Showing papers on "Nuclear power published in 1994"
Book•
01 Jan 1994
TL;DR: The Professionalism Project as mentioned in this paper ) is a professionalism project for nuclear industry safety performance indicators, which aims to promote the professionalism of nuclear power operations and promote the safety of nuclear operations.
Abstract: Preface 1: Introduction Pt 1: Discovering Institutions 2: Lessons of Three Mile Island 3: Nuclear Regulatory Commission 4: Institute of Nuclear Power Operations Pt 2: Communitarian Regulation 5: Industrial Morality 6: Communal Pressure Pt 3: Institutionalizing Responsibility 7: Learning from Experience 8: The Professionalism Project 9: Conclusion Appendix: Nuclear Industry Safety Performance Indicators Notes Index
229 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, national strategies to manage nuclear waste from commercial nuclear power plants are analyzed and compared, and the analysis shows that currently building an underground repository at Yucca Mountain is inferior to other available strategies by the equivalent of $10,000 million to $50,000more million.
Abstract: National strategies to manage nuclear waste from commercial nuclear power plants are analyzed and compared. The current strategy is to try to operate a repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, to dispose storage at a centralized facility or next to nuclear power plants. If either of these is pursued now, the analysis assumes that a repository will be built in 2100 for waste not subsequently put to use. The analysis treats various uncertainties: whether a repository at Yucca Mountain would be licensed, possible theft and misuse of the waste, innovations in repository design and waste management, the potential availability of a cancer cure by 2100, and possible future uses of nuclear waste. The objectives used to compare alternatives include concerns for health and safety, environmental and socioeconomic impacts, and direct economic costs, as well as equity concerns (geographical, intergenerational, and procedural), indirect economic costs, as well as equity concerns (geographical, intergenerational, and procedural), indirect economic costs to electricity ratepayers, federal government responsibility to manage nuclear waste, and implications of theft and misuse of nuclear waste. The analysis shows that currently building an underground repository at Yucca Mountain is inferior to other available strategies by the equivalent of $10,000 million to $50,000more » million. This strongly suggests that this policy should be reconsidered. A more detailed analysis using the framework presented would help to define a new national policy to manage nuclear waste. 36 refs., 3 figs., 17 tabs.« less
87 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors proposed a geologic disposal of spent nuclear fuel using a combination of a natural barrier (the host rock of the repository) and engineered barriers, which would include a low-solubility waste form, long-lived containers, and clay-and cement-based barriers surrounding the waste containers and sealing the excavations.
Abstract: The geologic disposal of spent nuclear fuel is currently under consideration in many countries. Most of this fuel is in the form of assemblies of zirconium-alloy-clad rods containing enriched (1–4% 235U) or natural (0.71% 235U) uranium oxide pellets. Approximately 135,000 Mg are presently in temporary storage facilities throughout the world in nations with commercial nuclear power stations.Safe geologic disposal of nuclear waste could be achieved using a combination of a natural barrier (the host rock of the repository) and engineered barriers, which would include a low-solubility waste form, long-lived containers, and clay- and cement-based barriers surrounding the waste containers and sealing the excavations.A requirement in evaluating the safety of disposal of nuclear waste is a knowledge of the kinetics and mechanism of dissolution of the waste form in groundwater and the solubility of the waste form constituents. In the case of spent nuclear fuel, this means developing an understanding of fuel microstructure, its impact on release of contained fission products, and the dissolution behavior of spent fuel and of UO2, the principal constituent of the fuel.
81 citations
TL;DR: In this article, an integrated effort to define and measure organizational factors related to nuclear power plant safety is described, and the methods of assessment developed for this application are employee survey, behavioral checklist, and structured interview.
78 citations
TL;DR: A state-of-the-art review of plant information systems for on-line management of failures in nuclear power plants, focusing on the methodological features of computerized alarm systems and diagnostic systems is presented.
60 citations
Book•
01 Jan 1994
TL;DR: A tutorial review of radioisotope power systems (R.B. Dahlberg et al.). Space nuclear power heat pipe technology issues revisited (M.A. Sholtis, Jr. as mentioned in this paper ).
