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Inside NIRMA Fall 2019 FINAL

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<strong>Inside</strong><br />

Leading the way in Nuclear Information and Records Management<br />

magazine<br />

Visit us at: <strong>NIRMA</strong>.org<br />

The End of an Era;<br />

The Last Operating Unit at<br />

Three Mile Island Generating Station<br />

Removed from Service<br />

Quality Control, the Auditing Process, for your<br />

Conversion Project, ST Imaging/nextScan<br />

Chronicles of NIM: A Retrospective on<br />

Information Management in Nuclear Power,<br />

Kismet Consulting<br />

Update on Digitization of Old Microfilm<br />

Documents, NRC<br />

Issue # 06, <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2019</strong>


Contents<br />

Cover Stories<br />

4<br />

7<br />

9<br />

10<br />

The End of an Era; The Last Operating Unit at Three Mile<br />

Island Generating Station Removed from Service<br />

Quality Control, the Auditing Process, for your Conversion<br />

Project<br />

By Matt Anderson, Vice President of Marketing, nextScan<br />

Update on Digitization of Old Microfilm Documents<br />

By Margie Janney, CRM/NS/FED, NRC<br />

Chronicles of NIM: A Retrospective on Information<br />

Management in Nuclear Power<br />

By Eugene Yang, Kismet Consulting<br />

Other Features<br />

12<br />

13<br />

To CRM or Not to CRM?<br />

That Could Be, Should Be<br />

Your Question!<br />

By Bruce Walters, CRM/NS<br />

<strong>2019</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong> Conference Pictorial<br />

Cover Photo: Exelon's Three Mile Island<br />

Generating Station in Londonderry Twp.,<br />

PA. Reprinted with permission from<br />

Exelon Nuclear Corporation.<br />

2 <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2019</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong>.org <strong>Inside</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong>


Scenes from the <strong>2019</strong><br />

<strong>NIRMA</strong> Conference<br />

CONTENTS<br />

in every issue<br />

Editors<br />

Neal and Sandra Miller<br />

DevereauxInc@outlook.com<br />

Advertising<br />

Neal.F.Miller@gmail.com<br />

<strong>NIRMA</strong> Headquarters<br />

Sarah Perkins<br />

<strong>NIRMA</strong> Administrator<br />

245 Sunnyridge Ave., #41<br />

Fairfield, CT 06824<br />

nirma@nirma.org<br />

TREASURER REPORT—5<br />

FROM YOUR PRESIDENT—24<br />

VICE PRESIDENT REPORT—25<br />

M&MBU NEWS—26<br />

PDBU NEWS—27<br />

RIMBU NEWS—28<br />

INDUSTRY NEWS—29<br />

<strong>Inside</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong>.org <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2019</strong> 3


Three Mile Island Generating Station Unit 1<br />

Retires from Service After 45 Years<br />

Employees and community members<br />

celebrate its legacy of safe and reliable service<br />

F<br />

or the past 45 years, Three<br />

Mile Island Generating<br />

Station Unit 1 has been<br />

safely and reliably powering<br />

more than 830,000 homes and<br />

businesses with carbon-free energy.<br />

That legacy ended at noon,<br />

September 20, <strong>2019</strong> when operators<br />

took the TMI Unit 1 reactor offline<br />

for the final time, setting a site<br />

record of running 709 continuous<br />

days, beating the station’s previous<br />

record of 705 days set in 2009.<br />

The world-class commercial<br />

nuclear power facility now enters a<br />

new chapter. Over the next few<br />

weeks, workers will remove the<br />

reactor’s fuel supply and store it<br />

safely in the station’s used fuel pool.<br />

After that, workers will begin<br />

preparing the station for long-term<br />

decommissioning.<br />

Final shutdown for Three Mile Island Unit 1 (Image: Exelon)<br />

“Today we celebrate the proud<br />

legacy of TMI Unit 1 and the<br />

thousands of employees who<br />

shared our commitment to safety,<br />

Three Mile Island Generating Station (Image: Exelon)<br />

operational excellence and<br />

environmental stewardship for<br />

nearly five decades,” said Bryan<br />

Hanson, senior vice president and<br />

chief nuclear officer. “At a time<br />

when our communities are<br />

demanding more clean energy to<br />

address climate change, it’s<br />

regrettable that state law does not<br />

support the continued operation of<br />

this safe and reliable source of<br />

carbon-free power. It’s critical that<br />

we continue to pursue policy<br />

reform to prevent other carbonfree<br />

nuclear resources from being<br />

pushed out of the market by rules<br />

that fail to evenly value clean<br />

energy resources and at the same<br />

time allow emitting resources to<br />

pollute for free.”<br />

4 <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2019</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong>.org <strong>Inside</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong>


Three Mile Island Unit 1 began<br />

commercial operation in<br />

September 1974. Since Exelon<br />

Generation purchased TMI Unit<br />

1 in 2000, the plant has offset<br />

more than 95 million metric tons<br />

of carbon, the equivalent of<br />

keeping nearly 20 million cars off<br />

the road.<br />

Along the way, it’s estimated<br />

that the station and its employees<br />

contributed more than $3.5 billion<br />

into the local economy, including<br />

wages, taxes, charitable<br />

contributions and local<br />

purchasing. The station has been<br />

such a landmark in the<br />

Londonderry Township, PA<br />

community that a portrait of the<br />

plant is memorialized on public<br />

safety vehicles.<br />

“We salute Three Mile Island<br />

and its employees for the service<br />

and partnership they have<br />

provided to Londonderry<br />

Township and the surrounding<br />

communities for 45 years,” said<br />

Londonderry Township Manager,<br />

Steve Letavic. “This is a tough day<br />

for many. However, we look<br />

forward to maintaining a strong<br />

relationship with those at the<br />

facility as it enters into<br />

decommissioning.”<br />

About 300 of Three Mile Island<br />

Unit 1’s employees will be staying<br />

for the first phase of<br />

decommissioning. Other<br />

<strong>NIRMA</strong> Board and Staff:<br />

employees are taking on different<br />

roles within Exelon companies,<br />

and still others have elected to<br />

retire or move on to other<br />

opportunities outside the<br />

company.<br />

Thank you for hosting another<br />

excellent <strong>NIRMA</strong> conference! The<br />

conference was well-run, organized,<br />

and provided information that will help<br />

me be more effective at work. I really<br />

enjoyed the keynote speakers and the<br />

technical sessions, and I was pleased<br />

to see that our leadership was already<br />

planning next year's conference<br />

during the PDBU meeting. The entire<br />

<strong>NIRMA</strong> team delivered!<br />

Sincerely,<br />

Gil<br />

Gil Brueckner, CRM/NS<br />

Lead Engineer - Configuration Management<br />

GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy<br />

<strong>NIRMA</strong>’s Financial Holdings<br />

As of: September 23, <strong>2019</strong><br />

Anita S. Beren<br />

<strong>NIRMA</strong> Treasurer<br />

Checking Account $ 46,051.15<br />

Investment Account $ 124,623.35<br />

Debit Account $ 102.04<br />

<strong>Inside</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong>.org <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2019</strong> 5


