Selection of detailed-items for Periodic Safety Review on PWR radwaste management system, the main component could be faithfully clarified according to the purpose of establishment on each system and basic purpose. It is proper to select detailed-items those of radioactivities in the reactor coolant activity levels and the released volume of liquid and gaseous radioactive material on safety performance. It's also proper to select solid radwaste production quantities as detailed-item that it would be predict the next ten years trends after PSR.
Emissions of sulphur and nitrogen oxides are continuing to fall in Europe but rise in Asia, according to calculations based on individual countries' predictions of economic development. The upward trend is slower than in previous predictions. 2 refs., 2 figs., 2 tabs.
This research investigates the impact of national culture and several institutional factors on the safety performance of society and establishes statistically significant relationships between those variables. As expected, the research results reveal that some cultural variables such as uncertainty avoidance, gender orientation and institutional variables such as the degree of law avoidance can directly influence the safety performance of the society. The findings also support the inverted u-curve (Safety Kuznet curve) hypothesis indicating even if we expect a negative trend at the beginning stage of industrialization, we can expect a positive trend in safety performance as their income level continues to improve beyond a certain point.
Information is presented concerning new trends in licensing; seismic considerations and system structural behavior; TMI-2 risk assessment and thermal hydraulics; statistical assessment of potential accidents and verification of computational methods; issues with respect to improved safety; human factors in nuclear power plant operation; diagnostics and activities in support of recovery; LOCA transient analysis; unresolved safety issues and other safety considerations; and fission product transport.
Information is presented concerning new trends in licensing; seismic considerations and system structural behavior; TMI-2 risk assessment and thermal hydraulics; statistical assessment of potential accidents and verification of computational methods; issues with respect to improved safety; human factors in nuclear power plant operation; diagnostics and activities in support of recovery; LOCA transient analysis; unresolved safety issues and other safety considerations; and fission product transport.
This paper explores the current trends in development of technology-neutral safety requirements to be used in the regulation of future nuclear power reactors and the role of the quantitative safety goals in the design of reactor safety systems. Establishing the requirements concerning the reliability of safety functions rather than on particular systems employed to achieve the functions, as well as the use of the recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) on protection against potential exposure could form the basis of a technology-neutral framework for safety requirements on new reactor designs. Also it could contribute to international harmonisation of nuclear safety assessment practices as part of the licensing processes for future nuclear power plants. (author)
The five thermal-hydraulic concepts chosen for conceptual study of advanced PWR systems have been studied as follows: (1) Critical Heat Flux in passive PWR Conditions: review of previous works (various of correlations, analysis of parametric trends) on CHF, assessment and improvement of CHF prediction models for round tubes, development of the prediction model on bundle CHF with considering the correction factor calculated from the tube data base, design and construction of the intermediate-pressure CHF experimental loop, extension of CHF data base by performing the experiments at low-flow, and low-quality conditions (2) Passive Cooling Concepts for Concrete Containment Systems: Selection of the external condenser by comparing and reviewing between passive cooling concepts for concrete containment system concepts, survey and review of previous studies (theoretical mechanism of condensation heat transfer and effect of ...
Aging degradation is a phenomenon we all experience throughout life, both on a personal basis and in business. Many industries have been successful in postponing the inevitable impact on their related systems and components through programs to maintain long-term reliability, maintainability and safety. However, this has not always been the case for nuclear power. While all power plants are experiencing the world trend of increasing operating costs with age, few (if any) have been able to fully define the parameters that solve the aging equation, particularly in relation to major components. Inspection and preventive maintenance have not been effective in predicting life-limiting degradation and failure. In CANDU nuclear plants, utilities are taking a comprehensive approach in dealing with the aging problem. Programs have been established to identify the current condition and degradation mechanisms of critical components, ...
This paper presents an application of the state of the art and new trends for risk management of safety-related control and monitoring systems, currently applied in the industry. These techniques not only enable to manage safety and reliability issues but they also help in the control of quality and economic factors affected by the availability and maintenance of the system. The method includes an unambiguous definition of the system in terms of functions and a systematic analysis of hazardous situations, undesired events and possible malfunctions. It also includes the identification and quantification of the risk associated to the system. The required risk reduction is specified in terms of safety integrity levels. The safety integrity level results in requirements, preventive measures, possible improvements and recommendations to assure the satisfactory management of the risk.
Since its creation the nuclear industry has been struggling with the question of how safe is safe enough. Safety is a common goal to all involved in the design, operation and regulation of a nuclear installation. As a concept safety is not easy to define. However, there is a general understanding of what attributes a nuclear power plant should have in order to operate safely. The challenge lies in measuring the attributes. The new competitive open electricity market, in many countries throughout the world, is increasing the economic pressure on operators to lower operating costs without jeopardizing safety. Challenges are occurring at a rate that is unprecedented in the nuclear industry: competitiveness; downsizing; ageing; policy changes; reorganization; restructuring; mergers; globalization; and takeovers demand increasing attention to the management of safety. There are various means to measure ...
There is now an acute need to optimize maintenance to improve both reliability and competitiveness of nuclear power plant operation. There is an increasing tendency to move from the preventive (time based) maintenance concept to one dependent on plant and component conditions. In this context, various on-line and off-line condition monitoring and diagnostics, nondestructive inspection techniques and surveillance are used. Component selection for condition based maintenance, parameter selection for monitoring condition, evaluation of condition monitoring results are issues influencing the effectiveness of condition based maintenance. All these selections of components and parameters to be monitored, monitoring and diagnostics techniques to be used, acceptance criteria and trending for condition evaluation, and the economic aspect of predictive maintenance and condition monitoring should be incorporated into an integrated, effective condition ...
This doctoral thesis addresses some problems in the analysis of spatial and spatial-temporal data and discusses prediction, prediction errors and identification of emission sources. European sulphur data are used as illustration. In an investigation of a spatial-temporal decomposition model for improving estimates of spatial interpolation (prediction) errors from monitoring data, the estimates were improved compared to estimates obtained by the method known as Kriging (an extension of the Wiener-Kolmogorov theory from time series to spatial processes), although the interpolated values were quite similar. A study of a random process model with an unknown, slowly varying trend and a correlated residual process is performed, using both trend estimation (smoothing) and prediction. Local polynomial methods are extended to continuous random processes. A new approach ...
The results of a time-resolved study of the avalanche and streamer formation phases leading to breakdown in atmospheric nitrogen and dry air. Results of experiments and two-dimensional simulations are presented. It is shown what processes are responsible for the formation of a streamer. The trends of externally measured quantities correspond with those predicted by our model. 3 figs., 5 refs.
New studies document a positive impact of IAQ on human productivity and health. A paradigm shift is foreseen with much greater emphasis on excellent indoor environments. The air should be perceived as fresh, pleasant and stimulating. Essential elements in the predicted paradigm shift are suggested and discussed. (orig.)
This work deals with a time-resolved optical study of the avalanche and streamer formation phases leading to breakdown in atmospheric nitrogen. The authors present the results obtained for nitrogen, from experiments and two-dimensional model simulations. This model is used to obtain a better insight in the relevant mechanisms and processes by a comparison of measurements and simulation data. The trends of externally measured quantities correspond with those predicted by the model.
The days of high-temperature reactors in the Federal Republic of Germany are numbered. The AVR has been decommissioned, and an application has been filed for licensing the decommissioning of the THTR. Nevertheless, Prof. Dr. Rudolf Schulten who is the director of Juelich Nuclear Research Center's Institute for Reactor Development, and also full professor of Aachen Technical University in the field of reactor safety, predicts a good future for the HTR reactor line on a worldwide level, due to the inherent safety of this reactor type. (orig.).
The plasma plume generated by a new type of high energy Janitor known as the railplug, is examined. The railplug is a miniaturized railgun that has the potential for improving ignition characteristics of combustible mixtures in engines. The objective of the study is to gain an uderstanding of the characteristics of the plasma created by a transparent railplug, and to validate a multidimensional computer simulation of the plasma and shock fronts. The nature of the plume emitted by the railplug was examined for three levels of electrical energy while firing into air at a pressure of 1 atm. The computer model is to be used to predicttrends in railplug performance for various railplug designs, energies, and ambient conditions. The velocity of the plasma movement inside a transparent railplug was measured, as well as the velocity of the plume ejected from the cavity. A shock is produced at the initiation point of the arc and propagates down the ...
The paper is based on a NEA study entitled `Past Trends and Current State of Nuclear Research Institutes`, which has been published in 1996. The evolution of nuclear research institutes (NRIs) in NEA countries is described from their establishment in the early fifties to present. The objectives, missions, purposes, and competences of NRIs are highlighted. Further, the resources (budget, qualified manpower, equipment such as research reactors and laboratories) are analysed, emphasising the role of the government. Country specific examples are given to illustrate different aspects of the historic evolution, present status and trends of NRIs. It is expected that the future role of NRIs will reflect the progress in nuclear science and technology and the evolving requirements of the nuclear industry with regard to safety enhancement, fuel cycle optimisation, plant life time management and extension, decommissioning of nuclear ...
The paper is based on a NEA study entitled 'Past Trends and Current State of Nuclear Research Institutes', which has been published in 1996. The evolution of nuclear research institutes (NRIs) in NEA countries is described from their establishment in the early fifties to present. The objectives, missions, purposes, and competences of NRIs are highlighted. Further, the resources (budget, qualified manpower, equipment such as research reactors and laboratories) are analysed, emphasising the role of the government. Country specific examples are given to illustrate different aspects of the historic evolution, present status and trends of NRIs. It is expected that the future role of NRIs will reflect the progress in nuclear science and technology and the evolving requirements of the nuclear industry with regard to safety enhancement, fuel cycle optimisation, plant life time management and extension, decommissioning of nuclear ...
This Health and Safety (HSE) document offers technical information on the design of foundations for supports in offshore installations, and relates particularly to the North Sea. It is based largely on guidance offered earlier in Section 20 of the Fourth Edition of the Health and Safety Executive's 'Offshore Installations; Guidance on Design, Construction and Certification', which was withdrawn in 1998. The document contains a general section on foundations and the rest of the document comprises sections on: (a) piled foundations (planning, problems, pile make-up, steel stresses, design of pile foundations, axial pile capacity, factors of safety for piled foundations, load-deflection of piles, and piles for tethered buoyant structures); (b) foundations for gravity structures (foundation types, loads and reactions during installation, operating loads and reactions, foundation problems, cyclic load ...
The pure xenon dc positive column discharge has been characterized for various xenon pressures, currents, and discharge tube radii. The absolute output at the 147 nm resonance transition has been measured using two independent techniques to yield the radiant emittance at 147 nm (power per unit surface area). The efficiency of 147 nm production is obtained by combining the measured radiant emittance with the measured electrical power per unit length deposited in the gas. The radiant emittance and the efficiency are the two principle figures of merit for characterizing the discharge as a source of VUV radiation. It is observed that the trends in efficiency and radiant emittance change substantially when the discharge transitions from two-step electron impact excitation/ionization at higher pressures to single-step electron impact ionization at lower pressures. Modeling of the xenon positive column discharge yields radiant emittance and efficiency ...
The objective was to study the interaction of a side jet with the incoming supersonic flow and hypersonic flow. Qualitatively same Cp trends have been obtained as found experimentally. Also in aerodynamic coefficients side jet interaction results in additional pitching moment which is because of the high pressure region in upstream of the jet and a low pressure region in the downstream of the jet. Also jet interaction results in the rise in the lift coefficient. Whereas in the incidence case, simulation has been performed for the hypersonic flows over a biconic body with supersonic lateral jet at Mach 9.7 and incidence of 0"o to incidence of -12"o and 12"o. The results obtained were compared with the experimental and CFD code CFL3D results. PAK-3D over predicts the surface pressure as compared to the CFL3D and experimental results, whereas the qualitative trends are the same. Finally the integrated aerodynamic force ...
This paper focuses on a theoretical model that predicts the temperature increase of Magneto-rheological (MR) fluid dampers experiencing a sinusoidal input motion. A theoretical model is developed to estimate the temperature rise based on the non-linear behavior of the MR fluid damper. This model is solved numerically, and the numerical solution is compared with a known linear solution and experimental result in order to validate the accuracy of the model. Also, a non-dimensional form of the governing equations are developed to examine the key parameters. The non-dimensional terms show the effect of external and internal parameters on the trends of heat dissipation as well as heat generation within the MR fluid damper.
The days of high-temperature reactors in the Federal Republic of Germany are numbered. The AVR has been decommissioned, and an application has been filed for licensing the decommissioning of the THTR. Nevertheless, Prof. Dr. Rudolf Schulten who is the director of Juelich Nuclear Research Center's Institute for Reactor Development, and also full professor of Aachen Technical University in the field of reactor safety, predicts a good future for the HTR reactor line on a worldwide level, due to the inherent safety of this reactor type. (orig.).
The antimicrobial peptide scygonadin (Scy) was first isolated from the gonad of Scylla serrata and its gene is predominantly expressed in the ejaculatory duct of adult males. Thus, its function was predicted to be associated with reproductive immunity, but this is still unclear and needs further investigation. In our study, the expression pattern of Scy at different developmental stages of both male and female S. paramamosain was investigated, so that the potential function of this peptide could be examined. Using real-time quantitative PCR, Scy mRNA transcripts were demonstrated obviously in the vulnerable embryos and larvae-zoea I but very weakly detected in the larvae-zoea III, megalops and juveniles. The gene expression pattern showed a decreasing trend during the early developmental s...
In the last decade, directed evolution has become a routine approach for engineering proteins with novel or altered properties. Concurrently, a trend away from purely 'blind' randomization strategies and towards more 'semi-rational' approaches has also become apparent. In this review, we discuss ways in which structural information and predictive computational tools are playing an increasingly important role in guiding the design of randomized libraries: web servers such as ConSurf-HSSP and SCHEMA allow the prediction of sites to target for producing functional variants, while algorithms such as GLUE, PEDEL and DRIVeR are useful for estimating library completeness and diversity. In addition, we review recent methodological developments that facilitate the construction of unbiased libraries, which are inherently more diverse than biased libraries and therefore more likely to yield improved variants. PMID:16095966
A model is presented for heat and fluid flow during hammer and anvil splat cooling. Predictions are made for the effects of superheat and hammer speed on splat thickness, cooling rate, and subsequent glass formation. The regime of Newtonian heat flow is extended well beyond the previously accepted limiting value of Nusselt number. Measurements of the structure, stability, and thickness of Fe{sub 80}B{sub 20} and Pd{sub 80}Si{sub 20} hammer and anvil splats qualitatively confirm the model prediction. Variations of superheat in shock tube splats produced similar trends to those observed in the hammer and anvil device. In an attempt to vary the equivalent of hammer speed in a shock tube device, an orifice producing a supersonic shock wave was utilized. Significant splat flake thickness reductions resulted as compared to subsonic orifices.
Initial rates of resistivity-measured low-temperature damage production by fission-spectrum fast neutrons have been determined for 14 metals in the same very well characterized irradiation facility. Six of these metals were fcc, 5 bcc, and 3 hcp. Most were of quite high purity. Observed damage rates, after correction for all known extraneous resistivity-producing effects, were compared with rates predicted by the damage calculation code RECOIL, using parameters chosen from the literature. These parameters, effective displacement threshold energy, E/sub d/, and Frenkel-pair resistivity, rho/sub F/, were in many cases only best estimates, the further refinement of which may be aided by the present results. Damage efficiencies (measured/predicted rates) follow the same trends by crystal classes as seen in other fast-neutron studies.
The calculation of nominal choke valve size determines the effective capacity for an oil and gas production system. The degree of restriction for the controlling area in the valve is a function of the surrounding geometry. In an orifice plate this is known as the 'velocity of approach' and can be used to determine the meter coefficient (C_m). This paper presents a technique for choke valves, based on the meter velocity of approach parameter, which can be used to predict the Valve Coefficient (C_v) for new trim designs. The prediction method uses a data trend based on a number of flow tests conducted on various trim characteristics. The resultant parametric equation is used to predict the C_v of a new trim geometry. The method relies on experimental data determined per IEC 60534-2-3, with calculations per IEC 60534-2-1. This paper further investigates the effect of varying upstream geometry on C_v for a ...
INSAG has emphasized that safety culture has two general components: the organizational framework and the attitude of the staff. To develop a structured approach to the assessment of safety culture, we propose that the highly formalized nature of nuclear power plant organizations be exploited. The prime coordinating mechanism of NPP organizations is the standardization of work processes, where a work process is defined as a standardized sequence of tasks designed to achieve a specific goal (an example is the maintenance work process). The predictable nature of work processes is exploited by the Work Process Analysis Model (WPAM) to conduct a systematic analysis that identifies the desirable characteristics of work processes and develops performance measures for their strengths and weaknesses. These can provide a set of tangible characteristics of a good safety culture. It is argued in this paper that ...
The International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycles (INPRO) was launched in the year 2000, based on a resolution by the IAEA General Conference (GC(44)/RES/21). INPRO intends to help to ensure that nuclear energy is available in the 21st century in a sustainable manner, and seeks to bring together all interested Member States, both technology holders and technology users, to consider, jointly, actions to achieve desired innovations. INPRO is taking care of the specific needs of developing countries. This IAEA publication is part of Phase 1 of INPRO. It intends to provide an overview on history, present situation and future perspectives of nuclear fuel cycle technologies. While this overview focuses on technical issues, nevertheless, the aspects of economics, environment, and safety and proliferation resistance are important background issues for this study. After a brief description about the INPRO project and an evaluation of existing and ...
Throughout most of the 1980s, both private organizations and government agencies were concerned about the availability of an adequate supply of qualified nuclear engineers. This concern was primarily the result of a number of nuclear engineering academic programs being eliminated coupled with a continuous decline in graduate and undergraduate enrollments and degrees. By the early 1990s, the number of degrees and available supply had declined to new lows, but cutbacks in funding for the nuclear weapons program and nuclear energy R&D, and in hiring by the electric utility industry, offset in large measure the declining supply. Recently, concerns about environment and waste management and about nuclear safety have again generated questions about the adequacy of supply of qualified personnel for nuclear energy activities. This report briefly examines the nuclear engineering labor market. Trends in employment, new graduates, job openings, and ...
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is the most lethal form of diffuse lung fibrosis, killing approximately half of those affected within 2-3 years of diagnosis. Until recently, no therapies had been shown to have an impact on disease progression. The Clinical Studies Assessing Pirfenidone (Esbriet) in IPF: Research of Efficacy and Safety Outcomes (CAPACITY) program comprised two almost identical double-blind placebo-controlled studies assessing the effects of pirfenidone on change in forced vital capacity, the primary end point, over a 72-week period. One of these studies was positive, matching in magnitude the benefit seen in two previous positive Japanese studies. The other study did not meet its primary end point but positive trends were consistent in this and a number of secondary end point...
Papers from 3 separate conferences are given. The international coal conference covered: advances in control technologies; advances in remote sensing and monitoring; financing and marketing for the future; global climate; health and safety technology; and improving coal's image. Papers from the international minerals and metals conference covered; environmental challenges; financial trends; industry forecast; management strategies; technology advancement; and trade in a changing world. The U.S. issues conference discussed: access to public lands - can you mine if you can't look; innovative technologies in coal mining; innovative technologies in minerals and metals; managing human resource issues; management - controlling costs into the 21st century; and mine waste and water issues.
There is tremendous growth in the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Global Positioning Systems (GPS), Remote Sensing, Satellite Communication, and Modeling & Simulation techniques. These tools and techniques helps significantly in characterizing infrastructure, risk area and disaster zones, planning and implementation of hazards reduction measures etc. Communication satellites becomes vital for providing emergency communication and timely relief measures. Integration of space technology inputs into natural disaster monitoring and mitigation mechanisms is critical for hazard reduction. This paper mainly focused on all the issues described above. Major emphasis had been given to the recent developments in information & communication technology enabled tools and their applications ...
Human errors have been reported as one of the most significant causes of major events in nuclear power plants (NPPs). For example, Kim and Park found that about 23% of the major events that occurred at NPPs in Republic of Korea from 1986 to 2006 were caused by human errors. For this reason, a detailed analysis on human errors is an important task for increasing the safety of NPPs. Kim and Choi?2 analyzed 100 human-related unplanned reactor trip events in the Republic of Korea from 1986 to 2006 to consider the type of human errors based on the simple path model for human-induced unplanned reactor trips developed by Kim and Park. In this paper, we will investigate and perform a detailed analysis of the data to identify human-related unplanned reactor trip trends
Uranium Hexafluoride is a material used in the various processes which comprise the front end of the nuclear fuel cycle (conversion, enrichment and fuel fabrication). Confinement of UF6 is a very important safety requirement since this material is highly reactive and presents safety hazards to humans. The present paper discusses the safety relevant aspects of accidental releases of UF6 inside process confinement buildings. Postulated accidental scenarios are analyzed and their consequences evaluated. Implant releases rates are estimated using computer code predictions. A time dependent homogeneous compartment model is used to predict concentrations of UF6, hydrogen fluoride and uranyl fluoride inside a confinement building, as well as to evaluate source terms released to the atmosphere. These source terms can be used as input to atmospheric dispersion models to evaluate consequences ...
Since the mid-1990s, nuclear power plants in Korea have experienced wall thinning, leaks, and ruptures of secondary side piping caused by flow-accelerated corrosion (FAC). The pipe failures have increased as operating time progresses. In order to prevent the FAC-induced pipe failures and to develop an effective FAC management strategy, KEPRI and KOPEC have conducted a study for developing systematic FAC management technology for secondary side piping of all Korean nuclear power plants. As a part of the study, FAC analyses were performed using the CHECWORKS code. The analysis results were used to select components for inspection and to determine inspection intervals on each nuclear power plant. This paper describes the introduction of the FAC analysis method and the wall thinning trend analysis results by reactor type, system, and water treatment amine. This paper also represents the site application feasibility for secondary side piping management. The site ...
Study of the ground-state properties of Kr, Sr and Zr isotopes has been performed in the framework of the relativistic mean-field (RMF) theory using the recently proposed relativistic parameter set NL-SH. It is shown that the RMF theory provides an unified and excellent description of the binding energies, isotope shifts and deformation properties of nuclei over a large range of isospin in the Z=40 region. It is observed that the RMF theory with the force NL-SH is able to describe the anomalous kinks in isotope shifts in Kr and Sr nuclei, the problem which has hitherto remained unresolved. This is in contrast with the density-dependent Skyrme-Hartree-Fock approach which does not reproduce the behaviour of the isotope shifts about shell closure. On the Zr chain we predict that the isotope shifts exhibit a trend similar to that of the Kr and Sr nuclei. The RMF theory also predicts shape coexistence in heavy Sr isotopes. ...
We examine the effect of a threshold bias on the power spectrum and the bispectrum in an ensemble of numerical simulations (Gaussian initial perturbations with power law spectra P(k) \\sim k^n, n=+1, 0, -1, -2) and compare our results with theoretical predictions. Our simulations are evolved sufficiently that on the scale where we apply the threshold the rms fluctuation has developed significantly into the nonlinear regime. Thus, predictions based on perturbation theory do not necessarily apply. Nevertheless, we find our results for the power spectrum, biased power simply amplified by a numerical factor, follow predictedtrends, far beyond the regime where perturbation theory is expected to be valid. We find that the biased bispectrum continues to follow the so-called hierarchical form, with reduced three-point amplitude Q \\approx 1 in the strongly nonlinear regime, independent of initial spectrum. In ...
Decadal-scale climate variations over the Pacific Ocean and its surroundings are strongly related to the so-called Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO) which is coherent with wintertime climate over North America and Asian monsoon, and have important impacts on marine ecosystems and fisheries. In a near-term climate prediction covering the period up to 2030, we require knowledge of the future state of internal variations in the climate system such as the PDO as well as the global warming signal. We perform sets of ensemble hindcast and forecast experiments using a coupled atmosphere-ocean climate model to examine the predictability of internal variations on decadal timescales, in addition to the response to external forcing due to changes in concentrations of greenhouse gases and aerosols, volcanic activity, and solar cycle variations. Our results highlight that an initialization of the upper-ocean state using historical observations is effective ...
The critical superconducting paramters of A-15 compounds are reviewed, and the trends analysed in order to predict maximum values. Experimental data on critical temperature is summarized and compared with theory. The ability to form the stoichiometric, well-ordered materials required for maximum Tsub(c) is discussed in terms of the thermodynamic stability of the A-15 phase. It is concluded that critical temperatures in excess of 25 K, in the A-15 structure, are unlikely. The upper critical field data show that, whereas the vanadium-based compounds are paramagnetically limited, the niobium-based compounds are not. The relation between critical current and microstructure is explored. Best data on critical current densities and ac losses is presented. Finally an account is given of the various methods by which actual conductors, both tapes and multifilamentary wires, are made. (author).
The Model of Acidification of Groundwaters in Catchments (MAGIC) was used to simulate the impact of acidifying deposition and future recovery at the Gaardsjoen Covered Catchment Experiment, at a number of hypothetical stations defined by statistical variation of the Gaardsjoen data and at 20 forest monitoring sites in Southern Sweden. For the future predictions a decrease of sulphur deposition of more than 70% was assumed. This assumption is based on a full implementation of the agreements made under the second sulphur protocol from 1994. The modelled impact of reduced deposition on the soils and on the runoff waters was discussed. To complement the discussion on long-term trends in future run-off chemistry, data from Gaardsjoen has been used to asses the risk for short-term acid runoff episodes 26 refs, 23 figs, 7 tabs
An overview of climatic factors and impact relative to river ice engineering and science is presented. An explanation of the fundamentals of climatic change is followed by a review of direct and indirect climatic influences that govern river ice breakup and related trends. Known responses of river ice to climatic change and potential future changes to ice breakup processes are described along with the probable ecological and socio-economic consequences of these changes. Changes in engineering approaches to accommodate the present ice regime and predicted changes in climatic variables that affect river ice processes and reduce the vulnerability of infrastructure and ecosystems to climatic change are examined. Future research on the links between river ice and stream ecology is suggested to identify ecological concerns that may result from changes in river ice regimes induced by climatic change. 60 refs., 3 figs.
A large portion of the work performed at nuclear power plants follows standardized flow paths. For example, although components on which the maintenance crew works differ from one assignment to the next, all assignments basically follow the same process: requesting, reviewing, planning, scheduling, executing, testing, and documenting the work. In general, the term open-quotes work processclose quotes is used to refer to a standardized sequence of tasks designed within the operational environment of an organization to achieve a specific goal. The predictable nature of work processes suggests that a systematic analysis can be conducted to identify the desirable design of the process and to develop performance measures with respect to the strengths and weaknesses in the process. Furthermore, because of the close relationship of the work process to plant performance and plant safety, it is believed that such an analysis will facilitate the ...
