The Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Plant eroded reactor head: a case study

Author

Nelson-Burns, Carol

Author_Institution

Dept. of English, Toledo Univ., OH, USA

Volume

47

Issue

4

fYear

2004

Firstpage

268

Lastpage

280

Abstract

This case study describes an incident at Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Plant in Oak Harbor, Ohio, and discusses ways in which the case study can be used to examine ethical communication problems and as a basis for writing analytical reports that compare, justify, and analyze materials and issues in technical writing courses. It relates case elements and assignments to broader course and program objectives, poses sample instructional guidance, and offers examples of student performance. Suggested assessment methods to evaluate student learning are also given.

Keywords

case-based reasoning; ethical aspects; nuclear criticality safety; nuclear power; professional communication; Davis-Besse nuclear power plant; analytical reports writing; case-based reasoning; eroded reactor head; ethical communication problem; instructional guidance; nuclear power generation maintenance; nuclear power generation safety; student performance; technical writing course; Computer aided software engineering; Hoses; Inductors; Inspection; Iron alloys; Nuclear power generation; Power generation; Safety; Steel; Writing; Case-based reasoning; communication; nuclear power generation maintenance; nuclear power generation safety;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Professional Communication, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0361-1434

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/TPC.2004.837982

Filename

1364075