Development of a 1000V, 200A, low-loss, fast-switching, gate-assisted turn-off thyristor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schlegel, E. S.; Lowry, L. R.

1975-01-01

Feasibility was demonstrated for a thyristor that blocks 1000V forward and reverse, conducts 200A, and turns on in little more than 2 microsec with only 2A of gate drive. Its features include a turn-off time of 3 microsec achieved with 2A of gate assist current of a few microseconds duration and an energy dissipation of only 12 mJ per pulse for a 20 microsec half sine wave, 200A pulse. Extensive theoretical and experimental study of the electrical behavior of thyristors having a fast turn-off time have significantly improved the understanding of the physics of turning thyristor off. Thyristors of two new designs were fabricated and evaluated. The high speed and low power were achieved by a combination of gate amplification, cathode shunting, and gate-assisted turn-off. Two techniques for making this combination practical are described.

Switching power pulse system

DOEpatents

Aaland, Kristian

1983-01-01

A switching system for delivering pulses of power from a source (10) to a load (20) using a storage capacitor (C3) charged through a rectifier (D1, D2), and maintained charged to a reference voltage level by a transistor switch (Q1) and voltage comparator (12). A thyristor (22) is triggered to discharge the storage capacitor through a saturable reactor (18) and fractional turn saturable transformer (16) having a secondary to primary turn ratio N of n:l/n=n.sup.2. The saturable reactor (18) functions as a "soaker" while the thyristor reaches saturation, and then switches to a low impedance state. The saturable transformer functions as a switching transformer with high impedance while a load coupling capacitor (C4) charges, and then switches to a low impedance state to dump the charge of the storage capacitor (C3) into the load through the coupling capacitor (C4). The transformer is comprised of a multilayer core (26) having two secondary windings (28, 30) tightly wound and connected in parallel to add their output voltage and reduce output inductance, and a number of single turn windings connected in parallel at nodes (32, 34) for the primary winding, each single turn winding linking a different one of the layers of the multilayer core. The load may be comprised of a resistive beampipe (40) for a linear particle accelerator and capacitance of a pulse forming network (42). To hold off discharge of the capacitance until it is fully charged, a saturable core (44) is provided around the resistive beampipe (40) to isolate the beampipe from the capacitance (42) until it is fully charged.

Method of controlling switching of a multiphase inductor-converter bridge

DOEpatents

Kustom, Robert L.; Fuja, Raymond E.

1981-01-01

In an inductor-convertor circuit for transferring electrical energy between a storage coil and a load coil using a storage thyristor bridge, a load thyristor bridge, and a set of commutating capacitors, operation is improved by a method of changing the rate of delivery of energy in a given direction. The change in rate corresponds to a predetermined change in phase angle between the load bridge and the storage bridge and comprises changing the phase of the bridge by two steps, each equal to half the predetermined change and occurring 180.degree. apart. The method assures commutation and minimizes imbalances that lead otherwise to overvoltages.

Phase detector for three-phase power factor controller

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nola, F. J. (Inventor)

1984-01-01

A phase detector for the three phase power factor controller (PFC) is described. The phase detector for each phase includes an operational amplifier which senses the current phase angle for that phase by sensing the voltage across the phase thyristor. Common mode rejection is achieved by providing positive feedback between the input and output of the voltage sensing operational amplifier. this feedback preferably comprises a resistor connected between the output and input of the operational amplifier. The novelty of the invention resides in providing positive feedback such that switching of the operational amplifier is synchronized with switching of the voltage across the thyristor. The invention provides a solution to problems associated with high common mode voltage and enables use of lower cost components than would be required by other approaches.

Method of controlling switching of a multiphase inductor-converter bridge. [Patent application

DOEpatents

Kustom, R.L.; Fuja, R.E.

In an inductor-convertor circuit for transferring electrical energy between a storage coil and a load coil through a storage thyristor bridge, a load thyristor bridge, and a set of commutating capacitors, operation is improved by a method of changing the rate of delivery of energy in a given direction. The change in rate corresponds to a predetermined change in phase angle between the load bridge and the storage bridge, and comprises changing the phase of the bridge by two steps, each equal to half the predetermined change and occurring 180/sup 0/ apart. The method assures commutation and minimizes imbalances that lead otherwise to overvoltages. 11 figures.

Pattern Recognition Application of Support Vector Machine for Fault Classification of Thyristor Controlled Series Compensated Transmission Lines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yashvantrai Vyas, Bhargav; Maheshwari, Rudra Prakash; Das, Biswarup

2016-06-01

Application of series compensation in extra high voltage (EHV) transmission line makes the protection job difficult for engineers, due to alteration in system parameters and measurements. The problem amplifies with inclusion of electronically controlled compensation like thyristor controlled series compensation (TCSC) as it produce harmonics and rapid change in system parameters during fault associated with TCSC control. This paper presents a pattern recognition based fault type identification approach with support vector machine. The scheme uses only half cycle post fault data of three phase currents to accomplish the task. The change in current signal features during fault has been considered as discriminatory measure. The developed scheme in this paper is tested over a large set of fault data with variation in system and fault parameters. These fault cases have been generated with PSCAD/EMTDC on a 400 kV, 300 km transmission line model. The developed algorithm has proved better for implementation on TCSC compensated line with its improved accuracy and speed.

Fiber Bragg grating temperature sensors in a 6.5-MW generator exciter bridge and the development and simulation of its thermal model.

PubMed

de Morais Sousa, Kleiton; Probst, Werner; Bortolotti, Fernando; Martelli, Cicero; da Silva, Jean Carlos Cardozo

2014-09-05

This work reports the thermal modeling and characterization of a thyristor. The thyristor is used in a 6.5-MW generator excitation bridge. Temperature measurements are performed using fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors. These sensors have the benefits of being totally passive and immune to electromagnetic interference and also multiplexed in a single fiber. The thyristor thermal model consists of a second order equivalent electric circuit, and its power losses lead to an increase in temperature, while the losses are calculated on the basis of the excitation current in the generator. Six multiplexed FBGs are used to measure temperature and are embedded to avoid the effect of the strain sensitivity. The presented results show a relationship between field current and temperature oscillation and prove that this current can be used to determine the thermal model of a thyristor. The thermal model simulation presents an error of 1.5 °C, while the FBG used allows for the determination of the thermal behavior and the field current dependence. Since the temperature is a function of the field current, the corresponding simulation can be used to estimate the temperature in the thyristors.

Fiber Bragg Grating Temperature Sensors in a 6.5-MW Generator Exciter Bridge and the Development and Simulation of Its Thermal Model

PubMed Central

de Morais Sousa, Kleiton; Probst, Werner; Bortolotti, Fernando; Martelli, Cicero; da Silva, Jean Carlos Cardozo

2014-01-01

This work reports the thermal modeling and characterization of a thyristor. The thyristor is used in a 6.5-MW generator excitation bridge. Temperature measurements are performed using fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors. These sensors have the benefits of being totally passive and immune to electromagnetic interference and also multiplexed in a single fiber. The thyristor thermal model consists of a second order equivalent electric circuit, and its power losses lead to an increase in temperature, while the losses are calculated on the basis of the excitation current in the generator. Six multiplexed FBGs are used to measure temperature and are embedded to avoid the effect of the strain sensitivity. The presented results show a relationship between field current and temperature oscillation and prove that this current can be used to determine the thermal model of a thyristor. The thermal model simulation presents an error of 1.5 °C, while the FBG used allows for the determination of the thermal behavior and the field current dependence. Since the temperature is a function of the field current, the corresponding simulation can be used to estimate the temperature in the thyristors. PMID:25198007

Silicon Carbide Emitter Turn-Off Thyristor

DOE PAGES

Wang, Jun; Wang, Gangyao; Li, Jun; ...

2008-01-01

A novel MOS-conmore » trolled SiC thyristor device, the SiC emitter turn-off thyristor (ETO) is a promising technology for future high-voltage switching applications because it integrates the excellent current conduction capability of a SiC thyristor with a simple MOS-control interface. Through unity-gain turn-off, the SiC ETO also achieves excellent Safe Operation Area (SOA) and faster switching speeds than silicon ETOs. The world's first 4.5-kV SiC ETO prototype shows a forward voltage drop of 4.26 V at 26.5  A / cm 2 current density at room and elevated temperatures. Tested in an inductive circuit with a 2.5 kV DC link voltage and a 9.56-A load current, the SiC ETO shows a fast turn-off time of 1.63 microseconds and a low 9.88 mJ turn-off energy. The low switching loss indicates that the SiC ETO could operate at about 4 kHz if 100  W / cm 2 conduction and the 100  W / cm 2 turn-off losses can be removed by the thermal management system. This frequency capability is about 4 times higher than 4.5-kV-class silicon power devices. The preliminary demonstration shows that the SiC ETO is a promising candidate for high-frequency, high-voltage power conversion applications, and additional developments to optimize the device for higher voltage (>5 kV) and higher frequency (10 kHz) are needed.« less

Investigation of the Current Turn-off Characteristics of a GTO Thyristor in an Inductive Pulse Forming Network

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-05-02

conduction capacity of the discharge switch; the discharge switch was a TRIAC (Littlefuse – Q6015L5) rated to block 600Vand conduct 15A. (For this circuit ...part of the test circuit to verify was the capacitor dump circuit . The capacitor bank was charged up to 200V and the TRIAC (S2 in Figure 17) was...be turned off by a GTO thyristor. During the course of the project, a series of GTO thyristors were used in an inductive pulse forming circuit to

Development of a 1000V, 200A, low-loss, fast-switching, gate-assisted turn-off thyristor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schlegel, E. S.; Lowry, L. R.; Moore, D. L.

1977-01-01

The results of a program to develop a fast high power thyristor that can operate in switching circuits at frequencies of 10 to 20 kHz with very low power loss are given. Feasibility was demonstrated for a thyristor that blocks 1000V forward and reverse, conducts 200A, turns on in little more than 2 more microseconds with only 2A of gate drive, turns off in 3 microseconds with 2A of gate assist current and has an energy dissipation of only 12 mJ per pulse for a 20 microsecond half sine wave 200A pulse. Data were generated that clearly showed the tradeoffs that can be made between the turn off time and forward drop. The understanding of this relationship is necessary in the selection of deliverable thyristors with turn off times up to 7 microseconds to give improved efficiency in a series resonant dc to dc inverter application.

A new inverter topology using GTO commutation. [Gate Turn Off thyristor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rippel, W. E.

1983-01-01

A new N-phase, forced commutated bridge inverter topology has been developed wherein a single Gate Turn Off Thyristor (GTO) is used to commutate each of 2N main Thyristors (SCRs). Since, for most applications, the primary loss mechanism is the SCR forward drop, very high efficiencies are possible. Compared with conventional pure SCR and pure GTO inverters, cost per kW is lower - in the former case due to the large cost differential between GTOs and SCRs. Other advantages of the new inverter include high power density, low switching losses and stresses, modulation flexibility and amenability to high voltage and high frequency operation.

Effect of Frequency and Spatial-Harmonics on Rotary and Linear Induction Motor Characteristics

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1972-03-01

A computer analysis is made of the effect of current and MMF airgap harmonics on the output characteristics of rotary and linear induction motors. The current harmonics accompanying thyristor-control operation are evaluated by Fourier analyzing the p...

Regenerative Snubber For GTO-Commutated SCR Inverter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rippel, Wally E.; Edwards, Dean B.

1992-01-01

Proposed regenerative snubbing circuit substituted for dissipative snubbing circuit in inverter based on silicon controlled rectifiers (SCR's) commutated by gate-turn-off thyristor (GTO). Intended to reduce loss of power that occurs in dissipative snubber. Principal criteria in design: low cost, simplicity, and reliability.

Performance analysis of a diesel engine driven brushless alternator with combined AC and thyristor fed DC loads through PSPICE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Narayanan, S.S.Y.; Ananthakrishnan, P.; Hangari, V.U.

1995-12-31

A brushless alternator with damper windings in the main alternator and with combined ac and thyristor fed dc loads has been handled ab initio as a total modeling and simulation problem for which a complete steady state performance prediction algorithm has been developed through proper application of Park`s equivalent circuit approach individually to the main and exciter alternator units of the brushless alternator. Details of the problems faced during implementation of this algorithm through PSPICE for the case of a specific 125 kVA brushless alternator as well as methods adopted for successfully overcoming the same have then been presented. Finallymore » a comparison of the predicted performance with those obtained experimentally for this 125 kVA unit has also been provided for the cases of both thyristor fed dc load alone as well as combined ac and thyristor fed dc loads. To enable proper calculation of derating factors to be used in the design of such brushless alternators, the simulation results then include harmonic analysis of the alternator output voltage and current waveforms at the point of common connection of the ac and thyristor fed dc load, damper winding currents, main alternator field winding current, exciter alternator armature voltage and the alternator developed torque and torque angle pulsations.« less

Fast Turn-Off Times Observed in Experimental 4H SiC Thyristors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Niedra, Janis M.

2006-01-01

Room temperature measurements of the turn-off time (t(sub q)) are reported for several packaged, npnp developmental power thyristors based on 4H-type SiC and rated 400 V, 2 A. Turn-off is effected by a 50 V pulse of applied reverse voltage, from a state of a steady 1 A forward current. Plots of t(sub q) against the ramp rate (dV(sub AK)/dt) of reapplied forward voltage are presented for preset values of limiting anode-to-cathode voltage (V(sub AK,max)). The lowest t(sub q) measured was about 180 ns. A rapid rise of these t(sub q) curves was observed for values of V(sub AK,max) that are only about a fifth of the rated voltage, whereas comparative t(sub q) plots for a commercial, fast turn-off, Si-based thyristor at a proportionately reduced V(sub AK,max) showed no such behavior. Hence these SiC thyristors may have problems arising from material defects or surface passivation. The influence the R-C-D gate bypass circuit that was used is briefly discussed.

FET commutated current-FED inverter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rippel, Wally E. (Inventor); Edwards, Dean B. (Inventor)

1983-01-01

A shunt switch comprised of a field-effect transistor (Q.sub.1) is employed to commutate a current-fed inverter (10) using thyristors (SCR1, SCR2) or bijunction transistors (Q.sub.2, Q.sub.3) in a full bridge (1, 2, 3, 4) or half bridge (5, 6) and transformer (T.sub.1) configuration. In the case of thyristors, a tapped inverter (12) is employed to couple the inverter to a dc source to back bias the thyristors during commutation. Alternatively, a commutation power supply (20) may be employed for that purpse. Diodes (D.sub.1, D.sub.2) in series with some voltage dropping element (resistor R.sub.12 or resistors R.sub.1, R.sub.2 or Zener diodes D.sub.4, D.sub.5) are connected in parallel with the thyristors in the half bridge and transformer configuration to assure sharing the back bias voltage. A clamp circuit comprised of a winding (18) negatively coupled to the inductor and a diode (D.sub.3) return stored energy from the inductor to the power supply for efficient operation with buck or boost mode.

Protection relay of phase-shifting device with thyristor switch for high voltage power transmission lines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lachugin, V. F.; Panfilov, D. I.; Akhmetov, I. M.; Astashev, M. G.; Shevelev, A. V.

2014-12-01

Problems of functioning of differential current protection systems of phase shifting devices (PSD) with mechanically changed coefficient of transformation of shunt transformer are analyzed. Requirements for devices of protection of PSD with thyristor switch are formulated. Based on use of nonlinear models of series-wound and shunt transformers of PSD modes of operation of major protection during PSD, switching to zero load operation and to operation under load and during short circuit operation were studied for testing PSD with failures. Use of the principle of duplicating by devices of differential current protection (with realization of functions of breaking) of failures of separate pares of PSD with thyristor switch was substantiated. To ensure protection sensitivity to the shunt transformer winding short circuit, in particular, to a short circuit that is not implemented in the current differential protection for PSD with mechanical switch, the differential current protection reacting to the amount of primary ampere-turns of high-voltage and low-voltage winding of this transformer was designed. Studies have shown that the use of differential current cutoff instead of overcurrent protection for the shunt transformer wndings allows one to provide the sensitivity during thyristor failure with the formation of a short circuit. The results of simulation mode for the PSD with switch thyristor designed to be installed as switching point of Voskhod-Tatarskaya-Barabinsk 220 kV transmission line point out the efficiency of the developed solutions that ensure reliable functioning of the PSD.

Compact high voltage solid state switch

DOEpatents

Glidden, Steven C.

2003-09-23

A compact, solid state, high voltage switch capable of high conduction current with a high rate of current risetime (high di/dt) that can be used to replace thyratrons in existing and new applications. The switch has multiple thyristors packaged in a single enclosure. Each thyristor has its own gate drive circuit that circuit obtains its energy from the energy that is being switched in the main circuit. The gate drives are triggered with a low voltage, low current pulse isolated by a small inexpensive transformer. The gate circuits can also be triggered with an optical signal, eliminating the trigger transformer altogether. This approach makes it easier to connect many thyristors in series to obtain the hold off voltages of greater than 80 kV.

Single Active Switch PV Inverter

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ramanan, V. R.; Pan, Zhiguo

This report presents a new PV inverter topology that uses only one active switch instead of 7 active switches in a conventional PV inverter. It has a buck boost converter and operates at discontinuous current control mode, which can reduce the output stage from an active switch bridge to a thyristor bridge. This concept, if successfully demonstrated, may have great cost and size/weight benefits over conventional solutions. Since the proposed topology is completely different from the traditional boost converter plus voltage source inverter approach, there is no existing control/modulation scheme available. A new modulation scheme for both the main switchmore » and the thyristors has been developed. An active clamping circuit has also been proposed to reduce switching losses and voltage spike during the switching transient. A simulation model has been set up to validate the control algorithm and clamping circuit. Simulated results show that a proposed 10 kW PV inverter can reach 5% total harmonic distortion (THD), 98.8% peak efficiency with only one main active switch, and an inductor weighing less than 3 kg. Based on that, a 10 kW prototype converter has been designed and built.« less

Integral inverter/battery charger for use in electric vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thimmesch, D.

1983-01-01

The design and test results of a thyristor based inverter/charger are discussed. A battery charger is included integral to the inverter by using a subset of the inverter power circuit components. The resulting charger provides electrical isolation between the vehicle propulsion battery and ac line and is capable of charging a 25 kWh propulsion battery in 8 hours from a 220 volt ac line. The integral charger employs the inverter commutation components at a resonant ac/dc isolated converter rated at 3.6 kW. Charger efficiency and power factor at an output power of 3.6 kW are 86% and 95% respectively. The inverter, when operated with a matching polyphase ac induction motor and nominal 132 volt propulsion battery, can provide a peak shaft power of 34 kW (45 ph) during motoring operation and 45 kW (60 hp) during regeneration. Thyristors are employed for the inverter power switching devices and are arranged in an input-commutated topology. This configuration requires only two thyristors to commutate the six main inverter thyristors. Inverter efficiency during motoring operation at motor shaft speeds above 450 rad/sec (4300 rpm) is 92-94% for output power levels above 11 KW (15 hp). The combined ac inverter/charger package weighs 47 kg (103 lbs).

Power Supply Changes for NSTX Resistive Wall Mode Coils

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ramakrishnan, S S.

The National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) has been designed and installed in the existing facilities at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL). Most of the hardware, plant facilities, auxiliary sub-systems, and power systems originally used for the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) have been used with suitable modifications to reflect NSTX needs. Prior to 2004, the NSTX power system was feeding twelve (12) circuits in the machine. In 2004 the Resistive Wall Mode (RWM) Coils were installed on the machine to correct error fields. There are six of these coils installed around the machine in the mid-plane. Since these coils needmore » fast and accurate controls, a Switching Power Amplifier (SPA) with three sub-units was procured, installed and commissioned along with other power loop components. Two RWM Coils were connected in series and fed from one SPA sub-unit. After the initial RWM campaign, operational requirements evolved such that each of the RWM coils now requires separate power and control. Hence a second SPA with three sub-units has been procured and installed. The second unit is of improved design and has the controls and power components completely isolated. The existing thyristor rectifier is used as DC Link to both of the Switching Power Amplifiers. The controls for the RWM are integrated into the overall computer control of the DC Power systems for NSTX. This paper describes the design changes in the RWM Power system for NSTX.« less

MCT/MOSFET Switch

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rippel, Wally E.

1990-01-01

Metal-oxide/semiconductor-controlled thyristor (MCT) and metal-oxide/semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) connected in switching circuit to obtain better performance. Offers high utilization of silicon, low forward voltage drop during "on" period of operating cycle, fast turnon and turnoff, and large turnoff safe operating area. Includes ability to operate at high temperatures, high static blocking voltage, and ease of drive.

Test SCRs and Triacs with a Lab-Built Checker

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harman, Charles

2010-01-01

Students enrolled in advanced electronics courses and/or industrial electronics classes at the high school level and at technical colleges ultimately learn about solid-state switches such as the SCR (silicon controlled rectifier) and the triac. Both the SCR and the triac are in a family of four-layer devices called thyristors. They are both…

Solid state switch

DOEpatents

Merritt, Bernard T.; Dreifuerst, Gary R.

1994-01-01

A solid state switch, with reverse conducting thyristors, is designed to operate at 20 kV hold-off voltage, 1500 A peak, 1.0 .mu.s pulsewidth, and 4500 pps, to replace thyratrons. The solid state switch is more reliable, more economical, and more easily repaired. The switch includes a stack of circuit card assemblies, a magnetic assist and a trigger chassis. Each circuit card assembly contains a reverse conducting thyristor, a resistor capacitor network, and triggering circuitry.

Bidirectional dc-to-dc Power Converter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Griesbach, C. R.

1986-01-01

Solid-state, series-resonant converter uses high-voltage thyristors. Converter used either to convert high-voltage, low-current dc power to lowvoltage, high current power or reverse. Taking advantage of newly-available high-voltage thyristors to provide better reliability and efficiency than traditional converters that use vacuum tubes as power switches. New converter essentially maintenance free and provides greatly increased mean time between failures. Attractive in industrial applications whether or not bidirectional capability is required.

A Current Source Method For t(sub q) Measurement of Fast Switching Thyristors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Niedra, Janis M.

2006-01-01

A current source driven circuit has been constructed to measure the turn-off time (t(sub q)) of fast-switching SiC thyristors. This circuit operates from a single power supply and a dual channel pulse generator to provide adjustment of forward current, magnitude and duration of reverse applied voltage, and rate of rise of reapplied forward voltage. Values of t(sub q) down to 100 ns can be resolved.

Solid state switch

DOEpatents

Merritt, B.T.; Dreifuerst, G.R.

1994-07-19

A solid state switch, with reverse conducting thyristors, is designed to operate at 20 kV hold-off voltage, 1,500 A peak, 1.0 [mu]s pulsewidth, and 4,500 pps, to replace thyratrons. The solid state switch is more reliable, more economical, and more easily repaired. The switch includes a stack of circuit card assemblies, a magnetic assist and a trigger chassis. Each circuit card assembly contains a reverse conducting thyristor, a resistor capacitor network, and triggering circuitry. 6 figs.

A Comparative Study of the Application of FACTS Devices in Wind Power Plants of the Southeast Area of the Mexican Electric System

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Beltran-Valle, Omar; Pena-Gallardo, Rafael; Segundo-Ramirez, Juan

This paper presents a comparative study of the application of Flexible AC Transmission System (FACTS) devices, as Thyristor Controlled Series Capacitor (TCSC), Static Synchronous Compensator (STATCOM) and Unified Power Controller (UPFC) on congestion management and voltage support in the area of the Istmo of Tehuantepec, Oaxaca, Mexico. The present work provides an analysis about the performance of the control of active and reactive power of the FACTS controllers applied to mentioned problems in the power system.

In-line Microwave Warmer for Blood and Intravenous Fluids.

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-12-14

circuit was designed and tested. This circuit uses a digitally controlled optically coupled Triac , a thyristor device, which acts as a switch to allow...three sites of the circuit : Inlet Port of Heating Chamber Interior Path of Heating Chamber Outlet Port of Heating Chamber 4) Feedback Control Mechanism...accomplished through use of a closed loop test circuit depicted in Figure 1-2. This test circuit can be used to heat iv fluids or blood on a continuous

Design of power electronics for TVC EMA systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nelms, R. Mark

1993-01-01

The Composite Development Division of the Propulsion Laboratory at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is currently developing a class of electromechanical actuators (EMA's) for use in space transportation applications such as thrust vector control (TVC) and propellant control valves (PCV). These high power servomechanisms will require rugged, reliable, and compact power electronic modules capable of modulating several hundred amperes of current at up to 270 volts. MSFC has selected the brushless dc motor for implementation in EMA's. This report presents the results of an investigation into the applicability of two new technologies, MOS-controlled thyristors (MCT's) and pulse density modulation (PDM), to the control of brushless dc motors in EMA systems. MCT's are new power semiconductor devices, which combine the high voltage and current capabilities of conventional thyristors and the low gate drive requirements of metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFET's). The commanded signals in a PDM system are synthesized using a series of sinusoidal pulses instead of a series of square pulses as in a pulse width modulation (PWM) system. A resonant dc link inverter is employed to generate the sinusoidal pulses in the PDM system. This inverter permits zero-voltage switching of all semiconductors which reduces switching losses and switching stresses. The objectives of this project are to develop and validate an analytical model of the MCT device when used in high power motor control applications and to design, fabricate, and test a prototype electronic circuit employing both MCT and PDM technology for controlling a brushless dc motor.

Low-jitter high-power thyristor array pulse driver and generator

DOEpatents

Hanks, Roy L.

2002-01-01

A method and apparatus for generating low-jitter, high-voltage and high-current pulses for driving low impedance loads such as detonator fuses uses a MOSFET driver which, when triggered, discharges a high-voltage pre-charged capacitor into the primary of a toroidal current-multiplying transformer with multiple isolated secondary windings. The secondary outputs are suitable for driving an array of thyristors that discharge a precharged high-voltage capacitor and thus generating the required high-voltage and high-current pulse.

Conceptual Study of Permanent Magnet Machine Ship Propulsion Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

1977-12-01

cycloconverter subsystem is designed using advanced thyristors and can be either water or air cooled. The machine-cycloconverter, many-phase or parallel...Turnb, Phase, Poles, Air Gap ................................. 3-9 3-5 Machine Characteristics Versus Number of Poles (large machine, 40 000 hp). Poles...cylindrical permanent magnet generator forces the power conditioner to provide for both frequency change and voltage control. The complexity of this dual

Electric prototype power processor for a 30cm ion thruster

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Biess, J. J.; Inouye, L. Y.; Schoenfeld, A. D.

1977-01-01

An electrical prototype power processor unit was designed, fabricated and tested with a 30 cm mercury ion engine for primary space propulsion. The power processor unit used the thyristor series resonant inverter as the basic power stage for the high power beam and discharge supplies. A transistorized series resonant inverter processed the remaining power for the low power outputs. The power processor included a digital interface unit to process all input commands and internal telemetry signals so that electric propulsion systems could be operated with a central computer system. The electrical prototype unit included design improvement in the power components such as thyristors, transistors, filters and resonant capacitors, and power transformers and inductors in order to reduce component weight, to minimize losses, and to control the component temperature rise. A design analysis for the electrical prototype is also presented on the component weight, losses, part count and reliability estimate. The electrical prototype was tested in a thermal vacuum environment. Integration tests were performed with a 30 cm ion engine and demonstrated operational compatibility. Electromagnetic interference data was also recorded on the design to provide information for spacecraft integration.

High-Speed, high-power, switching transistor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carnahan, D.; Ohu, C. K.; Hower, P. L.

1979-01-01

Silicon transistor rate for 200 angstroms at 400 to 600 volts combines switching speed of transistors with ruggedness, power capacity of thyristor. Transistor introduces unique combination of increased power-handling capability, unusally low saturation and switching losses, and submicrosecond switching speeds. Potential applications include high power switching regulators, linear amplifiers, chopper controls for high frequency electrical vehicle drives, VLF transmitters, RF induction heaters, kitchen cooking ranges, and electronic scalpels for medical surgery.

Control of electromagnetic stirring by power focusing in large induction crucible furnaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frizen, V. E.; Sarapulov, F. N.

2011-12-01

An approach is proposed for the calculation of the operating conditions of an induction crucible furnace at the final stage of melting with the power focused in various regions of melted metal. The calculation is performed using a model based on the method of detailed magnetic equivalent circuits. The combination of the furnace and a thyristor frequency converter is taken into account in modeling.

Asymmetric quantum well broadband thyristor laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Zhen; Wang, Jiaqi; Yu, Hongyan; Zhou, Xuliang; Chen, Weixi; Li, Zhaosong; Wang, Wei; Ding, Ying; Pan, Jiaoqing

2017-11-01

A broadband thyristor laser based on InGaAs/GaAs asymmetric quantum well (AQW) is fabricated by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The 3-μm-wide Fabry-Perot (FP) ridge-waveguide laser shows an S-shape I-V characteristic and exhibits a flat-topped broadband optical spectrum coverage of ~27 nm (Δ-10 dB) at a center wavelength of ~1090 nm with a total output power of 137 mW under pulsed operation. The AQW structure was carefully designed to establish multiple energy states within, in order to broaden the gain spectrum. An obvious blue shift emission, which is not generally acquired in QW laser diodes, is observed in the broadening process of the optical spectrum as the injection current increases. This blue shift spectrum broadening is considered to result from the prominent band-filling effect enhanced by the multiple energy states of the AQW structure, as well as the optical feedback effect contributed by the thyristor laser structure. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 61604144, 61504137). Zhen Liu and Jiaqi Wang contributed equally to this work.

Control strategy for a variable-speed wind energy conversion system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jacob, A.; Veillette, D.; Rajagopalan, V.

1979-01-01

A control concept for a variable-speed wind energy conversion system is proposed, for which a self-exited asynchronous cage generator is used along with a system of thyristor converters. The control loops are the following: (1) regulation of the entrainment speed as function of available mechanical energy by acting on the resistance couple of the asynchronous generator; (2) control of electric power delivered to the asynchronous machine, functioning as a motor, for start-up of the vertical axis wind converter; and (3) limitation of the slip value, and by consequence, of the induction currents in the presence of sudden variations of input parameters.

Mitigation of commutation failures in LCC-HVDC systems based on superconducting fault current limiters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Jong-Geon; Khan, Umer Amir; Lee, Ho-Yun; Lim, Sung-Woo; Lee, Bang-Wook

2016-11-01

Commutation failure in line commutated converter based HVDC systems cause severe damages on the entire power grid system. For LCC-HVDC, thyristor valves are turned on by a firing signal but turn off control is governed by the external applied AC voltage from surrounding network. When the fault occurs in AC system, turn-off control of thyristor valves is unavailable due to the voltage collapse of point of common coupling (PCC), which causes the commutation failure in LCC-HVDC link. Due to the commutation failure, the power transfer interruption, dc voltage drop and severe voltage fluctuation in the AC system could be occurred. In a severe situation, it might cause the protection system to block the valves. In this paper, as a solution to prevent the voltage collapse on PCC and to limit the fault current, the application study of resistive superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) on LCC-HVDC grid system was performed with mathematical and simulation analyses. The simulation model was designed by Matlab/Simulink considering Haenam-Jeju HVDC power grid in Korea which includes conventional AC system and onshore wind farm and resistive SFCL model. From the result, it was observed that the application of SFCL on LCC-HVDC system is an effective solution to mitigate the commutation failure. And then the process to determine optimum quench resistance of SFCL which enables the recovery of commutation failure was deeply investigated.

AC Resonant charger with charge rate unrelated to primary power frequency

DOEpatents

Watson, Harold

1982-01-01

An AC resonant charger for a capacitive load, such as a PFN, is provided with a variable repetition rate unrelated to the frequency of a multi-phase AC power source by using a control unit to select and couple the phase of the power source to the resonant charger in order to charge the capacitive load with a phase that is the next to begin a half cycle. For optimum range in repetition rate and increased charging voltage, the resonant charger includes a step-up transformer and full-wave rectifier. The next phase selected may then be of either polarity, but is always selected to be of a polarity opposite the polarity of the last phase selected so that the transformer core does not saturate. Thyristors are used to select and couple the correct phase just after its zero crossover in response to a sharp pulse generated by a zero-crossover detector. The thyristor that is turned on then automatically turns off after a full half cycle of its associated phase input. A full-wave rectifier couples the secondary winding of the transformer to the load so that the load capacitance is always charged with the same polarity.

Ac resonant charger with charge rate unrelated to preimary power requency

DOEpatents

Not Available

1979-12-07

An ac resonant charger for a capacitive load, such as a pulse forming network (PFN), is provided with a variable repetition rate unrelated to the frequency of a multi-phase ac power source by using a control unit to select and couple the phase of the power source to the resonant charger in order to charge the capacitive load with a phase that is the next to begin a half cycle. For optimum range in repetition rate and increased charging voltage, the resonant charger includes a step-up transformer and full-wave rectifier. The next phase selected may then be of either polarity, but is always selected to be of a polarity opposite the polarity of the last phase selected so that the transformer core does not saturate. Thyristors are used to select and couple the correct phase just after its zero crossover in response to a sharp pulse generated by a zero-crossover detector. The thyristor that is turned on then automatically turns off after a full half cycle of its associated phase input. A full-wave rectifier couples the secondary winding of the transformer to the load so that the load capacitance is always charged with the same polarity.

Model and Study on Cascade Control System Based on IGBT Chopping Control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niu, Yuxin; Chen, Liangqiao; Wang, Shuwen

2018-01-01

Thyristor cascade control system has a wide range of applications in the industrial field, but the traditional cascade control system has some shortcomings, such as a low power factor, serious harmonic pollution. In this paper, not only analyzing its system structure and working principle, but also discussing the two main factors affecting the power factor. Chopping-control cascade control system, adopted a new power switching device IGBT, which could overcome traditional cascade control system’s two main drawbacks efficiently. The basic principle of this cascade control system is discussed in this paper and the model of speed control system is built by using MATLAB/Simulink software. Finally, the simulation results of the system shows that the system works efficiently. This system is worthy to be spread widely in engineering application.

Reliability Design for Neutron Induced Single-Event Burnout of IGBT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shoji, Tomoyuki; Nishida, Shuichi; Ohnishi, Toyokazu; Fujikawa, Touma; Nose, Noboru; Hamada, Kimimori; Ishiko, Masayasu

Single-event burnout (SEB) caused by cosmic ray neutrons leads to catastrophic failures in insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs). It was found experimentally that the incident neutron induced SEB failure rate increases as a function of the applied collector voltage. Moreover, the failure rate increased sharply with an increase in the applied collector voltage when the voltage exceeded a certain threshold value (SEB cutoff voltage). In this paper, transient device simulation results indicate that impact ionization at the n-drift/n+ buffer boundary is a crucially important factor in the turning-on of the parasitic pnp transistor, and eventually latch-up of the parasitic thyristor causes SEB. In addition, the device parameter dependency of the SEB cutoff voltage was analytically derived from the latch-up condition of the parasitic thyristor. As a result, it was confirmed that reducing the current gain of the parasitic transistor, such as by increasing the n-drift region thickness d was effective in increasing the SEB cutoff voltage. Furthermore, `white' neutron-irradiation experiments demonstrated that suppressing the inherent parasitic thyristor action leads to an improvement of the SEB cutoff voltage. It was confirmed that current gain optimization of the parasitic transistor is a crucial factor for establishing highly reliable design against chance failures.

Semiconductor power devices for chopper applications at frequencies of 20 kHz and higher, and for 5 to 20 kVA power output

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grube, R.; Tursky, W.; Gerzovskovits, S.; Schierz, W.

