Diversity Strategies for Nuclear Power Plant Instrumentation and Control Systems (open access)

Diversity Strategies for Nuclear Power Plant Instrumentation and Control Systems

This report presents the technical basis for establishing acceptable mitigating strategies that resolve diversity and defense-in-depth (D3) assessment findings and conform to U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) requirements. The research approach employed to establish appropriate diversity strategies involves investigation of available documentation on D3 methods and experience from nuclear power and nonnuclear industries, capture of expert knowledge and lessons learned, determination of best practices, and assessment of the nature of common-cause failures (CCFs) and compensating diversity attributes. The research described in this report does not provide guidance on how to determine the need for diversity in a safety system to mitigate the consequences of potential CCFs. Rather, the scope of this report provides guidance to the staff and nuclear industry after a licensee or applicant has performed a D3 assessment per NUREG/CR-6303 and determined that diversity in a safety system is needed for mitigating the consequences of potential CCFs identified in the evaluation of the safety system design features. Succinctly, the purpose of the research described in this report was to answer the question, 'If diversity is required in a safety system to mitigate the consequences of potential CCFs, how much diversity is enough?' The principal results of this research …
Date: February 1, 2010
Creator: Wood, Richard Thomas; Belles, Randy; Cetiner, Mustafa Sacit; Holcomb, David Eugene; Korsah, Kofi; Loebl, Andy et al.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Measurement of the 208Pb(52Cr, n)259Sg Excitation Function (open access)

Measurement of the 208Pb(52Cr, n)259Sg Excitation Function

The excitation function for the 208Pb(52Cr, n)259Sg reaction has been measured using the Berkeley Gas-filled Separator at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory 88-Inch Cyclotron. The maximum cross section of pb is observed at a center-of-target laboratory-frame energy of 253.0 MeV. In total, 25 decay chains originating from 259Sg were observed and the measured decay properties are in good agreement with previous reports. In addition, a partial excitation function for the 208Pb(52Cr, 2n)258Sg reaction was obtained, and an improved 258Sg half-life of ms was calculated by combining all available experimental data.
Date: March 19, 2010
Creator: Folden, C. M., III; Dragojevic, I.; Dullmann, Ch. E.; Eichler, R.; Garcia, M. A.; Gates, J. M. et al.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
On the effect of x-ray irradiation on the deformation and fracture behavior of human cortical bone (open access)

On the effect of x-ray irradiation on the deformation and fracture behavior of human cortical bone

In situ mechanical testing coupled with imaging using high-energy synchrotron x-ray diffraction or tomography imaging is gaining in popularity as a technique to investigate micrometer and even sub-micrometer deformation and fracture mechanisms in mineralized tissues, such as bone and teeth. However, the role of the irradiation in affecting the nature and properties of the tissue is not always taken into account. Accordingly, we examine here the effect of x-ray synchrotron-source irradiation on the mechanistic aspects of deformation and fracture in human cortical bone. Specifically, the strength, ductility and fracture resistance (both work-of-fracture and resistance-curve fracture toughness) of human femoral bone in the transverse (breaking) orientation were evaluated following exposures to 0.05, 70, 210 and 630 kGy irradiation. Our results show that the radiation typically used in tomography imaging can have a major and deleterious impact on the strength, post-yield behavior and fracture toughness of cortical bone, with the severity of the effect progressively increasing with higher doses of radiation. Plasticity was essentially suppressed after as little as 70 kGy of radiation; the fracture toughness was decreased by a factor of five after 210 kGy of radiation. Mechanistically, the irradiation was found to alter the salient toughening mechanisms, manifest by the …
Date: January 10, 2010
Creator: Barth, Holly D.; Launey, Maximilien E.; McDowell, Alastair A.; Ager, Joel W., III & Ritchie, Robert O.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
B-meson decays to eta' rho, eta' f0, and eta' K* (open access)

