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Division Spotlight
Robotics & Remote Systems
The Mission of the Robotics and Remote Systems Division is to promote the development and application of immersive simulation, robotics, and remote systems for hazardous environments for the purpose of reducing hazardous exposure to individuals, reducing environmental hazards and reducing the cost of performing work.
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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August 2024
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Latest News
Vogtle-3 shuts down for valve issue
One of the new Vogtle units in Georgia was shut down unexpectedly on Monday last week for a valve issue that has since been investigated and repaired. According to multiple local news outlets, Georgia Power reported on July 17 that Unit 3 was back in service.
Southern Company spokesperson Jacob Hawkins confirmed that Vogtle-3 went off line at 9:25 p.m. local time on July 8 “due to lowering water levels in the steam generators caused by a valve issue on one of the three main feedwater pumps.”
Michael V. Frank, William E. Kastenberg
Nuclear Technology | Volume 159 | Number 1 | July 2007 | Pages 25-38
Technical Paper | Reactor Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT07-A3854
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A risk-management framework for space mission launches of nuclear reactors is presented in this paper. The framework is based on a set of risk-based safety goals and relies on decision-theoretic principles that advance system design from concept through operation. Because time-dependent behavior is inherent in space missions, a quasi-dynamic probabilistic risk assessment framework is described. We illustrate a use of the framework with a risk management example.A rationale for, and a trial set of, qualitative safety goals and quantitative design objectives for launching space nuclear power plants are presented. The rationale is based on background risks to the general public, on accident risks to the population in the area of the launch site and on other large-consequence single-event catastrophes. Guidance is also obtained from the safety goals developed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the Federal Aviation Administration. The quantitative design objectives developed and presented are also compared to the calculated risks of previous launches with radioisotope thermal-electric generators such as for the Galileo, Ulysses, and Cassini missions.