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Power Systems

Workforce Administration

Availability of qualified personnel. Assessed the availability of qualified personnel to conduct nondestructive evaluation (NDE) tasks in nuclear power plants, through the year 2010. NDE tasks are those tasks such as electromagnetic testing of steam generators tubes and ultrasonic examination of reactor pressure vessels that are critical to the safe operation of plants. The study addressed the concern of the nuclear power industry about the future availability of the NDE workforce--that there may be a gap between the personnel required for NDE tasks and the workforce available to meet these requirements. The results served as the basis for the development and implementation of interventions to assure that personnel requirements are met. The study was conducted under the guidance of representatives of the nuclear industry and inspection service companies. Details can be found in the article: Harris, D. H., Spanner, J. C. Jr. and Turnbow, M. L. (2001, November). Nondestructive Testing Workforce Availability. Materials Evaluation, 59, 1281-1284. (EPRI)

Plant Control and Operation

Emergency Response Information System (ERIS). Evaluated graphic displays designed to provide nuclear power plant control room operators with critical plant data during off-normal events. Recommended design refinements for improving display usability. Outlined additional considerations that might affect usability of the displays. (General Electric Company)

Performance test of the Emergency Response Information System (ERIS). Conducted a dynamic human factors engineering review and performance assessment with nuclear power plant crews during simulated power plant transients. Assessed crew responses with and without the use of ERIS graphic displays. Provided recommendations for improving color codes, display formats, labels, keyboards, and operator-system dialog. (General Electric Company)

Nuclear plant decommissioning. Developed a series of risk analyses concerning the decommissioning and dismantlement of the Shipping port Atomic Power Station Performed a Management Oversight Risk Tree (MORT) analysis prior to each significant evolution in the decommissioning operations to ensure that all necessary actions for preparing people, property, and procedures was completed. Worked on a team with engineers from the following disciplines: radiological control, health physics, nuclear power plant management, quality assurance, decommissioning engineering, and program management. Developed several methodological refinements to the MORT technique. (General Electric Company)

Human factors implementation procedures. Conducted a human factors review of three implementation procedures that will be used in the construction of Advanced Boiling Water Reactor Plants. Procedures involved task-function allocation, human-machine interface evaluation, and system operation and training. Provided more than 30 specific recommendations for improving the technical accuracy, precision, clarity, and usability of the three procedures. (General Electric Company and Tokyo Electric Power Company)

Safety Parameter Display System (SPDS) evaluation. Designed an evaluation of the SPDS, a computer-based system designed to aid operators of nuclear control rooms during abnormal or emergency conditions. Defined test events, develop performance measures, developed a test matrix, and collected and analyzed data. (General Electric and Sandia National Laboratories)

Nuclear waste retrieval system. Developed a methodology for the analysis of human factors issues (particularly human error assessment) and the incorporation of human factors principles in the design of systems for the recovery of stored nuclear waste. Provided system design methods, design criteria, and a computer-based system for analyzing task-to-failure sequences. (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory)


Maintenance Analysis and Support

Proficiency evaluation of maintenance personnel. Surveyed nuclear power plants to determine existing methods and instruments for the evaluation of the proficiency of mechanics, electricians, and instrument/control technicians. Analyzed the requirements and constraints for a complete evaluation system, with special emphasis on the relationships between proficiency evaluation and training needs. Developed a handbook as a resource document for maintenance managers and training managers, with modular discussions of issues, problems, information, and solutions. The major sections of the handbook discuss test content, objectives and requirements, evaluation methods, specific evaluation instruments, and procedures for task qualification. (Electric Power Research Institute)

Decision support system for pump maintenance. Created a computerized system that will aid plant personnel in making critical decisions about main coolant pump (recirculation pumps and reactor coolant pumps) operation and maintenance. Investigated alternative designs for the decision support system and produced a prototype concept. Prepared the system specification, developed the system, and conducted a trial implementation at a volunteer plant. (Electric Power Research Institute)

