Laser-induced aerosols,predominantly submicron in size,pose significant environmental and health risks during the decommissioning of nuclear reactors.This study experimentally investigated the removal of laser-generat...Laser-induced aerosols,predominantly submicron in size,pose significant environmental and health risks during the decommissioning of nuclear reactors.This study experimentally investigated the removal of laser-generated aerosol particles using a water spray system integrated with an innovative system for pre-injecting electrically charged mist in our facility.To simulate aerosol generation in reactor decommissioning,a high-power laser was used to irradiate various materials(including stainless steel,carbon steel,and concrete),generating aerosol particles that were agglomerated with injected water mist and subsequently scavenged by water spray.Experimental results demonstrate enhanced aerosol removal via aerosol-mist agglomeration,with charged mist significantly improving particle capture by increasing wettability and size.The average improvements for the stainless steel,carbon steel,and concrete were 40%,44%,and 21%,respectively.The results of experiments using charged mist with different polarities(both positive and negative)and different surface coatings reveal that the dominant polarity of aerosols varies with the irradiated materials,influenced by their crystal structure and electron emission properties.Notably,surface coatings such as ZrO_(2)and CeO_(2)were found to possibly alter aerosol charging characteristics,thereby affecting aerosol removal efficiency with charged mist configurations.The innovative aerosol-mist agglomeration approach shows promise in mitigating radiation exposure,ensuring environmental safety,and reducing contaminated water during reactor dismantling.This study contributes critical knowledge for the development of advanced aerosol management strategies for nuclear reactor decommissioning.The understanding obtained in this work is also expected to be useful for various environmental and chemical engineering applications such as gas decontamination,air purification,and pollution control.展开更多
The results of an accident analysis for the loss of offsite power(LOOP)scenario in a reference Bushehr-1 VVER-1000/V446 nuclear power plant(NPP)are presented in this paper.This study attempted to provide a better anal...The results of an accident analysis for the loss of offsite power(LOOP)scenario in a reference Bushehr-1 VVER-1000/V446 nuclear power plant(NPP)are presented in this paper.This study attempted to provide a better analysis of LOOP accident management by integrating deterministic and probabilistic approaches.The RELAP5 code was used to investigate the occurrence of specific thermal–hydraulic phenomena.The probabilistic safety assessment of the LOOP accident is presented using the SAPHIRE software.LOOP accident data were extracted from the Bushehr NPP final safety analysis reports and probabilistic safety analysis reports.A deterministic approach was used to reduce the core damage frequency in the probabilistic analysis of LOOP accidents.The probabilistic approach was used to better observe the philosophy of defense in depth and safety margins in the deterministic analysis of the LOOP accident.The results show that the integration of the two approaches in LOOP accident investigations improved accident control.展开更多
This paper presents findings on the sliding mode controller for a nuclear reactor. One of the important operations in nuclear power plants is load following. In this paper, a sliding mode control system, which is a ro...This paper presents findings on the sliding mode controller for a nuclear reactor. One of the important operations in nuclear power plants is load following. In this paper, a sliding mode control system, which is a robust nonlinear controller, is designed to control the pressurizedwater reactor power. The reactor core is simulated based on the point kinetics equations and six delayed neutron groups. Considering neutron absorber poisons and regarding the limitations of the xenon concentration measurement, a sliding mode observer is designed to estimate its value, and finally, a sliding mode control based on the sliding mode observer is presented to control the core power of reactor. The stability analysis is given by means Lyapunov approach; thus, the control system is guaranteed to be stable within a large range. The employed method is easy to implement in practical applications, and moreover,the sliding mode control exhibits the desired dynamic properties during the entire output-tracking process independent of perturbations. Simulation results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed observerbased controller in terms of performance, robustness and stability.展开更多
A burnup calculation was performed to analyze the Apr`es ORIENT process, which aims to create highlyvaluable elements from fission products separated from spent nuclear fuels. The basic idea is to use nuclear transmut...A burnup calculation was performed to analyze the Apr`es ORIENT process, which aims to create highlyvaluable elements from fission products separated from spent nuclear fuels. The basic idea is to use nuclear transmutation induced by a neutron capture reaction followed by a β-decay, thus changing the atomic number Z of a target element in fission products by 1 unit. LWR(PWR) and FBR(MONJU) were considered as the transmutation devices. High rates of creation were obtained in some cases of platinum group metals(44Ru by FBR,46 Pd by LWR) and rare earth(64Gd by LWR,66 Dy by FBR). Therefore, systems based on LWR and FBR have their own advantages depending on target elements. Furthermore, it was found that creation rates of even Z(= Z + 1) elements from odd Z ones were higher than the opposite cases. This creation rate of an element was interpreted in terms of "average 1-group neutron capture cross section of the corresponding target element σc Z defined in this work. General trends of the creation rate of an even(odd) Z element from the corresponding odd(even) Z one were found to be proportional to the 0.78th(0.63th) power of σc Z, however with noticeable dispersion. The difference in the powers in the above analysis was explained by the difference in the number of stable isotopes caused by the even-odd effect of Z.展开更多
W-based WTaVCr refractory high entropy alloys (RHEA) may be novel and promising candidate materials for plasma facing components in the first wall and diverter in fusion reactors. This alloy has been developed by a po...W-based WTaVCr refractory high entropy alloys (RHEA) may be novel and promising candidate materials for plasma facing components in the first wall and diverter in fusion reactors. This alloy has been developed by a powder metallurgy process combining mechanical alloying and spark plasma sintering (SPS). The SPSed samples contained two phases, in which the matrix is RHEA with a body-centered cubic structure, while the oxide phase was most likely Ta2VO6through a combined analysis of X-ray diffraction (XRD),energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and selected area electron diffraction (SAED). The higher oxygen affinity of Ta and V may explain the preferential formation of their oxide phases based on thermodynamic calculations. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) revealed an average grain size of 6.2μm. WTaVCr RHEA showed a peak compressive strength of 2997 MPa at room temperature and much higher micro-and nano-hardness than W and other W-based RHEAs in the literature. Their high Rockwell hardness can be retained to at least 1000°C.展开更多
