ML20090H793

Speech Entitled Industry Evaluation of Operating Shift Experience Requirements, Presented at 840224 Workshop

ML20090H793
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Site:	Byron
Issue date:	02/24/1984
From:	John Miller GEORGIA POWER CO.
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NUDOCS 8405170340
Download: ML20090H793 (22)

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DOCSTRY EVALIRTICN OF ,

OPERATING SHIFT EXPERIDCE RECUDLN'rS

- BY: J. H. Miller, Jr.

President, Georgia Power Ca pany For: NRC Ccumissioners lith Floor Confererce Roca 1717 H. Street, Northwest Washington, D.C.

l February 24, 1984 9

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Good afternoon Chairman Paladino, Camissioners, Staff Menbers and My nme is H. Miller, Jr. and I fellow utility' representatives. J.

appreciate the opportunity ,of addressing you today. As the President of Georgia Power em, I have a great professional and personal interest in the future of the nuclear industry. Georgia Power has ccanitted major resources to nuclear generation and currently has a two-unit BWR in ccmnercial operation and a two-unit PWR under construction scheduled for a 1986 startup. In addition, I serve as the C2aiman of the Association of Today, a!ison Illuninating Cmpanies Ccenittee on power generation.

however, I am acting not only as a representive of Georgia Power Capany, but also as an industry represe'ntative for utilities with current NRC Operating License Applications on t:he subject .of operating shift experience.

ite list of utilities which support our position is included in your .

handout. At this point, I'd like to introduce several utility executives who have expertise associated with shift operating experience levels.

Hal Ibcker, VP Duke Power Cordell Reed, VP Ccanonwealth Edison Don Schnell, VP Union Electric 1

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l In addition, a nmber of executives fra utilities seeking an operating license are mecbers of- our audience, and several executives frm other i

I utilities who have interest in nuclear cperations are also present.

PERSPECTIVE Before presenting the industry position on operating shift experience, I  !

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Past operating experience is want to put the issue in proper perspective.

Other ; emponents'

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only one c+ent in the qualifications of operators.

to involve selection of very that all of us comit substantial resources talented individuals to be operators, extensive femal classrom education and training, observation and participation at similar nuclear plants away frm our service areas, professional simulator training on nomal evolutions to develop proficiency and on abnomal evolutions that can not be involvenent of our operations experienced at an cperating plana, direct l personnel in own plant testing arid bot functionals, deanding written and oral exaninations administered by both the utilities and NRC, extensive i

ragualification training including examinations and simulator retraining and continuing management involvenant to assure that our qualification programs provide high quality professional operators to help assure protection of the health and safety of the public and the enviroment.

i To highlight our continuing extensive ccanienent to having very professional operators manipulate the controls of our plants, I will briefly describe see of the elenents of Georgia Power's Plant Vogtle operator I qualification progran.

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• mis progra is typical of NICL's. Recently Georgia Powar interviewed and I tested more than 400 applicants for positions that lead to operator licensing. Less than 8 percent of the applicants passed our selection testing and only 5 percent were interested in operator jobs after shift ,

mis selection process results in the.

requiranants 'were explained.

But it is l

retention of people with the special talent to becme operators.

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only the first step in a long process. De Plant Vogtle Training Center has ~

21s modern facility more than 40,000 sq. ft. dedicated to training.

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! supports comprehensive classrom training prograns for our operators.

i Georgia Power's four year degreed engineers who are scheduled to be licensed for the startup receive more than 600 hours0.00694 days <br />0.167 hours <br />9.920635e-4 weeks <br />2.283e-4 months <br /> of classrom instruction in the 1

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fundamentals of nuclear theory and Vogtle Plant system operation. l programs are demanding ' and our examinations are tough. To date we have removed 30% of the initial class of degreed personnel fra our operations prograns for failing to meet our standards.

4 Plant specific simulator training on the Vogtle simulator will have been i i

used by Georgia Power to develop operator knowledge and proficiency during the four years prior to fuel load. Our Vogtle specific simulator has been i

in operation since mid 1982. Extensive participation training and ,

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s experience has started for our operators.at similar operating plants. I i

proggans are structured and scheduled to ensure that our operators will be i men, our operators involved with the important aspects of hot experience.

return to Plant Vogtle to directly participate in the extranely valuable )

preoperational testing progran. Operators manipulate controls of Vogtle f

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When equipnent 10 squipent when plant systems are first placed in service.

