Inside NIRMA Summer 2019 Issue

Inside 

Leading the way in Nuclear Information and Records Management 

magazine 

Visit us at: NIRMA.org 

NIRMA Conference 

Keynote Speaker, 

Jessica Pacheco 

Vice President, State & 

Local Affairs 

Arizona Public Service 

Company 

Lighthouse to Navigate the Future; 

Your Invitation to the 43rd Annual NIRMA Conference 

Microfilm Digitization. What you need to consider 

before starting the digitization process, e-Image Data 

Confident Microfilm Conversion—Worry Free Records 

Management, ST Imaging, nextScan 

Adopters vs Resisters Building a Successful Change 

Management Strategy, iBridge LLC 

Issue # 05, Summer 2019

Contents 

Feature Articles 

6 

9 

16 

17 

Microfilm Digitization. What you need to consider 

before starting the digitization process. 

By Todd Kahle, Vice President, e-ImageData Corp. 

Confident Microfilm Conversion—Worry Free Records 

Management 

By Matt Anderson, Vice President of Marketing, ST Imaging, nextScan 

Adopters vs Resisters Building a Successful Change 

Management Strategy 

By Dean Van Dyke, iBridge LLC 

NRC Starts Large Digitization Project 

By Margie Janney, CRM/NS/FED, NRC 

18 

Chronicles of NIM: A Retrospective on Information 

Management in Nuclear Power 

By Eugene Yang, Kismet Consulting 

2 Summer 2019 NIRMA.org Inside NIRMA

Contents 

Conference Highlights 

EXHIBITORS & SPONSORS—11 

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS—12 

ICRM SESSIONS—14 

PRE– & POST-CONFERENCE 

WORKSHOPS—22 

in every issue 

FROM YOUR PRESIDENT—4 

VICE PRESIDENT REPORT—5 

TREASURER REPORT—10 

M&MBU NEWS—21 

PDBU NEWS—22 

RIMBU NEWS—23 

MEET THE NIRMA BOARD—24 

Letter from the 

Editor 

Welcome to the Pre-Conference Summer 

Edition of Inside NIRMA. In addition to our 

regular features on cutting-edge technology and 

industry happenings, this edition provides 

readers with an 

inside look at 

NIRMA’s 43 rd annual 

conference. The 

conference, which is 

set for August 4-6, 

2019 at the JW 

Marriott Resort and 

Spa in Las Vegas, 

Nevada will feature 

an array of 

impressive 

speakers, seminars, 

vendor exhibits and 

certification 

opportunities. There 

are also pre- and post-conference workshops 

scheduled that are designed to take your skills 

to the next level. This is in addition to the 

invaluable benchmarking opportunities. 

We at Inside NIRMA, value your opinion and 

are always looking to improve our magazine. 

Let us know what you like and dislike and what 

you’d like to see more of. Share your thoughts 

with our Communication Team at 

DevereauxInc@outlook.com. And if you haven’t 

already, please take a moment to follow us on 

Twitter, like us on Facebook and connect with 

us on LinkedIn. 

Thanks for reading. 

Keep in touch! 

INDUSTRY NEWS—26 

Inside NIRMA NIRMA.org Summer 2019 3

From the President 

Michelle M. Smith 

STP Supervisor of Electronic Records Management & Automation 

A 

s the NIRMA president, I 

am looking forward to the 

continued success of the 

organization. As I reflect 

over the past few months, I see 

evolutions that NIRMA continues to 

make to ensure the organization 

provides our membership with 

added value. The board of directors 

continues to think out of the box to 

ensure we offer our membership the 

best opportunities to obtain 

knowledge and development. 

Through creating new technical 

guidance as the industry evolves 

around Decommissioning to new 

technology with the use of 

HoloLens. NIRMA’s board of 

directors continues to work with the 

Business Units to offer new 

technology that will strengthen our 

Industry. 

This year we have established a 

new relationship with Emirate 

Nuclear Energy Corporation. Life- 

Time NIRMA member Eugene 

Yang has volunteered to support the 

request of providing training to the 

ENEC employees (click here to read 

Eugene’s latest “Chronicles of NIM” 

article). NIRMA’s goals of 

continuing to be known as a leader 

in the Nuclear field and building 

relationships with international 

contacts is in direct correlation with 

the training that will be provided. 

Today, nuclear is faced with an aging 

work force. At my place of 

employment, we are anticipating 

over half of our employees retiring 

within the next five to ten years. 

With this in mind, we must position 

ourselves to place qualified 

individuals in vital roles. 

Development of our employees is 

essential to our survival. 

NIRMA will be offering 

development opportunities at the 

conference that you don’t want to 

miss. Check out the PDBU section 

for additional information on the 

sessions. 

As the organization continues to 

seek methods to provide 

opportunities for our membership, 

we need to get everyone engaged. 

We need your thoughts, ideas and 

participation. 

If your desire is to 

become more 

active in NIRMA, 

this is the time. 

Working together we can make 

changes. The alignment of the 

industry supporting the Nuclear 

Promise and the Standard Design 

Process are just a few examples of 

how we can change our direction. 

We each play a vital role in creating 

opportunities for our companies and 

their owners. 

For our upcoming annual 

Conference we have implemented 

changes that will drive member 

participation and development while 

also creating opportunities for future 

roles. The board of directors and I 

are creating avenues that can be 

tapped to position NIRMA’s 

members in the area of development 

and obtaining additional knowledge. 

I am anticipating a successful 

conference, but in order to ensure 

that you get the best from your 

NIRMA membership, register today! 

The conference activities are 

scheduled for Saturday, August 3, 

through Tuesday, August 7, 

with the vendor exhibit on Monday, 

August 6. Our vendors are excited 

to share their new technology with 

our membership. I look forward to 

seeing you at the conference. 

Early Bird 

Registration 

runs until 

July 1, 2019. 


Lighthouse to Navigate the Future - 

The August 2019 NIRMA Conference 

By Janice Hoerber, NIRMA Vice President 

T 

he 43 rd Nuclear 

Information Management 

Conference is nearly here 

with some exciting new 

topics as well as popular 

benchmarking opportunities to learn 

from the best! In addition to brand 

new educational Workshops (pre & 

post conference), we have an 

exceptional roster of Keynote 

Speakers to set the stage with their 

insights. Then the technical sessions 

will follow to include topics of: 

✓ Cloud Storage 

✓ Content Analytics & 

Information Governance benefits 

for Nuclear 

✓ “Where Will Your Data Be 

Coming From?" 

