September-October 2017 NPJ

42 NuclearPlantJournal.com Nuclear Plant Journal, September-October 2017 for us, WesDyne deployed two complete MIDAS-VI systems in parallel, with the objective of significantly reducing the customer’s inspection schedule. We are proud to say that this approach was successful — we saved approximately 25 hours in the outage schedule. We also applied our BWR remote in- vessel visual inspection platform called the double-up inspection tool (DUIT™) during the spring 2017 outage season. DUIT delivers innovative technology with the industry’s only true radiation- tolerant chip color camera that’s able to withstand the high-radiation environment of a boiling water reactor annulus. This robust design means that there is no need to replace cameras during work; tooling can remain in place so there is no interference with other critical path activities. The DUIT platform also has proprietary technology in the delivery mast that provides a stable platform for in-vessel visual inspection examinations, even in high-flow environments. Examinations can be performed opposite of the non-flow loop, allowing other activities that require a non-flow environment to be completed in parallel. It saves time and leads to early discovery for the customer. The DUIT platform also reduces the amount of personnel required for in-service inspection activities and is operated away from the higher exposure areas. This reduces manpower needs and helps plants meet as-low-as-reasonably achievable exposure goals. 5. Which is the most challenging system or equipment in a plant, demanding extra attention during an outage? This varies, of course, but I would have to say for nuclear steam supply system work in the U.S., the most challenging system we supported this past season was the reactor vessel. Since each reactor vessel is unique in design, so are the processes we must perform for their disassembly and reassembly. Additionally, almost all reactor vessel maintenance activities are performed either on the outage schedule’s critical path or adjacent with other activities on critical path. And they are all performed in the difficult environment of the cavity, with high temperatures, humidity and radiological contamination. All of these factors require that we control reactor vessel maintenance activities through robust and thorough procedures carried out by personnel with special skills, training and qualifications to execute them without error. All activities associated with the reactor vessel must be executed flawlessly every time, because the reactor vessel is a pressure boundary for the reactor coolant system; it cannot have any deviations that prevent it from performing at 100 percent. And finally, when it comes to reactor vessel modifications, those made to the reactor vessel internals are often achieved with complex specialized equipment and specially trained operators. The direct proximity to the fuel heightens the critical importance of foreign materials exclusion and ensuring that we perform flawlessly. 6. In the last three years, what enhancements have been made to Westinghouse’s outage management center to optimize its communication effectiveness with other plants, worldwide? As we approach the three-year anniversary of our U.S. Westinghouse Outage Control Center, which is located at our Operating Plant Services Center of Excellence in Madison, Pennsylvania, we have taken the time to reflect holistically on the performance and delivery of the center based on its established mission. To that end, we have completed numerous enhancements, process improvements and technical innovations, and are in the process of implementing some others. These include the broad employment of live video streaming during outage work from customer sites to the Westinghouse Outage Control Center for enhanced and efficient resolution of emergent issues. In March 2016, we also expanded the global reach of our operational support when we established the Europe, Middle East and Africa Outage Control Center where we have local in-country, native- speaking duty managers to provide immediate response. For these centers, we have bolstered our operational processes through benchmarking and experience to drive a more proactively engaged, disciplined approach to field execution and support. This includes conducting daily operations update meetings, having formal shift turnovers, applying communication tools, implementing a duty team organizational structure and immediately sharing operating experience. Other key benefits of our outage control centers and operational processes include real-time trending from observations, proactive incorporation of operating experience, increased focus on upcoming high-risk activities, immediate and rapid response to emergent issues, and quick access to the breadth and depth of Westinghouse capabilities and technical expertise. 7. How does Westinghouse overcome cultural and language challenges, when handling outage management overseas? In our experience, there are several keys to success when it comes to overcoming language and cultural challenges during each outage season. The first key is leadership presence. It’s vital that leaders be present in the region where their people work. As a leader, you have to be visible and part of the team; you cannot develop your team from a phone call. Second, it’s important to let the team help develop the strategy to ensure that everyone believes in and buys into that strategy. Third, every country has a different language, culture and way to live life. Yet, people are still people, and we all want to be valued and respected. Loyalty is built by these fundamentals. It’s important to convey value and respect to our people so they are loyal to our mission and business. If you do the first three well, then we’ve found that outage standards and performance are universal. On the job, even though English is our standard business language as a company, our leaders are local to countries in which we work; we also have duo language colleagues as members on teams to help remove language barriers. Westinghouse people around the world speak a common language when it comes to making sure we work safely, do the work right the first time and make improvements each time we perform a task. By consistently achieving these operational goals, we will ensure that our customers continue to call us back. Contact: Donna Ruff, Westinghouse Electric Company, telephone: (412) 374- 4705, email: ruffdl@westinghouse.com . Outage Management... ( Continued from page 41)

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