Reconfigurable Autonomy for Future Planetary Rovers

Science.gov (United States)

Burroughes, Guy

Extra-terrestrial Planetary rover systems are uniquely remote, placing constraints in regard to communication, environmental uncertainty, and limited physical resources, and requiring a high level of fault tolerance and resistance to hardware degradation. This thesis presents a novel self-reconfiguring autonomous software architecture designed to meet the needs of extraterrestrial planetary environments. At runtime it can safely reconfigure low-level control systems, high-level decisional autonomy systems, and managed software architecture. The architecture can perform automatic Verification and Validation of self-reconfiguration at run-time, and enables a system to be self-optimising, self-protecting, and self-healing. A novel self-monitoring system, which is non-invasive, efficient, tunable, and autonomously deploying, is also presented. The architecture was validated through the use-case of a highly autonomous extra-terrestrial planetary exploration rover. Three major forms of reconfiguration were demonstrated and tested: first, high level adjustment of system internal architecture and goal; second, software module modification; and third, low level alteration of hardware control in response to degradation of hardware and environmental change. The architecture was demonstrated to be robust and effective in a Mars sample return mission use-case testing the operational aspects of a novel, reconfigurable guidance, navigation, and control system for a planetary rover, all operating in concert through a scenario that required reconfiguration of all elements of the system.

Reconfigurable fault tolerant avionics system

Science.gov (United States)

Ibrahim, M. M.; Asami, K.; Cho, Mengu

This paper presents the design of a reconfigurable avionics system based on modern Static Random Access Memory (SRAM)-based Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) to be used in future generations of nano satellites. A major concern in satellite systems and especially nano satellites is to build robust systems with low-power consumption profiles. The system is designed to be flexible by providing the capability of reconfiguring itself based on its orbital position. As Single Event Upsets (SEU) do not have the same severity and intensity in all orbital locations, having the maximum at the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) and the polar cusps, the system does not have to be fully protected all the time in its orbit. An acceptable level of protection against high-energy cosmic rays and charged particles roaming in space is provided within the majority of the orbit through software fault tolerance. Check pointing and roll back, besides control flow assertions, is used for that level of protection. In the minority part of the orbit where severe SEUs are expected to exist, a reconfiguration for the system FPGA is initiated where the processor systems are triplicated and protection through Triple Modular Redundancy (TMR) with feedback is provided. This technique of reconfiguring the system as per the level of the threat expected from SEU-induced faults helps in reducing the average dynamic power consumption of the system to one-third of its maximum. This technique can be viewed as a smart protection through system reconfiguration. The system is built on the commercial version of the (XC5VLX50) Xilinx Virtex5 FPGA on bulk silicon with 324 IO. Simulations of orbit SEU rates were carried out using the SPENVIS web-based software package.

Comparison of selected DOE and non-DOE requirements, standards, and practices for Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cole, L.; Kudera, D.; Newberry, W.

1995-12-01

This document results from the Secretary of Energy's response to Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board Recommendation 94--2. The Secretary stated that the US Department of Energy (DOE) would ''address such issues as...the need for additional requirements, standards, and guidance on low-level radioactive waste management. '' The authors gathered information and compared DOE requirements and standards for the safety aspects Of low-level disposal with similar requirements and standards of non-DOE entities

A multi-attribute utility decision analysis for treatment alternatives for the DOE/SR aluminum-based spent nuclear fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davis, Freddie J.; Weiner, Ruth Fleischman; Wheeler, Timothy A.; Sorenson, Ken B.; Kuzio, Kenneth A.

2000-01-01

A multi-attribute utility analysis is applied to a decision process to select a treatment method for the management of aluminum-based spent nuclear fuel (Al-SNF) owned by the US Department of Energy (DOE). DOE will receive, treat, and temporarily store Al-SNF, most of which is composed of highly enriched uranium, at its Savannah River Site in South Carolina. DOE intends ultimately to send the treated Al-SNF to a geologic repository for permanent disposal. DOE initially considered ten treatment alternatives for the management of Al-SNF, and has narrowed the choice to two of these: the direct disposal and melt and dilute alternatives. The decision analysis presented in this document focuses on a formal decision process used to evaluate these two remaining alternatives

Nuclear modification factor using Tsallis non-extensive statistics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tripathy, Sushanta; Garg, Prakhar; Kumar, Prateek; Sahoo, Raghunath [Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Discipline of Physics, School of Basic Sciences, Simrol (India); Bhattacharyya, Trambak; Cleymans, Jean [University of Cape Town, UCT-CERN Research Centre and Department of Physics, Rondebosch (South Africa)

2016-09-15

The nuclear modification factor is derived using Tsallis non-extensive statistics in relaxation time approximation. The variation of the nuclear modification factor with transverse momentum for different values of the non-extensive parameter, q, is also observed. The experimental data from RHIC and LHC are analysed in the framework of Tsallis non-extensive statistics in a relaxation time approximation. It is shown that the proposed approach explains the R{sub AA} of all particles over a wide range of transverse momentum but does not seem to describe the rise in R{sub AA} at very high transverse momenta. (orig.)

Nuclear weapons complex

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rezendes, V.S.

1992-04-01

In addition to long-standing safety and environmental problems plaguing the nuclear weapons complex, this paper reports that the Department of Energy (DOE) faces a major new challenge-how to reconfigure the weapons complex to meet the nation's defense needs in the 21st century. Key decisions still need to be made about the size of the complex; where, if necessary, to relocate various operations; what technologies to use for new tritium production; and what to do with excess weapons-grade material. The choices confronting DOE and Congress are difficult given the conflicting demands for limited resources

Non-LTE effects in Al I lines

Science.gov (United States)

Menzhevitski, V. S.; Shimansky, V. V.; Shimanskaya, N. N.

2012-07-01

We present the theoretical analysis of the Al I line formation in the spectra of late-type stars ignoring the assumption of local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE). The calculations were based on the 39-level aluminum atom model for one-dimensional hydrostatic stellar atmosphere models with the parameters: T eff from 4000 to 9000 K, log g = 0.0-4.5, and metallicity [ A] = 0.0;-1.0;-2.0;-3.0;-4.0. The aluminum atom model and the method of calculations were tested by the study of line profiles in the solar spectrum. We refined the oscillator strengths and Van-der-Vaals broadening constants C 6 of the investigated transitions. We conclude that the Al I atom is in the overionization state: the 3 p level is underpopulated in the line formation region. This leads to the line weakening, as compared with the LTE results. The overionization effect becomes more pronounced with increasing temperature and decreasing metallicity. We show that the use of various atomic data (ionization cross-sections) for the low levels of Al I does not change the behavior of non-LTE deviations, whereas the value of these deviations varies essentially. For nine selected Al I lines we calculated the grids of theoretical non-LTE corrections (Δ X NLTE = log ɛ NLTE - log ɛ LTE) to the Al abundances determinedwith the LTE assumption. The non-LTE corrections are positive and significant for the stars with temperatures T eff > 6000 K. These corrections weakly depend on log g, and increase with declining stellar metallicity.

Nuclear data needs for non-intrusive inspection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, D. L.; Michlich, B. J.

2000-01-01

Various nuclear-based techniques are being explored for use in non-intrusive inspection. Their development is motivated by the need to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons, to thwart trafficking in illicit narcotics, to stop the transport of explosives by terrorist organizations, to characterize nuclear waste, and to deal with various other societal concerns. Non-intrusive methods are sought in order to optimize inspection speed, to minimize damage to packages and containers, to satisfy environmental, health and safety requirements, to adhere to legal requirements, and to avoid inconveniencing the innocent. These inspection techniques can be grouped into two major categories: active and passive. They almost always require the use of highly penetrating radiation and therefore are generally limited to neutrons and gamma rays. Although x-rays are widely employed for these purposes, their use does not constitute nuclear technology and therefore is not discussed here. This paper examines briefly the basic concepts associated with nuclear inspection and investigates the related nuclear data needs. These needs are illustrated by considering four of the methods currently being developed and tested

Nuclear data needs for non-intrusive inspection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, D.L.; Micklich, B.J.

2001-01-01

Various nuclear-based techniques are being explored for use in non-intrusive inspection. Their development is motivated by the need to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons, to thwart trafficking in illicit narcotics, to stop the transport of explosives by terrorist organizations, to characterize nuclear waste, and to deal with various other societal concerns. Non-intrusive methods are sought in order to optimize inspection speed, to minimize damage to packages and containers, to satisfy environmental, health and safety requirements, to adhere to legal requirements, and to avoid inconveniencing the innocent. These inspection techniques can be grouped into two major categories: active and passive. They almost always require the use of highly penetrating radiation and therefore are generally limited to neutrons and gamma rays. Although x-rays are widely employed for these purposes, their use does not constitute 'nuclear technology' and therefore is not discussed here. This paper examines briefly the basic concepts associated with nuclear inspection and investigates the related nuclear data needs. These needs are illustrated by considering four of the methods currently being developed and tested. (author)

Status of the DOE's foreign research reactor spent nuclear fuel acceptance program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chacey, K.; Saris, E.C.

1997-01-01

In May 1996, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), in consultation with the U.S. Department of State (DOS), adopted a policy to accept and manage in the United States ∼20 tonnes of spent nuclear fuel from research reactors in up to 41 countries. This spent fuel is being accepted under the nuclear weapons non-proliferation policy concerning foreign research reactor spent nuclear fuel. Only spent fuel containing uranium enriched in the United States is covered under this policy. Implementing this policy is a top priority of the DOE. The purpose of this paper is to provide the current status of the foreign research reactor acceptance program, including achievements to date and future challenges

Nuclear power generation and nuclear non-proliferation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rathjens, G.

1979-01-01

The main points existing between nuclear energy development and nuclear non-proliferation policy are reviewed. The solar energy and other energy will replace for nuclear fission energy in the twenty first century, but it may not occur in the first half, and the structure has to be established to continue the development of nuclear fission technology, including breeder reactor technology. In the near future, it should be encouraged to use advanced thermal reactors if they are economic and operated with safety. Miserable results may be created in the worldwide scale, if a serious accident occurs anywhere or nuclear power reactors are utilized for military object. It is estimated to be possible to develop the ability of manufacturing nuclear weapons within two or three years in the countries where the industry is highly developed so as to generate nuclear power. It is also difficult to take measures so that nuclear power generation does not increase nuclear proliferation problems, and it is necessary to mitigate the motive and to establish the international organization. Concensus exists that as the minimum security action, the storage and transportation of materials, which can be directly utilized for nuclear weapons, should be decided by the international system. The most portions of sensitive nuclear fuel cycle should be put under the international management, as far as possible. This problem is discussed in INFCE. Related to the nuclear nonproliferation, the difference of policy in fuel cycle problems between USA and the other countries, the enrichment of nuclear fuel material, especially the reasons to inhibit the construction of additional enrichment facilities, nuclear fuel reprocessing problems, radioactive waste disposal, plutonium stock and plutonium recycle problems are reviewed. (Nakai, Y.)

Problems and solutions in application of IEEE standards at Savannah River Site, Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Y.S.; Bowers, T.L.; Chopra, B.J.; Thompson, T.T.; Zimmerman, E.W.

1993-01-01

The Department of Energy (DOE) Nuclear Material Production Facilities at the Savannah River Site (SRS) were designed, constructed, and placed into operation in the early 1950's, based on existing industry codes/standards, design criteria, analytical procedures. Since that time, DOE has developed Orders and Polices for the planning, design and construction of DOE Nuclear Reactor Facilities which invoke or reference commercial nuclear reactor codes and standards. The application of IEEE reactor design requirements such as Equipment Qualification, Seismic Qualification, Single Failure Criteria, and Separation Requirement, to non-reactor facilities has been a problem since the IEEE reactor criteria do not directly confirm to the needs of non-reactor facilities. SRS Systems Engineering is developing a methodology for the application of IEEE Standards to non-reactor facilities at SRS

Nuclear quadrupole resonance of 93Nb in ternary phases on the bases of Nb3Al compound

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matukhin, V.L.; Safin, I.A.; Shamraj, V.F.

1980-01-01

Results of investigations into concentration dependences of 93 Nb spectrum parameters of nuclear quadrupole resonance (n.g.r.) (frequencies of n.g.r. transitions, rates of nuclear spin - lattice relaxation R) in triple phases which appear as a result of Nb 3 Al compound alloying with Zr, Ga, Sn, are presented. Nb 3 Al alloying with gallium does not considerably change the R value (R-rate of nuclear spin - lattice relaxation, while alloying with zirconium decreases it to a noticeable extent. It is 30% less in the triple phase than in the Nb 3 Al compound. R alterations, frequency reduction in the 93 Nb n.q.r. spectrum and the decrease of constant of the quadrupole bond point to the alteration of the spatial electron distribution around a niobium atom during alloying [ru

Review of oxidation rates of DOE spent nuclear fuel : Part 1 : nuclear fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hilton, B.A.

2000-01-01

The long-term performance of Department of Energy (DOE) spent nuclear fuel (SNF) in a mined geologic disposal system depends highly on fuel oxidation and subsequent radionuclide release. The oxidation rates of nuclear fuels are reviewed in this two-volume report to provide a baseline for comparison with release rate data and technical rationale for predicting general corrosion behavior of DOE SNF. The oxidation rates of nuclear fuels in the DOE SNF inventory were organized according to metallic, Part 1, and non-metallic, Part 2, spent nuclear fuels. This Part 1 of the report reviews the oxidation behavior of three fuel types prototypic of metallic fuel in the DOE SNF inventory: uranium metal, uranium alloys and aluminum-based dispersion fuels. The oxidation rates of these fuels were evaluated in oxygen, water vapor, and water. The water data were limited to pure water corrosion as this represents baseline corrosion kinetics. Since the oxidation processes and kinetics discussed in this report are limited to pure water, they are not directly applicable to corrosion rates of SNF in water chemistry that is significantly different (such as may occur in the repository). Linear kinetics adequately described the oxidation rates of metallic fuels in long-term corrosion. Temperature dependent oxidation rates were determined by linear regression analysis of the literature data. As expected the reaction rates of metallic fuels dramatically increase with temperature. The uranium metal and metal alloys have stronger temperature dependence than the aluminum dispersion fuels. The uranium metal/water reaction exhibited the highest oxidation rate of the metallic fuel types and environments that were reviewed. Consequently, the corrosion properties of all DOE SNF may be conservatively modeled as uranium metal, which is representative of spent N-Reactor fuel. The reaction rate in anoxic, saturated water vapor was essentially the same as the water reaction rate. The long-term intrinsic

Crisis as opportunity. Implications of the nuclear conflict with Iran for the nuclear non-proliferation regime

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meier, Oliver

2014-01-01

The conflict over the Iranian nuclear programme represents the greatest challenge for international efforts to prevent nuclear proliferation. For decades Iran has been violating obligations contained in its safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in order to become nuclear weapons capable. But what impact does the conflict over Tehran's nuclear programme have on the nuclear non-proliferation regime? In three areas there is significant overlap between efforts to find a solution with Iran and broader discussions about strengthening non-proliferation norms, rules and procedures: verification of civilian nuclear programmes, limiting the ability to produce weapons-grade fissile materials, and nuclear fuel supply guarantees. The nuclear dispute with Tehran is likely to have specific effects in each of these fields on the non-proliferation regime's norms, rules and procedures. The ninth NPT review conference, which will take place from 27 April to 22 May 2015, offers an opportunity to draw lessons from the nuclear conflict and discuss ideas for further strengthening the regime. Germany is the only non-nuclear-weapon state within the E3+3 group and the strongest proponent of nuclear disarmament. As a supporter of effective multilateralism, Berlin also bears a special responsibility for ensuring that steps to strengthen nuclear verification and control efforts in the talks with Iran also reflect the non-nuclear-weapon states' interest in disarmament and transparency on the part of the nuclear-weapons states.

Crisis as opportunity. Implications of the nuclear conflict with Iran for the nuclear non-proliferation regime

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Meier, Oliver

2014-11-15

The conflict over the Iranian nuclear programme represents the greatest challenge for international efforts to prevent nuclear proliferation. For decades Iran has been violating obligations contained in its safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in order to become nuclear weapons capable. But what impact does the conflict over Tehran's nuclear programme have on the nuclear non-proliferation regime? In three areas there is significant overlap between efforts to find a solution with Iran and broader discussions about strengthening non-proliferation norms, rules and procedures: verification of civilian nuclear programmes, limiting the ability to produce weapons-grade fissile materials, and nuclear fuel supply guarantees. The nuclear dispute with Tehran is likely to have specific effects in each of these fields on the non-proliferation regime's norms, rules and procedures. The ninth NPT review conference, which will take place from 27 April to 22 May 2015, offers an opportunity to draw lessons from the nuclear conflict and discuss ideas for further strengthening the regime. Germany is the only non-nuclear-weapon state within the E3+3 group and the strongest proponent of nuclear disarmament. As a supporter of effective multilateralism, Berlin also bears a special responsibility for ensuring that steps to strengthen nuclear verification and control efforts in the talks with Iran also reflect the non-nuclear-weapon states' interest in disarmament and transparency on the part of the nuclear-weapons states.

Nuclear Data Activities in Support of the DOE Nuclear Criticality Safety Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Westfall, R.M.; McKnight, R.D.

2005-01-01

The DOE Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP) provides the technical infrastructure maintenance for those technologies applied in the evaluation and performance of safe fissionable-material operations in the DOE complex. These technologies include an Analytical Methods element for neutron transport as well as the development of sensitivity/uncertainty methods, the performance of Critical Experiments, evaluation and qualification of experiments as Benchmarks, and a comprehensive Nuclear Data program coordinated by the NCSP Nuclear Data Advisory Group (NDAG).The NDAG gathers and evaluates differential and integral nuclear data, identifies deficiencies, and recommends priorities on meeting DOE criticality safety needs to the NCSP Criticality Safety Support Group (CSSG). Then the NDAG identifies the required resources and unique capabilities for meeting these needs, not only for performing measurements but also for data evaluation with nuclear model codes as well as for data processing for criticality safety applications. The NDAG coordinates effort with the leadership of the National Nuclear Data Center, the Cross Section Evaluation Working Group (CSEWG), and the Working Party on International Evaluation Cooperation (WPEC) of the OECD/NEA Nuclear Science Committee. The overall objective is to expedite the issuance of new data and methods to the DOE criticality safety user. This paper describes these activities in detail, with examples based upon special studies being performed in support of criticality safety for a variety of DOE operations

Application of the DOE Nuclear Safety Policy goal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coles, G.A.; Hey, B.E.; Leach, D.S.; Muhlestein, L.D.

1992-08-01

The US Department of Energy (DOE) issued their Nuclear Safety Policy for implementation on September 9, 1991. The statement noted that it was the DOE's policy that the general public should be protected such that no individual would bear significant additional risk to health and safety from operation of their nuclear facilities above the risks to which members of the general population were normally exposed. The intent is that from the nuclear safety policy will follow specific safety rules, orders, standards and other requirements. The DOE Nuclear Safety Policy provides general statements in the areas of management involvement and accountability, providing technically competent personnel, oversight and self-assessment, promoting a safety culture, and quantitative safety goals as aiming points for performance. In general, most DOE Management and Operating Contractors should have programs in place which address the general statements noted above. Thus, compliance with the general statements of the DOE Nuclear Safety Policy should present no significant difficulty. Consequently, the focus of this paper will be the two quantitative safety goals reproduced below from the DOE Nuclear Safety Policy. ''The risk to an average individual in the vicinity of a DOE facility for prompt fatalities that might result from accidents should not exceed one tenth of one percent (0.1 %) of the sum of prompt fatalities resulting from other accidents to which members of the population are generally exposed. For evaluation purposes, individuals are assumed to be located within one mile of the site boundary.'' ''The risk to the population in the area of a DOE nuclear facility for cancer fatalities that might result from operations should not exceed one tenth of one percent (0.1 %) of the sum of all cancer fatality risks resulting from all other causes. For evaluation purposes, individuals are assumed to be located within 10 miles of the site boundary.''

DOE not planning to accept spent nuclear fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1995-01-01

Samuel K. Skinner, president of Commonwealth Edison Co. (ComEd), said open-quotes The federal government has a clear responsibility to begin accepting spent nuclear fuel in 1988,close quotes citing the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Based in Chicago, ComEd operates 12 nuclear units, making it the nation's largest nuclear utility. open-quotes Since 1983, the consumers who use electricity produced at all nuclear power plants have been paying to fund federal management of spent nuclear fuel. Consumer payments and obligations, with interest, now total more than $10 billion. Electricity consumers have held up their side of the deal. The federal government must do the same,close quotes Skinner added. Skinner represented the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) before the committee. NEI is the Washington-based trade association of the nuclear energy industries. For more than 12 years, utility customers have been paying one-tenth of a cent per kWhr to fund a federal spent fuel management program under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982. Under this act, the federal government assumed responsibility for management of spent fuel from the nation's nuclear power plants. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) was assigned to manage the storage and disposal program. DOE committed to begin accepting spent fuel from nuclear power plants by January 31, 1988. DOE has spent almost $5 million studying a site in Nevada, but is about 12 years behind schedule and does not plan to accept spent fuel beginning in 1998. DOE has said a permanent storage site will not be ready until 2010. This poses a major problem for many of the nation's nuclear power plants which supply about 20% of the electricity in the US

Safety Oversight of Decommissioning Activities at DOE Nuclear Sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zull, Lawrence M.; Yeniscavich, William

2008-01-01

The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (Board) is an independent federal agency established by Congress in 1988 to provide nuclear safety oversight of activities at U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) defense nuclear facilities. The activities under the Board's jurisdiction include the design, construction, startup, operation, and decommissioning of defense nuclear facilities at DOE sites. This paper reviews the Board's safety oversight of decommissioning activities at DOE sites, identifies the safety problems observed, and discusses Board initiatives to improve the safety of decommissioning activities at DOE sites. The decommissioning of former defense nuclear facilities has reduced the risk of radioactive material contamination and exposure to the public and site workers. In general, efforts to perform decommissioning work at DOE defense nuclear sites have been successful, and contractors performing decommissioning work have a good safety record. Decommissioning activities have recently been completed at sites identified for closure, including the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, the Fernald Closure Project, and the Miamisburg Closure Project (the Mound site). The Rocky Flats and Fernald sites, which produced plutonium parts and uranium materials for defense needs (respectively), have been turned into wildlife refuges. The Mound site, which performed R and D activities on nuclear materials, has been converted into an industrial and technology park called the Mound Advanced Technology Center. The DOE Office of Legacy Management is responsible for the long term stewardship of these former EM sites. The Board has reviewed many decommissioning activities, and noted that there are valuable lessons learned that can benefit both DOE and the contractor. As part of its ongoing safety oversight responsibilities, the Board and its staff will continue to review the safety of DOE and contractor decommissioning activities at DOE defense nuclear sites

Impact of reconfiguration period and photovoltaic penetration on distribution grid reconfiguration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chittur Ramaswamy, Parvathy; Deconinck, Geert; Pillai, Jayakrishnan Radhakrishna

2014-01-01

of reconfiguration and its impact on network losses in the context of time-varying load. Though reconfiguring a network reduces the losses, this paper calls for a comparison of number of switching vs. the loss reduction in order to decide the period of reconfiguration. This paper considers also the impact of varying...... photovoltaic (PV) penetration on the resulting optimal configuration. It validates the method of using a parameter namely minimum loss reduction parameter to avoid tedious computational efforts in finding the optimal configuration when an infinitesimal change in PV penetration occurs....

Roles and Self-Reconfigurable Robots

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dvinge, Nicolai; Schultz, Ulrik Pagh; Christensen, David Johan

2007-01-01

A self-reconfigurable robot is a robotic device that can change its own shape. Self-reconfigurable robots are commonly built from multiple identical modules that can manipulate each other to change the shape of the robot. The robot can also perform tasks such as locomotion without changing shape......., significantly simplifying the task of programming self-reconfigurable robots. Our language fully supports programming the ATRON self-reconfigurable robot, and has been used to implement several controllers running both on the physical modules and in simulation.......A self-reconfigurable robot is a robotic device that can change its own shape. Self-reconfigurable robots are commonly built from multiple identical modules that can manipulate each other to change the shape of the robot. The robot can also perform tasks such as locomotion without changing shape....... Programming a modular, self-reconfigurable robot is however a complicated task: the robot is essentially a real-time, distributed embedded system, where control and communication paths often are tightly coupled to the current physical configuration of the robot. To facilitate the task of programming modular...

Classification of Reconfiguration Resources and Lead Time for Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ing. Erik Puik; Daniël Telgen; Leo van Moergestel; Darek Ceglarek

2014-01-01

From the article: Manufacturing technology can improve the turnover of a company if it enables fast market introduction for volume production. Reconfigurable equipment is developed to meet the growing demand for more agile production. Modular reconfiguration, defined as changing the structure of

PV Reconfiguration Systems: a Technical and Economic Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Caruso M.

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Dynamical electrical array reconfiguration strategies for grid-connected PV systems have been proposed as solution to improve energy production due to the mismatch effect of PV plants during partial shading conditions. Strategies are based on the use of dynamic connections between PV panels given by the employment of switches that allow for each panel the series, parallel or exclusion connections, physically changing the electrical connections between the related PV modules, consequentially modifying the layout of the plant. Usually the cost of the dynamic matrix is not taken into account. This novel work evaluates the economic advantages obtained by the use of reconfiguration strategies in PV systems, by taking into consideration the price of energy due to incentives in different European and non-European countries and correlates it with the employment of two types of reconfigurators, with different internal structures. For each of the incentives proposed by the different Countries, the main strength and weakness points of the possible investment are highlighted and critically analyzed. From this analysis, it can be stated that the adoption of reconfiguration systems, in certain cases, can be a very convenient solution.

First annual report on nuclear non-proliferation: supplement to annual report to Congress

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-01-01

Section 602 of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Act of 1978 (NNPA) requires that DOE's Annual Report include views and recommendations regarding non-proliferation policies and actions for which the Department is responsible. The Act also requires a detailed analysis of the proliferation implications of advanced enrichment and reprocessing techniques, advanced reactors, and alternative fuel cycles, including an unclassified summary and a comprehensive version containing relevant classified information. The goals of United States non-proliferation policy are to minimize the spread of nuclear weapons and to create a stable international environment for the peaceful use of nuclear energy

Licensed reactor nuclear safety criteria applicable to DOE reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-04-01

The Department of Energy (DOE) Order DOE 5480.6, Safety of Department of Energy-Owned Nuclear Reactors, establishes reactor safety requirements to assure that reactors are sited, designed, constructed, modified, operated, maintained, and decommissioned in a manner that adequately protects health and safety and is in accordance with uniform standards, guides, and codes which are consistent with those applied to comparable licensed reactors. This document identifies nuclear safety criteria applied to NRC [Nuclear Regulatory Commission] licensed reactors. The titles of the chapters and sections of USNRC Regulatory Guide 1.70, Standard Format and Content of Safety Analysis Reports for Nuclear Power Plants, Rev. 3, are used as the format for compiling the NRC criteria applied to the various areas of nuclear safety addressed in a safety analysis report for a nuclear reactor. In each section the criteria are compiled in four groups: (1) Code of Federal Regulations, (2) US NRC Regulatory Guides, SRP Branch Technical Positions and Appendices, (3) Codes and Standards, and (4) Supplemental Information. The degree of application of these criteria to a DOE-owned reactor, consistent with their application to comparable licensed reactors, must be determined by the DOE and DOE contractor

Advances in Reconfigurable Mechanisms and Robots I

CERN Document Server

Zoppi, Matteo; Kong, Xianwen

2012-01-01

Advances in Reconfigurable Mechanisms and Robots I provides a selection of key papers presented in The Second ASME/IFToMM International Conference on Reconfigurable Mechanisms and Robots (ReMAR 2012) held on 9th -11th  July 2012 in Tianjin, China. This ongoing series of conferences will be covered in this ongoing collection of books.   A total of seventy-eight papers are divided into seven parts to cover the topology, kinematics and design of reconfigurable mechanisms with the reconfiguration theory, analysis and synthesis, and present the current research and development in the field of reconfigurable mechanisms including reconfigurable parallel mechanisms. In this aspect, the recent study and development of reconfigurable robots are further presented with the analysis and design and with their control and development. The bio-inspired mechanisms and subsequent reconfiguration are explored in the challenging fields of rehabilitation and minimally invasive surgery. Advances in Reconfigurable Mechanisms and ...

Indonesia ratifies the treaty on non proliferation of nuclear weapons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moendi Poernomo

1979-01-01

By Act no. 8 of 1978 Indonesia ratified the treaty on the non proliferation of nuclear weapons. This means that Indonesia became a party to the treaty. Ratification does not guarantee that Indonesia will automatically obtain assistance in developing its nuclear technology capability, but in this way at least Indonesia demonstrates its intention to promote world peace as clearly stated in the Main Guide Lines of State Policy. Development of nuclear technology can be achieved through international cooperation with advanced countries without being suspected of having intention other than peace. (author)

Introduction to Reconfigurable Supercomputing

CERN Document Server

Lanzagorta, Marco; Rosenberg, Robert

2010-01-01

This book covers technologies, applications, tools, languages, procedures, advantages, and disadvantages of reconfigurable supercomputing using Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). The target audience is the community of users of High Performance Computers (HPe who may benefit from porting their applications into a reconfigurable environment. As such, this book is intended to guide the HPC user through the many algorithmic considerations, hardware alternatives, usability issues, programming languages, and design tools that need to be understood before embarking on the creation of reconfigur

Nuclear waste problem: does new Europe need new nuclear energy?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alekseev, P.; Dudnikov, A.; Subbotin, S.

2003-01-01

Nuclear Energy for New Europe - what does it mean? New Europe - it means in first order joined Europe. And it is quite clear that also efforts in nuclear energy must be joined. What can be proposed as a target of joint efforts. Improvement of existing plants, technologies, materials? - Certainly, but it is performed already by designers and industry themselves. There exists a problem, which each state using nuclear energy faces alone. It is nuclear waste problem. Nowadays nuclear waste problem is not completely solved in any country. It seems reasonable for joining Europe to join efforts in solving this problem. A satisfactory solution would reduce a risk connected with nuclear waste. In addition to final disposal problem solution it is necessary to reduce total amount of nuclear waste, that means: reducing the rates of accumulation of long-lived dangerous radionuclides; reducing the existing amounts of these radionuclides by transmutation. These conditions can be satisfied in reasonable time by burning of minor actinides and, if possible, by transmutation of long-lived fission products. However we can use this strategy effectively if we will design and construct nuclear energy as a system of which components are united by nuclear fuel cycle as a system-forming factor. The existing structures and approaches may become insufficient for new Europe. Therefore among the initial steps in considering nuclear waste problem must be considering possible promising fuel cycles for European nuclear energy. So, does new Europe need new nuclear energy? It seems, yes. (author)

Nested Reconfigurable Robots: Theory, Design, and Realization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ning Tan

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Rather than the conventional classification method, we propose to divide modular and reconfigurable robots into intra-, inter-, and nested reconfigurations. We suggest designing the robot with nested reconfigurability, which utilizes individual robots with intra-reconfigurability capable of combining with other homogeneous/heterogeneous robots (inter-reconfigurability. The objective of this approach is to generate more complex morphologies for performing specific tasks that are far from the capabilities of a single module or to respond to programmable assembly requirements. In this paper, we discuss the theory, concept, and initial mechanical design of Hinged-Tetro, a self-reconfigurable module conceived for the study of nested reconfiguration. Hinged-Tetro is a mobile robot that uses the principle of hinged dissection of polyominoes to transform itself into any of the seven one-sided tetrominoes in a straightforward way. The robot can also combine with other modules for shaping complex structures or giving rise to a robot with new capabilities. Finally, the validation experiments verify the nested reconfigurability of Hinged-Tetro. Extensive tests and analyses of intra-reconfiguration are provided in terms of energy and time consumptions. Experiments using two robots validate the inter-reconfigur ability of the proposed module.

Report to the DOE Nuclear Data Committee

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lundy, J.C.; Perey, F.G.

1980-04-01

This report was prepared for the DOE Nuclear Data Committee and covers work performed at ORNL since April 1979 in areas of nuclear data of relevance to the US applied nuclear energy program. The report was mostly generated through a review of abstracts of work completed to the point of being subjected to some form of publication in the open literature, formal ORNL reports, ORNL technical memoranda, progress reports, or presentation at technical conferences. As much as possible the complete abstract of the original publication is reproduced with only minor editing. In a few cases progress reports were written specifically for this publication. The editors selected the materials to be included in this report on the basis of perceived interests of DOE Nuclear Data Committee members and cannot claim completeness. Material is grouped as follows: Nuclear Cross Sections for Technology conference, cross section measurements, data analyses, and Nuclear Data Project activities for 1979. 2 figures

Nuclear non-proliferation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1990-01-01

This patent describes the treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons which is the corner-stone of an international non-proliferation regime which has grown to embrace the overwhelming majority of countries in the world in the period since the Treaty. The other elements of the regime include, first of all, the safeguards system of IAEA-which operates to prevent the diversion of nuclear materials to military or other prohibited activities and must be accepted by all non-nuclear-weapon parties to the Treaty and, secondly, the Antarctic Treaty, the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America (Treaty of Tlatelolco) and the south Pacific Nuclear Free zone Treaty (Treaty of Rarotonga)-which serve to extend the regime geographically. The last two Treaties require safeguards agreements with IAEA. In addition, the Treaty of Tlatelolco contains provisions establishing the agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean to ensure compliance

Licensed reactor nuclear safety criteria applicable to DOE reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-11-01

This document is a compilation and source list of nuclear safety criteria that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) applies to licensed reactors; it can be used by DOE and DOE contractors to identify NRC criteria to be evaluated for application to the DOE reactors under their cognizance. The criteria listed are those that are applied to the areas of nuclear safety addressed in the safety analysis report of a licensed reactor. They are derived from federal regulations, USNRC regulatory guides, Standard Review Plan (SRP) branch technical positions and appendices, and industry codes and standards

Reconfigurable network processing platforms

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kachris, C.

2007-01-01

This dissertation presents our investigation on how to efficiently exploit reconfigurable hardware to design flexible, high performance, and power efficient network devices capable to adapt to varying processing requirements of network applications and traffic. The proposed reconfigurable network

Reconfigurable Computing

CERN Document Server

Cardoso, Joao MP

2011-01-01

As the complexity of modern embedded systems increases, it becomes less practical to design monolithic processing platforms. As a result, reconfigurable computing is being adopted widely for more flexible design. Reconfigurable Computers offer the spatial parallelism and fine-grained customizability of application-specific circuits with the postfabrication programmability of software. To make the most of this unique combination of performance and flexibility, designers need to be aware of both hardware and software issues. FPGA users must think not only about the gates needed to perform a comp

Reconfiguration of distribution nets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Latorre Bayona, Gerardo; Angarita Marquez, Jorge Luis

2000-01-01

Starting of the location of the reconfiguration problem inside the context of the operation of distribution nets, of the quality indicators definition and of the presentation of the alternatives more used for reduction of technical losses, they are related diverse reconfiguration methodologies proposed in the technical literature, pointing out their three principals limitations; also are presents the results of lost obtained starting from simulation works carried out in distribution circuits of the ESSA ESP, which permitting to postulate the reconfiguration of nets like an excellent alternative to reduce technical losses

Report to the DOE Nuclear Data Committee

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lundy, J.C.; Perey, F.G.

1981-04-01

This report was prepared for the DOE Nuclear Data Committee, and covers work performed at ORNL since April 1980 in areas of nuclear data of relevance to the US applied nuclear energy program. The report was mostly generated through a review of abstracts of work completed to the point of being subjected to some form of publication in the open literature, formal ORNL reports, ORNL technical memoranda, progress reports, or presentation at technical conferences. As much as possible the complete abstract of the original publication has been reproduced with only minor editing. In a few cases progress reports were written specifically for this publication. The editors have selected the material to be included in this report on the basis of perceived interests of DOE Nuclear Data Committee members

Materials challenges for repeatable RF wireless device reconfiguration with microfluidic channels

Science.gov (United States)

Griffin, Anthony S.; Sottos, Nancy R.; White, Scott R.

2018-03-01

Recently, adaptive wireless devices have utilized displacement of EGaIn within microchannels as an electrical switching mechanism to enable reconfigurable electronics. Device reconfiguration using EGaIn in microchannels overcomes many challenges encountered by more traditional reconfiguration mechanisms such as diodes and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). Reconfiguration using EGaIn is severely limited by undesired permanent shorting due to retention of the liquid in microchannels caused by wetting and rapid oxide skin formation. Here, we investigate the conditions which prevent repeatable electrical switching using EGaIn in microchannels. Initial contact angle tests of EGaIn on epoxy surfaces demonstrate the wettability of EGaIn on flat surfaces. SEM cross-sections of microchannels reveal adhesion of EGaIn residue to channel walls. Micro-computed tomography (microCT) scans of provide volumetric measurements of EGaIn remaining inside channels after flow cycling. Non-wetting coatings are proposed as materials based strategy to overcome these issues in future work.

A novel approach to gait synchronization and transition for reconfigurable walking platforms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shunsuke Nansai

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Legged robots based on one degree-of-freedom reconfigurable planar leg mechanisms, that are capable of generating multiple useful gaits, are highly desired due to the possibility of handling environments and tasks of high complexity while maintaining simple control schemes. An essential consideration in these reconfigurable legged robots is to attain stability in motion, at rest as well as while transforming from one configuration to another with the minimum number of legs as long as the full range of their walking patterns, resulting from the different gait cycles of their legs, is achieved. To this end, in this paper, we present a method for the generation of input joint trajectories to properly synchronize the movement of quadruped robots with reconfigurable legs. The approach is exemplified in a four-legged robot with reconfigurable Jansen legs capable of generating up to six useful different gait cycles. The proposed technique is validated through simulated results that show the platform׳s stability across its six feasible walking patterns and during gait transition phases, thus considerably extending the capabilities of the non-reconfigurable design.

Overview of the DOE nuclear data program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Whetstone, S.L.

1991-01-01

Numerous researchers receive support from the US Department of Energy's (DOE's) nuclear data program; others work closely with it, attending coordination meetings and contributing to data activities. Since fiscal year (FY) 1988, the nuclear data program has been included in the budget of the Division of Nuclear Physics in the DOE's Office of High Energy and Nuclear Physics. The budget for nuclear data consists of two budget categories: nuclear data compilation and evaluation and nuclear data measurements, both of which are contained within the low-energy nuclear physics program. The program has become essentially the sole supporter of the National Nuclear Data Center at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The Center coordinates the production of the ENSDF data base and Nuclear Data Sheets as well as, through the Cross Section Evaluation Working Group (CSEWG138), the production of the ENDF. Two rather large accelerator facilities, completely supported by the program, the Oak Ridge Electron Linear Accelerator and the fast neutron generator at Argonne National Laboratory, form the core of the nuclear data measurement activity together with measurement programs at Los Alamos National Laboratory's LAMPF/WNR facility, and at accelerator laboratories at Ohio University, Duke University, the University of Lowell, the University of Michigan, and the Colorado School of Mines. Some history is discussed and future modernizing plans are identified

Nuclear criticality safety training: guidelines for DOE contractors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crowell, M.R.

1983-09-01

The DOE Order 5480.1A, Chapter V, Safety of Nuclear Facilities, establishes safety procedures and requirements for DOE nuclear facilities. This guide has been developed as an aid to implementing the Chapter V requirements pertaining to nuclear criticality safety training. The guide outlines relevant conceptual knowledge and demonstrated good practices in job performance. It addresses training program operations requirements in the areas of employee evaluations, employee training records, training program evaluations, and training program records. It also suggests appropriate feedback mechanisms for criticality safety training program improvement. The emphasis is on academic rather than hands-on training. This allows a decoupling of these guidelines from specific facilities. It would be unrealistic to dictate a universal program of training because of the wide variation of operations, levels of experience, and work environments among DOE contractors and facilities. Hence, these guidelines do not address the actual implementation of a nuclear criticality safety training program, but rather they outline the general characteristics that should be included

On-line Multiple-model Based Adaptive Control Reconfiguration for a Class of Non-linear Control Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yang, Z.; Izadi-Zamanabadi, R.; Blanke, Mogens

2000-01-01

of LTI models are employed to approximate the faulty, reconfigured and nominal nonlinear systems respectively with respect to the on-line information of the operating system, and a set of compensating modules are proposed and designed so as to make the local LTI model approximating to the reconfigured...... nonlinear system match the corresponding LTI model approximating to the nominal nonlinear system in some optimal sense. The compensating modules are designed by the Pseudo-Inverse Method based on the local LTI models for the nominal and faulty nonlinear systems. Moreover, these modules should update...... corresponding to the updating of local LTI models, which validations are determined by the model approximation errors and the optimal index of local design. The test on a nonlinear ship propulsion system shows the promising potential of this method for system reconfiguration...

Guidelines for preparing criticality safety evaluations at Department of Energy non-reactor nuclear facilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-09-01

This Department of Energy (DOE) is approved for use by all components of DOE. It contains guidelines that should be followed when preparing Criticality Safety Evaluations that will be used to demonstrate the safety of operations performed at DOE Non-Reactor Nuclear Facilities. Adherence with these guidelines will provide consistency and uniformity in Criticality Safety Evaluations (CSEs) across the complex and will document compliance with DOE Order 5480.24 requirements as they pertain to CSEs.

Guidelines for preparing criticality safety evaluations at Department of Energy non-reactor nuclear facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-09-01

This Department of Energy (DOE) is approved for use by all components of DOE. It contains guidelines that should be followed when preparing Criticality Safety Evaluations that will be used to demonstrate the safety of operations performed at DOE Non-Reactor Nuclear Facilities. Adherence with these guidelines will provide consistency and uniformity in Criticality Safety Evaluations (CSEs) across the complex and will document compliance with DOE Order 5480.24 requirements as they pertain to CSEs

MEMS-Reconfigurable Metamaterials and Antenna Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tomislav Debogovic

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper reviews some of our contributions to reconfigurable metamaterials, where dynamic control is enabled by microelectromechanical systems (MEMS technology. First, we show reconfigurable composite right-/left-handed transmission lines (CRLH-TLs having state of the art phase velocity variation and loss, thereby enabling efficient reconfigurable phase shifters and leaky-wave antennas (LWA. Second, we present very low loss metasurface designs with reconfigurable reflection properties, applicable in reflectarrays and partially reflective surface (PRS antennas. All the presented devices have been fabricated and experimentally validated. They operate in X- and Ku-bands.

Asia nuclear-test-ban network for nuclear non-proliferation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shinohara, Nobuo; Kokaji, Lisa; Ichimasa, Sukeyuki

2010-01-01

In Global Center of Excellence Program of The University of Tokyo, Non- Proliferation Study Committee by the members of nuclear industries, electricity utilities, nuclear energy institutes and universities has initiated on October 2008 from the viewpoints of investigating a package of measures for nuclear non-proliferation and bringing up young people who will support the near-future nuclear energy system. One of the non-proliferation issues in the Committee is the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). Objective of this treaty is to cease all nuclear weapon test explosions and all other nuclear explosion. This purpose should be contributed effectively to the political stability of the Asian region by continuous efforts to eliminate the nuclear weapons. In the Committee, by extracting several issues related to the CTBT, conception of 'Asia nuclear-test-ban network for nuclear non-proliferation' has been discussed with the aim of the nuclear-weapon security in Asian region, where environmental nuclear-test monitoring data is mainly treated and utilized. In this paper, the conception of the 'network' is presented in detail. (author)

Practical, redundant, failure-tolerant, self-reconfiguring embedded system architecture

Science.gov (United States)

Klarer, Paul R.; Hayward, David R.; Amai, Wendy A.

2006-10-03

This invention relates to system architectures, specifically failure-tolerant and self-reconfiguring embedded system architectures. The invention provides both a method and architecture for redundancy. There can be redundancy in both software and hardware for multiple levels of redundancy. The invention provides a self-reconfiguring architecture for activating redundant modules whenever other modules fail. The architecture comprises: a communication backbone connected to two or more processors and software modules running on each of the processors. Each software module runs on one processor and resides on one or more of the other processors to be available as a backup module in the event of failure. Each module and backup module reports its status over the communication backbone. If a primary module does not report, its backup module takes over its function. If the primary module becomes available again, the backup module returns to its backup status.

