Andy -

Sorry about the prevous blank post - clicked the wrong button.

Now for the answer:

1.            What is the level of Operations involvement in fuel movement?

•             Is fuel movement at your site performed by Operations or by Vendor?

Both.  During outages, we utilize a vendor (W or Master/Lee).  Ops is always involved but it may be limited to SRO for overall responsibility and monitoring.

•             If Vendor, what group provides primary oversight?

Operations provides primary oversight of fuel handling with the lead Refueling SRO or lead Fuel AHndling SRO.

•             If Vendor, do you require any site specific training related to fuel movement?

We require normal site access and work group (FME, fall protection, etc.).  Vendor supplies individuals qualified to their program  and a supporting documentation of qualifications.  Typical statement in our procedures - "Fuel handling shall be performed only by qualified individuals.  Plant personnel shall possess the "OFUELHANDOPR" qualification.  Contract personnel shall possess current vendor qualifications for fuel handling."

•             When moving fuel in the SFP (non-outage) what role / responsibility does Operations have at your site? (On the bridge? – In the Area? – Remote Monitoring? – Periodic Observation?- Other?)

Ops would normally provide the SRO and fuel handlers.  Operations would be responsible for handling fuel and direct supervision of fuel handlers.

2.            What is the make-up of the Fuel movement Crew?  (Handler, Spotter, Coordinator, SRO?)

•             What groups participate in fuel movement and in what capacity?

                For non-outage fuel movement, typically there is  a fuel handler , spotter and SRO.  The SRO may be the spotter.

For outage (offload and reload), there is an SRO in containment with the vendor crew (manipulator driver, spotter) and an upender operator.  In the fuel building there will be a fuel building supervisor, a vendor fuel handler  and an upender operator.  RE is typically present performing fuel inspections at pool side during offload and monitoring assembly IDs during reload.

•             What verifications are performing during fuel movement and who performs them?

Location verifications are performed by Operations and fuel handling personnel (fuel handler and supervisor in FHB, SRO. manipulator operator and spotter in containment). 

RE performs fuel assembly verification during reload to verify ID and location through video.

•             Do you have site personnel qualified to move fuel or do you exclusively use contractors?

                Operations has qualified fuel handlers and moves fuel for non-outage fuel handling (fuel receipt, ISFSI loading, outage preps, etc.). 

3.            Do you have a detailed communication script for fuel movement?

This depends on the lead SRO.  We brief required communications as part of the prejob briefs for the evolution.  Expectations would include 3-way communications, positive verification of conditions and reporting requirements for issues.

4.            What specific barriers do you have in place to minimize the potential for a fuel mispositioning event?

Mispositioning barriers are the verifications performed during fuel handling - verify location is correct, second verify and then insert assembly and verify correct before unlatching.  From a typical fuel handling procedure,  "Two individuals shall verify SFP locations using diverse methods, and use placekeeping on the Special Nuclear Material Movement Sheet. "

5.            What pieces of information are included on your fuel movement sheets?

Movement authorization sheets headings for fuel movement during normal operations are:

Step No.

From

Location Verification

Begin or Latch Time

Intermediate Location and activity

Final Location

Location Verification

End or Unlatch Time

Date

Item ID No.

Remarks

Perf

CV

Perf

CV

or, for offload/reload/shuffle:

PLAN

FROM

TO

ACTUAL STEP NO.*

STEP NO.

FUEL ASSY.

INSERT

CORE LOC.

SFP LOC

UP END

OTHER

TIME

CORE LOC.

SFP LOC

UP END

OTHER

DEV. NO.

TIME

INIT

COMMENTS

DATE:

•             How are verifications documented during fuel movement?

Our operators use a circle/slash method.  We have udpated our movement sheets to conform to their need (we had a misposition event where poor form layout was considered to be a contributor).

6.            Once the activity is scheduled and movement sheets have been generated, what is the process for moving a fuel assembly during a refueling outage?

I'm not sure what you're looking for here - once planned and scheduled, we will perform movements to the appropriate fuel handling procedure.  We have procedures for offload, reload and insert shuffles.  The entire crew will assemble, tailboard as required and move to their stations.  Appropriate communications, other prerequisites  and monitoring will be established or verified and then authorization to proceed will be given.  At that point, fuel movement will start. 

7.            Once the activity is scheduled and movement sheets have been generated, what is the process for moving a fuel assembly during when not in a refueling outage?

Again, I'm not sure what you're looking for here - once planned and scheduled, we will perform movements to the appropriate fuel handling procedure.  We have a normal fuel handling procedure for non-outage fuel movement in the spent fuel pool.  At the start, the crew will assemble, tailboard the evolution, verify prerequisites and start the evolution.

From: pwrrm@r

etaqs.com [mailto:pwrrm@retaqs.com] On Behalf Of Kelliher, Andrew P
Sent: Wednesday, February 01, 2012 4:45 AM
To: 'pwrrm@retaqs.com'
Cc: Knowles, Justin W; Hellems, Ryan T; Brown, Kenneth
Subject: [Pwrrm] FW: Fuel Movement in the SFP (non-outage)

R.E. Ginna is obviously attempting to utilize more informal benchmarking (i.e. this mailing list) to try to improve SFP related activities and controls. Over the last few weeks I’ve kind of been spamming this list but I feel your responses will greatly help Ginna going forward. Thank you for all your responses to this point.

See below for (hopefully) our last set of questions for a while. This time the questions are mostly from our Director of Reactor Services and relates to fuel movement.

Your response to any of the questions below will be much appreciated.

Thank you in advance for you time,

-Andy

Andrew Kelliher

Reactor Engineer

R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant

Phone: (585) 771-3457

"I'm just sayin', I don't like fun." - Karl Pilkington

From: Brown, Kenneth
Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2012 3:10 PM
To: pwrrm@retaqs.com
Subject: Fuel Movement in the SFP (non-outage)

I am looking for information related primarily to Non-Outage fuel movement in the SFP.

1. What is the level of Operations involvement in fuel movement?

· Is fuel movement at your site performed by Operations or by Vendor?

· If Vendor, what group provides primary oversight?

· If Vendor, do you require any site specific training related to fuel movement?

· When moving fuel in the SFP (non-outage) what role / responsibility does Operations have at your site? (On the bridge? – In the Area? – Remote Monitoring? – Periodic Observation?- Other?)

2. What is the make-up of the Fuel movement Crew?  (Handler, Spotter, Coordinator, SRO?)

· What groups participate in fuel movement and in what capacity?

· What verifications are performing during fuel movement and who performs them?

· Do you have site personnel qualified to move fuel or do you exclusively use contractors?

·

3. Do you have a detailed communication script for fuel movement?

4. What specific barriers do you have in place to minimize the potential for a fuel mispositioning event?

5. What pieces of information are included on your fuel movement sheets?

· How are verifications documented during fuel movement?

6. Once the activity is scheduled and movement sheets have been generated, what is the process for moving a fuel assembly during a refueling outage?

7. Once the activity is scheduled and movement sheets have been generated, what is the process for moving a fuel assembly during when not in a refueling outage?

Thanks for feedback,

Ken Brown

R. E. Ginna Reactor Services

Desk   585-771-3314

Mobile  585-465-1432

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