The treatment and disposal of radioactive waste are presently facing great challenges.Spent ion exchange resins have become a focus of attention due to their high production and serious environmental risks.In this pap...The treatment and disposal of radioactive waste are presently facing great challenges.Spent ion exchange resins have become a focus of attention due to their high production and serious environmental risks.In this paper,a simplified model of cationic exchange resin is proposed,and the degradation processes of cationic resin monomer initiated by hydroxyl radicals(·OH)are clarified by combining statistical molecular fragmentation(SMF)model and density functional theory(DFT)calculations.The prediction of active sites indicates that the S-O bonds and the C-S bond of the sulfonic group are more likely to react during the degradation.The meta-position of the sulfonic group on the benzene ring is the most active site,and the benzene ring without the sulfonic group has a certain reactivity.The C11-C14 and C17-C20 bonds,on the carbon skeleton,are the most easily broken.It is also found that dihydroxy addition and elimination reactions play a major role in the process of desulfonation,carbon skeleton cleavage and benzene ring separation.The decomposition mechanisms found through the combination of physical models and chemical calculations,provide theoretical guidance for the treatment of complex polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.展开更多
Nuclear power plants exhibit non-linear and time-variable dynamics.Therefore,designing a control system that sets the reactor power and forces it to follow the desired load is complicated.A supercritical water reactor...Nuclear power plants exhibit non-linear and time-variable dynamics.Therefore,designing a control system that sets the reactor power and forces it to follow the desired load is complicated.A supercritical water reactor(SCWR)is a fourth-generation conceptual reactor.In an SCWR,the non-linear dynamics of the reactor require a controller capable of control-ling the nonlinearities.In this study,a pressure-tube-type SCWR was controlled during reactor power maneuvering with a higher order sliding mode,and the reactor outgoing steam temperature and pressure were controlled simultaneously.In an SCWR,the temperature,pressure,and power must be maintained at a setpoint(desired value)during power maneuvering.Reactor point kinetics equations with three groups of delayed neutrons were used in the simulation.Higher-order and classic sliding mode controllers were separately manufactured to control the plant and were compared with the PI controllers speci-fied in previous studies.The controlled parameters were reactor power,steam temperature,and pressure.Notably,for these parameters,the PI controller had certain instabilities in the presence of disturbances.The classic sliding mode controller had a higher accuracy and stability;however its main drawback was the chattering phenomenon.HOSMC was highly accurate and stable and had a small computational cost.In reality,it followed the desired values without oscillations and chattering.展开更多
The shielding and corrosion properties of the Alloy 709 advanced austenitic stainless steel have been investigated as a candidate canister material in spent fuel dry casks.The results revealed that the experimental an...The shielding and corrosion properties of the Alloy 709 advanced austenitic stainless steel have been investigated as a candidate canister material in spent fuel dry casks.The results revealed that the experimental and computational data of the linear and mass attenuation coefficients of the alloy are in good agreement,in which the attenuation coefficient values decreased with increasing photon energy.Alloy 709 was shown to exhibit the highest linear attenuation coefficient against gamma rays when compared to 304 and 316 stainless steels.On the other hand,Alloy 709 exhibited no considerable weight change over a 69-day period in circulating salt brines corrosion testing,while it showed an exponential increase of corrosion current density with temperature in acidic and basic corrosive solutions during electrochemical polarization corrosion testing.Furthermore,Alloy 709 was the least corroded steel compared to other austenitic stainless steels in both acidic and basic solutions.The optimistic results of the shielding and corrosion properties of Alloy 709 due to its chemical composition,suggest utilizing it as a canister material in spent nuclear fuel dry casks.展开更多
Small modular reactors (SMRs) offer simple, standardized, and safe modular designs for new nuclear reactor construction. They are factory built, requiring smaller initial capital investment and facilitating shorter co...Small modular reactors (SMRs) offer simple, standardized, and safe modular designs for new nuclear reactor construction. They are factory built, requiring smaller initial capital investment and facilitating shorter construction times. SMRs also promise competitive economy when compared with the current reactor fleet. Construction cost of a majority of the projects, which are mostly in their design stages, is not publicly available, but variable costs can be determined from fuel enrichment, average burn-up, and plant thermal efficiency, which are public parameters for many near-term SMR projects. The fuel cost of electricity generation for selected SMRs and large reactors is simulated, including calculation of optimal tails assay in the uranium enrichment process. The results are compared between one another and with current generation large reactor designs providing a rough comparison of the long-term economics of a new nuclear reactor project. SMRs are predicted to have higher fuel costs than large reactors. Particularly, integral pressurized water reactors (iPWRs) are shown to have from 15% to 70% higher fuel costs than large light water reactors using 2014 nuclear fuels market data. Fuel cost sensitivities to reactor design parameters are presented.展开更多
