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.
What is The Risk Associated With Clear Plastic?
So, what is the risk associated with clear plastic anyway? If you have ever had a clear plastic bag blow into your home pool, you have already seen how difficult clear plastic can be to detect underwater. Combined with the potential to block flow through filters, orifices, and small pipes, these small pieces of clear plastic can wreak havoc on plant systems if gone undetected. To increase the probability of detection in the water, FME programs in nuclear power plants have relied on tinted plastics for nearly 30 years.
Clear plastic is still widely used by industries that supply nuclear power plants. Gaskets, tools, transmitters, radiation safety supplies and everything in between still comes packaged in clear plastic.
Here are some simple steps to reduce the use of clear plastics, thereby mitigating the risk of FMI:
- - When parts/components/consumables arrive in clear plastic, unwrap/open/unbox them in a shop area and dispose of the clear plastic. Transfer the items to tinted plastic bags or some other type of container for transport to and use at the work location.
- - Warehouses often wrap pallets of supplies for transport into the protected area. Instead of using clear plastic for this, tinted plastic options are available for this purpose
- - Many clear plastic sleeves are used for inserting signage at job sites and other locations around the plant. Tinted plastic options exist for these sleeves.
These straightforward practices can significantly improve FME effectiveness and reduce the risk of foreign material intrusion events. Alphasource packages nearly all products with tinted plastics to save the end user time and to help mitigate the risks discussed above. With over 30 years spent serving the nuclear power generation industry we understand the problems our customers face and develop practical solutions. Reach out to your Alphasource representative to learn more about ways to improve your FME Program.
