Karcher Consulting, LLC provides nuclear analysis and consulting services in support of current and Generation IV reactors. Our primary focus is the steady-state and transient modeling of reactor primary systems to demonstrate conformance with design acceptance criteria. Services also include the development of system descriptions and specification documents for nuclear plant licensing.

Developmental projects in support of Sodium Fast Reactors, ESBWR and ABWR: - PRISM/ARC-100: safety analysis with Mini-SAS4A/SASSYS-1; primary heat transfer system design; fuel fabrication facility design and layout; reactor service system design and cost estimates.- ESBWR: TRACG, AETNA model development and analysis for natural circulation core flow and stability; fuel design optimization for stability; Reliability Availability & Maintainability (RAM) program development; requirements analysis for fuel design, handling and storage, reactivity control and radiation protection; and new plants interface with Global Nuclear Fuels. - ABWR: Startup pipe test program development; Lungmen on-site pipe support inspections; and TRACG model development for UK-ABWR.

Responsibilities include AP1000 primary system and component design reviews and preparation of the combined operating license application in accordance with 10CFR52.

INPO loaned employee responsibilities included analysis and evaluation of nuclear station performance for eleven domestic and foreign reactors in the areas of: maintaining design and operating margins, operational configuration control, the design change processes, reactor engineering and fuel management, and overall engineering management.

The primary focus of this technical rotation was to establish and implement a project plan for renewal of company nuclear plant operating licenses.- Mechanical Engineering Lead for the Brunswick License Renewal (LR) project.- Industry representation: NEI LR Task Force, EPRI LR and LCM Committee, BWROG & WOG LR committees, and LR Mechanical Working Group.- Coordinator for EPRI revision of the “Non-Class 1 Mechanical Implementation Guideline and Mechanical Tools for Materials Aging Effects.”- Developed and justified project plans and budgets for Robinson and Brunswick Nuclear Plant License Renewal.

Managed reload fuel design, safety analysis and fuel related operations support for both Boiling Water and Pressurized Water Reactors.- Managed implementation of advanced BWR fuel designs and improved BWR and PWR nuclear analysis methods.- Managed the transition to an alternate fuel supplier for the Harris Nuclear Plant.- Developed long-range refueling schedules for the company’s nuclear fleet.- INPO Peer evaluator for SOER 96-02, “Design and Operating Considerations for Reactor Cores.”

Temporary assignment for enhanced supervisory and plant experience.- PWR Reactor Engineering included: systems engineering for selected primary systems, control room operations support during startup, large power changesand periodic testing, flux mapping and reactivity management, and coordination of the reload fuel receipt inspection and shuffle.- Performance Engineering included: evaluation of the plant heat balance, large pumps capacity testing, and cooling tower thermal efficiency monitoring.

Responsible for implementing a company initiative to perform BWR/PWR reload analysis. As the Director of In-core analysis, I managed a period of rapid technical development and expanded the technical reach of the Unit to a staff of 21 professionals.- Re-organized the In-core Analysis Unit into 3 functional areas: Operations Support, Transient Analysis, and Methods development.- Implemented BWR/PWR reload fuel management capability.- Company representative on the EPRI Nuclear Safety and Technology task force.- Assisted in the IAEA evaluation of Reactor Physics methods for CFE – Mexico.