Calibration Philosophy at Ontario Hydro's Pickering Nuclear Generating Station

摘要

Equipment calibration standards should not be a black art. Many governing policies and requirements have been formulated throughout the industry, (CAN/CSA-N286.5-J94, Operations Quality Assurance for Nuclear Power Plants for one) in order to assure that equipment is maintained and calibrated according to specific procedures. Local policies and maintenance procedures should then rationalize these principles to create a fundamental and logical foundation for excellence in calibration philosophy. The results, if not completed in this manner, manifest themselves as crucial flaws within the ongoing safety morality of our Nuclear Power Industry. Pickering NGS, an 8 unit nuclear fuelled generating station located just east of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, has recently undergone an analysis of its ongoing calibration program. The 4,000 Megawatt (electrical) supply contributes significantly to the eastern Ontario Hydro power demand. One of the formal directives in place is that "the original technical and physical analysis of the station design was approved as safe by the regulator (AECB). Provided that subsequent changes, repairs and calibrations are analyzed and also approved as safe, the station will remain as safe as the original design." This paper will explain current standards in calibration philosophy at Pickering, investigate some of the recent findings of regulator audits and discuss proposals for improvement in the equipment calibration program.