Hydraulic manipulator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sinha, A.K.; Srikrishnamurty, G.

1990-01-01

Successful operation of nuclear plant is largely dependent on safe handling of radio-active material. In order to reduce this handling problem and minimise the exposure of radiation, various handling equipment and manipulators have been developed according to the requirements. Manufacture of nuclear fuel, which is the most important part of the nuclear industry, involves handling of uranium ingots weighing approximately 250 kg. This paper describes a specially designed hydraulic manipulator for handling of the ingots in a limited space. It was designed to grab and handle the ingots in any position. This has following drive motions: (1)gripping and releasing, (2)lifting and lowering (z-motion), (3)rotation about the horizontal axis (azimuth drive), (4)rotation about the job axis, and (5)rotation about the vertical axis. For horizontal motion (X and Y axis motion) this equipment is mounted on a motorised trolley, so that it can move inside the workshop. For all drives except the rotation about the job axis, hydraulic cylinders have been used with a battery operated power pack. Trolley drive is also given power from same battery. This paper describes the design aspects of this manipulator. (author). 4 figs

Research on Control Method Based on Real-Time Operational Reliability Evaluation for Space Manipulator

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yifan Wang

2014-05-01

Full Text Available A control method based on real-time operational reliability evaluation for space manipulator is presented for improving the success rate of a manipulator during the execution of a task. In this paper, a method for quantitative analysis of operational reliability is given when manipulator is executing a specified task; then a control model which could control the quantitative operational reliability is built. First, the control process is described by using a state space equation. Second, process parameters are estimated in real time using Bayesian method. Third, the expression of the system's real-time operational reliability is deduced based on the state space equation and process parameters which are estimated using Bayesian method. Finally, a control variable regulation strategy which considers the cost of control is given based on the Theory of Statistical Process Control. It is shown via simulations that this method effectively improves the operational reliability of space manipulator control system.

Dual-arm manipulation module for use in decontamination and decommissioning operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamel, W.R.; Haley, D.C.; Dixon, W.E.

1994-01-01

A dual-arm manipulation module is under development for application in decontamination and decommissioning (D ampersand D) tasks. The development is led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory with support from Sandia National Laboratories, and with university and industry participation. The project is part of the Robotics Technology Development Program funded by the US Department of Energy, Environmental Restoration and Waste Management, Office of Technology Development. The dual-arm module is designed to provide dexterous manipulation capability for remote characterization, decontamination, and dismantlement operations, and the module is reconfigurable to meet various deployment requirements. Remote manipulation capability can benefit D ampersand D activities through reduced worker exposure to both contaminant and industrial hazards. When tasks conditions permit, increased use of robotic features reduce costs by increased efficiency of operation

Water hydraulic manipulator for fail safe and fault tolerant remote handling operations at ITER

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nieminen, Peetu; Esque, Salvador; Muhammad, Ali; Mattila, Jouni; Vaeyrynen, Jukka; Siuko, Mikko; Vilenius, Matti

2009-01-01

Department of Intelligent Hydraulics and Automation (IHA) of Tampere University of Technology has been involved in the European Fusion program since 1994 within the ITER reactor maintenance activities. In this paper we discuss the design and development of a six degrees of freedom water hydraulic manipulator with a force feedback for teleoperation tasks. The manipulator is planned to be delivered to Divertor Test Platform 2 (DTP2) during year 2008. The paper also discusses the possibility to improve the fail safe and redundant operation of the manipulator. During the design of the water hydraulic manipulator, special provisions have been made in order to meet the safety requirements such as servo valve block for redundant operation and safety vane brakes for fail safe operation.

Operator-in-the-loop simulation of a redundant manipulator under teleoperation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yae, K.H.; Lin, T.C.; Chern, S.T.

1993-01-01

For an interactive simulation of 7 degree-of-freedom redundant manipulator under teleoperation, this paper describes an iterative form of resolved-motion rate control in which the constraint Jacobian is constructed on-line in real time and used in the pseudoinverse method as the manipulator is teleoperated. The manipulator's tasks may involve trajectory following in free space and frequent contact with the environment through pick-and-put operation. The operator's command is interpreted as a series of increments in Cartesian space, and then the constraint Jacobian is developed between two successive increments by viewing the predecessor as the initial configuration and the successor as the target configuration. The pseudoinverse of the constraint Jacobian then generates necessary changes in joint variables and subsequently joint torque. The Jacobian constructed in this way enables us to treat both free motion and environmental contact in the same way. The simulator is built on a two-processor IRIS workstation, with one processor for graphics and the other for dynamics and control analysis. This simulator has a potential for training the teleoperator, developing operational scenarios through visualization of the simulation, and testing the design of operator-machine interface

Preliminary evaluation of the Accident Response Mobile Manipulation System for accident site salvage operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trujillo, J.M.; Morse, W.D.; Jones, D.P.

1994-01-01

This paper describes and evaluates operational experiences with the Accident Response Mobile Manipulation System (ARMMS) during simulated accident site salvage operations which might involve nuclear weapons. The ARMMS is based upon a teleoperated mobility platform with two Schilling Titan 7F Manipulators

Geometric control of manipulators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thiruarooran, C.

1996-01-01

Resolved motion control enables the end effector to be moved as a rigid body in space without having to work out manually the joint combinations needed. Since a rigid body in space has three independent translational and three independent rotational movements, a manipulator with at least six joints can be controlled in this way. Normally the manipulator has more than six joints providing an infinite number of ways of moving the tip in the desired direction and this redundancy can be exploited in a variety of ways. Resolved motion tests performed on a hydraulically operated heavy duty manipulator at the Dungeness nuclear power plant are described. The results have shown that manipulators with as many as ten joints can be controlled under resolved tip motion and the areas which are critical to the performance of this type of control have been identified. (UK)

Applications of optical manipulation in plant biology

Science.gov (United States)

Buer, Charles S.

Measuring small forces in biology is important for determining basic physiological parameters of a cell. The plant cell wall provides a primary defense and presents a barrier to research. Magnitudes of small forces are impossible to measure with mechanical transducers, glass needles, atomic force microscopy, or micropipet-based force transduction due to the cell wall. Therefore, a noninvasive method of breaching the plant cell wall to access the symplastic region of the cell is required. Laser light provides sub-micrometer positioning, particle manipulation without mechanical contact, and piconewton force determination. Consequently, the extension of laser microsurgery to expand an experimental tool for plant biology encompassed the overall objective. A protocol was developed for precisely inserting microscopic objects into the periplasmic region of plant callus cells using laser microsurgery. Ginkgo biloba and Agrobacterium rhizogenes were used as the model system for developing the optical tweezers and scalpel techniques. Better than 95% survival was achieved after plasmolyzing G. biloba cells, ablating a 2-4 μm hole through the cell wall using a pulsed UV laser beam, trapping and manipulating bacteria into the periplasmic region, and deplasmolyzing the cells. Optical trapping experiments implied a difference existed between the bacteria models. Determining the optical trapping efficiency of Agrobacterium rhizogenes and A. tumefaciens strains indicated the A. rhizogenes strain, ATCC 11325, was significantly less efficiently trapped than strains A4 and ATCC 15834 and the A. tumefaciens strain LBA4404. Differences were also found in capsule generation, growth media viscosity, and transmission electron microscopy negative staining implying that a difference in surface structure exists. Calcofluor fluorescence suggests the difference involves an exopolysaccharide. Callus cell plasmolysis revealed Hechtian strands interconnecting the plasma membrane and the cell wall

Operating gains achieved by a new generation of remotely controlled manipulators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Djedidi, A.; Selliez-Vandernotte, C.; Malcolm, F.

2014-01-01

A high performance remotely controlled mechanical master slave arm with direct transmission via cable and transmission rods has been converted to a new generation manipulator with electrical master slave arm and motion module with integrated software. The redesigned powered manipulator with software control improves efficiency and ergonomics while increasing operating field space. The mechanical master arm has been replaced by an electrical robotic master arm using haptic technology. The movements initiated by the operator are transmitted in real time to the slave arm via the servo-motors inside the motion module. The mechanical link between master and slave is eliminated and some mechanical constraints have been replaced by software applications. The operator benefits from an improved working position and vibration filtering plus full range high performance force feedback with reduced effort requirement. (authors)

Improvement of the M/S manipulator maintenance at OSL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuwana, Koichi; Ouchi, Hiroshi; Ito, Yutaka; Sato, Yoshihiro; Midorikawa, Mituhiro; Hayakawa, Tuyoshi

2010-01-01

The safeguards inspection samples from the JNFL Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant (RRP) are received and analyzed at the On Site Laboratory (OSL). Since the samples from the input accountancy tank of the RRP contain a lot of fission products, they are treated in a hot-cell line with a M/S (Master /Slave) manipulator. Special equipment and tools were used for the maintenance of the M/S manipulator, especially for the exchange of the M/S manipulator. However, the manipulator exchange work was not easy due to the limitation of the space in the OSL. For solution to this problem, a monorail and monorail hoist equipment was installed onto wall surface of analytical room close to each M/S manipulator, and then it made the exchange of M/S manipulator easy without special equipment and tools. Additionally, operator was freed from the burden of working space arranging for the exchange of M/S manipulator such as removing of analytical equipments. This report represents the improvement of operation for the exchange of M/S manipulator with installation of monorail and hoist equipment. (author)

Force-feedback tele operation of industrial robots a cost effective solution for decontamination of nuclear plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Desbats, P.; Andriot, C.; Gicquel, P.; Viallesoubranne, J.P.; Souche, C.

1998-01-01

Decontamination and maintenance in hot cells are some new emerging applications of industrial robots in the nuclear fuel cycle plants. Industrial robots are low cost, accurate and reliable manipulator arms which are used in manufacturing industries usually. Thanks to the recent evolution of robotics technologies, some industrial robots may be adapted to nuclear environment. These robots are transportable, sealed and can be decontaminated, and they may be 'hardened' up to a level of irradiation dose sufficient for operation in low and medium irradiating/contaminating environments. Although industrial robots are usually programmed to perform specific and repetitive tasks, they may be remotely tele-operated by human operators as well. This allows industrial robots to perform usual tele-manipulation tasks encountered in the nuclear plants and more. The paper presents the computer based tele-operation control system TAO2000 TM , developed by the Tele-operation and Robotics Service of CEA, which has been applied to the RX90 TM industrial robot from ST-UBLI company. This robot has been selected in order to perform various maintenance and decontamination tasks in COGEMA plants. TAO2000 provides the overall tele-robotic and robotic functions necessary to perform any remote tele-operation application in hostile environment: force-feedback master-slave control; computer- assisted tele-operation of mechanical processes; trajectory programming as well as various robotics functions; graphical modelling of working environment and simulation; automatic path planning with obstacle avoidance; man-machine interface for tasks programming and mission execution. Experimental results reported in the paper demonstrate the feasibility of force-feedback master-slave control of standard industrial robots. Finally, the design of new, cost effective. tele-operation systems based on industrial robots may be intended for nuclear plants maintenance. (author)

Development of a mobile manipulator for nuclear plant disaster, HELIOS X. Mechanical design and basic experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noda, Satsuya; Hirose, Shigeo; Ueda, Koji; Nakano, Hisami; Horigome, Atsushi; Endo, Gen

2016-01-01

In places such as nuclear power plant disaster area, which it is difficult for human workers to enter, robots are required to scout those places instead of human workers. In this paper, we present a mobile manipulator HELIOS X for a nuclear plant decommissioning task. Firstly, we address demands and specifications for the robot, considering the mission of reconnaissance. Then we outline the system of the robot, mainly focusing on the following mechanism: 'Crank Wheel', 'Main Arm', 'Sphere Link Wrist', 'Camera Arm', 'Control System' and 'System architecture'. Especially, we installed 3 degree of freedom 'Camera Arm' on the 'Main Arm', in order to improve functionality of remote control system. This enables the operator to monitor both the gripper and its overall view of the robot. 'Camera Arm' helps the operator to recognize the distance from an object to the gripper, because the operator can interactively move the viewpoint of the camera, and monitor from another camera angle without changing the gripper's position. We confirmed the basic functionality of mobile base, 'Main Arm' and 'Camera Arm' through hardware experiments. We also demonstrated that HELIOS X could pass through the pull-to-open door with a substantial closing force when the operator watched camera view only. (author)

Manipulators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilcock, P.D.

1984-01-01

The patent concerns a manipulator, which enables operations to be carried out remotely from the operator. The device is suitable for use in handling of radioactive materials and other hazardous liquids or gases. The specifications are given, and the movements of the manipulator arm described. (U.K.)

Dexterous Manipulation: Making Remote Manipulators Easy to Use

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

HARRIGAN, RAYMOND W.; BENNETT, PHIL C.

2001-01-01

Perhaps the most basic barrier to the widespread deployment of remote manipulators is that they are very difficult to use. Remote manual operations are fatiguing and tedious, while fully autonomous systems are seldom able to function in changing and unstructured environments. An alternative approach to these extremes is to exploit computer control while leaving the operator in the loop to take advantage of the operator's perceptual and decision-making capabilities. This report describes research that is enabling gradual introduction of computer control and decision making into operator-supervised robotic manipulation systems, and its integration on a commercially available, manually controlled mobile manipulator

The development of radiation hardened tele-robot system - Development of path-planning and control technology for tele-operated redundant manipulator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chang, Pyung Hun; Park, Ki Cheol; Park, Suk Ho [Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Taejon (Korea)

1999-04-01

This project focuses on the development of the control system for a teleoperated redundant manipulator, which performs many tasks dexterously, while avoiding obstacles, instead of human workers in the extreme situations like nuclear power plants. To this end, four consecutive research works have been performed. First, two new methods for global path-planning have been developed to inspect the global behavior of the redundant manipulator. Second, characteristics of optimal solutions(COS) under inequality constraints have been analyzed and, using the COS, how to greatly enhance the conventional redundancy resolution methods in terms of performance and repeatability has also been proposed. Third, an effective control method for a redundant manipulator has been developed, which incorporates all kinds of physical limits into practical inequality constraints and is computationally efficient for real-time purposes. Finally, using this control method as the controller of the slave redundant manipulator and developing a master manipulator, the inertial torque and gravitation torque of which are negligible, a force-reflected teleoperation control system has been developed. Through the teleoperation control system, human operator can accurately control the position and the force of the end-effector of the slave manipulator while feeling the interaction force between the slave and the workpiece. In addition, the slave redundant manipulator autonomously can control the impedance and can optimize a given performance measure while avoiding physical limits such as joint angle limits and obstacles. 49 refs., 43 figs., 10 tabs. (Author)

Analysis on the Load Carrying Mechanism Integrated as Heterogeneous Co-operative Manipulator in a Walking Wheelchair

Science.gov (United States)

Rajay Vedaraj, I. S.; Jain, Ritika; Rao, B. V. A.

2014-07-01

After industrial robots came into existence during 1960, the technology of robotics with the design and analysis of robots in various forms in industries as well as in domestic applications were developed. Nowadays, along with the automotive sector the robots are producing a great impact in the form of quality and production rate to register their existence reliable in various other sectors also. Robotic technology has undergone various phase translations from being tortured as humanoids to the present day manipulators. Depending upon the various forms of its existence, robot manipulators are designed as serial manipulators and parallel manipulators. Individually both types can be proved effective though both have various drawbacks in design and the kinematic analysis. The versatility of robots can be increased by making them work in an environment where the same work volume is shared by more than one manipulator. This work volume can be identified as co-operative work volume of those manipulators. Here the interference of manipulators in the work volume of other manipulators is possible and is made obstacle free. The main advantage of co-operative manipulators is that when a number of independent manipulators are put together in a cooperative work envelope the efficiency and ability to perform tasks is greatly enhanced. The main disadvantage of the co-operative manipulators lies in the complication of its design even for a simple application, in almost all fields. In this paper, a cooperative design of robot manipulators to work in co-operative work environment is done and analysed for its efficacy. In the industrial applications when robotic manipulators are put together in more numbers, the trajectory planning becomes the tough task in the work cell. Proper design can remove the design defects of the cooperative manipulators and can be utilized in a more efficient way. In the proposed research paper an analysis is made on such a type of cooperative manipulator

Analysis on the Load Carrying Mechanism Integrated as Heterogeneous Co-operative Manipulator in a Walking Wheelchair

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vedaraj, I S Rajay; Jain, Ritika; Rao, B V A

2014-01-01

After industrial robots came into existence during 1960, the technology of robotics with the design and analysis of robots in various forms in industries as well as in domestic applications were developed. Nowadays, along with the automotive sector the robots are producing a great impact in the form of quality and production rate to register their existence reliable in various other sectors also. Robotic technology has undergone various phase translations from being tortured as humanoids to the present day manipulators. Depending upon the various forms of its existence, robot manipulators are designed as serial manipulators and parallel manipulators. Individually both types can be proved effective though both have various drawbacks in design and the kinematic analysis. The versatility of robots can be increased by making them work in an environment where the same work volume is shared by more than one manipulator. This work volume can be identified as co-operative work volume of those manipulators. Here the interference of manipulators in the work volume of other manipulators is possible and is made obstacle free. The main advantage of co-operative manipulators is that when a number of independent manipulators are put together in a cooperative work envelope the efficiency and ability to perform tasks is greatly enhanced. The main disadvantage of the co-operative manipulators lies in the complication of its design even for a simple application, in almost all fields. In this paper, a cooperative design of robot manipulators to work in co-operative work environment is done and analysed for its efficacy. In the industrial applications when robotic manipulators are put together in more numbers, the trajectory planning becomes the tough task in the work cell. Proper design can remove the design defects of the cooperative manipulators and can be utilized in a more efficient way. In the proposed research paper an analysis is made on such a type of cooperative manipulator

Laser microbeams for the manipulation of plant cells and subcellular structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoffmann, F.

1996-01-01

Laser microsurgery has been used in plants to study physiological, cell biological and genetical questions for over 10 years. More recently, the optical trap became available as an additional tool. Specific areas of research include membrane physiology, motility, transformation and protoplast fusion. Compared to the data reported in animal systems, the contributions of laser microbeam manipulations in plant biology are rather limited. However, with increased awareness of the enormous potential of the technology and better accessibility to less expensive and more user-friendly equipment, the next decade should be more productive. (author)

Input shaping methods for telerobotic operation of flexible, long-reach manipulators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kwon, Dong-Soo; Hwang, Dong-Hwan; Babcock, S.M.

1994-01-01

Among the Environmental Restoration and Waste Management Program of the U.S. Department of Energy, the remediation of radioactive waste from the underground storage tank challenges the state-of-the-art equipment and methods. Long-reach manipulators are being considered to be one of the most advantageous approaches for the retrieval of waste from large storage tanks. Because of long-reach manipulator's high payload capacity and high length-to-cross-section ratios, such manipulator system exhibits significant structural flexibility. To avoid structural vibrations during operation, control algorithms employing various types of shaping filters were investigated. A robust notch filtering method and an impulse shaping method were evaluated. In addition to that, a new approach that uses imbedded simulation was developed and compared with others. In the new approach, joint trajectories have been generated considering the flexible link dynamics

Review of operational aids for nuclear plant operators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kisner, R.A.

1983-01-01

Many approaches are being explored to improve the safety of nuclear plant operations. One approach is to supply high-quality, relevant information by means of computer-based diagnostic systems to assist plant operators in performing their operational and safety-related roles. The evaluation of operational aids to ensure safe plant operations is a necessary function of NRC. This work has two purposes: to collect limited data on a diversity of operational aids, and to provide a method for evaluating the safety implications of the functions of proposed operational aids. After a discussion of the method evaluation now under study, this paper outlines this data collection to date

Active cooling system for Tokamak in-vessel operation manipulator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yuan, Jianjun, E-mail: yuanjj@sjtu.edu.cn; Chen, Tan; Li, Fashe; Zhang, Weijun; Du, Liang

2015-10-15

Highlights: • We summarized most of the challenges of fusion devices to robot systems. • Propose an active cooling system to protect all of the necessary components. • Trial design test and theoretical analysis were conducted. • Overall implementation of the active cooling system was demonstrated. - Abstract: In-vessel operation/inspection is an indispensable task for Tokamak experimental reactor, for a robot/manipulator is more capable in doing this than human being with more precise motion and less risk of damaging the ambient equipment. Considering the demanding conditions of Tokamak, the manipulator should be adaptable to rapid response in the extreme conditions such as high temperature, vacuum and so on. In this paper, we propose an active cooling system embedded into such manipulator. Cameras, motors, gearboxes, sensors, and other mechanical/electrical components could then be designed under ordinary conditions. The cooling system cannot only be a thermal shield since the components are also heat sources in dynamics. We carry out a trial test to verify our proposal, and analyze the active cooling system theoretically, which gives a direction on the optimization by varying design parameters, components and distribution. And based on thermal sensors monitoring and water flow adjusting a closed-loop feedback control of temperature is added to the system. With the preliminary results, we believe that the proposal gives a way to robust and inexpensive design in extreme environment. Further work will concentrate on overall implementation and evaluation of this cooling system with the whole inspection manipulator.

From gene manipulation to forest establishment: shoot cultures of woody plants can be a central tool

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McCown, B.H.

1985-05-01

Establishing germplasm of woody plants in microculture as shoot cultures has proved to be an effective method of overcoming many of the obstacles in working with these crops. Shoot cultures eliminate the changes associated with seasonal growth cycles and phase change and put large plants into a more manageable form. Well-established shoot cultures are central to successful clonal propagation systems for forest trees as well as to genetic improvement based on the use of cellular techniques such as protoplast manipulation. The physiological basis as to why tissues from shoot cultures are so readily manipulated is not well understood.

Nuclear power plant control room operator control and monitoring tasks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bovell, C.R.; Beck, M.G.; Carter, R.J.

1998-01-01

Oak Ridge National Laboratory is conducting a research project the purpose of which is to develop the technical bases for regulatory review criteria for use in evaluating the safety implications of human factors associated with the use of artificial intelligence and expert systems, and with advanced instrumentation and control (I and C) systems in nuclear power plants (NPP). This report documents the results from Task 8 of that project. The primary objectives of the task was to identify the scope and type of control and monitoring tasks now performed by control-room operators. Another purpose was to address the types of controls and safety systems needed to operate the nuclear plant. The final objective of Task 8 was to identify and categorize the type of information and displays/indicators required to monitor the performance of the control and safety systems. This report also discusses state-of-the-art controls and advanced display devices which will be available for use in control-room retrofits and in control room of future plants. The fundamental types of control and monitoring tasks currently conducted by operators can be divided into four classifications: function monitoring tasks, control manipulation tasks, fault diagnostic tasks, and administrative tasks. There are three general types of controls used in today's NPPs, switches, pushbuttons, and analog controllers. Plant I and C systems include components to achieve a number of safety-related functions: measuring critical plant parameters, controlling critical plant parameters within safety limits, and automatically actuating protective devices if safe limits are exceeded. The types of information monitored by the control-room operators consist of the following parameters: pressure, fluid flow and level, neutron flux, temperature, component status, water chemistry, electrical, and process and area radiation. The basic types of monitoring devices common to nearly all NPP control rooms include: analog meters

Plant operator performance evaluation system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ujita, Hiroshi; Fukuda, Mitsuko; Kubota, Ryuji.

1989-01-01

A plant operator performance evaluation system to analyze plant operation records during accident training and to identify and classify operator errors has been developed for the purpose of supporting realization of a training and education system for plant operators. A knowledge engineering technique was applied to evaluation of operator behavior by both even-based and symptom-based procedures, in various situations including event transition due to multiple failures or operational errors. The system classifies the identified errors as to their single and double types based on Swain's error classification and the error levels reflecting Rasmussen's cognitive level, and it also evaluates the effect of errors on plant state and then classifies error influence, using 'knowledge for phenomena and operations', as represented by frames. It has additional functions for analysis of error statistics and knowledge acquisition support of 'knowledge for operations'. The system was applied to a training analysis for a scram event in a BWR plant, and its error analysis function was confirmed to be effective by operational experts. (author)

Kvanefjeld refinery pilot plant operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krebs, Damien; Furfaro, Domenic

2016-01-01

Greenland Minerals and Energy is a junior project development company which is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (asx:GGG). It is developing the Kvanefjeld rare earth and uranium project located in the southern tip of Greenland. The project has completed a Feasibility Study and is currently in the permitting phase. Last year was a busy time for the company as it completed a Feasibility Study, a mining licence application (draft submitted in December 2015) and pilot plant operations. Beneficiation pilot plant operations were completed at GTK in Finland in April 2015. This pilot plant treated approximately 30 tonnes of ore to producing almost 2 tonnes of rare earth mineral concentrate. Later in the year a hydrometallurgical pilot plant was performed which mimicked the Refinery process. This pilot plant was performed at Outotec’s Pori Research laboratories in Finland from September till October 2015. The pilot plant treated approximately 200 kilograms of concentrate over 4 split operating campaigns. Each campaign was performed to focus on the performance of a specific part of the refinery flowsheet. This allowed for full operating focus on a single unit operation to ensure that it was operating correctly. The pilot plant operations were quite successful with no major issues with the flowsheet identified through continuous operation. Some fine tuning of conditions was required to ensure adequate removal of impurities was performed with recycle streams incorporated. Overall the leach extractions observed in the pilot plant exceeded the design assumptions in the Feasibility Study. These programs were partially funded by the EURARE program. The EURARE program aims to encourage the sustainable development of European based rare earth projects. This has the goal of allowing Europe to become less reliant on importation of these key raw materials. The professionalism and performance of both GTK and Outotec contributed significantly to the success of the pilot plant

Remote inspection manipulators for AGR II: Babcock Power's interstitial manipulator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Whyley, S.R.

1985-01-01

The interstitial manipulator has been designed and built by Babcock Power for the remote visual inspection of AGR II reactors at Heysham and Torness. Its five drives are operated from a console local to the manipulator on the pile cap, or from a similar console located remotely. The need to operate from an interstitial ISI standpipe has restricted the size of the components entering the reactor, and this has consequently provided the major design constraint. A detailed structural assessment of the manipulator was carried out to demonstrate the ability to operate with payloads in excess of the largest camera weight of 13.6 kg. The manipulator finite element model was also used to determine static deflections, and, as a consequence, has provided data from which the control system is able to predict accurately the camera's position. Other computer aided design techniques have enabled the step by step sequences of manipulator deployment, in the restricted space available, to be successfully demonstrated. (author)

Organizing nuclear power plant operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adams, H.W.; Rekittke, K.

1987-01-01

With the preliminary culmination in the convoy plants of the high standard of engineered safeguards in German nuclear power plants developed over the past twenty years, the interest of operators has now increasingly turned to problems which had not been in the focus of attention before. One of these problems is the organization of nuclear power plant operation. In order to enlarge the basis of knowledge, which is documented also in the rules published by the Kerntechnischer Ausschuss (Nuclear Technology Committee), the German Federal Minister of the Interior has commissioned a study of the organizational structures of nuclear power plants. The findings of that study are covered in the article. Two representative nuclear power plants in the Federal Republic of Germany were selected for the study, one of them a single-unit plant run by an independent operating company in the form of a private company under German law (GmbH), the other a dual-unit plant operated as a dependent unit of a utility. The two enterprises have different structures of organization. (orig.) [de

Automatic and manual operation modes of the TFTR maintenance manipulator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boehme, G.; Gumb, L.; Lotz, E.; Mueller, G.; Selig, M.

1987-01-01

The remote in-vessel operations scheduled to maintain the TFTR at Princeton, NJ, USA, comprise inspection, calibration, cleaning and protective tile replacement. The environmental conditions inside the torus vessel are ultra high vacuum, moderate γ-radiation and 150 0 C temperature of the vessel structure. The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) and KfK are jointly developing a maintenance manipulator (MM) which can perform these tasks. (orig./HP)

Operation monitor for plant equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kondo, Tetsufumi; Kanemoto, Shigeru.

1991-01-01

In a nuclear power plant, states of each of equipment in the plant are monitored accurately even under such a operation condition that the power is changed. That is, the fundamental idea is based on a model comparison method. A deviation between an output signal upon normal plant state obtained in a forecasting model device and that of the objective equipment in the plant are compared with a predetermined value. The result of the comparison is inputted to an alarm device to alarm the abnormality of the states of the equipment to an operator. The device of the present invention thus constituted can monitor the abnormality of the operation of equipment accurately even under such a condition that a power level fluctuates. As a result, it can remarkably contribute to mitigate operator's monitoring operation under the condition such as during load following operation. (I.S.)

An analyser for power plant operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rogers, A.E.; Wulff, W.

1990-01-01

Safe and reliable operation of power plants is essential. Power plant operators need a forecast of what the plant will do when its current state is disturbed. The in-line plant analyser provides precisely this information at relatively low cost. The plant analyser scheme uses a mathematical model of the dynamic behaviour of the plant to establish a numerical simulation. Over a period of time, the simulation is calibrated with measurements from the particular plant in which it is used. The analyser then provides a reference against which to evaluate the plant's current behaviour. It can be used to alert the operator to any atypical excursions or combinations of readings that indicate malfunction or off-normal conditions that, as the Three Mile Island event suggests, are not easily recognised by operators. In a look-ahead mode, it can forecast the behaviour resulting from an intended change in settings or operating conditions. Then, when such changes are made, the plant's behaviour can be tracked against the forecast in order to assure that the plant is behaving as expected. It can be used to investigate malfunctions that have occurred and test possible adjustments in operating procedures. Finally, it can be used to consider how far from the limits of performance the elements of the plant are operating. Then by adjusting settings, the required power can be generated with as little stress as possible on the equipment. (6 figures) (Author)

An Experimental Study on Operability of Master-Slave Manipulator System using Human–in–the-Loop Type Simulator

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tashiro Yosuke

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Double arm Master-Slave (M-S manipulator has been attracted the attention of the robotics researchers today. The micro surgery is one of the big targets which M-S manipulator is expected to effectively perform. This paper describes about the human in the loop (HIL simulator consisted of the prototype master manipulator and the virtual simulator of slave manipulator. Today, we have a challenge injecting drugs to a chick embryo’s blood vessels that are enough cultured in an artificial eggshell. The M-S manipulator is expected to apply for such a work like a micro surgery, ex. catching a blood vessel and sticking a cylinder. The embryo is extremely sensitive so that M-S manipulator should have both high operability and high accuracy movement. To evaluate the M-S manipulator quantitatively, we develop the human in the loop (HIL simulator. The simulator is consisted with the prototype master manipulator and the virtual slave manipulator.

Plant operator selection system for evaluating employment candidates' potential for success in electric power plant operations positions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dunnette, M.D.

1982-01-01

The Plant Operator Selection System is a battery of tests and questionnaires that can be administered to job candidates in less than three hours. Various components of the battery measure what a job candidate has accomplished in previous educational and work situations, how well a candidate compares with others on a number of important aptitudes or abilities, and whether or not a candidate possesses the kind of personal stability required in power plant operations positions. A job candidate's answers to the tests and questionnaires of the Plant Operator Selection System are scored and converted to an OVERALL POTENTIAL INDEX. Values of the OVERALL POTENTIAL INDEX [OPI] range between 0 and 15. Candidates with high OPI values are much more likely to become effective and successful plant operators than candidates with low OPI values. It is possible to estimate the financial advantages to a company of using the Plant Operator Selection System in evaluating candidates for plant operations jobs

Modeling Operating Modes during Plant Life Cycle

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Sten Bay; Lind, Morten

2012-01-01

Modelling process plants during normal operation requires a set a basic assumptions to define the desired functionalities which lead to fullfillment of the operational goal(-s) for the plant. However during during start-up and shut down as well as during batch operation an ensemble of interrelated...... modes are required to cover the whole operational window of a processs plant including intermediary operating modes. Development of such an model ensemble for a plant would constitute a systematic way of defining the possible plant operating modes and thus provide a platform for also defining a set...... of candidate control structures. The present contribution focuses on development of a model ensemble for a plant with an illustartive example for a bioreactor. Starting from a functional model a process plant may be conceptually designed and qualitative operating models may be developed to cover the different...

AECL's support to operating plants world wide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Azeez, S.; Kakaria, B.K.; Hinchley, E.M.

1998-01-01

Through their operating records, CANDU reactors have established themselves as a successful and cost-effective source of electricity in Canada and abroad. They have proven to be safe, reliable and economical. A variety of factors have contributed to the enviable CANDU record, such as a sound design based on proven principles supported by effective development programs, along with dedicated plant owners committed to excellence in safely maintaining and operating their plants. Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL), the CANDU designer, has continuously maintained a close relationship with owners/operators of the plants in Canada, Argentina, Romania and South Korea. AECL and the plant operators have all benefited from this strengthening relationship by sharing experience and information. CANDU plant operators have been required to respond decisively to the economic realities of downward cost pressures and deregulation. Operating, Maintenance and Administration (OM and A) costs are being given a new focus as plant owners review each cost element to improve the economic returns from their investments. Amongst the three main OM and A constituents, plant maintenance costs are the most variable and have the largest influence on effective plant operations. The correlation between effective plant maintenance and high capacity factors shows clearly the importance of proactive maintenance planning to reduce the frequency and duration of forced plant outages and their negative impacts on plant economics. This paper describes the management processes and organizational structures m AECL that support plant operations and maintenance in operating CANDU plants with cost effective products and services. (author)

A manipulator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cole, G.V.; Hofmann, D.A.; Ashby, R.

1984-01-01

A manipulator is described, for remote handling of objects within an enclosure, by an operator outside the enclosure. The manipulator consists of a telescopically extensible arm member, the action of which is controlled by a motor-driven lead screw. (U.K.)

Supporting plant operation through computer-based procedures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martinez, Victor; Medrano, Javier; Mendez, Julio

2014-01-01

Digital Systems are becoming more important in controlling and monitoring nuclear power plant operations. The capabilities of these systems provide additional functions as well as support operators in making decisions and avoiding errors. Regarding Operation Support Systems, an important way of taking advantage of these features is using computer-based procedures (CBPs) tools that enhance the plant operation. Integrating digital systems in analogue controls at nuclear power plants in operation becomes an extra challenge, in contrast to the integration of Digital Control Systems in new nuclear power plants. Considering the potential advantages of using this technology, Tecnatom has designed and developed a CBP platform taking currently operating nuclear power plants as its design basis. The result is a powerful tool which combines the advantages of CBPs and the conventional analogue control systems minimizing negative effects during plant operation and integrating operation aid-systems to support operators. (authors)

The time optimal trajectory planning with limitation of operating task for the Tokamak inspecting manipulator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Hesheng; Lai, Yinping [Department of Automation,Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai (China); Key Laboratory of System Control and Information Processing, Ministry of Education of China (China); Chen, Weidong, E-mail: wdchen@sjtu.edu.cn [Department of Automation,Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai (China); Key Laboratory of System Control and Information Processing, Ministry of Education of China (China)

2016-12-15

In this paper, a new optimization model of time optimal trajectory planning with limitation of operating task for the Tokamak inspecting manipulator is designed. The task of this manipulator is to inspect the components of Tokamak, the inspecting velocity of manipulator must be limited in the operating space in order to get the clear pictures. With the limitation of joint velocity, acceleration and jerk, this optimization model can not only get the minimum working time along a specific path, but also ensure the imaging quality of camera through the constraint of inspecting velocity. The upper bound of the scanning speed is not a constant but changes according to the observation distance of camera in real time. The relation between scanning velocity and observation distance is estimated by curve-fitting. Experiment has been carried out to verify the feasibility of optimization model, moreover, the Laplace image sharpness evaluation method is adopted to evaluate the quality of images obtained by the proposed method.

The time optimal trajectory planning with limitation of operating task for the Tokamak inspecting manipulator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Hesheng; Lai, Yinping; Chen, Weidong

2016-01-01

In this paper, a new optimization model of time optimal trajectory planning with limitation of operating task for the Tokamak inspecting manipulator is designed. The task of this manipulator is to inspect the components of Tokamak, the inspecting velocity of manipulator must be limited in the operating space in order to get the clear pictures. With the limitation of joint velocity, acceleration and jerk, this optimization model can not only get the minimum working time along a specific path, but also ensure the imaging quality of camera through the constraint of inspecting velocity. The upper bound of the scanning speed is not a constant but changes according to the observation distance of camera in real time. The relation between scanning velocity and observation distance is estimated by curve-fitting. Experiment has been carried out to verify the feasibility of optimization model, moreover, the Laplace image sharpness evaluation method is adopted to evaluate the quality of images obtained by the proposed method.

Manufacturers' support to plant operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuschel, D.

1996-01-01

For more than 30 years now, safety and availablity of German nuclear power plants has been a common interest of the plant owners and the manufacturing company KWU. This longstanding collaboration for a common goal has created a safety culture unprecented in other countries, and a partnership worth to be continued. Due to the nuclear power phaseout policy, the priority today is on maintaining and safeguarding economically efficient operation of existing power plants. KWU have been adapting their business strategy to the change in the market, and are prepared to stick to this line. Thus KWU and plant operators see to it that the acquired competence in nuclear power plant technology will remain to be concentrated in the hands of the manufacturers. Continuing the partnership in this field, and encouraged by the placement of orders for the future EPR and the SWR 1000, KWU and plant operators will be in the position to offer a sound option for future decisions about construction of new nuclear power plants in Germany. (orig.) [de

Nuclear power plant operating experience, 1976

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1977-11-01

This report is the third in a series of reports issued annually that summarize the operating experience of U.S. nuclear power plants in commercial operation. Power generation statistics, plant outages, reportable occurrences, fuel element performance, occupational radiation exposure and radioactive effluents for each plant are presented. Summary highlights of these areas are discussed. The report includes 1976 data from 55 plants--23 boiling water reactor plants and 32 pressurized water reactor plants

Operational characteristics of nuclear power plants - modelling of operational safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Studovic, M.