Final report on DOE nuclear facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-11-01

Risk analysis policy and guidance should be developed, especially for the non-DOE nuclear facilities. Minimum standards should be set on issues including risk management, the scope and depth of risk analysis (e.g., site-wide analysis, worker risk), and approaches to treatment of external events. Continued vigilance is required in maintaining operation staffing levels at the DOE research and testing reactors. Safety Analysis Reports should be updated to reflect the evolving configurations of the facilities and the current safety analysis requirements. The high-level waste storage programs at Hanford, Savannah River and INEL were evaluated. The Department of Energy has not adopted a cleanup policy with specific, clear objectives. DOE should define the respective roles of Headquarters, the field offices, and the M ampersand O contractors. The proposed budget priority setting system should not be implemented. The plan to develop a nation-wide programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS) should be rethought. An environmental impact statement on the total cleanup program is inconsistent with the localized nature of cleanup decisionmaking. DOE must provide for significant improvements in its radiation protection and safety programs to meet current, and future, technical, engineering, and scientific procedures and practices for controlling sources and contamination, performing external and internal dosimetry, and implementing incident response plans, including applicable protective action guides. The culture of safety is not yet well established at Rocky Flats. The philosophy of the Department of Energy and the management of Rocky Flats is not understood, accepted and believed by the work force. The Advisory Committee has serious concerns about whether DOE's current program at WIPP will be able to demonstrate, in a timely manner, compliance with EPA's proposed long-term performance and human intrusion requirements for disposal of TRU and high-level radioactive wastes

An Introduction to Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Safeguards

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haakansson, Ane; Jonter, Thomas

2007-06-01

The purpose of this project was to compile a course material that covers how the nuclear safeguards system has emerged and how it works today. The produced compendium is directed to both university students and people concerned by safeguards from the industry. The primary aim of the first part of this paper is to describe the historical development of this global non-proliferation system and its central tasks. A second purpose is to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of its current design in order to answer the following question: Can we today say that we have a functioning global non-proliferation system? Does it require further strengthening, and, if so, how can this be achieved? In the second section we review the verification regime within nuclear safeguards, i. e. describe the methods and techniques that are available to reassure the world community that concluded treaties are adhered to

An Introduction to Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Safeguards

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Haakansson, Ane; Jonter, Thomas

2007-06-15

The purpose of this project was to compile a course material that covers how the nuclear safeguards system has emerged and how it works today. The produced compendium is directed to both university students and people concerned by safeguards from the industry. The primary aim of the first part of this paper is to describe the historical development of this global non-proliferation system and its central tasks. A second purpose is to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of its current design in order to answer the following question: Can we today say that we have a functioning global non-proliferation system? Does it require further strengthening, and, if so, how can this be achieved? In the second section we review the verification regime within nuclear safeguards, i. e. describe the methods and techniques that are available to reassure the world community that concluded treaties are adhered to

Reconfigurable metamaterials for terahertz wave manipulation

Science.gov (United States)

Hashemi, Mohammed R.; Cakmakyapan, Semih; Jarrahi, Mona

2017-09-01

Reconfigurable metamaterials have emerged as promising platforms for manipulating the spectral and spatial properties of terahertz waves without being limited by the characteristics of naturally existing materials. Here, we present a comprehensive overview of various types of reconfigurable metamaterials that are utilized to manipulate the intensity, phase, polarization, and propagation direction of terahertz waves. We discuss various reconfiguration mechanisms based on optical, electrical, thermal, and mechanical stimuli while using semiconductors, superconductors, phase-change materials, graphene, and electromechanical structures. The advantages and disadvantages of different reconfigurable metamaterial designs in terms of modulation efficiency, modulation bandwidth, modulation speed, and system complexity are discussed in detail.

Accelerating artificial intelligence with reconfigurable computing

Science.gov (United States)

Cieszewski, Radoslaw

Reconfigurable computing is emerging as an important area of research in computer architectures and software systems. Many algorithms can be greatly accelerated by placing the computationally intense portions of an algorithm into reconfigurable hardware. Reconfigurable computing combines many benefits of both software and ASIC implementations. Like software, the mapped circuit is flexible, and can be changed over the lifetime of the system. Similar to an ASIC, reconfigurable systems provide a method to map circuits into hardware. Reconfigurable systems therefore have the potential to achieve far greater performance than software as a result of bypassing the fetch-decode-execute operations of traditional processors, and possibly exploiting a greater level of parallelism. Such a field, where there is many different algorithms which can be accelerated, is an artificial intelligence. This paper presents example hardware implementations of Artificial Neural Networks, Genetic Algorithms and Expert Systems.

Guidelines for preparing criticality safety evaluations at Department of Energy non-reactor nuclear facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-11-01

This document contains guidelines that should be followed when preparing Criticality Safety Evaluations that will be used to demonstrate the safety of operations performed at DOE non-reactor nuclear facilities. Adherence to these guidelines will provide consistency and uniformity in criticality safety evaluations (CSEs) across the complex and will document compliance with the requirements of DOE Order 5480.24

Origami tubes with reconfigurable polygonal cross-sections.

Science.gov (United States)

Filipov, E T; Paulino, G H; Tachi, T

2016-01-01

Thin sheets can be assembled into origami tubes to create a variety of deployable, reconfigurable and mechanistically unique three-dimensional structures. We introduce and explore origami tubes with polygonal, translational symmetric cross-sections that can reconfigure into numerous geometries. The tubular structures satisfy the mathematical definitions for flat and rigid foldability, meaning that they can fully unfold from a flattened state with deformations occurring only at the fold lines. The tubes do not need to be straight and can be constructed to follow a non-linear curved line when deployed. The cross-section and kinematics of the tubular structures can be reprogrammed by changing the direction of folding at some folds. We discuss the variety of tubular structures that can be conceived and we show limitations that govern the geometric design. We quantify the global stiffness of the origami tubes through eigenvalue and structural analyses and highlight the mechanical characteristics of these systems. The two-scale nature of this work indicates that, from a local viewpoint, the cross-sections of the polygonal tubes are reconfigurable while, from a global viewpoint, deployable tubes of desired shapes are achieved. This class of tubes has potential applications ranging from pipes and micro-robotics to deployable architecture in buildings.

Origami tubes with reconfigurable polygonal cross-sections

Science.gov (United States)

Filipov, E. T.; Paulino, G. H.; Tachi, T.

2016-01-01

Thin sheets can be assembled into origami tubes to create a variety of deployable, reconfigurable and mechanistically unique three-dimensional structures. We introduce and explore origami tubes with polygonal, translational symmetric cross-sections that can reconfigure into numerous geometries. The tubular structures satisfy the mathematical definitions for flat and rigid foldability, meaning that they can fully unfold from a flattened state with deformations occurring only at the fold lines. The tubes do not need to be straight and can be constructed to follow a non-linear curved line when deployed. The cross-section and kinematics of the tubular structures can be reprogrammed by changing the direction of folding at some folds. We discuss the variety of tubular structures that can be conceived and we show limitations that govern the geometric design. We quantify the global stiffness of the origami tubes through eigenvalue and structural analyses and highlight the mechanical characteristics of these systems. The two-scale nature of this work indicates that, from a local viewpoint, the cross-sections of the polygonal tubes are reconfigurable while, from a global viewpoint, deployable tubes of desired shapes are achieved. This class of tubes has potential applications ranging from pipes and micro-robotics to deployable architecture in buildings. PMID:26997894

Implementing Workflow Reconfiguration in WS-BPEL

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mazzara, Manuel; Dragoni, Nicola; Zhou, Mu

2012-01-01

This paper investigates the problem of dynamic reconfiguration by means of a workflow-based case study used for discussion. We state the requirements on a system implementing the workflow and its reconfiguration, and we describe the system’s design in BPMN. WS-BPEL, a language that would not natu......This paper investigates the problem of dynamic reconfiguration by means of a workflow-based case study used for discussion. We state the requirements on a system implementing the workflow and its reconfiguration, and we describe the system’s design in BPMN. WS-BPEL, a language that would...... not naturally support dynamic change, is used as a target for implementation. The WS-BPEL recovery framework is here exploited to implement the reconfiguration using principles derived from previous research in process algebra and two mappings from BPMN to WS-BPEL are presented, one automatic and only mostly...

Estimating inventory thresholds for nuclear facilities using DOE STD-1027-92 Attachment 1 Table A.1 ''Thresholds for Radionuclides''

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Price, D.; Hildum, J.S.; Williams, A.C.

1997-01-01

It has recently been reports that Table A.1 of Attachment 1 of DOE STD-1027-92 is being improperly used to determine the Category 3 inventory threshold values for non-reactor nuclear facilities. The concern of this paper is that Safety Analysts and Facility Managers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), as well as at other locations in the DOE Complex, are improperly using the entries in Table A.1. It is noted at this point that the common use of this table is to establish the lower thresholds for both Categories 2 and 3 non-reactor nuclear facilities by considering inventory quantities, as opposed to a postulated accident scenario. This paper will provide insight regarding this error and will show that the error is most likely non-conservative in nature

Nuclear materials management storage study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Becker, G.W. Jr.

1994-02-01

The Office of Weapons and Materials Planning (DP-27) requested the Planning Support Group (PSG) at the Savannah River Site to help coordinate a Departmental complex-wide nuclear materials storage study. This study will support the development of management strategies and plans until Defense Programs' Complex 21 is operational by DOE organizations that have direct interest/concerns about or responsibilities for nuclear material storage. They include the Materials Planning Division (DP-273) of DP-27, the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Facilities (DP-60), the Office of Weapons Complex Reconfiguration (DP-40), and other program areas, including Environmental Restoration and Waste Management (EM). To facilitate data collection, a questionnaire was developed and issued to nuclear materials custodian sites soliciting information on nuclear materials characteristics, storage plans, issues, etc. Sites were asked to functionally group materials identified in DOE Order 5660.1A (Management of Nuclear Materials) based on common physical and chemical characteristics and common material management strategies and to relate these groupings to Nuclear Materials Management Safeguards and Security (NMMSS) records. A database was constructed using 843 storage records from 70 responding sites. The database and an initial report summarizing storage issues were issued to participating Field Offices and DP-27 for comment. This report presents the background for the Storage Study and an initial, unclassified summary of storage issues and concerns identified by the sites

DOE fundamentals handbook: Nuclear physics and reactor theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

The Nuclear Physics and Reactor Theory Handbook was developed to assist nuclear facility operating contractors in providing operators, maintenance personnel, and the technical staff with the necessary fundamentals training to ensure a basic understanding of nuclear physics and reactor theory. The handbook includes information on atomic and nuclear physics; neutron characteristics; reactor theory and nuclear parameters; and the theory of reactor operation. This information will provide personnel with a foundation for understanding the scientific principles that are associated with various DOE nuclear facility operations and maintenance

Trustworthy reconfigurable systems enhancing the security capabilities of reconfigurable hardware architectures

CERN Document Server

Feller, Thomas

2014-01-01

?Thomas Feller sheds some light on trust anchor architectures fortrustworthy reconfigurable systems. He is presenting novel concepts enhancing the security capabilities of reconfigurable hardware.Almost invisible to the user, many computer systems are embedded into everyday artifacts, such as cars, ATMs, and pacemakers. The significant growth of this market segment within the recent years enforced a rethinking with respect to the security properties and the trustworthiness of these systems. The trustworthiness of a system in general equates to the integrity of its system components. Hardware-b

Nuclear energy: Environmental issues at DOE's nuclear defense facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-01-01

GAO's review of nine Department of Energy defense facilities identified a number of significant environmental issues: (1) eight facilities have groundwater contaminated with radioactive and/or hazardous substances to high levels; (2) six facilities have soil contamination in unexpected areas, including offsite locations; (3) four facilities are not in full compliance with the Clean Water Act; and (4) all nine facilities are significantly changing their waste disposal practices to obtain a permit under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. GAO is recommending that DOE develop and overall groundwater and soil protection strategy that would provide a better perspective on the environmental risks and impacts associated with operating DOE's nuclear defense facilities. GAO also recommends that DOE allow outside independent inspections of the disposal practices used for any waste DOE self-regulates and revise its order governing the management of hazardous and mixed waste

Reports to the DOE Nuclear Data Committee

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-05-01

The report in this document were submitted to the Department of Energy, Nuclear Data Committee (DOE-NDC) in April 1988. The reporting laboratories are those with a substantial program for the measurement of neutron and nuclear cross sections of relevance to the US applied nuclear energy program. Appropriate subjects are microscopic neutron cross sections relevant to the nuclear energy program, including shielding. Inverse reactions where pertinent are included; charged-particle cross sections where relevant to developing and testing nuclear models; gamma ray production, radioactive decay, and theoretical developments in nuclear structure which are applicable to nuclear energy programs; and proton and alpha-particle cross sections, at energies of up to 1 GeV, which are of interest to the space program

Reports to the DOE Nuclear Data Committee

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1988-05-01

The report in this document were submitted to the Department of Energy, Nuclear Data Committee (DOE-NDC) in April 1988. The reporting laboratories are those with a substantial program for the measurement of neutron and nuclear cross sections of relevance to the US applied nuclear energy program. Appropriate subjects are microscopic neutron cross sections relevant to the nuclear energy program, including shielding. Inverse reactions where pertinent are included; charged-particle cross sections where relevant to developing and testing nuclear models; gamma ray production, radioactive decay, and theoretical developments in nuclear structure which are applicable to nuclear energy programs; and proton and alpha-particle cross sections, at energies of up to 1 GeV, which are of interest to the space program.

Nuclear security. Improving correction of security deficiencies at DOE's weapons facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wells, James E.; Cannon, Doris E.; Fenzel, William F.; Lightner, Kenneth E. Jr.; Curtis, Lois J.; DuBois, Julia A.; Brown, Gail W.; Trujillo, Charles S.; Tumler, Pamela K.

1992-11-01

The US nuclear weapons research, development, and production are conducted at 10 DOE nuclear weapons facilities by contractors under the guidance and oversight of 9 DOE field offices. Because these facilities house special nuclear materials used in making nuclear weapons and nuclear weapons components, DOE administers a security program to protect (1) against theft, sabotage, espionage, terrorism, or other risks to national security and (2) the safety and health of DOE employees and the public. DOE spends almost $1 billion a year on this security program. DOE administers the security program through periodic inspections that evaluate and monitor the effectiveness of facilities' safeguards and security. Security inspections identify deficiencies, instances of noncompliance with safeguards and security requirements or poor performance of the systems being evaluated, that must be corrected to maintain adequate security. The contractors and DOE share responsibility for correcting deficiencies. Contractors, in correcting deficiencies, must comply with several DOE orders. The contractors' performances were not adequate in conducting four of the eight procedures considered necessary in meeting DOE's deficiency correction requirements. For 19 of the 20 deficiency cases we reviewed, contractors could not demonstrate that they had conducted three critical deficiency analyses (root cause, risk assessment, and cost-benefit) required by DOE. Additionally, the contractors did not always adequately verify that corrective actions taken were appropriate, effective, and complete. The contractors performed the remaining four procedures (reviewing deficiencies for duplication, entering deficiencies into a data base, tracking the status of deficiencies, and preparing and implementing a corrective action plan) adequately in all 20 cases. DOE's oversight of the corrective action process could be improved in three areas. The computerized systems used to track the status of security

EPRI/DOE nuclear plant life extension overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carey, J.J.; Lapides, M.E.; Harrison, D.; Ducharme, A.

1987-01-01

Recognizing the major investment in current U.S. nuclear capacity and the excellent prospects that these units have a useful life substantially in excess of their 40 year license term, EPRI and DOE have jointly undertaken a comprehensive, multiyear, nuclear plant life extension program. The program, which has its antecedents in EPRI studies of 1978-9, aims to support U.S. utilities, first in verifying the requirements of extended operation and then in implementing a plan for achieving extended service and license renewal. The effort, begun in 1985, has already yielded numerous benefits and is expected to further aid in improving near-term performance of nuclear units. A utility LWR Plant Life Extension Committee has been established to provide overview and guidance to the DOE/EPRI research and development activities and also to develop and integrate utility responses to licensing and codes and standards issues. Pilot study projects, performed by Virginia Power and Northern States Power, were the initial EPRI/DOE focus. This base has gradually expanded to incorporate other utilities and generating units, as well as a broad base of technology support. The latter includes: a) economic and financial analysis methods applicable at the unit, region and national level, b) long-term materials deterioration analysis and sampling, c) component life prediction methods and d) refurbishment and repair evaluations. This paper presents the history and status of the overall EPRI/DOE program

Canada's nuclear non-proliferation policy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1982-05-01

Canada's non-proliferation safeguards policy has two objectives: 1) to promote a more effective and comprehensive international non-proliferation regime; and 2) to ensure that Canadian nuclear exports will not be used for any nuclear explosive purpose. By emphasizing the key role of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, promoting reliance upon and improvements in the IAEA safeguards system, treating nuclear weapon and non-weapon states alike, and working for new approaches covering reprocessing, Canada promotes attainment of the first objective. The second is served through the network of bilateral nuclear agreements that Canada has put into place with its partners. The Canadian objective in post-INFCE forums is to persuade the international community to devise a more effective and comprehensive non-proliferation regime into which Canada and other suppliers may subsume their national requirements

Nuclear waste: Quarterly report on DOE's nuclear waste program as of March 31, 1988

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-01-01

As part of the Department of Energy's implementation of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, DOE is required to investigate a site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada and, if it determines that the site is suitable, recommended to the President its selection for a nuclear waste repository. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, in considering development of the plan, issued five objections, one of which is DOE's failure to recognize the range of alternative conceptual models of the Yucca Mountain site that can be supported by the limited existing technical data. At the end of the quarter DOE directed its project offices in Washington and Texas to begin an orderly phase-out of all site-specific repository activities. Costs for this phase-out are $53 million of the Deaf Smith site and $85 million for the Hanford site

Canada's nuclear non-proliferation policy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1985-01-01

Canada's non-proliferation and safeguards policy has two objectives: 1) to promote the emergence of a more effective and comprehensive international non-proliferation regime; and 2) to assure the Canadian people and the international community that Canadian nuclear exports will not be used for any nuclear explosive purpose. By emphasizing the key role of the NPT, by promoting reliance upon and improvements in the IAEA safeguards system, by treating nuclear weapon and non-nuclear weapon states alike regarding Canadian nuclear exports, by working for new approaches covering the sensitive phases (e.g. reprocessing) of the nuclear fuel cycle, Canada's policy promotes attainment of the first objective. The latter objective is served through the network of bilateral nuclear agreements that Canada has put into place with its nuclear partners. Those agreements provide assurance that Canada's nuclear exports are used solely for legitimate, peaceful, nuclear energy production purposes. At the same time, Canada, having formulated its non-proliferation and safeguards policy during the period 1945 to 1980, has recognized that it has gone as far as it can on its own in this field and that from this point on any further changes should be made on the basis of international agreement. The Canadian objective in post-INFCE forums such as the Committee on Assurances of Supply is to exert Canada's best efforts to persuade the international community to devise a more effective and comprehensive international non-proliferation regime into which Canada and other suppliers might subsume their national requirements

Transformational electronics are now reconfiguring

KAUST Repository

Rojas, Jhonathan Prieto

2015-05-22

Current developments on enhancing our smart living experience are leveraging the increased interest for novel systems that can be compatible with foldable, wrinkled, wavy and complex geometries and surfaces, and thus become truly ubiquitous and easy to deploy. Therefore, relying on innovative structural designs we have been able to reconfigure the physical form of various materials, to achieve remarkable mechanical flexibility and stretchability, which provides us with the perfect platform to develop enhanced electronic systems for application in entertainment, healthcare, fitness and wellness, military and manufacturing industry. Based on these novel structural designs we have developed a siliconbased network of hexagonal islands connected through double-spiral springs, forming an ultra-stretchable (~1000%) array for full compliance to highly asymmetric shapes and surfaces, as well as a serpentine design used to show an ultrastretchable (~800%) and flexible, spatially reconfigurable, mobile, metallic thin film copper (Cu)-based, body-integrated and non-invasive thermal heater with wireless controlling capability, reusability, heating-adaptability and affordability due to low-cost complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS)-compatible integration. © (2015) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Facilitating preemptive hardware system design using partial reconfiguration techniques.

Science.gov (United States)

Dondo Gazzano, Julio; Rincon, Fernando; Vaderrama, Carlos; Villanueva, Felix; Caba, Julian; Lopez, Juan Carlos

2014-01-01

In FPGA-based control system design, partial reconfiguration is especially well suited to implement preemptive systems. In real-time systems, the deadline for critical task can compel the preemption of noncritical one. Besides, an asynchronous event can demand immediate attention and, then, force launching a reconfiguration process for high-priority task implementation. If the asynchronous event is previously scheduled, an explicit activation of the reconfiguration process is performed. If the event cannot be previously programmed, such as in dynamically scheduled systems, an implicit activation to the reconfiguration process is demanded. This paper provides a hardware-based approach to explicit and implicit activation of the partial reconfiguration process in dynamically reconfigurable SoCs and includes all the necessary tasks to cope with this issue. Furthermore, the reconfiguration service introduced in this work allows remote invocation of the reconfiguration process and then the remote integration of off-chip components. A model that offers component location transparency is also presented to enhance and facilitate system integration.

Tabu Search-based Synthesis of Digital Microfluidic Biochips with Dynamically Reconfigurable Non-rectangular Devices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Maftei, Elena; Pop, Paul; Madsen, Jan

2010-01-01

they are highly reconfigurable and scalable. A digital biochip is composed of a two-dimensional array of cells, together with reservoirs for storing the samples and reagents. Several adjacent cells are dynamically grouped to form a virtual device, on which operations are performed. So far, researchers have...... assumed that throughout its execution, an operation is performed on a rectangular virtual device, whose position remains fixed. However, during the execution of an operation, the virtual device can be reconfigured to occupy a different group of cells on the array, forming any shape, not necessarily...... rectangular. In this paper, we present a Tabu Search metaheuristic for the synthesis of digital microfluidic biochips, which, starting from a biochemical application and a given biochip architecture, determines the allocation, resource binding, scheduling and placement of the operations in the application...

Network reconfiguration for loss reduction in electrical distribution system using genetic algorithm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adail, A.S.A.A.

2012-01-01

Distribution system is a critical links between the utility and the nuclear installation. During feeding electricity to that installation there are power losses. The quality of the network depends on the reduction of these losses. Distribution system which feeds the nuclear installation must have a higher quality power. For example, in Inshas site, electrical power is supplied to it from two incoming feeders (one from new abu-zabal substation and the other from old abu-zabal substation). Each feeder is designed to carry the full load, while the operator preferred to connect with a new abu-zabal substation, which has a good power quality. Bad power quality affects directly the nuclear reactor and has a negative impact on the installed sensitive equipment's of the operation. The thesis is Studying the electrical losses in a distribution system (causes and effected factors), feeder reconfiguration methods, and applying of genetic algorithm in an electric distribution power system. In the end, this study proposes an optimization technique based on genetic algorithms for distribution network reconfiguration to reduce the network losses to minimum. The proposed method is applied to IEEE test network; that contain 3 feeders and 16 nodes. The technique is applied through two groups, distribution have general loads, and nuclear loads. In the groups the technique applied to seven cases at normal operation state, system fault condition as well as different loads conditions. Simulated results are drawn to show the accuracy of the technique.

Elements of Autonomous Self-Reconfigurable Robots

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, David Johan

In this thesis, we study several central elements of autonomous self-reconfigurable modular robots. Unlike conventional robots such robots are: i) Modular, since robots are assembled from numerous robotic modules. ii) Reconfigurable, since the modules can be combined in a variety of ways. iii) Self......-reconfigurable, since the modules themselves are able to change how they are combined. iv) Autonomous, since robots control themselves without human guidance. Such robots are attractive to study since they in theory have several desirable characteristics, such as versatility, reliability and cheapness. In practice...... however, it is challenging to realize such characteristics since state-of-the-art systems and solutions suffer from several inherent technical and theoretical problems and limitations. In this thesis, we address these challenges by exploring four central elements of autonomous self-reconfigurable modular...

Investigation of control law reconfigurations to accommodate a control element failure on a commercial airplane

Science.gov (United States)

Ostroff, A. J.; Hueschen, R. M.

1984-01-01

The ability of a pilot to reconfigure the control surfaces on an airplane after a failure, allowing the airplane to recover to a safe condition, becomes more difficult with increasing airplane complexity. Techniques are needed to stabilize and control the airplane immediately after a failure, allowing the pilot more time to make longer range decisions. This paper presents a baseline design of a discrete multivariable control law using four controls for the longitudinal channel of a B-737. Non-reconfigured and reconfigured control laws are then evaluated, both analytically and by means of a digital airplane simulation, for three individual control element failures (stabilizer, elevator, spoilers). The simulation results are used to evaluate the effectiveness of the control reconfiguration on tracking ability during the approach and landing phase of flight with severe windshear and turbulence disturbing the airplane dynamics.

DOE [Department of Energy]-Nuclear Energy Standards Program annual assessment, FY 1990

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Williams, D.L. Jr.

1990-11-01

To meet the objectives of the programs funded by the Department of Energy (DOE)-Nuclear Energy (NE) Technology Support Programs, the Performance Assurance Project Office (PAPO) administers a nuclear standards program and related activities and fosters the development and application of standards. This standards program is carried out in accordance with the principles in DOE Order 1300.2, Department of Energy Standards Program, December 18, 1980. The purposes of this effort, as set forth in three subtasks, are to (1) manage the NE Standards Program, (2) manage the development and maintenance of NE standards, and (3) operate an NE Standards Information Program. This report assesses the Performance Assurance Project Office (PAPO) activities in terms of the objectives of the Department of Energy-Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) funded programs. To meet these objectives, PAPO administers a nuclear standards program and related activities and fosters the development and application of standards. This task is carried out in accordance with the principles set forth in DOE Order 1300.2, Department of Energy Standards Program, December 18, 1980, and DOE memorandum, Implementation of DOE Orders on Quality Assurance, Standards, and Unusual Occurrence Reporting for Nuclear Energy Programs, March 3, 1982, and with guidance from the DOE-NE Technology Support Programs. 1 tab. (JF)

Hazard classification criteria for non-nuclear facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahn, J.A.; Walker, S.A.

1997-01-01

Sandia National Laboratories' Integrated Risk Management Department has developed a process for establishing the appropriate hazard classification of a new facility or operation, and thus the level of rigor required for the associated authorization basis safety documentation. This process is referred to as the Preliminary Hazard Screen. DOE Order 5481.1B contains the following hazard classification for non-nuclear facilities: high--having the potential for onsite or offsite impacts to large numbers of persons or for major impacts to the environment; moderate--having the potential for considerable onsite impacts but only minor offsite impacts to people or the environment; low--having the potential for only minor onsite and negligible offsite impacts to people or the environment. It is apparent that the application of such generic criteria is more than likely to be fraught with subjective judgment. One way to remove the subjectivity is to define health and safety classification thresholds for specific hazards that are based on the magnitude of the hazard, rather than on a qualitative assessment of possible accident consequences. This paper presents the results of such an approach to establishing a readily usable set of non-nuclear facility hazard classifications

Silicon Processors Using Organically Reconfigurable Techniques (SPORT)

Science.gov (United States)

2014-05-19

AFRL-OSR-VA-TR-2014-0132 SILICON PROCESSORS USING ORGANICALLY RECONFIGURABLE TECHNIQUES ( SPORT ) Dennis Prather UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE Final Report 05...5a. CONTRACT NUMBER Silicon Processes for Organically Reconfigurable Techniques ( SPORT ) 5b. GRANT NUMBER FA9550-10-1-0363 5c...Contract: Silicon Processes for Organically Reconfigurable Techniques ( SPORT ) Contract #: FA9550-10-1-0363 Reporting Period: 1 July 2010 – 31 December

DOE, IAEA collaborate to put decades of nuclear research online

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2009-01-01

Full text: Decades of nuclear research supported by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) and its predecessor agencies are being made searchable on the World Wide Web, as part of a collaborative effort between the DOE and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The project aims to give researchers, academics, and the general public access to vast volumes of valuable nuclear-related research over the internet. As part of its knowledge preservation mandate, the IAEA' s International Nuclear Information System(INIS) works to preserve nuclear knowledge by digitizing historic nuclear energy research documents dating from 1970 through the early 1990s. Collections from over 29 countries are now digitally available and several additional digital preservation projects are ongoing or are being established, particularly in the Latin America and Caribbean regions. ''Thanks to the collaborative work of the IAEA and its Member States, scientists and students in the nuclear field now have instant access to important research and technical information over the internet,'' said IAEA Deputy Director General for Nuclear Energy Yury Sokolov. ''Our INIS programme continues to work to preserve and provide access to publications and documents on the peaceful applications of nuclear technology.'' The DOE project is one of the larger programmes in the INIS project, and includes more than 180,000 documents from the DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI). OSTI is the U.S. representative to INIS and has had its own digitization focus in recent years. The novel partnership highlights the longstanding mutual benefits of DOE participation in INIS. In essence, it opens up previous research on the safe and peaceful uses of nuclear energy by making it freely and quickly available to scientists and engineers. By making scientific data electronically available, the INIS database helps scientists and students to attain volumes of data that are otherwise inaccessible

A Design Method for Fault Reconfiguration and Fault-Tolerant Control of a Servo Motor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jing He

2013-01-01

Full Text Available A design scheme that integrates fault reconfiguration and fault-tolerant position control is proposed for a nonlinear servo system with friction. Analysis of the non-linear friction torque and fault in the system is used to guide design of a sliding mode position controller. A sliding mode observer is designed to achieve fault reconfiguration based on the equivalence principle. Thus, active fault-tolerant position control of the system can be realized. A real-time simulation experiment is performed on a hardware-in-loop simulation platform. The results show that the system reconfigures well for both incipient and abrupt faults. Under the fault-tolerant control mechanism, the output signal for the system position can rapidly track given values without being influenced by faults.

A reconfigurable hybrid supervisory system for process control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia, H.E.; Ray, A.; Edwards, R.M.

1994-01-01

This paper presents a reconfigurable approach to decision and control systems for complex dynamic processes. The proposed supervisory control system is a reconfigurable hybrid architecture structured into three functional levels of hierarchy, namely, execution, supervision, and coordination. While the bottom execution level is constituted by either reconfigurable continuously varying or discrete event systems, the top two levels are necessarily governed by reconfigurable sets of discrete event decision and control systems. Based on the process status, the set of active control and supervisory algorithm is chosen. The reconfigurable hybrid system is briefly described along with a discussion on its implementation at the Experimental Breeder Reactor II of Argonne National Laboratory. A process control application of this hybrid system is presented and evaluated in an in-plant experiment

A reconfigurable hybrid supervisory system for process control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia, H.E.; Ray, A.; Edwards, R.M.

1994-01-01

This paper presents a reconfigurable approach to decision and control systems for complex dynamic processes. The proposed supervisory control system is a reconfigurable hybrid architecture structured into three functional levels of hierarchy, namely, execution, supervision, and coordination. While, the bottom execution level is constituted by either reconfigurable continuously varying or discrete event systems, the top two levels are necessarily governed by reconfigurable sets of discrete event decision and control systems. Based on the process status, the set of active control and supervisory algorithm is chosen. The reconfigurable hybrid system is briefly described along with a discussion on its implementation at the Experimental Breeder Reactor 2 of Argonne National Laboratory. A process control application of this hybrid system is presented and evaluated in an in-plant experiment

Maintaining non-nuclear weapon status

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muller, H.

1991-01-01

Among the some 170 sovereign states in the world, five are legally recognized as nuclear weapon states (NWS) under the terms of the 1968 Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Six countries (Argentina, Brazil, India, Israel, Pakistan, and South Africa) are counted as threshold states: they possess sizeable unsafeguarded nuclear facilities or have passed the brink of a nuclear test or of clandestine weapon production. Six other countries (Iran, Iraq, Libya, Taiwan, and North and South Korea) have been suspected periodically of either considering the nuclear weapon option or of working secretly on the development of weapons. Thus, about 150 non-nuclear weapon states (NNWS) remain which neither possess nuclear weapons nor strive to acquire them. These states are distributed throughout the globe and encompass highly industrialized as well as underdeveloped countries, liberal democracies, socialist states, sheikdoms and dictatorships. Some NNWS face acute military threats; other are far removed from the quarrels of the world, as in the case of some remote fortunate islands. Furthermore, NNWS may be members of nuclear-umbrella alliances or may have opted for a policy of neutrality or non-alignment

Nuclear waste: Status of DOE's nuclear waste site characterization activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-01-01

Three potential nuclear waste repository sites have been selected to carry out characterization activities-the detailed geological testing to determine the suitability of each site as a repository. The sites are Hanford in south-central Washington State, Yucca Mountain in southern Nevada, and Deaf Smith in the Texas Panhandle. Two key issues affecting the total program are the estimations of the site characterization completion data and costs and DOE's relationship with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission which has been limited and its relations with affected states and Indian tribes which continue to be difficult

Reconfiguring Urban Sustainability Transitions, Analysing Multiplicity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mike Hodson

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Cities, and the networked infrastructures that sustain urban life, are seen as crucial sites for creating more sustainable futures. Yet, although there are many plans, the realisation of sustainable urban infrastructures on the ground is uneven. To develop better ways of understanding why this is the case, the paper makes a conceptual contribution by engaging with current understanding of urban sustainability transitions, using urban sustainable mobility as a reference point. It extends these insights to argue that urban transitions are not about technological or social innovation per se, but about how multiple innovations are experimented with, combined and reconfigured in existing urban contexts and how such processes are governed. There are potentially many ways in which urban sustainable mobility can be reconfigured contextually. Innovation is in the particular form of reconfiguration rather than individual technologies. To make analytical sense of this multiplicity, a preliminary framework is developed that offers the potential to think about urban transitions as contextual and reconfigurational. We argue that there is a need to embrace multiplicity and to understand its relationships to forms of reconfiguration, through empirical exploration and further theoretical and conceptual development. The preliminary framework is a contribution to doing so and we set out future directions for research.

Report of the international forum on nuclear energy, nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear security. Measures to ensure nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear security for the back end of nuclear fuel cycle and regional cooperation in Asia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tazaki, Makiko; Yamamura, Tsukasa; Suzuki, Mitsutoshi; Kuno, Yusuke; Mochiji, Toshiro

2013-03-01

The Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) held 'International Forum on Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Non-proliferation and Nuclear Security - Measures to ensure nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear security for the back end of nuclear fuel cycle and regional cooperation in Asia-' on 12 and 13 December 2012, co-hosted by the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) and School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo. In the forum, keynote speakers from Japan, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the U.S., France and Republic of Korea (ROK), respectively explained their efforts regarding peaceful use of nuclear energy and nuclear non-proliferation. In two panel discussions, entitled 'Measures to ensure nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear security of nuclear fuel cycle back end' and 'Measures to ensure nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear security for nuclear energy use in the Asian region and a multilateral cooperative framework', active discussions were made among panelists from Japan, IAEA, the U.S., France, ROK, Russia and Kazakhstan. This report includes abstracts of keynote speeches, summaries of two panel discussions and materials of the presentations in the forum. The editors take full responsibility for the wording and content of this report except presentation materials. (author)

Distribution grid reconfiguration reduces power losses and helps integrate renewables

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lueken, Colleen; Carvalho, Pedro M.S.; Apt, Jay

2012-01-01

A reconfigurable network can change its topology by opening and closing switches on power lines. We use real wind, solar, load, and cost data and a model of a reconfigurable distribution grid to show that reconfiguration allows a grid operator to reduce operational losses as well as to accept more intermittent renewable generation than a static configuration can. Net present value analysis of automated switch technology shows that the return on investment is negative for this test network when considering only loss reduction, but that the investment is attractive under certain conditions when reconfiguration is used to minimize curtailment. - Highlights: ► Reconfiguration may reduce losses in grids with solar or wind distributed generation. ► Reconfigurable networks can accept more solar or wind DG than static ones. ► Using reconfiguration for loss reduction would not create a positive ROI. ► Using reconfiguration to reduce curtailment usually would create a positive ROI.

FPGA remote update for nuclear environments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fernandes, Ana; Pereira, Rita C.; Sousa, Jorge; Carvalho, Paulo F.; Correia, Miguel; Rodrigues, Antonio P.; Carvalho, Bernardo B.; Goncalves, Bruno [Instituto de Plasmasbe Fusao Nuclear, Instituto Superior Tecnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisboa, (Portugal); Correia, Carlos M.B.A. [Centro de Instrumentacao, Dept. de Fisica, Universidade de Coimbra, 3004-516 Coimbra, (Portugal)

2015-07-01

The Instituto de Plasmas e Fusao Nuclear (IPFN) has developed dedicated re-configurable modules based on field programmable gate array (FPGA) devices for several nuclear fusion machines worldwide. Moreover, new Advanced Telecommunication Computing Architecture (ATCA) based modules developed by IPFN are already included in the ITER catalogue. One of the requirements for re-configurable modules operating in future nuclear environments including ITER is the remote update capability. Accordingly, this work presents an alternative method for FPGA remote programing to be implemented in new ATCA based re-configurable modules. FPGAs are volatile devices and their programming code is usually stored in dedicated flash memories for properly configuration during module power-on. The presented method is capable to store new FPGA codes in Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) flash memories using the PCIexpress (PCIe) network established on the ATCA back-plane, linking data acquisition endpoints and the data switch blades. The method is based on the Xilinx Quick Boot application note, adapted to PCIe protocol and ATCA based modules. (authors)

From stretchable to reconfigurable inorganic electronics

KAUST Repository

Nassar, Joanna M.

2016-05-06

Today’s state-of-the-art electronics are high performing, energy efficient, multi-functional and cost effective. However, they are also typically rigid and brittle. With the emergence of the Internet of Everything, electronic applications are expanding into previously unexplored areas, like healthcare, smart wearable artifacts, and robotics. One major challenge is the physical asymmetry of target application surfaces, which often cause mechanical stretching, contracting, twisting and other deformations to the application. In this review paper, we explore materials, processes, mechanics and devices that enable physically stretchable and reconfigurable electronics. While the concept of stretchable electronics is commonly used in practice, the notion of physically reconfigurable electronics is still in its infancy. Because organic materials are commonly naturally stretchable and physically deformable, we predominantly focus on electronics made from inorganic materials that have the capacity for physical stretching and reconfiguration while retaining their intended attributes. We emphasize how applications of electronics dictate theory to integration strategy for stretchable and reconfigurable inorganic electronics.

Multimode Communication Protocols Enabling Reconfigurable Radios

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Berlemann Lars

2005-01-01

Full Text Available This paper focuses on the realization and application of a generic protocol stack for reconfigurable wireless communication systems. This focus extends the field of software-defined radios which usually concentrates on the physical layer. The generic protocol stack comprises common protocol functionality and behavior which are extended through specific parts of the targeted radio access technology. This paper considers parameterizable modules of basic protocol functions residing in the data link layer of the ISO/OSI model. System-specific functionality of the protocol software is realized through adequate parameterization and composition of the generic modules. The generic protocol stack allows an efficient realization of reconfigurable protocol software and enables a completely reconfigurable wireless communication system. It is a first step from side-by-side realized, preinstalled modes in a terminal towards a dynamic reconfigurable anymode terminal. The presented modules of the generic protocol stack can also be regarded as a toolbox for the accelerated and cost-efficient development of future communication protocols.

Physical protection and its role in nuclear non-proliferation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nilsson, A.

1999-01-01

Non-proliferation of nuclear weapons has been one of the main concerns of the international community since the first nuclear weapons were developed. To prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons has been on the agenda for individual States, groups of States and the international organizations. A number of treaties, conventions and agreements, the most important being the Non-Proliferation Treaty, have been negotiated to prevent the horizontal proliferation of nuclear weapons. States have concluded safeguards agreements with the IAEA to fulfill their obligations according to Article III.1 of the NPT. Other agreements relate to the prevention of vertical proliferation and also to the disarmament of nuclear weapons. It has also been recognized that sub-national, terrorist, or criminal activities may pose a proliferation risk. Illicit trafficking of nuclear material, particularly highly enriched uranium or plutonium, is a non-proliferation concern. States have recognized the need to prevent, as far as possible, the use of nuclear material in unlawful activities. The Convention of Physical Protection of Nuclear Materials, obligates the State Parties to protect nuclear material from theft during international transport, and to make unlawful possession, use, etc., of nuclear material a criminal offense, subject to punishment under national law. Although the physical protection convention recognizes the importance of the physical protection of nuclear material in domestic use, storage and transport, it does not obligate the State party to establish the necessary systems for this purpose. It is this limitation which led many States to believe that the international physical protection regime needs to be strengthened. Although not legally binding per se, the recommendations documented in INFCIRC/225/Rev. 4, The Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and Nuclear Facilities, has obtained wide recognition. There is recognition among States that protecting nuclear material

Nuclear Society and non-proliferation problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gagarinskij, A.Ya.; Kushnarev, S.V.; Ponomarev-Stepnoj, N.N.; Sukhoruchkin, V.K.; Khromov, V.V.; Shmelev, V.M.

1997-01-01

In the USSR Nuclear Society in 1991 the special working group on the problems of nuclear weapons non-proliferation and nuclear materials control, uniting the experts of different types (nuclear physicists, lawyers, teachers), was created. This group became the mechanism of the practical Nuclear Society activity realization in this sphere. Three milestones of the innovative activity can be specified. First Milestone. In January 1992 the Central Nuclear Society Board (of the International Public Nuclear Society Association) published a special appeal to the First Leaders of all countries - former USSR republics. This address paid a special attention to the unity of the USSR power-industrial complex, and numerous problems arisen while separating this complex, including nuclear weapons non-proliferation problems, were indicated as well. Second Milestone. In 1992 and 1993 the Nuclear Society experts issued two selection 'Nuclear Non-proliferation and Control Problems' including reviewing basic papers. In addition, materials on non-proliferation and control are published regularly in the organs. Third Milestone.In 1993 - 1997 some special scientific and technical events (conferences, workshops, meetings) allowing to analyze the joint international projects and contracts outcomes, and establish new contacts between the specialists of NIS, Baltic states and others, have been hold

Nuclear non-proliferation: the U.S. obligation to accept spent fuel from foreign research reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shapar, Howard K.; Egan, Joseph R.

1995-01-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) had a 35-year program for the sale and receipt (for reprocessing) of high-enriched research reactor fuel for foreign research reactors, executed pursuant to bilateral agreements with nuclear trading partners. In 1988, DOE abruptly let this program lapse, citing environmental obstacles. DOE promised to renew the program upon completion of an environmental review which was to take approximately six months. After three and a half years, an environmental assessment was finally produced.Over a year and half elapsed since publication of the assessment before DOE finally took action to renew the program. The paper sets forth the nuclear non-proliferation and related foreign policy considerations which support renewal of the program. It also summarized the contractual and other commitments made to foreign research reactors and foreign governments and aspects of U.S. environmental law as they apply to continuation of the program. (author)

Design, Modelling and Analysis of a Workflow Reconfiguration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mazzara, Manuel; Abouzaid, Faisal; Dragoni, Nicola

2011-01-01

This paper describes a case study involving the reconfiguration of an office workflow. We state the requirements on a system implementing the workflow and its reconfiguration, and describe the system’s design in BPMN. We then use an asynchronous pi-calculus and Web.1 to model the design and to ve......This paper describes a case study involving the reconfiguration of an office workflow. We state the requirements on a system implementing the workflow and its reconfiguration, and describe the system’s design in BPMN. We then use an asynchronous pi-calculus and Web.1 to model the design...

Reconfiguring trade mark law

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Elsmore, Matthew James

2013-01-01

-border setting, with a particular focus on small business and consumers. The article's overall message is to call for a rethink of received wisdom suggesting that trade marks are effective trade-enabling devices. The case is made for reassessing how we think about European trade mark law.......First, this article argues that trade mark law should be approached in a supplementary way, called reconfiguration. Second, the article investigates such a reconfiguration of trade mark law by exploring the interplay of trade marks and service transactions in the Single Market, in the cross...

Proof of Concept of an Irradiance Estimation System for Reconfigurable Photovoltaic Arrays

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vincenzo Li Vigni

2015-06-01

Full Text Available In order to reduce the mismatch effect caused by non-uniform shadows in PV arrays, reconfigurable interconnections approaches have been recently proposed in the literature. These systems usually require the knowledge of the solar radiation affecting every solar module. The aim of this work is to evaluate the effectiveness of three irradiance estimation approaches in order to define which can be well suited for reconfigurable PV arrays. It is presented a real-time solar irradiance estimation device (IrradEst, implementing the three different estimation methods. The proposed system is based on mathematical models of PV modules enabling to estimate irradiation values by sensing a combination of temperature, voltage and current of a PV module. Experimental results showed generally good agreement between the estimated irradiances and the measurements performed by a standard pyranometer taken as reference. Finally one of the three methods was selected as possible solution for a reconfigurable PV system.

Status of conversion of DOE standards to non-Government standards

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moseley, H.L.

1992-07-01

One major goal of the DOE Technical Standards Program is to convert existing DOE standards into non-Government standards (NGS's) where possible. This means that a DOE standard may form the basis for a standards-writing committee to produce a standard in the same subject area using the non-Government standards consensus process. This report is a summary of the activities that have evolved to effect conversion of DOE standards to NGSs, and the status of current conversion activities. In some cases, all requirements in a DOE standard will not be incorporated into the published non-Government standard because these requirements may be considered too restrictive or too specific for broader application by private industry. If requirements in a DOE standard are not incorporated in a non-Government standard and the requirements are considered necessary for DOE program applications, the DOE standard will be revised and issued as a supplement to the non-Government standard. The DOE standard will contain only those necessary requirements not reflected by the non-Government standard. Therefore, while complete conversion of DOE standards may not always be realized, the Department's technical standards policy as stated in Order 1300.2A has been fully supported in attempting to make maximum use of the non-Government standard.

Status of conversion of DOE standards to non-Government standards

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moseley, H.L.

1992-07-01

One major goal of the DOE Technical Standards Program is to convert existing DOE standards into non-Government standards (NGS`s) where possible. This means that a DOE standard may form the basis for a standards-writing committee to produce a standard in the same subject area using the non-Government standards consensus process. This report is a summary of the activities that have evolved to effect conversion of DOE standards to NGSs, and the status of current conversion activities. In some cases, all requirements in a DOE standard will not be incorporated into the published non-Government standard because these requirements may be considered too restrictive or too specific for broader application by private industry. If requirements in a DOE standard are not incorporated in a non-Government standard and the requirements are considered necessary for DOE program applications, the DOE standard will be revised and issued as a supplement to the non-Government standard. The DOE standard will contain only those necessary requirements not reflected by the non-Government standard. Therefore, while complete conversion of DOE standards may not always be realized, the Department`s technical standards policy as stated in Order 1300.2A has been fully supported in attempting to make maximum use of the non-Government standard.

The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty: Regulating Nuclear Weapons around the World

Science.gov (United States)

Middleton, Tiffany Willey

2010-01-01

In May 2010, scientists, national security experts, and state delegates from nations around the world will convene in New York for the 2010 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference. They will review current guidelines for nuclear testing and possession of nuclear weapons in accordance with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty of 1968,…

Optimization of metallic microheaters for high-speed reconfigurable silicon photonics.

Science.gov (United States)

Atabaki, A H; Shah Hosseini, E; Eftekhar, A A; Yegnanarayanan, S; Adibi, A

2010-08-16

The strong thermooptic effect in silicon enables low-power and low-loss reconfiguration of large-scale silicon photonics. Thermal reconfiguration through the integration of metallic microheaters has been one of the more widely used reconfiguration techniques in silicon photonics. In this paper, structural and material optimizations are carried out through heat transport modeling to improve the reconfiguration speed of such devices, and the results are experimentally verified. Around 4 micros reconfiguration time are shown for the optimized structures. Moreover, sub-microsecond reconfiguration time is experimentally demonstrated through the pulsed excitation of the microheaters. The limitation of this pulsed excitation scheme is also discussed through an accurate system-level model developed for the microheater response.