Quality Control, the<br />

Auditing Process, for<br />

your Conversion<br />

Project<br />

By Matt Anderson,<br />

Vice President of Marketing, nextScan<br />

T<br />

he ability to scan quickly is<br />

a key feature of any<br />

conversion project, but only<br />

if you can scan accurately<br />

and ensure that every document has<br />

been captured digitally. Making sure<br />

that your conversion project has a<br />

stage dedicated to Quality Control or<br />

Auditing is just as critical as scanning<br />

speeds and image quality.<br />

Capture in the RAW<br />

The first step to being able to<br />

review all of the scans is to capture<br />

them as a RAW image file. A RAW<br />

image file is one that contains exactly<br />

what the data collected without any<br />

loss from compression,<br />

interpolation, scaling or other<br />

interference. This RAW data is key<br />

to a fast auditing process because it<br />

is one image file instead of multiple<br />

image files. It is with this RAW data<br />

that we can view the entire roll as a<br />

Ribbon and detect what we have<br />

captured.<br />

The QC Process<br />

The Quality Control, or Auditing<br />

process is critical. Without being<br />

able to quickly determine what had<br />

been captured, a worker would have<br />

to painfully sort through each<br />

individual image, adjusting each one<br />

and outputting the results. Auditing<br />

Continued on next page.<br />

<strong>Inside</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong>.org <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2019</strong> 7


software displays<br />

the entire RAW<br />

data file as one<br />

image, detecting individual frames based on<br />

predefined parameters. The RAW file is key when<br />

needing to make adjustments to the entire roll. For<br />

example, an entire roll may have been wound<br />

backwards and each image requires a mirror<br />

adjustment. Going through each image individually to<br />

perform that function would take a long time. With an<br />

auditing tool a user can make one adjustment and<br />

reflect that across the entire ribbon of RAW data.<br />

Similarly, if the original roll was filmed either over or<br />

under exposed, one quick adjustment will make those<br />

changes instantly to every frame, instead of adjusting<br />

each individually.<br />

The information that<br />

record managers<br />

control is vital to your<br />

facility. During the<br />

conversion process<br />

can you afford to miss<br />

a single image?<br />

Did You Capture It All?<br />

Before the final step of outputting the images, one<br />

last question needs to be asked. Was everything on the<br />

roll captured? An Auditor allows a user to see the<br />

entire roll of film or microfiche as a ribbon, including<br />

data in between frames. Using the Detect Process, the<br />

Auditor will locate the individual frames on that RAW<br />

ribbon file and draw a box around each one. Any gaps<br />

in the film would be easily detected and inspected<br />

further by the user. Now we can be sure that every<br />

piece of data on the roll of film was transferred to the<br />

ribbon which was then digitally spliced into frames.<br />

Output<br />

The RAW ribbon file, with adjustments made and<br />

frames detected, needs one final process - output.<br />

FlexScan is the industry’s leading<br />

3-in-1 digitization solution for<br />

conversion of Microfilm, Microfiche,<br />

and Aperture Cards.<br />

Normally run in<br />

the background,<br />

the output feature<br />

converts a fully<br />

audited RAW<br />

ribbon file into<br />

individual image<br />

file formats<br />

(TIFF, JPEG,<br />

etc.). Now an<br />

individual digital<br />

file has been<br />

created for each<br />

frame on the roll<br />

of microfilm.<br />

Additionally, with<br />

the required<br />

software, wordsearchable<br />

PDFs can be created at this time. These<br />

files can then be transferred to a secure server for<br />

storage and future retrieval.<br />

Over the past year, in the <strong>NIRMA</strong> magazine, we<br />

have discussed the many challenges to confidently<br />

convert your microfilm and microfiche to a digital<br />

archive. Remember, for a true digital conversion of<br />

your microfilm collection, make sure to use a line scan<br />

scanner to capture all data on the roll of fiche,<br />

understand the limitations of certain media –<br />

specifically microfiche, and to have a process ensuring<br />

a true digital replica of the data has been completed.<br />

The information that record managers control is vital<br />

to your facility. During the conversion process can<br />

you afford to miss a single image? Don’t leave your<br />

conversion to chance, Convert Confidently!<br />

“I really liked the opportunity to<br />

voice my questions during the<br />

Benchmarking Q&A Sessions for<br />

Utility topics and I found the<br />

chance to meet with various<br />

exhibitors highly valuable (due to<br />

my company looking at digitizing<br />

our records).”<br />

1st Time Attendee: Lisa Scruggs<br />

Senior Records & Information Analyst<br />

Dominion Energy<br />

8 <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2019</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong>.org <strong>Inside</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong>


Update on Digitization of Old<br />

Microfilm Documents<br />

By Margie Janney, CRM/NS/FED<br />

w<br />

e’ve started! This image<br />

(below) is the first<br />

microfiche document<br />

that the Nuclear<br />

Regulatory Commission (NRC)<br />

digitized as part of the large<br />

digitization project I wrote about<br />

in the last edition of <strong>Inside</strong><br />

<strong>NIRMA</strong> Magazine. You’ll<br />

notice that it’s the transmittal<br />

letter for Three Mile Island’s<br />

Monthly Operating Report for<br />

the month of February 1979. I<br />

imagine the next month’s report<br />

had a little more to say! (You<br />

may remember the Three Mile<br />

Island Unit 2 reactor, near<br />

Middletown, Pennsylvania,<br />

partially melted down on March<br />

28, 1979.)<br />

As of September 23,<br />

<strong>2019</strong>, the NRC has scanned<br />

24,597 microfiche, which<br />

represents 22.86% of the<br />

microfiche collection of<br />

NUDOCS documents in the<br />

ADAMS Legacy Library. Those<br />

24,597 microfiche comprised<br />

504,711 PDFs (records), which<br />

represents 22.07% of the<br />

NUDOCS collection. Of those,<br />

we have successfully added<br />

97,299 records and existing<br />

ADAMS Legacy Library profile<br />

data into the ADAMS Main<br />

Library.<br />

We’re on pace to complete<br />

the digitization of the microfiche<br />

collection by the end of 2020. We<br />

will be starting the digitization of<br />

aperture cards and Atomic Energy<br />

Commission paper documents prior<br />

to that date.<br />

<strong>Inside</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong>.org <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2019</strong> 9