1982-12-01

An asymmetrical gate assisted turn-off thyristor and two types of rectifier diodes were developed. These devices are suitable for self-commutated convertors working at frequencies between 15 and 30 kHz for direct connection to 380 V and 500 V lines and for power outputs up to 20 kVA. Such convertors allow economic and easily controllable power supplies to be realized for applications such as welding, inductive heating, ultrasonic generators, and radar modulators.

CRADA Final Report: Application of Dual-Mode Inverter Control to Commercially Available Radial-Gap Mermanent Magnet Motors - Vol. I

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McKeever, John W; Lawler, Jack; Downing, Mark

2006-05-01

John Deere and Company (Deere), their partner, UQM Technologies, Inc. (UQM), and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory's (ORNL's) Power Electronics and Electric Machinery Research Center (PEEMRC) recently completed work on the cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) Number ORNL 04-0691 outlined in this report. CRADA 04-0691 addresses two topical issues of interest to Deere: (1) Improved characterization of hydrogen storage and heat-transfer management; and (2) Potential benefits from advanced electric motor traction-drive technologies. This report presents the findings of the collaborative examination of potential operational and cost benefits from using ORNL/PEEMRC dual-mode inverter control (DMIC) to drive permanent magnet (PM)more » motors in applications of interest to Deere. DMIC was initially developed and patented by ORNL to enable PM motors to be driven to speeds far above base speed where the back-electromotive force (emf) equals the source voltage where it is increasingly difficult to inject current into the motor. DMIC is a modification of conventional phase advance (CPA). DMIC's dual-speed modes are below base speed, where traditional pulse-width modulation (PWM) achieves maximum torque per ampere (amp), and above base speed, where six-step operation achieves maximum power per amp. The modification that enables DMIC adds two anti-parallel thyristors in each of the three motor phases, which consequently adds the cost of six thyristors. Two features evaluated in this collaboration with potential to justify the additional thyristor cost were a possible reduction in motor cost and savings during operation because of higher efficiency, both permitted because of lower current. The collaborative analysis showed that the reduction of motor cost and base cost of the inverter was small, while the cost of adding six thyristors was greater than anticipated. Modeling the DMIC control displayed inverter efficiency gains due to reduced current, especially under light load and higher speed. This current reduction, which is the salient feature of DMIC, may be significant when operating duty cycles have low loads at high frequencies. Reduced copper losses make operation more efficient thereby reducing operating costs. In the Deere applications selected for this study, the operating benefit was overshadowed by the motor's rotational losses. Rotational losses of Deere 1 and Deere 2 dominate the overall drive efficiency so that their reduction has the greatest potential to improve performance. A good follow-up project would be to explore cost erective ways to reduce the rotational losses buy 66%. During this analysis it has been shown that, for a PM synchronous motor (PMSM), the DMIC's salient feature is its ability to minimize the current required to deliver a given power. The root-mean-square (rms) current of a motor is determined by the speed, power, motor drive parameters, and controls as I{sub rms} = (n, P, motor drive parameters, controls), where n is the relative speed, {omega}/{omega}{sub base} = {Omega}/{Omega}{sub base}, {omega} is the mechanical frequency, {Omega} is the electrical frequency, and P is the power. The characteristic current is the rms current at infinite speed, when all resistance and rotational losses are neglected. Expressions have been derived for the characteristic currents of PMSMs when the motor is controlled by CPA and by DMIC. The expression for CPA characteristic current is I{sub n{yields}{infinity}}{sup CPA} = nE{sub base}/X = nE{sub base}/n{Omega}{sub b}L = E{sub base}/{Omega}{sub b}L, which is strictly a function of the machine parameters, back-emf at base speed, base speed electrical frequency, and inductance. At high speeds, the rms current tends to remain constant even when the load-power requirements are reduced. The expression for DMIC characteristic current is I{sub n{yields}{infinity}}{sup DMIC} = P/3V{sub max} = P{pi}/3{radical}2V{sub dc}, which has nothing to do with machine parameters. This interesting result shows that at high speeds under DMIC control, the rms current diminishes as the load-power requirements are reduced. It also shows that the DMIC characteristic current can be further reduced by increasing the dc supply voltage. This explains the main benefit of DMIC; its ability to minimize the current required to meet a required load.« less

Fast switching thyristor applied in nanosecond-pulse high-voltage generator with closed transformer core.

PubMed

Li, Lee; Bao, Chaobing; Feng, Xibo; Liu, Yunlong; Fochan, Lin

2013-02-01

For a compact and reliable nanosecond-pulse high-voltage generator (NPHVG), the specification parameter selection and potential usage of fast controllable state-solid switches have an important bearing on the optimal design. The NPHVG with closed transformer core and fast switching thyristor (FST) was studied in this paper. According to the analysis of T-type circuit, the expressions for the voltages and currents of the primary and secondary windings on the transformer core of NPHVG were deduced, and the theoretical maximum analysis was performed. For NPHVG, the rise-rate of turn-on current (di/dt) across a FST may exceed its transient rating. Both mean and maximum values of di/dt were determined by the leakage inductances of the transformer, and the difference is 1.57 times. The optimum winding ratio is helpful to getting higher voltage output with lower specification FST, especially when the primary and secondary capacitances have been established. The oscillation period analysis can be effectively used to estimate the equivalent leakage inductance. When the core saturation effect was considered, the maximum di/dt estimated from the oscillating period of the primary current is more accurate than one from the oscillating period of the secondary voltage. Although increasing the leakage inductance of NPHVG can decrease di/dt across FST, it may reduce the output peak voltage of the NPHVG.

High voltage and current, gate assisted, turn-off thyristor development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nowalk, T. P.; Brewster, J. B.; Kao, Y. C.

1972-01-01

An improved high speed power switch with unique turn-off capability was developed. This gate assisted turn-off thyristor (GATT) was rated 1000 volts and 100 amperes with turn-off times of 2 microseconds. Fifty units were delivered for evaluation. In addition, test circuits designed to relate to the series inverter application were built and demonstrated. In the course of this work it was determined that the basic device design is adequate to meet the static characteristics and dynamic turn-off specification. It was further determined that the turn-on specification is critically dependent on the gate drive circuit due to the distributive nature of the cathode-gate geometry. Future work should emphasize design modifications which reduce the gate current required for fast turn-on, thereby opening the way to higher power (current) devices.

Input Power Characteristics of a Three-Phase Thyristor Converter

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1973-10-01

A phase delay rectifier operating into a passive resistive load was instrumented in the laboratory. Techniques for accurate measurement of power, displacement reactive power, harmonic components, and distortion reactive power are presented. The chara...

An SCR inverter for electric vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Latos, T.; Bosack, D.; Ehrlich, R.; Jahns, T.; Mezera, J.; Thimmesch, D.

1980-01-01

An inverter for an electric vehicle propulsion application has been designed and constructed to excite a polyphase induction motor from a fixed propulsion battery source. The inverter, rated at 35kW peak power, is fully regenerative and permits vehicle operation in both the forward and reverse directions. Thyristors are employed as the power switching devices arranged in a dc bus commutated topology. This paper describes the major role the controller plays in generating the motor excitation voltage and frequency to deliver performance similar to dc systems. Motoring efficiency test data for the controller are presented. It is concluded that an SCR inverter in conjunction with an ac induction motor is a viable alternative to present dc vehicle propulsion systems on the basis of performance and size criteria.

Silicon carbide thyristor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Edmond, John A. (Inventor); Palmour, John W. (Inventor)

1996-01-01

The SiC thyristor has a substrate, an anode, a drift region, a gate, and a cathode. The substrate, the anode, the drift region, the gate, and the cathode are each preferably formed of silicon carbide. The substrate is formed of silicon carbide having one conductivity type and the anode or the cathode, depending on the embodiment, is formed adjacent the substrate and has the same conductivity type as the substrate. A drift region of silicon carbide is formed adjacent the anode or cathode and has an opposite conductivity type as the anode or cathode. A gate is formed adjacent the drift region or the cathode, also depending on the embodiment, and has an opposite conductivity type as the drift region or the cathode. An anode or cathode, again depending on the embodiment, is formed adjacent the gate or drift region and has an opposite conductivity type than the gate.

Optimizing MOS-gated thyristor using voltage-based equivalent circuit model for designing steep-subthreshold-slope PN-body-tied silicon-on-insulator FET

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ueda, Daiki; Takeuchi, Kiyoshi; Kobayashi, Masaharu; Hiramoto, Toshiro

2018-04-01

A new circuit model that provides a clear guide on designing a MOS-gated thyristor (MGT) is reported. MGT plays a significant role in achieving a steep subthreshold slope of a PN-body tied silicon-on-insulator (SOI) FET (PNBTFET), which is an SOI MOSFET merged with an MGT. The effects of design parameters on MGT and the proposed equivalent circuit model are examined to determine how to regulate the voltage response of MGT and how to suppress power dissipation. It is demonstrated that MGT with low threshold voltages, small hysteresis widths, and small power dissipation can be designed by tuning design parameters. The temperature dependence of MGT is also examined, and it is confirmed that hysteresis width decreases with the average threshold voltage kept nearly constant as temperature rises. The equivalent circuit model can be conveniently used to design low-power PNBTFET.

A 16 MJ compact pulsed power system for electromagnetic launch

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dai, Ling; Zhang, Qin; Zhong, Heqing; Lin, Fuchang; Li, Hua; Wang, Yan; Su, Cheng; Huang, Qinghua; Chen, Xu

2015-07-01

This paper has established a compact pulsed power system (PPS) of 16 MJ for electromagnetic rail gun. The PPS consists of pulsed forming network (PFN), chargers, monitoring system, and current junction. The PFN is composed of 156 pulse forming units (PFUs). Every PFU can be triggered simultaneously or sequentially in order to obtain different total current waveforms. The whole device except general control table is divided into two frameworks with size of 7.5 m × 2.2 m × 2.3 m. It is important to estimate the discharge current of PFU accurately for the design of the whole electromagnetic launch system. In this paper, the on-state characteristics of pulse thyristor have been researched to improve the estimation accuracy. The on-state characteristics of pulse thyristor are expressed as a logarithmic function based on experimental data. The circuit current waveform of the single PFU agrees with the simulating one. On the other hand, the coaxial discharge cable is a quick wear part in PFU because the discharge current will be up to dozens of kA even hundreds of kA. In this article, the electromagnetic field existing in the coaxial cable is calculated by finite element method. On basis of the calculation results, the structure of cable is optimized in order to improve the limit current value of the cable. At the end of the paper, the experiment current wave of the PPS with the load of rail gun is provided.

A 16 MJ compact pulsed power system for electromagnetic launch.

PubMed

Dai, Ling; Zhang, Qin; Zhong, Heqing; Lin, Fuchang; Li, Hua; Wang, Yan; Su, Cheng; Huang, Qinghua; Chen, Xu

2015-07-01

This paper has established a compact pulsed power system (PPS) of 16 MJ for electromagnetic rail gun. The PPS consists of pulsed forming network (PFN), chargers, monitoring system, and current junction. The PFN is composed of 156 pulse forming units (PFUs). Every PFU can be triggered simultaneously or sequentially in order to obtain different total current waveforms. The whole device except general control table is divided into two frameworks with size of 7.5 m × 2.2 m × 2.3 m. It is important to estimate the discharge current of PFU accurately for the design of the whole electromagnetic launch system. In this paper, the on-state characteristics of pulse thyristor have been researched to improve the estimation accuracy. The on-state characteristics of pulse thyristor are expressed as a logarithmic function based on experimental data. The circuit current waveform of the single PFU agrees with the simulating one. On the other hand, the coaxial discharge cable is a quick wear part in PFU because the discharge current will be up to dozens of kA even hundreds of kA. In this article, the electromagnetic field existing in the coaxial cable is calculated by finite element method. On basis of the calculation results, the structure of cable is optimized in order to improve the limit current value of the cable. At the end of the paper, the experiment current wave of the PPS with the load of rail gun is provided.

Comparison of adaptive critic-based and classical wide-area controllers for power systems.

PubMed

Ray, Swakshar; Venayagamoorthy, Ganesh Kumar; Chaudhuri, Balarko; Majumder, Rajat

2008-08-01

An adaptive critic design (ACD)-based damping controller is developed for a thyristor-controlled series capacitor (TCSC) installed in a power system with multiple poorly damped interarea modes. The performance of this ACD computational intelligence-based method is compared with two classical techniques, which are observer-based state-feedback (SF) control and linear matrix inequality LMI-H(infinity) robust control. Remote measurements are used as feedback signals to the wide-area damping controller for modulating the compensation of the TCSC. The classical methods use a linearized model of the system whereas the ACD method is purely measurement-based, leading to a nonlinear controller with fixed parameters. A comparative analysis of the controllers' performances is carried out under different disturbance scenarios. The ACD-based design has shown promising performance with very little knowledge of the system compared to classical model-based controllers. This paper also discusses the advantages and disadvantages of ACDs, SF, and LMI-H(infinity).

Extended performance electric propulsion power processor design study. Volume 2: Technical summary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Biess, J. J.; Inouye, L. Y.; Schoenfeld, A. D.

1977-01-01

Electric propulsion power processor technology has processed during the past decade to the point that it is considered ready for application. Several power processor design concepts were evaluated and compared. Emphasis was placed on a 30 cm ion thruster power processor with a beam power rating supply of 2.2KW to 10KW for the main propulsion power stage. Extension in power processor performance were defined and were designed in sufficient detail to determine efficiency, component weight, part count, reliability and thermal control. A detail design was performed on a microprocessor as the thyristor power processor controller. A reliability analysis was performed to evaluate the effect of the control electronics redesign. Preliminary electrical design, mechanical design and thermal analysis were performed on a 6KW power transformer for the beam supply. Bi-Mod mechanical, structural and thermal control configurations were evaluated for the power processor and preliminary estimates of mechanical weight were determined.

Design of high-voltage, high-power, solid state remote power controllers for aerospace applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sturman, J. C.

1985-01-01

Two general types of remote power controllers (RPC's), which combine the functions of a circuit breaker and a switch, were developed for use in dc aerospace systems. Power-switching devices used in the designs are the gate-turnoff thyristor (GTO) and MOSFET. The RPC's can switch dc voltages to 1200 V and currents to 1000 A. Seven different units were constructed and subjected to laboratory and thermal vacuum testing. Two of these were dual units that switch both positive and negative voltages simultaneously. The RPC's using MOSFET's have slow turnon and turnoff times which limit surge currents and voltage spiking from high di/dt. The GTO's have much faster transition times. All RPC's have programmable overload tripout proportional to I sq T and microsecond tripout for large overloads.

Design of high-voltage, high-power, solid state remote power controllers for aerospace applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sturman, J. C.

1985-05-01

Two general types of remote power controllers (RPC's), which combine the functions of a circuit breaker and a switch, were developed for use in dc aerospace systems. Power-switching devices used in the designs are the gate-turnoff thyristor (GTO) and MOSFET. The RPC's can switch dc voltages to 1200 V and currents to 1000 A. Seven different units were constructed and subjected to laboratory and thermal vacuum testing. Two of these were dual units that switch both positive and negative voltages simultaneously. The RPC's using MOSFET's have slow turnon and turnoff times which limit surge currents and voltage spiking from high di/dt. The GTO's have much faster transition times. All RPC's have programmable overload tripout proportional to I sq T and microsecond tripout for large overloads.

Design and Testing of a Small Inductive Pulsed Plasma Thruster

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martin, Adam K.; Dominguez, Alexandra; Eskridge, Richard H.; Polzin, Kurt A.; Riley, Daniel P.; Perdue, Kevin A.

2015-01-01

The design and testing of a small inductive pulsed plasma thruster (IPPT) is described. The device was built as a test-bed for the pulsed gas-valves and solid-state switches required for a thruster of this kind, and was designed to be modular to facilitate modification. The thruster in its present configuration consists of a multi-turn, spiral-wound acceleration coil (270 millimeters outer diameter, 100 millimeters inner diameter) driven by a 10 microfarad capacitor and switched with a high-voltage thyristor, a propellant delivery system including a fast pulsed gas-valve, and a glow-discharge pre-ionizer circuit. The acceleration coil circuit may be operated at voltages up to 4 kilovolts (the thyristor limit is 4.5 kilovolts) and the thruster operated at cyclic-rates up to 30 Herz. Initial testing of the thruster, both bench-top and in-vacuum, has been performed. Cyclic operation of the complete device was demonstrated (at 2 Herz), and a number of valuable insights pertaining to the design of these devices have been gained.

Characterization and snubbing of a bidirectional MCT in a resonant ac link converter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Tony; Elbuluk, Malik E.; Zinger, Donald S.

1993-01-01

The MOS-Controlled Thyristor (MCT) is emerging as a powerful switch that combines the better characteristics of existing power devices. A study of switching stresses on an MCT switch under zero voltage resonant switching is presented. The MCT is used as a bidirectional switch in an ac/ac pulse density modulated inverter for induction motor drive. Current and voltage spikes are observed and analyzed with variations in the timing of the switching. Different snubber circuit configurations are under investigation to minimize the effect of these transients. The results will be extended to study and test the MCT switching in a medium power (5 hp) induction motor drive.

Investigation of self-excited induction generators for wind turbine applications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Muljadi, E.; Butterfield, C.P.; Sallan, J.

2000-02-28

The use of squirrel-cage induction machines in wind generation is widely accepted as a generator of choice. The squirrel-cage induction machine is simple, reliable, cheap, lightweight, and requires very little maintenance. Generally, the induction generator is connected to the utility at constant frequency. With a constant frequency operation, the induction generator operates at practically constant speed (small range of slip). The wind turbine operates in optimum efficiency only within a small range of wind speed variation. The variable-speed operation allows an increase in energy captured and reduces both the torque peaks in the drive train and the power fluctuations sentmore » to the utility. In variable-speed operation, an induction generator needs an interface to convert the variable frequency output of the generator to the fixed frequency at the utility. This interface can be simplified by using a self-excited generator because a simple diode bridge is required to perform the ac/dc conversion. The subsequent dc/ac conversion can be performed using different techniques. The use of a thyristor bridge is readily available for large power conversion and has a lower cost and higher reliability. The firing angle of the inverter bridge can be controlled to track the optimum power curve of the wind turbine. With only diodes and thyristors used in power conversion, the system can be scaled up to a very high voltage and high power applications. This paper analyzes the operation of such a system applied to a 1/3-hp self-excited induction generator. It includes the simulations and tests performed for the different excitation configurations.« less

Device Demonstration

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-12-31

Reset (Write a Ŕ") * Apply current to melt memory element * Cool quickly to " freeze -in" amorphous state * Amorphous state = high resistance = low...It consists of a 6 jtF storage capacitor switched by 3 series thyristors. The module output is connected to the x-ray source through a ferrite

Specifics of Pulsed Arc Welding Power Supply Performance Based On A Transistor Switch

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krampit, N. Yu; Kust, T. S.; Krampit, M. A.

2016-08-01

Specifics of designing a pulsed arc welding power supply device are presented in the paper. Electronic components for managing large current was analyzed. Strengths and shortcomings of power supply circuits based on thyristor, bipolar transistor and MOSFET are outlined. As a base unit for pulsed arc welding was chosen MOSFET transistor, which is easy to manage. Measures to protect a transistor are given. As for the transistor control device is a microcontroller Arduino which has a low cost and adequate performance of the work. Bead transfer principle is to change the voltage on the arc in the formation of beads on the wire end. Microcontroller controls transistor when the arc voltage reaches the threshold voltage. Thus there is a separation and transfer of beads without splashing. Control strategies tested on a real device and presented. The error in the operation of the device is less than 25 us, it can be used controlling drop transfer at high frequencies (up to 1300 Hz).

Safe Distances From a High-Energy Capacitor Bank for Ear and Lung Protection

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-06-01

switching network or device such as a Silicon Carbide Gate Turn-Off Thyristor (SGTO), Pulse Forming Network (PFN), Gas Tube, Traveling Wave Tube...increase in pressure produces an imbalance of pressure in the body and causes injury. As an example, the eardrum membrane may break if the outside

A study of DC-DC converters with MCT's for arcjet power supplies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stuart, Thomas A.

1994-01-01

Many arcjet DC power supplies use PWM full bridge converters with large arrays of parallel FET's. This report investigates an alternative supply using a variable frequency series resonant converter with small arrays of parallel MCT's (metal oxide semiconductor controlled thyristors). The reasons for this approach are to: increase reliability by reducing the number of switching devices; and decrease the surface mounting area of the switching arrays. The variable frequency series resonant approach is used because the relatively slow switching speed of the MCT precludes the use of PWM. The 10 kW converter operated satisfactorily with an efficiency of over 91 percent. Test results indicate this efficiency could be increased further by additional optimization of the series resonant inductor.

20 T portable bipolar magnetic pulser.

PubMed

Wolf Cruz, R R; Dias, A L B; Bonfim, M J C

2010-06-01

High magnetic fields are required for the study of hard magnetic materials and, in many cases, the reversal of these fields is essential. This paper describes a portable pulse generator capable of producing bipolar magnetic fields up to 20 T into a copper coil. The peak current around 7 kA is achieved by discharging two capacitor banks through a combination of thyristors and fast diodes. Each pulse polarity has a semisinusoidal shape with 18 mus base width. Pulse triggering is computer controlled and magnetic measurements are done by an induction coil or Kerr effect acquired by a sampling oscilloscope. The whole apparatus weighs less than 2 kg. Hysteresis loops of NdFeB magnets were done to demonstrate the viability of the system.

Multilevel DC link inverter

DOEpatents

Su, Gui-Jia

2003-06-10

A multilevel DC link inverter and method for improving torque response and current regulation in permanent magnet motors and switched reluctance motors having a low inductance includes a plurality of voltage controlled cells connected in series for applying a resulting dc voltage comprised of one or more incremental dc voltages. The cells are provided with switches for increasing the resulting applied dc voltage as speed and back EMF increase, while limiting the voltage that is applied to the commutation switches to perform PWM or dc voltage stepping functions, so as to limit current ripple in the stator windings below an acceptable level, typically 5%. Several embodiments are disclosed including inverters using IGBT's, inverters using thyristors. All of the inverters are operable in both motoring and regenerating modes.

High-voltage, high-power, solid-state remote power controllers for aerospace applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sturman, J. C.

1985-01-01

Two general types of remote power controller (RPC) that combine the functions of a circuit breaker and a switch were developed for use in direct-current (dc) aerospace systems. Power-switching devices used in these designs are the relatively new gate-turnoff thyristor (GTO) and poweer metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFET). The various RPC's can switch dc voltages to 1200 V and currents to 100 A. Seven different units were constructed and subjected to comprehensive laboratory and thermal vacuum testing. Two of these were dual units that switch both positive and negative voltages simultaneously. The RPC's using MOSFET's have slow turnon and turnoff times to limit voltage spiking from high di/dt. The GTO's have much faster transition times. All RPC's have programmable overload tripout and microsecond tripout for large overloads. The basic circuits developed can be used to build switchgear limited only by the ratings of the switching device used.

Application of power transistors to residential and intermediate rating photovoltaic array power conditioners

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steigerwald, R. L.; Ferraro, A.; Turnbull, F. G.

1983-04-01

Power conditioning systems that interface with photovoltaic arrays are presently investigated for the cases of 5-30 kW residential systems interfacing with a 240-V single-phase utility connection, and 30-200 kW intermediate systems interfacing with a 480-V three-phase utility connection. Both systems require an isolation transformer between the array and the utility interface. A tradeoff study is conducted for numerous transistor and thyristor circuits and configurations, with weighting criteria that include full- and part-load efficiency, size, weight, reliability, ease of control, injected harmonics, reactive power requirements, and parts cost. On the basis of study results, a 10-kW high frequency transistor inverter feeding a high frequency isolation transformer with a sinusoidally shaped current wave was selected.

Fabrication of power SDB SITH

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Yanfeng; Zhang, Changnian; Zhang, Xiaobo

2005-02-01

In this paper, a novel method for fabricating a static induction thyristor has been put forward, using silicon direct bonding instead of traditional epitaxy during the construction of a cathode. Thus, an obvious improvement of the breakdown value of gate-cathode junction has been observed and consequently the gate controllability on anode voltage has been enhanced. The bonded interface has been studied. Some adjustments in technology have been adopted to enhance the bonding quality. A way to guarantee the consistency of the breakdown voltage of gate junction with respect to the cathode has been advanced. Some measurements of I-V characteristic of SDB-SITH have been carried out and the practical result is also listed. A comparison between the SDB-SITH and epitaxial SITH has been made, mainly on I-V and the switching time.

High-voltage, high-current, solid-state closing switch

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Focia, Ronald Jeffrey

2017-08-22

A high-voltage, high-current, solid-state closing switch uses a field-effect transistor (e.g., a MOSFET) to trigger a high-voltage stack of thyristors. The switch can have a high hold-off voltage, high current carrying capacity, and high time-rate-of-change of current, di/dt. The fast closing switch can be used in pulsed power applications.

The new technological solution for the JT-60SA quench protection circuits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaio, E.; Maistrello, A.; Novello, L.; Matsukawa, M.; Perna, M.; Ferro, A.; Yamauchi, K.; Piovan, R.

2018-07-01

An advanced technology has been developed and employed for the main circuit breakers (CB) of the quench protection circuits (QPC) of the superconducting coils of JT-60SA: it consists in a Hybrid mechanical-static CB (HCB) composed of a mechanical Bypass switch (BPS) for conducting the continuous current, in parallel to a static circuit breaker (SCB) based on integrated gate commutated thyristor (IGCT) for current interruption. It was the result of a R&D program carried out since 2006 to identify innovative solutions for the interruption of high dc current, able to improve the maintainability and availability of the CB. The HCB developed for the JT-60SA QPC is the first realization of a dc circuit breaker based on this design approach for interrupting current of some tens of kA with reapplied voltage of some kV. It also represents the first application of hybrid technology with IGCT for protection of superconducting magnets in fusion experiments. The paper aims at giving a comprehensive overview of the main R&D activities devoted to the development of this new technological approach; then, the key aspects of the design, manufacturing and testing of the QPCs for JT-60SA, successfully completed in Naka Site in summer 2015 are presented. Finally, the significance of this research is discussed and the possible future developments, in particular in view of DEMO fusion reactor, are outlined.

A Preliminary Cost Study of the Dual Mode Inverter Controller

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McKeever, J.W.

2005-01-28

In 1998, the Power Electronics and Electric Machinery Research Center (PEEMRC) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) started a program to investigate alternate field weakening schemes for permanent magnet (PM) motors. The adjective ''alternate'' was used because at that time, outside research emphasis was on motors with interior-mounted PMs (IPMs). The PEEMRC emphasis was placed on motors with surface-mounted PMs (SPMs) because of the relative ease of manufacturing SPM motors compared with the IPM motors. Today the PEEMRC is continuing research on SPMs while examining the IPMs that have been developed by industry. Out of this task--the goal ofmore » which was to find ways to drive PM motors that inherently have low inductance at high speeds where their back-emf exceeds the supply voltage--ORNL developed and demonstrated the dual mode inverter control (DMIC) [1,2] method of field weakening for SPM motors. The predecessor of DMIC is conventional phase advance (CPA), which was developed by UQM Technologies, Inc. [3]. Fig. 1 shows the three sets of anti-parallel thyristors in the dashed box that comprise the DMIC. If one removes the dashed box by shorting each set of anti-parallel thyristors, the configuration becomes a conventional full bridge inverter on the left driving a three phase motor on the right. CPA may be used to drive this configuration ORNL's initial analyses of CPA and DMIC were based on driving motors with trapezoidal back-emfs [4-6], obtained using double layer lapped stator windings with one slot per pole per phase. A PM motor with a sinusoidal back-emf obtained with two poles per slot per phase has been analyzed under DMIC operation as a University of Tennessee-Knoxville (UTK) doctoral dissertation [7]. In the process of this research, ORNL has completed an analysis that explains and quantifies the role of inductance in these methods of control. The Appendix includes information on the equations for the three components of phase inductance, L{sub gap}, L{sub slot}, and L{sub endturns}. PM motors inherently have a lower inductance because of the increase in effective air gap caused by the magnet, which is in the denominator of the equation for L{sub gap}. L{sub gap} accounts for about half of the phase inductance. Because of the low inductance, there is a propensity for currents to exceed the motor's rated value. DMIC solves this problem for low-inductance PM motors and, in addition, provides a number of safety features that protect against uncontrolled generator mode operation [8,9]; however, the DMIC topology adds a pair of anti-parallel thyristors in each of the three phases, thereby introducing additional silicon costs as well as additional voltage drops during operation. It poses the tradeoff question; under what conditions can the beneficial features of DMIC offset its additional silicon cost and voltage drop losses? The purpose of this report is to address the tradeoff question. Sections of the report will: (1) review the role of self-inductance in performance and control of PM motors, (2) discuss the bounding inductances for motors with trapezoidal back-emfs under CPA control, (3) discuss the bounding inductances for trapezoidal back-emfs under DMIC, (4) discuss the bounding inductances for the PM synchronous motor (PMSM), (5) present the analysis showing how DMIC minimizes current in PMSMs, (6) present the results of a cost study conducted for two motors driven using a CPA inverter and for two motors driven using DMIC, (7) discuss estimating life cycle cost benefits, and (8) present conclusions.« less

USSR and Eastern Europe Scientific Abstracts, Electronics and Electrical Engineering, Number 27

DTIC Science & Technology

1977-02-10

input and output conditions. The power section of the circuit is modified to permit triacs and thyristors, respectively, to function. The purpose of the...electronic materials, components, and devices, on circuit theory, pulse techniques, electromagnetic wave propagation, radar, quantum electronic theory...Lasers, Masers, Holography, Quasi-Optical 20 Microelectronics and General Circuit Theory and Information 21 Radars and Radio Wavigati on 22

Optimal placement of FACTS devices using optimization techniques: A review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaur, Dipesh; Mathew, Lini

2018-03-01

Modern power system is dealt with overloading problem especially transmission network which works on their maximum limit. Today’s power system network tends to become unstable and prone to collapse due to disturbances. Flexible AC Transmission system (FACTS) provides solution to problems like line overloading, voltage stability, losses, power flow etc. FACTS can play important role in improving static and dynamic performance of power system. FACTS devices need high initial investment. Therefore, FACTS location, type and their rating are vital and should be optimized to place in the network for maximum benefit. In this paper, different optimization methods like Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), Genetic Algorithm (GA) etc. are discussed and compared for optimal location, type and rating of devices. FACTS devices such as Thyristor Controlled Series Compensator (TCSC), Static Var Compensator (SVC) and Static Synchronous Compensator (STATCOM) are considered here. Mentioned FACTS controllers effects on different IEEE bus network parameters like generation cost, active power loss, voltage stability etc. have been analyzed and compared among the devices.

TCSC based filtering and improvement of power quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arulvendhan, K.; Dilli srinivasan, J.; Vinil, M.

2018-04-01

Thyristor Controlled Series Capacitor (TCSC) as a dynamic system, also its competence in growing power allocation in transmission lines, can be used to improve different power system problems. TCSC’s dissimilar advantages can be categorised as steady-state and transient ones. During a fault, TCSC can increase power quality by reducing the current and benefit to keep the voltage as high as conceivable. In this paper, the application of TCSC to enrich one of the vital power quality issues, i.e., voltage sag is investigated. Different operating modes of TCSC have dissimilar influences on the voltage of the bus that the line armed with TCSC is connected to. Relocating to bypass mode upon manifestation of a fault is a significant feature of TCSC to advance voltage sag. The simulations on a trial network disclose these facts.

Electric drive motors for industrial robots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fichtner, K.

1985-04-01

In robotized industrial plants it is possible to use electric motors in the technological process and also for control, assembly, transport, testing, and measurements. Particularly suitable for these applications are permanent-magnet d.c. motors. A new special series was developed for industrial robots with hinge joints in kinematic pairs. The complete drive includes thyristors or transistor controls with regulators and, if necessary, a line transformer as well as a servomotor with tachometer and odometer for speed, current, and position control. The drive is coupled to a robot tong through mechanical torque and force converters. In addition to a 0 to 4000 rpm speed regulation, without wobble at low speeds, and a high torque-to-weight ratio for repetitive short-time heavy duty, these low-inertia motors develop high starting and accelerating torques over the entire speed range. They operate from a 1 to O 220 V a.c. line through a rectifier. The motors are totally enclosed, or of open construction for better ventilation. Their windings have class F insulation for operation at ambient temperatures up to 40 C.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING DIRECT-CYCLE NEUTRONIC REACTORS

DOEpatents

Reed, G.A.

1961-01-10

A control arrangement is offered for a boiling-water reactor. Boric acid is maintained in the water in the reactor and the amount in the reactor is controlled by continuously removing a portion of the water from the reactor, concentrating the boric acid by evaporating the water therefrom, returning a controlled amount of the acid to the reactor, and simultaneously controlling the water level by varying the rate of spent steam return to the reactor.

Finite Element Method Applied to Fuse Protection Design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Sen; Song, Zhiquan; Zhang, Ming; Xu, Liuwei; Li, Jinchao; Fu, Peng; Wang, Min; Dong, Lin

2014-03-01

In a poloidal field (PF) converter module, fuse protection is of great importance to ensure the safety of the thyristors. The fuse is pre-selected in a traditional way and then verified by finite element analysis. A 3D physical model is built by ANSYS software to solve the thermal-electric coupled problem of transient process in case of external fault. The result shows that this method is feasible.

Nitrogen Gas Plasma Generated by a Static Induction Thyristor as a Pulsed Power Supply Inactivates Adenovirus

PubMed Central

Sakudo, Akikazu; Toyokawa, Yoichi; Imanishi, Yuichiro

2016-01-01

Adenovirus is one of the most important causative agents of iatrogenic infections derived from contaminated medical devices or finger contact. In this study, we investigated whether nitrogen gas plasma, generated by applying a short high-voltage pulse to nitrogen using a static induction thyristor power supply (1.5 kilo pulse per second), exhibited a virucidal effect against adenoviruses. Viral titer was reduced by one log within 0.94 min. Results from detection of viral capsid proteins, hexon and penton, by Western blotting and immunochromatography were unaffected by the plasma treatment. In contrast, analysis using the polymerase chain reaction suggested that plasma treatment damages the viral genomic DNA. Reactive chemical products (hydrogen peroxide, nitrate, and nitrite), ultraviolet light (UV-A) and slight temperature elevations were observed during the operation of the gas plasma device. Viral titer versus intensity of each potential virucidal factor were used to identify the primary mechanism of disinfection of adenovirus. Although exposure to equivalent levels of UV-A or heat treatment did not inactivate adenovirus, treatment with a relatively low concentration of hydrogen peroxide efficiently inactivated the virus. Our results suggest the nitrogen gas plasma generates reactive chemical products that inactivate adenovirus by damaging the viral genomic DNA. PMID:27322066

Effect of ECRH and resonant magnetic fields on formation of magnetic islands in the T-10 tokamak plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shestakov, E. A.; Savrukhin, P. V.

2017-10-01

Experiments in the T-10 tokamak demonstrated possibility of controlling the plasma current during disruption instability using the electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) and the controlled operation of the ohmic current-holding system. Quasistable plasma discharge with repeating sawtooth oscillations can be restored after energy quench using auxiliary ECRH power when PEC / POH > 2-5. The external magnetic field generation system consisted of eight saddle coils that were arranged symmetrically relative to the equatorial plane of the torus outside of the vacuum vessel of the T-10 tokamak to study the possible resonant magnetic field effects on the rotation frequency of magnetic islands. The saddle coils power supply system is based on four thyristor converters with a total power of 300 kW. The power supply control system is based on Siemens S7 controllers. As shown by preliminary experiments, the interaction efficiency of external magnetic fields with plasma depends on the plasma magnetic configuration. Optimal conditions for slowing the rotation of magnetic islands were determined. Additionally, the direction of the error magnetic field in the T-10 tokamak was determined, and the threshold value of the external magnetic field was determined.

