[Problematic Internet use, time spent online and personality traits].

Science.gov (United States)

Laconi, S; Andréoletti, A; Chauchard, E; Rodgers, R F; Chabrol, H

2016-06-01

Internet addiction or problematic Internet use is a recent and increasingly recognized disorder which has been consistently associated with many psychiatric disorders, adding to the documented negative consequences of problematic Internet use. However, very few studies have examined the relationship between problematic Internet use and personality traits and none in a French sample. Moreover, those which have evaluated this relationship have mainly been conducted on small samples. The main goal of our study was to explore the relationship between problematic Internet use, time spent online and personality traits in a French sample, taking into account the presence of depressive symptoms, and gender. A sample of 276 participants aged from 18 to 50 (M=28; SD=8.9) completed a questionnaire assessing problematic Internet use, time spent online, the presence of ten personality traits and depressive symptoms. Our results revealed significant differences between genders. Among men, problematic Internet use was associated with personality clusters A and B while in women no cluster or personality traits were associated. Time spent online was predicted by schizoid personality traits among men and avoidant personality traits among women. Our results indicate that cluster A (schizoid and schizotypal) and cluster B traits (borderline and antisocial) play a more important role in problematic Internet use than cluster C traits among men. Differences between men and women regarding the relationships between personality traits, time online and problematic Internet use may be related to differences in the activities engaged in by men and women online. We observed that communication websites use was more prevalent among women while erotic, gambling and shopping websites use was more prevalent among men suggesting that the characteristics of problematic Internet use may vary according to gender. Few studies have examined the relationship between problematic Internet use, time spent

Reducing children's classroom sitting time using sit-to-stand desks: findings from pilot studies in UK and Australian primary schools.

Science.gov (United States)

Clemes, Stacy A; Barber, Sally E; Bingham, Daniel D; Ridgers, Nicola D; Fletcher, Elly; Pearson, Natalie; Salmon, Jo; Dunstan, David W

2016-09-01

This research examined the influence of sit-to-stand desks on classroom sitting time in primary school children. Pilot controlled trials with similar intervention strategies were conducted in primary schools in Melbourne, Australia, and Bradford, UK. Sit-to-stand desks replaced all standard desks in the Australian intervention classroom. Six sit-to-stand desks replaced a bank of standard desks in the UK intervention classroom. Children were exposed to the sit-to-stand desks for 9-10 weeks. Control classrooms retained their normal seated desks. Classroom sitting time was measured at baseline and follow-up using the activPAL3 inclinometer. Thirty UK and 44 Australian children provided valid activPAL data at baseline and follow-up. The proportion of time spent sitting in class decreased significantly at follow-up in both intervention groups (UK: -9.8 ± 16.5% [-52.4 ± 66.6 min/day]; Australian: -9.4 ± 10% [-43.7 ± 29.9 min/day]). No significant changes in classroom sitting time were observed in the UK control group, while a significant reduction was observed in the Australian control group (-5.9 ± 11.7% [-28.2 ± 28.3 min/day]). Irrespective of implementation, incorporating sit-to-stand desks into classrooms appears to be an effective way of reducing classroom sitting in this diverse sample of children. Longer term efficacy trials are needed to determine effects on children's health and learning. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

It takes longer than you think: librarian time spent on systematic review tasks*

Science.gov (United States)

Bullers, Krystal; Howard, Allison M.; Hanson, Ardis; Kearns, William D.; Orriola, John J.; Polo, Randall L.; Sakmar, Kristen A.

2018-01-01

Introduction The authors examined the time that medical librarians spent on specific tasks for systematic reviews (SRs): interview process, search strategy development, search strategy translation, documentation, deliverables, search methodology writing, and instruction. We also investigated relationships among the time spent on SR tasks, years of experience, and number of completed SRs to gain a better understanding of the time spent on SR tasks from time, staffing, and project management perspectives. Methods A confidential survey and study description were sent to medical library directors who were members of the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries as well as librarians serving members of the Association of American Medical Colleges or American Osteopathic Association. Results Of the 185 participants, 143 (77%) had worked on an SR within the last 5 years. The number of SRs conducted by participants during their careers ranged from 1 to 500, with a median of 5. The major component of time spent was on search strategy development and translation. Average aggregated time for standard tasks was 26.9 hours, with a median of 18.5 hours. Task time was unrelated to the number of SRs but was positively correlated with years of SR experience. Conclusion The time required to conduct the librarian’s discrete tasks in an SR varies substantially, and there are no standard time frames. Librarians with more SR experience spent more time on instruction and interviews; time spent on all other tasks varied widely. Librarians also can expect to spend a significant amount of their time on search strategy development, translation, and writing. PMID:29632442

Developer’s time spent in a software project part using the SGD framework

OpenAIRE

Ciesluk, Simon

2016-01-01

Resource management is important for software projects to be successful. Time is one of these resources that needs to be managed. To do this you need to know how time resources are spent. Currently the existence of published material on time resources spent in a software project is almost none. In this thesis a research was conducted on how time resources are spent by an individual developer in a software project. The Self-Governance Developer framework was the tool used to gather these resou...

Time spent on television in European countries

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vergeer, M.R.M.; Coenders, M.T.A.; Scheepers, P.L.H.; Konig, R.P.; Nelissen, P.W.M.; Huysmans, F.J.M.

2009-01-01

This study aims to explain the variation in time spent on watching television in 15 European Union countries, using determinants defined at the individual level, and characteristics defined at the national level, such as the number of channels and nature of the television supply. The results of the

Reevaluation of time spent indoors used for exposure dose assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hirose, Katsumi; Fujimoto, Kenzo

2016-01-01

A time spent indoors of sixteen hours per day (indoor occupancy factor: 0.67) has been used to assess the radiation dose of residents who spend daily life in the area contaminated due to the nuclear accident in Japan. However, much longer time is considered to be spent indoors for recent modern life. United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) has been used an indoor occupancy factor of 0.8 since 1977 and a few reports suggested much higher indoor occupancy factors. Therefore it is important to reevaluate the indoor occupancy factor using current available survey data in Japan, such as 'NHK 2010 National Time Use Survey' and 'Survey on Time Use and Leisure Activities' of Statistics Bureau with certain assumption of time spent indoors in each daily activity. The total time spent indoors in a day is calculated to be 20.2 hours and its indoor occupancy factor is 0.84. Much lower indoor occupancy factors were derived from the survey data by Statistics Bureau for 10 to 14 and 15 to 19 years old groups and farmers who spend most of their time outdoors although present estimated indoor occupancy factor of 0.84 is still lower than those found in some of the relevant reports. A rounded indoor occupancy factor of 0.80 might be the appropriate conservative reference value to be used for the dose estimation of people who live in radioactively contaminated areas and for other relevant purposes of exposure assessment, taken into consideration the present results and values reported in United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) and UNSCEAR. (author)

48 CFR 852.271-72 - Time spent by counselee in counseling process.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... counseling process. 852.271-72 Section 852.271-72 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF... Clauses 852.271-72 Time spent by counselee in counseling process. As prescribed in 871.212, insert the following clause: Time Spent by Counselee in Counseling Process (APR 1984) The contractor agrees that no...

Age at Menarche and Time Spent in Education: A Mendelian Randomization Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Gill, D; Del Greco M, F; Rawson, T M; Sivakumaran, P; Brown, A; Sheehan, N A; Minelli, C

2017-09-01

Menarche signifies the primary event in female puberty and is associated with changes in self-identity. It is not clear whether earlier puberty causes girls to spend less time in education. Observational studies on this topic are likely to be affected by confounding environmental factors. The Mendelian randomization (MR) approach addresses these issues by using genetic variants (such as single nucleotide polymorphisms, SNPs) as proxies for the risk factor of interest. We use this technique to explore whether there is a causal effect of age at menarche on time spent in education. Instruments and SNP-age at menarche estimates are identified from a Genome Wide Association Study (GWAS) meta-analysis of 182,416 women of European descent. The effects of instruments on time spent in education are estimated using a GWAS meta-analysis of 118,443 women performed by the Social Science Genetic Association Consortium (SSGAC). In our main analysis, we demonstrate a small but statistically significant causal effect of age at menarche on time spent in education: a 1 year increase in age at menarche is associated with 0.14 years (53 days) increase in time spent in education (95% CI 0.10-0.21 years, p = 3.5 × 10 -8 ). The causal effect is confirmed in sensitivity analyses. In identifying this positive causal effect of age at menarche on time spent in education, we offer further insight into the social effects of puberty in girls.

Time Spent in Home Production Activities by Married Couples and Single Adults with Children.

Science.gov (United States)

Douthitt, Robin A.

1988-01-01

A study found that, over time, married women employed full time have not decreased the time spent working in the home. Married men with young children have increased the time spent on home work. Single parents' time most closely resembled that of married women. (JOW)

A systematic review of standing and treadmill desks in the workplace.

Science.gov (United States)

MacEwen, Brittany T; MacDonald, Dany J; Burr, Jamie F

2015-01-01

Standing and treadmill desks are intended to reduce the amount of time spent sitting in today's otherwise sedentary office. Proponents of these desks suggest that health benefits may be acquired as standing desk use discourages long periods of sitting, which has been identified as an independent health risk factor. Our objectives were thus to analyze the evidence for standing and treadmill desk use in relation to physiological (chronic disease prevention and management) and psychological (worker productivity, well-being) outcomes. A computer-assisted systematic search of Medline, PubMed, PsycINFO, SPORTDiscus, CINAHL, CENTRAL, and EMBASE databases was employed to identify all relevant articles related to standing and treadmill desk use. Treadmill desks led to the greatest improvement in physiological outcomes including postprandial glucose, HDL cholesterol, and anthropometrics, while standing desk use was associated with few physiological changes. Standing and treadmill desks both showed mixed results for improving psychological well-being with little impact on work performance. Standing and treadmill desks show some utility for breaking up sitting time and potentially improving select components of health. At present; however, there exist substantial evidence gaps to comprehensively evaluate the utility of each type of desk to enhance health benefits by reducing sedentary time. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Some notes on the Timing of Geological Disposal of CANDU Spent Fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Heui Joo; Kook, Dong Hak; Choi, Jong Won

2010-01-01

CANDU spent fuel is to be disposed of at repository finally rather than recycled because of its low fissile nuclide concentration. But the difficult situation of finding a repository site can not help introducing a interim storage in the short term. It is required to find an optimum timing of geological disposal of CANDU spent fuels related to the interim storage operation period. The major factors for determining the disposal starting time are considered as safety, economics, and public acceptance. Safety factor is compared in terms of the decay heat and non-proliferation. Economics factor is compared from the point of the operation cost, and public acceptance factor is reviewed from the point of retrievability and inter-generation ethics. This paper recommended the best solution for the disposal starting time by analyzing the above factors. It is concluded that the optimum timing for the CANDU spent fuel disposal is around 2041 and that the sooner disposal time, the better from the point of technical and safety aspects.

Theoretical Antecedents of Standing at Work: An Experience Sampling Approach Using the Theory of Planned Behavior

Science.gov (United States)

Meyer, M. Renée Umstattd; Wu, Cindy; Walsh, Shana M.

2016-01-01

Time spent sitting has been associated with an increased risk of diabetes, cancer, obesity, and mental health impairments. However, 75% of Americans spend most of their days sitting, with work-sitting accounting for 63% of total daily sitting time. Little research examining theory-based antecedents of standing or sitting has been conducted. This lack of solid groundwork makes it difficult to design effective intervention strategies to decrease sitting behaviors. Using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) as our theoretical lens to better understand factors related with beneficial standing behaviors already being practiced, we examined relationships between TPB constructs and time spent standing at work among “positive deviants” (those successful in behavior change). Experience sampling methodology (ESM), 4 times a day (midmorning, before lunch, afternoon, and before leaving work) for 5 consecutive workdays (Monday to Friday), was used to assess employees' standing time. TPB scales assessing attitude (α = 0.81–0.84), norms (α = 0.83), perceived behavioral control (α = 0.77), and intention (α = 0.78) were developed using recommended methods and collected once on the Friday before the ESM surveys started. ESM data are hierarchically nested, therefore we tested our hypotheses using multilevel structural equation modeling with Mplus. Hourly full-time university employees (n = 50; 70.6% female, 84.3% white, mean age = 44 (SD = 11), 88.2% in full-time staff positions) with sedentary occupation types (time at desk while working ≥6 hours/day) participated. A total of 871 daily surveys were completed. Only perceived behavioral control (β = 0.45, p deviance approach to enhance perceived behavioral control, in addition to implementing environmental changes like installing standing desks. PMID:29546189

Association of unipedal standing time and bone mineral density in community-dwelling Japanese women.

Science.gov (United States)

Sakai, A; Toba, N; Takeda, M; Suzuki, M; Abe, Y; Aoyagi, K; Nakamura, T

2009-05-01

Bone mineral density (BMD) and physical performance of the lower extremities decrease with age. In community-dwelling Japanese women, unipedal standing time, timed up and go test, and age are associated with BMD while in women aged 70 years and over, unipedal standing time is associated with BMD. The aim of this study was to clarify whether unipedal standing time is significantly associated with BMD in community-dwelling women. The subjects were 90 community-dwelling Japanese women aged 54.7 years. BMD of the second metacarpal bone was measured by computed X-ray densitometry. We measured unipedal standing time as well as timed up and go test to assess physical performance of the lower extremities. Unipedal standing time decreased with increased age. Timed up and go test significantly correlated with age. Low BMD was significantly associated with old age, short unipedal standing time, and long timed up and go test. Stepwise regression analysis revealed that age, unipedal standing time, and timed up and go test were significant factors associated with BMD. In 21 participants aged 70 years and over, body weight and unipedal standing time, but not age, were significantly associated with BMD. BMD and physical performance of the lower extremities decrease with older age. Unipedal standing time, timed up and go test, and age are associated with BMD in community-dwelling Japanese women. In women aged 70 years and over, unipedal standing time is significantly associated with BMD.

Theoretical Antecedents of Standing at Work: An Experience Sampling Approach Using the Theory of Planned Behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Meyer, M Renée Umstattd; Wu, Cindy; Walsh, Shana M

2016-01-01

Time spent sitting has been associated with an increased risk of diabetes, cancer, obesity, and mental health impairments. However, 75% of Americans spend most of their days sitting, with work-sitting accounting for 63% of total daily sitting time. Little research examining theory-based antecedents of standing or sitting has been conducted. This lack of solid groundwork makes it difficult to design effective intervention strategies to decrease sitting behaviors. Using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) as our theoretical lens to better understand factors related with beneficial standing behaviors already being practiced, we examined relationships between TPB constructs and time spent standing at work among "positive deviants" (those successful in behavior change). Experience sampling methodology (ESM), 4 times a day (midmorning, before lunch, afternoon, and before leaving work) for 5 consecutive workdays (Monday to Friday), was used to assess employees' standing time. TPB scales assessing attitude (α = 0.81-0.84), norms (α = 0.83), perceived behavioral control (α = 0.77), and intention (α = 0.78) were developed using recommended methods and collected once on the Friday before the ESM surveys started. ESM data are hierarchically nested, therefore we tested our hypotheses using multilevel structural equation modeling with Mplus. Hourly full-time university employees (n = 50; 70.6% female, 84.3% white, mean age = 44 (SD = 11), 88.2% in full-time staff positions) with sedentary occupation types (time at desk while working ≥6 hours/day) participated. A total of 871 daily surveys were completed. Only perceived behavioral control (β = 0.45, p work-standing at the event-level (model fit: just fit); mediation through intention was not supported. This is the first study to examine theoretical antecedents of real-time work-standing in a naturalistic field setting among positive deviants. These relationships should be further examined, and behavioral intervention

Theoretical Antecedents of Standing at Work: An Experience Sampling Approach Using the Theory of Planned Behavior

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Renée Umstattd Meyer

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Time spent sitting has been associated with an increased risk of diabetes, cancer, obesity, and mental health impairments. However, 75% of Americans spend most of their days sitting, with work-sitting accounting for 63% of total daily sitting time. Little research examining theory-based antecedents of standing or sitting has been conducted. This lack of solid groundwork makes it difficult to design effective intervention strategies to decrease sitting behaviors. Using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB as our theoretical lens to better understand factors related with beneficial standing behaviors already being practiced, we examined relationships between TPB constructs and time spent standing at work among “positive deviants” (those successful in behavior change. Experience sampling methodology (ESM, 4 times a day (midmorning, before lunch, afternoon, and before leaving work for 5 consecutive workdays (Monday to Friday, was used to assess employees’ standing time. TPB scales assessing attitude (α = 0.81–0.84, norms (α = 0.83, perceived behavioral control (α = 0.77, and intention (α = 0.78 were developed using recommended methods and collected once on the Friday before the ESM surveys started. ESM data are hierarchically nested, therefore we tested our hypotheses using multilevel structural equation modeling with Mplus. Hourly full-time university employees (n = 50; 70.6% female, 84.3% white, mean age = 44 (SD = 11, 88.2%in full-time staff positions with sedentary occupation types (time at desk while working ≥6 hours/day participated. A total of 871 daily surveys were completed. Only perceived behavioral control (β = 0.45, p < 0.05 was related with work-standing at the event-level (model fit: just fit; mediation through intention was not supported. This is the first study to examine theoretical antecedents of real-time work-standing in a naturalistic field setting among positive deviants. These relationships should be further

Associations between maternal employment and time spent in nutrition-related behaviours among German children and mothers.

Science.gov (United States)

Möser, Anke; Chen, Susan E; Jilcott, Stephanie B; Nayga, Rodolfo M

2012-07-01

To examine associations between maternal employment and time spent engaging in nutrition-related behaviours among mothers and children using a nationally representative sample of households in West and East Germany. A cross-sectional analysis was performed using time-use data for a sample of mother-child dyads. Associations between maternal employment and time spent in nutrition-related activities such as eating at home, eating away from home and food preparation were estimated using a double-hurdle model. German Time Budget Survey 2001/02. The overall sample included 1071 households with a child between 10 and 17 years of age. The time-use data were collected for a 3 d period of observation (two weekdays and one weekend day). Maternal employment was associated with the time children spent on nutrition-related behaviours. In households with employed mothers, children spent more time eating alone at home and less time eating meals with their mothers. Moreover, employed mothers spent less time on meal preparation compared with non-employed mothers. There were regional differences in time spent on nutrition-related behaviours, such that East German children were more likely to eat at home alone than West German children. Maternal employment was associated with less time spent eating with children and preparing food, which may be related to the increasing childhood obesity rates in Germany. Future national surveys that collect both time-use data and health outcomes could yield further insight into mechanisms by which maternal time use might be associated with health outcomes among children.

Depository of ampoule ionizing radiation sources on the basis of stand complex Baikal-I. Operation experience and application perspectives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ganzha, V.V.; Boltovskij, S.A.; Kolbaenkov, A.N.; Meshin, M.M.; Nasonov, S.G.; Pivovarov, O.S.; Storozhenko, A.S.; Yakovlev, V.V.

2001-01-01

Depository of ampoule sources of ionizing radiation (ASIR) on the basis of stand complex Baikal-I was founded an put into operation in 1995. It is intended for prolonged storage of the spent ASIR from a different institutions of Kazakhstan. To the present time a more than 10000 spent ASIR with activity more than 2000 Ci were taken and placed for storage

Time spent in sedentary activities in a pediatric population in Pretoria Central, South Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Goon, Daniel T; Nsibambi, Constance A; Chebet, Milton

2016-12-01

Scant information exist on screen time behavior of South Africa children and whether they do not meet the recommendation of American Association of Pediatrics (AAP) concerning screen time activity for children is only speculative. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the time spent in sedentary activities, especially screen time of South African children with regard to gender. This cross-sectional study involved a random sample of 1136 school children (548 boys; 588 girls) aged 9-13 years attending public schools in Central Pretoria, South Africa. Questionnaire was used to collect data on the participants' sedentary behaviors. The prevalence estimates for sedentary time activity was based on the guidelines (i.e., <2 or ≥2 hours per day) of AAP. The mean age of the children was 11.1±1.4 years. Sedentary activity data were collected from 548 boys (48.2%) and 588 (51.8%) girls. The majority of children spent more than two hours per day (exceeding the AAP recommendation for sedentary activity) watching TV (3.0%), worked or played on the computer (25.4%), read (1.0%), played music (27.9%), played board games (14.7%), washing clothes (8.0%), floor sweeping (10.5%), art work (18.2%), and spent time on other unspecified activities (28.6%). Boys spent more time (2 hours, 3-4 hours) watching TV (38.3%; P=0.001), playing computer (31.8 %; P=0.024) and board games (17.4%; P=0.012) than girls. The corresponding figures for girls were 35.7%, 19.2% and 12.5% for TV, computer and board games, respectively. However, the proportion of those who spent more time playing music was higher among girls (32.7%) than boys (22.4%) (P=0.002). Overall, the time spent exceeding AAP recommendation (≥ 2 hours) was not statistically (P=0.427) different between boys and girls. The time spent in sedentary activities, particularly in screen time activity among urban primary school children in Pretoria Central is excessively higher than the recommendation (i.e., ≥2 hours per day

Do Workplace Flexibility Policies Influence Time Spent in Domestic Labor?

Science.gov (United States)

Noonan, Mary C.; Estes, Sarah Beth; Glass, Jennifer L.

2007-01-01

Using data from a U.S. midwestern sample of mothers and fathers, the authors examine whether using workplace flexibility policies alters time spent in housework and child care. They hypothesize that an individual's policy use will lead to more time in domestic labor and that his or her spouse's policy use will lead to less time in domestic labor.…

Choosing a spent fuel interim storage system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roland, V.; Hunter, I.

2001-01-01

The Transnucleaire Group has developed different modular solutions to address spent fuel interim storage needs of NPP. These solutions, that are present in Europe, USA and Asia are metal casks (dual purpose or storage only) of the TN 24 family and the NUHOMS canister based system. It is not always simple for an operator to sort out relevant choice criteria. After explaining the basic designs involved on the examples of the TN 120 WWER dual purpose cask and the NUHOMS 56 WWER for WWER 440 spent fuel, we shall discuss the criteria that govern the choice of a given spent fuel interim storage system from the stand point of the operator. In conclusion, choosing and implementing an interim storage system is a complex process, whose implications can be far reaching for the long-term success of a spent fuel management policy. (author)

Time Spent on the Internet and Adolescent Blood Pressure

Science.gov (United States)

Cassidy-Bushrow, Andrea E.; Johnson, Dayna A.; Peters, Rosalind M.; Burmeister, Charlotte; Joseph, Christine L. M.

2015-01-01

Internet use is nearly ubiquitous among adolescents. Growing evidence suggests heavy Internet use negatively impacts health, yet the relationship between time spent on the Internet and adolescent blood pressure (BP) is unknown. We examined the association between Internet use and elevated BP in a racially diverse cross-sectional sample of 331…

Uprising: An examination of sit-stand workstations, mental health and work ability in sedentary office workers, in Western Australia.

Science.gov (United States)

Tobin, Rochelle; Leavy, Justine; Jancey, Jonine

2016-10-17

Office-based staff spend around three quarters of their work day sitting. People who sit for long periods while at work are at greater risk of adverse health outcomes. The pilot study aimed to determine the effect of sit-stand workstations on office-based staff sedentary and physical activity behaviors, work ability and self-reported physical and mental health outcomes. A two-group pre-post study design assessed changes in sedentary and physical activity behaviors (time spent sitting, standing and stepping and sit-stand transitions and number of steps taken) work ability and physical and mental health. Physical activity behaviors were measured using activPAL activity monitors and self-reported data on work ability and physical and mental health were collected using an online questionnaire. Relative to the controls (n=19), the intervention group (n=18) significantly decreased time spent sitting by 100 minutes (pwork ability when compared to lifetime best (p=0.008). There were no significant differences for all other sedentary behavior, other workability outcomes, physical health or mental health outcomes at follow-up. The Uprising Study found that sit-stand workstations are an effective strategy to reduce occupational sitting time in office-based workers over a one month period.

Dry spent fuel storage licensing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sturz, F.C.

1995-01-01

In the US, at-reactor-site dry spent fuel storage in independent spent fuel storage installations (ISFSI) has become the principal option for utilities needing storage capacity outside of the reactor spent fuel pools. Delays in the geologic repository operational date at or beyond 2010, and the increasing uncertainty of the US Department of Energy's (DOE) being able to site and license a Monitored Retrievable Storage (MRS) facility by 1998 make at-reactor-site dry storage of spent nuclear fuel increasingly desirable to utilities and DOE to meet the need for additional spent fuel storage capacity until disposal, in a repository, is available. The past year has been another busy year for dry spent fuel storage licensing. The licensing staff has been reviewing 7 applications and 12 amendment requests, as well as participating in inspection-related activities. The authors have licensed, on a site-specific basis, a variety of dry technologies (cask, module, and vault). By using certified designs, site-specific licensing is no longer required. Another new cask has been certified. They have received one new application for cask certification and two amendments to a certified cask design. As they stand on the brink of receiving multiple applications from DOE for the MPC, they are preparing to meet the needs of this national program. With the range of technical and licensing options available to utilities, the authors believe that utilities can meet their need for additional spent fuel storage capacity for essentially all reactor sites through the next decade

The effectiveness of sit-stand workstations for changing office workers' sitting time: results from the Stand@Work randomized controlled trial pilot

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Chau, J.Y.; Daley, M.; Dunn, S.; Srinivasan, A.; Do, A.; Bauman, A.E.; van der Ploeg, H.P.

2014-01-01

Prolonged sitting time is detrimental for health. Individuals with desk-based occupations tend to sit a great deal and sit-stand workstations have been identified as a potential strategy to reduce sitting time. Hence, the objective of the current study was to examine the effects of using sit-stand

Evaluation of daily time spent in transportation and traffic-influenced microenvironments by urban Canadians.

Science.gov (United States)

Matz, Carlyn J; Stieb, David M; Egyed, Marika; Brion, Orly; Johnson, Markey

2018-01-01

Exposure to traffic and traffic-related air pollution is associated with a wide array of health effects. Time spent in a vehicle, in active transportation, along roadsides, and in close proximity to traffic can substantially contribute to daily exposure to air pollutants. For this study, we evaluated daily time spent in transportation and traffic-influenced microenvironments by urban Canadians using the Canadian Human Activity Pattern Survey (CHAPS) 2 results. Approximately 4-7% of daily time was spent in on- or near-road locations, mainly associated with being in a vehicle and smaller contributions from active transportation. Indoor microenvironments can be impacted by traffic emissions, especially when located near major roadways. Over 60% of the target population reported living within one block of a roadway with moderate to heavy traffic, which was variable with income level and city, and confirmed based on elevated NO 2 exposure estimated using land use regression. Furthermore, over 55% of the target population ≤ 18 years reported attending a school or daycare in close proximity to moderate to heavy traffic, and little variation was observed based on income or city. The results underline the importance of traffic emissions as a major source of exposure in Canadian urban centers, given the time spent in traffic-influenced microenvironments.

Predicting Time Spent in Treatment in a Sample of Danish Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse.

Science.gov (United States)

Fletcher, Shelley; Elklit, Ask; Shevlin, Mark; Armour, Cherie

2017-07-01

The aim of this study was to identify significant predictors of length of time spent in treatment. In a convenience sample of 439 Danish survivors of child sexual abuse, predictors of time spent in treatment were examined. Assessments were conducted on a 6-month basis over a period of 18 months. A multinomial logistic regression analysis revealed that the experience of neglect in childhood and having experienced rape at any life stage were associated with less time in treatment. Higher educational attainment and being male were associated with staying in treatment for longer periods of time. These factors may be important for identifying those at risk of terminating treatment prematurely. It is hoped that a better understanding of the factors that predict time spent in treatment will help to improve treatment outcomes for individuals who are at risk of dropping out of treatment at an early stage.

The independent relationship between trouble controlling Facebook use, time spent on the site and distress.

Science.gov (United States)

Muench, Fredrick; Hayes, Marie; Kuerbis, Alexis; Shao, Sijing

2015-09-01

There is an emerging literature base on the relationship between maladaptive traits and "addiction" to social networking sites. These studies have operationalized addiction as either spending excessive amounts of time on social networking sites (SNS) or trouble controlling SNS use, but have not assessed the unique contribution of each of these constructs on outcomes in the same models. Moreover, these studies have exclusively been conducted with younger people rather than a heterogeneous sample. This study examined the independent relationship of a brief Facebook addiction scale, time spent on Facebook, and Facebook checking on positive and negative social domains, while controlling for self-esteem and social desirability. Participants were recruited using e-mail, SNS posts and through Amazon's MTurk system. The sample included 489 respondents ages from 18 to approximately 70, who completed a 10-15 minute survey. Results indicate that neither time spent on Facebook nor Facebook checking was significantly associated with either self-esteem, fear of negative social evaluation or social comparison, while SNS addiction symptoms were each independently associated with Facebook usage. Neither time spent on Facebook nor SNS addiction symptoms were associated with positive social relationships. Overall results suggest that time on SNS and trouble controlling use should be considered independent constructs and that interventions should target underlying loss of control as the primary intervention target above ego syntonic time spent on the site.

Objective Sedentary Time, Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity, and Physical Capability in a British Cohort

Science.gov (United States)

KEEVIL, VICTORIA L.; COOPER, ANDREW J. M.; WIJNDAELE, KATRIEN; LUBEN, ROBERT; WAREHAM, NICHOLAS J.; BRAGE, SOREN; KHAW, KAY-TEE

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Purpose Sedentariness has been proposed as an independent risk factor for poor health. However, few studies have considered associations of sedentary time (ST) with physical functional health independent of time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Methods Community-based men and women (n = 8623, 48–92 yr old) in the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer—Norfolk study attended a health examination for objective measurement of physical capability, including grip strength (Smedley dynamometer (kg)), usual walking speed (UWS (cm·s−1)), and timed chair stand speed (TCSS (stands per minute)). Of these, 4051 participants wore an accelerometer (GT1M ActiGraph) for 7 d to estimate time spent in MVPA (MVPA, ≥1952 counts per minute) and ST (ST, 0.05). Conclusions More time spent in MVPA was associated with higher physical capability, but there were no independent ST associations. PMID:26501232

I Can Stand Learning: A Controlled Pilot Intervention Study on the Effects of Increased Standing Time on Cognitive Function in Primary School Children

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katharina Wick

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Sedentarism is considered an independent cardiovascular risk factor. Thus, the present study investigated the effects of employing standing desks in classrooms on cognitive function. The intervention class (IG; n = 19 was supplied with standing desks and balance pads for 11 weeks. The control class (CG; n = 19 received lessons as usual. Standing time was assessed objectively (accelerometers and subjectively (self-report sheets, external classroom observers. The impact of standing on the digit span task and Eriksen flanker task was analysed. The standing time of the IG was higher during the school day in comparison to the CG (lesson: p = 0.004; break: p = 0.003. The intra-class correlation coefficient between self-reports and external observation was high (ICC = 0.94. The IG improved slightly on the Digit Span Task compared to CG. Employing standing desks for at least 1 h per school day serves as a feasible and effective opportunity to improve cognitive function.

The independent relationship between trouble controlling Facebook use, time spent on the site and distress

Science.gov (United States)

Muench, Fredrick; Hayes, Marie; Kuerbis, Alexis; Shao, Sijing

2015-01-01

Background and Aims There is an emerging literature base on the relationship between maladaptive traits and “addiction” to social networking sites. These studies have operationalized addiction as either spending excessive amounts of time on social networking sites (SNS) or trouble controlling SNS use, but have not assessed the unique contribution of each of these constructs on outcomes in the same models. Moreover, these studies have exclusively been conducted with younger people rather than a heterogeneous sample. This study examined the independent relationship of a brief Facebook addiction scale, time spent on Facebook, and Facebook checking on positive and negative social domains, while controlling for self-esteem and social desirability. Methods Participants were recruited using e-mail, SNS posts and through Amazon’s MTurk system. The sample included 489 respondents ages from 18 to approximately 70, who completed a 10–15 minute survey. Results Results indicate that neither time spent on Facebook nor Facebook checking was significantly associated with either self-esteem, fear of negative social evaluation or social comparison, while SNS addiction symptoms were each independently associated with Facebook usage. Neither time spent on Facebook nor SNS addiction symptoms were associated with positive social relationships. Discussion Overall results suggest that time on SNS and trouble controlling use should be considered independent constructs and that interventions should target underlying loss of control as the primary intervention target above ego syntonic time spent on the site. PMID:26551906

Associations between Parental and Friend Social Support and Children's Physical Activity and Time Spent outside Playing.

Science.gov (United States)

Loucaides, Constantinos A; Tsangaridou, Niki

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the structural validity of a parent and a child questionnaire that assessed parental and friends' influences on children's physical activity and investigate the associations between the derived factors, physical activity, and time spent outside. Children ( N = 154, mean age = 11.7) and 144 of their parents completed questionnaires assessing parental and friends' influences on children's physical activity. Children wore a pedometer for six days. Exploratory factor analyses revealed four factors for the parental and five for the child's questionnaire that explained 66.71% and 63.85% of the variance, respectively. Five factors were significantly associated with physical activity and five significantly associated with time spent outside. Higher correlations were revealed between "general friend support," "friends' activity norms," and physical activity ( r = 0.343 and 0.333 resp., p friend support" and time spent outside ( r = 0.460, p parental and friends' influences on physical activity from both parents and children may provide a more complete picture of influences. Parents and friends seem to influence children's physical activity behavior and time spent outside, but friends' influences may have a stronger impact on children's behaviors.

The Effects of Spent Engine Oil on Soil Properties and Growth of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The effect of spent engine oil (SEO) on soil properties and growth of maize (Zea mays L.) was investigated. Five treatments (0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8 l/kg) of the spent oil were applied to soil in perforated poly bags with maize stands at four weeks after sowing. Soil analysis showed that SEO had no effect on both the pH and ...

Grey Literature Searching for Health Sciences Systematic Reviews: A Prospective Study of Time Spent and Resources Utilized.

Science.gov (United States)

Saleh, Ahlam A; Ratajeski, Melissa A; Bertolet, Marnie

To identify estimates of time taken to search grey literature in support of health sciences systematic reviews and to identify searcher or systematic review characteristics that may impact resource selection or time spent searching. A survey was electronically distributed to searchers embarking on a new systematic review. Characteristics of the searcher and systematic review were collected along with time spent searching and what resources were searched. Time and resources were tabulated and resources were categorized as grey or non-grey. Data was analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis tests. Out of 81 original respondents, 21% followed through with completion of the surveys in their entirety. The median time spent searching all resources was 471 minutes, and of those a median of 85 minutes were spent searching grey literature. The median number of resources used in a systematic review search was four and the median number of grey literature sources searched was two. The amount of time spent searching was influenced by whether the systematic review was grant funded. Additionally, the number of resources searched was impacted by institution type and whether systematic review training was received. This study characterized the amount of time for conducting systematic review searches including searching the grey literature, in addition to the number and types of resources used. This may aid searchers in planning their time, along with providing benchmark information for future studies. This paper contributes by quantifying current grey literature search patterns and associating them with searcher and review characteristics. Further discussion and research into the search approach for grey literature in support of systematic reviews is encouraged.

Multinomial model and zero-inflated gamma model to study time spent on leisure time physical activity: an example of ELSA-Brasil.

Science.gov (United States)

Nobre, Aline Araújo; Carvalho, Marilia Sá; Griep, Rosane Härter; Fonseca, Maria de Jesus Mendes da; Melo, Enirtes Caetano Prates; Santos, Itamar de Souza; Chor, Dora

2017-08-17

To compare two methodological approaches: the multinomial model and the zero-inflated gamma model, evaluating the factors associated with the practice and amount of time spent on leisure time physical activity. Data collected from 14,823 baseline participants in the Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil - Estudo Longitudinal de Saúde do Adulto ) have been analysed. Regular leisure time physical activity has been measured using the leisure time physical activity module of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. The explanatory variables considered were gender, age, education level, and annual per capita family income. The main advantage of the zero-inflated gamma model over the multinomial model is that it estimates mean time (minutes per week) spent on leisure time physical activity. For example, on average, men spent 28 minutes/week longer on leisure time physical activity than women did. The most sedentary groups were young women with low education level and income. The zero-inflated gamma model, which is rarely used in epidemiological studies, can give more appropriate answers in several situations. In our case, we have obtained important information on the main determinants of the duration of leisure time physical activity. This information can help guide efforts towards the most vulnerable groups since physical inactivity is associated with different diseases and even premature death.

The Relationship between Motivation, Learning Approaches, Academic Performance and Time Spent

Science.gov (United States)

Everaert, Patricia; Opdecam, Evelien; Maussen, Sophie

2017-01-01

Previous literature calls for further investigation in terms of precedents and consequences of learning approaches (deep learning and surface learning). Motivation as precedent and time spent and academic performance as consequences are addressed in this paper. The study is administered in a first-year undergraduate course. Results show that the…

Spent fuel surveillance and monitoring methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-05-01

The Technical Committee Meeting on ''Spent Fuel Surveillance and Monitoring Methods'' (27-30 October 1987) has been organized in accordance with recommendations of the International Standing Advisory Group on Spent Fuel Management during its second meeting in 1986. The aim of the meeting was to discuss the above questions with emphasis on current design and operation criteria, safety principles and licensing requirements and procedures in order to prevent: inadvertent criticality, undue radiation exposure, unacceptable release of radioactivity as well as control for loss of storage pool water, crud impact, water chemistry, distribution and behaviour of particulates in cooling water, oxidation of intact and failed fuel rods as a function of temperature and burnup; distribution of radiation and temperature through dry cask wall, monitoring of leakages from pools and gas escapes from dry storage facilities, periodical integrity tests of the containment barriers, responsibilities of organizations for the required operation, structure, staff and subordination, etc. The presentations of the Meeting were divided into two sessions: Spent fuel surveillance programmes and practice in Member States (4 papers); Experimental methods developed in support of spent fuel surveillance programmes (5 papers). A separate abstract was prepared for each of these papers. Refs, figs and tabs

Time's up. descriptive epidemiology of multi-morbidity and time spent on health related activity by older Australians: a time use survey.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tanisha Jowsey

Full Text Available Most Western health systems remain single illness orientated despite the growing prevalence of multi-morbidity. Identifying how much time people with multiple chronic conditions spend managing their health will help policy makers and health service providers make decisions about areas of patient need for support. This article presents findings from an Australian study concerning the time spent on health related activity by older adults (aged 50 years and over, most of whom had multiple chronic conditions. A recall questionnaire was developed, piloted, and adjusted. Sampling was undertaken through three bodies; the Lung Foundation Australia (COPD sub-sample, National Diabetes Services Scheme (Diabetes sub-sample and National Seniors Australia (Seniors sub-sample. Questionnaires were mailed out during 2011 to 10,600 older adults living in Australia. 2540 survey responses were received and analysed. Descriptive analyses were completed to obtain median values for the hours spent on each activity per month. The mean number of chronic conditions was 3.7 in the COPD sub-sample, 3.4 in the Diabetes sub-sample and 2.0 in the NSA sub-sample. The study identified a clear trend of increased time use associated with increased number of chronic conditions. Median monthly time use was 5-16 hours per month overall for our three sub-samples. For respondents in the top decile with five or more chronic conditions the median time use was equivalent to two to three hours per day, and if exercise is included in the calculations, respondents spent from between five and eight hours per day: an amount similar to full-time work. Multi-morbidity imposes considerable time burdens on patients. Ageing is associated with increasing rates of multi-morbidity. Many older adults are facing high demands on their time to manage their health in the face of decreasing energy and mobility. Their time use must be considered in health service delivery and health system reform.

Reclamation of alkaline spent moulding sands of organic and inorganic type and their mixtures

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R. Dańko

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Introduction of modern moulding sands with organic and inorganic binders requires the reclamation treatments in order to be able to reuse the matrices of spent sands. The spent sands, depending on the applied binding agent, are characterised by various abilities of the matrix reclamation. The results of investigations of the reclamation of spent moulding sands with the Rudal binder and spent sands with the Rezolit binder in the system of uniform sands and of mixed ones, are presented in the paper. Investigations were performed by means of the special experimental stands designed and built in the AGH University of Science and Technology, AGH, in Krakow.

Birth weight and time spent in outdoor physical activity during adolescence.

Science.gov (United States)

Gopinath, Bamini; Hardy, Louise L; Baur, Louise A; Burlutsky, George; Mitchell, Paul

2013-03-01

We investigated the association between birth parameters (weight, length, and head circumference) and time spent in physical activity (outdoor and indoor) and screen time (TV viewing, computer, and videogame usage) among adolescents. A longitudinal cohort study surveyed 1794 children in 2004-2005 (median age = 12.7 yr), and 752 were resurveyed 5 yr later in 2009-2010 (age = 17-18 yr). Adolescents completed detailed activity questionnaires. Parents extracted birth parameter data from their child's health record booklet. After adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, gestational age, parental education, home ownership, exposure to passive smoking, and body mass index, 12-yr-old children in the highest compared with the lowest quartile of birth weight spent on average approximately 56 and 62 min more in total (Ptrend = 0.02) and outdoor physical activity (Ptrend = 0.02) per week, respectively. Similarly, 12-yr-old children in the high (>4000 g) versus very low (adolescence. Hence, this could be part of the underlying mechanism between prenatal influences and future disease risk and could have possible clinical implications.

Treatment and recycling of spent nuclear fuel. Actinide partitioning - Application to waste management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abonneau, E.; Baron, P.; Berthon, C.; Berthon, L.; Beziat, A.; Bisel, I.; Bonin, L.; Bosse, E.; Boullis, B.; Broudic, J.C.; Charbonnel, M.C.; Chauvin, N.; Den Auwer, C.; Dinh, B.; Duhamet, J.; Escleine, J.M.; Grandjean, S.; Guilbaud, P.; Guillaneux, D.; Guillaumont, D.; Hill, C.; Lacquement, J.; Masson, M.; Miguirditchian, M.; Moisy, P.; Pelletier, M.; Ravenet, A.; Rostaing, C.; Royet, V.; Ruas, A.; Simoni, E.; Sorel, C.; Vaudano, A.; Venault, L.; Warin, D.; Zaetta, A.; Pradel, P.; Bonin, B.; Bouquin, B.; Dozol, M.; Lecomte, M.; Forestier, A.; Beauvy, M.; Berthoud, G.; Defranceschi, M.; Ducros, G.; Guerin, Y.; Latge, C.; Limoge, Y.; Madic, C.; Santarini, G.; Seiler, J.M.; Sollogoob, P.; Vernaz, E.; Bazile, F.; Parisot, J.P.; Finot, P.; Roberts, J.F.

2008-01-01

subsequent to its in-reactor dwell time, spent fuel still contains large amounts of materials that are recoverable, for value-added energy purposes (uranium, plutonium), together with fission products, and minor actinides, making up the residues from nuclear reactions. The treatment and recycling of spent nuclear fuel, as implemented in France, entail that such materials be chemically partitioned. The development of the process involved, and its deployment on an industrial scale stand as a high achievement of French science, and technology. Treatment and recycling allow both a satisfactory management of nuclear waste to be implemented, and substantial savings, in terms of fissile material. Bolstered of late as it has been, due to spectacularly skyrocketing uranium prices, this strategy is bound to become indispensable, with the advent of the next generation of fast reactors. This Monograph surveys the chemical process used for spent fuel treatment, and its variants, both current, and future. It outlines currently ongoing investigations, setting out the challenges involved, and recent results obtained by CEA. (authors)

Treatment and recycling of spent nuclear fuel. Actinide partitioning - Application to waste management

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abonneau, E.; Baron, P.; Berthon, C.; Berthon, L.; Beziat, A.; Bisel, I.; Bonin, L.; Bosse, E.; Boullis, B.; Broudic, J.C.; Charbonnel, M.C.; Chauvin, N.; Den Auwer, C.; Dinh, B.; Duhamet, J.; Escleine, J.M.; Grandjean, S.; Guilbaud, P.; Guillaneux, D.; Guillaumont, D.; Hill, C.; Lacquement, J.; Masson, M.; Miguirditchian, M.; Moisy, P.; Pelletier, M.; Ravenet, A.; Rostaing, C.; Royet, V.; Ruas, A.; Simoni, E.; Sorel, C.; Vaudano, A.; Venault, L.; Warin, D.; Zaetta, A.; Pradel, P.; Bonin, B.; Bouquin, B.; Dozol, M.; Lecomte, M.; Forestier, A.; Beauvy, M.; Berthoud, G.; Defranceschi, M.; Ducros, G.; Guerin, Y.; Latge, C.; Limoge, Y.; Madic, C.; Santarini, G.; Seiler, J.M.; Sollogoob, P.; Vernaz, E.; Bazile, F.; Parisot, J.P.; Finot, P.; Roberts, J.F

2008-07-01

subsequent to its in-reactor dwell time, spent fuel still contains large amounts of materials that are recoverable, for value-added energy purposes (uranium, plutonium), together with fission products, and minor actinides, making up the residues from nuclear reactions. The treatment and recycling of spent nuclear fuel, as implemented in France, entail that such materials be chemically partitioned. The development of the process involved, and its deployment on an industrial scale stand as a high achievement of French science, and technology. Treatment and recycling allow both a satisfactory management of nuclear waste to be implemented, and substantial savings, in terms of fissile material. Bolstered of late as it has been, due to spectacularly skyrocketing uranium prices, this strategy is bound to become indispensable, with the advent of the next generation of fast reactors. This Monograph surveys the chemical process used for spent fuel treatment, and its variants, both current, and future. It outlines currently ongoing investigations, setting out the challenges involved, and recent results obtained by CEA. (authors)

Rationale and study design for a randomised controlled trial to reduce sedentary time in adults at risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus: project stand (Sedentary Time ANd diabetes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wilmot Emma G

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The rising prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM is a major public health problem. There is an urgent need for effective lifestyle interventions to prevent the development of T2DM. Sedentary behaviour (sitting time has recently been identified as a risk factor for diabetes, often independent of the time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Project STAND (Sedentary Time ANd Diabetes is a study which aims to reduce sedentary behaviour in younger adults at high risk of T2DM. Methods/Design A reduction in sedentary time is targeted using theory driven group structured education. The STAND programme is subject to piloting and process evaluation in line with the MRC framework for complex interventions. Participants are encouraged to self-monitor and self-regulate their behaviour. The intervention is being assessed in a randomised controlled trial with 12 month follow up. Inclusion criteria are a aged 18-40 years with a BMI in the obese range; b 18-40 years with a BMI in the overweight range plus an additional risk factor for T2DM. Participants are randomised to the intervention (n = 89 or control (n = 89 arm. The primary outcome is a reduction in sedentary behaviour at 12 months as measured by an accelerometer (count Conclusions This is the first UK trial to address sedentary behaviour change in a population of younger adults at risk of T2DM. The results will provide a platform for the development of a range of future multidisciplinary interventions in this rapidly expanding high-risk population. Trial registration Current controlled trials ISRCTN08434554, MRC project 91409.

Multinomial model and zero-inflated gamma model to study time spent on leisure time physical activity: an example of ELSA-Brasil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aline Araújo Nobre

2017-08-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To compare two methodological approaches: the multinomial model and the zero-inflated gamma model, evaluating the factors associated with the practice and amount of time spent on leisure time physical activity. METHODS Data collected from 14,823 baseline participants in the Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil – Estudo Longitudinal de Saúde do Adulto have been analysed. Regular leisure time physical activity has been measured using the leisure time physical activity module of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. The explanatory variables considered were gender, age, education level, and annual per capita family income. RESULTS The main advantage of the zero-inflated gamma model over the multinomial model is that it estimates mean time (minutes per week spent on leisure time physical activity. For example, on average, men spent 28 minutes/week longer on leisure time physical activity than women did. The most sedentary groups were young women with low education level and income CONCLUSIONS The zero-inflated gamma model, which is rarely used in epidemiological studies, can give more appropriate answers in several situations. In our case, we have obtained important information on the main determinants of the duration of leisure time physical activity. This information can help guide efforts towards the most vulnerable groups since physical inactivity is associated with different diseases and even premature death.

HTGR spent fuel storage study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burgoyne, R.M.; Holder, N.D.

1979-04-01

This report documents a study of alternate methods of storing high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) spent fuel. General requirements and design considerations are defined for a storage facility integral to a fuel recycle plant. Requirements for stand-alone storage are briefly considered. Three alternate water-cooled storage conceptual designs (plug well, portable well, and monolith) are considered and compared to a previous air-cooled design. A concept using portable storage wells in racks appears to be the most favorable, subject to seismic analysis and economic evaluation verification

Thermal Analysis Evaluation of Spent Fuel Storage Rack for Research Reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

2016-10-15

Spent fuel storage rack is to store spent fuel assemblies. The spent fuel storage rack is submerged in the designated pool for cooling. Due to the condition change of the pool water, the effect of thermal load on spent fuel storage rack must be analyzed and evaluated. In this paper, thermal stress analysis is performed and evaluated on a spent fuel storage rack. For thermal stress evaluation of the spent fuel storage rack, load combinations and allowable criteria in ASME Sec. III NB-3220 are applied. In cases of A-1 and B-1, the same temperature applied on the whole model, thermal stress doesn't occur because there is no constraint about the thermal expansion. The support frame is located on the pool bottom in free standing type and the racks are located in the support frame with enough space. Thermal expansion was considered and reflected in the design of spent fuel storage rack in advance. Thermal stress analysis is performed and evaluated on a spent fuel storage rack with consideration of pool water temperature variation. The thermal analysis including a linear heat transfer and the thermal stress analysis is performed for the racks and support frame and resulted stresses are within allowable criteria.

Survey of wet and dry spent fuel storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-07-01

Spent fuel storage is one of the important stages in the nuclear fuel cycle and stands among the most vital challenges for countries operating nuclear power plants. Continuous attention is being given by the IAEA to the collection, analysis and exchange of information on spent fuel management. Its role in this area is to provide a forum for exchanging information and for coordinating and encouraging closer co-operation among Member States. Spent fuel management is recognized as a high priority IAEA activity. In 1997, the annual spent fuel arising from all types of power reactors worldwide amounted to about 10,500 tonnes heavy metal (t HM). The total amount of spent fuel accumulated worldwide at the end of 1997 was about 200,000 t HM of which about 130,000 t HM of spent fuel is presently being stored in at-reactor (AR) or away-from-reactor (AFR) storage facilities awaiting either reprocessing or final disposal and 70,000 t HM has been reprocessed. Projections indicate that the cumulative amount generated by 2010 may surpass 340,000 t HM and by the year 2015 395,000 t HM. Part of the spent fuel will be reprocessed and some countries took the option to dispose their spent fuel in a repository. Most countries with nuclear programmes are using the deferral of a decision approach, a 'wait and see' strategy with interim storage, which provides the ability to monitor the storage continuously and to retrieve the spent fuel later for either direct disposal or reprocessing. Some countries use different approaches for different types of fuel. Today the worldwide reprocessing capacity is only a fraction of the total spent fuel arising and since no final repository has yet been constructed, there will be an increasing demand for interim storage. The present survey contains information on the basic storage technologies and facility types, experience with wet and dry storage of spent fuel and international experience in spent fuel transport. The main aim is to provide spent fuel

Associations between Parental and Friend Social Support and Children’s Physical Activity and Time Spent outside Playing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Constantinos A. Loucaides

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to examine the structural validity of a parent and a child questionnaire that assessed parental and friends’ influences on children’s physical activity and investigate the associations between the derived factors, physical activity, and time spent outside. Children (N=154, mean age = 11.7 and 144 of their parents completed questionnaires assessing parental and friends’ influences on children’s physical activity. Children wore a pedometer for six days. Exploratory factor analyses revealed four factors for the parental and five for the child’s questionnaire that explained 66.71% and 63.85% of the variance, respectively. Five factors were significantly associated with physical activity and five significantly associated with time spent outside. Higher correlations were revealed between “general friend support,” “friends’ activity norms,” and physical activity (r=0.343 and 0.333 resp., p<0.001 and between “general friend support” and time spent outside (r=0.460, p<0.001. Obtaining information relating to parental and friends’ influences on physical activity from both parents and children may provide a more complete picture of influences. Parents and friends seem to influence children’s physical activity behavior and time spent outside, but friends’ influences may have a stronger impact on children’s behaviors.

Spent fuels program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shappert, L.B.

1983-01-01

The goal of this task is to support the Domestic Spent Fuel Storage Program through studies involving the transport of spent fuel. A catalog was developed to provide authoritative, timely, and accessible transportation information for persons involved in the transport of irradiated reactor fuel. The catalog, drafted and submitted to the Transportation Technology Center, Sandia National Laboratories, for their review and approval, covers such topics as federal, state, and local regulations, spent fuel characteristics, cask characteristics, transportation costs, and emergency response information

Automated methods for real-time analysis of spent-fuel measurement data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bosler, G.E.; Rinard, P.M.; Klosterbuer, S.F.; Painter, J.

