TEPCO Tihange

inside WANO
T H E M A G A Z I N E O F T H E W O R L D A S S O C I AT I O N O F N U C L E A R O P E R AT O R S
Volume 17
TEPCO
Corporate peer review
Number 2
8
Tihange
On the road to excellence
2009
10
inside
Inside WANO is published
by the World Association
of Nuclear Operators for
all its members
contents
EDITOR
Tracy Grant-Wilson
WANO CC
Email: [email protected]
Editorial 3
EDITORIAL BOARD
Luc Mampaey
Managing Director
Dave Farr
Director AC
Mikhail Chudakov
Director MC
Ignacio Araluce
Director PC
Takashi Shoji
Director TC
Laurent Stricker, WANO’s new chairman
Feature 4
Improving overall performance
From the top 7
The spirit of WANO
Peer reviews 8
TEPCO corporate peer review
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Plant profile 10
Tihange on the road to excellence
TSMs 12
Technical support for Kursk
Training 14
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Improving teamwork during requalification
Operating Experience
Event Reports
Search Events Database
OE Monthly Summary Reports
- Latest Report
- Annual Summaries
- 2009
- 2008
- 2007
- 2006
- 2005
- 2004
Did you know...?
Did you know that WANO creates a summary
report of the Operating Experience (OE) reports
submitted each month? The OE Monthly
Summary Report provides a brief description
of the event and is separated into three
categories based on event significance.
The report is posted on the Operating
Experience page of the WANO members’
web site.
OE Network Forums
COVER
Tihange NPP, Belgium
2
INSIDE WANO: V17–NO2–2009
Copyright © 2009 World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO). All rights reserved. Not for sale or for commercial use.
editorial
Laurent Stricker,
WANO’s new Chairman
outlines the challenges
facing an expanding
nuclear industry, the
paramount importance
of safety, and the vital
role of WANO.
WANO’s
new chairman
I
‘A nuclear revival
is underway but it
will only succeed if
safety remains at
the heart of
everything we do.
All countries and
all operators must
unite and work
together towards
this common goal.’
Laurent Stricker,
WANO Chairman
t is my great honour to have been elected
the Chairman of WANO, particularly at such
a pivotal moment in the nuclear industry’s
development, as more and more countries
turn to nuclear energy as a sustainable
source of electricity.
For all of us, this presents both great
opportunities and responsibilities. A nuclear
revival is underway but it will only succeed if
safety remains at the heart of everything we
do. All countries and all operators must unite
and work together towards this common goal.
No other industry includes this inherent
characteristic; an absolute need for solidarity.
This, I believe, is one of WANO’s greatest
strengths. It is the reason why WANO exists;
to help bring every station up to the same high
level of performance. This aim is all the more
compelling as the industry prepares itself to
support a nuclear renaissance.
WANO has made great strides since its
formation in 1989. We have seen significant
improvements in global safety performance,
but there is still much to achieve. In recent
years we have seen a flattening of performance
in several areas of operation. We continue to
see recurring issues from peer reviews and
event reports, and recommendations from
Significant Operating Experience Reports are
not always implemented. These are issues our
industry must confront. And as we look to the
future, with the expansion of existing fleets,
and the emergence of new entrants across
the world, we must guard against the risks
of isolation and cultural blind spots. We must
ensure that WANO plays its full role – and that
means each and every one of us. It has taken
time to develop our best practices in safety.
It is imperative that new operators adopt
them from the outset.
WANO embodies the principles of sharing
best practice and engaging in open and
constructive dialogue. Our peer reviews,
technical support missions, workshops and
seminars, and operating experience programme
Laurent Stricker
Laurent Stricker’s career at Electricité de France
(EDF) and the French Atomic Energy Agency
(CEA) spans 35 years. During this time, he
has held numerous management positions
mainly in nuclear generation.
Currently Senior Adviser to the Chairman
and CEO of EDF, he was previously Head of
Nuclear Operations, a post he held for six
years. In this role, he was responsible for
the operation of the French nuclear fleet –
58 nuclear units, with a generating capacity
of approximately 63,000 MWe.
Other career highlights include Director
of the Grid and of Thermal and Hydraulic
Generation, supervising generation and
transmission facilities. Earlier roles included
Head of the Radiation Protection and
Environment Department in Paris.
Laurent Stricker was a member of the Board
of WANO Paris Centre from 1999 to 2005.
In 2003, he became Chairman of this Board
and member of the Main Governing Board.
allow operators to help and support each
other. We have a tremendous advantage that
no other industry has. Effective mechanisms
for independent feedback are already in place.
We must continue to take full advantage of
them in the pursuit of ever higher levels of
performance.
The future of the nuclear industry will be
assured only if we rise to the challenges of
safety and transparency. We have to rise to
these challenges, individually, in our own
companies. And we have to rise to these
challenges collectively. This is the mission
of WANO; it is our mission.
