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Sample records for containment performance assessment

  1. Contaminant fluxes through site containment barriers: Performance assessment and illustrative results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vita, C.L.

    1994-01-01

    Contaminant mass flux by advective and diffusive transport is predicted for five containment barriers that use one or more clay liners, flexible membrane liners (FMLs), or liquid collection and removal systems (LCRS)s. Barriers are engineered systems intended to contain and isolate site contaminants from the environment. Barriers include liners, caps, and cutoff walls. Barriers may be used in contaminated-site cleanups (including CERCLA and RCRA), RCRA landfills, or other RCRA TSDFs. Concepts are provided for barrier performance assessment, including analysis and optimization, for meeting performance requirements and controlling risk at minimum cost. Concepts and results can help in planning, designing, or evaluating and communicating, the use or effectiveness of proposed or existing barriers for site cleanups or waste containment. 15 refs., 6 figs., 5 tabs

  2. Probabilistic safety assessment of LWR containment systems performance. Report of principal working group n.5 on risk assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Holloway, N.J.; Harper, F.T.; Bellard, S.W.

    1992-01-01

    This report reviews current approaches to PSA of LWR containment systems performance. It is based on a variety of recent PSA reports which deal with Level-2 PSA. The report is a summary of recent state-of-the-art containment analysis and is intended to assist analysts in their selection of the most appropriate methods of extending Level-1 plant safety evaluations into Level-2 assessments of the containment performance. The document is primarily concerned with the performance of the containment as an engineered system rather than with the source terms consequent upon its failure. It is addressed mainly to the performance of large dry PWR containments, with a secondary emphasis on other containment types. After explaining the purposes of these analyses, a survey of LWR containment analysis options is presented: direct approaches using containment event tree construction, indirect approaches based on previous PSAs, alternative and novel approaches. The selection process is then described, followed by conclusions on their suitability for various cases: accident management, research prioritization, identifying design weaknesses, specific issue resolution, modelling physical reality, etc.

  3. Containment performance improvement program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Beckner, W.; Mitchell, J.; Soffer, L.; Chow, E.; Lane, J.; Ridgely, J.

    1990-01-01

    The Containment Performance Improvement (CPI) program has been one of the main elements in the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC's) integrated approach to closure of severe accident issues for US nuclear power plants. During the course of the program, results from various probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) studies and from severe accident research programs for the five US containment types have been examined to identify significant containment challenges and to evaluate potential improvements. The five containment types considered are: the boiling water reactor (BMR) Mark I containment, the BWR Mark II containment, the BWR Mark III containment, the pressurized water reactor (PWR) ice condenser containment, and the PWR dry containments (including both subatmospheric and large subtypes). The focus of the CPI program has been containment performance and accident mitigation, however, insights are also being obtained in the areas of accident prevention and accident management

  4. Assessment of the effect of nitrogen gas on passive containment cooling system performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ha, Huiun; Suh, Jungsoo

    2016-01-01

    As a part of the passive containment cooling system (PCCS) of Innovative PWR development project, we have been investigating the effect of the nitrogen gas released from safety injection tank (SIT) on PCCS performance. With the design characteristics of APR1400 and conceptual design of PCCS, we developed a GOTHIC model of the APR1400 containment with PCCS. The calculation model is described herein, and representative results from the calculation are presented as well. The results of the present work will be used for the design of PCCS. APR1400 GOTHIC model was developed for assessment on the effect of SIT nitrogen gas on passive containment cooling system performance. Calculation results confirmed that influence of nitrogen gas release is negligible; however, further studies should be performed to confirm effect of non-condensable gas on the final performance of PCCS. These insights are important for developing the PCCS of Innovative PWR

  5. Assessment of the effect of nitrogen gas on passive containment cooling system performance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ha, Huiun; Suh, Jungsoo [KHNP CRI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-10-15

    As a part of the passive containment cooling system (PCCS) of Innovative PWR development project, we have been investigating the effect of the nitrogen gas released from safety injection tank (SIT) on PCCS performance. With the design characteristics of APR1400 and conceptual design of PCCS, we developed a GOTHIC model of the APR1400 containment with PCCS. The calculation model is described herein, and representative results from the calculation are presented as well. The results of the present work will be used for the design of PCCS. APR1400 GOTHIC model was developed for assessment on the effect of SIT nitrogen gas on passive containment cooling system performance. Calculation results confirmed that influence of nitrogen gas release is negligible; however, further studies should be performed to confirm effect of non-condensable gas on the final performance of PCCS. These insights are important for developing the PCCS of Innovative PWR.

  6. Initial performance assessment of the Westinghouse AP600 containment design and related safety issues

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nicolette, V.F.; Washington, K.E.; Tills, J.L.

    1991-01-01

    This work summarizes the Westinghouse AP600 advanced reactor design assessment calculations performed to date with the CONTAIN code. Correlations for modeling the important heat transfer phenomena are discussed as well. A CONTAIN model of the AP600 was constructed for design basis accident (DBA) calculations. Insights gained from modeling of the smaller-scale Westinghouse Integral Test Facility were incorporated in the development of the AP600 model. The results of the DBA calculations are compared to the results of other researchers to serve as a point of reference for future severe accident calculations. The CONTAIN calculations are reviewed to examine several parameters/phenomena of interest. The results of the calculations are also used to identify limitations of the CONTAIN code regarding application to advanced reactor containment designs. The most recent heat transfer correlations available in the literature are assessed for use in the flow regimes and geometries applicable to the AP600. Use of one of these correlations in CONTAIN may allow for a more accurate assessment of the AP600

  7. Assessment of the performance of containment and surveillance equipment part 1: methodology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rezniczek, A.; Richter, B.

    2009-01-01

    Equipment performance aims at the creation of relevant data. As Containment and Surveillance (C/S) is playing an ever increasing role in safeguards systems, the issue of how to assess the performance of C/S equipment is being addressed by the ESARDA Working Group on C/S. The issue is important not only for the development of appropriate safeguards approaches but also for the review of existing approaches with regard to the implementation of the Additional Protocol (A P) and Integrated Safeguards. It is expected that the selection process of appropriate equipment, especially for unattended operation, is facilitated by the availability of methods to determine the performance of such equipment. Apart from EURATOM, the users of assessment methodologies would be the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), plant operators, and instrument developers. The paper describes a non-quantitative performance assessment methodology. A structured procedure is outlined that allows assessing the suitability of different C/S instrumentation to comply with the objectives of its application. The principle to determine the performance of C/S equipment is to define, based on safeguards requirements, a task profile and to check the performance profile against the task profile. The performance profile of C/S equipment can be derived from the functional specifications and design basis tolerances provided by the equipment manufacturers.

  8. Assessment of the performance of containment and surveillance equipment part 2: trial application

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rezniczek, A.; Richter, B.; Jussofie, A.

    2009-01-01

    The adopted methodological approach for assessing the performance of Containment and Surveillance (C/S) equipment resulted from an account of work performed for and in cooperation with the ESARDA Working Group on C/S. It was applied on a trial basis to a dry storage facility for spent nuclear fuel and consisted of the following steps: (1) Acquisition and analysis of design information and operational characteristics of the facility under consideration, (2) assumptions on diversion and misuse scenarios, (3) assumptions on safeguards approach and definition of safeguards requirements, (4) compilation and characterisation of candidate C/S equipment, (5) performance assessment of C/S equipment. The candidate equipment taken into account was routinely used by the IAEA: DCM14-type camera, Type E capand- wire seal, COBRA fibre optic seal, and VACOSS electronic seal. Four applications were considered: camera mounted in the reception area, seal on secondary lid of transport and storage cask, seal on protective lid, and seal on group of casks. For these applications, requirements were defined and requirement levels were attributed. The assignment of performance levels was carried out by using the technical specifications and design basis tolerances provided by the equipment manufacturers. The results were entered into four performance assessment tables. Although the assessment methodology was not yet fully developed, its trial application yielded promising results with regard to the selection of appropriate C/S equipment.

  9. Assessment of Loads and Performance of a Containment in a Hypothetical Accident (ALPHA). Facility design report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamano, Norihiro; Maruyama, Yu; Kudo, Tamotsu; Moriyama, Kiyofumi; Ito, Hideo; Komori, Keiichi; Sonobe, Hisao; Sugimoto, Jun

    1998-06-01

    In the ALPHA (Assessment of Loads and Performance of Containment in Hypothetical Accident) program, several tests have been performed to quantitatively evaluate loads to and performance of a containment vessel during a severe accident of a light water reactor. The ALPHA program focuses on investigating leak behavior through the containment vessel, fuel-coolant interaction, molten core-concrete interaction and FP aerosol behavior, which are generally recognized as significant phenomena considered to occur in the containment. In designing the experimental facility, it was considered to simulate appropriately the phenomena mentioned above, and to cover experimental conditions not covered by previous works involving high pressure and temperature. Experiments from the viewpoint of accident management were also included in the scope. The present report describes design specifications, dimensions, instrumentation of the ALPHA facility based on the specific test objectives and procedures. (author)

  10. Performance assessment of containment filtered venting system with Venturi scrubber

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adinarayna, K.N.V.; Ali, Seik Mansoor; Balasubramaniyan, V.

    2015-01-01

    Venting through appropriate filtration systems is now being considered as a severe accident management strategy for maintaining the containment integrity and also as a means to reduce the radiological consequences to the public and environment. The option of filtered containment venting appears to have assumed significance in the post- Fukushima accident backdrop. Back-fitting of a suitable Venturi scrubber based CFVS for the Indian BWRs (TAPS- 1 and 2) at Tarapur is now being contemplated. Several key issues need to be carefully addressed for ensuring the desired functional capability of such a system. At the outset, this paper highlights a few thermal hydraulic issues that are of interest from regulatory perspective. This is followed by a detailed description of the mathematical models developed for assessing the depressurization characteristics of CFVS, energy absorption capacity of the Scrubber Tank (ST) water inventory, iodine removal and aerosol retention capability etc. Finally, application of these models to investigate the response of CFVS under twin unit SBO conditions in TAPS-1 and 2 is presented. The studies presented here give insight into the key variables affecting the CFVS performance and would be useful to both the system designer as well as the regulator. (author)

  11. Perspectives on containment performance improvement based on the IPEs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lehner, J.R.; Lin, C.C.; Pratt, W.T. [Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States)] [and others

    1995-04-01

    Generic Letter 88-20, {open_quotes}Individual Plant Examination (IPE) for Severe Accident Vulnerabilities - 10CFR 50.54(f),{close_quotes} was issued by the NRC on November 23, 1988. In addition to assessing the core damage frequency from severe accidents, licensees were requested to report the results of their analyses regarding containment performance. Supplements to the Generic Letter forwarded technical insights obtained by the NRC staff through its Containment Performance Improvement (CPI) program. At this time, most of the IPEs have been submitted by the licensees. In a follow-on effort to support regulatory activities, the NRC staff with assistance from Brookhaven National Laboratory, has initiated a program involving a global examination of the containment performance results documented in the IPEs. The objective is to identify insights of potential generic safety significance relative to plant design, operation and maintenance, as well as to assess response to the previously forwarded CPI insights. The containment performance results of the IPEs are being categorized for commonalities and differences for different reactor and containment types. Preliminary results show that not only differences in plant design but also the methods, data, boundary conditions, and assumptions used in the different IPEs have a major impact on the containment performance results obtained. This paper presents preliminary results regarding the differences in containment performance observed in the IPEs and discusses some of the underlying reasons for these differences.

  12. NRC performance assessment program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Coplan, S.M.

    1986-01-01

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) performance assessment program includes the development of guidance to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on preparation of a license application and on conducting the studies to support a license application. The nature of the licensing requirements of 10 CFR Part 60 create a need for performance assessments by the DOE. The NRC and DOE staffs each have specific roles in assuring the adequacy of those assessments. Performance allocation is an approach for determining what testing and analysis will be needed during site characterization to assure that an adequate data base is available to support the necessary performance assessments. From the standpoint of establishing is implementable methodology, the most challenging performance assessment needed for licensing is the one that will be used to determine compliance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) containment requirement

  13. Assessment of CONTAIN and MELCOR for performing LOCA and LOVA analyses in ITER

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Merrill, B.J.; Hagrman, D.L.; Gaeta, M.J.; Petti, D.A.

    1994-09-01

    This report describes the results of an assessment of the CONTAIN and MELCOR computer codes for ITER LOCA and LOVA applications. As part of the assessment, the results of running a test problem that describes an ITER LOCA are presented. It is concluded that the MELCOR code should be the preferred code for ITER severe accident thermal hydraulic analyses. This code will require the least modification to be appropriate for calculating thermal hydraulic behavior in ITER relevant conditions that include vacuum, cryogenics, ITER temperatures, and the presence of a liquid metal test module. The assessment of the aerosol transport models in these codes concludes that several modifications would have to be made to CONTAIN and/or MELCOR to make them applicable to the aerosol transport part of severe accident analysis in ITER

  14. Overpressurization performance of containment structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barr, P.; Bleackley, M.; Harrop, L.P.; Hargreaves, J.; Jowett, J.; Phillips, D.W.

    1987-01-01

    The containment building of a PWR is the outermost engineered barrier between the reactor and the environment. The most important element of such a containment system is the pressure boundary structure and its associated seals and penetrations. This containment structure is designed deterministically to withstand a number of loads and load combinations of which the dominant one is generally the internal pressure due to the double-ended guillotine break in one of the primary circuit loops. Typically, the design basis large LOCA produces a peak pressure increase in the region of 0.3 MPa in some 10 seconds and with a duration of up to a few tens of seconds. The assessment of overpressure performance of the containment structure is a key component of the PWR safety case, and is usually carried out by estimating a static factor of safety to some failure limit state. These estimates can be made using simple force-balance calculations or complicated finite element calculations, and both approaches have merit. In this paper we examine these approaches and discuss their value in estimating failure pressures and failure modes for a variety of internal pressurization transients. This discussion covers both general design and risk considerations and is illustrated by numerical examples taken from previous and on-going analysis

  15. Containment performance evaluation for the GESSAR-II plant for seismic initiating events

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shiu, K.K.; Chu, T.; Ludewig, H.; Pratt, W.T.

    1986-01-01

    As a part of the overall effort undertaken by Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) to review the GESSAR-II probabilistic risk assessment, an independent containment performance evaluation was performed using the containment event tree approach. This evaluation focused principally on those accident sequences which are initiated by seismic events. This paper reports the findings of this study. 1 ref

  16. A performance-oriented and risk-based regulation for containment testing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dey, M.

    1994-01-01

    In August 1992, the NRC initiated a major initiative to develop requirements for containment testing that are less prescriptive, and more performance-oriented and risk-based. This action was a result of public comments and several studies that concluded that the economic burden of certain, present containment testing requirements are not commensurate with their safety benefits. The rulemaking will include consideration of relaxing the allowable containment leakage rate, increasing the interval for the integrated containment test, and establishing intervals for the local containment leak rate tests based on their performance. A study has been conducted to provide technical information for establishing the performance criteria for containment tests, the allowable leakage rate, commensurate with its significance to total public risk. The study used results of a recent comprehensive study conducted by the NRC, NUREG-1150, 'Severe Accident Risks: An Assessment for Five U.S. Nuclear Power Plants,' to examine the sensitivity of containment leakage to public risk. Risk was found to be insensitive to containment leakage rate up to levels of about 100 percent-volume per day for certain types of containments. PRA methods have also been developed to establish risk-based intervals for containment tests based on their past experience. Preliminary evaluations show that increasing the interval for the integrated containment leakage test from three times to once every ten years would have an insignificant impact on public risk. Preliminary analyses of operational experience data for local leak rate tests show that performance-based testing, valves and penetrations that perform well are tested less frequently, is feasible with marginal impact on safety. The above technical studies are being used to develop efficient (cost-effective) requirements for containment tests. (author). 4 refs., 2 figs

  17. MELCOR 1.8.3 assessment: CSE containment spray experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kmetyk, L.N.

    1994-12-01

    MELCOR is a fully integrated, engineering-level computer code, being developed at Sandia National Laboratories for the USNRC, that models the entire spectrum of severe accident phenomena in a unified framework for both BWRs and PWRS. As part, of an ongoing assessment program, the MELCOR computer code has been used to analyze a series of containment spray tests performed in the Containment Systems Experiment (CSE) vessel to evaluate the performance of aqueous sprays as a means of decontaminating containment atmospheres. Basecase MELCOR results are compared with test data, and a number of sensitivity studies on input modelling parameters and options in both the spray package and the associated aerosol washout and atmosphere decontamination by sprays modelled in the radionuclide package have been done. Time-step and machine-dependency calculations were done to identify whether any numeric effects exist in these CSE assessment analyses. A significant time-step dependency due to an error in the spray package coding was identified and eliminated. A number of other code deficiencies and inconveniences also are noted

  18. An Assessment for A Filtered Containment Venting Strategy Using Decision Tree Models

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shin, Hoyoung; Jae, Moosung

    2016-01-01

    In this study, a probabilistic assessment of the severe accident management strategy through a filtered containment venting system was performed by using decision tree models. In Korea, the filtered containment venting system has been installed for the first time in Wolsong unit 1 as a part of Fukushima follow-up steps, and it is planned to be applied gradually for all the remaining reactors. Filtered containment venting system, one of severe accident countermeasures, prevents a gradual pressurization of the containment building exhausting noncondensable gas and vapor to the outside of the containment building. In this study, a probabilistic assessment of the filtered containment venting strategy, one of the severe accident management strategies, was performed by using decision tree models. Containment failure frequencies of each decision were evaluated by the developed decision tree model. The optimum accident management strategies were evaluated by comparing the results. Various strategies in severe accident management guidelines (SAMG) could be improved by utilizing the methodology in this study and the offsite risk analysis methodology

  19. An Assessment for A Filtered Containment Venting Strategy Using Decision Tree Models

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shin, Hoyoung; Jae, Moosung [Hanyang University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-10-15

    In this study, a probabilistic assessment of the severe accident management strategy through a filtered containment venting system was performed by using decision tree models. In Korea, the filtered containment venting system has been installed for the first time in Wolsong unit 1 as a part of Fukushima follow-up steps, and it is planned to be applied gradually for all the remaining reactors. Filtered containment venting system, one of severe accident countermeasures, prevents a gradual pressurization of the containment building exhausting noncondensable gas and vapor to the outside of the containment building. In this study, a probabilistic assessment of the filtered containment venting strategy, one of the severe accident management strategies, was performed by using decision tree models. Containment failure frequencies of each decision were evaluated by the developed decision tree model. The optimum accident management strategies were evaluated by comparing the results. Various strategies in severe accident management guidelines (SAMG) could be improved by utilizing the methodology in this study and the offsite risk analysis methodology.

  20. Serviceability design load factors and reliability assessments for reinforced concrete containment structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Han Bong Koo

    1998-01-01

    A reinforced concrete nuclear power plant containment structure is subjected to various random static and stochastic loads during its lifetime. Since these loads involve inherent randomness and other uncertainties, an appropriate probabilistic model for each load must be established in order to perform reliability analysis. The current ASME code for reinforced concrete containment structures are not based on probability concepts. The stochastic nature of natural hazard or accidental loads and the variations of material properties require a probabilistic approach for a rational assessment of structural safety and performance. The paper develops probability-based load factors for the limit state design of reinforced concrete containment structures. The purpose of constructing reinforced concrete containment structure is to protect against radioactive release, and so the use of a serviceability limit state against crack failure that can cause the emission of radioactive materials is suggested as a critical limit state for reinforced concrete containment structures. Load factors for the design of reinforced concrete containment structures are proposed and carried out the reliability assessments. (orig.)

  1. LASCO: a performance assessment and training laboratory for containment and surveillance techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cuypers, M.; Landat, D.

    1991-01-01

    The use of Containment and Surveillance (C/S) techniques for the implementation of nuclear safeguards has increased substantially in recent years. Sealing and identification systems are used on a large scale and video surveillance is replacing gradually film camera systems. Furthermore many C/S systems are operated in an unattended mode. In order to evaluate the performances and assurance which can be obtained from C/S systems, JRC has installed a laboratory, called LaSCo, for testing C/S components and systems, simulating, where possible, field conditions. This laboratory includes facilities for training inspectors, for instance for reviewing aid of video pictures, use of integrated multisensor systems, evaluation of ultrasonic sealing methods. Several years ago, JRC installed a performance laboratory for NDA, called PERLA, which is now extensively used. LaSCo is expected to play the same role as PERLA but in the field of Containment and Surveillance and by extension to non nuclear measurements (e.g. Weighing, volume determinations). The newly built facilities and the first experimental lay-out of LaSCo are described. It is expected that industry and inspectors will make extensive use of LaSCo

  2. CONTAIN assessment of the NUPEC mixing experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stamps, D.W.

    1995-08-01

    The ability of the CONTAIN code to predict the thermal hydraulics of five experiments performed in the NUPEC 1/4-scale model containment was assessed. These experiments simulated severe accident conditions in a nuclear power plant in which helium (as a nonflammable substitute for hydrogen) and steam were coinjected at different locations in the facility with and without the concurrent injection of water sprays in the dome. Helium concentrations, gas temperatures and pressures, and wall temperatures were predicted and compared with the data. The use of different flow solvers, nodalization schemes, and analysis methods for the treatment of water sprays was emphasized. As a result, a general procedure was suggested for lumped-parameter code analyses of problems in which the thermal hydraulics are dominated by water sprays

  3. A study on the influence diagrams for the application to containment performance analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Joon Won

    1995-02-01

    Influence diagrams have been applied to containment performance analysis of Young-Gwang 3 and 4 in an effort to explicitly display the dependencies between events and to treat operator intervention more generally. This study has been initiated to remove the three major drawbacks of the current event tree methodology: 1) Event tree cannot express dependency between events explicitly. 2) Accident Progression Event Tree (APET) cannot represent entire containment system. 3) It is difficult to consider operator intervention with event tree. To resolve these problems, a new approach, i.e., influence diagrams, are proposed. In the present work, the applicability of the influence diagrams have been demonstrated to YGN 3 and 4 containment performance analysis and an assessment of accident management strategies. To show that the results of the application of influence diagrams are reasonable, results are compared with that of YGN 3 and 4 IPE. Both results are in good agreement. In addition, influence diagrams are used to assess two accident management strategies: 1) RCS depressurization, 2) cavity flooding. Cavity flooding has a favorable effect to late containment failure and basemat melt-through, and depressurization of RCS is good for steam generator tube rupture. However, early containment failure probability is worse in both cases. As a result of the present study, it is shown that influence diagrams can be applied to the containment performance analysis

  4. Performance Evaluation and Modelling of Container Terminals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Venkatasubbaiah, K.; Rao, K. Narayana; Rao, M. Malleswara; Challa, Suresh

    2018-02-01

    The present paper evaluates and analyzes the performance of 28 container terminals of south East Asia through data envelopment analysis (DEA), principal component analysis (PCA) and hybrid method of DEA-PCA. DEA technique is utilized to identify efficient decision making unit (DMU)s and to rank DMUs in a peer appraisal mode. PCA is a multivariate statistical method to evaluate the performance of container terminals. In hybrid method, DEA is integrated with PCA to arrive the ranking of container terminals. Based on the composite ranking, performance modelling and optimization of container terminals is carried out through response surface methodology (RSM).

  5. Methods for assessing NPP containment pressure boundary integrity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Naus, D.J.; Ellingwood, B.R.; Graves, H.L.

    2004-01-01

    Research is being conducted to address aging of the containment pressure boundary in light-water reactor plants. Objectives of this research are to (1) understand the significant factors relating to corrosion occurrence, efficacy of inspection, and structural capacity reduction of steel containments and of liners of concrete containments; (2) provide the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) reviewers a means of establishing current structural capacity margins or estimating future residual structural capacity margins for steel containments and concrete containments as limited by liner integrity; and (3) provide recommendations, as appropriate, on information to be requested of licensees for guidance that could be utilized by USNRC reviewers in assessing the seriousness of reported incidences of containment degradation. Activities include development of a degradation assessment methodology; reviews of techniques and methods for inspection and repair of containment metallic pressure boundaries; evaluation of candidate techniques for inspection of inaccessible regions of containment metallic pressure boundaries; establishment of a methodology for reliability-based condition assessments of steel containments and liners; and fragility assessments of steel containments with localized corrosion

  6. Assessment of Residual Stresses in 3013 Inner and Outer Containers and Teardrop Samples

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stroud, Mary Ann [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Prime, Michael Bruce [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Veirs, Douglas Kirk [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Berg, John M. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Clausen, Bjorn [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Worl, Laura Ann [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); DeWald, Adrian T. [Hill Engineering, LLC, Rancho Cordova, CA (United States)

    2015-12-08

    This report is an assessment performed by LANL that examines packaging for plutonium-bearing materials and the resilience of its design. This report discusses residual stresses in the 3013 outer, the SRS/Hanford and RFETS/LLNL inner containers, and teardrop samples used in studies to assess the potential for SCC in 3013 containers. Residual tensile stresses in the heat affected zones of the closure welds are of particular concern.

  7. Assessment of Residual Stresses in 3013 Inner and Outer Containers and Teardrop Samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stroud, Mary Ann; Prime, Michael Bruce; Veirs, Douglas Kirk; Berg, John M.; Clausen, Bjorn; Worl, Laura Ann; DeWald, Adrian T.

    2015-01-01

    This report is an assessment performed by LANL that examines packaging for plutonium-bearing materials and the resilience of its design. This report discusses residual stresses in the 3013 outer, the SRS/Hanford and RFETS/LLNL inner containers, and teardrop samples used in studies to assess the potential for SCC in 3013 containers. Residual tensile stresses in the heat affected zones of the closure welds are of particular concern.

  8. Containment concepts assessment for the SEAFP reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Di Pace, L.; Natalizio, A.

    2000-01-01

    A simple methodology has been developed for making relative comparisons of potential containment designs for future fusion reactors. The assessment methodology requires only conceptual design information. The application of this methodology, at the early stages of a fusion reactor design, provides designers useful information regarding the suitability of various containment designs and design features. Because the radiation hazard from the operation of future fusion power reactors is expected to be low, the containment design, in addition to public safety, needs to take into account worker safety considerations, as well as factors important to the reliable and economical operation of the power plant. Several containment concepts have been assessed with a methodology that takes into account public safety, worker safety, operability and maintainability as well as cost. This paper describes this methodology and presents the results of the assessment. The paper concludes that, to obtain a containment design that is optimised with respect to safety, operational and cost factors, designers should focus on a containment that is conceptually simple-that is, one utilising a single, large containment building without relying on special features such as expansion volumes, pressure suppression pools or spray systems

  9. Structural-performance testing of titanium-shell lead-matrix container MM2

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hosaluk, L. J.; Barrie, J. N.

    1992-05-15

    This report describes the hydrostatic structural-performance testing of a half-scale, titanium-shell, lead-matrix container (MM2) with a large, simulated volumetric casting defect. Mechancial behaviour of the container is assessed from extensive surface-strain measurements and post-test non-destructive and destructive examinations. Measured strain data are compared briefly with analytical results from a finite-element model of a previous test prototype, MM1, and with data generated by a finite-difference computer code. Finally, procedures are recommended for more detailed analytical modelling. (auth)

  10. Hanford immobilized low-activity tank waste performance assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mann, F.M.

    1998-01-01

    The Hanford Immobilized Low-Activity Tank Waste Performance Assessment examines the long-term environmental and human health effects associated with the planned disposal of the vitrified low-level fraction of waste presently contained in Hanford Site tanks. The tank waste is the by-product of separating special nuclear materials from irradiated nuclear fuels over the past 50 years. This waste has been stored in underground single and double-shell tanks. The tank waste is to be retrieved, separated into low and high-activity fractions, and then immobilized by private vendors. The US Department of Energy (DOE) will receive the vitrified waste from private vendors and plans to dispose of the low-activity fraction in the Hanford Site 200 East Area. The high-level fraction will be stored at Hanford until a national repository is approved. This report provides the site-specific long-term environmental information needed by the DOE to issue a Disposal Authorization Statement that would allow the modification of the four existing concrete disposal vaults to provide better access for emplacement of the immobilized low-activity waste (ILAW) containers; filling of the modified vaults with the approximately 5,000 ILAW containers and filler material with the intent to dispose of the containers; construction of the first set of next-generation disposal facilities. The performance assessment activity will continue beyond this assessment. The activity will collect additional data on the geotechnical features of the disposal sites, the disposal facility design and construction, and the long-term performance of the waste. Better estimates of long-term performance will be produced and reviewed on a regular basis. Performance assessments supporting closure of filled facilities will be issued seeking approval of those actions necessary to conclude active disposal facility operations. This report also analyzes the long-term performance of the currently planned disposal system as a basis

  11. Hanford immobilized low-activity tank waste performance assessment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mann, F.M.

    1998-03-26

    The Hanford Immobilized Low-Activity Tank Waste Performance Assessment examines the long-term environmental and human health effects associated with the planned disposal of the vitrified low-level fraction of waste presently contained in Hanford Site tanks. The tank waste is the by-product of separating special nuclear materials from irradiated nuclear fuels over the past 50 years. This waste has been stored in underground single and double-shell tanks. The tank waste is to be retrieved, separated into low and high-activity fractions, and then immobilized by private vendors. The US Department of Energy (DOE) will receive the vitrified waste from private vendors and plans to dispose of the low-activity fraction in the Hanford Site 200 East Area. The high-level fraction will be stored at Hanford until a national repository is approved. This report provides the site-specific long-term environmental information needed by the DOE to issue a Disposal Authorization Statement that would allow the modification of the four existing concrete disposal vaults to provide better access for emplacement of the immobilized low-activity waste (ILAW) containers; filling of the modified vaults with the approximately 5,000 ILAW containers and filler material with the intent to dispose of the containers; construction of the first set of next-generation disposal facilities. The performance assessment activity will continue beyond this assessment. The activity will collect additional data on the geotechnical features of the disposal sites, the disposal facility design and construction, and the long-term performance of the waste. Better estimates of long-term performance will be produced and reviewed on a regular basis. Performance assessments supporting closure of filled facilities will be issued seeking approval of those actions necessary to conclude active disposal facility operations. This report also analyzes the long-term performance of the currently planned disposal system as a basis

  12. An assessment of BWR [boiling water reactor] Mark-II containment challenges, failure modes, and potential improvements in performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kelly, D.L.; Jones, K.R.; Dallman, R.J.; Wagner, K.C.

    1990-07-01

    This report assesses challenges to BWR Mark II containment integrity that could potentially arise from severe accidents. Also assessed are some potential improvements that could prevent core damage or containment failure, or could mitigate the consequences of such failure by reducing the release of fission products to the environment. These challenges and improvements are analyzed via a limited quantitative risk/benefit analysis of a generic BWR/4 reactor with Mark II containment. Point estimate frequencies of the dominant core damage sequences are obtained and simple containment event trees are constructed to evaluate the response of the containment to these severe accident sequences. The resulting containment release modes are then binned into source term release categories, which provide inputs to the consequence analysis. The output of the consequences analysis is used to construct an overall base case risk profile. Potential improvements and sensitivities are evaluated by modifying the event tree spilt fractions, thus generating a revised risk profile. Several important sensitivity cases are examined to evaluate the impact of phenomenological uncertainties on the final results. 75 refs., 25 figs., 65 tabs

  13. Two-Stage Performance Engineering of Container-based Virtualization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zheng Li

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Cloud computing has become a compelling paradigm built on compute and storage virtualization technologies. The current virtualization solution in the Cloud widely relies on hypervisor-based technologies. Given the recent booming of the container ecosystem, the container-based virtualization starts receiving more attention for being a promising alternative. Although the container technologies are generally considered to be lightweight, no virtualization solution is ideally resource-free, and the corresponding performance overheads will lead to negative impacts on the quality of Cloud services. To facilitate understanding container technologies from the performance engineering’s perspective, we conducted two-stage performance investigations into Docker containers as a concrete example. At the first stage, we used a physical machine with “just-enough” resource as a baseline to investigate the performance overhead of a standalone Docker container against a standalone virtual machine (VM. With findings contrary to the related work, our evaluation results show that the virtualization’s performance overhead could vary not only on a feature-by-feature basis but also on a job-to-job basis. Moreover, the hypervisor-based technology does not come with higher performance overhead in every case. For example, Docker containers particularly exhibit lower QoS in terms of storage transaction speed. At the ongoing second stage, we employed a physical machine with “fair-enough” resource to implement a container-based MapReduce application and try to optimize its performance. In fact, this machine failed in affording VM-based MapReduce clusters in the same scale. The performance tuning results show that the effects of different optimization strategies could largely be related to the data characteristics. For example, LZO compression can bring the most significant performance improvement when dealing with text data in our case.

  14. Life cycle assessment of façade coating systems containing manufactured nanomaterials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hischier, Roland, E-mail: roland.hischier@empa.ch; Nowack, Bernd [Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa), Technology and Society Lab (TSL) (Switzerland); Gottschalk, Fadri [ETSS (Switzerland); Hincapie, Ingrid [Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa), Technology and Society Lab (TSL) (Switzerland); Steinfeldt, Michael [University of Bremen FB 4/FG 10 Technological Design and Development (Germany); Som, Claudia [Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa), Technology and Society Lab (TSL) (Switzerland)

    2015-02-15

    Nanotechnologies are expected to hold considerable potential for the development of new materials in the construction sector. Up to now the environmental benefits and risks of products containing manufactured nanomaterials (MNM) have been quantified only to a limited extent. This study aims to assess the potential environmental, health and safety impacts of coatings containing MNM using Life-cycle assessment: Do paints containing MNM result in a better environmental performance than paints not containing MNM? The study shows that the results depend on a number of factors: (i) The MNM have to substitute an (active) ingredient of the initial paint composition and not simply be an additional ingredient. (ii) The new composition has to extend the lifetime of the paint for such a time period that the consumption of paint along the life cycle of a building is reduced. (iii) Releases of MNM have to be reduced to the lowest level possible (in particular by dumping unused paint together with the packaging). Only when all these boundary conditions are fulfilled, which is the case only for one of the three paint systems examined, is an improved environmental performance of the MNM-containing paint possible for the paint compositions examined in this study.

  15. Containment performance of S-prism under severe BDB conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boardman, C.E.; Dubberley, A.E.; Hui, M.; Iwashige, K.

    2001-01-01

    S-PRISM is an advanced Fast Reactor plant design that utilizes compact modular pool-type reactors sized to enable factory fabrication and an affordable prototype test of a single Nuclear Steam Supply System (NSSS) for design certification at minimum cost and risk. Based on the success of the previous DOE sponsored Advanced Liquid Metal Reactor (ALMR) program GE has continued to develop and assess the technical viability and economic potential of an up-rated modular Fast Reactor called Super PRISM (S-PRISM). S-PRISM retains all of the key ALMR design features including passive reactor shutdown, passive shutdown heat removal, and passive reactor cavity cooling that were developed under an earlier DOE program. An additional feature of S-PRISM involves the use an innovative containment system that reduces the required design basis containment pressure by a factor of two through the use of a controlled venting system. The performance of this innovative containment system is evaluated and described in this paper. (author)

  16. Development of Integrated Assessment Technology of Risk and Performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, Jun Eon; Kang, Dae Il; Kang, Hyun Gook

    2010-04-01

    The main idea and contents are summarized as below 1) Development of new risk/performance assessment system innovating old labor-intensive risk assessment structure - New consolidated risk assessment technology from various hazard(flood, fire, seismic in NPP) - BOP model development for performance monitoring - Consolidated risk/performance management system for consistency and efficiency of NPP 2) Resolution technology for pending issues in PSA - Base technology for PSA of digital I and C system - Base technology for seismic PSA reflecting domestic seismic characteristics and aging effect - Uncertainty reduction technology for level 2 PSA and best estimation of containment failure frequency 3) Next generation risk/performance assessment technology - Human-induced error reduction technology for efficient operation of a NPP

  17. Seismic damage assessment of reinforced concrete containment structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cho, HoHyun; Koh, Hyun-Moo; Hyun, Chang-Hun; Kim, Moon-Soo; Shin, Hyun Mock

    2003-01-01

    This paper presents a procedure for assessing seismic damage of concrete containment structures using the nonlinear time-history numerical analysis. For this purpose, two kinds of damage index are introduced at finite element and structural levels. Nonlinear finite element analysis for the containment structure applies PSC shell elements using a layered approach leading to damage indices at finite element and structural levels, which are then used to assess the seismic damage of the containment structure. As an example of such seismic damage assessment, seismic damages of the containment structure of Wolsong I nuclear power plant in Korea are evaluated against 30 artificial earthquakes generated with a wide range of PGA according to US NRC regulatory guide 1.60. Structural responses and corresponding damage index according to the level of PGA and nonlinearity are investigated. It is also shown that the containment structure behaves elastically for earthquakes corresponding to or lower than DBE. (author)

  18. Identification and assessment of containment and release management strategies for a BWR Mark III containment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lin, C.C.; Lehner, J.R.; Vandenkieboom, J.J.

    1992-02-01

    This report identifies and assesses accident management strategies which could be important for preventing containment failure and/or mitigating the release of fission products during a severe accident in a BWR plant with a Mark III type of containment. Based on information available from probabilistic risk assessments and other existing severe accident research, and using simplified containment and release event trees, the report identifies the challenges a Mark III containment could face during the course of a severe accident, the mechanisms behind these challenges, and the strategies that could be used to mitigate the challenges. The strategies are linked to the general safety objectives which apply for containment and release management by means of a safety objective tree. The strategies were assessed by applying them to certain severe accident sequence categories deemed important for a Mark III containment because of one or more of the following characteristics: high probability of core damage, high consequences, lead to a number of challenges, and involve the failure of multiple systems

  19. Containment performance observations and insights of LWRs based on the IPEs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lehner, J.; Pratt, W.T.; Lane, J.; Chow, E.; Ridgely, J.

    1994-01-01

    Generic Letter 88-20, open-quotes Individual Plant Examination for Severe Accident Vulnerabilities - 10CFR 50.54(f),close quotes requesting the IPEs, was issued by the NRC on November 23, 1988. U.S. licensee were requested to conduct an Individual Plant Examination (IPE) in order to identify potential severe accident vulnerabilities at their plant and to implement cost-effective plant improvements to reduce or eliminate these vulnerabilities. Supplements to the Generic Letter forwarded technical insights obtained by the NRC staff through its Containment Performance Improvement (CPI) program. These insights were deemed important enough by the staff to bring to the attention of the licensees for use, as they deemed appropriate, in the IPEs which they were preparing. Coupled to their Level 1 results, licensees were requested to report the results of their analyses regarding containment performance. These results included those related to the general methodology used, plant data, plant features, plant damage states, models and methods used in the accident progression analysis, containment failure characterization, containment event trees and their end states, and radionuclide release characterization. At this time, most of the IPEs have been submitted by the licensees. In a follow-up effort to support regulatory activities, the NRC staff with assistance from Brookhaven National Laboratory, has initiated a program involving a global examination of the containment performance results documented in the IPEs. The objective is to identify insights of potential generic safety significance relative to plant design, operation and maintenance, as well as to assess response to the previously forwarded CPI insights

  20. Performance-based containment leakage testing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cybulskis, P.

    1995-01-01

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is reviewing regulatory requirements in an effort to revise those that are marginal to safety but impose significant burdens on licensees. Identification of requirements marginal to safety and development and evaluation of alternatives utilize the NRC safety goals and insights from probabilistic risk assessments (PRAs). Since earlier studies found design-basis containment leakage to be a minor contributor to reactor accident risk, containment leakage testing has been selected as a candidate for change in regulations. This paper summarizes the technical analyses supporting the NRC proposal to amend Appendix J of 10 CFR Part 50 as its first effort to decrease unnecessary regulatory burdens on licensees

  1. Performance Based Clustering for Benchmarking of Container Ports: an Application of Dea and Cluster Analysis Technique

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jie Wu

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available The operational performance of container ports has received more and more attentions in both academic and practitioner circles, the performance evaluation and process improvement of container ports have also been the focus of several studies. In this paper, Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA, an effective tool for relative efficiency assessment, is utilized for measuring the performances and benchmarking of the 77 world container ports in 2007. The used approaches in the current study consider four inputs (Capacity of Cargo Handling Machines, Number of Berths, Terminal Area and Storage Capacity and a single output (Container Throughput. The results for the efficiency scores are analyzed, and a unique ordering of the ports based on average cross efficiency is provided, also cluster analysis technique is used to select the more appropriate targets for poorly performing ports to use as benchmarks.

  2. Performance of Sequoyah Containment Anchorage System

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fanous, F.; Greimann, L.; Wassef, W.; Bluhm, D.

    1993-01-01

    Deformation of a steel containment anchorage system during a severe accident may result in a leakage path at the containment boundaries. Current design criteria are based on either ductile or brittle failure modes of headed bolts that do not account for factors such as cracking of the containment basemat or deformation of the anchor bolt that may affect the behavior of the containment anchorage system. The purpose of this study was to investigate the performance of a typical ice condenser containment's anchorage system. This was accomplished by analyzing the Sequoyah Containment Anchorage System. Based on a strength of materials approach and assuming that the anchor bolts are resisting the uplift caused by the internal pressure, one can estimate that the failure of the anchor bolts would occur at a containment pressure of 79 psig. To verify these results and to calibrate the strength of materials equation, the Sequoyah containment anchorage system was analyzed with the ABAQUS program using a three-dimensional, finite-element model. The model included portions of the steel containment building, shield building, anchor bolt assembly, reinforced concrete mat and soil foundation material

  3. Reliability assessment of Passive Containment Cooling System of an Advanced Reactor using APSRA methodology

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kumar, Mukesh, E-mail: mukeshd@barc.gov.in [Reactor Engineering Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085 (India); Chakravarty, Aranyak [School of Nuclear Studies and Application, Jadavpur University, Kolkata 700032 (India); Nayak, A.K. [Reactor Engineering Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085 (India); Prasad, Hari; Gopika, V. [Reactor Safety Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085 (India)

    2014-10-15

    Highlights: • The paper deals with the reliability assessment of Passive Containment Cooling System of Advanced Heavy Water Reactor. • Assessment of Passive System ReliAbility (APSRA) methodology is used for reliability assessment. • Performance assessment of the PCCS is initially performed during a postulated design basis LOCA. • The parameters affecting the system performance are then identified and considered for further analysis. • The failure probabilities of the various components are assessed through a classical PSA treatment using generic data. - Abstract: Passive Systems are increasingly playing a prominent role in the advanced nuclear reactor systems and are being utilised in normal operations as well as safety systems of the reactors following an accident. The Passive Containment Cooling System (PCCS) is one of the several passive safety features in an Advanced Reactor (AHWR). In this paper, the APSRA methodology has been employed for reliability evaluation of the PCCS of AHWR. Performance assessment of the PCCS is initially performed during a postulated design basis LOCA using the best-estimate code RELAP5/Mod 3.2. The parameters affecting the system performance are then identified and considered for further analysis. Based on some pre-determined failure criterion, the failure surface for the system is predicted using the best-estimate code taking into account the deviations of the identified parameters from their nominal states as well as the model uncertainties inherent to the best estimate code. Root diagnosis is then carried out to determine the various failure causes, which occurs mainly due to malfunctioning of mechanical components. The failure probabilities of the various components are assessed through a classical PSA treatment using generic data. The reliability of the PCCS is then evaluated from the probability of availability of these components.

  4. Reliability assessment of Passive Containment Cooling System of an Advanced Reactor using APSRA methodology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kumar, Mukesh; Chakravarty, Aranyak; Nayak, A.K.; Prasad, Hari; Gopika, V.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • The paper deals with the reliability assessment of Passive Containment Cooling System of Advanced Heavy Water Reactor. • Assessment of Passive System ReliAbility (APSRA) methodology is used for reliability assessment. • Performance assessment of the PCCS is initially performed during a postulated design basis LOCA. • The parameters affecting the system performance are then identified and considered for further analysis. • The failure probabilities of the various components are assessed through a classical PSA treatment using generic data. - Abstract: Passive Systems are increasingly playing a prominent role in the advanced nuclear reactor systems and are being utilised in normal operations as well as safety systems of the reactors following an accident. The Passive Containment Cooling System (PCCS) is one of the several passive safety features in an Advanced Reactor (AHWR). In this paper, the APSRA methodology has been employed for reliability evaluation of the PCCS of AHWR. Performance assessment of the PCCS is initially performed during a postulated design basis LOCA using the best-estimate code RELAP5/Mod 3.2. The parameters affecting the system performance are then identified and considered for further analysis. Based on some pre-determined failure criterion, the failure surface for the system is predicted using the best-estimate code taking into account the deviations of the identified parameters from their nominal states as well as the model uncertainties inherent to the best estimate code. Root diagnosis is then carried out to determine the various failure causes, which occurs mainly due to malfunctioning of mechanical components. The failure probabilities of the various components are assessed through a classical PSA treatment using generic data. The reliability of the PCCS is then evaluated from the probability of availability of these components

  5. Radiological performance assessment for the E-Area Vaults Disposal Facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cook, J.R.

    1994-01-01

    These document contains appendices A-M for the performance assessment. They are A: details of models and assumptions, B: computer codes, C: data tabulation, D: geochemical interactions, E: hydrogeology of the Savannah River Site, F: software QA plans, G: completeness review guide, H: performance assessment peer review panel recommendations, I: suspect soil performance analysis, J: sensitivity/uncertainty analysis, K: vault degradation study, L: description of naval reactor waste disposal, M: porflow input file

  6. H1259 Container Foams: Performance Data on Aged Materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Linda Domeier

    2002-01-01

    Samples of the three cushioning foams used in the H1259 weapon storage container were obtained in 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2001 and tested for density, compression set and compressive strength using the same procedures specified for acceptance testing. Foams from six containers, all about 30 years old and located at Pantex, were evaluated. The bottom cushioning foam is a General Plastics polyurethane foam and the two side pads are rebonded polyurethane foams. All the tests were carried out at room temperature. When compared to the original acceptance requirements the foams were generally in-spec for density and compressive strength at 10% strain and were generally out-of-spec for compression set and compressive strength at 50% strain. Significant variability was noted in the performance of each foam sample and even more in the container-to-container foam performance. The container-to-container variability remains the major unknown in predicting the long-term suitability of these containers for continued use. The performance of the critical bottom cushion foams was generally more uniform and closer to the specified performance than that of the rebonded foams. It was judged that all the foams were adequate for continued use as storage container foams (not shipping) under controlled conditions to mitigate temperature extremes or high impact. This archived information is important in evaluations of the continued suitability for weapon storage use of the H1259 containers and other containers using the same foam cushions

  7. Performance of particulate containment at nanotechnology workplaces

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lo, Li-Ming; Tsai, Candace S.-J.; Dunn, Kevin H.; Hammond, Duane; Marlow, David; Topmiller, Jennifer; Ellenbecker, Michael

    2015-01-01

    The evaluation of engineering controls for the production or use of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) was investigated at two facilities. These control assessments are necessary to evaluate the current status of control performance and to develop proper control strategies for these workplaces. The control systems evaluated in these studies included ventilated enclosures, exterior hoods, and exhaust filtration systems. Activity-based monitoring with direct-reading instruments and filter sampling for microscopy analysis were used to evaluate the effectiveness of control measures at study sites. Our study results showed that weighing CNTs inside the biological safety cabinet can have a 37 % reduction on the particle concentration in the worker’s breathing zone, and produce a 42 % lower area concentration outside the enclosure. The ventilated enclosures used to reduce fugitive emissions from the production furnaces exhibited good containment characteristics when closed, but they failed to contain emissions effectively when opened during product removal/harvesting. The exhaust filtration systems employed for exhausting these ventilated enclosures did not provide promised collection efficiencies for removing engineered nanomaterials from furnace exhaust. The exterior hoods were found to be a challenge for controlling emissions from machining nanocomposites: the downdraft hood effectively contained and removed particles released from the manual cutting process, but using the canopy hood for powered cutting of nanocomposites created 15–20 % higher ultrafine (<500 nm) particle concentrations at the source and at the worker’s breathing zone. The microscopy analysis showed that CNTs can only be found at production sources but not at the worker breathing zones during the tasks monitored

  8. Performance of particulate containment at nanotechnology workplaces

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lo, Li-Ming, E-mail: LLo@cdc.gov [National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (United States); Tsai, Candace S.-J. [Purdue University (United States); Dunn, Kevin H.; Hammond, Duane; Marlow, David; Topmiller, Jennifer [National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (United States); Ellenbecker, Michael [University of Massachusetts Lowell (United States)

    2015-11-15

    The evaluation of engineering controls for the production or use of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) was investigated at two facilities. These control assessments are necessary to evaluate the current status of control performance and to develop proper control strategies for these workplaces. The control systems evaluated in these studies included ventilated enclosures, exterior hoods, and exhaust filtration systems. Activity-based monitoring with direct-reading instruments and filter sampling for microscopy analysis were used to evaluate the effectiveness of control measures at study sites. Our study results showed that weighing CNTs inside the biological safety cabinet can have a 37 % reduction on the particle concentration in the worker’s breathing zone, and produce a 42 % lower area concentration outside the enclosure. The ventilated enclosures used to reduce fugitive emissions from the production furnaces exhibited good containment characteristics when closed, but they failed to contain emissions effectively when opened during product removal/harvesting. The exhaust filtration systems employed for exhausting these ventilated enclosures did not provide promised collection efficiencies for removing engineered nanomaterials from furnace exhaust. The exterior hoods were found to be a challenge for controlling emissions from machining nanocomposites: the downdraft hood effectively contained and removed particles released from the manual cutting process, but using the canopy hood for powered cutting of nanocomposites created 15–20 % higher ultrafine (<500 nm) particle concentrations at the source and at the worker’s breathing zone. The microscopy analysis showed that CNTs can only be found at production sources but not at the worker breathing zones during the tasks monitored.

  9. Performance assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Doe, T.

    1985-01-01

    The purpose of performance assessment is to show that the repository is expected to serve its stated function - disposing of radioactive waste safely both during operation and for the postclosure period. Performance assessment is a straightforward concept, but its application may be very complicated. The concept of performance assessment has been clarified by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in their Draft Generic Technical Position on Licensing Assessment Methodology for High-Level Waste Geologic Repositories (NRC, 1984). This document has gone a long way toward defining the criteria that the NRC will use to determine whether or not information from site characterization is adequate to meet the regulations of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). A favorable determination is required for issuance of a construction authorization, which is the first major regulatory requirement for developing a working repository. It is, therefore, essential that a research program be developed that not only resolves the outstanding technical issues, but also does it in such a way that the results are clearly applicable to the formal performance assessment and licensing procedures. The definitions of performance assessment are reviewed and the current NRC thinking is summarized

  10. Identification and assessment of containment and release management strategies for a BWR Mark I containment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lin, C.C.; Lehner, J.R.

    1991-09-01

    This report identifies and assesses accident management strategies which could be important for preventing containment failure and/or mitigating the release of fission products during a severe accident in a BWR plant with a Mark 1 type of containment. Based on information available from probabilistic risk assessments and other existing severe accident research, and using simplified containment and release event trees, the report identifies the challenges a Mark 1 containment could face during the course of a severe accident, the mechanisms behind these challenges, and the strategies that could be used to mitigate the challenges. A safety objective tree is developed which provides the connection between the safety objectives, the safety functions, the challenges, and the strategies. The strategies were assessed by applying them to certain severe accident sequence categories which have one or more of the following characteristics: have high probability of core damage or high consequences, lead to a number of challenges, and involve the failure of multiple systems. 59 refs., 55 figs., 27 tabs

  11. Studies of severe accidents in light water reactors. Containment performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hayns, M.R.; Phillips, D.W.; Young, R.L.D.

    1987-01-01

    The containment system of a LWR is an obvious component of the plant which performs an important safety function in preventing the release of fission products to the environment in the event of design basis accidents. With over 260 LWRs in service worldwide, and others still under construction, there is a considerable diversity of containment types and combinations of containment safeguards systems. All of these satisfy local regulatory requirements which are principally aimed at the design basis accidents, and these requirements naturally have a considerable uniformity. However, their design diversity becomes more relevant to the performance of the containment in severe accident conditions, and this aspect of containment performance is reviewed in this paper. The ability of the containment to mitigate severe accident consequences introduces the potential for accident management and recovery and this in turn points towards a range of new containment systems and concepts. PSA helps in judging these possibilities and in forming policies and procedures for accident management. It is perhaps in accident management that severe accident containment performance will be most beneficial in the future, and where additional effort in containment analysis will be focused

  12. Post-assessment of pre-stressed containment structures by evaluation of monitored long term deformation results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wienand, B.

    2015-01-01

    The comparison of monitored long term deformations of containment structures with calculated values achieved by using design material parameters shows occasionally considerable deviations, partly caused by conservative assumptions in the containments design phase. Systematic post-assessment and adaption of the decisive parameters attains better coincidence. In the present investigation measured long-term deformations are first of all compared to pre-calculated values based on the material parameters defined in the design phase. Afterwards, the deformations deviations are minimized by repeating the calculation with assessed material parameters. This method appears to be a suitable method to predict the future containment structure long-term behavior and to achieve a possible life-time extension. The presented investigation was performed as part of NUGENIA ACCEPPT project which researches the ageing of concrete containment structures in nuclear power plants

  13. Leaching assessment of road materials containing primary lead and zinc slags.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barna, R; Moszkowicz, P; Gervais, C

    2004-01-01

    Characterisation of the leaching behaviour of waste-containing materials is a crucial step in the environmental assessment for reuse scenarios. In our research we applied the multi-step European methodology ENV 12-920 to the leaching assessment of road materials containing metallurgical slag. A Zn slag from an imperial smelting furnace (ISF) and a Pb slag from a lead blast furnace (LBF) are investigated. The two slags contain up to 11.2 wt% of lead and 3.5 wt% of zinc and were introduced as a partial substitute for sand in two road materials, namely sand-cement and sand-bitumen. At the laboratory scale, a leaching assessment was performed first through batch equilibrium leaching tests. Second, the release rate of the contaminants was evaluated using saturated leaching tests on monolithic material. Third, laboratory tests were conducted on monolithic samples under intermittent wetting conditions. Pilot-scale tests were conducted for field testing of intermittent wetting conditions. The results show that the release of Pb and Zn from the materials in a saturated scenario was controlled by the pH of the leachates. For the intermittent wetting conditions, an additional factor, blocking of the pores by precipitation during the drying phase is proposed. Pilot-scale leaching behaviour only partially matched with the laboratory-scale test results: new mass transfer mechanisms and adapted laboratory leaching tests are discussed.

  14. Assessment of severe accident prevention and mitigation features: PWR, large dry containment design

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perkins, K.R.; Hsu, C.J.; Lehner, J.R.; Luckas, W.J.; Cho, N.; Fitzpatrick, R.G.; Pratt, W.T.; Eltawila, F.; Maly, J.A.

    1988-07-01

    Plant features and operator actions which have been found to be important in either preventing or mitigating severe accidents in PWRs with large dry containments have been identified. These features and actions were developed from insights derived from reviews of risk assessments performed specifically for the Zion plant and from assessments of other relevant studies. Accident sequences that dominate the core-damage frequency and those accident sequences that are of potentially high consequence were identified. Vulnerabilities of the large dry containment to severe accident containment loads were also identified. In addition, those features of a PWR with a large dry containment, which are important for preventing core damage and are available for mitigating fission-product release to the environment were identified. The report is issued to provide focus to the analyst examining an individual plant. The report calls attention to plant features and operator actions and provides a list of deterministic tributes for assessing those features and actions found to be helpful in reducing the overall risk for Zion and other PWRs with large dry containments. Thus, the guidance is offered as a resource in examining the subject plant to determine if the same, or similar, plant features and operator actions will be of value in reducing overall plant risk. This report is intended to serve solely as guidance

  15. Assessment of severe accident prevention and mitigation features: PWR, ice-condenser containment design

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hsu, C.J.; Perkins, K.R.; Luckas, W.J.; Fitzpatrick, R.G.; Cho, N.; Lehner, J.R.; Pratt, W.T.; Eltawila, F.; Maly, J.A.

    1988-07-01

    Plant features and operator actions which have been found to be important in either preventing and mitigating severe accidents in PWRs with ice-condenser containments have been identified. Thus features and actions were developed from insights derived from reviews of risk assessments performed specifically for the Sequoyah plant and from assessments of other relevant studies. Accident sequences that dominate the core-damage frequency and those accident sequences that are of potentially high consequence were identified. Vulnerabilities of the ice-condenser containment to sever accident containment loads were also identified. In addition, those features of a PWR with an ice-condenser containment, which are important for preventing core damage and are available for mitigating fission-product release to the environment were identified. This report is issued to provide focus to an analyst examining an individual plant. The report calls attention to plant features and operator actions and provides a list of deterministic attributes for assessing those features and actions found to be helpful in reducing the overall risk for Sequoyah and other PWRs with ice-condenser containments. Thus, the guidance is offered as a resource in examining the subject plant to determine if the same, or similar, plant features and operator actions will be of value in reducing overall plant risk. This report is intended to serve solely as guidance. 14 tabs

  16. An assessment of BWR [boiling water reactor] Mark III containment challenges, failure modes, and potential improvements in performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schroeder, J.A.; Pafford, D.J.; Kelly, D.L.; Jones, K.R.; Dallman, F.J.

    1991-01-01

    This report describes risk-significant challenges posed to Mark III containment systems by severe accidents as identified for Grand Gulf. Design similarities and differences between the Mark III plants that are important to containment performance are summarized. The accident sequences responsible for the challenges and the postulated containment failure modes associated with each challenge are identified and described. Improvements are discussed that have the potential either to prevent or delay containment failure, or to mitigate the offsite consequences of a fission product release. For each of these potential improvements, a qualitative analysis is provided. A limited quantitative risk analysis is provided for selected potential improvements. 21 refs., 5 figs., 46 tabs

  17. Structural Integrity Assessment of Reactor Containment Subjected to Aircraft Crash

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Junyong; Chang, Yoonsuk

    2013-01-01

    When an accident occurs at the NPP, containment building which acts as the last barrier should be assessed and analyzed structural integrity by internal loading or external loading. On many occasions that can occur in the containment internal such as LOCA(Loss Of Coolant Accident) are already reflected to design. Likewise, there are several kinds of accidents that may occur from the outside of containment such as earthquakes, hurricanes and strong wind. However, aircraft crash that at outside of containment is not reflected yet in domestic because NPP sites have been selected based on the probabilistic method. After intentional aircraft crash such as World Trade Center and Pentagon accident in US, social awareness for safety of infrastructure like NPP was raised world widely and it is time for assessment of aircraft crash in domestic. The object of this paper is assessment of reactor containment subjected to aircraft crash by FEM(Finite Element Method). In this paper, assessment of structural integrity of containment building subjected to certain aircraft crash was carried out. Verification of structure integrity of containment by intentional severe accident. Maximum stress 61.21MPa of horizontal shell crash does not penetrate containment. Research for more realistic results needed by steel reinforced concrete model

  18. Annual Performance Reports: 2002-2003 State Assessment Data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thurlow, Martha L.; Moen, Ross E.; Wiley, Hilda I.

    2005-01-01

    States and other educational entities receiving Part B funding under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) submitted their Annual Performance Reports to the U.S. Secretary of Education on or before March 31, 2004. These reports contained information on a variety of indicators, including assessment participation and performance…

  19. Assessment of the Internal Pressure Fragility of the Hanul NPP Units 3 and 4 Containment Building Using a Nonlinear Finite Element Analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Hyung Kui; Hahm, Dea Gi; Choi, In Kil [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2013-10-15

    The sensitivity of the concrete strength is relatively higher compared to that of the steel strength. According to changes in the structure of the material, about 6-10% ultimate internal pressure differences occurred. Thirty sets of an FE model considering the material uncertainty of concrete and steel were composed for the internal pressure fragility assessment. From the internal pressure fragility assessment of the target containment building, the median capacity of liner leakage is estimated to be 116 psi. As can be seen from the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident, the containment building is the final protecting shield to prevent radiation leakage. Thus, a structural soundness evaluation for the containment pressure loads owing to a severe accident is very important. Recently, a probabilistic safety assessment has been commonly used to take into account the possible factors of uncertainty in a structural system. An assessment of the internal pressure fragility of the CANDU type containment buildings considering the correlation of structural material variables, and an assessment of the internal pressure fragility of the CANDU type containment buildings using a nonlinear finite element analysis, were also performed. However, for PWR type containment buildings, a fragility assessment has not been performed yet using a nonlinear finite element model (FEM) analysis. In this study, for the Hanul NPP units 3 and 4 containment building, the internal pressure fragility assessment was established using an FEM analysis. To do this, a three-dimensional finite element model, material property values, and a sensitive analysis were developed. A nonlinear finite element analysis of the Hanul NPP units 3 and 4 containment building was performed for a material sensitivity analysis and internal pressure fragility assessment.

