Nuclear Plant Journal, September-October 2013 NuclearPlantJournal.com
23
(Continued on page 24)
device when wireless in not available.
Nuclear plants are already expanding
the availability of wireless networks,
but continuous wireless connectivity
everywhere is not realistic, mostly due
to structural attenuation. While an eWP
not connected to a network still has many
advantages, the real potential value of an
eWP can be realized with at least partial
or periodic connectivity.
6.
Is it fully deployable in the
containment area?
eWP deployment in containments
during outages is an eWP design
expectation. Most plants already install
temporaryWi-Fi systems in containments
during outages to facilitate health physics
processes and other communications.
Current plans for eWP deployment
in containments and other radiation-
controlled areas include having the tablets
or other portable devices available from
designated locations in the Radiation
Controlled Area (RCA) such as a hot tool
room. Workers would enter the RCA and
pick up a device from a designated area or
tool room and go to work. Prior to exiting
the RCA, the workers simply return the
device to a designated area.
7.
Does every operator and technician
have their own devices or do the devices
change hands with change of the shift?
This question is really answered by
where you are in the eWP implementation
process. If you are implementing an eWP
system with no or very limited wireless
connectivity, devices will have to be
loaded with specifically assigned tasks
and be given to the workers assigned to the
task. However, if wireless connectivity is
readily available, the eWP can “reside” on
a server and be accessed from any device.
The trend in the industry is to go with the
latter and reap the rewards of connectivity
to multiple plant information systems.
8.
Which utilities have applied the eWP
and in what specific applications?
No utility has fully applied the
eWP concept yet, but several utilities
have implemented small-scale proof of
concept pilots. At EPRI, our Nuclear
Maintenance Application Center has
established an eWP Technical Advisory
Group to facilitate the development and
execution of eWPs. The group meets
periodically via webcast and conference
calls to discuss issues and share where
they are in the eWP development
process. EPRI is developing a technical
update report that addresses many of the
issues and challenges utilities face when
implementing an eWP. This technical
update report will be issued by the end
of 2013.
9.
Please describe the investment
versus benefit; especially given the fact
that the IT changes fast.
We all know how quickly our cell
phone, home computer or tablet becomes
out of date. The good news is these
devices are only the delivery vehicles for
information, and their costs continue to
decrease while their capabilities continue
to increase. The data flow behind the
scene is where the real functionality
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