INSIDE WANO: V17–NO2–2009
3
feature
Improving overall
performance
I
’The improvements
made possible by our
training centre have
strengthened training
programmes and
contributed to the
plant’s overall
performance
improvement by
reinforcing human
performance errorprevention tools,
reducing maintenance
rework, and helping
us begin to reduce
dose.’
José Hernández,
Technical Area Training Manager,
Laguna Verde NPP
n 2005, leaders at Laguna Verde Nuclear
Power Plant in Mexico started envisioning
a training facility filled with an array of
equipment mockups that would improve
human performance on important plant tasks,
bolstering safety and productivity, and marking
progress toward dose reduction. They
benchmarked other training facilities in the
industry, with an emphasis on those with
detailed mockups for safety-related equipment
and systems.
In August 2008, Laguna Verde achieved
a milestone in their plan when key elements
of the site’s dynamic new training centre
were put into action.
The training centre incorporates plant
equipment and components such as motors,
pumps, switches, valves, transformers, models
of high-radiation areas and one of the top
items on Laguna Verde’s wish list: a flow-loop
simulator.
The full-scope, flow-loop simulator is
integrated with existing equipment mockups,
allowing exercises to incorporate more complex
and realistic work scenarios for a variety of
disciplines and training needs. It also includes
more panels and equipment to reflect the
exact controls in the plant.
’The improvements made possible by our
training centre have strengthened training
programmes and contributed to the plant’s
overall performance improvement by
reinforcing human performance errorprevention tools, reducing maintenance
rework, and helping us begin to reduce dose,’
said José Hernández, Technical Area Training
Manager. In addition to sharpening errorprevention skills, the realistic mockups prepare
employees to deal more effectively with
emergent situations and also to mitigate
problems that might crop up in the field.
Mockups sharpen skills
Use of mockups has been especially successful
with the addition of the flow-loop simulator for
4
INSIDE WANO: V17–NO2–2009
Working on the flow-loop simulator in the training facility
employee and supervisory training. Architects
of the flow-loop simulator initially focused on
its benefit to maintenance, but quickly realised
that its use could enhance work performance
for operations, engineering, radiation
protection and quality control. ’Our QC
inspectors routinely observe and evaluate
training activities and can get more involved
in error-prevention efforts,’ Hernández said.
’Everyone wants to participate now that
we have a flow-loop simulator.’
Exercises initially focused on reinforcing
adherence to procedures and error-prevention
tools and were expanded to incorporate all
activities involved in the correct execution of
work packages in the field. Prejob planning
and postjob briefings are more robust
with the new mockups. Workers discuss
error-prevention tools, such as three-way
communication and peer checking, and review
their correct usage during prejob briefings.
Through their practice on mockups,
employees have collaborated with supervisors
to standardise work packages and ensure that
instructions, diagrams and schematics are
accurate and up-to-date. ’Training is done not
only for technicians, but also for supervisors,’
Hernández said. ’They practise using their
observation skills and helping the crew prepare
more carefully for their work. This really picked
up after we installed the flow-loop simulator.’
Laguna Verde’s
commitment to training
enhances employee
and plant performance.
This article looks at the
multiple benefits of the
plant’s dynamic new
training centre.
Performing a surveillance test in the control room
Analysing trends in the chemistry laboratory
packing in a variety of valves. Mockups also
include sectional valves.
Electrical mockups include service
transformers that are used to train workers
in the operation of test equipment, in addition
to a series of electric motors and switches of
varying capacities that are used for
maintenance and testing.
Non-licenced operators use mockups of two
hydraulic control units to practise alignments,
operation and tag outs; while maintenance
personnel practise tasks on accumulators
and associated instrumentation.
Boosting performance
Laguna Verde’s training centre offers
a suite of valve and component mockups to
familiarise employees with leak detection and
troubleshooting, as well as for just-in-time
training to brush up on error- and dose-reduction
techniques. Four mockups of welding
inspection windows give maintenance workers
an opportunity to practise window shielding
for reactor nozzle removal. When used for justin-time training before refuelling outages, the
mockups have reduced stay times in highradiation areas and also reduced dose by
25 per cent on some jobs.
On the main steam line leak detection
mockup, employees see exactly how valves are
arranged and the location of injection points.
The arrangement can be pressurised for testing
by instrumentation and control technicians.
Employees practise assembling and
disassembling a model of the reactor
recirculation pump seal and installing valve
The Laguna Verde full-scope control room
simulator has helped boost the performance of
veteran operators as well as the department’s
latest recruits.
Training on the upgraded control room
simulator has improved the pass rate on licence
exams for new reactor operators. A recent
group of five operators achieved a 100 per
cent pass rate on their first evaluation. The
simulator also helps to reinforce and ingrain
control room fundamentals that are essential
to safe operations, such as conservative
decision-making and operations standards.
