IMC-2018 Learning Zone 48:51

by Neal Russell, Idaho National Laboratory and William Closser, NSGI

The Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is the nation's premiere nuclear power research facility and is operated by the United States Department of Energy and managed by the Battelle Energy Alliance. The Material and Fuels Complex (MFC) comprises 14 nuclear facilities that support nuclear fuel research and development. In 2016 the Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC), under direction and support from new leadership, made the decision to develop and implement a robust equipment reliability culture. MFC's view is that reliability is not the sole domain of engineering or maintenance but involves both of those organizations along with procurement, materials management, operations, training and the business elements. This presentation discusses the approach that MFC has taken to standing up that robust reliability program. The presentation will present the assessment, the planning, the organizational changes, the technologies and the training, undertaken to implement the culture change. It also discusses some of the challenges that MFC has faced in its journey to this point and some of the anticipated challenges going forward in developing a reliability culture.