Ep 79: Rob Austin, Electric Power Research Institute

In this episode we discuss... Rob's background in history and his personal evolution in the nuclear industry Design flaws that led to the Three Mile Island accident Rob's work in plant modernization managing major electrical and digital upgrades at plants in the US Pros and cons of analog systems versus digital systems The core inputs essential to safety control in a plant including coolant flow and temperature parameters Economic challenges in nuclear and how we can replace manual labor with automation to help overcome those challenges Concerns over software common cause failure Lessons we can learn from upgrade deficiencies in other countries How cybersecurity is maintained in digital systems How plant modernization methods are working to dramatically reduce the operation and maintenance costs required in nuclear