1984-01-01

By operational experience of nuclear power plants and realize dlevel of availability of plant, systems and componenst reliabiliuty, operational safety and public protection, as a source on nature of distrurbances in power plant systems and lessons drawn by the TMI-2, in th epaper are discussed: examination of design safety for ultimate ensuring of safe operational conditions of the nuclear power plant; significance of the adequate action for keeping proess parameters in prescribed limits and reactor cooling rquirements; developed systems for measurements detection and monitoring all critical parameters in the nuclear steam supply system; contents of theoretical investigation and mathematical modeling of the physical phenomena and process in nuclear power plant system and components as software, supporting for ensuring of operational safety and new access in staff education process; program and progress of the investigation of some physical phenomena and mathematical modeling of nuclear plant transients, prepared at faculty of mechanical Engineering in Belgrade. (author)

Plant designer's view of the operator's role in nuclear plant safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Corcoran, W.R.; Church, J.F.; Cross, M.T.; Porter, N.J.

1981-01-01

The nuclear plant operator's role supports the design assumptions and equipment with four functional tasks. He must set up th plant for predictable response to disturbances, operate the plant so as to minimize the likelihood and severity of event initiators, assist in accomplishing the safety functions, and feed back operating experiences to reinforce or redefine the safety analyses' assumptions. The latter role enhances the operator effectiveness in the former three roles. The Safety Level Concept offers a different perspective that enables the operator to view his roles in nuclear plant safety. This paper outlines the operator's role in nuclear safety and classifies his tasks using the Safety Level Concept

Intelligent operation system for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morioka, Toshihiko; Fukumoto, Akira; Suto, Osamu; Naito, Norio.

1987-01-01

Nuclear power plants consist of many systems and are operated by skillful operators with plenty of knowledge and experience of nuclear plants. Recently, plant automation or computerized operator support systems have come to be utilized, but the synthetic judgment of plant operation and management remains as human roles. Toshiba is of the opinion that the activities (planning, operation and maintenance) should be integrated, and man-machine interface should be human-friendly. We have begun to develop the intelligent operation system aiming at reducing the operator's role within the fundamental judgment through the use of artificial intelligence. (author)

The operation of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brosche, D.

1992-01-01

The duties to be performed in managing the operation of a nuclear power plant are highly diverse, as will be explained in this contribution by the examples of the Grafenrheinfeld Nuclear Power Station. The excellent safety record and the high availabilities of German nuclear power plants demonstrate that their operators have adopted the right approaches. Systematic evaluation of the operating experience accumulated inhouse and in other plants is of great significance in removing weak spots and improving operation. The manifold and complex activities in the structure of organization and of activities in a nuclear power plant require a high degree of division of labor. (orig.) [de

Manipulation robot system based on visual guidance for sealing blocking plate of steam generator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duan Xingguang; Wang Yonggui; Li Meng; Kong Xiangzhan; Liu Qingsong

2016-01-01

To reduce labor intensity and irradiation exposure time inside the steam generator during the maintenance period of the nuclear power plant, a blocking plate manipulation robot system, including manipulation robot and pneumatic control console, is developed as an automatic remote-control tool to help staff to complete sealing steam generator primary pipes. The manipulation robot for fastening/loosening bolts utilizes visual guidance for target position, and the recognition algorithm is exerted to extract the bolt center coordinate values from image captured by camera in the procedure. The control strategy based on the position and current feedback is proposed for single bolt operation and whole bolts automatic operation. Meanwhile, the virtual interactive interface and remote monitoring are designed to improve the operability and safety. Finally, the relative experiments have verified the work effectiveness and the future work would be discussed. (author)

Operating the plant, quality assurance, and the job of the operating staff, Volume Twelve

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1986-01-01

Subject matter includes operating the plant (the role of the operator, the control room, plant technical specifications, plant operating procedures, initial startup program, BWR/PWR plant startup, BWR/PWR steady state power operation, BWR/PWR transient operation, emergency operation), quality assurance (what is quality, what is quality control, quality assurance includes quality control, government regulation and quality assurance, administrative controls for nuclear power plants, the necessity of reviews and audits, practical quality assurance), and the job of the operating staff (the plant operating staff, plant safety, first aid and resuscitation, general plant hazards, personnel protective equipment, handling chemicals, handling compressed gas, equipment repair and maintenance, communicating with others

Thermal power plant design and operation

CERN Document Server

Sarkar, Dipak

2015-01-01

Thermal Power Plant: Design and Operation deals with various aspects of a thermal power plant, providing a new dimension to the subject, with focus on operating practices and troubleshooting, as well as technology and design. Its author has a 40-long association with thermal power plants in design as well as field engineering, sharing his experience with professional engineers under various training capacities, such as training programs for graduate engineers and operating personnel. Thermal Power Plant presents practical content on coal-, gas-, oil-, peat- and biomass-fueled thermal power

Manipulator comparative testing program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Draper, J.V.; Handel, S.J.; Sundstrom, E.; Herndon, J.N.; Fujita, Y.; Maeda, M.

1986-01-01

The Manipulator Comparative Testing Program examined differences among manipulator systems from the United States and Japan. The manipulator systems included the Meidensha BILARM 83A, the Model M-2 of Central Research Laboratories Division of Sargent Industries (CRL), and the GCA Corporation PaR Systems Model 6000. The site of testing was the Remote Operations Maintenance Demonstration (ROMD) facility, operated by the Fuel Recycle Division in the Consolidated Fuel Reprocessing Program at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). In all stages of testing, operators using the CRL Model M-2 manipulator had consistently lower times to completion and error rates than they did using other machines. Performance was second best with the Meidensha BILARM 83A in master-slave mode. Performance with the BILARM in switchbox mode and the PaR 6000 manipulator was approximately equivalent in terms of criteria recorded in testing. These data show no impact of force reflection on task performance

Training of power plant operating personnel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kraftwerksschule, E.V.

1986-01-01

In Germany, professional training of power plant operating personnel became an important issue in the fifties, when power plant parameters as well as complexity of instrumentation and control increased considerably. Working Groups of VGB Technische Vereiningung der Grosskraftwerketreiber e.v. (Association of Large Power Plant Operators) developed a professional career for power plant operating personnel and defined pre-requisites, scope and objectives of training. In 1957 the German utilities founded KRAFTWERKSSCHULE E.V. (kws) as a school for theoretical training and for guidance of practical training in the power plants. KWS is a non-profit organisation and independent of authorities. Today KWS has 127 members in Germany and in 6 other countries. The objectives of KWS include the training of: -Kraftwerker (control room operators; - Kraftwerksmesiter (shift supervisors); and - shift engineers; according the guidelines of the VGB

Fatigue assessments in operating nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gosselin, S.R.; Deardorff, A.F.; Peltola, D.W.

1994-01-01

In November 1991, the ASME Section XI Task Group on Operating Plant Fatigue Assessment was formed to develop criteria and evaluation methodology for evaluating the effects of cyclic operation in operating nuclear power plants. The objective was to develop guidelines for inclusion in Section XI that could be used by plant operators in evaluating fatigue concerns and their impact on serviceability. This paper discusses the work performed by the Task Group. It explores the concept of ''Fatigue Design Basis'' versus ''Fatigue Operating Basis'' by examining the roles of ASME Section III and ASME Section XI in the design and operation of the nuclear power plants. Guidelines are summarized that may help plant operators perform effective design transient cycle evaluations and optimize cycle counting and fatigue usage tracking. The alternative fatigue evaluation approach using flaw tolerance is also introduced

Automatic scheduling of maintenance work in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kasahara, T.; Nishizawa, Y.; Kato, K.; Kiguchi, T.

1987-01-01

An automatic scheduling method for maintenance work in nuclear power plants has been developed using an AI technique. The purpose of this method is to help plant operators by adjusting the time schedule of various kinds of maintenance work so that incorrect ordering or timing of plant manipulations does not cause undersirable results, such as a plant trip. The functions of the method were tested by off-line simulations. The results show that the method can produce a satisfactory schedule of plant component manipulations without interference between the tasks and plant conditions

Development of JOYO Plant Operation Management Expert Tool (JOYPET)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Michino, Masanobu; Terano, Toshihiro; Hanawa, Mikio; Aoki, Hiroshi; Okubo, Toshiyuki

2000-03-01

The Operation and Maintenance Support Systems for JOYO are being developed, with the aim of ensuring the stable and safe operation of JOYO and improving operational reliability of future FBR plants. Plant Operation Management Expert Tool named JOYPET had been developed as one of the Operation and Maintenance Support Systems, which helps plant operation management. The following functions were developed and applied. (1) Papers management (Plant status management) function for maintenance activities, (2) Isolation management support function for plant operation, (3) Automatically drawing function of plant operation schedule, (4) Isolation judgment function for plant operation. By use this system, the plant management of JOYO was able to improved reliability and reduced manpower. (author)

Integration of remotely operated manipulator systems for the nuclear industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blight, J.; Cornec, G.

2003-01-01

There is no getting away from remotely operated manipulator systems in significant part in dismantling operations, because of the actual radioactive emitting level of installations. However, some main contractors, who have been involved in dismantling projects in the past few years are reluctant to use remotely operated systems because: - equipment characteristics are not suitable for the environment and the work to be performed; - There are some design problems; - Main components do not withstand operation any longer, after some time; - There are deficiencies in the management of quality, for critical equipment problems that degrade the productivity and increase direct and indirect labour cost. As a summary therefore, equipment available on this dismantling market are reputedly unreliable and not 'industrial' (sturdy) enough. However, numerous operations in maintenance in primary loops of nuclear reactors, or in the Offshore sector, are carried out remotely, to the satisfaction of the operators and the investors. In the dismantling sector, a thorough analysis of the difficulties encountered indicates that their origin is mostly due to a lack of methodology - that needs to be addressed -, rather than a technical problem. In that context, CYBERNETIX proposes to be involved in phases upstream and downstream of the equipment supply's. Upstream: Participate in developing/validating the scenarios to be used to optimise the constraints of remote operations/equipment. Downstream: Participate actively in supporting the client on-site, ensuring that equipment are available and maintained by competent and motivated people, and thus, getting experience in order to improve the State-of-the-Art of robotic in that field. Then, the contracting authority and CYBERNETIX jointly define the limits and the content of the involvement of each party, and also define the most appropriate type of 'partnership' between the main contactor and the participating companies, and in order to

Visualization study of operators' plant knowledge model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kanno, Tarou; Furuta, Kazuo; Yoshikawa, Shinji

1999-03-01

Nuclear plants are typically very complicated systems and are required extremely high level safety on the operations. Since it is never possible to include all the possible anomaly scenarios in education/training curriculum, plant knowledge formation is desired for operators to enable thein to act against unexpected anomalies based on knowledge base decision making. The authors have been conducted a study on operators' plant knowledge model for the purpose of supporting operators' effort in forming this kind of plant knowledge. In this report, an integrated plant knowledge model consisting of configuration space, causality space, goal space and status space is proposed. The authors examined appropriateness of this model and developed a prototype system to support knowledge formation by visualizing the operators' knowledge model and decision making process in knowledge-based actions with this model on a software system. Finally the feasibility of this prototype as a supportive method in operator education/training to enhance operators' ability in knowledge-based performance has been evaluated. (author)

China’s Nuclear Power Plants in Operation

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2011-01-01

Qinshan Plant Phase I Located in Haiyan,Zhejiang Province,Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant Phase I is t he first 300-megawatt pressurized water reactor (PWR) nuclear power plant independently designed,constructed,operated and managed by China.The plant came into commercial operation in April 1994.

Modifications at operating nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duffy, T.J.; Gazda, P.A.

1985-01-01

Modifications at operating nuclear power plants offer the structural engineer many challenges in the areas of scheduling of work, field adjustments, and engineering staff planning. The scheduling of structural modification work for operating nuclear power plants is normally closely tied to planned or unplanned outages of the plant. Coordination between the structural engineering effort, the operating plant staff, and the contractor who will be performing the modifications is essential to ensure that all work can be completed within the allotted time. Due to the inaccessibility of some areas in operating nuclear power plants or the short time available to perform the structural engineering in the case of an unscheduled outrage, field verification of a design is not always possible prior to initiating the construction of the modification. This requires the structural engineer to work closely with the contractor to promptly resolve problems due to unanticipated interferences or material procurement problems that may arise during the course of construction. The engineering staff planning for structural modifications at an operating nuclear power plant must be flexible enough to permit rapid response to the common ''fire drills,'' but controlled enough to ensure technically correct designs and to minimize the expenditure of man-hours and the resulting engineering cost

Collision Detection for Underwater ROV Manipulator Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Satja Sivčev

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Work-class ROVs equipped with robotic manipulators are extensively used for subsea intervention operations. Manipulators are teleoperated by human pilots relying on visual feedback from the worksite. Operating in a remote environment, with limited pilot perception and poor visibility, manipulator collisions which may cause significant damage are likely to happen. This paper presents a real-time collision detection algorithm for marine robotic manipulation. The proposed collision detection mechanism is developed, integrated into a commercial ROV manipulator control system, and successfully evaluated in simulations and experimental setup using a real industry standard underwater manipulator. The presented collision sensing solution has a potential to be a useful pilot assisting tool that can reduce the task load, operational time, and costs of subsea inspection, repair, and maintenance operations.

Manipulating microRNAs for improved biomass and biofuels from plant feedstocks.

Science.gov (United States)

Trumbo, Jennifer Lynn; Zhang, Baohong; Stewart, Charles Neal

2015-04-01

Petroleum-based fuels are nonrenewable and unsustainable. Renewable sources of energy, such as lignocellulosic biofuels and plant metabolite-based drop-in fuels, can offset fossil fuel use and reverse environmental degradation through carbon sequestration. Despite these benefits, the lignocellulosic biofuels industry still faces many challenges, including the availability of economically viable crop plants. Cell wall recalcitrance is a major economic barrier for lignocellulosic biofuels production from biomass crops. Sustainability and biomass yield are two additional, yet interrelated, foci for biomass crop improvement. Many scientists are searching for solutions to these problems within biomass crop genomes. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in almost all biological and metabolic process in plants including plant development, cell wall biosynthesis and plant stress responses. Because of the broad functions of their targets (e.g. auxin response factors), the alteration of plant miRNA expression often results in pleiotropic effects. A specific miRNA usually regulates a biologically relevant bioenergy trait. For example, relatively low miR156 overexpression leads to a transgenic feedstock with enhanced biomass and decreased recalcitrance. miRNAs have been overexpressed in dedicated bioenergy feedstocks such as poplar and switchgrass yielding promising results for lignin reduction, increased plant biomass, the timing of flowering and response to harsh environments. In this review, we present the status of miRNA-related research in several major biofuel crops and relevant model plants. We critically assess published research and suggest next steps for miRNA manipulation in feedstocks for increased biomass and sustainability for biofuels and bioproducts. © 2015 Society for Experimental Biology, Association of Applied Biologists and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Knowledge base for power plant operation and its application to operation guide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doi, Atsushi; Sakaguchi, Toshiaki

1986-01-01

The present study is aimed at constructing a knowledge base for supervisory control operation in power plants and developing an operation guidance by using it. Examination is made to provide dignosis procedures on the basis of an existing alarm system. An operation guidance procedure for diagnosis is proposed which is to be followed when several alarms are sounded simultaneously in a power plant, and application of the procedure to an existing plant is examined. The operation manual for the plant includes 75 description items for six alarms. It is shown that the number of items related to these alarms can be reduced by 70 % by rearranging them according to the procedure. Another investigation is conducted to provide an operation manual for diagnosis to be used when one alarm is sounded in a plant. The quality of the manual developed is on nearly the same level with that for the existing plant examined. When a knowledge base is to be constructed from an existing operation manual, the processing operation generally requires a certain level of linguistic comprehension ability, such as for judgment of synonyms. It is demonstrated that the procedure proposed here is able to develop a high-quality knowledge base with standardized terminology. The procedure can also serve to construct operation manuals for plants in other industrial fields. (Nogami, K.)

Regulatory framework for nuclear power plant operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perez Alcaniz, T.; Esteban Barriendos, M.

1995-01-01

As the framework of standards and requirements covering each phase of nuclear power plant project and operation developed, plant owners defined their licensing commitments (codes, rules and design requirements) during the project and construction phase before start-up and incorporated regulatory requirements imposed by the regulatory Body during the licensing process prior to operation. This produces a regulatory framework for operating a plant. It includes the Licensing Basis, which is the starting point for analyzing and incorporating new requirements, and for re-evaluation of existing ones. This presentation focuses on the problems of applying this regulatory framework to new operating activities, in particular to new projects, analyzing new requirements, and reconsidering existing ones. Clearly establishing a plant's licensing basis allows all organizations involved in plant operation to apply the requirements in a more rational way. (Author)

An Endoparasitoid Avoids Hyperparasitism by Manipulating Immobile Host Herbivore to Modify Host Plant Morphology

Science.gov (United States)

Fujii, Tomohisa; Matsuo, Kazunori; Abe, Yoshihisa; Yukawa, Junichi; Tokuda, Makoto

2014-01-01

Many parasitic organisms have an ability to manipulate their hosts to increase their own fitness. In parasitoids, behavioral changes of mobile hosts to avoid or protect against predation and hyperparasitism have been intensively studied, but host manipulation by parasitoids associated with endophytic or immobile hosts has seldom been investigated. We examined the interactions between a gall inducer Masakimyia pustulae (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) and its parasitoids. This gall midge induces dimorphic leaf galls, thick and thin types, on Euonymus japonicus (Celastraceae). Platygaster sp. was the most common primary parasitoid of M. pustulae. In galls attacked by Platygaster sp., whole gall thickness as well as thicknesses of upper and lower gall wall was significantly larger than unparasitized galls, regardless of the gall types, in many localities. In addition, localities and tree individuals significantly affected the thickness of gall. Galls attacked by Platygaster sp. were seldom hyperparasitized in the two gall types. These results strongly suggest that Platygaster sp. manipulates the host plant's development to avoid hyperparasitism by thickening galls. PMID:25033216

Role of the operator in nuclear power plants as determined from a survey of the North American nuclear community

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spelt, P.F.

1993-01-01

Results of an empirical survey, one of the first to deal with the Role of the Operator in nuclear power plants in North America, are presented. The survey showed that the theoretical match between operators' responsibility and control (written definition of ''role'') is not supported by the numerical evaluations of these two concepts. Across a dimension from existing to advanced reactors, there is increasingly a shift from hands-on manipulation and readout-by-readout information integration by the operators to a role in which the operator is a passive monitor whose primary task is to give permissives to the automated control system. There is a decreasing degree of control for operators, while responsibility remains high. Decreased control coupled with high responsibility may create shift operating staff problems

Improving operator quality at Genkai Nuclear Power Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuwano, Takeshi.

1989-01-01

Improvement in operator quality, or improvement in an operator's skill and professional knowledge, is of prime importance because of its great influence on safe and steady plant operation. This paper describes the education and training of reactor operators at the Genkai pressurized water reactor nuclear power plant with respect to the following topics: organization of Genkai power plant; education and training program management; training at the Nuclear Training Center; training and education on-site including emergency procedures training, normal operating procedures training, informational study of emergency conditions in existing plants, and all-around training of operators; qualifying tests for supervisors; and operator motivation

Industrial Fuel Gas Demonstration Plant Program. Demonstration plant operation plan (Deliverable No. 38)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

1979-01-01

The Demo Plant Operating Plan is composed of the following sequence of events starting with the training or personnel, familiarizing of the personnel with the plant and completing the long-term run in the following sequences: inspection during construction, plant completion, shakedown of equipment, process unit startup, shakedown of process units, variable run operation and a turnaround. During the construction period, technical personnel from DRC, MLGW and IGT will be at the plant site becoming familiar with the equipment, its installation and all of the auxiliaries so that on completion of construction they will be well grounded on the plant detail and its configuration. At the same time the supervisory operating personnel will have hands on training the gasifier operation at the IGT pilot plant to develop a field for gasifier operation. As a plant sections are completed, they will be checked out in accordance with the contractor and operator (client) procedure as outlined. Subsequent to this, various vendor designs and furnished equipment will be checked out operating-wise and a performance test run if feasible. The actual startup of the plant will be subsequential with the support areas as utilities, coal handling and waste treatment being placed in operation first. Subsequent to this the process units will be placed in operation starting from the rear of the process train and working forward. Thus the downstream units will be operating before the reactor is run on coal. The reactor will be checked out on coke operation.

Automation system for operation of nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kinoshita, Mitsuo; Fukuzaki, Koji; Kato, Kanji

1991-01-01

The automation system comprises a general monitor control device incorporating a plurality of emergency operation plannings concerning an automatic processing, and judging whether the operation is to be conducted or not depending on the plannings based on the data planed by a plant, a control device for controlling the plant in accordance with the planning when monitor control device judges that the operation should be done due to the emergency operation plannings and an operation planning device aiding the formation of the operation plannings. When the state of the power plant exceeds a normal control region, the reactor power is lowered automatically by so much as a predetermined value or to a predetermined level, to automatically return the plant state to the normal control region. In this way, the plant operation efficiency can be improved. Further, after automatic operation, since operation plannings for recovering original operation plannings are prepared efficiently and recovered operation plannings are started in a short period of time, the operators' burden can be mitigated and power saving can be attained. (N.H.)

Operating plant safety analysis needs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Young, M.Y.; Love, D.S.

1992-01-01

The primary objective for nuclear power station owners is to operate and manage their plants safely. However, there is also a need to provide economical electric power, which requires that the unit be operated as efficiently as possible, consistent with the safety requirements. The objectives cited above can be achieved through the identification and use of available margins inherent in the plant design. As a result of conservative licensing and analytical approaches taken in the past, many of these margins may be found in the safety analysis limits within which plants currently operate. Improvements in the accuracy of the safety analysis, and a more realistic treatment of plant initial and boundary conditions, can make this margin available for a variety of uses which enhance plant performance, help to reduce O and M costs, and may help to extend licensed operation. Opportunities for improvement exist in several areas in the accident analysis normally performed for Chapter 15 of the FSAR. For example, recent modifications to the ECCS rule, 10CFR50.46 and Appendix K, allow use of margins previously unavailable in the analysis of the Loss of Coolant Accident (LOCA). To take advantage of this regulatory change, new methods are being developed to analyze both the large and small break loss of coolant accident (LOCA). As this margin is used, enhancements in the analysis of other transients will become necessary. The paper discusses accident analysis methods, future development needs, and analysis margin utilization in specific accident scenarios

Nuclear power plant operational data compilation system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silberberg, S.

1980-01-01

Electricite de France R and D Division has set up a nuclear power plant operational data compilation system. This data bank, created through American documents allows results about plant operation and operational material behaviour to be given. At present, French units at commercial operation are taken into account. Results obtained after five years of data bank operation are given. (author)

Knowledge representation for integrated plant operation and maintenance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lind, Morten

2010-01-01

Integrated operation and maintenance of process plants has many advantages. One advantage is the improved economy obtained by reducing the number of plant shutdowns. Another is to increase reliability of operation by monitoring of risk levels during on-line maintenance. Integrated plant operation...... and maintenance require knowledge bases which can capture the interactions between the two plant activities. As an example, taking out a component or a subsystem for maintenance during operation will require a knowledge base representing the interactions between plant structure, functions, operating states...... and goals and incorporate knowledge about redundancy and reliability data. Multilevel Flow Modeling can be used build knowledge bases representing plant goals and functions and has been applied for fault diagnosis and supervisory control but currently it does not take into account structural information...

Psychological characteristics of licensed nuclear power plant operators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sajwaj, T.; Ford, T.; McGee, R.K.

1987-01-01

The safe production of electricity by nuclear power plants has been the focus of considerable attention. Much of this concern has been focused on equipment and procedural issues, with less attention to the psychological factors that affect the operations staff of the plants, i.e., those individuals who are most directly responsible for a plant's operations. Stress and type A qualities would be significant for these individuals because of their relationships to job performance and health. Of equal significance would be work-related factors, such as job involvement and work pressure. Also of interest would be hostile tendencies because of the need for cooperation and communications among operations staff. Two variables could influence these psychological factors. One is the degree of responsibility for a plant's nuclear reactors. The individuals with the greatest responsibility are licensed by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). There are also individuals with less direct responsibilities who are not licensed. A second variable is the operating status of the plant, whether or not the plant is currently producing electricity. Relative to ensuring the safe operation of nuclear power plants, these data suggest a positive view of licensed operators. Of interest are the greater stress scores in the licensed staff of the operating plant in contrast with their peers in the nonoperating plant

Plant operation state monitoring system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakai, Masanori; Babuchi, Katsumi; Arato, Toshiaki

1994-01-01

The system of the present invention accurately monitors a plant operation state of a plant, such as a nuclear power plant and a thermal power plant by using high temperature water, based on water quality informations. That is, water quality informations for the objective portion by using an electrochemical water quality sensor disposed in the objective portion to be monitored in the plant are continuously extracted for a predetermined period of time. Water quality is evaluated based on the extracted information. Obtained results for water quality evaluation and predetermined reference values of the plant operation handling are compared. Necessary part among the results of the measurement is displayed or recorded. The predetermined period of time described above is a period that the water quality information reaches at least a predetermined value or a period that the predetermined value is estimated by the water quality information, and it is defined as a period capable of measuring the information for three months continuously. The measurement is preferably conducted continuously in a period up to each periodical inspection on about every one year. (I.S.)

The critical safety functions and plant operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Corcoran, W.R.; Church, J.F.; Cross, M.T.; Guinn, W.M.; Porter, N.J.

1981-01-01

The operator's role in nuclear safety is outlined and the concept of ''safety functions'' introduced. Safety functions are a group of actions that prevent core melt or minimize radiation releases to the general public. They can be used to provide a hierarchy of practical plant protection that an operator should use. The plant safety evaluation uses four inputs in predicting the results of an event: the event initiator, the plant design, the initial plant conditions and setup, and the operator actions. If any of these inputs are not as assumed in the evaluation, confidence that the consequences will be as predicted is reduced. Based on the safety evaluation, the operator has three roles in assuring that the consequences of an event will be no worse than the predicted acceptable results: Maintain plant setup in readiness to properly respond. Operate the plant in a manner such that fewer, milder events minimize the frequency and the severity of adverse events. Monitor the plant to verify that the safety functions are accomplished. The operator needs a systematic approach to mitigating the consequences of an event. The concept of safety functions introduces this systematic approach and presents a hierarchy of protection. If the operator has difficulty identifying an event for any reason, the systematic safety function approach allows accomplishing the overall path of mitigating consequences. Ten functions designed to protect against core melt, preserve containment integrity, prevent indirect release of radioactivity, and maintain vital auxiliaries needed to support the other safety functions are identified

Operation of Finnish nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lehtinen, Pekka

1987-05-01

These general reviews of the operation of the Finnish nuclear power plants concentrate on such events and discoveries related to reactor and radiation safety that the regulatory body, the Finnish Centre for Radiation and Nuclear Safety, regards as noteworthy. The report also includes a summary of the radiation safety of the personnel and the environment, as well as tabulated data on the production and load factors of the plants. In the report period, no event essentially degraded plant safety nor posed a radiation hazard to the perssonnel or the environment. For remedying certain defects found in the administrative procedures concerning plant operation and maintenance, the Loviisa power plant was shut down for several days

CANDU 9 operator plant display system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trueman, R.; Webster, A.; MacBeth, M.J.

1997-01-01

To meet evolving client and regulatory needs, AECL has adopted an evolutionary approach to the design of the CANDU 9 control centre. That is, the design incorporates feedback from existing stations, reflects the growing diversity in the roles and responsibilities of the operating staff, and reduces costs associated with plant capital and operations, maintenance and administration (OM and A), through the appropriate introduction of new technologies. Underlying this approach is a refined engineering design process that cost-effectively integrates operational feedback and human factors engineering to define the operating staff information and information presentation requirements. Based on this approach, the CANDU 9 control centre will provide utility operating staff with the means to achieve improved operations and reduced OM and A costs. One of the design features that will contribute to the improved operational capabilities of the control centre is a new Plant Display System (PDS) that is separate from the digital control system. The PDS will be used to implement non-safety panel, and console video display systems within the CANDU 9 main control room (MCR). This paper presents a detailed description of the CANDU 9 Plant Display System and features that provide increased operational capabilities. (author)

Integrated approach to optimize operation and maintenance costs for operating nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-06-01

In the context of increasingly open electricity markets and the 'unbundling' of generating companies from former utility monopolies, an area of major concern is the economic performance of the existing fleet of nuclear power plants. Nuclear power, inevitably, must compete directly with other electricity generation sources. Coping with this competitive pressure is a challenge that the nuclear industry should meet if the nuclear option is to remain a viable one. This competitive environment has significant implications for nuclear plant operations, including, among others, the need for the more cost effective management of plant activities, and the greater use of analytical tools to balance the costs and benefits of proposed activities, in order to optimize operation and maintenance costs, and thus insure the economic competitiveness of existing nuclear power plants. In the framework of the activities on Nuclear Economic Performance Information System (NEPIS), the IAEA embarked in developing guidance on optimization of operation and maintenance costs for nuclear power plants. The report was prepared building on the fundamental that optimization of operation and maintenance costs of a nuclear power plant is a key component of a broader integrated business strategic planning process, having as overall result achievement of organization's business objectives. It provides advice on optimization of O and M costs in the framework of strategic business planning, with additional details on operational planning and controlling. This TECDOC was elaborated in 2004-2005 in the framework of the IAEA's programme on Nuclear Power Plant Operating Performance and Life Cycle Management, with the support of two consultants meetings and one technical meeting and based on contributions provided by participants. It can serve as a useful reference for the management and operation staff within utilities, nuclear power plant operators and regulators and other organizations involved in

Artificial intelligence aid to efficient plant operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wildberger, A.M.; Pack, R.W.

1987-01-01

As the nuclear power industry matures, it is becoming more and more important that plants be operated in an efficient, cost-effective manner, without, of course, any decrease in the essential margins of safety. Indeed, most opportunities for improved efficiency have little or no relation to nuclear safety, but are based on trade-offs among operator controllable parameters both within and external to the reactor itself. While these trade-offs are describable in terms of basic physical theory, thermodynamics, and the mathematics of control systems, their actual application is highly plant specific and influenced even by the day-to-day condition of the various plant components. This paper proposes the use of artificial intelligence techniques to construct a computer-based expert assistant to the plant operator for the purpose of aiding him in improving the efficiency of plant operation on a routine basis. The proposed system, which only advises the human operator, seems more amenable to the current regulatory approach than a truly automated control system even if the latter provides for manual override

Development of JOYO plant operation management expert tool

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Michino, Masanobu; Sawada, Makoto [Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corp., Oarai, Ibaraki (Japan). Oarai Engineering Center

1995-03-01

Operation and maintenance support systems for JOYO are being developed in order to keep the stable and safe operation of JOYO and to improve operational reliability of future FBR plants. As one of the systems, an operation support system named JOYPET has been developing and applied. The system supports the plant management works of JOYO which are necessary for much manpower and knowledge of the plant. The plant management of JOYO was able to improve its reliability and reduce manpower by using this system. As a final step, a judgment function based on the accumulated plant management rule of JOYO will be developed and applied. The function judges the plant condition which allows to start the maintenance works or not. (author).

Operation and maintenance in Genkai PWR Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohta, Shojiro

1984-01-01

The No.1 PWR plant with 559 MW capacity in the Genkai Nuclear Power Station, Kyushu Electric Power Co., Inc., required about 115 days for the regular inspection in fiscal 1982 and thereafter, although more maintenance work was done. But No.2 plant of the same type required not more than 80 days. In most cases, the period of one operation cycle was from 10 to 12 months, but in the third operation cycle of No.2 plant, it is expected to be 13 months. The capacity ratio of the whole power station was 75.2% at the end of fiscal 1983. These operational records all exceeded the Japanese average. The plants are two-loop Westinghouse type PWRs, and No.1 plant started the commercial operation of anti h and the increment of P 0 + . (author) apacity ratio of No.1 plant was 71.6%, and that of No.2 plant was 85.5%. The intergranular attack on steam generator tubes was found first in the fifth regular inspection, and also in the sixth and seventh inspections, and the faulty tubes were plugged. The prevention of its spread is the largest problem. The in-service quality assurance activity, the personnel training program and the effort of upgrading the plant availability are reported. (Kako, I.)

Computer aids for plant operators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joly, J.P.

1992-01-01

For some time, particularly since the TMI accident, nuclear power plant operators have been aware of the difficulties involved in diagnosing accidents and returning plants to their stable, safe operating mode. There are various possible solutions to these problems: improve control organization during accident situations, rewrite control procedures, integrate safety engineers in shifts, improve control rooms, and implement additional computer aids. The purpose of this presentation is to describe the efforts undertaken by EDF over the last few years in this field

Prototype equipment status monitor for plant operational configuration management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DeVerno, M.; Trask, D.; Groom, S.

1998-01-01

CANDU plants, such as the Point Lepreau GS, have tens of thousands of operable devices. The status of each operable device must be immediately available to plan and execute future changes to the plant. Historically, changes to the plant's operational configuration have been controlled using manual and administrative methods where the status of each operable device is maintained on operational flowsheets located in the work control area of the main control room. The operational flowsheets are used to plan and develop Operating Orders (OOs) or Order-to-Operate (OTOs) and the control centre work processes are used to manage their execution. After performing each OO procedure, the operational flowsheets are updated to reflect the new plant configuration. This process can be very time consuming, and due to the manual processes, can lead to the potential for time lags and errors in the recording of the current plant configuration. Through a cooperative research and development program, Canadian CANDU utilities and Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, the design organization, have applied modern information technologies to develop a prototype Equipment Status Monitor (ESM) to address processes and information flow for efficient operational configuration management. The ESM integrates electronic operational flowsheets, equipment databases, engineering and work management systems, and computerized procedures to assess, plan, execute, track, and record changes to the plant's operational configuration. This directly leads to improved change control, more timely and accurate plant status information, fewer errors, and better decision making regarding future changes. These improvements to managing the plant's operational configuration are essential to increasing plant safety, achieving a high plant availability, and maintaining high capability and capacity factors. (author)

Adaptive control of robotic manipulators

Science.gov (United States)

Seraji, H.

1987-01-01

The author presents a novel approach to adaptive control of manipulators to achieve trajectory tracking by the joint angles. The central concept in this approach is the utilization of the manipulator inverse as a feedforward controller. The desired trajectory is applied as an input to the feedforward controller which behaves as the inverse of the manipulator at any operating point; the controller output is used as the driving torque for the manipulator. The controller gains are then updated by an adaptation algorithm derived from MRAC (model reference adaptive control) theory to cope with variations in the manipulator inverse due to changes of the operating point. An adaptive feedback controller and an auxiliary signal are also used to enhance closed-loop stability and to achieve faster adaptation. The proposed control scheme is computationally fast and does not require a priori knowledge of the complex dynamic model or the parameter values of the manipulator or the payload.

Operation of Finnish nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lehtinen, Pekka

1987-07-01

These general reviews of the operation of the Finnish nuclear power plants concentrate on such events and discoveries related to reactor and radiation safety that the regulatory body, the Finnish Centre for Radiation and Nuclear Safety, regards as noteworthy. The report also includes a summary of the radiation safety of the personnel and the environment, as well as tabulated data on the production and load factors of the plants. No event in the report period, or in the whole year of 1986, essentially degraded plant safety nor posed a radiation hazard to the personnel or the environment. For remedying certain defects found in the adminstrative procedures concerning plant operation and maintenance, the Loviisa power plant was shut down for several days in September

Modeling Operating Modes for the Monju Nuclear Power Plant

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lind, Morten; Yoshikawa, Hidekazu; Jørgensen, Sten Bay

2012-01-01

The specification of supervision and control tasks in complex processes requires definition of plant states on various levels of abstraction related to plant operation in start-up, normal operation and shut-down. Modes of plant operation are often specified in relation to a plant decomposition in...... for the Japanese fast breeder reactor plant MONJU....

Preparation and practice for nuclear power plant operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Xuesong; Lu Tiezhong

2015-01-01

The operational preparation of the nuclear power plant is an important work in nuclear power plant production preparation. Due to the construction period of nuclear power plant from starting construction to production is as long as five years, the professional requirements of nuclear power operation are very strict, and the requirements for nuclear safety are also extremely high. Especially after the Fukushima accident, higher requirements for the safe operation of nuclear power plant are posed by competent authorities of the national level, regulatory authorities and each nuclear power groups. Based on the characteristics of the construction phase of nuclear power plant and in combination with engineering practice, this paper expounds the system established in the field of nuclear power plant operation and generally analyses the related management innovation. (authors)

Modeling the manipulator and flipper pose effects on tip over stability of a tracked mobile manipulator

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Dube, C

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Mobile manipulators are used in a number of different applications such as bomb disposal, mining robotics, and search and rescue operations. These mobile manipulators are highly susceptible to tip over due to the motion of the manipulator...

Permanent cessation of Tokai power plant's operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Satoh, T.

