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Division Spotlight
Decommissioning & Environmental Sciences
The mission of the Decommissioning and Environmental Sciences (DES) Division is to promote the development and use of those skills and technologies associated with the use of nuclear energy and the optimal management and stewardship of the environment, sustainable development, decommissioning, remediation, reutilization, and long-term surveillance and maintenance of nuclear-related installations, and sites. The target audience for this effort is the membership of the Division, the Society, and the public at large.
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
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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.”
Vivek Agarwal, John W. Buttles, Ahmad Al-Rashdan (INL), Ryan Pitcher (Idaho State Univ), Chad J. Kiger (AMS)
Proceedings | Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control, and Human-Machine Interface Technolgies (NPIC&HMIT 2019) | Orlando, FL, February 9-14, 2019 | Pages 1504-1513
Most operating nuclear power plants (NPPs) in the United States have received approval to extend their operating licenses to 60 years. Now the nuclear industry is preparing to extend operating licenses to 80 years. While NPPs are preparing for extensions (60 years and beyond), the nuclear industry is facing a unique economic sustainability challenge in the current energy market. This is partly because the domestic nuclear industry is dependent on a high number of skilled workers to perform operation and maintenance activities. This labor-centric business model is cost prohibitive and results in high operations and maintenance costs. One of the activities performed by skilled workers in a NPP on a regular basis is manual concurrent or independent verification of manual valve position. This activity presents human error opportunities, operational and safety challenges, and regulatory compliance impacts, in addition to high labor costs. To address these concerns, a wireless valve position indication sensor technology is developed and matured by Idaho National Laboratory. In this paper, advancements achieved in the design, development, testing, and demonstration of a prototype wireless valve position indication sensor system are presented. The paper presents the electromagnetic interference evaluation of the prototype; design and development of three-dimensional (3-D) adjustable and reconfigurable universal sensor mounting units; improved quality-of-service and reliability of wireless communication; and demonstration of the technology on an experimental flow-loop fitted with nine manual valves for different valve configurations.