Underground Construction - July 2018 - 33

are significant differences between municipal and nuclear
work, and nuclear work proceeds at a much slower pace.
"Nuclear projects can range
from several thousand feet to
50 feet, but all are equally important, Bell said. "Municipal
work typically is high-volume
and production-oriented, while
nuclear is more low-volume,
safety focused," Bell said. "A
contractor is often required
to have backup equipment on
standby because of the short repair windows and potential impact of equipment failure. It's
not uncommon to have three to
five days for a repair."
Nuclear plants constantly
receive feedback from other facilities and place high value on
the recommendation of others.
What is or isn't working? Has
the contractor and/or product
had past failure(s) and if so,
why? Would the plant use the
contractor or product again?"
"Contractors with a production mindset can find nuclear
activity rather unnerving," Bell
said. "Nuclear contractors are
selected for their excellent OE
[operational experience], not
speed. They are selected for nuclear familiarity and safety; for
some, that can be a hard concept to grasp."

Background clearance,
badging

"It can be difficult staffing projects if employees aren't nuclear
capable," Bell continued. "Plants
require extensive background
investigations and minor blemishes could be the basis for
denial. Reference checks and indepth reviews can be expected.
A contractor who doesn't have
nuclear experience may find the
entire experience overwhelming. Every contractor eventually
will experience staffing complications, simply because of background or testing challenges.
The 80/20 rule appropriately

erything. This is not in any way
the typical manhole-to-manhole lining."
Elite's CIPP services include
pull-in-place ambient cure,
air-inversion (steam cure), and
pull-in-place UV cure (see sidebar for details on two of Elite's
many nuclear projects).
"Interest in UV cure," Bell
said, "has really gained momentum due to limited equipment,
reefer and boiler equipment,
controlled cure, and friendly material storage," Bell said.
"However, all methods have
their place."

Work during plant
shutdowns
applies, with roughly 20 percent
of the selected workforce gaining clearance.
"Most of Elite Pipeline Services employees are what we
term 'nuclear capable', so we're
able to support multiple projects across several facilities."
Bell elaborates on some of
the elements involved in working in nuclear facilities:
Planning nuclear piping
rehabilitation. "It is necessary
to have a plan 'B' and plan 'C',"
he explained. "There can be no
impulse decisions. A nuclear
project could take hours, days
or months of planning. Contractors must think through all
aspects of 'what ifs' and plan
accordingly. Nuclear program
managers and project managers do an excellent job toward
this end. Ultimately, they are
responsible for a contractor's
action and work diligently to
ensure collective success."
Staging can be difficult.
"Plant access for staging equipment and material is time consuming and often frustrating,"
Bell continued. "Everything
must be evaluated by security
when entering a protected area
(PA).When projects are in PAs,
everything is searched and the

process of transfer inside the
plant can take days. Security
schedules determine everything. Contractors must remain
patient and understand they
are a small part of a much bigger picture."
Safety is paramount. "Working safely is not an option - it
is a requirement," emphasized
Bell. "The nuke factor alone elevates safety to a level unseen by
most. Contractors that operate
unsafely will find themselves
quickly escorted from the premises. There are no shortcuts
to safety. All activity is closely
monitored and for those unaware - smile - you're under
surveillance."
Similar but different. "Once
onsite and everything is staged,
the steps to relining a pipe are
basically the same as a municipal job," Bell said. "However,
installations at nuclear facilities
are rarely straight runs - they
vary with challenging configurations, pressures, temperatures,
applications, etc. Access is complicated, and half the battle is
contractor/plant coordination
and planning. Contractors must
deal with interferences, safety
barriers, rules and more rules.
Location and application are ev-