✓ Improving Vendor Performance 

by Increasing Efficiency of 

Document Submittal Processes 

✓ What's new for the ANSI/ 

NIRMA CM 1.0-2007 Reaffirmed 

2015 - 5-Year Revision Cycle 

✓ Panel session on the Nuclear 

Promise (not always with 

technology keeping up) 

✓ Assessments & Analytics 

✓ Regulations Fundamentals, 

Government & Utility 

Benchmarking sessions 

✓ Institute of Certified Records 

Managers (ICRM) Exam Prep track 

Plus more! 

The workplace of today is filled 

with great opportunities for change 

as well as disruptors like technology 

that can bring challenges. We must 

rely on standards and strong 

processes to see the way through. 

NIRMA serves as your 

lighthouse to navigate 

the future, built on a 

strong foundation 

from its past in the 

nuclear industry. 

The August conference is your 

building block for learning and 

sharing. Your attendance is so 

important whether at the beginning 

of your career journey to learn from 

the best, or to give back to colleagues 

with your many years of knowledge. 

Plan to take it all in with the schedule 

of events that are planned below: 

• Terrific new educational 

Workshops ($) Saturday, Aug 3 

and Wednesday, Aug 7 

• Distinguished Keynote 

Speakers Sunday, Aug 4, 

Welcome Reception early 

evening 

• Vendor Exhibits & Raffles 

Monday, Aug 5 with new 

Solution Spotlight Sessions 

• Technical Sessions Monday, 

Aug 5 and Tuesday, Aug 6 

• ICRM Exam Prep track 

Tuesday, Aug 6 

• NIRMA Business Unit 

meetings Wednesday, Aug 7 and 

Thurs, Aug 8 

The NIRMA Conference App will 

be available for download to present 

the final conference schedule and 

speaker profiles. Continue checking 

the NIRMA website at 

www.nirma.org for all the details and 

to register for the conference. Early 

Bird pricing is available for a limited 

time. 

The beautiful JW Marriott in Las 

Vegas, Nevada is the perfect 

backdrop for the 2019 NIRMA 

conference – to inspire, rejuvenate, 

and innovate your perspective! The 

group rate for the conference is only 

$141 a night, so make your 

reservations soon to ensure 

availability (click here to register for 

conference. Click here to contact JW 

Marriott). 

On behalf of the NIRMA Board of 

Directors, I warmly invite you to join 

us and look forward to seeing you 

there! 

Janice Hoerber 

NIRMA Vice President 

jhoerber@ameren.com 


Microfilm Digitization 

What you need to consider before 

starting the digitization process. 

By Todd Kahle, Vice President, e-ImageData Corp. 

O 

ur digital world has 

conditioned us to expect 

needed information to be 

accessible almost instantly. Even 

people who grew up in a pre-internet 

world have come to demand this. 

Most information today is available 

in a form that meets this instant 

accessibility expectation. However, 

there are many trillions of 

documents that are only available on 

microfilm and even when using 

modern microfilm scanners, 

accessing these documents is less 

than instant. For this reason, and 

others, there is an almost universal 

desire to digitize microfilm 

collections. 

There are many questions to be 

addressed before a decision can be 

made to move forward with 

digitization. 

1. Copyright: Before microfilmed 

documents can be digitized, 

permission to copy must be 

obtained or it must be confirmed 

that the documents are in the 

public domain. For more 

information on copyright laws, 

click here. 

2. Security: If the microfilm to be 

digitized contains sensitive 

information and cannot be 

moved off site, digitization will 

need to be done on site. 

3. Accessibility: If the microfilmed 

documents to be digitized must 

be available during the 

digitization process, it may be 

logistically impractical to move 

the film off site. 

“Choosing a 

proprietary file 

format creates 

an unhealthy 

and perpetual 

dependency on 

the company 

providing them.” 

– Todd Kahle, 

Vice President, e-ImageData Corp. 

4. Indexing: An index is the means 

by which finding a document is 

possible. Creating an index can 

be a major expense for any 

digitization project. The greater 

the granularity of the index the 

more quickly a document can be 

found, but the more expensive it 

is to create. 

5. File Format: File format is how 

the digitized image is stored on 

the computer. Formats such as 

PDF or TIFF can be integrated 

with any document management 

system, whereas proprietary file 

formats cannot. Furthermore, 

proprietary file formats will 

require a proprietary viewer. 

Choosing a proprietary file 

format creates an unhealthy and 

perpetual dependency on the 

company providing them. 

6. Bit Depth: Typical values are 8- 

bit (256 shades of gray) or 1-bit 

(2 shades of gray which is black 

and white). 1-bit files require 

substantially less storage space 

than 8-bit files. However, if the 

document image on film is of 

poor quality, which is frequently 

the case, it may be necessary to 

use 8-bit grayscale to capture all 

image details. 

7. Dot Per Inch (DPI): DPI 

affects both image clarity and file 

size. A typical value is 300 dpi. 

Higher DPI may improve image 

clarity but will increase required 

storage space. 

8. Quality Assurance: Documents 

on microfilm are often of poor 

quality. Just because they have 

been digitized doesn’t mean that 

the digitized version is readable. 

Destroying the original microfilm 

after digitization is strongly 

discouraged (click here for Baylor 

University Digitization Project 

Group post), but if that is the 

intent, then it will be necessary to 

inspect 100% of the digitized 

images prior to the film’s 

destruction. It is common for a 

film collection to contain many 

millions of document images, but 

if the digital copy of just 1 

million documents were 

inspected, spending just 1 second 

on each would take a minimum 

of 277 manhours to complete. 


Nonetheless, 100% inspection 

is not 100% accurate. 100% 

inspection will be a major 

expense of the digitization 

process and in many cases, it is 

impractical. For this reason, it 

is suggested that the film 

always be retained, thereby 

making the inspection step 

unnecessary. If while using the 

digitized images, it is 

discovered that the quality of 

an image is unacceptable the 

film can then be used to redigitize 

and replace the 

unacceptable image. 

9. Hardware: Hardware will be 

needed to accomplish three 

tasks. The first is to do the 

actual digitization. The second 

is to store, serve, and backup 

the files. The third is to 

accomplish re-scans when a 

digitized image is found to be 

unacceptable. 

10. Software: Depending on the 

file format chosen, it may be 

necessary to purchase a 

proprietary viewer for each 

computer needing access to 

the digitized images. This 

software frequently includes 

recurring software charges. 

Therefore, proprietary file 

formats are not recommended. 

11. Cost: The cost of digitizing 

microfilm is influenced by 

many factors such as how 

many images are to be 

digitized, do the images need 

to be 100% inspected, what 

level of granularity is needed 

for indexing, hardware costs, 

storage/server costs, recurring 

software charges, recurring 

storage/server charges, etc. 