Having started for the first time, problens are encountered and resolved.

our operators involved with test supervisory personnel provides the startup experience to our operators and enables than to receive hands-on exp to becane intimately faniliar with Vogtle specific equipnent and systens.

marther, during this period the operators will use and correct procedures In fact, our piocedure development effort will which they helped develop.

than on the-first check out our procedures by 'having our operators use simulator be*n e they are used in the plant.

Like other utilities, Georgia Power feels that we have structured a very for our operators. When canpleted, canprehensive qualification progran Georgia Power will have operators who know how to manipulate vogtle e

to produce power safely and efficiently. '

with that perspective, I an now going to present the industry position concerning the much narrower issue of operating shift experience.

BAGGROUND During the past few months, the NRC expressed concern over the operati shift experience levels for Near Term operating License (moL) plants.

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(SLIDE 1 BACKGUR) l Such concerns led to a NRC staff meeting with the NICLS on January 26, 1984. As a result of that meeting 33 representatives fra 21 utilities met.

at INPO in Atlanta on February 2 to discuss operating shift experience.

During this meeting an Industry Work Group was formed which consisted of 16 .

representatives fra 15 utilities. Se mission of the Industry Work Group <

was to define empenents of operating shift experience and establish acceptable methods of meeting this experience.

Se group also reviewed the availability of the industry's licensed personnel and evaluated the potential effects of implananting the NRC staff objectives, provided in the January 26 meeting in Bethesda. After acceplishir.g its mission, the working ' group presented its finings to representatives of the NICL cm panies.

PURPOSE (SLIDE 2 PURPOSE) 1 My purpose in addressing you today is to present the industry position on the level and type of operating shift experience required for the safe startup and initial operation of a nuclear generating plant. In order to do

- this, I will discuss the various considerations exanined by the group in light of the teC staff Cbjectives.

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2ere are several general areas which I will address in considering shift experience. 'Ihese are: first, elenents of experience; second, types  !

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factors; third, operating shift o .of nuclear experience and weighting experience requirements, and finally, evaluation of staff objectives.

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(SLIDE 3 ELDENTS OF PINFr EXPERIENG) ,

A way to describe shift experience necessary to startup a nuclear power 4

plant and place it in service is to consider five elements of experience.

First, licensed menbers of the operating shift must have experience with power plant machinery and controls; but it is not necessary for that type of knowledge and experience to be gained only in nuclear power plants. Much of the equipent in a large nuclear power plant is very similar to that used in other power plants. Very valuable power plant q uipnent experience can also be gained through preoperational testing of quipnent at the operators' own .

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nuclear power plant. Military plant experience also provides a good base for hands-on quipnent experience.

A second element of experience, which is considered essential is knowledge of the plant-specific layout and design parameters. Participation in the preoperational test progran using plant specific procedures and equipment is an excellent way to assure thorough plant and quipnent J knowledge. Wis is the preferred way to obtain such experience.

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'Ihird , licensed operators should be able to respond quickly and effectively to plant trrnsients. We believe that the most effective way shift crews can ac;uire this skill is through the use of plant simulators.

'Ibe reason is that many transients can be simulated and resimulated in a short time; unlike " hot" plant experience where, in one year, relatively ~ <

few transients might occur while personnel are on shift. Even time spent on a non-plant specific simulator can provide valuable experience in reacting _

-to transients. Furthermore, simulators are the only way operators can be trained to react to and correctly handle many transients which would not be possible to schedule during plant operation.

Fourth, previous experience in a highly-disciplined, tightly-controlled enviroment is important in assuring shift empetence. Licensed perso nel should aa;uire and denonstrate skill working within the confines of a tightly-controlled plant, ineimHk technical specifications, procedures, quality assurance and radiation protection. Obviously, working on shift at an operating camercial plant would establish this experience. But this is not the only way; experience can also be gained at- military and other

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, reactors.

Fifth, an SRO must have supervisory experience in managing events and people. Although this experience can be obtained at a nuclear plant, it can also be obtained in the military, and to a great extent, frm other plant supervisory experience.