A Retrospective on Information Management<br />

in Nuclear Power<br />

One of the best things in my career<br />

has been crossing paths with great<br />

people who have a passion for<br />

information management. In this<br />

issue, you folks are in for a treat, as<br />

I’ve invited Bob Larrivee of Bob<br />

Larrivee Consultancy to be my guest<br />

in this column. Bob has been around<br />

a bunch of blocks over his career,<br />

and always has great stories and<br />

perspectives to share. Enjoy!<br />

What’s Old is New<br />

By Bob Larrivee<br />

F<br />

irst, thank<br />

you to<br />

Eugene<br />

Yang for<br />

allowing me to<br />

participate with him<br />

on this article.<br />

Eugene and I have<br />

known each other<br />

for many years now, and at <strong>NIRMA</strong><br />

<strong>2019</strong>, we were reminiscing about the<br />

“good old days”. One story in<br />

particular that really struck home is<br />

that many years ago when I was<br />

working at Wang Laboratories, I had<br />

the privilege of being part of a think<br />

tank where “proof-of-concept” was<br />

the focus. At that time, I worked on<br />

the use of voice recognition, facial<br />

recognition, digital annotation, and<br />

much more. We even developed a<br />

zero PC Footprint cubical<br />

environment, and believe it or not, a<br />

mahogany PC for a corporate<br />

executive.<br />

By Eugene Y. Yang, KISMET Consulting, Inc.<br />

One of the many things I<br />

was privileged to work on was what<br />

we called the “remote office<br />

connection” (ROC). In 1987, at the<br />

Wang User Conference, I<br />

demonstrated the use of a laptop<br />

computer in Boston, MA to access a<br />

PC desktop located in my office at<br />

the HQ in Lowell, MA. Once<br />

connected, I accessed the Wang mini<br />

-computer in my lab that then<br />

connected us to an application on a<br />

mainframe computer. Back then,<br />

communication was done through<br />

modems over the telephone system<br />

and it was slow…but effective!<br />

Many folks were amazed it could be<br />

done, and at the same time,<br />

questioning the business value.<br />

(Remember, this was 1987 when<br />

remote workers were not even a<br />

passing thought.)<br />

Back then, we could only<br />

imagine how far this would go once<br />

Wang Laptop<br />

technology<br />

allowed more<br />

flexibility and<br />

bandwidth. Following <strong>NIRMA</strong><br />

<strong>2019</strong>, as I was flying home at thirtysix<br />

thousand feet, I connected to the<br />

Internet using on-board Wi-Fi.<br />

While online, I connected to<br />

OneDrive to access some files I<br />

required. I then made some minor<br />

corrections to a document, rather<br />

than copying it and then having to<br />

reload it later. Think about what I<br />

had done: I was now able to do what<br />

I had demonstrated in 1987, but<br />

without requiring a landline to<br />

connect, and from thirty-six<br />

thousand feet!<br />

Wang Optical Drive<br />

In my view, the capabilities<br />

we have and take for granted today,<br />

are really works of wonder. In 1987,<br />

folks thought what I had shown was<br />

amazing yet could not see value.<br />

Today, everyone is connected and<br />

performing as if they were in the<br />

office next to you, even though they<br />

are half-way around the globe or<br />

10 <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2019</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong>.org <strong>Inside</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong>


Take a moment and look around you. Think<br />

about how much has changed since you were younger.<br />

For me, smartphones are now processing more<br />

information than my PC could years ago. Connectivity<br />

is wireless. Video calls – once considered Jetsonian -<br />

are available to all. (If you aren’t familiar with the term<br />

“Jetsonian”, look up “The Jetsons”.) Now we have<br />

robotics in both physical and software form. Artificial<br />

intelligence is embedded in many applications and soon<br />

wearable devices will include contact lenses that serve as<br />

both a camera and a projector.<br />

Wang Freestyle<br />

flying over your head. Technology enables us to<br />

approach the world very differently and takes on a<br />

whole new dimension in every part of our lives. Wi-Fi<br />

and portable/mobile devices enable us to be online<br />

24/7, communicating and sharing with colleagues,<br />

family, and friends. If for some reason it is not readily<br />

available, we get frustrated.<br />

In the nuclear industry, we will<br />

see mini- and micro-reactors<br />

now in development with NASA<br />

for use in space, but potentially<br />

here on earth as well. Just<br />

imagine that you are assigned to<br />

an interplanetary nuclear power<br />

project. How will you<br />

communicate, capture<br />

information, and manage it? ...<br />

The time to think about it is now.<br />

The time to plan on it is now.<br />

In the nuclear industry, we will see mini- and<br />

micro-reactors now in development with NASA for use<br />

in space, but potentially here on earth as well. Just<br />

imagine that you are assigned to an interplanetary<br />

nuclear power project. How will you communicate,<br />

capture information, and manage it? How will<br />

monitoring the facility be managed? Use of robotics?<br />

Perhaps. The time to think about it is now. The time to<br />

plan on it is now. As content curators, you will be faced<br />

with new, uncharted challenges in managing<br />

information. Technology is part of the answer.<br />

Knowing what it is and being able to see the potential in<br />

your operations is the key.<br />

It is an amazing universe we live in and an<br />

amazing journey we are on that is ever changing. Enjoy<br />

the ride.<br />

Inducted into the AIIM Company of Fellows in <strong>2019</strong>,<br />

Bob Larrivee is the President and Founder of Bob<br />

Larrivee Consultancy. With over 34 years in the<br />

industry, Bob is a recognized expert in the application<br />

of advanced technologies and process improvement to<br />

solve business problems and enhance business operations.<br />

He also serves as a Technology Journalist for Document<br />

Strategy.<br />

Eugene has been a member of <strong>NIRMA</strong> for over<br />

33 years. At the time he joined, <strong>NIRMA</strong> had<br />

only been in existence for 11 years. He would<br />

love to hear about stories and anecdotes from<br />

others, so please email him at<br />

eugene.yang@kismetconsulting.com.<br />

<strong>Inside</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong>.org <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2019</strong> 11