Hybrid inverter for HVDC/weak AC system interconnection

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tam, K.S.

1985-01-01

The concept of the hybrid converter is introduced. By independently controlling a naturally commutated converter (NCC) and an artificially commutated converter (ACC), real power and reactive power can be controlled independently. Alternatively, the ac bus voltage can be regulated without affecting the real power transfer. Independent control is feasible only within certain operating boundaries. Twelve pulse operation, sequential control, and complementary circuits may be viewed as variations of the hybrid converter. The concept of the hybrid converter is demonstrated by digital simulation. At the current state of technology, the NCC is best implemented by a 6-pulse bridge using thyristors asmore » the switching elements. A survey of power electronics applicable to HVDC applications reveals that the capacitively commutated current-sourced converters are either technically or economically better than the other alternatives for the implementation of the ACC. The digital simulation results show that the problems of operating an HVDC system into a weak ac system can be solved by using a hybrid inverter. A new control scheme, the zero Q control, is developed. With no reactive power interaction between the dc system and the ac system, the stability of the HVDC/weak ac system operation is significantly improved. System start-up and fault recovery is fast and stable.« less

Component technology for space power systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Finke, R.

1982-01-01

The Lewis/OAST program for the development of Component Technology for Space Power Systems is described. The program is divided into five generic areas: semiconductor devices (transistors, thyristors, and diodes); conductors (materials and transmission lines); dielectrics; magnetic devices; and thermal control devices. Examples of progress in each of the five areas is discussed. Bipolar power transistors up to 1000 V at 100 A with a gain of 10 and a 0.5 mu sec rise and fall time are presented. A new class of semiconductor devices with a possibility of switching 1000 000 V is described. Several 100 kW rotary power transformer designs and a 25 kW, 20 kHz transformer weighting 3.2 kg have been developed. Progress on the creation of diamond-like films for thermal devices and intercalated carbon fibers with the strength of steel and the conductivity of copper at one third the mass of copper is presented.

Electrical Textile Valves for Paper Microfluidics.

PubMed

Ainla, Alar; Hamedi, Mahiar M; Güder, Firat; Whitesides, George M

2017-10-01

This paper describes electrically-activated fluidic valves that operate based on electrowetting through textiles. The valves are fabricated from electrically conductive, insulated, hydrophobic textiles, but the concept can be extended to other porous materials. When the valve is closed, the liquid cannot pass through the hydrophobic textile. Upon application of a potential (in the range of 100-1000 V) between the textile and the liquid, the valve opens and the liquid penetrates the textile. These valves actuate in less than 1 s, require low energy (≈27 µJ per actuation), and work with a variety of aqueous solutions, including those with low surface tension and those containing bioanalytes. They are bistable in function, and are, in a sense, the electrofluidic analog of thyristors. They can be integrated into paper microfluidic devices to make circuits that are capable of controlling liquid, including autonomous fluidic timers and fluidic logic. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Optimal power flow with optimal placement TCSC device on 500 kV Java-Bali electrical power system using genetic Algorithm-Taguchi method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Apribowo, Chico Hermanu Brillianto; Ibrahim, Muhammad Hamka; Wicaksono, F. X. Rian

2018-02-01

The growing burden of the load and the complexity of the power system has had an impact on the need for optimization of power system operation. Optimal power flow (OPF) with optimal location placement and rating of thyristor controlled series capacitor (TCSC) is an effective solution used to determine the economic cost of operating the plant and regulate the power flow in the power system. The purpose of this study is to minimize the total cost of generation by placing the location and the optimal rating of TCSC using genetic algorithm-design of experiment techniques (GA-DOE). Simulation on Java-Bali system 500 kV with the amount of TCSC used by 5 compensator, the proposed method can reduce the generation cost by 0.89% compared to OPF without using TCSC.

Neutron, gamma ray, and temperature effects on the electrical characteristics of thyristors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frasca, A. J.; Schwarze, G. E.

1992-01-01

Experimental data showing the effects of neutrons, gamma rays, and temperature on the electrical and switching characteristics of phase-control and inverter-type SCR's are presented. The special test fixture built for mounting, heating, and instrumenting the test devices is described. Four SCR's were neutron irradiated at 300 K and four at 365 K for fluences up to 3.2 x 10 exp 13 n/sq. cm, and eight were gamma irradiated at 300 K only for gamma doses up to 5.1 Mrads. The electrical measurements were made during irradiation and the switching measurements were made only before and after irradiation. Radiation induced crystal defects, resulting primarily from fast neutrons, caused the reduction of minority carrier lifetime through the generation of R-G centers. The reduction in lifetime caused increases in the on-state voltage drop and in the reverse and forward leakage currents, and decreases in the turn-off time.

Neutron, gamma ray, and temperature effects on the electrical characteristics of thyristors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frasca, A. J.; Schwarze, G. E.

1992-01-01

Experimental data showing the effects of neutrons, gamma rays, and temperature on the electrical and switching characteristics of phase-control and inverter-type SCR's are presented. The special test fixture built for mounting, heating, and instrumenting the test devices is described. Four SCR's were neutron irradiated at 300 K and four at 365 K for fluences up to 3.2 x 10 exp 13 pn/sq. cm, and eight were gamma irradiated at 300 K only for gamma doses up to 5.1 Mrads. The electrical measurements were made during irradiation and the switching measurements were made only before and after irradiation. Radiation induced crystal defects, resulting primarily from fast neutrons, caused the reduction of minority carrier lifetime through the generation of R-G centers. The reduction in lifetime caused increases in the on-state voltage drop and in the reverse and forward leakage currents, and decreases in the turn-off time.

NUCLEAR REACTOR

DOEpatents

Treshow, M.

1961-09-01

A boiling-water nuclear reactor is described wherein control is effected by varying the moderator-to-fuel ratio in the reactor core. This is accomplished by providing control tubes containing a liquid control moderator in the reactor core and providing means for varying the amount of control moderatcr within the control tubes.

Fast-acting nuclear reactor control device

DOEpatents

Kotlyar, Oleg M.; West, Phillip B.

1993-01-01

A fast-acting nuclear reactor control device for moving and positioning a fety control rod to desired positions within the core of the reactor between a run position in which the safety control rod is outside the reactor core, and a shutdown position in which the rod is fully inserted in the reactor core. The device employs a hydraulic pump/motor, an electric gear motor, and solenoid valve to drive the safety control rod into the reactor core through the entire stroke of the safety control rod. An overrunning clutch allows the safety control rod to freely travel toward a safe position in the event of a partial drive system failure.

Advanced AC permanent magnet axial flux disc motor for electric passenger vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kliman, G. B.

1982-01-01

An ac permanent magnet axial flux disc motor was developed to operate with a thyristor load commutated inverter as part of an electric vehicle drive system. The motor was required to deliver 29.8 kW (40 hp) peak and 10.4 kW (14 hp) average with a maximum speed of 11,000 rpm. It was also required to run at leading power factor to commutate the inverter. Three motors were built.

Inverter for interfacing advanced energy sources to a utility grid

DOEpatents

Steigerwald, Robert L.

1984-01-01

A transistor is operated in the PWM mode such that a hlaf sine wave of current is delivered first to one-half of a distribution transformer and then the other as determined by steering thyristors operated at the fundamental sinusoidal frequency. Power to the transistor is supplied by a dc source such as a solar array and the power is converted such that a sinusoidal current is injected into a utility at near unity power factor.

Implications of Analytical Investigations about the Semiconductor Equations on Device Modeling Programs.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-04-01

34.. .. . ...- "- -,-. SIGNIFICANCE AND EXPLANATION Many different codes for the simulation of semiconductor devices such as transitors , diodes, thyristors are already circulated...partially take into account the consequences introduced by degenerate semiconductors (e.g. invalidity of Boltzmann’s statistics , bandgap narrowing). These...ft - ni p nep /Ut(2.10) Sni *e p nie 2.11) .7. (2.10) can be physically interpreted as the application of Boltzmann statistics . However (2.10) a.,zo

Minority Carrier Lifetimes in Halide Chemical Vapor Deposition SiC

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-06-01

less efficient than IGBTs , or thyristors. In other words, with the increase of blocking voltage, bipolar devices are preferred. The on-state losses...was inductively heated by a 50 kW generator operating at the frequency of approximately 10 kHz. The HCVD reaction zone is similar in shape and...C, the furnace was backfilled with argon to the pressure of 600 Torr and the temperature was increased slowly to the growth temperature. Growth

Development of a high-power solid-state switch using static induction thyristors for a klystron modulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tokuchi, Akira; Kamitsukasa, Fumiyoshi; Furukawa, Kazuya; Kawase, Keigo; Kato, Ryukou; Irizawa, Akinori; Fujimoto, Masaki; Osumi, Hiroki; Funakoshi, Sousuke; Tsutsumi, Ryouta; Suemine, Shoji; Honda, Yoshihide; Isoyama, Goro

2015-01-01

We developed a solid-state switch with static induction thyristors for the klystron modulator of the L-band electron linear accelerator (linac) at the Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research, Osaka University. This switch is designed to have maximum specifications of a holding voltage of 25 kV and a current of 6 kA at the repetition frequency of 10 Hz for forced air cooling. The turn-on time of the switch was measured with a matched resistor to be 270 ns, which is sufficiently fast for the klystron modulator. The switch is retrofitted in the modulator to generate 1.3 GHz RF pulses with durations of either 4 or 8 μs using a 30 MW klystron, and the linac is successfully operated under maximum conditions. This finding demonstrates that the switch can be used as a high-power switch for the modulator. Pulse-to-pulse variations of the klystron voltage are measured to be less than 0.015%, and those of RF power and phase are lower than 0.15% and 0.1°, respectively. These values are significantly smaller than those obtained with a thyratron; hence, the stability of the main RF system is improved. The solid-state switch has been used in normal operation of the linac for more than a year without any serious trouble. Thus, we confirmed the switch's robustness and long-term reliability.

Silicon device performance measurements to support temperature range enhancement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bromstead, James; Weir, Bennett; Johnson, R. Wayne; Askew, Ray

1992-01-01

Testing of the metal oxide semiconductor (MOS)-controlled thyristor (MCT) has uncovered a failure mechanism at elevated temperature. The failure appears to be due to breakdown of the gate oxide. Further testing is underway to verify the failure mode. Higher current level inverters were built to demonstrate 200 C operation of the N-MOSFET's and insulated-gate-bipolar transistors (IGBT's) and for life testing. One MOSFET failed early in testing. The origin of this failure is being studied. No IGBT's have failed. A prototype 28-to-42 V converter was built and is being tested at room temperature. The control loop is being finalized. Temperature stable, high value (10 micro-F) capacitors appear to be the limiting factor in the design at this time. In this application, the efficiency will be lower for the IGBT version due to the large V sub(cesat) (3.5-4 V) compared to the input voltage of 28 V. The MOSFET version should have higher efficiency; however, the MOSFET does not appear to be as robust at 200 C. Both versions are built for comparison.

Design and fabrication of GaAs OMIST photodetector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Xuejun; Lin, ShiMing; Liao, Qiwei; Gao, Junhua; Liu, Shi'an; Cheng, Peng; Wang, Hongjie; Zhang, Chunhui; Wang, Qiming

1998-08-01

We designed and fabricated GaAs OMIST (Optical-controlled Metal-Insulator-Semiconductor Thyristor) device. Using oxidation of AlAs layer that is grown by MBE forms the Ultra- Thin semi-Insulating layer (UTI) of the GAAS OMIST. The accurate control and formation of high quality semi-insulating layer (AlxOy) are the key processes for fabricating GaAs OMIST. The device exhibits a current-controlled negative resistance region in its I-V characteristics. When illuminated, the major effect of optical excitation is the reduction of the switching voltage. If the GaAs OMIST device is biased at a voltage below its dark switching voltage Vs, sufficient incident light can switch OMIST from high impedance low current 'off' state to low impedance high current 'on' state. The absorbing material of OMIST is GaAS, so if the wavelength of incident light within 600 to approximately 850 nm can be detected effectively. It is suitable to be used as photodetector for digital optical data process. The other attractive features of GaAs OMIST device include suitable conducted current, switching voltage and power levels for OEIC, high switch speed and high sensitivity to light or current injection.

Nuclear engine flow reactivity shim control

DOEpatents

Walsh, J.M.

1973-12-11

A nuclear engine control system is provided which automatically compensates for reactor reactivity uncertainties at the start of life and reactivity losses due to core corrosion during the reactor life in gas-cooled reactors. The coolant gas flow is varied automatically by means of specially provided control apparatus so that the reactor control drums maintain a predetermined steady state position throughout the reactor life. This permits the reactor to be designed for a constant drum position and results in a desirable, relatively flat temperature profile across the core. (Official Gazette)

Control rod drive for reactor shutdown

DOEpatents

McKeehan, Ernest R.; Shawver, Bruce M.; Schiro, Donald J.; Taft, William E.

1976-01-20

A means for rapidly shutting down or scramming a nuclear reactor, such as a liquid metal-cooled fast breeder reactor, and serves as a backup to the primary shutdown system. The control rod drive consists basically of an in-core assembly, a drive shaft and seal assembly, and a control drive mechanism. The control rod is driven into the core region of the reactor by gravity and hydraulic pressure forces supplied by the reactor coolant, thus assuring that common mode failures will not interfere with or prohibit scramming the reactor when necessary.

JEN-1 Reactor Control System; SISTEMA DE CONTROL DEL REACTOR JEN-1

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cantillo, M.F.; Nuno, C.M.; Andreu, J.L.M.

1963-01-01

ABS>The JEN-1 3Mw power swimming pool reactor electrical control circuits are described. Start-up, power generation in the core, and shutdown are controlled by the reactor control system. This control system guarantees in each moment the safety conditions during reactor operation. Each circuit was represented by a scheme, complemented with a description of its function, components, and operation theory. Components described include: scram circuit; fission counter control circuit; servo control circuit; control circuit of safety sheets; control circuits of primary, secondary, and clean-up pump motors and tower fan motor; primary valve motor circuit; center cubicle alarm circuit; and process alarm circuit.more » (auth)« less

Nuclear reactor control column

DOEpatents

Bachovchin, Dennis M.

1982-01-01

The nuclear reactor control column comprises a column disposed within the nuclear reactor core having a variable cross-section hollow channel and containing balls whose vertical location is determined by the flow of the reactor coolant through the column. The control column is divided into three basic sections wherein each of the sections has a different cross-sectional area. The uppermost section of the control column has the greatest cross-sectional area, the intermediate section of the control column has the smallest cross-sectional area, and the lowermost section of the control column has the intermediate cross-sectional area. In this manner, the area of the uppermost section can be established such that when the reactor coolant is flowing under normal conditions therethrough, the absorber balls will be lifted and suspended in a fluidized bed manner in the upper section. However, when the reactor coolant flow falls below a predetermined value, the absorber balls will fall through the intermediate section and into the lowermost section, thereby reducing the reactivity of the reactor core and shutting down the reactor.

11.72 sq cm SiC Wafer-scale Interconnected 64 kA PiN Diode

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-01-30

drop of 10.3 V. The dissipated energy was 382 J and the calculated action exceeded 1.7 MA2 -s. Preliminary development of high voltage interconnection...scale diode action (surge current integral), a key reliability parameter, exceeded 1.7 MA2 -s. Figure 6: The wafer-scale interconnected diode...scale diode was 382 J and the calculated action exceeded 1.7 MA2 -sec. High voltage operation of PiN diodes, thyristors, and other semiconductor

Comparison of Two Railgun Power Supply Architectures to Quantify the Energy Dissipated After the Projectile Leaves the Railgun

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-06-01

inch gun on impact [1]. The potential of the EM railgun renders the need to store dangerous explosives associated with the conventional warheads...leaves the gun . The simulation will outline some critical performance characteristics of a buck-boost power supply as compared to a thyristor-based...between the rails and from the projectile position along the length of the gun x [5]: 3 1 2 𔃻 2 2 w o

Super Gate Turn-Off Thyristor

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-08-01

semiconductor (nMOS) and turned it off through a positive metal oxide semiconductor (pMOS). For turn-on, although 1 V worked, a HP6227B power supply at 2...E3614A power supply at –8 V provided IG during the rise time, and thus need enough capacitance working to a frequency around 3/trise time...load’s screw terminal posts would have reduced the ESL and ESR. The SGTO turned off 5.8 A from the power supply at 20 V and was usually fan cooled

SPRING DRIVEN ACTUATING MECHANISM FOR NUCLEAR REACTOR CONTROL

DOEpatents

Bevilacqua, F.; Uecker, D.F.; Groh, E.F.

1962-01-23

l962. rod in a nuclear reactor to shut it down. The control rod or an extension thereof is wound on a drum as it is withdrawn from the reactor. When an emergency occurs requiring the reactor to be shut down, the drum is released so as to be free to rotate, and the tendency of the control rod or its extension coiled on the drum to straighten itself is used for quickly returning the control rod to the reactor. (AEC)

Thermionic switched self-actuating reactor shutdown system

DOEpatents

Barrus, Donald M.; Shires, Charles D.; Brummond, William A.

1989-01-01

A self-actuating reactor shutdown system incorporating a thermionic switched electromagnetic latch arrangement which is responsive to reactor neutron flux changes and to reactor coolant temperature changes. The system is self-actuating in that the sensing thermionic device acts directly to release (scram) the control rod (absorber) without reference or signal from the main reactor plant protective and control systems. To be responsive to both temperature and neutron flux effects, two detectors are used, one responsive to reactor coolant temperatures, and the other responsive to reactor neutron flux increase. The detectors are incorporated into a thermionic diode connected electrically with an electromagnetic mechanism which under normal reactor operating conditions holds the the control rod in its ready position (exterior of the reactor core). Upon reaching either a specified temperature or neutron flux, the thermionic diode functions to short-circuit the electromagnetic mechanism causing same to lose its holding power and release the control rod, which drops into the reactor core region under gravitational force.

NUCLEAR REACTOR CONTROL SYSTEM

DOEpatents

Epler, E.P.; Hanauer, S.H.; Oakes, L.C.

1959-11-01

A control system is described for a nuclear reactor using enriched uranium fuel of the type of the swimming pool and other heterogeneous nuclear reactors. Circuits are included for automatically removing and inserting the control rods during the course of normal operation. Appropriate safety circuits close down the nuclear reactor in the event of emergency.

Control of autothermal reforming reactor of diesel fuel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dolanc, Gregor; Pregelj, Boštjan; Petrovčič, Janko; Pasel, Joachim; Kolb, Gunther

2016-05-01

In this paper a control system for autothermal reforming reactor for diesel fuel is presented. Autothermal reforming reactors and the pertaining purification reactors are used to convert diesel fuel into hydrogen-rich reformate gas, which is then converted into electricity by the fuel cell. The purpose of the presented control system is to control the hydrogen production rate and the temperature of the autothermal reforming reactor. The system is designed in such a way that the two control loops do not interact, which is required for stable operation of the fuel cell. The presented control system is a part of the complete control system of the diesel fuel cell auxiliary power unit (APU).

Bioaugmentation of activated sludge towards 3-chloroaniline removal with a mixed bacterial population carrying a degradative plasmid.

PubMed

Bathe, Stephan; Schwarzenbeck, Norbert; Hausner, Martina

2009-06-01

A bioaugmentation approach combining several strategies was applied to achieve degradation of 3-chloroaniline (3CA) in semicontinuous activated sludge reactors. In a first step, a 3CA-degrading Comamonas testosteroni strain carrying the degradative plasmid pNB2 was added to a biofilm reactor, and complete 3CA degradation together with spread of the plasmid within the indigenous biofilm population was achieved. A second set of reactors was then bioaugmented with either a suspension of biofilm cells removed from the carrier material or with biofilm-containing carrier material. 3CA degradation was established rapidly in all bioaugmented reactors, followed by a slow adaptation of the non-bioaugmented control reactors. In response to variations in 3CA concentration, all reactors exhibited temporary performance breakdowns. Whereas duplicates of the control reactors deviated in their behaviour, the bioaugmented reactors appeared more reproducible in their performance and population dynamics. Finally, the carrier-bioaugmented reactors showed an improved performance in the presence of high 3CA influent concentrations over the suspension-bioaugmented reactors. In contrast, degradation in one control reactor failed completely, but was rapidly established in the remaining control reactor.

Reactivity control assembly for nuclear reactor. [LMFBR

DOEpatents

Bollinger, L.R.

1982-03-17

This invention, which resulted from a contact with the United States Department of Energy, relates to a control mechanism for a nuclear reactor and, more particularly, to an assembly for selectively shifting different numbers of reactivity modifying rods into and out of the core of a nuclear reactor. It has been proposed heretofore to control the reactivity of a breeder reactor by varying the depth of insertion of control rods (e.g., rods containing a fertile material such as ThO/sub 2/) in the core of the reactor, thereby varying the amount of neutron-thermalizing coolant and the amount of neutron-capturing material in the core. This invention relates to a mechanism which can advantageously be used in this type of reactor control system.

Economics and a novel voltage conversion technique associated with exporting Wyoming's energy by HVDC transmission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Kaili

Wyoming is by far the largest coal producing state in the US, but local utilization is extremely low. As much as 92% of Wyoming's coal is shipped to the other states and is mainly consumed by their electricity producers. Coal accounts for more than 50% of the US electricity generation and is one of the least expensive energy sources. Wyoming could utilize its coal better by exporting electricity instead of exporting the coal only in its raw form. Natural gas is another important energy resource in Wyoming but local utilization is even lower. As a result of the development in coalbed methane fields, natural gas production in Wyoming is almost in pace with its coal production. In addition to constructing more new pipelines, new transmission lines should be considered as an alternative way of exporting this energy. Because of their enormous electricity market sizes and high electricity prices, California, Texas and Illinois are chosen to be the target markets for Wyoming's electricity. The proposed transmission schemes use High Voltage DC (HVDC) lines, which are suitable for long distance and cross-system power transmission. Technical and economic feasibilities are studied in details. The Wyoming-California scheme has a better return of investment than both the Wyoming-Texas and the Wyoming-Illinois schemes. A major drawback of HVDC transmission is the high level of harmonics generated by the converters. Elaborate filtering is required at both the AC and the DC sides. A novel pulse-multiplication method is proposed in the thesis to reduce the harmonics from the converter source. By introducing an averaging inductor, the proposed method uses less thyristors to achieve the same high-pulse operation as the existing series scheme. The reduction of thyristors makes the switching circuit more reliable and easier to control and maintain. Harmonic analysis shows that the harmonic level can be reduced to about one third of the original system. The proposed method is also simulated by using the Real Time Digital Simulator (RTDS) with a few assumptions. Simulation results of various operating conditions confirm the theoretical analysis results.

NUCLEAR REACTOR AS THE OBJECT OF CONTROL. AUTOMATIC CONTROL OF AIRCRAFT ENGINES . B.S. Voronkev Collection of Articles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

BS> The dynamics of a power reactor is treated in some detail. Although the reactor is described by a nonlinear differential equation of the seventh order, a two-group approximstion with prompt neutrons and one averaged group of delayed neutrons may be used. When the reactor is in equilibrium, the reactor equation may be linearized in two ways. The effects of positive and negative coefficients of tins of the reactor are discussed. The nonlinear character of the control rods is trested. (D.L.C.)

Autonomous Control of Space Nuclear Reactors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Merk, John

2013-01-01

Nuclear reactors to support future robotic and manned missions impose new and innovative technological requirements for their control and protection instrumentation. Long-duration surface missions necessitate reliable autonomous operation, and manned missions impose added requirements for failsafe reactor protection. There is a need for an advanced instrumentation and control system for space-nuclear reactors that addresses both aspects of autonomous operation and safety. The Reactor Instrumentation and Control System (RICS) consists of two functionally independent systems: the Reactor Protection System (RPS) and the Supervision and Control System (SCS). Through these two systems, the RICS both supervises and controls a nuclear reactor during normal operational states, as well as monitors the operation of the reactor and, upon sensing a system anomaly, automatically takes the appropriate actions to prevent an unsafe or potentially unsafe condition from occurring. The RPS encompasses all electrical and mechanical devices and circuitry, from sensors to actuation device output terminals. The SCS contains a comprehensive data acquisition system to measure continuously different groups of variables consisting of primary measurement elements, transmitters, or conditioning modules. These reactor control variables can be categorized into two groups: those directly related to the behavior of the core (known as nuclear variables) and those related to secondary systems (known as process variables). Reliable closed-loop reactor control is achieved by processing the acquired variables and actuating the appropriate device drivers to maintain the reactor in a safe operating state. The SCS must prevent a deviation from the reactor nominal conditions by managing limitation functions in order to avoid RPS actions. The RICS has four identical redundancies that comply with physical separation, electrical isolation, and functional independence. This architecture complies with the safety requirements of a nuclear reactor and provides high availability to the host system. The RICS is intended to interface with a host computer (the computer of the spacecraft where the reactor is mounted). The RICS leverages the safety features inherent in Earth-based reactors and also integrates the wide range neutron detector (WRND). A neutron detector provides the input that allows the RICS to do its job. The RICS is based on proven technology currently in use at a nuclear research facility. In its most basic form, the RICS is a ruggedized, compact data-acquisition and control system that could be adapted to support a wide variety of harsh environments. As such, the RICS could be a useful instrument outside the scope of a nuclear reactor, including military applications where failsafe data acquisition and control is required with stringent size, weight, and power constraints.

Control Means for Reactor

DOEpatents

Manley, J. H.

1961-06-27

An apparatus for controlling a nuclear reactor includes a tank just below the reactor, tubes extending from the tank into the reactor, and a thermally expansible liquid neutron absorbent material in the tank. The liquid in the tank is exposed to a beam of neutrons from the reactor which heats the liquid causing it to expand into the reactor when the neutron flux in the reactor rises above a predetermincd danger point. Boron triamine may be used for this purpose.

A new type of accelerator power supply based on voltage-type space vector PWM rectification technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Fengjun; Gao, Daqing; Shi, Chunfeng; Huang, Yuzhen; Cui, Yuan; Yan, Hongbin; Zhang, Huajian; Wang, Bin; Li, Xiaohui

2016-08-01

To solve the problems such as low input power factor, a large number of AC current harmonics and instable DC bus voltage due to the diode or thyristor rectifier used in an accelerator power supply, particularly in the Heavy Ion Research Facility in Lanzhou-Cooler Storage Ring (HIRFL-CSR), we designed and built up a new type of accelerator power supply prototype base on voltage-type space vector PWM (SVPWM) rectification technology. All the control strategies are developed in TMS320C28346, which is a digital signal processor from TI. The experimental results indicate that an accelerator power supply with a SVPWM rectifier can solve the problems above well, and the output performance such as stability, tracking error and ripple current meet the requirements of the design. The achievement of prototype confirms that applying voltage-type SVPWM rectification technology in an accelerator power supply is feasible; and it provides a good reference for design and build of this new type of power supply.

Polycrystalline silicon availability for photovoltaic and semiconductor industries

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ferber, R. R.; Costogue, E. N.; Pellin, R.

1982-01-01

Markets, applications, and production techniques for Siemens process-produced polycrystalline silicon are surveyed. It is noted that as of 1982 a total of six Si materials suppliers were servicing a worldwide total of over 1000 manufacturers of Si-based devices. Besides solar cells, the Si wafers are employed for thyristors, rectifiers, bipolar power transistors, and discrete components for control systems. An estimated 3890 metric tons of semiconductor-grade polycrystalline Si will be used in 1982, and 6200 metric tons by 1985. Although the amount is expected to nearly triple between 1982-89, research is being carried out on the formation of thin films and ribbons for solar cells, thereby eliminating the waste produced in slicing Czolchralski-grown crystals. The free-world Si production in 1982 is estimated to be 3050 metric tons. Various new technologies for the formation of polycrystalline Si at lower costs and with less waste are considered. New entries into the industrial Si formation field are projected to produce a 2000 metric ton excess by 1988.

MCTs and IGBTs - A comparison of performance in power electronic circuits

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sul, S. K.; Profumo, F.; Cho, G. H.; Lipo, T. A.

1989-01-01

There is a continuous demand for improvements in the quality of switching power devices, such as higher switching frequency, higher withstand voltage capability, larger current-handling capability, and lower conduction losses. However, for single-conduction-mechanism devices (SCRs, GTOs, BJTs, FETs), possessing all these features is probably unrealizable for physical reasons. An attractive solution appears to be double-mechanism devices, in which the features of both a minority carrier device (BJT or SCR) and a majority carrier device (MOSFET) are embedded. Both IGBTs (insulated-gate bipolar transistors) and MCTs (MOS-controlled thyristors) belong to this family of double-mechanism devices and promise to have a major impact on converter circuit signs. The authors deal with the major features of these two devices, pointing out those that are most critical to the design of converter topologies. In particular, the two devices have been tested both in a chopper and in two resonant link converter topologies, and the experimental results are reported.

Reactivity control assembly for nuclear reactor

DOEpatents

Bollinger, Lawrence R.

1984-01-01

Reactivity control assembly for nuclear reactor comprises supports stacked above reactor core for holding control rods. Couplers associated with the supports and a vertically movable drive shaft have lugs at their lower ends for engagement with the supports.

Operators in the Plum Brook Reactor Facility Control Room

NASA Image and Video Library

1970-03-21

Donald Rhodes, left, and Clyde Greer, right, monitor the operation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Plum Brook Reactor Facility from the control room. The 60-megawatt test reactor, NASA’s only reactor, was the eighth largest test reactor in the world. The facility was built by the Lewis Research Center in the late 1950s to study the effects of radiation on different materials that could be used to construct nuclear propulsion systems for aircraft or rockets. The reactor went critical for the first time in 1961. For the next two years, two operators were on duty 24 hours per day working on the fission process until the reactor reached its full-power level in 1963. Reactor Operators were responsible for monitoring and controlling the reactor systems. Once the reactor was running under normal operating conditions, the work was relatively uneventful. Normally the reactor was kept at a designated power level within certain limits. Occasionally the operators had to increase the power for a certain test. The shift supervisor and several different people would get together and discuss the change before boosting the power. All operators were required to maintain a Reactor Operator License from the Atomic Energy Commission. The license included six months of training, an eight-hour written exam, a four-hour walkaround, and testing on the reactor controls.

TREAT Reactor Control and Protection System

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lipinski, W.C.; Brookshier, W.K.; Burrows, D.R.

1985-01-01

The main control algorithm of the Transient Reactor Test Facility (TREAT) Automatic Reactor Control System (ARCS) resides in Read Only Memory (ROM) and only experiment specific parameters are input via keyboard entry. Prior to executing an experiment, the software and hardware of the control computer is tested by a closed loop real-time simulation. Two computers with parallel processing are used for the reactor simulation and another computer is used for simulation of the control rod system. A monitor computer, used as a redundant diverse reactor protection channel, uses more conservative setpoints and reduces challenges to the Reactor Trip System (RTS).more » The RTS consists of triplicated hardwired channels with one out of three logic. The RTS is automatically tested by a digital Dedicated Microprocessor Tester (DMT) prior to the execution of an experiment. 6 refs., 5 figs., 1 tab.« less

77 FR 41206 - Guidelines for Preparing and Reviewing Licensing Applications for Instrumentation and Control...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-12

... Applications for Instrumentation and Control Upgrades for Non-Power Reactors AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory... (NRC or the Commission) is requesting public comment on Chapter 7, Section 7.3, Reactor Control System...-Power Reactors: Format and Content,'' for instrumentation and control (I&C) upgrades and NUREG-1537...

Design and analysis of tilt integral derivative controller with filter for load frequency control of multi-area interconnected power systems.

PubMed

Kumar Sahu, Rabindra; Panda, Sidhartha; Biswal, Ashutosh; Chandra Sekhar, G T

2016-03-01

In this paper, a novel Tilt Integral Derivative controller with Filter (TIDF) is proposed for Load Frequency Control (LFC) of multi-area power systems. Initially, a two-area power system is considered and the parameters of the TIDF controller are optimized using Differential Evolution (DE) algorithm employing an Integral of Time multiplied Absolute Error (ITAE) criterion. The superiority of the proposed approach is demonstrated by comparing the results with some recently published heuristic approaches such as Firefly Algorithm (FA), Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) optimized PID controllers for the same interconnected power system. Investigations reveal that proposed TIDF controllers provide better dynamic response compared to PID controller in terms of minimum undershoots and settling times of frequency as well as tie-line power deviations following a disturbance. The proposed approach is also extended to two widely used three area test systems considering nonlinearities such as Generation Rate Constraint (GRC) and Governor Dead Band (GDB). To improve the performance of the system, a Thyristor Controlled Series Compensator (TCSC) is also considered and the performance of TIDF controller in presence of TCSC is investigated. It is observed that system performance improves with the inclusion of TCSC. Finally, sensitivity analysis is carried out to test the robustness of the proposed controller by varying the system parameters, operating condition and load pattern. It is observed that the proposed controllers are robust and perform satisfactorily with variations in operating condition, system parameters and load pattern. Copyright © 2015 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fail-safe reactivity compensation method for a nuclear reactor

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nygaard, Erik T.; Angelo, Peter L.; Aase, Scott B.

The present invention relates generally to the field of compensation methods for nuclear reactors and, in particular to a method for fail-safe reactivity compensation in solution-type nuclear reactors. In one embodiment, the fail-safe reactivity compensation method of the present invention augments other control methods for a nuclear reactor. In still another embodiment, the fail-safe reactivity compensation method of the present invention permits one to control a nuclear reaction in a nuclear reactor through a method that does not rely on moving components into or out of a reactor core, nor does the method of the present invention rely on themore » constant repositioning of control rods within a nuclear reactor in order to maintain a critical state.« less

System and method for air temperature control in an oxygen transport membrane based reactor

DOEpatents

Kelly, Sean M

2016-09-27

A system and method for air temperature control in an oxygen transport membrane based reactor is provided. The system and method involves introducing a specific quantity of cooling air or trim air in between stages in a multistage oxygen transport membrane based reactor or furnace to maintain generally consistent surface temperatures of the oxygen transport membrane elements and associated reactors. The associated reactors may include reforming reactors, boilers or process gas heaters.

System and method for temperature control in an oxygen transport membrane based reactor

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kelly, Sean M.

A system and method for temperature control in an oxygen transport membrane based reactor is provided. The system and method involves introducing a specific quantity of cooling air or trim air in between stages in a multistage oxygen transport membrane based reactor or furnace to maintain generally consistent surface temperatures of the oxygen transport membrane elements and associated reactors. The associated reactors may include reforming reactors, boilers or process gas heaters.

CONTROL FOR NEUTRONIC REACTOR

DOEpatents

Lichtenberger, H.V.; Cameron, R.A.

1959-03-31

S>A control rod operating device in a nuclear reactor of the type in which the control rod is gradually withdrawn from the reactor to a position desired during stable operation is described. The apparatus is comprised essentially of a stop member movable in the direction of withdrawal of the control rod, a follower on the control rod engageable with the stop and means urging the follower against the stop in the direction of withdrawal. A means responsive to disengagement of the follower from the stop is provided for actuating the control rod to return to the reactor shut-down position.

BOILING SLURRY REACTOR AND METHOD FO CONTROL

DOEpatents

Petrick, M.; Marchaterre, J.F.