On-the-job training guides. Developed 70 On-the-Job Training (OJT) guides that encompass the major tasks currently performed by workers in the mechanical maintenance department of Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant. OJT guides contain procedural information that is used by first-line supervisors to direct and evaluate the work of less experienced workers. Guides were drafted and then revised based on interviews with experienced mechanics and feedback from pilot tests after the guide had been implemented in the field. (Baltimore Gas & Electric Co)

Training equivalency determination tests. Developed 40 specialized tests of maintenance proficiency, called Training Equivalency Determination (TED) tests. TED tests are designed to give rapid feedback to supervisors concerning a trainee's current level of task proficiency. The tests pinpoint specific knowledge/ skills/abilities deficiencies and diagnose the type of remedial training that is needed. Psychometric analyses of the TED tests has showed them to have high interrater reliability and predictive validity. (Baltimore Gas & Electric Co)

Proficiency evaluation system for maintenance personnel. Working from the results of previous research on proficiency evaluation of maintenance personnel in nuclear power plants, determined the needs and weaknesses in the evaluation system at two plants. Designed appropriate test instruments and communication networks so that valid data on proficiency is used most effectively for training and work assignments. Implemented the evaluation system, monitored its development, and evaluated its effectiveness. (Electric Power Research Institute)

Maintenance performance in pump and valve overhauls. Develop two sets of interventions--a customized hand-held computer and a set of laminated job cards--to be used by mechanics and other maintenance personnel during the performance of centrifugal pump (e.g., the main feedwater and condensate booster pumps) and valve (e.g., gate and globe) repairs. The interventions were designed to improve on-the-job proficiency, reduce errors, and improve task knowledge. (Electric Power Research Institute)

Monitoring the performance of maintenance organizations. Specified the components of maintenance performance measures; defined the dimensions of maintenance organizational performance; constructed and analyzed measures based on data obtained from participating nuclear power plants; recommended a set of methods and measures most likely to meet the requirements of maintenance organizations; and developed a guidebook for maintenance managers in nuclear power plants. (Electric Power Research Institute)

Reduction of errors by maintenance personnel. Identified a "target" set of maintenance tasks for which (a) performance by maintenance personnel in US and Japanese nuclear power plants is currently error-prone, and (b) error reduction potential is high. Identified a set of feasible, cost-effective interventions for each target task. Identified target tasks by reviewing existing archival data bases on maintenance errors, conducting structured interviews with personnel at selected power plants, and conducting telephone/mail surveys of a larger number of plants. (Electric Power Research Institute)


Nondestructive Evaluation

Virtual Operator Training and Qualification. Developed a virtual system for the training and qualification of operators in the application of NDE techniques. The virtual system provides electronically-created substitutes for the real spaces, materials, events, and functions involved in NDE examinations. By augmenting existing systems for the training and qualification of NDE operators, the virtual system can lead to: 1) more complete diagnostic measures of operator performance, providing better guidance for improvement of operator capabilities, 2) more detailed and timely feedback of NDE examination results during practice and testing, 3) greater precision and control in the development and administration of operator practice examinations and performance testing, and 4) reduction in the overall costs of training and testing (Electric Power Research Institute).

Dynamic Inspection Aptitude Test (DIAT). Developed and validated the DIAT to predict success on inspection jobs that require the combined aptitudes of general cognitive ability, abstract reasoning, and spatial visualization. The test is computer administered and scored, requiring 36 minutes of testing time. Validation studies showed that the test is highly reliable, correlates with other measures of these key aptitudes, and is predictive of the job performance of nondestructive testing operators. Validation results indicated that the test can be used with confidence for the early identification of individuals who will benefit most from training and experience on certain inspection jobs. For more information please see: Harris, D. H. and Spanner, J. C. Jr. (2001, April). Dynamic inspection aptitude test: A measure of aptitudes required for nondestructive testing. Materials Evaluation, 59, 507-511. (EPRI)

Performance Testing Guidelines. Developed performance testing guidelines for the nuclear power industry. The product of this was a document designed to provide information and guidance to managers and specialists involved in the development and use of performance testing for the qualification of personnel in critical technical jobs. The document provides information on the prescreening of candidates, characteristics of a useful test, selection and preparation of test tasks and materials, methods of defining and scoring grading units, test administration, pretesting the test, evaluation and selection of grading units, and the estimation of confidence limits for test results. The document was prepared in parallel with ongoing programs to develop and validate performance tests for the qualification of personnel (Electric Power Research Institute).

