Article
Computer Science, Hardware & Architecture
Pooja Singh, Lalit Kumar Singh
Summary: This research proposes a framework for measuring the reliability of control and instrumentation systems using Petri net. The framework consists of three phases and has been demonstrated to be effective through a case study in a nuclear power plant.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON RELIABILITY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Industrial
Han Bao, Hongbin Zhang, Tate Shorthill, Edward Chen, Svetlana Lawrence
Summary: This paper discusses the advantages and challenges of digital instrumentation and control systems in nuclear power plants and proposes a risk assessment platform called PRADIC. The platform evaluates software common cause failures through qualitative and quantitative analysis, providing valuable insights for system design.
RELIABILITY ENGINEERING & SYSTEM SAFETY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Thomas E. Blue, Anthony Birri, Joshua T. Jones
Summary: This paper examines the impact of axially varying fluid temperature on the measurement of Delta T(z) in an OFBGC. The findings indicate that, in a typical design of OFBGC, a sinusoidal variation in fluid temperature along the length of the device will result in a sinusoidal variation in Delta T(z), which may be mistakenly interpreted as a sinusoidal variation in the linear energy deposition rate. However, for the specific design of OFBGC tested in the OSURR's Water Irradiation Facility, the perturbation in Delta T(z) caused by the slowly varying spatial change in fluid temperature is negligible.
IEEE SENSORS JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Thermodynamics
Boqiang Lin, Yongjing Xie
Summary: This study examines the operational efficiency and influencing factors of Chinese nuclear power plants using a model constructed based on plant-level data. The results show that operational efficiencies of these plants have improved to varying degrees in the increasingly fierce market competition. Additionally, capacity utilization, average unit size, and unit capacity factor significantly promote the operational efficiencies of power plants, while plant size suppresses their efficiency. Plants with higher unit capacity factors are less adversely affected by plant size.
Article
Thermodynamics
Nils Haneklaus, Staffan Qvist, Pawel Gladysz, Lukasz Bartela
Summary: Nuclear power plant designs are becoming smaller to have similar capacity as coal-fired power units. Retired coal-fired power plants should not be built or operated, but if they are, they should be designed for quick transformation to low-carbon energy. The idea of transforming coal-to-nuclear (C2N) is receiving attention, and voluntary C2N assessments could be provided by utilities of coal-fired power plants to utilize existing infrastructure for clean energy production.
Article
Nuclear Science & Technology
Tae Young Kong, Si Young Kim, Yoonhee Jung, Jeong Mi Kim, Moonhyung Cho
Summary: This paper provides a comprehensive overview of administrative dose control for occupationally-exposed workers in Korean nuclear power plants (NPPs), focusing on how dose limits and administrative dose constraints are implemented to resolve inequity of radiation exposure. The analysis results show how the implementation of administrative dose constraints impacted the occupational dose distributions in Korean NPPs during the years 2009-2018.
NUCLEAR ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Nuclear Science & Technology
Tate Shorthill, Han Bao, Hongbin Zhang, Heng Ban
Summary: Digital instrumentation and control (I&C) upgrades are important for the nuclear industry, but deployment in nuclear power plants is limited. The development of Redundancy-Guided Systems-Theoretic Hazard Analysis (RESHA) aids in identifying critical Common Cause Failures (CCFs) and other hazards in digital I&C systems, assisting researchers in making informed decisions on defense measures.
NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Osman K. Siddiqui, Afaque Shams, Khaled Al-Athel
Summary: The use of nanoparticles as heat transfer enhancement agent in nuclear power plants has been studied for operational cooling, accident management, and surface modifications. The addition of nanoparticles improves the heat transfer rate, fuel temperature, and safety margin. It has been found that lower particle concentration has minimal impact on the neutronic operation, while enhancing operational performance and emergency management.
ARABIAN JOURNAL FOR SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Nuclear Science & Technology
Christa E. Torrence, Aishwarya Baranikumar, Zachary Grasley, William B. Lawrimore, Edward J. Garboczi
Summary: Researchers have conducted experimental simulations on the long-term viability of concrete structures in US nuclear power plants, with results showing excellent agreement with experimental data, indicating their effectiveness.