1988-01-01

Software has been developed for ''real-time'' analysis of neutron and gamma data from GRAND-1/fork measurements on spent-fuel assemblies. Three modules compose the software package. The modules are linked through a database system of files. The first module is part of a general data-base processing code. This module prepares input data files with inventory and correction-factor information for the second module. The second module, called OLAF, operates on a computer attached to the GRAND-1 electronics unit. In this second module, neutron and gamma data from spent-fuel assemblies are analyzed to verify consistency in the facility operator declarations for exposure (burnup) and cooling time. From the analysis, potential discrepancies in the measurement data are questioned while equipment is still installed at the facility and is available for additional measurements. During the measurements, data are written to an output file, called a results file, which can be processed by the third module of the software package. In the third module, printed reports summarizing the data and results are prepared, and neutron and gamma data are written to files that are process by the Deming curve-fitting code

Agreement between activPAL and ActiGraph for assessing children's sedentary time

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ridgers Nicola D

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Accelerometers have been used to determine the amount of time that children spend sedentary. However, as time spent sitting may be detrimental to health, research is needed to examine whether accelerometer sedentary cut-points reflect the amount of time children spend sitting. The aim of this study was to: a examine agreement between ActiGraph (AG cut-points for sedentary time and objectively-assessed periods of free-living sitting and sitting plus standing time using the activPAL (aP; and b identify cut-points to determine time spent sitting and sitting plus standing. Methods Forty-eight children (54% boys aged 8-12 years wore a waist-mounted AG and thigh-mounted aP for two consecutive school days (9-3:30 pm. AG data were analyzed using 17 cut-points between 50-850 counts·min-1 in 50 counts·min-1 increments to determine sedentary time during class-time, break time and school hours. Sitting and sitting plus standing time were obtained from the aP for these periods. Limits of agreement were computed to evaluate bias between AG50 to AG850 sedentary time and sitting and sitting plus standing time. Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC analyses identified AG cut-points that maximized sensitivity and specificity for sitting and sitting plus standing time. Results The smallest mean bias between aP sitting time and AG sedentary time was AG150 for class time (3.8 minutes, AG50 for break time (-0.8 minutes, and AG100 for school hours (-5.2 minutes. For sitting plus standing time, the smallest bias was observed for AG850. ROC analyses revealed an optimal cut-point of 96 counts·min-1 (AUC = 0.75 for sitting time, which had acceptable sensitivity (71.7% and specificity (67.8%. No optimal cut-point was obtained for sitting plus standing (AUC = 0.51. Conclusions Estimates of free-living sitting time in children during school hours can be obtained using an AG cut-point of 100 counts·min-1. Higher sedentary cut-points may capture both

Activity, inactivity, and screen time in relation to weight and fatness over adolescence in girls.

Science.gov (United States)

Must, Aviva; Bandini, Linda G; Tybor, David J; Phillips, Sarah M; Naumova, Elena N; Dietz, William H

2007-07-01

The impact of activity and inactivity on relative weight and fatness change are best evaluated longitudinally. We examined the longitudinal relationship of physical activity, inactivity, and screen time with relative weight status and percentage body fat (%BF) and explored how it differed by parental overweight status. Non-obese pre-menarcheal girls (173), 8 to 12 years old, were followed until 4 years post-menarche. %BF, BMI z-score, and time spent sleeping, sitting, standing, walking, and in vigorous activity were assessed annually. We developed a physical activity index to reflect time and intensity of activity. Inactivity was defined as the sum of time spent sleeping, sitting, and standing. Screen time was defined as time spent viewing television, videotapes, or playing video games. Parental overweight was defined as at least one parent with BMI>25. In separate linear mixed effects models, activity, inactivity, and screen time were unrelated to BMI z-score longitudinally, with and without accounting for parental overweight. After controlling for parental overweight, activity was inversely related (phistory of overweight represent a target population of high priority for interventions around physical activity and inactivity.

Effect of Sitting Pause Times on Balance After Supine to Standing Transfer in Dim Light.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Eric G; Albalwi, Abdulaziz A; Al-Dabbak, Fuad M; Daher, Noha S

2017-06-01

The risk of falling for older adults increases in dimly lit environments. Longer sitting pause times, before getting out of bed and standing during the night, may improve postural stability. The purpose of this study was to measure the effect of sitting pause times on postural sway velocity immediately after a supine to standing transfer in a dimly lit room in older adult women. Eighteen healthy women aged 65 to 75 years who were able to independently perform supine to standing transfers participated in the study. On each of 2 consecutive days, participants assumed the supine position on a mat table and closed their eyes for 45 minutes. Then, participants were instructed to open their eyes and transfer from supine to sitting, with either 2- or 30-second pause in the sitting position followed by standing. The sitting pause time order was randomized. A significant difference was observed in postural sway velocity between the 2- and 30-second sitting pause times. The results revealed that there was less postural sway velocity after 30-second than 2-second sitting pause time (0.61 ± 0.19 vs 1.22 ± 0.68, P Falls related to bathroom usage at night are the most common reported falls among older adults. In the present study, the investigators studied the effect of sitting pause times on postural sway velocity after changing position from supine to standing in a dimly lit environment. The findings showed that the mean postural sway velocity was significantly less after 30-second sitting pause time compared with 2-second sitting pause time. Postural sway velocity decreased when participants performed a sitting pause of 30 seconds before standing in a dimly lit environment. These results suggest that longer sitting pause times may improve adaptability to dimly lit environments, contributing to improved postural stability and reduced risk of fall in older adult women when getting out of bed at night.

Maternal employment, acculturation, and time spent in food-related behaviors among Hispanic mothers in the United States. Evidence from the American Time Use Survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Sliwa, Sarah A; Must, Aviva; Peréa, Flavia; Economos, Christina D

2015-04-01

Employment is a major factor underlying im/migration patterns. Unfortunately, lower diet quality and higher rates of obesity appear to be unintended consequences of moving to the US. Changes in food preparation practices may be a factor underlying dietary acculturation. The relationships between employment, acculturation, and food-related time use in Hispanic families have received relatively little attention. We used cross-sectional data collected from Hispanic mothers (ages 18-65) with at least one child employment, acculturation (US-born vs. im/migrant), and time spent in food preparation and family dinner. Regression models were estimated separately for the employed and the non-working and were adjusted for Hispanic origin group, socio-demographic and household characteristics. Working an eight-hour day was associated with spending 38 fewer minutes in food preparation (-38.0 ± SE 4.8, p < 001). Although being US-born was associated with spending fewer minutes in food preparation, this relationship varied by origin group. Acculturation did not appear to modify the relationship between hours worked and time spent in food preparation or family dinner. Mothers who worked late hours spent less time eating the evening meal with their families (-9.8 ± SE 1.3). Although an eight-hour workday was associated with a significant reduction in food preparation time, an unexpected result is that, for working mothers, additional time spent in paid work is not associated with the duration of family dinner later that day. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

How do passion for video games and needs frustration explain time spent gaming?

Science.gov (United States)

Mills, Devin J; Milyavskaya, Marina; Mettler, Jessica; Heath, Nancy L; Derevensky, Jeffrey L

2018-04-01

Research applying self-determination theory and the dualistic model of passion (DMP) has shown video games may satisfy basic psychological needs (i.e., competence, autonomy, and relatedness) and be identified as a passion. The DMP distinguishes between healthy or harmonious passion and problematic or obsessive passion (OP), with the latter reflecting an overreliance towards one's passion to obtain needs satisfaction. The experience of daily obstructions to needs satisfaction, or needs frustration (NF), may facilitate such an overreliance. This study explored how NF and both types of passion explain the amount of time that university students spend gaming. The overall association between NF and time spent gaming was not significant. However, for video game users with low levels of OP for gaming, there was a significant negative association between NF and time spent gaming. Additionally, evidence of a mutually reinforcing association between NF and OP for gaming indicates that a vicious cycle exists, whereby a strong OP for gaming predicts and is reinforced by greater NF. The theoretical implications are discussed. © 2018 The British Psychological Society.

What Is the Effect on Obesity Indicators from Replacing Prolonged Sedentary Time with Brief Sedentary Bouts, Standing and Different Types of Physical Activity during Working Days?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gupta, Nidhi; Heiden, Marina; Aadahl, Mette

2016-01-01

) across the day during work period and 5.5 hours (~62% of the measured time, SD = 1.5 hours) during non-work period. Most of the sedentary time was accrued in moderate bouts [work = 1.40 (SD = 1.09) hours] during work and in long bouts during non-work [2.7 (SD = 1.4) hours], while least in long sedentary...... bouts during work [work = 0.5 (SD = 0.9)] and in brief sedentary bouts [0.5 hours (SD = 0.3)] during non-work. Significant associations with all obesity indicators were found when 30 min of total sedentary time or long sedentary bouts were replaced with standing time (~1–2% lower) or MVPA (~4–9% lower...... physical activity (MVPA) time on working days was computed using validated Acti4 software. The total sedentary time and uninterrupted sedentary time spent in brief (≤5 mins), moderate (>5 and ≤30 mins), and long (>30mins) bouts, were determined for the whole day and during work and non-work time separately...

Verification of Spent Nuclear Fuel in Sealed Dry Storage Casks via Measurements of Cosmic-Ray Muon Scattering

Science.gov (United States)

Durham, J. M.; Poulson, D.; Bacon, J.; Chichester, D. L.; Guardincerri, E.; Morris, C. L.; Plaud-Ramos, K.; Schwendiman, W.; Tolman, J. D.; Winston, P.

2018-04-01

Most of the plutonium in the world resides inside spent nuclear reactor fuel rods. This high-level radioactive waste is commonly held in long-term storage within large, heavily shielded casks. Currently, international nuclear safeguards inspectors have no stand-alone method of verifying the amount of reactor fuel stored within a sealed cask. Here we demonstrate experimentally that measurements of the scattering angles of cosmic-ray muons, which pass through a storage cask, can be used to determine if spent fuel assemblies are missing without opening the cask. This application of technology and methods commonly used in high-energy particle physics provides a potential solution to this long-standing problem in international nuclear safeguards.

Variation between seated and standing/walking postures among male and female call centre operators

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Toomingas Allan

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The dose and time-pattern of sitting has been suggested in public health research to be an important determinant of risk for developing a number of diseases, including cardiovascular disorders and diabetes. The aim of the present study was to assess the time-pattern of seated and standing/walking postures amongst male and female call centre operators, on the basis of whole-shift posture recordings, analysed and described by a number of novel variables describing posture variation. Methods Seated vs. standing/walking was recorded using dichotomous inclinometers throughout an entire work shift for 43 male and 97 female call centre operators at 16 call centres. Data were analysed using an extensive set of variables describing occurrence of and switches between seated and standing/walking, posture similarity across the day, and compliance with standard recommendations for computer work. Results The majority of the operators, both male and female, spent more than 80% of the shift in a seated posture with an average of 10.4 switches/hour between seated and standing/walking or vice versa. Females spent, on average, 11% of the day in periods of sustained sitting longer than 1 hour; males 4.6% (p = 0.013. Only 38% and 11% of the operators complied with standard recommendations of getting an uninterrupted break from seated posture of at least 5 or 10 minutes, respectively, within each hour of work. Two thirds of all investigated variables showed coefficients of variation between subjects above 0.5. Since work tasks and contractual break schedules were observed to be essentially similar across operators and across days, this indicates that sedentary behaviours differed substantially between individuals. Conclusions The extensive occurrence of uninterrupted seated work indicates that efforts should be made at call centres - and probably in other settings in the office sector - to introduce more physical variation in terms of standing

Parent Perceptions of Time Spent Meaningfully by Young Adults with Pervasive Support Needs

Science.gov (United States)

Rossetti, Zachary; Lehr, Donna; Lederer, Leslie; Pelerin, Dana; Huang, Shuoxi

2015-01-01

This article describes a qualitative study that examined how 23 young adults with pervasive support needs and limited functional communication spent their time and how their parents (n = 23) and direct support professionals (DSPs; n = 2) defined meaningfulness in relation to the young adults' experiences. Data were collected through…

"Chair Stand Test" as Simple Tool for Sarcopenia Screening in Elderly Women.

Science.gov (United States)

Pinheiro, P A; Carneiro, J A O; Coqueiro, R S; Pereira, R; Fernandes, M H

2016-01-01

To investigate the association between sarcopenia and "chair stand test" performance, and evaluate this test as a screening tool for sarcopenia in community-dwelling elderly women. Cross-sectional Survey. 173 female individuals, aged ≥ 60 years and living in the urban area of the municipality of Lafaiete Coutinho, Bahia's inland, Brazil. The association between sarcopenia (defined by muscle mass, strength and/or performance loss) and performance in the "chair stand test" was tested by binary logistic regression technique. The ROC curve parameters were used to evaluate the diagnostic power of the test in sarcopenia screening. The significance level was set at 5 %. The model showed that the time spent for the "chair stand test" was positively associated (OR = 1.08; 95% CI = 1.01 - 1.16, p = 0.024) to sarcopenia, indicating that, for each 1 second increment in the test performance, the sarcopenia's probability increased by 8% in elderly women. The cut-off point that showed the best balance between sensitivity and specificity was 13 seconds. The performance of "chair stand test" showed predictive ability for sarcopenia, being an effective and simple screening tool for sarcopenia in elderly women. This test could be used for screening sarcopenic elderly women, allowing early interventions.

Determination of burnup, cooling time and initial enrichment of PWR spent fuel by use of gamma-ray activity ratios

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Min, D.K.; Park, H.J.; Park, K.J.; Ro, S.G.; Park, H.S.

1999-01-01

The Korea Atomic Energy Institute has been developing the algorithms for sequential determination of cooling time, initial enrichment and burnup of the PWR spent fuel assembly by use of gamma ratio measurements, i.e. 134 Cs/ 137 Cs, 154 Eu/ 137 Cs and 106 Ru 137 Cs/( 134 Cs) 2 . Calculations were performed by applying the ORIGEN-S code. This method has advantages over combination techniques of neutron and gamma measurement, because of its simplicity and insensitivity to the measurement geometry. For verifying the algorithms an experiment for determining the cooling time, initial enrichment and burnup of the two PWR spent fuel rods was conducted by use of high-resolution gamma detector (HPGe) system only. This paper describes the method used and interim results of the experiment. This method can be applied for spent fuel characterization, burnup credit and safeguards of the spent fuel management facility

Falls classification using tri-axial accelerometers during the five-times-sit-to-stand test.

Science.gov (United States)

Doheny, Emer P; Walsh, Cathal; Foran, Timothy; Greene, Barry R; Fan, Chie Wei; Cunningham, Clodagh; Kenny, Rose Anne

2013-09-01

The five-times-sit-to-stand test (FTSS) is an established assessment of lower limb strength, balance dysfunction and falls risk. Clinically, the time taken to complete the task is recorded with longer times indicating increased falls risk. Quantifying the movement using tri-axial accelerometers may provide a more objective and potentially more accurate falls risk estimate. 39 older adults, 19 with a history of falls, performed four repetitions of the FTSS in their homes. A tri-axial accelerometer was attached to the lateral thigh and used to identify each sit-stand-sit phase and sit-stand and stand-sit transitions. A second tri-axial accelerometer, attached to the sternum, captured torso acceleration. The mean and variation of the root-mean-squared amplitude, jerk and spectral edge frequency of the acceleration during each section of the assessment were examined. The test-retest reliability of each feature was examined using intra-class correlation analysis, ICC(2,k). A model was developed to classify participants according to falls status. Only features with ICC>0.7 were considered during feature selection. Sequential forward feature selection within leave-one-out cross-validation resulted in a model including four reliable accelerometer-derived features, providing 74.4% classification accuracy, 80.0% specificity and 68.7% sensitivity. An alternative model using FTSS time alone resulted in significantly reduced classification performance. Results suggest that the described methodology could provide a robust and accurate falls risk assessment. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A study on the frequency of participation and time spent on sport in different organisational settings

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Borgers, J.; Breedveld, K.; Tienen-Raaphorst, A.; Thibaut, E.; Vandermeerschen, H.; Vos, S.B.; Scheerder, J.

2016-01-01

Research question: As a result of the expansion of opportunities for leisure-time sport participation (LTSP), the question arises if differing organisational settings relate to differences in participation behaviour. This paper compares participation frequency and time spent on sport between

Sedentary time, physical activity and compliance with IOM recommendations in young children at childcare

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yvonne G. Ellis

2017-09-01

Children spent 48.4% of their time at childcare sitting, 32.5% standing, and 19.1% in PA. Boys spent significantly more time in PA compared to girls (20.8% vs 17.7%; P = 0.003. Toddlers (<3 years spent significantly more time in PA compared to preschoolers (≥3 years (22.2% vs 18.3%; P < 0.001. Children who were underweight spent significantly more time sitting compared with their overweight peers (52.4% vs 46.8%; P = 0.003. 56% and 16% of children met the IOM SB and PA recommendations, respectively. Girls (odds ratio [OR]; 95%CI = 0.26; 0.13 to 0.55 and preschoolers (0.16; 0.07 to 0.38 were less likely to meet the IOM PA recommendation compared to boys and toddlers. Young children spent ~50% of their time at childcare sitting. Girls and preschoolers sit more and are less likely to meet PA recommendations, making them important groups to target in future interventions.

Spent nuclear fuel storage - Basic concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krempel, Ascanio; Santos, Cicero D. Pacifici dos; Sato, Heitor Hitoshi; Magalhaes, Leonardo de

2009-01-01

According to the procedures adopted in others countries in the world, the spent nuclear fuel elements burned to produce electrical energy in the Brazilian Nuclear Power Plant of Angra do Reis, Central Nuclear Almirante Alvaro Alberto - CNAAA will be stored for a long time. Such procedure will allow the next generation to decide how they will handle those materials. In the future, the reprocessing of the nuclear fuel assemblies could be a good solution in order to have additional energy resource and also to decrease the volume of discarded materials. This decision will be done in the future according to the new studies and investigations that are being studied around the world. The present proposal to handle the nuclear spent fuel is to storage it for a long period of time, under institutional control. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to introduce a proposal of a basic concept of spent fuel storage, which involves the construction of a new storage building at site, in order to increase the present storage capacity of spent fuel assemblies in CNAAA installation; the concept of the spent fuel transportation casks that will transfer the spent fuel assemblies from the power plants to the Spent Fuel Complementary Storage Building and later on from this building to the Long Term Intermediate Storage of Spent Fuel; the concept of the spent fuel canister and finally the basic concept of the spent fuel long term storage. (author)

The Effects of Employment Status and Daily Stressors on Time Spent on Daily Household Chores in Middle-Aged and Older Adults

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, Jen D.; Almeida, David M.

2013-01-01

Purpose of the study: This study examines how employment status (worker vs. retiree) and life course influences (age, gender, and marital status) are associated with time spent on daily household chores. Second, this study assesses whether the associations between daily stressors and time spent on daily household chores differ as a function of…

Physical activity patterns in morbidly obese and normal-weight women.

Science.gov (United States)

Kwon, Soyang; Mohammad, Jamal; Samuel, Isaac

2011-01-01

To compare physical activity patterns between morbidly obese and normal-weight women. Daily physical activity of 18 morbidly obese and 7 normal-weight women aged 30-58 years was measured for 2 days using the Intelligent Device for Energy Expenditure and Activity (IDEEA) device. The obese group spent about 2 hr/day less standing and 30 min/day less walking than did the normal-weight group. Time spent standing (standing time) was positively associated with time spent walking (walking time). Age- and walking time-adjusted standing time did not differ according to weight status. Promoting standing may be a strategy to increase walking.

Diurnal and Nocturnal Activity Time Budgets of Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus in a Zoological Park

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Denise E. Lukacs

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The diurnal and nocturnal activity time budgets of five adult female Asian elephants (Elephas maximus were studied in a zoological park for two 24-hour, five 14-hour, and one 9-hour observation periods between May and June 2011. Relatively few studies have looked at detailed daytime and nighttime activity time budgets in captive Asian elephants. Continuous observation was used to measure the activity time budgets of at least one focal animal per observation period. The activity time budgets varied between animals and observation periods. The elephants spent 17-49% of the day (daylight hours standing, 1-9% of the day walking, 19-44% of the day eating, and 1-20% of the day using enrichment items. At night, the elephants spent 29-87% of the observation period standing, 1-19% of the night eating, and 0.1-10% of the night using enrichment items. At night, elephants spent 0-45% of the observation period lying down. Variations in activity time budgets between elephants and observation periods have been observed in other studies of captive and wild elephants. Results of this observational study allow comparison between groups of captive elephants and between captive and wild elephants. Furthermore, results of this study can inform management strategies.

Heart rate biofeedback fails to enhance children's ability to identify time spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Conley, Marguerite M; Gastin, Paul B; Brown, Helen; Shaw, Christine

2011-03-01

Physical activity recommendations for children in several countries advise that all young people should accumulate at least 60 min of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day. Perceiving physical activity intensity, however, can be a difficult task for children and it is not clear whether children can identify their levels of moderate to vigorous physical activity in accordance with the recommended guidelines. This study aimed to (1) explore whether children can identify time spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity; and (2) investigate whether heart rate biofeedback would improve children's ability to estimate time spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity. Thirty seven children (15 boys and 22 girls, mean age 12.6 years) wore data recording Polar E600 heart rate monitors during eight physical education lessons. At the end of each lesson children's estimated time in zone was compared to their actual time in zone. During a six lesson Intervention phase, one class was assigned to a biofeedback group whilst the other class acted as the control group and received no heart rate biofeedback. Post-Intervention, students in the biofeedback group were no better than the control group at estimating time spent in zone (mean relative error of estimation biofeedback group: Pre-Intervention 41±32% to Post-Intervention 28±26%; control group: Pre-Intervention 40±39% to Post-Intervention 31±37%). Thus it seems that identifying time spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity remains a complex task for children aged 11-13 even with the help of heart rate biofeedback. Copyright © 2010 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sensitivity analyses of seismic behavior of spent fuel dry cask storage systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luk, V.K.; Spencer, B.W.; Shaukat, S.K.; Lam, I.P.; Dameron, R.A.

2003-01-01

Sandia National Laboratories is conducting a research project to develop a comprehensive methodology for evaluating the seismic behavior of spent fuel dry cask storage systems (DCSS) for the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). A typical Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI) consists of arrays of free-standing storage casks resting on concrete pads. In the safety review process of these cask systems, their seismically induced horizontal displacements and angular rotations must be quantified to determine whether casks will overturn or neighboring casks will collide during a seismic event. The ABAQUS/Explicit code is used to analyze three-dimensional coupled finite element models consisting of three submodels, which are a cylindrical cask or a rectangular module, a flexible concrete pad, and an underlying soil foundation. The coupled model includes two sets of contact surfaces between the submodels with prescribed coefficients of friction. The seismic event is described by one vertical and two horizontal components of statistically independent seismic acceleration time histories. A deconvolution procedure is used to adjust the amplitudes and frequency contents of these three-component reference surface motions before applying them simultaneously at the soil foundation base. The research project focused on examining the dynamic and nonlinear seismic behavior of the coupled model of free-standing DCSS including soil-structure interaction effects. This paper presents a subset of analysis results for a series of parametric analyses. Input variables in the parametric analyses include: designs of the cask/module, time histories of the seismic accelerations, coefficients of friction at the cask/pad interface, and material properties of the soil foundation. In subsequent research, the analysis results will be compiled and presented in nomograms to highlight the sensitivity of seismic response of DCSS to

Spent fuel and fuel pool component integrity. Annual report, FY 1979

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, A.B. Jr.; Bailey, W.J.; Schreiber, R.E.; Kustas, F.M.

1980-05-01

International meetings under the BEFAST program and under INFCE Working Group No. 6 during 1978 and 1979 continue to indicate that no cases of fuel cladding degradation have developed on pool-stored fuel from water reactors. A section from a spent fuel rack stand, exposed for 1.5 y in the Yankee Rowe (PWR) pool had 0.001- to 0.003-in.-deep (25- to 75-μm) intergranular corrosion in weld heat-affected zones but no evidence of stress corrosion cracking. A section of a 304 stainless steel spent fuel storage rack exposed 6.67 y in the Point Beach reactor (PWR) spent fuel pool showed no significant corrosion. A section of 304 stainless steel 8-in.-dia pipe from the Three Mile Island No. 1 (PWR) spent fuel pool heat exchanger plumbing developed a through-wall crack. The crack was intergranular, initiating from the inside surface in a weld heat-affected zone. The zone where the crack occurred was severely sensitized during field welding. The Kraftwerk Union (Erlangen, GFR) disassembled a stainless-steel fuel-handling machine that operated for 12 y in a PWR (boric acid) spent fuel pool. There was no evidence of deterioration, and the fuel-handling machine was reassembled for further use. A spent fuel pool at a Swedish PWR was decontaminated. The procedure is outlined in this report

Using sit-stand workstations to decrease sedentary time in office workers: a randomized crossover trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Dutta, Nirjhar; Koepp, Gabriel A; Stovitz, Steven D; Levine, James A; Pereira, Mark A

2014-06-25

This study was conducted to determine whether installation of sit-stand desks (SSDs) could lead to decreased sitting time during the workday among sedentary office workers. A randomized cross-over trial was conducted from January to April, 2012 at a business in Minneapolis. 28 (nine men, 26 full-time) sedentary office workers took part in a 4 week intervention period which included the use of SSDs to gradually replace 50% of sitting time with standing during the workday. Physical activity was the primary outcome. Mood, energy level, fatigue, appetite, dietary intake, and productivity were explored as secondary outcomes. The intervention reduced sitting time at work by 21% (95% CI 18%-25%) and sedentary time by 4.8 min/work-hr (95% CI 4.1-5.4 min/work-hr). For a 40 h work-week, this translates into replacement of 8 h of sitting time with standing and sedentary time being reduced by 3.2 h. Activity level during non-work hours did not change. The intervention also increased overall sense of well-being, energy, decreased fatigue, had no impact on productivity, and reduced appetite and dietary intake. The workstations were popular with the participants. The SSD intervention was successful in increasing work-time activity level, without changing activity level during non-work hours.

Eye movements discriminate fatigue due to chronotypical factors and time spent on task--a double dissociation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dario Cazzoli

Full Text Available Systematic differences in circadian rhythmicity are thought to be a substantial factor determining inter-individual differences in fatigue and cognitive performance. The synchronicity effect (when time of testing coincides with the respective circadian peak period seems to play an important role. Eye movements have been shown to be a reliable indicator of fatigue due to sleep deprivation or time spent on cognitive tasks. However, eye movements have not been used so far to investigate the circadian synchronicity effect and the resulting differences in fatigue. The aim of the present study was to assess how different oculomotor parameters in a free visual exploration task are influenced by: a fatigue due to chronotypical factors (being a 'morning type' or an 'evening type'; b fatigue due to the time spent on task. Eighteen healthy participants performed a free visual exploration task of naturalistic pictures while their eye movements were recorded. The task was performed twice, once at their optimal and once at their non-optimal time of the day. Moreover, participants rated their subjective fatigue. The non-optimal time of the day triggered a significant and stable increase in the mean visual fixation duration during the free visual exploration task for both chronotypes. The increase in the mean visual fixation duration correlated with the difference in subjectively perceived fatigue at optimal and non-optimal times of the day. Conversely, the mean saccadic speed significantly and progressively decreased throughout the duration of the task, but was not influenced by the optimal or non-optimal time of the day for both chronotypes. The results suggest that different oculomotor parameters are discriminative for fatigue due to different sources. A decrease in saccadic speed seems to reflect fatigue due to time spent on task, whereas an increase in mean fixation duration a lack of synchronicity between chronotype and time of the day.

Re-Examining Gender Differences in Video Game Play: Time Spent and Feelings of Success

Science.gov (United States)

Hamlen, Karla R.

2010-01-01

Research has shown that, among children, boys tend to play video games more than girls do. There are several theories addressing this phenomenon, including that stereotypes and lack of opportunity leave girls feeling inadequate with certain types of technology. No research has yet examined the interactive relationships between time spent playing…

Reliability and sensitivity to change of the timed standing balance test in children with down syndrome

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vencita Priyanka Aranha

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: To estimate the reliability and sensitivity to change of the timed standing balance test in children with Down syndrome (DS. Methods: It was a nonblinded, comparison study with a convenience sample of subjects consisting of children with DS (n = 9 aged 8–17 years. The main outcome measure was standing balance which was assessed using timed standing balance test, the time required to maintain in four conditions, eyes open static, eyes closed static, eyes open dynamic, and eyes closed dynamic. Results: Relative reliability was excellent for all four conditions with an Interclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC ranging from 0.91 to 0.93. The variation between repeated measurements for each condition was minimal with standard error of measurement (SEM of 0.21–0.59 s, suggestive of excellent absolute reliability. The sensitivity to change as measured by smallest real change (SRC was 1.27 s for eyes open static, 1.63 s for eyes closed static, 0.58 s for eyes open dynamic, and 0.61 s for eyes closed static. Conclusions: Timed standing balance test is an easy to administer test and sensitive to change with strong absolute and relative reliabilities, an important first step in establishing its utility as a clinical balance measure in children with DS.

Time Spent on the Internet and Adolescent Blood Pressure.

Science.gov (United States)

Cassidy-Bushrow, Andrea E; Johnson, Dayna A; Peters, Rosalind M; Burmeister, Charlotte; Joseph, Christine L M

2015-10-01

Internet use is nearly ubiquitous among adolescents. Growing evidence suggests heavy Internet use negatively impacts health, yet the relationship between time spent on the Internet and adolescent blood pressure (BP) is unknown. We examined the association between Internet use and elevated BP in a racially diverse cross-sectional sample of 331 healthy adolescents (ages 14-17 years). Heavy Internet use was defined as ≥ 2 hr/day, moderate use as Internet users had statistically significantly higher odds of elevated BP compared to light Internet users. School nurses can play an important role in preventing high BP through assessment of BP and other health behaviors including Internet use, and health teaching to individuals, student groups, faculty, and parents to increase awareness of the relationship between Internet use and health. © The Author(s) 2014.

Surveillance instrumentation for spent-fuel safeguards

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McKenzie, J.M.; Holmes, J.P.; Gillman, L.K.; Schmitz, J.A.; McDaniel, P.J.

1978-01-01

The movement, in a facility, of spent reactor fuel may be tracked using simple instrumentation together with a real time unfolding algorithm. Experimental measurements, from multiple radiation monitors and crane weight and position monitors, were obtained during spent fuel movements at the G.E. Morris Spent-Fuel Storage Facility. These data and a preliminary version of an unfolding algorithm were used to estimate the position of the centroid and the magnitude of the spent fuel radiation source. Spatial location was estimated to +-1.5 m and source magnitude to +-10% of their true values. Application of this surveillance instrumentation to spent-fuel safeguards is discussed

Measurement of informal care: an empirical study into the valid measurement of time spent on informal caregiving.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Berg, Bernard van den; Spauwen, Pol

2006-01-01

The incorporation of informal care into economic evaluations of health care is troublesome. The debate focuses on the valuation of time spent on informal caregiving, while time measurement, a related and may be even a more important issue, tends to be neglected. Valid time measurement is a necessary

Transportation of spent nuclear fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meguro, Toshiichi

1976-01-01

The spent nuclear fuel taken out of reactors is cooled in the cooling pool in each power station for a definite time, then transported to a reprocessing plant. At present, there is no reprocessing plant in Japan, therefore the spent nuclear fuel is shipped abroad. In this paper, the experiences and the present situation in Japan are described on the transport of the spent nuclear fuel from light water reactors, centering around the works in Tsuruga Power Station, Japan Atomic Power Co. The spent nuclear fuel in Tsuruga Power Station was first transported in Apr. 1973, and since then, about 36 tons were shipped to Britain by 5 times of transport. The reprocessing plant in Japan is expected to start operation in Apr. 1977, accordingly the spent nuclear fuel used for the trial will be transported in Japan in the latter half of this year. Among the permission and approval required for the transport of spent nuclear fuel, the acquisition of the certificate for transport casks and the approval of land and sea transports are main tasks. The relevant laws are the law concerning the regulations of nuclear raw material, nuclear fuel and reactors and the law concerning the safety of ships. The casks used in Tsuruga Power Station and EXL III type, and the charging of spent nuclear fuel, the decontamination of the casks, the leak test, land transport with a self-running vehicle, loading on board an exclusive carrier and sea transport are briefly explained. The casks and the ship for domestic transport are being prepared. (Kato, I.)

Using Sit-Stand Workstations to Decrease Sedentary Time in Office Workers: A Randomized Crossover Trial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nirjhar Dutta

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Objective: This study was conducted to determine whether installation of sit-stand desks (SSDs could lead to decreased sitting time during the workday among sedentary office workers. Methods: A randomized cross-over trial was conducted from January to April, 2012 at a business in Minneapolis. 28 (nine men, 26 full-time sedentary office workers took part in a 4 week intervention period which included the use of SSDs to gradually replace 50% of sitting time with standing during the workday. Physical activity was the primary outcome. Mood, energy level, fatigue, appetite, dietary intake, and productivity were explored as secondary outcomes. Results: The intervention reduced sitting time at work by 21% (95% CI 18%–25% and sedentary time by 4.8 min/work-hr (95% CI 4.1–5.4 min/work-hr. For a 40 h work-week, this translates into replacement of 8 h of sitting time with standing and sedentary time being reduced by 3.2 h. Activity level during non-work hours did not change. The intervention also increased overall sense of well-being, energy, decreased fatigue, had no impact on productivity, and reduced appetite and dietary intake. The workstations were popular with the participants. Conclusion: The SSD intervention was successful in increasing work-time activity level, without changing activity level during non-work hours.

Seismic analysis of spent nuclear fuel storage racks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shah, S.J.; Biddle, J.R.; Bennett, S.M.; Schechter, C.B.; Harstead, G.A.; Marquet, F.

1996-01-01

In many nuclear power plants, existing storage racks are being replaced with high-density racks to accommodate the increasing inventory of spent fuel. In the hypothetical design considered here, the high-density arrangement of fuel assemblies, or consolidated fuel canisters, is accomplished through the use of borated stainless steel (BSS) plates acting as neutron absorbers. No structural benefit from the BSS is assumed. This paper describes the methods used to perform seismic analysis of high density spent fuel storage racks. The sensitivity of important parameters such as the effect of variation of coefficients of friction between the rack legs and the pool floor and fuel loading conditions (consolidated and unconsolidated) are also discussed in the paper. Results of this study are presented. The high-density fuel racks are simply supported by the pool floor with no structural connections to adjacent racks or to the pool walls or floor. Therefore, the racks are free standing and may slide and tip. Several time history, nonlinear, seismic analyses are required to account for variations in the coefficient of friction, rack loading configuration, and the type of the seismic event. This paper presents several of the mathematical models usually used. Friction cannot be precisely predicted, so a range of friction coefficients is assumed. The range assumed for the analysis is 0.2 to 0.8. A detailed model representing a single rack is used to evaluate the 3-D loading effects. This model is a controlling case for the stress analysis. A 2-D multi-rack model representing a row of racks between the spent fuel pool walls is used to evaluate the change in gaps between racks. The racks are normally analyzed for the fuel loading conditions of consolidated, full, empty, and half-loaded with fuel assemblies

Time spent sitting during and outside working hours in bus drivers: A pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Varela-Mato, Veronica; Yates, Thomas; Stensel, David J; Biddle, Stuart J H; Clemes, Stacy A

2016-06-01

This cross-sectional pilot study objectively measured sedentary and non-sedentary time in a sample of bus drivers from the East Midlands, United Kingdom. Participants wore an activPAL3 inclinometer for 7 days and completed a daily diary. Driver's blood pressure, heart rate, waist circumference and body composition were measured objectively at the outset. The proportions of time spent sedentary and non-sedentary were calculated during waking hours on workdays and non-workdays and during working-hours and non-working-hours on workdays. 28 (85% of those enrolled into the study) provided valid objective monitoring data (89.3% male, [median ± IQR] age: 45.2 ± 12.8 years, BMI 28.1 ± 5.8 kg/m(2)). A greater proportion of time was spent sitting on workdays than non-workdays (75% [724 ± 112 min/day] vs. 62% [528 ± 151 min/day]; p working-hours than non-working-hours (83% [417 ± 88 min/day] vs. 68% [307 ± 64 min/day]; p less than 3% of their overall time stepping. Bus drivers accumulate high levels of sitting time during working-hours and outside working-hours. Interventions are urgently needed in this at-risk group, which should focus on reducing sitting and increasing movement during breaks and increasing physical activity during leisure time to improve cardiovascular health.

Associations of office workers' objectively assessed occupational sitting, standing and stepping time with musculoskeletal symptoms.

Science.gov (United States)

Coenen, Pieter; Healy, Genevieve N; Winkler, Elisabeth A H; Dunstan, David W; Owen, Neville; Moodie, Marj; LaMontagne, Anthony D; Eakin, Elizabeth A; O'Sullivan, Peter B; Straker, Leon M

2018-04-22

We examined the association of musculoskeletal symptoms (MSS) with workplace sitting, standing and stepping time, as well as sitting and standing time accumulation (i.e. usual bout duration of these activities), measured objectively with the activPAL3 monitor. Using baseline data from the Stand Up Victoria trial (216 office workers, 14 workplaces), cross-sectional associations of occupational activities with self-reported MSS (low-back, upper and lower extremity symptoms in the last three months) were examined using probit regression, correcting for clustering and adjusting for confounders. Sitting bout duration was significantly (p < 0.05) associated, non-linearly, with MSS, such that those in the middle tertile displayed the highest prevalence of upper extremity symptoms. Other associations were non-significant but sometimes involved large differences in symptom prevalence (e.g. 38%) by activity. Though causation is unclear, these non-linear associations suggest that sitting and its alternatives (i.e. standing and stepping) interact with MSS and this should be considered when designing safe work systems. Practitioner summary: We studied associations of objectively assessed occupational activities with musculoskeletal symptoms in office workers. Workers who accumulated longer sitting bouts reported fewer upper extremity symptoms. Total activity duration was not significantly associated with musculoskeletal symptoms. We underline the importance of considering total volumes and patterns of activity time in musculoskeletal research.

High-burnup/low-cooling-time fuel carrying capacity of the GA-4 and GA-9 spent fuel shipping casks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boshoven, J.K.; Hopf, J.E.

1994-01-01

In response to utilities' projected needs to ship higher burnup spent fuel, General Atomics (GA) has performed shielding and thermal analysis for the GA-4 and GA-9 legal weight shipping casks to determine the minimum cooling times for various burnup levels for fully loaded GA-4 and GA-9 casks and reduced payloads for the casks. Tables are provided in the paper which show the minimum cooling time for a given burnup and payload for each of the casks. The analyses show that the GA-4 and GA-9 casks can carry at least as many high-burnup and/or short-cooling-time spent fuel assemblies as present day shipping casks. In addition, the GA casks are able to carry at least twice as many assemblies as the present day shipping casks if the spent fuel burnup levels and/or cooling times are open-quotes coolerclose quotes or open-quotes as coolclose quotes as their design basis fuels. The increased shipping capacity for these more common open-quotes coolerclose quotes assemblies allows fewer shipments and therefore increases the efficiency and lowers predicted risks of the transport system

HFIR spent fuel management alternatives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Begovich, J.M.; Green, V.M.; Shappert, L.B.; Lotts, A.L.

1992-01-01

The High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) at Martin Marietta Energy Systems' Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has been unable to ship its spent fuel to Savannah River Site (SRS) for reprocessing since 1985. The HFIR storage pools are expected to fill up in the February 1994 to February 1995 time frame. If a management altemative to existing HFIR pool storage is not identified and implemented before the HFIR pools are full, the HFIR will be forced to shut down. This study investigated several alternatives for managing the HFIR spent fuel, attempting to identify options that could be implemented before the HFIR pools are full. The options investigated were: installing a dedicated dry cask storage facility at ORNL, increasing HFIR pool storage capacity by clearing the HFIR pools of debris and either close-packing or stacking the spent fuel elements, storing the spent fuel at another ORNL pool, storing the spent fuel in one or more hot cells at ORNL, and shipping the spent fuel offsite for reprocessing or storage elsewhere

Economics of water basin storage of spent light water reactor fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Driggers, F.E.

1978-01-01

As part of the International Spent Fuel Storage program, a preliminary Venture Guidance Assessment of the cost was made. The escalated cost of a reference facility with a capacity to receive 2000 MT/y of spent LWR fuel and to store 5000 MT in water-filled pools was converted to $180 million in 1978 dollars for a stand-alone facility. It was estimated that the receiving rate could be increased to 3000 MT/y for an additional $15 million and that increments could be added to the storage capacity for $13 million per 1000 MT. If a receipt rate of more than 3000 MT/y is required, a new facility in another part of the country might be built to reduce total costs including transportation. Operating costs are determined by the number of people employed and by the costs of stainless steel baskets. An operating crew of 150 is required for the reference facility; the associated cost, including overhead and supplies, is $6 million. During an extended storage-only period, this cost is assumed to drop to $4 million. Fuel baskets are estimated to cost $6.20/kg of spent fuel averaged over a reactor mix of two-thirds PWRs and one-third BWRs. The nominal basket requirements of $10 million for the first year are capitalized. If the facility is financed by the government and a one-time fee is charged to recover all of the away-from-reactor (AFR) basin costs, the fee is about $60/kg of spent fuel plus any government surcharge to cover research and development, overhead, and additional contingencies. If the facility is financed by industry with an annual charge that includes a fixed charge on capital of 25%, the annual fee is about $16/kg-y. In calculating both fees, it is assumed that each storage position is occupied for ten years. 8 tables

Integrated monitoring and reviewing systems for the Rokkasho Spent Fuel Receipt and Storage Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yokota, Yasuhiro; Ishikawa, Masayuki; Matsuda, Yuji

1998-01-01

The Rokkasho Spent Fuel Receipt and Storage (RSFS) Facility at the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant (RRP) in Japan is expected to begin operations in 1998. Effective safeguarding by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Japan Atomic Energy Bureau (JAEB) inspectors requires monitoring the time of transfer, direction of movement, and number of spent fuel assemblies transferred. At peak throughput, up to 1,000 spent fuel assemblies will be accepted by the facility in a 90-day period. In order for the safeguards inspector to efficiently review the resulting large amounts of inspection information, an unattended monitoring system was developed that integrates containment and surveillance (C/S) video with radiation monitors. This allows for an integrated review of the facility's radiation data, C/S video, and operator declaration data. This paper presents an outline of the integrated unattended monitoring hardware and associated data reviewing software. The hardware consists of a multicamera optical surveillance (MOS) system radiation monitoring gamma-ray and neutron detector (GRAND) electronics, and an intelligent local operating network (ILON). The ILON was used for time synchronization and MOS video triggers. The new software consists of a suite of tools, each one specific to a single data type: radiation data, surveillance video, and operator declarations. Each tool can be used in a stand-alone mode as a separate ion application or configured to communicate and match time-synchronized data with any of the other tools. A data summary and comparison application (Integrated Review System [IRS]) coordinates the use of all of the data-specific review tools under a single-user interface. It therefore automates and simplifies the importation of data and the data-specific analyses

Time spent for activation of non-profit studies in oncology in Italy.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gianfranco De Feo

Full Text Available AIM: The aim of this paper is to describe the time spent to activate oncological non-profit clinical trials promoted in Italy by the National Cancer Institute of Naples, following the implementation of recent European laws. METHODOLOGY: Data about the process of activation of 5 non-profit multicentre clinical trials were prospectively collected through a web-based system. The impact of European guidelines was assessed by comparing the efficiency of the process between applications started before and after the decree introducing in Italy the Clinical Trial Application form (MD-CTA. Outcomes of the descriptive analyses were the time to EC opinion, the time to administrative agreement signature after a positive EC opinion, and the cumulative percentage of submissions that came to closure (either positive or negative within four subsequent time cohorts. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: From March 2007 to October 2009, 202 applications were submitted to 107 centres. Forty-four (59% applications of those submitted before were successful, compared to 71 (55% of those submitted after MD-CTA. Most of the failures were due to missing EC response (27% and 22% or administrative reasons (10% and 16%, before and after, respectively; very few (4% and 7% were due to EC refusal. The impact of the MD-CTA on time to EC opinion looked positive (median 4.1 vs 2.4 months, before and after, respectively but a subgroup analysis revealed that the impact was limited to a comparison biased by the selection of EC. After a positive EC opinion, there was no difference before and after MD-CTA in the time to administrative agreement signature (median 3.6 and 3.8 months, respectively. A trend to shortening time to closure of the whole submission process over the time was evident, with 58% of the applications coming to closure within 6 months from submission in the most recent cohort. CONCLUSIONS: In our experience there is reassuring evidence of a trend toward shortening the time spent to

Effect of the time spent by the photon in the absorbed state on the time-dependent transfer of radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rao, D.M.; Rangarajan, K.E.; Peraiah, A.

1990-01-01

The time-dependent transfer equation is derived for a two-level atomic model which takes both bound-bound and bound-free transitions into account. A numerical scheme is proposed for solving the monochromatic time-dependent transfer equation when the time spent by the photon in the absorbed state is significant. The method can be easily extended to solve the problem of time-dependent line formation of the bound-free continuum. It is used here to study three types of boundary conditions of the incident radiation incident on a scattering atmosphere. The quantitative results show that the relaxation of the radiation field depends on the optical depth of the medium and on the ray's angle of emergence. 21 refs

Evaluation of utilizing spent fuel and plutonium by optimization model for nuclear fuel cycle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshida, Naoto; Fujii, Yasumasa; Komiyama, Ryoichi

2016-01-01

The nuclear power generation has played an important role in power generation mix as a base load power supply. On the other hand, increasing spent fuel and separated plutonium is a long-standing problem. It is expected that advanced fast reactor and high temperature gas reactor could reduce nuclear waste and effectively consume it as valuable resources. Specific scenarios about spent fuel and the gross weight of plutonium are assumed in this study, and the installable potential of fuel cycle and the most suitable reactor mix are analyzed. The model is formulated as liner programing. The model identifies the best strategy of mix of nuclear reactor types to minimize the present value of total cost in a forecast period. As a result, Fast Breeder Reactor and High Temperature Gas Reactor reduce stored spent fuel and increase the consumptions of plutonium. (author)

Determinants of Children's Use of and Time Spent in Fast-Food and Full-Service Restaurants

Science.gov (United States)

McIntosh, Alex; Kubena, Karen S.; Tolle, Glen; Dean, Wesley; Kim, Mi-Jeong; Jan, Jie-Sheng; Anding, Jenna

2011-01-01

Objective: Identify parental and children's determinants of children's use of and time spent in fast-food (FF) and full-service (FS) restaurants. Design: Analysis of cross-sectional data. Setting: Parents were interviewed by phone; children were interviewed in their homes. Participants: Parents and children ages 9-11 or 13-15 from 312 families…

Intermodal transportation of spent fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elder, H.K.

1983-09-01

Concepts for transportation of spent fuel in rail casks from nuclear power plant sites with no rail service are under consideration by the US Department of Energy in the Commercial Spent Fuel Management program at the Pacific Northwest Laboratory. This report identifies and evaluates three alternative systems for intermodal transfer of spent fuel: heavy-haul truck to rail, barge to rail, and barge to heavy-haul truck. This report concludes that, with some modifications and provisions for new equipment, existing rail and marine systems can provide a transportation base for the intermodal transfer of spent fuel to federal interim storage facilities. Some needed land transportation support and loading and unloading equipment does not currently exist. There are insufficient shipping casks available at this time, but the industrial capability to meet projected needs appears adequate

Development of prolonged standing strain index to quantify risk levels of standing jobs.

Science.gov (United States)

Halim, Isa; Omar, Abdul Rahman

2012-01-01

Many occupations in industry such as metal stamping workers, electronics parts assembly operators, automotive industry welders, and lathe operators require working in a standing posture for a long time. Prolonged standing can contribute to discomfort and muscle fatigue particularly in the back and legs. This study developed the prolonged standing strain index (PSSI) to quantify the risk levels caused by standing jobs, and proposed recommendations to minimize the risk levels. Risk factors associated with standing jobs, such as working posture, muscles activity, standing duration, holding time, whole-body vibration, and indoor air quality, were the basis for developing the PSSI. All risk factors were assigned multipliers, and the PSSI was the product of those multipliers. Recommendations for improvement are based on the PSSI; however, extensive studies are required to validate their effectiveness. multipliers, and the PSSI was the product of those multipliers. Recommendations for improvement are based on the PSSI; however, extensive studies are required to validate their effectiveness.

Modal analysis of spent fuel cask for WWER-1000 reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Azimfar, S. A.; Kazemi, A.

2011-01-01

The Spent Fuel Assemblies of WWER-1000 reactors are planned to be transported by special containers which are supposed to be designed in a manner to stand against vibrations and impacts in order to protect the spent fuel from any possible damage. The vibration opposition of these containers shall be far beyond the critical resonance, because the resonances about the natural frequency of the structure will cause the enhancement of its oscillation range and may end with its disintegration. Determination of the amounts of natural frequencies and their mode shape can be achieved by vibration analyzing methods. The amount of the natural frequency of any structure crucially depends on its shape, material and lean points as well as the amount of the loads and the type of these loads. Due to the fact that the Spent Fuel Casks used for transportation in nuclear power plants in Russian Federation are TK-13 type and the pieces of information released are negligible, the scientists in Russia are working on the design and analysis of a new type made up of composite Material. In the presented paper the cask of spent fuel of TK-13 is modeled by ANSYS at 10.0 and ten natural frequency modes have been calculated, followed by the comparison of this result with the composite cask.

Software to improve spent fuel measurements using the FDET

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Staples, P.; Beddingfield, D.; Lestone, J.; Pelowitz, D.; Sprinkle, J.; Bytchkov, V.; Starovich, Z.; Harizanov, I.; Vellejo-Luna, J.; Lavender, C.

2001-01-01

Full text: Vast quantities of spent fuel are available for safeguard measurements, primarily in Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) of the former Soviet Union. This spent fuel, much of which consists of long cooling time material, is going to become less unique in the world safeguards arena as reprocessing projects or permanent repositories continue to be delayed or postponed. The long cooling time of many of the spent fuel assemblies in the CIS countries being prepared for intermediate term storage promotes the possibility of increased accuracy in spent fuel assays. An important point to consider for the future that could advance safeguards measurements for re-verification and inspection measurements would be to determine what safeguards requirements should be imposed upon this 'new' class of spent fuel. Improvements in measurement capability will obviously affect the safeguards requirements. What most significantly enables this progress in spent fuel measurements is the improvement in computer processing power and software enhancements leading to user-friendly Graphical User Interfaces (GUI's). The software used for these projects significantly reduces the IAEA inspector's time both learning and operating computer and data acquisition systems. While at the same time by standardizing the spent fuel measurements it is possible to increase reproducibility and reliability of the measurement data. The inclusion of various analysis algorithms into the operating environment, which can be performed in real time upon the measurement data, can also lead to increases in safeguard reliability and improvements in efficiency to plant operations. (author)

Selection of away-from-reactor facilities for spent fuel storage. A guidebook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2007-09-01

This publication aims to provide information on the approaches and criteria that would have to be considered for the selection of away-from-reactor (AFR) type spent fuel storage facilities, needs for which have been growing in an increasing number of Member States producing nuclear power. The AFR facilities can be defined as a storage system functionally independent of the reactor operation providing the role of storage until a further destination such as a disposal) becomes available. Initially developed to provide additional storage space for spent fuel, some AFR storage options are now providing additional spaces for extended storage of spent fuel with a prospect for long term storage, which is becoming a progressive reality in an increasing number of Member States due to the continuing debate on issues associated with the endpoints for spent fuel management and consequent delays in the implementation of final steps, such as disposal. The importance of AFR facilities for storage of spent fuel has been recognized for several decades and addressed in various IAEA publications in the area of spent fuel management. The Guidebook on Spent Fuel Storage (Technical Reports Series No. 240 published in 1984 and revised in 1991) discusses factors to be considered in the evaluation of spent fuel storage options. A technical committee meeting (TCM) on Selection of Dry Spent Fuel Storage Technologies held in Tokyo in 1995 also deliberated on this issue. However, there has not been any stand-alone publication focusing on the topic of selection of AFR storage facilities. The selection of AFR storage facilities is in fact a critical step for the successful implementation of spent fuel management programmes, due to the long operational periods required for storage and fuel handling involved with the additional implication of subsequent penalties in reversing decisions or changing the option mid-stream especially after the construction of the facility. In such a context, the long

Intermodal transfer of spent fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neuhauser, K.S.; Weiner, R.F.