1963-05-01

The control of a boiling slurry nuclear reactor is described. The reactor consists of a vertical tube having an enlarged portion, a steam drum at the top of the vertical tube, and at least one downcomer connecting the steam drum and the bottom of the vertical tube, the reactor being filled with a slurry of fissionabie material in water of such concentration that the enlarged portion of the vertical tube contains a critical mass. The slurry boils in the vertical tube and circulates upwardly therein and downwardly in the downcomer. To control the reactor by controlling the circulation of the slurry, a gas is introduced into the downcomer. (AEC)

FACTS Devices Cost Recovery During Congestion Management in Deregulated Electricity Markets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, Ashwani Kumar; Mittapalli, Ram Kumar; Pal, Yash

2016-09-01

In future electricity markets, flexible alternating current transmission system (FACTS) devices will play key role for providing ancillary services. Since huge cost is involved for the FACTS devices placement in the power system, the cost invested has to be recovered in their life time for the replacement of these devices. The FACTS devices in future electricity markets can act as an ancillary services provider and have to be remunerated. The main contributions of the paper are: (1) investment recovery of FACTS devices during congestion management such as static VAR compensator and unified power flow controller along with thyristor controlled series compensator using non-linear bid curves, (2) the impact of ZIP load model on the FACTS cost recovery of the devices, (3) the comparison of results obtained without ZIP load model for both pool and hybrid market model, (4) secure bilateral transactions incorporation in hybrid market model. An optimal power flow based approach has been developed for maximizing social welfare including FACTS devices cost. The optimal placement of the FACTS devices have been obtained based on maximum social welfare. The results have been obtained for both pool and hybrid electricity market for IEEE 24-bus RTS.

Dual annular rotating "windowed" nuclear reflector reactor control system

DOEpatents

Jacox, Michael G.; Drexler, Robert L.; Hunt, Robert N. M.; Lake, James A.

1994-01-01

A nuclear reactor control system is provided in a nuclear reactor having a core operating in the fast neutron energy spectrum where criticality control is achieved by neutron leakage. The control system includes dual annular, rotatable reflector rings. There are two reflector rings: an inner reflector ring and an outer reflector ring. The reflectors are concentrically assembled, surround the reactor core, and each reflector ring includes a plurality of openings. The openings in each ring are capable of being aligned or non-aligned with each other. Independent driving means for each of the annular reflector rings is provided so that reactor criticality can be initiated and controlled by rotation of either reflector ring such that the extent of alignment of the openings in each ring controls the reflection of neutrons from the core.

Self-teaching neural network learns difficult reactor control problem

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jouse, W.C.

1989-01-01

A self-teaching neural network used as an adaptive controller quickly learns to control an unstable reactor configuration. The network models the behavior of a human operator. It is trained by allowing it to operate the reactivity control impulsively. It is punished whenever either the power or fuel temperature stray outside technical limits. Using a simple paradigm, the network constructs an internal representation of the punishment and of the reactor system. The reactor is constrained to small power orbits.

NEUTRON DENSITY CONTROL IN A NEUTRONIC REACTOR

DOEpatents

Young, G.J.

1959-06-30

The method and means for controlling the neutron density in a nuclear reactor is described. It describes the method and means for flattening the neutron density distribution curve across the reactor by spacing the absorbing control members to varying depths in the central region closer to the center than to the periphery of the active portion of the reactor to provide a smaller neutron reproduction ratio in the region wherein the members are inserted, than in the remainder of the reactor thereby increasing the over-all potential power output.

10 CFR 50.44 - Combustible gas control for nuclear power reactors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Combustible gas control for nuclear power reactors. 50.44... FACILITIES Standards for Licenses, Certifications, and Regulatory Approvals § 50.44 Combustible gas control... capability for ensuring a mixed atmosphere. (2) Combustible gas control. (i) All boiling water reactors with...

10 CFR 50.44 - Combustible gas control for nuclear power reactors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Combustible gas control for nuclear power reactors. 50.44... FACILITIES Standards for Licenses, Certifications, and Regulatory Approvals § 50.44 Combustible gas control... capability for ensuring a mixed atmosphere. (2) Combustible gas control. (i) All boiling water reactors with...

10 CFR 50.44 - Combustible gas control for nuclear power reactors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Combustible gas control for nuclear power reactors. 50.44... FACILITIES Standards for Licenses, Certifications, and Regulatory Approvals § 50.44 Combustible gas control... capability for ensuring a mixed atmosphere. (2) Combustible gas control. (i) All boiling water reactors with...

Dynamic Modeling and Control of Nuclear Reactors Coupled to Closed-Loop Brayton Cycle Systems using SIMULINK{sup TM}

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wright, Steven A.; Sanchez, Travis

2005-02-06

The operation of space reactors for both in-space and planetary operations will require unprecedented levels of autonomy and control. Development of these autonomous control systems will require dynamic system models, effective control methodologies, and autonomous control logic. This paper briefly describes the results of reactor, power-conversion, and control models that are implemented in SIMULINK{sup TM} (Simulink, 2004). SIMULINK{sup TM} is a development environment packaged with MatLab{sup TM} (MatLab, 2004) that allows the creation of dynamic state flow models. Simulation modules for liquid metal, gas cooled reactors, and electrically heated systems have been developed, as have modules for dynamic power-conversion componentsmore » such as, ducting, heat exchangers, turbines, compressors, permanent magnet alternators, and load resistors. Various control modules for the reactor and the power-conversion shaft speed have also been developed and simulated. The modules are compiled into libraries and can be easily connected in different ways to explore the operational space of a number of potential reactor, power-conversion system configurations, and control approaches. The modularity and variability of these SIMULINK{sup TM} models provides a way to simulate a variety of complete power generation systems. To date, both Liquid Metal Reactors (LMR), Gas Cooled Reactors (GCR), and electric heaters that are coupled to gas-dynamics systems and thermoelectric systems have been simulated and are used to understand the behavior of these systems. Current efforts are focused on improving the fidelity of the existing SIMULINK{sup TM} modules, extending them to include isotopic heaters, heat pipes, Stirling engines, and on developing state flow logic to provide intelligent autonomy. The simulation code is called RPC-SIM (Reactor Power and Control-Simulator)« less

Control system for a small fission reactor

DOEpatents

Burelbach, James P.; Kann, William J.; Saiveau, James G.

1986-01-01

A system for controlling the reactivity of a small fission reactor includes an elongated, flexible hollow tube in the general form of a helical coiled spring axially positioned around and outside of the reactor vessel in an annular space between the reactor vessel and a surrounding cylindrical-shaped neutron reflector. A neutron absorbing material is provided within the hollow tube with the rate of the reaction controlled by the extension and compression of the hollow tube, e.g., extension of the tube increases reactivity while its compression reduces reactivity, in varying the amount of neutron absorbing material disposed between the reactor vessel and the neutron reflector. Conventional mechanical displacement means may be employed to control the coil density of the hollow tube as desired. In another embodiment, a plurality of flexible hollow tubes each containing a neutron absorber are positioned adjacent to one another in spaced relation around the periphery of the reactor vessel and inside the outer neutron reflector with reactivity controlled by the extension and compression of all or some of the coiled hollow tubes. Yet another embodiment of the invention envisions the neutron reflector in the form of an expandable coil spring positioned in an annular space between the reactor vessel and an outer neutron absorbing structure for controlling the neutron flux reflected back into the reactor vessel.

Off-design performance of a chemical looping combustion (CLC) combined cycle: effects of ambient temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chi, Jinling; Wang, Bo; Zhang, Shijie; Xiao, Yunhan

2010-02-01

The present work investigates the influence of ambient temperature on the steady-state off-design thermodynamic performance of a chemical looping combustion (CLC) combined cycle. A sensitivity analysis of the CLC reactor system was conducted, which shows that the parameters that influence the temperatures of the CLC reactors most are the flow rate and temperature of air entering the air reactor. For the ambient temperature variation, three off-design control strategies have been assumed and compared: 1) without any Inlet Guide Vane (IGV) control, 2) IGV control to maintain air reactor temperature and 3) IGV control to maintain constant fuel reactor temperature, aside from fuel flow rate adjusting. Results indicate that, compared with the conventional combined cycle, due to the requirement of pressure balance at outlet of the two CLC reactors, CLC combined cycle shows completely different off-design thermodynamic characteristics regardless of the control strategy adopted. For the first control strategy, temperatures of the two CLC reactors both rise obviously as ambient temperature increases. IGV control adopted by the second and the third strategy has the effect to maintain one of the two reactors' temperatures at design condition when ambient temperature is above design point. Compare with the second strategy, the third would induce more severe decrease of efficiency and output power of the CLC combined cycle.

Globally linearized control on diabatic continuous stirred tank reactor: a case study.

PubMed

Jana, Amiya Kumar; Samanta, Amar Nath; Ganguly, Saibal

2005-07-01

This paper focuses on the promise of globally linearized control (GLC) structure in the realm of strongly nonlinear reactor system control. The proposed nonlinear control strategy is comprised of: (i) an input-output linearizing state feedback law (transformer), (ii) a state observer, and (iii) an external linear controller. The synthesis of discrete-time GLC controller for single-input single-output diabatic continuous stirred tank reactor (DCSTR) has been studied first, followed by the synthesis of feedforward/feedback controller for the same reactor having dead time in process as well as in disturbance. Subsequently, the multivariable GLC structure has been designed and then applied on multi-input multi-output DCSTR system. The simulation study shows high quality performance of the derived nonlinear controllers. The better-performed GLC in conjunction with reduced-order observer has been compared with the conventional proportional integral controller on the example reactor and superior performance has been achieved by the proposed GLC control scheme.

Modeling and simulation of CANDU reactor and its regulating system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Javidnia, Hooman

Analytical computer codes are indispensable tools in design, optimization, and control of nuclear power plants. Numerous codes have been developed to perform different types of analyses related to the nuclear power plants. A large number of these codes are designed to perform safety analyses. In the context of safety analyses, the control system is often neglected. Although there are good reasons for such a decision, that does not mean that the study of control systems in the nuclear power plants should be neglected altogether. In this thesis, a proof of concept code is developed as a tool that can be used in the design. optimization. and operation stages of the control system. The main objective in the design of this computer code is providing a tool that is easy to use by its target audience and is capable of producing high fidelity results that can be trusted to design the control system and optimize its performance. Since the overall plant control system covers a very wide range of processes, in this thesis the focus has been on one particular module of the the overall plant control system, namely, the reactor regulating system. The center of the reactor regulating system is the CANDU reactor. A nodal model for the reactor is used to represent the spatial neutronic kinetics of the core. The nodal model produces better results compared to the point kinetics model which is often used in the design and analysis of control system for nuclear reactors. The model can capture the spatial effects to some extent. although it is not as detailed as the finite difference methods. The criteria for choosing a nodal model of the core are: (1) the model should provide more detail than point kinetics and capture spatial effects, (2) it should not be too complex or overly detailed to slow down the simulation and provide details that are extraneous or unnecessary for a control engineer. Other than the reactor itself, there are auxiliary models that describe dynamics of different phenomena related to the transfer of the energy from the core. The main function of the reactor regulating system is to control the power of the reactor. This is achieved by using a set of detectors. reactivity devices. and digital control algorithms. Three main reactivity devices that are activated during short-term or intermediate-term transients are modeled in this thesis. The main elements of the digital control system are implemented in accordance to the program specifications for the actual control system in CANDU reactors. The simulation results are validated against requirements of the reactor regulating system. actual plant data. and pre-validated data from other computer codes. The validation process shows that the simulation results can be trusted in making engineering decisions regarding the reactor regulating system and prediction of the system performance in response to upset conditions or disturbances. KEYWORDS: CANDU reactors. reactor regulating system. nodal model. spatial kinetics. reactivity devices. simulation.

NEUTRONIC REACTOR SYSTEM

DOEpatents

Treshow, M.

1959-02-10

A reactor system incorporating a reactor of the heterogeneous boiling water type is described. The reactor is comprised essentially of a core submerged adwater in the lower half of a pressure vessel and two distribution rings connected to a source of water are disposed within the pressure vessel above the reactor core, the lower distribution ring being submerged adjacent to the uppcr end of the reactor core and the other distribution ring being located adjacent to the top of the pressure vessel. A feed-water control valve, responsive to the steam demand of the load, is provided in the feedwater line to the distribution rings and regulates the amount of feed water flowing to each distribution ring, the proportion of water flowing to the submerged distribution ring being proportional to the steam demand of the load. This invention provides an automatic means exterior to the reactor to control the reactivity of the reactor over relatively long periods of time without relying upon movement of control rods or of other moving parts within the reactor structure.

Enhanced biodegradation of hexachlorocyclohexane in upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor using methanol as an electron donor.

PubMed

Bhatt, Praveena; Kumar, M Suresh; Mudliar, Sandeep; Chakrabarti, Tapan

2008-05-01

Anaerobic dechlorination of technical grade hexachlorocyclohexane (THCH) was studied in a continuous upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor with methanol as a supplementary substrate and electron donor. A reactor without methanol served as the experimental control. The inlet feed concentration of THCH in both the experimental and the control UASB reactor was 100 mg l(-1). After 60 days of continuous operation, the removal of THCH was >99% in the methanol-supplemented reactor as compared to 20-35% in the control reactor. THCH was completely dechlorinated in the methanol fed reactor at 48 h HRT after 2 months of continuous operation. This period was also accompanied by increase in biomass in the reactor, which was not observed in the experimental control. Batch studies using other supplementary substrates as well as electron donors namely acetate, butyrate, formate and ethanol showed lower % dechlorination (<85%) and dechlorination rates (<3 mg g(-1)d(-1)) as compared to methanol (98%, 5 mg g(-1)d(-1)). The optimum concentration of methanol required, for stable dechlorination of THCH (100 mg l(-1)) in the UASB reactor, was found to be 500 mg l(-1). Results indicate that addition of methanol as electron donor enhances dechlorination of THCH at high inlet concentration, and is also required for stable UASB reactor performance.

Effects of imperfect mixing on low-density polyethylene reactor dynamics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Villa, C.M.; Dihora, J.O.; Ray, W.H.

1998-07-01

Earlier work considered the effect of feed conditions and controller configuration on the runaway behavior of LDPE autoclave reactors assuming a perfectly mixed reactor. This study provides additional insight on the dynamics of such reactors by using an imperfectly mixed reactor model and bifurcation analysis to show the changes in the stability region when there is imperfect macroscale mixing. The presence of imperfect mixing substantially increases the range of stable operation of the reactor and makes the process much easier to control than for a perfectly mixed reactor. The results of model analysis and simulations are used to identify somemore » of the conditions that lead to unstable reactor behavior and to suggest ways to avoid reactor runaway or reactor extinction during grade transitions and other process operation disturbances.« less

Control rod system useable for fuel handling in a gas-cooled nuclear reactor

DOEpatents

Spurrier, Francis R.

1976-11-30

A control rod and its associated drive are used to elevate a complete stack of fuel blocks to a position above the core of a gas-cooled nuclear reactor. A fuel-handling machine grasps the control rod and the drive is unlatched from the rod. The stack and rod are transferred out of the reactor, or to a new location in the reactor, by the fuel-handling machine.

Dual annular rotating [open quotes]windowed[close quotes] nuclear reflector reactor control system

DOEpatents

Jacox, M.G.; Drexler, R.L.; Hunt, R.N.M.; Lake, J.A.

1994-03-29

A nuclear reactor control system is provided in a nuclear reactor having a core operating in the fast neutron energy spectrum where criticality control is achieved by neutron leakage. The control system includes dual annular, rotatable reflector rings. There are two reflector rings: an inner reflector ring and an outer reflector ring. The reflectors are concentrically assembled, surround the reactor core, and each reflector ring includes a plurality of openings. The openings in each ring are capable of being aligned or non-aligned with each other. Independent driving means for each of the annular reflector rings is provided so that reactor criticality can be initiated and controlled by rotation of either reflector ring such that the extent of alignment of the openings in each ring controls the reflection of neutrons from the core. 4 figures.

156. ARAIII Reactor building (ARA608) Electrical and control details of ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

156. ARA-III Reactor building (ARA-608) Electrical and control details of mobile work bridge over reactor and pipiing pits. Aerojet-general 880-area/GCRE-608-E-6. Date: November 1958. Ineel index code no. 063-0608-10-013-102621. - Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Army Reactors Experimental Area, Scoville, Butte County, ID

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

Digital instrumentation and controls system technique is being introduced in new constructed research reactor or life extension of older research reactor. Digital systems are easy to change and optimize but the validated process for them is required. Also, to reduce project risk or cost, we have to make it sure that configuration and control functions is right before the commissioning phase on research reactor. For this purpose, simulators have been widely used in developing control systems in automotive and aerospace industries. In these literatures, however, very few of these can be found regarding test on the control system of researchmore » reactor with simulator. Therefore, this paper proposes a simulation platform to verify the performance of RRS (Reactor Regulating System) for research reactor. This simulation platform consists of the reactor simulation model and the interface module. This simulation platform is applied to I and C upgrade project of TRIGA reactor, and many problems of RRS configuration were found and solved. And it proved that the dynamic performance testing based on simulator enables significant time saving and improves economics and quality for RRS in the system test phase. (authors)« less

Adaptive control method for core power control in TRIGA Mark II reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sabri Minhat, Mohd; Selamat, Hazlina; Subha, Nurul Adilla Mohd

2018-01-01

The 1MWth Reactor TRIGA PUSPATI (RTP) Mark II type has undergone more than 35 years of operation. The existing core power control uses feedback control algorithm (FCA). It is challenging to keep the core power stable at the desired value within acceptable error bands to meet the safety demand of RTP due to the sensitivity of nuclear research reactor operation. Currently, the system is not satisfied with power tracking performance and can be improved. Therefore, a new design core power control is very important to improve the current performance in tracking and regulate reactor power by control the movement of control rods. In this paper, the adaptive controller and focus on Model Reference Adaptive Control (MRAC) and Self-Tuning Control (STC) were applied to the control of the core power. The model for core power control was based on mathematical models of the reactor core, adaptive controller model, and control rods selection programming. The mathematical models of the reactor core were based on point kinetics model, thermal hydraulic models, and reactivity models. The adaptive control model was presented using Lyapunov method to ensure stable close loop system and STC Generalised Minimum Variance (GMV) Controller was not necessary to know the exact plant transfer function in designing the core power control. The performance between proposed adaptive control and FCA will be compared via computer simulation and analysed the simulation results manifest the effectiveness and the good performance of the proposed control method for core power control.

77 FR 58419 - Guidelines for Preparing and Reviewing Licensing Applications for Instrumentation and Control...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-20

... Applications for Instrumentation and Control Upgrades for Non-Power Reactors AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory...-Power Reactors: Format and Content,'' for instrumentation and control upgrades and NUREG-1537, Part 2, ``Guidelines for Preparing and Reviewing Applications for the Licensing of Non-Power Reactors: Standard Review...

Integrated head package for top mounted nuclear instrumentation

DOEpatents

Malandra, Louis J.; Hornak, Leonard P.; Meuschke, Robert E.

1993-01-01

A nuclear reactor such as a pressurized water reactor has an integrated head package providing structural support and increasing shielding leading toward the vessel head. A reactor vessel head engages the reactor vessel, and a control rod guide mechanism over the vessel head raises and lowers control rods in certain of the thimble tubes, traversing penetrations in the reactor vessel head, and being coupled to the control rods. An instrumentation tube structure includes instrumentation tubes with sensors movable into certain thimble tubes disposed in the fuel assemblies. Couplings for the sensors also traverse penetrations in the reactor vessel head. A shroud is attached over the reactor vessel head and encloses the control rod guide mechanism and at least a portion of the instrumentation tubes when retracted. The shroud forms a structural element of sufficient strength to support the vessel head, the control rod guide mechanism and the instrumentation tube structure, and includes radiation shielding material for limiting passage of radiation from retracted instrumentation tubes. The shroud is thicker at the bottom adjacent the vessel head, where the more irradiated lower ends of retracted sensors reside. The vessel head, shroud and contents thus can be removed from the reactor as a unit and rested safely and securely on a support.

Control system for a small fission reactor

DOEpatents

Burelbach, J.P.; Kann, W.J.; Saiveau, J.G.

1985-02-08

A system for controlling the reactivity of a small fission reactor includes an elongated, flexible hollow tube in the general form of a helical coiled spring axially positioned around and outside of the reactor vessel in an annular space between the reactor vessel and a surrounding cylindrical-shaped neutron reflector. A neutron absorbing material is provided within the hollow tube with the rate of the reaction controlled by the extension and compression of the hollow tube, e.g., extension of the tube increases reactivity while its compression reduces reactivity, in varying the amount of neutron absorbing material disposed between the reactor vessel and the neutron reflector. Conventional mechanical displacement means may be employed to control the coil density of the hollow tube as desired.

Reactor transient control in support of PFR/TREAT TUCOP experiments

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Burrows, D.R.; Larsen, G.R.; Harrison, L.J.

1984-01-01

Unique energy deposition and experiment control requirements posed bythe PFR/TREAT series of transient undercooling/overpower (TUCOP) experiments resulted in equally unique TREAT reactor operations. New reactor control computer algorithms were written and used with the TREAT reactor control computer system to perform such functions as early power burst generation (based on test train flow conditions), burst generation produced by a step insertion of reactivity following a controlled power ramp, and shutdown (SCRAM) initiators based on both test train conditions and energy deposition. Specialized hardware was constructed to simulate test train inputs to the control computer system so that computer algorithms couldmore » be tested in real time without irradiating the experiment.« less

Power flow control using quadrature boosters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sadanandan, Sandeep N.

A power system that can be controlled within security constraints would be an advantage to power planners and real-time operators. Controlling flows can lessen reliability issues such as thermal limit violations, power stability problems, and/or voltage stability conditions. Control of flows can also mitigate market issues by reducing congestion on some lines and rerouting power to less loaded lines or onto preferable paths. In the traditional control of power flows, phase shifters are often used. More advanced methods include using Flexible AC Transmission System (FACTS) Controllers. Some examples include Thyristor Controlled Series Capacitors, Synchronous Series Static Compensators, and Unified Power Flow Controllers. Quadrature Boosters (QBs) have similar structures to phase-shifters, but allow for higher voltage magnitude during real power flow control. In comparison with other FACTS controllers QBs are not as complex and not as expensive. The present study proposes to use QBs to control power flows on a power system. With the inclusion of QBs, real power flows can be controlled to desired scheduled values. In this thesis, the linearized power flow equations used for power flow analysis were modified for the control problem. This included modifying the Jacobian matrix, the power error vector, and calculating the voltage injected by the quadrature booster for the scheduled real power flow. Two scenarios were examined using the proposed power flow control method. First, the power flow in a line in a 5-bus system was modified with a QB using the method developed in this thesis. Simulation was carried out using Matlab. Second, the method was applied to a 30-bus system and then to a 118-bus system using several QBs. In all the cases, the calculated values of the QB voltages led to desired power flows in the designated line.

Autonomous Control of Nuclear Power Plants

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Basher, H.

2003-10-20

A nuclear reactor is a complex system that requires highly sophisticated controllers to ensure that desired performance and safety can be achieved and maintained during its operations. Higher-demanding operational requirements such as reliability, lower environmental impacts, and improved performance under adverse conditions in nuclear power plants, coupled with the complexity and uncertainty of the models, necessitate the use of an increased level of autonomy in the control methods. In the opinion of many researchers, the tasks involved during nuclear reactor design and operation (e.g., design optimization, transient diagnosis, and core reload optimization) involve important human cognition and decisions that maymore » be more easily achieved with intelligent methods such as expert systems, fuzzy logic, neural networks, and genetic algorithms. Many experts in the field of control systems share the idea that a higher degree of autonomy in control of complex systems such as nuclear plants is more easily achievable through the integration of conventional control systems and the intelligent components. Researchers have investigated the feasibility of the integration of fuzzy logic, neural networks, genetic algorithms, and expert systems with the conventional control methods to achieve higher degrees of autonomy in different aspects of reactor operations such as reactor startup, shutdown in emergency situations, fault detection and diagnosis, nuclear reactor alarm processing and diagnosis, and reactor load-following operations, to name a few. With the advancement of new technologies and computing power, it is feasible to automate most of the nuclear reactor control and operation, which will result in increased safety and economical benefits. This study surveys current status, practices, and recent advances made towards developing autonomous control systems for nuclear reactors.« less

REACTOR CONTROL SYSTEM

DOEpatents

MacNeill, J.H.; Estabrook, J.Y.

1960-05-10

A reactor control system including a continuous tape passing through a first coolant passageway, over idler rollers, back through another parallel passageway, and over motor-driven rollers is described. Discrete portions of fuel or poison are carried on two opposed active sections of the tape. Driving the tape in forward or reverse directions causes both active sections to be simultaneously inserted or withdrawn uniformly, tending to maintain a more uniform flux within the reactor. The system is particularly useful in mobile reactors, where reduced inertial resistance to control rod movement is important.

NEUTRONIC REACTOR CONTROL

DOEpatents

Metcalf, H.E.

1958-10-14

Methods of controlling reactors are presented. Specifically, a plurality of neutron absorber members are adjustably disposed in the reactor core at different distances from the center thereof. The absorber members extend into the core from opposite faces thereof and are operated by motive means coupled in a manner to simultaneously withdraw at least one of the absorber members while inserting one of the other absorber members. This feature effects fine control of the neutron reproduction ratio by varying the total volume of the reactor effective in developing the neutronic reaction.

Inhibition of nitrification in municipal wastewater-treating photobioreactors: Effect on algal growth and nutrient uptake.

PubMed

Krustok, I; Odlare, M; Truu, J; Nehrenheim, E

2016-02-01

The effect of inhibiting nitrification on algal growth and nutrient uptake was studied in photobioreactors treating municipal wastewater. As previous studies have indicated that algae prefer certain nitrogen species to others, and because nitrifying bacteria are inhibited by microalgae, it is important to shed more light on these interactions. In this study allylthiourea (ATU) was used to inhibit nitrification in wastewater-treating photobioreactors. The nitrification-inhibited reactors were compared to control reactors with no ATU added. Microalgae had higher growth in the inhibited reactors, resulting in a higher chlorophyll a concentration. The species mix also differed, with Chlorella and Scenedesmus being the dominant genera in the control reactors and Cryptomonas and Chlorella dominating in the inhibited reactors. The nitrogen speciation in the reactors after 8 days incubation was also different in the two setups, with N existing mostly as NH4-N in the inhibited reactors and as NO3-N in the control reactors. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

NUCLEAR REACTOR

DOEpatents

Moore, R.V.; Bowen, J.H.; Dent, K.H.

1958-12-01

A heterogeneous, natural uranium fueled, solid moderated, gas cooled reactor is described, in which the fuel elements are in the form of elongated rods and are dlsposed within vertical coolant channels ln the moderator symmetrically arranged as a regular lattice in groups. This reactor employs control rods which operate in vertical channels in the moderator so that each control rod is centered in one of the fuel element groups. The reactor is enclosed in a pressure vessel which ls provided with access holes at the top to facilitate loading and unloadlng of the fuel elements, control rods and control rod driving devices.

Achieving nitritation in a continuous moving bed biofilm reactor at different temperatures through ratio control.

PubMed

Bian, Wei; Zhang, Shuyan; Zhang, Yanzhuo; Li, Wenjing; Kan, Ruizhe; Wang, Wenxiao; Zheng, Zhaoming; Li, Jun

2017-02-01

A ratio control strategy was implemented in a continuous moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) to investigate the response to different temperatures. The control strategy was designed to maintain a constant ratio between dissolved oxygen (DO) and total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) concentrations. The results revealed that a stable nitritation in a biofilm reactor could be achieved via ratio control, which compensated the negative influence of low temperatures by stronger oxygen-limiting conditions. Even with a temperature as low as 6°C, stable nitritation could be achieved when the controlling ratio did not exceed 0.17. Oxygen-limiting conditions in the biofilm reactor were determined by the DO/TAN concentrations ratio, instead of the mere DO concentration. This ratio control strategy allowed the achievement of stable nitritation without complete wash-out of NOB from the reactor. Through the ratio control strategy full nitritation of sidestream wastewater was allowed; however, for mainstream wastewater, only partial nitritation was recommended. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The results of systems tests of the 500 kV busbar controllable shunting reactor in the Tavricheskaya substation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gusev, S. I.; Karpov, V. N.; Kiselev, A. N.

2009-09-15

The results of systems tests of the 500 kV busbar magnetization-controllable shunting reactor (CSR), set up in the Tavricheskaya substation, including measurements of the quality of the electric power, the harmonic composition of the network currents of the reactor for different values of the reactive power consumed, the determination of the regulating characteristics of the reactor, the speed of response of the shunting reactor in the current and voltage stabilization modes, and also the operation of the reactor under dynamic conditions for different perturbations, are presented. The results obtained are analyzed.

Hydraulic Actuator for Ganged Control Rods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thompson, D. C.; Robey, R. M.

1986-01-01

Hydraulic actuator moves several nuclear-reactor control rods in unison. Electromagnetic pump pushes liquid lithium against ends of control rods, forcing them out of or into nuclear reactor. Color arrows show lithium flow for reactor startup and operation. Flow reversed for shutdown. Conceived for use aboard spacecraft, actuator principle applied to terrestrial hydraulic machinery involving motion of ganged rods.

CONTROL SYSTEM

DOEpatents

Shannon, R.H.; Williamson, H.E.

1962-10-30

A boiling water type nuclear reactor power system having improved means of control is described. These means include provisions for either heating the coolant-moderator prior to entry into the reactor or shunting the coolantmoderator around the heating means in response to the demand from the heat engine. These provisions are in addition to means for withdrawing the control rods from the reactor. (AEC)

Reactor control rod timing system. [LMFBR

DOEpatents

Wu, P.T.K.

1980-03-18

A fluid driven jet-edge whistle timing system is described for control rods of a nuclear reactor for producing real-time detection of the timing of each control rod in its scram operation. An important parameter in reactor safety, particularly for liquid metal fast breeder reactors (LMFBR), is the time deviation between the time the control rod is released and the time the rod actually reaches the down position. The whistle has a nearly pure tone signal with center frequency (above 100 kHz) far above the frequency band in which the energy of the background noise is concentrated. Each control rod can be fitted with a whistle with a different frequency so that there is no ambiguity in differentiating the signal from each control rod.

Reactor control rod timing system

DOEpatents

Wu, Peter T. K.

1982-01-01

A fluid driven jet-edge whistle timing system for control rods of a nuclear reactor for producing real-time detection of the timing of each control rod in its scram operation. An important parameter in reactor safety, particularly for liquid metal fast breeder reactors (LMFBR), is the time deviation between the time the control rod is released and the time the rod actually reaches the down position. The whistle has a nearly pure tone signal with center frequency (above 100 kHz) far above the frequency band in which the energy of the background noise is concentrated. Each control rod can be fitted with a whistle with a different frequency so that there is no ambiguity in differentiating the signal from each control rod.

A static induction device manufactured by silicon direct bonding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xin'an; Liu, Su; Huang, Qing'an

2004-07-01

It is always a key problem how to improve the gate-source breakdown voltage (VGK) of static induction devices during manufacturing. By using a silicon direct bonding process to replace the high resistivity epitaxy process, a bonding buried gate structure is formed, which is different from an epitaxy buried gate structure. The new structure can improve the gate-source breakdown voltage from the process and the structure. It is shown that the bonding buried gate structure is a promising structure, that can improve the VGK and other performances of devices, by manufacture of a static induction thyristor.

High-Temperature, 400 W, DC-to-AC Inverter Using Silicon Carbide Gate Turn- Off Thyristors and p-i-n Diodes

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-10-01

7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) U.S. Army Research Laboratory ATTN: AMSRL-SE-DP 2800 Powder Mill Road Adelphi, MD 20783-1197...ADDRESS(ES) U.S. Army Research Laboratory 2800 Powder Mill Road Adelphi, MD 20783-1197 11. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S REPORT NUMBER(S) 12. DISTRIBUTION...limited to 250 V. The junction termination extension (JTE) reduces the electric field crowding at the edges of the VI + – S1 S2 D1 D2 S3 S4 D3 D4 S5

Inverter design for high frequency power distribution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

King, R. J.

1985-01-01

A class of simple resonantly commutated inverters are investigated for use in a high power (100 KW - 1000 KW) high frequency (10 KHz - 20 KHz) AC power distribution system. The Mapham inverter is found to provide a unique combination of large thyristor turn-off angle and good utilization factor, much better than an alternate 'current-fed' inverter. The effects of loading the Mapham inverter entirely with rectifier loads are investigated by simulation and with an experimental 3 KW 20 KHz inverter. This inverter is found to be well suited to a power system with heavy rectifier loading.

ETR CONTROL BUILDING, TRA647, INTERIOR. CONTROL ROOM, CONTEXTUAL VIEW. INSTRUMENT ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

ETR CONTROL BUILDING, TRA-647, INTERIOR. CONTROL ROOM, CONTEXTUAL VIEW. INSTRUMENT PANELS AT REAR OF OPERATOR'S CONSOLE GAVE OPERATOR STATUS OF REACTOR PERFORMANCE, COOLANT-WATER CHARACTERISTICS AND OTHER INDICATORS. WINDOWS AT RIGHT LOOKED INTO ETR BUILDING FIRST FLOOR. CAMERA FACING EAST. INL NEGATIVE NO. HD42-6. Mike Crane, Photographer, 3/2004 - Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Test Reactor Area, Materials & Engineering Test Reactors, Scoville, Butte County, ID

Nuclear electric propulsion reactor control systems status

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ferg, D. A.

1973-01-01

The thermionic reactor control system design studies conducted over the past several years for a nuclear electric propulsion system are described and summarized. The relevant reactor control system studies are discussed in qualitative terms, pointing out the significant advantages and disadvantages including the impact that the various control systems would have on the nuclear electric propulsion system design. A recommendation for the reference control system is made, and a program for future work leading to an engineering model is described.

REACTOR CONTROL

DOEpatents

Fortescue, P.; Nicoll, D.

1962-04-24

A control system employed with a high pressure gas cooled reactor in which a control rod is positioned for upward and downward movement into the neutron field from a position beneath the reactor is described. The control rod is positioned by a coupled piston cylinder releasably coupled to a power drive means and the pressurized coolant is directed against the lower side of the piston. The coolant pressure is offset by a higher fiuid pressure applied to the upper surface of the piston and means are provided for releasing the higher pressure on the upper side of the piston so that the pressure of the coolant drives the piston upwardly, forcing the coupled control rod into the ncutron field of the reactor. (AEC)

Quick release latch for reactor scram

DOEpatents

Johnson, Melvin L.; Shawver, Bruce M.

1976-01-01

A simple, reliable, and fast-acting means for releasing a control element and allowing it to be inserted rapidly into the core region of a nuclear reactor for scram purposes. A latch mechanism grips a coupling head on a nuclear control element to connect the control element to the control drive assembly. The latch mechanism is closed by tensioning a cable or rod with an actuator. The control element is released by de-energizing the actuator, providing fail-safe, rapid release of the control element to effect reactor shutdown. A sensing rod provides indication that the control element is properly positioned in the latch. Two embodiments are illustrated, one involving a collet-type latch mechanism, the other a pliers-type latch mechanism with the actuator located inside the reactor vessel.

Quick release latch for reactor scram

DOEpatents

Johnson, M.L.; Shawver, B.M.

1975-09-16

A simple, reliable, and fast-acting means for releasing a control element and allowing it to be inserted rapidly into the core region of a nuclear reactor for scram purposes is described. A latch mechanism grips a coupling head on a nuclear control element to connect the control element to the control drive assembly. The latch mechanism is closed by tensioning a cable or rod with an actuator. The control element is released by de-energizing the actuator, providing fail-safe, rapid release of the control element to effect reactor shutdown. A sensing rod provides indication that the control element is properly positioned in the latch. Two embodiments are illustrated, one involving a collet- type latch mechanism, the other a pliers-type latch mechanism with the actuator located inside the reactor vessel. (auth)

Application of a fluidized bed reactor charged with aragonite for control of alkalinity, pH and carbon dioxide in marine recirculating aquaculture systems

USGS Publications Warehouse

Paul S Wills, PhD; Pfeiffer, Timothy; Baptiste, Richard; Watten, Barnaby J.