This paper investigates long-term energy strategy compatible with significant reduction of world carbon dioxide （CO2） emissions, employing a long-term global energy model, Dynamic New Earth 21 （called DNE21）. The ...This paper investigates long-term energy strategy compatible with significant reduction of world carbon dioxide （CO2） emissions, employing a long-term global energy model, Dynamic New Earth 21 （called DNE21）. The model seeks the optimal energy mix from 2000 to 2100 that minimizes the world total energy system cost under various kinds of energy and technological constraints, such as energy resource constraints, energy supply and demand balance constraints, and CO2 emissions constraints. This paper discusses the results of primary energy supply, power generation mix, CO2 emission, CCS （carbon capture and storage） and total system costs for six regions including world as a whole. To evaluate viable pathways forward for implementation of sustainable energy strategies, nuclear power generation is a viable source of clean and green energy to mitigate the CO2 emissions. Present research shows simulation results in two cases consisting of no CO2 regulation case （base case） and CO2 REG case （regulation case） which halves the world CO2 emissions by the year 2050. Main findings of this research describe that renewable and nuclear power generation will contribute significantly to mitigate the CO2 emission worldwide.展开更多
The Fukushima nuclear accident has generated doubts and questions which need to be properly understood and addressed. This scientific attitude became necessary to allow the use of the nuclear technology for electricit...The Fukushima nuclear accident has generated doubts and questions which need to be properly understood and addressed. This scientific attitude became necessary to allow the use of the nuclear technology for electricity generation around the world. The nuclear stakeholders are working to obtain these technical answers for the Fukushima questions. We believe that, such challenges will be, certainly, implemented in the next reactor generation, following the technological evolution. The purpose of this work is to perform a critical analysis of the Fukushima nuclear accident, focusing at the common cause failures produced by tsunami, as well as an analysis of the main redundant systems. This work also assesses the mitigative procedures and the subsequent consequences of such actions, which gave results below expectations to avoid the progression of the accident, discussing the concept of sharing of structures, systems and components at multi-unit nuclear power plants, and its eventual inappropriate use in safety-related devices which can compromise the nuclear safety, as well as its consequent impact on the Fukushima accident scenario. The lessons from Fukushima must be better learned, aiming the development of new procedures and new safety systems. Thus, the nuclear technology could reach a higher evolution level in its safety requirements. This knowledge will establish a conceptual milestone in the safety system design, becoming necessary the review of the current acceptance criteria of safety-related systems.展开更多
New researches on serious public health problems such as respiratory disease, heart attacks, and premature deaths, show the threat of air and environmental pollution on human＇s health. Exhausting greenhouse gases for...New researches on serious public health problems such as respiratory disease, heart attacks, and premature deaths, show the threat of air and environmental pollution on human＇s health. Exhausting greenhouse gases for electrical energy production in fossil fueled power plants is one of the major reasons of environmental pollutions. Increasing energy demand has made global concerns about the environmental pollutions of fossil power plants. In this article, fossil power plant productive pollutants such as Sulfur Dioxide, Mercury, and Carbon Dioxide, are investigated. On the other hand, nuclear power plant and its produced waste are discussed as the future power generation source. In this article, fossil and nuclear power plants are compared as power sources, pollutants, and their environmental effects. First, investigations are made on fossil power plants and their effects on environment and climate changes. On the other hand, nuclear power plants are discussed as a possible replacement for fossil power plants. In this part, effects of radiation on human health and environment like important nuclear accidents are investigated. This paper summarizes several types of power plants and it is deduced that the nuclear power plant is more clean energy producer in comparison to other power plants.展开更多
Tungsten(W)is the leading plasma-facing candidate material for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor and next-generation fusion reactors.The impact of synergistic helium(He),irradiation-induced microstr...Tungsten(W)is the leading plasma-facing candidate material for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor and next-generation fusion reactors.The impact of synergistic helium(He),irradiation-induced microstructural changes,and the corresponding thermal-mechanical property degradation of W are critically important but are not well understood yet.Predicting the performance of W in fusion environments requires understanding the fundamentals of He-defect interactions and the resultant He bubble nucleation and growth in W.In this study,He retention in helium-ion-implanted W was assessed using neutron depth profiling(NDP),laser ablation mass spectrometry(LAMS),and thermal desorption spectroscopy(TDS)following 10 keV room-temperature He implantation at various fluences.These three experimental techniques enabled the determination of the He depth profile and retention in He-implanted W.A cluster dynamics model based on the diffusion-reaction rate theory was applied to interpret the experimental data.The model successfully predicted the He spatial depth-dependent profile in He-implanted W,which was in good agreement with the LAMS measurements.The model also successfully captured the major features of the He desorption spectra observed in the THDS measurements.The NDP quantified total He concentration values for the samples;they were similar to those estimated by LAMS.However,the depth profiles from NDP and LAMS were not comparable due to several factors.The combination of modeling and experimentation enabled the identification of possible trapping sites for He in W and the evolution of He-defect clusters during the TDS thermal annealing process.展开更多