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.t Finally, these elments of plant experience when cabined in a shift This shift tem ' experience  !

teen provide effective nuclear shift management. I concept is much preferred to the one-enan concept of plant " experts". l l

NUCIZAR IdXPERIENCE AND WEIGfTING FACTORS _

(SLIDE 4 -TYPES CF NOCIZAR EXPERIENG AND WEICRING FACIORS) .

We believe' that sme types of experience are more effective in helping to provide operating empetence than others. 'Ib appropriately embine different types of nuclear experience, the Industry Working Group developed weighting factors and a method of applying then to experience. The fomula is:

i Nuclear Experience = (Type of Nuclear Experience ) x (Weighting Factor)

Ibliowing my presentation Don Schnell will present the details of and background of the weighting factors. The Working Group considered the full

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range of experience and the more significant types of nuclear experience were listed on this slide.

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's OPERATING SHIIT EXFF."CENCE c fe.uam6 (Slide 5 - OPERATING SHIFr EXPERIENCE towm6)

- Slide 5. shows the experience that the License Applicants consider would help assure protection of the health and safety of the public and environnent. 2e experience figures were derived in part frem appropriate elsnents of-ANS 3.1-1981 supplanented to provide a practical solution to the

" Hot" experience concern. It re:;uires a minimtzn of 13 years total power plant experience and six years nuclear plant experience on each shift. By applying experience factors that Mr. Schnell will describe, the industry's position is that each shift will have the experience canpetence necessary to provide a high level of operator proficiency. Further, as the unit operates over time, the people on shift will' becane more and more experienced. Beir perfecnance will, in the normal c~ourse of business, be monitored by the plant management so that their ccmpetence should ireprove with operation of -

, the unit.

SHIFT ADVISCR l

l For many of the near tecn plants, the NRC has required - that an experienced advisor be assigned to each shift. This advisor was to augment the utility organization until suitable experience could be developed by the utility staff. Tu strengthen the advisor role and to provide an approach to replace advisors with utility personnel, the industry has developed the following.

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Advisors will have standtrd qualific:;tions which includa previous " Ho to be started up.

licensed ' experience, ard utility training on the unit They will be Bere will be a clear definition of the advisor's duties.

-experienced people and will receive formal training as required, with and the shift specific training about their duties and responsibilities, training on

• the advisor's duties and crews will also receive responsibilities. ney will not perfom , licensed operator duties unless Mr. Schnell will also present they are licensed on that specific reactor.

the details of the advisor qualifications and duties.

EVAIUATICN OF STAFF CEutLT1VES_

(SLICE 6 - NRC STAFF CE7TIIVES) t he Industry Working. Group has reviewed the NRC Staff Objectives and We do not agree that considered their potential impact on the irxiustrf. -

meeting these objectives would necessarily improve .the safety margin of the industry's plants.

9 (SLIDE 7 - EFFECT OF NRC STAFF C&7ECTIVES) in a large We believe. that meeting the staff objectives would result -

movement of licensed personnel fra operating plants to NICL plants which would obviously dilute the . operating plants' level of shift expertise.

Alternatively, the movenant of sme of the license candidates in training at long to operating plants for the purpose of undertaking a NICLs license / experience progran would cause those candidates to miss important r

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21s loss of portions of preoperational testing at their bane plant.

preoperational test experience would in our opinion reduce the margin of safety for plants in startup. Me overan margin of safety for both s

operating and startup plants would therefore be adversely iwad.

Also, plant startups could be delayed by the need to aaguire, train, and

- license people not previously identified to fin the shift experience levels, Bis would result in very large capital i

specified in the staff objectives.

costs without apparent offsetting benefits.

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SONARY In suunary the _ owners and operators of nuclear power plants with current t

NRC Operating License Applications are cannitted to providing a high level of on-shift operating experience. mis win help assure safe operation of our plants.

(SLIDE 8 - SGNARY) t i

We anderse stated experience reguirements shown in the previous slide #5 In addition, we recognize the need for which Mr. . Schnell win discuss.

contributing to fulfilling such defining the types of experience requirenants and we plan to use weighting factors as Mr. Schnell will also discuss.