1991-01-01

As a result of the international standardization of containerized cargo handling in ports around the world, maritime shipment handling is particularly uniform. Thus, handier exposure parameters will be relatively constant for ship-truck and ship-rail transfers at ports throughout the world. Inspectors' doses are expected to vary because of jurisdictional considerations. The results of this study should be applicable to truck-to-rail transfers. A study of the movement of spent fuel casks through ports, including the loading and unloading of containers from cargo vessels, afforded an opportunity to estimate the radiation doses to those individuals handling the spent fuels with doses to the public along subsequent transportation routes of the fuel. A number of states require redundant inspections and for escorts over long distances on highways; thus handlers, inspectors, escort personnel, and others who are not normally classified as radiation workers may sustain doses high enough to warrant concern about occupational safety. This paper addresses the question of radiation safety for these workers. Data were obtained during, observation of the offloading of reactor spent fuel (research reactor spent fuel, in this instance) which included estimates of exposure times and distances for handlers, inspectors and other workers during offloading and overnight storage. Exposure times and distance were also for other workers, including crane operators, scale operators, security personnel and truck drivers. RADTRAN calculational models and parameter values then facilitated estimation of the dose to workers during incident-free ship-to-truck transfer of spent fuel

Spent fuel storage for ISER plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakajima, Takasuke; Kimura, Yuzi

1987-01-01

ISER is an intrinsically safe reactor basing its safety only on physical laws, and uses a steel reactor vessel in order to be economical. For such a new type reactor, it is essentially important to be accepted by the society by showing that the reactor is more profitable than conventional reactors to the public in both technical and economic viewpoint. It is also important that the reactor raises no serious problem in the total fuel cycle. Reprocessing seems one of the major worldwide fuel cycle issues. Spent fuel storage is also one of the key technologies for fuel cycle back end. Various systems for ISER spent fuel storages are examined in the present report. Spent fuel specifications of ISER are similar to those of LWR and therefore, most of LWR spent fuel technologies are basically applicable to ISER spent fuel. Design requirements and examples of storage facilities are also discussed. Dry storage seems to be preferable for the relatively long cooling time spent fuel like ISER's one from economical viewpoint. Vault storage will possibly be the most advantageous for large storage capacity. Another point for discussion is the location and international collaboration for spent fuel storages: ISER expected to be a worldwide energy source and therefore, international spent fuel management seems to be fairly attractive way for an energy recipient country. (Nogami, K.)

Gamma spectrometric characterization of short cooling time nuclear spent fuels using hemispheric CdZnTe detectors

CERN Document Server

Lebrun, A; Szabó, J L; Arenas-Carrasco, J; Arlt, R; Dubreuil, A; Esmailpur-Kazerouni, K

2000-01-01

After years of cooling, nuclear spent fuel gamma emissions are mainly due to caesium isotopes which are emitters at 605, 662 and 796-801 keV. Extensive work has been done on such fuels using various CdTe or CdZnTe probes. When fuels have to be measured after short cooling time (during NPP outage) the spectrum is much more complex due to the important contributions of niobium and zirconium in the 700 keV range. For the first time in a nuclear power plant, four spent fuels of the Kozloduy VVER reactor no 4 were measured during outage, 37 days after shutdown of the reactor. In such conditions, good resolution is of particular interest, so a 20 mm sup 3 hemispheric crystal was used with a resolution better than 7 keV at 662 keV. This paper presents the experimental device and analyzes the results which show that CdZnTe commercially available detectors enabled us to perform a semi-quantitative determination of the burn-up after a short cooling time. In addition, it is discussed how a burn-up evolution code (CESAR)...

Time Spent by Calliphora Spp. Blowflies on Standard Traps Baited with Liver and Ammonia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Florica Morariu

2010-10-01

Full Text Available The larvae of blowflies from the Calliphoridae family cause fly strikes in sheep and other species of economic importance. Impaired wool, decrease of ewe fertility, and even death can occur in heavy infestations. This paper describes the Calliphora spp. blowflies’ behavior on and around a trap baited with liver and ammonia before they entered in. More than half of Calliphora spp. blowflies (50.88% stayed a medium time (eight to fourteen seconds on the standard trap, while only 1.79% of them spent a longer time (26 to 30 seconds before entering the trap.

Two-Arm Randomized Pilot Intervention Trial to Decrease Sitting Time and Increase Sit-To-Stand Transitions in Working and Non-Working Older Adults.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jacqueline Kerr

Full Text Available Excessive sitting has been linked to poor health. It is unknown whether reducing total sitting time or increasing brief sit-to-stand transitions is more beneficial. We conducted a randomized pilot study to assess whether it is feasible for working and non-working older adults to reduce these two different behavioral targets.Thirty adults (15 workers and 15 non-workers age 50-70 years were randomized to one of two conditions (a 2-hour reduction in daily sitting or accumulating 30 additional brief sit-to-stand transitions per day. Sitting time, standing time, sit-to-stand transitions and stepping were assessed by a thigh worn inclinometer (activPAL. Participants were assessed for 7 days at baseline and followed while the intervention was delivered (2 weeks. Mixed effects regression analyses adjusted for days within participants, device wear time, and employment status. Time by condition interactions were investigated.Recruitment, assessments, and intervention delivery were feasible. The 'reduce sitting' group reduced their sitting by two hours, the 'increase sit-to-stand' group had no change in sitting time (p < .001. The sit-to-stand transition group increased their sit-to-stand transitions, the sitting group did not (p < .001.This study was the first to demonstrate the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of specific sedentary behavioral goals.clinicaltrials.gov NCT02544867.

TRIGA Mark II Ljubljana - spent fuel transportation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ravnik, M.; Dimic, V.

2008-01-01

The most important activity in 1999 was shipment of the spent fuel elements back to the United States for final disposal. This activity started already in 1998 with some governmental support. In July 1999 all spent fuel elements (219 pieces) from the TRIGA research reactor in Ljubljana were shipped back to the United Stated by the ship from the port Koper in Slovenia. At the same time shipment of the spent fuel from the research reactor in Pitesti, Romania, and the research reactor in Rome, Italy, was conducted. During the loading the radiation exposure to the workers was rather low. The loading and shipment of the spent nuclear fuel went very smoothly and according the accepted time table. During the last two years the TRIGA research reactor in Ljubljana has been in operation about 1100 hours per year and without any undesired shut-down. (authors)

Spent nuclear fuel transport problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kondrat'ev, A.N.; Kosarev, Yu.A.; Yulikov, E.I.

1977-01-01

The paper considers the problems of shipping spent fuel from nuclear power stations to reprocessing plants and also the principal ways of solving these problems with a view to achieving maximum economy and safety in transport. The increase in the number of nuclear power plants in the USSR will entail an intensification of spent-fuel shipments. Higher burnup and the need to reduce cooling time call for heavier and more complex shipping containers. The problem of shipping spent fuel should be tackled comprehensively, bearing in mind the requirements of safety and economy. One solution to these problems is to develop rational and cheap designs of such containers. In addition, the world-wide trend towards more thorough protection of the environment against pollution and of the health of the population requires the devotion of constant attention to improving the reliability and safety of shipments. The paper considers the prospects for nuclear power development in the USSR and in other member countries of the CMEA (1976-1980), the composition and design of some Soviet packaging assemblies, the appropriate cooling time for spent fuel from thermal reactor power stations, procedures for reducing fuel-shipping costs, some methodological problems of container calculation and design, and finally problems of testing and checking containers on test rigs. (author)

A Performance Analysis of a Stand-Up Paddle Board Marathon Race.

Science.gov (United States)

Schram, Ben L; Hing, Wayne A; Climstein, Mike; Furness, James W

2017-06-01

Stand-up paddle boarding (SUP) is a rapidly growing sport and recreational activity in which little scientific research exists. A review of the literature failed to identify a single article pertaining to the physiological demands of SUP competition. The purpose of this study was to conduct a performance analysis of a national-level SUP marathon race. Ten elite SUP athletes (6 male and 4 female athletes) were recruited from the Stand Up Paddle Surfing Association of Australia to have their race performance in the Australian Titles analyzed. Performance variables included SUP speed, course taken, and heart rate (HR), measured with a 15-Hz global positioning system unit. Results demonstrated that there was a variation in distance covered (13.3-13.9 km), peak speed (18.8-26.4 km·h), and only moderate correlations (r = 0.38) of race result to distance covered. Significantly greater amounts of time were spent in the 5- to 10-km·h speed zones (p ≤ 0.05) during the race. Peak HR varied from 168 to 208 b·min among the competitors with the average HR being 168.6 ± 9.8 b·min. Significantly higher durations were spent in elevated HR zones (p ≤ 0.05) with participants spending 89.3% of their race within 80-100% of their age-predicted HRmax. Marathon SUP races seem to involve a high aerobic demand, with maintenance of near-maximal HRs required for the duration of the race. There is a high influence of tactical decisions and extrinsic variables to race results. These results provide a greater understanding of the physiological demands of distance events and may assist in the development of specialized training programs for SUP athletes.

Relationship of Near-Crash/Crash Risk to Time Spent on a Cell Phone While Driving.

Science.gov (United States)

Farmer, Charles M; Klauer, Sheila G; McClafferty, Julie A; Guo, Feng

2015-01-01

The objective of this study was to examine in a naturalistic driving setting the dose-response relationship between cell phone usage while driving and risk of a crash or near crash. How is the increasing use of cell phones by drivers associated with overall near-crash/crash risk (i.e., during driving times both on and off the phone)? Day-to-day driving behavior of 105 volunteer subjects was monitored over a period of 1 year. A random sample was selected comprised of 4 trips from each month that each driver was in the study, and in-vehicle video was used to classify driver behavior. The proportion of driving time spent using a cell phone was estimated for each 3-month period and correlated with overall crash and near-crash rates for each period. Thus, it was possible to test whether changes in an individual driver's cell phone use over time were associated with changes in overall near-crash/crash risk. Drivers in the study spent 11.7% of their driving time interacting with a cell phone, primarily talking on the phone (6.5%) or simply holding the phone in their hand or lap (3.7%). The risk of a near-crash/crash event was approximately 17% higher when the driver was interacting with a cell phone, due primarily to actions of reaching for/answering/dialing, which nearly triples risk (relative risk = 2.84). However, the amount of driving time spent interacting with a cell phone did not affect a driver's overall near-crash/crash risk. Vehicle speeds within 6 s of the beginning of each call on average were 5-6 mph lower than speeds at other times. Results of this naturalistic driving study are consistent with the observation that increasing cell phone use in the general driving population has not led to increased crash rates. Although cell phone use can be distracting and crashes have occurred during this distraction, overall crash rates appear unaffected by changes in the rate of cell phone use, even for individual drivers. Drivers compensate somewhat for the distraction

Emerging effortful control in toddlerhood: the role of infant orienting/regulation, maternal effortful control, and maternal time spent in caregiving activities.

Science.gov (United States)

Bridgett, David J; Gartstein, Maria A; Putnam, Samuel P; Lance, Kate Oddi; Iddins, Erin; Waits, Robin; Vanvleet, Jessica; Lee, Lindsay

2011-02-01

Latent growth modeling (LGM) was used to examine the contribution of changes in infant orienting/regulation (O/R) to the emergence of toddler effortful control (EC), the contributions of maternal EC to the development of infant O/R and the emergence of toddler EC, the influence of maternal time spent in caregiving activities on toddler EC and the slope of infant O/R, and the contribution of maternal EC to subsequent maternal time spent in caregiving activities. Mothers from 158 families completed a self-report measure of EC when their infants were 4 months of age, a measure of infant O/R when their infants were 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 months of age, and a measure of toddler EC when their children reached 18 months of age. Information concerning maternal time spent in various interactive caregiving activities was collected when infants were 6 months old. Results indicated higher maternal EC predicted interindividual differences in the intercept (i.e., higher intercepts), but not slope, of infant O/R and that higher maternal EC, higher infant O/R intercept, and higher infant O/R slope contributed to higher toddler EC. Furthermore, higher maternal EC predicted greater maternal time spent in interactive caregiving activities with their infants and greater maternal time in interactive caregiving with infants also contributed to higher toddler EC after controlling for maternal EC. These findings contribute to the understanding of the influence of maternal EC, directly and through caregiving, on toddler EC. Additional implications as they are related to early developing regulatory aspects of temperament are discussed. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Handling and transfer operations for partially-spent nuclear fuel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ibrahim, J K [PUSPATI, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)

1983-12-01

This project involved the handling and transfer of partially-spent reactor fuel from the Oregon State University TRIGA Reactor in Corvallis, Oregon to Hanford Engineering Development Laboratory in Richland, Washington. The method of handling is dependent upon the burn-up history of the fuel elements. Legal constraints imposed by standing U.S. nuclear regulations determine the selection of transport containers, transportation procedures, physical security arrangements in transit and nuclear material accountability documentation. Results of in-house safety evaluations of the project determine the extent of involvement of pertinent nuclear regulatory authorities. The actual handling activities and actual radiation dose rates are also presented.

Automatic spent fuel ID number reader (I)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanabe, S.; Kawamoto, H.; Fujimaki, K.; Kobe, A.

1991-01-01

An effective and efficient technique has been developed for facilitating identification works of LWR spent fuel stored in large scale spent fuel storage pools of such as processing plants. Experience shows that there are often difficulties in the implementation of operator's nuclear material accountancy and control works as well as safeguards inspections conducted on spent fuel assemblies stored in deep water pool. This paper reports that the technique is realized as an automatic spent fuel ID number reader system installed on fuel handling machine. The ID number reader system consists of an optical sub-system and an image processing sub-system. Thousands of spent fuel assemblies stored in under water open racks in each storage pool could be identified within relatively short time (e.g. within several hours) by using this combination. Various performance tests were carried out on image processing sub-system in 1990 using TV images obtained from different types of spent fuel assemblies stored in various storage pools of PWR and BWR power stations

Daily time spent indoors in German homes--baseline data for the assessment of indoor exposure of German occupants.

Science.gov (United States)

Brasche, Sabine; Bischof, Wolfgang

2005-01-01

Comprehensive time-activity studies, for use as a basis for estimates of personal exposure, are not readily available in Germany. This analysis of time spent indoors at home is based on data from "Dampness and mould in homes" (2000/ 2001)--a study of about 12,000 persons living in 5530 randomly selected apartments and houses in Germany. The results show the mean times per day people in Germany spend in their homes, classified by gender, age group, building location, city size, region, building type, owner-occupier status, number of people at home, smoking and ventilation habits, moisture emission and ill health factors such as asthma, allergy and number of acute respiratory infections per year. The overall mean time spent at home, 15.7 h per, is in accordance with results from US-American (15.6 h/day) and Canadian (15.8 h/day) human activity surveys carried out in the nineties, as well as being consistent with the German Environmental Survey (1990/92) and a small German study in 1987.

Time Spent on Dedicated Patient Care and Documentation Tasks Before and After the Introduction of a Structured and Standardized Electronic Health Record.

Science.gov (United States)

Joukes, Erik; Abu-Hanna, Ameen; Cornet, Ronald; de Keizer, Nicolette F

2018-01-01

Physicians spend around 35% of their time documenting patient data. They are concerned that adopting a structured and standardized electronic health record (EHR) will lead to more time documenting and less time for patient care, especially during consultations. This study measures the effect of the introduction of a structured and standardized EHR on documentation time and time for dedicated patient care during outpatient consultations. We measured physicians' time spent on four task categories during outpatient consultations: documentation, patient care, peer communication, and other activities. Physicians covered various specialties from two university hospitals that jointly implemented a structured and standardized EHR. Preimplementation, one hospital used a legacy-EHR, and one primarily paper-based records. The same physicians were observed 2 to 6 months before and 6 to 8 months after implementation.We analyzed consultation duration, and percentage of time spent on each task category. Differences in time distribution before and after implementation were tested using multilevel linear regression. We observed 24 physicians (162 hours, 439 consultations). We found no significant difference in consultation duration or number of consultations per hour. In the legacy-EHR center, we found the implementation associated with a significant decrease in time spent on dedicated patient care (-8.5%). In contrast, in the previously paper-based center, we found a significant increase in dedicated time spent on documentation (8.3%) and decrease in time on combined patient care and documentation (-4.6%). The effect on dedicated documentation time significantly differed between centers. Implementation of a structured and standardized EHR was associated with 8.5% decrease in time for dedicated patient care during consultations in one center and 8.3% increase in dedicated documentation time in another center. These results are in line with physicians' concerns that the introduction

Spent fuel dry storage in Hungary

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buday, G.; Szabo, B.; Oerdoegh, M.; Takats, F.

1999-01-01

Paks Nuclear Power Plant is the only NPP in Hungary. It has four WWER-440 type reactor units. Since 1989, approximately 40-50% of the total annual electricity generation of the country has been supplied by this plant. The fresh fuel is imported from Russia. Most of the spent fuel assemblies have been shipped back to Russia. Difficulties with spent fuel transportation to Russia have begun in 1992. Since that time, some of the shipments were delayed, some of them were completely cancelled, thus creating a backlog of spent fuel filling all storage positions of the plant. To provide assurance of the continued operation, Paks NPPs management decided to implement an independent spent fuel storage facility and chose GEC-Althom's MVDS design. The construction of the facility started in February 1995 and the first spent fuel assembly was placed in the store in September 1997. The paper gives an overview of the situation, describing the conditions leading to the construction of the dry storage facility at Paks and its implementation. Finally, some information is given about the new Public Agency for Radioactive Waste Management established this year and responsible for managing the issues related to spent fuel management. (author)

Breast Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy Reduces Time Spent With Acute Dermatitis for Women of All Breast Sizes During Radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Freedman, Gary M.; Li Tianyu; Nicolaou, Nicos; Chen Yan; Ma, Charlie C.-M.; Anderson, Penny R.

2009-01-01

Purpose: To study the time spent with radiation-induced dermatitis during a course of radiation therapy for breast cancer in women treated with conventional or intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). Methods and Materials: The study population consisted of 804 consecutive women with early-stage breast cancer treated with breast-conserving surgery and radiation from 2001 to 2006. All patients were treated with whole-breast radiation followed by a boost to the tumor bed. Whole-breast radiation consisted of conventional wedged photon tangents (n = 405) earlier in the study period and mostly of photon IMRT (n = 399) in later years. All patients had acute dermatitis graded each week of treatment. Results: The breakdown of the cases of maximum acute dermatitis by grade was as follows: 3%, Grade 0; 34%, Grade 1; 61%, Grade 2; and 2%, Grade 3. The breakdown of cases of maximum toxicity by technique was as follows: 48%, Grade 0/1, and 52%, Grade 2/3, for IMRT; and 25%, Grade 0/1, and 75%, Grade 2/3, for conventional radiation therapy (p < 0.0001). The IMRT patients spent 82% of weeks during treatment with Grade 0/1 dermatitis and 18% with Grade 2/3 dermatitis, compared with 29% and 71% of patients, respectively, treated with conventional radiation (p < 0.0001). Furthermore, the time spent with Grade 2/3 toxicity was decreased in IMRT patients with small (p = 0.0015), medium (p < 0.0001), and large (p < 0.0001) breasts. Conclusions: Breast IMRT is associated with a significant decrease both in the time spent during treatment with Grade 2/3 dermatitis and in the maximum severity of dermatitis compared with that associated with conventional radiation, regardless of breast size.

Is time spent playing video games associated with mental health, cognitive and social skills in young children?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kovess-Masfety, V.; Keyes, K.M.; Hamilton, A.; Hanson, G.; Bitfoi, A.; Golitz, D.; Koç, C.; Kuijpers, R.C.W.M.; Lesinskiene, S.; Mihova, Z.; Otten, R.; Fermanian, C.; Pez, O.

2016-01-01

Video games are one of the favourite leisure activities of children; the influence on child health is usually perceived to be negative. The present study assessed the association between the amount of time spent playing video games and children mental health as well as cognitive and social skills.

Learning to Stand: The Acceptability and Feasibility of Introducing Standing Desks into College Classrooms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roberto M. Benzo

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Prolonged sedentary behavior is an independent risk factor for multiple negative health outcomes. Evidence supports introducing standing desks into K-12 classrooms and work settings to reduce sitting time, but no studies have been conducted in the college classroom environment. The present study explored the acceptability and feasibility of introducing standing desks in college classrooms. A total of 993 students and 149 instructors completed a single online needs assessment survey. This cross-sectional study was conducted during the fall semester of 2015 at a large Midwestern University. The large majority of students (95% reported they would prefer the option to stand in class. Most students (82.7% reported they currently sit during their entire class time. Most students (76.6% and instructors (86.6% reported being in favor of introducing standing desks into college classrooms. More than half of students and instructors predicted having access to standing desks in class would improve student’s “physical health”, “attention”, and “restlessness”. Collectively, these findings support the acceptability of introducing standing desks in college classrooms. Future research is needed to test the feasibility, cost-effectiveness and efficacy of introducing standing desks in college classrooms. Such studies would be useful for informing institutional policies regarding classroom designs.

Containing method for spent fuel and spent fuel containing vessel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maekawa, Hiromichi; Hanada, Yoshine.

1996-01-01

Upon containing spent fuels, a metal vessel main body and a support spacer having fuel containing holes are provided. The support spacer is disposed in the inside of the metal vessel main body, and spent fuel assemblies are loaded in the fuel containing holes. Then, a lid is welded at the opening of the metal vessel main body to provide a sealing state. In this state, heat released from the spent fuel assemblies is transferred to the wall of the metal vessel main body via the support spacer. Since the support spacer has a greater heat conductivity than gases, heat of the spent fuel assemblies tends to be released to the outside, thereby capable of removing heat of the spent fuel assemblies effectively. In addition, since the surfaces of the spent fuel assemblies are in contact with the inner surface of the fuel containing holes of the support spacer, impact-resistance and earthquake-resistance are ensured, and radiation from the spent fuel assemblies is decayed by passing through the layer of the support spacer. (T.M.)

The development of spent fuel storage process equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoon, Wan Ki; Kim, Ho Dong; Kim, Ki Joon; Kim, Bum Hoe

1992-02-01

A nuclear material accounting system were designed to track the transitions of nuclear materials at the spent-fuel technology research facility. It is embedded in a distributed control system real-time structure of the system gives timely on-line accountancy. And performance of AC servo motor with fuzzy logic control and its applicability to spent fuel management were experimentally evaluated. (Author)

Assessment of Stand-Alone Displays for Time Management in a Creativity-Driven Learning Environment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Frimodt-Møller, Søren

2017-01-01

This paper considers the pros and cons of stand-alone displays, analog (e.g. billboards, blackboards, whiteboards, large pieces of paper etc.) as well as digital (e.g. large shared screens, digital whiteboards or similar), as tools for time management processes in a creativity-driven learning...

Is time spent playing video games associated with mental health, cognitive and social skills in young children?

Science.gov (United States)

Kovess-Masfety, Viviane; Keyes, Katherine; Hamilton, Ava; Hanson, Gregory; Bitfoi, Adina; Golitz, Dietmar; Koç, Ceren; Kuijpers, Rowella; Lesinskiene, Sigita; Mihova, Zlatka; Otten, Roy; Fermanian, Christophe; Pez, Ondine

2016-01-01

Background Video games are one of the favourite leisure activities of children; the influence on child health is usually perceived to be negative. The present study assessed the association between the amount of time spent playing video games and children mental health as well as cognitive and social skills. Methods Data were drawn from the School Children Mental Health Europe project conducted in six European Union countries (youth ages 6–11, n = 3195). Child mental health was assessed by parents and teachers using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and by children themselves with the Dominic Interactive. Child video game usage was reported by the parents. Teachers evaluated academic functioning. Multivariable logistic regressions were used. Results 20 % of the children played video games more than 5 h per week. Factors associated with time spent playing video games included being a boy, being older, and belonging to a medium size family. Having a less educated, single, inactive, or psychologically distressed mother decreased time spent playing video games. Children living in Western European countries were significantly less likely to have high video game usage (9.66 vs 20.49 %) though this was not homogenous. Once adjusted for child age and gender, number of children, mothers age, marital status, education, employment status, psychological distress, and region, high usage was associated with 1.75 times the odds of high intellectual functioning (95 % CI 1.31–2.33), and 1.88 times the odds of high overall school competence (95 % CI 1.44–2.47). Once controlled for high usage predictors, there were no significant associations with any child self-reported or mother- or teacher-reported mental health problems. High usage was associated with decreases in peer relationship problems [OR 0.41 (0.2–0.86) and in prosocial deficits (0.23 (0.07, 0.81)]. Conclusions Playing video games may have positive effects on young children. Understanding the mechanisms

Is time spent playing video games associated with mental health, cognitive and social skills in young children?

Science.gov (United States)

Kovess-Masfety, Viviane; Keyes, Katherine; Hamilton, Ava; Hanson, Gregory; Bitfoi, Adina; Golitz, Dietmar; Koç, Ceren; Kuijpers, Rowella; Lesinskiene, Sigita; Mihova, Zlatka; Otten, Roy; Fermanian, Christophe; Pez, Ondine

2016-03-01

Video games are one of the favourite leisure activities of children; the influence on child health is usually perceived to be negative. The present study assessed the association between the amount of time spent playing video games and children mental health as well as cognitive and social skills. Data were drawn from the School Children Mental Health Europe project conducted in six European Union countries (youth ages 6-11, n = 3195). Child mental health was assessed by parents and teachers using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and by children themselves with the Dominic Interactive. Child video game usage was reported by the parents. Teachers evaluated academic functioning. Multivariable logistic regressions were used. 20 % of the children played video games more than 5 h per week. Factors associated with time spent playing video games included being a boy, being older, and belonging to a medium size family. Having a less educated, single, inactive, or psychologically distressed mother decreased time spent playing video games. Children living in Western European countries were significantly less likely to have high video game usage (9.66 vs 20.49 %) though this was not homogenous. Once adjusted for child age and gender, number of children, mothers age, marital status, education, employment status, psychological distress, and region, high usage was associated with 1.75 times the odds of high intellectual functioning (95 % CI 1.31-2.33), and 1.88 times the odds of high overall school competence (95 % CI 1.44-2.47). Once controlled for high usage predictors, there were no significant associations with any child self-reported or mother- or teacher-reported mental health problems. High usage was associated with decreases in peer relationship problems [OR 0.41 (0.2-0.86) and in prosocial deficits (0.23 (0.07, 0.81)]. Playing video games may have positive effects on young children. Understanding the mechanisms through which video game use may stimulate

Reactivity and isotopic composition of spent PWR [pressurized-water-reactor] fuel as a function of initial enrichment, burnup, and cooling time

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cerne, S.P.; Hermann, O.W.; Westfall, R.M.

1987-10-01

This study presents the reactivity loss of spent PWR fuel due to burnup in terms of the infinite lattice multiplications factor, k/sub ∞/. Calculations were performed using the SAS2 and CSAS1 control modules of the SCALE system. The k/sub ∞/ values calculated for all combinations of six enrichments, seven burnups, and five cooling times. The results are presented as a primary function of enrichment in both tabular and graphic form. An equation has been developed to estimate the tabulated values of k/sub ∞/'s by specifying enrichment, cooling time, and burnup. Atom densities for fresh fuel, and spent fuel at cooling times of 2, 10, and 20 years are included. 13 refs., 8 figs., 8 tabs

Pyrochemical processing of DOE spent nuclear fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laidler, J.J.

1995-01-01

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

Characteristics of spent nuclear fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Notz, K.J.

1988-04-01

The Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) is responsible for the spent fuels and other wastes that will, or may, eventually be disposed of in a geological repository. The two major sources of these materials are commercial light-water reactor (LWR) spent fuel and immobilized high-level waste (HLW). Other wastes that may require long-term isolation include non-LWR spent fuels and miscellaneous sources such as activated metals. This report deals with spent fuels, but for completeness, the other sources are described briefly. Detailed characterizations are required for all of these potential repository wastes. These characteristics include physical, chemical, and radiological properties. The latter must take into account decay as a function of time. In addition, the present inventories and projected quantities of the various wastes are needed. This information has been assembled in a Characteristics Data Base which provides data in four formats: hard copy standard reports, menu-driven personal computer (PC) data bases, program-level PC data bases, and mainframe computer files. 5 refs., 3 figs., 4 tabs

What Is the Effect on Obesity Indicators from Replacing Prolonged Sedentary Time with Brief Sedentary Bouts, Standing and Different Types of Physical Activity during Working Days? A Cross-Sectional Accelerometer-Based Study among Blue-Collar Workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, Nidhi; Heiden, Marina; Aadahl, Mette; Korshøj, Mette; Jørgensen, Marie Birk; Holtermann, Andreas

2016-01-01

The aim of the study was to investigate if (a) substituting total sedentary time or long sedentary bouts with standing or various types of physical activity and (b) substituting long sedentary bouts with brief sedentary bouts; is associated with obesity indicators using a cross sectional isotemporal substitution approach among blue-collar workers. A total of 692 workers from transportation, manufacturing and cleaning sectors wore an Actigraph GT3X+ accelerometer on the thigh for 1-4 working days. The sedentary (sit and lie), standing, walking, and moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) time on working days was computed using validated Acti4 software. The total sedentary time and uninterrupted sedentary time spent in brief (≤5 mins), moderate (>5 and ≤30 mins), and long (>30mins) bouts, were determined for the whole day and during work and non-work time separately. The obesity indicators, BMI (kg/m2), waist circumference (cm) and fat percentage were objectively measured. Isotemporal substitution modelling was utilized to determine the linear association with obesity indicators of replacing 30 min of total sedentary time or long sedentary bouts with standing, walking or MVPA and separately replacing 30 min of long sedentary bouts with brief sedentary bouts. Workers [mean (standard deviation, SD); age = 45.1 (9.9) years, BMI = 27.5 (4.9) kg/m2, %BF = 29.6 (9.5), waist circumference = 94.4 (13.0) cm] sat for 2.4 hours (~32% of the measured time, SD = 1.8 hours) across the day during work period and 5.5 hours (~62% of the measured time, SD = 1.5 hours) during non-work period. Most of the sedentary time was accrued in moderate bouts [work = 1.40 (SD = 1.09) hours] during work and in long bouts during non-work [2.7 (SD = 1.4) hours], while least in long sedentary bouts during work [work = 0.5 (SD = 0.9)] and in brief sedentary bouts [0.5 hours (SD = 0.3)] during non-work. Significant associations with all obesity indicators were found when 30 min of total

Standing surface acoustic waves in LiNbO3 studied by time resolved X-ray diffraction at Petra III

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. Reusch

2013-07-01

Full Text Available We have carried out time resolved stroboscopic diffraction experiments on standing surface acoustic waves (SAWs of Rayleigh type on a LiNbO3 substrate. A novel timing system has been developed and commissioned at the storage ring Petra III of Desy, allowing for phase locked stroboscopic diffraction experiments applicable to a broad range of timescales and experimental conditions. The combination of atomic structural resolution with temporal resolution on the picosecond time scale allows for the observation of the atomistic displacements for each time (or phase point within the SAW period. A seamless transition between dynamical and kinematic scattering regimes as a function of the instantaneous surface amplitude induced by the standing SAW is observed. The interpretation and control of the experiment, in particular disentangling the diffraction effects (kinematic to dynamical diffraction regime from possible non-linear surface effects is unambiguously enabled by the precise control of phase between the standing SAW and the synchrotron bunches. The example illustrates the great flexibility and universality of the presented timing system, opening up new opportunities for a broad range of time resolved experiments.

Handling and transfer operations for partially-spent nuclear fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ibrahim, J.K.

1983-01-01

This project involved the handling and transfer of partially-spent reactor fuel from the Oregon State University TRIGA Reactor in Corvallis, Oregon to Hanford Engineering Development Laboratory in Richland, Washington. The method of handling is dependent upon the burn-up history of the fuel elements. Legal constraints imposed by standing U.S. nuclear regulations determine the selection of transport containers, transportation procedures, physical security arrangements in transit and nuclear material accountability documentation. Results of in-house safety evaluations of the project determine the extent of involvement of pertinent nuclear regulatory authorities. The actual handling activities and actual radiation dose rates are also presented (author)

Psychological, interpersonal, and clinical factors predicting time spent on physical activity among Mexican patients with hypertension.

Science.gov (United States)

Ybarra Sagarduy, José Luis; Camacho Mata, Dacia Yurima; Moral de la Rubia, José; Piña López, Julio Alfonso; Yunes Zárraga, José Luis Masud

2018-01-01

It is widely known that physical activity is the key to the optimal management and clinical control of hypertension. This research was conducted to identify factors that can predict the time spent on physical activity among Mexican adults with hypertension. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 182 Mexican patients with hypertension, who completed a set of self-administered questionnaires related to personality, social support, and medical adherence and health care behaviors, body mass index, and time since the disease diagnosis. Several path analyses were performed in order to test the predictors of the study behavior. Lower tolerance to frustration, more tolerance to ambiguity, more effective social support, and less time since the disease diagnosis predicted more time spent on physical activity, accounting for 13.3% of the total variance. The final model shows a good fit to the sample data ( p BS =0.235, χ 2 / gl =1.519, Jöreskog and Sörbom's Goodness of Fit Index =0.987, adjusted modality =0.962, Bollen's Incremental Fit Index =0.981, Bentler-Bonett Normed Fit Index =0.946, standardized root mean square residual =0.053). The performance of physical activity in patients with hypertension depends on a complex set of interactions between personal, interpersonal, and clinical variables. Understanding how these factors interact might enhance the design of interdisciplinary intervention programs so that quality of life of patients with hypertension improves and they might be able to manage and control their disease well.

Time spent in housework and leisure: links with parents' physiological recovery from work.

Science.gov (United States)

Saxbe, Darby E; Repetti, Rena L; Graesch, Anthony P

2011-04-01

Spouses' balancing of housework and leisure activities at home may affect their recovery from work. This paper reports on a study of everyday family life in which 30 dual-earner couples were tracked around their homes by researchers who recorded their locations and activities every 10 min. For women, the most frequently pursued activities at home were housework, communication, and leisure; husbands spent the most time in leisure activities, followed by communication and housework. Spouses differed in their total time at home and their proportion of time devoted to leisure and housework activities, with wives observed more often in housework and husbands observed more often in leisure activities. Both wives and husbands who devoted more time to housework had higher levels of evening cortisol and weaker afternoon-to-evening recovery. For wives, husbands' increased housework time also predicted stronger evening cortisol recovery. When both spouses' activities were entered in the same model, leisure predicted husbands' evening cortisol, such that husbands who apportioned more time to leisure, and whose wives apportioned less time to leisure, showed stronger after-work recovery. These results suggest that the division of labor within couples may have implications for physical health.

Storing the world's spent nuclear fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barkenbus, J.N.; Weinberg, A.M.; Alonso, M.

1985-01-01

Given the world's prodigious future energy requirements and the inevitable depletion of oil and gas, it would be foolhardy consciously to seek limitations on the growth of nuclear power. Indeed, the authors continue to believe that the global nuclear power enterprise, as measured by installed reactor capacity, can become much larger in the future without increasing proliferation risks. To accomplish this objective will require renewed dedication to the non-proliferation regime, and it will require some new initiatives. Foremost among these would be the establishment of a spent fuel take-back service, in which one or a few states would retrieve spent nuclear fuel from nations generating it. The centralized retrieval of spent fuel would remove accessible plutonium from the control of national leaders in non-nuclear-weapons states, thereby eliminating the temptation to use this material for weapons. The Soviets already implement a retrieval policy with the spent fuel generated by East European allies. The authors believe that it is time for the US to reopen the issue of spent-fuel retrieval, and thus to strengthen its non-proliferation policies and the nonproliferation regime in general. 7 references

Changes in time spent walking and the risk of incident dementia in older Japanese people: the Ohsaki Cohort 2006 Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Tomata, Yasutake; Zhang, Shu; Sugiyama, Kemmyo; Kaiho, Yu; Sugawara, Yumi; Tsuji, Ichiro

2017-09-01

the impact of long-term changes in physical activity during adulthood in the context of primary prevention of dementia has not been addressed previously. to study the relationship between changes in time spent walking after middle age and incident dementia in older Japanese individuals. we conducted a cohort study of 6,909 disability-free Japanese individuals aged ≥65 years who lived in Ohsaki City, Japan. In both 1994 and 2006, the individual amount of time spent walking per day was assessed using a self-reported questionnaire (dementia were retrieved from the public Long-term Care Insurance (LTCI) Database, in which participants were followed up for 5.7 years (between April 2007 and November 2012). The Cox model was used for estimating the multivariate-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) of incident dementia. the 5.7-year incidence of dementia was 9.2%. Compared with persons who remained in the lowest category of time spent walking (dementia: the multivariate-adjusted HR (95% confidence intervals) was 0.72 (0.53 and 0.97). these results suggest that maintaining a higher level of physical activity after middle age may be a key strategy for prevention of dementia in older age. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Geriatrics Society.All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

The effect of wheelchair propulsion style on changes in time spent in extreme wrist orientations after a bout of fatiguing propulsion.

Science.gov (United States)

Zukowski, Lisa A; Hass, Chris J; Shechtman, Orit; Christou, Evangelos A; Tillman, Mark D

2017-10-01

This study compared how wheelchair propulsion styles affect changes in percentage of time spent in extreme wrist orientations, which have been associated with median nerve injury, after a fatiguing bout of propulsion. Twenty novice, non-disabled adult males learned arcing (ARC) and semicircular (SEMI) propulsion styles and utilised each to perform a wheelchair fatigue protocol. ARC and SEMI did not significantly differ in terms of changes after the fatigue protocol in percentage of time spent in extreme flexion/extension or radial/ulnar deviation at the push phase beginning or end. A pattern was observed, although not significant, of greater increases in percentage of time spent in extreme wrist extension and ulnar deviation during the push phase beginning and ulnar deviation during the push phase end while utilising SEMI relative to ARC. This study evinces that individual differences are greater than observed changes in extreme wrist orientations for both propulsion styles. Practitioner Summary: How wheelchair propulsion styles change with fatigue in terms of extreme wrist orientations was examined. This study evinces that individual differences are greater than observed changes in extreme wrist orientations for both propulsion styles and point towards the need for future research on individual differences utilising propulsion styles.

Impact of rivastigmine on costs and on time spent in caregiving for families of patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Marin, Deborah; Amaya, Karine; Casciano, Roman; Puder, Katherine L; Casciano, Julian; Chang, Sobin; Snyder, Edward H; Cheng, Isaac; Cuccia, Anthony J

2003-12-01

Alzheimer's disease (AD) places a significant burden on health care systems worldwide. As new treatments are developed, their cost-effectiveness is often assessed to help health care professionals make informed decisions. In addition to the more common practice of assessing direct medical costs, indirect costs, including time spent in caregiving, should be evaluated. This study examined the potential effects of the dual cholinesterase inhibitor rivastigmine (Exelon) on caregivers of patients with AD. Results from two 26-week, placebo-controlled trials have demonstrated the clinically relevant and statistically significant efficacy of rivastigmine (6-12 mg/day) compared to placebo, on cognition, activities of daily living, and global functioning. By delaying progression of AD, significant savings in caregiver burden are anticipated, as measured by time spent caregiving and its related costs. Data collected in a prospective, observational study of AD patients and their caregivers were used to establish the relationship between disease severity (based on Mini-Mental State Examination [MMSE] score) and time spent caregiving (according to the 5-item Caregivers Activity Survey score). A significant correlation was observed between the two scores (N = 43, r = -.56, p patients with mild AD (MMSE score 21-30), resulting in a total savings of approximately 11,253 dollars. Treatment of patients with moderately severe AD was also evaluated. The trend was similar but the impact was less, suggesting an economic benefit to early therapy. Early diagnosis and a pharmacologic intervention that allows the patients to remain at home longer by delaying disease progression would have a beneficial impact on patients, caregivers, and payers, and should therefore be encouraged through initiatives designed to identify and treat patients early in the course of disease.

Comparison of spent fuel management fee collection alternatives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

White, M.K.; Engel, R.L.

1979-01-01

Five alternative methods for recovering the costs of spent fuel management were evaluated. These alternatives consist of collecting the fee for various components of spent fuel management cost (AFR basin storage, transportation from AFR basin to the repository, packaging, repository, R and D, and government overhead) at times ranging from generation of power to delivery of the spent fuel to the government. The five fee collection mechanisms were analyzed to determine how well they serve the interests of the public and the electricity ratepayer

Spent fuel characterization for the commercial waste and spent fuel packaging program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fish, R.L.; Davis, R.B.; Pasupathi, V.; Klingensmith, R.W.

1980-03-01

This document presents the rationale for spent fuel characterization and provides a detailed description of the characterization examinations. Pretest characterization examinations provide quantitative and qualitative descriptions of spent fuel assemblies and rods in their irradiated conditions prior to disposal testing. This information is essential in evaluating any subsequent changes that occur during disposal demonstration and laboratory tests. Interim examinations and post-test characterization will be used to identify fuel rod degradation mechanisms and quantify degradation kinetics. The nature and behavior of the spent fuel degradation will be defined in terms of mathematical rate equations from these and laboratory tests and incorporated into a spent fuel performance prediction model. Thus, spent fuel characterization is an essential activity in the development of a performance model to be used in evaluating the ability of spent fuel to meet specific waste acceptance criteria and in evaluating incentives for modification of the spent fuel assemblies for long-term disposal purposes

Take a Stand!

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Danquah, I. H.; Kloster, S.; Holtermann, A.

2017-01-01

workers in total) were cluster randomized for intervention or control. The intervention included the appointment of local ambassadors, management support, environmental changes, a lecture and a workshop. Sitting time was measured using an ActiGraph GT3X+ fixed on the thigh. Data were processed using Acti4......Background: Prolonged sitting time has been associated with adverse health outcomes. Interventions at work may contribute to reduced sitting. The objective was to test if a multicomponent work-based intervention can reduce sitting time and the number of prolonged sitting periods (> 30 min......), increase the number of sit-to-stand transitions and decrease waist circumference and body fat percentage among office workers. Primary outcomes were: change in sitting time, prolonged sitting periods and sit-to-stand transitions at followup 1 month later. Methods: At four workplaces, 19 offices (317...

Comparative analysis of LWR and FBR spent fuels for nuclear forensics evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Permana, Sidik; Suzuki, Mitsutoshi; Su'ud, Zaki

2012-01-01

Some interesting issues are attributed to nuclide compositions of spent fuels from thermal reactors as well as fast reactors such as a potential to reuse as recycled fuel, and a possible capability to be manage as a fuel for destructive devices. In addition, analysis on nuclear forensics which is related to spent fuel compositions becomes one of the interesting topics to evaluate the origin and the composition of spent fuels from the spent fuel foot-prints. Spent fuel compositions of different fuel types give some typical spent fuel foot prints and can be estimated the origin of source of those spent fuel compositions. Some technics or methods have been developing based on some science and technological capability including experimental and modeling or theoretical aspects of analyses. Some foot-print of nuclear forensics will identify the typical information of spent fuel compositions such as enrichment information, burnup or irradiation time, reactor types as well as the cooling time which is related to the age of spent fuels. This paper intends to evaluate the typical spent fuel compositions of light water (LWR) and fast breeder reactors (FBR) from the view point of some foot prints of nuclear forensics. An established depletion code of ORIGEN is adopted to analyze LWR spent fuel (SF) for several burnup constants and decay times. For analyzing some spent fuel compositions of FBR, some coupling codes such as SLAROM code, JOINT and CITATION codes including JFS-3-J-3.2R as nuclear data library have been adopted. Enriched U-235 fuel composition of oxide type is used for fresh fuel of LWR and a mixed oxide fuel (MOX) for FBR fresh fuel. Those MOX fuels of FBR come from the spent fuels of LWR. Some typical spent fuels from both LWR and FBR will be compared to distinguish some typical foot-prints of SF based on nuclear forensic analysis.

Comparative analysis of LWR and FBR spent fuels for nuclear forensics evaluation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Permana, Sidik; Suzuki, Mitsutoshi; Su' ud, Zaki [Department of Science and Technology for Nuclear Material Management (STNM), Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), 2-4 Shirane, Shirakata, Tokai Mura, Naka-gun, Ibaraki 319-1195 Nuclear Physics and Bio (Indonesia); Department of Science and Technology for Nuclear Material Management (STNM), Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), 2-4 Shirane, Shirakata, Tokai Mura, Naka-gun, Ibaraki 319-1195 (Japan); Nuclear Physics and Bio Physics Research Group, Department of Physics, Bandung Institute of Technology, Gedung Fisika, Jl. Ganesha 10, Bandung 40132 (Indonesia)

2012-06-06

Some interesting issues are attributed to nuclide compositions of spent fuels from thermal reactors as well as fast reactors such as a potential to reuse as recycled fuel, and a possible capability to be manage as a fuel for destructive devices. In addition, analysis on nuclear forensics which is related to spent fuel compositions becomes one of the interesting topics to evaluate the origin and the composition of spent fuels from the spent fuel foot-prints. Spent fuel compositions of different fuel types give some typical spent fuel foot prints and can be estimated the origin of source of those spent fuel compositions. Some technics or methods have been developing based on some science and technological capability including experimental and modeling or theoretical aspects of analyses. Some foot-print of nuclear forensics will identify the typical information of spent fuel compositions such as enrichment information, burnup or irradiation time, reactor types as well as the cooling time which is related to the age of spent fuels. This paper intends to evaluate the typical spent fuel compositions of light water (LWR) and fast breeder reactors (FBR) from the view point of some foot prints of nuclear forensics. An established depletion code of ORIGEN is adopted to analyze LWR spent fuel (SF) for several burnup constants and decay times. For analyzing some spent fuel compositions of FBR, some coupling codes such as SLAROM code, JOINT and CITATION codes including JFS-3-J-3.2R as nuclear data library have been adopted. Enriched U-235 fuel composition of oxide type is used for fresh fuel of LWR and a mixed oxide fuel (MOX) for FBR fresh fuel. Those MOX fuels of FBR come from the spent fuels of LWR. Some typical spent fuels from both LWR and FBR will be compared to distinguish some typical foot-prints of SF based on nuclear forensic analysis.

Conditioning of spent nuclear fuel for permanent disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laidler, J.J.

1994-01-01

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

Conditioning of spent nuclear fuel for permanent disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laidler, J.J.

1994-01-01

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

Protective effect of time spent walking on risk of stroke in older men.

Science.gov (United States)

Jefferis, Barbara J; Whincup, Peter H; Papacosta, Olia; Wannamethee, S Goya

2014-01-01

Older adults have the highest risks of stroke and the lowest physical activity levels. It is important to quantify how walking (the predominant form of physical activity in older age) is associated with stroke. A total of 4252 men from a UK population-based cohort reported usual physical activity (regular walking, cycling, recreational activity, and sport) in 1998 to 2000. Nurses took fasting blood samples and made anthropometric measurements. Among 3435 ambulatory men free from cardiovascular disease and heart failure in 1998 to 2000, 195 first strokes occurred during 11-year follow-up. Men walked a median of 7 (interquartile range, 3-12) hours/wk; walking more hours was associated with lower heart rate, D-dimer, and higher forced expiratory volume in 1 second. Compared with men walking 0 to 3 hours/wk, men walking 4 to 7, 8 to 14, 15 to 21, and >22 hours had age- and region-adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) for stroke of 0.89 (0.60-1.31), 0.63 (0.40-1.00), 0.68 (0.35-1.32), and 0.36 (0.14-0.91), respectively, P (trend)=0.006. Hazard ratios were somewhat attenuated by adjustment for established and novel risk markers (inflammatory and hemostatic markers and cardiac function [N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide]) and walking pace, but linear trends remained. There was little evidence for a dose-response relationship between walking pace and stroke; comparing average pace or faster to a baseline of slow pace, the hazard ratio for stroke was 0.65 (95% confidence interval, 0.44-0.97), which was fully mediated by time spent walking. Time spent walking was associated with reduced risk of onset of stroke in dose-response fashion, independent of walking pace. Walking could form an important part of stroke-prevention strategies in older people.

Investigation of Positional Differences in Fitness of Male University Ice Hockey Players and the Frequency, Time Spent and Heart Rate of Movement Patterns during Competition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joel Jackson

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Background:  Men’s university ice hockey has received little scientific attention over the past 30 years, a time in which the traits of the players and the demands of the game have evolved.  Objectives: This study compared the physiological characteristics of university ice hockey players and examined the frequency and duration of the different movement patterns and heart rate (HR responses during competition. Methods: Twenty male ice hockey players from the same team ( age ± SD = 22±2 years underwent a fitness evaluation and were filmed and HR monitored during regular season games. Results: Forwards and defense had similar fitness and only differed on % fatigue index and peak heart during on-ice sprinting (P<0.05. Defense stood, glided and skated backwards more than forwards and forwards skated at a moderate intensity and glided forward more than defense (P<0.05. All players spent the majority of game time gliding forward (60% of the time followed by skating forward at a moderate intensity (17% and standing with little movement (9%. Average HR during the game reached 96 and 92 % and peak HR was 100 and 96 % of maximum in forwards and defense, respectively. Conclusions: Male university hockey players present with a high level of physical fitness in a variety of categories with few differences between forwards and defense. Movement patterns during games suggest that players are performing low to moderate intensity on-ice activities the majority of the time. Paradoxically, HR continues to climb to near maximum during on ice shifts.

ENVI Model Development for Korean Nuclear Spent Fuel Options Analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chang, Sunyoung; Jeong, Yon Hong; Han, Jae-Jun; Lee, Aeri; Hwang, Yong-Soo [Korea Institute of Nuclear Nonproliferation and Control, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2015-10-15

The disposal facility of the spent nuclear fuel will be operated from 2051. This paper presents the ENVI code developed by GoldSim Software to simulate options for managing spent nuclear fuel (SNF) in South Korea. The ENVI is a simulator to allow decision-makers to assist to evaluate the performance for spent nuclear fuel management. The multiple options for managing the spent nuclear fuel including the storage and transportation are investigated into interim storage, permanent disposal in geological repositories and overseas and domestic reprocessing. The ENVI code uses the GoldSim software to simulate the logistics of the associated activities. The result by the ENVI model not only produces the total cost to compare among the multiple options but also predict the sizes and timings of different facilities required. In order to decide the policy for spent nuclear management this purpose of this paper is to draw the optimum management plan to solve the nuclear spent fuel issue in the economical aspects. This paper is focused on the development of the ENVI's logic and calculations to simulate four options(No Reprocessing, Overseas Reprocessing, Domestic Reprocessing, and Overseas and Domestic Reprocessing) for managing the spent nuclear fuel in South Korea. The time history of the spent nuclear fuel produced from both the existing and future NPP's can be predicted, based on the Goldsim software made available very user friendly model. The simulation result will be used to suggest the strategic plans for the spent nuclear fuel management.

ENVI Model Development for Korean Nuclear Spent Fuel Options Analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, Sunyoung; Jeong, Yon Hong; Han, Jae-Jun; Lee, Aeri; Hwang, Yong-Soo

2015-01-01

The disposal facility of the spent nuclear fuel will be operated from 2051. This paper presents the ENVI code developed by GoldSim Software to simulate options for managing spent nuclear fuel (SNF) in South Korea. The ENVI is a simulator to allow decision-makers to assist to evaluate the performance for spent nuclear fuel management. The multiple options for managing the spent nuclear fuel including the storage and transportation are investigated into interim storage, permanent disposal in geological repositories and overseas and domestic reprocessing. The ENVI code uses the GoldSim software to simulate the logistics of the associated activities. The result by the ENVI model not only produces the total cost to compare among the multiple options but also predict the sizes and timings of different facilities required. In order to decide the policy for spent nuclear management this purpose of this paper is to draw the optimum management plan to solve the nuclear spent fuel issue in the economical aspects. This paper is focused on the development of the ENVI's logic and calculations to simulate four options(No Reprocessing, Overseas Reprocessing, Domestic Reprocessing, and Overseas and Domestic Reprocessing) for managing the spent nuclear fuel in South Korea. The time history of the spent nuclear fuel produced from both the existing and future NPP's can be predicted, based on the Goldsim software made available very user friendly model. The simulation result will be used to suggest the strategic plans for the spent nuclear fuel management

MTR radiological database for SRS spent nuclear fuel facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blanchard, A.

2000-01-01

A database for radiological characterization of incoming Material Test Reactor (MTR) fuel has been developed for application to the Receiving Basin for Offsite Fuels (RBOF) and L-Basin spent fuel storage facilities at the Savannah River Site (SRS). This database provides a quick quantitative check to determine if SRS bound spent fuel is radiologically bounded by the Reference Fuel Assembly used in the L-Basin and RBOF authorization bases. The developed database considers pertinent characteristics of domestic and foreign research reactor fuel including exposure, fuel enrichment, irradiation time, cooling time, and fuel-to-moderator ratio. The supplied tables replace the time-consuming studies associated with authorization of SRS bound spent fuel with simple hand calculations. Additionally, the comprehensive database provides the means to overcome resource limitations, since a series of simple, yet conservative, hand calculations can now be performed in a timely manner and replace computational and technical staff requirements

Spent fuel management in Japan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shirahashi, K.; Maeda, M.; Nakai, T.