Next-generation nuclear reactor technologies,such as molten salt and fast reactors present complex analytical challenges that require advanced modeling and simulation tools.Yet,traditional workflows for Monte Carlo si...Next-generation nuclear reactor technologies,such as molten salt and fast reactors present complex analytical challenges that require advanced modeling and simulation tools.Yet,traditional workflows for Monte Carlo simulations like FLUKA are labor-intensive and error-prone,relying on manual input file generation and postprocessing.This limits scalability and efficiency.In this work,we present AutoFLUKA,a novel framework that leverages domain knowledge-embedded large language models(LLMs)and AI agents to automate the entire FLUKA simulation workflow from input file creation to execution management,and data analysis.AutoFLUKA also integrates Retrieval-Augmented Generation(RAG)and a web-based user-friendly graphical interface,enabling users to interact with the system in real time.Benchmarking against manual FLUKA simulations,AutoFLUKA demonstrated substantial improvements in resolving FLUKA error-related queries,particularly those arising from input file creation and execution.Traditionally,such issues are addressed through expert support on the FLUKA user forum,often resulting in significant delays.The resolution time for these queries was also reduced from several days to under one minute.Additionally,human-induced simulation errors were mitigated,and a high accuracy in key simulation metrics,such as neutron fluence and microdosimetric quantities,was achieved,with uncertainties below 0.001%for large sample sizes.The flexibility of AutoFLUKA was demonstrated through successful application to both general and specialized nuclear scenarios,and its design allows for straightforward extension to other simulation platforms.These results highlight AutoFLUKA’s potential to transform nuclear engineering analysis by enhancing productivity,reliability,and accessibility through AI-driven automation.展开更多
Dose estimation and quality control in computed tomography (CT) scanners are useful in controlling the dose of radiation given to patients while tests are carried out. The study was performed in a 16-slice Computed To...Dose estimation and quality control in computed tomography (CT) scanners are useful in controlling the dose of radiation given to patients while tests are carried out. The study was performed in a 16-slice Computed Tomography (CT) system of LightSpeed RT16 Xtra CT scanner. Quality control was done using a vendor-provided QA Phantom, and the six aspects of image quality were measured. For CT dosimetry, Computed Tomography Dose index volume (CTDIvol) was performed using Computed Tomography Dose Index (CTDI) Phantom. CTDI Phantom consists of three parts: Pediatric Head, Adult Head, and Adult Body Phantom. A 10 cm long pencil ion chamber DCT-10 was used to measure the dose at different positions inside the CTDI Phantom. Data were collected using MagicMax Universal software. For dose estimation of the CTDIvol Report of AAPM Task Group, 96 and 111 formalisms were used. For Pediatric Head, Adult Head, and Adult Body Phantom the measured CIDIvol was 61.04 mGy, 48.11 mGy, and 18.08 mGy respectively. The study has shown deviations of 7%, 15%, and 19% between estimated and console-displayed doses for Pediatric Head, Adult Head, and Adult Body scan techniques respectively. The six aspects of image quality measured by QA Phantom were found to be compatible with the specifications of the machine and CTDIvol measured by CTDI Phantom were found within a tolerance limit of ±20%. Hence, the QC and dosimetry of the mentioned machine are within the limit.展开更多
Transition metal(oxy)hydroxides are potential oxygen evolution reaction(OER)electrocatalysts;however,simultaneously modulating multiple factors to enhance their performance is a grand challenge.Here,we report an incor...Transition metal(oxy)hydroxides are potential oxygen evolution reaction(OER)electrocatalysts;however,simultaneously modulating multiple factors to enhance their performance is a grand challenge.Here,we report an incorporating heteroatom strategy via one-step hydrothermal approach to adjust more than one factor of Mn-doped NiFe(oxy)hydroxide(Mn-NiFeOOH/LDH)heterojunction.Mn doping regulates heterojunction morphology(reducing nanoparticles and becoming thinner and denser nanosheets),Ni/Fe ratio and valence states(Ni^(2+),Ni^(3+),and Ni^(3+Δ))of Ni ions.The former could effectively increase surface active sites,and the latter two reduce the content of Fe in the Mnx-NiFeOOH/LDH heterojunction,en-abling more Ni^(2+)convert to Ni^(3+/3+Δ)that have higher intrinsic OER activity.As a result,the first-rank Mn-NiFeOOH/LDH with ultra-low overpotential of 185 mV@20 mA cm^(-2) and 296 mV@500 mA cm^(-2),and the improved OER performance are outdo to those of commercial RuO_(2) catalyst for OER.Moreover,the Mn-NiFeOOH/LDH affords the earliest initial potential(1.392 V vs.RHE),corresponds to a recorded low overpotential(162 mV).Based on the density functional theory(DFT),Mn dopants can alter intermedi-ate adsorption energy and effectively decrease∗OOH’s energy barrier.This research exhibits a feasible strategy to design low cost electrocatalysts and provide new possibilities for future industrialization.展开更多
Advancing 3D magnesium(Mg)development beyond current limitations requires controlling Mg alloy degradation in pre-designed,low-dimension architectures.This study reveals a mechanistic switch in the corrosion behavior ...Advancing 3D magnesium(Mg)development beyond current limitations requires controlling Mg alloy degradation in pre-designed,low-dimension architectures.This study reveals a mechanistic switch in the corrosion behavior of Mg alloy(3.6%Al,0.8%Zn)diamond lattice structures,induced by plasma nanosynthesis(400 eV Ar^(+)ions,fluence 1×10^(17) ions/cm^(2)).Plasma treatment of the Mg alloy increases surface Mg from 1.5%to 14.5%,enhances carbonate formation,and generates a nanostructured surface with a Mg carbonate layer over an oxide/hydroxide layer.In vitro and in vivo analyses over 8 wk demonstrate how this treatment fundamentally alters the degradation process and stability of these 3D architectures.While untreated samples initially formed a protective film that subsequently diminished,DPNS-treated samples demonstrated an inverse corrosion behavior.X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS)and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS)confirmed the presence of a stable,protective layer composed of magnesium oxide,magnesium hydroxide,and magnesium carbonate on the DPNS-treated surfaces.After 14 days,the DPNS-treated sample exhibited a more positive corrosion potential(-0.69 V versus-1.36 V)and a marginally lower current density(0.73 mA/cm^(2)compared to 0.75 mA/c^(2))relative to the control.This protective layer,combined with modified surface topology,initiated a core-to-periphery degradation pattern that maintained structural integrity for up to 8 wk post-implantation.These findings support the conclusion that the DPNS-treated scaffold demonstrates sustained improved corrosion resistance over time compared to the untreated control.Micro-CT revealed plasma-treated samples retained larger struts(504.9±95.3μm at 8 wk)and formed larger H_(2) pockets extending 14.2 mm from the implant center,versus 4.9 mm in controls.This corrosion behavior switch enhances stability but risks pore clogging,offering insights for tailoring Mg alloy degradation and H_(2) evolution in 3D architectures for biomedical applications.展开更多
基金financial support from the Nuclear Energy Science&Technology and Human Resource Development Project of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency/Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science(No.R04I034)The author Ruicong Xu appreciates the scholarship(financial support)from the China Scholarship Council(CSC,No.202106380073).
