September-October 2018 NPJ

Digital Plant Viewer By Brian Carroll, Exelon. Brian Carroll Brian Carroll holds a Bachelor of Computer Science from University of Maryland, with a specialization in Business Administration. Brian is a member of the Exelon Nuclear Digital Plant Innovation Team, and in addition to Digital Plant Viewer, he currently is working on the Digital Plant Experience, which will revolutionize the way Exelon accesses data and applications. In addition, Brian has led the drones and robotics initiatives at Exelon Nuclear as part of his role on the innovation team to integrate new technology into Nuclear facilities. The Nuclear Energy Institute’s Top Innovative Practice Awards highlight the nuclear industry’s most innovative techniques and ideas. This innovation won a 2018 Top Innovative Practice Award. The team members who participated included Brian Carroll, Cliff Gray, Robert Holleran, Kevin Burroughs, Eric Cota, Kimberly King and Christopher Ledwich, Exelon. Innovation Digital Plant Viewer is Exelon Nuclear’s innovative solution for saving employee time and dose using an integrated mapping interface. This state of the art product provides digital maps for various plant data sources including live video camera, 360 degree tours, telemetry feeds, radiological surveys and other plant data. The Digital Plant Viewer allows workers to find the information they need faster, allowing them to work more efficiently. Exelon has implemented the Digital Plant Viewer at the Calvert Cliffs and Peach Bottom stations. Due to this implementation, the organization has realized significant benefits in cost and dose savings of over $5M annually, and 15 Rem in dose per year. Digital Plant Viewer takes several existing data sources in the nuclear fleet and makes them accessible through a single data inter- face. Utilizing an administrative in- terface, the data is placed on the maps, where the users can access it utilizing a smart icon on the display. The icon then launches the appropriate data ele- ment based on what was configured. By providing a dynamic system for accessing plant information, the Digital Plant Viewer is revolutionizing the way that nuclear sites access information. A single touch screen interface or mobile device can provide a wealth of data to the user across a variety of traditional application data sources. Safety Digital Plant Viewer enhances safety by providing the user with an advanced awareness of the environment around them. Before stepping into the plant, the user visualizes the location they are about to enter utilizing routinely updated 360 degree photos. They can also view live cameras in covered areas, check dose rates and review the most current electronic radiological survey before entering the plant. All of this can be accomplished self-service using in-plant kiosks, a mobile device, or the user’s desktop computer. By providing real time information where needed, digital plant viewer has increased the quality of job planning and pre-job briefings. Changes in plant radiological conditions can be quickly identified through this interface, alerting Radiation Protection to further assess changes and implement additional controls as needed to minimize personnel exposure. The ability to observe work activities provides a means for management to ensure proper safety standards and practices are being adhered to. Digital Plant Viewer’s implementation is saving 15 Rem per year through reduction in routine surveys and enabling more efficient work practices. Cost-Savings Impact Exelon is realizing a significant savings of $5M annually across the nuclear fleet due to the implementation of Digital Plant Viewer. This is based on the reduction in personnel which the viewer makes possible through the readily available live data feeds and electronic surveys. A planned reduction of .5 Full time Employees at each nuclear station has been made possible by Digital Plant Viewer, in addition to other contract labor reductions. By automating the distribution of these assets, and making them digital it allows for a reduction in manual personnel workload to collect and disseminate the information. Digital touch screens have been deployed which can display the Plant Viewer interface, including the electronic surveys, eliminating the need to post and update paper surveys in the field. By allowing workers to self-brief for low risk radiological activities with virtual tours, surveys and dose rates prior to entering the field, wait times and workload on Radiation Protection personnel has been reduced. By reducing the time a worker takes to prepare for their job through the easy availability of information, it reduces 38 NuclearPlantJournal.com Nuclear Plant Journal, September-October 2018