NMAC

The Nuclear Maintenance Applications Center (NMAC) provides guidance for maintaining high equipment reliability through the application of technically sound maintenance and engineering strategies. Utility maintenance practices are continuously reviewed and updated based on operating experience and emerging issues. NMAC conducts research to identify maintenance and engineering advances with the potential to produce substantial plant performance improvements while maintaining or enhancing safety and reliability.

NMAC develops maintenance guides and coordinates worldwide knowledge and technology transfer to support improvements in nuclear maintenance activities, with a focus on mechanical maintenance and engineering. The program"s technical guides, user groups, and workshops reflect best practices and engineering judgment gathered from nuclear plant experience, providing actionable maintenance activities that can lead to improved safety, lower costs, and higher reliability.

Research Value

The reliability of plant systems and components is critical to the continued safe and effective operation of nuclear plants. NMAC develops guidelines and technical reports that offer technically sound maintenance strategies and practices, enabling nuclear plants to take actions that can improve equipment reliability and reduce operations and maintenance costs. The information produced by the NMAC can be used to ensure safe and reliable operation of nuclear power plants for the benefit of the people that work at the plant and the general public.

NMAC participants gain access to the following: •More than 400 maintenance guides for nuclear equipment and systems, which can be used to enhance plant efficiency and reliability, improve procedures, and support training

• Assistance and identification of failure-related root causes through access to EPRI research, expertise, and operating experience
• Guidance on how to integrate wireless communications via Distributed Antenna Systems for work management and planning, and the integration of wireless sensors to enhance monitoring and reduce preventive maintenance demands
• A broad range of maintenance solutions with reduced implementation risks due to collaboration with subject matter experts around the world (e.g. leak reduction approaches, foreign material exclusion, and FLEX equipment maintenance philosophies)
• Templates for determining preventive maintenance practices and intervals for key components and systems, including portable emergency equipment

Approach

NMAC research focuses on developing maintenance and engineering program improvements that can increase equipment reliability and plant performance. NMAC also focuses on developing and implementing new processes and technologies that can close the gaps between current issues and available solutions.

• Equipment Issues and Maintenance Guides: Maintenance strategies, fully informed by operating experience and technology advances, can improve equipment reliability, lower operating costs, and increase overall plant reliability. This program area identifies and addresses important maintenance and equipment issues through our interactions with users groups, technical advisory groups, nuclear plant visits, vendor interactions, university relationships, and other industry sources. Through these relationships and interactions we produce technical research reports and software tools that provide relevant technical information for addressing key maintenance issues, troubleshooting guidance, preventive and predictive maintenance strategies, as well as outlining new technology that can assist in equipment maintenance.
• Engineering and Maintenance Procedures: Bringing essential information to the point of decision-making can help support safe and reliable plant and fleet performance. Access to equipment information and personnel knowledgeable in engineering and maintenance practices can offer useful perspective and input. Information and industry experience is collected through various users groups, meetings, plant visits, assessments, and failure analysis reviews, and then infused into regularly published technical reports and guidelines that address new or improved methods and processes to enhance nuclear plant performance and improve equipment reliability.

Research focus areas containing multiple common projects have been developed to document and guide research activities. NMAC"s five research focus areas are: Component Guidance, Innovative Technology, Maintenance and Engineering Practices, Condition Monitoring Technologies, and Maintenance Strategies.

Accomplishments

NMAC distills global operations and maintenance experience into actionable guidance for nuclear plant systems and components. Lessons learned from nuclear plants around the world are incorporated into industry technical guidance. •Developed two tools to support Value-Based Maintenance (VBM). The first tool provides enhanced visualization of industry equipment work order data; the second tool provides a cost module to interface with component templates in EPRI"s Preventive Maintenance Basis Database (PMBD). The tools work together to inform the development of maintenance strategies that consider both equipment reliability and the cost of maintenance activities.

• Upgraded the Preventive Maintenance Basis Database software to inform the determination of optimum replacement and refurbishment times. The upgrade features a "Vulnerability Tool" that can assess changes in preventive maintenance (PM) strategies and identify which failure modes may change with PM changes. Also added the capability to evaluate lower-cost alternative strategies in support of a Value-Based Maintenance (VBM) approach.
• Developed the theory and design conditions necessary for the creation of a seal for water-circulating pumps in nuclear power plants that could control leakage by adjusting its shape while in use. This new seal design, when implemented, could increase plant reliability, reduce plant shutdowns, and lower maintenance costs. A patent on this new seal technology is pending in the United States.
• Provided guidance on various lubrication issues: reducing water content in lubricants, additives, fluid testing, EHC servo valve maintenance, and extending lubrication intervals through technology.
• Provided ongoing knowledge transfer on the following:
  • Freeze Sealing (ice-plugging)
  • Multi-stage Horizontal Pumps
  • Mobile Application for Rigging and Lifting Practices
  • ER Matrix updated to include a mobile device platform (smartphone compatible)

Current Year Activities

NMAC research and development for 2019 will focus on updates to key equipment maintenance guides and focused attention on emerging industry maintenance issues. Specific efforts will include:

• Continued support of the implementation of mobile work management.
• Updates to the Preventive Maintenance Basis Database software to facilitate interactions with other information sources and support cost analysis as part of a comprehensive maintenance strategy (e.g. Value-Based Maintenance initiatives). Expecting multiple maintenance template updates in 2019.
• Continued development of innovative technologies, such as implementation of wireless work management and remote sensors within the power block along with research in the area of distributed antenna systems.
• Publication of reports and software related to the following engineering and maintenance areas:
  • MOV Motor Degradation Report
  • AOV Diagnostic Trace Analysis Report
  • Revision to Check Valve Application Guide
  • Terry Turbine Maintenance and Operation (virtual reality application)
  • Maintenance Rule Web Based Assessment Tool release
  • Condition Monitoring Technologies (optical vibration and operational deflection shaping)
  • HVAC Fans and Dampers research
  • AOV 1/4 Turn Actuator Efficiency Models Report
  • Revision to Deep Draft Vertical Pump Maintenance Guide
  • Predictive Maintenance Web Assessment Tool Publication

Selected reports and products may be prepared in whole or in part in accordance with the EPRI Quality Program Manual that fulfills the requirements of 10 CFR 50 Appendix B and 10 CFR 21. The quality assurance status of reports and products will be marked and identified.

Estimated 2019 Program Funding

$7.4M

Record of Revisions

Number	Date	Description of Changes
0	8/9/2019	Original Issue
1	Date	Revised to...
2	Date	Revised to