Re: U.S.: Nuclear Plant Cheated During Drill

["NALCCG" <gpblackwood@justice.com>]

Bill, one of the ways we use to do this was to use what we knew

as "Secret Sandbag notes" only known to a few controllers or

added by a few controllers....As personnel would respond to the

situation we would "increase" or decrease" the situation or

conditions as the drill continued. The idea was to throw as many

real world monkey wrenches into the works as possible to see

reaction. I am sure this is still done today....Gerry







On Wed, 28 Jan 2004 07:42:28 -0500, William V Lipton wrote:







I have to disagree regarding drills at nuclear power plants.  The

drill controllers are careful not to compromise the drill

scenarios, which

are always quite challenging.  (The challenge in writing scenarios

is to come up with a credible scenario that gets the plant to a

General

Emergency.  The multiple system failures and personnel screwups,

along

with rare meteorological conditions,  needed to do this are

sometimes

absurd.  In one case I know of, the operators beat the scenario,

figuring

out a way to stop an "unisolable" leak that was supposed to bring

the plant

to a General Emergency.  In that case, the controllers had to tell

them to pretend they hadn't done that, and continue with the

offsite protective

action part of the drill.)

In addition, the drills are always thoroughly critiqued, with

"players"

encouraged to self-identify errors, and lessons learned

incorporated into

the plant's corrective action tracking system.

The opinions expressed are strictly mine.

It's not about dose, it's about trust.

Curies forever.

Bill Lipton

liptonw@dteenergy.com

Gerry Blackwood wrote:

Its does not surprise me if true, though 90% of all

drills are known in advance and are more a PR stunt or

performed just to meet the code. Gerry

...

 



Sincerely,



Gerry Blackwood Ph.D

North American LCC Group, Inc.

Defense and Counter Terrorism Analysts

New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island

1-732-221-1288

1-309-276-6617 (Fax)



"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only 

because rough men stand ready do violence on their 

behalf."- George Orwell.  

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