To CRM or Not to CRM?<br />

That Could Be, Should Be<br />

Your Question!<br />

N<br />

one of us were born thinking<br />

that when we are all grown<br />

up, we want to be a CRM. I<br />

probably wanted to be a<br />

major league baseball player. My<br />

friend Dave, who went on to be the<br />

President of ARMA International<br />

and the Institute of Certified<br />

Records Managers (ICRM), was<br />

going to play football at Boise State<br />

and probably would have if only …<br />

well, that story can be told another<br />

day (broke his dad’s heart, he did!).<br />

Bruce Walters addressing <strong>NIRMA</strong><br />

Conference attendees on the importance of<br />

obtaining their certification<br />

I’ve heard it said that you have to<br />

be really smart to get to be a CRM.<br />

I’ve heard others say the ICRM is an<br />

elitist club full of snooty people.<br />

Others have said it is just too hard to<br />

do. To me, of those options, I will<br />

admit that studying and passing all<br />

six of the exams was not the easiest<br />

thing I have ever done, so the latter<br />

was closer to my heart. Some even<br />

suggested that the only reason any of<br />

us did it was to get a promotion or<br />

pay raise. I couldn’t disagree more.<br />

By Bruce Walters, CRM/NS<br />

Why go to all that trouble? I can<br />

only speak for myself, and well, it<br />

was the challenge. I had heard the<br />

stories, the comments. I didn’t care<br />

about all of that. I wanted to prove<br />

something to myself. Not to my<br />

boss, not to my wife, not to my kids<br />

(although it was an object lesson for<br />

my kids). Back in the late 1980’s, I<br />

decided that I was going to sit for<br />

the exams. I quickly learned that I<br />

didn’t know quite as much about<br />

Records Management as I thought.<br />

But I also learned that when<br />

challenged, I was willing to do<br />

what it took. I studied topics<br />

where I had no previous<br />

exposure. I found records<br />

management friends who<br />

were willing to share their<br />

knowledge of what they did to<br />

help teach me. I read books<br />

and professional magazine<br />

articles. Remember, these<br />

were the dark days of<br />

civilization … there was no<br />

internet to explore (gasp!!).<br />

What I discovered was that the<br />

process we must go through to<br />

become a CRM made me a smarter<br />

records guy. I grew in knowledge<br />

and confidence.<br />

Like some other CRM<br />

candidates, I experienced a few<br />

bumps in the road. I failed a couple<br />

sections. It made me mad, at the<br />

system and at myself, but it<br />

motivated me to succeed. It took<br />

me three years, but I did it. I passed<br />

the exams and<br />

became a CRM.<br />

Since then, I have<br />

helped mentor a number of CRM<br />

candidates and have graded Part 6<br />

essay exams. And most recently,<br />

applying the same rationale, I passed<br />

the NS exam.<br />

Now, should you become a<br />

CRM … or a CRA? Could you<br />

become one? If you have the<br />

experience and education to qualify<br />

for sitting for the exams, then<br />

definitely yes! If you have<br />

considered sitting for the exams,<br />

don’t prejudge and quit on yourself<br />

before you even begin. Attend<br />

<strong>NIRMA</strong> Conference sessions to<br />

learn about how to prepare for the<br />

exams. Buy a preparation handbook<br />

from the ICRM Bookstore (click<br />

here) and other publications. Speak<br />

to any of us who are CRMs in<br />

<strong>NIRMA</strong>. But it really starts with<br />

you. Go on, complete the<br />

application at least. Or else you<br />

need to look yourself in the mirror<br />

and try explaining to yourself why<br />

you shouldn’t. I’d suggest starting<br />

with the CRA (passing Parts 2, 3 and<br />

4), like Sheila Pearcy, Director Of<br />

Infrastructure, has done. Then the<br />

five-year clock to pass all parts goes<br />

away.<br />

If yes is your answer, you will find<br />

folks in your corner, encouraging<br />

you and assisting you as your<br />

challenge begins. Game on!<br />

12 <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2019</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong>.org <strong>Inside</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong>


Pre-Conference Workshop<br />

“My boss and I attended the early<br />

session together “Mapping out a<br />

Modern Process Flow”. It happened<br />

that I was in the middle of trying to<br />

figure out how to use a mapping<br />

process for a particularly difficult task<br />

in my job. It was great to have Bob<br />

there to answer questions and he<br />

followed up with me later in the week,<br />

as well. My process mapping was<br />

completed the next week and allowed<br />

our project to stay on track.”<br />

Bob Larrivee presenting the<br />

interactive pre-conference<br />

workshop, Do You See the Flow? The<br />

workshop focused on ways to<br />

improve the work flow process with<br />

or without technology by<br />

understanding the importance of<br />

process maps; identifying areas for<br />

improvement; assessing the impact<br />

of process change; and preparing a<br />

future state vision.<br />

First Time Attendee: Tami Ellis<br />

Supervisor, Records Management<br />

Framatome<br />

<strong>Inside</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong>.org <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2019</strong> 13


The <strong>2019</strong> New Conference Attendees<br />

New Attendee Orientation Facilitators (L-R): Eugene<br />

Yang, Rebecca Wessman and Rich Giska<br />

“I think <strong>NIRMA</strong> puts on a very well put together<br />

conference, does a great job planning the<br />

conference (speakers, food, hotel, etc.), and<br />

seems to have good participation of members,<br />

especially during the conference. It was also great<br />

to be so welcomed into the organization as a new<br />

comer.”<br />

Quentin Newell<br />

Engineering Supervisor<br />

Urenco USA<br />

“I found it very helpful that I was able to<br />

take back to my organization the<br />

information on how I can achieve<br />

certification(s) and understanding the ICRM<br />

organization and certification process.”<br />

Cindy Ehrgott<br />

Nuclear Facility Specialist<br />

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory<br />

14 <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2019</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong>.org <strong>Inside</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong>


KEYNOTE SPEAKERS<br />

Waco Bankston, General<br />

Manager, STP Nuclear Operating<br />

Co.<br />

Nick Inglis, CIP, IGP, Executive Director,<br />

Content & Programming, ARMA International →<br />

Jessica Pacheco, Vice President, External<br />

Affairs, Arizona Public Service Co.<br />

Bruce Covert, PMP, CSP, President and Project<br />

Manager, Nuclear Waste Partnership, LLC<br />

Rod McCullum, Senior Director, Used Fuel and<br />

Decommissioning, Nuclear Energy Institute<br />

(NEI)<br />

<strong>Inside</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong>.org <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2019</strong> 15


Vendors<br />

<strong>NIRMA</strong> greatly appreciates our Conference Vendors and encourages our readers<br />

to take a look at what each of these vendors have to offer.<br />

16 <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2019</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong>.org <strong>Inside</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong>


<strong>Inside</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong>.org <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2019</strong> 17


Conference Welcome Reception<br />

18 <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2019</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong>.org <strong>Inside</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong>


<strong>Inside</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong>.org <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2019</strong> 19


Conference Welcome Reception<br />

20 <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2019</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong>.org <strong>Inside</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong>


<strong>NIRMA</strong> President, Michelle Smith<br />

provides the welcome and opening remarks<br />

at the 43rd Annual <strong>NIRMA</strong> Conference<br />

attendees.<br />

Eugene Yang (Kismet Consulting) facilitates<br />

panel discussion on “Information Management<br />

Force Reductions—Lessons Learned and<br />

Ramifications. Panel (L-R): Bill Clover<br />

(Exelon), Shana House (AmerenUE), Robin<br />

Whicker (Duke Energy), and Lona Smith<br />

(STP).<br />

Joe Shepley, VP, Doculabs discusses Content<br />

Analytics & Information Governance Benefits for<br />

Nuclear.<br />

<strong>Inside</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong>.org <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2019</strong> 21


Exhibitor EXTRAVAGANZA<br />

22 <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2019</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong>.org <strong>Inside</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong>


<strong>Inside</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong>.org <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2019</strong> 23