Abstract: Contents: A tutorial review of radioisotope power systems (R.G. Lange and E.F. Mastal). Summary of space nuclear reactor power systems 1983- 1992 (D. Buden). Silicon-germanium: an overview of recent developments (C.B. Vining and J.P Fleurial). Review of thermionic technology 1983- 1992 (R.C. Dahlberg et al.). Space nuclear power heat pipe technology issues revisited (M.A. Merrigan). Fuels for space nuclear power and propulsion 1983-1993 (R.B. Matthews et al.). Prelude to the future: a brief history of nuclear thermal propulsion in the U.S. (G.L. Bennett et al.). U.S. space nuclear safety: past, present, and future (J.A. Sholtis, Jr. et al.). Dynamic power conversion systems for space nuclear power (J.E. Dudenhoefer et al.). Nuclear electric propulsion: status and future (J.H. Gilland et al.). A review of advanced radiator technologies for spacecraft power systems and space thermal control (A.J. Juhasz and G.P. Peterson). Advanced static energy conversion for space nuclear power systems (C.P. Bankston).
39 citations
31 Dec 1994
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a broad and in-depth coverage of nuclear engineering principles with practical descriptions of their application in the design and operation of nuclear power plants, including safety and risk analysis, regulation, fuel management, waste management, and operational aspects.
Abstract: This new edition of this classic reference combines broad yet in-depth coverage of nuclear engineering principles with practical descriptions of their application in design and operation of nuclear power plants. Extensively updated, the fourth edition includes new material on reactor safety and risk analysis, regulation, fuel management, waste management, and operational aspects of nuclear power. This volume contains the following: energy from nuclear fission; nuclear reactions and radiations; neutron transport; nuclear design basics; nuclear reactor kinetics and control; radiation protection and shielding; and reactor materials.
31 citations
01 Feb 1994
TL;DR: The preapplication safety evaluation report (PSER) as mentioned in this paper presents the results of the preapplication desip review for die Power Reactor Innovative Small Module (PRISM) liquid-mew (sodium)-cooled reactor, Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Project No. 674.
Abstract: This preapplication safety evaluation report (PSER) presents the results of the preapplication desip review for die Power Reactor Innovative Small Module (PRISM) liquid-mew (sodium)-cooled reactor, Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Project No. 674. The PRISM conceptual desip was submitted by the US Department of Energy in accordance with the NRC`s ``Statement of Policy for the Regulation of Advanced Nuclear Power Plants`` (51 Federal Register 24643). This policy provides for the early Commission review and interaction with designers and licensees. The PRISM reactor desip is a small, modular, pool-type, liquid-mew (sodium)-cooled reactor. The standard plant design consists of dim identical power blocks with a total electrical output rating of 1395 MWe- Each power block comprises three reactor modules, each with a thermal rating of 471 MWt. Each module is located in its own below-grade silo and is co to its own intermediate heat transport system and steam generator system. The reactors utilize a metallic-type fuel, a ternary alloy of U-Pu-Zr. The design includes passive reactor shutdown and passive decay heat removal features. The PSER is the NRC`s preliminary evaluation of the safety features in the PRISM design, including the projected research and development programs required to support the design and the proposedmore » testing needs. Because the NRC review was based on a conceptual design, the PSER did not result in an approval of the design. Instead it identified certain key safety issues, provided some guidance on applicable licensing criteria, assessed the adequacy of the preapplicant`s research and development programs, and concluded that no obvious impediments to licensing the PRISM design had been identified.« less
30 citations
TL;DR: The various options available for disposing of the plutonium from dismantled U.S. and Soviet Union nuclear weapons suggest that something resembling high-level radioactive waste, which would be extremely hard to steal and process into weapons, is being considered.
Abstract: This article explores the various options available for disposing of the plutonium from dismantled U.S. and Soviet Union nuclear weapons. The simplest solution is long-term storage (approx. 20 years) until a more satisfactory solution is found, such as the development of reactors designed to burn plutonium. This is unsatisfactory for political reasons, such as the instability of the Russian government, the perception that the plutonium could be recovered later for use in nuclear weapons, and security problems to prevent theft. Another option is mixing it with highly radioactive nuclear wastes, or mixing it with natural uranium to be processed through conventional nuclear power reactors. The plutonium would be transformed into something resembling high-level radioactive waste, which would be extremely hard to steal and process into weapons. A Presidential panel will make its recommendations for handling of the plutonium next October.