The Level 1 probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) for Wolsung(WS) 2/3/4 nuclear power plant (NPPs) in design stage is performed using the methodologies being equivalent to PWR PSA. Accident sequence evaluation program (ASEP) human reliability analysis (HRA) procedure and technique for human error rate prediction (THERR) are used in HRA of WS 2/3/4 NPPs PSA. The= purpose of this paper is to introduce the procedure and methodology of HRA in WS 2/3/4 NPPs PSA. Also, this paper describes the interim results of importance analysis for human actions modeled in WS 2/3/4 PSA and the findings and recommendations of administrative control of secondary control area from the view of human factors. (Author) 10 refs., 2 tabs.
The Level 1 probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) for Wolsong(WS) 2/3/4 nuclear power plant(NPPs) in design stage is performed using the methodologies being equivalent to PWR PSA. Accident sequence evaluation program (ASEF) human reliability analysis (HRA) procedure and technique for human error rate prediction (THERP) are used in HRA of WS 2/3/4 NPPs PSA. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the procedure and methodology of HRA in WS 2/3/4 NPPs PSA. Also, this paper describes the interim results of importance analysis for human actions modeled in WS 2/3/4 PSA and the findings and recommendations of administrative control of secondary control area from the view of human factors.
Study of glacial geology, stream drainage, bedrock topography, and subsurface structure maps in Isabella, Midland, Arenac, Gladwin, Clare, Ogemaw, Iosco, Mecosta, and Montcalm counties in Michigan revealed distinct correlations between patterns and types of glacial deposits and subsurface structures. Anticlinal structures associated with the Mt. Pleasant, North Buckeye, and South Buckeye, Hamilton, Deep River, Clayton, Logan, Six Lakes, and West Branch oil and gas fields occur along areas where northeast-trending glacial moraines and truncated, attenuated, or deviated. Furthermore, these anticlinal structures are associated with lacustrine sands and gravels and glacial outwash deposits nearly surrounded by glacial tills or lacustrine sands and clays. All of the anticlinal structures are associated with bedrock topography highs and alignment of streams parallel to the trends of the structures. Comparison of images of subsurface structure and ...
Perspectives from industry, academe, and the NRC are brought together in this report and used to develop a logical framework that links management and organization factors and safety in nuclear power plant performance. The framework focuses on intermediate outcomes which can be predicted by organizational and management factors, and which are subsequently linked to safety. The intermediate outcomes are efficiency, compliance, quality, and innovation. The organization and management factors can be classified in terms of environment, context, organizational governance, organizational design, and emergent processes. Initial empirical analyses were conducted on a limited set of hypotheses derived from the framework. One set of hypotheses concerned the relationships between one of the intermediate outcome variables, efficiency, as measured by critical hours and outage rate, and safety, as measured by 5 NRC ...
This report documents the results of a project funded by DoD's Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) on the science behind development of predictive models for soot emission from gas turbine engines. Measurements of soot formation were performed in laminar flat premixed flames and turbulent non-premixed jet flames at 1 atm pressure and in turbulent liquid spray flames under representative conditions for takeoff in a gas turbine engine. The laminar flames and open jet flames used both ethylene and a prevaporized JP-8 surrogate fuel composed of n-dodecane and m-xylene. The pressurized turbulent jet flame measurements used the JP-8 surrogate fuel and compared its combustion and sooting characteristics to a world-average JP-8 fuel sample. The pressurized jet flame measurements demonstrated that the surrogate was representative of JP-8, with a somewhat higher tendency to soot formation. The premixed flame measurements revealed that ...
We argue that published results demonstrate that new insights into human brain function may be obscured by poor and/or limited choices in the data-processing pipeline, and review the work on performance metrics for optimizing pipelines: prediction, reproducibility, and related empirical Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve metrics. Using the NPAIRS split-half resampling framework for estimating prediction/reproducibility metrics (Strother et al., 2002), we illustrate its use by testing the relative importance of selected pipeline components (interpolation, in-plane spatial smoothing, temporal detrending, and between-subject alignment) in a group analysis of BOLD-fMRI scans from 16 subjects performing a block-design, parametric-static-force task. Large-scale brain networks were detected using a multivariate linear discriminant analysis (canonical variates analysis, CVA) that was tuned to fit the data. We found that tuning the CVA model ...
Condensing two-phase channel flow occurs in many industrial applications, including heating and refrigeration systems. It can also occur in certain nuclear reactor accidents. For example, during a small-break loss-of-coolant accident in a pressurized water reactor, following the partial depletion of the primary coolant, condensation of steam on the primary side of the steam generator tubes can provide a heat sink for disposal of the decay heat generated in the reactor core. Condensing two-phase flow can also play an important role in the operation of the passive emergency cooling system in the advanced simplified boiling water reactor. Here, steady-state condensation in the presence of a noncondensable in a concurrent two-phase channel flow is analyzed using a two-fluid model. The effect of noncondensables on the combined heat transfer at the liquid-gas mixture interphase is accounted for by using the stagnant film model, and closure relations relevant to the annular-dispersed ...
During last decade, considerable interest has been focused to assess the influence of human activities on ecosystems. The increasing trend in the atmospheric concentration of CO{sub 2} has been predicted to continue till the next century and the amount of nitrogen deposition in the northern hemisphere has increased markedly. Substantial interest has been focused on predicting how these changes will affect on plants. Most boreal mire ecosystems are dominated by mosses of the genus Sphagnum, the litter of which constitutes the main component in the peat deposits and is an important CO{sub 2} sink via peat formation. Since virtually nothing was known about the growth response of peat mosses to elevated concentrations of CO{sub 2} and alerting changes in species composition were detected in the sensitive ombrotrophic mire vegetation under increased N deposition in central Europe, this study was established. Laboratory ...
Laser safety standards and eye protection (filters) are designed to limit ocular exposures to prevent retinal lesions, yet eyesafe laser exposures can disrupt vision by causing glare and flashblindness. Protective filters can have opposing effects on vision function. They reduce laser exposures but also reduce task luminance and contrast. Filters alone may interfere with vision and consequently reduce work safety and performance. It is therefore important to be able to predict the effects of both laser exposures and protective filters to assess trade-offs between protection and visual function. This paper briefly reviews the methods, concepts, and experimental database used in our laboratory to predict laser, filter, and laser-plus-filter effects on tasks involving visual detection. The modeling approach uses estimates of the spatial distribution of light in the retinal image of the laser source to ...
Construction and commissioning period of NPP are reduced world over drastically by stringent schedule for financial and economic reasons. For meeting the schedule, commissioning of components and systems are started immediate after installation, while construction activities are continued in parallel at the same place. Parallel activities' and 'Time Constraint' have brought new challenges to 'Management of Fire and Industrial Safely' during commissioning. An innovative approach was used during such phase of commissioning of TAPP-3 and 4. This paper outlines challenges encountered during this phase and special approach and measures used to meet those challenges. This paper also outlines problems encountered during implementation of these measures and subsequent change in approach to ensure smooth and safe execution of activities. Primarily, challenges were conflicting requirements by various agencies to carryout commissioning in parallel with construction activities concurrently. Main ...
A review of analytical design methods used for predicting reactor core flow and temperature distributions is presented with emphasis on LMFBR's. The paper also briefly describes and contrasts the methods used for LWR's. These methods are global analysis, subchannel analysis, distributed parameter, and hybrid analysis. The evolution of the local and subchannel analysis methods is presented. Data used for code validation are also presented. Current research and development needs are identified and discussed. Areas identified for future research and development include methods and expermental data for analysis of distorted bundles and natural convection. Methods that have been developed for predicting the safety performance of LMFBR's and LWR's are not within the scope of this paper.
Corrosion is said to be the most dominant factor which affects the physical life of ships and offshore structures. In order to secure the structural safety of ships and offshore structures, it is necessary to take measures to corrosion based on the prediction of condition of progressive corrosion. But such prediction is difficult because the behavior of corrosion`s progress is probabilistic. In this paper, probabilistic model, which could evaluate the degradation of coatings and the successive corrosion of steel members, was proposed in order to explain the tendency of the actual corrosion conditions of existing ships. Then, statistical inferences on the proposed model were made by applying the actual data on plate thickness measurements of Bulk Carriers` Cargo Hold. And validity of the proposed model was verified.
The world's fleet of nuclear power plants is, on average, more than 20 years old. Even though the design life of a nuclear power plant is typically 30-40 years, it is quite feasible that many plants will be able to operate in excess of their design lives, provided that nuclear power plant engineers demonstrate by analysis, trending, equipment and system upgrades, increased vigilance, testing and ageing management that the plant will operate safely. In the operation of nuclear power plants, safety should be always the prime consideration. Plant operators and regulators must always ensure that plant safety is maintained, and where possible enhanced, during a plant's operating lifetime. Nuclear power plant life management (PLiM) has gained increased attention over the past decade, and effective ageing management of systems, structures and components (SSCs) is a key element in PLiM for the safe and reliable long term operation ...
Sudden changes in the temperature of flowing liquids can result in transient buoyancy forces which strongly impact the flow hydrodynamics via flow stratification. These effects have been studied for the case of potential flow of stratified liquids to line sinks, but not for moderator flow in SRS reactors. Standard codes, such as TRAC and COMMIX, do not have the capability to capture the stratification effect, due to strong numerical diffusion which smears away the hot/cold fluid interface. A related problem with standard codes is the inability to track plumes injected into the liquid flow, again due to numerical diffusion. The combined effects of buoyant stratification and plume dispersion have been identified as being important in operation the Supplementary Safety System which injects neutron-poison ink into SRS reactors to provide safe shutdown in the event of safety rod failure. The MODFLOW code discussed here provides transient moderator ...
Sudden changes in the temperature of flowing liquids can result in transient buoyancy forces which strongly impact the flow hydrodynamics via flow stratification. These effects have been studied for the case of potential flow of stratified liquids to line sinks, but not for moderator flow in SRS reactors. Standard codes, such as TRAC and COMMIX, do not have the capability to capture the stratification effect, due to strong numerical diffusion which smears away the hot/cold fluid interface. A related problem with standard codes is the inability to track plumes injected into the liquid flow, again due to numerical diffusion. The combined effects of buoyant stratification and plume dispersion have been identified as being important in operation the Supplementary Safety System which injects neutron-poison ink into SRS reactors to provide safe shutdown in the event of safety rod failure. The MODFLOW code discussed here provides transient moderator ...
Knowledge of ground subsidence behavior provides for better economic planning and execution of a mining exploitation, higher safety and optimum use of the resources without ruining the environment. In addition, when considering subsidence generated by petroleum exploitation, the monitored (measured) subsidence, combined with geological information and a suitable prediction model, can provide data on the expanse of the oil field and thus aid in the estimation of available resources. An integrated survey system for monitoring mining subsidence is described which has been developed as part of a research program in cooperation with the Canada Centre for Mineral and Energy Technology. (JMT)
17 papers are presented. Topics covered include: the POG system - a new concept in the use of ANFO; demolition of a motorway bridge; presplit and smooth blasting; VIBReX - a predictive code for assessing the effect of blast design on ground vibration; ground vibrations from blasting; digital seismographs; human response to blasting and the effects on planning conditions; landform construction by restoration blasting; use of small diameter explosives; efficient priming; safety management in the explosives industry; and the law on packaging of explosives. Two papers have been abstracted separately.
A novel device called the gas expansion model (GEM) is being developed at the Hanford Engineering Development Laboratory for testing in the 400-MW(th) fast flux test facility (FFTF) reactor. Incorporation of the GEM into liquid-metal reactor designs is intended to measurably contribute to the achievement of inherent safety, by allowing the reactor to passively shut down even in the extremely remote (hypothetical) event of an unprotected (no scram) loss-of-flow accident. The purpose of this paper is to describe the GEM and present predictive analyses of the effectiveness of the device during unprotected loss-of-flow experiments in the FFTF.
A novel device called the gas expansion model (GEM) is being developed at the Hanford Engineering Development Laboratory for testing in the 400-MW(th) fast flux test facility (FFTF) reactor. Incorporation of the GEM into liquid-metal reactor designs is intended to measurably contribute to the achievement of inherent safety, by allowing the reactor to passively shut down even in the extremely remote (hypothetical) event of an unprotected (no scram) loss-of-flow accident. The purpose of this paper is to describe the GEM and present predictive analyses of the effectiveness of the device during unprotected loss-of-flow experiments in the FFTF.
Monte Carlo criticality calculations have been performed for over 50 years for reactor physics and criticality safety applications. With today's faster computers, these calculations are being carried out to greater precision (smaller uncertainties) in keff, and detailed distributions of power and reaction rates are being computed routinely. This paper provides a review of the fundamental theory of Monte Carlo criticality calculations, with guidance on practical methods for: (1) assuring convergence of both keff and the source distribution, (2) minimizing the bias in keff and reaction rate distributions, and (3) dealing with the under-prediction bias in uncertainties for keff and reaction rate distributions. (authors)
Reduced-Moderation Water reactor (RMWR) is a light water breeder reactor developed by Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI). The RMWR comprises tight lattice fuel assemblies with gap clearance of around 1.0 mm to reduce water volume ratio to achieve a high conversion ratio. It is important to estimate the thermal hydraulic safety margin of the tight lattice core of the RMWR. In the present study, the boiling transition (BT) prediction performance of the subchannel analysis code NASCA developed for the current BWR cores was assessed for series of tight lattice critical heat flux (CHF) experiments performed in JAERI. The test section was a 7-rod bundle with rod diameter of 12.3 mm, rod gap of 1.0 mm and heated length of 1.8m. Axial power distribution was flat. With a simple subchannel model, the code overestimates the critical power in the high mass velocity region, although the predicted critical powers in the low ...
and streambed sediment samples 2-6. Graphs showing: 2. Cesium-137 profile in HOE core 3. PAH trends in Lake Houston cores 4. DDE trends in Lake Houston cores 5. Trends in six trace...
The growing concern of the population with regards to the problem of atmospheric pollution has induced a change in the role of air quality monitoring networks, especially those monitoring air pollution in large cities which suffer from summer smog. The population is no longer satisfied with real-time measurements but wants to be warmed of high pollutants concentrations in advance. Some countries have been forecasting air pollution, and especially ozone, for a large number of years. Although most of them use statistical models based on the analyses of past conditions which induced high pollution episodes, some predict ozone levels using only their knowledge of the meteorological situation. Nowadays two trends appear regarding ozone forecasting: either very basic statistical methods, such as regression, or more sophisticated ones, such as neural networks. The paper then reviews several behaviours common to most forecasting models: the uncertainly ...
The hemispheres-in-cell model for colloid transport and deposition in simple granular filtration media preserves the utilities provided in the Happel sphere-in-cell but also incorporates features (e.g., grain-to-grain contact) that are shown to drive colloid deposition from experiments and simulations when colloid-surface repulsion exists (Ma, H.; Pedel, J.; Fife, P.; Johnson, W. P. Environ. Sci. Technol., 2009, in press). The capability of the hemispheres-in-cell model to predict colloid deposition in the absence of repulsive energy barriers for different particle sizes and fluid flow velocities was previously examined (Ma, H.; Pedel, J.; Fife, P.; Johnson, W. P. Environ. Sci. Technol., 2009, in press). In this article, we examine the influence of porosity on colloid deposition in terms of theoretical (simulated) collector efficiencies from the hemispheres-in-cell model, as well as existing models, to examine whether expected trends in ...
International Patenting Trends in Advanced Materials: Ceramics (June 18, 1999) This report is the ... manufacturing, biotechnology, and advanced materials. Hypertext Format Portable Document Format ...
INTRODUCTION: This study examined the efficacy and safety of selegiline transdermal system (STS) and brief repeated behavioral intervention (BRBI) for smoking cessation in heavy smokers. We hypothesized that the quit rate of subjects who received STS and BRBI would be significantly greater than that of those who received placebo patch and BRBI. METHODS: This was a double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel-group study in which 246 men and women were randomized to receive either STS (n = 121) or placebo patch (n =125) for 9 weeks. Recruitment targeted heavy smokers, defined as individuals with self-reported use of ?15 cigarettes/day in the 30 days prior to enrollment, who had smoked cigarettes for the past 5 years, and had an expired CO level ?9 ppm during screening. RESULTS: Although STS was well tolerated, the overall results indicated that STS with BRBI was not more effective than placebo plus BRBI for smoking cessation (p = .58). Conclusions: The results are ...
The five thermal-hydraulic concepts chosen for advanced PWR have been studied as follows: (1) Critical Heat Flux: Review of previous works, analysis of parametric trends, analysis of transient CHF characteristics, extension of the CHF date bank, survey and assessment of correlations, design of a intermediate-pressure CHF test loop have been performed. (2) Passive Cooling Concepts for Concrete Containment system: Review of condensation phenomena with noncondensable gases, selection of a promising concept (i.e., use of external condensers), design of test loop according to scaling laws have been accomplished. and computer programs based on the control-volume approach, and the conceptual design of test loop have been accomplished. (4) Fluidic Diode Concepts: Review of previous applications of the concept, analysis major parameters affecting the performance, development of a computational code, and conceptual investigation of the verification test loop have been ...
This report discusses the safety approach of the Advanced Liquid Metal reactor program, sponsored by the US Department of Energy, which relies upon passive reactor responses to off-normal condition to limit power and temperature excursions to levels that allow safety margins. Gas expansion modules (GEM) have included in the design to provide negative reactivity to enhance these margins in the extremely unlikely event that pumping power is lost and the highly reliable scram system fails to operate. The feasibility and beneficial features of these devices were first demonstrated in the core of the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) in 1986. Preapplication safety evaluations by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission have identified areas that must be addressed if these devices are to be relied on. One of these areas is the response of the reactor when it is critical and the pumps are turned on, resulting in positive reactivity being ...
The safety approach of the Advanced Liquid Metal Reactor program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, relies upon passive reactor responses to off-normal conditions to limit power and temperature excursions to levels that allow large safety margins. Gas expansion modules (GEM) have been included in the design to provide negative reactivity to enhance these margins in the extremely unlikely event that pumping power is lost and the highly reliable scram system fails to operate. The feasibility and beneficial features of these devices were first demonstrated in the core of the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) in 1986. Pre-application safety evaluations by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission have identified areas that must be addressed if these devices are to be relied on. One of these areas is the response of the reactor when it is critical and the pumps are turned on, resulting in positive reactivity being added to ...
The FFTF is a 400-MWt sodium-cooled fast neutron flux test reactor located on the US government-owned Hanford Site in southeastern Washington state. The reactor is operated for the US Department of Energy by the Westinghouse Hanford Company. Since FFTF started routine operation in 1982, the commercially fabricated driver fuel has performed flawlessly to well beyond the design goal peak burnup of 80 MWd/kgM. The core average discharge exposure is now some 60% beyond the original design expectations and attests to the ruggedness and reliability of the mixed oxide fuel system. In Cycle 9 sixteen long-life assemblies were installed to begin the irradiation of mixed oxides in the advanced low-swelling alloy HT-9 as the Core Demonstration Experiment (CDE). Operation of the plant from initial startup testing to ten cycles of operation has confirmed that the nuclear characteristics are well within the design predictions, and all parameters have remained inside the ...
This thesis study covers both global performance and local phenomena analyses focusing on natural circulation reactor design safety. Four important topics are included: the global SBWR design safety assessment, important local phenomena investigation, steady and transient natural circulation process study, and two-phase instability analysis. The conceptual design of the SBWR-200 is introduced in this thesis and the global performance of a natural circulation reactor is then assessed using PUMA integral test data and RELAP5 simulations. A safety assessment methodology is developed to evaluate the PUMA integral test data extrapolation and code scalability. The RELAP5 code simulation capability in low-pressure low-flow conditions is also validated. The study shows that the code is capable of predicting the global accident scenario in natural circulation reactors with reasonable accuracy, while failing to ...
Grout has been evaluated as a means of containing low-level radioactive waste for long-term disposal. Concerns about hydrogen and reactive gas generation in the Hanford Site grout disposal facility lead to the development of the G3 model, which has predicted buildup of radiolytically formed gases in the grout region and their migration to air-filled regions. The G3 model is a one-dimensional code that couples models of gas diffusion with two-phase gas and liquid flow. It was coupled to a compartment diffusion model and these models predicted the concentrations of hydrogen I nitrous oxide, and other gases in air-filled regions of the grout disposal facility. The results have served as the technical basis for safety studies. A unique finding of the G3 model was that a liquid return, or expulsion of unbound liquid from the grout region, could occur. This liquid return is driven by displacement caused by gas bubbles that form ...
The prediction of two-phase flow regime in the horizontal pipings during a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) is important for safety analysis of a pressurized water reactor (PWR). The flow regime transition conditions for a horizontal two-phase air-water flow were studied using a large-height, horizontal rectangular duct test section. The duct dimensions were 700 mm in height, 100 mm in width and 28.3 m in length. The experimental criterion for the flow regime transition from the stratified to slug flow regimes, in terms of the local void fraction and the non-dimensional gas-liquid relative velocity, agreed qualitatively with the prediction by the Mishima-Ishii model that is based on an idea that the interfacial waves with the largest growth rate will develop into a slug. However, the transition in the experiment occurred at systematically lower (by about 40 %) relative velocities than the prediction by ...
Debris coolability in the lower plenum of the reactor pressure vessel is an important factor for evaluation of debris in-vessel retention. The debris coolability analysis module is developed for the accurate prediction of the safety margin of the present reactor vessels in a severe accident. The module calculates debris spreading and cooling through melting and solidification in combination with a temperature distribution and failure evaluation of the vessel wall. Debris spreading is solved by the explicit method on a quasi-three-dimensional scheme and debris coolability is solved on the basis of natural convection analysis. The calculation for spreading is compared with a water spreading experiment on the floor and the calculation for coolability is compared with a n-octadecane melting experiment in a rectangular vessel. The comparisons show capabilities for predictions of spearhead transportation in the debris spreading ...
Debris coolability in the lower plenum of the reactor pressure vessel is an important factor for evaluation of debris in-vessel retention. The debris coolability analysis module is developed for the accurate prediction of the safety margin of the present reactor vessels in a severe accident. The module calculates debris spreading and cooling through melting and solidification in combination with a temperature distribution and failure evaluation of the vessel wall. Debris spreading is solved by the explicit method on a quasi-three-dimensional scheme and debris coolability is solved on the basis of natural convection analysis. The calculation for spreading is compared with a water spreading experiment on the floor and the calculation for coolability is compared with a n-octadecane melting experiment in a rectangular vessel. The comparisons show capabilities for predictions of spearhead transportation in the debris spreading ...
Ageing of nuclear power plants means evolution of material or equipment properties on one side, and evolution of personnel skill and procedure adequacy on the other side, both of which, after a certain time, may not be compatible with the required safety provisions, or with an economic operation of the plant. Repair or replacement of components, as well as change in service conditions for a better compatibility with component reduced capabilities can be used to mitigate ageing effects. The paper summarises the results of a study conducted in this field with the support of the European Commission. It presents: the synthesis of the work done under international auspices, and in the European context; the comparison of ageing management approaches used in several European countries with international recommendations; the summary of the various potential phenomena and their governing parameters, the methods of in-service ageing identification and possible mitigation ...
The object of this paper is to identify the key elements that impact a radiation dose at EAB (Exclusion Area Boundary). This study is based on the AST (Alternative Source Terms) as defined in Regulatory Guide 1.183. The LOCA (Loss of Coolant Accident) and the LRA (Locked Rotor Accident) are selected as limiting cases. A sensitivity analysis of accidental behavior with respect to various parameters during LOCA and LRA at Kori Unit 1 is also undertaken for the following objectives: to determine the limiting parameters, to find the impact trend of the radiation dose, and to find the safety margin between AST and TID (Technical Information Document) methodologies. This work confirms that key parameters are particulate removal rate, decontamination factor, iodine chemical form, gap fraction, partitioning factor, and the impact of isotopes group. Comparing TID with AST, the radiation dose of TID is about 80% greater than that of AST under a LOCA, and ...
Topics concerning the problems associated with older and aging dams are considered including: what can be done to extent the lifetime of an old dam, the decision to decommission a dam based on a value judgment that the risk of maintaining the dam is too great for society's acceptance, the possibility of change in the level of risk tolerance with time in a technological environment, traditional surveillance methods used by dam owners in the Y2K situation, and the unreality of dam immortality. Trends and means for preserving older dams for their owner's purposes are outlined, as well as their lifetime compared to that of the downstream systems they serve. Despite the fact that we live in a throwaway society, dam owners cannot just leave their dam asset when they are through with using it. Someone has to maintain the dam, or ensure that it is safely decommissioned when the owner is finished with it. On a worldwide scale the available pool of ...
The CANDU-type nuclear fuel localization project started in 1981, and mass-production system completed in 1987 through the pilot scale demonstration of fuel manufacturing. Since the completion of the mass-production system, about 24,000 fuel bundles (450 ton-U) had been delivered to Wolsung Nuclear Power Plant by the end of 1992, according to the fuel supply contracts with KEPCO. The superiority of KAERI-made nuclear fuel has been demonstrated by having achieved the highest utilization factor in the world in 1992. In 1993, as contracted, 4,824 fuel bundles well fabricated and delivered to Wolsung Nuclear Power Plant. The process improvement, quality control, safety management, safeguards of nuclear materials and various kinds of audits have also been performed in the course for fuel manufacturing. Especially in 1993, the difficulties of the reduction of participating work-force were overcome by improving the manufacturing techniques, and raising the efficiency of ...
The Kyoto Protocol attempts through political negotiations to guide participating industrialized countries' greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from a positive growing trend, to reach a peak point (or turning point), and then be reduced to a negative growth. That means the relationship between decreasing GHG emissions and economic growth may be described by an inverted-U curve (or called a bell-shaped curve), which is consistent with the concept of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis. This research observed that the economic development and GHG emissions in Economies in Transition (EITs) exhibit a hockey-stick curve trend (or called quasi-L-shape curve), that also generates a lot of 'hot air' which is significant to the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol. In addition, through the analysis of single-country time series data and GDP data, this research demonstrated that statistical data for most of the Annex ...
The Kyoto Protocol attempts through political negotiations to guide participating industrialized countries' greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from a positive growing trend, to reach a peak point (or turning point), and then be reduced to a negative growth. That means the relationship between decreasing GHG emissions and economic growth may be described by an inverted-U curve (or called a bell-shaped curve), which is consistent with the concept of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis. This research observed that the economic development and GHG emissions in Economies in Transition (EITs) exhibit a hockey-stick curve trend (or called quasi-L-shape curve), that also generates a lot of 'hot air' which is significant to the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol. In addition, through the analysis of single-country time series data and GDP data, this research demonstrated that statistical data for most of the Annex ...
As the penetration of wind energy continues to increase around the world, with a trend towards large utility-scale wind farms (greater than 100 MW), effective wind energy forecasting will become increasingly important. Previous work by GH has estimated the trading benefit of high quality short-term forecasting to be EUR 7/MWh. Depending on market conditions, for a 100 MW wind farm with a capacity factor of 30%, this equates to an estimated annual trading benefit of up to EUR 1.8m. To date, a number of studies have focused on the mathematical modelling techniques for forecasting the production from wind farms, looking predominantly at the task of predicting the meteorological conditions at the site. This paper focuses on the final stage of the forecasting process, conversion from a meteorological forecast to a power production forecast. This challenge is particularly significant for utility-scale wind farms. The main body of research in ...