1996-01-01

Japan has scarce energy resources and depends on foreign resources for 84% of its energy needs. Therefore, Japan has made efforts to utilize nuclear power as a key energy source since mid-1950's. Today, the nuclear energy produced from 49 nuclear power plants is responsible for about 31% of Japan's total electricity supply. The cumulative amount of spent fuel generated as of March 1995 was about 11,600 Mg U. Japan's policy of spent fuel management is to reprocess spent nuclear fuel and recycle recovered plutonium and uranium as nuclear fuel. The Tokai reprocessing plant continues stable operation keeping the annual treatment capacity or around 90 Mg U. A commercial reprocessing plant is under construction at Rokkasho, northern part of Japan. Although FBR is the principal reactor to use plutonium, LWR will be a major power source for some time and recycling of the fuel in LWRs will be prompted. (author). 3 figs

The associations between self-reported sleep duration and adolescent health outcomes: what is the role of time spent on Internet use?

Science.gov (United States)

Do, Young Kyung; Shin, Eunhae; Bautista, Mary Ann; Foo, Kelvin

2013-02-01

This study aimed to examine the associations of self-reported sleep duration with adolescent health outcomes, taking into account time spent on Internet use. We used data from the 2008-2009 Korea Youth Behavioral Risk Factor Survey, a cross-sectional online survey of middle and high school students aged 13-18years in South Korea (N=136,589) to examine the associations of self-reported sleep duration with four mental and physical health measures, e.g. self-report of depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, weight status, and self-rated health. The binary logit and generalized ordered logit models controlled for time spent on Internet use for non-study purposes and other factors. Shorter self-reported sleep duration was associated with a higher likelihood of reporting depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, and overweight or obese status, and a lower likelihood of reporting better self-rated health, even after accounting for time spent on Internet use. Excessive Internet use was found to be an independent risk factor for these outcomes. Among in-school adolescents in South Korea, shorter sleep duration and excessive Internet use are independently and additively associated with multiple indicators of adverse health status. Excessive Internet use may have not only direct adverse health consequences, but also have indirect negative effects through sleep deprivation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Spent fuel management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-01-01

The production of nuclear electricity results in the generation of spent fuel that requires safe, secure and efficient management. Appropriate management of the resulting spent fuel is a key issue for the steady and sustainable growth of nuclear energy. Currently about 10,000 tonnes heavy metal (HM) of spent fuel are unloaded every year from nuclear power reactors worldwide, of which 8,500 t HM need to be stored (after accounting for reprocessed fuel). This is the largest continuous source of civil radioactive material generated, and needs to be managed appropriately. Member States have referred to storage periods of 100 years and even beyond, and as storage quantities and durations extend, new challenges arise in the institutional as well as in the technical area. The IAEA gives high priority to safe and effective spent fuel management. As an example of continuing efforts, the 2003 International Conference on Storage of Spent Fuel from Power Reactors gathered 125 participants from 35 member states to exchange information on this important subject. With its large number of Member States, the IAEA is well-positioned to gather and share information useful in addressing Member State priorities. IAEA activities on this topic include plans to produce technical documents as resources for a range of priority topics: spent fuel performance assessment and research, burnup credit applications, cask maintenance, cask loading optimization, long term storage requirements including records maintenance, economics, spent fuel treatment, remote technology, and influence of fuel design on spent fuel storage. In addition to broader topics, the IAEA supports coordinated research projects and technical cooperation projects focused on specific needs

On a Batch Arrival Queuing System Equipped with a Stand-by Server during Vacation Periods or the Repairs Times of the Main Server

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rehab F. Khalaf

2011-01-01

Full Text Available We study a queuing system which is equipped with a stand-by server in addition to the main server. The stand-by server provides service to customers only during the period of absence of the main server when either the main server is on a vacation or it is in the state of repairs due to a sudden failure from time to time. The service times, vacation times, and repair times are assumed to follow general arbitrary distributions while the stand-by service times follow exponential distribution. Supplementary variables technique has been used to obtain steady state results in explicit and closed form in terms of the probability generating functions for the number of customers in the queue, the average number of customers, and the average waiting time in the queue while the MathCad software has been used to illustrate the numerical results in this work.

Seismic and structural analysis of high density/consolidated spent fuel storage racks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shah, S.J.; Biddle, J.R.; Bennett, S.M.; Schechter, C.B.; Harstead, G.A.; Kopecky, B.

1995-01-01

In many nuclear power plants, existing storage racks are being replaced with high-density racks to accommodate the increasing inventory of spent fuel. In the hypothetical design considered here, the high-density arrangement of fuel assemblies, or consolidated fuel canisters, is accomplished through the use of borated stainless steel (BSS) plates acting as neutron absorbers. The high-density fuel racks are simply supported by the pool floor with no structural connections to adjacent racks or to the pool walls or floor. Therefore, the racks are free standing and may slide and tip. Several time history, nonlinear, seismic analyses are required to account for variations in the coefficient of friction, rack loading configuration, ad the type of the seismic event. This paper presents several of the mathematical models usually used. The models include features to allow sliding and tipping of the racks and to represent the hydrodynamic coupling which can occur between fuel assemblies and rack cells, between adjacent racks, and between the racks and the reinforced concrete walls. A detailed model representing a single rack is used to evaluate the 3-D loading effects. This model is a controlling case for the stress analysis. A 2-D multi-rack model representing a row of racks between the spent fuel pool walls is used to evaluate the change in gaps between racks. The racks are analyzed for the fuel loading conditions of consolidated, full, empty, and half-loaded with fuel assemblies

Impact of sit-stand desks at work on energy expenditure and sedentary time: protocol for a feasibility study.

Science.gov (United States)

Mantzari, Eleni; Wijndaele, Katrien; Brage, Soren; Griffin, Simon J; Marteau, Theresa M

2016-01-01

Prolonged sitting, an independent risk factor for disease development and premature mortality, is increasing in prevalence in high- and middle-income countries, with no signs of abating. Adults in such countries spend the largest proportion of their day in sedentary behaviour, most of which is accumulated at work. One promising method for reducing workplace sitting is the use of sit-stand desks. However, key uncertainties remain about this intervention, related to the quality of existing studies and a lack of focus on key outcomes, including energy expenditure. We are planning a randomised controlled trial to assess the impact of sit-stand desks at work on energy expenditure and sitting time in the short and longer term. To reduce the uncertainties related to the design of this trial, we propose a preliminary study to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the recruitment, allocation, measurement, retention and intervention procedures. Five hundred office-based employees from two companies in Cambridge, UK, will complete a survey to assess their interest in participating in a trial on the use of sit-stand desks at work. The workspaces of 100 of those interested in participating will be assessed for sit-stand desk installation suitability, and 20 participants will be randomised to either the use of sit-stand desks at work for 3 months or a waiting list control group. Energy expenditure and sitting time, measured via Actiheart and activPAL monitors, respectively, as well as cardio-metabolic and anthropometric outcomes and other outcomes relating to health and work performance, will be assessed in 10 randomly selected participants. All participants will also be interviewed about their experience of using the desks and participating in the study. The findings are expected to inform the design of a trial assessing the impact of sit-stand desks at work on short and longer term workplace sitting, taking into account their impact on energy expenditure and the extent

Spent fuel workshop'2002

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poinssot, Ch.

2002-01-01

This document gathers the transparencies of the presentations given at the 2002 spent fuel workshop: Session 1 - Research Projects: Overview on the IN CAN PROCESSES European project (M. Cowper), Overview on the SPENT FUEL STABILITY European project (C. Poinssot), Overview on the French R and D project on spent fuel long term evolution, PRECCI (C. Poinssot); Session 2 - Spent Fuel Oxidation: Oxidation of uranium dioxide single crystals (F. Garrido), Experimental results on SF oxidation and new modeling approach (L. Desgranges), LWR spent fuel oxidation - effects of burn-up and humidity (B. Hanson), An approach to modeling CANDU fuel oxidation under dry storage conditions (P. Taylor); Session 3 - Spent Fuel Dissolution Experiments: Overview on high burnup spent fuel dissolution studies at FZK/INE (A. Loida), Results on the influence of hydrogen on spent fuel leaching (K. Spahiu), Leaching of spent UO 2 fuel under inert and reducing conditions (Y. Albinsson), Fuel corrosion investigation by electrochemical techniques (D. Wegen), A reanalysis of LWR spent fuel flow through dissolution tests (B. Hanson), U-bearing secondary phases formed during fuel corrosion (R. Finch), The near-field chemical conditions and spent fuel leaching (D. Cui), The release of radionuclides from spent fuel in bentonite block (S.S. Kim), Trace actinide behavior in altered spent fuel (E. Buck, B. Hanson); Session 4 - Radiolysis Issues: The effect of radiolysis on UO 2 dissolution determined from electrochemical experiments with 238 Pu doped UO 2 M. Stroess-Gascoyne (F. King, J.S. Betteridge, F. Garisto), doped UO 2 studies (V. Rondinella), Preliminary results of static and dynamic dissolution tests with α doped UO 2 in Boom clay conditions (K. Lemmens), Studies of the behavior of UO 2 / water interfaces under He 2+ beam (C. Corbel), Alpha and gamma radiolysis effects on UO 2 alteration in water (C. Jegou), Behavior of Pu-doped pellets in brines (M. Kelm), On the potential catalytic behavior of

Searching for Methods on Evaluation Alternatives and Studying Decision Making System Regarding Enhancing Publicity of Nuclear Spent Fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cho, Seongkyung; Choi, Seungho; Kim, Hyerim; Song, Jiyeon; Lee, Yoonsup; Sohn, Seohyun

2013-01-01

This study was done in order to anticipate the aspect of publicity enhancement on nuclear spent fuel so that it can find the evaluation methods of alternative ways of management which could applied actually and make the decision making system of Publicity Enhancement Committee in advance. In Korea, the nuclear spent fuel is temporarily stored inside of the nuclear facility field, and it is expected that Gori nuclear facility is going to be saturated since 2016 but the solutions are still incomplete. The problem of management of nuclear spent fuel is an important issue in terms of not only the nuclear power policy but also of safe management of the already made nuclear spent fuel. This study has its meaning to draw the evaluation criteria of the management alternatives on nuclear spent fuel which can be applied in Korean case, and to find the necessity of verifying the evaluation of management alternatives through Publicity Enhancement because of different stands according to the interests. As a result, rather than technological engineering safety evaluation, qualitative analysis in terms of social costs, quantitative evaluation in terms of economic costs, this study advises the methods of public hearings and citizen juries which are effective, which makes it meaningful

Scientific remedies: it’s time to up the dose

CERN Multimedia

2015-01-01

Last week, I spent some time attending the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos. As Director-General of CERN, I have a standing invitation and it’s one that I have regularly taken up. I go there to promote the science agenda to leaders from all areas of society. Over the years, there’s no doubt that science has moved up the agenda, but there’s still a considerable way to go.   The first time I went, I gave a presentation about physics and spent the rest of my time learning how Davos works. It did not take long to figure out that such presentations are essentially there to entertain the participants, and that the main purpose of Davos is meeting people and networking. It’s an opportunity to take the world’s pulse – and, if the pulse indicates that a remedy is required, to inject a little scientific medicine. My message at Davos has evolved from sharing the excitement of the quest for knowledge to pointing out the neces...

The psychosocial consequences of spent fuel disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paavola, J.; Eraenen, L.

1999-03-01

In this report the potential psychosocial consequences of spent fuel disposal to inhabitants of a community are assessed on the basis of earlier research. In studying the situation, different interpretations and meanings given to nuclear power are considered. First, spent fuel disposal is studied as fear-arousing and consequently stressful situation. Psychosomatic effects of stress and coping strategies used by an individual are presented. Stress as a collective phenomenon and coping mechanisms available for a community are also assessed. Stress reactions caused by natural disasters and technological disasters are compared. Consequences of nuclear power plant accidents are reviewed, e.g. research done on the accident at Three Mile Island power plant. Reasons for the disorganising effect on a community caused by a technological disaster are compared to the altruistic community often seen after natural disasters. The potential reactions that a spent fuel disposal plant can arouse in inhabitants are evaluated. Both short-term and long-term reactions are evaluated as well as reactions under normal functioning, after an incident and as a consequence of an accident. Finally an evaluation of how the decision-making system and citizens' opportunity to influence the decision-making affect the experience of threat is expressed. As a conclusion we see that spent fuel disposal can arouse fear and stress in people. However, the level of the stress is probably low. The stress is at strongest at the time of the starting of the spent fuel disposal plant. With time people get used to the presence of the plant and the threat experienced gets smaller. (orig.)

National Option of China's Nuclear Energy Systems for Spent Fuel Management

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gao, R.X. [University of Science and Technology, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Ko, W. I.; Lee, S. H. [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2015-10-15

Along with safety concerns, these long standing environmental challenges are the major factors influencing the public acceptance of nuclear power. Although nuclear power plays an important role in reducing carbon emissions from energy generation, this could not fully prove it as a sustainable energy source unless we find a consensus approach to treat the nuclear wastes. There are currently no countries that have completed a whole nuclear fuel cycle, and the relative comparison of the reprocessing spent fuel options versus direct disposal option is always a controversial issue. Without exception, nowadays, China is implementing many R and D projects on spent fuel management to find a long-term solution for nuclear fuel cycle system transition, such as deep geological repositories for High Level Waste (HLW), Pu Reduction by Solvent Extraction (PUREX) technology, and fast reactor recycling Mixed U-Pu Oxide (MOX) fuels, etc. This paper integrates the current nation's projects of back-end fuel cycle, analyzes the consequences of potential successes, failures and delays in the project development to future nuclear fuel cycle transition up to 2100. We compared the dynamic results of four scenarios and then assessed relative impact on spent fuel management. The result revealed that the fuel cycle transition of reprocessing and recycling of spent fuel would bring advantages to overall nuclear systems by reducing high level waste inventory, saving natural uranium resources, and reducing plutonium management risk.

Preliminary Calculation on a Spent Fuel Pool Accident using GOTHIC

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Jaehwan; Choi, Yu Jung; Hong, Tae Hyub; Kim, Hyeong-Taek [KHNP-CRI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2015-10-15

The probability of an accident happening at the spent fuel pool was believed to be quite low until the 2011 Fukushima accident occurred. Notably, large amount of spent fuel are normally stored in the spent fuel pool for a long time compared to the amount of fuel in the reactor core and the total heat released from the spent fuel is high enough to boil the water of the spent fuel pool when the cooling system does not operate. In addition, the enrichment and the burnup of the fuel have both increased in the past decade and heat generation from the spent fuel thereby has also increased. The failure of the cooling system at the spent fuel pool (hereafter, a loss-of-cooling accident) is one of the principal hypothetical causes of an accident that could occur at the spent fuel pool. In this paper, the preliminary calculation of a loss-of-cooling accident was performed. In this paper, the preliminary calculation of a loss-of cooling accident was performed with GOTHIC. The calculation results show boiling away of water in the spent fuel pool due to the loss-of-cooling accident and similar thermal performance of the spent fuel pool with previous research results.

Predictive Cutoff Values of the Five-Times Sit-to-Stand Test and the Timed "Up & Go" Test for Disability Incidence in Older People Dwelling in the Community.

Science.gov (United States)

Makizako, Hyuma; Shimada, Hiroyuki; Doi, Takehiko; Tsutsumimoto, Kota; Nakakubo, Sho; Hotta, Ryo; Suzuki, Takao

2017-04-01

Lower extremity functioning is important for maintaining activity in elderly people. Optimal cutoff points for standard measurements of lower extremity functioning would help identify elderly people who are not disabled but have a high risk of developing disability. The purposes of this study were: (1) to determine the optimal cutoff points of the Five-Times Sit-to-Stand Test and the Timed "Up & Go" Test for predicting the development of disability and (2) to examine the impact of poor performance on both tests on the prediction of the risk of disability in elderly people dwelling in the community. This was a prospective cohort study. A population of 4,335 elderly people dwelling in the community (mean age = 71.7 years; 51.6% women) participated in baseline assessments. Participants were monitored for 2 years for the development of disability. During the 2-year follow-up period, 161 participants (3.7%) developed disability. The optimal cutoff points of the Five-Times Sit-to-Stand Test and the Timed "Up & Go" Test for predicting the development of disability were greater than or equal to 10 seconds and greater than or equal to 9 seconds, respectively. Participants with poor performance on the Five-Times Sit-to-Stand Test (hazard ratio = 1.88; 95% CI = 1.11-3.20), the Timed "Up & Go" Test (hazard ratio = 2.24; 95% CI = 1.42-3.53), or both tests (hazard ratio = 2.78; 95% CI = 1.78-4.33) at the baseline assessment had a significantly higher risk of developing disability than participants who had better lower extremity functioning. All participants had good initial functioning and participated in assessments on their own. Causes of disability were not assessed. Assessments of lower extremity functioning with the Five-Times Sit-to-Stand Test and the Timed "Up & Go" Test, especially poor performance on both tests, were good predictors of future disability in elderly people dwelling in the community. © 2017 American Physical Therapy Association

The impact of a Critical Care Information System (CCIS) on time spent charting and in direct patient care by staff in the ICU: a review of the literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Mador, Rebecca L; Shaw, Nicola T

2009-07-01

The introduction of a Critical Care Information System (CCIS) into an intensive care unit (ICU) is purported to reduce the time health care providers (HCP) spend on documentation and increase the time available for direct patient care. However, there is a paucity of rigorous empirical research that has investigated these assertions. Moreover, those studies that have sought to elucidate the relationship between the introduction of a CCIS and the time spent by staff on in/direct patient care activities have published contradictory findings. The objective of this literature review is to establish the impact of a CCIS on time spent documenting and in direct patient care by staff in the ICU. Five electronic databases were searched including PubMed Central, EMBASE, CINAHL, IEEE Xplore, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Reference lists of all published papers were hand searched, and citations reviewed to identify extra papers. We included studies that were empirical articles, published in English, and provided original data on the impact of a CCIS on time spent documenting and in direct patient care by staff in the ICU. In total, 12 articles met the inclusion criteria. Workflow analysis (66%) and time-and-motion analysis (25%) were the most common forms of data collection. Three (25%) studies found an increase in time spent charting, five (42%) found no difference, and four (33%) studies reported a decrease. Results on the impact of a CCIS on direct patient care were similarly inconclusive. Due to the discrepant findings and several key methodological issues, the impact of a CCIS on time spent charting and in direct patient care remains unclear. This review highlights the need for an increase in rigorous empirical research in this area and provides recommendations for the design and implementation of future studies.

Refrigeration system having standing wave compressor

Science.gov (United States)

Lucas, Timothy S.

1992-01-01

A compression-evaporation refrigeration system, wherein gaseous compression of the refrigerant is provided by a standing wave compressor. The standing wave compressor is modified so as to provide a separate subcooling system for the refrigerant, so that efficiency losses due to flashing are reduced. Subcooling occurs when heat exchange is provided between the refrigerant and a heat pumping surface, which is exposed to the standing acoustic wave within the standing wave compressor. A variable capacity and variable discharge pressure for the standing wave compressor is provided. A control circuit simultaneously varies the capacity and discharge pressure in response to changing operating conditions, thereby maintaining the minimum discharge pressure needed for condensation to occur at any time. Thus, the power consumption of the standing wave compressor is reduced and system efficiency is improved.

Control system design specification of advanced spent fuel management process units

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ahn, S. H.; Kim, S. H.; Yoon, J. S

2003-06-01

In this study, the design specifications of instrumentation and control system for advanced spent fuel management process units are presented. The advanced spent fuel management process consists of several process units such as slitting device, dry pulverizing/mixing device, metallizer, etc. In this study, the control and operation characteristics of the advanced spent fuel management mockup process devices and the process devices developed in 2001 and 2002 are analysed. Also, a integral processing system of the unit process control signals is proposed, which the operation efficiency is improved. And a redundant PLC control system is constructed which the reliability is improved. A control scheme is proposed for the time delayed systems compensating the control performance degradation caused by time delay. The control system design specification is presented for the advanced spent fuel management process units. This design specifications can be effectively used for the detail design of the advanced spent fuel management process.

Partial Defect Verification of Spent Fuel Assemblies by PDET: Principle and Field Testing in Interim Spent Fuel Storage Facility (CLAB) in Sweden

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ham, Y.S.; Kerr, P.; Sitaraman, S.; Swan, R. [Global Security Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA 94550 (United States); Rossa, R. [SCK-CEN, Mol (Belgium); Liljenfeldt, H. [SKB in Oskarshamn (Sweden)

2015-07-01

The need for the development of a credible method and instrument for partial defect verification of spent fuel has been emphasized over a few decades in the safeguards communities as the diverted spent fuel pins can be the source of nuclear terrorism or devices. The need is increasingly more important and even urgent as many countries have started to transfer spent fuel to so called 'difficult-to-access' areas such as dry storage casks, reprocessing or geological repositories. Partial defect verification is required by IAEA before spent fuel is placed into 'difficult-to-access' areas. Earlier, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has reported the successful development of a new, credible partial defect verification method for pressurized water reactor (PWR) spent fuel assemblies without use of operator data, and further reported the validation experiments using commercial spent fuel assemblies with some missing fuel pins. The method was found to be robust as the method is relatively invariant to the characteristic variations of spent fuel assemblies such as initial fuel enrichment, cooling time, and burn-up. Since then, the PDET system has been designed and prototyped for 17x17 PWR spent fuel assemblies, complete with data acquisition software and acquisition electronics. In this paper, a summary description of the PDET development followed by results of the first successful field testing using the integrated PDET system and actual spent fuel assemblies performed in a commercial spent fuel storage site, known as Central Interim Spent fuel Storage Facility (CLAB) in Sweden will be presented. In addition to partial defect detection initial studies have determined that the tool can be used to verify the operator declared average burnup of the assembly as well as intra-assembly burnup levels. (authors)

Experience of development of the methods and equipment and the prospects for creation of WWER fuel examination stands

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pavlov, S.; Smirnov, V.

1998-01-01

The report presents the basic methods and equipment developed for inspection of the fuel elements and fuel assemblies in the spent fuel pools. It considers their characteristics and results of the tests under laboratory and experimental fuel examination stand conditions. In particular, the following techniques are presented: visual inspection, measurement of the geometrical dimensions, definition of the form change in fuel assemblies and fuel elements, detection of the failed fuel elements, etc. The experience of the experimental fuel examination stand operation is generalized. The concept of the creation of the WWER-440 and WWER-1000 FA and FE inspection stands is presented. The concept is based on the modular principle which runs as follows. A set of the basic functional blocks is being developed based on which it is possible to make such a stand configuration which is necessary to fulfil the specific program of the examination at the particular nuclear power plant. (author)

Associations between Parental and Friend Social Support and Children’s Physical Activity and Time Spent outside Playing

OpenAIRE

Constantinos A. Loucaides; Niki Tsangaridou

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the structural validity of a parent and a child questionnaire that assessed parental and friends' influences on children's physical activity and investigate the associations between the derived factors, physical activity, and time spent outside. Children (N = 154, mean age = 11.7) and 144 of their parents completed questionnaires assessing parental and friends' influences on children's physical activity. Children wore a pedometer for six days. Explorat...

Guidebook on spent fuel storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-01-01

The Guidebook summarizes the experience and information in various areas related to spent fuel storage: technological aspects, the transport of spent fuel, economical, regulatory and institutional aspects, international safeguards, evaluation criteria for the selection of a specific spent fuel storage concept, international cooperation on spent fuel storage. The last part of the Guidebook presents specific problems on the spent fuel storage in the United Kingdom, Sweden, USSR, USA, Federal Republic of Germany and Switzerland

Mapping of past stand-level forest disturbances and estimation of time since disturbance using simulated spaceborne LiDAR data

Science.gov (United States)

Sanchez Lopez, N.; Hudak, A. T.; Boschetti, L.

2017-12-01

Explicit information on the location, the size or the time since disturbance (TSD) at the forest stand level complements field inventories, improves the monitoring of forest attributes and the estimation of biomass and carbon stocks. Even-aged stands display homogenous structural parameters that have often been used as a proxy of stand age. Consequently, performing object-oriented analysis on Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data has potential to detect historical stand-replacing disturbances. Recent research has shown good results in the delineation of forest stands as well as in the prediction of disturbance occurrence and TSD using airborne LiDAR data. Nevertheless, the use of airborne LiDAR for systematic monitoring of forest stands is limited by the sporadic availability of data and its high cost compared to satellite instruments. NASA's forthcoming Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigations (GEDI) mission will provide systematically data on the vertical structure of the vegetation, but its use presents some challenges compared to the common discrete-return airborne LiDAR. GEDI will be a waveform instrument, hence the summary metrics will be different to those obtained with airborne LiDAR, and the sampling configuration could limit the utility of the data, especially on heterogeneous landscapes. The potential use of GEDI data for forest characterization at the stand level would therefore depend on the predictive power of the GEDI footprint metrics, and on the density of point samples relative to forest stand size (i.e. the number of observation/footprints per stand).In this study, we assess the performance of simulated GEDI-derived metrics for stand characterization and estimation of TSD, and the point density needed to adequately identify forest stands, which translates - due to the fixed sampling configuration - into the minimum temporal interval needed to collect a sufficient number of points. The study area was located in the Clear Creek, Selway River

Application of spent fuel treatment technology to plutonium immobilization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McPheeters, C.C.; Ackerman, J.P.; Gay, E.C., Johnson, G.K.

1996-01-01

The purpose of the electrometallurgical treatment technology being developed at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) is to convert certain spent nuclear fuels into waste forms that are suitable for disposal in a geological repository for nuclear waste. The spent fuels of interest are those that cannot be safely stored for a long time in their current condition, and those that cannot be qualified for repository disposal. This paper explores the possibility of applying this electrometallurgical treatment technology to immobilization of surplus fissile materials, primarily plutonium. Immobilization of surplus fissile materials by electrometallurgical treatment could be done in the same facilities, at the same time. and in the same equipment as the proposed treatment of the present inventory of spent nuclear fuel. The cost and schedule savings of this simultaneous treatment scheme would be significant

Final environmental statement: US Spent Fuel Policy. Storage of foreign spent power reactor fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-05-01

In October 1977, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced a Spent Fuel Storage Policy for nuclear power reactors. Under this policy, as approved by the President, US utilities will be given the opportunity to deliver spent fuel to US Government custody in exchange for payment of a fee. The US Government will also be prepared to accept a limited amount of spent fuel from foreign sources when such action would contribute to meeting nonproliferation goals. Under the new policy, spent fuel transferred to the US Government will be delivered - at user expense - to a US Government-approved site. Foreign spent fuel would be stored in Interim Spent Fuel Storage (ISFS) facilities with domestic fuel. This volume of the environmental impact statement includes effects associated with implementing or not implementing the Spent Fuel Storage Policy for the foreign fuels. The analyses show that there are no substantial radiological health impacts whether the policy is implemented or not. In no case considered does the population dose commitment exceed 0.000006% of the world population dose commitment from natural radiation sources over the period analyzed. Full implementation of the US offer to accept a limited amount of foreign spent fuel for storage provides the greatest benefits for US nonproliferation policy. Acceptance of lesser quantities of foreign spent fuel in the US or less US support of foreign spent fuel storage abroad provides some nonproliferation benefits, but at a significantly lower level than full implementation of the offer. Not implementing the policy in regard to foreign spent fuel will be least productive in the context of US nonproliferation objectives. The remainder of the summary provides a brief description of the options that are evaluated, the facilities involved in these options, and the environmental impacts, including nonproliferation considerations, associated with each option

Spent nuclear fuel storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Romanato, Luiz Sergio

2005-01-01

When a country becomes self-sufficient in part of the nuclear cycle, as production of fuel that will be used in nuclear power plants for energy generation, it is necessary to pay attention for the best method of storing the spent fuel. Temporary storage of spent nuclear fuel is a necessary practice and is applied nowadays all over the world, so much in countries that have not been defined their plan for a definitive repository, as well for those that already put in practice such storage form. There are two main aspects that involve the spent fuels: one regarding the spent nuclear fuel storage intended to reprocessing and the other in which the spent fuel will be sent for final deposition when the definitive place is defined, correctly located, appropriately characterized as to several technical aspects, and licentiate. This last aspect can involve decades of studies because of the technical and normative definitions at a given country. In Brazil, the interest is linked with the storage of spent fuels that will not be reprocessed. This work analyses possible types of storage, the international panorama and a proposal for future construction of a spent nuclear fuel temporary storage place in the country. (author)

A safety study on the wet storage of spent fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chun, Kwan Sik; Whang, Joo Ho; Lee, Hoo Kun; Choi, Jong Won; Lee, Jong Geun

1989-02-01

This study is to provide data related with a basic design of the spent fuel storage facility in the field of radiation and to establish the safety assessment methodology of away from reactor spent fuel storage facility. This is in progress and continue upto the year of 1991. The mathematical model which predict the quantity of environmental release of fission and corrosion products from spent fuel received and stored in wet storage facility operated in normal conditions was prepared. The decay characteristic of domestic spent fuels are analysed and then the coefficients for the prediction of the decay heat by simple formular was determined. This correlations could predict decay heat of spent fuel with ±10% difference from ORIGEN2 results. The release factor of cobalt out of PWR spent fuel in PIE pool is 7.97 x 10-12∼8.49 x 10-11 Ci/ sec-rod, which appears to be linear without being connected with the types of fuel defects, but that of cesium varies with the defect type and the exposure time in water. In water condition, release factor of uranium out of CANDU fuel pellets appears to be about 5 x 10-8/day, whose tendency is similar to that of cesium of the latter half of the exposure time of water. (Author)

Status of spent fuel shipping cask development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hall, I.K.; Hinschberger, S.T.

1989-01-01

This paper discusses how several new-generation shopping cask systems are being developed for safe and economical transport of commercial spent nuclear fuel and other radioactive wastes for the generating sites to a federal geologic repository or monitored retrievable storage (MRS) facility. Primary objectives of the from-reactor spent fuel cask development work are: to increase cask payloads by taking advantage of the increased at-reactor storage time under the current spent fuel management scenario, to facilitate more efficient cask handling operations with reduced occupational radiation exposure, and to promote standardization of the physical interfaces between casks and the shipping and receiving facilities. Increased cask payloads will significantly reduce the numbers of shipments, with corresponding reductions in transportation costs and risks to transportation workers, cask handling personnel, and the general public

Long time storage containers for spent fuels and vitrified wastes: synthesis of the studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beziat, A.

2004-01-01

This report presents a synthesis of the studies relatives to the containers devoted to the long time spent fuels storage and vitrified wastes packages. These studies were realized in the framework of the axis 3 of the law of 1991 on the radioactive wastes management. The first part is devoted to the presentation of the studies. The container sizing studies which constitute the first containment barrier are then presented. The material choice and the closed system are also detailed. The studies were validate by the realization of containers models and an associated demonstration program is proposed. A synthesis of the technical and economical studies allowed to determine the components and operation costs. (A.L.B.)

Long Term Management of Spent Fuel from NEK

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kegel, L.; Zeleznik, N.; Lokner, V.

2012-01-01

In 2008 Slovenian national agency for radioactive waste management ARAO started together with Croatian sister organization APO elaboration of a new revision of Decommissioning, Radioactive waste and Spent fuel management program for NPP Krsko. In scope of this work also new studies for spent fuel storage and disposal were prepared in which technical solutions were analyzed and proposed for specific spent fuel (SF) from NPP Krsko. Time schedules for main activities of SF disposal development were elaborated for two alternative scenarios which correspond to normal NPP Krsko operation and 20 - year lifetime extension. All technical activities were financially assessed and costs estimates of SF storage and geological disposal development provided. The prepared studies were verified by international experts in order to confirm the correctness of technical inputs, proposed solutions, time schedules of activities and costs evaluations. The calculated nominal and discounted costs of spent fuel management served for the recalculation of annuities in the integral scenarios of interrelated activities on NPP Krsko decommissioning, LILW and SF management. Besides new first proposal of long-term management of spent fuel from NPP Krsko the joint work also opened additional questions. One of this is time schedule of proposed activities for long term SF management - what were the criteria used in the determination of actions and are they optimal for both countries. How the process of site selection for SF storage or disposal should be prepared having in mind that it will bring many questions in both countries? Is direct disposal of SF still the best solution in current development of nuclear prospects? The paper will present the current development and solutions for SF management from NPP Krsko and will try to answer questions which need to be solved and future development in the SF management.(author).

An economic analysis of spent fuel management and storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nagano, Koji

1998-01-01

Spent fuel management is becoming a key issue not only in the countries that have already experienced years of nuclear operation but also in the Asian countries that started nuclear utilization rather lately. This paper summarizes the key aspects that essentially determine optimal conditions for desired spent fuel management strategies from the engineering-economic point of view, in both national and regional perspectives. The term 'desired' is intended to highlight positive and beneficial aspects of such strategies, namely mobile and timely exploitation of spent fuel storage. Among all, the economy of scale, the economy of scope, the learning-by-doing effect, and benefits of R and D are reviewed theoretically and empirically, and the paper overviews to what extent these factors are implemented in solving spent fuel management strategy optimization problem. (author)

Development of high-strength aluminum alloys for basket in transport and storage cask for high burn-up spent fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maeguchi, T.; Sakaguchi, Y.; Kamiwaki, Y.; Ishii, M.; Yamamoto, T.

2004-01-01

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has developed high-strength borated aluminum alloys (high-strength B-Al alloys), suitable for application to baskets in transport and storage casks for high burn-up spent fuels. Aluminum is a suitable base material for the baskets due to its low density and high thermal conductivity. The aluminum basket would reduce weight of the cask, and effectively release heat generated by spent fuels. MHI had already developed borated aluminum alloys (high-toughness B-Al alloy), and registered them as ASME Code Case ''N-673''. However, there has been a strong demand for basket materials with higher strength in the case of MSF (Mitsubishi Spent Fuel) casks for high-burn up spent fuels, since the basket is required to stand up to higher stress at higher temperature. The high-strength basket material enables the design of a compact cask under a limitation of total size and weight. MHI has developed novel high-strength B-Al alloys which meet these requirements, based on a new manufacturing process. The outline of mechanical and metallurgical characteristics of the high-strength B-Al alloys is described in this paper

Sorption of lead from aqueous solutions by spent tea leaf | Yoshita ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Pb) from solution. The Pb removal by the spent tea leaf adsorbent depended on pretreatment of spent tea leaf, adsorption contact time and adsorbent dosage. The optimum pretreatment conditions were confirmed to be that tea leaf was ground ...

Effects on musculoskeletal pain from "Take a Stand!" - a cluster-randomized controlled trial reducing sitting time among office workers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Danquah, Ida Høgstedt; Kloster, Stine; Holtermann, Andreas

2017-01-01

Objectives Prolonged sitting at work has been found to increase risk for musculoskeletal pain. The office-based intervention "Take a Stand!" was effective in reducing sitting time at work. We aimed to study the effect of the intervention on a secondary outcome: musculoskeletal pain. Methods Take...... a Stand! included 19 offices (317 workers) at four workplaces cluster randomized to intervention or control. The multicomponent intervention lasted three months and included management support, environmental changes, and local adaptation. Control participants behaved as usual. Musculoskeletal pain...

Desk-based workers' perspectives on using sit-stand workstations: a qualitative analysis of the Stand@Work study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Chau, J.Y.; Daley, M.; Srinivasan, A.; Dunn, S.; Bauman, A.E.; van der Ploeg, H.P.

2014-01-01

Background: Prolonged sitting time has been identified as a health risk factor. Sit-stand workstations allow desk workers to alternate between sitting and standing throughout the working day, but not much is known about their acceptability and feasibility. Hence, the aim of this study was to

Spent fuel storage facility, Kalpakkam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shreekumar, B.; Anthony, S.

2017-01-01

Spent Fuel Storage Facility (SFSF), Kalpakkam is designed to store spent fuel arising from PHWRs. Spent fuel is transported in AERB qualified/authorized shipping cask by NPCIL to SFSF by road or rail route. The spent fuel storage facility at Kalpakkam was hot commissioned in December 2006. All systems, structures and components (SSCs) related to safety are designed to meet the operational requirements

Spent fuel storage and isolation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bensky, M.S.; Kurzeka, W.J.; Bauer, A.A.; Carr, J.A.; Matthews, S.C.

1979-02-01

The principal spent fuel activities conducted within the commercial waste and spent fuel within the Commercial Waste and Spent Fuel Packaging Program are: simulated near-surface (drywell) storage demonstrations at Hanford and the Nevada Test Site; surface (sealed storage cask) and drywell demonstrations at the Nevada Test Site; and spent fuel receiving and packaging facility conceptual design. These investigations are described

Spent-fuel storage: a private sector option

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thomas, J.A.; Ross, S.R.

1983-01-01

The investigation was performed to delineate the legal and financial considerations for establishing private sector support for the planning and development of an independent spent-fuel storage facility (ISFSF). The preferred institutional structure was found to be one in which a not-for-profit corporation contracts with a limited partnership to handle the spent fuel. The limited partnership acquires the necessary land and constructs the ISFSF facility and then leases the facility to the not-for-profit corporation, which acquires spent-fuel rods from the utilities. The DOE must agree to purchase the spent-fuel rods at the expiration of term and warrant continued operation of the facility if policy changes at the federal level force the removal of the rods prior to completion of the contracted storage cycle. The DOE planning base estimate of spent-fuel storage requirements indicates a market potential adequate to support 10,000 MTU or more of spent-fuel storage prior to the time a government repository is available to accept spent fuel around the turn of the century. The estimated construction cost of a 5000-MTU water basin facility is $552 million. The total capital requirements to finance such a facility are estimated to be $695 million, based on an assumed capital structure of 70 percent debt and 30 percent equity. The estimated total levelized cost of storage, including operating costs, for the assumed 17-year life of the facility is $223 per kilogram of uranium. This is equivalent to a slightly less than one mill per kilowatt-hour increase in nuclear fuel costs at the nuclear power station that was the source of the spent fuel. In conclusion, within the context of the new Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, the study points to both the need for and the advantages of private sector support for one or more ISFSFs and establishes a workable mechanism for the recovery of the costs of owning and operating such facilities. 3 figures, 4 tables

Behaviour of spent fuel assemblies during extended storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-04-01

This report is the final report of the IAEA Co-ordinated Research Programme on Behaviour of Spent Fuel Assemblies During Extended Storage (BEFAST, Phase I, 1981-86). It contains the results on wet and dry spent fuel storage technologies obtained from 11 institutes (10 countries: Austria, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Finland, German Democratic Republic, Hungary, Japan, Sweden, USA and USSR) participating in the BEFAST CRP during the time period 1981-86. Names of participating institutes and chief investigators are given. The interim spent fuel storage has been recognized as an important independent step in the nuclear fuel cycle. Due to the delay in commercial reprocessing of spent fuel in some cases it should be stored up to 30-50 years or more before reprocessing or final disposal. This programme was evaluated by all its participants and observers as very important and helpful for the nuclear community and it was decided to continue it further (1986-91) as BEFAST, Phase II

The velocity dependent dissolution of spent nuclear fuel in a geologic repository

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nutt, W.M.

1990-02-01

A model describing the dissolution of fission products and transuranic isotopes from spent nuclear fuel into flowing ground water has been developed. This model is divided into two parts. The first part of the model calculates the temperature within a consolidated spent fuel waste form at a given time and ground water velocity. This model was used to investigate whether water flowing at rates representative of a geological repository located at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, will cool a wasteform consisting of consolidated spent nuclear fuel pins. Time and velocity dependent temperature profiles were generated. These profiles were input into the second model, which calculates the dissolution rate of waste isotopes from a spent fuel pin. Two dissolution limiting processes were modeled; the processes are dissolution limited by the solubility limit of an isotopes in the ground water, and dissolution limited by the diffusion of waste isotopes from the interior of a spent fuel pin to the surface where dissolution can occur

Spent fuel transportation in the United States: commercial spent fuel shipments through December 1984

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-04-01

This report has been prepared to provide updated transportation information on light water reactor (LWR) spent fuel in the United States. Historical data are presented on the quantities of spent fuel shipped from individual reactors on an annual basis and their shipping destinations. Specifically, a tabulation is provided for each present-fuel shipment that lists utility and plant of origin, destination and number of spent-fuel assemblies shipped. For all annual shipping campaigns between 1980 and 1984, the actual numbers of spent-fuel shipments are defined. The shipments are tabulated by year, and the mode of shipment and the casks utilized in shipment are included. The data consist of the current spent-fuel inventories at each of the operating reactors as of December 31, 1984. This report presents historical data on all commercial spent-fuel transportation shipments have occurred in the United States through December 31, 1984

Maternal Time Use and Nurturing: Analysis of the Association Between Breastfeeding Practice and Time Spent Interacting with Baby.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Julie P; Forrester, Robert

2017-06-01

Breastfeeding supports child development through complex mechanisms that are not well understood. Numerous studies have compared how well breastfeeding and nonbreastfeeding mothers interact with their child, but few examine how much interaction occurs. Our study of weekly time use among 156 mothers of infants aged 3-9 months investigated whether lactating mothers spend more time providing emotional support or cognitive stimulation of their infants than nonbreastfeeding mothers, and whether the amount of such interactive time is associated with breastfeeding intensity. Mothers were recruited via mother's and baby groups, infant health clinics, and childcare services, and used an electronic device to record their 24-hour time use for 7 days. Sociodemographic and feeding status data were collected by questionnaire. Statistical analysis using linear mixed modeling and residual maximum likelihood analysis compared maternal time use for those giving "some breastfeeding" and those "not breastfeeding." Analysis was also conducted for more detailed feeding subgroups. Breastfeeding and nonbreastfeeding mothers had broadly similar socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. Breastfeeding was found to be associated with more mother-child interaction time, a difference only partially explained by weekly maternal employment hours or other interactive care activities such as play or reading. This study presents data suggesting that lactating mothers spent significantly more hours weekly on milk feeding and on carrying, holding, or soothing their infant than nonlactating mothers; and on providing childcare. Understanding the mechanisms by which child mental health and development benefits from breastfeeding may have important implications for policies and intervention strategies, and could be usefully informed by suitably designed time use studies.

Significance of campaigned spent fuel shipments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doman, J.W.; Tehan, T.E.

1993-01-01

Operational experience associated with spent fuel or irradiated hardware shipments to or from the General Electric Morris Facility is presented. The following specific areas are addressed: Problems and difficulties associated with meeting security and safeguard requirements of 10 CFR Part 73; problems associated with routing via railroad; problems associated with scheduling and impact on affected parties when a shipment is delayed or cancelled; and impact on training when shipments spread over many years. The lessons learned from these experiences indicate that spent fuel shipments are best conducted in dedicated open-quotes campaignsclose quotes that concentrate as much consecutive shipping activity as possible into one continuous time frame

Capabilities for processing shipping casks at spent fuel storage facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baker, W.H.; Arnett, L.M.

1978-01-01

Spent fuel is received at a storage facility in heavily shielded casks transported either by rail or truck. The casks are inspected, cooled, emptied, decontaminated, and reshipped. The spent fuel is transferred to storage. The number of locations or space inside the building provided to perform each function in cask processing will determine the rate at which the facility can process shipping casks and transfer spent fuel to storage. Because of the high cost of construction of licensed spent fuel handling and storage facilities and the difficulty in retrofitting, it is desirable to correctly specify the space required. In this paper, the size of the cask handling facilities is specified as a function of rate at which spent fuel is received for storage. The minimum number of handling locations to achieve a given throughput of shipping casks has been determined by computer simulation of the process. The simulation program uses a Monte Carlo technique in which a large number of casks are received at a facility with a fixed number of handling locations in each process area. As a cask enters a handling location, the time to process the cask at that location is selected at random from the distribution of process time. Shipping cask handling times are based on experience at the General Electric Storage Facility, Morris, Illinois. Shipping cask capacity is based on the most recent survey available of the expected capability of reactors to handle existing rail or truck casks

Method of processing spent fuel cladding tubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakatsuka, Masafumi; Ouchi, Atsuhiro; Imahashi, Hiromichi.

1986-01-01

Purpose: To decrease the residual activity of spent fuel cladding tubes in a short period of time and enable safety storage with simple storage equipments. Constitution: Spent fuel cladding tubes made of zirconium alloys discharged from a nuclear fuel reprocessing step are exposed to a grain boundary embrittling atmosphere to cause grain boundary destruction. This causes grain boundary fractures to the zirconium crystal grains as the matrix of nuclear fuels and then precipitation products precipitated to the grain boundary fractures are removed. The zirconium constituting the nuclear fuel cladding tube and other ingredient elements contained in the precipitation products are separated in this removing step and they are separately stored respectively. As a result, zirconium constituting most part of the composition of the spent nuclear fuel cladding tubes can be stored safely at a low activity level. (Takahashi, M.)

Spent fuel workshop'2002

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Poinssot, Ch

2002-07-01

This document gathers the transparencies of the presentations given at the 2002 spent fuel workshop: Session 1 - Research Projects: Overview on the IN CAN PROCESSES European project (M. Cowper), Overview on the SPENT FUEL STABILITY European project (C. Poinssot), Overview on the French R and D project on spent fuel long term evolution, PRECCI (C. Poinssot); Session 2 - Spent Fuel Oxidation: Oxidation of uranium dioxide single crystals (F. Garrido), Experimental results on SF oxidation and new modeling approach (L. Desgranges), LWR spent fuel oxidation - effects of burn-up and humidity (B. Hanson), An approach to modeling CANDU fuel oxidation under dry storage conditions (P. Taylor); Session 3 - Spent Fuel Dissolution Experiments: Overview on high burnup spent fuel dissolution studies at FZK/INE (A. Loida), Results on the influence of hydrogen on spent fuel leaching (K. Spahiu), Leaching of spent UO{sub 2} fuel under inert and reducing conditions (Y. Albinsson), Fuel corrosion investigation by electrochemical techniques (D. Wegen), A reanalysis of LWR spent fuel flow through dissolution tests (B. Hanson), U-bearing secondary phases formed during fuel corrosion (R. Finch), The near-field chemical conditions and spent fuel leaching (D. Cui), The release of radionuclides from spent fuel in bentonite block (S.S. Kim), Trace actinide behavior in altered spent fuel (E. Buck, B. Hanson); Session 4 - Radiolysis Issues: The effect of radiolysis on UO{sub 2} dissolution determined from electrochemical experiments with {sup 238}Pu doped UO{sub 2} M. Stroess-Gascoyne (F. King, J.S. Betteridge, F. Garisto), doped UO{sub 2} studies (V. Rondinella), Preliminary results of static and dynamic dissolution tests with {alpha} doped UO{sub 2} in Boom clay conditions (K. Lemmens), Studies of the behavior of UO{sub 2} / water interfaces under He{sup 2+} beam (C. Corbel), Alpha and gamma radiolysis effects on UO{sub 2} alteration in water (C. Jegou), Behavior of Pu-doped pellets in brines

The Spent Fuel Management in Finland and Modifications of Spent Fuel Storages

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maaranen, Paeivi

2014-01-01

The objective of this presentation is to share the Finnish regulator's (STUK) experiences on regulatory oversight of the enlargement of a spent fuel interim storage. An overview of the current situation of spent fuel management in Finland will also be given. In addition, the planned modifications and requirements set for spent fuel storages due to the Fukushima accident are discussed. In Finland, there are four operating reactors, one under construction and two reactors that have a Council of State's Decision-in-Principle to proceed with the planning and licensing of a new reactor. In Olkiluoto, the two operating ASEA-Atom BWR units and the Areva EPR under construction have a shared interim storage for the spent fuel. The storage was designed and constructed in 1980's. The option for enlarging the storage was foreseen in the original design. Considering three operating units to produce their spent fuel and the final disposal to begin in 2022, extra space in the spent fuel storage is estimated to be needed in around 2014. The operator decided to double the number of the spent fuel pools of the storage and the construction began in 2010. The capacity of the enlarged spent fuel storage is considered to be sufficient for the three Olkiluoto units. The enlargement of the interim storage was included in Olkiluoto NPP 1 and 2 operating license. The licensing of the enlargement was conducted as a major plant modification. The operator needed the approval from STUK to conduct the enlargement. Prior to the construction of this modification, the operator was required to submit the similar documentation as needed for applying for the construction license of a nuclear facility. When conducting changes in an old nuclear facility, the new safety requirements have to be followed. The major challenge in the designing the enlargement of the spent fuel storage was to modify it to withstand a large airplane crash. The operator chose to cover the pools with protecting slabs and also to

Recent advances in hardware and software are to improve spent fuel measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Staples, P.; Beddingfield, D.H.; Lestone, J.P.; Pelowitz, D.G.; Bytchkov, M.; Starovich, Z.; Harizanov, I.; Luna-Vellejo, J.; Lavender, C.

2001-01-01

Vast quantities of spent fuel are available for safeguard measurements, primarily in Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) of the former Soviet Union. This spent fuel, much of which consists of long-cooling-time material, is going to become less unique in the world safeguards arena as reprocessing projects or permanent repositories continue to be delayed or postponed. The long cooling time of many of the spent fuel assemblies being prepared for intermediate term storage in the CIS countries promotes the possibility of increased accuracy in spent fuel assays. This improvement is made possible through the process of decay of the Curium isotopes and of fission products. An important point to consider for the future that could advance safeguards measurements for reverification and inspection would be to determine what safeguards requirements should be imposed upon this 'new' class of spent fuel, Improvements in measurement capability will obviously affect the safeguards requirements. What most significantly enables this progress in spent fuel measurements is the improvement in computer processing power and software enhancements leading to user-friendly Graphical User Interfaces (GUT's). The software used for these projects significantly reduces the IAEA inspector's time expenditure for both learning and operating computer and data acquisition systems, At the same time, by standardizing the spent fuel measurements, it is possible to increase reproducibility and reliability of the measurement data. Hardware systems will be described which take advantage of the increased computer control available to enable more complex measurement scenarios. A specific example of this is the active regulation of a spent fuel neutron coincident counter's 3 He tubes high voltage, and subsequent scaling of measurement results to maintain a calibration for direct assay of the plutonium content of Fast Breeder Reactor spent fuel. The plutonium content has been successfully determined for

Case histories of West Valley spent fuel shipments: Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1987-01-01

In 1983, NRC/FC initiated a study on institutional issues related to spent fuel shipments originating at the former spent fuel processing facility in West Valley, New York. FC staff viewed the shipment campaigns as a one-time opportunity to document the institutional issues that may arise with a substantial increase in spent fuel shipping activity. NRC subsequently contracted with the Aerospace Corporation for the West Valley Study. This report contains a detailed description of the events which took place prior to and during the spent fuel shipments. The report also contains a discussion of the shipment issues that arose, and presents general findings. Most of the institutional issues discussed in the report do not fall under NRC's transportation authority. The case histories provide a reference to agencies and other institutions that may be involved in future spent fuel shipping campaigns. 130 refs., 7 figs., 19 tabs.

Case histories of West Valley spent fuel shipments: Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-01-01

In 1983, NRC/FC initiated a study on institutional issues related to spent fuel shipments originating at the former spent fuel processing facility in West Valley, New York. FC staff viewed the shipment campaigns as a one-time opportunity to document the institutional issues that may arise with a substantial increase in spent fuel shipping activity. NRC subsequently contracted with the Aerospace Corporation for the West Valley Study. This report contains a detailed description of the events which took place prior to and during the spent fuel shipments. The report also contains a discussion of the shipment issues that arose, and presents general findings. Most of the institutional issues discussed in the report do not fall under NRC's transportation authority. The case histories provide a reference to agencies and other institutions that may be involved in future spent fuel shipping campaigns. 130 refs., 7 figs., 19 tabs

Redesign of the spent fuel storage racks at the Trojan Nuclear Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stump, K.

1987-01-01

The spent fuel pool (SFP) at the Trojan Nuclear Plant located near Prescott, Oregon, was originally designed to hold 1.33 cores worth of spent fuel assemblies. Due to the delay in the site selection and preparation process for the spent fuel repository, the SFP storage capacity was increased in 1978 from 260 assemblies to 651 assemblies and in 1983 was increased again from 651 to 1408 assemblies to allow Trojan to continue operations through the year 2003 with a full core reserve in the SFP. Now it appears unlikely that a high level waste repository will be in operation before 2010. This indicates that a further capacity increase in the SFP is required to allow commercial operation until 2010, at which time the repository should be open to receive spent fuel. To accomplish this, an increase of seven times the original SFP capacity of 260 assemblies is needed. This paper presents a spent fuel assembly rack design that enables the required capacity increase in the SFP to be met. By the use of a boron carbide - silicon polymer inside a titanium/vanadium honeycomb as a neutron absorber between the fuel assemblies and by increasing the metal to water ratio of the spent fuel pool to harden the neutron energy spectrum the capacity of the SFP is increased to 1880 assemblies for an increase of 7.23 times the original spent fuel pool capacity. The multiplication factor for the pool with every fuel assembly slot filled in the new rack system is 0.62; well below the NRC regulatory limit of keff < 0.95. The capacity increase with allow the commercial operation of the Trojan Nuclear Plant through 2010 with a full core reserve in the spent fuel pool

The influence of evaluation protocol on time spent exercising at a high level of oxygen uptake during continuous cycling.

