Knowledge preservation of Atucha type reactor: Practical approaches and lessons learned

As Siemens, designer of the Atucha type HWRs, has transferred its nuclear activities to Framatome ANP, Argentina must undertake the knowledge preservation of this type of reactor, both if life extension is decided for the operating Atucha I NPP, and/or if ending the construction of Atucha II is decided. Another reason for undertaking a knowledge preservation program is aging and increasing retirement of personnel in the nuclear field, and the small number of young people in nuclear related disciplines at the universities. This situation motivated CNEA to implement a Knowledge Management system (KM), in order to capture and capitalize the tacit and explicit knowledge, to spread it and share it, making use of the technical and suitable tools through the organization. The strategy was based on recognizing the critical knowledge by means of a methodology incorporating the critical knowledge map technique. This map is a tool that uses the cognitive surfing in order to access to the organization heritage knowledge. Different techniques and methodologies are applied for identifying the critical knowledge domains. The result is a vigorous graphical tool with a certain formalism, able to describe knowledge in a hierarchical way in order to preserve it. It is used to analyze the criticality, and as an access portal to the knowledge patrimony, pointing out, according to each knowledge area, the people skills, publications, related documents and others. Experience obtained through the KM system development shows how training techniques are put into practice, in order not to interfere with normal plant operation, and how to initiate the KM processes in order to improve the criticity. (author)