@fl uor.com.

Digital SolutionsGE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH)

and Exelon Generation announced the joint development of two digital solutions based on GE’s Predix platform, the operating system of the Industrial Internet.

One solution in joint development, an application known as Watchtower, will utilize data to predict asset performance and enable Exelon to obtain real-time operational status of plant equipment while also receiving proactive notifi cations of possible machine issues.

The other solution, an application known as Lighthouse, will use advanced analytics to examine historical organizational performance indicators to enhance decision-making capabilities, reduce costs and optimize operational performance.

The applications are part of GE’s new Digital Power Plant solution that will enable utilities and customers around the world to apply software, analytics and artifi cial intelligence to the crucial task of generating and managing electricity cleanly, effi ciently, safely and securely in the cyber environment.

The applications are the culmination of extensive work by a team of GE and Exelon employees to brainstorm

and develop solutions to some of the industry’s biggest challenges.

Contact: Jon Allen, GEH, telephone: (910) 819-2581, email: [email protected].

ESBWR DevelopmentGE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH)

and DTE Entergy announced plans to explore advancing the detailed design of the Economic Simplifi ed Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR).

In May, 2015, DTE Energy received the fi rst-ever ESBWR-based combined construction and operating license from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). DTE has not made a commitment to build, but is keeping the option open, given the long-term environmental and economic advantages of nuclear power.

With its advanced, true passive safety systems, the ESBWR is the world’s safest approved nuclear reactor design based on core damage frequency. The reactor can cool itself for more than seven days with no on-site or off-site AC power or operator action, uses approximately 25 percent fewer pumps and mechanical drives than reactors with active safety systems and offers the lowest projected operating, maintenance and staffi ng costs in the nuclear industry on a per-kilowatt basis.

Dominion Virginia Power has also selected the ESBWR as their technology of choice for a potential third reactor at the North Anna site. That project is expected to be licensed by the NRC in 2017.


Ginna Outage Completed

GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) announced the successful completion of its fi rst services outage at a Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) facility. The outage, completed in partnership with Exelon Generation at the R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant in Ontario, New York, was completed under budget and ahead of schedule with no safety-related or human performance issues.




“The scope of work conducted by GEH was completed 26 hours ahead of schedule. This performance, combined with Exelon’s outstanding efforts, led to the shortest outage in the 45-year history of the Ginna plant,” said Jay Wileman, president and CEO, GEH. “The successful execution of our portion of this outage demonstrates our ability to provide PWR operators with the same level of project management expertise and technical rigor that our BWR customers have come to expect.”

The outage team that GEH brought to this project had a collective 300+ years’ of experience servicing PWRs in a variety of functions including project management, planning, supervision, fuel movement and vessel disassembly and reassembly. Prior to the start of the outage, team members were trained at an Exelon facility in accordance with the utility’s standards.


General CableGeneral Cable is a global nuclear

cable supplier with 40 years of uninter-rupted service. ULTROL® 60+ Safety Related/Class 1E and Safety Signifi cant non-Class 1E medium- and low-voltage products meet the stringent requirements for safety, reliability and long-term per-formance as required by the industry. Extensive third-party testing ensures con-formance of ULTROL 60+ to all nuclear requirements under ASME NQA-1 and US NRC 10CFR50 Appendix B.

The phone number, the fax number and the email address for General Cable as listed in the Nuclear Plant Journal Directory 2016 are incorrect. The contact information given below should be used to contact General Cable.

Contact: General Cable, telephone: (860) 465-8726, fax: (860) 465-8869, email: [email protected], website: www.generalcable.com

Breaker Trip UnitsKinectrics is entering an alliance

with the Utility Relay Company (URC) to promote and distribute URC Breaker Trip Units to the US Nuclear Fleet. Kinectrics will generically qualify URC AC and DC trip units for nuclear safety-related use, including thermal / operational / radiation aging, seismic qualifi cation, EMI / RFI, and full software / fi rmware dedication.