2016-01-01

Control of alkalinity, dissolved carbon dioxide (dCO2), and pH are critical in marine recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) in order to maintain health and maximize growth. A small-scale prototype aragonite sand filled fluidized bed reactor was tested under varying conditions of alkalinity and dCO2 to develop and model the response of dCO2 across the reactor. A large-scale reactor was then incorporated into an operating marine recirculating aquaculture system to observe the reactor as the system moved toward equilibrium. The relationship between alkalinity dCO2, and pH across the reactor are described by multiple regression equations. The change in dCO2 across the small-scale reactor indicated a strong likelihood that an equilibrium alkalinity would be maintained by using a fluidized bed aragonite reactor. The large-scale reactor verified this observation and established equilibrium at an alkalinity of approximately 135 mg/L as CaCO3, dCO2 of 9 mg/L, and a pH of 7.0 within 4 days that was stable during a 14 day test period. The fluidized bed aragonite reactor has the potential to simplify alkalinity and pH control, and aid in dCO2 control in RAS design and operation. Aragonite sand, purchased in bulk, is less expensive than sodium bicarbonate and could reduce overall operating production costs.

An adaptive load-following control system for a space nuclear power system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Metzger, John D.; El-Genk, Mohamed S.

An adaptive load-following control system is proposed for a space nuclear power system. The conceptual design of the SP-100 space nuclear power system proposes operating the nuclear reactor at a base thermal power and accommodating changes in the electrical power demand with a shunt regulator. It is necessary to increase the reactor thermal power if the payload electrical demand exceeds the peak system electrical output for the associated reactor power. When it is necessary to change the nuclear reactor power to meet a change in the power demand, the power ascension or descension must be accomplished in a predetermined manner to avoid thermal stresses in the system and to achieve the desired reactor period. The load-following control system described has the ability to adapt to changes in the system and to changes in the satellite environment. The application is proposed of the model reference adaptive control (MRAC). The adaptive control system has the ability to control the dynamic response of nonlinear systems. Three basic subsets of adaptive control are: (1) gain scheduling, (2) self-tuning regulators, and (3) model reference adaptive control.

Control rod calibration and reactivity effects at the IPEN/MB-01 reactor

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pinto, Letícia Negrão; Gonnelli, Eduardo; Santos, Adimir dos

2014-11-11

Researches that aim to improve the performance of neutron transport codes and quality of nuclear cross section databases are very important to increase the accuracy of simulations and the quality of the analysis and prediction of phenomena in the nuclear field. In this context, relevant experimental data such as reactivity worth measurements are needed. Control rods may be made of several neutron absorbing materials that are used to adjust the reactivity of the core. For the reactor operation, these experimental data are also extremely important: with them it is possible to estimate the reactivity worth by the movement of themore » control rod, understand the reactor response at each rod position and to operate the reactor safely. This work presents a temperature correction approach for the control rod calibration problem. It is shown the control rod calibration data of the IPEN/MB-01 reactor, the integral and differential reactivity curves and a theoretical analysis, performed by the MCNP-5 reactor physics code, developed and maintained by Los Alamos National Laboratory, using the ENDF/B-VII.0 nuclear data library.« less

Formulation and experimental evaluation of closed-form control laws for the rapid maneuvering of reactor neutronic power

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bernard, J.A.

1989-09-01

This report describes both the theoretical development and the experimental evaluation of a novel, robust methodology for the time-optimal adjustment of a reactor's neutronic power under conditions of closed-loop digital control. Central to the approach are the MIT-SNL Period-Generated Minimum Time Control Laws' which determine the rate at which reactivity should be changed in order to cause a reactor's neutronic power to conform to a specified trajectory. Using these laws, reactor power can be safely raised by five to seven orders of magnitude in a few seconds. The MIT-SNL laws were developed to facilitate rapid increases of neutronic power onmore » spacecraft reactors operating in an SDI environment. However, these laws are generic and have other applications including the rapid recovery of research and test reactors subsequent to an unanticipated shutdown, power increases following the achievement of criticality on commercial reactors, power adjustments on commercial reactors so as to minimize thermal stress, and automated startups. The work reported here was performed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology under contract to the Sandia National Laboratories. Support was also provided by the US Department of Energy's Division of University and Industry Programs. The work described in this report is significant in that a novel solution to the problem of time-optimal control of neutronic power was identified, in that a rigorous description of a reactor's dynamics was derived in that the rate of change of reactivity was recognized as the proper control signal, and in that extensive experimental trials were conducted of these newly developed concepts on actual nuclear reactors. 43 refs., 118 figs., 11 tabs.« less

Pulse-density modulation control of chemical oscillation far from equilibrium in a droplet open-reactor system

PubMed Central

Sugiura, Haruka; Ito, Manami; Okuaki, Tomoya; Mori, Yoshihito; Kitahata, Hiroyuki; Takinoue, Masahiro

2016-01-01

The design, construction and control of artificial self-organized systems modelled on dynamical behaviours of living systems are important issues in biologically inspired engineering. Such systems are usually based on complex reaction dynamics far from equilibrium; therefore, the control of non-equilibrium conditions is required. Here we report a droplet open-reactor system, based on droplet fusion and fission, that achieves dynamical control over chemical fluxes into/out of the reactor for chemical reactions far from equilibrium. We mathematically reveal that the control mechanism is formulated as pulse-density modulation control of the fusion–fission timing. We produce the droplet open-reactor system using microfluidic technologies and then perform external control and autonomous feedback control over autocatalytic chemical oscillation reactions far from equilibrium. We believe that this system will be valuable for the dynamical control over self-organized phenomena far from equilibrium in chemical and biomedical studies. PMID:26786848

Pulse-density modulation control of chemical oscillation far from equilibrium in a droplet open-reactor system.

PubMed

Sugiura, Haruka; Ito, Manami; Okuaki, Tomoya; Mori, Yoshihito; Kitahata, Hiroyuki; Takinoue, Masahiro

2016-01-20

The design, construction and control of artificial self-organized systems modelled on dynamical behaviours of living systems are important issues in biologically inspired engineering. Such systems are usually based on complex reaction dynamics far from equilibrium; therefore, the control of non-equilibrium conditions is required. Here we report a droplet open-reactor system, based on droplet fusion and fission, that achieves dynamical control over chemical fluxes into/out of the reactor for chemical reactions far from equilibrium. We mathematically reveal that the control mechanism is formulated as pulse-density modulation control of the fusion-fission timing. We produce the droplet open-reactor system using microfluidic technologies and then perform external control and autonomous feedback control over autocatalytic chemical oscillation reactions far from equilibrium. We believe that this system will be valuable for the dynamical control over self-organized phenomena far from equilibrium in chemical and biomedical studies.

Fluidic self-actuating control assembly

DOEpatents

Grantz, Alan L.

1979-01-01

A fluidic self-actuating control assembly for use in a reactor wherein no external control inputs are required to actuate (scram) the system. The assembly is constructed to scram upon sensing either a sudden depressurization of reactor inlet flow or a sudden increase in core neutron flux. A fluidic control system senses abnormal flow or neutron flux transients and actuates the system, whereupon assembly coolant flow reverses, forcing absorber balls into the reactor core region.

METHOD FOR SENSING DEGREE OF FLUIDIZATION IN FLUIDIZED BED

DOEpatents

Levey, R.P. Jr.; Fowler, A.H.

1961-12-12

A method is given for detecting, indicating, and controlling the degree of fluidization in a fluid-bed reactor into which powdered material is fed. The method comprises admitting of gas into the reactor, inserting a springsupported rod into the powder bed of the reactor, exciting the rod to vibrate at its resonant frequency, deriving a signal responsive to the amplitude of vibi-ation of the rod and spring, the signal being directiy proportional to the rate of flow of the gas through the reactor, displaying the signal to provide an indication of the degree of fluidization within the reactor, and controlling the rate of gas flow into the reactor until said signal stabilizes at a constant value to provide substantially complete fluidization within the reactor. (AEC)

10 CFR 830 Major Modification Determination for the Advanced Test Reactor Remote Monitoring and Management Capability

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bohachek, Randolph Charles

2015-09-01

The Advanced Test Reactor (ATR; TRA-670), which is located in the ATR Complex at Idaho National Laboratory, was constructed in the 1960s for the purpose of irradiating reactor fuels and materials. Other irradiation services, such as radioisotope production, are also performed at ATR. While ATR is safely fulfilling current mission requirements, assessments are continuing. These assessments intend to identify areas to provide defense–in-depth and improve safety for ATR. One of the assessments performed by an independent group of nuclear industry experts recommended that a remote accident management capability be provided. The report stated that: “contemporary practice in commercial power reactorsmore » is to provide a remote shutdown station or stations to allow shutdown of the reactor and management of long-term cooling of the reactor (i.e., management of reactivity, inventory, and cooling) should the main control room be disabled (e.g., due to a fire in the control room or affecting the control room).” This project will install remote reactor monitoring and management capabilities for ATR. Remote capabilities will allow for post scram reactor management and monitoring in the event the main Reactor Control Room (RCR) must be evacuated.« less

NEUTRONIC REACTOR

DOEpatents

Hurwitz, H. Jr.; Brooks, H.; Mannal, C.; Payne, J.H.; Luebke, E.A.

1959-03-24

A reactor of the heterogeneous, liquid cooled type is described. This reactor is comprised of a central region of a plurality of vertically disposed elongated tubes surrounded by a region of moderator material. The central region is comprised of a central core surrounded by a reflector region which is surrounded by a fast neutron absorber region, which in turn is surrounded by a slow neutron absorber region. Liquid sodium is used as the primary coolant and circulates through the core which contains the fuel elements. Control of the reactor is accomplished by varying the ability of the reflector region to reflect neutrons back into the core of the reactor. For this purpose the reflector is comprised of moderator and control elements having varying effects on reactivity, the control elements being arranged and actuated by groups to give regulation, shim, and safety control.

High voltage power supply with modular series resonant inverters

DOEpatents

Dreifuerst, Gary R.; Merritt, Bernard T.

1995-01-01

A relatively small and compact high voltage, high current power supply for a laser utilizes a plurality of modules containing series resonant half bridge inverters. A pair of reverse conducting thyristors are incorporated in each series resonant inverter module such that the series resonant inverter modules are sequentially activated in phases 360.degree./n apart, where n=number of modules for n>2. Selective activation of the modules allows precise output control reducing ripple and improving efficiency. Each series resonant half bridge inverter module includes a transformer which has a cooling manifold for actively circulating a coolant such as water, to cool the transformer core as well as selected circuit elements. Conductors connecting and forming various circuit components comprise hollow, electrically conductive tubes such as copper. Coolant circulates through the tubes to remove heat. The conductive tubes act as electrically conductive lines for connecting various components of the power supply. Where it is desired to make electrical isolation breaks, tubes comprised of insulating material such as nylon are used to provide insulation and continue the fluid circuit.

High voltage power supply with modular series resonant inverters

DOEpatents

Dreifuerst, G.R.; Merritt, B.T.

1995-07-18

A relatively small and compact high voltage, high current power supply for a laser utilizes a plurality of modules containing series resonant half bridge inverters. A pair of reverse conducting thyristors are incorporated in each series resonant inverter module such that the series resonant inverter modules are sequentially activated in phases 360{degree}/n apart, where n=number of modules for n>2. Selective activation of the modules allows precise output control reducing ripple and improving efficiency. Each series resonant half bridge inverter module includes a transformer which has a cooling manifold for actively circulating a coolant such as water, to cool the transformer core as well as selected circuit elements. Conductors connecting and forming various circuit components comprise hollow, electrically conductive tubes such as copper. Coolant circulates through the tubes to remove heat. The conductive tubes act as electrically conductive lines for connecting various components of the power supply. Where it is desired to make electrical isolation breaks, tubes comprised of insulating material such as nylon are used to provide insulation and continue the fluid circuit. 11 figs.

Multicriteria Selection of Optimal Location of TCSC in a Competitive Energy Market

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alomoush, Muwaffaq I.

2010-05-01

The paper investigates selection of the best location of thyristor-controlled series compensator (TCSC) in a transmission system from many candidate locations in a competitive energy market such that the TCSC causes a net valuable impact on congestion management outcome, transmission utilization, transmission losses, voltage stability, degree of fulfillment of spot market contracts, and system security. The problem is treated as a multicriteria decision-making process such that the candidate locations of TCSC are the alternatives and the conflicting objectives are the outcomes of the dispatch process, which may have different importance weights. The paper proposes some performance indices that the dispatch decision-making entity can use to measure market dispatch outcomes of each alternative. Based on agreed-upon preferences, the measures presented may help the decision maker compare and rank dispatch scenarios to ultimately decide which location is the optimal one. To solve the multicriteria decision, we use the preference ranking organization method for enrichment evaluations (PROMETHEE), which is a multicriteria decision support method that can handle complex conflicting-objective decision-making processes.

Plum Brook Reactor Facility Control Room during Facility Startup

NASA Image and Video Library

1961-02-21

Operators test the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Plum Brook Reactor Facility systems in the months leading up to its actual operation. The “Reactor On” signs are illuminated but the reactor core was not yet ready for chain reactions. Just a couple weeks after this photograph, Plum Brook Station held a media open house to unveil the 60-megawatt test reactor near Sandusky, Ohio. More than 60 members of the print media and radio and television news services met at the site to talk with community leaders and representatives from NASA and Atomic Energy Commission. The Plum Brook reactor went critical for the first time on the evening of June 14, 1961. It was not until April 1963 that the reactor reached its full potential of 60 megawatts. The reactor control room, located on the second floor of the facility, was run by licensed operators. The operators manually operated the shim rods which adjusted the chain reaction in the reactor core. The regulating rods could partially or completely shut down the reactor. The control room also housed remote area monitoring panels and other monitoring equipment that allowed operators to monitor radiation sensors located throughout the facility and to scram the reactor instantly if necessary. The color of the indicator lights corresponded with the elevation of the detectors in the various buildings. The reactor could also shut itself down automatically if the monitors detected any sudden irregularities.

Computer simulation of magnetization-controlled shunt reactors for calculating electromagnetic transients in power systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Karpov, A. S.

2013-01-15

A computer procedure for simulating magnetization-controlled dc shunt reactors is described, which enables the electromagnetic transients in electric power systems to be calculated. It is shown that, by taking technically simple measures in the control system, one can obtain high-speed reactors sufficient for many purposes, and dispense with the use of high-power devices for compensating higher harmonic components.

NEUTRONIC REACTOR CONTROL ROD DRIVE APPARATUS

DOEpatents

Oakes, L.C.; Walker, C.S.

1959-12-15

ABS>A suspension mechanism between a vertically movable nuclear reactor control rod and a rod extension, which also provides information for the operator or an automatic control signal, is described. A spring connects the rod extension to a drive shift. The extension of the spring indicates whether (1) the rod is at rest on the reactor, (2) the rod and extension are suspended, or (3) the extension alone is suspended, the spring controlling a 3-position electrical switch.

NEUTRONIC REACTOR CONTROL ELEMENT

DOEpatents

Newson, H.W.

1960-09-13

A novel composite neutronic reactor control element is offered. The element comprises a multiplicity of sections arranged in end-to-end relationship, each of the sections having a markedly different neutron-reactive characteristic. For example, a three-section control element could contain absorber, moderator, and fuel sections. By moving such an element longitudinally through a reactor core, reactivity is decreased by the absorber, increased slightly by the moderator, or increased substantially by the fuel. Thus, control over a wide reactivity range is provided.

Split-core heat-pipe reactors for out-of-pile thermionic power systems.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Niederauer, G.; Lantz, E.; Breitweiser, R.

1971-01-01

Description of the concept of splitting a heat-pipe reactor for out-of-core thermionics into two identical halves and using the resulting center gap for reactivity control. Short Li-W reactor heat pipes penetrate the axial reflectors and form a heat exchanger with long heat pipes which wind through the shield to the thermionic diodes. With one reactor half anchored to the shield, the other is attached to a long arm with a pivot behind the shield and swings through a small arc for reactivity control. A safety shim prevents large reactivity inputs, and a fueled control arm drive shaft acts as a power stabilizer. Reactors fueled with U-235C and with U-233C have been studied.-

PRELIMINARY HAZARDS SUMMARY REPORT FOR THE VALLECITOS SUPERHEAT REACTOR

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Murray, J.L.

1961-02-01

BS>The Vallecitos Superheat Reactor (VSR) is a light-watermoderated, thermal-spectrum reactor, cooled by a combination of moderator boiling and forced convection cooling with saturated steam. The reactor core consists of 32 fuel hurdles containing 5300 lb of UO/sub 2/ enriched in U/sub 235/ to 3.6%. The fuel elements are arranged in individual process tubes that direct the cooling steam flow and separate the steam from the water moderator. The reactor vessel is designed for 1250 psig and operates at 960 to 1000 psig. With the reactor operating at 12.5 Mw(t), the maximum fuel cladding temperature is 1250 deg F and themore » cooling steam is superheated to an average temperature of about 810 deg F at 905 psig. Nu clear operation of the reactor is controlled by 12 control rods, actuated by drives mounted on the bottom of the reactor vessel. The water moderator recirculates inside the reactor vessel and through the core region by natural convection. Inherent safety features of the reactor include the negative core reactivity effects upon heating the UO/sub 2/ fuel (Doppler effect), upon increasing the temperature or void content of the moderator in the operating condition, and upon unflooding the fuel process tubes in the hot condition. Snfety features designed into the reactor and plant systems include a system of sensors and devices to detect petentially unsafe operating conditions and to initiate automatically the appropriate countermeasures, a set of fast and reliable control rods for scramming the reactor if a potentially unsafe condition occurs, a manually-actuated liquid neutron poison system, and an emergency cooling system to provide continued steam flow through the reactor core in the event the reactor becomes isolated from either its normal source of steam supply or discharge. The release of radioactivity to unrestricted areas is maintained within permissible limits by monitoring the radioactivity of wastes and controlling their release. The reactor and many of its auxiliaries are housed within a high-integrity essentially leak-tight containment vessel. (auth)« less

High-voltage pulsed generator for dynamic fragmentation of rocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kovalchuk, B. M.; Kharlov, A. V.; Vizir, V. A.; Kumpyak, V. V.; Zorin, V. B.; Kiselev, V. N.

2010-10-01

A portable high-voltage (HV) pulsed generator has been designed for rock fragmentation experiments. The generator can be used also for other technological applications. The installation consists of low voltage block, HV block, coaxial transmission line, fragmentation chamber, and control system block. Low voltage block of the generator, consisting of a primary capacitor bank (300 μF) and a thyristor switch, stores pulse energy and transfers it to the HV block. The primary capacitor bank stores energy of 600 J at the maximum charging voltage of 2 kV. HV block includes HV pulsed step up transformer, HV capacitive storage, and two electrode gas switch. The following technical parameters of the generator were achieved: output voltage up to 300 kV, voltage rise time of ˜50 ns, current amplitude of ˜6 kA with the 40 Ω active load, and ˜20 kA in a rock fragmentation regime (with discharge in a rock-water mixture). Typical operation regime is a burst of 1000 pulses with a frequency of 10 Hz. The operation process can be controlled within a wide range of parameters. The entire installation (generator, transmission line, treatment chamber, and measuring probes) is designed like a continuous Faraday's cage (complete shielding) to exclude external electromagnetic perturbations.

High-voltage pulsed generator for dynamic fragmentation of rocks.

PubMed

Kovalchuk, B M; Kharlov, A V; Vizir, V A; Kumpyak, V V; Zorin, V B; Kiselev, V N

2010-10-01

A portable high-voltage (HV) pulsed generator has been designed for rock fragmentation experiments. The generator can be used also for other technological applications. The installation consists of low voltage block, HV block, coaxial transmission line, fragmentation chamber, and control system block. Low voltage block of the generator, consisting of a primary capacitor bank (300 μF) and a thyristor switch, stores pulse energy and transfers it to the HV block. The primary capacitor bank stores energy of 600 J at the maximum charging voltage of 2 kV. HV block includes HV pulsed step up transformer, HV capacitive storage, and two electrode gas switch. The following technical parameters of the generator were achieved: output voltage up to 300 kV, voltage rise time of ∼50 ns, current amplitude of ∼6 kA with the 40 Ω active load, and ∼20 kA in a rock fragmentation regime (with discharge in a rock-water mixture). Typical operation regime is a burst of 1000 pulses with a frequency of 10 Hz. The operation process can be controlled within a wide range of parameters. The entire installation (generator, transmission line, treatment chamber, and measuring probes) is designed like a continuous Faraday's cage (complete shielding) to exclude external electromagnetic perturbations.

65. ARAII. Interior view of SL1 reactor building control piping ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

65. ARA-II. Interior view of SL-1 reactor building control piping for water purification system. On operating floor of building. March 21, 1958. Ineel photo no. 58-1360. Photographer: Jack L. Anderson. - Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Army Reactors Experimental Area, Scoville, Butte County, ID

10 CFR 50.44 - Combustible gas control for nuclear power reactors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Combustible gas control for nuclear power reactors. 50.44 Section 50.44 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION DOMESTIC LICENSING OF PRODUCTION AND UTILIZATION... for nuclear power reactors. (a) Definitions—(1) Inerted atmosphere means a containment atmosphere with...

10 CFR 50.44 - Combustible gas control for nuclear power reactors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Combustible gas control for nuclear power reactors. 50.44 Section 50.44 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION DOMESTIC LICENSING OF PRODUCTION AND UTILIZATION... for nuclear power reactors. (a) Definitions—(1) Inerted atmosphere means a containment atmosphere with...

77 FR 41670 - Definition of Terms

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-16

... cryptography'', 2. On page 642, add the term ``Explosives'', 3. On page 650, add the term ``Nuclear reactor... ``Commerce Control List''. * * * * * Nuclear reactor. (Cat 0 and 2) includes the items within or attached directly to the reactor vessel, the equipment which controls the level of power in the core, and the...

NEUTRONIC REACTOR MANIPULATING DEVICE

DOEpatents

Ohlinger, L.A.

1962-08-01

A cable connecting a control rod in a reactor with a motor outside the reactor for moving the rod, and a helical conduit in the reactor wall, through which the cable passes are described. The helical shape of the conduit prevents the escape of certain harmful radiations from the reactor. (AEC)

Fission control system for nuclear reactor

DOEpatents

Conley, G.H.; Estes, G.P.

Control system for nuclear reactor comprises a first set of reactivity modifying rods fixed in a reactor core with their upper ends stepped in height across the core, and a second set of reactivity modifying rods movable vertically within the reactor core and having their lower ends stepped to correspond with the stepped arrangement of the first set of rods, pairs of the rods of the first and second sets being in coaxial alignment.

REACTOR CONTROL DEVICE

DOEpatents

Graham, R.H.

1962-09-01

A wholly mechanical compact control device is designed for automatically rendering the core of a fission reactor subcritical in response to core temperatures in excess of the design operating temperature limit. The control device comprises an expansible bellows interposed between the base of a channel in a reactor core and the inner end of a fuel cylinder therein which is normally resiliently urged inwardly. The bellows contains a working fluid which undergoes a liquid to vapor phase change at a temperature substantially equal to the design temperature limit. Hence, the bellows abruptiy expands at this limiting temperature to force the fuel cylinder outward and render the core subcritical. The control device is particularly applicable to aircraft propulsion reactor service. (AEC)

REACTOR CONTROL ROD OPERATING SYSTEM

DOEpatents

Miller, G.

1961-12-12

A nuclear reactor control rod mechanism is designed which mechanically moves the control rods into and out of the core under normal conditions but rapidly forces the control rods into the core by catapultic action in the event of an emergency. (AEC)

40 CFR 63.1406 - Reactor batch process vent provisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 11 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Reactor batch process vent provisions... § 63.1406 Reactor batch process vent provisions. (a) Emission standards. Owners or operators of reactor... reactor batch process vent located at a new affected source shall control organic HAP emissions by...

40 CFR 63.1406 - Reactor batch process vent provisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 11 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Reactor batch process vent provisions... § 63.1406 Reactor batch process vent provisions. (a) Emission standards. Owners or operators of reactor... reactor batch process vent located at a new affected source shall control organic HAP emissions by...

28. A typical main control panel in a 105 reactor ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

28. A typical main control panel in a 105 reactor building, in this case 105-F in February 1945. A single operator sat at the controls to regulate the pile's rate of reaction and monitor it for safety. The galvanometer screens (the two horizontal bars just below the nine round gauges that showed the positions of the control rods) showed the pile's current power setting. With that information, the operator could set the control rod positions to increase, decrease, or maintain the power. D-8310 - B Reactor, Richland, Benton County, WA

Safety control circuit for a neutronic reactor

DOEpatents

Ellsworth, Howard C.

2004-04-27

A neutronic reactor comprising an active portion containing material fissionable by neutrons of thermal energy, means to control a neutronic chain reaction within the reactor comprising a safety device and a regulating device, a safety device including means defining a vertical channel extending into the reactor from an aperture in the upper surface of the reactor, a rod containing neutron-absorbing materials slidably disposed within the channel, means for maintaining the safety rod in a withdrawn position relative to the active portion of the reactor including means for releasing said rod on actuation thereof, a hopper mounted above the active portion of the reactor having a door disposed at the bottom of the hopper opening into the vertical channel, a plurality of bodies of neutron-absorbing materials disposed within the hopper, and means responsive to the failure of the safety rod on actuation thereof to enter the active portion of the reactor for opening the door in the hopper.

OVERALL CONTROL SYSTEM FOR HIGH FLUX PILE

DOEpatents

Newson, H.W.; Durham, N.C.; Wigner, E.P.; Princeton, N.J.; Epler, E.P.

1961-05-23

A control system is given for a high fiux reactor incorporating an anti- scram control feature whereby a neutron absorbing control rod acts as a fine adjustment while a neutron absorbing shim rod, actuated upon a command received from reactor period and level signals, has substantially greater effect on the neutron level and is moved prior to scram conditions to alter the reactor activity before a scram condition is created. Thus the probability that a scram will have to be initiated is substantially decreased.

Liquid phase methanol reactor staging process for the production of methanol

DOEpatents

Bonnell, Leo W.; Perka, Alan T.; Roberts, George W.

1988-01-01

The present invention is a process for the production of methanol from a syngas feed containing carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and hydrogen. Basically, the process is the combination of two liquid phase methanol reactors into a staging process, such that each reactor is operated to favor a particular reaction mechanism. In the first reactor, the operation is controlled to favor the hydrogenation of carbon monoxide, and in the second reactor, the operation is controlled so as to favor the hydrogenation of carbon dioxide. This staging process results in substantial increases in methanol yield.

Control rod drive

DOEpatents

Hawke, Basil C.

1986-01-01

A control rod drive uses gravitational forces to insert one or more control rods upwardly into a reactor core from beneath the reactor core under emergency conditions. The preferred control rod drive includes a vertically movable weight and a mechanism operatively associating the weight with the control rod so that downward movement of the weight is translated into upward movement of the control rod. The preferred control rod drive further includes an electric motor for driving the control rods under normal conditions, an electrically actuated clutch which automatically disengages the motor during a power failure and a decelerator for bringing the control rod to a controlled stop when it is inserted under emergency conditions into a reactor core.

On a distinctive feature of problems of calculating time-average characteristics of nuclear reactor optimal control sets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trifonenkov, A. V.; Trifonenkov, V. P.

2017-01-01

This article deals with a feature of problems of calculating time-average characteristics of nuclear reactor optimal control sets. The operation of a nuclear reactor during threatened period is considered. The optimal control search problem is analysed. The xenon poisoning causes limitations on the variety of statements of the problem of calculating time-average characteristics of a set of optimal reactor power off controls. The level of xenon poisoning is limited. There is a problem of choosing an appropriate segment of the time axis to ensure that optimal control problem is consistent. Two procedures of estimation of the duration of this segment are considered. Two estimations as functions of the xenon limitation were plot. Boundaries of the interval of averaging are defined more precisely.

The role and control of sludge age in biological nutrient removal activated sludge systems.

PubMed

Ekama, G A

2010-01-01

The sludge age is the most fundamental and important parameter in the design, operation and control of biological nutrient removal (BNR) activated sludge (AS) systems. Generally, the better the effluent and waste sludge quality required from the system, the longer the sludge age, the larger the biological reactor and the more wastewater characteristics need to be known. Controlling the reactor concentration does not control sludge age, only the mass of sludge in the system. When nitrification is a requirement, sludge age control becomes a requirement and the secondary settling tanks can no longer serve the dual purpose of clarifier and waste activated sludge thickeners. The easiest and most practical way to control sludge age is with hydraulic control by wasting a defined proportion of the reactor volume daily. In AS plants with reactor concentration control, nitrification fails first. With hydraulic control of sludge age, nitrification will not fail, rather the plant fails by shedding solids over the secondary settling tank effluent weirs.

MTR CONTROL ROOM WITH CONTROL CONSOLE AND STATUS READOUTS ALONG ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

MTR CONTROL ROOM WITH CONTROL CONSOLE AND STATUS READOUTS ALONG WALL. WORKERS MAKE ELECTRICAL AND OTHER CONNECTIONS. INL NEGATIVE NO. 4289. Unknown Photographer, 2/26/1952 - Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Test Reactor Area, Materials & Engineering Test Reactors, Scoville, Butte County, ID

REACTOR

DOEpatents

Roman, W.G.

1961-06-27

A pressurized water reactor in which automatic control is achieved by varying the average density of the liquid moderator-cooiant is patented. Density is controlled by the temperature and power level of the reactor ftself. This control can be effected by the use of either plate, pellet, or tubular fuel elements. The fuel elements are disposed between upper and lower coolant plenum chambers and are designed to permit unrestricted coolant flow. The control chamber has an inlet opening communicating with the lower coolant plenum chamber and a restricted vapor vent communicating with the upper coolant plenum chamber. Thus, a variation in temperature of the fuel elements will cause a variation in the average moderator density in the chamber which directly affects the power level of the reactor.

Reactor design and integration into a nuclear electric spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Phillips, W. M.; Koenig, D. R.

1978-01-01

One of the well-defined applications for nuclear power in space is nuclear electric propulsion (NEP). Mission studies have identified the optimum power level (400 kWe). A single Shuttle launch requirement and science-package integration have added additional constraints to the design. A reactor design which will meet these constraints has been studied. The reactor employs 90 fuel elements, each heat pipe cooled. Reactor control is obtained with BeO/B4C drums in a BeO reflector. The balance of the spacecraft is shielded from the reactor with LiH. Power conditioning and reactor control drum drives are located behind the LiH with the power conditioning. Launch safety, mechanical design and integration with the power conversion subsystem are discussed.

Analysis of a boron-carbide-drum-controlled critical reactor experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mayo, W. T.

1972-01-01

In order to validate methods and cross sections used in the neutronic design of compact fast-spectrum reactors for generating electric power in space, an analysis of a boron-carbide-drum-controlled critical reactor was made. For this reactor the transport analysis gave generally satisfactory results. The calculated multiplication factor for the most detailed calculation was only 0.7-percent Delta k too high. Calculated reactivity worth of the control drums was $11.61 compared to measurements of $11.58 by the inverse kinetics methods and $11.98 by the inverse counting method. Calculated radial and axial power distributions were in good agreement with experiment.

Fast-spectrum space-power-reactor concepts using boron control devices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mayo, W.

1973-01-01

Several fast-spectrum space power reactor concepts that use boron carbide control devices were examined to determine the neutronic feasibility of the designs. The designs considered were (1) a 199-fuel-pin, 12-poison-reflector-control-drum reactor; (2) a 232-fuel-pin reactor with 12 reflector drums and three in-core control rods; (3) a 337-fuel-pin design with 12 incore control rods; and a 181-fuel-pin design with six drums closely coupled to the core to increase reactivity per drum. Adequate reactivity control and excess reactivity could be obtained for each concept, and the goals of 50,000 hours at 2.17 thermal megawatts with a lithium-7 coolant outlet temperature of 1222 K could be met without exceeding the 1-percent-clad-creep criterion. Heating rates in the boron carbide were calculated, but a heat transfer analysis was not done.

Graded junction termination extensions for electronic devices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Merrett, J. Neil (Inventor); Isaacs-Smith, Tamara (Inventor); Sheridan, David C. (Inventor); Williams, John R. (Inventor)

2006-01-01

A graded junction termination extension in a silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor device and method of its fabrication using ion implementation techniques is provided for high power devices. The properties of silicon carbide (SiC) make this wide band gap semiconductor a promising material for high power devices. This potential is demonstrated in various devices such as p-n diodes, Schottky diodes, bipolar junction transistors, thyristors, etc. These devices require adequate and affordable termination techniques to reduce leakage current and increase breakdown voltage in order to maximize power handling capabilities. The graded junction termination extension disclosed is effective, self-aligned, and simplifies the implementation process.

Graded junction termination extensions for electronic devices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Merrett, J. Neil (Inventor); Isaacs-Smith, Tamara (Inventor); Sheridan, David C. (Inventor); Williams, John R. (Inventor)

2007-01-01

A graded junction termination extension in a silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor device and method of its fabrication using ion implementation techniques is provided for high power devices. The properties of silicon carbide (SiC) make this wide band gap semiconductor a promising material for high power devices. This potential is demonstrated in various devices such as p-n diodes, Schottky diodes, bipolar junction transistors, thyristors, etc. These devices require adequate and affordable termination techniques to reduce leakage current and increase breakdown voltage in order to maximize power handling capabilities. The graded junction termination extension disclosed is effective, self-aligned, and simplifies the implementation process.

High Speed Solid State Circuit Breaker

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Podlesak, Thomas F.

1993-01-01

The U.S. Army Research Laboratory, Fort Monmouth, NJ, has developed and is installing two 3.3 MW high speed solid state circuit breakers at the Army's Pulse Power Center. These circuit breakers will interrupt 4160V three phase power mains in no more than 300 microseconds, two orders of magnitude faster than conventional mechanical contact type circuit breakers. These circuit breakers utilize Gate Turnoff Thyristors (GTO's) and are currently utility type devices using air cooling in an air conditioned enclosure. Future refinements include liquid cooling, either water or two phase organic coolant, and more advanced semiconductors. Each of these refinements promises a more compact, more reliable unit.

Anticipatory control of xenon in a pressurized water reactor

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Impink, A.J. Jr.

1987-02-10

A method is described for automatically dampening xenon-135 spatial transients in the core of a pressurized water reactor having control rods which regulate reactor power level, comprising the steps of: measuring the neutron flu in the reactor core at a plurality of axially spaced locations on a real-time, on-line basis; repetitively generating from the neutron flux measurements, on a point-by-point basis, signals representative of the current axial distribution of xenon-135, and signals representative of the current rate of change of the axial distribution of xenon-135; generating from the xenon-135 distribution signals and the rate of change of xenon distribution signals,more » control signals for reducing the xenon transients; and positioning the control rods as a function of the control signals to dampen the xenon-135 spatial transients.« less

10 CFR Appendix A to Part 110 - Illustrative List of Nuclear Reactor Equipment Under NRC Export Licensing Authority

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Illustrative List of Nuclear Reactor Equipment Under NRC... List of Nuclear Reactor Equipment Under NRC Export Licensing Authority Note—A nuclear reactor basically includes the items within or attached directly to the reactor vessel, the equipment which controls the...

10 CFR Appendix A to Part 110 - Illustrative List of Nuclear Reactor Equipment Under NRC Export Licensing Authority

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Illustrative List of Nuclear Reactor Equipment Under NRC... List of Nuclear Reactor Equipment Under NRC Export Licensing Authority Note—A nuclear reactor basically includes the items within or attached directly to the reactor vessel, the equipment which controls the...

