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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2019

Control rod position indicator

A rod position indication system includes a drive rod operably coupled to a control rod that is configured to be both withdrawn from and inserted into a reactor core. A number of sensing devices are arranged along a path of the drive rod, and an end of the drive rod passes by or through one or more of the sensing devices in response to movement of the control rod relative to the reactor core. The sensing devices are arranged into a plurality of groups, and each group includes two or more of the sensing devices electrically coupled together. The rod position indication system further includes a control rod monitoring device electrically coupled to each group of sensing devices by a routing wire.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Final CRADA Report for Enhanced and Miniaturized Wireless Valve Position Indicator Prototype

Most operating nuclear power plants (NPPs) in the United States have received approval to extend their operating licenses to 60 years. Now the nuclear industry is preparing to extend operating licenses to 80 years. While NPPs are preparing for extensions (60 years and beyond), the nuclear industry is facing a unique economic sustainability challenge in the current energy market. According to the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), generating costs of U.S. reactors have risen by 28% over the last 12 years, which is impacting the competitiveness of nuclear power in a market being increasingly penetrated by natural gas and renewable energy. This is partly because of the fact that the present nuclear work practice is dependent on a large technical staff which results in high operation and maintenance (O&M) costs, accounting for approximately 66% of the total operating cost. To address these concerns and abide by the NEI’s “Delivering the Nuclear Promise Initiative,” the U.S. utilities are embracing digitalization of their work practice to lower the O&M costs and increase productivity and efficiency while maintaining a safe and reliable operation. To address these above-mentioned concerns, Idaho National Laboratory (INL) researchers (proposal team) have developed a wireless valve position indication (VPI) sensor system that can be retrofitted on three main manual valve types (extendible to other manual valve types) to replace manual valve position verification with digital verification and enable online monitoring of manual valves. The developed technology 1) is evaluated for electromagnetic interference, 2) has a low power consuming and miniaturized electronic board, 3) is mounted on adjustable and reconfigurable sensor mounting unit that can fit on an actual flow-loop (at Idaho State University-ISU) to enable online monitoring of manual valve types without any valve body modification, and 4) ensures robust, secure, and reliable real-time communication of manual valve position.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2024

Plan Position Indicator Hydrometeor Field Statistics (PPIHYD) Evaluation Data Product Version 1.0

The PPIHYD evaluation data product provides distinct hydrometeor field statistics calculated from U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility scanning radar plan position indicator (PPI) scans. These statistics include the equivalent reflectivity factor and Doppler spectral width percentiles, min/max values, and first four moments (mean, standard deviation, skewness, and kurtosis) of distinct hydrometeor features (clustered hydrometeor fields). Statistics also include morphological properties, water content and precipitation rate parameterization-based estimates, and thermodynamic properties interpolated using the Interpolated Sonde value-added product (INTERPSONDE VAP). The data set is organized in tabular form and is accompanied by mask arrays with corresponding indices. This straightforward file structure simplifies scanning radar data processing and renders this data set useful for process understanding and model evaluation studies. This report describes the data set and its processing algorithm and provides some examples.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2017

Application of quantitative methods for reliability testing of a nuclear power plant digital rod position indication diagnostic system - 391

Obsolescence, aging, reliability, and performance issues are driving nuclear facilities to replace conventional analog Instrumentation and Control (I and C) systems with digital technologies. In addition, the designs of the next generation of nuclear reactors, including Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), will incorporate digital I and C for most, if not all, of their safety and non-safety related functions. As part of an on-going research and development (R and D) effort under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Analysis and Measurement Services Corporation (AMS) is developing a platform to provide automated testing of digital I and C systems and create a standard method of evaluation for reliability assessments. This hands-on R and D effort has produced a Software Reliability Tester (SRT), which is a set of software and hardware tools designed to automate the testing of digital I and C systems to measure and quantify how well the systems perform under normal operating conditions and in the presence of faults. Furthermore, the SRT provides the foundation for a practical tool to automate verification and validation (V and V) activities and reduce the amount of testing time of digital I and C systems. When combined with its capabilities of integrating both reliability and fault tolerance quantification, the SRT can be used to ensure that digital I and C implementations are both safe and cost-effective for the nuclear industry. This paper describes the application of the SRT to perform V and V of a new Digital Rod Position Indication (DRPI) diagnostic system. The DRPI diagnostic system is a digital system that monitors the rod address and rod position data bus voltages of typical DRPI systems in nuclear power plants to detect and diagnose faults. For this application, the SRT was configured to exercise the inputs of the DRPI diagnostic system, and test cases were generated for common system faults such as address and data bit errors, bus voltage, and timing problems. These test cases were applied by the SRT hardware as voltage inputs to the DRPI diagnostic system and the outputs were compared to expected values generated by a model of the DRPI diagnostic system. Included in the paper is a description of the overall design of the SRT including the hardware and software architectures. Methodologies for automating test cases are also described. V and V using the SRT demonstrates the benefits of automated testing and qualification to provide a quantitative assessment of reliability and cost effective implementation of digital I and C in existing and next generation nuclear power plants. (authors)

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Colorado State University (CSU) X-Band Precipitation Radar Plan Position Indicator Data Processed with Corrected Moments in Antenna Coordinates (CMAC) Value-Added Product Report

In 2010 the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility procured 3- and 5-cm wavelength radars for documenting the macrophysical, microphysical, and dynamical structure of precipitating systems. To maximize the scientific impact, ARM supported the development of an application chain to correct for various phenomena in order to retrieve the “point” values of moments of the radar spectrum and polarimetric measurements. We have now used the lessons learned from the processing of the 3- and 5-cm wavelength radars obtained by ARM to help process X-band radar data from the Surface Atmospheric Integrated Field Laboratory (SAIL) field campaign. This report details the motivation, science, and progress to date as well as charting a path forward.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