25 citations
TL;DR: In this article, simulated annealing was used for the analysis of design configurations for a Brayton cycle power plant. But the authors did not consider the performance of the simulation in the face of a large number of discontinuities in the solution space.
24 citations
TL;DR: In this article, an intelligent man-machine system for future nuclear power plants is proposed, aiming to support a knowledge-based decision-making process in an operator's supervisory plant control tasks, consisting of three main functions, i.e., a cognitive model-based advisor, a robust automatic sequence controller, and an ecological interface.
Abstract: The objective of the development of an intelligent man-machine system for future nuclear power plants is enhancement of operational reliability by applying recent advances in cognitive science, artificial intelligence, and computer technologies. To realize this objective, the intelligent man-machine system, aiming to support a knowledge-based decision making process in an operator's supervisory plant control tasks, consists of three main functions, i.e., a cognitive model-based advisor, a robust automatic sequence controller, and an ecological interface. These three functions have been integrated into a console-type nuclear power plant monitoring and control system as a validation test bed. The validation tests in which experienced operator crews participated were carried out in 1991 and 1992. The test results show the usefulness of the support functions and the validity of the system design approach.
31 Dec 1994
TL;DR: The fourth edition of this classic reference combines broad yet in-depth coverage of nuclear engineering principles with practical descriptions of their application in the design and operation of nuclear power plants as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: This new edition of this classic reference combines broad yet in-depth coverage of nuclear engineering principles with practical descriptions of their application in the design and operation of nuclear power plants. Extensively updated, the fourth edition includes new materials on reactor safety and risk analysis, regulation, fuel management, waste management and operational aspects of nuclear power. This volume contains the following: the systems concept, design decisions, and information tools; energy transport; reactor fuel management and energy cost considerations; environmental effects of nuclear power and waste management; nuclear reactor safety and regulation; power reactor systems; plant operations; and advanced plants and the future.
01 Dec 1994
TL;DR: The Integrated Data Base Program (IDBP) as mentioned in this paper has compiled historic data on inventories and characteristics of both commercial and DOE spent nuclear fuel; also, commercial and US government-owned radioactive wastes through December 31, 1993.
Abstract: The Integrated Data Base Program has compiled historic data on inventories and characteristics of both commercial and DOE spent nuclear fuel; also, commercial and US government-owned radioactive wastes through December 31, 1993. These data are based on the most reliable information available from government sources, the open literature, technical reports, and direct contacts. The information forecasted is consistent with the latest US Department of Energy/Energy Information Administration projections of US commercial nuclear power growth and the expected DOE-related and private industrial and institutional activities. The radioactive materials considered, on a chapter-by-chapter basis, are spent nuclear fuel, high-level waste, transuranic waste, low-level waste, commercial uranium mill tailings, DOE Environmental Restoration Program wastes, commercial reactor and fuel-cycle facility decommissioning wastes, and mixed (hazardous and radioactive) low-level waste. For most of these categories, current and projected inventories are given the calendar-year 2030, and the radioactivity and thermal power are calculated based on reported or estimated isotopic compositions. In addition, characteristics and current inventories are reported for miscellaneous radioactive materials that may require geologic disposal. 256 refs., 38 figs., 141 tabs.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors focus on Swedish policy for radwaste management, taking as its point of departure a conceptualization of society as compnsing three interdependent spheres - civil society, the state and the economy.
Abstract: Taking as its point of departure a conceptualization of society as compnsing three interdependent spheres - civil society, the state and the economy - the article focuses on Swedish policy for radwaste management. Nuclear power policy in Sweden was elaborated in cooperation between the state and the industry, but came in for lively discussion and politicization dunng the 1970s The problem of radioactive waste was an essential part of the critique of nuclear power, but despite that radwaste management has been depoliticized, and today it is the responsibility solely of the nuclear companies themselves. Sweden, like many other countries, will dunng the 1990s start to decide where to locate the repository for spent nuclear fuel. However, basically because of the possibility of local opposition, the siting of such facilities is anything but unproblematic, and therefore the attitude of the civil society to a site is an essential factor to be taken into consideration. This attitude has to do with circumstances ...