From the President<br />

Michelle M. Smith<br />

H<br />

ere we are in the last quarter<br />

of <strong>2019</strong>. We had a<br />

wonderful Conference this<br />

past August as our<br />

presenters spoke on issues that are<br />

relevant to the Nuclear Industry and<br />

presented us with challenges that will<br />

help define our future. While the<br />

nuclear industry continues to evolve,<br />

our facilities will continue looking<br />

for efficiencies to drive changes to<br />

help the nuclear economy.<br />

A significant part of creating the<br />

path for the future is ensuring<br />

alignment with our goals. Each<br />

board member has been tasked with<br />

reviewing the <strong>2019</strong> goals and<br />

providing recommendations to<br />

develop the 2020 goals. The board<br />

has identified several things that we<br />

were able to accomplish this year,<br />

which directly supported our <strong>2019</strong><br />

goals:<br />

• Increase Membership - The<br />

board with the help of the<br />

Business Unit Directors were able<br />

to contact utilities to provide<br />

awareness and work towards<br />

increasing <strong>NIRMA</strong>’s membership.<br />

• Website Enhancements - This<br />

year we have continued to<br />

implement changes to the website<br />

to ensure a friendlier environment<br />

for our members.<br />

• Outreach - This year <strong>NIRMA</strong><br />

offered additional outreach<br />

through providing training to<br />

Emirates Nuclear Energy<br />

Corporation Abu Dhabi.<br />

Emirates Nuclear Energy<br />

Corporation is the entity<br />

responsible for the deployment,<br />

ownership and operation of<br />

nuclear energy plants in the<br />

United Arab Emirates. <strong>NIRMA</strong>,<br />

contacted by ENEC polled the<br />

membership for the right<br />

candidate to represent <strong>NIRMA</strong>,<br />

Mr. Eugene Yang, a lifetime<br />

member of <strong>NIRMA</strong> volunteered<br />

to represent <strong>NIRMA</strong>.<br />

Mr. Eugene Yang, recognized for<br />

his efforts during the <strong>NIRMA</strong><br />

Conference, is a great example of<br />

how <strong>NIRMA</strong> members can<br />

continue to contribute to the<br />

industry and make a difference in<br />

the future of <strong>NIRMA</strong>.<br />

• Educational Opportunities - At<br />

the conference Bob Larrivee, a<br />

long-term partner with <strong>NIRMA</strong><br />

provided pre-conference training<br />

for our membership.<br />

• Continue Growth - One<br />

technique of ensuring the<br />

continued growth of our industry<br />

is to share strategies and<br />

processes with others. This is<br />

where <strong>NIRMA</strong> can help; by<br />

presenting your topic at our next<br />

conference or making suggestions<br />

on how we can obtain additional<br />

information. Sharing information<br />

with our Industry will provide the<br />

nuclear industry with ideas and<br />

techniques to implement value<br />

added initiatives for the future.<br />

In the past, we had several vendors<br />

and utilities attend the conference<br />

and share information on Mobile<br />

Work Management. This initiative<br />

helped drive efficiencies within our<br />

industry. With the implementation of<br />

electronic devices in the field, it<br />

helped to eliminate the use of<br />

hardcopy documents and save time<br />

for the maintenance workers. Many<br />

utilities now utilize a form of mobile<br />

work management to perform<br />

maintenance activities. Additionally,<br />

the Standard Design Process was<br />

developed to assist nuclear facilities<br />

to achieve one of the Nuclear<br />

Promise goals. We now have a<br />

standard Document Change Process<br />

that is utilized throughout the<br />

industry. These are just a couple<br />

ideas that have made a difference for<br />

our industry.<br />

What will be the next hot topic?<br />

We are counting on our membership<br />

to continue to share initiatives and<br />

spread the word. Your colleagues<br />

throughout the industry would love<br />

to hear how your plant has<br />

implemented new processes to drive<br />

efficiencies. All thoughts,<br />

suggestions, and ideas can be<br />

submitted to nirma@nirma.org.<br />

24 <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2019</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong>.org <strong>Inside</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong>


<strong>NIRMA</strong> <strong>2019</strong> CONFERENCE:<br />

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED<br />

By Janice Hoerber, <strong>NIRMA</strong> Vice President<br />

T<br />

he <strong>NIRMA</strong> <strong>2019</strong> Conference offered a great<br />

experience. Based on the feedback we<br />

received, the networking and good<br />

conversations for learning and sharing created<br />

a solid forum. We thank everyone who attended and<br />

participated to make the conference a success. The goal<br />

was to provide a platform of learning and engagement,<br />

to make you THINK in new ways, and to keep your<br />

passion engaged when you returned to your workplace.<br />

Mission accomplished!<br />

studies of innovation, leadership, and lessons learned.<br />

We are excited to announce that the<br />

<strong>NIRMA</strong> 2020 conference will be moving to<br />

an alternate Palms Conference area on the<br />

same JW Marriott Las Vegas property,<br />

August 2-4, 2020.<br />

Our sincere appreciation goes out to the distinguished<br />

speakers and keynotes who gave their time to share<br />

meaningful messages for our careers and industry<br />

knowledge. We thank the Vendor Exhibitors for<br />

participating in this year's conference and contributing<br />

to the technical sessions. Their loyal support is<br />

invaluable and enables <strong>NIRMA</strong> to stay current on new<br />

solutions and technologies. Last but not least, we<br />

extend our gratitude to the <strong>NIRMA</strong> Lifetime members<br />

who joined us -- Eugene Yang, Margie Janney, Rich<br />

Giska, and Frank Koscis as they continue to devote<br />

their time and resources to benefit the organization.<br />

We managed the conference expenses closely this year<br />

for <strong>NIRMA</strong> to likely end on a positive financial note for<br />

<strong>2019</strong>. This is not a trivial task, but the JW Marriott<br />

continues to be a great partner to <strong>NIRMA</strong> with reduced<br />

room rates, optional resort fee, and discounts on the<br />

conference food and audio-visual services.<br />

<strong>NIRMA</strong> will be changing things up for the 2020<br />

conference to revitalize the tracks and session topics to<br />

meet the needs of a broader audience and encourage<br />

more grass-roots sessions from the industry. The<br />

feedback from this year's conference desires more<br />

sessions to hear what went well and what didn't<br />

(operating experience) with the challenges faced. We<br />

will soon have a fresh Call for Papers to attract more<br />

presentation topics so the new attendee might dive<br />

deeper into the fundamentals if desired, while the<br />

experienced audience might focus on unique case<br />

This is a fresh change with modern breakout rooms in<br />

the Palms Tower having outside light. The Sunday<br />

"Keynote day" may evolve to a half day if we are<br />

successful in attracting more technical sessions<br />

especially presented by attendees with a story to share!<br />

The way you do business is rapidly transforming<br />

whether it is through change in processes, people, or<br />

technology. <strong>NIRMA</strong> encourages each of you to<br />

consider what story you have to tell from your<br />

workplace or company transformation! Take advantage<br />

of <strong>NIRMA</strong>'s group discount registration next year by<br />

planning now to bring your colleague, your boss, and<br />

your Information Technology teammates to present &<br />

participate in <strong>NIRMA</strong> 2020.<br />

<strong>Inside</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong>.org <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2019</strong> 25