1998-01-01

Tokai power plant (166MWe, Magnox type: GCR) is the first commercial reactor in Japan and has been kept operating stable since its commissioning in July 1996. During this period it has produced electricity of approximately 27.7 billion KWh (as of March 1997) and its stable operation has contributed greatly to the stable supply of electricity in Japan. Furthermore, technologies in various fields have been developed, demonstrated and accumulated through the construction and operation of Tokai power plant. It also contributes to training for many nuclear engineers, and constructions and operations of nuclear power stations by other Japanese power companies. As a pioneer, it has been achieved to develop and popularize Japanese nuclear power generation. On the other hand, Tokai power plant has small capacity in its electric power output, even though the size of the reactor and heat exchangers are rather bigger than those of LWR due to the characteristics of GCR. Therefore, the generation cost is higher than the LWR. Since there is no plant whose reactor type is the same as that of Tokai power plant, the costs for maintenance and fuel cycle are relatively higher than that of LWR. Finally we concluded that the longer we operate it, the less we can take advantage of it economically. As a result of the evaluation for the future operation of Tokai power plant including the current status for supply of electricity by the Japanese utilities and study of decommissioning by Japanese government, we decided to have a plan of stopping its commercial operation of Tokai power plant in the end of March, 1998, when we completely consume its fuel that we possess. From now on, we set about performing necessary studies and researches on the field of plant characterization, remote-cutting, waste disposal for carrying out the decommissioning of Tokai power plant safely and economically. We are going to prepare the decommissioning planning for Tokai power plant in a few years based on the

Operator training simulator for nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shiozuka, Hiromi

1977-01-01

In nuclear power plants, training of the operators is important. In Japan, presently there are two training centers, one is BWR operation training center at Okuma-cho, Fukushima Prefecture, and another the nuclear power generation training center in Tsuruga City, Fukui Prefecture, where the operators of PWR nuclear power plants are trained. This report describes the BWR operation training center briefly. Operation of a nuclear power plant is divided into three stages of start-up, steady state operation, and shut down. Start-up is divided into the cold-state start-up after the shut down for prolonged period due to periodical inspection or others and the hot-state start-up from stand-by condition after the shut down for a short time. In the cold-state start-up, the correction of reactivity change and the heating-up control to avoid excessive thermal stress to the primary system components are important. The BWR operation training center offers the next three courses, namely beginner's course, retraining course and specific training course. The training period is 12 weeks and the number of trainees is eight/course in the beginner's course. The simulator was manufactured by modeling No. 3 plant of Fukushima First Nuclear Power Station, Tokyo Electric Power Co. The simulator is composed of the mimic central control panel and the digital computer. The software system comprises the monitor to supervise the whole program execution, the logic model simulating the plant interlock system and the dynamic model simulating the plant physical phenomena. (Wakatsuki, Y.)

Academic training for nuclear power plant operators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jones, D.W.

1982-01-01

In view of the increasing emphasis being placed upon academic training of nuclear power plant operators, it is important that institutions of higher education develop and implement programs which will meet the educational needs of operational personnel in the nuclear industry. Two primary objectives must be satisfied by these programs if they are to be effective in meeting the needs of the industry. One objective is for academic quality. The other primary objective is for programs to address the specialized needs of the nuclear plant operator and to be relevant to the operator's job. The Center for Nuclear Studies at Memphis State University, therefore, has developed a total program for these objectives, which delivers the programs, and/or appropriate parts thereto, at ten nuclear plant sites and with other plants in the planning stage. The Center for Nuclear Studies program leads to a Bachelor of Professional Studies degree in nuclear industrial operations, which is offered through the university college of Memphis State University

Operation and maintenance of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ackermann, G.

1987-01-01

This textbook gives a systematic introduction into the operational and maintenance activities in nuclear power plants with pressurized water reactors. Subjects: (1) Setup and operational behaviour of power reactors, (2) setup of nuclear power plants, (3) radiation protection and nuclear safety, (4) nuclear fuel, (5) constructional layout of nuclear power plants, (6) management, and (7) maintenance. 158 figs., 56 tabs

Operating experience with nuclear power plants 2015. Pt. 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anon.

2016-07-01

The VGB Technical Committee ''Nuclear Plant Operation'' has been exchanging operating experience about nuclear power plants for more than 30 years. Plant operators from several European countries are participating in the exchange. A report is given on the operating results achieved in 2015, events important to plant safety, special and relevant repair, and retrofit measures from Germany. The second part of this report will focus on nuclear power plant in Belgium, Finland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Spain.

Load-following operation of PWR plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jang, Jong Hwa; Oh, Soo Yul; Koo, Yang Hyun; Lee, Jae Han [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

1993-12-01

The load-following operation of nuclear power plants will become inevitable due to the increased nuclear share in the total electricity generation. As a groundwork for the load-following capability of the Korean next generation PWRs, the state-of-the-art has been reviewed. The core control principles and methods are the main subject in this review as well as the impact of load-following operations on the fuel performance and on the mechanical integrity of components. To begin with, it was described what the load-following operation is and in what view point the technology should be reviewed. Afterwards the load-following method, performance and problems in domestic 900 MWe class PWRs were discussed, and domestic R and D works were summarized. Foreign technologies were also reviewed. They include Mode G and Mode X of Foratom, D and L bank method of KWU, the method using PSCEA of ABB-CE, and MSHIM of Westinghouse. The load-following related special features of Foratom`s N4 plant, KWU`s plants, ABB-CE`s Systems 80+, and Westinghouse`s AP600 were described in each technology review. The review concluded that the capability of N4 plant with Mode X is the best and the methods in System, 80+ and AP600 would require verifications for the continued and usual load-following operation. It was recommended that the load-following operation experiences in domestic PWRs under operation be required to settle down the capability for the future. In addition, a more enhanced technology is required for the Korean next generation PWR regardless what the reference plant concept is. 30 figs., 19 tabs., 75 refs. (Author).

Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Commissioning and Operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-01-01

This publication is a revision of Safety Requirements No. NS-R-2, Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Operation, and has been extended to cover the commissioning stage. It describes the requirements to be met to ensure the safe operation of nuclear power plants. Over recent years there have been developments in areas such as long term operation, plant ageing, periodic safety review, probabilistic safety analysis and risk informed decision making processes. It became necessary to revise the IAEA's safety requirements in these areas and to correct and/or improve the publication on the basis of feedback from its application by both the IAEA and its Member States. In addition, the requirements are governed by, and must apply, the safety objective and safety principles that are established in the Fundamental Safety Principles. Contents: 1. Introduction; 2. Safety objectives and principles; 3. The management and organizational structure of the operating organization; 4. Management of operational safety; 5. Operational safety programmes; 6. Plant commissioning; 7. Plant operations; 8. Maintenance, testing, surveillance and inspection; 9. Preparation for decommissioning.

Manipulator and materials handling systems for reactor decommissioning -Cooperation between the university and the plant operator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schreck, G.; Bach, F. W.; Haferkamp, H.

1995-01-01

Nuclear reactor dismantling requires suitable handling systems for tools and disassembled components, as well as qualified and reliable disassembly and cutting techniques. From the angle of radiation protection, remote-controlled handling techniques and underwater techniques are the methods of choice, the latter particularly in continuation of plant operating conditions, and this all the more the more disassembly work proceeds towards the reactor core. With the experience accumulated for 20 years now by the Institut fuer Werkstoffkunde (materials science) of Hannover University by basic research and application-oriented development work in the field of thermal cutting technology, especially plasma arc cutting techniques, as well as development work in the field of remote-controlled materials handling systems, the institute is the cut-out partner for disassembly tasks in reactor decommissioning. (Orig./DG) [de

Operator support system for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mori, Nobuyuki; Tai, Ichiro; Sudo, Osamu; Naito, Norio.

1987-01-01

The nuclear power generation in Japan maintains the high capacity factor, and its proportion taken in the total generated electric power exceeded 1/4, thus it has become the indispensable energy source. Recently moreover, the nuclear power plants which are harmonious with operators and easy to operate are demanded. For realizing this, the technical development such as the heightening of operation watching performance, the adoption of automation, and the improvement of various man-machine systems for reducing the burden of operators has been advanced by utilizing electronic techniques. In this paper, the trend of the man-machine systems in nuclear power plants, the positioning of operation support system, the support in the aspects of information, action and knowledge, the example of a new central control board, the operation support system using a computer, an operation support expert system and the problems hereafter are described. As the development of the man-machine system in nuclear power plants, the upgrading from a present new central control board system PODIA through A-PODIA, in which the operational function to deal with various phenomena arising in plants and safety control function are added, to 1-PODIA, in which knowledge engineering technology is adopted, is expected. (Kako, I.)

Computing and cognition in future power plant operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kisner, R.A.; Sheridan, T.B.

1983-01-01

The intent of this paper is to speculate on the nature of future interactions between people and computers in the operation of power plants. In particular, the authors offer a taxonomy for examining the differing functions of operators in interacting with the plant and its computers, and the differing functions of the computers in interacting with the plant and its operators

Computing and cognition in future power-plant operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kisner, R.A.; Sheridan, T.B.

1983-01-01

The intent of this paper is to speculate on the nature of future interactions between people and computers in the operation of power plants. In particular, the authors offer a taxonomy for examining the differing functions of operators in interacting with the plant and its computers, and the differing functions of the computers in interacting with the plant and its operators

Plant life management for long term operation of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-01-01

The world's fleet of Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) is approximately 20 years old on average, and most plants are believed to be able to operate for 60 years or more. The design life of a NPP is typically 30 to 40 years. This may be extended by 10 to 20 years, or more, provided that the plant can demonstrate by analysis, trending, equipment and system upgrades, increased vigilance, testing, ageing management, and other means that license renewal presents no threat to public health and safety. The basic goal of Plant Life Management (PLiM) is to satisfy requirements for safe long-term supplies of electricity in an economically competitive way. The basic goal of the operating company and the owners to operate as long as economically reasonable and possible from safety point of view. PLiM is a management tool for doing that. PLiM is a system of programmes and procedures to satisfy safety requirements for safe operation and for power production in a competitive way and for time which is rational from technical and economical point of view. PLiM is not only a technical system, it is also an attitude of the operational company to keep the plant in operation as long as possible from safety and business point of view. The common objectives of PLiM assessment is to help and review the pre-conditions for PLiM and long-term operation approaches. PLiM should not be associated with extension of operational life-time of the NPP only. It is an owner's attitude and rational approach of the operating company to run the business economically and safely. The effectiveness of PLiM Programme can be assessed by three complementary kinds of assessment: self-assessment, peer review and comprehensive programme review by the plant owner/ operator. IAEA will provide the assessment service for peer review of PLiM. Preparation for a PLiM Assessment service will be initiated only after the IAEA has been formally approached by a MS and funding (e.g. an existing Technical cooperation project) has

Licensing operators for commercial nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hannon, J.N.

1988-01-01

The human element in the operation of commercial nuclear power plants is of utmost importance. Not only must the operators be technically competent in the execution of numerous complicated tasks, they must be capable of working together as a team to diagnose dynamic plant conditions to ensure that their plants are operated safely. The significance of human interaction skills and crew communications has been demonstrated most vividly in TMI and Chernobyl. It follows that the NRC must retain its high standards for licensing operators. This paper discusses activities and initiatives being employed by the NRC to enhance the reliability of its licensing examinations, and to build a highly qualified examiner work force

Operations quality assurance for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-01-01

This standard covers the quality assurance of all activities concerned with the operation and maintenance of plant equipment and systems in CANDU-based nuclear power plants during the operations phase, the period between the completion of commissioning and the start of decommissioning

Operator psychological selection system for nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

He Xuhong; Huang Xiangrui

2004-01-01

Based on a detailed job analysis of nuclear power plant operator including operation procedures analysis, interview with personnel familiar with operator job, and 9 events happened in the past in the plant involved operator error analysis, several operator work characteristics and performance influence factors are obtained. According to these specific characteristics and factors, referring to the psychological selection research results in the other related critical occupational fields, a full psychological selection system of nuclear power plant operator is forwarded in this paper, including 21 dimensions in 3 facets as general psychological ability, personality and psychological healthy. Practical measurement methods for the proposed selection dimensions are discussed in the end

An analysis of nuclear power plant operating costs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-01-01

This report presents the results of a statistical analysis of nonfuel operating costs for nuclear power plants. Most studies of the economic costs of nuclear power have focused on the rapid escalation in the cost of constructing a nuclear power plant. The present analysis found that there has also been substantial escalation in real (inflation-adjusted) nonfuel operating costs. It is important to determine the factors contributing to the escalation in operating costs, not only to understand what has occurred but also to gain insights about future trends in operating costs. There are two types of nonfuel operating costs. The first is routine operating and maintenance expenditures (O and M costs), and the second is large postoperational capital expenditures, or what is typically called ''capital additions.'' O and M costs consist mainly of expenditures on labor, and according to one recently completed study, the majoriy of employees at a nuclear power plant perform maintenance activities. It is generally thought that capital additions costs consist of large maintenance expenditures needed to keep the plants operational, and to make plant modifications (backfits) required by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Many discussions of nuclear power plant operating costs have not considered these capital additions costs, and a major finding of the present study is that these costs are substantial. The objective of this study was to determine why nonfuel operating costs have increased over the past decade. The statistical analysis examined a number of factors that have influenced the escalation in real nonfuel operating costs and these are discussed in this report. 4 figs, 19 tabs

Autonomous Task Primitives for Complex Manipulation Operations

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The goal of this research effort is to enable robots to autonomously perform the complex manipulation tasks that are necessary to maintain a spacecraft. Robots, like...

Operating experience review for the AP1000 plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chaney, T. E.; Lipner, M. H.

2006-01-01

Westinghouse is performing an update to the Operating Experience Review (OER) Report for the AP1000 project to account for operating experience since December 1996. Significant Operating Experience Reports, Significant Event Reports, Significant Event Notifications, Operations and Maintenance Reminders, Topical Reports, Event Analysis Reports and Licensee Event Reports were researched for pertinent input to the update. As a part of the OER, Westinghouse has also conducted operator interviews and observations during simulated plant operations and after operating events. The main purpose of the OER is to identify Human Factors Engineering (HFE) related safety issues from existing operating plant experience and to ensure that these issues are addressed in the new design. The issues and lessons learned regarding operating experience provide a basis for improving the plant design. (authors)

Optimization of advanced plants operation: The Escrime project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fiche, C.; Papin, B.

1994-01-01

The Escrime program aims at defining the optimal share of tasks between humans and computers under normal or accidental plant operation. Basic principles we keep in mind are the following: human operators are likely to be necessary in the operation of future plants because we cannot demonstrate that plant design is error free, so unexpected situation can still happen; automation must not release the operators from their decisional role but only help them avoiding situations of cognitive overload which can lead to increase the risk of errors; the optimum share of tasks between human and automatic systems must be based on a critical analysis of the tasks and of the way they are handled. The last point appeared to be of major importance. The corresponding analysis of the French PWR's operating procedures enabled us to define a unified scheme for plant operation under the form of a hierarchy of goals and means. Beyond this analysis, development of a specific testing facility is under way to check the relevance of the proposed plant operation organization and to test the human-machine cooperation in different situations for various levels of automation. 7 refs, 4 figs

Taxonomy of the nuclear plant operator's role

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kisner, R.A.; Fullerton, A.M.; Frey, P.R.; Dougherty, E.M.

1981-01-01

A program is presently under way at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to define the functional design requirements of operational aids for nuclear power plant operators. A first and important step in defining these requirements is to develop an understanding of the operator's role or function. This paper describes a taxonomy of operator functions that applies during all operational modes and conditions of the plant. Other topics such as the influence of automation, role acceptance, and the operator's role during emergencies are also discussed. This systematic approach has revealed several areas which have potential for improving the operator's ability to perform his role

Development of Megawatt Demand Setter for Plant Operating Flexibility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Se Chang; Hah, Yeong Joon; Song, In Ho; Lee, Myeong Hun; Chang, Do Ik; Choi, Jung In

1993-05-01

The Conceptual design of the Megawatt Demand Setter (MDS) is presented for the Korean Standardized Nuclear Power Plant. The MDS is a digital supervisory limitation system. The MDS assures that the plant does not exceed the operating limits by regulating the plant operations through monitoring the operating margins of the critical parameters. MDS is aimed at increasing the operating flexibility which allow the nuclear plant to meet the grid demand in very efficient manner. It responds to the grid demand without penalizing plant availability by limiting the load demand when the operating limits are approached or violated. MDS design concepts were tested using simulation responses of Yonggwang Units 3, 4. The design of the Yonggwang Units 3, 4 would be used as a reference which designs of Korean Standardized Nuclear Power Plants would be based upon. The simulation results illustrate that the MDS can be used to improve operating flexibility. (Author)

The ability to manipulate plant glucosinolates and nutrients explains the better performance of Bemisia tabaci Middle East-Asia Minor 1 than Mediterranean on cabbage plants.

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Hongying; Guo, Litao; Wang, Shaoli; Xie, Wen; Jiao, Xiaoguo; Wu, Qingjun; Zhang, Youjun

2017-08-01

The performance of herbivorous insects is greatly affected by host chemical defenses and nutritional quality. Some herbivores have developed the ability to manipulate plant defenses via signaling pathways. It is currently unclear, however, whether a herbivore can benefit by simultaneously reducing plant defenses and enhancing plant nutritional quality. Here, we show that the better performance of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci Middle East-Asia Minor 1 (MEAM1; formerly the "B" biotype) than Mediterranean (MED; formerly the "Q" biotype) on cabbage is associated with a suppression of glucosinolate (GS) content and an increase in amino acid supply in MEAM1-infested cabbage compared with MED-infested cabbage. MEAM1 had higher survival, higher fecundity, higher intrinsic rate of increase ( r m ), a longer life span, and a shorter developmental time than MED on cabbage plants. Amino acid content was higher in cabbage infested with MEAM1 than MED. Although infestation by either biotype decreased the levels of total GS, aliphatic GS, glucoiberin, sinigrin, glucobrassicin, and 4OH-glucobrassicin, and the expression of related genes in cabbage, MED infestation increased the levels of 4ME-glucobrassicin, neoglucobrassicin, progoitrin, and glucoraphanin. The GS content and expression of GS-related genes were higher in cabbage infested with MED than with MEAM1. Our results suggest that MEAM1 performs better than MED on cabbage by manipulating host defenses and nutritional quality.

The assisting system for uranium enrichment plant operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakazawa, Hiroaki; Yamamoto, Fumio

1990-01-01

We have been developing an operation assisting system, partially supported by AI system, for uranium enrichment plant. The AI system is a proto-type system aiming a final one which can be applied to any future large uranium enrichment plant and also not only to specific operational area but also to complex and multi-phenomenon operational area. An existing AI system, for example facility diagnostic system that utilizes the result of CCT analysis as knowledge base, has weakness in flexibility and potentiality. To build AI system, we have developed the most suitable knowledge representations using deep knowledge for each facility or operation of uranium enrichment plant. This paper describes our AI proto-type system adopting several knowledge representations that can represent an uranium enrichment plant's operation with deep knowledge. (author)

Device for Automated Cutting and Transfer of Plant Shoots

Science.gov (United States)

Cipra, Raymond; Das, Hari; Ali, Khaled; Hong, Dennis

2003-01-01

A device that enables the automated cutting and transfer of plant shoots is undergoing development for use in the propagation of plants in a nursery or laboratory. At present, it is standard practice for a human technician to use a knife and forceps to cut, separate, and grasp a plant shoot. The great advantage offered by the present device is that its design and operation are simpler than would be those of a device based on the manual cutting/separation/grasping procedure. [The present device should not be confused with a prior device developed for partly the same purpose and described in Compliant Gripper for a Robotic Manipulator (NPO-21104), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 27, No. 3 (March 2003), page 59.]. The device (see figure) includes a circular tube sharpened at its open (lower) end and mounted on a robotic manipulator at its closed (upper) end. The robotic manipulator simply pushes the sharpened open end of the tube down onto a bed of plants and rotates a few degrees clockwise then counterclockwise about the vertical axis, causing the tube to cut a cylindrical plug of plant material. Exploiting the natural friction between the tube and plug, the tube retains the plug, without need for a gripping mechanism and control. The robotic manipulator then retracts the tube, translates it to a new location over a plant-growth tray, and inserts the tube part way into the growth medium at this location in the tray. A short burst of compressed air is admitted to the upper end of the tube to eject the plug of plant material and drive it into the growth medium. A prototype has been tested and verified to function substantially as intended. It is projected that in the fully developed robotic plant-propagation system, the robot control system would include a machine- vision subsystem that would automatically guide the robotic manipulator in choosing the positions from which to cut plugs of plant material. Planned further development efforts also include more testing and

Review of operating history at the Palisades Nuclear Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mays, G.T.; Harrington, K.H.

1982-01-01

the Systematic Evaluation Program Branch (SEPB) of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is conducting the Systematic Evaluation Program whose purpose is to determine the safety margins of the design and operation of the eleven oldest operating commercial nuclear power plants in the United States. A portion of the SEP includes the compilation and interpretation of operational occurrences at these plants. This summary describes the methodology and results of the operational experience review of Palisades Nuclear Plant. The review includes a detailed examination of the operating experience in two segments - plant shutdowns and power reductions, and reportable events

Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Commissioning and Operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-01-01

The safety of a nuclear power plant is ensured by means of proper site selection, design, construction and commissioning, and the evaluation of these, followed by proper management, operation and maintenance of the plant. In a later phase, a proper transition to decommissioning is required. The organization and management of plant operations ensures that a high level of safety is achieved through the effective management and control of operational activities. This publication is a revision of the Safety Requirements publication Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Operation, which was issued in 2000 as IAEA Safety Standards Series No. NS-R-2. The purpose of this revision was to restructure Safety Standards Series No. NS-R-2 in the light of new operating experience and new trends in the nuclear industry; to introduce new requirements that were not included in Safety Standards Series No. NS-R-2 on the operation of nuclear power plants; and to reflect current practices, new concepts and technical developments. This update also reflects feedback on the use of the standards, both from Member States and from the IAEA's safety related activities. The publication is presented in the new format for Safety Requirements publications. The present publication reflects the safety principles of the Fundamental Safety Principles. It has been harmonized with IAEA Safety Standards Series No. GS-R-3 on The Management System for Facilities and Activities. Guidance on the fulfilment of the safety requirements is provided in supporting Safety Guides. The terminology used in this publication is defined and explained in the IAEA Safety Glossary. The objective of this publication is to establish the requirements which, in the light of experience and the present state of technology, must be satisfied to ensure the safe operation of nuclear power plants. These requirements are governed by the safety objective and safety principles that are established in the Fundamental Safety Principles. This

Engineerig of structural modifications for operating nuclear plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duffy, T.J.; Gazda, P.A.

1983-01-01

The engineering of structural modifications for operating nuclear plants offers many challenges in the areas of scheduling of work, field adjustments, and engineering staff planning. The scheduling of structural modification work for operating nuclear plants is normally closely tied to planned or unplanned outages of the plant. Coordination between the structural engineering effort, the operating plant staff, and the contractor who will be performing the modifications is essential to ensure that all work can be completed within the allotted time. Due to the inaccessibility of areas in operating plants or the short time available to perform the structural engineering in the case of an unscheduled outage, field verification of a design is not always possible prior to initiating the construction of the modification. This requires the structural engineer to work closely with the contractor to promptly resolve problems due to unanticipated interferences or material procurement that may arise during the course of construction. The engineering staff planning for structural modifications at an operating nuclear plant must be flexible enough to permit rapid response to the common 'fire drills', but controlled enough to assure technically correct designs and minimize the expenditure of man-hours and resulting engineering cost. (orig.)

How sulphur was dislodged to sustain plant operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Verma, A.N.; Agarwal, A.K.

1997-01-01

Heavy Water Plant (Kota) employs chemical exchange between water and hydrogen sulphide gas. Formation of sulphur is a known phenomena during production of heavy water in G.S. process plants. It is observed that after three years of plant operation this sulphur is enough to choke the cold tower trays causing flooding of exchange towers and resultant decrease in throughput. G.S. process plants normally go for major turn around once in four years when sulphur is either manually cleaned or removed by steam wash after hydrogen sulphide gas has been removed from the system and towers have been fully decontaminated. As throughput starts decreasing after third year and plant operation becomes more difficult in fourth year, HWP (Kota) had evolved a procedure of heating the towers for dislodging sulphur from sieve trays when plant is running. With these procedures plant operation could be sustained without tower floodings even in fourth year, before plant could go for major turn around for manual removal of sulphur

Nuclear power plant operation experience - a feedback programme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Banica, I.; Sociu, F.; Margaritescu, C.

1994-01-01

An effective high quality maintenance programme is required for the safe reliable operation of a nuclear power plant. To achieve the objectives of such a programme, both plant management and staff must be highly dedicated and motivated to perform high quality work at all levels. Operating and maintenance experience data collections and analysis are necessary in order to enhance the safety of the plant and reliability of the structures systems and components throughout their operating life. Significant events, but also minor incident, may reveal important deficiencies or negative trends adverse to safety. Therefore, a computer processing system for collecting, classifying and evaluating abnormal events or findings concerning operating-maintenance and for feeding back the results of the lessons learned from experience into the design and the operation of our nuclear power plant is considered to be of paramount importance. (Author)

On the plant operators performance during earthquake

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kitada, Y.; Yoshimura, S.; Abe, M.; Niwa, H.; Yoneda, T.; Matsunaga, M.; Suzuki, T.

1994-01-01

There is little data on which to judge the performance of plant operators during and after strong earthquakes. In order to obtain such data to enhance the reliability on the plant operation, a Japanese utility and a power plant manufacturer carried out a vibration test using a shaking table. The purpose of the test was to investigate operator performance, i.e., the quickness and correctness in switch handling and panel meter read-out. The movement of chairs during earthquake as also of interest, because if the chairs moved significantly or turned over during a strong earthquake, some arresting mechanism would be required for the chair. Although there were differences between the simulated earthquake motions used and actual earthquakes mainly due to the specifications of the shaking table, the earthquake motions had almost no influence on the operators of their capability (performance) for operating the simulated console and the personal computers

Operator training simulator for BWR nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watanabe, Tadasu

1988-01-01

For the operation management of nuclear power stations with high reliability and safety, the role played by operators is very important. The effort of improving the man-machine interface in the central control rooms of nuclear power stations is energetically advanced, but the importance of the role of operators does not change. For the training of the operators of nuclear power stations, simulators have been used from the early stage. As the simulator facilities for operator training, there are the full scope simulator simulating faithfully the central control room of an actual plant and the small simulator mainly aiming at learning the plant functions. For BWR nuclear power stations, two full scope simulators are installed in the BWR Operator Training Center, and the training has been carried out since 1974. The plant function learning simulators have been installed in respective electric power companies as the education and training facilities in the companies. The role of simulators in operator training, the BTC No.1 simulator of a BWR-4 of 780 MWe and the BTC No.2 simulator of a BWR-5 of 1,100 MWe, plant function learning simulators, and the design of the BTC No.2 simulator and plant function learning simulators are reported. (K.I.)

Remote manipulation techniques in the maintenance and repair of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rininsland, H.; Boehme, G.

1986-01-01

Remote manipulation means the application of multi-purpose devices featuring high mobility and universal applicability. The paper describes such a remote manipulation system (manipulation vehicle MF1 and MF2, master-slave manipulator, TFTR maintenance manipulator) which can be used flexibly in the NNP during maintenance and repair and in incident and accident situations. Connecting elements and tools can be redesigned for remote manipulation to meet the specific application environments. (DG) [de

IAEA Operational Safety Team Reviews Saint-Alban Nuclear Power Plant, France

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2010-01-01

to ensure that only authorized personnel have access to radioactive sources. The team has made recommendations and suggestions related to areas where operational safety of Saint-Alban NPP could be improved. Examples include: Limiting the extent of access to the Main Control Room to only the number of necessary personnel; Minimizing the number and time validity of temporary modifications; Undertaking the manipulation of reactivity in accordance with the best international practices; and Improving the effective control of contamination. Saint-Alban management expressed a determination to address all the areas identified for improvement and requested the IAEA to schedule a follow-up mission in approximately 18 months time. The team handed over a draft of their recommendations, suggestions and good practices to the plant management in the form of ''Technical Notes'' for factual comments. The technical notes will be reviewed at IAEA headquarters including any comments from Saint-Alban NPP and the French Nuclear Safety Authority. The final report will be submitted to the Government of France within three months. This was the 158th mission of the OSART programme, which began in 1982. General information about OSART missions can be found on the IAEA website: OSART missions. (IAEA)

Transparency and efficiency through plant operations management systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ladage, L.

2001-01-01

Plant operations management systems, being IT application systems, provide integral support of the business processes making up plant operations management. The use of plant operations management systems improves mutually interdependent factors, such as high economic performance, high availability, and maximum safety. Since its commissioning in 1988, the Emsland nuclear power station (KKE) has been run with the IBFS plant operations management system. The work flow management system (WfMS), a module of IBFS, is described as an example of job order processing. IBFS-WfMS is to optimize all processes, thus cutting costs and ensuring that processes are run and documented reliably. Assessing the savings effect achieved through the use of IBFS-WfMS clearly reveals the savings in work/time achieved by the system. These savings are quoted as approx. 4 minutes and DM 10, respectively, per working step, which corresponds to several dozens of manyears or several million DM per annum in the KKE plant under consideration. This result can be extrapolated to other plants. (orig.) [de

The control of operational risk in nuclear power plant operations - Some cross-cultural perspectives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suchard, A.; Rochlin, G.

1992-01-01

The operation of nuclear power plants requires the management of a complex technology under exacting performance and safety criteria. Organizations operating nuclear power plants are faced with the challenge of simultaneously meeting technical, organizational, and social demands, striving toward perfection in a situation where learning by trial and error can be too costly. In this process, they interact with regulatory bodies who seek to help minimize operational risk by imposing and upholding safety standards. The character of this interaction differs in various countries, as does the larger cultural setting. The study generally pursued the question of how organizations operating complex and demanding technologies adapt to such requirements and circumstances, and how they can succeed in delivering nearly error-free performance. One aspect of this study includes the comparison of organizational and cultural environments for nuclear power plant operations in the US, France, Germany, Sweden, and Switzerland. The research involved in-depth, continuous observations on location and interviews with plant personnel, especially control operators, at one plant in each country

Nuclear power plant operating experience. Annual report, 1978

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beebe, M.R.

1979-12-01

This report is the fifth in a series of reports issued annually that summarizes the operating experience of US nuclear power plants in commercial operation. Power generation statistics, plant outages, reportable occurrences, fuel element performance, occupational radiation exposure for each plant are presented. Summary highlights of these areas are discussed. The report includes 1978 data from 65 plants - 25 boiling water reactor plants and 40 pressurized water reactor plants. Discussion of radioactive effluents which has been a part of this report in previous years, has not been included in this issue because of late acquisition of data

Improved core monitoring for improved plant operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mueller, N.P.

1987-01-01

Westinghouse has recently installed a core on-line surveillance, monitoring and operations systems (COSMOS), which uses only currently available core and plant data to accurately reconstruct the core average axial and radial power distributions. This information is provided to the operator in an immediately usable, human-engineered format and is accumulated for use in application programs that provide improved core performance predictive tools and a data base for improved fuel management. Dynamic on-line real-time axial and radial core monitoring supports a variety of plant operations to provide a favorable cost/benefit ratio for such a system. Benefits include: (1) relaxation or elimination of certain technical specifications to reduce surveillance and reporting requirements and allow higher availability factors, (2) improved information displays, predictive tools, and control strategies to support more efficient core control and reduce effluent production, and (3) expanded burnup data base for improved fuel management. Such systems can be backfit into operating plants without changing the existing instrumentation and control system and can frequently be implemented on existing plant computer capacity

Characteristics of nuclear power plants organizational structures and definition of positions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lederer, B.J.

1986-01-01

The Direct Operation Function covers all activities directly related to the manipulation of the plant controls and the direction of operation. All other functions are in support of the Direct Operating Function. The lecture gives a survey on principal supporting functions for NPP operation. (orig.)

Computational simulator of robotic manipulators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leal, Alexandre S.; Campos, Tarcisio P.R.

1995-01-01

Robotic application for industrial plants is discussed and a computational model for a mechanical manipulator of three links is presented. A neural network feed-forward type has been used to model the dynamic control of the manipulator. A graphic interface was developed in C programming language as a virtual world in order to visualize and simulate the arm movements handling radioactive waste environment. (author). 7 refs, 5 figs

Operating force information on-line acquisition of a novel slave manipulator for vascular interventional surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Yan; Guo, Shuxiang; Xiao, Nan; Wang, Yuxin; Li, Youxiang; Jiang, Yuhua

2018-04-02

Vascular interventional surgery has its advantages compared to traditional operation. Master-slave robotic technology can further improve the operation accuracy, efficiency and safety of this complicated and high risk surgery. However, on-line acquisition of operating force information of catheter and guidewire remains to be a significant obstacle on the path to enhancing robotic surgery safety. Thus, a novel slave manipulator is proposed in this paper to realize on-line sensing of guidewire torsional operating torque and axial operation force during robotic assisted operations. A strain sensor is specially designed to detect the small scale torsional operation torque with low rotational frequency. Additionally, the axial operating force is detected via a load cell, which is incorporated into a sliding mechanism to eliminate the influence of friction. For validation, calibration and performance evaluation experiments are conducted. The results indicate that the proposed operation torque and force detection device is effective. Thus, it can provide the foundation for enabling accurate haptic feedback to the surgeon to improve surgical safety.

GLObal RIsk MANagement system for plant operations GLORIMAN

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silverman, Eugene B.

2004-01-01

Considerable effort has been expended by nuclear power plants in the preparation of their Independent Plant Evaluation (IPE) programs. The result of these projects is the generation of very useful information concerning plant operations, states, availability and risk. The potential application of this information is often unrealized due to the unwieldy form of the data as reported in the IPE. Plant personnel would benefit greatly from quick access to risk information as a means of supporting day-to-day decisions, but the information exists only in a difficult to understand and inaccessible form. There is a need to translate the costs invested in Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) projects into a useable tool for plant personnel. This paper describes a software tool developed by ARD Corporation to be used by plants to assist in determining the operational risks and benefits associated with modifying the plant state during normal and off-normal operations for performing maintenance. This tool integrates a relational database with an easy-to-use graphical user interface and several unique software features. The result is a responsive, easy-to-understand tool that integrates an organization's PRA/IPE into the operational and maintenance needs of the station. The Global Risk Management System is designed to allow the user to evaluate the risk associated with current and proposed plant states. The impact of changes in plant configuration, operational modes and equipment availability are assessed from a risk management perspective, but displayed in an easy-to-understand form for personnel not familiar with risk methodology. Additionally, pipe and instrumentation drawings can be retrieved by the user and displayed as a reference tool. (author)

Operation of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Severa, P.

1988-04-01

The textbook for training nuclear power plant personnel is centred on the most important aspects of operating modes of WWER-440 reactors. Attention is devoted to the steady state operation of the unit, shutdown, overhaul with refuelling, physical and power start-up. Also given are the regulations of shift operation and the duties of individual categories of personnel during the shift and during the change of shifts. (Z.M.). 3 figs., 1 tab

Technology of turbine plant operating with wet steam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1989-01-01

The technology of turbine plant operating with wet steam is a subject of continuing interest and importance, notably in view of the widespread use of wet steam cycles in nuclear power plants and the recent developments of advanced low pressure blading for both conventional and wet steam turbines. The nature of water formation in expanding steam has an important influence on the efficiency of turbine blading and on the integrity and safe operating life of blading and associated turbine and plant components. The subjects covered in this book include research, flow analysis and measurement, development and design of turbines and ancillary plant, selection of materials of construction, manufacturing methods and operating experience. (author)

Manipulation of the apoplastic pH of intact plants mimics stomatal and growth responses to water availability and microclimatic variation.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilkinson, Sally; Davies, William J

2008-01-01

The apoplastic pH of intact Forsythiaxintermedia (cv. Lynwood) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) plants has been manipulated using buffered foliar sprays, and thereby stomatal conductance (g(s)), leaf growth rate, and plant water loss have been controlled. The more alkaline the pH of the foliar spray, the lower the g(s) and/or leaf growth rate subsequently measured. The most alkaline pH that was applied corresponds to that measured in sap extracted from shoots of tomato and Forsythia plants experiencing, respectively, soil drying or a relatively high photon flux density (PFD), vapour pressure deficit (VPD), and temperature in the leaf microclimate. The negative correlation between PFD/VPD/temperature and g(s) determined in well-watered Forsythia plants exposed to a naturally varying summer microclimate was eliminated by spraying the plants with relatively alkaline but not acidic buffers, providing evidence for a novel pH-based signalling mechanism linking the aerial microclimate with stomatal aperture. Increasing the pH of the foliar spray only reduced g(s) in plants of the abscisic acid (ABA)-deficient flacca mutant of tomato when ABA was simultaneously sprayed onto leaves or injected into stems. In well-watered Forsythia plants exposed to a naturally varying summer microclimate (variable PFD, VPD, and temperature), xylem pH and leaf ABA concentration fluctuated but were positively correlated. Manipulation of foliar apoplastic pH also affected the response of g(s) and leaf growth to ABA injected into stems of intact Forsythia plants. The techniques used here to control physiology and water use in intact growing plants could easily be applied in a horticultural context.

A basis for sound management-plant-operator interface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oak, H.D.

1983-01-01

Sound management-plant-operator interface is based on the application of suitable quality assurance principles. Quality assurance can aptly be termed ''putting priority and emphasis where such are due''. Accordingly, the application of suitable quality assurance principles achieves the all-important combination of both safety and production. Neither of these is mutually exclusive of the other, and both together establish the prime foundation for long-term nuclear power plant operation. This paper presents the application of suitable quality assurance principles to the management, the plant, the operators, and the interface between them. (author)

The critical safety functions and plant operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Corcoran, W.R.; Church, J.F.; Porter, N.J.; Cross, M.T.; Guinn, W.M.

1981-01-01

The paper outlines the operator's role in nuclear safety and introduces the concept of ''safety functions''. Safety functions are a group of actions that prevent core melt or minimize radiation releases to the general public. They can be used to provide a hierarchy of practical plant protection that an operator should use. ''An accident identical to that at Three Mile Island is not going to happen again'', said the Rogovin investigators. The concepts put forward in this paper are intended to help the operator avoid serious consequence from the next unexpected threat. On the basis of the safety evaluation, the operator has three roles in assuring that the consequences of an event will be no worse than the predicted acceptable results. These three operator roles are: first, maintain plant setup in readiness to properly respond; second, operate the plant in a manner such that fewer, milder events minimize the frequency and the severity of adverse events; third, the operator needs to monitor the plant to verify that the safety functions are accomplished. The operator needs a systematic approach to mitigating the consequences of an event. The concept of ''safety function'' introduces that systematic approach and prevents a hierarchy of protection. If the operator has difficulty in identifying an event for any reason, the systematic safety function approach allows ones to accomplish the overall path of mitigating consequences. There are ten identified functions designed to protect against core melt, preserve containment integrity, prevent indirect release of radioactivity, and maintain vital auxiliaries needed to support the other safety functions. The paper describes in detail the operator's role and the safety functions, and provides many examples of the use of alternative success paths to accomplish the safety function

Computer simulation of thermal plant operations

CERN Document Server

O'Kelly, Peter

2012-01-01

This book describes thermal plant simulation, that is, dynamic simulation of plants which produce, exchange and otherwise utilize heat as their working medium. Directed at chemical, mechanical and control engineers involved with operations, control and optimization and operator training, the book gives the mathematical formulation and use of simulation models of the equipment and systems typically found in these industries. The author has adopted a fundamental approach to the subject. The initial chapters provide an overview of simulation concepts and describe a suitable computer environment.