文摘Laser-induced aerosols,predominantly submicron in size,pose significant environmental and health risks during the decommissioning of nuclear reactors.This study experimentally investigated the removal of laser-generated aerosol particles using a water spray system integrated with an innovative system for pre-injecting electrically charged mist in our facility.To simulate aerosol generation in reactor decommissioning,a high-power laser was used to irradiate various materials(including stainless steel,carbon steel,and concrete),generating aerosol particles that were agglomerated with injected water mist and subsequently scavenged by water spray.Experimental results demonstrate enhanced aerosol removal via aerosol-mist agglomeration,with charged mist significantly improving particle capture by increasing wettability and size.The average improvements for the stainless steel,carbon steel,and concrete were 40%,44%,and 21%,respectively.The results of experiments using charged mist with different polarities(both positive and negative)and different surface coatings reveal that the dominant polarity of aerosols varies with the irradiated materials,influenced by their crystal structure and electron emission properties.Notably,surface coatings such as ZrO_(2)and CeO_(2)were found to possibly alter aerosol charging characteristics,thereby affecting aerosol removal efficiency with charged mist configurations.The innovative aerosol-mist agglomeration approach shows promise in mitigating radiation exposure,ensuring environmental safety,and reducing contaminated water during reactor dismantling.This study contributes critical knowledge for the development of advanced aerosol management strategies for nuclear reactor decommissioning.The understanding obtained in this work is also expected to be useful for various environmental and chemical engineering applications such as gas decontamination,air purification,and pollution control.
文摘The results of an accident analysis for the loss of offsite power(LOOP)scenario in a reference Bushehr-1 VVER-1000/V446 nuclear power plant(NPP)are presented in this paper.This study attempted to provide a better analysis of LOOP accident management by integrating deterministic and probabilistic approaches.The RELAP5 code was used to investigate the occurrence of specific thermal–hydraulic phenomena.The probabilistic safety assessment of the LOOP accident is presented using the SAPHIRE software.LOOP accident data were extracted from the Bushehr NPP final safety analysis reports and probabilistic safety analysis reports.A deterministic approach was used to reduce the core damage frequency in the probabilistic analysis of LOOP accidents.The probabilistic approach was used to better observe the philosophy of defense in depth and safety margins in the deterministic analysis of the LOOP accident.The results show that the integration of the two approaches in LOOP accident investigations improved accident control.
文摘This paper presents findings on the sliding mode controller for a nuclear reactor. One of the important operations in nuclear power plants is load following. In this paper, a sliding mode control system, which is a robust nonlinear controller, is designed to control the pressurizedwater reactor power. The reactor core is simulated based on the point kinetics equations and six delayed neutron groups. Considering neutron absorber poisons and regarding the limitations of the xenon concentration measurement, a sliding mode observer is designed to estimate its value, and finally, a sliding mode control based on the sliding mode observer is presented to control the core power of reactor. The stability analysis is given by means Lyapunov approach; thus, the control system is guaranteed to be stable within a large range. The employed method is easy to implement in practical applications, and moreover,the sliding mode control exhibits the desired dynamic properties during the entire output-tracking process independent of perturbations. Simulation results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed observerbased controller in terms of performance, robustness and stability.
文摘A burnup calculation was performed to analyze the Apr`es ORIENT process, which aims to create highlyvaluable elements from fission products separated from spent nuclear fuels. The basic idea is to use nuclear transmutation induced by a neutron capture reaction followed by a β-decay, thus changing the atomic number Z of a target element in fission products by 1 unit. LWR(PWR) and FBR(MONJU) were considered as the transmutation devices. High rates of creation were obtained in some cases of platinum group metals(44Ru by FBR,46 Pd by LWR) and rare earth(64Gd by LWR,66 Dy by FBR). Therefore, systems based on LWR and FBR have their own advantages depending on target elements. Furthermore, it was found that creation rates of even Z(= Z + 1) elements from odd Z ones were higher than the opposite cases. This creation rate of an element was interpreted in terms of "average 1-group neutron capture cross section of the corresponding target element σc Z defined in this work. General trends of the creation rate of an even(odd) Z element from the corresponding odd(even) Z one were found to be proportional to the 0.78th(0.63th) power of σc Z, however with noticeable dispersion. The difference in the powers in the above analysis was explained by the difference in the number of stable isotopes caused by the even-odd effect of Z.
