Spotlight on senior chemical engineer Julie Joyce

For Julie Joyce, it’s all about the chemistry.

As a Senior Engineer in the Chemistry and Environment Department of the Darlington Refurbishment Project, Joyce relies on the science of chemical reactions and the latest diagnostic and analytical tools to help identify trends outside the norm.

By monitoring the chemistry of the reactor undergoing refurbishment at the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station, she ensures the unit remains in good condition and within specified operating limits.

“Chemistry is our first line of defence,” said Joyce, who has more than 15 years of experience with OPG. “One of the first places you can spot a problem in a system is often in its chemistry behaviour.”

Joyce works with and relies on the plant’s chemistry laboratory to collect solid, liquid or gas samples from various systems within the unit undergoing refurbishment in order to identify any deviations. This chemical monitoring ensures Darlington’s systems are preserved, protected from corrosion, and ready to work reliably for another 30 years.

“We’ve seen issues where a chemistry control parameter shows an unexpected trend or an unexpected element appears. The trends say something doesn’t seem right, and you backtrack and see what could have happened, investigate the potential source, and document the event as a lesson learned,” she said.

The high-frequency monitoring provides an opportunity to diagnose a potential issue and helps to solve problems before they become concerns. It’s this process of using chemistry to recognize and fix problems that is particularly rewarding for Joyce.

A graduate of Queen’s University’s Engineering Chemistry program, Joyce was heavily involved with the chemistry training program for both Darlington and Pickering nuclear stations, where she developed and delivered courses to OPG’s Nuclear Chemistry staff.

She remains a fierce advocate of chemistry and continues to promote its role in the safe operation and overall health of Darlington Nuclear.

“Fortunately, more people from diverse work groups are recognizing the impact of chemistry and chemical use in station operation,” she said. Work groups often call her to ask, for example, how a substance they plan to use on a piece of equipment could impact the component or the system’s chemistry.

“I’ll always be an advocate for chemistry,” Joyce said. “Wherever I’m working I will ask a very simple question, ‘How will this impact the system chemistry?’”

Employee spotlight: Julie Joyce

Position: Senior Engineer, Chemistry

Work location: Darlington Nuclear Generating Station

Years of service: 16

Favourite spot to visit in Ontario? Killbear Provincial Park.

Favourite book? The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan

Favourite weekend activity? Spending time with my family