A novel plant protection strategy for transient reactors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhattacharyya, Samit K.; Lipinski, Walter C.; Hanan, Nelson A.

A novel plant protection system designed for use in the TREAT Upgrade (TU) reactor is described. The TU reactor is designed for controlled transient operation in the testing of reactor fuel behavior under simulated reactor accident conditions. Safe operation of the reactor is of paramount importance and the Plant Protection System (PPS) had to be designed to exacting requirements. Researchers believe that the strategy developed for the TU has potential application to the multimegawatt space reactors and represents the state of the art in terrestrial transient reactor protection systems.

Pressurized reactor system and a method of operating the same

DOEpatents

Isaksson, J.M.

1996-06-18

A method and apparatus are provided for operating a pressurized reactor system in order to precisely control the temperature within a pressure vessel in order to minimize condensation of corrosive materials from gases on the surfaces of the pressure vessel or contained circulating fluidized bed reactor, and to prevent the temperature of the components from reaching a detrimentally high level, while at the same time allowing quick heating of the pressure vessel interior volume during start-up. Super-atmospheric pressure gas is introduced from the first conduit into the fluidized bed reactor and heat derived reactions such as combustion and gasification are maintained in the reactor. Gas is exhausted from the reactor and pressure vessel through a second conduit. Gas is circulated from one part of the inside volume to another to control the temperature of the inside volume, such as by passing the gas through an exterior conduit which has a heat exchanger, control valve, blower and compressor associated therewith, or by causing natural convection flow of circulating gas within one or more generally vertically extending gas passages entirely within the pressure vessel (and containing heat exchangers, flow rate control valves, or the like therein). Preferably, inert gas is provided as a circulating gas, and the inert gas may also be used in emergency shut-down situations. In emergency shut-down reaction gas being supplied to the reactor is cut off, while inert gas from the interior gas volume of the pressure vessel is introduced into the reactor. 2 figs.

Pressurized reactor system and a method of operating the same

DOEpatents

Isaksson, Juhani M.

1996-01-01

A method and apparatus are provided for operating a pressurized reactor system in order to precisely control the temperature within a pressure vessel in order to minimize condensation of corrosive materials from gases on the surfaces of the pressure vessel or contained circulating fluidized bed reactor, and to prevent the temperature of the components from reaching a detrimentally high level, while at the same time allowing quick heating of the pressure vessel interior volume during start-up. Superatmospheric pressure gas is introduced from the first conduit into the fluidized bed reactor and heat derived reactions such as combustion and gassification are maintained in the reactor. Gas is exhausted from the reactor and pressure vessel through a second conduit. Gas is circulated from one part of the inside volume to another to control the temperature of the inside volume, such as by passing the gas through an exterior conduit which has a heat exchanger, control valve, blower and compressor associated therewith, or by causing natural convection flow of circulating gas within one or more generally vertically extending gas passages entirely within the pressure vessel (and containing heat exchangers, flow rate control valves, or the like therein). Preferably, inert gas is provided as a circulating gas, and the inert gas may also be used in emergency shut-down situations. In emergency shut-down reaction gas being supplied to the reactor is cut off, while inert gas from the interior gas volume of the pressure vessel is introduced into the reactor.

Influence of denitrification reactor retention time distribution (RTD) on dissolved oxygen control and nitrogen removal efficiency.

PubMed

Raboni, Massimo; Gavasci, Renato; Viotti, Paolo

2015-01-01

Low concentrations of dissolved oxygen (DO) are usually found in biological anoxic pre-denitrification reactors, causing a reduction in nitrogen removal efficiency. Therefore, the reduction of DO in such reactors is fundamental for achieving good nutrient removal. The article shows the results of an experimental study carried out to evaluate the effect of the anoxic reactor hydrodynamic model on both residual DO concentration and nitrogen removal efficiency. In particular, two hydrodynamic models were considered: the single completely mixed reactor and a series of four reactors that resemble plug-flow behaviour. The latter prove to be more effective in oxygen consumption, allowing a lower residual DO concentration than the former. The series of reactors also achieves better specific denitrification rates and higher denitrification efficiency. Moreover, the denitrification food to microrganism (F:M) ratio (F:MDEN) demonstrates a relevant synergic action in both controlling residual DO and improving the denitrification performance.

Research on pressure control of pressurizer in pressurized water reactor nuclear power plant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dai, Ling; Yang, Xuhong; Liu, Gang; Ye, Jianhua; Qian, Hong; Xue, Yang

2010-07-01

Pressurizer is one of the most important components in the nuclear reactor system. Its function is to keep the pressure of the primary circuit. It can prevent shutdown of the system from the reactor accident under the normal transient state while keeping the setting value in the normal run-time. This paper is mainly research on the pressure system which is running in the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant. A conventional PID controller and a fuzzy controller are designed through analyzing the dynamic characteristics and calculating the transfer function. Then a fuzzy PID controller is designed by analyzing the results of two controllers. The fuzzy PID controller achieves the optimal control system finally.

Control console replacement at the WPI Reactor

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1992-01-01

With partial funding from the Department of Energy (DOE) University Reactor Instrumentation Upgrade Program (DOE Grant No. DE-FG02-90ER12982), the original control console at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) Reactor has been replaced with a modern system. The new console maintains the original design bases and functionality while utilizing current technology. An advanced remote monitoring system has been added to augment the educational capabilities of the reactor. Designed and built by General Electric in 1959, the open pool nuclear training reactor at WPI was one of the first such facilities in the nation located on a university campus. Devoted to undergraduatemore » use, the reactor and its related facilities have been since used to train two generations of nuclear engineers and scientists for the nuclear industry. The reactor power level was upgraded from 1 to 10 kill in 1969, and its operating license was renewed for 20 years in 1983. In 1988, the reactor was converted to low enriched uranium. The low power output of the reactor and ergonomic facility design make it an ideal tool for undergraduate nuclear engineering education and other training.« less

Oxidative coupling of methane using inorganic membrane reactor

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ma, Y.H.; Moser, W.R.; Dixon, A.G.

1995-12-31

The goal of this research is to improve the oxidative coupling of methane in a catalytic inorganic membrane reactor. A specific target is to achieve conversion of methane to C{sub 2} hydrocarbons at very high selectivity and relatively higher yields than in fixed bed reactors by controlling the oxygen supply through the membrane. A membrane reactor has the advantage of precisely controlling the rate of delivery of oxygen to the catalyst. This facility permits balancing the rate of oxidation and reduction of the catalyst. In addition, membrane reactors minimize the concentration of gas phase oxygen thus reducing non selective gasmore » phase reactions, which are believed to be a main route for formation of CO{sub x} products. Such gas phase reactions are a cause for decreased selectivity in oxidative coupling of methane in conventional flow reactors. Membrane reactors could also produce higher product yields by providing better distribution of the reactant gases over the catalyst than the conventional plug flow reactors. Modeling work which aimed at predicting the observed experimental trends in porous membrane reactors was also undertaken in this research program.« less

Stimulation of the hydrolytic stage for biogas production from cattle manure in an electrochemical bioreactor.

PubMed

Samani, Saeed; Abdoli, Mohammad Ali; Karbassi, Abdolreza; Amin, Mohammad Mehdi

Electrical current in the hydrolytic phase of the biogas process might affect biogas yield. In this study, four 1,150 mL single membrane-less chamber electrochemical bioreactors, containing two parallel titanium plates were connected to the electrical source with voltages of 0, -0.5, -1 and -1.5 V, respectively. Reactor 1 with 0 V was considered as a control reactor. The trend of biogas production was precisely checked against pH, oxidation reduction potential and electrical power at a temperature of 37 ± 0.5°C amid cattle manure as substrate for 120 days. Biogas production increased by voltage applied to Reactors 2 and 3 when compared with the control reactor. In addition, the electricity in Reactors 2 and 3 caused more biogas production than Reactor 4. Acetogenic phase occurred more quickly in Reactor 3 than in the other reactors. The obtained results from Reactor 4 were indicative of acidogenic domination and its continuous behavior under electrical stimulation. The results of the present investigation clearly revealed that phasic electrical current could enhance the efficiency of biogas production.

Controlled CO preferential oxidation

DOEpatents

Meltser, Mark A.; Hoch, Martin M.

1997-01-01

Method for controlling the supply of air to a PROX reactor for the preferential oxidation in the presence of hydrogen wherein the concentration of the hydrogen entering and exiting the PROX reactor is monitored, the difference therebetween correlated to the amount of air needed to minimize such difference, and based thereon the air supply to the PROX reactor adjusted to provide such amount and minimize such difference.

REACTOR

DOEpatents

Szilard, L.

1963-09-10

A breeder reactor is described, including a mass of fissionable material that is less than critical with respect to unmoderated neutrons and greater than critical with respect to neutrons of average energies substantially greater than thermal, a coolant selected from sodium or sodium--potassium alloys, a control liquid selected from lead or lead--bismuth alloys, and means for varying the quantity of control liquid in the reactor. (AEC)

SNAP 10A FS-3 reactor performance

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hawley, J.P.; Johnson, R.A.

1966-08-15

SNAP 10FS-3 was the first flight-qualified SNAP reactor system to be operated in a simulated space environment. Prestart-up qualification testing, automatic start-up, endurance period performance, extended operation test and reactor shutdown are described as they affected, or were affected by, overall reactor performance. Performance of the reactor control system and the diagnostic instrumentation is critically evaluted.

New approach to control the methanogenic reactor of a two-phase anaerobic digestion system.

PubMed

von Sachs, Jürgen; Meyer, Ulrich; Rys, Paul; Feitkenhauer, Heiko

2003-03-01

A new control strategy for the methanogenic reactor of a two-phase anaerobic digestion system has been developed and successfully tested on the laboratory scale. The control strategy serves the purpose to detect inhibitory effects and to achieve good conversion. The concept is based on the idea that volatile fatty acids (VFA) can be measured in the influent of the methanogenic reactor by means of titration. Thus, information on the output (methane production) and input of the methanogenic reactor is available, and a (carbon) mass balance can be obtained. The control algorithm comprises a proportional/integral structure with the ratio of (a) the methane production rate measured online and (b) a maximum methane production rate expected (derived from the stoichiometry) as a control variable. The manipulated variable is the volumetric feed rate. Results are shown for an experiment with VFA (feed) concentration ramps and for experiments with sodium chloride as inhibitor.

Thermionic converter temperature controller

DOEpatents

Shaner, Benjamin J [McMurray, PA; Wolf, Joseph H [Pittsburgh, PA; Johnson, Robert G. R. [Trafford, PA

2001-04-24

A method and apparatus for controlling the temperature of a thermionic reactor over a wide range of operating power, including a thermionic reactor having a plurality of integral cesium reservoirs, a honeycomb material disposed about the reactor which has a plurality of separated cavities, a solid sheath disposed about the honeycomb material and having an opening therein communicating with the honeycomb material and cavities thereof, and a shell disposed about the sheath for creating a coolant annulus therewith so that the coolant in the annulus may fill the cavities and permit nucleate boiling during the operation of the reactor.

Movable-molybdenum-reflector reactivity experiments for control studies of compact space power reactor concepts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fox, T. A.

1973-01-01

An experimental reflector reactivity study was made with a compact cylindrical reactor using a uranyl fluoride - water fuel solution. The reactor was axially unreflected and radially reflected with segments of molybdenum. The reflector segments were displaced incrementally in both the axial and radial dimensions, and the shutdown of each configuration was measured by using the pulsed-neutron source technique. The reactivity effects for axial and radial displacement of reflector segments are tabulated separately and compared. The experiments provide data for control-system studies of compact-space-power-reactor concepts.

A study on using fireclay as a biomass carrier in an activated sludge system.

PubMed

Tilaki, Ramazan Ali Dianati

2011-01-01

By adding a biomass carrier to an activated sludge system, the biomass concentration will increase, and subsequently the organic removal efficiency will be enhanced. In this study, the possibility of using excess sludge from ceramic and tile manufacturing plants as a biomass carrier was investigated. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of using fireclay as a biomass carrier on biomass concentration, organic removal and nitrification efficiency in an activated sludge system. Experiments were conducted by using a bench scale activated sludge system operating in batch and continuous modes. Artificial simulated wastewater was made by using recirculated water in a ceramic manufacturing plant. In the continuous mode, hydraulic detention time in the aeration reactor was 8 and 22 h. In the batch mode, aeration time was 8 and 16 h. Fireclay doses were 500, 1,400 and 2,250 mg l(-1), and were added to the reactors in each experiment separately. The reactor with added fireclay was called a Hybrid Biological Reactor (HBR). A reactor without added fireclay was used as a control. Efficiency parameters such as COD, MLVSS and nitrate were measured in the control and HBR reactors according to standard methods. The average concentration of biomass in the HBR reactor was greater than in the control reactor. The total biomass concentration in the HBR reactor (2.25 g l(-1) fireclay) in the continuous mode was 3,000 mg l(-1) and in the batch mode was 2,400 mg l(-1). The attached biomass concentration in the HBR reactor (2.25 g l(-1) fireclay) in the continuous mode was 1,500 mg l(-1) and in the batch mode was 980 mg l(-1). Efficiency for COD removal in the HBR and control reactor was 95 and 55%, respectively. In the HBR reactor, nitrification was enhanced, and the concentration of nitrate was increased by 80%. By increasing the fireclay dose, total and attached biomass was increased. By adding fireclay as a biomass carrier, the efficiency of an activated sludge system to treat wastewater from ceramic manufacturing plants was increased.

Automated power control system for reactor TRIGA PUSPATI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghazali, Anith Khairunnisa; Minhat, Mohd Sabri; Hassan, Mohd Khair

2017-01-01

Reactor TRIGA PUSPATI (RTP) Mark II type undergoes safe operation for more than 30 years and the only research reactor exists in Malaysia. The main safety feature of Instrumentation and Control (I&C) system design is such that any failure in the electronic, or its associated components, does not lead to an uncontrolled rate of reactivity. The existed controller using feedback approach to control the reactor power. This paper introduces proposed controllers such as Model Reference Adaptive Control (MRAC) and Proportional Integral Derivatives (PID) controller for the RTP simulation. In RTP, the most important considered parameter is the reactor power and act as nervous system. To design a controller for complex plant like RTP is quite difficult due to high cost and safety factors cause by the failure of the controller. Furthermore, to overcome these problems, a simulator can be used to replace functions the hardware and test could then be simulated using this simulator. In order to find the best controller, several controllers were proposed and the result will be analysed for study the performances of the controller. The output result will be used to find out the best RTP power controller using MATLAB/Simulink and gives result as close as the real RTP performances. Currently, the structures of RTP was design using MATLAB/Simulink tool that consist of fission chamber, controller, control rod position, height-to-worth of control rods and a RTP model. The controller will control the control rod position to make sure that the reactivity still under the limitation parameter. The results given from each controller will be analysed and validated through experiment data collected from RTP.

Equipment for neutron measurements at VR-1 Sparrow training reactor.

PubMed

Kolros, Antonin; Huml, Ondrej; Kríz, Martin; Kos, Josef

2010-01-01

The VR-1 sparrow reactor is an experimental nuclear facility for training, student education and teaching purposes. The sparrow reactor is an educational platform for the basic experiments at the reactor physic and dosimetry. The aim of this article is to describe the new experimental equipment EMK310 features and possibilities for neutron detection by different gas filled detectors at VR-1 reactor. Among the EMK310 equipment typical attributes belong precise set-up, simple control, resistance to electromagnetic interference, high throughput (counting rate), versatility and remote controllability. The methods for non-linearity correction of pulse neutron detection system and reactimeter application are presented. Copyright 2009. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

NUCLEAR REACTOR

DOEpatents

Miller, H.I.; Smith, R.C.

1958-01-21

This patent relates to nuclear reactors of the type which use a liquid fuel, such as a solution of uranyl sulfate in ordinary water which acts as the moderator. The reactor is comprised of a spherical vessel having a diameter of about 12 inches substantially surrounded by a reflector of beryllium oxide. Conventionnl control rods and safety rods are operated in slots in the reflector outside the vessel to control the operation of the reactor. An additional means for increasing the safety factor of the reactor by raising the ratio of delayed neutrons to prompt neutrons, is provided and consists of a soluble sulfate salt of beryllium dissolved in the liquid fuel in the proper proportion to obtain the result desired.

Model predictive control of a solar-thermal reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saade Saade, Maria Elizabeth

Solar-thermal reactors represent a promising alternative to fossil fuels because they can harvest solar energy and transform it into storable and transportable fuels. The operation of solar-thermal reactors is restricted by the available sunlight and its inherently transient behavior, which affects the performance of the reactors and limits their efficiency. Before solar-thermal reactors can become commercially viable, they need to be able to maintain a continuous high-performance operation, even in the presence of passing clouds. A well-designed control system can preserve product quality and maintain stable product compositions, resulting in a more efficient and cost-effective operation, which can ultimately lead to scale-up and commercialization of solar thermochemical technologies. In this work, we propose a model predictive control (MPC) system for a solar-thermal reactor for the steam-gasification of biomass. The proposed controller aims at rejecting the disturbances in solar irradiation caused by the presence of clouds. A first-principles dynamic model of the process was developed. The model was used to study the dynamic responses of the process variables and to identify a linear time-invariant model used in the MPC algorithm. To provide an estimation of the disturbances for the control algorithm, a one-minute-ahead direct normal irradiance (DNI) predictor was developed. The proposed predictor utilizes information obtained through the analysis of sky images, in combination with current atmospheric measurements, to produce the DNI forecast. In the end, a robust controller was designed capable of rejecting disturbances within the operating region. Extensive simulation experiments showed that the controller outperforms a finely-tuned multi-loop feedback control strategy. The results obtained suggest that our controller is suitable for practical implementation.

CONTROL RODS FOR NUCLEAR REACTORS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bell, F.R.

1963-01-16

A means for controlling the control rod in emergency, when it is desired to shutdown the reactor with the shortest possible delay, is described. When the emergency occurs the control rod is allowed to drop freely under gravity from the control rod support tube into the bore in the reactor core. A normal shutdown is reached almost at the lowest rod position. In the shut-down position and also below it, the control rod had its full effect of reducing the level of activity in the core. When the shut-down position was reached, a brake came into action to decelerate themore » rod and reduce shock and the likelihood of damage. (C.E.S.)« less

Magnetic switch for reactor control rod. [LMFBR

DOEpatents

Germer, J.H.

1982-09-30

A magnetic reed switch assembly is described for activating an electromagnetic grapple utilized to hold a control rod in position above a reactor core. In normal operation the magnetic field of a permanent magnet is short-circuited by a magnetic shunt, diverting the magnetic field away from the reed switch. The magnetic shunt is made of a material having a Curie-point at the desired release temperature. Above that temperature the material loses its ferromagnetic properties, and the magnetic path is diverted to the reed switch which closes and short-circuits the control circuit for the control rod electro-magnetic grapple which allows the control rod to drop into the reactor core for controlling the reactivity of the core.

Magnetic switch for reactor control rod

DOEpatents

Germer, John H.

1986-01-01

A magnetic reed switch assembly for activating an electromagnetic grapple utilized to hold a control rod in position above a reactor core. In normal operation the magnetic field of a permanent magnet is short-circuited by a magnetic shunt, diverting the magnetic field away from the reed switch. The magnetic shunt is made of a material having a Curie-point at the desired release temperature. Above that temperature the material loses its ferromagnetic properties, and the magnetic path is diverted to the reed switch which closes and short-circuits the control circuit for the control rod electromagnetic grapple which allows the control rod to drop into the reactor core for controlling the reactivity of the core.

CONTROL OF VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS BY AN AC ENERGIZED FERROELECTRIC PELLET REACTOR AND A PULSED CORONA REACTOR

EPA Science Inventory

The paper gives results of a study to develop baseline engineering data to demonstrate the feasibility of application of plasma reactors to the destruction of various volatile organic compounds at ppm levels. Two laboratory-scale reactors, an alternating current energized ferroel...

A Semi-Batch Reactor Experiment for the Undergraduate Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Derevjanik, Mario; Badri, Solmaz; Barat, Robert

2011-01-01

This experiment and analysis offer an economic yet challenging semi-batch reactor experience. Household bleach is pumped at a controlled rate into a batch reactor containing pharmaceutical hydrogen peroxide solution. Batch temperature, product molecular oxygen, and the overall change in solution conductivity are metered. The reactor simulation…

CONTROL RODS FOR NUCLEAR REACTOR CORES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bell, F.R.

1961-11-15

A reactor control rod is designed which has increased effectiveness as compared with the width of the aperture in the pressure vessel through which it passes. The control rod carries six fins, three on each side, and two of the fins are fixed while the other, being adjustable, is capable of movement from between the fixed fins to an extended position. Thus, the control rod assembly can be arranged so that the parts within the core form a substantially complete shell around the reactor central axis, while the apertures on the pressure vessel wall are well spaced for strength. (D.L.C.)

Dynamic analysis of gas-core reactor system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Turner, K. H., Jr.

1973-01-01

A heat transfer analysis was incorporated into a previously developed model CODYN to obtain a model of open-cycle gaseous core reactor dynamics which can predict the heat flux at the cavity wall. The resulting model was used to study the sensitivity of the model to the value of the reactivity coefficients and to determine the system response for twenty specified perturbations. In addition, the model was used to study the effectiveness of several control systems in controlling the reactor. It was concluded that control drums located in the moderator region capable of inserting reactivity quickly provided the best control.

SELF-REGULATING BOILING-WATER NUCLEAR REACTORS

DOEpatents

Ransohoff, J.A.; Plawchan, J.D.

1960-08-16

A boiling-water reactor was designed which comprises a pressure vessel containing a mass of water, a reactor core submerged within the water, a reflector tank disposed within the reactor, the reflector tank being open at the top to the interior of the pressure vessel, and a surge tank connected to the reflector tank. In operation the reflector level changes as a function of the pressure witoin the reactor so that the reactivity of the reactor is automatically controlled.

Laboratory instrumentation modernization at the WPI Nuclear Reactor Facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1995-01-01

With partial funding from the Department of Energy (DOE) University Reactor Instrumentation Program several laboratory instruments utilized by students and researchers at the WPI Nuclear Reactor Facility have been upgraded or replaced. Designed and built by General Electric in 1959, the open pool nuclear training reactor at WPI was one of the first such facilities in the nation located on a university campus. Devoted to undergraduate use, the reactor and its related facilities have been since used to train two generations of nuclear engineers and scientists for the nuclear industry. The low power output of the reactor and an ergonomicmore » facility design make it an ideal tool for undergraduate nuclear engineering education and other training. The reactor, its control system, and the associate laboratory equipment are all located in the same room. Over the years, several important milestones have taken place at the WPI reactor. In 1969, the reactor power level was upgraded from 1 kW to 10 kW. The reactor`s Nuclear Regulatory Commission operating license was renewed for 20 years in 1983. In 1988, under DOE Grant No. DE-FG07-86ER75271, the reactor was converted to low-enriched uranium fuel. In 1992, again with partial funding from DOE (Grant No. DE-FG02-90ER12982), the original control console was replaced.« less

Design of a self-tuning regulator for temperature control of a polymerization reactor.

PubMed

Vasanthi, D; Pranavamoorthy, B; Pappa, N

2012-01-01

The temperature control of a polymerization reactor described by Chylla and Haase, a control engineering benchmark problem, is used to illustrate the potential of adaptive control design by employing a self-tuning regulator concept. In the benchmark scenario, the operation of the reactor must be guaranteed under various disturbing influences, e.g., changing ambient temperatures or impurity of the monomer. The conventional cascade control provides a robust operation, but often lacks in control performance concerning the required strict temperature tolerances. The self-tuning control concept presented in this contribution solves the problem. This design calculates a trajectory for the cooling jacket temperature in order to follow a predefined trajectory of the reactor temperature. The reaction heat and the heat transfer coefficient in the energy balance are estimated online by using an unscented Kalman filter (UKF). Two simple physically motivated relations are employed, which allow the non-delayed estimation of both quantities. Simulation results under model uncertainties show the effectiveness of the self-tuning control concept. Copyright © 2011 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Impact of Substratum Surface on Microbial Community Structure and Treatment Performance in Biological Aerated Filters

PubMed Central

Kim, Lavane; Pagaling, Eulyn; Zuo, Yi Y.

2014-01-01

The impact of substratum surface property change on biofilm community structure was investigated using laboratory biological aerated filter (BAF) reactors and molecular microbial community analysis. Two substratum surfaces that differed in surface properties were created via surface coating and used to develop biofilms in test (modified surface) and control (original surface) BAF reactors. Microbial community analysis by 16S rRNA gene-based PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) showed that the surface property change consistently resulted in distinct profiles of microbial populations during replicate reactor start-ups. Pyrosequencing of the bar-coded 16S rRNA gene amplicons surveyed more than 90% of the microbial diversity in the microbial communities and identified 72 unique bacterial species within 19 bacterial orders. Among the 19 orders of bacteria detected, Burkholderiales and Rhodocyclales of the Betaproteobacteria class were numerically dominant and accounted for 90.5 to 97.4% of the sequence reads, and their relative abundances in the test and control BAF reactors were different in consistent patterns during the two reactor start-ups. Three of the five dominant bacterial species also showed consistent relative abundance changes between the test and control BAF reactors. The different biofilm microbial communities led to different treatment efficiencies, with consistently higher total organic carbon (TOC) removal in the test reactor than in the control reactor. Further understanding of how surface properties affect biofilm microbial communities and functional performance would enable the rational design of new generations of substrata for the improvement of biofilm-based biological treatment processes. PMID:24141134

EVA Metro Sedan electric-propulsion system: test and evaluation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Reimers, E.

1979-09-01

The procedure and results of the performance evaluation of the EVA Metro Sedan (car No. 1) variable speed dc chopper motor drive and its three speed automatic transmission are presented. The propulsion system for a battery powered vehicle manufactured by Electric Vehicle Associates, Valley View, Ohio, was removed from the vehicle, mounted on the programmable electric dynamometer test facility and evaluated with the aid of a hp 3052A Data Acquisition System. Performance data for the automatic transmission, the solid state dc motor speed controller, and the dc motor in the continuous and pulsating dc power mode, as derived on themore » dynamometer test facility, as well as the entire propulsion system are given. This concept and the system's components were evaluated in terms of commercial applicability, maintainability, and energy utility to establish a design base for the further development of this system or similar propulsion drives. The propulsion system of the EVA Metro Sedan is powered by sixteen 6-volt traction batteries, Type EV 106 (Exide Battery Mfg. Co.). A thyristor controlled cable form Pulsomatic Mark 10 controller, actuated by a foot throttle, controls the voltage applied to a dc series field motor, rated at 10 hp at 3800 rpm (Baldor Electric Co.). Gear speed reduction to the wheel is accomplished by the original equipment three speed automatic transmission with torque converter (Renault 12 Sedan). The brake consists of a power-assisted, hydraulic braking system with front wheel disk and rear drum. An ability to recuperate electric energy with subsequent storage in the battery power supply is not provided.« less

Improving biogas production from continuous co-digestion of oily wastewater and waste-activated sludge by hydrodynamic cavitation pre-treatment.

PubMed

Habashi, Nima; Alighardashi, Abolghasem; Mennerich, Artur; Mehrdadi, Nasser; Torabian, Ali

2018-04-01

Hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) was evaluated as a pretreatment for synthetic oily wastewater (OWW) to be co-digested with waste-activated sludge (WAS). The main objective of the present research was the enhancement of biogas production by the application of HC pretreatment. HC was applied to the OWW, and the OWW and WAS were added to a 50 L continuous digestion reactor. As a control system, an identical digestion reactor was set up for co-digestion of the WAS and the OWW without pretreatment. The reactors were initially filled with inoculum and the hydraulic retention time (HRT) was set to 22 d. The HRT was gradually reduced to 19, 16, and finally 13 d, but the substrate quality was kept constant. The loading rate, accordingly, increased from 0.86 to 1.46 g TVS/(L d). The biogas volume was recorded online and its quality was analyzed regularly. The HC improved biogas production up to 43% at 22 d of HRT. Reducing the HRT decreased biogas production from the main reactor while that of the control reactor was more or less constant. HC also increased the biogas methane content; the methane concentration of the main reactor was about 3% higher than the methane concentration of the control reactor. The main reactor experienced no clogging or accumulation of fatty materials.

Nuclear reactor fuel containment safety structure

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rosewell, M.P.

A nuclear reactor fuel containment safety structure is disclosed and is shown to include an atomic reactor fuel shield with a fuel containment chamber and exhaust passage means, and a deactivating containment base attached beneath the fuel reactor shield and having exhaust passages, manifold, and fluxing and control material and vessels. 1 claim, 8 figures.

A novel plant protection strategy for transient reactors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhattacharyya, Samit K.; Lipinski, Walter C.; Hanan, Nelson A.

The present plant protection system (PPS) has been defined for use in the TREAT-upgrade (TU) reactor for controlled transient operation of reactor-fuel behavior testing under simulated reactor-accident conditions. A PPS with energy-dependent trip set points lowered worst-case clad temperatures by as much as 180 K, relative to the use of conventional fixed-level trip set points. The multilayered multilevel protection strategy represents the state-of-the-art in terrestrial transient reactor protection systems, and should be applicable to multi-MW space reactors.

Nuclear Energy Policy

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-12-10

Small Modular Reactors Rising cost estimates for large conventional nuclear power plants—widely projected to be $6 billion or more—have contributed to growing interest in proposals for smaller, modular reactors. Ranging from about 40 to 350 megawatts of electrical capacity, such reactors would be only a fraction of the size of current commercial reactors. Several modular reactors would be installed together to make up a power block with a single control room, under most concepts. Modular reactor concepts would use a variety of technologies,

Impact of non-ionic surfactant on the long-term development of lab-scale-activated sludge bacterial communities.

PubMed

Lozada, Mariana; Basile, Laura; Erijman, Leonardo

2007-01-01

The development of bacterial communities in replicate lab-scale-activated sludge reactors degrading a non-ionic surfactant was evaluated by statistical analysis of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) fingerprints. Four sequential batch reactors were fed with synthetic sewage, two of which received, in addition, 0.01% of nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPE). The dynamic character of bacterial community structure was confirmed by the differences in species composition among replicate reactors. Measurement of similarities between reactors was obtained by pairwise similarity analysis using the Bray Curtis coefficient. The group of NPE-amended reactors exhibited the highest similarity values (Sjk=0.53+/-0.03), indicating that the bacterial community structure of NPE-amended reactors was better replicated than control reactors (Sjk=0.36+/-0.04). Replicate NPE-amended reactors taken at different times of operation clustered together, whereas analogous relations within the control reactor cluster were not observed. The DGGE pattern of isolates grown in conditioned media prepared with media taken at the end of the aeration cycle grouped separately from other conditioned and synthetic media regardless of the carbon source amendment, suggesting that NPE degradation residuals could have a role in the shaping of the community structure.

Control console replacement at the WPI Reactor. [Final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1992-12-31

With partial funding from the Department of Energy (DOE) University Reactor Instrumentation Upgrade Program (DOE Grant No. DE-FG02-90ER12982), the original control console at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) Reactor has been replaced with a modern system. The new console maintains the original design bases and functionality while utilizing current technology. An advanced remote monitoring system has been added to augment the educational capabilities of the reactor. Designed and built by General Electric in 1959, the open pool nuclear training reactor at WPI was one of the first such facilities in the nation located on a university campus. Devoted to undergraduatemore » use, the reactor and its related facilities have been since used to train two generations of nuclear engineers and scientists for the nuclear industry. The reactor power level was upgraded from 1 to 10 kill in 1969, and its operating license was renewed for 20 years in 1983. In 1988, the reactor was converted to low enriched uranium. The low power output of the reactor and ergonomic facility design make it an ideal tool for undergraduate nuclear engineering education and other training.« less

Physical and chemical controls on the critical zone

USGS Publications Warehouse

Anderson, S.P.; Von Blanckenburg, F.; White, A.F.

2007-01-01

Geochemists have long recognized a correlation between rates of physical denudation and chemical weathering. What underlies this correlation? The Critical Zone can be considered as a feed-through reactor. Downward advance of the weathering front brings unweathered rock into the reactor. Fluids are supplied through precipitation. The reactor is stirred at the top by biological and physical processes. The balance between advance of the weathering front by mechanical and chemical processes and mass loss by denudation fixes the thickness of the Critical Zone reactor. The internal structure of this reactor is controlled by physical processes that create surface area, determine flow paths, and set the residence time of material in the Critical Zone. All of these impact chemical weathering flux.

Nuclear reactor with low-level core coolant intake

DOEpatents

Challberg, Roy C.; Townsend, Harold E.

1993-01-01

A natural-circulation boiling-water reactor has skirts extending downward from control rod guide tubes to about 10 centimeters from the reactor vessel bottom. The skirts define annular channels about control rod drive housings that extend through the reactor vessel bottom. Recirculating water is forced in through the low-level entrances to these channels, sweeping bottom water into the channels in the process. The sweeping action prevents cooler water from accumulating at the bottom. This in turn minimizes thermal shock to bottom-dwelling components as would occur when accumulated cool water is swept away and suddenly replaced by warmer water.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Boyack, B.E.; Steiner, J.L.; Harmony, S.C.

The PIUS advanced reactor is a 640-MWe pressurized water reactor concept developed by Asea Brown Boveri. A unique feature of PIUS is the absence of mechanical control and shutdown rods. Reactivity is controlled by coolant boron concentration and the temperature of the moderator coolant. Los Alamos supported the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission`s preapplication review of the PIUS reactor. Baseline calculations of the PIUS design were performed for active and passive reactor scrams using TRAC-PF1/MOD2. Additional sensitivity studies examined flow blockage and boron dilution events to explore the robustness of the PIUS concept for low-probability combination events following active-system scrams.

On some control problems of dynamic of reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baskakov, A. V.; Volkov, N. P.

2017-12-01

The paper analyzes controllability of the transient processes in some problems of nuclear reactor dynamics. In this case, the mathematical model of nuclear reactor dynamics is described by a system of integro-differential equations consisting of the non-stationary anisotropic multi-velocity kinetic equation of neutron transport and the balance equation of delayed neutrons. The paper defines the formulation of the linear problem on control of transient processes in nuclear reactors with application of spatially distributed actions on internal neutron sources, and the formulation of the nonlinear problems on control of transient processes with application of spatially distributed actions on the neutron absorption coefficient and the neutron scattering indicatrix. The required control actions depend on the spatial and velocity coordinates. The theorems on existence and uniqueness of these control actions are proved in the paper. To do this, the control problems mentioned above are reduced to equivalent systems of integral equations. Existence and uniqueness of the solution for this system of integral equations is proved by the method of successive approximations, which makes it possible to construct an iterative scheme for numerical analyses of transient processes in a given nuclear reactor with application of the developed mathematical model. Sufficient conditions for controllability of transient processes are also obtained. In conclusion, a connection is made between the control problems and the observation problems, which, by to the given information, allow us to reconstruct either the function of internal neutron sources, or the neutron absorption coefficient, or the neutron scattering indicatrix....

Advanced gray rod control assembly

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Drudy, Keith J; Carlson, William R; Conner, Michael E

An advanced gray rod control assembly (GRCA) for a nuclear reactor. The GRCA provides controlled insertion of gray rod assemblies into the reactor, thereby controlling the rate of power produced by the reactor and providing reactivity control at full power. Each gray rod assembly includes an elongated tubular member, a primary neutron-absorber disposed within the tubular member said neutron-absorber comprising an absorber material, preferably tungsten, having a 2200 m/s neutron absorption microscopic capture cross-section of from 10 to 30 barns. An internal support tube can be positioned between the primary absorber and the tubular member as a secondary absorber tomore » enhance neutron absorption, absorber depletion, assembly weight, and assembly heat transfer characteristics.« less

Analysis of space reactor system components: Investigation through simulation and non-nuclear testing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bragg-Sitton, Shannon M.