  20. Assessment of the Internal Pressure Fragility of the Hanul NPP Units 3 and 4 Containment Building Using a Nonlinear Finite Element Analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Hyung Kui; Hahm, Dea Gi; Choi, In Kil

    2013-01-01

    The sensitivity of the concrete strength is relatively higher compared to that of the steel strength. According to changes in the structure of the material, about 6-10% ultimate internal pressure differences occurred. Thirty sets of an FE model considering the material uncertainty of concrete and steel were composed for the internal pressure fragility assessment. From the internal pressure fragility assessment of the target containment building, the median capacity of liner leakage is estimated to be 116 psi. As can be seen from the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident, the containment building is the final protecting shield to prevent radiation leakage. Thus, a structural soundness evaluation for the containment pressure loads owing to a severe accident is very important. Recently, a probabilistic safety assessment has been commonly used to take into account the possible factors of uncertainty in a structural system. An assessment of the internal pressure fragility of the CANDU type containment buildings considering the correlation of structural material variables, and an assessment of the internal pressure fragility of the CANDU type containment buildings using a nonlinear finite element analysis, were also performed. However, for PWR type containment buildings, a fragility assessment has not been performed yet using a nonlinear finite element model (FEM) analysis. In this study, for the Hanul NPP units 3 and 4 containment building, the internal pressure fragility assessment was established using an FEM analysis. To do this, a three-dimensional finite element model, material property values, and a sensitive analysis were developed. A nonlinear finite element analysis of the Hanul NPP units 3 and 4 containment building was performed for a material sensitivity analysis and internal pressure fragility assessment

  1. Computer aided probabilistic assessment of containment integrity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsai, J.C.; Touchton, R.A.

    1984-01-01

    In the probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) of a nuclear power plant, there are three probability-based techniques which are widely used for event sequence frequency quantification (including nodal probability estimation). These three techniques are the event tree analysis, the fault tree analysis and the Bayesian approach for database development. In the barrier analysis for assessing radionuclide release to the environment in a PRA study, these techniques are employed to a greater extent in estimating conditions which could lead to failure of the fuel cladding and the reactor coolant system (RCS) pressure boundary, but to a lesser degree in the containment pressure boundary failure analysis. The main reason is that containment issues are currently still in a state of flux. In this paper, the authors describe briefly the computer programs currently used by the nuclear industry to do event tree analyses, fault tree analyses and the Bayesian update. The authors discuss how these computer aided probabilistic techniques might be adopted for failure analysis of the containment pressure boundary

  2. Control Performance Management in Industrial Automation Assessment, Diagnosis and Improvement of Control Loop Performance

    CERN Document Server

    Jelali, Mohieddine

    2013-01-01

    Control Performance Management in Industrial Automation provides a coherent and self-contained treatment of a group of methods and applications of burgeoning importance to the detection and solution of problems with control loops that are vital in maintaining product quality, operational safety, and efficiency of material and energy consumption in the process industries. The monograph deals with all aspects of control performance management (CPM), from controller assessment (minimum-variance-control-based and advanced methods), to detection and diagnosis of control loop problems (process non-linearities, oscillations, actuator faults), to the improvement of control performance (maintenance, re-design of loop components, automatic controller re-tuning). It provides a contribution towards the development and application of completely self-contained and automatic methodologies in the field. Moreover, within this work, many CPM tools have been developed that goes far beyond available CPM packages. Control Perform...

  3. Identification and assessment of containment and release management strategies for a BWR Mark II containment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lin, C.C.; Lehner, J.R.

    1992-06-01

    Accident management strategies that have the potential to maintain containment integrity and control or mitigate the release of radioactivity following a severe accident at a boiling water reactor with a Mark 2 type of containment are identified and evaluated. The strategies are referred to as containment and release strategies. Using information available from probabilistic risk assessments and other existing severe accident research, and employing simplified containment and release event trees, this report identified the challenges a Mark 2 containment may encounter during a severe accident, the mechanisms behind these challenges, and the strategies that could be used to mitigate the challenge. By means of a safety objective tree, the strategies are linked to the general safety objectives of containment and release management. As part of the assessment process, the strategies are applied to certain severe accident sequence categories deemed important to a Mark 2 containment. These sequence categories exhibit one or more of the following characteristics: high probability of core damage, high consequences, lead to a number of challenges, and involve the failure of multiple systems. The Limerick Generating Station is used as a representative Mark 2 plant to illustrate plant specifics in this report

  4. Measurements and assessments on shielding performance of FCTC{sub 10}'6{sup 0}Co transport container

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhuang, Dajie; Li, Guo Qiang; Wang, Renze [China Institute for Radiation Protection, Shanxi (China); Zhang, Guo Qing [Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Shanghai (China)

    2016-09-15

    FCTC10 container is designed to transport {sup 60}Co radioactive sources used in irradiation industry. It belongs to Type B(U) Category III (yellow) package when being loaded with a {sup 60}Co source of 1.8×10{sup 5} Ci. The container is constituted of shielding container, basket, protective cover and bracket. Shielding ability is provided mainly by stainless steel shells, tungsten alloy and lead among steel shells. Radiation level around the container has been calculated with both Monte Carlo simulations and measurements. It is proven that the shielding performance of the container fulfills the requirements in GB11806-2004 (Regulations for the safe transport of radioactive material, China Standard Press). Exposure doses to workers and to critical groups of public were calculated based on hypothetical exposure scene according to transport practice experience. The results show that doses to workers and public are less than the constraint dose considered in design, and the radiation level would be increased less than a factor of 2 under design basis accidents.

  5. Uncertainty evaluation methods for waste package performance assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, Y.T.; Nair, P.K.; Journel, A.G.; Abramson, L.R.

    1991-01-01

    This report identifies and investigates methodologies to deal with uncertainties in assessing high-level nuclear waste package performance. Four uncertainty evaluation methods (probability-distribution approach, bounding approach, expert judgment, and sensitivity analysis) are suggested as the elements of a methodology that, without either diminishing or enhancing the input uncertainties, can evaluate performance uncertainty. Such a methodology can also help identify critical inputs as a guide to reducing uncertainty so as to provide reasonable assurance that the risk objectives are met. This report examines the current qualitative waste containment regulation and shows how, in conjunction with the identified uncertainty evaluation methodology, a framework for a quantitative probability-based rule can be developed that takes account of the uncertainties. Current US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regulation requires that the waste packages provide ''substantially complete containment'' (SCC) during the containment period. The term ''SCC'' is ambiguous and subject to interpretation. This report, together with an accompanying report that describes the technical considerations that must be addressed to satisfy high-level waste containment requirements, provides a basis for a third report to develop recommendations for regulatory uncertainty reduction in the ''containment''requirement of 10 CFR Part 60. 25 refs., 3 figs., 2 tabs

  6. Risk-informed assessment of degraded containment structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Spencer, B.W.; Kunsman, D.M.; Graves, H.L.

    2003-01-01

    As nuclear power plants age, a number of degradation mechanisms may begin to affect the ability of critical containment structures to prevent radiation release during a severe accident. A research program is underway to quantify the effects of various types of containment degradation in a risk-informed manner. In this paper, corrosion is assumed to occur in the liner of a reinforced concrete containment at a 'typical' U.S. pressurized water reactor nuclear power plant, and its effect is investigated. Latin hypercube sampling is used in conjunction with finite element models of a typical steel-lined reinforced concrete containment to generate overpressurization fragilities of the containment with and without corrosion. An existing probabilistic risk assessment model of the plant is then used with these fragilities to determine the increase in risk caused by the corrosion. (author)

  7. Capacity assessment of concrete containment vessels subjected to aircraft impact

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Andonov, Anton, E-mail: anton.andonov@mottmac.com; Kostov, Marin; Iliev, Alexander

    2015-12-15

    Highlights: • An approach to assess the containment capacity to aircraft impact via fragility curves is proposed. • Momentum over Area was defined as most suitable reference parameter to describe the aircraft load. • The effect of the impact induced damages on the containment pressure capacity has been studied. • The studied containment shows no reduction of the pressure capacity for the investigated scenarios. • The effectiveness of innovative protective structure against aircraft impact has been evaluated. - Abstract: The paper describes the procedure and the results from the assessment of the vulnerability of a generic pre-stressed containment structure subjected to a large commercial aircraft impact. Impacts of Boeing 737, Boeing 767 and Boeing 747 have been considered. The containment vulnerability is expressed by fragility curves based on the results of a number of nonlinear dynamic analyses. Three reference parameters have been considered as impact intensity measure in the fragility curve definition: peak impact force (PIF), peak impact pressure (PIP) and Momentum over Area (MoA). Conclusions on the most suitable reference parameter as well on the vulnerability of such containment vessels are drawn. The influence of the aircraft impact induced damages on the containment ultimate pressure capacity is also assessed and some preliminary conclusions on this are drawn. The paper also addresses a conceptual design of a protective structure able to decrease the containment vulnerability and provide a preliminary assessment of the applicability of such concept.

  8. Capacity assessment of concrete containment vessels subjected to aircraft impact

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Andonov, Anton; Kostov, Marin; Iliev, Alexander

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • An approach to assess the containment capacity to aircraft impact via fragility curves is proposed. • Momentum over Area was defined as most suitable reference parameter to describe the aircraft load. • The effect of the impact induced damages on the containment pressure capacity has been studied. • The studied containment shows no reduction of the pressure capacity for the investigated scenarios. • The effectiveness of innovative protective structure against aircraft impact has been evaluated. - Abstract: The paper describes the procedure and the results from the assessment of the vulnerability of a generic pre-stressed containment structure subjected to a large commercial aircraft impact. Impacts of Boeing 737, Boeing 767 and Boeing 747 have been considered. The containment vulnerability is expressed by fragility curves based on the results of a number of nonlinear dynamic analyses. Three reference parameters have been considered as impact intensity measure in the fragility curve definition: peak impact force (PIF), peak impact pressure (PIP) and Momentum over Area (MoA). Conclusions on the most suitable reference parameter as well on the vulnerability of such containment vessels are drawn. The influence of the aircraft impact induced damages on the containment ultimate pressure capacity is also assessed and some preliminary conclusions on this are drawn. The paper also addresses a conceptual design of a protective structure able to decrease the containment vulnerability and provide a preliminary assessment of the applicability of such concept.

  9. Development of safety enhancement technology of containment building

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seo, Jeong Moon; Choun, Y. S.; Choi, I. K.

    2002-04-01

    This study consists of four research areas, (1) Seismic safety assessment, (2) Aging assessment of a containment building, (3) Prediction of long-term behavior and analysis of a containment building, (4) Performance verification of a containment building. In the seismic safety assessment area, responses of a containment building were monitored and the analysis method was verified. Also performed are the identification of earthquake characteristics and improvement of the seismic fragility analysis method. In the area of aging assessment of a containment building, we developed aging management code SLMS and database. Aging tests were performed for containment building materials and aging models were developed. Techniques for investigation, detection, and evaluation of aging were developed. In the area of prediction of long-term behavior and analysis of a containment building, we developed a non-linear structural analysis code NUCAS and material models. In the area of performance verification of a containment building, we analyzed the crack behavior of a containment wall and the behavior of the containment under internal pressure. We also improved the ISI methods for prestressed containment

  10. Development of self and peer performance assessment on iodometric titration experiment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nahadi; Siswaningsih, W.; Kusumaningtyas, H.

    2018-05-01

    This study aims to describe the process in developing of reliable and valid assessment to measure students’ performance on iodometric titration and the effect of the self and peer assessment on students’ performance. The self and peer-instrument provides valuable feedback for the student performance improvement. The developed assessment contains rubric and task for facilitating self and peer assessment. The participants are 24 students at the second-grade student in certain vocational high school in Bandung. The participants divided into two groups. The first 12 students involved in the validity test of the developed assessment, while the remain 12 students participated for the reliability test. The content validity was evaluated based on the judgment experts. Test result of content validity based on judgment expert show that the developed performance assessment instrument categorized as valid on each task with the realibity classified as very good. Analysis of the impact of the self and peer assessment implementation showed that the peer instrument supported the self assessment.

  11. The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Performance Assessment Program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Myers, J.; Coons, W.E.; Eastmond, R.; Morse, J.; Chakrabarti, S.; Zurkoff, J.; Colton, I.D.; Banz, I.

    1986-01-01

    The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Performance Assessment Program involves a comprehensive analysis of the WIPP project with respect to the recently finalized Environmental Protection Agency regulations regarding the long-term geologic isolation of radioactive wastes. The performance assessment brings together the results of site characterization, underground experimental, and environmental studies into a rigorous determination of the performance of WIPP as a disposal system for transuranic radioactive waste. The Program consists of scenario development, geochemical, hydrologic, and thermomechanical support analyses and will address the specific containment and individual protection requirements specified in 40 CFR 191 sub-part B. Calculated releases from these interrelated analyses will be reported as an overall probability distribution of cumulative release resulting from all processes and events occurring over the 10,000 year post-closure period. In addition, results will include any doses to the public resulting from natural processes occurring over the 1,000 year post-closure period. The overall plan for the WIPP Performance Assessment Program is presented along with approaches to issues specific to the WIPP project

  12. Statistical analysis in MSW collection performance assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teixeira, Carlos Afonso; Avelino, Catarina; Ferreira, Fátima; Bentes, Isabel

    2014-09-01

    The increase of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) generated over the last years forces waste managers pursuing more effective collection schemes, technically viable, environmentally effective and economically sustainable. The assessment of MSW services using performance indicators plays a crucial role for improving service quality. In this work, we focus on the relevance of regular system monitoring as a service assessment tool. In particular, we select and test a core-set of MSW collection performance indicators (effective collection distance, effective collection time and effective fuel consumption) that highlights collection system strengths and weaknesses and supports pro-active management decision-making and strategic planning. A statistical analysis was conducted with data collected in mixed collection system of Oporto Municipality, Portugal, during one year, a week per month. This analysis provides collection circuits' operational assessment and supports effective short-term municipality collection strategies at the level of, e.g., collection frequency and timetables, and type of containers. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Eddy Current Assessment of Engineered Components Containing Nanofibers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ko, Ray T.; Hoppe, Wally; Pierce, Jenny

    2009-03-01

    The eddy current approach has been used to assess engineered components containing nanofibers. Five specimens with different programmed defects were fabricated. A 4-point collinear probe was used to verify the electrical resistivity of each specimen. The liftoff component of the eddy current signal was used to test two extreme cases with different nano contents. Additional eddy current measurements were also used in detecting a missing nano layer simulating a manufacturing process error. The results of this assessment suggest that eddy current liftoff measurement can be a useful tool in evaluating the electrical properties of materials containing nanofibers.

  14. A development of containment performance analysis methodology using GOTHIC code

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, B. C.; Yoon, J. I. [Future and Challenge Company, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Byun, C. S.; Lee, J. Y. [Korea Electric Power Research Institute, Taejon (Korea, Republic of); Lee, J. Y. [Seoul National University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2003-10-01

    In a circumstance that well-established containment pressure/temperature analysis code, CONTEMPT-LT treats the reactor containment as a single volume, this study introduces, as an alternative, the GOTHIC code for an usage on multi-compartmental containment performance analysis. With a developed GOTHIC methodology, its applicability is verified for containment performance analysis for Korean Nuclear Unit 1. The GOTHIC model for this plant is simply composed of 3 compartments including the reactor containment and RWST. In addition, the containment spray system and containment recirculation system are simulated. As a result of GOTHIC calculation, under the same assumptions and conditions as those in CONTEMPT-LT, the GOTHIC prediction shows a very good result; pressure and temperature transients including their peaks are nearly the same. It can be concluded that the GOTHIC could provide reasonable containment pressure and temperature responses if considering the inherent conservatism in CONTEMPT-LT code.

  15. A development of containment performance analysis methodology using GOTHIC code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, B. C.; Yoon, J. I.; Byun, C. S.; Lee, J. Y.; Lee, J. Y.

    2003-01-01

    In a circumstance that well-established containment pressure/temperature analysis code, CONTEMPT-LT treats the reactor containment as a single volume, this study introduces, as an alternative, the GOTHIC code for an usage on multi-compartmental containment performance analysis. With a developed GOTHIC methodology, its applicability is verified for containment performance analysis for Korean Nuclear Unit 1. The GOTHIC model for this plant is simply composed of 3 compartments including the reactor containment and RWST. In addition, the containment spray system and containment recirculation system are simulated. As a result of GOTHIC calculation, under the same assumptions and conditions as those in CONTEMPT-LT, the GOTHIC prediction shows a very good result; pressure and temperature transients including their peaks are nearly the same. It can be concluded that the GOTHIC could provide reasonable containment pressure and temperature responses if considering the inherent conservatism in CONTEMPT-LT code

  16. Tax Performance Assessment in Scandinavian Countries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bunescu Liliana

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to evaluate fiscal policy performance level in Nordic countries of Europe by quantifying the gap between their performance and an optimum benchmark value. In this study it was selected Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Norway. These countries occupy the first places in the ranking of countries with the highest rate of tax burden in Europe. The first part of paper contains general aspects of fiscal performance in international research and an overview of the Nordic tax systems model. The second part of paper focuses on evaluation of tax policy performance in these countries by using OptimTax scoring analysis. The research is based on a multivariate analysis instrument that uses quantitative data on various aspects of tax policy. OptimTax achieves a score for assessing the degree of optimization of fiscal policy. The results reveal high levels of tax performance in Scandinavian countries and a trend that seems to be more constant than ascending, except Norway.

  17. Assessment of gas flammability in transuranic waste container

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Connolly, M.J.; Loehr, C.A.; Djordjevic, S.M.; Spangler, L.R.

    1995-01-01

    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 flammability of TRU waste drums, which would increase the allowable concentrations of flammable VOCS. A flammability assessment methodology is presented that will allow more drums to be shipped to WIPP without treatment or repackaging and reduce the need for flame testing on drums. The approach includes experimental work to determine mixture lower explosive limits (MLEL) for the types of gas mixtures observed in TRU waste, a model for predicting the MLEL for mixtures of VOCS, hydrogen, and methane, and revised screening limits for total flammable VOCs concentrations and concentrations of hydrogen and methane using existing drum headspace gas data and the model predictions

  18. The link between performance assessment and quality of data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Csullog, G.W.

    1990-11-01

    Performance assessments, using both individual and cumulative inventories, produce estimates of the risk or dose consequences for repository concepts. Unacceptable risk or dose for a given contaminant identify it as a problem contaminant. While risk or dose consequences are common outputs of safety assessments, results can also be reported as estimates of the safe inventory limit for each contaminant in a repository scenario. Once problem contaminants are identified, it may be useful to: validate the data used in the performance assessment; restrict contaminant inventories in the repository; or, improve the containment capability of the repository (including improved packaging). A key point is that performance assessments define the quality of data to be collected. If a contaminant's inventory will be far below its estimated safe inventory limit for a repository, then it is reasonable to accept inventory estimates that have high variances and low confidence. For contaminants that have a significant impact upon performance assessments, efforts must be made to provide the best inventory (source term) estimates practicable. One important goal of characterization programs should be to establish the adequacy of data used in performance assessments. There is little value in striving to improve confidence in data for some waste streams if they are assessed to have a minor impact upon repository performance. Streams that have a major impact upon performance deserve the time, attention and money to be characterized adequately. Waste acceptance must be linked to the quality of characterization data provided by generators. This link sets compliance monitoring requirements

  19. THAI experimental programme for containment safety assessment under severe accident conditions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gupta, S.; Freitag, M. [Becker Technologies GmbH, Eschborn (Germany); Poss, G.

    2016-05-15

    The THAI (THAI = Thermal hydraulics, Hydrogen, Aerosols, Iodine) experimental programme aims to address open questions concerning the behavior of hydrogen, iodine and aerosols in the containment of water cooled reactors. Since its construction in 2000, THAI programme is being performed in the frame of various national projects (sponsored by German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, BMWi) and two international joint projects (under auspices of OECD/NEA). THAI experimental data have been widely used for the validation and further development of Lumped Parameter (LP) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) codes with 3D capabilities. Selected examples of code benchmark exercises performed based on the THAI data include; hydrogen distribution experiment (ISP-47 and OECD/NEA THAI code benchmark), hydrogen combustion behaviour (ISP-49), hydrogen mitigation by PARs (OECD/NEA THAI-2 code benchmark), iodine/surface interactions, iodine mass transfer, and iodine transport and multi-compartment behaviour (EU-SARNET and EU-SARNET2), thermal-hydraulic tests (German CFD-network). In the present paper, a brief overview on the THAI experiments and their role in the containment safety assessment is discussed.

  20. TURVA-2012: Performance assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hellae, Pirjo; Snellman, Margit; Marcos, Nuria; Pastina, Barbara; Smith, Paul; Koskinen, Kari

    2014-01-01

    TURVA-2012 is Posiva's safety case in support of the Preliminary Safety Analysis Report (PSAR) and application for a construction licence for a repository for disposal of spent nuclear fuel at the Olkiluoto site in south-western Finland. Posiva's safety concept is based on long-term isolation and containment, which is achieved through a robust engineered barrier system (EBS) design and favourable geological conditions at the repository site. The reference design considered in the TURVA-2012 safety case is the KBS-3V design, with the EBS consisting of a copper-iron canister, a buffer of swelling clay material, a backfill in the deposition tunnels of low-permeability material and closure of the central tunnels and other underground openings. The host rock acts as a natural barrier. Each barrier contributes to safety through one or more safety function. The conditions needed for the barriers to fulfil their respective safety functions are expressed in terms of performance targets for the EBS and the target properties for the host rock. The performance assessment (Posiva, 2013), which is a key component of TURVA-2012, analyses the ability of the repository system to provide containment and isolation of the spent nuclear fuel during the long-term evolution of the system and the site. The conditions needed for the barriers to fulfil their respective safety functions are expressed in terms of performance targets for the engineered barriers and target properties for the host rock, for example properties related to the corrosion resistance and mechanical strength of the canister as well as groundwater flow and composition. The analyses take into account the uncertainties in the initial state, the subsequent thermal, hydraulic, mechanical and chemical evolution of the repository system and uncertainties in the evolution. The conclusions of the performance assessment are based mostly on the output of key modelling activities. Whenever modelling is not possible the conclusions

  1. Assessment of materials for nuclear fuel immobilization containers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nuttall, K; Urbanic, V F

    1981-09-01

    A wide range of engineering metals and alloys has been assessed for their suitability as container materials for irradiated nuclear fuel intended for permanent disposal in a deep, underground hard-rock vault. The expected range of service conditions in the disposal vault are discussed, as well as the material properties required for this application. An important requirement is that the container last at least 500 years without being breached. The assessment is treated in two parts. Part I concentrates on the physical and mechanical metallurgy, with special reference to strength, weldability, potential embrittlement mechanisms and some economic aspects. Part II discusses possible mechanisms of metallic corrosion for the various engineering alloys and the expected range of environmental conditions in the vault. Localized corrosion and delayed fracture processes are identified as being most likely to limit container lifetime. Hence an essential requirement is that such processes either be absent or proceed at an insignificant rate. Three groups of alloys are recommended for further consideration as possible container materials: AISI 300 series austenitic stainless steels, high nickel-base alloys and very dilute titanium-base alloys. Specific alloys from each group are indicated as having the optimum combination of required properties, including cost. For container designs where the outer container shell does not independently support the service loads, copper should also be considered. The final material selection will depend primarily on the enviromental conditions in the vault. 42 figures, 31 tables.

  2. Analysis of Depressurization Performance in Containment of Wolsong NPP Unit 1 through Containment Filtered Venting System

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Sunghan; Kim, Jinhyuck; Suh, Nam Duk; Cho, Songwon

    2014-01-01

    Containment filtered venting system (CFVS) is designed to open and to close isolation valves passively by an operator. CFVS is operated when the containment pressure exceeds the design pressure (225 kPa(a)) and is closed when the containment pressure decreases below 151 kPa(a). The aim of this study is to analyze the depressurization performance of Wolsong unit 1 through CFVS during SBO. The thermal-hydraulic behavior in containment of Wolsong unit 1 was evaluated using the MELCOR 1.8.6 code developed at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). In addition, in order to evaluate the effects of the CFVS according to the venting area, a sensitivity study depending on different venting area of the CFVS was conducted. Finally, an analysis of the effects of filtering and scrubbing of radioactive material for CFVS is important but not treated in this paper. The SBO accident is chosen to analyze the thermal-hydraulic behavior of Wolsong unit 1. During SBO, the analysis of CFVS affecting on the depressurization of the containment was conducted using MELCOR 1.8.6 code. Also, a sensitivity study was carried out to evaluate the depressurization performance according to the venting area of CFVS. The results show that the containment pressure is considerably decreased and the integrity of the containment could be maintained in case of CFVS operating. Therefore, CFVS has the capacity to keep the containment pressure below the design pressure during SBO. In addition, there are large differences in the containment pressure depending on venting area. We found that the decreasing rate of the pressure in the containment and water level in CFVS depends on the venting area. In the future, a proper requirement for CFVS sizing criteria according to accident scenarios such as LBLOCA, SBLOCA and SGTR, etc. should be evaluated in order to review the licensing for CFVS. Finally, analyses of aerosols, fission product, and radioactive material

  3. Effectiveness of containment sprays in containment management

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nourbakhsh, H.P.; Perez, S.E.; Lehner, J.R.

    1993-05-01

    A limited study has been performed assessing the effectiveness of containment sprays-to mitigate particular challenges which may occur during a severe accident. Certain aspects of three specific topics related to using sprays under severe accident conditions were investigated. The first was the effectiveness of sprays connected to an alternate water supple and pumping source because the actual containment spray pumps are inoperable. This situation could occur during a station blackout. The second topic concerned the adverse as well as beneficial effects of using containment sprays during severe accident scenario where the containment atmosphere contains substantial quantities of hydrogen along with steam. The third topic was the feasibility of using containment sprays to moderate the consequences of DCH

  4. Reliability-based condition assessment of steel containment and liners

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ellingwood, B.; Bhattacharya, B.; Zheng, R.

    1996-11-01

    Steel containments and liners in nuclear power plants may be exposed to aggressive environments that may cause their strength and stiffness to decrease during the plant service life. Among the factors recognized as having the potential to cause structural deterioration are uniform, pitting or crevice corrosion; fatigue, including crack initiation and propagation to fracture; elevated temperature; and irradiation. The evaluation of steel containments and liners for continued service must provide assurance that they are able to withstand future extreme loads during the service period with a level of reliability that is sufficient for public safety. Rational methodologies to provide such assurances can be developed using modern structural reliability analysis principles that take uncertainties in loading, strength, and degradation resulting from environmental factors into account. The research described in this report is in support of the Steel Containments and Liners Program being conducted for the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The research demonstrates the feasibility of using reliability analysis as a tool for performing condition assessments and service life predictions of steel containments and liners. Mathematical models that describe time-dependent changes in steel due to aggressive environmental factors are identified, and statistical data supporting the use of these models in time-dependent reliability analysis are summarized. The analysis of steel containment fragility is described, and simple illustrations of the impact on reliability of structural degradation are provided. The role of nondestructive evaluation in time-dependent reliability analysis, both in terms of defect detection and sizing, is examined. A Markov model provides a tool for accounting for time-dependent changes in damage condition of a structural component or system. 151 refs

  5. Simplified dynamic buckling assessment of steel containments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Farrar, C.R.; Duffey, T.A.; Renick, D.H.

    1993-01-01

    A simplified, three-degree-of-freedom analytical procedure for performing a response spectrum buckling analysis of a thin containment shell is developed. Two numerical examples with R/t values which bound many existing steel containments are used to illustrate the procedure. The role of damping on incipient buckling acceleration level is evaluated for a regulatory seismic spectrum using the two numerical examples. The zero-period acceleration level that causes incipient buckling in either of the two containments increases 31% when damping is increased from 1% to 4% of critical. Comparisons with finite element results on incipient buckling levels are favorable

  6. Assessment of integrity of structures containing cracks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Townley, C.H.A.

    1976-01-01

    The object of the investigations is to provide a method of assessing the safety and integrity of structures containing cracklike defects. Estimated load at which the cracked structure will fail is compared with the highest load likely to be applied in service

  7. Hydrogen burn assessment with the CONTAIN code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    van Rij, H.M.

    1986-01-01

    The CONTAIN computer code was developed at Sandia National Laboratories, under contract to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The code is intended for calculations of containment loads during severe accidents and for prediction of the radioactive source term in the event that the containment leaks or fails. A strong point of the CONTAIN code is the continuous interaction of the thermal-hydraulics phenomena, aerosol behavior and fission product behavior. The CONTAIN code can be used for Light Water Reactors as well as Liquid Metal Reactors. In order to evaluate the CONTAIN code on its merits, comparisons between the code and experiments must be made. In this paper, CONTAIN calculations for the hydrogen burn experiments, carried out at the Nevada Test Site (NTS), are presented and compared with the experimental data. In the Large-Scale Hydrogen Combustion Facility at the NTS, 21 tests have been carried out. These tests were sponsored by the NRC and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). The tests, carried out by EG and G, were performed in a spherical vessel 16 m in diameter with a design pressure of 700 kPa, substantially higher than that of most commercial nuclear containment buildings

  8. Reliability analysis of steel-containment strength

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Greimann, L.G.; Fanous, F.; Wold-Tinsae, A.; Ketalaar, D.; Lin, T.; Bluhm, D.

    1982-06-01

    A best estimate and uncertainty assessment of the resistance of the St. Lucie, Cherokee, Perry, WPPSS and Browns Ferry containment vessels was performed. The Monte Carlo simulation technique and second moment approach were compared as a means of calculating the probability distribution of the containment resistance. A uniform static internal pressure was used and strain ductility was taken as the failure criterion. Approximate methods were developed and calibrated with finite element analysis. Both approximate and finite element analyses were performed on the axisymmetric containment structure. An uncertainty assessment of the containment strength was then performed by the second moment reliability method. Based upon the approximate methods, the cumulative distribution for the resistance of each of the five containments (shell modes only) is presented

  9. Analytical predictions for the performance of a reinforced concrete containment model subject to overpressurization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weatherby, J.R.; Clauss, D.B.

    1987-01-01

    Under the sponsorship of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Sandia National Laboratories is investigating methods for predicting the structural performance of nuclear reactor containment buildings under hypothesized severe accident conditions. As part of this program, a 1/6th-scale reinforced concrete containment model will be pressurized to failure in early 1987. Data generated by the test will be compared to analytical predictions of the structural response in order to assess the accuracy and reliability of the analytical techniques. As part of the pretest analysis effort, Sandia has conducted a number of analyses of the containment structure using the ABAQUS general purpose finite element code. This paper describes results from a nonlinear axisymmetric shell analysis as well as the material models and failure criteria used in conjunction with the analysis

  10. Containment Performance Analysis with Large Break LOCA for EU-APR1400

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hwang, Do Hyun; Lee, Keun Sung; Kim, Yong Soo

    2013-01-01

    In this paper for containment performance analysis, the containment pressurization analysis is performed and thermo-hydraulic response analysis of containment structure is carried out to provide basic understanding of containment transient states under a severe accident sequence. Especially, in EU-APR1400 design, to reduce containment pressure and temperature, Severe Accident Containment Spray System (SACSS) is designed to be actuated automatically when Core Exit Temperature (CET) reaches 922 K (649 .deg. C). The containment performance analysis was carried on LBLOCA sequence for EU-APR1400 with SACSS through MAAP code. If SACSS is actuated when CET reaches 922 K (649 .deg. C) , the containment pressure and temperature decrease to a sufficient low level. The predicted atmospheric pressure of containment will not exceed the ultimate pressure capacity (UPC) and have a sufficient margin to it even though the UPC of the reference plant (Shin-Kori Units 3 and 4) is used instead because the UPC calculation for EU-APR1400 has not been completed. The largest load on the containment by LBLOCA is estimated at 306.1 kPa. Thus the margin to UPC is estimated to be 330 % in comparison with 1.329 MPa as UPC for the reference plant.

  11. Review and assessment of thermodynamic and transport properties for the CONTAIN Code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Valdez, G.D.

    1988-12-01

    A study was carried out to review available data and correlations on the thermodynamic and transport properties of materials applicable to the CONTAIN computer code. CONTAIN is the NRC's best-estimate, mechanistic computer code for modeling containment response to a severe accident. Where appropriate, recommendations have been made for suitable approximations for material properties of interests. Based on a modified Benedict-Webb-Rubin (BWR) equation of state, a procedure is introduced for calculating thermodynamic properties for common gases in the CONTAIN code. These gases are nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, steam, helium, and argon. The thermodynamic equations for density, currently represented in CONTAIN by relatively simple fits, were independently checked and are recommended to be replaced by the Lee-Kesler equation of state which substantially improves accuracy without too much sacrifice in computational efficiency. The accuracy of the calculated values have been found to be generally acceptable. Various correlations and models for single component gas transport properties, viscosity and thermal conductivity, were also assessed with available experimental data. When a suitable correlation or model was not available, transport properties were obtained by performing least-squares fit on experimental data. 50 refs., 126 figs., 3 tabs

  12. Risk assessment of genotoxic and carcinogenic alkenylbenzenes in botanical containing products present on the Chinese market

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ning, Jia; Cui, Xin Yue; Kong, Xiang Nan; Tang, Yi Fei; Wulandari, Riana; Chen, Lu; Wesseling, Sebas; Rietjens, Ivonne M.C.M.

    2018-01-01

    In the present study, a risk assessment of plant food supplements (PFS), traditional Chinese medicines (TCM) and herbal teas containing alkenylbenzenes was performed using the Margin of Exposure (MOE) approach. The levels of alkenylbenzenes in botanical preparations collected on the Chinese market

  13. Methodology for assessing performance of waste management systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meshkov, N.K.; Herzenberg, C.L.; Camasta, S.F.

    1988-01-01

    The newly revised draft DOE Order 5820.2, Chapter 3, requires that DOE low-level waste shall be managed on a systematic basis using the most appropriate combination of waste generation reduction, segregation, treatment, and disposal practices so that the radioactive components are contained and the overall cost effectiveness is minimized. This order expects each site to prepare and maintain an overall waste management systems performance assessment supporting the combination of waste management practices used in generation reduction segregation, treatment, packaging, storage, and disposal. A document prepared by EG and G Idaho, Inc. for the Department of Energy called Guidance for Conduct of Waste Management Systems Performance Assessment is specifically intended to provide the approach necessary to meet the systems performance assessment requirement of DOE Order 5820.2, Chapter 3, and other applicable state regulations dealing with LLW (low-level radioactive wastes). Methods and procedures are needed for assessing the performance of a waste management system. This report addresses this need. The purpose of the methodology provided in this report is to select the optimal way to manage particular sets of waste streams from generation to disposal in a safe and cost-effective manner, and thereby assist the DOE LLW mangers in complying with the DOE Order 5820.2, Chapter 3, and the associated guidance document

  14. An assessment of materials for nuclear fuel immobilization containers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nuttall, K.; Urbanic, V.F.

    1981-09-01

    A wide range of engineering metals and alloys was assessed for their suitability as container materials for irradiated nuclear fuel intended for permanent disposal in a deep, underground hard-rock vault. The container must last at least 500 years without being breached. Materials were assessed for their physical and mechanical metallurgy, weldability, potential embrittlement mechanisms, and economics. A study of the possible mechanisms of metallic corrosion for the various engineering alloys and the expected range of environmental conditons in the vault showed that localized corrosion and delayed fracture processes are the most likely to limit container lifetime. Thus such processes either must be absent or proceed at an insignificant rate. Three groups of alloys are recommended for further study: AISI 300 series austenitic stainless steels, high nickel-base alloys and very dilute titanium-base alloys. Specific alloys from each group are indicated as having the optimum combination of required properties, including cost. For container designs where the outer container shell does not independently support the service loads, copper should also be considered. The final material selection will depend primarily on the environmental conditions in the vault

  15. High temperature performance limit of containment system of transport cask

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kato, Osamu; Saegusa, Toshiari

    1998-01-01

    The containment performance of a containment system using elastomer gaskets for transport casks under a high temperature and high pressure was clarified. Major results are as follows; (1) The deformation characteristics of the gaskets were represented by the compressive permanent strain rate (Dp). The temperature and time dependence was shown by Larson-Miller Parameter (LMP). (2) Generally, the high temperature performance limit is obtained by a value of LMP when the Dp value reaches 80%. However, the gaskets (FKM, VMQ, EPDM) used for real transport casks were not damaged and the containment performance was not deteriorated as a conservative condition. (3) Assuming that the service period of the gaskets for transport casks is 3 months or 1 year, the high temperature performance limit of the gasket made of fluorine rubber (FKM) is 202degC or 182degC, respectively, which includes safety margin. (author)

  16. Containment performance evaluation of prestressed concrete containment vessels with fiber reinforcement

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Choun, Young Sun; Park, Hyung Kui [Integrated Safety Assessment Division, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-12-15

    Fibers in concrete resist the growth of cracks and enhance the postcracking behavior of structures. The addition of fibers into a conventional reinforced concrete can improve the structural and functional performance of safety-related concrete structures in nuclear power plants. The influence of fibers on the ultimate internal pressure capacity of a prestressed concrete containment vessel (PCCV) was investigated through a comparison of the ultimate pressure capacities between conventional and fiber-reinforced PCCVs. Steel and polyamide fibers were used. The tension behaviors of conventional concrete and fiber-reinforced concrete specimens were investigated through uniaxial tension tests and their tension-stiffening models were obtained. For a PCCV reinforced with 1% volume hooked-end steel fiber, the ultimate pressure capacity increased by approximately 12% in comparison with that for a conventional PCCV. For a PCCV reinforced with 1.5% volume polyamide fiber, an increase of approximately 3% was estimated for the ultimate pressure capacity. The ultimate pressure capacity can be greatly improved by introducing steel and polyamide fibers in a conventional reinforced concrete. Steel fibers are more effective at enhancing the containment performance of a PCCV than polyamide fibers. The fiber reinforcement was shown to be more effective at a high pressure loading and a low prestress level.

  17. Containment performance evaluation of prestressed concrete containment vessels with fiber reinforcement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choun, Young Sun; Park, Hyung Kui

    2015-01-01

    Fibers in concrete resist the growth of cracks and enhance the postcracking behavior of structures. The addition of fibers into a conventional reinforced concrete can improve the structural and functional performance of safety-related concrete structures in nuclear power plants. The influence of fibers on the ultimate internal pressure capacity of a prestressed concrete containment vessel (PCCV) was investigated through a comparison of the ultimate pressure capacities between conventional and fiber-reinforced PCCVs. Steel and polyamide fibers were used. The tension behaviors of conventional concrete and fiber-reinforced concrete specimens were investigated through uniaxial tension tests and their tension-stiffening models were obtained. For a PCCV reinforced with 1% volume hooked-end steel fiber, the ultimate pressure capacity increased by approximately 12% in comparison with that for a conventional PCCV. For a PCCV reinforced with 1.5% volume polyamide fiber, an increase of approximately 3% was estimated for the ultimate pressure capacity. The ultimate pressure capacity can be greatly improved by introducing steel and polyamide fibers in a conventional reinforced concrete. Steel fibers are more effective at enhancing the containment performance of a PCCV than polyamide fibers. The fiber reinforcement was shown to be more effective at a high pressure loading and a low prestress level

  18. About Microservices, Containers and their Underestimated Impact on Network Performance

    OpenAIRE

    Kratzke, Nane

    2017-01-01

    Microservices are used to build complex applications composed of small, independent and highly decoupled processes. Recently, microservices are often mentioned in one breath with container technologies like Docker. That is why operating system virtualization experiences a renaissance in cloud computing. These approaches shall provide horizontally scalable, easily deployable systems and a high-performance alternative to hypervisors. Nevertheless, performance impacts of containers on top of hyp...

  19. Structural capacity assessment of WWER-1000 MW reactor containment. Progress report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jordanov, M.

    1999-01-01

    The objective of the project is to provide assessment of the structural behaviour and safety capacity of the WWER-1000 MW Reactor Building Containment at Kozloduy NPP under critical combination of loads according to the current international requirements. The analysis is focused on a realistic assessment of the Containment taking into account the non-linear shell behaviour of the pre-stressed reinforced concrete structure. Previous assessments of the status of pre stressing cables pointed out that the efficiency of the Containment as a final defence barrier for internal and external events depends on their reliability. Due to this, the experimental data obtained from embedded sensors (gauges) at pre-stressed shell structure is to be compared with the results from analytical investigations. The reliability of the WWER-1000 MW accident prevention system is under evaluation in the project. The Soviet standard design WWER-1000 MW type units installed in Kozloduy NPP were originally designed for a Safe Shutdown Earthquake (SSE) with a peak ground acceleration (PGA) of 0.1g. The new site seismicity studies revealed that the seismic hazard for the site significantly exceeds the originally estimated and a Review Level Earthquake (RLE) anchored to PGA=0.20g was proposed for re-assessment of the structures and equipment at Kozloduy NPP. The scope of the study is a re-assessment of the Containment structure under critical combination of loads according to the current safety and reliability requirements, including comparison between the Russian design requirements and the international regulations. Additionally, an investigation of the pre-stressing technology and the annual control of the cables' pre-stressing of the Containment is to be made. The crane influence on the dynamic behaviour of the Containment will be done as well as a study of the integrity of the Containment as a final defence barrier

  20. Fucose-containing sulfated polysaccharides from brown seaweed: Extraction technolgy and bioactivity assessment

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ale, Marcel Tutor

    will generate new valuable products that may help lessen coastal pollution by seaweeds and create new seaweed-based resources. Thus, utilization of these natural resources is of great importance. The objectives of this PhD study were to develop a technology to extract bioactive compounds from nuisance brown...... seaweeds, and investigate their bioactivity. To this effect, designed optimized extraction of fucose-containing sulfated polysaccharides (FCSPs) and/or crude fucoidan from brown seaweed were performed, and the bioactivity of the isolated FCSPs was investigated. Moreover, to assess the potential of seaweed...... to assimilate nitrogen-based nutrients, a technology for accurate monitoring of differential seaweed growth responses to nutrient assimilation was also developed. Fucoidan is a term used to describe a class of sulfated polysaccharides extracted from brown seaweed, which contains substantial amounts of fucose...

  1. Evaluation of disposal site geochemical performance using a containment factor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lerman, A.; Domenico, P.A.; Bartlett, J.W.

    1988-01-01

    The containment factor is a measure of retention by geologic setting of wastes released from a repository. The factor is alternatively defined either in terms of several measurable hydrological and geochemical parameters, or in terms of amounts of waste components that may be released to the geologic setting and, subsequently, to the environment. Containment factors for individual waste components in a given geologic setting are functions of groundwater to rock volume ratios, sorption or exchange characteristics of the rocks, and containment time to groundwater travel time ratios. For high-level radioactive wastes, containment factors based on the NRC and EPA limit values for cumulative releases from waste and to the environment provide a measure of the geochemical performance of the geologic setting in tuff, basalt, and salt. The containment factor values for individual nuclides from high-level wastes indicate that for some of the nuclides containment may be achieved by groundwater travel time along. For other nuclides, additional performance functions need to be allocated to geochemical retention by such processes as sorption, ion-exchange or precipitation

  2. AP1000 Containment Design and Safety Assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wright, Richard F.; Ofstun, Richard P.; Bachere, Sebastien

    2002-01-01

    The AP1000 is an up-rated version of the AP600 passive plant design that recently received final design certification from the US NRC. Like AP600, the AP1000 is a two-loop, pressurized water reactor featuring passive core cooling and passive containment safety systems. One key safety feature of the AP1000 is the passive containment cooling system which maintains containment integrity in the event of a design basis accident. This system utilizes a high strength, steel containment vessel inside a concrete shield building. In the event of a pipe break inside containment, a high pressure signal actuates valves which allow water to drain from a storage tank atop the shield building. Water is applied to the top of the containment shell, and evaporates, thereby removing heat. An air flow path is formed between the shield building and the containment to aid in the evaporation and is exhausted through a chimney at the top of the shield building. Extensive testing and analysis of this system was performed as part of the AP600 design certification process. The AP1000 containment has been designed to provide increased safety margin despite the increased reactor power. The containment volume was increased to accommodate the larger steam generators, and to provide increased margin for containment pressure response to design basis events. The containment design pressure was increased from AP600 by increasing the shell thickness and by utilizing high strength steel. The passive containment cooling system water capacity has been increased and the water application rate has been scaled to the higher decay heat level. The net result is higher margins to the containment design pressure limit than were calculated for AP600 for all design basis events. (authors)

  3. Process of performance assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    King, C.M.; Halford, D.K.

    1987-01-01

    Performance assessment is the process used to evaluate the environmental consequences of disposal of radioactive waste in the biosphere. An introductory review of the subject is presented. Emphasis is placed on the process of performance assessment from the standpoint of defining the process. Performance assessment, from evolving experience at DOE sites, has short-term and long-term subprograms, the components of which are discussed. The role of mathematical modeling in performance assessment is addressed including the pros and cons of current approaches. Finally, the system/site/technology issues as the focal point of this symposium are reviewed

  4. Radiological performance assessment for the E-Area Vaults Disposal Facility. Appendices A through M

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cook, J.R.

    1994-04-15

    These document contains appendices A-M for the performance assessment. They are A: details of models and assumptions, B: computer codes, C: data tabulation, D: geochemical interactions, E: hydrogeology of the Savannah River Site, F: software QA plans, G: completeness review guide, H: performance assessment peer review panel recommendations, I: suspect soil performance analysis, J: sensitivity/uncertainty analysis, K: vault degradation study, L: description of naval reactor waste disposal, M: porflow input file. (GHH)

  5. The Effects of Performance-Based Assessment Criteria on Student Performance and Self-Assessment Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fastre, Greet Mia Jos; van der Klink, Marcel R.; van Merrienboer, Jeroen J. G.

    2010-01-01

    This study investigated the effect of performance-based versus competence-based assessment criteria on task performance and self-assessment skills among 39 novice secondary vocational education students in the domain of nursing and care. In a performance-based assessment group students are provided with a preset list of performance-based…

  6. Some outstanding issues in severe accidents containment performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sehgal, B.R.

    2004-01-01

    This paper describes the current status of the outstanding issues in severe accident performance of Light Water Reactor containments that have been raised in the last several years. The results of the research that has been performed on the topics concerning these issues will be described. Some of these issues have been resolved, some are close to resolution, while others need further evaluation and research results. (author)

  7. Development and Performance Assessment of the High-Performance Shrinkage Reducing Agent for Concrete

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hyung Sub Han

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available To develop a high-performance shrinkage reducing agent, this study investigated several shrinkage reducing materials and supplements for those materials. Fluidity and air content were satisfactory for the various shrinkage reducing materials. The decrease in viscosity was the lowest for glycol-based materials. The decrease in drying shrinkage was most prominent for mixtures containing glycol-based materials. In particular, mixtures containing G2 achieved a 40% decrease in the amount of drying shrinkage. Most shrinkage reducing materials had weaker level of compressive strength than that of the plain mixture. When 3% triethanolamine was used for early strength improvement, the strength was enhanced by 158% compared to that of the plain mixture on day 1; enhancement values were 135% on day 7 and 113% on day 28. To assess the performance of the developed high-performance shrinkage reducing agent and to determine the optimal amount, 2.0% shrinkage reducing agent was set as 40% of the value of the plain mixture. While the effect was more prominent at higher amounts, to prevent deterioration of the compressive strength and the other physical properties, the recommended amount is less than 2.0%.

  8. Minimum containment pressure and its effect on ECCS performance of APR-1400

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, In Goo; Bang, Young S.; Kim, Hho Jung

    2004-01-01

    The containment pressure has a strong effect on the late reheat behavior for a large break LOCA, associated with the DVI issue. The downcomer boiling, which occurs during the post-reflood phase, has a negative effect on core cooling for a LBLOCA. Because the downcomer boiling is enhanced as the containment pressure decreases, how to determine containment pressure is important to the evaluation of ECCS performance. In spite of its importance of containment pressure, there are few studies on the containment pressure and the interaction between RCS and containment thermal hydraulics. To have a better knowledge of the effect of containment pressure on APR-1400 ECCS performance, a parametric study for containment pressure has been carried out. Also, the interaction between RCS and containment behavior has been also investigated

  9. Assessment of Containment Structures Against Missile Impact Threats

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    LI Q M

    2006-01-01

    In order to ensure the highest safety requirements,nuclear power plant structures (the containment structures,the fuel storages and transportation systems) should be assessed against all possible internal and external impact threats.The internal impact threats include kinetic missiles generated by the failure of high pressure vessels and pipes,the failure of high speed rotating machineries and accidental drops.The external impact threats may come from airborne missiles,aircraft impact,explosion blast and fragments.The impact effects of these threats on concrete and steel structures in a nuclear power plant are discussed.Methods and procedures for the impact assessment of nuclear power plants are introduced.Recent studies on penetration and perforation mechanics as well as progresses on dynamic properties of concrete-like materials are presented to increase the understanding of the impact effects on concrete containment structures.

  10. 24 CFR 115.206 - Performance assessments; Performance standards.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 24 Housing and Urban Development 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Performance assessments; Performance standards. 115.206 Section 115.206 Housing and Urban Development Regulations Relating to Housing... AGENCIES Certification of Substantially Equivalent Agencies § 115.206 Performance assessments; Performance...

  11. The use of repassivation potential in predicting the performance of high-level nuclear waste container materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sridhar, N.; Dunn, D.; Cragnolino, G.

    1995-01-01

    Localized corrosion in aqueous environments forms an important bounding condition for the performance assessment of high-level waste (HLW) container materials. A predictive methodology using repassivation potential is examined in this paper. It is shown, based on long-term (continuing for over 11 months) testing of alloy 825, that repassivation potential of deep pits or crevices is a conservative and robust parameter for the prediction of localized corrosion. In contrast, initiation potentials measured by short-term tests are non-conservative and highly sensitive to several surface and environmental factors. Corrosion data from various field tests and plant equipment performance are analyzed in terms of the applicability of repassivation potential. The applicability of repassivation potential for predicting the occurrence of stress corrosion cracking (SCC) and intergranular corrosion in chloride containing environments is also examined

  12. Assessment of cavity dispersal correlations for possible implementation in the CONTAIN code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Williams, D.C.; Griffith, R.O.

    1996-02-01

    Candidate models and correlations describing entrainment and dispersal of core debris from reactor cavities in direct containment heating (DCH) event, are assessed against a data base of approximately 600 experiments performed previously at Brookhaven National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories reactor cavities was studied. Cavity geometries studied are those of the Surry and Zion nuclear power plants and scale factors of 1/42 and 1/10 were studied for both geometries. Other parameters varied in the experiments include gas pressure driving the dispersal, identities of the driving gas and of the simulant fluid, orifice diameter in the pressure vessel, and volume of the gas pressure vessel. Correlations were assessed in terms of their ability to reproduce the observed trends in the fractions dispersed as the experimental parameters were varied. For the fraction of the debris dispersed, the correlations recommended for inclusion in the CONTAIN code are the Tutu-Ginsberg correlations, the integral form of the correlation proposed by Levy and a modified form of the Whalley-Hewitt correlation. For entrainment rates, the recommended correlations are the time-dependent forms of the Levy correlation, a correlation suggested by Tutu, and the modified Whalley-Hewitt correlation

  13. Guidelines for Assessment and Abatement of Asbestos-Containing Materials in Buildings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pielert, James H.; Mathey, Robert G.

    This report presents guidelines, based on available information, for the assessment and abatement of asbestos-containing materials in buildings. Section 1 provides background information on the history and use of asbestos-containing products in buildings, the characteristics of asbestos fibers, products and materials containing asbestos, and…

  14. A simplified radionuclide source term for total-system performance assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wilson, M.L.

    1991-11-01

    A parametric model for releases of radionuclides from spent-nuclear-fuel containers in a waste repository is presented. The model is appropriate for use in preliminary total-system performance assessments of the potential repository site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada; for this reason it is simpler than the models used for detailed studies of waste-package performance. Terms are included for releases from the spent fuel pellets, from the pellet/cladding gap and the grain boundaries within the fuel pellets, from the cladding of the fuel rods, and from the radioactive fuel-assembly parts. Multiple barriers are considered, including the waste container, the fuel-rod cladding, the thermal ''dry-out'', and the waste form itself. The basic formulas for release from a single fuel rod or container are extended to formulas for expected releases for the whole repository by using analytic expressions for probability distributions of some important parameters. 39 refs., 4 figs., 4 tabs

  15. The performance assessment impacts of disposal of high-moisture, low-level radioactive waste at the Nevada Test Site

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Crowe, B.M.; Hansen, W.; Hechnova, A.; Voss, C.; Waters, R.; Sully, M.; Levitt, D.

    1999-01-01

    A panel of independent scientists was convened by the Department of Energy to assess the performance impacts of disposal of low-level radioactive waste from the Fernald Environmental Management Project. This waste stream was involved in a transportation incident in December 1997. A resulting outgrowth of investigations of the transportation incident was the recognition that the waste was transported and disposed in stress-fractured metal boxes and some of the waste contained excess moisture (high volumetric water contents). The panel was charged with determining whether disposal of this waste in the Area 5 radioactive waste management site on the Nevada Test Site has impacted the conclusions of the completed performance assessment. Three questions were developed by the panel to assess performance impacts: (1) the performance impacts of reduced container integrity, (2) the impact of reduced container integrity on subsidence of waste in the disposal pits and (3) the performance impacts of excess moisture. No performance or subsidence impacts were noted from disposal of the Fernald waste. The impacts of excess moisture were assessed through simulation modeling of the movement of moisture in the vadose zone assuming high water contents (wet waste) for different percentages of the waste inventory. No performance impacts were noted for either the base-case scenario (ambient conditions) or a scenario involving subsidence and flooding of the waste cells. The absence of performance impacts results form the extreme conservatism used in the Area 5-performance assessment and the robust nature of the disposal site

  16. A probabilistic approach to assessing radioactive waste container lifetimes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Porter, F.M.; Naish, C.C.; Sharland, S.M.

    1994-01-01

    A general methodology has been developed to make assessments of the lifetime of specific radioactive waste container designs in a repository environment. The methodology employs a statistical approach, which aims to reflect uncertainty in the corrosion rates, and the evolution of the environmental conditions. In this paper, the methodology is demonstrated for an intermediate-level waste (ILW) container in the anticipated UK repository situation

  17. Containment design, performance criteria and research needs for advanced reactor designs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bagdi, G.; Ali, S.; Costello, J

    2004-01-01

    This paper points out some important shifts in the basic expectations in the performance requirements for containment structures and discusses the areas where the containment structure design requirements and acceptance criteria can be integrated with ultimate test based insights. Although there has not been any new reactor construction in the United States for over thirty years, several designs of evolutionary and advanced reactors have already been certified. Performance requirements for containment structures under design basis and severe accident conditions and explicit consideration of seismic margins have been used in the design certification process. In the United States, the containment structure design code is the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section III, Division 1, Subsection NE-Class MC for the steel containment and Section III, Division 2 for reinforced and prestressed concrete reactor vessels and containments. This containment design code was based on the early concept of applying design basis internal pressure and associated load combinations that included the operating basis and safe shutdown earthquake ground motion. These early design criteria served the nuclear industry and the regulatory authorities in maintaining public health and safety. However, these early design criteria do not incorporate the performance criteria related to containment function in an integrated fashion. Research in large scale model testing of containment structures to failure from over pressurization and shake table testing using simulated ground motion, have produced insights related to failure modes and material behavior at failure. The results of this research provide the opportunity to integrate these observations into design and acceptance criteria. This integration process would identify 'gaps' in the present knowledge and future research needs. This knowledge base is important for gleaning risk-informed insights into

  18. The use of performance assessments in Yucca Mountain repository waste package design activities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jardine, L.J.

    1990-01-01

    The Yucca Mountain Project is developing performance assessment approaches as part of the evaluations of the suitability of Yucca Mountain as a repository site. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is developing design concepts and the scientific performance assessment methodologies and techniques used for the waste package and engineered barrier system components. This paper presents an overview of the approach under development for postclosure performance assessments that will guide the conceptual design activities and assist in the site suitability evaluations. This approach includes establishing and modeling for the long time periods required by regulations: near-field environment characteristics surrounding the emplaced wastes; container materials performance responses; and waste form properties. All technical work is being done under a fully qualified quality assurance program

  19. Assessment of corrosion and fatigue damage to light water reactor metal containments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sinha, U.P.; Shah, V.N.; Smith, S.K.

    1991-01-01

    This paper presents a generic procedure for estimating aging damage, evaluating structural integrity, and identifying mitigation activities for safe operation of boiling water reactor (BWR) Mark I metal containments and ice-condenser type pressurized water reactor (PWR) cylindrical metal containments. The mechanisms of concern that can cause aging damage to these two types of containments are corrosion and fatigue. Assessment of fatigue damage to bellows is also described. Assessment of corrosion and fatigue damage described in this paper include: containment design features that are relevant to aging assessment, several corrosion and fatigue mechanisms, inspection of corrosion and fatigue damage, and mitigation of damage caused by these mechanisms. In addition, synergistic interaction between corrosion and fatigue is considered. Possible actions for mitigating aging include enhanced inspection methods, maintenance activities based on operating experience, and supplementary surveillance programs. Field experience related to aging of metal containments is reviewed. Finally, conclusions and recommendations are presented

  20. Effects of diets containing alkali-treated Soybeans on performance ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Effects of diets containing alkali-treated Soybeans on performance traits, nutrient digestibility and cost benefits of broiler chickens. ... These factors accounted for the overall best performance recorded in 1% K2CO3 - treated soybeans which was closely followed by 1% Na2CO3 treated soybean base diets. Keywords: ...

  1. Scientific investigation plan for NNWSI WBS element 1.2.2.5.L: NNWSI waste package performance assessment: Revision 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eggert, K.G.; O'Connell, W.J.; Lappa, D.A.

    1986-01-01

    Waste package performance assessment contains three broad categories of activities. These activities are: (1) development of a hydrothermal flow and transport model to test concepts to be used in establishing boundary conditions for performance calculations, and to interface EBS release calculations with total system performance calculations; (2) development of a waste package systems model to provide integrated deterministic assessments of performance and analyses of waste package designs; and (3) development of an uncertainty methodology for combination with the system model to perform probabilistic reliability and performance analysis waste package designs. The first category contains activities that aid in determining the scope of a separate, simplified set of hydrologic calculations needed to characterize the waste package environment for performance assessment calculations. The last two activity categories are directly concerned with waste package performance calculations. A rationale for each activity under these groups is presented. All of the activities of performance assessment are either code development or analyses of waste package problems

  2. Risk assessment of combined exposure to alkenylbenzenes through consumption of plant food supplements containing parsley and dill

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Alajlouni, Abdalmajeed M.; Al-Malahmeh, Amer J.; Wesseling, Sebastiaan; Kalli, Marina; Vervoort, Jacques; Rietjens, Ivonne M.C.M.

    2017-01-01

    A risk assessment was performed of parsley- and dill-based plant food supplements (PFS) containing apiol and related alkenylbenzenes. First, the levels of the alkenylbenzenes in the PFS and the resulting estimated daily intake (EDI) resulting from use of the PFS were quantified. Since most PFS

  3. Determination and risk assessment of naturally occurring genotoxic and carcinogenic alkenylbenzenes in basil-containing sauce of pesto

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Al-Malahmeh, Amer J.; Al-Ajlouni, Abdalmajeed M.; Wesseling, Sebas; Vervoort, Jacques; Rietjens, Ivonne M.C.M.

    2017-01-01

    A risk assessment of basil-based pesto sauces containing methyleugenol and related alkenylbenzenes was performed based on their levels detected in a series of pesto sauces available on the Dutch market. The estimated daily intake (EDI) values of alkenylbenzenes as a result of consumption of the

  4. Doses per vaccine vial container: An understated and underestimated driver of performance that needs more evidence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heaton, Alexis; Krudwig, Kirstin; Lorenson, Tina; Burgess, Craig; Cunningham, Andrew; Steinglass, Robert

    2017-04-19

    The widespread use of multidose vaccine containers in low and middle income countries' immunization programs is assumed to have multiple benefits and efficiencies for health systems, yet the broader impacts on immunization coverage, costs, and safety are not well understood. To document what is known on this topic, how it has been studied, and confirm the gaps in evidence that allow us to assess the complex system interactions, the authors undertook a review of published literature that explored the relationship between doses per container and immunization systems. The relationships examined in this study are organized within a systems framework consisting of operational costs, timely coverage, safety, product costs/wastage, and policy/correct use, with the idea that a change in dose per container affects all of them, and the optimal solution will depend on what is prioritized and used to measure performance. Studies on this topic are limited and largely rely on modeling to assess the relationship between doses per container and other aspects of immunization systems. Very few studies attempt to look at how a change in doses per container affects vaccination coverage rates and other systems components simultaneously. This article summarizes the published knowledge on this topic to date and suggests areas of current and future research to ultimately improve decision making around vaccine doses per container and increase understanding of how this decision relates to other program goals. Copyright © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  5. CONTAIN code analyses of direct containment heating experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Williams, D.C.; Griffith, R.O.; Tadios, E.L.; Washington, K.E.