From nuclear non-proliferation to nuclear disarmament: a need to refocus NPT priorities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sethi, Manpreet

1998-01-01

This paper seeks to suggest that attempts at general and complete nuclear disarmament have largely failed because of an over emphasis on nuclear non-proliferation, particularly horizontal, while disarmament has attracted only lip service from the perpetrators of nuclear weapons. In this regard, the treaty of the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) that is deemed to be the core of the global non-proliferation regime is no less to blame for having indulged in a skewed pursuit of its twin objectives - nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament. The paper argues that nuclear non-proliferation can be sustainable only if complemented by nuclear disarmament. In the absence of the latter, proliferation of nuclear weapons, irrespective of the NPT and its safeguards regime, would always pose a potential risk

Secure computing on reconfigurable systems

OpenAIRE

Fernandes Chaves, R.J.

2007-01-01

This thesis proposes a Secure Computing Module (SCM) for reconfigurable computing systems. SC provides a protected and reliable computational environment, where data security and protection against malicious attacks to the system is assured. SC is strongly based on encryption algorithms and on the attestation of the executed functions. The use of SC on reconfigurable devices has the advantage of being highly adaptable to the application and the user requirements, while providing high performa...

Report of “the 2013 international forum on peaceful use of nuclear energy, nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear security. Ensuring nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear security of nuclear fuel cycle options in consideration of the accident at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station”

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamamura, Tsukasa; Suda, Kazunori; Tomikawa, Hirofumi; Suzuki, Mitsutoshi; Kuno, Yusuke; Mochiji, Toshiro

2014-03-01

The Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) held “International Forum on Peaceful Use of Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Non-proliferation and Nuclear Security – Ensuring Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Nuclear Security of Nuclear Fuel Cycle Options in consideration of the Accident at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station –” on 3 and 4 December 2013, with the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) and School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, as co-hosts. In the Forum, officials from Japan, the United States, France and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) explained their efforts regarding peaceful use of nuclear energy and nuclear non-proliferation. Discussion was made in two panels, entitled “Nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear security measures of nuclear fuel cycle options in consideration of the Accident at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station” and “Roles of safeguards and technical measures for ensuring nuclear non-proliferation for nuclear fuel cycle options”. In the first panel based on the implications of the Accident at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station on the domestic and global nuclear energy use and increased interest in the back end of nuclear fuel cycle, discussion was made on nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear security challenges on both fuel cycle options from the policy and institutional viewpoints whereas in the second panel the roles of safeguards and proliferation resistant nuclear technology including plutonium burning technology in ensuring nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear security in the back end of nuclear fuel cycle were discussed. Officials and experts from Japan, IAEA, the United States, France and Republic of Korea participated in the panel and made contributions to active discussion. This report includes abstracts of keynote speeches, summaries of two panel discussions and materials of the presentations in the forum. The editors take full responsibility for the wording

Reconfiguring Maternity Care?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Johannsen, Nis

This dissertation constitutes a reflection on two initiatives seeking to reconfigure maternity care. One initiative sought to digitalise maternity records and included a pilot run of an electronic maternity record in a Danish county. The other consisted of a collaboration between a maternity ward...... at a hospital and a group of researchers which included me. Both initiatives involved numerous seemingly different interests that were held together and related to reconfiguring maternity care. None of the initiatives can unequivocally be labelled a success, as neither managed to change maternity care, at least...... experimental designs are constructed. The consequences and the politics of the proposed changes are engaged with in laboratory manner through collaborative development of the designs and through exposing them to members of field of maternity care...

Review of processes for the release of DOE real and non-real property for reuse and recycle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ranek, N.L.; Kamboj, S.; Hensley, J.; Chen, S.Y.; Blunt, D.

1997-11-01

This report summarizes the underlying historical and regulatory framework supporting the concept of authorizing release for restricted or unrestricted reuse or recycle of real and non-real U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) properties containing residual radioactive material. Basic radiation protection principles as recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection are reviewed, and international initiatives to investigate radiological clearance criteria are reported. Applicable requirements of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency, DOE, and the State of Washington are discussed. Several processes that have been developed for establishing cleanup and release criteria for real and non-real DOE property containing residual radioactive material are presented. Examples of DOE real property for which radiological cleanup criteria were established to support unrestricted release are provided. Properties discussed include Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Project sites, Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Project sites, the Shippingport decommissioning project, the south-middle and south-east vaults in the 317 area at Argonne National Laboratory, the Heavy Water Components Test Reactor at DOE's Savannah River Site, the Experimental Boiling Water Reactor at Argonne National Laboratory, and the Weldon Spring site. Some examples of non-real property for which DOE sites have established criteria to support unrestricted release are also furnished. 10 figs., 4 tabs

Design of reconfigurable antennas using graph models

CERN Document Server

Costantine, Joseph; Christodoulou, Christos G; Christodoulou, Christos G

2013-01-01

This lecture discusses the use of graph models to represent reconfigurable antennas. The rise of antennas that adapt to their environment and change their operation based on the user's request hasn't been met with clear design guidelines. There is a need to propose some rules for the optimization of any reconfigurable antenna design and performance. Since reconfigurable antennas are seen as a collection of self-organizing parts, graph models can be introduced to relate each possible topology to a corresponding electromagnetic performance in terms of achieving a characteristic frequency of oper

Reconfigurable radio systems network architectures and standards

CERN Document Server

Iacobucci, Maria Stella

2013-01-01

This timely book provides a standards-based view of the development, evolution, techniques and potential future scenarios for the deployment of reconfigurable radio systems.  After an introduction to radiomobile and radio systems deployed in the access network, the book describes cognitive radio concepts and capabilities, which are the basis for reconfigurable radio systems.  The self-organizing network features introduced in 3GPP standards are discussed and IEEE 802.22, the first standard based on cognitive radio, is described. Then the ETSI reconfigurable radio systems functional ar

Two Differential Binding Mechanisms of FG-Nucleoporins and Nuclear Transport Receptors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Piau Siong Tan

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Summary: Phenylalanine-glycine-rich nucleoporins (FG-Nups are intrinsically disordered proteins, constituting the selective barrier of the nuclear pore complex (NPC. Previous studies showed that nuclear transport receptors (NTRs were found to interact with FG-Nups by forming an “archetypal-fuzzy” complex through the rapid formation and breakage of interactions with many individual FG motifs. Here, we use single-molecule studies combined with atomistic simulations to show that, in sharp contrast, FG-Nup214 undergoes a coupled reconfiguration-binding mechanism when interacting with the export receptor CRM1. Association and dissociation rate constants are more than an order of magnitude lower than in the archetypal-fuzzy complex between FG-Nup153 and NTRs. Unexpectedly, this behavior appears not to be encoded selectively into CRM1 but rather into the FG-Nup214 sequence. The same distinct binding mechanisms are unperturbed in O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine-modified FG-Nups. Our results have implications for differential roles of distinctly spatially distributed FG-Nup⋅NTR interactions in the cell. : Archetypal-fuzzy complexes found in most FG-Nucleoporin⋅nuclear transport receptor complexes allow fast yet specific nuclear transport. Tan et al. show that FG-Nup214, located at the periphery of the nuclear pore complex, binds to CRM1⋅RanGTP via a coupled reconfiguration-binding mechanism, which can enable different functionalities e.g., cargo release. Keywords: intrinsically disordered protein, glycosylation, FG-Nup, nuclear transport receptors, binding mechanism, single-molecule FRET, molecular dynamics simulations

Graphene-based Yagi-Uda antenna with reconfigurable radiation patterns

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, Yongle, E-mail: wuyongle138@gmail.com; Qu, Meijun; Jiao, Lingxiao; Liu, Yuanan [School of Electronic Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Work Safety Intelligent Monitoring, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, P. O. Box. 282, Beijing, 100876 (China); Ghassemlooy, Zabih [Optical Communications Research Group, NCRLab, Faculty of Engineering and Environment, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8ST (United Kingdom)

2016-06-15

This paper presents a radiation pattern reconfigurable Yagi-Uda antenna based on graphene operating at terahertz frequencies. The antenna can be reconfigured to change the main beam pattern into two or four different radiation directions. The proposed antenna consists of a driven dipole radiation conductor, parasitic strips and embedded graphene. The hybrid graphene-metal implementation enables the antenna to have dynamic surface conductivity, which can be tuned by changing the chemical potentials. Therefore, the main beam direction, the resonance frequency, and the front-to-back ratio of the proposed antenna can be controlled by tuning the chemical potentials of the graphene embedded in different positions. The proposed two-beam reconfigurable Yagi-Uda antenna can achieve excellent unidirectional symmetrical radiation pattern with the front-to-back ratio of 11.9 dB and the10-dB impedance bandwidth of 15%. The different radiation directivity of the two-beam reconfigurable antenna can be achieved by controlling the chemical potentials of the graphene embedded in the parasitic stubs. The achievable peak gain of the proposed two-beam reconfigurable antenna is about 7.8 dB. Furthermore, we propose a four-beam reconfigurable Yagi-Uda antenna, which has stable reflection-coefficient performance although four main beams in reconfigurable cases point to four totally different directions. The corresponding peak gain, front-to-back ratio, and 10-dB impedance bandwidth of the four-beam reconfigurable antenna are about 6.4 dB, 12 dB, and 10%, respectively. Therefore, this novel design method of reconfigurable antennas is extremely promising for beam-scanning in terahertz and mid-infrared plasmonic devices and systems.

Non-Markovian nuclear dynamics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kolomietz, V.M.

2011-01-01

A prove of equations of motion for the nuclear shape variables which establish a direct connection of the memory effects with the dynamic distortion of the Fermi surface is suggested. The equations of motion for the nuclear Fermi liquid drop are derived from the collisional kinetic equation. In general, the corresponding equations are non-Markovian. The memory effects appear due to the Fermi surface distortions and depend on the relaxation time. The main purpose of the present work is to apply the non-Markovian dynamics to the description of the nuclear giant multipole resonances (GMR) and the large amplitude motion. We take also into consideration the random forces and concentrate on the formation of both the conservative and the friction forces to make more clear the memory effect on the nuclear dynamics. In this respect, the given approach represents an extension of the traditional liquid drop model (LDM) to the case of the nuclear Fermi liquid drop. In practical application, we pay close attention to the description of the descent of the nucleus from the fission barrier to the scission point.

Human factors methods in DOE nuclear facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bennett, C.T.; Banks, W.W.; Waters, R.J.

1993-01-01

The US Department of Energy (DOE) is in the process of developing a series of guidelines for the use of human factors standards, procedures, and methods to be used in nuclear facilities. This paper discusses the philosophy and process being used to develop a DOE human factors methods handbook to be used during the design cycle. The following sections will discuss: (1) basic justification for the project; (2) human factors design objectives and goals; and (3) role of human factors engineering (HFE) in the design cycle

Introducing nuclear power into currently non-nuclear states

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Claassen, Gert

2007-01-01

As the nuclear renaissance gains momentum, many countries that currently have no nuclear power plants will begin to consider introducing them. It is anticipated that smaller reactors such as the Pebble Bed Modulator Reactor (PBMR) will not only be sold to current nuclear states to also to states where there is currently no nuclear experience. A range of issues would have to be considered for nuclear plants to be solid to non-nuclear states, such as the appropriate regulatory environment, standardization and codes, non-proliferation, security of supply, obtaining experienced merchant operators, appropriate financial structures and education and training. The paper considers nine major issues that need to be addressed by governments and vendors alike. International cooperation by organisations such as the IAEA, financial institutions and international suppliers will be required to ensure that developing countries as well as developed ones share the benefits of the nuclear renaissance. The opportunities that the nuclear industry affords to develop local skills, create job opportunities and to develop local manufacturing industries are among the important reasons that the South African Government has decided to support and fund the development of the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor project. These considerations are included in the paper. (author)

Reconfigurable Control of Input Affine Nonlinear Systems under Actuator Fault

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tabatabaeipour, Mojtaba; Galeazzi, Roberto

2015-01-01

loop is preserved. The RB is realized by a virtual actuator and a reference model. Using notions of incremental and input-to-state stability (ISS), it is shown that ISS of the closed-loop reconfigured system can be achieved by the separate design of the virtual actuator. The proposed method does...... not need any knowledge of the nominal controller and only assumes that the nominal closed-loop system is ISS. The method is demonstrated on a dynamic positioning system for an offshore supply vessel, where the virtual actuator is designed using backstepping....

Compilation of nuclear safety criteria potential application to DOE nonreactor facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-03-01

This bibliographic document compiles nuclear safety criteria applied to the various areas of nuclear safety addressed in a Safety Analysis Report for a nonreactor nuclear facility (NNF). The criteria listed are derived from federal regulations, Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) guides and publications, DOE and DOE contractor publications, and industry codes and standards. The titles of the chapters and sections of Regulatory Guide 3.26, ''Standard Format and Content of Safety Analysis Reports for Fuel Reprocessing Plants'' were used to format the chapters and sections of this compilation. In each section the criteria are compiled in four groups, namely: (1) Code of Federal Regulations, (2) USNRC Regulatory Guides, (3) Codes and Standards, and (4) Supplementary Information

The non-proliferation policies of non-nuclear-weapon states

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marwah, Onkar

1987-01-01

Eight countries are considered to be capable of producing nuclear weapons and highly suspect in their intentions to actually produce them. These are Argentina, Brazil, India, Pakistan, Israel, South Africa, the Republic of Korea and Taiwan. The policies of these suspect Non-nuclear-weapon States (NNWS) are considered in this paper. The first part assesses the non-proliferation (or proliferation) policies of the eight suspect NNWS, the second part evaluates their differences in approach from the policies urged upon them by the nuclear-weapon states (NWS) and the third and final part attempts to understand the future evolution of NNWS policies in the nuclear military field. (U.K.)

Go reconfigure: how fish change shape as they swim and evolve.

Science.gov (United States)

Long, John H; Porter, Marianne E; Root, Robert G; Liew, Chun Wai

2010-12-01

The bodies of fish change shape over propulsive, behavioral, developmental, and evolutionary time scales, a general phenomenon that we call "reconfiguration". Undulatory, postural, and form-reconfiguration can be distinguished, studied independently, and examined in terms of mechanical interactions and evolutionary importance. Using a combination of live, swimming fishes and digital robotic fish that are autonomous and self-propelled, we examined the functional relation between undulatory and postural reconfiguration in forward swimming, backward swimming, and yaw turning. To probe how postural and form reconfiguration interact, the yaw turning of leopard sharks was examined using morphometric and kinematic analyses. To test how undulatory reconfiguration might evolve, the digital robotic fish were subjected to selection for enhanced performance in a simulated ecology in which each individual had to detect and move towards a food source. In addition to the general issue of reconfiguration, these investigations are united by the fact that the dynamics of undulatory and postural reconfigurations are predicted to be determined, in part, by the structural stiffness of the fish's body. Our method defines undulatory reconfiguration as the combined, point-by-point periodic motion of the body, leaving postural reconfiguration as the combined deviations from undulatory reconfiguration. While undulatory reconfiguration appears to be the sole or primary propulsive driver, postural reconfiguration may contribute to propulsion in hagfish and it is correlated with differences in forward, and backward, swimming in lamprey. Form reconfigures over developmental time in leopard sharks in a manner that is consistent with an allometric scaling theory in which structural stiffness of the body is held constant. However, correlation of a form proxy for structural stiffness of the body suggests that body stiffness may scale in order to limit maximum postural reconfiguration during routine

DOE Technical Standards List. Directory of DOE and contractor personnel involved in non-government standards activities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-06-01

This is a periodic report on the level of agency participation in non-Government standards activities. This technical standards list is intended to assist US Department of Energy (DOE) management and other personnel involved in the DOE technical Standards Program by identifying those participating individuals. The body of this document contains a listing of DOE employees and DOE contractors who have submitted a Record of Non-Government Standards Activity. Additional names were added from rosters supplied by non-Government standards bodies. Appendices to this document are provided to list the information by parent employment organization, by non-Government standards activity, and by the proper names of the non-Government standards organizations and committees.

DOE technical standards list: Directory of DOE and contractor personnel involved in non-government standards activities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-08-01

The body of this document contains a listing of DOE employees and DOE contractors who have submitted form DOE F 1300.2, Record of Non-Government Standards Activity, which is attached to the end of this document and to DOE Order 1300.2A. Additional names were added from rosters supplied by non-Government standards bodies. The committees or governing bodies in which the person participates is listed after each name. An asterisk preceding the committee notation indicates that the person has identified himself or herself as the DOE representative on that committee. Appendices to this document are also provided to sort the information by the parent employment organization, by non-Government standards activity, and by the proper names of the non-Government standards organizations and committees. DOE employees and contractors listed in this TSL are those recorded as of July 1, 1996.

Survey on non-nuclear radioactive waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-11-01

On request from the Swedish Radiation Protection Authority, the Swedish government has in May 2002 set up a non-standing committee for non-nuclear radioactive waste. The objective was to elaborate proposals for a national system for the management of all types of non-nuclear radioactive wastes with special consideration of inter alia the polluter pays principle and the responsibility of the producers. The committee will deliver its proposals to the government 1 December 2003. SSI has assisted the committee to the necessary extent to fulfill the investigation. This report is a summery of SSI's background material concerning non-nuclear radioactive waste in Sweden

MT-ADRES: Multithreading on Coarse-Grained Reconfigurable Architecture

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wu, Kehuai; Kanstein, Andreas; Madsen, Jan

2007-01-01

The coarse-grained reconfigurable architecture ADRES (Architecture for Dynamically Reconfigurable Embedded Systems) and its compiler offer high instruction-level parallelism (ILP) to applications by means of a sparsely interconnected array of functional units and register files. As high-ILP archi......The coarse-grained reconfigurable architecture ADRES (Architecture for Dynamically Reconfigurable Embedded Systems) and its compiler offer high instruction-level parallelism (ILP) to applications by means of a sparsely interconnected array of functional units and register files. As high......-ILP architectures achieve only low parallelism when executing partially sequential code segments, which is also known as Amdahl’s law, this paper proposes to extend ADRES to MT-ADRES (Multi-Threaded ADRES) to also exploit thread-level parallelism. On MT-ADRES architectures, the array can be partitioned in multiple...

Lattice Automata for Control of Self-Reconfigurable Robots

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Støy, Kasper

2015-01-01

are extreme versatility and robustness. The organisation of self-reconfigurable robots in a lattice structure and the emphasis on local communication between modules mean that lattice automata are a useful basis for control of self-reconfigurable robots. However, there are significant differences which arise...... mainly from the physical nature of self-reconfigurable robots as opposed to the virtual nature of lattice automata. The problems resulting from these differences are mutual exclusion, handling motion constraints of modules, and unrealistic assumption about global, spatial orientation. Despite...... these problems the self-reconfigurable robot community has successfully applied lattice automata to simple control problems. However, for more complex problems hybrid solutions based on lattice automata and distributed algorithms are used. Hence, lattice automata have shown to have potential for the control...

Aluminum-centered tetrahedron-octahedron transition in advancing Al-Sb-Te phase change properties.

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Mengjiao; Ding, Keyuan; Rao, Feng; Li, Xianbin; Wu, Liangcai; Song, Zhitang

2015-02-24

Group IIIA elements, Al, Ga, or In, etc., doped Sb-Te materials have proven good phase change properties, especially the superior data retention ability over popular Ge2Sb2Te5, while their phase transition mechanisms are rarely investigated. In this paper, aiming at the phase transition of Al-Sb-Te materials, we reveal a dominant rule of local structure changes around the Al atoms based on ab initio simulations and nuclear magnetic resonance evidences. By comparing the local chemical environments around Al atoms in respective amorphous and crystalline Al-Sb-Te phases, we believe that Al-centered motifs undergo reversible tetrahedron-octahedron reconfigurations in phase transition process. Such Al-centered local structure rearrangements significantly enhance thermal stability of amorphous phase compared to that of undoped Sb-Te materials, and facilitate a low-energy amorphization due to the weak links among Al-centered and Sb-centered octahedrons. Our studies may provide a useful reference to further understand the underlying physics and optimize performances of all IIIA metal doped Sb-Te phase change materials, prompting the development of NOR/NAND Flash-like phase change memory technology.

Nuclear waste: Quarterly report on DOE's Nuclear Waste Program as of March 31, 1987

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-01-01

The Nuclear Waste Policy Act established a national program and policy for safely storing, transporting, and disposing of nuclear waste. This fact sheet provides the status of the Department of Energy's program activities. They include (1) the release of a draft amendment to the mission plan in which DOE extends by 5 years its target date for beginning first repository operations and information on DOE's decision to postpone site-specific activities for the second repository; (2) a monitored retrievable storage proposal and related documents; (3) receipts of comments from utilities, state regulators, and others on its Notice of Inquiry on proposals for the calculation of fees for defense waste disposal; and (4) information on the Nuclear Waste Fund collection of over /135.4 million in fees and investment income and obligations of $139 million for program activities. The fund balance as of March 31, 1987, was about $1.5 billion

Gas processing at DOE nuclear facilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jacox, J.

1995-02-01

The term {open_quotes}Gas Processing{close_quotes} has many possible meanings and understandings. In this paper, and panel, we will be using it to generally mean the treatment of gas by methods other than those common to HVAC and Nuclear Air Treatment. This is only a working guideline not a rigorous definition. Whether a rigorous definition is desirable, or even possible is a question for some other forum. Here we will be discussing the practical aspects of what {open_quotes}Gas Processing{close_quotes} includes and how existing Codes, Standards and industry experience can, and should, apply to DOE and NRC Licensed facilities. A major impediment to use of the best engineering and technology in many nuclear facilities is the administrative mandate that only systems and equipment that meet specified {open_quotes}nuclear{close_quotes} documents are permissible. This paper will highlight some of the limitations created by this approach.

Introducing nuclear power into currently non-nuclear states

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gert, Claassen

2007-01-01

As the nuclear renaissance gains momentum, many countries that currently have no nuclear power plants will begin to consider introducing them. It is anticipated that smaller reactors such as the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) will not only be sold to current nuclear states to also to states where there is currently no nuclear experience. A range of issues would have to be considered for nuclear plants to be sold to non-nuclear states, such as the appropriate regulatory environment, standardization and codes, non-proliferation, security of supply, obtaining experienced merchant operators, appropriate financial structures and education and training. The paper considers nine major issues that need to be addressed by governments and vendors alike: 1) political enabling framework, 2) regulatory framework, 3) responsible owner, 4) responsible operator, 5) finance, 6) contact management, 7) fuel supply and waste management framework, 8) training and education, and 9) industrial infrastructure. International cooperation by organisations such as the IAEA, financial institutions and international suppliers will be required to ensure that developing countries as well as developed ones share the benefits of the nuclear renaissance. The opportunities that the nuclear industry affords to develop local skills, create job opportunities and to develop local manufacturing industries are among the important reasons that the South African Government has decided to support and fund the development of the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor project. (author)

Modular reconfigurable machine tools: design, control and evaluation

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Padayachee, J

2009-11-01

Full Text Available The reconfigurable manufacturing system (RMS) paradigm encapsulates methodologies that enable manufacturing systems to cope effectively with market and product changes. This research presents the design and evaluation of modular reconfigurable...

Grasp planning for a reconfigurable parallel robot with an underactuated arm structure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Riedel

2010-12-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a novel approach of grasp planning is applied to find out the appropriate grasp points for a reconfigurable parallel robot called PARAGRIP (Parallel Gripping. This new handling system is able to manipulate objects in the six-dimensional Cartesian space by several robotic arms using only six actuated joints. After grasping, the contact elements at the end of the underactuated arm mechanisms are connected to the object which forms a closed loop mechanism similar to the architecture of parallel manipulators. As the mounting and grasp points of the arms can easily be changed, the manipulator can be reconfigured to match the user's preferences and needs. This paper raises the question, how and where these grasp points are to be placed on the object to perform well for a certain manipulation task.

This paper was presented at the IFToMM/ASME International Workshop on Underactuated Grasping (UG2010, 19 August 2010, Montréal, Canada.

3rd IEEE/IFToMM International Conference on Reconfigurable Mechanisms and Robots

CERN Document Server

Kong, Xianwen; Dai, Jian; ReMAR 2015; Advances in Reconfigurable Mechanisms and Robots II

2016-01-01

This book presents the most recent advances in the research and applications of reconfigurable mechanisms and robots. It collects 93 independently reviewed papers presented at the Third ASME/IFToMM International Conference on Reconfigurable Mechanisms and Robots (ReMAR 2015) held in Beijing, China, 20-22 July 2015. The conference papers are organized into seven parts to cover the reconfiguration theory, topology, kinematics and design of reconfigurable mechanisms including reconfigurable parallel mechanisms. The most recent results on reconfigurable robots are presented including their analysis, design, simulation and control. Bio-inspired mechanisms are also explored in the challenging fields of rehabilitation and minimally invasive surgery. This book further addresses deployable mechanisms and origami-inspired mechanisms and showcases a wide range of successful applications of reconfigurable mechanisms and robots. Advances in Reconfigurable Mechanisms and Robots II should be of interest for researchers, eng...

Improving Reliability, Security, and Efficiency of Reconfigurable Hardware Systems (Habilitation)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ziener, Daniel

2017-01-01

In this treatise,  my research on methods to improve efficiency, reliability, and security of reconfigurable hardware systems, i.e., FPGAs, through partial dynamic reconfiguration is outlined. The efficiency of reconfigurable systems can be improved by loading optimized data paths on-the-fly on an

Ukraine's non-nuclear option

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Batiouk, V.

1992-01-01

It seems that only yesterday the dilemma confronting our world was not that of war or peace but rather of life or death for mankind, the reason being mainly the prospect of mass annihilation which became increasingly vivid with each and every new explosive nuclear device added to the already existing enormous stockpiles of warheads of mass annihilation. Against this gloomy background of a despairingly reckless arms race, the long-awaited signs began to appear. First the United States and the Soviet Union found it possible to initiate the process by cutting into their immeasurable nuclear arsenals, then Ukraine declared its intention to become non-nuclear by the end of 1994. All the newly independent States, of the former Soviet Union, except Russia, also agreed to renounce possession of nuclear arms. The declarations were put into effect and the most recent specific action was the removal by 6 may 1992 of all short-range nuclear weapons from Ukrainian territory to Russian soil with a view to their ultimate dismantlement. The signature on 23 May 1992 in Lisbon by four ex-Soviet States (Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia and Ukraine) and the United States of a Protocol to the 1991 Treaty on the Reduction of Strategic Offensive Weapons (START), significantly lowered the risk of nuclear war. By this accord Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine agreed to destroy or turn over to Russia all strategic nuclear warheads and to accede ''in the shortest possible time to the 1968 Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty''. In early May, Ukraine proposed to remove all nuclear weapons from the Black Sea and make it a zone of peace

Design Tools for Reconfigurable Hardware in Orbit (RHinO)

Science.gov (United States)

French, Mathew; Graham, Paul; Wirthlin, Michael; Larchev, Gregory; Bellows, Peter; Schott, Brian

2004-01-01

The Reconfigurable Hardware in Orbit (RHinO) project is focused on creating a set of design tools that facilitate and automate design techniques for reconfigurable computing in space, using SRAM-based field-programmable-gate-array (FPGA) technology. These tools leverage an established FPGA design environment and focus primarily on space effects mitigation and power optimization. The project is creating software to automatically test and evaluate the single-event-upsets (SEUs) sensitivities of an FPGA design and insert mitigation techniques. Extensions into the tool suite will also allow evolvable algorithm techniques to reconfigure around single-event-latchup (SEL) events. In the power domain, tools are being created for dynamic power visualiization and optimization. Thus, this technology seeks to enable the use of Reconfigurable Hardware in Orbit, via an integrated design tool-suite aiming to reduce risk, cost, and design time of multimission reconfigurable space processors using SRAM-based FPGAs.

Reconfigurable layout problem

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Meng, G.; Heragu, S.S.; Heragu, S.S.; Zijm, Willem H.M.

2004-01-01

This paper addresses the reconfigurable layout problem, which differs from traditional, robust and dynamic layout problems mainly in two aspects: first, it assumes that production data are available only for the current and upcoming production period. Second, it considers queuing performance

A DOE-STD-3009 hazard and accident analysis methodology for non-reactor nuclear facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MAHN, JEFFREY A.; WALKER, SHARON ANN

2000-01-01

This paper demonstrates the use of appropriate consequence evaluation criteria in conjunction with generic likelihood of occurrence data to produce consistent hazard analysis results for nonreactor nuclear facility Safety Analysis Reports (SAR). An additional objective is to demonstrate the use of generic likelihood of occurrence data as a means for deriving defendable accident sequence frequencies, thereby enabling the screening of potentially incredible events ( -6 per year) from the design basis accident envelope. Generic likelihood of occurrence data has been used successfully in performing SAR hazard and accident analyses for two nonreactor nuclear facilities at Sandia National Laboratories. DOE-STD-3009-94 addresses and even encourages use of a qualitative binning technique for deriving and ranking nonreactor nuclear facility risks. However, qualitative techniques invariably lead to reviewer requests for more details associated with consequence or likelihood of occurrence bin assignments in the test of the SAR. Hazard analysis data displayed in simple worksheet format generally elicits questions about not only the assumptions behind the data, but also the quantitative bases for the assumptions themselves (engineering judgment may not be considered sufficient by some reviewers). This is especially true where the criteria for qualitative binning of likelihood of occurrence involves numerical ranges. Oftentimes reviewers want to see calculations or at least a discussion of event frequencies or failure probabilities to support likelihood of occurrence bin assignments. This may become a significant point of contention for events that have been binned as incredible. This paper will show how the use of readily available generic data can avoid many of the reviewer questions that will inevitably arise from strictly qualitative analyses, while not significantly increasing the overall burden on the analyst

DOE technical standards list: Directory of DOE and contractor personnel involved in non-government standards activities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-05-01

The body of this document contains a listing of DOE employees and DOE contractors who have submitted form DOE F 1300.2, Record of Non-Government Standards Activity, which is attached to the end of this document. Additional names were added from rosters supplied by non-Government standards bodies. The committees or governing bodies in which the person participates is listed after each name. An asterisk preceding the committee notation indicates that the person has identified himself or herself as the DOE representative on that committee. Appendices to this document are also provided to sort the information by the parent employment organization, by non-Government standards activity, and by the proper names of the non-Government standards organizations and committees. DOE employees and contractors listed in this technical standards list are those recorded as of May 1, 1999.

Nuclear weapons non proliferation treaty

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1969-01-01

Taking into account the devastation that a nuclear war would inflict upon mankind, and the resulting need to do all that is in our power to keep such a tragedy from occuring, as well as to implement measures to safeguard all the peoples' safety, each State that owns nuclear weapons and that is a part of the Treaty pledges not to trade nuclear weapons, other explosive devices nor the control over such instruments to any other entity whatsoever, wether directly or indirectly. Likewise, all States that does not posses any nuclear weaponry and that are part of the Treaty, in turn pledge not to receive from any other entity nuclear weaponry or other explosive devices in trade, wether directly or indirectly; not to manufacture or otherwise acquire this fashion of weaponry and not to request or accept any help whatsoever in the manufacturing of nuclear weaponry or related devices. The present Treaty remains open to the subscription of other countries, on July 26, 1968, with Mexico as one of the signatory countries

Active sensing and its application to sensor node reconfiguration.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Sooyong

2014-10-08

This paper presents a perturbation/correlation-based active sensing method and its application to sensor node configuration for environment monitoring. Sensor networks are widely used as data measurement tools, especially in dangerous environments. For large scale environment monitoring, a large number of nodes is required. For optimal measurements, the placement of nodes is very important. Nonlinear spring force-based configuration is introduced. Perturbation/correlation-based estimation of the gradient is developed and it is much more robust because it does not require any differentiation. An algorithm for tuning the stiffness using the estimated gradient for node reconfiguration is presented. The performance of the proposed algorithm is discussed with simulation results.

Data base concepts for managing the DOE nuclear material inventory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beams, J.D.

1996-01-01

Information required by nuclear materials managers in the Department of Energy (DOE) is accessible with varying levels of difficulty. Currently, the most readily available information is provided by the Nuclear Materials Management and Safeguards System (NMMSS). Information not provided by NMMSS must be obtained either from field site data bases or collected through physical inventory inspections, both very costly and time-consuming alternatives. This paper discusses the possibility of providing more detailed information at DOE headquarters on nuclear material inventories than is provided by NMMSS. In particular, this paper considers some of the issues associated with managing materials at the lowest-level--the item-level--and uses a hypothetical item-level data base to describe some of the advantages and disadvantages of managing information at the item-level

Handbook for nuclear non-proliferation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Byung Wook; Oh, Keun Bae; Lee, Kwang Seok; Lee, Dong Jin; Ko, Han Seok.

1997-05-01

This book analyzed international non-proliferation regime preventing from spread of nuclear weapon. This book took review from the historical background of non-proliferation regime to the recent changes and status. The regime, here, is divided into multilateral and bilateral regime. First of all, this book reports four multilateral treaties concluded for non-proliferation such as NPT, NWFZ, CTBT and others. Secondly, international organization and regimes concerned with non-proliferation are analyzed with emphasis of UN, IAEA, ZC and NSG, Regional Safeguards System and international conference. Finally, this book report the current circumstances of nuclear cooperation agreement related with Korea which is an important means for bilateral regime. (author). 13 tabs., 2 figs

Handbook for nuclear non-proliferation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Byung Wook; Oh, Keun Bae; Lee, Kwang Seok; Lee, Dong Jin; Ko, Han Seok

1997-05-01

This book analyzed international non-proliferation regime preventing from spread of nuclear weapon. This book took review from the historical background of non-proliferation regime to the recent changes and status. The regime, here, is divided into multilateral and bilateral regime. First of all, this book reports four multilateral treaties concluded for non-proliferation such as NPT, NWFZ, CTBT and others. Secondly, international organization and regimes concerned with non-proliferation are analyzed with emphasis of UN, IAEA, ZC and NSG, Regional Safeguards System and international conference. Finally, this book report the current circumstances of nuclear cooperation agreement related with Korea which is an important means for bilateral regime. (author). 13 tabs., 2 figs.

Nuclear science. U.S. electricity needs and DOE's civilian reactor development program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

England-Joseph, Judy; Allen, Robert E. Jr.; Fitzgerald, Duane; Young, Edward E. Jr.; Leavens, William P.; Bell, Jacqueline

1990-05-01

Electricity projections developed by the North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) appear to be the best available estimates of future U.S. electricity needs. NERC, which represents all segments of the utility industry, forecasts that before 1998 certain regions of the country, particularly in the more heavily populated eastern half of the United States, may experience shortfalls during summer peak demand periods. These forecasts considered the utility companies' plans, as of 1989, to meet electricity needs during the period; these plans include such measures as constructing additional generators and conducting demand management programs. Working closely with the nuclear industry, DOE is supporting the development of several reactor technologies to ensure that nuclear power remains a viable electricity supply option. In fiscal year 1990, DOE's Civilian Reactor Development Program was funded at $253 million. DOE is using these funds to support industry-led efforts to develop light water reactors (LWR), advanced liquid-metal reactors (LMR), and modular high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (MHTGR) that are safe, environmentally acceptable, and economically competitive. The utility company officials we spoke with, all of whom were in the Southeast, generally supported DOE's efforts in developing these technologies. However, most of the officials do not plan to purchase nuclear reactors until after 2000 because of the high costs of constructing nuclear reactors and current public opposition to nuclear power

An FPGA-based reconfigurable DDC algorithm

Science.gov (United States)

Juszczyk, B.; Kasprowicz, G.

2016-09-01

This paper describes implementation of reconfigurable digital down converter in an FPGA structure. System is designed to work with quadrature signals. One of the main criteria of the project was to provied wide range of reconfiguration in order to fulfill various application rage. Potential applications include: software defined radio receiver, passive noise radars and measurement data compression. This document contains general system overview, short description of hardware used in the project and gateware implementation.

American National Standards and the DOE - A cooperative effort to promote nuclear criticality safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rothleder, B.M.

1996-01-01

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) new criticality safety order, DOE Order 420.1 (open-quotes Facility Safety,close quotes October 13, 1995), Sec. 4.3 (open-quotes Nuclear Criticality Safetyclose quotes), invokes, as an integral part, 12 appropriate American National Standards Institute/American Nuclear Society (ANSI/ANS) Series-8 standards for nuclear criticality safety, but with modifications. (The order that 420.1/4.3 replaced also invoked some ANSI/ANS Series-8 standards.) These modifications include DOE operation-specific exceptions to the standards and elaborations on some of the wording in the standards

Value Assessment of Distribution Network Reconfiguration: A Danish Case Study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vaskantiras, Georgios; You, Shi

2016-01-01

. This paper presents a case study-based analysis to explore the potential value of reconfiguration in detail. The study is performed using a 10kV distribution grid of Denmark, while reconfiguration is applied to minimize the energy losses under both normal and post-fault conditions. The results show......Distribution network reconfiguration is a mechanism that can improve the distribution system performance from multiple perspectives. In the context of smart grid wherein the degrees of automation and intelligence are high, the potential value of network reconfiguration can be significant...

Integrating DC/DC Conversion with Possible Reconfiguration within Submodule Solar Photovoltaic Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Peter Jen-Hung

This research first proposes a method to merge photovoltaic (PV) cells or PV panels within the internal components DC-DC converters. The purpose of this merged structure is to reconfigure the PV modules between series and parallel connections using high switching frequencies (hundreds of kHz). This leads to multi-levels of voltages and currents that become applied to the output filter of the converter. Further, this research introduces a concept of a switching cell that utilizes the reconfiguration of series and parallel connections in DC-DC converters. The switching occurs at high switching frequency and the switches can be integrated to be within the solar panels or in between the solar cells. The concept is generalized and applied to basic buck and boost topologies. As examples of the new types of converters: reconfigurable PV-buck and PV-boost converter topologies are presented. It is also possible to create other reconfigurable power converters: non-isolated and isolated topologies. Analysis, simulation and experimental verification for the reconfigurable PV-buck and PV-boost converters are presented extensively to illustrate proof of concept. Benefits and drawbacks of the new approach are discussed. The second part of this research proposes to utilize the internal solar cell capacitance and internal solar module wire parasitic inductances to replace the input capacitor and filter inductor in boost derived DC-DC converters for energy harvesting applications. High switching frequency (MHz) hard switched and resonant boost converters are proposed. Their analysis, simulation and experimental prototypes are presented. A specific proof-of-concept application is especially tested for foldable PV panels, which are known for their high internal wire inductance. The experimental converters successfully boost solar module voltage without adding any external input capacitance or filter inductor. Benefits and drawbacks of new proposed PV submodule integrated boost

Non Nuclear Testing of Reactor Systems In The Early Flight Fission Test Facilities (EFF-TF)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Dyke, Melissa; Martin, James

2004-01-01

The Early Flight Fission-Test Facility (EFF-TF) can assist in the design and development of systems through highly effective non-nuclear testing of nuclear systems when technical issues associated with near-term space fission systems are 'non-nuclear' in nature (e.g. system's nuclear operations are understood). For many systems, thermal simulators can be used to closely mimic fission heat deposition. Axial power profile, radial power profile, and fuel pin thermal conductivity can be matched. In addition to component and subsystem testing, operational and lifetime issues associated with the steady state and transient performance of the integrated reactor module can be investigated. Instrumentation at the EFF-TF allows accurate measurement of temperature, pressure, strain, and bulk core deformation (useful for accurately simulating nuclear behavior). Ongoing research at the EFF-TF is geared towards facilitating research, development, system integration, and system utilization via cooperative efforts with DOE laboratories, industry, universities, and other Nasa centers. This paper describes the current efforts for the latter portion of 2003 and beginning of 2004. (authors)

Paper summary inventory assessment of DOE spent nuclear fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abbott, D.G.; Bringhurst, A.R.; Fillmore, D.L.

1994-01-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has determined that it will not longer reprocess its spent nuclear fuel. This decision made it necessary to manage this fuel for long-term interim storage and ultimate disposal. DOE is developing a computerized database of its spent nuclear fuel inventory. This database contains information about the fuels and the fuel storage locations. There is approximately 2,618 metric tons initial heavy metal of fuel, stored at 12 locations. For analysis in an environmental impact statement, the fuel has been divided into six categories: naval, aluminum-based, Hanford defense, graphite, commercial-type, and test and experimental. This paper provides a discussion of the development of the database, and includes summary inventory information and a brief description of the fuels

Reconfigurable Mobile Multimedia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smit, Gerardus Johannes Maria; Bos, M.; Havinga, Paul J.M.; Smit, Jaap

1999-01-01

This paper discusses reconfigurability issues in lowpower hand-held multimedia systems, with particular emphasis on energy conservation. We claim that a radical new approach has to be taken in order to fulfill the requirements - in terms of processing power and energy consumption - of future mobile

Experimental Results of Novel DoA Estimation Algorithms for Compact Reconfigurable Antennas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Henna Paaso

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Reconfigurable antenna systems have gained much attention for potential use in the next generation wireless systems. However, conventional direction-of-arrival (DoA estimation algorithms for antenna arrays cannot be used directly in reconfigurable antennas due to different design of the antennas. In this paper, we present an adjacent pattern power ratio (APPR algorithm for two-port composite right/left-handed (CRLH reconfigurable leaky-wave antennas (LWAs. Additionally, we compare the performances of the APPR algorithm and LWA-based MUSIC algorithms. We study how the computational complexity and the performance of the algorithms depend on number of selected radiation patterns. In addition, we evaluate the performance of the APPR and MUSIC algorithms with numerical simulations as well as with real world indoor measurements having both line-of-sight and non-line-of-sight components. Our performance evaluations show that the DoA estimates are in a considerably good agreement with the real DoAs, especially with the APPR algorithm. In summary, the APPR and MUSIC algorithms for DoA estimation along with the planar and compact LWA layout can be a valuable solution to enhance the performance of the wireless communication in the next generation systems.

Reconfiguring The Supply Chain For Complex Engineered Products

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wæhrens, Brian Vejrum; Asmussen, Jesper Normann

2016-01-01

of the SC, the product and market requirements. This paper seeks to investigate the factors which create a need for supply chain reconfiguration in the context of the Complex Product Systems, together with the enablers and barriers for successfully realizing supply chain improvements through reconfiguration....

MT-ADRES: multi-threading on coarse-grained reconfigurable architecture

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wu, Kehuai; Kanstein, Andreas; Madsen, Jan

2008-01-01

The coarse-grained reconfigurable architecture ADRES (architecture for dynamically reconfigurable embedded systems) and its compiler offer high instruction-level parallelism (ILP) to applications by means of a sparsely interconnected array of functional units and register files. As high-ILP archi......The coarse-grained reconfigurable architecture ADRES (architecture for dynamically reconfigurable embedded systems) and its compiler offer high instruction-level parallelism (ILP) to applications by means of a sparsely interconnected array of functional units and register files. As high......-ILP architectures achieve only low parallelism when executing partially sequential code segments, which is also known as Amdahl's law, this article proposes to extend ADRES to MT-ADRES (multi-threaded ADRES) to also exploit thread-level parallelism. On MT-ADRES architectures, the array can be partitioned...

The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Policy of the Obama Administration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baek, Jin Hyun; Hwang, Ji Hwan

2009-12-01

The objective of this study is to analyze and foresee trends of international nuclear non-proliferation regimes focused on the nuclear non-proliferation policy of the Obama administration, and suggest national policy directions which promote utilization and development of nuclear energy in Korea. For the effective and efficient implementation of the national nuclear use and development program in current international nuclear environment, many efforts should be made: to actively and positively participate in the international nuclear non-proliferation regime; to strengthen nuclear diplomacy in a more systematic manner; and to strengthen the international nuclear cooperation

Operating System Concepts for Reconfigurable Computing: Review and Survey

OpenAIRE

Marcel Eckert; Dominik Meyer; Jan Haase; Bernd Klauer

2016-01-01

One of the key future challenges for reconfigurable computing is to enable higher design productivity and a more easy way to use reconfigurable computing systems for users that are unfamiliar with the underlying concepts. One way of doing this is to provide standardization and abstraction, usually supported and enforced by an operating system. This article gives historical review and a summary on ideas and key concepts to include reconfigurable computing aspects in operating systems. The arti...

Nuclear health and safety. Status of GAO's environmental, safety, and health recommendations to DOE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

England-Joseph, Judy; Bannerman, Carl J.; Fenzel, William F.; Brack, David L.; Harter, Frederick A.

