POWER November 2011 - 84

NUCLEAR I&C
4. Remote collaboration technology
used in a refueling outage.
Courtesy: INL
5. Operator using handheld technology
for component identification.
Courtesy: INL
Eighteen pilot projects have been proposed
over a 10-year period, grouped into
five broad areas of important performanceimprovement
enablers:
■ Highly integrated control rooms
■ Highly automated plant
■ Integrated operations
■ Human performance improvement for
field workers
■ Outage safety and efficiency
Two of the pilot projects are under way at
tion of the current operating nuclear fleet.
■ Ensuring that the near-term technologies
are immediately beneficial even while
they build up the comprehensive digital
environment.
■ Greatly reducing the risk of implementation
for any one utility, given that the
proven abilities of INL stand behind the
soundness of the technologies and that the
oversight of the Utility Working Group
provides a competent peer review.
■ Allowing utilities to move forward together
in transforming their operating
model to fully exploit these technologies,
and providing a transparent process
for coordination with the major industry
support organizations: the Electric
Power Research Institute, INPO, and
the Nuclear Energy Institute.
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■ Incorporating a perspective on regulatory
issues based on INL's extensive understanding
of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's
requirements in the area of digital
I&C technology and human factors.
nuclear plants. The first is the development
of advanced outage control at a Midwestern
nuclear plant that will greatly improve
communications, coordination, and collaboration
activities to minimize the impact of
challenges to the outage plan and schedule.
It will develop technologies that facilitate
real-time status and problem resolution, as
well as provide direct interaction between
the outage control center, the work execution
center, and plant workers at the job site
(Figure 4).
The second pilot project, at a SouthYour
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eastern nuclear plant, will develop mobile
worker technologies that enhance human
performance in the area of plant status control.
This involves the capability of positive
component identification and assurance that
correct actions have been taken (Figure 5). It
will also explore possibilities of direct verification
of correct component positions or
the use of streaming video for centralized
verifications. The project involves the use of
heads-up displays for field workers. Included
in this concept is the development of computerized
work packages on wireless mobile
devices (such as PDAs and tablets).
Two additional pilot projects are under
discussion with interested nuclear utilities.
One involves the integration of digital technologies
within a conventional nuclear plant
control room. It also includes the replacement
of traditional alarm systems with an advanced
alarm management system. The other involves
the development of computer-based procedures
for both operators and maintenance/
support personnel. This project is intended to
improve human performance, increase work
efficiency, and better manage nuclear risk associated
with work activities. ■
-Ken D. Thomas (kenneth.thomas@
inl.gov) is a senior consultant in the
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POWER | November 2011
Nuclear Safety & Regulatory Research
group at Idaho National Laboratory. He
was formerly manager, fleet technical
support for Duke Energy, Nuclear
Generation. Work supported by the DOE
Office of Nuclear Energy under DOE
Idaho Operations Contract DE-AC07051D14517.
T
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POWER November 2011

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