Plant operation monitoring method and device therefor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ando, Tsugio; Matsuki, Tsutomu.

1997-01-01

The present invention provides a method of and a device for monitoring the operation of a nuclear power plant during operation, which improves the safety and reliability of operation without increasing an operator's burden. Namely, a chief in charge orally instruct an operation to an operator upon the operation of a plant constituent equipment. The operator points the equipment and calls the name. Actual operation instruction for the equipment is inputted after confirmation by oral response. The voices of theses series of operation instruction/point-calling/response confirmation are taken into a voice recognition processing device. The processing device discriminates each of the person who calls, and discriminates the content of the calls and objective equipments to be operated. Then, the series of procedures and contents of the operation for the equipments previously disposed in the data base are compared with the order of inputted calls, discriminated contents and the objective equipments to be operated. If they are not agreed with each other, the operation instruction is blocked even if actual operation instructions are inputted. (I.S.)

Operation of Finnish nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tossavainen, K.

1993-06-01

Quarterly reports on the operation of Finnish nuclear power plants describe events and observations, relating to nuclear and radiation safety, which the Finnish Centre for Radiation and Nuclear Safety considers significant. Also other events of general interest are reported. The reports also include a summary of the radiation safety of plant personnel and the environment, as well as tabulated data on the plants' production and load factors

The operating organization for nuclear power plants. Safety guide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-01-01

This Safety Guide was prepared under the IAEA programme for safety standards for nuclear power plants. The present publication is a revision of the IAEA Safety Guide on Management of Nuclear Power Plants for Safe Operation issued in 1984. It supplements Section 2 of the Safety Requirements publication on Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Operation. Nuclear power technology is different from the customary technology of power generation from fossil fuel and by hydroelectric means. One major difference between the management of nuclear power plants and that of conventional generating plants is the emphasis that should be placed on nuclear safety, quality assurance, the management of radioactive waste and radiological protection, and the accompanying national regulatory requirements. This Safety Guide highlights the important elements of effective management in relation to these aspects of safety. The attention to be paid to safety requires that the management recognize that personnel involved in the nuclear power programme should understand, respond effectively to, and continuously search for ways to enhance safety in the light of any additional requirements socially and legally demanded of nuclear energy. This will help to ensure that safety policies that result in the safe operation of nuclear power plants are implemented and that margins of safety are always maintained. The structure of the organization, management standards and administrative controls should be such that there is a high degree of assurance that safety policies and decisions are implemented, safety is continuously enhanced and a strong safety culture is promoted and supported. The objective of this publication is to guide Member States in setting up an operating organization which facilitates the safe operation of nuclear power plants to a high level internationally. The second objective is to provide guidance on the most important organizational elements in order to contribute to a strong safety

The operating organization for nuclear power plants. Safety guide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-01-01

This Safety Guide was prepared under the IAEA programme for safety standards for nuclear power plants. The present publication is a revision of the IAEA Safety Guide on Management of Nuclear Power Plants for Safe Operation issued in 1984. It supplements Section 2 of the Safety Requirements publication on Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Operation. Nuclear power technology is different from the customary technology of power generation from fossil fuel and by hydroelectric means. One major difference between the management of nuclear power plants and that of conventional generating plants is the emphasis that should be placed on nuclear safety, quality assurance, the management of radioactive waste and radiological protection, and the accompanying national regulatory requirements. This Safety Guide highlights the important elements of effective management in relation to these aspects of safety. The attention to be paid to safety requires that the management recognize that personnel involved in the nuclear power programme should understand, respond effectively to, and continuously search for ways to enhance safety in the light of any additional requirements socially and legally demanded of nuclear energy. This will help to ensure that safety policies that result in the safe operation of nuclear power plants are implemented and that margins of safety are always maintained. The structure of the organization, management standards and administrative controls should be such that there is a high degree of assurance that safety policies and decisions are implemented, safety is continuously enhanced and a strong safety culture is promoted and supported. The objective of this publication is to guide Member States in setting up an operating organization which facilitates the safe operation of nuclear power plants to a high level internationally. The second objective is to provide guidance on the most important organizational elements in order to contribute to a strong safety

The operating organization for nuclear power plants. Safety guide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-01-01

This Safety Guide was prepared under the IAEA programme for safety standards for nuclear power plants. The present publication is a revision of the IAEA Safety Guide on Management of Nuclear Power Plants for Safe Operation issued in 1984. It supplements Section 2 of the Safety Requirements publication on Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Operation. Nuclear power technology is different from the customary technology of power generation from fossil fuel and by hydroelectric means. One major difference between the management of nuclear power plants and that of conventional generating plants is the emphasis that should be placed on nuclear safety, quality assurance, the management of radioactive waste and radiological protection, and the accompanying national regulatory requirements. This Safety Guide highlights the important elements of effective management in relation to these aspects of safety. The attention to be paid to safety requires that the management recognize that personnel involved in the nuclear power programme should understand, respond effectively to, and continuously search for ways to enhance safety in the light of any additional requirements socially and legally demanded of nuclear energy. This will help to ensure that safety policies that result in the safe operation of nuclear power plants are implemented and that margins of safety are always maintained. The structure of the organization, management standards and administrative controls should be such that there is a high degree of assurance that safety policies and decisions are implemented, safety is continuously enhanced and a strong safety culture is promoted and supported. The objective of this publication is to guide Member States in setting up an operating organization which facilitates the safe operation of nuclear power plants to a high level internationally. The second objective is to provide guidance on the most important organizational elements in order to contribute to a strong safety

Qualification of nuclear power plant operations personnel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-01-01

With the ultimate aim of reducing the possibility of human error in nuclear power plant operations, the Guidebook discusses the organizational aspects, the staffing requirements, the educational systems and qualifications, the competence requirements, the ways to establish, preserve and verify competence, the specific aspects of personnel management and training for nuclear power plant operations, and finally the particular situations and difficulties to be overcome by utilities starting their first nuclear power plant. An important aspect presented in the Guidebook is the experience in training and qualification of nuclear power plant personnel in various countries: Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Czechoslovakia, France, Federal Republic of Germany, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom and United States of America

Optimal operation of integrated processes. Studies on heat recovery systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Glemmestad, Bjoern

1997-12-31

Separators, reactors and a heat exchanger network (HEN) for heat recovery are important parts of an integrated plant. This thesis deals with the operation of HENs, in particular, optimal operation. The purpose of heat integration is to save energy, but the HEN also introduces new interactions and feedback into the overall plant. A prerequisite for optimisation is that there are extra degrees of freedom left after regulatory control is implemented. It is shown that extra degrees of freedom may not always be utilized for energy optimisation, and a quantitative expression for the degrees of freedom that can be so utilized are presented. A simplified expression that is often valid is also deduced. The thesis presents some improvements and generalisations of a structure based method that has been proposed earlier. Structural information is used to divide possible manipulations into three categories depending on how each manipulation affects the utility consumption. By means of these categories and two heuristic rules for operability, the possible manipulations are ordered in a priority table. This table is used to determine which manipulation should be preferred and which manipulation should be selected if an active manipulation is saturated. It is shown that the method may correspond to split-range control. A method that uses parametric information in addition to structural information is proposed. In this method, the optimal control structure is found through solving an integer programming problem. The thesis also proposes a method that combines the use of steady state optimisation and optimal selection of measurements. 86 refs., 46 figs., 8 tabs.

A motion sensing-based framework for robotic manipulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Hao; Xia, Zeyang; Weng, Shaokui; Gan, Yangzhou; Fang, Peng; Xiong, Jing

2016-01-01

To data, outside of the controlled environments, robots normally perform manipulation tasks operating with human. This pattern requires the robot operators with high technical skills training for varied teach-pendant operating system. Motion sensing technology, which enables human-machine interaction in a novel and natural interface using gestures, has crucially inspired us to adopt this user-friendly and straightforward operation mode on robotic manipulation. Thus, in this paper, we presented a motion sensing-based framework for robotic manipulation, which recognizes gesture commands captured from motion sensing input device and drives the action of robots. For compatibility, a general hardware interface layer was also developed in the framework. Simulation and physical experiments have been conducted for preliminary validation. The results have shown that the proposed framework is an effective approach for general robotic manipulation with motion sensing control.

IAEA activity on operator support systems in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dounaev, V.; Fujita, Y.; Juslin, K.; Haugset, K.; Lux, I.; Naser, J.

1994-01-01

Various operator support systems for nuclear power plants are already operational or under development in the IAEA Member States. Operator support systems are based on intelligent data processing and, in addition to plant operation, they are also becoming more important for safety. A key feature of operator support systems is their availability to restructure data to increase its relevance for a given situation. This can improve the user's ability to identify plant mode, system state, and component state and to identify and diagnose faults. Operator support systems can also assist the user in planning and implementing corrective actions to improve the nuclear power plant's availability and safety. In September 1991, the IAEA Committee for Contractual Scientific Services approved the Co-ordinated Research Programme (CRP) on ''Operator Support Systems in Nuclear Power Plants'' in the framework of the Project ''Man-Machine Interface Studies''. The main objective of this programme is to provide guidance and technology transfer for the development and implementation of operator support systems. This includes the experience with human-machine interfaces and closely related issues such as instrumentation and control, the use of computers in nuclear power plants, and operator qualification. (author)

US nuclear power plant operating cost and experience summaries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kohn, W.E.; Reid, R.L.; White, V.S.

1998-02-01

NUREG/CR-6577, U.S. Nuclear Power Plant Operating Cost and Experience Summaries, has been prepared to provide historical operating cost and experience information on U.S. commercial nuclear power plants. Cost incurred after initial construction are characterized as annual production costs, representing fuel and plant operating and maintenance expenses, and capital expenditures related to facility additions/modifications which are included in the plant capital asset base. As discussed in the report, annual data for these two cost categories were obtained from publicly available reports and must be accepted as having different degrees of accuracy and completeness. Treatment of inconclusive and incomplete data is discussed. As an aid to understanding the fluctuations in the cost histories, operating summaries for each nuclear unit are provided. The intent of these summaries is to identify important operating events; refueling, major maintenance, and other significant outages; operating milestones; and significant licensing or enforcement actions. Information used in the summaries is condensed from annual operating reports submitted by the licensees, plant histories contained in Nuclear Power Experience, trade press articles, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) web site (www.nrc.gov)

US nuclear power plant operating cost and experience summaries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kohn, W.E.; Reid, R.L.; White, V.S.

1998-02-01

NUREG/CR-6577, U.S. Nuclear Power Plant Operating Cost and Experience Summaries, has been prepared to provide historical operating cost and experience information on U.S. commercial nuclear power plants. Cost incurred after initial construction are characterized as annual production costs, representing fuel and plant operating and maintenance expenses, and capital expenditures related to facility additions/modifications which are included in the plant capital asset base. As discussed in the report, annual data for these two cost categories were obtained from publicly available reports and must be accepted as having different degrees of accuracy and completeness. Treatment of inconclusive and incomplete data is discussed. As an aid to understanding the fluctuations in the cost histories, operating summaries for each nuclear unit are provided. The intent of these summaries is to identify important operating events; refueling, major maintenance, and other significant outages; operating milestones; and significant licensing or enforcement actions. Information used in the summaries is condensed from annual operating reports submitted by the licensees, plant histories contained in Nuclear Power Experience, trade press articles, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) web site (www.nrc.gov).

Management of nuclear power plants for safe operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kueffer, K.

1980-01-01

This lecture covers management aspects which have an immediate bearing on safety and identifies the objectives and tasks of management which are required for safe operation of a nuclear power plant and is based on the Codes of Practice and Safety Guides of the IAEA as well as arrangements in use at the Swiss Nuclear Power Station Beznau. This lecture - discusses the factors to be considered in structuring the operating organization, the support to be provided to plant management, the services and facilities needed and the management system for assuring the safety tasks are performed - describes the responsibilities of plant management and operating organization - outlines the requirements for recruitment, training and retraining as well as qualification and authorization of personnel - describes the programmes for maintenance, testing, examination, inspection, radiological protection, quality assurance, waste management, fuel management, emergency arrangement and security - describes the development of plant operating procedures including procedures to protect the personnel - outlines the requirements for initial and subsequent operation - describes the importance for evaluation and feedback of operating experience - describes the procedures for changes in hardware, procedures and set points - outlines the information flow and the requirements in reference to records and reports. (orig./RW)

Ensuring safe operation at the Loviisa nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Regnell, B.

1985-01-01

Safe operation of a nuclear plant can be achieved only if the plant is designed according to stringent safety principles, if the construction and commissioning work meets high standards and finally if proper attention is paid to the safety aspects in all operational activities. Clearly formulated safety principles and standards are required for all these steps. In the early phases of the Loviisa project only a few IAEA codes of practice and safety guides were available. Their usefulness was, however, felt early, and valuable guidance was offered by them in formulating the quality assurance programme, for example. The paper describes the approach taken in order to achieve high operational safety at the first nuclear power station in Finland, the Loviisa plant. The involvement in the project of the plant owner, Imatran Voima Oy (IVO), was very large, the company serving as its own architect-engineer. Experience has shown that the thorough knowledge of the plant, down to the finest details, obtained by extensive participation in design, erection and commissioning of the plant, is invaluable in the actual operation of the plant. This manifests itself most clearly in the event of malfunctions and incidents or if modifications have to be undertaken. Many different activities affecting the operational safety can be identified: actual operation of the plant, including the creation and maintaining of technical specifications, procedures, instructions, documentation systems, etc.; maintenance, repair and modification work; in-service inspection and testing practices; component failure data collection and analysis; incident reporting, collection and evaluation systems; operator training; quality assurance programme; procedures and implementation; reviews of operational safety by an independent safety committee; and supervision by the safety authorities. In the paper, all these activities are described in some detail. (author)

Operation of Finnish nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tossavainen, K.

1993-03-01

Quarterly reports on the operation of Finnish nuclear power plants describe events and observations, relating to nuclear and radiation safety, which the Finnish Centre for Radiation and Nuclear Safety considers safety significant. Also other events of general interest are reported. The reports also include a summary of the radiation safety of plant personnel and the environment, as well as tabulated data on the plants' production and load factors

Design and Modelling of Distributed Industrial Manipulation System with Wireless Operated Moving Manipulation

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Belda, Květoslav; Píša, P.

2015-01-01

Roč. 4, č. 3 (2015), s. 69-75 ISSN 1805-3386 Institutional support: RVO:67985556 Keywords : Manipulation system * wireless communication * distributed systems * production lines * physical modelling * DC motors * robotic s Subject RIV: BC - Control Systems Theory http://library.utia.cas.cz/separaty/2015/AS/belda-0448098.pdf

Operational limits and conditions and operating procedures for nuclear power plants. Safety guide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-01-01

This Safety Guide was prepared as part of the Agency's programme for establishing safety standards relating to nuclear power plants. The present Safety Guide supersedes the IAEA Safety Guide on Operational Limits and Conditions for Nuclear Power Plants which was issued in 1979 as Safety Series No. 50-SG-O3. For a nuclear power plant to be operated in a safe manner, the provisions made in the final design and subsequent modifications shall be reflected in limitations on plant operating parameters and in the requirements on plant equipment and personnel. Under the responsibility of the operating organization, these shall be developed during the design safety evaluation as a set of operational limits and conditions (OLCs). A major contribution to compliance with the OLCs is made by the development and utilization of operating procedures (OPs) that are consistent with and fully implement the OLCs. The requirements for the OLCs and OPs are established in Section 5 of the IAEA Safety Requirements publication Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Operation, which this Safety Guide supplements. The purpose of this Safety Guide is to provide guidance on the development, content and implementation of OLCs and OPs. The Safety Guide is directed at both regulators and owners/operators. This Safety Guide covers the concept of OLCs, their content as applicable to land based stationary power plants with thermal neutron reactors, and the responsibilities of the operating organization regarding their establishment, modification, compliance and documentation. The OPs to support the implementation of the OLCs and to ensure their observance are also within the scope of this Safety Guide. The particular aspects of the procedures for maintenance, surveillance, in-service inspection and other safety related activities in connection with the safe operation of nuclear power plants are outside the scope of this Safety Guide but can be found in other IAEA Safety Guides. Section 2 indicates the

Operational limits and conditions and operating procedures for nuclear power plants. Safety guide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2000-01-01

This Safety Guide was prepared as part of the Agency's programme for establishing safety standards relating to nuclear power plants. The present Safety Guide supersedes the IAEA Safety Guide on Operational Limits and Conditions for Nuclear Power Plants which was issued in 1979 as Safety Series No. 50-SG-O3. For a nuclear power plant to be operated in a safe manner, the provisions made in the final design and subsequent modifications shall be reflected in limitations on plant operating parameters and in the requirements on plant equipment and personnel. Under the responsibility of the operating organization, these shall be developed during the design safety evaluation as a set of operational limits and conditions (OLCs). A major contribution to compliance with the OLCs is made by the development and utilization of operating procedures (OPs) that are consistent with and fully implement the OLCs. The requirements for the OLCs and OPs are established in Section 5 of the IAEA Safety Requirements publication Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Operation, which this Safety Guide supplements. The purpose of this Safety Guide is to provide guidance on the development, content and implementation of OLCs and OPs. The Safety Guide is directed at both regulators and owners/operators. This Safety Guide covers the concept of OLCs, their content as applicable to land based stationary power plants with thermal neutron reactors, and the responsibilities of the operating organization regarding their establishment, modification, compliance and documentation. The OPs to support the implementation of the OLCs and to ensure their observance are also within the scope of this Safety Guide. The particular aspects of the procedures for maintenance, surveillance, in-service inspection and other safety related activities in connection with the safe operation of nuclear power plants are outside the scope of this Safety Guide but can be found in other IAEA Safety Guides. Section 2 indicates the

Changing nuclear plant operating limits during startup and shutdown

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arnold, E.C.; Carlson, R.W.; Ray, N.K.; Roarty, D.H.

1990-01-01

During startup and shutdown operation of pressurized water reactor (PWR) nuclear power plants, a low pressure decay heat removal system is used to maintain core cooling. During these phases of operation, there are numerous operating practices and design limits to meet special and sometimes conflicting requirements unique to these operations. This paper evaluates the impact and interdependencies of recent issues on plant operation and design

WORKSPACE DRAWING FROM A MANIPULATOR ARM WITH 6 DOF

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

NAIDIN Gigi

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Modelling and simulation is an important aspect in robotic field. Knowing of the workspace is very important to the operation of manipulators arm. This paper investigates operational performance of space manipulator arm destined for industrial manufacturing, by defining and analyzing their workspace and manipulability measure. The authors show that manipulator arm developing requires the consideration of more efficient dynamic models and use of dedicated processing techniques such as Autodesk-Inventor 9, MATLAB, WorkSpace software.

Quality assurance during operation of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1981-01-01

This Safety Guide provides requirements and recommendations for the establishment and implementation of quality assurance for activities important to safety during commissioning, operation and decommissioning of a nuclear power plant, hereinafter referred to in this Guide as the operation phase or operation. It applies to activities such as: operating, inspecting, testing, commissioning, refuelling, maintaining, repairing, modifying and eventual shut-down and decommissioning of nuclear power plants. It applies also to associated activities related to safety, such as environmental monitoring and responses to emergencies

Nuclear power plant operation 2016. Pt. 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anon.

2017-05-15

A report is given on the operating results achieved in 2016, events important to plant safety, special and relevant repair, and retrofit measures from nuclear power plants in Germany. Reports about nuclear power plants in Belgium, Finland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Spain will be published in a further issue.

Safety of nuclear power plants: Operation. Safety requirements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-01-01

The safety of a nuclear power plant is ensured by means of its proper siting, design, construction and commissioning, followed by the proper management and operation of the plant. In a later phase, proper decommissioning is required. This Safety Requirements publication supersedes the Code on the Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Operation, which was issued in 1988 as Safety Series No. 50-C-O (Rev. 1). The purpose of this revision was: to restructure Safety Series No. 50-C-O (Rev. 1) in the light of the basic objectives, concepts and principles in the Safety Fundamentals publication The Safety of Nuclear Installations. To be consistent with the requirements of the International Basic Safety Standards for Protection against Ionizing Radiation and for the Safety of Radiation Sources. And to reflect current practice and new concepts and technical developments. Guidance on fulfillment of these Safety Requirements may be found in the appropriate Safety Guides relating to plant operation. The objective of this publication is to establish the requirements which, in the light of experience and the present state of technology, must be satisfied to ensure the safe operation of nuclear power plants. These requirements are governed by the basic objectives, concepts and principles that are presented in the Safety Fundamentals publication The Safety of Nuclear Installations. This publication deals with matters specific to the safe operation of land based stationary thermal neutron nuclear power plants, and also covers their commissioning and subsequent decommissioning

Safety of nuclear power plants: Operation. Safety requirements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-01-01

The safety of a nuclear power plant is ensured by means of its proper siting, design, construction and commissioning, followed by the proper management and operation of the plant. In a later phase, proper decommissioning is required. This Safety Requirements publication supersedes the Code on the Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Operation, which was issued in 1988 as Safety Series No. 50-C-O (Rev. 1). The purpose of this revision was: to restructure Safety Series No. 50-C-O (Rev. 1) in the light of the basic objectives, concepts and principles in the Safety Fundamentals publication The Safety of Nuclear Installations. To be consistent with the requirements of the International Basic Safety Standards for Protection against Ionizing Radiation and for the Safety of Radiation Sources. And to reflect current practice and new concepts and technical developments. Guidance on fulfillment of these Safety Requirements may be found in the appropriate Safety Guides relating to plant operation. The objective of this publication is to establish the requirements which, in the light of experience and the present state of technology, must be satisfied to ensure the safe operation of nuclear power plants. These requirements are governed by the basic objectives, concepts and principles that are presented in the Safety Fundamentals publication The Safety of Nuclear Installations. This publication deals with matters specific to the safe operation of land based stationary thermal neutron nuclear power plants, and also covers their commissioning and subsequent decommissioning

Safety of nuclear power plants: Operation. Safety requirements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2000-01-01

The safety of a nuclear power plant is ensured by means of its proper siting, design, construction and commissioning, followed by the proper management and operation of the plant. In a later phase, proper decommissioning is required. This Safety Requirements publication supersedes the Code on the Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Operation, which was issued in 1988 as Safety Series No. 50-C-O (Rev. 1). The purpose of this revision was: to restructure Safety Series No. 50-C-O (Rev. 1) in the light of the basic objectives, concepts and principles in the Safety Fundamentals publication The Safety of Nuclear Installations; to be consistent with the requirements of the International Basic Safety Standards for Protection against Ionizing Radiation and for the Safety of Radiation Sources; and to reflect current practice and new concepts and technical developments. Guidance on fulfillment of these Safety Requirements may be found in the appropriate Safety Guides relating to plant operation. The objective of this publication is to establish the requirements which, in the light of experience and the present state of technology, must be satisfied to ensure the safe operation of nuclear power plants. These requirements are governed by the basic objectives, concepts and principles that are presented in the Safety Fundamentals publication The Safety of Nuclear Installations. This publication deals with matters specific to the safe operation of land based stationary thermal neutron nuclear power plants, and also covers their commissioning and subsequent decommissioning

TAO2000 V2 computer-assisted force feedback tele-manipulators used as maintenance and production tools at the AREVA NC-La Hague fuel recycling plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geffard, Franck; Garrec, Philippe; Piolain, Gerard; Brudieu, Marie-Anne; Thro, Jean-Francois; Coudray, Alain; Lelann, Eric

2012-01-01

During a 15-year joint research program, French Atomic Energy Agency Interactive Robotics Laboratory (CEA LIST) and AREVA have developed several remote operation devices, also called tele-robots. Some of them are now commonly used for maintenance operations at the AREVA NC (Nuclear Cycle) La Hague reprocessing plant. Since the first maintenance operation in 2005, several other successful interventions have been realized using the industrial MA23/RX170 tele-manipulation system. Moreover, since 2010, the through-the-wall tele-robot named MT200 TAO based on the slave arm of the MSM MT200 (La Calhene TM ), has been evaluated in an active production cell at the AREVA NC La Hague fuel recycling plant. Although these evaluations are ongoing, the positive results obtained have led to an update and industrialization program. All these developments are based on the same generic control platform, called TAO2000 V2. TAO2000 V2 is the second release of the CEA LIST core software platform dedicated to computer aided force-feedback tele-operation (TAO is the French acronym for computer aided tele-operation). This paper presents all these developments resulting from the joint research program CEA LIST/AREVA. The TAO2000 V2 controller is first detailed, and then two maintenance operations using the industrial robot RX170 are presented: the removal of the nuclear fuel dissolver wheel rollers and the cleanup of the dissolver wheel inter-bucket spaces. Finally, the new MT200 TAO system and its evaluations at the AREVA NC La Hague facilities are discussed. (authors)

Application of expert system to nuclear power plant operation and guidance system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goto, M.; Takada, Y.

1990-01-01

For a nuclear power plant, it is important that an expert system supplies useful information to the operator to meet the increasing demand for high-level plant operation. It is difficult to build a user-friendly expert system that supplies useful information in real time using existing general-purpose expert system shells. Therefore a domain-specific expert system shell with a useful knowledge representation for problem-solving in nuclear power plant operation was selected. The Plant Table (P/T) representation format was developed for description of a production system for nuclear power plant operation knowledge. The P/T consists of plant condition representation designed to process multiple inputs and single output. A large number of operation inputs for several plant conditions are divided into 'timing conditions', 'preconditions' and 'completion conditions' to facilitate knowledge-base build-up. An expert system for a Nuclear Power Plant Operation and Guidance System utilizing the P/T was developed to assist automatic plant operation and surveillance test operation. In these systems, automatic plant operation signals to the plant equipment and operation guidance messages to the operators are both output based on the processing and assessment of plant operation conditions by the P/T. A surveillance test procedure guide for major safety-related systems, such as those for emergency core cooling systems, is displayed on a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) and test results are printed out. The expert system for a Nuclear Power Plant Operation and Guidance System has already been successfully applied to Japanese BWR plants

Higher operational safety of nuclear power plants by evaluating the behaviour of operating personnel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mertins, M.; Glasner, P.

1990-01-01

In the GDR power reactors have been operated since 1966. Since that time operational experiences of 73 cumulative reactor years have been collected. The behaviour of operating personnel is an essential factor to guarantee the safety of operation of the nuclear power plant. Therefore a continuous analysis of the behaviour of operating personnel has been introduced at the GDR nuclear power plants. In the paper the overall system of the selection, preparation and control of the behaviour of nuclear power plant operating personnel is presented. The methods concerned are based on recording all errors of operating personnel and on analyzing them in order to find out the reasons. The aim of the analysis of reasons is to reduce the number of errors. By a feedback of experiences the nuclear safety of the nuclear power plant can be increased. All data necessary for the evaluation of errors are recorded and evaluated by a computer program. This method is explained thoroughly in the paper. Selected results of error analysis are presented. It is explained how the activities of the personnel are made safer by means of this analysis. Comparisons with other methods are made. (author). 3 refs, 4 figs

Decontamination of operational nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1981-06-01

In order to reduce the radiation fields around nuclear power plants, and, consequently, to limit the radiation exposure of and dose commitments to the operating and maintenance personnel, the contamination build-up should be kept to a minimum. The most fruitful approach, from the point of view of economics and efficiency, is to tackle the problems of contamination and decontamination in the design and construction phases of the reactor. To do this, knowledge gained from the operation of existing power reactors should be used to make improvements in new designs. New structural materials with low corrosion rates or whose constituents are not activated by neutrons should also be used. For older reactors, in most cases it is already too late to incorporate design changes without extensive and expensive modifications. For these plants, decontamination remains the most efficient way to reduce radiation fields. The aim of this report is to deal with the different decontamination methods that may be applied to nuclear power plant circuits and equipment during operation. The factors that have to be considered in determining the type and the extent of the methods used are the engineering and the planning of the decontamination operation and the treatment of the resulting waste generated during the process are also discussed

Selection/licensing of nuclear power plant operators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saari, L.M.

1983-07-01

An important aspect of nuclear power plant (NPP) safety is the reactor operator in the control room. The operators are the first individuals to deal with an emergency situation, and thus, effective performance on their part is essential for safe plant operations. Important issues pertaining to NPP reactor operators would fall within the personnel subsystem of our safety system analysis. While there are many potential aspects of the personnel subsystem, a key first step in this focus is the selection of individuals - attempting to choose individuals for the job of reactor operator who will safely perform the job. This requires a valid (job-related) selection process. Some background information on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) licensing process used for selecting NPP reactor operators is briefly presented and a description of a research endeavor now underway at Battelle for developing a valid reactor operator licensing examination is included

Automatic camera tracking for remote manipulators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stoughton, R.S.; Martin, H.L.; Bentz, R.R.

1984-07-01

The problem of automatic camera tracking of mobile objects is addressed with specific reference to remote manipulators and using either fixed or mobile cameras. The technique uses a kinematic approach employing 4 x 4 coordinate transformation matrices to solve for the needed camera PAN and TILT angles. No vision feedback systems are used, as the required input data are obtained entirely from position sensors from the manipulator and the camera-positioning system. All hardware requirements are generally satisfied by currently available remote manipulator systems with a supervisory computer. The system discussed here implements linear plus on/off (bang-bang) closed-loop control with a +-2-deg deadband. The deadband area is desirable to avoid operator seasickness caused by continuous camera movement. Programming considerations for camera control, including operator interface options, are discussed. The example problem presented is based on an actual implementation using a PDP 11/34 computer, a TeleOperator Systems SM-229 manipulator, and an Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) camera-positioning system. 3 references, 6 figures, 2 tables

Automatic camera tracking for remote manipulators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stoughton, R.S.; Martin, H.L.; Bentz, R.R.

1984-04-01

The problem of automatic camera tracking of mobile objects is addressed with specific reference to remote manipulators and using either fixed or mobile cameras. The technique uses a kinematic approach employing 4 x 4 coordinate transformation matrices to solve for the needed camera PAN and TILT angles. No vision feedback systems are used, as the required input data are obtained entirely from position sensors from the manipulator and the camera-positioning system. All hardware requirements are generally satisfied by currently available remote manipulator systems with a supervisory computer. The system discussed here implements linear plus on/off (bang-bang) closed-loop control with a +-2 0 deadband. The deadband area is desirable to avoid operator seasickness caused by continuous camera movement. Programming considerations for camera control, including operator interface options, are discussed. The example problem presented is based on an actual implementation using a PDP 11/34 computer, a TeleOperator Systems SM-229 manipulator, and an Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) camera-positioning system. 3 references, 6 figures, 2 tables

Evolution of the future plants operation for a better safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Papin, B.; Malvache, P.

1994-01-01

This paper describes a coordinated research project of the french CEA, addressing to the evolutions in plant operation apt to bring perceptible and assessable improvement in the operational safety. This program has been scheduled for the 1992-1996 period, with a global 40 men/year effort. The present status of the two main parts of the project is presented: ESCRIME (program aiming at defining the optimal share of tasks between humans and computers in plant operation), IMAGIN (research in the domain of plant information management, in order to ensure the global coherence of the image of the plant, used by the different actors in plant operation). (authors). 3 refs., 4 figs

Development of a dynamic operation permission system to support operations in an anomalous situation of PWR plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gofuku, Akio; Nishio, Takuya; Ohi, Tadashi; Ito, Koji

2005-01-01

This paper describes a proto-type dynamic operation permission system to avoid commission errors of operators. The system lies between CRT-based operation panels and plant control systems and checks an operation by operators if it follows typical operation procedure described in operation manuals and it has suitable effects on plant condition. The applicability of the proto-type system is demonstrated through the application to the recovery operations of a steam generator tube rupture accident of a three-loop pressurized water reactor plant

Advanced manipulator system for large hot cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vertut, J.; Moreau, C.; Brossard, J.P.

1981-01-01

Large hot cells can be approached as extrapolated from smaller ones as wide, higher or longer in size with the same concept of using mechanical master slave manipulators and high density windows. This concept leads to a large number of working places and corresponding equipments, with a number of penetrations through the biological protection. When the large cell does not need a permanent operation of number of work places, as in particular to serve PIE machines and maintain the facility, use of servo manipulators with a large supporting unit and extensive use of television appears optimal. The advance on MA 23 and supports will be described including the extra facilities related to manipulators introduction and maintenance. The possibility to combine a powered manipulator and MA 23 (single or pair) on the same boom crane system will be described. An advance control system to bring the minimal dead time to control support movement, associated to the master slave arm operation is under development. The general television system includes over view cameras, associated with the limited number of windows, and manipulators camera. A special new system will be described which brings an automatic control of manipulator cameras and saves operator load and dead time. Full scale tests with MA 23 and support will be discussed. (author)

Operating procedure automation to enhance safety of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Husseiny, A.A.; Sabri, Z.A.; Adams, S.K.; Rodriguez, R.J.; Packer, D.; Holmes, J.W.

1989-01-01

Use of logic statements and computer assist are explored as means for automation and improvement on design of operating procedures including those employed in abnormal and emergency situations. Operating procedures for downpower and loss of forced circulation are used for demonstration. Human-factors analysis is performed on generic emergency operating procedures for three strategies of control; manual, semi-automatic and automatic, using standard emergency operating procedures. Such preliminary analysis shows that automation of procedures is feasible provided that fault-tolerant software and hardware become available for design of the controllers. Recommendations are provided for tests to substantiate the promise of enhancement of plant safety. Adequate design of operating procedures through automation may alleviate several major operational problems of nuclear power plants. Also, automation of procedures is necessary for partial or overall automatic control of plants. Fully automatic operations are needed for space applications while supervised automation of land-based and offshore plants may become the thrust of new generation of nulcear power plants. (orig.)

Actuator Module of Robot Manipulator for Nuclear Power Plants Inspection, Maintenance and Decommission

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Sung Uk; Jung, Kyung Min; Seo, Young Chil; Choi, Byung Seon; Moon, Jei Kwon [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2014-10-15

For nuclear facility decommissioning, there are many different electrical manipulators to remotely dismantle a nuclear facility. Various manipulators will be necessary for inspection, maintenance and decommission. Only one manipulator cannot response to many required tasks. Therefore, several manipulators are necessary, depending on the payload capacity, their number of axes and their dexterity. Each manipulator was developed for a specific task. The actuators used at manipulator are varied and many companies sell actuators depending on power, torque and speed. However, the commercial product is not standardized. Therefore, the development of the manipulator is time consuming and expensive. The essential item of the manipulators is the actuator module. If actuator module is standardized, it is easier to develop manipulator. In this paper, we developed two electrical actuator modules to standardize the actuator module and easily develop a manipulator using the proposed actuator modules. The electrical actuator module has a motor, gear and rotary sensor, and is also waterproof. The electrically driven manipulator being used in the proposed actuator modules will be shown. Two modularized electrical actuator modules were developed for inspection, maintenance and decommission. Using the two developed actuator modules, the manipulator inspecting the welding area of reactor vessel is easily developed. Various modularized electrical actuator modules will be developed in terms of size and power.

Comparative analysis of hydraulic crane-manipulating installations transport and technological machines and industrial robots hydraulic manipulators

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lagerev I.A.

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The article presents results of comparative analysis of hydraulic crane-manipulator installations of mobile transport and technological machines and hydraulic manipulators of industrial robots. The comparative analysis is based on consid-eration of a wide range of types and sizes indicated technical devices of both domestic and foreign production: 1580 structures of cranes and more than 450 structures of industrial robots. It was performed in the following areas: func-tional purpose and basic technical characteristics; a design; the loading conditions of the model and failures in operation process; approaches to the design, calculation methods and mathematical modeling. The conclusions about the degree of similarity and the degree of difference hydraulic crane-manipulator installations of transport and technological ma-chines and hydraulic industrial robot manipulators from the standpoint of their design and modeling occurring in them during operation of dynamic and structural processes.

Radioprotection planned operation to deactivate an old fabrication plant of UO2 pellets in IPEN - CNEN/SP to perform decommissioning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanchez Cambises, Paulo Brasil; Paiva, Julio Evangelista de; Almeida, Claudio C.; Silva, Teresinha M.; Rodrigues, Demerval L.

2008-01-01

In this work, the steps adopted in the operation planned for the deactivation and decommissioning of the previous plant (building 24), to manufacture the tablets of dioxide of Uranium of the Nuclear and Energy Research Institute, IPEN - CNEN/SP are shown, with decommissioning aims. This operation involved the planning, training the operators of the installation, radiometric analysis of the workstations and surveys for monitoring external radiation, contaminated surfaces and air contamination. The training involved the procedures for the manipulation of radioactive materials, decontamination of surfaces, segregation of materials and practical procedures for monitoring the individual surface body contamination, footwear and clothes. Procedures for the transport of radioactive materials had also been established, relative to the internal rules of the installation; provisory confinement of wastes; effluent, riddance of materials and finding areas free of contamination. (author)

Radioprotection planned operation to deactivate an old fabrication plant of UO2 pellets in IPEN-CNEN/SP to perform decommissioning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cambises, Paulo B.S.; Paiva, Julio Evangelista de; Almeida, Claudio C.; Silva, Teresinha M.; Rodrigues, Demerval L.