Science.gov (United States)

Merry, K L; Glaister, M; Howatson, G; Van Someren, K

2015-10-01

This study evaluated the effects of protocol variation on the time spent exercising at ≥95% V̇O2max during cycle ergometer trials performed at the exercise intensity associated with V̇O2max (iV̇O2max). Nine male triathletes (age: 32±10 years; body mass: 73.3±6.1 kg; stature: 1.79±0.07 m; V̇O2max: 3.58±0.45 L.min(-1)) performed four exercise tests. During tests 1 and 2, participants performed a maximal incremental cycle ergometer test using different stage durations (1 min and 3 min) for the determination of iV̇O2max (1 min) and iV̇O2max (3 min). During tests 3 and 4, participants performed a continuous bout of exhaustive cycling at iV̇O2max (1 min) (CONT1) and iV̇O2max (3 min) (CONT3). iV̇O2max (1 min) was significantly greater (Pexercising continuously at iV̇O2max, time spent at ≥95% V̇O2max is influenced by the initial measurement of iV̇O2max.

Developing Spent Fuel Assembly for Advanced NDA Instrument Calibration - NGSI Spent Fuel Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hu, Jianwei [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Gauld, Ian C. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Banfield, James [GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, Wilmington, NC (United States); Skutnik, Steven [Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)

2014-02-01

This report summarizes the work by Oak Ridge National Laboratory to investigate the application of modeling and simulation to support the performance assessment and calibration of the advanced nondestructive assay (NDA) instruments developed under the Next Generation Safeguards Initiative Spent Fuel (NGSI-SF) Project. Advanced NDA instrument calibration will likely require reference spent fuel assemblies with well-characterized nuclide compositions that can serve as working standards. Because no reference spent fuel standard currently exists, and the practical ability to obtain direct measurement of nuclide compositions using destructive assay (DA) measurements of an entire fuel assembly is prohibitive in the near term due to the complexity and cost of spent fuel experiments, modeling and simulation will be required to construct such reference fuel assemblies. These calculations will be used to support instrument field tests at the Swedish Interim Storage Facility (Clab) for Spent Nuclear Fuel.

Spent fuel management in Japan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mineo, H.; Nomura, Y.; Sakamoto, K.

1998-01-01

In Japan 52 commercial nuclear power units are now operated, and the total power generation capacity is about 45 GWe. The cumulative amount of spent fuel arising is about 13,500 tU as of March 1997. Spent fuel is reprocessed, and recovered nuclear materials are to be recycled in LWRs and FBRs. In February 1997 short-term policy measures were announced by the Atomic Energy Commission, which addressed promotion of reprocessing programme in Rokkasho, plutonium utilization in LWRs, spent fuel management, backend measures and FBR development. With regard to the spent fuel management, the policy measures included expansion of spent fuel storage capacity at reactor sites and a study on spent fuel storage away from reactor sites, considering the increasing amount of spent fuel arising. Research and development on spent fuel storage has been carried out, particularly on dry storage technology. Fundamental studies are also conducted to implement the burnup credit into the criticality safety design of storage and transportation casks. Rokkasho reprocessing plant is being constructed towards its commencement in 2003, and Pu utilization in LWRs will be started in 1999. Research and development of future recycling technology are also continued for the establishment of nuclear fuel cycle based on FBRs and LWRs. (author)

The effect of a hybrid assistive limb® on sit-to-stand and standing patterns of stroke patients

Science.gov (United States)

Kasai, Rie; Takeda, Sunao

2016-01-01

[Purpose] The Hybrid Assistive Limb® (HAL®) robot suit is a powered exoskeleton that can assist a user’s lower limb movement. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of HAL® in stroke rehabilitation, focusing on the change of the sit-to-stand (STS) movement pattern and standing posture. [Subjects and Methods] Five stroke patients participated in this study. Single leg HAL® was attached to each subject’s paretic lower limb. The subjects performed STS three times both with and without HAL® use. A tri-axial accelerometer was used to assess the STS movement pattern. Forward-tilt angle (FTA) and the time required for STS were measured with and without HAL® use. Surface electromyography (EMG) of STS and standing were recorded to assess the vastus medialis muscle activities of the paretic limb. [Results] The average FTA without HAL® use was 35° and it improved to 43° with HAL® use. The time required for STS was longer for all subjects with HAL® use (without HAL® use: 3.42 s, with HAL® use: 5.11 s). The integrated EMGs of HAL® use compared to those without HAL®, were 83.6% and 66.3% for STS and standing, respectively. [Conclusion] HAL® may be effective in improving STS and standing patterns of stroke patients. PMID:27390416

Application of ALARA principles to shipment of spent nuclear fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Greenborg, J.; Brackenbush, L.W.; Murphy, D.W.; Burnett, R.A.; Lewis, J.R.

1980-05-01

The public exposure from spent fuel shipment is very low. In view of this low exposure and the perfect safety record for spent fuel shipment, existing systems can be considered satisfactory. On the other hand, occupational exposure reduction merits consideration and technology improvement to decrease dose should concentrate on this exposure. Practices that affect the age of spent fuel in shipment and the number of times the fuel must be shipped prior to disposal have the largest impact. A policy to encourage a 5-year spent fuel cooling period prior to shipment coupled with appropriate cask redesign to accommodate larger loads would be consistent with ALARA and economic principles. And finally, bypassing high population density areas will not in general reduce shipment dose

A cooling concept of spent fuels in lag storage system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Jeong-Hwa; Yoo, Jae-Hyung; Park, Hyun-Soo

1991-01-01

A cooling concept of spent fuels by natural convection of hot cell air in storage pits was developed. Each storage pit was considered to be located below the hot cell floor and to accommodate only one spent fuel assembly. The aim of this study is to apply an appropriate cooling system to the design of a hot cell where considerable heat-generating fuels are handled. In such operations as disassembling, rod consolidation and packaging of spent fuels, a number of assemblies are on stand-by in the cell before and/or after the operations. A lag storage system can be used for temporary storage of spent fuels in nuclear facilities. Since the air in contact with bare fuel assemblies is potentially contaminated, it must be exhausted through high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters. If the storage pit is completely isolated from the hot cell space, then it will require another separate ventilation system by forced convection of air, which will result in additional cost for the construction. In this work, however, a cooling system was proposed where natural convection of hot cell air itself is achieved by thermo-syphon. The cold air from the hot cell is supplied to the inlet provided at the bottom of each pit through the gap between the concrete pit wall and the interior thermal shield. This thermal shield is needed to form flow channels for cold and heated air, and to prevent the concrete from over-heating. The heated air exhausts from the outlet located at the top of cell wall. No additional HEPA filters are needed in this system because the heated air is routed back to the hot cell due to buoyancy-induced flow. The technical feasibility of this concept was validated by thermal analyses. As the key design constraints are the surface temperature of fuel cladding and the concrete temperature of the storage pit, the thermal analyses were focused on these parameters whether they follow within allowable limits or not. (author)

Safety aspects of dry spent fuel storage and spent fuel management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Botsch, W.; Smalian, S.; Hinterding, P.; Voelzke, H.; Wolff, D.; Kasparek, E.

2014-01-01

The storage of spent nuclear fuel (SF) and high-level radioactive waste (HLW) must conform to safety requirements. Safety aspects like safe enclosure of radioactive materials, safe removal of decay heat, nuclear criticality safety and avoidance of unnecessary radiation exposure must be achieved throughout the storage period. The implementation of these safety requirements can be achieved by dry storage of SF and HLW in casks as well as in other systems such as dry vault storage systems or spent fuel pools, where the latter is neither a dry nor a passive system. In Germany dual purpose casks for SF or HLW are used for safe transportation and interim storage. TUV and BAM, who work as independent experts for the competent authorities, present the storage licensing process including sites and casks and inform about spent nuclear fuel management and issues concerning dry storage of spent nuclear fuel, based on their long experience in these fields (authors)

Time Spent With Children and Working Parents’ Willingness to Medicate ADHD-Like Behaviors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bora Pajo

2013-11-01

Full Text Available How much time parents spend with their children is likely to influence their judgments of children’s behaviors and the behaviors themselves. In the diagnosis of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD, parents are key informants and decide whether their children should receive medication. This exploratory study investigates the relationship between working parents’ willingness to medicate ADHD-like behaviors and the time they can spend with their children during a regular workday. The participants (409 parents of 5- to 17- year-old children reporting having no child with emotional or behavioral problems and 87 reporting having such a child were drawn from a population-based telephone survey of parents stratified by race and ethnicity in two urban Florida counties. Path analysis models, controlling for selected sociodemographic and household variables, showed that spending more time with one’s children during a regular workday and self-identifying as African American were negatively related to willingness to medicate among parents of children with problems. Among parents reporting no children with problems, only the number of children in the household and the parent-type household showed relationships to willingness to medicate, while mothers were more likely than fathers to spend more time with children. These observed relationships were of moderate effect but underscore the importance to initiate studies using valid measures of quantity and quality of parental time spent with ADHD children, and to query parents on these points when assessing the information they provide to clinicians.

Review of the technical basis and verification of current analysis methods used to predict seismic response of spent fuel storage racks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DeGrassi, G.

1992-10-01

This report presents the results of a literature review on spent fuel rack seismic analysis methods and modeling procedures. The analysis of the current generation of free standing high density spent fuel racks requires careful consideration of complex phenomena such as rigid body sliding and tilting motions; impacts between adjacent racks, between fuel assemblies and racks, and between racks and pool walls and floor; fluid coupling and frictional effects. The complexity of the potential seismic response of these systems raises questions regarding the levels of uncertainty and ranges of validity of the analytical results. BNL has undertaken a program to investigate and assess the strengths and weaknesses of current fuel rack seismic analysis methods. The first phase of this program involved a review of technical literature to identify the extent of experimental and analytical verification of the analysis methods and assumptions. Numerous papers describing analysis methods for free standing fuel racks were reviewed. However, the extent of experimental verification of these methods was found to be limited. Based on the information obtained from the literature review, the report provides an assessment of the significance of the issues of concern and makes recommendations for additional studies

The spent fuel safety experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harmms, G.A.; Davis, F.J.; Ford, J.T.

1995-01-01

The Department of Energy is conducting an ongoing investigation of the consequences of taking fuel burnup into account in the design of spent fuel transportation packages. A series of experiments, collectively called the Spent Fuel Safety Experiment (SFSX), has been devised to provide integral benchmarks for testing computer-generated predictions of spent fuel behavior. A set of experiments is planned in which sections of unirradiated fuel rods are interchanged with similar sections of spent PWR fuel rods in a critical assembly. By determining the critical size of the arrays, one can obtain benchmark data for comparison with criticality safety calculations. The integral reactivity worth of the spent fuel can be assessed by comparing the measured delayed critical fuel loading with and without spent fuel. An analytical effort to model the experiments and anticipate the core loadings required to yield the delayed critical conditions runs in parallel with the experimental effort

Teen worker safety training: methods used, lessons taught, and time spent.

Science.gov (United States)

Zierold, Kristina M

2015-05-01

Safety training is strongly endorsed as one way to prevent teens from performing dangerous tasks at work. The objective of this mixed methods study was to characterize the safety training that teenagers receive on the job. From 2010 through 2012, focus groups and a cross-sectional survey were conducted with working teens. The top methods of safety training reported were safety videos (42 percent) and safety lectures (25 percent). The top lessons reported by teens were "how to do my job" and "ways to spot hazards." Males, who were more likely to do dangerous tasks, received less safety training than females. Although most teens are getting safety training, it is inadequate. Lessons addressing safety behaviors are missing, training methods used are minimal, and the time spent is insignificant. More research is needed to understand what training methods and lessons should be used, and the appropriate safety training length for effectively preventing injury in working teens. In addition, more research evaluating the impact of high-quality safety training compared to poor safety training is needed to determine the best training programs for teens. © The Author(s) 2015 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

Physical inactivity post-stroke: a 3-year longitudinal study.

Science.gov (United States)

Kunkel, Dorit; Fitton, Carolyn; Burnett, Malcolm; Ashburn, Ann

2015-01-01

To explore change in activity levels post-stroke. We measured activity levels using the activPAL™ in hospital and at 1, 2 and 3 years' post-stroke onset. Of the 74 participants (mean age 76 (SD 11), 39 men), 61 were assessed in hospital: 94% of time was spent in sitting/lying, 4% standing and 2% walking. Activity levels improved over time (complete cases n = 15); time spent sitting/lying decreased (p = 0.001); time spent standing, walking and number of steps increased (p = 0.001, p = 0.028 and p = 0.03, respectively). At year 3, 18% of time was spent in standing and 9% walking. Time spent upright correlated significantly with Barthel (r = 0.69 on admission, r = 0.68 on discharge, both p inactive for the majority of time. Time spent upright improved significantly by 1 year post-stroke; improvements slowed down thereafter. Poor activity levels correlated with physical and psychological measures. Larger studies are indicated to identify predictors of activity levels. Implications for Rehabilitation Activity levels (measured using activPAL™ activity monitor), increased significantly by 1 year post-stroke but improvements slowed down at 2 and 3 years. People with stroke were inactive for the majority of their day in hospital and in the community. Poor activity levels correlated with physical and psychological measures. Larger studies are indicated to identify the most important predictors of activity levels.

Disposal of spent nuclear fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-12-01

This report addresses the topic of the mined geologic disposal of spent nuclear fuel from Pressurized Water Reactors (PWR) and Boiling Water Reactors (BWR). Although some fuel processing options are identified, most of the information in this report relates to the isolation of spent fuel in the form it is removed from the reactor. The characteristics of the waste management system and research which relate to spent fuel isolation are discussed. The differences between spent fuel and processed HLW which impact the waste isolation system are defined and evaluated for the nature and extent of that impact. What is known and what needs to be determined about spent fuel as a waste form to design a viable waste isolation system is presented. Other waste forms and programs such as geologic exploration, site characterization and licensing which are generic to all waste forms are also discussed. R and D is being carried out to establish the technical information to develop the methods used for disposal of spent fuel. All evidence to date indicates that there is no reason, based on safety considerations, that spent fuel should not be disposed of as a waste

Neutron intensity of fast reactor spent fuel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Takamatsu, Misao; Aoyama, Takafumi [Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corp., Oarai, Ibaraki (Japan). Oarai Engineering Center

1998-03-01

Neutron intensity of spent fuel of the JOYO Mk-II core with a burnup of 62,500 MWd/t and cooling time of 5.2 years was measured at the spent fuel storage pond. The measured data were compared with the calculated values based on the JOYO core management code system `MAGI`, and the average C/E approximately 1.2 was obtained. It was found that the axial neutron intensity didn`t simply follow the burnup distribution, and the neutron intensity was locally increased at the bottom end of the fuel region due to an accumulation of {sup 244}Cm. (author)

Collective processing device for spent fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Irie, Hiroaki; Taniguchi, Noboru.

1996-01-01

The device of the present invention comprises a sealing vessel, a transporting device for transporting spent fuels to the sealing vessel, a laser beam cutting device for cutting the transported spent fuels, a dissolving device for dissolving the cut spent fuels, and a recovering device for recovering radioactive materials from the spent fuels during processing. Reprocessing treatments comprising each processing of dismantling, shearing and dissolving are conducted in the sealing vessel can ensure a sealing barrier for the radioactive materials (fissionable products and heavy nuclides). Then, since spent fuels can be processed in a state of assemblies, and the spent fuels are easily placed in the sealing vessel, operation efficiency is improved, as well as operation cost is saved. Further, since the spent fuels can be cut by a remote laser beam operation, there can be prevented operator's exposure due to radioactive materials released from the spent fuels during cutting operation. (T.M.)

The effects of standing, lifting and noise exposure on preterm birth, growth restriction, and perinatal death in healthy low-risk working military women.

Science.gov (United States)

Magann, Everett F; Evans, Sharon F; Chauhan, Suneet P; Nolan, Thomas E; Henderson, Jenni; Klausen, Jack H; Newnham, John P; Morrison, John C

2005-09-01

The effects of standing, lifting and noise in low-risk, healthy pregnant women are uncertain. In the past, the heterogeneity of the populations studied, the limitations of the designs of the retrospective and case control studies, and a failure of some of the larger investigations to evaluate all the potential confounding variables has hampered many studies. The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate, throughout pregnancy, the effects of standing, repetitive lifting, and noise in the workplace compared with no standing, lifting or noise exposure, on maternal and perinatal outcomes in a large prospective study of a low-risk healthy population of working women cared for by a single group of health providers. This prospective observational study used an extensive questionnaire to collect antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum information. Information was collected on the initial visit, each subsequent visit, and immediately after delivery. The participating women were divided into groups based on the amount of time spent standing, the amount and extent of repetitive lifting, and noise exposure in the workplace. Eight hundred and fourteen low-risk active duty women participated in this investigation over a 4-year period. Multivariate analysis with non-exposure compared with exposure reinforced the effect of standing on preterm labor (OR 1.80, 95% CI 1.05, 3.16) and preterm birth (OR 1.69, 95% CI 1.03, 2.80) and showed a trend toward an effect of noise exposure on preterm labor (OR 1.76, 95% CI 0.78, 3.39) after controlling for other exposures. This investigation suggests an association of occupational standing with preterm labor and preterm birth.

Time and dose assessment of barge shipment and at-reactor handling of a CASTOR V/21 spent fuel storage cask

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hostick, C.J. (Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (United States)); Lavender, J.C. (Westinghouse Hanford Co., Richland, WA (United States)); Wakeman, B.H. (Virginia Electric and Power Co., Richmond, VA (United States))

1992-04-01

This report contains the results of a time/motion analysis and a radiation dose assessment made during the receipt from barge transport and the loading of CAst iron cask for Storage and Transport Of Radioactive material (CASTOR) V/21 storage casks with spent nuclear fuel at the Surry Power Station in Virginia during 1987. The study was a cooperative effort between Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) and Virginia Electric and Power Company (Virginia Power), and was funded by the US Department of Energy (DOE) Transportation Program Office. In this study, cask handling activities were tracked at the Surry Power Station, tracing the transfer of the empty spent fuel storage cask from an ocean-going vessel to a barge for river transport through the activities required to place the loaded storage cask at an at-reactor storage location.

Time/motion observations and dose analysis of reactor loading, transportation, and dry unloading of an overweight truck spent fuel shipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hostick, C.J.; Lavender, J.C.; Wakeman, B.H.

1992-04-01

This document presents observed activity durations and radiation dose analyses for an overweight truck shipment of pressurized water reactor (PWR) spent fuel from the Surry Power Station in Virginia to the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory. The shipment consisted of a TN-8L shipping cask carrying three 9-year-old PWR spent fuel assemblies. Handling times and dose analyses for at-reactor activities were completed by Virginia Electric and Power Company (Virginia Power) personnel. Observations of in-transit and unloading activities were made by Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) personnel, who followed the shipment for approximately 2800 miles and observed cask unloading activities. In-transit dose estimates were calculated using dose rate maps provided by Virginia Power for a fully loaded TN-8L shipping cask. The dose analysis for the cask unloading operations is based on the observations of PNL personnel

Physical activity and time spent sitting as a risk factor for low-back pain: longitudinal data from the HUNT study

OpenAIRE

Venseth, Torje Bragstad

2014-01-01

Background: Low back pain (LBP) is the most common pain condition with a lifetime prevalence of 70 %. One of the most investigated risk factor for LBP is sedentary lifestyle. This is of great interest as sitting is the more dominant occupational activity in today’s society. Aim: The aim of this study was to prospectively investigate if the risk of chronic LBP is associated with time spent sitting, leisure time physical activity, and occupational activity. We also examined the combined eff...

DETERMINANT FACTORS OF TIME SPENT ON FACEBOOK: BRAND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND USAGE TYPES

OpenAIRE

ULUSU, Yard. Doç. Dr. Yeşim

2010-01-01

Online  social  networks  have  integrated  into  the  computer  mediated  communication  (CMC) environment  in  the  past  few  years.  Social  Networks  such  as  Facebook,  Myspace,  Bebo  and  Twitter  are  web‐based services that allow people to create a public profile, share the connection with other users, and view and traverse  their  list  of  connections  in  common  network.  The  aim  of  this  study  is  to  find  factors  affecting  the amount  of  time  users  spent  on  Facebo...

Status and trends in spent fuel reprocessing. Proceedings of an advisory group meeting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-08-01

Spent fuel management has always been an important part of the nuclear fuel cycle and is still one of the most important activities in all countries exploiting the peaceful use of nuclear energy. Continuous attention is being given by the IAEA to the collection, analysis and exchange of information on spent fuel management. Its role in this area is to provide a forum for exchanging information and to coordinate and encourage closer co-operation among Member States in certain research and developing activities that are of common interest. As part of spent fuel management, reprocessing activities have been reviewed from time to time on a low profile level under the terminology 'spent fuel treatment'. However, spent fuel treatment covers, in broad terms, spent fuel storage (short, interim and long term), fuel rod consolidation, reprocessing and, in case the once-through cycle is selected, conditioning of the spent fuel for disposal. Hence the reprocessing activities under the heading 'spent fuel treatment' were somewhat misleading. Several meetings on spent fuel treatment have been organized during the fast decade: an Advisory Group meeting (AGM) in 1992, a Technical Committee meeting in 1995 and recently an Advisory Group meeting from 7 to 10 September 1998. The objectives of the meetings were to review the status and trends of spent fuel reprocessing, to discuss the environmental impact and safety aspects of reprocessing facilities and to define the most important issues in this field. Notwithstanding the fact that the Summary of the report does not include aspects of military reprocessing, some of the national presentations do refer to some relevant aspects (e.g. experience, fissile stockpiles)

ASSESSMENT OF MICROBIAL LOAD OF SAUSAGES PREPARED FROM DIFFERENT COMBINATION OF SPENT DUCK AND SPENT HEN MEAT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rajesh Kumar

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Aim of the present study was to assess the microbial load of sausages prepared from different combination of spent duck and spent hen meat. The combination are 100% spent duck (T1, 75%+ 25% spent duck and spent hen (T2, 50%+50% spent duck and spent hen (T3, 25%+75% spent duck and spent hen (T4 and 100% spent hen (T5. All the samples of different combination were subjected to total plate count (TPC, total psychrophilic count (TPSC and total Coliform count (TCC. Mean of TPC for T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5 were 4.69, 4.62, 4.60, 4.49 and 4.46 log 10 CFU/gm respectively, while mean TPSC were 4.46, 4.46, 4.43, 4.36 and 4.36 log CFU/gm respectively There were no significant (p<0.05 difference between the different group of combination of sausages for TPS as well as TPSC but varies significantly (p<0.05 from 14th day of storage in both cases. The coliform group of bacteria will not be detected in any combination of sausages. It is concluded that microbial load of sausage prepared from spent duck is high and it is decreases as the percentage of duck meat decreases but, the upper limit of bacteria in each group of sausages is within limit and hence it is safe for human consumption.

Direct Measurement of Initial Enrichment, Burn-up and Cooling Time of Spent Fuel Assembly with a Differential Die-Away Technique Based Instrument

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Henzl, Vladimir; Swinhoe, Martyn T.; Tobin, Stephen J.

2012-01-01

An outline of this presentation of what a Differential Die-Away (DDA) instrument can do are: (1) Principle of operation of DDA instrument; (2) Determination of initial enrichment (IE) (σ DDA response increases (die-away time is longer) with increasing fissile content; and (2) Spent fuel => DDA response decreases (die-away time is shorter) with higher burn-up (i.e. more neutron absorbers present).

Strategies and solutions in the temporary management of spent fuel in Spain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martinez Abad, J. E.; Rivera, M. I.

2009-01-01

The basic strategy for the spent fuel and HLW management contemplated in the Sixth General Radioactive Waste Plan focused on the centralised interim storage of spent fuel, based on proved dry storage system technologies, over the time periods required until their definitive or very long term management. Specially, the solution proposed as the most suitable for the Spanish case is the construction of a centralised interim spent fuel and HLW storage facility (ATC) for which as site is being searched. Until it becomes in operation, the interim spent fuel storage will be safety performed in the NPP reracked spent fuel pools or individual ISFSI constructed in the NPP site, in those cases additional storage capacity is required. (Author) 22 refs

Probability of spent fuel transportation accidents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McClure, J.D.

1981-07-01

The transported volume of spent fuel, incident/accident experience and accident environment probabilities were reviewed in order to provide an estimate of spent fuel accident probabilities. In particular, the accident review assessed the accident experience for large casks of the type that could transport spent (irradiated) nuclear fuel. This review determined that since 1971, the beginning of official US Department of Transportation record keeping for accidents/incidents, there has been one spent fuel transportation accident. This information, coupled with estimated annual shipping volumes for spent fuel, indicated an estimated annual probability of a spent fuel transport accident of 5 x 10 -7 spent fuel accidents per mile. This is consistent with ordinary truck accident rates. A comparison of accident environments and regulatory test environments suggests that the probability of truck accidents exceeding regulatory test for impact is approximately 10 -9 /mile

A Between- and Within-Person Analysis of Parenting And Time Spent in Criminogenic Settings during Adolescence: The Role of Self-Control And Delinquent Attitudes

Science.gov (United States)

Janssen, Heleen J.; Bruinsma, Gerben J. N.; Dekovic, Maja; Eichelsheim, Veroni I.

2018-01-01

Although spending time in criminogenic settings is increasingly recognized as an explanation for adolescent delinquency, little is known about its determinants. The current study aims to examine the extent to which (change in) self-control and (change in) delinquent attitudes relate to (change in) time spent in criminogenic settings, and the…

Soldiers for the virtual battlefield : Even at secondary school, Jan Paul van Waveren spent more time on computer games than on his homework, though he doesn't seem to have suffered from it

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van Waveren, J.P.; Rothkrantz, L.; Jongeneel, C.

2001-01-01

Even at secondary school, Jan Paul van Waveren spent more time on computer games than on his homework,though he doesnt seem to have suffered from it. At university he spent some of his time linking up personal computers with his friends, trying to blast each other to virtual smithereens in a game of

Bioleaching of spent Ni-Cd batteries by continuous flow system: Effect of hydraulic retention time and process load

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao Ling; Yang Dong; Zhu Nanwen

2008-01-01

Spent Ni-Cd batteries bring a severe environmental problem that needs to be solved urgently. A novel continuous flow two-step leaching system based on bioleaching was introduced to dissolve heavy metals in batteries. It consists of an acidifying reactor which was used to culture indigenous thiobacilli and a leaching reactor which was used to leach metals from spent batteries. The indigenous acidophilic thiobacilli in sewage sludge was used as the microorganisms and the sludge itself as culture medium. Bioleaching tests at different hydraulic retention time (HRT) and process load in the leaching reactor were performed. The results showed that the longer the HRT (1, 3, 6, 9 and 15 days) was, the more time required to achieve the complete leaching of Ni, Cd and Co. The maximum dissolution of cadmium and cobalt was achieved at higher pH values (3.0-4.5) while the leaching of nickel hydroxide and nickel in metallic form (Ni 0 ) were obtained separately in different acidity (pH 2.5-3.5). It cost about 25, 30 and more than 40 days to remove all of the three heavy metals with the process load of two, four and eight Ni-Cd batteries under the conditions that the ingoing bio-sulphuric acid was 1 L d -1 and HRT was 3 days

Bioleaching of spent Ni-Cd batteries by continuous flow system: effect of hydraulic retention time and process load.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Ling; Yang, Dong; Zhu, Nan-Wen

2008-12-30

Spent Ni-Cd batteries bring a severe environmental problem that needs to be solved urgently. A novel continuous flow two-step leaching system based on bioleaching was introduced to dissolve heavy metals in batteries. It consists of an acidifying reactor which was used to culture indigenous thiobacilli and a leaching reactor which was used to leach metals from spent batteries. The indigenous acidophilic thiobacilli in sewage sludge was used as the microorganisms and the sludge itself as culture medium. Bioleaching tests at different hydraulic retention time (HRT) and process load in the leaching reactor were performed. The results showed that the longer the HRT (1, 3, 6, 9 and 15 days) was, the more time required to achieve the complete leaching of Ni, Cd and Co. The maximum dissolution of cadmium and cobalt was achieved at higher pH values (3.0-4.5) while the leaching of nickel hydroxide and nickel in metallic form (Ni0) were obtained separately in different acidity (pH 2.5-3.5). It cost about 25, 30 and more than 40 days to remove all of the three heavy metals with the process load of two, four and eight Ni-Cd batteries under the conditions that the ingoing bio-sulphuric acid was 1Ld(-1) and HRT was 3 days.

Bioleaching of spent Ni-Cd batteries by continuous flow system: Effect of hydraulic retention time and process load

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhao Ling; Yang Dong [School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 (China); Zhu Nanwen [School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 (China)], E-mail: nwzhu@sina.com

2008-12-30

Spent Ni-Cd batteries bring a severe environmental problem that needs to be solved urgently. A novel continuous flow two-step leaching system based on bioleaching was introduced to dissolve heavy metals in batteries. It consists of an acidifying reactor which was used to culture indigenous thiobacilli and a leaching reactor which was used to leach metals from spent batteries. The indigenous acidophilic thiobacilli in sewage sludge was used as the microorganisms and the sludge itself as culture medium. Bioleaching tests at different hydraulic retention time (HRT) and process load in the leaching reactor were performed. The results showed that the longer the HRT (1, 3, 6, 9 and 15 days) was, the more time required to achieve the complete leaching of Ni, Cd and Co. The maximum dissolution of cadmium and cobalt was achieved at higher pH values (3.0-4.5) while the leaching of nickel hydroxide and nickel in metallic form (Ni{sup 0}) were obtained separately in different acidity (pH 2.5-3.5). It cost about 25, 30 and more than 40 days to remove all of the three heavy metals with the process load of two, four and eight Ni-Cd batteries under the conditions that the ingoing bio-sulphuric acid was 1 L d{sup -1} and HRT was 3 days.

Government--utility interaction on spent fuel disposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mills, L.E.

1978-01-01

The question of the needs of the electrical power industry for spent fuel storage in light of the moratorium on fuel reprocessing is addressed. The author feels that since the Federal government has assumed the responsibility for spent fuel storage, it is imperative that a firm plan, program, legislation, and funding be forthcoming immediately. Designation of an existing government site with existing nuclear activities in order to expedite the establishment of a storage facility is recommended. It is felt that the timing for such a site should be ''at the earliest possible date.'' Without storage facilities being provided by the government, utilities will be forced to build storage facilities at the reactor sites. This course of action is not considered cost effective but certainly preferable to shutting down the reactors. It is emphasized that spent fuel storage must be an interim solution and certainly not a final solution to the fuel reprocessing and waste disposal aspects of nuclear technology

Standing Up for Learning: A Pilot Investigation on the Neurocognitive Benefits of Stand-Biased School Desks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ranjana K. Mehta

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Standing desks have proven to be effective and viable solutions to combat sedentary behavior among children during the school day in studies around the world. However, little is known regarding the potential of such interventions on cognitive outcomes in children over time. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the neurocognitive benefits, i.e., improvements in executive functioning and working memory, of stand-biased desks and explore any associated changes in frontal brain function. 34 freshman high school students were recruited for neurocognitive testing at two time points during the school year: (1 in the fall semester and (2 in the spring semester (after 27.57 (1.63 weeks of continued exposure. Executive function and working memory was evaluated using a computerized neurocognitive test battery, and brain activation patterns of the prefrontal cortex were obtained using functional near infrared spectroscopy. Continued utilization of the stand-biased desks was associated with significant improvements in executive function and working memory capabilities. Changes in corresponding brain activation patterns were also observed. These findings provide the first preliminary evidence on the neurocognitive benefits of standing desks, which to date have focused largely on energy expenditure. Findings obtained here can drive future research with larger samples and multiple schools, with comparison groups that may in turn implicate the importance of stand-biased desks, as simple environmental changes in classrooms, on enhancing children’s cognitive functioning that drive their cognitive development and impact educational outcomes.

Long-term storage of spent nuclear fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kempe, T.F.; Martin, A.; Thorne, M.C.

1980-06-01

This report presents the results of a study on the storage of spent nuclear fuel, with particular reference to the options which would be available for long-term storage. Two reference programmes of nuclear power generation in the UK are defined and these are used as a basis for the projection of arisings of spent fuel and the storage capacity which might be needed. The characteristics of spent fuel which are relevant to long-term storage include the dimensions, materials and physical construction of the elements, their radioactive inventory and the associated decay heating as a function of time after removal from the reactor. Information on the behaviour of spent fuel in storage ponds is reviewed with particular reference to the corrosion of the cladding. The review indicates that, for long-term storage, both Magnox and AGR fuel would need to be packaged because of the high rate of cladding corrosion and the resulting radiological problems. The position on PWR fuel is less certain. Experience of dry storage is less extensive but it appears that the rate of corrosion of cladding is much lower than in water. Unit costs are discussed. Consideration is given to the radiological impact of fuel storage. (author)

SPEED ROLLER STAND MEASUREMENT SYSTEM CHECKING TECHNIQUE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y. Zybtsev

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The study has shown that the accuracy of brakes checking by inertial stands depends upon the applied methods of measurement of braking parameters (stand slowing down, braking distance, brakes triggering time, current speed as well as the methods of metrological checking of measuring system canals.

Spent fuel management overview: a global perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bonne, A.; Crijns, M.J.; Dyck, P.H.; Fukuda, K.; Mourogov, V.M.

1999-01-01

The paper defines the main spent fuel management strategies and options, highlights the challenges for spent fuel storage and gives an overview of the regional balances of spent fuel storage capacity and spent fuel arising. The relevant IAEA activities in the area of spent fuel management are summarised. (author)

Psychological, interpersonal, and clinical factors predicting time spent on physical activity among Mexican patients with hypertension

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ybarra Sagarduy JL

2018-01-01

Full Text Available José Luis Ybarra Sagarduy,1 Dacia Yurima Camacho Mata,1 José Moral de la Rubia,2 Julio Alfonso Piña López,3 José Luis Masud Yunes Zárraga4 1Unit of Social Work and Human Development, Autonomous University of Tamaulipas, Ciudad Victoria, 2School of Psychology, Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon, Monterrey, 3Independent Researcher, Hermosillo, 4Institute of Health and Safety Services for State Workers, Clinic for the Study and Prevention of the Chilhood Obesity, Ciudad Victoria, Mexico Background: It is widely known that physical activity is the key to the optimal management and clinical control of hypertension.Purpose: This research was conducted to identify factors that can predict the time spent on physical activity among Mexican adults with hypertension.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 182 Mexican patients with hypertension, who completed a set of self-administered questionnaires related to personality, social support, and medical adherence and health care behaviors, body mass index, and time since the disease diagnosis. Several path analyses were performed in order to test the predictors of the study behavior.Results: Lower tolerance to frustration, more tolerance to ambiguity, more effective social support, and less time since the disease diagnosis predicted more time spent on physical activity, accounting for 13.3% of the total variance. The final model shows a good fit to the sample data (pBS =0.235, χ2/gl =1.519, Jöreskog and Sörbom’s Goodness of Fit Index =0.987, adjusted modality =0.962, Bollen’s Incremental Fit Index =0.981, Bentler-Bonett Normed Fit Index =0.946, standardized root mean square residual =0.053.Conclusion: The performance of physical activity in patients with hypertension depends on a complex set of interactions between personal, interpersonal, and clinical variables. Understanding how these factors interact might enhance the design of interdisciplinary intervention programs so

Time spent by Brazilian students in different modes of transport going to school: changes over a decade (2001-2011

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kelly Samara Silva

2014-11-01

Full Text Available To examine changes in the time spent in each mode of transportation used for going to school by gender and age among adolescents from Santa Catarina State, Brazil. Two school-based surveys were performed in 2001 (N = 5,028 and 2011 (N = 6,529 in high school students (15-19 years old. The mode of transportation (on foot; by bicycle; by bus; car/motorcycle and the time spent for commuting to school were assessed. Active commuting increased for short trips in both genders (male: 25.1% to 36.7%; female: 18.8% to 29.2% and in all ages (15-16 years: 21% to 32.7%; 17-19 years: 21.9% to 32.4%, and declined for longer trips in males (30.5% to 21.9% and in 15-16 years old students (25.7% to 34.7%. Car/motorcycle use has doubled for short trips in males (38.1% to 65.9% and in 17-19 years old students (37.7% to 62.7%, while the use of buses remained stable in both genders. Our findings contribute to discussions on public policy focusing on the design of safe environments to promote active commuting to schools, particularly to decrease the use of motorized transport for short trips.

Use of a unipedal standing test to assess the ambulation reacquisition time during the early postoperative stage after hip fracture in elderly Japanese: prospective study.

Science.gov (United States)

Murata, Koichi; Sugitani, Shigeki; Yoshioka, Hiroki; Noguchi, Takashi; Aoto, Toshiyuki; Nakamura, Takashi

2010-01-01

The aim of this study was to predict the ambulation reacquisition time after hip fracture in elderly people using the unipedal standing test during the early postoperative stage. Patients with an intertrochanteric fracture treated with internal fixation (n = 35) and patients with a femoral neck fracture treated with hemiarthroplasty (n = 22) were included. A unipedal standing test using the nonoperated leg was performed on days 3 and 7 after the operation. Among the patients with an intertrochanteric fracture, those with a positive result on the unipedal standing test on postoperative day (POD) 3 attained gait with parallel guide bars (BG) and walker-assisted gait (WG) significantly earlier than did patients with a negative result on the unipedal standing test. Patients with a positive result on the unipedal standing test on POD 7 attained BG, WG, and cane-assisted gait (CG) significantly earlier than did patients with a negative test. Among patients with a femoral neck fracture, those with a positive unipedal standing test result on POD 3 attained BG, WG, and CG significantly earlier than did patients with a negative test. Those with a positive test result on POD 7 attained BG, WG, and CG significantly earlier than did patients with a negative test. The unipedal standing test given during the early postoperative stage is a good test for predicting the ambulation reacquisition time. Moreover, it gives information that can help determine the need for subacute rehabilitation and about discharge planning and health service provision.

Real-time positioning in logging: Effects of forest stand characteristics, topography, and line-of-sight obstructions on GNSS-RF transponder accuracy and radio signal propagation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eloise G Zimbelman

Full Text Available Real-time positioning on mobile devices using global navigation satellite system (GNSS technology paired with radio frequency (RF transmission (GNSS-RF may help to improve safety on logging operations by increasing situational awareness. However, GNSS positional accuracy for ground workers in motion may be reduced by multipath error, satellite signal obstruction, or other factors. Radio propagation of GNSS locations may also be impacted due to line-of-sight (LOS obstruction in remote, forested areas. The objective of this study was to characterize the effects of forest stand characteristics, topography, and other LOS obstructions on the GNSS accuracy and radio signal propagation quality of multiple Raveon Atlas PT GNSS-RF transponders functioning as a network in a range of forest conditions. Because most previous research with GNSS in forestry has focused on stationary units, we chose to analyze units in motion by evaluating the time-to-signal accuracy of geofence crossings in 21 randomly-selected stands on the University of Idaho Experimental Forest. Specifically, we studied the effects of forest stand characteristics, topography, and LOS obstructions on (1 the odds of missed GNSS-RF signals, (2 the root mean squared error (RMSE of Atlas PTs, and (3 the time-to-signal accuracy of safety geofence crossings in forested environments. Mixed-effects models used to analyze the data showed that stand characteristics, topography, and obstructions in the LOS affected the odds of missed radio signals while stand variables alone affected RMSE. Both stand characteristics and topography affected the accuracy of geofence alerts.

Real-time positioning in logging: Effects of forest stand characteristics, topography, and line-of-sight obstructions on GNSS-RF transponder accuracy and radio signal propagation.

Science.gov (United States)

Zimbelman, Eloise G; Keefe, Robert F

2018-01-01

Real-time positioning on mobile devices using global navigation satellite system (GNSS) technology paired with radio frequency (RF) transmission (GNSS-RF) may help to improve safety on logging operations by increasing situational awareness. However, GNSS positional accuracy for ground workers in motion may be reduced by multipath error, satellite signal obstruction, or other factors. Radio propagation of GNSS locations may also be impacted due to line-of-sight (LOS) obstruction in remote, forested areas. The objective of this study was to characterize the effects of forest stand characteristics, topography, and other LOS obstructions on the GNSS accuracy and radio signal propagation quality of multiple Raveon Atlas PT GNSS-RF transponders functioning as a network in a range of forest conditions. Because most previous research with GNSS in forestry has focused on stationary units, we chose to analyze units in motion by evaluating the time-to-signal accuracy of geofence crossings in 21 randomly-selected stands on the University of Idaho Experimental Forest. Specifically, we studied the effects of forest stand characteristics, topography, and LOS obstructions on (1) the odds of missed GNSS-RF signals, (2) the root mean squared error (RMSE) of Atlas PTs, and (3) the time-to-signal accuracy of safety geofence crossings in forested environments. Mixed-effects models used to analyze the data showed that stand characteristics, topography, and obstructions in the LOS affected the odds of missed radio signals while stand variables alone affected RMSE. Both stand characteristics and topography affected the accuracy of geofence alerts.

A study on the expulsion of iodine from spent-fuel solutions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sakurai, Tsutomu; Takahashi, Akira; Ishikawa, Niroh [Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, Ibaraki-ken (Japan)] [and others

1995-02-01

During dissolution of spent nuclear fuels, some radioiodine remains in spent-fuel solutions. Its expulsion to dissolver off-gas is important to minimize iodine escape to the environment. In our current work, the iodine remaining in spent-fuel solutions varied from 0 to 10% after dissolution of spent PWR-fuel specimens (approximately 3 g each). The amount remaining probably was dependent upon the dissolution time required. The cause is ascribable to the increased nitrous acid concentration that results from NOx generated during dissolution. The presence of nitrous acid was confirmed spectrophotometrically in an NO-HNO{sub 3} system at 100{degrees}C. Experiments examining NOx concentration versus the quantity of iodine in a simulated spent-fuel solution indicate that iodine (I{minus}) in spent fuels is subjected to the following three reactions: (1) oxidation into I{sub 2} by nitric acid, (2) oxidation into I{sub 2} by nitrous acid arising from NOx, and (3) formation of colloidal iodine (AgI, PdI{sub 2}), the major iodine species in a spent-fuel solution. Reaction (2) competes with reaction (3) to control the quantity of iodine remaining in solution. The following two-step expulsion process to remove iodine from a spent-fuel solution was derived from these experiments: Step One - Heat spent-fuel solutions without NOx sparging. When aged colloidal iodine is present, an excess amount of iodate should be added to the solution. Step Two - Sparge the fuel solution with NOx while heating. Effect of this new method was confirmed by use of a spent PWR-fuel solution.

Determining initial enrichment, burnup, and cooling time of pressurized-water-reactor spent fuel assemblies by analyzing passive gamma spectra measured at the Clab interim-fuel storage facility in Sweden

Science.gov (United States)

Favalli, A.; Vo, D.; Grogan, B.; Jansson, P.; Liljenfeldt, H.; Mozin, V.; Schwalbach, P.; Sjöland, A.; Tobin, S. J.; Trellue, H.; Vaccaro, S.

2016-06-01

The purpose of the Next Generation Safeguards Initiative (NGSI)-Spent Fuel (SF) project is to strengthen the technical toolkit of safeguards inspectors and/or other interested parties. The NGSI-SF team is working to achieve the following technical goals more easily and efficiently than in the past using nondestructive assay measurements of spent fuel assemblies: (1) verify the initial enrichment, burnup, and cooling time of facility declaration; (2) detect the diversion or replacement of pins; (3) estimate the plutonium mass [which is also a function of the variables in (1)]; (4) estimate the decay heat; and (5) determine the reactivity of spent fuel assemblies. Since August 2013, a set of measurement campaigns has been conducted at the Central Interim Storage Facility for Spent Nuclear Fuel (Clab), in collaboration with Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company (SKB). One purpose of the measurement campaigns was to acquire passive gamma spectra with high-purity germanium and lanthanum bromide scintillation detectors from Pressurized Water Reactor and Boiling Water Reactor spent fuel assemblies. The absolute 137Cs count rate and the 154Eu/137Cs, 134Cs/137Cs, 106Ru/137Cs, and 144Ce/137Cs isotopic ratios were extracted; these values were used to construct corresponding model functions (which describe each measured quantity's behavior over various combinations of burnup, cooling time, and initial enrichment) and then were used to determine those same quantities in each measured spent fuel assembly. The results obtained in comparison with the operator declared values, as well as the methodology developed, are discussed in detail in the paper.

Economics of National Waste Terminal Storage Spent Fuel Pricing Study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-05-01

The methodology for equitably pricing commercial nuclear spent fuel management is developed, and the results of four sample calculations are presented. The spent fuel management program analyzed places encapsulated spent fuel in bedded salt while maintaining long-term retrievability. System design was reasonable but not optimum. When required, privately-owned Away From Reactor (AFR) storage is provided and the spent fuel placed in AFR storage is eventually transported to final storage. Applicable Research and Development and Government Overhead are included. The cost of each component by year was estimated from the most recent applicable data source available. These costs were input to the pricing methodology to establish a one-time charge whose present value exactly recovered the present value of the expenditure flow. The four cases exercised were combinations of a high and a low quantity of spent fuel managed, with a single repository (venture) or a multiple repository (campaign) approach to system financial structure. The price for spent fuel management calculated ranged from 116 to 152 dollars (1978) per kilogram charged initially to the reactor. The effect of spent fuel receiving rate on price is illustrated by the fact that the extremes of price did not coincide with the cases having the extremes of undiscounted cost. These prices for spent fuel management are comparable in magnitude to other fuel cycle costs. The range of variation is small because of compensating effects, i.e., additional costs for high early deliveries (AFR and transportation) versus lower present value of future revenue for later delivery cases. The methodology contains numerous conservative assumptions, provisions for contingencies, and covers the complete set of spent fuel management expenses

Spent-fuel transport: available as needed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Macklin, L.

1976-01-01

As a result of the general uncertainty as to when commercial reprocessing will actually take place in the United States (U.S.) and the long lead times now required before bringing a spent-fuel cask system in operation, it appears that serious problems can arise by 1979-1980 in cask capacity availability. Compounding the uncertainty with respect to cask capacity availability is the position taken by some of the U.S. railroad systems and some state and local governmental agencies in imposing restraints in the movement of spent fuel. By utility companies taking risk in committing to casks in advance of the actual requirement dates and by cask suppliers assuming the risks of licensing, costs, and delivery schedules, this potential bottleneck could be minimized

Storage of LWR spent fuel in air. Volume 3, Results from exposure of spent fuel to fluorine-contaminated air

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cunningham, M.E.; Thomas, L.E.

1995-06-01

The Behavior of Spent Fuel in Storage (BSFS) Project has conducted research to develop data on spent nuclear fuel (irradiated U0{sub 2}) that could be used to support design, licensing, and operation of dry storage installations. Test Series B conducted by the BSFS Project was designed as a long-term study of the oxidation of spent fuel exposed to air. It was discovered after the exposures were completed in September 1990 that the test specimens had been exposed to an atmosphere of bottled air contaminated with an unknown quantity of fluorine. This exposure resulted in the test specimens reacting with both the oxygen and the fluorine in the oven atmospheres. The apparent source of the fluorine was gamma radiation-induced chemical decomposition of the fluoro-elastomer gaskets used to seal the oven doors. This chemical decomposition apparently released hydrofluoric acid (HF) vapor into the oven atmospheres. Because the Test Series B specimens were exposed to a fluorine-contaminated oven atmosphere and reacted with the fluorine, it is recommended that the Test Series B data not be used to develop time-temperature limits for exposure of spent nuclear fuel to air. This report has been prepared to document Test Series B and present the collected data and observations.

Storage of LWR spent fuel in air. Volume 3, Results from exposure of spent fuel to fluorine-contaminated air

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cunningham, M.E.; Thomas, L.E.

1995-06-01

The Behavior of Spent Fuel in Storage (BSFS) Project has conducted research to develop data on spent nuclear fuel (irradiated U0 2 ) that could be used to support design, licensing, and operation of dry storage installations. Test Series B conducted by the BSFS Project was designed as a long-term study of the oxidation of spent fuel exposed to air. It was discovered after the exposures were completed in September 1990 that the test specimens had been exposed to an atmosphere of bottled air contaminated with an unknown quantity of fluorine. This exposure resulted in the test specimens reacting with both the oxygen and the fluorine in the oven atmospheres. The apparent source of the fluorine was gamma radiation-induced chemical decomposition of the fluoro-elastomer gaskets used to seal the oven doors. This chemical decomposition apparently released hydrofluoric acid (HF) vapor into the oven atmospheres. Because the Test Series B specimens were exposed to a fluorine-contaminated oven atmosphere and reacted with the fluorine, it is recommended that the Test Series B data not be used to develop time-temperature limits for exposure of spent nuclear fuel to air. This report has been prepared to document Test Series B and present the collected data and observations

Objectively measured time spent sedentary is associated with insulin resistance independent of overall and central body fat in 9- to 10-year-old Portuguese children

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sardinha, Luis B; Andersen, Lars Bo; Anderssen, Sigmund A

2007-01-01

OBJECTIVE: We examined the independent relationships between objectively measured physical activity and insulin resistance in Portuguese children. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This is a school-based, cross-sectional study in 147 randomly selected girls (aged 9.8 +/- 0.3 years; 27.8 +/- 9.3% body...... fat) and 161 boys (aged 9.8 +/- 0.3 years; 22.0 +/- 9.2% body fat). Physical activity was assessed by the Actigraph accelerometer for 4 days and summarized as time spent sedentary (accelerometer counts ... (beta-coefficient = 0.001 [95% CI 0.0002-0.002]; P = 0.013). Time spent in moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity (-0.002 [-0.003 to -0.001]; P = 0.0009) and overall physical activity (-0.001 [-0.008 to 0.003]; P

Standing footprint diagnostic method

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Y. F.; Fan, Y. B.; Li, Z. Y.; Newman, T.; Lv, C. S.; Fan, Y. Z.

2013-10-01

Center of pressure is commonly used to evaluate standing balance. Even though it is incomplete, no better evaluation method has been presented. We designed our experiment with three standing postures: standing with feet together, standing with feet shoulder width apart, and standing with feet slightly wider than shoulder width. Our platform-based pressure system collected the instantaneous plantar pressure (standing footprint). A physical quantity of instantaneous standing footprint principal axis was defined, and it was used to construct an index to evaluate standing balance. Comparison between results from our newly established index and those from the center of pressure index to evaluate the stability of different standing postures revealed that the standing footprint principal axis index could better respond to the standing posture change than the existing one. Analysis indicated that the insensitive response to the relative position between feet and to the standing posture change from the center of pressure could be better detected by the standing footprint principal axis index. This predicts a wide application of standing footprint principal axis index when evaluating standing balance.

Capabilities of a DT tokamak fusion neutron source for driving a spent nuclear fuel transmutation reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stacey, W.M.

2001-01-01

The capabilities of a DT fusion neutron source for driving a spent nuclear fuel transmutation reactor are characterized by identifying limits on transmutation rates that would be imposed by tokamak physics and engineering limitations on fusion neutron source performance. The need for spent nuclear fuel transmutation and the need for a neutron source to drive subcritical fission transmutation reactors are reviewed. The likely parameter ranges for tokamak neutron sources that could produce an interesting transmutation rate of 100s to 1000s of kg/FPY (where FPY stands for full power year) are identified (P fus ∼ 10-100 MW, β N ∼ 2-3, Q p ∼ 2-5, R ∼ 3-5 m, I ∼ 6-10 MA). The electrical and thermal power characteristics of transmutation reactors driven by fusion and accelerator spallation neutron sources are compared. The status of fusion development vis-a-vis a neutron source is reviewed. (author)

Demonstration of a transportable storage system for spent nuclear fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shetler, J.R.; Miller, K.R.; Jones, R.E.

1993-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the joint demonstration project between the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) and the US Department of Energy (DOE) regarding the use of a transportable storage system for the long-term storage and subsequent transport of spent nuclear fuel. SMUD's Rancho Seco nuclear generating station was shut down permanently in June 1989. After the shutdown, SMUD began planning the decommissioning process, including the disposition of the spent nuclear fuel. Concurrently, Congress had directed the Secretary of Energy to develop a plan for the use of dual-purpose casks. Licensing and demonstrating a dual-purpose cask, or transportable storage system, would be a step toward achieving Congress's goal of demonstrating a technology that can be used to minimize the handling of spent nuclear fuel from the time the fuel is permanently removed from the reactor through to its ultimate disposal at a DOE facility. For SMUD, using a transportable storage system at the Rancho Seco Independent Spent-Fuel Storage Installation supports the goal of abandoning Rancho Seco's spent-fuel pool as decommissioning proceeds

Development of a water boil-off spent-fuel calorimeter system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Creer, J.M.; Shupe, J.W. Jr.