    1995-01-01

    In some nuclear reactor core-melt accidents, a potential exists for molten core-debris to be dispersed into the containment under high pressure. Resulting energy transfer to the containment atmosphere can pressurize the containment. This process, known as direct containment heating (DCH), has been the subject of extensive experimental and analytical programs sponsored by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The DCH modeling has been an important focus for the development of the CONTAIN code. Results of a detailed independent peer review of the CONTAIN code were published recently. This paper summarizes work performed in support of the peer review in which the CONTAIN code was applied to analyze DCH experiments. Goals of this work were comparison of calculated and experimental results, CONTAIN DCH model assessment, and development of guidance for code users, including development of a standardized input prescription for DCH analysis

  6. A multimedia exposure assessment methodology for evaluating the performance of the design of structures containing chemical and radioactive wastes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stephanatos, B.N.; Molholt, B.; Walter, K.P.; MacGregor, A.

    1991-01-01

    The objectives of this work are to develop a multimedia exposure assessment methodology for the evaluation of existing and future design of structures containing chemical and radioactive wastes and to identify critical parameters for design optimization. The designs are evaluated in terms of their compliance with various federal and state regulatory requirements. Evaluation of the performance of a particular design is presented within the scope of a given exposure pathway. An exposure pathway has four key components: (1) a source and mechanism of chemical release, (2) a transport medium; (3) a point of exposure; and (4) a route of exposure. The first step in the analysis is the characterization of the waste source behavior. The rate and concentration of releases from the source are evaluated using appropriate mathematical models. The migration of radionuclides and chemicals is simulated through each environmental medium to the exposure point. The total exposure to the potential receptor is calculated, and an estimate of the health effects of the exposure is made. Simulation of the movement of radionuclides and chemical wastes from the source to the receptor point includes several processes. If the predicted human exposure to contaminants meets the performance criteria, the design has been validated. Otherwise the structure design is improved to meet the performance criteria. A phased modeling approach is recommended at a particular mixed waste site. A relatively simple model is initially used to pinpoint critical fate and transport processes and design parameters. The second phase of the modeling effort involves the use of more complex and resource intensive fate and transport models. This final step in the modeling process provides more accurate estimates of contaminant concentrations at the point of exposure. Thus the human dose is more accurately predicted, providing better design validation

  7. CONPAS 1.0 (CONtainment Performance Analysis System). User's manual

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahn, Kwang Il; Jin, Young Ho

    1996-04-01

    CONPAS (CONtainment Performance Analysis System) is a verified computer code package to integrate the numerical, graphical, and results-operation aspects of Level 2 probabilistic safety assessments (PSA) for nuclear power plants automatically under a PC window environment. Compared with the existing DOS-based computer codes for Level 2 PSA, the most important merit of the window-based computer code is that user can easily describe and quantify the accident progression models, and manipulate the resultant outputs in a variety of ways. As a main logic for accident progression analysis, CONPAS employs a concept of the small containment phenomenological event tree (CPET) helpful to trace out visually individual accident progressions and of the large supporting event tree (LSET) for its detailed quantification. For the integrated analysis of Level 2 PSA, the code utilizes four distinct, but closely related modules; (1) ET Editor for construction of several event tree models describing the accident progressions, (2) Computer for quantification of the constructed event trees and graphical display of the resultant outputs, (3) Text Editor for preparation of input decks for quanification and utilization of calculational results, and (4) Mechanistic Code Plotter for utilization of results obtained from severe accident analysis codes. Compared with other existing computer codes for Level 2 PSA, the CONPAS code provides several advanced features: computational aspects including systematic uncertainty analysis, importance analysis, sensitivity analysis and data interpretation, reporting aspects including tabling and graphic as well as user-friend interface. 10 refs. (Author) .new

  8. Introduction to radiological performance assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moss, G.

    1995-02-01

    A radiological performance assessment is conducted to provide reasonable assurance that performance objectives for low-level radioactive waste (LLW) disposal will be met. Beginning in the early stages of development, a radiological performance assessment continues through the operational phase, and is instrumental in the postclosure of the facility. Fundamental differences exist in the regulation of commercial and defense LLW, but the radiological performance assessment process is essentially the same for both. The purpose of this document is to describe that process in a concise and straightforward manner. This document focuses on radiological performance assessment as it pertains to commercial LLW disposal, but is applicable to US Department of Energy sites as well. Included are discussions on performance objectives, site characterization, and how a performance assessment is conducted. A case study is used to illustrate how the process works as a whole. A bibliography is provided to assist in locating additional information

  9. Considerations in the development of subsurface containment barrier performance standards

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dunstan, S.; Zdinak, A.P.; Lodman, D.

    1997-01-01

    The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is supporting subsurface barriers as an alternative remedial option for management of contamination problems at their facilities. Past cleanup initiatives have sometimes proven ineffective or extremely expensive. Economic considerations coupled with changing public and regulatory philosophies regarding remediation techniques makes subsurface barriers a promising technology for future cleanup efforts. As part of the initiative to develop subsurface containment barriers as an alternative remedial option, DOE funded MSE Technology Applications, Inc. (MSE) to conduct a comprehensive review to identify performance considerations for the acceptability of subsurface barrier technologies as a containment method. Findings from this evaluation were intended to provide a basis for selection and application of containment technologies to address waste problems at DOE sites. Based on this study, the development of performance standards should consider: (1) sustainable low hydraulic conductivity; (2) capability to meet applicable regulations; (3) compatibility with subsurface environmental conditions; (4) durability and long-term stability; (5) repairability; and (6) verification and monitoring. This paper describes the approach for determining considerations for performance standards

  10. The process of performance assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    King, C.M.; Halford, D.K.

    1986-01-01

    An introductory review of the subject of ''Performance Assessment'' will be presented. Emphasis will be placed on the process of performance assessment from the standpoint of defining the process. Performance assessment, from evolving experience at DOE sites, has short-term and long-term subprograms, the components of which will be discussed. The role of mathematical modeling in performance assessment will be addressed including the pros and cons of current approaches. Finally, the ''system/site/technology'' issues as the focal point of this symposium will be reviewed

  11. The impact of Docker containers on the performance of genomic pipelines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Di Tommaso, Paolo; Palumbo, Emilio; Chatzou, Maria; Prieto, Pablo; Heuer, Michael L; Notredame, Cedric

    2015-01-01

    Genomic pipelines consist of several pieces of third party software and, because of their experimental nature, frequent changes and updates are commonly necessary thus raising serious deployment and reproducibility issues. Docker containers are emerging as a possible solution for many of these problems, as they allow the packaging of pipelines in an isolated and self-contained manner. This makes it easy to distribute and execute pipelines in a portable manner across a wide range of computing platforms. Thus, the question that arises is to what extent the use of Docker containers might affect the performance of these pipelines. Here we address this question and conclude that Docker containers have only a minor impact on the performance of common genomic pipelines, which is negligible when the executed jobs are long in terms of computational time.

  12. Numerical simulation of radioisotope's dependency on containment performance for large dry PWR containment under severe accidents

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mehboob, Khurram; Xinrong, Cao; Ahmed, Raheel; Ali, Majid

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • Calculation and comparison of activity of BURN-UP code with ORIGEN2 code. • Development of SASTC computer code. • Radioisotopes dependency on containment ESFs. • Mitigation in atmospheric release with ESFs operation. • Variation in radioisotopes source term with spray flow and pH value. -- Abstract: During the core melt accidents large amount of fission products can be released into the containment building. These fission products escape into the environment to contribute in accident source term. The mitigation in environmental release is demanded for such radiological consequences. Thus, countermeasures to source term, mitigations of release of radioactivity have been studied for 1000 MWe PWR reactor. The procedure of study is divided into five steps: (1) calculation and verification of core inventory, evaluated by BURN-UP code, (2) containment modeling based on radioactivity removal factors, (3) selection of potential accidents initiates the severe accident, (4) calculation of release of radioactivity, (5) study the dependency of release of radioactivity on containment engineering safety features (ESFs) inducing mitigation. Loss of coolant accident (LOCA), small break LOCA and flow blockage accidents (FBA) are selected as initiating accidents. The mitigation effect of ESFs on source term has been studied against ESFs performance. Parametric study of release of radioactivity has been carried out by modeling and simulating the containment parameters in MATLAB, which takes BURN-UP outcomes as input along with the probabilistic data. The dependency of iodine and aerosol source term on boric and caustic acid spray has been determined. The variation in source term mitigation with the variation of containment spray flow rate and pH values have been studied. The variation in containment retention factor (CRF) has also been studied with the ESF performance. A rapid decrease in source term is observed with the increase in pH value

  13. Mechanical performance assessment of half warm recycled asphalt mixes containing up to 100 % RAP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lizárraga, J. M.; Jiménez del Barco-Carrión, A.; Ramírez, A.; Díaz, P.; Moreno-Navarro, F.; Rubio, M.C.

    2017-01-01

    The use of Half Warm Mixes with high Reclaimed Asphalt content (HWMRA) has the potential to generate significant environmental advantages such as the reduction in consumption of natural resources and the emission of gases into the atmosphere. This paper therefore focuses on demonstrating the viability of using these types of mixes in wearing courses. For this purpose, an HWMRA with 70 % and 100 % Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) and emulsion were designed in the laboratory. The performance of the mixes was then assessed and compared with that of conventional Hot Mix Asphalt. In a second stage, the mixes were manufactured in-plant, and laid and compacted in an Accelerated Pavement Test track. The cores were then extracted and tested for stiffness modulus and resistance to fatigue. The results from the tests conducted with both the laboratory specimens and the cores showed that the performance of HWMRA is comparable to that of HMA. These findings encourage greater confidence in promoting the use of these types of sustainable asphalt mixes. [es

  14. Mechanical performance assessment of half warm recycled asphalt mixes containing up to 100 % RAP

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. M. Lizárraga

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available The use of Half Warm Mixes with high Reclaimed Asphalt content (HWMRA has the potential to generate significant environmental advantages such as the reduction in consumption of natural resources and the emission of gases into the atmosphere. This paper therefore focuses on demonstrating the viability of using these types of mixes in wearing courses. For this purpose, an HWMRA with 70 % and 100 % Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP and emulsion were designed in the laboratory. The performance of the mixes was then assessed and compared with that of conventional Hot Mix Asphalt. In a second stage, the mixes were manufactured in-plant, and laid and compacted in an Accelerated Pavement Test track. The cores were then extracted and tested for stiffness modulus and resistance to fatigue. The results from the tests conducted with both the laboratory specimens and the cores showed that the performance of HWMRA is comparable to that of HMA. These findings encourage greater confidence in promoting the use of these types of sustainable asphalt mixes.

  15. Damage assessment of nuclear containment against aircraft crash

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Iqbal, Mohd Ashraf, E-mail: iqbal_ashraf@rediffmail.com; Sadique, Md. Rehan, E-mail: rehan.sadique@gmail.com; Bhargava, Pradeep, E-mail: bhpdpfce@iitr.ac.in; Bhandari, N.M., E-mail: nmbcefce@iitr.ac.in

    2014-10-15

    Highlights: • Damage assessment of nuclear containment is studied against aircraft crash. • Four impact locations have been identified at the outer containment shell. • The mid of the total height has been found to be most vulnerable location. • The crown of dome has been found to be the strongest location. • Phantom F4 caused more localized and severe damage compared to other aircrafts. - Abstract: The behavior of nuclear containment structure has been studied against aircraft crash with an emphasis on the influence of strike location. The impact locations identified on the BWR Mark III type nuclear containment structure are mid-height, junction of dome and cylinder, crown of dome and arc of dome. The containment at each of the above locations has been impacted normally by Phantom F-4, Boeing 707-320 and Airbus A320 aircrafts. The loading of the aircraft has been assigned through the corresponding reaction-time response curve. ABAQUS/Explicit finite element code has been used to carry out the three-dimensional numerical simulations. The concrete damaged plasticity model was used to simulate the behavior of concrete while the behavior of steel reinforcement was incorporated using the Johnson–Cook elasto-viscoplastic material model. The mid-height of containment has been found to experience most severe deformation against each aircraft. Phantom F4 has been found to be most disastrous at each location. The results have been compared with those of the available studies with respect to the containment deformation.

  16. The impact of Docker containers on the performance of genomic pipelines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paolo Di Tommaso

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Genomic pipelines consist of several pieces of third party software and, because of their experimental nature, frequent changes and updates are commonly necessary thus raising serious deployment and reproducibility issues. Docker containers are emerging as a possible solution for many of these problems, as they allow the packaging of pipelines in an isolated and self-contained manner. This makes it easy to distribute and execute pipelines in a portable manner across a wide range of computing platforms. Thus, the question that arises is to what extent the use of Docker containers might affect the performance of these pipelines. Here we address this question and conclude that Docker containers have only a minor impact on the performance of common genomic pipelines, which is negligible when the executed jobs are long in terms of computational time.

  17. Technology Performance Level Assessment Methodology.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Roberts, Jesse D.; Bull, Diana L; Malins, Robert Joseph; Costello, Ronan Patrick; Aurelien Babarit; Kim Nielsen; Claudio Bittencourt Ferreira; Ben Kennedy; Kathryn Dykes; Jochem Weber

    2017-04-01

    The technology performance level (TPL) assessments can be applied at all technology development stages and associated technology readiness levels (TRLs). Even, and particularly, at low TRLs the TPL assessment is very effective as it, holistically, considers a wide range of WEC attributes that determine the techno-economic performance potential of the WEC farm when fully developed for commercial operation. The TPL assessment also highlights potential showstoppers at the earliest possible stage of the WEC technology development. Hence, the TPL assessment identifies the technology independent “performance requirements.” In order to achieve a successful solution, the entirety of the performance requirements within the TPL must be considered because, in the end, all the stakeholder needs must be achieved. The basis for performing a TPL assessment comes from the information provided in a dedicated format, the Technical Submission Form (TSF). The TSF requests information from the WEC developer that is required to answer the questions posed in the TPL assessment document.

  18. Identification and assessment of containment and release management strategies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lehner, J.R.; Lin, C.C.; Neogy, P.

    1990-01-01

    Brookhaven National Laboratory, under the auspices of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, is investigating accident management strategies which could help preserve containment integrity or minimize releases during a severe accident. The objective is to make use of existing plant systems and equipment in innovative ways to reduce the likelihood of containment failure or to mitigate the release of fission products to the environment if failure cannot be prevented. Many of the strategies would be implemented during the later stages of a severe accident. The identification and assessment process for containment and release strategies is described, and some insights derived from its application to a BWR Mark 1 plant are presented here. 13 refs., 2 figs

  19. Development of internal dose assessment procedure for workers in industries using raw materials containing naturally occurring radioactive materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, Cheol Kyu; KIm, Yong Geon; Ji, Seung Woo; Kim, Kwang Pyo; Koo, Bon Cheol; Chang, Byung Uck

    2016-01-01

    It is necessary to assess radiation dose to workers due to inhalation of airborne particulates containing naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) to ensure radiological safety required by the Natural Radiation Safety Management Act. The objective of this study is to develop an internal dose assessment procedure for workers at industries using raw materials containing natural radionuclides. The dose assessment procedure was developed based on harmonization, accuracy, and proportionality. The procedure includes determination of dose assessment necessity, preliminary dose estimation, airborne particulate sampling and characterization, and detailed assessment of radiation dose. The developed dose assessment procedure is as follows. Radioactivity concentration criteria to determine dose assessment necessity are 10 Bq·g-1 for 40K and 1 Bq·g-1 for the other natural radionuclides. The preliminary dose estimation is performed using annual limit on intake (ALI). The estimated doses are classified into 3 groups (<0.1 mSv, 0.1-0.3 mSv, and >0.3 mSv). Air sampling methods are determined based on the dose estimates. Detailed dose assessment is performed using air sampling and particulate characterization. The final dose results are classified into 4 different levels (<0.1 mSv, 0.1-0.3 mSv, 0.3-1 mSv, and >1 mSv). Proper radiation protection measures are suggested according to the dose level. The developed dose assessment procedure was applied for NORM industries in Korea, including coal combustion, phosphate processing, and monazite handing facilities. The developed procedure provides consistent dose assessment results and contributes to the establishment of optimization of radiological protection in NORM industries

  20. Development of internal dose assessment procedure for workers in industries using raw materials containing naturally occurring radioactive materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Choi, Cheol Kyu; KIm, Yong Geon; Ji, Seung Woo; Kim, Kwang Pyo [College of Engineering, Kyung Hee University, Yongin (Korea, Republic of); Koo, Bon Cheol; Chang, Byung Uck [Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-09-15

    It is necessary to assess radiation dose to workers due to inhalation of airborne particulates containing naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) to ensure radiological safety required by the Natural Radiation Safety Management Act. The objective of this study is to develop an internal dose assessment procedure for workers at industries using raw materials containing natural radionuclides. The dose assessment procedure was developed based on harmonization, accuracy, and proportionality. The procedure includes determination of dose assessment necessity, preliminary dose estimation, airborne particulate sampling and characterization, and detailed assessment of radiation dose. The developed dose assessment procedure is as follows. Radioactivity concentration criteria to determine dose assessment necessity are 10 Bq·g-1 for 40K and 1 Bq·g-1 for the other natural radionuclides. The preliminary dose estimation is performed using annual limit on intake (ALI). The estimated doses are classified into 3 groups (<0.1 mSv, 0.1-0.3 mSv, and >0.3 mSv). Air sampling methods are determined based on the dose estimates. Detailed dose assessment is performed using air sampling and particulate characterization. The final dose results are classified into 4 different levels (<0.1 mSv, 0.1-0.3 mSv, 0.3-1 mSv, and >1 mSv). Proper radiation protection measures are suggested according to the dose level. The developed dose assessment procedure was applied for NORM industries in Korea, including coal combustion, phosphate processing, and monazite handing facilities. The developed procedure provides consistent dose assessment results and contributes to the establishment of optimization of radiological protection in NORM industries.

  1. Safety assessment of a dry storage container drop into irradiated fuel bays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Parlatan, Y.; Oh, D.; Arguner, D.; Lei, Q.M.; Kulpa, T.; Bayoumi, M.H.

    2004-01-01

    In Pickering nuclear stations, Dry Storage Containers (DSCs) are employed to transfer used (irradiated) fuel from an irradiated fuel bay to a dry storage facility for interim storage. Each DSC is wet-loaded in the bay water with 4 fuel modules containing up to a total of 384 used fuel bundles that have been out of the reactor core for at least 10 years. Once the DSC is fully loaded, the crane in the bay raises the DSC for spray-wash such that the bottom of the DSC is never more than 2 m above the bay water surface. This paper presents a safety assessment of consequences of an unlikely event that a fully loaded DSC is accidentally dropped into an irradiated fuel bay from the highest possible elevation. Experiments and analyses performed elsewhere show that the DSC drop-generated shock waves will not threaten the structural integrity of an irradiated fuel bay. Therefore, this assessment only assesses the potential damage to the spent fuel bundles in the bay due to pressure transients generated by an accidental DSC drop. A bounding estimate approach has been used to calculate the upper limit of the pressure pulse and the resulting static and dynamic stresses on the fuel sheath. The bounding calculations and relevant experimental results demonstrate that an accidental drop of a fully loaded DSC into an irradiated fuel bay will not cause additional failures of the main fuel inventories stored in modules in the bay water, thus no consequential release of fission products into the bay water. (author)

  2. Effect of areal power density and relative humidity on corrosion resistant container performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gansemer, J.D.

    1994-10-01

    The impact of the rewetting process on the performance of waste containers at the Yucca Mountain repository is analyzed. This paper explores the impact of the temperature-humidity relationships on pitting corrosion failure of stainless steel containers for different areal power densities (APDs)in the repository. It compares the likely performance of containers in a repository with a low APD, 55 Kw/acre, and a high APD, 110 kW/acre

  3. Reliability assessment of Indian Point Unit 3 containment structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kawakami, J.; Hwang, H.; Chang, M.T.; Reich, M.

    1984-01-01

    In the current design criteria, the load combinations specified for design of concrete containment structures are in the deterministic formats. However, by applying the probability-based reliability method developed by BNL to the concrete containment structures designed according to the criteria, it is possible to evaluate the reliability levels implied in the current design criteria. For this purpose, the reliability analysis is applied to the Indian Point Unit No. 3 containment. The details of the containment structure such as the geometries and the rebar arrangements, etc., are taken from the working drawings and the final safety analysis reports. Three kinds of loads are considered in the reliability analysis. They are, dead load (D), accidental pressure due to a large LOCA (P), and earthquake ground acceleration (E). Reliability analysis of the containment subjected to all combinations of loads is performed. Results are presented in this report

  4. The effects of performance-based assessment criteria on student performance and self-assessment skills

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fastré, Greet; Van der Klink, Marcel; Van Merriënboer, Jeroen

    2010-01-01

    Fastré, G. M. J., Van der Klink, M. R., & Van Merriënboer, J. J. G. (2010). The effects of performance-based assessment criteria on student performance and self-assessment skills. Advances in Health Science Education, 15(4), 517-532.

  5. Identification and assessment of containment and release management strategies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lehner, J.R.; Lin, C.C.; Neogy, P.

    1993-01-01

    Brookhaven National Laboratory, under the auspices of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, is investigating accident management strategies which could help preserve containment integrity or minimize the release of radioactivity during a severe accident in a nuclear reactor. The objective is to make use of existing plant systems and equipment in innovative ways to reduce the likelihood of containment failure or to mitigate the release of fission products to the environment if failure cannot be prevented. Many of these strategies would be implemented during the later stages of a severe accident, i.e. after the molten core penetrates the reactor vessel. Significant uncertainties exist regarding some of the phenomena involved with this phase of a severe accident. The identification and assessment process for containment and release strategies is described, and some insights derived from its application to a BWR Mark I plant are presented. A station blackout accident for this kind of plant is considered. The challenges encountered are identified and existing emergency guidelines are reviewed, where needed and when possible, new strategies are devised. The feasibility and effectiveness of these new strategies are assessed, making due allowances for the complicated phenomena and associated uncertainties involved. Both beneficial and adverse effects of the suggested strategies are considered. (orig.)

  6. Performance Assessment of a Post-Closure Pyrophoric Event

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Duguid, J.O.; Senger, R.K.; Leem, J.

    2002-01-01

    This paper describes analyses of a potential post-closure pyrophoric event in a waste package containing uranium metal spent fuel. The analyses include temperature at adjacent waste packages caused by the event and the dose to humans due to the event. The thermal analyses show that the event would not be expected to damage the adjacent waste packages. The dose analyses show that the doses due to the event are small. These analyses provide support to screening arguments used to demonstrate that the pyrophoric event should not be considered in the total system performance assessment model

  7. Performance assessment calculational exercises

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barnard, R.W.; Dockery, H.A.

    1990-01-01

    The Performance Assessment Calculational Exercises (PACE) are an ongoing effort coordinated by Yucca Mountain Project Office. The objectives of fiscal year 1990 work, termed PACE-90, as outlined in the Department of Energy Performance Assessment (PA) Implementation Plan were to develop PA capabilities among Yucca Mountain Project (YMP) participants by calculating performance of a Yucca Mountain (YM) repository under ''expected'' and also ''disturbed'' conditions, to identify critical elements and processes necessary to assess the performance of YM, and to perform sensitivity studies on key parameters. It was expected that the PACE problems would aid in development of conceptual models and eventual evaluation of site data. The PACE-90 participants calculated transport of a selected set of radionuclides through a portion of Yucca Mountain for a period of 100,000 years. Results include analyses of fluid-flow profiles, development of a source term for radionuclide release, and simulations of contaminant transport in the fluid-flow field. Later work included development of a problem definition for perturbations to the originally modeled conditions and for some parametric sensitivity studies. 3 refs

  8. Containment-emergency-sump performance. Technical findings related to Unresolved Safety Issue A-43

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1983-04-01

    This report summarizes key technical findings related to the Unresolved Safety Issue A-43, Containment Emergency Sump Performance, and provides recommendations for resolution of attendant safety issues. The key safety questions relate to: (a) effects of insulation debris on sump performance; (b) sump hydraulic performance as determined by design features, submergence, and plant induced effects, and (c) recirculation pump performance wherein air and/or particulate ingestion can occur. The technical findings presented in this report provide information relevant to the design and performance evaluation of the containment emergency sump

  9. Development and assessment of a fiber reinforced HPC container for radioactive waste

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roulet, A.; Pineau, F.; Chanut, S.; Thibaux, Th.

    2007-01-01

    As part of its research into solutions for concrete disposal containers for long-lived radioactive waste, Andra defined requirements for high-performance concretes with enhanced porosity, diffusion, and permeability characteristics. It is the starting point for further research into severe conditions of containment and durability. To meet these objectives, Eiffage TP consequently developed a highly fibered High Performance Concrete (HPC) design mix using CEM V cement and silica fume. Then, mockups were produced to characterize the performance various concepts of containers with this new concrete mix. These mockups helped to identify possible manufacturing problems, and particularly the risk of cracking due to restrained shrinkage. (authors)

  10. Source term assessment, containment atmosphere control systems, and accident consequences. Report to CSNI by an OECD/NEA Group of experts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1987-04-01

    CSNI Report 135 summarizes the results of the work performed by CSNI's Principal Working Group No. 4 on the Source Term and Environmental Consequences (PWG4) during the period extending from 1983 to 1986. This document contains the latest information on some important topics relating to source terms, accident consequence assessment, and containment atmospheric control systems. It consists of five parts: (1) a Foreword and Executive Summary prepared by PWG4's Chairman; (2) a Report on the Technical Status of the Source Term; (3) a Report on the Technical Status of Filtration and Containment Atmosphere Control Systems for Nuclear Reactors in the Event of a Severe Accident; (4) a Report on the Technical Status of Reactor Accident Consequence Assessment; (5) a list of members of PWG4

  11. CONPAS 1.0 (CONtainment Performance Analysis System). User`s manual

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ahn, Kwang Il; Jin, Young Ho [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daeduk (Korea, Republic of)

    1996-04-01

    CONPAS (CONtainment Performance Analysis System) is a verified computer code package to integrate the numerical, graphical, and results-operation aspects of Level 2 probabilistic safety assessments (PSA) for nuclear power plants automatically under a PC window environment. Compared with the existing DOS-based computer codes for Level 2 PSA, the most important merit of the window-based computer code is that user can easily describe and quantify the accident progression models, and manipulate the resultant outputs in a variety of ways. As a main logic for accident progression analysis, CONPAS employs a concept of the small containment phenomenological event tree (CPET) helpful to trace out visually individual accident progressions and of the large supporting event tree (LSET) for its detailed quantification. For the integrated analysis of Level 2 PSA, the code utilizes four distinct, but closely related modules; (1) ET Editor for construction of several event tree models describing the accident progressions, (2) Computer for quantification of the constructed event trees and graphical display of the resultant outputs, (3) Text Editor for preparation of input decks for quanification and utilization of calculational results, and (4) Mechanistic Code Plotter for utilization of results obtained from severe accident analysis codes. Compared with other existing computer codes for Level 2 PSA, the CONPAS code provides several advanced features: computational aspects including systematic uncertainty analysis, importance analysis, sensitivity analysis and data interpretation, reporting aspects including tabling and graphic as well as user-friend interface. 10 refs. (Author) .new.

  12. Assessment of the sealing system of an ilw transport container in a 9m regulatory impact

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sievwright, R.W.T.; Gray, I.L.S.; Bernasconi, D.J.; McGuinn, P.; Tso, C.F.

    1998-01-01

    UK Nirex Ltd is developing a range of reusable shielded transport containers (RSTCs) to ensure the safe transport of immobilised intermediate level waste to a future UK deep repository for disposal. The RSTCs use an inset lid for mechanical strength and radiation shielding, but the containment boundary is provided by a separate lid seal member (LSM). The LSM is a semi-flexible steel diaphragm surrounded by a rim which carries a double O-ring seal. The LSM rim is clamped to a flat mating surface on the container body. A finite element model has been developed for an RSTC with a wall thickness of 285 mm, in order to assess its containment performance in 9m regulatory drop tests (IAEA 1996). The challenge was to predict the size of small gaps that might appear between the LSM rim and the RSTC body seal face ; this level of detail would be 1-2 orders of magnitude smaller than the displacements experienced in the impact zone. The model was first validated against a series of one-third scale model drop tests of the RSTC. The validated model was then analysed for 9m regulatory impacts in the six worst impact attitudes. The behavior of the LSM was assessed for each attitude and the seal face (gaps) between the LSM and the body were determined. Although small gaps of about 0.5 mm are predicted, it is likely that containment would be preserved. (authors)

  13. Performance assessment for continuing and future operations at solid waste storage area 6

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1997-09-01

    This revised performance assessment (PA) for the continued disposal operations at Solid Waste Storage Area (SWSA) 6 on the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) has been prepared to demonstrate compliance with the performance objectives for low-level radioactive waste (LLW) disposal contained in the US Department of Energy (DOE) Order 5820.2A. This revised PA considers disposal operations conducted from September 26, 1988, through the projects lifetime of the disposal facility

  14. Performance assessment for continuing and future operations at solid waste storage area 6

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1997-09-01

    This revised performance assessment (PA) for the continued disposal operations at Solid Waste Storage Area (SWSA) 6 on the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) has been prepared to demonstrate compliance with the performance objectives for low-level radioactive waste (LLW) disposal contained in the US Department of Energy (DOE) Order 5820.2A. This revised PA considers disposal operations conducted from September 26, 1988, through the projects lifetime of the disposal facility.

  15. Evaluation method for the drying performance of enzyme containing formulations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sloth, Jakob; Bach, P.; Jensen, Anker Degn

    2008-01-01

    A method is presented for fast and cheap evaluation of the performance of enzyme containing formulations in terms of preserving the highest enzyme activity during spray drying. The method is based on modeling the kinetics of the thermal inactivation reaction which occurs during the drying process....... Relevant kinetic parameters are determined from differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) experiments and the model is used to simulate the severity of the inactivation reaction for temperatures and moisture levels relevant for spray drying. After conducting experiments and subsequent simulations...... for a number of different formulations it may be deduced which formulation performs best. This is illustrated by a formulation design study where 4 different enzyme containing formulations are evaluated. The method is validated by comparison to pilot scale spray dryer experiments....

  16. Preliminary performance assessment for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, December 1992

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1993-08-01

    Before disposing of transuranic radioactive waste in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), the United States Department of Energy (DOE) must evaluate compliance with applicable long-term regulations of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Sandia National Laboratories is conducting iterative performance assessments (PAs) of the WIPP for the DOE to provide interim guidance while preparing for a final compliance evaluation. This volume of the 1992 PA contains results of uncertainty and sensitivity analyses with respect to migration of gas and brine from the undisturbed repository. Additional information about the 1992 PA is provided in other volumes. Volume 1 contains an overview of WIPP PA and results of a preliminary comparison with 40 CFR 191, Subpart B. Volume 2 describes the technical basis for the performance assessment, including descriptions of the linked computational models used in the Monte Carlo analyses. Volume 3 contains the reference data base and values for input parameters used in consequence and probability modeling. Volume 4 contains uncertainty and sensitivity analyses with respect to the EPA's Environmental Standards for the Management and Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel, High-Level and Transuranic Radioactive Wastes (40 CFR 191, Subpart B). Finally, guidance derived from the entire 1992 PA is presented in Volume 6. Results of the 1992 uncertainty and sensitivity analyses indicate that, conditional on the modeling assumptions and the assigned parameter-value distributions, the most important parameters for which uncertainty has the potential to affect gas and brine migration from the undisturbed repository are: initial liquid saturation in the waste, anhydrite permeability, biodegradation-reaction stoichiometry, gas-generation rates for both corrosion and biodegradation under inundated conditions, and the permeability of the long-term shaft seal

  17. Shielding Performance Measurements of Spent Fuel Transportation Container

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    SUN Hong-chao

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available The safety supervision of radioactive material transportation package has been further stressed and implemented. The shielding performance measurements of spent fuel transport container is the important content of supervision. However, some of the problems and difficulties reflected in practice need to be solved, such as the neutron dose rate on the surface of package is too difficult to measure exactly, the monitoring results are not always reliable, etc. The monitoring results using different spectrometers were compared and the simulation results of MCNP runs were considered. An improvement was provided to the shielding performance measurements technique and management of spent fuel transport.

  18. DOE site performance assessment activities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1990-07-01

    Information on performance assessment capabilities and activities was collected from eight DOE sites. All eight sites either currently dispose of low-level radioactive waste (LLW) or plan to dispose of LLW in the near future. A survey questionnaire was developed and sent to key individuals involved in DOE Order 5820.2A performance assessment activities at each site. The sites surveyed included: Hanford Site (Hanford), Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Nevada Test Site (NTS), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant (Paducah), Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant (Portsmouth), and Savannah River Site (SRS). The questionnaire addressed all aspects of the performance assessment process; from waste source term to dose conversion factors. This report presents the information developed from the site questionnaire and provides a comparison of site-specific performance assessment approaches, data needs, and ongoing and planned activities. All sites are engaged in completing the radioactive waste disposal facility performance assessment required by DOE Order 5820.2A. Each site has achieved various degrees of progress and have identified a set of critical needs. Within several areas, however, the sites identified common needs and questions

  19. Aging assessment of Westinghouse PWR and General Electric BWR containment isolation functions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, B.S.; Travis, R.; Grove, E.; DiBiasio, A.

    1996-03-01

    A study was performed to assess the effects of aging on the Containment Isolation (CI) functions of Westinghouse Pressurized Water Reactors and General Electric Boiling Water Reactors. This study is part of the Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) program, sponsored by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The objectives of this program are to provide an understanding of the aging process and how it affects plant safety so that it can be properly managed. This is one of a number of studies performed under the NPAR program which provide a technical basis for the identification and evaluation of degradation caused by age. Failure data from two national databases, Nuclear Plant Reliability Data System (NPRDS) and Licensee Event Reports (LERs), as well as plant specific data were reviewed and analyzed to understand the effects of aging on the CI functions. This study provided information on the effects of aging on component failure frequency, failure modes, and failure causes. Current inspection, surveillance, and monitoring practices were also reviewed.

  20. Aging assessment of Westinghouse PWR and General Electric BWR containment isolation functions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, B.S.; Travis, R.; Grove, E.; DiBiasio, A.

    1996-03-01

    A study was performed to assess the effects of aging on the Containment Isolation (CI) functions of Westinghouse Pressurized Water Reactors and General Electric Boiling Water Reactors. This study is part of the Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) program, sponsored by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The objectives of this program are to provide an understanding of the aging process and how it affects plant safety so that it can be properly managed. This is one of a number of studies performed under the NPAR program which provide a technical basis for the identification and evaluation of degradation caused by age. Failure data from two national databases, Nuclear Plant Reliability Data System (NPRDS) and Licensee Event Reports (LERs), as well as plant specific data were reviewed and analyzed to understand the effects of aging on the CI functions. This study provided information on the effects of aging on component failure frequency, failure modes, and failure causes. Current inspection, surveillance, and monitoring practices were also reviewed

  1. Texas' performance assessment work

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Charbeneau, R.J.; Hertel, N.E.; Pollard, C.G.

    1990-01-01

    The Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Authority is completing two years of detailed on-site suitability studies of a potential low-level radioactive waste disposal site in Hudspeth County, Texas. The data from these studies have been used to estimate site specific parameters needed to do a performance assessment of the site. The radiological impacts of the site have been analyzed as required for a license application. The approach adopted for the performance assessment was to use simplified and yet conservative assumptions with regard to releases, radionuclide transport, and dose calculations. The methodologies employed in the performance assessment are reviewed in the paper. Rather than rely on a single computer code, a modular approach to the performance assessment was selected. The HELP code was used to calculate the infiltration rate through the trench covers and the amount of leachate released from this arid site. Individual pathway analyses used spreadsheet calculations. These calculations were compared with those from other computer models including CRRIS, INGDOS, PATHRAE, and MICROSHIELD copyright, and found to yield conservative estimates of the effective whole body dose. The greatest difficulty in performing the radiological assessment of the site was the selection of reasonable source terms for release into the environment. A surface water pathway is unreasonable for the site. Though also unlikely, the groundwater pathway with exposure through a site boundary well was found to yield the largest calculated dose. The more likely pathway including transport of leachate from the facility through the unsaturated zone and returning to the ground surface yields small doses. All calculated doses associated with normal releases of radioactivity are below the regulatory limits

  2. Reliability assessment of passive containment isolation system using APSRA methodology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nayak, A.K.; Jain, Vikas; Gartia, M.R.; Srivastava, A.; Prasad, Hari; Anthony, A.; Gaikwad, A.J.; Bhatia, S.; Sinha, R.K.

    2008-01-01

    In this paper, a methodology known as APSRA (Assessment of Passive System ReliAbility) has been employed for evaluation of the reliability of passive systems. The methodology has been applied to the passive containment isolation system (PCIS) of the Indian advanced heavy water reactor (AHWR). In the APSRA methodology, the passive system reliability evaluation is based on the failure probability of the system to carryout the desired function. The methodology first determines the operational characteristics of the system and the failure conditions by assigning a predetermined failure criterion. The failure surface is predicted using a best estimate code considering deviations of the operating parameters from their nominal states, which affect the PCIS performance. APSRA proposes to compare the code predictions with the test data to generate the uncertainties on the failure parameter prediction, which is later considered in the code for accurate prediction of failure surface of the system. Once the failure surface of the system is predicted, the cause of failure is examined through root diagnosis, which occurs mainly due to failure of mechanical components. The failure probability of these components is evaluated through a classical PSA treatment using the generic data. The reliability of the PCIS is evaluated from the probability of availability of the components for the success of the passive containment isolation system

  3. The effect of severe accident mitigation design on the containment performance for Korean ALWR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Na, J. H.; Lee, J. S.; Lim, H. K.; Kim, J. K.

    2001-01-01

    The containment performance analysis for Korean ALWR standard design has been performed to confirm the safety goal and to identify the design features vulnerable to severe accidents for the on-going design. The results in terms of conditional containment failure probability show Korean ALWR design does not have any particular vulnerability given core damage sequences. It shows the conditional containment failure probability for pull power internal event is less than that of design goal. The late containment failure is much less than 4% for given core damages and that of containment bypass is about 2%. New design features of the Korean ALWR such as bydrogen mitigation system (IIMS), cavity flooding system (CFS), and emergency containment spray bakcup system (ECSBS), external reactor vessel cooling (ERVC), etc. are reflected in Korean ALWR design and is reviewed in this paper to give an insight for the design vulnerabilities and input to the development of accident management. These Korean ALWR specific design features showed the containment performance is significantly enhanced compared with the other PWR plants

  4. TRAC analysis of passive containment cooling system performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arai, Kenji; Kataoka, Kazuyoshi; Nagasaka, Hideo

    1993-01-01

    A passive containment cooling system (PCCS) is a promising concept to improve the reliability of decay heat removal during an accident. Toshiba has carried out analytical studies for PCCS development in addition to experimental studies, using a best estimate thermal hydraulic computer code TRAC. In order to establish an analytical model for the PCCS performance analysis, it is necessary for the analytical model to be qualified against experimental results and thoroughly address the phenomena important for PCCS performance analysis. In this paper, the TRAC qualification for PCCS application is reported. A TRAC model has been verified against a drain line break simulation test conducted at the PCCS integral test facility, GIRAFFE. The result shows that the TRAC model can accurately predict the major system response and the PCCS performance in the drain line break test. In addition, the results of several sensitivity analyses, showing various points concerning the modeling in the PCCS performance analysis, have been reported. The analyses have been carried out for the SBWR and the analytical points are closely related to important phenomena which can affect PCCS performance

  5. Performance tests of the reactor containment structures of HTTR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakaba, Nariaki; Iigaki, Kazuhiko; Kawaji, Satoshi; Iyoku, Tatsuo

    1998-03-01

    The containment structures of the HTTR consist of the reactor containment vessel (CV), service area (SA) and emergency air purification system, which minimize the release of FPs in the postulated accidents with FP release from the reactor facilities. The CV is designed to withstand the temperature and pressure transients and to be leak-tight within the specified leakage limit even in the case of a rupture of the primary concentric hot gas duct. The pressure of inside of the SA should be maintained slightly lower than that of atmosphere by the emergency air purification system. The radioactive materials are released from the stack to environment via the emergency air purification system under the accident condition. Then the emergency air purification system should remove airborne radio-activities and should maintain proper pressure in the SA. We established the method to measure leak rate of the CV with closed reactor coolant pressure boundary although it is normally measured under opened reactor coolant pressure boundary as employed in LWRs. The CV leak rate test was carried out by the newly developed method and the expected performance was obtained. The SA and emergency air purification system were also confirmed by the performance test. We concluded that the reactor containment structures were fabricated to minimize the release of FPs in the postulated accidents with FP release from the reactor facilities. (author)

  6. Performance behavior of the passive containment cooling system of a natural circulation BWR during postulated accident condition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kumar, Mukesh; Nayak, A.K.; Jain, Vikas; Vijayan, P.K.; Saha, D.; Sinha, R.K.

    2011-01-01

    Passive systems are playing prominent role in the development of innovative nuclear reactor systems due to their simplicity, enhanced safety, reliability and economy. These systems are being considered for normal operation as well as accidental conditions of reactor following a postulated accident scenario to preclude the scenarios arising out of failure of active systems as well as to minimize the operator intervention. Indian innovative reactor AHWR being designed for thorium utilization employs various passive safety concepts. As containment is the ultimate barrier to the release of radioactivity, passive concepts are being employed in BWRs for minimize peak containment pressure in the containment during a postulated accident condition like LOCA. The concept of passive containment cooling system (PCCS) in the AHWR comprises of inclined tube heat exchangers located underneath an elevated pool that removes the heat from the steam-air atmosphere of containment following a LOCA by natural circulation of water inside the tubes. The steam condenses on the external surface of tubes of PCCS in addition to the wall of the containment which in turn depressurizes the containment. This paper deals with the performance assessment of PCCS of AHWR during a postulated design basis LOCA by using the best estimate code RELAP5/Mod3.2. (author)

  7. Performance of containment of Indian PHWR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mohan, Nalini; Ghadge, S.G.; Bajaj, S.S.

    2006-01-01

    This paper summarizes the various requirements and activities relevant to the testing of containment system of Indian Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR). All Indian PHWR containments are constructed from concrete either reinforced or prestressed or a combination of both and lined with polymeric coating based on Epoxy or Vinyl in order to achieve the leak tightness necessary from the radiological considerations following an accident. The current concept includes a complete double containment (except the base raft) extended to all penetrations and some of the pipings (those open to the containment atmosphere). The primary containment fitted with a passive pressure suppression system is enveloped in the secondary containment (confinement) where slight vacuum is maintained during normal operation as well as post accident condition. The Integrated leakage Rate Test (ILRT) conducted so far on the containment indicate that the overall leakages from the containment are lower than those necessary to meet the radiological limits following a postulated accident and interception of leakages by secondary containment as per design. The details of the, tests, repairs carried out and observations are given in this paper. The experience of ILRT also indicate improvement in leak tightness in many areas. (author)

  8. Performance of broiler chickens fed diets containing DAS-68416-4 soybean meal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herman, Rod A; Dunville, Christina M; Juberg, Daland R; Fletcher, Dale W; Cromwell, Gary L

    2011-01-01

    Broiler chickens are a fast growing monogastric animal commonly used to evaluate the equivalence between transgenic and non-transgenic grains as part of the human safety assessment process. While commonly viewed like other livestock feeding trials, such studies are performed with transgenic crops with input traits (that are not designed to improve nutrition) to aid regulatory authorities in evaluating safety. Studies of this type are actually more similar to toxicology studies in purpose, with sensitive endpoints like growth used to detect metabolic perturbations. DAS-68416-4 soybean expresses the aryloxyalkanoate dioxygenase-12 (AAD-12) enzyme which inactivates 2,4-diclorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and provides DAS-68416-4 soybeans tolerance to this herbicide. DAS-68416-4 also expresses the phosphinothricin acetyltransferase (PAT) enzyme from Streptomyces viridochromogenes which confers tolerance to glufosinate-ammonium herbicides. A 6-week broiler study was conducted with diets containing toasted DAS-68416-4 soybean meal (40, 36, and 32% in starter, grower and finisher diets, respectively) to evaluate nutritional wholesomeness and safety compared with conventional comparators. Toasting soybean meal is required to inactivate endogenous antinutrients making soybean suitable for consumption by monogastric animals like broiler chickens. Toasting was found to denature both the AAD-12 and PAT proteins rendering them non-detectable by enzyme linked immunosorbent assays. Broiler growth and performance parameters were measured over a 6-week period of exposure to diets containing different sources of toasted soybean meal, and results indicate that DAS-68416-4 soybean is nutritionally equivalent to non-transgenic soybean.

  9. Numerical simulation of radioisotope's dependency on containment performance for large dry PWR containment under severe accidents

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mehboob, Khurram, E-mail: khurramhrbeu@gmail.com [College of Nuclear Science and Technology, Harbin Engineering University, 145-31 Nantong Street, Nangang District, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150001 (China); Xinrong, Cao [College of Nuclear Science and Technology, Harbin Engineering University, 145-31 Nantong Street, Nangang District, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150001 (China); Ahmed, Raheel [College of Automation, Harbin Engineering University, 145-31 Nantong Street, Nangang District, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150001 (China); Ali, Majid [College of Nuclear Science and Technology, Harbin Engineering University, 145-31 Nantong Street, Nangang District, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150001 (China)

    2013-09-15

    Highlights: • Calculation and comparison of activity of BURN-UP code with ORIGEN2 code. • Development of SASTC computer code. • Radioisotopes dependency on containment ESFs. • Mitigation in atmospheric release with ESFs operation. • Variation in radioisotopes source term with spray flow and pH value. -- Abstract: During the core melt accidents large amount of fission products can be released into the containment building. These fission products escape into the environment to contribute in accident source term. The mitigation in environmental release is demanded for such radiological consequences. Thus, countermeasures to source term, mitigations of release of radioactivity have been studied for 1000 MWe PWR reactor. The procedure of study is divided into five steps: (1) calculation and verification of core inventory, evaluated by BURN-UP code, (2) containment modeling based on radioactivity removal factors, (3) selection of potential accidents initiates the severe accident, (4) calculation of release of radioactivity, (5) study the dependency of release of radioactivity on containment engineering safety features (ESFs) inducing mitigation. Loss of coolant accident (LOCA), small break LOCA and flow blockage accidents (FBA) are selected as initiating accidents. The mitigation effect of ESFs on source term has been studied against ESFs performance. Parametric study of release of radioactivity has been carried out by modeling and simulating the containment parameters in MATLAB, which takes BURN-UP outcomes as input along with the probabilistic data. The dependency of iodine and aerosol source term on boric and caustic acid spray has been determined. The variation in source term mitigation with the variation of containment spray flow rate and pH values have been studied. The variation in containment retention factor (CRF) has also been studied with the ESF performance. A rapid decrease in source term is observed with the increase in pH value.

  10. Designing Second Language Performance Assessments. Technical Report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Norris, John M.; Brown, James Dean; Hudson, Thom; Yoshioka, Jim

    This technical report focuses on the decision-making potential provided by second language performance assessments. First, performance assessment is situated within the broader discussion of alternatives in language assessment and in educational assessment in general. Next, issues in performance assessment design, implementation, reliability, and…

  11. Performance Assessment in Courts - The Swiss Case

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andreas Lienhard

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Performance assessments have become commonplace in management, even in the public sector. With the increasing pressure on courts to perform while making efficient use of resources, performance assessments in the justice system are also gaining in importance. However, the need for judicial independence poses special challenges for performance assessments in courts. Against this background, this article conducts a constitutional appraisal, and contrasts the need for judicial independence with the principles governing effectiveness and efficiency, self-government and supervision, and appointment and re-appointment. A duty to guarantee justice can be derived from this that does not in principle exclude the performance assessment of judges, but even renders it essential, subject to compliance with certain requirements. In these circumstances, it seems hardly surprising that numerous countries conduct performance assessments of judges and also that various international institutions have developed principles for this purpose, a summary of which is presented – in Switzerland’s case based on a recently conducted survey. In the field of conflict between the guaranteeing justice and protecting the judiciary, the following key questions arise in particular: What is the purpose of performance assessments and what are the consequences?What is subjected to a performance assessment and what are the assessment criteria?How is performance recorded as the basis for the performance assessment?Who is subjected to a performance assessment, and must a distinction be made between judges in higher and lower courts?Who carries out the performance assessment and what methods of protecting one’s rights are available?Who should receive the results of the performance assessment?The contribution sketches out possible answers to these key questions and aims to encourage academics and practitioners to give further consideration to this subject.

  12. Assessment of Effective Prestressed Force of Nuclear Containment Building using SI Technique

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, H. P.; Jang, J. B.; Hwang, K. M.; Song, Y. C. [Korea Electric Power Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2010-10-15

    Bonded tendons have been used in reactor buildings of heavy water reactors and the light water reactors of some nuclear power plants operating in Korea. The assessment of prestressed forces on those bonded tendons is becoming an important issue in assuring their continuous operation beyond their design life. In order to assess the effective prestressed force on the bonded tendon, indirect assessment techniques have been applying to the test beams which were manufactured on construction time. Therefore, this research mainly forced to establish the assessment methodology to measure directly the effective prestressed force on the bonded tendon of containment buildings using System Identification (SI) technique. To accomplish this purpose, simple SI method was proposed and adapted three dimensional finite element analysis of the 1:4 scale prestressed concrete containment vessel (PCCV) tested by Sandia National Laboratory in 2000

  13. Historical data summary of the Systematic Assessment of Licensee Performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Johnson, M.R.; Waterman, D.K.

    1987-04-01

    This report presents a history of Systematic Assessment of Licensee Performance (SALP) ratings for nuclear power plant facilities in operation and under construction. The SALP results are listed by NRC region in three sections: the most recent report, operating facilities, and facilities under construction. The historical data summary report has been prepared by the NRC Office of Inspection and Enforcement (IE). Information contained in this report has been updated to include those published SALP reports received before March 13, 1987

  14. Historical data summary of the systematic assessment of licensee performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1986-10-01

    This report presents a history of Systematic Assessment of Licensee Performance (SALP) ratings for nuclear power plant facilities in operation and under construction. The SALP results are listed by NRC region in three sections: the most recent report, operating facilities, and facilities under construction. The historical data summary report has been prepared by the NRC Office of Inspection and Enforcement (IE). Information contained in this report has been updated to include those published SALP reports received before September 16, 1986

  15. Performance Assessment National Review Group

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lieberman, J.A.; Davis, S.N.; Harleman, D.R.F.

    1985-02-01

    Performance assessment involves predicting the potential radiological impact of a nuclear waste disposal system, taking into account all of the natural and engineered components of the system. It includes the analysis and evaluation of predicted system and component performance to determine compliance with regulatory performance criteria. In the context of the nuclear waste management program, performance assessment has five major purposes: to assist in the evaluation and selection of repository sites; to guide the research, development, and testing programs; to assist in the evaluation of repository designs; to assist in the evaluation of the design and performance of engineered barriers; and to show regulatory compliance and support repository licensing. Current performance assessment methodologies are still in the developmental stage. Only the simplest of bounding calculations have produced quantitative predictions of radionuclide releases. The methodologies require considerable extension and validation before they can provide answers suitable for project decisions and licensing. 135 refs., 9 figs., 1 tab

  16. Context for performance assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kocher, D.C.

    1997-01-01

    In developing its recommendations on performance assessment for disposal of low-level radioactive waste, Scientific committee 87-3 of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) has considered a number of topics that provide a context for the development of suitable approaches to performance assessment. This paper summarizes the Committee' discussions on these topics, including (1) the definition of low-level waste and its sources and properties, as they affect the variety of wastes that must be considered, (2) fundamental objectives and principles of radioactive waste disposal and their application to low-level waste, (3) current performance objectives for low-level waste disposal in the US, with particular emphasis on such unresolved issues of importance to performance assessment as the time frame for compliance, requirements for protection of groundwater and surface water, inclusion of doses from radon, demonstrating compliance with fixed performance objectives using highly uncertain model projections, and application of the principle that releases to the environment should be maintained as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA), (4) the role of active and passive institutional controls over disposal sites, (5) the role of the inadvertent human intruder in low-level waste disposal, (6) model validation and confidence in model outcomes, and (7) the concept of reasonable assurance of compliance

  17. Assessment of severe accident prevention and mitigation features: BWR, Mark II containment design

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lehner, J.R.; Hsu, C.J.; Eltawila, F.; Perkins, K.R.; Luckas, W.J.; Fitzpatrick, R.G.; Pratt, W.T.

    1988-07-01

    Plant features and operator actions, which have been found to be important in either preventing or mitigating severe accidents in BWRs with Mark II containments (BWR Mark II's) have been identified. These features and actions were developed from insights derived from reviews of in-depth risk assessments performed specifically for the Limerick and Shoreham plants and from other relevant studies. Accident sequences that dominate the core-damage frequency and those accident sequences that are of potentially high consequence were identified. Vulnerabilities of the BWR Mark II to severe-accident containment loads were also noted. In addition, those features of a BWR Mark II, which are important for preventing core damage and are available for mitigating fission-product release to the environment were also identified. This report is issued to provide focus to an analyst examining an individual plant. This report calls attention to plant features and operator actions and provides a list of deterministic attributes for assessing those features and actions found to be helpful in reducing the overall risk for Mark II plants. Thus, the guidance is offered as a resource in examining the subject plant to determine if the same, or similar, plant features and operator actions will be of value in reducing overall plant risk. This report is intended to serve solely as guidance

  18. Operational human performance reliability assessment (OHPRA)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haas, P.M.; Swanson, P.J.; Connelly, E.M.

    1993-01-01

    Operational Human Performance Reliability Assessment (OHPRA) is an approach for assessing human performance that is being developed in response to demands from modern process industries for practical and effective tools to assess and improve human performance, and therefore overall system performance and safety. The single most distinguishing feature of the approach is that is defines human performance in open-quotes operationalclose quotes terms. OHPRA is focused not on generation of human error probabilities, but on practical analysis of human performance to aid management in (1) identifying open-quotes fixableclose quotes problems and (2) providing input on the importance and nature of potential improvements. Development of the model in progress uses a unique approach for eliciting expert strategies for assessing performance. A PC-based model incorporating this expertise is planned. A preliminary version of the approach has already been used successfully to identify practical human performance problems in reactor and chemical process plant operations

  19. On the estimation of bias in post-closure performance assessment of underground radioactive waste disposal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thompson, B.G.J.; Gralewski, Z.A.; Grindrod, P.

    1995-01-01

    This paper proposes a systematic method for recording and evaluating bias in performance assessments for underground radioactive waste disposal facilities. The bias estimation approach comprises three principal components: (1) creation of a relational database containing historical assumptions and decisions made during the assessment, (2) investigation of the impact of some identified sources of internal bias through alternative assessment calculations, and (3) investigation of the impact of some identified sources of external bias by estimating degrees of belief probability. Bias corrections may help avoid unnecessary concerns by explaining and scoping the impacts of principal differences without the need to undertake additional site investigation, research, and performance analysis

  20. Assessment of GOTHIC and TRACE codes against selected PANDA experiments on a Passive Containment Condenser

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Papini, Davide, E-mail: davide.papini@psi.ch; Adamsson, Carl; Andreani, Michele; Prasser, Horst-Michael

    2014-10-15

    Highlights: • Code comparison on the performance of a Passive Containment Condenser. • Simulation of separate effect tests with pure steam and non-condensable gases. • Role of the secondary side and accuracy of pool boiling models are discussed. • GOTHIC and TRACE predict the experimental performance with slight underestimation. • Recirculatory flow pattern with injection of light non-condensable gas is inferred. - Abstract: Typical passive safety systems for ALWRs (Advanced Light Water Reactors) rely on the condensation of steam to remove the decay heat from the core or the containment. In the present paper the three-dimensional containment code GOTHIC and the one-dimensional system code TRACE are compared on the calculation of a variety of phenomena characterizing the response of a passive condenser submerged in a boiling pool. The investigation addresses the conditions of interest for the Passive Containment Cooling System (PCCS) proposed for the ESBWR (Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor). The analysis of selected separate effect tests carried out on a PCC (Passive Containment Condenser) unit in the PANDA large-scale thermal-hydraulic facility is presented to assess the code predictions. Both pure steam conditions (operating pressure of 3 bar, 6 bar and 9 bar) and the effect on the condensation heat transfer of non-condensable gases heavier than steam (air) and lighter than steam (helium) are considered. The role of the secondary side (pool side) heat transfer on the condenser performance is examined too. In general, this study shows that both the GOTHIC and TRACE codes are able to reasonably predict the heat transfer capability of the PCC as well as the influence of non-condensable gas on the system. A slight underestimation of the condenser performance is obtained with both codes. For those tests where the experimental and simulated efficiencies agree better the possibility of compensating errors among different parts of the heat transfer

  1. Proceedings of the tenth annual DOE low-level waste management conference: Session 2: Site performance assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1988-12-01

    This document contains twelve papers on various aspects of low-level radioactive waste management. Topics of this volume include: performance assessment methodology; remedial action alternatives; site selection and site characterization procedures; intruder scenarios; sensitivity analysis procedures; mathematical models for mixed waste environmental transport; and risk assessment methodology. Individual papers were processed separately for the database

  2. Preliminary performance assessment for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, December 1992

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1992-12-01

    Before disposing of transuranic radioactive waste in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), the United States Department of Energy (DOE) must evaluate compliance with applicable long-term regulations of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Sandia National Laboratories is conducting iterative performance assessments (PAs) of the WIPP for the DOE to provide interim guidance while preparing for a final compliance evaluation. This volume, Volume 2, contains the technical basis for the 1992 PA. Specifically, it describes the conceptual basis for consequence modeling and the PA methodology, including the selection of scenarios for analysis, the determination of scenario probabilities, and the estimation of scenario consequences using a Monte Carlo technique and a linked system of computational models. Additional information about the 1992 PA is provided in other volumes. Volume I contains an overview of WIPP PA and results of a preliminary comparison with the long-term requirements of the EPA's Environmental Protection Standards for Management and Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel, High-Level and Transuranic Radioactive Wastes (40 CFR 191, Subpart B). Volume 3 contains the reference data base and values for input parameters used in consequence and probability modeling. Volume 4 contains uncertainty and sensitivity analyses related to the preliminary comparison with 40 CFR 191B. Volume 5 contains uncertainty and sensitivity analyses of gas and brine migration for undisturbed performance. Finally, guidance derived from the entire 1992 PA is presented in Volume 6

  3. Performance assessment in algebra learning process

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lestariani, Ida; Sujadi, Imam; Pramudya, Ikrar

    2017-12-01

    The purpose of research to describe the implementation of performance assessment on algebra learning process. The subject in this research is math educator of SMAN 1 Ngawi class X. This research includes descriptive qualitative research type. Techniques of data collecting are done by observation method, interview, and documentation. Data analysis technique is done by data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion. The results showed any indication that the steps taken by the educator in applying the performance assessment are 1) preparing individual worksheets and group worksheets, 2) preparing rubric assessments for independent worksheets and groups and 3) making performance assessments rubric to learners’ performance results with individual or groups task.

  4. Performance assessment plans and methods for the Salt Repository Project

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1984-08-01

    This document presents the preliminary plans and anticipated methods of the Salt Repository Project (SRP) for assessing the postclosure and radiological aspects of preclosure performance of a nuclear waste repository in salt. This plan is intended to be revised on an annual basis. The emphasis in this preliminary effort is on the method of conceptually dividing the system into three subsystems (the very near field, the near field, and the far field) and applying models to analyze the behavior of each subsystem and its individual components. The next revision will contain more detailed plans being developed as part of Site Characterization Plan (SCP) activities. After a brief system description, this plan presents the performance targets which have been established for nuclear waste repositories by regulatory agencies (Chapter 3). The SRP approach to modeling, including sensitivity and uncertainty techniques is then presented (Chapter 4). This is followed by a discussion of scenario analysis (Chapter 5), a presentation of preliminary data needs as anticipated by the SRP (Chapter 6), and a presentation of the SRP approach to postclosure assessment of the very near field, the near field, and the far field (Chapters 7, 8, and 9, respectively). Preclosure radiological assessment is discussed in Chapter 10. Chapter 11 presents the SRP approach to code verification and validation. Finally, the Appendix lists all computer codes anticipated for use in performance assessments. The list of codes will be updated as plans are revised

  5. Feature, Event, and Process Screening and Scenario Development for the Yucca Mountain Total System Performance Assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barnard, R.; Barr, G.; Burch, P.; Freeze, G.; Rechard, R.; Schenker, A.; Swift, P.