MEMBERSHIP & MARKETING<br />

(M&M)<br />

Business Unit News<br />

By Bruce Walters, M&MBU Director<br />

2020 Board of Directors (L-R): Michelle Smith, Bruce Walters, Anita Beren, Sheila Pearcy,<br />

Lona Smith and Janice Hoerber<br />

veterans, which means providing a<br />

full spectrum of sessions to meet<br />

your goals. Therefore, what would<br />

be additionally helpful is for you to<br />

take a moment and complete our<br />

2020 Conference Survey that is<br />

coming out in early October. Again,<br />

this is your association. We want all<br />

our members to get the most out of<br />

their membership, so your input will<br />

be huge in directing us in how to<br />

support your needs and wants.<br />

T<br />

he 2020 Board of Directors<br />

election results were<br />

communicated to the<br />

attendees at the <strong>2019</strong> Annual<br />

Business Meeting on Day 3 of the<br />

Conference in August. Here are the<br />

Board assignments for next year, as<br />

follows:<br />

• President: Michelle Smith<br />

• Vice President: Janice Hoerber<br />

• Treasurer: Anita Beren<br />

• Secretary: Sheila Pearcy, CRA<br />

• Director of Technical Programs:<br />

Lona Smith<br />

• Director of Infrastructure:<br />

Bruce Walters, CRM/NS<br />

2020 Business Unit Directors:<br />

• Membership & Marketing<br />

Business Unit (M&MBU)<br />

Director: Kathi Cole, CRM<br />

<br />

Co-Director: Denise<br />

Pickett, CRM/NS/FED<br />

• Professional Development<br />

Business Unit (PDBU)<br />

Director: Tammy Cutts<br />

Co-Director: Lou Rofrano<br />

• Regulations and Information<br />

Management Business Unit<br />

(RIMBU)<br />

Director: Chris Boudreaux<br />

Co-Director: Shana House<br />

It is never too early to begin<br />

planning the next conference. The<br />

Board is appreciative of the feedback<br />

members provided to our Post-<br />

Conference Survey. It was very<br />

meaningful, especially identifying<br />

where we needed to improve for<br />

next year. The Board wants the 2020<br />

conference to meet the needs of the<br />

novice through the seasoned<br />

Kathi Cole and Lona Smith will be<br />

representing <strong>NIRMA</strong> at the annual<br />

ARMA Conference in Nashville in<br />

late October. We will have a booth<br />

and a new flyer that will promote<br />

<strong>NIRMA</strong> to more Records<br />

Management professionals.<br />

For those of you who did not fill<br />

out the Business Unit app at the<br />

Conference, know that you are<br />

welcome to join the M&MBU for<br />

the upcoming planning year. We<br />

hold monthly conference calls on the<br />

first Wednesday of each month.<br />

Email either me or Kathi Cole to let<br />

us know of your interest and we will<br />

add you to the call list.<br />

bruce.walters@aecom.com or<br />

kathi.cole@lm.doe.gov<br />

We are excited for all the ideas and<br />

opportunities to help make <strong>NIRMA</strong><br />

and its members blossom.<br />

26 <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2019</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong>.org <strong>Inside</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong>


Professional Development<br />

Business Unit News<br />

Tammy Cutts, PDBU Director<br />

T<br />

he <strong>2019</strong> conference was a<br />

notable one for the<br />

PDBU. At the top of the<br />

list is the announcement<br />

of a co-director. Lou Rofrano<br />

of AMS Store and Shred<br />

volunteered to step into that<br />

role. Lou has a lot of energy and<br />

great ideas he’s bringing to the<br />

role and I’m very excited to<br />

welcome him as co-director.<br />

We were<br />

able to recognize<br />

three individuals<br />

at the conference<br />

as well. Bruce<br />

Walters of<br />

Aecom and Gil<br />

Brueckner with<br />

GE both achieved<br />

Additional Andy McGavin was recognized for<br />

his work in leading<br />

the review of the NS<br />

exam and study guide<br />

content, which must<br />

be done periodically.<br />

As a result of his<br />

team's work on this,<br />

the NS exam was able<br />

to be offered to<br />

Bruce and Gil<br />

electronically via<br />

Pearson Vue testing centers. This was a significant<br />

change from previous exams that had to be taken and<br />

evaluated by hand.<br />

Finally, we held a brainstorming session during<br />

the conference. The session attendees provided great<br />

feedback and suggestions for PDBU to implement in<br />

providing opportunities for our members to use for<br />

professional development.<br />

the Nuclear Specialist<br />

(NS) designation to add<br />

on to their Certified<br />

Records Manager (CRM)<br />

certification. <strong>NIRMA</strong><br />

President Michelle<br />

Smith presented both<br />

individuals with their NS<br />

certificates.<br />

<strong>Inside</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong>.org <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2019</strong> 27