Book•
01 Jan 1994
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss past and future Global Warming versus returning glaciers versus returning Glaciers, and present and future global Warming vs returning glaciers, and the future of nuclear power.
Abstract: Acknowledgements Prologue PART I: QUESTIONS Introduction Ancient Days and Modern Times Ice Ages - Past and Future Global Warming versus Returning Glaciers Earth's Fossil Fuel Supply Nuclear Power PART II: ANSWERS Introduction Solar Energy Wind, Waves, and Tides Going with the Flow: Water, Dams, and Hydropower Geothermal Energy: Energy from the Earth Itself Efficiency, Conservation, and Hybrid Cars Energy Storage: Macro to Micro Green Fuel: Biodiesel, Alcohol, and Biomass PART III: DREAMS Introduction Breeding Nuclear Fuel Nuclear Fusion: Engine of the Sun Power from the Ocean: Thermal and Salinity Gradients Fuel Cells: Hydrogen, Alcohol, and Coal Magnetohydrodynamics and Power Plants Thermionics and the Single Fuel Home Artificial Photosynthesis and Water Splitting Planetary Engineering and Terraforming Space Solar Power: Energy and the Final Frontier PART IV: NIGHTMARES Introduction Alternative Futures ORBITuary? Disasters That Could Occur
31 Jan 1994
TL;DR: In this article, a method is described for evaluating the probability of death due to stochastic effects, combining the probabilities of accidental releases with the consequences in terms of the excess doses received over a lifetime (70 years).
Abstract: At present over 200 nuclear power reactors are operational. The question raised is to what extent possible accidents with nuclear power reactors pose a risk for the European population. In this report a method is described for evaluating the probability of death due to stochastic effects, combining the probability of accidental releases with the consequences in terms of the excess doses received over a lifetime (70 years). The study is limited to stochastic deaths: victims of death due to very high short term radiation doses possibly occurring in the close proximity of the nuclear power reactor (
Book•
01 Jan 1994
TL;DR: The United States increasingly finds itself in the midst of diplomatic crises over the proliferation of nuclear weapons into the hands of increasing numbers of states, both friendly and unfriendly.
Abstract: : This study seeks to address the emerging incongruence between the proliferation of nuclear weapons and the U.S. policy for managing this process. American society and its political leadership must accept the need to adapt its policy to the rapidly-changing circumstances in nuclear proliferation. For at least two decades, the process of nuclear proliferation continued unabated, with the emergence of new nuclear powers, including India, Israel, and Pakistan. Since 1992, deep concerns about the emergence of North Korea as a nuclear power have provoked a protracted diplomatic crisis between the South Korean-United States alliance and North Korea. Further, the dissolution of the Soviet Union created three additional 'instant' nuclear powers-Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Belarus. Kazakhstan and Belarus agreed to eliminate their nuclear weapons and accede to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as non-weapon states. Ukraine, however, has thus far steadfastly refused to relinquish its nuclear forces. The United States increasingly finds itself in the midst of diplomatic crises over the proliferation of nuclear weapons into the hands of increasing numbers of states, both friendly and unfriendly. Steadfast opposition to nuclear proliferation is a remnant of the Cold War when the prospect of a multi-nuclear world represented a direct threat to peace and stability. For decades, the United States marshaled the resources of the international community to decelerate the process of nuclear proliferation. There were efforts by the nuclear-armed powers of the United Nations Security Council to limit the spread of nuclear weapons and thus the number of nuclear-armed states.
TL;DR: The BRUS-150 lead-bismuth alloy-cooled nuclear reactor as discussed by the authors is a two-loop system with liquid metal coolant in the first loop and a steam-water cycle in the second loop.