Nuclear-qualifi ed units are scheduled to become available in mid-summer 2016. Commercial units for non-safety applications are available immediately.

The Kinectrics / URC units will provide plant operators with more advantages in monitoring performance, scheduling preventive maintenance, and identifying the need for refurbishment of parent breakers.

URC trip units can utilize existing current transformers / transducers / trip actuators, or provide a complete retrofi t kit with new actuators, trip units and sensors. Full, comprehensive kits have already been designed for most low voltage power breakers in the nuclear fl eet.

Contact: Hank Werksma, Kinectrics, telephone: (616) 402-0434, email: [email protected].

Simulator EmulationL-3 MAPPS announced that it has

won an order from Societatea Nationala Nuclearelectrica S.A. (“SNN”), a Romanian-based state-owned utilities company, to upgrade the Cernavodă full scope simulator’s emulation of the plant Digital Control Computers (DCCs). DCC systems are used to monitor and control the major reactor and power plant functions at CANDU nuclear power plants. The project will start immediately and the upgraded software is expected to be in service on the simulator in the fi rst quarter of 2017.

The current Linux-based DCC simulation on the Cernavodă full scope simulator emulates a single SSCI-125 computer’s instruction set and the handling of the input and output (I/O) devices managed by the DCC. The upgraded simulator will feature a dual-redundant DCC emulation on a Windows operating system with the SSCI-890

computer and related I/O. The DCC emulation is developed with L-3 MAPPS’ Orchid® Control System.

Contact: Sean Bradley, L-3 MAPPS, telephone: (514) 787-4953.

Teaming AgreementNuSource, an “N” Certifi cate

holder dedicated to custom design and manufacturing for the nuclear power industry, has signed an exclusive teaming agreement with Pall Corporation. Under this agreement, NuSource will be responsible for all Safety Related (10CFR50 Appendix B), and ASME Section III, fi lter housings, vessels, vessel components and replacement parts for items installed at nuclear facilities in the United States, Canada, Latin America and South Korea.

Contact: Waylon Waters, NuSource, telephone: (571) 482-7404, email: [email protected].

AcquisitionWestinghouse Electric Company

announced that the company received U.S. government approval on December 31, 2015, to complete the company’s acquisition of CB&I Stone & Webster Inc., the nuclear construction and integrated services business of CB&I. Westinghouse announced on Oct. 27, 2015, that the company had signed a defi nitive agreement to acquire CB&I Stone & Webster Inc.

The acquisition supports Westinghouse’s strategic growth initiatives by expanding the capabilities of the company’s global footprint. The acquired business will reside within a newly created Westinghouse subsidiary called WECTEC, which will assume project operations and assets including AP1000 plant project contracts in the U.S. and China and other nuclear engineering and construction project contracts.

WECTEC also will house several new service capabilities presently under development, including full life-cycle support for global projects and governments.

Contact: Westinghouse Electric Company, telephone: (412) 374-6379, email: [email protected]. �





Research & Development...(Continued from page 19)

through coolant fl ow streams into the fuel core where it is irradiated and converted to radioactive cobalt-60. This circulates back to other parts of the plant, resulting in a major source of worker radiation exposure.

Stainless steel–based hardfacing alloys have the potential to reduce cobalt-related radiation in nuclear plants by 15–20%. In the 1980s, EPRI developed such a material, called NOREM. But this and similar alloys are diffi cult to apply

through welding and are susceptible to signifi cant galling at temperatures above 200°C. When galling develops on the surface of a valve seat, for example, the valve may seize—potentially leading to plant safety risks. Since the 1980s, the nuclear industry has evaluated more than two dozen cobalt-free hardfacing alloys, but none has demonstrated adequate wear and galling resistance—until EPRI’s stainless steel–based NitroMaxx.