B-meson decays to eta' rho, eta' f0, and eta' K*

We present measurements of B-meson decays to the final states {eta}{prime} {rho}, {eta}{prime} f{sub 0}, and {eta}{prime} K*, where K* stands for a vector, scalar, or tensor strange meson. We observe a significant signal or evidence for {eta}{prime} {rho}{sup +} and all the {eta}{prime}K* channels. We also measure, where applicable, the charge asymmetries, finding results consistent with no direct CP violation in all cases. The measurements are performed on a data sample consisting of 467 x 10{sup 6} B{bar B} pairs, collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II e{sup +}e{sup -} collider at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. Our results favor the theoretical predictions from perturbative QCD and QCD Factorization and we observe an enhancement of the tensor K*{sub 2} (1430) with respect to the vector K*(892) component.
Date: August 25, 2010
Creator: del Amo Sanchez, P.; Lees, J. P.; Poireau, V.; Prencipe, E.; Tisserand, V.; Garra Tico, J. et al.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Observation of the Upsilon(13DJ ) Bottomonium State through Decays to pi+pi-Upsilon(1S) (open access)

Observation of the Upsilon(13DJ ) Bottomonium State through Decays to pi+pi-Upsilon(1S)

Based on 122X10{sup 6} {upsilon}(3S) events collected with the BABAR detector, we have observed the {upsilon}(1{sup 3}D{sub J}) bottomonium state through the {upsilon}(3S){yields}{gamma}{gamma}{upsilon}(1{sup 3}D{sub J}){yields}{gamma}{gamma}{pi}{sub +}{pi}{sub -}{upsilon}(1S) decay chain. The significance is 6.2 standard deviations including systematic uncertainties. The mass of the J = 2 member of the {upsilon}(1{sup 3}D{sub J}) triplet is determined to be 10164.5{-+}0.8 (stat.) {-+} 0.5 (syst.) MeV/c{sup 2}. We use the {pi}{sup +}{pi}{sup -} invariant mass and decay angular distributions to confirm the consistency of the observed state with the orbital angular momentum and parity assignments of the {upsilon}(1{sup 3}D{sub J}).
Date: June 2, 2010
Creator: del Amo Sanchez, P.; Lees, J. P.; Poireau, V.; Prencipe, E.; Tisserand, V.; Garra Tico, J. et al.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Search for fj(2220) in radiative J/psi decays (open access)

Search for fj(2220) in radiative J/psi decays

We present a search for f{sub J}(2220) production in radiative J/{psi} {yields} {gamma}f{sub J}(2220) decays using 460 fb{sup -1} of data collected with the BABAR detector at the SLAC PEP-II e{sup +}e{sup -} collider. The f{sub J}(2220) is searched for in the decays to K{sup +}K{sup -} and K{sub S}{sup 0}K{sub S}{sup 0}. No evidence of this resonance is observed, and 90% confidence level upper limits on the product of the branching fractions for J/{psi} {yields} {gamma}f{sub J}(2220) and f{sub J}(2220) {yields} K{sup +}K{sup -}(K{sub S}{sup 0}K{sub S}{sup 0}) as a function of spin and helicity are set at the level of 10{sup -5}, below the central values reported by the Mark III experiment.
Date: July 30, 2010
Creator: del Amo Sanchez, P.; Lees, J. P.; Poireau, V.; Prencipe, E.; Tisserand, V.; Garra Tico, J. et al.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Crystallization Behavior of Virgin TR-55 Silicone Rubber Measured Using Dynamic Mechanical Thermal Analysis with Liquid Nitrogen Cooling (open access)

Crystallization Behavior of Virgin TR-55 Silicone Rubber Measured Using Dynamic Mechanical Thermal Analysis with Liquid Nitrogen Cooling

Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) of virgin TR-55 silicone rubber specimens was conducted. Two dynamic temperature sweep tests, 25 to -100 C and 25 to -70 to 0 C (ramp rate = 1 C/min), were conducted at a frequency of 6.28 rad/s (1 Hz) using a torsion rectangular test geometry. A strain of 0.1% was used, which was near the upper limit of the linear viscoelastic region of the material based on an initial dynamic strain sweep test. Storage (G{prime}) and loss (G{double_prime}) moduli, the ratio G{double_prime}/G{prime} (tan {delta}), and the coefficient of linear thermal expansion ({alpha}) were determined as a function of temperature. Crystallization occurred between -40 and -60 C, with G{prime} increasing from {approx}6 x 10{sup 6} to {approx}4 x 10{sup 8} Pa. The value of {alpha} was fairly constant before ({approx}4 x 10{sup -4} mm/mm- C) and after ({approx}3 x 10{sup -4} mm/mm- C) the transition, and peaked during the transition ({approx}3 x 10{sup -3} mm/mm- C). Melting occurred around -30 C upon heating.
Date: February 11, 2010
Creator: Small, W., IV & Wilson, T. S.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
RELAP5 Model of the First Wall/Blanket Primary Heat Transfer System (open access)

