BWR OPERATIONAL CHEMISTRY TRAINING

EVENT DETAILS

Event Date

Monday, November 16th – Friday, November 20th, 2026

Daily Duration

8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Individual Price

$2,600 per attendee (includes snacks, lunch, and BWR Operational Chemistry Training Handbooks)

Location

Hatch Energy Education Building
11028 Hatch Pkwy N, Baxley, GA 31513

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COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course provides practical, hands-on information and techniques for personnel responsible for operational chemistry analysis, corrosion prevention, and system diagnostics. Attendees are encouraged to bring plant data for group discussion and analysis. Common topics will be covered as well as reactor coolant chemistry and radiochemistry, condensate chemistry, balance of plant chemistry, demineralizer and filtration performance, start up and shutdown chemistry, corrosion concerns, and data evaluation techniques.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

Chemists and Engineers who desire a practical knowledge of Boiling Water Reactor operational water chemistry. This core course is designed for chemistry personnel that have a basic understanding of plant operation and plant systems, focusing on the essentials of reactor water, condensate and processing equipment used in BWR water chemistry operations.

COURSE TOPICS

BWR Plant Design, Systems, and History
Materials and Corrosion Fundamentals
BWR Chemistry Basis Programs and Documents
BWR Water Chemistry Fundamentals and Instrumentation
Electrochemical Corrosion Potential and Intergranular Stress Corrosion Cracking
Hydrogen Water Chemistry Regimes and Noble Metals
BWR Radiation Field Source Term
Moisture Carryover
Chemistry Sampling Fundamentals
Chemistry Impurities
Ion Exchange Fundamentals
Condensate Polishing and Reactor Water Cleanup Systems
Mass Balances and Transients
Fission Products and Fuel Defects
Drywell Leakage Monitoring
Condenser Leakage
Plant Chemistry Casualty Scenarios

INSTRUCTORS

Leah Whiteker

Associate

Leah has over 18 years of experience in the nuclear industry. She joined Structural Integrity in 2024 after serving in her previous role as a Senior Chemist a Xcel Energy’s Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant. In that position, Leah led several significant projects for the chemistry department, including the EPRI inline HPGE smart chemistry pilot, the replacement of the online reactor water ion chromatograph, and the installation of the groundwater remediation demineralizer. Additionally, she managed the fuel monitoring program and implemented EPRl’s mitigation and boiling water chemistry guidelines. Leah has a BS in Chemistry and an MBA.

Al Jarvis

Senior Associate

Al Jarvis has over 40 years of experience in the nuclear industry. In 21 years with Structural Integrity/Finetech (Finetech was acquired by Structural Integrity in 2015), his main responsibilities include a variety of utility-direct and EPRI projects, assessments and conceptual designs related to water chemistry (for both BWR and PWRs), source term (for both BWRs and PWRs), condensate polishing, reactor water cleanup, radwaste processing, and makeup water. Al worked at the FitzPatrick power plant for 14 years in the Chemistry Department as the Senior Engineer and Chemistry Manager. Additional plant roles included Shift Outage Manager and Refuel Floor Coordinator. Al has a BS in Chemical Engineering.

Geo Ferru

Senior Consultant

Geo Ferru received his Ph.D. from the University of Pierre and Marie Curie (Paris VI) for his work at the French Atomic and Alternative Energies Commission on Separative Chemistry involved in spent fuel recycling processes. After 2 postdocs on similar themed Research projects at Washington State University (WA, USA) and Argonne National Laboratory (IL, USA), Geo joined the nuclear industry at the Byron Nuclear Station as Instrument Chemist for 4 years. He then transferred to Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station, where he was Instrument Chemist and then Unit Chemist for a total of 5 years. Geo gained experience and knowledge in all chemistry aspects of BWR plants, including analytical chemistry, radiochemistry, OLNC, HWC, BWRVIA, MCO, zinc injection, and day to day operations. He also interfaced closely with Engineering and Maintenance departments for outage preparation and execution and conducted complex troubleshooting work related to chemistry. Recently, Geo joined SIA as a Senior Consultant, working on various Chemistry related projects to support the Nuclear Industry.