    1999-01-01

    Scenario development has two primary purposes in the design and documentation of post-closure performance assessments in a regulatory setting. First, scenario development ensures a sufficiently comprehensive consideration of the possible future states of the system. Second, scenario development identifies the important scenarios that must be considered in quantitative analyses of the total system performance assessment (TSPA). Section 2.0 of this report describes the scenario development process. Steps in the process are described in Section 2.1, and terms introduced in this section are defined in Section 2.2. The electronic database used to document the process is described in Section 3, and Section 4 provides a summary of the current status of the YMP scenario development work. Section 5 contains acknowledgments, and Section 6 contains a list of the references cited

  6. Review of SR 97 performance assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Glynn, P.D.

    2000-01-01

    This review has identified many technical problems in the SR 97 performance assessment. The general impression of this reviewer is that SKB has been disingenuous in its performance assessment effort. It has not cited important differences of opinion with its own views. Furthermore, there are many inconsistencies in the SR 97 report that all together leave the impression that there are many more uncertainties in the SR 97 performance assessment than SKB would perhaps care to admit. Additionally, despite SKB's statements to the contrary, many of the analyses conducted for the SR 97 performance assessment can be clearly shown not to have been based on 'conservative' assumptions. Finally, SKB has made little effort to consider possible coupling effects between their different scenarios in SR 97. This is a serious flaw in the SR 97 performance assessment. The comments in this review should not be taken to imply that the KBS-3 nuclear waste disposal method will not be able to meet the safety and radiation protection requirements which SKI and SSI have specified in recent years. Instead, my conclusion is simply that the SR 97 performance assessment of the KBS-3 method would have been more believable had it been based on a forthright and comprehensive discussion of facts, uncertainties and opinions, and on a more conservative choice of assumptions. As it stands, the SR 97 performance assessment is not very credible

  7. Development and assessment of the CONTAIN hybrid flow solver

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Murata, K.K.; Stamps, D.W.

    1996-11-01

    A new gravitational head formulation for the treatment of stratified conditions has been developed for CONTAIN 1.2, a control volume code used primarily for the analyses of postulated accidents in nuclear power plants. The new CONTAIN formulation of gravitational heads, termed the hybrid formulation, is described. This method of calculating stratified conditions is compared with the old, average-density formulation used in code versions prior to CONTAIN 1.2. Both formulations are assessed in this report with experimental data from three large-scale experiments in which stratified conditions formed by injection of a buoyant gas were observed. In general, the hybrid formulation gives a substantially higher degree of stratification than the old formulation. For stable, fully developed stratifications, the hybrid formulation also gives much better agreement with the measured degree of stratification than the old formulation. In addition, the predicted degree of stratification is robust and not sensitive to nodalization, provided a set of nodalization guidelines are followed. However, for stratification behavior controlled by special physics not modeled in CONTAIN, such as momentum convection, plume entrainment, or bulk molecular diffusion, one should not expect good agreement with experiment unless special measures to accommodate the missing physics are taken

  8. Assessment of energy performance and air pollutant emissions in a diesel engine generator fueled with water-containing ethanol-biodiesel-diesel blend of fuels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Wen-Jhy; Liu, Yi-Cheng; Mwangi, Francis Kimani; Chen, Wei-Hsin; Lin, Sheng-Lun; Fukushima, Yasuhiro; Liao, Chao-Ning; Wang, Lin-Chi

    2011-01-01

    Biomass based oxygenated fuels have been identified as possible replacement of fossil fuel due to pollutant emission reduction and decrease in over-reliance on fossil fuel energy. In this study, 4 v% water-containing ethanol was mixed with (65-90%) diesel using (5-30%) biodiesel (BD) and 1 v% butanol as stabilizer and co-solvent respectively. The fuels were tested against those of biodiesel-diesel fuel blends to investigate the effect of addition of water-containing ethanol for their energy efficiencies and pollutant emissions in a diesel-fueled engine generator. Experimental results indicated that the fuel blend mix containing 4 v% of water-containing ethanol, 1 v% butanol and 5-30 v% of biodiesel yielded stable blends after 30 days standing. BD1041 blend of fuel, which composed of 10 v% biodiesel, 4 v% of water-containing ethanol and 1 v% butanol demonstrated -0.45 to 1.6% increase in brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC, mL kW -1 h -1 ) as compared to conventional diesel. The better engine performance of BD1041 was as a result of complete combustion, and lower reaction temperature based on the water cooling effect, which reduced emissions to 2.8-6.0% for NO x , 12.6-23.7% particulate matter (PM), 20.4-23.8% total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and 30.8-42.9% total BaPeq between idle mode and 3.2 kW power output of the diesel engine generator. The study indicated that blending diesel with water-containing ethanol could achieve the goal of more green sustainability. -- Highlights: → Water-containing ethanol was mixed with diesel using biodiesel and butanol as stabilizer and co-solvent, respectively. → Fuel blends with 4 v% water-containing ethanol, 1 v% butanol, 5-30 v% biodiesel and conventional diesel yielded a stable blended fuel after more than 30 days. → Due to more complete combustion and water quench effect, target fuel BD1041 was gave good energy performance and significant reduction of PM, NO x , total PAH and total BaPeq emissions.

  9. Proceedings of the tenth annual DOE low-level waste management conference: Session 2: Site performance assessment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1988-12-01

    This document contains twelve papers on various aspects of low-level radioactive waste management. Topics of this volume include: performance assessment methodology; remedial action alternatives; site selection and site characterization procedures; intruder scenarios; sensitivity analysis procedures; mathematical models for mixed waste environmental transport; and risk assessment methodology. Individual papers were processed separately for the database. (TEM)

  10. Risk assessment of combined exposure to alkenylbenzenes through consumption of plant food supplements containing parsley and dill.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alajlouni, Abdalmajeed M; Al-Malahmeh, Amer J; Wesseling, Sebastiaan; Kalli, Marina; Vervoort, Jacques; Rietjens, Ivonne M C M

    2017-12-01

    A risk assessment was performed of parsley- and dill-based plant food supplements (PFS) containing apiol and related alkenylbenzenes. First, the levels of the alkenylbenzenes in the PFS and the resulting estimated daily intake (EDI) resulting from use of the PFS were quantified. Since most PFS appeared to contain more than one alkenylbenzene, a combined risk assessment was performed based on equal potency or using a so-called toxic equivalency (TEQ) approach based on toxic equivalency factors (TEFs) for the different alkenylbenzenes. The EDIs resulting from daily PFS consumption amount to 0.74-125 µg kg -1 bw for the individual alkenylbenzenes, 0.74-160 µg kg -1 bw for the sum of the alkenylbenzenes, and 0.47-64 µg kg -1 bw for the sum of alkenylbenzenes when expressed in safrole equivalents. The margins of exposure (MOEs) obtained were generally below 10,000, indicating a priority for risk management if the PFS were to be consumed on a daily basis. Considering short-term use of the PFS, MOEs would increase above 10,000, indicating low priority for risk management. It is concluded that alkenylbenzene intake through consumption of parsley- and dill-based PFS is only of concern when these PFS are used for long periods of time.

  11. Containment Emergency Sump Performance. Technical findings related to Unresolved Safety Issue A-43. Revision 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1985-10-01

    This report summarizes key technical findings related to Unresolved Safety Issue (USI) A-43, Containment Emergency Sump Performance. Both BWRs and PWRs are considered in this report. Emergency core cooling systems require a clean, reliable water source to maintain long-term recirculation following a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA). PWRs rely on the containment emergency sump to provide such a water supply to residual heat removal pumps and containment spray pumps. BWRs rely on pump suction intakes in the suppression pool or wet well to provide water to residual heat removal and core spray systems. Thus, the technical findings in this report provide information on post-LOCA recirculation. These findings have been derived from extensive experimental studies, generic plant studies, and assessments of sumps used for long-term cooling. Results of hydraulic tests have shown that the potential for air ingestion is less severe than previously hypothesized. The effects of debris blockage on NPSH margin must be dealt with on a plant-specific basis. These findings have been used to develop revisions to Regulatory Guide 1.82 and Standard Review Plan Section 6.2.2 (NUREG-0800)

  12. Total cross-sections assessment of neutron reaction with stainless steel SUS-310 contained in various nuclear data files

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suwoto

    2002-01-01

    The integral testing of neutron cross-sections for Stainless Steel SUS-310 contained in various nuclear data files have been performed. The shielding benchmark calculations for Stainless Steel SUS-310 has been analysed through ORNL-Broomstick Experiment calculation which performed by MAERKER, R.E. at ORNL - USA ( 1) . Assessment with JENDL-3.1, JENDL-3.2, ENDF/B-IV, ENDF/B-VI nuclear data files and data from GEEL have also been carried out. The overall calculation results SUS-310 show in a good agreement with the experimental data, although, underestimate results appear below 3 MeV for all nuclear data files. These underestimation tendencies clearly caused by presented of iron nuclide which more than half in Stainless Steel compound. The total neutron cross-sections of iron nuclide contained in various nuclear data files relatively lower on that energy ranges

  13. Acute effects of caffeine-containing energy drinks on physical performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Souza, Diego B; Del Coso, Juan; Casonatto, Juliano; Polito, Marcos D

    2017-02-01

    Caffeine-containing energy drinks (EDs) are currently used as ergogenic aids to improve physical performance in a wide variety of sport disciplines. However, the outcomes of previous investigations on this topic are inconclusive due to methodological differences, especially, in the dosage of the active ingredients and the test used to assess performance. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of published studies to evaluate the effects of acute ED intake on physical performance. The search for references was conducted in the databases PubMed, ISI Web of Knowledge and SPORTDiscus until December 2015. Thirty-four studies published between 1998 and 2015 were included in the analysis. Using a random-effects model, effect sizes (ES) were calculated as the standardized mean difference. Overall, ED ingestion improved physical performance in muscle strength and endurance (ES = 0.49; p performance (slope = 0.0001; p = 0.04), but not between caffeine dosage (mg) and performance (slope = 0.0009; p = 0.21). ED ingestion improved performance in muscle strength and endurance, endurance exercise tests, jumping and sport-specific actions. However, the improvement in performance was associated with taurine dosage.

  14. An analysis of containment venting as a severe accident mitigation strategy for the BWR Mark II containment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kelly, D.L.; Galyean, W.J.

    1990-01-01

    An evaluation of a BWR/4 reactor with a Mark-II containment has identified the effects of containment venting on core damage frequency and containment failure mode, and has performed a limited evaluation of the effects on the off-site consequences. The analysis was founded upon an existing probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) with the addition of a proposed filtered containment venting system, based on the Swedish Filtra system installed at the Barseback nuclear power station in southern Sweden. Three different containment venting strategies were examined for their effects on plant risk. These are discussed

  15. Direct containment heating models in the CONTAIN code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Washington, K.E.; Williams, D.C.

    1995-08-01

    The potential exists in a nuclear reactor core melt severe accident for molten core debris to be dispersed under high pressure into the containment building. If this occurs, the set of phenomena that result in the transfer of energy to the containment atmosphere and its surroundings is referred to as direct containment heating (DCH). Because of the potential for DCH to lead to early containment failure, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) has sponsored an extensive research program consisting of experimental, analytical, and risk integration components. An important element of the analytical research has been the development and assessment of direct containment heating models in the CONTAIN code. This report documents the DCH models in the CONTAIN code. DCH models in CONTAIN for representing debris transport, trapping, chemical reactions, and heat transfer from debris to the containment atmosphere and surroundings are described. The descriptions include the governing equations and input instructions in CONTAIN unique to performing DCH calculations. Modifications made to the combustion models in CONTAIN for representing the combustion of DCH-produced and pre-existing hydrogen under DCH conditions are also described. Input table options for representing the discharge of debris from the RPV and the entrainment phase of the DCH process are also described. A sample calculation is presented to demonstrate the functionality of the models. The results show that reasonable behavior is obtained when the models are used to predict the sixth Zion geometry integral effects test at 1/10th scale

  16. Direct containment heating models in the CONTAIN code

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Washington, K.E.; Williams, D.C.

    1995-08-01

    The potential exists in a nuclear reactor core melt severe accident for molten core debris to be dispersed under high pressure into the containment building. If this occurs, the set of phenomena that result in the transfer of energy to the containment atmosphere and its surroundings is referred to as direct containment heating (DCH). Because of the potential for DCH to lead to early containment failure, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) has sponsored an extensive research program consisting of experimental, analytical, and risk integration components. An important element of the analytical research has been the development and assessment of direct containment heating models in the CONTAIN code. This report documents the DCH models in the CONTAIN code. DCH models in CONTAIN for representing debris transport, trapping, chemical reactions, and heat transfer from debris to the containment atmosphere and surroundings are described. The descriptions include the governing equations and input instructions in CONTAIN unique to performing DCH calculations. Modifications made to the combustion models in CONTAIN for representing the combustion of DCH-produced and pre-existing hydrogen under DCH conditions are also described. Input table options for representing the discharge of debris from the RPV and the entrainment phase of the DCH process are also described. A sample calculation is presented to demonstrate the functionality of the models. The results show that reasonable behavior is obtained when the models are used to predict the sixth Zion geometry integral effects test at 1/10th scale.

  17. Improving Seismic Data Accessibility and Performance Using HDF Containers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Evans, B. J. K.; Wang, J.; Yang, R.

    2017-12-01

    The performance of computational geophysical data processing and forward modelling relies on both computational and data. Significant efforts on developing new data formats and libraries have been made the community, such as IRIS/PASSCAL and ASDF in data, and programs and utilities such as ObsPy and SPECFEM. The National Computational Infrastructure hosts a national significant geophysical data collection that is co-located with a high performance computing facility and provides an opportunity to investigate how to improve the data formats from both a data management and a performance point of view. This paper investigates how to enhance the data usability in several perspectives: 1) propose a convention for the seismic (both active and passive) community to improve the data accessibility and interoperability; 2) recommend the convention used in the HDF container when data is made available in PH5 or ASDF formats; 3) provide tools to convert between various seismic data formats; 4) provide performance benchmark cases using ObsPy library and SPECFEM3D to demonstrate how different data organization in terms of chunking size and compression impact on the performance by comparing new data formats, such as PH5 and ASDF to traditional formats such as SEGY, SEED, SAC, etc. In this work we apply our knowledge and experience on data standards and conventions, such as CF and ACDD from the climate community to the seismology community. The generic global attributes widely used in climate community are combined with the existing convention in the seismology community, such as CMT and QuakeML, StationXML, SEGY header convention. We also extend such convention by including the provenance and benchmarking records so that the r user can learn the footprint of the data together with its baseline performance. In practise we convert the example wide angle reflection seismic data from SEGY to PH5 or ASDF by using ObsPy and pyasdf libraries. It quantitatively demonstrates how the

  18. Beginning science teachers' performances: Assessment in times of reform

    Science.gov (United States)

    Budzinsky, Fie K.

    2000-10-01

    The current reform in science education and the research on effective teaching and student learning have reinforced the importance of teacher competency. To better measure performances in the teaching of science, performance assessment has been added to Connecticut's licensure process for beginning science teachers. Teaching portfolios are used to document teaching and learning over time. Portfolios, however, are not without problems. One of the major concerns with the portfolio assessment process is its subjectivity. Assessors may not have opportunities to ask clarifying or follow-up questions to enhance the interpretation of a teacher's performance. In addition, portfolios often contain components based on self-documentation, which are subjective. Furthermore, the use of portfolios raises test equity issues. These concerns present challenges for persons in charge of establishing the validity of a portfolio-based licensure process. In high-stakes decision processes, such as teaching licensure, the validity of the assessment instruments must be studied. The primary purpose of this study was to explore the criterion-related validity of the Connecticut State Department of Education's Beginning Science Teaching Portfolio by comparing the interpretations of performances from science teaching portfolios to those derived from another assessment method, the Expert Science Teaching Educational and Evaluation Model, (ESTEEM). The analysis of correlations between the Beginning Science Teaching Portfolio and ESTEEM instrument scores was the primary method for establishing support for validity. The results indicated moderate correlations between all Beginning Science Teaching Portfolio and ESTEEM category and total variables. Multiple regression was used to examine whether differences existed in beginning science teachers' performances based on gender, poverty group, school level, and science discipline taught. None of these variables significantly contributed to the

  19. Performance assessment of nuclear waste isolation systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, W.L.

    1984-01-01

    A number of concepts have been proposed for the isolation of highly radioactive wastes, and it will be necessary to demonstrate the safety of such systems. In many countries including the U.S., the waste isolation system of choice is deep mined geologic repositories. Because of the complex nature of the multiple isolation barriers afforded by mined geologic disposal systems, and the long isolation periods involved, this demonstration can only be indirect. In recent years this indirect demonstration, mostly through mathematical modeling, is called performance assessment. Performance Assessment can be defined to mean the development, testing, and application of a series of mathematical models and computer codes which traces the movement of radionuclides from a waste isolation system to the biosphere and any resultant dose to man. In modeling such a repository system, it is often convenient to divide it into a number of subsystems, there may be several different processes that need to be modeled, individually and interactively. For instance, this waste package will probably consist of a waste form such as borosilicate glass containing the radioisotopes, a canister, an overpack material such as steel or copper, and a buffer material such as bentonite. The processes to be modeled at the waste package scale include radioisotope inventory and decay, thermal radiation, radiolysis effects, corrosion, leading and fluid flow. In tracing radionuclide transport through rock, the processes of importance are probably groundwater flow, and sorption and retardation of radionuclide movement

  20. PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT FOR FIELD SPORTS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christopher Carling

    2009-03-01

    Full Text Available DESCRIPTION The book covers the various sport science assessment procedures for sports such as soccer, rugby, field hockey and lacrosse. It provides detailed and clear information about laboratory and field-based methods that can be used to assess and improve both individual and team performance. PURPOSE The book aims to provide a contemporary reference tool for selection of appropriate testing procedures for sports across a range of scientific disciplines. FEATURES The text begins with a chapter on the rationales for performance assessments, the use of technology and the necessity for procedures to conform to scientific rigor, explaining the importance of test criteria. This chapter ends by emphasizing the importance of the feedback process and vital considerations for the practitioner when interpreting the data, selecting which information is most important and how to deliver this back to the athlete or coach in order to deliver a positive performance outcome. The next two chapters focus on psychological assessments with respect to skill acquisition, retention and execution providing a variety of qualitative and quantitative options, underpinned with scientific theory and contextualized in order to improve the understanding of the application of these methods to improve anticipation and decision-making to enhance game intelligence.Chapter 4 provides coverage of match analysis techniques in order to make assessments of technical, tactical and physical performances. Readers learn about a series of methodologies ranging from simplistic pen and paper options through to sophisticated technological systems with some exemplar data also provided. Chapters 5 through 7 cover the physiological based assessments, including aerobic, anaerobic and anthropometric procedures. Each chapter delivers a theoretical opening section before progressing to various assessment options and the authors make great efforts to relate to sport-specific settings. The final

  1. Corrosion models for predictions of performance of high-level radioactive-waste containers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Farmer, J.C.; McCright, R.D. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States); Gdowski, G.E. [KMI Energy Services, Livermore, CA (United States)

    1991-11-01

    The present plan for disposal of high-level radioactive waste in the US is to seal it in containers before emplacement in a geologic repository. A proposed site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, is being evaluated for its suitability as a geologic repository. The containers will probably be made of either an austenitic or a copper-based alloy. Models of alloy degradation are being used to predict the long-term performance of the containers under repository conditions. The models are of uniform oxidation and corrosion, localized corrosion, and stress corrosion cracking, and are applicable to worst-case scenarios of container degradation. This paper reviews several of the models.

  2. Performance assessment: a peer review

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lieberman, J.A.; Lee, W.W.L.

    1986-01-01

    This paper describes the rationale, membership, operation and major observations of the Performance Assessment National Review Group. The Group was assembled by Weston at the request of the US Department of Energy Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management to review performance assessment work in the US basalt, salt and tuff repository projects. The purposes were to evaluate the adequacy of the current methods, identify deficiencies, and suggest potential improvement on repository performance assessment. To perform the review, Weston retained a group of distinguished consultants who have had extensive experience in disciplines pertinent to management of radioactive wastes including mathematical modeling of fluid transport. Topics reviewed included flow and transport, source term and uncertainty analysis. While the emphasis was on methodologies, the Projects were specifically requested to show currently available results so that the way they utilized familiar methodologies could be evaluated. This paper will highlight some of the technical observations of the Group as well as some managerial and institutional issues

  3. Proceedings from the technical workshop on near-field performance assessment for high-level waste

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sellin, P.; Apted, M.; Gago, J.

    1991-12-01

    This report contains the proceedings of 'Technical workshop of near-filed performance assessment for high-level waste' held in Madrid October 15-17, 1990. It includes the invited presentations and summaries of the scientific discussions. The workshop covered several topics: * post-emplacement environment, * benchmarking of computer codes, * glass release, * spent-fuel release, * radionuclide solubility, * near-field transport processes, * coupled processes in the near-field, * integrated assessments, * sensitivity analyses and validation. There was an invited presentation on each topic followed by an extensive discussion. One of the points highlighted in the closing discussion of the workshop was the need for international cooperation in the field of near-field performance assessment. The general opinion was that this was best achieved in smaller groups discussing specific questions. (au) Separate abstracts were prepared for 9 papers in this volume

  4. Making Performance Assessments a Part of Accountability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haun, Billy

    2018-01-01

    The purpose of this commentary is to describe recent efforts in Virginia to develop and use performance assessments, including the challenges that emerged during this process and key considerations for states that integrate performance assessment into their systems. Performance assessments can play an important role in preparing students for…

  5. Performance Assessment of Mergers and Acquisitions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wang, Daojuan; Moini, Hamid

    2012-01-01

    on the performance measures and benchmarks adopted in M&A research field and the relevant empirical results. We find that the definitions of performance varied in terms of accounting, financial, operational and perceptual metrics. And performance assessment is sensitive to the definition of performance, methodology......Corporate mergers and acquisitions (M&As) have been increasing popular during these decades. However, a majority of research show failure rate (40% - 80%) has not significantly changed. This “success paradox” triggers us to reflect on performance assessment of M&As: how the performance of M...

  6. Methyllithium-Doped Naphthyl-Containing Conjugated Microporous Polymer with Enhanced Hydrogen Storage Performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Dan; Sun, Lei; Li, Gang; Shang, Jin; Yang, Rui-Xia; Deng, Wei-Qiao

    2016-06-01

    Hydrogen storage is a primary challenge for using hydrogen as a fuel. With ideal hydrogen storage kinetics, the weak binding strength of hydrogen to sorbents is the key barrier to obtain decent hydrogen storage performance. Here, we reported the rational synthesis of a methyllithium-doped naphthyl-containing conjugated microporous polymer with exceptional binding strength of hydrogen to the polymer guided by theoretical simulations. Meanwhile, the experimental results showed that isosteric heat can reach up to 8.4 kJ mol(-1) and the methyllithium-doped naphthyl-containing conjugated microporous polymer exhibited an enhanced hydrogen storage performance with 150 % enhancement compared with its counterpart naphthyl-containing conjugated microporous polymer. These results indicate that this strategy provides a direction for design and synthesis of new materials that meet the US Department of Energy (DOE) hydrogen storage target. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  7. Passive containment cooling system performance in the simplified boiling water reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shiralkar, B.S.; Gamble, R.E.; Yadigaroglu, G.

    1997-01-01

    The Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (SBWR) incorporates a passive system for decay heat removal from the containment in the event of a postulated Loss-of-Coolant Accident (LOCA). Decay heat is removed by condensation of the steam discharged from the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) in three condensers which comprise the Passive Containment Cooling System (PCCS). These condensers are designed to carry the heat load while transporting a mixture of steam and noncondensible gas (primarily nitrogen) from the drywell to the suppression chamber. This paper describes the expected LOCA response of the SBWR with respect to the PCCS performance, based on analysis and test results. The results confirm that the PCCS has excess capacity for decay heat removal and that overall system performance is very robust. 12 refs., 8 figs

  8. Power performance assessment. Final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Frandsen, S.

    1998-12-01

    In the increasingly commercialised wind power marketplace, the lack of precise assessment methods for the output of an investment is becoming a barrier for wider penetration of wind power. Thus, addressing this problem, the overall objectives of the project are to reduce the financial risk in investment in wind power projects by significantly improving the power performance assessment methods. Ultimately, if this objective is successfully met, the project may also result in improved tuning of the individual wind turbines and in optimisation methods for wind farm operation. The immediate, measurable objectives of the project are: To prepare a review of existing contractual aspects of power performance verification procedures of wind farms; to provide information on production sensitivity to specific terrain characteristics and wind turbine parameters by analyses of a larger number of wind farm power performance data available to the proposers; to improve the understanding of the physical parameters connected to power performance in complex environment by comparing real-life wind farm power performance data with 3D computational flow models and 3D-turbulence wind turbine models; to develop the statistical framework including uncertainty analysis for power performance assessment in complex environments; and to propose one or more procedures for power performance evaluation of wind power plants in complex environments to be applied in contractual agreements between purchasers and manufacturers on production warranties. Although the focus in this project is on power performance assessment the possible results will also be of benefit to energy yield forecasting, since the two tasks are strongly related. (au) JOULE III. 66 refs.; In Co-operation Renewable Energy System Ltd. (GB); Centre for Renewable Energy (GR); Aeronautic Research Centre (SE); National Engineering Lab. (GB); Public Power Cooperation (GR)

  9. In Situ Remediation Integrated Program, Evaluation and assessment of containment technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gerber, M.A.; Fayer, M.J.

    1994-04-01

    The In Situ Remediation Integrated Program (ISRIP) was established by the US Department of Energy (DOE) to advance the state-of-the art of innovative in situ remediation technologies to the point of demonstration and to broaden the applicability of these technologies to the widely varying site remediation requirements throughout the DOE complex. This program complements similar ongoing integrated demonstration programs being conducted at several DOE sites. The ISRIP has been conducting baseline assessments on in situ technologies to support program planning. Pacific Northwest Laboratory conducted an assessment and evaluation of subsurface containment barrier technology in support of ISRIP's Containment Technology Subprogram. This report summarizes the results of that activity and provides a recommendation for priortizing areas in which additional research and development is needed to advance the technology to the point of demonstration in support of DOE's site restoration activities

  10. Conceptual framework for performance assessment: competency, competence and performance in the context of assessments in healthcare--deciphering the terminology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khan, Kamran; Ramachandran, Sankaranarayanan

    2012-01-01

    The definitions of performance, competence and competency are not very clear in the literature. The assessment of performance and the selection of tools for this purpose depend upon a deep understanding of each of the above terms and the factors influencing performance. In this article, we distinguish between competence and competency and explain the relationship of competence and performance in the light of the Dreyfus model of skills acquisition. We briefly critique the application of the principles described by Miller to the modern assessment tools and distinguish between assessment of actual performance in workplace settings and the observed performance, demonstrated by the candidates in the workplace or simulated settings. We describe a modification of the Dreyfus model applicable to assessments in healthcare and propose a new model for the assessment of performance and performance rating scale (PRS) based on this model. We propose that the use of adapted versions of this PRS will result in benchmarking of performance and allowing the candidates to track their progression of skills in various areas of clinical practice.

  11. Competency Assessment Using Key Performance Indicators

    OpenAIRE

    Elena Alexandra Toader; Laura Brad

    2015-01-01

    The paper proposes a method for computing the scores of the key performance indicators resulted in the competency assessment process. The key performance indicators are estimated considering four performance levels that an IT professional can obtain at the end of the assessment process. We suggest as the best approach for estimating the performance key indicators an online questionnaire filled by 60 employees that work in IT Romanian companies. The results provide evidence that the difference...

  12. Survey of Quantitative Research Metrics to Assess Pilot Performance in Upset Recovery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Le Vie, Lisa R.

    2016-01-01

    Accidents attributable to in-flight loss of control are the primary cause for fatal commercial jet accidents worldwide. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) conducted a literature review to determine and identify the quantitative standards for assessing upset recovery performance. This review contains current recovery procedures for both military and commercial aviation and includes the metrics researchers use to assess aircraft recovery performance. Metrics include time to first input, recognition time and recovery time and whether that input was correct or incorrect. Other metrics included are: the state of the autopilot and autothrottle, control wheel/sidestick movement resulting in pitch and roll, and inputs to the throttle and rudder. In addition, airplane state measures, such as roll reversals, altitude loss/gain, maximum vertical speed, maximum/minimum air speed, maximum bank angle and maximum g loading are reviewed as well.

  13. Workshop on rock mechanics issues in repository design and performance assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1996-04-01

    The Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses organized and hosted a workshop on ''Rock Mechanics Issues in Repository Design and Performance Assessment'' on behalf its sponsor the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). This workshop was held on September 19- 20, 1994 at the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza, Rockville, Maryland. The objectives of the workshop were to stimulate exchange of technical information among parties actively investigating rock mechanics issues relevant to the proposed high-level waste repository at Yucca Mountain and identify/confirm rock mechanics issues important to repository design and performance assessment The workshop contained three technical sessions and two panel discussions. The participants included technical and research staffs representing the NRC and the Department of Energy and their contractors, as well as researchers from the academic, commercial, and international technical communities. These proceedings include most of the technical papers presented in the technical sessions and the transcripts for the two panel discussions

  14. Assessing Scientific Performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weiner, John M.; And Others

    1984-01-01

    A method for assessing scientific performance based on relationships displayed numerically in published documents is proposed and illustrated using published documents in pediatric oncology for the period 1979-1982. Contributions of a major clinical investigations group, the Childrens Cancer Study Group, are analyzed. Twenty-nine references are…

  15. CONTAIN independent peer review

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boyack, B.E.; Corradini, M.L.; Khatib-Rahbar, M.; Loyalka, S.K.; Smith, P.N.

    1995-01-01

    The CONTAIN code was developed by Sandia National Laboratories under the sponsorship of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to provide integrated analyses of containment phenomena. It is used to predict nuclear reactor containment loads, radiological source terms, and associated physical phenomena for a range of accident conditions encompassing both design-basis and severe accidents. The code's targeted applications include support for containment-related experimental programs, light water and advanced light water reactor plant analysis, and analytical support for resolution of specific technical issues such as direct containment heating. The NRC decided that a broad technical review of the code should be performed by technical experts to determine its overall technical adequacy. For this purpose, a six-member CONTAIN Peer Review Committee was organized and a peer review as conducted. While the review was in progress, the NRC issued a draft ''Revised Severe Accident Code Strategy'' that incorporated revised design objectives and targeted applications for the CONTAIN code. The committee continued its effort to develop findings relative to the original NRC statement of design objectives and targeted applications. However, the revised CONTAIN design objectives and targeted applications. However, the revised CONTAIN design objectives and targeted applications were considered by the Committee in assigning priorities to the Committee's recommendations. The Committee determined some improvements are warranted and provided recommendations in five code-related areas: (1) documentation, (2) user guidance, (3) modeling capability, (4) code assessment, and (5) technical assessment

  16. CONTAIN independent peer review

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Boyack, B.E. [Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States); Corradini, M.L. [Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States). Nuclear Engineering Dept.; Denning, R.S. [Battelle Memorial Inst., Columbus, OH (United States); Khatib-Rahbar, M. [Energy Research Inc., Rockville, MD (United States); Loyalka, S.K. [Univ. of Missouri, Columbia, MO (United States); Smith, P.N. [AEA Technology, Dorchester (United Kingdom). Winfrith Technology Center

    1995-01-01

    The CONTAIN code was developed by Sandia National Laboratories under the sponsorship of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to provide integrated analyses of containment phenomena. It is used to predict nuclear reactor containment loads, radiological source terms, and associated physical phenomena for a range of accident conditions encompassing both design-basis and severe accidents. The code`s targeted applications include support for containment-related experimental programs, light water and advanced light water reactor plant analysis, and analytical support for resolution of specific technical issues such as direct containment heating. The NRC decided that a broad technical review of the code should be performed by technical experts to determine its overall technical adequacy. For this purpose, a six-member CONTAIN Peer Review Committee was organized and a peer review as conducted. While the review was in progress, the NRC issued a draft ``Revised Severe Accident Code Strategy`` that incorporated revised design objectives and targeted applications for the CONTAIN code. The committee continued its effort to develop findings relative to the original NRC statement of design objectives and targeted applications. However, the revised CONTAIN design objectives and targeted applications. However, the revised CONTAIN design objectives and targeted applications were considered by the Committee in assigning priorities to the Committee`s recommendations. The Committee determined some improvements are warranted and provided recommendations in five code-related areas: (1) documentation, (2) user guidance, (3) modeling capability, (4) code assessment, and (5) technical assessment.

  17. Management Challenges in Developing Performance Assessments and Effectively Communicating Their Results - 13612

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Thomas, Steve; Mahoney, Mark [Savannah River Remediations LLC, Building 705-1C, Savannah River Site, Aiken, SC 29808 (United States)

    2013-07-01

    The end of the Cold War has left a legacy of approximately 37 million gallons of radioactive waste in the aging waste tanks at the Department of Energy's Savannah River Site (SRS). A robust program is in place to remove waste from these tanks, treat the waste to separate into a relatively small volume of high level waste and a large volume of low-level waste, and to actively dispose of the low-level waste on-site and close the cleaned waste tanks and associated ancillary structures. To support performance-based, risk-informed decision making, performance assessments have been developed for the low-level waste disposal facility and for the SRS Tank Farms. Although these performance assessments share many similar features, the nature of the hazards and associated containments differ. As a management team, we are challenged to effectively communicate both the similarities and differences of these performance assessments, how they should be used to support sound decision making for treatment, disposal and waste tank cleaning decisions, and in defending their respective assumptions to the regulatory community and the public but, equally important, to our own corporate decision makers and operations personnel. Effective development and defense of these performance assessments, and effective interpretation and communication of the results are key to making cost-effective, pragmatic decisions for the safe disposal of the low-level waste and stabilization and operational closure of the cleaned tanks and associated structures. This paper will focus on the importance and challenges in communicating key attributes, conclusions and operational implications within a company. (authors)

  18. Identification of long-term containment/stabilization technology performance issues

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matthern, G.E.; Nickelson, D.F.

    1997-01-01

    U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) faces a somewhat unique challenge when addressing in situ remedial alternatives that leave long-lived radionuclides and hazardous contaminants onsite. These contaminants will remain a potential hazard for thousands of years. However, the risks, costs, and uncertainties associated with removal and offsite disposal are leading many sites to select in situ disposal alternatives. Improvements in containment, stabilization, and monitoring technologies will enhance the viability of such alternatives for implementation. DOE's Office of Science and Technology sponsored a two day workshop designed to investigate issues associated with the long-term in situ stabilization and containment of buried, long-lived hazardous and radioactive contaminants. The workshop facilitated communication among end users representing most sites within the DOE, regulators, and technologists to define long-term performance issues for in situ stabilization and containment alternatives. Participants were divided into groups to identify issues and a strategy to address priority issues. This paper presents the results of the working groups and summarizes the conclusions. A common issue identified by the work groups is communication. Effective communication between technologists, risk assessors, end users, regulators, and other stakeholders would contribute greatly to resolution of both technical and programmatic issues

  19. Evaluation of advanced containment features proposed to Korean SNPP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jin, Y.; Park, S.Y.; Kim, S.D.; Kim, D.H.

    1997-01-01

    Korean Standard Nuclear Power Plant (KSNP) has adopted many advanced design features to enhance its containment performance during severe accidents as well as to reduce changes of core damage. Robust design of containment and hydrogen mixing capability reduced containment failure probability significantly. In addition to these features, new systems are proposed for KSNP: advanced design of cavity geometry, reactor cavity flooding system, hydrogen igniter, and containment filtered venting system. Before these proposals are adopted to the KSNP, their effectiveness on containment performance has been assessed systematically. Containment event tree and sensitivity analysis are used to quantify the effectiveness of these design features. The overall results indicate that these new features do not improve the containment performance significantly except the containment filtered venting system. But adoption of the containment filtered venting system should be examined carefully because accidental failure of this system may result in undue risk to public. (author)

  20. The assessment of containment codes by experiments simulating severe accident scenarios

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Karwat, H.

    1992-01-01

    Hitherto, a generally applicable validation matrix for codes simulating the containment behaviour under severe accident conditions did not exist. Past code applications have shown that most problems may be traced back to inaccurate thermalhydraulic parameters governing gas- or aerosol-distribution events. A provisional code-validation matrix is proposed, based on a careful selection of containment experiments performed during recent years in relevant test facilities under various operating conditions. The matrix focuses on the thermalhydraulic aspects of the containment behaviour after severe accidents as a first important step. It may be supplemented in the future by additional suitable tests

  1. AC-600 passive containment cooling system performance research

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jia Baoshan; Yu Jiyang; Shi Junying

    1997-01-01

    a code named PCCSAC which is able to predict both the evaporating film on the outside surface of the vessel and the condensed film on its inside is developed successfully. It is a special software tool to analyze the passive containment cooling system (PCCS) performance in the design of AC-600. The author includes the establishment of physical models, selection of numerical methods, debugging and verification of the code and application of the code in the AC-600 PCCS. In physical models, the fundamental conservation equations about various areas and heat conduction equations are established. In order to make the equations to meet the closed form of solution, a lot of structure formulae are complemented. After repeated selection and demonstration of the numerical methods, the backward difference method Gear which is generally used for stiff problem is chosen for the solution of ordinary differential equations derived from the physical models. The results of standard example calculated by the PCCSAC code and the COMMIX code which is used to analyze westinghouse AP-600 are same in the main. The reliability and validity are verified from the calculations. The PCCSAC code is applied in the calculations of two important LOCA used in the containment safety analyses. The sensitivity of main parameters in the system based on LOCA are studied. All the results are reasonable and in agreement with the theoretical analyses. It can be concluded that the PCCSAC code is able to be used for the analyses of AC-600 PCCS performance

  2. How Do States Integrate Performance Assessment in Their Systems of Assessment?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stosich, Elizabeth Leisy; Snyder, Jon; Wilczak, Katie

    2018-01-01

    This paper reviews state strategies for incorporating performance assessment in policy and practice. Specifically, the paper reviews the use of performance assessment in 12 states in the Innovation Lab Network, a group committed to developing systems of assessment that provide meaningful measures of college and career readiness. This review…

  3. MELCOR 1.8.2 Assessment: IET direct containment heating tests

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kmetyk, L.N.

    1993-10-01

    MELCOR is a fully integrated, engineering-level computer code, being developed at Sandia National Laboratories for the USNRC, that models the entire spectrum of severe accident phenomena in a unified framework for both BWRs and PWRS. As part of an ongoing assessment program, the MELCOR computer code has been used to analyze several of the IET direct containment heating experiments done at 1:10 linear scale in the Surtsey test facility at Sandia and at 1:40 linear scale in the corium-water thermal interactions (CWTI) COREXIT test facility at Argonne National Laboratory. These MELCOR calculations were done as an open post-test study, with both the experimental data and CONTAIN results available to guide the selection of code input. Basecase MELCOR results are compared to test data in order to evaluate the new HPME DCH model recently added in MELCOR version 1.8.2. The effect of various user-input parameters in the HPME model, which define both the initial debris source and the subsequent debris interaction, were investigated in sensitivity studies. In addition, several other non-default input modelling changes involving other MELCOR code packages were required in our IET assessment analyses in order to reproduce the observed experiment behavior. Several calculations were done to identify whether any numeric effects exist in our DCH IET assessment analyses.

  4. Development of assessment technology for hydrogen burn and fission product behavior in containment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, S. B.; Kim, J. T.; Ha, K. S.; Hong, S. W.; Song, Y. M.; Park, J. H.; Cho, Y. R.; Kang, H. S.

    2012-04-01

    Analysis tools for hydrogen burn was established to resolve the hydrogen issues in containment. To validate CFX commercial CFD(computational fluid dynamics) code, the hydrogen combustion experiments such as FLAME and ENACEFF for reactor containment were analyzed. And OpenFOAM hydrogen combustion code was developed and validated. Experiments for the flame propagation characteristics in IRWST and the run-up-distance for DDT(Deflagration to detonation transition) were performed and analytical model was evaluated to evaluation of the performance of hydrogen mitigation system, that is, PAR(Passive auto-catalistic re-combiner) To improvement of the fission product modelling in containment, separate analysis module for Iodine behavior and its application tool of K-IODIP (Korea IODIne Package) were developed. PHEBUS FPT-3 analysis was performed to validate MELCOR code. And also the characteristics of fission product behaviors in Future Reactors(GEN-IV) were compared

  5. Sorption data base for performance assessment of radwaste repository

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cho, Y.H.; Jung, J.; Lee, J.K.; Hahn, P.S.

    2001-01-01

    Sorption data base (SDB) provides readily available data for the performance assessment of radwaste repository when site-specific data are not available and/or more reference data are needed. The software developed in the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), SDB-21C, is a graphic user interface (GUI) program that provides efficient and user friendly tools for evaluating the large amount of sorption data. The data base of distribution coefficients compiled in the program contains about 11,000 Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) data and 2,000 KAERI data up to now while the addition of new data is under progress. Furthermore, the parametric model and its compiled data sets are also included in SDB-21C. (author)

  6. Performance assessment review for DOE LLW disposal facilities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wilhite, Elmer L.

    1992-01-01

    The United States Department of Energy (US DOE) disposes of low-level radioactive waste in near-surface disposal facilities. Safety of the disposal operations is evaluated for operational safety as well as long-term safety. Operational safety is evaluated based on the perceived level of hazard of the operation and may vary from a simple safety assessment to a safety analysis report. Long-term safety of all low-level waste disposal systems is evaluated through the conduct of a radiological performance assessment. The US DOE has established radiological performance objectives for disposal of low-level waste. They are to protect a member of the general public from receiving over 25 mrem/y, and an inadvertent intruder into the waste from receiving over 100 mrem/y continuous exposure or 500 mrem from a single exposure. For a disposal system to be acceptable, a performance assessment must be prepared which must be technically accurate and provide reasonable assurance that these performance objectives are met. Technical quality of the performance assessments is reviewed by a panel of experts. The panel of experts is used in two ways to assure the technical quality of performance assessment. A preliminary (generally 2 day) review by the panel is employed in the late stages of development to provide guidance on finalizing the performance assessment. The comments from this review are communicated to the personnel responsible for the performance assessment for consideration and incorporation. After finalizing the performance assessment, it is submitted for a formal review. The formal review is accomplished by a much more thorough analysis of the performance assessment over a multi-week time period. The panel then formally reports their recommendations to the US DOE waste management senior staff who make the final determination on acceptability of the performance assessment. A number of lessons have been learned from conducting several preliminary reviews of performance

  7. Preliminary assessment of the controlled release of radionuclides from waste packages containing borosilicate waste glass

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Strachan, D.M.; McGrail, B.P.; Apted, M.J.; Engle, D.W.; Eslinger, P.W.

    1990-06-01

    The purpose of this report is to provide a preliminary assessment of the release-rate for an engineered barriers subsystem (EBS) containing waste packages of defense high-level waste borosilicate glass at geochemical and hydrological conditions similar to the those at Yucca Mountain. The relationship between the proposed Waste Acceptance Preliminary Specifications (WAPS) test of glass- dissolution rate and compliance with the NRC's release-rate criterion is also evaluated. Calculations are reported for three hierarchical levels: EBS analysis, waste-package analysis, and waste-glass analysis. The following conclusions identify those factors that most acutely affect the magnitude of, or uncertainty in, release-rate performance

  8. Reactor containment purge and vent valve performance experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hunter, J.A.; Steele, R.; Watkins, J.C.

    1985-01-01

    Three nuclear-designed butterfly valves typical of those used in domestic nuclear power plant containment purge and vent applications were tested. For a comparison of responses, two eight-inch nominal pipe size valves with differing internal design were tested. For extrapolation insights, a 24-inch nominal pipe size valve was also tested. The valve experiments were performed with various piping configurations and valve disc orientations to the flow, to simulate various installation options in field application. As a standard for comparing the effects of the installation options, testing was also performed in a standard ANSI test section. Test cycles were performed at inlet pressures of 5 to 60 psig, while monitoring numerous test parameters, such as the valve disc position, valve shaft torque, mass flow rate, and the pressure and temperature at multiple locations throughout the test section. An experimental data base was developed to assist in the evaluation of the current analytical methods and to determine the influence of inlet pressure, inlet duct geometry, and valve orientation to the flow media on valve torque requirements, along with any resulting limitations to the extrapolation methods. 2 refs., 15 figs

  9. A fracture mechanics safety concept to assess the impact behavior of ductile cast iron containers for shipping and storage of radioactive materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Voelzke, H.; Roedel, R.; Droste, B.

    1994-01-01

    Within the scope of the German licensing procedures for shipping and storage containers for radioactive materials made of ductile cast iron, BAM performs approval design tests including material tests to ensure the main safety goals of shielding, leaktightness and subcriticality under ''Type B accident conditions''. So far the safety assessment concept of BAM is based essentially on the experimental proof of container strength by prototype testing under most damaging test conditions in connection with complete approval design tests, and has been developed especially for cylindrical casks like CASTOR- and TN-design. In connection with the development of new container constructions such as ''cubic cast containers'', and the fast developments in the area of numerical calculation methods, there is a need for a more flexible safety concept especially considering fracture mechanics aspects.This paper presents the state of work at BAM for such an extended safety concept for ductile cast iron containers, based on a detailed brittle fracture safe design proof. The requirements on stress analysis (experimental or numerical), material properties, material qualification, quality assurance provisions and fracture mechanics safety assessment, including well defined and justified factors of safety, are described. ((orig.))

  10. Performance Comparison of Containment PT analysis between CAP and CONTEMPT Code

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Choo, Yeon Jun; Hong, Soon Joon; Hwang, Su Hyun; Kim, Min Ki; Lee, Byung Chul [FNC Tech., Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Ha, Sang Jun; Choi, Hoon [KHNP-CENTERAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2013-10-15

    CAP, in the form that is linked with SPACE, computed the containment back-pressure during LOCA accident. In previous SAR (safety analysis report) report of Shin-Kori Units 3 and 4, the CONTEMPT series of codes(hereby referred to as just 'CONTEMPT') is used to evaluate the containment safety during the postulated loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA). In more detail, CONTEMPT-LT/028 was used to calculate the containment maximum PT, while CONTEMPT4/MOD5 to calculate the minimum PT. Actually, in minimum PT analysis, CONTEMPT4/MOD5, which provide back pressure condition of containment, was linked with RELAP5/MOD3.3 which calculate the amount of blowdown into containment. In this analysis, CONTEMPT4/MOD5 was modified based on KREM. CONTEMPT code was developed to predict the long term behavior of water-cooled nuclear reactor containment systems subjected to LOCA conditions. It calculates the time variation of compartment pressures, temperatures, mass and energy inventories, heat structure temperature distributions, and energy exchange with adjacent compartments, leakage on containment response. Models are provided for fan cooler and cooling spray as engineered safety systems. Any compartment may have both a liquid pool region and an air-vapor atmosphere region above the pool. Each region is assumed to have a uniform temperature, but the temperatures of the two regions may be different. As mentioned above, CONTEMP has the similar code features and it therefore is expected to show the similar analysis performance with CAP. In this study, the differences between CAP and two CONTEMPT code versions (CONTEMPT-LT/028 for maximum PT and CONTEMPT4/MOD5 for minimum PT) are, in detail, identified and the code performances were compared for the same problem. Code by code comparison was carried out to identify the difference of LOCA analysis between a series of COMTEMPT and CAP code. With regard to important factors that affect the transient behavior of compartment thermodynamic

  11. Performance Comparison of Containment PT analysis between CAP and CONTEMPT Code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choo, Yeon Jun; Hong, Soon Joon; Hwang, Su Hyun; Kim, Min Ki; Lee, Byung Chul; Ha, Sang Jun; Choi, Hoon

    2013-01-01

    CAP, in the form that is linked with SPACE, computed the containment back-pressure during LOCA accident. In previous SAR (safety analysis report) report of Shin-Kori Units 3 and 4, the CONTEMPT series of codes(hereby referred to as just 'CONTEMPT') is used to evaluate the containment safety during the postulated loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA). In more detail, CONTEMPT-LT/028 was used to calculate the containment maximum PT, while CONTEMPT4/MOD5 to calculate the minimum PT. Actually, in minimum PT analysis, CONTEMPT4/MOD5, which provide back pressure condition of containment, was linked with RELAP5/MOD3.3 which calculate the amount of blowdown into containment. In this analysis, CONTEMPT4/MOD5 was modified based on KREM. CONTEMPT code was developed to predict the long term behavior of water-cooled nuclear reactor containment systems subjected to LOCA conditions. It calculates the time variation of compartment pressures, temperatures, mass and energy inventories, heat structure temperature distributions, and energy exchange with adjacent compartments, leakage on containment response. Models are provided for fan cooler and cooling spray as engineered safety systems. Any compartment may have both a liquid pool region and an air-vapor atmosphere region above the pool. Each region is assumed to have a uniform temperature, but the temperatures of the two regions may be different. As mentioned above, CONTEMP has the similar code features and it therefore is expected to show the similar analysis performance with CAP. In this study, the differences between CAP and two CONTEMPT code versions (CONTEMPT-LT/028 for maximum PT and CONTEMPT4/MOD5 for minimum PT) are, in detail, identified and the code performances were compared for the same problem. Code by code comparison was carried out to identify the difference of LOCA analysis between a series of COMTEMPT and CAP code. With regard to important factors that affect the transient behavior of compartment thermodynamic state in

  12. Understanding aging in containment cooling systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lofaro, R.J.

    1993-01-01

    A study has been performed to assess the effects of aging in nuclear power plant containment cooling systems. Failure records from national databases, as well as plant specific data were reviewed and analyzed to identify aging characteristics for this system. The predominant aging mechanisms were determined, along with the most frequently failed components and their associated failure modes. This paper discusses the aging mechanisms present in the containment spray system and the containment fan cooler system, which are two systems used to provide the containment cooling function. The failure modes, along with the relative frequency of each is also discussed

  13. Assessing reservoir performance risk in CO2 storage projects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bowden, A.R.; Rigg, A.

    2005-01-01

    One of the main issues for researchers involved with geological storage of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) has been the development of a proper methodology to assess and compare alternative CO 2 injection projects on the basis of risk. Consideration needs to be given to technical aspects, such as the risk of leakage and the effectiveness of the intended reservoir, as well as less tangible aspects such as the value and safety of geological storage of CO 2 , and potential impacts on the community and environment. The Geological Disposal of Carbon Dioxide (GEODISC), was a research program of the Australian Petroleum Cooperative Research Centre which identified 56 potential environmentally sustainable sites for CO 2 injection (ESSCIs) within Australia. Several studies were carried out, involving detailed evaluation of the suitability of 4 selected sites, including Dongara, Petrel, Gippsland and Carnarvon. The GEODISC program included a risk assessment research module which required a complete and quantified risk assessment of CO 2 injection as a storage option. Primary goals were to assess the risk of leakage, to assess the effectiveness of the intended reservoir, and to assess negative consequences to facilitate comparison of alternative sites. This paper discussed the background and risk assessment model. Key performance indicators (KPIs) were also developed to address the purpose of risk assessment. It was concluded that the RISQUE method is an appropriate approach and that potential injection projects can be measured against six KPIs including containment; effectiveness; self-funding potential; wider community benefits; community safety and community amenity. 6 refs., 3 tabs., 3 figs

  14. Performance Objective for Tank Farm Closure Risk Assessments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    MANN, F.M.; KNEPP, A.J.; BADDEN, J.

    2003-01-01

    To be meaningful, results from a numeric risk assessment of the consequences of an action must be compared against the standards for such an action. That is, before one disposes of waste or closes a facility with waste, one must show that the disposal or closure action protects the public health and safety and the environment. These standards are called performance objectives. Regulations requiring performing performance assessments, (whether federal ones like the Department of Energy [DOE] Order 435.1, Radioactive Waste Management and its implementing guides or Washington State ones like the regulations implementing the Washington Administrative Code [WAC] 173-340 ''Model Toxics Control Act - Cleanup''), usually require that the determination of performance objectives be one of the first steps performed. These performance objectives not only set comparison level for the numeric results, but also define the media, pathways, exposure scenarios (receptors), spatial locations, and times that the performance assessment must consider. Thus, a performance objective consists of a compliance level, place(s) of compliance, and time(s) of compliance. Performance objectives are not the levels that a regulatory agency will enforce in a permit or authorization. Those levels, often called enforcement levels, will be set in the permit or authorization. Rather, performance objectives are those levels against which the results of the numeric simulation will be compared to judge the success of the proposed cleanup or disposal actions. Additional comparison levels may be requested for information purposes, but are not officially part of the decision on the adequacy of the proposed action. To emphasize that the performance objectives discussed in this document are not regulatory performance objectives, the three components of the performance objective will be renamed in this document as assessment standard, point(s) of assessment, and time(s) of assessment. However, whenever

  15. Performance assessment - risk assessment vive la differences

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nitschke, R.L.

    1997-01-01

    In the sister worlds of radioactive waste management disposal and environmental restoration, there are two similar processes and computational approaches for determining the acceptability of the proposed activities. While similar, these two techniques can lead to confusion and misunderstanding if the differences are not recognized and appreciated. In the case of radioactive waste management, the performance assessment process is used to determine compliance with certain prescribed 'performance objectives'. These objectives are designed to ensure that the disposal of radioactive (high-level, low-level, and/or transuranic) waste will be protective of human health and the environment. The environmental link is primarily through assuring protection of the groundwater as a resource. In the case of environmental restoration, the risk assessment process is used to determine the proper remedial action response, if any, for a past hazardous waste release. The process compares the 'no action' or 'leave as is' option with both carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic values for human health to determine the need for any action and to help to help determine just what the appropriate action would need to be. The impacts to the ecological system are evaluated in a slightly, different but similar fashion. Now the common objectives between these two processes notwithstanding. There are some key and fundamental differences that need to be answered that make direct comparisons or a common approach inappropriate. Failure to recognize this can lead to confusion and misunderstanding. This can be particularly problematic when one is faced with an active disposal facility located within the boundaries of an environmental restoration site as is the case at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL). Through a critical evaluation of the performance assessment and risk assessment processes, highlighting both similarities and differences, it is hoped that greater understanding and appreciation

  16. Performance objectives for the Hanford Immobilized Low-Activity Waste (ILAW) performance assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    MANN, F.M.

    1999-01-01

    Performance objectives for the disposal of low activity waste from Hanford Waste Tanks have been developed. These objectives have been based on DOE requirements, programmatic requirements, and public involvement. The DOE requirements include regulations that direct the performance assessment and are cited within the Radioactive Waste Management Order (DOE Order 435.1). Performance objectives for other DOE complex performance assessments have been included

  17. Quantitative risk assessment of foods containing peanut advisory labeling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Remington, Benjamin C; Baumert, Joseph L; Marx, David B; Taylor, Steve L

    2013-12-01

    Foods with advisory labeling (i.e. "may contain") continue to be prevalent and the warning may be increasingly ignored by allergic consumers. We sought to determine the residual levels of peanut in various packaged foods bearing advisory labeling, compare similar data from 2005 and 2009, and determine any potential risk for peanut-allergic consumers. Of food products bearing advisory statements regarding peanut or products that had peanut listed as a minor ingredient, 8.6% and 37.5% contained detectable levels of peanut (>2.5 ppm whole peanut), respectively. Peanut-allergic individuals should be advised to avoid such products regardless of the wording of the advisory statement. Peanut was detected at similar rates and levels in products tested in both 2005 and 2009. Advisory labeled nutrition bars contained the highest levels of peanut and an additional market survey of 399 products was conducted. Probabilistic risk assessment showed the risk of a reaction to peanut-allergic consumers from advisory labeled nutrition bars was significant but brand-dependent. Peanut advisory labeling may be overused on some nutrition bars but prudently used on others. The probabilistic approach could provide the food industry with a quantitative method to assist with determining when advisory labeling is most appropriate. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Designing a database for performance assessment: Lessons learned from WIPP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martell, M.A.; Schenker, A.

    1997-01-01

    The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Compliance Certification Application (CCA) Performance Assessment (PA) used a relational database that was originally designed only to supply the input parameters required for implementation of the PA codes. Reviewers used the database as a point of entry to audit quality assurance measures for control, traceability, and retrievability of input information used for analysis, and output/work products. During these audits it became apparent that modifications to the architecture and scope of the database would benefit the EPA regulator and other stakeholders when reviewing the recertification application. This paper contains a discussion of the WPP PA CCA database and lessons learned for designing a database

  19. Workshop on rock mechanics issues in repository design and performance assessment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1996-04-01

    The Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses organized and hosted a workshop on ``Rock Mechanics Issues in Repository Design and Performance Assessment`` on behalf its sponsor the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). This workshop was held on September 19- 20, 1994 at the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza, Rockville, Maryland. The objectives of the workshop were to stimulate exchange of technical information among parties actively investigating rock mechanics issues relevant to the proposed high-level waste repository at Yucca Mountain and identify/confirm rock mechanics issues important to repository design and performance assessment The workshop contained three technical sessions and two panel discussions. The participants included technical and research staffs representing the NRC and the Department of Energy and their contractors, as well as researchers from the academic, commercial, and international technical communities. These proceedings include most of the technical papers presented in the technical sessions and the transcripts for the two panel discussions. Selected papers have been indexed separately for inclusion the Energy Science and Technology Database.

  20. Seismic reliability assessment methodology for CANDU concrete containment structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stephens, M.J.; Nessim, M.A.; Hong, H.P.

    1995-05-01

    A study was undertaken to develop a reliability-based methodology for the assessment of existing CANDU concrete containment structures with respect to seismic loading. The focus of the study was on defining appropriate specified values and partial safety factors for earthquake loading and resistance parameters. Key issues addressed in the work were the identification of an approach to select design earthquake spectra that satisfy consistent safety levels, and the use of structure-specific data in the evaluation of structural resistance. (author). 23 refs., 9 tabs., 15 figs

  1. Performance Assessment Strategy Plan for the Geologic Repository Program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1990-01-01

    Performance assessment is a major constituent of the program being conducted by the US Department of Energy (DOE) to develop a geologic repository. Performance assessment is the set of activities needed for quantitative evaluations to assess compliance with the performance requirements in the regulations for a geologic repository and to support the development of the repository. The strategy for these evaluations has been documented in the Performance Assessment Strategy Plan (DOE, 1989). The implementation of the performance assessment strategy is defined in this document. This paper discusses the scope and objectives of the implementation plan, the relationship of the plan to other program plans, summarizes the performance assessment areas and the integrated strategy of the performance assessment program. 1 fig., 3 tabs

  2. Assessment of airborne asbestos exposure during the servicing and handling of automobile asbestos-containing gaskets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blake, Charles L; Dotson, G Scott; Harbison, Raymond D

    2006-07-01

    Five test sessions were conducted to assess asbestos exposure during the removal or installation of asbestos-containing gaskets on vehicles. All testing took place within an operative automotive repair facility involving passenger cars and a pickup truck ranging in vintage from late 1960s through 1970s. A professional mechanic performed all shop work including engine disassembly and reassembly, gasket manipulation and parts cleaning. Bulk sample analysis of removed gaskets through polarized light microscopy (PLM) revealed asbestos fiber concentrations ranging between 0 and 75%. Personal and area air samples were collected and analyzed using National Institute of Occupational Safety Health (NIOSH) methods 7400 [phase contrast microscopy (PCM)] and 7402 [transmission electron microscopy (TEM)]. Among all air samples collected, approximately 21% (n = 11) contained chrysotile fibers. The mean PCM and phase contrast microscopy equivalent (PCME) 8-h time weighted average (TWA) concentrations for these samples were 0.0031 fibers/cubic centimeters (f/cc) and 0.0017 f/cc, respectively. Based on these findings, automobile mechanics who worked with asbestos-containing gaskets may have been exposed to concentrations of airborne asbestos concentrations approximately 100 times lower than the current Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) of 0.1 f/cc.

  3. Preliminary melter performance assessment report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Elliott, M.L.; Eyler, L.L.; Mahoney, L.A.; Cooper, M.F.; Whitney, L.D.; Shafer, P.J.

    1994-08-01

    The Melter Performance Assessment activity, a component of the Pacific Northwest Laboratory's (PNL) Vitrification Technology Development (PVTD) effort, was designed to determine the impact of noble metals on the operational life of the reference Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant (HWVP) melter. The melter performance assessment consisted of several activities, including a literature review of all work done with noble metals in glass, gradient furnace testing to study the behavior of noble metals during the melting process, research-scale and engineering-scale melter testing to evaluate effects of noble metals on melter operation, and computer modeling that used the experimental data to predict effects of noble metals on the full-scale melter. Feed used in these tests simulated neutralized current acid waste (NCAW) feed. This report summarizes the results of the melter performance assessment and predicts the lifetime of the HWVP melter. It should be noted that this work was conducted before the recent Tri-Party Agreement changes, so the reference melter referred to here is the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) melter design

  4. Performance Assessment Institute-NV

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lombardo, Joesph [Univ. of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV (United States)

    2012-12-31

    The National Supercomputing Center for Energy and the Environment’s intention is to purchase a multi-purpose computer cluster in support of the Performance Assessment Institute (PA Institute). The PA Institute will serve as a research consortium located in Las Vegas Nevada with membership that includes: national laboratories, universities, industry partners, and domestic and international governments. This center will provide a one-of-a-kind centralized facility for the accumulation of information for use by Institutions of Higher Learning, the U.S. Government, and Regulatory Agencies and approved users. This initiative will enhance and extend High Performance Computing (HPC) resources in Nevada to support critical national and international needs in "scientific confirmation". The PA Institute will be promoted as the leading Modeling, Learning and Research Center worldwide. The program proposes to utilize the existing supercomputing capabilities and alliances of the University of Nevada Las Vegas as a base, and to extend these resource and capabilities through a collaborative relationship with its membership. The PA Institute will provide an academic setting for interactive sharing, learning, mentoring and monitoring of multi-disciplinary performance assessment and performance confirmation information. The role of the PA Institute is to facilitate research, knowledge-increase, and knowledge-sharing among users.