If this seems overwhelming take 

comfort in the fact that you are 

not alone. At this point in the 

evolution of microfilm digitization 

technology, the best digitization 

path is frequently not clear. In 

fact, for many institutions, 

practically speaking, a path does 

not exist. e-ImageData is 

dedicated and focused on 

changing that – making the 

pathway to digitization clearer and 

within reach for everyone. 

As industry leaders in 

micrographics for the past 3 

decades, we are continually 

improving the way people work 

with microfilm worldwide by 

providing the latest technologies 

available. We are excited to be on 

the brink of yet another 

extraordinary technology that will 

make digitizing microfilm easier, 

more accurate, more accessible, 

and more affordable than ever 

before. 


nextscan 

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Conference? 

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The Benefits of In-house Conversion are Clear: 

• A Low-Cost Alternative for High-Volume Film Conversion with Fast 

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• Significantly Reduce Labor Costs. Increase Accessibility and 

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• Prevent Data Breaches and Maintain Confidentiality. Use Trusted Staff 

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• Eliminate Risk of Data Loss. Preserve Critical Records that are Doomed 

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Call us for a FREE Demo & Consultation! 208.514.4000 

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Confident Microfilm Conversion— 

Worry Free Records Management 

Convert with Confidence 

By Matt Anderson, Vice President of Marketing 

our microfilm archives are unique and contain 

Y 

priceless records that cannot be found 

anywhere else. This means converting your 

analog archives to digital records must be 

completed in a way that ensures that not only the 

images are readable but that all the information residing 

on the film has been captured completely and not 

accidentally omitted. 

Not all microfilm scanners are created equal. You 

wouldn’t hammer a nail with a screwdriver? No more 

than you should convert an entire roll of microfilm on a 

scanner with an area image sensor. Discover the 

benefits of line scanning technology. 

Line vs. Area Sensors 

There are two possible ways of capture when 

deciding to scan microfilm, 

progressive line sensor scanning or 

stop, point and shoot area sensor 

scanning. The two ways were developed for two distinct 

purposes, 

continuous 

capture of a roll 

of microfilm or 

simple 

information 

retrieval. Line 

sensor scanning 

allows for the 

progressive, 

constant capture 

of an entire roll 

of microfilm in 

Continued on next page. 


motion. The sensor spans the width of roll of 

microfilm, capturing each line of data as the film passes. 

It is the continuous line sensor scanning capability that 

allows for the edge-to-edge and end-to-end capture 

required to make a true digital duplication of the roll of 

microfilm. Area sensor scanning uses an image sensor 

similar to what you would find in a digital camera and 

operates similarly as it captures a single image, one at a 

time. To capture an entire roll the system is required to 

recognize an area to scan, stop, capture and continue. 

Area sensor scanning technology may not capture 100% 

of the media resulting in some information being 

omitted. For example, the system may not recognize 

each individual frame. It is important to remember that 

the original process of converting documents to 

microfilm was not perfect and many items are too dark, 

skewed, or were too close together. Any of these could 

result in a skipped image. Perhaps it’s nothing, what if it 

was critical? 

Ribbon Scanning 

Over a decade ago, conversion bureaus urged the 

industry to develop a groundbreaking process that 

guaranteed 100% complete edge-to-edge and end-toend 

capture of microfilm. Why? Their current process 

at the time of point, scan and capture was time 

consuming and didn’t always deliver a perfect 

conversion. The solution was line scanning technology 

delivering a digital image in one continuous ribbon. The 

reliable conversion process now resolved numerous 

scanning errors that had previously hindered earlier 

scanning efforts, including missed images. 

Not only does Ribbon Scanning, with Line Scanning 

Technology, allow for complete capture it also enables a 

useful auditing process to verify that each frame is 

captured correctly. Specialized software indicates 

density differences between images to an operator. They 

can quickly distinguish if it is an image to save or one to 

skip. True Ribbon Scanning can only be accomplished 

using Line Scanning Technology and cannot be 

accomplished through use of an area scanner which 

does not capture all the data on the roll of microfilm. 

This simple auditing procedure is unique as all of the 

data collected is displayed. If it was on the film, it is on 

the Ribbon. Nothing skipped, nothing omitted, nothing 

missed. 

Different microfilm scanners are designed for 

different tasks. If you decide to convert, don’t leave 

your archive to chance. Ensure your data archive is 

identical to your current archive. Convert with 

confidence using Line Scanning Technology. 

NIRMAs Financial Holdings 

as of: June 4, 2019 

Anita S. Beren 

NIRMA Treasurer 

Checking Account $ 44,841.62 

Investment Account $ 117,383.41 

TOTAL $ 162,225.03 


2019 NIRMA Conference Exhibitors: 

NIRMA has room for more Exhibitors! Don’t delay. Sign up today! 

2019 NIRMA Conference Sponsors: 

Consider a sponsorship from your organization! 

Contact nirma@nirma.org to assist. 

The NIRMA Conference will be 

held August 4-6, 2019, 

PLUS Learning Workshops 

offered August 3 & August 7 

(click here for more information) 

at the beautiful 

JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort & 

Spa, located at 221 N Rampart 

Blvd. 

Las Vegas, Nev. 


NIRMA CONFERENCE 

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS: 

WACO BANKSTON 

General Manager, Corp. 

Services, STP 

“Change the Experience … 

Change the Culture” 

Summary: 

Every organization in the world is a living, breathing thing. 

Corporations are comprised of human beings, each coming to the 

table with their own value and belief systems. These human 

beings make up an organization’s collective belief system and 

resulting behaviors. Culture cannot be dictated. Culture cannot 

be a placard on a wall. In this interactive session, we will discuss 

how organizations define “Corporate Culture” and how 

organizations can go about shaping company culture by shifting 

the experiences of individuals. Waco Bankston will share some 

of his own experiences with merging multiple, very different, and 

at times dysfunctional cultures. Participants will leave with a 

tangible model and thought process that can be immediately 

leveraged to help not only manage an organization’s culture, but 

to change it for the better. 

Waco Bankston is responsible for Information 

Technology (IT), Cyber Security and many of the 

company’s Shared Services organizations, including 

Human Resources, Nuclear Records Management, 

Document Control, Technical Support Services and 

Administration. 

JESSICA PACHECO 

Vice President, State & Local 

Affairs, APS 

“The Power of Authentic 

Leadership” 

Summary: 

Jessica Pacheco will address what it takes to break through 

barriers in today’s world to provide effective leadership – formal 

and informal -- in any organization. She will share what it 

takes to create sustainable success and why authentic leadership is 

one of the most effective ways to deliver lasting results. 