RELAP5 Model of the First Wall/Blanket Primary Heat Transfer System

ITER inductive power operation is modeled and simulated using a system level computer code to evaluate the behavior of the Primary Heat Transfer System (PHTS) and predict parameter operational ranges. The control algorithm strategy and derivation are summarized in this report as well. A major feature of ITER is pulsed operation. The plasma does not burn continuously, but the power is pulsed with large periods of zero power between pulses. This feature requires active temperature control to maintain a constant blanket inlet temperature and requires accommodation of coolant thermal expansion during the pulse. In view of the transient nature of the power (plasma) operation state a transient system thermal-hydraulics code was selected: RELAP5. The code has a well-documented history for nuclear reactor transient analyses, it has been benchmarked against numerous experiments, and a large user database of commonly accepted modeling practices exists. The process of heat deposition and transfer in the blanket modules is multi-dimensional and cannot be accurately captured by a one-dimensional code such as RELAP5. To resolve this, a separate CFD calculation of blanket thermal power evolution was performed using the 3-D SC/Tetra thermofluid code. A 1D-3D co-simulation more realistically models FW/blanket internal time-dependent thermal inertia while eliminating …
Date: June 1, 2010
Creator: Popov, Emilian L.; Yoder, Graydon L., Jr. & Kim, Seokho H.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
RELAP5 Model of the Divertor Primary Heat Transfer System (open access)

RELAP5 Model of the Divertor Primary Heat Transfer System

This report describes the RELAP5 model that has been developed for the divertor primary heat transfer system (PHTS). The model is intended to be used to examine the transient performance of the divertor PHTS and evaluate control schemes necessary to maintain parameters within acceptable limits during transients. Some preliminary results are presented to show the maturity of the model and examine general divertor PHTS transient behavior. The model can be used as a starting point for developing transient modeling capability, including control system modeling, safety evaluations, etc., and is not intended to represent the final divertor PHTS design. Preliminary calculations using the models indicate that during normal pulsed operation, present pressurizer controls may not be sufficient to keep system pressures within their desired range. Additional divertor PHTS and control system design efforts may be required to ensure system pressure fluctuation during normal operation remains within specified limits.
Date: August 1, 2010
Creator: Popov, Emilian L.; Yoder, Graydon L., Jr. & Kim, Seokho H.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
RELAP5 Model of the Vacuum Vessel Primary Heat Transfer System (open access)

RELAP5 Model of the Vacuum Vessel Primary Heat Transfer System

This report describes the RELAP5 models that have been developed for the Vacuum Vessel (VV) Primary Heat Transfer System (PHTS). The models are intended to be used to examine the transient performance of the VV PHTS, and evaluate control schemes necessary to maintain parameters within acceptable limits during transients. Some preliminary results are presented to show the maturity of the models and to examine general VV PHTS transient behavior. The models can be used as a starting point to develop transient modeling capability in several directions including control system modeling, safety evaluations, etc, and are not intended to represent the final VV PHTS design. Preliminary calculations using the models indicate that during normal pulsed operation, heat exchanger control may not be necessary, and that temperatures within the vacuum vessel during decay heat operation remain low.
Date: July 1, 2010
Creator: Carbajo, Juan J.; Yoder, Graydon L., Jr. & Kim, Seokho H.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Health Effects from Advanced Combustion and Fuel Technologies (open access)

Health Effects from Advanced Combustion and Fuel Technologies

This document requires a separate file for the figures. It is for DOE's Office of Vehicle Technologies Annual Report
Date: January 1, 2010
Creator: Barone, Teresa L.; Parks, James E., Jr.; Lewis, Samuel Arthur, Sr. & Connatser, Raynella M.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Pu2O3 and the plutonium hydriding process (open access)

Pu2O3 and the plutonium hydriding process

None
Date: August 4, 2010
Creator: Dinh, L. N.; Haschke, J. M.; Saw, C. K.; Allen, P. G. & McLean, W., II
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library