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Division Spotlight
Materials Science & Technology
The objectives of MSTD are: promote the advancement of materials science in Nuclear Science Technology; support the multidisciplines which constitute it; encourage research by providing a forum for the presentation, exchange, and documentation of relevant information; promote the interaction and communication among its members; and recognize and reward its members for significant contributions to the field of materials science in nuclear technology.
Meeting Spotlight
Utility Working Conference and Vendor Technology Expo (UWC 2024)
August 4–7, 2024
Marco Island, FL|JW Marriott Marco Island
Standards Program
The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
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Latest News
Virginia utility considers SMRs
Dominion Energy Virginia has issued a request for proposals from leading nuclear companies to study the feasibility of putting a small modular reactor at its North Anna nuclear power plant.
While the utility says it is not a commitment to build an SMR at the site, the RFP is “an important first step in evaluating the technology and the North Anna site to support Dominion Energy customers’ future energy needs consistent with the company’s most recent Integrated Resource Plan.”
Keith E. Holbert, Belle R. Upadhyaya
Nuclear Technology | Volume 92 | Number 3 | December 1990 | Pages 411-427
Technical Paper | Instrumentation and Control | doi.org/10.13182/NT90-A16242
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The optimal control and safe operation of a nuclear power plant requires reliable information concerning the state of the process. Signal validation is the detection, isolation, and characterization of faulty signals. Properly validated process signals can provide increased plant availability and reliability of operator actions. A comprehensive signal validation software system has been developed for application to nuclear power plants. This system combines some previously established fault detection methodologies as well as some newly developed modules. The techniques have been implemented in a modular architecture that allows for the addition or removal of signal validation “modules” as deemed necessary. Intramodule confidence factors describing the validity of a given signal are derived using fuzzy membership functions. A final evaluation of signal status is made by the system executive based on results from each signal validation module. To make reliable decisions in this parallel system, a positive decision maker was developed. The hypercube signal validation methodology and the comprehensive system were tested using operational data from both a commercial pressurized water reactor and the Experimental Breeder Reactor II.