Day 3

Today we spent the day with SCA (Supply Chain Analysts) and QC (Quality Control). ISC Technical Services has two primary buildings: one for renewable energy and one for nuclear energy. The engineers from today work with nuclear plants rather than solar and wind powered energy. SCAs are responsible for forecasting and planning material needs, coordinating material movement, and managing supplier relationships. QC professionals focus on quality planning and execution for inventory purchasing and parts management. The nuclear engineers we were with yesterday create test plans (which I mentioned in my post from yesterday) that the QC professionals use. They go step by step through these plans and use the necessary equipment to run these provided tests. Since nuclear plants have so many risks, it is very important to test all of the parts multiple times. This ensures the parts will operate efficiently in the plant. In the event that a part fails in the nuclear plant, it is called a Part 21. Part 21 is a federal regulation that reports a defect in the plant. It happened once a couple years ago at the Technical Services Lab, and they had to look through every test they performed with other parts that used the same equipment as the defect part. They had to review three years of work! This is necessary to ensure no other parts they created will fail. Some tests that QR professionals run are dimensional testing, visual inspection, material testing (ex. hardness and compression testing), electrical testing, and performance testing. Once a piece passes through QC, they also run seismic tests. A seismic test is a type of test used to determine how well a structure, system, or component can withstand earthquake-like forces. It’s especially important in the nuclear energy industry, where safety-related equipment must continue to function during and after a seismic event. NextEra Technical Services has its own seismic table that simulates these forces.

Nuclear Energy

The Three Mile Island incident was a nuclear accident that occurred on March 28, 1979, at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania. It was the most serious accident in U.S. commercial nuclear power history. A malfunction in the cooling system caused the reactor core to overheat, and due to equipment failures and operator errors, a partial meltdown occurred in Reactor 2. Although some radioactive gas was released, it was in small amounts and no immediate injuries or deaths were reported. The incident led to widespread fear about nuclear energy, major changes in U.S. nuclear regulations, and a halt in new reactor construction for decades. It instilled a fear of nuclear energy in many Americans and the U.S. shut down a large amount of their nuclear plants. However, nuclear power is actually very safe as long as the radiation is contained (which it is). All of the radioactive water is kept inside of the reactors, and all of the water released from the plants is completely clean. Nuclear energy is also often more useful than other renewable sources. It provides a much more consistent and large-scale supply of electricity. A single nuclear power plant can generate between 1,000 to 1,600 megawatts of continuous power, which is far more than most wind or solar farms can produce individually. Additionally, nuclear has a capacity factor of around 92%, meaning it operates at or near full power most of the time, regardless of weather or time of day. In comparison, wind and solar have capacity factors of about 35–45% and 20–30%, respectively, making them less reliable for consistent energy generation. The opportunity of nuclear energy is undeniable and I am excited to see what the future holds for these nuclear plants. As for NextEra, they are about to reopen a plant in Iowa, making it their fifth nuclear plant. It was shut down after Three Mile Island, they are working on reinstating it right now.