1990-04-01

DOE's operations are carried out at many contractor-operated sites around the country, including major sites within the nuclear weapons complex that are involved in the production of nuclear material for weapons and naval fuel. At these sites DOE contractors routinely use and generate large quantities of a wide range of hazardous and radioactive materials. Because these materials require special handling by workers. Also pursuant to Mar. 15, 1989, request, we provided you a report entitled Nuclear Health and Safety: Need for Improved Responsiveness to Problems at DOE Sites (GAO/RCED-90-101, Mar. 28, 1990). to prevent exposure to themselves or releases into the environment, DOE's weapons complex, considered in its entirety, is among the potentially more dangerous industrial operations in the world. Over the last decade, at the request of the Congress, we have carried out a series of assessments and evaluations of various aspects of the complex. In over 60 reports and testimonies published since 1990, we have called attention to the mounting problems facing DOE's nuclear weapons complex. This body of work includes (1) identifying serious, costly, and widespread environmental, safety, and health problems at DOE facilities, (2) calling for outside independent oversight of DOE's nuclear operations, and (3) making recommendations to DOE to strengthen its oversight, providing more detailed information and plans to the Congress, and improving its management and accounting practices. In total, our reports and testimonies have included 54 recommendations to DOE, in addition to recommendations to the Congress, concerning environmental, safety, and health matters at the complex. We consider 23 of the 54 recommendations to be still open. The open recommendations call for improvements such as tighter program controls and clearer standards and policies related to environmental, safety, and health matters

Improving the regulation of safety at DOE nuclear facilities. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-12-01

The report strongly recommends that, with the end of the Cold War, safety and health at DOE facilities should be regulated by outside agencies rather than by DOE itself. The three major recommendations are: under any regulatory scheme, DOE must maintain a strong internal safety management system; essentially all aspects of safety at DOE's nuclear facilities should be externally regulated; and existing agencies rather than a new one should be responsible for external regulation

Projeto e desenvolvimento de um hardware reconfigurável de criptografia para a transmissão segura de dados

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Otávio Souza Martins Gomes

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Neste trabalho serão mostradas algumas conclusões prévias e escolhas realizadas para o desenvolvimento de uma interface de criptografia simétrica, utilizando hardware reconfigurável para a transmissão segura de dados. Os dispositivos reconfiguráveis permitem o desenvolvimento deste hardware de maneira segura e com uma grande flexibilidade, além da possibilidade de realizar algumas alterações com um mínimo de custo e tempo adicionais. Até o momento foram desenvolvidos os modelos para a implementação. O próximo passo será iniciar o desenvolvimento do hardware, que utilizará linguagens de descrição de hardware e Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs.Palavras-chave: Segurança. FPGA. PSoC. 3DES. VHDL. Design and development of an cryptography reconfigurable hardware for secure data trasmissionABSTRACTThis paper presents some conclusions and choices about the development of a symmetric cryptography reconfigurable hardware interface to allow a safe data communication. Reconfigurable hardwares allow the development of this kind of device with safety and flexibility, and offer the possibility to change some features with low cost and in a fast way. So far, the hardware models and functionalities were developed. The next step is to start the hardware implementation, which will use hardware description languages and FPGAs.Keywords: Security. FPGA. PSoC. 3DES. VHDL.

Reconfigurability of behavioural specifications for manufacturing systems

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidt, Klaus Werner

2017-12-01

Reconfigurable manufacturing systems (RMS) support flexibility in the product variety and the configuration of the manufacturing system itself in order to enable quick adjustments to new products and production requirements. As a consequence, an essential feature of RMS is their ability to rapidly modify the control strategy during run-time. In this paper, the particular problem of changing the specified operation of a RMS, whose logical behaviour is modelled as a finite state automaton, is addressed. The notion of reconfigurability of specifications (RoS) is introduced and it is shown that the stated reconfiguration problem can be formulated as a controlled language convergence problem. In addition, algorithms for the verification of RoS and the construction of a reconfiguration supervisor are proposed. The supervisor is realised in a modular way which facilitates the extension by new configurations. Finally, it is shown that a supremal nonblocking and controllable strict subautomaton of the plant automaton that fulfils RoS exists in case RoS is violated for the plant automaton itself and an algorithm for the computation of this strict subautomaton is presented. The developed concepts and results are illustrated by a manufacturing cell example.

Basic Algorithms for the Asynchronous Reconfigurable Mesh

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yosi Ben-Asher

2002-01-01

Full Text Available Many constant time algorithms for various problems have been developed for the reconfigurable mesh (RM in the past decade. All these algorithms are designed to work with synchronous execution, with no regard for the fact that large size RMs will probably be asynchronous. A similar observation about the PRAM model motivated many researchers to develop algorithms and complexity measures for the asynchronous PRAM (APRAM. In this work, we show how to define the asynchronous reconfigurable mesh (ARM and how to measure the complexity of asynchronous algorithms executed on it. We show that connecting all processors in a row of an n×n ARM (the analog of barrier synchronization in the APRAM model can be solved with complexity Θ(nlog⁡n. Intuitively, this is average work time for solving such a problem. Next, we describe general a technique for simulating T -step synchronous RM algorithms on the ARM with complexity of Θ(T⋅n2log⁡n. Finally, we consider the simulation of the classical synchronous algorithm for counting the number of non-zero bits in an n bits vector using (k

Safety culture in the nuclear versus non-nuclear organization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haber, S.B.; Shurberg, D.A.

1996-01-01

The importance of safety culture in the safe and reliable operation of nuclear organizations is not a new concept. The greatest barriers to this area of research are twofold: (1) the definition and criteria of safety culture for a nuclear organization and (2) the measurement of those attributes in an objective and systematic fashion. This paper will discuss a proposed resolution of those barriers as demonstrated by the collection of data across nuclear and non-nuclear facilities over a two year period

EXTENDING NUCLEAR ENERGY TO NON-ELECTRICAL APPLICATIONS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

R. Boardman; M. McKellar; D. Ingersoll; Z. Houghton; , R. Bromm; C. Desportes

2014-09-01

Electricity represents less than half of all energy consumed in the United States and globally. Although a few commercial nuclear power plants world-wide provide energy to non-electrical applications such as district heating and water desalination, nuclear energy has been largely relegated to base-load electricity production. A new generation of smaller-sized nuclear power plants offers significant promise for extending nuclear energy to many non-electrical applications. The NuScale small modular reactor design is especially well suited for these non-traditional customers due to its small unit size, very robust reactor protection features and a highly flexible and scalable plant design. A series of technical and economic evaluation studies have been conducted to assess the practicality of using a NuScale plant to provide electricity and heat to a variety of non-electrical applications, including water desalination, oil refining, and hydrogen production. The studies serve to highlight the unique design features of the NuScale plant for these applications and provide encouraging conclusions regarding the technical and economic viability of extending clean nuclear energy to a broad range of non-electrical energy consumers.

Nuclear waste--does burying it bury the problem

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thomas, R.A.

1979-01-01

This article discusses the Department of Energy (DOE)'s undergrounsd nuclear waste repository which is scheduled for startup in 1981 in New Mexico, and tries to explain why this project is being plagued by delays and uncertainties. The facility, known as the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), faces such problems as the question of the geologic security of the tentative site, citizens' objections about the location, as well as some licensing problems and concerns about overland transport of the large amounts of highly radioactive wastes that will fill the repository

Non Proliferation of Nuclear

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bambang S Irawan

2004-01-01

Non-Proliferation Treaty of Nuclear Weapons is the international community's efforts to maintain the security of the world, in order to prevent the spread of nuclear technology and the use of nuclear weapons, promoting cooperation for the use of nuclear peaceful purposes, build mutual trust (Confidence Building Measures) as well as to achieve the ultimate goal of disarmament overall (General and Complete Disarmament). Addressing the post-WTC tragedy, 11 September 2001, the Indonesian government should set up a National Measures (National Action Plan), among others formed the National Security Council and NBC Counter Proliferation Unit, or the National Authority for Nuclear Treaty, preparing national legislation, to prevent the abuse nuclear materials for terrorist acts, prevent Illicit Trafficking of Nuclear materials, developed a National Preparedness and Emergency Response Management in the event of a nuclear accident or attack by the use of nuclear terrorism. Importance of a National Action Plan meant the existence of a national commitment in the context of compliance with treaties and conventions which have been ratified relating to safety, security, safeguards towards a general and complete disarmament, to safeguard national security and maintain peace (safeguards) international

Design Flow Instantiation for Run-Time Reconfigurable Systems: A Case Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yang Qu

2007-12-01

Full Text Available Reconfigurable system is a promising alternative to deliver both flexibility and performance at the same time. New reconfigurable technologies and technology-dependent tools have been developed, but a complete overview of the whole design flow for run-time reconfigurable systems is missing. In this work, we present a design flow instantiation for such systems using a real-life application. The design flow is roughly divided into two parts: system level and implementation. At system level, our supports for hardware resource estimation and performance evaluation are applied. At implementation level, technology-dependent tools are used to realize the run-time reconfiguration. The design case is part of a WCDMA decoder on a commercially available reconfigurable platform. The results show that using run-time reconfiguration can save over 40% area when compared to a functionally equivalent fixed system and achieve 30 times speedup in processing time when compared to a functionally equivalent pure software design.

Operating System Concepts for Reconfigurable Computing: Review and Survey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcel Eckert

2016-01-01

Full Text Available One of the key future challenges for reconfigurable computing is to enable higher design productivity and a more easy way to use reconfigurable computing systems for users that are unfamiliar with the underlying concepts. One way of doing this is to provide standardization and abstraction, usually supported and enforced by an operating system. This article gives historical review and a summary on ideas and key concepts to include reconfigurable computing aspects in operating systems. The article also presents an overview on published and available operating systems targeting the area of reconfigurable computing. The purpose of this article is to identify and summarize common patterns among those systems that can be seen as de facto standard. Furthermore, open problems, not covered by these already available systems, are identified.

Nuclear Issues in a Non-nuclear Country Media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Latek, S.

2002-01-01

The absence of nuclear power program in a given country does not mean that the nuclear option is not discussed. Greenhouse effect is a global phenomenon, thus each and every factor enabling the reduction of CO 2 emissions has to be examined. Not a single NPP is in operation in Poland and this will be so for the nearest dozen years. But the discussion over political decisions to delay the possible NPP construction beyond 2020 continues. In the country whose electricity in 95% comes from coal, the clean (from the greenhouse effect viewpoint) nuclear power makes an attractive solution for many experts. This paper presents Polish debates on the electricity production environmental impacts, which are followed by the media. Unfortunately, a favorite subject of Polish media is still Chernobyl accident, but presented in an exaggerated and often untrue way. This one-sided fear campaign has been interrupted recently by a publication calling the reports on Chernobyl victims a biggest bluff of XX century. This paper presents some examples of nuclear campaigns in the media, e.g. the issues of depleted uranium ammunition, Temelin NPP commissioning and the transit of fresh nuclear fuel for this facility through Poland, radiation accident in one of Polish hospitals, possible terrorist attacks on nuclear facilities, UNSCEAR report on Chernobyl accident health impacts. It remains to be seen how the hundreds of publications appearing each week will shape public attitudes towards nuclear power in Poland. (author)

Hierarchically assembled DNA origami tubules with reconfigurable chirality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Haorong; Cha, Tae-Gon; Pan, Jing; Choi, Jong Hyun

2013-01-01

The dynamic reconfiguration of a hierarchically assembled tubular structure is demonstrated using the DNA origami technique. Short cylindrical DNA origami monomers are synthesized and linked into elongated tubules, which can then be disassembled via toehold-mediated strand displacement. The disassembled subunits are subsequently linked into tubules of a different chirality. The reconfiguration is performed with the subunits carrying dumbbell hairpin DNA oligonucleotides or gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). The reconfiguration of higher order origami structures presented here is useful for constructing dynamic nanostructures that exceed the size limit of single DNA origami and may facilitate the study of molecular or particle interactions by tuning their relative distance and organization. (paper)

Pass-band reconfigurable spoof surface plasmon polaritons

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Hao Chi; He, Pei Hang; Gao, Xinxin; Tang, Wen Xuan; Cui, Tie Jun

2018-04-01

In this paper, we introduce a new scheme to construct the band-pass tunable filter based on the band-pass reconfigurable spoof surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs), whose cut-off frequencies at both sides of the passband can be tuned through changing the direct current (DC) bias of varactors. Compared to traditional technology (e.g. microstrip filters), the spoof SPP structure can provide more tight field confinement and more significant field enhancement, which is extremely valuable for many system applications. In order to achieve this scheme, we proposed a specially designed SPP filter integrated with varactors and DC bias feeding structure to support the spoof SPP passband reconfiguration. Furthermore, the full-wave simulated result verifies the outstanding performance on both efficiency and reconfiguration, which has the potential to be widely used in advanced intelligent systems.

Proceedings of the 21st DOE/NRC nuclear air cleaning conference

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

First, M.W.

1991-02-01

The 21st meeting of the Department of Energy/Nuclear Regulatory Commission (DOE/NRC) Nuclear Air Cleaning Conference was held in San Diego, CA on August 13--16, 1990. The proceedings have been published as a two volume set. Volume 2 contains sessions covering adsorbents, nuclear codes and standards, modelling, filters, safety, containment venting and a review of nuclear air cleaning programs around the world. Also included is the list of attendees and an index of authors and speakers

The world nuclear market and its prospects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

2010-07-01

This market study of the nuclear industry presents: 1 - the dynamics of nuclear markets: organisation of the nuclear industry (fuel cycle, reactors), market analysis and key figures (uranium production, conversion and enrichment, fuel fabrication, reactor manufacturing, spent fuel reprocessing), strengths in presence and competition structure (companies ranking, market shares, positioning); 2 - nuclear renaissance and its basis: a suitable answer to the present day energy and environmental challenges (carbon-free energy and low volatility of fuel price), conjunction of favourable conditions (security of fuel supplies, political support, necessity of plants renewal), three main uncertainties (waste management, safety aspect, public opinion weight); 3 - perspectives of development at the 2030 prospects: data (scope of renaissance, market size), sector reconfiguration scenarios (evolution of competition, reconfiguration paths, concentration trend); 4 - analysis of the strategy of 13 companies, suppliers of the nuclear industry, with their key figures, positioning and strategy (production capacity, partnerships, external growth investments, new technical developments etc.). (J.S.)

Prediction of U-Mo dispersion nuclear fuels with Al-Si alloy using artificial neural network

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Susmikanti, Mike; Sulistyo, Jos

2014-01-01

Dispersion nuclear fuels, consisting of U-Mo particles dispersed in an Al-Si matrix, are being developed as fuel for research reactors. The equilibrium relationship for a mixture component can be expressed in the phase diagram. It is important to analyze whether a mixture component is in equilibrium phase or another phase. The purpose of this research it is needed to built the model of the phase diagram, so the mixture component is in the stable or melting condition. Artificial neural network (ANN) is a modeling tool for processes involving multivariable non-linear relationships. The objective of the present work is to develop code based on artificial neural network models of system equilibrium relationship of U-Mo in Al-Si matrix. This model can be used for prediction of type of resulting mixture, and whether the point is on the equilibrium phase or in another phase region. The equilibrium model data for prediction and modeling generated from experimentally data. The artificial neural network with resilient backpropagation method was chosen to predict the dispersion of nuclear fuels U-Mo in Al-Si matrix. This developed code was built with some function in MATLAB. For simulations using ANN, the Levenberg-Marquardt method was also used for optimization. The artificial neural network is able to predict the equilibrium phase or in the phase region. The develop code based on artificial neural network models was built, for analyze equilibrium relationship of U-Mo in Al-Si matrix

The IAEA project on nuclear and non-nuclear wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seitz, Roger

1998-01-01

Radioactive and chemotoxic agents are common in electricity generation waste. Data and assessments illustrate that nuclear and non-nuclear fuel chains result in waste posing potential long-term hazards. Efforts are focussed on filling data gaps and approaches for comparing impacts of radioactive and chemotoxic agents

Evaluation of radiological dispersion/consequence codes supporting DOE nuclear facility SARs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

O'Kula, K.R.; Paik, I.K.; Chung, D.Y.

1996-01-01

Since the early 1990s, the authorization basis documentation of many U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear facilities has been upgraded to comply with DOE orders and standards. In this process, many safety analyses have been revised. Unfortunately, there has been nonuniform application of software, and the most appropriate computer and engineering methodologies often are not applied. A DOE Accident Phenomenology and Consequence (APAC) Methodology Evaluation Program was originated at the request of DOE Defense Programs to evaluate the safety analysis methodologies used in nuclear facility authorization basis documentation and to define future cost-effective support and development initiatives. Six areas, including source term development (fire, spills, and explosion analysis), in-facility transport, and dispersion/ consequence analysis (chemical and radiological) are contained in the APAC program. The evaluation process, codes considered, key results, and recommendations for future model and software development of the Radiological Dispersion/Consequence Working Group are summarized in this paper

A Fixed Point VHDL Component Library for a High Efficiency Reconfigurable Radio Design Methodology

Science.gov (United States)

Hoy, Scott D.; Figueiredo, Marco A.

2006-01-01

Advances in Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) technologies enable the implementation of reconfigurable radio systems for both ground and space applications. The development of such systems challenges the current design paradigms and requires more robust design techniques to meet the increased system complexity. Among these techniques is the development of component libraries to reduce design cycle time and to improve design verification, consequently increasing the overall efficiency of the project development process while increasing design success rates and reducing engineering costs. This paper describes the reconfigurable radio component library developed at the Software Defined Radio Applications Research Center (SARC) at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Microwave and Communications Branch (Code 567). The library is a set of fixed-point VHDL components that link the Digital Signal Processing (DSP) simulation environment with the FPGA design tools. This provides a direct synthesis path based on the latest developments of the VHDL tools as proposed by the BEE VBDL 2004 which allows for the simulation and synthesis of fixed-point math operations while maintaining bit and cycle accuracy. The VHDL Fixed Point Reconfigurable Radio Component library does not require the use of the FPGA vendor specific automatic component generators and provide a generic path from high level DSP simulations implemented in Mathworks Simulink to any FPGA device. The access to the component synthesizable, source code provides full design verification capability:

Improving the regulation of safety at DOE nuclear facilities. Final report: Appendices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-12-01

The report strongly recommends that, with the end of the Cold War, safety and health at DOE facilities should be regulated by outside agencies rather than by any regulatory scheme, DOE must maintain a strong internal safety management system; essentially all aspects of safety at DOE`s nuclear facilities should be externally regulated; and existing agencies rather than a new one should be responsible for external regulation.

Short-Term Load Forecasting-Based Automatic Distribution Network Reconfiguration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jiang, Huaiguang [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Ding, Fei [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Zhang, Yingchen [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2017-08-23

In a traditional dynamic network reconfiguration study, the optimal topology is determined at every scheduled time point by using the real load data measured at that time. The development of the load forecasting technique can provide an accurate prediction of the load power that will happen in a future time and provide more information about load changes. With the inclusion of load forecasting, the optimal topology can be determined based on the predicted load conditions during a longer time period instead of using a snapshot of the load at the time when the reconfiguration happens; thus, the distribution system operator can use this information to better operate the system reconfiguration and achieve optimal solutions. This paper proposes a short-term load forecasting approach to automatically reconfigure distribution systems in a dynamic and pre-event manner. Specifically, a short-term and high-resolution distribution system load forecasting approach is proposed with a forecaster based on support vector regression and parallel parameters optimization. The network reconfiguration problem is solved by using the forecasted load continuously to determine the optimal network topology with the minimum amount of loss at the future time. The simulation results validate and evaluate the proposed approach.

Reconfigurable Sensor Monitoring System

Science.gov (United States)

Alhorn, Dean C. (Inventor); Dutton, Kenneth R. (Inventor); Howard, David E. (Inventor); Smith, Dennis A. (Inventor)

2017-01-01

A reconfigurable sensor monitoring system includes software tunable filters, each of which is programmable to condition one type of analog signal. A processor coupled to the software tunable filters receives each type of analog signal so-conditioned.

Dynamic Reconfiguration in Real-Time Systems Energy, Performance, and Thermal Perspectives

CERN Document Server

Wang, Weixun; Ranka, Sanjay

2013-01-01

Given the widespread use of real-time multitasking systems, there are tremendous optimization opportunities if reconfigurable computing can be effectively incorporated while maintaining performance and other design constraints of typical applications. The focus of this book is to describe the dynamic reconfiguration techniques that can be safely used in real-time systems. This book provides comprehensive approaches by considering synergistic effects of computation, communication as well as storage together to significantly improve overall performance, power, energy and temperature.  Provides a comprehensive introduction to optimization and dynamic reconfiguration techniques in real-time embedded systems; Covers state-of-the-art techniques and ongoing research in reconfigurable architectures; Focuses on algorithms tuned for dynamic reconfiguration techniques in real-time systems;  Provides reference for anyone designing low-power systems, energy-/temperature-constrained devices, and power-performance efficie...

The handbook of nuclear non-proliferation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, M. H.; Lee, B. W.; Oh, K. B.; Lee, H. M.; Ko, H. S.; Ryu, J. S.; Lee, K. S.

2003-07-01

This report analyzed international non-proliferation regime preventing from spread of nuclear weapon. This report took review from the historical background of non-proliferation regime to the recent changes and current status. It is here divided into multilateral and bilateral regime. First of all, this report dealt four multilateral treaties concluded for international non-proliferation such as NPT, NWFZ, CTBT and others. And international organization and regimes concerned with non-proliferation are also analyzed focused on UN, IAEA, ZC and NSG, regional safeguards system and international conferences. In addition, this report reviewed the nuclear cooperation agreement related with Korea which is a important tool for bilateral regime

Glenn Reconfigurable User-interface and Virtual reality Exploration (GURVE) Laboratory

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — The GRUVE (Glenn Reconfigurable User-interface and Virtual reality Exploration) Lab is a reconfigurable, large screen display facility at Nasa Glenn Research Center....

Reconfigurable Model Execution in the OpenMDAO Framework

Science.gov (United States)

Hwang, John T.

2017-01-01

NASA's OpenMDAO framework facilitates constructing complex models and computing their derivatives for multidisciplinary design optimization. Decomposing a model into components that follow a prescribed interface enables OpenMDAO to assemble multidisciplinary derivatives from the component derivatives using what amounts to the adjoint method, direct method, chain rule, global sensitivity equations, or any combination thereof, using the MAUD architecture. OpenMDAO also handles the distribution of processors among the disciplines by hierarchically grouping the components, and it automates the data transfer between components that are on different processors. These features have made OpenMDAO useful for applications in aircraft design, satellite design, wind turbine design, and aircraft engine design, among others. This paper presents new algorithms for OpenMDAO that enable reconfigurable model execution. This concept refers to dynamically changing, during execution, one or more of: the variable sizes, solution algorithm, parallel load balancing, or set of variables-i.e., adding and removing components, perhaps to switch to a higher-fidelity sub-model. Any component can reconfigure at any point, even when running in parallel with other components, and the reconfiguration algorithm presented here performs the synchronized updates to all other components that are affected. A reconfigurable software framework for multidisciplinary design optimization enables new adaptive solvers, adaptive parallelization, and new applications such as gradient-based optimization with overset flow solvers and adaptive mesh refinement. Benchmarking results demonstrate the time savings for reconfiguration compared to setting up the model again from scratch, which can be significant in large-scale problems. Additionally, the new reconfigurability feature is applied to a mission profile optimization problem for commercial aircraft where both the parametrization of the mission profile and the

Loop overhead reduction techniques for coarse grained reconfigurable architectures

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vadivel, K.; Wijtvliet, M.; Jordans, R.; Corporaal, H.

2017-01-01

Due to their flexibility and high performance, Coarse Grained Reconfigurable Array (CGRA) are a topic of increasing research interest. However, CGRAs also have the potential to achieve very high energy efficiency in comparison to other reconfigurable architectures when hardware optimizations are

Plutonium: key issue in nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshisaki, M.B.

1993-01-01

The technical report is a 1993 update on weapons-grade plutonium, a key issue in nuclear disarmament. Its vital significance would again be discussed during the fifth and the last Review Conference on the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) for Nuclear Weapons which would end in 1995. Member States shall decide whether an indefinite or conditional extension of NPT is necessary for world peace and international security. Two Non-NPT States, Russia and U.S.A. are in the forefront working for the reduction of nuclear weapons through nuclear disarmament. Their major effort is focused on the implementation of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty I and II or START I and II for world peace. The eventual implementation of START I and II would lead to the dismantling of plutonium from nuclear warheads proposed to be eliminated by both countries. This report gives three technical options to be derived from nuclear disarmament issues for the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons: (a) indefinite storage - there is no guarantee that these will not be used in the future (b) disposal as wastes - possible only in principle, because of lack of experience in mixing plutonium with high level wastes, and (c) source of energy - best option in managing stored weapons materials, because it satisfies non-proliferation objectives. It means fuel for energy in Light Water Reactors (LWR) or Fast Breeder Reactors (FBR). (author). 8 refs

DOE/LLNL verification symposium on technologies for monitoring nuclear tests related to weapons proliferation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakanishi, K.K.

1993-01-01

The rapidly changing world situation has raised concerns regarding the proliferation of nuclear weapons and the ability to monitor a possible clandestine nuclear testing program. To address these issues, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's (LLNL) Treaty Verification Program sponsored a symposium funded by the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Arms Control, Division of Systems and Technology. The DOE/LLNL Symposium on Technologies for Monitoring Nuclear Tests Related to Weapons Proliferation was held at the DOE's Nevada Operations Office in Las Vegas, May 6--7,1992. This volume is a collection of several papers presented at the symposium. Several experts in monitoring technology presented invited talks assessing the status of monitoring technology with emphasis on the deficient areas requiring more attention in the future. In addition, several speakers discussed proliferation monitoring technologies being developed by the DOE's weapons laboratories

Reliability of sprinkler systems. Exploration and analysis of data from nuclear and non-nuclear installations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roenty, V.; Keski-Rahkonen, O.; Hassinen, J.P.

2004-12-01

Sprinkler systems are an important part of fire safety of nuclear installations. As a part of effort to make fire-PSA of our utilities more quantitative a literature survey from open sources worldwide of available reliability data on sprinkler systems was carried out. Since the result of the survey was rather poor quantitatively, it was decided to mine available original Finnish nuclear and non-nuclear data, since nuclear power plants present a rather small device population. Sprinklers are becoming a key element for the fire safety in modern, open non-nuclear buildings. Therefore, the study included both nuclear power plants and non-nuclear buildings protected by sprinkler installations. Data needed for estimating of reliability of sprinkler systems were collected from available sources in Finnish nuclear and non-nuclear installations. Population sizes on sprinkler system installations and components therein as well as covered floor areas were counted individually from Finnish nuclear power plants. From non-nuclear installations corresponding data were estimated by counting relevant things from drawings of 102 buildings, and plotting from that sample needed probability distributions. The total populations of sprinkler systems and components were compiled based on available direct data and these distributions. From nuclear power plants electronic maintenance reports were obtained, observed failures and other reliability relevant data were selected, classified according to failure severity, and stored on spreadsheets for further analysis. A short summary of failures was made, which was hampered by a small sample size. From non-nuclear buildings inspection statistics from years 1985.1997 were surveyed, and observed failures were classified and stored on spreadsheets. Finally, a reliability model is proposed based on earlier formal work, and failure frequencies obtained by preliminary data analysis of this work. For a model utilising available information in the non-nuclear

DOE's efforts to correct environmental problems of the nuclear weapons complex

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rezendes, V.S.

1990-03-01

This report focuses on four main issues: the environmental problems at DOE's nuclear weapons complex, recent changes in DOE's organizational structure, DOE's 1991 budget request, and the need for effective management systems. This report concludes that the environmental problems are enormous and will take decades to resolve. Widespread contamination can be found at many DOE sites, and the full extent of the environmental problems is unknown. DOE has taken several steps during the past year to better deal with these problems, including making organizational improvements and requesting additional funds for environmental restoration and waste management activities

Extending nuclear energy to non-electrical applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ingersoll, D.; Houghton, Z. [NuScale Power, LLC, Corvallis, Oregon (United States); Bromm, R. [Fluor Corp., Greenville, SC (United States); Desportes, C. [Aquatech International, Canonsburg, PA (United States); McKellar, M.; Boardman, R. [Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

2014-07-01

Electricity represents less than half of all energy consumed in the United States and globally. Although a few commercial nuclear power plants world-wide provide energy to non-electrical applications such as district heating and water desalination, nuclear energy has been largely relegated to base-load electricity production. A new generation of smaller-sized nuclear power plants offers significant promise for extending nuclear energy to many non-electrical applications. The NuScale small modular reactor design is especially well suited for these nontraditional customers due to its small unit size, very robust reactor protection features and a highly flexible and scalable plant design. A series of technical and economic evaluation studies have been conducted to assess the practicality of using a NuScale plant to provide electricity and heat to a variety of non-electrical applications, including water desalination, oil refining, and hydrogen production. The studies serve to highlight the unique design features of the NuScale plant for these applications and provide encouraging conclusions regarding the technical and economic viability of extending clean nuclear energy to a broad range of non-electrical energy consumers. (author)

HoneyComb: An Application-Driven Online Adaptive Reconfigurable Hardware Architecture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexander Thomas

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Since the introduction of the first reconfigurable devices in 1985 the field of reconfigurable computing developed a broad variety of architectures from fine-grained to coarse-grained types. However, the main disadvantages of the reconfigurable approaches, the costs in area, and power consumption, are still present. This contribution presents a solution for application-driven adaptation of our reconfigurable architecture at register transfer level (RTL to reduce the resource requirements and power consumption while keeping the flexibility and performance for a predefined set of applications. Furthermore, implemented runtime adaptive features like online routing and configuration sequencing will be presented and discussed. A presentation of the prototype chip of this architecture designed in 90 nm standard cell technology manufactured by TSMC will conclude this contribution.

Non proliferation of nuclear weapons?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Le Guelte, Georges

2015-10-01

After having evoked the behaviour of nuclear countries regarding the development of nuclear weapons and uranium procurement, or nuclear programmes after the Second World War until nowadays, the author presents the non proliferation Treaty (NPT) as a construction at the service of super-powers. He comments and discusses the role of the IAEA control system and its evolutions: a control limited to declared installations, an export control with the spectre of plutonium, a control system thwarted by some technological innovations, information systems coming in, and an additional protocol related to the application of guarantees. He comments the evolution of the context from a bipolar world to a world without pole which raises the issue of how to have commitments respected: description of the role and practice of non proliferation during the Cold War, after the Cold War, and in a world without governance

Measurement of the d({sup 26}Al{sup m},p){sup 27}Al reaction for nuclear astrophysics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roeder, B.T.; Trache, L.; Iacob, V.E.; McCleskey, M.; Simmons, E.; Spiridon, A.; Tribble, R.E. [Texas A and M Univ., TX (United States); Davinson, T.; Lotay, G.; Woods, P.J. [University of Edinburgh (United Kingdom); La Cognata, M.; Pizzone, R.G.; Rapisarda, G.G.; Sparta, R.; Spitaleri, C. [Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (LNS/INFN), Catania (Italy). Lab. Nazionali del Sud

2012-07-01

Full text: The detection of gamma rays from the decay of the {sup 26}Al ground state in the galaxy gives evidence that nucleosynthesis is occurring in present-day stars, but its origin is not yet clear. This implies that reactions involving {sup 26}Al are important for astrophysical processes. In a recent experiment at the Cyclotron Institute at Texas A and M University, reactions with the ground state and isomeric state of {sup 26}Al were investigated with the Texas A and M-Edinburgh-Catania Silicon detector Array (TECSA). TECSA is a collaborative effort to build a high-efficiency detector Si array useful for measuring reactions of interest for nuclear astrophysics and nuclear structure. The array consists of up to 16 Micron Semiconductor YY1 detectors that are each 300 μm thick. Each detector has 16 annular ring sectors to measure the energy and the scattering angle of the detected particles. Using TECSA, we measured d({sup 26}Al{sup g},p){sup 27}Al and d({sup 26}Al{sup m},p){sup 27}Al with a {sup 26}Al secondary beam prepared in-flight with the MARS spectrometer. First, the composition of the {sup 26}Al beam was determined by measuring the ratio of beta-decays to {sup 26}Al ions produced. It was found that at different spectrometer rigidities, beams of 2/3 isomer to ground state ratio or vice-versa could be obtained. Then, in the second part of the experiment, angular distributions were measured for both reactions at backward angles with TECSA. The protons were measured in TECSA in coincidence with timing signals from the beam detected by a scintillator and with the cyclotron radio-frequency. Details of the experiment and preliminary results from the analysis of the d({sup 26}Al{sup m},p){sup 27}Al and d({sup 26}Al{sup g},p){sup 27}Al data will be presented. They will give information about the proton capture reactions {sup 26}Al{sup m}(p,γ){sup 27}Si and {sup 26}Al{sup g}(p,γ){sup 27}Si taking place in stars. (author)

DOE states reheat nuclear waste debate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crawford, M.

1985-01-01

After decades of struggling with the issue, Congress in late 1982 established a firm plan for burying growing volumes of nuclear reactor wastes. But 2 l/2 years later the waste disposal debate is as hot as ever. Utility companies, environmentalists, federal officials, and state governments are again clashing - this time over the way the program is proceeding. The Nuclear Waste Policy Act calls for the Department of Energy to start accepting wastes in 1998 at the first of two planned repositories. Selection of this first repository site was mandated for early 1987, but program delays at DOE have pushed the decision back to March 1991. Despite this postponement and other schedule slips, the Department still aims to meet Congress's 1998 deadline. But states, Indian tribes, and environmentalists fear the site selection process will be compromised and want the start up date rolled back

Optically controlled reconfigurable antenna for 5G future broadband cellular communication networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Costa, I.F. da; Spadoti, D. H.; Cerqueira Sodre Jr., Arismar

2017-01-01

This paper presents an optically controlled reconfigurable antenna for millimetre-wave frequency range. Silicon switches are used to control the optical reconfiguration, modifying the frequency response and radiation pattern of the antenna design. Therefore, the system can switch between the ligh......This paper presents an optically controlled reconfigurable antenna for millimetre-wave frequency range. Silicon switches are used to control the optical reconfiguration, modifying the frequency response and radiation pattern of the antenna design. Therefore, the system can switch between...

Proceedings of the 23rd DOE/NRC nuclear air cleaning conference

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

First, M.W. [ed.] [Harvard Univ., Boston, MA (United States). Harvard Air Cleaning Lab.

1995-02-01

The report contains the papers presented at the 23rd DOE/NRC Nuclear Air Cleaning Conference and the associated discussions. Major topics are: (1) nuclear air cleaning codes, (2) nuclear waste, (3) filters and filtration, (4) effluent stack monitoring, (5) gas processing, (6) adsorption, (7) air treatment systems, (8) source terms and accident analysis, and (9) fuel reprocessing. Selected papers are indexed separately for inclusion in the Energy Science and Technology Database.

Reconfigurable antennas radiations using plasma Faraday cage

OpenAIRE

Barro , Oumar Alassane; Himdi , Mohamed; Lafond , Olivier

2015-01-01

International audience; This letter presents a new reconfigurable plasma antenna associated with a Faraday cage. The Faraday cage is realized using a fluorescent lamp. A patch antenna with a broadside radiation pattern or a monopole antenna with an end-fire radiation pattern , operating at 2.45 GHz, is placed inside Faraday cage. The performance of the reconfigurable system is observed in terms of input reflection coefficient, gain and radiation pattern via simulation and measurement. It is s...

Need for Strengthening Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Safeguards Education to Prepare the Next Generation of Experts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Janssens, W.A.M.; Peerani, P.; ); Gariazzo, C.; Ward, S.; Crete, J.-M.; Braunegger-Guelich, A.

2015-01-01

Although nuclear non-proliferation and safeguards are a continuous concern of the international community and discussed frequently at international fora and conferences, the academic world is not really on board with these topics. What we mean by this is that nuclear non-proliferation and safeguards is only very seldom part of a university curriculum. In the few cases where it does appear in the curriculum, whether in a nuclear engineering course or a political sciences master programme, it is typically covered only partially. Nuclear non-proliferation and safeguards are multidisciplinary and embrace, inter alia, historical, legal, technical, and political aspects. This is perhaps the reason why it is challenging for a single professor or university to develop and implement a comprehensive academic course or programme in this area. Professional organizations in this field, like the European Safeguards Research and Development Association (ESARDA) and the Institute for Nuclear Materials Management (INMM), have made first steps to address this issue by implementing specific educational activities. However, much more needs to be done. Therefore, ESARDA, INMM and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are in the process of joining efforts to identify key elements and priorities to support universities in establishing appropriate and effective academic programmes in this area. This paper will share best practices, achievements and lessons learned by ESARDA, INMM and the IAEA in providing education and training to develop and maintain the expertise of nuclear non-proliferation and safeguards professionals. In addition, it will suggest potential ways on how to assist universities to get prepared for building-up the next generation of experts able to meet any future challenges in the area of non-proliferation and safeguards. (author)

Exploring the genetics and non-cell autonomous mechanisms underlying ALS/FTLD.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Hongbo; Kankel, Mark W; Su, Susan C; Han, Steve W S; Ofengeim, Dimitry

2018-03-01

Although amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, was first described in 1874, a flurry of genetic discoveries in the last 10 years has markedly increased our understanding of this disease. These findings have not only enhanced our knowledge of mechanisms leading to ALS, but also have revealed that ALS shares many genetic causes with another neurodegenerative disease, frontotemporal lobar dementia (FTLD). In this review, we survey how recent genetic studies have bridged our mechanistic understanding of these two related diseases and how the genetics behind ALS and FTLD point to complex disorders, implicating non-neuronal cell types in disease pathophysiology. The involvement of non-neuronal cell types is consistent with a non-cell autonomous component in these diseases. This is further supported by studies that identified a critical role of immune-associated genes within ALS/FTLD and other neurodegenerative disorders. The molecular functions of these genes support an emerging concept that various non-autonomous functions are involved in neurodegeneration. Further insights into such a mechanism(s) will ultimately lead to a better understanding of potential routes of therapeutic intervention. Facts ALS and FTLD are severe neurodegenerative disorders on the same disease spectrum. Multiple cellular processes including dysregulation of RNA homeostasis, imbalance of proteostasis, contribute to ALS/FTLD pathogenesis. Aberrant function in non-neuronal cell types, including microglia, contributes to ALS/FTLD. Strong neuroimmune and neuroinflammatory components are associated with ALS/FTLD patients. Open Questions Why can patients with similar mutations have different disease manifestations, i.e., why do C9ORF72 mutations lead to motor neuron loss in some patients while others exhibit loss of neurons in the frontotemporal lobe? Do ALS causal mutations result in microglial dysfunction and contribute to ALS/FTLD pathology? How do microglia

Terrain Adaptive Reconfiguration of Mobility

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Develop an algorithm (and software) to automatically adapt a reconfigurable robot to different types of terrains for improved mobility, that compared to SOA:...

Application of non-destructive methods for qualification of the U3O8-Al and U3Si2-Al dispersion fuels in the IEA-R1 Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silva, Jose Eduardo Rosa da

2011-01-01

IPEN/CNEN-SP manufactures fuels to be used in its nuclear research reactor - the IEA-R1. To qualify those fuels, it is necessary to check if they have a good performance under irradiation. As Brazil doesn't have nuclear research reactors with high neutron fluxes, or suitable hot cells for carrying out post-irradiation examination of nuclear fuels, IPEN/CNEN-SP has conducted a fuel qualification program based on the use of uranium compounds, internationally tested and qualified to be used in research reactors, and has gotten experience in the technological development stages for the manufacturing of fuel plates, irradiation and non-destructive post-irradiation testing. Fuel elements containing low volume fractions of fuel in the dispersion were manufactured and irradiated successfully directly in the core of the IEA-R1. However, there are plans to increase the uranium density of these fuels. The objective of this thesis work was to study and to propose a set of non-destructive methods to qualify the dispersions fuels U 3 O 8 -Al e U 3 Si 2 -Al with high uranium density produced at IPEN/CNEN-SP. For that, the irradiation resources in the IEA-R1, and the application of non-destructive methods in the reactor pool available in the Institution were considered. The proposal is to specify, manufacture and irradiate fuel mini plates in IEA-R1 at the maximum densities, qualified internationally, and to monitor their general conditions during the period of irradiation, using non-destructive methods in the reactor pool. In addition to the non-destructive visual inspection and sipping methods, already used at the Institution, the infrastructure for dimensional sub-aquatic testing to evaluate the swelling of irradiated fuel mini plates was completed. The analyses of the results will provide means to assess and decide whether or not to continue with the irradiation of mini plates, until the desired burnup for the irradiation tests at IEA-R1 are reached. (author)

Parity-non-conserving nuclear forces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Desplanques, B.

1979-01-01

Theoretical and phenomenological approaches to parity-non-conserving nuclear forces are reviewed. Recent developments in the calculation of weak meson-nucleon coupling constants, whose knowledge is necessary to determine theoretically the parity-non-conserving nucleon-nucleon potential, are described. The consistency of different measurements of parity-non-conserving effects is discussed and the information they provide is compared to theoretical predictions

Portable reconfigurable detection and assessment system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blattman, D.A.

1991-01-01

Rapidly changing geopolitical issues throughout the world have made the ability to effectively respond to political, military, terrorist and peace-keeping requirements increasingly important. Recent Middle East events indicate a continuing escalation in these activities. These activities are defining the requirements for a rapidly deployable, portable, real-time detection and assessment operational security system that is reconfigurable to site specific threats. This paper describes such a system Mobile Operational Detection and Assessment system (MODAS); a commercially-off-the shelf (COTS) integrated and reconfigurable hardware/software system solution for the ever-changing geopolitical security issues of the Nineties

Groundwater monitoring program plan and conceptual site model for the Al-Tuwaitha Nuclear Research Center in Iraq.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Copland, John Robin; Cochran, John Russell

2013-07-01

The Radiation Protection Center of the Iraqi Ministry of Environment is developing a groundwater monitoring program (GMP) for the Al-Tuwaitha Nuclear Research Center located near Baghdad, Iraq. The Al-Tuwaitha Nuclear Research Center was established in about 1960 and is currently being cleaned-up and decommissioned by Iraqs Ministry of Science and Technology. This Groundwater Monitoring Program Plan (GMPP) and Conceptual Site Model (CSM) support the Radiation Protection Center by providing: A CSM describing the hydrogeologic regime and contaminant issues, recommendations for future groundwater characterization activities, and descriptions of the organizational elements of a groundwater monitoring program. The Conceptual Site Model identifies a number of potential sources of groundwater contamination at Al-Tuwaitha. The model also identifies two water-bearing zones (a shallow groundwater zone and a regional aquifer). The depth to the shallow groundwater zone varies from approximately 7 to 10 meters (m) across the facility. The shallow groundwater zone is composed of a layer of silty sand and fine sand that does not extend laterally across the entire facility. An approximately 4-m thick layer of clay underlies the shallow groundwater zone. The depth to the regional aquifer varies from approximately 14 to 17 m across the facility. The regional aquifer is composed of interfingering layers of silty sand, fine-grained sand, and medium-grained sand. Based on the limited analyses described in this report, there is no severe contamination of the groundwater at Al-Tuwaitha with radioactive constituents. However, significant data gaps exist and this plan recommends the installation of additional groundwater monitoring wells and conducting additional types of radiological and chemical analyses.

Optically reconfigurable metasurfaces and photonic devices based on phase change materials

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Qian; Rogers, Edward T. F.; Gholipour, Behrad; Wang, Chih-Ming; Yuan, Guanghui; Teng, Jinghua; Zheludev, Nikolay I.

2016-01-01

Photonic components with adjustable parameters, such as variable-focal-length lenses or spectral filters, which can change functionality upon optical stimulation, could offer numerous useful applications. Tuning of such components is conventionally achieved by either micro- or nanomechanical actuation of their constituent parts, by stretching or by heating. Here, we report a novel approach for making reconfigurable optical components that are created with light in a non-volatile and reversible fashion. Such components are written, erased and rewritten as two-dimensional binary or greyscale patterns into a nanoscale film of phase-change material by inducing a refractive-index-changing phase transition with tailored trains of femtosecond pulses. We combine germanium-antimony-tellurium-based films with a diffraction-limited resolution optical writing process to demonstrate a variety of devices: visible-range reconfigurable bichromatic and multi-focus Fresnel zone plates, a super-oscillatory lens with subwavelength focus, a greyscale hologram, and a dielectric metamaterial with on-demand reflection and transmission resonances.

ETSI-Standard Reconfigurable Mobile Device for Supporting the Licensed Shared Access

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kyunghoon Kim

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In order for a Mobile Device (MD to support the Licensed Shared Access (LSA, the MD should be reconfigurable, meaning that the configuration of a MD must be adaptively changed in accordance with the communication standard adopted in a given LSA system. Based on the standard architecture for reconfigurable MD defined in Working Group (WG 2 of the Technical Committee (TC Reconfigurable Radio System (RRS of the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI, this paper presents a procedure to transfer control signals among the software entities of a reconfigurable MD required for implementing the LSA. This paper also presents an implementation of a reconfigurable MD prototype that realizes the proposed procedure. The modem and Radio Frequency (RF part of the prototype MD are implemented with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX Titan Graphic Processing Unit (GPU and the Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP N210, respectively. With a preset scenario that consists of five time slots from different signal environments, we demonstrate superb performance of the reconfigurable MD in comparison to the conventional nonreconfigurable MD in terms of the data receiving rate available in the LSA band at 2.3–2.4 GHz.

Approaches to nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Subrahmanyam, K.

1981-01-01

The logic behind the approach of the nuclear weapon states (NWS) to the issue of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation is based on: (1) The assumption that the less the number of decision makers who could initiate a nuclear war less the probability of war, (2) the claim of the NWS that their nuclear weapons are under strict control, and (3) the claim of the NWS who have signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) that the Treaty is being scrupulously observed by them. This logic is critically examined in the light of disclosures that indicate that: (1) both vertical and horizontal proliferation is going on without respite among the NWS, and (2) the fissile material is clandestinely being allowed to be diverted to the favoured clients by one or more of the NWS. These NWS are not subject to any safeguards under the NPT. They are using the NPT and the concept of nuclear free zone as a sort of tactic to divert the attention from the correct approach to the disarmament and to impose their hegemony over the Third World Countries. Moreover, the NPT has conferred a sort of legitimacy to the possession of nuclear weapons by the NWS. In these circumstances their preaching to the Third World countries about nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation sounds hypocritical. The correct approach to these issues would be to put the nuclear weapons under the category of weapons of mass destruction and to ban their use under a non-discriminatory international convention as has been done in the case of biological and chemical weapons. (M.G.B.)

Desenvolvimento de hardware reconfigurável de criptografia assimétrica

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Otávio Souza Martins Gomes

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Este artigo apresenta o resultado parcial do desenvolvimento de uma interface de hardware reconfigurável para criptografia assimétrica que permite a troca segura de dados. Hardwares reconfiguráveis permitem o desenvolvimento deste tipo de dispositivo com segurança e flexibilidade e possibilitam a mudança de características no projeto com baixo custo e de forma rápida.Palavras-chave: Criptografia. Hardware. ElGamal. FPGA. Segurança. Development of an asymmetric cryptography reconfigurable harwadre ABSTRACTThis paper presents some conclusions and choices about the development of an asymmetric cryptography reconfigurable hardware interface to allow a safe data communication. Reconfigurable hardwares allows the development of this kind of device with safety and flexibility, and offer the possibility to change some features with low cost and in a fast way.Keywords: Cryptography. Hardware. ElGamal. FPGAs. Security.