Instructors use the simulator to validate
procedures, and tutorials and just-in-time
training exercises are frequently used to
refresh skills and stay practised on important
evolutions that require perfectly coordinated
teamwork and communications. ‘In our
training centre, we wanted to have training
not on just the equipment, but on equipment
as it’s integrated in a more realistic plant
environment that simulates real plant
conditions,’ said Fernando Jaime, Simulator
Training Manager.
A remote-control tool designed to remove
filters from the fuel pool cooling and clean-up
system is a Laguna Verde original – and one
of the site’s most effective tools to control
personnel dose. Filters used in Laguna Verde’s
fuel pool cooling and clean-up system are
rather unusual in design, and their handling
INSIDE WANO: V17–NO2–2009
5
feature
Engineers in the training facility
Discussing plans for an upcoming job
is more complicated. Filters must be removed,
transported to containers and cut into pieces
before disposal. This was a time- and doseintensive process, potentially involving highcost contract support and a projected radiation
dose of 75 rem.
But Laguna Verde’s maintenance personnel
took a creative approach to the issue,
designing and fabricating a remote-control
filter-removal device that would allow a team
to work faster and farther from the radiation
source, thereby substantially reducing dose
rates. They also built a full-scale mockup of
the tool for the training centre, complete
with scaffolding to reinforce safe work
practices at high elevations.
Using the mockup sparked ideas for
additional methods to reduce dose, such as the
use of lead shielding. By combining ALARA
principles with practice on the mockup, dose
for the project was reduced substantially.
Embracing new technologies
Along with updates to the training centre,
Laguna Verde instructors are embracing new
technologies to increase the effectiveness and
convenience of training. With an electronic
document library, employees can view and
download all task-related training lessons and
fundamentals from Laguna Verde’s intranet.
Classroom instruction for operations is
enhanced with computers that recreate
simulator exercises. Operators can practise
key evolutions and system testing in individual
workstations, which can also be used by
maintenance and engineering to increase
their understanding of plant operations.
Looking ahead, Laguna Verde leaders
envision even more enhancements to the
training centre. They plan to add mockups
for feedwater heater controls and electrical
systems instrumentation. They would also like
to explore the application of more remotecontrol technologies to improve efficiency
and lower radiation dose further still.
6
INSIDE WANO: V17–NO2–2009
’The training centre has really strengthened the
use of training to improve performance at
Laguna Verde,’ Hernández said. ’We see people
getting more involved in their training and
helping us identify their training needs. This
level of teamwork and communication will
help us continue to improve our training
programme and have a positive impact on
employee and plant performance.’
from the top
Anatoly Kirichenko,
‘Energoatom Concern’
OJSC, one of the
signatories of the WANO
Inauguration Protocol,
sums up the spirit of
WANO and reflects on
20 years of achievement.
The spirit of
WANO
Anatoly Kirichenko signing the WANO Inauguration
Protocol, May 1989
‘Through the collective
efforts of its members,
WANO has made great
progress in safety and
reliability; the high levels of
plant performance are
visible proof of that.’
Anatoly Kirichenko,
‘Energoatom Concern’ OJSC
W
hile looking through my old
files I came across some
pictures and materials dating as
far back as the WANO Inauguration
Conference. Held in Moscow on 15-16
May 1989, this industry defining event will
always remain a personal highlight of my
career. I had the great honour of being
one of the signatories of the WANO
Inauguration Protocol. Although WANO is
only 20 years old, it has built a solid
reputation for professionalism and its
programmes have achieved worldwide
respect for their contribution to nuclear
safety.
Each WANO regional centre has its own
history and characteristics. The Moscow
Centre includes member organisations
located in some 14 countries. And despite
the change in political regimes in several
East European countries and in the former
Soviet Union, with the ensuing economic
ups and downs, Moscow Centre has
maintained its position and continues to
develop in parallel with other WANO
centres.
Through the collective efforts of its
members, WANO has made great progress
in safety and reliability; the high levels of
plant performance are visible proof of
that. But the most important change has
been a dramatic transformation in nuclear
operator communications; we went from
isolation and lack of transparency,
stemming from political causes, to direct
contact between operators. Over the
years, these contacts have developed and
evolved into something much bigger
– the spirit of WANO.
This spirit embodies the principles of
sharing best practice and engaging in
open and fruitful dialogue. This climate of
openness and transparency was created
by all those involved in developing and
implementing WANO programmes.
Lord Walter Marshall, Eric Pozdyshev,
Dr Zack Pate, Armen Abagyan, Rémy
Carle, Oleg Saraev, and Hajimu Maeda,
and many others have set very high
standards for WANO. And 20 years later –
an entire generation from a human point
of view – with many of the industry
leaders who established WANO
approaching retirement, it is vital to keep
the spirit of WANO alive, and maintain
the continuity of generations.