NUCLEAR ENGINEERING AND DESIGN
(2021)
Review
Nuclear Science & Technology
Abiodun Ayodeji, Mokhtar Mohamed, Li Li, Antonio Di Buono, Iestyn Pierce, Hafiz Ahmed
Summary: In order to compete with advanced and small modular reactors, the development life cycle of conventional nuclear power plants (NPPs) needs to be optimized through the digitalization of nuclear facility control and instrumentation. This digitalization will enhance plant performance and cost competitiveness but also introduce cyber security challenges. Extensive analysis of threats and vulnerabilities is necessary to create a strong cyber-defense for critical digital assets in nuclear facilities. This article examines recent research analyzing digital assets at nuclear power facilities, synthesizing and categorizing potential attack propagation paths and proposing a framework for developing an attack-resilient control system.
PROGRESS IN NUCLEAR ENERGY
(2023)
Article
Nuclear Science & Technology
Jiuwu Hui, Jingqi Yuan
Summary: This paper focuses on the power-level control of nuclear power plants and proposes an adaptive second-order nonsingular terminal sliding mode control scheme to compensate for lumped disturbances. The control method integrates a proportional-derivative sliding mode manifold with a nonsingular terminal sliding mode manifold and incorporates an adaptive mechanism to estimate and compensate for unknown disturbances real-timely. The proposed control scheme achieves continuous input signal and robust stability, as demonstrated through simulations and comparisons with other controllers.
NUCLEAR ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Thermodynamics
Zhe Dong, Bowen Li, Junyi Li, Zhiwu Guo, Xiaojin Huang, Yajun Zhang, Zuoyi Zhang
Summary: Intermittent renewable energy and nuclear energy can both provide carbon-free electric power to the grid, with the advantage of complementarity. Establishing nuclear-renewable hybrid energy systems can offer a flexible solution for grid balance.
Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Koushik A. Manjunatha, Vivek Agarwal, Andrea L. Mack, David Koester, Douglas E. Adams
Summary: This paper presents a condition-based maintenance approach to detect corrosion in secondary piping structures of nuclear power plants using distributional features extracted from accelerometer signals. Machine learning algorithms are utilized for prediction, achieving high accuracy rates. The method provides an effective solution for managing aging issues in passive structures of nuclear power plants.
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Da Yuan, Hanqing Wang, Hui Zhu, Wangping Xiao, Chuck W. Yu
Summary: This paper evaluates the implicit safety culture (ISC) and its dissemination among staff in a nuclear power plant. The study compares different organizational cultures using Schein's cultural hierarchy theory and explores the application of explicit and implicit cultures to define and summarize the characteristics of ISC in a nuclear plant. The dissemination system and mechanism of ISC are scrutinized based on dynamic and superimposing effects, and a differential dynamic model of ISC dissemination is established. The results show that ISC can be freely disseminated within the power plant when dissemination is at an unstable equilibrium point, but may not effectively disseminate and gradually disappear when dissemination is at an asymptotic equilibrium point. The application of ISC is crucial to improve the safety and management of the nuclear power plant, including measures such as enhancing department collaboration and communication, and establishing a dedicated department for ISC dissemination and incentive protocols.
INDOOR AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Nuclear Science & Technology
Fan Zhang, Kevin Kelly
Summary: Digital instrumentation and control (I&C) systems have been widely deployed in nuclear power plants, but they also introduce greater cyber risk to the industry. Cyberattacks targeting industrial control systems (ICSs) are increasing in scale and capability, highlighting the importance of cybersecurity in risk assessment. Traditional risk assessment methods in information technology are not applicable to ICSs, and more research is needed to address the challenges and considerations in cyber risk assessment for I&C systems in nuclear power plants.
NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Nuclear Science & Technology
Orestes Castillo-Hernandez, P. E. Manuel Perdomo-Ojeda, C. R. Grantom, Pamela F. Nelson
Summary: Incorporating specified safety and production targets during the design phase can reduce costs and enhance the competitiveness of nuclear power plants. This paper presents two methods for proposing unavailability targets for nuclear reactor systems to optimize the design features. The methods are applied to a hypothetical facility, providing a basis for future work on estimating design alternatives affecting unavailabilities.
