ML20024B291

Nuclear Operator Requalification,Simulator & Classroom Approach

ML20024B291
Person / Time
Site:	Crane
Issue date:	07/06/1983
From:	Elliott N BABCOCK & WILCOX CO.
To:
References
TASK-01, TASK-1, TASK-GB GPU-2422, PROC-830706, NUDOCS 8307080276
Download: ML20024B291 (8)

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St* CLEAR OPE 1ATOR REOUALIFICATION_

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Babcock & Wilcox l

Plant operstors ptsy a crucisi role in naintaining nuclear station avail-They must make hundreds of operating decisions every shif t, based on ability.

thousands of procedures and instrument readings.

NRC licensed operstors have stready undergone thorough training and i

passed rigorous examinations. But operscing and safety procedures at nuclear plants are continually changing to cope with new equipment and practises in-

And, troduced se the plant and to satisfy updated government regulations.

even without these changes, the nucicar plant operator's job is so complex that he needs frequent review to keep his skills at a high level.

NRC Requirements for Roousiffiestion 1

This is why the NRC requires - in the Code of Federal Regulations 10 i

CFR, Part 55 Appendix A - that licensed and senior control roon operators participate in requalifiestion programs.

Participation is required by operators who actively use their license and desire renewal, normally every second year. In addition, an operator muse pass a written exam for exemption from the classroom portion of,the requalifi-I Execption is allowed for individuals scoring 80% or greater cation program.

I on the written exanination.

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t ne regr.alification progras

=ust include lectures on the theory of o;eration, s;ecific plast operating characteristics, instru=entation and l

j control, pla=t protection, ecgineeted safety syste=s, nor=al and e=ergency operating proced-res, radiation control safety, technical specifications a

and other ite=s related to the particular nuclear unit.

6 During the license renewal period (tvo years), each operator must nani-I pulate the coctrols of his facility (or si=alator) through at least 10

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reactivity cha=ges, consisting of reactor startups, shutdowns oc =ajor power changes. In add.ition, each operator =ust de= castrate his understanding of f

I che control roca equipment and the operating procedures of the plant.

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The S!:malacor

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ne control roon simulator is the key ingredient in the requalification program. The si=nlator essentially duplicates the conditions of a nuclear plant control room, with the instncentation and control panels connected to a computer instead of an operating reactor. Simulators accurately duplicate the control situation and the NIC accepts si=ulator training as a substitute for operati=g a reactor through the required 10 reactivity changes. This saves the utflity money because its reactor does not have to be =aneuvered just for training ;arposes, and plant availability is therefore increased.

The use of a simulator provides more thorough training than is possible with an operating reactor. For exa=ple, a control evol'ution can be repeated when the evolution does not occur as intended or planned. Also, alternate or more correct solutions to operating proble=s can be demonstrated. Unusual situations also can be si=ulated, giving the operator hands-on experience i

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at e.anipulating the coatrols, in real ti=e.

Thus a traisee can exercise judg=ent on an operating probles without involving an on-line reactor.

Prepara tion i

The basic si=ulator requalification program cust be modified, however, t

to satisfy the needs of the particular station.

In setting up Babcock & W11cox's five-day requalification program, for example, the pri=ary instructor for each B&W operating plant incorporates the utility's needs into a progras that meets the h*RC's require =ents.

The primary instructor holds a senior reactor operator's license, which he may have earned at the students station..

As a first step, the primary instructor contacts the utility's plant training coordinator to assess the station's training needs and to identify those operating evolutions most valuable to the plant's staff. Trou this initial contact, usually by telephdne, the instructor prepares a daily schedule of events and classroom sessions by combining evolutions and lecture.copics suggested by the training coordinator with the basic program outline.

Then the primary instructor visits the plant to review the schedule tith the training coordinator and the operations supervisor. As a final check, the instructor ceets with the control roon shif ts that operate the 7

plant. The operators and supervisors identify operating evolutions that will be cost helpful to thes and e.ake suggestions for further refining the l

l progran schedule. Babcock & Wilcox has found this contact with the operating

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i personnel to be one of the =ost valuable aids in adapting the requalification

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Af ter auditing staf f needs, the pri=sry instructor obesins the station's l

l latest procedures (both nor::a1 and abnor:si) and the current plant technical l

These docu=ents will then be reproduced and used at the

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specifications.

i training facility.

Maintain Interest In developing the progrs:n, the instructors try to structure it to main-tain the interest of licensed operators. Seesuse requalification students already operate nuclear facilities, they tend to be less enthusiastic than students working toward their initial P.ot License Startup Certifiestion or Cold License Certification.

The program, then, must give the individus1 the opportunity to expand his espsbilities, to secouplish the evolutions of a power plant and see, on a real-time basis, the ef fects of his operating decisions.

The course also nust apply diTectly to the plant the operstor works in.

