e 29 DECEMBER 2014 TVONS presented itself as a nuclear power expert company Balancing at Olkiluoto

Transcription

1 e Issue 29 DECEMBER 2014 TVONS presented itself as a nuclear power expert company Balancing at Olkiluoto Induction into the nuclear industry Unique simulator training

2 e DECEMBER 2014 Pioneer in nuclear expertise TVO Nuclear Services Oy (TVONS) is a subsidiary of Teollisuuden Voima Oyj:n (TVO). It offers the TVO group s highquality nuclear power plant services, based on over 30 years of experience and nuclear expertise. Our services cover the entire lifecycle of a nuclear power plant. With the help of our competent staff and continuous improvement, we have achieved top results; this is manifested by the load factors of the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant, which are among the best in the world. The reliability of the energy supply is strong proof of our expertise. TVONS stands for Fluent cooperation with companies and other institutions, both domestically and internationally. Design expertise and robust practical skills. Honest professional pride and a willingness to share our expertise. A working culture where matters are handled responsibly, systematically, and with commitment. Setting goals high and working relentlessly to achieve them. In the cover photo, STUK s inspectors Essi Ahonen, Jukka Kallionpää, and Tomi Koskiniemi cooperatively manage a reactor operator s tasks during the simulation of a periodic test. Photo by Sini Gahmberg TVONS electronic client magazine Editor in chief Editors Layout Mikko Leppälä Kirsti Kuusisto Eija Tommola Tiina Kuusimäki Alasin Media Oy Publisher TVO Nuclear Services Oy Olkiluoto FI Eurajoki, Finland Tel Fax

3 e EDITORIAL THE FORCE OF COOPERATION Newton s Second Law states that force equals mass times acceleration (F = m x a). This universal truth, also known as the fundamental law of dynamics, applies in a figurative manner to a number of practical things. As an example, let us look at cooperation and its power; I m sure that all of us have practical experience of things that are easier to do together than alone. If cooperation is the force, then what are the mass and acceleration? We could argue that mass is the group of people or resource that is working on the project, and the acceleration is the resulting change in motion or development. This playful exercise in the laws of physics, therefore, proves that by working together, a larger group can accomplish massive tasks, and that even smaller changes can be easier. It s logical, when you think about it. Like every other field, the nuclear industry is also cooperating nationally and internationally, and there are many possible levels and scopes of cooperation between clients, suppliers, and partners. Very often, the cooperation is related to expertise and sharing information. Different types of consultations, seminars, and visits are the best means of relaying information. During the past year, TVO Nuclear Services has been involved in the implementation of several domestic and international projects; it has been applying its nuclear power expertise on many fronts, from new power plant projects to nuclear waste management. And we have had the pleasure of finding several new customers and other parties to cooperate with. There are no barriers in terms of nationality or language when the cause or challenge is common. The goal is to achieve a mutually beneficial exchange of expertise and experience between the parties. When you give, you will also receive. As the year draws to a close, I wish to thank all of our customers and partners for what has once again been a busy period for us. Without you, the good cooperation would not have been possible. The force of cooperation is strong! We wish you a peaceful holiday period and continued success in 2015 MIKKO LEPPÄLÄ MANAGING DIRECTOR TVO NUCLEAR SERVICES OY 3

4 TVONS and TVO shared a stand and hosted many important discussions. TVONS presented itself as a nuclear power expert company STORY BY MERJA HEINONEN PHOTOS BY HANNU HUOVILA TVONS shared a stand with TVO at the Energy Fair in Tampere, Finland, at the end of October. This event is arranged every other year. During three days, the fair had over 8,200 visitors who had an interest in the energy industry. - The visitors to our stand provided TVONS with a good point of contact. During the fair, we created customer contacts, networked, and formed customer relationships with actors in the energy industry, says Sales Manager Raimo Kaipiainen. Managing Director Mikko Leppälä was satisfied with the additional visibility that the company received. - The fair and its associated events are a good forum for presenting the services that our new, and current, customers require. In addition, sharing experience and ideas regarding the energy industry, and the nuclear energy industry in particular, is important, Leppälä added. The stand shared by TVO and TVONS was appealing and drew in a large number of visitors. - The visitors were especially interested in the possible work offered by the plant units at Olkiluoto (OL1, OL2, and OL3) and the expert and maintenance services offered by TVONS, Leppälä said. In addition to the fairs arranged in Finland, TVONS also participates in annual international events that help in constructing a cooperation network with the international operators in the energy industry. 4

5 e Sales Manager Raimo Kaipiainen answered questions related to work at the operating plant units and OL3, among other things. The fair presented companies already operating in the nuclear industry as well as start-ups and their representatives. 5

