Technology success: Integration of power plant reliability and effective maintenance

The nuclear power generation sector has a tradition of utilizing technology as a key attribute for advancement. Companies that own, manage, and operate nuclear power plants can be expected to continue to rely on technology as a vital element of success. Inherent with the operations of the nuclear power industry in many parts of the world is the close connection between efficiency of power plant operations and successful business survival. The relationship among power plant availability, reliability of systems and components, and viability of the enterprise is more evident than ever. Technology decisions need to be accomplished that reflect business strategies, work processes, as well as needs of stakeholders and authorities. Such rigor is needed to address overarching concerns such as power plant life extension and license renewal, new plant orders, outage management, plant safety, inventory management etc. Particular to power plant reliability, the prudent leveraging of technology as a key to future success is vital. A dominant concern is effective asset management as physical plant assets age. Many plants are in, or are entering in, a situation in which systems and component design life and margins are converging such that failure threats can come into play with increasing frequency. Wisely selected technologies can be vital to the identification of emerging threats to reliable performance of key plant features and initiating effective maintenance actions and investments that can sustain or enhance current reliability in a cost effective manner. This attention to detail is vital to investment in new plants as well This paper and presentation will address (1) specific technology success in place at power plants, including nuclear, that integrates attention to attaining high plant reliability and effective maintenance actions as well as (2) complimentary actions that maximize technology success. In addition, the range of benefits that accrue as a result of effective application of technology in this manner will be addressed including: (a) Effective focus of responsive work management and maintenance (b) Positive manpower utilization implications (c) Establishment of a single source of information for all plant organizations (d) Knowledge transfer to new personnel (e) Efficient management of large inventories of information (f) Best implementation of work processes structures (g) Time savings in development of condition assessments and conclusions (h) Maximum payback related to investments in computerized maintenance management systems. (authors)