Decreased Lost Generation Time by Improving Equipment Reliability through a Parts Quality Initiative Program - MTA-SC-002

Administrative Items
Date	12/15/2020
Functional Area Where Benefits Will Be Realized	Supply Chain Operations
Reference Implementation Guidance	Plant Support Engineering: Guidance for Managing the Impact of Procured Item Quality Issues on Generating Asset Economic Performance (EPRI 1016693) 2018 TIP Award Parts Quality Initiative Drives Equipment Reliability Improvements (ID: 11248142)
Industry SME	EPRI – Marc Tannenbaum Contact: NuclearPlantMod@epri.com
Previous Implementation	Please contact EPRI for implementation examples and contacts.
Implementation Enablers	There are no implementation enablers for this technology.
SWEEP Score	Cost – Level 3 – Implementation cost of a Parts Quality Initiative Program is less than $1 million per unit per year. The average cost is approximately $80,000 per year through a contracted program. Savings – Level 2 – Potential savings are achieved through a reduction in capacity factor losses, vendor quality issues, cost of replacement parts, and maintenance associated with deficient parts. Payback – Level 2 – Payback period is greater than one year but less than five years (inclusive). Licensing Readiness – Level 3 – This Parts Quality Initiative Program has already been implemented at nuclear power plants. No changes are required from a regulatory standpoint because the program provides additional Quality Assurance procedures in conjunction with current Quality Assurance programs. Technology Readiness – Level 3 – The technology is already in use at some commercial nuclear sites and is transferable across plants, utilities, and industries as the testing procedures are based on manufacturer, model, and part number. Implementation Proficiency – Level 3 – Implementation of a Parts Quality Initiative Program does not require knowledge in implementing digital technologies.
Applicability	All reactor types All geographic regions
Keywords	equipment reliability; decreased lost generation time; vendor quality issues; parts quality; spare parts
Business Case Analysis Cross-Reference	N/A

Description

Manufacturing defects in spare parts and other vendor quality issues can reduce equipment reliability or delay return from an outage, causing unavailability of affected systems and ultimately a loss of generation. The Parts Quality Initiative Program provides procedures for pre‑receipt inspection testing of spare parts to detect defects of critical components before they are stored in inventory. Upon receipt of a shipment, critical spare parts are identified and undergo rigorous testing specific to the manufacturer, model, and part number. Critical components that fail pre‑receipt inspection are sent back to the manufacturer, and those critical components that pass continue to receipt inspection and storage. A web‑based data management platform for tracking, trending and analyzing manufacturer spare parts is an additional tool to help maintain procedures and testing results.

Benefits

Benefits Estimate

Level 2 – Savings are between $1 million and $5 million per unit per year.

Benefits Description

• Improved capacity factor due to avoidance of lost generation caused by manufacturing/vendor quality issues
• Reduction in costs of replacement parts because defects are identified in pre‑receipt inspection testing while warranty is still in place
• Reduced engineering costs associated with investigation of failures of parts
• Increased equipment reliability
• Increased safety because deficient safety‑critical parts are identified before they are installed in the plant
• Reduction in maintenance and associated personnel dose because deficient spare parts are identified prior to installation
• Reduction in vendor quality issues when implementing the web‑based tool due to trending of vendor performance

Costs and Schedule

Cost

Level 3 – Implementation cost of a Parts Quality Initiative Program is less than $1 million per unit per year. The average cost is approximately $80,000 per year through a contracted program.

Schedule

Less than six months for program development assuming that the utility has (or has contracted) a suitable testing facility with existing procedures.

Scope Context

Unit

Cost and schedule estimates are based off of the assumption that the utility has (or has contracted) a suitable testing facility with existing procedures for testing and a procedure for identifying spare parts as critical components that will require pre-receipt inspection testing. Estimates also include the implementation of the web-based tool.

Risks

No unique risks beyond standard project risks associated with implementing changes at nuclear power plants.