6 A plant visit to OL1 was included in the seminar. The regional seminar discussed nuclear safety from several perspectives STORY AND PHOTOS BY KIRSTI KUUSISTO Over nearly 20 years, TVONS has implemented numerous seminars for the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK). The regional cooperation seminars have formed one part of this. This year s topics have included the working methods used for nuclear power plant operation and the decommissioning of nuclear facilities. In addition to representatives from the Sosnovy Bor and Kola nuclear power plants, the seminars have also been attended by the Russian authorities. The September seminars were held at Olkiluoto In September, the topic was simulator training and, in particular, preparation for operational occurrences and emergencies. Jukka Kupila from STUK presented the authority requirements for operator training, and representatives from Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO) talked about the management of severe reactor accidents as well as emergency preparedness activities and training at Olkiluoto. A presentation of the OL1/OL2 simulator complemented the lectures. In October, the topics were nuclear safety and safety culture in practical work. STUK s representative Juha Väisäsvaara provided insight to nuclear safety from an authority perspective. The seminar paid special attention to the effects of the lessons learnt from Fukushima, and the results of the subsequent stress tests on the OL1 and OL2 plant units. The topics also included occupational safety and nuclear safety aspects in work inside enclosed spaces and lifting work. The seminar included lectures and a visit to the OL1 plant unit. Sosnovy Bor is next The December seminars in Russia deal with radiation safety and the handling and storage of power plant waste at running nuclear power plants. Experts from Olkiluoto and STUK will head to Sosnovy Bor to discuss the good practices and to exchange experience. The schedule also includes a plant visit to the operating plant units at the site. 6

7 e During the seminar week, the participants also had time to visit Old Rauma, which is a Unesco World Heritage Site. Balancing at Olkiluoto STORY AND PHOTO BY JUHA KASTU The blade wheels of the reactor coolant pumps for Fortum s Loviisa NPP were balanced at Olkiluoto in October The blade wheels that arrived from Loviisa were transported to Olkiluoto using a special radiation protection container that is designed for the domestic transport of items with a low level of radioactivity or surface contamination. The container is jointly owned by TVO and Fortum, but mainly managed by TVO. The container was serviced recently and it has undergone a periodic leak rate test in order to ensure that contamination cannot spread into the atmosphere during transport. TVO originally acquired the balancing system in order to balance the recirculation pumps used at Olkiluoto, among other things. The system is located at OL1 s active workshop, and it can also be used to balance contaminated pieces, such as the blade wheels of Loviisa s reactor coolant pumps, says Project Engineer Juha Kastu from TVO. Balancing Loviisa s blade wheels has almost become routine for us. The balancing was done by engineer Tero Tuomola, and since the work for the company s own plant units was at a suitable stage, the blade wheels were on their way back within two days. Usually, the balancing is done up to class G6.3 in the SFS 4968 standard, or to the more precise class G2.5, depending on the object of service and the customer s needs. In addition to the balancing that is required for Olkiluoto s own plant units, the system has been used to balance rotors from UPM Rauma, Fortum Naantali, and Ovako Wire Oy Ab, among others, Kastu explains. Balancing system Schenk H 40 BU Capacity: 20 3,000 kg (1,500 kg/bearing) length: approx. 7 metres diameter (rotation) on bed: 1,600 mm (+ approx. 400 mm) Cage induction motor: 7.5 kw Precision: 8 gmm 7

8 Induction into the nucle STORY BY SINI GAHMBERG, PHOTOS BY KIRSTI KUUSISTO AND HANNU HUOVILA The generation of nuclear energy involves a large number of people in the Rauma region and across the province of Satakunta. In 2013, TVO had approximately 300 material or service suppliers from Satakunta. And 61 subcontractors from Satakunta participated in the annual outages. Changes in the operating environment in the Rauma region, the closing of the dock, and a general negative outlook in terms of employment in the region were the starting points for TVONS s workforce training in the nuclear energy industry. The initiators were the Rauma Chamber of Commerce and the Centre for Economic Development, Transport, and the Environment. - During approximately four months, technical experts from other fields from technicians to doctors familiarised themselves with working in the nuclear industry, says Raimo Kaipiainen. 50 people with a technical degree or corresponding skills achieved through work experience were selected for the training; they were all unemployed or threatened by unemployment. The training gathered widespread interest, since there were nearly three times as many very good applications. Aiming for a basic knowledge of the nuclear industry The trainers were experts from TVO and Posiva, and the programme included visits to Olkiluoto in addition to the lectures. Expert Marja Kukkakorpi-Karmisto is involved in the training arrangements as an expert from the TE Office (Employment office). - The goal is to provide the participants with basic knowledge of the nuclear power plant functions, nuclear waste management facilities, and the related requirements and procedures. Participants will also learn how to perform quality work in a safe manner at a nuclear power plant, and how to align themselves with the overall goals, says Kirsti Kuusisto. Course participant Arja Kautto and Kirsti Kuusisto from TVONS study the training schedule on the first day of the course at the Olkiluoto Visitor Centre. (HH) 8