A series of 27 reflood experiments has been carried out in a full-length electrically heated rod bundle facility. The primary objective of these tests was to study the effects of a simultaneous upper plenum and downcomer coolant injection and to provide data for the verification of computer codes. The experimental results indicate that an upper plenum injection alone cools the test rods slowly, a simultaneous coolant injection to the downcomer improves cooling significantly, and a downcomer injection alone cools the test rod bundle best if the total value of the coolant flow rate is the same in these three different cases. If the coolant injected to the upper plenum increases the total flow rate, the quench time of the test rods decreases at all elevations. Quenching time and clad temperature histories calculated with the computer codes NORCOOL-I and FLOOD4 are in a reasonable quantitative agreement with experiments in the case of pure downcomer injection. Qualitative ...
Staggered arrays of dimples printed on opposite surfaces of a cooling channel is formulated numerically and optimized with hybrid multi-objective evolutionary algorithm and Pareto optimal front. As Pareto optimal front produces a set of optimal solutions, the trends of objective functions with design variables are predicted by hybrid multi-objective evolutionary algorithm. The problem is defined by three non-dimensional geometric design variables composed of dimpled channel height, dimple print diameter, dimple spacing, and dimple depth, to maximize heat transfer rate compromising with pressure drop. Twenty designs generated by Latin hypercube sampling were evaluated by Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes solver and the evaluated objectives were used to construct Pareto optimal front through hybrid multi-objective evolutionary algorithm. The optimum designs were grouped by k-means clustering technique and some of the clustered points were evaluated ...
Staggered arrays of dimples printed on opposite surfaces of a cooling channel is formulated numerically and optimized with hybrid multi-objective evolutionary algorithm and Pareto optimal front. As Pareto optimal front produces a set of optimal solutions, the trends of objective functions with design variables are predicted by hybrid multi-objective evolutionary algorithm. The problem is defined by three non-dimensional geometric design variables composed of dimpled channel height, dimple print diameter, dimple spacing, and dimple depth, to maximize heat transfer rate compromising with pressure drop. Twenty designs generated by Latin hypercube sampling were evaluated by Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes solver and the evaluated objectives were used to construct Pareto optimal front through hybrid multi-objective evolutionary algorithm. The optimum designs were grouped by k-means clustering technique and some of the clustered points were evaluated ...
Recent developments in heat pump technology have made geothermal-based heat exchange systems particularly well-suited for the heating and cooling needs of buildings even in cold climates. The principles of geothermally-coupled heat pump heating and cooling systems were presented. Results of an in-situ study conducted by Hydro-Quebec on the efficiency of the geothermal heat pump system installed at the Saint-Hyacinthe professional school were summarized. This investigation was meant to be a case study of the applicability of these new technologies to the needs of the Quebec market. After the first year of service, the Saint-Hyacinthe system clearly demonstrated its cost effectiveness over conventional systems. It was predicted that geothermal heat pump systems will gain in popularity in Quebec because they can fully meet the heating and cooling needs of public buildings at considerable cost reductions, besides offering considerable environmental benefits. 4 refs., 1 ...
Accurate and rapid evaluation of radar signature for alternative aircraft/store configurations would be of substantial benefit in the evolution of integrated designs that meet RCS requirements across the threat spectrum. Finite-volume time domain methods offer the possibility of modeling the whole aircraft, including penetrable regions and stores, at longer wavelengths on today's supercomputers and at typical airborne radar wavelengths on the teraflop computers of tomorrow. A structure-grid finite-volume time domain CFD based RCS code has already been developed at the Rockwell Science Center, and this code incorporates modeling techniques for general radar absorbing materials and structures. Using this work as a base, the goal of the CFD based CEM effort is to define, implement, and evaluate various code development issues suitable for rapid prototype signature prediction addressing many issues related to physics of electromagnetics, efficient and ...
This report summarizes the results of an expert-opinion elicitation activity designed to qualitatively assess the status and capabilities of currently available computer codes and models for accident analysis and reactor safety calculations of advanced sodium fast reactors, and identify important gaps. The twelve-member panel consisted of representatives from five U.S. National Laboratories (SNL, ANL, INL, ORNL, and BNL), the University of Wisconsin, the KAERI, the JAEA, and the CEA. The major portion of this elicitation activity occurred during a two-day meeting held on Aug. 10-11, 2010 at Argonne National Laboratory. There were two primary objectives of this work: (1) Identify computer codes currently available for SFR accident analysis and reactor safety calculations; and (2) Assess the status and capability of current US computer codes to adequately model the required accident scenarios and associated phenomena, and identify important gaps. ...
The DGs (Diesel Generators) in NPP (Nuclear Power Plant) has been used for the emergency electric power source to shot down the nuclear reactor safety in case of station blackout. The RCM (Reliability Centered Maintenance) has been applied to DGs for increasing the safety of NPP. The structured defects of DG were not remedied by the improvement of maintenance method. As the first stage of RCM, to find the structured defect, its failure= models were searched and analyzed through the ten year maintenance information. The structured defects such as the air compressor, the lubricating oil pressure, and the insufficient load were the root causes of main failures. The air reservoir reinstallation, the lubricating oil tube modification, the load bank installation, and the qualitative instrumentation were the solutions for the hardware oriented RCM of DGs. There remains the software oriented RCM such as the rejection of useless maintenance, the ...
The issue of global warming was discussed with particular reference to the changes that may occur in the hydrological regime within the coming decades in response to predicted changes in climate. Flood events for the 2050 time horizon were investigated along with the consequences on water management and dam safety. Dams operated by Hydro-Quebec are used for flood control, water supply, recreational activities and hydroelectricity. As such, the electric utility relies on methods to evaluate the adaptability of current management plans to climate change. This paper presented the results of a study conducted at the Moisie River watershed, located in northern Quebec. The HSAMI hydrologic model was used to evaluate and compare the occurrences where stream flows and water levels exceed critical values in order to assess the effectiveness of management plans in both current and climate change scenarios. The study considered two different approaches on ...
Critics of higher fuel economy standards for vehicles have long argued that improving vehicle fuel economy will require reducing vehicle weight, and that would result in an increase in the number of fatalities from vehicle crashes. Several researchers have estimated that an across-the-board reduction of vehicle weight would reduce passenger safety (Evans 1991; Kahane 1997; U.S. GAO 1994). However, little research has been done on the relationship of vehicle size and fatality rates, independent of weight (see, however, Joksch, Massie, and Pichler 1998). In this report we review previous analyses of the relationship of vehicle weight and safety. We do this to study the opportunities to improve fuel economy in a more sophisticated way than across-the-board mass reduction. The aim is to explore improvements in traffic safety by making selected vehicle groups lighter, and retaining or enlarging selected vehicle dimensions. ...
Designs of nuclear reactor plants aim for high performance under safety consideration. Because of large scale and high pressure/temperature conditions, data from costly mockup tests have been required to verify simulation codes of systems and components. Establishment of design by analysis (DBA) in nuclear engineering is required for development of next generation nuclear reactors. Recent powerful computers and simulation technique enable numerical analyses to predict realistic behaviors of thermo-fluid flow, structure and do on. The present report describes resent simulation results of complex gas-liquid two-phase flow, large scale structure dynamics and fluid-structure interaction. (author)
The role of shear in determining the ideal MHD stability properties of tokamaks is discussed. In particular, we assess the effects of low shear within the plasma upon pressure-driven modes. The standard ballooning theory is shown to break down, as the shear is reduced and the growth rate is shown to be an oscillatory function of n, the toroidal mode number, treated as a continuous parameter. The oscillations are shown to depend on both the pressure and safety-factor profiles. When the shear is sufficiently weak, the oscillations can result in bands of unstable n values which are present even when the standard ballooning theory predicts complete stability. These instabilities are named ''infernal modes.'' The occurrence of these instabilities at integer n is shown to be a sensitive function of q-axis, raising the possibility of a sharp onset as plasma parameters evolve. 20 refs., 31 figs.
Emergency Core Cooling System (ECCS) is a safety critical system provided to mitigate the consequence of Loss of Coolant Accident (LOCA) in PHWR. Unlike 220MWe, all header injection has been introduced in 540MWe to simplify the logic. ECCS Integrated Test is schematic approach to establish that ECC system will behave as per design intent during actual LOCA condition. Objective of ECCS Integrated test is to ascertain that various ECC system components operate as intended in design. Additionally, the various system resistances which form the input to LOCA analysis are validated. This test has been carried out by creating actual LOCA during cold and pressurised condition of PHT system to establish all phases of injection with overlap. This paper discusses the results obtained during the Integrated Test and comparison with the prediction during the commissioning of first unit of 540 MWe. (author)
To form a licensing basis for a new methodology for a fuel channel safety analysis code for CANDU-6 nuclear reactor, a CATHENA model for a post-blowdown fuel channel analysis has been developed, and tested for a high temperature thermal-chemical experiment CS28-1 [Lei, Q.M., 1993. Post-test analysis of the 28-element high-temperature thermal-chemical experiment CS28-1. In: 4th International Conference on Simulation Methods in Nuclear Engineering, Montreal, PQ, 1993]. Pursuant to the objective of this investigation, the current study has focused on understanding the involved phenomena, their interrelations, and how to maintain a good accuracy of the temperature and H2 generation rate prediction without losing the important physics of the involved phenomena. The transient simulation results ...
Assuming the hoop conjecture in classical general relativity and quantum mechanics, any observer who attempts to perform an experiment in an arbitrarily small region will be stymied by the formation of a black hole within the spatial domain of the experiment. This behavior is often invoked in arguments for a fundamental minimum length. Extending a proof of the hoop conjecture for spherical symmetry to include higher curvature terms we investigate this minimum length argument when the gravitational couplings run with energy in the manner predicted by asymptotically safe gravity. We show that argument for the mandatory formation of a black hole within the domain of an experiment fails. Neither is there a proof that a black hole doesn't form. Instead, whether or not an observer can perform measurements in arbitrarily small regions depends on the specific numerical values of the couplings near the UV fixed point. We further argue that when an experiment is localized on ...
In order to build the safety culture for nuclear power industry, it is important to evaluate the safety culture scientifically. Considering the traits of safety culture in the nuclear power industry, 24 safety culture assessment indexes are established from 4 aspects such as Safety consciousness, Safety attitude, Safety action and Safety actuality by using the SMART criteria. Safety culture star-class assessment criterion is presented and safety culture star-class assessment system is developed by using Visual Basic 6.0 and BP neural network. The system has a better generalization ability, and it can show exactly which phase the safety culture is in. Experimental results show that safety culture star-class assessment is practical and easy ...
Different concrete waste packages have been designed by Electricite de France (EDF) for the long-term storage of radioactive Low Level Waste (LLW). Their main function is to confine radionuclides from the biosphere for three hundred years in a near-surface disposal. According to the transport regulations, a Type-B package is needed for some waste like water filters. The water filters from EDF nuclear power plants are encapsulated in mortar and placed in a concrete container. Transport regulations for these containers have required the development of a methodology for safety assessment. The reference scenario of container degradation during transport considers a 9 m drop and a 800"oC fire for 30 min. First, the different chemical and physical processes involved in the containment of radionuclides are analysed. In particular, the radionuclide transport mechanisms in cement-based materials have been reviewed. Secondly, the effects of a container drop on the mortar and ...
Nuclear Engineering Laboratory of the Technical Research Centre of Finland has widely used RELAP5/MOD2 and -MOD3 codes to simulate horizontal steam generators. Several models have been developed and successfully used in the VVER-safety analysis. Nevertheless, the models developed have included only rather few nodes in the steam generator secondary side. The secondary side has normally been divided into about 10 to 15 nodes. Since the secondary side at the steam generators of VVER-440 type reactors consists of a rather large water pool, these models were only roughly capable to predict secondary side flows. The paper describes an attempt to use RELAP5/MOD3 code to predict secondary side flows in a steam generator of a VVER-440 reactor. A 2D/3D model has been developed using RELAP5/MOD3 codes cross-flow junctions. The model includes 90 volumes on the steam generator secondary side. The model has been used to calculate steady ...
Nuclear Engineering Laboratory of the Technical Research Centre of Finland has widely used RELAP5/MOD2 and -MOD3 codes to simulate horizontal steam generators. Several models have been developed and successfully used in the VVER-safety analysis. Nevertheless, the models developed have included only rather few nodes in the steam generator secondary side. The secondary side has normally been divided into about 10 to 15 nodes. Since the secondary side at the steam generators of VVER-440 type reactors consists of a rather large water pool, these models were only roughly capable to predict secondary side flows. The paper describes an attempt to use RELAP5/MOD3 code to predict secondary side flows in a steam generator of a VVER-440 reactor. A 2D/3D model has been developed using RELAP5/MOD3 codes cross-flow junctions. The model includes 90 volumes on the steam generator secondary side. The model has been used to calculate steady ...
Safety in general and harmonization of International Maritime Organization rules on mobile offshore drilling rig operation in particular are discussed. The improvement of the industry's safety record is also discussed.
An outcrop-based study combining detailed lithofacies analysis with high-resolution sequence stratigraphy in the Paradox Basin, southwestern United States. has shown that complex lateral and vertical facies variations occur in relatively consistent and predictable patterns. Large-scale facies shifts of several kilometers occur across major sequence boundaries whereas small-scale lateral and vertical variations develop from stacking of individual cycles. Understanding of vertical stacking patterns and lateral distribution of facies in outcrop can be directly applied to both three-dimensional distribution of reservoir facies in the subsurface as well as the evaluation of heterogeneity within individual reservoirs. The Desert Creek and Ismay intervals of the Paradox Formation (Pennsylvanian) exposed along the San Juan River in southeastern Utah are characterized by high-frequency cyclic repetition of carbonate and siliciclastic facies controlled primarily by 4th and ...
Lappeenranta University of Technology (LTKK) and VTT Energy carried out a series of preliminary tests in 1999 to study the behavior of noncondensable (NC) gases in VVER geometry. The tests aimed at studying the effect of NC gases on system thermal-hydraulics and on heat transfer in a horizontal steam generator (HSG). The system behavior can be affected by hydrogen produced in the core in case of a severe accident, by nitrogen from hydro-accumulators released into the primary circuit in case of a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) and more generally by any NC gas in all cases where cooling is ensured by natural circulation. A secondary objective of the tests - the first series of tests ever performed with NC gas with PACTEL - was to find out, if the instrumentation of PACTEL was adequate for this type of tests and if it was functioning properly. This paper presents the measured and calculated (CATHARE code version V15a mod 2.1) results of the test NCg-l. It was carried out in natural ...
Primary dendrite spacings, secondary dendrite spacings, and microsegregation have been examined in PWA-1480 single crystal specimens which were directionally solidified during parabolic maneuvers on the KC-135 aircraft. Experimentally observed growth rate and thermal gradient dependence of primary dendrite spacings are in good agreement with predictions from dendrite growth models for binary alloys. Secondary dendrite coarsening kinetics show a reasonable fit with the predictions from an analytical model proposed by Kirkwood for a binary alloy. The partition coefficients of tantalum, titanium, and aluminum are observed to be less than unity, while that for tungsten and cobalt are greater than unity. This is qualitatively similar to the nickel base binaries. Microsegregation profiles experimentally observed for PWA-1480 superalloy show a good fit with Bower, Brody, and Flemings model developed for binary alloys. Transitions in gravity levels do ...
The Early Palaeozoic Warburton Basin underlies the gas and oil producing Cooper and Eromanga Basins. Postdepositional tectonism created high potential fracture porosities, complicating the stratigraphy and making reservoir prediction difficult. Sequence stratigraphy integrating core, cuttings, well-log, seismic and biostratigraphic data has recognized a carbonate-dominated to mixed carbonate/siliciclastic supersequence comprising several depositional sequences. Biostratigraphy based on trilobites and conodonts ensures reliable well and seismic correlations across structurally complex areas. Lithofacies interpretation indicates sedimentary environments ranging from carbonate inner shelf, peritidal, shelf edge, deep outer shelf and slope to basin. Log facies show gradually upward shallowing trends or abrupt changes indicating possible sequence boundaries. With essential depositional models and sequence analysis from well data, seismic facies ...
ObjectivesUse of prescription opioids for chronic pain is increasing, as is abuse of these medications, though the nature of the link between these trends is unclear....Full Text Available
Types of disorders in the earth's surface as a result of open pit mining operations are analyzed. Trends for recultivation of lands are defined. Formulas are presented for calculating the economic expediency of the selected direction of recultivation.
During the last years one focus of German PWR safety analysis was boron dilution events with the potential of reactivity transients. Coolant with a low boron concentration could be collected in localized areas of the reactor coolant system e.g. by separation of borated reactor coolant into highly concentrated and diluted fractions (inherent dilution) which can occur during reflux- condenser heat transfer after a small break loss of coolant accident with a limited availability of the emergency core cooling systems. The TUeV NORD SysTec was charged by German supervisory authorities with the assessment of the safety analyses of boron dilution events presented by the utilities. These analyses are based on the simulation of boron dilution and transport processes in conjunction with a number of dedicated experiments. The analyses shall demonstrate that boron dilution events cannot lead to recriticality of the core. Hence the boron concentration at ...
During the last years one focus of German PWR safety analysis was boron dilution events with the potential of reactivity transients. Coolant with a low boron concentration could be collected in localized areas of the reactor coolant system e.g. by separation of borated reactor coolant into highly concentrated and diluted fractions (inherent dilution) which can occur during reflux- condenser heat transfer after a small break loss of coolant accident with a limited availability of the emergency core cooling systems. The TUeV NORD SysTec was charged by German supervisory authorities with the assessment of the safety analyses of boron dilution events presented by the utilities. These analyses are based on the simulation of boron dilution and transport processes in conjunction with a number of dedicated experiments. The analyses shall demonstrate that boron dilution events cannot lead to recriticality of the core. Hence the boron concentration at ...
During the last years, boron dilution events with the potential of reactivity transients were an important issue of German PWR safety analyses. A coolant with a low-boron concentration could be collected in localized areas of the reactor coolant system, e.g., by separation of a borated reactor coolant into highly concentrated and diluted fractions (inherent dilution) which can occur during reflux-condenser heat transfer after a small break loss of coolant accident with a limited availability of the emergency core cooling systems. During the course of follower core assessments, TUV NORD SysTec appraises safety analyses of boron dilution events presented by the utilities. These analyses are based on the simulation of boron dilution and transport processes in conjunction with a number of dedicated experiments. The analyses demonstrate that boron dilution events cannot lead to recriticality of the core. Hence, the boron concentration at the core ...
As part of the Wisconsin road weather safety initiative, the objective of this study is to assess the effects of rainfall on the severity of single-vehicle crashes on Wisconsin interstate highways utilizing polychotomous response models. Weather-related factors considered in this study include estimated rainfall intensity for 15 min prior to a crash occurrence, water film depth, temperature, wind speed/direction, stopping sight distance and deficiency of car-following distance at the crash moment. For locations with unknown weather information, data were interpolated using the inverse squared distance method. Non-weather factors such as road geometrics, traffic conditions, collision types, vehicle types, and driver and temporal attributes were also considered. Two types of polychotomous response models were compared: ordinal logistic and sequential logistic regressions. The sequential logistic regression was tested with forward and backward formats. Comparative ...
Sudden changes in the temperature of flowing liquids can result in transient buoyancy forces which strongly impact the flow hydrodynamics via flow stratification. These effects have been studied for the case of potential flow of stratified liquids to line sinks, but not for moderator flow in SRS reactors. Standard codes, such as TRAC and COMMIX, do not have the capability to capture the stratification effect, due to strong numerical diffusion which smears away the hot/cold fluid interface. A related problem with standard codes is the inability to track plumes injected into the liquid flow, again due to numerical diffusion. The combined effects of buoyant stratification and plume dispersion have been identified as being important in operation of the Supplementary Safety System which injects neutron-poison ink into SRS reactors to provide safe shutdown in the event of safety rod failure. The MODFLOW code discussed here provides transient ...
Sudden changes in the temperature of flowing liquids can result in transient buoyancy forces which strongly impact the flow hydrodynamics via flow stratification. These effects have been studied for the case of potential flow of stratified liquids to line sinks, but not for moderator flow in SRS reactors. Standard codes, such as TRAC and COMMIX, do not have the capability to capture the stratification effect, due to strong numerical diffusion which smears away the hot/cold fluid interface. A related problem with standard codes is the inability to track plumes injected into the liquid flow, again due to numerical diffusion. The combined effects of buoyant stratification and plume dispersion have been identified as being important in operation of the Supplementary Safety System which injects neutron-poison ink into SRS reactors to provide safe shutdown in the event of safety rod failure. The MODFLOW code discussed here provides transient ...
This document summarizes development trends in sodium/sulfur battery technology based on data from US patents. Purpose of the study was to use the activity, timing and ownership of 285 US patents to identify and describe broad patterns of change in sodium/sulfur battery technology. The analysis was conducted using newly developed statistical and computer graphic techniques for describing technology development trends from patent data. This analysis suggests that for some technologies trends in patent data provide useful information for public and private R and D planning.
From view on Organization Behavior theory, the concept, development and affecting factors of safety culture are introduced. The focuses are on the establishment, development and management practice for safety culture at Daya Bay NPP. A strong safety culture, also demonstrated, has contributed greatly to improving performance at Daya Bay
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Experiments in a homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine have been conducted with four gasoline surrogate fuel blends. The pure components in the surrogate fuels consisted of n-heptane, isooctane, toluene, ethanol and diisobutylene and fuel sensitivities (RON-MON) in the fuel blends ranged from two to nine. The operating conditions for the engine were p{sub in}=0.1 and 0.2 MPa, T{sub in}=80 and 250 C, {phi}=0.25 in air and engine speed 1200 rpm. A semidetailed chemical kinetic model (142 species and 672 reactions) for gasoline surrogate fuels, validated against ignition data from experiments conducted in shock tubes for gasoline surrogate fuel blends at 1.0{<=} p{<=}5.0MPa, 700{<=} T{<=}1200 K and {phi}=1.0, was successfully used to qualitatively predict the HCCI experiments using a single zone modeling approach. The fuel blends that had higher fuel sensitivity were more resistant to autoignition for low intake temperature ...
The project aim is to model the hybrid plant at Vaesthamnsverket in Helsingborg using artificial neural networks (ANN) and integrating the ANN models, for online condition monitoring and thermoeconomic optimization, at Vaesthamnsverket. The definition of a hybrid plant is that it uses more than one fuel, in this case a natural gas fuelled gas turbine with heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) and a biomass fuelled steam boiler with steam turbine. The project is a continuation of previous projects where ANN training was done with operational data from the plant. The ANN models have, if required, been updated to better suit the purpose of this project. The thermoeconomic optimization takes into account current electricity prices, taxes, fuel prices etc. and calculates the current production cost along with the 'predicted' production cost. The tool also has a built in feature of predicting when a compressor wash is economically ...
The Stockpile Stewardship Program (SSP) is a single, highly integrated technical program for maintaining the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile. The SSP uses past nuclear test data along with current and future nonnuclear test data, computational modeling and simulation, and experimental facilities to advance understanding of nuclear weapons. It includes stockpile surveillance, experimental research, development and engineering programs, and an appropriately scaled production capability to support stockpile requirements. This integrated national program requires the continued use of current facilities and programs along with new experimental facilities and computational enhancements to support these programs. The Advanced Simulation and Computing Program (ASC)1 is a cornerstone of the SSP, providing simulation capabilities and computational resources to support the annual stockpile assessment and certification, to study advanced nuclear-weapons ...
In the past few decades the need for improved nuclear reactor safety analyses has led to a rapid development of advanced methods for multidimensional thermal-hydraulic analyses. These methods have become progressively more complex in order to account for the many physical phenomena anticipated during steady state and transient Light Water Reactor (LWR) conditions. The advanced thermal-hydraulic subchannel code COBRA-TF (Thurgood, M. J. et al., 1983) is used worldwide for best-estimate evaluations of the nuclear reactor safety margins. In the framework of a joint research project between the Pennsylvania State University (PSU) and AREVA NP GmbH, the theoretical models and numerics of COBRA-TF have been improved. Under the name F-COBRA-TF, the code has been subjected to an extensive verification and validation program and has been applied to variety of LWR steady state and transient simulations. To enable F-COBRA-TF for industrial applications, ...
The Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management is the first legal instrument to directly address the safety of spent fuel and radioactive waste management on a global scale. The Joint Convention entered into force in 2001. This paper describes its process and its main achievements to date. The perspectives to establish of a Global Waste Safety Regime based on the Joint Convention are also discussed. (authors)
The SGTR project has been carried out within the fifth EURATOM Framework Programme (Contract No FIKS-CT-1999-0007). Its main objective was to provide an experimental database and to develop and/or verify models to support definition of accident management measures in the hypothetical case of a Steam Generator tube Rupture (SGTR) sequence. The project addressed both vertical and horizontal steam generator designs. This report summarises the main results obtained in the intermediate scale experimentation that addressed Western type steam generators. The specific goal of this test programme was to investigate aerosol retention in the break stage of the secondary side of a water-empty steam generator. The test matrix consisted of 12 tests that explored the influence of variables such as break type and orientation and inlet gas flow rate. This work was performed in the PECA facility of the Laboratory for Analysis of Safety Systems (LASS). Aerosol retention at the break ...
In the present paper, experimental study of forced convection boiling were performed to investigate the post-CHF characteristics of a vertical annular channel with one heated rod and four spacer grids for new refrigerant R-134a. The experiments were conducted under outlet pressure of 11.6, 13, 16 and 20 bar, mass fluxes of 100-600 kg/m{sup 2}s, and inlet temperatures of 25-51 .deg. C. The parametric trend of the post-CHF data was well consistent with previous studies. The two phase flow regime in tube flow occurring downstream of the CHF has been called post-CHF, dispersed flow, liquid-deficient flow, mist flow and film boiling. This regime is characterized by a continuous vapor phase with discrete liquid drops and a non-wetted heated surface. This regime has a considerable importance in the areas of light water reactor(LWR) accident analysis and other film boiling applications. The post-CHF region occurs by design in heat exchangers operating in the once-through ...
In the present paper, experimental study of forced convection boiling were performed to investigate the post-CHF characteristics of a vertical annular channel with one heated rod and four spacer grids for new refrigerant R-134a. The experiments were conducted under outlet pressure of 11.6, 13, 16 and 20 bar, mass fluxes of 100-600 kg/m2s, and inlet temperatures of 25-51 .deg. C. The parametric trend of the post-CHF data was well consistent with previous studies. The two phase flow regime in tube flow occurring downstream of the CHF has been called post-CHF, dispersed flow, liquid-deficient flow, mist flow and film boiling. This regime is characterized by a continuous vapor phase with discrete liquid drops and a non-wetted heated surface. This regime has a considerable importance in the areas of light water reactor(LWR) accident analysis and other film boiling applications. The post-CHF region occurs by design in heat exchangers operating in the once-through mode ...
