Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station and Arkansas Nuclear One Honored as Best in Class
Jackson, Miss. – The 2011 Top
Industry Practice awards were given by the Nuclear Energy Institute in
Charlotte, N.C., with Entergy garnering national recognition in two categories.
Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station was awarded the top practice in equipment
reliability for a non-conductive torquing screw bit that eliminates half-SCRAMs
and Arkansas Nuclear One won for plant support with Angel Wings, a safe,
light-weight construction platform.
“I am proud of the two Entergy teams
that contributed these innovative solutions to our fleet and to the greater
nuclear industry,” said Entergy Nuclear President, CEO and Chief Nuclear Officer
John Herron. “We work hard every day to insure that we operate safely,
efficiently and reliably. It is an honor to have the Pilgrim and Arkansas plants
recognized nationally by industry peers.”
Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station
No manufacturer produces a
non-conductive bit for a torque screwdriver until now at Entergy’s Pilgrim
Nuclear Power Station. While torquing terminal screws in an ATS (Analog Trip
System) cabinet, the metal screwdriver bit can inadvertently short-out the
adjacent terminal screw, causing an unexpected half-SCRAM. Pilgrim designed,
developed, machined in-house, tested and implemented a new screw bit with
amazing results. Adding to the productivity and efficiency of this new tool, the
non-conductive screw bit is also used for lifting and landing leads for
surveillance testing, a common nuclear function. With this new bit Pilgrim has
enhanced occupational safety, improved nuclear safety and dose is saved.
Bruno Giorgio, team lead and nuclear
control technician, said, "“This is a great addition to our tool chest. The team
worked together from the research and production of the bit in the Pilgrim shop
to testing it in the plant. This is another way we are making Entergy and our
nuclear industry’s operations safer and more productive.”
Arkansas Nuclear One
Angel Wings are a safe, lightweight
construction platform that is useful for many applications including welding and
cutting, inspection and repair and a number of other industrial – and now
nuclear – industry uses. The team implemented a very successful product from the
construction industry that improves safety and performance as well as saving
dose and dollars on scaffolding. One example: With Angel Wings, a reduction of
1400 man-hours in the reactor building and 800 mRem savings of dose in the total
outage budget were achieved as 40 scaffold tasks were eliminated for one reactor
coolant pump project. Over the life of the plant the savings total nearly a
half-million dollars.
Butch Hollowoa, project manager and
team leader, said, “Angel Wings are easy to set up and are a very good work
structure, just ask our welders. This is a big improvement over scaffolding use
in a nuclear plant – dollar-wise, in time saved, from a safety perspective and
any way you look at it.”
The Top Industry Practice awards are
given by the Nuclear Energy Institute in 15 categories for performance
excellence. They promote the sharing of ideas and best practices, and
consequently improve safety, work processes and the competitive position of the
industry as a whole. There are 104 nuclear reactors in the United States.
Pilgrim Nuclear Station is a 688 MW
boiling water reactor located in Plymouth, Mass., that employs about 650 people.
It produces electricity equal to approximately 10 percent of the total energy
demand of Massachusetts.
Arkansas Nuclear One is a two-reactor
facility located in Russellville producing a total of 1,839 megawatts
approximately equal to 30 percent of the total energy demand of Arkansas.
Arkansas Nuclear One employs about 900 people.
Entergy Corporation is an integrated
energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail
distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with
approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, and it is the
second-largest nuclear generator in the United States. Entergy delivers
electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi
and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of more than $11 billion and
approximately 15,000 employees.
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entergy-nuclear.com;
Twitter @EntergyNuclear
