Several fuel plants that supply nuclear research reactors need to increase their production capacity in order to meet the growing demand for this kind of nuclear fuel. After the enlargement of the production capacity ...Several fuel plants that supply nuclear research reactors need to increase their production capacity in order to meet the growing demand for this kind of nuclear fuel. After the enlargement of the production capacity of such plants, there will be the need of managing the new production level. That level is usually the industrial one, which poses challenges to the managerial staff. Such challenges come from the fact that several of those plants operate today on a laboratorial basis and do not carry inventory. The change to the industrial production pace asks for new actions regarding planning and control. The production process based on the hydrolysis of UF6 is not a frequent production route for nuclear fuel. Production planning and control of the industrial level of fuel production on that production route is a new field of studies. The approach of the paper consists in the creation of a mathematical linear model for minimization of costs. We also carried out a sensitivity analysis of the model. The results help in minimizing costs in different production schemes and show the need of inventory. The mathematical model is dynamic, so that it issues better results if performed monthly. The management team will therefore have a clearer view of the costs and of the new, necessary production and inventory levels.展开更多
Gas irradiation in research nuclear reactors is an important way to produce radionuclides. Although some nuclear reactors centers offer this type of service, there are few publications about capsules to irradiation of...Gas irradiation in research nuclear reactors is an important way to produce radionuclides. Although some nuclear reactors centers offer this type of service, there are few publications about capsules to irradiation of gaseous samples. This paper describes a method to fabricate and evaluate aluminum capsules to irradiate gaseous samples in nuclear reactor. A semi-circular slotted die from a hydraulic presshead was modified to seal aluminum tubes. The aluminum capsules were subjected to leak detection tests, which demonstrated the accordance with standard ISO 9978.展开更多
This work presents results on the commissioning of the new heat exchanger of the IEA-R1 nuclear reactor in the occasion of its operational power upgrade from 2 MW to 5 MW, in comparison to the values calculated in the...This work presents results on the commissioning of the new heat exchanger of the IEA-R1 nuclear reactor in the occasion of its operational power upgrade from 2 MW to 5 MW, in comparison to the values calculated in the project of IESA Design and Equipments Company. This reactor is a swimming pool type, light water moderated and with graphite reflectors, used for research purposes and medical radioisotopes production. During monitoring procedures, issues were observed on the reactor operation at 5 MW mainly due to the ageing of the reactor＇s oldest heat exchanger （TC-A） and excessive vibrations at high flow rates on the other installed heat exchanger （TC-B）. So it was decided to provide a new IESA heat exchanger with 5 MW capacity to definitely substitute the TC-A heat exchanger. The results show that the IEA-R1 nuclear reactor can be operated safely and continuously at 5 MW with the new IESA heat exchanger.展开更多
文摘Several fuel plants that supply nuclear research reactors need to increase their production capacity in order to meet the growing demand for this kind of nuclear fuel. After the enlargement of the production capacity of such plants, there will be the need of managing the new production level. That level is usually the industrial one, which poses challenges to the managerial staff. Such challenges come from the fact that several of those plants operate today on a laboratorial basis and do not carry inventory. The change to the industrial production pace asks for new actions regarding planning and control. The production process based on the hydrolysis of UF6 is not a frequent production route for nuclear fuel. Production planning and control of the industrial level of fuel production on that production route is a new field of studies. The approach of the paper consists in the creation of a mathematical linear model for minimization of costs. We also carried out a sensitivity analysis of the model. The results help in minimizing costs in different production schemes and show the need of inventory. The mathematical model is dynamic, so that it issues better results if performed monthly. The management team will therefore have a clearer view of the costs and of the new, necessary production and inventory levels.
文摘Gas irradiation in research nuclear reactors is an important way to produce radionuclides. Although some nuclear reactors centers offer this type of service, there are few publications about capsules to irradiation of gaseous samples. This paper describes a method to fabricate and evaluate aluminum capsules to irradiate gaseous samples in nuclear reactor. A semi-circular slotted die from a hydraulic presshead was modified to seal aluminum tubes. The aluminum capsules were subjected to leak detection tests, which demonstrated the accordance with standard ISO 9978.
文摘This work presents results on the commissioning of the new heat exchanger of the IEA-R1 nuclear reactor in the occasion of its operational power upgrade from 2 MW to 5 MW, in comparison to the values calculated in the project of IESA Design and Equipments Company. This reactor is a swimming pool type, light water moderated and with graphite reflectors, used for research purposes and medical radioisotopes production. During monitoring procedures, issues were observed on the reactor operation at 5 MW mainly due to the ageing of the reactor＇s oldest heat exchanger （TC-A） and excessive vibrations at high flow rates on the other installed heat exchanger （TC-B）. So it was decided to provide a new IESA heat exchanger with 5 MW capacity to definitely substitute the TC-A heat exchanger. The results show that the IEA-R1 nuclear reactor can be operated safely and continuously at 5 MW with the new IESA heat exchanger.