  5. Role of natural analogs in performance assessment of nuclear waste repositories

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sagar, B.; Wittmeyer, G.W.

    1995-01-01

    Mathematical models of the flow of water and transport of radionuclides in porous media will be used to assess the ability of deep geologic repositories to safely contain nuclear waste. These models must, in some sense, be validated to ensure that they adequately describe the physical processes occurring within the repository and its geologic setting. Inasmuch as the spatial and temporal scales over which these models must be applied in performance assessment are very large, validation of these models against laboratory and small-scale field experiments may be considered inadequate. Natural analogs may provide validation data that are representative of physico-chemical processes that occur over spatial and temporal scales as large or larger than those relevant to repository design. The authors discuss the manner in which natural analog data may be used to increase confidence in performance assessment models and conclude that, while these data may be suitable for testing the basic laws governing flow and transport, there is insufficient control of boundary and initial conditions and forcing functions to permit quantitative validation of complex, spatially distributed flow and transport models. The authors also express their opinion that, for collecting adequate data from natural analogs, resources will have to be devoted to them that are much larger than are devoted to them at present

  6. Market Assessment and Product Evaluation of Probiotic Containing Dietary Supplements Available in Bangladesh Market

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anjuman Ara Begum

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Probiotics containing food supplements available in Bangladesh market were identified and collected for assessment. To assess their label claim, they were resuspended into sterile distilled water. Then, series dilutions of each sample solution were prepared and immediately plated out, in duplicate, into De Man Rogosa Sharpe (MRS agar. These plates were then incubated at 37°C for 48 hours and colonies were counted. Viable cell numbers stated on the labels were compared with actual viable cell numbers. To assess the viability of the probiotics included in the products, probiotic strains were isolated from each of the four products and screened for inhibitory activity against six indicator strains. It was surprisingly found that although the viable cell numbers of all supplements were three to four log cycles lower than label claim of the products, however, this problem did not affect the inhibitory activity of the probiotic strains against indicator strains according to in vitro assessment. Legislation and regulation regarding prebiotic-probiotic containing products should be built up in Bangladesh to ensure quality products supply to the consumers. Moreover, manufacturers of probiotic containing products should take the responsibility for providing the consumer with scientifically and legally correct information.

  7. Energy performance assessment methodology

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Platzer, W.J. [Fraunhofer Inst. for Solar Energy Systems, Freiburg (Germany)

    2006-01-15

    The energy performance of buildings are intimately connected to the energy performance of building envelopes. The better we understand the relation between the quality of the envelope and the energy consumption of the building, the better we can improve both. We have to consider not only heating but all service energies related to the human comfort in the building, such as cooling, ventilation, lighting as well. The complexity coming from this embracing approach is not to be underestimated. It is less and less possible to realted simple characteristic performance indicators of building envelopes (such as the U-value) to the overall energy performance. On the one hand much more paramters (e.g. light transmittance) come into the picture we have to assess the product quality in a multidimensional world. Secondly buildings more and more have to work on a narrow optimum: For an old, badly insulated building all solar gains are useful for a high-performance building with very good insulation and heat recovery systems in the ventilation overheating becomes more likely. Thus we have to control the solar gains, and sometimes we need high gains, sometimes low ones. And thirdly we see that the technology within the building and the user patterns and interactions as well influence the performance of a building envelope. The aim of this project within IEA Task27 was to improve our knowledge on the complex situation and also to give a principal approach how to assess the performance of the building envelope. The participants have contributed to this aim not pretending that we have reached the end. (au)

  8. Determination of Safety Performance Grade of NPP Using Integrated Safety Performance Assessment (ISPA) Program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chung, Dae Wook

    2011-01-01

    Since the beginning of 2000, the safety regulation of nuclear power plant (NPP) has been challenged to be conducted more reasonable, effective and efficient way using risk and performance information. In the United States, USNRC established Reactor Oversight Process (ROP) in 2000 for improving the effectiveness of safety regulation of operating NPPs. The main idea of ROP is to classify the NPPs into 5 categories based on the results of safety performance assessment and to conduct graded regulatory programs according to categorization, which might be interpreted as 'Graded Regulation'. However, the classification of safety performance categories is highly comprehensive and sensitive process so that safety performance assessment program should be prepared in integrated, objective and quantitative manner. Furthermore, the results of assessment should characterize and categorize the actual level of safety performance of specific NPP, integrating all the substantial elements for assessing the safety performance. In consideration of particular regulatory environment in Korea, the integrated safety performance assessment (ISPA) program is being under development for the use in the determination of safety performance grade (SPG) of a NPP. The ISPA program consists of 6 individual assessment programs (4 quantitative and 2 qualitative) which cover the overall safety performance of NPP. Some of the assessment programs which are already implemented are used directly or modified for incorporating risk aspects. The others which are not existing regulatory programs are newly developed. Eventually, all the assessment results from individual assessment programs are produced and integrated to determine the safety performance grade of a specific NPP

  9. Development of Pflotran Code for Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Performance Assessment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeitler, T.; Day, B. A.; Frederick, J.; Hammond, G. E.; Kim, S.; Sarathi, R.; Stein, E.

    2017-12-01

    The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) has been developed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for the geologic (deep underground) disposal of transuranic (TRU) waste. Containment of TRU waste at the WIPP is regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The DOE demonstrates compliance with the containment requirements by means of performance assessment (PA) calculations. WIPP PA calculations estimate the probability and consequence of potential radionuclide releases from the repository to the accessible environment for a regulatory period of 10,000 years after facility closure. The long-term performance of the repository is assessed using a suite of sophisticated computational codes. There is a current effort to enhance WIPP PA capabilities through the further development of the PFLOTRAN software, a state-of-the-art massively parallel subsurface flow and reactive transport code. Benchmark testing of the individual WIPP-specific process models implemented in PFLOTRAN (e.g., gas generation, chemistry, creep closure, actinide transport, and waste form) has been performed, including results comparisons for PFLOTRAN and existing WIPP PA codes. Additionally, enhancements to the subsurface hydrologic flow mode have been made. Repository-scale testing has also been performed for the modified PFLTORAN code and detailed results will be presented. Ultimately, improvements to the current computational environment will result in greater detail and flexibility in the repository model due to a move from a two-dimensional calculation grid to a three-dimensional representation. The result of the effort will be a state-of-the-art subsurface flow and transport capability that will serve WIPP PA into the future for use in compliance recertification applications (CRAs) submitted to the EPA. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-mission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC., a wholly owned subsidiary of

  10. Radiation risk assessment for the transport of radioisotopes using KRI-BGM B(U) type container

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cho, Woon-Kap

    2008-01-01

    The radiation risks were estimated for the transportation of radioisotopes using KRI-BGM transport container. KRI-BGM container was specially designed for transportation of large amount of radioisotopes for industrial or medical applications. The container can carry maximum 370 TBq of solid Ir-192, 29.6 TBq of liquid Mo-99 and 37 TBq of liquid I-131 respectively. For the radiation risk assessment, it was assumed that maximum design activity of those radioisotopes was transported. Transportation route is from Daejeon where radioisotopes are produced to Seoul where radioisotopes are consumed. Transport distance is 200 km including highway and downtown area from Daejeon to Seoul. As the transportation conveyance, an ordinary cargo truck is used exclusively. Radiation risks were estimated for incident free and accident condition of transportation and RADTRAN 5.6 was used as the risk assessment tool. For the risk assessment of radioisotopes transportation, various parameters such as population density around transport route, weather condition, probability of specific accidents such as impact, fire, etc. were considered. From the results of this study, the exclusive transportation of radioisotopes using KRI-BGM transport container by truck showed low radiological risks with manageable safety and health consequences. This paper discusses the methods and results of the radiation risks assessment for the radioisotopes transportation by an ordinary truck and presents the expected radiation risks in person-Sv and latent cancer fatalities. (author)

  11. Subjective and objective performance assessment : Performance pay at Trelleborg Forsheda AB

    OpenAIRE

    Luotonen, David; Hasselström, Markus

    2009-01-01

      The purpose of this thesis is to understand the opinions and potential effects of objective and subjective assessments of performance as a basis for performance pay for blue-collar workers. The study takes a qualitative approach to find out how and why four companies - Trelleborg Forsheda, Finnveden Powertrain, Isaberg Rapid and Parker Hannifin- work with salaries, incentive system and performance assessment the way they do. The concept of individual salary is central in this thesis, and in...

  12. Gamma camera performance: technical assessment protocol

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bolster, A.A.; Waddington, W.A.

    1996-01-01

    This protocol addresses the performance assessment of single and dual headed gamma cameras. No attempt is made to assess the performance of any associated computing systems. Evaluations are usually performed on a gamma camera commercially available within the United Kingdom and recently installed at a clinical site. In consultation with the manufacturer, GCAT selects the site and liaises with local staff to arrange a mutually convenient time for assessment. The manufacturer is encouraged to have a representative present during the evaluation. Three to four days are typically required for the evaluation team to perform the necessary measurements. When access time is limited, the team will modify the protocol to test the camera as thoroughly as possible. Data are acquired on the camera's computer system and are subsequently transferred to the independent GCAT computer system for analysis. This transfer from site computer to the independent system is effected via a hardware interface and Interfile data transfer. (author)

  13. Gamma camera performance: technical assessment protocol

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bolster, A.A. [West Glasgow Hospitals NHS Trust, London (United Kingdom). Dept. of Clinical Physics; Waddington, W.A. [University College London Hospitals NHS Trust, London (United Kingdom). Inst. of Nuclear Medicine

    1996-12-31

    This protocol addresses the performance assessment of single and dual headed gamma cameras. No attempt is made to assess the performance of any associated computing systems. Evaluations are usually performed on a gamma camera commercially available within the United Kingdom and recently installed at a clinical site. In consultation with the manufacturer, GCAT selects the site and liaises with local staff to arrange a mutually convenient time for assessment. The manufacturer is encouraged to have a representative present during the evaluation. Three to four days are typically required for the evaluation team to perform the necessary measurements. When access time is limited, the team will modify the protocol to test the camera as thoroughly as possible. Data are acquired on the camera`s computer system and are subsequently transferred to the independent GCAT computer system for analysis. This transfer from site computer to the independent system is effected via a hardware interface and Interfile data transfer. (author).

  14. Influence of the distribution of noncondensibles on passive containment condenser performance in PANDA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bandurski, T.; Huggenberger, M.; Dreier, J.; Aubert, C.; Putz, F.; Gamble, R.E.; Yadigaroglu, G.

    2001-01-01

    Recently, passive cooling systems have been designed for the long-term decay heat removal from the containment of Advanced Light Water Reactors. In particular, the long-term LOCA response of the Passive Containment Cooling System (PCCS) for the General Electric European Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR) has been tested in the large scale PANDA facility. The PANDA tests achieved the dual objective of improving confidence in the performance of the passive heat removal mechanisms underlying the design of the tested systems and extending the data base available for containment analysis code qualification. The tests conducted subject the PCCS to a variety of conditions representing design-basis and beyond-design-basis accident conditions. These include operation in the presence of both heavier and lighter than steam noncondensible gases as well as a variety of asymmetric conditions and challenging start-up conditions. The present paper addresses the transient distribution of noncondensibles and their effect on the passive condenser performance in PANDA

  15. Influence of the distribution of noncondensibles on passive containment condenser performance in PANDA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bandurski, T. E-mail: thomas.bandurski@psi.ch; Huggenberger, M.; Dreier, J.; Aubert, C.; Putz, F.; Gamble, R.E. E-mail: robert.gamble@gene.ge.com; Yadigaroglu, G. E-mail: yadigaroglu@iet.mavt.ethz.ch

    2001-02-01

    Recently, passive cooling systems have been designed for the long-term decay heat removal from the containment of Advanced Light Water Reactors. In particular, the long-term LOCA response of the Passive Containment Cooling System (PCCS) for the General Electric European Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR) has been tested in the large scale PANDA facility. The PANDA tests achieved the dual objective of improving confidence in the performance of the passive heat removal mechanisms underlying the design of the tested systems and extending the data base available for containment analysis code qualification. The tests conducted subject the PCCS to a variety of conditions representing design-basis and beyond-design-basis accident conditions. These include operation in the presence of both heavier and lighter than steam noncondensible gases as well as a variety of asymmetric conditions and challenging start-up conditions. The present paper addresses the transient distribution of noncondensibles and their effect on the passive condenser performance in PANDA.

  16. Performance Analysis on Transfer Platforms in Frame Bridge Based Automated Container Terminals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hongtao Hu

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper studies a new automated container terminal (ACT system which utilizes multistory frame bridges and rail-mounted trolleys to transport containers between the quay and the yard. Beside typical ACT systems use trucks or automated guided vehicles for transporting containers between quay cranes and yard cranes, the new design uses three types of handling machines, namely, ground trolleys (GTs, transfer platforms (TPs, and frame trolleys (FTs. These three types of handling machines collaborate with one another to transport containers. This study decomposes the system into several subsystems. Each subsystem has one TP and several FTs and GTs dedicated to this TP. Then, a Markov chain model is developed to analyze the throughput of TPs. At last, the performance of the new ACT system is estimated. Sensitivity analyzes the numbers, and the processing rates of trolleys are conducted through the numeric experiments.

  17. Practical session assessments in human anatomy: Weightings and performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McDonald, Aaron C; Chan, Siew-Pang; Schuijers, Johannes A

    2016-07-08

    Assessment weighting within a given module can be a motivating factor for students when deciding on their commitment level and time given to study a specific topic. In this study, an analysis of assessment performances of second year anatomy students was performed over four years to determine if (1) students performed better when a higher weighting was given to a set of practical session assessments and (2) whether an improved performance in the practical session assessments had a carry-over effect on other assessment tasks within that anatomy module and/or other anatomy modules that follow. Results showed that increasing the weighting of practical session assessments improved the average mark in that assessment and also improved the percentage of students passing that assessment. Further, it significantly improved performance in the written end-semester examination within the same module and had a carry-over effect on the anatomy module taught in the next teaching period, as students performed better in subsequent practical session assessments as well as subsequent end-semester examinations. It was concluded that the weighting of assessments had significant influences on a student's performance in that, and subsequent, assessments. It is postulated that practical session assessments, designed to develop deep learning skills in anatomy, improved efficacy in student performance in assessments undertaken in that and subsequent anatomy modules when the weighting of these assessments was greater. These deep learning skills were also transferable to other methods of assessing anatomy. Anat Sci Educ 9: 330-336. © 2015 American Association of Anatomists. © 2015 American Association of Anatomists.

  18. Performance of Cement Containing Laterite as Supplementary Cementing Material

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abbas Bukhari, Z. S.

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available The utilization of different industrial waste, by-products or other materials such as ground granulated blast furnace slag, silica fume, fly ash, limestone, and kiln dust, etc. as supplemen- tary cementing materials has received considerable attention in recent years. A study has been conducted to look into the performance of laterite as Supplementary Cementing Materials (SCM. The study focuses on compressive strength performance of blended cement containing different percentage of laterite. The cement is replaced accordingly with percentage of 2 %, 5 %, 7 % and 10 % by weight. In addition, the effect of use of three chemically different laterites have been studied on physical performance of cement as in setting time, Le-Chatlier expansion, loss on ignition, insoluble residue, free lime and specifically compressive strength of cement cubes tested at the age of 3, 7, and 28 days. The results show that the strength of cement blended with laterite as SCM is enhanced. Key words: Portland cement, supplementary cementing materials (SCM, laterite, compressive strength KUI – 6/2013 Received January 4, 2012 Accepted February 11, 2013

  19. Using An Adapter To Perform The Chalfant-Style Containment Vessel Periodic Maintenance Leak Rate Test

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Loftin, B.; Abramczyk, G.; Trapp, D.

    2011-01-01

    Recently the Packaging Technology and Pressurized Systems (PT and PS) organization at the Savannah River National Laboratory was asked to develop an adapter for performing the leak-rate test of a Chalfant-style containment vessel. The PT and PS organization collaborated with designers at the Department of Energy's Pantex Plant to develop the adapter currently in use for performing the leak-rate testing on the containment vessels. This paper will give the history of leak-rate testing of the Chalfant-style containment vessels, discuss the design concept for the adapter, give an overview of the design, and will present results of the testing done using the adapter.

  20. The plant-specific impact of different pressurization rates in the probabilistic estimation of containment failure modes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahn, Kwang Il; Yang, Joon Eon; Ha, Jae Joo

    2003-01-01

    The explicit consideration of different pressurization rates in estimating the probabilities of containment failure modes has a profound effect on the confidence of containment performance evaluation that is so critical for risk assessment of nuclear power plants. Except for the sophisticated NUREG-1150 study, many of the recent containment performance analyses (through level 2 PSAs or IPE back-end analyses) did not take into account an explicit distinction between slow and fast pressurization in their analyses. A careful investigation of both approaches shows that many of the approaches adopted in the recent containment performance analyses exactly correspond to the NUREG-1150 approach for the prediction of containment failure mode probabilities in the presence of fast pressurization. As a result, it was expected that the existing containment performance analysis results would be subjected to greater or less conservatism in light of the ultimate failure mode of the containment. The main purpose of this paper is to assess potential conservatism of a plant-specific containment performance analysis result in light of containment failure mode probabilities

  1. Thematic mapper data quality and performance assessment in renewable resource/agricultural remote sensing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Erickson, J. D.; Macdonald, R. B. (Principal Investigator)

    1982-01-01

    A "quick look" investigation of the initial LANDSAT-4, thematic mapper (TM) scene received from Goddard Space Flight Center was performed to gain early insight into the characteristics of TM data. The initial scene, containing only the first four bands of the seven bands recorded by the TM, was acquired over the Detroit, Michigan, area on July 20, 1982. It yielded abundant information for scientific investigation. A wide variety of studies were conducted to assess all aspects of TM data. They ranged from manual analyses of image products to detect obvious optical, electronic, or mechanical defects to detailed machine analyses of the digital data content for evaluation of spectral separability of vegetative/nonvegetative classes. These studies were applied to several segments extracted from the full scene. No attempt was made to perform end-to-end statistical evaluations. However, the output of these studies do identify a degree of positive performance from the TM and its potential for advancing state-of-the-art crop inventory and condition assessment technology.

  2. Preliminary performance assessment for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, December 1992. Vol. 1: Third comparison with 40 CFR 191, Subpart B

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1992-12-15

    Before disposing of transuranic radioactive wastes in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), the United States Department of Energy (DOE) must evaluate compliance with applicable long-term regulations of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Sandia National Laboratories is conducting iterative performance assessments of the WIPP for the DOE to provide interim guidance while preparing for final compliance evaluations. This volume contains an overview of WIPP performance assessment and a preliminary comparison with the long-term requirements of the Environmental Radiation Protection Standards for Management and Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel, High-Level and Transuranic Radioactive Wastes (40 CFR 191, Subpart B). Detailed information about the technical basis for the preliminary comparison is contained in Volume 2. The reference data base and values for input parameters used in the modeling system are contained in Volume 3. Uncertainty and sensitivity analyses related to 40 CFR 191B are contained in Volume 4. Volume 5 contains uncertainty and sensitivity analyses of gas and brine migration for undisturbed performance. Finally, guidance derived from the entire 1992 performance assessment is presented in Volume 6. Results of the 1992 performance assessment are preliminary, and are not suitable for final comparison with 40 CFR 191, Subpart B. Portions of the modeling system and the data base remain incomplete, and the level of confidence in the performance estimates is not sufficient for a defensible compliance evaluation. Results are, however, suitable for providing guidance to the WIPP Project. All results are conditional on the models and data used, and are presented for preliminary comparison to the Containment Requirements of 40 CFR 191, Subpart B as mean complementary cumulative distribution functions (CCDFs) displaying estimated probabilistic releases of radionuclides to the accessible environment. Results compare three conceptual models for

  3. Preliminary performance assessment for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, December 1992. Vol. 1: Third comparison with 40 CFR 191, Subpart B

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1992-12-01

    Before disposing of transuranic radioactive wastes in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), the United States Department of Energy (DOE) must evaluate compliance with applicable long-term regulations of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Sandia National Laboratories is conducting iterative performance assessments of the WIPP for the DOE to provide interim guidance while preparing for final compliance evaluations. This volume contains an overview of WIPP performance assessment and a preliminary comparison with the long-term requirements of the Environmental Radiation Protection Standards for Management and Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel, High-Level and Transuranic Radioactive Wastes (40 CFR 191, Subpart B). Detailed information about the technical basis for the preliminary comparison is contained in Volume 2. The reference data base and values for input parameters used in the modeling system are contained in Volume 3. Uncertainty and sensitivity analyses related to 40 CFR 191B are contained in Volume 4. Volume 5 contains uncertainty and sensitivity analyses of gas and brine migration for undisturbed performance. Finally, guidance derived from the entire 1992 performance assessment is presented in Volume 6. Results of the 1992 performance assessment are preliminary, and are not suitable for final comparison with 40 CFR 191, Subpart B. Portions of the modeling system and the data base remain incomplete, and the level of confidence in the performance estimates is not sufficient for a defensible compliance evaluation. Results are, however, suitable for providing guidance to the WIPP Project. All results are conditional on the models and data used, and are presented for preliminary comparison to the Containment Requirements of 40 CFR 191, Subpart B as mean complementary cumulative distribution functions (CCDFs) displaying estimated probabilistic releases of radionuclides to the accessible environment. Results compare three conceptual models for

  4. Enabling performance skills: Assessment in engineering education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferrone, Jenny Kristina

    Current reform in engineering education is part of a national trend emphasizing student learning as well as accountability in instruction. Assessing student performance to demonstrate accountability has become a necessity in academia. In newly adopted criterion proposed by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), undergraduates are expected to demonstrate proficiency in outcomes considered essential for graduating engineers. The case study was designed as a formative evaluation of freshman engineering students to assess the perceived effectiveness of performance skills in a design laboratory environment. The mixed methodology used both quantitative and qualitative approaches to assess students' performance skills and congruency among the respondents, based on individual, team, and faculty perceptions of team effectiveness in three ABET areas: Communications Skills. Design Skills, and Teamwork. The findings of the research were used to address future use of the assessment tool and process. The results of the study found statistically significant differences in perceptions of Teamwork Skills (p performance skills, such as teamwork, among freshman engineering students; (2) incorporate feedback into the learning process; (3) strengthen the assessment process with a follow-up plan that specifically targets performance skill deficiencies, and (4) integrate the assessment instrument and practice with ongoing curriculum development. The findings generated by this study provides engineering departments engaged in assessment activity, opportunity to reflect, refine, and develop their programs as it continues. It also extends research on ABET competencies of engineering students in an under-investigated topic of factors correlated with team processes, behavior, and student learning.

  5. Assessing Vocal Performances Using Analytical Assessment: A Case Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gynnild, Vidar

    2016-01-01

    This study investigated ways to improve the appraisal of vocal performances within a national academy of music. Since a criterion-based assessment framework had already been adopted, the conceptual foundation of an assessment rubric was used as a guide in an action research project. The group of teachers involved wanted to explore thinking…

  6. Performance Assessment as a Diagnostic Tool for Science Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kruit, Patricia; Oostdam, Ron; van den Berg, Ed; Schuitema, Jaap

    2018-04-01

    Information on students' development of science skills is essential for teachers to evaluate and improve their own education, as well as to provide adequate support and feedback to the learning process of individual students. The present study explores and discusses the use of performance assessments as a diagnostic tool for formative assessment to inform teachers and guide instruction of science skills in primary education. Three performance assessments were administered to more than 400 students in grades 5 and 6 of primary education. Students performed small experiments using real materials while following the different steps of the empirical cycle. The mutual relationship between the three performance assessments is examined to provide evidence for the value of performance assessments as useful tools for formative evaluation. Differences in response patterns are discussed, and the diagnostic value of performance assessments is illustrated with examples of individual student performances. Findings show that the performance assessments were difficult for grades 5 and 6 students but that much individual variation exists regarding the different steps of the empirical cycle. Evaluation of scores as well as a more substantive analysis of students' responses provided insight into typical errors that students make. It is concluded that performance assessments can be used as a diagnostic tool for monitoring students' skill performance as well as to support teachers in evaluating and improving their science lessons.

  7. VISUAL ART TEACHERS AND PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Charles

    qualitative research design; an aspect of descriptive survey research aiming at ... the competence and use of assessment strategies is determined by the type of ... Visual Art Teachers and Performance Assessment Methods in Nigerian Senior ...

  8. Assessing reservoir performance risk in CO{sub 2} storage projects

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bowden, A.R. [URS Corp., San Francisco, CA (United States); Rigg, A. [CRC for Greenhouse Gas Technologies, Canberra (Australia)

    2005-07-01

    One of the main issues for researchers involved with geological storage of carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) has been the development of a proper methodology to assess and compare alternative CO{sub 2} injection projects on the basis of risk. Consideration needs to be given to technical aspects, such as the risk of leakage and the effectiveness of the intended reservoir, as well as less tangible aspects such as the value and safety of geological storage of CO{sub 2}, and potential impacts on the community and environment. The Geological Disposal of Carbon Dioxide (GEODISC), was a research program of the Australian Petroleum Cooperative Research Centre which identified 56 potential environmentally sustainable sites for CO{sub 2} injection (ESSCIs) within Australia. Several studies were carried out, involving detailed evaluation of the suitability of 4 selected sites, including Dongara, Petrel, Gippsland and Carnarvon. The GEODISC program included a risk assessment research module which required a complete and quantified risk assessment of CO{sub 2} injection as a storage option. Primary goals were to assess the risk of leakage, to assess the effectiveness of the intended reservoir, and to assess negative consequences to facilitate comparison of alternative sites. This paper discussed the background and risk assessment model. Key performance indicators (KPIs) were also developed to address the purpose of risk assessment. It was concluded that the RISQUE method is an appropriate approach and that potential injection projects can be measured against six KPIs including containment; effectiveness; self-funding potential; wider community benefits; community safety and community amenity. 6 refs., 3 tabs., 3 figs.

  9. A preliminary assessment of the assignment of Intermediate Level Waste streams to designs of transport containers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mairs, J.H.

    1984-08-01

    This paper considers the assignment of ILW to designs of transport container. Estimates are made of the radiation levels penetrating the transport containers and assesses the duration of any storage required prior to transportation. (author)

  10. A mathematical model for the performance assessment of engineering barriers of a typical near surface radioactive waste disposal facility

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Antonio, Raphaela N.; Rotunno Filho, Otto C. [Universidade Federal, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Coordenacao dos Programas de Pos-graduacao de Engenharia. Lab. de Hidrologia e Estudos do Meio Ambiente]. E-mail: otto@hidro.ufrj.br; Ruperti Junior, Nerbe J.; Lavalle Filho, Paulo F. Heilbron [Comissao Nacional de Energia Nuclear (CNEN), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)]. E-mail: nruperti@cnen.gov.br

    2005-07-01

    This work proposes a mathematical model for the performance assessment of a typical radioactive waste disposal facility based on the consideration of a multiple barrier concept. The Generalized Integral Transform Technique is employed to solve the Advection-Dispersion mass transfer equation under the assumption of saturated one-dimensional flow, to obtain solute concentrations at given times and locations within the medium. A test-case is chosen in order to illustrate the performance assessment of several configurations of a multi barrier system adopted for the containment of sand contaminated with Ra-226 within a trench. (author)

  11. A mathematical model for the performance assessment of engineering barriers of a typical near surface radioactive waste disposal facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Antonio, Raphaela N.; Rotunno Filho, Otto C.

    2005-01-01

    This work proposes a mathematical model for the performance assessment of a typical radioactive waste disposal facility based on the consideration of a multiple barrier concept. The Generalized Integral Transform Technique is employed to solve the Advection-Dispersion mass transfer equation under the assumption of saturated one-dimensional flow, to obtain solute concentrations at given times and locations within the medium. A test-case is chosen in order to illustrate the performance assessment of several configurations of a multi barrier system adopted for the containment of sand contaminated with Ra-226 within a trench. (author)

  12. Generic Containment: Detailed comparison of containment simulations performed on plant scale

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kelm, St.; Klauck, M.; Beck, S.; Allelein, H.-J.; Preusser, G.; Sangiorgi, M.; Klein-Hessling, W.; Bakalov, I.; Bleyer, A.; Bentaib, A.; Kljenak, I.; Stempniewicz, M.; Kostka, P.; Morandi, S.; Ada del Corno, B.; Bratfisch, C.; Risken, T.; Denk, L.; Parduba, Z.; Paci, S.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Consequent implementation of the recommendations derived from the OECD/NEA ISP-47. • Phenomenological code-to-code comparison performed on plant scale. • Systematic identification and elimination of the user effect. • Identification of fundamental differences in the model basis. • Application to PAR system analysis. - Abstract: One outcome of the OECD/NEA ISP-47 activity was the recommendation to elaborate a ‘Generic Containment’ in order to allow comparing and rating the results obtained by different lumped-parameter models on plant scale. Within the European SARNET2 project ( (http://www.sar-net.eu)), such a Generic Containment nodalisation, based on a German PWR (1300 MW el ), was defined. This agreement on the nodalisation allows investigating the remaining differences among the results, especially the ‘user-effect’, related to the modelling choices, as well as fundamental differences in the underlying model basis in detail. The methodology applied in order to compare the different code predictions consisted of a series of three benchmark steps with increasing complexity as well as a systematic comparison of characteristic variables and observations. This paper summarises the benchmark series, the lessons learned during specifying the steps, comparing and discussing the results and finally gives an outlook on future steps

  13. Performance assessment strategy for low-level waste disposal sites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Starmer, R.J.; Deering, L.G.; Weber, M.F.

    1988-01-01

    This paper describes US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff views on predicting the performance of low-level radioactive waste disposal facilities. Under the Atomic Energy Act, as amended, and the Low Level Radioactive Waste Policy Act, as amended, the NRC and Agreement States license land disposal of low-level radioactive waste (LLW) using the requirements in 10 CFR Part 61 or comparable state requirements. The purpose of this paper is to briefly describe regulatory requirements for performance assessment in low-level waste licensing, a strategy for performance assessments to support license applications, and NRC staff licensing evaluation of performance assessments. NRC's current activities in developing a performance assessment methodology will provide an overall systems modeling approach for assessing the performance of LLW disposal facilities. NRC staff will use the methodology to evaluate performance assessments conducted by applicants for LLW disposal facilities. The methodology will be made available to states and other interested parties

  14. Waste degradation and mobilization in performance assessments for the Yucca Mountain disposal system for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rechard, Rob P.; Stockman, Christine T.

    2014-01-01

    This paper summarizes modeling of waste degradation and mobilization in performance assessments (PAs) conducted between 1984 and 2008 to evaluate feasibility, viability, and assess compliance of a repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste at Yucca Mountain in southern Nevada. As understanding of the Yucca Mountain disposal system increased, the waste degradation module, or succinctly called the source-term, evolved from initial assumptions in 1984 to results based on process modeling in 2008. In early PAs, waste degradation had significant influence on calculated behavior but as the robustness of the waste container was increased and modeling of the container degradation improved, waste degradation had much less influence in later PAs. The variation of dissolved concentrations of radionuclides progressed from simple probability distributions in early PAs to functions dependent upon water chemistry in later PAs. Also, transport modeling of radionuclides in the waste, container, and invert were added in 1995; and, colloid-facilitated transport of radionuclides was added in 1998. - Highlights: • Progression of modeling of waste degradation in performance assessments is discussed for the proposed repository at Yucca Mountain. • Progression of evaluating dissolved concentrations of radionuclides in the source-term is discussed. • Radionuclide transport modeling in the waste, container, and invert in 1995 and thereafter is discussed. • Colloid-facilitated transport in the waste, container, and invert in 1998 and thereafter is discussed

  15. Development of assessment methods for transport and storage containers with higher content of metallic recycling material

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zencker, U.; Qiao Linan; Droste, B.

    2004-01-01

    The mechanical behaviour of transport and storage containers made of ductile cast iron melted with higher content of metallic recycling material from decommissioning and dismantling of nuclear installations is investigated. With drop tests of cubic container-like models, the influence of different real targets on the stresses in the cask body and the fracture behaviour is examined. A test stand foundation is suggested, which can be manufactured simply and improves the reproducibility of the test results strongly. The test objects are partially equipped with artificial cracklike defects. Dynamic fracture mechanics analyses of these defects were performed by means of finite element calculations to uncover safety margins. Numerous test results show depending on the requirements that containers for final disposal can be built by means of a ductile cast iron with fracture toughness more than half under the lower bound value for the licensed material qualities yet. The application limits of the material are determined also by the opportunities of the safety assessment methods. This project supports the application of brittle fracture safe transport and storage packages for radioactive materials as recommended in App. VI of the Advisory Material for the IAEA Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material (IAEA No. TS-G-1.1)

  16. Development of assessment methods for transport and storage containers with higher content of metallic recycling material

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zencker, U.; Qiao Linan; Droste, B. [Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin (Germany)

    2004-07-01

    The mechanical behaviour of transport and storage containers made of ductile cast iron melted with higher content of metallic recycling material from decommissioning and dismantling of nuclear installations is investigated. With drop tests of cubic container-like models, the influence of different real targets on the stresses in the cask body and the fracture behaviour is examined. A test stand foundation is suggested, which can be manufactured simply and improves the reproducibility of the test results strongly. The test objects are partially equipped with artificial cracklike defects. Dynamic fracture mechanics analyses of these defects were performed by means of finite element calculations to uncover safety margins. Numerous test results show depending on the requirements that containers for final disposal can be built by means of a ductile cast iron with fracture toughness more than half under the lower bound value for the licensed material qualities yet. The application limits of the material are determined also by the opportunities of the safety assessment methods. This project supports the application of brittle fracture safe transport and storage packages for radioactive materials as recommended in App. VI of the Advisory Material for the IAEA Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material (IAEA No. TS-G-1.1).

  17. Nursery response of container Pinus palustris seedlings to nitrogen supply and subsequent effects on outplanting performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    D. Paul Jackson; R. Kasten Dumroese; James P. Barnett

    2012-01-01

    Container longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) seedlings often survive and grow better after outplanting than bareroot seedlings. Because of this, most longleaf pine are now produced in containers. Little is known about nursery fertilization effects on the quality of container longleaf pine seedlings and how that influences outplanting performance. We compared various...

  18. An overview of performance assessment methodology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hongnian Jow

    2010-01-01

    The definition of performance assessment (PA) within the context of a geologic repository program is a post-closure safety assessment; a system analysis of hazards associated with the facility and the ability of the site and the design of the facility to provide for the safety functions. For the last few decades, PA methodology bas been developed and applied to different waste disposal programs around the world. PA has been used in the safety analyses for waste disposal repositories for low-level waste, intermediate level waste, and high-level waste including spent nuclear fuels. This paper provides an overview of the performance assessment methodology and gives examples of its applications for the Yucca Mountain Project. (authors)

  19. Performance success from self-assessments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hughes, G.

    1996-01-01

    This paper provides information on and successes of self-assessments completed at the Callaway plant. It stresses the vital needs and substantial benefits from these continual self-improvement efforts. The Callaway plant staff use a variety of methods and techniques to do self-assessments with the focus on performance outcomes. Self-assessments help Callaway focus on the priority issues and direct resources properly. Callaway's success has been due to this learning culture. The Callaway plant is a Westinghouse four-loop plant in the state of Missouri and has been operational since 1984

  20. A regulatory view of containment integrity in the United Kingdom

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bradford, P.M.; Patchett, C.M.

    1994-01-01

    This paper reviews the approach of HM Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) to containment integrity in the United Kingdom (UK). NII is that part of the regulatory authority, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which administers the UK's nuclear site licensing system. A major part of the licensing process lies in the assessment of licensees' submissions for new and existing plant. The purpose of this paper is to: briefly review our revised Safety Assessment Principles, describe our assessment and inspection activities on the primary containment building of the Sizewell B PWR which is progressing to full power operation in 1994 and, to indicate our views on the possible directions for future research into containment design and performance. (author). 5 refs

  1. Containment performance of transportable storage casks at 9m drop test

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tobita, H. [Hitachi Zosen Corp., Osaka (Japan); Araki, K. [Hitachi Zosen Diesel and Engineering Co., Ltd., Tokyo (Japan)

    2004-07-01

    Spent fuel transportable storage casks usually have a double lid closure system, which consists of primary and secondary lids, and gaskets, to keep the containment function during transportation and storage, and to monitor a leakage or containment function during storage. Metal gasket is planning to be used not only during storage but transportation of both before and after storage. As metal gasket will degrade its containment function by creep during storage period of 50 years, relative displacement such as opening and slide displacement between the flange of the containment vessel and the lid should be restricted to a small range. To maintain the containment performance, we provisionally adopted the maximum opening limit of 0.1mm and the maximum slide displacement limit of 3.0mm in the full-scale cask design based on the report of the fundamental experiment on the metal gasket which examines the relation between leakage rate and sealing gap. The purpose of this study is to analyse the behaviour of the sealed parts (lid and vessel body) under 9m-drop impact test conditions and to establish some analytical method to evaluate this behaviour. In this study, the drop test of 1/3scale model of Hitz-B69 cask with the double lids closure system was carried out, the behaviours of the seal part were measured by displacement sensors, and they were compared with the result of the numerical analysis carried out separateley.

  2. Caffeine-containing energy drink improves sprint performance during an international rugby sevens competition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Del Coso, Juan; Portillo, Javier; Muñoz, Gloria; Abián-Vicén, Javier; Gonzalez-Millán, Cristina; Muñoz-Guerra, Jesús

    2013-06-01

    The aim of this study was to determine the effects of a caffeine-containing energy drink on physical performance during a rugby sevens competition. A second purpose was to investigate the post-competition urinary caffeine concentration derived from the energy drink intake. On two non-consecutive days of a friendly tournament, 16 women from the Spanish National rugby sevens Team (mean age and body mass = 23 ± 2 years and 66 ± 7 kg) ingested 3 mg of caffeine per kg of body mass in the form of an energy drink (Fure(®), ProEnergetics) or the same drink without caffeine (placebo). After 60 min for caffeine absorption, participants performed a 15-s maximal jump test, a 6 × 30 m sprint test, and then played three rugby sevens games against another national team. Individual running pace and instantaneous speed during the games were assessed using global positioning satellite (GPS) devices. Urine samples were obtained pre and post-competition. In comparison to the placebo, the ingestion of the energy drink increased muscle power output during the jump series (23.5 ± 10.1 vs. 25.6 ± 11.8 kW, P = 0.05), running pace during the games (87.5 ± 8.3 vs. 95.4 ± 12.7 m/min, P caffeine concentration than the placebo (3.3 ± 0.7 vs. 0.2 ± 0.1 μg/mL; P caffeine in the form of a commercially available energy drink considerably enhanced physical performance during a women's rugby sevens competition.

  3. Performance assessment handbook for low-level radioactive waste disposal facilities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seitz, R.R.; Garcia, R.S.; Kostelnik, K.M.; Starmer, R.J.

    1992-02-01

    Performance assessments of proposed low-level radioactive waste disposal facilities must be conducted to support licensing. This handbook provides a reference document that can be used as a resource by management and staff responsible for performance assessments. Brief discussions describe the performance assessment process and emphasize selected critical aspects of the process. References are also provided for additional information on many aspects of the performance assessment process. The user's manual for the National Low-Level Waste Management Program's Performance Assessment Center (PAC) on the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory Cray computer is included as Appendix A. The PAC provides users an opportunity to experiment with a number of performance assessment computer codes on a Cray computer. Appendix B describes input data required for 22 performance assessment codes

  4. Corrosion assessment of dry fuel storage containers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Graves, C.E.

    1994-09-01

    The structural stability as a function of expected corrosion degradation of 75 dry fuel storage containers located in the 200 Area Low-Level Waste Burial Grounds was evaluated. These containers include 22 concrete burial containers, 13 55-gal (208-l) drums, and 40 Experimental Breeder Reactor II (EBR-II) transport/storage casks. All containers are buried beneath at least 48 in. of soil and a heavy plastic tarp with the exception of 35 of the EBR-II casks which are exposed to atmosphere. A literature review revealed that little general corrosion is expected and pitting corrosion of the carbon steel used as the exterior shell for all containers (with the exception of the concrete containers) will occur at a maximum rate of 3.5 mil/yr. Penetration from pitting of the exterior shell of the 208-l drums and EBR-II casks is calculated to occur after 18 and 71 years of burial, respectively. The internal construction beneath the shell would be expected to preclude containment breach, however, for the drums and casks. The estimates for structural failure of the external shells, large-scale shell deterioration due to corrosion, are considerably longer, 39 and 150 years respectively for the drums and casks. The concrete burial containers are expected to withstand a service life of 50 years.

  5. Aging characteristics of containment building and sensitivity on ultimate pressure capacity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seo, Jeong Moon; Choun, Young Sun; Choi, In Kil; Ha, Jae Joo

    1998-03-01

    For the reliable safety assessment of the containment building, structural and material conditions can be investigated in detail and pertinent assessment technologies have to be established. Also, an understanding on the aging-related degradations for the construction materials is required to predict long-term structural safety of the containment building. For the development of reliable aging prediction models, an extensive data base system related to aging properties of the containment building has to be prepared. The objectives of this research are to develop aging models representing long-term degradation of materials and a structural performance assessment program for containment building considering aging-related degradation. According to the results of sensitivity analysis, as the mechanical properties of the constituent materials degrade, the ultimate pressure capacity of containment building may decrease and severe damage may occur around the mid-level of the containment wall. (author). 28 refs., 11 tabs., 36 figs

  6. Reliability analysis of containment isolation systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pelto, P.J.; Counts, C.A.

    1984-06-01

    The Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) is reviewing available information on containment systems design, operating experience, and related research as part of a project being conducted by the Division of Systems Integration, US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The basic objective of this work is to collect and consolidate data relevant to assessing the functional performance of containment isolation systems and to use this data to the extent possible to characterize containment isolation system reliability for selected reference designs. This paper summarizes the results from initial efforts which focused on collection of data from available documents and briefly describes detailed review and analysis efforts which commenced recently. 5 references

  7. Mass transfer from penetrations in waste containers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pescatore, C.; Sastre, C.

    1987-01-01

    Recent studies have indicated that localized corrosion of a relatively small area of a waste container may impair the containment function to such an extent that larger releases may be possible than from the bare waste form. This would take place when a large number of holes coexist on the container while their concentration fields do not interact significantly with each other. After performing a steady state analysis of the release from a hole, it is shown that much fewer independent holes can coexist on a container surface than previously estimated. The calculated radionuclide release from multiple independent holes must be changed accordingly. Previous analyses did not proceed to a correct application of the linear superposition principle. This resulted in unacceptable physical conclusions and undue strain on the performance assessment necessary for a container licensing procedure. The paper also analyzes the steady state release from penetrations of finite length and whose concentration fields interact with one another. The predicted release from these penetrations is lower than the previously calculated release from holes of zero thickness. It is concluded here that the steady-state release from multiple holes on a waste container can not exceed the release from the bare waste form and that multiple perforations need not be a serious liability to container performance. 8 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab

  8. Policy and Validity Prospects for Performance-Based Assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baker, Eva L.; And Others

    1994-01-01

    This article describes performance-based assessment as expounded by its proponents, comments on these conceptions, reviews evidence regarding the technical quality of performance-based assessment, and considers its validity under various policy options. (JDD)

  9. Influence of the distribution of non-condensables on passive containment condenser performance in PANDA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bandurski, Th.; Huggenberger, M.; Dreier, J.; Aubert, C.; Putz, F.; Gamble, R.E.; Yadigaroglu, G.

    2001-01-01

    Recently passive cooling systems have been designed for the long-term decay heat removal from the containment of Advanced Light Water Reactors. In particular, the long-term LOCA response of the Passive Containment Cooling System (PCCS) for the General Electric European Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR) has been tested in the large-scale PANDA facility. The PANDA tests achieved the dual objectives of improving confidence in the performance of the passive heat removal mechanisms underlying the design of the system, and extending the database available for containment analysis code qualification. The tests conducted subject the PCCS to a variety of conditions representing design-basis and beyond-design-basis accident conditions. These include operation in the presence of both heavier and lighter than steam non-condensable gases, as well as a variety of asymmetric and challenging start-up conditions. The present paper addresses the transient distribution of non-condensables in PANDA, and their effect on (passive) condenser performance. (author)

  10. Influence of the distribution of non-condensables on passive containment condenser performance in PANDA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bandurski, Th.; Huggenberger, M.; Dreier, J.; Aubert, C.; Putz, F.; Gamble, R.E.; Yadigaroglu, G

    2001-03-01

    Recently passive cooling systems have been designed for the long-term decay heat removal from the containment of Advanced Light Water Reactors. In particular, the long-term LOCA response of the Passive Containment Cooling System (PCCS) for the General Electric European Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR) has been tested in the large-scale PANDA facility. The PANDA tests achieved the dual objectives of improving confidence in the performance of the passive heat removal mechanisms underlying the design of the system, and extending the database available for containment analysis code qualification. The tests conducted subject the PCCS to a variety of conditions representing design-basis and beyond-design-basis accident conditions. These include operation in the presence of both heavier and lighter than steam non-condensable gases, as well as a variety of asymmetric and challenging start-up conditions. The present paper addresses the transient distribution of non-condensables in PANDA, and their effect on (passive) condenser performance. (author)

  11. Organic migration forms of radionuclides and performance assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu Gouqing

    2010-01-01

    Much attention is paid to inorganic migration forms of radionuclides in groundwater during performance assessment before and organic migration forms, are seldom noted. Therefore some question may come into confidence level in performance assessment. This paper mainly discusses the distribution of organic substances in groundwater and their potential effect on performance assessment. The results obtained in recent years show that clay rocks are generally impermeable to water, but in some cases the interstitial water may be observed in them and the concentration of DOC, HA and FA is rather higher than that in granitic groundwater. The concentration of DOC is relatively low in granitic groundwater, but up to now the effect of organic migration forms of radionuclides in granitic groundwater on performance assessment is not finally determined, it is necessary to make further investigations. (authors)

  12. Personality, Assessment Methods and Academic Performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Furnham, Adrian; Nuygards, Sarah; Chamorro-Premuzic, Tomas

    2013-01-01

    This study examines the relationship between personality and two different academic performance (AP) assessment methods, namely exams and coursework. It aimed to examine whether the relationship between traits and AP was consistent across self-reported versus documented exam results, two different assessment techniques and across different…

  13. Dehydration: physiology, assessment, and performance effects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheuvront, Samuel N; Kenefick, Robert W

    2014-01-01

    This article provides a comprehensive review of dehydration assessment and presents a unique evaluation of the dehydration and performance literature. The importance of osmolality and volume are emphasized when discussing the physiology, assessment, and performance effects of dehydration. The underappreciated physiologic distinction between a loss of hypo-osmotic body water (intracellular dehydration) and an iso-osmotic loss of body water (extracellular dehydration) is presented and argued as the single most essential aspect of dehydration assessment. The importance of diagnostic and biological variation analyses to dehydration assessment methods is reviewed and their use in gauging the true potential of any dehydration assessment method highlighted. The necessity for establishing proper baselines is discussed, as is the magnitude of dehydration required to elicit reliable and detectable osmotic or volume-mediated compensatory physiologic responses. The discussion of physiologic responses further helps inform and explain our analysis of the literature suggesting a ≥ 2% dehydration threshold for impaired endurance exercise performance mediated by volume loss. In contrast, no clear threshold or plausible mechanism(s) support the marginal, but potentially important, impairment in strength, and power observed with dehydration. Similarly, the potential for dehydration to impair cognition appears small and related primarily to distraction or discomfort. The impact of dehydration on any particular sport skill or task is therefore likely dependent upon the makeup of the task itself (e.g., endurance, strength, cognitive, and motor skill). © 2014 American Physiological Society.

  14. Performing the lockout/tagout risk assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wallace, W Jon

    2007-03-01

    Lockout/tagout provides the greatest level routine, repetitive, and integral to the production process, a risk assessment should be performed. If the task performed poses an unacceptable risk, acceptable risk reduction methods should be implemented to reduce the risk to acceptable levels.

  15. A regulatory view of containment integrity in the United Kingdom

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bradford, P M; Patchett, C M [Health and Safety Executive, Bootle (United Kingdom). Nuclear Installations Inspectorate

    1994-12-31

    This paper reviews the approach of HM Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) to containment integrity in the United Kingdom (UK). NII is that part of the regulatory authority, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which administers the UK`s nuclear site licensing system. A major part of the licensing process lies in the assessment of licensees` submissions for new and existing plant. The purpose of this paper is to: briefly review our revised Safety Assessment Principles, describe our assessment and inspection activities on the primary containment building of the Sizewell B PWR which is progressing to full power operation in 1994 and, to indicate our views on the possible directions for future research into containment design and performance. (author). 5 refs.

  16. Assessing Performance of Botswana’s Public Hospital System: The Use of the World Health Organization Health System Performance Assessment Framework

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Onalenna Seitio-Kgokgwe

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Background Very few studies have assessed performance of Botswana public hospitals. We draw from a large research study assessing performance of the Botswana Ministry of Health (MoH to evaluate the performance of public hospital system using the World Health Organization Health Systems Performance Assessment Framework (WHO HSPAF. We aimed to evaluate performance of Botswana public hospital system; relate findings of the assessment to the potential for improvements in hospital performance; and determine the usefulness of the WHO HSPAF in assessing performance of hospital systems in a developing country. Methods This article is based on data collected from document analysis, 54 key informants comprising senior managers and staff of the MoH (N= 40 and senior officers from stakeholder organizations (N= 14, and surveys of 42 hospital managers and 389 health workers. Data from documents and transcripts were analyzed using content and thematic analysis while data analysis for surveys was descriptive determining proportions and percentages. Results The organizational structure of the Botswana’s public hospital system, authority and decision-making are highly centralized. Overall physical access to health services is high. However, challenges in the distribution of facilities and inpatient beds create inequities and inefficiencies. Capacity of the hospitals to deliver services is limited by inadequate resources. There are significant challenges with the quality of care. Conclusion While Botswana invested considerably in building hospitals around the country resulting in high physical access to services, the organization and governance of the hospital system, and inadequate resources limit service delivery. The ongoing efforts to decentralize management of hospitals to district level entities should be expedited. The WHO HSPAF enabled us to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the public hospital system. Though relatively new, this approach proved

  17. HTGR containment design options: an application of probabilistic risk assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1977-08-01

    Through the use of probabilistic risk assessment (PRA), it is possible to quantitatively evaluate the radiological risk associated with a given reactor design and to place such risk into perspective with alternative designs. The merits are discussed for several containment alternatives for the HTGR from the viewpoints of economics and licensability, as well as public risk. The quantification of cost savings and public risk indicates that presently acceptable public risk can be maintained and cost savings of $40 million can result from use of a vented confinement for the HTGR

  18. Performance assessment for low-level radioactive waste disposal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cook, J.R.; Hsu, R.H.; Wilhite, E.L.; Yu, A.D.

    1996-01-01

    In October 1994 the Savannah River Site became the first US DOE complex to use concrete vaults to dispose of low-level radioactive solid waste and better prevent soil and groundwater contamination. This article describes the design and gives a performance assessment of the vaults. Topics include the following: Performance objectives; scope; the performance assessment process-assemble a multidisciplinary working group; collect available data; define credible pathways/scenarios; develop conceptual models; conduct screening and detailed model calculations; assess sensitivity/uncertainty; integrate and interpret results; report. 9 figs., 3 tabs

  19. Use of PSA Level 2 analysis for improving containment performance. Report of a technical committee meeting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1998-03-01

    In order to discuss and exchange experience on different aspects of methods associated with Level 2 PSA and its applications for improving containment performance, the IAEA held a Technical Committee meeting in Vienna in December 1996. The meeting, which was attended by 26 participants from 20 Member States, provided a broad forum for discussion. The meeting addressed the issues related to the actual performance of Level 2 PSA studies as well as the insights gained from applications to improve containment performance. Particular attention was given to studies and applications for WWER type reactors, for which Level 2 work is still in its early stages, and for channel type reactors where modelling of accident progression is complex and significantly different from vessel type light water reactors. This TECDOC contains the papers presented at the meeting and the results of extensive discussions which were held in specific working groups

  20. Seismic reliability assessment methodology for CANDU concrete containment structures-phase 11

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hong, H.P.

    1996-07-01

    This study was undertaken to verify a set of load factors for reliability-based seismic evaluation of CANDU containment structures in Eastern Canada. Here, the new, site-specific, results of probabilistic seismic hazard assessment (response spectral velocity) were applied. It was found that the previously recommended load factors are relatively insensitive to the new seismic hazard information, and are adequate for a reliability-based seismic evaluation process. (author). 4 refs., 5 tabs., 9 figs

  1. Insulated Containers for Bottled Water (ICB)-Performance Evaluation

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-04-21

    Plastic   Wrapped  Cordura  Rubberized traction pad  PE  Plastic   Liner  No  Yes  Yes  No  Safe Tie‐Down  Capability  Yes  Yes  Yes  No  Easy Access...mounted Soldiers. The ICBs are lighter, require less storage space, and have more effective tie-down characteristics than coolers often used to carry...bottled water in vehicles. The performance of the ICBs and a commonly used cooler was assessed to determine whether the easier-to-stow ICBs would be as

  2. Assessment Training Effects on Student Assessment Skills and Task Performance in a Technology-Facilitated Peer Assessment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Xiongyi; Li, Lan

    2014-01-01

    This study examines the impact of an assessment training module on student assessment skills and task performance in a technology-facilitated peer assessment. Seventy-eight undergraduate students participated in the study. The participants completed an assessment training exercise, prior to engaging in peer-assessment activities. During the…

  3. Fatigue Strength Assessment of Welded Mild Steel Joints Containing Bulk Imperfections

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martin Leitner

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available This work investigates the effect of gas pores, as bulk imperfections, on the fatigue strength of welded mild steel joints. Two test series containing different butt joint geometries and weld process parameters are included in order to achieve two variable types of pore sizes. Based on the √area-parameter by Murakami, the test series can be grouped into imperfections exhibiting √area < 1000 µm and √area > 1000 µm. Fatigue tests at a load stress ratio of R = 0.1 are performed, which act as comparison for the subsequent fatigue estimation. To assess the fatigue resistance, the approaches by Murakami, De Kazinczy, and Mitchell are utilized, which highlight certain differences in the applicability depending on the imperfection size. It is found that, on one hand, Murakami’s approach is well suitable for both small and large gas pores depending on the applied model parameters. On the other hand, the fatigue concepts by De Kazinczy and Mitchell are preferably practicable for large defects with √area > 1000 µm. In addition, the method by Mitchell incorporates the stress concentration factor of the imperfection, which can be numerically computed considering the size, shape, and location of the gas pore, as presented in this paper.

  4. Performance of laying hens fed diets containing DAS-59122-7 maize grain compared with diets containing nontransgenic maize grain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacobs, C M; Utterback, P L; Parsons, C M; Rice, D; Smith, B; Hinds, M; Liebergesell, M; Sauber, T

    2008-03-01

    An experiment using 216 Hy-Line W-36 pullets was conducted to evaluate transgenic maize grain containing the cry34Ab1 and cry35Ab1 genes from a Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) strain and the phosphinothricin ace-tyltransferase (pat) gene from Streptomyces viridochromogenes. Expression of the cry34Ab1 and cry35Ab1 genes confers resistance to corn rootworms, and the pat gene confers tolerance to herbicides containing glufosinate-ammonium. Pullets (20 wk of age) were placed in cage lots (3 hens/cage, 2 cages/lot) and were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 corn-soybean meal dietary treatments (12 lots/treatment) formulated with the following maize grains: near-isogenic control (control), conventional maize, and transgenic test corn line 59122 containing event DAS-59122-7. Differences between 59122 and control group means were evaluated with statistical significance at P < 0.05. Body weight and gain, egg production, egg mass, and feed efficiency for hens fed the 59122 corn were not significantly different from the respective values for hens fed diets formulated with control maize grain. Egg component weights, Haugh unit measures, and egg weight class distribution were similar regardless of the corn source. This research indicates that performance of hens fed diets containing 59122 maize grain, as measured by egg production and egg quality, was similar to that of hens fed diets formulated with near-isogenic corn grain.

  5. Implementation of Localized Corrosion in the Performance Assessment Model for Yucca Mountain

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jain, V.; SEVOUGIAN, D.S.; MATTIE, P.D.; MACKINNON, R.J.

    2005-01-01

    A total system performance assessment (TSPA) model has been developed to analyze the ability of the natural and engineered barriers of the Yucca Mountain repository to isolate nuclear waste for the 10,000-year period following repository closure. The principal features of the engineered barrier system (EBS) are emplacement tunnels (or ''drifts'') containing a two-layer waste package (WP) for waste containment and a titanium drip shield to protect the waste package from seeping water and falling rock. The 20-mm-thick outer shell of the WP is composed of Alloy 22, a highly corrosion-resistant nickel-based alloy, while the 50-mm inner shell is composed of 316 stainless steel (modified with lower carbon and nitrogen compositions), whose primary purpose is to provide structural strength. The barrier function of the EBS is to isolate the waste from the migrating water with its associated chemical conditions that eventually lead to degradation of the waste packages and mobilization of the radionuclides within the packages

  6. Effect of long-lived containers on the postclosure performance of a reference disposal system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goodwin, B.W.; Hajas, W.C.; LeNeveu, D.M.

    1996-05-01

    The concept for disposal of Canada's nuclear fuel waste involves isolating the waste in corrosion-resistant containers emplaced in a scaled vault at a depth of 500 to 1000 m in plutonic rock of the Canadian Shield. The concept permits a choice of methods, materials, site locations, and designs. The technical feasibility of this concept and its impact on the environment and human health are summarized in an Environmental Impact Statement (AECL 1994a,b), supported by nine detailed reference documents (Davis et al. 1993; Davison et al. 1994a,b; Goodwin et al. 1994; Greber et al. 1994; Grondin et al. 1994; Johnson et al. 1994a,b; Simmons and Baumgartner 1994). In the assessment of the reference disposal system, we assumed the containers encapsulating the nuclear fuel waste were constructed from Grade-2 titanium. In this report, we investigate the effect of a different choice, and assume the use of long-lived containers constructed from materials such as high-purity copper or Grades-12 or -16 titanium alloys. These alternative materials would provide much longer periods of protection, based on the expectation that the only container failure mechanism, for times up to 10 5 a, involves initial fabrication defects. We explore the effects of long-lived containers for the same vault layout and orientation that were assumed for the reference disposal vault. We also explore effects for two less favourable situations, in which the vault is closer to a nearby fracture zone and in which the vault is extended to have emplacement rooms on both sides of the fracture zone. Our analyses use the probabilistic assessment computer code, SYVAC3-CC3, an acronym for SYstems Variability Analysis Code, generation 3. with a system model describing the Canadian Concept, generation 3, for the disposal of nuclear fuel waste. The input data for the code have been adjusted to approximate the expected protection characteristics of alternative container materials. (author). 31 refs., 1 tab., 16 figs

  7. The role of performance assessment in radioactive waste disposal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stenhouse, M.J.

    1998-01-01

    Performance assessment has many applications in the field of radioactive waste management, none more important than demonstrating the suitability of a particular repository system for waste disposal. The role of performance assessment in radioactive waste disposal is discussed with reference to assessments performed in civilian waste management programmes. The process is, however, relevant, and may be applied directly to the disposal of defence-related wastes. When used in an open and transparent manner, performance assessment is a powerful methodology not only for convincing the authorities of the safety of a disposal concept, but also for gaining the wider acceptance of the general public for repository siting. 26 refs

  8. Thermal performance prediction of UO2 pellet partly containing 9%w tungsten network

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suwardi

    2008-01-01

    Sintered UO 2 exhibits very stable in reactor core compared to UC, UN, U metal and its alloys. However, its thermal conductivity is very low (2.about.5 W/m K), that limits its performance. UO 2 pellet containing Tungsten network invented by Song improves considerably its conductivity. The paper reports an analysis of thermal performance for UO 2 pellet that contains partly or wholly with 9% b. of Tungsten. The tungsten network having a high melting point and excellent thermal conductivity is continuously formed around UO 2 grains. Since the presence of network decreases the amount of fissile material and the burn up of fissile material is higher in the near surface zone of pellet but high temperature zone that releases low conductivity fission gas to the gap located in inner part of pellet, the analysis has been done for different outer radial-portion of tungsten-free pellet. The analysis takes into account the correction factor for pellet conductivity related to both pore and temperature distribution and high burn up effect. The gap conductance has been considered invariable since decrease caused by wider gap size related to lower pellet expansion is compensated by increase caused by fewer of refractory fission gas released. The results (47 kw/m, 40% burnup) show temperature decrease in all of pellet position containing W network. Pellet containing 9%b. tungsten network lower consecutively its center line temperature from 1578 to 1406, 1292, 1231, 1192, 1111, and 1038 deg C for 0, 50, 67, 75, 80, 90, and 100 % portion of network. An 80 to 90 % portion of inner pellet containing tungsten network can be considered a best fuel design. This preliminary analysis is prospective and more realistic one is recommended. (author)

  9. Small animal PET: aspects of performance assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weber, Simone; Bauer, Andreas

    2004-01-01

    Dedicated small animal positron emission tomography (PET) systems are increasingly prevalent in industry (e.g. for preclinical drug development) and biological research. Such systems permit researchers to perform animal studies of a longitudinal design characterised by repeated measurements in single animals. With the advent of commercial systems, scanners have become readily available and increasingly popular. As a consequence, technical specifications are becoming more diverse, making scanner systems less broadly applicable. The investigator has, therefore, to make a decision regarding which type of scanner is most suitable for the intended experiments. This decision should be based on gantry characteristics and the physical performance. The first few steps have been taken towards standardisation of the assessment of performance characteristics of dedicated animal PET systems, though such assessment is not yet routinely implemented. In this review, we describe current methods of evaluation of physical performance parameters of small animal PET scanners. Effects of methodologically different approaches on the results are assessed. It is underscored that particular attention has to be paid to spatial resolution, sensitivity, scatter fraction and count rate performance. Differences in performance measurement methods are described with regard to commercially available systems, namely the Concorde MicroPET systems P4 and R4 and the quad-HIDAC. Lastly, consequences of differences in scanner performance parameters are rated with respect to applications of small animal PET. (orig.)

