The EBR-II dome, site of the DOME advanced reactor test bed. (Photo: INL)
October 10, 2024, 2:24PMNuclear NewsGeoffrey Campbell and Christopher Koehler The clevis bolt replacement team working in parallel off of the refueling bridge. This team is working directly on the reactor vessel clevis with a first-of-a-kind docking station. (Photo: Westinghouse)
Unit 2 at the Prairie Island nuclear power plant near Red Wing, Minn., underwent an outage in fall 2023, which included extensive work on the reactor vessel using a novel approach to replace baffle-former bolts and lower radial clevis insert bolts. The work relied on extensive analysis beforehand to determine which bolts to replace such that only the new bolts were structurally credited for performance of their safety function. This proactive approach eliminated the need for costly contingencies associated with inspections.
October 10, 2024, 2:24PMNuclear NewsClaire Pieper and Dan Scholz A fatigue management program is used at
Xcel’s Monticello nuclear plant. (Photo: Indeavor)
Fatigue has been identified as a major risk factor in industrial accidents. According to the National Safety Council, 13 percent of workplace injuries can be attributed to fatigue.1 Other research indicates that working 12 hours per day is associated with a staggering 37 percent increase in risk of injury.2 Considering fatigue was a contributing factor to major nuclear accidents at Chernobyl and Three Mile Island, it makes sense that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission imposes hefty fines to ensure strict adherence to its fatigue management regulations—particularly, Code of Federal Regulations Title 10, Part 26, “Fitness for Duty Programs.”
Master Chemistry Technician Tolbert Livingston in Chemical Controls. (Photo: Wolf Creek)
Sam Lochmann is a well-respected sergeant in the security department at the Wolf Creek nuclear power plant near Burlington, Kan. The plant, a 1,200-MWe Westinghouse pressurized water reactor operated by Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation (WCNOC), had its 26th refueling outage this past spring.
Understanding the forces driving and impacting the advancement of our clean nuclear energy future
American Nuclear Society Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer Craig Piercy speaks at the 2024 UWC opening plenary.
The 2024 Utility Working Conference brought together the nuclear industry’s best in August to discuss and learn from key developments, successes, opportunities, and needs in the sector. American Nuclear Society Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer Craig Piercy opened the conference and its first plenary by talking about the nuclear industry’s current momentum.
The three elements of radioactive material risk (Image: U.S. GAO)
A new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office finds that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has not taken the steps needed to address the potential economic and societal radiological risks that could arise from a “dirty bomb.”