A Study on Introduction of Nuclear Power Plants in India and the Nuclear Non- Proliferation Conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Seung Hyo; Lim, Dong Hyuk

2011-01-01

Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) which was formed to build nuclear export control has been accepting the nuclear cooperation for the member nation of the international nuclear non-proliferation regime. Korea exported nuclear power plants to United Arab Emirates in 2009 and research and training reactor to Jordan in 2010 based on the forcible non-proliferation regime as a member nation of NSG, so it is strengthening its position in the atomic energy industry. In addition, Korea concluded an agreement with India which is planning the construction of 25.based or more nuclear power plants for the next 20 years in last July, 25, so it will enter the atomic energy market in India. But India has been accepted the exceptionally civilian nuclear cooperation as a de facto Nuclear Weapon State (NWS) and non-member state of NPT, so concerns about nuclear proliferation has been raised. This study aims to introduce the allowance of exceptions background in India, to analyze its effect on the non-proliferation regime and to find nuclear non-proliferation conditions

Nuclear Thermal Rocket Element Environmental Simulator (NTREES) Upgrade Activities

Science.gov (United States)

Emrich, William J. Jr.; Moran, Robert P.; Pearson, J. Boise

2012-01-01

To support the on-going nuclear thermal propulsion effort, a state-of-the-art non nuclear experimental test setup has been constructed to evaluate the performance characteristics of candidate fuel element materials and geometries in representative environments. The facility to perform this testing is referred to as the Nuclear Thermal Rocket Element Environment Simulator (NTREES). This device can simulate the environmental conditions (minus the radiation) to which nuclear rocket fuel components will be subjected during reactor operation. Test articles mounted in the simulator are inductively heated in such a manner so as to accurately reproduce the temperatures and heat fluxes which would normally occur as a result of nuclear fission and would be exposed to flowing hydrogen. Initial testing of a somewhat prototypical fuel element has been successfully performed in NTREES and the facility has now been shutdown to allow for an extensive reconfiguration of the facility which will result in a significant upgrade in its capabilities

Rough terrain motion planning for actively reconfigurable mobile robots

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brunner, Michael

2015-01-01

In the aftermath of the Tohoku earthquake and the nuclear meltdown at the power plant of Fukushima Daiichi in 2011, reconfigurable robots like the iRobot Packbot were deployed. Instead of humans, the robots were used to investigate contaminated areas. Other incidents are the two major earthquakes in Northern Italy in May 2012. Besides many casualties, a large number of historical buildings was severely damaged. Due to the imminent danger of collapse, it was too dangerous for rescue personnel to enter many of the buildings. Therefore, the sites were inspected by reconfigurable robots, which are able to traverse the rubble and debris of the partially destroyed buildings. This thesis develops a navigation system enabling wheeled and tracked robots to safely traverse rough terrain and challenging structures. It consists of a planning mechanism and a controller. The focus of this thesis, however, is on the contribution to motion planning. The planning scheme employs a hierarchical approach to motion planning for actively reconfigurable robots in rough environments. Using a map of the environment the algorithm estimates the traversability under the consideration of uncertainties. Based on this analysis, an initial path search determines an approximate solution with respect to the robot's operating limits.Subsequently, a detailed planning step refines the initial path where it is required. The refinement step considers the robot's actuators and stability in addition to the quantities of the first search. Determining the robot-terrain interaction is very important in rough terrain. This thesis presents two path refinement approaches: a deterministic and a randomized approach. The experimental evaluation investigates the separate components of the planning scheme, the robot-terrain interaction for instance.In simulation as well as in real world experiments the evaluation demonstrates the necessity of such a planning algorithm in rough terrain and it provides

Rough terrain motion planning for actively reconfigurable mobile robots

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brunner, Michael

2015-02-05

In the aftermath of the Tohoku earthquake and the nuclear meltdown at the power plant of Fukushima Daiichi in 2011, reconfigurable robots like the iRobot Packbot were deployed. Instead of humans, the robots were used to investigate contaminated areas. Other incidents are the two major earthquakes in Northern Italy in May 2012. Besides many casualties, a large number of historical buildings was severely damaged. Due to the imminent danger of collapse, it was too dangerous for rescue personnel to enter many of the buildings. Therefore, the sites were inspected by reconfigurable robots, which are able to traverse the rubble and debris of the partially destroyed buildings. This thesis develops a navigation system enabling wheeled and tracked robots to safely traverse rough terrain and challenging structures. It consists of a planning mechanism and a controller. The focus of this thesis, however, is on the contribution to motion planning. The planning scheme employs a hierarchical approach to motion planning for actively reconfigurable robots in rough environments. Using a map of the environment the algorithm estimates the traversability under the consideration of uncertainties. Based on this analysis, an initial path search determines an approximate solution with respect to the robot's operating limits.Subsequently, a detailed planning step refines the initial path where it is required. The refinement step considers the robot's actuators and stability in addition to the quantities of the first search. Determining the robot-terrain interaction is very important in rough terrain. This thesis presents two path refinement approaches: a deterministic and a randomized approach. The experimental evaluation investigates the separate components of the planning scheme, the robot-terrain interaction for instance.In simulation as well as in real world experiments the evaluation demonstrates the necessity of such a planning algorithm in rough terrain and it provides

Radiation effects issues related to US DOE site remediation and nuclear waste storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weber, W.J.; Ewing, R.C.

1994-10-01

Site restoration activities at DOE facilities and the permanent disposal of nuclear waste generated at the same DOE facilities involve working with and within various types and levels of radiation fields. Radionuclide decay and the associated radiation fields lead to physical and chemical changes that can degrade or enhance material properties. This paper reviews the impact of radiation fields on site restoration activities and on the release rate of radionuclides to the biosphere from nuclear waste forms

Directory of DOE and contractor personnel involved in non-government standards activities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-08-01

This document contains a listing of DOE employees and DOE contractors who have submitted form DOE F 1300.2, Record of Non-Government Standards Activity. Additional names were added from rosters supplied by non-Government standards bodies.

Improving the regulation of safety at DOE nuclear facilities. Final report: Appendices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-12-01

The report strongly recommends that, with the end of the Cold War, safety and health at DOE facilities should be regulated by outside agencies rather than by any regulatory scheme, DOE must maintain a strong internal safety management system; essentially all aspects of safety at DOE's nuclear facilities should be externally regulated; and existing agencies rather than a new one should be responsible for external regulation

Rational design of reconfigurable prismatic architected materials

Science.gov (United States)

Overvelde, Johannes T. B.; Weaver, James C.; Hoberman, Chuck; Bertoldi, Katia

2017-01-01

Advances in fabrication technologies are enabling the production of architected materials with unprecedented properties. Most such materials are characterized by a fixed geometry, but in the design of some materials it is possible to incorporate internal mechanisms capable of reconfiguring their spatial architecture, and in this way to enable tunable functionality. Inspired by the structural diversity and foldability of the prismatic geometries that can be constructed using the snapology origami technique, here we introduce a robust design strategy based on space-filling tessellations of polyhedra to create three-dimensional reconfigurable materials comprising a periodic assembly of rigid plates and elastic hinges. Guided by numerical analysis and physical prototypes, we systematically explore the mobility of the designed structures and identify a wide range of qualitatively different deformations and internal rearrangements. Given that the underlying principles are scale-independent, our strategy can be applied to the design of the next generation of reconfigurable structures and materials, ranging from metre-scale transformable architectures to nanometre-scale tunable photonic systems.

Final report to DOE: Matching Grant Program for the Penn State University Nuclear Engineering Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jack S. Brenizer, Jr.

2003-01-01

The DOE/Industry Matching Grant Program is designed to encourage collaborative support for nuclear engineering education as well as research between the nation's nuclear industry and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Despite a serious decline in student enrollments in the 1980s and 1990s, the discipline of nuclear engineering remained important to the advancement of the mission goals of DOE. The program is designed to ensure that academic programs in nuclear engineering are maintained and enhanced in universities throughout the U.S. At Penn State, the Matching Grant Program played a critical role in the survival of the Nuclear Engineering degree programs. Funds were used in a variety of ways to support both undergraduate and graduate students directly. Some of these included providing seed funding for new graduate research initiatives, funding the development of new course materials, supporting new teaching facilities, maintenance and purchase of teaching laboratory equipment, and providing undergraduate scholarships, graduate fellowships, and wage payroll positions for students

A Modular, Reconfigurable Mold for a Soft Robotic Gripper Design Activity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiawei Zhang

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Soft robotics is an emerging field with strong potential to serve as an educational tool due to its advantages such as low costs and shallow learning curves. In this paper, we introduce a modular and reconfigurable mold for flexible design of pneumatic soft robotic grippers. By using simple assembly kits, students at all levels are able to design and construct soft robotic grippers that vary in function and performance. The process of constructing the modular mold enables students to understand how design choices impact system performance. Our unique modular mold allows students to select the number and length of fingers in a gripper, as well as to adjust the internal geometry of the pneumatic actuator cavity, which dictates how and where bending of a finger occurs. In addition, the mold may be deconstructed and reconfigured, which allows for fast iterative design and lowers material costs (since a new mold does not need to be made to implement a design change. We further demonstrate the feasibility of the modular mold by implementing it in a soft robot design activity in classrooms and showing a sufficiently high rate of student success in designing and constructing a functional soft robotic gripper.

Strategy for a non-nuclear future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carlson, R.; Freedman, D.; Scott, R.

1979-01-01

The need for nuclear power may not be as great as the electric power industry has led the nation to believe, according to the authors. They argue that 64 of the 72 nuclear plants operating in the United States could be shut down immediately if the existing non-nuclear capacity of the electric power industry were fully utilized; and the remaining 8 plants could be phased out within a few years. They cite already-available alternative power sources that could guarantee the additional energy needed for a non-nuclear future. They state that the transition to a nuclear-free electric system could be implemented with little or no increased expense to consumers or taxpayers; that, in fact, elimination of all nuclear plants might actually be cheaper, given the rapid rise in nuclear construction costs as more and more new flaws are discovered or old ones acknowledged. The authors feel that environmental risks of nuclear power plant operation could be eliminated in exchange for a small, temporary increase in air pollution from coal- and oil-fired plants. The increase in sulfur dioxide and particulate pollution could be offset within several years by an accelerated program to install flue-gas scrubbing equipment. Suggestions for meeting a projected shortfall in future capacity are given. The authors also touch lightly on institutional barriers that would have to be overcome before phasing out nuclear power. 4 figures, 4 tables

An adaptive cryptographic accelerator for network storage security on dynamically reconfigurable platform

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Li; Liu, Jing-Ning; Feng, Dan; Tong, Wei

2008-12-01

Existing security solutions in network storage environment perform poorly because cryptographic operations (encryption and decryption) implemented in software can dramatically reduce system performance. In this paper we propose a cryptographic hardware accelerator on dynamically reconfigurable platform for the security of high performance network storage system. We employ a dynamic reconfigurable platform based on a FPGA to implement a PowerPCbased embedded system, which executes cryptographic algorithms. To reduce the reconfiguration latency, we apply prefetch scheduling. Moreover, the processing elements could be dynamically configured to support different cryptographic algorithms according to the request received by the accelerator. In the experiment, we have implemented AES (Rijndael) and 3DES cryptographic algorithms in the reconfigurable accelerator. Our proposed reconfigurable cryptographic accelerator could dramatically increase the performance comparing with the traditional software-based network storage systems.

Trajectory Generation and Stability Analysis for Reconfigurable Klann Mechanism Based Walking Robot

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaichandar Kulandaidaasan Sheba

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Reconfigurable legged robots based on one degree of freedom are highly desired because they are effective on rough and irregular terrains and they provide mobility in such terrain with simple control schemes. It is necessary that reconfigurable legged robots should maintain stability during rest and motion, with a minimum number of legs while maintaining their full range of walking patterns resulting from different gait configuration. In this paper we present a method to generate input trajectory for reconfigurable quadruped robots based on Klann mechanism to properly synchronize movement. Six useful gait cycles based on this reconfigurable Klann mechanism for quadruped robots has been clearly shown here. The platform stability for these six useful gait cycles are validated through simulated results which clearly shows the capabilities of reconfigurable design.

Efficient integration of plug-in electric vehicles via reconfigurable microgrids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kavousi-Fard, Abdollah; Khodaei, Amin

2016-01-01

This paper investigates the viability of the reconfigurable microgrids (RMGs) in facilitating the integration of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs). The reconfiguration ability of microgrids, which is enabled by the use of remotely controlled switches (RCSs), will support the high penetration of PEVs and renewable distributed generators (DGs) while reducing the total operation cost and potentially enhance microgrid reliability. The objective of the proposed optimal scheduling problem is to minimize the total cost of power supply by distributed energy resources (DERs) and upstream network energy exchange, battery degradation cost in PEVs, cost of switching during the reconfiguration, and expected customer interruption costs as a reliability index. To address the high level of the uncertainties in the problem, a scenario-based stochastic framework is devised to capture the uncertainties associated with the charging and discharging values of PEVs, number of PEVs in each fleet, time of the daily trips for PEVs, hourly load consumption, hourly output power of renewable DGs, and hourly market price. The satisfying performance and merits of the proposed model are examined on a test microgrid. - Highlights: • Introduction of reconfigurable microgrids for providing flexible structure to manage electric loads. • Assessing the effects of the reconfiguration on the integration of PEVs. • Introduction of a stochastic framework for reducing operation and reliability costs in microgrids. • Introduction of a smart charge/discharge scheme for PEVs based on V2G during the reconfiguration.

Reconfiguring Cooperative Work by Visualizing EPR on Large Projected Screens

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Simonsen, Jesper

Simonsen, J. (2006): Reconfiguring Cooperative Work by Visualizing EPR on Large Projected Screens, Paper presented at the PDC 2006 workshop on: Reconfiguring Healthcare: Issues in Computer Supported Cooperative Work in Healthcare Environments. Participatory Design Conference, Trento, Italy, August...

Does nuclear energy save global environment?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsui, Kazuaki

2006-01-01

Since the ecological footprint analysis in 1970s suggested changing consumption patterns and overpopulation concerns, energy policy such as energy conservation and use of renewable energy has become of prime importance. Several results of the long-term energy demand and supply analysis in 2050 or 2100 to reduce drastically carbon dioxide emission as a measure against global warming, showed the necessity of nuclear power deployment as well as maximum efforts to save energy, exploitation of the separation and disposal of carbon dioxide, and shifting energy sources to fuels that emit less greenhouse gases or non-fossil fuels. As a promising means to contribute to long-term energy supply, nuclear power generation is expected with improving safety, economic efficiency, environmental adaptability, and nuclear proliferation resistance of the technologies. (T.Tanaka)

Ideoloog non grata? / Al Paldrok ; interv. Mari Sobolev

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Paldrok, Al

1999-01-01

Academia Non Grata üks asutajaid Al Paldrok oma Pärnusse mineku põhjustest, mõtteid kunstist, kuulsusest, suhtumisest kuulsusesse Academia Non Gratas. Tauno Kangrost ja tema Kalevipoja kujust, Peeter Allikust. Suhtumine kontseptuaalsesse kunsti ja installatsioonidesse Eestis 1980-ndate lõpul.

Short-Term Load Forecasting Based Automatic Distribution Network Reconfiguration: Preprint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jiang, Huaiguang [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Ding, Fei [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Zhang, Yingchen [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Jiang, Huaiguang [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Ding, Fei [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Zhang, Yingchen [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2017-07-26

In the traditional dynamic network reconfiguration study, the optimal topology is determined at every scheduled time point by using the real load data measured at that time. The development of load forecasting technique can provide accurate prediction of load power that will happen in future time and provide more information about load changes. With the inclusion of load forecasting, the optimal topology can be determined based on the predicted load conditions during the longer time period instead of using the snapshot of load at the time when the reconfiguration happens, and thus it can provide information to the distribution system operator (DSO) to better operate the system reconfiguration to achieve optimal solutions. Thus, this paper proposes a short-term load forecasting based approach for automatically reconfiguring distribution systems in a dynamic and pre-event manner. Specifically, a short-term and high-resolution distribution system load forecasting approach is proposed with support vector regression (SVR) based forecaster and parallel parameters optimization. And the network reconfiguration problem is solved by using the forecasted load continuously to determine the optimal network topology with the minimum loss at the future time. The simulation results validate and evaluate the proposed approach.

Reconfigurable topological photonic crystal

Science.gov (United States)

Shalaev, Mikhail I.; Desnavi, Sameerah; Walasik, Wiktor; Litchinitser, Natalia M.

2018-02-01

Topological insulators are materials that conduct on the surface and insulate in their interior due to non-trivial topology of the band structure. The edge states on the interface between topological (non-trivial) and conventional (trivial) insulators are topologically protected from scattering due to structural defects and disorders. Recently, it was shown that photonic crystals (PCs) can serve as a platform for realizing a scatter-free propagation of light waves. In conventional PCs, imperfections, structural disorders, and surface roughness lead to significant losses. The breakthrough in overcoming these problems is likely to come from the synergy of the topological PCs and silicon-based photonics technology that enables high integration density, lossless propagation, and immunity to fabrication imperfections. For many applications, reconfigurability and capability to control the propagation of these non-trivial photonic edge states is essential. One way to facilitate such dynamic control is to use liquid crystals (LCs), which allow to modify the refractive index with external electric field. Here, we demonstrate dynamic control of topological edge states by modifying the refractive index of a LC background medium. Background index is changed depending on the orientation of a LC, while preserving the topology of the system. This results in a change of the spectral position of the photonic bandgap and the topological edge states. The proposed concept might be implemented using conventional semiconductor technology, and can be used for robust energy transport in integrated photonic devices, all-optical circuity, and optical communication systems.

Reconfigurable Integrated Optoelectronics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Richard Soref

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Integrated optics today is based upon chips of Si and InP. The future of this chip industry is probably contained in the thrust towards optoelectronic integrated circuits (OEICs and photonic integrated circuits (PICs manufactured in a high-volume foundry. We believe that reconfigurable OEICs and PICs, known as ROEICs and RPICs, constitute the ultimate embodiment of integrated photonics. This paper shows that any ROEIC-on-a-chip can be decomposed into photonic modules, some of them fixed and some of them changeable in function. Reconfiguration is provided by electrical control signals to the electro-optical building blocks. We illustrate these modules in detail and discuss 3D ROEIC chips for the highest-performance signal processing. We present examples of our module theory for RPIC optical lattice filters already constructed, and we propose new ROEICs for directed optical logic, large-scale matrix switching, and 2D beamsteering of a phased-array microwave antenna. In general, large-scale-integrated ROEICs will enable significant applications in computing, quantum computing, communications, learning, imaging, telepresence, sensing, RF/microwave photonics, information storage, cryptography, and data mining.

The Complete Reconfiguration of Dendritic Gold

Science.gov (United States)

Paneru, Govind; Flanders, Bret

2014-03-01

Reconfigurability-by-design is an important strategy in modern materials science, as materials with this capability could potentially be used to confer hydrophobic, lipophobic, or anti-corrosive character to substrates in a regenerative manner. The present work extends the directed electrochemical nanowire assembly (DENA) methodology, which is a technique that employs alternating voltages to grow single crystalline metallic nanowires and nano-dendrites from simple salt solutions, to enable the complete dissolution of macroscopic arrays of metallic dendrites following their growth. Our main finding is that structural reconfiguration of dendritic gold is induced by changes in the MHz-level frequencies of voltages that are applied to the dendrites. Cyclic voltammetry and micro-Raman spectroscopy have been used to show that dendritic gold grows and dissolves by the same chemical mechanisms as bulk gold. Hence, the redox chemistry that occurs at the crystal-solution interface is no different than the established electrochemistry of gold. What differs in this process and allows for reconfiguration to occur is the diffusive behavior of the gold chloride molecules in the solution adjacent to the interface. We will present a simple model that captures the physics of this behavior.

Enabling Self-Organization in Embedded Systems with Reconfigurable Hardware

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christophe Bobda

2009-01-01

Full Text Available We present a methodology based on self-organization to manage resources in networked embedded systems based on reconfigurable hardware. Two points are detailed in this paper, the monitoring system used to analyse the system and the Local Marketplaces Global Symbiosis (LMGS concept defined for self-organization of dynamically reconfigurable nodes.

Reconfigurable computing the theory and practice of FPGA-based computation

CERN Document Server

Hauck, Scott

2010-01-01

Reconfigurable Computing marks a revolutionary and hot topic that bridges the gap between the separate worlds of hardware and software design- the key feature of reconfigurable computing is its groundbreaking ability to perform computations in hardware to increase performance while retaining the flexibility of a software solution. Reconfigurable computers serve as affordable, fast, and accurate tools for developing designs ranging from single chip architectures to multi-chip and embedded systems. Scott Hauck and Andre DeHon have assembled a group of the key experts in the fields of both hardwa

Nuclear disarmament and evolution of the nuclear non-proliferation regime

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bragin, V.; Carlson, J.; Bardsley, J.; Hill, J.

1999-01-01

The 1995 NPT Review and Extension Conference reaffirmed 'the ultimate goals of the complete elimination of nuclear weapons and a treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control' and endorsed 'universal application of safeguards once the complete elimination of nuclear weapons has been achieved'. Hence strengthening the international non-proliferation regime and incremental broadening of its coverage towards the universal application of international safeguards in all States is a high priority albeit for the medium to long term. A tentative attempt is made in this paper to anticipate how the elements of verification under the NPT, FMCT and other conventions and arrangements related to nuclear non-proliferation will evolve against the background of the disarmament process, with the goal of achieving at some future stage an ultimate convergence of verification regimes under a complete nuclear disarmament. We think, however, that most of the new initiatives in the area of disarmament/non-proliferation should be realised during the current disarmament phase. We do not wish our model to be perceived as a rigid time-bound scheme. New initiatives should be implemented in parallel and as soon as practicable. This paper reflects the personal views of the authors and should not be taken to represent Australian Government policy. (author)

Multilevel Simulation of Heterogeneous Reconfigurable Platforms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Damien Picard

2009-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a general system-level simulation and testing methodology for reconfigurable System-on-Chips, starting from behavioral specifications of system activities to multilevel simulations of accelerated tasks running on the reconfigurable circuit. The system is based on a common objectoriented environment that offers valuable debugging and probing facilities as well as integrated testing features. Our system brings these benefits to the hardware simulation, while enforcing validation through characterization tests and interoperability through on-demand mainstream tools connections. This framework has been partially developed in the scope of the EU Morpheus project and is used to validate our contribution to the spatial design task.

Enforcement handbook: Enforcement of DOE nuclear safety requirements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-06-01

This Handbook provides detailed guidance and procedures to implement the General Statement of DOE Enforcement Policy (Enforcement Policy or Policy). A copy of this Enforcement Policy is included for ready reference in Appendix D. The guidance provided in this Handbook is qualified, however, by the admonishment to exercise discretion in determining the proper disposition of each potential enforcement action. As discussed in subsequent chapters, the Enforcement and Investigation Staff will apply a number of factors in assessing each potential enforcement situation. Enforcement sanctions are imposed in accordance with the Enforcement Policy for the purpose of promoting public and worker health and safety in the performance of activities at DOE facilities by DOE contractors (and their subcontractors and suppliers) who are indemnified under the Price-Anderson Amendments Act. These indemnified contractors, and their suppliers and subcontractors, will be referred to in this Handbook collectively as DOE contractors. It should be remembered that the purpose of the Department`s enforcement policy is to improve nuclear safety for the workers and the public, and this goal should be the prime consideration in exercising enforcement discretion.

Enforcement handbook: Enforcement of DOE nuclear safety requirements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-06-01

This Handbook provides detailed guidance and procedures to implement the General Statement of DOE Enforcement Policy (Enforcement Policy or Policy). A copy of this Enforcement Policy is included for ready reference in Appendix D. The guidance provided in this Handbook is qualified, however, by the admonishment to exercise discretion in determining the proper disposition of each potential enforcement action. As discussed in subsequent chapters, the Enforcement and Investigation Staff will apply a number of factors in assessing each potential enforcement situation. Enforcement sanctions are imposed in accordance with the Enforcement Policy for the purpose of promoting public and worker health and safety in the performance of activities at DOE facilities by DOE contractors (and their subcontractors and suppliers) who are indemnified under the Price-Anderson Amendments Act. These indemnified contractors, and their suppliers and subcontractors, will be referred to in this Handbook collectively as DOE contractors. It should be remembered that the purpose of the Department's enforcement policy is to improve nuclear safety for the workers and the public, and this goal should be the prime consideration in exercising enforcement discretion

Nuclear Thermal Rocket Element Environmental Simulator (NTREES) Phase II Upgrade Activities

Science.gov (United States)

Emrich, William J.; Moran, Robert P.; Pearson, J. Bose

2013-01-01

To support the on-going nuclear thermal propulsion effort, a state-of-the-art non nuclear experimental test setup has been constructed to evaluate the performance characteristics of candidate fuel element materials and geometries in representative environments. The facility to perform this testing is referred to as the Nuclear Thermal Rocket Element Environment Simulator (NTREES). This device can simulate the environmental conditions (minus the radiation) to which nuclear rocket fuel components will be subjected during reactor operation. Test articles mounted in the simulator are inductively heated in such a manner so as to accurately reproduce the temperatures and heat fluxes which would normally occur as a result of nuclear fission and would be exposed to flowing hydrogen. Initial testing of a somewhat prototypical fuel element has been successfully performed in NTREES and the facility has now been shutdown to allow for an extensive reconfiguration of the facility which will result in a significant upgrade in its capabilities. Keywords: Nuclear Thermal Propulsion, Simulator

Reconfigurable, Cognitive Software-Defined Radio

Science.gov (United States)

Bhat, Arvind

2015-01-01

Software-defined radio (SDR) technology allows radios to be reconfigured to perform different communication functions without using multiple radios to accomplish each task. Intelligent Automation, Inc., has developed SDR platforms that switch adaptively between different operation modes. The innovation works by modifying both transmit waveforms and receiver signal processing tasks. In Phase I of the project, the company developed SDR cognitive capabilities, including adaptive modulation and coding (AMC), automatic modulation recognition (AMR), and spectrum sensing. In Phase II, these capabilities were integrated into SDR platforms. The reconfigurable transceiver design employs high-speed field-programmable gate arrays, enabling multimode operation and scalable architecture. Designs are based on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components and are modular in nature, making it easier to upgrade individual components rather than redesigning the entire SDR platform as technology advances.

Canada and international safeguards. Verifying nuclear non-proliferation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-01-01

The Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) came into force in 1970 and now has about 140 signatory nations. By creating legal barriers against proliferation and by promoting an international non-proliferation ethic, the NPT has promoted international peace and security. A key ingredient has been the confidence generated through verification by IAEA safeguards. By the end of 1988 IAEA safeguards agreements had been concluded with about 100 countries, including Canada. Over 500 nuclear facilities worldwide are under safeguards or contain safeguarded nuclear material. The existence of this credible and effective safeguards system makes international trade in nuclear equipment and materials possible, monitoring the transfer of nuclear technology to developing countries as well as between industrial countries. Canada is committed to non-proliferation and IAEA safeguards. Canadian non-proliferation policy is among the strictest in the world, even though opportunities have been lost to sell Canadian technology abroad as a result

Nuclear exports and non-proliferation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Courteix, Simone.

1978-01-01

Increased preoccupation in present times with the risk of proliferation of nuclear weapons is reflected in the multiplication of international agreements such as the Non-proliferation Treaty and in the strengthening of consultations between industrialised countries (London Club). After analysing the IAEA safeguards system under the Non-proliferation Treaty and its shortcomings both technically and otherwise, the author considers how this situation can be remedied in the light of the London Agreements and in view of the position of the main countries concerned. The annex to the book contains the texts of many international agreements and relevant national regulations as well as nuclear policy statements. It also includes a detailed bibliograaphy. (NEA) [fr

El Diseño Modular en el contexto del desarrollo de Máquinas Herramienta Reconfigurables. // Modular Design in the development of reconfigurable Machine Tools´ context.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Pérez Rodríguez

2005-05-01

Full Text Available Las tendencias actuales en los procesos de manufactura reflejan los cambios en las demandas de los clientes. En nuestrosdías, el mercado requiere inexorablemente de productos cada vez más personalizados, por lo que se tiende de unaproducción masiva hacia un tipo específico de producción, en menos tiempo y con menos costos de producción. Enrespuesta a esta necesidad, la nueva generación de máquinas herramienta debe de ser reconfigurable e inteligente. Lascaracterísticas principales de las Máquinas Reconfigurables e Inteligentes son la modularidad, convertibilidad, flexibilidady efectividad en los costos. Este artículo presenta un enfoque para el diseño modular de máquinas herramienta, basado en elportafolio de productos del constructor de máquinas. La metodología parte de un conjunto de requerimientos funcionalesdefinidos por el constructor de máquinas y ofrece una descripción de los posibles módulos que pueden ser desarrolladospara una determinada máquina herramienta reconfigurable.Palabras claves: Diseño modular, máquinas herramienta, reconfigurable, inteligente.___________________________________________________________________________Abstract.The manufacturing tendencies reflect the changes on the customer demands. Nowadays, the market is constantly requiringmore customized products, moving from mass production to “one-of-a-kind production” in less time with lower productioncosts. In response to this need, the next generation of machine tools should be reconfigurable and intelligent.Reconfigurability allows for the reduction of machine design lead time, machine set-up and ramp-up time. The principalcharacteristics of the Reconfigurable and Intelligent Machines are modularity, convertibility, flexibility and costeffectiveness.This paper presents an approach for the design of machine tools modules, based on the product portfolio ofthe machine tool builder. The methodology takes as input a set of functional requirements

Architecture for dynamically reconfigurable real-time lossless compression

Science.gov (United States)

Carter, Alison J.; Audsley, Neil C.

2004-05-01

Image compression is a computationally intensive task, which can be undertaken most efficiently by dedicated hardware. If a portable device is to carry out real-time compression on a variety of image types, then it may be useful to reconfigure the circuitry dynamically. Using commercial off-the shelf (COTS) chips, reconfiguration is usually implemented by a complete re-load from memory, but it is also possible to perform a partial reconfiguration. This work studies the use of programmable hardware devices to implement the lossless JPEG compression algorithm in real-time on a stream of independent image frames. The data rate is faster than can be compressed serially in hardware by a single processor, so the operation is split amongst several processors. These are implemented as programmable circuits, together with necessary buffering of input and output data. The timing of input and output, bearing in mind the different, and context-dependent amounts of data due to Huffman coding, is analyzed using storage-timing graphs. Because there may be differing parameters from one frame to the next, several different configurations are prepared and stored, ready to load as required. The scheduling of these reconfigurations, and the distribution/recombination of data streams is studied, giving an analysis of the real-time performance.

16th DOE nuclear air cleaning conference: proceedings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

First, M.W.

1981-02-01

Major topics discussed during the Sixteenth DOE Nuclear Air Cleaning Conference were: waste treatment, including volume reduction and storage; system and component response to stress and accident conditions; Three Mile Island accident; iodine adsorption; treatment and storage of noble gas: treatment of offgases from chemical processing; aerosol; behavior; containment venting; laboratory and in-place filter-testing methods; and particulate filtration. Volume I of the Proceedings has 49 papers from the following sessions; HEPA filter test methods; noble gas separation; air cleaning system design; containment venting; iodine adsorption; reprocessing offgas cleaning; critical review; filtration; filter testing; and aerosols. Volume II contains 44 papers from the sessions on: nuclear waste treatment; critical review; noble gas treatment; carbon-14 and tritium; air cleaning system response to stress; nuclear standards and safety; round table; open end; and air cleaning technology at Three Mile Island. Abstracts are provided for all of these papers

16th DOE nuclear air cleaning conference: proceedings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

First, M.W.

1981-02-01

Major topics discussed during the Sixteenth DOE Nuclear Air Cleaning Conference were: waste treatment, including volume reduction and storage; system and component response to stress and accident conditions; Three Mile Island accident; iodine adsorption; treatment and storage of noble gas; treatment of offgases from chemical processing; aerosol behavior; containment venting; laboratory and in-place filter-testing methods; and particulate filtration. Volume I of the Proceedings has 49 papers from the following sessions: HEPA filter test methods; noble gas separation; air cleaning system design; containment venting; iodine adsorption; reprocessing offgas cleaning; critical review; filtration, filter testing, and aerosols. Volume II contains 44 papers from the sessions on: nuclear waste treatment; critical review; noble gas treatment; carbon-14 and tritium; air cleaning system response to stress; nuclear standards and safety; round table; open end; and air cleaning technology at Three Mile Island. Abstracts are provided for all of these papers

Does nuclear proliferation in Asia threaten the future of the NPT?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vandier, Pierre

2005-01-01

Asia is a region which presents all kinds of situation with respect to nuclear proliferation: nuclear countries, proliferating countries, countries non members of the NPT, countries violating the NPT, pacifist countries, threshold countries, and so on. Through an assessment of nuclear proliferation in Asia, the author first outlines the weaknesses of the Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and then discusses origins of tensions which may re-launch a nuclear arms race. In a third part, the author assesses the future of the Treaty within the arrangement for the struggle against nuclear proliferation as its has been strengthened in 2005

Configuration Method Design for Reconfigurable Manufacturing System with the aid of Plant Simulation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Li, Yang; Zhang, Shuai; Bilberg, Arne

2014-01-01

A new Reconfigurable Manufacturing System structure has been recently designed by a large consumer goods manufacturer in Europe, aiming to balance the performance of productivity and flexibility. This article shows an exploratory research on the (re)configuration procedure of the new RMS structure....... Following the procedure which is designed in this paper, the (re)configuration of RMS can be managed as part of the daily operation with the help of computer simulation. Keywords: Plant Simulation, Tecnomatix, Reconfigurable Manufacturing System, modular manufacturing....

Centralised versus Decentralised Control Reconfiguration for Collaborating Underwater Robots

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Furno, Lidia; Nielsen, Mikkel Cornelius; Blanke, Mogens

2015-01-01

The present paper introduces an approach to fault-tolerant reconfiguration for collaborating underwater robots. Fault-tolerant reconfiguration is obtained using the virtual actuator approach, Steen (2005). The paper investigates properties of a centralised versus a decentralised implementation an...... an underwater drill needs to be transported and positioned by three collaborating robots as part of an underwater autonomous operation....

Sc-45 nuclear magnetic resonance analysis of precipitation in dilute Al-Sc alloys

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Celotto, S; Bastow, TJ

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) with Sc-45 is used to determine the solid solubility of scandium in aluminium and to follow the precipitation of Al3Sc during the ageing of an Al-0.06 at.% Sc alloy via the two fully resolved peaks, corresponding to Sc in the solid solution Al matrix and to Sc in the

Is nuclear structure relevant to non-mesonic hyper-nuclear weak decay?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, H.C.; Ponce, W.A.

2001-01-01

Full text: The focus of existing studies of the non-mesonic hypernuclear weak decay has been on the two-body process ΛN → NN, whereas the investigation on effects of nuclear structure is relatively rare. Some authors even assumed that the nuclear structure is irrelevant to the non mesonic hypernuclear weak decay. In this work we try to reveal the importance of nuclear structure in non mesonic weak decay of the Λ - hypernuclei through examining the relevance of many-body properties as well as the single particle properties of different nuclear models. For hypernucleus 12 Λ C, a comparison between the L-S coupling (realized by the symmetry model SU(4) x SU(3) and the j-j coupling (realized by the single particle shell model) gives an estimate of the range of nuclear structure effects. It has been found that while the total decay rate is almost independent of coupling schemes, the ratio Γn/Γp has a difference of around 30% between the two limits of many-body wave functions. There also exists a strong dependence of the total decay rate and the ratio Γn/Γp on the single particle properties of shell model, such as the binding energy of nucleon and the parameters of harmonic oscillator orbits, etc. Therefore, one may conclude that the nuclear structure is relevant to the non-mesonic hypernuclear weak decay. With the mechanism of ΛN → NN transition being restricted to one pion exchange (OPE) only, the consequences of possible contribution from the ΔI = 3/2 channel is investigated in a phenomenological manner. It has been shown that a mixing of ΔI = 3/2 channel will change the total decay rate as well as the ratio Γn/Γp considerably. (Author)

Commercial Decommissioning at DOE's Rocky Flats

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Freiboth, C.; Sandlin, N.; Schubert, A.; Hansen, S.

2002-01-01

Due in large part to the number of nuclear facilities that make up the DOE complex, DOE-EM work has historically been paperwork intensive and driven by extensive regulations. Requirements for non-nuclear facilities are often grouped with those of nuclear facilities, driving up costs. Kaiser-Hill was interested in applying a commercial model to demolition of these facilities and wanted to apply necessary and sufficient standards to the work activities, but avoid applying unnecessary requirements. Faced with demolishing hundreds of uncontaminated or non-radiologically contaminated facilities, Kaiser-Hill has developed a subcontracting strategy to drastically reduce the cost of demolishing these facilities at Rocky Flats. Aiming to tailor the demolition approach of such facilities to more closely follow commercial practices, Kaiser-Hill recently released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the demolition of the site's former central administration facility. The RFP significantly reduced requirements for compliance with specific DOE directives. Instead, the RFP required subcontractors to comply with health and safety requirements commonly found in the demolition of similar facilities in a commercial setting. This resulted in a number of bids from companies who have normally not bid on DOE work previously and at a reduced cost over previous approaches. This paper will discuss the details of this subcontracting strategy

British nuclear non-proliferation policy and the trident purchase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keohane, D.

1984-01-01

Since the mid-1950s, the UK has had a policy of making significant and sustained efforts to minimise the spread of nuclear arms. Unlike the global focus of its non-proliferation policy, the decision on Trident in centred upon national and perhaps regional requirements. At a time when non-nuclear countries are charging nuclear-weapon states with a grave failure to meet their obligations under Article VI of the NPT, Britain is making plans that would further increase the gap between the nuclear 'haves' and have-nots' and that indicate it expects to require nuclear arms in the next century. It would of course be unrealistic to expect a government to fully harmonise its manifold policies and unreasonable to suggest it should give absolute priority to one of its policy concerns, such as non-proliferation. But Britain is emphasising the high value it places upon the independent possession of strategic nuclear arms through its decision to purchase Trident, thus implicitly contradicting the logic underlying its non-proliferation policy. Compared to other factors, the influence of the Trident decision upon the non-proliferation regime appears very marginal, yet it is unlikely to strengthen that regime

Non-power application of nuclear energy: Bangladesh perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naiyyum Choudhury

2002-01-01

Radiation technology offers a very wide scope for utilisation and commercial exploitation in various fields. All over the world, this non-power nuclear energy is being favourably considered for different applications like radiation processing of polymeric materials, non-destructive testing, nuclear and nuclear-related analytical techniques, radiation sterilization of medical products and human tissue allografts, preservation of food by controlling the physiological processes for extending shelf-life and eradication of microbial and insect pests, nuclear technology in agriculture and treatment of sewage sludge. Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission has taken radiation processing programmes in a big way right from its inception. This paper describes the studies carried out by various research groups in Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission in the planning and development of non-power nuclear technology for peaceful uses in the fields of food, agriculture, medicine, industry and environment. Both food preservation and medical sterilization of medical products are now being commercially carried out in the Gammatech facility as a joint venture company of BAEC and a private entrepreneur. Bangladesh is soon going to establish a full-fledged Tissue Bank to cater the needs of various tissue allografts for surgical replacement. Recently Government of Bangladesh has allocated US$ 1.00 million for strengthening of the Tissue Banking Laboratory. Application of nuclear techniques in agriculture is also quite intensive. BAEC has made quite a good research contribution on vulcanization of natural rubber latex, wood plastic composites, surface coating curing, polymer modification etc. Bangladesh has also made a very good progress in the fields of non-destructive testing, tracer technology, nuclear analytical techniques and nucleonic control. The impact of non-power nuclear energy in selected areas will no doubt be significant in coming years. (Author)

Nuclear and non-nuclear risk. An exercise in comparability. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-01-01

The present report is the result of a study contract given out by the CEC in order to collect useful information and opinions in the area of risk assessment and related concepts such as risk acceptability, risk perception and acceptance. The main objectives of the study are to examine the underlying factors which determine the existing levels of non-nuclear risks, and the extent to which societies are likely to seek means of reducing them, and to suggest means of working towards the derivation of acceptable nuclear risks which will be compatible with practice in relation to non-nuclear risks. The Case Studies which comprise Volume 2 of this Report are based on UK experience

A reconfigurable NAND/NOR genetic logic gate.

Science.gov (United States)

Goñi-Moreno, Angel; Amos, Martyn

2012-09-18

Engineering genetic Boolean logic circuits is a major research theme of synthetic biology. By altering or introducing connections between genetic components, novel regulatory networks are built in order to mimic the behaviour of electronic devices such as logic gates. While electronics is a highly standardized science, genetic logic is still in its infancy, with few agreed standards. In this paper we focus on the interpretation of logical values in terms of molecular concentrations. We describe the results of computational investigations of a novel circuit that is able to trigger specific differential responses depending on the input standard used. The circuit can therefore be dynamically reconfigured (without modification) to serve as both a NAND/NOR logic gate. This multi-functional behaviour is achieved by a) varying the meanings of inputs, and b) using branch predictions (as in computer science) to display a constrained output. A thorough computational study is performed, which provides valuable insights for the future laboratory validation. The simulations focus on both single-cell and population behaviours. The latter give particular insights into the spatial behaviour of our engineered cells on a surface with a non-homogeneous distribution of inputs. We present a dynamically-reconfigurable NAND/NOR genetic logic circuit that can be switched between modes of operation via a simple shift in input signal concentration. The circuit addresses important issues in genetic logic that will have significance for more complex synthetic biology applications.

Handbook of the Materials Properties of FeCrAl Alloys For Nuclear Power Production Applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yamamoto, Yukinori [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Snead, Mary A. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Field, Kevin G. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Terrani, Kurt A. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2017-08-01

FeCrAl alloys are a class of alloys that have seen increased interest for nuclear power applications including as accident tolerant fuel cladding, structural components for fast fission reactors, and as first wall and blanket structures for fusion reactors. FeCrAl alloys are under consideration for these applications due to their inherent corrosion resistance, stress corrosion cracking resistance, radiation-induced swelling resistance, and high temperature oxidation resistance. A substantial amount of research effort has been completed to design, develop, and begin commercial scaling of FeCrAl alloys for nuclear power applications over the past half a century. These efforts have led to the development of an extensive database on material properties and process knowledge for FeCrAl alloys but not within a consolidated format. The following report is the first edition of a materials handbook to consolidate the state-of-the-art on FeCrAl alloys for nuclear power applications. This centralized database focuses solely on wrought FeCrAl alloys, oxide dispersion strengthened alloys, although discussed in brief, are not covered. Where appropriate, recommendations for applications of the data is provided and current knowledge gaps are identified.

Band offsets of non-polar A-plane GaN/AlN and AlN/GaN heterostructures measured by X-ray photoemission spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Sang, Ling; Zhu, Qin Sheng; Yang, Shao Yan; Liu, Gui Peng; Li, Hui Jie; Wei, Hong Yuan; Jiao, Chun Mei; Liu, Shu Man; Wang, Zhan Guo; Zhou, Xiao Wei; Mao, Wei; Hao, Yue; Shen, Bo

2014-01-01

The band offsets of non-polar A-plane GaN/AlN and AlN/GaN heterojunctions are measured by X-ray photoemission spectroscopy. A large forward-backward asymmetry is observed in the non-polar GaN/AlN and AlN/GaN heterojunctions. The valence-band offsets in the non-polar A-plane GaN/AlN and AlN/GaN heterojunctions are determined to be 1.33 ± 0.16 and 0.73 ± 0.16 eV, respectively. The large valence-band offset difference of 0.6 eV between the non-polar GaN/AlN and AlN/GaN heterojunctions is considered to be due to piezoelectric strain effect in the non-polar heterojunction overlayers.

The ICRM non-neutron nuclear data request list

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bambynek, W.

1980-01-01

This survey of the requirement of users of non-neutron nuclear data was carried out in an attempt to support the activity of the International Committee for Radionuclide Metrology (ICRM) Working Group Non-Neutron Nuclear Data. It includes mainly information on radionuclide decay scheme parameters and some atomic data

Compact, Frequency Reconfigurable, Printed Monopole Antenna

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ricardo Gonçalves

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes a possible implementation of a compact printed monopole antenna, useful to operate in UMTS and WLAN bands. In order to accomplish that, a miniaturization technique based on the application of chip inductors is used in conjunction with frequency reconfiguration capability. The chip inductors change the impedance response of the monopole, allowing to reduce the resonant frequency. In order to be able to operate the antenna in these two different frequencies, an antenna reconfiguration technique based on PIN diodes is applied. This procedure allows the change of the active form of the antenna leading to a shift in the resonant frequency. The prototype measurements show good agreement with the simulation results.

Using instability to reconfigure smart structures in a spring-mass model

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jiaying; McInnes, Colin R.

2017-07-01

Multistable phenomenon have long been used in mechanism design. In this paper a subset of unstable configurations of a smart structure model will be used to develop energy-efficient schemes to reconfigure the structure. This new concept for reconfiguration uses heteroclinic connections to transition the structure between different unstable equal-energy states. In an ideal structure model zero net energy input is required for the reconfiguration, compared to transitions between stable equilibria across a potential barrier. A simple smart structure model is firstly used to identify sets of equal-energy unstable configurations using dynamical systems theory. Dissipation is then added to be more representative of a practical structure. A range of strategies are then used to reconfigure the smart structure using heteroclinic connections with different approaches to handle dissipation.

Autonomous Reconfiguration Procedures for EJB-based Enterprise Applications

OpenAIRE

Vogel, Thomas; Bruhn, Jens; Wirtz, Guido

2018-01-01

Enterprise Applications (EA) are complex software systems for supporting the business of companies. Evolution of an EA should not affect its availability, e.g., because of a temporal shutdown, business operations may be affected. One possibility to address this problem is the seamless reconfiguration of the affected EA, i.e., applying the relevant changes while the system is running. Our approach to seamless reconfiguration focuses on component-oriented EAs. It is based on the Autonomic Compu...