NitroMaxx grew out of four years of research and development to characterize the structural properties and degradation mechanisms of existing cobalt- and stainless steel–based alloys. In particular, EPRI researchers gained a better understanding of how galling develops. Through this work, the team fi gured out how to create a durable alloy that could effectively resist galling and wear.

To design NitroMaxx, researchers super-saturated the matrix of a stainless steel alloy with nitrogen—an approach that has long been known to increase hardness. One key to NitroMaxx’s galling resistance is its high strain-hardening rate—a property that allows the alloy to become harder at the surface when subjected to strain.

The manufacture of NitroMaxx is made possible through the use of powder metallur-gy and hot isostatic pressing, which involve heating and consolidating metal powders. With powder metallurgy, manufacturers can optimize an alloy’s composition and struc-ture with great precision, allowing the ap-plication of hardfacing alloys to components without welding.

NitroMaxx has potential application on many nuclear plant components, in-cluding valves, gates, and certain reactor pressure vessel internals.

From the Laboratory to the FieldIn laboratory tests, EPRI researchers

subjected samples of NitroMaxx, Stellite, NOREM, and other alloys to various sliding wear and galling tests at a typical nuclear plant operating temperature (343°C). Using a laser microscope to examine the resulting degradation, they determined that NitroMaxx’s resistance to galling and wear was much greater than NOREM’s and similar to Stellite’s (see images above).

In 2015, EPRI performed additional tests in simulated nuclear plant environments to gauge NitroMaxx’s durability, corrosion resistance, and

performance during temperature and pressure cycles. The next step is to work with utilities and manufacturers to fi eld-test components in noncritical plant applications.

Reducing Workers ExposureBy Robert Ito

EPRI is developing a prototype system using tablet computers equipped with camera or video connected to databases to verify the open-or-closed status of a valve or switch in a nuclear power plant. Testing began in June, 2015 at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Bellefonte Nuclear Generating Station, and a second testing phase is in progress. If successful, the device will perform vital verifi cation tasks now done by humans—saving time, reducing human error and radiation dose, and improving plant reliability.

Independent Verifi cation in the Hands of Machines

Since the dawn of the nuclear power industry, plant workers have been tasked with double-checking the work of their colleagues. In a typical scenario, when a worker opens or closes a valve, an independent verifi er follows and rechecks everything, ensuring that the fi rst worker didn’t make any mistakes. With roots in the U.S. nuclear navy, such independent verifi cation has long been a core tenet of the industry’s safety culture.

There are potential downsides to human verifi cation. Every check pulls a worker away from another job, with possible radiation exposure. People are prone to attention lapses, particularly during repetitive verifi cation tasks, and may be reluctant to question a trusted colleague’s work.

But what if a handheld tablet computer could do the work of a human verifi er? To investigate this question, EPRI developed a prototype. Here’s how it works. The user performs a procedure—such as closing a valve—and at each step photographs the component with the tablet’s digital camera. The tablet’s software compares each photograph with a laser-scanned three-dimensional model of the component, recording and detecting whether the component is open or closed. As the software determines that a given

Laser micrographs of NOREM (left), Stellite (center), and NitroMaxx (right) samples subjected to the same stresses at plant operating temperature reveal almost no galling (indicated by the thick streaks) for NitroMaxx and signifi cant galling on NOREM.


Nuclear Plant JournalBanner Advertising

• Over 9,200 average visits per month

• The Journal is BPA audited, US publication with over 12,000 readers worldwide

• Over 2,300 utility readers and over 9,200 managers and engineers in the commercial nuclear power industry

• Available in print and digital versions

For questions, please contact: Anu Agnihotri • [email protected] • (630) 352-36861400 Opus Place • Suite 904 • Downers Grove, IL 60515 • USA

nuclearplantjournal.com

http://www.nuclearplantjournal.com


step in the procedure is completed, it allows the user to move to the next step.