Recycling and disposal of spent sodium-sulfur (Na/S) batteries are important issues that must be addressed as part of the commercialization process of Na/S battery-powered electric vehicles. The use of Na/S batteries in electric vehicles will result in significant environmental benefits, and the disposal of spent batteries should not detract from those benefits. In the United States, waste disposal is regulated under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Understanding these regulations will help in selecting recycling and disposal processes for Na/S batteries that are environmentally acceptable and cost effective. Treatment processes for spent Na/S battery wastes are in the beginning stages of development, so a final evaluation of the impact of RCRA regulations on these treatment processes is not possible. The objectives of tills report on battery recycling and disposal are as follows: Provide an overview of RCRA regulations and requirements as they apply to Na/S battery ...
Subcritical experiments using californium source-driven noise analysis (CSDNA) and Feynman variance-to-mean methods were performed with an alpha-phase plutonium sphere reflected by nickel shells, up to a maximum thickness of 7.62 cm. Both methods provide means of determining the subcritical multiplication of a system containing nuclear material. A benchmark analysis of the experiments was performed for inclusion in the 2010 edition of the International Handbook of Evaluated Criticality Safety Benchmark Experiments. Benchmark models have been developed that represent these subcritical experiments. An analysis of the computed eigenvalues and the uncertainty in the experiment and methods was performed. The eigenvalues computed using the CSDNA method were very close to those calculated using MCNP5; however, computed eigenvalues are used in the analysis of the CSDNA method. Independent calculations using KENO-VI provided similar eigenvalues to those determined using the ...
Nuclear Fuel Plant (FCN) is a facility that produces fuel bundles of CANDU-6 type for the CANDU nuclear power plant. Only natural and depleted uranium in bulk and itemized form are present as nuclear materials in this facility. Uranium and wastes from the plant are handled, processed, treated and stored throughout the entire facility. The nuclear materials with natural and depleted uranium are entirely under nuclear safeguards. The amount of uranium present in the plant in different forms and activities together with zircaloy, beryllium and other hazardous substances, wastes, explosive materials at high temperatures, etc. lead to special measures undertaken by Nuclear Safety Department (DNS) to ensure nuclear safety. Different aspects of safety are continuously monitored in the plant: operational safety, industrial safety, radiological safety, labour ...
Microstructure of market dynamics is studied through analysis of tick price data. Linear trend is introduced as a tool for such analysis. Trend arbitrage inequality is developed and tested. The inequality sets limiting relationship between trend, bid-ask spread, market reaction and average update frequency of price information. Average time of market reaction is measured from market data. This parameter is interpreted as a constant value of the stock exchange and is attributed to the latency of exchange reaction to actions of traders. This latency and cost of trade are shown to be the main limit of bid-ask spread. Data analysis also suggests some relationships between trend, bid-ask spread and average frequency of price update process.
In-core thermal-hydraulics during a PWR reflood phase following a large-break LOCA are quite unique in comparison with two-phase flow which has been studied widely in previous researches, because the geometry of the flow path is complicated (bundle geometry) and water is at extremely low superficial velocity and almost under stagnant condition. Hence, some phenomena realized during a PWR reflood phase are not understood enough and appropriate analytical models have not been developed, although they are important in a viewpoint of reactor safety evaluation. Therefore, author investigated some phenomena specified as important issues for quantitative prediction, i.e. (1) void fraction in a bundle during a PWR reflood phase, (2) effect of radial core power profile on reflood behavior, (3) effect of combined emergency core coolant injection on reflood behavior, and (4) the core separation into two thermal-hydraulically different regions and the ...
Liquid sodium is used as coolant in Fast Breeder Reactors (FBR). There is a likelyhood of sodium spillage in ambient air in the Steam Generator Building (SGB) of the FBR plant. Due to high chemical reactivity with oxygen, especially at temperatures greater than 573 K, it catches fire very easily. In order to carryout safety related experimental studies for different modes of sodium fires and to develop suitable mathematical models for the assessment of their consequences, an experimental facility (SFEF, Sodium Fire Experimental Facility) is being setup a IGCAR, Kalpakkam. The SFEF is having a 540 m"3 volume experimental hall. Stainless steel linear will be provided on the inside surfaces of experimental hall walls, ceiling and floor. Analysis has been carried out for enclosed sodium pool fire scenarios in SFEF by using sodium pool fire code SOFIRE II, which estimates the thermal transients like pressure rise, gas temperature rise, cell wall temperature rise and ...
The main purpose of this report is to document the benchmarking results and verification of the RESRAD-OFFSITE code as part of the quality assurance requirements of the RESRAD development program. This documentation will enable the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and its contractors, and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and its licensees and other stakeholders to use the quality-assured version of the code to perform dose analysis in a risk-informed and technically defensible manner to demonstrate compliance with the NRC's License Termination Rule, Title 10, Part 20, Subpart E, of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR Part 20, Subpart E); DOE's 10 CFR Part 834, Order 5400.5, ''Radiation Protection of the Public and the Environment''; and other Federal and State regulatory requirements as appropriate. The other purpose of this report is to document the differences and similarities between the RESRAD (onsite) and ...
The main goal of this paper is to present a methodology for calculating the radioactivity in the moderator and heat transport systems of Cernavoda NPP Unit 1, with the intention to improve the knowledge on the radionuclides inventories in the operational waste streams, and to aid the licensing process of new near surface repository. In the present paper we describe our methodology for estimating H-3 and C-14 production rates in the heavy-water moderator and heat transport systems using the capacity factors from 1997 to 2007 years. The radioactivity of the difficult-to-measure nuclides is predicted by scaling method using measured concentration in reference CANDU 6 reactor Gentilly-2. The difficult-to-measure radionuclides of primary interest in this study were those with long half-lives which have a significant role for post-closure safety assessment. The equation used to scale fission products (parents and daughters) is based on the ...
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), working with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), performed analyses to predict the response of various spent fuel transportation cask designs when exposed to a fire similar to that which occurred in the Howard Street railroad tunnel in downtown Baltimore, Maryland on July 18, 2001. The thermal performance of three different spent fuel cask designs (HOLTEC HI-STAR 100, TransNuclear TN-68, and NAC-LWT) was evaluated with the ANSYSR and COBRA-SFS analysis codes, utilizing boundary conditions for the tunnel fire obtained using NIST's Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) code. NRC Staff evaluated the potential for a release of radioactive material from each of the three transportation casks analyzed for the Baltimore tunnel fire scenario. The results of these analyses are described in detail in ...
The Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute has conducted a piping reliability test program to demonstrate the safety and reliability of light water reactor primary piping. In this program, pipe fatigue test, leak-before-break (LBB) verification test and pipe rupture test were carried out to examine the integrity of piping, to verify the LBB and to demonstrate the effectiveness of protective measures against jet impingement and pipe whip loads under a pipe rupture event.In the pipe fatigue test, a procedure to predict the fatigue crack growth was developed, and the integrity of piping during the plant service life was evaluated. In the LBB verification test, the pipe fracture test and the leak rate test were performed to verify the LBB in the primary piping.In the pipe rupture test, the influence of jet impingement on the target disk and the deformation behavior of whipping pipe and restraint were investigated. Using the test results, the jet ...
Upon request by the Science and Technology Agency of Japanese Government, the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute has conducted Piping Reliability Test Program to demonstrate the safety and reliability of light water reactor primary pipings. In this report, the results of the program are summarized. In the test program, pipe fatigue tests, Leak-Before-Break (LBB) verification tests and pipe rupture tests were carried out to examine the integrity of pipings, to verify the LBB concept and to demonstrate the effectiveness of the protective measures against jet impingement and pipe whip under pipe rupture event, respectively. In the pipe fatigue tests, a procedure to predict the fatigue crack growth was developed and the integrity of piping during plant service life was demonstrated. In the LBB verification tests, pipe fracture tests and leak rate tests were performed using cracked pipes. Based on the test results, LBB in the primary pipings was ...
A butterfly valve is a type of flow control device, typically used to regulate a fluid flowing. Currently, FEA is often used to predict the safety in the design of valve disc. Also, the study about the affection of butterfly valve's disc to the valve flow characteristics by using CFD has been done by many researchers. Along with the development of computer technique, design and analysis of computer experiments has becoming more and more important in engineering design and optimization. Hereinto Kriging model is one popular analysis approach for the purpose of creating a cheap ``meta-model'' as a surrogate to a computationally expensive simulation model. In this paper, the numerical analysis considered the strength, pressure loss coefficient and weight of valve disc simultaneously is investigated to improve the shape of a traditional butterfly valve disc. Firstly, an initial model of butterfly valve is made to evaluate the performance of the ...
For safety evaluations and licensing procedures, fuel rod performance is predicted through model calculations. Due to the complexity of fuel rod performance and the insufficient availability of experimental data, such calculations necessarily reflect inaccuracies and conservatism. For verification and development of more realistic models and submodels, acquisition of reliable on-line data on fuel rod performance characteristics is imperative. The present paper describes the instruments and equipment applied in the Halden Reactor for on-line measurements of fuel rod and assembly power and power distribution, and fuel rod axial and diameter deformation. Recent results from evaluation of such fuel rod deformation measurements, covering fuel rods with different designs, subjected to various modes of operation, including startup ramps, steady state, and power shock, are presented. It is also shown how these data are used for verification and ...
Most waste management activities are decided upon and carried out in a public or semi-public arena, typically involving the waste management organization, one or more regulators, and often other stakeholders and members of the public. In these environments, simulation modeling can be a powerful tool in reaching a consensus on the best path forward, but only if the models that are developed are understood and accepted by all of the parties involved. These requirements for understanding and acceptance of the models constrain the appropriate software and model development procedures that are employed. This paper discusses requirements for both simulation software and for the models that are developed using the software. Requirements for the software include transparency, accessibility, flexibility, extensibility, quality assurance, ability to do discrete and/or continuous simulation, and efficiency. Requirements for the models that are developed include traceability, transparency, ...
Full text of publication follows: Hydrogen release and distribution in nuclear power plant containment is an important safety issue. Selection of a proper turbulence model is important for accurate estimation of the mixing process. The selection of turbulence model is dictated by the best compromise between accuracy and computational efforts. For this, three different turbulence models, viz. Standard k-{epsilon}, RNG k-{epsilon} and Reynolds Stress Model, based on Reynolds averaged Navier Stokes equations (RANS) approach, were used. The computations were done using the CFD code FLUENT, which is based on the control volume methodology. The computational results were compared with the experimental results of HYMIS test facility, where helium was used to simulate hydrogen. The processes of helium plume rise, multiple plume merging, distribution and mixing were studied. Based on these computations, a simple analytical/empirical zone based model was formulated for the ...
Full text of publication follows: Hydrogen release and distribution in nuclear power plant containment is an important safety issue. Selection of a proper turbulence model is important for accurate estimation of the mixing process. The selection of turbulence model is dictated by the best compromise between accuracy and computational efforts. For this, three different turbulence models, viz. Standard k-#epsilon#, RNG k-#epsilon# and Reynolds Stress Model, based on Reynolds averaged Navier Stokes equations (RANS) approach, were used. The computations were done using the CFD code FLUENT, which is based on the control volume methodology. The computational results were compared with the experimental results of HYMIS test facility, where helium was used to simulate hydrogen. The processes of helium plume rise, multiple plume merging, distribution and mixing were studied. Based on these computations, a simple analytical/empirical zone based model was formulated for the ...
In the preparing stage of Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR), the expected inventories of radwaste treatment systems are estimated. The inventory calculation plays an important role in the estimation of environmental radiation as well as nuclear power plant (hereafter referred to NPP) integrity, and further improvement of the public perception for NPP or radiation. The inventory has been accumulated and periodically measured for every NPP during the whole operation in Korea. But, a detailed analysis and database construction for the inventory have not still been carried out. For estimating the inventory change in this study, the radwaste treatment systems of Wolsung (hereafter referred to WS) nuclear power units 3 and 4 were selected as the reference systems. An analysis and prediction of the inventory change were performed for total activity released to environment during the whole operation. The linear regression analysis based on least ...
In the preparing stage of Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR), the expected inventories of radwaste treatment systems are estimated. The inventory calculation plays an important role in the estimation of environmental radiation as well as nuclear power plant (hereafter referred to NPP) integrity, and further improvement of the public perception for NPP or radiation. The inventory has been accumulated and periodically measured for every NPP during the whole operation in Korea. But, a detailed analysis and database construction for the inventory have not still been carried out. For estimating the inventory change in this study, the radwaste treatment systems of Wolsung (hereafter referred to WS) nuclear power units 3 and 4 were selected as the reference systems. An analysis and prediction of the inventory change were performed for total activity released to environment during the whole operation. The linear regression analysis based on least ...
The use of previously measured mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel systems as benchmarks can be valuable tool in computational analysis and quality assurance efforts. The Fissile Materials Disposition Program (FMDP) has identified these experiments as potential benchmarks, or standards, for VVER's employing MOX fuel. Standards for the analysis of these benchmark experiments were based on those used in the recent compilation International Handbook of Evaluated Criticality Safety Benchmark Experiments begun in 1992 by the U.S. Department of Energy. The Los Alamos National Laboratory's archives were explored for log-book records of these experiments without success. These experiments were the first to use MOX fuel in light water. Three approach-to-critical experiments were performed using fuel rods at various pitches and different plutonium-oxide concentrations. A parallel program verified the prediction of critical condition as similar materials and ...
The main purpose of this study is to develop a thermal hydraulic auditing code for the CANDU reactor, modifying the model of existing PWR auditing tool , i.e. RELAP5/MOD3. This scope of project is a fourth step of the whole project, applying the RELAP5/MOD3/CANDU+ version for the real CANDU plant LOCA Analysis and D2O leakage incident. There are three main models under investigation, i.e. Moody critical flow model, flow regime model of horizontal CANDU bundle, and fuel element heatup model when the stratification occurs, especially when CANDU LOCA is tested. Also, for Wolsung unit 1 D2O leakage incident analysis, the plant behavior is predicted with the newly developed version for the first 1000 seconds after onset of the incident, with the main interest aiming for system pressure, level control system, and thermal hydraulic transient behavior of the secondary system. The model applied for this particular application includes heat transfer model of nuclear fuel ...
Hydrogen combustion phenomenology during severe accidents in nuclear power plants has been a safety issue. Especially, flame acceleration (FA) and Deflagration-to-Detonation Transition (DDT) are important because of their possible destructive impact on the containment or plant systems in it. Accordingly, it is the design goal to avoid FA and DDT for the hydrogen mitigation system. As a result from extensive effort dedicated to resolve the hydrogen issue, compiled information on the FA and DDT has been provided by the NEA. The FA criterion was suggested in terms of the mixture expansion ratio ? , and the criterion for onset of DDT was based on the greatness of the geometrical size of the reactive system compared with the detonation cell width ? of the average mixture composition. The DDT onset criterion reflects the current state of knowledge based on the experimental database; however, the criterion is not sufficient but a necessary condition. Therefore, it should ...
The super simulator 'SAMPSON' has been developed to show that there exist certain safety margins for light water reactors under hypothetical severe accidents and to investigate realistic measures of accident management by simulating accidents with a parallel computer. Heat-up of fuel rods and release of fission products from fuels are important factors to evaluate source terms. Models for fuel rod heat-up, hydrogen production due to cladding oxidation and cladding deformation and failure in the core region have been developed in the fuel rod heat-up analysis module. Fuel temperatures were calculated by solving the heat conduction equation. The calculated results for fuel temperature and hydrogen production were compared with CORA-13 experiment results. The comparisons showed prediction capability for the heat-up of fuel rods. The fission product release analysis module incorporates with models for fission product transport within fuel pellets, ...
This report summarizes the work that was completed in FY 1992 on the program {open_quotes}Technology Development for Concentrating Process Streams.{close_quotes} The purpose of this program is to evaluate and develop evaporator technology for concentrating radioactive waste and product streams such as those generated by the TRUEX process. Concentrating these streams and minimizing the volume of waste generated can significantly reduce disposal costs; however, equipment to concentrate the streams and recycle the decontaminated condensates must be installed. LICON, Inc., is developing an evaporator that shows a great deal of potential for this application. In this report, concepts that need to be incorporated into the design of an evaporator operated in a radioactive environment are discussed. These concepts include criticality safety, remote operation and maintenance, and materials of construction. Both solubility and vapor-liquid equilibrium data are needed to ...
The zinc-blende (ZB) and wurtzite (W) structures are the most common crystal forms of binary octet semiconductors. In this work we have developed a simple scaling that systematizes the {ital T}=0 energy difference {Delta}{ital E}{sub W{minus}ZB} between W and ZB for all simple binary semiconductors. We have first calculated the energy difference {Delta}{ital E}{sub W{minus}ZB}{sup LDF}({ital AB}) for AlN, GaN, InN, AlP, AlAs, GaP, GaAs, ZnS, ZnSe, ZnTe, CdS, C, and Si using a numerically precise implementation of the first-principles local-density formalism (LDF), including structural relaxations. We then find a {ital linear} scaling between {Delta}{ital E}{sub W{minus}ZB}{sup LDF}({ital AB}) and an atomistic orbital-radii coordinate {ital {tilde R}}({ital A},{ital B}) that depends only on the properties of the free atoms {ital A} and {ital B} making up the binary compound {ital AB}. Unlike classical structural coordinates (electronegativity, atomic sizes, electron count), {ital {tilde ...
The rapid growth in the use of in vitro methods for nanoparticle toxicity assessment has proceeded with limited consideration of the unique kinetics of these materials in solution. Particles in general and nanoparticles specifically, diffuse, settle and agglomerate in cell culture media as a function of several systemic and particle factors: media density and viscosity, particle size, shape and density. Cellular dose then is also a function of these factors as they determine the rate of transport of nanoparticles to cells in culture. Here we develop and apply the principles of particokinetics and dosimetry in vitro and outline an approach for simulation of nanoparticle particokinetics in cell culture systems. We illustrate that where equal mass concentrations (?g/ml) imply equal doses for dissimilar materials, the corresponding particle number or surface area concentration doses differ by orders of magnitude. When rates of diffusional and gravitational particle delivery are accounted ...
The primary objective of this project is to investigate the effects of global change on the biodiversity of aphid communities in Western Europe. Biodiversity has been examined at 3 levels: total number of species, phenology and reproductive strategy. Data were provided by EXAMINE, the European suction traps network which has been now operating for 35 years. 392 different species have been identified. At each location, total number of species has been regularly increasing, one additional species being caught every 1 or 2 years depending on location. This is due to introduced species but also to warming which favours rare species. No general trend of increasing density has been detected, but phenological earliness of almost all species (annual date of first appearance in suction traps) is strongly correlated with temperature and especially with mean daily temperature (during more or less long periods of time lying principally in February and March) or number of days ...
The {ital L}{sub 2}-{ital L}{sub 3} Coster-Kronig transition probability ({ital f}{sub 23}) in Tm was measured by multiparameter {ital K} versus {ital L} x-ray coincidence techniques. The Tm x rays were obtained from a radioactive source of {sup 169}Yb and were detected with cooled germanium and silicon detectors of high-energy resolution. Corrections were applied for the contribution of {ital K}{alpha}{sub 1} x rays to the {ital K}{alpha}{sub 2} x-ray peak and for the contribution of unresolved {ital L}{eta} x rays to the {ital L}{alpha}{sub 1,2} x-ray peak. The contribution of {ital K}{alpha}{sub 1} x rays to the {ital K}{alpha}{sub 2} x-ray peak was determined solely from the results of the coincidence measurements using a method of data analysis which was previously described elsewhere. The contribution of {ital L}{eta} x rays to the {ital L}{alpha}{sub 1,2} x-ray peak was determined from the coincidence measurements and published values of the {ital L}{eta} to {ital L}{beta}{sub ...
The {ital L}{sub 2}-{ital L}{sub 3} Coster-Kronig transition probability ({ital f}{sub 23}) in Tm was measured by multiparameter {ital K} versus {ital L} x-ray coincidence techniques. The Tm x rays were obtained from a radioactive source of {sup 169}Yb and were detected with cooled germanium and silicon detectors of high-energy resolution. Corrections were applied for the contribution of {ital K}{alpha}{sub 1} x rays to the {ital K}{alpha}{sub 2} x-ray peak and for the contribution of unresolved {ital L}{eta} x rays to the {ital L}{alpha}{sub 1,2} x-ray peak. The contribution of {ital K}{alpha}{sub 1} x rays to the {ital K}{alpha}{sub 2} x-ray peak was determined solely from the results of the coincidence measurements using a method of data analysis which was previously described elsewhere. The contribution of {ital L}{eta} x rays to the {ital L}{alpha}{sub 1,2} x-ray peak was determined from the coincidence measurements and published values of the {ital L}{eta} to {ital L}{beta}{sub ...
This paper presents a stochastic model and estimation procedure for analyzing the failure process of a repairable system. We consider repairable systems whose successive interfailure times reveal a significant dependence while showing an insignificant trend. Neither the renewal process nor the non-homogeneous Poisson process are adequate for modeling such failure processes. Especially when the interfailure times show a cyclic pattern, we may consider a switching of the regimes (states) governing the lifetime distribution of the system. We propose a Markov switching model describing the failure process for such a case. The model postulates that a finite number of states governs the distinct lifetime distributions, and the state makes transitions according to a discrete-time Markov chain. Each of the distinct lifetime distributions represents a failure type that may change after successive repairs. Our model generalizes the mixture model by allowing the mixture ...
The thermal behaviour of 21 proteinaceous l-amino acids either as pristine samples and also as radiolyzed (3.2 MGy) samples was studied with the differential scanning calorimeter. The onset and peak melting point as well as the melting enthalpy of all samples before and after the radiation treatment was measured and reported. The residual amount of each amino acid survived to the radiation dose of 3.2 MGy (N_#gamma#) was measured from the melting enthalpies before and after radiolysis and hence the radiation resistance of each amino acid has been determined. The radiolysis causes a systematic reduction of the melting enthalpy and a shift of the onset and peak melting point to lower values. It is shown that N_#gamma# does not correlate with the melting points of the amino acids but shows a correlation with the entity of the shift of the melting point peaks occurred after radiolysis. Such correlation instead does not exist between the N_#gamma# parameter and the onset melting points of ...
The radionuclide characteristics of light-water-reactor (LWR) spent fuel play key roles in the design and licensing activities for radioactive waste transportation systems, interim storage facilities, and the final repository site. Several areas of analysis require detailed information concerning the time-dependent behavior of radioactive nuclides including (1) neutron/gamma-ray sources for shielding studies, (2) fissile/absorber concentrations for criticality safety determinations, (3) residual decay heat predictions for thermal considerations, and (4) curie and/or radiological toxicity levels for materials assumed to be released into the ground/environment after long periods of time. The crucial nature of the radionuclide predictions over both short and long periods of time has resulted in an increased emphasis on thorough validation for radionuclide generation/depletion codes. Current radionuclide generation/depletion ...
In Aug 2002, the National Nuclear Safety Administration of China issued the policy statement for building new nuclear power plants, which requires the probability based safety goal of severe core damage must be lower than 10"-"5/a. The station blackout accident would be possible to cause a severe accident if there were no effective engineering measures to prevent or mitigate the consequences of the accident. By using MELCOR1.8.5 and KORIGEN codes, the present paper has simulated the station blackout accident for Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant and calculated the source term and radioactivity of main fission products in the containment in the late phase of the accident. CsI is found the main part of aerosol in the containment. The Xe133 and Xe133m start releasing from the containment after its failure, and the upper limit of the amount of released radioactivity is evaluated less than 5.5 x 10"1"5Bq. The total radioactivity of other significant ...
For more than thirty years, the IAEA has published a set of documents aimed at the limitation of the radiation exposure of the population from various nuclear activities. In particular, in 1994 the IAEA published Technical Reports Series No. 364, Handbook of Parameter Values for the Prediction of Radionuclide Transfer in Temperate Environments. Over the years, it has proved to be a valuable reference for radioecologists, modellers and authorities in Member States, and has been quoted in numerous impact assessments. Technical Reports Series No. 364 was based on a review of available data up to the end of 1992. However, a number of high quality critical reviews have been produced in recent years for some of the transfer parameter values which merit consideration. Thus, it was assumed that there is sufficient new information available to warrant reconsideration of a significant proportion of the values given in Technical Reports Series No. 364 and to initiate an ...
Growing public and political interests towards incorporating passive safety features in nuclear installations, let Siempelkamp in late 1987 propose a solution consisting of a prestressed cast-iron pressure vessel and a passive heat removal system, integrated in the reactor cell surrounding the vessel. This solution combines the inherent safety of a prestressed metallic pressure vessel with the advantages of a passive heat removal system and thus constitutes a major step towards the goal of further reducing potential residual risks. The design had to meet the boundary conditions for reactor core and reactor building of the modular 200 MWth pebble bed reactor of Siemens/-KWU. The engineering design showed that many input parameters needed for the finite-element-analysis of the overall structure required a verification by measurements in a well scaled test setup. This was especially required for the heat transfer from the liner of the prestressed ...
Safety indicators play a role in providing information on organizational performance, motivating people to work on safety and increasing organizational potential for safety. The aim of this report is to provide an overview on leading safety indicators in the domain of nuclear safety. The report explains the distinction between lead and lag indicators and proposes a framework of three types of safety performance indicators - feedback, monitor and drive indicators. Finally the report provides guidance for nuclear energy organizations for selecting and interpreting safety indicators. It proposes the use of safety culture as a leading safety performance indicator and offers an example list of potential indicators in all three categories. The report concludes that monitor and drive indicators are so ...
This report presents a study on the use of computerised, continuous remote monitoring systems for fire and explosive atmosphere safety in underground coal mines. The effects of these systems on the safety level in mines are investigated, and the relationship between mine safety regulations and computerised, continuous, remote monitoring is analysed.
will be derived from biochemical analyses of molluscs, ostracodes, foraminifera and corals. The corals will allow us to compare marine and estuarine trends, examine the linkage...
Multifractal detrended cross-correlation analysis (MF-DXA) has been developed to detect the long-range power-law cross-correlation of considered signals in the presence of non-stationarity. However, crossovers arising from extrinsic periodic trends make the scaling behavior difficult to analyze. We introduce a Fourier filtering method to eliminate the trend effects and systematically investigate the multifractal cross-correlation of simulated and real traffic signals. The crossover locations are found approximately corresponding to the periods of underlying trend. Traffic velocity on one road and flows on adjacent roads show strong cross-correlation. They also present weak multifractality after periodic trends are removed. The traffic velocity and flow are cross-correlated in opposite directions which is accordant to their actual evolution.
OBJECTIVETo evaluate trends in costs of ambulatory care related to female pelvic floor disorders (PFD) in the United States.STUDY DESIGNFull Text Available
on the range of available deforestation, forest degradation, ... Results: Deforestation estimates showed good agreement for multi-year trends of increasing ...