1981-05-01

A calorimeter system was developed to measure decay heat generation rates of unmodified spent fuel assemblies from commercial nuclear reactors. The system was designed, fabricated, and successfully tested using the following specifications: capacity of one BWR or PWR spent fuel assembly; decay heat generation range 0.1 to 2.5 kW; measurement time of < 12 h; and an accuracy of +-10% or better. The system was acceptance tested using a dc reference heater to simulate spent fuel assembly heat generation rates. Results of these tests indicated that the system could be used to measure heat generation rates between 0.5 and 2.5 kW within +- 5%. Measurements of heat generation rates of approx. 0.1 kW were obtained within +- 15%. The calorimeter system has the potential to permit measurements of heat generation rates of spent fuel assemblies and other devices in the 12- to 14-kW range. Results of calorimetry of a Turkey Point spent fuel assembly indicated that the assembly was generating approx. 1.55 kW

Mechanical and thermomechanical calculations related to the storage of spent nuclear-fuel assemblies in granite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Butkovich, T.R.

1980-05-01

A generic test of the geologic storage of spent-fuel assemblies is being made at Nevada Test Site. The spent-fuel assemblies were emplaced at a depth of 420 m (1370 ft) below the surface in a typical granite and will be retrieved at a later time. The early time, close-in thermal history of this type of repository is being simulated with spent-fuel and electrically heated canisters in a central drift, with auxiliary heaters in two parallel side drifts. Prior to emplacement of the spent-fuel canisters, preliminary calculations were made using a pair of existing finite-element codes, ADINA and ADINAT

Spent fuel treatment in Japan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takahashi, K.

1999-01-01

In Japan, 52 nuclear power reactors are operating with a total power generation capacity of 45 GWe. The cumulative amount of spent fuel arising, as of March 1998, is about 14,700 W. Spent fuel is reprocessed and recovered nuclear materials are to be recycled in LWRs and FBRs. Pu utilization in LWRs will commence in 1999. In January 1997, short-term policy measures were announced by the Atomic Energy Commission, which addressed promotion of the reprocessing programme in Rokkasho, plutonium utilization in LWRs, spent fuel management, back-end measures and FBR development. With regard to the spent fuel management, the policy measures included expansion of spent fuel storage capacity at reactor sites and a study on spent fuel storage away-from-reactor sites, considering the increasing amount of spent fuel arising. Valuable experience was been accumulated at the Tokai Reprocessing Plant (TRP), from the start of hot operation in 1977 up to now. The role of the TRP will be changed from an operation-oriented to a more R and D oriented facility, when PNC is reorganized into the new organization JNC. The Rokkasho reprocessing plant is under construction and is expected to commence operation in 2003. R and D of future recycling technologies is also continued for the establishment of a nuclear fuel cycle based on FBRs and LWRs. (author)

Does an 'activity-permissive' workplace change office workers' sitting and activity time?

Science.gov (United States)

Gorman, Erin; Ashe, Maureen C; Dunstan, David W; Hanson, Heather M; Madden, Ken; Winkler, Elisabeth A H; McKay, Heather A; Healy, Genevieve N

2013-01-01

To describe changes in workplace physical activity, and health-, and work-related outcomes, in workers who transitioned from a conventional to an 'activity-permissive' workplace. A natural pre-post experiment conducted in Vancouver, Canada in 2011. A convenience sample of office-based workers (n=24, 75% women, mean [SD] age = 34.5 [8.1] years) were examined four months following relocation from a conventional workplace (pre) to a newly-constructed, purpose-built, movement-oriented physical environment (post). Workplace activity- (activPAL3-derived stepping, standing, and sitting time), health- (body composition and fasting cardio-metabolic blood profile), and work- (performance; job satisfaction) related outcomes were measured pre- and post-move and compared using paired t-tests. Pre-move, on average (mean [SD]) the majority of the day was spent sitting (364 [43.0] mins/8-hr workday), followed by standing (78.2 [32.1] mins/8-hr workday) and stepping (37.7 [15.6] mins/8-hr workday). The transition to the 'activity-permissive' workplace resulted in a significant increase in standing time (+18.5, 95% CI: 1.8, 35.2 mins/8-hr workday), likely driven by reduced sitting time (-19.7, 95% CI: -42.1, 2.8 mins/8-hr workday) rather than increased stepping time (+1.2, 95% CI: -6.2, 8.5 mins/8-hr workday). There were no statistically significant differences observed in health- or work-related outcomes. This novel, opportunistic study demonstrated that the broader workplace physical environment can beneficially impact on standing time in office workers. The long-term health and work-related benefits, and the influence of individual, organizational, and social factors on this change, requires further evaluation.

Does an 'activity-permissive' workplace change office workers' sitting and activity time?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erin Gorman

Full Text Available To describe changes in workplace physical activity, and health-, and work-related outcomes, in workers who transitioned from a conventional to an 'activity-permissive' workplace.A natural pre-post experiment conducted in Vancouver, Canada in 2011. A convenience sample of office-based workers (n=24, 75% women, mean [SD] age = 34.5 [8.1] years were examined four months following relocation from a conventional workplace (pre to a newly-constructed, purpose-built, movement-oriented physical environment (post. Workplace activity- (activPAL3-derived stepping, standing, and sitting time, health- (body composition and fasting cardio-metabolic blood profile, and work- (performance; job satisfaction related outcomes were measured pre- and post-move and compared using paired t-tests.Pre-move, on average (mean [SD] the majority of the day was spent sitting (364 [43.0] mins/8-hr workday, followed by standing (78.2 [32.1] mins/8-hr workday and stepping (37.7 [15.6] mins/8-hr workday. The transition to the 'activity-permissive' workplace resulted in a significant increase in standing time (+18.5, 95% CI: 1.8, 35.2 mins/8-hr workday, likely driven by reduced sitting time (-19.7, 95% CI: -42.1, 2.8 mins/8-hr workday rather than increased stepping time (+1.2, 95% CI: -6.2, 8.5 mins/8-hr workday. There were no statistically significant differences observed in health- or work-related outcomes.This novel, opportunistic study demonstrated that the broader workplace physical environment can beneficially impact on standing time in office workers. The long-term health and work-related benefits, and the influence of individual, organizational, and social factors on this change, requires further evaluation.

Achieving the timely receipt of foreign research reactor spent nuclear fuel at the Savannah River site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brizes, C.M.; Clark, W.D; Thomas, J.; Andes, T.

1998-01-01

The May 1996 Record of Decision on a Proposed Nuclear Weapons Nonproliferation Policy Concerning Foreign Research Reactor Spent Nuclear Fuel states that the United States will accept spent nuclear fuel containing uranium of U.S.-origin from foreign research reactors through the year 2009. The best information available indicates that approximately 13,000 assemblies of Material Test Reactor (MTR) spent nuclear fuel from 29 countries are expected to be shipped to the Savannah River Site during the 13 years of the program. As of July 1998, 1,371 spent nuclear fuel assemblies from 12 foreign research reactors have been received at the SRS. That is, after more than two years of the FRR program (approximately 15 percent of the program time), 11 percent of the total assemblies have been received at SRS. Current projections show that most of the assemblies can be received by 2009, however if some of the eligible, non-participating countries decide to rejoin the program, a bottleneck would occur at the end of the program. Also adding to the potential for the bottleneck is a trend of shipments being moved out in the timeline. The Savannah River Site is working to be proactive in avoiding a bottleneck at the end of the program, but cooperation is required from all program participants to be successful. Activities currently in progress include inventory/information questionnaires, verifying fuel against cask(s) certificate of compliance (C. of C.), and collecting Appendix A information well in advance of shipping the SNF. The inventory/information sheets have been distributed to a select number of reactor facilities in the past, but work is in progress to refine the process. Information requested in the questionnaire includes inventory numbers, preferred shipping dates, and cask preferences. This information allows for improved shipment planning and helps to ensure that we are working to meet the needs of the reactor facilities. Current plans are to send the questionnaires to

Centralized disassembly and packaging of spent fuel in the DOE spent fuel management system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, E.R.

1986-01-01

In October 1984, E.R. Johnson Associates, Inc. (JAI) initiated a study of the prospective use of a centralized facility for the disassembly and packaging of spent fuel to support the various elements of the US Dept. of Energy (DOE) spent fuel management system, including facilities for monitored retrievable storage (MRS) and repositories. It was DOE's original plan to receive spent fuel at each repository where it would be disassembled and packaged (overpacked) for disposal purposes. Subsequently, DOE considered the prospective use of MRS of spent fuel as an option for providing safe and reliable management of spent fuel. This study was designed to consider possible advantages of the use of centralized facilities for disassembly and packaging of spent fuel at whose location storage facilities could be added as required. The study was divided into three principal technical tasks that covered: (a) development of requirements and criteria for the central disassembly and packaging facility and associated systems. (2) Development of conceptual designs for the central disassembly and packaging facility and associated systems. (3) Estimation of capital and operating costs involved for all system facilities and determination of life cycle costs for various scenarios of operation - for comparison with the reference system

Final environmental impact statement: US Spent Fuel Policy. Charge for spent fuel storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-05-01

The United States Government policy relating to nuclear fuel reprocessing, which was announced by President Carter on April 7, 1977, provides for an indefinite deferral of reprocessing, and thus commits light water reactor (LWR) plants to a once-through fuel cycle during that indefinite period. In a subsequent action implementing that policy, the Department of Energy (DOE) on October 18, 1977 announced a spent fuel policy which would enable domestic, and on a selective basis, foreign utilities to deliver spent fuel to the US Government for interim storage and final geologic disposal, and pay the Government a fee for such services. This volume addresses itself to whether the fee charged for these services, by its level or its structure, would have any effect on the environmental impacts of implementing the Spent Fuel Policy itself. This volume thus analyzes the fee and various alternatives to determine the interaction between the fee and the degree of participation by domestic utilities and foreign countries in the proposed spent fuel program for implementing the Spent Fuel Policy. It also analyzes the effect, if any, of the fee on the growth of nuclear power

Sedentary time, physical activity and compliance with IOM recommendations in young children at childcare.

Science.gov (United States)

Ellis, Yvonne G; Cliff, Dylan P; Janssen, Xanne; Jones, Rachel A; Reilly, John J; Okely, Anthony D

2017-09-01

The aim of this study was to report patterns of sitting, standing and physical activity (PA) and compliance with Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommendations for sedentary behavior (SB) and PA among children aged 1 to 5 years at childcare, and examine sociodemographic variations. Sitting, standing and PA time was assessed using an activPAL inclinometer over a period of 1 to 5 days in 301 children (49% boys; mean age = 3.7 ± 1.0 years) across 11 childcare services in Illawarra, NSW, Australia. Breaks and bouts of sitting and standing were calculated and categorized. Height and weight were assessed and parents completed a demographic survey. Differences by sex, age category (IOM SB and PA recommendations, respectively. Girls (odds ratio [OR]; 95%CI = 0.26; 0.13 to 0.55) and preschoolers (0.16; 0.07 to 0.38) were less likely to meet the IOM PA recommendation compared to boys and toddlers. Young children spent ~ 50% of their time at childcare sitting. Girls and preschoolers sit more and are less likely to meet PA recommendations, making them important groups to target in future interventions.

Spent fuel reprocessing options

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-08-01

The objective of this publication is to provide an update on the latest developments in nuclear reprocessing technologies in the light of new developments on the global nuclear scene. The background information on spent fuel reprocessing is provided in Section One. Substantial global growth of nuclear electricity generation is expected to occur during this century, in response to environmental issues and to assure the sustainability of the electrical energy supply in both industrial and less-developed countries. This growth carries with it an increasing responsibility to ensure that nuclear fuel cycle technologies are used only for peaceful purposes. In Section Two, an overview of the options for spent fuel reprocessing and their level of development are provided. A number of options exist for the treatment of spent fuel. Some, including those that avoid separation of a pure plutonium stream, are at an advanced level of technological maturity. These could be deployed in the next generation of industrial-scale reprocessing plants, while others (such as dry methods) are at a pilot scale, laboratory scale or conceptual stage of development. In Section Three, research and development in support of advanced reprocessing options is described. Next-generation spent fuel reprocessing plants are likely to be based on aqueous extraction processes that can be designed to a country specific set of spent fuel partitioning criteria for recycling of fissile materials to advanced light water reactors or fast spectrum reactors. The physical design of these plants must incorporate effective means for materials accountancy, safeguards and physical protection. Section four deals with issues and challenges related to spent fuel reprocessing. The spent fuel reprocessing options assessment of economics, proliferation resistance, and environmental impact are discussed. The importance of public acceptance for a reprocessing strategy is discussed. A review of modelling tools to support the

Spent Fuel Transfer to Dry Storage Using Unattended Monitoring System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Jae Hwan; Park, Soo Jin

2009-01-01

There are 4 CANDU reactors at Wolsung site together with a spent fuel dry storage associated with unit 1. These CANDU reactors, classified as On-Load Reactor (OLR) for Safeguards application, change 16- 24 fuel bundles with fresh fuel in everyday. Especially, the spent fuel bundles are transferred from spent fuel bays to dry storage throughout a year because of the insufficient capacity of spent fuel pond. Safeguards inspectors verify the spent fuel transfer to meet safeguards purposes according to the safeguards criteria by means of inspector's presence during the transfer campaign. For the verification, 60-80 person-days of inspection (PDIs) are needed during approximately 3 months for each unit. In order to reduce the inspection effort and operators' burden, an Unattended Monitoring System (UMS) was designed and developed by the IAEA for the verification of spent fuel bundles transfers from wet storage to dry storage. Based on the enhanced cooperation of CANDU reactors between the ROK and the IAEA, the IAEA installed the UMS at Wolsung unit 2 in January 2005 at first. After some field trials during the transfer campaign, this system is being replaced the traditional human inspection since September 1, 2006 combined with a Short Notice Inspection (SNI) and a near-real time Mailbox Declaration

Spent-Fuel Test - Climax: An evaluation of the technical feasibility of geologic storage of spent nuclear fuel in granite: Executive summary of final results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patrick, W.C.

1986-01-01

This summary volume outlines results that are covered in more detail in the final report of the Spent-Fuel Test - Climate project. The project was conducted between 1978 and 1983 in the granitic Climax stock at the Nevada Test Site. Results indicate that spent fuel can be safely stored for periods of years in this host medium and that nuclear waste so emplaced can be safely retrieved. We also evaluated the effects of heat and radiation (alone and in combination) on emplacement canisters and the surrounding rock mass. Storage of the spent-fuel affected the surrounding rock mass in measurable ways, but did not threaten the stability or safety of the facility at any time

Spent fuel receipt and lag storage facility for the spent fuel handling and packaging program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Black, J.E.; King, F.D.

1979-01-01

Savannah River Laboratory (SRL) is participating in the Spent Fuel Handling and Packaging Program for retrievable, near-surface storage of spent light water reactor (LWR) fuel. One of SRL's responsibilities is to provide a technical description of the wet fuel receipt and lag storage part of the Spent Fuel Handling and Packaging (SFHP) facility. This document is the required technical description

Advantages on dry interim storage for spent nuclear fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Romanato, L.S.; Rzyski, B.M.

2006-01-01

When the nuclear fuel lose its ability to efficiently create energy it is removed from the core reactor and moved to a storage unit waiting for a final destination. Generally, the spent nuclear fuel (SNF) remains inside concrete basins with water within the reactors facility for the radioactive activity decay. Water cools the generated heat and shields radioactivity emissions. After some period of time in water basins the SNF can be sent to a definitive deposition in a geological repository and handled as radioactive waste or to reprocessing installations, or still wait for a future solution. Meanwhile, SNF remains stored for a period of time in dry or wet installations, depending on the method adopted by the nuclear power plant or other plans of the country. In many SNF wet storage sites the capacity can be fulfilled very quickly. If so, additional area or other alternative storage system should be given. There are many options to provide capacity increase in the wet storage area, but dry storages are worldwide preferred since it reduces corrosion concerns. In the wet storage the temperature and water purity should be constantly controlled whereas in the dry storage the SNF stands protected in specially designed canisters. Dry interim storages are practical and approved in many countries especially that have the 'wait and see' philosophy (wait to see new technologies development). This paper shows the advantages of dry interim storages sites in comparison with the wet ones and the nowadays problems as terrorism. (Author)

Advantages on dry interim storage for spent nuclear fuel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Romanato, L.S. [Centro Tecnologico da Marinha em Sao Paulo, Av. Professor Lineu Prestes 2468, 05508-900 Sao Paulo (Brazil); Rzyski, B.M. [IPEN/ CNEN-SP, 05508-000 Sao Paulo (Brazil)]. e-mail: romanato@ctmsp.mar.mil.br

2006-07-01

When the nuclear fuel lose its ability to efficiently create energy it is removed from the core reactor and moved to a storage unit waiting for a final destination. Generally, the spent nuclear fuel (SNF) remains inside concrete basins with water within the reactors facility for the radioactive activity decay. Water cools the generated heat and shields radioactivity emissions. After some period of time in water basins the SNF can be sent to a definitive deposition in a geological repository and handled as radioactive waste or to reprocessing installations, or still wait for a future solution. Meanwhile, SNF remains stored for a period of time in dry or wet installations, depending on the method adopted by the nuclear power plant or other plans of the country. In many SNF wet storage sites the capacity can be fulfilled very quickly. If so, additional area or other alternative storage system should be given. There are many options to provide capacity increase in the wet storage area, but dry storages are worldwide preferred since it reduces corrosion concerns. In the wet storage the temperature and water purity should be constantly controlled whereas in the dry storage the SNF stands protected in specially designed canisters. Dry interim storages are practical and approved in many countries especially that have the 'wait and see' philosophy (wait to see new technologies development). This paper shows the advantages of dry interim storages sites in comparison with the wet ones and the nowadays problems as terrorism. (Author)

Costing of spent nuclear fuel storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2009-01-01

This report deals with economic analysis and cost estimation, based on exploration of relevant issues, including a survey of analytical tools for assessment and updated information on the market and financial issues associated with spent fuel storage. The development of new storage technologies and changes in some of the circumstances affecting the costs of spent fuel storage are also incorporated. This report aims to provide comprehensive information on spent fuel storage costs to engineers and nuclear professionals as well as other stakeholders in the nuclear industry. This report is meant to provide informative guidance on economic aspects involved in selecting a spent fuel storage system, including basic methods of analysis and cost data for project evaluation and comparison of storage options, together with financial and business aspects associated with spent fuel storage. After the review of technical options for spent fuel storage in Section 2, cost categories and components involved in the lifecycle of a storage facility are identified in Section 3 and factors affecting costs of spent fuel storage are then reviewed in the Section 4. Methods for cost estimation and analysis are introduced in Section 5, and other financial and business aspects associated with spent fuel storage are discussed in Section 6.

Disposal of spent fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blomeke, J.O.; Ferguson, D.E.; Croff, A.G.

1978-01-01

Based on preliminary analyses, spent fuel assemblies are an acceptable form for waste disposal. The following studies appear necessary to bring our knowledge of spent fuel as a final disposal form to a level comparable with that of the solidified wastes from reprocessing: 1. A complete systems analysis is needed of spent fuel disposition from reactor discharge to final isolation in a repository. 2. Since it appears desirable to encase the spent fuel assembly in a metal canister, candidate materials for this container need to be studied. 3. It is highly likely that some ''filler'' material will be needed between the fuel elements and the can. 4. Leachability, stability, and waste-rock interaction studies should be carried out on the fuels. The major disadvantages of spent fuel as a disposal form are the lower maximum heat loading, 60 kW/acre versus 150 kW/acre for high-level waste from a reprocessing plant; the greater long-term potential hazard due to the larger quantities of plutonium and uranium introduced into a repository; and the possibility of criticality in case the repository is breached. The major advantages are the lower cost and increased near-term safety resulting from eliminating reprocessing and the treatment and handling of the wastes therefrom

Accelerator-driven transmutation of spent fuel elements

Science.gov (United States)

Venneri, Francesco; Williamson, Mark A.; Li, Ning

2002-01-01

An apparatus and method is described for transmuting higher actinides, plutonium and selected fission products in a liquid-fuel subcritical assembly. Uranium may also be enriched, thereby providing new fuel for use in conventional nuclear power plants. An accelerator provides the additional neutrons required to perform the processes. The size of the accelerator needed to complete fuel cycle closure depends on the neutron efficiency of the supported reactors and on the neutron spectrum of the actinide transmutation apparatus. Treatment of spent fuel from light water reactors (LWRs) using uranium-based fuel will require the largest accelerator power, whereas neutron-efficient high temperature gas reactors (HTGRs) or CANDU reactors will require the smallest accelerator power, especially if thorium is introduced into the newly generated fuel according to the teachings of the present invention. Fast spectrum actinide transmutation apparatus (based on liquid-metal fuel) will take full advantage of the accelerator-produced source neutrons and provide maximum utilization of the actinide-generated fission neutrons. However, near-thermal transmutation apparatus will require lower standing

Experimental verification of neutron emission method for measuring of fissile material content in spent fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abou-Zaid, A.A.; Pytel, K.

1999-01-01

A non-destructive method of measurement of fissile nuclides content remained in spent fuel from research reactor is presented. The method, called the neutron emission one, is based on counting of fission neutrons emitted from fissile isotopes: 235 U, 239 Pu, 241 Pu. Fissions are induced mainly by neutrons supplied by the external neutron source. Another effects contribute also to the measured neutron population, e. g. source neutrons from penetrating the fuel without being captured and scattered, neutrons (α,n) reactions and from spontaneous fissions of actinides. Complexity of phenomena occurring within the measurement facility required the detailed numerical simulation and experimental studies prior design of ultimate measurement stand. In the previous paper, the results of Monte Carlo simulation on optimisation of measuring stand for neutron emission method were presented. On the basis of those results, the experimental stand for Maria reactor fuel investigation has been designed and manufactured. The present paper, being the continuation of previous one, contains the description of experimental facility and the results of measurements for the fresh fuel (without burnup) and the fuel mock-up (without fissile materials). Although some discrepancies were found between Monte Carlo and experimental results, the main conclusions concerning the optimal geometry of measuring facility have been confirmed. (author)

Three-dimensional instability of standing waves

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Qiang; Liu, Yuming; Yue, Dick K. P.

2003-12-01

We investigate the three-dimensional instability of finite-amplitude standing surface waves under the influence of gravity. The analysis employs the transition matrix (TM) approach and uses a new high-order spectral element (HOSE) method for computation of the nonlinear wave dynamics. HOSE is an extension of the original high-order spectral method (HOS) wherein nonlinear wave wave and wave body interactions are retained up to high order in wave steepness. Instead of global basis functions in HOS, however, HOSE employs spectral elements to allow for complex free-surface geometries and surface-piercing bodies. Exponential convergence of HOS with respect to the total number of spectral modes (for a fixed number of elements) and interaction order is retained in HOSE. In this study, we use TM-HOSE to obtain the stability of general three-dimensional perturbations (on a two-dimensional surface) on two classes of standing waves: plane standing waves in a rectangular tank; and radial/azimuthal standing waves in a circular basin. For plane standing waves, we confirm the known result of two-dimensional side-bandlike instability. In addition, we find a novel three-dimensional instability for base flow of any amplitude. The dominant component of the unstable disturbance is an oblique (standing) wave oriented at an arbitrary angle whose frequency is close to the (nonlinear) frequency of the original standing wave. This finding is confirmed by direct long-time simulations using HOSE which show that the nonlinear evolution leads to classical Fermi Pasta Ulam recurrence. For the circular basin, we find that, beyond a threshold wave steepness, a standing wave (of nonlinear frequency Omega) is unstable to three-dimensional perturbations. The unstable perturbation contains two dominant (standing-wave) components, the sum of whose frequencies is close to 2Omega. From the cases we consider, the critical wave steepness is found to generally decrease/increase with increasing radial

Determining initial enrichment, burnup, and cooling time of pressurized-water-reactor spent fuel assemblies by analyzing passive gamma spectra measured at the Clab interim-fuel storage facility in Sweden

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Favalli, A., E-mail: afavalli@lanl.gov [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM (United States); Vo, D. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM (United States); Grogan, B. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Jansson, P. [Uppsala University, Uppsala (Sweden); Liljenfeldt, H. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Mozin, V. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA (United States); Schwalbach, P. [European Commission, DG Energy, Euratom Safeguards Luxemburg, Luxemburg (Luxembourg); Sjöland, A. [Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company, Stockholm (Sweden); Tobin, S.J.; Trellue, H. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM (United States); Vaccaro, S. [European Commission, DG Energy, Euratom Safeguards Luxemburg, Luxemburg (Luxembourg)

2016-06-01

The purpose of the Next Generation Safeguards Initiative (NGSI)–Spent Fuel (SF) project is to strengthen the technical toolkit of safeguards inspectors and/or other interested parties. The NGSI–SF team is working to achieve the following technical goals more easily and efficiently than in the past using nondestructive assay measurements of spent fuel assemblies: (1) verify the initial enrichment, burnup, and cooling time of facility declaration; (2) detect the diversion or replacement of pins; (3) estimate the plutonium mass [which is also a function of the variables in (1)]; (4) estimate the decay heat; and (5) determine the reactivity of spent fuel assemblies. Since August 2013, a set of measurement campaigns has been conducted at the Central Interim Storage Facility for Spent Nuclear Fuel (Clab), in collaboration with Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company (SKB). One purpose of the measurement campaigns was to acquire passive gamma spectra with high-purity germanium and lanthanum bromide scintillation detectors from Pressurized Water Reactor and Boiling Water Reactor spent fuel assemblies. The absolute {sup 137}Cs count rate and the {sup 154}Eu/{sup 137}Cs, {sup 134}Cs/{sup 137}Cs, {sup 106}Ru/{sup 137}Cs, and {sup 144}Ce/{sup 137}Cs isotopic ratios were extracted; these values were used to construct corresponding model functions (which describe each measured quantity’s behavior over various combinations of burnup, cooling time, and initial enrichment) and then were used to determine those same quantities in each measured spent fuel assembly. The results obtained in comparison with the operator declared values, as well as the methodology developed, are discussed in detail in the paper.

Energy expended and knee joint load accumulated when walking, running, or standing for the same amount of time.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Ross H; Edwards, W Brent; Deluzio, Kevin J

2015-01-01

Evidence suggests prolonged bouts of sitting are unhealthy, and some public health messages have recently recommended replacing sitting with more standing. However, the relative benefits of replacing sitting with standing compared to locomotion are not known. Specifically, the biomechanical consequences of standing compared to other sitting-alternatives like walking and running are not well known and are usually not considered in studies on sitting. We compared the total knee joint load accumulated (TKJLA) and the total energy expended (TEE) when performing either walking, running, or standing for a common exercise bout duration (30 min). Walking and running both (unsurprisingly) had much more TEE than standing (+300% and +1100%, respectively). TKJLA was similar between walking and standing and 74% greater in running. The results suggest that standing is a poor replacement for walking and running if one wishes to increases energy expenditure, and may be particularly questionable for use in individuals at-risk for knee osteoarthritis due to its surprisingly high TKJLA (just as high as walking, 56% of the load in running) and the type of loading (continuous compression) it places on cartilage. However, standing has health benefits as an "inactivity interrupter" that extend beyond its direct energy expenditure. We suggest that future studies on standing as an inactivity intervention consider the potential biomechanical consequences of standing more often throughout the day, particularly in the case of prolonged bouts of standing. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Status of work at PNL supporting dry storage of spent fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cunningham, M.E.; McKinnon, M.A.; Michener, T.E.; Thomas, L.E.; Thornhill, C.K.

1992-01-01

Three projects related to dry storage of light-water reactor spent fuel are being conducted at Pacific Northwest Laboratory. Performance testing of six dry storage systems (four metal casks and two concrete storage systems) has been completed and results compiled. Two computer codes for predicting spent fuel and storage system thermal performance, COBRA-SFS and HYDRA-II, have been developed and have been reviewed by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Air oxidation testing of spent fuel was conducted from 1984 through 1990 to obtain data to support recommendations of temperature-time limits for air dry storage for periods up to 40 years

Spent fuel: prediction model development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Almassy, M.Y.; Bosi, D.M.; Cantley, D.A.

1979-07-01

The need for spent fuel disposal performance modeling stems from a requirement to assess the risks involved with deep geologic disposal of spent fuel, and to support licensing and public acceptance of spent fuel repositories. Through the balanced program of analysis, diagnostic testing, and disposal demonstration tests, highlighted in this presentation, the goal of defining risks and of quantifying fuel performance during long-term disposal can be attained

Considerations Regarding ROK Spent Nuclear Fuel Management Options

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Braun, Chaim; Forrest, Robert

2013-01-01

In this paper we discuss spent fuel management options in the Republic of Korea (ROK) from two interrelated perspectives: Centralized dry cask storage and spent fuel pyroprocessing and burning in sodium fast reactors (SFRs). We argue that the ROK will run out of space for at-reactors spent fuel storage by about the year 2030 and will thus need to transition centralized dry cask storage. Pyroprocessing plant capacity, even if approved and successfully licensed and constructed by that time, will not suffice to handle all the spent fuel discharged annually. Hence centralized dry cask storage will be required even if the pyroprocessing option is successfully developed by 2030. Pyroprocessing is but an enabling technology on the path leading to fissile material recycling and burning in future SFRs. In this regard we discuss two SFR options under development in the U. S.: the Super Prism and the Travelling Wave Reactor (TWR). We note that the U. S. is further along in reactor development than the ROK. The ROK though has acquired more experience, recently in investigating fuel recycling options for SFRs. We thus call for two complementary joint R and D project to be conducted by U. S. and ROK scientists. One leading to the development of a demonstration centralized away-from-reactors spent fuel storage facility. The other involve further R and D on a combined SFR-fuel cycle complex based on the reactor and fuel cycle options discussed in the paper

Spent fuel test. Climax data acquisition system integration report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nyholm, R.A.; Brough, W.G.; Rector, N.L.

1982-06-01

The Spent Fuel Test - Climax (SFT-C) is a test of the retrievable, deep geologic storage of commercially generated, spent nuclear reactor fuel in granitic rock. Eleven spent fuel assemblies, together with 6 electrical simulators and 20 guard heaters, are emplaced 420 m below the surface in the Climax granite at the Nevada Test Site. On June 2, 1978, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) secured funding for the SFT-C, and completed spent fuel emplacement May 28, 1980. This multi-year duration test is located in a remote area and is unattended much of the time. An extensive array of radiological safety and geotechnical instrumentation is deployed to monitor the test performance. A dual minicomputer-based data acquisition system collects and processes data from more than 900 analog instruments. This report documents the design and functions of the hardware and software elements of the Data Acquisition System and describes the supporting facilities which include environmental enclosures, heating/air-conditioning/humidity systems, power distribution systems, fire suppression systems, remote terminal stations, telephone/modem communications, and workshop areas. 9 figures

Spent Fuel Test - Climax data acquisition system operations manual

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nyholm, R.A.

1983-01-01

The Spent Fuel Test-Climax (SFT-C) is a test of the retrievable, deep geologic storage of commercially generated, spent nuclear reactor fuel in granite rock. Eleven spent fuel assemblies, together with 6 electrical simulators and 20 guard heaters, are emplaced 420 m below the surface in the Climax granite at the US Department of Energy Nevada Test Site. On June 2, 1978, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) secured funding for the SFT-C, and completed spent fuel emplacement May 28, 1980. The multi-year duration test is located in a remote area and is unattended much of the time. An extensive array of radiological safety and geotechnical instrumentation is deployed to monitor the test performance. A dual minicomputer-based data acquisition system (DAS) collects and processes data from more than 900 analog instruments. This report documents the software element of the LLNL developed SFT-C Data Acquisition System. It defines the operating system and hardware interface configurations, the special applications software and data structures, and support software

Updating stand-level forest inventories using airborne laser scanning and Landsat time series data

Science.gov (United States)

Bolton, Douglas K.; White, Joanne C.; Wulder, Michael A.; Coops, Nicholas C.; Hermosilla, Txomin; Yuan, Xiaoping

2018-04-01

Vertical forest structure can be mapped over large areas by combining samples of airborne laser scanning (ALS) data with wall-to-wall spatial data, such as Landsat imagery. Here, we use samples of ALS data and Landsat time-series metrics to produce estimates of top height, basal area, and net stem volume for two timber supply areas near Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada, using an imputation approach. Both single-year and time series metrics were calculated from annual, gap-free Landsat reflectance composites representing 1984-2014. Metrics included long-term means of vegetation indices, as well as measures of the variance and slope of the indices through time. Terrain metrics, generated from a 30 m digital elevation model, were also included as predictors. We found that imputation models improved with the inclusion of Landsat time series metrics when compared to single-year Landsat metrics (relative RMSE decreased from 22.8% to 16.5% for top height, from 32.1% to 23.3% for basal area, and from 45.6% to 34.1% for net stem volume). Landsat metrics that characterized 30-years of stand history resulted in more accurate models (for all three structural attributes) than Landsat metrics that characterized only the most recent 10 or 20 years of stand history. To test model transferability, we compared imputed attributes against ALS-based estimates in nearby forest blocks (>150,000 ha) that were not included in model training or testing. Landsat-imputed attributes correlated strongly to ALS-based estimates in these blocks (R2 = 0.62 and relative RMSE = 13.1% for top height, R2 = 0.75 and relative RMSE = 17.8% for basal area, and R2 = 0.67 and relative RMSE = 26.5% for net stem volume), indicating model transferability. These findings suggest that in areas containing spatially-limited ALS data acquisitions, imputation models, and Landsat time series and terrain metrics can be effectively used to produce wall-to-wall estimates of key inventory attributes, providing an

QUALITY AND SHELF LIFE EVALUATION OF NUGGETS PREPARED FROM SPENT DUCK AND SPENT HEN MEAT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rajesh Kumar

2015-12-01

Full Text Available A study was conducted to compare the quality of nuggets prepared from spent hen and duck meat. The cooked nuggets were analyzed for pH, thiobarbituric acid (TBA, tyrosine value (TV, moisture, fat, protein, total plate count (TPC and sensory evaluations. Nuggets prepared from spent hen meat showed significantly higher (p<0.05 moisture content however pH, fat and protein content were significantly higher (p<0.05 in duck nuggets. TBA values, TVs and (TPC were highest in duck nuggets but were within the acceptable level up to 7th day of refrigerated storage (4±1°C in both types of nuggets. Both nuggets maintain their sensory quality up to 7th day of refrigeration storage but spent hen nuggets were preferred by consumers compared to nuggets prepared from spent duck meat. Result of the study indicated that, despite the comparative differences among these nuggets, spent duck and hen meat could be used for preparation of nutritionally rich and acceptable nuggets.

Spent fuel heatup following loss of water during storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benjamin, A.S.; McCloskey, D.J.; Powers, D.A.; Dupree, S.A.

1979-03-01

An analysis of spent fuel heatup following a hypothetical accident involving drainage of the storage pool is presented. Computations based upon a new computer code called SFUEL have been performed to assess the effect of decay time, fuel element design, storage rack design, packing density, room ventilation, drainage level, and other variables on the heatup characteristics of the spent fuel and to predict the conditions under which clad failure will occur. Possible storage pool design modifications and/or onsite emergency action have also been considered

Rock cavern storage of spent fuel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cho, Won Jin; Kim, Kyung Soo [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Kwon, Sang Ki [Inha University, Incheon (Korea, Republic of)

2015-12-15

The rock cavern storage for spent fuel has been assessed to apply in Korea with reviewing the state of the art of the technologies for surface storage and rock cavern storage of spent fuel. The technical feasibility and economic aspects of the rock cavern storage of spent fuel were also analyzed. A considerable area of flat land isolated from the exterior are needed to meet the requirement for the site of the surface storage facilities. It may, however, not be easy to secure such areas in the mountainous region of Korea. Instead, the spent fuel storage facilities constructed in the rock cavern moderate their demands for the suitable site. As a result, the rock cavern storage is a promising alternative for the storage of spent fuel in the aspect of natural and social environments. The rock cavern storage of spent fuel has several advantages compared with the surface storage, and there is no significant difference on the viewpoint of economy between the two alternatives. In addition, no great technical difficulties are present to apply the rock cavern storage technologies to the storage of domestic spent fuel.

The cost of spent fuel storage

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ramirez S, J. R.; Palacios H, J. C.; Badillo, V.; Alonso, G., E-mail: ramon.ramirez@inin.gob.mx [ININ, Carretera Mexico-Toluca s/n, 52750 Ocoyoacac, Estado de Mexico (Mexico)

2011-11-15

Spent fuel is one of the most important issues in the nuclear industry, currently spent fuel management is been cause of great amount of research, investments, constructing repositories or constructing the necessary facilities to reprocess the fuel, and later to recycle the plutonium recovered in thermal reactors. What is the best solution?, or What is the best technology for an specific solution? Many countries have deferred the decision on selecting an option, while others works actively constructing repositories and others implementing the reprocessing facilities to recycle the plutonium obtained from nuclear spent fuel. In Mexico the nuclear power is limited to two reactors BWR type and medium size. So the nuclear spent fuel discharged has been accommodated at reactor's spent fuel pools. Originally these pools have enough capacity to accommodate spent fuel for the 40 years of designed plant operation. However currently, the plants are under a process for extended power up-rate to 20% of original power and also there are plans to extended operational life for 20 more years. Under these conditions there will not be enough room for spent fuel in the pools. (Author)

Development of spent fuel remote handling technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoon, Ji Sup; Park, B. S.; Park, Y. S.; Oh, S. C.; Kim, S. H.; Cho, M. W.; Hong, D. H.

1997-12-01

Since the nation's policy on spent fuel management is not finalized, the technical items commonly required for safe management and recycling of spent fuel - remote technologies of transportation, inspection, maintenance, and disassembly of spent fuel - are selected and pursued. In this regards, the following R and D activities are carried out : collision free transportation of spent fuel assembly, mechanical disassembly of spent nuclear fuel and graphical simulation of fuel handling / disassembly process. (author). 36 refs., 16 tabs., 77 figs

Nuclear spent fuel dry storage in the EWA reactor shaft

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mieleszczenko, W.; Moldysz, A.; Hryczuk, A.; Matysiak, T.

2001-01-01

The EWA reactor was in operation from 1958 until February 1995. Then it was subjected to the decommissioning procedure. Resulting from a prolonged operation of Polish research reactors a substantial amount of nuclear spent fuel of various types, enrichment and degree of burnup have been accumulated. The technology of storage of spent nuclear fuel foresees the two stages of wet storing in a water pool (deferral period from tens to several dozens years) and dry storing (deferral period from 50 to 80 years). In our case the deferral time in the water environment is pretty significant (the oldest fuel elements have been stored in water for more than 40 years). Though the state of stored fuel elements is satisfactory, there is a real need for changing the storage conditions of spent fuel. The paper is covering the description of philosophy and conceptual design for construction of the spent fuel dry storage in the decommissioned EWA reactor shaft. (author)

Allowable spent LWR fuel storage temperatures in inert gases, nitrogen, and air

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gilbert, E.R.; Cunningham, M.E.; Simonen, E.P.; Thomas, L.E.; Campbell, T.K.; Barnhart, D.M.

1990-01-01

Spent fuel in inert dry storage is now a reality in the US; recommended maximum temperature-time conditions are specified in an IBM PC-compatible code. However, spent fuel cannot yet be stored in air because the data and theory needed for predicting allowable temperatures are still being developed. Tests to determine the behavior of spent UO 2 fragments and breached rod specimens in air are providing data that will be used to determine the temperatures that can be allowed for fuel stored in air. 13 refs., 5 figs

The Influence of Instructional Climates on Time Spent in Management Tasks and Physical Activity of 2nd-Grade Students during Physical Education

Science.gov (United States)

Logan, Samuel W.; Robinson, Leah E.; Webster, E. Kipling; Rudisill, Mary E.

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of two physical education (PE) instructional climates (mastery, performance) on the percentage of time students spent in a) moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and b) management tasks during PE in 2nd-grade students. Forty-eight 2nd graders (mastery, n = 23; performance, n = 25)…

Possible application of brewer’s spent grain in biotechnology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pejin Jelena D.

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Brewer’s spent grain is the major by-product in beer production. It is produced in large quantities (20 kg per 100 liters of produced beer throughout the year at a low cost or no cost, and due to its high protein and carbohydrates content it can be used as a raw material in biotechnology. Biotechnological processes based on renewable agro-industrial by-products have ecological (zero CO2 emission, eco-friendly by-products and economical (cheap raw materials and reduction of storage costs advantages. The use of brewer’s spent grain is still limited, being basically used as animal feed. Researchers are trying to improve the application of brewer’s spent grain by finding alternative uses apart from the current general use as an animal feed. Its possible applications are in human nutrition, as a raw material in biotechnology, energy production, charcoal production, paper manufacture, as a brick component, and adsorbent. In biotechnology brewer’s spent grain could be used as a substrate for cultivation of microorganisms and enzyme production, additive of yeast carrier in beer fermentation, raw material in production of lactic acid, bioethanol, biogas, phenolic acids, xylitol, and pullulan. Some possible applications for brewer’s spent grain are described in this article including pre-treatment conditions (different procedures for polysaccharides, hemicelluloses, and cellulose hydrolysis, working microorganisms, fermentation parameters and obtained yields. The chemical composition of brewer’s spent grain varies according to barley variety, harvesting time, malting and mashing conditions, and a quality and type of unmalted raw material used in beer production. Brewer’s spent grain is lignocellulosic material rich in protein and fibre, which account for approximately 20 and 70% of its composition, respectively.

LSDS Development for Isotopic Fissile Assay in Spent Fuel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Yong Deok; Park, Chang Je; Park, Geun Il; Lee, Jung Won; Song, Kee Chan [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2011-07-01

As an option to reduce a spent fuel and reuse an existing fissile material in spent fuel, sodium fast reactor SFR program linked with pyro-processing is under development in KAERI. A uranium-TRU mixture through a pyro-process is used to fabricate SFR fuel. An assay of isotopic fissile content plays an important role in an optimum design of storage site and reuse of fissile materials of spent fuel. Lead slowing down spectrometer LSDS is being developed in KAERI to analyze isotopic fissile material content. LSDS has several features: direct fissile assay, near real time fissile assay, no influence from radiation background, fissile isotopic assay and applicable to spent fuel and recycled fuel. Based on the designed geometry, neutron energy resolution was investigated. The neutron energy spectrum was analyzed as well. Spent fuel emits large number of neutrons by spontaneous fission. Neutron generator must overcome the neutron background to get the pure fission signals from fissile materials. Neutron generator is planned to have compact system with one section electron linac which is easy maintenance, less cost and high neutron yield. The LSD has the power to resolve the fission characteristics from each fissile material. This feature can analyze the content of isotopic fissile. From 1keV to 0.1eV energy range, the energy resolution is enough to get the individual fissile fission signatures. The dominant fission signature is shown below 1eV for each fissile isotope. The neutron generation system with target was designed to get fission signals by fissile materials. The system was decided to overcome neutron backgrounds and to get good counting statistics. Finally, an accurate fissile material content will contribute to safety of spent fuel reuse in future nuclear energy system and optimum design of spent fuel storage site. Additionally, an accurate fissile material content will increase international transparence and credibility for the reuse of PWR spent fuel.

LSDS Development for Isotopic Fissile Assay in Spent Fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Yong Deok; Park, Chang Je; Park, Geun Il; Lee, Jung Won; Song, Kee Chan

2011-01-01

As an option to reduce a spent fuel and reuse an existing fissile material in spent fuel, sodium fast reactor SFR program linked with pyro-processing is under development in KAERI. A uranium-TRU mixture through a pyro-process is used to fabricate SFR fuel. An assay of isotopic fissile content plays an important role in an optimum design of storage site and reuse of fissile materials of spent fuel. Lead slowing down spectrometer LSDS is being developed in KAERI to analyze isotopic fissile material content. LSDS has several features: direct fissile assay, near real time fissile assay, no influence from radiation background, fissile isotopic assay and applicable to spent fuel and recycled fuel. Based on the designed geometry, neutron energy resolution was investigated. The neutron energy spectrum was analyzed as well. Spent fuel emits large number of neutrons by spontaneous fission. Neutron generator must overcome the neutron background to get the pure fission signals from fissile materials. Neutron generator is planned to have compact system with one section electron linac which is easy maintenance, less cost and high neutron yield. The LSD has the power to resolve the fission characteristics from each fissile material. This feature can analyze the content of isotopic fissile. From 1keV to 0.1eV energy range, the energy resolution is enough to get the individual fissile fission signatures. The dominant fission signature is shown below 1eV for each fissile isotope. The neutron generation system with target was designed to get fission signals by fissile materials. The system was decided to overcome neutron backgrounds and to get good counting statistics. Finally, an accurate fissile material content will contribute to safety of spent fuel reuse in future nuclear energy system and optimum design of spent fuel storage site. Additionally, an accurate fissile material content will increase international transparence and credibility for the reuse of PWR spent fuel

Development of spent fuel remote handling technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoon, Ji Sup; Park, B S; Park, Y S; Oh, S C; Kim, S H; Cho, M W; Hong, D H

1997-12-01

Since the nation`s policy on spent fuel management is not finalized, the technical items commonly required for safe management and recycling of spent fuel - remote technologies of transportation, inspection, maintenance, and disassembly of spent fuel - are selected and pursued. In this regards, the following R and D activities are carried out : collision free transportation of spent fuel assembly, mechanical disassembly of spent nuclear fuel and graphical simulation of fuel handling / disassembly process. (author). 36 refs., 16 tabs., 77 figs

Nuclear criticality safety studies applicable to spent fuel shipping cask designs and spent fuel storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tang, J.S.

1980-11-01

Criticality analyses of water-moderated and reflected arrays of LWR fresh and spent fuel assemblies were carried out in this study. The calculated results indicate that using the assumption of fresh fuel loading in spent fuel shipping cask design leads to assembly spacings which are about twice the spacings of spent fuel loadings. Some shipping cask walls of composite lead and water are more effective neutron reflectors than water of 30.48 cm

Comparison of the Amount of Time Spent on Computer Games and Aggressive Behavior in Male Middle School Students of Tehran

OpenAIRE

Mehrangiz Shoaa Kazemi; Zahra Shahabinezhad

2016-01-01

Background and Objectives: Modern technologies have a prominent role in adolescent's daily life. These technologies include specific cultural and moral patterns, which could be highly effective on adolescents. This research aimed at comparing the amount of time spent on computer games and aggressive behavior in male middle school students of Tehran. Materials and Methods: This study had a descriptive design. The study population included all male students of middle school of Tehran, and th...

Automatic Gamma-Scanning System for Measurement of Residual Heat in Spent Nuclear Fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Osifo, Otasowie

2007-03-01

In Sweden, spent nuclear fuel will be encapsulated and placed in a deep geological repository. In this procedure, reliable and accurate spent fuel data such as discharge burnup, cooling time and residual heat must be available. The gamma scanning method was proposed in earlier work as a fast and reliable method for the experimental determination of such spent fuel data. This thesis is focused on the recent achievements in the development of a pilot gamma scanning system and its application in measuring spent fuel residual heat. The achievements include the development of dedicated spectroscopic data-acquisition and analysis software and the use of a specially designed calorimeter for calibrating the gamma scanning system. The pilot system is described, including an evaluation of the performance of the spectrum analysis software. Also described are the gamma-scanning measurements on 31 spent PWR fuel assemblies performed using the pilot system. The results obtained for the determination of residual heat are presented, showing an agreement of (2-3) % with both calorimetric and calculated data. In addition, the ability to verify declared data such as discharge burnup and cooling time is demonstrated

Spent fuel transportation problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kondrat'ev, A.N.; Kosarev, Yu.A.; Yulikov, E.A.

1977-01-01

In this paper, problems of transportation of nuclear spent fuel to reprocessing plants are discussed. The solutions proposed are directed toward the achievement of the transportation as economic and safe as possible. The increase of the nuclear power plants number in the USSR and the great distances between these plants and the reprocessing plants involve an intensification of the spent fuel transportation. Higher burnup and holdup time reduction cause the necessity of more bulky casks. In this connection, the economic problems become still more important. One of the ways of the problem solution is the development of rational and cheap cask designs. Also, the enforcement in the world of the environmental and personnel health protection requires to increase the transportation reliability and safety. The paper summarizes safe transportation rules with clarifying the following questions: the increase of the transport unit quantity of the spent fuel; rational shipment organization that minimizes vehicle turnover cycle duration; development of the reliable calculation methods to determine strength, thermal conditions and nuclear safety of transport packaging as applied to the vehicles of high capacity; maximum unification of vehicles, calculation methods and documents; and cask testing on models and in pilot scale on specific test rigs to assure that they meet the international safe fuel shipment rules. Besides, some considerations on the choice and use of structural materials for casks are given, and problems of manufacturing such casks from uranium and lead are considered, as well as problems of the development of fireproof shells, control instrumentation, vehicles decontamination, etc. All the problems are considered from the point of view of normal and accidental shipment conditions. Conclusions are presented [ru

[Effects of crop tree release on stand growth and stand structure of Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation].

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Jian-qiang; Wang, Yi-xiang; Yang, Yi; Zhu, Ting-ting; Zhu, Xu-dan

2015-02-01

Crop trees were selected in a 26-year-old even-aged Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation in Lin' an, and compared in plots that were released and unreleased to examine growth and structure responses for 3 years after thinning. Crop tree release significantly increased the mean increments of diameter and volume of individual tree by 1.30 and 1.25 times relative to trees in control stands, respectively. The increments of diameter and volume of crop trees were significantly higher than those of general trees in thinning plots, crop trees and general trees in control plots, which suggested that the responses from different tree types to crop tree release treatment were different. Crop tree release increased the average distances of crop trees to the nearest neighboring trees, reducing competition among crop trees by about 68.2%. 3-year stand volume increment for thinning stands had no significant difference with that of control stands although the number of trees was only 81.5% of the control. Crop trees in thinned plots with diameters over than 14 cm reached 18.0% over 3 years, compared with 12.0% for trees without thinning, suggesting that crop tree release benefited the larger individual trees. The pattern of tree locations in thinning plots tended to be random, complying with the rule that tree distribution pattern changes with growth. Crop tree release in C. lanceolata plantation not only promoted the stand growth, but also optimized the stand structure, benefiting crop trees sustained rapid growth and larger diameter trees production.

German Approach to Spent Fuel Management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jussofie, A.; Graf, R.; Filbert, W.

2010-01-01

The management of spent fuel was based on two powerful columns until 30 June 2005, i. e. reprocessing and direct disposal. After this date any delivery of spent fuel to reprocessing plants was prohibited so that the direct disposal of unreprocessed spent fuel is the only available option in Germany today. The main steps of the current concept are: (i) Intermediate storage of spent fuel, which is the only step in practice. After the first cooling period in spent fuel storage pools it continues into cask-receiving dry storage facilities. Identification of casks, 'freezing' of inventories in terms of continuity of knowledge, monitoring the access to spent fuel, verifying nuclear material movements in terms of cask transfers and ensurance against diversion of nuclear material belong to the fundamental safeguards goals which have been achieved in the intermediate storage facilities by containment and surveillance techniques in unattended mode. (ii) Conditioning of spent fuel assemblies by separating the fuel rods from structural elements. Since the pilot conditioning facility in Gorleben has not yet come into operation, the underlying safeguards approach which focuses on safeguarding the key measurement points - the spent fuel related way in and out of the facility - has not been applied yet. (iii) Disposal in deep geological formations, but no decision has been made so far neither regarding the location of a geological repository nor regarding the safeguards approach for the disposal concept of spent fuel. The situation was complicated by a moratorium which suspended the underground exploration of the Gorleben salt dome as potential geological repository for spent fuel. The moratorium expires in October 2010. Nevertheless, considerable progress has been made in the development of disposal concepts. According to the basic, so-called POLLUX (registered) -concept spent fuel assemblies are to be conditioned after dry storage and reloaded into the POLLUX (registered) -cask

Storage of spent fuel from power reactors. Proceedings of a symposium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-07-01

The symposium gave an opportunity to exchange information on the state of the art and prospects of spent fuel storage, to discuss the worldwide situation and the major factors influencing the national policies in this field and to identify the most important directions that national efforts an international cooperation in this area should take. Dominant message retrieved from the symposium are that the primary spent fuel management solution for the next decades will be interim storage, the duration of time of interim storage becomes longer than earlier anticipated and the storage facilities will have to be designed for receiving also spent fuel from advanced fuel cycle practices (i.e. high burnup and MOX spent fuel). It was noted that the handling and storage of spent fuel is a mature technology and meets the stringent safety requirements applicable in different countries. The changes in nuclear policy and philosophy across the world, and practical considerations, have made interim storage a real necessity in the nuclear power industry. This is being addressed adequately by utilities, vendors and regulators alike

Storage of spent fuel from power reactors. Proceedings of a symposium

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-07-01

The symposium gave an opportunity to exchange information on the state of the art and prospects of spent fuel storage, to discuss the worldwide situation and the major factors influencing the national policies in this field and to identify the most important directions that national efforts an international cooperation in this area should take. Dominant message retrieved from the symposium are that the primary spent fuel management solution for the next decades will be interim storage, the duration of time of interim storage becomes longer than earlier anticipated and the storage facilities will have to be designed for receiving also spent fuel from advanced fuel cycle practices (i.e. high burnup and MOX spent fuel). It was noted that the handling and storage of spent fuel is a mature technology and meets the stringent safety requirements applicable in different countries. The changes in nuclear policy and philosophy across the world, and practical considerations, have made interim storage a real necessity in the nuclear power industry. This is being addressed adequately by utilities, vendors and regulators alike Refs, figs, tabs

Spent fuels transportation coming from Australia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2002-01-01

Maritime transportation of spent fuels from Australia to France fits into the contract between COGEMA and ANSTO, signed in 1999. This document proposes nine information cards in this domain: HIFAR a key tool of the nuclear, scientific and technological australian program; a presentation of the ANSTO Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization; the HIFAR spent fuel management problem; the COGEMA expertise in favor of the research reactor spent fuel; the spent fuel reprocessing at La Hague; the transports management; the transport safety (2 cards); the regulatory framework of the transports. (A.L.B.)