The use of fission energy in space power and propulsion systems offers considerable advantages over chemical propulsion. Fission provides over six orders of magnitude higher energy density, which translates to higher vehicle specific impulse and lower specific mass. These characteristics enable ambitious space exploration missions. The natural space radiation environment provides an external source of protons and high energy, high Z particles that can result in the production of secondary neutrons through interactions in reactor structures. Applying the approximate proton source in geosynchronous orbit during a solar particle event, investigation using MCNPX 2.5.b for proton transport through the SAFE-400 heat pipe cooled reactor indicates an incoming secondary neutron current of (1.16 +/- 0.03) x 107 n/s at the core-reflector interface. This neutron current may affect reactor operation during low power maneuvers (e.g., start-up) and may provide a sufficient reactor start-up source. It is important that a reactor control system be designed to automatically adjust to changes in reactor power levels, maintaining nominal operation without user intervention. A robust, autonomous control system is developed and analyzed for application during reactor start-up, accounting for fluctuations in the radiation environment that result from changes in vehicle location or to temporal variations in the radiation field. Development of a nuclear reactor for space applications requires a significant amount of testing prior to deployment of a flight unit. High confidence in fission system performance can be obtained through relatively inexpensive non-nuclear tests performed in relevant environments, with the heat from nuclear fission simulated using electric resistance heaters. A series of non-nuclear experiments was performed to characterize various aspects of reactor operation. This work includes measurement of reactor core deformation due to material thermal expansion and implementation of a virtual reactivity feedback control loop; testing and thermal hydraulic characterization of the coolant flow paths for two space reactor concepts; and analysis of heat pipe operation during start-up and steady state operation.

CONTROL IN NUCLEAR REACTORS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bell, F.R.

1963-01-16

An arrangement was described for scramming a reactor in an emergency. Control rods were position adjusted by an electric motor and transmission. A locking system kept the control rods in position but was arranged to be released in an emergency to allow the rods to drop into their shutdown position. (C.E.S.)

Autonomous Control of Space Reactor Systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Belle R. Upadhyaya; K. Zhao; S.R.P. Perillo

2007-11-30

Autonomous and semi-autonomous control is a key element of space reactor design in order to meet the mission requirements of safety, reliability, survivability, and life expectancy. Interrestrial nuclear power plants, human operators are avilable to perform intelligent control functions that are necessary for both normal and abnormal operational conditions.

Electric-stepping-motor tests for a control-drum actuator of a nuclear reactor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kieffer, A. W.

1972-01-01

Experimental tests were conducted on two stepping motors for application as reactor control-drum actuators. Various control-drum loads with frictional resistances ranging from approximately zero to 40 N-m and inertias ranging from zero to 0.424 kg-sq m were tested.

Electronically commutated dc motors for electric vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maslowski, E. A.

1981-01-01

A motor development program to explore the feasibility of electronically commutated dc motors (also known as brushless) for electric cars is described. Two different design concepts and a number of design variations based on these concepts are discussed. One design concept is based on a permanent magnet, medium speed, machine rated at 7000 to 9000 rpm, and powered via a transistor inverter power conditioner. The other concept is based on a permanent magnet, high speed, machine rated at 22,000 to 26,000 rpm, and powered via a thyristor inverter power conditioner. Test results are presented for a medium speed motor and a high speed motor each of which have been fabricated using samarium cobalt permanent magnet material.

Electric converters of electromagnetic strike machine with capacitor supply

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Usanov, K. M.; Volgin, A. V.; Kargin, V. A.; Moiseev, A. P.; Chetverikov, E. A.

2018-03-01

The application of pulse linear electromagnetic engines in small power strike machines (energy impact is 0.01...1.0 kJ), where the characteristic mode of rare beats (pulse seismic vibrator, the arch crash device bins bulk materials), is quite effective. At the same time, the technical and economic performance of such machines is largely determined by the ability of the power source to provide a large instantaneous power of the supply pulses in the winding of the linear electromagnetic motor. The use of intermediate energy storage devices in power systems of rare-shock LEME makes it possible to obtain easily large instantaneous powers, forced energy conversion, and increase the performance of the machine. A capacitor power supply of a pulsed source of seismic waves is proposed for the exploration of shallow depths. The sections of the capacitor storage (CS) are connected to the winding of the linear electromagnetic motor by thyristor dischargers, the sequence of activation of which is determined by the control device. The charge of the capacitors to the required voltage is made directly from the battery source, or through the converter from a battery source with a smaller number of batteries.

Self-actuating reactor shutdown system

DOEpatents

Barrus, Donald M.; Brummond, Willian A; Peterson, Leslie F.

1988-01-01

A control system for the automatic or self-actuated shutdown or "scram" of a nuclear reactor. The system is capable of initiating scram insertion by a signal from the plant protection system or by independent action directly sensing reactor conditions of low-flow or over-power. Self-actuation due to a loss of reactor coolant flow results from a decrease of pressure differential between the upper and lower ends of an absorber element. When the force due to this differential falls below the weight of the element, the element will fall by gravitational force to scram the reactor. Self-actuation due to high neutron flux is accomplished via a valve controlled by an electromagnet and a thermionic diode. In a reactor over-power, the diode will be heated to a change of state causing the electromagnet to be shorted thereby actuating the valve which provides the changed flow and pressure conditions required for scramming the absorber element.

Adaptive Neural Network Algorithm for Power Control in Nuclear Power Plants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masri Husam Fayiz, Al

2017-01-01

The aim of this paper is to design, test and evaluate a prototype of an adaptive neural network algorithm for the power controlling system of a nuclear power plant. The task of power control in nuclear reactors is one of the fundamental tasks in this field. Therefore, researches are constantly conducted to ameliorate the power reactor control process. Currently, in the Department of Automation in the National Research Nuclear University (NRNU) MEPhI, numerous studies are utilizing various methodologies of artificial intelligence (expert systems, neural networks, fuzzy systems and genetic algorithms) to enhance the performance, safety, efficiency and reliability of nuclear power plants. In particular, a study of an adaptive artificial intelligent power regulator in the control systems of nuclear power reactors is being undertaken to enhance performance and to minimize the output error of the Automatic Power Controller (APC) on the grounds of a multifunctional computer analyzer (simulator) of the Water-Water Energetic Reactor known as Vodo-Vodyanoi Energetichesky Reaktor (VVER) in Russian. In this paper, a block diagram of an adaptive reactor power controller was built on the basis of an intelligent control algorithm. When implementing intelligent neural network principles, it is possible to improve the quality and dynamic of any control system in accordance with the principles of adaptive control. It is common knowledge that an adaptive control system permits adjusting the controller’s parameters according to the transitions in the characteristics of the control object or external disturbances. In this project, it is demonstrated that the propitious options for an automatic power controller in nuclear power plants is a control system constructed on intelligent neural network algorithms.

Apparatus for controlling coolant level in a liquid-metal-cooled nuclear reactor

DOEpatents

Jones, Robert D.

1978-01-01

A liquid-metal-cooled fast-breeder reactor which has a thermal liner spaced inwardly of the pressure vessel and includes means for passing bypass coolant through the annulus between the thermal liner and the pressure vessel to insulate the pressure vessel from hot outlet coolant includes control ports in the thermal liner a short distance below the normal operating coolant level in the reactor and an overflow nozzle in the pressure vessel below the control ports connected to an overflow line including a portion at an elevation such that overflow coolant flow is established when the coolant level in the reactor is above the top of the coolant ports. When no makeup coolant is added, bypass flow is inwardly through the control ports and there is no overflow; when makeup coolant is being added, coolant flow through the overflow line will maintain the coolant level.

Integrated intelligent systems in advanced reactor control rooms

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Beckmeyer, R.R.

1989-01-01

An intelligent, reactor control room, information system is designed to be an integral part of an advanced control room and will assist the reactor operator's decision making process by continuously monitoring the current plant state and providing recommended operator actions to improve that state. This intelligent system is an integral part of, as well as an extension to, the plant protection and control systems. This paper describes the interaction of several functional components (intelligent information data display, technical specifications monitoring, and dynamic procedures) of the overall system and the artificial intelligence laboratory environment assembled for testing the prototype. 10 refs.,more » 5 figs.« less

Cost-Effective Systems for Atomic Layer Deposition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lubitz, Michael; Medina, Phillip A., IV; Antic, Aleks; Rosin, Joseph T.; Fahlman, Bradley D.

2014-01-01

Herein, we describe the design and testing of two different home-built atomic layer deposition (ALD) systems for the growth of thin films with sub-monolayer control over film thickness. The first reactor is a horizontally aligned hot-walled reactor with a vacuum purging system. The second reactor is a vertically aligned cold-walled reactor with a…

Operational performance of the three bean salad control algorithm on the ACRR (Annular Core Research Reactor)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ball, R.M.; Madaras, J.J.; Trowbridge, F.R. Jr.

Experimental tests on the Annular Core Research Reactor have confirmed that the Three-Bean-Salad'' control algorithm based on the Pontryagin maximum principle can change the power of a nuclear reactor many decades with a very fast startup rate and minimal overshoot. The paper describes the results of simulations and operations up to 25 MW and 87 decades per minute. 3 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab.

Controlled CO preferential oxidation

DOEpatents

Meltser, M.A.; Hoch, M.M.

1997-06-10

Method is described for controlling the supply of air to a PROX (PReferential OXidation for CO cleanup) reactor for the preferential oxidation in the presence of hydrogen wherein the concentration of the hydrogen entering and exiting the PROX reactor is monitored, the difference there between correlated to the amount of air needed to minimize such difference, and based thereon the air supply to the PROX reactor adjusted to provide such amount and minimize such difference. 2 figs.

Improved Power System Stability Using Backtracking Search Algorithm for Coordination Design of PSS and TCSC Damping Controller.

PubMed

Niamul Islam, Naz; Hannan, M A; Mohamed, Azah; Shareef, Hussain

2016-01-01

Power system oscillation is a serious threat to the stability of multimachine power systems. The coordinated control of power system stabilizers (PSS) and thyristor-controlled series compensation (TCSC) damping controllers is a commonly used technique to provide the required damping over different modes of growing oscillations. However, their coordinated design is a complex multimodal optimization problem that is very hard to solve using traditional tuning techniques. In addition, several limitations of traditionally used techniques prevent the optimum design of coordinated controllers. In this paper, an alternate technique for robust damping over oscillation is presented using backtracking search algorithm (BSA). A 5-area 16-machine benchmark power system is considered to evaluate the design efficiency. The complete design process is conducted in a linear time-invariant (LTI) model of a power system. It includes the design formulation into a multi-objective function from the system eigenvalues. Later on, nonlinear time-domain simulations are used to compare the damping performances for different local and inter-area modes of power system oscillations. The performance of the BSA technique is compared against that of the popular particle swarm optimization (PSO) for coordinated design efficiency. Damping performances using different design techniques are compared in term of settling time and overshoot of oscillations. The results obtained verify that the BSA-based design improves the system stability significantly. The stability of the multimachine power system is improved by up to 74.47% and 79.93% for an inter-area mode and a local mode of oscillation, respectively. Thus, the proposed technique for coordinated design has great potential to improve power system stability and to maintain its secure operation.

MTR BASEMENT. GENERAL ELECTRIC CONTROL CONSOLE FOR AIRCRAFT NUCLEAR PROPULSION ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

MTR BASEMENT. GENERAL ELECTRIC CONTROL CONSOLE FOR AIRCRAFT NUCLEAR PROPULSION EXPERIMENT NO. 1. INL NEGATIVE NO. 6510. Unknown Photographer, 9/29/1959 - Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Test Reactor Area, Materials & Engineering Test Reactors, Scoville, Butte County, ID

Self isolating high frequency saturable reactor

DOEpatents

Moore, James A.

1998-06-23

The present invention discloses a saturable reactor and a method for decoupling the interwinding capacitance from the frequency limitations of the reactor so that the equivalent electrical circuit of the saturable reactor comprises a variable inductor. The saturable reactor comprises a plurality of physically symmetrical magnetic cores with closed loop magnetic paths and a novel method of wiring a control winding and a RF winding. The present invention additionally discloses a matching network and method for matching the impedances of a RF generator to a load. The matching network comprises a matching transformer and a saturable reactor.

Microprocessor tester for the treat upgrade reactor trip system

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lenkszus, F.R.; Bucher, R.G.

1984-01-01

The upgrading of the Transient Reactor Test (TREAT) Facility at ANL-Idaho has been designed to provide additional experimental capabilities for the study of core disruptive accident (CDA) phenomena. In addition, a programmable Automated Reactor Control System (ARCS) will permit high-power transients up to 11,000 MW having a controlled reactor period of from 15 to 0.1 sec. These modifications to the core neutronics will improve simulation of LMFBR accident conditions. Finally, a sophisticated, multiply-redundant safety system, the Reactor Trip System (RTS), will provide safe operation for both steady state and transient production operating modes. To insure that this complex safety systemmore » is functioning properly, a Dedicated Microprocessor Tester (DMT) has been implemented to perform a thorough checkout of the RTS prior to all TREAT operations.« less

Analysis of JKT01 Neutron Flux Detector Measurements In RSG-GAS Reactor Using LabVIEW

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rokhmadi; Nur Rachman, Agus; Sujarwono; Taryo, Taswanda; Sunaryo, Geni Rina

2018-02-01

The RSG-GAS Reactor, one of the Indonesia research reactors and located in Serpong, is owned by the National Nuclear Energy Agency (BATAN). The RSG-GAS reactor has operated since 1987 and some instrumentation and control systems are considered to be degraded and ageing. It is therefore, necessary to evaluate the safety of all instrumentation and controls and one of the component systems to be evaluated is the performance of JKT01 neutron flux detector. Neutron Flux Detector JKT01 basically detects neutron fluxes in the reactor core and converts it into electrical signals. The electrical signal is then forwarded to the amplifier (Amplifier) to become the input of the reactor protection system. One output of it is transferred to the Main Control Room (RKU) showing on the analog meter as an indicator used by the reactor operator. To simulate all of this matter, a program to simulate the output of the JKT01 Neutron Flux Detector using LabVIEW was developed. The simulated data is estimated using a lot of equations also formulated in LabVIEW. The calculation results are also displayed on the interface using LabVIEW available in the PC. By using this simulation program, it is successful to perform anomaly detection experiments on the JKT01 detector of RSG-GAS Reactor. The simulation results showed that the anomaly JKT01 neutron flux using electrical-current-base are respectively, 1.5×,1.7× and 2.0×.

Nuclear reactor shutdown control rod assembly

DOEpatents

Bilibin, Konstantin

1988-01-01

A temperature responsive, self-actuated nuclear reactor shutdown control rod assembly 10. The upper end 18 of a lower drive line 17 fits within the lower end of an upper drive line 12. The lower end (not shown) of the lower drive line 17 is connected to a neutron absorber. During normal temperature conditions the lower drive line 17 is supported by detent means 22,26. When an overtemperature condition occurs thermal actuation means 34 urges ring 26 upwardly sufficiently to allow balls 22 to move radially outwardly thereby allowing lower drive line 17 to move downwardly toward the core of the nuclear reactor resulting in automatic reduction of the reactor powder.

Integral Design Methodology of Photocatalytic Reactors for Air Pollution Remediation.

PubMed

Passalía, Claudio; Alfano, Orlando M; Brandi, Rodolfo J

2017-06-07

An integral reactor design methodology was developed to address the optimal design of photocatalytic wall reactors to be used in air pollution control. For a target pollutant to be eliminated from an air stream, the proposed methodology is initiated with a mechanistic derived reaction rate. The determination of intrinsic kinetic parameters is associated with the use of a simple geometry laboratory scale reactor, operation under kinetic control and a uniform incident radiation flux, which allows computing the local superficial rate of photon absorption. Thus, a simple model can describe the mass balance and a solution may be obtained. The kinetic parameters may be estimated by the combination of the mathematical model and the experimental results. The validated intrinsic kinetics obtained may be directly used in the scaling-up of any reactor configuration and size. The bench scale reactor may require the use of complex computational software to obtain the fields of velocity, radiation absorption and species concentration. The complete methodology was successfully applied to the elimination of airborne formaldehyde. The kinetic parameters were determined in a flat plate reactor, whilst a bench scale corrugated wall reactor was used to illustrate the scaling-up methodology. In addition, an optimal folding angle of the corrugated reactor was found using computational fluid dynamics tools.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REACTOR SAFETY CONTROL

DOEpatents

Huston, N.E.

1961-06-01

A self-contained nuclear reactor fuse controlled device tron absorbing material, normally in a compact form but which can be expanded into an extended form presenting a large surface for neutron absorption when triggered by an increase in neutron flux, is described.

NEUTRONIC REACTORS

DOEpatents

Anderson, H.L.

1958-10-01

The design of control rods for nuclear reactors are described. In this design the control rod consists essentially of an elongated member constructed in part of a neutron absorbing material and having tube means extending therethrough for conducting a liquid to cool the rod when in use.

Tower Shielding Reactor II design and operation report: Vol. 2. Safety Analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Holland, L. B.; Kolb, J. O.

1970-01-01

Information on the Tower Shielding Reactor II is contained in the TSR-II Design and Operation Report and in the Tower Shielding Facility Manual. The TSR-II Design and Operating Report consists of three volumes. Volume 1 is Descriptions of the Tower Shielding Reactor II and Facility; Volume 2 is Safety analysis of the Tower Shielding Reactor II; and Volume 3 is the Assembly and Testing of the Tower Shielding Reactor II Control Mechanism Housing.

PRESSURIZED WATER REACTOR CORE WITH PLUTONIUM BURNUP

DOEpatents

Puechl, K.H.

1963-09-24

A pressurized water reactor is described having a core containing Pu/sup 240/ in which the effective microscopic neutronabsorption cross section of Pu/sup 240/ in unconverted condition decreases as the time of operation of the reactor increases, in order to compensate for loss of reactivity resulting from fission product buildup during reactor operation. This means serves to improve the efficiency of the reactor operation by reducing power losses resulting from control rods and burnable poisons. (AEC)

Energy efficient continuous flow ash lockhopper

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Collins, Earl R., Jr. (Inventor); Suitor, Jerry W. (Inventor); Dubis, David (Inventor)

1989-01-01

The invention relates to an energy efficient continuous flow ash lockhopper, or other lockhopper for reactor product or byproduct. The invention includes an ash hopper at the outlet of a high temperature, high pressure reactor vessel containing heated high pressure gas, a fluidics control chamber having an input port connected to the ash hopper's output port and an output port connected to the input port of a pressure letdown means, and a control fluid supply for regulating the pressure in the control chamber to be equal to or greater than the internal gas pressure of the reactor vessel, whereby the reactor gas is contained while ash is permitted to continuously flow from the ash hopper's output port, impelled by gravity. The main novelty resides in the use of a control chamber to so control pressure under the lockhopper that gases will not exit from the reactor vessel, and to also regulate the ash flow rate. There is also novelty in the design of the ash lockhopper shown in two figures. The novelty there is the use of annular passages of progressively greater diameter, and rotating the center parts on a shaft, with the center part of each slightly offset from adjacent ones to better assure ash flow through the opening.

REACTIVITY MEASUREMENT FACILITY. CAMERA LOOKS DOWN INTO MTR CANAL. REACTOR ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

REACTIVITY MEASUREMENT FACILITY. CAMERA LOOKS DOWN INTO MTR CANAL. REACTOR IS FUELED AS AN ETR MOCK-UP. LIGHTS DANGLE BELOW WATER LEVEL. CONTROL RODS AND OTHER APPARATUS DESCEND FROM ABOVE WATER LEVEL. INL NEGATIVE NO. 56-900. Jack L. Anderson, Photographer, 3/26/1956 - Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Test Reactor Area, Materials & Engineering Test Reactors, Scoville, Butte County, ID

40 CFR 63.494 - Back-end process provisions-residual organic HAP and emission limitations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... be measured after the stripping operation (or the reactor(s), if the plant has no stripper(s)), as... operation (or the reactor(s), if the plant has no stripper(s)). The limitation shall be calculated and... = Controlled emissions in 2009, Mg/yr P2009 = Total elastomer product leaving the stripper in 2009, Mg/yr...

40 CFR 63.494 - Back-end process provisions-residual organic HAP and emission limitations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... be measured after the stripping operation (or the reactor(s), if the plant has no stripper(s)), as... operation (or the reactor(s), if the plant has no stripper(s)). The limitation shall be calculated and... = Controlled emissions in 2009, Mg/yr P2009 = Total elastomer product leaving the stripper in 2009, Mg/yr...

Variable flow control for a nuclear reactor control rod

DOEpatents

Carleton, Richard D.; Bhattacharyya, Ajay

1978-01-01

A variable flow control for a control rod assembly of a nuclear reactor that depends on turbulent friction though an annulus. The annulus is formed by a piston attached to the control rod drive shaft and a housing or sleeve fitted to the enclosure housing the control rod. As the nuclear fuel is burned up and the need exists for increased reactivity, the control rods are withdrawn, which increases the length of the annulus and decreases the rate of coolant flow through the control rod assembly.

CONTROL ROD DRIVE

DOEpatents

Chapellier, R.A.

1960-05-24

BS>A drive mechanism was invented for the control rod of a nuclear reactor. Power is provided by an electric motor and an outside source of fluid pressure is utilized in conjunction with the fluid pressure within the reactor to balance the loadings on the motor. The force exerted on the drive mechanism in the direction of scramming the rod is derived from the reactor fluid pressure so that failure of the outside pressure source will cause prompt scramming of the rod.

Automatic safety rod for reactors. [LMFBR

DOEpatents

Germer, J.H.

1982-03-23

An automatic safety rod for a nuclear reactor containing neutron absorbing material and designed to be inserted into a reactor core after a loss-of-flow. Actuation is based upon either a sudden decrease in core pressure drop or the pressure drop decreases below a predetermined minimum value. The automatic control rod includes a pressure regulating device whereby a controlled decrease in operating pressure due to reduced coolant flow does not cause the rod to drop into the core.

Automatic safety rod for reactors

DOEpatents

Germer, John H.

1988-01-01

An automatic safety rod for a nuclear reactor containing neutron absorbing material and designed to be inserted into a reactor core after a loss-of-core flow. Actuation is based upon either a sudden decrease in core pressure drop or the pressure drop decreases below a predetermined minimum value. The automatic control rod includes a pressure regulating device whereby a controlled decrease in operating pressure due to reduced coolant flow does not cause the rod to drop into the core.

The generation of concentration gradients using electroosmotic flow in micro reactors allowing stereoselective chemical synthesis.

PubMed

Skelton, V; Greenway, G M; Haswell, S J; Styring, P; Morgan, D O; Warrington, B H; Wong, S Y

2001-01-01

The stereoselective control of chemical reactions has been achieved by applying electrical fields in a micro reactor generating controlled concentration gradients of the reagent streams. The chemistry based upon well-established Wittig synthesis was carried out in a micro reactor device fabricated in borosilicate glass using photolithographic and wet etching techniques. The selectivity of the cis (Z) to trans (E) isomeric ratio in the product synthesised was controlled by varying the applied voltages to the reagent reservoirs within the micro reactor. This subsequently altered the relative reagent concentrations within the device resulting in Z/E ratios in the range 0.57-5.21. By comparison, a traditional batch method based on the same reaction length, concentration, solvent and stoichiometry (i.e., 1.0:1.5:1.0 reagent ratios) gave a Z/E in the range 2.8-3.0. However, when the stoichiometric ratios were varied up to ten times as much, the Z/E ratios varied in accordance to the micro reactor i.e., when the aldehyde is in excess, the Z isomer predominates whereas when the aldehyde is in low concentrations, the E isomer is the more favourable form. Thus indicating that localised concentration gradients generated by careful flow control due to the diffusion limited non-turbulent mixing regime within a micro reactor, leads to the observed stereo selectivity for the cis and trans isomers.

Factors Affecting Herd Status for Bovine Tuberculosis in Dairy Cattle in Northern Thailand

PubMed Central

Singhla, Tawatchai; Punyapornwithaya, Veerasak; VanderWaal, Kimberly L.; Alvarez, Julio; Sreevatsan, Srinand; Phornwisetsirikun, Somphorn; Sankwan, Jamnong; Srijun, Mongkol; Wells, Scott J.

2017-01-01

The objective of this case-control study was to identify farm-level risk factors associated with bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in dairy cows in northern Thailand. Spatial analysis was performed to identify geographical clustering of case-farms located in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai provinces in northern Thailand. To identify management factors affecting bTB status, a matched case-control study was conducted with 20 case-farms and 38 control-farms. Case-farms were dairy farms with at least single intradermal tuberculin test- (SIT-) reactor(s) in the farms during 2011 to 2015. Control-farms were dairy farms with no SIT-reactors in the same period and located within 5 km from case-farms. Questionnaires were administered for data collection with questions based on epidemiological plausibility and characteristics of the local livestock industry. Data were analyzed using multiple logistic regressions. A significant geographic cluster was identified only in Chiang Mai province (p < 0.05). The risk factor associated with presence of SIT-reactors in dairy herds located in this region was purchasing dairy cows from dealers (OR = 5.85, 95% CI = 1.66–20.58, and p = 0.006). From this study, it was concluded that geographic clustering was identified for dairy farms with SIT-reactors in these provinces, and the cattle movements through cattle dealers increased the risks for SIT-reactor farm status. PMID:28553557

Digital computer study of nuclear reactor thermal transients during startup of 60-kWe Brayton power conversion system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jefferies, K. S.; Tew, R. C.

1974-01-01

A digital computer study was made of reactor thermal transients during startup of the Brayton power conversion loop of a 60-kWe reactor Brayton power system. A startup procedure requiring the least Brayton system complication was tried first; this procedure caused violations of design limits on key reactor variables. Several modifications of this procedure were then found which caused no design limit violations. These modifications involved: (1) using a slower rate of increase in gas flow; (2) increasing the initial reactor power level to make the reactor respond faster; and (3) appropriate reactor control drum manipulation during the startup transient.

Automatic reactor control system for transient operation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lipinski, Walter C.; Bhattacharyya, Samit K.; Hanan, Nelson A.

Various programmatic considerations have delayed the upgrading of the TREAT reactor and the performance of the control system is not yet experimentally verified. The current schedule calls for the upgrading activities to occur last in the calendar year 1987. Detailed simulation results, coupled with earlier validation of individual components of the control strategy in TREAT, verify the performance of the algorithms. The control system operates within the safety envelope provided by a protection system designed to ensure reactor safety under conditions of spurious reactivity additions. The approach should be directly applicable to MMW systems, with appropriate accounting of temperature rate limitations of key components and of the inertia of the secondary system components.

Boiling water reactor radiation shielded Control Rod Drive Housing Supports

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Baversten, B.; Linden, M.J.

1995-03-01

The Control Rod Drive (CRD) mechanisms are located in the area below the reactor vessel in a Boiling Water Reactor (BWR). Specifically, these CRDs are located between the bottom of the reactor vessel and above an interlocking structure of steel bars and rods, herein identified as CRD Housing Supports. The CRD Housing Supports are designed to limit the travel of a Control Rod and Control Rod Drive in the event that the CRD vessel attachement went to fail, allowing the CRD to be ejected from the vessel. By limiting the travel of the ejected CRD, the supports prevent a nuclearmore » overpower excursion that could occur as a result of the ejected CRD. The Housing Support structure must be disassembled in order to remove CRDs for replacement or maintenance. The disassembly task can require a significant amount of outage time and personnel radiation exposure dependent on the number and location of the CRDs to be changed out. This paper presents a way to minimize personal radiation exposure through the re-design of the Housing Support structure. The following paragraphs also delineate a method of avoiding the awkward, manual, handling of the structure under the reactor vessel during a CRD change out.« less

Stimulation of methanogenesis in anaerobic digesters treating leachate from a municipal solid waste incineration plant with carbon cloth.

PubMed

Lei, Yuqing; Sun, Dezhi; Dang, Yan; Chen, Huimin; Zhao, Zhiqiang; Zhang, Yaobin; Holmes, Dawn E

2016-12-01

Bio-methanogenic digestion of incineration leachate is hindered by high OLRs, which can lead to build-up of VFAs, drops in pH and ultimately in reactor souring. It was hypothesized that incorporation of carbon cloth into reactors treating leachate would promote DIET and enhance reactor performance. To examine this possibility, carbon cloth was added to laboratory-scale UASB reactors that were fed incineration leachate. As expected, the carbon-cloth amended reactor could operate stably with a 34.2% higher OLR than the control (49.4 vs 36.8kgCOD/(m 3 d)). Microbial community analysis showed that bacteria capable of extracellular electron transfer and methanogens known to participate in DIET were enriched on the carbon cloth surface, and conductivity of sludge from the carbon cloth amended reactor was almost twofold higher than sludge from the control (9.77 vs 5.47μS/cm), suggesting that microorganisms in the experimental reactor may have been expressing electrically conductive filaments. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Study on core radius minimization for long life Pb-Bi cooled CANDLE burnup scheme based fast reactor

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Afifah, Maryam, E-mail: maryam.afifah210692@gmail.com; Su’ud, Zaki; Miura, Ryosuke

2015-09-30

Fast Breeder Reactor had been interested to be developed over the world because it inexhaustible source energy, one of those is CANDLE reactor which is have strategy in burn-up scheme, need not control roads for control burn-up, have a constant core characteristics during energy production and don’t need fuel shuffling. The calculation was made by basic reactor analysis which use Sodium coolant geometry core parameter as a reference core to study on minimum core reactor radius of CANDLE for long life Pb-Bi cooled, also want to perform pure coolant effect comparison between LBE and sodium in a same geometry design.more » The result show that the minimum core radius of Lead Bismuth cooled CANDLE is 100 cm and 500 MWth thermal output. Lead-Bismuth coolant for CANDLE reactor enable to reduce much reactor size and have a better void coefficient than Sodium cooled as the most coolant for FBR, then we will have a good point in safety analysis.« less

Advanced Shutter Control for a Molecular Beam Epitaxy Reactor

DTIC Science & Technology

An open-source hardware and software-based shutter controller solution was developed that communicates over Ethernet with our original equipment...manufacturer (OEM) molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) reactor control software. An Arduino Mega microcontroller is the used for the brain of the shutter... controller , while a custom-designed circuit board distributes 24-V power to each of the 16 shutter solenoids available on the MBE. Using Ethernet

Inverted Control Rod Lock-In Device

DOEpatents

Brussalis, W. G.; Bost, G. E.

1962-12-01

A mechanism which prevents control rods from dropping out of the reactor core in the event the vessel in which the reactor is mounted should capsize is described. The mechanism includes a pivoted toothed armature which engages the threaded control rod lead screw and prevents removal of the rod whenever the armature is not attracted by the provided electromagnetic means. (AEC)

CONTROL MEANS FOR A NUCLEAR REACTOR

DOEpatents

Teitel, R.J.

1961-09-01

A control means is described for a reactor which employs a liquid fuel consisting of a fissile isotope in a liquid bismuth solvent. The liquid fuel is contained in a plurality of tubular vessels. Control is effected by inserting plungers in the vessels to displace the liquid fuel and provide a critical or non- critical fuel configuration as desired.

CONTROL ROD FOR A NUCLEAR REACTOR AND METHOD OF PREPARATION

DOEpatents

Hausner, H.H.

1958-12-30

BS>An improved control rod is presented for a nuclear reactor. This control rod is comprised of a rare earth metal oxide or rare earth metal carbide such as gadolinium oxide or gadolinium carbide, uniformly distributed in a metal matrix having a low cross sectional area of absorption for thermal neutrons, such as aluminum, beryllium, and zirconium.

HOMOGENEOUS NUCLEAR POWER REACTOR

DOEpatents

King, L.D.P.

1959-09-01

A homogeneous nuclear power reactor utilizing forced circulation of the liquid fuel is described. The reactor does not require fuel handling outside of the reactor vessel during any normal operation including complete shutdown to room temperature, the reactor being selfregulating under extreme operating conditions and controlled by the thermal expansion of the liquid fuel. The liquid fuel utilized is a uranium, phosphoric acid, and water solution which requires no gus exhaust system or independent gas recombining system, thereby eliminating the handling of radioiytic gas.

Plasma spark discharge reactor and durable electrode

DOEpatents

Cho, Young I.; Cho, Daniel J.; Fridman, Alexander; Kim, Hyoungsup

2017-01-10

A plasma spark discharge reactor for treating water. The plasma spark discharge reactor comprises a HV electrode with a head and ground electrode that surrounds at least a portion of the HV electrode. A passage for gas may pass through the reactor to a location proximate to the head to provide controlled formation of gas bubbles in order to facilitate the plasma spark discharge in a liquid environment.

Effects of glucose on the performance of enhanced biological phosphorus removal activated sludge enriched with acetate.

PubMed

Gebremariam, Seyoum Yami; Beutel, Marc W; Christian, David; Hess, Thomas F

2012-10-01

The effects of glucose on enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) activated sludge enriched with acetate was investigated using sequencing batch reactors. A glucose/acetate mixture was serially added to the test reactor in ratios of 25/75%, 50/50%, and 75/25% and the EBPR activity was compared to the control reactor fed with 100% acetate. P removal increased at a statistically significant level to a near-complete in the test reactor when the mixture increased to 50/50%. However, EBPR deteriorated when the glucose/acetate mixture increased to 75/25% in the test reactor and when the control reactor abruptly switched to 100% glucose. These results, in contrast to the EBPR conventional wisdom, suggest that the addition of glucose at moderate levels in wastewaters does not impede and may enhance EBPR, and that glucose waste products should be explored as an economical sustainable alternative when COD enhancement of EBPR is needed. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Use of a biparticle fluidized-bed bioreactor for the continuous and simultaneous fermentation and purification of lactic acid

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kaufman, E. N.; Cooper, S. P.; Clement, S. L.

A continuous biparticle fluidized bed reactor is developed for the simultaneous fermentation and purification of lactic acid. In this processing scheme, bacteria are immobilized in gelatin beads and are fluidized in a columnar reactor. Solid particles with sorbent capacity for the product are introduced at the top of the reactor, and fall counter currently to the biocatalyst, effecting in situ removal of the inhibitory product, while also controlling reactor pH at optimal levels. Initial long-term fermentation trials using immobilized Lactobacillus delbreuckii have demonstrated a 12 fold increase in volumetric productivity during adsorbent addition as opposed to control fermentations in themore » same reactor. Unoptimized regeneration of the loaded sorbent has effected at least an 8 fold concentration of lactic acid, and a 68 fold enhancement in separation from glucose compared to original levels in the fermentation broth. The benefits of this reactor system as opposed to conventional batch fermentation are discussed in terms of productivity and process economics.« less

Mechanical design of a light water breeder reactor

DOEpatents

Fauth, Jr., William L.; Jones, Daniel S.; Kolsun, George J.; Erbes, John G.; Brennan, John J.; Weissburg, James A.; Sharbaugh, John E.

1976-01-01

In a light water reactor system using the thorium-232 -- uranium-233 fuel system in a seed-blanket modular core configuration having the modules arranged in a symmetrical array surrounded by a reflector blanket region, the seed regions are disposed for a longitudinal movement between the fixed or stationary blanket region which surrounds each seed region. Control of the reactor is obtained by moving the inner seed region thus changing the geometry of the reactor, and thereby changing the leakage of neutrons from the relatively small seed region into the blanket region. The mechanical design of the Light Water Breeder Reactor (LWBR) core includes means for axially positioning of movable fuel assemblies to achieve the neutron economy required of a breeder reactor, a structure necessary to adequately support the fuel modules without imposing penalties on the breeding capability, a structure necessary to support fuel rods in a closely packed array and a structure necessary to direct and control the flow of coolant to regions in the core in accordance with the heat transfer requirements.

