1. Remote Monitoring Study at U.S. Nuclear Power Plants
Phung Tran, EPRI
2007 ISOE Asian ALARA Symposium
Seoul, Korea
September 12-13, 2007

2. EPRI Background Founded in 1973
Unbiased, non-profit energy research consortium
Voluntary funding from energy industry participants
Collaborative research benefits members, their customers, and society
Over 130 International participants
Over 700 North American members
U.S. members represent over 90% of U.S. electricity generated

3. Extensive Energy Research Program
Generation
Distributed Resources
Fossil Steam Plants
Combustion Turbines
Market Analysis
Renewables
Hydroelectric
Nuclear Power
Materials Aging and Chemistry
Equipment Reliability
Nuclear Operations & Asset Management
Fuel Reliability
Nondestructive Evaluation
Risk/Safety Mgmt
Power Delivery & Markets
Transmission
Substations
Grid Reliability
Power Markets
Distribution
Power Quality
Energy Utilization
Environment
Air Quality
Global Climate Change
Electromagnetic Fields (EMF)
Occupational Health & Safety
Land & Groundwater
Water & Ecosystems

4. LLW-RM Barriers/Challenges
LLW and Radiation Management
1 Current Options for the Management of LLW and Radioactive Materials are not Assured nor Optimized to Meet Requirements of a Changing Environment (Low Level Waste)
2 Current Radiological Protection Strategies are Inadequate to Effectively meet Changing Future Requirements and Targets (RP2020) (Radiation Management)
3 Decommissioning Technology

5. LLW-RM Barriers/Challenges
LLW and Radiation Management
1 Current Options for the Management of LLW and Radioactive Materials are not Assured nor Optimized to Meet Requirements of a Changing Environment (Low Level Waste)
2 Current Radiological Protection Strategies are Inadequate to Effectively meet Changing Future Requirements and Targets (RP2020) (Radiation Management)
3 Decommissioning Technology

6. Outline Definition of Remote Monitoring Technology (RMT)
EPRI RMT Program
RMT Working Group History
Membership Status
Radiation Protection Challenges
Advanced applications of RMT
2007 RMT Survey Results

7. What is Remote Monitoring Technology?
Remote Monitoring Technology = RMT
Technology to assist personnel in performing work activities remotely.
RMT has been implemented in varying degrees throughout the nuclear industry and encompasses the following technologies:
Area Monitoring
Telemetry
Video
Communications
Robotics

9. Reduce Personnel Dose by Using RMT
Radiation Protection Challenges…
Reduction in available, experienced RP Techs
Decreasing annual, individual exposure limits
Decreasing cumulative exposure INPO goals
Increased material inspection and mitigation activities
Increased work activities in high radiation areas
Using RMT will help…
Efficiently allocate personnel resources (doing more with less)
Provide an automated method to Alert Technicians to changing radiological conditions
ALARA Planning Tool
The success of using RMT relies on skilled RP technicians

10. RP Job Coverage Using RMT
RP organizational change
RMT Central RP Technician
RP Field Technician supporting the use of RMT
RMT System Administrators
Full coverage vs. intermittent coverage
Field Tech
Central RP Tech
Field Tech

11. Reduction in HP Dose

12. Use of Remote Monitoring Technology
Where we are now…
RMT is mainly used by the Radiation Protection organization to remotely perform job coverage.
Where we want to go…
Opportunities exist for extending the application of this technology to benefit all disciplines.
For example, having the ability to view and communicate with the work location allows for:
Direct intervention by supervision to support repairs and complex tasks.
Remote assistance of personnel in adherence to plant procedures.
Computer advisories of conditions directly to worker.
Expanded trending of plant conditions and archiving of significant work information.
Investigation of steam and liquid leak locations.

13. RMT Working Group Formed in 2003. Group Objectives:
Promote the use of Remote Monitoring Technology for ALARA and Radiation Protection applications
Standardize the use of RMT through development of industry guidelines
Industry meetings
Website and discuss board
Peer Reviews and Assessments
Provide a forum for the exchange of plant experiences
Advance the capabilities of RMT through technology development and plant demonstrations
Tasked by EPRI, INPO, and NEI to provide guidance and development for general technology usage.

14. Members of the RMT Working Group
AmerenUE
Nuclear Management Company
Arizona Public Service
Omaha Public Power District
CANDU Owners Group
Pacific Gas & Electric
Constellation
PPL Susquehanna
Detroit Edison
Progress Energy
Dominion
South Carolina Electric
Duke
South Texas Project
EdF
Southern California Edison
Entergy
Southern Nuclear
Exelon
Tennessee Valley Authority
FirstEnergy
TXU Generation
Florida Power and Light
Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corp.

15. Status of RMT Working Group Activities
Reports published to date:
RMT Guidelines for Radiation Protection: Field Implementation of Remote Monitoring, , 2004
RMT Guidelines for Radiation Protection: Training and Qualification, , 2005.
Remote Monitoring Technology Interim Report: Industry Best Practices and Lessons Learned, , 2006.
Technology Development/Demonstrations
Integration of 3-D Scans with Real time Dose Rate Data
Host: Arkansas Nuclear One, Entergy

16. Integration of 3-D Imaging Technology with Real-Time Dose Rate Data for Advanced Job Planning

17. Integration of 3-D Imaging Technology with Real-Time Dose Rate Data for Advanced Job Planning

18. 2007 RMT Survey Overview Online survey Survey initiated June 2007
22 Questions
Results gathered in June and July
28 Respondents
24 plants or companies represented
- I’m going to first go over the background or motivation for this project
Then I will provide high level description of some of the basic program capabilities
This will include the type of liquid processing data that the program would capture, 18

19. Plants and Companies Represented
Ginna
Hatch
Indian Point
LaSalle
McGuire
Oconee
Perry
Pickering
South Texas Project
St. Lucie
VC Summer
Watts Bar
Arkansas Nuclear One
Browns Ferry
Byron Callaway
Catawba
Diablo Canyon
Dominion
Dresden
Edison International
Exelon
FENOC
Fermi-2 19

20. 20

21. - I’m going to first go over the background or motivation for this project
Then I will provide high level description of some of the basic program capabilities
This will include the type of liquid processing data that the program would capture, 21

22. - I’m going to first go over the background or motivation for this project
Then I will provide high level description of some of the basic program capabilities
This will include the type of liquid processing data that the program would capture, 22

23. - I’m going to first go over the background or motivation for this project
Then I will provide high level description of some of the basic program capabilities
This will include the type of liquid processing data that the program would capture, 23

24. Remote Monitoring System Use24

25. Remote Monitoring Equipment Locations25

26. Does your facility have permanent fiber penetrations into containment/drywell?26

27. Non-RP Uses of Remote Monitoring27

28. Summary RMT is an effective tool to supplement RP job coverage
Tool to help reduce radiation exposure
Increasing usage of RMT throughout U.S.
Moving towards operational usage in addition to outage use
Increasing monitoring of non-radiation protection related parameters
Questions??