Embedded in the procedure is a fully independent verifi cation that both avoids the need to dispatch a second person later and catches rare-but-inevitable human errors for better reliability. Because the procedure is driven by tablet software, no paperwork is required.

At the Bellefonte station, researchers tested procedures on gate valves, butterfl y valves, lighting panel switches, and motor control center breakers. In each procedure, the prototype accurately verifi ed the component’s status.

Refi ning the Verifi erEPRI is conducting a second test

phase at Duke Energy’s Catawba Nuclear Station in 2015 to investigate the use of video. The verifi er moves the tablet’s video camera 360 degrees around a component and processes the video into a three-dimensional representation of the component. The software compares this image with the reference model to determine the component’s open or closed status.

Also, researchers plan to make the system fully portable and self-contained, eliminating the need to be docked to a separate laptop to run the verifi cation software. They want to investigate the economic feasibility of building a digital library of three-dimensional reference shapes of thousands of plant components potentially requiring verifi cation.

If a workable device is commercial-ized, human verifi ers will be among the key benefi ciaries. “We respect radiation,” said David Ziebell, EPRI senior techni-cal leader. “If we send somebody out to containment to do a valve alignment, that person’s going to absorb dose. If we send a second person out to verify, that per-son’s also going to absorb dose. If we can reduce that, that’s a win for all involved.”

The above documents were reprinted from the EPRI Journal with permission from EPRI. To subscribe, go to www.eprijournal.com If you would like to contact the technical staff for more information, send your inquiry to [email protected]. �

Research & Development...(Continued from page 46)

New Documents...(Continued from page 16)

owing to the inability to directly inspect this piping and because of the potential impact on the environment and public confi dence if leakage occurred.

After the initiative was approved, additional operating experience showed that piping that is below grade and not in direct contact with the soil, as well as underground tanks, can degrade with similar potential adverse consequences. As a result, the Underground Piping and Tanks Integrity Initiative (UPTI) was developed to incorporate and expand on the Buried Piping Integrity Initiative.

The UPTI focuses on assessing in-scope components to provide reasonable assurance of their continued structural and leakage integrity, with special emphasis on piping and tanks which contain licensed materials. This Technical Update provides insight as to how a sample of utilities are implementing their UPTI programs.

5. Program on Technology Innovation: Cyber Hazards Analysis Risk Methodology, Phase II: A Risk Informed Approach. Product ID: 3002004997. Published December, 2015.

U.S. nuclear power licensees currently identify critical digital assets and apply cyber security controls using a variety of regulatory commitments and expert opinions. As a result, licensees have adopted strategies that may result in the selection of controls that are not aligned with real cyber risk. For example, a nuclear plant might not identify a non-safety digital controller as a critical cyber security digital asset, even though this controller, if compromised, could potentially trip the plant. Conversely, a plant might devote an unwarranted amount of resources to applying or justifying cyber security controls for an isolated safety-related system with low risk signifi cance. As a follow-up to the Phase I report investigating hazard analysis methods, this report documents a notional consequence-based cyber security analysis and its application to a

model digital control system that might be found in a nuclear power plant.

6. Technologies for Enhancing Verifi ability of Embedded I&C Systems in Nuclear Power: A Survey of Advanced FPGA and MEMs Technologies. Product ID: 3002005369. Published December, 2015.

Software based embedded I&C systems used for safety critical nuclear power applications have faced challenges in establishing the integrity of the design and implementation. This is due to the diffi culty in verifying that no common cause software hazards exist and that the software functions correctly during all possible scenarios. While there is extensive ongoing research in the software verifi cation topical area, this project explores alternate technologies that are available that may be used to reduce the verifi cation burden by changing the device and systems architecture away from general purpose processors and software based applications. Alternative hardware based architectures could be used to allow deterministic verifi cation of system and device behaviors. Deterministic Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and Micro-Electromechanical Systems (MEMS) are explored for use in this demanding area. Specifi cally surveyed were two technology areas that are potential alternatives to traditional PLC based approaches: IEC 61131 Function Block Centric

Hardware Technology Micro/Nano Electro-Mechanical

devices for I&CSelected research efforts on these

two technology areas from a perspective of (1) potential for reducing functional complexity as compared to software based I&C systems, and (2) Supporting tools, frameworks and standards required as inferred by the survey results were reviewed. The aim of this report is to provide a broad and deep reporting with respect to the two technology areas surveyed.

