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Division Spotlight
Isotopes & Radiation
Members are devoted to applying nuclear science and engineering technologies involving isotopes, radiation applications, and associated equipment in scientific research, development, and industrial processes. Their interests lie primarily in education, industrial uses, biology, medicine, and health physics. Division committees include Analytical Applications of Isotopes and Radiation, Biology and Medicine, Radiation Applications, Radiation Sources and Detection, and Thermal Power Sources.
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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Jul 2024
Jan 2024
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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.”
Joonas Linnosmaa, Janne Valkonen (VTT Technical Research Center of Finland), Peter Karpati, André Hauge, Fabien Sechi, Bjørn Axel Gran (OECD)
Proceedings | Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control, and Human-Machine Interface Technolgies (NPIC&HMIT 2019) | Orlando, FL, February 9-14, 2019 | Pages 276-289
Complexity of modern control and safety systems challenge the usual linear document-based presentation of system design. This complicates the work of designers, assessors and regulators comprehending the system, whose understanding often depends on building a mental model of the system and thus assessing its suitability. More rigorous and structured way to represent the system, than the linear documents-based, is model-based approach. Based on a literature review, SysML and AADL were identified as suitable candidates. They were tried in an exploratory case study modelling APR1400 reactor protection system, based on its linear description from a real applicant’s design control document. Effort was also taken to extract safety assurance information (for independence) from the documentation and organize it into a structured safety argument. Research serves also to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of model-based specification and assessment compared to document-based approaches. Modelling of the system based on design document and extracting safety assurance information was challenging. Results, based on the modelling experiences and literature review, argue that the studied architecture languages offer benefits over the use of natural language in clarity, ambiguity and traceability. However, using these architecture description languages require extensive modelling expertise and effort to allow a smooth modelling process and understanding. In addition, multidisciplinary insight into the system at both the conceptual level as well as hardware and software level is required. We also identified support of classical safety analysis methods within SysML and AADL.