Computer -Based Training and Testing. Developed, in conjunction with nuclear power technical experts and computer specialists, a computer-based system for the training, testing, and qualification of technical personnel. The self-paced instruction and performance testing system had the following features: 1) training incorporating dynamic demonstration and practice on actual job tasks, 2) individualized construction of knowledge and practical performance tests from pools of test grading units, 3) retesting based on oversampling of deficient areas of job knowledge and practical skills, 4) automatic test scoring, and 5) a statistical module for the capture of testing data and the analysis of test reliability and grading-unit characteristics (Electric Power Research Institute).

Assessment of Performance Demonstration Program. Planned and conducted an assessment of a steam generator nondestructive evaluation (NDE) performance demonstration program. The performance demonstration was designed for the qualification of personnel who analyze eddy current data for pressurized water reactor steam generator tubing in nuclear power plants. Thirty-two analysts from nuclear utilities and inservice inspection vendors participated in the assessment. Measures of technical knowledge, and of detection and sizing performance relative to indications attributable to different damage mechanisms were obtained from written and practical performance tests. Estimates of difficulty and discriminability were obtained for each item in the pool of written test items and for each of over 1,000 grading units in the data sets for the practical performance tests. Assessments of training and qualification procedures were obtained from observations and participant (Electric Power Research Institute).

Human factors in inspection and testing tasks. Analyzed tasks performed during the monitoring of nuclear power plant integrity, such as ultrasonic examinations of pipe welds, eddy current examinations of steam generator tubes and functional tests of valves. Developed a methodology to analyze tasks; defined task design deficiencies; and recommended a program of research to enhance the accuracy and reliability of task performance. (Electric Power Research Institute)

Information processing in ultrasonic inspections. Assessed the effect of human information processing on the ultrasonic detection of cracking in pipe welds in nuclear power plants. Obtained performance measures and tape-recorded commentary from each of 139 inspections of pipe-weld specimens. Identified nine different information processing factors that were correlated with inspection performance. Applied stepwise multiple regression to identify the four factors that were most predictive of inspection success. Found that when these factors were present, inspection success rate was 400% greater than when they were not. (Electric Power Research Institute)

Inspection decision aids. Developed and evaluated a decision aid to overcome human limitations in information processing and decision making during ultrasonic examinations of pipe welds in nuclear power plants. Designed a decision aid to provide a means of noting signal characteristics as they were observed and of presenting them simultaneously for decision making. Incorporated the aid into worksheets employed during training to conduct practice examinations. Found the success rate for aided examinations to be 25% higher than that for unaided examinations. (Electronic Power Research Institute)

Steam generator inspection performance. Assessed the accuracy of eddy-current data analysis of steam generator tubes in nuclear power plants. Obtained individual and team performance measures from independent analyses of data from 1619 locations in a sample of 199 steam generator tubes containing 92 reportable indications of four different types. Assessed analysis performance in terms of percentages of indications correctly reported, percentages of false reports, and relative operating characteristic curves. Identified factors influencing performance and provided implications for performance improvement. (Electric Power Research Institute).

Strategy-based inspection training. Developed and evaluated strategy-based training for the ultrasonic examination of pipe welds in nuclear power plants. Modified an existing eight-day training course on the detection of cracks in pipe welds so that instruction was geared to the prescribed examination strategy rather than to the existing modular instructional approach. In defining the prescribed strategy, capitalized on previous research that defined optimal approaches to human information processing during ultrasonic examinations. Strategy-based training resulted in a significant increase in course pass rates. (Electric Power Research Institute)


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