Institute of Nuclear Power Operations
INPO Configuration
Management Activities
Debbie Williams
Senior Evaluator, CM
(WilliamsDJ@inpo.org)
© 2010 Institute of Nuclear Power Operations
Engineering and Configuration Management
Organizational Chart
EN/CM Department
Gary Welsh
Manager
Sabrina Moore
Admin Asst II
Carl Faller
Assistant Manager
Permanent Employees
Bob Burnham
Loaned Employees
Wes Frewin
Scott Hawn
Bill Conklin
Jim Doxsey
Ken Nickerson
Kristin Whiteside
Deborah Williams
Dan Stepanovic
Randy Tropasso
Shingo Tsumura
Vinod Aggarwal
d Aggarwal
Shawn Simon
Kirk Weir
© 2010 Institute of Nuclear Power Operations
INPO CM Focus Areas
• Plant-specific issues
Including issues with product quality, configuration control,
reactor engineering, and engineering leadership. Causes often
involve engineering fundamentals.
• Industry issues
– Margin management
– Cable Aging Management
– Technical Conscience
– Nuclear fuel performance (including channel distortion)
– Transformer/switchyard/grid issues
– Gas accumulation
© 2010 Institute of Nuclear Power Operations
Margin Management
• Ongoing department focus area
– Fundamental to plant safety
– Key cause of long-term shutdowns
– Average of five AFIs per year
Debbie Williams
• Extensive efforts at some plants to
reconstitute design basis, upgrade
calculations, and quantify/improve
margins
Kirk Weir
Ken Nickerson
© 2010 Institute of Nuclear Power Operations
Engineering Fundamentals
• Engineering management effectiveness
– Exec summary issue for several evaluations
• Fundamentals at individual level
– Knowledge/skill
– Knowledge worker human performance
– Advocacy and technical conscience
Carl Faller
© 2010 Institute of Nuclear Power Operations
Technical Conscience
•
The personal obligation leaders and individuals feel
and exercise to ensure plant operation, maintenance,
and engineering activities are conducted in a manner
that preserves operating, design, and safety
Attributes:
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Leaders Respect and Reinforce the Importance of Technical
Considerations in Decision-Making
Engineering Leaders Accept and Exercise Technical Authority
Engineers Identify, Communicate, and Advocate Resolution of
Technical Concerns
Engineers Adhere to Sound Engineering Principles &
Judgment
Engineers Challenge Conditions and Decisions When Needed
© 2010 Institute of Nuclear Power Operations
Nuclear Fuel Integrity
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Industry goal of zero failures by 2010 Jim Doxsey
Completed review visits to all sites
Evaluation team review/follow-up
Fuel vendor assist visits
Currently, about 86 percent w/o failures
Greatest challenges:
– Grid-to-rod fretting (particularly at B&W
and CE NSSS plants)
– Debris-related failures
– “Surprise” failures – emerging failure modes (P-grid)
– Some recent failures after shutting down for
refueling outages
© 2010 Institute of Nuclear Power Operations
Bob Burnham
Scott Hawn
Scott Hawn
Randy Tropasso
Shingo Tsumura
Transformer/Switchyard/Grid
•
Continuing concern as event initiator;
affects reliability of offsite power
•
Evaluation activities
• Review visits completed at all sites
• Several follow-up visits in 2010
• Evaluation teams looking at switchyard PMs
and transformer life-cycle management
•
Excellence Guideline issued in July 2009; utility
self-assessments requested by July 2010
•
Engaging CEOs and CNOs to help
improve nuclear/transmission alignment
Shawn Simon
Wes Frewin
•
New SOER with updated recommendations
(Early 2010)
© 2010 Institute of Nuclear Power Operations
Other Activities
• Cable Aging Management
Debbie
Williams
• Engineering project management;
vendor oversight
Carl
Faller
Ken
Nickerson
Wes
Frewin
Debbie
Williams
• Digital issues and cyber
security
© 2010 Institute of Nuclear Power Operations
Emerging focus areas for 2010
• Actions to improve engineering product
quality
– Engage utilities and engineering vendors
– Engineering Product Quality Workshop
© 2010 Institute of Nuclear Power Operations
2010 Meetings and Seminars
• Technical working meetings
• Transformer/switchyard/grid (August 17-18)
• Cable Aging Management (August 24-25)
• Digital upgrade* (August 24-26 @ Comanche Peak)
• PWR Reactor engineering (Dec 7-9)
• General working meetings
• Design Engineering Managers (July 20-21)
• Engineering Managers Forum* (Dec 9-10 @ St. Lucie)
• Training/development
• New Engineering Director Seminar (Sept 28-30)
* = Co-hosted with utility
http://www.inpo.org/engineering/OnlineRegForm/onlineforms.asp
© 2010 Institute of Nuclear Power Operations