  10. Effects of Consuming a Low Dose of Alcohol with Mixers Containing Carbohydrate or Artificial Sweetener on Simulated Driving Performance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bryce Brickley

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available The Australian National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC devised gender-based drinking recommendations to ensure blood or equivalized breath alcohol concentrations (BrAC remain <0.050%. However, these may be inappropriate for individuals consuming alcohol without carbohydrate (CHO, which results in higher BrACs. This study investigated the effects of ingesting alcohol with and without CHO on BrACs and simulated driving performance. Thirty-two participants (16 males; age: 23 ± 6 years completed two randomized single-blinded trials. Participants performed a baseline drive (Drive 1, then an experimental drive (Drive 2, following alcohol consumption (males: 20 g; females: 10 g. Alcoholic beverages contained either 25 g sucrose or aspartame (AS. Driving performance was assessed using lateral control (standard deviation of lane position [SDLP] and number of lane departures and risk-taking (number of overtaking maneuvers and maximum overtaking speed. BrAC and subjective ratings (e.g., intoxication were also assessed. BrAC was significantly lower as Drive 2 commenced with CHO compared to AS (0.022 ± 0.008% vs. 0.030 ± 0.011%. Two males provided BrACs >0.050% with AS. Neither beverage influenced changes to simulated driving performance. Ingesting alcohol in quantities advised by the NDARC results in no detectable simulated driving impairment. However, the likelihood of exceeding the legal drink-driving BrAC is increased when alcohol is consumed with artificially-sweetened mixers.

  11. Total-system performance assessment for Yucca Mountain -- SNL second iteration (TSPA-1993)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wilson, M.L.; Barnard, R.W.; Gauthier, J.H.

    1994-04-01

    Sandia National Laboratories has completed the second iteration of the periodic total-system performance assessments (TSPA-93) for the Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project (YMP). Scenarios describing expected conditions (aqueous and gaseous transport of contaminants) and low-probability events (human-intrusion drilling and volcanic intrusion) are modeled. The hydrologic processes modeled include estimates of the perturbations to ambient conditions caused by heating of the repository resulting from radioactive decay of the waste. TSPA-93 incorporates significant new detailed process modeling, including two- and three-dimensional modeling of thermal effects, groundwater flow in the saturated-zone aquifers, and gas flow in the unsaturated zone. Probabilistic analyses are performed for aqueous and gaseous flow and transport, human intrusion, and basaltic magmatic activity. Results of the calculations lead to a number of recommendations concerning studies related to site characterization. Primary among these are the recommendations to obtain better information on percolation flux at Yucca Mountain, on the presence or absence of flowing fractures, and on physical and chemical processes influencing gaseous flow. Near-field thermal and chemical processes, and waste-container degradation are also areas where additional investigations may reduce important uncertainties. Recommendations for repository and waste-package design studies are: (1) to evaluate the performance implications of large-size containers, and (2) to investigate in more detail the implications of high repository thermal power output on the adjacent host rock and on the spent fuel

  12. Linux containers networking: performance and scalability of kernel modules

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Claassen, J.; Koning, R.; Grosso, P.; Oktug Badonnel, S.; Ulema, M.; Cavdar, C.; Zambenedetti Granville, L.; dos Santos, C.R.P.

    2016-01-01

    Linux container virtualisation is gaining momentum as lightweight technology to support cloud and distributed computing. Applications relying on container architectures might at times rely on inter-container communication, and container networking solutions are emerging to address this need.

  13. Detecting nuclear materials smuggling: performance evaluation of container inspection policies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaukler, Gary M; Li, Chenhua; Ding, Yu; Chirayath, Sunil S

    2012-03-01

    In recent years, the United States, along with many other countries, has significantly increased its detection and defense mechanisms against terrorist attacks. A potential attack with a nuclear weapon, using nuclear materials smuggled into the country, has been identified as a particularly grave threat. The system for detecting illicit nuclear materials that is currently in place at U.S. ports of entry relies heavily on passive radiation detectors and a risk-scoring approach using the automated targeting system (ATS). In this article we analyze this existing inspection system and demonstrate its performance for several smuggling scenarios. We provide evidence that the current inspection system is inherently incapable of reliably detecting sophisticated smuggling attempts that use small quantities of well-shielded nuclear material. To counter the weaknesses of the current ATS-based inspection system, we propose two new inspection systems: the hardness control system (HCS) and the hybrid inspection system (HYB). The HCS uses radiography information to classify incoming containers based on their cargo content into "hard" or "soft" containers, which then go through different inspection treatment. The HYB combines the radiography information with the intelligence information from the ATS. We compare and contrast the relative performance of these two new inspection systems with the existing ATS-based system. Our studies indicate that the HCS and HYB policies outperform the ATS-based policy for a wide range of realistic smuggling scenarios. We also examine the impact of changes in adversary behavior on the new inspection systems and find that they effectively preclude strategic gaming behavior of the adversary. © 2011 Society for Risk Analysis.

  14. Structural capacity assessment of a generic pre-stressed concrete containment structure under aircraft impact

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iliev, Alexander

    2013-01-01

    The studied containment expressed adequate capacity to resist impact loads in the upper range of the studied diapason. The aircraft impact capacity of the containment for impact in the upper part of the cylindrical shell is about 25‐30% higher than the capacity for impact in the middle part of the cylindrical shell. The obtained fragility curves reefed to MoA can be then used for various additional calculations in the safety assessment of nuclear facilities under aircraft impact

  15. Utilization Of Diets Containing Cashew-Nut Reject Meal By Weaner ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    A trial was conducted to assess the performance and digestibility of weaner pigs fed diets containing cashew nut reject meal (CNM). A control diet was formulated without cashew nut reject meal while two other diets were also formulated to contain either 50g or 100g/kg diet. The CNM replaced soybean meal in the control ...

  16. Comparative Assessment of Health Workers Performance and The ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Comparative Assessment of Health Workers Performance and The Performance ... had very high significant effect on performance of health workers which was independent of ... Keywords: Health Worker Performance Factors Hospitals Nigeria ...

  17. Methodology for NDA performance assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cuypers, M.; Franklin, M.; Guardini, S.

    1986-01-01

    In the framework of the RandD programme of the Joint Research Centre of the Commission of the European Communities, a considerable effort is being dedicated to performance assessment of NDA techniques taking account of field conditions. By taking account of field conditions is meant measurement samples of the size encountered in practice and training which allows inspectors to design cost efficient verification plans for the real situations encountered in the field. Special laboratory facilities referred to as PERLA are being constructed for this purpose. These facilities will be used for measurement experiments and for training. In this paper, performance assessment is discussed under the headings of measurement capability and in-field effectiveness. Considerable emphasis is given to the role of method specific measurement error models. The authors outline the advantages of giving statistical error models a sounder basis in the physical phenomenology of the measurement method

  18. Mixed Waste Integrated Program: A technology assessment for mercury-containing mixed wastes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perona, J.J.; Brown, C.H.

    1993-03-01

    The treatment of mixed wastes must meet US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards for chemically hazardous species and also must provide adequate control of the radioactive species. The US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Technology Development established the Mixed Waste Integrated Program (MWIP) to develop mixed-waste treatment technology in support of the Mixed Low-Level Waste Program. Many DOE mixed-waste streams contain mercury. This report is an assessment of current state-of-the-art technologies for mercury separations from solids, liquids, and gases. A total of 19 technologies were assessed. This project is funded through the Chemical-Physical Technology Support Group of the MWIP

  19. Preliminary performance assessment for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, December 1992. Volume 5, Uncertainty and sensitivity analyses of gas and brine migration for undisturbed performance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1993-08-01

    Before disposing of transuranic radioactive waste in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), the United States Department of Energy (DOE) must evaluate compliance with applicable long-term regulations of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Sandia National Laboratories is conducting iterative performance assessments (PAs) of the WIPP for the DOE to provide interim guidance while preparing for a final compliance evaluation. This volume of the 1992 PA contains results of uncertainty and sensitivity analyses with respect to migration of gas and brine from the undisturbed repository. Additional information about the 1992 PA is provided in other volumes. Volume 1 contains an overview of WIPP PA and results of a preliminary comparison with 40 CFR 191, Subpart B. Volume 2 describes the technical basis for the performance assessment, including descriptions of the linked computational models used in the Monte Carlo analyses. Volume 3 contains the reference data base and values for input parameters used in consequence and probability modeling. Volume 4 contains uncertainty and sensitivity analyses with respect to the EPA`s Environmental Standards for the Management and Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel, High-Level and Transuranic Radioactive Wastes (40 CFR 191, Subpart B). Finally, guidance derived from the entire 1992 PA is presented in Volume 6. Results of the 1992 uncertainty and sensitivity analyses indicate that, conditional on the modeling assumptions and the assigned parameter-value distributions, the most important parameters for which uncertainty has the potential to affect gas and brine migration from the undisturbed repository are: initial liquid saturation in the waste, anhydrite permeability, biodegradation-reaction stoichiometry, gas-generation rates for both corrosion and biodegradation under inundated conditions, and the permeability of the long-term shaft seal.

  20. Current perspectives on performance assessment at the NRC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Coplan, S.M.; Eisenberg, N.A.; Federline, M.V.; Randall, J.D.

    1992-01-01

    The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff is engaging in a number of activities involving performance assessment in order to support NRC's program in high-level waste management. Broad areas of activity include: (1) reactive work responding to products and activities of the Department of Energy (DOE), (2) proactive work, including development of an independent performance assessment capability, development of guidance for DOE, support for technical and programmatic integration, (3) a program of regulatory research, and (4) participation in a number of international activities. As the U.S. high-level waste program continues to mature, performance assessment is seen as playing a more prominent role in evaluating safety and focussing technical activities

  1. Caffeine-containing energy drink improves physical performance in female soccer players.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lara, Beatriz; Gonzalez-Millán, Cristina; Salinero, Juan Jose; Abian-Vicen, Javier; Areces, Francisco; Barbero-Alvarez, Jose Carlos; Muñoz, Víctor; Portillo, Luis Javier; Gonzalez-Rave, Jose Maria; Del Coso, Juan

    2014-05-01

    There is little information about the effects of caffeine intake on female team-sport performance. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a caffeine-containing energy drink to improve physical performance in female soccer players during a simulated game. A double-blind, placebo controlled and randomized experimental design was used in this investigation. In two different sessions, 18 women soccer players ingested 3 mg of caffeine/kg in the form of an energy drink or an identical drink with no caffeine content (placebo). After 60 min, they performed a countermovement jump (CMJ) and a 7 × 30 m sprint test followed by a simulated soccer match (2 × 40 min). Individual running distance and speed were measured using GPS devices. In comparison to the placebo drink, the ingestion of the caffeinated energy drink increased the CMJ height (26.6 ± 4.0 vs 27.4 ± 3.8 cm; P 18 km/h (161 ± 99 vs 216 ± 103 m; P caffeine/kg might be an effective ergogenic aid to improve physical performance in female soccer players.

  2. 25 CFR 20.404 - What information is contained in a social services assessment?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false What information is contained in a social services assessment? 20.404 Section 20.404 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR HUMAN SERVICES FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE AND SOCIAL SERVICES PROGRAMS Services to Children, Elderly, and Families § 20.404 What...

  3. Near-Field Hydrology Data Package for the Immobilized Low-Activity Waste 2001 Performance Assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    PD Meyer; RJ Serne

    1999-01-01

    Lockheed Martin Hanford Company (LMHC) is designing and assessing the performance of disposal facilities to receive radioactive wastes that are currently stored in single- and double-shell tanks at the Hanford Site. The preferred method for disposing of the portion that is classified as immobilized low-activity waste (ILAW) is to vitrify the waste and place the product in new-surface, shallow land burial facilities. The LMHC project to assess the performance of these disposal facilities is the Hanford ILAW Performance Assessment (PA) Activity. The goal of this project is to provide a reasonable expectation that the disposal of the waste is protective of the general public, groundwater resources, air resources, surface water resources, and inadvertent intruders. Achieving this goal will require prediction of contaminant migration from the facilities. This migration is expected to occur primarily via the movement of water through the facilities and the consequent transport of dissolved contaminants in the pore water of the vadose zone. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) assists LMHC in its performance assessment activities. One of PNNL's tasks is to provide estimates of the physical, hydraulic, and transport properties of the materials comprising the disposal facilities and the disturbed region around them. These materials are referred to as the near-field materials. Their properties are expressed as parameters of constitutive models used in simulations of subsurface flow and transport. In addition to the best-estimate parameter values, information on uncertainty in the parameter values and estimates of the changes in parameter values over time are required to complete the PA. These parameter estimates and information are contained in this report, the Near-Field Hydrology Data Package

  4. Some viewpoints on reference biospheres in Finnish performance assessments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rasilainen, K.; Kattilakoski, E.; Suolanen, V.; Vieno, T.; Vuori, S.

    2002-01-01

    Viewpoints are presented concerning biosphere studies in performance assessments of nuclear waste disposal. The points are based on experiences from several Finnish performance assessments. The latest performance assessment for spent fuel disposal, TILA-99, was considered in the Decision in Principle process for the site selection of the repository. The points given are also based on experiences from participation in international projects dealing with biosphere modelling, for instance BIOMOVS and BIOMASS. (author)

  5. Hanford low-level tank waste interim performance assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mann, F.M.

    1997-01-01

    The Hanford Low-Level Tank Waste Interim Performance Assessment examines the long-term environmental and human health effects associated with the disposal of the low-level fraction of the Hanford single and double-shell tank waste in the Hanford Site 200 East Area. This report was prepared as a good management practice to provide needed information about the relationship between the disposal system design and performance early in the disposal system project cycle. The calculations in this performance assessment show that the disposal of the low-level fraction can meet environmental and health performance objectives

  6. Assessing the Performance of Natural Resource Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bruce Campbell

    2002-01-01

    Full Text Available Assessing the performance of management is central to natural resource management, in terms of improving the efficiency of interventions in an adaptive-learning cycle. This is not simple, given that such systems generally have multiple scales of interaction and response; high frequency of nonlinearity, uncertainty, and time lags; multiple stakeholders with contrasting objectives; and a high degree of context specificity. The importance of bounding the problem and preparing a conceptual model of the system is highlighted. We suggest that the capital assets approach to livelihoods may be an appropriate organizing principle for the selection of indicators of system performance. In this approach, five capital assets are recognized: physical, financial, social, natural, and human. A number of principles can be derived for each capital asset; indicators for assessing system performance should cover all of the principles. To cater for multiple stakeholders, participatory selection of indicators is appropriate, although when cross-site comparability is required, some generic indicators are suitable. Because of the high degree of context specificity of natural resource management systems, a typology of landscapes or resource management domains may be useful to allow extrapolation to broader systems. The problems of nonlinearities, uncertainty, and time lags in natural resource management systems suggest that systems modeling is crucial for performance assessment, in terms of deriving "what would have happened anyway" scenarios for comparison to the measured trajectory of systems. Given that a number of indicators are necessary for assessing performance, the question becomes whether these can be combined to give an integrative assessment. We explore five possible approaches: (1 simple additive index, as used for the Human Development Index; (2 derived variables (e.g., principal components as the indices of performance; (3 two-dimensional plots of

  7. The IPE Database: providing information on plant design, core damage frequency and containment performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lehner, J.R.; Lin, C.C.; Pratt, W.T.; Su, T.; Danziger, L.

    1996-01-01

    A database, called the IPE Database has been developed that stores data obtained from the Individual Plant Examinations (IPEs) which licensees of nuclear power plants have conducted in response to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) Generic Letter GL88-20. The IPE Database is a collection of linked files which store information about plant design, core damage frequency (CDF), and containment performance in a uniform, structured way. The information contained in the various files is based on data contained in the IPE submittals. The information extracted from the submittals and entered into the IPE Database can be manipulated so that queries regarding individual or groups of plants can be answered using the IPE Database

  8. Demonstration of a performance assessment methodology for high-level radioactive waste disposal in basalt formations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bonano, E.J.; Davis, P.A.; Shipers, L.R.; Brinster, K.F.; Beyler, W.E.; Updegraff, C.D.; Shepherd, E.R.; Tilton, L.M.; Wahi, K.K.

    1989-06-01

    This document describes a performance assessment methodology developed for a high-level radioactive waste repository mined in deep basalt formations. This methodology is an extension of an earlier one applicable to bedded salt. The differences between the two methodologies arise primarily in the modeling of round-water flow and radionuclide transport. Bedded salt was assumed to be a porous medium, whereas basalt formations contain fractured zones. Therefore, mathematical models and associated computer codes were developed to simulate the aforementioned phenomena in fractured media. The use of the methodology is demonstrated at a hypothetical basalt site by analyzing seven scenarios: (1) thermohydrological effects caused by heat released from the repository, (2) mechanohydrological effects caused by an advancing and receding glacier, (3) normal ground-water flow, (4) pumping of ground water from a confined aquifer, (5) rerouting of a river near the repository, (6) drilling of a borehole through the repository, and (7) formation of a new fault intersecting the repository. The normal ground-water flow was considered the base-case scenario. This scenario was used to perform uncertainty and sensitivity analyses and to demonstrate the existing capabilities for assessing compliance with the ground-water travel time criterion and the containment requirements. Most of the other scenarios were considered perturbations of the base case, and a few were studied in terms of changes with respect to initial conditions. The potential impact of these scenarios on the long-term performance of the disposal system was ascertained through comparison with the base-case scenario or the undisturbed initial conditions. 66 refs., 106 figs., 27 tabs

  9. Performance Assessment Framework for Private Finance Initiative Projects in Malaysia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lop Nor Suzila

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Private Finance Initiative (PFI is viewed as restructuring the previous privatisation concept in delivering value for money for the Malaysian public infrastructure. Among the restructuring efforts in the privatisation is specifying the standard assessment of private concessionaires’ performance through the execution of key performance indicators (KPIs where the private concessionaires’ performance is benchmarked against the government’s standard. KPIs have served as useful tools in assessing performance of PFI projects. However, there is still lacking on determination methods performed to define and measure this KPIs and the absence of guidelines or a framework is also an issue in the implementation of the PFI procurement in Malaysia. Therefore, the objectives of this paper is to investigate the notion of performance assessment model approaches globally (i.e. UK, China, Australia, Serbia and Malaysia and to identify direction for PFI performance assessment tools (KPIs to be practiced in Malaysia. Based on the consideration of these models, this research paper propose an initial framework of performance assessment for PFI projects in Malaysia. The framework is deliberate to cover the performance of PFI at the operation and maintenance phase. The outcomes of this paper can serve as a theoretical base for the development of comprehensive and effective performance assessment for PFI projects in Malaysia.

  10. Performance Assessment for Pump-and-Treat Closure or Transition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Truex, Michael J. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Johnson, Christian D. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Becker, Dave J. [U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Environmental and Munitions Center of Expertise, Huntsville, AL (United States); Lee, Michelle H. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Nimmons, Michael J. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

    2015-09-29

    A structured performance assessment approach is useful to evaluate pump-and-treat (P&T) groundwater remediation, which has been applied at numerous sites. Consistent with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Groundwater Road Map, performance assessment during remedy implementation may be needed, and should consider remedy optimization, transition to alternative remedies, or remedy closure. In addition, a recent National Research Council study examined groundwater remediation at complex contaminated sites and concluded that it may be beneficial to evaluate remedy performance and the potential need for transition to alternative approaches at these sites. The intent of this document is to provide a structured approach for assessing P&T performance to support a decision to optimize, transition, or close a P&T remedy. The process presented in this document for gathering information and performing evaluations to support P&T remedy decisions includes use of decision elements to distinguish between potential outcomes of a remedy decision. Case studies are used to augment descriptions of decision elements and to illustrate each type of outcome identified in the performance assessment approach. The document provides references to resources for tools and other guidance relevant to conducting the P&T assessment.

  11. Electrochemical Performance of Low-Carbon Steel in Alkaline Model Solutions Containing Hybrid Aggregates

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Koleva, D.A.; Hu, J.; De Wit, J.H.W.; Boshkov, N.; Radeva, T.; Milkova, V.; Van Breugel, K.

    2010-01-01

    This work reports on the electrochemical performance of low-carbon steel electrodes in model alkaline solutions in the presence of 4.9.10-4 g/l hybrid aggregates i.e. cement extract, containing PDADMAC (poly (diallyl, dimethyl ammonium chloride) / PAA (Poly (acrylic acid)/ PDADMAC over a CaO core.

  12. Containment performance working group report. Draft report for comment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1985-05-01

    Containment buildings for power reactors have been studied to estimate their leak rate as a function of increasing internal pressure and temperature associated with severe accident sequences involving significant core damage. Potential leak paths through containment penetration assemblies (such as equipment hatches, airlocks, purge and vent valves, and electrical penetrations) have been identified and their contributions to leak area for the containment are incorporated into containment response analyses of selected severe accident sequences to predict the containment leak rate and pressure/temperature response as a function of time. Because of lack of reliable experimental data on the leakage behavior of containment penetrations and isolation barriers at pressures beyond their design conditions, an analytical approach has been used to estimate the leakage behavior of components found in specific reference plants that approximately characterize the various containment types

  13. 42 CFR 460.132 - Quality assessment and performance improvement plan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Quality assessment and performance improvement plan... assessment and performance improvement plan. (a) Basic rule. A PACE organization must have a written quality assessment and performance improvement plan. (b) Annual review. The PACE governing body must review the plan...

  14. In vitro antibacterial and cytotoxicity assessments of an orthodontic bonding agent containing benzalkonium chloride.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saito, Kayo; Hayakawa, Tohru; Kawabata, Rihito; Meguro, Daijiro; Kasai, Kazutaka

    2009-03-01

    To assess the antibacterial activity and cytotoxicity of an orthodontic bonding material containing an antibacterial agent. Superbond C&B (4-methacryloxyethyl trimellitate anhydride/methyl methacrylate-tri-n-butyl borane [4-META/MMA-TBB]) resin was mixed with benzalkonium chloride (BAC) to obtain final BAC concentrations of 0.25%, 0.75%, 1.25%, 1.75%, 2.5%, and 5.0% (wt/ wt). Antibacterial activity against Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus was evaluated by soaking the BAC-resin in distilled water at 37 degrees C for periods of 30, 90, and 180 days. Antibacterial activity of the BAC-resin was measured by the disk diffusion method, and the inhibition zone around each sample was measured and recorded. For evaluation of cytotoxicity, BAC-resin samples were put into cell culture inserts placed above human gingival cells and were incubated at 37 degrees C for 1, 3, and 6 days. Cytotoxicity was assessed with a tetrazolium bromide reduction assay. The antibacterial activity of BAC-incorporated resin samples decreased significantly after immersion in water for 180 days, regardless of BAC concentration. The antibacterial activity of nonimmersed resin containing 0.25% or 1.75% BAC was comparable with that of 5.0% BAC-resin immersed for 180 days. In cytotoxicity tests, most cells died when exposed to resins containing 1.75%, 2.5%, and 5% BAC. No difference was observed between resins containing 0.25% and 0.75% BAC at 1, 3, and 6 days of culture. The addition of BAC to 4-META/MMA-TBB resin confers an antibacterial effect even after immersion in water, and 4-META/MMA-TBB resin containing 0.25% to 0.75% BAC has no significant cytotoxic effect.

  15. [Teaching performance assessment in Public Health employing three different strategies].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martínez-González, Adrián; Moreno-Altamirano, Laura; Ponce-Rosas, Efrén Raúl; Martínez-Franco, Adrián Israel; Urrutia-Aguilar, María Esther

    2011-01-01

    The educational system depends upon the quality and performance of their faculty and should therefore be process of continuous improvement. To assess the teaching performance of the Public Health professors, at the Faculty of Medicine, UNAM through three strategies. Justification study. The evaluation was conducted under a mediational model through three strategies: students' opinion assessment, self-assessment and students' academic achievement. We applied descriptive statistics, Student t test, ANOVA and Pearson correlation. Twenty professors were evaluated from the Public Health department, representing 57% of all them who teach the subject. The professor's performance was highly valued self-assessment compared with assessment of student opinion, was confirmed by statistical analysis the difference was significant. The difference amongst the three evaluation strategies became more evident between self-assessment and the scores obtained by students in their academic achievement. The integration of these three strategies offers a more complete view of the teacher's performance quality. Academic achievement appears to be a more objective strategy for teaching performance assessment than students' opinion and self-assessment.

  16. Field performance of Quercus bicolor established as repeatedly air-root-pruned container and bareroot planting stock

    Science.gov (United States)

    J.W." Jerry" Van Sambeek; Larry D. Godsey; William D. Walter; Harold E. Garrett; John P. Dwyer

    2016-01-01

    Benefits of repeated air-root-pruning of seedlings when stepping up to progressively larger containers include excellent lateral root distribution immediately below the root collar and an exceptionally fibrous root ball. To evaluate long-term field performance of repeatedly air-root-pruned container stock, three plantings of swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor...

  17. ASSESSING STUDENT PERFORMANCE ON INTERPRETING THROUGH PEER-ASSESSMENT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Titik Ismailia

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available As a part of translation interpreting is translating spoken discourse orally. It needs some requirements like ability to speak clearly, clarity, fluency, eye contact, and self-confidence. It also needs linguistic proficiency, analytical skill, listening and recall, interpersonal skills, ethical behaviour, speaking skills, cultural knowledge, and subject knowledge. Evaluating students performance on interpreting can be done through peer assessment. Peer- assessment is one of alternative assessment to grade the peers in group or individuals by commenting on and judging other students work. To do this process there is a join work between listening and speaking, and two students. The first student as a speaker and the second student as an interpreter. Both of them should do the same quality on speak clearly as a speaker and as an interpreter should able to listen and translating the spoken discourse orally. Evaluation can use analytical grade that allows teacher to set clear criteria for correction like fluency, grammar, terminology, general content, and mechanics. Students and teacher can give comment on every criteria based on their own competency. During the process on making criteria, students and teacher can discuss and give reasonable suggestion to make the assessment suitable to the students competency. At the end, a rubric of assessment with the score from 0 to 100 and criteria and also the comment included in the paper of assessment.

  18. Waste package performance assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lester, D.H.

    1981-01-01

    This paper describes work undertaken to assess the life-expectancy and post-failure nuclide release behavior of high-level and waste packages in a geologic repository. The work involved integrating models of individual phenomena (such as heat transfer, corrosion, package deformation, and nuclide transport) and using existing data to make estimates of post-emplacement behavior of waste packages. A package performance assessment code was developed to predict time to package failure in a flooded repository and subsequent transport of nuclides out of the leaking package. The model has been used to evaluate preliminary package designs. The results indicate, that within the limitation of model assumptions and data base, packages lasting a few hundreds of years could be developed. Very long lived packages may be possible but more comprehensive data are needed to confirm this

  19. Study on the CFD simulation of refrigerated container

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arif Budiyanto, Muhammad; Shinoda, Takeshi; Nasruddin

    2017-10-01

    The objective this study is to performed Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) simulation of refrigerated container in the container port. Refrigerated container is a thermal cargo container constructed from an insulation wall to carry kind of perishable goods. CFD simulation was carried out use cross sectional of container walls to predict surface temperatures of refrigerated container and to estimate its cooling load. The simulation model is based on the solution of the partial differential equations governing the fluid flow and heat transfer processes. The physical model of heat-transfer processes considered in this simulation are consist of solar radiation from the sun, heat conduction on the container walls, heat convection on the container surfaces and thermal radiation among the solid surfaces. The validation of simulation model was assessed uses surface temperatures at center points on each container walls obtained from the measurement experimentation in the previous study. The results shows the surface temperatures of simulation model has good agreement with the measurement data on all container walls.

  20. Performance analysis of a membrane humidifier containing porous metal foam as flow distributor in a PEM fuel cell system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Afshari, Ebrahim; Baharlou Houreh, Nasser

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Three metal foam configurations for the membrane humidifier are introduced. • The performances of the humidifiers containing metal foam are investigated. • A 3D CFD model is developed to compare the introduced humidifiers with one another. • Using metal foam at dry side has no positive effect on the humidifier performance. - Abstract: Using metal foam as flow distributor in membrane humidifier for proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell system has some unique characteristics like more water transfer, low manufacturing complexity and low cost compared to the conventional flow channel plate. Metal foam can be applied at wet side or dry side or both sides of a humidifier. The three-dimensional CFD models are developed to investigate the performance of the above mentioned meanwhile compare them with the conventional humidifier. This model consists of a set of coupled equations including conservations of mass, momentum, species and energy for all regions of the humidifier. The results indicate that with the metal foam installed at wet side and both sides, water recovery ratio and dew point at dry side outlet are more than that of the conventional humidifier, indicating a better humidifier performance; while using metal foam at dry side has no positive effect on humidifier performance. At dry side mass flow rates higher than 10 mgr/s pressure drop in humidifier containing metal foam at wet side is lower than that of the conventional humidifier. As the mass flow rate increases from 9 to 15 mgr/s humidifier containing metal foam at wet side has better performance, while at mass flow rates lower than 9 mgr/s, the humidifier containing metal foam at both sides has better performance. At dry side inlet temperatures lower than 303 K, humidifier containing metal foam at wet side has better performance and at temperatures higher than 303 K, humidifier containing metal foam at both sides has better performance

  1. CONTEMPT-DG containment analysis code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Deem, R.E.; Rousseau, K.

    1982-01-01

    The assessment of hydrogen burning in a containment building during a degraded core event requires a knowledge of various system responses. These system responses (i.e. heat sinks, fan cooler units, sprays, etc.) can have a marked effect on the overall containment integrity results during a hydrogen burn. In an attempt to properly handle the various system responses and still retain the capability to perform sensitivity analysis on various parameters, the CONTEMPT-DG computer code was developed. This paper will address the historical development of the code, its various features, and the rationale for its development. Comparisons between results from the CONTEMPT-DG analyses and results from similar MARCH analyses will also be given

  2. Thermal Performance and Operation Limit of Heat Pipe Containing Neutron Absorber

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Kyung Mo; Jeong, Yeong Shin; Kim, In Guk; Bang, In Choel [UNIST, Ulsan (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-05-15

    Recently, passive safety systems are under development to ensure the core cooling in accidents involving impossible depressurization such as station blackout (SBO). Hydraulic control rod drive mechanisms, passive auxiliary feedwater system (PAFS), Passive autocatalystic recombiner (PAR), and so on are types of passive safety systems to enhance the safety of nuclear power plants. Heat pipe is used in various engineering fields due to its advantages in terms of easy fabrication, high heat transfer rate, and passive heat transfer. Also, the various concepts associated with safety system and heat transfer using the heat pipe were developed in nuclear engineering field.. Thus, our group suggested the hybrid control rod which combines the functions of existing control rod and heat pipe. If there is significant temperature difference between active core and condenser, the hybrid control rod can shutdown the nuclear fission reaction and remove the decay heat from the core to ultimate heat sink. The unique characteristic of the hybrid control rod is the presence of neutron absorber inside the heat pipe. Many previous researchers studied the effect of parameters on the thermal performance of heat pipe. However, the effect of neutron absorber on the thermal performance of heat pipe has not been investigated. Thus, the annular heat pipe which contains B{sub 4}C pellet in the normal heat pipe was prepared and the thermal performance of the annular heat pipe was studied in this study. Hybrid control rod concept was developed as a passive safety system of nuclear power plant to ensure the safety of the reactor at accident condition. The hybrid control rod must contain the neutron absorber for the function as a control rod. So, the effect of neutron absorber on the thermal performance of heat pipe was experimentally investigated in this study. Temperature distributions at evaporator section of annular heat pipe were lower than normal heat pipe due to the larger volume occupied by

  3. Compas project stress analysis of HLW containers intermediate testwork

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ove Arup and Partners London

    1990-01-01

    The Compas project is concerned with the structural performance of metal overpacks which may be used to encapsulate vitrified high-level waste forms before disposal in deep geological repositories. This document describes the series of experiments and associated calculations performed in the Intermediate testwork phase of this project. Seven mild steel, one-third scale simplified models of HLW containers were manufactured in a variety of configurations of geometry and weld type. The effects of reducing the wall thickness, corroding the external surface of the container, and using different welding methods were all investigated. The containers were tested under the action of a uniform external pressure up to their respective failure points. All containers failed by buckling at pressures of between 42 and 87 MPa dependent upon the particular geometric and weld configuration. The outer surface of each container was comprehensively strain-gauged in order to provide strain histories at positions of interest. The Compas project partners, from five different European countries, independently modelled the behaviour of three of the five different containers. Test results and computer predictions were compared and an assessment of the overall performance of the codes demonstrated good agreement in the initial loading of each container. However once stresses exceeded the material yield point there was a considerable spread in the predicted container behaviour

  4. COMPLETION OF THE TRANSURANIC GREATER CONFINEMENT DISPOSAL BOREHOLE PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT FOR THE NEVADA TEST SITE

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Colarusso, Angela; Crowe, Bruce; Cochran, John R.

    2003-01-01

    Classified transuranic material that cannot be shipped to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico is stored in Greater Confinement Disposal boreholes in the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Site on the Nevada Test Site. A performance assessment was completed for the transuranic inventory in the boreholes and submitted to the Transuranic Waste Disposal Federal Review Group. The performance assessment was prepared by Sandia National Laboratories on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office using an iterative methodology that assessed radiological releases from the intermediate depth disposal configuration against the regulatory requirements of the 1985 version of 40 CFR 191 of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The transuranic materials are stored at 21 to 37 m depth (70 to 120 ft) in large diameter boreholes constructed in the unsaturated alluvial deposits of Frenchman Flat. Hydrologic processes that affect long- term isolation of the radionuclides are dominated by extremely slow upward rates of liquid/vapor advection and diffusion; there is no downward pathway under current climatic conditions and there is no recharge to groundwater under future ''glacial'' climatic conditions. A Federal Review Team appointed by the Transuranic Waste Disposal Federal Review Group reviewed the Greater Confinement Disposal performance assessment and found that the site met the majority of the regulatory criteria of the 1985 and portions of the 1993 versions of 40 CFR 191. A number of technical and procedural issues required development of supplemental information that was incorporated into a final revision of the performance assessment. These issues include inclusion of radiological releases into the complementary cumulative distribution function for the containment requirements associated with drill cuttings from inadvertent human intrusion, verification of mathematical models used in the performance

  5. An updated fracture-flow model for total-system performance assessment of Yucca Mountain

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gauthier, J.H.

    1994-01-01

    Improvements have been made to the fracture-flow model being used in the total-system performance assessment of a potential high-level radioactive waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The open-quotes weeps modelclose quotes now includes (1) weeps of varied sizes, (2) flow-pattern fluctuations caused by climate change, and (3) flow-pattern perturbations caused by repository heat generation. Comparison with the original weeps model indicates that allowing weeps of varied sizes substantially reduces the number of weeps and the number of containers contacted by weeps. However, flow-pattern perturbations caused by either climate change or repository heat generation greatly increases the number of containers contacted by weeps. In preliminary total-system calculations, using a phenomenological container-failure and radionuclide-release model, the weeps model predicts that radionuclide releases from a high-level radioactive waste repository at Yucca Mountain will be below the EPA standard specified in 40 CFR 191, but that the maximum radiation dose to an individual could be significant. Specific data from the site are required to determine the validity of the weep-flow mechanism and to better determine the parameters to which the dose calculation is sensitive

  6. An updated fracture-flow model for total-system performance assessment of Yucca Mountain

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gauthier, J.H.

    1994-01-01

    Improvements have been made to the fracture-flow model being used in the total-system performance assessment of a potential high-level radioactive waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The ''weeps model'' now includes (1) weeps of varied sizes, (2) flow-pattern fluctuations caused by climate change, and (3) flow-pattern perturbations caused by repository heat generation. Comparison with the original weeps model indicates that allowing weeps of varied sizes substantially reduces the number of weeps and the number of containers contacted by weeps. However, flow-pattern perturbations caused by either climate change or repository heat generation greatly increases the number of containers contacted by weeps. In preliminary total-system calculations, using a phenomenological container-failure and radionuclide-release model, the weeps model predicts that radionuclide releases from a high-level radioactive waste repository at Yucca Mountain will be below the EPA standard specified in 40 CFR 191, but that the maximum radiation dose to an individual could be significant. Specific data from the site are required to determine the validity of the weep-flow mechanism and to better determine the parameters to which the dose calculation is sensitive

  7. DOE progress in assessing the long term performance of waste package materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berusch, A.; Gause, E.

    1987-01-01

    Under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (NWPA)[1], the US Dept. of Energy (DOE) is conducting activities to select and characterize candidate sites suitable for the construction and operation of a geologic repository for the disposal of high-level nuclear wastes. DOE is funding three first repository projects: Basalt Waste Isolation Project, BWIP; Nevada Nuclear Waste Isolation Project, NNWSI; and Salt Repository Project Office, SRPO. It is essential in the licensing process that DOE demonstrate to the NRC that the long-term performance of the materials and design will be in compliance with the requirements of 10 CFR 60.113 on substantially complete containment within the waste packages for 300 to 1000 years and a controlled release rate from the engineered barrier system (EBS) for 10,000 years of 1 part in 10 5 per year for radionuclides present in defined quantities 100 years after permanent closure. Obviously, the time spans involved make it impractical to base the assessment of the long term performance of waste package materials on real time, prototypical testing. The assessment of performance will be implemented by the use of models that are supported by real time field and laboratory tests, monitoring, and natural analog studies. Each of the repository projects is developing a plan for demonstrating long-term waste package material performance depending on the particular materials and the package-perturbed, time-dependent environment under which the materials must function. An overview of progress in each of these activities for each of the projects is provided in the following

  8. Thermal Performance of the Storage Brick Containing Microencapsulated PCM

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Dong Gyu

    1998-02-01

    The utilization of microencapsulated phase change materials(PCMs) provides several advantages over conventional PCM application. The heat storage system, as well as heat recovery system, can be built to a smaller size than the normal systems for a given thermal cycling capacity. This microencapsulated PCM technique has not yet been commercialized, however. In this work sodium acetate trihydrate(CH 3 COONa · 3H 2 O) was selected for the PCM and was encapsulated. This microencapsulated PCM was mixed with cement mortar for utilization as a floor heating system. In this experiment performed here the main purpose was to investigate the thermal performance of a storage brick with microencapsulated PCM concentration. The thermal performance of this storage brick is dependent on PCM concentration, flow rate and cooling temperature of the heat transfer fluid, etc. The results showed that cycle time was shortened as the PCM content was increased and as the mass flow rate was increased. The same effect was obtained when the cooling temperature was decreased. For each thermal storage brick the overall heat transfer coefficient(U-value) was constant for a 0% brick, but was increased with time for the bricks containing microencapsulated PCM. For the same mass flow rate, as the cooling temperature decreased, the amount of heat withdrawn increased, and in particular a critical cooling temperature was found for each thermal storage brick. The average effectiveness of each thermal storage brick was found to be approximately 48%, 51% and 58% respectively

  9. Insulated Containers For Bottled Water (ICB)- Performance Evaluation

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-04-21

    WATER STOWAGE PROTOTYPES BOTTLED WATER HIGH TEMPERATURE WEIGHT EJECTION CONTAINERS ...Soldiers are ineffectively mounting commercially  available  coolers and they,  as well as the bottles they  contain , are becoming projectile hazards... container  (shown in Figure 15). The tie‐down procedures were determined by a professional  rigger; a video of the procedures is  available  from NSRDEC

  10. Feature, event, and process screening and scenario development for the yucca mountain total system performance assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Swift, P.; Barr, G.; Barnard, R.; Rechard, R.; Schenker, A.; Freeze, G.; Burck, P.

    2001-01-01

    Scenario development has two primary purposes in the design and documentation of postclosure performance assessments in a regulatory setting. First, scenario development ensures a sufficiently comprehensive consideration of the possible future states of the system. Second, scenario development identifies the important scenarios that must be considered in quantitative analyses of the total system performance assessment (TSPA). To ensure clear documentation of the treatment of potentially relevant future states of the system in the Yucca Mountain license application (LA), the US Department of Energy (DOE) has chosen to adopt a scenario development process based on the methodology developed by Cranwell et al. (1990) for the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Although the process, described below, has been modified somewhat as a result of experience gained in the last decade, the underlying methodology is consistent with that outlined by the DOE in the 1988 Site Characterization Plan for the Yucca Mountain Project (YMP) (U.S. DOE, 1988). The approach is fundamentally the same as that used in many performance assessments, including the most recent analysis of the Yucca Mountain repository by the NRC (Wescott et al., 1995). The approach has also been used by the DOE for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) (U.S. DOE, 1996), by the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) of the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), and by other radioactive waste programs internationally. Section 2.0 of this report describes the scenario development process. Steps in the process are described in Section 2.1, and terms introduced in this section are defined in Section 2.2. The electronic database used to document the process is described in Section 3, and Section 4 provides a summary of the current status of the YMP scenario development work. Section 5 contains acknowledgments, and Section 6 contains a list of the references cited. (authors)

  11. Assessment of Student Music Performances Using Deep Neural Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kumar Ashis Pati

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Music performance assessment is a highly subjective task often relying on experts to gauge both the technical and aesthetic aspects of the performance from the audio signal. This article explores the task of building computational models for music performance assessment, i.e., analyzing an audio recording of a performance and rating it along several criteria such as musicality, note accuracy, etc. Much of the earlier work in this area has been centered around using hand-crafted features intended to capture relevant aspects of a performance. However, such features are based on our limited understanding of music perception and may not be optimal. In this article, we propose using Deep Neural Networks (DNNs for the task and compare their performance against a baseline model using standard and hand-crafted features. We show that, using input representations at different levels of abstraction, DNNs can outperform the baseline models across all assessment criteria. In addition, we use model analysis techniques to further explain the model predictions in an attempt to gain useful insights into the assessment process. The results demonstrate the potential of using supervised feature learning techniques to better characterize music performances.

  12. Performance assessment for the class L-II disposal facility

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1997-03-01

    This draft radiological performance assessment (PA) for the proposed Class L-II Disposal Facility (CIIDF) on the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) has been prepared to demonstrate compliance with the requirements of the US Department of Energy Order 5820.2A. This PA considers the disposal of low-level radioactive wastes (LLW) over the operating life of the facility and the long-term performance of the facility in providing protection to public health and the environment. The performance objectives contained in the order require that the facility be managed to accomplish the following: (1) Protect public health and safety in accordance with standards specified in environmental health orders and other DOE orders. (2) Ensure that external exposure to the waste and concentrations of radioactive material that may be released into surface water, groundwater, soil, plants, and animals results in an effective dose equivalent (EDE) that does not exceed 25 mrem/year to a member of the public. Releases to the atmosphere shall meet the requirements of 40 CFR Pt. 61. Reasonable effort should be made to maintain releases of radioactivity in effluents to the general environment as low as reasonably achievable. (1) Ensure that the committed EDEs received by individual who inadvertently may intrude into the facility after the loss of active institutional control (100 years) will not exceed 100 mrem/year for continuous exposure of 500 mrem for a single acute exposure. (4) Protect groundwater resources, consistent with federal, state, and local requirements.

  13. VISUAL ART TEACHERS AND PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Charles

    Senior Secondary school visual art teachers constituted the sample of this ... and Performance Assessment Methods in Nigerian Senior Secondary Schools – Bello .... definition includes knowledge, skills, attitudes, metacognition and strategic ...

  14. Preliminary performance assessment for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, December 1992. Volume 1, Third comparison with 40 CFR 191, Subpart B

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1992-12-01

    Before disposing of transuranic radioactive wastes in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), the United States Department of Energy (DOE) must evaluate compliance with applicable long-term regulations of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Sandia National Laboratories is conducting iterative performance assessments of the WIPP for the DOE to provide interim guidance while preparing for final compliance evaluations. This volume contains an overview of WIPP performance assessment and a preliminary comparison with the long-term requirements of the Environmental Radiation Protection Standards for Management and Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel, High-Level and Transuranic Radioactive Wastes (40 CFR 191, Subpart B).

  15. Overview Of The U.S. Department Of Energy And Nuclear Regulatory Commission Performance Assessment Approaches: Cementitious Barriers Partnership

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Langton, C.; Burns, H.

    2009-01-01

    a need to assess the behavior of cementitious materials for applications in environmental remediation and decontamination and decommissioning (D and D) applications. The ability to assess the use and benefits of cementitious materials for these applications can significantly affect decisions related to cleanup activities. For example the need for costly remedial actions may not be necessary if existing or new cementitious barriers were adequately represented. The sections dealing with regulatory considerations include summaries of the different regulations that are relevant for various applications involving cementitious materials. A summary of regulatory guidance and/or policies pertaining to performance assessment of cementitious materials and sensitivity and uncertainty analyses is also provided in the following chapters. Numerous examples of specific applications are provided in each report. The examples are organized into traditional waste disposal applications (performance assessments), applications related to environmental remediation and D and D, and reactor and spent fuel related assessments. Sections that discuss specific facilities or sites contain: (1) descriptions of the role of the cementitious barriers or sensitivity/uncertainty analysis, (2) parameter assumptions and conceptual models, and (3) a relative discussion of the significance in the context of the assessment. Examples from both the U.S. Department of Energy Sites and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission are provided to illustrate the variety of applications and approaches that have been used. In many cases, minimal credit was taken for cementitious barriers. However, in some of those cases, benefits of being able to take credit for barriers were identified. The examples included: (1) disposal facilities (vaults, trenches, tank closures, cementitious waste forms and containers, etc.), (2) environmental remediation (old disposal facilities), (3) reactor and large structure decommissioning

  16. OVERVIEW OF THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY AND NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT APPROACHES: CEMENTITIOUS BARRIERS PARTNERSHIP

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Langton, C.; Burns, H.

    2009-05-29

    a need to assess the behavior of cementitious materials for applications in environmental remediation and decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) applications. The ability to assess the use and benefits of cementitious materials for these applications can significantly affect decisions related to cleanup activities. For example the need for costly remedial actions may not be necessary if existing or new cementitious barriers were adequately represented. The sections dealing with regulatory considerations include summaries of the different regulations that are relevant for various applications involving cementitious materials. A summary of regulatory guidance and/or policies pertaining to performance assessment of cementitious materials and sensitivity and uncertainty analyses is also provided in the following chapters. Numerous examples of specific applications are provided in each report. The examples are organized into traditional waste disposal applications (performance assessments), applications related to environmental remediation and D&D, and reactor and spent fuel related assessments. Sections that discuss specific facilities or sites contain: (1) descriptions of the role of the cementitious barriers or sensitivity/uncertainty analysis, (2) parameter assumptions and conceptual models, and (3) a relative discussion of the significance in the context of the assessment. Examples from both the U.S. Department of Energy Sites and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission are provided to illustrate the variety of applications and approaches that have been used. In many cases, minimal credit was taken for cementitious barriers. However, in some of those cases, benefits of being able to take credit for barriers were identified. The examples included: (1) disposal facilities (vaults, trenches, tank closures, cementitious waste forms and containers, etc.), (2) environmental remediation (old disposal facilities), (3) reactor and large structure decommissioning, and (4

  17. ANALYSING PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT IN PUBLIC SERVICES: HOW USEFUL IS THE CONCEPT OF A PERFORMANCE REGIME?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin, Steve; Nutley, Sandra; Downe, James; Grace, Clive

    2016-03-01

    Approaches to performance assessment have been described as 'performance regimes', but there has been little analysis of what is meant by this concept and whether it has any real value. We draw on four perspectives on regimes - 'institutions and instruments', 'risk regulation regimes', 'internal logics and effects' and 'analytics of government' - to explore how the concept of a multi-dimensional regime can be applied to performance assessment in public services. We conclude that the concept is valuable. It helps to frame comparative and longitudinal analyses of approaches to performance assessment and draws attention to the ways in which public service performance regimes operate at different levels, how they change over time and what drives their development. Areas for future research include analysis of the impacts of performance regimes and interactions between their visible features (such as inspections, performance indicators and star ratings) and the veiled rationalities which underpin them.

  18. Containment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1987-01-01

    The primary mission of the Containment Group is to ensure that underground nuclear tests are satisfactorily contained. The main goal is the development of sound technical bases for containment-related methodology. Major areas of activity include siting, geologic description, emplacement hole stemming, and phenomenological predictions. Performance results of sanded gypsum concrete plugs on the Jefferson, Panamint, Cornucopia, Labquark, and Bodie events are given. Activities are also described in the following areas: computational capabilities site description, predictive modeling, and cavity-pressure measurement. Containment publications are listed. 8 references

  19. Consideration of liners and covers in performance assessments

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Phifer, Mark A. [Savannah River National Laboratory, Aiken, SC (United States); Seitz, Robert R. [Savannah River National Laboratory, Aiken, SC (United States); Suttora, Linda C. [USDOE Enviromental Management, Washington, DC (United States)

    2014-09-18

    On-site disposal cells are in use and being considered at several United States Department of Energy (USDOE) sites as the final disposition for large amounts of waste associated with cleanup of contaminated areas and facilities. These disposal cells are typically regulated by States and/or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) in addition to having to comply with requirements in DOE Order 435.1, Radioactive Waste Management due to the radioactive waste. The USDOE-Environmental Management Office of Site Restoration formed a working group to foster improved communication and sharing of information for personnel associated with these CERCLA disposal cells and work towards more consistent assumptions, as appropriate, for technical and policy considerations related to CERCLA risk assessments and DOE Order 435.1 performance assessments in support of a Record of Decision and Disposal Authorization Statement, respectively. One of the issues considered by the working group, which is addressed in this report, was how to appropriately consider the performance of covers and liners/leachate collections systems in the context of a DOE Order 435.1 performance assessment (PA). This same information may be appropriate for consideration within CERCLA risk assessments for these facilities. These OSDCs are generally developed to meet hazardous waste (HW) disposal design standards under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) as well as the DOE Order 435.1 performance based standards for disposal of radioactive waste. To meet the standards for HW, the facilities typically include engineered covers and liner/leachate collection systems. Thus, when considering such facilities in the context of a DOE Order 435.1 PA, there is a need to address the evolution of performance of covers and liner/leachate collection systems in the context of meeting a performance standard considering time

  20. Assessing irrigation performance by using remote sensing

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bandara, K.M.P.S.

    2006-01-01

    Keywords: Performance indicators, performance assessment, diagnostic approach, SEBAL, target level, grain yield, water productivity, error estimation, spatio-temporal resolution.

    In

  1. Incorrect Weighting of Absolute Performance in Self-Assessment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeffrey, Scott A.; Cozzarin, Brian

    Students spend much of their life in an attempt to assess their aptitude for numerous tasks. For example, they expend a great deal of effort to determine their academic standing given a distribution of grades. This research finds that students use their absolute performance, or percentage correct as a yardstick for their self-assessment, even when relative standing is much more informative. An experiment shows that this reliance on absolute performance for self-evaluation causes a misallocation of time and financial resources. Reasons for this inappropriate responsiveness to absolute performance are explored.

  2. Performance assessment for underground radioactive waste disposal systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1985-01-01

    A waste disposal system comprises a number of subsystems and components. The performance of most systems can be demonstrated only indirectly because of the long period that would be required to test them. This report gives special attention to performance assessment of subsystems within the total waste disposal system, and is an extension of an IAEA report on Safety Assessment for the Underground Disposal of Radioactive Wastes

  3. Assessing the environmental performance of construction materials testing using EMS: An Australian study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dejkovski, Nick

    2016-10-01

    This paper reports the audit findings of the waste management practices at 30 construction materials testing (CMT) laboratories (constituting 4.6% of total accredited CMT laboratories at the time of the audit) that operate in four Australian jurisdictions and assesses the organisation's Environmental Management System (EMS) for indicators of progress towards sustainable development (SD). In Australia, waste indicators are 'priority indicators' of environmental performance yet the quality and availability of waste data is poor. National construction and demolition waste (CDW) data estimates are not fully disaggregated and the contribution of CMT waste (classified as CDW) to the national total CDW landfill burden is difficult to quantify. The environmental and human impacts of anthropogenic release of hazardous substances contained in CMT waste into the ecosphere can be measured by construing waste indicators from the EMS. An analytical framework for evaluating the EMS is developed to elucidate CMT waste indicators and assess these indicators against the principle of proportionality. Assessing against this principle allows for: objective evaluations of whether the environmental measures prescribed in the EMS are 'proportionate' to the 'desired' (subjective) level of protection chosen by decision-makers; and benchmarking CMT waste indicators against aspirational CDW targets set by each Australian jurisdiction included in the audit. Construed together, the EMS derived waste indicators and benchmark data provide a composite indicator of environmental performance and progress towards SD. The key audit findings indicate: CMT laboratories have a 'poor' environmental performance (and overall progress towards SD) when EMS waste data are converted into indicator scores and assessed against the principle of proportionality; CMT waste recycling targets are lower when benchmarked against jurisdictional CDW waste recovery targets; and no significant difference in the average

  4. Self-assessed performance improves statistical fusion of image labels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bryan, Frederick W., E-mail: frederick.w.bryan@vanderbilt.edu; Xu, Zhoubing; Asman, Andrew J.; Allen, Wade M. [Electrical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235 (United States); Reich, Daniel S. [Translational Neuroradiology Unit, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892 (United States); Landman, Bennett A. [Electrical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235 (United States); Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235 (United States); and Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235 (United States)

    2014-03-15

    Purpose: Expert manual labeling is the gold standard for image segmentation, but this process is difficult, time-consuming, and prone to inter-individual differences. While fully automated methods have successfully targeted many anatomies, automated methods have not yet been developed for numerous essential structures (e.g., the internal structure of the spinal cord as seen on magnetic resonance imaging). Collaborative labeling is a new paradigm that offers a robust alternative that may realize both the throughput of automation and the guidance of experts. Yet, distributing manual labeling expertise across individuals and sites introduces potential human factors concerns (e.g., training, software usability) and statistical considerations (e.g., fusion of information, assessment of confidence, bias) that must be further explored. During the labeling process, it is simple to ask raters to self-assess the confidence of their labels, but this is rarely done and has not been previously quantitatively studied. Herein, the authors explore the utility of self-assessment in relation to automated assessment of rater performance in the context of statistical fusion. Methods: The authors conducted a study of 66 volumes manually labeled by 75 minimally trained human raters recruited from the university undergraduate population. Raters were given 15 min of training during which they were shown examples of correct segmentation, and the online segmentation tool was demonstrated. The volumes were labeled 2D slice-wise, and the slices were unordered. A self-assessed quality metric was produced by raters for each slice by marking a confidence bar superimposed on the slice. Volumes produced by both voting and statistical fusion algorithms were compared against a set of expert segmentations of the same volumes. Results: Labels for 8825 distinct slices were obtained. Simple majority voting resulted in statistically poorer performance than voting weighted by self-assessed performance

  5. Self-assessed performance improves statistical fusion of image labels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bryan, Frederick W.; Xu, Zhoubing; Asman, Andrew J.; Allen, Wade M.; Reich, Daniel S.; Landman, Bennett A.

    2014-01-01

    Purpose: Expert manual labeling is the gold standard for image segmentation, but this process is difficult, time-consuming, and prone to inter-individual differences. While fully automated methods have successfully targeted many anatomies, automated methods have not yet been developed for numerous essential structures (e.g., the internal structure of the spinal cord as seen on magnetic resonance imaging). Collaborative labeling is a new paradigm that offers a robust alternative that may realize both the throughput of automation and the guidance of experts. Yet, distributing manual labeling expertise across individuals and sites introduces potential human factors concerns (e.g., training, software usability) and statistical considerations (e.g., fusion of information, assessment of confidence, bias) that must be further explored. During the labeling process, it is simple to ask raters to self-assess the confidence of their labels, but this is rarely done and has not been previously quantitatively studied. Herein, the authors explore the utility of self-assessment in relation to automated assessment of rater performance in the context of statistical fusion. Methods: The authors conducted a study of 66 volumes manually labeled by 75 minimally trained human raters recruited from the university undergraduate population. Raters were given 15 min of training during which they were shown examples of correct segmentation, and the online segmentation tool was demonstrated. The volumes were labeled 2D slice-wise, and the slices were unordered. A self-assessed quality metric was produced by raters for each slice by marking a confidence bar superimposed on the slice. Volumes produced by both voting and statistical fusion algorithms were compared against a set of expert segmentations of the same volumes. Results: Labels for 8825 distinct slices were obtained. Simple majority voting resulted in statistically poorer performance than voting weighted by self-assessed performance

  6. Toxicity assessment of simulated urban runoff containing polycyclic musks and cadmium in Carassius auratus using oxidative stress biomarkers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Fang; Gao Jie; Zhou Qixing

    2012-01-01

    The objective of this study was to assess potential toxic effects of simulated urban runoff on Carassius auratus using oxidative stress biomarkers. The activity of antioxidant enzymes including superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT), and the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) in the liver of C. auratus were analyzed after a 7-, 14- and 21-day exposure to simulated urban runoff containing galaxolide (HHCB) and cadmium (Cd). The results showed that the activity of antioxidant enzymes and the content of MDA increased significantly exposed to the simulated urban runoff containing HHCB alone or mixture of HHCB and Cd. The activity of the investigated enzymes and the content of MDA then returned to the blank level over a longer period of exposure. The oxidative stress could be obviously caused in the liver of C. auratus under the experimental conditions. This could provide useful information for toxic risk assessment of urban runoff. - Highlights: ► We assessed potential toxicity of urban runoff containing HHCB and Cd. ► Exposure of simulated urban runoff can caused oxidative stress in C. auratus liver. ► SOD and CAT are more sensitive than POD and more suitable for indicating the toxicity of urban runoff. ► The present study using oxidative stress biomarkers could provide useful information for toxic risk assessment of urban runoff. - Simulated urban runoff containing HHCB and Cd could cause oxidative stress on the liver of Carassius auratus, which could provide useful information for toxic risk assessment of urban runoff.

  7. Monitoring the Durability Performance of Concrete in Nuclear Waste Containment. Technical Progress Report No. 3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ulm, Franz-Josef

    2000-01-01

    OAK-B135 Monitoring the Durability Performance of Concrete in Nuclear Waste Containment. Technical Progress Report No. 3(NOTE: Part II A item 1 indicates ''PAPER'', but a report is attached electronically)

  8. Comment Response on the Final Report: Peer Review of the Total System Performance Assessment-Viability Assessment (TSPA-VA)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pendleton, M. W.

    1999-01-01

    The Management and Operating Contractor established a Performance Assessment Peer Review Panel (hereinafter ''the Panel'') at the request of the U.S. Department of Energy Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Office. The objectives of the peer review were to provide: (1) A formal, independent evaluation and critique of Viability Assessment of a Repository at Yucca Mountain: Total System Performance Assessment, Volume 3 (DOE 1998a; hereinafter ''Total System Performance Assessment-Viability Assessment'') that was conducted in support of the Viability Assessment of a Repository at Yucca Mountain (DOE 1998b). (2) Suggestions for improvements as the U.S. Department of Energy prepares to develop the documentation for a Total System Performance Assessment to support a potential License Application. The Panel conducted a phased review over a two-year period to observe the development and, ultimately, to review the Total System Performance Assessment-Viability Assessment (DOE 1998a). During the development of the Total System Performance Assessment-Viability Assessment (DOE 1998a), the Panel submitted three Interim Reports (Whipple et al., 1997a, 1997b, and 1998) to the Management and Operating Contractor with recommendations and comments on the process models, model abstractions, and draft documentation for the Total System Performance Assessment-Viability Assessment (DOE 1998a). The Panel's Final Report Total System Performance Assessment Peer Review Panel (Whipple et al. 1999; hereinafter ''Final Report'') on the Total System Performance Assessment-Viability Assessment (DOE 1998a) is based primarily on the completed Total System Performance Assessment-Viability Assessment (DOE 1998a), the Total System Performance Assessment-Viability Assessment (TSPA-VA) Analyses Technical Basis Document (CRWMS M and O 1998), and the cited references. The Final Report (Whipple et al. 1999) includes the major points from the three Interim Reports (Whipple et al. 1997a, 1997b, and 1998

  9. Workplace-based assessment: raters' performance theories and constructs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Govaerts, M J B; Van de Wiel, M W J; Schuwirth, L W T; Van der Vleuten, C P M; Muijtjens, A M M

    2013-08-01

    Weaknesses in the nature of rater judgments are generally considered to compromise the utility of workplace-based assessment (WBA). In order to gain insight into the underpinnings of rater behaviours, we investigated how raters form impressions of and make judgments on trainee performance. Using theoretical frameworks of social cognition and person perception, we explored raters' implicit performance theories, use of task-specific performance schemas and the formation of person schemas during WBA. We used think-aloud procedures and verbal protocol analysis to investigate schema-based processing by experienced (N = 18) and inexperienced (N = 16) raters (supervisor-raters in general practice residency training). Qualitative data analysis was used to explore schema content and usage. We quantitatively assessed rater idiosyncrasy in the use of performance schemas and we investigated effects of rater expertise on the use of (task-specific) performance schemas. Raters used different schemas in judging trainee performance. We developed a normative performance theory comprising seventeen inter-related performance dimensions. Levels of rater idiosyncrasy were substantial and unrelated to rater expertise. Experienced raters made significantly more use of task-specific performance schemas compared to inexperienced raters, suggesting more differentiated performance schemas in experienced raters. Most raters started to develop person schemas the moment they began to observe trainee performance. The findings further our understanding of processes underpinning judgment and decision making in WBA. Raters make and justify judgments based on personal theories and performance constructs. Raters' information processing seems to be affected by differences in rater expertise. The results of this study can help to improve rater training, the design of assessment instruments and decision making in WBA.

