Alphasource Blog

Every year, multiple industries spend billions of dollars associated with system out of service (OOS) time, equipment maintenance and replacement, and various aspects of lost productivity caused by Foreign Material Intrusion (FMI) events. Industries such as Power Generation, Aviation, Auto, Shipping, and Construction all have significant costs associated with the negative impacts of foreign material intrusion.

Foreign Material Exclusion (FME) Programs in the nuclear industry have identified that clear plastics can pose a foreign material intrusion (FMI) risk around open fluid systems, especially systems such as spent fuel and refuel pools, because they are difficult to detect underwater. Using tinted plastics provides greater contrast, helping with detection and retrieval.

Alphasource Jaws 2.0 empowers Monticello Reactor Services team to identify and retrieve foreign object in between 2 used fuel bundles. 

Your Go-To Guide for selecting the right FME devices based on environmental heat considerations and spark risk. 

Check out Alphasource's Step By Step Guide to Tool Tethering, by one of our Industry Experts. 

Dropped objects are one of the most frequent and dangerous hazards workers face. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are more than 42,400 Falling Object Injuries recorded every year. 

Preparing to work in an FME Zone? Go through this checklist to ensure you dont leave any foreign material behind. 

A Successful Drop Prevention System Consists of Three Components:

-Tool attachment (a method by which the tool can be secured)

-Tether (connection between the tool and an anchor point)

-Anchor point (a method by which the tether is able to connect the tool to a person or inanimate object)

Foreign Material Exclusion (FME) is the practice of implementing controls, monitoring, processes and product based solutions to alleviate the introduction of foreign material into key systems within Power Generation and Manufacturing facilities.

Comprehensive instructions for tethering tools for FME Control and Drop Prevention systems.