Jessica Pacheco primary responsibility at Arizona 

Public Service (APS) is to lead the company’s state and 

local public affairs strategy. Pacheco has developed 

deep knowledge of the company’s business units 

through two periods at APS. She served in numerous 

roles from 1997-2006, including customer care in the 

call center, community and economic development and 

franchise agreement management. 

Pacheco earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the 

University of Arizona and is fluent in Spanish and 

Portuguese. She is a graduate of the Stanford Executive 

Program and MIT’s Nuclear Reactor Technology 

course. 

BRUCE COVERT, PMP, 

CSP 

President and Project 

Manager for Nuclear Waste 

Partnership LLC 

“Waste Isolation Pilot Project 

(WIPP) Past, Present & Future” 

Bruce C. Covert has more than 30 years of experience 

in the management and operation of nuclear and other 

high-hazard facilities for the Department of Energy 

(DOE) and the UK’s Nuclear Decommissioning 

Authority. Prior to accepting his current position at the 

DOE’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in June 

2017, he served as AECOM Group Vice President for 

Dounreay Site Restoration Limited in the U.K. Prior to 

that, he served as Environmental, Safety, and Health & 

Quality Director and Waste Project Director for 

Washington Closure Hanford (WCH). 

He holds a master’s degree in business administration 

from St. Bonaventure University and a Bachelor of 

Science degree in industrial technology from State 

University College at Buffalo. He is a Project 

Management Professional and a Certified Safety 

Professional. 


NICK INGLIS, CIP, IGP 

Executive Director, 

Content & Programming, 

ARMA International 

“The Future of Information— 

Readiness Must Begin Today” 

Summary: 

To understand the future of information, we must look to our 

past. Cycles that started long before any of us were alive continue 

to push us forward. Using a pair of stories and an honest 

critique of our success in reducing organizational risk, what can 

we predict about the future of information? How can we prepare 

for this future today to get ahead of our cycles? 

Nick Inglis is Executive Director, Content & 

Programming at ARMA International (formerly 

President of the Information Coalition, prior to the 

two organizations' merger), the leading provider of 

resources and best practices for the information 

profession. 

Inglis is the author of 'INFORMATION: The 

Comprehensive Overview of the Information 

Profession & Official INFO Designation Study 

Guide'. Mr. Inglis is a recipient of the Providence 

Ambassador Award and was named a 2018 Rhode 

Island "50 on Fire" for his work with both the 

information profession and his public advocacy. 

Mr. Inglis' writing has been featured in U.S. News & 

World Report, The Providence Journal, Yahoo! 

Finance, CMSWire, and others. 

NIRMA CONFERENCE 

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS: 

ROD McCULLUM, 

Senior Director, Used Fuel 

and Decommissioning, 

Nuclear Energy Institute 

(NEI) 

“Sharing Current Industry 

Trends” 

Rod McCullum has been working at NEI since 1998. 

He has 30 years of nuclear engineering, licensing, 

management and regulatory policy experience. 

Currently, at NEI, he leads industry technical and 

regulatory efforts to improve used fuel management 

and nuclear plant decommissioning programs. He held 

prior positions in Government (with the Department of 

Energy) and Industry (at three commercial nuclear 

power plants). He has a Bachelor of Science degree in 

Nuclear Engineering (University of Cincinnati, 1985) 

and a Master of Business Administration degree (Lewis 

University, 2000). 

Click here to register for the 

NIRMA Conference! 

Click here to register for the 

Pre and Post Conference 

Workshops! 

Click here to register for the ARMA Conference. 


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Adopters vs. Resisters 

Building a Successful 

Change Management Strategy 

I 

t’s commonly said that change is the only 

constant. If that’s true, being in front of the 

change and steering progress in a desired 

direction is essential. Front-line leadership is 

often tasked with implementing change management 

strategies, and doing so can be difficult depending on 

which portion of the workforce you’re addressing. 

From early adopters and lukewarm wait-and-see 

demographics to the more difficult resisters or 

“laggers,” understanding who you’re dealing with and 

how best to adapt is key to a successful change 

management strategy. 

The Early Adopters 

When faced with change, there will always be those who 

happily embrace the concept and actively engage the 

challenges. The early adopters 

need little incentive when 

introduced to something new, and 

most thrive with just a little 

direction and the freedom 

to do their work. 

The Neutral Wait-and- 

See Demographic 

The neutral wait-and-see 

demographic is often a very selfish one, meaning 

change is adopted when personal gain is perceived or 

when trying to avoid detrimental consequences. This 

demographic makes up the largest portion of the 

workforce or product audience, and most can be easily 

swayed with a little incentive or easy-to-understand 

consequences. 

Resisters and Laggers 

The most difficult group to manage successfully around 

change is the resister or “lagger” demographic. 

Resisters, both active and passive, whether through 

By Dean Van Dyke 

iBridge LLC 

choice or lack of interest, are the 

least likely to adopt policy 

changes and can prove 

organizational roadblocks if not 

managed appropriately. 

Responsibility, Training, 

and Competency 

Implementing a change 

management strategy is a 

collaborative effort. Creating and 

relaying the strategy, especially to 

resisters, is your responsibility as 

front-end leadership. Understanding and adhering to 

that strategy is the responsibility of the individual 

worker. 

Unfortunately, it’s not 

uncommon for management 

strategies to fail on the premise of 

miscommunication alone. 

Procedural changes can be 

difficult to understand and even 

more difficult to internalize. 

Before disciplining an individual 

because they aren’t adapting to change, it’s important to 

ask yourself these three questions: 

1. Was that person aware of their responsibilities? 

2. Have they been properly trained? 

Dean Van Dyke is the 

Vice President of 

Business Process 

Optimization at iBridge 

LLC 

Does that training translate to competency? 

Answering “no” to any of these questions can be an 

indication that information was miscommunicated, 

hasn’t been provided, or that a situation deserves to be 

reassessed. Dishing out disciplinary action should be a 

last resort and understanding how best to manage 

various adopters before implementing change can mean 

the difference between a successful change management 

strategy and one that crashes and burns. 


NRC STARTS LARGE 

DIGITIZATION PROJECT 

By Margie Janney, CRM/NS/FED 

A 

s an update to a previous 

Inside NIRMA article, the 

Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission (NRC) has 

started a large project to digitize old 

records. 

