Use of collaboration software to improve nuclear power plant outage management
Abstract
Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) refueling outages create some of the most challenging activities the utilities face in both tracking and coordinating thousands of activities in a short period of time. Other challenges, including nuclear safety concerns arising from atypical system configurations and resource allocation issues, can create delays and schedule overruns, driving up outage costs. Today the majority of the outage communication is done using processes that do not take advantage of advances in modern technologies that enable enhanced communication, collaboration and information sharing. Some of the common practices include: runners that deliver paper-based requests for approval, radios, telephones, desktop computers, daily schedule printouts, and static whiteboards that are used to display information. Many gains have been made to reduce the challenges facing outage coordinators; however; new opportunities can be realized by utilizing modern technological advancements in communication and information tools that can enhance the collective situational awareness of plant personnel leading to improved decision-making. Ongoing research as part of the Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program (LWRS) has been targeting NPP outage improvement. As part of this research, various applications of collaborative software have been demonstrated through pilot project utility partnerships. Collaboration software can be utilized as part of themore »
- Authors:
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1182225
- Report Number(s):
- INL/CON-14-33992
TRN: US1500169
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC07-05ID14517
- Resource Type:
- Conference
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 9. International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control, and Human Machine Interface Technologies, Charlotte, NC (United States), 23-26 Feb 2015
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS; REACTOR FUELING; NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS; OUTAGES; COMPUTER CODES; INFORMATION; COMMUNICATIONS; SCHEDULES; PROGRAMMING; MANAGEMENT; DECISION MAKING; MONITORING
Citation Formats
Germain, Shawn. Use of collaboration software to improve nuclear power plant outage management. United States: N. p., 2015.
Web.
Germain, Shawn. Use of collaboration software to improve nuclear power plant outage management. United States.
Germain, Shawn. Sun .
"Use of collaboration software to improve nuclear power plant outage management". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1182225.
@article{osti_1182225,
title = {Use of collaboration software to improve nuclear power plant outage management},
author = {Germain, Shawn},
abstractNote = {Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) refueling outages create some of the most challenging activities the utilities face in both tracking and coordinating thousands of activities in a short period of time. Other challenges, including nuclear safety concerns arising from atypical system configurations and resource allocation issues, can create delays and schedule overruns, driving up outage costs. Today the majority of the outage communication is done using processes that do not take advantage of advances in modern technologies that enable enhanced communication, collaboration and information sharing. Some of the common practices include: runners that deliver paper-based requests for approval, radios, telephones, desktop computers, daily schedule printouts, and static whiteboards that are used to display information. Many gains have been made to reduce the challenges facing outage coordinators; however; new opportunities can be realized by utilizing modern technological advancements in communication and information tools that can enhance the collective situational awareness of plant personnel leading to improved decision-making. Ongoing research as part of the Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program (LWRS) has been targeting NPP outage improvement. As part of this research, various applications of collaborative software have been demonstrated through pilot project utility partnerships. Collaboration software can be utilized as part of the larger concept of Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW). Collaborative software can be used for emergent issue resolution, Outage Control Center (OCC) displays, and schedule monitoring. Use of collaboration software enables outage staff and subject matter experts (SMEs) to view and update critical outage information from any location on site or off.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1182225},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {2015},
month = {2}
}