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USING ASME CODES AND STANDARDS TO REDUCE COSTS
     
During the past fifteen years, plant operating costs have continued to climb to the point that every operating nuclear plant must make substantial cost reductions in order to stay competitive. The best way to reduce costs is to eliminate unnecessary activities. This can be done by understanding ASME Code requirements, because many of the unnecessary activities currently being performed are based on misconceptions of ASME Code requirements.

Our experience in working with nuclear utilities in this country and around the world has shown that part of the problem regarding high operating costs lies in misapplication of ASME Codes and Standards in plant operation. Codes and Standards are not handbooks, and their proper use requires an engineering understanding of Code philosophy. If the Code is taken as a literal document, as it has been at many nuclear sites, millions of dollars will be spent needlessly.

Reedy Engineering provides a seminar that addresses ASME Code philosophy and how to properly use ASME Codes and Standards to eliminate unnecessary engineering and repair/replacement activities. Many engineers currently misapply the Code because of false assumptions or regulatory documents that wrongly interpret Code requirements. This seminar will highlight these issues. The accent will be on the philosophy of the ASME Code and the use of engineering judgment in resolving these issues.

It has also been our experience that inappropriate application of the QA provisions in 10CFR50 Appendix B, N45.2, NQA-1, and other QA standards have caused pursuit of trivia, concentration on documentation, and millions of dollars spent that will never have any impact on quality or safety. This can be changed, while still complying with Appendix B. A good quality assurance program should and can reduce operating costs. The Seminar accents how to reduce costs through a more effective Quality Program. This approach can be implemented immediately and meets the current requirements of Appendix B of 10CFR50, N45.2, NQA-1, or other QA standards. The approach presented has already been proven by implementation to substantially reduce costs and improve morale.

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