With this in mind, Moscow Centre
organised the 20th Anniversary
Conference in St. Petersburg, which
brought together WANO founders and
veterans, current NPP site directors and
new WANO members. My hope is that this
meeting will help the new generation of
leaders to embrace the goals, objectives
and the spirit of WANO.
In the face of the current global crisis,
with many industries adversely affected
and world leaders rethinking their
economic options, WANO has shown itself
to be a truly dynamic organisation; one
that is continuously developing and
improving. With the prospect of many
large projects being either cancelled or
delayed, and organisations looking to cut
back their budgets, we must ensure that
we never compromise on nuclear safety;
it must remain our top priority. And
therefore, it is essential for WANO to
maintain its effectiveness and efficiency
both at its regional centres and at NPP
sites around the world. The spirit of
WANO requires us to set the priorities,
evaluate the available resources and use
them correctly.
INSIDE WANO: V17–NO2–2009
7
peer reviews
TEPCO corporate
peer review
T
‘With the support
and strong leadership
of the corporate
office, I am
committed to
ensuring that TEPCO
makes every possible
effort to put the
action plan into
practice and attains
excellence at its three
power stations.’
Ichiro Takekuro,
Chief Nuclear Officer, TEPCO
and Chairman of WANO Tokyo Centre
Regional Governing Board
he safety performance of a nuclear
power station not only depends on what
happens at the station; it is very much
influenced by the interactions at the corporate
level.
Corporate sets the vision, goals and
objectives; it supports the station with
resources and exercises nuclear oversight. For
a company with multiple units, corporate plays
the vital role of providing clear direction on
nuclear safety to the entire fleet; it must ensure
that a strong and unambiguous message of
nuclear safety is communicated and reinforced
throughout the entire organisation.
WANO is well known for its peer reviews of
individual power plants. In 1998, it extended
this to the corporate level. The areas covered in
a corporate peer review include: leadership and
management; overseeing and monitoring of
plant performance; support for power plants;
human resources; and communications. To
assist members, WANO provides Performance
Objectives and Criteria for corporate reviews,
which serve as the foundation of the review.
Since their introduction, WANO corporate
reviews have been carried out at British Energy,
Electricité de France, Ontario Power Generation
in Canada, Electronuclear in Brazil, and E.ON
in Germany. In the US, corporate reviews are
performed by the Institute of Nuclear Power
Operations (INPO). Over the past 25 years
INPO has performed more than 140 corporate
reviews at US utilities.
Quest for improvement
In September 2008, WANO Tokyo Centre
conducted a corporate peer review for the
Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO). The
peer review team included officers and senior
managers from Atlanta, Paris, Moscow, and
Tokyo Centres. Laurent Stricker, who became
the Chairman of WANO in January, joined
the team as an adviser.
Kimitoshi Yahagi, TEPCO’s host peer, said:
‘After the data falsification issue which was
8
INSIDE WANO: V17–NO2–2009
Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Station
Review meeting
revealed in August 2002, TEPCO initiated
a wide range of performance improvement
initiatives to regain the public’s trust. These
included thorough information disclosure, peer
activities, and monthly performance reviews
using performance indicators. The question we
asked ourselves was, “Has TEPCO Corporate
and its three nuclear power stations – with 17
reactor units – become a unified organisation
that could continue to improve safety and
reliability against world standards?” To gain
an independent assessment, we requested
a corporate peer review.’
Commenting on the careful preparations
made for the corporate review, Yahagi said:
‘To make the review effective and useful, it was
essential for the team members to understand
In recent years, TEPCO has launched
a number of performance
improvement initiatives. To assess
how effective these have been, the
company invited WANO Tokyo Centre
to perform a corporate peer review.
that TEPCO’s way of working reflects the
unique culture of Japan.’ He continued:
‘We put a tremendous amount of work into
compiling a comprehensive information
package. Corporate has a wide range of tasks,
and this was very difficult to describe in detail.’
Indeed, the final information package was 400
pages long. In addition, Tokyo Centre provided
team members with reports on the previous
peer reviews carried out at TEPCO power
stations. This advance information proved
very useful during the review.
On July 16 2007, an earthquake struck
TEPCO’s Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power
Station. All of its seven reactors were shut
down safely. Although equipment vital to
safety was not affected, outdoor equipment
and structures such as transformers, fire
protection piping, and port quays were
heavily damaged. To allow sufficient time
for restoration work to be completed, the
corporate peer review initially planned for
October 2007 was postponed.
‘Our tasks went well beyond assessing the
extent of damage and planning the restoration
work,’ Yahagi explained. ‘There were other
important tasks, such as providing local
residents with accurate information, and
sharing the valuable lessons learned from this
unprecedented earthquake with our peers
worldwide. TEPCO was in a flurry of activity
and the corporate review had to be
postponed.’