2007-01-01

In this work, the steps adopted in the operation planned for the deactivation of the previous plant (building 24), to manufacture the tablets of dioxide of Uranium of the Nuclear and Energy Research Institute, IPEN - CNEN/SP are shown, with decommissioning aims. This operation involved the planning, training the operators of the installation, radiometric analysis of the workstations and surveys for monitoring external radiation, contaminated surfaces and air contamination . The training involved the procedures for the manipulation of radioactive materials, decontamination of surfaces, segregation of materials and practical procedures for monitoring the individual surface body contamination, footwear and clothes. Procedures for the transport of radioactive materials had also been established, relative to the internal rules of the installation; provisory confinement of wastes; effluent, riddance of materials and finding areas free of contamination. (author)

Powered manipulator control arm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Le Mouee, Theodore; Vertut, Jean; Marchal, Paul; Germon, J.C.; Petit, Michel

1975-01-01

A remote operated control arm for powered manipulators is described. It includes an assembly allowing several movements with position sensors for each movement. The number of possible arm movements equals the number of possible manipulator movements. The control systems may be interrupted as required. One part of the arm is fitted with a system to lock it with respect to another part of the arm without affecting the other movements, so long as the positions of the manipulator and the arm have not been brought into complete coincidence. With this system the locking can be ended when complete concordance is achieved [fr

The direct manipulation shell

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Allen, M.E.; Christiansen, M.

1992-01-01

Accelerator controls systems provide parameter display pages which allow the operator to monitor and manipulate selected control points in the system. Display pages are generally implemented as either hand-crafted, purpose-built programs; or by using a specialized display page layout tool. These two methods of display page development exhibit the classic trade-off between functionality vs. ease of implementation. In the Direct Manipulation Shell we approach the process of developing a display page in a manifestly object-oriented manner. This is done by providing a general framework for interactively instantiating and manipulating display objects. (author)

Sampled control of vibration in suspended cask by using vibration manipulation functions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kotake, Shigeo

2014-01-01

Safe and reliable operation is most important for decommissioning the Fukushima 1 nuclear power plant. Especially it requires for transferring spent nuclear fuels from fuel pool to storage cask. Since the heavy cask will be suspended during the transferring operation, there is a risk of dropping it in case of the strike of large earthquakes. In this study, we introduce analytical functions to suppress residual vibration of a suspended cask by using vibration manipulation function. Hence the oscillation of the cask can be feedforward or sampled-data controlled by moving a trolley with analog actuator, the possible risk could be reduced. (author)

Operation reports of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-01-01

The requirements aiming to standardize the program of nuclear power plant operation report, required by Brazilian Energy Commission - CNEN - to evaluate the activities related to the nuclear technical safety and to the radiation protection during the units operational phase, are showed. (E.G.) [pt

Control strategies for nitrous oxide emissions reduction on wastewater treatment plants operation.

Science.gov (United States)

Santín, I; Barbu, M; Pedret, C; Vilanova, R

2017-11-15

The present paper focused on reducing greenhouse gases emissions in wastewater treatment plants operation by application of suitable control strategies. Specifically, the objective is to reduce nitrous oxide emissions during the nitrification process. Incomplete nitrification in the aerobic tanks can lead to an accumulation of nitrite that triggers the nitrous oxide emissions. In order to avoid the peaks of nitrous oxide emissions, this paper proposes a cascade control configuration by manipulating the dissolved oxygen set-points in the aerobic tanks. This control strategy is combined with ammonia cascade control already applied in the literature. This is performed with the objective to take also into account effluent pollutants and operational costs. In addition, other greenhouse gases emissions sources are also evaluated. Results have been obtained by simulation, using a modified version of Benchmark Simulation Model no. 2, which takes into account greenhouse gases emissions. This is called Benchmark Simulation Model no. 2 Gas. The results show that the proposed control strategies are able to reduce by 29.86% of nitrous oxide emissions compared to the default control strategy, while maintaining a satisfactory trade-off between water quality and costs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Operational safety of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanguy, P.

1987-01-01

The operational safety of nuclear power plants has become an important safety issue since the Chernobyl accident. A description is given of the various aspects of operational safety, including the importance of human factors, responsibility, the role and training of the operator, the operator-machine interface, commissioning and operating procedures, experience feedback, and maintenance. The lessons to be learnt from Chernobyl are considered with respect to operator errors and the management of severe accidents. Training of personnel, operating experience feedback, actions to be taken in case of severe accidents, and international cooperation in the field of operational safety, are also discussed. (U.K.)

Development of the mobile manipulator for inspection and maintenance in nuclear power plants and application of the modul devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohmichi, Takeo; Hosaka, Shigetaka; Nishihara, Masatoshi; Nakayama, Junji; Sato, Masatoshi

1986-01-01

In nuclear power stations, remote operation devices have been positively developed and applied, thus largely contributed to the reduction of the radiation exposure of workers. However, when requirements are diversified, the number of devices increases, and their management becomes complicated. The largest obstacle to the adaption of versatile robots in nuclear power stations is the environmental condition, and the small size for narrow space and the capability to withstand severe temperature, humidity and radiation must be ensured with high reliability. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. carried out the development of the manipulator for light works, which takes early counter-measures to the abnormality during operation, for five years as the subsidized project by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry. This robot is composed of a slave robot working in vessels and the central control system. The slave robot comprises a modular manipulator arm, the slave controller, a running carriage and the three-dimensional visual system. The components of the central control system are connected with optical fibers. The features and function and applicability of this manipulator are described. (Kako, I.)

Commissioning and Operational Experience in Power Reactor Fuel Reprocessing Plant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pradhan, S., E-mail: spradhan@barctara.gov.in [Tarapur Based Reprocessing Plant, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Tarapur (India)

2014-10-15

After completing design, construction, commissioning, operation and maintenance experience of the reprocessing plants at Tarapur, Mumbai and Kalpakkam a new reprocessing plant is commissioned and put into operation at BARC, Tarapur since 2011. Subsequent to construction clearance, commissioning of the plant is taken in many steps with simultaneous review by design and safety committees. In spite of vast experience, all the staff was retrained in various aspects of process and utility operations and in operation of innovative changes incorporated in the design. Operating personnel are licensed through an elaborate procedure consisting of various check lists followed by personnel interview. Commissioning systems were divided in sub-systems. Sub-systems were commissioned independently and later integrated testing was carried out. For commissioning, extreme operating conditions were identified in consultation with designers and detailed commissioning procedures were made accordingly. Commissioning was done in different conditions to ensure safety, smooth operation and maintainability. Few modifications were carried out based on commissioning experience. Technical specifications for operation of the plant are made in consultation with designers and reviewed by safety committees. Operation of the plant was carried out after successful commissioning trials with Deep Depleted Uranium (DDU). Emergency operating procedures for each design basis accident were made. Performance of various systems, subsystems are quite satisfactory and the plant has given very good capacity factor. (author)

Increase of hydroelectric power plant operation reliability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koshumbaev, M.B.

2006-01-01

The new design of the turbine of hydroelectric power plant (HPP) is executed in the form of a pipe with plates. Proposed solution allows increasing the hydroelectric power plant capacity at existing head and water flow. At that time the HPP turbine reliability is increase, its operation performances are improving. Design efficiency is effective mostly for small-scale and micro-HPP due to reliable operation, low-end technology, and harmless ecological application. (author)

Typical IAEA operations at a fuel fabrication plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morsy, S.

1984-01-01

The IAEA operations performed at a typical Fuel Fabrication Plant are explained. To make the analysis less general the case of Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) Fuel Fabrication Plants is considered. Many of the conclusions drawn from this analysis could be extended to other types of fabrication plants. The safeguards objectives and goals at LEU Fuel Fabrication Plants are defined followed by a brief description of the fabrication process. The basic philosophy behind nuclear material stratification and the concept of Material Balance Areas (MBA's) and Key Measurement Points (KMP's) is explained. The Agency operations and verification methods used during physical inventory verifications are illustrated

Improving plant state information for better operational safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Girard, C.; Olivier, E.; Grimaldi, X.

1994-01-01

Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) safety is strongly dependent on components' reliability and particularly on plant state information reliability. This information, used by the plant operators in order to produce appropriate actions, have to be of a high degree of confidence, especially in accidental conditions where safety is threatened. In this perspective, FRAMATOME, EDF and CEA have started a joint research program to prospect different solutions aiming at a better reliability for critical information needed to safety operate the plant. This paper gives the main results of this program and describes the developments that have been made in order to assess reliability of different information systems used in a Nuclear Power Plant. (Author)

Research of the Power Plant Operational Modes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Koismynina Nina M.

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In this article the algorithm of the power plant operational modes research is offered. According to this algorithm the program for the modes analysis and connection power transformers choice is developed. The program can be used as educational means for studying of the power plant electric part, at the same time basic data are provided. Also the program can be used for the analysis of the working power plants modes. Checks of the entered data completeness and a choice correctness of the operational modes are provided in the program; in all cases of a deviation from the correct decisions to the user the relevant information is given.

Operating experience with nuclear power plants 2013; Betriebserfahrungen mit Kernkraftwerken 2013

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anon.

2014-07-01

The VGB Technical Committee 'Nuclear Plant Operation' has been exchanging operating experience about nuclear power plants for more than 30 years. Plant operators from several European countries are participating in the exchange. A report is given on the operating results achieved in 2013, events important to plant safety, special and relevant repair, and retrofit measures from Belgium, Germany, Finland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Spain. (orig.)

Operation of Finnish nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tossavainen, K.

1991-08-01

In the Quarterly Reports on the operation of the Finnish nuclear power plants such events and observations are described relating to nuclear and radiation safety which the Finnish Centre for Radiation and Nuclear Safety considers safety significant. Also other events of general interest are reported. The report also includes a summary of the radiation safety of the plants' workers and the environment, as well as tabulated data on the production and load factors of the plants. The Finnish nuclear power plant units Loviisa 1 and 2 as well as TVO I and II were in commercial operation during the whole first quarter of 1991. The load factor average was 99.1 %. Failures have been detected in the uppermost spacing lattices of nuclear fuel bundles removed from the Loviisa nuclear reactors. Further investigations into the significance of the failures have been initiated. In this quarter, renewed cooling systems for the instrumentation area were introduced at Loviisa 1. The modifications made in the systems serve to ensure reliable cooling of the area even during the hottest summer months when the possibility exists that the temperature of the automation equipment could rise too high causing malfunctions which could endanger plant safety. Occupational radiation doses and external releases of radioactivity were below prescribed limits in this quarter. Only small amounts of radioactive substances originating in nuclear power plants were detected in samples taken in the vicinity of nuclear power plants

Integrated Life Cycle Management: A Strategy for Plants to Extend Operating Lifetimes Safely with High Operational Reliability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Esselman, Thomas; Bruck, Paul; Mengers, Charles

2012-01-01

Nuclear plant operators are studying the possibility of extending their existing generating facilities operating lifetime to 60 years and beyond. Many nuclear plants have been granted licenses to operate their facilities beyond the original 40 year term; however, in order to optimize the long term operating strategies, plant decision-makers need a consistent approach to support their options. This paper proposes a standard methodology to support effective decision-making for the long-term management of selected station assets. Methods detailed are intended to be used by nuclear plant site management, equipment reliability personnel, long term planners, capital asset planners, license renewal staff, and others that intend to look at operation between the current time and the end of operation. This methodology, named Integrated Life Cycle Management (ILCM), will provide a technical basis to assist decision makers regarding the timing of large capital investments required to get to the end of operation safely and with high plant reliability. ILCM seeks to identify end of life cycle failure probabilities for individual plant large capital assets and attendant costs associated with their refurbishment or replacement. It will provide a standard basis for evaluation of replacement and refurbishment options for these components. ILCM will also develop methods to integrate the individual assets over the entire plant thus assisting nuclear plant decision-makers in their facility long term operating strategies. (author)

Planning Robotic Manipulation Strategies for Sliding Objects

Science.gov (United States)

Peshkin, Michael A.

Automated planning of grasping or manipulation requires an understanding of both the physics and the geometry of manipulation, and a representation of that knowledge which facilitates the search for successful strategies. We consider manipulation on a level conveyor belt or tabletop, on which a part may slide when touched by a robot. Manipulation plans for a given part must succeed in the face of two types of uncertainty: that of the details of surfaces in contact, and that of the initial configuration of the part. In general the points of contact between the part and the surface it slides on will be unknown, so the motion of the part in response to a push cannot be predicted exactly. Using a simple variational principle (which is derived), we find the set of possible motions of a part for a given push, for all collections of points of contact. The answer emerges as a locus of centers of rotation (CORs). Manipulation plans made using this locus will succeed despite unknown details of contact. Results of experimental tests of the COR loci are presented. Uncertainty in the initial configuration of a part is usually also present. To plan in the presence of uncertainty, configuration maps are defined, which map all configurations of a part before an elementary operation to all possible outcomes, thus encapsulating the physics and geometry of the operation. The configuration map for an operation sequence is a product of configuration maps of elementary operations. Using COR loci we compute configuration maps for elementary sliding operations. Appropriate search techniques are applied to find operation sequences which succeed in the presence of uncertainty in the initial configuration and unknown details of contact. Such operation sequences may be used as parts feeder designs or as manipulation or grasping strategies for robots. As an example we demonstrate the automated design of a class of passive parts feeders consisting of multiple sequential fences across a conveyor

Kursk ASSET brings praise for plant operators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-01-01

An Assessment of Safety Significant Events Team (ASSET) from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) visited Kursk on 19-31 July 1992 - the first time such a group had been to a RBMK reactor site. Kursk is a four unit station and the IAEA Team was able to consider safety significant events over its 45 reactor-year history. all four units have good operating records, with lifetime load factors of 70-80%. The ASSET's aim was to consider the plants current safety provisions for prevention of accidents and incidents. ASSET recommendations may cover the design and operability of the plant, personnel or operating procedures. At Kursk the Team found that ''highly qualified plant management and a very dedicated and knowledgeable operating staff'' was a major asset. They found a sound maintenance programme although some aspects of the facility appeared neglected. This was attributed to Russian industrial priorities that focused on functionality rather than appearance. it was in the test and maintenance personnel that the ASSET mission found the safety culture weakest. Some of their recommendations are reported in this article. (Author)

Quality assurance during operation of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-01-01

The general requirements applicable to the quality assurance of the Finnish nuclear power plants are presented in the Council of State Decision (395/91) and in the guide YVL 1.4. This guide specifies the quality assurance requirements to be applied during the operation of the nuclear power plants as well as of the other nuclear facilities. Quality assurance applies to all the activities and organizations with a bearing on the safe operation of the nuclear power plants. (5 refs.)

Operation of Finnish nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tossavainen, K.

1991-02-01

During the third quarter of 1990 the Finnish nuclear power plant units Loviisa 1 and 2 and TVO I and II were in commercial operation for most of the time. The annual maintenance outages of the Loviisa plant units were held during the report period. All events during this quarter are classified as Level hero (Below Scale) on the International Nuclear Event Scale. Occupational radiation doses and external releases of radioactivity were below authorised limits. Only small amounts of radioactive substances originating in nuclear power plants were detected in samples taken in the vicinity of nuclear power plants

Computer control of a multi-link manipulator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holt, J.E.; Thiruarooran, C.

1988-01-01

The Central Electricity Generating Board has a requirement for a manipulator which can deploy to its work location around obstacles. A multilink manipulator has been designed for this purpose. A computer control system designed to ease manipulator operation is described. Using the control program, the manipulator may be deployed using just 2 joysticks. Experience in the use of the program with an inspection manipulator at Sizewell 'A' Nuclear Power Station is discussed. When used to control a manipulator of 9 hydraulically actuated degrees of freedom, a control accuracy of about 1.5% of full extension has been achieved. (author)

Operator involvement in plant decision making and self-assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dugwyler, R.L.

1993-04-01

The Fast Flux Test Facility has a history of innovation that goes beyond mere compliance with DOE Conduct of Operations. This innovation fosters excellence at all levels of daily operations. Consistent operator input into management decision making and self-assessment has helped to produce an Operations staff that is proud and professional. A group of operators drafted the Fast Flux Test Facility Operations Professional Code, which serves as a benchmark for excellence. Operator committees have proposed changes as varied as the twelve hour rotating shift schedule, a streamlined reactor operator qualification program and an improved new hire training process. The changes succeeded because they had widespread operator acceptance. Similar committees have initiated staffing and qualification changes to help Operations cope with transforming the plant from an operating to a standby status. Standing committees such as the Operations Review Team (1985 to 1988) and the Operations Performance Enhancement Committee (1990 to present) have provided operators with an independent review of root causes and corrective actions to events. This occurs both for in-plant and other DOE facility events, through a Lessons Learned Program. The committees have also had open-quotes management's earclose quotes regarding suggestions for improving safety, efficiency and operator performance. As the Fast Flux Test Facility goes from an operating plant to a plant in standby, one of the primary changes will be to maintain operator interest in continual improvement. The Operations Performance Enhancement Committee can assist in this pursuit -- a pursuit of excellence. The purpose of this paper is to relate the successes of operator involvement at the Fast Flux Test Facility from the viewpoint of an Operations Engineer

Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Commissioning and Operation (Spanish Edition)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2012-01-01

This publication is a revision of Safety Requirements No. NS-R-2, Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Operation, and has been extended to cover the commissioning stage. It describes the requirements to be met to ensure the safe operation of nuclear power plants. Over recent years there have been developments in areas such as long term operation, plant ageing, periodic safety review, probabilistic safety analysis and risk informed decision making processes. It became necessary to revise the IAEA's safety requirements in these areas and to correct and/or improve the publication on the basis of feedback from its application by both the IAEA and its Member States. In addition, the requirements are governed by, and must apply, the safety objective and safety principles that are established in the Fundamental Safety Principles. Contents: 1. Introduction; 2. Safety objectives and principles; 3. The management and organizational structure of the operating organization; 4. Management of operational safety; 5. Operational safety programmes; 6. Plant commissioning; 7. Plant operations; 8. Maintenance, testing, surveillance and inspection; 9. Preparation for decommissioning.

Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Commissioning and Operation (French Edition)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2012-01-01

This publication is a revision of Safety Requirements No. NS-R-2, Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Operation, and has been extended to cover the commissioning stage. It describes the requirements to be met to ensure the safe operation of nuclear power plants. Over recent years there have been developments in areas such as long term operation, plant ageing, periodic safety review, probabilistic safety analysis and risk informed decision making processes. It became necessary to revise the IAEA's safety requirements in these areas and to correct and/or improve the publication on the basis of feedback from its application by both the IAEA and its Member States. In addition, the requirements are governed by, and must apply, the safety objective and safety principles that are established in the Fundamental Safety Principles. Contents: 1. Introduction; 2. Safety objectives and principles; 3. The management and organizational structure of the operating organization; 4. Management of operational safety; 5. Operational safety programmes; 6. Plant commissioning; 7. Plant operations; 8. Maintenance, testing, surveillance and inspection; 9. Preparation for decommissioning.

Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Commissioning and Operation. Arabic Edition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-01-01

This publication is a revision of Safety Requirements No. NS-R-2, Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Operation, and has been extended to cover the commissioning stage. It describes the requirements to be met to ensure the safe operation of nuclear power plants. Over recent years there have been developments in areas such as long term operation, plant ageing, periodic safety review, probabilistic safety analysis and risk informed decision making processes. It became necessary to revise the IAEA's safety requirements in these areas and to correct and/or improve the publication on the basis of feedback from its application by both the IAEA and its Member States. In addition, the requirements are governed by, and must apply, the safety objective and safety principles that are established in the Fundamental Safety Principles. Contents: 1. Introduction; 2. Safety objectives and principles; 3. The management and organizational structure of the operating organization; 4. Management of operational safety; 5. Operational safety programmes; 6. Plant commissioning; 7. Plant operations; 8. Maintenance, testing, surveillance and inspection; 9. Preparation for decommissioning.

Factor best of ALWR features into operating plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strauss, S.D.

1997-01-01

This article describes how many features of advanced light-water reactor designs are applicable to existing plants. While no new plants are being ordered, some advanced features have found their way into existing units and have been incorporated into the design of plants being built overseas. Ironically, two of the advanced light-water reactor (ALWR) plant designs--the ABWR and the System 80+--were finally approved by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) at the end of last year. Yet US utilities are probably further away from ordering a new nuclear unit than they ever have been. But that doesn't make the program irrelevant. Design advances from this program can affect the economics of nuclear power at a time when owner/operators are striving to compete in a less restrictive market for generation. Advances that can be considered by operating plants emanate from two major programs: (1) the standard plant designs which began in the late 1970s and (2) the ALWR program which sought--successfully, although it took a decade--to precertify designs and lessen the licensing burden on those contemplating a new unit. By using proven technology to simplify plants with higher design margins and enhanced safety features, the ALWR program's goal was to make new plants less expensive, safer, and easier to operate and maintain than their predecessors

Application of model based control to robotic manipulators

Science.gov (United States)

Petrosky, Lyman J.; Oppenheim, Irving J.

1988-01-01

A robot that can duplicate humam motion capabilities in such activities as balancing, reaching, lifting, and moving has been built and tested. These capabilities are achieved through the use of real time Model-Based Control (MBC) techniques which have recently been demonstrated. MBC accounts for all manipulator inertial forces and provides stable manipulator motion control even at high speeds. To effectively demonstrate the unique capabilities of MBC, an experimental robotic manipulator was constructed, which stands upright, balancing on a two wheel base. The mathematical modeling of dynamics inherent in MBC permit the control system to perform functions that are impossible with conventional non-model based methods. These capabilities include: (1) Stable control at all speeds of operation; (2) Operations requiring dynamic stability such as balancing; (3) Detection and monitoring of applied forces without the use of load sensors; (4) Manipulator safing via detection of abnormal loads. The full potential of MBC has yet to be realized. The experiments performed for this research are only an indication of the potential applications. MBC has no inherent stability limitations and its range of applicability is limited only by the attainable sampling rate, modeling accuracy, and sensor resolution. Manipulators could be designed to operate at the highest speed mechanically attainable without being limited by control inadequacies. Manipulators capable of operating many times faster than current machines would certainly increase productivity for many tasks.

Analysis of the options - rationale for servomanipulator maintenance in future reprocessing plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Herndon, J.N.; Hamel, W.R.

1984-04-01

The currently available maintenance systems which can be applied, in various combinations, to large-volume in-cell maintenance operations are: (1) contact, (2) overhead cranes, (3) power manipulators, (4) mechanical master/slave manipulators, and (5) servomanipulators. The requirements for reprocessing plant maintenance are reviewed, and the capabilities of remote maintenance systems are described. A basic trade-off analysis of these remote maintenance systems considering reprocessing plant requirements is given. Justification is given for selecting the overhead crane/servomanipulator-based maintenance concept as the option most desirable for future large reprocessing plant maintenance. 23 references, 6 tables

Evaluation of nuclear power plant operator's ability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wei Li; He Xuhong; Zhao Bingquan

2004-01-01

Based on the quantitative research on nuclear power plant (NPP) operator's psychological characteristics and performance, the Borda's method of fuzzy mathematics combined with the character of operator's task is used to evaluate their abilities. The result provides the reference for operator's reliability research and psychological evaluation. (author)

The safety approach in the operation of EDF power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bertron, L.; Mira, J.J.

1988-01-01

To get a view on what is involved in maintaining a high level of safety in the operation of EdF nuclear power plants, it may be recalled that in 1987, 76 % of the EdF production was nuclear. The nuclear plants include thirty-four standard PWR 900 plants, fourteen PWR 1300 plants, the 305 MW SENA PWR, the four 500 MW GCR: CHINON A3 plant, St-LAURENT A1 (390 MW), A2 (450 MW) and BUGEY 1 (540 MW), the 233 MW PHENIX fast breeder reactor and the CREYS-MALVILLE 1200 MW fast breeder reactor, now being prepared for a new startup after the 1987 incident. So the importance of a safe operation of this investment is considerable for EdF, which is the designer, owner, industrial architect and operator. According to the French regulations, EdF is responsible for the safe operation of its power plants. A considerable human component is also at stake, as the safe operation of plants implies all the personnel to varying degrees. There are 15,000 such employees, all of whom have to be trained, competent and motivated. The operation of this system for 340 reactor-years has to-date resulted in no incident of any significant impact on the environment. Right from the start, safety in operation has always been an essential and clearly stated priority. Among other lessons the Three-Mile Island and Chernobyl accidents have reinforced the conviction that the human factors, the man-machine interface, and the safety culture were determining elements. With forty-eigh PWR plants in service, the problem is to maintain safe operation of a system now running at cruising speed, but also including some units (particularly the GCRs) that must be prepared for decommissioning. In addition EDF has to demonstrate the safe operations of CREYS MALVILLE, fast breeder reactor

Remote telerobotic replacement for master-slave manipulator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heckendorn, F.M.; Iverson, D.C.; LaValle, D.R.

1997-01-01

A remotely replaceable telerobotic manipulator (TRM) has been developed and deployed at the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) in support of its radioactive operation. The TRM replaces a Master-Slave Manipulator (MSM). The TRM is in use for both routine and recovery operations for the radioactive waste vitrification melter, the primary production device within the DWPF. The arm was designed for deployment and operation using an existing MSM penetration. This replacement of an existing MSM with a high power robotic device demonstrates the capability to perform similar replacement in other operating facilities. The MSM's were originally deployed in the DWPF to perform routine light capacity tasks. During the testing phase of the DWPF, prior to its radioactive startup in 5/96, the need to remove glass deposits that can form at the melter discharge during filling of glass containment canisters was identified. The combination of high radiation and contamination in the DWPF melter cell during radioactive operation eliminated personnel entry as a recovery option. Therefore remote cleaning methods had to be devised. The MSM's had neither the reach nor the strength required for this task. It became apparent that a robust manipulator arm would be required for recovery from these potential melter discharge pluggage events. The existing wall penetrations, used for the MSM's, could not be altered for seismic and radiological reasons. The new manipulator was required to be of considerable reach, due to existing physical layout, and strength, due to the glass removal requirement. Additionally, the device would have to compatible with high radiation and remote crane installation. The physical size of the manipulator and the weight of components must be consistent with the existing facilities. It was recognized early-on that a manipulator of sufficient strength to recover from a pluggage event would require robotic functions to constrain undesirable motions

Simulation of robot manipulators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kress, R.L.; Babcock, S.M.; Bills, K.C.; Kwon, D.S.; Schoenwald, D.A.

1995-01-01

This paper describes Oak Ridge National Laboratory's development of an environment for the simulation of robotic manipulators. Simulation includes the modeling of kinematics, dynamics, sensors, actuators, control systems, operators, and environments. Models will be used for manipulator design, proposal evaluation, control system design and analysis, graphical preview of proposed motions, safety system development, and training. Of particular interest is the development of models for robotic manipulators having at least one flexible link. As a first application, models have been developed for the Pacific Northwest Laboratories' Flexible Beam Testbed which is a one-Degree-Of-Freedom, flexible arm with a hydraulic base actuator. Initial results show good agreement between model and experiment

Role of conceptual models in nuclear power plant operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Williams, M.D.; Moran, T.P.; Brown, J.S.

1982-01-01

A crucial objective in plant operation (and perhaps licensing) ought to be to explicitly train operators to develop, perhaps with computer aids, robust conceptual models of the plants they control. The question is whether we are actually able to develop robust conceptual models and validate their robustness. Cognitive science is just beginning to come to grips with this problem. This paper describes some of the evolving technology for building conceptual models of physical mechanisms and some of the implications of such models in the context of nuclear power plant operation

Radioprotection planned operation to deactivate an old fabrication plant of UO{sub 2} pellets in IPEN-CNEN/SP to perform decommissioning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cambises, Paulo B.S.; Paiva, Julio Evangelista de; Almeida, Claudio C.; Silva, Teresinha M.; Rodrigues, Demerval L. [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)]. E-mails: cambises@ipen.br; jepaiva@ipen.br; calmeida@ipen.br; tmsilva@ipen.br; dlrodri@ipen.br

2007-07-01

In this work, the steps adopted in the operation planned for the deactivation of the previous plant (building 24), to manufacture the tablets of dioxide of Uranium of the Nuclear and Energy Research Institute, IPEN - CNEN/SP are shown, with decommissioning aims. This operation involved the planning, training the operators of the installation, radiometric analysis of the workstations and surveys for monitoring external radiation, contaminated surfaces and air contamination . The training involved the procedures for the manipulation of radioactive materials, decontamination of surfaces, segregation of materials and practical procedures for monitoring the individual surface body contamination, footwear and clothes. Procedures for the transport of radioactive materials had also been established, relative to the internal rules of the installation; provisory confinement of wastes; effluent, riddance of materials and finding areas free of contamination. (author)

Advanced maintenance strategies for power plant operators--introducing inter-plant life cycle management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Graeber, Ulrich

2004-01-01

One of the most important goals of competing power plant operators is to ensure safe operation of their plants, characterized by maximum availability throughout the entire life cycle and minimized specific generating costs. One parameter crucial to the total price of electricity--and one that can be actively influenced by the power plant operators--is maintenance. Up to 30% of all electricity generating costs accrue from maintenance. In the past years maintenance measures have been optimized particularly by the application and continuing development of testing and diagnostic techniques, by the increased level of system and component automation as well as more efficient organization structures. Despite the considerable success of these efforts, the potential for further cost reductions is still far from exhausted. But the risks connected to reliability, availability and safety need to be analyzed in greater detail in order to ensure the sustainability of the savings already achieved as well as those yet to be realized. The systematic application of condition-based maintenance and the implementation of structured life cycle management are essential requirements. An inter-plant approach is recommended to make a quick implementation of maintenance optimization potentials possible. Plant-specific improvement potentials can be established with the help of a best-practice comparison, and measures and priorities can be defined for realizing them. Creating an inter-plant database will allow experience and findings to be analyzed quickly and efficiently by experts and made available to all participants on a neutral platform. Despite--or maybe owing to--the increasingly competitive marketplace, a sustained reduction in the maintenance costs of power plant operators can only be achieved through a structured, inter-plant exchange of experience. The ZES offers the industry a suitable platform for cooperation with its 'Condition-Based Maintenance' research focus. The introduction

Operation of Finnish nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tossavainen, K.

1994-03-01

In the third quarter of 1993, all of Finland's four nuclear power plant units were in power operation, with the exception of the annual maintenance outages of the Loviisa units. The load factor average of the plant units was 83.6 %. None of the events which occurred during this annual quarter had any bearing on nuclear or radiation safety. (4 figs., 5 tabs.)

20 years' operation of the Rheinsberg nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lehmann, R.; Quasniczka, H.; Fiss, W.; Hentschel, G.; Schulz, K.D.

1986-01-01

After a 20 years' operation of the Rheinsberg nuclear power plant a review of the operating results achieved, performance of the main equipment, research and development works performed, and experience gained with education and training of plant staff is given. (author)

Conduct of Operations at Nuclear Power Plants. Safety Guide (Spanish Edition)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2012-01-01

This Safety Guide identifies the main responsibilities and practices of nuclear power plant (NPP) operations departments in relation to their responsibility for the safe functioning of the plant. The guide presents the factors to be considered in structuring the operations department of an NPP; setting high standards of performance; making safety related decisions in an effective manner; conducting control room and field activities in a thorough and professional manner; and maintaining an NPP within established operational limits and conditions. Contents: 1. Introduction; 2. Management and organization of plant operations; 3. Shift complement and functions; 4. Shift routines and operating practices; 5. Control of equipment and plant status; 6. Operations equipment and operator aids; 7. Work control and authorization.

Use of computer codes to improve nuclear power plant operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Misak, J.; Polak, V.; Filo, J.; Gatas, J.

1985-01-01

For safety and economic reasons, the scope for carrying out experiments on operational nuclear power plants (NPPs) is very limited and any changes in technical equipment and operating parameters or conditions have to be supported by theoretical calculations. In the Nuclear Power Plant Scientific Research Institute (NIIAEhS), computer codes are systematically used to analyse actual operating events, assess safety aspects of changes in equipment and operating conditions, optimize the conditions, preparation and analysis of NPP startup trials and review and amend operating instructions. In addition, calculation codes are gradually being introduced into power plant computer systems to perform real time processing of the parameters being measured. The paper describes a number of specific examples of the use of calculation codes for the thermohydraulic analysis of operating and accident conditions aimed at improving the operation of WWER-440 units at the Jaslovske Bohunice V-1 and V-2 nuclear power plants. These examples confirm that computer calculations are an effective way of solving operating problems and of further increasing the level of safety and economic efficiency of NPP operation. (author)

Robotic design analysis based on teleoperated manipulator data collection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stoughton, R.S.; Martin, H.L.

1985-01-01

Extensive data collection was performed on a servomanipulator system (TeleOperator Systems SM-229) to determine the motion range and mechanical power usage of the manipulator under direct human control. More than 50 hours of various manipulation operations were performed while joint positions and motor currents were recorded. Reduction of these data yielded histograms of the manipulator usage patterns revealing areas where future manipulator motion ranges and drive systems could be optimized. This report develops a graphical representation of mechanical power usage that relates torque and velocity to the total usage time. Methods of interpreting this representation are discussed and generalized for use in analyzing robotic systems. The resulting technique will allow designers to reevaluate an operating system and determine how to improve that system's design

Operating-procedure system at Savannah River Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tope, C.W.

1981-05-01

Three types of procedures are widely used at SRP: Du Pont Savannah Operating Logsheet, Du Pont Savannah Operating Procedure, and Plant Manual. This document briefly reviews originating of the procedures, their preparation, control, and indexing

Training and qualification of nuclear power plant operators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohsuga, Y.

2008-01-01

Based on training experiences of the nuclear power plant operators of pressurized water reactors (PWR) at the Nuclear Power Training Center Ltd. (NTC) in Japan, training programs were reviewed referring to US training programs. A systematic approach is deployed to them, which mainly consist of on-the-job training and the NTC training courses to meet the needs of all operators from beginners to experienced veterans according to their experiences and objectives. The NTC training is conducted using the simulators that simulate the nuclear power plant dynamics through the use of computers. The operators trained at the NTC work in the central control room of every PWR power plant. The NTC also carries out the qualification examinations for the shift managers. (T. Tanaka)

Reliability research to nuclear power plant operators based on several methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fang Xiang; Li Fu; Zhao Bingquan

2009-01-01

The paper utilizes many kinds of international reliability research methods, and summarizes the review of reliability research of Chinese nuclear power plant operators in past over ten years based on the simulator platform of nuclear power plant. The paper shows the necessity and feasibility of the research to nuclear power plant operators from many angles including human cognition reliability, fuzzy mathematics model and psychological research model, etc. It will be good to the safe operation of nuclear power plant based on many kinds of research methods to the reliability research of nuclear power plant operators. (authors)

A methodology for nuclear power plant operational events evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Araujo, Jeferson

2015-01-01

Operational events are normal occurrences in industrial plants and in nuclear power plants. The evaluation of operational events gains importance when it comes specifically to nuclear power plants due to the proportions that the impact and the consequences of these events may cause to the installation itself, their workers, the external area of the nuclear installation, the environment and to the public in general. These consequences, for the operation of these facilities can range from very little, until the consequences that lead to accidents and can cause significant impacts. Operational events may be associated or have influence in many fields of knowledge, such as operation, maintenance, engineering, Radiological Protection, physical protection, chemistry, Human or Organizational Factors and external events, among others. The accident at the Fukushima Daichi nuclear power plant, shows the importance of exhausting all the studies concerning operational events in order to improve the operational safety of nuclear plants, considering all the causes and possible consequences. In this context, the evaluation of operational events discipline emerges as an important and relevant tool to contribute to the maintenance and/or improvement of the operational safety of nuclear installations. Not without reason the nuclear industry actively participates in programs of exchange of operational experience, where relevant events are thoroughly evaluated and discussed in specific forums, such as power plant operators, regulators and/or joint technical meetings, always with the purpose to prevent, minimize or mitigate its consequences. Any evaluation of operational events passes necessarily by an in-depth study of the circumstances of the event, culminating with the identification of your cause and proposition of corrective actions to prevent recurrence of similar events. Additionally, the events should not be studied individually, but evaluated within a temporal context in order

A methodology for nuclear power plant operational events evaluation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Araujo, Jeferson, E-mail: jeferson@cnen.gov.br [Comissao Nacional de Energia Nuclear (CGRC/CNEN), Rio de janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Coordenacao Geral de Reatores e do Ciclo de Combustivel; Costa, Sergio Dias, E-mail: sergiodiascosta@hotmail.com [Instituto de Engenharia Nuclear (IEN/CNEN-RJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2015-07-01

Operational events are normal occurrences in industrial plants and in nuclear power plants. The evaluation of operational events gains importance when it comes specifically to nuclear power plants due to the proportions that the impact and the consequences of these events may cause to the installation itself, their workers, the external area of the nuclear installation, the environment and to the public in general. These consequences, for the operation of these facilities can range from very little, until the consequences that lead to accidents and can cause significant impacts. Operational events may be associated or have influence in many fields of knowledge, such as operation, maintenance, engineering, Radiological Protection, physical protection, chemistry, Human or Organizational Factors and external events, among others. The accident at the Fukushima Daichi nuclear power plant, shows the importance of exhausting all the studies concerning operational events in order to improve the operational safety of nuclear plants, considering all the causes and possible consequences. In this context, the evaluation of operational events discipline emerges as an important and relevant tool to contribute to the maintenance and/or improvement of the operational safety of nuclear installations. Not without reason the nuclear industry actively participates in programs of exchange of operational experience, where relevant events are thoroughly evaluated and discussed in specific forums, such as power plant operators, regulators and/or joint technical meetings, always with the purpose to prevent, minimize or mitigate its consequences. Any evaluation of operational events passes necessarily by an in-depth study of the circumstances of the event, culminating with the identification of your cause and proposition of corrective actions to prevent recurrence of similar events. Additionally, the events should not be studied individually, but evaluated within a temporal context in order

Unmanned operation of Hydro Power Plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Regula, E.