Non-proliferation of nuclear weapons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fischer, D.; Haeckel, E.; Haefele, W.; Lauppe, W.D.; Mueller, H.; Ungerer, W.

1991-01-01

During the turbulant transitional events in world politics in the nineties, the control of nuclear weapons plays a major role. While the superpowers are reducing their nuclear arsenal, the danger of nuclear anarchy in the world remains virulent. The NPT of 1968 is up for review soon. The falling apart of the former communist sphere of power, and the regions of conflict in the Third World present new risks for the proliferation of nuclear arms. For unified Germany, which explicitly renounced nuclear weapons, this situation presents difficult questions concerning national safety policies and international responsibility. This volume presents contributions which take a new look at topical and long-term problems of nuclear NP politics. The authors evaluate the conditions under which the NP regime came into being, and assess short- and long-term possibilities and risks. The following papers are included: 1.) Basic controversies during the negotiations concerning the Treaty on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons (Ungerer); 2.) Prologation of the NPT 1995 and appropriate problems concerning safety and control (Haefele/Lauppe); 3.) Consequences of the Iraq case for NP policy (Ficher); 4.) Problems of nuclear technology control (Mueller); 5.) Framework conditions of a nuclear world system (Haeckel). (orig./HP) [de

Novel methodology for optimal reconfiguration of distribution networks with distributed energy resources

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chittur Ramaswamy, Parvathy; Tant, Jeroen; Pillai, Jayakrishnan Radhakrishna

2015-01-01

is that it avoids the need to pre-define the period of change of configuration. The methods vary in their degree of robustness and conservatism. A robust configuration will not violate the constraints under any of the predicted DER variations called scenarios. A non-conservative configuration exploits better...... benefits with respect to the objective of reconfiguration under all scenarios. Depending on the desired level of robustness and non-conservatism, one of the three methods developed in this paper can be used to find the optimal configuration. The methods can be used for planning as well as for operation...

Nuclear Materials Stewardship Within the DOE Environmental Management Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bilyeu, J. D.; Kiess, T. E.; Gates, M. L.

2002-01-01

The Department of Energy (DOE) Environmental Management (EM) Program has made significant progress in planning disposition of its excess nuclear materials and has recently completed several noteworthy studies. Since establishment in 1997, the EM Nuclear Material Stewardship Program has developed disposition plans for excess nuclear materials to support facility deactivation. All nuclear materials have been removed from the Miamisburg Environmental Management Project (Mound), and disposition planning is nearing completion for the Fernald Environmental Management Project and the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site. Only a few issues remain for materials at the Hanford and Idaho sites. Recent trade studies include the Savannah River Site Canyons Nuclear Materials Identification Study, a Cesium/Strontium Management Alternatives Trade Study, a Liquid Technical Standards Trade Study, an Irradiated Beryllium Reflectors with Tritium study, a Special Performance Assessment Required Trade Study, a Neutron Source Trade Study, and development of discard criteria for uranium. A Small Sites Workshop was also held. Potential and planned future activities include updating the Plutonium-239 storage study, developing additional packaging standards, developing a Nuclear Material Disposition Handbook, determining how to recover or dispose of Pu-244 and U-233, and working with additional sites to define disposition plans for their nuclear materials

Dynamic Reconfiguration in Mobile Systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smit, Gerardus Johannes Maria; Glesner, Manfred; Zipf, Peter; Smit, L.T.; Havinga, Paul J.M.; Heysters, P.M.; Renovell, Michel; Rosien, M.A.J.

Dynamically reconfigurable systems have the potential of realising efficient systems as well as providing adaptability to changing system requirements. Such systems are suitable for future mobile multimedia systems that have limited battery resources, must handle diverse data types, and must operate

Reconfiguration in Mobile Multimedia Systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smit, Gerardus Johannes Maria; Havinga, Paul J.M.; Bos, M.; Smit, L.T.; Heysters, P.M.

2000-01-01

Dynamically reconfigurable systems offer the potential for realising efficient systems as well as providing adaptability to changing system requirements. Such systems are suitable for future mobile multimedia systems that have limited battery resources, must handle diverse data types, and must

A Taxonomy of Reconfigurable Single-/Multiprocessor Systems-on-Chip

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Diana Göhringer

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Runtime adaptivity of hardware in processor architectures is a novel trend, which is under investigation in a variety of research labs all over the world. The runtime exchange of modules, implemented on a reconfigurable hardware, affects the instruction flow (e.g., in reconfigurable instruction set processors or the data flow, which has a strong impact on the performance of an application. Furthermore, the choice of a certain processor architecture related to the class of target applications is a crucial point in application development. A simple example is the domain of high-performance computing applications found in meteorology or high-energy physics, where vector processors are the optimal choice. A classification scheme for computer systems was provided in 1966 by Flynn where single/multiple data and instruction streams were combined to four types of architectures. This classification is now used as a foundation for an extended classification scheme including runtime adaptivity as further degree of freedom for processor architecture design. The developed scheme is validated by a multiprocessor system implemented on reconfigurable hardware as well as by a classification of existing static and reconfigurable processor systems.

Reconfigurable manufacturing execution system for pipe cutting

Science.gov (United States)

Yin, Y. H.; Xie, J. Y.

2011-08-01

This article presents a reconfigurable manufacturing execution system (RMES) filling the gap between enterprise resource planning and resource layer for pipe-cutting production with mass customisation and rapid adaptation to dynamic market, which consists of planning and scheduling layer and executive control layer. Starting from customer's task and process requirements, the cutting trajectories are planned under generalised mathematical model able to reconfigure in accordance with various intersecting types' joint, and all tasks are scheduled by nesting algorithm to maximise the utilisation rate of rough material. This RMES for pipe cutting has been effectively implemented in more than 100 companies.

Reconfigurable Robust Routing for Mobile Outreach Network

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Ching-Fang

2010-01-01

The Reconfigurable Robust Routing for Mobile Outreach Network (R3MOO N) provides advanced communications networking technologies suitable for the lunar surface environment and applications. The R3MOON techn ology is based on a detailed concept of operations tailored for luna r surface networks, and includes intelligent routing algorithms and wireless mesh network implementation on AGNC's Coremicro Robots. The product's features include an integrated communication solution inco rporating energy efficiency and disruption-tolerance in a mobile ad h oc network, and a real-time control module to provide researchers an d engineers a convenient tool for reconfiguration, investigation, an d management.

Nonnuclear Consolidation Environmental Assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-06-01

The Department of Energy (DOE) is developing a proposal, known as Complex 21, to reconfigure the Nation's Nuclear Weapons Complex (Complex). The complex is a set of interrelated facilities that design, manufacture, test, and maintain this country's nuclear weapons. The Complex also produces and/or recycles the nuclear materials used in building weapons and stores nuclear materials for future use. DOE also dismantles the weapons retired from the stockpile. In addition, DOE conducts surveillance and maintenance activities to ensure the reliability and safety of the stockpiled weapons throughout their operational life

A Novel Design of Frequency Reconfigurable Antenna for UWB Application

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Xiaolin; Yu, Ziliang; Wu, Zheng; Shen, Huajiao

2016-09-01

In this paper, we present a novel frequency reconfigurable antenna which could be easily operate in a single notched-band (WiMAX (3.3-3.6 GHz)) UWB frequency band, another single notched-band (WLAN (5-6 GHz)) UWB frequency band and the dual band-notched UWB frequency band (the stopband covers the WiMAX (3.3-3.6 GHz) and WLAN (5-6 GHz)). The reconfigurability is achieved by changing the states of PIN diodes. The simulated results are in agreement well with the measured results. And the measured patterns are slightly changed with antenna reconfiguration. The proposed antenna is a good candidate for various UWB applications.

Nuclear energy I, Non-energetic applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lartigue G, J.; Navarrete T, M.; Cabrera M, L.; Arandia, P.A.; Arriola S, H.

1986-01-01

The nuclear energy is defined as the energy produced or absorbed in the nuclear reactions, therefore, these are divided in endothermic and exothermic. The exothermic nuclear reactions present more interest from the point of view of its applications and they can show in four main forms: radioactivity (from 0 to 4 MeV/reaction; light nucleus fusion ( ∼ 20 MeV/reaction), heavy nucleus fusion (∼ 200 MeV/reaction) and nucleons annihilation ( ∼ 2000 MeV/reaction). Nowadays only the fission has reached the stage of profitable energetic application, finding the other three forms in research and development. The non-energetic applications of the nuclear energy are characterized by they do not require of prior conversion to another form of energy and they are made through the use of radioisotopes as well as through the use of endothermic reaction caused in particle accelerators. In this work are presented some of the non-energetic applications with its theoretical and experimental basis as well as its benefits of each one. (Author)

Non-power application as an entry point to nuclear power program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nahrul Khair Alang Md Rashid

2009-01-01

Nuclear power is usually viewed as the flagship of nuclear technology. A nuclear power plant complex, visible and prominence, is iconic of the technology. That image makes its presence common knowledge to the extent that nuclear technology is equated almost totally with nuclear power by the general public. The downside of this visibility is that it becomes easy target in public misinformation programs. The non-power applications however are not visible, and devoid of icon. The non-power applications, therefore, can grow quite smoothly, attracting only little attention in the negative and in the positive senses. According to a study conducted in the USA in 2000 and in Japan in 2002, the socio-economic impact of non-power and power applications of nuclear technology are comparable. Involvement in non-power applications can be a good grounding for moving into power applications. This paper discusses the non-power nuclear technology applications and in what manner it can serve to prepare the introduction of nuclear power program. (Author)

Machine Learning Control For Highly Reconfigurable High-Order Systems

Science.gov (United States)

2015-01-02

calibration and applications,” Mechatronics and Embedded Systems and Applications (MESA), 2010 IEEE/ASME International Conference on, IEEE, 2010, pp. 38–43...AFRL-OSR-VA-TR-2015-0012 MACHINE LEARNING CONTROL FOR HIGHLY RECONFIGURABLE HIGH-ORDER SYSTEMS John Valasek TEXAS ENGINEERING EXPERIMENT STATION...DIMENSIONAL RECONFIGURABLE SYSTEMS FA9550-11-1-0302 Period of Performance 1 July 2011 – 29 September 2014 John Valasek Aerospace Engineering

Heat balance calculation and feasibility analysis for initial startup of Fuqing nuclear turbine unit with non-nuclear steam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

He Liu; Xiao Bo; Song Yumeng

2014-01-01

Non-nuclear steam run up compared with nuclear steam run up, can verify the design, manufacture, installation quality of the unit, at the same time shorten the follow-up duration of the entire group ready to start debugging time. In this paper, starting from the first law of thermodynamics, Analyzed Heat balance Calculation and Feasibility analysis for Initial startup of Fuqing nuclear Turbine unit with Non-nuclear steam, By the above calculation, to the system requirements and device status on the basis of technical specifications, confirmed the feasibility of Non-nuclear steam running up in theory. After the implementation of the Non-nuclear turn of Fuqing unit, confirmed the results fit with the actual process. In summary, the Initial startup of Fuqing turbine unit with Non-nuclear steam is feasible. (authors)

Block RAM-based architecture for real-time reconfiguration using Xilinx® FPGAs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rikus le Roux

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Despite the advantages dynamic reconfiguration adds to a system, it only improves system performance if the execution time exceeds the configuration time. As a result, dynamic reconfiguration is only capable of improving the performance of quasi-static applications. In order to improve the performance of dynamic applications, researchers focus on improving the reconfiguration throughput. These approaches are mostly limited by the bus commonly used to connect the configuration controller to the memory, which contributes to the configuration time. A method proposed to ameliorate this overhead is an architecture utilizing localised block RAM (BRAM connected to the configuration controller to store the configuration bitstream. The aim of this paper is to illustrate the advantages of the proposed architecture, especially for reconfiguring real-time applications. This is done by validating the throughput of the architecture and comparing this to the maximum theoretical throughput of the internal configuration access port (ICAP. It was found that the proposed architecture is capable of reconfiguring an application within a time-frame suitable for real-time reconfiguration. The drawback of this method is that the BRAM is extremely limited and only a discrete set of configurations can be stored. This paper also proposes a method on how this can be mitigated without affecting the throughput.

Design and Evaluation of a Reconfigurable Manufacturing System

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhang, Shuai; Li, Yang; Bilberg, Arne

2014-01-01

In modern manufacturing industry, reconfigurable manufacturing system (RMS) is a promising concept in the research arena. A new RMS system structure has been recently designed by a large consumer goods manufacturer in Europe, aiming to improve its production efficiency. This article shows...... implemented in this consumer goods manufacturer can be effectively (re)configured as part of the daily operations, and the configuration is analyzed by computer simulation before release. Flexibility can be increased considerably meanwhile the system can maintain an acceptable productivity....

A Framework for Hardware-Accelerated Services Using Partially Reconfigurable SoCs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

MACHIDON, O. M.

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The current trend towards ?Everything as a Service? fosters a new approach on reconfigurable hardware resources. This innovative, service-oriented approach has the potential of bringing a series of benefits for both reconfigurable and distributed computing fields by favoring a hardware-based acceleration of web services and increasing service performance. This paper proposes a framework for accelerating web services by offloading the compute-intensive tasks to reconfigurable System-on-Chip (SoC devices, as integrated IP (Intellectual Property cores. The framework provides a scalable, dynamic management of the tasks and hardware processing cores, based on dynamic partial reconfiguration of the SoC. We have enhanced security of the entire system by making use of the built-in detection features of the hardware device and also by implementing active counter-measures that protect the sensitive data.

The non-nuclear legislation and the communal property

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ciallella R, Norberto; Grancelli Cha, Nestor

1996-01-01

Since 1984, year in which the Bolson Municipality, Rio Negro province, declared the town a 'Non Nuclear Area', began to appear an abundant legislation that generically, it is know as 'Non Nuclear'. The provinces of Buenos Aires, Chubut, Formosa, La Pampa, Santa Cruz and Tierra del Fuego, have in their respective Constitutions non nuclear articles, while the provinces of Catamarca, Cordoba, Corrientes, Chaco, Entre Rios, Formosa, Rio Negro, San Luis, Santa Cruz, Santa Fe, Tierra del Fuego and Tucuman have sanctioned in their respective jurisdictions non nuclear laws. New projects of these laws are in consideration and treatment in the provinces of Catamarca, La Pampa, Mendoza, Santiago del Estero and Rio Negro. The present work compiles and analyzes the available information on this subject. Although the topic is not regulatory, it could have involved in the regulatory area in an eventual situation that could be presented between regulatory laws of federal and provincials reaches. This work describes the current situation and the probabilities consequences of the mentioned legislation. (author)

Current nuclear non-proliferation policies in the world

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurosawa, Mitsuru

1997-01-01

Although a global nuclear confrontation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union has disappeared, many challenges to nuclear non-proliferation have emerged. Sources of concern, like a nuclear weapon program by Iraq and suspicions of North Korea have caused the adoption of a variety of political and technical measures in order to meet these challenges in the post-Cold War era. This paper describes the following ten policies for non-proliferation: 1) Strengthening the NPT; 2) Nuclear reduction; 3) CTBT and cut-off treaty; 4) Establishment of NWFZs; 5) Counterproliferation; 6) Strengthening the IAEA Safeguards; 7) Control and disposal of nuclear material from dismantled nuclear weapons; 8) Export control; 9) Registration of plutonium; and 10) Actions against nuclear smuggling. The first four measures can be said to be mainly political policies, the fifth measure (counterproliferation), can be categorized as basically a military policy, and the last five measures can be said to be technical. (J.P.N.)

Narrow nuclear resonance profiling of Al with subnanometric depth resolution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosa, E.B.O. da; Krug, C.; Stedile, F.C.; Morais, J.; Baumvol, I.J.R.

2002-01-01

We report on the use of the narrow and isolated resonance at 404.9 keV in the cross-section curve of the 27 Al(p,γ) 28 Si nuclear reaction for profiling Al in ultrathin aluminum oxide films on Si. The samples were characterized as-deposited and after thermal annealing, so that Al transport could be studied. An estimated depth resolution of approximately 0.4 nm near the surface of the films could be obtained owing to: (i) the very small resonance width; (ii) the high stopping power of Al 2 O 3 for 404.9 keV protons; (iii) the high energy stability of the proton beam provided by the 500 kV HVEE ion implanter at Porto Alegre; and (iv) an apparent thickness magnification by a factor between 2.0 and 2.4 with the use of glancing incidence. This technique is compared to other methods for Al profiling like medium energy ion scattering and some sputtering-based techniques

Design of reconfigurable logic controllers

CERN Document Server

Bukowiec, Arkadiusz; Doligalski, Michał; Tkacz, Jacek

2016-01-01

This book presents the original concepts and modern techniques for specification, synthesis, optimisation and implementation of parallel logical control devices. It deals with essential problems of reconfigurable control systems like dependability, modularity and portability. Reconfigurable systems require a wider variety of design and verification options than the application-specific integrated circuits. The book presents a comprehensive selection of possible design techniques. The diversity of the modelling approaches covers Petri nets, state machines and activity diagrams. The preferences of the presented optimization and synthesis methods are not limited to increasing of the efficiency of resource use. One of the biggest advantages of the presented methods is the platform independence, the FPGA devices and single board computers are some of the examples of possible platforms. These issues and problems are illustrated with practical cases of complete control systems. If you expect a new look at the recon...

Reconfigurable engineered motile semiconductor microparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Ohiri, Ugonna; Shields, C Wyatt; Han, Koohee; Tyler, Talmage; Velev, Orlin D; Jokerst, Nan

2018-05-03

Locally energized particles form the basis for emerging classes of active matter. The design of active particles has led to their controlled locomotion and assembly. The next generation of particles should demonstrate robust control over their active assembly, disassembly, and reconfiguration. Here we introduce a class of semiconductor microparticles that can be comprehensively designed (in size, shape, electric polarizability, and patterned coatings) using standard microfabrication tools. These custom silicon particles draw energy from external electric fields to actively propel, while interacting hydrodynamically, and sequentially assemble and disassemble on demand. We show that a number of electrokinetic effects, such as dielectrophoresis, induced charge electrophoresis, and diode propulsion, can selectively power the microparticle motions and interactions. The ability to achieve on-demand locomotion, tractable fluid flows, synchronized motility, and reversible assembly using engineered silicon microparticles may enable advanced applications that include remotely powered microsensors, artificial muscles, reconfigurable neural networks and computational systems.

Functional verification of dynamically reconfigurable FPGA-based systems

CERN Document Server

Gong, Lingkan

2015-01-01

This book analyzes the challenges in verifying Dynamically Reconfigurable Systems (DRS) with respect to the user design and the physical implementation of such systems. The authors describe the use of a simulation-only layer to emulate the behavior of target FPGAs and accurately model the characteristic features of reconfiguration. Readers are enabled with this simulation-only layer to maintain verification productivity by abstracting away the physical details of the FPGA fabric.  Two implementations of the simulation-only layer are included: Extended ReChannel is a SystemC library that can be used to check DRS designs at a high level; ReSim is a library to support RTL simulation of a DRS reconfiguring both its logic and state. Through a number of case studies, the authors demonstrate how their approach integrates seamlessly with existing, mainstream DRS design flows and with well-established verification methodologies such as top-down modeling and coverage-driven verification. Provides researchers with an i...

U.S. - India nuclear cooperation and non-proliferation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yash Thomas, Mannully

2008-01-01

The agreement for cooperation between the Government of the United States of America and the government of India concerning peaceful uses of nuclear energy (referred as 123 agreement) acknowledges a shift in international strategies and relations in both countries. As to India, it marks the end of nuclear isolation resulting from constraint, embargoes and controls and instead opens the path for nuclear commerce. With respect to the United States it entails a major geo strategic ally in the evolving South Asia region and promises large commercial benefits to the US nuclear sector. This is called 'nuclear deal' and constitutes one of the major political, economic and strategic relationship developing between the two countries since 2001. It will lead to the separation of military and civilian nuclear installations in India, the latter to be placed under the safeguards system of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). It thus, de facto accepts India in the club of nuclear weapon states within the meaning of the Treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons (NPT) although it is not party to this treaty, refuses adhering to it, officially possesses nuclear weapons and is not subject to a comprehensive system of safeguards. This article will examine the developments which led to the 123 agreement and its subsequent implementation in a wider context of international relations and non proliferation. First, the articles gives a brief introduction into the Indian nuclear programme, the legislative framework and the factors which necessitated nuclear cooperation between India and the United States. Secondly, it will address the implementation of the nuclear deal and subsequent developments. Finally, it will analyse the non proliferation issues related to the implementation of the agreement. (N.C.)

Performance Assessment of a Generic Repository in Bedded Salt for DOE-Managed Nuclear Waste

Science.gov (United States)

Stein, E. R.; Sevougian, S. D.; Hammond, G. E.; Frederick, J. M.; Mariner, P. E.

2016-12-01

A mined repository in salt is one of the concepts under consideration for disposal of DOE-managed defense-related spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and high level waste (HLW). Bedded salt is a favorable medium for disposal of nuclear waste due to its low permeability, high thermal conductivity, and ability to self-heal. Sandia's Generic Disposal System Analysis framework is used to assess the ability of a generic repository in bedded salt to isolate radionuclides from the biosphere. The performance assessment considers multiple waste types of varying thermal load and radionuclide inventory, the engineered barrier system comprising the waste packages, backfill, and emplacement drifts, and the natural barrier system formed by a bedded salt deposit and the overlying sedimentary sequence (including an aquifer). The model simulates disposal of nearly the entire inventory of DOE-managed, defense-related SNF (excluding Naval SNF) and HLW in a half-symmetry domain containing approximately 6 million grid cells. Grid refinement captures the detail of 25,200 individual waste packages in 180 disposal panels, associated access halls, and 4 shafts connecting the land surface to the repository. Equations describing coupled heat and fluid flow and reactive transport are solved numerically with PFLOTRAN, a massively parallel flow and transport code. Simulated processes include heat conduction and convection, waste package failure, waste form dissolution, radioactive decay and ingrowth, sorption, solubility limits, advection, dispersion, and diffusion. Simulations are run to 1 million years, and radionuclide concentrations are observed within an aquifer at a point approximately 4 kilometers downgradient of the repository. The software package DAKOTA is used to sample likely ranges of input parameters including waste form dissolution rates and properties of engineered and natural materials in order to quantify uncertainty in predicted concentrations and sensitivity to input parameters. Sandia

Reconfigurable Wave Velocity Transmission Lines for Phased Arrays

Science.gov (United States)

Host, Nick; Chen, Chi-Chih; Volakis, John L.; Miranda, Felix

2013-01-01

Phased array antennas showcase many advantages over mechanically steered systems. However, they are also more complex, heavy and most importantly costly. This presentation paper presents a concept which overcomes these detrimental attributes by eliminating all of the phase array backend (including phase shifters). Instead, a wave velocity reconfigurable transmission line is used in a series fed array arrangement to allow phase shifting with one small (100mil) mechanical motion. Different configurations of the reconfigurable wave velocity transmission line are discussed and simulated and experimental results are presented.

Design of low-power coarse-grained reconfigurable architectures

CERN Document Server

Kim, Yoonjin

2010-01-01

Coarse-grained reconfigurable architecture (CGRA) has emerged as a solution for flexible, application-specific optimization of embedded systems. Helping you understand the issues involved in designing and constructing embedded systems, Design of Low-Power Coarse-Grained Reconfigurable Architectures offers new frameworks for optimizing the architecture of components in embedded systems in order to decrease area and save power. Real application benchmarks and gate-level simulations substantiate these frameworks.The first half of the book explains how to reduce power in the configuration cache. T

Nuclear disarmament. Options for the coming non-proliferation treaty surveillance cycle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mueller, Harald

2011-01-01

The report is aimed on the nuclear disarmament discussion with respect to the disagreement of nuclear weapon states and those without nuclear weapons, esp. the non-aligned movement (NAM) concerning the non-proliferation treaty. The report covers the following issues: The role of the non-proliferation treaty, nuclear disarmament in the last surveillance conference 2010, the different disarmament philosophies, the possibilities of bridging the disagreement, further disarmament options for the future non-proliferation treaty surveillance cycle, German options for the future surveillance cycle.

Review of international forum on peaceful use of nuclear energy and nuclear non-proliferation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimizu, Ryo; Suzuki, Mitsutoshi; Sakurai, Satoshi; Tamai, Hiroshi; Yamamura, Tsukasa; Kuno, Yusuke

2012-02-01

International forum on peaceful use of nuclear energy and nuclear non-proliferation was held at Gakushi-kaikan, Tokyo on February 2-3, 2011 in cooperation with The Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) and The University of Tokyo Global COE. In our International Forum, we would like to encourage active discussion of international challenges to and solutions for compatibility between peaceful use of nuclear energy and nuclear non-proliferation, and international cooperation for emerging nuclear energy states. It was successfully carried out with as many as 310 participants and a lot of discussions. This report includes abstracts of keynote speeches, summary of panel discussions and materials of the presentations in the forum. (author)

Distributed sensor and actuator reconfiguration for fault-tolerant networked control systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Herdeiro Teixeira, A.M.; Araujo, Jose; Sandberg, Henrik; Johansson, Karl H.

2017-01-01

In this paper, we address the problem of distributed reconfiguration of networked control systems upon the removal of misbehaving sensors and actuators. In particular, we consider systems with redundant sensors and actuators cooperating to recover from faults. Reconfiguration is performed while

DOE technical standards list: Department of Energy standards index

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-05-01

This Department of Energy (DOE) technical standards list (TSL) has been prepared by the Office of Nuclear Safety Policy and Standards (EH-31) on the basis of currently available technical information. Periodic updates of this TSL will be issued as additional information is received on standardization documents being issued, adopted, or canceled by DOE. This document was prepared for use by personnel involved in the selection and use of DOE technical standards and other Government and non-Government standards. This TSL provides listings of current DOE technical standards, non-Government standards that have been adopted by DOE, other standards-related documents in which DOE has a recorded interest, and canceled DOE technical standards. Information on new DOE technical standards projects, technical standards released for coordination, recently published DOE technical standards, and activities of non-Government standards bodies that may be of interest to DOE is published monthly in Standards Actions.

Non-destructive nuclear forensics of radioactive samples

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rogge, R.B. [Canadian Neutron Beam Centre, Chalk River, ON (Canada); Alexander, Q.; Bentoumi, G.; Dimayuga, F. [Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, Chalk River, ON (Canada); Flacau, R. [Canadian Neutron Beam Centre, Chalk River, ON (Canada); Li, G.; Li, L.; Sur, B. [Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, Chalk River, ON (Canada)

2014-07-01

It is a matter of public safety and security to be able to examine suspicious packages of unknown origin. If the package is radioactive and sealed (i.e., the radioactive materials contained in the package, including their chemical and physical forms, are unknown), there is a significant risk on how to handle the package and eventually safely dispose of its contents. Within the context of nuclear security, nuclear forensics helps address the key issue of identifying the nature and origin of radioactive and nuclear material in order to improve physical protection measures and prevent future theft or diversion of these materials. Nuclear forensics utilizes analytical techniques, destructive and non-destructive, developed for applications related to nuclear fuel cycles. This paper demonstrates the non-destructive examination techniques that can be used to inspect encapsulated radioactive samples. Results of γ spectroscopy, X-ray spectroscopy, neutron imaging, neutron diffraction, and delayed neutron analysis as applied to an examination of sealed capsules containing unknown radioactive materials are presented. The paper also highlights the value of these techniques to the overall nuclear forensic investigation to determine the origin of these unknown radioactive materials. (author)

Reconfigurable vision system for real-time applications

Science.gov (United States)

Torres-Huitzil, Cesar; Arias-Estrada, Miguel

2002-03-01

Recently, a growing community of researchers has used reconfigurable systems to solve computationally intensive problems. Reconfigurability provides optimized processors for systems on chip designs, and makes easy to import technology to a new system through reusable modules. The main objective of this work is the investigation of a reconfigurable computer system targeted for computer vision and real-time applications. The system is intended to circumvent the inherent computational load of most window-based computer vision algorithms. It aims to build a system for such tasks by providing an FPGA-based hardware architecture for task specific vision applications with enough processing power, using the minimum amount of hardware resources as possible, and a mechanism for building systems using this architecture. Regarding the software part of the system, a library of pre-designed and general-purpose modules that implement common window-based computer vision operations is being investigated. A common generic interface is established for these modules in order to define hardware/software components. These components can be interconnected to develop more complex applications, providing an efficient mechanism for transferring image and result data among modules. Some preliminary results are presented and discussed.

The control of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and nuclear development - present uncertainties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Machado de Faria, N.G.; Amaral Barros, E.

1983-01-01

This report gives the views of Brazilian lawyers on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. It deals with the present situation and future prospects concerning the uses of nuclear energy. In particular, it proposes the preparation of a protocol prohibiting the use of nuclear weapons. (NEA) [fr

The VIPER project (Visualization Integration Platform for Exploration Research): a biologically inspired autonomous reconfigurable robotic platform for diverse unstructured environments

Science.gov (United States)

Schubert, Oliver J.; Tolle, Charles R.

2004-09-01

Over the last decade the world has seen numerous autonomous vehicle programs. Wheels and track designs are the basis for many of these vehicles. This is primarily due to four main reasons: a vast preexisting knowledge base for these designs, energy efficiency of power sources, scalability of actuators, and the lack of control systems technologies for handling alternate highly complex distributed systems. Though large efforts seek to improve the mobility of these vehicles, many limitations still exist for these systems within unstructured environments, e.g. limited mobility within industrial and nuclear accident sites where existing plant configurations have been extensively changed. These unstructured operational environments include missions for exploration, reconnaissance, and emergency recovery of objects within reconfigured or collapsed structures, e.g. bombed buildings. More importantly, these environments present a clear and present danger for direct human interactions during the initial phases of recovery operations. Clearly, the current classes of autonomous vehicles are incapable of performing in these environments. Thus the next generation of designs must include highly reconfigurable and flexible autonomous robotic platforms. This new breed of autonomous vehicles will be both highly flexible and environmentally adaptable. Presented in this paper is one of the most successful designs from nature, the snake-eel-worm (SEW). This design implements shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators which allow for scaling of the robotic SEW designs from sub-micron scale to heavy industrial implementations without major conceptual redesigns as required in traditional hydraulic, pneumatic, or motor driven systems. Autonomous vehicles based on the SEW design posses the ability to easily move between air based environments and fluid based environments with limited or no reconfiguration. Under a SEW designed vehicle, one not only achieves vastly improved maneuverability within a

Construction Cost Growth for New Department of Energy Nuclear Facilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kubic, Jr., William L. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2014-05-25

Cost growth and construction delays are problems that plague many large construction projects including the construction of new Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear facilities. A study was conducted to evaluate cost growth of large DOE construction projects. The purpose of the study was to compile relevant data, consider the possible causes of cost growth, and recommend measures that could be used to avoid extreme cost growth in the future. Both large DOE and non-DOE construction projects were considered in this study. With the exception of Chemical and Metallurgical Research Building Replacement Project (CMRR) and the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility (MFFF), cost growth for DOE Nuclear facilities is comparable to the growth experienced in other mega construction projects. The largest increase in estimated cost was found to occur between early cost estimates and establishing the project baseline during detailed design. Once the project baseline was established, cost growth for DOE nuclear facilities was modest compared to non-DOE mega projects.

Nuclear non proliferation and disarmament

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2000-01-01

In the framework of the publication of a document on the ''weapons mastership, disarmament and non proliferation: the french action'', by the ministry of Foreign Affairs and the ministry of Defense, the French Documentation organization presents a whole document. This document describes and details the following topics: the conference on the treaty of non proliferation of nuclear weapons, the France, Usa and Non Governmental Organizations position, the threats of the proliferation, the french actions towards the disarmament, the disarmament in the world, a chronology and some bibliographic resources. (A.L.B.)

Development of reconfigurable analog and digital circuits for plasma diagnostics measurement systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Srivastava, Amit Kumar; Sharma, Atish; Raval, Tushar

2009-01-01

In long pulse discharge tokamak, a large number of diagnostic channels are being used to understand the complex behavior of plasma. Different diagnostics demand different types of analog and digital processing for plasma parameters measurement. This leads to variable requirements of signal processing for diagnostic measurement. For such types of requirements, we have developed hardware with reconfigurable electronic devices, which provide flexible solution for rapid development of measurement system. Here the analog processing is achieved by Field Programmable Analog Array (FPAA) integrated circuit while reconfigurable digital devices (CPLD/FPGA) achieve digital processing. FPAA's provide an ideal integrated platform for implementing low to medium complexity analog signal processing. With dynamic reconfigurability, the functionality of the FPAA can be reconfigured in-system by the designer or on the fly by a microprocessor. This feature is quite useful to manipulate the tuning or the construction of any part of the analog circuit without interrupting operation of the FPAA, thus maintaining system integrity. The hardware operation control logic circuits are configured in the reconfigurable digital devices (CPLD/FPGA) to control proper hardware functioning. These reconfigurable devices provide the design flexibility and save the component space on the board. It also provides the flexibility for various setting through software. The circuit controlling commands are either issued by computer/processor or generated by circuit itself. (author)

Reconfigurable dual-band metamaterial antenna based on liquid crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Che, Bang-Jun; Meng, Fan-Yi; Lyu, Yue-Long; Wu, Qun

2018-05-01

In this paper, a novel reconfigurable dual-band metamaterial antenna with a continuous beam that is electrically steered in backward to forward directions is first proposed by employing a liquid crystal (LC)-loaded tunable extended composite right-/left-handed (E-CRLH) transmission line (TL). The frequency-dependent property of the E-CRLH TL is analyzed and a compact unit cell based on the nematic LC is proposed to realize the tunable dual band characteristics. The phase constant of the proposed unit cell can be dynamically continuously tuned from negative to positive values in two operating bands by changing the bias voltage of the loaded LC material. A resulting dual band fixed-frequency beam steering property has been predicted by numerical simulations and experimentally verified. The measured results show that the fabricated reconfigurable antenna features an electrically controlled continuous beam steering from backward  ‑16° to forward  +13° at 7.2 GHz and backward  ‑9° to forward  +17° at 9.4 GHz, respectively. This electrically controlled beam steering range turns out to be competitive with the previously reported single band reconfigurable antennas. Besides, the measured and simulated results of the proposed reconfigurable dual-band metamaterial antenna are in good agreement.

Reconfigurable Radio Access Unit for DWDM to W-Band Wireless Conversion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chorchos, Łukasz; Rommel, Simon; Turkiewicz, Jarosław P.

2017-01-01

In this letter a reconfigurable Remote Access Unit (RAU) is proposed and demonstrated, interfacing dense wavelength division multiplexed (DWDM) optical and W-band wireless links. The RAU is composed of a tunable local oscillator, a narrow optical filter and a control unit, making it reconfigurable...

Update on DOE's Nuclear Energy University Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lambregts, Marsha J.

2009-01-01

The Nuclear Energy University Program (NEUP) Office assists the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) by administering its University Program. To promote accountable relationships between universities and the Technical Integration Offices (TIOs)/Technology Development Offices (TDOs), a process was designed and administered which includes two competitive Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and two Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) in the following areas: (1) Research and Development (R and D) Grants, (2) Infrastructure improvement, and (3) Scholarships and Fellowships. NEUP will also host periodic reviews of university mission-specific R and D that document progress, reinforce accountability, and assess return on investment; sponsor workshops that inform universities of the Department's research needs to facilitate continued alignment of university R and D with NE missions; and conduct communications activities that foster stakeholder trust, serve as a catalyst for accomplishing NEUP objectives, and provide national visibility of NEUP activities and accomplishments. Year to date efforts to achieve these goals will be discussed.

A Novel Docking System for Modular Self-Reconfigurable Robots

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tan Zhang

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Existing self-reconfigurable robots achieve connections and disconnections by a separate drive of the docking system. In this paper, we present a new docking system with which the connections and disconnections are driven by locomotion actuators, without the need for a separate drive, which reduces the weight and the complexity of the modules. This self-reconfigurable robot consists of two types of fundamental modules, i.e., active and passive modules. By the docking system, two types of connections are formed with the fundamental modules, and the docking and undocking actions are achieved through simple control with less sensory feedback. This paper describes the design of the robotic modules, the docking system, the docking process, and the docking force analysis. An experiment is performed to demonstrate the self-reconfigurable robot with the docking system.

Experiencing a Problem-Based Learning Approach for Teaching Reconfigurable Architecture Design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erwan Fabiani

2009-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the “reconfigurable computing” teaching part of a computer science master course (first year on parallel architectures. The practical work sessions of this course rely on active pedagogy using problem-based learning, focused on designing a reconfigurable architecture for the implementation of an application class of image processing algorithms. We show how the successive steps of this project permit the student to experiment with several fundamental concepts of reconfigurable computing at different levels. Specific experiments include exploitation of architectural parallelism, dataflow and communicating component-based design, and configurability-specificity tradeoffs.

JAEA's actions and contributions to the strengthening of nuclear non-proliferation

Science.gov (United States)

Suda, Kazunori; Suzuki, Mitsutoshi; Michiji, Toshiro

2012-06-01

Japan, a non-nuclear weapons state, has established a commercial nuclear fuel cycle including LWRs, and now is developing a fast neutron reactor fuel cycle as part of the next generation nuclear energy system, with commercial operation targeted for 2050. Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) is the independent administrative agency for conducting comprehensive nuclear R&D in Japan after the merger of Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI) and Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute (JNC). JAEA and its predecessors have extensive experience in R&D, facility operations, and safeguards development and implementation for new types of nuclear facilities for the peaceful use of nuclear energy. As the operator of various nuclear fuel cycle facilities and numerous nuclear materials, JAEA makes international contributions to strengthen nuclear non-proliferation. This paper provides an overview of JAEA's development of nuclear non-proliferation and safeguards technologies, including remote monitoring of nuclear facilities, environmental sample analysis methods and new efforts since the 2010 Nuclear Security Summit in Washington D.C.

An Embedded Reconfigurable Logic Module

Science.gov (United States)

Tucker, Jerry H.; Klenke, Robert H.; Shams, Qamar A. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

A Miniature Embedded Reconfigurable Computer and Logic (MERCAL) module has been developed and verified. MERCAL was designed to be a general-purpose, universal module that that can provide significant hardware and software resources to meet the requirements of many of today's complex embedded applications. This is accomplished in the MERCAL module by combining a sub credit card size PC in a DIMM form factor with a XILINX Spartan I1 FPGA. The PC has the ability to download program files to the FPGA to configure it for different hardware functions and to transfer data to and from the FPGA via the PC's ISA bus during run time. The MERCAL module combines, in a compact package, the computational power of a 133 MHz PC with up to 150,000 gate equivalents of digital logic that can be reconfigured by software. The general architecture and functionality of the MERCAL hardware and system software are described.

Reconfigurable optical manipulation by phase change material waveguides.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Tianhang; Mei, Shengtao; Wang, Qian; Liu, Hong; Lim, Chwee Teck; Teng, Jinghua

2017-05-25

Optical manipulation by dielectric waveguides enables the transportation of particles and biomolecules beyond diffraction limits. However, traditional dielectric waveguides could only transport objects in the forward direction which does not fulfill the requirements of the next generation lab-on-chip system where the integrated manipulation system should be much more flexible and multifunctional. In this work, bidirectional transportation of objects on the nanoscale is demonstrated on a rectangular waveguide made of the phase change material Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 (GST) by numerical simulations. Either continuous pushing forces or pulling forces are generated on the trapped particles when the GST is in the amorphous or crystalline phase. With the technique of a femtosecond laser induced phase transition on the GST, we further proposed a reconfigurable optical trap array on the same waveguide. This work demonstrates GST waveguide's potential of achieving multifunctional manipulation of multiple objects on the nanoscale with plausible optical setups.

National spent fuel program preliminary report RCRA characteristics of DOE-owned spent nuclear fuel DOE-SNF-REP-002. Revision 3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-07-01

This report presents information on the preliminary process knowledge to be used in characterizing all Department of Energy (DOE)-owned Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) types that potentially exhibit a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) characteristic. This report also includes the process knowledge, analyses, and rationale used to preliminarily exclude certain SNF types from RCRA regulation under 40 CFR section 261.4(a)(4), ''Identification and Listing of Hazardous Waste,'' as special nuclear and byproduct material. The evaluations and analyses detailed herein have been undertaken as a proactive approach. In the event that DOE-owned SNF is determined to be a RCRA solid waste, this report provides general direction for each site regarding further characterization efforts. The intent of this report is also to define the path forward to be taken for further evaluation of specific SNF types and a recommended position to be negotiated and established with regional and state regulators throughout the DOE Complex regarding the RCRA-related policy issues

National spent fuel program preliminary report RCRA characteristics of DOE-owned spent nuclear fuel DOE-SNF-REP-002. Revision 3

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-07-01

This report presents information on the preliminary process knowledge to be used in characterizing all Department of Energy (DOE)-owned Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) types that potentially exhibit a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) characteristic. This report also includes the process knowledge, analyses, and rationale used to preliminarily exclude certain SNF types from RCRA regulation under 40 CFR {section}261.4(a)(4), ``Identification and Listing of Hazardous Waste,`` as special nuclear and byproduct material. The evaluations and analyses detailed herein have been undertaken as a proactive approach. In the event that DOE-owned SNF is determined to be a RCRA solid waste, this report provides general direction for each site regarding further characterization efforts. The intent of this report is also to define the path forward to be taken for further evaluation of specific SNF types and a recommended position to be negotiated and established with regional and state regulators throughout the DOE Complex regarding the RCRA-related policy issues.

Millimeter-wave and Terahertz Reconfigurable Radio-over-Fiber Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vegas Olmos, Juan José

when deploying fiber is not an option. Radio-over-Fiber (RoF) technologies have evolved from a blue sky academic topic in the 90s to a main driver within the current quest for the 5th generation mobile systems (5G). A twist in RoF technologies is that it has found along the way niches in areas non......, the complexity of fabrication and to integrate this solutions have to compete with the off-the-shelf solutions provided by RoF technologies. Technologically though, reconfigurable Radio-over-Fiber networks require a co-design effort involving tunable lasers, digital signal processing, high speed modulators...

Nuclear magnetic relaxation and origins of RMN signals from GdAl2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santos Oliveira Junior, I. dos.

1988-12-01

The intermetallic compound GdAl 2 crystallizes in the cubic Laves phase C15. It is a simple ferromagnet below 176K. The easy direction of magnetization in this compound is such that the Al ions are distributed among two magnetically inequivalent sites. The pulsed NMR technique was used to study the origin of the signals from these two sites and the nuclear magnetic relaxation. (author) [pt

Reconfigurable remote access unit for W-band Radio-over-Fiber transmission

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chorchos, Łukasz; Rommel, Simon; Turkiewicz, Jarosław P.

2016-01-01

There is a growing demand for cost-effective radio over fibre transmission techniques. In this paper, we propose and realize the reconfigurable remote access unit for radio-over-fiber transmission. The reconfigurable unit is build from the tunable filter and laser as well as remote controller...

Export of nuclear equipment and materials and the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Courteix, Simone.

1977-01-01

The problem of the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons is one of great concern today despite the entry into force in the early '70s of the NPT. To master civilian nuclear technology implies the ability to develop nuclear explosive devices; therefore in recent years contacts have strengthened between countries exporting nuclear equipment, specially in the frame of the 'London Club' so as to ensure that their exports will not result in disseminating nuclear weapons. (NEA) [fr

Reconfigurable multiport EPON repeater

Science.gov (United States)

Oishi, Masayuki; Inohara, Ryo; Agata, Akira; Horiuchi, Yukio

2009-11-01

An extended reach EPON repeater is one of the solutions to effectively expand FTTH service areas. In this paper, we propose a reconfigurable multi-port EPON repeater for effective accommodation of multiple ODNs with a single OLT line card. The proposed repeater, which has multi-ports in both OLT and ODN sides, consists of TRs, BTRs with the CDR function and a reconfigurable electrical matrix switch, can accommodate multiple ODNs to a single OLT line card by controlling the connection of the matrix switch. Although conventional EPON repeaters require full OLT line cards to accommodate subscribers from the initial installation stage, the proposed repeater can dramatically reduce the number of required line cards especially when the number of subscribers is less than a half of the maximum registerable users per OLT. Numerical calculation results show that the extended reach EPON system with the proposed EPON repeater can save 17.5% of the initial installation cost compared with a conventional repeater, and can be less expensive than conventional systems up to the maximum subscribers especially when the percentage of ODNs in lightly-populated areas is higher.

A game-theoretic formulation of the homogeneous self-reconfiguration problem

KAUST Repository

Pickem, Daniel; Egerstedt, Magnus; Shamma, Jeff S.

2015-01-01

In this paper we formulate the homogeneous two- and three-dimensional self-reconfiguration problem over discrete grids as a constrained potential game. We develop a game-theoretic learning algorithm based on the Metropolis-Hastings algorithm that solves the self-reconfiguration problem in a globally optimal fashion. Both a centralized and a fully decentralized algorithm are presented and we show that the only stochastically stable state is the potential function maximizer, i.e. the desired target configuration. These algorithms compute transition probabilities in such a way that even though each agent acts in a self-interested way, the overall collective goal of self-reconfiguration is achieved. Simulation results confirm the feasibility of our approach and show convergence to desired target configurations.

A game-theoretic formulation of the homogeneous self-reconfiguration problem

KAUST Repository

Pickem, Daniel

2015-12-15

In this paper we formulate the homogeneous two- and three-dimensional self-reconfiguration problem over discrete grids as a constrained potential game. We develop a game-theoretic learning algorithm based on the Metropolis-Hastings algorithm that solves the self-reconfiguration problem in a globally optimal fashion. Both a centralized and a fully decentralized algorithm are presented and we show that the only stochastically stable state is the potential function maximizer, i.e. the desired target configuration. These algorithms compute transition probabilities in such a way that even though each agent acts in a self-interested way, the overall collective goal of self-reconfiguration is achieved. Simulation results confirm the feasibility of our approach and show convergence to desired target configurations.