The simuistor is operated to suit the procedures of the plant under study and i

l thus is essentially identical in operation to the parent unit for sesttup, power escalation, and shutdown /cooldown.

I Whenever possible. B&W's Lynchburg, Virginia, training center schedules two hours of simulator operations, followed by two hours in the cIsssroom.

Two hours of siculator training is long enough for an advanced student to I

perform serecal ceaningful evolutions and not so long that the events seen j

to run together.

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On ocession, four-hour si=ulacor se.ssions are schedulei. This represents the longest period students can effecti.ely use the si=ulator because of the intense concentration required.

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34W 11 sits si=ulator class size to three individusts, the typical nuclear plant control room comple=ent of tvo reactor operstors and a shif t supervisor.

Increasing the class size to four reduces effectiveness becsuse the fourth student is not'.'ac,tively involved in the operating evolution and asy also distract those who are.

Croup Approach The small class size pernits a close working relationship between the I

students and encoursges group solutions to problems. Through this ceas activity, each nenber of the class bMTde confidence in the others, which is I

brought back to the parent plant.

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B&W instructors try to maintain a training environ =ent that puts as little I

stress as possible on the students. They, then, can learn in a constructive h

I environment t!.st encourages learning from errors. In this aspect, the sf-mit a tor

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is far superior to training with an operating unit. At an operating unit, the i

demands of maintaining production and =eeting safety require =ents creates a

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high-pressure environment that is not conducive to learning.

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Some of the classroom sessions are tied directly to si=ulator activities.

In these sessions, instructor and students explore the technical reasons for g

plant reactic ? to operator decisions.

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i Is the MW progras, design engineers also prese t lectures on safety and I

control a alysis to give students deeper kscwledge of how the total systes I

works. Classroon presentations also cover :odificatio:s to the ::SS that have l

been sade since the students last attemded a requalificatios progras. Tech-i nical proble=s - both geseric and specific to the plant in question - also are cevered. Tor exa=ple. MW instructors have briefed traisees on steam i

generator tube failures and their causes. how operators should react to them.

how they are repaired and the nessures being taken to prevent then. Other discussions have covered reactor cool $st pump seal operation and reactor trip caused by high pressure in the reactor coolant systes resulting fraz 'a turbine trip.

Other Traininz Tools i.

Videotapes and slide presentations also can be us d to reinforce the sf n12 tor / classroom program. B&W has found, too, that it is i=portant to have models of the control rod drive, fuel assembly and scelear steam system o

available as training tools.

Students are also encouraged to visit the nuclear fuel fabrication plant to obtain a good knowledge of the fuel that is used in the reactor.

Results Babcock & Wilcox and its electric utility custccers have found that well-scheduled; week-long requalificatica programs can help i= prove plant avail-ability while also satisfying !.RC require =ents.

Si=ulator instruction relieves the operating unit of so=e of their training duty and also familiarizes controt recs personnel with unusual operating situations. This prepares the operator to better handle casualties when and if they occur at the operating unit.

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Severs 1 Er4-traised operators, for ess=ple, have hees able to respeed daring accusi is.stru=ent failures (such as a feed systen tersture 1

i detector failure) that required quick action to prevent pla:t sh:.sedown.

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Si=nistor ersising siso prepares the operstor for less dra=atic situations that could affect reliability and power levels.

1 Although it is difficult to quantify the total benefits of proper training, highly-skilled operstors are essential to good pla=t perfor=sses and to ytoteeting the invest =ent a nuclear statico represents.

.12istaini=g these skills is a requalification program's primary goal.

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,I Table 1 P'."1 SDTI.ATOR RJ. QUALIFICATION TRADi!2;G FIVE-DAY COURSE I

Typical course content:

i Osv i Introduction Zeview of procedures: reactor startup and control rod drive operation Emactivity balance, subcritical =ultiplication, and esti=sted critical positions (ECP)

Control roon orientation Practical exercise: plant startup (from all rods in, to 20Z power) nav 2 Review of procedures: general power opeations Integrated control system review Control Rod Drive Malfunctions Review of operating curves anj Iinits Practical exercise: plant startup (12 shutdown to 100: power) integrated control systen operation in auto and manual, control rod drive malfunctions Day 3 Zeview of technical specifications Dilution calculations for startup Evaluation of. leak rates Practical exercise: plant startup by dilution, steam generator tube lesk, plant shutdown and cooldown Day &

Review of procedures: reactor trip, turbine trip and systes recovery Keview of transients and plant response Practical exercise: power operationn. Ioad rejection from 25% power, turbine trip, reactor trip, reactor r.irtup af ter trip Day 5 Review of procedures: stes: generator =alfunctions, non-nuclear i

• stru=ent failures, reactor coolant pu=p trip l

Review of safety analysis and reactor protective system setpoints Fractical exercise: power operations =anual integrated control syste:s operations, loss of feed.ater, instru=entation failures n

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