GUC CSU X-Band Precipitation Radar Plan Position Indicator data processed with Corrected Moments in Antenna Coordinates

For the Surface Atmosphere Integrated Field Laboratory (SAIL) campaign, Corrected Moments in Antenna Coordinates (CMAC) is a set of algorithms and code that does corrections to CSU X-Precipitation Radar PPI data. Additionally, CMAC adds calculations of derived snowfall rates to the original data in order to provide precipitation estimates for the campaign.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

Wireless online position monitoring of manual valve types for plant configuration management in nuclear power plants

In the current competitive energy market, the nuclear industry is committed to lower the operations and maintenance cost; increase productivity and efficiency while maintaining safe and reliable operation. The present operating model of nuclear power plants is dependent on large technical staffs that put the nuclear industry at long-term economic disadvantage. Technology can play a key role in nuclear power plant configuration management in offsetting labor costs by automating manually performed plant activities. The technology being developed, tested, and demonstrated in this paper will enable the continued safe operation of today’s fleet of light water reactors by providing the technical means to monitor components in plants today that are only routinely monitored through manual activities. The wireless enabled valve position indicators that are the subject of this paper are able to provide a valid position indication available continuously, rather than only periodically. As a result, a real-time (online) availability of valve positions using an affordable technologies are vital to plant configuration when compared with long-term labor rates, and provide information that can be used for a variety of plant engineering, maintenance, and management applications.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2014

Causal Analysis of the Inadvertent Contact with an Uncontrolled Electrical Hazardous Energy Source (120 Volts AC)

On September 25, 2013, a Health Physics Technician (HPT) was performing preparations to support a pneumatic transfer from the HFEF Decon Cell to the Room 130 Glovebox in HFEF, per HFEF OI 3165 section 3.5, Field Preparations. This activity involves an HPT setting up and climbing a portable ladder to remove the 14-C meter probe from above ball valve HBV-7. The HPT source checks the meter and probe and then replaces the probe above HBV-7, which is located above Hood ID# 130 HP. At approximately 13:20, while reaching past the HBV-7 valve position indicator switches in an attempt to place the 14-C meter probe in the desired location, the HPT’s left forearm came in contact with one of the three sets of exposed terminals on the valve position indication switches for HBV 7. This resulted in the HPT receiving an electrical shock from a 120 Volt AC source. Upon moving the arm, following the electrical shock, the HPT noticed two exposed electrical connections on a switch. The HPT then notified the HFEF HPT Supervisor, who in turn notified the MFC Radiological Controls Manager and HFEF Operations Manager of the situation. Work was stopped in the area and the hazard was roped off and posted to prevent access to the hazard. The HPT was escorted by the HPT Supervisor to the MFC Dispensary and then preceded to CFA medical for further evaluation. The individual was evaluated and released without any medical restrictions. Causal Factor (Root Cause) A3B3C01/A5B2C08: - Knowledge based error/Attention was given to wrong issues - Written Communication content LTA, Incomplete/situation not covered The Causal Factor (root cause) was attention being given to the wrong issues during the creation, reviews, verifications, and actual performance of HFEF OI-3165, which covers the need to perform the weekly source check and ensure placement of the probe prior to performing a “rabbit” transfer. This resulted in the hazard not being identified and mitigated in the procedure. Work activities with in HFEF-OI-3165 placed the HPT in proximity of an unmitigated hazard directly resulting in this event. Contributing Factor A3B3C04/A4B5C04: - Knowledge Based Error, LTA Review Based on Assumption That Process Will Not Change - Change Management LTA, Risks/consequences associated with change not adequately reviewed/assessed Prior to the pneumatic system being out of service, the probe and meter were not being source checked together. The source check issue was identified and addressed during the period of time when the system was out of service. The corrective actions for this issue resulted in the requirement that a meter and probe be source checked together as it is intended to be used. This changed the activity and required an HPT to weekly, when in use, remove and install the probe from above HBV-7 to meet the requirement of LRD 15001 Part 5 Article 551.5. Risks and consequences associated with this change were not adequately reviewed or assessed. Failure to identify the hazard associated with this change directly contributed to this event.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2023

CSAPR2 Optimized Convective Cell Tracking Data during TRACER

One of the challenges in analyzing convective cell properties is to observe the quick evolution of individual convective cells. While the operational radar data provide a volumetric data set to analyze radar observables of convective precipitation clouds, previous studies also suggested the quick evolution of cell life cycle that might not be captured by conventional radar volume scan strategies that take ~5-7 minutes. Aiming at enhancing our understanding of the links between convective cloud kinematic and microphysical processes as well as life cycles, the Tracking Aerosol Convection Interactions ExpeRiment (TRACER; Jensen et al. 2019) was conducted at Houston, Texas, in 2022. The TRACER campaign deployed the 2nd generation C-band Scanning ARM Precipitation Radar (CSAPR2), which performed frequent updates of range height indicator (RHI) and sector plan position indicator (PPI) scans to track individual convective cells every < 2 minutes, guided by a new cell tracking framework, Multisensor Agile Adaptive Sampling (MAAS; Kollias et al. 2020). This allows for capturing fast-evolving radar observables. We provide the processed CSAPR2 cell tracking data in CfRadial format collected during the TRACER field campaign from June to September 2022. The data files include processed radar variables: noise-masked reflectivity and differential reflectivity corrected for rain attenuation and systematic biases, noise-masked dealiased radial velocity, specific differential phase, locations of target cells (latitude, longitude, radar range), and radar-echo classification. Figure 1 provides an example of a 3D image of CSAPR2 reflectivity from the lowest PPI scan and an RHI scan after data processing.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