May-June 2019 NPJ

36 NuclearPlantJournal.com Nuclear Plant Journal, May-June 2019 2019 TIP Award Winners The listed 2019 TIP award winners were recognized at the Nuclear Energy Institute 2019 Nuclear Energy Assembly in June, 2019 in Washington, D.C. Visuals and summarized text, courtesy of: The Nuclear Energy Institute, Washington, D.C. Vogtle GAIA EATF Implementation Award Type: Framatome Vendor TIP Award. Company: Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant. Team: Jennifer Baker, Matt Leonard, Ray Flanery, Jason Behrens and Vicki Fitz, Southern Nuclear. Bob Clarke, Scott D’Orio, Jacki Stevens and Jeff Reed, Framatome. Southern Nuclear, in partnership with Framatome, is leading the industry in implementation of a comprehensive Enhanced Accident Tolerant Fuel (eATF) solution. The GAIA fuel assembly, in concert with chromia enhanced pellets and chromium coated cladding, offers operators increased efficiency and reliability, while meeting the DOE challenge to develop and deploy accident tolerant fuel designs by 2022. Improvements in thermal performance, safety margins, and debris resistance as a result of the eATF features offer significant immediate Utility cost savings. Successful licensing, delivery, and operation of the eATF product at Plant Vogtle in 2019 exceeded the DOE’s goal and provides immediate industry benefit. GNF3 Fuel Product Introduction with concurrent TRACG-LOCA Margin Optimization Award Type: GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy Vendor TIP Award. Company: Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant. Team: Johnathan Chavers, Randall Dunavant, Patty McCumbee, Fran Bolger, Jason Ingraham, Aaron Phillippe, Tim Collart, Dean Arvan, Rob Patrick, Richard Fennell, Diego Carvallo, Guangjun Li, Mark Holmes, Maria Pfeffer, Kevin Baucom and Roseanne Harrington, Southern Nuclear Operating Company. Southern Nuclear and Global Nuclear Fuel collaborated to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of introductions of new boiling water reactor fuel designs during deployment of the first reload of the evolutionary and innovative GNF3 fuel design. The collaborative approach resulted in substantially streamlined new fuel introduction activities that reduced engineering costs for all parties and accelerated the timeline for introduction of new fuel designs. GNF3 boasts improved fuel reliability features, an updated water rod design, and patented neutronic optimization techniques not deployed on legacy fuel products. Southern Nuclear piloted the GNF3 delivery with channeled shipping, saving refuel floor costs and worker dose. Southern Nuclear coupled the transition to GNF3 with implementation of the first jet pump application of TRACG-LOCA ECCS methodology. The TRACG-LOCA methodology allowed Southern Nuclear to optimize the plant ECCS-LOCA equipment operational requirements allowing relaxation of equipment performance requirements while maintaining regulatory margin. Realizing a 7 percent reduction in fresh assemblies on the initial reload, Southern Nuclear saw immediate cost reductions with the GNF3 fuel product line driven primarily by the increased uranium utilization due to the innovative design. Innovative Compressible Thermal Sleeve (CTS) Replacement Award Type: Westinghouse Vendor Award. Company: Duke Energy, McGuire Nuclear Station. Team: Brian Kandell, Jennifer Smith, Matt Bost and Rachel Doss, Duke Energy. Eric Benacquista and Nick Szweda, WEC. Tony Mastopietro, WEC/ PCI. From the initial identification of a required control rod drive mechanism (CRDM) thermal sleeve replacement at McGuire Unit 2 just six months Evidence of Thermal Sleeve Upper Flange Wear Manifested on Control Rod Guide Tube. Enhanced Accident Tolerant Fuel. GNF-3 Fuel. GNF-3 Fuel.