基金supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No.CMMI-1762190The research was performed in part in the Nebraska Nanoscale Facility:National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure and the Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience (and/or NERCF),which are supported by the National Science Foundation under Award ECCS:2025298+1 种基金the Nebraska Research Initiativesupported by the U.S.Department of Energy,Office of Nuclear Energy under DOE Idaho Operations Office Contract DE-AC07-051D14517 as part of a Nuclear Science User Facilities experiment。
文摘W-based WTaVCr refractory high entropy alloys (RHEA) may be novel and promising candidate materials for plasma facing components in the first wall and diverter in fusion reactors. This alloy has been developed by a powder metallurgy process combining mechanical alloying and spark plasma sintering (SPS). The SPSed samples contained two phases, in which the matrix is RHEA with a body-centered cubic structure, while the oxide phase was most likely Ta2VO6through a combined analysis of X-ray diffraction (XRD),energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and selected area electron diffraction (SAED). The higher oxygen affinity of Ta and V may explain the preferential formation of their oxide phases based on thermodynamic calculations. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) revealed an average grain size of 6.2μm. WTaVCr RHEA showed a peak compressive strength of 2997 MPa at room temperature and much higher micro-and nano-hardness than W and other W-based RHEAs in the literature. Their high Rockwell hardness can be retained to at least 1000°C.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.22176067).
文摘The treatment and disposal of radioactive waste are presently facing great challenges.Spent ion exchange resins have become a focus of attention due to their high production and serious environmental risks.In this paper,a simplified model of cationic exchange resin is proposed,and the degradation processes of cationic resin monomer initiated by hydroxyl radicals(·OH)are clarified by combining statistical molecular fragmentation(SMF)model and density functional theory(DFT)calculations.The prediction of active sites indicates that the S-O bonds and the C-S bond of the sulfonic group are more likely to react during the degradation.The meta-position of the sulfonic group on the benzene ring is the most active site,and the benzene ring without the sulfonic group has a certain reactivity.The C11-C14 and C17-C20 bonds,on the carbon skeleton,are the most easily broken.It is also found that dihydroxy addition and elimination reactions play a major role in the process of desulfonation,carbon skeleton cleavage and benzene ring separation.The decomposition mechanisms found through the combination of physical models and chemical calculations,provide theoretical guidance for the treatment of complex polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
文摘Nuclear power plants exhibit non-linear and time-variable dynamics.Therefore,designing a control system that sets the reactor power and forces it to follow the desired load is complicated.A supercritical water reactor(SCWR)is a fourth-generation conceptual reactor.In an SCWR,the non-linear dynamics of the reactor require a controller capable of control-ling the nonlinearities.In this study,a pressure-tube-type SCWR was controlled during reactor power maneuvering with a higher order sliding mode,and the reactor outgoing steam temperature and pressure were controlled simultaneously.In an SCWR,the temperature,pressure,and power must be maintained at a setpoint(desired value)during power maneuvering.Reactor point kinetics equations with three groups of delayed neutrons were used in the simulation.Higher-order and classic sliding mode controllers were separately manufactured to control the plant and were compared with the PI controllers speci-fied in previous studies.The controlled parameters were reactor power,steam temperature,and pressure.Notably,for these parameters,the PI controller had certain instabilities in the presence of disturbances.The classic sliding mode controller had a higher accuracy and stability;however its main drawback was the chattering phenomenon.HOSMC was highly accurate and stable and had a small computational cost.In reality,it followed the desired values without oscillations and chattering.
基金supported by the Russell Family Foundation Grant for research on High Level Waste Packages and Dry Casksthe Department of Nuclear Engineering at North Carolina State University。
文摘The shielding and corrosion properties of the Alloy 709 advanced austenitic stainless steel have been investigated as a candidate canister material in spent fuel dry casks.The results revealed that the experimental and computational data of the linear and mass attenuation coefficients of the alloy are in good agreement,in which the attenuation coefficient values decreased with increasing photon energy.Alloy 709 was shown to exhibit the highest linear attenuation coefficient against gamma rays when compared to 304 and 316 stainless steels.On the other hand,Alloy 709 exhibited no considerable weight change over a 69-day period in circulating salt brines corrosion testing,while it showed an exponential increase of corrosion current density with temperature in acidic and basic corrosive solutions during electrochemical polarization corrosion testing.Furthermore,Alloy 709 was the least corroded steel compared to other austenitic stainless steels in both acidic and basic solutions.The optimistic results of the shielding and corrosion properties of Alloy 709 due to its chemical composition,suggest utilizing it as a canister material in spent nuclear fuel dry casks.
文摘Small modular reactors (SMRs) offer simple, standardized, and safe modular designs for new nuclear reactor construction. They are factory built, requiring smaller initial capital investment and facilitating shorter construction times. SMRs also promise competitive economy when compared with the current reactor fleet. Construction cost of a majority of the projects, which are mostly in their design stages, is not publicly available, but variable costs can be determined from fuel enrichment, average burn-up, and plant thermal efficiency, which are public parameters for many near-term SMR projects. The fuel cost of electricity generation for selected SMRs and large reactors is simulated, including calculation of optimal tails assay in the uranium enrichment process. The results are compared between one another and with current generation large reactor designs providing a rough comparison of the long-term economics of a new nuclear reactor project. SMRs are predicted to have higher fuel costs than large reactors. Particularly, integral pressurized water reactors (iPWRs) are shown to have from 15% to 70% higher fuel costs than large light water reactors using 2014 nuclear fuels market data. Fuel cost sensitivities to reactor design parameters are presented.