2008-01-01

Intentions to launch unmanned operation are no news, the very first occurred in Hydro Power Plants (HPP) at the time when the first computer technology was implemented into process of power generation, i.e. no later than in 1960 s . ENEL entering Slovenske elektrarne not only revived but significantly accelerated the implementation process of unmanned operation. Experience of ENEL says that unmanned operation means better reliability of the HPP and this is the priority. (author)

ESCRIME: testing bench for advanced operator workstations in future plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poujol, A.; Papin, B.

1994-01-01

The problem of optimal task allocation between man and computer for the operation of nuclear power plants is of major concern for the design of future plants. As the increased level of automation induces the modification of the tasks actually devoted to the operator in the control room, it is very important to anticipate these consequences at the plant design stage. The improvement of man machine cooperation is expected to play a major role in minimizing the impact of human errors on plant safety. The CEA has launched a research program concerning the evolution of the plant operation in order to optimize the efficiency of the human/computer systems for a better safety. The objective of this program is to evaluate different modalities of man-machine share of tasks, in a representative context. It relies strongly upon the development of a specific testing facility, the ESCRIME work bench, which is presented in this paper. It consists of an EDF 1300MWe PWR plant simulator connected to an operator workstation. The plant simulator model presents at a significant level of details the instrumentation and control of the plant and the main connected circuits. The operator interface is based on the generalization of the use of interactive graphic displays, and is intended to be consistent to the tasks to be performed by the operator. The functional architecture of the workstation is modular, so that different cooperation mechanisms can be implemented within the same framework. It is based on a thorough analysis and structuration of plant control tasks, in normal as well as in accident situations. The software architecture design follows the distributed artificial intelligence approach. Cognitive agents cooperate in order to operate the process. The paper presents the basic principles and the functional architecture of the test bed and describes the steps and the present status of the program. (author)

Operation of Finnish nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tossavainen, K.

1992-03-01

The Finnish nuclear power plant units Loviisa 1 and 2 as well as TVO I and II were in operation for almost the whole third quarter of 1991. Longer interruptions in electricity generation were caused by the annual maintenances of the Loviisa plant units. The load factor average was 81.7 %. In a test conducted during the annual maintenance outage of Loviisa 1 it was detected that the check valve of the discharge line of one pressurized emergency make-up tank did not open sufficiently at the tank's hydrostatic pressure. In connection with a 1988 modification, a too tightly dimensioned bearing had been mounted on the valve's axle rod and the valve had not been duly tested after the operation. The event is classified as Level 1 on the International Nuclear Event Scale. Other events in this quarter which are classified according to the International Nuclear Event Scale are Level Zero (Below Scale). Occupational radiation doses and releases of radioactive material off-site were below authorised limits in this quarter. Only small amounts of radioactive materials originating in nuclear power plants were detected in samples taken in the vicinity of nuclear power plants

Overview of plant life management for long term operation in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, K.S.; Vincze, P.; Bychkov, A.

2014-01-01

Many IAEA member states have given high priority to licensing their nuclear power plants to operate for terms longer than the time frame originally anticipated (generally 40 years). The task of managing plant ageing is assigned in most member states to an engineering specialty called 'plant life management' (PLiM) applying a systematic analysis methodology to System Structure Components (SSCs) ageing. In many countries, the safety performance of nuclear power plants is periodically assessed and characterized via the periodic safety review (PSR) process. Regulatory review and acceptance of PSRs constitutes for these countries the licensing requirement for continued operation of the plant to the following PSR cycle (usually 10 years). In the USA and in other countries operating US designed plants, instead of PSR process, a license renewal application (LRA) process is followed, which requires certain prerequisites such as ageing management programs, particularly for passive irreplaceable SSCs. Active components are normally addressed via the maintenance rule (MR) requirements and other established regulatory processes. A third group of member states have adopted a combined approach that incorporates elements of both the PSR process and selected LRA specific requirements, such as time limited ageing analysis. The article ends with some IAEA recommendations for the implementation of national PLiM programs

Operation of Finnish nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reponen, H.; Viitasaari, O.

1985-09-01

These general reviews of the operation of the Finnish nuclear power plants concentrate on such events and discoveries related to reactor and radiation safety that the regulatory body, the Finnish Centre for Radiation and Nuclear Safety, regards as significant. In the report period, no event essentially degraded plant safety nor posed a radiation hazard to the personnel or the environment. The report also includes a summary of the radiation safety of the personnel and the environment and tabulated data on the production and capacity factors of the plants. (author)

Operation of Finnish nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-04-01

This general review of the operation of the Finnish nuclear power plants concentrates on such events and discoveries related to nuclear and radiation safety as the regulatory body, the Finnish Centre for Radiation and Nuclear Safety, regards as noteworthy. The report also includes a summary of the radiation safety of the personnel and the environment, as well as tubulated data on the production and load factors of the plants. In the report period, no event essentially degraded plant safety nor posed a radiation hazard to the personnel or the environment

Operation of Finnish nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lehtinen, P.

1986-08-01

These general reviews of the operation of the Finnish nuclear power plants concentrate on such events and discoveries related to reactor and radiation safety that the regulatory body, the Finnish Centre for Radiation and Nuclear Safety, regards as noteworthy. The report also includes a summary of the radiation safety of the personnel and the environment, as well as tabulated data on the production and load factors of the plants. In the report period, no event essentially degraded plant safety nor posed a radiation hazard to the personnel or the environment. (author)

Operation of Finnish nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reponen, H.; Viitasaari, O.; Lehtinen, P.

1985-11-01

These general reviews of the operation of the Finnish nuclear power plants concentrate on such events and discoveries related to reactor and radiation safety that the regulatory body, the Finnish Centre for Radiation and Nuclear Safety, regards as significant. In the report period, no event essentially degraded plant safety nor posed a radiation hazard to the personnel or the environment. The report also includes a summary of the radiation safety of the personnel and the environment and tabulated data on the production and load factors of the plants. (author)

Operation of Finnish nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heimburger, H.

1988-08-01

This general review of the operation of the Finnish nuclear power plants concentrates on such events and discoveries related to nuclear and radiation safety as the regulatory body, the Finnish Centre for Radiation and Nuclear Safety, regards as noteworthy. The report also includes a summary of the radiation safety of the personnel and the environment, as well as tabulated data on the production and load factors of the plants. In the report period, no event essentially degraded plant safety nor posed a radiation hazard to the personnel or the environment

Operation of Finnish nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ottosson, C.

1989-05-01

This general review of the operation of the Finnish nuclear power plants concentrates on such events and discoveries related to nuclear and radiation safety as the regulatory body, the Finnish Centre for Radiation and Nuclear Safety, regards as noteworthy. The report also includes a summary of the radiation safety of the personnel and the environment, as well as tabulated data on the production and load factors of the plants. In the report period, no event essentially degraded plant safety nor posed a radiation hazard to the personnel or the environment

Operation of Finnish nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haenninen, R.; Koponen, H.; Nevander, O.; Paltemaa, R.; Poellaenen, I.; Rannila, P.; Valtonen, K.; Vilkamo, O.

1988-02-01

This general review of the operation of the Finnish nuclear power plants concentrates on such events and discoveries related to nuclear and radiation safety as the regulatory body, the Finnish Centre for Radiation and Nuclear Safety, regards as noteworthy. The report also includes a summary of the radiation safety of the personnel and the environment, as well as tabulated data on the production and load factors of the plants. In the report period, no event essentially degraded plant safety nor posed a radiation hazard to the personnel or the environment

Operation of Finnish nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haenninen, R.

1988-09-01

This general review of the operation of the Finnish nuclear power plants concentrates on such events and discoveries related to nuclear and radiation safety as the regulatory body, the Finnish Centre for Radiation and Nuclear Safety, regards as noteworthy. The report also includes a summary of the radiation safety of the personnel and the environment, as well as tabulated data on the production and load factors of the plants. In the report period, no event essentially degraded plant safety nor posed a radiation hzard to the personnel or the environment

Plant operational states analysis in low power and shutdown PSA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

He Jiandong; Qiu Yongping; Zhang Qinfang; An Hongzhen; Li Maolin

2013-01-01

The purpose of Plant Operational States (POS) analysis is to disperse the continuous and dynamic process of low power and shutdown operation, which is the basis of developing event tree models for accident sequence analysis. According to the design of a 300 MW Nuclear Power Plant Project, operating experience and procedures of the reference plant, a detailed POS analysis is carried out based on relative criteria. Then, several kinds of POS are obtained, and the duration of each POS is calculated according to the operation records of the reference plant. The POS analysis is an important element in low power and shutdown PSA. The methodology and contents provide reference for POS analysis. (authors)

Development of a computerized operator support system for BWR power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Monta, K.; Sekimizu, K.; Sato, N.; Araki, T.; Mori, N.

1985-01-01

A computerized operator support system for BWR power plant has been developed since 1980 supported by the Japanese government. The main functions of the systems are post trip operational guidance, disturbance analysis, standby system management, operational margin monitoring and control rod operational guidance. The former two functions aim at protection against incidents during operation of nuclear power plants and the latter three functions aim at their prevention. As the final stage of the development, these functions are combined with the plant supervision function and are organized as an advanced man-machine interface for BWR power plant. During the above process, operator task analyses are performed to enable synthesis of these support functions for right fit to operator tasks and to realize a hierarchical structure for CRT displays for right fit to operators cognitive needs. (author)

Contribution of quality assurance to effective nuclear power plant operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raisic, N.

1984-01-01

The regulatory requirements related to quality assurance (QA) serve as an effective mechanism in establishing and implementing the QA programme during the design, construction and operation of nuclear power plants. However, these requirements only relate to the equipment and activities concerning the safety of nuclear power plants; the decision as to their implementation on other non-safety-related equipment is left to the plant management. As a result, operation statistics show that the safety-related systems are performing satisfactorily and that they are not of serious concern to plant unavailability. On the other hand, non-safety-related equipment which is still vital to plant performances is more frequently responsible for plant outages and losses in electricity production. QA programmes implemented on such equipment are in principle less strict, unsystematic and, in a number of cases, non-existent. An attempt has been made to analyse the existing operating experience data in order to identify the correlation of outage statistics with QA programmes required by existing standards and their implementation practices, both in respect of programme coverage and intensity. Unfortunately, existing operating experience data cannot directly correlate plant performance with the QA programmes implemented in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of QA techniques to plant safety, reliability of plant equipment and plant availability. For these reasons an analysis is made of outage statistics to identify the modes and causes of outages and to relate them to existing QA requirements and practices. Some conclusions are deduced that relate to a possible improvement of plant performance by consequent implementation of QA requirements to the equipment and activities responsible for both plant safety and efficient electricity production, and by adequate grading of QA activities to obtain a cost-effective QA programme in plant operation. (author)

System 80+TM standard plant: Design and operations overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matzie, R.A.; Ritterbusch, S.E.

1999-01-01

The System 80+ Standard Plant Design is a 1400 MWe evolutionary Advanced Light Water Reactor (ALWR), designed to meet the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) ALWR Utility Requirements Document (URD) and the demands of the international market for nuclear power plants which are not only safer but also more economical to maintain and operate. ABB Combustion Engineering Nuclear Power used a defense-in-depth process that (1) adds design margin to basic components to improve performance during normal operation and to decrease the likelihood of an unanticipated transient or an accident, (2) improves the redundancy and diversity of safety systems in order to mitigate design basis accidents and prevent severe accidents, and (3) improves severe accident mitigation capability. This paper describes the most important improved systems and components with emphasis on severe accident prevention and mitigation capability. The improved design features were implemented in an evolutionary manner using proven components. This approach ensures that the plant operates safely and economically, as demonstrated by operating plants in the US and the Republic of Korea. Detailed studies, summarized in this paper, have shown that the System 80+ plant availability is expected to exceed the ALWR requirement of 87% and that the annual operations and maintenance costs are expected to be reduced by $14 million. (author)

MODULAR MANIPULATOR FOR ROBOTICS APPLICATIONS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geisinger, Joseph W. Ph.D.

2001-01-01

ARM Automation, Inc. is developing a FR-amework of modular actuators that can address the DOE's wide range of robotics needs. The objective of this effort is to demonstrate the effectiveness of this technology by constructing a manipulator FR-om these actuators within a glovebox for Automated Plutonium Processing (APP). At the end of the project, the system of actuators was used to construct several different manipulator configurations, which accommodate common glovebox tasks such as repackaging. The modular nature and quickconnects of this system simplify installation into ''hot'' boxes and any potential modifications or repair therein. This work focused on the development of self-contained robotic actuator modules including the embedded electronic controls for the purpose of building a manipulator system. Both of the actuators developed under this project contain the control electronics, sensors, motor, gear train, wiring, system communications and mechanical interfaces of a complete robotics servo device. Test actuators and accompanying DISC(trademark)s underwent validation testing at The University of Texas at Austin and ARM Automation, Inc. following final design and fabrication. The system also included custom links, an umbilical cord, an open architecture PC-based system controller, and operational software that permitted integration into a completely functional robotic manipulator system. The open architecture on which this system is based avoids proprietary interfaces and communication protocols which only serve to limit the capabilities and flexibility of automation equipment. The system was integrated and tested in the contractor's facility for intended performance and operations. The manipulator was tested using the full-scale equipment and process mock-ups. The project produced a practical and operational system including a quantitative evaluation of its performance and cost

Management quality in spanish nuclear power plant operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perez de Zabalza Ramos, F.

1995-01-01

This paper analyzes the reasons that lead nuclear power plants to require engineering support that is not usual in other types of industrial installations, namely the complexity of the plant and the economic consequences of a possible shutdown. At the time of unit startup, the need to use the services of experienced engineers for the technical support of nuclear power plants induced plant owners to turn to the engineering companies which had participated in the design of the plants. The paper lists the wide range of plant support services which these engineering companies can provide, both from their central offices and on site, especially in the field of change orders and documentation update. The paper also describes the satisfactory development of management parameters in Spanish nuclear power plants both in terms of load factor and comparison of operating and maintenance costs, and how engineering companies have contributed to this achievement, by reducing costs with no loss in the technical quality of their services. Finally, the paper describes how the engineering companies have had to adapt to a shrinking market without losing quality and how they achieved this by diversifying their services. In this context there are two areas of concern. the first area of concern is the competition from certain companies with oversized staff, who attempt to employ them in operation support for nuclear power stations, a field which does not correspond to the training and background of said staff. This could lead to a loss of quality or economic efficiency of nuclear power plants, whose operation up to now has proven satisfactory. The second area of concern is the operator's tendency to use their own resources for engineering support, making more difficult the renewal of human resources and thus leading to a decrease in productivity, and in the transfer of practical and theoretical experience from one plant to another, as well as in the transmission of the latest know

Method for plant operation guidance by knowledge engineering technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kiguchi, Takashi; Yoshida, Kenichi; Motoda, Hiroshi; Kobayashi, Setsuo

1983-01-01

A method for plant operation guidance has been developed by using the Knowledge Engineering technique. The method is characterized by its capability of handling plant dynamics. The knowledge-base includes plant simulation programs as tools to evaluate dynamic behaviors as well as production rules of ''if..., then...'' type. The inference engine is thus capable of predicting plant dynamics and making decisions in accordance with time progress. The performance of the guidance method was evaluated by simulation tests assuming various abnormal situations of a BWR power plant. It was shown that the method can detect each of the abnormal events along the course of their occurrence, and provide the guidance for corrective actions. The operation guidance method proposed in this paper is general and is applicable not only to nuclear power plants but also to other plants such as chemical production plants and fossile power plants. (author)

Designing nuclear power plants for improved operation and maintenance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-09-01

The purpose of this publication is to compile demonstrated, experience based design guidelines for improving the operability and maintainability of nuclear power plants. The guidelines are for use principally in the design of new nuclear power plants, but should also be useful in upgrading existing designs. The guidelines derive from the experience of operating and maintaining existing nuclear power plants as well as from the design of recent plants. In particular these guidelines are based on and consistent with both the EPRI advanced Light Water Reactor Utility Requirements Document, Volume 1, and the European Utility Requirements for LWR Nuclear Power Plants. 6 refs, 1 fig

Designing nuclear power plants for improved operation and maintenance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-09-01

The purpose of this publication is to compile demonstrated, experience based design guidelines for improving the operability and maintainability of nuclear power plants. The guidelines are for use principally in the design of new nuclear power plants, but should also be useful in upgrading existing designs. The guidelines derive from the experience of operating and maintaining existing nuclear power plants as well as from the design of recent plants. In particular these guidelines are based on and consistent with both the EPRI advanced Light Water Reactor Utility Requirements Document, Volume 1, and the European Utility Requirements for LWR Nuclear Power Plants. 6 refs, 1 fig.

Expert robots in nuclear plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Byrd, J.S.; Fisher, J.J.; DeVries, K.R.; Martin, T.P.

1987-01-01

Expert robots enhance a safety and operations in nuclear plants. E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Savannah River Laboratory, is developing expert mobile robots for deployment in nuclear applications at the Savannah River Plant. Knowledge-based expert systems are being evaluated to simplify operator control, to assist in navigation and manipulation functions, and to analyze sensory information. Development work using two research vehicles is underway to demonstrate semiautonomous, intelligence, expert robot system operation in process areas. A description of the mechanical equipment, control systems, and operating modes is presented, including the integration of onboard sensors. A control hierarchy that uses modest computational methods is being used to allow mobile robots to autonomously navigate and perform tasks in known environments without the need for large computer systems

Expert robots in nuclear plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Byrd, J.S.; Fisher, J.J.; DeVries, K.R.; Martin, T.P.

1987-01-01

Expert robots will enhance safety and operations in nuclear plants. E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Savannah River Laboratory, is developing expert mobile robots for deployment in nuclear applications at the Savannah River Plant. Knowledge-based expert systems are being evaluated to simplify operator control, to assist in navigation and manipulation functions, and to analyze sensory information. Development work using two research vehicles is underway to demonstrate semiautonomous, intelligent, expert robot system operation in process areas. A description of the mechanical equipment, control systems, and operating modes is presented, including the integration of onboard sensors. A control hierarchy that uses modest computational methods is being used to allow mobile robots to autonomously navigate and perform tasks in known environments without the need for large computer systems

Designing for nuclear power plant maintainability and operability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pedersen, T.J.

1998-01-01

Experience has shown that maintenance and operability aspects must be addressed in the design work. ABB Atom has since long an ambition of achieving optimised, overall plant designs, and efficient feedback of growing operating experience has stepwise eliminated shortcomings, and yielded better and better plant operating performances. The records of the plants of the latest design versions are very good; four units in Sweden have operated at an energy availability of 90.1%, and the two Olkiluoto units in Finland at a load factor of 92.7%, over the last decade. The occupational radiation exposures have also been at a low level. The possibilities for implementing 'lessons learned' in existing plants are obviously limited by practical constraints. In Finland and Sweden, significant modernisations are still underway, however, involving replacement of mechanical equipment, and upgrading and backfitting of I and C systems on a large scale, in most of the plants. The BWR 90 design focuses on meeting requirements from utilities as well as new regulatory requirements, with a particular emphasis on the consequences of severe accidents; there shall be no large releases to the environment. Other design improvements involve: all-digital I and C systems and enhanced human factors engineering to improve work environment for operators, optimisation of buildings and containment to decrease construction time and costs, and selection of materials as well as maintenance of operating procedures to reduce radiation exposures even further. The BWR 90 design was offered to Finland in the early 1990s, but development work continues. It has been selected by a number of European utilities for assessing its conformance with the European Utility Requirements (EUR), aiming at a specific EUR Volume 3 for the BWR 90. Some characteristics of the ABB BWRs, with emphasis on features of importance for achieving improved economy and enhanced safety, are described below. (author)

Management control and quality assurance during plant operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Modemann, G.; Ettemeyer, R.; Stephan, W.

1980-01-01

The present paper deals with basic aspects of quality assurance for owners of nuclear power plants, with quality assurance for plant operation and with consequences from KTA regulatory requirements. (RW)

Summary of operating experience at Swedish nuclear power plants in 1984

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1985-01-01

The four owners on nuclear power plants in Sweden - The Swedish State Power Board, Forsmarks Kraftgrupp AB, Sydkraft AB and OKG AKTIEBOLAG - formed in 1980 the Nuclear Safety Board of the Swedish Utilities as a joint body for collaboration in safety matters. The Board participates in coordination of the safety work of the utilities and conducts its own safety projects, whereever this is more efficient than the utilities' working independently. The work of the Board shall contribute to optimizing safety in the operation of the Swedish nuclear power plants. The most important function of the Board is to collect, process and evaluate information on operational disturbances and incidents at Swedish and foreign nuclear power plants and then use the knowledge thus gained to improve the safety of the operation of the Swedish nuclear power plants (experience feedback). The work with Experience Feedback proceeds in three stages: Event follow-up, Fault analysis and Feedback of results. The Board runs a system for experience feedback (ERF). ERF is a computer-based information and communication system. ERF provides the Board with a daily update of operating experience in both Swedish and foreign nuclear power plants. Each Swedish nuclear power station supplies the ERF system with data on, among other things, operation and operational distrubances. Important experiences are thereby fed back to plant operation. Experience from foreign nuclear power stations can be of interest to the Swedish nuclear power plants. This information comes to RKS and is reviewed daily. The information that is considered relevant to Swedish plants is fed after analysis into the ERF system. Conversely, foreign nuclear power stations can obtain information from the operation of the Swedish plants. (author)

Operation status display and monitoring system for BWR nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wakabayashi, Yasuo; Hayakawa, Hiroyasu; Kawamura, Atsuo; Kaneda, Mitsunori.

1982-01-01

Lately, the development of the system has been made for BWR plants, which monitors the operating status not only in normal operation but also in abnormal state and also for plant safety. Recently, the improvement of man-machine interface has been tried through the practical use of technique which displays data collectively on a CRT screen relating them mutually. As one of those results, the practical use of an electronic computer and color CRT display for No. 1 unit in the Fukushima No. 2 Nuclear Power Station (2F-1), Tokyo Electric Power Co., is described. Also, new centralized control panels containing such systems were used for the 1100 MWe BWR nuclear power plants now under construction, No. 3 unit of the Fukushima No. 2 Power Station and No. 1 unit of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Station (2F-3 and K-1, respectively). The display and monitoring system in 2F-1 plant is the first one in which a computer and color CRTs were practically employed for a BWR plant in Japan, and already in commercial operation. The advanced operating status monitoring system, to which the result of evaluation of the above system was added, was incorporated in the new centralized control panels presently under production for 2F-3 and K-1 plants. The outline of the system, the functions of an electronic computer, plant operating status monitor, surveillance test guide, the automation of plant operation and auxiliary operation guide are reported for these advanced monitoring system. It was confirmed that these systems are useful means to improve the man-machine communication for plant operation minitoring. (Wakatsuki, Y.)

Industrial applications for remote operation in a processing plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hermier, J.; Le Guennec, R.

1984-01-01

In the first part of this article, J. Hermier covers the use of remote handling equipment in the UP2-400 plant at La Hague near Cherbourg, in which for the most part master/slave mechanism remote handling units are used with a number of these employed in daily processing operations. As regards this subject, it is useful to remember that, at the time of the designing of this plant (UP2-400), this was the only equipment available on the market with remote-controlled remote handling equipment. In the second part, before speaking about the development of remote operation equipment in the plants now under construction and attempting to project what might be the remote operation role in future plants, R. Le Guennec reviews the problems faced by engineering in designing industrial-sized processing plants and, consequently, the motivations of engineering when faced with a choice between several possible solutions [fr

Comparison of Plant Life Management Approaches for Long Term Operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, Kisig

2012-01-01

Plant life management can be defined as the integration of ageing and economic planning to maintain a high level of safety and optimize operations. Many Member States have given high priority to long term operation of nuclear power plants beyond the time frame originally anticipated (e. g. 30 or 40 years). Out of a total of 445 (369 GWe) operating nuclear power plants, 349 units (297 GWe) have been in operation for more than 20 years (as of November 2011). The need for engineering support to operation, maintenance, safety review and life management for long term operation as well as education and training in the field is increasingly evident. In addition the Fukushima accident has rendered all stake holders even more attentive to safety concerns and to the provision of beyond safety measures in the preparation and scrutiny of applications for operational design life extensions. In many countries, the safety performance of NPPs is periodically followed and characterized via the periodic safety review (PSR) approach. The regulatory The regulatory review and acceptance of the PSR gives the licensee the permission to operate the plant for up to the end of the next PSR cycle (usually 10 years). In the USA and other countries operating US designed plants, the license renewal application is based on the five pre-requisite requirements and ageing management programme for passive long life system structure and components(SSCs) and active systems is adequately addressed by the maintenance rule (MR) requirements and other established regulatory processes. Other Member States have adopted a combined approach that incorporates elements of both PSR and additional LRA specific requirements primarily focused on time limited ageing analysis. Taking into account this variety of approaches, the international atomic energy agency (IAEA) initiated work for collecting and sharing information among Member States about good practices on plant life management for long term operation in

Development of nuclear plant Operation Management System

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koide, I.; Okada, T.; Ishida, K. [Chubu Electric Power Co. Inc., Nagoya (Japan)

1998-09-01

Recently it has become more important to detect a change in operational characteristics and to take appropriate corrective actions before it deteriorates to an incident in nuclear power plants. Therefore, aiming at earlier detection of a tendency change, swifter corrective actions and more effective application of operational data, we have developed Operation Management System which automatically acquires, accumulates and observes operational data of Hamaoka Nuclear Power Station through cycles. (author)

Development of nuclear plant Operation Management System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koide, I.; Okada, T.; Ishida, K.

1998-01-01

Recently it has become more important to detect a change in operational characteristics and to take appropriate corrective actions before it deteriorates to an incident in nuclear power plants. Therefore, aiming at earlier detection of a tendency change, swifter corrective actions and more effective application of operational data, we have developed Operation Management System which automatically acquires, accumulates and observes operational data of Hamaoka Nuclear Power Station through cycles. (author)

Safety and operation of the Stade nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salcher, H.

1991-01-01

The concept of PreussenElektra is to continuously increase the existing safety standard of the Stade nuclear power station using experience gained from faults and operation in nuclear power stations and the progressive state of the art. Modifications to achieve the most gentle operation of the plant have been completed and other are on-going. To do so instruments were attached to those components which are susceptible to fatigue to record the transients and extensive calculatory records were kept. Although the plant has almost 20 years successful operation behind it, it can still stand up well to comparisons with more recent plants as far as safety aspects are concerned. 6 figs

Operation of Finnish nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reponen, H.; Viitasaari, O.

1985-01-01

This general review of the operation of the Finnish nuclear power plants in the second quarter of the year 1984 concentrates on such events and discoveries related to reactor and radiation safety that the regulatory body, the Finnish Centre for Radiation and Nuclear Safety, regards as significant. In the report period, no event essentially degraded plant safety nor posed a radiation hazard to the personnel or the environment. The report also includes a summary of the radiation safety of the personnel and the environment and tabulated data on the production and availability of the plants. (author)

Operation of Finnish nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tossavainen, K.

1992-09-01

The Finnish nuclear power plant units Loviisa 1 and 2 as well as TVO I and II were in operation for almost all the time in the first quarter of 1992. The load factor average was 99.8%. All events which are classified on the International Nuclear Event Scale were level 0/below scale on the Scale. Occupational radiation doses and releases of radioactive material off-site remained well below authorised limits. Only quantities of radioactive material insignificant to radiation exposure, originating from the nuclear power plants, were detected in samples collected in the vicinity of the nuclear power plants

Operation of Finnish nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reponen, H.; Viitasaari, O.

1985-05-01

This general review of the operation of the Finnish nuclear power plants in the third quarter of the year 1984 concentrates on such events and discoveries related to reactor and radiation safety that the regulatory body, the Finnish Centre for Radiation and Nuclear Safety, regards as significant. In the report period, no event essentially degraded plant safety nor posed a radiation hazard to the personnel or the environment. The report also includes a summary of the radiation safety of the personnel and the environment and tabulated data on the production and capacity factors of the plants. (author)

Modeling Operating Modes for the Monju Nuclear Power Plant

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lind, Morten; Yoshikawa, H.; Jørgensen, Sten Bay

2012-01-01

of the process plant, its function and its structural elements. The paper explains how the means-end concepts of MFM can be used to provide formalized definitions of plant operation modes. The paper will introduce the mode types defined by MFM and show how selected operation modes can be represented...

Safe operation of power plants. Pt. 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Freymeyer, P.

1977-01-01

Electrotechniques were given a dominating role in the construction of nuclear power plants. The operation of power plants - particularly nuclear power plants - is impossible without the use of electrotechnical and control means. Despite of all reserve in the development and despite of the conservative attitude it is necessary to use the newest results of development and to incite the development ot new electronic systems for the solution of these tasks. (orig.) [de

Operational inspections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bystersky, M.

1997-01-01

Special equipment is described, designed for inspection of reactor pressure vessels performed from the inside. Central shaft manipulator ZMM-5 is available for crack detection control using ultrasound and eddy currents, for visual check of surfaces, repair works at the reactor pressure vessel, and hardness measurements. The manipulator consists of the manipulator bridge, a cable container, shaft segments, a control mechanism and auxiliary parts. Eight inspections were performed at the Bohunice nuclear power plant and two at the Paks nuclear power plant. (M.D.)

Manipulation of the Xanthophyll Cycle Increases Plant Susceptibility to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jun Zhou

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The xanthophyll cycle is involved in dissipating excess light energy to protect the photosynthetic apparatus in a process commonly assessed from non-photochemical quenching (NPQ of chlorophyll fluorescence. Here, it is shown that the xanthophyll cycle is modulated by the necrotrophic pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum at the early stage of infection. Incubation of Sclerotinia led to a localized increase in NPQ even at low light intensity. Further studies showed that this abnormal change in NPQ was closely correlated with a decreased pH caused by Sclerotinia-secreted oxalate, which might decrease the ATP synthase activity and lead to a deepening of thylakoid lumen acidification under continuous illumination. Furthermore, suppression (with dithiothreitol or a defect (in the npq1-2 mutant of violaxanthin de-epoxidase (VDE abolished the Sclerotinia-induced NPQ increase. HPLC analysis showed that the Sclerotinia-inoculated tissue accumulated substantial quantities of zeaxanthin at the expense of violaxanthin, with a corresponding decrease in neoxanthin content. Immunoassays revealed that the decrease in these xanthophyll precursors reduced de novo abscisic acid (ABA biosynthesis and apparently weakened tissue defense responses, including ROS induction and callose deposition, resulting in enhanced plant susceptibility to Sclerotinia. We thus propose that Sclerotinia antagonizes ABA biosynthesis to suppress host defense by manipulating the xanthophyll cycle in early pathogenesis. These findings provide a model of how photoprotective metabolites integrate into the defense responses, and expand the current knowledge of early plant-Sclerotinia interactions at infection sites.

Training and qualification of nuclear power plant operators (4)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohsuga, Y.

2009-01-01

Training center using the simulators, instructor training, training upgrade, deployment of digital control panel and review of training were described with overseas practice. Recently, nuclear power plant on-site simulators were also used for respective operator training. Operator teamwork training, training team performance upgrade, reflection of operating experiences in nuclear power plant accidents, development of training support equipments and management of training records were needed to review and upgrade training and qualification programs. (T. Tanaka)

Method of operating nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kodama, Tasuku.

1991-01-01

The present invention concerns a method of operating a plant in which the inside of a reactor container is filled with inert gases. That is, the pressure at the inside of the pressure vessel is controlled based on the values sent from an absolute pressure gage and a pressure low gage during usual operation. A pressure high alarm and a pressure high scram signal are generated from a pressure high detector and a scram pressure detector. With such a constitution, since the pressure at the inside of the reactor is always kept at a slightly positive level relative to the surrounding atmospheric pressure even when high atmospheric pressure approaches to the plant site, air does not flow into the reactor container. Accordingly, the oxygen concentration is not increased. When a low atmospheric pressure approaches, the control operation for the pressure at the inside of the container is not necessary. The amount of the inert gases consumed and the amount of radioactive materials released to the atmosphere are decreased. The method of the present invention improves the safety and the reliability of the reactor operation. (N.H.)

Annual radiological environmental operating report: Sequoyah Nuclear Plant, 1987

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-04-01

This report describes the environmental radiological monitoring program conducted by TVA in the vicinity of the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant in 1987. The program includes the collection of samples from the environment and the determination of the concentrations of radioactive materials in the samples. Samples are taken from stations in the general area of the plant and from areas not influenced by plant operations. Station locations are selected after careful consideration of the weather patterns and projected radiation doses to the various areas around the plant. Material sampled includes air, water, milk, foods, vegetation, soil, fish, sediment, and direct radiation levels. Results from stations near the plant are compared with concentrations from control stations and with preoperational measurements to determine potential impacts of plant operations. 2 figs., 2 tabs

Centralized operation and monitoring system for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kudo, Mitsuru; Sato, Hideyuki; Murata, Fumio

1988-01-01

According to the prospect of long term energy demand, in 2000, the nuclear power generation facilities in Japan are expected to take 15.9% of the total energy demand. From this fact, it is an important subject to supply nuclear power more stably, and in the field of instrumentation and control, many researches and developments and the incessant effort of improvement have been continued. In the central operation and monitoring system which is the center of the stable operation of nuclear power plants, the man-machine technology aiding operators by electronic and computer application technologies has been positively developed and applied. It is considered that hereafter, for the purpose of rationally heightening the operation reliability of the plants, the high quality man-machine system freely using the most advanced technologies such as high reliability digital technology, optical information transmission, knowledge engineering and so on is developed and applied. The technical trend of operation and monitoring system, the concept of heightening operation and monitoring capability, the upgrading of operation and monitoring system, and the latest operation, monitoring and control systems for nuclear power plants and waste treatment facilities are described. (K.I.)

Optimization of operation for combined heat and power plants - CHP plants - with heat accumulators using a MILP formulation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grue, Jeppe; Bach, Inger [Aalborg Univ. (Denmark). Inst. of Energy Technology]. E-mails: jeg@iet.auc.dk; ib@iet.auc.dk

2000-07-01

The power generation system in Denmark is extensively based on small combined heat and power plants (CHP plants), producing both electricity and district heating. This project deals with smaller plants spread throughout the country. Often a heat accumulator is used to enable electricity production, even when the heat demand is low. This system forms a very complex problem, both for sizing, designing and operation of CHP plants. The objective of the work is the development of a tool for optimisation of the operation of CHP plants, and to even considering the design of the plant. The problem is formulated as a MILP-problem. An actual case is being tested, involving CHP producing units to cover the demand. The results from this project show that it is of major importance to consider the operation of the plant in detail already in the design phase. It is of major importance to consider the optimisation of the plant operation, even at the design stage, as it may cause the contribution margin to rise significantly, if the plant is designed on the basis of a de-tailed knowledge of the expected operation. (author)

The function of people in a nuclear power plant in operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pickel, E.

1986-01-01

Based mainly on the operating experience of Obrigheim nuclear power plant - a two-loop pressurized water reactor with about 120,000 operating hours - the function of people in the very complex technical field of operation including supervision, maintenance and repair of a nuclear power plant is presented with special attention to safety related activities. The boundaries are indicated where automatic actions for safety and economic reasons are necessary and where manually operated systems are possible or even desirable. Typical examples and figures will show, how the operating people influenced the operation and availability of Obrigheim nuclear power plant. (orig./GL)

Ensuring the operational safety of nuclear power plants with WWER reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shasharin, G.A.; Veretennikov, G.A.; Abagyan, A.A.; Lesnoj, S.A.

1984-01-01

At the start of 1983, 27 nuclear power producing units with reactor facilities of the WWER type were in operation in the Soviet Union and other countries. In 1982 the average load factor for nuclear power plants with WWER reactors was 73 per cent. There was not a single nuclear accident or even damage with any significant radiation consequences in the WWER reactors during the entire period of their operation. The most modern nuclear power plants with WWER-440 and WWER-1000 reactors meet all present-day international requirements. Safe operation of the plants is achieved by a variety of measures, the most important of which include: procedures for increasing the reliability of plant equipment and systems; ensuring exact compliance with plant operating instructions; ensuring reliable operation of plant safety systems; action directed towards maintaining the skills of plant personnel at a level adequate to ensure the taking of proper action during transient processes and accident situations. The paper discusses concrete steps for ensuring safe nuclear power plant operation along these lines. In particular, measures such as the following are described: the use of a system for collecting and processing information on equipment failures and defects; the development and introduction of methods of early defect diagnosis; the performance of complex testing of safety systems; the training of highly skilled personnel for nuclear power plants at educational combines and at teaching and training centres making use of simulators; arranging accident-prevention training and special instruction for personnel. (author)

MODULAR MANIPULATOR FOR ROBOTICS APPLICATIONS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Joseph W. Geisinger, Ph.D.

2001-07-31

ARM Automation, Inc. is developing a framework of modular actuators that can address the DOE's wide range of robotics needs. The objective of this effort is to demonstrate the effectiveness of this technology by constructing a manipulator from these actuators within a glovebox for Automated Plutonium Processing (APP). At the end of the project, the system of actuators was used to construct several different manipulator configurations, which accommodate common glovebox tasks such as repackaging. The modular nature and quickconnects of this system simplify installation into ''hot'' boxes and any potential modifications or repair therein. This work focused on the development of self-contained robotic actuator modules including the embedded electronic controls for the purpose of building a manipulator system. Both of the actuators developed under this project contain the control electronics, sensors, motor, gear train, wiring, system communications and mechanical interfaces of a complete robotics servo device. Test actuators and accompanying DISC{trademark}s underwent validation testing at The University of Texas at Austin and ARM Automation, Inc. following final design and fabrication. The system also included custom links, an umbilical cord, an open architecture PC-based system controller, and operational software that permitted integration into a completely functional robotic manipulator system. The open architecture on which this system is based avoids proprietary interfaces and communication protocols which only serve to limit the capabilities and flexibility of automation equipment. The system was integrated and tested in the contractor's facility for intended performance and operations. The manipulator was tested using the full-scale equipment and process mock-ups. The project produced a practical and operational system including a quantitative evaluation of its performance and cost.

