Providing “Best in Class” risk based fixed equipment turnaround inspection planning entails a four phase workflow process to scope, plan, execute and evergreen inspection plans to cost effectively mitigate a client’s regulatory and business risk. Becht Engineering has successfully completed piloting the, “Inspection Planners Position” to bridge gaps inherent in developing and executing inspection plans […]
The CMAA Standard for Cranes: Becht Engineering recently completed the structural analysis for a single girder 5-ton crane bridge with an under-running hoist per CMAA-74 for nuclear waste handling operations. CMAA is the Crane Manufacturers Association of America, and CMAA-74 is the Specification for Top Running and Under Running Single Girder Electric Traveling Cranes Utilizing […]
A lesson from the Fukushima Dai-Ichi accident – The series of events that followed the March 11, 2011 tsunami caused hydrogen explosions that damaged the reactor buildings of three units at Fukushima Dai-ichi. In June 2013, the US NRC issued order EA-13-109 “Order to Modify Licenses with Regard to Reliable Hardened Containment Vents Capable of […]
I was the Principal Investigator for the recently issued EPRI Technical Report “Guidelines for the Evaluation of Cracks in Cement Linings and Coatings”, Technical Report 3002000599, December 2013. I worked with EPRI’s Doug Munson to develop these guidelines to help nuclear plant utility engineers make fitness-for-service assessments of damage in cement-lined and cement-coated pipes. Cement […]
Following the 2011 tsunami and accident at Fukushima-Daiichi in Japan, the nuclear power industry has embarked on a significant effort to evaluate the effect of beyond-design-basis (BDB) events, particularly earthquakes, tsunamis, and floods, on the safety of nuclear power plants. What are BDBs? Beyond-design-basis (BDB) events (sometimes also labeled BDBE) are accident sequences that have […]
Unloading of spent nuclear fuel at nuclear utilities typically involves removing spent fuel from the spent fuel pool and placing it in casks for interim on-site storage. During unloading, some utilities use what is known as a “stacked cask” configuration in which a transfer cask is temporarily stacked on top of a storage cask as […]
Prompt Early Response by Regulators and Industry – Shortly after the March 11, 2011 magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami struck Japan, and damaged the six nuclear power plants at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi site, the US NRC began to follow the situation. The NRC also established a Task Force to develop lessons learned. The Near-Term Task […]
Pump Trips and Check Valve Closure Systems running multiple pumps in parallel can undergo serious equipment and piping damage during a pump trip caused by a power outage or pump mechanical failure. Uncontrolled reverse flow in the system can occur and if improperly selected check valves are used it can result in pumps running backwards […]