Safety analysis of spent fuel packaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akamatsu, Hiroshi; Taniuchi, Hiroaki; Tai, Hideto

1987-01-01

Many types of spent fuel packagings have been manufactured and been used for transport of spent fuels discharged from nuclear power plant. These spent fuel packagings need to be assesed thoroughly about safety transportation because spent fuels loaded into the packaging have high radioactivity and generation of heat. This paper explains the outline of safety analysis of a packaging, Safety analysis is performed for structural, thermal, containment, shielding and criticality factors, and MARC-CDC, TRUMP, ORIGEN, QAD, ANISN, KENO, etc computer codes are used for such analysis. (author)

Spent Fuel Working Group Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

O'Toole, T.

1993-11-01

The Department of Energy is storing large amounts of spent nuclear fuel and other reactor irradiated nuclear materials (herein referred to as RINM). In the past, the Department reprocessed RINM to recover plutonium, tritium, and other isotopes. However, the Department has ceased or is phasing out reprocessing operations. As a consequence, Department facilities designed, constructed, and operated to store RINM for relatively short periods of time now store RINM, pending decisions on the disposition of these materials. The extended use of the facilities, combined with their known degradation and that of their stored materials, has led to uncertainties about safety. To ensure that extended storage is safe (i.e., that protection exists for workers, the public, and the environment), the conditions of these storage facilities had to be assessed. The compelling need for such an assessment led to the Secretary's initiative on spent fuel, which is the subject of this report. This report comprises three volumes: Volume I; Summary Results of the Spent Fuel Working Group Evaluation; Volume II, Working Group Assessment Team Reports and Protocol; Volume III; Operating Contractor Site Team Reports. This volume presents the overall results of the Working Group's Evaluation. The group assessed 66 facilities spread across 11 sites. It identified: (1) facilities that should be considered for priority attention. (2) programmatic issues to be considered in decision making about interim storage plans and (3) specific vulnerabilities for some of these facilities

Stand tending and root rot in Norway spruce stands - economical effects caused by root rot at different thinning regimes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johansson, Mats

1997-01-01

This report is divided into three parts: 1) a literature study describing the most common fungi causing rot in wood and descriptions of various strategies to reduce economic loss from root rot, 2) a check of a model describing the development of butt rot in pure Norway spruce plantations in southern Sweden, and 3) simulated economic effects of root rot in stands with various stand tending. The rot model was used to estimate future rot frequencies in the economic calculations. In order to avoid overestimations of rot frequencies, the calculations were also executed when assuming slower growth of rot than shown in the model. When analysing the economical effects of rot, the following three thinning programmes were used: Program 1: thinning at the ages of 30- and 45 years. Final felling at the ages 50-, 55-, 60-, 65-, and 70 years. Program 2: thinning at the ages of 40- and 60- years. Final felling at the ages 65 and 75 years. Program 3: thinning at the ages of 30-, 40-, 55-, and 70 years. Final felling at the ages 80 and 90 years. With an interest rate of 3%, programme 2 (final felling at the age of 65 years) had the highest value at present. This result was valid when presuming butt rot in the stand as well as when presuming no butt rot in the stand. There was a small difference between the value at present in programme 1 (final felling at the age of 60 years) and in programme 3 (final felling at the age of 80 years). When presuming butt rot in the stand, the value at present in programme 3 decreased somewhat more in comparison to the value at present in programme 1. Compared to no butt rot in the stand, the optimal final felling time appeared five to ten years earlier when assuming butt rot in the stand. Stand tending programme 1 and an interest rate of 3% were used. Interest rates 2 and 4% did not indicate shorter rotation. The calculated optimal time of final felling appeared at the same stand age whether assuming rot preset or not. The results in this study

Drive Stands

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — The Electrical Systems Laboratory (ESL)houses numerous electrically driven drive stands. A drive stand consists of an electric motor driving a gearbox and a mounting...

Spent nuclear fuel disposal liability insurance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martin, D.W.

1984-01-01

This thesis examines the social efficiency of nuclear power when the risks of accidental releases of spent fuel radionuclides from a spent fuel disposal facility are considered. The analysis consists of two major parts. First, a theoretical economic model of the use of nuclear power including the risks associated with releases of radionuclides from a disposal facility is developed. Second, the costs of nuclear power, including the risks associated with a radionuclide release, are empirically compared to the costs of fossil fuel-fired generation of electricity. Under the provisions of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, the federally owned and operated spent nuclear fuel disposal facility is not required to maintain a reserve fund to cover damages from an accidental radionuclide release. Thus, the risks of a harmful radionuclide release are not included in the spent nuclear fuel disposal fee charged to the electric utilities. Since the electric utilities do not pay the full, social costs of spent fuel disposal, they use nuclear fuel in excess of the social optimum. An insurance mechanism is proposed to internalize the risks associated with spent fueled disposal. Under this proposal, the Federal government is required to insure the disposal facility against any liabilities arising from accidental releases of spent fuel radionuclides

Determination of prerequisites for the estimation of transportation cost of spent fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Heui Joo; Lee, Jong Youl; Kim, Seong Ki; Cha, Jeong Hoon; Choi, Jong Won

2007-10-01

The cost for the spent fuel management includes the costs for the interim storage, the transportation, and the permanent disposal of the spent fuels. The scope of this report is limited to the cost for the spent fuel transportation. KAERI is developing a cost estimation method for the spent fuel transportation through a joint study with the French AREVA TN. Several prerequisites should be fixed in order to estimate the cost for the spent fuel transportation properly. In this report we produced them considering the Korean current status on the management of spent fuels. The representative characteristics of a spent fuel generated from the six nuclear reactors at the YG site were determined. Total 7,200 tons of spent fuels are projected with the lifespan of 60 years. As the transportation mode, sea transportation and road transportation is recommended considering the location of the YG site and the hypothetical Centralized Interim Storage Facility (CISF) and Final Repository (FR). The sea route and transportation time were analyzed by using a sea distance analysis program which the NORI (National Oceanographic Research Institute) supplies on a web. Based on the results of the analysis, the shipping rates were determined. The regulations related to the spent fuel transportation were reviewed. The characteristics of the transportation vessel and a trailer were suggested. The handling and transportation systems at the YG site, Centralized Interim Storage Facility, and the Final Repository were described in detail for the purpose of the cost estimation of the spent fuel transportation. From the detail description the major components of the transportation system were determined for the conceptual design. It is believed that the conceptual design of the transportation system developed in this report will be used for the analysis of transportation logistics and the cost estimation of spent fuels

Near surface spent fuel storage: environmental issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nelson, I.C.; Shipler, D.B.; McKee, R.W.; Glenn, R.D.

1979-01-01

Interim storage of spent fuel appears inevitable because of the lack of reprocessing plants and spent fuel repositories. This paper examines the environmental issues potentially associated with management of spent fuel before disposal or reprocessing in a reference scenario. The radiological impacts of spent fuel storage are limited to low-level releases of noble gases and iodine. Water needed for water basin storage of spent fuel and transportation accidents are considered; the need to minimize the distance travelled is pointed out. Resource commitments for construction of the storage facilities are analyzed

Spent Fuel Management Newsletter. No. 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-03-01

This Newsletter has been prepared in accordance with the recommendations of the International Regular Advisory Group on Spent Fuel Management and the Agency's programme (GC XXXII/837, Table 76, item 14). The main purpose of the Newsletter is to provide Member States with new information about the state-of-the-art in one of the most important parts of the nuclear fuel cycle - Spent Fuel Management. The contents of this publication consists of two parts: (1) IAEA Secretariat contribution -work and programme of the Nuclear Materials and Fuel Cycle Technology Section of the Division of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Management, recent and planned meetings and publications, Technical Co-operation projects, Co-ordinated Research programmes, etc. (2) Country reports - national programmes on spent fuel management: current and planned storage and reprocessing capacities, spent fuel arisings, safety, transportation, storage, treatment of spent fuel, some aspects of uranium and plutonium recycling, etc. The IAEA expects to publish the Newsletter once every two years between the publications of the Regular Advisory Group on Spent Fuel Management. Figs and tabs

Spent Nuclear Fuel project, project management plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fuquay, B.J.

1995-01-01

The Hanford Spent Nuclear Fuel Project has been established to safely store spent nuclear fuel at the Hanford Site. This Project Management Plan sets forth the management basis for the Spent Nuclear Fuel Project. The plan applies to all fabrication and construction projects, operation of the Spent Nuclear Fuel Project facilities, and necessary engineering and management functions within the scope of the project

Methodology for determining criteria for storing spent fuel in air

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reid, C.R.; Gilbert, E.R.

1986-11-01

Dry storage in an air atmosphere is a method being considered for spent light water reactor (LWR) fuel as an alternative to storage in an inert gas environment. However, methods to predict fuel integrity based on oxidation behavior of the fuel first must be evaluated. The linear cumulative damage method has been proposed as a technique for defining storage criteria. Analysis of limited nonconstant temperature data on nonirradiated fuel samples indicates that this approach yields conservative results for a strictly decreasing-temperature history. On the other hand, the description of damage accumulation in terms of remaining life concepts provides a more general framework for making predictions of failure. Accordingly, a methodology for adapting remaining life concepts to UO 2 oxidation has been developed at Pacific Northwest Laboratory. Both the linear cumulative damage and the remaining life methods were used to predict oxidation results for spent fuel in which the temperature was decreased with time to simulate the temperature history in a dry storage cask. The numerical input to the methods was based on oxidation data generated with nonirradiated UO 2 pellets. The calculated maximum allowable storage temperatures are strongly dependent on the temperature-time profile and emphasize the conservatism inherent in the linear cumulative damage model. Additional nonconstant temperature data for spent fuel are needed to both validate the proposed methods and to predict temperatures applicable to actual spent fuel storage

A Monte Carlo Based Spent Fuel Analysis Safeguards Strategy Assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fensin, Michael L.; Tobin, Stephen J.; Swinhoe, Martyn T.; Menlove, Howard O.; Sandoval, Nathan P. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, E540, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States)

2009-06-15

Safeguarding nuclear material involves the detection of diversions of significant quantities of nuclear materials, and the deterrence of such diversions by the risk of early detection. There are a variety of motivations for quantifying plutonium in spent fuel assemblies by means of nondestructive assay (NDA) including the following: strengthening the capabilities of the International Atomic Energy Agencies ability to safeguards nuclear facilities, shipper/receiver difference, input accountability at reprocessing facilities and burnup credit at repositories. Many NDA techniques exist for measuring signatures from spent fuel; however, no single NDA technique can, in isolation, quantify elemental plutonium and other actinides of interest in spent fuel. A study has been undertaken to determine the best integrated combination of cost effective techniques for characterizing Pu mass in spent fuel for nuclear safeguards. A standardized assessment process was developed to compare the effective merits and faults of 12 different detection techniques in order to integrate a few techniques and to down-select among the techniques in preparation for experiments. The process involves generating a basis burnup/enrichment/cooling time dependent spent fuel assembly library, determining and identifying limiting diversion scenarios, developing detector models and quantifying the capability of each NDA technique. Because hundreds of input and output files must be managed in the couplings of data transitions for the different facets of the assessment process, a graphical user interface (GUI) was development that automates the process. This GUI allows users to visually create diversion scenarios with varied replacement materials, and generate a MCNPX fixed source detector assessment input file. The end result of the assembly library assessment is to select a set of common source terms and diversion scenarios for quantifying the capability of each of the 12 NDA techniques. We present here

A Monte Carlo based spent fuel analysis safeguards strategy assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fensin, Michael L.; Tobin, Stephen J.; Swinhoe, Martyn T.; Menlove, Howard O.; Sandoval, Nathan P.

2009-01-01

Safeguarding nuclear material involves the detection of diversions of significant quantities of nuclear materials, and the deterrence of such diversions by the risk of early detection. There are a variety of motivations for quantifying plutonium in spent fuel assemblies by means of nondestructive assay (NDA) including the following: strengthening the capabilities of the International Atomic Energy Agencies ability to safeguards nuclear facilities, shipper/receiver difference, input accountability at reprocessing facilities and burnup credit at repositories. Many NDA techniques exist for measuring signatures from spent fuel; however, no single NDA technique can, in isolation, quantify elemental plutonium and other actinides of interest in spent fuel. A study has been undertaken to determine the best integrated combination of cost effective techniques for quantifying plutonium mass in spent fuel for nuclear safeguards. A standardized assessment process was developed to compare the effective merits and faults of 12 different detection techniques in order to integrate a few techniques and to down-select among the techniques in preparation for experiments. The process involves generating a basis burnup/enrichment/cooling time dependent spent fuel assembly library, creating diversion scenarios, developing detector models and quantifying the capability of each NDA technique. Because hundreds of input and output files must be managed in the couplings of data transitions for the different facets of the assessment process, a graphical user interface (GUI) was development that automates the process. This GUI allows users to visually create diversion scenarios with varied replacement materials, and generate a MCNPX fixed source detector assessment input file. The end result of the assembly library assessment is to select a set of common source terms and diversion scenarios for quantifying the capability of each of the 12 NDA techniques. We present here the generalized

The ambiguity of standing in standing devices: a qualitative interview study concerning children and parents experiences of the use of standing devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Nordström, Birgitta; Näslund, Annika; Ekenberg, Lilly; Zingmark, Karin

2014-10-01

The aim of this study was to describe children's and parents' experiences of the significance of standing in a standing device. Individual interviews were performed with six children/teenagers (aged 7-19 years) and 14 parents. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using a qualitative content analysis. The analysis resulted in the major theme, the duality of uprightness and the related themes: (1) the instrumental dimension of standing; (2) the social dimension of standing; and (3) the ambivalent dimension of standing. Each of the themes comprised several subthemes. There is an inherent duality related to the use of a standing device. Standing in a standing device was seen as a treatment of body structures and functions, as well as a possible source of pain. Standing was considered to influence freedom in activities and participation both positively and negatively. The parents experienced that standing influenced other peoples' views of their child, while the children experienced standing as a way to extend the body and as something that gave them benefits in some activities. Physiotherapists working with children should take into account both the social and physical dimensions of using a standing device and consider both the child's and the parents' views.

Method for calculating the duration of vacuum drying of a metal-concrete container for spent nuclear fuel

Science.gov (United States)

Karyakin, Yu. E.; Nekhozhin, M. A.; Pletnev, A. A.

2013-07-01

A method for calculating the quantity of moisture in a metal-concrete container in the process of its charging with spent nuclear fuel is proposed. A computing method and results obtained by it for conservative estimation of the time of vacuum drying of a container charged with spent nuclear fuel by technologies with quantization and without quantization of the lower fuel element cluster are presented. It has been shown that the absence of quantization in loading spent fuel increases several times the time of vacuum drying of the metal-concrete container.

Fact sheet on spent fuel management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-01-01

The IAEA gives high priority to safe and effective spent fuel management. As an example of continuing efforts, the 2003 International Conference on Storage of Spent Fuel from Power Reactors gathered 125 participants from 35 member states to exchange information on this important subject. With its large number of Member States, the IAEA is well-positioned to gather and share information useful in addressing Member State priorities. IAEA activities on this topic include plans to produce technical documents as resources for a range of priority topics: spent fuel performance assessment and research, burnup credit applications, cask maintenance, cask loading optimization, long term storage requirements including records maintenance, economics, spent fuel treatment, remote technology, and influence of fuel design on spent fuel storage. In addition to broader topics, the IAEA supports coordinated research projects and technical cooperation projects focused on specific needs. The proceedings of the 2003 IAEA conference on storage of spent fuel from power reactors has been ranked in the top twenty most accessed IAEA publications. These proceedings are available for free downloads at http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PubDetails.asp?pubId=6924]. The IAEA organized and held a 2004 meeting focused on long term spent fuel storage provisions in Central and Eastern Europe, using technical cooperation funds to support participation by these Member States. Over ninety percent of the participants in this meeting rated its value as good or excellent, with participants noting that the IAEA is having a positive effect in stimulating communication, cooperation, and information dissemination on this important topic. The IAEA was advised in 2004 that results from a recent coordinated research project (IAEA-TECDOC-1343) were used by one Member State to justify higher clad temperatures for spent fuel in dry storage, leading to more efficient storage and reduced costs. Long term

Possibility for dry storage of the WWR-K reactor spent fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arinkin, F.M.; Belyakova, E.A.; Gizatulin, Sh.Kh.; Khromushin, I.V.; Koltochik, S.N.; Maltseva, R.M.; Medvedeva, Z.V.; Petukhov, V.K.; Soloviev, Yu.A.; Zhotabaev, Zh.R.

2000-01-01

This work is devoted to development of the way for dry storage of spent fuel of the WWR-K reactor. Residual energy release in spent fuel element assembly was determined via fortune combination of calculations and experiments. The depth of fission product occurrence relative to the fuel element shroud surface was found experimentally. The time of fission product release to the fuel element shroud surface was estimated. (author)

PWR and BWR spent fuel assembly gamma spectra measurements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vaccaro, S. [European Commission, DG Energy, Directorate EURATOM Safeguards Luxembourg (Luxembourg); Tobin, S.J.; Favalli, A. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM (United States); Grogan, B. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge (United States); Jansson, P. [Uppsala University, Uppsala (Sweden); Liljenfeldt, H. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge (United States); Mozin, V. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA (United States); Hu, J. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge (United States); Schwalbach, P. [European Commission, DG Energy, Directorate EURATOM Safeguards Luxembourg (Luxembourg); Sjöland, A. [Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company (SKB) (Sweden); Trellue, H.; Vo, D. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2016-10-11

A project to research the application of nondestructive assay (NDA) to spent fuel assemblies is underway. The research team comprises the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM), embodied by the European Commission, DG Energy, Directorate EURATOM Safeguards; the Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company (SKB); two universities; and several United States national laboratories. The Next Generation of Safeguards Initiative–Spent Fuel project team is working to achieve the following technical goals more easily and efficiently than in the past using nondestructive assay measurements of spent fuel assemblies: (1) verify the initial enrichment, burnup, and cooling time of facility declaration; (2) detect the diversion or replacement of pins, (3) estimate the plutonium mass, (4) estimate the decay heat, and (5) determine the reactivity of spent fuel assemblies. This study focuses on spectrally resolved gamma-ray measurements performed on a diverse set of 50 assemblies [25 pressurized water reactor (PWR) assemblies and 25 boiling water reactor (BWR) assemblies]; these same 50 assemblies will be measured with neutron-based NDA instruments and a full-length calorimeter. Given that encapsulation/repository and dry storage safeguards are the primarily intended applications, the analysis focused on the dominant gamma-ray lines of {sup 137}Cs, {sup 154}Eu, and {sup 134}Cs because these isotopes will be the primary gamma-ray emitters during the time frames of interest to these applications. This study addresses the impact on the measured passive gamma-ray signals due to the following factors: burnup, initial enrichment, cooling time, assembly type (eight different PWR and six different BWR fuel designs), presence of gadolinium rods, and anomalies in operating history. To compare the measured results with theory, a limited number of ORIGEN-ARP simulations were performed.

Compact approach to long-term monitored retrievable storage of spent fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muir, D.W.

1986-01-01

We examine a new approach to monitored retrievable storage (MRS) that is extremely compact in terms of total land use and may offer increased security and reduced environmental impact, relative to current designs. This approach involves embedding the spent fuel assemblies in monolithic blocks of metallic aluminum. While this would clearly require increased effort in the spent-fuel packaging phase, it would offer in return the above-mentioned environmental advantages, plus the option of easily extending the surface-storage time scale from several years to several decades if a need for longer storage times should arise in the future

Effects of alpha-decay on spent fuel corrosion behaviour

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wiss, T.; Rondinella, V.V.; Cobos, J.; Wegen, D.H.; Amme, M.; Ronchi, C.

2004-01-01

An overview of results in the area of spent fuel characterization as nuclear waste is presented. These studies are focused on primary aspects of spent fuel corrosion, by considering different fuel compositions and burn ups, as well as a wide set of environmental conditions. The key parameter is the storage time of the fuel e.g. in view of spent fuel retrieval or in view of its final disposal. To extrapolate data obtainable from a laboratory-acceptable timescale to those expected after storage periods of interest have elapsed (amounting in the extreme case to geological ages) is a tough challenge. Emphasis is put on key aspects of fuel corrosion related to fuel properties at a given age and environmental conditions expected in the repository: e.g. the fuel activity (radiolysis effects), the effects of helium build-up and of groundwater composition. A wide range of techniques, from traditional leaching experiments to advanced electrochemistry, and of materials, including spent fuel with different compositions/burnups and analogues like the so-called alpha-doped UO 2 , are employed for these studies. The results confirm the safety of European underground repository concepts. (authors)

Qualitative and quantitative characteristics of fission products in spent nuclear fuel from RBMK-type reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adlys, G.; Adliene, D.

2002-01-01

Well-known empirical models or experimental instruments and methods for the estimation of fission product yields do not allow prediction of the behavior and evaluation of the time-dependent qualitative and quantitative characteristics of all fission products in spent nuclear fuel during long-term storage. Several computer codes were developed in different countries to solve this problem. French codes APOLLO1 and PEPIN were used in this work for modeling the characteristics of spent nuclear fuel in the RBMK reactor. The modeling results of qualitative and quantitative characteristics of long-lived fission products for different cooling periods of spent nuclear fuel, including 50-year cooling period, are presented in this paper. The 50-year cooling period conforms to the foreseen time of storage of spent nuclear fuel in CONSTOR and CASTOR casks at the Ignalina NPP. These results correlate well with evaluated quantities for the well-known yields of the nuclides and could be used for the compilation of the database for long-lived fission products in spent nuclear fuel from the RBMK-type reactor. They allow one to predict and to solve effectively safety problems concerning with long-term spent nuclear fuel storage in casks. (author)

Measurement and account method for the available standing time of a smoke screen applying the diffusion equation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen-Guang, Zhu; Gong-Pei, Pan; Xiao-Yun, Wu; Hua, Guan [308, School of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, 210094 (China)

2006-06-15

The available shielding area of a smoke screen is an important parameter to evaluate its protection capability. It varies with time according to a parabola equation, which could be obtained by the diffusion equation and a few measured data. The available standing time which could satisfy the request of rating area can be calculated. The process of deriving the equation, the experimental procedure and the method of data collecting and processing is presented in detail in this paper. The calculated result is compared with engineering experience to verify the method. (Abstract Copyright [2006], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Early development of postural adjustments in standing with and without support

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hedberg, Asa; Schmitz, Christina; Forssberg, Hans; Hadders-Algra, Mijna

This study investigates the early development of postural adjustments during external perturbations in two different standing positions: standing with support and standing without support. The aim of the study was to assess a group of 13 infants four times during the period in life when independent

Spent Fuel in Chile

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

López Lizana, F.

2015-01-01

The government has made a complete and serious study of many different aspects and possible road maps for nuclear electric power with strong emphasis on safety and energy independence. In the study, the chapter of SFM has not been a relevant issue at this early stage due to the fact that it has been left for later implementation stage. This paper deals with the options Chile might consider in managing its Spent Fuel taking into account foreign experience and factors related to safety, economics, public acceptance and possible novel approaches in spent fuel treatment. The country’s distinctiveness and past experience in this area taking into account that Chile has two research reactors which will have an influence in the design of the Spent Fuel option. (author)

Storage of spent fuel from power reactors. 2003 conference proceedings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-01-01

An International Conference on Storage of Spent Fuel from Power Reactors was organized by the IAEA in co-operation with the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency. The conference gave an opportunity to exchange information on the state of the art and prospects of spent fuel storage, to discuss the worldwide situation and the major factors influencing the national policies in this field and to identify the most important directions that national efforts and international co-operation in this area should take. The conference confirmed that the primary spent fuel management solution for the next decades will be interim storage. While the next step can be reprocessing or disposal, all spent fuel or high level waste from reprocessing must sooner or later be disposed of. The duration of interim storage is now expected to be much longer than earlier projections (up to 100 years and beyond). The storage facilities will have to be designed for these longer storage times and also for receiving spent fuel from advanced fuel cycle practices (i.e. high burnup and MOX spent fuel). It was noted that the handling and storage of spent fuel is a mature technology and meets the stringent safety requirements applicable in the different countries. The changes in nuclear policy and philosophy across the world, and practical considerations, have made storage a real necessity in the nuclear power industry. Utilities, vendors and regulators alike are addressing this adequately. The IAEA wishes to express appreciation to all chairs and co-chairs as well as all authors for their presentations to the conference and papers included in these proceedings

Storage of spent fuel from power reactors. 2003 conference proceedings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2003-10-01

An International Conference on Storage of Spent Fuel from Power Reactors was organized by the IAEA in co-operation with the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency. The conference gave an opportunity to exchange information on the state of the art and prospects of spent fuel storage, to discuss the worldwide situation and the major factors influencing the national policies in this field and to identify the most important directions that national efforts and international co-operation in this area should take. The conference confirmed that the primary spent fuel management solution for the next decades will be interim storage. While the next step can be reprocessing or disposal, all spent fuel or high level waste from reprocessing must sooner or later be disposed of. The duration of interim storage is now expected to be much longer than earlier projections (up to 100 years and beyond). The storage facilities will have to be designed for these longer storage times and also for receiving spent fuel from advanced fuel cycle practices (i.e. high burnup and MOX spent fuel). It was noted that the handling and storage of spent fuel is a mature technology and meets the stringent safety requirements applicable in the different countries. The changes in nuclear policy and philosophy across the world, and practical considerations, have made storage a real necessity in the nuclear power industry. Utilities, vendors and regulators alike are addressing this adequately. The IAEA wishes to express appreciation to all chairs and co-chairs as well as all authors for their presentations to the conference and papers included in these proceedings.

Assessment of spent fuel cooling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ibarra, J.G.; Jones, W.R.; Lanik, G.F.

1997-01-01

The paper presents the methodology, the findings, and the conclusions of a study that was done by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Office for Analysis and Evaluation of Operational Data (AEOD) on loss of spent fuel pool cooling. The study involved an examination of spent fuel pool designs, operating experience, operating practices, and procedures. AEOD's work was augmented in the area of statistics and probabilistic risk assessment by experts from the Idaho Nuclear Engineering Laboratory. Operating experience was integrated into a probabilistic risk assessment to gain insight on the risks from spent fuel pools

Advancing the Fork detector for quantitative spent nuclear fuel verification

Science.gov (United States)

Vaccaro, S.; Gauld, I. C.; Hu, J.; De Baere, P.; Peterson, J.; Schwalbach, P.; Smejkal, A.; Tomanin, A.; Sjöland, A.; Tobin, S.; Wiarda, D.

2018-04-01

The Fork detector is widely used by the safeguards inspectorate of the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to verify spent nuclear fuel. Fork measurements are routinely performed for safeguards prior to dry storage cask loading. Additionally, spent fuel verification will be required at the facilities where encapsulation is performed for acceptance in the final repositories planned in Sweden and Finland. The use of the Fork detector as a quantitative instrument has not been prevalent due to the complexity of correlating the measured neutron and gamma ray signals with fuel inventories and operator declarations. A spent fuel data analysis module based on the ORIGEN burnup code was recently implemented to provide automated real-time analysis of Fork detector data. This module allows quantitative predictions of expected neutron count rates and gamma units as measured by the Fork detectors using safeguards declarations and available reactor operating data. This paper describes field testing of the Fork data analysis module using data acquired from 339 assemblies measured during routine dry cask loading inspection campaigns in Europe. Assemblies include both uranium oxide and mixed-oxide fuel assemblies. More recent measurements of 50 spent fuel assemblies at the Swedish Central Interim Storage Facility for Spent Nuclear Fuel are also analyzed. An evaluation of uncertainties in the Fork measurement data is performed to quantify the ability of the data analysis module to verify operator declarations and to develop quantitative go/no-go criteria for safeguards verification measurements during cask loading or encapsulation operations. The goal of this approach is to provide safeguards inspectors with reliable real-time data analysis tools to rapidly identify discrepancies in operator declarations and to detect potential partial defects in spent fuel assemblies with improved reliability and minimal false positive alarms

Spent fuel storage process equipment development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Hyun Soo; Lee, Jae Sol; Yoo, Jae Hyung

1990-02-01

Nuclear energy which is a major energy source of national energy supply entails spent fuels. Spent fuels which are high level radioactive meterials, are tricky to manage and need high technology. The objectives of this study are to establish and develop key elements of spent fuel management technologies: handling equipment and maintenance, process automation technology, colling system, and cleanup system. (author)

Device for removing a spent reactor core instrument tube

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watanabe, Shigeru; Tsuji, Teruaki.

1980-01-01

Purpose: To easily and exactly execute works for removing a used reactor core instrument tube to be mounted in a reactor core from the lattice space of the core or for charging the tube into the lattice of the core. Constitution: When fuel assembly is pulled out of a reactor core and a spent reactor core instrument tube is then bent and removed from the core at periodical inspection time, a lower gripping unit integral with an upper gripping unit and a bending unit is provided at the lower end of a hanging rope of a winch, and lowered to the reactor core. Then, the spent reactor core instrument tube is gripped by the upper and lower gripping units, the bending unit is operated, the spent reactor core instrument tube is bent, and the tube is then pulled upwardly by the winch to remove the tube. (Aizawa, K.)

Depth-Based Detection of Standing-Pigs in Moving Noise Environments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jinseong Kim

2017-11-01

Full Text Available In a surveillance camera environment, the detection of standing-pigs in real-time is an important issue towards the final goal of 24-h tracking of individual pigs. In this study, we focus on depth-based detection of standing-pigs with “moving noises”, which appear every night in a commercial pig farm, but have not been reported yet. We first apply a spatiotemporal interpolation technique to remove the moving noises occurring in the depth images. Then, we detect the standing-pigs by utilizing the undefined depth values around them. Our experimental results show that this method is effective for detecting standing-pigs at night, in terms of both cost-effectiveness (using a low-cost Kinect depth sensor and accuracy (i.e., 94.47%, even with severe moving noises occluding up to half of an input depth image. Furthermore, without any time-consuming technique, the proposed method can be executed in real-time.

Stand and within-stand factors influencing Golden-winged Warbler use of regenerating stands in the central Appalachian Mountains

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marja H. Bakermans

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera is currently being considered for protected status under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. The creation of breeding habitat in the Appalachian Mountains is considered a conservation priority for this songbird, which is dependent on extensively forested landscapes with adequate availability of young forest. We modeled abundance of Golden-winged Warbler males in regenerating harvested forest stands that were 0-17 years postharvest at both mid-Appalachian and northeast Pennsylvania regional scales using stand and within-stand characteristics of 222 regenerating stands, 2010-2011. Variables that were most influential at the mid-Appalachian scale were different than those in the northeast region. Across the mid-Appalachian ecoregion, the proportion of young forest cover, i.e., shrub/scrub cover, within 1 km of regenerating stands best explained abundance of Golden-winged Warblers. Golden-winged Warbler response was best explained by a concave quadratic relationship in which abundance was highest with 5-15% land in young forest cover. We also found evidence that the amount of herbaceous cover, i.e., the amount of grasses and forbs, within a regenerating stand positively influenced abundance of Golden-winged Warblers. In northeastern Pennsylvania, where young forest cover is found in high proportions, the distance to the nearest regenerating stand best explained variation in abundance of Golden-winged Warblers. Abundance of Golden-winged Warblers was 1500 m away. When modeling within-stand features in the northeast region, many of the models were closely ranked, indicating that multiple variables likely explained Golden-winged Warbler response to within-stand conditions. Based on our findings, we have proposed several management guidelines for land managers interested in creating breeding habitat for Golden-winged Warblers using commercial timber operations. For example, we recommend when managing for

Assessment of decay in standing timber using stress wave timing nondestructive evaluation tools : a guide for use and interpretation

Science.gov (United States)

Xiping Wang; Ferenc Divos; Crystal Pilon; Brian K. Brashaw; Robert J. Ross; Roy F. Pellerin

2004-01-01

This guide was prepared to assist field foresters in the use of stress wave timing instruments to locate and define areas of decay in standing timber. The first three sections provide background information, the principles of stress wave nondestructive testing, and measurement techniques for stress wave nondestructive testing. The last section is a detailed description...

Discount rate in the spent fuel storage and disposal fee

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Forster, J.D.; Cohen, S.

1980-04-01

After introducing the financial analyses, discount rates, and interest rates involved, the study discusses existing government guidelines for establishing charges for any service provided by the government to be paid by users of those services. Three current government user charges are analyzed including specifically their interest rate policies and how these charges provide precedent for the spent fuel acceptance and disposal fee: uranium enrichment services, the sale of electric power, and the delivery of experiments to orbit by the NASA Space Shuttle. The current DOE policy regarding this storage and disposal fee is stated and discussed. Features of this policy include: the full government cost is borne by users of the services provided; the fee is established and due in full at the time of spent fuel delivery; and the fee is adjusted when spent fuel is transferred from the AFR to the repository. Four evaluation criteria for use in analyzing the applications of discount rates in the spent fuel acceptance fee calculation are discussed. Three outstanding issues are discussed

Spent fuel and materials performance in wet and dry storage

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zuloaga, P [ENRESA (Spain)

2012-07-01

According to the 6th General Radioactive Waste Plan, spent fuel in Spain shall have to be gathered in a Centralised Temporary Storage (CTS) during some decades in order to have time for a decision concerning its final fate: direct disposal at a geological repository or partitioning and transmutation if technology opens this possibility when the decision will be taken, expected in 2050. The CTS technology has already been chosen as a vault type building based in spent fuel dry storage. To support the use of this technology, a number of programmes have been completed or are still in progress, mostly concerned about high burnup fuel issues and new cladding materials. These programmes are directly managed by ENRESA alone or in joint venture with other parties, at a national and international level. Apart from that, there are contacts with other countries organisms who share similar interests with Spanish ones. The objectives are: Review of spent fuel data relevant for future storage in Spain; Perform destructive and non-destructive examinations on irradiated and non-irradiated fuel rods relevant to Spanish spent fuel management.

Burnup credit feasibility for BWR spent fuel shipments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Broadhead, B.L.

1990-01-01

Considerable interest in the allowance of reactivity credit for the exposure history of power reactor fuel currently exists. This ''burnup credit'' issue has the potential to greatly reduce risk and cost when applied to the design and certification of spent of fuel casks used for transportation and storage. Analyses 1 have shown the feasibility estimated the risk and economic incentives for allowing burnup credit in pressurized water reactor (PWR) spent fuel shipping cask applications. This paper summarizes the extension of the previous PWR feasibility assessments to boiling water reactor (BWR) fuel. As with the PWR analysis, the purpose was not verification of burnup credit (see ref. 2 for ongoing work in this area) but a reasonable assessment of the feasibility and potential gains from its use in BWR applications. This feasibility analysis aims to apply simple methods that adequately characterize the time-dependent isotopic compositions of typical BWR fuel. An initial analysis objective was to identify a simple and reliable method for characterizing BWR spent fuel. The method includes characterization of a typical pin-cell spectrum, using a one-dimensional (1-D) model of a BWR assembly. The calculated spectrum allows burnup-dependent few-group material constants to be generated. Point depletion methods were then used to obtain the time-varying characteristics of the fuel. These simple methods were validated, where practical, with multidimensional methods. 6 refs., 1 tab

Harvesting systems for western stand health improvement cuttings

Science.gov (United States)

Bruce R. Hartsough; Bryce J. Stokes; Joseph F. McNeel; William F. Watson

1995-01-01

A significant percentage of the forested area in the western United States is comprised of stands that have been altered over time by human activities, especially fire suppression, and are now being damaged by droughts, insect attacks, and wildfires. These stands should be returned to a condition where "biotic and abiotic influences do not threaten resource...

Assessing behavior in Aseel pullets under free-range, part-time free-range, and cage system during growing phase.

Science.gov (United States)

Rehman, M S; Mahmud, A; Mehmood, S; Pasha, T N; Khan, M T; Hussain, J

2018-03-01

The objective of this study was to explore the effects of free-range (FR), part-time free-range (PTFR), and cage system (CS) on behavioral repertoire in Lakha (LK), Mushki (MS), Peshawari (PW), and Sindhi (SN) varieties of Aseel chicken during the growing phase (9 to 18 wk of age). In total, 144 Aseel pullets were allotted to 12 treatment groups in a 3 × 4 (rearing system × Aseel variety) factorial arrangement, according to a randomized complete block design (RCBD). Each treatment group was replicated 3 times with 4 birds in each replicate (12 birds per treatment group). The pullets were randomly marked weekly for identification, and their behavior was observed through the focal animal sampling method. Time spent on different behavioral activities was recorded and converted to a percentage. The data were analyzed using 2-way ANOVA under a factorial arrangement using SAS 9.1, and the behavioral parameters were evaluated. The results indicated greater (P < 0.05) sitting, standing, drinking, preening, and aggressiveness in CS; walking, running, and jumping in PTFR; and foraging and dustbathing in both FR and PTFR, whereas feather pecking was found to be reduced in FR compared with PTFR and CS. Among varieties, PW showed the least feeding/foraging and feather pecking behavior, and greater standing, running, and jumping behavior (P < 0.05). However, SN spent less time in walking and preening, and more time in sitting, drinking, and aggressiveness. Dustbathing was found to be similar in all Aseel varieties (P = 0.135). In conclusion, the PTFR system could be suggested as a substitute for conventional housing systems because it better accommodates normal behavior in Aseel pullets.

Overview of spent fuel management and problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ritchie, I.G.; Ernst, P.C.

1998-01-01

Results compiled in the research reactor spent fuel database are used to assess the status of research reactor spent fuel worldwide. Fuel assemblies, their types, enrichment, origin of enrichment and geological distribution among the industrialized and developed countries of the world are discussed. Fuel management practices in wet and dry storage facilities and the concerns of reactor operators about long-term storage of their spent fuel are presented and some of the activities carried out by the International Atomic Energy Agency to address the issues associated with research reactor spent fuel are outlined. Some projections of spent fuel inventories to the year 2006 are presented and discussed. (author)

Robotic Spent Fuel Monitoring – It is time to improve old approaches and old techniques!

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tobin, Stephen Joseph [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Dasari, Venkateswara Rao [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Trellue, Holly Renee [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2016-12-13

This report describes various approaches and techniques associated with robotic spent fuel monitoring. The purpose of this description is to improve the quality of measured signatures, reduce the inspection burden on the IAEA, and to provide frequent verification.

Physical properties of encapsulate spent fuel in canisters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-01-01

Spent fuel and high-level wastes will be permanently stored in a deep geological repository (AGP). Prior to this, they will be encapsulated in canisters. The present report is dedicated to the study of such canisters under the different physical demands that they may undergo, be those in operating or accident conditions. The physical demands of interest include mechanical demands, both static and dynamic, and thermal demands. Consideration is given to the complete file of the canister, from the time when it is empty and without lid to the final conditions expected in the repository. Thermal analyses of canisters containing spent fuel are often carried out in two dimensions, some times with hypotheses of axial symmetry and some times using a plane transverse section through the centre of the canister. The results obtained in both types of analyses are compared here to those of complete three-dimensional analyses. The latter generate more reliable information about the temperatures that may be experienced by the canister and its contents; they also allow calibrating the errors embodied in the two-dimensional calculations. (Author)

Modular dry storage of spent fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baxter, J.W.

1982-01-01

Long term uncertainties in US spent fuel reprocessing and storage policies and programs are forcing the electric utilities to consider means of storing spent fuel at the reactor site in increasing quantitities and for protracted periods. Utilities have taken initial steps in increasing storage capacity. Existing wet storage pools have in many cases been reracked to optimize their capacity for storing spent fuel assemblies

Spent fuel element storage facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ukaji, Hideo; Yamashita, Rikuo.

1981-01-01

Purpose: To always keep water level of a spent fuel cask pit equal with water level of spent fuel storage pool by means of syphon principle. Constitution: The pool water of a spent fuel storage pool is airtightly communicated through a pipe with the pool water of a spent fuel cask, and a gate is provided between the pool and the cask. Since cask is conveyed into the cask pit as the gate close while conveying, the pool water level is raised an amount corresponding to the volume of the cask, and water flow through scattering pipe and the communication pipe to the storage pool. When the fuel is conveyed out of the cask, the water level is lowered in the amount corresponding to the volume in the cask pit, and the water in the pool flow through the communication pipe to the cask pit. (Sekiya, K.)

Thermoelectric powered wireless sensors for spent fuel monitoring

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carstens, T.; Corradini, M.; Blanchard, J.; Ma, Z.

2011-01-01

This paper describes using thermoelectric generators to power wireless sensors to monitor spent nuclear fuel during dry-cask storage. OrigenArp was used to determine the decay heat of the spent fuel at different times during the service life of the dry-cask. The Engineering Equation Solver computer program modeled the temperatures inside the spent fuel storage facility during its service life. The temperature distribution in a thermoelectric generator and heat sink was calculated using the computer program Finite Element Heat Transfer. From these temperature distributions the power produced by the thermoelectric generator was determined as a function of the service life of the dry-cask. In addition, an estimation of the path loss experienced by the wireless signal can be made based on materials and thickness of the structure. Once the path loss is known, the transmission power and thermoelectric generator power requirements can be determined. This analysis estimates that a thermoelectric generator can produce enough power for a sensor to function and transmit data from inside the dry-cask throughout its service life. (authors)

An Indian perspective for transportation and storage of spent fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dey, P.K.

2005-01-01

The spent fuel discharged from the reactors are temporarily stored at the reactor pool. After a certain cooling time, the spent fuel is moved to the storage locations either on or off reactor site depending on the spent fuel management strategy. As India has opted for a closed fuel cycle for its nuclear energy development, reprocessing of the spent fuel, recycling of the reprocessed plutonium and uranium and disposal of the wastes from the reprocessing operations forms the spent fuel management strategy. Since the reprocessing operations are planned to match the nuclear energy programme, storage of the spent fuel in ponds are adopted prior to reprocessing. Transport of the spent fuel to the storage locations are carried out adhering to international and national guide lines. India is having 14 operating power reactors and three research reactors. The spent fuel from the two safeguarded BWRs are stored at-reactor (AR) storage pond. A separate wet storage facility away-from-reactor (AFR) has been designed, constructed and made operational since 1991 for additional fuel storage. Storage facilities are provided in ARs at other reactor locations to cater to 10 reactor-years of operation. A much lower capacity spent fuel storage is provided in reprocessing plants on the same lines of AR fuel storage design. Since the reprocessing operations are carried out on a need basis, to cater to the increased storage needs two new spent fuel storage facilities (SFSF) are being designed and constructed near the existing nuclear plant sites. India has mastered the technology for design, construction and operation of wet spent fuel storage facility meeting all the international standards Wet storage of the spent fuel is the most commonly adopted mode all over the world. Recently an alternate mode viz. dry storage has also been considered. India has designed, constructed and operated lead shielded dry storage casks and is operational at one site. A dry storage cask made of concrete

Development of Neutron Energy Spectral Signatures for Passive Monitoring of Spent Nuclear Fuels in Dry Cask Storage

Science.gov (United States)

Harkness, Ira; Zhu, Ting; Liang, Yinong; Rauch, Eric; Enqvist, Andreas; Jordan, Kelly A.

2018-01-01

Demand for spent nuclear fuel dry casks as an interim storage solution has increased globally and the IAEA has expressed a need for robust safeguards and verification technologies for ensuring the continuity of knowledge and the integrity of radioactive materials inside spent fuel casks. Existing research has been focusing on "fingerprinting" casks based on count rate statistics to represent radiation emission signatures. The current research aims to expand to include neutron energy spectral information as part of the fuel characteristics. First, spent fuel composition data are taken from the Next Generation Safeguards Initiative Spent Fuel Libraries, representative for Westinghouse 17ˣ17 PWR assemblies. The ORIGEN-S code then calculates the spontaneous fission and (α,n) emissions for individual fuel rods, followed by detailed MCNP simulations of neutrons transported through the fuel assemblies. A comprehensive database of neutron energy spectral profiles is to be constructed, with different enrichment, burn-up, and cooling time conditions. The end goal is to utilize the computational spent fuel library, predictive algorithm, and a pressurized 4He scintillator to verify the spent fuel assemblies inside a cask. This work identifies neutron spectral signatures that correlate with the cooling time of spent fuel. Both the total and relative contributions from spontaneous fission and (α,n) change noticeably with respect to cooling time, due to the relatively short half-life (18 years) of the major neutron source 244Cm. Identification of this and other neutron spectral signatures allows the characterization of spent nuclear fuels in dry cask storage.

Stand Down for Veterans: The Impact of Volunteerism on Student Learning

OpenAIRE

Herwick, Kelsey

2016-01-01

In this article, Kelsey Herwick, a graduating senior in dietetics and nutrition, fitness, and health, describes her experience with Stand Down. The first ever Stand Down event occurred during the Vietnam War and had the purpose of giving soldiers in combat time to eat warm meals, attend to personal hygiene needs, and tend to any medical needs (MFRI, n.d.a). Over time, Stand Down has become an event that has the purpose of giving veterans a break from homelessness. A group of 14 nutrition scie...

Overview on spent fuel management strategies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dyck, P.

2002-01-01

This paper presents an overview on spent fuel management strategies which range from reprocessing to interim storage in a centralised facility followed by final disposal in a repository. In either case, more spent fuel storage capacity (wet or dry, at-reactor or away-from-reactor, national or regional) is required as spent fuel is continuously accumulated while most countries prefer to defer their decision to choose between these two strategies. (author)

Probable leaching mechanisms for spent fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, R.; Katayama, Y.B.

1981-01-01

At the Pacific Northwest Laboratory, researchers in the Waste/Rock Interaction Technology Program are studying spent fuel as a possible waste form for the Office of Nuclear Waste Isolation. This paper presents probable leaching mechanisms for spent fuel and discusses current progress in identifying and understanding the leaching process. During the past year, experiments were begun to study the complex leaching mechanism of spent fuel. The initial work in this investigation was done with UO 2 , which provided the most information possible on the behavior of the spent-fuel matrix without encountering the very high radiation levels associated with spent fuel. Both single-crystal and polycrystalline UO 2 samples were used for this study, and techniques applicable to remote experimentation in a hot cell are being developed. The effects of radiation are being studied in terms of radiolysis of water and surface activation of the UO 2 . Dissolution behavior and kinetics of UO 2 were also investigated by electrochemical measurement techniques. These data will be correlated with those acquired when spent fuel is tested in a hot cell. Oxidation effects represent a major area of concern in evaluating the stability of spent fuel. Dissolution of UO 2 is greatly increased in an oxidizing solution because the dissolution is then controlled by the formation of hexavalent uranium. In solutions containing very low oxygen levels (i.e., reducing solutions), oxidation-induced dissolution may be possible via a previously oxidized surface, through exposure to air during storage, or by local oxidants such as O 2 and H 2 O 2 produced from radiolysis of water and radiation-activated UO 2 surfaces. The effects of oxidation not only increase the dissolution rate, but could lead to the disintegration of spent fuel into fine fragments

Safeguardability assessment on pilot-scale advanced spent fuel conditioning facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, S.Y.; Li, T.K.; Pickett, S.E.; Miller, M.C.; Ko, W.I.; Kim, H.D.

2006-01-01

Full text: In South Korea, approximately 6,000 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel from commercial reactor operation has been accumulated with the expectation of more than 30,000 metric tons, three times the present storage capacity, by the end of 2040. To resolve these challenges in spent fuel management, the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) has been developing a dry reprocessing technology called Advanced Spent Fuel Conditioning Process (ACP). This is an electrometallurgical treatment technique to convert oxide-type spent fuel into a metallic form, and the electrolytic reduction (ER) technology developed recently is known as a more efficient concept for spent fuel conditioning. The goal of the ACP study is to recover more than 99% of the actinide elements into a metallic form with minimizing the volume and heat load of spent fuel. The significant reduction of the volume and heat load of spent fuel is expected to lighten the burden of final disposal in terms of disposal size, safety, and economics. In the framework of R and D collaboration for the ACP safeguards, a joint study on the safeguardability of the ACP technology has been performed by the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and KAERI. The purpose of this study is to address the safeguardability of the ACP technology, through analysis of material flow and development of a proper safeguards system that meet IAEA's comprehensive safeguards objective. The sub-processes and material flow of the pilot-scale ACP facility were analyzed, and subsequently the relevant material balance area (MBA) and key measurement point (KMP) were designed for material accounting. The uncertainties in material accounting were also estimated with international target values, and design requirements for the material accounting systems were derived

Alternative Measuring Approaches in Gamma Scanning on Spent Nuclear Fuel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sihm Kvenangen, Karen

2007-06-15

In the future, the demand for energy is predicted to grow and more countries plan to utilize nuclear energy as their source of electric energy. This gives rise to many important issues connected to nuclear energy, such as finding methods that can verify that the spent nuclear fuel has been handled safely and used in ordinary power producing cycles as stated by the operators. Gamma ray spectroscopy is one method used for identification and verification of spent nuclear fuel. In the specific gamma ray spectroscopy method called gamma scanning the gamma radiation from the fission products Cs-137, Cs-134 and Eu-154 are measured in a spent fuel assembly. From the results, conclusions can be drawn about the fuels characteristics. This degree project examines the possibilities of using alternative measuring approaches when using the gamma scanning method. The focus is on examining how to increase the quality of the measured data. How to decrease the measuring time as compared with the present measuring strategy, has also been investigated. The main part of the study comprises computer simulations of gamma scanning measurements. The simulations have been validated with actual measurements on spent nuclear fuel at the central interim storage, Clab. The results show that concerning the quality of the measuring data the conventional strategy is preferable, but with other starting positions and with a more optimized equipment. When focusing on the time aspect, the helical measuring strategy can be an option, but this needs further investigation.

Alternative Measuring Approaches in Gamma Scanning on Spent Nuclear Fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sihm Kvenangen, Karen

2007-06-01

In the future, the demand for energy is predicted to grow and more countries plan to utilize nuclear energy as their source of electric energy. This gives rise to many important issues connected to nuclear energy, such as finding methods that can verify that the spent nuclear fuel has been handled safely and used in ordinary power producing cycles as stated by the operators. Gamma ray spectroscopy is one method used for identification and verification of spent nuclear fuel. In the specific gamma ray spectroscopy method called gamma scanning the gamma radiation from the fission products Cs-137, Cs-134 and Eu-154 are measured in a spent fuel assembly. From the results, conclusions can be drawn about the fuels characteristics. This degree project examines the possibilities of using alternative measuring approaches when using the gamma scanning method. The focus is on examining how to increase the quality of the measured data. How to decrease the measuring time as compared with the present measuring strategy, has also been investigated. The main part of the study comprises computer simulations of gamma scanning measurements. The simulations have been validated with actual measurements on spent nuclear fuel at the central interim storage, Clab. The results show that concerning the quality of the measuring data the conventional strategy is preferable, but with other starting positions and with a more optimized equipment. When focusing on the time aspect, the helical measuring strategy can be an option, but this needs further investigation

Determination of spent nuclear fuel assembly multiplication with the differential die-away self-interrogation instrument

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kaplan, Alexis C. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87544 (United States); Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States); Henzl, Vladimir; Menlove, Howard O.; Swinhoe, Martyn T.; Belian, Anthony P. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87544 (United States); Flaska, Marek; Pozzi, Sara A. [Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States)

2014-09-01

We present a novel method for determining the multiplication of a spent nuclear fuel assembly with a Differential Die-Away Self-Interrogation (DDSI) instrument. The signal, which is primarily created by thermal neutrons, is measured with four {sup 3}He detector banks surrounding a spent fuel assembly. The Rossi-alpha distribution (RAD) at early times reflects coincident events from single fissions as well as fission chains. Because of this fact, the early time domain contains information about both the fissile material and spontaneous fission material in the assembly being measured. A single exponential function fit to the early time domain of the RAD has a die-away time proportional to the spent fuel assembly (SFA) multiplication. This correlation was tested by simulating assay of 44 different SFAs with the DDSI instrument. The SFA multiplication was determined with a variance of 0.7%.

