Qualified nuclear engineer certification program at Commonwealth Edison

Conference · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1993 · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States)

OSTI ID:6912506

Tracy, C L; Boyar, J W ^[1]

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1. Commonwealth Edison Co., Chicago, IL (United States)

Commonwealth Edison (CECo) has utilized a nuclear engineer training and certification program called the Qualified Nuclear Engineer (QNE) Program for many years to ensure that on-site nuclear engineers are ready to assume critical responsibilities in support of reactor operations and reactivity management. Review of this program is significant now because it effectively implements and exceeds the guidance provided by the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations in ACAD 91-017, [open quotes]Guidelines for Training and Qualification of Engineering Support Personnel[close quotes] for position-specific training of reactor engineers. The CECo QNE program was initiated for boiling water reactor (BWR) station nuclear engineers after reactivity management events occurred in the early 1970s. In 1974 and 1975, two major fuel-failure events occurred in CECo BWR cores caused, in part, by control rod manipulations inappropriate for the original 7 x 7 fuel, which was very susceptible to pellet-clad interaction. In the 1980s pressurized water reactor (PWR) stations across the nation also had a significant number of reactivity management events. From these events, it was apparent that PWR as well as BWR nuclear engineers needed more specialized training to protect the fuel and a PWR QNE program was implemented at CECo. The major purpose of the QNE program is to provide engineers with the proper training and experience to enable them to make good decisions and recommendations regarding core reactivity and fuel performance. The duties that a QNE can be expected to perform after certification include (a) providing reactivity management guidance to operations personnel during normal and abnormal conditions and (b) reviewing special tests, procedures, and modifications that affect reactivity management.

• OSTI ID: 6912506
• Report Number(s): CONF-931160--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States) Journal Volume: 69
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
210100* -- Power Reactors
Nonbreeding
Light-Water Moderated
Boiling Water Cooled
210200 -- Power Reactors
Nonbreeding
Light-Water Moderated
Nonboiling Water Cooled
ACCIDENTS
ANIMALS
BWR TYPE REACTORS
CERTIFICATION
EDUCATION
ELECTRIC UTILITIES
ENGINEERS
ENRICHED URANIUM REACTORS
FUEL ELEMENT FAILURE
FUEL-CLADDING INTERACTIONS
MAMMALS
MAN
NUCLEAR POWER
PERSONNEL
POWER
POWER REACTORS
PRIMATES
PROFESSIONAL PERSONNEL
PUBLIC UTILITIES
REACTIVITY INSERTIONS
REACTOR ACCIDENTS
REACTOR OPERATORS
REACTORS
THERMAL REACTORS
TRAINING
VERTEBRATES
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS