Design and development of a cathode processor for electrometallurgical treatment of spent nuclear fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brunsvold, A. R.; Roach, P. D.; Westphal, B. R.

1999-01-01

The electrometallurgical processing of spent fuel developed at Argonne National Laboratory produces a cathode which contains dendrites of heavy metal (principally U), salts, and residual cadmium. The cathode requires further treatment which is accomplished by loading it into a cathode processor to first purify and then consolidate the heavy metal. The principal steps in cathode processing are: the cathode is loaded into a crucible and both loaded into the cathode processor; the crucible is heated under vacuum to an intermediate temperature to distill the salt and cadmium from the crucible; the crucible is heated further to melt and consolidate the heavy metal; the crucible and charge are then cooled forming a heavy metal ingot in the crucible mold. The cathode processor development program has progressed through the design, fabrication, qualification, and demonstration phases. Two identical units were built. One (a prototype unit) has been installed at Argonne's site in Illinois and the other (the production unit) has been installed in the Fuel Conditioning Facility (FCF) at Argonne's Idaho site. Both units are presently in operation. The most recent activities completed in the FCF fuel processing project were the EBR-II driver fuel and blanket fuel demonstration phases. All of the cathode processor success criteria were met during these demonstration phases. These included finalizing the operation conditions applicable to irradiated fuel and process throughput criteria

Effects of PEMFC operating parameters on the performance of an integrated ethanol processor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Francesconi, Javier A.; Mussati, Miguel C.; Aguirre, Pio A. [INGAR Instituto de Desarrollo y Diseno (CONICET-UTN), Avellaneda 3657, CP:S3002GJC, Santa Fe (Argentina)

2010-06-15

In this paper the performance of a complete fuel cell system processing ethanol fuel has been analyzed as a function of the main fuel cell operating parameters. The fuel processor is based on the steam reforming process, followed by high- and low-temperature shift reactors, and carbon monoxide preferential oxidation reactor, which are coupled to a polymeric fuel cell (PEMFC). The goal was to analyze and improve the fuel cell system performance by simulation techniques. PEMFC operation has been analyzed using an available parametric model, which was implemented within HYSYS environment software. Pinch Analysis concepts were used to investigate the process energy integration and determine the maximum efficiency minimizing ethanol consumption. The system performance was analyzed for the SR-12 Modular PEM Generator, the Ballard Mark V fuel cell and the BCS 500 W stack. The net system efficiency is dependent on the required power demand. Efficiency values higher than 50% at low loads and less than 30% at high power demands are computed. In addition, the effect of fuel cell temperature, pressure and hydrogen utilization was analyzed. The trade-off between the reformer yield and the fuel cell performance defines the optimal operation pressure. The cell temperature determines operating zones where the water, involved in the reforming reactions, can be produced or demanded. (author)

35-We polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell system for notebook computer using a compact fuel processor

Science.gov (United States)

Son, In-Hyuk; Shin, Woo-Cheol; Lee, Yong-Kul; Lee, Sung-Chul; Ahn, Jin-Gu; Han, Sang-Il; kweon, Ho-Jin; Kim, Ju-Yong; Kim, Moon-Chan; Park, Jun-Yong

A polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) system is developed to power a notebook computer. The system consists of a compact methanol-reforming system with a CO preferential oxidation unit, a 16-cell PEMFC stack, and a control unit for the management of the system with a d.c.-d.c. converter. The compact fuel-processor system (260 cm 3) generates about 1.2 L min -1 of reformate, which corresponds to 35 We, with a low CO concentration (notebook computers.

35-We polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell system for notebook computer using a compact fuel processor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Son, In-Hyuk; Shin, Woo-Cheol; Lee, Sung-Chul; Ahn, Jin-Gu; Han, Sang-Il; kweon, Ho-Jin; Kim, Ju-Yong; Park, Jun-Yong [Energy 1 Group, Energy Laboratory at Corporate R and D Center in Samsung SDI Co., Ltd., 575, Shin-dong, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do 443-731 (Korea); Lee, Yong-Kul [Department of Chemical Engineering, Dankook University, Youngin 448-701 (Korea); Kim, Moon-Chan [Department of Environmental Engineering, Chongju University, Chongju 360-764 (Korea)

2008-10-15

A polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) system is developed to power a notebook computer. The system consists of a compact methanol-reforming system with a CO preferential oxidation unit, a 16-cell PEMFC stack, and a control unit for the management of the system with a d.c.-d.c. converter. The compact fuel-processor system (260 cm{sup 3}) generates about 1.2 L min{sup -1} of reformate, which corresponds to 35 We, with a low CO concentration (<30 ppm, typically 0 ppm), and is thus proven to be capable of being targetted at notebook computers. (author)

MEMS-based fuel cells with integrated catalytic fuel processor and method thereof

Science.gov (United States)

Jankowski, Alan F [Livermore, CA; Morse, Jeffrey D [Martinez, CA; Upadhye, Ravindra S [Pleasanton, CA; Havstad, Mark A [Davis, CA

2011-08-09

Described herein is a means to incorporate catalytic materials into the fuel flow field structures of MEMS-based fuel cells, which enable catalytic reforming of a hydrocarbon based fuel, such as methane, methanol, or butane. Methods of fabrication are also disclosed.

Purifier-integrated methanol reformer for fuel cell vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Jaesung; Kim, Il-soo; Choi, Keun-Sup

We developed a compact, 3-kW, purifier-integrated modular reformer which becomes the building block of full-scale 30-kW or 50-kW methanol fuel processors for fuel cell vehicles. Our proprietary technologies regarding hydrogen purification by composite metal membrane and catalytic combustion by washcoated wire-mesh catalyst were combined with the conventional methanol steam-reforming technology, resulting in higher conversion, excellent quality of product hydrogen, and better thermal efficiency than any other systems using preferential oxidation. In this system, steam reforming, hydrogen purification, and catalytic combustion all take place in a single reactor so that the whole system is compact and easy to operate. Hydrogen from the module is ultrahigh pure (99.9999% or better), hence there is no power degradation of PEMFC stack due to contamination by CO. Also, since only pure hydrogen is supplied to the anode of the PEMFC stack, 100% hydrogen utilization is possible in the stack. The module produces 2.3 Nm 3/h of hydrogen, which is equivalent to 3 kW when PEMFC has 43% efficiency. Thermal efficiency (HHV of product H 2/HHV of MeOH in) of the module is 89% and the power density of the module is 0.77 kW/l. This work was conducted in cooperation with Hyundai Motor Company in the form of a Korean national project. Currently the module is under test with an actual fuel cell stack in order to verify its performance. Sooner or later a full-scale 30-kW system will be constructed by connecting these modules in series and parallel and will serve as the fuel processor for the Korean first fuel cell hybrid vehicle.

Proton exchange membrane fuel cell technology for transportation applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Swathirajan, S. [General Motors R& D Center, Warren, MI (United States)

1996-04-01

Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cells are extremely promising as future power plants in the transportation sector to achieve an increase in energy efficiency and eliminate environmental pollution due to vehicles. GM is currently involved in a multiphase program with the US Department of Energy for developing a proof-of-concept hybrid vehicle based on a PEM fuel cell power plant and a methanol fuel processor. Other participants in the program are Los Alamos National Labs, Dow Chemical Co., Ballard Power Systems and DuPont Co., In the just completed phase 1 of the program, a 10 kW PEM fuel cell power plant was built and tested to demonstrate the feasibility of integrating a methanol fuel processor with a PEM fuel cell stack. However, the fuel cell power plant must overcome stiff technical and economic challenges before it can be commercialized for light duty vehicle applications. Progress achieved in phase I on the use of monolithic catalyst reactors in the fuel processor, managing CO impurity in the fuel cell stack, low-cost electrode-membrane assembles, and on the integration of the fuel processor with a Ballard PEM fuel cell stack will be presented.

Exergy analysis of an integrated fuel processor and fuel cell (FP-FC) system

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Delsman, E.R.; Uju, C.U.; Croon, de M.H.J.M.; Schouten, J.C.; Ptasinski, K.J.

2006-01-01

Fuel cells have great application potential as stationary power plants, as power sources in transportation, and as portable power generators for electronic devices. Most fuel cells currently being developed for use in vehicles and as portable power generators require hydrogen as a fuel. Chemical

A lock circuit for a multi-core processor

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2015-01-01

An integrated circuit comprising a multiple processor cores and a lock circuit that comprises a queue register with respective bits set or reset via respective, connections dedicated to respective processor cores, whereby the queue register identifies those among the multiple processor cores...... that are enqueued in the queue register. Furthermore, the integrated circuit comprises a current register and a selector circuit configured to select a processor core and identify that processor core by a value in the current register. A selected processor core is a prioritized processor core among the cores...... configured with an integrated circuit; and a silicon die configured with an integrated circuit....

Evaluation of an integrated methane autothermal reforming and high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Authayanun, Suthida; Saebea, Dang; Patcharavorachot, Yaneeporn; Arpornwichanop, Amornchai

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the performance and efficiency of an integrated autothermal reforming and HT-PEMFC (high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell) system fueled by methane. Effect of the inclusion of a CO (carbon monoxide) removal process on the integrated HT-PEMFC system was considered. An increase in the S/C (steam-to-carbon) ratio and the reformer temperature can enhance the hydrogen fraction while the CO formation reduces with increasing S/C ratio. The fuel processor efficiency of the methane autothermal reformer with a WGS (water gas shift reactor) reactor, as the CO removal process, is higher than that without a WGS reactor. A higher fuel processor efficiency can be obtained when the feed of the autothermal reformer is preheated to the reformer temperature. Regarding the cell performance, the reformate gas from the methane reformer operated at T in  = T R and with a high S/C ratio is suitable for the HT-PEMFC system without a WGS reactor. When considering the HT-PEMFC system with a WGS reactor, the CO poisoning has less significant impact on the cell performance and the system can be operated over a broader range to minimize the required total active area. A WGS reactor is necessary for the methane autothermal reforming and HT-PEMFC integrated system with regard to the system efficiency. - Highlights: • An integrated autothermal reforming and HT-PEMFC system was studied. • The HT-PEMFC system with and without a CO removal process was considered. • Parametric analysis was performed to obtain a high system efficiency. • The HT-PEMFC system with the WGS reactor can be run over a broader range. • The efficiencies of the HT-PEMFC systems without and with a WGS reactor were reported

Green Secure Processors: Towards Power-Efficient Secure Processor Design

Science.gov (United States)

Chhabra, Siddhartha; Solihin, Yan

With the increasing wealth of digital information stored on computer systems today, security issues have become increasingly important. In addition to attacks targeting the software stack of a system, hardware attacks have become equally likely. Researchers have proposed Secure Processor Architectures which utilize hardware mechanisms for memory encryption and integrity verification to protect the confidentiality and integrity of data and computation, even from sophisticated hardware attacks. While there have been many works addressing performance and other system level issues in secure processor design, power issues have largely been ignored. In this paper, we first analyze the sources of power (energy) increase in different secure processor architectures. We then present a power analysis of various secure processor architectures in terms of their increase in power consumption over a base system with no protection and then provide recommendations for designs that offer the best balance between performance and power without compromising security. We extend our study to the embedded domain as well. We also outline the design of a novel hybrid cryptographic engine that can be used to minimize the power consumption for a secure processor. We believe that if secure processors are to be adopted in future systems (general purpose or embedded), it is critically important that power issues are considered in addition to performance and other system level issues. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work to examine the power implications of providing hardware mechanisms for security.

Dual-core Itanium Processor

CERN Multimedia

2006-01-01

Intel’s first dual-core Itanium processor, code-named "Montecito" is a major release of Intel's Itanium 2 Processor Family, which implements the Intel Itanium architecture on a dual-core processor with two cores per die (integrated circuit). Itanium 2 is much more powerful than its predecessor. It has lower power consumption and thermal dissipation.

40 CFR 80.840 - What requirements apply to transmix processors?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) REGULATION OF FUELS AND FUEL ADDITIVES Gasoline Toxics Gasoline Toxics Performance Requirements § 80.840 What requirements apply to transmix processors? Any transmix processor who produces gasoline or gasoline blendstock from transmix, or recovers gasoline or gasoline blendstock from transmix...

Solid Oxide Fuel Cells Operating on Alternative and Renewable Fuels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Xiaoxing; Quan, Wenying; Xiao, Jing; Peduzzi, Emanuela; Fujii, Mamoru; Sun, Funxia; Shalaby, Cigdem; Li, Yan; Xie, Chao; Ma, Xiaoliang; Johnson, David; Lee, Jeong; Fedkin, Mark; LaBarbera, Mark; Das, Debanjan; Thompson, David; Lvov, Serguei; Song, Chunshan

2014-09-30

This DOE project at the Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) initially involved Siemens Energy, Inc. to (1) develop new fuel processing approaches for using selected alternative and renewable fuels – anaerobic digester gas (ADG) and commercial diesel fuel (with 15 ppm sulfur) – in solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) power generation systems; and (2) conduct integrated fuel processor – SOFC system tests to evaluate the performance of the fuel processors and overall systems. Siemens Energy Inc. was to provide SOFC system to Penn State for testing. The Siemens work was carried out at Siemens Energy Inc. in Pittsburgh, PA. The unexpected restructuring in Siemens organization, however, led to the elimination of the Siemens Stationary Fuel Cell Division within the company. Unfortunately, this led to the Siemens subcontract with Penn State ending on September 23rd, 2010. SOFC system was never delivered to Penn State. With the assistance of NETL project manager, the Penn State team has since developed a collaborative research with Delphi as the new subcontractor and this work involved the testing of a stack of planar solid oxide fuel cells from Delphi.

Hybrid fuel cell/diesel generation total energy system, part 2

Science.gov (United States)

Blazek, C. F.

1982-11-01

Meeting the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex (DGSCC) electrical and thermal requirements with the existing system was compared with using fuel cells. Fuel cell technology selection was based on a 1985 time frame for installation. The most cost-effective fuel feedstock for fuel cell application was identified. Fuels considered included diesel oil, natural gas, methanol and coal. These fuel feedstocks were considered not only on the cost and efficiency of the fuel conversion process, but also on complexity and integration of the fuel processor on system operation and thermal energy availability. After a review of fuel processor technology, catalytic steam reformer technology was selected based on the ease of integration and the economics of hydrogen production. The phosphoric acid fuel cell was selected for application at the GDSCC due to its commercial readiness for near term application. Fuel cell systems were analyzed for both natural gas and methanol feedstock. The subsequent economic analysis indicated that a natural gas fueled system was the most cost effective of the cases analyzed.

Development of a 2kWe LPG fuel processor for PEFC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cipiti, F.; Pino, L.; Vita, A.; Cordaro, M.; Lagana, M.; Recupero, V.

2004-01-01

The successful development of Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells (PEFC's) for stationary and/or transportation purposes is strictly dependent on the choice of a proper fuel processor. This paper covers the in progress activities performed at CNR-ITAE on the development of a 2 kWequivalent hydrogen generator unit, (under testing) feed by LPG (propane). The main issues that should be satisfied by the hydrogen generator will be high fuel conversion, stable performance for repeated start-up and shut-down cycles, capability to process different hydrocarbons, etc. The actual unit, is constituted by an autothermal reactor (ATR) with a proprietary CNR/ITAE catalyst, an intermediate water gas shift (ITS) and a CO preferential oxidation (PROX) reactors containing commercial catalysts; the system includes heat exchangers, manual and automatic valves, pressure regulators and transducers, flow meters and ancillaries. External heating is supplied only during the start-up; on regime operations the global heat balance is smoothly exothermic. The main objectives of the experimental tests are: evaluation of reactors and system performance (in steady state and in transient response), identification of main operating limits of the reactors, to validate heat and mass balance. Preliminary results, for the 2 kW prototype, are presented. (author)

Multi-fuel reformers for fuel cells used in transportation. Phase 1: Multi-fuel reformers

Science.gov (United States)

1994-05-01

DOE has established the goal, through the Fuel Cells in Transportation Program, of fostering the rapid development and commercialization of fuel cells as economic competitors for the internal combustion engine. Central to this goal is a safe feasible means of supplying hydrogen of the required purity to the vehicular fuel cell system. Two basic strategies are being considered: (1) on-board fuel processing whereby alternative fuels such as methanol, ethanol or natural gas stored on the vehicle undergo reformation and subsequent processing to produce hydrogen, and (2) on-board storage of pure hydrogen provided by stationary fuel processing plants. This report analyzes fuel processor technologies, types of fuel and fuel cell options for on-board reformation. As the Phase 1 of a multi-phased program to develop a prototype multi-fuel reformer system for a fuel cell powered vehicle, the objective of this program was to evaluate the feasibility of a multi-fuel reformer concept and to select a reforming technology for further development in the Phase 2 program, with the ultimate goal of integration with a DOE-designated fuel cell and vehicle configuration. The basic reformer processes examined in this study included catalytic steam reforming (SR), non-catalytic partial oxidation (POX) and catalytic partial oxidation (also known as Autothermal Reforming, or ATR). Fuels under consideration in this study included methanol, ethanol, and natural gas. A systematic evaluation of reforming technologies, fuels, and transportation fuel cell applications was conducted for the purpose of selecting a suitable multi-fuel processor for further development and demonstration in a transportation application.

Adaptive signal processor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Walz, H.V.

1980-07-01

An experimental, general purpose adaptive signal processor system has been developed, utilizing a quantized (clipped) version of the Widrow-Hoff least-mean-square adaptive algorithm developed by Moschner. The system accommodates 64 adaptive weight channels with 8-bit resolution for each weight. Internal weight update arithmetic is performed with 16-bit resolution, and the system error signal is measured with 12-bit resolution. An adapt cycle of adjusting all 64 weight channels is accomplished in 8 ..mu..sec. Hardware of the signal processor utilizes primarily Schottky-TTL type integrated circuits. A prototype system with 24 weight channels has been constructed and tested. This report presents details of the system design and describes basic experiments performed with the prototype signal processor. Finally some system configurations and applications for this adaptive signal processor are discussed.

Adaptive signal processor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walz, H.V.

1980-07-01

An experimental, general purpose adaptive signal processor system has been developed, utilizing a quantized (clipped) version of the Widrow-Hoff least-mean-square adaptive algorithm developed by Moschner. The system accommodates 64 adaptive weight channels with 8-bit resolution for each weight. Internal weight update arithmetic is performed with 16-bit resolution, and the system error signal is measured with 12-bit resolution. An adapt cycle of adjusting all 64 weight channels is accomplished in 8 μsec. Hardware of the signal processor utilizes primarily Schottky-TTL type integrated circuits. A prototype system with 24 weight channels has been constructed and tested. This report presents details of the system design and describes basic experiments performed with the prototype signal processor. Finally some system configurations and applications for this adaptive signal processor are discussed

Integral nuclear fuel element assembly

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schluderberg, D. C.

1985-01-01

An integral nuclear fuel element assembly utilizes longitudinally finned fuel pins. The continuous or interrupted fins of the fuel pins are brazed to fins of juxtaposed fuel pins or directly to the juxtaposed fuel pins or both. The integrally brazed fuel assembly is designed to satisfy the thermal and hydraulic requirements of a fuel assembly lattice having moderator to fuel atom ratios required to achieve high conversion and breeding ratios

Integrated Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-A (AMSU-A). Engineering Test Report: METSAT A1 Signal Processor (P/N: 1331670-2, S/N: F04)

Science.gov (United States)

Lund, D.

1998-01-01

This report presents a description of the tests performed, and the test data, for the A1 METSAT Signal Processor Assembly PN: 1331679-2, S/N F04. The assembly was tested in accordance with AE-26754, "METSAT Signal Processor Scan Drive Test and Integration Procedure." The objective is to demonstrate functionality of the signal processor prior to instrument integration.

Development of the Integrated Hydrogen Production System Using Micro-structured Devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jung Min Sohn; Young Chang Byun; Jun Yeon Cho; Youngwoon Kwon; Jaehoon Choe

2006-01-01

A plate-type integrated fuel processor, which consisted of three different micro-reactors which were a reformer with combustor, two heat exchangers and an evaporator with combustor, was developed for the hydrogen production as feed of over 100 W-grade PEMFC. The methanol steam reforming was chosen in our fuel processor to produce highly pure hydrogen. Our system could be operated without any external electric heat supply. Hydrogen which might come from off gas was used as the combustion fuel at initial stage and methanol was used during the steam reaction. Cu/Zn/Al 2 O 3 and Pt/Al 2 O 3 catalysts were chosen for steam reforming of methanol and the combustion and coated on microchannel-patterned stainless steel sheets. The performance of the fuel processor was tested for long-term use. The integrated system was operated consistently with methanol conversion of over 80.0 mol% at 300 C for 20 hrs without deactivation of catalyst. The maximum composition of hydrogen and production rate on dry basis was about 70 % and 1.7 L/min, respectively. The efficiency of our system was calculated based on the LHV of methanol and hydrogen. Overall thermal efficiency of our fuel processor was 59.5 % and thermal power of hydrogen was about 300 W. (authors)

Methanol Fuel Cell

Science.gov (United States)

Voecks, G. E.

1985-01-01

In proposed fuel-cell system, methanol converted to hydrogen in two places. External fuel processor converts only part of methanol. Remaining methanol converted in fuel cell itself, in reaction at anode. As result, size of fuel processor reduced, system efficiency increased, and cost lowered.

A CNN-Specific Integrated Processor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suleyman Malki

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Integrated Processors (IP are algorithm-specific cores that either by programming or by configuration can be re-used within many microelectronic systems. This paper looks at Cellular Neural Networks (CNN to become realized as IP. First current digital implementations are reviewed, and the memoryprocessor bandwidth issues are analyzed. Then a generic view is taken on the structure of the network, and a new intra-communication protocol based on rotating wheels is proposed. It is shown that this provides for guaranteed high-performance with a minimal network interface. The resulting node is small and supports multi-level CNN designs, giving the system a 30-fold increase in capacity compared to classical designs. As it facilitates multiple operations on a single image, and single operations on multiple images, with minimal access to the external image memory, balancing the internal and external data transfer requirements optimizes the system operation. In conventional digital CNN designs, the treatment of boundary nodes requires additional logic to handle the CNN value propagation scheme. In the new architecture, only a slight modification of the existing cells is necessary to model the boundary effect. A typical prototype for visual pattern recognition will house 4096 CNN cells with a 2% overhead for making it an IP.

An integrated processor for photonic quantum states using a broadband light–matter interface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saglamyurek, E; Sinclair, N; Slater, J A; Heshami, K; Oblak, D; Tittel, W

2014-01-01

Faithful storage and coherent manipulation of quantum optical pulses are key for long distance quantum communications and quantum computing. Combining these functions in a light–matter interface that can be integrated on-chip with other photonic quantum technologies, e.g. sources of entangled photons, is an important step towards these applications. To date there have only been a few demonstrations of coherent pulse manipulation utilizing optical storage devices compatible with quantum states, and that only in atomic gas media (making integration difficult) and with limited capabilities. Here we describe how a broadband waveguide quantum memory based on the atomic frequency comb (AFC) protocol can be used as a programmable processor for essentially arbitrary spectral and temporal manipulations of individual quantum optical pulses. Using weak coherent optical pulses at the few photon level, we experimentally demonstrate sequencing, time-to-frequency multiplexing and demultiplexing, splitting, interfering, temporal and spectral filtering, compressing and stretching as well as selective delaying. Our integrated light–matter interface offers high-rate, robust and easily configurable manipulation of quantum optical pulses and brings fully practical optical quantum devices one step closer to reality. Furthermore, as the AFC protocol is suitable for storage of intense light pulses, our processor may also find applications in classical communications. (paper)

46 CFR 119.435 - Integral fuel tanks.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Integral fuel tanks. 119.435 Section 119.435 Shipping... Machinery Requirements § 119.435 Integral fuel tanks. (a) Diesel fuel tanks may not be built integral with... for certification of a vessel, integral fuel tanks must withstand a hydrostatic pressure test of 35 k...

Fuel options for the fuel cell vehicle: hydrogen, methanol or gasoline?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thomas, C.E.; James, B.D.; Lomax, F.D. Jr.; Kuhn, I.F. Jr.

2000-01-01

Fuel cell vehicles can be powered directly by hydrogen or, with an onboard chemical processor, other liquid fuels such as gasoline or methanol. Most analysts agree that hydrogen is the preferred fuel in terms of reducing vehicle complexity, but one common perception is that the cost of a hydrogen infrastructure would be excessive. According to this conventional wisdom, the automobile industry must therefore develop complex onboard fuel processors to convert methanol, ethanol or gasoline to hydrogen. We show here, however, that the total fuel infrastructure cost to society including onboard fuel processors may be less for hydrogen than for either gasoline or methanol, the primary initial candidates currently under consideration for fuel cell vehicles. We also present the local air pollution and greenhouse gas advantages of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles compared to those powered by gasoline or methanol. (Author)

Functional Verification of Enhanced RISC Processor

OpenAIRE

SHANKER NILANGI; SOWMYA L

2013-01-01

This paper presents design and verification of a 32-bit enhanced RISC processor core having floating point computations integrated within the core, has been designed to reduce the cost and complexity. The designed 3 stage pipelined 32-bit RISC processor is based on the ARM7 processor architecture with single precision floating point multiplier, floating point adder/subtractor for floating point operations and 32 x 32 booths multiplier added to the integer core of ARM7. The binary representati...

Vertical integration in the nuclear fuel cycle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mommsen, J.T.

1977-01-01

Vertical integration in the nuclear fuel cycle and its contribution to market power of integrated fuel suppliers were studied. The industry subdivision analyzed is the uranium raw materials sector. The hypotheses demonstrated are that (1) this sector of the industry is trending toward vertical integration between production of uranium raw materials and the manufacture of nuclear fuel elements, and (2) this vertical integration confers upon integrated firms a significant market advantage over non-integrated fuel manufacturers. Under microeconomic concepts the rationale for vertical integration is the pursuit of efficiency, and it is beneficial because it increases physical output and decreases price. The Market Advantage Model developed is an arithmetical statement of the relative market power (in terms of price) between non-integrated nuclear fuel manufacturers and integrated raw material/fuel suppliers, based on the concept of the ''squeeze.'' In operation, the model compares net profit and return on sales of nuclear fuel elements between the competitors, under different price and cost circumstances. The model shows that, if integrated and non-integrated competitors sell their final product at identical prices, the non-integrated manufacturer returns a net profit only 17% of the integrated firm. Also, the integrated supplier can price his product 35% below the non-integrated producer's price and still return the same net profit. Vertical integration confers a definite market advantage to the integrated supplier, and the basic source of that advantage is the cost-price differential of the raw material, uranium

Increasing the electric efficiency of a fuel cell system by recirculating the anodic offgas

Science.gov (United States)

Heinzel, A.; Roes, J.; Brandt, H.

The University of Duisburg-Essen and the Center for Fuel Cell Technology (ZBT Duisburg GmbH) have developed a compact multi-fuel steam reformer suitable for natural gas, propane and butane. Fuel processor prototypes based on this concept were built up in the power range from 2.5 to 12.5 kW thermal hydrogen power for different applications and different industrial partners. The fuel processor concept contains all the necessary elements, a prereformer step, a primary reformer, water gas shift reactors, a steam generator, internal heat exchangers, in order to achieve an optimised heat integration and an external burner for heat supply as well as a preferential oxidation step (PrOx) as CO purification. One of the built fuel processors is designed to deliver a thermal hydrogen power output of 2.5 kW according to a PEM fuel cell stack providing about 1 kW electrical power and achieves a thermal efficiency of about 75% (LHV basis after PrOx), while the CO content of the product gas is below 20 ppm. This steam reformer has been combined with a 1 kW PEM fuel cell. Recirculating the anodic offgas results in a significant efficiency increase for the fuel processor. The gross efficiency of the combined system was already clearly above 30% during the first tests. Further improvements are currently investigated and developed at the ZBT.

46 CFR 182.435 - Integral fuel tanks.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Integral fuel tanks. 182.435 Section 182.435 Shipping...) MACHINERY INSTALLATION Specific Machinery Requirements § 182.435 Integral fuel tanks. (a) Gasoline fuel tanks must be independent of the hull. (b) Diesel fuel tanks may not be built integral with the hull of...

Coupling of a 2.5 kW steam reformer with a 1 kW el PEM fuel cell

Science.gov (United States)

Mathiak, J.; Heinzel, A.; Roes, J.; Kalk, Th.; Kraus, H.; Brandt, H.

The University of Duisburg-Essen has developed a compact multi-fuel steam reformer suitable for natural gas, propane and butane. This steam reformer was combined with a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEM FC) and a system test of the process chain was performed. The fuel processor comprises a prereformer step, a primary reformer, water gas shift reactors, a steam generator, internal heat exchangers in order to achieve an optimised heat integration and an external burner for heat supply as well as a preferential oxidation step (PROX) as CO purification. The fuel processor is designed to deliver a thermal hydrogen power output from 500 W to 2.5 kW. The PEM fuel cell stack provides about 1 kW electrical power. In the following paper experimental results of measurements of the single components PEM fuel cell and fuel processor as well as results of the coupling of both to form a process chain are presented.

Handbook of fuel cell performance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Benjamin, T.G.; Camara, E.H.; Marianowski, L.G.

1980-05-01

The intent of this document is to provide a description of fuel cells, their performances and operating conditions, and the relationship between fuel processors and fuel cells. This information will enable fuel cell engineers to know which fuel processing schemes are most compatible with which fuel cells and to predict the performance of a fuel cell integrated with any fuel processor. The data and estimates presented are for the phosphoric acid and molten carbonate fuel cells because they are closer to commercialization than other types of fuel cells. Performance of the cells is shown as a function of operating temperature, pressure, fuel conversion (utilization), and oxidant utilization. The effect of oxidant composition (for example, air versus O/sub 2/) as well as fuel composition is examined because fuels provided by some of the more advanced fuel processing schemes such as coal conversion will contain varying amounts of H/sub 2/, CO, CO/sub 2/, CH/sub 4/, H/sub 2/O, and sulfur and nitrogen compounds. A brief description of fuel cells and their application to industrial, commercial, and residential power generation is given. The electrochemical aspects of fuel cells are reviewed. The phosphoric acid fuel cell is discussed, including how it is affected by operating conditions; and the molten carbonate fuel cell is discussed. The equations developed will help systems engineers to evaluate the application of the phosphoric acid and molten carbonate fuel cells to commercial, utility, and industrial power generation and waste heat utilization. A detailed discussion of fuel cell efficiency, and examples of fuel cell systems are given.

Texas LPG fuel cell development and demonstration project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None, None

2004-07-26

The State Energy Conservation Office has executed its first Fuel Cell Project which was awarded under a Department of Energy competitive grant process. The Texas LPG Fuel Processor Development and Fuel Cell Demonstration Program is a broad-based public/private partnership led by the Texas State Energy Conservation Office (SECO). Partners include the Alternative Fuels Research and Education Division (AFRED) of the Railroad Commission of Texas; Plug Power, Inc., Latham, NY, UOP/HyRadix, Des Plaines, IL; Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), San Antonio, TX; the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC), and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). The team proposes to mount a development and demonstration program to field-test and evaluate markets for HyRadix's LPG fuel processor system integrated into Plug Power's residential-scale GenSys(TM) 5C (5 kW) PEM fuel cell system in a variety of building types and conditions of service. The program's primary goal is to develop, test, and install a prototype propane-fueled residential fuel cell power system supplied by Plug Power and HyRadix in Texas. The propane industry is currently funding development of an optimized propane fuel processor by project partner UOP/HyRadix through its national checkoff program, the Propane Education and Research Council (PERC). Following integration and independent verification of performance by Southwest Research Institute, Plug Power and HyRadix will produce a production-ready prototype unit for use in a field demonstration. The demonstration unit produced during this task will be delivered and installed at the Texas Department of Transportation's TransGuide headquarters in San Antonio, Texas. Simultaneously, the team will undertake a market study aimed at identifying and quantifying early-entry customers, technical and regulatory requirements, and other challenges and opportunities that need to be addressed in planning commercialization of the units

PEM - fuel cell system for residential applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Britz, P. [Viessmann Werke GmbH and Co KG, 35107 Allendorf (Germany); Zartenar, N.

2004-12-01

Viessmann is developing a PEM fuel cell system for residential applications. The uncharged PEM fuel cell system has a 2 kW electrical and 3 kW thermal power output. The Viessmann Fuel Processor is characterized by a steam-reformer/burner combination in which the burner supplies the required heat to the steam reformer unit and the burner exhaust gas is used to heat water. Natural gas is used as fuel, which is fed into the reforming reactor after passing an integrated desulphurisation unit. The low temperature (600 C) fuel processor is designed on the basis of steam reforming technology. For carbon monoxide removal, a single shift reactor and selective methanisation is used with noble metal catalysts on monoliths. In the shift reactor, carbon monoxide is converted into hydrogen by the water gas shift reaction. The low level of carbon monoxide at the outlet of the shift reactor is further reduced, to approximately 20 ppm, downstream in the methanisation reactor, to meet PEM fuel cell requirements. Since both catalysts work at the same temperature (240 C), there is no requirement for an additional heat exchanger in the fuel processor. Start up time is less than 30 min. In addition, Viessmann has developed a 2 kW class PEFC stack, without humidification. Reformate and dry air are fed straight to the stack. Due to the dry operation, water produced by the cell reaction rapidly diffuses through the electrolyte membrane. This was achieved by optimising the MEA, the gas flow pattern and the operating conditions. The cathode is operated by an air blower. (Abstract Copyright [2004], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Fuel economy and range estimates for fuel cell powered automobiles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Steinbugler, M.; Ogden, J. [Princeton Univ., NJ (United States)

1996-12-31

While a number of automotive fuel cell applications have been demonstrated, including a golf cart, buses, and a van, these systems and others that have been proposed have utilized differing configurations ranging from direct hydrogen fuel cell-only power plants to fuel cell/battery hybrids operating on reformed methanol. To date there is no clear consensus on which configuration, from among the possible combinations of fuel cell, peaking device, and fuel type, is the most likely to be successfully commercialized. System simplicity favors direct hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, but infrastructure is lacking. Infrastructure favors a system using a liquid fuel with a fuel processor, but system integration and performance issues remain. A number of studies have analyzed particular configurations on either a system or vehicle scale. The objective of this work is to estimate, within a consistent framework, fuel economies and ranges for a variety of configurations using flexible models with the goal of identifying the most promising configurations and the most important areas for further research and development.

Integrating a Hypernymic Proposition Interpreter into a Semantic Processor for Biomedical Texts

Science.gov (United States)

Fiszman, Marcelo; Rindflesch, Thomas C.; Kilicoglu, Halil

2003-01-01

Semantic processing provides the potential for producing high quality results in natural language processing (NLP) applications in the biomedical domain. In this paper, we address a specific semantic phenomenon, the hypernymic proposition, and concentrate on integrating the interpretation of such predications into a more general semantic processor in order to improve overall accuracy. A preliminary evaluation assesses the contribution of hypernymic propositions in providing more specific semantic predications and thus improving effectiveness in retrieving treatment propositions in MEDLINE abstracts. Finally, we discuss the generalization of this methodology to additional semantic propositions as well as other types of biomedical texts. PMID:14728170

Optical Array Processor: Laboratory Results

Science.gov (United States)

Casasent, David; Jackson, James; Vaerewyck, Gerard

1987-01-01

A Space Integrating (SI) Optical Linear Algebra Processor (OLAP) is described and laboratory results on its performance in several practical engineering problems are presented. The applications include its use in the solution of a nonlinear matrix equation for optimal control and a parabolic Partial Differential Equation (PDE), the transient diffusion equation with two spatial variables. Frequency-multiplexed, analog and high accuracy non-base-two data encoding are used and discussed. A multi-processor OLAP architecture is described and partitioning and data flow issues are addressed.

77 FR 72746 - Regulation of Fuels and Fuel Additives: Modifications to Renewable Fuel Standard and Diesel...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-06

... Fuels and Fuel Additives: Modifications to Renewable Fuel Standard and Diesel Sulfur Programs AGENCY... Fuel Standard (``RFS'') program under section 211(o) of the Clean Air Act. The direct final rule also... marine diesel fuel produced by transmix processors, and the fuel marker requirements for 500 ppm sulfur...

Making CSB + -Trees Processor Conscious

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Samuel, Michael; Pedersen, Anders Uhl; Bonnet, Philippe

2005-01-01

of the CSB+-tree. We argue that it is necessary to consider a larger group of parameters in order to adapt CSB+-tree to processor architectures as different as Pentium and Itanium. We identify this group of parameters and study how it impacts the performance of CSB+-tree on Itanium 2. Finally, we propose......Cache-conscious indexes, such as CSB+-tree, are sensitive to the underlying processor architecture. In this paper, we focus on how to adapt the CSB+-tree so that it performs well on a range of different processor architectures. Previous work has focused on the impact of node size on the performance...... a systematic method for adapting CSB+-tree to new platforms. This work is a first step towards integrating CSB+-tree in MySQL’s heap storage manager....

Cost reductions of fuel cells for transport applications: fuel processing options

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Teagan, W P; Bentley, J; Barnett, B [Arthur D. Little, Inc., Cambridge, MA (United States)

1998-03-15

The highly favorable efficiency/environmental characteristics of fuel cell technologies have now been verified by virtue of recent and ongoing field experience. The key issue regarding the timing and extent of fuel cell commercialization is the ability to reduce costs to acceptable levels in both stationary and transport applications. It is increasingly recognized that the fuel processing subsystem can have a major impact on overall system costs, particularly as ongoing R and D efforts result in reduction of the basic cost structure of stacks which currently dominate system costs. The fuel processing subsystem for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) technology, which is the focus of transport applications, includes the reformer, shift reactors, and means for CO reduction. In addition to low cost, transport applications require a fuel processor that is compact and can start rapidly. This paper describes the impact of factors such as fuel choice operating temperature, material selection, catalyst requirements, and controls on the cost of fuel processing systems. There are fuel processor technology paths which manufacturing cost analyses indicate are consistent with fuel processor subsystem costs of under $150/kW in stationary applications and $30/kW in transport applications. As such, the costs of mature fuel processing subsystem technologies should be consistent with their use in commercially viable fuel cell systems in both application categories. (orig.)

Assesment of strength and integrity of fuel channels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2000-01-01

Detailed analysis to base strength and integrity of fuel channels was necessary for the licensing process. Description of tasks performed in this direction in 1999 is presented: fuel channel independent strength calculations, assessment of present fuel channels state, analysis of dynamic processes during partial group distribution header rupture, structural integrity analysis of fuel channels located next to broke channel

Integrated spent nuclear fuel database system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Henline, S.P.; Klingler, K.G.; Schierman, B.H.

1994-01-01

The Distributed Information Systems software Unit at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory has designed and developed an Integrated Spent Nuclear Fuel Database System (ISNFDS), which maintains a computerized inventory of all US Department of Energy (DOE) spent nuclear fuel (SNF). Commercial SNF is not included in the ISNFDS unless it is owned or stored by DOE. The ISNFDS is an integrated, single data source containing accurate, traceable, and consistent data and provides extensive data for each fuel, extensive facility data for every facility, and numerous data reports and queries

Alternative Water Processor Test Development

Science.gov (United States)

Pickering, Karen D.; Mitchell, Julie; Vega, Leticia; Adam, Niklas; Flynn, Michael; Wjee (er. Rau); Lunn, Griffin; Jackson, Andrew

2012-01-01

The Next Generation Life Support Project is developing an Alternative Water Processor (AWP) as a candidate water recovery system for long duration exploration missions. The AWP consists of biological water processor (BWP) integrated with a forward osmosis secondary treatment system (FOST). The basis of the BWP is a membrane aerated biological reactor (MABR), developed in concert with Texas Tech University. Bacteria located within the MABR metabolize organic material in wastewater, converting approximately 90% of the total organic carbon to carbon dioxide. In addition, bacteria convert a portion of the ammonia-nitrogen present in the wastewater to nitrogen gas, through a combination of nitrogen and denitrification. The effluent from the BWP system is low in organic contaminants, but high in total dissolved solids. The FOST system, integrated downstream of the BWP, removes dissolved solids through a combination of concentration-driven forward osmosis and pressure driven reverse osmosis. The integrated system is expected to produce water with a total organic carbon less than 50 mg/l and dissolved solids that meet potable water requirements for spaceflight. This paper describes the test definition, the design of the BWP and FOST subsystems, and plans for integrated testing.

High-speed special-purpose processor for event selection by number of direct tracks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kalinnikov, V.A.; Krastev, V.R.; Chudakov, E.A.

1986-01-01

A processor which uses data on events from five detector planes is described. To increase economy and speed in parallel processing, the processor converts the input data to superposition code and recognizes tracks by a generated search mask. The resolving time of the processor is ≤300 nsec. The processor is CAMAC-compatible and uses ECL integrated circuits

Simulation of integral local tests with high-burnup fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gyori, G.

2011-01-01

The behaviour of nuclear fuel under LOCA conditions may strongly depend on the burnup-dependent fuel characteristics, as it has been indicated by recent integral experiments. Fuel fragmentation and the associated fission gas release can influence the integral fuel behaviour, the rod rupture and the radiological release. The TRANSURANUS fuel performance code is a proper tool for the consistent simulation of burnup-dependent phenomena during normal operation and the thermo-mechanical behaviour of the fuel rod in a subsequent accident. The code has been extended with an empirical model for micro-cracking induced FGR and fuel fragmentation and verified against integral LOCA tests of international projects. (author)

Spent nuclear fuel project integrated schedule plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Squires, K.G.

1995-01-01

The Spent Nuclear Fuel Integrated Schedule Plan establishes the organizational responsibilities, rules for developing, maintain and status of the SNF integrated schedule, and an implementation plan for the integrated schedule. The mission of the SNFP on the Hanford site is to provide safe, economic, environmentally sound management of Hanford SNF in a manner which stages it to final disposition. This particularly involves K Basin fuel

Spent nuclear fuel project integrated schedule plan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Squires, K.G.

1995-03-06

The Spent Nuclear Fuel Integrated Schedule Plan establishes the organizational responsibilities, rules for developing, maintain and status of the SNF integrated schedule, and an implementation plan for the integrated schedule. The mission of the SNFP on the Hanford site is to provide safe, economic, environmentally sound management of Hanford SNF in a manner which stages it to final disposition. This particularly involves K Basin fuel.

Fuzzy Logic Based Controller for a Grid-Connected Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Power Plant.

Science.gov (United States)

Chatterjee, Kalyan; Shankar, Ravi; Kumar, Amit

2014-10-01

This paper describes a mathematical model of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) power plant integrated in a multimachine power system. The utilization factor of a fuel stack maintains steady state by tuning the fuel valve in the fuel processor at a rate proportional to a current drawn from the fuel stack. A suitable fuzzy logic control is used for the overall system, its objective being controlling the current drawn by the power conditioning unit and meet a desirable output power demand. The proposed control scheme is verified through computer simulations.

Recovery Act: Integrated DC-DC Conversion for Energy-Efficient Multicore Processors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shepard, Kenneth L

2013-03-31

In this project, we have developed the use of thin-film magnetic materials to improve in energy efficiency of digital computing applications by enabling integrated dc-dc power conversion and management with on-chip power inductors. Integrated voltage regulators also enables fine-grained power management, by providing dynamic scaling of the supply voltage in concert with the clock frequency of synchronous logic to throttle power consumption at periods of low computational demand. The voltage converter generates lower output voltages during periods of low computational performance requirements and higher output voltages during periods of high computational performance requirements. Implementation of integrated power conversion requires high-capacity energy storage devices, which are generally not available in traditional semiconductor processes. We achieve this with integration of thin-film magnetic materials into a conventional complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) process for high-quality on-chip power inductors. This project includes a body of work conducted to develop integrated switch-mode voltage regulators with thin-film magnetic power inductors. Soft-magnetic materials and inductor topologies are selected and optimized, with intent to maximize efficiency and current density of the integrated regulators. A custom integrated circuit (IC) is designed and fabricated in 45-nm CMOS silicon-on-insulator (SOI) to provide the control system and power-train necessary to drive the power inductors, in addition to providing a digital load for the converter. A silicon interposer is designed and fabricated in collaboration with IBM Research to integrate custom power inductors by chip stacking with the 45-nm CMOS integrated circuit, enabling power conversion with current density greater than 10A/mm2. The concepts and designs developed from this work enable significant improvements in performance-per-watt of future microprocessors in servers, desktops, and mobile

The microelectronic and photonic test bed RISC processor and DRAM memory stack experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clark, K.A.; Meehan, T.J.

1999-01-01

This paper reports on the on-orbit data obtained from the MPTB RISC Processor Experiment, containing three Integrated Device Technologies R3081 processors. During operations, nine SEUs were observed in the processors, and four SEUs were observed in the memory and/or support circuitry. (authors)

Software-defined reconfigurable microwave photonics processor.

Science.gov (United States)

Pérez, Daniel; Gasulla, Ivana; Capmany, José

2015-06-01

We propose, for the first time to our knowledge, a software-defined reconfigurable microwave photonics signal processor architecture that can be integrated on a chip and is capable of performing all the main functionalities by suitable programming of its control signals. The basic configuration is presented and a thorough end-to-end design model derived that accounts for the performance of the overall processor taking into consideration the impact and interdependencies of both its photonic and RF parts. We demonstrate the model versatility by applying it to several relevant application examples.

Development of hold down plate of INGLE fuel assembly

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Hyeong Koo; Kim, Kyu Tae

1996-07-01

Hold down plate for the INGLE fuel which has been designed for high performance in the standpoints of thermal margin and structural integrity compared to current fuel for YGN 3/4 and UCN 3/4 has been developed and its structural integrity has been verified based on the eh stress analysis. The design feature of the developed hold down plate has not only perfect compatibility with the reactor internals of Korea standard reactor, but also brand-new locking mechanism between upper tie plate and guide tubes. This locking mechanism introduced to the INGLE fuel provides very simple and reliable reconstitutability. In this report, finite element stress analysis with the aid of the ANSYS code as a solver and the MSC/PATRAN code as a pre and post processor were performed to verify structural integrity of the hold down plate considering various load cases which seem to be applied to the hold down plate during its lifetime. Based on the analysis results, the developed hold down plate for INGLE fuel sustains structural integrity under considered load conditions. 3 tabs., 16 figs., 9 refs. (Author)

Optical backplane interconnect switch for data processors and computers

Science.gov (United States)

Hendricks, Herbert D.; Benz, Harry F.; Hammer, Jacob M.

1989-01-01

An optoelectronic integrated device design is reported which can be used to implement an all-optical backplane interconnect switch. The switch is sized to accommodate an array of processors and memories suitable for direct replacement into the basic avionic multiprocessor backplane. The optical backplane interconnect switch is also suitable for direct replacement of the PI bus traffic switch and at the same time, suitable for supporting pipelining of the processor and memory. The 32 bidirectional switchable interconnects are configured with broadcast capability for controls, reconfiguration, and messages. The approach described here can handle a serial interconnection of data processors or a line-to-link interconnection of data processors. An optical fiber demonstration of this approach is presented.

Integrated fuel-cycle models for fast breeder reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ott, K.O.; Maudlin, P.J.

1981-01-01

Breeder-reactor fuel-cycle analysis can be divided into four different areas or categories. The first category concerns questions about the spatial variation of the fuel composition for single loading intervals. Questions of the variations in the fuel composition over several cycles represent a second category. Third, there is a need for a determination of the breeding capability of the reactor. The fourth category concerns the investigation of breeding and long-term fuel logistics. Two fuel-cycle models used to answer questions in the third and fourth area are presented. The space- and time-dependent actinide balance, coupled with criticality and fuel-management constraints, is the basis for both the Discontinuous Integrated Fuel-Cycle Model and the Continuous Integrated Fuel-Cycle Model. The results of the continuous model are compared with results obtained from detailed two-dimensional space and multigroup depletion calculations. The continuous model yields nearly the same results as the detailed calculation, and this is with a comparatively insignificant fraction of the computational effort needed for the detailed calculation. Thus, the integrated model presented is an accurate tool for answering questions concerning reactor breeding capability and long-term fuel logistics. (author)

Oxy-fuel combustion with integrated pollution control

Science.gov (United States)

Patrick, Brian R [Chicago, IL; Ochs, Thomas Lilburn [Albany, OR; Summers, Cathy Ann [Albany, OR; Oryshchyn, Danylo B [Philomath, OR; Turner, Paul Chandler [Independence, OR

2012-01-03

An oxygen fueled integrated pollutant removal and combustion system includes a combustion system and an integrated pollutant removal system. The combustion system includes a furnace having at least one burner that is configured to substantially prevent the introduction of air. An oxygen supply supplies oxygen at a predetermine purity greater than 21 percent and a carbon based fuel supply supplies a carbon based fuel. Oxygen and fuel are fed into the furnace in controlled proportion to each other and combustion is controlled to produce a flame temperature in excess of 3000 degrees F. and a flue gas stream containing CO2 and other gases. The flue gas stream is substantially void of non-fuel borne nitrogen containing combustion produced gaseous compounds. The integrated pollutant removal system includes at least one direct contact heat exchanger for bringing the flue gas into intimated contact with a cooling liquid to produce a pollutant-laden liquid stream and a stripped flue gas stream and at least one compressor for receiving and compressing the stripped flue gas stream.

Diesel fuel to dc power: Navy & Marine Corps Applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bloomfield, D.P. [Analytic Power Corp., Boston, MA (United States)

1996-12-31

During the past year Analytic Power has tested fuel cell stacks and diesel fuel processors for US Navy and Marine Corps applications. The units are 10 kW demonstration power plants. The USN power plant was built to demonstrate the feasibility of diesel fueled PEM fuel cell power plants for 250 kW and 2.5 MW shipboard power systems. We designed and tested a ten cell, 1 kW USMC substack and fuel processor. The complete 10 kW prototype power plant, which has application to both power and hydrogen generation, is now under construction. The USN and USMC fuel cell stacks have been tested on both actual and simulated reformate. Analytic Power has accumulated operating experience with autothermal reforming based fuel processors operating on sulfur bearing diesel fuel, jet fuel, propane and natural gas. We have also completed the design and fabrication of an advanced regenerative ATR for the USMC. One of the significant problems with small fuel processors is heat loss which limits its ability to operate with the high steam to carbon ratios required for coke free high efficiency operation. The new USMC unit specifically addresses these heat transfer issues. The advances in the mill programs have been incorporated into Analytic Power`s commercial units which are now under test.

A dedicated line-processor as used at the SHF

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bevan, A.V.; Hatley, R.W.; Price, D.R.; Rankin, P.

1985-01-01

A hardwired trigger processor was used at the SLAC Hybrid Facility to find evidence for charged tracks originating from the fiducial volume of a 40'' rapidcycling bubble chamber. Straight-line projections of these tracks in the plane perpendicular to the applied magnetic field were searched for using data from three sets of proportional wire chambers (PWC). This information was made directly available to the processor by means of a special digitizing card. The results memory of the processor simulated read-only memory in a 168/E processor and was accessible by it. The 168/E controlled the issuing of a trigger command to the bubble chamber flash tubes. The same design of digitizer card used by the line processor was incorporated into the 168/E, again as read only memory, which allowed it access to the raw data for continual monitoring of trigger integrity. The design logic of the trigger processor was verified by running real PWC data through a FORTRAN simulation of the hardware. This enabled the debugging to become highly automated since a step by step, computer controlled comparison of processor registers to simulation predictions could be made

The integral fast reactor fuel cycle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, Y.I.

1990-01-01

The liquid-metal reactor (LMR) has the potential to extend the uranium resource by a factor of 50 to 100 over current commercial light water reactors (LWRs). In the integral fast reactor (IFR) development program, the entire reactor system - reactor, fuel cycle, and waste process - is being developed and optimized at the same time as a single integral entity. A key feature of the IFR concept is the metallic fuel. The lead irradiation tests on the new U-Pu-Zr metallic fuel in the Experimental Breeder Reactor II have surpassed 185000 MWd/t burnup, and its high burnup capability has now been fully demonstrated. The metallic fuel also allows a radically improved fuel cycle technology. Pyroprocessing, which utilizes high temperatures and molten salt and molten metal solvents, can be advantageously utilized for processing metal fuels because the product is metal suitable for fabrication into new fuel elements. Direct production of a metal product avoids expensive and cumbersome chemical conversion steps that would result from use of the conventional Purex solvent extraction process. The key step in the IFR process is electrorefining, which provides for recovery of the valuable fuel constituents, uranium and plutonium, and for removal of fission products. A notable feature of the IFR process is that the actinide elements accompany plutonium through the process. This results in a major advantage in the high-level waste management

An updated program-controlled analog processor, model AP-006, for semiconductor detector spectrometers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shkola, N.F.; Shevchenko, Yu.A.

1989-01-01

An analog processor, model AP-006, is reported. The processor is a development of a series of spectrometric units based on a shaper of the type 'DL dif +TVS+gated ideal integrator'. Structural and circuits design features are described. The results of testing the processor in a setup with a Si(Li) detecting unit over an input count-rate range of up to 5x10 5 cps are presented. Processor applications are illustrated. (orig.)

Real-time trajectory optimization on parallel processors

Science.gov (United States)

Psiaki, Mark L.

1993-01-01

A parallel algorithm has been developed for rapidly solving trajectory optimization problems. The goal of the work has been to develop an algorithm that is suitable to do real-time, on-line optimal guidance through repeated solution of a trajectory optimization problem. The algorithm has been developed on an INTEL iPSC/860 message passing parallel processor. It uses a zero-order-hold discretization of a continuous-time problem and solves the resulting nonlinear programming problem using a custom-designed augmented Lagrangian nonlinear programming algorithm. The algorithm achieves parallelism of function, derivative, and search direction calculations through the principle of domain decomposition applied along the time axis. It has been encoded and tested on 3 example problems, the Goddard problem, the acceleration-limited, planar minimum-time to the origin problem, and a National Aerospace Plane minimum-fuel ascent guidance problem. Execution times as fast as 118 sec of wall clock time have been achieved for a 128-stage Goddard problem solved on 32 processors. A 32-stage minimum-time problem has been solved in 151 sec on 32 processors. A 32-stage National Aerospace Plane problem required 2 hours when solved on 32 processors. A speed-up factor of 7.2 has been achieved by using 32-nodes instead of 1-node to solve a 64-stage Goddard problem.

Fuel processor for fuel cell power system. [Conversion of methanol into hydrogen

Science.gov (United States)

Vanderborgh, N.E.; Springer, T.E.; Huff, J.R.

1986-01-28

A catalytic organic fuel processing apparatus, which can be used in a fuel cell power system, contains within a housing a catalyst chamber, a variable speed fan, and a combustion chamber. Vaporized organic fuel is circulated by the fan past the combustion chamber with which it is in indirect heat exchange relationship. The heated vaporized organic fuel enters a catalyst bed where it is converted into a desired product such as hydrogen needed to power the fuel cell. During periods of high demand, air is injected upstream of the combustion chamber and organic fuel injection means to burn with some of the organic fuel on the outside of the combustion chamber, and thus be in direct heat exchange relation with the organic fuel going into the catalyst bed.

Low NOx Fuel Flexible Combustor Integration Project Overview

Science.gov (United States)

Walton, Joanne C.; Chang, Clarence T.; Lee, Chi-Ming; Kramer, Stephen

2015-01-01

The Integrated Technology Demonstration (ITD) 40A Low NOx Fuel Flexible Combustor Integration development is being conducted as part of the NASA Environmentally Responsible Aviation (ERA) Project. Phase 2 of this effort began in 2012 and will end in 2015. This document describes the ERA goals, how the fuel flexible combustor integration development fulfills the ERA combustor goals, and outlines the work to be conducted during project execution.

Dynamic behavior of gasoline fuel cell electric vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

Mitchell, William; Bowers, Brian J.; Garnier, Christophe; Boudjemaa, Fabien

As we begin the 21st century, society is continuing efforts towards finding clean power sources and alternative forms of energy. In the automotive sector, reduction of pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions from the power plant is one of the main objectives of car manufacturers and innovative technologies are under active consideration to achieve this goal. One technology that has been proposed and vigorously pursued in the past decade is the proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell, an electrochemical device that reacts hydrogen with oxygen to produce water, electricity and heat. Since today there is no existing extensive hydrogen infrastructure and no commercially viable hydrogen storage technology for vehicles, there is a continuing debate as to how the hydrogen for these advanced vehicles will be supplied. In order to circumvent the above issues, power systems based on PEM fuel cells can employ an on-board fuel processor that has the ability to convert conventional fuels such as gasoline into hydrogen for the fuel cell. This option could thereby remove the fuel infrastructure and storage issues. However, for these fuel processor/fuel cell vehicles to be commercially successful, issues such as start time and transient response must be addressed. This paper discusses the role of transient response of the fuel processor power plant and how it relates to the battery sizing for a gasoline fuel cell vehicle. In addition, results of fuel processor testing from a current Renault/Nuvera Fuel Cells project are presented to show the progress in transient performance.

Control structures for high speed processors

Science.gov (United States)

Maki, G. K.; Mankin, R.; Owsley, P. A.; Kim, G. M.

1982-01-01

A special processor was designed to function as a Reed Solomon decoder with throughput data rate in the Mhz range. This data rate is significantly greater than is possible with conventional digital architectures. To achieve this rate, the processor design includes sequential, pipelined, distributed, and parallel processing. The processor was designed using a high level language register transfer language. The RTL can be used to describe how the different processes are implemented by the hardware. One problem of special interest was the development of dependent processes which are analogous to software subroutines. For greater flexibility, the RTL control structure was implemented in ROM. The special purpose hardware required approximately 1000 SSI and MSI components. The data rate throughput is 2.5 megabits/second. This data rate is achieved through the use of pipelined and distributed processing. This data rate can be compared with 800 kilobits/second in a recently proposed very large scale integration design of a Reed Solomon encoder.

Integrated fuel cell stack shunt current prevention arrangement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roche, Robert P. (Cheshire, CT); Nowak, Michael P. (Bolton, CT)

1992-01-01

A fuel cell stack includes a plurality of fuel cells juxtaposed with one another in the stack and each including a pair of plate-shaped anode and cathode electrodes that face one another, and a quantity of liquid electrolyte present at least between the electrodes. A separator plate is interposed between each two successive electrodes of adjacent ones of the fuel cells and is unified therewith into an integral separator plate. Each integral separator plate is provided with a circumferentially complete barrier that prevents flow of shunt currents onto and on an outer peripheral surface of the separator plate. This barrier consists of electrolyte-nonwettable barrier members that are accommodated, prior to the formation of the integral separator plate, in corresponding edge recesses situated at the interfaces between the electrodes and the separator plate proper. Each barrier member extends over the entire length of the associated marginal portion and is flush with the outer periphery of the integral separator plate. This barrier also prevents cell-to-cell migration of any electrolyte that may be present at the outer periphery of the integral separator plate while the latter is incorporated in the fuel cell stack.

Digital control card based on digital signal processor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hou Shigang; Yin Zhiguo; Xia Le

2008-01-01

A digital control card based on digital signal processor was developed. Two Freescale DSP-56303 processors were utilized to achieve 3 channels proportional- integral-differential regulations. The card offers high flexibility for 100 MeV cyclotron RF system development. It was used as feedback controller in low level radio frequency control prototype, with the feedback gain parameters continuously adjustable. By using high precision analog to digital converter with 500 kHz sampling rate, a regulation bandwidth of 20 kHz was achieved. (authors)

Integrity of spent CANDU fuel during and following dry storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Villagran, J.E.

2004-01-01

This report examines the issue of CANDU fuel integrity at the back end of the fuel cycle and outlines a program designed to provide assurance that used CANDU fuel will retain its integrity over an extended period. In specific terms, the program is intended to provide assurance that during and following extended dry storage the fuel will remain fit to undergo, without loss of integrity, the handling, packaging and transportation operations that might be necessary until it is placed in disposal containers. The first step in the development of the program was a review of the available technical information on phenomena relevant to fuel integrity. The major conclusions from that review were the following: Under normal storage conditions it is unlikely that the spent fuel will suffer significant degradation during a one-hundred year period and it should be possible to retrieve, repackage and transport the fuel as required, using methods and systems similar to those used today. However, to provide increased confidence regarding the above conclusion, investigations should be conducted in areas where there is higher uncertainty in the prediction of fuel condition and on some degradation processes to which the fuel appears to present higher vulnerability. The proposed program includes, among other tasks, irradiated fuel tests, analytical studies on the most relevant fuel degradation processes and the development of a long-term fuel verification program. (Author)

Coordinated Energy Management in Heterogeneous Processors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Indrani Paul

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper examines energy management in a heterogeneous processor consisting of an integrated CPU–GPU for high-performance computing (HPC applications. Energy management for HPC applications is challenged by their uncompromising performance requirements and complicated by the need for coordinating energy management across distinct core types – a new and less understood problem. We examine the intra-node CPU–GPU frequency sensitivity of HPC applications on tightly coupled CPU–GPU architectures as the first step in understanding power and performance optimization for a heterogeneous multi-node HPC system. The insights from this analysis form the basis of a coordinated energy management scheme, called DynaCo, for integrated CPU–GPU architectures. We implement DynaCo on a modern heterogeneous processor and compare its performance to a state-of-the-art power- and performance-management algorithm. DynaCo improves measured average energy-delay squared (ED2 product by up to 30% with less than 2% average performance loss across several exascale and other HPC workloads.

Hydrogen as a fuel for fuel cell vehicles: A technical and economic comparison

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ogden, J.; Steinbugler, M.; Kreutz, T. [Princeton Univ., NJ (United States). Center for Energy and Environmental Studies

1997-12-31

All fuel cells currently being developed for near term use in vehicles require hydrogen as a fuel. Hydrogen can be stored directly or produced onboard the vehicle by reforming methanol, ethanol or hydrocarbon fuels derived from crude oil (e.g., Diesel, gasoline or middle distillates). The vehicle design is simpler with direct hydrogen storage, but requires developing a more complex refueling infrastructure. In this paper, the authors compare three leading options for fuel storage onboard fuel cell vehicles: compressed gas hydrogen storage; onboard steam reforming of methanol; onboard partial oxidation (POX) of hydrocarbon fuels derived from crude oil. Equilibrium, kinetic and heat integrated system (ASPEN) models have been developed to estimate the performance of onboard steam reforming and POX fuel processors. These results have been incorporated into a fuel cell vehicle model, allowing us to compare the vehicle performance, fuel economy, weight, and cost for various fuel storage choices and driving cycles. A range of technical and economic parameters were considered. The infrastructure requirements are also compared for gaseous hydrogen, methanol and hydrocarbon fuels from crude oil, including the added costs of fuel production, storage, distribution and refueling stations. Considering both vehicle and infrastructure issues, the authors compare hydrogen to other fuel cell vehicle fuels. Technical and economic goals for fuel cell vehicle and hydrogen technologies are discussed. Potential roles for hydrogen in the commercialization of fuel cell vehicles are sketched.

Fuel Cell Development and Test Laboratory | Energy Systems Integration

Science.gov (United States)

Facility | NREL Fuel Cell Development and Test Laboratory Fuel Cell Development and Test Laboratory The Energy System Integration Facility's Fuel Cell Development and Test Laboratory supports fuel cell research and development projects through in-situ fuel cell testing. Photo of a researcher running

JP-8 Catalytic Cracking for Compact Fuel Processors

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Campbell, Timothy

2004-01-01

...), kerosene, and diesel to produce hydrogen for fuel cell use, several issues arise. First, these fuels have high sulfur content, which can poison and deactivate components of the reforming process and the fuel cell stack...

Preliminary study or RSG-GAS reactor fuel element integrity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soejoedi, A.; Tarigan, A.; Sujalmo; Prayoga, S.; Suhadi

1996-01-01

After 8 years of operation, RSG-GAS was able to reach 15 cycles of reactor operation with 116 irradiated fuels, whereas 49 fuels were produced by NUKEM; and the other 67 were produced by PEBN-BATAN. At the 15 T h cycles, it have been used 40 standard fuels and 8 control fuels (Forty standard fuels and eight control fuels have been used in the 15 t h core cycles). Several activities have been performed in the reactor, to investigate the fuel integrity, among of them are: .fuel visual test with under water camera, which the results were recorder in the video cassette, primary water quality test during, reactor operation, fuel failure detector system examination and compared the PIE results in the Radiometallurgy Installation (RMI). The results showed that the fuel integrity, before and after irradiation, have still good performance and the fission products have not been released yet

Integrated data base for spent fuel and radwaste: inventories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Notz, K.J.; Carter, W.L.; Kibbey, A.H.

1982-01-01

The Integrated Data Base (IDB) program provides and maintains current, integrated data on spent reactor fuel and radwaste, including historical data, current inventories, projected inventories, and material characteristics. The IDB program collects, organizes, integrates, and - where necessary - reconciles inventory and projection (I/P) and characteristics information to provide a coherent, self-consistent data base on spent fuel and radwaste

Compact hydrogen production systems for solid polymer fuel cells

Science.gov (United States)

Ledjeff-Hey, K.; Formanski, V.; Kalk, Th.; Roes, J.

Generally there are several ways to produce hydrogen gas from carbonaceous fuels like natural gas, oil or alcohols. Most of these processes are designed for large-scale industrial production and are not suitable for a compact hydrogen production system (CHYPS) in the power range of 1 kW. In order to supply solid polymer fuel cells (SPFC) with hydrogen, a compact fuel processor is required for mobile applications. The produced hydrogen-rich gas has to have a low level of harmful impurities; in particular the carbon monoxide content has to be lower than 20 ppmv. Integrating the reaction step, the gas purification and the heat supply leads to small-scale hydrogen production systems. The steam reforming of methanol is feasible at copper catalysts in a low temperature range of 200-350°C. The combination of a small-scale methanol reformer and a metal membrane as purification step forms a compact system producing high-purity hydrogen. The generation of a SPFC hydrogen fuel gas can also be performed by thermal or catalytic cracking of liquid hydrocarbons such as propane. At a temperature of 900°C the decomposition of propane into carbon and hydrogen takes place. A fuel processor based on this simple concept produces a gas stream with a hydrogen content of more than 90 vol.% and without CO and CO2.

Framework Programmable Platform for the advanced software development workstation: Framework processor design document

Science.gov (United States)

Mayer, Richard J.; Blinn, Thomas M.; Mayer, Paula S. D.; Ackley, Keith A.; Crump, Wes; Sanders, Les

1991-01-01

The design of the Framework Processor (FP) component of the Framework Programmable Software Development Platform (FFP) is described. The FFP is a project aimed at combining effective tool and data integration mechanisms with a model of the software development process in an intelligent integrated software development environment. Guided by the model, this Framework Processor will take advantage of an integrated operating environment to provide automated support for the management and control of the software development process so that costly mistakes during the development phase can be eliminated.

Fuels planning: science synthesis and integration; fact sheet: The Fuels Synthesis Project overview

Science.gov (United States)

Rocky Mountain Research Station USDA Forest Service

2004-01-01

The geographic focus of the "Fuels Planning: Science Synthesis and Integration" project #known as the Fuels Synthesis Project# is on the dry forests of the Western United States. Target audiences include fuels management specialists, resource specialists, National Environmental Policy Act #NEPA# planning team leaders, line officers in the USDA Forest Service...

Fuel motion in overpower tests of metallic integral fast reactor fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rhodes, E.A.; Bauer, T.H.; Stanford, G.S.; Regis, J.P.; Dickerman, C.E.

1992-01-01

In this paper results from hodoscope data analyses are presented for transient overpower (TOP) tests M5, M6, and M7 at the Transient Reactor Test Facility, with emphasis on transient feedback mechanisms, including prefailure expansion at the tops of the fuel pins, subsequent dispersive axial fuel motion, and losses in relative worth of the fuel pins during the tests. Tests M5 and M6 were the first TOP tests of margin to cladding breach and prefailure elongation of D9-clad ternary (U-Pu-Zr) integral fast reactor-type fuel. Test M7 extended these results to high-burnup fuel and also initiated transient testing of HT-9-clad binary (U-Zr) Fast Flux Test Facility driver fuel. Results show significant prefailure negative reactivity feedback and strongly negative feedback from fuel driven to failure

The integrity of CANDU fuel during load following

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tayal, M.; Manzer, A.M.; Sejnoha, R.; Hains, A.J.

1989-08-01

This paper summarizes data and analyses of integrity and of physics of CANDU fuel during load following. Measurements of irradiated fuel show that power cycles do not enhance release of fission gas. Data from research reactors show that the power cycles cause cyclic strains in the sheath. Finite element analyses show that the cyclic strains give highly multiaxial stresses in the sheath. The stresses and the strains are well into the plastic range. The cyclic loads 'use up' some fraction of the sheath's resistance to environmentally-assisted cracking (EAC), depending on the details of the fuel design and of then power cycles. The balance of the sheath's resistance to EAC continues to be available to counteract static loads. Thousands of fuel bundles have experienced many power cycles in research and in commercial reactors. Overall integrity of fuel bundles is well over 99%. Thus, CANDU fuel continues to show good performance in both base-load and load-following reactors

Reconfigurable lattice mesh designs for programmable photonic processors.

Science.gov (United States)

Pérez, Daniel; Gasulla, Ivana; Capmany, José; Soref, Richard A

2016-05-30

We propose and analyse two novel mesh design geometries for the implementation of tunable optical cores in programmable photonic processors. These geometries are the hexagonal and the triangular lattice. They are compared here to a previously proposed square mesh topology in terms of a series of figures of merit that account for metrics that are relevant to on-chip integration of the mesh. We find that that the hexagonal mesh is the most suitable option of the three considered for the implementation of the reconfigurable optical core in the programmable processor.

Catalytic production of hydrogen from methanol for mobile, stationary and portable fuel-cell power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lukyanov, Boris N

2008-01-01

Main catalytic processes for hydrogen production from methanol are considered. Various schemes of fuel processors for hydrogen production in stationary, mobile and portable power plants based on fuel cells are analysed. The attention is focussed on the design of catalytic reactors of fuel processors and on the state-of-the-art in the design of catalysts for methanol conversion, carbon monoxide steam conversion and carbon monoxide selective oxidation. Prospects for the use of methanol in on-board fuel processors are discussed.

On-line fuel and control rod integrity management in BWRs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larsson, Irina; Sihver, Lembit

2011-01-01

Surveillance of fuel and control rod integrity in a BWR core is essential to maintain a safe and reliable operation of a nuclear power plant. An accurate and prompt way to monitor fuel integrity in a reactor core during reactor operation is by using on-line measurements of the gamma emitting noble gas activities in the off-gas system. The integrity of control rods can be efficiently followed by on-line measurements of the helium (He) concentration in the off-gases. This method also gives information about fuel rod failures since He is used as a fill gas in the fuel rods. To survey fuel and control rod integrity during reactor operation, a system consisting of combined gamma and He on-line measurements in the off-gases should be used. Such a system can detect and follow the behavior of fuel and control rod failures. In addition, it can separate fuel failures from control rod failures since fuel rods contain both He and gamma emitting noble gases, while control rods only contain He. Moreover, the system is able to distinguish primary fuel failures from degradation of already existing ones. In this paper we present a combined system for on-line measurements of He and gamma emitting noble gases in the reactor off-gas system and measuring experiences from different BWRs. (author)

Evaluation of the Intel Nehalem-EX server processor

CERN Document Server

Jarp, S; Leduc, J; Nowak, A; CERN. Geneva. IT Department

2010-01-01

In this paper we report on a set of benchmark results recently obtained by the CERN openlab by comparing the 4-socket, 32-core Intel Xeon X7560 server with the previous generation 4-socket server, based on the Xeon X7460 processor. The Xeon X7560 processor represents a major change in many respects, especially the memory sub-system, so it was important to make multiple comparisons. In most benchmarks the two 4-socket servers were compared. It should be underlined that both servers represent the “top of the line” in terms of frequency. However, in some cases, it was important to compare systems that integrated the latest processor features, such as QPI links, Symmetric multithreading and over-clocking via Turbo mode, and in such situations the X7560 server was compared to a dual socket L5520 based system with an identical frequency of 2.26 GHz. Before summarizing the results we must stress the fact that benchmarking of modern processors is a very complex affair. One has to control (at least) the following ...

Development of code SFINEL (Spent fuel integrity evaluator)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Yong Soo; Min, Chin Young; Ohk, Young Kil; Yang, Yong Sik; Kim, Dong Ju; Kim, Nam Ku [Hanyang University, Seoul (Korea)

1999-01-01

SFINEL code, an integrated computer program for predicting the spent fuel rod integrity based on burn-up history and major degradation mechanisms, has been developed through this project. This code can sufficiently simulate the power history of a fuel rod during the reactor operation and estimate the degree of deterioration of spent fuel cladding using the recently-developed models on the degradation mechanisms. SFINEL code has been thoroughly benchmarked against the collected in-pile data and operating experiences: deformation and rupture, and cladding oxidation, rod internal pressure creep, then comprehensive whole degradation process. (author). 75 refs., 51 figs., 5 tabs.

A single chip pulse processor for nuclear spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hilsenrath, F.; Bakke, J.C.; Voss, H.D.

1985-01-01

A high performance digital pulse processor, integrated into a single gate array microcircuit, has been developed for spaceflight applications. The new approach takes advantage of the latest CMOS high speed A/D flash converters and low-power gated logic arrays. The pulse processor measures pulse height, pulse area and the required timing information (e.g. multi detector coincidence and pulse pile-up detection). The pulse processor features high throughput rate (e.g. 0.5 Mhz for 2 usec gausssian pulses) and improved differential linearity (e.g. + or - 0.2 LSB for a + or - 1 LSB A/D). Because of the parallel digital architecture of the device, the interface is microprocessor bus compatible. A satellite flight application of this module is presented for use in the X-ray imager and high energy particle spectrometers of the PEM experiment on the Upper Atmospheric Research Satellite

Array processor architecture

Science.gov (United States)

Barnes, George H. (Inventor); Lundstrom, Stephen F. (Inventor); Shafer, Philip E. (Inventor)

1983-01-01

A high speed parallel array data processing architecture fashioned under a computational envelope approach includes a data base memory for secondary storage of programs and data, and a plurality of memory modules interconnected to a plurality of processing modules by a connection network of the Omega gender. Programs and data are fed from the data base memory to the plurality of memory modules and from hence the programs are fed through the connection network to the array of processors (one copy of each program for each processor). Execution of the programs occur with the processors operating normally quite independently of each other in a multiprocessing fashion. For data dependent operations and other suitable operations, all processors are instructed to finish one given task or program branch before all are instructed to proceed in parallel processing fashion on the next instruction. Even when functioning in the parallel processing mode however, the processors are not locked-step but execute their own copy of the program individually unless or until another overall processor array synchronization instruction is issued.

Optical linear algebra processors - Architectures and algorithms

Science.gov (United States)

Casasent, David

1986-01-01

Attention is given to the component design and optical configuration features of a generic optical linear algebra processor (OLAP) architecture, as well as the large number of OLAP architectures, number representations, algorithms and applications encountered in current literature. Number-representation issues associated with bipolar and complex-valued data representations, high-accuracy (including floating point) performance, and the base or radix to be employed, are discussed, together with case studies on a space-integrating frequency-multiplexed architecture and a hybrid space-integrating and time-integrating multichannel architecture.

Interleaved Subtask Scheduling on Multi Processor SOC

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zhe, M.

2006-01-01

The ever-progressing semiconductor processing technique has integrated more and more embedded processors on a single system-on-achip (SoC). With such powerful SoC platforms, and also due to the stringent time-to-market deadlines, many functionalities which used to be implemented in ASICs are

NeuroFlow: A General Purpose Spiking Neural Network Simulation Platform using Customizable Processors.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheung, Kit; Schultz, Simon R; Luk, Wayne

2015-01-01

NeuroFlow is a scalable spiking neural network simulation platform for off-the-shelf high performance computing systems using customizable hardware processors such as Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). Unlike multi-core processors and application-specific integrated circuits, the processor architecture of NeuroFlow can be redesigned and reconfigured to suit a particular simulation to deliver optimized performance, such as the degree of parallelism to employ. The compilation process supports using PyNN, a simulator-independent neural network description language, to configure the processor. NeuroFlow supports a number of commonly used current or conductance based neuronal models such as integrate-and-fire and Izhikevich models, and the spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) rule for learning. A 6-FPGA system can simulate a network of up to ~600,000 neurons and can achieve a real-time performance of 400,000 neurons. Using one FPGA, NeuroFlow delivers a speedup of up to 33.6 times the speed of an 8-core processor, or 2.83 times the speed of GPU-based platforms. With high flexibility and throughput, NeuroFlow provides a viable environment for large-scale neural network simulation.

Probabilistic programmable quantum processors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buzek, V.; Ziman, M.; Hillery, M.

2004-01-01

We analyze how to improve performance of probabilistic programmable quantum processors. We show how the probability of success of the probabilistic processor can be enhanced by using the processor in loops. In addition, we show that an arbitrary SU(2) transformations of qubits can be encoded in program state of a universal programmable probabilistic quantum processor. The probability of success of this processor can be enhanced by a systematic correction of errors via conditional loops. Finally, we show that all our results can be generalized also for qudits. (Abstract Copyright [2004], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Architecture-Aware Optimization of an HEVC decoder on Asymmetric Multicore Processors

OpenAIRE

Rodríguez-Sánchez, Rafael; Quintana-Ortí, Enrique S.

2016-01-01

Low-power asymmetric multicore processors (AMPs) attract considerable attention due to their appealing performance-power ratio for energy-constrained environments. However, these processors pose a significant programming challenge due to the integration of cores with different performance capabilities, asking for an asymmetry-aware scheduling solution that carefully distributes the workload. The recent HEVC standard, which offers several high-level parallelization strategies, is an important ...

Coal Integrated Gasification Fuel Cell System Study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gregory Wotzak; Chellappa Balan; Faress Rahman; Nguyen Minh

2003-08-01

The pre-baseline configuration for an Integrated Gasification Fuel Cell (IGFC) system has been developed. This case uses current gasification, clean-up, gas turbine, and bottoming cycle technologies together with projected large planar Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) technology. This pre-baseline case will be used as a basis for identifying the critical factors impacting system performance and the major technical challenges in implementing such systems. Top-level system requirements were used as the criteria to evaluate and down select alternative sub-systems. The top choice subsystems were subsequently integrated to form the pre-baseline case. The down-selected pre-baseline case includes a British Gas Lurgi (BGL) gasification and cleanup sub-system integrated with a GE Power Systems 6FA+e gas turbine and the Hybrid Power Generation Systems planar Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) sub-system. The overall efficiency of this system is estimated to be 43.0%. The system efficiency of the pre-baseline system provides a benchmark level for further optimization efforts in this program.

Comparison of Processor Performance of SPECint2006 Benchmarks of some Intel Xeon Processors

OpenAIRE

Abdul Kareem PARCHUR; Ram Asaray SINGH

2012-01-01

High performance is a critical requirement to all microprocessors manufacturers. The present paper describes the comparison of performance in two main Intel Xeon series processors (Type A: Intel Xeon X5260, X5460, E5450 and L5320 and Type B: Intel Xeon X5140, 5130, 5120 and E5310). The microarchitecture of these processors is implemented using the basis of a new family of processors from Intel starting with the Pentium 4 processor. These processors can provide a performance boost for many ke...

The LASS hardware processor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kunz, P.F.

1976-01-01

The problems of data analysis with hardware processors are reviewed and a description is given of a programmable processor. This processor, the 168/E, has been designed for use in the LASS multi-processor system; it has an execution speed comparable to the IBM 370/168 and uses the subset of IBM 370 instructions appropriate to the LASS analysis task. (Auth.)

Wavelength-encoded OCDMA system using opto-VLSI processors.

Science.gov (United States)

Aljada, Muhsen; Alameh, Kamal

2007-07-01

We propose and experimentally demonstrate a 2.5 Gbits/sper user wavelength-encoded optical code-division multiple-access encoder-decoder structure based on opto-VLSI processing. Each encoder and decoder is constructed using a single 1D opto-very-large-scale-integrated (VLSI) processor in conjunction with a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) array of different Bragg wavelengths. The FBG array spectrally and temporally slices the broadband input pulse into several components and the opto-VLSI processor generates codewords using digital phase holograms. System performance is measured in terms of the autocorrelation and cross-correlation functions as well as the eye diagram.

Wavelength-encoded OCDMA system using opto-VLSI processors

Science.gov (United States)

Aljada, Muhsen; Alameh, Kamal

2007-07-01

We propose and experimentally demonstrate a 2.5 Gbits/sper user wavelength-encoded optical code-division multiple-access encoder-decoder structure based on opto-VLSI processing. Each encoder and decoder is constructed using a single 1D opto-very-large-scale-integrated (VLSI) processor in conjunction with a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) array of different Bragg wavelengths. The FBG array spectrally and temporally slices the broadband input pulse into several components and the opto-VLSI processor generates codewords using digital phase holograms. System performance is measured in terms of the autocorrelation and cross-correlation functions as well as the eye diagram.

Programmable optical processor chips: toward photonic RF filters with DSP-level flexibility and MHz-band selectivity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xie Yiwei

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Integrated optical signal processors have been identified as a powerful engine for optical processing of microwave signals. They enable wideband and stable signal processing operations on miniaturized chips with ultimate control precision. As a promising application, such processors enables photonic implementations of reconfigurable radio frequency (RF filters with wide design flexibility, large bandwidth, and high-frequency selectivity. This is a key technology for photonic-assisted RF front ends that opens a path to overcoming the bandwidth limitation of current digital electronics. Here, the recent progress of integrated optical signal processors for implementing such RF filters is reviewed. We highlight the use of a low-loss, high-index-contrast stoichiometric silicon nitride waveguide which promises to serve as a practical material platform for realizing high-performance optical signal processors and points toward photonic RF filters with digital signal processing (DSP-level flexibility, hundreds-GHz bandwidth, MHz-band frequency selectivity, and full system integration on a chip scale.

An Integrated Approach to Locality-Conscious Processor Allocation and Scheduling of Mixed-Parallel Applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vydyanathan, Naga; Krishnamoorthy, Sriram; Sabin, Gerald M.; Catalyurek, Umit V.; Kurc, Tahsin; Sadayappan, Ponnuswamy; Saltz, Joel H.

2009-08-01

Complex parallel applications can often be modeled as directed acyclic graphs of coarse-grained application-tasks with dependences. These applications exhibit both task- and data-parallelism, and combining these two (also called mixedparallelism), has been shown to be an effective model for their execution. In this paper, we present an algorithm to compute the appropriate mix of task- and data-parallelism required to minimize the parallel completion time (makespan) of these applications. In other words, our algorithm determines the set of tasks that should be run concurrently and the number of processors to be allocated to each task. The processor allocation and scheduling decisions are made in an integrated manner and are based on several factors such as the structure of the taskgraph, the runtime estimates and scalability characteristics of the tasks and the inter-task data communication volumes. A locality conscious scheduling strategy is used to improve inter-task data reuse. Evaluation through simulations and actual executions of task graphs derived from real applications as well as synthetic graphs shows that our algorithm consistently generates schedules with lower makespan as compared to CPR and CPA, two previously proposed scheduling algorithms. Our algorithm also produces schedules that have lower makespan than pure taskand data-parallel schedules. For task graphs with known optimal schedules or lower bounds on the makespan, our algorithm generates schedules that are closer to the optima than other scheduling approaches.

Description of reactor fuel breeding with three integral concepts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ott, K.O.; Hanan, N.A.; Maudlin, P.J.; Borg, R.C.

1979-01-01

The time-dependent breeding of fuel in a growing system of breeder reactors can be characterized by the transitory (instantaneous) growth rate, γ(t). The three most important aspects of γ(t) can be expressed by time-independent integral concepts. Two of these concepts are in widespread use. A third integral concept that links the two earlier ones is introduced. The time-dependent growth rate has an asymptotic value, γ/sup infinity/, the equilibrium growth rate, which is the basis for the calculation of the doubling time. The equilibrium growth rate measures the breeding capability and represents a reactor property. Maximum deviation of γ(t) and γ/sup infinity/ generally appears at the initial startup of the reactor, where γ(t = 0) = γ 0 . This deviation is due to the difference between the initial and asymptotic fuel inventory composition. The initial growth rate can be considered a second integral concept; it characterizes the breeding of a particular fuel in a given reactor. Growth rates are logarithmic derivatives of the growing mass of fuel in breeder reactors, especially γ/sup infinity/, which describes the asymptotic growth by exp(γ/sup infinity/t). There is, however, a variation in the fuel-mass factor in front of this exponential function during the transition from γ 0 to γ/sup infinity/. It is shown that this variation of the fuel mass during transitioncan be described by a third integral concept, termed the breeding bonus, b. The breeding bonus measures the quality of a fuel for its use in a given reactor in terms of its impact on the magnitude of the asymptotically growing fuel mass. The calculation of γ 0 and γ/sup infinity/ is facilitated by use of the critical mass (CM) worths and the breeding worth factors, respectively

Configuring a fuel cell based residential combined heat and power system

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmed, Shabbir; Papadias, Dionissios D.; Ahluwalia, Rajesh K.

2013-11-01

The design and performance of a fuel cell based residential combined heat and power (CHP) system operating on natural gas has been analyzed. The natural gas is first converted to a hydrogen-rich reformate in a steam reformer based fuel processor, and the hydrogen is then electrochemically oxidized in a low temperature polymer electrolyte fuel cell to generate electric power. The heat generated in the fuel cell and the available heat in the exhaust gas is recovered to meet residential needs for hot water and space heating. Two fuel processor configurations have been studied. One of the configurations was explored to quantify the effects of design and operating parameters, which include pressure, temperature, and steam-to-carbon ratio in the fuel processor, and fuel utilization in the fuel cell. The second configuration applied the lessons from the study of the first configuration to increase the CHP efficiency. Results from the two configurations allow a quantitative comparison of the design alternatives. The analyses showed that these systems can operate at electrical efficiencies of ∼46% and combined heat and power efficiencies of ∼90%.

Integrating the fuel cycle at IFR [Integral Fast Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Till, C.E.; Chang, Y.I.

1992-01-01

During the past few years Argonne National Laboratory has been developing the Integral Fast Reactor (IFR), an advanced liquid metal reactor. Much of the IFR technology stems from Argonne National Laboratory's experience with the Experimental Breeder Reactors, EBR 1 and 2. The unique aspect of EBR 2 is its success with high-burnup metallic fuel. Irradiation tests of the new U-Pu-Zr fuel for the IFR have now reached a burnup level of 20%. The results to date have demonstrated excellent performance characteristics of the metallic fuel in both steady-state and off-normal operating conditions. EBR 2 is now fully loaded with the IFR fuel alloys and fuel performance data are being generated. In turn, metallic fuel becomes the key factor in achieving a high degree of passive safety in the IFR. These characteristics were demonstrated dramatically by two landmark tests conducted at EBR 2 in 1986: loss of flow without scram; and loss of heat sink without scram. They demonstrated that the combination of high heat conductivity of metallic fuel and thermal inertia of the large sodium pool can shut the reactor down during potentially severe accidents without depending on human intervention or the operation of active engineered components. The IFR metallic fuel is also the key factor in compact pyroprocessing. Pyroprocessing uses high temperatures, molten salt and metal solvents to process metal fuels. The result is suitable for fabrication into new fuel elements. Feasibility studies are to be conducted into the recycling of actinides from light water reactor spent fuel in the IFR using the pyroprocessing approach to extract the actinides (author)

Color sensor and neural processor on one chip

Science.gov (United States)

Fiesler, Emile; Campbell, Shannon R.; Kempem, Lother; Duong, Tuan A.

1998-10-01

Low-cost, compact, and robust color sensor that can operate in real-time under various environmental conditions can benefit many applications, including quality control, chemical sensing, food production, medical diagnostics, energy conservation, monitoring of hazardous waste, and recycling. Unfortunately, existing color sensor are either bulky and expensive or do not provide the required speed and accuracy. In this publication we describe the design of an accurate real-time color classification sensor, together with preprocessing and a subsequent neural network processor integrated on a single complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuit. This one-chip sensor and information processor will be low in cost, robust, and mass-producible using standard commercial CMOS processes. The performance of the chip and the feasibility of its manufacturing is proven through computer simulations based on CMOS hardware parameters. Comparisons with competing methodologies show a significantly higher performance for our device.

Hydrogen production by onboard gasoline processing – Process simulation and optimization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bisaria, Vega; Smith, R.J. Byron,

2013-12-15

Highlights: • Process flow sheet for an onboard fuel processor for 100 kW fuel cell output was simulated. • Gasoline fuel requirement was found to be 30.55 kg/hr. • The fuel processor efficiency was found to be 95.98%. • An heat integrated optimum flow sheet was developed. - Abstract: Fuel cell vehicles have reached the commercialization stage and hybrid vehicles are already on the road. While hydrogen storage and infrastructure remain critical issues in stand alone commercialization of the technology, researchers are developing onboard fuel processors, which can convert a variety of fuels into hydrogen to power these fuel cell vehicles. The feasibility study of a 100 kW on board fuel processor based on gasoline fuel is carried out using process simulation. The steady state model has been developed with the help of Aspen HYSYS to analyze the fuel processor and total system performance. The components of the fuel processor are the fuel reforming unit, CO clean-up unit and auxiliary units. Optimization studies were carried out by analyzing the influence of various operating parameters such as oxygen to carbon ratio, steam to carbon ratio, temperature and pressure on the process equipments. From the steady state model optimization using Aspen HYSYS, an optimized reaction composition in terms of hydrogen production and carbon monoxide concentration corresponds to: oxygen to carbon ratio of 0.5 and steam to carbon ratio of 0.5. The fuel processor efficiency of 95.98% is obtained under these optimized conditions. The heat integration of the system using the composite curve, grand composite curve and utility composite curve were studied for the system. The most appropriate heat exchanger network from the generated ones was chosen and that was incorporated into the optimized flow sheet of the100 kW fuel processor. A completely heat integrated 100 kW fuel processor flow sheet using gasoline as fuel was thus successfully simulated and optimized.

Hydrogen production by onboard gasoline processing – Process simulation and optimization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bisaria, Vega; Smith, R.J. Byron

2013-01-01

Highlights: • Process flow sheet for an onboard fuel processor for 100 kW fuel cell output was simulated. • Gasoline fuel requirement was found to be 30.55 kg/hr. • The fuel processor efficiency was found to be 95.98%. • An heat integrated optimum flow sheet was developed. - Abstract: Fuel cell vehicles have reached the commercialization stage and hybrid vehicles are already on the road. While hydrogen storage and infrastructure remain critical issues in stand alone commercialization of the technology, researchers are developing onboard fuel processors, which can convert a variety of fuels into hydrogen to power these fuel cell vehicles. The feasibility study of a 100 kW on board fuel processor based on gasoline fuel is carried out using process simulation. The steady state model has been developed with the help of Aspen HYSYS to analyze the fuel processor and total system performance. The components of the fuel processor are the fuel reforming unit, CO clean-up unit and auxiliary units. Optimization studies were carried out by analyzing the influence of various operating parameters such as oxygen to carbon ratio, steam to carbon ratio, temperature and pressure on the process equipments. From the steady state model optimization using Aspen HYSYS, an optimized reaction composition in terms of hydrogen production and carbon monoxide concentration corresponds to: oxygen to carbon ratio of 0.5 and steam to carbon ratio of 0.5. The fuel processor efficiency of 95.98% is obtained under these optimized conditions. The heat integration of the system using the composite curve, grand composite curve and utility composite curve were studied for the system. The most appropriate heat exchanger network from the generated ones was chosen and that was incorporated into the optimized flow sheet of the100 kW fuel processor. A completely heat integrated 100 kW fuel processor flow sheet using gasoline as fuel was thus successfully simulated and optimized

The hardware track finder processor in CMS at CERN

CERN Document Server

Kluge, A

1997-01-01

The work covers the design of the Track Finder Processor in the high energy experiment CMS (Compact Muon Solenoid, planned for 2005) at CERN/Geneva. The task of this processor is to identify muons and measure their transverse momentum. The track finder processor makes it possible to determine the physical relevance of each high energetic collision and to forward only interesting data to the data an alysis units. Data of more than two hundred thousand detector cells are used to determine the location of muons and measure their transverse momentum. Each 25 ns a new data set is generated. Measurem ent of location and transverse momentum of the muons can be terminated within 350 ns by using an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). A pipeline architecture processes new data sets with th e required data rate of 40 MHz to ensure dead time free operation. In the framework of this study specifications and the overall concept of the track finder processor were worked out in detail. Simul ations were performed...

Comparison of Processor Performance of SPECint2006 Benchmarks of some Intel Xeon Processors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdul Kareem PARCHUR

2012-08-01

Full Text Available High performance is a critical requirement to all microprocessors manufacturers. The present paper describes the comparison of performance in two main Intel Xeon series processors (Type A: Intel Xeon X5260, X5460, E5450 and L5320 and Type B: Intel Xeon X5140, 5130, 5120 and E5310. The microarchitecture of these processors is implemented using the basis of a new family of processors from Intel starting with the Pentium 4 processor. These processors can provide a performance boost for many key application areas in modern generation. The scaling of performance in two major series of Intel Xeon processors (Type A: Intel Xeon X5260, X5460, E5450 and L5320 and Type B: Intel Xeon X5140, 5130, 5120 and E5310 has been analyzed using the performance numbers of 12 CPU2006 integer benchmarks, performance numbers that exhibit significant differences in performance. The results and analysis can be used by performance engineers, scientists and developers to better understand the performance scaling in modern generation processors.

Simulation of a parallel processor on a serial processor: The neutron diffusion equation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Honeck, H.C.

1981-01-01

Parallel processors could provide the nuclear industry with very high computing power at a very moderate cost. Will we be able to make effective use of this power. This paper explores the use of a very simple parallel processor for solving the neutron diffusion equation to predict power distributions in a nuclear reactor. We first describe a simple parallel processor and estimate its theoretical performance based on the current hardware technology. Next, we show how the parallel processor could be used to solve the neutron diffusion equation. We then present the results of some simulations of a parallel processor run on a serial processor and measure some of the expected inefficiencies. Finally we extrapolate the results to estimate how actual design codes would perform. We find that the standard numerical methods for solving the neutron diffusion equation are still applicable when used on a parallel processor. However, some simple modifications to these methods will be necessary if we are to achieve the full power of these new computers. (orig.) [de

Dynamic modeling, experimental evaluation, optimal design and control of integrated fuel cell system and hybrid energy systems for building demands

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Gia Luong Huu

Fuel cells can produce electricity with high efficiency, low pollutants, and low noise. With the advent of fuel cell technologies, fuel cell systems have since been demonstrated as reliable power generators with power outputs from a few watts to a few megawatts. With proper equipment, fuel cell systems can produce heating and cooling, thus increased its overall efficiency. To increase the acceptance from electrical utilities and building owners, fuel cell systems must operate more dynamically and integrate well with renewable energy resources. This research studies the dynamic performance of fuel cells and the integration of fuel cells with other equipment in three levels: (i) the fuel cell stack operating on hydrogen and reformate gases, (ii) the fuel cell system consisting of a fuel reformer, a fuel cell stack, and a heat recovery unit, and (iii) the hybrid energy system consisting of photovoltaic panels, fuel cell system, and energy storage. In the first part, this research studied the steady-state and dynamic performance of a high temperature PEM fuel cell stack. Collaborators at Aalborg University (Aalborg, Denmark) conducted experiments on a high temperature PEM fuel cell short stack at steady-state and transients. Along with the experimental activities, this research developed a first-principles dynamic model of a fuel cell stack. The dynamic model developed in this research was compared to the experimental results when operating on different reformate concentrations. Finally, the dynamic performance of the fuel cell stack for a rapid increase and rapid decrease in power was evaluated. The dynamic model well predicted the performance of the well-performing cells in the experimental fuel cell stack. The second part of the research studied the dynamic response of a high temperature PEM fuel cell system consisting of a fuel reformer, a fuel cell stack, and a heat recovery unit with high thermal integration. After verifying the model performance with the

Fuels processing for transportation fuel cell systems

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, R.; Ahmed, S.

Fuel cells primarily use hydrogen as the fuel. This hydrogen must be produced from other fuels such as natural gas or methanol. The fuel processor requirements are affected by the fuel to be converted, the type of fuel cell to be supplied, and the fuel cell application. The conventional fuel processing technology has been reexamined to determine how it must be adapted for use in demanding applications such as transportation. The two major fuel conversion processes are steam reforming and partial oxidation reforming. The former is established practice for stationary applications; the latter offers certain advantages for mobile systems and is presently in various stages of development. This paper discusses these fuel processing technologies and the more recent developments for fuel cell systems used in transportation. The need for new materials in fuels processing, particularly in the area of reforming catalysis and hydrogen purification, is discussed.

Fuel cell processor with low-temperature PEM fuel cell - testing. Final report; Naturgasreformersystem med lavtgemperatur-PEM braendselsceller - TEST. Slutrapport

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bech-Madsen, J.

2006-11-03

The purpose of the project is to further develop a Danish natural gas reformer system including optimisation of subsystems and the overall system consisting of a natural gas reformer and fuel cell CHP generator. This will contribute to the evaluation of to what extend Denmark shall develop small reformer units for PEM fuel Cells. In the project a reformer system with a high degree of automatic control has been build that fulfils the CHP requirements to operation time, dynamics etc. This work, with a FP05 reformer unit, has given valuable results concerning the possibilities and limitations of the reformer technology for CHP usage. It is important that the reformer and fuel cell units are designed with matching yields to optimise efficiency, turn-down start-up time etc. The burner that delivers heat for the steam reaction shall be able to use natural gas as fuel. This gives the possibility of using existing burner technology. In addition this will improve the efficiency since it will not be necessary to reform natural gas to feed the burner. The large number of BoP components in the FP05 unit is primarily used for achieving good regulation dynamics and accuracy. To reduce the number of components, a CHP unit with few or only one operational point should be considered. A single point of operation will reduce the number of valves as well as the requirements to the control and regulation of the system. A large part of the reformer size is needed to meet the high demands for CO purification of the reformat. This purification results in a very narrow window of operation for the reformer system. By using more CO tolerant fuel cells this part of the system can be reduced or even eliminated. To test the developed automatic control it was planned to integrate the FP05 reformer with a 10kW CHP unit that was being build by IRD in a separate project. This unit was perfect in size for testing with the reformer. However due to a number of reasons it was not possible during the

Functional unit for a processor

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rohani, A.; Kerkhoff, Hans G.

2013-01-01

The invention relates to a functional unit for a processor, such as a Very Large Instruction Word Processor. The invention further relates to a processor comprising at least one such functional unit. The invention further relates to a functional unit and processor capable of mitigating the effect of

Trigger and decision processors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Franke, G.

1980-11-01

In recent years there have been many attempts in high energy physics to make trigger and decision processes faster and more sophisticated. This became necessary due to a permanent increase of the number of sensitive detector elements in wire chambers and calorimeters, and in fact it was possible because of the fast developments in integrated circuits technique. In this paper the present situation will be reviewed. The discussion will be mainly focussed upon event filtering by pure software methods and - rather hardware related - microprogrammable processors as well as random access memory triggers. (orig.)

Development of a Next-Generation Membrane-Integrated Adsorption Processor for CO2 Removal and Compression for Closed-Loop Air Revitalization Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Mulloth, Lila; LeVan, Douglas

2002-01-01

The current CO2 removal technology of NASA is very energy intensive and contains many non-optimized subsystems. This paper discusses the concept of a next-generation, membrane integrated, adsorption processor for CO2 removal nd compression in closed-loop air revitalization systems. This processor will use many times less power than NASA's current CO2 removal technology and will be capable of maintaining a lower CO2 concentration in the cabin than that can be achieved by the existing CO2 removal systems. The compact, consolidated, configuration of gas dryer, CO2 separator, and CO2 compressor will allow continuous recycling of humid air in the cabin and supply of compressed CO2 to the reduction unit for oxygen recovery. The device has potential application to the International Space Station and future, long duration, transit, and planetary missions.

Indigenous development of system integration for proton exchange membrane fuel cell operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hussain, S.; Arshad, M.; Anjum, A.R.

2011-01-01

System integration was developed for fuel cell to control various parameters including voltage, current, power, temperature, pressure of gas (H/sub 2/), humidification, etc. The compact software has also been developed for monitoring different parameters of fuel cell system. System integrated was installed on fuel cell stack to manipulate these parameters. The compact software has been linked with the integrated system for visual monitoring of different parameters of fuel cell system during operation on PC. The installation of software and integrated system on fuel cell stack is the key achievement for the safe operation of fuel cell stack and for the provision of requisite power to any electric device for optimum performance. The compact software was developed for micro controller in KIEL. Control card and driver card are controlled by software-driven micro controller. A communication protocol was designed and developed. PC software has been developed to control and watch the values of all parameters of fuel cell such as voltage, current, power, temperature, pressure of hydrogen, pressure of oxygen, operational times and performance of the system on computer screen. (author)

Multithreading in vector processors

Science.gov (United States)

Evangelinos, Constantinos; Kim, Changhoan; Nair, Ravi

2018-01-16

In one embodiment, a system includes a processor having a vector processing mode and a multithreading mode. The processor is configured to operate on one thread per cycle in the multithreading mode. The processor includes a program counter register having a plurality of program counters, and the program counter register is vectorized. Each program counter in the program counter register represents a distinct corresponding thread of a plurality of threads. The processor is configured to execute the plurality of threads by activating the plurality of program counters in a round robin cycle.

Integration of fuel cells into residential buildings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bell, J.M.; Entchev, E.; Gusdorf, J.; Szadkowski, F.; Swinton, M.; Kalbfleisch, W.; Marchand, R.

2004-01-01

Integration of small combined heat and power systems (CHP) into residential buildings is challenging as the loads are small, the load diversity is limited and there are a number of unresolved issues concerning sizing, control, peak loads, emergency operation, grid connection and export, etc. Natural Resources Canada has undertaken an initiative to investigate and develop techniques for the integration of small CHP systems into residential buildings using a highly instrumented house modified to allow quick installation and thorough monitoring of CHP integration techniques as well determining the performance of the CHP systems themselves when operating in a house. The first CHP system installed was a Stirling engine residential CHP system. It was used to examine the completeness of the CHP modifications to the house, to evaluate various building integration techniques and to measure the performance of the CHP system itself. The testing demonstrated the modified house to be an excellent facility for the development of CHP building integration techniques and the testing of residential CHP systems. The Stirling engine CHP system was found to operate well and produce meaningful input to the house. A second system (residential fuel cell) is presently being installed and building integration techniques and the performance of the fuel cell will be tested over the coming year. (author)

Processor farming in two-level analysis of historical bridge

Science.gov (United States)

Krejčí, T.; Kruis, J.; Koudelka, T.; Šejnoha, M.

2017-11-01

This contribution presents a processor farming method in connection with a multi-scale analysis. In this method, each macro-scopic integration point or each finite element is connected with a certain meso-scopic problem represented by an appropriate representative volume element (RVE). The solution of a meso-scale problem provides then effective parameters needed on the macro-scale. Such an analysis is suitable for parallel computing because the meso-scale problems can be distributed among many processors. The application of the processor farming method to a real world masonry structure is illustrated by an analysis of Charles bridge in Prague. The three-dimensional numerical model simulates the coupled heat and moisture transfer of one half of arch No. 3. and it is a part of a complex hygro-thermo-mechanical analysis which has been developed to determine the influence of climatic loading on the current state of the bridge.

3081/E processor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kunz, P.F.; Gravina, M.; Oxoby, G.

1984-04-01

The 3081/E project was formed to prepare a much improved IBM mainframe emulator for the future. Its design is based on a large amount of experience in using the 168/E processor to increase available CPU power in both online and offline environments. The processor will be at least equal to the execution speed of a 370/168 and up to 1.5 times faster for heavy floating point code. A single processor will thus be at least four times more powerful than the VAX 11/780, and five processors on a system would equal at least the performance of the IBM 3081K. With its large memory space and simple but flexible high speed interface, the 3081/E is well suited for the online and offline needs of high energy physics in the future

Integration of the military and civilian nuclear fuel cycles in Russia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bukharin, O.

1994-01-01

This paper describes the close integration of the civil and military nuclear fuel cycles in Russia. Individual processing facilities, as well as the flow of nuclear material, are described as they existed in the 1980s and as they exist today. The end of the Cold War and the breakup of the Soviet Union weakened the ties between the two nuclear fuel cycles, but did not separate them. Separation of the military and civilian nuclear fuel cycles would facilitate Russia's integration into the world's nuclear fuel cycle and its participation in international non-proliferation regimes

Application of fuel cells with heat recovery for integrated utility systems

Science.gov (United States)

Shields, V.; King, J. M., Jr.

1975-01-01

This paper presents the results of a study of fuel cell powerplants with heat recovery for use in an integrated utility system. Such a design provides for a low pollution, noise-free, highly efficient integrated utility. Use of the waste heat from the fuel cell powerplant in an integrated utility system for the village center complex of a new community results in a reduction in resource consumption of 42 percent compared to conventional methods. In addition, the system has the potential of operating on fuels produced from waste materials (pyrolysis and digester gases); this would provide further reduction in energy consumption.

Integrated Fuel-Coolant Interaction (IFCI 6.0) code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davis, F.J.; Young, M.F.

1994-04-01

The integrated Fuel-Coolant interaction (IFCI) computer code is being developed at Sandia National Laboratories to investigate the fuel-coolant interaction (FCI) problem at large scale using a two-dimensional, four-field hydrodynamic framework and physically based models. IFCI will be capable of treating all major FCI processes in an integrated manner. This document is a product of the effort to generate a stand-alone version of IFCI, IFCI 6.0. The User's Manual describes in detail the hydrodynamic method and physical models used in IFCI 6.0. Appendix A is an input manual, provided for the creation of working decks

Proposed fuel cycle for the Integral Fast Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burris, L.; Walters, L.C.

1985-01-01

One of the key features of ANL's Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) concept is a close-coupled fuel cycle. The proposed fuel cycle is similar to that demonstrated over the first five to six years of operation of EBR-II, when a fuel cycle facility adjacent to EBR-II was operated to reprocess and refabricate rapidly fuel discharged from the EBR-II. Locating the IFR and its fuel cycle facility on the same site makes the IFR a self-contained system. Because the reactor fuel and the uranium blanket are metals, pyrometallurgical processes (shortned to ''pyroprocesses'') have been chosen. The objectives of the IFR processes for the reactor fuel and blanket materials are to (1) recover fissionable materials in high yield; (2) remove fission products adequately from the reactor fuel, e.g., a decontamination factor of 10 to 100; and (3) upgrade the concentration of plutonium in uranium sufficiently to replenish the fissile-material content of the reactor fuel. After the fuel has been reconstituted, new fuel elements will be fabricated for recycle to the reactor

Calculating failure probabilities for TRISO-coated fuel particles using an integral formulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, Gregory K.; Maki, John T.; Knudson, Darrell L.; Petti, David A.

2010-01-01

The fundamental design for a gas-cooled reactor relies on the safe behavior of the coated particle fuel. The coating layers surrounding the fuel kernels in these spherical particles, termed the TRISO coating, act as a pressure vessel that retains fission products. The quality of the fuel is reflected in the number of particle failures that occur during reactor operation, where failed particles become a source for fission products that can then diffuse through the fuel element. The failure probability for any batch of particles, which has traditionally been calculated using the Monte Carlo method, depends on statistical variations in design parameters and on variations in the strengths of coating layers among particles in the batch. An alternative approach to calculating failure probabilities is developed herein that uses direct numerical integration of a failure probability integral. Because this is a multiple integral where the statistically varying parameters become integration variables, a fast numerical integration approach is also developed. In sample cases analyzed involving multiple failure mechanisms, results from the integration methods agree closely with Monte Carlo results. Additionally, the fast integration approach, particularly, is shown to significantly improve efficiency of failure probability calculations. These integration methods have been implemented in the PARFUME fuel performance code along with the Monte Carlo method, where each serves to verify accuracy of the others.

Coal Integrated Gasification Fuel Cell System Study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chellappa Balan; Debashis Dey; Sukru-Alper Eker; Max Peter; Pavel Sokolov; Greg Wotzak

2004-01-31

This study analyzes the performance and economics of power generation systems based on Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) technology and fueled by gasified coal. System concepts that integrate a coal gasifier with a SOFC, a gas turbine, and a steam turbine were developed and analyzed for plant sizes in excess of 200 MW. Two alternative integration configurations were selected with projected system efficiency of over 53% on a HHV basis, or about 10 percentage points higher than that of the state-of-the-art Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) systems. The initial cost of both selected configurations was found to be comparable with the IGCC system costs at approximately $1700/kW. An absorption-based CO2 isolation scheme was developed, and its penalty on the system performance and cost was estimated to be less approximately 2.7% and $370/kW. Technology gaps and required engineering development efforts were identified and evaluated.

Catalytic autothermal reforming of hydrocarbon fuels for fuel cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krumpelt, M.; Krause, T.; Kopasz, J.; Carter, D.; Ahmed, S.

2002-01-01

Fuel cell development has seen remarkable progress in the past decade because of an increasing need to improve energy efficiency as well as to address concerns about the environmental consequences of using fossil fuel for producing electricity and for propulsion of vehicles[1]. The lack of an infrastructure for producing and distributing H(sub 2) has led to a research effort to develop on-board fuel processing technology for reforming hydrocarbon fuels to generate H(sub 2)[2]. The primary focus is on reforming gasoline, because a production and distribution infrastructure for gasoline already exists to supply internal combustion engines[3]. Existing reforming technology for the production of H(sub 2) from hydrocarbon feedstocks used in large-scale manufacturing processes, such as ammonia synthesis, is cost prohibitive when scaled down to the size of the fuel processor required for transportation applications (50-80 kWe) nor is it designed to meet the varying power demands and frequent shutoffs and restarts that will be experienced during normal drive cycles. To meet the performance targets required of a fuel processor for transportation applications will require new reforming reactor technology developed to meet the volume, weight, cost, and operational characteristics for transportation applications and the development of new reforming catalysts that exhibit a higher activity and better thermal and mechanical stability than reforming catalysts currently used in the production of H(sub 2) for large-scale manufacturing processes

Visualization of fuel rod burnup analysis by Scilab

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsai, Chiung-Wen

2013-01-01

The goal of this technical note is to provide an alternative, the freeware Scilab, by which means we may construct custom GUIs and distribute them without extra constrains and cost. A post-processor has been constructed by Scilab to visualize the fuel rod burnup analysis data calculated by FRAPCON-3.4. This post-processor incorporates a graphical user interface (GUI), providing users a rapid overview of the characteristics of the numerical results with 2-D and 3-D graphs, as well as the animations of fuel temperature distribution. An assessment case input file provided by FRAPCON user group was applied to demonstrate the construction of a post-processor with GUI by object-oriented GUI tool, as well as the capability of visualization functions of Scilab

Visualization of fuel rod burnup analysis by Scilab

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tsai, Chiung-Wen, E-mail: d937121@oz.nthu.edu.tw

2013-12-15

The goal of this technical note is to provide an alternative, the freeware Scilab, by which means we may construct custom GUIs and distribute them without extra constrains and cost. A post-processor has been constructed by Scilab to visualize the fuel rod burnup analysis data calculated by FRAPCON-3.4. This post-processor incorporates a graphical user interface (GUI), providing users a rapid overview of the characteristics of the numerical results with 2-D and 3-D graphs, as well as the animations of fuel temperature distribution. An assessment case input file provided by FRAPCON user group was applied to demonstrate the construction of a post-processor with GUI by object-oriented GUI tool, as well as the capability of visualization functions of Scilab.

Fuel processing for PEM fuel cells: transport and kinetic issues of system design

Science.gov (United States)

Zalc, J. M.; Löffler, D. G.

In light of the distribution and storage issues associated with hydrogen, efficient on-board fuel processing will be a significant factor in the implementation of PEM fuel cells for automotive applications. Here, we apply basic chemical engineering principles to gain insight into the factors that limit performance in each component of a fuel processor. A system consisting of a plate reactor steam reformer, water-gas shift unit, and preferential oxidation reactor is used as a case study. It is found that for a steam reformer based on catalyst-coated foils, mass transfer from the bulk gas to the catalyst surface is the limiting process. The water-gas shift reactor is expected to be the largest component of the fuel processor and is limited by intrinsic catalyst activity, while a successful preferential oxidation unit depends on strict temperature control in order to minimize parasitic hydrogen oxidation. This stepwise approach of sequentially eliminating rate-limiting processes can be used to identify possible means of performance enhancement in a broad range of applications.

Performance evaluation of throughput computing workloads using multi-core processors and graphics processors

Science.gov (United States)

Dave, Gaurav P.; Sureshkumar, N.; Blessy Trencia Lincy, S. S.

2017-11-01

Current trend in processor manufacturing focuses on multi-core architectures rather than increasing the clock speed for performance improvement. Graphic processors have become as commodity hardware for providing fast co-processing in computer systems. Developments in IoT, social networking web applications, big data created huge demand for data processing activities and such kind of throughput intensive applications inherently contains data level parallelism which is more suited for SIMD architecture based GPU. This paper reviews the architectural aspects of multi/many core processors and graphics processors. Different case studies are taken to compare performance of throughput computing applications using shared memory programming in OpenMP and CUDA API based programming.

The Molen Polymorphic Media Processor

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kuzmanov, G.K.

2004-01-01

In this dissertation, we address high performance media processing based on a tightly coupled co-processor architectural paradigm. More specifically, we introduce a reconfigurable media augmentation of a general purpose processor and implement it into a fully operational processor prototype. The

PREP-PWR-1.0: a WIMS-D/4 pre-processor code for the generation of data for PWR fuel assemblies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ball, G.

1991-06-01

The PREP-PWR-1.0 computer code is a substantially modified version of the PREWIM code which formed part of the original MARIA System (Report J.E.N. 543). PREP-PWR-1.0 is a comprehensive pre-processor code which generates input data for the WIMS-D/4.1 code (Report PEL 294) for PWR fuel assemblies, with or without control and burnable poison rods. This data is generated at various base and off-base conditions. The overall cross section generation methodology is described, followed by a brief overview of the model. Aspects of the base/off-base calculational scheme are outlined. Additional features of the code are described while the input data format of PREP-PWR-1.0 is listed. The sample problems and suggestions for further improvements to the code are also described. 2 figs., 2 tabs., 12 refs

Melcor benchmarking against integral severe fuel damage tests

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Madni, I.K. [Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States)

1995-09-01

MELCOR is a fully integrated computer code that models all phases of the progression of severe accidents in light water reactor nuclear power plants, and is being developed for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) by Sandia National Laboratories (SNL). Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) has a program with the NRC to provide independent assessment of MELCOR, and a very important part of this program is to benchmark MELCOR against experimental data from integral severe fuel damage tests and predictions of that data from more mechanistic codes such as SCDAP or SCDAP/RELAP5. Benchmarking analyses with MELCOR have been carried out at BNL for five integral severe fuel damage tests, namely, PBF SFD 1-1, SFD 14, and NRU FLHT-2, analyses, and their role in identifying areas of modeling strengths and weaknesses in MELCOR.

Demonstration of two-qubit algorithms with a superconducting quantum processor.

Science.gov (United States)

DiCarlo, L; Chow, J M; Gambetta, J M; Bishop, Lev S; Johnson, B R; Schuster, D I; Majer, J; Blais, A; Frunzio, L; Girvin, S M; Schoelkopf, R J

2009-07-09

Quantum computers, which harness the superposition and entanglement of physical states, could outperform their classical counterparts in solving problems with technological impact-such as factoring large numbers and searching databases. A quantum processor executes algorithms by applying a programmable sequence of gates to an initialized register of qubits, which coherently evolves into a final state containing the result of the computation. Building a quantum processor is challenging because of the need to meet simultaneously requirements that are in conflict: state preparation, long coherence times, universal gate operations and qubit readout. Processors based on a few qubits have been demonstrated using nuclear magnetic resonance, cold ion trap and optical systems, but a solid-state realization has remained an outstanding challenge. Here we demonstrate a two-qubit superconducting processor and the implementation of the Grover search and Deutsch-Jozsa quantum algorithms. We use a two-qubit interaction, tunable in strength by two orders of magnitude on nanosecond timescales, which is mediated by a cavity bus in a circuit quantum electrodynamics architecture. This interaction allows the generation of highly entangled states with concurrence up to 94 per cent. Although this processor constitutes an important step in quantum computing with integrated circuits, continuing efforts to increase qubit coherence times, gate performance and register size will be required to fulfil the promise of a scalable technology.

Embedded SoPC Design with Nios II Processor and Verilog Examples

CERN Document Server

Chu, Pong P

2012-01-01

Explores the unique hardware programmability of FPGA-based embedded systems, using a learn-by-doing approach to introduce the concepts and techniques for embedded SoPC design with Verilog An SoPC (system on a programmable chip) integrates a processor, memory modules, I/O peripherals, and custom hardware accelerators into a single FPGA (field-programmable gate array) device. In addition to the customized software, customized hardware can be developed and incorporated into the embedded system as well-allowing us to configure the soft-core processor, create tailored I/O interfaces, and develop s

Integral benchmarks with reference to thorium fuel cycle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ganesan, S.

2003-01-01

This is a power point presentation about the Indian participation in the CRP 'Evaluated Data for the Thorium-Uranium fuel cycle'. The plans and scope of the Indian participation are to provide selected integral experimental benchmarks for nuclear data validation, including Indian Thorium burn up benchmarks, post-irradiation examination studies, comparison of basic evaluated data files and analysis of selected benchmarks for Th-U fuel cycle

JPP: A Java Pre-Processor

OpenAIRE

Kiniry, Joseph R.; Cheong, Elaine

1998-01-01

The Java Pre-Processor, or JPP for short, is a parsing pre-processor for the Java programming language. Unlike its namesake (the C/C++ Pre-Processor, cpp), JPP provides functionality above and beyond simple textual substitution. JPP's capabilities include code beautification, code standard conformance checking, class and interface specification and testing, and documentation generation.

Performance tests for integral reactor nuclear fuel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sohn, Dong-Seong; Yim, Jeong-Sik; Lee, Chong-Tak; Kim, Han-Soo; Koo, Yang-Hyun; Lee, Byung-Ho; Cheon, Jin-Sik; Oh, Je-Yong

2006-02-15

An integral type reactor SMART plans to utilize metallic Zr-U fuel which is Zr-based alloy with 34{approx}38 wt% U. In order to verify the technologies for the design and manufacturing of the fuel and get a license, performance tests were carried out. Experimental Fuel Assembly (EFA) manufactured in KAERI is being successfully irradiated in the MIR reactor of RIAR from September 4 2004, and it has achieved burnup of 0.21 g/cc as of January 25 2006. Thermal properties of irradiated Zr-U fuel were measured. Up to the phase transformation temperature, thermal diffusivity increased linearly in proportion to temperature. However its dependence on the burnup was not significant. RIA tests with 4 unirradiated Zr-U fuel rods were performed in Kurchatov Institute to establish a safety criterion. In the case of the un-irradiated Zr-U fuel, the energy deposition during the control rod ejection accident should be less than 172 cal/g to prevent the failure accompanying fuel fragmentation and dispersal. Finally the irradiation tests of fuel rods have been performed at HANARO. The HITE-2 test was successfully completed up to a burnup of 0.31 g/cc. The HITE-3 test began in February 2004 and will be continued up to a target burnup of 0.6 g/cc.

A VLSI image processor via pseudo-mersenne transforms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sei, W.J.; Jagadeesh, J.M.

1986-01-01

The computational burden on image processing in medical fields where a large amount of information must be processed quickly and accurately has led to consideration of special-purpose image processor chip design for some time. The very large scale integration (VLSI) resolution has made it cost-effective and feasible to consider the design of special purpose chips for medical imaging fields. This paper describes a VLSI CMOS chip suitable for parallel implementation of image processing algorithms and cyclic convolutions by using Pseudo-Mersenne Number Transform (PMNT). The main advantages of the PMNT over the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) are: (1) no multiplications are required; (2) integer arithmetic is used. The design and development of this processor, which operates on 32-point convolution or 5 x 5 window image, are described

A status report on the integral fast reactor fuels and safety program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pedersen, D.R.; Seidel, B.R.

1990-01-01

The integral fast reactor (IFR) is an advanced liquid-metal-cooled reactor (ALMR) concept being developed at Argonne National Laboratory. The IFR program is specifically responsible for the irradiation performance, advanced core design, safety analysis, and development of the fuel cycle for the US Department of Energy's ALMR program. The basic elements of the IFR concept are (a) metallic fuel, (b) liquid-sodium cooling, (c) modular, pool-type reactor configuration, (d) an integral fuel cycle based upon pyrometallurgical processing. The most significant safety aspects of the IFR program result from its unique fuel design, a ternary alloy of uranium, plutonium, and zirconium. This fuel is based on experience gained through > 25 yr operation of the Experimental Breeder Reactor II (EBR-II) with a uranium alloy metallic fuel. The ultimate criteria for fuel pin design is the overall integrity at the target burnup. The probability of core meltdown is remote; however, a theoretical possibility of core meltdown remains. The next major step in the IFR development program will be a full-scale pyroprocessing demonstration to be carried out in conjunction with EBR-II. The IFR fuel cycle closure based on pyroprocessing will also have a dramatic impact on waste management options and on actinide recycling

Progress and status of the integral fast reactor (IFR) fuel cycle development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Till, C.E.; Chang, Y.I.

1993-01-01

The Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) fuel cycle holds promise for substantial improvements in economics, diversion-resistance, and waste management. This paper discusses technical features of the IFR fuel cycle, its technical progress, the development status, and the future plans and directions. The Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) fuel cycle, is based on the use of a metallic fuel alloy (U-Pu-Zr) that permits use of an innovative method for processing of spent fuel. This method, a combination of pyrometallurgical and electrochemical processes, has been termed pyroprocessing. It offers the advantages of a simple, compact processing system and limited volumes of stabilized high-level wastes. This translates to an economically viable system that is likely to receive favorable public response, particularly when combined with the other attributes of the Integral Fast Reactor. Substantial progress has been made in the development of the IFR pyroprocessing method. A comprehensive demonstration of the process will soon begin at the Argonne National Laboratory Idaho site, using spent fuel from the EBR-II reactor. An important advantage of the IFR is its ability to recycle fuel in the process of power generation, extending fuel resources by a considerable amount and assuring the continued viability of nuclear power stations by reducing dependence on external fuel supplies. Pyroprocessing is the means whereby the recycle process is accomplished. It can also be applied to the recovery of fuel constituents from spent fuel generated in the process of operation of conventional light water reactor power plants, offering the means to recover the valuable fuel resources remaining in that material

Industrial integration of the fuel cycle in Argentina

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koll, J.H.; Kittl, J.E.; Parera, C.A.; Coppa, R.C.; Aguirre, E.J.

1977-01-01

The paper describes the power reactor construction programme in Argentina for the period 1976-1985, on the basis of which the nuclear fuel requirements have been determined. Activities connected with the fuel cycle commenced in 1950 in Argentina with the prospection and working of uranium deposits. On the basis of the nuclear power programme described, plans have been drawn up for the establishment of the industrial plants that will be needed to ensure the domestic supply of fuel. The demand for fuel is correlated with the availability of uranium resources and it is shown to be desirable from the technical, economic and industrial point of view to integrate the front end of the fuel cycle, keeping the irradiation aspects and the tail end at the development level. The authors report the progress that has been made in this field and describe current programmes covering prospection, concentrate production, nuclear purification, conversion to uranium dioxide, production of special alloys and fuel element fabrication. (author)

Industrial integration of the fuel cycle in Argentina

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koll, J.H.; Kittl, J.E.; Parera, C.A.; Coppa, R.C.; Aguirre, E.J.

1983-01-01

The power-reactor construction program in Argentina for the period 1976-1985 is described on the basis of which the nuclear-fuel requirements have been determined. Activities connected with the fuel cycle commenced in 1950 in Argentina with the prospection and working of uranium deposits. On the basis of the nuclear power program described, plans have been drawn up for the establishment of the industrial plants that will be needed to ensure the domestic supply of fuel. The demand for fuel is correlated with the availability of uranium resoures and it is shown to be desirable from the technical, economic and industrial point of view to integrate the front end of the fuel cycle, keeping the irradiation aspects and the tail end at the development level. Progress made in this field and current programs covering exploration, concentrate production, nuclear purification, conversion to uranium dioxide, production of special alloys and fuel element fabrication are described

Safeguards operations in the integral fast reactor fuel cycle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goff, K.M.; Benedict, R.W.; Brumbach, S.B.; Dickerman, C.E.; Tompot, R.W.

1994-01-01

Argonne National Laboratory is currently demonstrating the fuel cycle for the Integral Fast Reactor (IFR), an advanced reactor concept that takes advantage of the properties of metallic fuel and liquid metal cooling to offer significant improvements in reactor safety, operation, fuel-cycle economics, environmental protection, and safeguards. The IFR fuel cycle employs a pyrometallurgical process using molten salts and liquid metals to recover actinides from spent fuel. The safeguards aspects of the fuel cycle demonstration must be approved by the United States Department of Energy, but a further goal of the program is to develop a safeguards system that could gain acceptance from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and International Atomic Energy Agency. This fuel cycle is described with emphasis on aspects that differ from aqueous reprocessing and on its improved safeguardability due to decreased attractiveness and diversion potential of all process streams, including the fuel product

Fuel pin integrity assessment under large scale transients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dutta, B.K.

2006-01-01

The integrity of fuel rods under normal, abnormal and accident conditions is an important consideration during fuel design of advanced nuclear reactors. The fuel matrix and the sheath form the first barrier to prevent the release of radioactive materials into the primary coolant. An understanding of the fuel and clad behaviour under different reactor conditions, particularly under the beyond-design-basis accident scenario leading to large scale transients, is always desirable to assess the inherent safety margins in fuel pin design and to plan for the mitigation the consequences of accidents, if any. The severe accident conditions are typically characterized by the energy deposition rates far exceeding the heat removal capability of the reactor coolant system. This may lead to the clad failure due to fission gas pressure at high temperature, large- scale pellet-clad interaction and clad melting. The fuel rod performance is affected by many interdependent complex phenomena involving extremely complex material behaviour. The versatile experimental database available in this area has led to the development of powerful analytical tools to characterize fuel under extreme scenarios

Hydrogen and fuel cell research: Institute for Integrated Energy Systems (IESVic)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pitt, L.

2006-01-01

Vision: IESVic's mission is to chart feasible paths to sustainable energy. Current research areas of investigation: 1. Energy system analysis 2. Computational fuel cell engineering; Fuel cell parameter measurement; Microscale fuel cells 3. Hydrogen dispersion studies for safety codes 4. Active magnetic refrigeration for hydrogen liquifaction and heat transfer in metal hydrides 5. Hydrogen and fuel cell system integration (author)

Producing chopped firewood with firewood processors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaerhae, K.; Jouhiaho, A.

2009-01-01

The TTS Institute's research and development project studied both the productivity of new, chopped firewood processors (cross-cutting and splitting machines) suitable for professional and independent small-scale production, and the costs of the chopped firewood produced. Seven chopped firewood processors were tested in the research, six of which were sawing processors and one shearing processor. The chopping work was carried out using wood feeding racks and a wood lifter. The work was also carried out without any feeding appliances. Altogether 132.5 solid m 3 of wood were chopped in the time studies. The firewood processor used had the most significant impact on chopping work productivity. In addition to the firewood processor, the stem mid-diameter, the length of the raw material, and of the firewood were also found to affect productivity. The wood feeding systems also affected productivity. If there is a feeding rack and hydraulic grapple loader available for use in chopping firewood, then it is worth using the wood feeding rack. A wood lifter is only worth using with the largest stems (over 20 cm mid-diameter) if a feeding rack cannot be used. When producing chopped firewood from small-diameter wood, i.e. with a mid-diameter less than 10 cm, the costs of chopping work were over 10 EUR solid m -3 with sawing firewood processors. The shearing firewood processor with a guillotine blade achieved a cost level of 5 EUR solid m -3 when the mid-diameter of the chopped stem was 10 cm. In addition to the raw material, the cost-efficient chopping work also requires several hundred annual operating hours with a firewood processor, which is difficult for individual firewood entrepreneurs to achieve. The operating hours of firewood processors can be increased to the required level by the joint use of the processors by a number of firewood entrepreneurs. (author)

Development of comprehensive long-term-dry stored Spent Fuel INtegrity EvaLuator [SFINEL] - I

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kwon, H. M.; Yang, Y. S.; Kim, Y. S.; You, K. S.; Min, D. K.; No, S. K.

1999-01-01

Safe management of spent nuclear fuels is socially, technically, and economically very important in terms of environmental protection and utilization of recyclable resources. One of the most critical parts in the management is to establish the comprehensive monitoring system which can maintain and confirm the integrity of the spent fuels, whenever necessary, until final policy is determined on the their treatment and disposal. Especially in the first stage of maturing up the system, it is essential to secure a computing tool or code which can evaluate the integrity of the fuel cladding based on its power history and cladding degradation mechanisms. SFINEL code, an integrated computer program for predicting the spent fuel rod integrity based on burn-up history and major degradation mechanisms, has been developed in this research. This code can sufficiently simulate the power history of a fuel rod during the reactor operation and estimate the degree of deterioration of spent fuel cladding using the recently-developed models on the degradation mechanisms

Keystone Business Models for Network Security Processors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arthur Low

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Network security processors are critical components of high-performance systems built for cybersecurity. Development of a network security processor requires multi-domain experience in semiconductors and complex software security applications, and multiple iterations of both software and hardware implementations. Limited by the business models in use today, such an arduous task can be undertaken only by large incumbent companies and government organizations. Neither the “fabless semiconductor” models nor the silicon intellectual-property licensing (“IP-licensing” models allow small technology companies to successfully compete. This article describes an alternative approach that produces an ongoing stream of novel network security processors for niche markets through continuous innovation by both large and small companies. This approach, referred to here as the "business ecosystem model for network security processors", includes a flexible and reconfigurable technology platform, a “keystone” business model for the company that maintains the platform architecture, and an extended ecosystem of companies that both contribute and share in the value created by innovation. New opportunities for business model innovation by participating companies are made possible by the ecosystem model. This ecosystem model builds on: i the lessons learned from the experience of the first author as a senior integrated circuit architect for providers of public-key cryptography solutions and as the owner of a semiconductor startup, and ii the latest scholarly research on technology entrepreneurship, business models, platforms, and business ecosystems. This article will be of interest to all technology entrepreneurs, but it will be of particular interest to owners of small companies that provide security solutions and to specialized security professionals seeking to launch their own companies.

Designing High-Performance Fuzzy Controllers Combining IP Cores and Soft Processors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oscar Montiel-Ross

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a methodology to integrate a fuzzy coprocessor described in VHDL (VHSIC Hardware Description Language to a soft processor embedded into an FPGA, which increases the throughput of the whole system, since the controller uses parallelism at the circuitry level for high-speed-demanding applications, the rest of the application can be written in C/C++. We used the ARM 32-bit soft processor, which allows sequential and parallel programming. The FLC coprocessor incorporates a tuning method that allows to manipulate the system response. We show experimental results using a fuzzy PD+I controller as the embedded coprocessor.

Supertracker: A Programmable Parallel Pipeline Arithmetic Processor For Auto-Cueing Target Processing

Science.gov (United States)

Mack, Harold; Reddi, S. S.

1980-04-01

Supertracker represents a programmable parallel pipeline computer architecture that has been designed to meet the real time image processing requirements of auto-cueing target data processing. The prototype bread-board currently under development will be designed to perform input video preprocessing and processing for 525-line and 875-line TV formats FLIR video, automatic display gain and contrast control, and automatic target cueing, classification, and tracking. The video preprocessor is capable of performing operations full frames of video data in real time, e.g., frame integration, storage, 3 x 3 convolution, and neighborhood processing. The processor architecture is being implemented using bit-slice microprogrammable arithmetic processors, operating in parallel. Each processor is capable of up to 20 million operations per second. Multiple frame memories are used for additional flexibility.

Numerical studies of a compact gasoline reformer for fuel cell vehicle applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McIntyre, C.S.; Harrison, S.J.; Oosthuizen, P.H.; Peppley, B.A.

2004-01-01

There has been recent interest in the development of compact fuel processors to produce hydrogen for fuel cell powered vehicles. Gasoline is a promising candidate for distributed or on-board processing because of its high energy density and well-developed infrastructure. A compact fuel processor is under development which utilizes autothermal reforming (ATR) to extract hydrogen from iso-octane, which is used as a surrogate for gasoline. The processor consists of a double-pass packed-bed catalytic reactor to promote partial oxidation, steam reforming, and water-gas-shift reactions. As part of this system development, a commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) package was used to model flow and chemical reactions. Reformer performance is presented in terms of hydrogen content in the product stream, reformer efficiency (LHV efficiency) and iso-octane conversion. Results are compared to on-going experimental studies. (author)

Preparations for the Integral Fast Reactor fuel cycle demonstration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lineberry, M.J.; Phipps, R.D.

1989-01-01

Modifications to the Hot Fuel Examination Facility-South (HFEF/S) have been in progress since mid-1988 to ready the facility for demonstration of the unique Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) pyroprocess fuel cycle. This paper updates the last report on this subject to the American Nuclear Society and describes the progress made in the modifications to the facility and in fabrication of the new process equipment. The IFR is a breeder reactor, which is central to the capability of any reactor concept to contribute to mitigation of environmental impacts of fossil fuel combustion. As a fast breeder, fuel of course must be recycled in order to have any chance of an economical fuel cycle. The pyroprocess fuel cycle, relying on a metal alloy reactor fuel rather than oxide, has the potential to be economical even at small-scale deployment. Establishing this quantitatively is one important goal of the IFR fuel cycle demonstration

Optical Associative Processors For Visual Perception"

Science.gov (United States)

Casasent, David; Telfer, Brian

1988-05-01

We consider various associative processor modifications required to allow these systems to be used for visual perception, scene analysis, and object recognition. For these applications, decisions on the class of the objects present in the input image are required and thus heteroassociative memories are necessary (rather than the autoassociative memories that have been given most attention). We analyze the performance of both associative processors and note that there is considerable difference between heteroassociative and autoassociative memories. We describe associative processors suitable for realizing functions such as: distortion invariance (using linear discriminant function memory synthesis techniques), noise and image processing performance (using autoassociative memories in cascade with with a heteroassociative processor and with a finite number of autoassociative memory iterations employed), shift invariance (achieved through the use of associative processors operating on feature space data), and the analysis of multiple objects in high noise (which is achieved using associative processing of the output from symbolic correlators). We detail and provide initial demonstrations of the use of associative processors operating on iconic, feature space and symbolic data, as well as adaptive associative processors.

An approach for evaluating the integrity of fuel applied in Innovative Nuclear Energy Systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakae, Nobuo; Ozawa, Takayuki; Ohta, Hirokazu; Ogata, Takanari; Sekimoto, Hiroshi

2014-01-01

One of the important issues in the study of Innovative Nuclear Energy Systems is evaluating the integrity of fuel applied in Innovative Nuclear Energy Systems. An approach for evaluating the integrity of the fuel is discussed here based on the procedure currently used in the integrity evaluation of fast reactor fuel. The fuel failure modes determining fuel life time were reviewed and fuel integrity was analyzed and compared with the failure criteria. Metal and nitride fuels with austenitic and ferritic stainless steel (SS) cladding tubes were examined in this study. For the purpose of representative irradiation behavior analyses of the fuel for Innovative Nuclear Energy Systems, the correlations of the cladding characteristics were modeled based on well-known characteristics of austenitic modified 316 SS (PNC316), ferritic–martensitic steel (PNC–FMS) and oxide dispersion strengthened steel (PNC–ODS). The analysis showed that the fuel lifetime is limited by channel fracture which is a nonductile type (brittle) failure associated with a high level of irradiation-induced swelling in the case of austenitic steel cladding. In case of ferritic steel, on the other hand, the fuel lifetime is controlled by cladding creep rupture. The lifetime evaluated here is limited to 200 GW d/t, which is lower than the target burnup value of 500 GW d/t. One of the possible measures to extend the lifetime may be reducing the fuel smeared density and ventilating fission gas in the plenum for metal fuel and by reducing the maximum cladding temperature from 650 to 600 °C for both metal and nitride fuel

An approach for evaluating the integrity of fuel applied in Innovative Nuclear Energy Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nakae, Nobuo, E-mail: nakae-nobuo@jnes.go.jp [Center for Research into Innovative Nuclear Energy System, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-N1-19, Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550 (Japan); Ozawa, Takayuki [Advanced Nuclear System Research and Development Directorate, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 4-33, Muramatsu, Tokai-mura, Ibaraki-ken 319-1194 (Japan); Ohta, Hirokazu; Ogata, Takanari [Nuclear Technology Research Laboratory, Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry, 2-11-1, Iwado Kita, Komae-shi, Tokyo 201-8511 (Japan); Sekimoto, Hiroshi [Center for Research into Innovative Nuclear Energy System, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-N1-19, Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550 (Japan)

2014-03-15

One of the important issues in the study of Innovative Nuclear Energy Systems is evaluating the integrity of fuel applied in Innovative Nuclear Energy Systems. An approach for evaluating the integrity of the fuel is discussed here based on the procedure currently used in the integrity evaluation of fast reactor fuel. The fuel failure modes determining fuel life time were reviewed and fuel integrity was analyzed and compared with the failure criteria. Metal and nitride fuels with austenitic and ferritic stainless steel (SS) cladding tubes were examined in this study. For the purpose of representative irradiation behavior analyses of the fuel for Innovative Nuclear Energy Systems, the correlations of the cladding characteristics were modeled based on well-known characteristics of austenitic modified 316 SS (PNC316), ferritic–martensitic steel (PNC–FMS) and oxide dispersion strengthened steel (PNC–ODS). The analysis showed that the fuel lifetime is limited by channel fracture which is a nonductile type (brittle) failure associated with a high level of irradiation-induced swelling in the case of austenitic steel cladding. In case of ferritic steel, on the other hand, the fuel lifetime is controlled by cladding creep rupture. The lifetime evaluated here is limited to 200 GW d/t, which is lower than the target burnup value of 500 GW d/t. One of the possible measures to extend the lifetime may be reducing the fuel smeared density and ventilating fission gas in the plenum for metal fuel and by reducing the maximum cladding temperature from 650 to 600 °C for both metal and nitride fuel.

AMD's 64-bit Opteron processor

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2003-01-01

This talk concentrates on issues that relate to obtaining peak performance from the Opteron processor. Compiler options, memory layout, MPI issues in multi-processor configurations and the use of a NUMA kernel will be covered. A discussion of recent benchmarking projects and results will also be included.BiographiesDavid RichDavid directs AMD's efforts in high performance computing and also in the use of Opteron processors...

Composable processor virtualization for embedded systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Molnos, A.M.; Milutinovic, A.; She, D.; Goossens, K.G.W.

2010-01-01

Processor virtualization divides a physical processor's time among a set of virual machines, enabling efficient hardware utilization, application security and allowing co-existence of different operating systems on the same processor. Through initially intended for the server domain, virtualization

Advanced Avionics and Processor Systems for a Flexible Space Exploration Architecture

Science.gov (United States)

Keys, Andrew S.; Adams, James H.; Smith, Leigh M.; Johnson, Michael A.; Cressler, John D.

2010-01-01

the Federal fiscal year of 2010 are: Silicon-Germanium (SiGe) Integrated Electronics for Extreme Environments, Modeling of Radiation Effects on Electronics, Radiation Hardened High Performance Processors (HPP), and and Reconfigurable Computing.

Deterministic chaos in the processor load

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Halbiniak, Zbigniew; Jozwiak, Ireneusz J.

2007-01-01

In this article we present the results of research whose purpose was to identify the phenomenon of deterministic chaos in the processor load. We analysed the time series of the processor load during efficiency tests of database software. Our research was done on a Sparc Alpha processor working on the UNIX Sun Solaris 5.7 operating system. The conducted analyses proved the presence of the deterministic chaos phenomenon in the processor load in this particular case

Actinide recycle potential in the integral fast reactor (IFR) fuel cycle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, Y.I.; Till, C.E.

1991-01-01

In the Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) development program, the entire reactor system -- reactor, fuel cycle, and waste process is being developed and optimized at the same time as a single integral entity. The use of metallic fuel in the IFR allows a radically improved fuel cycle technology. Based on the recent IFR process development, a preliminary assessment has been made to investigate the feasibility of further adapting pyrochemical processes to directly extract actinides from LWR spent fuel. The results of this assessment indicate very promising potential and two most promising flowsheet options have been identified for further research and development. This paper also summarizes current thinking on the rationale for actinide recycle, its ramifications on the geologic repository and the current high-level waste management plans, and the necessary development programs

Integrated Fuel-Coolant Interaction (IFCI 7.0) Code User's Manual

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Young, Michael F.

1999-01-01

The integrated fuel-coolant interaction (IFCI) computer code is being developed at Sandia National Laboratories to investigate the fuel-coolant interaction (FCI) problem at large scale using a two-dimensional, three-field hydrodynamic framework and physically based models. IFCI will be capable of treating all major FCI processes in an integrated manner. This document is a description of IFCI 7.0. The user's manual describes the hydrodynamic method and physical models used in IFCI 7.0. Appendix A is an input manual provided for the creation of working decks

Fuel analyzer; Analisador de combustiveis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cozzolino, Roberval [RS Motors, Indaiatuba, SP (Brazil)

2008-07-01

The current technology 'COMBUSTIMETRO' aims to examine the fuel through performance of the engine, as the role of the fuel is to produce energy for the combustion engine in the form of which is directly proportional to the quality and type of fuel. The 'COMBUSTIMETRO' has an engine that always keeps the same entry of air, fuel and fixed point of ignition. His operation is monitored by sensors (Sonda Lambda, RPM and Gases Analyzer) connected to a processor that performs calculations and records the information, generate reports and graphs. (author)

Drop analysis for structural integrity evaluation of KJRR fuel transport container

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Yun Young; Lim, Jong Min; Choi, Woo Seok; Lee, Ju Chan

2016-01-01

A fuel transport container for KiJang Research Reactor(KJRR) has been developed to transport fresh fuel assemblies and fission molly targets which are used for a research reactor built in Kijang. The KJRR fuel transport container is a type-A(F) container, which is defined in domestic and foreign regulations of a radioactive substance container. According to Nuclear Safety and Security Commission's notification, the container should meet the accident conditions defined in IAEA safety Standard Series, US NRC and etc. In this study, a structural integrity of the KJRR fuel transport container is evaluated by conducting computational analyses of 9-meter free drop and 1 meter puncture. It is confirmed that structural integrity of the KJRR fuel transport container can be maintained in the transportation accident condition. Hereafter, when the test model is produced, a safety test will be conducted and its result will be compared with the result of drop and puncture analyses.

Messiah College Biodiesel Fuel Generation Project Final Technical Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zummo, Michael M; Munson, J; Derr, A; Zemple, T; Bray, S; Studer, B; Miller, J; Beckler, J; Hahn, A; Martinez, P; Herndon, B; Lee, T; Newswanger, T; Wassall, M

2012-03-30

Many obvious and significant concerns arise when considering the concept of small-scale biodiesel production. Does the fuel produced meet the stringent requirements set by the commercial biodiesel industry? Is the process safe? How are small-scale producers collecting and transporting waste vegetable oil? How is waste from the biodiesel production process handled by small-scale producers? These concerns and many others were the focus of the research preformed in the Messiah College Biodiesel Fuel Generation project over the last three years. This project was a unique research program in which undergraduate engineering students at Messiah College set out to research the feasibility of small-biodiesel production for application on a campus of approximately 3000 students. This Department of Energy (DOE) funded research program developed out of almost a decade of small-scale biodiesel research and development work performed by students at Messiah College. Over the course of the last three years the research team focused on four key areas related to small-scale biodiesel production: Quality Testing and Assurance, Process and Processor Research, Process and Processor Development, and Community Education. The objectives for the Messiah College Biodiesel Fuel Generation Project included the following: 1. Preparing a laboratory facility for the development and optimization of processors and processes, ASTM quality assurance, and performance testing of biodiesel fuels. 2. Developing scalable processor and process designs suitable for ASTM certifiable small-scale biodiesel production, with the goals of cost reduction and increased quality. 3. Conduct research into biodiesel process improvement and cost optimization using various biodiesel feedstocks and production ingredients.

The PEMFC-integrated CO oxidation — a novel method of simplifying the fuel cell plant

Science.gov (United States)

Rohland, Bernd; Plzak, Vojtech

Natural gas and methanol are the most economical fuels for residential fuel cell power generators as well as for mobile PEM-fuel cells. However, they have to be reformed with steam into hydrogen, which is to be cleaned from CO by shift-reaction and by partial oxidation to a level of no more than 30 ppm CO. This level is set by the Pt/Ru-C-anode of the PEMFC. A higher partial oxidation reaction rate for CO than those of Pt/Ru-C can be achieved in an oxidic Au-catalyst system. In the Fe 2O 3-Au system, a reaction rate of 2·10 -3 mol CO/s g Au at 1000 ppm CO and 5% "air bleed" at 80°C is achieved. This high rate allows to construct a catalyst-sheet for each cell within a PEMFC-stack. Practical and theoretical current/voltage characteristics of PEMFCs with catalyst-sheet are presented at 1000 ppm CO in hydrogen with 5% "air bleed". This gives the possibility of simplifying the gas processor of the plant.

The integral fast reactor fuels reprocessing laboratory at Argonne National Laboratory, Illinois

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wolson, R.D.; Tomczuk, Z.; Fischer, D.F.; Slawecki, M.A.; Miller, W.E.

1986-09-01

The processing of Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) metal fuel utilizes pyrochemical fuel reprocessing steps. These steps include separation of the fission products from uranium and plutonium by electrorefining in a fused salt, subsequent concentration of uranium and plutonium for reuse, removal, concentration, and packaging of the waste material. Approximately two years ago a facility became operational at Argonne National Laboratory-Illinois to establish the chemical feasibility of proposed reprocessing and consolidation processes. Sensitivity of the pyroprocessing melts to air oxidation necessitated operation in atmosphere-controlled enclosures. The Integral Fast Reactor Fuels Reprocessing Laboratory is described

Neurovision processor for designing intelligent sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, Madan M.; Knopf, George K.

1992-03-01

A programmable multi-task neuro-vision processor, called the Positive-Negative (PN) neural processor, is proposed as a plausible hardware mechanism for constructing robust multi-task vision sensors. The computational operations performed by the PN neural processor are loosely based on the neural activity fields exhibited by certain nervous tissue layers situated in the brain. The neuro-vision processor can be programmed to generate diverse dynamic behavior that may be used for spatio-temporal stabilization (STS), short-term visual memory (STVM), spatio-temporal filtering (STF) and pulse frequency modulation (PFM). A multi- functional vision sensor that performs a variety of information processing operations on time- varying two-dimensional sensory images can be constructed from a parallel and hierarchical structure of numerous individually programmed PN neural processors.

Integration of direct carbon and hydrogen fuel cells for highly efficient power generation from hydrocarbon fuels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Muradov, Nazim; Choi, Pyoungho; Smith, Franklyn; Bokerman, Gary [Florida Solar Energy Center, University of Central Florida, 1679 Clearlake Road, Cocoa, FL 32922-5703 (United States)

2010-02-15

In view of impending depletion of hydrocarbon fuel resources and their negative environmental impact, it is imperative to significantly increase the energy conversion efficiency of hydrocarbon-based power generation systems. The combination of a hydrocarbon decomposition reactor with a direct carbon and hydrogen fuel cells (FC) as a means for a significant increase in chemical-to-electrical energy conversion efficiency is discussed in this paper. The data on development and operation of a thermocatalytic hydrocarbon decomposition reactor and its coupling with a proton exchange membrane FC are presented. The analysis of the integrated power generating system including a hydrocarbon decomposition reactor, direct carbon and hydrogen FC using natural gas and propane as fuels is conducted. It was estimated that overall chemical-to-electrical energy conversion efficiency of the integrated system varied in the range of 49.4-82.5%, depending on the type of fuel and FC used, and CO{sub 2} emission per kW{sub el}h produced is less than half of that from conventional power generation sources. (author)

Economic competitiveness of fuel cell onsite integrated energy systems

Science.gov (United States)

Bollenbacher, G.

1983-01-01

The economic competitiveness of fuel cell onsite integrated energy systems (OS/IES) in residential and commercial buildings is examined. The analysis is carried out for three different buildings with each building assumed to be at three geographic locations spanning a range of climatic conditions. Numerous design options and operating strategies are evaluated and two economic criteria are used to measure economic performance. In general the results show that fuel cell OS/IES's are competitive in most regions of the country if the OS/IES is properly designed. The preferred design is grid connected, makes effective use of the fuel cell's thermal output, and has a fuel cell powerplant sized for the building's base electrical load.

Science based integrated approach to advanced nuclear fuel development - vision, approach, and overview

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Unal, Cetin [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Pasamehmetoglu, Kemal [IDAHO NATIONAL LAB; Carmack, Jon [IDAHO NATIONAL LAB

2010-01-01

Advancing the performance of Light Water Reactors, Advanced Nuclear Fuel Cycles, and Advanced Rcactors, such as the Next Generation Nuclear Power Plants, requires enhancing our fundamental understanding of fuel and materials behavior under irradiation. The capability to accurately model the nuclear fuel systems is critical. In order to understand specific aspects of the nuclear fuel, fully coupled fuel simulation codes are required to achieve licensing of specific nuclear fuel designs for operation. The backbone of these codes, models, and simulations is a fundamental understanding and predictive capability for simulating the phase and microstructural behavior of the nuclear fuel system materials and matrices. The purpose of this paper is to identify the modeling and simulation approach in order to deliver predictive tools for advanced fuels development. The coordination between experimental nuclear fuel design, development technical experts, and computational fuel modeling and simulation technical experts is a critical aspect of the approach and naturally leads to an integrated, goal-oriented science-based R & D approach and strengthens both the experimental and computational efforts. The Advanced Fuels Campaign (AFC) and Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation (NEAMS) Fuels Integrated Performance and Safety Code (IPSC) are working together to determine experimental data and modeling needs. The primary objective of the NEAMS fuels IPSC project is to deliver a coupled, three-dimensional, predictive computational platform for modeling the fabrication and both normal and abnormal operation of nuclear fuel pins and assemblies, applicable to both existing and future reactor fuel designs. The science based program is pursuing the development of an integrated multi-scale and multi-physics modeling and simulation platform for nuclear fuels. This overview paper discusses the vision, goals and approaches how to develop and implement the new approach.

Science based integrated approach to advanced nuclear fuel development - vision, approach, and overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Unal, Cetin; Pasamehmetoglu, Kemal; Carmack, Jon

2010-01-01

Advancing the performance of Light Water Reactors, Advanced Nuclear Fuel Cycles, and Advanced Rcactors, such as the Next Generation Nuclear Power Plants, requires enhancing our fundamental understanding of fuel and materials behavior under irradiation. The capability to accurately model the nuclear fuel systems is critical. In order to understand specific aspects of the nuclear fuel, fully coupled fuel simulation codes are required to achieve licensing of specific nuclear fuel designs for operation. The backbone of these codes, models, and simulations is a fundamental understanding and predictive capability for simulating the phase and microstructural behavior of the nuclear fuel system materials and matrices. The purpose of this paper is to identify the modeling and simulation approach in order to deliver predictive tools for advanced fuels development. The coordination between experimental nuclear fuel design, development technical experts, and computational fuel modeling and simulation technical experts is a critical aspect of the approach and naturally leads to an integrated, goal-oriented science-based R and D approach and strengthens both the experimental and computational efforts. The Advanced Fuels Campaign (AFC) and Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation (NEAMS) Fuels Integrated Performance and Safety Code (IPSC) are working together to determine experimental data and modeling needs. The primary objective of the NEAMS fuels IPSC project is to deliver a coupled, three-dimensional, predictive computational platform for modeling the fabrication and both normal and abnormal operation of nuclear fuel pins and assemblies, applicable to both existing and future reactor fuel designs. The science based program is pursuing the development of an integrated multi-scale and multi-physics modeling and simulation platform for nuclear fuels. This overview paper discusses the vision, goals and approaches how to develop and implement the new approach.

Demonstration of Hydrogen Energy Network and Fuel Cells in Residential Homes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hirohisa Aki; Tetsuhiko Maeda; Itaru Tamura; Akeshi Kegasa; Yoshiro Ishikawa; Ichiro Sugimoto; Itaru Ishii

2006-01-01

The authors proposed the setting up of an energy interchange system by establishing energy networks of electricity, hot water, and hydrogen in residential homes. In such networks, some homes are equipped with fuel cell stacks, fuel processors, hydrogen storage devices, and large storage tanks for hot water. The energy network enables the flexible operation of the fuel cell stacks and fuel processors. A demonstration project has been planned in existing residential homes to evaluate the proposal. The demonstration will be presented in a small apartment building. The building will be renovated and will be equipped with a hydrogen production facility, a hydrogen interchange pipe, and fuel cell stacks with a heat recovery device. The energy flow process from hydrogen production to consumption in the homes will be demonstrated. This paper presents the proposed energy interchange system and demonstration project. (authors)

Controlled shutdown of a fuel cell

Science.gov (United States)

Clingerman, Bruce J.; Keskula, Donald H.

2002-01-01

A method is provided for the shutdown of a fuel cell system to relieve system overpressure while maintaining air compressor operation, and corresponding vent valving and control arrangement. The method and venting arrangement are employed in a fuel cell system, for instance a vehicle propulsion system, comprising, in fluid communication, an air compressor having an outlet for providing air to the system, a combustor operative to provide combustor exhaust to the fuel processor.

VIRTUS: a multi-processor system in FASTBUS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ellett, J.; Jackson, R.; Ritter, R.; Schlein, P.; Yaeger, D.; Zweizig, J.

1986-01-01

VIRTUS is a system of parallel MC68000-based processors interconnected by FASTBUS that is used either on-line as an intelligent trigger component or off-line for full event processing. Each processor receives the complete set of data from one event. The host computer, a VAX 11/780, down-line loads all software to the processors, controls and monitors the functioning of all processors, and writes processed data to tape. Instructions, programs, and data are transferred among the processors and the host in the form of fixed format, variable length data blocks. (Auth.)

Commodity multi-processor systems in the ATLAS level-2 trigger

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abolins, M.; Blair, R.; Bock, R.; Bogaerts, A.; Dawson, J.; Ermoline, Y.; Hauser, R.; Kugel, A.; Lay, R.; Muller, M.; Noffz, K.-H.; Pope, B.; Schlereth, J.; Werner, P.

2000-01-01

Low cost SMP (Symmetric Multi-Processor) systems provide substantial CPU and I/O capacity. These features together with the ease of system integration make them an attractive and cost effective solution for a number of real-time applications in event selection. In ATLAS the authors consider them as intelligent input buffers (active ROB complex), as event flow supervisors or as powerful processing nodes. Measurements of the performance of one off-the-shelf commercial 4-processor PC with two PCI buses, equipped with commercial FPGA based data source cards (microEnable) and running commercial software are presented and mapped on such applications together with a long-term program of work. The SMP systems may be considered as an important building block in future data acquisition systems

Commodity multi-processor systems in the ATLAS level-2 trigger

CERN Document Server

Abolins, M; Bock, R; Bogaerts, J A C; Dawson, J; Ermoline, Y; Hauser, R; Kugel, A; Lay, R; Müller, M; Noffz, K H; Pope, B; Schlereth, J L; Werner, P

2000-01-01

Low cost SMP (symmetric multi-processor) systems provide substantial CPU and I/O capacity. These features together with the ease of system integration make them an attractive and cost effective solution for a number of real-time applications in event selection. In ATLAS we consider them as intelligent input buffers (an "active" ROB complex), as event flow supervisors or as powerful processing nodes. Measurements of the performance of one off-the-shelf commercial 4- processor PC with two PCI buses, equipped with commercial FPGA based data source cards (microEnable) and running commercial software are presented and mapped on such applications together with a long-term programme of work. The SMP systems may be considered as an important building block in future data acquisition systems. (9 refs).

OFFSCALE: A PC input processor for the SCALE code system. The ORIGNATE processor for ORIGEN-S

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bowman, S.M.

1994-11-01

OFFSCALE is a suite of personal computer input processor programs developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to provide an easy-to-use interface for modules in the SCALE-4 code system. ORIGNATE is a program in the OFFSCALE suite that serves as a user-friendly interface for the ORIGEN-S isotopic generation and depletion code. It is designed to assist an ORIGEN-S user in preparing an input file for execution of light-water-reactor (LWR) fuel depletion and decay cases. ORIGNATE generates an input file that may be used to execute ORIGEN-S in SCALE-4. ORIGNATE features a pulldown menu system that accesses sophisticated data entry screens. The program allows the user to quickly set up an ORIGEN-S input file and perform error checking. This capability increases productivity and decreases the chance of user error

Sensitometric control of roentgen film processors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Forsberg, H.; Karolinska Sjukhuset, Stockholm

1987-01-01

Monitoring of film processors performance is essential since image quality, patient dose and costs are influenced by the performance. A system for sensitometric constancy control of film processors and their associated components is described. Experience with the system for 3 years is given when implemented on 17 film processors. Modern high quality film processors have a stability that makes a test frequency of once a week sufficient to maintain adequate image quality. The test system is so sensitive that corrective actions almost invariably have been taken before any technical problem degraded the image quality to a visible degree. (orig.)

Special purpose processors for high energy physics applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Verkerk, C.

1978-01-01

The review on the subject of hardware processors from very fast decision logic for the split field magnet facility at CERN, to a point-finding processor used to relieve the data-acquisition minicomputer from the task of monitoring the SPS experiment is given. Block diagrams of decision making processor, point-finding processor, complanarity and opening angle processor and programmable track selector module are presented and discussed. The applications of fully programmable but slower processor on the one hand, and very fast and programmable decision logic on the other hand are given in this review

The Central Trigger Processor (CTP)

CERN Multimedia

Franchini, Matteo

2016-01-01

The Central Trigger Processor (CTP) receives trigger information from the calorimeter and muon trigger processors, as well as from other sources of trigger. It makes the Level-1 decision (L1A) based on a trigger menu.

Very Long Instruction Word Processors

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Pentium Processor have modified the processor architecture to exploit parallelism in a program. .... The type of operation itself is encoded using 14 bits. .... text of designing simple architectures with low power consump- tion and execute x86 ...

Method for generating hydrogen for fuel cells

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmed, Shabbir; Lee, Sheldon H. D.; Carter, John David; Krumpelt, Michael

2004-03-30

A method of producing a H.sub.2 rich gas stream includes supplying an O.sub.2 rich gas, steam, and fuel to an inner reforming zone of a fuel processor that includes a partial oxidation catalyst and a steam reforming catalyst or a combined partial oxidation and stream reforming catalyst. The method also includes contacting the O.sub.2 rich gas, steam, and fuel with the partial oxidation catalyst and the steam reforming catalyst or the combined partial oxidation and stream reforming catalyst in the inner reforming zone to generate a hot reformate stream. The method still further includes cooling the hot reformate stream in a cooling zone to produce a cooled reformate stream. Additionally, the method includes removing sulfur-containing compounds from the cooled reformate stream by contacting the cooled reformate stream with a sulfur removal agent. The method still further includes contacting the cooled reformate stream with a catalyst that converts water and carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide and H.sub.2 in a water-gas-shift zone to produce a final reformate stream in the fuel processor.

Life cycle assessment integrated with thermodynamic analysis of bio-fuel options for solid oxide fuel cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Jiefeng; Babbitt, Callie W; Trabold, Thomas A

2013-01-01

A methodology that integrates life cycle assessment (LCA) with thermodynamic analysis is developed and applied to evaluate the environmental impacts of producing biofuels from waste biomass, including biodiesel from waste cooking oil, ethanol from corn stover, and compressed natural gas from municipal solid wastes. Solid oxide fuel cell-based auxiliary power units using bio-fuel as the hydrogen precursor enable generation of auxiliary electricity for idling heavy-duty trucks. Thermodynamic analysis is applied to evaluate the fuel conversion efficiency and determine the amount of fuel feedstock needed to generate a unit of electrical power. These inputs feed into an LCA that compares energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions of different fuel pathways. Results show that compressed natural gas from municipal solid wastes is an optimal bio-fuel option for SOFC-APU applications in New York State. However, this methodology can be regionalized within the U.S. or internationally to account for different fuel feedstock options. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Climbing Mont Blanc - A Training Site for Energy Efficient Programming on Heterogeneous Multicore Processors

OpenAIRE

Natvig, Lasse; Follan, Torbjørn; Støa, Simen; Magnussen, Sindre; Guirado, Antonio Garcia

2015-01-01

Climbing Mont Blanc (CMB) is an open online judge used for training in energy efficient programming of state-of-the-art heterogeneous multicores. It uses an Odroid-XU3 board from Hardkernel with an Exynos Octa processor and integrated power sensors. This processor is three-way heterogeneous containing 14 different cores of three different types. The board currently accepts C and C++ programs, with support for OpenCL v1.1, OpenMP 4.0 and Pthreads. Programs submitted using the graphical user in...

Exergy analysis of components of integrated wind energy / hydrogen / fuel cell

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hernandez Galvez, G.; Pathiyamattom, J.S.; Sanchez Gamboa, S.

2009-01-01

Exergy analysis is made of three components of an integrated wind energy to hydrogen fuel cell: wind turbine, fuel cell (PEMFC) and electrolyzer (PEM). The methodology used to assess how affect the second law efficiency of the electrolyzer and the FC parameters as temperature and operating pressure and membrane thickness. It develop methods to evaluate the influence of changes in the air density and height of the tower on the second law efficiency of the turbine. This work represents a starting point for developing the global availability analysis of an integrated wind / hydrogen / fuel cells, which can be used as a tool to achieve the optimum design of the same. The use of this system contribute to protect the environment

HEP - A semaphore-synchronized multiprocessor with central control. [Heterogeneous Element Processor

Science.gov (United States)

Gilliland, M. C.; Smith, B. J.; Calvert, W.

1976-01-01

The paper describes the design concept of the Heterogeneous Element Processor (HEP), a system tailored to the special needs of scientific simulation. In order to achieve high-speed computation required by simulation, HEP features a hierarchy of processes executing in parallel on a number of processors, with synchronization being largely accomplished by hardware. A full-empty-reserve scheme of synchronization is realized by zero-one-valued hardware semaphores. A typical system has, besides the control computer and the scheduler, an algebraic module, a memory module, a first-in first-out (FIFO) module, an integrator module, and an I/O module. The architecture of the scheduler and the algebraic module is examined in detail.

Experimental testing of the noise-canceling processor.

Science.gov (United States)

Collins, Michael D; Baer, Ralph N; Simpson, Harry J

2011-09-01

Signal-processing techniques for localizing an acoustic source buried in noise are tested in a tank experiment. Noise is generated using a discrete source, a bubble generator, and a sprinkler. The experiment has essential elements of a realistic scenario in matched-field processing, including complex source and noise time series in a waveguide with water, sediment, and multipath propagation. The noise-canceling processor is found to outperform the Bartlett processor and provide the correct source range for signal-to-noise ratios below -10 dB. The multivalued Bartlett processor is found to outperform the Bartlett processor but not the noise-canceling processor. © 2011 Acoustical Society of America

Integral approach to innovative fuel and material investigations in the Halden reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Volkov, B.

2009-01-01

Integral approach used for fuel and material investigations in the Halden reactor can be used in support of qualification and certification of fuel to be introduced in commercial NPPs. This approach has been partly used for WWER fuel investigation in the Halden Reactor in a series of irradiation tests. In-pile fuel performance tests with reliable measurements provided by Halden instrumentation under different conditions can be used for validation of the WWER fuel behaviour models and verification of fuel performance codes. These models and codes can be used for qualification of innovative fuel behaviour under extended conditions

TRISO Fuel Performance: Modeling, Integration into Mainstream Design Studies, and Application to a Thorium-fueled Fusion-Fission Hybrid Blanket

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Powers, Jeffrey James [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)

2011-11-30

This study focused on creating a new tristructural isotropic (TRISO) coated particle fuel performance model and demonstrating the integration of this model into an existing system of neutronics and heat transfer codes, creating a user-friendly option for including fuel performance analysis within system design optimization and system-level trade-off studies. The end product enables both a deeper understanding and better overall system performance of nuclear energy systems limited or greatly impacted by TRISO fuel performance. A thorium-fueled hybrid fusion-fission Laser Inertial Fusion Energy (LIFE) blanket design was used for illustrating the application of this new capability and demonstrated both the importance of integrating fuel performance calculations into mainstream design studies and the impact that this new integrated analysis had on system-level design decisions. A new TRISO fuel performance model named TRIUNE was developed and verified and validated during this work with a novel methodology established for simulating the actual lifetime of a TRISO particle during repeated passes through a pebble bed. In addition, integrated self-consistent calculations were performed for neutronics depletion analysis, heat transfer calculations, and then fuel performance modeling for a full parametric study that encompassed over 80 different design options that went through all three phases of analysis. Lastly, side studies were performed that included a comparison of thorium and depleted uranium (DU) LIFE blankets as well as some uncertainty quantification work to help guide future experimental work by assessing what material properties in TRISO fuel performance modeling are most in need of improvement. A recommended thorium-fueled hybrid LIFE engine design was identified with an initial fuel load of 20MT of thorium, 15% TRISO packing within the graphite fuel pebbles, and a 20cm neutron multiplier layer with beryllium pebbles in flibe molten salt coolant. It operated

Fuel cycle services

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gruber, Gerhard J.

1990-01-01

TRIGA reactor operators are increasingly concerned about the back end of their Fuel Cycle due to a new environmental policy in the USA. The question how to close the Fuel Cycle will have to be answered by all operators sooner or later. Reprocessing of the TRIGA fuel elements is not available. Only long term storage and final disposal can be considered. But for such a storage or disposal a special treatment of the fuel elements and of course a final depository is necessary. NUKEM plans to undertake efforts to assist the TRIGA operators in this area. For that reason we need to know your special needs for today and tomorrow - so that potential processors can consider whether to offer these services on the market. (orig.)

Conversion of hydrocarbons and alcohols for fuel cells

Science.gov (United States)

Joensen, Finn; Rostrup-Nielsen, Jens R.

The growing demand for clean and efficient energy systems is the driving force in the development of fuel processing technology for providing hydrogen or hydrogen-containing gaseous fuels for power generation in fuel cells. Successful development of low cost, efficient fuel processing systems will be critical to the commercialisation of this technology. This article reviews various reforming technologies available for the generation of such fuels from hydrocarbons and alcohols. It also briefly addresses the issue of carbon monoxide clean-up and the question of selecting the appropriate fuel(s) for small/medium scale fuel processors for stationary and automotive applications.

MAP3D: a media processor approach for high-end 3D graphics

Science.gov (United States)

Darsa, Lucia; Stadnicki, Steven; Basoglu, Chris

1999-12-01

Equator Technologies, Inc. has used a software-first approach to produce several programmable and advanced VLIW processor architectures that have the flexibility to run both traditional systems tasks and an array of media-rich applications. For example, Equator's MAP1000A is the world's fastest single-chip programmable signal and image processor targeted for digital consumer and office automation markets. The Equator MAP3D is a proposal for the architecture of the next generation of the Equator MAP family. The MAP3D is designed to achieve high-end 3D performance and a variety of customizable special effects by combining special graphics features with high performance floating-point and media processor architecture. As a programmable media processor, it offers the advantages of a completely configurable 3D pipeline--allowing developers to experiment with different algorithms and to tailor their pipeline to achieve the highest performance for a particular application. With the support of Equator's advanced C compiler and toolkit, MAP3D programs can be written in a high-level language. This allows the compiler to successfully find and exploit any parallelism in a programmer's code, thus decreasing the time to market of a given applications. The ability to run an operating system makes it possible to run concurrent applications in the MAP3D chip, such as video decoding while executing the 3D pipelines, so that integration of applications is easily achieved--using real-time decoded imagery for texturing 3D objects, for instance. This novel architecture enables an affordable, integrated solution for high performance 3D graphics.

Integrating fuel cell power systems into building physical plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carson, J. [KCI Technologies, Inc., Hunt Valley, MD (United States)

1996-12-31

This paper discusses the integration of fuel cell power plants and absorption chillers to cogenerate chilled water or hot water/steam for all weather air conditioning as one possible approach to building system applications. Absorption chillers utilize thermal energy in an absorption based cycle to chill water. It is feasible to use waste heat from fuel cells to provide hydronic heating and cooling. Performance regimes will vary as a function of the supply and quality of waste heat. Respective performance characteristics of fuel cells, absorption chillers and air conditioning systems will define relationships between thermal and electrical load capacities for the combined systems. Specifically, this paper develops thermodynamic relationships between bulk electrical power and cooling/heating capacities for combined fuel cell and absorption chiller system in building applications.

Implementation of 4-way Superscalar Hash MIPS Processor Using FPGA

Science.gov (United States)

Sahib Omran, Safaa; Fouad Jumma, Laith

2018-05-01

Due to the quick advancements in the personal communications systems and wireless communications, giving data security has turned into a more essential subject. This security idea turns into a more confounded subject when next-generation system requirements and constant calculation speed are considered in real-time. Hash functions are among the most essential cryptographic primitives and utilized as a part of the many fields of signature authentication and communication integrity. These functions are utilized to acquire a settled size unique fingerprint or hash value of an arbitrary length of message. In this paper, Secure Hash Algorithms (SHA) of types SHA-1, SHA-2 (SHA-224, SHA-256) and SHA-3 (BLAKE) are implemented on Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) in a processor structure. The design is described and implemented using a hardware description language, namely VHSIC “Very High Speed Integrated Circuit” Hardware Description Language (VHDL). Since the logical operation of the hash types of (SHA-1, SHA-224, SHA-256 and SHA-3) are 32-bits, so a Superscalar Hash Microprocessor without Interlocked Pipelines (MIPS) processor are designed with only few instructions that were required in invoking the desired Hash algorithms, when the four types of hash algorithms executed sequentially using the designed processor, the total time required equal to approximately 342 us, with a throughput of 4.8 Mbps while the required to execute the same four hash algorithms using the designed four-way superscalar is reduced to 237 us with improved the throughput to 5.1 Mbps.

Integrity: A semi-mechanistic model for stress corrosion cracking of fuel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tayal, M; Hallgrimson, K; Macquarrie, J; Alavi, P [Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., Mississauga, ON (Canada); Sato, S; Kinoshita, Y; Nishimura, T [Electric Power Development Co. Ltd., Tokyo (Japan)

1997-08-01

In this paper we describe the features, validation, and illustrative applications of a semi-mechanistic model, INTEGRITY, which calculates the probability of fuel defects due to stress corrosion cracking. The model expresses the defect probability in terms of fundamental parameters such as local stresses, local strains, and fission product concentration. The assessments of defect probability continue to reflect the influence of conventional parameters like ramped power, power-ramp, burnup and Canlub coating. In addition, the INTEGRITY model provides a mechanism to account for the impacts of additional factors involving detailed fuel design and reactor operation. Some examples of the latter include pellet density, pellet shape and size, sheath diameter and thickness, pellet/sheath clearance, coolant temperature and pressure, etc. The model has been fitted to a database of 554 power-ramp irradiations of CANDU fuel with and without Canlub. For this database the INTEGRITY model calculates 75 defects vs 75 actual defects. Similarly good agreements were noted in the different sub-groups of the data involving non-Canlub, thin-Canlub, and thick-Canlub fuel. Moreover, the shapes and the locations of the defect thresholds were consistent with all the above defects as well as with additional 14 ripple defects that were not in the above database. Two illustrative examples demonstrate how the defect thresholds are influenced by changes in the internal design of the fuel element and by extended burnup. (author). 19 refs, 7 figs.

Integrity: A semi-mechanistic model for stress corrosion cracking of fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tayal, M.; Hallgrimson, K.; Macquarrie, J.; Alavi, P.; Sato, S.; Kinoshita, Y.; Nishimura, T.

1997-01-01

In this paper we describe the features, validation, and illustrative applications of a semi-mechanistic model, INTEGRITY, which calculates the probability of fuel defects due to stress corrosion cracking. The model expresses the defect probability in terms of fundamental parameters such as local stresses, local strains, and fission product concentration. The assessments of defect probability continue to reflect the influence of conventional parameters like ramped power, power-ramp, burnup and Canlub coating. In addition, the INTEGRITY model provides a mechanism to account for the impacts of additional factors involving detailed fuel design and reactor operation. Some examples of the latter include pellet density, pellet shape and size, sheath diameter and thickness, pellet/sheath clearance, coolant temperature and pressure, etc. The model has been fitted to a database of 554 power-ramp irradiations of CANDU fuel with and without Canlub. For this database the INTEGRITY model calculates 75 defects vs 75 actual defects. Similarly good agreements were noted in the different sub-groups of the data involving non-Canlub, thin-Canlub, and thick-Canlub fuel. Moreover, the shapes and the locations of the defect thresholds were consistent with all the above defects as well as with additional 14 ripple defects that were not in the above database. Two illustrative examples demonstrate how the defect thresholds are influenced by changes in the internal design of the fuel element and by extended burnup. (author). 19 refs, 7 figs

Development of a highly reliable CRT processor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimizu, Tomoya; Saiki, Akira; Hirai, Kenji; Jota, Masayoshi; Fujii, Mikiya

1996-01-01

Although CRT processors have been employed by the main control board to reduce the operator's workload during monitoring, the control systems are still operated by hardware switches. For further advancement, direct controller operation through a display device is expected. A CRT processor providing direct controller operation must be as reliable as the hardware switches are. The authors are developing a new type of highly reliable CRT processor that enables direct controller operations. In this paper, we discuss the design principles behind a highly reliable CRT processor. The principles are defined by studies of software reliability and of the functional reliability of the monitoring and operation systems. The functional configuration of an advanced CRT processor is also addressed. (author)

Computer Generated Inputs for NMIS Processor Verification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

J. A. Mullens; J. E. Breeding; J. A. McEvers; R. W. Wysor; L. G. Chiang; J. R. Lenarduzzi; J. T. Mihalczo; J. K. Mattingly

2001-01-01

Proper operation of the Nuclear Identification Materials System (NMIS) processor can be verified using computer-generated inputs [BIST (Built-In-Self-Test)] at the digital inputs. Preselected sequences of input pulses to all channels with known correlation functions are compared to the output of the processor. These types of verifications have been utilized in NMIS type correlation processors at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory since 1984. The use of this test confirmed a malfunction in a NMIS processor at the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Experimental Physics (VNIIEF) in 1998. The NMIS processor boards were returned to the U.S. for repair and subsequently used in NMIS passive and active measurements with Pu at VNIIEF in 1999

A Geometric Algebra Co-Processor for Color Edge Detection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Biswajit Mishra

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This paper describes advancement in color edge detection, using a dedicated Geometric Algebra (GA co-processor implemented on an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC. GA provides a rich set of geometric operations, giving the advantage that many signal and image processing operations become straightforward and the algorithms intuitive to design. The use of GA allows images to be represented with the three R, G, B color channels defined as a single entity, rather than separate quantities. A novel custom ASIC is proposed and fabricated that directly targets GA operations and results in significant performance improvement for color edge detection. Use of the hardware described in this paper also shows that the convolution operation with the rotor masks within GA belongs to a class of linear vector filters and can be applied to image or speech signals. The contribution of the proposed approach has been demonstrated by implementing three different types of edge detection schemes on the proposed hardware. The overall performance gains using the proposed GA Co-Processor over existing software approaches are more than 3.2× faster than GAIGEN and more than 2800× faster than GABLE. The performance of the fabricated GA co-processor is approximately an order of magnitude faster than previously published results for hardware implementations.

3081//sub E/ processor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kunz, P.F.; Gravina, M.; Oxoby, G.; Trang, Q.; Fucci, A.; Jacobs, D.; Martin, B.; Storr, K.

1983-03-01

Since the introduction of the 168//sub E/, emulating processors have been successful over an amazingly wide range of applications. This paper will describe a second generation processor, the 3081//sub E/. This new processor, which is being developed as a collaboration between SLAC and CERN, goes beyond just fixing the obvious faults of the 168//sub E/. Not only will the 3081//sub E/ have much more memory space, incorporate many more IBM instructions, and have much more memory space, incorporate many more IBM instructions, and have full double precision floating point arithmetic, but it will also have faster execution times and be much simpler to build, debug, and maintain. The simple interface and reasonable cost of the 168//sub E/ will be maintained for the 3081//sub E/

Transient performance simulation of aircraft engine integrated with fuel and control systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, C.; Li, Y.G.; Yang, B.Y.

2017-01-01

Highlights: • A new performance simulation method for engine hydraulic fuel systems is introduced. • Time delay of engine performance due to fuel system model is noticeable but small. • The method provides details of fuel system behavior in engine transient processes. • The method could be used to support engine and fuel system designs. - Abstract: A new method for the simulation of gas turbine fuel systems based on an inter-component volume method has been developed. It is able to simulate the performance of each of the hydraulic components of a fuel system using physics-based models, which potentially offers more accurate results compared with those using transfer functions. A transient performance simulation system has been set up for gas turbine engines based on an inter-component volume (ICV) method. A proportional-integral (PI) control strategy is used for the simulation of engine controller. An integrated engine and its control and hydraulic fuel systems has been set up to investigate their coupling effect during engine transient processes. The developed simulation system has been applied to a model aero engine. The results show that the delay of the engine transient response due to the inclusion of the fuel system model is noticeable although relatively small. The developed method is generic and can be applied to any other gas turbines and their control and fuel systems.

Waste management in IFR [Integral Fast Reactor] fuel cycle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, T.R.; Battles, J.E.

1991-01-01

The fuel cycle of the Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) has important potential advantage for the management of high-level wastes. This sodium-cooled, fast reactor will use metal fuels that are reprocessed by pyrochemical methods to recover uranium, plutonium, and the minor actinides from spent core and blanket fuel. More than 99% of all transuranic (TRU) elements will be recovered and returned to the reactor, where they are efficiently burned. The pyrochemical processes being developed to treat the high-level process wastes are capable of producing waste forms with low TRU contents, which should be easier to dispose of. However, the IFR waste forms present new licensing issues because they will contain chloride salts and metal alloys rather than glass or ceramic. These fuel processing and waste treatment methods can also handle TRU-rich materials recovered from light-water reactors and offer the possibility of efficiently and productively consuming these fuel materials in future power reactors

Multimode power processor

Science.gov (United States)

O'Sullivan, George A.; O'Sullivan, Joseph A.

1999-01-01

In one embodiment, a power processor which operates in three modes: an inverter mode wherein power is delivered from a battery to an AC power grid or load; a battery charger mode wherein the battery is charged by a generator; and a parallel mode wherein the generator supplies power to the AC power grid or load in parallel with the battery. In the parallel mode, the system adapts to arbitrary non-linear loads. The power processor may operate on a per-phase basis wherein the load may be synthetically transferred from one phase to another by way of a bumpless transfer which causes no interruption of power to the load when transferring energy sources. Voltage transients and frequency transients delivered to the load when switching between the generator and battery sources are minimized, thereby providing an uninterruptible power supply. The power processor may be used as part of a hybrid electrical power source system which may contain, in one embodiment, a photovoltaic array, diesel engine, and battery power sources.

Spent nuclear fuel integrity during dry storage - performance tests and demonstrations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McKinnon, M.A.; Doherty, A.L.

1997-06-01

This report summarizes the results of fuel integrity surveillance determined from gas sampling during and after performance tests and demonstrations conducted from 1983 through 1996 by or in cooperation with the US DOE Office of Commercial Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM). The cask performance tests were conducted at Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) between 1984 and 1991 and included visual observation and ultrasonic examination of the condition of the cladding, fuel rods, and fuel assembly hardware before dry storage and consolidation of fuel, and a qualitative determination of the effects of dry storage and fuel consolidation on fission gas release from the spent fuel rods. The performance tests consisted of 6 to 14 runs involving one or two loading, usually three backfill environments (helium, nitrogen, and vacuum backfills), and one or two storage system orientations. The nitrogen and helium backfills were sampled and analyzed to detect leaking spent fuel rods. At the end of each performance test, periodic gas sampling was conducted on each cask. A spent fuel behavior project (i.e., enhanced surveillance, monitoring, and gas sampling activities) was initiated by DOE in 1994 for intact fuel in a CASTOR V/21 cask and for consolidated fuel in a VSC-17 cask. The results of the gas sampling activities are included in this report. Information on spent fuel integrity is of interest in evaluating the impact of long-term dry storage on the behavior of spent fuel rods. Spent fuel used during cask performance tests at INEL offers significant opportunities for confirmation of the benign nature of long-term dry storage. Supporting cask demonstration included licensing and operation of an independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI) at the Virginia Power (VP) Surry reactor site. A CASTOR V/21, an MC-10, and a Nuclear Assurance NAC-I28 have been loaded and placed at the VP ISFSI as part of the demonstration program. 13 refs., 14 figs., 9 tabs

PixonVision real-time video processor

Science.gov (United States)

Puetter, R. C.; Hier, R. G.

2007-09-01

PixonImaging LLC and DigiVision, Inc. have developed a real-time video processor, the PixonVision PV-200, based on the patented Pixon method for image deblurring and denoising, and DigiVision's spatially adaptive contrast enhancement processor, the DV1000. The PV-200 can process NTSC and PAL video in real time with a latency of 1 field (1/60 th of a second), remove the effects of aerosol scattering from haze, mist, smoke, and dust, improve spatial resolution by up to 2x, decrease noise by up to 6x, and increase local contrast by up to 8x. A newer version of the processor, the PV-300, is now in prototype form and can handle high definition video. Both the PV-200 and PV-300 are FPGA-based processors, which could be spun into ASICs if desired. Obvious applications of these processors include applications in the DOD (tanks, aircraft, and ships), homeland security, intelligence, surveillance, and law enforcement. If developed into an ASIC, these processors will be suitable for a variety of portable applications, including gun sights, night vision goggles, binoculars, and guided munitions. This paper presents a variety of examples of PV-200 processing, including examples appropriate to border security, battlefield applications, port security, and surveillance from unmanned aerial vehicles.

Structural Integrity Evaluation for Damaged Fuel Canister of a Research Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oh, Jinho; Kwak, Jinsung; Lee, Sangjin; Lee, Jongmin; Ryu, Jeong-Soo

2016-01-01

The purpose of this document is to confirm the structural integrity of damaged fuel canister through the numerical simulation. The analysis results of canister including damaged fuel are evaluated with design limits of the ASME Sec. III NF Codes and Standards. The main function of canister is to store and protect the damaged fuel assembly generated from the operation of the research reactor. The canister is classified into safety class NNS (Non-nuclear Safety) and seismic category II. The shape of the canister is designed into commercialized circular tube due to economic benefit and easy manufacturing. The damaged fuel assembly is loaded in a dedicated canister by using special tool and supported by lower block in the canister. Then it is move into the damaged fuel storage rack under safeguards arrangements. The canister is securely supported at guide plate and base plate of rack. The structural integrity evaluation for the canister is performed by using response spectrum analysis. The analysis results show that the stress intensity of the canister under the seismic loads is within the ASME Code limits. Thus, the validity of the present design of the canister has been demonstrated

Structural Integrity Evaluation for Damaged Fuel Canister of a Research Reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oh, Jinho; Kwak, Jinsung; Lee, Sangjin; Lee, Jongmin; Ryu, Jeong-Soo [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-10-15

The purpose of this document is to confirm the structural integrity of damaged fuel canister through the numerical simulation. The analysis results of canister including damaged fuel are evaluated with design limits of the ASME Sec. III NF Codes and Standards. The main function of canister is to store and protect the damaged fuel assembly generated from the operation of the research reactor. The canister is classified into safety class NNS (Non-nuclear Safety) and seismic category II. The shape of the canister is designed into commercialized circular tube due to economic benefit and easy manufacturing. The damaged fuel assembly is loaded in a dedicated canister by using special tool and supported by lower block in the canister. Then it is move into the damaged fuel storage rack under safeguards arrangements. The canister is securely supported at guide plate and base plate of rack. The structural integrity evaluation for the canister is performed by using response spectrum analysis. The analysis results show that the stress intensity of the canister under the seismic loads is within the ASME Code limits. Thus, the validity of the present design of the canister has been demonstrated.

An integrated expert system for optimum in core fuel management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abd Elmoatty, Mona S.; Nagy, M.S.; Aly, Mohamed N.; Shaat, M.K.

2011-01-01

Highlights: → An integrated expert system constructed for optimum in core fuel management. → Brief discussion of the ESOIFM Package modules, inputs and outputs. → Package was applied on the DALAT Nuclear Research Reactor (0.5 MW). → The Package verification showed good agreement. - Abstract: An integrated expert system called Efficient and Safe Optimum In-core Fuel Management (ESOIFM Package) has been constructed to achieve an optimum in core fuel management and automate the process of data analysis. The Package combines the constructed mathematical models with the adopted artificial intelligence techniques. The paper gives a brief discussion of the ESOIFM Package modules, inputs and outputs. The Package was applied on the DALAT Nuclear Research Reactor (0.5 MW). Moreover, the data of DNRR have been used as a case study for testing and evaluation of ESOIFM Package. This paper shows the comparison between the ESOIFM Package burn-up results, the DNRR experimental burn-up data, and other DNRR Codes burn-up results. The results showed good agreement.

Processors and systems (picture processing)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gemmar, P

1983-01-01

Automatic picture processing requires high performance computers and high transmission capacities in the processor units. The author examines the possibilities of operating processors in parallel in order to accelerate the processing of pictures. He therefore discusses a number of available processors and systems for picture processing and illustrates their capacities for special types of picture processing. He stresses the fact that the amount of storage required for picture processing is exceptionally high. The author concludes that it is as yet difficult to decide whether very large groups of simple processors or highly complex multiprocessor systems will provide the best solution. Both methods will be aided by the development of VLSI. New solutions have already been offered (systolic arrays and 3-d processing structures) but they also are subject to losses caused by inherently parallel algorithms. Greater efforts must be made to produce suitable software for multiprocessor systems. Some possibilities for future picture processing systems are discussed. 33 references.

Supercritical kinetic analysis in simplified system of fuel debris using integral kinetic model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tuya, Delgersaikhan; Obara, Toru

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Kinetic analysis in simplified weakly coupled fuel debris system was performed. • The integral kinetic model was used to simulate criticality accidents. • The fission power and released energy during simulated accident were obtained. • Coupling between debris regions and its effect on the fission power was obtained. - Abstract: Preliminary prompt supercritical kinetic analyses in a simplified coupled system of fuel debris designed to roughly resemble a melted core of a nuclear reactor were performed using an integral kinetic model. The integral kinetic model, which can describe region- and time-dependent fission rate in a coupled system of arbitrary geometry, was used because the fuel debris system is weakly coupled in terms of neutronics. The results revealed some important characteristics of coupled systems, such as the coupling between debris regions and the effect of the coupling on the fission rate and released energy in each debris region during the simulated criticality accident. In brief, this study showed that the integral kinetic model can be applied to supercritical kinetic analysis in fuel debris systems and also that it can be a useful tool for investigating the effect of the coupling on consequences of a supercritical accident.

A High Integrity Can Design for Degraded Nuclear Fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holmes, P.A.

1999-01-01

A high integrity can (HIC), designed to meet the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (Section III, Div. 3, static conditions) is proposed for the interim storage and repository disposal of Department of Energy (DOE) spent nuclear fuel. The HIC will be approximately 5 3/8 inches (134.38mm) in outside diameter with 1/4 inch (6.35mm) thick walls, and have a removable lid with a metallic seal that is capable of being welded shut. The opening of the can is approximately 4 3/8 inches (111.13mm). The HIC is primarily designed to contain items in the DOE SNF inventory that do not meet acceptance standards for direct disposal in a geologic repository. This includes fuel in the form of particulate dusts, sectioned pieces of fuel, core rubble, melted or degraded (non-intact) fuel elements, unclad uranium alloys, metallurgical specimens, and chemically reactive fuel components. The HIC is intended to act as a substitute cladding for the spent nuclear fuel, further isolate problematic materials, provide a long-term corrosion barrier, and add an extra internal pressure barrier to the waste package. The HIC will also delay potential fission product release and maintain geometry control for extended periods of time. For the entire disposal package to be licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, a HIC must effectively eliminate the disposal problems associated with problem SNF including the release of radioactive and/or reactive material and over pressurization of the HIC due to chemical reactions within the can. Two HICs were analyzed to envelop a range of can lengths between 42 and 101 inches. Using Abacus software, the HIC's were analyzed for end, side, and corner drops. Hastelloy C-22 was chosen based upon structural integrity, corrosion resistance, and neutron adsorption properties

Special processor for in-core control systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Golovanov, M.N.; Duma, V.R.; Levin, G.L.; Mel'nikov, A.V.; Polikanin, A.V.; Filatov, V.P.

1978-01-01

The BUTs-20 special processor is discussed, designed to control the units of the in-core control equipment which are incorporated into the VECTOR communication channel, and to provide preliminary data processing prior to computer calculations. A set of instructions and flowsheet of the processor, organization of its communication with memories and other units of the system are given. The processor components: a control unit and an arithmetic logical unit are discussed. It is noted that the special processor permits more effective utilization of the computer time

A high-speed digital signal processor for atmospheric radar, part 7.3A

Science.gov (United States)

Brosnahan, J. W.; Woodard, D. M.

1984-01-01

The Model SP-320 device is a monolithic realization of a complex general purpose signal processor, incorporating such features as a 32-bit ALU, a 16-bit x 16-bit combinatorial multiplier, and a 16-bit barrel shifter. The SP-320 is designed to operate as a slave processor to a host general purpose computer in applications such as coherent integration of a radar return signal in multiple ranges, or dedicated FFT processing. Presently available is an I/O module conforming to the Intel Multichannel interface standard; other I/O modules will be designed to meet specific user requirements. The main processor board includes input and output FIFO (First In First Out) memories, both with depths of 4096 W, to permit asynchronous operation between the source of data and the host computer. This design permits burst data rates in excess of 5 MW/s.

Transuranic material recovery in the Integral Fast Reactor fuel cycle demonstration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benedict, R.W.; Goff, K.M.

1993-01-01

The Integral Fast Reactor is an innovative liquid metal reactor concept that is being developed by Argonne National Laboratory. It takes advantage of the properties of metallic fuel and liquid metal cooling to offer significant improvements in reactor safety, operation, fuel cycle economics, environmental protection, and safeguards. The plans for demonstrating the IFR fuel cycle, including its waste processing options, by processing irradiated fuel from the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II fuel in its associated Fuel Cycle Facility have been developed for the first refining series. This series has been designed to provide the data needed for the further development of the IFR program. An important piece of the data needed is the recovery of TRU material during the reprocessing and waste operations

Progress and status of the Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) fuel cycle development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Till, C.E.; Chang, Y.I.

1993-01-01

The Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) fuel cycle holds promise for substantial improvements in economics, diversion-resistance, and waste management. This paper discusses technical features of the IFR fuel cycle, its technical progress, the development status, and the future plans and directions

Integrated quality status and inventory tracking system for FFTF driver fuel pins

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gottschalk, G.P.

1979-11-01

An integrated system for quality status and inventory tracking of Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) driver fuel pins has been developed. Automated fuel pin identification systems, a distributed computer network, and a data base are used to implement the tracking system

Progress and status of the Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) fuel cycle development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Till, C.E.; Chang, Y.I.

1993-03-01

The Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) fuel cycle holds promise for substantial improvements in economics, diversion-resistance, and waste management. This paper discusses technical features of the IFR fuel cycle, its technical progress, the development status, and the future plans and directions.

Progress and status of the Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) fuel cycle development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Till, C.E.; Chang, Y.I.

1993-01-01

The Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) fuel cycle holds promise for substantial improvements in economics, diversion-resistance, and waste management. This paper discusses technical features of the IFR fuel cycle, its technical progress, the development status, and the future plans and directions.

Influence of the resonance integral value on the fuel cycle characteristics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Graziani, G; Trauwaert, E

1972-04-24

The problem that is considered here is to determine what can be done about a variation in resonance integral when the complete geometry of the reactor and of the fuel elements are fixed, leaving as only free parameters the amount of heavy metal and the enrichment to put in the fuel pins.

The FIT Model - Fuel-cycle Integration and Tradeoffs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Piet, Steven J.; Soelberg, Nick R.; Bays, Samuel E.; Pereira, Candido; Pincock, Layne F.; Shaber, Eric L.; Teague, Melissa C.; Teske, Gregory M.; Vedros, Kurt G.

2010-01-01

All mass streams from fuel separation and fabrication are products that must meet some set of product criteria - fuel feedstock impurity limits, waste acceptance criteria (WAC), material storage (if any), or recycle material purity requirements such as zirconium for cladding or lanthanides for industrial use. These must be considered in a systematic and comprehensive way. The FIT model and the 'system losses study' team that developed it (Shropshire2009, Piet2010) are an initial step by the FCR and D program toward a global analysis that accounts for the requirements and capabilities of each component, as well as major material flows within an integrated fuel cycle. This will help the program identify near-term R and D needs and set longer-term goals. The question originally posed to the 'system losses study' was the cost of separation, fuel fabrication, waste management, etc. versus the separation efficiency. In other words, are the costs associated with marginal reductions in separations losses (or improvements in product recovery) justified by the gains in the performance of other systems? We have learned that that is the wrong question. The right question is: how does one adjust the compositions and quantities of all mass streams, given uncertain product criteria, to balance competing objectives including cost? FIT is a method to analyze different fuel cycles using common bases to determine how chemical performance changes in one part of a fuel cycle (say used fuel cooling times or separation efficiencies) affect other parts of the fuel cycle. FIT estimates impurities in fuel and waste via a rough estimate of physics and mass balance for a set of technologies. If feasibility is an issue for a set, as it is for 'minimum fuel treatment' approaches such as melt refining and AIROX, it can help to make an estimate of how performances would have to change to achieve feasibility.

PHWR Fuel - an integrated approach in Indian context

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jayaraj, R.N.

2008-01-01

The nuclear power programme in India is based on a three-stage approach in which the Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWR) forms the backbone of the first stage. Over the years, apart from gaining expertise in design, construction and operation of PHWRs, innovative fuel designs and manufacturing technologies have also been evolved. Presently, thirteen PHWR 220 units and two PHWR 540 units are in operation. Three more PHWR 220 units are in the advanced stage of construction. In addition, the PHWR power generation programme envisages construction of eight more PHWR 700 units. Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) at Hyderabad, established in early 70s, is the only manufacturer of fuel and reactor core structurals for all the PHWRs in India. Since inception, the thrust has been on indigenous development of technology in the areas of production processes, equipment manufacture and quality assurance programmes. Commensurate with the PHWR programme, NFC has expanded its production capacities and has fabricated more than 380,000 fuel bundles since inception. Towards optimization of uranium resources and implementation of 'closed fuel cycle' concept, large quantities of reprocessed uranium fuel bundles have been manufactured and introduced in the initial cores of PHWRs. In recent times, NFC introduced several modifications in the production processes like vapour ammonia precipitation for UO 2 powder production, advanced resistance welding controls and improved versions of welding machines, which all have facilitated in improving the quality and productivity of the fuel. Superior quality control systems like spectrophotometric determination of SSA of UO 2 powders, machine vision systems for pellet inspection, thermography for evaluating weld integrity, etc. has channelised NDT techniques into fuel production lines. The paper summarizes various improvements carried out in the design and manufacture of PHWR fuel. New concepts evolved in high burn-up fuels and development of state

A scalable single-chip multi-processor architecture with on-chip RTOS kernel

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Theelen, B.D.; Verschueren, A.C.; Reyes Suarez, V.V.; Stevens, M.P.J.; Nunez, A.

2003-01-01

Now that system-on-chip technology is emerging, single-chip multi-processors are becoming feasible. A key problem of designing such systems is the complexity of their on-chip interconnects and memory architecture. It is furthermore unclear at what level software should be integrated. An example of a

Effect of processor temperature on film dosimetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Srivastava, Shiv P.; Das, Indra J.

2012-01-01

Optical density (OD) of a radiographic film plays an important role in radiation dosimetry, which depends on various parameters, including beam energy, depth, field size, film batch, dose, dose rate, air film interface, postexposure processing time, and temperature of the processor. Most of these parameters have been studied for Kodak XV and extended dose range (EDR) films used in radiation oncology. There is very limited information on processor temperature, which is investigated in this study. Multiple XV and EDR films were exposed in the reference condition (d max. , 10 × 10 cm 2 , 100 cm) to a given dose. An automatic film processor (X-Omat 5000) was used for processing films. The temperature of the processor was adjusted manually with increasing temperature. At each temperature, a set of films was processed to evaluate OD at a given dose. For both films, OD is a linear function of processor temperature in the range of 29.4–40.6°C (85–105°F) for various dose ranges. The changes in processor temperature are directly related to the dose by a quadratic function. A simple linear equation is provided for the changes in OD vs. processor temperature, which could be used for correcting dose in radiation dosimetry when film is used.

Standard for assessment of fuel integrity under anticipated operational occurrences in BWR power plant:2002

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mishima, Kaichiro; Suzuki, Riichiro; Komura, Seiichi; Kudo, Yoshiro; Yamanaka, Akihiro; Oomizu, Satoru; Kitamura, Hideya; Nagata, Yoshifumi

2003-01-01

To secure fuel integrity, a Light Water Reactor (LWR) core is designed so that no boiling transition (BT) should take place in fuel assemblies and excessive rise in fuel cladding temperature due to deteriorated that transfer should be avoided in Anticipated Operational Occurrences (AOO). In some AOO in a Boiling Water Reactor (BWR), however, the rise in reactor power could be limited by SCRAM or void reactivity effect. Recent studies have provided accumulated knowledge that even if BT takes place in fuel assemblies, the rise in fuel cladding temperature could be so small that it will not threat to fuel integrity, as long as the BT condition terminates within a short period of time. In addition, appropriate methods have been developed to evaluate the cladding temperature during dryout. This standard provides requirements in the assessment of fuel integrity under AOO in which limited-BT condition is temporarily reached and the propriety of reusing a fuel assembly that has experienced limited-BT condition. The standard has been approved by the Atomic Energy Society of Japan following deliberation by impartial members for two and half years. It is now expected that this standard will provide an effective measure for the rational expansion of fuel design and operational margin. (author)

Progress and status of the Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) fuel cycle development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Till, C.E.; Chang, Y.I.

1991-01-01

The Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) fuel cycle holds promise for substantial improvements in economics, diversion-resistance, and waste management. This paper discusses technical features of the IFR fuel cycle, its technical progress, the development status, and the future plans and directions. 10 refs

Progress and status of the Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) fuel cycle development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Till, C.E.; Chang, Y.I.

1991-01-01

The Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) fuel cycle holds promise for substantial improvements in economics, diversion-resistance, and waste management. This paper discusses technical features of the IFR fuel cycle, its technical progress, the development status, and the future plans and directions. 10 refs.

Progress and status of the Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) fuel cycle development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Till, C.E.; Chang, Y.I.

1991-01-01

The Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) fuel cycle holds promise for substantial improvements in economics, diversion-resistance, and waste management. This paper discusses technical features of the IFR fuel cycle, its technical progress, the development status, and the future plans and directions. (author)

Bank switched memory interface for an image processor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barron, M.; Downward, J.

1980-09-01

A commercially available image processor is interfaced to a PDP-11/45 through an 8K window of memory addresses. When the image processor was not in use it was desired to be able to use the 8K address space as real memory. The standard method of accomplishing this would have been to use UNIBUS switches to switch in either the physical 8K bank of memory or the image processor memory. This method has the disadvantage of being rather expensive. As a simple alternative, a device was built to selectively enable or disable either an 8K bank of memory or the image processor memory. To enable the image processor under program control, GEN is contracted in size, the memory is disabled, a device partition for the image processor is created above GEN, and the image processor memory is enabled. The process is reversed to restore memory to GEN. The hardware to enable/disable the image and computer memories is controlled using spare bits from a DR-11K output register. The image processor and physical memory can be switched in or out on line with no adverse affects on the system's operation

Multipurpose silicon photonics signal processor core.

Science.gov (United States)

Pérez, Daniel; Gasulla, Ivana; Crudgington, Lee; Thomson, David J; Khokhar, Ali Z; Li, Ke; Cao, Wei; Mashanovich, Goran Z; Capmany, José

2017-09-21

Integrated photonics changes the scaling laws of information and communication systems offering architectural choices that combine photonics with electronics to optimize performance, power, footprint, and cost. Application-specific photonic integrated circuits, where particular circuits/chips are designed to optimally perform particular functionalities, require a considerable number of design and fabrication iterations leading to long development times. A different approach inspired by electronic Field Programmable Gate Arrays is the programmable photonic processor, where a common hardware implemented by a two-dimensional photonic waveguide mesh realizes different functionalities through programming. Here, we report the demonstration of such reconfigurable waveguide mesh in silicon. We demonstrate over 20 different functionalities with a simple seven hexagonal cell structure, which can be applied to different fields including communications, chemical and biomedical sensing, signal processing, multiprocessor networks, and quantum information systems. Our work is an important step toward this paradigm.Integrated optical circuits today are typically designed for a few special functionalities and require complex design and development procedures. Here, the authors demonstrate a reconfigurable but simple silicon waveguide mesh with different functionalities.

VON WISPR Family Processors: Volume 1

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Wagstaff, Ronald

1997-01-01

...) and the background noise they are embedded in. Processors utilizing those fluctuations such as the von WISPR Family Processors discussed herein, are methods or algorithms that preferentially attenuate the fluctuating signals and noise...

The design of a graphics processor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holmes, M.; Thorne, A.R.

1975-12-01

The design of a graphics processor is described which takes into account known and anticipated user requirements, the availability of cheap minicomputers, the state of integrated circuit technology, and the overall need to minimise cost for a given performance. The main user needs are the ability to display large high resolution pictures, and to dynamically change the user's view in real time by means of fast coordinate processing hardware. The transformations that can be applied to 2D or 3D coordinates either singly or in combination are: translation, scaling, mirror imaging, rotation, and the ability to map the transformation origin on to any point on the screen. (author)

Integrated data management system for radioactive waste and spent fuel in Korea

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shin, Young Ho

2001-03-01

An integrated data management system for the safe management of radioactive waste and spent fuel in Korea is developed to collect basic information, provide the framework for national regulation, and improve national competition and efficiency in the management of radioactive waste and spent fuel. This system can also provide public access to information such as a statistical graphs and integrated data from various waste generators to meet increased public needs and interests. So through the system, the five principles (independence, openness, clearance, efficiency and reliance) of safety regulation can be realized, and public understanding and reliance on the safety of spent fuel and radioactive waste management can be promoted by providing reliable information, it can ensure an openness within the international nuclear community and efficiently support international agreements among contracting parties by operating safe and efficient management of spent fuel and radioactive waste (IAEA joint convention on the safety of spent fuel management and on the safety of radioactive waste management), the system can compensate for the imperfections in safe regulation of radioactive waste and spent fuel management related to waste generation, storage and disposal, and make it possible to holistic control and finally re-organize the basic framework of KINS's intermediate and long term research organization and trends, regarding waste management policy is to integrate safe management and unit safe disposal. For this objectives, benchmark study was performed on similar data base system worldwide and data specification with major input/output data during the first phase of this project

Integrated data management system for radioactive waste and spent fuel in Korea

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Yong Taek [Korea Power Engineering Co., Inc., Yongin (Korea, Republic of)

2002-05-15

An integrated data management system for the safe management of radioactive waste and spent fuel in Korea is developed to collect basic information, provide the framework for national regulation and improve national competition and efficiency in the management of radioactive waste and spent fuel. This system can also provide public access to information such as a statistical graphs and integrated data from various waste generators to meet increased public needs and interests. Through the system, the five principles(independence, openness, clearance, efficiency and reliance) of safety regulation can be realized and public understanding and reliance on the safety of spent fuel and radioactive waste management can be promoted. By providing reliable information and openness within the international nuclear community can be ensured and efficient support of international agreements among contracting parties can be ensured. By operating safe and efficient management of spent fuel and radioactive waste (IAEA joint convention on the safety of spent fuel management and on the safety of radioactive waste management), the system can compensate for the imperfections in safe regulation of radioactive waste and spent fuel management related to waste generation, storage and disposal, and make it possible for holistic control and reorganization of the basic framework of KINS's intermediate and long term research organization and trends, regarding waste management policy so as to integrate safe management and unit safe disposal. To meet this objectives, design of the database system structure and the study of input/output data validation and verification methodology was performed during the second phase of this project.

Thermodynamic analysis and optimization of IT-SOFC-based integrated coal gasification fuel cell power plants

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Romano, M.C.; Campanari, S.; Spallina, V.; Lozza, G.

2011-01-01

This work discusses the thermodynamic analysis of integrated gasification fuel cell plants, where a simple cycle gas turbine works in a hybrid cycle with a pressurized intermediate temperature–solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), integrated with a coal gasification and syngas cleanup island and a bottoming

49 CFR 571.303 - Standard No. 303; Fuel system integrity of compressed natural gas vehicles.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... compressed natural gas vehicles. 571.303 Section 571.303 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to... system integrity of compressed natural gas vehicles. S1. Scope. This standard specifies requirements for the integrity of motor vehicle fuel systems using compressed natural gas (CNG), including the CNG fuel...

Many - body simulations using an array processor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rapaport, D.C.

1985-01-01

Simulations of microscopic models of water and polypeptides using molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo techniques have been carried out with the aid of an FPS array processor. The computational techniques are discussed, with emphasis on the development and optimization of the software to take account of the special features of the processor. The computing requirements of these simulations exceed what could be reasonably carried out on a normal 'scientific' computer. While the FPS processor is highly suited to the kinds of models described, several other computationally intensive problems in statistical mechanics are outlined for which alternative processor architectures are more appropriate

A micro fuel reformer integrated with a combustor and a microchannel evaporator

Science.gov (United States)

Yoshida, Kazushi; Tanaka, Shuji; Hiraki, Hisashi; Esashi, Masayoshi

2006-09-01

This paper describes the development of a micro fuel reformer integrated with a combustor and an evaporator. Fuel reforming tests were performed by using a mixture of methanol and water as reforming fuel and hydrogen as combustion fuel. It was found that the design of the microchannel evaporator is critical to obtain larger hydrogen output. Hydrogen output and CO concentration were investigated by varying the input combustion power at different fuel feeding rates. 32.9 sccm of hydrogen, which is equivalent to 5.9 W in lower heating value, was produced, when input combustion power was 11 W.

Long term integrity of spent fuel and construction materials for dry storage facilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saegusa, T [CRIEPI (Japan)

2012-07-01

In Japan, two dry storage facilities at reactor sites have already been operating since 1995 and 2002, respectively. Additionally, a large scale dry storage facility away from reactor sites is under safety examination for license near the coast and desired to start its operation in 2010. Its final storage capacity is 5,000tU. It is therefore necessary to obtain and evaluate the related data on integrity of spent fuels loaded into and construction materials of casks during long term dry storage. The objectives are: - Spent fuel rod: To evaluate hydrogen migration along axial fuel direction on irradiated claddings stored for twenty years in air; To evaluate pellet oxidation behaviour for high burn-up UO{sub 2} fuels; - Construction materials for dry storage facilities: To evaluate long term reliability of welded stainless steel canister under stress corrosion cracking (SCC) environment; To evaluate long term integrity of concrete cask under carbonation and salt attack environment; To evaluate integrity of sealability of metal gasket under long term storage and short term accidental impact force.

Multi-processor network implementations in Multibus II and VME

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Briegel, C.

1992-01-01

ACNET (Fermilab Accelerator Controls Network), a proprietary network protocol, is implemented in a multi-processor configuration for both Multibus II and VME. The implementations are contrasted by the bus protocol and software design goals. The Multibus II implementation provides for multiple processors running a duplicate set of tasks on each processor. For a network connected task, messages are distributed by a network round-robin scheduler. Further, messages can be stopped, continued, or re-routed for each task by user-callable commands. The VME implementation provides for multiple processors running one task across all processors. The process can either be fixed to a particular processor or dynamically allocated to an available processor depending on the scheduling algorithm of the multi-processing operating system. (author)

Process integration and optimization of a solid oxide fuel cell – Gas turbine hybrid cycle fueled with hydrothermally gasified waste biomass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Facchinetti, Emanuele; Gassner, Martin; D’Amelio, Matilde; Marechal, François; Favrat, Daniel

2012-01-01

Due to its suitability for using wet biomass, hydrothermal gasification is a promising process for the valorization of otherwise unused waste biomass to synthesis gas and biofuels. Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) based hybrid cycles are considered as the best candidate for a more efficient and clean conversion of (bio) fuels. A significant potential for the integration of the two technologies is expected since hydrothermal gasification requires heat at 673–773 K, whereas SOFC is characterized by heat excess at high temperature due to the limited electrochemical fuel conversion. This work presents a systematic process integration and optimization of a SOFC-gas turbine (GT) hybrid cycle fueled with hydrothermally gasified waste biomass. Several design options are systematically developed and compared through a thermodynamic optimization approach based on First Law and exergy analysis. The work demonstrates the considerable potential of the system that allows for converting wet waste biomass into electricity at a First Law efficiency of up to 63%, while simultaneously enabling the separation of biogenic carbon dioxide for further use or sequestration. -- Highlights: ► Hydrothermal gasification is a promising process for the valorization of waste wet biomass. ► Solid Oxide Fuel Cell – Gas Turbine hybrid cycle emerges as the best candidates for conversion of biofuels. ► A systematic process integration and optimization of a SOFC-GT hybrid cycle fuelled with hydrothermally gasified biomass is presented. ► The system may convert wet waste biomass to electricity at a First Law efficiency of 63% while separating the biogenic carbon dioxide. ► The process integration enables to improve the First Law efficiency of around 4% with respect to a non-integrated system.

Evaluation of the Intel Sandy Bridge-EP server processor

CERN Document Server

Jarp, S; Leduc, J; Nowak, A; CERN. Geneva. IT Department

2012-01-01

In this paper we report on a set of benchmark results recently obtained by CERN openlab when comparing an 8-core “Sandy Bridge-EP” processor with Intel’s previous microarchitecture, the “Westmere-EP”. The Intel marketing names for these processors are “Xeon E5-2600 processor series” and “Xeon 5600 processor series”, respectively. Both processors are produced in a 32nm process, and both platforms are dual-socket servers. Multiple benchmarks were used to get a good understanding of the performance of the new processor. We used both industry-standard benchmarks, such as SPEC2006, and specific High Energy Physics benchmarks, representing both simulation of physics detectors and data analysis of physics events. Before summarizing the results we must stress the fact that benchmarking of modern processors is a very complex affair. One has to control (at least) the following features: processor frequency, overclocking via Turbo mode, the number of physical cores in use, the use of logical cores ...

Array processors based on Gaussian fraction-free method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Peng, S; Sedukhin, S [Aizu Univ., Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima (Japan); Sedukhin, I

1998-03-01

The design of algorithmic array processors for solving linear systems of equations using fraction-free Gaussian elimination method is presented. The design is based on a formal approach which constructs a family of planar array processors systematically. These array processors are synthesized and analyzed. It is shown that some array processors are optimal in the framework of linear allocation of computations and in terms of number of processing elements and computing time. (author)

Fuel Cell Power Plant Initiative. Volume 1; Solid Oxide Fuel Cell/Logistics Fuel Processor 27 kWe Power System Demonstration for ARPA

Science.gov (United States)

Veyo, S.E.

1997-01-01

This report describes the successful testing of a 27 kWe Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) generator fueled by natural gas and/or a fuel gas produced by a brassboard logistics fuel preprocessor (LFP). The test period began on May 24, 1995 and ended on February 26, 1996 with the successful completion of all program requirements and objectives. During this time period, this power system produced 118.2 MWh of electric power. No degradation of the generator's performance was measured after 5582 accumulated hours of operation on these fuels: local natural gas - 3261 hours, jet fuel reformate gas - 766 hours, and diesel fuel reformate gas - 1555 hours. This SOFC generator was thermally cycled from full operating temperature to room temperature and back to operating temperature six times, because of failures of support system components and the occasional loss of test site power, without measurable cell degradation. Numerous outages of the LFP did not interrupt the generator's operation because the fuel control system quickly switched to local natural gas when an alarm indicated that the LFP reformate fuel supply had been interrupted. The report presents the measured electrical performance of the generator on all three fuel types and notes the small differences due to fuel type. Operational difficulties due to component failures are well documented even though they did not affect the overall excellent performance of this SOFC power generator. The final two appendices describe in detail the LFP design and the operating history of the tested brassboard LFP.

Multiple Embedded Processors for Fault-Tolerant Computing

Science.gov (United States)

Bolotin, Gary; Watson, Robert; Katanyoutanant, Sunant; Burke, Gary; Wang, Mandy

2005-01-01

A fault-tolerant computer architecture has been conceived in an effort to reduce vulnerability to single-event upsets (spurious bit flips caused by impingement of energetic ionizing particles or photons). As in some prior fault-tolerant architectures, the redundancy needed for fault tolerance is obtained by use of multiple processors in one computer. Unlike prior architectures, the multiple processors are embedded in a single field-programmable gate array (FPGA). What makes this new approach practical is the recent commercial availability of FPGAs that are capable of having multiple embedded processors. A working prototype (see figure) consists of two embedded IBM PowerPC 405 processor cores and a comparator built on a Xilinx Virtex-II Pro FPGA. This relatively simple instantiation of the architecture implements an error-detection scheme. A planned future version, incorporating four processors and two comparators, would correct some errors in addition to detecting them.

Online track processor for the CDF upgrade

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thomson, E. J.

2002-01-01

A trigger track processor, called the eXtremely Fast Tracker (XFT), has been designed for the CDF upgrade. This processor identifies high transverse momentum (> 1.5 GeV/c) charged particles in the new central outer tracking chamber for CDF II. The XFT design is highly parallel to handle the input rate of 183 Gbits/s and output rate of 44 Gbits/s. The processor is pipelined and reports the result for a new event every 132 ns. The processor uses three stages: hit classification, segment finding, and segment linking. The pattern recognition algorithms for the three stages are implemented in programmable logic devices (PLDs) which allow in-situ modification of the algorithm at any time. The PLDs reside on three different types of modules. The complete system has been installed and commissioned at CDF II. An overview of the track processor and performance in CDF Run II are presented

Thermochemical production of liquid fuels from biomass: Thermo-economic modeling, process design and process integration analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tock, Laurence; Gassner, Martin; Marechal, Francois

2010-01-01

A detailed thermo-economic model combining thermodynamics with economic analysis and considering different technological alternatives for the thermochemical production of liquid fuels from lignocellulosic biomass is presented. Energetic and economic models for the production of Fischer-Tropsch fuel (FT), methanol (MeOH) and dimethyl ether (DME) by means of biomass drying with steam or flue gas, directly or indirectly heated fluidized bed or entrained flow gasification, hot or cold gas cleaning, fuel synthesis and upgrading are reviewed and developed. The process is integrated and the optimal utility system is computed. The competitiveness of the different process options is compared systematically with regard to energetic, economic and environmental considerations. At several examples, it is highlighted that process integration is a key element that allows for considerably increasing the performance by optimal utility integration and energy conversion. The performance computations of some exemplary technology scenarios of integrated plants yield overall energy efficiencies of 59.8% (crude FT-fuel), 52.5% (MeOH) and 53.5% (DME), and production costs of 89, 128 and 113 Euro MWh -1 on fuel basis. The applied process design approach allows to evaluate the economic competitiveness compared to fossil fuels, to study the influence of the biomass and electricity price and to project for different plant capacities. Process integration reveals in particular potential energy savings and waste heat valorization. Based on this work, the most promising options for the polygeneration of fuel, power and heat will be determined in a future thermo-economic optimization.

Integrated Fuel-Coolant Interaction (IFCI 7.0) Code User's Manual

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Young, Michael F.

1999-05-01

The integrated fuel-coolant interaction (IFCI) computer code is being developed at Sandia National Laboratories to investigate the fuel-coolant interaction (FCI) problem at large scale using a two-dimensional, three-field hydrodynamic framework and physically based models. IFCI will be capable of treating all major FCI processes in an integrated manner. This document is a description of IFCI 7.0. The user's manual describes the hydrodynamic method and physical models used in IFCI 7.0. Appendix A is an input manual provided for the creation of working decks.

Design Principles for Synthesizable Processor Cores

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schleuniger, Pascal; McKee, Sally A.; Karlsson, Sven

2012-01-01

As FPGAs get more competitive, synthesizable processor cores become an attractive choice for embedded computing. Currently popular commercial processor cores do not fully exploit current FPGA architectures. In this paper, we propose general design principles to increase instruction throughput...

Design and implementation of a high performance network security processor

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Haixin; Bai, Guoqiang; Chen, Hongyi

2010-03-01

The last few years have seen many significant progresses in the field of application-specific processors. One example is network security processors (NSPs) that perform various cryptographic operations specified by network security protocols and help to offload the computation intensive burdens from network processors (NPs). This article presents a high performance NSP system architecture implementation intended for both internet protocol security (IPSec) and secure socket layer (SSL) protocol acceleration, which are widely employed in virtual private network (VPN) and e-commerce applications. The efficient dual one-way pipelined data transfer skeleton and optimised integration scheme of the heterogenous parallel crypto engine arrays lead to a Gbps rate NSP, which is programmable with domain specific descriptor-based instructions. The descriptor-based control flow fragments large data packets and distributes them to the crypto engine arrays, which fully utilises the parallel computation resources and improves the overall system data throughput. A prototyping platform for this NSP design is implemented with a Xilinx XC3S5000 based FPGA chip set. Results show that the design gives a peak throughput for the IPSec ESP tunnel mode of 2.85 Gbps with over 2100 full SSL handshakes per second at a clock rate of 95 MHz.

Data register and processor for multiwire chambers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karpukhin, V.V.

1985-01-01

A data register and a processor for data receiving and processing from drift chambers of a device for investigating relativistic positroniums are described. The data are delivered to the register input in the form of the Grey 8 bit code, memorized and transformed to a position code. The register information is delivered to the KAMAK trunk and to the front panel plug. The processor selects particle tracks in a horizontal plane of the facility. ΔY maximum coordinate divergence and minimum point quantity on the track are set from the processor front panel. Processor solution time is 16 μs maximum quantity of simultaneously analyzed coordinates is 16

Integrated fuel cell energy system for modern buildings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moard, D.M.; Cuzens, J.E.

1998-07-01

Energy deregulation, building design efficiency standards and competitive pressures all encourage the incorporation of distributed fuel cell cogeneration packages into modern buildings. The building marketplace segments to which these systems apply include office buildings, retail stores, hospitals, hotels, food service and multifamily residences. These applications represent approximately 60% of the commercial building sector's energy use plus a portion of the residential sector's energy use. While there are several potential manufacturers of fuel cells on the verge of marketing equipment, most are currently using commercial hydrogen gas to fuel them. There are few suppliers of equipment, which convert conventional fuels into hydrogen. Hydrogen Burner Technology, Inc. (HBT) is one of the few companies with a proven under-oxidized-burner (UOB) technology, patented and already proven in commercial use for industrial applications. HBT is developing a subsystem based on the UOB technology that can produce a hydrogen rich product gas using natural gas, propane or liquid fuels as the feed stock, which may be directly useable by proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells for conversion into electricity. The combined thermal output can also be used for space heating/cooling, water heating or steam generation applications. HBT is currently analyzing the commercial building market, integrated system designs and marketplace motivations which will allow the best overall subsystem to be designed, tested and introduced commercially in the shortest time possible. HBT is also actively involved in combined subsystem designs for use in automotive and small residential services.

Used nuclear fuel separations process simulation and testing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pereira, C.; Krebs, J.F.; Copple, J.M.; Frey, K.E.; Maggos, L.E.; Figueroa, J.; Willit, J.L.; Papadias, D.D.

2013-01-01

Recent efforts in separations process simulation at Argonne have expanded from the traditional focus on solvent extraction flowsheet design in order to capture process dynamics and to simulate other components, processing and systems of a used nuclear fuel reprocessing plant. For example, the Argonne Model for Universal Solvent Extraction (AMUSE) code has been enhanced to make it both more portable and more readily extensible. Moving away from a spreadsheet environment makes the addition of new species and processes simpler for the expert user, which should enable more rapid implementation of chemical models that simulate evolving processes. The dyAMUSE (dynamic AMUSE) version allows the simulation of transient behavior across an extractor. Electrochemical separations have now been modeled using spreadsheet codes that simulate the electrochemical recycle of fast reactor fuel. The user can follow the evolution of the salt, products, and waste compositions in the electro-refiner, cathode processors, and drawdown as a function of fuel batches treated. To further expand capabilities in integrating multiple unit operations, a platform for linking mathematical models representing the different operations that comprise a reprocessing facility was adapted to enable systems-level analysis and optimization of facility functions. (authors)

Used nuclear fuel separations process simulation and testing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pereira, C.; Krebs, J.F.; Copple, J.M.; Frey, K.E.; Maggos, L.E.; Figueroa, J.; Willit, J.L.; Papadias, D.D. [Argonne National Laboratory: 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, IL 60439 (United States)

2013-07-01

Recent efforts in separations process simulation at Argonne have expanded from the traditional focus on solvent extraction flowsheet design in order to capture process dynamics and to simulate other components, processing and systems of a used nuclear fuel reprocessing plant. For example, the Argonne Model for Universal Solvent Extraction (AMUSE) code has been enhanced to make it both more portable and more readily extensible. Moving away from a spreadsheet environment makes the addition of new species and processes simpler for the expert user, which should enable more rapid implementation of chemical models that simulate evolving processes. The dyAMUSE (dynamic AMUSE) version allows the simulation of transient behavior across an extractor. Electrochemical separations have now been modeled using spreadsheet codes that simulate the electrochemical recycle of fast reactor fuel. The user can follow the evolution of the salt, products, and waste compositions in the electro-refiner, cathode processors, and drawdown as a function of fuel batches treated. To further expand capabilities in integrating multiple unit operations, a platform for linking mathematical models representing the different operations that comprise a reprocessing facility was adapted to enable systems-level analysis and optimization of facility functions. (authors)

Integrity, behavior and proposal of CARA fuel irradiation with empty negative coefficient

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marino, Armando C.; Brasnarof, Daniel O.; Demarco, Gustavo L.; Agueda, Horacio C.

2007-01-01

The main issues of the CARA fuel, CVN version, are its negative void reactivity coefficient and an extraction burnup of ∼20000 MWd/ton U. The analysis of the fuel rod behaviour, under the irradiation conditions of the Embalse, Atucha I and II NPPs, are the key to recognize their demanding under operation, to review the classic issues of the PHWR fuels and to prepare a programme of experimental irradiations in order to demonstrate the CARA concept, to assess the fuel integrity, to improve the performance and the enhancement of the safety margins. (author) [es

Integral-fuel blocks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cunningham, C.; Simpkin, S.D.

1975-01-01

A prismatic moderator block is described which has fuel-containing channels and coolant channels disposed parallel to each other and to edge faces of the block. The coolant channels are arranged in rows on an equilateral triangular lattice pattern and the fuel-containing channels are disposed in a regular lattice pattern with one fuel-containing channel between and equidistant from each of the coolant channels in each group of three mutually adjacent coolant channels. The edge faces of the block are parallel to the rows of coolant channels and the channels nearest to each edge face are disposed in two rows parallel thereto, with one of the rows containing only coolant channels and the other row containing only fuel-containing channels. (Official Gazette)

Integral reactor system and method for fuel cells

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandes, Neil Edward; Brown, Michael S; Cheekatamarla, Praveen; Deng, Thomas; Dimitrakopoulos, James; Litka, Anthony F

2013-11-19

A reactor system is integrated internally within an anode-side cavity of a fuel cell. The reactor system is configured to convert hydrocarbons to smaller species while mitigating the lower production of solid carbon. The reactor system may incorporate one or more of a pre-reforming section, an anode exhaust gas recirculation device, and a reforming section.

Transport fuel demand responses to fuel price and income projections : Comparison of integrated assessment models

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Edelenbosch, O. Y.; van Vuuren, Detlef; Bertram, C.; Carrara, S.; Emmerling, J.; Daly, H.; Kitous, A.; McCollum, D. L.; Saadi Failali, N.

Income and fuel price pathways are key determinants in projections of the energy system in integrated assessment models. In recent years, more details have been added to the transport sector representation in these models. To better understand the model dynamics, this manuscript analyses transport

Development methods for VLSI-processors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horninger, K.; Sandweg, G.

1982-01-01

The aim of this project, which was originally planed for 3 years, was the development of modern system and circuit concepts, for VLSI-processors having a 32 bit wide data path. The result of this first years work is the concept of a general purpose processor. This processor is not only logically but also physically (on the chip) divided into four functional units: a microprogrammable instruction unit, an execution unit in slice technique, a fully associative cache memory and an I/O unit. For the ALU of the execution unit circuits in PLA and slice techniques have been realized. On the basis of regularity, area consumption and achievable performance the slice technique has been prefered. The designs utilize selftesting circuitry. (orig.) [de

PHWR Fuel - an integrated approach in Indian context

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jayaraj, R.N. [Nuclear Fuel Complex, Dept. of Atomic Energy, Hyderabad (India)

2008-07-01

The nuclear power programme in India is based on a three-stage approach in which the Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWR) forms the backbone of the first stage. Over the years, apart from gaining expertise in design, construction and operation of PHWRs, innovative fuel designs and manufacturing technologies have also been evolved. Presently, thirteen PHWR 220 units and two PHWR 540 units are in operation. Three more PHWR 220 units are in the advanced stage of construction. In addition, the PHWR power generation programme envisages construction of eight more PHWR 700 units. Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) at Hyderabad, established in early 70s, is the only manufacturer of fuel and reactor core structurals for all the PHWRs in India. Since inception, the thrust has been on indigenous development of technology in the areas of production processes, equipment manufacture and quality assurance programmes. Commensurate with the PHWR programme, NFC has expanded its production capacities and has fabricated more than 380,000 fuel bundles since inception. Towards optimization of uranium resources and implementation of 'closed fuel cycle' concept, large quantities of reprocessed uranium fuel bundles have been manufactured and introduced in the initial cores of PHWRs. In recent times, NFC introduced several modifications in the production processes like vapour ammonia precipitation for UO{sub 2} powder production, advanced resistance welding controls and improved versions of welding machines, which all have facilitated in improving the quality and productivity of the fuel. Superior quality control systems like spectrophotometric determination of SSA of UO{sub 2} powders, machine vision systems for pellet inspection, thermography for evaluating weld integrity, etc. has channelised NDT techniques into fuel production lines. The paper summarizes various improvements carried out in the design and manufacture of PHWR fuel. New concepts evolved in high burn-up fuels and

The performance of an LSI-11/23 with a SKYMNK-Q array processor as a high speed front end processor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clark, D.L.

1983-01-01

The NSRL has recently installed a VAX-11/750 based data acquisition system which is networked to two LSI-11/23 satellite processors. Each of the LSI's are connected to CAMAC branch drivers. The LSI's have small array processors installed for use in preprocessing data. The objective is to provide an easy to use high speed processor that will relieve the VAX of some of the real-time data analysis tasks. The basic operation of the array processor and some of the results of performance tests are described

Embedded Processor Laboratory

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — The Embedded Processor Laboratory provides the means to design, develop, fabricate, and test embedded computers for missile guidance electronics systems in support...

Multi-Core Processor Memory Contention Benchmark Analysis Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Simon, Tyler; McGalliard, James

2009-01-01

Multi-core processors dominate current mainframe, server, and high performance computing (HPC) systems. This paper provides synthetic kernel and natural benchmark results from an HPC system at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center that illustrate the performance impacts of multi-core (dual- and quad-core) vs. single core processor systems. Analysis of processor design, application source code, and synthetic and natural test results all indicate that multi-core processors can suffer from significant memory subsystem contention compared to similar single-core processors.

Architectural design and analysis of a programmable image processor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siyal, M.Y.; Chowdhry, B.S.; Rajput, A.Q.K.

2003-01-01

In this paper we present an architectural design and analysis of a programmable image processor, nicknamed Snake. The processor was designed with a high degree of parallelism to speed up a range of image processing operations. Data parallelism found in array processors has been included into the architecture of the proposed processor. The implementation of commonly used image processing algorithms and their performance evaluation are also discussed. The performance of Snake is also compared with other types of processor architectures. (author)

Hardware Realization of an FPGA Processor - Operating System Call Offload and Experiences

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hindborg, Andreas Erik; Karlsson, Sven

2014-01-01

core that can be integrated in many signal and data processing platforms on FPGAs. We also show how we allow the processor to use operating system services. For a set of SPLASH-2 and SPEC2006 benchmarks we show an speedup of up to 64% over a similar Xilinx MicroBlaze implementation while using 27...

An improved reactor system for small-scale fuel processing - the Optiformer concept

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Silversand, Fredrik; Karlsson, Charlotte (Catator AB, Lund (Sweden))

2008-08-15

Catator AB (CAT) has evaluated a revised design of the previously described Ultraformer concept. In comparison to the original Ultraformer, the new reformer concept (Optiformer) shows enhanced performances with respect to thermo-mechanic durability and conversion efficiencies. The unit is also easy to manufacture and ordinary high-temperature steel alloys may be used. The new concept is based on a helix-shaped tubular heat-exchanger reactor designed by ICI Caldaie (ICI) fitted with CATs proprietary wire-mesh catalyst. The concept has currently been evaluated for production rates between 0.5 and 30 nm3/hr of hydrogen and this report describes a detailed study of a unit for small-scale CHP-applications. Such systems will involve a fuel processor together with a suitable fuel cell, e.g. a solid-oxide fuel cell (SOFC) or a high-temperature PEFC (HT-PEFC). The evaluations performed in this study indicate stable operation over a wide window of capacities with negligible emissions of hydrocarbons. Since it is possible to operate the redesigned unit at a higher temperature (>900 deg C) than the original Ultraformer unit (750- 800 deg C), the conversion degree is much higher for thermo-dynamical reasons. The redesigned unit contains all necessary structures for vaporization, recuperation, effect supply and gas purification in a highly integrated structure. Furthermore, the unit is equipped with an internal insulation and a cooling jacked to reduce the skin temperature of the unit. The reactor has undergone about 100 full thermal cycles without any thermo-mechanical issues or catalyst degradation. Natural gas and different kerosene qualities have so far been evaluated with respect to conversion degree and possible slip of hydrocarbons. The conversion degree at rated load (100%) was above 99%, which enable us to reach superior efficiencies. If the unit were to be used together with a SOFC, the WGS-step could be omitted, reducing the size and weight further from about 2.2 l

Analytical Bounds on the Threads in IXP1200 Network Processor

OpenAIRE

Ramakrishna, STGS; Jamadagni, HS

2003-01-01

Increasing link speeds have placed enormous burden on the processing requirements and the processors are expected to carry out a variety of tasks. Network Processors (NP) [1] [2] is the blanket name given to the processors, which are traded for flexibility and performance. Network Processors are offered by a number of vendors; to take the main burden of processing requirement of network related operations from the conventional processors. The Network Processors cover a spectrum of design trad...

A UNIX-based prototype biomedical virtual image processor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fahy, J.B.; Kim, Y.

1987-01-01

The authors have developed a multiprocess virtual image processor for the IBM PC/AT, in order to maximize image processing software portability for biomedical applications. An interprocess communication scheme, based on two-way metacode exchange, has been developed and verified for this purpose. Application programs call a device-independent image processing library, which transfers commands over a shared data bridge to one or more Autonomous Virtual Image Processors (AVIP). Each AVIP runs as a separate process in the UNIX operating system, and implements the device-independent functions on the image processor to which it corresponds. Application programs can control multiple image processors at a time, change the image processor configuration used at any time, and are completely portable among image processors for which an AVIP has been implemented. Run-time speeds have been found to be acceptable for higher level functions, although rather slow for lower level functions, owing to the overhead associated with sending commands and data over the shared data bridge

In-ground operation of Geothermic Fuel Cells for unconventional oil and gas recovery

Science.gov (United States)

Sullivan, Neal; Anyenya, Gladys; Haun, Buddy; Daubenspeck, Mark; Bonadies, Joseph; Kerr, Rick; Fischer, Bernhard; Wright, Adam; Jones, Gerald; Li, Robert; Wall, Mark; Forbes, Alan; Savage, Marshall

2016-01-01

This paper presents operating and performance characteristics of a nine-stack solid-oxide fuel cell combined-heat-and-power system. Integrated with a natural-gas fuel processor, air compressor, reactant-gas preheater, and diagnostics and control equipment, the system is designed for use in unconventional oil-and-gas processing. Termed a ;Geothermic Fuel Cell; (GFC), the heat liberated by the fuel cell during electricity generation is harnessed to process oil shale into high-quality crude oil and natural gas. The 1.5-kWe SOFC stacks are packaged within three-stack GFC modules. Three GFC modules are mechanically and electrically coupled to a reactant-gas preheater and installed within the earth. During operation, significant heat is conducted from the Geothermic Fuel Cell to the surrounding geology. The complete system was continuously operated on hydrogen and natural-gas fuels for ∼600 h. A quasi-steady operating point was established to favor heat generation (29.1 kWth) over electricity production (4.4 kWe). Thermodynamic analysis reveals a combined-heat-and-power efficiency of 55% at this condition. Heat flux to the geology averaged 3.2 kW m-1 across the 9-m length of the Geothermic Fuel Cell-preheater assembly. System performance is reviewed; some suggestions for improvement are proposed.

Integrated international safeguards concepts for fuel reprocessing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hakkila, E.A.; Gutmacher, R.G.; Markin, J.T.; Shipley, J.P.; Whitty, W.J.; Camp, A.L.; Cameron, C.P.; Bleck, M.E.; Ellwein, L.B.

1981-12-01

This report is the fourth in a series of efforts by the Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, to identify problems and propose solutions for international safeguarding of light-water reactor spent-fuel reprocessing plants. Problem areas for international safeguards were identified in a previous Problem Statement (LA-7551-MS/SAND79-0108). Accounting concepts that could be verified internationally were presented in a subsequent study (LA-8042). Concepts for containment/surveillance were presented, conceptual designs were developed, and the effectiveness of these designs was evaluated in a companion study (SAND80-0160). The report discusses the coordination of nuclear materials accounting and containment/surveillance concepts in an effort to define an effective integrated safeguards system. The Allied-General Nuclear Services fuels reprocessing plant at Barnwell, South Carolina, was used as the reference facility

Integrating Wind And Solar With Hydrogen Producing Fuel Cells

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hemmes, K.

2007-01-01

The often proposed solution for the fluctuating wind energy supply is the conversion of the surplus of wind energy into hydrogen by means of electrolysis. In this paper a patented alternative is proposed consisting of the integration of wind turbines with internal reforming fuel-cells, capable of

The communication processor of TUMULT-64

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smit, Gerardus Johannes Maria; Jansen, P.G.

1988-01-01

Tumult (Twente University MULTi-processor system) is a modular extendible multi-processor system designed and implemented at the Twente University of Technology in co-operation with Oce Nederland B.V. and the Dr. Neher Laboratories (Dutch PTT). Characteristics of the hardware are: MIMD type,

An integrated approach to selecting materials for fuel cladding in advanced high-temperature reactors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rangacharyulu, C., E-mail: chary.r@usask.ca [Univ. of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK (Canada); Guzonas, D.A.; Pencer, J.; Nava-Dominguez, A.; Leung, L.K.H. [Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, Chalk River, ON (Canada)

2014-07-01

An integrated approach has been developed for selection of fuel cladding materials for advanced high-temperature reactors. Reactor physics, thermalhydraulic and material analyses are being integrated in a systematic study comparing various candidate fuel-cladding alloys. The analyses established the axial and radial neutron fluxes, power distributions, axial and radial temperature distributions, rates of defect formation and helium production using AECL analytical toolsets and experimentally measured corrosion rates to optimize the material composition for fuel cladding. The project has just been initiated at University of Saskatchewan. Some preliminary results of the analyses are presented together with the path forward for the project. (author)

Actinide recycle potential in the Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) fuel cycle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, Y.I.; Till, C.E.

1990-01-01

In the Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) development program, the entire reactor system -- reactor, fuel cycle, and waste process is being developed and optimized at the same time as a single integral entity. The use of metallic fuel in the IFR allows a radically improved fuel cycle technology. Pyroprocessing, which utilizes high temperatures and molten salt and molten metal solvents, can be advantageously utilized for processing metal fuels because the product is metal suitable for fabrication into new fuel elements. The key step in the IFR process is electrorefining, which provides for recovery of the valuable fuel constituents, uranium and plutonium, and for removal of fission products. In the electrorefining operation, uranium and plutonium are selectively transported from an anode to a cathode, leaving impurity elements, mainly fission products, either in the anode compartment or in a molten salt electrolyte. A notable feature of the IFR process is that the actinide elements accompany plutonium through the process. This results in a major advantage in the high-level waste management, because these actinides are automatically recycled back into the reactor for in-situ burning. Based on the recent IFR process development, a preliminary assessment has also been made to investigate the feasibility of further adapting the pyrochemical processes to directly extract actinides from LWR spent fuel. The results of this assessment indicate very promising potential and two most promising flowsheet options have been identified for further research and development. This paper also summarizes current thinking on the rationale for actinide recycle, its ramifications on the geologic repository and the current high-level waste management plans, and the necessary development programs. 5 refs., 4 figs., 4 tabs

High-Speed General Purpose Genetic Algorithm Processor.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoseini Alinodehi, Seyed Pourya; Moshfe, Sajjad; Saber Zaeimian, Masoumeh; Khoei, Abdollah; Hadidi, Khairollah

2016-07-01

In this paper, an ultrafast steady-state genetic algorithm processor (GAP) is presented. Due to the heavy computational load of genetic algorithms (GAs), they usually take a long time to find optimum solutions. Hardware implementation is a significant approach to overcome the problem by speeding up the GAs procedure. Hence, we designed a digital CMOS implementation of GA in [Formula: see text] process. The proposed processor is not bounded to a specific application. Indeed, it is a general-purpose processor, which is capable of performing optimization in any possible application. Utilizing speed-boosting techniques, such as pipeline scheme, parallel coarse-grained processing, parallel fitness computation, parallel selection of parents, dual-population scheme, and support for pipelined fitness computation, the proposed processor significantly reduces the processing time. Furthermore, by relying on a built-in discard operator the proposed hardware may be used in constrained problems that are very common in control applications. In the proposed design, a large search space is achievable through the bit string length extension of individuals in the genetic population by connecting the 32-bit GAPs. In addition, the proposed processor supports parallel processing, in which the GAs procedure can be run on several connected processors simultaneously.

A comparison of integral block and tubular interacting fuel element concepts for low enrichment HTR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Desoisa, J A

1972-04-15

The tubular interacting fuel element has to date been the favoured U.K. high temperature reactor design. Recent attempts to lower fuel costs and the progress of the Fort St. Vrain reactor has focussed attention on alternative designs, and in particular on the attractive design simplicity of the integral block concept. The aim of this investigation is to compare the merits of both concepts from fuel cycle cost and thermal performance viewpoints and to determine whether optimization of the integral block concept leads to changes in the current design values of (a) fuel density, (b) Nc/Nu, and/or (c) mean discharge irradiation within the framework of present design limits.

Accuracies Of Optical Processors For Adaptive Optics

Science.gov (United States)

Downie, John D.; Goodman, Joseph W.

1992-01-01

Paper presents analysis of accuracies and requirements concerning accuracies of optical linear-algebra processors (OLAP's) in adaptive-optics imaging systems. Much faster than digital electronic processor and eliminate some residual distortion. Question whether errors introduced by analog processing of OLAP overcome advantage of greater speed. Paper addresses issue by presenting estimate of accuracy required in general OLAP that yields smaller average residual aberration of wave front than digital electronic processor computing at given speed.

Lipsi: Probably the Smallest Processor in the World

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schoeberl, Martin

2018-01-01

While research on high-performance processors is important, it is also interesting to explore processor architectures at the other end of the spectrum: tiny processor cores for auxiliary functions. While it is common to implement small circuits for such functions, such as a serial port, in dedica...... at a minimal cost....

Recommending the heterogeneous cluster type multi-processor system computing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iijima, Nobukazu

2010-01-01

Real-time reactor simulator had been developed by reusing the equipment of the Musashi reactor and its performance improvement became indispensable for research tools to increase sampling rate with introduction of arithmetic units using multi-Digital Signal Processor(DSP) system (cluster). In order to realize the heterogeneous cluster type multi-processor system computing, combination of two kinds of Control Processor (CP) s, Cluster Control Processor (CCP) and System Control Processor (SCP), were proposed with Large System Control Processor (LSCP) for hierarchical cluster if needed. Faster computing performance of this system was well evaluated by simulation results for simultaneous execution of plural jobs and also pipeline processing between clusters, which showed the system led to effective use of existing system and enhancement of the cost performance. (T. Tanaka)

First level trigger processor for the ZEUS calorimeter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dawson, J.W.; Talaga, R.L.; Burr, G.W.; Laird, R.J.; Smith, W.; Lackey, J.

1990-01-01

This paper discusses the design of the first level trigger processor for the ZEUS calorimeter. This processor accepts data from the 13,000 photomultipliers of the calorimeter which is topologically divided into 16 regions, and after regional preprocessing, performs logical and numerical operations which cross regional boundaries. Because the crossing period at the HERA collider is 96 ns, it is necessary that first-level trigger decisions be made in pipelined hardware. One microsecond is allowed for the processor to perform the required logical and numerical operations, during which time the data from ten crossings would be resident in the processor while being clocked through the pipelined hardware. The circuitry is implemented in 100K ECL, Advanced CMOS discrete devices, and programmable gate arrays, and operates in a VME environment. All tables and registers are written/read from VME, and all diagnostic codes are executed from VME. Preprocessed data flows into the processor at a rate of 5.2GB/s, and processed data flows from the processor to the Global First-Level Trigger at a rate of 700MB/s. The system allows for subsets of the logic to be configured by software and for various important variables to be histogrammed as they flow through the processor. 2 refs., 3 figs

First-level trigger processor for the ZEUS calorimeter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dawson, J.W.; Talaga, R.L.; Burr, G.W.; Laird, R.J.; Smith, W.; Lackey, J.

1990-01-01

The design of the first-level trigger processor for the Zeus calorimeter is discussed. This processor accepts data from the 13,000 photomultipliers of the calorimeter, which is topologically divided into 16 regions, and after regional preprocessing performs logical and numerical operations that cross regional boundaries. Because the crossing period at the HERA collider is 96 ns, it is necessary that first-level trigger decisions be made in pipelined hardware. One microsecond is allowed for the processor to perform the required logical and numerical operations, during which time the data from ten crossings would be resident in the processor while being clocked through the pipelined hardware. The circuitry is implemented in 100K emitter-coupled logic (ECL), advanced CMOS discrete devices and programmable gate arrays, and operates in a VME environment. All tables and registers are written/read from VME, and all diagnostic codes are executed from VME. Preprocessed data flows into the processor at a rate of 5.2 Gbyte/s, and processed data flows from the processor to the global first-level trigger at a rate of 70 Mbyte/s. The system allows for subsets of the logic to be configured by software and for various important variables to be histogrammed as they flow through the processor

Cladding failure margins for metallic fuel in the integral fast reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bauer, T.H.; Fenske, G.R.; Kramer, J.M.

1987-01-01

The Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) concept being developed at Argonne National Laboratory has prompted a renewed interest in uranium-based metal alloys as a fuel for sodium-cooled fast reactors. In this paper we will present recent measurements of cladding eutectic penetration rates for the ternary IFR alloy and will compare these results with earlier eutectic penetration data for other fuel and cladding materials. A method for calculating failure of metallic fuel pins is developed by combining cladding deformation equations with a large strain analysis where the hoop stress is calculated using the instantaneous wall thickness as determined from correlations of the eutectic penetration-rate data. This method is applied to analyze the results of in-reactor and out-of-reactor fuel pin failure tests on uranium-fissium alloy EBR-II Mark-II driver fuel. In the final section of this paper we extend the calculations to consider the failure of IFR ternary fuel under reactor accident conditions. (orig./GL)

Cladding failure margins for metallic fuel in the integral fast reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bauer, T.H.; Fenske, G.R.; Kramer, J.M.

1987-01-01

The reference fuel for Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) is a ternary U-Pu-Zr alloy with a low swelling austenitic or ferritic stainless steel cladding. It is known that low melting point eutectics may form in such metallic fuel-cladding systems which could contribute to cladding failure under accident conditions. This paper will present recent measurements of cladding eutectic penetration rates for the ternary IFR alloy and will compare these results with earlier eutectic penetration data for other fuel and cladding materials. A method for calculating failure of metallic fuel pins is developed by combining cladding deformation equations with a large strain analysis where the hoop stress is calculated using the instantaneous wall thickness as determined from correlations of the eutectic penetration-rate data. This method is applied to analyze the results of in-reactor and out-of-reactor fuel pin failure tests on uranium-fissium alloy EBR-II Mark-II driver fuel

A digital retina-like low-level vision processor.

Science.gov (United States)

Mertoguno, S; Bourbakis, N G

2003-01-01

This correspondence presents the basic design and the simulation of a low level multilayer vision processor that emulates to some degree the functional behavior of a human retina. This retina-like multilayer processor is the lower part of an autonomous self-organized vision system, called Kydon, that could be used on visually impaired people with a damaged visual cerebral cortex. The Kydon vision system, however, is not presented in this paper. The retina-like processor consists of four major layers, where each of them is an array processor based on hexagonal, autonomous processing elements that perform a certain set of low level vision tasks, such as smoothing and light adaptation, edge detection, segmentation, line recognition and region-graph generation. At each layer, the array processor is a 2D array of k/spl times/m hexagonal identical autonomous cells that simultaneously execute certain low level vision tasks. Thus, the hardware design and the simulation at the transistor level of the processing elements (PEs) of the retina-like processor and its simulated functionality with illustrative examples are provided in this paper.

Median and Morphological Specialized Processors for a Real-Time Image Data Processing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kazimierz Wiatr

2002-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the considerations on selecting a multiprocessor MISD architecture for fast implementation of the vision image processing. Using the author′s earlier experience with real-time systems, implementing of specialized hardware processors based on the programmable FPGA systems has been proposed in the pipeline architecture. In particular, the following processors are presented: median filter and morphological processor. The structure of a universal reconfigurable processor developed has been proposed as well. Experimental results are presented as delays on LCA level implementation for median filter, morphological processor, convolution processor, look-up-table processor, logic processor and histogram processor. These times compare with delays in general purpose processor and DSP processor.

Java Processor Optimized for RTSJ

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tu Shiliang

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Due to the preeminent work of the real-time specification for Java (RTSJ, Java is increasingly expected to become the leading programming language in real-time systems. To provide a Java platform suitable for real-time applications, a Java processor which can execute Java bytecode is directly proposed in this paper. It provides efficient support in hardware for some mechanisms specified in the RTSJ and offers a simpler programming model through ameliorating the scoped memory of the RTSJ. The worst case execution time (WCET of the bytecodes implemented in this processor is predictable by employing the optimization method proposed in our previous work, in which all the processing interfering predictability is handled before bytecode execution. Further advantage of this method is to make the implementation of the processor simpler and suited to a low-cost FPGA chip.

Control structure design of a solid oxide fuel cell and a molten carbonate fuel cell integrated system: Top-down analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jienkulsawad, Prathak; Skogestad, Sigurd; Arpornwichanop, Amornchai

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Control structure of the combined fuel cell system is designed. • The design target is trade-off between power generation and carbon dioxide emission. • Constraints are considered according to fuel cell safe operation. • Eight variables have to be controlled to maximize profit. • Two control structures are purposed for three active constraint regions. - Abstract: The integrated system of a solid oxide fuel cell and molten carbonate fuel cell theoretically has very good potential for power generation with carbon dioxide utilization. However, the control strategy of such a system needs to be considered for efficient operation. In this paper, a control structure design for an integrated fuel cell system is performed based on economic optimization to select manipulated variables, controlled variables and control configurations. The objective (cost) function includes a carbon tax to get an optimal trade-off between power generation and carbon dioxide emission, and constraints include safe operation. This study focuses on the top-down economic analysis which is the first part of the design procedure. Three actively constrained regions as a function of the main disturbances, namely, the fuel and steam feed rates, are identified; each region represents different sets of active constraints. Under nominal operating conditions, the system operates in region I. However, operating the fuel cell system in region I and II can use the same structure, but in region III, a different control structure is required.

Data collection from FASTBUS to a DEC UNIBUS processor through the UNIBUS-Processor Interface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larwill, M.; Barsotti, E.; Lesny, D.; Pordes, R.

1983-01-01

This paper describes the use of the UNIBUS Processor Interface, an interface between FASTBUS and the Digital Equipment Corporation UNIBUS. The UPI was developed by Fermilab and the University of Illinois. Details of the use of this interface in a high energy physics experiment at Fermilab are given. The paper includes a discussion of the operation of the UPI on the UNIBUS of a VAX-11, and plans for using the UPI to perform data acquisition from FASTBUS to a VAX-11 Processor

Development of advanced spent fuel management process / criticality safety analysis for integrated mockup and metallized spent fuel storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ro, Seong Gy; Shin, Hee Sung; Shin, Young Joon; Bae, Kang Mok

1999-02-01

Benchmark calculation for SCALE4.3 CSAS6 module and burnup credit criticality analysis performed by CSAS6 module are described in this report. Calculation biases by the SCALE4.3 CSAS6 module for PWR spent fuel, metallized spent fuel and aqueous nuclear materials have been determined on the basis of the benchmark to be 0.011, 0.023 and 0.010, respectively. The maximum allowable multiplication factor for an integrated mockup and metallized spent fuel storage is conservatively determined to be 0.927. With the aid of this code system, K eff values as a function of metallization ratio for the integrated mockup have been calculated. The maximum values of K eff for normal and hypothetical accident conditions are 0.346 and 0.598, respectively, much less than the maximum allowable multiplication factor of 0.927. Besides, burnup credit criticality analysis has been performed for infinite arrays of square and hexagonal canisters containing metallized spent fuel rods with different canister wall thickness, canister surface-to-surface distance and water content. It is revealed that the effective multiplication factor for canister arrays as mentioned above is well below the subcritical limit regardless of external conditions when its wall thickness is over 9 mm. (Author). 37 refs., 27 tabs., 64 figs

New development for low energy electron beam processor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takei, Taro; Goto, Hitoshi; Oizumi, Matsutoshi; Hirakawa, Tetsuya; Ochi, Masafumi

2003-01-01

Newly developed low-energy electron beam (EB) processors that have unique designs and configurations compared to conventional ones enable electron-beam treatment of small three-dimensional objects, such as grain-like agricultural products and small plastic parts. As the EB processor can irradiate the products from the whole angles, the uniform EB treatment can be achieved at one time regardless the complex shapes of the product. Here presented are two new EB processors: the first system has cylindrical process zone, which allows three-dimensional objects to be irradiated with one-pass treatment. The second is a tube-type small EB processor, achieving not only its compactor design, but also higher beam extraction efficiency and flexible installation of the irradiation heads. The basic design of each processor and potential applications with them will be presented in this paper. (author)

Integrated planning for a fuel industry with emphasis on minimum size to fabricate own fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kondal Rao, N.; Katiyar, H.C.; Rajendran, R.; Sinha, K.K.; Swaminathan, N.; Subramanyam, R.B.; Pande, B.P.; Krishnan, T.S.; Agarwala, G.C.; Chandramouli, V.A.

1977-01-01

The Indian nuclear energy programme is based on the utilization of indigenous resources for the economic generation of power, developing its own know-how. In order to gain time, the first nuclear power station at Tarapur is a turn-key job based on enriched uranium fuel. Taking into consideration the established resources of uranium and thorium in the country, a strategy for nuclear power programme has been drawn up. The first phase is based on natural uranium fuel, the second phase on the recycle of plutonium and conversion of thorium and the third phase is the breeder system based on utilization of U 233 and conversion of thorium. This programme is specially significant for India in view of its vast resources of thorium. After the experience and confidence gained with the manufacture of metallic uranium fuel for the research reactors and about 40 tonnes of fuel for the initial loading of the Rajasthan Reactor, the fuel manufacturing programme within the country has been implemented to meet the entire initial and reload fuel requirements. The plant capacities are small compared to similar activities in developed countries. Further, by planning for an integrated fuel and component manufacturing complex, any draw-back in smaller scale of some of the operations is off-set. At the Nuclear Fuel Complex, set up on the above principles, production plants are in operation for the manufacture of reload fuel for the 400 MW Tarapur station, natural uranium oxide fuel, various zircaloy components such as fuel sheaths, pressure tubes, calandria tubes, channels and various other zircaloy components. Provisions have been made to expand the production facilities as the demand for reload fuel grows. With the facilities provided, the production programme can be diversified to take up the production of fast breeder reactor components of stainless steel and also the blanket thorium elements. The unitary control of all aspects of the manufacture and quality control of different types

Fuel integrity project: analysis of light water reactor fuel rods test results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dallongeville, M.; Werle, J.; McCreesh, G.

2004-01-01

BNFL Nuclear Sciences and Technology Services and COGEMA LOGISTICS started in the year 2000 a joint project known as FIP (Fuel Integrity Project) with the aim of developing realistic methods by which the response of LWR fuel under impact accident conditions could be evaluated. To this end BNFL organised tests on both unirradiated and irradiated fuel pin samples and COGEMA LOGISTICS took responsibility for evaluating the test results. Interpretation of test results included simple mechanical analysis as well as simulation by Finite Element Analysis. The first tests that were available for analysis were an irradiated 3 point bending commissioning trial and a lateral irradiated hull compression test, both simulating the loading during a 9 m lateral regulatory drop. The bending test span corresponded roughly to a fuel pin intergrid distance. The outcome of the test was a failure starting at about 35 mm lateral deflection and a few percent of total deformation. Calculations were carried out using the ANSYS code employing a shell and brick model. The hull lateral compaction test corresponds to a conservative compression by neighbouring pins at the upper end of the fuel pin. In this pin region there are no pellets inside. The cladding broke initially into two and later into four parts, all of which were rather similar. Initial calculations were carried out with LS-DYNA3D models. The models used were optimised in meshing, boundary conditions and material properties. The calculation results compared rather well with the test data, in particular for the detailed ANSYS approach of the 3 point bending test, and allowed good estimations of stresses and deformations under mechanical loading as well as the derivation of material rupture criteria. All this contributed to the development of realistic numerical analysis methods for the evaluation of LWR fuel rod behaviour under both normal and accident transport conditions. This paper describes the results of the 3 point bending

Fuel integrity project: analysis of light water reactor fuel rods test results

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dallongeville, M.; Werle, J. [COGEMA Logistics (AREVA Group) (France); McCreesh, G. [BNFL Nuclear Sciences and Technology Services (United Kingdom)

2004-07-01

BNFL Nuclear Sciences and Technology Services and COGEMA LOGISTICS started in the year 2000 a joint project known as FIP (Fuel Integrity Project) with the aim of developing realistic methods by which the response of LWR fuel under impact accident conditions could be evaluated. To this end BNFL organised tests on both unirradiated and irradiated fuel pin samples and COGEMA LOGISTICS took responsibility for evaluating the test results. Interpretation of test results included simple mechanical analysis as well as simulation by Finite Element Analysis. The first tests that were available for analysis were an irradiated 3 point bending commissioning trial and a lateral irradiated hull compression test, both simulating the loading during a 9 m lateral regulatory drop. The bending test span corresponded roughly to a fuel pin intergrid distance. The outcome of the test was a failure starting at about 35 mm lateral deflection and a few percent of total deformation. Calculations were carried out using the ANSYS code employing a shell and brick model. The hull lateral compaction test corresponds to a conservative compression by neighbouring pins at the upper end of the fuel pin. In this pin region there are no pellets inside. The cladding broke initially into two and later into four parts, all of which were rather similar. Initial calculations were carried out with LS-DYNA3D models. The models used were optimised in meshing, boundary conditions and material properties. The calculation results compared rather well with the test data, in particular for the detailed ANSYS approach of the 3 point bending test, and allowed good estimations of stresses and deformations under mechanical loading as well as the derivation of material rupture criteria. All this contributed to the development of realistic numerical analysis methods for the evaluation of LWR fuel rod behaviour under both normal and accident transport conditions. This paper describes the results of the 3 point bending

77 FR 75868 - Regulation of Fuels and Fuel Additives: Modifications to the Transmix Provisions Under the Diesel...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-26

... provisions in today's rule will result in a reduction in nitrogen oxides (NO X ), volatile organic compounds... requirements under EPA's diesel sulfur program related to the sulfur content of locomotive and marine (LM... ability of locomotive and marine diesel fuel produced from transmix by transmix processors and pipeline...

Structural integrity assessment and stress measurement of CHASNUPP-1 fuel assembly

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Waseem

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Fuel assembly of the PWR nuclear power plant is a long and flexible structure. This study has been made in an attempt to find the structural integrity of the fuel assembly (FA of Chashma Nuclear Power Plant-1 (CHASNUPP-1 at room temperature in air. The non-linear contact and structural tensile analysis have been performed using ANSYS 13.0, in order to determine the fuel assembly (FA elongation behaviour as well as the location and values of the stress intensity and stresses developed in axial direction under applied tensile load of 9800 N or 2 g being the fuel assembly handling or lifting load [Y. Zhang et al., Fuel assembly design report, SNERDI, China, 1994]. The finite element (FE model comprises spacer grids, fuel rods, flexible contacts between the fuel rods and grid's supports system and guide thimbles with dash-pots and flow holes, in addition to the spot welds between spacer grids and guide thimbles, has been developed using Shell181, Conta174 and Targe170 elements. FA is a non-straight structure. The actual behavior of the geometry is non-linear due to its curvature or design tolerance. It has been observed that fuel assembly elongation values obtained through FE analysis and experiment [SNERDI Tech. Doc., Mechanical strength and calculation for fuel assembly, Technical Report, F3.2.1, China, 1994] under applied tensile load are comparable and show approximately linear behaviors. Therefore, it seems that the permanent elongation of fuel assembly may not occur at the specified load. Moreover, the values of stresses obtained at different locations of the fuel assembly are also comparable with the stress values of the experiment determined at the same locations through strain gauges. Since the results of both studies (analytical and experimental are comparable, therefore, validation of the FE methodology is confirmed. The stress intensity of the FE model and maximum stresses developed along the guide thimbles in axial direction are

A data base processor semantics specification package

Science.gov (United States)

Fishwick, P. A.

1983-01-01

A Semantics Specification Package (DBPSSP) for the Intel Data Base Processor (DBP) is defined. DBPSSP serves as a collection of cross assembly tools that allow the analyst to assemble request blocks on the host computer for passage to the DBP. The assembly tools discussed in this report may be effectively used in conjunction with a DBP compatible data communications protocol to form a query processor, precompiler, or file management system for the database processor. The source modules representing the components of DBPSSP are fully commented and included.

Globe hosts launch of new processor

CERN Multimedia

2006-01-01

Launch of the quadecore processor chip at the Globe. On 14 November, in a series of major media events around the world, the chip-maker Intel launched its new 'quadcore' processor. For the regions of Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the day-long launch event took place in CERN's Globe of Science and Innovation, with over 30 journalists in attendance, coming from as far away as Johannesburg and Dubai. CERN was a significant choice for the event: the first tests of this new generation of processor in Europe had been made at CERN over the preceding months, as part of CERN openlab, a research partnership with leading IT companies such as Intel, HP and Oracle. The event also provided the opportunity for the journalists to visit ATLAS and the CERN Computer Centre. The strategy of putting multiple processor cores on the same chip, which has been pursued by Intel and other chip-makers in the last few years, represents an important departure from the more traditional improvements in the sheer speed of such chips. ...

Design of an ultra-low-power digital processor for passive UHF RFID tags

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shi Wanggen; Zhuang Yiqi; Li Xiaoming; Wang Xianghua; Jin Zhao; Wang Dan, E-mail: wanggen_shi@163.co [Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Wide Band-Gap Semiconductor Materials and Devices, Institute of Microelectronics, Xidian University, Xi' an 710071 (China)

2009-04-15

A new architecture of digital processors for passive UHF radio-frequency identification tags is proposed. This architecture is based on ISO/IEC 18000-6C and targeted at ultra-low power consumption. By applying methods like system-level power management, global clock gating and low voltage implementation, the total power of the design is reduced to a few microwatts. In addition, an innovative way for the design of a true RNG is presented, which contributes to both low power and secure data transaction. The digital processor is verified by an integrated FPGA platform and implemented by the Synopsys design kit for ASIC flows. The design fits different CMOS technologies and has been taped out using the 2P4M 0.35 mum process of Chartered Semiconductor.

Refinery Integration of By-Products from Coal-Derived Jet Fuels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Caroline Clifford; Andre Boehman; Chunshan Song; Bruce Miller; Gareth Mitchell

2008-03-31

The final report summarizes the accomplishments toward project goals during length of the project. The goal of this project was to integrate coal into a refinery in order to produce coal-based jet fuel, with the major goal to examine the products other than jet fuel. These products are in the gasoline, diesel and fuel oil range and result from coal-based jet fuel production from an Air Force funded program. The main goal of Task 1 was the production of coal-based jet fuel and other products that would need to be utilized in other fuels or for non-fuel sources, using known refining technology. The gasoline, diesel fuel, and fuel oil were tested in other aspects of the project. Light cycle oil (LCO) and refined chemical oil (RCO) were blended, hydrotreated to removed sulfur, and hydrogenated, then fractionated in the original production of jet fuel. Two main approaches, taken during the project period, varied where the fractionation took place, in order to preserve the life of catalysts used, which includes (1) fractionation of the hydrotreated blend to remove sulfur and nitrogen, followed by a hydrogenation step of the lighter fraction, and (2) fractionation of the LCO and RCO before any hydrotreatment. Task 2 involved assessment of the impact of refinery integration of JP-900 production on gasoline and diesel fuel. Fuel properties, ignition characteristics and engine combustion of model fuels and fuel samples from pilot-scale production runs were characterized. The model fuels used to represent the coal-based fuel streams were blended into full-boiling range fuels to simulate the mixing of fuel streams within the refinery to create potential 'finished' fuels. The representative compounds of the coal-based gasoline were cyclohexane and methyl cyclohexane, and for the coal-base diesel fuel they were fluorine and phenanthrene. Both the octane number (ON) of the coal-based gasoline and the cetane number (CN) of the coal-based diesel were low, relative to

XL-100S microprogrammable processor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gorbunov, N.V.; Guzik, Z.; Sutulin, V.A.; Forytski, A.

1983-01-01

The XL-100S microprogrammable processor providing the multiprocessor operation mode in the XL system crate is described. The processor meets the EUR 6500 CAMAC standards, address up to 4 Mbyte memory, and interacts with 7 CAMAC branchas. Eight external requests initiate operations preset by a sequence of microcommands in a memory of the capacity up to 64 kwords of 32-Git. The microprocessor architecture allows one to emulate commands of the majority of mini- or micro-computers, including floating point operations. The XL-100S processor may be used in various branches of experimental physics: for physical experiment apparatus control, fast selection of useful physical events, organization of the of input/output operations, organization of direct assess to memory included, etc. The Am2900 microprocessor set is used as an elementary base. The device is made in the form of a single width CAMAC module

Acoustooptic linear algebra processors - Architectures, algorithms, and applications

Science.gov (United States)

Casasent, D.

1984-01-01

Architectures, algorithms, and applications for systolic processors are described with attention to the realization of parallel algorithms on various optical systolic array processors. Systolic processors for matrices with special structure and matrices of general structure, and the realization of matrix-vector, matrix-matrix, and triple-matrix products and such architectures are described. Parallel algorithms for direct and indirect solutions to systems of linear algebraic equations and their implementation on optical systolic processors are detailed with attention to the pipelining and flow of data and operations. Parallel algorithms and their optical realization for LU and QR matrix decomposition are specifically detailed. These represent the fundamental operations necessary in the implementation of least squares, eigenvalue, and SVD solutions. Specific applications (e.g., the solution of partial differential equations, adaptive noise cancellation, and optimal control) are described to typify the use of matrix processors in modern advanced signal processing.

Simulation of a processor switching circuit with APLSV

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dilcher, H.

1979-01-01

The report describes the simulation of a processor switching circuit with APL. Furthermore an APL function is represented to simulate a processor in an assembly like language. Both together serve as a tool for studying processor properties. By means of the programming function it is also possible to program other simulated processors. The processor is to be used in the processing of data in real time analysis that occur in high energy physics experiments. The data are already offered to the computer in digitalized form. A typical data rate is at 10 KB/ sec. The data are structured in blocks. The particular blocks are 1 KB wide and are independent from each other. Aprocessor has to decide, whether the block data belong to an event that is part of the backround noise and can therefore be forgotten, or whether the data should be saved for a later evaluation. (orig./WB) [de

Parallel processors and nonlinear structural dynamics algorithms and software

Science.gov (United States)

Belytschko, Ted

1989-01-01

A nonlinear structural dynamics finite element program was developed to run on a shared memory multiprocessor with pipeline processors. The program, WHAMS, was used as a framework for this work. The program employs explicit time integration and has the capability to handle both the nonlinear material behavior and large displacement response of 3-D structures. The elasto-plastic material model uses an isotropic strain hardening law which is input as a piecewise linear function. Geometric nonlinearities are handled by a corotational formulation in which a coordinate system is embedded at the integration point of each element. Currently, the program has an element library consisting of a beam element based on Euler-Bernoulli theory and trianglar and quadrilateral plate element based on Mindlin theory.

Accuracy Limitations in Optical Linear Algebra Processors

Science.gov (United States)

Batsell, Stephen Gordon

1990-01-01

One of the limiting factors in applying optical linear algebra processors (OLAPs) to real-world problems has been the poor achievable accuracy of these processors. Little previous research has been done on determining noise sources from a systems perspective which would include noise generated in the multiplication and addition operations, noise from spatial variations across arrays, and from crosstalk. In this dissertation, we propose a second-order statistical model for an OLAP which incorporates all these system noise sources. We now apply this knowledge to determining upper and lower bounds on the achievable accuracy. This is accomplished by first translating the standard definition of accuracy used in electronic digital processors to analog optical processors. We then employ our second-order statistical model. Having determined a general accuracy equation, we consider limiting cases such as for ideal and noisy components. From the ideal case, we find the fundamental limitations on improving analog processor accuracy. From the noisy case, we determine the practical limitations based on both device and system noise sources. These bounds allow system trade-offs to be made both in the choice of architecture and in individual components in such a way as to maximize the accuracy of the processor. Finally, by determining the fundamental limitations, we show the system engineer when the accuracy desired can be achieved from hardware or architecture improvements and when it must come from signal pre-processing and/or post-processing techniques.

The Heidelberg POLYP - a flexible and fault-tolerant poly-processor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maenner, R.; Deluigi, B.

1981-01-01

The Heidelberg poly-processor system POLYP is described. It is intended to be used in nuclear physics for reprocessing of experimental data, in high energy physics as second-stage trigger processor, and generally in other applications requiring high-computing power. The POLYP system consists of any number of I/O-processors, processor modules (eventually of different types), global memory segments, and a host processor. All modules (up to several hundred) are connected by a multiple common-data-bus system; all processors, additionally, by a multiple sync bus system for processor/task-scheduling. All hard- and software is designed to be decentralized and free of bottle-necks. Most hardware-faults like single-bit errors in memory or multi-bit errors during transfers are automatically corrected. Defective modules, buses, etc., can be removed with only a graceful degradation of the system-throughput. (orig.)

QERx- A Faster than Real-Time Emulator for Space Processors

Science.gov (United States)

Carvalho, B.; Pidgeon, A.; Robinson, P.

2012-08-01

Developing software for space systems is challenging. Especially because, in order to be sure it can cope with the harshness of the environment and the imperative requirements and constrains imposed by the platform were it will run, it needs to be tested exhaustively. Software Validation Facilities (SVF) are known to the industry and developers, and provide the means to run the On-Board Software (OBSW) in a realistic environment, allowing the development team to debug and test the software.But the challenge is to be able to keep up with the performance of the new processors (LEON2 and LEON3), which need to be emulated within the SVF. Such processor emulators are also used in Operational Simulators, used to support mission preparation and train mission operators. These simulators mimic the satellite and its behaviour, as realistically as possible. For test/operational efficiency reasons and because they will need to interact with external systems, both these uses cases require the processor emulators to provide real-time, or faster, performance.It is known to the industry that the performance of previously available emulators is not enough to cope with the performance of the new processors available in the market. SciSys approached this problem with dynamic translation technology trying to keep costs down by avoiding a hardware solution and keeping the integration flexibility of full software emulation.SciSys presented “QERx: A High Performance Emulator for Software Validation and Simulations” [1], in a previous DASIA event. Since then that idea has evolved and QERx has been successfully validated. SciSys is now presenting QERx as a product that can be tailored to fit different emulation needs. This paper will present QERx latest developments and current status.

Review of the Effects of Normal Conditions of Transport on Spent Fuel Integrity in Transportation Casks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Junggoo; Yoo, Youngik; Lee, Seongki; Lim, Chaejoon [Korea Nuclear Fuel Co., Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2014-10-15

Spent fuel(SF) storage capacity of each domestic nuclear power plant will reach a saturated state in the near future. Although there are several methods of SF disposal, interim storage is suggested as the most realistic and promising alternative. SF integrity evaluation is a regulatory requirement that is described in Part 71 of Code of Federal Regulations, Title 10 of the U..S. NRC licensing requirement. In this paper, the report is reviewed written by EPRI in US and it is helpful to a development of domestic SF integrity evaluation technology. EPRI report about integrity evaluation method on normal conditions of high burn-up spent fuel transport is reviewed. First, dynamic forces occurred in one-foot side drop are calculated. And deformation patterns and fuel rods responses by dynamic forces calculated from spent fuel and cask model are analyzed. It is shown that the damage of fuel rods is not occurred by the dynamic forces on normal conditions. Assembly distortion is not predicted, by virtue of the facts that the spacer grids do not experience significant permanent deformation. Axial forces, bending moments and pinch forces of fuel rods are calculated and compared with the results under the hypothetical accident conditions. No occurrence of transverse tearing mode that is the most serious damage mode in side drop case is predicted. Till now, in Korea, regulatory requirements related with structural integrity of spent fuel are not specified such as 10CFR71. To establish own regulation standards, producing and analyzing sufficient experimental data must be performed preferentially. Based on this, failure analysis and criteria establishment are necessary through modeling and analyzing of spent fuel.

CANDU fuel sheath integrity and oxide layer thickness determination by Eddy current technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gheorghe, Gabriela; Man, Ion; Parvan, Marcel; Valeca, Serban

2010-01-01

This paper presents results concerning the integrity assessment of the fuel elements cladding and measurements of the oxide layer on sheaths, using the eddy current technique. Flaw detection using eddy current provides information about the integrity of fuel element sheath or presence of defects in the sheath produced by irradiation. The control equipment consists of a flaw detector with eddy currents, operable in the frequency range 10 Hz to 10 MHz, and a differential probe. The calibration of the flaw detector is done using artificial defects (longitudinal, transversal, external and internal notches, bored and unbored holes) obtained on Zircaloy-4 tubes identical to those out of which the sheath of the CANDU fuel element is manufactured (having a diameter of 13.08 mm and a wall thickness of 0.4 mm). When analyzing the behavior of the fuel elements' cladding facing the corrosion is important to know the thickness of the zirconium oxide layer. The calibration of the device measuring the thickness of the oxide layer is done using a Zircaloy-4 tube identical to that which the cladding of the CANDU fuel element is manufactured of, and calibration foils, as well. (authors)

Enhanced canopy fuel mapping by integrating lidar data

Science.gov (United States)

Peterson, Birgit E.; Nelson, Kurtis J.

2016-10-03

BackgroundThe Wildfire Sciences Team at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Earth Resources Observation and Science Center produces vegetation type, vegetation structure, and fuel products for the United States, primarily through the Landscape Fire and Resource Management Planning Tools (LANDFIRE) program. LANDFIRE products are used across disciplines for a variety of applications. The LANDFIRE data retain their currency and relevancy through periodic updating or remapping. These updating and remapping efforts provide opportunities to improve the LANDFIRE product suite by incorporating data from other sources. Light detection and ranging (lidar) is uniquely suitable for gathering information on vegetation structure and spatial arrangement because it can collect data in three dimensions. The Wildfire Sciences Team has several completed and ongoing studies focused on integrating lidar into vegetation and fuels mapping.

Spray sealing: A breakthrough in integral fuel tank sealing technology

Science.gov (United States)

Richardson, Martin D.; Zadarnowski, J. H.

1989-11-01

In a continuing effort to increase readiness, a new approach to sealing integral fuel tanks is being developed. The technique seals potential leak sources by spraying elastomeric materials inside the tank cavity. Laboratory evaluations project an increase in aircraft supportability and reliability, an improved maintainability, decreasing acquisition and life cycle costs. Increased usable fuel volume and lower weight than conventional bladders improve performance. Concept feasibility was demonstrated on sub-scale aircraft fuel tanks. Materials were selected by testing sprayable elastomers in a fuel tank environment. Chemical stability, mechanical properties, and dynamic durability of the elastomer are being evaluated at the laboratory level and in sub-scale and full scale aircraft component fatigue tests. The self sealing capability of sprayable materials is also under development. Ballistic tests show an improved aircraft survivability, due in part to the elastomer's mechanical properties and its ability to damp vibrations. New application equipment, system removal, and repair methods are being investigated.

Integrated, Continuous Emulsion Creamer.

Science.gov (United States)

Cochrane, Wesley G; Hackler, Amber L; Cavett, Valerie J; Price, Alexander K; Paegel, Brian M

2017-12-19

Automated and reproducible sample handling is a key requirement for high-throughput compound screening and currently demands heavy reliance on expensive robotics in screening centers. Integrated droplet microfluidic screening processors are poised to replace robotic automation by miniaturizing biochemical reactions to the droplet scale. These processors must generate, incubate, and sort droplets for continuous droplet screening, passively handling millions of droplets with complete uniformity, especially during the key step of sample incubation. Here, we disclose an integrated microfluidic emulsion creamer that packs ("creams") assay droplets by draining away excess oil through microfabricated drain channels. The drained oil coflows with creamed emulsion and then reintroduces the oil to disperse the droplets at the circuit terminus for analysis. Creamed emulsion assay incubation time dispersion was 1.7%, 3-fold less than other reported incubators. The integrated, continuous emulsion creamer (ICEcreamer) was used to miniaturize and optimize measurements of various enzymatic activities (phosphodiesterase, kinase, bacterial translation) under multiple- and single-turnover conditions. Combining the ICEcreamer with current integrated microfluidic DNA-encoded library bead processors eliminates potentially cumbersome instrumentation engineering challenges and is compatible with assays of diverse target class activities commonly investigated in drug discovery.

Atmel's New Rad-Hard Sparc V8 Processor 200Mhz & Low Power System on Chip

Science.gov (United States)

Ganry, Nicolas; Mantelet, Guy; Parkes, Steve; McClements, Chris

2014-08-01

The AT6981 is a new generation of processor designed for critical spaceflight applications, which combines a high-performance SPARC® V8 radiation hard processor, with enough on-chip memory for many aerospace applications and state-of-the-art SpaceWire networking technology from STAR- Dundee. The AT6981 is implemented in Atmel 90nm rad-hard technology, enabling 200 MHz operating speed for the processor with power consumption levels around 1W. This advanced technology allows strong system integration in a SoC with embedded peripherals like CAN, 1553, Ethernet, DDR and embedded memory with 1Mbytes SRAM. The device is ITAR- free and is developed in France by Atmel Aerospace having more than of 30years space experience. This paper describes this new SoC architecture and technical options considered to insure the best performances, the minimum power consumption and high reliability. This device will be available on the market in H2 2014 for evaluation with first flight models targeted end 2015.

An efficient ASIC implementation of 16-channel on-line recursive ICA processor for real-time EEG system.

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Wai-Chi; Huang, Kuan-Ju; Chou, Chia-Ching; Chang, Jui-Chung; Cauwenberghs, Gert; Jung, Tzyy-Ping

2014-01-01

This is a proposal for an efficient very-large-scale integration (VLSI) design, 16-channel on-line recursive independent component analysis (ORICA) processor ASIC for real-time EEG system, implemented with TSMC 40 nm CMOS technology. ORICA is appropriate to be used in real-time EEG system to separate artifacts because of its highly efficient and real-time process features. The proposed ORICA processor is composed of an ORICA processing unit and a singular value decomposition (SVD) processing unit. Compared with previous work [1], this proposed ORICA processor has enhanced effectiveness and reduced hardware complexity by utilizing a deeper pipeline architecture, shared arithmetic processing unit, and shared registers. The 16-channel random signals which contain 8-channel super-Gaussian and 8-channel sub-Gaussian components are used to analyze the dependence of the source components, and the average correlation coefficient is 0.95452 between the original source signals and extracted ORICA signals. Finally, the proposed ORICA processor ASIC is implemented with TSMC 40 nm CMOS technology, and it consumes 15.72 mW at 100 MHz operating frequency.

Benchmark solution of contemporary PWR integral fuel burnable absorbers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stucker, D.L.; Hone, M.J.; Holland, R.A.

1993-01-01

This paper presents a closely controlled benchmark solution of the two major contemporary pressurized water reactor integral burnable absorber designs: zirconium diboride (ZrB 2 ) and gadolinia (Gd 2 O 3 ). The comparison is accomplished using self-generating equilibrium cycles with equal energy, equal discharge burnup, and equal safety constraints. The reference plant for this evaluation is a 3411-MW(thermal) Westinghouse four-loop nuclear steam supply system operating with an inlet temperature of 285.9 degrees C, a core coolant mass now rate of 16877.3 kg/s, and coolant pressure of 15.5 MPa. The reactor consists of 193 VANTAGE 5H fuel assemblies that are discharged at a region average burnup of 48.4 GWd/tonne U. Each fuel assembly contains a natural uranium axial blanket 15.24 cm long at the top and the bottom of the fuel rod. The burnable absorber rods are symmetrically radially dispersed within the fuel assembly such that intrabundle power peaking is minimized. The burnable absorber material for both ZrB 2 and Gd 2 O 3 is axially zoned to the central 304.8 cm of the absorber-bearing fuel rods. The fuel management was constrained such that the thermal and safety limitations of F δH q -5 /degrees C were simultaneously achieved. The maximum long-term operating soluble boron concentration was also limited to 446 effective full-power days (EFPDs) including 14 EFPDs of power coastdown were assumed

Parallel Algorithm for Adaptive Numerical Integration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sujatmiko, M.; Basarudin, T.

1997-01-01

This paper presents an automation algorithm for integration using adaptive trapezoidal method. The interval is adaptively divided where the width of sub interval are different and fit to the behavior of its function. For a function f, an integration on interval [a,b] can be obtained, with maximum tolerance ε, using estimation (f, a, b, ε). The estimated solution is valid if the error is still in a reasonable range, fulfil certain criteria. If the error is big, however, the problem is solved by dividing it into to similar and independent sub problem on to separate [a, (a+b)/2] and [(a+b)/2, b] interval, i. e. ( f, a, (a+b)/2, ε/2) and (f, (a+b)/2, b, ε/2) estimations. The problems are solved in two different kinds of processor, root processor and worker processor. Root processor function ti divide a main problem into sub problems and distribute them to worker processor. The division mechanism may go further until all of the sub problem are resolved. The solution of each sub problem is then submitted to the root processor such that the solution for the main problem can be obtained. The algorithm is implemented on C-programming-base distributed computer networking system under parallel virtual machine platform

HANSF 1.3 Users Manual FAI/98-40-R2 Hanford Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) Safety Analysis Model [SEC 1 and 2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

DUNCAN, D.R.

1999-10-07

The HANSF analysis tool is an integrated model considering phenomena inside a multi-canister overpack (MCO) spent nuclear fuel container such as fuel oxidation, convective and radiative heat transfer, and the potential for fission product release. This manual reflects the HANSF version 1.3.2, a revised version of 1.3.1. HANSF 1.3.2 was written to correct minor errors and to allow modeling of condensate flow on the MCO inner surface. HANSF 1.3.2 is intended for use on personal computers such as IBM-compatible machines with Intel processors running under Lahey TI or digital Visual FORTRAN, Version 6.0, but this does not preclude operation in other environments.

Well-to-wheels analysis of fuel-cell vehicle/fuel systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, M.

2002-01-01

Major automobile companies worldwide are undertaking vigorous research and development efforts aimed at developing fuel-cell vehicles (FCVs). Proton membrane exchange (PEM)-based FCVs require hydrogen (H(sub 2)) as the fuel-cell (FC) fuel. Because production and distribution infrastructure for H(sub 2) off board FCVs as a transportation fuel does not exist yet, researchers are developing FCVs that can use hydrocarbon fuels, such as methanol (MeOH) and gasoline, for onboard production of H(sub 2) via fuel processors. Direct H(sub 2) FCVs have no vehicular emissions, while FCVs powered by hydrocarbon fuels have near-zero emissions of criteria pollutants and some carbon dioxide (CO(sub 2)) emissions. However, production of H(sub 2) can generate a large amount of emissions and suffer significant energy losses. A complete evaluation of the energy and emission impacts of FCVs requires an analysis of energy use and emissions during all stages, from energy feedstock wells to vehicle wheels-a so-called ''well-to-wheels'' (WTW) analysis. This paper focuses on FCVs powered by several transportation fuels. Gasoline vehicles (GVs) equipped with internal combustion engines (ICEs) are the baseline technology to which FCVs are compared. Table 1 lists the 13 fuel pathways included in this study. Petroleum-to-gasoline (with 30-ppm sulfur[S] content) is the baseline fuel pathway for GVs

Assessment of clad integrity of PHWR fuel pin following a postulated severe accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dutta, B.K.; Kushwaha, H.S.; Venkat Raj, V.

2000-01-01

A mechanistic fuel performance analysis code FAIR has been developed. The code can analyse fuel pins with free standing as well as collapsible clad under normal, off-normal and accident conditions of reactors. The code FAIR is capable of analysing the effects of high burnup on fuel behaviour. The code incorporates finite element based thermo-mechanical module for computing transient temperature distribution and thermal-elastic-plastic stresses in the fuel pin. A number of high temperature thermo-physical and thermo-mechanical models also have been incorporated for analysing fuel pins subjected to severe accident scenario. The present paper describes salient features of code FAIR and assessment of clad integrity of PHWR fuel pins with different initial burnup subjected to severe accident scenario. (author)

Two-dimensional optoelectronic interconnect-processor and its operational bit error rate

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, J. Jiang; Gollsneider, Brian; Chang, Wayne H.; Carhart, Gary W.; Vorontsov, Mikhail A.; Simonis, George J.; Shoop, Barry L.

2004-10-01

Two-dimensional (2-D) multi-channel 8x8 optical interconnect and processor system were designed and developed using complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) driven 850-nm vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) arrays and the photodetector (PD) arrays with corresponding wavelengths. We performed operation and bit-error-rate (BER) analysis on this free-space integrated 8x8 VCSEL optical interconnects driven by silicon-on-sapphire (SOS) circuits. Pseudo-random bit stream (PRBS) data sequence was used in operation of the interconnects. Eye diagrams were measured from individual channels and analyzed using a digital oscilloscope at data rates from 155 Mb/s to 1.5 Gb/s. Using a statistical model of Gaussian distribution for the random noise in the transmission, we developed a method to compute the BER instantaneously with the digital eye-diagrams. Direct measurements on this interconnects were also taken on a standard BER tester for verification. We found that the results of two methods were in the same order and within 50% accuracy. The integrated interconnects were investigated in an optoelectronic processing architecture of digital halftoning image processor. Error diffusion networks implemented by the inherently parallel nature of photonics promise to provide high quality digital halftoned images.

Integral logistics of the nuclear fuel Factory Juzbado

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perez, P.

2015-01-01

The Logistic considers the complete process since the determination of possible demand, production planning, materials procurement, production control and delivery of final products to customer. This complete process is managed in all the scope under the same department called Planning and Logistic. This integration, some times really complex, has allowed to Enusa factory control all the key aspects that allow its running completely, considering the synergy's and important advantages to solve different problems. This article describes how we work of the main areas of procurement, production planning and control, fuel delivery and project planning of improvements on equipment's and factory systems, with an integrated management of all of them under the same direction. (Author)

Integrated risk assessment for spent fuel transportation using developed software

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yun, Mi Rae; Christian, Robby; Kim, Bo Gyung; Almomani, Belal; Ham, Jae Hyun; Kang, Gook Hyun; Lee, Sang hoon

2016-01-01

As on-site spent fuel storage meets limitation of their capacity, spent fuel need to be transported to other place. In this research, risk of two ways of transportation method, maritime transportation and on-site transportation, and interim storage facility were analyzed. Easier and integrated risk assessment for spent fuel transportation will be possible by applying this software. Risk assessment for spent fuel transportation has not been researched and this work showed a case for analysis. By using this analysis method and developed software, regulators can get some insights for spent fuel transportation. For example, they can restrict specific region for preventing ocean accident and also they can arrange spend fuel in interim storage facility avoiding most risky region which have high risk from aircraft engine shaft. Finally, they can apply soft material on the floor for specific stage for on-site transportation. In this software, because we targeted Korea, we need to use Korean reference data. However, there were few Korean reference data. Especially, there was no food chain data for Korean ocean. In MARINRAD, they used steady state food chain model, but it is far from reality. Therefore, to get Korean realistic reference data, dynamic food chain model for Korean ocean need to be developed

Integrated risk assessment for spent fuel transportation using developed software

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yun, Mi Rae; Christian, Robby; Kim, Bo Gyung; Almomani, Belal; Ham, Jae Hyun; Kang, Gook Hyun [KAIST, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Sang hoon [Keimyung University, Daegu (Korea, Republic of)

2016-05-15

As on-site spent fuel storage meets limitation of their capacity, spent fuel need to be transported to other place. In this research, risk of two ways of transportation method, maritime transportation and on-site transportation, and interim storage facility were analyzed. Easier and integrated risk assessment for spent fuel transportation will be possible by applying this software. Risk assessment for spent fuel transportation has not been researched and this work showed a case for analysis. By using this analysis method and developed software, regulators can get some insights for spent fuel transportation. For example, they can restrict specific region for preventing ocean accident and also they can arrange spend fuel in interim storage facility avoiding most risky region which have high risk from aircraft engine shaft. Finally, they can apply soft material on the floor for specific stage for on-site transportation. In this software, because we targeted Korea, we need to use Korean reference data. However, there were few Korean reference data. Especially, there was no food chain data for Korean ocean. In MARINRAD, they used steady state food chain model, but it is far from reality. Therefore, to get Korean realistic reference data, dynamic food chain model for Korean ocean need to be developed.

Calculation of resonance integral for fuel cluster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Remsak, S.

1969-01-01

The procedure for calculating the shielding correction, formulated in the previous paper [6], was broadened and applied for a cluster of cylindrical rods. The sam analytical method as in the previous paper was applied. A combination of Gauss method with the method of Almgren and Porn used for solving the same type of integral was used to calculate the geometry functions. CLUSTER code was written for ZUSE-Z-23 computer to calculate the shielding corrections for pairs of fuel rods in the cluster. Computing time for one pair of fuel rods depends on the number of closely placed rod, and for two closely placed rods it is about 3 hours. Calculations were done for clusters containing 7 and 19 UO 2 rods. results show that calculated values of resonance integrals are somewhat higher than the values obtained by Helstrand empirical formula. Taking into account the results for two rods from the previous paper it can be noted that the calculated and empirical values for clusters with 2 and 7 rods are in agreement since the deviations do not exceed the limits of experimental error (±2%). In case of larger cluster with 19 rods deviations are higher than the experimental error. Most probably the calculated values exceed the experimental ones result from the fact that in this paper the shielding correction is calculated only in the region up to 1 keV [sr

Embedded processor extensions for image processing

Science.gov (United States)

Thevenin, Mathieu; Paindavoine, Michel; Letellier, Laurent; Heyrman, Barthélémy

2008-04-01

The advent of camera phones marks a new phase in embedded camera sales. By late 2009, the total number of camera phones will exceed that of both conventional and digital cameras shipped since the invention of photography. Use in mobile phones of applications like visiophony, matrix code readers and biometrics requires a high degree of component flexibility that image processors (IPs) have not, to date, been able to provide. For all these reasons, programmable processor solutions have become essential. This paper presents several techniques geared to speeding up image processors. It demonstrates that a gain of twice is possible for the complete image acquisition chain and the enhancement pipeline downstream of the video sensor. Such results confirm the potential of these computing systems for supporting future applications.

Sojourn time tails in processor-sharing systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Egorova, R.R.

2009-01-01

The processor-sharing discipline was originally introduced as a modeling abstraction for the design and performance analysis of the processing unit of a computer system. Under the processor-sharing discipline, all active tasks are assumed to be processed simultaneously, receiving an equal share of

An interactive parallel processor for data analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mong, J.; Logan, D.; Maples, C.; Rathbun, W.; Weaver, D.

1984-01-01

A parallel array of eight minicomputers has been assembled in an attempt to deal with kiloparameter data events. By exporting computer system functions to a separate processor, the authors have been able to achieve computer amplification linearly proportional to the number of executing processors

Multiprocessor Real-Time Scheduling with Hierarchical Processor Affinities

OpenAIRE

Bonifaci , Vincenzo; Brandenburg , Björn; D'Angelo , Gianlorenzo; Marchetti-Spaccamela , Alberto

2016-01-01

International audience; Many multiprocessor real-time operating systems offer the possibility to restrict the migrations of any task to a specified subset of processors by setting affinity masks. A notion of " strong arbitrary processor affinity scheduling " (strong APA scheduling) has been proposed; this notion avoids schedulability losses due to overly simple implementations of processor affinities. Due to potential overheads, strong APA has not been implemented so far in a real-time operat...

Hardware trigger processor for the MDT system

CERN Document Server

AUTHOR|(SzGeCERN)757787; The ATLAS collaboration; Hazen, Eric; Butler, John; Black, Kevin; Gastler, Daniel Edward; Ntekas, Konstantinos; Taffard, Anyes; Martinez Outschoorn, Verena; Ishino, Masaya; Okumura, Yasuyuki

2017-01-01

We are developing a low-latency hardware trigger processor for the Monitored Drift Tube system in the Muon spectrometer. The processor will fit candidate Muon tracks in the drift tubes in real time, improving significantly the momentum resolution provided by the dedicated trigger chambers. We present a novel pure-FPGA implementation of a Legendre transform segment finder, an associative-memory alternative implementation, an ARM (Zynq) processor-based track fitter, and compact ATCA carrier board architecture. The ATCA architecture is designed to allow a modular, staged approach to deployment of the system and exploration of alternative technologies.

Commercializing fuel cells: managing risks

Science.gov (United States)

Bos, Peter B.

Commercialization of fuel cells, like any other product, entails both financial and technical risks. Most of the fuel cell literature has focussed upon technical risks, however, the most significant risks during commercialization may well be associated with the financial funding requirements of this process. Successful commercialization requires an integrated management of these risks. Like any developing technology, fuel cells face the typical 'Catch-22' of commercialization: "to enter the market, the production costs must come down, however, to lower these costs, the cumulative production must be greatly increased, i.e. significant market penetration must occur". Unless explicit steps are taken to address this dilemma, fuel cell commercialization will remain slow and require large subsidies for market entry. To successfully address this commercialization dilemma, it is necessary to follow a market-driven commercialization strategy that identifies high-value entry markets while minimizing the financial and technical risks of market entry. The financial and technical risks of fuel cell commercialization are minimized, both for vendors and end-users, with the initial market entry of small-scale systems into high-value stationary applications. Small-scale systems, in the order of 1-40 kW, benefit from economies of production — as opposed to economies to scale — to attain rapid cost reductions from production learning and continuous technological innovation. These capital costs reductions will accelerate their commercialization through market pull as the fuel cell systems become progressively more viable, starting with various high-value stationary and, eventually, for high-volume mobile applications. To facilitate market penetration via market pull, fuel cell systems must meet market-derived economic and technical specifications and be compatible with existing market and fuels infrastructures. Compatibility with the fuels infrastructure is facilitated by a

Design of an ultra-low-power digital processor for passive UHF RFID tags

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shi Wanggen; Zhuang Yiqi; Li Xiaoming; Wang Xianghua; Jin Zhao; Wang Dan

2009-01-01

A new architecture of digital processors for passive UHF radio-frequency identification tags is proposed. This architecture is based on ISO/IEC 18000-6C and targeted at ultra-low power consumption. By applying methods like system-level power management, global clock gating and low voltage implementation, the total power of the design is reduced to a few microwatts. In addition, an innovative way for the design of a true RNG is presented, which contributes to both low power and secure data transaction. The digital processor is verified by an integrated FPGA platform and implemented by the Synopsys design kit for ASIC flows. The design fits different CMOS technologies and has been taped out using the 2P4M 0.35 μm process of Chartered Semiconductor.

Towards a Process Algebra for Shared Processors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Buchholtz, Mikael; Andersen, Jacob; Løvengreen, Hans Henrik

2002-01-01

We present initial work on a timed process algebra that models sharing of processor resources allowing preemption at arbitrary points in time. This enables us to model both the functional and the timely behaviour of concurrent processes executed on a single processor. We give a refinement relation...

Pyrometallurgical processing of Integral Fast Reactor metal fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Battles, J.E.; Miller, W.E.; Gay, E.C.

1991-01-01

The pyrometallurgical process for recycling spent metal fuels from the Integral Fast Reactor is now in an advanced state of development. This process involves electrorefining spent fuel with a cadmium anode, solid and liquid cathodes, and a molten salt electrolyte (LiCl-KCl) at 500 degrees C. The initial process feasibility and flowsheet verification studies have been conducted in a laboratory-scale electrorefiner. Based on these studies, a dual cathode approach has been adopted, where uranium is recovered on a solid cathode mandrel and uranium-plutonium is recovered in a liquid cadmium cathode. Consolidation and purification (salt and cadmium removal) of uranium and uranium-plutonium products from the electrorefiner have been successful. The process is being developed with the aid of an engineering-scale electrorefiner, which has been successfully operated for more than three years. In this electrorefiner, uranium has been electrotransported from the cadmium anode to a solid cathode in 10 kg quantities. Also, anodic dissolution of 10 kg batches of chopped, simulated fuel (U--10% Zr) has been demonstrated. Development of the liquid cadmium cathode for recovering uranium-plutonium is under way

High-speed packet filtering utilizing stream processors

Science.gov (United States)

Hummel, Richard J.; Fulp, Errin W.

2009-04-01

Parallel firewalls offer a scalable architecture for the next generation of high-speed networks. While these parallel systems can be implemented using multiple firewalls, the latest generation of stream processors can provide similar benefits with a significantly reduced latency due to locality. This paper describes how the Cell Broadband Engine (CBE), a popular stream processor, can be used as a high-speed packet filter. Results show the CBE can potentially process packets arriving at a rate of 1 Gbps with a latency less than 82 μ-seconds. Performance depends on how well the packet filtering process is translated to the unique stream processor architecture. For example the method used for transmitting data and control messages among the pseudo-independent processor cores has a significant impact on performance. Experimental results will also show the current limitations of a CBE operating system when used to process packets. Possible solutions to these issues will be discussed.

Parallel processing of neutron transport in fuel assembly calculation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, Jae Seung

1992-02-01

Group constants, which are used for reactor analyses by nodal method, are generated by fuel assembly calculations based on the neutron transport theory, since one or a quarter of the fuel assembly corresponds to a unit mesh in the current nodal calculation. The group constant calculation for a fuel assembly is performed through spectrum calculations, a two-dimensional fuel assembly calculation, and depletion calculations. The purpose of this study is to develop a parallel algorithm to be used in a parallel processor for the fuel assembly calculation and the depletion calculations of the group constant generation. A serial program, which solves the neutron integral transport equation using the transmission probability method and the linear depletion equation, was prepared and verified by a benchmark calculation. Small changes from the serial program was enough to parallelize the depletion calculation which has inherent parallel characteristics. In the fuel assembly calculation, however, efficient parallelization is not simple and easy because of the many coupling parameters in the calculation and data communications among CPU's. In this study, the group distribution method is introduced for the parallel processing of the fuel assembly calculation to minimize the data communications. The parallel processing was performed on Quadputer with 4 CPU's operating in NURAD Lab. at KAIST. Efficiencies of 54.3 % and 78.0 % were obtained in the fuel assembly calculation and depletion calculation, respectively, which lead to the overall speedup of about 2.5. As a result, it is concluded that the computing time consumed for the group constant generation can be easily reduced by parallel processing on the parallel computer with small size CPU's

BWR Spent Nuclear Fuel Integrity Research and Development Survey for UKABWR Spent Fuel Interim Storage

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bevard, Bruce Balkcom [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Mertyurek, Ugur [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Belles, Randy [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Scaglione, John M. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2015-10-01

The objective of this report is to identify issues and support documentation and identify and detail existing research on spent fuel dry storage; provide information to support potential R&D for the UKABWR (United Kingdom Advanced Boiling Water Reactor) Spent Fuel Interim Storage (SFIS) Pre-Construction Safety Report; and support development of answers to questions developed by the regulator. Where there are gaps or insufficient data, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has summarized the research planned to provide the necessary data along with the schedule for the research, if known. Spent nuclear fuel (SNF) from nuclear power plants has historically been stored on site (wet) in spent fuel pools pending ultimate disposition. Nuclear power users (countries, utilities, vendors) are developing a suite of options and set of supporting analyses that will enable future informed choices about how best to manage these materials. As part of that effort, they are beginning to lay the groundwork for implementing longer-term interim storage of the SNF and the Greater Than Class C (CTCC) waste (dry). Deploying dry storage will require a number of technical issues to be addressed. For the past 4-5 years, ORNL has been supporting the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in identifying these key technical issues, managing the collection of data to be used in issue resolution, and identifying gaps in the needed data. During this effort, ORNL subject matter experts (SMEs) have become expert in understanding what information is publicly available and what gaps in data remain. To ensure the safety of the spent fuel under normal and frequent conditions of wet and subsequent dry storage, intact fuel must be shown to: 1.Maintain fuel cladding integrity; 2.Maintain its geometry for cooling, shielding, and subcriticality; 3.Maintain retrievability, and damaged fuel with pinhole or hairline cracks must be shown not to degrade further. Where PWR (pressurized water reactor) information is

Acceleration of spiking neural network based pattern recognition on NVIDIA graphics processors.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Bing; Taha, Tarek M

2010-04-01

There is currently a strong push in the research community to develop biological scale implementations of neuron based vision models. Systems at this scale are computationally demanding and generally utilize more accurate neuron models, such as the Izhikevich and the Hodgkin-Huxley models, in favor of the more popular integrate and fire model. We examine the feasibility of using graphics processing units (GPUs) to accelerate a spiking neural network based character recognition network to enable such large scale systems. Two versions of the network utilizing the Izhikevich and Hodgkin-Huxley models are implemented. Three NVIDIA general-purpose (GP) GPU platforms are examined, including the GeForce 9800 GX2, the Tesla C1060, and the Tesla S1070. Our results show that the GPGPUs can provide significant speedup over conventional processors. In particular, the fastest GPGPU utilized, the Tesla S1070, provided a speedup of 5.6 and 84.4 over highly optimized implementations on the fastest central processing unit (CPU) tested, a quadcore 2.67 GHz Xeon processor, for the Izhikevich and the Hodgkin-Huxley models, respectively. The CPU implementation utilized all four cores and the vector data parallelism offered by the processor. The results indicate that GPUs are well suited for this application domain.

Fast processor for dilepton triggers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Katsanevas, S.; Kostarakis, P.; Baltrusaitis, R.

1983-01-01

We describe a fast trigger processor, developed for and used in Fermilab experiment E-537, for selecting high-mass dimuon events produced by negative pions and anti-protons. The processor finds candidate tracks by matching hit information received from drift chambers and scintillation counters, and determines their momenta. Invariant masses are calculated for all possible pairs of tracks and an event is accepted if any invariant mass is greater than some preselectable minimum mass. The whole process, accomplished within 5 to 10 microseconds, achieves up to a ten-fold reduction in trigger rate

Simulated first operating campaign for the Integral Fast Reactor fuel cycle demonstration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goff, K.M.; Mariani, R.D.; Benedict, R.W.; Park, K.H.; Ackerman, J.P.

1993-01-01

This report discusses the Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) which is an innovative liquid-metal-cooled reactor concept that is being developed by Argonne National Laboratory. It takes advantage of the properties of metallic fuel and liquid-metal cooling to offer significant improvements in reactor safety, operation, fuel cycle-economics, environmental protection, and safeguards. Over the next few years, the IFR fuel cycle will be demonstrated at Argonne-West in Idaho. Spent fuel from the Experimental Breeder Reactor II (EBR-II) win be processed in its associated Fuel Cycle Facility (FCF) using a pyrochemical method that employs molten salts and liquid metals in an electrorefining operation. As part of the preparation for the fuel cycle demonstration, a computer code, PYRO, was developed at Argonne to model the electrorefining operation using thermodynamic and empirical data. This code has been used extensively to evaluate various operating strategies for the fuel cycle demonstration. The modeled results from the first operating campaign are presented. This campaign is capable of processing more than enough material to refuel completely the EBR-II core

Design of RISC Processor Using VHDL and Cadence

Science.gov (United States)

Moslehpour, Saeid; Puliroju, Chandrasekhar; Abu-Aisheh, Akram

The project deals about development of a basic RISC processor. The processor is designed with basic architecture consisting of internal modules like clock generator, memory, program counter, instruction register, accumulator, arithmetic and logic unit and decoder. This processor is mainly used for simple general purpose like arithmetic operations and which can be further developed for general purpose processor by increasing the size of the instruction register. The processor is designed in VHDL by using Xilinx 8.1i version. The present project also serves as an application of the knowledge gained from past studies of the PSPICE program. The study will show how PSPICE can be used to simplify massive complex circuits designed in VHDL Synthesis. The purpose of the project is to explore the designed RISC model piece by piece, examine and understand the Input/ Output pins, and to show how the VHDL synthesis code can be converted to a simplified PSPICE model. The project will also serve as a collection of various research materials about the pieces of the circuit.

Current status of the transient integral fuel element performance code URANUS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Preusser, T.; Lassmann, K.

1983-01-01

To investigate the behavior of fuel pins during normal and off-normal operation, the integral fuel rod code URANUS has been extended to include a transient version. The paper describes the current status of the program system including a presentation of newly developed models for hypothetical accident investigation. The main objective of current development work is to improve the modelling of fuel and clad material behavior during fast transients. URANUS allows detailed analysis of experiments until the onset of strong material transport phenomena. Transient fission gas analysis is carried out due to the coupling with a special version of the LANGZEIT-KURZZEIT-code (KfK). Fuel restructuring and grain growth kinetics models have been improved recently to better characterize pre-experimental steady-state operation; transient models are under development. Extensive verification of the new version has been carried out by comparison with analytical solutions, experimental evidence, and code-to-code evaluation studies. URANUS, with all these improvements, has been successfully applied to difficult fast breeder fuel rod analysis including TOP, LOF, TUCOP, local coolant blockage and specific carbide fuel experiments. Objective of further studies is the description of transient PCMI. It is expected that the results of these developments will contribute significantly to the understanding of fuel element structural behavior during severe transients. (orig.)

Real time processor for array speckle interferometry

Science.gov (United States)

Chin, Gordon; Florez, Jose; Borelli, Renan; Fong, Wai; Miko, Joseph; Trujillo, Carlos

1989-02-01

The authors are constructing a real-time processor to acquire image frames, perform array flat-fielding, execute a 64 x 64 element two-dimensional complex FFT (fast Fourier transform) and average the power spectrum, all within the 25 ms coherence time for speckles at near-IR (infrared) wavelength. The processor will be a compact unit controlled by a PC with real-time display and data storage capability. This will provide the ability to optimize observations and obtain results on the telescope rather than waiting several weeks before the data can be analyzed and viewed with offline methods. The image acquisition and processing, design criteria, and processor architecture are described.

Evaluation of integrally finned cladding for LMFBR fuel pins

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cantley, D.A.; Sutherland, W.H.

1975-01-01

An integral fin design effectively reduces the coolant temperature gradients within an LMFBR subassembly by redistributing coolant flow so as to reduce the maximum cladding temperature and increase the duct wall temperature. The reduced cladding temperatures are offset by strain concentrations resulting from the fin geometry, so there is little net effect on predicted fuel pin performance. The increased duct wall temperatures, however, significantly reduce the duct design lifetime so that the final conclusion is that the integral fin design is inferior to the standard wire wrap design. This result, however, is dependent upon the material correlations used. Advanced alloys with improved irradiation properties could alter this conclusion

Vector and parallel processors in computational science

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duff, I.S.; Reid, J.K.

1985-01-01

These proceedings contain the articles presented at the named conference. These concern hardware and software for vector and parallel processors, numerical methods and algorithms for the computation on such processors, as well as applications of such methods to different fields of physics and related sciences. See hints under the relevant topics. (HSI)

Thermodynamic investigation of an integrated gasification plant with solid oxide fuel cell and steam cycles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rokni, Masoud [Technical Univ. of Denmark, Lyngby (Denmark). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Thermal Energy System

2012-07-01

A gasification plant is integrated on the top of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) cycle, while a steam turbine (ST) cycle is used as a bottoming cycle for the SOFC plant. The gasification plant was fueled by woodchips to produce biogas and the SOFC stacks were fired with biogas. The produced gas was rather clean for feeding to the SOFC stacks after a simple cleaning step. Because all the fuel cannot be burned in the SOFC stacks, a burner was used to combust the remaining fuel. The off-gases from the burner were then used to produce steam for the bottoming steam cycle in a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG). The steam cycle was modeled with a simple single pressure level. In addition, a hybrid recuperator was used to recover more energy from the HRSG and send it back to the SOFC cycle. Thus two different configurations were investigated to study the plants characteristic. Such system integration configurations are completely novel and have not been studied elsewhere. Plant efficiencies of 56% were achieved under normal operation which was considerably higher than the IGCC (Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle) in which a gasification plant is integrated with a gas turbine and a steam turbine. Furthermore, it is shown that under certain operating conditions, plant efficiency of about 62 is also possible to achieve. (orig.)

MPC Related Computational Capabilities of ARMv7A Processors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Frison, Gianluca; Jørgensen, John Bagterp

2015-01-01

In recent years, the mass market of mobile devices has pushed the demand for increasingly fast but cheap processors. ARM, the world leader in this sector, has developed the Cortex-A series of processors with focus on computationally intensive applications. If properly programmed, these processors...... are powerful enough to solve the complex optimization problems arising in MPC in real-time, while keeping the traditional low-cost and low-power consumption. This makes these processors ideal candidates for use in embedded MPC. In this paper, we investigate the floating-point capabilities of Cortex A7, A9...... and A15 and show how to exploit the unique features of each processor to obtain the best performance, in the context of a novel implementation method for the linear-algebra routines used in MPC solvers. This method adapts high-performance computing techniques to the needs of embedded MPC. In particular...

The Light-Water-Reactor Version of the URANUS Integral fuel-rod code

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Labmann, K; Moreno, A

1977-07-01

The LWR version of the URANUS code, a digital computer programme for the thermal and mechanical analysis of fuel rods, is presented. Material properties are discussed and their effect on integral fuel rod behaviour elaborated via URANUS results for some carefully selected reference experiments. The numerical results do not represent post-irradiation analyses of in-pile experiments, they illustrate rather typical and diverse URANUS capabilities. The performance test shows that URANUS is reliable and efficient, thus the code is a most valuable tool in fuel rod analysis work. K. LaBmann developed the LWR version of the URANUS code, material properties were reviewed and supplied by A. Moreno. (Author) 41 refs.

The light-water-reactor version of the Uranus integral fuel-rod code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moreno, A.; Lassmann, K.

1977-01-01

The LWR of the Uranus code, a digital computer programme for the thermal and mechanical analysis of fuel rods, is presented. Material properties are discussed and their effect on integral fuel rod behaviour elaborated via Uranus results for some carefully selected reference experiments. The numerical results do not represent post-irradiation analysis of in-pile experiments, they illustrate rather typical and diverse Uranus capabilities. The performance test shows that Uranus is reliable and efficient, thus the code is a most valuable tool in fuel fod analysis work. K. Lassmann developed the LWR version of the Uranus code, material properties were reviewed and supplied by A. Moreno. (author)

Implementation and operational experience of an integrated fuel information service at the BNFL THORP facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robson, D.N.; Ramsden, P.N.

1995-01-01

BNFL's THORP Plant, which started active operations early in 1994, has contracts to reprocess 7000t(U) of fuel belonging to 33 customers in 9 countries in the UK, Europe and Japan during its first 10 years of operation. Contracts are in place or being negotiated, and further business sought after, with the expectation of extending THORP's operations well beyond the initial 10 years. An integrated data management service, for the fuel storage areas of BNFL's THORP Division, is being implemented to replace several, independent, systems. This Fuel Information Service (FIS) will bring the Nuclear Materials Accountancy and Safeguards Records together with the Operating Records into one database from which all Safeguards Reports will be made. BNFL's contractual and commercial data and technical data on the stored fuel, required to support the reprocessing business, will also be brought into the common database. FIS is the first stage in a project to integrate the Materials Management systems throughout the THORP nuclear recycling business including irradiated fuel receipt and storage, reprocessing and storage of products, mixed oxide fuel manufacture and the conditioning and storage of wastes

Air-Lubricated Thermal Processor For Dry Silver Film

Science.gov (United States)

Siryj, B. W.

1980-09-01

Since dry silver film is processed by heat, it may be viewed on a light table only seconds after exposure. On the other hand, wet films require both bulky chemicals and substantial time before an image can be analyzed. Processing of dry silver film, although simple in concept, is not so simple when reduced to practice. The main concern is the effect of film temperature gradients on uniformity of optical film density. RCA has developed two thermal processors, different in implementation but based on the same philosophy. Pressurized air is directed to both sides of the film to support the film and to conduct the heat to the film. Porous graphite is used as the medium through which heat and air are introduced. The initial thermal processor was designed to process 9.5-inch-wide film moving at speeds ranging from 0.0034 to 0.008 inch per second. The processor configuration was curved to match the plane generated by the laser recording beam. The second thermal processor was configured to process 5-inch-wide film moving at a continuously variable rate ranging from 0.15 to 3.5 inches per second. Due to field flattening optics used in this laser recorder, the required film processing area was plane. In addition, this processor was sectioned in the direction of film motion, giving the processor the capability of varying both temperature and effective processing area.

An automated data handling process integrating spreadsheets and word processors with analytical programs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fisher, G.F.; Bennett, L.G.I.

1994-01-01

A data handling process utilizing software programs that are commercially available for use on MS-DOS microcomputers was developed to reduce the time, energy and labour required to tabulate the final results of trace analyses. The elimination of hand computations reduced the possibility of transcription errors since, once the γ-ray spectrum analysis results are obtained and saved to a hard disk of a microcomputer, they can be manipulated very easily with little possibility of distortion. The 8 step process permitted the selection of each element of interest's best concentration value based upon its associated peak area. Calculated concentration values were automatically compared against the sample's determination limit. Unsatisfactory values were flagged for latter review and adjustment by the user. In the final step, a file was created which identified the samples with their appropriate particulars (i.e. source, sample, date, etc.), and the trace element concentration were displayed. This final file contained a fully formatted summary table that listed all of the sample's results and particulars such that it could be printed or imported into a word processor for inclusion in a report. In the illustrated application of analyzing wear debris in oil-lubricated systems, over 13,000 individual numbers were processed to arrive at final concentration estimates of 19 trace elements in 80 samples. The system works very well for the elements that were analyzed in this investigation. The usefulness of commercially available spreadsheets and word processors for this task was demonstrated. (author) 5 refs.; 2 figs.; 5 tabs

Waste removal in pyrochemical fuel processing for the Integral Fast Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ackerman, J.P.; Johnson, T.R.; Laidler, J.J.

1994-01-01

Electrorefining in a molten salt electrolyte is used in the Integral Fast Reactor fuel cycle to recover actinides from spent fuel. Processes that are being developed for removing the waste constituents from the electrorefiner and incorporating them into the waste forms are described in this paper. During processing, halogen, chalcogen, alkali, alkaline earth, and rare earth fission products build up in the molten salt as metal halides and anions, and fuel cladding hulls and noble metal fission products remain as metals of various particle sizes. Essentially all transuranic actinides are collected as metals on cathodes, and are converted to new metal fuel. After processing, fission products and other waste are removed to a metal and a mineral waste form. The metal waste form contains the cladding hulls, noble metal fission products, and (optionally) most rare earths in a copper or stainless steel matrix. The mineral waste form contains fission products that have been removed from the salt into a zeolite or zeolite-derived matrix

Status of the Integral Fast Reactor fuel cycle demonstration and waste management practices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benedict, R.W.; Goff, K.M.; McFarlane, H.F.

1994-01-01

Over the past few years, Argonne National Laboratory has been preparing for the demonstration of the fuel cycle for the Integral Fast Reactor (IFR), an advanced reactor concept that takes advantage of the properties of metallic fuel and liquid metal cooling to offer significant improvements in reactor safety and operations, fuel-cycle economics, environmental protection, and safeguards. The IFR fuel cycle, which will be demonstrated at Argonne-West in Idaho, employs a pyrometallurgical process using molten salts and liquid metals to recover actinides from spent fuel. The required facility modifications and process equipment for the demonstration are nearing completion. Their status and the results from initial fuel fabrication work, including the waste management aspects, are presented. Additionally, estimated compositions of the various process waste streams have been made, and characterization and treatment methods are being developed. The status of advanced waste processing equipment being designed and fabricated is described

A web-based institutional DICOM distribution system with the integration of the Clinical Trial Processor (CTP).

Science.gov (United States)

Aryanto, K Y E; Broekema, A; Langenhuysen, R G A; Oudkerk, M; van Ooijen, P M A

2015-05-01

To develop and test a fast and easy rule-based web-environment with optional de-identification of imaging data to facilitate data distribution within a hospital environment. A web interface was built using Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP), an open source scripting language for web development, and Java with SQL Server to handle the database. The system allows for the selection of patient data and for de-identifying these when necessary. Using the services provided by the RSNA Clinical Trial Processor (CTP), the selected images were pushed to the appropriate services using a protocol based on the module created for the associated task. Five pipelines, each performing a different task, were set up in the server. In a 75 month period, more than 2,000,000 images are transferred and de-identified in a proper manner while 20,000,000 images are moved from one node to another without de-identification. While maintaining a high level of security and stability, the proposed system is easy to setup, it integrate well with our clinical and research practice and it provides a fast and accurate vendor-neutral process of transferring, de-identifying, and storing DICOM images. Its ability to run different de-identification processes in parallel pipelines is a major advantage in both clinical and research setting.

Real time monitoring of electron processors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nablo, S.V.; Kneeland, D.R.; McLaughlin, W.L.

1995-01-01

A real time radiation monitor (RTRM) has been developed for monitoring the dose rate (current density) of electron beam processors. The system provides continuous monitoring of processor output, electron beam uniformity, and an independent measure of operating voltage or electron energy. In view of the device's ability to replace labor-intensive dosimetry in verification of machine performance on a real-time basis, its application to providing archival performance data for in-line processing is discussed. (author)

Fast track trigger processor for the OPAL detector at LEP

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carter, A A; Carter, J R; Ward, D R; Heuer, R D; Jaroslawski, S; Wagner, A

1986-09-20

A fast hardware track trigger processor being built for the OPAL experiment is described. The processor will analyse data from the central drift chambers of OPAL to determine whether any tracks come from the interaction region, and thereby eliminate background events. The processor will find tracks over a large angular range, vertical strokecos thetavertical stroke < or approx. 0.95. The design of the processor is described, together with a brief account of its hardware implementation for OPAL. The results of feasibility studies are also presented.

Multi-processor data acquisition and monitoring systems for particle physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

White, V.; Burch, B.; Eng, K.; Heinicke, P.; Pyatetsky, M.; Ritchie, D.

1983-01-01

A high speed distributed processing system, using PDP-11 and VAX processors, is being developed at Fermilab. The acquisition of data is done using one or more PDP-11s. Additional processors are connected to provide either data logging or extra data analysis capabilities. Within this framework, functional interchangeability of PDP-11 and VAX processors and of the PDP-11 operating systems, RT-11 and RSX-11M, has been maintained. Inter-processor connections have been implemented in a general way using the 5 megabit DR11-W hardware currently selected for the purpose. Using this approach the authors have been able to make use of several existing data acquisition and analysis packages, such as RT/MULTI, in a multi-processor system

Deep Trek Re-configurable Processor for Data Acquisition (RPDA)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bruce Ohme; Michael Johnson

2009-06-30

This report summarizes technical progress achieved during the cooperative research agreement between Honeywell and U.S. Department of Energy to develop a high-temperature Re-configurable Processor for Data Acquisition (RPDA). The RPDA development has incorporated multiple high-temperature (225C) electronic components within a compact co-fired ceramic Multi-Chip-Module (MCM) package. This assembly is suitable for use in down-hole oil and gas applications. The RPDA module is programmable to support a wide range of functionality. Specifically this project has demonstrated functional integrity of the RPDA package and internal components, as well as functional integrity of the RPDA configured to operate as a Multi-Channel Data Acquisition Controller. This report reviews the design considerations, electrical hardware design, MCM package design, considerations for manufacturing assembly, test and screening, and results from prototype assembly and characterization testing.

GPU: the biggest key processor for AI and parallel processing

Science.gov (United States)

Baji, Toru

2017-07-01

Two types of processors exist in the market. One is the conventional CPU and the other is Graphic Processor Unit (GPU). Typical CPU is composed of 1 to 8 cores while GPU has thousands of cores. CPU is good for sequential processing, while GPU is good to accelerate software with heavy parallel executions. GPU was initially dedicated for 3D graphics. However from 2006, when GPU started to apply general-purpose cores, it was noticed that this architecture can be used as a general purpose massive-parallel processor. NVIDIA developed a software framework Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA) that make it possible to easily program the GPU for these application. With CUDA, GPU started to be used in workstations and supercomputers widely. Recently two key technologies are highlighted in the industry. The Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Autonomous Driving Cars. AI requires a massive parallel operation to train many-layers of neural networks. With CPU alone, it was impossible to finish the training in a practical time. The latest multi-GPU system with P100 makes it possible to finish the training in a few hours. For the autonomous driving cars, TOPS class of performance is required to implement perception, localization, path planning processing and again SoC with integrated GPU will play a key role there. In this paper, the evolution of the GPU which is one of the biggest commercial devices requiring state-of-the-art fabrication technology will be introduced. Also overview of the GPU demanding key application like the ones described above will be introduced.

Rapid prototyping and evaluation of programmable SIMD SDR processors in LISA

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Ting; Liu, Hengzhu; Zhang, Botao; Liu, Dongpei

2013-03-01

With the development of international wireless communication standards, there is an increase in computational requirement for baseband signal processors. Time-to-market pressure makes it impossible to completely redesign new processors for the evolving standards. Due to its high flexibility and low power, software defined radio (SDR) digital signal processors have been proposed as promising technology to replace traditional ASIC and FPGA fashions. In addition, there are large numbers of parallel data processed in computation-intensive functions, which fosters the development of single instruction multiple data (SIMD) architecture in SDR platform. So a new way must be found to prototype the SDR processors efficiently. In this paper we present a bit-and-cycle accurate model of programmable SIMD SDR processors in a machine description language LISA. LISA is a language for instruction set architecture which can gain rapid model at architectural level. In order to evaluate the availability of our proposed processor, three common baseband functions, FFT, FIR digital filter and matrix multiplication have been mapped on the SDR platform. Analytical results showed that the SDR processor achieved the maximum of 47.1% performance boost relative to the opponent processor.

Recent enhancements of the INSIGHT integrated in-core fuel management tool

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akio, Yamamoto

2001-01-01

Recent enhancements of the INSIGHT system are described in this paper. The INSIGHT system is an integrated in-core fuel management tool for pressurized water reactors (PWRs) runs on UNIX workstations. The INSIGHT system provides various capabilities which contribute to reduce fuel cycle cost and workload of in-core fuel management tasks, i.e. core follow calculations, interactive loading pattern design, automated multicycle analysis and interface between detailed core calculation codes. To minimize engineers' workload, most of input data for analysis modules are automatically generated by the INSIGHT system through specification of calculation conditions in the graphic user interface. Recent enhancements of the INSIGHT system are mainly focused to improve efficiency of loading pattern optimization and flexibility of multicycle analyses. To increase optimization efficiency, a parallel calculation capability, various optimization theories, extension of heuristic rules, screening by neural networks and so on were incorporated in the loading pattern optimization module. The multicycle analyses module was rewritten to increase flexibility such as cycle dependent specification of loading pattern search methods and so on. The INSIGHT system is currently used by Japanese utilities not only for regular in-core fuel management tasks but also for strategic fuel management studies to reduce fuel cycle cost

Proliferation resistance of the fuel cycle for the Integral Fast Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burris, L.

1993-01-01

Argonne National Laboratory has developed an electrorefining pyrochemical process for recovery and recycle of metal fuel discharged from the Integral Fast Reactor (FR). This inherently low decontamination process has an overall decontamination factor of only about 100 for the plutonium metal product. As a result, all of the fuel cycle operations must be conducted in heavily shielded cells containing a high-purity argon atmosphere. The FR fuel cycle possesses high resistance to clandestine diversion or overt, state- supported removal of plutonium for nuclear weapons production because of two main factors: the highly radioactive product, which is also contaminated with heat- and neutron-producing isotopes of plutonium and other actinide elements, and the difficulty of removing material from the FR facility through the limited number of cell transfer locks without detection

MULTI-CORE AND OPTICAL PROCESSOR RELATED APPLICATIONS RESEARCH AT OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barhen, Jacob [ORNL; Kerekes, Ryan A [ORNL; ST Charles, Jesse Lee [ORNL; Buckner, Mark A [ORNL

2008-01-01

performs the matrix-vector multiplications, where the nominal matrix size is 256x256. The system clock is 125MHz. At each clock cycle, 128K multiply-and-add operations per second (OPS) are carried out, which yields a peak performance of 16 TeraOPS. IBM Cell Broadband Engine. The Cell processor is the extraordinary resulting product of 5 years of sustained, intensive R&D collaboration (involving over $400M investment) between IBM, Sony, and Toshiba. Its architecture comprises one multithreaded 64-bit PowerPC processor element (PPE) with VMX capabilities and two levels of globally coherent cache, and 8 synergistic processor elements (SPEs). Each SPE consists of a processor (SPU) designed for streaming workloads, local memory, and a globally coherent direct memory access (DMA) engine. Computations are performed in 128-bit wide single instruction multiple data streams (SIMD). An integrated high-bandwidth element interconnect bus (EIB) connects the nine processors and their ports to external memory and to system I/O. The Applied Software Engineering Research (ASER) Group at the ORNL is applying the Cell to a variety of text and image analysis applications. Research on Cell-equipped PlayStation3 (PS3) consoles has led to the development of a correlation-based image recognition engine that enables a single PS3 to process images at more than 10X the speed of state-of-the-art single-core processors. NVIDIA Graphics Processing Units. The ASER group is also employing the latest NVIDIA graphical processing units (GPUs) to accelerate clustering of thousands of text documents using recently developed clustering algorithms such as document flocking and affinity propagation.

MULTI-CORE AND OPTICAL PROCESSOR RELATED APPLICATIONS RESEARCH AT OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barhen, Jacob; Kerekes, Ryan A.; St Charles, Jesse Lee; Buckner, Mark A.

2008-01-01

performs the matrix-vector multiplications, where the nominal matrix size is 256x256. The system clock is 125MHz. At each clock cycle, 128K multiply-and-add operations per second (OPS) are carried out, which yields a peak performance of 16 TeraOPS. IBM Cell Broadband Engine. The Cell processor is the extraordinary resulting product of 5 years of sustained, intensive R and D collaboration (involving over $400M investment) between IBM, Sony, and Toshiba. Its architecture comprises one multithreaded 64-bit PowerPC processor element (PPE) with VMX capabilities and two levels of globally coherent cache, and 8 synergistic processor elements (SPEs). Each SPE consists of a processor (SPU) designed for streaming workloads, local memory, and a globally coherent direct memory access (DMA) engine. Computations are performed in 128-bit wide single instruction multiple data streams (SIMD). An integrated high-bandwidth element interconnect bus (EIB) connects the nine processors and their ports to external memory and to system I/O. The Applied Software Engineering Research (ASER) Group at the ORNL is applying the Cell to a variety of text and image analysis applications. Research on Cell-equipped PlayStation3 (PS3) consoles has led to the development of a correlation-based image recognition engine that enables a single PS3 to process images at more than 10X the speed of state-of-the-art single-core processors. NVIDIA Graphics Processing Units. The ASER group is also employing the latest NVIDIA graphical processing units (GPUs) to accelerate clustering of thousands of text documents using recently developed clustering algorithms such as document flocking and affinity propagation.

Incorporation of Integral Fuel Burnable Absorbers Boron and Gadolinium into Zirconium-Alloy Fuel Clad Material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sridharan, K.; Renk, T.J.; Lahoda, E.J.; Corradini, M.L

2004-01-01

Long-lived fuels require the use of higher enrichments of 235U or other fissile materials. Such high levels of fissile material lead to excessive fuel activity at the beginning of life. To counteract this excessive activity, integral fuel burnable absorbers (IFBA) are added to some rods in the fuel assembly. The two commonly used IFBA elements are gadolinium, which is added as gadolinium-oxide to the UO2 powder, and boron, which is applied as a zirconium-diboride coating on the UO2 pellets using plasma spraying or chemical vapor deposition techniques. The incorporation of IFBA into the fuel has to be performed in a nuclear-regulated facility that is physically separated from the main plant. These operations tend to be very costly because of their small volume and can add from 20 to 30% to the manufacturing cost of the fuel. Other manufacturing issues that impact cost and performance are maintaining the correct levels of dosing, the reduction in fuel melting point due to gadolinium-oxide additions, and parasitic neutron absorption at fuel's end-of-life. The goal of the proposed research is to develop an alternative approach that involves incorporation of boron or gadolinium into the outer surface of the fuel cladding material rather than as an additive to the fuel pellets. This paradigm shift will allow for the introduction of the IFBA in a non-nuclear regulated environment and will obviate the necessity of additional handling and processing of the fuel pellets. This could represent significant cost savings and potentially lead to greater reproducibility and control of the burnable fuel in the early stages of the reactor operation. The surface alloying is being performed using the IBEST (Ion Beam Surface Treatment) process developed at Sandia National Laboratories. IBEST involves the delivery of energetic ion beam pulses onto the surface of a material, near-surface melting, and rapid solidification. The non-equilibrium nature of such processing allows f or surface

Accelerating molecular dynamic simulation on the cell processor and Playstation 3.

Science.gov (United States)

Luttmann, Edgar; Ensign, Daniel L; Vaidyanathan, Vishal; Houston, Mike; Rimon, Noam; Øland, Jeppe; Jayachandran, Guha; Friedrichs, Mark; Pande, Vijay S

2009-01-30

Implementation of molecular dynamics (MD) calculations on novel architectures will vastly increase its power to calculate the physical properties of complex systems. Herein, we detail algorithmic advances developed to accelerate MD simulations on the Cell processor, a commodity processor found in PlayStation 3 (PS3). In particular, we discuss issues regarding memory access versus computation and the types of calculations which are best suited for streaming processors such as the Cell, focusing on implicit solvation models. We conclude with a comparison of improved performance on the PS3's Cell processor over more traditional processors. (c) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Fast digital processor for event selection according to particle number difference

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Basiladze, S.G.; Gus'kov, B.N.; Li Van Sun; Maksimov, A.N.; Parfenov, A.N.

1978-01-01

A fast digital processor for a magnetic spectrometer is described. It is used in experimental searches for charmed particles. The basic purpose of the processor is discriminating events in the difference of numbers of particles passing through two proportional chambers (PC). The processor consists of three units for detecting signals with PC, and a binary coder. The number of inputs of the processor is 32 for the first PC and 64 for the second. The difference in the number of particles discriminated is from 0 to 8. The resolution time is 180 ns. The processor is built in the CAMAC standard

Evaluation of mechanical integrity for helical coil hold-down spring of PLUS7TM fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Ki Sung; Kim, Yong Hwan; Kwon, Jung Tack; Kim, Kyu Tae

2004-01-01

Nuclear fuel assembly is subject to hydraulic forces generated by primary coolant flow during reactor operation. These forces may be sufficient to overcome the fuel assembly weight thereby allowing the fuel assembly to lift off of its support. To provide a positive hold-down margin against the upward coolant flow forces, helical coil springs or leaf springs are installed in the fuel assemblies. An advanced fuel for Korean Standard Nuclear Power Plants (KSNP), PLUS7 fuel has developed to get the thermal margin increase, failure free and high seismic resistance, etc. And the new designed helical coil hold-down spring was introduced into PLUS7 fuel assembly. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the mechanical integrity for the helical coil hold-down spring of PLUS7 fuel assembly

Review and evaluation of long-term integrity on metal casks and spent fuels stored in overseas countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sasahara, Akihiro; Saegusa, Toshiari

2009-01-01

Inspection and experimental results on the metal cask and PWR-UO 2 spent fuels practically stored for fifteen years in Idaho National Laboratory (INL) are reviewed. Experimental results on PWR-UO 2 and BWR-MOX spent fuels stored for twenty years under wet or dry condition obtained by Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI) are also reviewed. These results show that the integrity of the metal cask and PWR-spent fuels are maintained at least during dry storage for fifteen years and that Japanese electric utilities may start their self-inspection on casks and spent fuels after fifteen-year storage. The gas sampling carrying out in INL can be applied to licensing for interim dry storage facilities in Japan. New program for the fuel integrity for high burn-up fuels (>45 GWd/MTU) at transportation after dry storage has been launched by Nuclear Regulation Commission (NRC), Department of Energy (DOE) and Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) in USA. (author)

APRON: A Cellular Processor Array Simulation and Hardware Design Tool

Science.gov (United States)

Barr, David R. W.; Dudek, Piotr

2009-12-01

We present a software environment for the efficient simulation of cellular processor arrays (CPAs). This software (APRON) is used to explore algorithms that are designed for massively parallel fine-grained processor arrays, topographic multilayer neural networks, vision chips with SIMD processor arrays, and related architectures. The software uses a highly optimised core combined with a flexible compiler to provide the user with tools for the design of new processor array hardware architectures and the emulation of existing devices. We present performance benchmarks for the software processor array implemented on standard commodity microprocessors. APRON can be configured to use additional processing hardware if necessary and can be used as a complete graphical user interface and development environment for new or existing CPA systems, allowing more users to develop algorithms for CPA systems.

APRON: A Cellular Processor Array Simulation and Hardware Design Tool

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David R. W. Barr

2009-01-01

Full Text Available We present a software environment for the efficient simulation of cellular processor arrays (CPAs. This software (APRON is used to explore algorithms that are designed for massively parallel fine-grained processor arrays, topographic multilayer neural networks, vision chips with SIMD processor arrays, and related architectures. The software uses a highly optimised core combined with a flexible compiler to provide the user with tools for the design of new processor array hardware architectures and the emulation of existing devices. We present performance benchmarks for the software processor array implemented on standard commodity microprocessors. APRON can be configured to use additional processing hardware if necessary and can be used as a complete graphical user interface and development environment for new or existing CPA systems, allowing more users to develop algorithms for CPA systems.

Validating the BISON fuel performance code to integral LWR experiments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Williamson, R.L., E-mail: Richard.Williamson@inl.gov [Fuel Modeling and Simulation, Idaho National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1625, Idaho Falls, ID 83415-3840 (United States); Gamble, K.A., E-mail: Kyle.Gamble@inl.gov [Fuel Modeling and Simulation, Idaho National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1625, Idaho Falls, ID 83415-3840 (United States); Perez, D.M., E-mail: Danielle.Perez@inl.gov [Fuel Modeling and Simulation, Idaho National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1625, Idaho Falls, ID 83415-3840 (United States); Novascone, S.R., E-mail: Stephen.Novascone@inl.gov [Fuel Modeling and Simulation, Idaho National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1625, Idaho Falls, ID 83415-3840 (United States); Pastore, G., E-mail: Giovanni.Pastore@inl.gov [Fuel Modeling and Simulation, Idaho National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1625, Idaho Falls, ID 83415-3840 (United States); Gardner, R.J., E-mail: Russell.Gardner@inl.gov [Fuel Modeling and Simulation, Idaho National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1625, Idaho Falls, ID 83415-3840 (United States); Hales, J.D., E-mail: Jason.Hales@inl.gov [Fuel Modeling and Simulation, Idaho National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1625, Idaho Falls, ID 83415-3840 (United States); Liu, W., E-mail: Wenfeng.Liu@anatech.com [ANATECH Corporation, 5435 Oberlin Dr., San Diego, CA 92121 (United States); Mai, A., E-mail: Anh.Mai@anatech.com [ANATECH Corporation, 5435 Oberlin Dr., San Diego, CA 92121 (United States)

2016-05-15

Highlights: • The BISON multidimensional fuel performance code is being validated to integral LWR experiments. • Code and solution verification are necessary prerequisites to validation. • Fuel centerline temperature comparisons through all phases of fuel life are very reasonable. • Accuracy in predicting fission gas release is consistent with state-of-the-art modeling and the involved uncertainties. • Rod diameter comparisons are not satisfactory and further investigation is underway. - Abstract: BISON is a modern finite element-based nuclear fuel performance code that has been under development at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) since 2009. The code is applicable to both steady and transient fuel behavior and has been used to analyze a variety of fuel forms in 1D spherical, 2D axisymmetric, or 3D geometries. Code validation is underway and is the subject of this study. A brief overview of BISON's computational framework, governing equations, and general material and behavioral models is provided. BISON code and solution verification procedures are described, followed by a summary of the experimental data used to date for validation of Light Water Reactor (LWR) fuel. Validation comparisons focus on fuel centerline temperature, fission gas release, and rod diameter both before and following fuel-clad mechanical contact. Comparisons for 35 LWR rods are consolidated to provide an overall view of how the code is predicting physical behavior, with a few select validation cases discussed in greater detail. Results demonstrate that (1) fuel centerline temperature comparisons through all phases of fuel life are very reasonable with deviations between predictions and experimental data within ±10% for early life through high burnup fuel and only slightly out of these bounds for power ramp experiments, (2) accuracy in predicting fission gas release appears to be consistent with state-of-the-art modeling and with the involved uncertainties and (3) comparison

Automation of FBTR fuel pin inspection using FPGA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khare, K.M.; Pai, Siddhesh; Pant, Brijesh; Sendhil Raja, S.; Gupta, P.K.

2011-01-01

A non-contact metrology system for inspection of FBTR fuel pins has been developed. The system consists of a stepper motors driven mechanism for orientation and positioning of FBTR fuel pin, a telecentric imaging system, absolute linear encoder with 0.1 μm resolution and a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPCA) based controller. The FBTR pin assembly is telecentrically illuminated from bottom by a red LED and its shadow graph is imaged using a CCD camera through telecentric imaging lens system. For system control and automation we have used a FPGA that has integrated soft picoblaze processor, X-θ axis motion controller, custom IPs for encoder data acquisition, synchronization circuit, RS485 interface along with other l/Os. Using the Graphical User Interface (GUI) on a PC the system is initialized at home position and the controller provides the trigger signal for start of data acquisition of CCD camera. CCD image of pin and the corresponding X-θ information is captured. After the acquisition of one set of images, the imaging module is moved with a step size pre-programmed to ensure proper stitching of acquired images. The GUI is programmed to analyze these X-θ Images to calculate the required parameters of the fuel pin like the diameter variation, pitch and bow. The details of the instrument and measurements made with it will be presented. (author)

The need for integral critical experiments with low-moderated MOX fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-01-01

The use of MOX fuel in commercial reactors is a means of burning plutonium originating from either surplus weapons or reprocessed irradiated uranium fuel. This requires the fabrication of MOX assemblies on an industrial scale. The OECD/NEA Expert Group on Experimental Needs for Criticality Safety has highlighted MOX fuel manufacturing, as an area in which there is a specific need for additional experimental data for validation purposes. Indeed, integral experiments with low-moderated MOX fuel are either scarce or not sufficiently accurate to provide an appropriate degree of validation of nuclear data and computer codes. New and accurate experimental data would enable a better optimisation of the fabrication process by decreasing the uncertainties in the determination of multiplication factors of configurations such as the homogenization of MOX powders. In this context, the OECD/NEA Nuclear Science Committee organised a workshop to address the following topics: expression and justification of the need for critical or near-critical experiments employing low-moderated MOX fuels; proposals for experimental programmes to address these needs; prospects for an international co-operative programme. The workshop was held at OECD headquarters in Paris on 14-15 April 2004. (author)

Integrated management platform of nuclear fuel storage and transportation based on RFID

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song Yafeng; Ma Yanqin; Chen Liyu; Jiang Yong; Wu Jianlei; Yang Haibo; Zhang Haiyan

2012-01-01

This paper describes integrated system model to improve work efficiency and optimize control measures of nuclear fuel storage and transportation, RFID and information integration technology is introduced, traditional management processes are innovated in data acquisition and monitoring fields as well, system solutions and design model are given by emphasizing on the following key technologies: cascade protection of information system, security protocol of RFID information, algorithm of collision. (authors)

An Integrated Model for Identifying Linkages Between the Management of Fuel Treatments, Fire and Ecosystem Services

Science.gov (United States)

Bart, R. R.; Anderson, S.; Moritz, M.; Plantinga, A.; Tague, C.

2015-12-01

Vegetation fuel treatments (e.g. thinning, prescribed burning) are a frequent tool for managing fire-prone landscapes. However, predicting how fuel treatments may affect future wildfire risk and associated ecosystem services, such as forest water availability and streamflow, remains a challenge. This challenge is in part due to the large range of conditions under which fuel treatments may be implemented, as response is likely to vary with species type, rates of vegetation regrowth, meteorological conditions and physiographic properties of the treated site. It is also due to insufficient understanding of how social factors such as political pressure, public demands and economic constraints affect fuel management decisions. To examine the feedbacks between ecological and social dimensions of fuel treatments, we present an integrated model that links a biophysical model that simulates vegetation and hydrology (RHESSys), a fire spread model (WMFire) and an empirical fuel treatment model that accounts for agency decision-making. We use this model to investigate how management decisions affect landscape fuel loads, which in turn affect fire severity and ecosystem services, which feedback to management decisions on fuel treatments. We hypothesize that this latter effect will be driven by salience theory, which predicts that fuel treatments are more likely to occur following major wildfire events. The integrated model provides a flexible framework for answering novel questions about fuel treatments that span social and ecological domains, areas that have previously been treated separately.

Accuracy requirements of optical linear algebra processors in adaptive optics imaging systems

Science.gov (United States)

Downie, John D.; Goodman, Joseph W.

1989-10-01

The accuracy requirements of optical processors in adaptive optics systems are determined by estimating the required accuracy in a general optical linear algebra processor (OLAP) that results in a smaller average residual aberration than that achieved with a conventional electronic digital processor with some specific computation speed. Special attention is given to an error analysis of a general OLAP with regard to the residual aberration that is created in an adaptive mirror system by the inaccuracies of the processor, and to the effect of computational speed of an electronic processor on the correction. Results are presented on the ability of an OLAP to compete with a digital processor in various situations.

A programmable two-qubit quantum processor in silicon.

Science.gov (United States)

Watson, T F; Philips, S G J; Kawakami, E; Ward, D R; Scarlino, P; Veldhorst, M; Savage, D E; Lagally, M G; Friesen, Mark; Coppersmith, S N; Eriksson, M A; Vandersypen, L M K

2018-03-29

Now that it is possible to achieve measurement and control fidelities for individual quantum bits (qubits) above the threshold for fault tolerance, attention is moving towards the difficult task of scaling up the number of physical qubits to the large numbers that are needed for fault-tolerant quantum computing. In this context, quantum-dot-based spin qubits could have substantial advantages over other types of qubit owing to their potential for all-electrical operation and ability to be integrated at high density onto an industrial platform. Initialization, readout and single- and two-qubit gates have been demonstrated in various quantum-dot-based qubit representations. However, as seen with small-scale demonstrations of quantum computers using other types of qubit, combining these elements leads to challenges related to qubit crosstalk, state leakage, calibration and control hardware. Here we overcome these challenges by using carefully designed control techniques to demonstrate a programmable two-qubit quantum processor in a silicon device that can perform the Deutsch-Josza algorithm and the Grover search algorithm-canonical examples of quantum algorithms that outperform their classical analogues. We characterize the entanglement in our processor by using quantum-state tomography of Bell states, measuring state fidelities of 85-89 per cent and concurrences of 73-82 per cent. These results pave the way for larger-scale quantum computers that use spins confined to quantum dots.

A programmable two-qubit quantum processor in silicon

Science.gov (United States)

Watson, T. F.; Philips, S. G. J.; Kawakami, E.; Ward, D. R.; Scarlino, P.; Veldhorst, M.; Savage, D. E.; Lagally, M. G.; Friesen, Mark; Coppersmith, S. N.; Eriksson, M. A.; Vandersypen, L. M. K.

2018-03-01

Now that it is possible to achieve measurement and control fidelities for individual quantum bits (qubits) above the threshold for fault tolerance, attention is moving towards the difficult task of scaling up the number of physical qubits to the large numbers that are needed for fault-tolerant quantum computing. In this context, quantum-dot-based spin qubits could have substantial advantages over other types of qubit owing to their potential for all-electrical operation and ability to be integrated at high density onto an industrial platform. Initialization, readout and single- and two-qubit gates have been demonstrated in various quantum-dot-based qubit representations. However, as seen with small-scale demonstrations of quantum computers using other types of qubit, combining these elements leads to challenges related to qubit crosstalk, state leakage, calibration and control hardware. Here we overcome these challenges by using carefully designed control techniques to demonstrate a programmable two-qubit quantum processor in a silicon device that can perform the Deutsch–Josza algorithm and the Grover search algorithm—canonical examples of quantum algorithms that outperform their classical analogues. We characterize the entanglement in our processor by using quantum-state tomography of Bell states, measuring state fidelities of 85–89 per cent and concurrences of 73–82 per cent. These results pave the way for larger-scale quantum computers that use spins confined to quantum dots.

Models for the Configuration and Integrity of Partially Oxidized Fuel Rod Cladding at High Temperatures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siefken, L.J.

1999-01-01

Models were designed to resolve deficiencies in the SCDAP/RELAP5/MOD3.2 calculations of the configuration and integrity of hot, partially oxidized cladding. These models are expected to improve the calculations of several important aspects of fuel rod behavior. First, an improved mapping was established from a compilation of PIE results from severe fuel damage tests of the configuration of melted metallic cladding that is retained by an oxide layer. The improved mapping accounts for the relocation of melted cladding in the circumferential direction. Then, rules based on PIE results were established for calculating the effect of cladding that has relocated from above on the oxidation and integrity of the lower intact cladding upon which it solidifies. Next, three different methods were identified for calculating the extent of dissolution of the oxidic part of the cladding due to its contact with the metallic part. The extent of dissolution effects the stress and thus the integrity of the oxidic part of the cladding. Then, an empirical equation was presented for calculating the stress in the oxidic part of the cladding and evaluating its integrity based on this calculated stress. This empirical equation replaces the current criterion for loss of integrity which is based on temperature and extent of oxidation. Finally, a new rule based on theoretical and experimental results was established for identifying the regions of a fuel rod with oxidation of both the inside and outside surfaces of the cladding. The implementation of these models is expected to eliminate the tendency of the SCDAP/RELAP5 code to overpredict the extent of oxidation of the upper part of fuel rods and to underpredict the extent of oxidation of the lower part of fuel rods and the part with a high concentration of relocated material. This report is a revision and reissue of the report entitled, Improvements in Modeling of Cladding Oxidation and Meltdown

High performance graphics processors for medical imaging applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goldwasser, S.M.; Reynolds, R.A.; Talton, D.A.; Walsh, E.S.

1989-01-01

This paper describes a family of high- performance graphics processors with special hardware for interactive visualization of 3D human anatomy. The basic architecture expands to multiple parallel processors, each processor using pipelined arithmetic and logical units for high-speed rendering of Computed Tomography (CT), Magnetic Resonance (MR) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) data. User-selectable display alternatives include multiple 2D axial slices, reformatted images in sagittal or coronal planes and shaded 3D views. Special facilities support applications requiring color-coded display of multiple datasets (such as radiation therapy planning), or dynamic replay of time- varying volumetric data (such as cine-CT or gated MR studies of the beating heart). The current implementation is a single processor system which generates reformatted images in true real time (30 frames per second), and shaded 3D views in a few seconds per frame. It accepts full scale medical datasets in their native formats, so that minimal preprocessing delay exists between data acquisition and display

Evaluation of the Intel Westmere-EP server processor

CERN Document Server

Jarp, S; Leduc, J; Nowak, A; CERN. Geneva. IT Department

2010-01-01

In this paper we report on a set of benchmark results recently obtained by CERN openlab when comparing the 6-core “Westmere-EP” processor with Intel’s previous generation of the same microarchitecture, the “Nehalem-EP”. The former is produced in a new 32nm process, the latter in 45nm. Both platforms are dual-socket servers. Multiple benchmarks were used to get a good understanding of the performance of the new processor. We used both industry-standard benchmarks, such as SPEC2006, and specific High Energy Physics benchmarks, representing both simulation of physics detectors and data analysis of physics events. Before summarizing the results we must stress the fact that benchmarking of modern processors is a very complex affair. One has to control (at least) the following features: processor frequency, overclocking via Turbo mode, the number of physical cores in use, the use of logical cores via Simultaneous Multi-Threading (SMT), the cache sizes available, the memory configuration installed, as well...

Keystone Business Models for Network Security Processors

OpenAIRE

Arthur Low; Steven Muegge

2013-01-01

Network security processors are critical components of high-performance systems built for cybersecurity. Development of a network security processor requires multi-domain experience in semiconductors and complex software security applications, and multiple iterations of both software and hardware implementations. Limited by the business models in use today, such an arduous task can be undertaken only by large incumbent companies and government organizations. Neither the “fabless semiconductor...

Development of level 2 processor for the readout of TMC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arai, Y.; Ikeno, M.; Murata, T.; Sudo, F.; Emura, T.

1995-01-01

We have developed a prototype 8-bit processor for the level 2 data processing for the Time Memory Cell (TMC). The first prototype processor successfully runs with 18 MHz clock. The operation of same clock frequency as TMC (30 MHz) will be easily achieved with simple modifications. Although the processor is very primitive one but shows its powerful performance and flexibility. To realize the compact TMC/L2P (Level 2 Processor) system, it is better to include the microcode memory within the chip. Encoding logic of the microcode must be included to reduce the microcode memory in this case. (J.P.N.)

Proposed pyrometallurgical process for rapid recycle of discharged fuel materials from the integral fast reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burris, L.; Steindler, M.; Miller, W.

1984-01-01

The pool-type Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) concept developed by Argonne National Laboratory includes on-site recycle of discharged core and blanket fuel materials. The process and fabrication steps will be demonstrated in the EBR-II Fuel Cycle Facility with IFR fuel irradiated in EBR-II and the Fast Flux Test Facility. The proposed process consists of two major steps: a halide slagging step and an electrorefining step. The fuel is maintained in the metallic form to yield directly a metal product sufficiently decontaminated to allow recycle to the reactor as new fuel. The process is further described and available information to support its feasibility is presented

Fuel cell-powered microfluidic platform for lab-on-a-chip applications: Integration into an autonomous amperometric sensing device.

Science.gov (United States)

Esquivel, J P; Colomer-Farrarons, J; Castellarnau, M; Salleras, M; del Campo, F J; Samitier, J; Miribel-Català, P; Sabaté, N

2012-11-07

The present paper reports for the first time the integration of a microfluidic system, electronics modules, amperometric sensor and display, all powered by a single micro direct methanol fuel cell. In addition to activating the electronic circuitry, the integrated power source also acts as a tuneable micropump. The electronics fulfil several functions. First, they regulate the micro fuel cell output power, which off-gas controls the flow rate of different solutions toward an electrochemical sensor through microfluidic channels. Secondly, as the fuel cell powers a three-electrode electrochemical cell, the electronics compare the working electrode output signal with a set reference value. Thirdly, if the concentration measured by the sensor exceeds this threshold value, the electronics switch on an integrated organic display. This integrated approach pushes forward the development of truly autonomous point-of-care devices relying on electrochemical detection.

Review of trigger and on-line processors at SLAC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lankford, A.J.

1984-07-01

The role of trigger and on-line processors in reducing data rates to manageable proportions in e + e - physics experiments is defined not by high physics or background rates, but by the large event sizes of the general-purpose detectors employed. The rate of e + e - annihilation is low, and backgrounds are not high; yet the number of physics processes which can be studied is vast and varied. This paper begins by briefly describing the role of trigger processors in the e + e - context. The usual flow of the trigger decision process is illustrated with selected examples of SLAC trigger processing. The features are mentioned of triggering at the SLC and the trigger processing plans of the two SLC detectors: The Mark II and the SLD. The most common on-line processors at SLAC, the BADC, the SLAC Scanner Processor, the SLAC FASTBUS Controller, and the VAX CAMAC Channel, are discussed. Uses of the 168/E, 3081/E, and FASTBUS VAX processors are mentioned. The manner in which these processors are interfaced and the function they serve on line is described. Finally, the accelerator control system for the SLC is outlined. This paper is a survey in nature, and hence, relies heavily upon references to previous publications for detailed description of work mentioned here. 27 references, 9 figures, 1 table

Review of Current Criteria of Spent Fuel Rod Integrity during Dry Storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Yong Sik; Kim, Sun Ki; Bang, Je Geon; Song, Kun Woo

2006-01-01

A PWR spent fuel has been stored in a wet storage pool in Korea. However, the amount of spent fuel is expected to exceed the capacity of a wet storage pool within 10∼15 years. From the early 1970's, a research on the PWR spent fuel dry storage started because the dry storage system has been economical compared with the wet storage system. The dry storage technology for Zircaloy-clad fuel was assessed and licensed in many countries such as USA, Canada, FRG and Switzerland. In the dry storage system, a clad temperature may be higher than in the wet storage system and can reach up to 400 .deg.. A higher clad temperature can cause cladding failures during the period of dry storage, and thus a dry storage related research has essentially dealt with the prevention of clad degradation. It is temperature and rod internal pressure that cause cladding failures through the mechanisms such as clad creep rupture, hydride re-orientation, and stress-corrosion cracking etc.. In this paper, the current licensing criteria are summarized for the PWR spent fuel dry storage system, especially on spent fuel rod integrity. And it is investigated that an application propriety of existing criteria to Korea spent fuel dry storage system

Plans for the development of the IFR [Integral Fast Reactor] fuel cycle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, T.R.

1986-01-01

The Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) is a concept for a self-contained facility in which several sodium-cooled fast reactors of moderate size are located at the same site along with complete fuel-recycle and waste-treatment facilities. After the initial core loading with enriched uranium or plutonium, only natural or depleted uranium is shipped to the plant, and only wastes in final disposal forms are shipped out. The reactors have driver and blanket fuels of uranium-plutonium-zirconium alloys in stainless steel cladding. The use of metal alloy fuels is central to the IFR concept, contributing to the inherent safety of the reactor, the ease of reprocessing, and the relatively low capital and operating costs. Discharged fuels are recovered in a pyrochemical process that consists of two basic steps: an electrolytic process to separate fission products from actinides, and halide slagging to separate plutonium from uranium

FY1995 study of design methodology and environment of high-performance processor architectures; 1995 nendo koseino processor architecture sekkeiho to sekkei kankyo no kenkyu

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-03-01

The aim of our project is to develop high-performance processor architectures for both general purpose and application-specific purpose. We also plan to develop basic softwares, such as compliers, and various design aid tools for those architectures. We are particularly interested in performance evaluation at architecture design phase, design optimization, automatic generation of compliers from processor designs, and architecture design methodologies combined with circuit layout. We have investigated both microprocessor architectures and design methodologies / environments for the processors. Our goal is to establish design technologies for high-performance, low-power, low-cost and highly-reliable systems in system-on-silicon era. We have proposed PPRAM architecture for high-performance system using DRAM and logic mixture technology, Softcore processor architecture for special purpose processors in embedded systems, and Power-Pro architecture for low power systems. We also developed design methodologies and design environments for the above architectures as well as a new method for design verification of microprocessors. (NEDO)

Environmental Assessment of Integrated Food and Cooking Fuel Production for a Village in Ghana

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kamp, Andreas; Østergård, Hanne; Bolwig, Simon

2016-01-01

Small-scale farming in Ghana is typically associated with synthetic fertilizer dependence and soil degradation. The farmers often rely on wood fuel for cooking imported from outside the farmland, a practice that is associated with deforestation. Integration of food and energy production may...... be a holistic approach to solving these issues. We study four approaches to providing food and fuel for cooking in a small-scale farming community. Present practice (PP) of synthetic fertilizer based food production and provision of wood fuel from outside the farming area is compared to three modeled...

A tomographic method for verification of the integrity of spent nuclear fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacobsson, Staffan; Haakansson, Ane; Andersson, Camilla; Jansson, Peter; Baecklin, Anders

1998-03-01

A tomographic method for experimental investigation of the integrity of used LWR fuel has been developed. It is based on measurements of the gamma radiation from the fission products in the fuel rods. A reconstruction code of the algebraic type has been written. The potential of the technique has been examined in extensive simulations assuming a gamma-ray energy of either 0.66 MeV ( 137 Cs) or 1.27 MeV ( 154 Eu). The results of the simulations for BWR fuel indicate that single fuel rods or groups of rods replaced with water or fresh fuel can be reliably detected independent of their position in the fuel assembly using 137 Cs radiation. For PWR fuel the same result is obtained with the exception of the most central positions. Here the more penetrable radiation from 154 Eu must be used in order to allow a water channel to be distinguished from a fuel rod. The results of the simulations have been verified experimentally for a 8x8 BWR fuel assembly. Special equipment has been constructed and installed at the interim storage CLAB. The equipment allows the mapping of the radiation field around a fuel assembly with the aid of a germanium detector fitted with a collimator with a vertical slit. The intensities measured in 2520 detector positions were used as input for the reconstruction code used in the simulations. The results agreed very well with the simulations and revealed significantly a position containing a water channel in the central part of the assembly

Fuel tank integrity research : fuel tank analyses and test plans

Science.gov (United States)

2013-04-15

The Federal Railroad Administrations Office of Research : and Development is conducting research into fuel tank : crashworthiness. Fuel tank research is being performed to : determine strategies for increasing the fuel tank impact : resistance to ...

Designing a dataflow processor using CλaSH

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Niedermeier, A.; Wester, Rinse; Wester, Rinse; Rovers, K.C.; Baaij, C.P.R.; Kuper, Jan; Smit, Gerardus Johannes Maria

2010-01-01

In this paper we show how a simple dataflow processor can be fully implemented using CλaSH, a high level HDL based on the functional programming language Haskell. The processor was described using Haskell, the CλaSH compiler was then used to translate the design into a fully synthesisable VHDL code.

Researching, building a soft-processor and Ethernet interface circuit using EDK

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tuong Thi Thu Huong; Pham Ngoc Tuan; Truong Van Dat, Dang Lanh; Chau Thi Nhu Quynh

2014-01-01

The processor is an indispensable component in the measurement and automatic control systems. This report describes the fabrication of a soft-processor (32-bits, on-chip block RAM 64K, 50M clock, internal and peripheral bus) for receiving, sending and processing of data Ethernet packets. This processor is fabricated using the XPS component from EDK (Xilinx) software toolkit. After that, it is configured on the FPGA named Spartan XC3S500E circuit. A firmware of a processor for controlling the interface between processor and Ethernet port is written in C language and can play a role of a HOST (station) which has its own IP to connect to Ethernet network. Besides, there are some needed parts as follows: an Ethernet interfacing controller chip, a suitable cable providing a speed up to 100 Mbs and an application program running under Window XP environment written in LabView to communicate with soft-processor. (author)

A high-accuracy optical linear algebra processor for finite element applications

Science.gov (United States)

Casasent, D.; Taylor, B. K.

1984-01-01

Optical linear processors are computationally efficient computers for solving matrix-matrix and matrix-vector oriented problems. Optical system errors limit their dynamic range to 30-40 dB, which limits their accuray to 9-12 bits. Large problems, such as the finite element problem in structural mechanics (with tens or hundreds of thousands of variables) which can exploit the speed of optical processors, require the 32 bit accuracy obtainable from digital machines. To obtain this required 32 bit accuracy with an optical processor, the data can be digitally encoded, thereby reducing the dynamic range requirements of the optical system (i.e., decreasing the effect of optical errors on the data) while providing increased accuracy. This report describes a new digitally encoded optical linear algebra processor architecture for solving finite element and banded matrix-vector problems. A linear static plate bending case study is described which quantities the processor requirements. Multiplication by digital convolution is explained, and the digitally encoded optical processor architecture is advanced.

An integrated methodology to evaluate a spent nuclear fuel storage system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoon, Jeong Hyoun

2008-02-01

This study introduced a methodology that can be applied for development of a dry storage system for spent nuclear fuels. It consisted of several design activities that includes development of a simplified program to analyze the amount of spent nuclear fuels from reflecting the practical situation in spent nuclear fuel management and a simplified program to evaluate the cost of 4 types of representing storage system to choose the most competitive option considering economic factor. As verification of the implementation of the reference module to practical purpose, a simplified thermal analysis code was suggested that can see fulfillment of limitation of temperature in long term storage and oxidation analysis. From the thermal related results, the reference module can accommodate full range of PHWR spent nuclear fuels and significant portion of PWR ones too. From the results, the reference storage system can be concluded that has fulfilled the important requirements in terms of long term integrity and radiological safety. Also for the purpose of solving scattered radiation along with deep penetration problems in cooling storage system, small but efficient design alternation was suggested together with its efficiency that can reduce scattered radiation by 1/3 from the original design. Along with the countermeasure for the shielding problem, in consideration of PWR spent nuclear fuels, simplified criticality analysis methodology retaining conservativeness was proposed. The results show the reference module is efficient low enrichment PWR spent nuclear fuel and even relatively high enrichment fuels too if burnup credit is taken. As conclusive remark, the methodology is simple but efficient to plan a concept design of convective cooling type of spent nuclear fuels storage. It can be also concluded that the methodology derived in this study and the reference module has feasibility in practical implementation to mitigate the current complex situation in spent fuel

Low voltage 80 KV to 125 KV electron processors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lauppi, U.V.

1999-01-01

The classic electron beam technology made use of accelerating energies in the voltage range of 300 to 800 kV. The first EB processors - built for the curing of coatings - operated at 300 kV. The products to be treated were thicker than a simple layer of coating with thicknesses up to 100g and more. It was only in the beginning of the 1970's that industrial EB processors with accelerating voltages below 300 kV appeared on the market. Our company developed the first commercial electron accelerator without a beam scanner. The new EB machine featured a linear cathode, emitting a shower or 'curtain' of electrons over the full width of the product. These units were much smaller than anv previous EB processors and dedicated to the curing of coatings and other thin layers. ESI's first EB units operated with accelerating voltages between 150 and 200 kV. In 1993 ESI announced the introduction of a new generation of Electrocure. EB processors operating at 120 kV, and in 1998, at the RadTech North America '98 Conference in Chicago, the introduction of an 80 kV electron beam processor under the designation Microbeam LV

A fast track trigger processor for the OPAL detector at LEP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carter, A.A.; Jaroslawski, S.; Wagner, A.

1986-01-01

A fast hardware track trigger processor being built for the OPAL experiment is described. The processor will analyse data from the central drift chambers of OPAL to determine whether any tracks come from the interaction region, and thereby eliminate background events. The processor will find tracks over a large angular range, vertical strokecos thetavertical stroke < or approx. 0.95. The design of the processor is described, together with a brief account of its hardware implementation for OPAL. The results of feasibility studies are also presented. (orig.)