Radiation protection during operation of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-01-01

This Guide describes a Radiation Protection Programme for nuclear power plants. It includes: (1) An outline of the basic principles as well as practical aspects of the programme; (2) A description of the responsibilities of the operating organization to establish an effective programme based upon these principles; (3) A description of the administrative and technical measures to establish and implement the programme. This Guide also deals with the operational aspects to be considered by the operating organization in reviewing design in order to facilitate implementation of the Radiation Protection Programme. This Guide covers the requirements for a Radiation Protection Programme for all operational states of the nuclear power plant. It also includes guidelines for handling planned special exposures and for coping with unplanned exposures and contamination of personnel, areas, and equipment. Additional information concerning emergency situations involving releases of radioactive materials is given in Safety Guides 50-SG-O6, ''Preparedness of the Operating Organization (Licensee) for Emergencies at Nuclear Power Plants'', and 50-SG-G6, ''Preparedness of Public Authorities for Emergencies at Nuclear Power Plants''. This Guide covers the principles of dose limitation to site personnel and to the public, but it does not include detailed instructions on the techniques used for the actual measurement and evaluation of the exposures. This Guide does not include detailed instructions on environmental surveys, but it does mention principal steps in environmental monitoring which may be required for confirmation of the acceptability of radioactive discharges

Study on the Operating Strategy of HVAC Systems for Nuclear Decommissioning Plant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Sung-hwan; Han, Sung-heum; Lee, Jae-gon [KHNP CRI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-10-15

According as Kori nuclear power plant unit 1 was determined to be defueled in 2017, various studies on nuclear plant decommissioning have been performed. In nuclear decommissioning plant, HVAC systems with large fan and electric coil have to be operated for long periods of time to support various types of work from defueled phase to final dismantling phase. So, in view of safety and utility costs, their overall operating strategy need to be established prior to defueled phase. This study presents HVAC system operating strategy at each decommissioning phase, that is, defueled plant operating phase, SSCs(systems, structures, components) decontamination and dismantling phases. In defueled plant operating phase, all fuel assemblies in reactor vessel are transferred to spent fuel pool(SFP) permanently. In defueled plant operation phase, reduction of the operating system trains is more practicable than the introduction of new HVAC components with reduced capacity. And, based on the result of the accident analyses for this phase, HVAC design bases such as MCR habitability requirement can be mitigated. According to these results, associated SSCs also can be downgraded. In similar approach, at each phase of plant decommissioning, proper inside design conditions and operating strategies should be re-established.

Is it possible long-tern operation of Spanish nuclear power plants?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Regano, M.

2004-01-01

The long term operation of nuclear power plants beyond 40 years is a reality. Worlswide accumulated operating experience, national and international R and D projects related with the ageing of materials and the specific studies presented to the NRC by more than thirty American plant guarantee that the operation of nuclear power plants beyond 40 years will be carried out with the same or greater safety and reliability factors. The advantages of the long term operation of Spain nuclear power plants are obvious. The implementation of this option will play an important role in complying with the Kyoto compromises, avoiding the emission of 50 million tons of CO2 will contribute to guaranteeing the supply of electricity by generating an additional 600,000 GWh and will contribute to keeping electricity prices down. The total generating cost for the long term operation of nuclear power plants is approximately half that of a new coal or combined cycle plant. Spain is hugely dependent on energy. In this situation, all energies are necessary and the long term operation of nuclear power plants can of course play an important role in covering the gap between offer and demand, guaranteeing supply in the most economic way possible and with the greatest respect for the environment. (Author)

Computerization of operation and maintenance for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-07-01

This report provides a resource for computerization of activities in plant operation and maintenance. Experience gained from design and implementation of various computer systems around the world is described. The material may be useful as a guide to modification and upgrading of existing plants as well as design and engineering of new plants. It should be particularly of interest to managers and engineers who are engaged in planning, bidding, specifying or designing computer systems for operation and maintenance applications. Refs, figs and tabs

Computerization of operation and maintenance for nuclear power plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-07-01

This report provides a resource for computerization of activities in plant operation and maintenance. Experience gained from design and implementation of various computer systems around the world is described. The material may be useful as a guide to modification and upgrading of existing plants as well as design and engineering of new plants. It should be particularly of interest to managers and engineers who are engaged in planning, bidding, specifying or designing computer systems for operation and maintenance applications. Refs, figs and tabs.

Improving nuclear power plant safety through operator aids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-12-01

In October 1986, the IAEA convened a one-week Technical Committee Meeting on Improving Nuclear Power Plant Safety Through Operator Aids. The term ''operator aid'' or more formally ''operator support system'' refers to a class of devices designed to be added to a nuclear power plant control station to assist an operator in performing his job and thereby decrease the probability of operator error. The addition of a carefully planned and designed operator aid should result in an increase in nuclear power plant safety and reliability. Operator aids encompass a wide range of devices from the very simple, such as color coding a display to distinguish it out of a group of similar displays, to the very complex, such as a computer-generated video display which concentrates a number of scattered indicator readings located around a control room into a concise display in front of the operator. This report provides guidelines and information to help make a decision as to whether an operator aid is needed, what kinds of operator aids are available and whether it should be purchased or developed by the utility. In addition, a discussion is presented on advanced operator aids to provide information on what may become available in the future. The broad scope of these guidelines makes it most suitable for use by a multi-disciplinary team. The document consists of two parts. The recommendations and results of the meeting discussions are given in the first part. The second part is the annex where the papers presented at the Technical Committee Meeting are printed. A separate abstract was prepared for each of the 10 papers. Refs, figs and tabs

An analysis of nuclear plant operating costs: A 1991 update

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-05-01

This report updates a 1988 Energy Information Administration (EIA) report which examined trends in nonfuel operating costs at the Nation's nuclear power plants. Nonfuel operating costs are comprised of operating and maintenance (O ampersand M) costs and capital expenditures incurred after a plant begins operating. Capital expenditures are typically called ''capital additions'' because the costs are added to the utility's rate base and recovered as a depreciation expense over several years, the number of years being regulated by State Public Utility Commissions. These costs consist of large maintenance expenditures needed to keep a plant operational as well as those needed to make plant modifications mandated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) or implemented at the utility's discretion. The 1988 report found that from 1974 through 1984, the last year for which data were available, nuclear power plant nonfuel operating costs escalated by 14 percent annually in real terms. The objective of the present study was to determine whether trends in nonfuel operating costs have changed since 1984, if there was any change in the underlying factors influencing these costs, and if so, how these changes affect the basic conclusions of the 1988 report. The general trends are encouraging: Total nonfuel operating costs peaked in 1984 and have been lower since that time; O ampersand M costs have been rising, but at a much lower rate than seen from 1974 through 1984; capital additions costs have actually been declining. 9 figs., 12 tabs

An examination of qualitative plant modelling as a basis for knowledge-based operator aids in nuclear power stations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Herbert, M.; Williams, G.

1986-01-01

New qualitative techniques for representing the behaviour of physical systems have recently been developed. These allow a qualitative representation to be formally derived from a quantitative plant model. One such technique, Incremental Qualitative Analysis, is based on manipulating qualitative differential equations, called confluences, using sign algebra. This is described and its potential for reducing the amount of information presented to the reactor operator is discussed. In order to illustrate the technique, a specific example relating to the influence of failures associated with a pressurized water reactor pressuriser is presented. It is shown that, although failures cannot necessarily be diagnosed unambiguously, the number of possible failures inferred is low. Techniques for discriminating between these possible failures are discussed. (author)

Emergency operation procedure navigation to avoid commission errors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gofuku, Akio; Ito, Koji

2004-01-01

New types of operation control system equipped with a large screen and CRT-based operation panels have been installed in newly constructed nuclear power plants. The operators can share important information of plant conditions by the large screen. The operation control system can know the operations by operators through the computers connected to the operation panels. The software switches placed in the CRT-based operation panels have a problem such that operators may make an error to manipulate an irrelevant software switch with their current operation. This study develops an operation procedure navigation technique to avoid this kind of commission errors. The system lies between CRT-based operation panels and plant control systems and checks an operation by operators if it follows the operation procedure of operation manuals. When the operation is a right one, the operation is executed as if the operation command is directly transmitted to control systems. If the operation does not follow the operation procedure, the system warns the commission error to operators. This paper describes the operation navigation technique, format of base operation model, and a proto-type operation navigation system for a three loop pressurized water reactor plant. The validity of the proto-type system is demonstrated by the operation procedure navigation for a steam generator tube rupture accident. (author)

U.S. Nuclear Power Plant Operating Cost and Experience Summaries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reid, RL

2003-01-01

The ''U.S. Nuclear Power Plant Operating Cost and Experience Summaries'' (NUREG/CR-6577, Supp. 2) report has been prepared to provide historical operating cost and experience information on U.S. commercial nuclear power plants during 2000-2001. Costs incurred after initial construction are characterized as annual production costs, which represent fuel and plant operating and maintenance expenses, and capital expenditures related to facility additions/modifications, which are included in the plant capital asset base. As discussed in the report, annual data for these two cost categories were obtained from publicly available reports and must be accepted as having different degrees of accuracy and completeness. Treatment of inconclusive and incomplete data is discussed. As an aid to understanding the fluctuations in the cost histories, operations summaries for each nuclear unit are provided. The intent of these summaries is to identify important operating events; refueling, major maintenance, and other significant outages; operating milestones; and significant licensing or enforcement actions. Information used in the summaries is condensed from operating reports submitted by the licensees, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) database for enforcement actions, and outage reports

Operational limits and conditions for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-01-01

This Safety Guide was prepared as part of the Agency's programme, referred to as the NUSS programme, for establishing Codes of Practice and Safety Guides relating to nuclear power plants. It covers the concept of operational limits and conditions, their content as applicable to various types of thermal reactors, and the responsibilities of the operating organization regarding their establishment, modification, compliance and documentation. The principles of the operational limits and conditions are established in section 3 of the Agency's Code of Practice on Safety in Nuclear Power Plant Operation, including Commissioning and Decommissioning (IAEA Safety Series No. 50-C-O), which this present Safety Guide supplements. In order to present all pertinent information in this Guide, the provisions of section 3 of the Code are repeated

Knowledge and abilities catalog for nuclear power plant operators: boiling water reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-09-01

The Knowledge and Abilities Catalog for Nuclear Power Plant Operators: Boiling-Water Reactors (BWR) (NUREG-1123) provides the basis for the development of content-valid licensing examinations for reactor operators (ROs) and senior reactor operators (SROs). The examinations developed using the BWR Catalog and Examiners' Handbook for Developing Operator Licensing Examinations (NUREG-1121) will cover those topics listed under Title 10, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 55. The BWR Catalog contains approximately 7000 knowledge and ability (K/A) statements for ROs and SROs at boiling water reactors. Each K/A statement has been rated for its importance to the safe operation of the plant in a manner ensuring personnel and public health and safety. The BWR K/A Catalog is organized into five major sections: Plant-wide Generic Knowledge and Ability Statements, Plant Systems grouped by Safety Function, Emergency and Abnormal Plant Evolutions, Components, and Theory. The BWR Catalog represents a modification of the form and content of the K/A Catalog for Nuclear Power Plant Operators: Pressurized Water Reactors (NUREG-1122). First, categories of knowledge and ability statements have been redefined. Second, the scope of the definition of emergency and abnormal plant evolutions has been revised in line with a symptom-based approach. Third, K/As related to the operational applications of theory have been incorporated into the delineations for both plant systems and emergency and abnormal plant evolutions, while K/As pertaining to theory fundamental to plant operation have been delineated in a separate theory section. Finally, the components section has been revised

The importance of the reliability study for the safety operation of chemical plants. Application in heavy water plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dumitrescu, Maria; Lazar, Roxana Elena; Preda, Irina Aida; Stefanescu, Ioan

1999-01-01

Heavy water production in Romania is based on H 2 O-H 2 S isotopic exchange process followed by vacuum isotopic distillation. The heavy water plant are complex chemical systems, characterized by an ensemble of static and dynamic equipment, AMC components, enclosures. Such equipment must have a high degree of reliability, a maximum safety in technological operation and a high availability index. Safety, reliable and economical operation heavy water plants need to maintain the systems and the components at adequate levels of reliability. The paper is a synthesis of the qualitative and quantitative assessment reliability studies for heavy water plants. The operation analysis on subsystems, each subsystems being a well-defined unit, is required by the plant complexity. For each component the reliability indicators were estimated by parametric and non-parametric methods based on the plant operation data. Also, the reliability qualitative and quantitative assessment was done using the fault tree technique. For the dual temperature isotopic exchange plants the results indicate an increase of the MTBF after the first years of operation, illustrating both the operation experience increasing and maintenance improvement. Also a high degree of availability was illustrated by the reliability studies of the vacuum distillation plant. The establishment of the reliability characteristics for heavy water plant represents an important step, a guide for highlighting the elements and process liable to failure being at the same time a planning modality to correlate the control times with the maintenance operations. This is the way to minimise maintenance, control and costs. The main purpose of the reliability study was the safety increase of the plant operation and the support for decision making. (authors)

Wind power plant in grid operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heier, S.

1993-01-01

There are new prospects for electrical energy supply in coastal regions and on islands if one succeeds in integrating the available wind energy, dependent on the weather, into existing and to be developed supply structures. Apart from the supply of energy, effects on the grid and on the electrical consumer are gaining in importance. For wind power plants, the operating behaviour is appreciably determined by the electro-technical concept. The mechanical/electrical energy conversion with the corresponding grid connection and plant control play an important part here. Results of measurements and computer simulation make the differences in the behaviour of wind power plants clear. (orig.) [de

Modifications needed to operate PWR's plants in G-Mode

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stainman, J.P.

1985-01-01

The production of electricity from PWR nuclear plants represents 44% of the total production of electricity in France for 1984, and 68% of the electricity produced by Thermal power plants (127 TWh over 187 TWh). These data show clearly that the French PWR plants do not work in ''base mode'' anymore but have to fit production with consumption, in other words to assume the frequency control. To participate permanently to the load follow and frequency control, it appeared that some improvements in the field of pressurizer level and pressure control were necessary as well as in the field of operator aids computer. It should be noted that these improvements are useful even without taking into account the constraints due to load follow and frequency control because of the mechanical stress in the CVCS piping, for instance. Some additional tests are planned to better identify this specific problem. The need of a more flexible operating mode than ones given by the initial system (black control rods), significantly reduced in 1973 due to the application of the ECCS criterion, led EDF and Framatome to develop a new operating mode (G. Mode) allowing a faster power escalation (5% PN/mn) whatever the fuel burn-up. This new operating mode improves significantly also the flexibility of operation when the frequency control is needed, and helps a lot the operators in such cases. All the 900 MWe Nuclear plants will be able to operate in ''G mode'' before the end of 1984

Quality management for nuclear power plant operation: A manual

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-01-01

The experience from well operated nuclear power plants shows that achievement of safe, reliable and economic performance is closely related to a strong commitment and involvement by the management personnel. A system of controls is necessary to ensure that satisfactory quality in operation is achieved and maintained over the long term. The key to achieving and assuring quality lies in the ability of management to define performance objectives and to ensure that significant safety and reliability problems are prevented or detected early and resolved. This Manual has been developed by the IAEA to assist plant managers in fulfilling their responsibility with regard to the control and direction of quality and of quality assurance activities in nuclear power plant operation. It emphasizes quality objectives for nuclear power plant operation and indicates the way in which a quality system based on quality assurance principles as established in the IAEA NUSS documents can be used by managers to accomplish these objectives. Since the Manual is mainly directed at management personnel, it is presented in the form of short highlighted practices complemented by typical examples of forms and procedures. Since not all the activities under the heading of quality in operation could be covered in a single document, the activities selected for this Manual comprise those where it was felt that practical advice is generally needed. A pragmatic document useful for direct application by plant managers was the envisaged objective

Manipulation, salience, and nudges.

Science.gov (United States)

Noggle, Robert

2018-03-01

Cass Sunstein and Richard Thaler recommend helping people make better decisions by employing 'nudges', which they define as noncoercive methods of influencing choice for the better. Not surprisingly, healthcare practitioners and public policy professionals have become interested in whether nudges might be a promising method of improving health-related behaviors without resorting to heavy-handed methods such as coercion, deception, or government regulation. Many nudges seem unobjectionable as they merely improve the quality and quantity available for the decision-maker. However, other nudges influence decision-making in ways that do not involve providing more and better information. Nudges of this sort raise concerns about manipulation. This paper will focus on noninformational nudges that operate by changing the salience of various options. It will survey two approaches to understanding manipulation, one which sees manipulation as a kind of pressure, and one that sees it as a kind of trickery. On the pressure view, salience nudges do not appear to be manipulative. However, on the trickery view (which the author favors), salience nudges will be manipulative if they increase the salience so that it is disproportionate to that fact's true relevance and importance for the decision at hand. By contrast, salience nudges will not be manipulative if they merely highlight some fact that is true and important for the decision at hand. The paper concludes by providing examples of both manipulative and nonmanipulative salience nudges. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Instrumentation and control system upgrade plan for operating PWR plants in Japan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishii, Hirofumi

1993-01-01

Digital technology has been applied to all non-safety grade instrumentation and control (I ampersand C) systems in the latest Japanese PWR plants, and has achieved more reliable and operable systems, easier maintenance and cable reductions. In the next stage APWR plants, the digital technology will be also applied to all the I ampersand C systems including safety grade systems. Parallel to the above efforts, many backfitting programs in which the digital technology is applied to operating plants are under way to improve reliability and operability. The backfitting programs for operating plants are proceeded in two phases, synthesizing various utility's needs to improve plant availability and operability, improvement of digital technology, and complexity of the practicable replacement procedures. Phase 1 is a partial application of digital technology, while Phase 2 is a complete application of digital technology. Phase 1 has been implemented in a number of operation plants, while Phase 2 studies are in the design stage, but have not been implemented at this point. This paper presents examples of the partial application of digital technology to operating plants, and the contents of basic design for the complete application of digital technology

Operating experience in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1984-01-01

The nuclear power plants in the Federal Republic of Germany kept their portion of power supply into the public grid system constant in 1983, compared to 1982. The generation had an absolute increase of 3.6% and amounts now to 65.9 TWh. Particularly mentioned should be the generation of the Grafenrheinfeld Nuclear Power Plant which is holding the 'World Record' with 9.969 TWh. The availability of the plants was generally satisfactory, as far as long-term retrofit measures with long outage periods were not necessary, as it was the case in Brunsbuettel and Wuergassen. The planned retrofit phases have been completed in all power plants. As far as safety is concerned, there was no reason to recommended a change of the present fundamental planning- and operation aspects. (orig.) [de

Current trends in codal requirements for safety in operation of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Srivasista, K.; Shah, Y.K.; Gupta, S.K.

2006-01-01

The Code of practice on safety in nuclear power plant operation states the requirements to be met during operation of a nuclear power plant for assuring safety. Among various stages of authorization, regulatory body issues authorization for operation of a nuclear power plant, monitors and enforces regulatory requirements. The responsible organization shall have overall responsibility and the plant management shall have the primary responsibility for ensuring safe and efficient operation of its nuclear power plants. A set of codal requirements covering technical and administrative aspects are mandatory for the plant management to implement to ensure that the nuclear power plant is operated in accordance with the design intent. Requirements on operating procedures and instructions establish operation and maintenance, inspection and testing of the plant in a planned and systematic way. The requirements on emergency preparedness programme establish with a reasonable assurance that, in the event of an emergency situation, appropriate measures can be taken to mitigate the consequences. Commissioning requirements verify performance criteria during commissioning to ensure that the design intent and QA requirements are met. Several modifications in systems important to safety required during operation of a nuclear power plant are regulated. However new operational codal requirements arising out of periodic safety review, operational experience feedback, life management, probabilistic safety assessment, physical security, safety convention and obligations and decommissioning are not covered in the present code of practice for safety in nuclear power plant operation. Codal provisions on 'Review by operating organization on aspects of design having implications on operability' are also required to be addressed. The merits in developing such a methodology include acceptance of the design by operating organization, ensuring maintainability, proper layout etc. in the new designs

Operational safety performance indicators for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2000-05-01

Since the late 1980s, the IAEA has been actively sponsoring work in the area of indicators to monitor nuclear power plant (NPP) operational safety performance. The early activities were mainly focused on exchanging ideas and good practices in the development and use of these indicators at nuclear power plants. Since 1995 efforts have been directed towards the elaboration of a framework for the establishment of an operational safety performance indicator programme. The result of this work, compiled in this publication, is intended to assist NPPs in developing and implementing a monitoring programme, without overlooking the critical aspects related to operational safety performance. The framework proposed in this report was presented at two IAEA workshops on operational safety performance indicators held in Ljubljana, Slovenia, in September 1998 and at the Daya Bay NPP, Szenzhen, China, in December 1998. During these two workshops, the participants discussed and brainstormed on the indicator framework presented. These working sessions provided very useful insights and ideas which where used for the enhancement of the framework proposed. The IAEA is acknowledging the support and contribution of all the participants in these two activities. The programme development was enhanced by pilot plant studies. Four plants from different countries with different designs participated in this study with the objective of testing the applicability, usefulness and viability of this approach

Plant life extensions for German nuclear power plants? Controversial discussion profit taking of nuclear power plant operators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matthes, Felix C.

2009-10-01

The discussion on the plant life extensions for German nuclear power plants beyond the residual quantity of electricity particularly focus on three aspects: Effects for the emission of carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas; Development of the electricity price for which a reduction or attenuation is postulated due to a plant life extension; Skimming of additional profits at operating companies and their use in the safeguarding of the future (development of renewable energies, support of energy efficiency, promotion of the research, consolidation of the public budget, and so on). Under this aspect, the author of the contribution under consideration reports on the profit taking of nuclear power plant operators. The presented analysis considers three aspects: (a) Specification of the quantity structures for the investigated model of plant life extension; (b) The decisive parameter is the revenue situation and thus the price development for electricity at wholesale markets; (c) Determination and evaluation of the course in time of the profit taking.

Integrated operation and management system for a 700MW combined cycle power plant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shiroumaru, I. (Yanai Power Plant Construction Office, Chugoku Electric Power Co., Inc., 1575-5 Yanai-Miyamoto-Shiohama, Yanai-shi, Yamaguchi-ken (JP)); Iwamiya, T. (Omika Works, Hitachi, Ltd., 5-2-1 Omika-cho, Hitachi-shi, Ibaraki-ken (JP)); Fukai, M. (Hitachi Works, Hitachi, Ltd., 3-1-1 Saiwai-cho, Hitachi-shi, Ibaraki-ken (JP))

1992-03-01

Yanai Power Plant of the Chugoku Electric Power Co., Inc. (Yamaguchi Pref., Japan) is in the process of constructing a 1400MW state-of-the-art combined cycle power plant. The first phase, a 350MW power plant, started operation on a commercial basis in November, 1990. This power plant has achieved high efficiency and high operability, major features of a combined cycle power plant. The integrated operation and management system of the power plant takes care of operation, maintenance, control of general business, etc., and was built using the latest computer and digital control and communication technologies. This paper reports that it is expected that this system will enhance efficient operation and management for the power plant.

Safety goals for nuclear power plant operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-05-01

This report presents and discusses the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's, Policy Statement on Safety Goals for the Operation of Nuclear Power Plants. The safety goals have been formulated in terms of qualitative goals and quantitative design objectives. The qualitative goals state that the risk to any individual member of the public from nuclear power plant operation should not be a significant contributor to that individual's risk of accidental death or injury and that the societal risks should be comparable to or less than those of viable competing technologies. The quantitative design objectives state that the average risks to individual and the societal risks of nuclear power plant operation should not exceed 0.1% of certain other risks to which members of the US population are exposed. A subsidiary quantitative design objective is established for the frequency of large-scale core melt. The significance of the goals and objectives, their bases and rationale, and the plan to evaluate the goals are provided. In addition, public comments on the 1982 proposed policy statement and responses to a series of questions that accompanied the 1982 statement are summarized

To a cooperating approach for plant operator aid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Penalva, J.M.; Mathieu, D.

1993-01-01

In this article we present the basic principles of a plant aid system for a spent fuel reprocessing shop. These principles are based on a cooperating approach of plant operator aid and on a systemic step SAGACE. 2 figs

Analysis of operational possibilities and conditions of remote handling systems in nuclear facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hourfar, D.

1989-01-01

Accepting the development of the occupational radiation exposure in nuclear facilities, it will be showing possibilities of cost effective reduction of the dose rate through the application of robots and manipulators for the maintenance of nuclear power plants, fuel reprocessing plants, decommissioning and dismantling of the mentioned plants. Based on the experiences about industrial robot applications by manufacturing and manipulator applications by the handling of radioactive materials as well as analysis of the handling procedures and estimation of the dose intensity, it will be defining task-orientated requirements for the conceptual design of the remote handling systems. Furthermore the manifold applications of stationary and mobil arranged handling systems in temporary or permanent operation are described. (orig.) [de

NPP Krsko simulator training for operations personnel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pribozic, F.; Krajnc, J.

2000-01-01

Acquisition of a full scope replica simulator represents an important achievement for Nuclear power Plant Krsko. Operating nuclear power plant systems is definitely a set of demanding and complex tasks. The most important element in the goal of assuring capabilities for handling such tasks is efficient training of operations personnel who manipulate controls in the main control room. Use of a simulator during the training process is essential and can not be substituted by other techniques. This article gives an overview of NPP Krsko licensed personnel training historical background, current experience and plans for future training activities. Reactor operator initial training lasts approximately two and a half years. Training is divided into several phases, consisting of theoretical and practical segments, including simulator training. In the past, simulator initial training and annual simulator retraining was contracted, thus operators were trained on non-specific full scope simulators. Use of our own plant specific simulator and associated infrastructure will have a significant effect on the operations personnel training process and, in addition, will also support secondary uses, with the common goal to improve safe and reliable plant operation. A regular annual retraining program has successfully started. Use of the plant specific simulator assures consistent training and good management oversight, enhances conformity of operational practices and supports optimization of operating procedures. (author)

The knowledge-based framework for a nuclear power plant operator advisor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, D.W.

1989-01-01

An important facet in the design, development, and evaluation of aids for complex systems is the identification of the tasks performed by the operator. Operator aids utilizing artificial intelligence, or more specifically knowledge-based systems, require identification of these tasks in the context of a knowledge-based framework. In this context, the operator responses to the plant behavior are to monitor and comprehend the state of the plant, identify normal and abnormal plant conditions, diagnose abnormal plant conditions, predict plant response to specific control actions, and select the best available control action, implement a feasible control action, monitor system response to the control action, and correct for any inappropriate responses. These tasks have been identified to formulate a knowledge-based framework for an operator advisor under development at Ohio State University that utilizes the generic task methodology proposed by Chandrasekaran. The paper lays the foundation to identify the responses as a knowledge-based set of tasks in accordance with the expected human operator responses during an event. Initial evaluation of the expert system indicates the potential for an operator aid that will improve the operator's ability to respond to both anticipated and unanticipated events

Evolutionary context for understanding and manipulating plant responses to past, present and future atmospheric [CO2

Science.gov (United States)

Leakey, Andrew D. B.; Lau, Jennifer A.

2012-01-01

Variation in atmospheric [CO2] is a prominent feature of the environmental history over which vascular plants have evolved. Periods of falling and low [CO2] in the palaeo-record appear to have created selective pressure for important adaptations in modern plants. Today, rising [CO2] is a key component of anthropogenic global environmental change that will impact plants and the ecosystem goods and services they deliver. Currently, there is limited evidence that natural plant populations have evolved in response to contemporary increases in [CO2] in ways that increase plant productivity or fitness, and no evidence for incidental breeding of crop varieties to achieve greater yield enhancement from rising [CO2]. Evolutionary responses to elevated [CO2] have been studied by applying selection in controlled environments, quantitative genetics and trait-based approaches. Findings to date suggest that adaptive changes in plant traits in response to future [CO2] will not be consistently observed across species or environments and will not be large in magnitude compared with physiological and ecological responses to future [CO2]. This lack of evidence for strong evolutionary effects of elevated [CO2] is surprising, given the large effects of elevated [CO2] on plant phenotypes. New studies under more stressful, complex environmental conditions associated with climate change may revise this view. Efforts are underway to engineer plants to: (i) overcome the limitations to photosynthesis from today's [CO2] and (ii) benefit maximally from future, greater [CO2]. Targets range in scale from manipulating the function of a single enzyme (e.g. Rubisco) to adding metabolic pathways from bacteria as well as engineering the structural and functional components necessary for C4 photosynthesis into C3 leaves. Successfully improving plant performance will depend on combining the knowledge of the evolutionary context, cellular basis and physiological integration of plant responses to varying

Evolutionary context for understanding and manipulating plant responses to past, present and future atmospheric [CO2].

Science.gov (United States)

Leakey, Andrew D B; Lau, Jennifer A

2012-02-19

Variation in atmospheric [CO(2)] is a prominent feature of the environmental history over which vascular plants have evolved. Periods of falling and low [CO(2)] in the palaeo-record appear to have created selective pressure for important adaptations in modern plants. Today, rising [CO(2)] is a key component of anthropogenic global environmental change that will impact plants and the ecosystem goods and services they deliver. Currently, there is limited evidence that natural plant populations have evolved in response to contemporary increases in [CO(2)] in ways that increase plant productivity or fitness, and no evidence for incidental breeding of crop varieties to achieve greater yield enhancement from rising [CO(2)]. Evolutionary responses to elevated [CO(2)] have been studied by applying selection in controlled environments, quantitative genetics and trait-based approaches. Findings to date suggest that adaptive changes in plant traits in response to future [CO(2)] will not be consistently observed across species or environments and will not be large in magnitude compared with physiological and ecological responses to future [CO(2)]. This lack of evidence for strong evolutionary effects of elevated [CO(2)] is surprising, given the large effects of elevated [CO(2)] on plant phenotypes. New studies under more stressful, complex environmental conditions associated with climate change may revise this view. Efforts are underway to engineer plants to: (i) overcome the limitations to photosynthesis from today's [CO(2)] and (ii) benefit maximally from future, greater [CO(2)]. Targets range in scale from manipulating the function of a single enzyme (e.g. Rubisco) to adding metabolic pathways from bacteria as well as engineering the structural and functional components necessary for C(4) photosynthesis into C(3) leaves. Successfully improving plant performance will depend on combining the knowledge of the evolutionary context, cellular basis and physiological integration

Administration in an operating plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Staebler, K.

1977-01-01

The importance of strict administrative procedures in the daily work is being demonstrated by commenting on events that occured in the operation of German nuclear power plants. The procedure for working in an area of the plant (pressurized medium, high-radioactive level, explosive of flammable mediums), where special measures for safe working have to be taken, is discussed in detail. The administrative problems during refuelling time are further on mentioned, especially the problems connected with administering more than 1,000 people with respect to health protection and sabotage protection. Some general comments on the influences from external causes (authorities, courts, etc.) are given. (orig./ORU) [de

Strong monotonicity in mixed-state entanglement manipulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishizaka, Satoshi

2006-01-01

A strong entanglement monotone, which never increases under local operations and classical communications (LOCC), restricts quantum entanglement manipulation more strongly than the usual monotone since the usual one does not increase on average under LOCC. We propose strong monotones in mixed-state entanglement manipulation under LOCC. These are related to the decomposability and one-positivity of an operator constructed from a quantum state, and reveal geometrical characteristics of entangled states. These are lower bounded by the negativity or generalized robustness of entanglement

Evaluating and improving nuclear power plant operating performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-07-01

This report aims to provide the basis for improvements in the understanding of nuclear power plants operation and ideas for improving future productivity. The purpose of the project was to identify good practices of operating performance at a few of the world's most productive plants. This report was prepared through a series of consultants meetings, a specialists meeting and an Advisory Group meeting with participation of experts from 23 Member States. The report is based on self-assessment of half a dozen plants that have been chosen as representatives of different reactor types in as many different countries, and the views and assessment of the participants on good practices influencing plant performance. Three main areas that influence nuclear power plant availability and reliability were identified in the discussions: (1) management practices, (2) personnel characteristics, and (3) working practices. These areas cover causes influencing plant performance under plant management control. In each area the report describes factors or good practices that positively influence plant availability. The case studies, presented in annexes, contain the plant self-assessment of areas that influence their availability and reliability. Six plants are represented in the case studies: (1) Dukovany (WWER, 1760 MW) in the Czech Republic; (2) Blayais (PWR, 3640 MW) in France; (3) Paks (WWER, 1840 MW) in Hungary; (4) Wolsong 1 (PHWR, 600 MW) in the Republic of Korea; (5) Trillo 1 (PWR, 1066 MW) in Spain; and (6) Limerick (BWR, 2220 MW) in the United States of America

The operational benefits of integrated PC control of gamma irradiation plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Comben, M.; Stephens, P.

1998-01-01

Compared with the traditional PLC control systems used on many gamma irradiation plants, the semi-intelligent decision making capabilities of a fully integrated PC control system can bring many benefits to the plant operator. The authors will describe how plant operation is fully automatic with the PC control providing all the input-output data required to run the plant efficiently and safely. Detailed product tracking, with live on-screen data, can be incorporated to give both plant operator and product manufacturer complete confidence in the irradiation process. Advanced features such as on-line diagnostics and mechanical part failure prediction are also described. Also available is automated dosimetry, reducing the opportunity for human error, whilst at the same time saving on staff costs and providing highly professional dose validation reports and comprehensive routine dosimetry documentation. The benefits of PURIDEC's PC control system are not only available with its new plants. The system can be supplied as an upgrade to plants of all ages and design giving the current operator all the benefits described in the paper

The economics of long-term operation of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lokhov, Alexey; Huerta, Alejandro; Dufresne, Luc; Giraud, Anne; Osouf, Nicolas

2012-01-01

Refurbishment and long-term operation (LTO) of existing nuclear power plants (NPPs) today are crucial to the competitiveness of the nuclear industry in OECD countries as existing nuclear power plants produce base-load power at a reliable cost. A number of nuclear power plants, most notably 73 units in the United States (up to 2012), have been granted lifetime extensions of up to 60 years, a development that is being keenly watched in other OECD countries. In many of these (e.g. France, Switzerland), there is no legal end to the operating licence, but continued operation is based on the outcomes of periodic safety reviews. This study analyses technical and economic data on the upgrade and lifetime extension experience in OECD countries. A multi-criteria assessment methodology is used considering various factors and parameters reflecting current and future financial conditions of operation, political and regulatory risks, the state of the plants' equipment and the general role of nuclear power in the country's energy policy. The report shows that long-term operation of nuclear power plants has significant economic advantages for most utilities envisaging LTO programmes. In most cases, the continued operation of NPPs for at least ten more years is profitable even taking into account the additional costs of post-Fukushima modifications, and remains cost-effective compared to alternative replacement sources

ALARA for nuclear power plant operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knapp, P.J.

1979-01-01

The concept of maintaining radiation exposures as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA) is outlined in connection with nuclear power plant operations. The basis of the concept is reviewed and a specific example of ALARA action is presented. (author)

Value as a parameter to consider in operational strategies for CSP plants

Science.gov (United States)

de Meyer, Oelof; Dinter, Frank; Govender, Saneshan

2017-06-01

This paper introduced a value parameter to consider when analyzing operational strategies for CSP plants. The electric system in South Africa, used as case study, is severely constrained with an influx of renewables in the early phase of deployment. The energy demand curve for the system is analyzed showing the total wind and solar photovoltaic contributions for winter and summer. Due to the intermittent nature and meteorological operating conditions of wind and solar photovoltaic plants, the value of CSP plants within the electric system is introduced. Analyzing CSP plants based on the value parameter alone will remain only a philosophical view. Currently there is no quantifiable measure to translate the philosophical view or subjective value and it solely remains the position of the stakeholder. By introducing three other parameters, Cost, Plant and System to a holistic representation of the Operating Strategies of generation plants, the Value parameter can be translated into a quantifiable measure. Utilizing the country's current procurement program as case study, CSP operating under the various PPA within the Bid Windows are analyzed. The Value Cost Plant System diagram developed is used to quantify the value parameter. This paper concluded that no value is obtained from CSP plants operating under the Bid Window 1 & 2 Power Purchase Agreement. However, by recognizing the dispatchability potential of CSP plants in Bid Window 3 & 3.5, the value of CSP in the electric system can be quantified utilizing Value Added Relationship VCPS-diagram. Similarly ancillary services to the system were analyzed. One of the relationships that have not yet been explored within the industry is an interdependent relationship. It was emphasized that the cost and value structure is shared between the plant and system. Although this relationship is functional when the plant and system belongs to the same entity, additional value is achieved by marginalizing the cost structure. A

The operating staff of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schlegel, G.; Christ, W.

1988-01-01

The training of its staff is one of the pillars of the safe and economical operation of a power plant. This is why power plant owners began to systematically train their staff already in the 50s, and why they created central training facilities. Staff members who have undergone this training make an indispensable contribution to the acceptedly high safety and availability of German power plants. The substantial cost of creating training facilities and of schooling plant staff is considered to be an investment for the future. Low labour turnover permits careful observation and development of staff and leads to a high standard of knowledge and experience. (orig./HSCH) [de

Computerized operator support system with new man-machine interface for BWR power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Monta, K.; Naito, N.; Sugawara, M.; Sato, N.; Mori, N.; Tai, I.; Fukumoto, A.; Tsuchida, M.