The above EPRI documents may be ordered by contacting the Order Center at (800) 313-3774, Option 2, or email at [email protected]. �

• An international publication focussed exclusively on the nuclear power industry.

• Lowest ad cost per thousand readers.

• Digital distribution of sales leads for advertisers.

• Bonus distribution of all issues at several trade shows throughout the year.

• Free vendor advertorials in the July-August issue. Buy one ad space, get one free.

• Annual Product & Service Directory published in December.

For additional details, please contact Michelle Gaylord via telephone at (630) 313-6739 or email [email protected]. You may also visit:

NuclearPlantJournal

Grand Gulf, USAGrand Gulf, USAISSN: 0892-2055ISSN: 0892-2055

November-December, 2015November-December, 2015Volume 33 No. 6Volume 33 No. 6

Product & ServiceProduct & ServiceDirectory–2016Directory–2016

Cover II Option.indd 1 12/8/2015 11:56:24 AM

http://nuclearplantjournal.com


White House Nuclear Summit

The President’s FY 2016 Budget includes more than $900 million for the Department of Energy (DOE) to support the U.S. civilian nuclear energy sector by leading federal research, development, and demonstration efforts in nuclear energy technologies, ranging from power generation, safety, hybrid energy systems, and security technologies, among other things. DOE also supports the deployment of these technologies with $12.5 billion in remaining loan guarantee authority for advanced nuclear projects. DOE’s investments in nuclear energy help secure the three strategic objectives that are foundational to our nation’s energy system: energy security, economic competitiveness, and environmental responsibility.

The White House announced and highlighted the following actions on November 6, 2015 to sustain and advance nuclear energy, including: Launching the Gateway for

Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear: DOE is establishing the Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) to provide the nuclear energy community with access to the technical, regulatory, and fi nancial support necessary to move new or advanced nuclear reactor designs toward commercialization while ensuring the continued safe, reliable, and economic operation of the existing nuclear fl eet. GAIN will provide the nuclear community with a single point of access to the broad range of capabilities – people, facilities, materials, and data – across the DOE complex and its National Lab capabilities. Focused research opportunities and dedicated industry engagement will also be important components of GAIN, ensuring that DOE-sponsored activities are impactful to companies working to

realize the full potential of nuclear energy. GAIN will feature: Access to Capabilities: Through

the Clean Energy Investment Center in DOE’s Offi ce of Technology Transitions (OTT), GAIN will provide a single point of contact for users interested in a wide range of nuclear energy related capabilities and expertise. As an initiating step, Idaho National Lab will serve as the GAIN integrator for Offi ce of Nuclear Energy capabilities.

Nuclear Energy Infrastructure Database: DOE is also publishing the Nuclear Energy Infrastructure database (NEID), which provides a catalogue of existing nuclear energy related infrastructure that will enhance transparency and support nuclear community engagement through GAIN. NEID currently includes information on 802 research and development instruments in 377 facilities at 84 institutions in the United States and abroad. Nuclear technology developers can access the database to identify resources available to support development and implementation of their technology, as well as contacts, availability, and the process for accessing the capability.

Small Business Vouchers: To support the strong interest in nuclear energy from a signifi cant number of new companies work-ing to develop advanced nuclear energy technologies, DOE plans to make $2 million available in the form of vouchers to provide assistance to small business ap-plicants (including entrepreneur-led start-ups) seeking to access the knowledge and capabilities available across the DOE com-plex. Assisting Navigation of the Regulatory Process: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), consistent with its role as an in-dependent safety and security regulator, will provide DOE with accurate, current information on the NRC’s regulations and licensing processes. DOE will work through GAIN with pro-spective applicants for advanced

nuclear technology to understand and navigate the regulatory pro-cess for licensing new reactor technology.