Taking action
When restorations were finally on track, the
review was rescheduled for September 2008,
almost a year later. Yahagi said: ‘We felt the
corporate peer review was absolutely necessary
to accelerate our performance improvement,
and I was particularly pleased that all the initial
team members still wanted to be involved.’
The review was carried out over a two week
period. During the first week, the team was
divided into three groups assigned to obtain
information from the three power stations.
After two days of preparations, the teams went
to the stations to interview plant executives,
first line managers, staff, and contractor
employees. The second week was spent
interviewing corporate officers and managers,
and preparing reports.
‘As soon as the corporate review was over,
we performed a thorough analysis of each of
the areas for improvement (AFIs) to establish
the action plan. To begin with, we needed time
to understand the issues identified by the
review team. The causes of the AFIs were then
subjected to very detailed scrutiny,’ explained
Yahagi, who also acted as the coordinator
for producing the action plan. ‘A high-level
management team headed by the Chief
Nuclear Officer was formed within the
corporate office. This team spent a further four
months in extensive discussions to confirm the
issues to be improved or corrected before
the final action plan was produced.’
After the corporate peer review, Ichiro
Takekuro, TEPCO’s Chief Nuclear Officer and
Chairman of WANO Tokyo Centre Regional
Governing Board, said: ‘The team review results
were eye-opening and very helpful. I am truly
grateful that our peers gathered from different
parts of the world and spared us precious time
from their heavy business schedules to conduct
this review.’ He added: ‘With the support and
strong leadership of the corporate office, I am
committed to ensuring that TEPCO makes
every possible effort to put the action plan into
practice and attains excellence at its three
power stations. We feel now, more than ever,
that WANO members are united as one
through WANO.’
INSIDE WANO: V17–NO2–2009
9
plant profile
Tihange on the road to
excellence
T
’A safety culture
is not something
that can be
decreed; it has to
be cultivated from
day to day. It takes
time and requires a
lot of effort. It is a
permanent
challenge which
involves everyone.’
Wim De Clercq,
Station Director,
Tihange NPP
10
INSIDE WANO: V17–NO2–2009
he Tihange Nuclear Power Plant, operated
by Electrabel (GDF SUEZ), consists of three
units: Tihange 1 (962 MWe), Tihange 2
(1008 MWe) and Tihange 3 (1055 MWe).
They were commissioned in 1975, 1983 and
1985 respectively. Each year, the three reactors
generate around 23 billion kWh, which
represents a third of electricity production in
Belgium. Employing 930 people, it is an urban
power station located near the town of Huy
between Liège and Namur.
Continuous improvement
‘For several years now, we have been
conducting ongoing audits and engaging in an
intense process of continuous improvement,’
Wim De Clercq, Station Director of Tihange
NPP told Inside WANO. ‘In addition to an
OSART, an OSART Follow Up and the WANO
peer reviews, our environmental and industrial
safety certifications, together with assessments
by our insurers, are based on regular audits.
These are seen as opportunities for making
progress. So far this year, we have already had
a successful OSART Follow Up and we will
be taking part, among other things, in a
WANO peer review in October.’
In 2005, Electrabel introduced a specific
’change management’ oriented organisation
operating at all levels of the group. This new
structure made it possible to deal with the
whole of the OSART mission with the full
support of the entire staff. At Tihange, the
management team includes a Change Manager,
at present Sébastien Houart, whose current task
is to develop all the action plans in preparation
for the WANO peer review later in the year.
He will be responsible for coordinating a team
composed of the 10 heads of functional areas
and their deputies, as well as the heads of
cross-functional areas. The ultimate aim is to
ensure the involvement of the whole workforce
of the company and its service providers.
Commenting on the challenges of his role,
Sébastien Houart said: ’It is idealistic to believe
that you can be everywhere all of the time.
The vital thing is to avoid becoming lax. It is
important that everyone should take part.’
The organisation is working on developing
plans spread over several years, such as
‘Energy 2010’, as well as the achievement
of annual goals.
A process of continuous performance
improvement must be supported by indicators
of quality. The WANO indicators are
benchmarks that allow everyone to position
themselves in relation to their peers. ’At
Tihange, we have set up three multidisciplinary
work groups to draw up an action plan, for
mid-2009, geared at improving our safety
equipment availability indicators,’ said Houart.
‘As a result of some unavailability recorded in
recent years, Tihange is not in the best quartile.
We aim to get there in the medium term.’
The actions to achieve this have been clearly
identified and integrated into the ’Energy
2010’ action plan. This commitment is further
reflected through internal indicators which
extend to the teams themselves.