Upon receipt in the summer of 

2017 of a report from the 

Committee to Review Generic 

Requirements (CRGR) on the 

NRC’s implementation of back 

fitting and issue finality 

requirements, the NRC Executive 

Director of Operations (EDO) 

recognized that the retrievability of 

licensing and design basis 

information was a contributing 

factor to back fit challenges. As a 

result, the EDO gave my staff in the 

Office of the Chief Information 

Officer (OCIO) the go-ahead to 

digitize 43 million pages of legacy 

material to make it readily available 

for staff’s use. 

Between 2007 and 2017, we had 

scanned approximately 500,000 

legacy documents and made them 

available to staff via ADAMS, the 

agency’s official recordkeeping 

system. In 10 years we had digitized 

approximately 10% of the collection; 

we’re going to be digitizing the 

remaining 90% within 2 years! 

That’s ambitious! 

We will be digitizing 6.3 million 

pages of Atomic Energy 

Commission paper documents 

(official agency records generated or 

received prior to 1979), as well as 

2,915,977 documents on 109,674 

microfiche and 113,456 NUDOCS 

In 10 years we had 

digitized approximately 

10% of the collection; 

we’re going to be 

digitizing the remaining 

90% within 2 years! 

aperture cards indexed in the 

Nuclear Document System 

(NUDOCS) collection (representing 

all agency records generated or 

received from 1979 to 1999). 

We are working with the 

microforms first. Within the first 

two weeks of start-up, we scanned 

approximately 1200 microfiche cards 

(about 436,800 images) and created 

12,759 PDF documents. The pace 

will pick up significantly once we 

have ironed out the kinks. 

After the NUDOCS microforms 

are digitized and QC’d, OCIO has a 

program that will match up the 

PDFs with the metadata (profile) 

found in NUDOCS and transfer it 

all electronically to ADAMS. The 

AEC papers, however, don’t have 

existing metadata. We are going to 

be using artificial intelligence (AI) to 

see what metadata we can 

automatically extract from the 

documents after they are OCR’d. 

Keep in mind that the youngest 

documents in this collection are 40 

years old; we have carbon copies and 

onion skin documents which don’t 

easily convert to text. 

My staff is excited to be working 

on this significant project to help the 

mission of the NRC! 


inspired by the long association with 

NIRMA to create, in 2016, the Japan 

Energy Records Management 

Association (JERMA). 

(L-R) Eugene Yang, Bill Clover (Exelon Nuclear) and Mr. Sadamaro Yamashita 

(founder and President of NRM) 

Keeping to the Asia theme, there 

have been occasions where I’ve been 

asked to lend a hand in helping 

fellow NIRMA members from the 

vendor community in their 

marketing efforts. In one particular 

effort with IBM, I traveled to 

Shanghai, China to present 

information management concepts 

to the burgeoning China nuclear 

industry. Later, I provided 

consulting and training on electronic 

information management to the staff 

at the Jiangsu Nuclear Power Plant. 

Of course, when in the mother 

country, I was very appreciative of 

the 

food! 

By Eugene Y. Yang, KISMET Consulting, Inc. 

A 

s I look back at a career 

spanning over five 

decades (really?), I’ve 

been blessed to be able 

to leverage my knowledge and 

experience into adventures 

around the world. This issue’s 

article reflects the opportunities 

to present or provide training on 

information management at 

international venues. 

When I served as President of the 

Association, back in 1999-2001, I 

had the opportunity to meet with 

representatives from the Nippon 

Records Management Co., Ltd 

(NRM), a firm that provides records 

management services to utilities, 

businesses, and government agencies 

in Japan. This opportunity led to my 

being asked to 

provide 

presentations to records 

management staffs of the Japanese 

nuclear power plants and the ARMA 

International Tokyo chapter. It was 

through that initial visit to Tokyo 

that NIRMA, and me personally, 

have had a rich 20-year relationship 

with Mr. Sadamaro Yamashita, 

founder and president of NRM. Mr. 

Yamashita has invited me to Japan to 

speak to the nuclear industry on 

several occasions; in 2013, he invited 

Bill Clover of Exelon Nuclear and 

me to speak on information 

management in the U.S. industry in 

the wake of the Fukushima accident. 

It was humbling to interact with 

personnel from the plant. Mr. 

Yamashita, and others in Japan, were 

Shanghai, China 

Over the course of the years, I’ve 

had the chance to work with the 

International Atomic Energy Agency 

(IAEA). Besides providing input to 

the development of technical 

documents on records management 

in waste management and 

decommissioning, I provided 

training on information management 

concepts in addressing sealed 

radioactive sources (SRS) and 

disused sealed radioactive sources 

(DSRS). This was essentially the 

tracking, reporting, and 

recordkeeping for monitoring the 

whereabouts of source material used, 

for example, in medical x-ray 

machines, industrial flowmeters, and 

lightning rods. This has taken me to 

the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, 


IAEA Headquarters 

Ljubljana, Slovenia 

Arusha, Tanzania 

Amman, Jordan 

Austria; Ljubljana, Slovenia; Arusha, Tanzania; and 

Amman, Jordan. It was great to interact with scientists 

and engineers from eastern Europe, the Mediterranean, 

Asia, and Africa, understanding their varied approaches 

to data and information management, while offering 

them insights on approaches in the U.S. 

At the time of this writing, I’m getting ready to head out 

the door again, this time to the United 

Arab Emirates. In March 2019, the 

Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation 

(ENEC) reached out to NIRMA’s 

President, Michelle Smith, to inquire on 

possibly receiving training on NIRMA’s guidance in the 

areas of records management (both electronic and hard 

copies), and the shredding of records (either electronic 

or hard copies). Michelle reached out to me to see if I 

was interested, and, of course, I said yes! The Barakah 

Nuclear Power Plant, near Abu Dhabi, is being built by 

a consortium led by the Korea Electric Power 

Corporation (KEPCO) using KEPCO’s APR-1400 

design. My intent is not only to provide training on the 

guidance we’ve developed, but also to share best 

practices and lessons learned from the U.S. power 

industry. This training, to be conducted over a period 

of five days, will occur in the latter part of June 2019. 

As I stated earlier, I have been blessed with these 

international opportunities. Perhaps, when I see you at 

the NIRMA Conference in August, I’ll regale you with 

tales of my latest travel overseas! 

Eugene has been a member of NIRMA for over 

32 years. At the time he joined, NIRMA had 

only been in existence for 11 years. He would 

love to hear about stories and anecdotes from 

others, so please email him at 

eugene.yang@kismetconsulting.com. 


102

MEMBERSHIP & MARKETING (M&M) 

Business Unit News 

By Bruce Walters, M&MBU Director 

T 

he Conference Committee 

and M&M are busy 

arranging, organizing, and 

publicizing the upcoming 

conference to be held at the JW 

Marriott Resort & Spa in Las Vegas, 

Nevada in early August. The hotel 

and grounds are amazing. There will 

be an array of Keynote speakers who 

will kick off the first day (click here 

for additional information). 

