______________________________________________________________________________
REACTOR SYSTEMS AND NUCLEAR ENGINEERING - A SENIOR ADVISOR PROFILE
Analysis and resolution of complex engineering issues in the commercial nuclear industry with a history of success providing cost efficient support to enhance plant safety and availability
Areas of Expertise
New and Advanced Reactors - Reactor Systems and Nuclear Engineering - Core and System Thermal Hydraulics - Safety and Accident Analysis of Commercial Reactors - Regulatory and Reactor Safety Issues - Nuclear Power Plant Design and Operation - Review and Evaluation of Technical Reports - Industry Knowledge and Contacts - Excellent Technical Judgment - Presentation and Communication Skills - Interpersonal Skills
____________________________________________________________________________________
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
SR. PRINCIPAL ENGINEER – mPower Small Modular Reactor Safety Analysis 2010-Present Babcock & Wilcox Co., Lynchburg, Virginia
• Below are examples of my accomplishments that demonstrate extensive knowledge and experience as a recognized expert in the theories, principles and practices in the field of reactor systems and nuclear engineering, including experience assessing the safety of nuclear power plant systems and their response to accident conditions.
• I was responsible for identifying and describing transients and accidents applicable to the mPower small modular reactor (SMR), while the reactor was still in a conceptual stage of development. I co-authored a technical report outlining the Safety Analysis methodology for the development of evaluation models and the analyses of these transients and accidents. The report is currently under the review at the NRC.
• I was a member of a PIRT (Phenomenon Identification and Ranking Table) team of industry experts who reviewed significant transients and accidents and identified dominant physical phenomena that will be simulated.
• I independently verified the ECCS safety system design and performance under accident conditions. I used a state-of-the-art thermal-hydraulic computer code to build a complete model of the small modular reactor and its safety systems. By omitting unnecessary details and focusing on the important features and dominant phenomena, my model is an order of magnitude faster than a RELAP5 model, and I was able to complete it in a record time. To do this correctly required significant expertise and experience in reactor physics, reactor core design, thermal-hydraulic design, and analytical methods.
• As part of my independent verification, I conducted a detailed review of research reports involving integrated reactor system tests as well as special effect tests conducted at test facilities around the world and sponsored by the NRC, and the validation of the RELAP code using these tests.
• I identified several potential issues with the current ECCS design, wrote a corrective action report and presented my findings to the management. I discussed potential issues regarding the licensability of the present design with recognized industry experts. My main findings are concerned with a potential departure from nucleate boiling (DNBR) early in the transients, and a possibly non-physical liquid entrainment that was calculated by the RELAP5 model during long-term cooling.
• I demonstrated communication skills, by conveying and presenting complex information of a technical and/or policy nature to subordinates, colleagues, peers, senior management officials, and representatives of other institutions, agencies, or organizations as follows:
• I was selected to present the Safety Analysis mission and methodology at an “all hands” meeting that included upper management and employees of all companies that collaborate on the development of the new small modular reactor. My presentation covered the NRC’s Regulatory Guide 1.203 (Transient and Accident Analysis Methods), its mission and purpose, and our own approach in following its guidelines, starting with assembling a PIRT team of experts, the establishment of requirements for a model, the gathering of test data, the validation of the model, and the actual performance of the accident and transient analyses.
• I explained the PIRT process on an example of a pipe break inside the containment and demonstrated how the physical phenomena for each phase of the event were ranked in terms of importance and the state of knowledge. Finally, I presented a completed containment model and showed selected results.
• After the meeting I received numerous positive comments regarding my performance from both management as well as junior staff that were appreciative of my ability to explain complex issues in an easy to understand manner.
• Finally, I prepared a guidelines document for the simulation of plant transient and accidents with the code GOTHIC, and obtained necessary funding for our active participation in the further development of the code.
PRINCIPAL ENGINEER - Reactor Systems Engineering 2 years Westinghouse Electric Company, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• I was responsible for the technical review and verification of the AP-1000 new reactor flooding analysis. I provided valuable technical expertise in thermal hydraulics, fluid mechanics, system engineering, regulatory requirements and expectations as well as modeling guidelines for the GOTHIC code. This analysis is expected to receive NRC’s attention due to the importance of the flooding issue to nuclear safety.
• I received a very positive feedback both from the preparers of the analysis and the project manager, as I was able to point out shortcomings and to provide suggestions that improved the simulation results.
• I employed extensive technical knowledge, practical experience and advanced engineering principles to evaluate the impact of the replacement steam generators on the design and licensing basis of an operating PWR nuclear power plant. I was the lead in the effort to analyze and find resolutions to potential nuclear safety issues.
• I represented Westinghouse at an operating PWR nuclear station as a subject matter expert on resolving the issue of gas accumulation in engineered safety systems. After consultations with customer engineering and management staff, I helped developing creative strategies to meet regulatory requirements on...
Login or Register to view the full resume.