  10. Functional Performance and Associations between Performance Tests and Neurological Assessment Differ in Men and Women with Parkinson's Disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Medijainen, Kadri; Pääsuke, Mati; Lukmann, Aet; Taba, Pille

    2015-01-01

    Neurological assessment of a patient with Parkinson's disease (PD) is expected to reflect upon functional performance. As women are known to report more limitations even for same observed functional performance level, present study was designed to examine whether associations between neurological assessments and functional performance differ across genders. 14 men and 14 women with PD participated. Functional performance was assessed by measuring walking speeds on 10-meter walk test (10MWT) and by performing timed-up-and-go-test (TUG). Neurological assessment included Hoehn and Yahr Scale (HY), Movement Disorders Society Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS), Schwab and England Activities of Daily Living Scale (S-E), and Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE). In women with PD, Kendall's tau-b correlation analyses revealed significant correlations between functional performance tests and neurological assessment measures, with the exception in MMSE. No corresponding associations were found for men, although they demonstrated better functional performance, as expected. Men in similar clinical stage of the PD perform better on functional tests than women. Disease severity reflects upon functional performance differently in men and women with PD. Results indicate that when interpreting the assessment results of both functional performance and neurological assessment tests, the gender of the patient should be taken into consideration.

  11. Physician Performance Assessment: Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lipner, Rebecca S.; Weng, Weifeng; Caverzagie, Kelly J.; Hess, Brian J.

    2013-01-01

    Given the rising burden of healthcare costs, both patients and healthcare purchasers are interested in discerning which physicians deliver quality care. We proposed a methodology to assess physician clinical performance in preventive cardiology care, and determined a benchmark for minimally acceptable performance. We used data on eight…

  12. Radioactive Waste Management Complex performance assessment: Draft

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Case, M.J.; Maheras, S.J.; McKenzie-Carter, M.A.; Sussman, M.E.; Voilleque, P.

    1990-06-01

    A radiological performance assessment of the Radioactive Waste Management Complex at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory was conducted to demonstrate compliance with appropriate radiological criteria of the US Department of Energy and the US Environmental Protection Agency for protection of the general public. The calculations involved modeling the transport of radionuclides from buried waste, to surface soil and subsurface media, and eventually to members of the general public via air, ground water, and food chain pathways. Projections of doses were made for both offsite receptors and individuals intruding onto the site after closure. In addition, uncertainty analyses were performed. Results of calculations made using nominal data indicate that the radiological doses will be below appropriate radiological criteria throughout operations and after closure of the facility. Recommendations were made for future performance assessment calculations.

  13. Radioactive Waste Management Complex performance assessment: Draft

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Case, M.J.; Maheras, S.J.; McKenzie-Carter, M.A.; Sussman, M.E.; Voilleque, P.

    1990-06-01

    A radiological performance assessment of the Radioactive Waste Management Complex at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory was conducted to demonstrate compliance with appropriate radiological criteria of the US Department of Energy and the US Environmental Protection Agency for protection of the general public. The calculations involved modeling the transport of radionuclides from buried waste, to surface soil and subsurface media, and eventually to members of the general public via air, ground water, and food chain pathways. Projections of doses were made for both offsite receptors and individuals intruding onto the site after closure. In addition, uncertainty analyses were performed. Results of calculations made using nominal data indicate that the radiological doses will be below appropriate radiological criteria throughout operations and after closure of the facility. Recommendations were made for future performance assessment calculations

  14. Simulation of buoyancy induced gas mixing tests performed in a large scale containment facility using GOTHIC code

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liang, Z.; Chin, Y.S. [Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, Chalk River, ON (Canada)

    2014-07-01

    This paper compares containment thermal-hydraulics simulations performed using GOTHIC against a past test set of large scale buoyancy induced helium-air-steam mixing experiments that had been performed at the AECL's Chalk River Laboratories. A number of typical post-accident containment phenomena, including thermal/gas stratification, natural convection, cool air entrainment, steam condensation on concrete walls and active local air cooler, were covered. The results provide useful insights into hydrogen gas mixing behaviour following a loss-of-coolant accident and demonstrate GOTHIC's capability in simulating these phenomena. (author)

  15. Simulation of buoyancy induced gas mixing tests performed in a large scale containment facility using GOTHIC code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liang, Z.; Chin, Y.S.

    2014-01-01

    This paper compares containment thermal-hydraulics simulations performed using GOTHIC against a past test set of large scale buoyancy induced helium-air-steam mixing experiments that had been performed at the AECL's Chalk River Laboratories. A number of typical post-accident containment phenomena, including thermal/gas stratification, natural convection, cool air entrainment, steam condensation on concrete walls and active local air cooler, were covered. The results provide useful insights into hydrogen gas mixing behaviour following a loss-of-coolant accident and demonstrate GOTHIC's capability in simulating these phenomena. (author)

  16. Self- and peer-assessments of ambulance drivers' driving performance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna Sundström

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the present study was to develop and examine the quality of the Ambulance Driver Self-assessment Questionnaire (ADSQ and the Ambulance Driver Peer-assessment Questionnaire (ADPQ measuring aspects of, driving performance, driving style and driving competence. In addition the ADSQ measures self-reflection and safety-attitudes. The aim of the study was also to examine ambulance drivers' self- and peer-assessments as well as to examine the accuracy of self-assessments by comparing self-assessed and peer-assessed driving performance, driving style and competence. 76 ambulance drivers employed at two ambulance stations in northern Sweden completed ADSQ and ADPQ. Item analyses were conducted to examine the psychometric properties of the items, and based on the results some revisions were made to improve the questionnaires. The revised questionnaires were functioning rather well, although some subscale demonstrated low internal consistency. Subscale inter-correlations provided support for construct validity. Self- and peer-assessments indicated safe driving performance and good driver competence, which is positive from a traffic safety perspective. A comparison of mean self- and peer-assessment ratings, controlling for age, gender and driving experience showed no significant differences, except for the subscale overtaking. This indicates that ambulance drivers' self-assessments are realistic in most areas.

  17. Impact of regioregularity on thin-film transistor and photovoltaic cell performances of pentacene-containing polymers

    KAUST Repository

    Jiang, Ying

    2012-01-01

    Regioregular pentacene-containing polymers were synthesized with alkylated bithiophene (BT) and cyclopentadithiophene (CPDT) as comonomers. Among them, 2,9-conjugated polymers PnBT-2,9 and PnCPDT-2,9 achieved the best performance in transistor and photovoltaic devices respectively. The former achieved the most highly ordered structures in thin films, yielding ambipolar transistor behavior with hole and electron mobilities up to 0.03 and 0.02 cm 2 V -1 s -1 on octadecylsilane-treated substrates. The latter achieved photovoltaic power conversion efficiencies up to 0.33%. The impact of regioregularity and direction of conjugation-extension (2,9 vs. 2,10), on thin-film order and device performance has been demonstrated for the pentacene-containing polymers for the first time, providing insight towards future functional material design. © 2012 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

  18. Disposal facility data for the interim performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eiholzer, C.R.

    1995-01-01

    The purpose of this report is to identify and provide information on the waste package and disposal facility concepts to be used for the low-level waste tank interim performance assessment. Current concepts for the low-level waste form, canister, and the disposal facility will be used for the interim performance assessment. The concept for the waste form consists of vitrified glass cullet in a sulfur polymer cement matrix material. The waste form will be contained in a 2 x 2 x 8 meter carbon steel container. Two disposal facility concepts will be used for the interim performance assessment. These facility concepts are based on a preliminary disposal facility concept developed for estimating costs for a disposal options configuration study. These disposal concepts are based on vault type structures. None of the concepts given in this report have been approved by a Tank Waste Remediation Systems (TWRS) decision board. These concepts will only be used in th interim performance assessment. Future performance assessments will be based on approved designs

  19. Performance assessment for future low-level waste disposal facilities at ORNL

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, D.W.; Kocher, D.C.

    1989-01-01

    This paper discusses the strategy for waste management on the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) and the approach to preparing future performance assessments that has evolved from previous performance assessment studies of low-level radioactive waste disposal on the ORR. The strategy for waste management is based on the concept that waste classification should be determined by performance assessment other than the sources of waste. This dose-based strategy for waste classification and management places special importance on the preparation and interpretation of waste disposal performance assessments for selecting appropriate disposal technologies and developing waste acceptance criteria. Additionally, the challenges to be overcome in the preparation of performance assessments are discussed. 7 refs

  20. Containment response analysis for the PSA (Probabilistic Safety Assessment) of the CAREM-25 nuclear power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baron, J.H.

    1997-01-01

    This work is part of the probabilistic safety assessment actually under development for the CAREM-25 nuclear power station, and departs from the accident sequences already obtained and quantified by the Event Trees/Fault Trees techniques. At first, the potential containment failure modes for nuclear stations are listed, based on the experience. Then, the CAREM-25 design peculiarities are analyzed, on their possible influence on the containment behavior during severe accidents. Then plan damage states are defined. Furthermore, containment damage states are also defined, and containment event trees are built for each plant damage state. Those sequences considered representative from the annual probability (those which exceed or probability of IE-09 per year, are used to quantify the combinations of plant damage states/containment damage states, based on the estimation of a vulnerability matrix. (author) [es

  1. Liquid metal reactor applications of the CONTAIN code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carroll, D.E.; Bergeron, K.D.; Gido, R.; Valdez, G.D.; Scholtyssek, W.

    1988-01-01

    The CONTAIN code is the NRC's best-estimate code for the evaluation of the conditions that may exist inside a reactor containment building during a severe accident. Included in the phenomena modeled are thermal-hydraulics, radiant and convective heat transfer, aerosol loading and transient response, fission product transport and heating effects, and interactions of sodium and corium with the containment atmosphere and structures. CONTAIN has been used by groups in Japan and West Germany to assess its ability to analyze accident consequences for liquid metal reactor (LMR) plants. In conjunction with this use, collaborative efforts to improve the modeling have been pursued. This paper summarizes the current state of the version of CONTAIN that has been enhanced with extra capabilities for LMR applications. A description of physical models is presented, followed by a review of validation exercises performed with CONTAIN. Some demonstration calculations of an integrated LMR application are presented

  2. Machine performance assessment and enhancement for a hexapod machine

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mou, J.I. [Arizona State Univ., Tempe, AZ (United States); King, C. [Sandia National Labs., Livermore, CA (United States). Integrated Manufacturing Systems Center

    1998-03-19

    The focus of this study is to develop a sensor fused process modeling and control methodology to model, assess, and then enhance the performance of a hexapod machine for precision product realization. Deterministic modeling technique was used to derive models for machine performance assessment and enhancement. Sensor fusion methodology was adopted to identify the parameters of the derived models. Empirical models and computational algorithms were also derived and implemented to model, assess, and then enhance the machine performance. The developed sensor fusion algorithms can be implemented on a PC-based open architecture controller to receive information from various sensors, assess the status of the process, determine the proper action, and deliver the command to actuators for task execution. This will enhance a hexapod machine`s capability to produce workpieces within the imposed dimensional tolerances.

  3. Photonuclear-based Detection of Nuclear Smuggling in Cargo Containers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, J. L.; Haskell, K. J.; Hoggan, J. M.; Norman, D. R.; Yoon, W. Y.

    2003-08-01

    The Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) and the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) have performed experiments in La Honda, California and at the Idaho Accelerator Center in Pocatello, Idaho to assess and develop a photonuclear-based detection system for shielded nuclear materials in cargo containers. The detection system, measuring photonuclear-related neutron emissions, is planned for integration with the ARACOR Eagle Cargo Container Inspection System (Sunnyvale, CA). The Eagle Inspection system uses a nominal 6-MeV electron accelerator and operates with safe radiation exposure limits to both container stowaways and to its operators. The INEEL has fabricated custom-built, helium-3-based, neutron detectors for this inspection application and is performing an experimental application assessment. Because the Eagle Inspection system could not be moved to LANL where special nuclear material was available, the response of the Eagle had to be determined indirectly so as to support the development and testing of the detection system. Experiments in California have successfully matched the delayed neutron emission performance of the ARACOR Eagle with that of the transportable INEEL electron accelerator (i.e., the Varitron) and are reported here. A demonstration test is planned at LANL using the Varitron and shielded special nuclear materials within a cargo container. Detector results are providing very useful information regarding the challenges of delayed neutron counting near the photofission threshold energy of 5.5 - 6.0 MeV, are identifying the possible utilization of prompt neutron emissions to allow enhanced signal-to-noise measurements, and are showing the overall benefits of using higher electron beam energies.

  4. Impact of regioregularity on thin-film transistor and photovoltaic cell performances of pentacene-containing polymers

    KAUST Repository

    Jiang, Ying; Hong, Sanghyun; Oh, Joon Hak; Mondal, Rajib; Okamoto, Toshihiro; Verploegen, Eric; Toney, Michael F.; McGehee, Michael D.; Bao, Zhenan

    2012-01-01

    Regioregular pentacene-containing polymers were synthesized with alkylated bithiophene (BT) and cyclopentadithiophene (CPDT) as comonomers. Among them, 2,9-conjugated polymers PnBT-2,9 and PnCPDT-2,9 achieved the best performance in transistor

  5. Program to develop analytical tools for environmental and safety assessment of nuclear material shipping container systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Butler, T.A.

    1978-11-01

    This paper describes a program for developing analytical techniques to evaluate the response of nuclear material shipping containers to severe accidents. Both lumped-mass and finite element techniques are employed to predict shipping container and shipping container-carrier response to impact. The general impact problem is computationally expensive because of its nonlinear, three-dimensional nature. This expense is minimized by using approximate models to parametrically identify critical cases before more exact analyses are performed. The computer codes developed for solving the problem are being experimentally substantiated with test data from full-scale and scale-model container drop tests. 6 figures, 1 table

  6. High-performance electrically conductive silver paste prepared by silver-containing precursor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu, Jianguo; Cao, Yu; Li, Xiangyou; Wang, Xiaoye; Zeng, Xiaoyan [Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, College of Optoelectronics Science and Engineering, Wuhan (China)

    2010-09-15

    A high-performance electrically conductive silver paste with no solid particles before drying and/or sintering is developed, in which silver-containing precursor is employed as conductive functional phase. Thermogravimetry analysis, volume electrical resistivity tests and sintering experiments show that the paste with about 14 wt.% silver pristine content is able to achieve the volume electrical resistivity of (2-3) x 10{sup -5} {omega} cm after it is sintered at 220 C. A micro-pen direct-writing process indicates that it is very suitable for the fabrication of high-resolution (25 {mu}m) and high-integration devices and apparatus. (orig.)

  7. Performance objectives for the Hanford immobilized low-activity waste (ILAW) performance assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    MANN, F.M.

    1999-01-01

    Before low-level waste may be disposed of, a performance assessment must be written and then approved by the DOE (DOE 1988a, DOE 1999a). The performance assessment is to determine whether ''reasonable assurance'' exists that the performance objectives of the disposal facility will be met. The DOE requirements for waste disposal (DOE 1988a, DOE 1999a) require (see Appendix B): The protection of public health and safety; and The protection of the environment. Although quantitative limits are sometimes stated (for example, the all-pathways exposure limit is 25 mredyear), usually the requirements are stated in a general nature. Quantitative limits were established by: investigating all potentially applicable regulations as well as interpretations of the review panels which DOE has established to review performance assessments; interacting with program management to establish the additional requirements of the program; and interacting with the public (i.e., the Hanford Advisory Board members; as well as affected Tribal Governments) to understand the values of residents in the Pacific Northwest. Because of space considerations, not all radionuclides and dangerous chemicals are listed in this document. The radionuclides listed here are those which were explicitly treated in the ILAW PA (Mann 1998). The dangerous chemicals listed here are those most often detected in Hanford tank waste as documented in the Regulatory Data Quality Objectives Supporting Tank Waste Remediation System Privatization Project (Wiemers 1998)

  8. Reliability assessment of the containment of a PWR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schueller, G.I.; Wellein, R.; Wittmann, F.H.; Boulahdour, T.; Mihashi, M.; Zorn, N.F.; Bauer, J.

    1981-09-01

    The aim of this research effort was to contribute to the development of methods to quantify the risk involved with nuclear power plants. Using a large component, i.e. the containment of the reference plant BIBLIS B (PWR) as sample structure a reliability analysis was performed which is based on realistic assumptions of loads and material properties. For this purpose in many fields it was necessary to develop new methods, collect data, and where not available, obtain data in tests. This effort concentrated on partial aspects and on the other hand on the development of a methodology for an overall reliability concept. According to the results of the previous project, the keypoints of this effort are the treatment of loss of coolant accidents (small leak), earthquake loading, the possibly resulting crackpropagation in the steel hull, and the structural mechanics and material strength aspects of the reinforced concrete hull subjected to impact loading (aircraft impact). (orig./HP) [de

  9. Phytotoxicity Assessment of Certain Phytochemical Products Containing Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cristina Șeremet Oana

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Tussilago farfara (coltsfoot, Petasites hybridus (common butterbur, Senecio vernalis (eastern groundsel and Symphytum officinale (comfrey are species traditionally used in phytotherapy that besides the therapeutic compounds contain toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs. The aim of the paper is to determine the total PAs content and the phytotoxicity of the above species. Material and methods: The quantitative determination of pyrrolizidine alkaloids is based on the stoichiometric reaction of protonated alkaloids with methyl orange. In acidic conditions the dye is released from the complex and its color is assessed spectrophotometrically using a linear regression curve of senecionine as a standard. The phytotoxicity was assessed by Triticum bioassay that studies the effect of the extracts (0.001-5.00%, w/v upon root elongation (inhibitory concentration - IC50 and on the karyokinetic film. Results: The highest amount of total PAs was found in Senecio vernalis (654.8 ± 35.96 μg/g dry plant and the lowest in Petasites hybridus. The lowest IC50 was found for Tussilago farfara followed by Petasites hybridus, Senecio vernalis, and Symphytum officinale. The results were supported by microscopic examination. Conclusions: The results of the spectrophotometric assay are consistent with the ones found in the literature. All extracts inhibited the elongation of the main root of wheat caryopses, however, no correlation between phytotoxicity and the PAs concentration could be emphasized

  10. Low-level waste disposal performance assessments - Total source-term analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wilhite, E.L.

    1995-12-31

    Disposal of low-level radioactive waste at Department of Energy (DOE) facilities is regulated by DOE. DOE Order 5820.2A establishes policies, guidelines, and minimum requirements for managing radioactive waste. Requirements for disposal of low-level waste emplaced after September 1988 include providing reasonable assurance of meeting stated performance objectives by completing a radiological performance assessment. Recently, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board issued Recommendation 94-2, {open_quotes}Conformance with Safety Standards at Department of Energy Low-Level Nuclear Waste and Disposal Sites.{close_quotes} One of the elements of the recommendation is that low-level waste performance assessments do not include the entire source term because low-level waste emplaced prior to September 1988, as well as other DOE sources of radioactivity in the ground, are excluded. DOE has developed and issued guidance for preliminary assessments of the impact of including the total source term in performance assessments. This paper will present issues resulting from the inclusion of all DOE sources of radioactivity in performance assessments of low-level waste disposal facilities.

  11. Study of the performances of acoustic emission testing for glass fibre reinforced plastic pipes containing defects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Villard, D.; Vidal, M.C.

    1995-08-01

    Glass fibre reinforced plastic pipes are more and more often used, in nuclear power plants, for building or replacement of water pipings classified 'nuclear safety'. Tests have been performed to evaluate the performances of acoustic emission testing for in service inspection of these components. The tests were focused on glass fibre reinforced polyester and vinyl-ester pipes, in as received conditions or containing impacts, and intentionally introduced defects. They have been carried out by CETIM, following the ASTM Standard E 1118 (code CARP), to a maximum pressure lever of 25 Bar The results show that the CARP procedure can be used for detection of defects and evaluation of their noxiousness towards internal pressure: most of the tubes containing low energy impacts could not be distinguished from tubes without defect; on the other hand the important noxiousness of lacks of impregnation of roving layer appeared clearly. Complementary tests have been performed on some tubes at a more important pressure lever, for which the damage of the tubes in enough to deteriorate there elastic properties. The results showed that CARP procedure give valuable informations on damage level. It would be interesting to evaluate acoustic emission on tubes containing realistic in-service degradations. (author). 11 refs., 15 figs., 6 tabs., 2 appends

  12. Performance Standards': Utility for Different Uses of Assessments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robert L. Linn

    2003-09-01

    Full Text Available Performance standards are arguably one of the most controversial topics in educational measurement. There are uses of assessments such as licensure and certification where performance standards are essential. There are many other uses, however, where performance standards have been mandated or become the preferred method of reporting assessment results where the standards are not essential to the use. Distinctions between essential and nonessential uses of performance standards are discussed. It is argued that the insistence on reporting in terms of performance standards in situations where they are not essential has been more harmful than helpful. Variability in the definitions of proficient academic achievement by states for purposes of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is discussed and it is argued that the variability is so great that characterizing achievement is meaningless. Illustrations of the great uncertainty in standards are provided.

  13. Web-based application on employee performance assessment using exponential comparison method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maryana, S.; Kurnia, E.; Ruyani, A.

    2017-02-01

    Employee performance assessment is also called a performance review, performance evaluation, or assessment of employees, is an effort to assess the achievements of staffing performance with the aim to increase productivity of employees and companies. This application helps in the assessment of employee performance using five criteria: Presence, Quality of Work, Quantity of Work, Discipline, and Teamwork. The system uses the Exponential Comparative Method and Weighting Eckenrode. Calculation results using graphs were provided to see the assessment of each employee. Programming language used in this system is written in Notepad++ and MySQL database. The testing result on the system can be concluded that this application is correspond with the design and running properly. The test conducted is structural test, functional test, and validation, sensitivity analysis, and SUMI testing.

  14. Survey and review of near-field performance assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Apted, M.J.

    1993-01-01

    The aim of this chapter is to describe the performance assessment (PA) context in which near-field models have been developed and applied. An overview is given of a number of PA studies. Although the focus is on near-field models, the overview covers the full context in which the PAs have been performed, including the purpose of the studies and regulatory context. Special emphasis has been given to the scenarios analyzed in the assessments; the scenarios set the framework for model development and application. Another aspect to consider in a study of near-field modeling from the perspective of total PA is the linking between near-field and far-field assessment. (R.P.) 6 tabs

  15. 5th Total System Performance Assessment Workshop

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hwang, Yong Soo; Lee, Youn Myoung; Kang, Chul Hyung; Lee, Sung Ho

    2009-07-01

    Research items on safety assessment of high-level waste repository have been proposed by external invited experts outside KAERI and discussed extensively during the annual 5th performance assessment workshop prepared by safety assessment group in KAERI. This could be useful to set up R and D plans necessary for the next phase of mid- and long-term reaserch area regarding the safety assessment of high-level waste repository. Through the research and the presentation, HLW-related research and development area including such specific research items as current status of HLW safety assessment research, current requirement for the licensing of the repository system, priority on research area, data base building for the safety assessment, source-term modeling as well as safety case, among many others, have been discussed and summarized

  16. Performance assessment techniques for groundwater recovery and treatment systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kirkpatrick, G.L. [Environmental Resources Management, Inc., Exton, PA (United States)

    1993-03-01

    Groundwater recovery and treatment (pump and treat systems) continue to be the most commonly selected remedial technology for groundwater restoration and protection programs at hazardous waste sites and RCRA facilities nationwide. Implementing a typical groundwater recovery and treatment system includes the initial assessment of groundwater quality, characterizing aquifer hydrodynamics, recovery system design, system installation, testing, permitting, and operation and maintenance. This paper focuses on methods used to assess the long-term efficiency of a pump and treat system. Regulatory agencies and industry alike are sensitive to the need for accurate assessment of the performance and success of groundwater recovery systems for contaminant plume abatement and aquifer restoration. Several assessment methods are available to measure the long-term performance of a groundwater recovery system. This paper presents six assessment techniques: degree of compliance with regulatory agency agreement (Consent Order of Record of Decision), hydraulic demonstration of system performance, contaminant mass recovery calculation, system design and performance comparison, statistical evaluation of groundwater quality and preferably, integration of the assessment methods. Applying specific recovery system assessment methods depends upon the type, amount, and quality of data available. Use of an integrated approach is encouraged to evaluate the success of a groundwater recovery and treatment system. The methods presented in this paper are for engineers and corporate management to use when discussing the effectiveness of groundwater remediation systems with their environmental consultant. In addition, an independent (third party) system evaluation is recommended to be sure that a recovery system operates efficiently and with minimum expense.

  17. Failure assessment techniques to ensure shipping container integrity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McConnell, P.

    1986-02-01

    This report discusses several methodologies which may be used to ensure the structural integrity of containment systems to be used for the transport and storage of high-level radioactive substances. For economic reasons, shipping containers constructed of ferritic materials are being considered for manufacture by vendors in the US and Europe. Ferritic show an inherent transition from a ductile, high energy failure mode to a brittle, low energy fracture mode with decreasing temperature. Therefore, formal consideration of means by which to avoid unstable brittle fracture is necessary prior to the licensing of ferritic casks. It is suggested that failure of a shipping container wall be defined as occurring when a flaw extends through the outer wall of the containment system. Crack initiation which may lead to unstable brittle crack growth should therefore be prevented. It is suggested that a fundamental linear elastic fracture mechanics (lefm) approach be adopted on a case-by-case basis, applied perhaps by means of appropriate modifications to ASMA Section III or Section XI. A lefm analysis requires information concerning service temperatures, loading rates, flaw sizes, and applied stresses. Tentative judgments regarding these parameters for typical shipping containers have been made

  18. Total-system performance assessment for Yucca Mountain -- SNL second iteration (TSPA-1993); Executive summary

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wilson, M.L.; Barnard, R.W. [Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States); Gauthier, J.H. [Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)]|[Spectra Research, Inc. (United States)] [and others

    1994-04-01

    Sandia National Laboratories has completed the second iteration of the periodic total-system performance assessments (TSPA-93) for the Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project (YMP). Scenarios describing expected conditions (aqueous and gaseous transport of contaminants) and low-probability events (human-intrusion drilling and volcanic intrusion) are modeled. The hydrologic processes modeled include estimates of the perturbations to ambient conditions caused by heating of the repository resulting from radioactive decay of the waste. TSPA-93 incorporates significant new detailed process modeling, including two- and three-dimensional modeling of thermal effects, groundwater flow in the saturated-zone aquifers, and gas flow in the unsaturated zone. Probabilistic analyses are performed for aqueous and gaseous flow and transport, human intrusion, and basaltic magmatic activity. Results of the calculations lead to a number of recommendations concerning studies related to site characterization. Primary among these are the recommendations to obtain better information on percolation flux at Yucca Mountain, on the presence or absence of flowing fractures, and on physical and chemical processes influencing gaseous flow. Near-field thermal and chemical processes, and waste-container degradation are also areas where additional investigations may reduce important uncertainties. Recommendations for repository and waste-package design studies are: (1) to evaluate the performance implications of large-size containers, and (2) to investigate in more detail the implications of high repository thermal power output on the adjacent host rock and on the spent fuel.

  19. Feedback from performance assessment to site characterisation. The SITE-94 example

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dverstorp, B.; Geier, J.

    1999-01-01

    Interaction and information exchange between site characterisation and performance assessment are key features of any successful radioactive waste management programme. Some examples are presented of the types of feedback that can be offered from performance assessment to site characterisation, based on SKI's most recent performance assessment project, SITE-94. SITE-94 in Sweden was an assessment of a hypothetical repository for spent nuclear fuel, based on real data gathered in the surface-based investigation of the Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory site. Examples of feedback are given concerning quality control of data and site investigation procedures, identification of key parameters for the performance assessment, use of models for planning and evaluation of a site investigation, data sampling strategies, and guidance on future priorities for further development of site investigation methods. Because site characterisation serves multiple purposes, including provision of data for repository design and construction, it must account for and compromise among requirements from several lines of analyses in the performance assessment. (author)

  20. Performance Assessment of a Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Site using GoldSim Integrated Systems Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Merrell, G.; Singh, A.; Tauxe, J.; Perona, R.; Dornsife, W.; grisak, G. E.; Holt, R. M.

    2011-12-01

    Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has approved licenses for four landfills at the Waste Control Specialists (WCS) site located in Andrews County, West Texas. The site includes a hazardous waste landfill and three landfills for radioactive waste. An updated performance assessment is necessary prior to acceptance of waste at the landfills. The updated performance assessment a) provides for more realistic and flexible dose modeling capabilities, b) addresses all plausible release and accident scenarios as they relate to the performance objectives, c) includes impact of climate and hydrologic scenarios that may impact long-term performance of the landfill, d) addresses impact of cover naturalization and degradation on the landfill, and e) incorporates uncertainty and sensitivity analysis for critical parameters. For the updated performance assessment, WCS has developed an integrated systems level performance assessment model using the GoldSim platform. GoldSim serves as a model for integrating all of the major components of a performance assessment, which include the radionuclide source term, facility design, environmental transport pathways, exposure scenarios, and radiological doses. Unlike many computer models that are based on first principles, GoldSim is a systems level model that can be used to integrate and abstract more complex sub-models into one system. This can then be used to assess the results into a unified model of the disposal system and environment. In this particular application, the GoldSim model consists of a) hydrogeologic model that simulates flow and transport through the Dockum geologic unit that underlies all of the waste facilities, b) waste cells that represent the containment unit and simulate degradation of waste forms, radionuclide leaching, and partitioning into the liquid and vapor phase within the waste unit, c) a cover system model that simulates upward diffusive transport from the underground repository to the atmosphere. In

  1. Development of integrated mechanistically-based degradation-mode models for performance assessment of high-level waste containers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Farmer, J. C.

    1998-01-01

    A key component of the Engineered Barrier System (EBS) being designed for containment of spent-fuel and high-level waste at the proposed geological repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada is a two-tayer canister. In this particular design, the inner barrier is made of a corrosion resistant material (CRM) such as Alloy 825, 625 or C-22, while the outer barrier is made of a corrosion-allowance material (CAM) such as A516 Gr 55 or Monel 400. At the present time, Alloy C- 22 and A516 Gr 55 are favored

  2. Development of integraded mechanistically-based degradation-mode models for performance assessment of high-level waste containers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Farmer, J. C., LLNL

    1998-06-01

    A key component of the Engineered Barrier System (EBS) being designed for containment of spent-fuel and high-level waste at the proposed geological repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada is a two-tayer canister. In this particular design, the inner barrier is made of a corrosion resistant material (CRM) such as Alloy 825, 625 or C-22, while the outer barrier is made of a corrosion-allowance material (CAM) such as A516 Gr 55 or Monel 400. At the present time, Alloy C- 22 and A516 Gr 55 are favored.

  3. Enhancing reproducibility in scientific computing: Metrics and registry for Singularity containers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prybol, Cameron J.; Kurtzer, Gregory M.

    2017-01-01

    Here we present Singularity Hub, a framework to build and deploy Singularity containers for mobility of compute, and the singularity-python software with novel metrics for assessing reproducibility of such containers. Singularity containers make it possible for scientists and developers to package reproducible software, and Singularity Hub adds automation to this workflow by building, capturing metadata for, visualizing, and serving containers programmatically. Our novel metrics, based on custom filters of content hashes of container contents, allow for comparison of an entire container, including operating system, custom software, and metadata. First we will review Singularity Hub’s primary use cases and how the infrastructure has been designed to support modern, common workflows. Next, we conduct three analyses to demonstrate build consistency, reproducibility metric and performance and interpretability, and potential for discovery. This is the first effort to demonstrate a rigorous assessment of measurable similarity between containers and operating systems. We provide these capabilities within Singularity Hub, as well as the source software singularity-python that provides the underlying functionality. Singularity Hub is available at https://singularity-hub.org, and we are excited to provide it as an openly available platform for building, and deploying scientific containers. PMID:29186161

  4. Enhancing reproducibility in scientific computing: Metrics and registry for Singularity containers.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vanessa V Sochat

    Full Text Available Here we present Singularity Hub, a framework to build and deploy Singularity containers for mobility of compute, and the singularity-python software with novel metrics for assessing reproducibility of such containers. Singularity containers make it possible for scientists and developers to package reproducible software, and Singularity Hub adds automation to this workflow by building, capturing metadata for, visualizing, and serving containers programmatically. Our novel metrics, based on custom filters of content hashes of container contents, allow for comparison of an entire container, including operating system, custom software, and metadata. First we will review Singularity Hub's primary use cases and how the infrastructure has been designed to support modern, common workflows. Next, we conduct three analyses to demonstrate build consistency, reproducibility metric and performance and interpretability, and potential for discovery. This is the first effort to demonstrate a rigorous assessment of measurable similarity between containers and operating systems. We provide these capabilities within Singularity Hub, as well as the source software singularity-python that provides the underlying functionality. Singularity Hub is available at https://singularity-hub.org, and we are excited to provide it as an openly available platform for building, and deploying scientific containers.

  5. Assessment of Innovation and Performance in the Fruit Chain; The Innovation-Performance Matrix

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Trienekens, J.H.; Uffelen, van R.L.M.; Debaire, J.; Omta, S.W.F.

    2008-01-01

    Purpose - This paper aims to bridge the concepts of innovation and performance and to develop a framework to assess innovation and performance in food chains. Design/methodology/approach - Based on an extensive literature search the paper identifies critical success factors (CSFs) and related

  6. Integrity assessment of grouted posttensioning cables and reinforced concrete of a nuclear containment building

    Science.gov (United States)

    Philipose, K.; Shenton, B.

    2011-04-01

    The Containment Buildings of CANDU Nuclear Generating Stations were designed to house nuclear reactors and process equipment and also to provide confinement of releases from a potential nuclear accident such as a Loss Of Coolant Accident (LOCA). To meet this design requirement, a post-tensioning system was designed to induce compressive stresses in the structure to counteract the internal design pressure. The CANDU reactor building at Gentilly-1 (G-1), Quebec, Canada (250 MWe) was built in the early 1970s and is currently in a decommissioned state. The structure at present is under surveillance and monitoring. In the year 2000, a field investigation was conducted as part of a condition assessment and corrosion was detected in some of the grouted post-tension cable strands. However, no further work was done at that time to determine the cause, nature, impact and extent of the corrosion. An investigation of the Gentilly-1 containment building is currently underway to assess the condition of grouted post-tensioning cables and reinforced concrete. At two selected locations, concrete and steel reinforcements were removed from the containment building wall to expose horizontal cables. Individual cable strands and reinforcement bars were instrumented and measurements were taken in-situ before removing them for forensic examination and destructive testing to determine the impact of ageing and corrosion. Concrete samples were also removed and tested in a laboratory. The purpose of the field investigation and laboratory testing, using this structure as a test bed, was also to collect material ageing data and to develop potential Nondestructive Examination (NDE) methods to monitor Containment Building Integrity. The paper describes the field work conducted and the test results obtained for concrete, reinforcement and post-tensioning cables.

  7. Integrity assessment of grouted posttensioning cables and reinforced concrete of a nuclear containment building

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shenton B.

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available The Containment Buildings of CANDU Nuclear Generating Stations were designed to house nuclear reactors and process equipment and also to provide confinement of releases from a potential nuclear accident such as a Loss Of Coolant Accident (LOCA. To meet this design requirement, a post-tensioning system was designed to induce compressive stresses in the structure to counteract the internal design pressure. The CANDU reactor building at Gentilly-1 (G-1, Quebec, Canada (250 MWe was built in the early 1970s and is currently in a decommissioned state. The structure at present is under surveillance and monitoring. In the year 2000, a field investigation was conducted as part of a condition assessment and corrosion was detected in some of the grouted post-tension cable strands. However, no further work was done at that time to determine the cause, nature, impact and extent of the corrosion. An investigation of the Gentilly-1 containment building is currently underway to assess the condition of grouted post-tensioning cables and reinforced concrete. At two selected locations, concrete and steel reinforcements were removed from the containment building wall to expose horizontal cables. Individual cable strands and reinforcement bars were instrumented and measurements were taken in-situ before removing them for forensic examination and destructive testing to determine the impact of ageing and corrosion. Concrete samples were also removed and tested in a laboratory. The purpose of the field investigation and laboratory testing, using this structure as a test bed, was also to collect material ageing data and to develop potential Nondestructive Examination (NDE methods to monitor Containment Building Integrity. The paper describes the field work conducted and the test results obtained for concrete, reinforcement and post-tensioning cables.

  8. Handbook for value-impact assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heaberlin, S.W.; Burnham, J.B.; Gallucci, R.H.V.

    1983-12-01

    The basic purpose of this handbook is to document a set of systematic procedures for providing information that can be used in performing value-impact assessments of Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regulatory actions. The handbook describes a structured but flexible process for performing the assessment. Chapter 1 is an introduction to the value-impact assessment process. Chapter 2 describes the attributes most frequently affected by proposed NRC actions, provides guidance concerningthe appropriate level of effort to be devoted to the assessment, suggests a standard format for documenting the assessment, and discusses the treatment of uncertainty. Chapter 3 contains detailed methods for evaluating each of the attributes affected by a regulatory action. The handbook has five appendixes containing background information, technical data, and example applications of the value-impact assessment procedures. This edition of the handbook focuses primarily on assessing nuclear power reactor safety issues

  9. Report on the performance monitoring system for the interim waste containment at the Niagara Falls Storage Site, Lewiston, New York

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1985-10-01

    The Niagara Falls Storage Site (NFSS) is an interim storage site for low-level radioactive waste, established by the US Department of Energy (DOE) at Lewiston, New York. The waste containment structure for encapsulating low-level radioactive waste at the NFSS has been designed to minimize infiltration of rainfall, prevent pollution of groundwater, preclude formation of leachate, and prevent radon emanation. Accurately determining the performance of the main engineered elements of the containment structure will be important in establishing confidence in the ability of the structure to retain the wastes. For this purpose, a waste containment performance monitoring system has been developed to verify that these elements are functioning as intended. The key objective of the performance monitoring system is the early detection of trends that could be indicative of weaknesses developing in the containment structure so that corrective action can be taken before the integrity of the structure is compromised. Consequently, subsurface as well as surface monitoring techniques will be used. After evaluating several types of subsurface instrumentation, it was determined that vibrating wire pressure transducers, in combination with surface monitoring techniques, would satisfactorily monitor the parameters of concern, such as water accumulation inside the containment facility, waste settlement, and shrinkage of the clay cover. Surface monitoring will consist of topographic surveys based on predetermined gridlines, walkover surveys, and aerial photography to detect vegetative stress or other changes not evident at ground level. This report details the objectives of the performance monitoring system, identifies the elements of the containment design whose performance will be monitored, describes the monitoring system recommended, and outlines the costs associated with the monitoring system. 5 refs., 4 figs., 3 tabs

  10. Principal elements of the Basalt Waste Isolation Project performance assessment studies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baca, R.G.; Wilde, R.T.

    1983-12-01

    In this paper, three of the principal elements of the Basalt Waste Isolation Project (BWIP) performance assessment studies are focused on: (1) development of a methodology for probabilistic risk assessment, (2) performance analyses of repository subsystems, and (3) selection and ranking of disruptive event scenarios. Other elements of the BWIP performance assessment studies are briefly outlined. 12 references, 5 figures

  11. Safety analysis of nuclear containment vessels subjected to strong earthquakes and subsequent tsunamis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lin, Feng; Li, Hong Zhi [Dept. Structural Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai (China)

    2017-08-15

    Nuclear power plants under expansion and under construction in China are mostly located in coastal areas, which means they are at risk of suffering strong earthquakes and subsequent tsunamis. This paper presents a safety analysis for a new reinforced concrete containment vessel in such events. A finite element method-based model was built, verified, and first used to understand the seismic performance of the containment vessel under earthquakes with increased intensities. Then, the model was used to assess the safety performance of the containment vessel subject to an earthquake with peak ground acceleration (PGA) of 0.56g and subsequent tsunamis with increased inundation depths, similar to the 2011 Great East earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Results indicated that the containment vessel reached Limit State I (concrete cracking) and Limit State II (concrete crushing) when the PGAs were in a range of 0.8–1.1g and 1.2–1.7g, respectively. The containment vessel reached Limit State I with a tsunami inundation depth of 10 m after suffering an earthquake with a PGA of 0.56g. A site-specific hazard assessment was conducted to consider the likelihood of tsunami sources.

  12. Performance Assessment Position Paper: Time for Compliance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wilhite, E.L.

    2003-01-01

    This study lays out the historical development of the time frame for a low-level waste disposal facility to demonstrate compliance with the DOE performance objectives and requirements. The study recommends that 1,000 years should be used as the time for compliance for all of the performance objectives and requirements (i.e., for the all-pathways, air pathway, radon emanation, water resource protection and inadvertent intruder analyses) for all low-level waste disposal facility performance assessments at the Savannah River Site

  13. Performance of electrical double layer capacitors fabricated with gel polymer electrolytes containing Li+ and K+-salts: A comparison

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Singh, Manoj K.; Hashmi, S. A.

    2015-01-01

    The comparative performance of the solid-state electrical double layer capacitors (EDLCs) based on the multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) electrodes and poly (vinaylidinefluoride-co-hexafluoropropyline) (PVdF-HFP) based gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) containing potassium and lithium salts have been studied. The room temperature ionic conductivity of the GPEs have been found to be ∼3.8×10 −3 and 5.9×10 −3 S cm −1 for lithium and potassium based systems. The performance of EDLC cells studied by impedance spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry and constant current charge-discharge techniques, indicate that the EDLC with potassium salt containing GPE shows excellent performance almost equivalent to the EDLC with Li-salt-based GPE

  14. A program to assess microbial impacts on nuclear waste containment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Horn, J.; Meike, A.

    1996-01-01

    In this paper we discuss aspects of a comprehensive program to identify and bound potential effects of microorganisms on long-term nuclear waste containment, using as examples, studies conducted within the Yucca Mountain Project. A comprehensive program has been formulated which cuts across standard disciplinary lines to address the specific concerns of microbial activity in a radioactive waste repository. Collectively, this program provides bounding parameters of microbial activities that modify the ambient geochemistry and hydrology, modify corrosion rates, and transport and transform radionuclides under conditions expected to be encountered after geological waste emplacement. This program is intended to provide microbial reaction rates and bounding conditions in a form that can be integrated into existing chemical and hydrological models. The inclusion of microbial effects will allow those models to more accurately assess long term repository integrity

  15. State Standards and State Assessment Systems: A Guide to Alignment. Series on Standards and Assessments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    La Marca, Paul M.; Redfield, Doris; Winter, Phoebe C.

    Alignment of content standards, performance standards, and assessments is crucial. This guide contains information to assist states and districts in aligning their assessment systems to their content and performance standards. It includes a review of current literature, both published and fugitive. The research is woven together with a few basic…

  16. Sensitivity of hydrological performance assessment analysis to variations in material properties, conceptual models, and ventilation models

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sobolik, S.R.; Ho, C.K.; Dunn, E. [Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States); Robey, T.H. [Spectra Research Inst., Albuquerque, NM (United States); Cruz, W.T. [Univ. del Turabo, Gurabo (Puerto Rico)

    1996-07-01

    The Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project is studying Yucca Mountain in southwestern Nevada as a potential site for a high-level nuclear waste repository. Site characterization includes surface- based and underground testing. Analyses have been performed to support the design of an Exploratory Studies Facility (ESF) and the design of the tests performed as part of the characterization process, in order to ascertain that they have minimal impact on the natural ability of the site to isolate waste. The information in this report pertains to sensitivity studies evaluating previous hydrological performance assessment analyses to variation in the material properties, conceptual models, and ventilation models, and the implications of this sensitivity on previous recommendations supporting ESF design. This document contains information that has been used in preparing recommendations for Appendix I of the Exploratory Studies Facility Design Requirements document.

  17. Sensitivity of hydrological performance assessment analysis to variations in material properties, conceptual models, and ventilation models

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sobolik, S.R.; Ho, C.K.; Dunn, E.; Robey, T.H.; Cruz, W.T.

    1996-07-01

    The Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project is studying Yucca Mountain in southwestern Nevada as a potential site for a high-level nuclear waste repository. Site characterization includes surface- based and underground testing. Analyses have been performed to support the design of an Exploratory Studies Facility (ESF) and the design of the tests performed as part of the characterization process, in order to ascertain that they have minimal impact on the natural ability of the site to isolate waste. The information in this report pertains to sensitivity studies evaluating previous hydrological performance assessment analyses to variation in the material properties, conceptual models, and ventilation models, and the implications of this sensitivity on previous recommendations supporting ESF design. This document contains information that has been used in preparing recommendations for Appendix I of the Exploratory Studies Facility Design Requirements document

  18. An assessment of the risk of embrittlement of a steel container by hydrogen picked up on the ocean bed

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hardie, D.

    1985-09-01

    A realistic assessment of the likelihood of embrittlement of a plain carbon steel container for nuclear waste has been made by estimating the hydrogen levels that might be expected to develop in the steel as a consequence of the slow corrosion of the container and the possible effect that such a hydrogen concentration would have on its mechanical behaviour. By consideration of various possible models for the generation of hydrogen and its subsequent uptake into the steel or dissemination in the environment, it is concluded that the most pessimistic assessment of the concentration of hydrogen that could build up in the container walls during 1000 years burial would not significantly affect the resistance to failure of even relatively high strength steels. (author)

  19. Functional Performance and Associations between Performance Tests and Neurological Assessment Differ in Men and Women with Parkinson’s Disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kadri Medijainen

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. Neurological assessment of a patient with Parkinson’s disease (PD is expected to reflect upon functional performance. As women are known to report more limitations even for same observed functional performance level, present study was designed to examine whether associations between neurological assessments and functional performance differ across genders. Methods. 14 men and 14 women with PD participated. Functional performance was assessed by measuring walking speeds on 10-meter walk test (10MWT and by performing timed-up-and-go-test (TUG. Neurological assessment included Hoehn and Yahr Scale (HY, Movement Disorders Society Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS, Schwab and England Activities of Daily Living Scale (S-E, and Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE. Results. In women with PD, Kendall’s tau-b correlation analyses revealed significant correlations between functional performance tests and neurological assessment measures, with the exception in MMSE. No corresponding associations were found for men, although they demonstrated better functional performance, as expected. Conclusion. Men in similar clinical stage of the PD perform better on functional tests than women. Disease severity reflects upon functional performance differently in men and women with PD. Results indicate that when interpreting the assessment results of both functional performance and neurological assessment tests, the gender of the patient should be taken into consideration.

  20. Input data required for specific performance assessment codes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seitz, R.R.; Garcia, R.S.; Starmer, R.J.; Dicke, C.A.; Leonard, P.R.; Maheras, S.J.; Rood, A.S.; Smith, R.W.

    1992-02-01

    The Department of Energy's National Low-Level Waste Management Program at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory generated this report on input data requirements for computer codes to assist States and compacts in their performance assessments. This report gives generators, developers, operators, and users some guidelines on what input data is required to satisfy 22 common performance assessment codes. Each of the codes is summarized and a matrix table is provided to allow comparison of the various input required by the codes. This report does not determine or recommend which codes are preferable

  1. Postulated accident conditions for air cleaning systems and radiological dose assessments for containment options

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hilliard, R.K.; Postma, A.K.

    1975-01-01

    Ambient conditions and performance requirements for emergency air cleaning systems applicable to commercial LMFBR plants were studied. The focus of this study centered on aerosol removal under hypothetical core disruptive accident conditions. Effort completed includes a review of air cleaning systems related to LMFBR plants, selection of three reference containment system designs, postulation of the EACS design basis accident (EACS-DBA), analysis of thermal conditions resulting from the DBA, analysis of aerosol transport behavior following the DBA, and an estimate of bone dose at the site boundary for each of the reference plant designs. Reference plant concepts were a single containment system (e.g., FFTF), a double containment system (e.g., CRBRP with closed head compartment), and a containment-confinement design in which an inerted, sealed primary volume was located within a ventilated building whose exhaust was filtered. The reference design basis accident selected here involved release to the inner containment system of 1 percent of non-volatile solids and plutonium, 25 percent of core halogens, 25 percent of core volatile solids, 100 percent of core noble gases, 68 lbs of sodium vapor and 5000 lbs of liquid sodium. 13 references. (U.S.)

  2. Progression of performance assessment modeling for the Yucca Mountain disposal system for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rechard, Rob P.; Wilson, Michael L.; Sevougian, S. David

    2014-01-01

    This paper summarizes the evolution of consequence modeling for a repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste at Yucca Mountain in southern Nevada. The discussion includes four early performance assessments (PAs) conducted between 1982 and 1995 to support selection and to evaluate feasibility and three major PAs conducted between 1998 and 2008 to evaluate viability, recommend the site, and assess compliance. Modeling efforts in 1982 estimated dose to individuals 18 km from the site caused by volcanic eruption through the repository. Modeling in 1984 estimated releases via the groundwater pathway because of container corrosion. In combination, this early analysis supported the first environmental assessment. Analysts in 1991 evaluated cumulative release, as specified in the 1985 US radiation protection standards, via the groundwater pathway over 10 4 yr at a 5-km boundary by modeling waste degradation and flow/transport in the saturated and unsaturated zones. By 1992, however, the US Congress mandated a change to a dose measure. Thus, the 1993 and 1995 performance assessments improved modeling of waste container degradation to provide better estimates of radionuclide release rates out to 10 6 yr. The 1998 viability assessment was a major step in modeling complexity. Dose at a 20-km boundary from the repository was evaluated through 10 6 yr for undisturbed conditions using more elaborate modeling of flow and the addition of modules for modeling infiltration, drift seepage, the chemical environment, and biosphere transport. The 2000 assessment for the site recommendation refined the analysis. Seepage modeling was greatly improved and waste form degradation modeling included more chemical dependence. The 2008 compliance assessment for the license application incorporated the influence of the seismicity on waste package performance to evaluate dose at an ∼18-km boundary. - Highlights: • Evolution of the consequence models to simulate physical

  3. Improvement of biosphere assessment methodology for performance assessment of geological disposal facility. 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miki, Takahito; Yoshida, Hideji; Ikeda, Takao

    2002-02-01

    This report contains results on study of Geosphere-Biosphere Interface (GBI), development of biosphere assessment model for gaseous and volatile radionuclides, review of biosphere assessment and research on safety indicators. Regarding study of Geosphere-Biosphere Interface (GBI), FEP database for the Geosphere-Biosphere Transitions Zone (GBTZ) were compiled. Furthermore, release scenarios were identified from the FEP database, and review of conservativeness and robustness of the conceptual and mathematical models developed previously by JNC were undertaken. Regarding development of biosphere assessment model for gaseous and volatile radionuclides, the conceptual and mathematical models were developed, and it was confirmed that the impact of the exposure pathway regarding gas release to flux-to-dose conversion factor is small. Regarding review of biosphere assessment data, the parameters which were used on JNC second progress report were reviewed and classified using the biosphere data protocol categories. Furthermore, the data for key parameter (important but poorly characterized parameters) were revised. Regarding research on safety indicator, some kinds of safety indicators, especially for the non-radioactive contaminant and for the non-human biota, are reviewed. (author)

  4. The necessity of repeated assessment of imaging studies contained in medical records in medico-legal opinions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aleksandra Borowska-Solonynko

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents two case reports of living victims, in which imaging studies of the chest conducted at a medical facility were an essential part of the medico-legal opinion. The first case was that of a young male hospitalized due to CT evidence of bilateral rib fractions, who claimed to have been assaulted by police officers. The other case was that of a six week old baby hospitalized due to chest X-ray evidence of right hand side rib fractions. The chest X-ray was performed due to one bruise found on the baby’s forehead and two small bruises on the back, which gave rise to suspicions of child abuse. In both cases, expert witnesses in radiology definitively excluded the presence of any fractures. These cases indicate that a new assessment of imaging studies contained in medical records is needed. Expert opinions based solely on the description of imaging studies may result in grave consequences.

  5. Materials performance in off-gas systems containing iodine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Beavers, J.A.; Berry, W.E.; Griess, J.C.

    1981-11-01

    During the reprocessing of spent reactor fuel elements, iodine is released to gas streams from which it is ultimately removed by conversion to nonvolatile iodic acid. Under some conditions iodine can produce severe corrosion in off-gas lines; in this study these conditions were established. Iron- and nickel-based alloys containing more than 6% molybdenum, such as Hastelloy G (7%), Inconel 625 (9%), and Hastelloy C-276 (16%), as well as titanium and zirconium, remained free of attack under all conditions tested. When the other materials, notably the austenitic stainless steels, were exposed to gas streams containing even only low concentrations of iodine and water vapors at 25 and 40 0 C, a highly corrosive, brownish-green liquid formed on their surfaces. In the complete absence of water vapor, the iodine-containing liquid did not form and all materials remained unaffected. The liquid that formed had a low pH (usually 2 inhibited attack

  6. Treatment of uncertainty in low-level waste performance assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kozak, M.W.; Olague, N.E.; Gallegos, D.P.; Rao, R.R.

    1991-01-01

    Uncertainties arise from a number of different sources in low-level waste performance assessment. In this paper the types of uncertainty are reviewed, and existing methods for quantifying and reducing each type of uncertainty are discussed. These approaches are examined in the context of the current low-level radioactive waste regulatory performance objectives, which are deterministic. The types of uncertainty discussed in this paper are model uncertainty, uncertainty about future conditions, and parameter uncertainty. The advantages and disadvantages of available methods for addressing uncertainty in low-level waste performance assessment are presented. 25 refs

  7. Putting HLW performance assessment results in perspective

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Neall, F.; Smith, P.; Sumerling, T.; Umeki, H.

    1995-01-01

    According to performance assessment results for the different disposal concepts investigated, the maximum radiation doses to the population lie well below the limit set in the official Swiss Protection Objective and below the level of present-day natural background radiation. A comparison of different performance assessments has shown that the following key factors determine radionuclide release from a repository: radionuclide inventory, canister material and failure mode, nuclide solubility limits, the permeability of the buffer material, retardation during transport through the near-field, the presence of an excavation disturbed zone in the rock, the distance to the nearest major water-bearing fracture zone, the conceptual model for transport in fractured rock and near-surface dilution and dose factors. (author) 2 figs., 2 tabs

  8. Peer mentoring in doctor performance assessment: strategies, obstacles and benefits.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Overeem, K.; Driessen, E.W.; Arah, O.A.; Lombarts, K.M.; Wollersheim, H.C.H.; Grol, R.P.T.M.

    2010-01-01

    CONTEXT: Mentors are increasingly involved in doctor performance assessments. Mentoring seems to be a key determinant in achieving the ultimate goal of those assessments, namely, improving doctor performance. Little is known, however, about how mentors perceive and fulfil this role. OBJECTIVE: The

  9. Peer mentoring in doctor performance assessment: strategies, obstacles and benefits

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Overeem, Karlijn; Driessen, Erik W.; Arah, Onyebuchi A.; Lombarts, Kiki M. J. M. H.; Wollersheim, Hub C.; Grol, Richard P. T. M.

    2010-01-01

    CONTEXT: Mentors are increasingly involved in doctor performance assessments. Mentoring seems to be a key determinant in achieving the ultimate goal of those assessments, namely, improving doctor performance. Little is known, however, about how mentors perceive and fulfil this role. OBJECTIVE: The

  10. Multi-criteria decision making under uncertainty in building performance assessment

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hopfe, C.J.; Augenbroe, G.; Hensen, J.L.M.

    2013-01-01

    Building performance assessment is complex, as it has to respond to multiple criteria. Objectives originating from the demands that are put on energy consumption, acoustical performance, thermal occupant comfort, indoor air quality and many other issues must all be reconciled. An assessment requires

  11. Development of integrated mechanistically-based degradation-mode models for performance assessment of high-level waste containers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bedrossian, P; Estill, J; Farmer, J; Hopper, R; Horn, J; Huang, J S; McCright, D; Roy, A; Wang, F; Wilfinger, K

    1999-01-01

    A key component of the Engineered Barrier System (EBS) being designed for containment of spent-fuel and high-level waste at the proposed geological repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada is a two-layer canister. In this particular design, the inner barrier is made of a corrosion resistant material (CRM) such as Alloy 825, 625 or C-22, while the outer barrier is made of a corrosion-allowance material (CAM) such as A516 Gr 55, a carbon steel, or Monel 400. At the present time, Alloy C-22 and A516 G4 55 are favored

  12. Salt site performance assessment activities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kircher, J.F.; Gupta, S.K.

    1983-01-01

    During this year the first selection of the tools (codes) for performance assessments of potential salt sites have been tentatively selected and documented; the emphasis has shifted from code development to applications. During this period prior to detailed characterization of a salt site, the focus is on bounding calculations, sensitivity and with the data available. The development and application of improved methods for sensitivity and uncertainty analysis is a focus for the coming years activities and the subject of a following paper in these proceedings. Although the assessments to date are preliminary and based on admittedly scant data, the results indicate that suitable salt sites can be identified and repository subsystems designed which will meet the established criteria for protecting the health and safety of the public. 36 references, 5 figures, 2 tables

  13. 42 CFR 460.136 - Internal quality assessment and performance improvement activities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Internal quality assessment and performance improvement activities. 460.136 Section 460.136 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES....136 Internal quality assessment and performance improvement activities. (a) Quality assessment and...

  14. Visual art teachers and performance assessment methods in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This paper examines the competencies of visual arts teachers in using performance assessment methods, and to ascertain the extent to which the knowledge, skills and experiences of teachers affect their competence in using assessment strategies in their classroom. The study employs a qualitative research design; ...

  15. 42 CFR 486.348 - Condition: Quality assessment and performance improvement (QAPI).

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... Coverage: Organ Procurement Organizations Organ Procurement Organization Process Performance Measures § 486.348 Condition: Quality assessment and performance improvement (QAPI). The OPO must develop, implement... 42 Public Health 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Condition: Quality assessment and performance...

  16. Twelve tips for assessing surgical performance and use of technical assessment scales

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Strandbygaard, Jeanett; Scheele, Fedde; Sørensen, Jette Led

    2017-01-01

    Using validated assessment scales for technical competence can help structure and standardize assessment and feedback for both the trainee and the supervisor and thereby avoid bias and drive learning. Correct assessment of operative skills can establish learning curves and allow adequate monitoring....... However, the assessment of surgical performance is not an easy task, since it includes many proxy parameters, which are hard to measure. Although numerous technical assessment scales exist, both within laparoscopic and open surgery, the validity evidence is often sparse, and this can raise doubts about...... reliability and educational outcome. Furthermore, the implementation of technical assessment scales varies due to several obstacles and doubts about accurate use. In this 12-tips article, we aim to give the readers a critical and useful appraisal of some of the common questions and misunderstandings regarding...

  17. 10 CFR 63.114 - Requirements for performance assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... processes of engineered barriers in the performance assessment, including those processes that would adversely affect the performance of natural barriers. Degradation, deterioration, or alteration processes of... surrounding region to the extent necessary, and information on the design of the engineered barrier system...

  18. Performance Assessment of Communication Enhancement Devices TEA HI Threat Headset

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-08-01

    AFRL-RH-WP-TR-2015-0076 Performance Assessment of Communication Enhancement Devices: TEA HI Threat Headset Hilary L. Gallagher...of Communication Enhancement Devices: TEA HI Threat Headset 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER FA8650-14-D-6501 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER...technology in military applications. Objective performance data provided an assessment of the performance of these devices. The TEA HI Threat headset

  19. A Probabilistic Methodology for Assessing the Effectiveness of the Containment Filtered Venting Systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Namyeong; Jae, Moosung [Hanyang University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-10-15

    After the Chernobyl nuclear accident, mainly in Sweden, Germany, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands and other European countries have installed CFVS. In the US, some Boiling Water Reactor type only the voluntary installation of CFVS was required. But until now it has not been installed for pressurized water reactors. In Korea, CFVS is currently installed on Wolseong Unit 1 and preferentially applied to Heavy Water Reactor. Later it plans to apply for the Light Water Reactor. In this study, a safety improvement of installing the CFVS was assessed by the tool of Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA) for a reference plant. The CFVS is under installment in CANDU reactor for preventing the containment failure during severe accidents. But it has been evaluated that the effectiveness is negligible because of adverse effects of radioactive nuclides releases. Now the CFVS has not been installed yet in the LWR. The results can vary greatly depending on the detailed assessment.

