Safety Procedures in a Nuclear Power Plant?

[magus57]

I'm doing a report in school and my topic is safety procedures/rules/precautions in a nuclear power plant (specifically the Zion Plant near Chicago, Illinois). Can anybody tell me where I could find this information?

[ecoli]

google search.

[DV8 2XL]

Here's a start:

 

http://www.nei.org/index.asp?catnum=2&catid=55

[swansont]

Zion has been shut down (permanently) for about 8 years; I imagine the safety procedures of a plant undergoing decommissioning is far different than that of an operating plant.

[DV8 2XL]

It didn't have a very good record for safety, as I remember.

[magus57]

Thanks for the link. I tried google search but all I get is stuff like nuclear power plant accidents and security against terrorists. What I'm really looking for is something like a regulation handbook for the Zion plant (or some other plant), something like an exact list of rules/regulations/precautions.

 

By the way, would anybody know how to get in contact with the Zion Power Plant? I know it's decomissioned, but there are still people working there (maybe they could help me?). How would I get in contact (other than driving there)?

[DV8 2XL]

Generally information like that is spread over several manuals, and is most likely considered proprietary information by the owners

[swansont]

Thanks for the link. I tried google search but all I get is stuff like nuclear power plant accidents and security against terrorists. What I'm really looking for is something like a regulation handbook for the Zion plant (or some other plant)' date=' something like an exact list of rules/regulations/precautions.

 

By the way, would anybody know how to get in contact with the Zion Power Plant? I know it's decomissioned, but there are still people working there (maybe they could help me?). How would I get in contact (other than driving there)?[/quote']

 

The Nuclear Regulatory Commision might be a good place. Try the "freedom of information act" (FOIA) request link.

 

I think Zion was owned by Commonwealth Edison (ComEd), purchased by somebody and is now owned by Exelon, though it seems like it is run as a subsidiary.

[[Tycho?]]

You probably wont find handbooks or manuals or things like that. Companies tend to not publish that sort of thing freely on the web, and since its a nuclear power plant they dont really want people knowing their security procedures.

[insane_alien]

Rule 1. Don't eat the uranium.

 

Rule 2. Don't stick your tounge in the turbines.

 

Rule 3. Don't use rods of uranium as pretend swords.

 

...

[DV8 2XL]

insane_alien I can't beleve you forgot: Don't swim in the spent fuel pool.

[insane_alien]

I was going to put that as rule 3 but i forgot the proper name for it.

[swansont]

'']You probably wont find handbooks or manuals or things like that. Companies tend to not publish that sort of thing freely on the web, and since its a nuclear power plant they dont really want people knowing their security procedures.

 

 

But safety and security are not the same things. One safety protocol would be e.g. how much dose a radiation worker can get (IIRC it's 5 REM per calendar year, 3 REM max for any quarter-year), which has nothing to do with security.

[magus57]

So is there any hope of me getting the concrete information I need? The FOIA request thing will probably take me long (my report is due Feb. 14th). Even just a basic set of 5 or 10 rules/procedures/precautions would be fine (but serious ones, please).

[swansont]

So is there any hope of me getting the concrete information I need? The FOIA request thing will probably take me long (my report is due Feb. 14th). Even just a basic set of 5 or 10 rules/procedures/precautions would be fine (but serious ones, please).

 

ecoli was right: Google search: radiation safety, nuclear plant safety

 

Are you looking for personnel procedures, or design elements that promote safety?

[DV8 2XL]

But safety and security are not the same things.

 

No but they are sometimes joined at the hip. Take handling procedures for medical isotopes that you may be breeding for market in the reactor, likely they would combine both safety and security elements.

[magus57]

Specifically, I'm looking for something along the lines of this:

 

Rules and Procedures (this is just an example)

1. Put on XXX before entering room XXX

2. Do not enter room XXX unless in case of emergency

3. Be careful when handling XXX

4. Be careful while in room XXX

5. Never enter room XXX because (insert reason here)

6. Never do (insert action here)

7. Never (insert action here) without the help of another worker

etc etc etc...you probably get the point now.

 

The way I picture it, there is a piece of paper hanging in every hallway/room in a nuclear power plant that has the 5, 10, 15, 20, or whatever amount of most basic guidelines/rules/procedures that all nuclear power plant workers should know by heart (like the example list I made). Am I right (or close) compared to real life nuclear power plants?

[swansont]

Specifically' date=' I'm looking for something along the lines of this:

 

Rules and Procedures (this is just an example)

1. Put on XXX before entering room XXX

2. Do not enter room XXX unless in case of emergency

3. Be careful when handling XXX

4. Be careful while in room XXX

5. Never enter room XXX because (insert reason here)

6. Never do (insert action here)

7. Never (insert action here) without the help of another worker

etc etc etc...you probably get the point now.

 

The way I picture it, there is a piece of paper hanging in every hallway/room in a nuclear power plant that has the 5, 10, 15, 20, or whatever amount of most basic guidelines/rules/procedures that all nuclear power plant workers should know by heart (like the example list I made). Am I right (or close) compared to real life nuclear power plants?[/quote']

 

I've only been in naval reactors, not civilian, and also worked at a particle accelerator lab, but that's not what I recall. However, I imagine the basics are the same in all of these environments. The basic guidelines are taught to the workers so they know all of these things.

 

Signs will be posted in "high radiation" areas, where you could get more than a certain dose in a specified amount of time (I think it was 100 mrem in 1 hour). You will have handbooks and material safety data sheets (MSDSs) and the like available at various locations.

 

If areas aren't to be entered, they will be locked, with specific lockout procedures. One procedure I recall for radiation areas at the accelerator lab was that, prior to startup, you cleared the area with a particular protocol to make sure the areas were clear and nobody could get past you, and all areas were checked. Then the doors were locked to prevent entry.

 

Everyone wears dosimiters. Navy had a "double capture" requirement — it was attached to your clothing in two ways, so that it was less likely to fall off by accident. At the accelerator lab you wore an extra one when you were working in certain areas with higher radiation, so that they could be read on a daily basis to monitor dose.

 

Equipment that isn't functional is tagged and locked out. e.g. if there's a problem with a valve or a leak in a pipe connection, it's tagged so it will be repaired, and the bypass valves are locked into positions so that someone else doesn't accidentally start flow through the problem area.

 

The fact that you can do a bypass procedure is part of the safety of the design — you have redundant systems to operate when components fail.

 

Workers dealing with certain problems will wear appropriate safety clothing and equipment; eye protection, breathing protection, booties, etc. as required. Before doing repair you'd work on a mock-up in a safe area, so that you would minimize your time being exposed to radiation. You'd also work out a schedule to distribute the exposure among people, and do it efficiently — one person may get more dose on a particular job, but that may be better overall if the task can't be logically split up and would take more time to stop and have someone else take over. You look at the overall dose of all the people in making the assessment.

 

Containers for disposal of contaminated materials are properly marked.

 

No eating, drinking or putting on makeup (not so much a problem for the navy guys) in radiation areas, which minimizes the danger of contamination, which is much more dangerous if it gets inside your body.

[magus57]

Thanks for all the info, this will really help me out. Too bad it's not like how I imagined it, though, it would have been a lost easier that way