The Safety Analysis Report for the TRUPACT-II Shipping Package [Transuranic Package Transporter-II (TRUPACT-II) SARP] set limits for gas generation rates, wattage limits, and flammable volatile organic compound (VOC) concentrations in transuranic (TRU) waste containers that would be shipped to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). Based on existing headspace gas data for drums stored at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) and the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (RFETS), over 30 percent of the contact-handled TRU waste drums contain flammable VOC concentrations greater than the limit. Additional requirements may be imposed for emplacement of waste in the WIPP facility. The conditional no-migration determination (NMD) for the test phase of the facility required that flame tests be performed if significant levels of flammable VOCs were present in TRU waste containers. This paper describes an approach for investigating the potential ...
National Nuclear Safety Department is authorized by Infra (Iranian Nuclear Regulatory Authority) for issuing rules and regulation and conducting the licensing and supervisory process for nuclear facilities. The main responsibilities of the NNSD are conducted via five main division are, nuclear codes and standards, Nuclear Safety assessment, Authorization, Inspection and Enforcement and Technical Support. In this paper, the functions and responsibilities of TSD in enhancing nuclear safety are described. Examples of main tasks to support the Nuclear Safety assessment division regarding to technical calculations and research of safety issues in licensing documents are provided. (author)
This report reviews system safety analysis methods and examines their application to nuclear waste management systems. The safety analysis methods examined include expert opinion, maximum credible accident approach, design basis accidents approach, hazard indices, preliminary hazards analysis, failure modes and effects analysis, fault trees, event trees, cause-consequence diagrams, G0 methodology, Markov modeling, and a general category of consequence analysis models. Previous and ongoing studies on the safety of waste management systems are discussed along with their limitations and potential improvements. The major safety methods and waste management safety related studies are surveyed. This survey provides information on what safety methods are available, what waste management safety areas have been analyzed, and what are potential areas ...
familiarity fire triangle (i.e., fuel, oxidant, and ignition source) are excluded. It Is obvious that for the baseline safety goal for spacecraft this ...
The management of risks of explosives are described. Administrative and procedural controls are considered. The safety management plan involves hazard identification, risk analysis, assessment and control. The current position of explosives safety is considered. 4 tabs.
Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards are presented to the Commissioners for their consideration for FY 82 budget for the NRC safety research program.
Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards are presented to the Commissioners for their consideration for FY 83 budget for the NRC safety research program.
AECL Publications on Reactor Safety in CANDU Reactors are listed in this bibliography. The listing is chronological and the accompanying index is by subject. The bibliography will be brought up to date annually. (auth).
A prediction of delayed neutron yields for actinides which are important in the nuclear energy field is given. The prediction is based on a correlation related to a suggested cluster structure of the nucleus. (author).
Heat transfer processes use fluids which are generally not pure and can react with transfer surfaces. These surfaces are subject to deposits which can be sediments harmful to heat transfer and to integrity of materials. For nuclear plant steam generators, sludge build-up accelerates secondary side corrosion by concentrating chemical species. A major safety problem involved with such a corrosion is the growing of circumferential cracks which are very difficult to detect and size with eddy current probes. With a view to understand and control this problem, it is necessary to develop a mathematical model for the prediction of sludge behavior in PWR steam generators. Based on fundamental principles, this work intends to use different models available in literature for the prediction of the phenomenon leading to the accumulation of sludge particles at the bottom (the tubesheet) of a PWR. For that, a three-dimensional simulation ...
The Stockpile Stewardship Program (SSP) is a single, highly integrated technical program for maintaining the surety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile. The SSP uses past nuclear test data along with current and future non-nuclear test data, computational modeling and simulation, and experimental facilities to advance understanding of nuclear weapons. It includes stockpile surveillance, experimental research, development and engineering (D&E) programs, and an appropriately scaled production capability to support stockpile requirements. This integrated national program requires the continued use of current facilities and programs along with new experimental facilities and computational enhancements to support these programs. The Advanced Simulation and Computing Program (ASC) is a cornerstone of the SSP, providing simulation capabilities and computational resources to support the annual stockpile assessment and certification, to study advanced nuclear weapons design ...
In this paper, we put forward a systematic method to analyze, control and evaluate the safety issues of medical robotics. We created a safety model that consists of three axes to analyze safety factors. Software and hardware are the two material axes. The third axis is the policy that controls all phases of design, production, testing and application of the robot system. The policy was defined as hazard identification and safety insurance control (HISIC) that includes seven principles: definitions and requirements, hazard identification, safety insurance control, safety critical limits, monitoring and control, verification and validation, system log and documentation. HISIC was implemented in the development of a robot for urological applications that was known as URObot. The URObot is a universal robot with different modules adaptable for 3D ultrasound ...
Several nuclear power plant sites have been wounded in the crossfire between two distinct corporate cultures. The traditional utility culture lies on one side and that of the nuclear navy on the other. The two corporate cultures lead to different perceptions of open-quotes safety culture.close quotes This clash of safety cultures obscures a very important point about nuclear plant operations: Safety depends on organizational learning. Organizational learning provides the foundation for a perception of safety culture that transcends the conflict between utility and nuclear navy cultures. Corporate culture may be defined as the knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs shared by employees of a given company. Safety culture is the part of corporate culture concerning shared attitudes and beliefs affecting individual or public safety. If the safety ...
Discussion is presented of world crude steel production, the Japanese steel industry and its expectations of the Canadian coal industry. It is concluded that the Canadian coal industry should pay attention to the trend in customer's requirements regarding coal quality, maintain price competitiveness in the international market place, and remain flexible with regard to the market trend.
The human causal factors for all human error licensing operational events on Daya Bay nuclear power station since 1993 to 2003 are categorized, the trend of these causal factors is analyzed. The emphasis is placed on analyzing the deficiencies on complying with and executing regulations and procedures. The results provide directional reference for nuclear power station to improve human performance. (author)
Surveillance of a population, such as a weapon stockpile, is needed to discover manufacturing defects as well as deterioration as the population ages. This article considers the risks of sampling rates for surveillance from three perspectives: detection probability of defects in a proportion of a population with pass/fail data, detection of a trend in a defective proportion of the population with pass/fail data, and detection of a trend with quantitative degradation measurements. Understanding of these risks will help the decision maker choose a sampling rate to protect against such problems of a specified size at a tolerable risk.
The Sunoco Felda oil trend of the South Florida basin has been a prolific oil producer. All the oil is produced from the Cretaceous Sunniland formation, a leached limestone bioherm. Although the producing section has been considered reefal in the literature, petrographic and biostratigraphic analyses of various cores in producing fields have determined that these deposits are composed of particles of fragmented rudist and other fauna deposited in a tidal shoal. Atop this debris an algae and gastropod section has been deposited, typical of a mound deposited on a tidal mud flat. This model is exemplified in the Sunoco Felda and West Sunoco fields and was used in exploring the Sunoco Felda trend. From the petrological analysis of these two fields and from knowledge of other wells in the basin, biostratigraphic and lithologic trends can be determined and extended offshore into the eastern Gulf of Mexico. The author stresses ...
Abstract Overall Numbers Small, But Study Finds SSRI Exposure, Autism Link Additional Drug Safety, Efficacy Data Needed for Pediatric Bipolar Disorder SGA Safety and Efficacy in Children and Adolescents Aripiprazole Safety and Tolerability for Irritability in Autism No Lisdexamfetamine Effect on Sleep Disturbances in Children With ADHD Sickle Cell Disease With Comorbid Depression Homeopathy in Psychiatry Manic Symptoms Induced by Marijuana in a Healthy Adolescent New Warnings Safety Labeling Changes
The relations between nuclear energy availability and nuclear plant safety are analyzed in the particular cases of naval propulsion nuclear boilers (aircraft carriers, submarines): safety objectives, present and potential risk analysis, optimization of the availability-safety couple, at the design stage and during operation (procedural rules related to the boiler state, real time decisions). 6 fig., 1 tab.
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Policy 450.4, Safety Management System Policy commits to institutionalizing an Integrated Safety Management System (ISMS) throughout the DOE complex as a means of accomplishing its missions safely. DOE Acquisition Regulation 970.5204-2 requires that contractors manage and perform work in accordance with a documented safety management system.
The Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) will provide a prototypic test environment for advanced fuels and materials development within the U. S. LMFBR program. As a fast test reactor, the FFTF also provides a potentially unique capability for conduct of safety experimentation relevant to selected LMFBR safety issues associated with postulated core disruption events. The utility and feasibility of possible extension of FFTF testing into the area of safety research is being investigated. 5 fig.
This paper will review code and standard and the safety related features of major components of Monju: Components of the Reactor Coolant Boundary; Components of the Reactor Shurdown Systems; Components of the Decay Heat Removal Systems; Components of the Engineered Safety Features; Other Safety Related Components. Their relationship to the system or plant function is emphasized, in reviewing these components.
The Technical Safety Requirements (TSRs) for the Cold Vacuum Drying Facility define acceptable conditions, safe boundaries, bases thereof, and management or administrative controls required to ensure safe operation. Controls required for public safety, significant defense-in-depth, significant worker safety, and for maintaining radiological and toxicological consequences below risk evaluation guidelines are included.
The possibility of developing reactor designs with inherent safety characteristics sufficient to provide walk away safety is receiving additional emphasis in the LMR program. A key element in this effort is the recognition that LMR's possess safety characteristics above and beyond those employed in past safety review processes. Some of these additional safety characteristics are due to reactivity feedback effects caused by small structural movements during hypothetical severe design transients. The effects of these characteristics upon the behavior of the FFTF under such transients has been assessed and is discussed in this paper. The paper also presents a preliminary test matrix which might allow experimental verification of the structural reactivity feedback effects. Such experimental verification should be very useful to innovative designers seeking to optimize inherent ...
The possibility of developing reactor designs with inherent safety characteristics sufficient to provide ''walk away'' safety is receiving additional emphasis in the LMR program. A key element in this effort is the recognition that LMR's possess safety characteristics above and beyond those employed in past safety review processes. Some of these additional safety characteristics are due to reactivity feedback effects caused by small structural movements during hypothetical severe design transients. The effect of these characteristics upon the behavior of the FFTF under such transients has been assessed and is discussed in this paper. The paper also presents a preliminary test matrix which might allow experimental verification of the structural reactivity feedback effects. Such experimental verification should be very useful to innovative designers seeking to optimize inherent ...
This Safety Analysis Report (SAR) is prepared in compliance with the requirements of DOE Order 5480.23, Nuclear Safety Analysis Reports, and has been written to the format and content guide of DOE-STD-3009-94 Preparation Guide for U. S. Department of Energy Nonreactor Nuclear Safety Analysis Reports. The Hot Cell Facility is a Hazard Category 2 nonreactor nuclear facility, and is operated by Sandia National Laboratories for the Department of Energy. This SAR provides a description of the HCF and its operations, an assessment of the hazards and potential accidents which may occur in the facility. The potential consequences and likelihood of these accidents are analyzed and described. Using the process and criteria described in DOE-STD-3009-94, safety-related structures, systems and components are identified, and the important safety functions of each SSC are described. Additionally, ...
The Reliability Data Management System (RDMS) for safety systems of PHWR type plants has been developed and utilized in the reliability analysis of the special safety systems of Wolsong Unit 1 with plant overhaul period lengthened. The RDMS is developed for the periodic efficient reliability analysis of the safety systems of Wolsong Unit 1. In addition, this system provides the function of analyzing the effects on safety system unavailability if the test period of a test procedure changes as well as the function of optimizing the test periods of safety-related test procedures. The RDMS can be utilized in handling the requests of the regulatory institute actively with regard to the reliability validation of safety systems.
According to the present concept, the low and intermediate level wastes generated during the Cernavoda NPP operation will be disposed in a near surface repository. The Saligny site, placed in the NPP protected area, has been proposed for their disposal. Geologically, the main components of this site are the quaternary loess, the Precambrian and Pre-quaternary clays, the Eocene and Barremian limestone. Hydrologically, the site can be divided into a vadose zone down to 45-50 m and three distinct aquifers, two of them in the limestone beds and the third in the lenses of sand and limestone existing in the pre-quaternary clay layer. A large research program for site characterization was initiated in 1996. At present, the site characteristics requested for safety analysis have been experimentally measured on soil samples or calculated by different computer programs. Hundreds of experimental values of the density, porosity, hydraulic conductivity, soil-water retention, ...
The Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) for use in Nuclear Power Plant safety-related applications is being developed and tested first time in Korea. This safety-related PLC is being developed with requirements of regulatory guideline and industry standards for safety system. To test that the quality of the developed PLC is sufficient to be used in safety critical system, document review and various product testings were performed over the development documents for S/W, H/W, and V/V. This paper provides the performance testing methodology and its effectiveness for PLC platform conducted by KOPEC
This report, the fifth in a series of annual reports, was prepared in response to congressional inquiries concerning how nuclear regulatory research is used. It summarizes the accomplishments of the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research during FY 1989. The goal of this office is to ensure that safety-related research provides the technical bases for rulemaking and for related decisions in support of NRC licensing and inspection activities. This research is necessary to make certain that the regulations that are imposed on licensees provide an adequate margin of safety so as to protect the health and safety of the public. This report describes both the direct contributions to scientific and technical knowledge with regard to nuclear safety and their regulatory applications.
This report, the seventh in a series of annual reports, was prepared in response to congressional inquiries concerning how nuclear regulatory research is used. It summarizes the accomplishments of the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research during FY 1991. The goal of this office is to ensure that safety-related research provides the technical bases for rulemaking and for related decisions in support of NRC licensing and inspection activities. This research is necessary to make certain that the regulations that are imposed on licensees provide an adequate margin of safety so as to protect the health and safety of the public. This report describes both the direct contributions to scientific and technical knowledge with regard to nuclear safety and their regulatory applications.
This report, the seventh in a series of annual reports, was prepared in response to congressional inquiries concerning how nuclear regulatory research is used. It summarizes the accomplishments of the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research during FY 1991. The goal of this office is to ensure that safety-related research provides the technical bases for rulemaking and for related decisions in support of NRC licensing and inspection activities. This research is necessary to make certain that the regulations that are imposed on licensees provide an adequate margin of safety so as to protect the health and safety of the public. This report describes both the direct contributions to scientific and technical knowledge with regard to nuclear safety and their regulatory applications.
This report, the sixth in a series of annual reports, was prepared in response to congressional inquiries concerning how nuclear regulatory research is used. It summarizes the accomplishments of the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research during FY 1990. The goal of this office is to ensure that safety-related research provides the technical bases for rulemaking and for related decisions in support of NRC licensing and inspection activities. This research is necessary to make certain that the regulations that are imposed on licensees provide an adequate margin of safety so as to protect the health and safety of the public. This report describes both the direct contributions to scientific and technical knowledge with regard to nuclear safety and their regulatory applications.
This report, the fourth in a series of annual reports, was prepared in response to Congressional inquiries concerning how nuclear regulatory research is used. It summarizes the accomplishments of the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research during 1988. The goal of this office is to ensure that safety-related research provides the technical bases for rulemaking and for related decisions in support of NRC licensing and inspection activities. This research is necessary to make certain that the regulations that are imposed on licensees provide an adequate margin of safety so as to protect the health and safety of the public. This report describes both the direct contributions to scientific and technical knowledge with regard to nuclear safety and their regulatory applications.
The objective of Configuration Risk Management Program(CRMP) is to maintain the safety level by assuring the defense-in-depth of nuclear power plant while the configurations are changed during plant operations, especially for the LP/SD. Such a safety purpose can be achieved by establishing the risk monitoring programs with both quantitative and qualitative features. Generally, the quantitative risk evaluation models, i.e., PRA models are used for the risk evaluation during full power operation, and the qualitative risk evaluation models such as safety function assessment trees are used. Through this study, safety function assessment trees were developed.
The use of standard cementitious material creates pulses of pH in the magnitude of 12-13 in the leachates and release alkalis. Such a high pH is detrimental and also unnecessarily complicates the safety analysis of the repository. As no reliable pH-plume models exist, the use of products giving a pH below 11 in the leachates facilitates the safety analysis. Also, according to current understanding, the use of low-pH cement (pH = 11) will not disturb the functioning of the bentonite, although limiting the amount of low-pH cement is recommended. A result of the project is that there are both low-pH cementitious material for grouting larger fractures (= 100 {mu}m) and non-cementitious material for grouting smaller fractures (< 100 {mu}m) that will, after further optimisation work, be recommended for grouting of deep repositories. This project concentrated on the technical development of properties for the low pH grouts. Long-term ...
This report describes the preliminary thermalhydraulic analysis of HTR-10 steady state full power initial core to provide a benchmark calculation of VHTGR(Very High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors) safety analysis code of GAMMA(GAs Multicomponent Mixture Analysis). The input data of GAMMA code are produced for the models of fluid block, wall block, radiation heat transfer and each component material properties in HTR-10 reactor. The temperature and flow distributions of HTR-10 steady state 10 MW{sub th} full power initial core are calculated by GAMMA code with boundary conditions of total reactor inlet flow rate of 4.32 kg/s, inlet temperature of 250 .deg. C, inlet pressure of 3 MPa, outlet pressure of 2.992 MPa and the fixed temperature at RCCS water cooling tube of 50 .deg C. The calculation results are compared with the measured solid material temperatures at 22 fixed instrumentation positions in HTR-10. The wall temperature distribution in pebble bed core shows ...
The Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory was designed with some passive safety response attributes which contribute to the safety of the facility. The three passive safety attributes being evaluated in the paper are: 1) In-core and in-vessel natural convection cooling, 2) a passive heat sink capability of the ATR primary coolant system (PCS) for the transfer of decay power from the uninsulated piping to the confinement, and 3) gravity feed of emergency coolant makeup. The safety significance of the ATR passive safety response attributes is that the reactor can passively respond to most transients, given a reactor scram, to provide adequate decay power removal and a significant time for operator action should the normal active heat removal systems and their backup systems both fail. The ATR Interim Level 1 Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) models ...
AbstractTrends in Nanotechnology (TNT2009) This special issue of Physica Status Solidi presents representative contributions describing the main topics covered at the 10th Trends in Nanotechnology (TNT2009) International Conference, held in Barcelona (Spain), September 07 11, 2009. During the last years many international or national conferences have emerged in response to the growing awareness of the importance of nanotechnology as key issue for the future scientific and technological development. Among these, the conference series Trends in Nanotechnology has become one of the most important meeting points in the nano technology field: it provides fresh organisation ideas, brings together well known speakers, and promotes a suitable environment for discussions, exchanging ideas, enhancin...
Trends in front-end-of-line technology are discussed. At the chip level, many of the important parameters are published in the National Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors in 1994. At the device and circuit level, both bipolar and CMOS are scalable. However, the large standby power of bipolar circuits severely limits the integration level of bipolar chips. The inherently low standby power of CMOS, on the contrary, allows the integration level of CMOS circuits to continue increasing with scaling. In reality, both the electric field and power density of CMOS devices have been gradually rising over the generations owing to non-scaling effects of thermal voltage and silicon bandgap. As power supply voltage reaches 1.5V and below, circuit performance can only be gained at the expense of higher active or standby power of the chip. Implications of device scaling on contact and silicide technology are addressed. Trends of local and global ...
BACKGROUND: The urgent need for patient safety education for healthcare students has been recognised by many accreditation bodies, but to date there has been sporadic attention to undergraduate/graduate medical programmes. Medical students themselves have identified quality and safety of care as an important area of instruction; as future doctors and healthcare leaders, they must be prepared to practise safe healthcare. Medical education has yet to fully embrace patient safety concepts and principles into existing medical curricula. Universities are continuing to produce graduate doctors lacking in the patient safety knowledge, skills and behaviours thought necessary to deliver safe care. A significant challenge is that patient safety is still a relatively new concept and area of study; thus, many medical educators are unfamiliar with the literature and unsure how to integrate ...
BACKGROUND: The urgent need for patient safety education for healthcare students has been recognised by many accreditation bodies, but to date there has been sporadic attention to undergraduate/graduate medical programmes. Medical students themselves have identified quality and safety of care as an important area of instruction; as future doctors and healthcare leaders, they must be prepared to practise safe healthcare. Medical education has yet to fully embrace patient safety concepts and principles into existing medical curricula. Universities are continuing to produce graduate doctors lacking in the patient safety knowledge, skills and behaviours thought necessary to deliver safe care. A significant challenge is that patient safety is still a relatively new concept and area of study; thus, many medical educators are unfamiliar with the literature and unsure how to integrate ...
The objective of the study is to improve the volume of nuclear power plant which adopts passive safety system concept. The passive safety system reactor is characterized by excellent safety and reliability. But the volume of NSSS (Nuclear Steam Supply System) of the passive safety system reactor is so small that it should be upgraded for commercial operation. For volume upgrade, detailed analyses are performed as follows; core design, hydraulics, design and mechnical structures, and safety analysis. In addition to above analysis, some investigations must be supplied as follows: power density vs. DNB margin decrease, outlet temperature vs. EPRI-URD, additional tests for upgraded reactor, dynamic analysis of mechanical vibration according to expanded reactor vessel and expanded in-core structures, and Merit loss of passive safety system reactor according to design ...
The primary responsibility of the Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) Division at the Los Alamos National Laboratory is to provide comprehensive occupational health and safety programs, waste processing, and environment protection. These activities are designed to protect the worker, the public, and the environment. Many disciplines are required to meet the responsibilities, including radiation protection, industrial hygiene, safety, occupational medicine, environmental science, epidemiology, and waste management. New and challenging health and safety problems arise occasionally from the diverse research and development work of the Laboratory. Research programs in HSE Division often stem from these applied needs. These programs continue but are also extended, as needed to study specific problems for the Department of Energy and to help develop better occupational health and safety ...
The Decree specifies basic quality assurance requirements applicable to machines, their parts and materials, civil engineering structures, means for automated control of technological processes including hardware and software, and electricity supply systems related to nuclear safety of nuclear facilities, and stipulates binding procedures for the implementation of technical and organizational provisions associated with the quality of selected equipment to ensure nuclear safety of nuclear facilities. Safety classes are defined for selected equipment. Requirements laid on safety assurance documentation are specified, and requirements placed on safety assurance programmes, their preparation, finalization and approval are defined. Quality assurance requirements are also specified with respect to the designing, manufacture, construction, operation, repair, modification and ...
The Department of Energy (DOE) policy requires that all DOE activities be conducted in a manner that protects the safety of the public and provides a safe and healthful workplace for employees. DOE has also prescribed that all personnel be protected in any explosives operation undertaken. The level of safety provided shall be at least equivalent to that of the best industrial practice. The risk of death or serious injury shall be limited to the lowest practicable minimum. DOE and contractors shall continually review their explosives operations with the aim of achieving further refinements and improvements in safety practices and protective features. This manual describes the Department's explosive safety requirements applicable to operations involving the development, testing, handling, and processing of explosives or assemblies containing explosives. It is intended to reflect the ...
This paper relates to a simple approach to the analysis of the behaviour of pool type LMFBR primary circuits in natural convection and to experimental work to support this approach. The primary application is the prediction of plant behaviour in decay heat removal conditions when depending on natural convection effects to cool the core. In formulating a mathematical model of the plant for this application, the main difficulty is the modelling of the large plena between the core and IHX and the IHX and the pump inlet. In a previous paper discussing CDFR behaviour after a reactor scram with total loss of power to the primary pumps, the first author described attempts to model the CDFR hot pool in a way which would be limiting in a pessimistic sense. The shortcomings of these attempts were reviewed and mention was made of an improved method then under development. Essentially, the improved model allowed for migration of hot sodium from the core to the top of the hot ...
Ion diamagnetic effects on the m=1 (poloidal mode number) and n=1 (toroidal mode number) kinetic internal kink mode are studied numerically by the three-field gyro-reduced-MHD code in the cylindrical coordinates, GRM3F-CY. In the derivation of the gryo-reduced-MHD model including the ion diamagnetic effects, finite gyroradius effects of ions are added to the gyrokinetic Poisson equation (quasi-neutral condition) and the convection term of the conservation law of the ion density. It is found that the long wavelength approximation, ksub(perpendicular) {rho}{sub ti} << 1, where ksub(perpendicular) is the wavenumber perpendicular to the magnetic field and {rho}{sub ti} is the thermal ion gyroradius, fails to reproduce the correct dispersion relation; the formulation valid even for ksub(perpendicular) {rho}{sub ti} >> 1 is necessary. The results of numerical calculation coincide with the theory for |{omega}{sub *e}|+|{omega}{sub *i}| < 2{gamma}{sub 0}, ...
Developed under the PN II Project 71-009 - MONA, the pre-operational monitoring program of the LIL waste disposal site presented in this paper covers the main elements requested for a continuous improvement of site characterization and safety assessment, as well as for the set up of the baseline data requested for the future operational and post-operational monitoring and surveillance. These elements are: vadose and saturated zones hydrogeology, surface erosion, meteorology and radionuclides content in waters, soil and biota. Pairs of TDR (Time Domain Reflectometry) and pressure sensors, coupled with a meteorological station have been installed on site for the continuously measurement of the water content and matric potential changes due to the climate variations. The data will be used to follow the water balance, the pores water velocity and to calculate the infiltration rate. A new set of erosion rates experimentally determined by Pinhole test on surface soil ...
The work presented in this report is a continuation and expansion of a previous study. The aim of the work is to provide background information about pitting corrosion of copper for a safety analysis of copper canisters for final deposition of radioactive waste. A mathematical model for the propagation of corrosion pits is used to estimate the conditions required for stationary propagation of a localised anodic corrosion process. The model uses equilibrium data for copper and its corrosion products and parameters for the aqueous mass transport of dissolved species. In the present work we have, in the model, used a more extensive set of aqueous and solid compounds and equilibrium data from a different source. The potential dependence of pitting in waters with different compositions is studied in greater detail. More waters have been studied and single parameter variations in the composition of the water have been studied over wider ranges of concentration. The ...
Dynamic pipe impact tests were performed in order to determine the impact conditions for which a 2 inch Schedule 80 carbon steel target pipe would not be broken if it were impacted during a pipe whip event created by a postulated break of an adjacent larger parallel pipe. Such pipe/pipe impact scenarios are of special interest for the feeder pipes of a CANDU reactor because the large number of closely spaced parallel feeder pipes that carry coolant between large primary system pipes and individual fuel channels in the reactor core makes it impractical to consider providing feeder pipe whip restraints. The testing which was performed involved simulating the behaviour of 3 inch and larger whipping pipes in order to study their impact with 2 inch target pipes pressurized at about 9 MPa with water at a temperature of about 290"0C. In a conservative simulation of the worst pipe/pipe impact event which it has been predicted could occur for adjacent parallel feeder pipes ...