The recently launched ‘Feedback from
Experience’ initiative has been given pride of
place in the continuous improvement process;
backed by a Company Policy Statement it
applies to all employees. This clear and formal
commitment, at the Business Unit level, gives
the initiative greater legitimacy and visibility.
The idea behind it is, ’Let us not give an
incident a chance to repeat itself! Let us
learn from experience!’
To support these initiatives, specific
communication programmes have been
developed directed at different internal target
audiences. The objective is, on the one hand,
to raise their general safety awareness and,
on the other, to make them adhere to the
different action plans developed by the theme
leaders. Communication is based on clear and
ambitious messages, such as ’Doing better
what we are doing already’ and ’Champions
of excellence’. These messages and actions
Sébastien Houart,
Change Manager at
Tihange, talks about
the vigorous process
for continuous
improvement at
the plant.
Practical training on loop simulator
staff to familiarise themselves with the
requirements of working both in the nuclear
part and in the secondary part of the plant.
The loop simulator is also used for the training
of service providers operating at Tihange.
Benchmarking
Tihange NPP
are further reinforced by constant external
communication motivated by a desire
for unfailing transparency.
Training
Developing a safety culture must also be based
on appropriate training programmes. In 2008,
100,000 hours of training were given to
personnel, 10 per cent of it devoted to
behavioural aspects. Each member of staff
participated in a day of awareness-raising
and training in the use of tools designed to
reduce human error. These tools were grouped
into four categories; adhesion to procedures,
pre- and post-job briefing, a questioning attitude
and secure communication. These correspond
exactly with the trends that have emerged
from periodic exercises in the analysis of
internal events.
Since 2007, the plant has benefited from the
installation of a loop simulator which allows
To improve nuclear safety, it is important to
observe good practices carried out on-site by
other nuclear operators. ‘This approach allows
us to adopt other ways of thinking and, above
all, to look critically at our own practices,’ said
De Clercq. For several years now, the plant’s
management has been ensuring that all
managerial staff take part in OSART missions,
WANO peer reviews, and technical support
missions. In a spirit of openness, managerial
staff are required to document their
experiences so that the lessons learned can
be shared and to present the conclusions of
their mission either to the management
team or to the entire management.
‘The results of the OSART, carried out at
Tihange by the IAEA, clearly demonstrate
that nuclear safety is the absolute priority of
Electrabel and of the Tihange NPP’, said De
Clercq. ‘In order to progress continuously, it
is of paramount importance not only to act
through a multitude of coordinated actions,
but above all to mobilise by making each
player accountable and proud of their
contribution to safety and transparency.’
INSIDE WANO: V17–NO2–2009
11
TSMs
Technical support for
Kursk
K
‘Managers who
attended the seminar
will be able to put
their newly-acquired
knowledge into
practice in their daily
activities. The WANO
technical support
mission provided the
answers to many
questions raised by
managers from
different levels at
our plant.’
Igor Bondarev,
Kursk Training Manager
ursk Nuclear Power Plant, a part of
Russia’s Energoatom utility, is located
near the town of Kurchatov, 40
kilometres west of the city of Kursk. The plant
currently operates four 1000 MWe RBMK
reactors: Kursk Unit 1 went on line in 1976,
and Unit 4 in 1985.
To support its ongoing improvement process,
Kursk has hosted nine WANO technical support
missions (TSMs) since 2004. In the past, these
tended to focus on operations and
maintenance, but more recently the focus
has shifted to personnel management and
contractor control.
‘These missions offer very practical and
focused assistance to the plant. All technical
support mission team members are closely
involved in the nuclear industry; they have indepth experience and expertise, which they are
always ready to share with plant staff in Russia
and other countries,’ said Sergey Kezin,
Moscow Centre Adviser. ‘It is a kind of alliance
of nuclear professionals who firmly believe in
the continued development of the nuclear
industry worldwide and who do their best to
make this a reality. Whenever the plant faces
an urgent or challenging issue, WANO experts
are always there to give peers a helping hand.’
Last December, Moscow Centre staff carried
out a TSM on condition-based maintenance
and contractor management. Mission experts
included highly-experienced specialists from
Balakovo, Kalinin, Smolensk and Volgodonsk
nuclear power plants. They provided Kursk
personnel with helpful materials and shared
their experience of dealing with similar issues.
And the benefits are already in evidence. The
knowledge acquired as a result of the mission
has been successfully applied during the
upgrading of Unit 4 and also during planned
maintenance outages.
Learning from others
In early April 2009, Kursk hosted a TSM using
experts from the Moscow and Paris regions; its
12
INSIDE WANO: V17–NO2–2009
Seminar participants in the main control room simulator
purpose – to gain expertise in implementing
advanced techniques in personnel
management – was the first time that such a
mission had been held at a Russian nuclear
power plant.