NUCLEAR ENGINEERING AND DESIGN
(2024)
Article
Nuclear Science & Technology
Qinjun Fu, Andre Bergeron, Philippe Fillion, Yohan Davit, Michel Quintard
Summary: In normal operating conditions, the flow within a pressurized water reactor (PWR) core primarily moves in the axial direction along the fuel rods. However, in accidents situations, transverse flows can have a significant impact on the thermal-hydraulic properties of the core. This study develops macroscopic pressure drop models for different flow directions and Reynolds numbers and validates them by comparing with existing system code results.
NUCLEAR ENGINEERING AND DESIGN
(2024)
Article
Nuclear Science & Technology
Xiang Chai, Xinyue Liu, Chaoran Guan, Tengfei Zhang, Xiaojing Liu
Summary: Micro nuclear reactors have gained attention for their high efficiency and long lifetime, making them suitable for remote and off-grid locations. This study examines the effects of burnable poisons on the performance of a micro nuclear reactor and improves the design for reactivity control. The computational results show that burnable poisons reduce excess reactivity and power peaking factor without significant impact on core lifetime.
NUCLEAR ENGINEERING AND DESIGN
(2024)
Article
Nuclear Science & Technology
Liwei Chen, Cong Zhou, Yu Wang, Yiran Zong, Tingting Lu, Chunhua Chen
Summary: This paper proposes an autonomous search method for leakage sources in nuclear emergency rescue based on the updated Infotaxis method. By considering factors such as radioactive decay and wet deposition, the method improves search efficiency and accuracy. Experimental results show that the method is particularly effective in searching for leakage sources under high emission rates and provides scientific information for early emergency response and consequence assessment.
NUCLEAR ENGINEERING AND DESIGN
(2024)
Article
Nuclear Science & Technology
Kirill S. Dolganov
Summary: This paper is the first part of a summary overview of IBRAE's work on the severe accident at Unit 1 of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. It focuses on the integral model of Unit 1 and its qualification with available data, including the comparison of simulation results with measurements for the initial phase of the accident. Important issues discussed include the direct modeling of isolation condenser performance and verification of the possibility to use an integral approach to estimate the nuclide inventory in the core.
NUCLEAR ENGINEERING AND DESIGN
(2024)
Article
Nuclear Science & Technology
F. Feria, C. Aguado, J. Benavides, J. Benavides, R. Canencia-Hernanz, M. Cristobal-Beneyto, J. Fernandez Garcia, H. Galan, C. Gonzalez, A. Hernandez-Avellaneda, L. E. Herranz, G. Jimenez, L. Martinez, J. C. Martinez-Murillo, A. Milena-Perez, A. Palacio Alonso, J. Penalva, R. Plaza, D. Perez-Gallego, L. Rey, N. Rodriguez-Villagra, J. Ruiz-Hervias, J. Saiz de Omenaca Tijero, P. Vinas-Pena
Summary: The Spanish R&D efforts in dry interim storage of spent nuclear fuel mainly focus on supporting safety under storage and transportation. Experimental and modelling activities are carried out to understand and predict the fuel response, with major outcomes being improvements in the characterization of dry stored fuel, essential for safety assessment of the back-end fuel cycle.
NUCLEAR ENGINEERING AND DESIGN
(2024)
Article
Nuclear Science & Technology
Ang Li, Yuqing Chen, Yuxian Rao, Qi Cai, Cong Wang
Summary: This paper focuses on the boiling heat transfer model of mini-channels casing-pipes once-through steam generator (MCOTSG). By calibrating and analyzing the different nucleate boiling heat transfer models based on steady state experimental results, the secondary loop heat transfer characteristics and overall operating characteristics of OTSG under feedwater flow rate reduction are simulated. The results can provide a basis for the safety analysis and optimal design of MCOTSG and small modular reactor under low flow rate conditions.