9 ar industry Participants will learn how to perform quality work in a safe manner at a nuclear power plant, and how to align themselves with the overall goals. e Arja Kautto, a Master of Sciences in Paper Technology from Rauma, is happy to attend the course. Earlier, she has been working for different industrial companies, such as Satatuote in Rauma and Suominen in Nakkila; her tasks have involved environmental issues, quality, occupational safety, and production development. - The nuclear energy industry is new to me, and I am here in order to be educated, says Kautto. As regards the training, Kautto is especially interested in the lectures related to final disposal. - There is a lot of discussion related to final disposal going on in the media, and I am looking forward to receiving the facts. At the end of the training, a common seminar will be arranged in order to bring together the companies and other actors in the fields and the course participants. Over 60 people interested in the nuclear industry induction course attended the information event preceding the training. (KK) 9

10 The trainees used the OL1 and OL2 simulator while receiving guidance from TVO s instructors. Unique simulator training STORY AND PHOTO BY SINI GAHMBERG Every few years, inspectors from the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) receive simulator training practice on the Olkiluoto 1/Olkiluoto 2 simulator. In mid-october, about a dozen inspectors gathered at Olkiluoto for the training. During the two-day training, TVO's unit manager Matti Rantakari and simulator trainers Jouko Kuusenoja and Tuomas Korhonen offered STUK's representatives one challenging situation after another. For nearly all of the trainees, this was the first time at the simulator; therefore, the control room was first presented at the system level, followed by a more detailed review of the electrical systems and safety systems. - The trainees came from various different backgrounds; as a trainer, I want to compliment them on their ability to gain control of the systems, says Rantakari. - The two-day training had a packed schedule, but the atmosphere remained positive from one scenario to another. The days consisted of practicing different operating scenarios and reviewing operational occurrences, all the way from recirculation pump failure to I isolation. Plant operation requires good interaction The training participants were happy with the results. Olkiluoto's resident inspector Jukka Kallionpää and inspectors Tomi Koskiniemi and Essi Ahonen have been working at STUK for four to ten years. In their opinion, the simulator training days provide a good refresher for operational activities. - This will help you to appreciate the activities of the Operations organisation, says Koskiniemi. During the simulation of a periodic test, Kallionpää, Koskiniemi and Ahonen collectively managed the demanding task of a reactor operator and studied the system's time constants and interactions in a very concrete manner. - The use of procedures, step-by-step verification, and proceeding to action are, among the things, what was practiced during the simulator training, Koskiniemi says. - The exercises have also clearly brought up the importance of good communication on the part of the operators. This exercise had a large number of trainees, and so a pre-job briefing was in order, says Kallionpää. TVO's trainers were also happy with the training. - These courses also offer us variation when compared to normal Operations training, Rantakari concludes. 10

11 e The seminar guests during the closing summary with their TVO hosts Pekka Viitanen (front left), Mikko Lemmetty, and Risto Himanen. International information exchange on nuclear operating experience STORY BY PEKKA VIITANEN, PHOTO BY JANSI On 5 November, a group of Japanese experts visited Olkiluoto to attend a seminar concerning the management of severe accidents at Olkiluoto. The visitors were from JANSI, an organisation set up by Japanese nuclear power companies; one of its tasks is to define the basis and requirements for severe accident management at Japanese nuclear power plants. Representatives from the nuclear power generating companies and plant suppliers TEPCO, Chubu Electric Power, Mitsubishi, and Toshiba were present. During the seminar day, the visitors received information concerning especially the severe accident management and emergency preparedness activities at TVO. The expertise of the guests became evident through the several detailed questions; these led the seminar participants from TVO on a trip down memory lane, as they had to recall the starting points for severe accident management that were already laid down in the 1980s. A special topic of interest was the management of the containment s ph value during a severe accident. The guests, who have been visiting several nuclear facilities around the world, said that TVO is the only plant in the world where this issue has been accounted for in the system design. The highlight of the seminar day was a visit to OL1 and the water treatment plant, which is rarely visited; there, design technician Pekka Simula presented the ph adjustment system to the guests. 11

12 We thank you for the good cooperation and wish you Happy Holidays and Success in the New Year!