Work in nuclear power plants
usually takes place during refueling outages, but also may
be during times of full operation, said Bell. Plants usually
operate on an 18- or 24-month
cycle, meaning every 18 or 24
months, they must refuel, depending on the plant. Outages
typically last between 20 and
30, days with contractor activity limited to three to five shifts,
for 24-hour coverage. Refueling
focuses on turbine and reactor
maintenance, as well as an array of activities related to plant
maintenance and operation.
"This is a critical time for
repair and often extremely
stressful for everyone involved," Bell said. "All activity,
regardless of purpose and type,
is well-planned and -executed.
Projects experiencing delay can
become 'critical path,' which
is never a great place to be.
Projects can be in the PA OCA
(owner controlled area) or
RCA (radiological containment
area); the location determines
working hours, clearance requirements, plant oversight
and level of security."
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Elite Pipeline Services,
(616) 726-8286 , elitepipeline.com
UConOnline.com | JULY 2018

33


http://www.elitepipeline.com http://www.UConOnline.com

Underground Construction - July 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Underground Construction - July 2018

Underground Construction - July 2018
Editor’s Log
Newsline
Washington Watch
Pipeline Projects
Utility & Communications Construction Update
Staff Changes, New Initiatives Highlight Busy Year for TTC
DCA/AGA Conduct 5th Annual Workshop; Panels Highlight Wide Range of Topics
TTC Works With Advancing Pipeline Condition Assessment Using Drones
CIPL Project Sets World Record
Nuclear CIPP
Major Bursting Upsize a success in Canada
Rehab Technology News
Rehab Technology Selection Guide
Business
New Products
Business Cards
Sales Reps
Events
Ad Index
Underground Construction - July 2018 - Underground Construction - July 2018
Underground Construction - July 2018 - IFC
Underground Construction - July 2018 - 1
Underground Construction - July 2018 - Editor’s Log
Underground Construction - July 2018 - 3
Underground Construction - July 2018 - Newsline
Underground Construction - July 2018 - 5
Underground Construction - July 2018 - Washington Watch
Underground Construction - July 2018 - 7
Underground Construction - July 2018 - Pipeline Projects
Underground Construction - July 2018 - 9
Underground Construction - July 2018 - Utility & Communications Construction Update
Underground Construction - July 2018 - 11
Underground Construction - July 2018 - 12
Underground Construction - July 2018 - 13
Underground Construction - July 2018 - Staff Changes, New Initiatives Highlight Busy Year for TTC
Underground Construction - July 2018 - 15
Underground Construction - July 2018 - 16
Underground Construction - July 2018 - 17
Underground Construction - July 2018 - 18
Underground Construction - July 2018 - 19
Underground Construction - July 2018 - DCA/AGA Conduct 5th Annual Workshop; Panels Highlight Wide Range of Topics
Underground Construction - July 2018 - 21
Underground Construction - July 2018 - 22
Underground Construction - July 2018 - 23
Underground Construction - July 2018 - TTC Works With Advancing Pipeline Condition Assessment Using Drones
Underground Construction - July 2018 - 25
Underground Construction - July 2018 - CIPL Project Sets World Record
Underground Construction - July 2018 - 27
Underground Construction - July 2018 - 28
Underground Construction - July 2018 - 29
Underground Construction - July 2018 - 30
Underground Construction - July 2018 - 31
Underground Construction - July 2018 - Nuclear CIPP
Underground Construction - July 2018 - 33
Underground Construction - July 2018 - 34
Underground Construction - July 2018 - Major Bursting Upsize a success in Canada
Underground Construction - July 2018 - 36
Underground Construction - July 2018 - 37
Underground Construction - July 2018 - Rehab Technology News
Underground Construction - July 2018 - Rehab Technology Selection Guide
Underground Construction - July 2018 - 40
Underground Construction - July 2018 - 41
Underground Construction - July 2018 - 42
Underground Construction - July 2018 - Business
Underground Construction - July 2018 - 44
Underground Construction - July 2018 - 45
Underground Construction - July 2018 - New Products
Underground Construction - July 2018 - 47
Underground Construction - July 2018 - 48
Underground Construction - July 2018 - 49
Underground Construction - July 2018 - 50
Underground Construction - July 2018 - Business Cards
Underground Construction - July 2018 - 52
Underground Construction - July 2018 - 53
Underground Construction - July 2018 - Ad Index
Underground Construction - July 2018 - 55
Underground Construction - July 2018 - 56
Underground Construction - July 2018 - IBC
Underground Construction - July 2018 - BC
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