Abstract: The design of the BRUS-150 lead-bismuth alloy cooled reactor is outlined. The reactor is a two-loop system with liquid metal coolant in the first loop and a steam-water cycle in the seond loop. One design application described is for a modular, single unit reactor with an electrical output of 150 to 170 MW for multipurpose central nuclear heat and electric power plants. The reactor could also be used in nuclear power plants, special nuclear power plants for utilizing weapons and reactor plutonium, and transmutation of actinides.
TL;DR: The spread of nuclear weapons outside the Western world has become the most important nuclear issue since the end of the Cold War and nuclear collaboration in Western Europe now seems an unlikely prospect and so too does proliferation, despite instability in the former Soviet Union and occasional speculation about Germany's nuclear appetite as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The spread of nuclear weapons outside the Western world has become the most important nuclear issue since the end of the Cold War. By contrast, the debate about Europe's nuclear strategy has subsided. Nuclear collaboration in Western Europe now seems an unlikely prospect and so too does proliferation, despite instability in the former Soviet Union, and occasional speculation about Germany's nuclear appetite. A very different atmosphere prevailed during the Cold War, when the need for a European nuclear force was endlessly debated, without any prospect of this political demand being fulfilled, and, in the late 1950s and 1960s, several European countries appeared to be at the threshold of obtaining nuclear power.
01 Oct 1994
TL;DR: In this paper, a direct perception interface for the thermal hydraulic systems of a nuclear power reactor (PWR) was developed, which presented operators with an animated graphic of the Rankine heat cycle describing the functional relations of steam generation.
Abstract: Following the suggestions of Beltracchi (1987) a direct perception interface for the thermal hydraulic systems of a pressurized water nuclear power reactor (PWR) was developed. It presents operators with an animated graphic of the Rankine heat cycle describing the functional relations of steam generation in a PWR. The ability of students of thermal and nuclear systems to recall system states, and detect and diagnose nine transients was compared to that of experienced nuclear power plant operators. The results were compared to a display representing traditional analog meters. The direct perception interface supported better diagnostic performance, but did not improve memory for quantitative information. Problems in evaluating such displays are discussed, in particular concerning choice of scenarios, and investigation of failure modes of advanced displays.
TL;DR: A discounted cash flow analysis demonstrates that, by developing a 50-year uranium reserve instead of a commercial plutonium and breeder program, Japan could save up to $22.7 billion as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Japan could acquire a 50-year reserve of low-enriched uranium fuel for its nuclear power plants at about half the cost of its plutonium program, providing energy security and major economic and political benefits. Fuel for light-water reactors made with plutonium costs four to eight times as much as conventional uranium fuel. Japan can develop a Strategic Uranium Reserve to address its energy security concerns and eliminate any need to proceed now with plutonium recycling with its many attendant costs and nuclear proliferation risks. Such a reserve could provide as much as a 50-year, energy-secure timeframe within which Japan could develop the commercial breeder reactor later on, if necessary. A discounted cash flow analysis demonstrates that, by developing a 50-year uranium reserve instead of a commercial plutonium and breeder program, Japan could save up to $22.7 billion. Savings would be greater (up to $38.4 billion) if an enriched-uranium reserve smaller than the extreme 50-year example or a reserve of natural uranium were acquired. The reserve would also make a major contribution to keeping the Asia-Pacific region free of weapons-usable nuclear materials.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors developed the PC-based REVEAL W™ to support risk-based configuration control of nuclear power plants, which allows the user to develop transparent complex logic models based on the concept of the master plant logic diagram.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors proposed a small-sized fast-reactor concept which is highly resistant to nuclear proliferation and proved that it can be used to obtain a huge amount of energy without leading to catastrophe of the environment.
01 Jan 1994
TL;DR: In this article, the use of expert judgment in analysis of human and organizational behavior was studied theoretically and in practical case studies in a nuclear power plant, where cognitive actions of control rcom operators were analyzed.
