Qinshan CANDU Project Construction Experiences and Lessons

2003 February
• Equipment and materials met all specified requirements
• Packaging and marking were correct and meet Project requirements.
• Equipment and materials were released.
B.3 Quality Assessments
B.3.1 Quality Assessment for Construction
Construction contractors’ QA programs improved dramatically during the course of the Qinshan
Phase III Project. Initial efforts were directed toward documenting the QA programs (QA
Manual plus procedures). Once documented, the QA programs were “tested” to determine the
extent of application. This required extensive efforts on the part of SPMO and the construction
contractors. One of the most difficult challenges was in instituting international quality practices,
such as documenting non-conformances. This became much easier once the benefit of these
practices was acknowledged by the contractors. The lessons learned on Qinshan Phase III can
now be applied to other projects both in China and abroad.
Improvements were also made from the construction of Unit 1 to that of Unit 2. The following
are some examples:
• Build Clean program – a more comprehensive program was developed for Unit 2,
resulting in much fewer incidences of foreign materials in the piping system.
• Cleanliness levels were significantly improved on Unit 2, particularly the dust levels in
panels and other sensitive electronic components. This required significant interface
management, since all contractors were involved.
• Assembly of cable penetration seals was improved on Unit 2. Additional field
engineering, verification and construction supervision activities were undertaken. These
efforts resulted in a significant reduction to the Reactor Building leak rate for Unit 2.
The contractors’ QC function was strengthened, resulting in earlier problem definition and
quicker corrective action.
B.3.2 Quality Assessment for Commissioning
When commissioning activities began, many of the staff were young and inexperienced.
Although the AECL staff had extensive experience gained during the commissioning of previous
CANDU plants, their numbers were quite low, representing about 5% of the entire
Commissioning Team. There was some indication in the beginning that procedures were not
being followed and processes were not well documented.
However, TQNPC staff learned quickly and endeavoured to follow procedures. Significant
inroads were made as the commissioning work proceeded. This was aided to a large extent by
the Quality Monitoring activities of TQNPC and SPMO staff.
As a result of the continuous Quality Monitoring activities, Commissioning Team staff became
diligent in following procedures and in completing the necessary records. This, in turn, resulted
in less damage during commissioning and better control of the commissioning process. Since
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