The new US nuclear non-proliferation and export policy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Welck, S. von.

1981-01-01

The future American nuclear non-proliferation and export policy will be determined chiefly by three elements: (1) Adherence to the former objective of nuclear non-proliferation. (2) A large and varied assortment of old and new tools for implementing this goal. (3) Much more differentiation in applying these tools in the light of the reliability, with respect to non-proliferation policy, of the respective partner. Consequently, it would make little sense for the new Administration to force upon allied industrialized countries, whose nuclear technologies are at the same level as that of the United States, restrictive rules on reprocessing and breeder technology. The new measures designed to curb proliferation are especially meant to destroy motivations that could cause states to own nuclear explosives. This also applies to the removal of economic motivations. (orig.) [de

Design and Fabrication of a Reconfigurable MEMS-Based Antenna

KAUST Repository

Martinez, Miguel Angel Galicia

2011-06-22

This thesis presents the design and fabrication of a customized in house Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems (MEMS) process based on-chip antenna that is both frequency and polarization reconfigurable. It is designed to work at both 60 GHz and 77 GHz through MEMS switches. This antenna can also work in both horizontal and vertical linear polarizations by utilizing a moveable plate. The design is intended for Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPAN) and automotive radar applications. Typical on-chip antennas are inefficient and difficult to reconfigure. Therefore, the focus of this work is to develop an efficient on-chip antenna solution, which is reconfigurable in frequency and in polarization. A fractal bowtie antenna is employed for this thesis, which achieves frequency reconfigurability through MEMS switches. The design is simulated in industry standard Electromagnetic (EM) simulator Ansoft HFSS. A novel concept for horizontal to vertical linear polarization agility is introduced which incorporates a moveable polymer plate. For this work, a microprobe is used to move the plate from the horizontal to vertical position. For testing purposes, a novel mechanism has been designed in order to feed the antenna with RF-probes in both horizontal and vertical positions. A simulated gain of approximately 0 dB is achieved at both target frequencies (60 and 77 GHz), in both horizontal and vertical positions. In all the cases mentioned above (both frequencies and positions), the antenna is well matched (< -10 dB) to the 50 Ω system impedance. Similarly, the radiation nulls are successfully shifted by changing the position of the antenna from horizontal to vertical. The complete design and fabrication of the reconfigurable MEMS antenna has been done at KAUST facilities. Some challenges have been encountered during its realization due to the immaturity of the customized MEMS fabrication process. Nonetheless, a first fabrication attempt has highlighted such shortcomings. According

Performance assessment of DOE spent nuclear fuel and surplus plutonium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duguid, J.O.; Vallikat, V.; McNeish, J.

1998-01-01

Yucca Mountain, in southern Nevada, is under consideration by the US Department of Energy (DOE) as a potential site for the disposal of the nation's radioactive wastes in a geologic repository. The wastes consist of commercial spent fuel, DOE spent nuclear fuel (SNF), high level waste (HLW), and surplus plutonium. The DOE was mandated by Congress in the fiscal 1997 Energy and Water Appropriations Act to complete a viability assessment (VA) of the repository in September of 1998. The assessment consists of a preliminary design concept for the critical elements of the repository, a total system performance assessment (TSPA), a plan and cost estimate for completion of the license application, and an estimate of the cost to construct and operate the repository. This paper presents the results of the sensitivity analyses that were conducted to examine the behavior of DOE SNF and plutonium waste forms in the environment of the base case repository that was modeled for the TSPA-VA. Fifteen categories of DOE SNF and two Plutonium waste forms were examined and their contribution to radiation dose to humans was evaluated

How Does Nuclear Organization Maintain Normal Mammary Phenotype?

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Lelievre, Sophie

2004-01-01

.... Using non-neoplastic human breast epithelial S1 cells that differentiate into acini in the presence of extracellular matrix, we have shown a link between the nuclear organization of the protein NuMA...

Storage of non-defense production reactor spent nuclear fuel at the Department of Energy's Hanford Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carlson, A.B.

1998-01-01

In 1992, the US Department of Energy (DOE) established a program at the Hanford Site for management of DOE-owned spent nuclear fuel (SNF) until final disposition. Currently, the DOE-owned SNF Program is developing and implementing plans to assure existing storage, achieve interim storage, and prepare DOE-owned SNF for final disposition. Program requirements for management of the SNF are delineated in the DOE-owned SNF Program Plan.(DOE 1995a) and the DOE Spent Fuel Program's Requirements Document (DOE 1994a). Major program requirements are driven by the following: commitments established in the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) Recommendation 94-1 Implementation Plan (DOE 1995b); corrective action plans for resolving vulnerabilities identified in the DOE Spent Fuel Working Group's Report on Health, Safety, and Environmental Vulnerabilities for Reactor Irradiated Nuclear Materials (DOE 1993); the settlement agreement between the US Department of Navy, the US Department of Energy, and the State of Idaho on the record of decision (ROD) from the DOE Programmatic SNF Management and Idaho National Engineering Laboratory Environmental Restoration and Waste Management Programs Environmental Impact Statement (DOE Programmatic SNF EIS) (Idaho, 1995)

A reconfigurable strategy for distributed digital process control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia, H.E.; Ray, A.; Edwards, R.M.

1990-01-01

A reconfigurable control scheme is proposed which, unlike a preprogrammed one, uses stochastic automata to learn the current operating status of the environment (i.e., the plant, controller, and communication network) by dynamically monitoring the system performance and then switching to the appropriate controller on the basis of these observations. The potential applicability of this reconfigurable control scheme to electric power plants is being investigated. The plant under consideration is the Experimental Breeder Reactor (EBR-II) at the Argonne National Laboratory site in Idaho. The distributed control system is emulated on a ring network where the individual subsystems are hosted as follows: (1) the reconfigurable control modules are located in one of the network modules called Multifunction Controller; (2) the learning modules are resident in a VAX 11/785 mainframe computer; and (3) a detailed model of the plant under control is executed in the same mainframe. This configuration is a true representation of the network-based control system in the sense that it operates in real time and is capable of interacting with the actual plant

Market Potential for Non-electric Applications of Nuclear Energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Konishi, T.; Kononov, S.; Kupitz, J.; McDonald, A.; Rogner, H.H.; Nisan, S.

2002-01-01

The paper presents results of a recent IAEA study to assess the market potential for non-electric applications of nuclear energy in the near (before 2020) and long term (2020-2050). The applications covered are district heating, desalination, industrial heat supply, ship propulsion, energy supply for spacecraft, and, to a lesser extent, 'innovative' applications such as hydrogen production, coal gasification, etc. While technical details are covered only briefly, emphasis is placed on economics and other factors that may promote or hinder the penetration of nuclear options in the markets for non-electric energy services. The study makes a distinction between the market size (demand for a given service) and the market potential for nuclear penetration (which may be smaller because of technical or non-technical constraints). Near-term nuclear prospects are assessed on the basis of on-going projects in the final stages of design or under construction. For the long term, use has been made of a qualitative scale ranging from 0 to 2 for five critical areas: market structure, demand pressure, technical basis, economic competitiveness, and public acceptance. The paper presents the resulting evaluation of long-term prospects for nuclear energy entering into non-electric markets. (authors)

Analysis of Reconfigured Control Loop with a Virtual Actuator

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Filasova

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Control reconfiguration changes the control structure in response to a fault detected in the plant. This becomes necessary, because a major fault like loss of an actuator breaks the corresponding control loop and therefore renders the whole system inoperable.  An important aim of control reconfiguration is to change the control structure as little as possible, since every change bears the potential of practical problems. The proposed solution is to keep the original controller in the loop and to add an extension called virtual actuator that implements the necessary changes of the control structure. The virtual actuator translates between the signals of the nominal controller and the signal of the faulty plants. This paper is concerned with the analysis of reconfigured loop with a virtual actuator for the system with the faulty actuator. The proposed analysis is illustrated on numerical example.

A Method for Design of Modular Reconfigurable Machine Tools

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhengyi Xu

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Presented in this paper is a method for the design of modular reconfigurable machine tools (MRMTs. An MRMT is capable of using a minimal number of modules through reconfiguration to perform the required machining tasks for a family of parts. The proposed method consists of three steps: module identification, module determination, and layout synthesis. In the first step, the module components are collected from a family of general-purpose machines to establish a module library. In the second step, for a given family of parts to be machined, a set of needed modules are selected from the module library to construct a desired reconfigurable machine tool. In the third step, a final machine layout is decided though evaluation by considering a number of performance indices. Based on this method, a software package has been developed that can design an MRMT for a given part family.

Strengthening the nuclear non-proliferation regime

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carlson, J.

2003-01-01

Although the nuclear non-proliferation regime has enjoyed considerable success, today the regime has never been under greater threat. Three states have challenged the objectives of the NPT, and there is a technology challenge - the spread of centrifuge enrichment technology and know-how. A major issue confronting the international community is, how to deal with a determined proliferator? Despite this gloomy scenario, however, the non-proliferation regime has considerable strengths - many of which can be developed further. The regime comprises complex interacting and mutually reinforcing elements. At its centre is the NPT - with IAEA safeguards as the Treaty's verification mechanism. Important complementary elements include: restraint in the supply and the acquisition of sensitive technologies; multilateral regimes such as the CTBT and proposed FMCT; various regional and bilateral regimes; the range of security and arms control arrangements outside the nuclear area (including other WMD regimes); and the development of proliferation-resistant technologies. Especially important are political incentives and sanctions in support of non-proliferation objectives. This paper outlines some of the key issues facing the non-proliferation regime

ALI (Autonomous Lunar Investigator): Revolutionary Approach to Exploring the Moon with Addressable Reconfigurable Technology

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, P. E.; Curtis, S. A.; Rilee, M. L.; Floyd, S. R.

2005-01-01

Addressable Reconfigurable Technology (ART) based structures: Mission Concepts based on Addressable Reconfigurable Technology (ART), originally studied for future ANTS (Autonomous Nanotechnology Swarm) Space Architectures, are now being developed as rovers for nearer term use in lunar and planetary surface exploration. The architecture is based on the reconfigurable tetrahedron as a building block. Tetrahedra are combined to form space-filling networks, shaped for the required function. Basic structural components are highly modular, addressable arrays of robust nodes (tetrahedral apices) from which highly reconfigurable struts (tetrahedral edges), acting as supports or tethers, are efficiently reversibly deployed/stowed, transforming and reshaping the structures as required.

Multi-mode sensor processing on a dynamically reconfigurable massively parallel processor array

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Paul; Butts, Mike; Budlong, Brad; Wasson, Paul

2008-04-01

This paper introduces a novel computing architecture that can be reconfigured in real time to adapt on demand to multi-mode sensor platforms' dynamic computational and functional requirements. This 1 teraOPS reconfigurable Massively Parallel Processor Array (MPPA) has 336 32-bit processors. The programmable 32-bit communication fabric provides streamlined inter-processor connections with deterministically high performance. Software programmability, scalability, ease of use, and fast reconfiguration time (ranging from microseconds to milliseconds) are the most significant advantages over FPGAs and DSPs. This paper introduces the MPPA architecture, its programming model, and methods of reconfigurability. An MPPA platform for reconfigurable computing is based on a structural object programming model. Objects are software programs running concurrently on hundreds of 32-bit RISC processors and memories. They exchange data and control through a network of self-synchronizing channels. A common application design pattern on this platform, called a work farm, is a parallel set of worker objects, with one input and one output stream. Statically configured work farms with homogeneous and heterogeneous sets of workers have been used in video compression and decompression, network processing, and graphics applications.

Conversion of nuclear waste to molten glass: Formation of porous amorphous alumina in a high-Al melter feed

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Kai; Hrma, Pavel; Washton, Nancy; Schweiger, Michael J.; Kruger, Albert A.

2017-01-01

The transition of Al phases in a simulated high-Al high-level nuclear waste melter feed heated at 5 K min-1 to 700 °C was investigated with transmission electron microscopy, 27Al nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller method, and X-ray diffraction. At temperatures between 300 and 500 °C, porous amorphous alumina formed from the dehydration of gibbsite, resulting in increased specific surface area of the feed (∼8 m2 g-1). The high-surface-area amorphous alumina formed in this manner could potentially stop salt migration in the cold cap during nuclear waste vitrification.

Reconfiguration in FPGA-Based Multi-Core Platforms for Hard Real-Time Applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pezzarossa, Luca; Schoeberl, Martin; Sparsø, Jens

2016-01-01

-case execution-time of tasks of an application that determines the systems ability to respond in time. To support this focus, the platform must provide service guarantees for both communication and computation resources. In addition, many hard real-time applications have multiple modes of operation, and each......In general-purpose computing multi-core platforms, hardware accelerators and reconfiguration are means to improve performance; i.e., the average-case execution time of a software application. In hard real-time systems, such average-case speed-up is not in itself relevant - it is the worst...... mode has specific requirements. An interesting perspective on reconfigurable computing is to exploit run-time reconfiguration to support mode changes. In this paper we explore approaches to reconfiguration of communication and computation resources in the T-CREST hard real-time multi-core platform...

A Controller for Dynamic Partial Reconfiguration in FPGA-Based Real-Time Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pezzarossa, Luca; Schoeberl, Martin; Sparsø, Jens

2017-01-01

-source DPR controller specially developed for hard real-time systems and prototyped in connection with the open-source multi-core platform for real-time applications T-CREST. The controller enables a processor to perform reconfiguration in a time-predictable manner and supports different operating modes......In real-time systems, the use of hardware accelerators can lead to a worst-case execution-time speed-up, to a simplification of its analysis, and to a reduction of its pessimism. When using FPGA technology, dynamic partial reconfiguration (DPR) can be used to minimize the area, by only loading....... The paper also presents a software tool for bitstream conversion, compression, and for reconfiguration time analysis. The DPR controller is evaluated in terms of hardware cost, operating frequency, speed, and bitstream compression ratio vs. reconfiguration time trade-off. A simple application example...

The future of nuclear non-proliferation in South Asia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siddiqa, A.

1997-01-01

Nuclear proliferation in South Asia is currently one of the hot topics in world politics. The concern of the international community, and especially the USA, over this issue is coupled with the fear of nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan. As a result, Washington has been using its 'stick and carrot' policy to persuade the two countries involved not to develop their nuclear programs for military purposes. However both countries have not only continued to develop their nuclear ambitions, but seem to have achieved vertical nuclear proliferation. This paper examines the future non-proliferation in the South Asian region in the 1990s. This will be achieved by looking at the following: the development of the nuclear capabilities of both India and Pakistan; how these programs have been developed; the reasons for acquiring the capability for non-conventional defence; the real fear in terms of nuclear proliferation in the region; the possible options for dealing with nuclear proliferation in South Asia

Previewing the 2010 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pomper, Miles A.

2010-01-01

Despite groundbreaking disarmament pledges and substantial effort, the Obama administration's hopes for a successful Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference may not be fully realised. Many developing countries are in no mood to grant new non-proliferation concessions, such as tightened rules on access to sensitive nuclear technologies, tougher inspection rules, or limits on withdrawing from the treaty. The non-nuclear weapon states (NNWS) remain angered by the failure to move forward on many disarmament commitments pledged at the 1995 and 2000 Conferences. Moreover, progress on disarmament measures under Obama has been slower than hoped, as he faces considerable scepticism in Washington about his strategy. (author)

Liquid metal-based reconfigurable and stretchable photolithography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Daeyoung; Yoo, Jun Hyeon; Lee, Jeong-Bong

2016-01-01

Conventional ultraviolet (UV) lithography typically uses a photomask made of a fused silica plate covered with a layer of UV opaque material such as chromium. The photomask has passive binary patterns of UV opaque and UV transparent regions and the pattern is unalterable. We report a novel real-time dynamically reconfigurable photomask technology using a liquid metal (as a UV opaque material) filled in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS, as a UV transparent material) microfluidic channels. We found that the gallium-based liquid metal (e.g. Galinstan ® ) is opaque in broad spectrum of light in the wavelength from 325 nm to 850 nm while the PDMS is highly transparent in this wide range of spectrum. We made both bright field and dark field microfluidic photomasks and transferred various patterns onto a positive photoresist. A 7-segment display microfluidic channel photomask was also fabricated and decimal numerals (from ‘0’ to ‘9’) were patterned with one photomask by dynamically reconfiguring decimal numeral shapes with on-demand injection and withdrawal of the liquid metal in specific segment microfluidic channels in the photomask. In addition, utilizing mechanical flexibility of the PDMS and the liquid metal, reconfiguration of the patterns in a microfluidic photomask under stretching was successfully tested. (paper)

Repetition or Reconfiguration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Kristina Vaarst

, the cognitive quality of knowledge held by individual professionals is the key microfoundation for project level performance. This paper empirically tests effects of project participants with and without knowledge diversity for project level performance for projects aiming for varying degrees of repetition...... and reconfiguration. The results indicate that project performance benefits form contributions from individuals holding diverse knowledge only when projects aim for high differentiation levels. This positive association is not just moderated, it may even be reversed in the case of professionals participating in low...

Multi-criteria grey relational approach to evaluating reconfigurable manufacturing configurations

OpenAIRE

Rehman, A. U.

2017-01-01

In response to highly dynamic markets, manufacturing industries need alternative feasible manufacturing strategies. The strategy currently adopted is to reconfigure the existing manufacturing system. The conditions to reconfigure existing configurations change from time to time. An attempt is made to identify and apply an approach to evaluate these configurations. The paper proposes a grey relational decision-making approach. The approach takes into account multiple performance measures. The ...

Self-imposed self-assessment program at a DOE Nuclear Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geoffrion, R.R.; Loud, J.J.; Walter, E.C.

1996-01-01

The Nuclear Materials and Technology (NMT) Division at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has implemented a performance-based self-assessment program at the TA-55 plutonium facility. The program was conceptualized and developed by LANL's internal assessment group, AA-2. The management walkaround program fosters continuous improvement in NMT products and performance of its activities. The program, based on experience from the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations, is endorsed at the site by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Environment, Safety, and Health (ES ampersand H) personnel and by the Defense Nuclear Facility Safety Board. The self-assessment program focuses on how work is actually performed rather than on paperwork or process compliance. Managers critically and continually assess ES ampersand H, conduct of operations, and other functional area requirements

Reconfigurable Manufacturing System Design and Implementation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hadar, Ronen; Bilberg, Arne

2013-01-01

is meant primarily to show the physical feasibility of the system and provide a first-look into a real production application of the RMS ideas. The purpose of this paper is to present the design of the manufacturer’s RMS proof of concept, its implementation, and evaluation results.......Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems (RMS) have been an increasing area of interest in the research arena. However, it seems that current literature is lacking application and implementation cases where RMS are simulated, tested, and evaluated as a feasible manufacturing concept. A Manufacturer...... of Consumer Goods identified the potential of the RMS concept and decided to investigate the concept in a real production installation. The result of this development is a proof of concept of a changeable and reconfigurable assembly and decoration system based on the principles of RMS. This proof of concept...

The safety of nuclear power plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1988-01-01

Do nuclear power plants present an unjustifiable risk Can there be confidence in their safety The Uranium Institute invited a group of senior safety experts from eight different Western countries operating different types of reactors to provide an authoritative explanation for non-specialists of the basic principles of reactor safety, their application and their implications. The report presents the group's opinion on the level of safety achieved in the Western nuclear power plants with which the authors are directly familiar. Although many of the points made may well also be true for non-Western reactors, the report does not cover them except where specifically stated. It does describe and discuss the causes of the Chernobyl disaster. It does not compare nuclear power with other fuels, nor does it deal with its benefits, since however great the benefits from the peaceful use of nuclear power, and its own advantages over other fuels, they could not compensate for lack of safety. The conclusion reached is that the risk associated with electricity production at nuclear power plants can be kept very low. Proper use of the extensive knowledge available today can guarantee operation of nuclear power plants at very high safety levels, carrying very low risks, both to health and of contamination of the environment: risks that are continually lowered by upgrading existing plants and their operation, and by the design of future power plants. (author).

Reconfigurable Patch Antenna Radiations Using Plasma Faraday Shield Effect

OpenAIRE

Barro , Oumar Alassane; Himdi , Mohamed; Lafond , Olivier

2016-01-01

International audience; This letter presents a new reconfigurable antenna associated with a plasma Faraday shield effect. The Faraday shield effect is realized by using a fluorescent lamp. A patch antenna operating at 2.45 GHz is placed inside the lamp. The performance of the reconfigurable system is observed in terms of S11, gain and radiation patterns by simulation and measurement. It is shown that by switching ON the fluorescent lamp, the gain of the antenna decreases and the antenna syste...

A Web-Based Integration Procedure for the Development of Reconfigurable Robotic Work-Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paulo Ferreira

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Concepts related to the development of reconfigurable manufacturing systems (RMS and methodologies to provide the best practices in the processing industry and factory automation, such as system integration and web-based technology, are major issues in designing next-generation manufacturing systems (NGMS. Adaptable and integrable devices are crucial for the success of NGMS. In robotic cells the integration of manufacturing components is essential to accelerate system adaptability. Sensors, control architectures and communication technologies have contributed to achieving further agility in reconfigurable factories. In this work a web-based robotic cell integration procedure is proposed to aid the identification of reconfigurable issues and requirements. This methodology is applied to an industrial robot manipulator to enhance system flexibility towards the development of a reconfigurable robotic platform.

Radiation-hardened optically reconfigurable gate array exploiting holographic memory characteristics

Science.gov (United States)

Seto, Daisaku; Watanabe, Minoru

2015-09-01

In this paper, we present a proposal for a radiation-hardened optically reconfigurable gate array (ORGA). The ORGA is a type of field programmable gate array (FPGA). The ORGA configuration can be executed by the exploitation of holographic memory characteristics even if 20% of the configuration data are damaged. Moreover, the optoelectronic technology enables the high-speed reconfiguration of the programmable gate array. Such a high-speed reconfiguration can increase the radiation tolerance of its programmable gate array to 9.3 × 104 times higher than that of current FPGAs. Through experimentation, this study clarified the configuration dependability using the impulse-noise emulation and high-speed configuration capabilities of the ORGA with corrupt configuration contexts. Moreover, the radiation tolerance of the programmable gate array was confirmed theoretically through probabilistic calculation.

Basic Data Report for Well Plugging and Abandonment and Reconfiguration Activities for Fiscal Year 2005

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-01-01

The FY 2005 program was initiated on March 31, 2005, and concluded on July 16, 2005. The FY 2005 program initially included 25 wells requiring workover (P and A, Magenta reconfiguration, cleaning and keeping). During the process, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) requested transfer of two wells (H-7c and H-8c) to their ownership for future livestock watering. These wells were transferred to the BLM through execution of Form wr-03, Declaration of Owner of Underground Water Rights, between the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer (NMOSE), the BLM, and the DOE Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO). One well (H-2b2) was cleaned and retained as a Culebra monitor well for continued use. One well (H-3d) was converted to a shallow well to monitor the formational contact between the Dewey Lake Redbeds Formation and the Santa Rosa Formation in support of the DP-831 discharge permit monitoring program. Nine dual-completion wells were reconfigured as Magenta-only monitor wells, and 12 wells were plugged and abandoned permanently. This report presents the summary in the same order that the wells were worked in the field.

SACFIR: SDN-Based Application-Aware Centralized Adaptive Flow Iterative Reconfiguring Routing Protocol for WSNs.

Science.gov (United States)

Aslam, Muhammad; Hu, Xiaopeng; Wang, Fan

2017-12-13

Smart reconfiguration of a dynamic networking environment is offered by the central control of Software-Defined Networking (SDN). Centralized SDN-based management architectures are capable of retrieving global topology intelligence and decoupling the forwarding plane from the control plane. Routing protocols developed for conventional Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) utilize limited iterative reconfiguration methods to optimize environmental reporting. However, the challenging networking scenarios of WSNs involve a performance overhead due to constant periodic iterative reconfigurations. In this paper, we propose the SDN-based Application-aware Centralized adaptive Flow Iterative Reconfiguring (SACFIR) routing protocol with the centralized SDN iterative solver controller to maintain the load-balancing between flow reconfigurations and flow allocation cost. The proposed SACFIR's routing protocol offers a unique iterative path-selection algorithm, which initially computes suitable clustering based on residual resources at the control layer and then implements application-aware threshold-based multi-hop report transmissions on the forwarding plane. The operation of the SACFIR algorithm is centrally supervised by the SDN controller residing at the Base Station (BS). This paper extends SACFIR to SDN-based Application-aware Main-value Centralized adaptive Flow Iterative Reconfiguring (SAMCFIR) to establish both proactive and reactive reporting. The SAMCFIR transmission phase enables sensor nodes to trigger direct transmissions for main-value reports, while in the case of SACFIR, all reports follow computed routes. Our SDN-enabled proposed models adjust the reconfiguration period according to the traffic burden on sensor nodes, which results in heterogeneity awareness, load-balancing and application-specific reconfigurations of WSNs. Extensive experimental simulation-based results show that SACFIR and SAMCFIR yield the maximum scalability, network lifetime and stability

SACFIR: SDN-Based Application-Aware Centralized Adaptive Flow Iterative Reconfiguring Routing Protocol for WSNs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammad Aslam

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Smart reconfiguration of a dynamic networking environment is offered by the central control of Software-Defined Networking (SDN. Centralized SDN-based management architectures are capable of retrieving global topology intelligence and decoupling the forwarding plane from the control plane. Routing protocols developed for conventional Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs utilize limited iterative reconfiguration methods to optimize environmental reporting. However, the challenging networking scenarios of WSNs involve a performance overhead due to constant periodic iterative reconfigurations. In this paper, we propose the SDN-based Application-aware Centralized adaptive Flow Iterative Reconfiguring (SACFIR routing protocol with the centralized SDN iterative solver controller to maintain the load-balancing between flow reconfigurations and flow allocation cost. The proposed SACFIR’s routing protocol offers a unique iterative path-selection algorithm, which initially computes suitable clustering based on residual resources at the control layer and then implements application-aware threshold-based multi-hop report transmissions on the forwarding plane. The operation of the SACFIR algorithm is centrally supervised by the SDN controller residing at the Base Station (BS. This paper extends SACFIR to SDN-based Application-aware Main-value Centralized adaptive Flow Iterative Reconfiguring (SAMCFIR to establish both proactive and reactive reporting. The SAMCFIR transmission phase enables sensor nodes to trigger direct transmissions for main-value reports, while in the case of SACFIR, all reports follow computed routes. Our SDN-enabled proposed models adjust the reconfiguration period according to the traffic burden on sensor nodes, which results in heterogeneity awareness, load-balancing and application-specific reconfigurations of WSNs. Extensive experimental simulation-based results show that SACFIR and SAMCFIR yield the maximum scalability, network lifetime

US Department of Energy (DOE)/Gosatomnadzor (GAN) of Russia project at the Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute (PNPI)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baranov, I.A.; Konoplev, K.A.; Hauser, G.C.

1997-01-01

This paper presents a summary of work accomplished within the scope of the DOE-Gosatomnadzor (GAN) Agreement to reduce vulnerability to theft of direct-use nuclear materials in Russia. The DOE-GAN agreement concerns the Russian Academy of Science B.P. Konstantinov Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute (PNPI), located 45 kilometers from St. Petersburg. The PNPI operates facilities to research basic nuclear physics. Current world conditions require particular attention to the issue of Material Protection, Control, and Accounting (MPC ampersand A) of nuclear materials. The long-term plan to increase security at the facility is outlined, including training, physical protection upgrades, and material control and accountability. 4 figs

Pyrochemical processing of DOE spent nuclear fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laidler, J.J.

1995-01-01

A compact, efficient method for conditioning spent nuclear fuel is under development. This method, known as pyrochemical processing, or open-quotes pyroprocessing,close quotes provides a separation of fission products from the actinide elements present in spent fuel and further separates pure uranium from the transuranic elements. The process can facilitate the timely and environmentally-sound treatment of the highly diverse collection of spent fuel currently in the inventory of the United States Department of Energy (DOE). The pyroprocess utilizes elevated-temperature processes to prepare spent fuel for fission product separation; that separation is accomplished by a molten salt electrorefining step that provides efficient (>99.9%) separation of transuranics. The resultant waste forms from the pyroprocess, are stable under envisioned repository environment conditions and highly leach-resistant. Treatment of any spent fuel type produces a set of common high-level waste forms, one a mineral and the other a metal alloy, that can be readily qualified for repository disposal and avoid the substantial costs that would be associated with the qualification of the numerous spent fuel types included in the DOE inventory

Proceedings of the 24. DOE/NRC nuclear air cleaning and treatment conference

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

First, M.W.

1997-08-01

This report contains the papers presented at the 24th DOE/NRC Nuclear Air Cleaning and Treatment Conference and the associated discussions. Major topics are: (1) nuclear air cleaning issues, (2) waste management, (3) instrumentation and measurement, (4) testing air and gas cleaning systems, (5) progress and challenges in cleaning up Hanford, (6) international nuclear programs, (7) standardized test methods, (8) HVAC, (9) decommissioning, (10) computer modeling applications, (11) adsorption, (12) iodine treatment, (13) filters, and (14) codes and standards for filters and adsorbers. Selected papers have been indexed separately for inclusion in the Energy Science and Technology Database

Proceedings of the 24. DOE/NRC nuclear air cleaning and treatment conference

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

First, M.W. [ed.] [Harvard Univ., Boston, MA (United States). Harvard Air Cleaning Lab.

1997-08-01

This report contains the papers presented at the 24th DOE/NRC Nuclear Air Cleaning and Treatment Conference and the associated discussions. Major topics are: (1) nuclear air cleaning issues, (2) waste management, (3) instrumentation and measurement, (4) testing air and gas cleaning systems, (5) progress and challenges in cleaning up Hanford, (6) international nuclear programs, (7) standardized test methods, (8) HVAC, (9) decommissioning, (10) computer modeling applications, (11) adsorption, (12) iodine treatment, (13) filters, and (14) codes and standards for filters and adsorbers. Selected papers have been indexed separately for inclusion in the Energy Science and Technology Database.

Nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament: A long-term perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haeckel, E.

1990-01-01

International nuclear policy has been determined for a long time by the exigencies of the status quo. The non-proliferation regime draws its legitimacy from the continuation of extant patterns of power in world politics. Such a static policy cannot succeed forever. Overcoming the threat of nuclear proliferation will require innovative strategy that reaches beyond the status quo. It calls for structural change in the international system to be accomodated instead of resisted. If the Non-Proliferation Treaty is to hold, nuclear weapon states will finally have to forgo their privileged status. This cannot, however, be accomplished simply through the abolition or renunciation of nuclear weapons since nuclear weapons themselves continue to be instrumental for war prevention and international stability. Rather, what is needed is a new approach to the management of the nuclear world system under international responsibility. Nonproliferation and disarmament objectives together call for a concept of global security in which multilateral institutions assume an increasingly important role of nuclear diplomacy. (orig.) [de

Reconfigurable control of a power plant deaerator using learning automata

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia, H.E.; Ray, A.; Edwards, R.M.

1991-01-01

A deaerating feedwater heater, equipped with a water level controller and a pressure controller, has been chosen to investigate the feasibility of a reconfigurable control scheme for power plants by incorporating the concept of learning automata. In this paper simulation results based on a model of the Experimental Breeder Reactor (EBR-II) at the Argonne National Laboratory site in Idaho are presented to demonstrate the efficacy of the reconfigurable control scheme

Does electricity from nuclear power stand a chance in competition?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hohlefelder, W.

2000-01-01

Deregulation and the intended opt-out of the peaceful uses of nuclear power have completely changed the economic and political boundary conditions for nuclear power. The future of nuclear power needs to be reassessed on this basis. In doing so, the author arrives at these conclusions: 1. The nuclear power plants existing in Germany enjoy cost advantages in procurement competition. 2. It would be counterproductive, therefore, to give up this advantageous position by opting out, executing the law only with a view to opting out, or creating additional artificial economic burdens. 3. The cost advantage relative to other technologies of power generation is dwindling. This is why consistent cost management is indispensable, but only as long as it does not affect plant safety. 4. If Germany opted out of using nuclear power, 'German' nuclear power, or at least a large part of it, would be replaced by nuclear power from abroad. This adds to the incentive to keep German nuclear power plants in operation as long as possible. 5. Building new nuclear power plants in completely deregulated markets is difficult for economic reasons. There is a onesided swing to one source of energy, namely the most cost effective, least capital intensive source. This entails a major supply risk. Irrespective of the basic decision to deregulate the electricity market, a correction of the boundary conditions imposed politically is to be expected on a medium term so that wrong developments will be avoided. (orig.) [de

Test-qualification experience with non-destructive material analysis system performed at Paks Nuclear Power Plant and its usage in non-nuclear fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Somogyi, Gy.; Szabo, D.

2003-01-01

The need for qualification of non-destructive material analysis has been recognised in controlling nuclear energy production process. This test-qualification has been performed as first of its kind after the task has been assigned by the National Nuclear Energy Agency. The input documents for the test were. Technical Specification, Analysis Technology, Technical Justification. Test-qualification has been performed with real form control bodies developed by the Rez Nuclear Research Institute, in which the planned defects has been produced by spark-chipping. The qualification procedure has been summarized in a Qualification Folder and given to the national agency to issue a qualification certificate. The procedure might be interesting mostly for companies delivering nuclear power plant assemblies. Similar needs are formulated in standards relative to the qualification of non-nuclear material testing methods (MSZ EN 17025 and EU). (Gy.M.)

Non-nuclear, low-carbon, or both? The case of Taiwan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Yen-Heng Henry

2013-01-01

The Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan has renewed debates on the safety of nuclear power, possibly hurting the role of nuclear power in efforts to limit CO 2 emissions. I develop a dynamic economy-wide model of Taiwan with a detailed set of technology options in the power sector to examine the implications of adopting different carbon and nuclear power policies on CO 2 emissions and the economy. Without a carbon mitigation policy, limiting nuclear power has a small economic cost for Taiwan, but CO 2 emissions may increase by around 4.5% by 2050 when nuclear is replaced by fossil-based generation. With a low-carbon target of a 50% reduction from year 2000 levels by 2050, the costs of cutting CO 2 emissions are greatly reduced if both carbon sequestration and nuclear expansion were viable. This study finds that converting Taiwan's industrial structure into a less energy-intensive one is crucial to carry out the non-nuclear and low-carbon environment. - Highlights: • This study provides an analysis for Taiwan under a low-carbon policy with or without the nuclear option. • A new approach that improves the modeling of non-dispatchable generation is presented. • Emission reduction costs are greatly reduced if both carbon sequestration and nuclear expansion were viable. • A less energy-intensive industrial structure is crucial in pursuing a non-nuclear and low carbon environment

Non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shea, M.

2000-01-01

Fissionable materials are common to all nuclear weapons and controls on the production, storage, processing and use of fissionable materials provides one means to address non-proliferation and disarmament. In this article, the relevance of such controls is examined and the current situation and future prospects are assessed. (authors)

Guidelines for job and task analysis for DOE nuclear facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-06-01

The guidelines are intended to be responsive to the need for information on methodology, procedures, content, and use of job and task analysis since the establishment of a requirement for position task analysis for Category A reactors in DOE 5480.1A, Chapter VI. The guide describes the general approach and methods currently being utilized in the nuclear industry and by several DOE contractors for the conduct of job and task analysis and applications to the development of training programs or evaluation of existing programs. In addition other applications for job and task analysis are described including: operating procedures development, personnel management, system design, communications, and human performance predictions

Setting priorities for environmental restoration at the DOE Nuclear Weapons Complex

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ton, My K.; Morgan, Robert P.

1992-01-01

This paper provides an evaluation of the computerized methodologies and approaches that the Department of Energy (DOE) has developed to assist in setting cleanup priorities and in allocating Environmental Restoration funds to various activities within the DOE Nuclear Weapons Complex. Issues examined include the appropriateness of the methodologies for priority setting or budget planning, their strengths and weaknesses; the limitations to the use of such systems to aid decision making; public acceptance of these systems; and the level of participation by affected or interested parties and the public in the development and implementation processes. (author)

Course modules on nuclear safeguards and non-proliferation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bril, L.-V.; Janssens-Maenhout, G.

2004-01-01

Full text: One of major current concern in the nuclear field is the conservation of developed knowledge and expertise. The relevance of this subject is steadily increasing for several reasons: retirement of the generation of first industrial development of nuclear energy, only one new reactor under construction in Europe while several in Eastern and Asian countries, the public's concern on safety, radioactive waste and safeguards aspects, and some lack of interest common to many activities in engineering and physics. Moreover nuclear safeguards is nowadays characterised with an enlarged scope and no longer strictly limited to the accountancy of nuclear material; today it encompasses non proliferation of nuclear material, and deals with the control of dual use equipment and technologies, illicit trafficking and External Security. Some higher education networks, such as the European Nuclear Engineering Network (ENEN), have been established to make better use of dwindling teaching capacity, scientific equipment and research infrastructure, through co-operation amongst universities and research centres. The European Safeguards Research and Development Association (ESARDA) initiated the set-up of course modules under an e-learning medium, to preserve knowledge in nuclear safeguards. These course modules should be considered as basic pedagogical documentation, which will be accessible via the Internet. Monitoring or controlling of the accesses will be ensured. The modules are structured with an increasing level of detail, in function of the audience. On one hand the course modules should be attractive to University students in nuclear, chemical or mechanical engineering, in radiochemistry, statistics, law, political science etc. at universities or specialised institutes. On the other hand the course modules aim to give professionals, working on specific safeguards or non-proliferation issues an overview and detailed technical information on the wide variety of nuclear

Non-proliferation and advances in nuclear science

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iyengar, P.K.

1995-01-01

So far, the non-proliferation treaty (NPT) has concentrated on safeguard regimes based on technologies relating to the production of uranium and plutonium in nuclear reactors, and on their potential diversion for use in nuclear weapons. As nuclear science advances, however, nuclear technology both peaceful and for weapons will change, and for the NPT to remain relevant, it must reflect these changes. At this juncture, when the NPT is coming up for review in a year's time, it is important for physicists to take a fresh look at recent advances in nuclear science, and inform the policy-makers and the public at large about their potential for impacting nuclear technology in the future. In this article a few such advances are highlighted and their implications for the NPT are considered. (author). 4 refs

Reconfigurable Multicore Architectures for Streaming Applications

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smit, Gerardus Johannes Maria; Kokkeler, Andre B.J.; Rauwerda, G.K.; Jacobs, J.W.M.; Nicolescu, G.; Mosterman, P.J.

2009-01-01

This chapter addresses reconfigurable heterogenous and homogeneous multicore system-on-chip (SoC) platforms for streaming digital signal processing applications, also called DSP applications. In streaming DSP applications, computations can be specified as a data flow graph with streams of data items

Guide to radiological accident considerations for siting and design of DOE nonreactor nuclear facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elder, J.; Graf, J.M.

1984-01-01

DOE Office of Nuclear Safety has sponsored preparation of a guidance document to aid field offices and contractors in their analyses of consequences of postulated major accidents. The guide addresses the requirements of DOE Orders 5480.1A, Chapter V, and 6430.1, including the general requirement that DOE nuclear facilities be sited, designed, and operated in accordance with standards, codes, and guides consistent with those applied to comparable licensed nuclear facilities. The guide includes both philosophical and technical information in the areas of: siting guidelines doses applied to an offsite reference person; consideration also given to an onsite reference person; physical parameters, models, and assumptions to be applied when calculating doses for comparison to siting criteria; and potential accident consequences other than radiological dose to a reference person which might affect siting and major design features of the facility, such as environmental contamination, population dose, and associated public health effects. Recommendations and/or clarifications are provided where this could be done without adding new requirements. In this regard, the guide is considered a valuable aid to the safety analyst, especially where requirements have been subject to inconsistent interpretation or where analysis methods are in transition, such as use of dose model (ICRP 2 or ICRP 30) or use of probabilistic methods of risk analysis in the siting and design of nuclear facilities

Proceedings of the 19th DOE/NRC nuclear air cleaning conference

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

First, M.W.

1987-05-01

This document contains the papers and the associated discussions of the 19 DOE/NRC Nuclear Air Cleaning Conference. Sessions were devoted to (1) fire, explosion and accident analysis, (2) adsorption and iodine retention, (3) filters and filter testing, (4) standards and regulation, (5) treatment of radon, krypton, tritium and carbon-14, (6) ventilation and air cleaning in reactor operations, (7) dissolver off-gas cleaning, (8) adsorber fires, (9) nuclear grade carbon testing, (10) sampling and monitoring, and (11) field test experience. Individual papers were processed separately for the data base

DOE enforcement program roles and responsibilities: DOE handbook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-08-01

The Price-Anderson Act provides indemnification to DOE contractors who manage and conduct nuclear activities in the DOE complex. The government acts as an insurer for these contractors against any findings of liability from the nuclear activities of the contractor within the scope of its contract. 10 CFR Part 820 establishes the legal framework for implementing DOE's Nuclear Safety Enforcement Program. Integration with other DOE organizations and programs would assure that the enforcement process properly considers the actual or potential safety significance of a violation when determining an appropriate enforcement sanction. Achieving a proactive contractor compliance assurance rather than a heavy enforcement hand, will require a foundation of cooperation and teamwork across DOE organizations. This handbook identifies the areas of interface for the DOE Enforcement Program and provides guidance on roles and responsibilities for the key DOE organizational areas. It complements DOE-HDBK-1087-95 and 1089-95

Communication-Oriented Design Space Exploration for Reconfigurable Architectures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gogniat Guy

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Many academic works in computer engineering focus on reconfigurable architectures and associated tools. Fine-grain architectures, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs, are the most well-known structures of reconfigurable hardware. Dedicated tools (generic or specific allow for the exploration of their design space to choose the best architecture characteristics and/or to explore the application characteristics. The aim is to increase the synergy between the application and the architecture in order to get the best performance. However, there is no generic tool to perform such an exploration for coarse-grain or heterogeneous-grain architectures, just a small number of very specific tools are able to explore a limited set of architectures. To address this major lack, in this paper we propose a new design space exploration approach adapted to fine- and coarse-grain granularities. Our approach combines algorithmic and architecture explorations. It relies on an automatic estimation tool which computes the communication hierarchical distribution and the architectural processing resources use rate for the architecture under exploration. Such an approach forwards the rapid definition of efficient reconfigurable architectures dedicated to one or several applications.

Fault Diagnosis of a Reconfigurable Crawling–Rolling Robot Based on Support Vector Machines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karthikeyan Elangovan

2017-10-01

Full Text Available As robots begin to perform jobs autonomously, with minimal or no human intervention, a new challenge arises: robots also need to autonomously detect errors and recover from faults. In this paper, we present a Support Vector Machine (SVM-based fault diagnosis system for a bio-inspired reconfigurable robot named Scorpio. The diagnosis system needs to detect and classify faults while Scorpio uses its crawling and rolling locomotion modes. Specifically, we classify between faulty and non-faulty conditions by analyzing onboard Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU sensor data. The data capture nine different locomotion gaits, which include rolling and crawling modes, at three different speeds. Statistical methods are applied to extract features and to reduce the dimensionality of original IMU sensor data features. These statistical features were given as inputs for training and testing. Additionally, the c-Support Vector Classification (c-SVC and nu-SVC models of SVM, and their fault classification accuracies, were compared. The results show that the proposed SVM approach can be used to autonomously diagnose locomotion gait faults while the reconfigurable robot is in operation.

Materials characterization capabilities at DOE Nuclear Weapons Laboratories and Production Plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pyper, J.W.

1984-06-01

The materials characterization and analytical chemistry capabilities at the 11 DOE Nuclear Weapons Laboratories or Production Plants have been surveyed and compared. In general, all laboratories have similar capabilities and equipment. Facilities or capabilities that are unique or that exist at only a few laboratories are described in detail

Reconfigurable Three-Dimensional Gold Nanorod Plasmonic Nanostructures Organized on DNA Origami Tripod.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhan, Pengfei; Dutta, Palash K; Wang, Pengfei; Song, Gang; Dai, Mingjie; Zhao, Shu-Xia; Wang, Zhen-Gang; Yin, Peng; Zhang, Wei; Ding, Baoquan; Ke, Yonggang

2017-02-28

Distinct electromagnetic properties can emerge from the three-dimensional (3D) configuration of a plasmonic nanostructure. Furthermore, the reconfiguration of a dynamic plasmonic nanostructure, driven by physical or chemical stimuli, may generate a tailored plasmonic response. In this work, we constructed a 3D reconfigurable plasmonic nanostructure with controllable, reversible conformational transformation using bottom-up DNA self-assembly. Three gold nanorods (AuNRs) were positioned onto a reconfigurable DNA origami tripod. The internanorod angle and distance were precisely tuned through operating the origami tripod by toehold-mediated strand displacement. The transduction of conformational change manifested into a controlled shift of the plasmonic resonance peak, which was studied by dark-field microscopy, and agrees well with electrodynamic calculations. This new 3D plasmonic nanostructure not only provides a method to study the plasmonic resonance of AuNRs at prescribed 3D conformations but also demonstrates that DNA origami can serve as a general self-assembly platform for constructing various 3D reconfigurable plasmonic nanostructures with customized optical properties.

Nuclear energy I, Non-energetic applications; Energia Nuclear I, Aplicaciones no energeticas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lartigue G, J; Navarrete T, M; Cabrera M, L; Arandia, P A; Arriola S, H [Facultad de Quimica, 04510 Mexico D.F. (Mexico)

1986-07-01

The nuclear energy is defined as the energy produced or absorbed in the nuclear reactions, therefore, these are divided in endothermic and exothermic. The exothermic nuclear reactions present more interest from the point of view of its applications and they can show in four main forms: radioactivity (from 0 to 4 MeV/reaction; light nucleus fusion ( {approx} 20 MeV/reaction), heavy nucleus fusion ({approx} 200 MeV/reaction) and nucleons annihilation ( {approx} 2000 MeV/reaction). Nowadays only the fission has reached the stage of profitable energetic application, finding the other three forms in research and development. The non-energetic applications of the nuclear energy are characterized by they do not require of prior conversion to another form of energy and they are made through the use of radioisotopes as well as through the use of endothermic reaction caused in particle accelerators. In this work are presented some of the non-energetic applications with its theoretical and experimental basis as well as its benefits of each one. (Author)

Second Annual Progress Report on Radiation Tolerance of Controlled Fusion Welds in High Temperature Oxidation Resistant FeCrAl Alloys

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Field, Kevin G. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Gussev, Maxim N. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Yamamoto, Yukinori [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Howard, Richard H. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Briggs, Samuel A. [Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)

2016-12-30

The present report summarizes and discusses the current results and on-going activity towards developing a modern, nuclear grade FeCrAl alloy designed to have enhanced radiation tolerance and weldability under the Department of Energy (DOE) Nuclear Energy Enabling Technologies (NEET) program.