We will have quite a number of 

sessions designed to improve our 

knowledge of integral parts of the 

work we do. If 

you are 

interested in 

presenting at the 

conference, it 

may not be too 

late to step up 

and get included. 

Simply reach out 

to our vice 

president, Janice 

Hoerber, 

jhoerber@ameren.com, to discuss 

your topic. Did you know you get a 

discount on your conference rate if 

you are a speaker? It’s true! 

Ever wonder about the value in 

attending a conference? Generally, I 

consider there are two primary 

values in attending. First, the 

educational opportunities provided to us, 

the members, are second to none. 

We get to learn about big picture 

topics, not limited to just our day-today 

work environment. Many of us 

“ ... I consider there 

are two primary 

values in attending. 

First, the 

educational 

opportunities 

provided to us, the 

members, are 

second to none … 

Second, the 

networking 

opportunities are 

fantastic.” 

are siloed into our daily tasks and 

don’t see the whole picture, how our 

role feeds into other people’s roles 

and into the entire office’s or plant’s 

role. You get to learn about topics, 

that frankly, you may not have had 

any exposure. That stretches your 

knowledge and hopefully your desire 

to learn more, grow more. Some 

speakers allow for give and take in 

the sessions and now you get to hear 

some of the, uh hum, ‘seasoned 

veterans’ (I’m not saying old folks) 

agree/disagree with statements 

made. Properly done, banter can be 

a good thing, a better learning 

environment. We have sessions to 

learn about 

professional certification. There is a 

vendor hall where we get to meet 

representatives for various services 

and products/tools that are valuable 

to our jobs. Our conference is all 

about education! 

Second, the networking opportunities 

are fantastic. We gather for 

breakfast and lunch at tables 

(sumptuous 

meals, I must 

say) and have 

the chance to 

have 

conversations 

with people 

from all over 

the records management industry. 

You have a question, a problem, a 

random thought … you now have an 

audience of people who either have 

an answer OR know the person in 

the room who has the answer. No 

one is unapproachable at the 

conference. Our best and brightest 

are just people, like you, coming to 

learn and to educate. Don’t be 

bashful. We even have a First 

Timers event that helps welcome you 

and ease you into getting the most 

out of the conference. 

If you weren’t sure what to 

do with yourself between 

August 4-6, you really need 

to be in Las Vegas at the 

NIRMA Conference. You’ll 

be glad you attended. 


Professional Development 

Business Unit News 

Tammy Cutts, PDBU Director 

I 

t’s that time of year again, the conference is 

approaching and we’re finally starting to get 

approvals from our leadership to attend. Be sure 

to keep development opportunities in mind for 

those requests; you benefit as well as your company. 

Developmental Opportunities: 

At this year’s conference we have multiple opportunities 

(click here to register; $295 each or both Workshops for 

$500): 

• Saturday (Aug. 3): Full Day Workshop: 

Do You See the Flow? ($295.00) 

• Wednesday (Aug. 7): Half Day Workshop: 

The Lifetime of Learning ($295.00) 

• Tuesday (Aug. 6): Full Day Conference Track: 

ICRM Sessions (no fee) 

Do You See the Flow? 

The pre-conference workshop, Do You See the Flow? is 

led by Bob Larrivee. The interactive 

session is a full day and will focus on ways 

to improve the work flow process with or 

without technology by understanding the 

importance of process maps; identifying 

areas for improvement; assessing the impact 

of process change; and preparing a future 

state vision. 

This workshop provides you with a practical approach 

to creating a process map; recommending process 

change options; standardizing business processes across 

the enterprise; understanding how automation will 

Urgent Request 

for PDBU Co-Director! 

enhance operations and reduce costs; and prepare for 

implementation and change management within the 

user community. 

The Lifetime of Learning 

The post-conference half day workshop by Becky 

Wingenroth on The Lifetime of Learning. 

Originally created by Becky for the 

Electric Power Research Institute’s 

(EPRI’s) Technical Women’s Network, 

this voluntary process encourages 

continuous growth and learning and is 

available to anyone, women and men, 

interested in identifying how to better leverage their 

unique skills and talents. 

Ever wonder where your career is headed? Perhaps 

you’re not in the role you thought you’d be by now or 

you’ve been looking for new challenges. Alternatively, 

you may be progressing well, but are not sure how to 

get to the next great opportunity. What steps can you 

take to keep moving forward? In her presentation, 

Becky uses elements of the Lifetime of Learning process 

to encourage professionals to determine the path they 

want to be on, what they want to learn and the best way 

to learn it. Don’t wait for others to manage your career, 

YOU take charge! 

ICRM Sessions (No Fee) 

On Tuesday, the Institute of Certified Records 

Managers (ICRM) will have a full-day track to introduce 

attendees to the certification process and exam 

preparation, focusing on the Certified Records Analyst 

(CRA), CRA/CRM Nuclear Specialist (NS), and the 

CRM Federal Specialist (FED). The ICRM sessions will 

be led by Margie Janney, Bruce Walters and Rae 

Lynn Haliday (click here for more information). 

Please consider serving NIRMA in the 

Professional Development Business Unit! 

Help lead and contribute ideas for 

training and educational opportunities 

for our membership. 

Contact tammy.cutts@pge.com 

Attending one or more of these sessions is an 

excellent way to develop yourself while taking back 

new knowledge and skills to benefit your 

organization. If you have training on your personal 

development plan for the year, here’s your chance 

to check that box as well. 


News from the 

Regulatory Information 

Management Business Unit 

(RIMBU) 

By Chris Boudreaux, 

RIMBU Business Unit Director 

Status of RIMBU Actions 

RIMBU Team members have been working heavily on 

the updates to various documents including the 

following: 

• Technical Guideline 15 – Management of 

Electronic Records 

• Technical Guideline 18 – Guideline for Vendor 

Technical Information Program Implementation 

• Technical Guideline 21 – Required Records 

Protection, Disaster Recovery and Business 

Continuity 

• Technical Guideline 22 – Management of 

Electronic Vendor Technical Documents 

• Position Paper 06 – Alternative Approaches in 

the Implementation of the Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission Regulatory Issue Summary 

• Position Paper 07 – Management of Quality 

Records from NDE Processes 

• Position Paper 08 – Electronic Signature 

Methods 

Basis Documents Being Created 

With RIMBU having added several new members to 

the team, we have begun working on Basis Documents 

for all Technical Guidelines, Position Papers, and 

White Papers. These documents will explain the history 

and purpose of the material created from within the 

RIMBU team allowing a detailed knowledge transfer to 

not only members of the RIMBU organization, but 

members and customers of NIRMA as a whole. We 

expected the Basis Documents to be available alongside 

the native documents later this year. 