Convening Second Workshop on Advanced Non-Light Water Reactors – The NRC and DOE will hold the Second Advanced Non-Light Water Reactors Workshops in spring 2016. The successful fi rst workshop was held in September 2015. The purpose of the workshop is to explore options for increased effi ciency, from both a technical and regulatory perspective, in the safe development and deployment of innovative reactor technologies. This would include examining both near-term and longer-term opportunities to test, demonstrate, and construct prototype advanced reactors, and evaluate the most appropriate licensing processes.

Establishing Light Water Reactor (LWR) Research, Development, and Deployment Working Group: DOE is formally announcing the establishment of the LWR Research, Development, and Deployment (RDD) Working Group to examine possible needs for future RDD to support the development of competitive advanced LWRs, as well as maintain the safe, effi cient operations of currently operating nuclear power plants. The group will consist of federal, national laboratory, and industry participants. Recommendations are expected to DOE by February 2016.

Designing a Modernized LWR Control Room: DOE is partnering with Arizona Public Service’s Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station to design a modernized control room for an operating commercial LWR. Working together through a cost-shared partnership, DOE’s LWR Sustainability Program and Palo Verde will consider the best way to replace traditional analog systems with digital systems that optimize control room operations. This work supports the long-term sustainability and effi ciency of the currently operating nuclear power plants by assisting nuclear utilities to address reliability and obsolescence issues of legacy analog control rooms.For additional information and

"contact" details, see page 12.

JF162pages.indd 1 2/10/2016 5:31:13 PM


IdentifyOperating Effi ciencies

• Proposed improvement opportunities distributed to companies via ‘effi ciency bulletins’

• First bulletins do not require changes to NRC regulation, industry guidance

• Industry asks workforce to identify further effi ciency gains

The nuclear industry has issued the fi rst four effi ciency bulletins as part of a multiyear campaign to increase operational effectiveness at the nuclear power plants that generate electricity for one of every fi ve U.S. homes and businesses.

These bulletins are the fi rst actions to emerge out of the industry initiative known as Delivering the Nuclear Promise: Advancing Safety, Reliability and Economic Performance. They detail concrete steps that companies can take to operate their plants more effi ciently while advancing safety and reliability.

“As an industry, we have steadily improved safety and reliability, but the one promise we are not consistently delivering is economic production of electricity,” NEI Senior Vice President and Chief Nuclear Offi cer Tony Pietrangelo says. “As part of this campaign, we must maintain operational focus and advance safety, increase value and improve effi ciency.”

Led by chief nuclear offi cers from the nuclear utilities, 10 working groups of industry experts, the Electric Power

Research Institute, the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations and NEI have identifi ed 36 improvement opportunities to pursue this year. Together, these improvement opportunities will increase effi ciency at plant sites.

The fi rst four bulletins address opportunities to gain effi ciency in work management and radiation protection practices. These initial effi ciency bulletins will not require changes to U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulation or industry guidance. Future effi ciency opportunities will focus on more signifi cant areas that will provide

greater effi ciency and cost savings across the industry.

“In many cases, we started with a blank sheet of paper to determine how we could best redesign a process and whether there were technological innovations that could be applied to the process,” Pietrangelo adds.

“We want broad industry participation in this program, and we will leverage the strengths and innovation of our workforce to encourage fresh, bold ideas and not just tweak current processes. Once we understand where we may be able to reduce costs, we will determine the regulatory or business changes that need to be made to pursue those changes.”

The initial bulletins will recommend changes that can be implemented in the near term at plant sites to realize time and cost savings. The pace and scope of implementation at each nuclear power plant site will be determined by plant licensees so that the focus remains on producing electricity safely without undue distraction, Pietrangelo says.