Sustainablility of nuclear and non-nuclear energy supply options in Europe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirchsteiger, C.

2007-01-01

In the course of the current discussion on promoting the economical competitiveness of sustainable energy systems, especially renewable and non-CO 2 -intensive ones, interest in nuclear energy has re-awakened in Europe (''nuclear renaissance''). This paper starts with presenting the concept of energy sustainability and its main elements. Next, an overview of the main results of sustainability assessments for different energy supply options (nuclear, fossil, renewables) covering full energy chains is given. Nuclear energy's typical strong and weak points are identified from a sustainability point of view. On the basis of these results, it is argued that more emphasis on nuclear energy's (very good) total cost performance, i.e. incl. externalities, rather than on its (very good) contribution to combating climate change would stronger benefit its ''renaissance''. Finally, the development of an overall EU-wide framework is proposed in order to assess the sustainability performance of alternative energy supply options, incl. nuclear, across their lifecycle and thus support decision making on developing sustainable energy mixes. (orig.)

Highly chirped single-bandpass microwave photonic filter with reconfiguration capabilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Bolea, Mario; Mora, José; Ortega, Beatriz; Capmany, José

2011-02-28

We propose a novel photonic structure to implement a chirped single-bandpass microwave photonic filter based on the amplitude modulation of a broadband optical signal transmitted by a non-linear dispersive element and an interferometric system prior to balanced photodetection. A full reconfigurability of the filter is achieved since amplitude and phase responses can be independently controlled. We have experimentally demonstrated chirp values up to tens of ns/GHz, which is, as far as we know, one order of magnitude better than others achieved by electrical approaches and furthermore, without restrictions in terms of frequency tuning since a frequency operation range up to 40 GHz has been experimentally demonstrated.

Lateral diffusion study of the Pt-Al system using the NAC nuclear microprobe.

Science.gov (United States)

de Waal, H.; Pretorius, R.

1999-10-01

In this study a nuclear microprobe (NMP) was used to analyse phase formation during reaction in Pt-Al lateral diffusion couples. Phase identification was done by Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy. These results were compared with phase formation during conventional thin film Pt-Al interactions. The co-existence of multiple phases in lateral diffusion couples is discussed with reference to the effective heat of formation (EHF) model.

Lateral diffusion study of the Pt-Al system using the NAC nuclear microprobe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Waal, H. de E-mail: dewalla@nac.ac.za; Pretorius, R

1999-09-02

In this study a nuclear microprobe (NMP) was used to analyse phase formation during reaction in Pt-Al lateral diffusion couples. Phase identification was done by Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy. These results were compared with phase formation during conventional thin film Pt-Al interactions. The co-existence of multiple phases in lateral diffusion couples is discussed with reference to the effective heat of formation (EHF) model.

Robust Throughput Boosting for Low Latency Dynamic Partial Reconfiguration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nannarelli, Alberto; Re, M.; Cardarilli, Gian Carlo

2017-01-01

Reducing the configuration time of portions of an FPGA at run time is crucial in contemporary FPGA-based accelerators. In this work, we propose a method to increase the throughput for FPGA dynamic partial reconfiguration by using standard IP blocks. The throughput is increased by over-clocking th......Reducing the configuration time of portions of an FPGA at run time is crucial in contemporary FPGA-based accelerators. In this work, we propose a method to increase the throughput for FPGA dynamic partial reconfiguration by using standard IP blocks. The throughput is increased by over...

A Domain-Specific Language for Programming Self-Reconfigurable Robots

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schultz, Ulrik Pagh; Christensen, David Johan; Støy, Kasper

2007-01-01

. Programming a modular, self-reconfigurable robot is however a complicated task: the robot is essentially a real-time, distributed embedded system, where control and communication paths often are tightly coupled to the current physical configuration of the robot. To facilitate the task of programming modular......, self-reconfigurable robots, we have developed a declarative, role-based language that allows the programmer to define roles and behavior independently of the concrete physical structure of the robot. Roles are compiled to mobile code fragments that distribute themselves over the physical structure...

Análisis Cinemático de un Novedoso Robot Paralelo Reconfigurable

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Róger E. Sánchez-Alonso

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Resumen: Este trabajo presenta el análisis cinemático de un manipulador reconfigurable integrado por dos sub-manipuladores paralelos que comparten una plataforma móvil. Una solución en forma semi-cerrada para el análisis directo de posición del robot es obtenida tomando ventaja de la geometría no plana de la plataforma móvil, mientras que los análisis de velocidad, aceleración y singularidades son desarrollados por medio de teoría de tornillos. Finalmente se propone una aproximación basada en el índice de manipulabilidad de la matriz jacobiana para determinar la configuración geométrica que optimiza el desempeño del manipulador dada una determinada postura de la plataforma móvil. Abstract: This work presents the kinematic analysis of a reconfigurable manipulator composed of two parallel sub-manipulators that share a common moving platform. A semi-closed form solution is easily obtained to solve the forward displacement analysis of the robot taking advantage of the non-planar geometry of the moving platform, while the velocity, acceleration and singularity analyses are developed by resorting to screw theory. Finally a very practical approach based on the manipulability index of the jacobian matrix of the robot is proposed in order to determine the geometric configuration that optimizes the performance of the manipulator given a pose of the moving platform. Palabras clave: Robot paralelo, Reconfiguración, Cinemática, Teoría de tornillos, Matriz jacobiana, Índice de manipulabilidad., Keywords: Parallel robot, Reconfiguration, Kinematics, Screw theory, Jacobian matrix, Manipulability index.

Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Notification of the Entry into Force; Tratado Sobre la no Proliferacion de las Armas Nucleares. Notificacion de la Entrada en Vigor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1970-04-22

By letters addressed to the Director General on 5, 6 and 20 March 1970 respectively, the Governments of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, which are designated as the Depository Governments in Article IX. 2 of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, informed the Agency that the Treaty had entered into force on 5 March 1970 [Spanish] En sus cartas dirigidas al Director General con fecha 5, 6 y 20 de marzo de 1970, respectivamente, el Reino Unido de Gran Bretana e Irlanda del Norte, los Estados Unidos de America y la Union de Republicas Socialistas Sovieticas, designados Gobiernos depositarios en el parrafo 2 del Articulo IX del Tratado sobre la no proliferacion de las armas nucleares, han comunicado al Organismo que dicho Tratado entro en vigor el 5 de marzo de 1970.

Nuclear non proliferation and disarmament; Non-proliferation nucleaire et desarmement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2000-07-01

In the framework of the publication of a document on the ''weapons mastership, disarmament and non proliferation: the french action'', by the ministry of Foreign Affairs and the ministry of Defense, the French Documentation organization presents a whole document. This document describes and details the following topics: the conference on the treaty of non proliferation of nuclear weapons, the France, Usa and Non Governmental Organizations position, the threats of the proliferation, the french actions towards the disarmament, the disarmament in the world, a chronology and some bibliographic resources. (A.L.B.)

Oxidation and corrosion studies of Al-implanted stainless steel AISI 321 using nuclear reaction and electrochemical techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noli, F.; Misaelides, P.; Spathis, P.; Pilakouta, M.; Baumann, H.

1992-01-01

The oxidation of Al-implanted (implantation energy 40 keV, dose 10 16 -10 17 Al ions/cm 2 ) AISI 321 stainless steel samples in air has been studied at temperatures between 450 and 650degC using the 16 O(d,p) 17 O nuclear reaction. The determination of the distribution of the implanted Al atoms has been performed using the resonance at 992 keV of the 27 Al(p,γ) 28 Si nuclear reaction. The determined oxygen profiles indicate that the implantation of 5x10 16 and 10 17 Al ions/cm 2 leads to an improvement of the oxidation resistance of the studied steel samples. The passivation/corrosion behaviour of the Al-implanted steel samples in 0.5M aqueous sulphuric acid solution has also been investigated electrochemically using potentiodynamic and cyclovoltammetric techniques. The passivation potential values and the repassivation moving to more positive values indicate an improvement of the corrosion resistance of the Al-implanted steel samples. (orig.)

PARN and TOE1 Constitute a 3′ End Maturation Module for Nuclear Non-coding RNAs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahyeon Son

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Summary: Poly(A-specific ribonuclease (PARN and target of EGR1 protein 1 (TOE1 are nuclear granule-associated deadenylases, whose mutations are linked to multiple human diseases. Here, we applied mTAIL-seq and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq to systematically identify the substrates of PARN and TOE1 and elucidate their molecular functions. We found that PARN and TOE1 do not modulate the length of mRNA poly(A tails. Rather, they promote the maturation of nuclear small non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs. PARN and TOE1 act redundantly on some ncRNAs, most prominently small Cajal body-specific RNAs (scaRNAs. scaRNAs are strongly downregulated when PARN and TOE1 are compromised together, leading to defects in small nuclear RNA (snRNA pseudouridylation. They also function redundantly in the biogenesis of telomerase RNA component (TERC, which shares sequence motifs found in H/ACA box scaRNAs. Our findings extend the knowledge of nuclear ncRNA biogenesis, and they provide insights into the pathology of PARN/TOE1-associated genetic disorders whose therapeutic treatments are currently unavailable. : By analyzing the 3′ termini of transcriptome, Son et al. reveal the targets of PARN and TOE1, two nuclear deadenylases with disease associations. Both deadenylases are involved in nuclear small non-coding RNA maturation, but not in mRNA deadenylation. Their combined activity is particularly important for biogenesis of scaRNAs and TERC. Keywords: PARN, TOE1, CAF1Z, deadenylase, 3′ end maturation, adenylation, deadenylation, scaRNA, TERC

Attributes identification of nuclear material by non-destructive radiation measurement methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gan Lin

2002-01-01

Full text: The nuclear materials should be controlled under the regulation of National Safeguard System. The non-destructive analysis method, which is simple and quick, provide a effective process in determining the nuclear materials, nuclear scraps and wastes. The method play a very important role in the fields of nuclear material control and physical protection against the illegal removal and smuggling of nuclear material. The application of non-destructive analysis in attributes identification of nuclear material is briefly described in this paper. The attributes determined by radioactive detection technique are useful tolls to identify the characterization of special nuclear material (isotopic composition, enrichment etc.). (author)

The Effects of Interference Suppression by a Reconfigurable Structure at DSSS-DPSK Receiver

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B. Dimitrijevic

2010-12-01

Full Text Available In this paper we show the performances of DSSS-DPSK receiver where the interference rejection circuit is reconfigurable and is using ksi-structure. The results will be shown for the case of packet, as well as for the continuous QPSK interference. The results show that the proposed reconfiguration circuit, in case of packet QPSK interference, significantly decreases the error probability, compared to the system using only ksi-structure. Also, in case of continuous interference, the reconfigurable structure has equally good performance, regardless of interference power and its bitrate.

DOE role in nuclear policies and programs: official transcript of public briefing, December 13, 1977

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-02-01

The record for the first of the public briefings in the Consumer Information Series scheduled by the Department of Energy is presented. The series presents, for public information and discussion, those DOE policies and programs of specific interest to consumers and public interest groups. In the first meeting DOE officials responded to questions from the public on the DOE role in nuclear policies and programs

Design of a real-time open architecture controller for a reconfigurable machine tool

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Masekamela, I

2008-11-01

Full Text Available The paper presents the design and the development of a real-time, open architecture controller that is used for control of reconfigurable manufacturing tools (RMTs) in reconfigurable manufacturing systems (RMS). The controller that is presented can...

A Network Reconfiguration Method Considering Data Uncertainties in Smart Distribution Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ke-yan Liu

2017-05-01

Full Text Available This work presents a method for distribution network reconfiguration with the simultaneous consideration of distributed generation (DG allocation. The uncertainties of load fluctuation before the network reconfiguration are also considered. Three optimal objectives, including minimal line loss cost, minimum Expected Energy Not Supplied, and minimum switch operation cost, are investigated. The multi-objective optimization problem is further transformed into a single-objective optimization problem by utilizing weighting factors. The proposed network reconfiguration method includes two periods. The first period is to create a feasible topology network by using binary particle swarm optimization (BPSO. Then the DG allocation problem is solved by utilizing sensitivity analysis and a Harmony Search algorithm (HSA. In the meanwhile, interval analysis is applied to deal with the uncertainties of load and devices parameters. Test cases are studied using the standard IEEE 33-bus and PG&E 69-bus systems. Different scenarios and comparisons are analyzed in the experiments. The results show the applicability of the proposed method. The performance analysis of the proposed method is also investigated. The computational results indicate that the proposed network reconfiguration algorithm is feasible.

A Reconfigurable Metal-Plasma Yagi-Yuda Antenna for Microwave Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giulia Mansutti

2017-05-01

Full Text Available This paper is an extension of the work originally presented at the European Microwave Conference (EuMC about a reconfigurable hybrid metal-plasma Yagi-Uda antenna operating at 1.55 GHz: this antenna consists of metallic reflector and active element and two plasma directors. The conference work showed through full-wave numerical simulations (CST Microwave Studio how it is possible to achieve reconfigurability with respect to the gain by turning on/off the plasma discharges. However the model that was used to represent the plasma discharges was quite ideal, so one comment that was provided questioned the actual possibility of achieving reconfigurability in a real system. Consequently we performed extensive measurements of different plasma discharges and thanks to the collected data, we noticed some important differences between the full-wave numerical model of the plasma that we used in the conference paper and the actual plasma discharges that were generated in the experimental setup: the dielectric vessel and the metallic electrodes used respectively to confine and generate the plasma have an influence on the radiation pattern of the antenna and so they must be included in the design procedure; the cylindrical plasma discharge is much easier to realize when the cylinder diameter is at least 3mm; and finally the collision frequency of the plasma in realistic cases is pretty higher than the one adopted in our previous work. Therefore this work presents a feasibility study of a more detailed and realistic model of our antenna with respect to the plasma discharges. We will show that reconfigurability can still be achieved through a proper design of the overall antenna, thus paving the way to an actual realization of the proposed reconfigurable Yagi-Uda.

Diagnosis and Reconfiguration using Bayesian Networks: An Electrical Power System Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Knox, W. Bradley; Mengshoel, Ole

2009-01-01

Automated diagnosis and reconfiguration are important computational techniques that aim to minimize human intervention in autonomous systems. In this paper, we develop novel techniques and models in the context of diagnosis and reconfiguration reasoning using causal Bayesian networks (BNs). We take as starting point a successful diagnostic approach, using a static BN developed for a real-world electrical power system. We discuss in this paper the extension of this diagnostic approach along two dimensions, namely: (i) from a static BN to a dynamic BN; and (ii) from a diagnostic task to a reconfiguration task. More specifically, we discuss the auto-generation of a dynamic Bayesian network from a static Bayesian network. In addition, we discuss subtle, but important, differences between Bayesian networks when used for diagnosis versus reconfiguration. We discuss a novel reconfiguration agent, which models a system causally, including effects of actions through time, using a dynamic Bayesian network. Though the techniques we discuss are general, we demonstrate them in the context of electrical power systems (EPSs) for aircraft and spacecraft. EPSs are vital subsystems on-board aircraft and spacecraft, and many incidents and accidents of these vehicles have been attributed to EPS failures. We discuss a case study that provides initial but promising results for our approach in the setting of electrical power systems.

Nanopatterned reconfigurable spin-textures for magnonics

Science.gov (United States)

Albisetti, E.; Petti, D.; Pancaldi, M.; Madami, M.; Tacchi, S.; Curtis, J.; King, W. P.; Papp, A.; Csaba, G.; Porod, W.; Vavassori, P.; Riedo, E.; Bertacco, R.

The control of spin-waves holds the promise to enable energy-efficient information transport and wave-based computing. Conventionally, the engineering of spin-waves is achieved via physically patterning magnetic structures such as magnonic crystals and micro-nanowires. We demonstrate a new concept for creating reconfigurable magnonic nanostructures, by crafting at the nanoscale the magnetic anisotropy landscape of a ferromagnet exchange-coupled to an antiferromagnet. By performing a highly localized field cooling with the hot tip of a scanning probe microscope, magnetic structures, with arbitrarily oriented magnetization and tunable unidirectional anisotropy, are patterned without modifying the film chemistry and topography. We demonstrate that, in such structures, the spin-wave excitation and propagation can be spatially controlled at remanence, and can be tuned by external magnetic fields. This opens the way to the use of nanopatterned spin-textures, such as domains and domain walls, for exciting and manipulating magnons in reconfigurable nanocircuits. Partially funded by the EC through project SWING (no. 705326).

The Gospel of Matthew: Reconfigured Torah

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Richard B. Hays

2005-10-01

Full Text Available This essay surveys the evangelist Matthew’s reading of Israel’s Scripture. Rather than focusing only on Matthew’s distinctive formula quotations, we must observe the subtler ways that Matthew evokes scriptural images and patterns. The essay highlights four major aspects of Matthew’s reading of Scripture. (1 Matthew reads Israel’s Scripture as a story that highlights election, kingship, exile, and messianic salvation as the end of exile. (2 Matthew reconfigures Torah into a call for radical transformation of the heart. (3 Matthew highlights Scripture’s call for mercy, particularly by emphasizing Hosea 6:6 as the hermeneutical key to Torah. (4 Matthew interprets the mission to the Gentiles as the fulfilment of Israel’s destiny and the active embodiment of the authority of the Son of Man (Dn 7:13-14 over the whole world. Jointly taken, these strategies of interpretation produce a striking reconfiguration of Israel’s Torah.

Proceedings of EPRI/DOE workshop on nuclear industry valve problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sprung, J.L.

1981-01-01

Representatives from 29 nuclear industry organizations (11 valve manufacturers, 4 nuclear steam supply system vendors, 5 utilities, 3 national laboratories, 2 architect/engineering firms, the Department of Energy (DOE), EPRI, and 2 others) attended the workshop. Working sessions on key valves and on valve stem and seat leakage developed the following recommendations: (1) establish a small permanent expert staff to collect, analyze, and disseminate information about nuclear valve problems; (2) perform generic key valve programs for pressurized water reactors and for boiling water reactors, and several plant specific key valve programs, the latter to demonstrate the cost-effectiveness of such studies; (3) confirm the identity of, define, and initiate needed longer term research and development programs dealing with seat and stem leakage; and (4) establish an industry working group to review and advise on these efforts. Separate abstracts were prepared for three papers which are included in the appendix

Implementation of the Two-Point Angular Correlation Function on a High-Performance Reconfigurable Computer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Volodymyr V. Kindratenko

2009-01-01

Full Text Available We present a parallel implementation of an algorithm for calculating the two-point angular correlation function as applied in the field of computational cosmology. The algorithm has been specifically developed for a reconfigurable computer. Our implementation utilizes a microprocessor and two reconfigurable processors on a dual-MAP SRC-6 system. The two reconfigurable processors are used as two application-specific co-processors. Two independent computational kernels are simultaneously executed on the reconfigurable processors while data pre-fetching from disk and initial data pre-processing are executed on the microprocessor. The overall end-to-end algorithm execution speedup achieved by this implementation is over 90× as compared to a sequential implementation of the algorithm executed on a single 2.8 GHz Intel Xeon microprocessor.

Multi-objective optimal operation of smart reconfigurable distribution grids

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdollah Kavousi-Fard

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Reconfiguration is a valuable technique that can support the distribution grid from different aspects such as operation cost and loss reduction, reliability improvement, and voltage stability enhancement. An intelligent and efficient optimization framework, however, is required to reach the desired efficiency through the reconfiguration strategy. This paper proposes a new multi-objective optimization model to make use of the reconfiguration strategy for minimizing the power losses, improving the voltage profile, and enhancing the load balance in distribution grids. The proposed model employs the min-max fuzzy approach to find the most satisfying solution from a set of nondominated solutions in the problem space. Due to the high complexity and the discrete nature of the proposed model, a new optimization method based on harmony search (HS algorithm is further proposed. Moreover, a new modification method is suggested to increase the harmony memory diversity in the improvisation stage and increase the convergence ability of the algorithm. The feasibility and satisfying performance of the proposed model are examined on the IEEE 32-bus distribution system.

Guide to radiological accident considerations for siting and design of DOE nonreactor nuclear facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elder, J.C.; Graf, J.M.; Dewart, J.M.; Buhl, T.E.; Wenzel, W.J.; Walker, L.J.; Stoker, A.K.

1986-01-01

This guide was prepared to provide the experienced safety analyst with accident analysis guidance in greater detail than is possible in Department of Energy (DOE) Orders. The guide addresses analysis of postulated serious accidents considered in the siting and selection of major design features of DOE nuclear facilities. Its scope has been limited to radiological accidents at nonreactor nuclear facilities. The analysis steps addressed in the guide lead to evaluation of radiological dose to exposed persons for comparison with siting guideline doses. Other possible consequences considered are environmental contamination, population dose, and public health effects. Choices of models and parameters leading to estimation of source terms, release fractions, reduction and removal factors, dispersion and dose factors are discussed. Although requirements for risk analysis have not been established, risk estimates are finding increased use in siting of major nuclear facilities, and are discussed in the guide. 3 figs., 9 tabs

Dilute Al and V NMR in α-Ti

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chou, L.H.; Rowland, T.J.

1992-01-01

We report a nuclear-magnetic-resonance investigation of four titanium alloys: Ti--1 at. % V, Ti--2 at. % V, Ti--1 at. % Al, and Ti--2 at. % Al. Interpretation of the experimental 51 V and 27 Al absorption curves was accomplished largely by comparison with computer-simulated curves. Since the latter include the effects of nuclear-quadrupole and anisotropic Knight-shift interactions, dipolar broadening, and inhomogeneous Knight shift for the V and Al solute nuclei, the comparison yields experimental values for the electric-field gradient, axially symmetric anistropic Knight shift, and isotropic Knight shift, from which we attempt to deduce the local charge distribution at the V or Al atoms in the hcp α-Ti matrix. We find that the localized states on an Al impurity exhibit very little of the character of the host Ti atomic structure. There is no orbital contribution to the Knight shift and the s conduction-electron density at Al sites is small. On the other hand, when vanadium is present as a dilute solute in the Ti lattice, only minor changes in its Knight shift are found. There is a large orbital-shift contribution, and the V nuclear absorption exhibits much the same character as in pure metallic V; there is, however, clear evidence of the V charge distribution assuming the hexagonal symmetry of the Ti lattice. The measured temperature dependences of the anisotropic Knight shift and electric-field-gradient values at V solute sites in Ti are also discussed. On partitioning the field gradient we find that the contribution from local non-s electrons is about two to five times larger in magnitude than the Ti-lattice ion value, a strong indication that the electronic structure near V (but not Al) resembles that of the matrix Ti

Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Export Control in the Republic of Croatia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Valcic, I.; Prah, M.; Mikec, N.

2006-01-01

In accordance with its internationally accepted obligations, the Republic of Croatia is actively implementing principles of non-proliferation and export control of nuclear materials and/or equipment. The article deals with treaties, conventions, agreements and other international arrangements that are creating certain obligation for Republic of Croatia related to nuclear non-proliferation. The most important are the Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material, the Agreement between the Republic of Croatia and the International Atomic Energy Agency for the Application of Safeguards with Protocol, the Protocol Additional to the Agreement Between the Republic of Croatia and the International Atomic Energy Agency for the Application of Safeguards, the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty, the NSG Guidelines for the Export of Nuclear Material, Equipment and Technology and NSG Guidelines for Transfers of Nuclear-Related Dual-Use Equipment, Materials, Software and Related Technology. In addition the article describes a national regulative framework, the basis for conducting activities in nuclear material control, export control of dual-use items as well as non-proliferation of the weapons of mass destruction. Details are given about the Nuclear Safety Act, the Act on Liability for Nuclear Damage, the Act on Export of Dual-Use Items, the Decree on the List of Dual-Use Items, the Law on Production, Repair and Trade in Arms and Military Equipment and the Decree specifying goods subject to export and import licenses. (author)

Potential External (non-DOE) Constraints on U.S. Fuel Cycle Options

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Steven J. Piet

2012-07-01

The DOE Fuel Cycle Technologies (FCT) Program will be conducting a screening of fuel cycle options in FY2013 to help focus fuel cycle R&D activities. As part of this screening, performance criteria and go/no-go criteria are being identified. To help ensure that these criteria are consistent with current policy, an effort was initiated to identify the status and basis of potentially relevant regulations, laws, and policies that have been established external to DOE. As such regulations, laws, and policies may be beyond DOE’s control to change, they may constrain the screening criteria and internally-developed policy. This report contains a historical survey and analysis of publically available domestic documents that could pertain to external constraints on advanced nuclear fuel cycles. “External” is defined as public documents outside DOE. This effort did not include survey and analysis of constraints established internal to DOE.

Safety Analysis Report for Packaging (SARP) for USA/5790/BLF (DOE-AL) and USA/5791/BLF (DOE-AL)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roome, L.G.; Watkins, R.A.; Bertram, R.E.; Kreider, H.B.

1980-01-01

This revised Safety Analysis Report for Packaging (SARP) includes discussions of structural integrity, thermal resistance, radiation shielding and radiological safety, nuclear criticality safety, and quality control of shipping containers. Much of the information was previously submitted to AEC/OSD/ALO and the Department of Transportation (DOT) and provided the basis for obtaining special permits DOT-SP-5790 and DOT-SP-5791 as well as the Interim Certificates of Compliance until the original SARP could be prepared and Certificates of Compliance issued by ERDA. This SARP revision incorporates information on certain design changes, the most significant of which relate to the inner container for the type 5790 package. Complete physical and technical descriptions of the packages are presented. Each package consists of a cylindrical steel inner container centered within an insulating steel drum assembly. The contents may be any radioactive materials which satisfy the requirements established in this SARP. A shipment of plutonium-238 in the form of a solid oxide is evaluated in this SARP as an example. The results of the nuclear criticality safety analysis show how much of the fissile isotopes may be shipped as Fissile Class I, II, or III for each container. Design and development considerations, the tests and evaluations required to prove the ability of the containers to withstand normal transportation conditions, and the sequence of four hypothetical accident conditions (free drop, puncture, thermal, and water immersion) are discussed. Tables, graphs, dimensional sketches, photographs, technical references, loading and shipping procedures, Mound Facility experience in using the containers, and copies of the DOE Certificates of Compliance are included. Internal reviews of the original and revised SARP's have been performed in compliance with the requirement of DOEM 5201-Part V

Electron beam effects on VLSI MOS conditions for testing and reconfiguration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Girard, P.; Roche, F.M.; Pistoulet, B.

1986-01-01

Wafer scale integrated-MOS circuits problems related to test and reconfiguration by electron beams are analyzed. First of all the alterations in characteristics of MOS circuits submitted to an electron beam testing are considered. Then the capabilities of reconfiguration by an electron beam bombardment are discussed. The various phenomena involved are reviewed. Experimental data are reported and discussed on the light of data of the literature. (Auth.)

Constraints on silicates formation in the Si-Al-Fe system: Application to hard deposits in steam generators of PWR nuclear reactors

Science.gov (United States)

Berger, Gilles; Million-Picallion, Lisa; Lefevre, Grégory; Delaunay, Sophie

2015-04-01

-clay interactions in the nuclear waste storage, and by contrast with basic thermodynamic predictions. Conclusion: The Fe-clays and steam generators contexts imply relatively close aqueous environments: hydrothermal, reduced, diluted, neutral to slightly alkaline. The main difference is the status of iron: ferric/ferrous (magnetite) in the steam generators, metallic in the Fe-clay experiments. The concentration of aqueous iron when supplied by magnetite is low and does not allow its incorporation in secondary phases. By contrast, aqueous ferrous iron released by the corrosion of steel is not limited by the source, rather by the sink, and produces Fe-rich silicates. This example illustrates the discrepancy between complex mineral reactions and oversimplified predictions when sorption/passivation and nucleation/growth constraints are ignored. Reference: [1] Lanson et al. (2012) Amer. Min. 97, 864-871. [2] Lantenois et al. (2005) Clays & Clay Min. 53, 597-612. [3] Mosser-Ruck et al. (2010) Clays & Clay Min. 58, 280-291. [4] Perronnet et al. (2008) App. Clay Sci. 38, 187-202. [5] Osacky et al. (2010) App. Clay Sci. 50, 237-244. [6] Guillaume et al. (2003) Clay Min. 38, 281-302. [7] Rivard et al. (2013) Amer. Mineral. 98, 163-180. [8] Svensson and Hansen (2013) Clays & Clay Min. 61, 566-579.

Switchable reconfiguration of nucleic acid nanostructures by stimuli-responsive DNA machines.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xiaoqing; Lu, Chun-Hua; Willner, Itamar

2014-06-17

CONSPECTUS: The base sequence in DNA dictates structural and reactivity features of the biopolymer. These properties are implemented to use DNA as a unique material for developing the area of DNA nanotechnology. The design of DNA machines represents a rapidly developing research field in the area of DNA nanotechnology. The present Account discusses the switchable reconfiguration of nucleic acid nanostructures by stimuli-responsive DNA machines, and it highlights potential applications and future perspectives of the area. Programmed switchable DNA machines driven by various fuels and antifuels, such as pH, Hg(2+) ions/cysteine, or nucleic acid strands/antistrands, are described. These include the assembly of DNA tweezers, walkers, a rotor, a pendulum, and more. Using a pH-oscillatory system, the oscillatory mechanical operation of a DNA pendulum is presented. Specifically, the synthesis and "mechanical" properties of interlocked DNA rings are described. This is exemplified with the preparation of interlocked DNA catenanes and a DNA rotaxane. The dynamic fuel-driven reconfiguration of the catenane/rotaxane structures is followed by fluorescence spectroscopy. The use of DNA machines as functional scaffolds to reconfigurate Au nanoparticle assemblies and to switch the fluorescence features within fluorophore/Au nanoparticle conjugates between quenching and surface-enhanced fluorescence states are addressed. Specifically, the fluorescence features of the different DNA machines are characterized as a function of the spatial separation between the fluorophore and Au nanoparticles. The experimental results are supported by theoretical calculations. The future development of reconfigurable stimuli-responsive DNA machines involves fundamental challenges, such as the synthesis of molecular devices exhibiting enhanced complexities, the introduction of new fuels and antifuels, and the integration of new payloads being reconfigured by the molecular devices, such as enzymes or

Review of non-nuclear density gauges as possible replacements for ITD's nuclear density gauges.

Science.gov (United States)

2015-01-01

This report examines the possibility of replacing nuclear density gauges (NDGs) with non-nuclear density gauges (NNDGs) to : measure density of hot mix asphalt (HMA) and unbound pavement layers in the field. The research team evaluated the : effectiv...

Is nuclear structure relevant to non-mesonic hyper-nuclear weak decay?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, H.C.; Aristizabal, M.F.; Ponce, W.A.

2002-01-01

This work studies the relevance of nuclear structure in the non-mesonic weak decay of Λ-hypernuclei, with the mechanism of ΛN → NN transition being restricted to one pion exchange (OPE) only. As an application, for the hypernucleus Λ 12 C a comparison between the L-S coupling and the j-j coupling gives an estimate of the range of nuclear structure effects. A considerable dependence is found of the total decay rate and the ratio Γ n /Γ p on the single particle properties of nuclear models. The possible contribution from the ΔI = 3/2 channel is investigated in a phenomenological manner. (author)

Nuclear power and the non-proliferation issue

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-12-01

This leaflet, issued by the British Nuclear Forum on behalf of the industry, seeks first to place the problem of reconciling the need for nuclear power with its possible weapon uses in a historical perspective. Secondly, it describes the technical and political measures which are now taken, and others which could be introduced in order to ensure that nuclear power, which offers the cheapest and safest large-scale energy source for the future, can be made available without contributing to the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Headings are: introduction; the early years; the IAEA; uranium enrichment; plutonium; secrecy has failed; the Non-Proliferation Treaty; the London Suppliers Group; the situation today; the British position; conclusions. (U.K.)

Nuclear power the challenges of non-proliferation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

2010-01-01

could have been granted to this country under the Treaty. Even if proliferation has been more than just 'contained', there is always the risk that a State or a group of individuals will try to find illegal and covert channels in violation of international regulations. The decision to develop nuclear weapons is political and independent from the decision to install a nuclear reactor producing electric power. From a technological standpoint, two stages of the fuel cycle are 'sensitive' in relation to the risk of proliferation: uranium enrichment and the treatment of spent fuel. To obtain a quality fit for military use, the U-235 isotope must be enriched to a concentration of over 93%, but in practice this technique is only accessible to countries possessing the know-how. It is also difficult to use the plutonium derived directly from the spent fuel of light water reactors (generation II); moreover, the plutonium of spent MOX fuel is practically unusable for military purposes. Both these technologies are highly complex and are controlled by a restricted number of countries. Existing industrial enrichment and recycling facilities have nothing to do with military installations. They are of a limited number and are located in the five 'nuclear weapon States' (US, Russia, UK, China France), as well as in Japan, which has signed the IAEA Additional Protocol in complement to the full-scope safeguards agreement. The increase in the number of nuclear power plants around the world does not in any way signify an increase in the number of sensitive installations. Possessing one or several nuclear power plants does not mean that the entire industrial chain of the nuclear cycle also has to be developed to run them. Multi-lateral approaches to fuel supply are currently being investigated by the IAEA and its member States. The goal is to guarantee the supply of enrichment services over the long term to countries wishing to obtain nuclear reactors via multi-lateral mechanisms and

Operating cost minimization of a radial distribution system in a deregulated electricity market through reconfiguration using NSGA method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chandramohan, S.; Atturulu, Naresh; Devi, R.P. Kumudini; Venkatesh, B.

2010-01-01

In the future, mechanisms for trade in ancillary services such as reactive power will be implemented in many deregulated power systems. In such an operating framework, a Distribution Corporation (DisCo) would have to purchase reactive power along with real power from the connected transmission corporation. A DisCo would want to minimize its operating costs by minimizing the total amount of real and reactive power drawn from the connected transmission system. Optimally reconfiguring the network will achieve such a goal. In this work, we use a non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA) for reconfiguring a radial DisCo to minimize its operating costs considering real and reactive power costs while maximizing its operating reliability and satisfying the regular operating constraints. This method is tested on sample test systems and reported. (author)

The world nuclear market and its prospects; Le marche mondial du nucleaire et ses perspectives

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anon.

2010-07-15

This market study of the nuclear industry presents: 1 - the dynamics of nuclear markets: organisation of the nuclear industry (fuel cycle, reactors), market analysis and key figures (uranium production, conversion and enrichment, fuel fabrication, reactor manufacturing, spent fuel reprocessing), strengths in presence and competition structure (companies ranking, market shares, positioning); 2 - nuclear renaissance and its basis: a suitable answer to the present day energy and environmental challenges (carbon-free energy and low volatility of fuel price), conjunction of favourable conditions (security of fuel supplies, political support, necessity of plants renewal), three main uncertainties (waste management, safety aspect, public opinion weight); 3 - perspectives of development at the 2030 prospects: data (scope of renaissance, market size), sector reconfiguration scenarios (evolution of competition, reconfiguration paths, concentration trend); 4 - analysis of the strategy of 13 companies, suppliers of the nuclear industry, with their key figures, positioning and strategy (production capacity, partnerships, external growth investments, new technical developments etc.). (J.S.)

Does Al Qaeda Central Still Matter?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kangil Lee

2015-01-01

Full Text Available El artículo discute si Al Qaeda central es todavía relevante o no. Tras estudiar la actividades de Al Qaeda central cuyo objetivo es provocar la violencia en Afganistán y Pakistán, así como los planes continuos de ataques directos contra los Estados Unidos, el artículo muestra que la capacidad operativa de Al Qaeda es más sólida y fuerte que la que Estados Unidos y otros investigadores y eruditos han anticipado. Además, el apoyo virulento y la contribución Al Qaeda en la Península Arábiga a la red de Al Qaeda muestra que la longevidad de Al Qaeda depende de la relación con sus afiliados. El artículo concluye que, en estas condiciones, Al Qaeda central todavía ocupa un lugar en las discusiones de seguridad global.

An Overview of the Regulation of Low Dose Radiation in the Nuclear and Non-nuclear Industries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Menon, Shankar; Valencia, Luis; Teunckens, Lucien

2003-01-01

Now that increasing numbers of nuclear power stations are reaching the end of their commercially useful lives, the management of the large quantities of very low level radioactive material that arises during their decommissioning has become a major subject of discussion, with very significant economic implications. Much of this material can, in an environmentally advantageous manner, be recycled for reuse without radiological restrictions. Much larger quantities--2-3 orders of magnitude larger--of material, radiologically similar to the candidate material for recycling from the nuclear industry, arise in non-nuclear industries like coal, fertilizer, oil and gas, mining, etc. In such industries, naturally occurring radioactivity is artificially concentrated in products, by-products or waste to form TENORM (Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material). It is only in the last decade that the international community has become aware of the prevalence of TENORM, specially the activity levels and quantities arising in so many non-nuclear industries. The first reaction of international organizations seems to have been to propose different standards for the nuclear and non-nuclear industries, with very stringent release criteria for radioactive material from the regulated nuclear industry and up to thirty to a hundred times more liberal criteria for the release/exemption of TENORM from the as yet unregulated non-nuclear industries. There are significant strategic issues that need to be discussed and resolved. Some examples of these are: - Disposal aspects of long-lived nuclides, - The use of radioactive residues in building materials, - Commercial aspects of differing and discriminating criteria in competing power industries in a world of deregulated electric power production. Of even greater importance is the need for the discussion of certain basic issues, such as - The quantitative risk levels of exposure to ionizing radiation, - The need for in

Non-proliferation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deiseroth, D.; Gustafsson, S.

1993-01-01

The issue of Nuclear Non Proliferation has been moved to a leading place on the contemporary international security agenda. What about the situation of nuclear weapons and nuclear technology in Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Belorussia? Why did the IAEA-inspectors totally failed to discover any sign of Iraq's clandestine nuclear-weapon programme before the Gulf War? Do the NATO and their nuclear power states violate Art. VI of the Non-Proliferation-Treaty (NPT), because they are - despite the end of the cold war - not willing to renounce of the ''option of the first use of nuclear weapons''? Does the NPT establish a form of nuclear apartheid? What will be the situation if the NPT-Extension-Conference in 1995 will be unable to obtain a majority of the parties for any one extension proposal? Do we need a new international nuclear control agency with severe powers, a sort of nuclear Interpol? The Colloquium ''Saving NPT and abolishing Nuclear Weapons'', held in Stockholm in September 1992, organized by the Swedish and the German Sections of IALANA, tried to analyse some of the raised issues. (orig.) [de

Transportation System Risk Assessment on DOE Defense Program shipments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brumburgh, G.P.; Kimura, C.Y.; Alesso, H.P.; Prassinos, P.G.

1992-01-01

Substantial effort has been expended concerning the level of safety provided to persons, property, and the environment from the hazards associated with transporting radioactive material. This work provided an impetus for the Department of Energy to investigate the use of probabilistic risk assessment techniques to supplement the deterministic approach to transportation safety. The DOE recently decided to incorporate the methodologies associated with PRAs in the process for authorizing the transportation of nuclear components, special assemblies, and radioactive materials affiliated with the DOE Defense Program. Accordingly, the LLNL, sponsored by the DOE/AL, is tasked with developing a safety guide series to provide guidance to preparers performing a transportation system risk assessment

Proceedings of the DOE workshop on the role of a high-current accelerator in the future of nuclear medicine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moody, D.C.; Peterson, E.J.

1989-05-01

The meeting was prompted by recent problems with isotope availability from DOE accelerator facilities; these difficulties have resulted from conflicting priorities between physics experiments and isotope production activities. The workshop was a forum in which the nuclear medicine community, isotope producers, industry, and other interested groups could discuss issues associated with isotope availability (including continuous supply options), the role of DOE and industry in isotope production, and the importance of research isotopes to the future of nuclear medicine. The workshop participants endorsed DOE's presence in supplying radioisotopes for research purposes and recommended that DOE should immediately provide additional support for radionuclide production in the form of personnel and supplies, DOE should establish a policy that would allow income from sales of future ''routine'' radionuclide production to be used to support technicians, DOE should obtain a 70-MeV, 500-/mu/A variable-energy proton accelerator as soon as possible, and DOE should also immediately solicit proposals to evaluate the usefulness of a new or upgraded high-energy, high-current machine for production of research radionuclides. This proceedings volume is a summary of workshop sessions that explored the future radionuclide needs of the nuclear medicine community and discussed the DOE production capabilities that would be required to meet these needs

Proceedings of the DOE workshop on the role of a high-current accelerator in the future of nuclear medicine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moody, D.C.; Peterson, E.J. (comps.)

1989-05-01

The meeting was prompted by recent problems with isotope availability from DOE accelerator facilities; these difficulties have resulted from conflicting priorities between physics experiments and isotope production activities. The workshop was a forum in which the nuclear medicine community, isotope producers, industry, and other interested groups could discuss issues associated with isotope availability (including continuous supply options), the role of DOE and industry in isotope production, and the importance of research isotopes to the future of nuclear medicine. The workshop participants endorsed DOE's presence in supplying radioisotopes for research purposes and recommended that DOE should immediately provide additional support for radionuclide production in the form of personnel and supplies, DOE should establish a policy that would allow income from sales of future ''routine'' radionuclide production to be used to support technicians, DOE should obtain a 70-MeV, 500-/mu/A variable-energy proton accelerator as soon as possible, and DOE should also immediately solicit proposals to evaluate the usefulness of a new or upgraded high-energy, high-current machine for production of research radionuclides. This proceedings volume is a summary of workshop sessions that explored the future radionuclide needs of the nuclear medicine community and discussed the DOE production capabilities that would be required to meet these needs.

Ultra Low Energy FDSOI Asynchronous Reconfiguration Network for Adaptive Circuits

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Soundous Chairat

2017-05-01

Full Text Available This paper introduces a plug-and-play on-chip asynchronous communication network aimed at the dynamic reconfiguration of a low-power adaptive circuit such as an internet of things (IoT system. By using a separate communication network, we can address both digital and analog blocks at a lower configuration cost, increasing the overall system power efficiency. As reconfiguration only occurs according to specific events and has to be automatically in stand-by most of the time, our design is fully asynchronous using handshake protocols. The paper presents the circuit’s architecture, performance results, and an example of the reconfiguration of frequency locked loops (FLL to validate our work. We obtain an overall energy per bit of 0.07 pJ/bit for one stage, in a 28 nm Fully Depleted Silicon On Insulator (FDSOI technology at 0.6 V and a 1.1 ns/bit latency per stage.

Reconfigurable Signal Processing and Hardware Architecture for Broadband Wireless Communications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liang Ying-Chang

2005-01-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes a broadband wireless transceiver which can be reconfigured to any type of cyclic-prefix (CP -based communication systems, including orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM, single-carrier cyclic-prefix (SCCP system, multicarrier (MC code-division multiple access (MC-CDMA, MC direct-sequence CDMA (MC-DS-CDMA, CP-based CDMA (CP-CDMA, and CP-based direct-sequence CDMA (CP-DS-CDMA. A hardware platform is proposed and the reusable common blocks in such a transceiver are identified. The emphasis is on the equalizer design for mobile receivers. It is found that after block despreading operation, MC-DS-CDMA and CP-DS-CDMA have the same equalization blocks as OFDM and SCCP systems, respectively, therefore hardware and software sharing is possible for these systems. An attempt has also been made to map the functional reconfigurable transceiver onto the proposed hardware platform. The different functional entities which will be required to perform the reconfiguration and realize the transceiver are explained.

Market-based multiagent system for reconfiguration of shipboard power systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, Kai; Srivastava, Sanjeev K.; Cartes, David A.; Sun, Li-Hsiang

2009-01-01

On ships, the electric shipboard power system (SPS) supplies electrical power to critical functions such as navigation, communication, emergency systems, and in the case of warships, weapon systems. During ship operation, some parts of the SPS may become unavailable due to damage, fault, or maintenance. For the survivability and reliability of ships, it is desired to make the SPS highly reconfigurable. This paper presents a market-based multiagent system (MAS) for the reconfiguration of radial SPS. Radial SPSs are found on majority of ships. In the proposed MAS, each agent only communicates with its neighbor agents to make the system work in a fully decentralized manner. The MAS is implemented using Java Agent Development Framework (JADE), which is fully implemented in Java and compliant with Foundation of Intelligent Physical Agents (FIPA). An SPS with two generators and four loads is used for testing the proposed MAS. The results show the proposed MAS can successfully reconfigure a radial SPS. (author)

Implementation of Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems, the Case of The LEGO Group

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wang, Ying; Bilberg, Arne; Hadar, Ronen

of reconfigurable manufacturing systems (RMS). A literature review is made to describe the advantages and core characteristics of RMS. Based on the theory, a conceptual model is developed to analyze where RMS would be most suitable and have most benefits in The LEGO Group. Finally, the conclusion is drawn based...... on the analysis through the model. Keywords: Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems, Conceptual Model of RMS, Production of The LEGO Group...

Reactor physics for non-nuclear engineers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lewis, E.E.

2011-01-01

A one-term undergraduate course in reactor physics is described. The instructional format is strongly influenced by its intended audience of non-nuclear engineering students. In contrast to legacy treatments of the subject, the course focuses on the physics of nuclear power reactors with no attempt to include instruction in numerical methods. The multi-physics of power reactors is emphasized highlighting the close interactions between neutronic and thermal phenomena in design and analysis. Consequently, the material's sequencing also differs from traditional treatments, for example treating kinetics before the neutron diffusion is introduced. (author)