ANSI/NIRMA CM 1.0-2007 Reaffirmed 

2015 - 5-Year Revision Cycle 

Our working team for this year’s revision has 

completed the initial comments gathering phase of the 

revision and is generating the initial draft of the update 

for the ANSI/NIRMA CM 1.0-2007 Reaffirmed 2015 

document. This effort is being led by long-time 

NIRMA/RIMBU member Rich Giska along with his 

team, which includes: Mike Dickson, Kent Freeland, 

Laurent Perkins, Lori Roddy, David Weber, Sarah 

Perkins, and Chris Boudreaux. We appreciate the 

efforts of the team thus far as they work toward having 

a final draft out for review ahead of the NIRMA 

Conference this year. 

NIRMA Conference Preparations 

The RIMBU members are planning various 

presentations and work-related activities as we near the 

43 rd Annual NIRMA conference. We will hold our 

Annual Summer Meeting following the conference and 

encourage all interested conference attendees to make 

plans to stay and join our day and a half session as this 

will be where the rubber meets the road on generating 

the guidance documents for our industry. We plan to 

have vendor presentations, discuss new technical 

guidelines, share best practices and operating 

experience, and more. If you would like to attend our 

session, please contact me via email at 

cmboudreaux@stpegs.com. 


Anita and her sons 

Phillip and Matthew. 

speakers in recent years will be getting married to his sweetheart 

Megan in September. 

Anita Beren 

A 

nita is a Documentation Leader at General Electric 

in Marlborough, Massachusetts. 

Anita has been a member of NIRMA since 2006 and had 

served as the Director of Professional Development for many 

years before her election to the NIRMA Board in 2017 as the 

Director of Infrastructure. She assumed the position of 

Treasurer in 2018 

Anita and her significant other Jack live in Massachusetts. She 

has two children, Phillip and Matthew. Matthew, who is 

known to NIRMA members for his videotaping of keynote 

In her spare time, Anita is a jewelry designer. She creates 

custom jewelry through bead embroidery. Anita is also the Vice 

President of Beadesigner International, a Bead Society serving 

greater New England. 

Question: NIRMA will host its annual 

conference in August. Besides the conference 

itself, what are you most looking forward to doing 

in Las Vegas? 

Anita: I have attended the NIRMA conference since 

2006. Over the years, I have had the pleasure of 

enjoying many shows in Las Vegas. More recently, I 

look forward to enjoying all that the JW Marriott 

Resort has to offer. Coming from the Northeast, I 

enjoy the warmth of Las Vegas in August. Some may 

find it too hot at this time of year, but I love it! I also 

enjoy spending time with longtime friends that I have 

made over the years at NIRMA and meeting the new 

members who come for the first time. 


Q: What was your favorite toy growing up? 

A: Music has always been a big part of my life. One of 

my most favorite things when I was a kid was a record 

player. My older brother bought many records. He let 

me play them on our record player. I would sit next to 

the record player and listen to rock and roll music for 

hours on end throughout the years while growing up. I 

am surprised that I didn’t wear out the vinyl. 

Q: What fictional character do you wish you could 

meet and why? 

A: I would love to meet Captain Jean Luc Picard of the 

starship Enterprise from the Star Trek Next Generation 

television series. I couldn’t get enough of those 

adventures. I want to be part of his command and 

travel throughout the galaxy and beyond. 

Example of Anita’s bead embroidery work. 

Q: What was the first live concert you ever 

attended? 

A: The first live concert that I ever attended was The 

Beach Boys. They were probably one of the first bands 

whose music my brother introduced me to. I have 

always loved live concerts. I have tickets to attend a live 

concert by The Who in the fall. This is such an 

anticipated event for me because The Who was one of 

my brother’s favorite bands. Their music was such a big 

part of my childhood, I am looking forward to 

experiencing them live. 

Editors 

Neal and Sandra Miller 

DevereauxInc@outlook.com 

Advertising 

Neal.F.Miller@gmail.com 

NIRMA Headquarters 

Sarah Perkins 

NIRMA Administrator 

245 Sunnyridge Ave., #41 

Fairfield, CT 06824 

nirma@nirma.org 


National Security Experts Form Coalition to Regain U.S. 

Leadership in Nuclear Energy 

National security experts 

agree that leading in nuclear 

energy means leading in the 

world. More than 100 leaders in 

this field—including more than a 

dozen retired admirals, former top 

-ranking officials at the CIA and 

in military intelligence, professors 

and deans of engineering at 

prominent universities, heads of 

major defense technology firms, 

and others with long experience in 

national security—have formed a 

new organization, the Nuclear 

Energy and National Security 

Coalition, urging policymakers to 

act to regain that leadership. 

On May 21, former 

Ambassador Thomas Graham Jr. 

—who is a prominent expert on 

arms control—and retired U.S. 

Navy Adm. Richard Mies—a 

former nuclear submariner and 

commander of the U.S. Strategic 

Command—launched the new 

coalition, which is under the aegis 

of the Atlantic Council, a 

Washington, D.C.-based think 

tank with a specialty in energy and 

security. At the event, the Atlantic 

Council also released a report 

from its Task Force on U.S. 

Nuclear Energy Leadership—on 

which Sens. Sheldon 

Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Mike 

Crapo (R-Idaho) served as 

honorary co-chairs. 

The new coalition sees a 

strong nuclear energy sector as a 

cornerstone of national security. 

They believe that the United 

States’ role as the global leader in 

nonproliferation efforts is “under 

strain” because of the decline of 

the industry domestically and in 

exports. 

Domestically, many nuclear 

reactors face challenges because 

of a decline in the wholesale price 

of electricity, brought on by a 

flood of inexpensive natural gas, 

created by fracking. The electricity 

markets do not compensate 

nuclear reactors for their aroundthe-clock 

availability or their 

contributions to clean air and 

climate stability. 

Internationally, the export 

market is now dominated by 

Russia—with China quickly 

emerging as a contender. Both 

nations have leveraged their 

domestic nuclear industries to 

expand internationally. With this 

expansion, they have begun to 

displace U.S. influence in the 

establishment of global nuclear 

norms and standards. 

When it comes to competing 

with these countries, the U.S. 

has fallen behind because of our 

own ineffective trade policies. 

Until a few days ago, for example, 

American companies were at a 

commercial disadvantage because 

they could not even get financing 

from the Export-Import Bank. 