The fi rst four bulletins are:• Eliminate Administrative Changes

to Preventive Maintenance Work Orders (WM-P-03);

• Implement Graded Approach to Walkdowns (WM-P-04);

• Align Personnel Contamination Event Response to Industry Guidance (RP-1); and

• Source Checking Personnel and Tool Contamination Monitors (RP-5).“These fi rst bulletins are designed

to be implemented as soon as reasonably feasible. We encourage sites to put them into action as soon as they can, given their other standing commitments and existing substantial workloads.

“Nuclear facilities are the industry leaders in providing reliable electricity. This plan will ensure that safe and reliable operations continue to be the primary focus at all nuclear power plants as the industry implements effi ciency improvements.”

Anthony R. PietrangeloTony Pietrangelo has 30 years

experience in the nuclear energy industry, where his responsibilities have run the gamut of nuclear plant construction, licensing and operations.

Tony has been with the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) and its predecessor organizations since 1989, responsible for the management of licensing, risk-informed regulatory initiatives, performance-based regulation and other comprehensive technical, regulatory issues. He was promoted to vice president of regulatory affairs in 2006 and is currently responsible for executive oversight of new plant deployment, current plant operations and fuel cycle activities.

Contact:Nuclear Energy Institute, 1201 F

St., NW, Suite 1100, Washington, DC 20004-1218 phone: (202) 739-8000, fax: (202) 785-4019, email: [email protected], website: http://www.nei.org.

51

Watch the video

JF162pages.indd 1 2/10/2016 5:31:13 PM/ /



AdvancedReactorInnovationBill

• Bill encourages public-private partnerships on advanced nuclear R&D

• Opens national laboratory sites to private nuclear projects

• Legislation added as amendment to comprehensive energy billThe U.S. Senate’s signifi cant

support for nuclear energy was evident in early February, 2016, with the near-unanimous passage of legislation that encourages public-private collaboration on advanced nuclear research projects at national laboratory sites.

The Nuclear Energy Innovation Capabilities Act (S 2461), approved 87-4, is now an amendment to the larger Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2016 (S 2012).

S 2461 directs the U.S. Department of Energy to prioritize partnering with private innovators on developing and prototyping new reactor technologies and to use DOE sites such as Idaho National Laboratory (INL) to build, test and demonstrate privately funded prototype reactors.

The bill requires the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to report to Congress any foreseeable problems in licensing reactors within four years of receiving an application, whether introduced through a DOE partnership or privately developed. DOE also is required to develop a 10-year plan for prioritizing nuclear research and development programs that support new reactor technology. The nuclear industry has issued the fi rst four effi ciency bulletins as part of a multiyear campaign to increase operational effectiveness at the nuclear power plants that generate

electricity for one of every fi ve U.S. homes and businesses.

Sen. Michael Crapo (R-Idaho) introduced the legislation, gathering an impressively bipartisan group of colleagues as co-sponsors, including Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Sheldon Whitehouse, (D-R.I.). Crapo introduced S 2461 as stand-alone legislation but also used it as a basis for an amendment to the broader energy bill.

A companion bill in the House of Representatives (HR 4084) passed the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology by voice vote in January 2016.

“Nuclear energy is a vital part of a national, varied, approach to energy production. This vote demonstrates the commitment in the Senate to a long-term future for nuclear power production and research opportunities,” Crapo said.

Speaking at Third Way’s advanced nuclear energy summit recently, Crapo praised the fi rst-rate science and engineering capabilities of the Idaho National Laboratory in Idaho Falls, where he lives. “INL is home to more than 50 experimental nuclear reactors,” he said, that go back as far as the dawn of the nuclear age.

Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), one of the bill’s co-sponsors, said including nuclear energy in an all-of-the-above energy strategy is a “no-brainer.”