文摘This paper investigates long-term energy strategy compatible with significant reduction of world carbon dioxide （CO2） emissions, employing a long-term global energy model, Dynamic New Earth 21 （called DNE21）. The model seeks the optimal energy mix from 2000 to 2100 that minimizes the world total energy system cost under various kinds of energy and technological constraints, such as energy resource constraints, energy supply and demand balance constraints, and CO2 emissions constraints. This paper discusses the results of primary energy supply, power generation mix, CO2 emission, CCS （carbon capture and storage） and total system costs for six regions including world as a whole. To evaluate viable pathways forward for implementation of sustainable energy strategies, nuclear power generation is a viable source of clean and green energy to mitigate the CO2 emissions. Present research shows simulation results in two cases consisting of no CO2 regulation case （base case） and CO2 REG case （regulation case） which halves the world CO2 emissions by the year 2050. Main findings of this research describe that renewable and nuclear power generation will contribute significantly to mitigate the CO2 emission worldwide.
文摘The Fukushima nuclear accident has generated doubts and questions which need to be properly understood and addressed. This scientific attitude became necessary to allow the use of the nuclear technology for electricity generation around the world. The nuclear stakeholders are working to obtain these technical answers for the Fukushima questions. We believe that, such challenges will be, certainly, implemented in the next reactor generation, following the technological evolution. The purpose of this work is to perform a critical analysis of the Fukushima nuclear accident, focusing at the common cause failures produced by tsunami, as well as an analysis of the main redundant systems. This work also assesses the mitigative procedures and the subsequent consequences of such actions, which gave results below expectations to avoid the progression of the accident, discussing the concept of sharing of structures, systems and components at multi-unit nuclear power plants, and its eventual inappropriate use in safety-related devices which can compromise the nuclear safety, as well as its consequent impact on the Fukushima accident scenario. The lessons from Fukushima must be better learned, aiming the development of new procedures and new safety systems. Thus, the nuclear technology could reach a higher evolution level in its safety requirements. This knowledge will establish a conceptual milestone in the safety system design, becoming necessary the review of the current acceptance criteria of safety-related systems.
文摘New researches on serious public health problems such as respiratory disease, heart attacks, and premature deaths, show the threat of air and environmental pollution on human＇s health. Exhausting greenhouse gases for electrical energy production in fossil fueled power plants is one of the major reasons of environmental pollutions. Increasing energy demand has made global concerns about the environmental pollutions of fossil power plants. In this article, fossil power plant productive pollutants such as Sulfur Dioxide, Mercury, and Carbon Dioxide, are investigated. On the other hand, nuclear power plant and its produced waste are discussed as the future power generation source. In this article, fossil and nuclear power plants are compared as power sources, pollutants, and their environmental effects. First, investigations are made on fossil power plants and their effects on environment and climate changes. On the other hand, nuclear power plants are discussed as a possible replacement for fossil power plants. In this part, effects of radiation on human health and environment like important nuclear accidents are investigated. This paper summarizes several types of power plants and it is deduced that the nuclear power plant is more clean energy producer in comparison to other power plants.
基金supported by the U.S.Department of EnergyOffice of Science+5 种基金Fusion Energy Sciences Programunder Contract No.DE-AC05-00OR22725 with UT-BattelleLLCfinancial support from the US Department of EnergyOffice of Fusion Energy Science under grant DOE-DE-SC000661 at The University of Tennessee-KnoxvilleJLW and HCM were funded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology。
文摘Tungsten(W)is the leading plasma-facing candidate material for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor and next-generation fusion reactors.The impact of synergistic helium(He),irradiation-induced microstructural changes,and the corresponding thermal-mechanical property degradation of W are critically important but are not well understood yet.Predicting the performance of W in fusion environments requires understanding the fundamentals of He-defect interactions and the resultant He bubble nucleation and growth in W.In this study,He retention in helium-ion-implanted W was assessed using neutron depth profiling(NDP),laser ablation mass spectrometry(LAMS),and thermal desorption spectroscopy(TDS)following 10 keV room-temperature He implantation at various fluences.These three experimental techniques enabled the determination of the He depth profile and retention in He-implanted W.A cluster dynamics model based on the diffusion-reaction rate theory was applied to interpret the experimental data.The model successfully predicted the He spatial depth-dependent profile in He-implanted W,which was in good agreement with the LAMS measurements.The model also successfully captured the major features of the He desorption spectra observed in the THDS measurements.The NDP quantified total He concentration values for the samples;they were similar to those estimated by LAMS.However,the depth profiles from NDP and LAMS were not comparable due to several factors.The combination of modeling and experimentation enabled the identification of possible trapping sites for He in W and the evolution of He-defect clusters during the TDS thermal annealing process.
基金supported by the US Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy Distinguished Early Career Program under contract number DE-NE0009468support is provided by the Texas A&M Institute of Data Science(TAMIDS)Seed Program for AI,Computing,and Data Science。
文摘Next-generation nuclear reactor technologies,such as molten salt and fast reactors present complex analytical challenges that require advanced modeling and simulation tools.Yet,traditional workflows for Monte Carlo simulations like FLUKA are labor-intensive and error-prone,relying on manual input file generation and postprocessing.This limits scalability and efficiency.In this work,we present AutoFLUKA,a novel framework that leverages domain knowledge-embedded large language models(LLMs)and AI agents to automate the entire FLUKA simulation workflow from input file creation to execution management,and data analysis.AutoFLUKA also integrates Retrieval-Augmented Generation(RAG)and a web-based user-friendly graphical interface,enabling users to interact with the system in real time.Benchmarking against manual FLUKA simulations,AutoFLUKA demonstrated substantial improvements in resolving FLUKA error-related queries,particularly those arising from input file creation and execution.Traditionally,such issues are addressed through expert support on the FLUKA user forum,often resulting in significant delays.The resolution time for these queries was also reduced from several days to under one minute.Additionally,human-induced simulation errors were mitigated,and a high accuracy in key simulation metrics,such as neutron fluence and microdosimetric quantities,was achieved,with uncertainties below 0.001%for large sample sizes.The flexibility of AutoFLUKA was demonstrated through successful application to both general and specialized nuclear scenarios,and its design allows for straightforward extension to other simulation platforms.These results highlight AutoFLUKA’s potential to transform nuclear engineering analysis by enhancing productivity,reliability,and accessibility through AI-driven automation.