Such financing is a staple of trade 

policy for countries around the 

world, but the U.S. Ex-Im Bank 

was without a quorum and unable 

to authorize transactions 

exceeding $10 million. 

Nuclear energy bolsters our 

national security. The experts who 

are a part of the Nuclear Energy 

and National Security Coalition 

recognize that our geopolitical 

leadership abroad depends on the 

fate of our nuclear energy 

industry. Policymakers must do 

the same. 

Article reprinted with 

permission of NEI. 

Read full article here. 


How a 3D-Printed Sub Could Revolutionize Nuclear Energy 

You’ve probably heard of 3D 

printing being used to create scale 

models and other novelties. You may 

even have a 3D printer at home. The 

technology—also called additive 

manufacturing—was first pioneered in 

the 1980s and in the last 10 years has 

created a revolution in manufacturing 

just about anything. Today, we can 

print with more than just plastic; we can 

print with metals and other materials 

used in high tech industries. 

Some people have even wondered 

if we could 3D-print a nuclear reactor. 

Well, it turns out that this idea is not so 

far-fetched. The nuclear industry is 

developingmicro-reactors, which are 

very small nuclear reactors typically less 

than 10 megawatts and capable of 

fitting on the back of a tractor trailer. 

Just last week, I was at Oak Ridge 

National Laboratory and saw 

a submersible they 3D-printed for the 

U.S. Navy which was about the same 

size as a micro-reactor. 

So what does this mean for nuclear 

energy? Well, the Navy submersible 

was 3D-printed in weeks instead of 

months and for only 10 percent of the 

cost that it would take for conventional 

manufacturing. While the internal 

components of a micro-reactor may be 

complex, the aerospace industry has 

experience 3D-printing complex jet 

engine components in less time and for 

lower costs than conventional methods. 

We don’t have to wait for the 

future to see 3D-printed parts make 

their way into nuclear power plants. 

Companies are looking to put 3Dprinted 

fuel components into reactors 

this year, and advanced test reactors use 

3D-printing to manufacture test 

capsules. Replacement of discontinued 

parts is a challenge for nuclear plants, 

and 3D printers could be used to 

manufacture replacement parts. 

In addition, we are looking at other 

advanced manufacturing technologies. 

Larger components, such as pressure 

vessels for small modular reactors, 

could use advanced methods—like 

powder metallurgy hot isostatic 

pressing (a very technical term for 

pressing metal powder into solid 

shapes) and electron beam welding 

(welding at the molecular level)—to 

reduce the cost and schedule of 

manufacturing. In fact, our recent 

report on advanced 

manufacturing found that there are 16 

methods of most interest to the nuclear 

industry. 

Innovation drives the nuclear 

industry. 3D-printing—like I saw with 

Oak Ridge and the Navy—and 

advanced manufacturing can 

revolutionize how we use carbon-free 

nuclear energy to power our way of life. 

Article reprinted with 

permission of NEI. Read full 

article here. 

3D-printed submersible on display at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. 


Westinghouse Targets Fast Licensing, 

Tiny Footprint for New SMR 

By Neil Ford 

The U.S. Department of Energy 

(DOE) recently allocated 

Westinghouse $12.9 million 

of DOE funding to develop its 

eVinci micro reactor design based 

on sodium heat pipe technology. 

Westinghouse aims to design, test, 

manufacture and site a 

demonstration unit by 2022 and will 

provide $15.7 million to the project. 

The company is currently 

developing an electrical 

demonstration unit and plans to 

demonstrate manufacturing 

capability by 2020. 

The advanced heat pipe design will 

simplify the plant structure and 

reduce the number of moving parts, 

creating significant cost and safety 

benefits, Yasir Arafat, Principal 

Engineer, Advanced Reactor 

Development at Westinghouse, told 

Nuclear Energy Insider.. 

The compact design will also have a 

small boundary footprint, opening 

up new siting opportunities closer to 

industrial facilities and population 

centers. 

Westinghouse is communicating 

with U.S. and Canadian nuclear 

regulators and aims to license the 

design for commercial deployment 

by 2025, pending a successful testing 

phase. 

This would position Westinghouse 

near the forefront of micro reactor 

deployment. 

Canada aims to build at least one 

demonstration advanced reactor 

plant by 2026, at a Canadian Nuclear 

Laboratories (CNL) site. In 

February, high-temperature gas 

reactor developer Global First 

Power became the first developer to 

advance to the third stage of CNL’s 

design selection process which 

involves non-exclusive negotiations 

on land arrangements, project risk 

management, and contractual terms. 

According to Westinghouse, the 

small size and high technology 

readiness of the eVinci heat pipe 

reactor design should accelerate the 

licensing process. 

“The fundamental technology that 

differentiates it from other nuclear 

reactor designs is the removal of 

heat from the core (fuel) via heat 

pipes,” Ryan Blinn, Advanced 

Reactor Program Manager, 

Westinghouse, said. 

“This technology (heat pipes) has 

been used for decades and was 

demonstrated by Los Alamos 

National Laboratory in the [NASA] 

KiloPower nuclear test,” he said. 

Design benefits 

The eVinci reactor is designed to 

provide 200 kWe to 5 MWe of 

combined heat and power. 

The design is built around a solid 

monolith with channels for both 

heat pipes and fuel pellets. Each fuel 

pin in the core is adjacent to three 

heat pipes, giving an overall one-totwo 

heat pipe-to-fuel ratio. The heat 

pipes remove heat from the core 

using a primary heat exchanger. 

According to Westinghouse, the 

heat pipe design eliminates the need 

for a reactor coolant pump and 

associated auxiliary systems, 

reducing plant size and component 

costs. 

A 2 MWe reference design can be 

packaged and transported within 

standard 20-foot shipping 

containers. 

The plant is designed to require less 

than 1 acre at the site boundary and 

the emergency planning zone would 

be limited to within the unit 

boundary, Blinn said. 

Article reprinted with permission of 

Nuclear Energy Insider. Read full article 

here. 


The 43rd Annual NIRMA Conference 

will be held at the beautiful 

JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort & Spa, 

221 N Rampart Blvd. 

Las Vegas, Nev. 

• Learn the latest from experts in current trends. 

• Be inspired by the message of industry leaders. 

• Retool your organization’s view for the future. 

• Re-energize your passion to make a difference. 

The JW Marriott Las Vegas 

Resort & Spa is a luxury 

getaway, providing spacious 

rooms and suites, premium 

amenities and superb 

customer service. 

Visit JW Marriott here.

Inside NIRMA Summer 2019 Issue

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