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We plan to provide two SRCs per shift, on2 of whm has Et lea t six months of " Hot" participation. For those plants that cannot p,rovide the

" Hot" participation requirenents for SRCs, a qualified advisor would. be used until such time as their shift persennel are qualified. Of course, these advisors would be trained as Mr. Schnell will describe. The shiIt crews will also be trained on the duties and responsibilities of such advisor.

Further, we would like to eliminate advisors by meeting the stated shift-experience levels with our own people within three years of acceptance of this position by the NRC. .

To conclude, each of us has a large invest:nent in our facilities. We are addressing today the subject of' operating shift experience. This is only one w= gent in the lengthy,iemplex, and denanding job of qualifying

. cur operators. Each of us is detemined to place these units in operation

. safely. We believe that the position we have outlined today will accmplish .

our mutual goals and will result in improved safety margins, and help assure the protection of the health and safety of the public.

Don Schnell V. P. Nuclear, Union Electric Cmpany will present Nuclear Operating Experience Requirenants, Plant Experience Weighting Factors a.x!

the Shift Advisor qualifications.

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OPERATING SHHT EXPERIDiCZ iuwh6 SIEES BY: J. H. Miller, Jr.

President, Georgia Power Ca pany For: NRC Constissioners

.11th Floor Conference Room 1717.H. Street, Northwest Washington, D.C.

February 24, 1984 P

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l BACKGROUND

. DATE EVENT January 26

• NRC Staff Meeting with NTOLS to Present Objectives

- February 2-22

• Operating Shift Experience Meetings Held .

• Industry Working Group Formed

• Utility Management Accepted Industry Working Group Findings February 24

• Presentation to NRC Commissioners f

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PURPOSE Present industry po'sition on the level and type of operating shift experience required for the safe startup and initial operation of a nuclear generating plant. .

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l ELEMENTS OF PLANT EXPERIENCE _

• Power Plant Machinery and Controls

• Plant Specific Layout and Design Parameters

• Response to Plant Transients

• Highly Disciplined, Tightly Controlled Environment

• Supervisory Experience e

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8 TYPES OF NUCLEAR EXPERIENCE AND WEIGHTING FACTORC FORMULA l

Nuclear Experience = (Type of Nuclear Experience) x (Weighting Factor) l t

TYPES OF NUCLEAR EXPERIENCE SROIRO Same Type Plant SRO/RO Commercial Plant Navy (Military) Plant '

Simulator Participation at Operating Nuclear Plant License Training Other Nuclear Experience Degree Experience on Own Plant I

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OPERATING SHIFT EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS Hot Participation Experience -

n Power Nuclear at Same Type Plant

• Plant Plant Startup

. Experience Experience and 6 Months 1 Position Years Years License 720% Pwr Shutdown on Shift 2 SRO 6 weeks X Either j Shift Supy 4 Sr Operator 3 2 .SRO 6 weeks SHO

! Licensed Oper 3 1 ..

RO 1 Licensed Oper 3 1 RO Totals 13 6 -

• ll any of the Hot Participation Experience requirements are not satisfied by the SRO's, a qualified advisor'is required.

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B NRC STAT:s: CBJECTIVES t

1. At least one SRO on each operating shift should have a minimum of one year of. hot operating experience on a similar type commercial plant at the SRO level -

- 2. Eliminate use of technical advisors for meeting minimum shift crew experience levels

3. All SROs should have substantial hot operating experience as ROs at facility on which licensed or similar facility I

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EFFECTS OF NRC STAFF OBJECTIVES

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• Dilute Shift Experience for Operating Plants

• Result in Loss of PreHJp Test Experience in i Own Plant

• Delay Startup of Some Plants

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SUMMARY

INDUSTRY POSITION'ON OPERATING SHIFT -

EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

• Follow Stated Experience Requirements for Operating Shift Personnel Shown on Slide 5 (Derived from ANS 3.1-1981)

• Use Weighting Factors in Assessing Experience

• Have at least One SRO with Six Months " Hot" Participation at the Same Type Plant on Each Shift

-OR-1 Provide a Qualified Advisor Until the Plant Staff Meets Stated Experience Requirements i

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