1. INPO Configuration Management Activities
Debbie Williams
Senior Evaluator, CM

2. EN/CM Department

3. INPO CM Focus Areas Plant-specific issues Industry issues
Including issues with product quality, configuration control, reactor engineering, and engineering leadership. Causes often involve engineering fundamentals.
Industry issues
Margin management
Cable Aging Management
Technical Conscience
Nuclear fuel performance (including channel distortion)
Transformer/switchyard/grid issues
Gas accumulation

4. Margin Management Ongoing department focus area
Fundamental to plant safety
Key cause of long-term shutdowns
Average of five AFIs per year
Extensive efforts at some plants to reconstitute design basis, upgrade calculations, and quantify/improve margins
Debbie Williams
Kirk Weir
Ken Nickerson

5. Engineering Fundamentals
Engineering management effectiveness
Exec summary issue for several evaluations
Fundamentals at individual level
Knowledge/skill
Knowledge worker human performance
Advocacy and technical conscience
Carl Faller

6. Technical Conscience
The personal obligation leaders and individuals feel and exercise to ensure plant operation, maintenance, and engineering activities are conducted in a manner that preserves operating, design, and safety
Attributes:
Leaders Respect and Reinforce the Importance of Technical Considerations in Decision-Making
Engineering Leaders Accept and Exercise Technical Authority
Engineers Identify, Communicate, and Advocate Resolution of Technical Concerns
Engineers Adhere to Sound Engineering Principles & Judgment
Engineers Challenge Conditions and Decisions When Needed

7. Nuclear Fuel Integrity
Industry goal of zero failures by 2010
Completed review visits to all sites
Evaluation team review/follow-up
Fuel vendor assist visits
Currently, about 86 percent w/o failures
Greatest challenges:
Grid-to-rod fretting (particularly at B&W and CE NSSS plants)
Debris-related failures
“Surprise” failures – emerging failure modes (P-grid)
Some recent failures after shutting down for
refueling outages
Jim Doxsey
Bob Burnham
Scott Hawn
Scott Hawn
Randy Tropasso
Shingo Tsumura

8. Transformer/Switchyard/Grid
Continuing concern as event initiator; affects reliability of offsite power
Evaluation activities
Review visits completed at all sites
Several follow-up visits in 2010
Evaluation teams looking at switchyard PMs
and transformer life-cycle management
Excellence Guideline issued in July 2009; utility
self-assessments requested by July 2010
Engaging CEOs and CNOs to help improve nuclear/transmission alignment
New SOER with updated recommendations
(Early 2010)
Shawn Simon
Wes Frewin

9. Other Activities Cable Aging Management
Engineering project management; vendor oversight
Digital issues and cyber security
Debbie
Williams
Carl
Faller
Ken
Nickerson
Wes Frewin
Debbie
Williams

10. Emerging focus areas for 2010
Actions to improve engineering product quality
Engage utilities and engineering vendors
Engineering Product Quality Workshop

11. 2010 Meetings and Seminars Technical working meetings
Transformer/switchyard/grid (August 17-18)
Cable Aging Management (August 24-25)
Digital upgrade* (August Comanche Peak)
PWR Reactor engineering (Dec 7-9)
General working meetings
Design Engineering Managers (July 20-21)
Engineering Managers Forum* (Dec St. Lucie)
Training/development
New Engineering Director Seminar (Sept 28-30)
* = Co-hosted with utility