‘For the purpose of this mission we have
generalised the experience of other European
nuclear countries,’ explained Alain Huchet,
Programme Manager, Paris Centre. ‘Seminar
materials can be used in everyday work
practices at the Kursk plant. This is the first
plant in Russia to host such a mission. If the
mission turns out to be a success we will
conduct similar missions at other Russian
plants.’
The mission took the form of a seminar
where participants learned:
■ the major principles and techniques
of task observations in the workplace
■ to write and analyse observation reports
■ to identify root causes of existing problems
and additional areas for improvement
The seminar opened with a theoretical
explanation of the basic principles of task
observations, coaching during the work process
and methods of feedback. Participants were
then split into small groups allowing instructors
to give one-on-one training to demonstrate
how to put the theory into practice. This part
of the programme began with video-exercises
and role playing. Observations were then
Hands-on training in the main control room simulator
Over the years, Kursk has taken
part in several WANO technical
support missions, most recently
in the area of personnel
management. Sergey Kezin,
Moscow Centre Adviser, explains
the process and the benefits.
Putting theory into practice
Kursk NPP
analysed in line with the WANO Performance
Objectives and Criteria; the report writing
technique was demonstrated and participants
then practised writing reports based on
observed facts. The reports were analysed
to identify areas for improvement using the
multiple classification technique; a technique
designed to identify fundamental problems.
The root causes of the problems and proposals
for improving plant performance were then
discussed.
Seminar attendees included first line
managers drawn from a wide range of areas.
These included Kursk reactor hall shift
supervisors, and nuclear safety and reliability
operations supervisors. In addition, plant
managers attended from several functional
areas, including the turbine hall, electrical,
radiological protection, instrumentation
and control, and the underground thermal
utility system.
‘By applying international standards to its
personnel management process, Kursk will
significantly improve management and worker
relations,’ explained Sergey Kezin. ‘I believe
that Kursk now has a valuable management
tool that can be readily used by managers
at different levels. It will help them to more
effectively manage their own personnel while
at the same time enhance their interactions
with other managers.’
Igor Bondarev, Kursk Training Manager,
agrees with this view: ‘Knowledge obtained
during the seminar has led to improved
relations among plant staff, which in turn
has increased effectiveness in the workplace.
Managers who attended the seminar will be
able to put their newly-acquired knowledge
into practice in their daily activities. The WANO
technical support mission provided the answers
to many questions raised by managers from
different levels at our plant.
‘Upon completion of the seminar,
participants are capable of identifying and
reinforcing plant requirements, conducting
effective observations with personnel, and
post-job debriefings, in particular on the use of
human error-prevention tools. In addition, they
will be able to identify areas for improvement
related to the problems identified in
observation reports. In other words, leading
international experience in this field will help
prevent the potential consequences of human
performance errors in plant operation.’
INSIDE WANO: V17–NO2–2009
13
training
Improving teamwork during
requalification
A
‘The crew
relationship-building
that results from our
approach leads to
improved trust. It also
translates into higher
levels of individual and
team accountability,
which in turn deliver
improved performance
results.’
Tim O’Connor,
Monticello Site Vice President
lthough the use of control room
simulators continues to improve
licenced operator training, there is
an ongoing need to transfer knowledge to
nonlicenced operators and help bridge the
experience gap.
The operations training department at the
Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant, in the US
state of Minnesota, has developed an innovative
approach to meet that need. During licenced
operator requalification, nonlicenced operators
out in the plant simulate tasks required by the
performance monitoring scenarios. During other
training scenarios, nonlicenced operators
observe licenced operators performing their
duties in the control room simulator.
‘The crew relationship-building that results
from our approach leads to improved trust,’
says Tim O’Connor, Monticello Site Vice
President. ‘It also translates into higher levels
of individual and team accountability, which
in turn deliver improved performance results.’
Efforts to improve requalification training at
Monticello began a couple of years ago when
three significant needs became clear. The plant
needed better realism in its control room
simulator training. Nonlicenced operators
needed and wanted to know more about how
to respond to certain failure scenarios. And the
younger generation of operators – many of
whom have never seen a scram – needed to
build their expertise and gain some of the
knowledge of experienced operators.
Building confidence
The first phase of the combined training, in
late 2006, brought nonlicenced operators into
the control room simulator. ‘Having the
nonlicenced operators gain an understanding
of what’s going on helps them to better time
their communications and coordinate better
with the control room and its needs,’ says
Gerald Allex, General Supervisor of Operations
Training at the site.
In 2007, the next phase of the combined
14
INSIDE WANO: V17–NO2–2009
Checking the standby liquid control pump and motor
Checking the status of the recirculation system motor generator
training had nonlicenced operators out in the
plant simulating the actions required by the
requalification scenarios. ‘Their role-playing
provides a more realistic experience for us,’
says Peter Komarek, reactor operator.
