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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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Nuclear Science and Engineering
August 2024
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
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.”
Chi-Szu Lee, Chaung Lin
Nuclear Technology | Volume 159 | Number 3 | September 2007 | Pages 256-266
Technical Paper | Fission Reactors | doi.org/10.13182/NT07-A3874
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A method that includes a genetic algorithm (GA), principal component analysis (PCA), and an artificial neural network (ANN) is adopted in the search for the power ascension path of a boiling water reactor that used to rely solely on an operator's experiences. The power ascension path is formulated as an optimization problem with thermal limits, e.g., minimum critical power ratio, maximum linear heat generation rate, and maximum average planar linear heat generation rate, and with the stability requirement serving as a constraint. The Simulate-3 code is used to calculate the reactor core status, while the optimization problem is solved through the use of the GA. Since the search domain of the GA is relatively large, the ANN, which models the power ascension path, is developed in order to quickly select the candidate solutions for further Simulate-3 calculations, permitting the algorithm to converge effectively. Meanwhile, PCA is used to reduce the ANN input vector's dimension, which improves the ANN training efficiency and pattern recognition capability. The results show that this method efficiently obtains the proper power ascension path required for meeting all constraints at different fuel exposure levels.