NUCLEAR ENGINEERING AND DESIGN
(2024)
Article
Nuclear Science & Technology
Shu Soma, Masahiro Ishigaki, Satoshi Abe, Yasuteru Sibamoto
Summary: In this paper, the analytical wall function approach was applied to analyze the condensation flow of steam/air mixtures, and good predictions were obtained through CFD analysis.
NUCLEAR ENGINEERING AND DESIGN
(2024)
Article
Nuclear Science & Technology
Jinho Song, Sungjoong Kim
Summary: In this study, a machine learning platform is proposed to assist operators in diagnosing the progression of severe accidents and predicting key parameters using long short term memory networks and MELCOR simulation data. The platform shows reasonable accuracy in predicting both similar and unseen test data, as well as lost signals and key parameters for accident management.
NUCLEAR ENGINEERING AND DESIGN
(2024)
Article
Nuclear Science & Technology
Liang Zhao, Zhengbai Chang, Chulin Mai, Hong Ran, Jin Jiang
Summary: This study investigates the dynamic characteristics, valve disc motion, and flow field of a nozzle check valve under different spring stiffness and fluid deceleration rates. Experimental tests and numerical simulations were performed to analyze the effects on various parameters during the dynamic closing process of the valve. The results provide insights for the optimization design of check valves and more accurate calculation of their dynamic characteristic curves.
NUCLEAR ENGINEERING AND DESIGN
(2024)
Article
Nuclear Science & Technology
Xun Lan, Yanbo Jiang, Dan Sun, Wenbo Liu, Wenjie Li
Summary: In this study, a three-dimensional phase-field model was developed to investigate the evolution of intergranular bubbles during irradiation. The study examined the dependency of bubble percolation on bubble shape, fission rate, and average grain size. The simulation results revealed the significant effects of these factors on the shape of GB bubbles, the percolation rate, and the connectivity threshold of GB bubbles.
NUCLEAR ENGINEERING AND DESIGN
(2024)
Article
Nuclear Science & Technology
J. M. S. Mendes, A. Heimlich, A. M. M. De Lima, F. C. Silva
Summary: An algorithm for solving the constitutive equations of the fourth-order Nodal Expansion Method (NEM) in parallel using GPU with quadratic transverse leakage has been proposed. The algorithm, implemented in CUDA language, showed comparable accuracy and reduced execution time compared to the CNFR code. This algorithm and the developed program have potential use in the optimization process of nuclear fuel reload patterns.
NUCLEAR ENGINEERING AND DESIGN
(2024)
Article
Nuclear Science & Technology
M. Jafari, H. Jafari, M. H. Choopan Dastjerdi, J. Mokhtari
Summary: This study investigates the ability of the PGNAA facility of the Isfahan MNSR reactor to measure boron concentration in solution samples. A measurement system model is developed using Monte Carlo calculation, and a cadmium sheet is used to reduce the effect of boron in the shield. The accuracy of the model is verified through experimental tests, resulting in a calibration curve.
NUCLEAR ENGINEERING AND DESIGN
(2024)
Article
Nuclear Science & Technology
Ibrahim Gad-el-Hak, Njuki Mureithi, Kostas Karazis, Brian Painter
Summary: This study investigates the risk of fluidelastic instability induced by degraded baffle-former bolts in a nuclear fuel assembly. Experimental results show that the stability threshold of the mock-up array strongly depends on the relative position of the jet flow with respect to the array centerline, and axial flow velocity also has a significant effect on the jet-induced instability.
NUCLEAR ENGINEERING AND DESIGN
(2024)
Article
Nuclear Science & Technology
Yuhang Niu, Scolaro Alessandro, Carlo Fiorina, Hao Qin, Gauthier Lazare, Yingwei Wu, Wenxi Tian, G. H. Su
Summary: This paper presents the incorporation of DNB prediction into the GeN-Foam code, which is based on OpenFOAM. The accuracy of GeN-Foam in modeling DNB conditions in PWR was assessed through validation against experimental data and other codes. The results show that GeN-Foam exhibits good performance in simulating two-phase flow boiling conditions and accurately predicts the occurrence of DNB.
NUCLEAR ENGINEERING AND DESIGN
(2024)