The Senate continues to debate the energy policy act, S 2012, which now includes this amendment. The stand-alone version of Crapo’s bill remains active and, if the larger bill is rejected, could proceed on its own.

Senator Michael Crapo graduated from Brigham Young University, Summa Cum Laude, with a B.A. in Political Science in 1973. He obtained his Juris Doctorate in 1977 from Harvard Law School, Cum Laude. He served eight years in the Idaho State Senate, representing

Bonneville County from 1984-1992. For six year he represented Idaho’s 2nd District in the U.S. House of Representatives, from 1993-1998. He was elected to the United States Senate, Idaho, in 1998 and has been serving from 1999-present; being re-elected in 2004 and 2010.

The start of the 114th Congress marked a move in senate seniority for Mike, now ranked 22nd in overall Senate seniority. Mike serves on three Environment and Public Works (EPW) sub committees, in addition to several other positions in the Senate:• Subcommittee on Superfund,

Waste Management and Regulatory Oversight,

• Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure,

• Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety

Contact:Nuclear Energy Institute, 1201

F St., NW, Suite 1100, Washington, DC 20004-1218 phone: (202) 739-8000, fax: (202) 785-4019, email: [email protected], website: http://www.nei.org.

52

Senator Michael Crapo

JF162pages.indd 2 2/10/2016 5:31:53 PM

http://www.nei.org

@WECNuclearWestinghouseElectric Company

Advanced Control Logic. Fully Redundant Solutions. Reliabilityin Excess of 99.99%.

When integrated with the turbine-driven feed pump,Westinghouse’s advanced Feedwater Digital Control System can help you generate more power and increase your revenue. How?Sophisticated algorithms anticipate and avoid shrink and swellchallenges in PWR steam generators and in BWR reactor vessels.

The system removes all single points of vulnerability and remainsautomatic over the entire range of operation – even in the case ofmultiple signal input failures – reducing operator burden so theycan focus on overall plant health.

To learn more about how Westinghouse’s Digital Control System Solutions can be installed during your next scheduled outage, visit us at www.westinghousenuclear.com

WE

ST

ING

HO

US

E E

LE

CT

RIC

CO

MPA

NY

LLC

WESTINGHOUSE

PUMP UP YOURBOTTOM LINE

I&C SOLUTIONS

JF162pages.indd 2 2/10/2016 5:31:53 PM

Now You Can Replace All of your Obsolete Analog & Digital Instruments...

MADEIN

USA

INTELLIGENT INSTRUMENTSwww.otekcorp.com

Call For A Quote

(520) [email protected]

...for a Fraction of your Current Maintenance Costs!

Our Engineering Team

can match the Form, Fit & Function

of virutally any existing instrument.

Just Ask!

Introducing The Otek NTM* Series*New Technology Meters

Lower Replacement Cost

Form, Fit, Function Compatible

Low Install Cost / Hot Plug Replaceable

Lower Power Consumption

Signal / Loop Powered

Obsolescence Hardened

Totally Customizable

Lifetime Warranty

Ask about our Free NRE Program

NTM-9 (6 x 1.74”)1 or 2 ChannelsReplaces GE 180

NTM-M(4” Switchboard)

1 ChannelReplaces DB40

Please see the article on Page 30 in this issue of Nuclear Plant Journal for more information about Otek products.

The future of power generation.Bringing the Industrial Internet and data analytics to the nuclear industry.

Building on GE’s Predix platform, GE Hitachi is working to develop solutions to deliver powerful outcomes for nuclear power plants. New applications that are part of GE’s Digital Power Plant will incorporate data and analytics to enhance asset performance management, reduce costs and optimize facilities.

See how we’re working with utilities like Exelon to lead the digital revolution of the nuclear industry at nuclear.gepower.com/industrial-internet.

Follow us on Twitter @gehnuclear

83794_indus_internet_ad.indd 1 2/9/16 1:02 PM