‘When we work together during training
scenarios, we’re communicating back and
forth,’ explains Todd Dean, nonlicenced
operator. ‘The licenced operators are giving
us instructions on verifying plant equipment
positions or manipulating plant equipment,
and we’re feeding actions and results back
to the control room. It gives us a lot of
confidence as a crew. It builds camaraderie.’
To accomplish this interaction, the training
staff had to create the nonlicenced operator
tasks and incorporate them into the scenario
Monticello’s combined
requalification training
programme has
facilitated knowledge
sharing between
licenced and
nonlicenced operators.
guides. The combined training was breaking
new ground, as there were no nonlicenced
operator tasks in the existing scenario guides.
‘We followed the systematic approach to
training,’ explains Shawn Halbert, Monticello
Training Manager. ‘We made sure that there
were training objectives and goals and a
known, understood outcome. We then
evaluated the nonlicenced operators’
performance to ensure that we were
achieving the expected outcome.’
An operations crew usually has eight
members. Five are in the control room
simulator – a shift manager/shift technical
adviser who is a licenced senior reactor
operator, a control room supervisor who is a
senior reactor operator, and three licenced
reactor operators. Three are nonlicenced
operators who are out in the plant.
Monitoring the performance of the
operations crew and the quality of training is
an evaluation team that includes instructors
and an operations management representative.
After completing a scenario, the operations
crew and evaluators return to the training
centre for a debriefing and feedback session.
The resulting document is used to generate
areas for improvement for the operations crew
for the rest of the training programme, as well
as for when the operations crew goes back to
regular duty in the plant. The feedback sessions
can also drive revisions in procedures.
The licenced operators and nonlicenced
operators at Monticello have used their
combined training to perform well during
actual plant operation.
On January 10 2007, the plant scrammed at
90 per cent power after welds on supports for
the turbine control actuator box failed. The box
dropped 6 inches, pulling four turbine control
valves wide open, and causing a decrease in
main steam line pressure that initiated an
automatic reactor shutdown.
‘Our site management brought in an
assessment team, including the outside peer
reviewer, to review the event and the plant’s
response,’ says Scott Sharp, Operations
Manager. ‘The assessment team looked at
the performance of the nonlicenced operators
and the licenced operators and found that the
operations crew performed very solidly for that
scram. And it wasn’t a straight-forward scram.’
Bridging the gap
With the next generation of workers entering
the nuclear industry, the combined training at
Monticello provides the opportunity to get new
nonlicenced operators interacting with more
experienced colleagues who share their tips,
tactics, and knowledge.
To take further advantage of that
opportunity, a couple of upgrades are being
considered for the requalification programme.
One upgrade would add nonlicenced
operators to the evaluation scenarios, which
then could be used as an instructional tool to
evaluate performance against the procedures.
This would provide a more realistic job
performance measure of the nonlicenced
operators. Currently, the nonlicenced operators
are evaluated during periodic stand-alone
activities.
The second upgrade would add more
instructors to oversee the nonlicenced
operators in the plant. The current practice
of having one instructor oversee three or four
nonlicenced operators limits the number of
procedures that can be done because the
instructor and nonlicenced operators must stay
together. Adding an instructor would create
two teams that could be staged separately
in the turbine and reactor buildings.
At Monticello, bridging the experience
gap has accomplished a paradigm shift. The
combined requalification training has facilitated
knowledge sharing and transfer between
licenced operators and nonlicenced operators.
Based on an article that originally
appeared in The Nuclear Professional, the
journal of the US National Academy for
Nuclear Training, by kind permission.
Note: In the US, licenced
operators work in the control
room. Nonlicenced operators
handle in-plant activities.
INSIDE WANO: V17–NO2–2009
15
Recognising
excellence
During each Biennial General Meeting, WANO Nuclear
Excellence Awards are presented to individuals in
recognition of their contribution to successful operation
of nuclear power plants operated by WANO members.
An independent selection committee with representatives
from all the regional centres, meets to select the award
recipients based on a list of people who have been
nominated. Now is the time to make those nominations.
Operational excellence becomes
a reality only when a nuclear
organisation has developed – at
every level – a passion and
unwavering commitment to
focus on daily operations.
Any individual whose work contributes to or supports the
successful operation of nuclear power plants operated by
any WANO member is eligible for the award. This could
include contributions to any part of the infrastructure
that supports the nuclear power enterprise. It could also
include contributions made through WANO. The intent is
that individuals at any level in an organisation be
considered for the award.
The deadline for nominations is 1 September 2009.
Full details of the procedure are available on the
WANO members’ web site or by contacting Gary
Welsh at the WANO Coordinating Centre
([email protected]). These nominations will be
reviewed by the selection committee and the
awards will be presented at the 2010 WANO
Biennial General Meeting.