The commercial Modular High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (MHTGR) achieves improved reactor safety performance and reliability by utilizing an integrated sequence of completely passive thermal storage and heat transfer mechanisms to reject decay heat in the event that all its active cooling systems fail to operate. During such events, the initial heatup transient in the core is followed by a quasi-steady state cooldown process which, if uninterrupted, can continue for several days. A buoyancy-driven natural convection cooling system called the RCCS facilitates the continuous heat removal by circulating ambient air through the reactor cavity, where it is heated and then exhausted to the outside environment. The peak thermal load on the RCCS occurs approximately at the time that the vessel reaches its highest temperature. To confirm the adequacy of the RCCS design, detailed analytical models were developed to simulate the decay heat removal process and ...
This paper deals with the heat transfer characteristics of horizontal steam generators, particularly under natural circulation (decay heat removal) conditions on the primary side. Special emphasis is on the inherent features of horizontal steam generator behaviour. A mathematical model of the horizontal steam generator primary side is developed and qualitative results are obtained analytically. A computer code, called HSG, is developed to solve the model numerically, and its predictions are compared with experimental data. The code is employed to obtain for VVER 440 steam generators quantitative results concerning the dependence of primary-to-secondary heat transfer efficiency on the primary side flow rate, temperature and secondary level. It turns out that the depletion of the secondary inventory leads to an inherent limitation of the decay energy removal in VVER steam generators. The limitation arises as a consequence of the steam generator tube bundle geometry. ...
The excess of US electrical generating capacity which has existed for the past 15 years is coming to an end as we enter the 1990s. Environmental and energy security issues associated with fossil fuels are kindling renewed interest in the nuclear option. The importance of these issues are underscored by the National Energy Strategy (NES) which calls for actions which open-quotes are designed to ensure that the nuclear power option is available to utilities.close quotes Utilities, utility associations, and nuclear suppliers, under the leadership of the Nuclear Power Oversight Committee (NPOC), have jointly developed a 14-point strategic plan aimed at establishing a predictable regulatory environment, standardized and pre-licensed Advanced Light Water Reactor (ALWR) nuclear plants, resolving the long-term waste management issue, and other open-quotes enabling conditions.close quotes GE is participating in this national effort and GE's family of advanced nuclear power ...
Several steam generator tube rupture accidents have occurred at plants in the past. In this paper the Computational Multi-Fluid Dynamics (CMFD) investigation of the horizontal steam generator thermal-hydraulics during the tube rupture accident is performed. A guillotine of a steam generator U-tube is assumed with choked flow from the primary to the secondary side of the steam generator. We have computed water and steam velocity fields, steam volume fraction distribution on the steam generator secondary (shell) side, as well as the swell level increase. The simulation results are a support to the safety analyses of the steam generator tube rupture accident. Numerical simulation is performed with the multidimensional multi-fluid modelling approach. The two-phase flow around steam generator tubes in the bundle is modelled by the porous media approach. Interfacial mass, momentum and energy transfer are modelled with the closure laws. The governing equations are solved ...
Machine condition monitoring (MCM) has the capability to predict equipment maintenance needs which can reduce forced down-time and facilitate the avoidance of catastrophic failures and the consequential secondary damage. It can be used to allow confident deferral of routine maintenance, and improve equipment performance, availability, reliability and safety. In order to capitalize on the potential benefits of MCM directed toward power transformers two types of vibration tests were conducted on transformers owned and operated by Cargill Inc. and IES Utilities at the Bridgeport corn plant in Eddyville, Iowa. These tests involved collecting vibration signals from the transformer tank walls during transformer energization at no-load and during steady state operation at various loads. These vibration signals were then used to detect deterioration of internal mechanical integrity. Both types of tests conducted on the transformers at the Eddyville ...
Irish dairy herd fertility has been declining since the 1980s. The extent, nature and causes of this decline in fertility and the current status of Irish dairy herd fertility were described....Full Text Available
BackgroundHepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) infections are a serious global and national public health problem. Earlier studies have reported increasing rates of hepatitis infection...Full Text Available
BackgroundIndia experienced a rapid economic boom between 1991 and 2007. However, this economic growth has not translated into improved nutritional status among young Indian children....Full Text Available
BackgroundConducted as part of the Urologic Diseases in America project whose aim was to quantify the burden of urologic diseases on the American public, this study focuses on Veterans...Full Text Available
This article presents an overview of the IAEA's technical co-operation activities in the field of nuclear raw materials, particularly looking at recent developments and trends influencing future directions
Since its establishment in 1945, the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College (CMCC) has predominately adhered to a Diversified model of chiropractic technique in the core curriculum; however, many students...Full Text Available
Mist eliminators for flue gas desulphurisation units remove liquid droplets entrained in the flue gas leaving the SO/sub 2/-absorber vessels. The commercial designs currently available are described.
Increased clouds and precipitation normally decrease the diurnal temperature range (DTR) and thus have commonly been offered as explanation for the trend of reduced DTR observed for many land areas...Full Text Available
BackgroundToday, there is a trend towards establishing the medical humanities as a component of medical education. However, medical humanities programs that exist within the context...Full Text Available
Between 1943 and 1982, 5,140 new cases of testicular cancer were diagnosed in Denmark. The age-standardized incidence rate more than doubled in the period. Striking variations is seen in the age-relationship...Full Text Available
The sale of consumer products over the Internet has grown rapidly, including the sale of drugs. While the growth in online drug sales by reputable pharmacies is a trend that may provide benefits to...Full Text Available
BackgroundHigh intake of sugar-sweetened beverages in childhood is linked to increased risk of obesity and type II diabetes later in life. Using three nationally representative surveys...Full Text Available
...Own Rules for Success (Hardcover) The authors have rightly identified that there is a growing demand for, trend towards, and interest in guidance for creating flexible working arrangements. However, for $27.99, you can secure more concrete advice on reaching your \\
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common clinical problem with significant clinical and economic consequences. A number of studies point to a rising incidence of AKI in the hospital and in the intensive...Full Text Available
This report issued by the Energy Economics Group and the Laboratory for Energy Systems Analysis at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) analyses current and future trends in the area of energy and mobility on a global, European level as well as with respect to the German-speaking countries Austria, Germany and Switzerland. In a first step, developments with regard to how mobility is achieved and the energy consumption involved are examined and the impact of business-as-usual trends on global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and future fuel consumption is discussed. In a second step, the paper outlines potential alternative futures in terms of energy and mobility. Finally, the paper derives and presents recommendations for policy-makers.
This report issued by the Energy Economics Group and the Laboratory for Energy Systems Analysis at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) analyses current and future trends in the area of energy and mobility on a global, European level as well as with respect to the German-speaking countries Austria, Germany and Switzerland. In a first step, developments with regard to how mobility is achieved and the energy consumption involved are examined and the impact of business-as-usual trends on global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and future fuel consumption is discussed. In a second step, the paper outlines potential alternative futures in terms of energy and mobility. Finally, the paper derives and presents recommendations for policy-makers.
Energy productivity and energy intensity within the industrial sector of the economy are examined. Results suggest that relative prices and other economic factors can explain much of the variation in both energy productivity and energy intensity for manufacturing and mining and for the industrial sector as a whole. Cyclical factors, seasonal factors and trend variables are also useful in explaining variation in these data, both for annual and monthly time series. Of the variables examined, it appears that the relative price of energy is a highly significant factor in accounting for the difference between actual industrial energy intensity and that which might have been expected had pre-1973 trends continued.
The influence of Confucian culture in Chinese Mainland China is reflected in the current situation and contextual trends of educational research content of educational thought of Confucianism, educational issues grounded on theoretical views of Confucianism, and the influence of the inclusiveness of Confucianism. In terms of research method, the current situation of educational research is reflected in empirical research whose methods value the construction of the metaphysical theoretical system, the guiding role of educational theories for educational reform practice, and research that enriches the literature. In terms of research value, the current situation of educational research is reflected in studies that focus on human nature, human relations, thoughts, willpower, emotion, human ri...
In this short communication, we discuss the energy consumption trends in the Malaysian road transport sector, with a special emphasis on the energy losses due to vehicle aerodynamic drag on highways. The recent trends of energy consumption in the Malaysian road transport sector are reviewed. It is evidently shown that the aerodynamic losses represented exceed 1.2MTOE annually since 2002. A novel concept of vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT) farms for harvesting aerodynamic energy losses on Malaysian highways is preliminarily proposed. The novel concept aims at providing a sustainable and green energy source for the lighting of the highway network in the country.
BackgroundPercutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) allows long-term tube feeding. Safety of pull-type and introducer PEG placement in oncology patients with head/neck or oesophageal...Full Text Available
BackgroundSafety for diabetic patients means providing the most suitable treatment for each type of diabetic in order to improve monitoring and to prevent the adverse effects of...Full Text Available
The safety, pharmacokinetics, and distribution in tissue of an amphotericin B (AmB)-cholesteryl sulfate colloidal dispersion (ABCD) were compared with those of micellar amphotericin B-deoxycholate (m-AmB)....Full Text Available
The Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) previously known as the Plutonium Process and Storage Facility, or Z-Plant, was built and put into operation in 1949. Since 1949 PFP has been used for various processing missions, including plutonium purification, oxide production, metal production, parts fabrication, plutonium recovery, and the recovery of americium (Am-241). The PFP has also been used for receipt and large scale storage of plutonium scrap and product materials. The PFP Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR) was prepared by WHC to document the hazards associated with the facility, present safety analyses of potential accident scenarios, and demonstrate the adequacy of safety class structures, systems, and components (SSCs) and operational safety requirements (OSRs) necessary to eliminate, control, or mitigate the identified hazards. Documented in this Safety Evaluation Report (SER) ...
Nuclear power plant has several safety features and each safety feature is based on the operation of pumps and valves. Therefore, it is an essential basis for the safety of nuclear power plant to keep operational readiness of pumps and valves by In-Service Test (IST). According to Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST) Bulletin 2008-14, the safety functioned pumps and valves of all nuclear power plants of Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co. Ltd.(KHNP) have been tested to verify their performance of safety function. Each safety grade pump has own design requirement and should be tested to identify whether it could meet the requirement. Design requirements and test references of all safety grade pumps of Wolsung Nuclear Power Plant Unit 2 (Wolsung Unit 2) were examined in this study. And the results of the performance test of the ...
Nuclear power plant has several safety features and each safety feature is based on the operation of pumps and valves. Therefore, it is an essential basis for the safety of nuclear power plant to keep operational readiness of pumps and valves by In-Service Test (IST). According to Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST) Bulletin 2008-14, the safety functioned pumps and valves of all nuclear power plants of Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co. Ltd.(KHNP) have been tested to verify their performance of safety function. Each safety grade pump has own design requirement and should be tested to identify whether it could meet the requirement. Design requirements and test references of all safety grade pumps of Wolsung Nuclear Power Plant Unit 2 (Wolsung Unit 2) were examined in this study. And the results of the performance test of the ...
This report is designed to cover the overall Operation Castle radiological safety matters from the viewpoint of those issues of direct concern to Headquarters, Joint Task Force Seven. It was written for the express purpose of assisting in the development ...
This report is designed to cover the overall Operation Castle radiological safety matters from the viewpoint of those issues of direct concern to Headquarters, Joint Task Force Seven. It was written for the express purpose of assisting in the development ...
This report includes the issuances received during the specified period from the Commission, the Atomic Safety and Licensing Appeal Boards, the Atomic Safety and Licensing Boards, the Administrative Law Judge, the Directors' Decisions, and the Denials of Petitions for Rulemaking.
This report includes the issuances received during the specified period from the Commission (CLI), the Atomic Safety and Licensing Appeal Boards (ALAB), the Atomic Safety and Licensing Boards (LBP), the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ), the Directors' Decisions (DD), and the Denials of Petitions for Rulemaking (DPRM).
This report includes the issuances received during the specified period from the Commission (CLl), the Atomic Safety and Licensing Appeal Boards (ALAB), the Atomic Safety and Licensing Boards (LBP), the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ), The Directors' Decisions (DD), and the Denials of Petitions For Rulemaking (DPRM).
Telbivudine is a novel nucleoside drug recently approved for the treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis B. Its nonclinical safety was evaluated in a comprehensive program of studies, including...Full Text Available
An ex-employee's claims that inadequate enforcement of radiation safety regulations allowed excess radiation exposure thereby causing his deteriorating health was not substantiated by a thorough investigation.
A workshop on alternative toxicological testing methodologies was convened by the Scientific Group on Methodologies for the Safety Evaluation of Chemicals (SGOMSEC) 26-31 January 1997 in Ispra, Italy,...Full Text Available
The Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP) is a global partnership of business, civil society and government working for sustained reduction of road accidents in developing and transition countries. GRSP, which started operations in 1999, has a global secr...
1 The long term safety and efficacy of vigabatrin has been studied in 254 patients with refractory epilepsy (82% with partial seizures) in 23 different clinics in eight European countries....Full Text Available
Objectives:The study was planned to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Livwin (polyherbal formulation) in acute viral hepatitis.Materials...Full Text Available
Ayurvedic drugs have begun to be evaluated in controlled clinical trials. The trials, often placebo controlled, are usually designed to demonstrate superiority. Though the results have been usually...Full Text Available
AIMSTo evaluate and compare the risk of specific safety outcomes in patients prescribed ibuprofen and paracetamol concomitantly with those in patients prescribed ibuprofen or paracetamol...Full Text Available
Carbon monoxide can be produced in severe accidents from interaction of ex-vessel molten core with concrete. Depending on the particular core-melt scenario, the type of concrete and geometric factors affecting the interaction, the quantities of carbon monoxide produced can vary widely, up to several volume percent in the containment. Carbon monoxide is a combustible gas. The carbon monoxide thus produced is in addition to the hydrogen produced by metal-water reactions and by radiolysis, and represents a possibly significant contribution to the combustible gas inventory in the containment. Assessment of possible accident loads to containment thus requires knowledge of the combustion properties of both CO and H_2 in the containment atmosphere. Extensive studies have been carried out and are still continuing in the nuclear industry to assess the threat of hydrogen in a severe reactor accident. However the contribution of carbon monoxide to the combustion threat has received less ...
Computational prediction of microRNA targets remains a challenging problem. The existing rule-based, data-driven and expression profiling approaches to target prediction are mostly approached from the...Full Text Available
... gov Data Privacy, Emergency Response, Weather Prediction to Benefit from Information Technology ... detection, simulation and prediction of high-impact local weather, such as thunderstorms and ...
Thermodynamic Stable Metal Compositions for Improvement of an Operational Safety of Constructional Materials under Conditions of Multifactor Loadings of an Aggressive Environment
Mitsubishi is now developing a new Pressurized water reactor (PWR), the Mitsubishi simplified PWR (MS-PWR), which has the innovative features of hybrid safety systems (an optimum combination of passive and active systems) and cooling by horizontal steam generators. In order to confirm the feasibility of the Mitsubishi hybrid safety system, various kinds of safety analyses are performed for loss-of-coolant accident events. In parallel to these safety analysis efforts, the following thermal-hydraulic tests are to be performed: (1) thermal-hydraulic test of a horizontal steam generator; (2) integrated thermal-hydraulic test using a simulation loop for the innovative MS-PWR (SLIM).
The major feed-water line break accident is re-analyzed, which is based on Guangdong Daya Bay nuclear power station final safety analysis report, to justify the impacts of the decreasing of auxiliary feed-water flow rate on the safety margin in Daya Bay. The results showed that the accident analysis can meet the demands of acceptance criteria with the auxiliary feed-water flowrate decreasing from 45 m"3/h to 41.8 m"3/h, and enough safety margin is still retained
Nuclear energy related research in Switzerland is concentrated at PSI's Nuclear Energy and Safety Research Department (NES). The activities of the department are concentrated on three main domains of: Safety and related problems of operating plants; safety features of future reactor and fuel cycles; waste management. Comprehensive assessments of energy systems are carried out in cooperation with PSI's General Energy Research Department. Many of the programs are part of collaborations with universities, industry, or international organisations. Progress in 2000 in these topical areas is described in this report. A list of scientific publications in 2000 is also provided.
This document reports the results of the FY 2005 PNNL VPP Program Evaluation, which is a self-assessment of the operational and programmatic performance of the Laboratory related to worker safety and health. The report was compiled by a team of worker representatives and safety professionals who evaluated the Laboratory's worker safety and health programs on the basis of DOE-VPP criteria. The principle elements of DOE's VPP program are: Management Leadership, Employee Involvement, Worksite Analysis, Hazard Prevention and Control, and Safety and Health Training.
The Fast Flux Test Facility has provided a very useful framework for testing the advances in Liquid Metal Reactor Safety Technology. During the licensing phase, the switch from a nonmechanistic bounding technique to the mechanistic approach was developed and implemented. During the operational phase, the consideration of new tests and core configurations led to use of the anticipated-transients-without-scram approach for beyond design basis events and the move towards passive safety. The future role of the Fast Flux Test Facility may involve additional passive safety and waste transmutation tests. 26 refs.
The present research has been made to develop and review critically the functional requirements of the specific safety systems of CANDU such as SDS-1, SDS2, ECCS, and containment. Based on R documents for this, a systematic study was made to develop the domestic regulation statements. Also, the conventional laws are carefully reviewed to see the compatibility to CANDU. Also, the safety assessment method for CANDU was studied by reviewing C documents and recommendation of IAEA. Through the present works, the vague policy in the CANDU safety regulation is cleaning up in a systematic form and a new frame to measure the objective risk of nuclear power plants was developed.
The present research has been made to develop and review critically the functional requirements of the specific safety systems of CANDU such as SOS-1, SOS-2, ECCS and containment. Based on R documents for this, a systematic study was made to develop the domestic regulation statements. Also, the conventional laws are carefully reviewed to see the compatibility to CANDU. Also, the safety assessment method for CANDU was studied by reviewing C documents and recommendation of IAEA. Through the present works, the vague policy in the CANDU safety regulation is cleaning up in a systematic form and a new frame to measure the objective risk of nuclear power plants was developed.
The rod drop time event of the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant is caused by the malfunction of the guide tube developed by Framatome. Three temporary solutions were implemented successively and the long term solution was found in the process of searching for the root cause. The different solutions and the root cause are introduced. The safety analysis and license of the solutions are mainly discussed. Experiences and lessons are drawn by summarizing the important items related to nuclear safety.
Public Law 95-209 includes a requirement that the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards submit an annual report to Congress on the safety research program of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. This report presents the results of the ACRS review and evaluation of the NRC safety research program for Fiscal Year 1983. The report contains a number of comments and recommendations.
Public Law 95-209 includes a requirement that the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards submit an annual report to Congress on the safety research program of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. This report presents the results of the ACRS review and evaluation of the NRC safety research program for Fiscal Year 1982. The report contains a number of comments and recommendations.
The FFTF is an ERDA facility which does not require licensing, but a technical review by NRC is required by ERDA policy. Safety issues which were not fully resolved in the course of the review for construction authorization have been the subject of continuing review since mid-1973. These issues included HCDA energetics, design fallback provisions for additional safety margins, piping integrity, and natural circulation core cooling.
The safety analysis checklist scope and the criteria of key parameters needed to be checked for Daya bay reload cycles are introduced. The INCORE code package was used for the safety evaluation of Daya bay unit 2 cycle 2. The method and the contents can not only be applicable for Daya Bay reload cycles but also for Qinshan 600 MW and Qinshan 300 MW reload cycles.
The requirements are given as placed on the development, procurement, maintenance, and application of software for the creation or processing of data during the design, construction, operation, repair, maintenance and safety-related upgrading of nuclear power plants. The verification and validation processes are highlighted, and the requirements put on the software documentation are outlined. The general quality assurance principles applied to safety analyses are characterized. (J.B.). 1 ref.
This report is designed to cover the overall Operation Castle radiological safety matters from the viewpoint of those issues of direct concern to Headquarters, Joint Task Force Seven. It was written for the express purpose of assisting in the development of future radiological safety plans by presenting detailed discussion of the problems and solutions arising during Operation Castle.
This report is designed to cover the overall Operation Castle radiological safety matters from the viewpoint of those issues of direct concern to Headquarters, Joint Task Force Seven. It was written for the express purpose of assisting in the development of future radiological safety plans by presenting detailed discussion of the problems and solutions arising during Operation Castle. Included is a discussion of fallout forecasting techniques.
The Health Physics, Safety and Medical Services Report for Harwell Laboratory for 1989 includes data on the monitoring of the working environment, personnel monitoring, radiological incidents, disposal of radioactive waste and protection of the public. Work on emergency planning, non-radiological health and safety, occupational hygiene, operations support is also discussed. Finally the medical services available and the medical examinations performed are described. (UK).
The 200 Area Interim Storage Area Technical Safety Requirements define administrative controls and design features required to ensure safe operation during receipt and storage of canisters containing spent nuclear fuel. This document is based on the 200 Area Interim Storage Area, Annex D, Final Safety Analysis Report which contains information specific to the 200 Area Interim Storage Area.
... Title : The Numerical Weather Prediction System at the Italian Air Force Weather Service: Impact of Non-Conventional Observations and Increased ...
Computer-Aided Prediction of Chemical Ecotoxicity on the basis of Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationships with the Use of Physico-Chemical Descriptors, Including H-bond Parameters
Brush fires, especially during the summer months, are hazards that occasionally threaten the leeward (Waianae) coast of Oahu in Hawaii. The prediction of future ... ...
The report gives a summary of important developments in numerical weather prediction and discusses their relationship to, and effect on, the practice of synoptic meteorology.
... This paper presents our research in neural learning for predicting ... Denote this feature set as F4. ... can be observed that the SOC curves generated by ...
ObjectiveTo develop a simple summary risk score for the prediction of Alzheimer disease in elderly persons based on their vascular risk profiles.DesignFull Text Available
French law should not be very affected when the NSC enters into force in France. This results from the fact that French law has already achieved most of the `work` to be done in the field of safety of nuclear installations as it integrated the concept of `safety culture` (i.e. high level of safety for nuclear installations) which is, actually, the main objective of this convention. The elaboration of this convention on safety of nuclear power plants took approximately 3 years. The success (i.e. adoption of the draft text by the Diplomatic Conference) was made possible because of the large technical consensus existing among experts in that field. This means that if we intend to do the same in the field of radioactive waste management, we have to get first a similar consensus on fundamental adequate principles. (orig./HP)
Dr. Rudolf Schulten of West Germany and expert witnesses from national laboratories, utilities, and the nuclear industry testified on reactor safety issues as they relate to the Chernobyl accident and public concern that modern technology has not paid enough attention to public safety. Each of the witnesses contributed safety-related information based on what has been learned from the Soviet incident. Particular focus went to similarities and differences between the Chernobyl and US reactors in safety design and engineering and to the environmental effects of the accident. The N reactor near Richland and a commercial reactor at Fort St. Vrain, Colorado are the only two operating graphite reactors, but neither is a boiling water reactor.
Dr. Rudolf Schulten of West Germany and expert witnesses from national laboratories, utilities, and the nuclear industry testified on reactor safety issues as they relate to the Chernobyl accident and public concern that modern technology has not paid enough attention to public safety. Each of the witnesses contributed safety-related information based on what has been learned from the Soviet incident. Particular focus went to similarities and differences between the Chernobyl and US reactors in safety design and engineering and to the environmental effects of the accident. The N reactor near Richland and a commercial reactor at Fort St. Vrain, Colorado are the only two operating graphite reactors, but neither is a boiling water reactor.
Implementation of Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations Part 830, Subpart B Nuclear Safety Management (1) was accomplished at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in a timely and efficient manner. The primary reason the transition went smoothly was that the existing safety analysis was relatively new, initially developed in 1995, and written in accordance with the safe harbor document DOE-STD-3009 (2). The WIPP Safety Analysis Report (SAR) (3) is kept up-to-date with the unreviewed safety question (USQ) process and thorough oversight and input provided by DOE-Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO) documented in the annual safety evaluation report (SER) process.
In the revised GCFR Safety Program Plan a quantitative risk limit line has been adopted to establish requirements for the safety related functions and systems. The risk limit line is derived from an interpretation of NRC established licensing requirements, including those for LMFBR's. Multiple barriers to the progression of accident sequences are defined in the form of six Lines of Protection (LOPs). LOPs-1 to 3 are dedicated to accident prevention and represent the normal operating systems, the dedicated safety systems and the inherent design features, respectively. LOPs-4 to 6 are dedicated to the mitigation of core melt accident consequences and include in-vessel accident containment, secondary containment integrity and radiological attenuation, respectively. Cumulative frequency limits and consequence limits are established for each LOP. Design features associated with each LOP are described and the results of ...
Internationally, on-line maintenance (OLM) of nuclear power plants under the operation is prevailed to enhance nuclear safety and economics. In recent years, Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co. Ltd. (KHNP) is eager to apply OLM. Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST) has established the related technology development program as an item of 'Overall Planning on Nuclear Safety(2010-2014)' through acceptance to the request of KHNP in 2009. OLM is defined as maintenance that is performed with the main generator connected to the grid. In other words, it means a preventive maintenance to be implemented during the allowable outage time (AOT) with ignoring inoperability of safety-related equipment listed in the technical specifications. The Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS) is developing the assessment technology of safety concerns for OLM under the auspices of MEST. Draft ...
Iodized oil has been used as a contrast agent in lymphangiography. One of the commercially available compounds is Lipidol Ultra-fluid(LUF) which contains 38% iodine by weight. Nakakuma et al(1979) reported that LUF was selectively retained in the hypervascular hepatocellular carcinoma when injected directly into the ligated hepatic artery. Since that time, it has been widely utilized in the detection as well as the therapeutic attempts of hepatocellular carcinoma, where it has been mixed with chemotherapeutic agents or labeled with radioactive I-131. Like all significant advances, the mechanism of lipid retention within the hepatocellular carcinoma is not clearly understood, and also there is a lack of information about the biodistribution and kinetics of I-131 Lipiodol. The apparent safety of this technique require confirmation. The present study was aimed to assess the biodistribution and kinetics of intraarterially injected I-131 Lipiodol and the histologic ...
The operation and safety of both fossil-fuel and nuclear power stations depend on adequate cooling of the thermal source involved. This is usually accomplished using liquid coolants that are forced through the high temperature regions by a pumping system; this fluid then transports the thermal energy to another section of the power station. However, fluids that undergo boiling during this process create vapor that can be detrimental, and influence safe operation of other system components. The behavior of this vapor, or void, as it is generated and transported through the system is critical in predicting the operational and safety performance. This study uses two advanced penetrating radiation techniques, Real Time Neutron Radiography (RTNR), and High Speed X-Ray Tomography (HS-XCT), to examine void generation and transport behavior in a flow boiling system. The geometries studied were tube side flow boiling in a ...
The Senior Committee on Environmental, Safety, and Economic Aspects of Magnetic Fusion Energy (ESECOM) has assessed magnetic fusion energy's prospects for providing energy with economic, environmental, and safety characteristics that would be attractive compared with other energy sources (mainly fission) available in the year 2015 and beyond. ESECOM gives particular attention to the interaction of environmental, safety, and economic characteristics of a variety of magnetic fusion reactors, and compares them with a variety of fission cases. Eight fusion cases, two fusion-fission hybrid cases, and four fission cases are examined, using consistent economic and safety models. These models permit exploration of the environmental, safety, and economic potential of fusion concepts using a wide range of possible materials choices, power densities, power conversion schemes, and fuel ...
