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NuclearPlantJournal.com Nuclear Plant Journal, July-August 2016
Preserving our...
ABOVE:
Workers prepare to use a HEPA
venƟlaƟon unit as an engineered control
Engineering Controls for Hazardous Environments
Portable HEPA filtration systems are a cost
-
effective means to reduce
exposure levels to as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA).
By Haley Stout
Radiation Protection Systems, Inc.
What are Engineering Controls
?
According to OSHA, “the first and best
strategy is to control the hazard at its
source. Engineering controls do this,
unlike other controls that generally focus
on the employee exposed to the hazard.
The basic concept behind engineering
controls is that, to the extent feasible, the
work environment and the job itself
should be designed to eliminate hazards
or reduce exposure to hazards.”
Engineered Controls are designed to integrate or
compliment a work process or operation, such
that the controls function without inhibiting the
work and will enhance the process when
compared to using personal protective equipment
(PPE) only.
One important engineering control is the
application of portable High Efficiency
Particulate Air (HEPA) filtration and carbon
adsorption ventilation systems when airborne
hazards are expected. When used properly, these
systems effectively control contamination at its
source, minimize the spread of contaminants,
and reduce exposure of personnel while
increasing safety and efficiency.
When to Consider Engineering
Controls?
Ventilation should not be an afterthought. It
should be considered at the beginning of work
planning and integrated into the process.
Why Consider Engineering
Controls?
x
The burden of control is removed from the
worker (eliminating heat stress, for example),
allowing him/her to perform more work of
higher quality in a shorter time.
x
Controlling contamination at its source
reduces cleanup and the associated radiation
exposure.
x
Use of respiratory protection devices is
minimized substantially, reducing cost for
operation of an extensive respiratory
program.
The primary goal of a radiological engineering
program is to provide controls which minimize
radiation exposure of personnel without
incurring high costs. A number of factors must
be considered when evaluating different
methods. Factors include initial cost of
equipment, cost to repair and service the
equipment, the number of personnel and time
required to use the method, effectiveness of
controlling radioactive contamination, and
effectiveness in reducing radiation exposure to
personnel.
Personnel working where there are airborne
radioactive particulates must be protected from
inhaling the contaminants. Protection may be
provided by respiratory protection devices or by
controlling contamination at its source using
engineering controls, such as HEPA filtration. Of
the two approaches, engineering controls are
more advantageous, offering cost benefits by
reducing: the spread of contamination, laundry,
respirator cleaning, cleanup time, outage time,
and radiation exposure.
To learn more about how
Engineering Controls can benefit you,
visit Radiation Protection Systems on
the web at
or call 888.637.7779
credit for recognizing the issue and doing
something about it.
7.
What has been AREVA’s experience
in implementing safety-related digital in
the United States?
Working with one of our customers,
we led the industry in installing safety-
related digital systems in the United
States. Our first installation at a U.S.
facility was successful and the system
has been operating safely and reliably for
nearly five years.
To support the broader adoption of
digital systems, we’re providing support to
various task forces that work on this issue,
including those of the American Nuclear
Society and Nuclear Energy Institute.
Given the benefits of digital upgrades
and successful installations over the last
few years, I expect we’ll start to see more
interest from utilities in these projects.
8.
Do the customers have any concern
regarding the digital technology?
When it comes to digital technology,
we receive questions from customers
about economics and reliability.
Streamlining regulation will help with
both of these. We also have to evaluate
digital obsolescence, considering factors
like how often operating systems change
and how often digital systems need to be
upgraded.
It’s important to understand the
significant benefits of digital systems,
which include helping facilities to
overcome obsolescence issues and to
enhance availability and performance.
9.
How is the U.S. NRC supporting the
oversight of new digital technology?
I think there is a very good working
relationship between the industry and the
NRC right now. The NRC is staunchly
independent, but at the same time, is
discussing pragmatically what regulation
needs to look like in order to effectively
oversee these digital systems.
10.
Is AREVA taking any advantage of
its overseas experience in implementing
digital technology in the United States?
Here in the United States, we’re using
the same system that AREVA successfully
installed at many facilities in Europe. That’s
our TelepermXS system, which we designed
in Germany. For the first installation of this
system in the United States, we worked
collaboratively with our German colleagues
to apply that technology here.
11.
Why don’t we have as many steam
generator replacements as we used to
have a few years back?
Earlier steam generators were
fabricated with mill anneal tubing, which
was more susceptible to primary water
stress corrosion cracking. For newer steam
generators, the industry improved the tube
fabrication process. In the case of steam
generators that haven’t been replaced yet,
the tubes have been thermally treated. As
a result, we haven’t seen the degradation
in the thermally treated tubes that we saw
in the mill annealed tubes.
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