1984-01-01

Improvement of the man-machine interface of nuclear power plants is an important contribution to the further enhancement of operational safety. In addition, recent advances in computer technology seem to offer the greatest opportunity to date for achieving improvement in the man-machine interface. The development of a computerized operator support system for BWRs has been undertaken since 1980 with the support of the Japanese Government. The conceptual design of this system is based on the role of the operators. The main functions are standby system management, disturbance analysis and post-trip operational guidance. The objective of the standby system management is to monitor the standby status of the engineered safety feature during normal operation to assure its proper functioning at the onset of emergency situations. The disturbance analysis system detects disturbances in the plant in their early stages and informs the plant operators about, for example, the cause of the disturbances, the plant status and possible propagations. Consequently, operators can take corrective actions to prevent unnecessary plant shutdown. The objective of the post trip operational guide is to support operators in diagnosis and corrective action after a plant trip. Its functions are to monitor the performance of the engineered safety feature, to identify the plant status and to guide the appropriate corrective action to achieve safe plant shutdown. The information from the computerized operator support system is supplied to operators through a colour CRT operator console. The authors have evaluated the performance of various new man-machine interfacing tools and proposed a new operator console design. A prototype system has been developed and verification/validation is proceeding with a BWR plant simulator. (author)

Influence of in-plant air pollution control measures on power plant and system operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurten, H.

1990-01-01

The burning of fossil fuels causes the emission of air pollutants which have harmful environmental impact. Consequently many nations have in the last few years established regulations for air pollution control and have initiated the development and deployment of air pollution control systems in power plants. The paper describes the methods used for reducing particulate, SO 2 and NO x emissions, their application as backfit systems and in new plants, the power plant capacity equipped with such systems in the Federal Republic of Germany and abroad and the additional investment and operating costs incurred. It is to be anticipated that advanced power plant designs will produce lower pollutant emissions and less waste at enhanced efficiency levels. A comparison with power generation in nuclear power plants completes the first part of the paper. This paper covers the impact of the above-mentioned air pollution control measures on unit commitment in daily operation

Operational characteristics of nuclear power plants - modelling of operational safety; Pogonske karakteristike nuklearnih elektrana - modelsko izucavanje pogonske sigurnosti

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Studovic, M [Masinski fakultet, Beograd (Yugoslavia)

1984-07-01

By operational experience of nuclear power plants and realize dlevel of availability of plant, systems and componenst reliabiliuty, operational safety and public protection, as a source on nature of distrurbances in power plant systems and lessons drawn by the TMI-2, in th epaper are discussed: examination of design safety for ultimate ensuring of safe operational conditions of the nuclear power plant; significance of the adequate action for keeping proess parameters in prescribed limits and reactor cooling rquirements; developed systems for measurements detection and monitoring all critical parameters in the nuclear steam supply system; contents of theoretical investigation and mathematical modeling of the physical phenomena and process in nuclear power plant system and components as software, supporting for ensuring of operational safety and new access in staff education process; program and progress of the investigation of some physical phenomena and mathematical modeling of nuclear plant transients, prepared at faculty of mechanical Engineering in Belgrade. (author)

IAEA Leads Operational Safety Mission to Muehleberg Nuclear Power Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2012-01-01

Full text: An international team of nuclear safety experts led by the International Atomic Energy Agency today concluded a review of the safety practices at the Muehleberg Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) near Bern in Switzerland. The team noted a series of good practices and made recommendations and suggestions to reinforce them. The IAEA assembled the Operational Safety Review Team at the request of the Swiss government. The team, led by the IAEA's Division of Nuclear Installation Safety, performed an in-depth operational safety review from 8 to 25 October 2012. The team comprised experts from Belgium, the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States as well as experts from the IAEA. The team conducted an in-depth review of the aspects essential to the safe operation of the Muehleberg NPP. The conclusions of the review are based on the IAEA's Safety Standards and proven good international practices. The review covered the areas of Management, Organization and Administration; Training; Operations; Maintenance; Technical Support; Operating Experience; Radiation Protection; Chemistry, Emergency Planning and Preparedness, Severe Accident Management and Long-Term Operation. The OSART team made 10 recommendations and 11 suggestions related to areas where operations of Muehleberg NPP could be further improved, for example: - Plant management could improve the operating experience program and methods throughout the plant to ensure corrective actions are taken in a timely manner; - In the area of Long-Term Operation, the ageing management review for some systems and components is not complete and the environmental qualification of originally installed safety cables has not yet been revalidated for long-term operation; and - The plant provisions for the protection of persons on the site during an emergency with radioactive release can be improved to minimize health risks to plant personnel. The team also identified 10 good

Outline and operations of benzene plant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Omori, S; Hirooka, N; Nakamura, M; Goto, T

1983-01-01

An account is given of plant which can process 130,000 tonnes of by-product coke oven gas light oil (GLO) per year (via hydrodesulfurization, extraction and distillation) to produce benzene, toluene and xylene. The flowsheets and component equipment of the various production processes are explained, together with special features such as the production of hydrogen from coke oven gas by the PSA process and the processing of GLO by the ARCO process. Plant operation is outlined and the results of performance tests are noted.

Radiation application on development of marker genes for genetic manipulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Young Il

1997-04-01

This state of art report was dealt with the recent progress of genetic engineering techniques and prospect of gene manipulation. Especially the selection of new genetic marker genes such as variants to environmental stress, pest or insect resistance, herbicide resistance and nutritional requirement was reviewed by using plant cell and tissue culture combined with radiation mutation induction. Biotechnology has taken us from the era hybrid plants to the era of transgenic plants. Although there are still many problems to solve in transformation method and the regeneration of transformed cell and tissue. Genetic marker genes are very important material to improve the technique of genetic manipulation. Most of the genes have been developed by radiation. (author). 180 refs., 6 tabs

The training of operating personnel at Spanish nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Diaz, Antonio Burgos

2011-01-01

An essential condition in order to ensure that nuclear power plants are operated reliably and safely is the availability in the Control Room of duly qualified persons capable both of preventing accidents and of responding to them should they occur. Training of the Control Room operating crews is accomplished in two major stages: a lengthy process of initial training in which the knowledge acquired at high school and university is built upon, leading to the specialisation required to appropriately carry out the tasks to be performed in the Control Room, and a continuous training program aimed at maintaining and improving the knowledge and skills required to operate the plant, with feedback of the lessons learned from the industry's operating experience. The use of full-scope simulators replicating the physical conditions and environment of the Control Room allows the period of initial training to be reduced and is the most appropriate method for the continuous training program of the control room personnel, since these simulators increase the realism of the training scenarios, help to better understand the response of the plant and provide an accurate idea of transient response times. Tecnatom is the Training Centre for Spanish Operators; it is the 'Operator Training Factory' and its mission is to train the nuclear power plant operating personnel in both technological fundamentals and the development of diagnostic skills through practical scenarios on the simulator and on-the-job training. Our training programmes are based on a SAT (Systematic Approach to Training) methodology that has been implemented at both Spanish and overseas plants. (author)

Job training planning and design for process plant operators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wirstad, J.

1983-01-01

A method is presented by which process plant operators for nuclear power plants are trained in Sweden. It works by a top-down method of systems analysis which can be integrated into the analysis, specification, and design of the process automation system. The training methods can also be adapted to existing automation systems and operating schedules. The author's method is based on the principle that training programs should be based on job requirements, e.g. operator tasks in common, less frequent, and rare operating conditions. Procedures have been tested for the following steps: Job analysis, analysis of knowledge and experience required, analysis of operator training requirements, set-up and organisation of the training programme, achievement control, evaluation of the training programme. (orig./HP) [de

Job training planning and design for process plant operators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wirstad, J.

1983-01-01

A method is presented by which process plant operators for nuclear power plants are trained in Sweden. It works by a top-down method of systems analysis which can be integrated into the analysis, specification, and design of the process automation system. The training methods can also be adapted to existing automation systems and operating schedules. The author's method is based on the principle that training programs should be based on job requirements, e.g. operator tasks in common, less frequent, and rare operating conditions. Procedures have been tested for the following steps: Job analysis, analysis of knowledge and experience required, analysis of operator training requirements, set-up and organisation of the training programme, achievement control, evaluation of the training programme.

Evaluating and improving nuclear power plant operating performance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-07-01

This report aims to provide the basis for improvements in the understanding of nuclear power plants operation and ideas for improving future productivity. The purpose of the project was to identify good practices of operating performance at a few of the world`s most productive plants. This report was prepared through a series of consultants meetings, a specialists meeting and an Advisory Group meeting with participation of experts from 23 Member States. The report is based on self-assessment of half a dozen plants that have been chosen as representatives of different reactor types in as many different countries, and the views and assessment of the participants on good practices influencing plant performance. Three main areas that influence nuclear power plant availability and reliability were identified in the discussions: (1) management practices, (2) personnel characteristics, and (3) working practices. These areas cover causes influencing plant performance under plant management control. In each area the report describes factors or good practices that positively influence plant availability. The case studies, presented in annexes, contain the plant self-assessment of areas that influence their availability and reliability. Six plants are represented in the case studies: (1) Dukovany (WWER, 1760 MW) in the Czech Republic; (2) Blayais (PWR, 3640 MW) in France; (3) Paks (WWER, 1840 MW) in Hungary; (4) Wolsong 1 (PHWR, 600 MW) in the Republic of Korea; (5) Trillo 1 (PWR, 1066 MW) in Spain; and (6) Limerick (BWR, 2220 MW) in the United States of America Figs, tabs

Pilot plant UF6 to UF4 test operations report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bicha, W.J.; Fallings, M.; Gilbert, D.D.; Koch, G.E.; Levine, P.J.; McLaughlin, D.F.; Nuhfer, K.R.; Reese, J.C.

1987-02-01

The FMPC site includes a plant designed for the reduction of uranium hexafluoride (UF 6 ) to uranium tetrafluoride (UF 4 ). Limited operation of the upgraded reduction facility began in August 1984 and continued through January 19, 1986. A reaction vessel ruptured on that date causing the plant operation to be shut down. The DOE conducted a Class B investigation with the findings of the investigation board issued in preliminary form in May 1986 and as a final recommendation in July 1986. A two-phase restart of the plant was planned and implemented. Phase I included implementing safety system modifications, changing reaction vessel temperature control strategy, and operating the reduction plant under an 8-week controlled test. The results of the test period are the subject of this report. 41 figs., 11 tabs

Application of AI technology to nuclear plant operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sackett, J.I.

1988-01-01

In this paper, applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Technology to nuclear-power plant operation are reviewed. AI Technology is advancing rapidly and in the next five years is expected to enjoy widespread application to operation, maintenance, management and safety. Near term emphasis on a sensor validation, scheduling, alarm handling, and expert systems for procedural assistance. Ultimate applications are envisioned to culminate in autonomous control such as would be necessary for a power system in space, where automatic control actions are taken based upon reasoned conclusions regarding plant conditions, capability and control objectives

The System 80+ standard plant design reduces operations and maintenance costs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chari, D.R.; Robertson, J.E.

1998-01-01

To be cost-competitive, nuclear power plants must maximize plant availability and minimize operations and maintenance (O and M) costs. A plant whose design supports these goals will generate more power at less cost and thereby have a lower unit generating cost. The ABB Combustion Engineering Nuclear Systems (ABB-CE) System 80+ Standard Nuclear Power Plant, rated at 1400 megawatts electric (MWe), is designed for high availability at reduced cost. To demonstrate that the duration of refueling outages, the major contributor to plant unavailability, can be shortened, ABB-CE developed a detailed plan that shows a System 80+ plant can safely perform a refueling and maintenance outage in 18 days. This is a significant reduction from the average current U.S. plant outages of 45 days, and is possible due to a two-part outage strategy: use System 80+ advanced system design features and relaxed technical specification (TS) time limits to shift some maintenance from outages to operating periods: and, use System 80+ structural, system, and component features, such as the larger operating floor, permanent pool seal, integral reactor head area cable tray system and missile shield, and longer life reactor coolant pump seals, to reduce the scope and duration of outage maintenance activities. Plant staffing level is the major variable, or controllable contributor to operations costs. ABB-CE worked with the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) to perform detailed staffing analyses that show a System 80+ plant can be operated reliably with 30 percent less staff than currently operating nuclear plants of similar size. Safety was not sacrificed when ABB-CE developed the System 80+ refueling outage plan and staffing level. The outage plan was developed utilizing a defense-in-depth concept for shutdown safety. The defense in-depth concept is implemented via systematic control of outage risk evaluation (SCORE) cards. The SCORE cards identify primary and alternate means of

Design and operation of a remotely operated plutonium waste size reduction and material handling process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stewart, J.A. III; Charlesworth, D.L.

1986-01-01

Noncombustible 238 Pu and 239 Pu waste is generated as a result of normal operation and decommissioning activity at the Savannah River Plant, and is being retrievably stored there. As part of the long-term plant to process the stored waste and current waste for permanent disposal, a remote size reduction and material handling process is being cold-tested at Savannah River Laboratory. The process consists of a large, low-speed shredder and material handling system, a remote worktable, a bagless transfer system, and a robotically controlled manipulator. Initial testing of the shredder and material handling system and a cycle test of the bagless transfer system has been completed. Fabrication and acceptance testing of the Telerobat, a robotically controlled manipulator has been completed. Testing is scheduled to begin in 3/86. Design features maximizing the ability to remotely maintain the equipment were incorporated. Complete cold-testing of the equipment is scheduled to be completed in 1987

14th Biennial conference on reactor operating experience plant operations: The human element

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1989-01-01

Separate abstracts were prepared for the papers presented in the following areas of interest: enhancing operator performance; structured approaches to maintenance standards and reliability-centered maintenance; human issues in plant operations and management; test, research, and training reactor utilization; methods and applications of root-cause analysis; emergency operating procedure enhancement programs; test, research, and training reactor upgrades; valve maintenance and diagnostics; recent operating experiences; and current maintenance issues

The optimization of nuclear power plants operation modes in emergency situations

Science.gov (United States)

Zagrebayev, A. M.; Trifonenkov, A. V.; Ramazanov, R. N.

2018-01-01

An emergency situations resulting in the necessity for temporary reactor trip may occur at the nuclear power plant while normal operating mode. The paper deals with some of the operation c aspects of nuclear power plant operation in emergency situations and during threatened period. The xenon poisoning causes limitations on the variety of statements of the problem of calculating characteristics of a set of optimal reactor power off controls. The article show a possibility and feasibility of new sets of optimization tasks for the operation of nuclear power plants under conditions of xenon poisoning in emergency circumstances.

Control system for the Fermilab Master-Slave servo manipulator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ducar, R.J.

1977-01-01

A control system for the Fermilab Master-Slave servo manipulator was developed. This new system offers a significant improvement in operational performance over the extant servo design with additional emphasis on simplicity of operation and maintainability. The servo manipulator is force-reflecting in each of the seven independent bilateral motions. Master force multiplication is automatically increased as the slave force is increased to its fifty pound capacity. The design incorporates triac control of the low inertia two-phase servomotors and makes extensive use of digital circuits in the servo loops. The manipulator is utilized in servicing radioactive beam-line targeting equipment

Study of operating procedures in nuclear power plants: Practices and problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morgenstern, M.H.; Barnes, V.E.; McGuire, M.V.; Radford, L.R.; Wheeler, W.A.

1987-02-01

This report describes the project activities, findings, and recommendations of a project entitled ''Program Plan for Assessing and Upgrading Operating Procedures for Nuclear Power Plants.'' The project was performed by the Pacific Northwest Laboratory and Battelle Human Affairs Research Centers for the Division of Human Factors Technology, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The project team analyzed and evaluated samples of normal and abnormal operating procedures from 31 commercial nuclear power plant sites operating in the United States. The project team also visited nine nuclear power plants in the United States to obtain information on the development, use, and control of operating procedures. A peer review group was convened to advise the project team on the conduct of the project and to review and comment on the project report. The report contains findings on the usability of operating procedures and on practices concerning the development, use, an control of operating procedures in nuclear power plants. The report includes recommendations to the NRC on the need to upgrade the quality of operating procedures. The report also discusses an approach to a program plan to assess and upgrade operating procedures

Design and realization of sort manipulator of crystal-angle sort machine

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ming-shun; Chen, Shu-ping; Guan, Shou-ping; Zhang, Yao-wei

2005-12-01

It is a current tendency of development in automation technology to replace manpower with manipulators in working places where dangerous, harmful, heavy or repetitive work is involved. The sort manipulator is installed in a crystal-angle sort machine to take the place of manpower, and engaged in unloading and sorting work. It is the outcome of combing together mechanism, electric transmission, and pneumatic element and micro-controller control. The step motor makes the sort manipulator operate precisely. The pneumatic elements make the sort manipulator be cleverer. Micro-controller's software bestows some simple artificial intelligence on the sort manipulator, so that it can precisely repeat its unloading and sorting work. The combination of manipulator's zero position and step motor counting control puts an end to accumulating error in long time operation. A sort manipulator's design in the practice engineering has been proved to be correct and reliable.

Renewal of JOYO plant operation management expert tool (JOYPET)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okawa, Toshikatsu; Aita, Tsuyoshi; Murakami, Takanori; Ito, Hideaki; Aoki; Hiroshi; Oda, Toshihiro

2004-03-01

JOYO Plant Operation Management Expert Tool system named JOYPET has been developed with the aim of confirming the stable and safety operation of JOYO and improving operational reliability in future FBR plants. New JOYPET system was designed and manufactured in 2002, and began on operation in 2003, because the former system, which was designed in 1988 and operated from 1991 to 2002, was superannuated, and it was difficult to obtain alternative hardwares and replace parts. The difference between the former system and the later new one was adopted the web-online system to use LAN (Local Area Network) instead of the host and the terminal computer system. Then the new system enabled to take unitary document management for reactor operation, and each person was able to search, refer and make document on line directly. This paper summarized the new JOYPET system design, manufacturing, system constitution and operation actual result. (author)

Operational margin monitoring system for boiling water reactor power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fukutomi, S.; Takigawa, Y.

1992-01-01

This paper reports on an on-line operational margin monitoring system which has been developed for boiling water reactor power plants to improve safety, reliability, and quality of reactor operation. The system consists of a steady-state core status prediction module, a transient analysis module, a stability analysis module, and an evaluation and guidance module. This system quantitatively evaluates the thermal margin during abnormal transients as well as the stability margin, which cannot be evaluated by direct monitoring of the plant parameters, either for the current operational state or for a predicted operating state that may be brought about by the intended operation. This system also gives operator guidance as to appropriate or alternate operations when the operating state has or will become marginless

A Plant Bacterial Pathogen Manipulates Its Insect Vector's Energy Metabolism

Science.gov (United States)

Hijaz, Faraj; Ebert, Timothy A.; Rogers, Michael E.

2016-01-01

and biochemical levels. The growth of the plant-pathogenic bacteria in the hemolymph of their vectors indicated that the hemolymph contains all the necessary nutrients for their growth. In addition to nutrients, “Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus” (CLas) can take up energetic nucleotides, such as ATP, from its vector, Diaphorina citri, using ATP translocase. In this study, we found that the CLas pathogen manipulates the energy metabolism of its insect vector. The accumulation of ATP in CLas-infected D. citri psyllids indicated that CLas induces ATP production to fulfill its need for this energetic compound. As a result of ATP accumulation, a shorter life span and altered feeding behavior were observed. These findings increase our knowledge of insect transmission of the persistent-circulative-propagative type of plant pathogens vectored by insects. PMID:28039132

Operation of Finnish nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tossavainen, K.

1992-05-01

The Finnish nuclear power plant units Loviisa 1 and 2 as well as TVO I and II were in operation for almost the whole fourth quarter of 1991. The load factor average was 94.7 % (the whole year 90.9 %). All the events in the last annual quarter, which are classified on the International Nuclear Event Scale, were below scale/level 0. Also the events which occurred in the other quarters of the year 1991 were rated at the scale's lowest levels. Occupational radiation doses and releases of radioactive material off-site remained well below authorised limits. Only quantities of radioactive material insignificant to radiation exposure originating in nuclear power plants were detected in the samples collected in the vicinity of the nuclear power plants

Life Limiting Issues for Long Term Operation of Nuclear Power Plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Esselman, Thomas; Gaertner, John

2012-01-01

This paper reports on a study which identified and characterized life limiting issues for consideration by nuclear plant owners in their decision to extend plant life or seek subsequent license renewal. As nuclear plants operate for longer periods, the risk that a condition in the plant or an event that occurs, at the plant or elsewhere, will cause a plant owner not to extend plant life increases. The Fukushima accident has made this concept concrete. This paper defines 'Life Limiting' concepts for nuclear plants. It identifies the highest risk conditions and events that may limit duration of continued operation in nuclear plants and employs a survey to prioritize these concerns. Methods for evaluating these risks and changing the capability of systems, structures, and components (SSC) to reduce and manage this risk in long term operation are presented. Integrated obsolescence -the existence of an accumulation of events or condition that can threaten long term operation- is discussed. Many of the life limiting conditions or events may be controllable by early identification, recognition, and mitigation of the potential threat. The recognition of conditions may allow measures to be taken to mitigate the condition. Recognition of the potential for events that may be life limiting may allow actions to be taken that will minimize the likelihood or consequences of the event. These actions may include enhanced research on the expected behavior of the SSC, risk assessment and management, and enhanced monitoring and aging management at the plant. (author)

An information offering system for operation support based on plant functional structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohga, Yukiharu; Seki, Hiroshi

1995-01-01

A plant information offering system was proposed to support operators in their selection and confirmation of the required information for plant operation under transient conditions in nuclear power plants. The system features include an automatic selection method for information and a dialog input method. The former selects plant information in response to plant status changes and operators' demands. The selection is performed based on the knowledge and data as structured by the plant functional structure; i.e. a means-ends abstraction hierarchy model. In the latter, both speech and CRT touch inputs are transformed into words in Japanese to realize an arbitrary input mode combination. The words are analyzed as a sentence before transforming them into a demand for related programs. A prototype system was evaluated using a BWR simulator, assuming abnormal transients such as loss of feedwater. The contents of the offered information were checked based on emergency operation guidelines. It was confirmed that appropriate information items are automatically selected in real time. Answers are generated in reply to the operators' demands. They include information added to reflect the plant conditions. As for dialog, simple and quick input is realized by combining speech and CRT touch according to the operating situation. (author)

Assuring human operator alertness at night in power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moore-Ede, M.C.

1988-01-01

The human body is not designed for peak alertness and performance at night, nor is it well-equipped to cope with the frequent day-night inversions required by rotating shift work schedules. As a result, the human operator can become the weak link in a complex technological operation such as a nuclear power plant. The high degree of dependence on human operator vigilance, decision-making ability and performance that is required in nuclear power plant operations can conflict with the human sleepiness and error-proneness which naturally occur during the night shift or after extended periods without adequate sleep. An opportunity to address these problems has come from a series of major research advances in basic circadian physiology

The Development of Plant Maintenance Scheduling Via lnventory System for Sustainable Plant Operation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Masripan Roslizan

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Industrial sector becomes the main concern for developing country. By the time, it was increased rapidly. However, there are many problems observed such as maintenance scheduling, stock inventory and supply chain. Therefore, this research develops new inventory system to develop sustainable plant operation with a high capability to plant operation especially to stock inventory of machine component. In also required green application with minimised used on paper. This system is developed using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID for inventory control which integrated with web-based system. This system consists of several modules such as station module, item module and item request module and report of critical stock in the store. This system can be controlled from a hand-phone with internet connection or automatic alert such as Short Massage Send (SMS and email. The developed system is very effective in monitoring the stock material through the barcode, supply chain and worker performance as well as to reduce the lead time for maintenance activities of the company through sustainable plant operation.

Improving CANDU plant operation and maintenance through retrofit information technology systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lupton, L.R.; Judd, R.A.; MacBeth, M.J.

1998-01-01

CANDU plant owners are facing an increasingly competitive environment for the generation of electricity. To meet this challenge, all owners have identified that information technology offers opportunities for significant improvements in CANDU operation, maintenance and administration (OM and A) costs. Targeted information technology application areas include instrumentation and control, engineering, construction, operations and plant information management. These opportunities also pose challenges and issues that must be addressed if the full benefits of the advances in information technology are to be achieved. Key among these are system hardware and software maintenance, and obsolescence protection; AECL has been supporting CANDU stations with the initial development and evaluation of systems to improve plant performance and cost. Key initiatives that have been implemented or are in the process of being implemented in some CANDU plants to achieve operational benefits include: critical safety parameter monitor system; advanced computerized annunciation system; plant historical data system; and plant display system. Each system will be described in terms of its role in enhancing current CANDU plant performance and how they will contribute to future CANDU plant performance

A study on the operator's communication pattern characteristics under abnormal operating situation of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, S. H.; Park, J.

2008-01-01

The quality of a probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) has become more important and a human reliability analysis (HRA) is known as a major contributor to the uncertainty of a PSA. As a part of enhancing the HRA quality, a study was initiated to find out characteristics of communication pattern and to evaluate communication quality of the operators of nuclear power plants. Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) is developing evaluation methods for the effect of human-induced events on risk/performance. This paper describes a study on the operator's communication pattern characteristics under abnormal operating situation of nuclear power plants. The study was carried out in four stages; 1) Video recording 2) Audio scripting 3) Message Classification 4) Communication Pattern Analysis. We recorded eight abnormal simulator training programs from Younggwang nuclear power plant training center. After that we performed message classification and carried out communication pattern analysis. We compared communication patterns of abnormal operating situation with emergency operating situation.As results of analysis, the role of SRO (senior reactor operator) under abnormal operating situation was decreased than the activities under emergency operating situation because each operator (reactor operator, turbine operator, safety supervisor) in main control room (MCR) performs the activity to control by himself with corresponding field engineers with his basic knowledge of the system. On the other hand, the operator's decision making processes and activities under abnormal operating situation were dramatically increased than the emergency operating situation. (authors)

Manipulator Comparative Testing Program: Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Draper, J.V.; Handel, S.J.; Sundstrom, E.; Herndon, J.N; Fujita, Y.; Maeda, M.

1987-02-01

The manipulator systems tested included the Meidensha BILARM 83A, the Central Research Laboratories Model M-2, and the GCA PaR Systems Model 6000. Six manipulator and control mode combinations were evaluated: (1) the BILARM in master/slave mode without force reflection, (2) the BILARM in master/slave mode with force reflection, (3) the Model M-2 in master/slave mode without force reflection, (4) the Model M-2 in master/slave mode with force reflection, (5) the BILARM with switchbox controls, and (6) the PaR 6000 with switchbox controls. The experiments examined differences between master/slave systems with and without force reflection and differences between master/slave systems and switchbox-controlled systems. A fourth experiment examined the relative contributions of the remote viewing system and the manipulator system to the performance of remote handling tasks. Results of the experiments showed that operators using the Model M-2 in master/slave mode had significantly faster times to completion than operators using the BILARM in master/slave mode, with about the same error rate per trial. Operators were slower using the BILARM with force reflection than without it, and they committed more errors. There was no statistically significant difference between force-reflection and nonforce-reflection conditions for the M-2 manipulator for any of the performance criteria. Tasks and procedures used in this testing were not sensitive to differences within any single system. No inferences about the effect of force reflection on remote task performance should be made from these data. The two manipulator systems in switchbox mode had significantly slower times to completion than any system in master/slave mode, with approximately the same error rate per trial. There were no significant differences between the BILARM in switchbox mode and the PaR arm

Power ramping/cycling experience and operational recommendations in KWU power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jan, R. von; Wunderlich, F.; Holzer, R.

1980-01-01

The power cycling and ramping experience of KWU is based on experiments in test and commercial reactors, and on evaluation of plant operation (PHWR, PWR and BWR). Power cycling of fuel rods have never lead to PCI failures. In ramping experiments, for fast ramps PCI failure thresholds of 480/420 W/cm are obtained at 12/23 GWd/t(U) burn-up for pressurized PWR fuel. No failures occurred during limited exceedance of the threshold with reduced ramp rate. Operational recommendations used by KWU are derived from experiments and plant experience. The effects of ramping considerations on plant operation is discussed. No rate restrictions are required for start-ups during an operating cycle or load follow operation within set limits for the distortion of the local power distribution. In a few situations, e.g. start-up after refueling, ramp rates of 1 to 5 %/h are recommended depending on plant and fuel design

Professional adaptability of nuclear power plant operators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

He Xuhong; Huang Xiangrui

2006-01-01

The paper concerns in the results of analysis for nuclear power plant (NPP) operator job and analysis for human errors related NPP accidents. Based on the principle of ergonomics a full psychological selection system of the professional adaptability of NPP operators including cognitive ability, personality and psychological health was established. The application way and importance of the professional adaptability research are discussed. (authors)

Training device for nuclear power plant operators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schoessow, G. J.

1985-01-01

A simulated nuclear energy power plant system with visible internal working components comprising a reactor adapted to contain a liquid with heating elements submerged in the liquid and capable of heating the liquid to an elevated temperature, a steam generator containing water and a heat exchanger means to receive the liquid at an elevated temperature, transform the water to steam, and return the spent liquid to the reactor; a steam turbine receiving high energy steam to drive the turbine and discharging low energy steam to a condenser where the low energy steam is condensed to water which is returned to the steam generator; an electric generator driven by the turbine; indicating means to identify the physical status of the reactor and its contents; and manual and automatic controls to selectively establish normal or abnormal operating conditions in the reactor, steam generator, pressurizer, turbine, electric generator, condenser, and pumps; and to be selectively adjusted to bring the reactor to acceptable operating condition after being placed in an abnormal operation. This device is particularly useful as an education device in demonstrating nuclear reactor operations and in training operating personnel for nuclear reactor systems and also as a device for conducting research on various safety systems to improve the safety of nuclear power plants

Improvement of operational efficiency based on fast startup plant concepts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kurz, Harald; Meinecke, Gero; Ohresser, Sylvia; Pickard, Andreas

2010-09-15

One of the major global challenges of the present time is the reduction of CO2 emissions. Provisions for integration of a CO2 capture plant are already required today in new power plant construction projects in order to enable current plants to also benefit from the possibilities of carbon capture systems to be developed in the future. These provisions for integration should account for the fact that the scrubbing processes are still in the optimization phase. Requisite process parameters may still change in the future. In the development of a plant interface, the paper describes a concept developed by Siemens which ensures maximum flexibility with simultaneous optimization of the plant for the capture process. Emphasis was placed on the following points in the development of this interface and the associated connection concepts: Maximum plant efficiency before and after modification; Maximum flexibility with regard to future process parameters; Optimization of customer investment cash flow; and, Applicability also to existing plants. According to the paper, Siemens can offer a concept which enables future conversion in accordance with the specified criteria. This concept requires no compromises with regard to plant efficiency in process optimization for either current power plant operation without carbon capture or for future operation with carbon capture. The concept also enables retrofitting of existing plants which are not yet capture-ready. However, retrofitting of power plants which are not prepared for operation with carbon capture is considerably more elaborate in most cases, as corridors must frequently still be cleared for the connecting piping.

Nuclear Power Plant Operating Experience from the IAEA/NEA International Reporting System for Operating Experience 2012-2014

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2018-03-01

The International Reporting System for Operating Experience (IRS) is an essential element of the international operating experience feedback system for nuclear power plants. Its fundamental objective is to contribute to improving safety of commercial nuclear power plants which are operated worldwide. IRS reports contain information on events of safety significance with important lessons learned which assist in reducing recurrence of events at other plants. This sixth publication, covering the period 2012 - 2014, follows the structure of the previous editions. It highlights important lessons based on a review of the approximately 240 event reports received from the participating countries over this period.

Operating experience from Swedish nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-01-01

During 1997 the PWRs in Ringhals performed extremely well (capability factors 85-90%), the unit Ringhals 2 reached the best capability factor since commercial operation started in 1976. The BWRs made an average 76% capability, which is somewhat less than in 1996. The slightly reduced capability derives from ongoing modernization projects at several units. At the youngest plants, Forsmark 3 and Oskarshamn 3, capability and utilization were very high. Events and data for 1997 are given for each reactor, together with operational statistics for the years 1990-1997. A number of safety-related events are reported, which occurred st the Swedish plants during 1997. These events are classified as level 1 or higher on the international nuclear event scale (INES)

Operating experience from Swedish nuclear power plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-06-01

During 1997 the PWRs in Ringhals performed extremely well (capability factors 85-90%), the unit Ringhals 2 reached the best capability factor since commercial operation started in 1976. The BWRs made an average 76% capability, which is somewhat less than in 1996. The slightly reduced capability derives from ongoing modernization projects at several units. At the youngest plants, Forsmark 3 and Oskarshamn 3, capability and utilization were very high. Events and data for 1997 are given for each reactor, together with operational statistics for the years 1990-1997. A number of safety-related events are reported, which occurred st the Swedish plants during 1997. These events are classified as level 1 or higher on the international nuclear event scale (INES).

Advantage of redundancy in the controllability of remote handling manipulator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muhammad, Ali; Mattila, Jouni; Vilenius, Matti; Siuko, Mikko; Semeraro, Luigi

2011-01-01

To carry out a variety of remote handling operations inside the ITER divertor a Water Hydraulic MANipulator (WHMAN) and its control system have been designed and developed at Tampere University of Technology. The manipulator is installed on top of Cassette Multifunctional Mover (CMM) to assist during the cassette removal and installation operations. While CMM is designed to carry heavy components such as cassettes through the service ducts relying on positioning accuracy and repeatability, WHMAN is designed to execute a mix of remote handling operations using position trajectories and master-slave telemanipulation. WHMAN is composed of eight joints: six rotational and two translational. Since a manipulator requires only six joints to acquire the desired position and orientation in operational-space, the two additional joints of WHMAN provide the redundant degrees of mobility. This paper presents how this redundancy of WHMAN can be an advantage to optimize the execution of remote handling tasks. The paper also discusses an effective way to practically exploit the redundancy. The results show that the additional degrees of freedom can be utilized to improve the dynamic behavior of the manipulator.

Using management of aging in German nuclear power plants - aspects of KTA 1403 pertaining to residual power operation, post-shutdown operation and residual operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barreiro, Pablo; Bever, Thomas; Brast, Gerhard; Elsche, Bjoern; Reese, Sven H.; Grossmann, Patrick; Widera, Martin; Huettner, Frank; Linnemann, Thomas; Smit, Swen-Olaf; Zander, Ralf-Michael

2013-01-01

Management of aging in nuclear power plants originated in the United States of America and became a topic of debate in Germany from the late 1990s onward. On the basis of the existing plant-specific measures practiced comprehensively, KTA 1403, ''Management of Aging in Nuclear Power Plants'', was drafted and finalized in 2010. This publication first presents the context of AM with regard to German nuclear power plants, including references to national and international historical developments. Against this backdrop, the difference between management of aging and lifetime management is discussed next. This is followed by a description of the status of the AM process in nuclear power plants currently in operation, especially organizational plant-specific implementation. As a consequence of the decision by the German federal government to discontinue the peaceful use of nuclear power in Germany and the associated 13th amendment to the Atomic Energy Act of July 31, 2011, a considerable part of the German nuclear power plant park already lost its right of power operation. In this situation, aspects of AM are discussed for plants in the no-power, post-operation and residual operation phases. Finally, experience accumulated in plant-specific execution of the AM process on the basis of KTA 1403 is considered and summarized.

Track 6: safety and risk management. Plant operational risk management. Plant Configuration Risk Assessment Methodology Development for Periodic Maintenance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Huichang; Chung, Chang Hyun; Sung, Key Yong

2001-01-01

As the operation experiences of nuclear power plants (NPPs) in Korea accumulate and NPP safety functions become enhanced, the role of stable and optimal NPP operation within acceptable safety criteria becomes important at present. To accomplish the goal of safe and optimal operation, maintenance and its related activities should be regarded as the issues of most concern. Studies of methodologies for maintenance improvement and optimization have focused on system performance rather than on the hardware itself. From this point of view, the probabilistic methods are most useful. In terms of risk including core damage frequency and unavailability, the cause that might impact plant safety during normal maintenance activities can be identified and evaluated effectively. The results from these probabilistic analyses can provide insightful information for the reallocation of risk-contributing maintenance activity. This information can be utilized in a way that separates the significant risk-contributing maintenance activities from each other unless they are timely related. In Korea, the risk-monitoring program for operating NPPs is under development and will be implemented in 2003. To accomplish the risk-monitoring program objectives, suitable risk evaluation methods should be developed before the implementation of the risk-monitoring program. The plant configuration assessment methodology was developed for these reasons, and this method is to incorporate the field experiences into the risk calculation exactly within the limit of probabilistic methods. During normal plant operation, the plant operational risk changes frequently depending on the status of the plant system and the arrangement of the components. Specific plant systems or components are typically removed from service because of random equipment failure, planned preventive/predictive maintenance, corrective maintenance, surveillance testing, and operational bypass activities, and such events usually impact the

Laser-mediated perforation of plant cells

Science.gov (United States)

Wehner, Martin; Jacobs, Philipp; Esser, Dominik; Schinkel, Helga; Schillberg, Stefan

2007-07-01

The functional analysis of plant cells at the cellular and subcellular levels requires novel technologies for the directed manipulation of individual cells. Lasers are increasingly exploited for the manipulation of plant cells, enabling the study of biological processes on a subcellular scale including transformation to generate genetically modified plants. In our setup either a picosecond laser operating at 1064 nm wavelength or a continuous wave laser diode emitting at 405 nm are coupled into an inverse microscope. The beams are focused to a spot size of about 1.5 μm and the tobacco cell protoplasts are irradiated. Optoporation is achieved when targeting the laser focal spot at the outermost edge of the plasma membrane. In case of the picosecond laser a single pulse with energy of about 0.4 μJ was sufficient to perforate the plasma membrane enabling the uptake of dye or DNA from the surrounding medium into the cytosol. When the ultraviolet laser diode at a power level of 17 mW is employed an irradiation time of 200 - 500 milliseconds is necessary to enable the uptake of macromolecules. In the presence of an EYFP encoding plasmid with a C-terminal peroxisomal signal sequence in the surrounding medium transient transformation of tobacco protoplasts could be achieved in up to 2% of the optoporated cells. Single cell perforation using this novel optoporation method shows that isolated plant cells can be permeabilized without direct manipulation. This is a valuable procedure for cell-specific applications, particularly where the import of specific molecules into plant cells is required for functional analysis.