STATISTICAL-ANALYSIS OF THE FT CALHOUN REACTOR COOLANT PUMP SYSTEM

In engineering science, statistical quality control techniques have tr aditionally been applied to control manufacturing processes. An applic ation to commercial nuclear power plant maintenance and control is pre sented that can greatly improve plant safety. As a demonstration of su ch an approach, a specific system is analyzed: the reactor coolant pum ps (RCPs) of the Ft. Calhoun nuclear power plant. This research uses c apability analysis, Shewhart X-bar, R charts, canonical correlation me thods, and design of experiments to analyze the process for the state of statistical control. The results obtained show that six out of ten parameters are under control specification limits and four parameters are not in the state of statistical control. The analysis shows that s tatistical process control methods can be applied as an early warning system capable of identifying significant equipment problems well in a dvance of traditional control room alarm indicators. Such a system wou ld provide operators with ample time to respond to possible emergency situations and thus improve plant safety and reliability. Copyright (C ) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.