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Division Spotlight
Nuclear Installations Safety
Devoted specifically to the safety of nuclear installations and the health and safety of the public, this division seeks a better understanding of the role of safety in the design, construction and operation of nuclear installation facilities. The division also promotes engineering and scientific technology advancement associated with the safety of such facilities.
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
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.”
David E. Holcomb (ORNL), Roger A. Kisner (ORNL (retired)), K. Kyle Reed, James Bate, James R. Keiser (ORNL)
Proceedings | Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control, and Human-Machine Interface Technolgies (NPIC&HMIT 2019) | Orlando, FL, February 9-14, 2019 | Pages 222-237
A novel in-situ corrosion sensor for structural alloys exposed to molten salts has been initially demonstrated. The measurement is based upon observing the change in magnetic susceptibility of salt wetted structural alloys as corrosion occurs. In halide salts corrosion of structural alloys proceeds primarily through dissolution of the least noble component of the alloy into the melt. All currently available structural alloys intended for use with molten salt reactors (MSRs) include nickel, chromium, and iron. Chromium is preferentially oxidized from the alloy surface by exposure to halide salts at high temperature. Diffusion within the alloy results in progressively deeper depletion of chromium from the alloy surface. Relevant chromium bearing structural alloys are paramagnetic. However, once the chromium has been depleted, they become ferromagnetic. Thus, structural alloy corrosion in an MSR results in development of a ferromagnetic surface layer whose depth increases with increasing corrosion. The corrosion sensor functions by employing the progressive increase in ferromagnetism as a transduction mechanism through including the corroding alloy in a magnetic circuit. To date we have characterized the sensor response of structural alloy samples with varying degrees of corrosion at room temperature. Over the next year, we plan to demonstrate sensor performance at MSR operating temperatures (up to 750 °C) in a piping geometry. Development of the sensor remains a work in progress as the aim is to install a corrosion monitor to operate over extended periods with only the corroding component exposed to salt (which could be the pipe itself). This configuration can be accomplished so that measurement magnetics and electronics are external to the pipe. Presumably, the instrument would continuously relay corrosion progress via electronic communications.