News from the Regulatory<br />

Information Management<br />

Business Unit (RIMBU)<br />

T<br />

he Regulatory Information Management<br />

Business Unit (RIMBU) team members met<br />

following the 43 rd Annual <strong>NIRMA</strong> Conference.<br />

Major topics covered during the Summer<br />

Meeting were: Cloud Storage of Records, Video as a QA<br />

Record, Benchmarking Q&A Forum, Electronic<br />

Signature, Less with Less, Verification of Records once<br />

processed into an EDMS, and status of the <strong>NIRMA</strong>/<br />

ANSI CM 1.0 5-year revision.<br />

We were excited this year to have several new and<br />

returning members at the RIMBU Summer Meeting<br />

including: Meg Milligan, Trela Norton, Lynn Purdy,<br />

Andrea Matazinski Wilson, Darlene Angle, Angela<br />

Olson, and Robin Whicker.<br />

By Chris Boudreaux,<br />

RIMBU Business Unit Director<br />

RIMBU to produce White Paper on Cloud<br />

Computing and Applications<br />

The RIMBU team has aligned on the development of<br />

a white paper to guide the Nuclear Industry in various<br />

considerations as we make our way into Cloud<br />

computing and applications. The document will serve as<br />

a tool to educate industry participants in several areas<br />

for consideration when developing Cloud strategy<br />

including legal issues, regulatory compliance, security,<br />

audits, and more. The initial framework for this<br />

document will be presented during the October RIMBU<br />

phone call.<br />

Recognition went out to RIMBU Members as follows:<br />

• Eugene Yang – Volunteer efforts with Emirates<br />

Nuclear<br />

• Rich Giska, Lori Roddy, Ronnie Trujillo –<br />

<strong>NIRMA</strong>/ANSI 1.0 5-Year Revision<br />

• Lori Roddy and Chris Boudreaux – stepping up<br />

last fall for Linda Mar<br />

• Bill Clover – coordination of ANI communications<br />

• Rich Giska – CMBG Representation<br />

Election of RIMBU Co-Director<br />

The RIMBU team held an election to fill the vacant<br />

Co-Director position to which Shana House was<br />

elected by peers to assume the role. Shana House has<br />

served with RIMBU for multiple years and assisted with<br />

revisions and reviews of several of the active reference<br />

documents for <strong>NIRMA</strong>. Shana House currently works<br />

with Ameren.<br />

PP-08: Electronic Signature Position Paper<br />

Bill Clover presented the final draft of the Electronic<br />

Signature position paper to the RIMBU team who went<br />

on to provide comments ahead of the release of this<br />

document to the <strong>NIRMA</strong> Membership. This document<br />

will provide guidance on the implementation of<br />

Electronic Signature methods to the Nuclear Industry.<br />

RIMBU to produce<br />

White Paper on Less with Less<br />

The RIMBU team has aligned on the development of<br />

a white paper to guide the Nuclear Industry in best<br />

practices surrounding RM processes as we take on the<br />

challenge of doing less with less resources. The team<br />

was very engaged as we discussed the framework for<br />

this white paper which will cover many areas around<br />

storage of records, processing of records, managing<br />

backlog, etc. The team is focused on producing the<br />

framework for this white paper and having the initial<br />

team review during the September RIMBU phone call.<br />

RIMBU Spring Meeting 2020<br />

The team has a tentative location and dates for the<br />

upcoming Spring Meeting which will be at Tennessee<br />

Valley Authority in Chattanooga, TN on March 10 &<br />

11, 2020. We will release more information as we get<br />

closer to the dates related to the agenda and travel<br />

accommodations.<br />

For additional information on joining RIMBU or<br />

the RM/IT benefits for <strong>NIRMA</strong> Conference<br />

participation, please contact me at<br />

(361) 972-4058 or cmboudreaux@stpegs.com.<br />

28 <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2019</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong>.org <strong>Inside</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong>


Setting the Record Straight on the Three Most Common<br />

Misconceptions Around Nuclear Energy<br />

If you are following the news, you<br />

have probably seen more climate<br />

issues in the headlines, on social<br />

media and even on television shows.<br />

Most recently, the Democratic<br />

presidential debates and CNN<br />

Climate Town Hall provided a<br />

platform for candidates to share<br />

their energy policies. One topic of<br />

contention is the role of nuclear<br />

carbon-free energy in helping to<br />

solve climate change.<br />

While there is a growing consensus<br />

by scientists and voices within the<br />

environmental community that<br />

nuclear energy is essential for<br />

decarbonization, it’s clear that the<br />

Democratic candidates are not on<br />

the same page when it comes to<br />

nuclear energy. And the media has<br />

picked up on the divide:<br />

• New York Magazine: On Climate,<br />

Sanders and Warren Must Go<br />

Nuclear<br />

• The Washington Post: Don’t trust<br />

candidates who ignore nuclear<br />

power<br />

• The Verge: Democrats are divided<br />

on using nuclear power to stop<br />

climate change<br />

Thankfully, these disagreements<br />

have left room for more<br />

comprehensive and honest<br />

conversations around nuclear, which<br />

are long-overdue.<br />

As the field of Democratic<br />

candidates begins to narrow, it’s<br />

important to set the record straight<br />

on nuclear. Here are three of the<br />

most common misconceptions that<br />

you should be on the watch for as<br />

debates continue:<br />

1. Until we can solve the waste<br />

issue, nuclear energy isn’t a<br />

good option. The waste issue<br />

dates back decades ago when the<br />

federal government agreed to<br />

take ownership of nuclear waste<br />

and find a solution to<br />

permanently store it.<br />

Unfortunately, the politics on<br />

how best to manage it led to a<br />

stalemate, leaving nuclear plant<br />

owners responsible for managing<br />

it at the expense of tax payers.<br />

What’s frustrating is this issue<br />

has already been solved.<br />

Scientific research says the most<br />

viable solution is to store used<br />

fuel at a geological repository like<br />

Yucca Mountain. But to move<br />

forward with Yucca Mountain,<br />

Congress must grant funding to<br />

complete the process.<br />

In the meantime, the nuclear<br />

industry knows exactly where its<br />

waste is, and it’s safely contained<br />

(which can’t be said for all<br />

energy sources). Nuclear plant<br />

owners store their used fuel onsite<br />

based on stringent<br />

requirements set by the<br />

government. Plus, there isn’t<br />

really much used fuel out there.<br />

Nearly seven decades of waste<br />

from using nuclear power would<br />

only cover a football field to a<br />

depth of less than 10 yards.<br />

Ultimately, losing nuclear<br />

power—the largest source of<br />

carbon-free electricity in the<br />

United States—because of a<br />

political issue would set us back<br />

in reaching our climate goals.<br />

2. Nuclear energy isn’t safe. Bill<br />

Gates, an advocate of nuclear<br />

energy, has said that the safety<br />

record of the nuclear industry is<br />

unmatched by any other energy<br />

source. And he’s right. Safety is<br />

engrained in the culture of every<br />

nuclear plant.<br />

America’s nuclear power plants<br />

have an excellent track record<br />

and are among the safest and<br />

most secure industrial facilities in<br />

the country. And the nuclear<br />

industry has a tough,<br />

independent regulator that<br />

ensures they stay that way.<br />

Some opponents point to<br />

Chernobyl or other events like<br />

Three Mile Island (TMI) or<br />

Fukushima as reasons to phase<br />

out nuclear. But what happened<br />

at Chernobyl simply could not<br />

happen here. That event was the<br />

product of a faulty reactor design<br />

not used in the U.S.<br />

Article reprinted with permission<br />

of NEI. Read full article here.<br />

<strong>Inside</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong>.org <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2019</strong> 29