  20. Cognitive Performance and Mood Following Ingestion of a Theacrine-Containing Dietary Supplement, Caffeine, or Placebo by Young Men and Women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuhman, Daniel J; Joyner, Keanan J; Bloomer, Richard J

    2015-11-19

    Theacrine is a purine alkaloid found primarily in the leaves of the Camellia Kucha plant and is now included within dietary supplements. To compare the effects of a theacrine-containing dietary supplement with caffeine and placebo on energy and mood, as well as objective measures of cognitive performance, heart rate, and blood pressure, 10 healthy men (20.8 ± 0.7 years) and 10 healthy women (22.2 ± 1.1 years) ingested the dietary supplement TheaTrim (Purus Labs; containing a branded form of theacrine (Teacrine™) and caffeine (150 mg)), caffeine only (150 mg), or a placebo on three different days, separated by approximately one week. Before, and for up to 4 h following, ingestion of the assigned condition, subjects completed a subjective assessment of energy and mood, as well as tests of cognitive performance (trail making test (TMT), digit symbol substitution test (DSST)), and reaction time. Heart rate and blood pressure were measured. No condition or interaction effects were noted for TMT, DSST, or reaction time, despite a trend for improvement in selected variables with both TheaTrim and caffeine treatment. Condition effects or trends were noted for subjective feelings, with values for attentive, alert, focused, and energetic higher for TheaTrim than for placebo and caffeine, while values for lethargic and groggy were lower for TheaTrim than for placebo and caffeine. Heart rate and blood pressure were largely unaffected by treatment. These data indicate that TheaTrim treatment does not result in a statistically significant improvement in cognitive performance but may favorably impact multiple subjective feelings related to energy and mood.

  1. High nitrogen-containing cotton derived 3D porous carbon frameworks for high-performance supercapacitors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Li-Zhen; Chen, Tian-Tian; Song, Wei-Li; Li, Xiaogang; Zhang, Shichao

    2015-01-01

    Supercapacitors fabricated by 3D porous carbon frameworks, such as graphene- and carbon nanotube (CNT)-based aerogels, have been highly attractive due to their various advantages. However, their high cost along with insufficient yield has inhibited their large-scale applications. Here we have demonstrated a facile and easily scalable approach for large-scale preparing novel 3D nitrogen-containing porous carbon frameworks using ultralow-cost commercial cotton. Electrochemical performance suggests that the optimal nitrogen-containing cotton-derived carbon frameworks with a high nitrogen content (12.1 mol%) along with low surface area 285 m2 g−1 present high specific capacities of the 308 and 200 F g−1 in KOH electrolyte at current densities of 0.1 and 10 A g−1, respectively, with very limited capacitance loss upon 10,000 cycles in both aqueous and gel electrolytes. Moreover, the electrode exhibits the highest capacitance up to 220 F g−1 at 0.1 A g−1 and excellent flexibility (with negligible capacitance loss under different bending angles) in the polyvinyl alcohol/KOH gel electrolyte. The observed excellent performance competes well with that found in the electrodes of similar 3D frameworks formed by graphene or CNTs. Therefore, the ultralow-cost and simply strategy here demonstrates great potential for scalable producing high-performance carbon-based supercapacitors in the industry. PMID:26472144

  2. High nitrogen-containing cotton derived 3D porous carbon frameworks for high-performance supercapacitors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Li-Zhen; Chen, Tian-Tian; Song, Wei-Li; Li, Xiaogang; Zhang, Shichao

    2015-10-01

    Supercapacitors fabricated by 3D porous carbon frameworks, such as graphene- and carbon nanotube (CNT)-based aerogels, have been highly attractive due to their various advantages. However, their high cost along with insufficient yield has inhibited their large-scale applications. Here we have demonstrated a facile and easily scalable approach for large-scale preparing novel 3D nitrogen-containing porous carbon frameworks using ultralow-cost commercial cotton. Electrochemical performance suggests that the optimal nitrogen-containing cotton-derived carbon frameworks with a high nitrogen content (12.1 mol%) along with low surface area 285 m2 g-1 present high specific capacities of the 308 and 200 F g-1 in KOH electrolyte at current densities of 0.1 and 10 A g-1, respectively, with very limited capacitance loss upon 10,000 cycles in both aqueous and gel electrolytes. Moreover, the electrode exhibits the highest capacitance up to 220 F g-1 at 0.1 A g-1 and excellent flexibility (with negligible capacitance loss under different bending angles) in the polyvinyl alcohol/KOH gel electrolyte. The observed excellent performance competes well with that found in the electrodes of similar 3D frameworks formed by graphene or CNTs. Therefore, the ultralow-cost and simply strategy here demonstrates great potential for scalable producing high-performance carbon-based supercapacitors in the industry.

  3. Assessing students' performance in software requirements engineering education using scoring rubrics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mkpojiogu, Emmanuel O. C.; Hussain, Azham

    2017-10-01

    The study investigates how helpful the use of scoring rubrics is, in the performance assessment of software requirements engineering students and whether its use can lead to students' performance improvement in the development of software requirements artifacts and models. Scoring rubrics were used by two instructors to assess the cognitive performance of a student in the design and development of software requirements artifacts. The study results indicate that the use of scoring rubrics is very helpful in objectively assessing the performance of software requirements or software engineering students. Furthermore, the results revealed that the use of scoring rubrics can also produce a good achievement assessments direction showing whether a student is either improving or not in a repeated or iterative assessment. In a nutshell, its use leads to the performance improvement of students. The results provided some insights for further investigation and will be beneficial to researchers, requirements engineers, system designers, developers and project managers.

  4. Preformed amide-containing biopolymer for improving the environmental performance of synthesized urea–formaldehyde in agro-fiber composites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Altaf H. Basta; Houssni El-Saied; Jerrold E. Winandy; Ronald Sabo

    2011-01-01

    Investigations have continued for production high performance agro-based composites using environmentally acceptable approaches. This study examines the role of adding amide-containing biopolymers during synthesis of urea–formaldehyde (UF) on properties of adhesive produced, especially its adhesion potential. The environmental performance of UF-resin synthesized in the...

  5. Proceedings of the third international conference on containment design and operation. v.1

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1994-12-31

    The second international conference on containment design and operation included sessions on the following topics: performance and regulatory requirements; radionuclide behaviour; severe accident design and analysis; operation, maintenance, leaking and aging of containment systems; thermal hydraulic behaviour of containment systems; hydrogen mixing and mitigation; design methods and concepts; code validation; structural analysis and response tests; passive safety systems; aerosol behaviour; containment reliability, integrity, and risk assessment; hydrogen deflagration and detonation. Due prominence was given to CANDU and other PHWR reactors. The individual papers have been abstracted separately.

  6. Proceedings of the third international conference on containment design and operation. v.1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1994-01-01

    The second international conference on containment design and operation included sessions on the following topics: performance and regulatory requirements; radionuclide behaviour; severe accident design and analysis; operation, maintenance, leaking and aging of containment systems; thermal hydraulic behaviour of containment systems; hydrogen mixing and mitigation; design methods and concepts; code validation; structural analysis and response tests; passive safety systems; aerosol behaviour; containment reliability, integrity, and risk assessment; hydrogen deflagration and detonation. Due prominence was given to CANDU and other PHWR reactors. The individual papers have been abstracted separately

  7. An Empirical Study of a Solo Performance Assessment Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Russell, Brian E.

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to test a hypothesized model of solo music performance assessment. Specifically, this study investigates the influence of technique and musical expression on perceptions of overall performance quality. The Aural Musical Performance Quality (AMPQ) measure was created to measure overall performance quality, technique,…

  8. A new methodology for assessment of the performance of heartbeat classification systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hool Livia C

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The literature presents many different algorithms for classifying heartbeats from ECG signals. The performance of the classifier is normally presented in terms of sensitivity, specificity or other metrics describing the proportion of correct versus incorrect beat classifications. From the clinician's point of view, such metrics are however insufficient to rate the performance of a classifier. Methods We propose a new methodology for the presentation of classifier performance, based on Bayesian classification theory. Our proposition lets the investigators report their findings in terms of beat-by-beat comparisons, and defers the role of assessing the utility of the classifier to the statistician. Evaluation of the classifier's utility must be undertaken in conjunction with the set of relative costs applicable to the clinicians' application. Such evaluation produces a metric more tuned to the specific application, whilst preserving the information in the results. Results By way of demonstration, we propose a set of costs, based on clinical data from the literature, and examine the results of two published classifiers using our method. We make recommendations for reporting classifier performance, such that this method can be used for subsequent evaluation. Conclusion The proportion of misclassified beats contains insufficient information to fully evaluate a classifier. Performance reports should include a table of beat-by-beat comparisons, showing not-only the number of misclassifications, but also the identity of the classes involved in each inaccurate classification.

  9. Organizational Performance Assessment: Overview of Publications in National Journals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sandra Mara Iesbik Valmorbida

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available In the literature there are several tools that aim to assess organizational performance, such as Balanced Scorecard (BSC, National Quality Award (PNQ, Multicriteria Methodology for Decision Aiding (MCDA, Data envelopment analysis (DEA, Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP, among others. However, it is perceived in practice doubts as to choose the most appropriate for each organizational context. In this sense, it is argued that to measure the performance of the organization it is necessary that this measure is based on an instrument that allows transparency in the evaluation form, and insert those interested in the evaluation process. The credibility of an evaluation therefore depends on the ability to produce consistent information for all subjects involved in the intervention. The search for tools to improve the way to evaluate organizational performance it is increasingly necessary. The objective of this study is to identify the main tools of organizational performance assessment published in national journals in the area of Administration, Accounting and Tourism, classified by CAPES Qualis A1 to B5. The study is characterized as descriptive and qualitative documentation. We analyzed 489 articles, which resulted in the following results:(i identified the main theme of the authors and regular assessment of organizational performance, (ii from the year 2000 publications on the subject grew substantially, (iii Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA, Balanced Scorecard (BSC and Multicriteria for decision aiding methodology(MCDA-C are the most commonly used tools for evaluating performance, (iv most of the tools found in the literature are multiple criteria, (v described the process used by the tools to assess organizational performance.

  10. Quality assurance in performance assessments

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Maul, P.R.; Watkins, B.M.; Salter, P.; Mcleod, R [QuantiSci Ltd, Henley-on-Thames (United Kingdom)

    1999-01-01

    Following publication of the Site-94 report, SKI wishes to review how Quality Assurance (QA) issues could be treated in future work both in undertaking their own Performance Assessment (PA) calculations and in scrutinising documents supplied by SKB (on planning a repository for spent fuels in Sweden). The aim of this report is to identify the key QA issues and to outline the nature and content of a QA plan which would be suitable for SKI, bearing in mind the requirements and recommendations of relevant standards. Emphasis is on issues which are specific to Performance Assessments for deep repositories for radioactive wastes, but consideration is also given to issues which need to be addressed in all large projects. Given the long time over which the performance of a deep repository system must be evaluated, the demonstration that a repository is likely to perform satisfactorily relies on the use of computer-generated model predictions of system performance. This raises particular QA issues which are generally not encountered in other technical areas (for instance, power station operations). The traceability of the arguments used is a key QA issue, as are conceptual model uncertainty, and code verification and validation; these were all included in the consideration of overall uncertainties in the Site-94 project. Additionally, issues which are particularly relevant to SKI include: How QA in a PA fits in with the general QA procedures of the organisation undertaking the work. The relationship between QA as applied by the regulator and the implementor of a repository development programme. Section 2 introduces the discussion of these issues by reviewing the standards and guidance which are available from national and international organisations. This is followed in Section 3 by a review of specific issues which arise from the Site-94 exercise. An outline procedure for managing QA issues in SKI is put forward as a basis for discussion in Section 4. It is hoped that

  11. Quality assurance in performance assessments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maul, P.R.; Watkins, B.M.; Salter, P.; Mcleod, R

    1999-01-01

    Following publication of the Site-94 report, SKI wishes to review how Quality Assurance (QA) issues could be treated in future work both in undertaking their own Performance Assessment (PA) calculations and in scrutinising documents supplied by SKB (on planning a repository for spent fuels in Sweden). The aim of this report is to identify the key QA issues and to outline the nature and content of a QA plan which would be suitable for SKI, bearing in mind the requirements and recommendations of relevant standards. Emphasis is on issues which are specific to Performance Assessments for deep repositories for radioactive wastes, but consideration is also given to issues which need to be addressed in all large projects. Given the long time over which the performance of a deep repository system must be evaluated, the demonstration that a repository is likely to perform satisfactorily relies on the use of computer-generated model predictions of system performance. This raises particular QA issues which are generally not encountered in other technical areas (for instance, power station operations). The traceability of the arguments used is a key QA issue, as are conceptual model uncertainty, and code verification and validation; these were all included in the consideration of overall uncertainties in the Site-94 project. Additionally, issues which are particularly relevant to SKI include: How QA in a PA fits in with the general QA procedures of the organisation undertaking the work. The relationship between QA as applied by the regulator and the implementor of a repository development programme. Section 2 introduces the discussion of these issues by reviewing the standards and guidance which are available from national and international organisations. This is followed in Section 3 by a review of specific issues which arise from the Site-94 exercise. An outline procedure for managing QA issues in SKI is put forward as a basis for discussion in Section 4. It is hoped that

  12. Assessment of Work Performance (AWP)--development of an instrument.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sandqvist, Jan L; Törnquist, Kristina B; Henriksson, Chris M

    2006-01-01

    Adequate work assessments are a matter of importance both for individuals and society [5,29,31,38,40,46,52]. However, there is a lack of adequate and reliable instruments for use in work rehabilitation [14,15,20,21,31,44]. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate an observation instrument for assessing work performance, the AWP (Assessment of Work Performance). The purpose of the 14-item instrument is to assess the individual's observable working skills in three different areas: motor skills, process skills, and communication and interaction skills. This article describes the development and results of preliminary testing of the AWP. The testing indicates a satisfactory face validity and utility for the AWP and supports further research and testing of the instrument.

  13. Assessment of risks for employees of France Telecom regarding overvoltage arresters containing radio-elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thomassin, A.; Metz, C.; Rannou, A.

    2010-01-01

    As a great number of overvoltage arresters used by France Telecom to protect its telecommunication network against disturbing voltages (notably lightning) contain radio-elements, this report aims at assessing dose levels and associated risks for employees exposed to radioactive overvoltage arrester when setting them up, exploiting installations containing such arresters, or when removing them. After a presentation of these devices, a modelling of activities and geometries is proposed, as well as computation tools. Different scenarios and exposure situations are considered. As far as risks are concerned, after a recall on cancers and ionizing radiation, and on the exposure of France Telecom employees, the report comments the knowledge on radio-induced cancers; notably breast cancer, skin cancer, and mouth and pharynx cancers

  14. Performance assessment of gamma cameras. Part 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Elliot, A.T.; Short, M.D.; Potter, D.C.; Barnes, K.J.

    1980-11-01

    The Dept. of Health and Social Security and the Scottish Home and Health Dept. has sponsored a programme of measurements of the important performance characteristics of 15 leading types of gamma cameras providing a routine radionuclide imaging service in hospitals throughout the UK. Measurements have been made of intrinsic resolution, system resolution, non-uniformity, spatial distortion, count rate performance, sensitivity, energy resolution and shield leakage. The main aim of this performance assessment was to provide sound information to the NHS to ease the task of those responsible for the purchase of gamma cameras. (U.K.)

  15. Assessing vocal performance in complex birdsong: a novel approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Geberzahn, Nicole; Aubin, Thierry

    2014-08-06

    Vocal performance refers to the ability to produce vocal signals close to physical limits. Such motor skills can be used by conspecifics to assess a signaller's competitive potential. For example it is difficult for birds to produce repeated syllables both rapidly and with a broad frequency bandwidth. Deviation from an upper-bound regression of frequency bandwidth on trill rate has been widely used to assess vocal performance. This approach is, however, only applicable to simple trilled songs, and even then may be affected by differences in syllable complexity. Using skylarks (Alauda arvensis) as a birdsong model with a very complex song structure, we detected another performance trade-off: minimum gap duration between syllables was longer when the frequency ratio between the end of one syllable and the start of the next syllable (inter-syllable frequency shift) was large. This allowed us to apply a novel measure of vocal performance ¿ vocal gap deviation: the deviation from a lower-bound regression of gap duration on inter-syllable frequency shift. We show that skylarks increase vocal performance in an aggressive context suggesting that this trait might serve as a signal for competitive potential. We suggest using vocal gap deviation in future studies to assess vocal performance in songbird species with complex structure.

  16. Performance and Cognitive Assessment in 3-D Modeling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fahrer, Nolan E.; Ernst, Jeremy V.; Branoff, Theodore J.; Clark, Aaron C.

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate identifiable differences between performance and cognitive assessment scores in a 3-D modeling unit of an engineering drafting course curriculum. The study aimed to provide further investigation of the need of skill-based assessments in engineering/technical graphics courses to potentially increase…

  17. Tajikistan - Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability Assessment : Performance Report

    OpenAIRE

    World Bank

    2007-01-01

    This assessment is based on work undertaken between October 2006 and May 2007. The summary assessment covers the following three areas: an integrated assessment of PFM performance based on the 28+3 PEFA indicators, an assessment of the impact of PFM weaknesses, and the prospects for reform planning and implementation. The main report consists of four sections: an introduction, the country ...

  18. A Valid and Reliable Tool to Assess Nursing Students` Clinical Performance

    OpenAIRE

    Mehrnoosh Pazargadi; Tahereh Ashktorab; Sharareh Khosravi; Hamid Alavi majd

    2013-01-01

    Background: The necessity of a valid and reliable assessment tool is one of the most repeated issues in nursing students` clinical evaluation. But it is believed that present tools are not mostly valid and can not assess students` performance properly.Objectives: This study was conducted to design a valid and reliable assessment tool for evaluating nursing students` performance in clinical education.Methods: In this methodological study considering nursing students` performance definition; th...

  19. Hydrological performance assessment on siting the high level radioactive waste repository

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guo Yonghai; Liu Shufen; Wang Ju; Wang Zhiming; Su Rui; Lv Chuanhe; Zong Zihua

    2007-01-01

    Based on the research experiences in China and some developed countries in the world, the processes and methods on hydrological performance assessment for the siting of high radioactive repository are discussed in this paper. The methods and contents of hydrological performance assessment are discussed respectively for region, area and site hydrological investigation stages. At the same time, the hydrological performance assessment of the potential site for high level radioactive waste in China is introduced. (authors)

  20. Model error assessment of burst capacity models for energy pipelines containing surface cracks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yan, Zijian; Zhang, Shenwei; Zhou, Wenxing

    2014-01-01

    This paper develops the probabilistic characteristics of the model errors associated with five well-known burst capacity models/methodologies for pipelines containing longitudinally-oriented external surface cracks, namely the Battelle and CorLAS™ models as well as the failure assessment diagram (FAD) methodologies recommended in the BS 7910 (2005), API RP579 (2007) and R6 (Rev 4, Amendment 10). A total of 112 full-scale burst test data for cracked pipes subjected internal pressure only were collected from the literature. The model error for a given burst capacity model is evaluated based on the ratios of the test to predicted burst pressures for the collected data. Analysis results suggest that the CorLAS™ model is the most accurate model among the five models considered and the Battelle, BS 7910, API RP579 and R6 models are in general conservative; furthermore, the API RP579 and R6 models are markedly more accurate than the Battelle and BS 7910 models. The results will facilitate the development of reliability-based structural integrity management of pipelines. - Highlights: • Model errors for five burst capacity models for pipelines containing surface cracks are characterized. • Basic statistics of the model errors are obtained based on test-to-predicted ratios. • Results will facilitate reliability-based design and assessment of energy pipelines

  1. Assessment of fission product release from the reactor containment building during severe core damage accidents in a PWR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fermandjian, J.; Evrard, J.M.; Generino, G.

    1984-07-01

    Fission product releases from the RCB associated with hypothetical core-melt accidents ABβ, S 2 CDβ and TLBβ in a PWR-900 MWe have been performed using French computer codes (in particular, the JERICHO Code for containment response analysis and AEROSOLS/B1 for aerosol behavior in the containment) related to thermalhydraulics and fission product behavior in the primary system and in the reactor containment building

  2. Student Self-Assessment and Faculty Assessment of Performance in an Interprofessional Error Disclosure Simulation Training Program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poirier, Therese I; Pailden, Junvie; Jhala, Ray; Ronald, Katie; Wilhelm, Miranda; Fan, Jingyang

    2017-04-01

    Objectives. To conduct a prospective evaluation for effectiveness of an error disclosure assessment tool and video recordings to enhance student learning and metacognitive skills while assessing the IPEC competencies. Design. The instruments for assessing performance (planning, communication, process, and team dynamics) in interprofessional error disclosure were developed. Student self-assessment of performance before and after viewing the recordings of their encounters were obtained. Faculty used a similar instrument to conduct real-time assessments. An instrument to assess achievement of the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) core competencies was developed. Qualitative data was reviewed to determine student and faculty perceptions of the simulation. Assessment. The interprofessional simulation training involved a total of 233 students (50 dental, 109 nursing and 74 pharmacy). Use of video recordings made a significant difference in student self-assessment for communication and process categories of error disclosure. No differences in student self-assessments were noted among the different professions. There were differences among the family member affects for planning and communication for both pre-video and post-video data. There were significant differences between student self-assessment and faculty assessment for all paired comparisons, except communication in student post-video self-assessment. Students' perceptions of achievement of the IPEC core competencies were positive. Conclusion. The use of assessment instruments and video recordings may have enhanced students' metacognitive skills for assessing performance in interprofessional error disclosure. The simulation training was effective in enhancing perceptions on achievement of IPEC core competencies. This enhanced assessment process appeared to enhance learning about the skills needed for interprofessional error disclosure.

  3. GOTHIC code evaluation of alternative passive containment cooling features

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gavrilas, M.; Hejzlar, P.; Todreas, N.E.; Driscoll, M.J.

    1994-01-01

    The GOTHIC code was employed to assess the effectiveness of several original heat rejection features that make it possible to cool large rating containments. The code was first verified and modified for specific containment cooling applications; optimal mesh sizes, computational time steps, and applicable heat transfer correlations were examined. The effect of the break location on circulation patterns that develop inside the containment was also evaluated. GOTHIC was then used to obtain performance predictions for two containment concepts: a 1200 MW e new pressure tube light water reactor, and a 1300 MW e pressurized water reactor. The effectiveness of various containment configurations that include specific pressure-limiting features have been predicted. For the 1200 MW e pressure tube light water reactor, the evaluated pressure-limiting features are: a large water pool connected to the calandria, large containment free volume and an air-convection annulus. For the 1300 MW e pressurized water reactor, an external moat, an internal water pool, and an air-convection annulus were evaluated. The performance of the proposed containment configurations is dependent on the extent of thermal stratification inside the containment. The best-performance configurations/worst-case-accident scenarios that were examined yielded peak pressures of less than 0.30 MPa for the 1200 MW e pressure tube light water reactor, and less than 0.45 MPa for the 1300 MW e pressurized water reactor. The low peak pressure predicted for the 1200 MW e pressure tube light water reactor can be in part attributed to its relatively large free volume, while the relatively high peak pressure predicted for the 1300 MW e pressurized water reactor can be attributed to its relatively small free volume (i.e., the size used was that of a pressurized water reactor containment designed with active heat removal features). (author)

  4. Safety assessment, safety performance indicators at the Paks Nuclear Power Plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baji, C.; Vamos, G.; Toth, J.

    2001-01-01

    The Paks Nuclear Power Plant has been using different methods of safety assessment (event analysis, self-assessment, probabilistic safety analysis), including performance indicators characterizing both operational and safety performance since the early years of operation of the plant. Regarding the safety performance, the indicators include safety system performance, number of scrams, release of radioactive materials, number of safety significant events, industrial safety indicator, etc. The Paks NPP also reports a set of ten indicators to WANO Performance Indicator Programme which, among others, include safety related indicators as well. However, a more systematic approach to structuring and trending safety indicators is needed so that they can contribute to the enhancement of the operational safety. A more comprehensive set of indicators and a systematic evaluation process was introduced in 1996. The performance indicators framework proposed by the IAEA was adapted to Paks in this year to further improve the process. Safety culture assessment and characterizing safety culture is part of the assessment process. (author)

  5. Performance Assessments of Generic Nuclear Waste Repositories in Shale

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stein, E. R.; Sevougian, S. D.; Mariner, P. E.; Hammond, G. E.; Frederick, J.

    2017-12-01

    Simulations of deep geologic disposal of nuclear waste in a generic shale formation showcase Geologic Disposal Safety Assessment (GDSA) Framework, a toolkit for repository performance assessment (PA) whose capabilities include domain discretization (Cubit), multiphysics simulations (PFLOTRAN), uncertainty and sensitivity analysis (Dakota), and visualization (Paraview). GDSA Framework is used to conduct PAs of two generic repositories in shale. The first considers the disposal of 22,000 metric tons heavy metal of commercial spent nuclear fuel. The second considers disposal of defense-related spent nuclear fuel and high level waste. Each PA accounts for the thermal load and radionuclide inventory of applicable waste types, components of the engineered barrier system, and components of the natural barrier system including the host rock shale and underlying and overlying stratigraphic units. Model domains are half-symmetry, gridded with Cubit, and contain between 7 and 22 million grid cells. Grid refinement captures the detail of individual waste packages, emplacement drifts, access drifts, and shafts. Simulations are run in a high performance computing environment on as many as 2048 processes. Equations describing coupled heat and fluid flow and reactive transport are solved with PFLOTRAN, an open-source, massively parallel multiphase flow and reactive transport code. Additional simulated processes include waste package degradation, waste form dissolution, radioactive decay and ingrowth, sorption, solubility, advection, dispersion, and diffusion. Simulations are run to 106 y, and radionuclide concentrations are observed within aquifers at a point approximately 5 km downgradient of the repository. Dakota is used to sample likely ranges of input parameters including waste form and waste package degradation rates and properties of engineered and natural materials to quantify uncertainty in predicted concentrations and sensitivity to input parameters. Sandia National

  6. Functional Performance and Associations between Performance Tests and Neurological Assessment Differ in Men and Women with Parkinson’s Disease

    OpenAIRE

    Medijainen, Kadri; Pääsuke, Mati; Lukmann, Aet; Taba, Pille

    2015-01-01

    Background. Neurological assessment of a patient with Parkinson's disease (PD) is expected to reflect upon functional performance. As women are known to report more limitations even for same observed functional performance level, present study was designed to examine whether associations between neurological assessments and functional performance differ across genders. Methods. 14 men and 14 women with PD participated. Functional performance was assessed by measuring walking speeds on 10-mete...

  7. An assessment of Class-9 (core-melt) accidents for PWR dry-containment systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Theofanous, T.G.; Saito, M.

    1981-01-01

    The phenomenology of core-melt accidents in dry containments was examined for the purpose of identifying the margins of safety in such Class-9 situations. The scale (geometry) effects appear to crucially limit the extent (severity) of steam explosions. This together with the established reduced explosivity of the corium-A/water system, and the inherently high capability of dry containments (redinforced concrete, and shields in some cases, seismic design etc.) lead to the conclusion that failure due to steam explosions may be considered essentially incredible. These premixture scaling considerations also impact ultimate debris disposition and coolability and need additional development. A water-flooded reactor cavity would have beneficial effects in limiting (but not necessarily eliminating) melt-concrete interactions. Independently of the initial degree of quenching and/or scale of fragmentation, mechanisms exist that drive the system towards ultimate stability (coolability). Additional studies, with intermediate-scale prototypic materials are recommended to better explore these mechanisms. Containment heat removal systems must provide the crucial capability of mitigating such accidents. Passive systems should be explored and assessed against currently available and/or improved active systems taking into account the rather loose time constraints required for activation. It appears that containment margins for accommodating the hydrogen problem are limited. This problem appears to stand out not only in terms of potential consequences but also in terms of lack of any readily available and clear cut solutions at this time. (orig.)

  8. Life Cycle Assessment of Lubricant Oil Plastic Containers in Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Clara Oliveira

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Brazil, like many emerging countries, has experienced a fast growth in the demand for automobiles in recent decades. This has produced a significant increase in the amount of hazardous waste to be disposed of, including used lubricant oil. Restrictive regulations are being used by many nations to deal with this problem, focusing on treatments, such as recycling, to avoid resource depletion. Specific rules for disposal of used lubricant oil already exist in various countries, including Brazil, but not for its containers. Using the life cycle assessment methodology, this article evaluates different management options for the destination of Lubricant Oil Plastic Containers (LOPCs, comparing recycling and incineration to disposal in an industrial landfill. Results show that reducing the proportion of LOPCs destined to the landfill has positive impacts in lowering the burdens caused in the life cycle of LOPCs. Incineration, which is not a technology used for destination of LOPCs in Brazil, proved to be a promising option when combined with recycling for treatment of this kind of waste. Combining different destinations is also a good option as long as economic, logistics and the environment are taken into consideration. The present paper concludes that emerging countries are able to manage hazardous waste provided that there is adequate legislation and political will along with cooperation from the private sector. This study can be helpful to the decision-making processes concerning hazardous waste, especially for industrial strategies and policy makers.

  9. The performance of polymer containers used for the storage of radioactive waste

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brown, L.; Bonin, H.W.; Bui, V.T.

    2005-01-01

    An evaluation of the performance of polymeric materials after exposure to radiation and acidic aqueous solutions provides a basis for the evaluation of failure mechanisms affecting these materials. The work evaluated the importance of the combined effects of aqueous solution diffusion, radiation exposure, and temperature on the mechanical performance, diffusion profile and molecular structure of polymeric materials. This work demonstrated that the dose rate is an extremely important factor since low dose rates have been shown to result in an increase in stress at yield (15 - 20%) over the times studied, whereas higher dose rates reduced stress at yield as discussed above. Irradiation of both Nylon 6,6 and Semi-Aromatic Nylon 6,6 at dose rates of 37 and 56 kGy/hr resulted in an initial decrease in the stress at yield and subsequent recovery. Irradiation at 20 kGy/hr resulted in an initial increase in stress at yield and a continued increase throughout the aging time. It is suggested that polyamide 6,6 may be considered an acceptable material for the fabrication of storage containers for Low Level Radioactive Waste. Similarly, semi-aromatic polyamide 6,6, with its greater resistance to the combined effects of solution diffusion and radiation exposure, may be considered an acceptable material for the fabrication of containers for the storage of Intermediate Level Radioactive Waste. Finally, these results provide further explanation of the results obtained for materials such as polycarbonate, which has been previously determined to be viable candidates for the storage of High Level Radioactive Waste. (author)

  10. The performance of polymer containers used for the storage of radioactive waste

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brown, L.; Bonin, H.W.; Bui, V.T. [Royal Military College of Canada, Dept. of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Kingston, Ontario (Canada)]. E-mail: bonin-h@rmc.ca

    2005-07-01

    An evaluation of the performance of polymeric materials after exposure to radiation and acidic aqueous solutions provides a basis for the evaluation of failure mechanisms affecting these materials. The work evaluated the importance of the combined effects of aqueous solution diffusion, radiation exposure, and temperature on the mechanical performance, diffusion profile and molecular structure of polymeric materials. This work demonstrated that the dose rate is an extremely important factor since low dose rates have been shown to result in an increase in stress at yield (15 - 20%) over the times studied, whereas higher dose rates reduced stress at yield as discussed above. Irradiation of both Nylon 6,6 and Semi-Aromatic Nylon 6,6 at dose rates of 37 and 56 kGy/hr resulted in an initial decrease in the stress at yield and subsequent recovery. Irradiation at 20 kGy/hr resulted in an initial increase in stress at yield and a continued increase throughout the aging time. It is suggested that polyamide 6,6 may be considered an acceptable material for the fabrication of storage containers for Low Level Radioactive Waste. Similarly, semi-aromatic polyamide 6,6, with its greater resistance to the combined effects of solution diffusion and radiation exposure, may be considered an acceptable material for the fabrication of containers for the storage of Intermediate Level Radioactive Waste. Finally, these results provide further explanation of the results obtained for materials such as polycarbonate, which has been previously determined to be viable candidates for the storage of High Level Radioactive Waste. (author)

  11. Eccentric H2 detonation in a nuclear power plant steel containment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maresca, G.; Pino, G.

    1992-01-01

    At present, studies are in progress at ENEA-DISP to assess the performance of a steel containment under hydrogen detonation. Although considered unprobable to occur, this event is studied as a load on the safe side challenging the containment. A complete model to simulate the shock wave behavior and the fluid-structure interaction between the containment atmosphere and the containment wall has been set up at ENEA-DISP and a monodimensional axisymmetric case already studied. In the present paper the two-dimensional extension of the numerical model has been used. A plane slice of the wall and of the atmosphere filling the containment is considered. A cylindrical detonation wave is supposed to start from a source located eccentrically with respect to the containment axis. Because of the exploratory nature of the numerical model, a period of only 20 msec has been considered, although 100 msec should be considered as a minimum in a large metal containment to exclude further growing of plastic strains produced by consecutive reflections. At variance with the axisymmetric case bending stresses are developed now. The use of the model in order to assess a strain failure criterion to be applied at the dynamic portion of the H 2 detonation load is considered. In the paper the influence of different initial values of the relevant parameters (pressure, temperature, hydrogen concentration and source location) is examined in order to assess a range of equivalent conditions

  12. Performance Analysis of the Capability Assessment Tool for Sustainable Manufacturing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Enda Crossin

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available This paper explores the performance of a novel capability assessment tool, developed to identify capability gaps and associated training and development requirements across the supply chain for environmentally-sustainable manufacturing. The tool was developed to assess 170 capabilities that have been clustered with respect to key areas of concern such as managing energy, water, material resources, carbon emissions and waste as well as environmental management practices for sustainability. Two independent expert teams used the tool to assess a sample group of five first and second tier sports apparel and footwear suppliers within the supply chain of a global sporting goods manufacturer in Asia. The paper addresses the reliability and robustness of the developed assessment method by formulating the expected links between the assessment results. The management practices of the participating suppliers were shown to be closely connected to their performance in managing their resources and emissions. The companies’ initiatives in implementing energy efficiency measures were found to be generally related to their performance in carbon emissions management. The suppliers were also asked to undertake a self-assessment by using a short questionnaire. The large gap between the comprehensive assessment and these in-house self-assessments revealed the suppliers’ misconceptions about their capabilities.

  13. Implementation of Localized Corrosion in the Performance Assessment Model for Yucca Mountain

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vivek Jain, S.; David Sevougian; Patrick D. Mattie; Kevin G. Mon; Robert J. Mackinnon

    2006-01-01

    A total system performance assessment (TSPA) model has been developed to analyze the ability of the natural and engineered barriers of the Yucca Mountain repository to isolate nuclear waste over the 10,000-year period following repository closure. The principal features of the engineered barrier system (EBS) are emplacement tunnels (or ''drifts'') containing a two-layer waste package (WP) for waste containment and a titanium drip shield to protect the waste package from seeping water and falling rock, The 20-mm-thick outer shell of the WP is composed of Alloy 22, a highly corrosion-resistant nickel-based alloy. The barrier function of the EBS is to isolate the waste from migrating water. The water and its associated chemical conditions eventually lead to degradation of the waste packages and mobilization of the radionuclides within the packages. There are five possible waste package degradation modes of the Alloy 22: general corrosion, microbially influenced corrosion, stress corrosion cracking, early failure due to manufacturing defects, and localized corrosion. This paper specifically examines the incorporation of the Alloy-22 localized corrosion model into the Yucca Mountain TSPA model, particularly the abstraction and modeling methodology, as well as issues dealing with scaling, spatial variability, uncertainty, and coupling to other sub-models that are part of the total system model

  14. Effects of container cavity size and copper coating on field performance of container-grown longleaf pine seedlings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi-Jean Susana Sung; James D. Haywood; Mary A. Sword-Sayer; Kristina F. Connor; D. Andrew Scott

    2010-01-01

    Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) seedlings were grown for 27 weeks in 3 container cavity sizes [small (S), medium (M), and large (L)], and half the containers were coated with copper (Cu). In November 2004, we planted 144 seedlings from each of 6 container treatments in each of 4 replications in central LA. All plots were burned in February 2006...

  15. Performance of upper gastrointestinal bleeding risk assessment scores in variceal bleeding

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ngu, JH; Laursen, Stig Borbjerg; Chin, YK

    2017-01-01

    Performance of upper gastrointestinal bleeding risk assessment scores in variceal bleeding: a prospective international multicenter study.......Performance of upper gastrointestinal bleeding risk assessment scores in variceal bleeding: a prospective international multicenter study....

  16. Peer assessment of aviation performance: inconsistent for good reasons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roth, Wolff-Michael; Mavin, Timothy J

    2015-03-01

    Research into expertise is relatively common in cognitive science concerning expertise existing across many domains. However, much less research has examined how experts within the same domain assess the performance of their peer experts. We report the results of a modified think-aloud study conducted with 18 pilots (6 first officers, 6 captains, and 6 flight examiners). Pairs of same-ranked pilots were asked to rate the performance of a captain flying in a critical pre-recorded simulator scenario. Findings reveal (a) considerable variance within performance categories, (b) differences in the process used as evidence in support of a performance rating, (c) different numbers and types of facts (cues) identified, and (d) differences in how specific performance events affect choice of performance category and gravity of performance assessment. Such variance is consistent with low inter-rater reliability. Because raters exhibited good, albeit imprecise, reasons and facts, a fuzzy mathematical model of performance rating was developed. The model provides good agreement with observed variations. Copyright © 2014 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

  17. Competency-based assessment in surgeon-performed head and neck ultrasonography

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Todsen, Tobias; Melchiors, Jacob; Charabi, Birgitte

    2017-01-01

    and to establish validity evidence for an objective structured assessment of ultrasound skills (OSAUS) used for competency-based assessment. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective experimental study. METHODS: Six otolaryngologists and 11 US novices were included in a standardized test setup for which they had to perform...... and the diagnostic accuracy was found (Spearman's ρ, 0.85; P competence with good reliability, significant discrimination between US competence levels, and a strong...... correlation of assessment score to diagnostic accuracy. An OSAUS pass/fail score was established and could be used for competence-based assessment in surgeon-performed HNUS. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: NA. Laryngoscope, 2017....

  18. Relationship Between Academic Performance and Student Self-Assessment of Clinical Performance in the College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoho, Robert M; Vardaxis, Vassilios; Millonig, Kelsey

    2016-05-01

    Student self-assessment is viewed as an important tool in medical education. We sought to identify the relationship between student academic performance and third-year clinical performance self-assessment. No such study exists in podiatric medical education. Third-year podiatric medical students from the classes of 2012 through 2014 completed a self-assessment of their performance for each of five broad clinical podiatric medical domains (Professionalism, Medicine, Radiology, Surgery, and Biomechanics/Orthopedics). The assessment was completed after students finished the first 12 weeks of their third-year clinical rotations (PRE) and a second time at the conclusion of the third year (POST). The mean self-assessment score for PRE and POST surveys for all combined domains was determined for each student. This mean was compared with the student's 3-year cumulative grade point average (GPA). Students' clinical experiences for the year were essentially identical. No statistically significant correlation was identified between cumulative GPA and the PRE and POST clinical self-assessments or with the change between PRE and POST assessments based on the Pearson correlation test for each class separately or on the pooled data. Published studies in allopathic medical education have shown that students with lower GPAs tend to rate their clinical performance higher in initial clinical performance self-assessment. Our results show that student academic performance was not correlated with clinical performance self-assessment. These findings may be due to the explicit description of successful clinical competency completion, the orientation students receive before the start of clinical training, and the continuous feedback received from clinical preceptors.

  19. Using performance assessment for radioactive waste disposal decision making -- implementation of the methodology into the third performance assessment iteration of the Greater Confinement Disposal site

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gallegos, D.P.; Conrad, S.H.; Baer, T.A.

    1993-01-01

    The US Department of Energy is responsible for the disposal of a variety of radioactive wastes. Some of these wastes are prohibited from shallow land burial and also do not meet the waste acceptance criteria for proposed waste repositories at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) and Yucca Mountain. These have been termed ''special-case'' waste and require an alternative disposal method. From 1984 to 1989, the Department of Energy disposed of a small quantity of special-case transuranic wastes at the Greater Confinement Disposal (GCD) site at the Nevada Test Site. In this paper, an iterative performance assessment is demonstrated as a useful decision making tool in the overall compliance assessment process for waste disposal. The GCD site has been used as the real-site implementation and test of the performance assessment approach. Through the first two performance assessment iterations for the GCD site, and the transition into the third, we demonstrate how the performance assessment methodology uses probabilistic risk concepts to guide affective decisions about site characterization activities and how it can be used as a powerful tool in bringing compliance decisions to closure

  20. The Empirical Testing of a Musical Performance Assessment Paradigm

    Science.gov (United States)

    Russell, Brian E.

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to test a hypothesized model of aurally perceived performer-controlled musical factors that influence assessments of performance quality. Previous research studies on musical performance constructs, musical achievement, musical expression, and scale construction were examined to identify the factors that influence…

  1. Safety analysis of nuclear containment vessels subjected to strong earthquakes and subsequent tsunamis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Feng Lin

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Nuclear power plants under expansion and under construction in China are mostly located in coastal areas, which means they are at risk of suffering strong earthquakes and subsequent tsunamis. This paper presents a safety analysis for a new reinforced concrete containment vessel in such events. A finite element method-based model was built, verified, and first used to understand the seismic performance of the containment vessel under earthquakes with increased intensities. Then, the model was used to assess the safety performance of the containment vessel subject to an earthquake with peak ground acceleration (PGA of 0.56g and subsequent tsunamis with increased inundation depths, similar to the 2011 Great East earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Results indicated that the containment vessel reached Limit State I (concrete cracking and Limit State II (concrete crushing when the PGAs were in a range of 0.8–1.1g and 1.2–1.7g, respectively. The containment vessel reached Limit State I with a tsunami inundation depth of 10 m after suffering an earthquake with a PGA of 0.56g. A site-specific hazard assessment was conducted to consider the likelihood of tsunami sources.

  2. ENTRY 2003: The international workshop on reliable performance assessment through laboratory experiments and ground surface investigations. 10th anniversary of ENTRY

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ishikawa, Hirohisa; Yui, Mikazu; Uchida, Masahiro; Kamei, Gento

    2004-03-01

    To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the ENTRY, a laboratory in JNC Tokai for R and D in the field of geological disposal of radioactive waste, an international workshop was held in JNC Tokai, during the term of Sept 22 to 24, 2003. A technical tour for the Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory site was also done before the workshop, on October 20 to 21, to deepen understanding the background of discussion in the workshop. The workshop contained two sessions. The topic of each session was 1. long-term transition of the near-field and 2. cooperation among the performance assessment, in-situ experiment, and laboratory experiment, respectively. In the session 1, we mainly discussed the thermal-hydrological-mechanical-chemical (THMC) coupled processes for the near-field performance assessment, especially focusing on chemical degradation effects by cement materials and the status of mechanistic understanding radionuclide migration. Silicate dissolution kinetic model, including smectite dissolution in a hyper alkaline solution, was also discussed. Then, we discussed a relevant linkage among laboratory experiments, model (simulation experiment) and database development, in-situ experiment and natural analogue. In the session 2, we discussed 1) methodology for understanding the site based on the surface and boreholes investigations, 2) identification of remained uncertainty after the surface and boreholes investigations, 3) the critical measurement at the surface and boreholes investigations, 4) feedback items from performance assessment to site characterization and 5) required data besides the site investigation. This report contains the minutes of discussion in the workshop. Presented materials were also appended with permission from the speakers. (author)

  3. Cluster Detection Tests in Spatial Epidemiology: A Global Indicator for Performance Assessment.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aline Guttmann

    Full Text Available In cluster detection of disease, the use of local cluster detection tests (CDTs is current. These methods aim both at locating likely clusters and testing for their statistical significance. New or improved CDTs are regularly proposed to epidemiologists and must be subjected to performance assessment. Because location accuracy has to be considered, performance assessment goes beyond the raw estimation of type I or II errors. As no consensus exists for performance evaluations, heterogeneous methods are used, and therefore studies are rarely comparable. A global indicator of performance, which assesses both spatial accuracy and usual power, would facilitate the exploration of CDTs behaviour and help between-studies comparisons. The Tanimoto coefficient (TC is a well-known measure of similarity that can assess location accuracy but only for one detected cluster. In a simulation study, performance is measured for many tests. From the TC, we here propose two statistics, the averaged TC and the cumulated TC, as indicators able to provide a global overview of CDTs performance for both usual power and location accuracy. We evidence the properties of these two indicators and the superiority of the cumulated TC to assess performance. We tested these indicators to conduct a systematic spatial assessment displayed through performance maps.

  4. Cluster Detection Tests in Spatial Epidemiology: A Global Indicator for Performance Assessment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guttmann, Aline; Li, Xinran; Feschet, Fabien; Gaudart, Jean; Demongeot, Jacques; Boire, Jean-Yves; Ouchchane, Lemlih

    2015-01-01

    In cluster detection of disease, the use of local cluster detection tests (CDTs) is current. These methods aim both at locating likely clusters and testing for their statistical significance. New or improved CDTs are regularly proposed to epidemiologists and must be subjected to performance assessment. Because location accuracy has to be considered, performance assessment goes beyond the raw estimation of type I or II errors. As no consensus exists for performance evaluations, heterogeneous methods are used, and therefore studies are rarely comparable. A global indicator of performance, which assesses both spatial accuracy and usual power, would facilitate the exploration of CDTs behaviour and help between-studies comparisons. The Tanimoto coefficient (TC) is a well-known measure of similarity that can assess location accuracy but only for one detected cluster. In a simulation study, performance is measured for many tests. From the TC, we here propose two statistics, the averaged TC and the cumulated TC, as indicators able to provide a global overview of CDTs performance for both usual power and location accuracy. We evidence the properties of these two indicators and the superiority of the cumulated TC to assess performance. We tested these indicators to conduct a systematic spatial assessment displayed through performance maps. PMID:26086911

  5. Effects of Time-Release Caffeine Containing Supplement on Metabolic Rate, Glycerol Concentration and Performance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adam M. Gonzalez, Jay R. Hoffman, Adam J. Wells, Gerald T. Mangine, Jeremy R. Townsend, Adam R. Jajtner, Ran Wang, Amelia A. Miramonti, Gabriel J. Pruna, Michael B. LaMonica, Jonathan D. Bohner, Mattan W. Hoffman, Leonardo P. Oliveira, David H. Fukuda, Maren S. Fragala, Jeffrey R. Stout

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available This study compared caffeine pharmacokinetics, glycerol concentrations, metabolic rate, and performance measures following ingestion of a time-release caffeine containing supplement (TR-CAF versus a regular caffeine capsule (CAF and a placebo (PL. Following a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, cross-over design, ten males (25.9 ± 3.2 y who regularly consume caffeine ingested capsules containing either TR-CAF, CAF, or PL. Blood draws and performance measures occurred at every hour over an 8-hour period. Plasma caffeine concentrations were significantly greater (p < 0.05 in CAF compared to TR-CAF during hours 2-5 and significantly greater (p = 0.042 in TR-CAF compared to CAF at hour 8. There were no significant differences between trials in glycerol concentrations (p = 0.86 or metabolic measures (p = 0.17-0.91. Physical reaction time was significantly improved for CAF at hour 5 (p=0.01 compared to PL. Average upper body reaction time was significantly improved for CAF and TR-CAF during hours 1-4 (p = 0.04 and p = 0.01, respectively and over the 8-hour period (p = 0.04 and p = 0.001, respectively compared to PL. Average upper body reaction time was also significantly improved for TR-CAF compared to PL during hours 5-8 (p = 0.004. TR-CAF and CAF showed distinct pharmacokinetics yielding modest effects on reaction time, yet did not alter glycerol concentration, metabolic measures, or other performance measures.

  6. Assessing the performance of dynamical trajectory estimates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bröcker, Jochen

    2014-06-01

    Estimating trajectories and parameters of dynamical systems from observations is a problem frequently encountered in various branches of science; geophysicists for example refer to this problem as data assimilation. Unlike as in estimation problems with exchangeable observations, in data assimilation the observations cannot easily be divided into separate sets for estimation and validation; this creates serious problems, since simply using the same observations for estimation and validation might result in overly optimistic performance assessments. To circumvent this problem, a result is presented which allows us to estimate this optimism, thus allowing for a more realistic performance assessment in data assimilation. The presented approach becomes particularly simple for data assimilation methods employing a linear error feedback (such as synchronization schemes, nudging, incremental 3DVAR and 4DVar, and various Kalman filter approaches). Numerical examples considering a high gain observer confirm the theory.

  7. Building quality into performance and safety assessment software

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wojciechowski, L.C.

    2011-01-01

    Quality assurance is integrated throughout the development lifecycle for performance and safety assessment software. The software used in the performance and safety assessment of a Canadian deep geological repository (DGR) follows the CSA quality assurance standard CSA-N286.7 [1], Quality Assurance of Analytical, Scientific and Design Computer Programs for Nuclear Power Plants. Quality assurance activities in this standard include tasks such as verification and inspection; however, much more is involved in producing a quality software computer program. The types of errors found with different verification methods are described. The integrated quality process ensures that defects are found and corrected as early as possible. (author)

  8. Assessing does not mean threatening: the purpose of assessment as a key determinant of girls' and boys' performance in a science class.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Souchal, Carine; Toczek, Marie-Christine; Darnon, Céline; Smeding, Annique; Butera, Fabrizio; Martinot, Delphine

    2014-03-01

    Is it possible to reach performance equality between boys and girls in a science class? Given the stereotypes targeting their groups in scientific domains, diagnostic contexts generally lower girls' performance and non-diagnostic contexts may harm boys' performance. The present study tested the effectiveness of a mastery-oriented assessment, allowing both boys and girls to perform at an optimal level in a science class. Participants were 120 boys and 72 girls (all high-school students). Participants attended a science lesson while expecting a performance-oriented assessment (i.e., an assessment designed to compare and select students), a mastery-oriented assessment (i.e., an assessment designed to help students in their learning), or no assessment of this lesson. In the mastery-oriented assessment condition, both boys and girls performed at a similarly high level, whereas the performance-oriented assessment condition reduced girls' performance and the no-assessment condition reduced boys' performance. One way to increase girls' performance on a science test without harming boys' performance is to present assessment as a tool for improving mastery rather than as a tool for comparing performances. © 2013 The British Psychological Society.

  9. Identification and assessment of containment and release management strategies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lehner, J.R.; Lin, C.C.; Neogy, P.

    1990-01-01

    Brookhaven National Laboratory, under the auspices of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, is investigating accident management strategies which could help preserve containment integrity or minimize releases during a severe accident. The objective is to make use of existing plant systems and equipment in innovative ways to reduce the likelihood of containment failure or to mitigate the release of fission products to the environment if failure cannot be prevented. Many of these strategies would be implemented during the later stages of a severe accident (i.e., after vessel breach) and sizeable uncertainties exist regarding some of the phenomena involved. A majority of the strategies identified go well beyond existing procedures and often depend on the specific containment type. Strategies for all of the five different containments used in the U.S. are being considered: BWR Mark I, Mark II, and Mark III, as well as PWR ice condenser and large dry containments. Accident management strategies related to the in-vessel phase of a severe core melt accident are being dealt with under another NRC program. For each containment type the most likely challenges are identified and existing emergency guidelines and procedures are reviewed as to how they address these challenges

  10. High level waste storage tanks 242-A evaporator S/RID phase II assessment report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Biebesheimer, E.

    1996-09-27

    This document, the Standards/Requirements Identification Document (S/RID) Phase 2 Assessment Report for the subject facility, represents the results of a Performance Assessment to determine whether procedures containing S/RID requirements are fully implemented by field personnel in the field. It contains a summary report and three attachments; an assessment schedule, performance objectives, and assessments for selected functional areas.

  11. Performance assessment development for a LILW repository in Slovenia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zeleznik, N.; Mele, I.

    2001-01-01

    Simultaneously with the site selection process for a low and intermediate level radioactive waste (LILW) repository, the preliminary assessment of the influence of the specific disposal concept on the environment and on the population was developed. The performance assessment team, organized in 1997 by ARAO, prepared several basic studies in order to clarify the objectives of the performance and safety assessment (PA/SA) procedure. In 1999 also the first performance assessment of two safety cases (surface and underground) for generic site for a LILW repository was realized. In the year 2000 activities on PA/SA analyses continued. A systematic, generic list was prepared of all possible features, events and processes (FEP list) predictable for surface or underground LILW disposal in Slovenia. Recommended and selected were the most reliable scenarios with conceptual models for LILW disposal in normal and altered evolution conditions. New verification of the obtained results was done with more powerful and accurate models for the surface repository over an aquifer of lower water permeability and an underground repository in a plastic rock. The results for both generic cases under normal evolution scenarios showed that there is a negligible dose influence on members of the critical population due to the migration of radionuclides from the foreseen LILW repository. The results of the already performed work as well as plans for the future activities are presented in the paper.(author)

  12. Beneficial effects of an investigational wristband containing Synsepalum dulcificum (miracle fruit) seed oil on the performance of hand and finger motor skills in healthy subjects: A randomized controlled preliminary study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gorin, Steven; Wakeford, Charles; Zhang, Guodong; Sukamtoh, Elvira; Matteliano, Charles Joseph; Finch, Alfred Earl

    2018-02-01

    Miracle fruit (Synsepalum dulcificum) seed oil (MFSO) contains phytochemicals and nutrients reported to affect musculoskeletal performance. The purpose of this study was to assess the safety and efficacy of a compression wristband containing MFSO on its ability to measurably improve the hand and finger motor skills of participants. Healthy right-handed participants (n = 38) were randomized in this double-blind, placebo-controlled study of MFSO and vehicle wristbands. Subjects wore the wristband on their left hand 4-6 weeks and then only on their right hand 2-4 weeks; the contralateral untreated hand served as an additional control. Twelve hand/finger motor skills were measured using quantitative bio-instrumentation tests, and subject self-assessment questionnaires were conducted. With each hand, in 9/12 tests, the MFSO group showed a clinically meaningful average improvement compared with an average worsening in the vehicle group. Statistical superiority to the control treatment group was exhibited in 9/12 tests for each hand (p motor skills. Use of the MFSO wristband may improve an individual's manual dexterity skills and ability to maintain this performance. Copyright © 2017 The Authors Phytotherapy Research Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  13. SKI SITE-94. Deep Repository Performance Assessment Project. Summary

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1997-02-01

    The function of SITE-94 is to provide the Swedish Nuclear Power Inspectorate (SKI) with the capacity and supporting knowledge needed for reviewing the Swedish nuclear industry's R and D programs and for reviewing license applications, as stipulated in Swedish legislation. The report is structured as a Performance Assessment exercise needed for input to decisions regarding repository safety, but the SITE-94 is neither a safety assessment nor a model for future assessments to be undertaken by the prospective licensee. The specific project objectives of SITE-94 comprise site evaluation, performance assessment methodology, canister integrity and radionuclide release and transport calculations. The main report (SKI-R--96-36) gives a detailed description of the many inter-related studies undertaken as part of the research project, while the present report presents a condensed summary of the main report. 46 refs

  14. Improvement of biosphere assessment methodology for performance assessment of geological disposal facility. 2. Outline

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miki, Takahito; Yoshida, Hideji; Ikeda, Takao

    2002-02-01

    This report contains results on study of Geosphere-Biosphere Interface (GBI), development of biosphere assessment model for gaseous and volatile radionuclides, review of biosphere assessment and research on safety indicators. Regarding study of Geosphere-Biosphere Interface (GBI), FEP database for the Geosphere-Biosphere Transitions Zone (GBTZ) were compiled. Furthermore, release scenarios were identified from the FEP database, and review of conservativeness and robustness of the conceptual and mathematical models developed previously by JNC were undertaken. Regarding development of biosphere assessment model for gaseous and volatile radionuclides, the conceptual and mathematical models were developed, and it was confirmed that the impact of the exposure pathway regarding gas release to flux-to-dose conversion factor is small. Regarding review of biosphere assessment data, the parameters which were used on JNC second progress report were reviewed and classified using the biosphere data protocol categories. Furthermore, the data for key parameter (important but poorly characterized parameters) were revised. Regarding research on safety indicator, some kinds of safety indicators, especially for the non-radioactive contaminant and for the non-human biota, are reviewed. (author)

  15. Methodology of containment response analysis for the Probabilistic Safety Assessment -PSA of the CAREM-25 nuclear power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baron, Jorge

    1996-01-01

    This work is part of the Probabilistic Safety Assessment actually under development for the CAREM-25 Nuclear Power Station, and departs from the accident sequences already obtained and quantified by the Event Trees/Fault Trees techniques. At first, the potential containment failure modes for nuclear stations are listed, based on the experience. Then, the CAREM-25 design peculiarities are analyzed, on their possible influence on the containment behavior during, severe accidents. Then Plan Damage States are then defined. Furthermore, Containment Damage States are also defined, and Containment Event Trees are built for each Plant Damage State. Those sequences considered representative from the annual probability (those which exceed or equal a probability of 1E-09 per year, are used to quantify the combinations of Plant Damage States/Containment Damage States, based on the estimation of a Vulnerability Matrix. (author)

  16. Effect of air condition on AP-1000 containment cooling performance in station black out accident

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hendro Tjahjono

    2015-01-01

    AP1000 reactor is a nuclear power plant generation III+ 1000 MWe which apply passive cooling concept to anticipate accidents triggered by the extinction of the entire supply of electrical power or Station Black Out (SBO). In the AP1000 reactor, decay heat disposal mechanism conducted passively through the PRHR-IRWST and subsequently forwarded to the reactor containment. Containment externally cooled through natural convection in the air gap and through evaporation cooling water poured on the outer surface of the containment wall. The mechanism of evaporation of water into the air outside is strongly influenced by the conditions of humidity and air temperature. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent of the influence of the air condition on cooling capabilities of the AP1000 containment. The method used is to perform simulations using Matlab-based analytical calculation model capable of estimating the power of heat transferred. The simulation results showed a decrease in power up to 5% for relative humidity rose from 10% to 95%, while the variation of air temperature of 10°C to 40°C, the power will decrease up to 15%. It can be concluded that the effect of air temperature increase is much more significant in lowering the containment cooling ability compared with the increase of humidity. (author)

  17. Tailored model abstraction in performance assessments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kessler, J.H.

    1995-01-01

    Total System Performance Assessments (TSPAs) are likely to be one of the most significant parts of making safety cases for the continued development and licensing of geologic repositories for the disposal of spent fuel and HLW. Thus, it is critical that the TSPA model capture the 'essence' of the physical processes relevant to demonstrating the appropriate regulation is met. But how much detail about the physical processes must be modeled and understood before there is enough confidence that the appropriate essence has been captured? In this summary the level of model abstraction that is required is discussed. Approaches for subsystem and total system performance analyses are outlined, and the role of best estimate models is examined. It is concluded that a conservative approach for repository performance, based on limited amount of field and laboratory data, can provide sufficient confidence for a regulatory decision

  18. Performance of japanese quails fed feeds containing different corn and limestone particle sizes

    OpenAIRE

    Berto,DA; Garcia,EA; Móri,C; Faitarone,ABG; Pelícia,K; Molino,AB

    2007-01-01

    This study aimed at evaluating performance and egg quality of Japanese quails fed feeds containing different corn and limestone particle sizes. A total number of 648 birds in the peak of production was distributed in a random complete block experimental design, using a 2x3 factorial arrangement (2 corn particle sizes and 3 limestone particle sizes). Birds were designated to one of two blocks, with six replicates of 18 birds each. Mean geometric diameter (MGD) values used were 0.617mm and 0.72...

  19. Development and analysis of vent-filtered containment conceptual designs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Benjamin, A.S.; Walling, H.C.

    1980-01-01

    Conceptual filtered-vented containment systems have been postulated for a reference large, dry, pressurized water reactor containment, and the systems have been analyzed to determine design parameters, actuation/operation requirements, and overall feasibility. The primary design challenge has been found to emanate from pressure spikes caused by core debris bed interactions with water and by hydrogen deflagrations. Circumvention of the pressure spikes may require a more complicated actuation logic than has previously been considered. Otherwise, major reductions in consequences for certain severe accidents appear to be possible with relatively simple systems. A probabilistic assessment of competing risks remains to be performed

  20. Branch technical position for performance assessment of low-level radioactive waste disposal facilities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Campbell, A.C.; Abramson, L.; Byrne, R.M.

    1994-01-01

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has developed a Draft Branch Technical Position on Performance Assessment of Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Facilities. The draft technical position addresses important issues in performance assessment modeling and provides a framework and technical basis for conducting and evaluating performance assessments in a disposal facility license application. The technical position also addresses specific technical policy issues and augments existing NRC guidance pertaining to LLW performance assessment