The paper discusses the safety problems connected with the conversion to dense storage of RBMK-1000 spent fuel in reactor cooling pools and independent storage facilities. Recourse to dense storage has been made for a number of reasons, among which are the absence of spent fuel shipments from the nuclear power plant site, prolongation of storage time and a partial change in storage conditions. Increasing the storage density per unit volume of the storage facility and turning to new technical procedures (as against the basic design) call for further investigation of safety problems. The safety assessment of the dense storage mode includes: (1) Selecting a list of initiating events for design basis and unforeseeable accidents; (2) Assessing dense storage safety under normal as well as design basis accident conditions; (3) Safety analysis and development of measures to compensate for ...
The Department of Energy (DOE) policy requires that all activities be conducted in a manner that protects the safety of the public and provides a safe and healthful workplace for employees. DOE has also prescribed that all personnel be protected in any explosives operation undertaken. The level of safety provided shall be at least equivalent to that of the best industrial practice. The risk of death or serious injury shall be limited to the lowest practicable minimum. DOE and contractors shall continually review their explosives operations with the aim of achieving further refinements and improvements in safety practices and protective features. This manual describes the Department's explosive safety requirements applicable to operations involving the development, testing, handling, and processing of explosives or assemblies containing explosives. It is intended to reflect the state-of-the-art ...
DescriptionAn ability to foresee impacts on output is invaluable to any industry; good prediction is the basis of good management. Many research models can predict crop performance, but the skill (used here to include accuracy, precision, facility and credibility) of these predictions is rarely assessed, so is not well known. The only research model successfully adopted for practical purposes in the UK is the Broom's Barn Beet Model. Thus we propose here, research to assess and publish the skill of the [continued...
Nuclear knowledge is the basis for almost all nuclear activities, and education and training are the most fundamental means to transfer knowledge from one generation to the next. Understanding means and trends in knowledge transfer through education and training thus deserves a closer examination. In the past years, a number of trends and questions in nuclear knowledge, education and training have emerged. With declining student enrolment numbers and a general stagnation of the use of nuclear power in some of the IAEA's Member States, the issue of a slow erosion of the knowledge base and the possibility of loosing knowledge has become increasingly important, in particular if seen against the background of a possible renaissance of nuclear power in the future. In other Member States, an expansion of nuclear power is expected, with a corresponding need for human resources. As a result, in many Member States education and training of the next ...
The Sheep Mountain area, in the southwest Wind River Basin, is the up plunge closure of the Derby Dome-Winkleman Dome producing trend of an echelon folds which comprise the first line of folding down the northeast flank of the Wind River Mountains. The structural style exposed in the Palozoic reservoir rocks of Sheep Mountain may serve as a model for the other structural features in the Wind River Basin. As in the case of the Derby Dome and Winkleman Dome, Sheep Mountain is typically asymmetric to the southwest. Local east-directed thrusts exposed in the core of the anticline place Pennsylvania over Permian age rocks. A major change in the trend of the anticlinal crest within Sheep Mountain, suggests development of separate left-stepping en echelon closures at depth. The northwest end of Sheep Mountain also forms a left-stepping en echelon pattern with Derby Dome. The northwest plunge of Sheep Mountain is facilitated by compartmentalization ...
Critical properties of a fluid or fluid mixtures are important for describing fluid phase behavior, predicting physical properties, developing equations of state, and designing supercritical-fluid extraction processes, and compression and refrigeration units. The predictive capability of the Peng-Robinson-Styjek-Vera (PRSV-2) equation of state (1986) for critical properties of binary mixtures was investigated. The procedure adopted by Heidemann and Khalil (1980) and discussed by Abu-Eishah et al. (1998) was followed. An optimized value for the binary interaction parameter based on minimization of error between experimental and predicted critical temperatures was used. The standard and the average of the absolute relative deviations in critical properties are included. The predicted critical temperature and pressure for several nonpolar and polar systems agree well with experimental data and are always ...
This report summarises nearly 20 biosphere reports and gives a synthesis of the work performed within the SR-Site Biosphere project, i.e. the biosphere part of SR-Site. SR-Site Biosphere provides the main project with dose conversion factors (LDFs), given a unit release rate, for calculation of human doses under different release scenarios, and assesses if a potential release from the repository would have detrimental effects on the environment. The intention of this report is to give sufficient details for an overview of methods, results and major conclusions, with references to the biosphere reports where methods, data and results are presented and discussed in detail. The philosophy of the biosphere assessment was to make estimations of the radiological risk for humans and the environment as realistic as possible, based on the knowledge of present-day conditions at Forsmark and the past and expected future development of the site. This was achieved by using the best available ...
Analytical models for predicting the deformation and failure of composite sandwich panels subjected to blast and projectile impact loading are presented in this paper. The analytical predictions of the transient deformations and damage initiation in the composite sandwich panels were compared with finite element solutions using ABAQUS Explicit. For the blast model, the predicted transient deformation of the sandwich panel was within 7%of FEA results, while the predicted damage initiation using Hashin's composite failure criteria was about 15%higher than FEA results in most cases. For the high velocity impact model, the predicted transient deformations were within 20%of FEA results.
Full text of publication follows: A porous media solution PORFLO has been developed for the 3-dimensional two-phase flow by describing the process facility in Cartesian or cylindrical coordinates. The local porosity fraction is applied for distinguishing the fluid filled volumes from the solid structures. The solid structure contribute the two-phase flow through the wall friction, flow area and heat transfer. Optionally the solid structure may contain primary liquid of steam generators, steam in the higher temperature and pressure to be condensed or electrical heating power. By using these optional boundary conditions three different process facilities have been analysed. The thermohydraulic solution based on 5-equation approach, where the conservation equations are solved for the liquid and gas (vapour) mass, mixture momentum (giving the velocity only for the mixture), liquid and gas energy, is described shortly. In addition to that the principles modelling optional boundary ...
The UK fully supports the objective of the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management to achieve and maintain a high level of safety worldwide in spent fuel and radioactive waste management, through the enhancement of national measures and international co-operation, including where appropriate, safety-related co-operation. The UK's Health and Safety Executive, through its Nuclear Safety Directorate (NSD), has been committed to the Convention since the initial negotiations to set up the Convention and provided the president of the first review meeting in 2003. It would be wrong of any nation to believe that they have all the best solutions to managing spent fuel and radioactive waste. The process of compiling reports for the Convention review meetings provides a structured process through which every ...
The document represents a specific type of discussion of existing methodologies for the creation and application of probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) in light of the EUR document summarizing requirements placed by Western European NPP operators on the future design of nuclear power plants. A partial goal of this discussion consists in mapping, from the PSA point of view, those selected design, operational and/or safety factors of future NPPs that may be entirely new or, at least, newly addressed. Therefore, the terms of reference for this stage were formulated as follows: Assess current level of knowledge and procedures in the analysis of factors and phenomena with a dominant influence upon operational safety of new generation reactors, especially in the following areas: (1) Phenomenology of failure types and mechanisms and reliability of conventional passive safety system components; (2) ...
As semiconductor device dimensions continue to shrink, the drive beyond 250 nm is creating significant problems for the device processor. In particular, trends toward shallower-junctions, lower thermal budgets and simplified processing steps present severe challenges to ion implantation. In parallel with greater control of the implant process goes the need for a better understanding of the physical processes involved during implantation and subsequent activation annealing. For instance, the need for an understanding of dopant-defect interaction is paramount as defects mediate a number of technologically important phenomena such as transient enhanced diffusion and impurity gettering. This paper will outline the current trends in the ion implantation and some of the challenges it faces in the next decade, as described in the semiconductor roadmap. It will highlight some recent positron annihilation work that has made a contribution to addressing ...
The production of the uranium mine Zirovski Vrh ceased in 1990. The main remaining problem of the remadiation are mine and mill tailings. The uranium mine Zirovski Vrh has one mill tailings site Borst and one waste pile Jazbec. According to the Act on protection against ionising radiation and nuclear safety which was adopted by the Parliament in 2002, they are classified as radiation facilities. Slovenian Nuclear Safety Administration (SNSA) is authorised for issuing a mandatory consent to mining work. The SNSA prepared the initial proposal of content of the safety report for the mine waste pile Jazbec. In 2005, according to the detailed content of this document, the public company Zirovski Vrh Ltd prepared the safety report which was examined by an authorised expert for radiation and nuclear safety. After a careful revision of the safety evaluation report, the ...
Computer based control systems for safety related applications in nuclear power plants have to meet not only the functional, performance and interface requirements, they in addition, have to meet regulatory requirements like enhanced reliability, safety and security and should provide fault tolerance, diagnostics and self-supervision. The control system architecture, hardware design and software design should meet requirements as specified in design code and guides of AERB. The Dual Processor Hot Standby Process Control System (DPHS-PCS) for TAPP-3 and 4 is a safety related (Class- IB) system. DPHS-PCS regulates PHT pressure, Pressuriser pressure, Pressuriser level, Bleed condenser pressure, Bleed condenser level and Steam generator pressure. The performance, reliability and safety requirements of this control system are met by employing a fault tolerant computer configuration developed for this purpose ...
In this work, a model for determining the optimal inspection and replacement periods of the safety system in Wolsung Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1 is developed, which is to minimize economic loss caused by inadvertent trip and the system failure. This model uses cost benefit analysis method and the part for optimal inspection period considers the human error. The model is based on three factors as follows: (i) The cumulative failure distribution function of the safety system, (ii) The probability that the safety system does not operate due to failure of the system or human error when the safety system is needed at an emergency condition and (iii) The average probability that the reactor is tripped due to the failure of system components or human error. The model then is applied to evaluate the safety system in Wolsung Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1. The optimal replacement periods which ...
National efforts to improve the quality and safety of health care present challenges for medical education and training. Today's doctors need to be skilled communicators who know how to identify, prevent and manage adverse events and near misses, how to use evidence and information, how to work safely in a team, how to practise ethically, and how to be workplace teachers and learners. These competencies (knowledge, skills and attitudes) are set out in the National Patient Safety Education Framework (NPSF) of the Australian Council for Safety and Quality in Health Care. The NPSF is designed to help medical schools, vocational colleges, health organisations and private practitioners develop curricula to enable health professionals to work safely. The NPSF describes what doctors (depending on their level of knowledge and experience) can do to demonstrate competencies in a range of quality and safety ...
The purpose of this document is to provide the definition and means of maintaining the Safety Envelope (SE) related to the Criticality Alarm System (CAS). This document provides amplification of the Limiting Condition for Operation (LCO) described in the Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) Operational Safety Requirements (OSR), WHC-SD-CP-OSR-010, Rev. 0, 1994, Section 3.1.2, Criticality Detectors and Alarms. This document, with its appendices, provides the following: (1) System functional requirements for determining system operability (Section 3); (2) A list of annotated system block diagrams which indicate the safety envelope boundaries (Appendix C); (3) A list of the Safety Class 1 and 2 Safety Envelope (SC-1/2 SE) equipment for input into the Master Component Index (Appendix B); (4) Functional requirements for individual SC-1/2 SE components, including appropriate setpoints and ...
This book deals with organizations that operate in high hazard industries, such as the nuclear power, aviation, oil and chemical industry organisations. The society puts a great strain on these organisations to rigorously manage the risks inherent in the technology they use and the products they produce. In this book, an organisational psychology view is taken to analyse what are the typical challenges of daily work in these environments. The analysis is based on a literature review about human and organisational factors in safety critical industries, and on the interviews of Finnish safety experts and safety managers from four different companies. In addition to this, personnel interviews conducted in the Finnish nuclear power plants are utilised. The authors come up with eight themes that seem to be common organizational challenges cross the industries. These include e.g. how does the personnel understand the risks and ...
The licensing status and procedures, regulatory framework, and current safety issues of CANDU type reactors, Wolsong units 2, 3 and 4 are examined. Licensing difficulties and lessons learned during the safety review of Wolsong 2, 3 and 4 and future requirements are also summarized. The review was conducted, not only to confirm the design adequacy with respect to the domestic atomic laws and regulatory requirements of the vendor country, Canada, but also to reflect into the design the lessons learned from the regulatory experiences of operating Wolsong I to enhance the safety as high as practically possible. Safety issues observed during the licensing review, such as containment integrity, fuel channel integrity, etc., are summarized. Several efforts have been conducted to harmonize the Canadian regulations with the Korean ones by establishing domestic regulatory positions and guidelines. For example, ...
Background Adrenalectomy remains the definitive therapy for most adrenal neoplasms. Introduced in the 1990s, laparoscopic adrenalectomy is reported to have lower associated morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to evaluate national adrenalectomy trends, including major postoperative complications and perioperative mortality. Methods The Nationwide Inpatient Sample was queried to identify all adrenalectomies performed during 1998?2006. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were performed, with adjustments for patient age, sex, comorbidities, indication, year of surgery, laparoscopy, hospital teaching status, and hospital volume. Annual incidence, major in-hospital postoperative complications, and in-hospital mortality were evaluated. Results Using weighted national estimate, 4...
In the United States, approximately 20% of all workers who died on the job in 2007 were foreign-born. The objective of this study was to describe trends in occupational fatalities among foreign-born workers. An analysis of fatal injuries among foreign-born workers in the US occurring from 1992 through 2007 was conducted using the Bureau of Labor Statistics? Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. Individual characteristics, employment characteristics, injury events and industry employment were summarized and evaluated for trends. Both the number and proportion of foreign-born workers who died from a traumatic work-related injury increased substantially over the time period studied. The proportion who were men, aged 25?44?years, Hispanic, non self-employed, employed by business establishment...
The contribution attempts a definition of the concepts of ``technical facilities`` and ``facility management``. [Deutsch] Um mit der Ueberschrift zu beginnen: Was ist Gebaeudetechnik? Die Antwort ist nicht ganz einfach. An der TU Berlin gibt es einen Ingenieur-Studiengang mit dieser Bezeichnung. Es hat etwas mit dem Gebaeude, aber nicht viel mit Architektur zu tun, wie manchmal faelschlich angenommen wird. Um solche Missverstaendnisse gar nicht erst aufkommen zu lassen, hat sich die Gruppe des Vereins Deutscher Ingenieure, die sich mit der Gebaeudetechnik beschaeftigt, als `VDI-Gesellschaft Technische Gebaeudeausruestung` bezeichnet. (orig.)
In the last few years the management of nuclear power plants as well as the supervising administration of the nuclear industry in Germany has focused more on emergency preparedness. The skills have been improved, but there are also improvements under way, yet. The study gives an overview about the status of emergency preparedness in German power plants, about the legal framework for emergency preparedness and about the elements of an effective emergency preparedness planning. However, it does not deal with technical accident management but with the organisational aspects of emergency planning. Also, the study gives a short outlook for future trends of development in the field of emergency preparedness in Germany. Major trends are the standardisation of organisational concepts, more training and more national and international feed back of know how on the topic. Yet, there is still some research work to be done, mainly to develop overall ...
Objective Comorbidities predisposing cardiac surgical patients toward deep sternal wound infection, such as diabetes and obesity, are rising in the United States. Longitudinal analysis of risk factors, morbidity, and mortality was performed to assessed effects of these health trends on deep sternal wound infection rates. Methods In this retrospective analysis of all median sternotomies performed at a single institution from 1991 through 2006, demographic and surgical characteristics were identified from a prospective database. The cohort was separated into periods from 1992 through 2001 and 2002 through 2006 to identify longitudinal trends in risk factors for deep sternal wound infection. Univariate and matched multivariable analyses were performed. Results Overall, study population had in...
A few studies have found poor semen quality in sons whose mothers have received fertility treatment, but it is unknown whether the poor semen quality is related to the infertility treatment or to infertility per se, for example, whether it is caused by hereditable factors. Using data from a population-based, Danish follow-up study conducted in 2005-2006, the authors of the present study examined whether sons of subfertile couples who had not received fertility treatment had poorer semen quality than sons of fertile couples. Among the 311 participants, an inverse association between parental waiting time to pregnancy and both semen volume and total sperm count was observed (p trend = 0.04 and p trend = 0.046, respectively). Semen volume in sons of subfertile parents (pregnant after ?1 ye...
The objective of this study was to analyse one of the goals of the latest National Waste Plan of Finland: the relative reduction of hazardous waste (HW) generation by 15% over the period 1992 to 2005.Official statistics and a national database of the annual reports of HW generators were used as one basis for this study. A case study was focused on a selection of HW classes that were considered to be typical to the metal workshop industry. These HW classes were combined to form functional HW groups for the purpose of forming time series. Trends at the company level were studied by performing interviews and by studying the environmental permit documents of about 50 companies.The total amount of HW reported in Finland increased by 133% over the studied period. Meanwhile the GDP of Finland gre...
At the 7th Healthy Buildings Conference, which was held in Singapore, 7-11 December 2003, more than 500 articles to improve public health and productivity of workers in buildings and the performance of installations. Special attention is paid to indoor air quality and thermal comfort in relation to energy efficiency. [Dutch] Op de laatste Healthy Buildings conferentie, december 2003 in Singapore, werden meer dan 500 artikelen gepresenteerd over het creeren van gezonde, productiviteit verhogende gebouwen en installaties. Deze keer lag de nadruk op binnenluchtkwaliteit en thermisch binnenklimaat, onder andere op het aspect energiezuinigheid. Opvallend was ook de aandacht die de problemen met binnenluchtkwaliteit in ontwikkelingslanden kreeg.
The Kyoto Protocol attempts through political negotiations to guide participating industrialized countries' greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from a positive growing trend, to reach a peak point (or turning point), and then be reduced to a negative growth. That means the relationship between decreasing GHG emissions and economic growth may be described by an inverted-U curve (or called a bell-shaped curve), which is consistent with the concept of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis.This research observed that the economic development and GHG emissions in Economies in Transition (EITs) exhibit a hockey-stick curve trend (or called quasi-L-shape curve), that also generates a lot of "hot air" which is significant to the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol. In addition, through the ...
Development drilling from Chevron-operated Platform Hermosa, located on OCS-P 0316 of the Point Arguello field, began on January 30, 1987. To date, seven development wells have been drilled in to the northwest-southeast-trending, doubly plunging anticlinal structure. The results from drilling have confirmed the presence of intense folding and fracturing in the targeted Monterey Formation. Over 700 ft of conventional core were recovered from the B-2 well in the lower Sisquoc and Monterey Formations. Analysis of the core material has yielded important information on lithologic variations and fracture patterns in the productive Monterey Formation. Initial results of core studies, DST data, and wireline studies indicate a correlation between rock type and fracturing. Fracture trends and directional permeability suggested by drill-stem testing may affect future drilling patterns in the field.
We compare the metallicities of stars with radial velocity planets to the metallicity of a sample of field dwarfs. We confirm recent work indicating that the stars-with-planet sample as a whole is iron rich. However, the lowest mass stars tend to be iron poor, with several having [Fe/H]0.48) that contributes to but does not explain the mass-metallicity trend in the stars-with-planets sample. We use Monte Carlo models to show that adding an average of 6.5 Earth masses of iron to each star can explain both the mass-metallicity and the age-metallicity relations of the stars-with-planets sample. However, for at least one star, HD 38529, there is good evidence that the bulk metallicity is high. We conclude that the observed metallicities and metallicity trends are the result of the interaction of three effects; accretion of about 6 Earth masses of iron rich material, selection effects, and in some cases, high intrinsic metallicity.
Examination is made of the main features of the physical and chemical preignition processes within homogeneous mixtures of air and gaseous fuels, such as propane, methane and hydrogen in a motored engine, while employing detailed chemical kinetics in a one zone analytical model. The changes in the compression temperature and pressure due to the admission of gaseous fuels, energy release during the preingition reactions and the contributions of heat transfer and residual gases to the preignition reaction activity were followed over a number of consecutive cycles until the occurrence of autoignition. Some of the observed differences in engine behaviour when operating on methane, propane and hydrogen were discussed with particular reference to the observed trends in dual fuel engine operation. Calculated results showed good agreement with some corresponding experimental trends. 14 refs., 9 figs.
In the last two years, the VDMA work group 'Functional security' compiled a qualitative and quantitative procedure for the determination and evaluation of turbo-machine specific risks. With the calibrated risk graph for turbo-machines the requirements (Safety Integrity Level SIL) to the protective functions for turbo-machines (steam turbines, gas turbines, generators and compressors) were determined. With consideration of the legislation, the work group compiled a recommendation for the renewal and/or reconstruction of protective functions with old facilities.
Organization factors have been known as an important contributor to plant safety. Previous studies associated with assessing organisation factors mainly deals with the aspect of safety of an organization. For an organization, however, efficiency or an aspect of economy related with work activities is also important. This paper introduces a conceptual model, SPOOM-EDM (Self Poly-Oriented Organizational Model - Evaluation Diamond Model), for evaluating an organization with respect to both safety and economy. It also shows how the proposed model can be applied for the evaluation of an organization through the analysis of real events. (author)
A stochastic analysis is presented of the probability of overtopping of a dam. The discussion is based on the case of a dam for a small water storage reservoir which has recently been constructed in the Saar district in the FRG. The problem is first solved by means of a simulation method. However, it is possible to describe the result of the sumulation method by means of a much simpler model which is based on a solution of the failure integral of Freudenthal for uncorrelated resistances and loads. It is shown that the actual safety of this dam against overtopping is extremely sensitive to both the operation rule for the reservoir, and the freeboard allowance. Some general conclusions are derived from this study for assisting in the ongoing discussion of dam safety. (6 figs, 1 tab, 7 refs)
The potential public safety impacts from accidents in conceptual fusion power plants were investigated. Fusion was found to have some potential for accidents, as does any energy generating system. Functions of fusion power plants were identified that possess sufficient potential for an accidental release of toxic materials to the environment. An assessment was made of the impact of the potential accidents and recommendations are included for R and D that will allow incorporation of safety concerns in fusion power plant design. This work was based on a review of information available in conceptual design documents of fusion reactor systems.
The potential public safety impacts from accidents in conceptual fusion power plants were investigated. Fusion was found to have some potential for accidents, as does any energy generating system. Functions of fusion power plants were identified that possess sufficient potential for an accidental release of toxic materials to the environment. An assessment was made of the impact of the potential accidents and recommendations are included for R and D that will allow incorporation of safety concerns in fusion power plant design. This work was based on a review of information available in conceptual design documents of fusion reactor systems.
This safety design guide for pipe rupture protection identifies high-energy systems in which pipe ruptures must be postulated to occur, as well as systems that must be protected from the dynamic effects of such ruptures. Dynamic effects considered in this SDG consist of pipe whip (including missiles generated by pipe ruptures, if any) and jet impingement, Requirements for protection against the dynamic effects of a postulated pipe rupture and method of protection of essential structures, systems and components are specified for these effects. The change status for the regulatory requirements, code and standards should be traced and this safety design guide shall be updated accordingly. 2 tabs., 5 refs. (Author) .new.
A combination of computer codes such as LATREP, HWRAXAV and CITATION is utilized in an attempt to analyze the nuclear design characteristics of the CAXDU-PHWR of the Wolsung Unit 1. The major nuclear properties to be computed are the lattice properties of CANDU fuel channel and the core channel power distribution. The computed results are compared with the preliminary safety reports documentation for the Wolsung reactor. The observed discrepancies between our computations and the preliminary safety reports values are discussed in terms of incomplete information on the description of the core configuration in the preliminary safety reports and the different calculation methods. (author).
This paper describes the safety system and training for personnel on board the floating production storage and offloading (FPSO II) currently working in the Cadlao Field, offshore Palawan in the Philippine Islands. (See Figure 1). The crude oil being produced has wellstream hydrogen sulfide concentrations up to 6000 PPM. Concentrations of hydrogen sulfide at 700 PPM or higher can be immediately dangerous to life and every effort must be made to ensure personnel safety.
This Addendum to the Facility Safety Plan (FSP) 360 Complex describes the safety requirements for the safe conduct of all biohazardous research operations in all buildings within the 360 complex program areas. These requirements include all the responsibilities and authorities of building personnel, operational hazards, and environmental concerns and their controls. In addition, this Addendum prescribes facility-specific training requirements and emergency controls, as well as maintenance and quality assurance requirements for ES&H-related building systems.
The report presents a summary of the work of the Department of Nuclear Safety Research and Nuclear Facilities in 1995. The department`s research and development activities are organized in three research programmes: Radiation Protection, Reactor Safety, and Radioanalytical Chemistry. The nuclear facilities operated by the department include the Research Reactor DR3, the Isotope Laboratory, the Waste Treatment Plant, and the Educational Reactor DR1. Lists of staff and publications are included together with a summary of the staff`s participation in national and international committees. (au) 5 tabs., 21 ills.
From the beginning, one of the most useful applications of Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA) is its use in evaluating the risk importance of changes to plant design, operations, or other plant conditions. Risk importance measures the impact of a change on the risk. Risk is defined as a combination of the likelihood of failure and consequence of the failure. The consequence can be safety system unavailability, core melt frequency, early release, or various other consequence measures. The goal in this PSA application is to evaluate the risk importance of an ISI process, as applied to plant piping systems. Two approaches can be taken in this evaluation: Current PSA Approach or the Blended Approach. Both are discussed here.
Safe and economical operations with fissile materials require knowledge of the subcriticality of configurations that arise in material processing, storage, and transportation. Data from critical experiments have been a principal source of information with which to establish safety margins. However, the lower cost and the expediency of performing confirmatory subcritical measurements on the process floor or in the storage vault resulted in much of the early criticality safety guidance being based on subcritical in situ experiments.
It has been acknowledged that river morphology and hydrology have been intensively altered due to the anthropic demands in floodplain land use and management, flood protection, promotion of navigability or energy production. Rivers were transformed in water highways, having lost contact with their surrounding floodplain as well as the plethora of ecological processes and occupants once thriving in these ecotonal zones. The identification of this emerging threat of morphological and hydrological alteration on ecological integrity adds further complexity in the exploitation of hydrosystem resources. These resources are heavily coveted and guarded by different lobbies each having strategic views on future project development. Stakeholders may want to promote hydro-electricity, ecologists a natural reserve, communes may wish to have an increased flood protection and leisure promoters a nautical center. As a result, the proposition of a river development project is certain to face ...