文摘Dose estimation and quality control in computed tomography (CT) scanners are useful in controlling the dose of radiation given to patients while tests are carried out. The study was performed in a 16-slice Computed Tomography (CT) system of LightSpeed RT16 Xtra CT scanner. Quality control was done using a vendor-provided QA Phantom, and the six aspects of image quality were measured. For CT dosimetry, Computed Tomography Dose index volume (CTDIvol) was performed using Computed Tomography Dose Index (CTDI) Phantom. CTDI Phantom consists of three parts: Pediatric Head, Adult Head, and Adult Body Phantom. A 10 cm long pencil ion chamber DCT-10 was used to measure the dose at different positions inside the CTDI Phantom. Data were collected using MagicMax Universal software. For dose estimation of the CTDIvol Report of AAPM Task Group, 96 and 111 formalisms were used. For Pediatric Head, Adult Head, and Adult Body Phantom the measured CIDIvol was 61.04 mGy, 48.11 mGy, and 18.08 mGy respectively. The study has shown deviations of 7%, 15%, and 19% between estimated and console-displayed doses for Pediatric Head, Adult Head, and Adult Body scan techniques respectively. The six aspects of image quality measured by QA Phantom were found to be compatible with the specifications of the machine and CTDIvol measured by CTDI Phantom were found within a tolerance limit of ±20%. Hence, the QC and dosimetry of the mentioned machine are within the limit.
基金funding support by the Changsha Natural Science Foundation(grant no.kq2208023)National Natural Scientific Foundation of China(grant no.12074113).
文摘Transition metal(oxy)hydroxides are potential oxygen evolution reaction(OER)electrocatalysts;however,simultaneously modulating multiple factors to enhance their performance is a grand challenge.Here,we report an incorporating heteroatom strategy via one-step hydrothermal approach to adjust more than one factor of Mn-doped NiFe(oxy)hydroxide(Mn-NiFeOOH/LDH)heterojunction.Mn doping regulates heterojunction morphology(reducing nanoparticles and becoming thinner and denser nanosheets),Ni/Fe ratio and valence states(Ni^(2+),Ni^(3+),and Ni^(3+Δ))of Ni ions.The former could effectively increase surface active sites,and the latter two reduce the content of Fe in the Mnx-NiFeOOH/LDH heterojunction,en-abling more Ni^(2+)convert to Ni^(3+/3+Δ)that have higher intrinsic OER activity.As a result,the first-rank Mn-NiFeOOH/LDH with ultra-low overpotential of 185 mV@20 mA cm^(-2) and 296 mV@500 mA cm^(-2),and the improved OER performance are outdo to those of commercial RuO_(2) catalyst for OER.Moreover,the Mn-NiFeOOH/LDH affords the earliest initial potential(1.392 V vs.RHE),corresponds to a recorded low overpotential(162 mV).Based on the density functional theory(DFT),Mn dopants can alter intermedi-ate adsorption energy and effectively decrease∗OOH’s energy barrier.This research exhibits a feasible strategy to design low cost electrocatalysts and provide new possibilities for future industrialization.
基金supported by Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences at Penn State University through the Huck Innovative and Transformational Seed Grant(HITS).
文摘Advancing 3D magnesium(Mg)development beyond current limitations requires controlling Mg alloy degradation in pre-designed,low-dimension architectures.This study reveals a mechanistic switch in the corrosion behavior of Mg alloy(3.6%Al,0.8%Zn)diamond lattice structures,induced by plasma nanosynthesis(400 eV Ar^(+)ions,fluence 1×10^(17) ions/cm^(2)).Plasma treatment of the Mg alloy increases surface Mg from 1.5%to 14.5%,enhances carbonate formation,and generates a nanostructured surface with a Mg carbonate layer over an oxide/hydroxide layer.In vitro and in vivo analyses over 8 wk demonstrate how this treatment fundamentally alters the degradation process and stability of these 3D architectures.While untreated samples initially formed a protective film that subsequently diminished,DPNS-treated samples demonstrated an inverse corrosion behavior.X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS)and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS)confirmed the presence of a stable,protective layer composed of magnesium oxide,magnesium hydroxide,and magnesium carbonate on the DPNS-treated surfaces.After 14 days,the DPNS-treated sample exhibited a more positive corrosion potential(-0.69 V versus-1.36 V)and a marginally lower current density(0.73 mA/cm^(2)compared to 0.75 mA/c^(2))relative to the control.This protective layer,combined with modified surface topology,initiated a core-to-periphery degradation pattern that maintained structural integrity for up to 8 wk post-implantation.These findings support the conclusion that the DPNS-treated scaffold demonstrates sustained improved corrosion resistance over time compared to the untreated control.Micro-CT revealed plasma-treated samples retained larger struts(504.9±95.3μm at 8 wk)and formed larger H_(2) pockets extending 14.2 mm from the implant center,versus 4.9 mm in controls.This corrosion behavior switch enhances stability but risks pore clogging,offering insights for tailoring Mg alloy degradation and H_(2) evolution in 3D architectures for biomedical applications.
