Career Path > NRC

Radwaste-Does it still exist?

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Nuclear NASCAR:
I'm doing a little bit of internet benchmarking here.  Do any of the U.S. plants still have a Radwaste department or are most of them combined with Ops or RP?  Just like with my question in this forum on specialization I'm just trying to find out where we stand with the rest of the industry.  I've heard of it being combined with Ops or RP Ops at some plants.  I appreciate any and all help you can give us and hope we can get a lively discussion going here.

Thanks in advance,
Tom

hamsamich:
When at Brunswick from 1997 to 2000, radwaste had integrated with ops and all the ops guys had to qualify RW, and all the RW guys had to qualify operator.  i assume it is still like that.  Salem has a non-radwaste with a control room dealing with chemical discharges to the river and chemtechs handle that.  the RW at salem was nothing like brunswick's of course (much smaller, no big control room) and mostly operated by operators, although some of the equipment deemed under RW/Ops authority at Brunswick (like polishers) were mostly operated by chemistry technicians, which is an anomaly (2000 to 2002).  Chemtech at Salem is quite a different job than at most plants.  When I left Brunswick the guys that had been true RW guys were still the goto guys if there was a real question about how to operate RW.  I qualified RW but wasn't very good since I had no experience and left about 6 months later.  I was always calling the RW guys who used to do it full-time, as were many other newly qualified RW guys.  Boots, where are you, I need help!

Fermi2:
At Fermi all NLOs were Radwaste Qualified, the Radwaste Control Room was a full time job staffed by an NLO picked on seniority basis. They were attached to the shift and served as the Radwaste Operator Assigned for about an 18 month cycle. They did the Radwaste Rounds and all processing and ran the radwaste filters and pumps. They were also responsible for Sumps. If they were absent we simply called OT to fill the position. Or staffed it with another onshift Operator.  There was a full time Radwaste Coordinator who worked Primarily days. He basically coordinated resin transfers with RP and did his best to get his equipment repaired. When I first got there it was two Ex SROs who quite frankly did a terrible job. We then replaced them with the guy who ran our Deconners and he did an excellent job and set the standard for how it should be operated. When I left the job was filled by a Senior NLO and he did an outstanding job. I was the non official "oversight" till I left. (Mostly because I was so irate at how the material condition had slipped I decided to just oversee things) The Turbine Building Rounds operated the Condensate Polishers, the Reactor Building Rounds operated RWCU Demins.

Here the Radwaste Operator is assigned via the Shift. It changes every shift week. Then again the system is a lot smaller and simpler. They're still very busy. The Coordinator is a Senior NLO assigned to dayshift. His responsibilities are roughly the same as at Fermi.  During outages we have a backshift coordinator too. I;m not sure if Fermi does that, I know when I was there I always worked backshift during the outage so if anything came up I'd just take care of it and tell Rafael in the morning.

At both my facilities used Resin eventually made it to a HIC and was handled by a Contractor.

Mike

Nuclear NASCAR:
Any an all feedback is appreciated.  Bumping in hope of more. 

Thanks in advance,
Tom

Roll Tide:
FP&L and TVA: Radwaste was part of OPS AUO responsibilities.

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