Andrew Yang Loves Thorium<br />

Nuclear Reactors,<br />

But What Are They?<br />

Lately an unfamiliar type of<br />

advanced reactor has been getting<br />

more attention, because one<br />

Democratic presidential candidate<br />

has been talking about it. Andrew<br />

Yang, a tech entrepreneur, has<br />

put development of thorium<br />

reactors into his climate change<br />

platform.<br />

But what is a thorium reactor?<br />

Thorium is an abundant, lightly<br />

radioactive metal (named by its<br />

Swedish discoverer after the Norse<br />

god, Thor) that can be used in<br />

certain types of nuclear reactors. It<br />

isn’t really fuel, because it can’t be<br />

split like uranium can. But when<br />

thorium is placed in a reactor, it<br />

absorbs some of the neutrons that<br />

are given off by fission. A thorium<br />

atom that picks up a neutron<br />

becomes a new element—uranium<br />

233, which is a reactor fuel. So, a<br />

reactor can cook thorium into<br />

reactor fuel, and then consume the<br />

fuel to make electricity.<br />

Thorium is about three times<br />

more abundant than uranium. It’s<br />

already produced by mining<br />

companies as a byproduct, and it<br />

has a variety of non-nuclear uses.<br />

Plus, used fuel from thorium<br />

reactors contains minimal amounts<br />

of very long-lived radioactive<br />

materials compared to current<br />

uranium fuel, so disposing of waste<br />

is easier.<br />

There are no thorium reactors<br />

running today, but Flibe Energy<br />

Inc., a startup based in Huntsville,<br />

Alabama, has an advanced reactor<br />

design that uses thorium and<br />

molten salt. Employing molten salt<br />

in place of water (to transfer heat<br />

from the fuel) allows a reactor to<br />

operate at a higher temperature and<br />

at lower pressure, which means it<br />

doesn’t need a super-strong and<br />

expensive reactor vessel and piping.<br />

Heat from a high-temperature<br />

thorium reactor—whether molten<br />

salt or other—could be used in a<br />

variety of applications to displace<br />

fossil fuels, such as producing<br />

hydrogen for transportation or<br />

industrial use. Like all reactors, a<br />

thorium reactor would be carbonfree.<br />

And it would be dispatchable,<br />

meaning that it would run when<br />

needed and not simply when<br />

weather conditions permitted.<br />

Thanks to work done in the U.S.<br />

national laboratories in the 1960s,<br />

the molten salt that Flibe proposes<br />

for a thorium reactor is already<br />

familiar to engineers. Still, deploying<br />

thorium reactors will require<br />

additional research and<br />

development, which is why Yang<br />

has proposed $50 billion dollars for<br />

thorium research (along with<br />

fusion).<br />

Article reprinted with permission<br />

of NEI. Read full article here.<br />

Rolls-Royce Group<br />

Wins Funding<br />

as UK SMR Race<br />

Gathers Pace<br />

The UK SMR Consortium has<br />

received financial backing from the<br />

UK government to advance its<br />

small modular reactor programme,<br />

as part of the Industrial Strategy<br />

Challenge Fund.<br />

The consortium, led by Rolls-<br />

Royce, comprises Assystem, SNC<br />

Lavalin/Atkins, Wood, Arup, Laing<br />

O’Rourke, BAM Nuttall, Siemens,<br />

National Nuclear Laboratory, and<br />

Nuclear AMRC.<br />

“The £18 million [US$22.3<br />

million] government funding for<br />

phase 1 of the programme (from<br />

the ISCF Wave 3 bid we were<br />

recommended from by<br />

government) is being matched by<br />

industry funding in the<br />

consortium,” Ben Todd, Rolls-<br />

Royce Communications Business<br />

Manager – Nuclear, told Nuclear<br />

Energy <strong>Inside</strong>r.<br />

“It’s a really big boost to the<br />

project, however we have a<br />

conservative outlook and realise<br />

there remains a significant amount<br />

of work still to do and many<br />

hurdles to overcome. Phase 2 will<br />

be a further circa £500 million<br />

[US$618 million] total (matched<br />

Continued on next page.<br />

30 <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2019</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong>.org <strong>Inside</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong>


to generate high-value products<br />

such as hydrogen.<br />

Rolls-Royce Group Wins Funding<br />

as UK SMR Race Gathers Pace, continued<br />

The MMR-REM design is<br />

advanced and has undergone the<br />

Vendor Design Review (VDR)<br />

Phase 1 with the Canadian Nuclear<br />

Safety Commission (CNSC).<br />

from government, industry and<br />

possibly equity providers) to take<br />

through to the completion of the<br />

GDA process.”<br />

The initiative was launched in<br />

November 2015, as a range of<br />

measures to support the next<br />

generation of nuclear power plants.<br />

It included investing £250 million<br />

[US$310 million] in nuclear R&D<br />

over five years and launching the<br />

competition to identify the most<br />

cost effective SMR design.<br />

“We are waiting for the<br />

government award of the grant<br />

offer letter forecast in mid-October<br />

to enable industry commitment to<br />

the next phase,” said Todd.<br />

“We have a power station design<br />

that is ready to be prepared for the<br />

UK licensing process and just as<br />

importantly, we have a business<br />

case that has been rigorously<br />

reviewed by the UK Government,<br />

UKRI, and the independent Expert<br />

Finance Working Group. Together<br />

this is already creating a lot of<br />

interest in the market place which<br />

gives us belief and confidence that<br />

we have a great power station.”<br />

Feasibility studies and funds for<br />

non-LWR<br />

In June 2018, the UK<br />

government's £200 million Nuclear<br />

Sector Deal was announced to cut<br />

the cost of nuclear power and<br />

bolster the UK skills base, at a time<br />

when fears were rising over<br />

scientists leaving the UK due to<br />

Brexit. That deal included £56<br />

million towards the development<br />

and licensing of advanced modular<br />

reactor designs – and £32 million<br />

pounds towards advanced<br />

manufacturing research – against<br />

stiff competition from Canada in<br />

the SMR race.<br />

Eight non-light water reactor<br />

(non-LWR) vendors each received<br />

£4 million to perform detailed<br />

technical and commercial feasibility<br />

studies. Those vendors are<br />

Advanced Reactor Concepts, DBD,<br />

LeadCold, Moltex Energy,<br />

Tokamak Energy, U-<br />

Battery Developments, Ultra Safe<br />

Nuclear Corporation (USNC), and<br />

Westinghouse Electric Company<br />

UK.<br />

USNC said that its MMR-REM<br />

plant, being developed for Canada,<br />

may not be the best solution for the<br />

UK market and is identifying a<br />

specific UK application that is best<br />

suited to launching a UK-MMR<br />

reactor. USNC expects that this will<br />

be in the delivery of high<br />

temperature process heat that can<br />

be used to replace fossil fuels and<br />

Moltex Energy, which is also<br />

focussing in Canada, is working on<br />

its Stable Salt Reactor (SSR) design.<br />

Moltex chose not to pursue the<br />

licensing process in the U.S. due to<br />

low gas prices and the number of<br />

U.S.-based developers competing<br />

for early-stage funding. Design<br />

review processes in the UK and<br />

Canada are also seen as more<br />

supportive for new technology<br />

licensing as the national regulators<br />

use a principles-based analysis<br />

rather than prescriptive approach.<br />

Moltex has used conventional<br />

components and materials already<br />

qualified in the nuclear sector<br />

where possible to benefit from<br />

quick deployment timelines. It says<br />

licensing of the SSR plant could be<br />

completed in five years and that<br />

construction time for a FOAK 300<br />

MW plant would be three years.<br />

The Westinghouse Lead-cooled<br />

Fast Reactor is a 400 MW plant<br />

which uses liquid lead as primary<br />

coolant and uranium oxide (or U-<br />

Pu oxide) as fuel, while LeadCold is<br />

proposing a lead-cooled reactor<br />

using uranium nitride fuel. A single<br />

SEALER-UK unit produces up to<br />

40 MW of electricity in a vessel that<br />

can be transported by rail rail.<br />

Article reprinted with permission of<br />

Nuclear Energy <strong>Inside</strong>r. Read full article<br />

here.<br />

<strong>Inside</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong> <strong>NIRMA</strong>.org <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2019</strong> 31

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