Spent fuel interim management: 1995 update

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderson, C.K.

1995-01-01

The problems of interim away-from-reactor spent fuel storage and storage in spent fuel pools at the reactor site are discussed. An overview of the state-of-the-art in the USA, Europe, and Japan is presented. The technical facilities for away-from-reactor storage are briefly described, including wet storage pools, interactive concrete systems, metallic containers, and passive concrete systems. Reprocessing technologies are mostly at the design stage only. It is predicted that during the 20 years to come, about 50 000 tonnes of spent fuel will be stored at reactor sites regardless of the advance of spent fuel reprocessing or interim storage projects. (J.B.). 4 tabs., 2 figs

Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel in Norway: Status and Prospects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bennett, Peter; Larsen, Erlend

2014-01-01

Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) in Norway has arisen from irradiation of fuel in the JEEP I and JEEP II reactors at Kjeller, and in the Halden Boiling Water Reactor (HBWR) in Halden. In total there are some 16 tonnes of SNF, all of which is currently stored on-site, in either wet or dry storage facilities. The greater part of the SNF, 12 tonnes, consists of aluminium-clad fuel, of which 10 tonnes is metallic uranium fuel and the remainder oxide (UO 2 ). Such fuel presents significant challenges with respect to long-term storage and disposal. Current policy is that existing spent fuel will, as far as possible considering its suitability for later direct disposal, be stored until final disposal is possible. Several committees have advised the Government of Norway on, among others, policy issues, storage methods and localisation of a storage facility. Both experts and stakeholders have participated in these committees. This paper presents an overview of the spent fuel in Norway and a description of current storage arrangements. The prospects for long-term storage are then described, including a summary of recommendations made to government, the reactions of various stakeholders to these recommendations, the current status, and the proposed next steps. A recommended policy is to construct a new storage facility for the fuel to be stored for a period of at least 50 years. In the meantime a national final disposal facility should be constructed and taken into operation. It has been recommended that the aluminium-clad fuel be reprocessed in an overseas commercial facility to produce a stable waste form for storage and disposal. This recommendation is controversial, and a decision has not yet been taken on whether to pursue this option. An analysis of available storage concepts for the more modern fuel types resulted in the recommendation to use dual-purpose casks. In addition, it was recommended to construct a future storage facility in a rock hall instead of a free-standing

Off-Stream Watering Systems and Partial Barriers as a Strategy to Maximize Cattle Production and Minimize Time Spent in the Riparian Area

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ashley A. Rawluk

2014-10-01

Full Text Available A study was conducted in 2009 at two locations in Manitoba (Killarney and Souris, Canada to determine the impact of off-stream waterers (OSW with or without natural barriers on (i amount of time cattle spent in the 10 m buffer created within the riparian area, referred to as the riparian polygon (RP, (ii watering location (OSW or stream, and (iii animal performance measured as weight gain. This study was divided into three 28-day periods over the grazing season. At each location, the pasture—which ranged from 21.0 ha to 39.2 ha in size—was divided into three treatments: no OSW nor barriers (1CONT, OSW with barriers along the stream bank to deter cattle from watering at the stream (2BARR, and OSW without barriers (3NOBARR. Cattle in 2BARR spent less time in the RP in Periods 1 (p = 0.0002, 2 (p = 0.1116, and 3 (p < 0.0001 at the Killarney site compared to cattle in 3NOBARR at the same site. Cattle in 2BARR at the Souris site spent more time in the RP in Period 1 (p < 0.0001 and less time in Period 2 (p = 0.0002 compared to cattle in 3NOBARR. Cattle did use the OSW, but not exclusively, as watering at the stream was still observed. The observed inconsistency in the effectiveness of the natural barriers on deterring cattle from the riparian area between periods and locations may be partly attributable to the environmental conditions present during this field trial as well as difference in pasture size and the ability of the established barriers to deter cattle from using the stream as a water source. Treatment had no significant effect (p > 0.05 on cow and calf weights averaged over the summer period. These results indicate that the presence of an OSW does not create significant differences in animal performance when used in extensive pasture scenarios such as those studied within the present study. Whereas the barriers did not consistently discourage watering at the stream, the results provide some indication of the efficacy of the OSW as well

Spent fuel management in Canada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khan, A.; Pattantyus, P.

1999-01-01

The current status of the Canadian spent fuel storage is presented. This includes wet and dry interim storage. Extension of wet interim storage facilities is nor planned, as dry technologies have found wide acceptance. The Canadian nuclear program is sustained by commercial Ontario Hydro CANDU type reactors, since 1971, representing 13600 MW(e) of installed capacity, able to produce 9200 spent fuel bundles (1800 tU) every year, and Hydro Quebec and New Brunswick CANDU reactors each producing 685 MW(e) and about 100 tU of spent fuel annually. The implementation of various interim (wt and dry) storage technologies resulted in simple, dense and low cost systems. Economical factors determined that the open cycle option be adopted for the CANDU type reactors rather that recycling the spent fuel. Research and development activities for immobilization and final disposal of nuclear waste are being undertaken in the Canadian Nuclear Fuel Waste Management Program

Effects of spent craft brewers’ yeast on fermentation and methane production by rumen microorganisms

Science.gov (United States)

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a key component of beer brewing and a major by-product. The leftover, spent brewers’ yeast, from large breweries has been used for some time as a protein supplement in cattle, however the possible advantages of spent yeast from smaller craft breweries, containing much hig...

Time spent with friends in adolescence relates to less neural sensitivity to later peer rejection.

Science.gov (United States)

Masten, Carrie L; Telzer, Eva H; Fuligni, Andrew J; Lieberman, Matthew D; Eisenberger, Naomi I

2012-01-01

Involvement with friends carries many advantages for adolescents, including protection from the detrimental effects of being rejected by peers. However, little is known about the mechanisms through which friendships may serve their protective role at this age, or the potential benefit of these friendships as adolescents transition to adulthood. As such, this investigation tested whether friend involvement during adolescence related to less neural sensitivity to social threats during young adulthood. Twenty-one adolescents reported the amount of time they spent with friends outside of school using a daily diary. Two years later they underwent an fMRI scan, during which they were ostensibly excluded from an online ball-tossing game by two same-age peers. Findings from region of interest and whole brain analyses revealed that spending more time with friends during adolescence related to less activity in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and anterior insula--regions previously linked with negative affect and pain processing--during an experience of peer rejection 2 years later. These findings are consistent with the notion that positive relationships during adolescence may relate to individuals being less sensitive to negative social experiences later on.

Decay heat and gamma dose-rate prediction capability in spent LWR fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neely, G.J.; Schmittroth, F.

1982-08-01

The ORIGEN2 code was established as a valid means to predict decay heat from LWR spent fuel assemblies for decay times up to 10,000 year. Calculational uncertainties ranged from 8.6% to a maximum of 16% at 2.5 years and 300 years cooling time, respectively. The calculational uncertainties at 2.5 years cooling time are supported by experiment. Major sources of uncertainty at the 2.5 year cooling time were identifed as irradiation history (5.7%) and nuclear data together with calculational methods (6.3%). The QAD shielding code was established as a valid means to predict interior and exterior gamma dose rates of spent LWR fuel assemblies. A calculational/measurement comparison was done on two assemblies with different irradiation histories and supports a 35% calculational uncertainty at the 1.8 and 3.0 year decay times studied. Uncertainties at longer times are expected to increase, but not significantly, due to an increased contribution from the actinides whose inventories are assigned a higher uncertainty. The uncertainty in decay heat rises to a maximum of 16% due to actinide uncertainties. A previous study was made of the neutron emission rate from a typical Turkey Point Unit 3, Region 4 spent fuel assembly at 5 years decay time. A conservative estimate of the neutron dose rate at the assembly surface was less than 0.5 rem/hr

Development of advanced spent fuel management process. System analysis of advanced spent fuel management process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ro, S.G.; Kang, D.S.; Seo, C.S.; Lee, H.H.; Shin, Y.J.; Park, S.W.

1999-03-01

The system analysis of an advanced spent fuel management process to establish a non-proliferation model for the long-term spent fuel management is performed by comparing the several dry processes, such as a salt transport process, a lithium process, the IFR process developed in America, and DDP developed in Russia. In our system analysis, the non-proliferation concept is focused on the separation factor between uranium and plutonium and decontamination factors of products in each process, and the non-proliferation model for the long-term spent fuel management has finally been introduced. (Author). 29 refs., 17 tabs., 12 figs

The Versatility of an Online Database for Spent Nuclear Fuel Management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Canas, L.R.

1997-12-01

A vast and diverse database on spent nuclear fuel (SNF) supports the mission of the Westinghouse Savannah River Company's (WSRC) Spent Fuel Storage Division (SFSD) at the Department of Energy's (DOE) Savannah River Site (SRS) chemical-nuclear complex. Prior to 1994, this documentation resided in multiple files maintained by various organizations across SRS. Since that time, in an attempt to improve the efficiency of SNF data retrieval upon demand, the files have been substantially rearranged and consolidated. Moreover, selected data have been captured electronically in a web-style, online Spent Nuclear Fuel Database (SNFD) for quick and easy access from any personal computer on the SRS intranet. Originally released in August 1996, the SNFD has continued to expand at regular intervals commensurate with the SFSD mission

Creep and shrinkage analysis for concrete spent fuel dry storage module

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, D. [Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, Chalk River, Ontario (Canada)], E-mail: zhangd@aecl.ca

2009-07-01

CANDU reactors are designed in Canada and are built and operated worldwide to produce electricity economically with no emission of green house gases. This paper presents creep and shrinkage analysis for a concrete spent fuel dry storage module of a CANDU nuclear power plant. Creep and shrinkage analysis was performed using a method outlined in American Concrete Institute (ACI) code, and then the creep and shrinkage strains were analyzed in a finite element model to obtain the structural behavior of the concrete module. This demonstrated that the creep and shrinkage analysis for concrete spent fuel dry storage is reasonable. AECL's spent fuel dry storage module is adequate to resist the time-dependent effects due to creep and shrinkage of concrete. (author)

Creep and shrinkage analysis for concrete spent fuel dry storage module

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, D.

2009-01-01

CANDU reactors are designed in Canada and are built and operated worldwide to produce electricity economically with no emission of green house gases. This paper presents creep and shrinkage analysis for a concrete spent fuel dry storage module of a CANDU nuclear power plant. Creep and shrinkage analysis was performed using a method outlined in American Concrete Institute (ACI) code, and then the creep and shrinkage strains were analyzed in a finite element model to obtain the structural behavior of the concrete module. This demonstrated that the creep and shrinkage analysis for concrete spent fuel dry storage is reasonable. AECL's spent fuel dry storage module is adequate to resist the time-dependent effects due to creep and shrinkage of concrete. (author)

Investigation on spent fuel characteristics of reduced-moderation water reactor (RMWR)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fukaya, Y.; Okubo, T.; Uchikawa, S.

2008-01-01

The spent fuel characteristics of the reduced-moderation water reactor (RMWR) have been investigated using the SWAT and ORIGEN codes. RMWR is an advanced LWR concept for plutonium recycling by using the MOX fuel. In the code calculation, the ORIGEN libraries such as one-group cross-section data prepared for RMWR were necessary. Since there were no open libraries for RMWR, they were produced in this study by using the SWAT code. New libraries based on the heterogeneous core modeling in the axial direction and with the variable actinide cross-section (VXSEC) option were produced and selected as the representative ORIGEN libraries for RMWR. In order to investigate the characteristics of the RMWR spent fuel, the decay heat, the radioactivity and the content of each nuclide were evaluated with ORIGEN using these libraries. In this study, the spent fuel characteristics of other types of reactors, such as PWR, BWR, high burn-up PWR, full-MOX-PWR, full-MOX-BWR and FBR, were also evaluated with ORIGEN. It has been found that about a half of the decay heat of the RMWR spent fuel comes from the actinides nuclides. It is the same with the radioactivity. The decay heat and the radioactivity of the RMWR spent fuel are lower than those of full-MOX-LWRs and FBR, and are the same level as those of the high burn-up PWR. The decay heat and the radioactivity from the fission products (FPs) in the spent fuel mainly depend on the burn-up and the burn-up time rather than the reactor type. Therefore, the decay heat and the radioactivity from FPs in the RMWR spent fuel are smaller, reflecting its relatively long burn-up time resulted from its core characteristics with the high conversion ratio. The radioactivity from the actinides in the spent fuel mainly depends on the 241 Pu content in the initial fuel, and the decay heat mainly depends on 238 Pu and 244 Cm. The contribution of 244 Cm is much smaller in RMWR than in MOX-LWRs because of the difference in the spectrum. In addition, from

Investigation on spent fuel characteristics of reduced-moderation water reactor (RMWR)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fukaya, Y. [Advanced Nuclear System Research and Development Directorate, Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), Oarai-machi, Ibaraki-ken 311-1393 (Japan)], E-mail: fukaya.yuji@jaea.go.jp; Okubo, T.; Uchikawa, S. [Advanced Nuclear System Research and Development Directorate, Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), Oarai-machi, Ibaraki-ken 311-1393 (Japan)

2008-07-15

The spent fuel characteristics of the reduced-moderation water reactor (RMWR) have been investigated using the SWAT and ORIGEN codes. RMWR is an advanced LWR concept for plutonium recycling by using the MOX fuel. In the code calculation, the ORIGEN libraries such as one-group cross-section data prepared for RMWR were necessary. Since there were no open libraries for RMWR, they were produced in this study by using the SWAT code. New libraries based on the heterogeneous core modeling in the axial direction and with the variable actinide cross-section (VXSEC) option were produced and selected as the representative ORIGEN libraries for RMWR. In order to investigate the characteristics of the RMWR spent fuel, the decay heat, the radioactivity and the content of each nuclide were evaluated with ORIGEN using these libraries. In this study, the spent fuel characteristics of other types of reactors, such as PWR, BWR, high burn-up PWR, full-MOX-PWR, full-MOX-BWR and FBR, were also evaluated with ORIGEN. It has been found that about a half of the decay heat of the RMWR spent fuel comes from the actinides nuclides. It is the same with the radioactivity. The decay heat and the radioactivity of the RMWR spent fuel are lower than those of full-MOX-LWRs and FBR, and are the same level as those of the high burn-up PWR. The decay heat and the radioactivity from the fission products (FPs) in the spent fuel mainly depend on the burn-up and the burn-up time rather than the reactor type. Therefore, the decay heat and the radioactivity from FPs in the RMWR spent fuel are smaller, reflecting its relatively long burn-up time resulted from its core characteristics with the high conversion ratio. The radioactivity from the actinides in the spent fuel mainly depends on the {sup 241}Pu content in the initial fuel, and the decay heat mainly depends on {sup 238}Pu and {sup 244}Cm. The contribution of {sup 244}Cm is much smaller in RMWR than in MOX-LWRs because of the difference in the spectrum

Storage of LWR spent fuel in air: Volume 1: Design and operation of a spent fuel oxidation test facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thornhill, C.K.; Campbell, T.K.; Thornhill, R.E.

1988-12-01

This report describes the design and operation and technical accomplishments of a spent-fuel oxidation test facility at the Pacific Northwest Laboratory. The objective of the experiments conducted in this facility was to develop a data base for determining spent-fuel dry storage temperature limits by characterizing the oxidation behavior of light-water reactor (LWR) spent fuels in air. These data are needed to support licensing of dry storage in air as an alternative to spent-fuel storage in water pools. They are to be used to develop and validate predictive models of spent-fuel behavior during dry air storage in an Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI). The present licensed alternative to pool storage of spent fuel is dry storage in an inert gas environment, which is called inerted dry storage (IDS). Licensed air storage, however, would not require monitoring for maintenance of an inert-gas environment (which IDS requires) but does require the development of allowable temperature limits below which UO 2 oxidation in breached fuel rods would not become a problem. Scoping tests at PNL with nonirradiated UO 2 pellets and spent-fuel fragment specimens identified the need for a statistically designed test matrix with test temperatures bounding anticipated maximum acceptable air-storage temperatures. This facility was designed and operated to satisfy that need. 7 refs

Correlates of time spent walking and cycling to and from work: baseline results from the commuting and health in Cambridge study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Panter Jenna

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Purpose Environmental perceptions and psychological measures appear to be associated with walking and cycling behaviour; however, their influence is still unclear. We assessed these associations using baseline data from a quasi-experimental cohort study of the effects of major transport infrastructural developments in Cambridge, UK. Methods Postal surveys were sent to adults who travel to work in Cambridge (n = 1582. Questions asked about travel modes and time spent travelling to and from work in the last week, perceptions of the route, psychological measures regarding car use and socio-demographic characteristics. Participants were classified into one of two categories according to time spent walking for commuting ('no walking' or 'some walking' and one of three categories for cycling ('no cycling', '1-149 min/wk' and ' ≥ 150 min/wk'. Results Of the 1164 respondents (68% female, mean (SD age: 42.3 (11.4 years 30% reported any walking and 53% reported any cycling to or from work. In multiple regression models, short distance to work and not having access to a car showed strong positive associations with both walking and cycling. Furthermore, those who reported that it was pleasant to walk were more likely to walk to or from work (OR = 4.18, 95% CI 3.02 to 5.78 and those who reported that it was convenient to cycle on the route between home and work were more likely to do so (1-149 min/wk: OR = 4.60, 95% CI 2.88 to 7.34; ≥ 150 min/wk: OR = 3.14, 95% CI 2.11 to 4.66. Positive attitudes in favour of car use were positively associated with time spent walking to or from work but negatively associated with cycling to or from work. Strong perceived behavioural control for car use was negatively associated with walking. Conclusions In this relatively affluent sample of commuters, a range of individual and household characteristics, perceptions of the route environment and psychological measures relating to car use were associated with

Prevalence of low back pain and related factors among nurses at ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

East African Journal of Public Health ... The professional factors like the department of work, hours spent in sitting and standing, heavy ... at CHUK, and the contributing factors include heavy lifting, standing for long time, and extreme bending.

Remote technology applications in spent fuel management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-03-01

Spent fuel management has become a prospective area for application of remote technology in recent years with a steadily growing inventory of spent fuel arising from nuclear power production. A remark that could be made from the review of technical information collected from the IAEA meetings was that remote technology in spent fuel management has matured well through the past decades of industrial experiences. Various remote technologies have been developed and applied in the past for facility operation and maintenance work in spent fuel examination, storage, transportation, reprocessing and radioactive waste treatment, among others, with significant accomplishments in dose reduction to workers, enhancement of reliability, etc. While some developmental activities are continuing for more advanced applications, industrial practices have made use of simple and robust designs for most of the remote systems technology applications to spent fuel management. In the current state of affairs, equipment and services in remote technology are available in the market for applications to most of the projects in spent fuel management. It can be concluded that the issue of critical importance in remote systems engineering is to make an optimal selection of technology and equipment that would best satisfy the as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA) requirements in terms of relevant criteria like dose reduction, reliability, costs, etc. In fact, good selection methodology is the key to efficient implementation of remote systems applications in the modern globalized market. This TECDOC gives a review of the current status of remote technology applications for spent fuel management, based on country reports from some Member States presented at the consultancy meetings, of which updated reports are attached in the annex. The scope of the review covers the series of spent fuel handling operations involved in spent fuel management, from discharge from reactor to reprocessing or

Handling encapsulated spent fuel in a geologic repository environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ballou, L.B.

1983-02-01

In support of the Spent Fuel Test-Climate at the U.S. Department of Energy's Nevada Test Site, a spent-fuel canister handling system has been designed, deployed, and operated successfully during the past five years. This system transports encapsulated commercial spent-fuel assemblies between the packaging facility and the test site (approx. 100 km), transfers the canisters 420 m vertically to and from a geologic storage drift, and emplaces or retrieves the canisters from the storage holes in the floor of the drift. The spent-fuel canisters are maintained in a fully shielded configuration at all times during the handling cycle, permitting manned access at any time for response to any abnormal conditions. All normal operations are conducted by remote control, thus assuring as low as reasonably achievable exposures to operators; specifically, we have had no measurable exposure during 30 canister transfer operations. While not intended to be prototypical of repository handling operations, the system embodies a number of concepts, now demonstrated to be safe, reliable, and economical, which may be very useful in evaluating full-scale repository handling alternatives in the future. Among the potentially significant concepts are: Use of an integral shielding plug to minimize radiation streaming at all transfer interfaces. Hydraulically actuated transfer cask jacking and rotation features to reduce excavation headroom requirements. Use of a dedicated small diameter (0.5 m) drilled shaft for transfer between the surface and repository workings. A wire-line hoisting system with positive emergency braking device which travels with the load. Remotely activated grapples - three used in the system - which are insensitive to load orientation. Rail-mounted underground transfer vehicle operated with no personnel underground

Restless behavior increases over time, but not with compressibility of the flooring surface, during forced standing at the feed bunk.

Science.gov (United States)

Krebs, N; Berry, S L; Tucker, C B

2011-01-01

Interest in the use of rubber flooring in freestall barns has increased, but little is known about which design features of these surfaces are important for cattle. In 2 experiments, we evaluated how the type and compressibility of the flooring surface in front of the feed bunk influenced the behavioral response to 4 h of forced standing after morning milking. Two flooring types were compared: rubber and concrete. Rubber was tested at 3 levels of compressibility: 2, 4, and 35 times as compressible as concrete. Four hours of forced standing was evaluated because it mimicked conditions that can occur on dairies, particularly when waiting for artificial insemination or veterinary treatment. The effects of cow weight and hoof surface area, gait score, and hoof health on the response to treatment were evaluated. Restless behavior, as measured by number of steps, almost doubled over the 4h of forced standing, regardless of flooring material. Cows lay down, on average, within 5 min after access to the lying area was provided. These results indicate that the 4 h of forced standing was uncomfortable. No differences in restless behavior were observed in association with the type or compressibility of the flooring surface in front of the feed bunk. Cow size, hoof health, or gait score did not consistently explain the response to the flooring treatments or stepping rate, although these populations of animals were generally healthy. It is unclear if comfort did not differ between the flooring options tested during 4 h of forced standing or if alterative methodology, such as measuring more subtle shifts in weight, is required to assess design features of rubber flooring. Copyright © 2011 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Burn-up measurements of spent fuel using gamma spectrometry technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pereda, C.; Henriquez, C.; Klein, J.; Medel, J.

2005-01-01

Burn-up results obtained for HEU (45% of 235 U) fuel assemblies of the RECH-1 Research Reactor using gamma spectrometry technique are presented. The spectra were got from an in-pool facility built in the reactor to be mainly used to measure the burnup of irradiated fuel assemblies with short cooling time, where 95 Zr is being evaluated as possible fission monitor. A program to measure all spent fuel assemblies of the RECH-1 reactor was initiated in the frame of the Regional Project RLA/4/018: 'Management of Spent Fuel from Research Reactors'. The results presented here were obtained from HEU spent fuel assemblies with cooling time greater than 100 days and 137 Cs was used as fission monitor. The efficiency of the in-pool system was determined using a slightly burnt experimental fuel assembly, which has one fuel plate (one of the outer plates) and the rest are dummy plates. An average burn-up of 2.8% of 235 U was previously measured for the experimental fuel assembly utilizing a facility installed in a hot cell and 137 Cs was used as monitor. (author)

Burnup credit demands for spent fuel management in Ukraine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Medun, V.

2001-01-01

In fact, till now, burnup credit has not be applied in Ukrainian nuclear power for spent fuel management systems (storage and transport). However, application of advanced fuel at VVER reactors, arising spent fuel amounts, represent burnup credit as an important resource to decrease spent fuel management costs. The paper describes spent fuel management status in Ukraine from viewpoint of subcriticality assurance under spent fuel storage and transport. It also considers: 1. Regulation basis concerning subcriticality assurance, 2. Basic spent fuel and transport casks characteristics, 3. Possibilities and demands for burnup credit application at spent fuel management systems in Ukraine. (author)

Management alternatives of energy wood thinning stands

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heikkilae, Jani; Siren, Matti; Aeijaelae, Olli

2007-01-01

Energy wood thinning has become a feasible treatment alternative of young stands in Finland. Energy wood thinnings have been carried out mainly in stands where precommercial thinning has been neglected and the harvesting conditions for industrial wood thinning are difficult. Despite of its positive effects on harvesting costs and on renewable energy potential, whole-tree harvesting has been constantly criticized for causing growth loss. In this paper, the profitability of energy wood thinning was studied in 20 Scots pine-dominated stands where energy wood thinning was carried out. The growth of the stands after thinning was predicted with the help of Motti-stand simulator. Entire rotation time of the stands was simulated with different management alternatives. The intensity of first thinning and recovery level of logging residues varied between alternatives. In order to attain acceptable harvesting conditions, industrial wood thinning had to be delayed. The effect of energy wood thinning on subsequent stem wood growth was almost the same as in conventional thinning. Whole-tree harvesting for energy proved to be profitable alternative if the stumpage price is around 3EUR m -3 , the interest rate is 3% or 5% and the removal of pulpwood is less than 20 m 3 ha -1 . If the harvestable pulpwood yield is over 20 m 3 ha -1 , integrated harvesting of industrial and energy wood or delayed industrial wood harvesting becomes more profitable. (author)

Spent fuel storage requirements 1993--2040

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-09-01

Historical inventories of spent fuel are combined with U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) projections of future discharges from commercial nuclear reactors in the United States to provide estimates of spent fuel storage requirements through the year 2040. The needs are estimated for storage capacity beyond that presently available in the reactor storage pools. These estimates incorporate the maximum capacities within current and planned in-pool storage facilities and any planned transshipments of spent fuel to other reactors or facilities. Existing and future dry storage facilities are also discussed. The nuclear utilities provide historical data through December 1992 on the end of reactor life are based on the DOE/Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates of future nuclear capacity, generation, and spent fuel discharges

Spent fuel shipping cask accident evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fields, S.R.

1975-12-01

Mathematical models have been developed to simulate the dynamic behavior, following a hypothetical accident and fire, of typical casks designed for the rail shipment of spent fuel from nuclear reactors, and to determine the extent of radioactive releases under postulated conditions. The casks modeled were the IF-300, designed by the General Electric Company for the shipment of spent LWR fuel, and a cask designed by the Aerojet Manufacturing Company for the shipment of spent LMFBR fuel

Container for spent fuel assembly

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sawai, Takeshi.

1996-01-01

The container of the present invention comprises a container main body having a body portion which can contain spent fuel assemblies and a lid, and heat pipes having an evaporation portion disposed along the outer surface of the spent fuel assemblies to be contained and a condensation portion exposed to the outside of the container main body. Further, the heat pipe is formed spirally at the evaporation portions so as to surround the outer circumference of the spent fuel assemblies, branched into a plurality of portions at the condensation portion, each of the branched portion of the condensation portion being exposed to the outside of the container main body, and is tightly in contact with the periphery of the slit portions disposed to the container main body. Then, since released after heat is transferred to the outside of the container main body from the evaporation portion of the heat pipe along the outer surface of the spent fuel assemblies by way of the condensation portion of the heat pipes exposed to the outside of the container main body, the efficiency of the heat transfer is extremely improved to enhance the effect of removing heat of spent fuel assemblies. Further, cooling effect is enhanced by the spiral form of the evaporation portion and the branched condensation portion. (N.H.)

Impact analysis of spent fuel jacket assemblies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aramayo, G.A.

1994-01-01

As part of the analyses performed in support of the reracking of the High Flux Isotope Reactor pool, it became necessary to prove the structural integrity of the spent fuel jacket assemblies subjected to gravity drop that result from postulated accidents associated with the handling of these assemblies while submerged in the pool. The spent fuel jacket assemblies are an integral part of the reracking project, and serve to house fuel assemblies. The structure integrity of the jacket assemblies from loads that result from impact from a height of 10 feet onto specified targets has been performed analytically using the computer program LS-DYNA3D. Nine attitudes of the assembly at the time of impact have been considered. Results of the analyses show that there is no failure of the assemblies as a result of the impact scenarios considered

Survey of experience with dry storage of spent nuclear fuel and update of wet storage experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-01-01

Spent fuel storage is an important part of spent fuel management. At present about 45,000 t of spent water reactor fuel have been discharged worldwide. Only a small fraction of this fuel (approximately 7%) has been reprocessed. The amount of spent fuel arisings will increase significantly in the next 15 years. Estimates indicate that up to the year 2000 about 200,000 t HM of spent fuel could be accumulated. In view of the large quantities of spent fuel discharged from nuclear power plants and future expected discharges, many countries are involved in the construction of facilities for the storage of spent fuel and in the development of effective methods for spent fuel surveillance and monitoring to ensure that reliable and safe operation of storage facilities is achievable until the time when the final disposal of spent fuel or high level wastes is feasible. The first demonstrations of final disposal are not expected before the years 2000-2020. This is why the long term storage of spent fuel and HLW is a vital problem for all countries with nuclear power programmes. The present survey contains data on dry storage and recent information on wet storage, transportation, rod consolidation, etc. The main aim is to provide spent fuel management policy making organizations, designers, scientists and spent fuel storage facility operators with the latest information on spent fuel storage technology under dry and wet conditions and on innovations in this field. Refs, figs and tabs

Spent fuel critical masses and supportive measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toffer, H.; Wells, A.H.

1987-01-01

Critical masses for spent fuel are larger than for green fuel and therefore use of the increased masses could result in improved handling, storage, and transport of such materials. To apply spent fuel critical masses requires an assessment of fuel exposure and the corresponding isotopic compositions. The paper discusses several approaches at the Hanford N Reactor in establishing fuel exposure, including a direct measurement of spent to green fuel critical masses. The benefits derived from the use of spent fuel critical masses are illustrated for cask designs at the Nuclear Assurance Corporation. (author)

NRC analysis of the environmental impacts and licensing policies for expanded spent fuel storage in the United States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, C.V. Jr.

1978-01-01

This paper reviews the findings of the U.S. environmental impact studies on spent fuel storage to the year 2000, addresses design criteria for independent spent fuel storage installations and expresses the position of the NRC for licensing expanded spent fuel storage capabilities until such time as final solutions are established

Effect of a novel two-desk sit-to-stand workplace (ACTIVE OFFICE on sitting time, performance and physiological parameters: protocol for a randomized control trial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bernhard Schwartz

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Prolonged sitting is ubiquitous in modern society and linked to several diseases. Height-adjustable desks are being used to decrease worksite based sitting time (ST. Single-desk sit-to-stand workplaces exhibit small ST reduction potential and short-term loss in performance. The aim of this paper is to report the study design and methodology of an ACTIVE OFFICE trial. Design The study was a 1-year three-arm, randomized controlled trial in 18 healthy Austrian office workers. Allocation was done via a regional health insurance, with data collection during Jan 2014 – March 2015. Participants were allocated to either an intervention or control group. Intervention group subjects were provided with traditional or two-desk sit-to-stand workstations in either the first or the second half of the study, while control subjects did not experience any changes during the whole study duration. Sitting time and physical activity (IPAQ-long, cognitive performance (text editing task, Stroop-test, d2R test of attention, workload perception (NASA-TLX and physiological parameters (salivary cortisol, heartrate variability and body weight were measured pre- and post-intervention (23 weeks after baseline for intervention and control periods. Postural changes and sitting/standing time (software logger were recorded at the workplace for the whole intervention period. Discussion This study evaluates the effects of a novel two-desk sit-to-stand workplace on sitting time, physical parameters and work performance of healthy office based workers. If the intervention proves effective, it has a great potential to be implemented in regular workplaces to reduce diseases related to prolonged sitting. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02825303 , July 2016 (retrospectively registered.

Spent fuel pyroprocessing demonstration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McFarlane, L.F.; Lineberry, M.J.

1995-01-01

A major element of the shutdown of the US liquid metal reactor development program is managing the sodium-bonded spent metallic fuel from the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II to meet US environmental laws. Argonne National Laboratory has refurbished and equipped an existing hot cell facility for treating the spent fuel by a high-temperature electrochemical process commonly called pyroprocessing. Four products will be produced for storage and disposal. Two high-level waste forms will be produced and qualified for disposal of the fission and activation products. Uranium and transuranium alloys will be produced for storage pending a decision by the US Department of Energy on the fate of its plutonium and enriched uranium. Together these activities will demonstrate a unique electrochemical treatment technology for spent nuclear fuel. This technology potentially has significant economic and technical advantages over either conventional reprocessing or direct disposal as a high-level waste option

Initiation of depleted uranium oxide and spent fuel testing for the spent fuel sabotage aerosol ratio program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Molecke, M.A.; Gregson, M.W.; Sorenson, K.B. [Sandia National Labs. (United States); Billone, M.C.; Tsai, H. [Argonne National Lab. (United States); Koch, W.; Nolte, O. [Fraunhofer Inst. fuer Toxikologie und Experimentelle Medizin (Germany); Pretzsch, G.; Lange, F. [Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (Germany); Autrusson, B.; Loiseau, O. [Inst. de Radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire (France); Thompson, N.S.; Hibbs, R.S. [U.S. Dept. of Energy (United States); Young, F.I.; Mo, T. [U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (United States)

2004-07-01

We provide a detailed overview of an ongoing, multinational test program that is developing aerosol data for some spent fuel sabotage scenarios on spent fuel transport and storage casks. Experiments are being performed to quantify the aerosolized materials plus volatilized fission products generated from actual spent fuel and surrogate material test rods, due to impact by a high energy density device, HEDD. The program participants in the U.S. plus Germany, France, and the U.K., part of the international Working Group for Sabotage Concerns of Transport and Storage Casks, WGSTSC have strongly supported and coordinated this research program. Sandia National Laboratories, SNL, has the lead role for conducting this research program; test program support is provided by both the U.S. Department of Energy and Nuclear Regulatory Commission. WGSTSC partners need this research to better understand potential radiological impacts from sabotage of nuclear material shipments and storage casks, and to support subsequent risk assessments, modeling, and preventative measures. We provide a summary of the overall, multi-phase test design and a description of all explosive containment and aerosol collection test components used. We focus on the recently initiated tests on ''surrogate'' spent fuel, unirradiated depleted uranium oxide, and forthcoming actual spent fuel tests. The depleted uranium oxide test rodlets were prepared by the Institut de Radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire, in France. These surrogate test rodlets closely match the diameter of the test rodlets of actual spent fuel from the H.B. Robinson reactor (high burnup PWR fuel) and the Surry reactor (lower, medium burnup PWR fuel), generated from U.S. reactors. The characterization of the spent fuels and fabrication into short, pressurized rodlets has been performed by Argonne National Laboratory, for testing at SNL. The ratio of the aerosol and respirable particles released from HEDD-impacted spent

Nondestructive verification and assay systems for spent fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cobb, D.D.; Phillips, J.R.; Bosler, G.E.; Eccleston, G.W.; Halbig, J.K.; Hatcher, C.R.; Hsue, S.T.

1982-04-01

This is an interim report of a study concerning the potential application of nondestructive measurements on irradiated light-water-reactor (LWR) fuels at spent-fuel storage facilities. It describes nondestructive measurement techniques and instruments that can provide useful data for more effective in-plant nuclear materials management, better safeguards and criticality safety, and more efficient storage of spent LWR fuel. In particular, several nondestructive measurement devices are already available so that utilities can implement new fuel-management and storage technologies for better use of existing spent-fuel storage capacity. The design of an engineered prototype in-plant spent-fuel measurement system is approx. 80% complete. This system would support improved spent-fuel storage and also efficient fissile recovery if spent-fuel reprocessing becomes a reality

Stress redistribution and void growth in butt-welded canisters for spent nuclear fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Josefson, B.L.; Karlsson, L.; Haeggblad, H.Aa.

1993-02-01

The stress-redistribution in Cu-Fe canisters for spent nuclear fuel during waiting for deposition and after final deposition is calculated numerically. The constitutive equation modelling creep deformation during this time period employs values on materials parameters determined within the SKB-project on 'mechanical integrity of canisters for spent nuclear fuel'. The welding residual stresses are redistributed without lowering maximum values during the waiting period, a very low amount of void growth is predicted for this type of copper during the deposition period. This leads to an estimated very large rupture time

Spent fuel management newsletter. No. 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-04-01

This issue of the newsletter consists of two parts. The first part describes the IAEA Secretariat activities - work and programme of the Nuclear Materials and Fuel Cycle Technology Section of the Division of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Management, recent and planned meetings and publications, Technical Co-operation projects, Co-ordinated Research programmes. The second part contains country reports - national programmes on spent fuel management: current and planned storage and reprocessing capacities, spent fuel arisings, safety, transportation, storage and treatment of spent fuel

Spent fuel management newsletter. No. 2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1993-04-01

This issue of the newsletter consists of two parts. The first part describes the IAEA Secretariat activities - work and programme of the Nuclear Materials and Fuel Cycle Technology Section of the Division of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Management, recent and planned meetings and publications, Technical Co-operation projects, Co-ordinated Research programmes. The second part contains country reports - national programmes on spent fuel management: current and planned storage and reprocessing capacities, spent fuel arisings, safety, transportation, storage and treatment of spent fuel.

Quantifying the passive gamma signal from spent nuclear fuel in support of determining the plutonium content in spent nuclear fuel with nondestructive assay

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fensin, Michael L [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Tobin, Steven J [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Menlove, Howard O [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Swinhoe, Martyn T [Los Alamos National Laboratory

2009-01-01

The objective of safeguarding nuclear material is to deter diversions of significant quantities of nuclear materials by timely monitoring and detection. There are a variety of motivations for quantifying plutonium in spent fuel (SF), by means of nondestructive assay (NDA), in order to meet this goal. These motivations include the following: strengthening the capabilities of the International Atomic Energy Agencies ability to safeguard nuclear facilities, shipper/receiver difference, input accountability at reprocessing facilities and burnup credit at repositories. Many NDA techniques exist for measuring signatures from SF; however, no single NDA technique can, in isolation, quantify elemental plutonium in SF. A study has been undertaken to determine the best integrated combination of 13 NDA techniques for characterizing Pu mass in spent fuel. This paper focuses on the development of a passive gamma measurement system in support the spent fuel assay system. Gamma ray detection for fresh nuclear fuel focuses on gamma ray emissions that directly coincide with the actinides of interest to the assay. For example, the 186-keV gamma ray is generally used for {sup 235}U assay and the 384-keV complex is generally used for assaying plutonium. In spent nuclear fuel, these signatures cannot be detected as the Compton continuum created from the fission products dominates the signal in this energy range. For SF, the measured gamma signatures from key fission products ({sup 134}Cs, {sup 137}Cs, {sup 154}Eu) are used to ascertain burnup, cooling time, and fissile content information. In this paper the Monte Carlo modeling set-up for a passive gamma spent fuel assay system will be described. The set-up of the system includes a germanium detector and an ion chamber and will be used to gain passive gamma information that will be integrated into a system for determining Pu in SF. The passive gamma signal will be determined from a library of {approx} 100 assemblies that have been

Modeling the optimal management of spent nuclear fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nachlas, J.A.; Kurstedt, H.A. Jr.; Swindle, D.W. Jr.; Korcz, K.O.

1977-01-01

Recent governmental policy decisions dictate that strategies for managing spent nuclear fuel be developed. Two models are constructed to investigate the optimum residence time and the optimal inventory withdrawal policy for fuel material that presently must be stored. The mutual utility of the models is demonstrated through reference case application

Detection of Spatio-Temporal Changes of Norway Spruce Forest Stands in Ore Mountains Using Landsat Time Series and Airborne Hyperspectral Imagery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jan Mišurec

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The study focuses on spatio-temporal changes in the physiological status of the Norway spruce forests located at the central and western parts of the Ore Mountains (northwestern part of the Czech Republic, which suffered from severe environmental pollution from the 1970s to the 1990s. The situation started improving after the pollution loads decreased significantly at the end of the 1990s. The general trends in forest recovery were studied using the tasseled cap transformation and disturbance index (DI extracted from the 1985–2015 time series of Landsat data. In addition, 16 vegetation indices (VIs extracted from airborne hyperspectral (HS data acquired in 1998 using the Advanced Solid-State Array Spectroradiometer (ASAS and in 2013 using the Airborne Prism Experiment (APEX were used to study changes in forest health. The forest health status analysis of HS image data was performed at two levels of spatial resolution; at a tree level (original 2.0 m spatial resolution, as well as at a forest stand level (generalized to 6.0 m spatial resolution. The temporal changes were studied primarily using the VOG1 vegetation index (VI as it was showing high and stable sensitivity to forest damage for both spatial resolutions considered. In 1998, significant differences between the moderately to heavily damaged (central Ore Mountains and initially damaged (western Ore Mountains stands were detected for all the VIs tested. In 2013, the stands in the central Ore Mountains exhibited VI values much closer to the global mean, indicating an improvement in their health status. This result fully confirms the finding of the Landsat time series analysis. The greatest difference in Disturbance Index (DI values between the central (1998: 0.37 and western Ore Mountains stands (1998: −1.21 could be seen at the end of the 1990s. Nonetheless, levelling of the physiological status of Norway spruce was observed for the central and western parts of the Ore Mountains in

Multi-muscle electrical stimulation and stand training: Effects on standing.

Science.gov (United States)

Momeni, Kamyar; Ramanujam, Arvind; Garbarini, Erica L; Forrest, Gail F

2018-02-15

To examine the biomechanical and neuromuscular effects of a longitudinal multi-muscle electrical stimulation (submaximal intensities) training of the lower limbs combined with/without activity-based stand training, on the recovery of stability and function for one individual with spinal cord injury (SCI). Single-subject, longitudinal study. Neuroplasticity laboratory. A 34-year-old male, with sensory- and motor-complete SCI (C5/C6). Two consecutive interventions: 61 hours of supine, lower-limb ES (ES-alone) and 51 hours of ES combined with stand training using an overhead body-weight support system (ST + ES). Clinical measures, trunk stability, and muscle activity were assessed and compared across time points. Trunk Stability Limit (TSL) determined improvements in trunk independence. Functional clinical values increased after both interventions, with further increases post ST + ES. Post ES-alone, trunk stability was maintained at 81% body-weight (BW) loading before failure; post ST + ES, BW loading increased to 95%. TSL values decreased post ST + ES (TSL A/P =54.0 kg.cm, TSL M/L =14.5 kg.cm), compared to ES-alone (TSL A/P =8.5 kg.cm, TSL M/L =3.9 kg.cm). Trunk muscle activity decreased post ST + ES training, compared to ES-alone. Neuromuscular and postural trunk control dramatically improved following the multi-muscle ES of the lower limbs with stand training. Multi-muscle ES training paradigm of the lower limb, using traditional parameters, may contribute to the functional recovery of the trunk.

Learning style versus time spent studying and career choice: Which is associated with success in a combined undergraduate anatomy and physiology course?

Science.gov (United States)

Farkas, Gary J; Mazurek, Ewa; Marone, Jane R

2016-01-01

The VARK learning style is a pedagogical focus in health care education. This study examines relationships of course performance vs. VARK learning preference, study time, and career plan among students enrolled in an undergraduate anatomy and physiology course at a large urban university. Students (n = 492) from the fall semester course completed a survey consisting of the VARK questionnaire, gender, academic year, career plans, and estimated hours spent per week in combined classroom and study time. Seventy-eight percent of students reported spending 15 or fewer hours per week studying. Study time and overall course score correlated significantly for the class as a whole (r = 0.111, P = 0.013), which was mainly due to lecture (r = 0.118, P = 0.009) performance. No significant differences were found among students grouped by learning styles. When corrected for academic year, overall course scores (mean ± SEM) for students planning to enter dentistry, medicine, optometry or pharmacy (79.89 ± 0.88%) were significantly higher than those of students planning to enter physical or occupational therapies (74.53 ± 1.15%; P = 0.033), as well as nurse/physician assistant programs (73.60 ± 1.3%; P = 0.040). Time spent studying was not significantly associated with either learning style or career choice. Our findings suggest that specific career goals and study time, not learning preferences, are associated with better performance among a diverse group of students in an undergraduate anatomy and physiology course. However, the extent to which prior academic preparation, cultural norms, and socioeconomic factors influenced these results requires further investigation. © 2015 American Association of Anatomists.

Time use choices and healthy body weight: A multivariate analysis of data from the American Time use Survey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stevens Robert B

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background We examine the relationship between time use choices and healthy body weight as measured by survey respondents' body mass index (BMI. Using data from the 2006 and 2007 American Time Use Surveys, we expand upon earlier research by including more detailed measures of time spent eating as well as measures of physical activity time and sedentary time. We also estimate three alternative models that relate time use to BMI. Results Our results suggest that time use and BMI are simultaneously determined. The preferred empirical model reveals evidence of an inverse relationship between time spent eating and BMI for women and men. In contrast, time spent drinking beverages while simultaneously doing other things and time spent watching television/videos are positively linked to BMI. For women only, time spent in food preparation and clean-up is inversely related to BMI while for men only, time spent sleeping is inversely related to BMI. Models that include grocery prices, opportunity costs of time, and nonwage income reveal that as these economic variables increase, BMI declines. Conclusions In this large, nationally representative data set, our analyses that correct for time use endogeneity reveal that the Americans' time use decisions have implications for their BMI. The analyses suggest that both eating time and context (i.e., while doing other tasks simultaneously matters as does time spent in food preparation, and time spent in sedentary activities. Reduced form models suggest that shifts in grocery prices, opportunity costs of time, and nonwage income may be contributing to alterations in time use patterns and food choices that have implications for BMI.

Measuring the opportunity loss of time spent boarding admitted patients in the emergency department: a multihospital analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Lucas, Raymond; Farley, Heather; Twanmoh, Joseph; Urumov, Andrej; Evans, Bruce; Olsen, Nils

2009-01-01

Emergency department (ED) crowding is an international crisis affecting the timeliness and quality of patient care. Boarding of admitted patients in the ED is recognized as a major contributor to ED crowding. The opportunity loss of this time is the benefit or value it could produce if it were used for something else. In crowded EDs, the typical alternative use of this time is to treat patients waiting to be seen. Various ED performance benchmarks related to inpatient boarding have been proposed, but they are not commonly reported and have yet to be evaluated to determine whether they correlate with the opportunity loss of time used for boarding. This study quantified several measures of ED boarding in a variety of hospital settings and looked for correlations between them and the opportunity loss of the time spent on boarding. In particular, average boarding time per admission was found to be easy to measure. Results revealed that it had a near-perfect linear correlation with opportunity loss. The opportunity loss of every 30 minutes of average boarding time equaled the time required to see 3.5 percent of the ED's daily census. For busy hospitals, the opportunity loss allowed sufficient time for staff to be able to see up to 36 additional patients per day. This correlation suggests that average boarding time per admission may be useful in evaluating efforts to reduce ED crowding and improve patient care.

Storage of water reactor spent fuel in water pools. Survey of world experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1982-01-01

Following discharge from a nuclear reactor, spent fuel has to be stored in water pools at the reactor site to allow for radioactive decay and cooling. After this initial storage period, the future treatment of spent fuel depends on the fuel cycle concept chosen. Spent fuel can either be treated by chemical processing or conditioning for final disposal at the relevant fuel cycle facilities, or be held in interim storage - at the reactor site or at a central storage facility. Recent forecasts predict that, by the year 2000, more than 150,000 tonnes of heavy metal from spent LWR fuel will have been accumulated. Because of postponed commitments regarding spent fuel treatment, a significant amount of spent fuel will still be held in storage at that time. Although very positive experience with wet storage has been gained over the past 40 years, making wet storage a proven technology, it appears desirable to summarize all available data for the benefit of designers, storage pool operators, licensing agenices and the general public. Such data will be essential for assessing the viability of extended water pool storage of spent nuclear fuel. In 1979, the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Nuclear Energy Agency of the OECD jointly issued a questionnaire dealing with all aspects of water pool storage. This report summarizes the information received from storage pool operators

Time budgets of lactating dairy cattle in commercial freestall herds.

Science.gov (United States)

Gomez, A; Cook, N B

2010-12-01

The aim of this study was to examine the time budgets of 205 lactating dairy cows housed in 16 freestall barns in Wisconsin and to determine the relationships between components of the time budget and herd- and cow-level fixed effects using mixed models. Using continuous video surveillance, time lying in the stall, time standing in the stall, time standing in the alleys (including drinking), time feeding, and time milking (time out of the pen for milking and transit) during a 24-h period were measured for each cow. In addition, the number of lying bouts and the mean duration of each lying bout per 24-h period were determined. Time milking varied between cows from 0.5 to 6.0 h/d, with a mean ± standard deviation of 2.7 ± 1.1h/d. Time milking was influenced significantly by pen stocking density, and time milking negatively affected time feeding, time lying, and time in the alley, but not time standing in the stall. Locomotion score, either directly or through an interaction with stall base type (a rubber crumb-filled mattress, MAT, or sand bedding, SAND), influenced pen activity. Lame cows spent less time feeding, less time in the alleys, and more time standing in the stalls in MAT herds, but not in SAND herds. The effect of lameness on lying time is complex and dependent on the time available for rest and differences in resting behavior observed between cows in MAT and SAND herds. In MAT herds, rest was characterized by a larger number of lying bouts of shorter duration than in SAND herds (mean = 14.4; confidence interval, CI: 12.4 to 16.5 vs. mean = 10.2; CI: 8.2 to 12.2 bouts per d, and mean = 1.0; CI: 0.9 to 1.1 vs. mean = 1.3, CI: 1.2 to 1.4h bout duration for MAT and SAND herds, respectively). Lameness was associated with an increase in time standing in the stall and a reduction in the mean (CI) number of lying bouts per day from 13.2 (CI: 12.3 to 14.1) bouts/d for nonlame cows to 10.9 (CI: 9.30 to 12.8) bouts/d for moderately lame cows, and an overall

Human mobility and time spent at destination: impact on spatial epidemic spreading.

Science.gov (United States)

Poletto, Chiara; Tizzoni, Michele; Colizza, Vittoria

2013-12-07

Host mobility plays a fundamental role in the spatial spread of infectious diseases. Previous theoretical works based on the integration of network theory into the metapopulation framework have shown that the heterogeneities that characterize real mobility networks favor the propagation of epidemics. Nevertheless, the studies conducted so far assumed the mobility process to be either Markovian (in which the memory of the origin of each traveler is lost) or non-Markovian with a fixed traveling time scale (in which individuals travel to a destination and come back at a constant rate). Available statistics however show that the time spent by travelers at destination is characterized by wide fluctuations, ranging from a single day up to several months. Such varying length of stay crucially affects the chance and duration of mixing events among hosts and may therefore have a strong impact on the spread of an emerging disease. Here, we present an analytical and a computational study of epidemic processes on a complex subpopulation network where travelers have memory of their origin and spend a heterogeneously distributed time interval at their destination. Through analytical calculations and numerical simulations we show that the heterogeneity of the length of stay alters the expression of the threshold between local outbreak and global invasion, and, moreover, it changes the epidemic behavior of the system in case of a global outbreak. Additionally, our theoretical framework allows us to study the effect of changes in the traveling behavior in response to the infection, by considering a scenario in which sick individuals do not leave their home location. Finally, we compare the results of our non-Markovian framework with those obtained with a classic Markovian approach and find relevant differences between the two, in the estimate of the epidemic invasion potential, as well as of the timing and the pattern of its spatial spread. These results highlight the importance of

The psychosocial consequences of spent fuel disposal; Kaeytetyn ydinpolttoaineen loppusijoituksen psykososiaaliset vaikutukset

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Paavola, J.; Eraenen, L. [Helsinki Univ. (Finland). Dept. of Social Psychology

1999-03-01

In this report the potential psychosocial consequences of spent fuel disposal to inhabitants of a community are assessed on the basis of earlier research. In studying the situation, different interpretations and meanings given to nuclear power are considered. First, spent fuel disposal is studied as fear-arousing and consequently stressful situation. Psychosomatic effects of stress and coping strategies used by an individual are presented. Stress as a collective phenomenon and coping mechanisms available for a community are also assessed. Stress reactions caused by natural disasters and technological disasters are compared. Consequences of nuclear power plant accidents are reviewed, e.g. research done on the accident at Three Mile Island power plant. Reasons for the disorganising effect on a community caused by a technological disaster are compared to the altruistic community often seen after natural disasters. The potential reactions that a spent fuel disposal plant can arouse in inhabitants are evaluated. Both short-term and long-term reactions are evaluated as well as reactions under normal functioning, after an incident and as a consequence of an accident. Finally an evaluation of how the decision-making system and citizens` opportunity to influence the decision-making affect the experience of threat is expressed. As a conclusion we see that spent fuel disposal can arouse fear and stress in people. However, the level of the stress is probably low. The stress is at strongest at the time of the starting of the spent fuel disposal plant. With time people get used to the presence of the plant and the threat experienced gets smaller. (orig.) 63 refs.