Abstract: Probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) of a nuclear power plant includes an assessment of the probability of each event sequence that can lead to a reactor core damage and of their consequences. Despite increasing maturity of PSA methods, there are still several problems in their use. These include the assessment of human reliability and the impact of organizational factors on plant safety. The assessment of both these issues is based on expert judgment. Therefore, the use of expert judgment in analysis of human and organizational behaviour was studied theoretically and in practical case studies in this thesis. Human errors were analysed in two case studies. In the first study cognitive actions of control rcom operators were analysed. For this purpose methods were developed for the qualitative and quantitative phases of the analysis. Errors of test and maintenance personnel were analysed in the second case study. Especially the dependence of errors between sequential tasks performed in redundant subsystems of a safety system was studied. Current PSA methods do not include adequate models to assess the effects of management and organizational factors on safety. Therefore, other complementary methods are needed to support the probabilistic analysis. A method to assess organizational behaviour was developed and applied in the third case study. The three case studies demonstrated that expcii judgment can be used in the analysis of human reliability and organizational behaviour taking into account the observations made and the remarks presented in the study. However, significant uncertainties are related with expert judgment. Recommendations are presented concerning the use of different methods. Also, some insights are presented into how reliance on expert judgment could be reduced. The case studies have provided a great deal of qualitative and quantitative information that can be used to further enhance the safety of nuclear power plants.
27 Jun 1994
TL;DR: Simulation results presented reveal that it is feasible to use artificial neural networks to improve the operating characteristics of the nuclear power plants.
Abstract: In this paper, an approach based on neural networks for the control system design of a pressurized water reactor (PWR) is presented. A reference model which incorporates a static projective suboptimal control law under various operating conditions is used to generate the necessary data for training the neurocontroller. The designed approach is able to control the nuclear reactor in a robust manner. Simulation results presented reveal that it is feasible to use artificial neural networks to improve the operating characteristics of the nuclear power plants. >
01 Mar 1994
TL;DR: In this article, the authors presented a preliminary mission and systems study of nuclear electric propulsion (NEP) systems for "split-sprint" human exploration and related robotic cargo missions to Mars.
Abstract: NASA has completed a preliminary mission and systems study of nuclear electric propulsion (NEP) systems for “split‐sprint” human exploration and related robotic cargo missions to Mars. This paper describes the study, the mission architecture selected, the NEP system and technology development needs, proposed development schedules, and estimated development costs. Since current administration policy makers have delayed funding for key technology development activities that could make Mars exploration missions a reality in the near future, NASA will have time to evaluate various alternate mission options, and it appears prudent to ensure that Mars mission plans focus on astronaut and mission safety, while reducing costs to acceptable levels. The split‐sprint nuclear electric propulsion system offers trip times comparable to nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) systems, while providing mission abort opportunities that are not possible with “reference” mission architectures. Thus, NEP systems offer short transit times for the astronauts, reducing the exposure of the crew to intergalactic cosmic radiation. The high specific impulse of the NEP system, which leads to very low propellant requirements, results in significantly lower “initial mass in low earth orbit” (IMLEO). Launch vehicle packaging studies show that the NEP system can be launched, assembled, and deployed, with about one less 240‐metric‐ton heavy lift launch vehicle (HLLV) per mission opportunity ‐ a very large cost savings! Technology development cost of the nuclear reactor for an NEP system would be shared with the proposed nuclear surface power systems, since nuclear systems will be required to provide substantial electrical power on the surface of Mars. The NEP development project plan proposed includes evolutionary technology development for nuclear electric propulsion systems that expands upon SP‐100 (Space Power ‐ 100 kw) technology that has been developed for lunar and Mars surface nuclear power, and small NEP systems for interplanetary probes. System upgrades are expected to evolve that will result in even shorter trip times, improved payload capabilities, and enhanced safety and reliability. Non‐nuclear technology development for the NEP system is estimated to cost about $721 M (1993 $). Nuclear technology development costs are not included in the costs in this report, since these costs will be incurred in the nuclear surface power development program. NEP Phase A/B studies are estimated to cost about $154 M. Flight system hardware development (Phase C/D) is estimated to cost about $2.8 B, and fabrication of flight hardware is estimated to be about $7.8 B for four mission opportunities in 2009, 2011, 2014, and 2016.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors used ion chromatography to diagnose corrosion in light-water nuclear power plants. But, they did not consider the impact of a failure in the coolant and steam piping relative to non-nuclear heat sources.