Plant Programs
Plant programs address issues common to multiple systems in a single plant or in single systems common to a number of plants. These programs were once the exclusive domain of the nuclear industry--organized, industry-wide reactions to potential safety issues. However, they have evolved over the years to become a useful tool for both nuclear and fossil plant operators.
Plant operators have chosen programs over multiple individual projects for a number of reasons. The large scale and long-term nature of these programs allows a greater level of organization and planning to be applied. Planners can develop consistent and creative procedure that can be applied to multiple systems or plants. They can also create system and component history databases that can be trended and interpreted. With this information, planners can make better decisions on capital purchases, preventive maintenance expenditures and repair/replacement issues.
As the body of existing nuclear plants has matured, there are less new programs that are based on immediate safety or degradation issues. Instead, these have been supplanted by industry- or owner-driven programs that focus on improvement of plant performance, aging extension, and asset management. The fossil generation industry is embracing plant programs as small utilities are selling their plants to fleet operators, who can take advantage of the economies of scale.
Along with their economic and safety advantages, plant programs pose unique challenges. They often require expertise and experience spanning a number of technical and non-technical disciplines. They may require single point coordination of these different disciplines, as well as strict budget and schedule control. Some programs, such as FAC, are on-going through the life of a plant and require a higher level of commitment.
Plant Programs in the Nuclear Industry
Plant programs are developed by the utility and are designed to provide a controlled and systematic means by which license requirements are accomplished. The requirements themselves are documented in the Plant Operating License, and are the result of agreements (some negotiated and some dictated) between the utility and the regulator as to how the plant will be initially tested, operated and maintained on a long-term basis. Generally, there are two types of plant programs: administrative and technical.
Administrative programs are generally higher level programs that define how the plant will conduct day-to-day operations and how it will meet its technical program requirements. Individual administrative programs are developed to establish the process requirements for all essentials activities such as developing and using procedures, the means by which the station will manage and correct plant deficiencies, the manner in which maintenance on plant systems, and structures and components will be conducted. In addition to identifying key plant positions, the program will delineate roles and responsibilities of individuals filling those positions and the overall plant organizational structure.
Technical programs are associated with specific station systems, structures or components. This type of program establishes the requirements, such as obtaining a specific dimension on identical or similar components (through physical measurement) or verifying that a component, or group of identical or similar components, operate per design (through physical testing). They establish not only the requirement itself, but the frequency at which the requirement must be met.
Each program is unique--depending upon the requirements--but may have commonalities in the manner in which they are administered. Programs are administered through approved plant procedures, which implement the program requirements and have an internal or external status reporting schemes. These schemes provide the necessary information to assess the current program status information such as the last activity completion date and next required activity completion date.
Altran Solutions Support for Plant Programs
Altran Solutions has assisted utilities and plant operators create and maintain a variety of plant programs. These include programs for flow-accelerated corrosion (FAC), nuclear coatings and linings, aging and obsolescence, zebra mussel control, and valve evaluation and testing. Our services include:
- Systems engineering and reconnaissance
- Technical evaluation
- Planning and management
- Laboratory services
- Specialized engineering
- Economic and budget analysis
- Technical training
In several plant program areas, Altran is an industry pioneer. In the field of FAC, Altran has been involved in program engineering and management consulting since the late 1980's. Altran has also successfully applied the program knowledge and experience gained in nuclear, fossil and combined-cycle power plants to other industries. Our digital control upgrade programs and FAC programs have been implemented in pharmaceutical, petrochemical, and pulp and paper facilities.