One of the characteristic safety features of a pool type research reactor is a safety flapper valve. The valve enables natural convection cooling mechanism in one of the following events. (a) Opening flapper valve promote decay heat removal following reactor's shutdown. (b) Also the valve is gravity driven. There is a possibility that the valve fails to open when it is required to do so. In the present paper the cooling characteristics of the core are analyzed for this event. A steady state study was performed for 5 MW power and 18 FE following a reactor shutdown. It is shown that enough margin exists to assure adequate reactor core cooling should the safety flapper valve fails to open. (authors)
More than twenty years after commencing commercial operation in 1983, Wolsong Unit 1(W1- NPP), the first CANDU Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) in Korea, has been undergoing refurbishment. Safety analyses were required to evaluate the safety of W1-NPP because significant amount of equipment has been refurbished. To evaluate the effectiveness of W1-NPP after these upgrades, new safety analyses were performed using the same technical standards of Wolsong Units 2, 3, 4 (W234-NPP) for Design Basis Accidents (DBA). The refurbished W1- NPP is expected to be licensed for full power operation based on the verified safety analysis results that are obtained by using the upgraded computer codes and newly adopted technical standards of W234-NPP
This paper discusses use of chemical explosives for blasting in underground coal mines endangered by methane, and reviews safety regulations on blasting in mines endangered by methane in Poland. Results of tests carried out by the Institute for Mine Safety of the Central Mining Institute in Katowice are reviewed. The following types of explosives were tested: the L permitted Barbaryt, the FGH2 permitted Barbaryt, the D6G permitted Metanit, the D5G permitted Metanit, the W2AG permitted Metanit, the CG sheathed permitted Metanit. Test results are given in a table and 2 diagrams. Comparative evaluations show that the CG sheathed permitted Metanit and the W2AG permitted metanit are superior to other explosives. Methods for evaluating safety of explosives for blasting in coal mines endangered by methane are reviewed. Indices characterizing safety of chemical explosives are evaluated. (3 refs.) (In Polish)
This report describes the status of nuclear safety and radiation protection in the facilities of the AREVA group and gives information on radiation protection in the service operations, as observed through the inspection programs and analyses carried out by the General Inspectorate in 2007. Having been submitted to the group's Supervisory Board, this report is sent to the bodies representing the personnel. Content: 1 - A look back at 2007 by the AREVA General Inspector: Visible progress in 2007, Implementation of the Nuclear Safety Charter, Notable events; 2 - Status of nuclear safety and radiation protection in the nuclear facilities and service operations: Personnel radiation protection, Event tracking, Service operations, Criticality control, Radioactive waste and effluent management; 3 - Performance improvement actions; 4 - Description of the General Inspectorate; 5 - Glossary.
Safety related equipment installed in Korean Nuclear Power Plants are required to perform a safety function during and after a seismic event. To accomplish this safety function, they must be seismically qualified in accordance with the intent and requirements of the USNRC Reg. Guide 1.100 Rev. 02 and IEEE Std. 344-1987. This paper defines and summarizes acceptable criteria and procedures, based on the Korean experience, for seismic qualification of purchased equipment to be installed in a nuclear power plant. As such the paper is intended to be a concise reference by equipment designers, architectural engineering company and plant owners in uniform implementation of commitments to nuclear regulatory agencies such as the USNRC or Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS) relating to adequacy of seismic Category 1 equipment. Thus, the paper provides the methodologies which can be used for qualifying ...
ABSTRACTQUESTION Montelukast is used more and more by my patients with asthma. Is it safe to use during pregnancy?ANSWER Cumulative data, including a...Full Text Available
This paper attempts to clarify the most common measures available for the fire and electrical engineer in the prevention of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) hazards. It points out the risks and the potential...Full Text Available
The aim of the safety calculation is to quantify through numerical modelling the radiological impact (molar flow, human dose) of a potential repository for radioactive waste on the Meuse/Haute Marne site at Bure. A selection process is underway for safety scenarios and their phenomenological and numerical conceptual models upstream from the safety calculation. This involves defining and quantifying the geometric and dimensional representations of the repository for each scenario plus the physical, mathematical and numerical models that reflect its behaviour and the uncertainties associated with all the parameters required to quantify the impact. A summary will be given of these various aspects. The numerical simulations are then performed on the Alliances platform which integrates the various computer codes required for the physical representation of the system. (authors)
Provisions (a) NPDES field personnel shall be currently trained and certified in CPR and basic first-aid procedures. (b) NPDES field personnel shall be aware of the...
The IAEA Assessment of Safety Significant Events Team (ASSET) report presents the results of an ASSET team's assessment of their investigation of the effectiveness of the plant for prevention of incidents since 1990 at Zaporozhe nuclear power plant. The results, conclusions and suggestions presented herein reflect the views of the ASSET experts. They are provided for consideration by the responsible authorities in Ukraine. The ASSET team's views presented in this report are based on visits to the plant, on review of documentation made available by the operating organization and on discussions with utility personnel. The report is intended to enhance operational safety at Zaporozhe by proposing improvements to the policy for the prevention of incidents at the plant. The report includes, as a usual practice, the official response of the operating organization as well as of the regulatory body to the ASSET recommendations. Figs.
Protective goals set the line of orientation of tasks and activities in the field of accident prevention. They have to be based on safety-science methods in order to develop from the conceptual idea to the practically feasible solution, while using the scientific methods to take into account the facts and the capabilities of a situation and, proceeding from them, finding an efficient and rational, optimal pragmatic approach by way of various strategies or tactics. In this process, the activities of defining, informing, thinking and developing need the proper terminology. Safety is absence of danger, protection is limitation of danger and prevention of damage. So it is protection what is needed with danger being given, and risks have to be minimized. Riskology is a novel method of safety science, combining risk analysis and risk control into a systematic concept which is practice-oriented. Applying this to the field of ...
The Hazardous Materials Control Module (HMC) is one module of four for the Industrial Health component. The HMC module was designed to inform employees of health and safety hazards in the workplace and to track the movement of hazardous materials through the facility. The module performs these functions by maintaining health and safety data on hazardous materials used in the facility, and by tracking who requests information about any hazardous materials. The HMC module gets its information from two sources. The first one is the Hazardous Materials Information System (HMIS), this is a national system that is used by the Department of Defense. It is loaded on to the system via tapes that contain all safety, health and transportation information about a particular product. The second is Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) that are procured by a particular site. This information is manually entered into ...
Since August 1984, the MITRE Corporation has been supporting the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) and the Naval Medical Command (NAVMEDCOM) in their joint efforts to enhance the Navy Occupational Health Information Management System (NOHIMS). The goal of the enhancement effort was to create a comprehensive occupational health and safety system for Navy industrial facilities by expanding upon the original NOHIMS functions and adding modules for hazard deficiency abatement, hazardous-material control, injury claims and compensation, and safety and health training. To meet this goal, MITRE developed an enhanced industrial subsystem, referred to as the Occupational Safety and Health Record Keeping System (OSHRKS), using a prototyping approach and a public-domain data base-management software package, the Veterans Administration's (VA's) FileManager (FileMan).
Background: The nail gun is a commonly utilized tool in carpentry and construction. When used properly with appropriate safety precautions, it can facilitate production and boost efficiency;...Full Text Available
Team 6 Regimental Combat Team 8 Retired Activities Office Safety Division School of Infantry - East School of Infantry - West Second Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion Security...
This is a presentation on Human Factors in reactor operations. It discusses issues that deal with power plant operations, training and design, operational effectiveness and safety, supporting people to achieve effective and error free performance.
A number of biological agents are available or being investigated for the treatment of asthma and rhinitis. The safety profiles of these biologic agents, which may modify allergic and immunological...Full Text Available
Production agriculture is associated with a variety of occupational illnesses and injuries. Agricultural workers are at higher risk of death or disabling injury than most other workers. Traumatic injury...Full Text Available
Background Food additives are an integral part of the modern food system, but opinion polls showing most Europeans have worries about them imply an urgent need for ethical analysis of their use. Sources of data The existing literature on food ethics, safety assessment and animal testing. Areas of agreement Food additives provide certain advantages in terms of many people's lifestyles. Areas of controversy There are disagreements about the appropriate application of the precautionary principle and of the value and ethical validity of animal tests in assessing human safety. Growing points Most consumers have a poor understanding of the relative benefits and risks of additives, but concerns over food safety and animal testing remain high. Areas timely for developing research Examining the impacts of food additives on consumer sovereignty, consumer health and on animals used in safety testing should allow a ...
of the familiar fire triangle, namely, fuel, ignition, and oxygen. Fuel is minimized ... The third element of the fire triangle, oxygen, is obviously ...
This report is the first of four volumes that identify and assess the environmental, health, and safety issues involved in using sodium-sulfur (Na/S) battery technology as the energy source in electric and hybrid vehicles that may affect the commercialization of Na/S batteries. This and the other reports on recycling, shipping, and vehicle safety are intended to help the Electric and Hybrid Propulsion Division of the Office of Transportation Technologies in the US Department of Energy (DOE/EHP) determine the direction of its research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) program for Na/S battery technology. The reports review the status of Na/S battery RD&D and identify potential hazards and risks that may require additional research or that may affect the design and use of Na/S batteries. This volume covers cell design and engineering as the basis of safety for Na/S batteries and describes and assesses the ...
The optimization of the safety characteristics of electrical installations in industrial plants with explosion or fire hazards can be obtained only through a careful interdisciplinary study and analysis carried out at the onset of the plant project design phase. The least complex and costly and safest solutions are those which are born from plant designs which take into account the typology of the industrial process or technology, or which incorporate pollution abatement measures and adequate safety measures for the electrical installations. This paper provides examples to illustrate how the global plant economy is fundamentally dependant upon a multi-disciplinary initial effort in design analyses. Comments are made relevant to the adequacy of the safety requirements established by existing and planned Italian norms in dealing with safety and fire protection for high-tech industrial plant electrical ...
The dynamic response characteristics of the VAWT rotor are important factors governing the safety and fatique life of VAWT systems. The principal problems are ...
Depicts procedures employed to improve work safety at a mine of the Antratsit association in the Ukrainian SSR, where 1K-101 and 2K-52 cutter loaders are used to extract coal at a depth of 750 m. Some 15-20% of accidents is caused by carelessness or clumsiness. To increase awareness among miners, illuminated signs with slogans relating to work safety have been installed at 15 m intervals in roadways leading to workplaces. A satirical wall newspaper lampoons those who infringe safety regulations. Mining teams with good safety records pass on their experience to others. Public inspectors and public inspections (competitions) also play an important part in ensuring that conditions remain up to standard.
This document provides the detailed design requirements for the Spent Nuclear Fuel Project Cold Vacuum Drying Facility. Process, safety, and quality assurance requirements and interfaces are specified.
our exploration of space, in a manner with improved safety. ... a new Space Transportation System. ... Columbia launches as STS-107 on January 16, 2003. ...
This book discusses the procedures applied for the clinical nuclear medicine laboratory. The procedures are presented as proven guidelines. The chapters are included on quality assurance, radionuclide handling, and radiation safety.
Curriculums The Epilepsy Foundation, in partnership with CDC, is conducting a national education and outreach program to educate and train law enforcement officers, police...
This document is the safety analysis made by the national association of the local commissions of information about nuclear activities (ANCLI), about the safety of graphite storage silos of Saint Laurent des Eaux nuclear facility. The analysis covers: the operation safety and the accident hypothesis, the monitoring of indoor and outdoor contamination in routine situation, the geotechnical characteristics of the site environment, the isotopic inventory and the estimation of radioactivity in routine and accidental situation, the estimation of doses received by the population in accidental situation and the internal emergency plan. After examination of these different points, the scientific committee of the ANCLI considers that a new global evaluation of risks, which integrates more recent exposure data, has to be carried out. (J.S.)
This paper presents a study involving prediction of a complicated maneuvering target, with the aim of improving the tracking performance of a fire control system (FCS). In this study, we predict the position of a complicated maneuvering target 5 s in advance using the information up to the current time. Because of the large error caused by the complicated maneuvers and the long prediction time interval, the mechanical system of the fire control system will take a heavy load. In order to cope with this problem, several approaches to decreasing the prediction error have been proposed including the prediction algorithms based on the multiple model(MM) filter, interacting multiple model (IMM) filter, and variable dimension with input estimation (VDIE) filter. Finally, comparative simulation re...
We empirically investigated the relationships between the degree of efficiency and the predictability in financial time-series data. The Hurst exponent was used as the measurement of the degree of efficiency, and the hit rate calculated from the nearest-neighbor prediction method was used for the prediction of the directions of future price changes. We used 60 market indexes of various countries. We empirically discovered that the relationship between the degree of efficiency (the Hurst exponent) and the predictability (the hit rate) is strongly positive. That is, a market index with a higher Hurst exponent tends to have a higher hit rate. These results suggested that the Hurst exponent is useful for predicting future price changes. Furthermore, we also discovered that the Hurst exponent and the hit rate are useful as standards that can distinguish emerging capital markets from ...
Abstract The importance of evaluating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from dairy cows within the whole farm setting is being realized as more important than evaluating these emissions in isolation. Current whole farm models aimed at evaluating GHG emissions make use of simple regression equations to predict enteric methane (CH4) production. The objective of the current paper is to evaluate the performance of nine CH4 prediction equations that are currently being used in whole farm GHG models. Data used to evaluate the prediction equations came from a collection of individual (IND) and treatment averaged (TRT) data. Equations were compared based on mean square prediction error (MSPE) and concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) analysis. In general, predictions were poor, with root MSPE (as...
The paper brings forth the information related to the youth organizations acting at the factory, their policies, provisions of youth incentives, intake of employees to the company, labor motivation. There is also the information on the events, which take place on site, on the arrangements of the young employees' leisure, as well as on the creative and productive potential of the factory. (author)
The waste monitoring system in use at Los Alamos National Laboratory`s Plutonium Facility, TA-55, is a computer-based system that proves real-time information on industrial effluents. Remote computers monitor discharge events and data moves from one system to another via a local area network. This report describes the history, system design, summary, instrumentation list, displays, trending screens, and layout of the waste monitoring system.
Digital libraries continue to flourish. At the same time, the principles of user-centered design and the practice of usability testing have been growing in popularity, spreading their influence into the library sphere. This article explores the confluence of these two trends by surveying the current literature on usability studies of digital libraries. This article focuses on the methodology of studies of multimedia digital libraries. (Contains 1 table and 45 notes.)
The exactness of the best atomic clocks currently shows a temporal variation of 1 second in 30 million years. This means that we have reached the point of the most exact frequency and time measurement ever. In the past, there was a trend towards increasing the exactness in an increasingly fast sequence. Will this trend continue? And who will profit from it? This article is meant to give answers to these questions. This is done by presenting first the level reached currently with the best atomic clocks and describing the research activities running worldwide with the aim of achieving even more exact clocks. In the second part, we present examples of various areas of technical subjects and research in which the most exact clocks are being applied presently and even more exact ones will be needed in the future. [German] Die Genauigkeit der derzeit besten Atomuhren entspricht einer Sekunde Unsicherheit in 30 Millionen Jahren. Damit erlauben ...
Statistical data on the world energy consumption are given to illustrate the following situation in 2001: the deceleration of the world economic growth and the high prices of oil slowed down the progression of the energy consumption: 0,7 % in 2001; stagnation of the gas and oil consumption and strong progression for coal and electricity in 2001; the deceleration for gas marks a strong inflection compared to the past trends. (A.L.B.)
This paper addresses the background and the continuously evolving topics of hardening and electronic components. Typical radiation environments from 1960 are described. Examples of a civilian satellite and of future particle physics colliders help illustrate hardening problems. Effects in components, limits of shielding, and three methods of providing components are described. The authors conclude by focusing on both future trends of radiation environments and anticipated progress in electronics. (authors). 10 refs., 9 figs., 4 tabs.
Describes general trends in the quality of rural education: equivalent rural and urban performance on national standardized tests and high school graduation rates but continuing rural deficits in college attendance and teacher qualifications. Discusses the below-average performance of southern rural schools, factors affecting rural students' college attendance, and the influence of changing labor markets. (SV)
Geostatistical techniques make it possible to qualitatively and quantitatively analyze spatiotemporal inherent characteristics of environmental radiation or radioactivity. Spatial patterns and trend analysis of environmental radioactivity, e.g., {sup 137}Cs and {sup 40}K, in soil around nuclear facilities (Kori, Wolsung, Yeonggwang, Uljin, and Daejeon) will be investigated and discussed.
...global warming is going on we're gonna start to see that ...global warming ...offset the trend of global warming due to greenhouse gases so we gotta get this ...global warming ...the timing and just exactly how global warming will be feedback ...problem with global warming and that the increasing greenhouse gases substantially ...
Addresses factors affecting rural education in Tasmania (Australia), including population trends, financial support, student enrollment, socioeconomic status of rural residents, and geographic isolation. Issues that need to be addressed include the status of small schools in Tasmania, costs associated with transporting students, staffing, low student retention, and limited availability of special services. (LP)
The authors have analysed the technical character of FEL, estimated its present status, developing trend and application prospect at home and abroad. Meanwhile the have also reviewed the significance of developing FEL, its position, role and difficulties. Finally the have presented some suggestions for FEL future developments in China.
Food irradiation is the process of exposing food to an ionizing energy to kill harmful bacteria and other organisms and extend shelf-life. It is a safe process and has been approved by some 50 countries worldwide and applied commercially in the USA, Japan, China and several European countries for many years. Trends law regulations and new applications in Europe and another countries has been described. (author)
General trends of developing hydrogen power engineering and technology in Ukraine are considered. Based on a general level of power consumption and real opportunities for hydrogen production, a conclusion is derived that there are possibilities in the near future to partially replace conventional hydrocarbon fuels by hydrogen. Besides, developed technologies for burning hydrogenous gases and hydrogen-fuel systems when applied to transport installations allow one to improve essentially their power and ecological characteristics. 5 refs.
Fiber optic metrology developed at the CEA LIST laboratories involves fiber Bragg grating sensors, distributed Brillouin optical time domain reflectometry and optically stimulated luminescence dosimetry. Recent activities in optical fiber sensing are reviewed from laboratory experiments to field trials.
Several new development trends in the processing of methanol to various chemical products are discussed. The production of acetic acid by carbonylation of methanol will increase. In the future, methanol is expected to represent the raw material in the production of lower alkenes. The synthesis of lower alcohols, of synthetic gas (homologation), and of aromatic hydrocarbons from methanol are in the research stage.
As the Operating and Support staffs of the FFTF organization have gained experience, the plant reliability and capacity factors have shown a steadily improving trend. The plant capacity factor for Cycle 4 was 99.5%. It is the purpose of this report to describe the evolution of the maintenance organization at the FFTF site from a general support organization to a technically proficient organization playing a major role in planning and performance of plant maintenance evolutions.
A total of 172 persons from nine South Amerindian, three African and one Eskimo populations were studied in relation to the Paired box gene 9 (PAX9) exon 3 (138 base...Full Text Available
HIV-1 CRF02_AG and subtype G (HIV-1G) account for most HIV infections in Nigeria, but their evolutionary trends have not been well documented. To better elucidate the dynamics of the epidemic in Nigeria...Full Text Available
A review of main issues in diagnosing, complex treatment and prognosis of Ewing's sarcoma is presented. Current trend in chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery of the disease is discussed. Unfavourable prognosis is attributed to the systematic character of the disease, necessitating a complex therapeutic approach. Attempts to make an optimal combination of the three therapeutic methods in order to improve survival and reduce the rate of post-treatment complications are analyzed. 37 refs., 4 tabs. (author).
Three book reviews and five essays address the problems of governing coastal regions. The books reviewed and the articles covered the institutions and programs involved in resource management, the balance of local and state interests in coastal conservation and developments, a consensus on coastal planning issues, and a growing trend in state-local collaborative planning. Four of the articles pertain to California, and one focuses on programs in Maine, Rhode Island, and Washington. 135 references. (DCK)
Critical power characteristics of tight lattice rod assembly was investigated using a simple-shaped experimental apparatus. An electrically heated rod with four spacers was placed in a circular tube, and boiling transition condition for a rod in an annular geometry was clarified varing annulus clearance. It was found that critical heat flux depends strongly on the clearance accoding as the gap becomes smaller. This results was compared with KfK correlation and the trends were well correlated. (author).
Indicators of source water use in different economic branches, water consumption in recycling and recycling-successive water supply in 1980?2006 are analyzed. Trends were identified in variations in specific water consumption in industry, agriculture, and municipal economy. Territorial differentiation of wetness indicators of regional product over federal districts and constituent territories of the RF is shown. Wetness values of gross domestic product in different economies are compared.
A brief review of apparatuses used at enterprises engaged in industrial processing of spent nuclear fuel for dissolving dioxide nuclear fuel from power reactors is provided. Advantages and drawbacks of facilities operating in periodic, semi-continuous and continuous modes are considered. It is pointed out that today there are two promising trends in developments in the field, i.e. rotor- and vibrational-type dissolving apparatuses operated continuously
Mitsubishi Research Institute has analyzed the energy demand of a typical Japanese city, Yokohama, as well as the distribution of fossil-energy flow, and the final consumption by sectors. It has evaluated the effectiveness of various energy conservation measures, (e.g., cogeneration, electric cars, insulation,...) in countering the global warming trend. This study defines a viable methodology which may be utilized, in the future, in examining the effectiveness of environmental policies. (TEC). 1 tab., 4 figs.
Topics addressed include future trends in IR sensors, IR observer performance modeling ... steer a sensor platform with a thermal camera or an air-to-air missile system. .... Skyship and Sentinel series airships. It also outlines the current .... A layout schematic of the UPS is given. AIAA. A93-55494 ...
Game theory models of animal contests make many non-mutually exclusive predictions, complicating empirical tests. These predictions regard the relationship between contest parameters and fighting ability,...Full Text Available
Acoustic pharyngometry is a relatively new noninvasive method that quantifies geometrically complexed pharyngeal dimensions. Our study aimed to investigate the predictability and usefulness of acoustic...Full Text Available
BackgroundDifferent microarray studies have compiled gene lists for predicting outcomes of a range of treatments and diseases. These have produced gene lists that have little overlap,...Full Text Available
This conference was held December 4--8, 1994 in Asilomar, California. The purpose of this meeting was to provide a forum for exchange of state-of-the-art information concerning the prediction of protein structure. Attention if focused on the following: comparative modeling; sequence to fold assignment; and ab initio folding.
Regulatory agencies currently rely on rodent carcinogenicity bioassay data to predict whether or not a given chemical poses a carcinogenic threat to humans. We argue that it is always more useful to...Full Text Available
ObjectivesPericardial tamponade after cardiac surgery is difficult to diagnose, thereby rendering timing of rethoracotomy hard. We aimed at identifying factors predicting the outcome...Full Text Available
BackgroundReplication capacity (RC) of specific HIV isolates is occasionally blamed for unexpected treatment responses. However, the role of viral RC in response to antiretroviral...Full Text Available
BackgroundIn this study we investigated the predictability of three thermodynamic quantities related to complex formation. As a model system we chose the host-guest complexes of...Full Text Available
This report presents a summary of highlights of the year 1978. It then discusses: Research and development in numerical analysis and prediction systems; Techniques, development and application of new products; Analysis-forecast systems in operation use du...
The goal of this study was to evaluate the clinical and urodynamic features in Korean men with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and to determine non-invasive parameters for predicting bladder outlet...Full Text Available
A method has been developed to predict the effects of mutations in the p53 cancer suppressor gene. The new method uses novel parameters combined with previously established parameters. The most important...Full Text Available
Thermodynamic parameters for prediction of RNA duplex stability are reported. One parameter for duplex initiation and 10 parameters for helix propagation are derived from enthalpy and free-energy changes...Full Text Available
Background:There is a need for simple imaging parameters capable of predicting therapeutic outcome.Methods:This retrospective study analysed 50 patients...Full Text Available
Considering accessibility of the 3′UTR is believed to increase the precision of microRNA target predictions. We show that, contrary to common belief, ranking by the hybridization energy or by...Full Text Available
There are many methods to screen for abnormal amounts of proteinuria to identify patients at risk for progression of renal disease, but which method best predicts renal risk is unknown. Here, we analyzed...Full Text Available
SummaryDNA-based tests are increasingly being used to predict a blood group phenotype. This is possible because genes encoding 29 of the 30 blood group systems have been cloned and sequenced,...Full Text Available
Life-history theory predicts that traits involved in maturity, reproduction and survival correlate along a fast–slow continuum of life histories. Evolutionary theories and empirical results...Full Text Available
A new two-phase friction multiplier correlation has been developed to predict the pressure profile in two-phase flow with heat addition. The main difference from other pressure drop prediction routines is that in addition to the effect of quality, the effects of system pressure, heat and mass flux on the two-phase multiplier are included. The inception of two-phase flow is defined to occur at the onset of significant void in the subcooled boiling regime instead of the boundary between negative and positive thermodynamic equilibrium quality. Pressure drop data from an experiment with a fully segmented 6-metre long, 37-element fuel string were used to optimize the constants and exponents of this correlation for the friction multiplier. This pressure drop prediction technique was shown to successfully predict the measured pressure profiles. The more than one hundred overall pressure drop data were ...
BackgroundWe have recently introduced a predictive framework for studying gene transcriptional regulation in simpler organisms using a novel supervised learning algorithm called...Full Text Available
Two related questions critical to understanding the predictive processes that come online during sentence comprehension are 1) what information is included in the representation created through...Full Text Available
... The SMSP makes predictions based on historical precipitation data, precipitation ... are characterized by relatively large areas of strategic interest. ...
The thermal evolution predicted by current models of the superfluid-crust interaction is noted to differ substantially from the thermal evolution predicted by models without internal heating as well as previous models of heating. Heating rates approaching the maximum predicted by current models enhance the photon luminosity of the star in the neutrino cooling era, and dramatically alter the thermal evolution in the photon cooling era. Standard cooling models are consistent with current pulsar temperature estimates and upper limits, except those for the Vela pulsar, which are lower than predicted. 77 refs.
Superheater corrosion causes vast annual losses to the power companies. If the corrosion could be reliably predicted, new power plants could be designed accordingly, and knowledge of fuel selection and determination of process conditions could be utilized to minimize superheater corrosion. If relations between inputs and the output are poorly known, conventional models depending on corrosion theories will fail. A prediction model based on a neural network is capable of learning from errors and improving its performance as the amount of data increases. The neural network developed during this study predicts superheater corrosion with 80 % accuracy at early stage of the project. (orig.) 10 refs.
... of these points corresponds to the ( " 2) term in ... (d) is identical to the 1-sigma ellipse corresponding ... A new approach to linear filtering and predicted ...
12], the Predictive Capability Maturity Model (PCMM) [ref. 13], the Uncertainty Structure scale [ref. 11], and the Simulation Readiness Level (SRL) scale ...
Accidents from three main practices: medical applications, industrial radiography and industrial irradiators are used to illustrate some common causes of accidents and the main lessons to be learned. A brief description of some of these accidents is given. Lessons learned from the described accidents are approached by subjects covering: safety culture, quality assurance, human factors, good engineering practice, defence in depth, security of sources, safety assessment and monitoring and verification compliance. (author)
This is a progress report from the Health and Safety Research Division of Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Information is presented in the following sections: Assessment Technology, Biological and Radiation Physics, Chemical Physics, Biomedical and Environmental Information Analysis, Risk Analysis, Center for Risk Management, Associate Laboratories for Excellence in Radiation Technology (ALERT), and Contributions to National and Lead Laboratory Programs and Assignments--Environmental Restoration.