Use of a biparticle fluidized-bed bioreactor for the continuous and simultaneous fermentation and purification of lactic acid

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kaufman, E.N.; Cooper, S.P.; Clement, S.L.

1995-12-31

A continuous biparticle fluidized-bed reactor is developed for the simultaneous fermentation and purification of lactic acid. In this processing scheme, bacteria are immobilized in gelatin beads and are fluidized in a columnar reactor. Solid particles with sorbent capacity for the product are introduced at the top of the reactor, and fall counter currently to the biocatalyst, effecting in situ removal of the inhibitory product, while also controlling reactor pH at optimal levels. Initial long-term fermentation trials using immobilized Lactobacillus delbreuckii have demonstrated a 12-fold increase in volumetric productivity during absorbent addition as opposed to control fermentations in the same reactor.more » Unoptimized regeneration of the loaded sorbent has effected at least an eightfold concentration of lactic acid and a 68-fold enhancement in separation from glucose compared to original levels in the fermentation broth. The benefits of this reactor system as opposed to conventional batch fermentation are discussed in terms of productivity and process economics.« less

Process for operating equilibrium controlled reactions

DOEpatents

Nataraj, Shankar; Carvill, Brian Thomas; Hufton, Jeffrey Raymond; Mayorga, Steven Gerard; Gaffney, Thomas Richard; Brzozowski, Jeffrey Richard

2001-01-01

A cyclic process for operating an equilibrium controlled reaction in a plurality of reactors containing an admixture of an adsorbent and a reaction catalyst suitable for performing the desired reaction which is operated in a predetermined timed sequence wherein the heating and cooling requirements in a moving reaction mass transfer zone within each reactor are provided by indirect heat exchange with a fluid capable of phase change at temperatures maintained in each reactor during sorpreaction, depressurization, purging and pressurization steps during each process cycle.

On Study of Application of Micro-reactor in Chemistry and Chemical Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yunshen

2018-02-01

Serving as a micro-scale chemical reaction system, micro-reactor is characterized by high heat transfer efficiency and mass transfer, strictly controlled reaction time and good safety performance; compared with the traditional mixing reactor, it can effectively shorten reaction time by virtue of these advantages and greatly enhance the chemical reaction conversion rate. However, problems still exist in the process where micro-reactor is used for production in chemistry and chemical field, and relevant researchers are required to optimize and perfect the performance of micro-reactor. This paper analyzes specific application of micro-reactor in chemistry and chemical field.

REACTOR CONTROL

DOEpatents

Ruano, W.J.

1957-12-10

This patent relates to nuclear reactors of the type which utilize elongited rod type fuel elements immersed in a liquid moderator and shows a design whereby control of the chain reaction is obtained by varying the amount of moderator or reflector material. A central tank for containing liquid moderator and fuel elements immersed therein is disposed within a surrounding outer tank providing an annular space between the two tanks. This annular space is filled with liquid moderator which functions as a reflector to reflect neutrons back into the central reactor tank to increase the reproduction ratio. Means are provided for circulating and cooling the moderator material in both tanks and additional means are provided for controlling separately the volume of moderator in each tank, which latter means may be operated automatically by a neutron density monitoring device. The patent also shows an arrangement for controlling the chain reaction by injecting and varying an amount of poisoning material in the moderator used in the reflector portion of the reactor.

Reactor for producing large particles of materials from gases

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Flagan, Richard C. (Inventor); Alam, Mohammed K. (Inventor)

1987-01-01

A method and apparatus is disclosed for producing large particles of material from gas, or gases, containing the material (e.g., silicon from silane) in a free-space reactor comprised of a tube (20) and controlled furnace (25). A hot gas is introduced in the center of the reactant gas through a nozzle (23) to heat a quantity of the reactant gas, or gases, to produce a controlled concentration of seed particles (24) which are entrained in the flow of reactant gas, or gases. The temperature profile (FIG. 4) of the furnace is controlled for such a slow, controlled rate of reaction that virtually all of the material released condenses on seed particles and new particles are not nucleated in the furnace. A separate reactor comprised of a tube (33) and furnace (30) may be used to form a seed aerosol which, after passing through a cooling section (34) is introduced in the main reactor tube (34) which includes a mixer (36) to mix the seed aerosol in a controlled concentration with the reactant gas or gases.

A fuzzy-logic-based controller for methane production in anaerobic fixed-film reactors.

PubMed

Robles, A; Latrille, E; Ruano, M V; Steyer, J P

2017-01-01

The main objective of this work was to develop a controller for biogas production in continuous anaerobic fixed-bed reactors, which used effluent total volatile fatty acids (VFA) concentration as control input in order to prevent process acidification at closed loop. To this aim, a fuzzy-logic-based control system was developed, tuned and validated in an anaerobic fixed-bed reactor at pilot scale that treated industrial winery wastewater. The proposed controller varied the flow rate of wastewater entering the system as a function of the gaseous outflow rate of methane and VFA concentration. Simulation results show that the proposed controller is capable to achieve great process stability even when operating at high VFA concentrations. Pilot results showed the potential of this control approach to maintain the process working properly under similar conditions to the ones expected at full-scale plants.

9 CFR 51.4 - Record of tests.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... COOPERATIVE CONTROL AND ERADICATION OF LIVESTOCK OR POULTRY DISEASES ANIMALS DESTROYED BECAUSE OF BRUCELLOSIS... affected, including the reactor tag number of each brucellosis reactor animal and the registration name and number of each brucellosis reactor registered animal. A copy of the applicable test record shall be given...

9 CFR 51.4 - Record of tests.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... COOPERATIVE CONTROL AND ERADICATION OF LIVESTOCK OR POULTRY DISEASES ANIMALS DESTROYED BECAUSE OF BRUCELLOSIS... affected, including the reactor tag number of each brucellosis reactor animal and the registration name and number of each brucellosis reactor registered animal. A copy of the applicable test record shall be given...

9 CFR 51.4 - Record of tests.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... COOPERATIVE CONTROL AND ERADICATION OF LIVESTOCK OR POULTRY DISEASES ANIMALS DESTROYED BECAUSE OF BRUCELLOSIS... affected, including the reactor tag number of each brucellosis reactor animal and the registration name and number of each brucellosis reactor registered animal. A copy of the applicable test record shall be given...

9 CFR 51.4 - Record of tests.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... COOPERATIVE CONTROL AND ERADICATION OF LIVESTOCK OR POULTRY DISEASES ANIMALS DESTROYED BECAUSE OF BRUCELLOSIS... affected, including the reactor tag number of each brucellosis reactor animal and the registration name and number of each brucellosis reactor registered animal. A copy of the applicable test record shall be given...

A Special Topic From Nuclear Reactor Dynamics for the Undergraduate Physics Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sevenich, R. A.

1977-01-01

Presents an intuitive derivation of the point reactor equations followed by formulation of equations for inverse and direct kinetics which are readily programmed on a digital computer. Suggests several computer simulations involving the effect of control rod motion on reactor power. (MLH)

Methane production enhancement by an independent cathode in integrated anaerobic reactor with microbial electrolysis.

PubMed

Cai, Weiwei; Han, Tingting; Guo, Zechong; Varrone, Cristiano; Wang, Aijie; Liu, Wenzong

2016-05-01

Anaerobic digestion (AD) represents a potential way to achieve energy recovery from waste organics. In this study, a novel bioelectrochemically-assisted anaerobic reactor is assembled by two AD systems separated by anion exchange membrane, with the cathode placing in the inside cylinder (cathodic AD) and the anode on the outside cylinder (anodic AD). In cathodic AD, average methane production rate goes up to 0.070 mL CH4/mL reactor/day, which is 2.59 times higher than AD control reactor (0.027 m(3) CH4/m(3)/d). And COD removal is increased ∼15% over AD control. When changing to sludge fermentation liquid, methane production rate has been further increased to 0.247 mL CH4/mL reactor/day (increased by 51.53% comparing with AD control). Energy recovery efficiency presents profitable gains, and economic revenue from increased methane totally self-cover the cost of input electricity. The study indicates that cathodic AD could cost-effectively enhance methane production rate and degradation of glucose and fermentative liquid. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Startup and oxygen concentration effects in a continuous granular mixed flow autotrophic nitrogen removal reactor.

PubMed

Varas, Rodrigo; Guzmán-Fierro, Víctor; Giustinianovich, Elisa; Behar, Jack; Fernández, Katherina; Roeckel, Marlene

2015-08-01

The startup and performance of the completely autotrophic nitrogen removal over nitrite (CANON) process was tested in a continuously fed granular bubble column reactor (BCR) with two different aeration strategies: controlling the oxygen volumetric flow and oxygen concentration. During the startup with the control of oxygen volumetric flow, the air volume was adjusted to 60mL/h and the CANON reactor had volumetric N loadings ranging from 7.35 to 100.90mgN/Ld with 36-71% total nitrogen removal and high instability. In the second stage, the reactor was operated at oxygen concentrations of 0.6, 0.4 and 0.2mg/L. The best condition was 0.2 mgO2/L with a total nitrogen removal of 75.36% with a CANON reactor activity of 0.1149gN/gVVSd and high stability. The feasibility and effectiveness of CANON processes with oxygen control was demonstrated, showing an alternative design tool for efficiently removing nitrogen species. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cross-flow electrochemical reactor cells, cross-flow reactors, and use of cross-flow reactors for oxidation reactions

DOEpatents

Balachandran, Uthamalingam; Poeppel, Roger B.; Kleefisch, Mark S.; Kobylinski, Thaddeus P.; Udovich, Carl A.

1994-01-01

This invention discloses cross-flow electrochemical reactor cells containing oxygen permeable materials which have both electron conductivity and oxygen ion conductivity, cross-flow reactors, and electrochemical processes using cross-flow reactor cells having oxygen permeable monolithic cores to control and facilitate transport of oxygen from an oxygen-containing gas stream to oxidation reactions of organic compounds in another gas stream. These cross-flow electrochemical reactors comprise a hollow ceramic blade positioned across a gas stream flow or a stack of crossed hollow ceramic blades containing a channel or channels for flow of gas streams. Each channel has at least one channel wall disposed between a channel and a portion of an outer surface of the ceramic blade, or a common wall with adjacent blades in a stack comprising a gas-impervious mixed metal oxide material of a perovskite structure having electron conductivity and oxygen ion conductivity. The invention includes reactors comprising first and second zones seprated by gas-impervious mixed metal oxide material material having electron conductivity and oxygen ion conductivity. Prefered gas-impervious materials comprise at least one mixed metal oxide having a perovskite structure or perovskite-like structure. The invention includes, also, oxidation processes controlled by using these electrochemical reactors, and these reactions do not require an external source of electrical potential or any external electric circuit for oxidation to proceed.

Damper mechanism for nuclear reactor control elements

DOEpatents

Taft, William Elwood

1976-01-01

A damper mechanism which provides a nuclear reactor control element decelerating function at the end of the scram stroke. The total damping function is produced by the combination of two assemblies, which operate in sequence. First, a tapered dashram assembly decelerates the control element to a lower velocity, after which a spring hydraulic damper assembly takes over to complete the final damping.

REACTOR CONTROL DEVICE

DOEpatents

Kaufman, H.B.; Weiss, A.A.

1959-08-18

A shadow control device for controlling a nuclear reactor is described. The device comprises a series of hollow neutron-absorbing elements arranged in groups, each element having a cavity for substantially housing an adjoining element and a longitudinal member for commonly supporting the groups of elements. Longitudinal actuation of the longitudinal member distributes the elements along its entire length in which position maximum worth is achieved.

Nuclear reactor remote disconnect control rod coupling indicator

DOEpatents

Vuckovich, Michael

1977-01-01

A coupling indicator for use with nuclear reactor control rod assemblies which have remotely disengageable couplings between the control rod and the control rod drive shaft. The coupling indicator indicates whether the control rod and the control rod drive shaft are engaged or disengaged. A resistive network, utilizing magnetic reed switches, senses the position of the control rod drive mechanism lead screw and the control rod position indicating tube, and the relative position of these two elements with respect to each other is compared to determine whether the coupling is engaged or disengaged.

Evaluation of an optimal fill strategy to biodegrade inhibitory wastewater using an industrial prototype discontinuous reactor.

PubMed

Buitrón, G; Moreno-Andrade, I; Linares-García, J A; Pérez, J; Betancur, M J; Moreno, J A

2007-01-01

This work presents the results and discussions of the application of an optimally controlled influent flow rate strategy to biodegrade, in a discontinuous reactor, a synthetic wastewater constituted by 4-chlorophenol. An aerobic automated discontinuous reactor system of 1.3 m3, with a useful volume of 0.75 m3 and an exchange volume of 60% was used. As part of the control strategy influent is fed into the reactor in such a way as to obtain the maximal degradation rate avoiding inhibition of microorganisms. Such an optimal strategy was able to manage increments of 4-chlorophenol concentrations in the influent between 250 and 1000 mg/L. it was shown that the optimally controlled influent flow rate strategy brings savings in reaction time and flexibility in treating high concentrations of an influent with toxic characteristics.

Support arrangement for core modules of nuclear reactors

DOEpatents

Bollinger, Lawrence R.

1987-01-01

A support arrangement is provided for the core modules of a nuclear reactor which provides support access through the control drive mechanisms of the reactor. This arrangement provides axial support of individual reactor core modules from the pressure vessel head in a manner which permits attachment and detachment of the modules from the head to be accomplished through the control drive mechanisms after their leadscrews have been removed. The arrangement includes a module support nut which is suspended from the pressure vessel head and screw threaded to the shroud housing for the module. A spline lock prevents loosening of the screw connection. An installation tool assembly, including a cell lifting and preloading tool and a torquing tool, fits through the control drive mechanism and provides lifting of the shroud housing while disconnecting the spline lock, as well as application of torque to the module support nut.

NUT SCREW MECHANISMS

DOEpatents

Glass, J.A.F.

1958-07-01

A reactor control mechanism is described wherein the control is achieved by the partial or total withdrawal of the fissile material which is in the form of a fuel rod. The fuel rod is designed to be raised and lowered from the reactor core area by means of two concentric ball nut and screw assemblies that may telescope one within the other. These screw mechanisms are connected through a magnetic clutch to a speed reduction gear and an accurately controllable prime motive source. With the clutch energized, the fuel rod may be moved into the reactor core area, and fine adjustments may be made through the reduction gearing. However, in the event of a power failure or an emergency signal, the magnetic clutch will become deenergized, and the fuel rod will drop out of the core area by the force of gravity, thus shutting down the operation of the reactor.

Support arrangements for core modules of nuclear reactors. [PWR

DOEpatents

Bollinger, L.R.

1983-11-03

A support arrangement is provided for the core modules of a nuclear reactor which provides support access through the control drive mechanisms of the reactor. This arrangement provides axial support of individual reactor core modules from the pressure vessel head in a manner which permits attachment and detachment of the modules from the head to be accomplished through the control drive mechanisms after their leadscrews have been removed. The arrangement includes a module support nut which is suspended from the pressure vessel head and screw threaded to the shroud housing for the module. A spline lock prevents loosening of the screw connection. An installation tool assembly, including a cell lifting and preloading tool and a torquing tool, fits through the control drive mechanism and provides lifting of the shroud housing while disconnecting the spline lock, as well as application of torque to the module support nut.

Nuclear reactor safety device

DOEpatents

Hutter, Ernest

1986-01-01

A safety device is disclosed for use in a nuclear reactor for axially repositioning a control rod with respect to the reactor core in the event of an upward thermal excursion. Such safety device comprises a laminated helical ribbon configured as a tube-like helical coil having contiguous helical turns with slidably abutting edges. The helical coil is disclosed as a portion of a drive member connected axially to the control rod. The laminated ribbon is formed of outer and inner laminae. The material of the outer lamina has a greater thermal coefficient of expansion than the material of the inner lamina. In the event of an upward thermal excursion, the laminated helical coil curls inwardly to a smaller diameter. Such inward curling causes the total length of the helical coil to increase by a substantial increment, so that the control rod is axially repositioned by a corresponding amount to reduce the power output of the reactor.

Interaction between control and design of a SHARON reactor: economic considerations in a plant-wide (BSM2) context.

PubMed

Volcke, E I P; van Loosdrecht, M C M; Vanrolleghem, P A

2007-01-01

The combined SHARON-Anammox process is a promising technique for nitrogen removal from wastewater streams with high ammonium concentrations. It is typically applied to sludge digestion reject water, in order to relieve the activated sludge tanks, to which this stream is typically recycled. This contribution assesses the impact of the applied control strategy in the SHARON-reactor, both on the effluent quality of the subsequent Anammox reactor as well as on the plant-wide level by means of an operating cost index. Moreover, it is investigated to which extent the usefulness of a certain control strategy depends on the reactor design (volume). A simulation study is carried out using the plant-wide Benchmark Simulation Model no. 2 (BSM2), extended with the SHARON and Anammox processes. The results reveal a discrepancy between optimizing the reject water treatment performance and minimizing plant-wide operating costs.

HWCTR CONTROL ROD AND SAFETY ROD DRIVE SYSTEMS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kale, S.H.

1963-07-01

The Heavy Water Components Test Reactor (HWCTR) is a pressurized, D/sub 2/O reactor designed for operation up to 70 Mw at 1500 psig and 3l5 deg C. It has 18 control rods and six safety rods, each driven by an electric motor through a rack and pinion gear train. Racks, pinions, and bearings are located inside individual pressure housings that are penetrated by means of floating ring labyrinth seals. The drives are mounted on the reactor vessel top head. Safety rods have electromagnetic clutches and fall into the reactor when scrammed. The reliability and performance of the rod drives aremore » very good. Seal leakage is well within design limits. Recent inspections of seals and control rod plants showed no evidence of crud buildup or stress corrosion cracking of type 17- 4PH'' stainless steel components. (auth)« less

Peaceful Uses of Fusion

DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

Teller, E.

1958-07-03

Applications of thermonuclear energy for peaceful and constructive purposes are surveyed. Developments and problems in the release and control of fusion energy are reviewed. It is pointed out that the future of thermonuclear power reactors will depend upon the construction of a machine that produces more electric energy than it consumes. The fuel for thermonuclear reactors is cheap and practically inexhaustible. Thermonuclear reactors produce less dangerous radioactive materials than fission reactors and, when once brought under control, are not as likely to be subject to dangerous excursions. The interaction of the hot plasma with magnetic fields opens the way for the direct production of electricity. It is possible that explosive fusion energy released underground may be harnessed for the production of electricity before the same feat is accomplished in controlled fusion processes. Applications of underground detonations of fission devices in mining and for the enhancement of oil flow in large low-specific-yield formations are also suggested.

Laser pumping of thyristors for fast high current rise-times

DOEpatents

Glidden, Steven C.; Sanders, Howard D.

2013-06-11

An optically triggered semiconductor switch includes an anode metallization layer; a cathode metallization layer; a semiconductor between the anode metallization layer and the cathode metallization layer and a photon source. The semiconductor includes at least four layers of alternating doping in the form P-N-P-N, in which an outer layer adjacent to the anode metallization layer forms an anode and an outer layer adjacent the cathode metallization layer forms a cathode and in which the anode metallization layer has a window pattern of optically transparent material exposing the anode layer to light. The photon source emits light having a wavelength, with the light from the photon source being configured to match the window pattern of the anode metallization layer.

Resonant power supplies for a rapid-cycling accelerator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karady, G.; Thiessen, H. A.; Schneider, E. J.

1988-10-01

A resonant power supply has been proposed as an efficient power supply for a future 60-GeV, Kaon-producing accelerator. The engineering design of the electric system of the main-ring power supplies is described. It is shown that the resonant power supply can be built with standard commercially available components. The most critical component is the bypass switch, which requires gate-turn off thyristors, connected in parallel. Standard metal-clad switchgear can be used for the AC system. The resonant power supplies can be fed directly from the 115-kV utility network, but the resonance power supplies draw pulse loads from the utility network. This pulse may produce disturbances. AC filter and reactive power compensation is needed for economical operation.

Reconfigurable ultra-thin film GDNMOS device for ESD protection in 28 nm FD-SOI technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Athanasiou, Sotirios; Legrand, Charles-Alexandre; Cristoloveanu, Sorin; Galy, Philippe

2017-02-01

We propose a novel ESD protection device (GDNMOS: Gated Diode merged NMOS) fabricated with 28 nm UTBB FD-SOI high-k metal gate technology. By modifying the combination of the diode and transistor gate stacks, the robustness of the device is optimized, achieving a maximum breakdown voltage (VBR) of 4.9 V. In addition, modifications of the gate length modulate the trigger voltage (Vt1) with a minimum value of 3.5 V. Variable electrostatic doping (gate-induced) in diode and transistor body enables reconfigurable operation. A lower doping of the base enhances the bipolar gain, leading to thyristor behavior. This innovative architecture demonstrates excellent capability for high-voltage protection while maintaining a latch-up free behavior.

NEUTRONIC REACTOR BURIAL ASSEMBLY

DOEpatents

Treshow, M.

1961-05-01

A burial assembly is shown whereby an entire reactor core may be encased with lead shielding, withdrawn from the reactor site and buried. This is made possible by a five-piece interlocking arrangement that may be easily put together by remote control with no aligning of bolt holes or other such close adjustments being necessary.

77 FR 39521 - Application for a License To Export Nuclear Reactor Major Components and Equipment

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-03

... LLC reactor coolant equipment for four constructing four plant May 14, 2012 pumps with motors, APR1400... Emirates. XR176 monitoring and plant in Braka. 110060011 control equipment, auxiliary equipment and... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Application for a License To Export Nuclear Reactor Major Components...

SPERT I DESTRUCTIVE TEST PROGRAM SAFETY ANALYSIS REPORT

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Spano, A.H.; Miller, R.W.

1962-06-15

The water-moderated core used for destructive experiments is mounted in the Spent I open-type reactor vessel, which has no provision for pressurization or forced coolant flow. The core is an array of highly enriched aluminum clad, plate-type fuel assemblies, using four bladetype, gang-operated control rods. Reactor transients are initiated at ambient temperature by step-insentions of reactivity, using a control rod which can be quickly ejected from the core. Following an initial series of static measurements to determine the basic- reactor properties of the test core, a series of nondestructive, self-limiting power excursion tests was performed, which covered a reactor periodmore » range down to the point where minor fuel plate damage first occurred -approximately for a 10- msec period test. These tests provided power, temperature, and pressure data. Additional kinetic teste in the period region between 10 and 5 msec were completed to explore the region of limited core damage. Fuel plate damage results included plate distortion, cladding cracking, and fuel melting. These exploratory tests were valuable in revealing unexpected changes in the dependence of pressure, temperature, burst energy, and burst shape parameters on reactor period, although the dependence of peak power on reactor period was not significantly changed. An evaluation of hazards involved in conducting the 2- msec test, based on pessimistic assumptions regarding fission product release and weather conditions, indicates that with the procedural controls normally exercised in the conduct of any transient test at Spent and the special controls to be in effect during the destructive test series, no significant hazard to personnel or to the general public will be obtained. All nuclear operation is conducted remotely approximately 1/2 mile from the reactor building. Discussion is also given of the supervision and control of personnel during and after each destructive test, and of the plans for re-entry, cleanup, and restoration of the facility. (auth)« less

Method of controlling crystallite size in nuclear-reactor fuels

DOEpatents

Lloyd, Milton H.; Collins, Jack L.; Shell, Sam E.

1985-01-01

Improved spherules for making enhanced forms of nuclear-reactor fuels are prepared by internal gelation procedures within a sol-gel operation and are accomplished by first boiling the concentrated HMTA-urea feed solution before engaging in the spherule-forming operation thereby effectively controlling crystallite size in the product spherules.

An eye on reactor and computer control

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schryver, J.; Knee, B.

1992-01-01

At ORNL computer software has been developed to make possible an improved eye-gaze measurement technology. Such an inovation could be the basis for advanced eye-gaze systems that may have applications in reactor control, software development, cognitive engineering, evaluation of displays, prediction of mental workloads, and military target recognition.

MOLTEN PLUTONIUM FUELED FAST BREEDER REACTOR

DOEpatents

Kiehn, R.M.; King, L.D.P.; Peterson, R.E.; Swickard, E.O. Jr.

1962-06-26

A description is given of a nuclear fast reactor fueled with molten plutonium containing about 20 kg of plutonium in a tantalum container, cooled by circulating liquid sodium at about 600 to 650 deg C, having a large negative temperature coefficient of reactivity, and control rods and movable reflector for criticality control. (AEC)

Method of controlling crystallite size in nuclear-reactor fuels

DOEpatents

Lloyd, M.H.; Collins, J.L.; Shell, S.E.

Improved spherules for making enhanced forms of nuclear-reactor fuels are prepared by internal gelation procedures within a sol-gel operation and are accomplished by first boiling the concentrated HMTA-urea feed solution before engaging in the spherule-forming operation thereby effectively controlling crystallite size in the product spherules.

Space Nuclear Power Plant Pre-Conceptual Design Report, For Information

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

B. Levine

2006-01-27

This letter transmits, for information, the Project Prometheus Space Nuclear Power Plant (SNPP) Pre-Conceptual Design Report completed by the Naval Reactors Prime Contractor Team (NRPCT). This report documents the work pertaining to the Reactor Module, which includes integration of the space nuclear reactor with the reactor radiation shield, energy conversion, and instrumentation and control segments. This document also describes integration of the Reactor Module with the Heat Rejection segment, the Power Conditioning and Distribution subsystem (which comprise the SNPP), and the remainder of the Prometheus spaceship.

Growth of plant root cultures in liquid- and gas-dispersed reactor environments.

PubMed

McKelvey, S A; Gehrig, J A; Hollar, K A; Curtis, W R

1993-01-01

The growth of Agrobacterium transformed "hairy root" cultures of Hyoscyamus muticus was examined in various liquid- and gas-dispersed bioreactor configurations. Reactor runs were replicated to provide statistical comparisons of nutrient availability on culture performance. Accumulated tissue mass in submerged air-sparged reactors was 31% of gyratory shake-flask controls. Experiments demonstrate that poor performance of sparged reactors is not due to bubble shear damage, carbon dioxide stripping, settling, or flotation of roots. Impaired oxygen transfer due to channeling and stagnation of the liquid phase are the apparent causes of poor growth. Roots grown on a medium-perfused inclined plane grew at 48% of gyratory controls. This demonstrates the ability of cultures to partially compensate for poor liquid distribution through vascular transport of nutrients. A reactor configuration in which the medium is sprayed over the roots and permitted to drain down through the root tissue was able to provide growth rates which are statistically indistinguishable (95% T-test) from gyratory shake-flask controls. In this type of spray/trickle-bed configuration, it is shown that distribution of the roots becomes a key factor in controlling the rate of growth. Implications of these results regarding design and scale-up of bioreactors to produce fine chemicals from root cultures are discussed.

A high resolution pneumatic stepping actuator for harsh reactor environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tippetts, Thomas B.; Evans, Paul S.; Riffle, George K.

1993-01-01

A reactivity control actuator for a high-power density nuclear propulsion reactor must be installed in close proximity to the reactor core. The energy input from radiation to the actuator structure could exceed hundreds of W/cc unless low-cross section, low-absorptivity materials are chosen. Also, for post-test handling and subsequent storage, materials should not be used that are activated into long half-life isotopes. Pneumatic actuators can be constructed from various reactor-compatible materials, but conventional pneumatic piston actuators generally lack the stiffness required for high resolution reactivity control unless electrical position sensors and compensated electronic control systems are used. To overcome these limitations, a pneumatic actuator is under development that positions an output shaft in response to a series of pneumatic pulses, comprising a pneumatic analog of an electrical stepping motor. The pneumatic pulses are generated remotely, beyond the strong radiation environment, and transmitted to the actuator through tubing. The mechanically simple actuator uses a nutating gear harmonic drive to convert motion of small pistons directly to high-resolution angular motion of the output shaft. The digital nature of this actuator is suitable for various reactor control algorithms but is especially compatible with the three bean salad algorithm discussed by Ball et al. (1991).

Sliding mode control of dissolved oxygen in an integrated nitrogen removal process in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR).

PubMed

Muñoz, C; Young, H; Antileo, C; Bornhardt, C

2009-01-01

This paper presents a sliding mode controller (SMC) for dissolved oxygen (DO) in an integrated nitrogen removal process carried out in a suspended biomass sequencing batch reactor (SBR). The SMC performance was compared against an auto-tuning PI controller with parameters adjusted at the beginning of the batch cycle. A method for cancelling the slow DO sensor dynamics was implemented by using a first order model of the sensor. Tests in a lab-scale reactor showed that the SMC offers a better disturbance rejection capability than the auto-tuning PI controller, furthermore providing reasonable performance in a wide range of operation. Thus, SMC becomes an effective robust nonlinear tool to the DO control in this process, being also simple from a computational point of view, allowing its implementation in devices such as industrial programmable logic controllers (PLCs).

Autonomous Control Capabilities for Space Reactor Power Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wood, Richard T.; Neal, John S.; Brittain, C. Ray; Mullens, James A.

2004-02-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) Project Prometheus, the Nuclear Systems Program, is investigating a possible Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter (JIMO) mission, which would conduct in-depth studies of three of the moons of Jupiter by using a space reactor power system (SRPS) to provide energy for propulsion and spacecraft power for more than a decade. Terrestrial nuclear power plants rely upon varying degrees of direct human control and interaction for operations and maintenance over a forty to sixty year lifetime. In contrast, an SRPS is intended to provide continuous, remote, unattended operation for up to fifteen years with no maintenance. Uncertainties, rare events, degradation, and communications delays with Earth are challenges that SRPS control must accommodate. Autonomous control is needed to address these challenges and optimize the reactor control design. In this paper, we describe an autonomous control concept for generic SRPS designs. The formulation of an autonomous control concept, which includes identification of high-level functional requirements and generation of a research and development plan for enabling technologies, is among the technical activities that are being conducted under the U.S. Department of Energy's Space Reactor Technology Program in support of the NASA's Project Prometheus. The findings from this program are intended to contribute to the successful realization of the JIMO mission.

Tritium Control and Capture in Salt-Cooled Fission and Fusion Reactors: Status, Challenges, and Path Forward

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Forsberg, Charles W.; Lam, Stephen; Carpenter, David M.

Three advanced nuclear power systems use liquid salt coolants that generate tritium and thus face the common challenges of containing and capturing tritium to prevent its release to the environment. The fluoride salt–cooled high-temperature reactor (FHR) uses clean fluoride salt coolants and the same graphite-matrix coated-particle fuel as high-temperature gas-cooled reactors. Molten salt reactors (MSRs) dissolve the fuel in a fluoride or chloride salt with release of fission product tritium into the salt. In most FHR and MSR systems, the baseline salts contain lithium where isotopically separated 7Li is proposed to minimize tritium production from neutron interactions with the salt.more » The Chinese Academy of Sciences plans to start operation of a 2-MW(thermal) molten salt test reactor by 2020. For high-magnetic-field fusion machines, the use of lithium enriched in 6Li is proposed to maximize tritium generation—the fuel for a fusion machine. Advances in superconductors that enable higher power densities may require the use of molten lithium salts for fusion blankets and as coolants. Recent technical advances in these three reactor classes have resulted in increased government and private interest and the beginning of a coordinated effort to address the tritium control challenges in 700°C liquid salt systems. In this paper, we describe characteristics of salt-cooled fission and fusion machines, the basis for growing interest in these technologies, tritium generation in molten salts, the environment for tritium capture, models for high-temperature tritium transport in salt systems, alternative strategies for tritium control, and ongoing experimental work. Several methods to control tritium appear viable. Finally, limited experimental data are the primary constraint for designing efficient cost-effective methods of tritium control.« less

Real-time pH monitoring of industrially relevant enzymatic reactions in a microfluidic side-entry reactor (μSER) shows potential for pH control.

PubMed

Gruber, Pia; Marques, Marco P C; Sulzer, Philipp; Wohlgemuth, Roland; Mayr, Torsten; Baganz, Frank; Szita, Nicolas

2017-06-01

Monitoring and control of pH is essential for the control of reaction conditions and reaction progress for any biocatalytic or biotechnological process. Microfluidic enzymatic reactors are increasingly proposed for process development, however typically lack instrumentation, such as pH monitoring. We present a microfluidic side-entry reactor (μSER) and demonstrate for the first time real-time pH monitoring of the progression of an enzymatic reaction in a microfluidic reactor as a first step towards achieving pH control. Two different types of optical pH sensors were integrated at several positions in the reactor channel which enabled pH monitoring between pH 3.5 and pH 8.5, thus a broader range than typically reported. The sensors withstood the thermal bonding temperatures typical of microfluidic device fabrication. Additionally, fluidic inputs along the reaction channel were implemented to adjust the pH of the reaction. Time-course profiles of pH were recorded for a transketolase and a penicillin G acylase catalyzed reaction. Without pH adjustment, the former showed a pH increase of 1 pH unit and the latter a pH decrease of about 2.5 pH units. With pH adjustment, the pH drop of the penicillin G acylase catalyzed reaction was significantly attenuated, the reaction condition kept at a pH suitable for the operation of the enzyme, and the product yield increased. This contribution represents a further step towards fully instrumented and controlled microfluidic reactors for biocatalytic process development. © 2017 The Authors. Biotechnology Journal published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Tritium Control and Capture in Salt-Cooled Fission and Fusion Reactors: Status, Challenges, and Path Forward

DOE PAGES

Forsberg, Charles W.; Lam, Stephen; Carpenter, David M.; ...

2017-02-26

Three advanced nuclear power systems use liquid salt coolants that generate tritium and thus face the common challenges of containing and capturing tritium to prevent its release to the environment. The fluoride salt–cooled high-temperature reactor (FHR) uses clean fluoride salt coolants and the same graphite-matrix coated-particle fuel as high-temperature gas-cooled reactors. Molten salt reactors (MSRs) dissolve the fuel in a fluoride or chloride salt with release of fission product tritium into the salt. In most FHR and MSR systems, the baseline salts contain lithium where isotopically separated 7Li is proposed to minimize tritium production from neutron interactions with the salt.more » The Chinese Academy of Sciences plans to start operation of a 2-MW(thermal) molten salt test reactor by 2020. For high-magnetic-field fusion machines, the use of lithium enriched in 6Li is proposed to maximize tritium generation—the fuel for a fusion machine. Advances in superconductors that enable higher power densities may require the use of molten lithium salts for fusion blankets and as coolants. Recent technical advances in these three reactor classes have resulted in increased government and private interest and the beginning of a coordinated effort to address the tritium control challenges in 700°C liquid salt systems. In this paper, we describe characteristics of salt-cooled fission and fusion machines, the basis for growing interest in these technologies, tritium generation in molten salts, the environment for tritium capture, models for high-temperature tritium transport in salt systems, alternative strategies for tritium control, and ongoing experimental work. Several methods to control tritium appear viable. Finally, limited experimental data are the primary constraint for designing efficient cost-effective methods of tritium control.« less

PBF Reactor Building (PER620). Plot plan shows layout, including auxiliary ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

PBF Reactor Building (PER-620). Plot plan shows layout, including auxiliary buildings: Emergency Generator (621), Hose House (622), Cooling Tower Auxiliary (624), Maintenance and Storage Warehouse (625), Gas Cylinder Storage (627), Hose House (628), Cooling Tower (720), Substation (719), and other features. Road connections between PBF Reactor, its control building, and SPERT-I site. Note cable trenches along road to control building. Date: July 1965. Ebasco Services, PER-U-101. INEEL index no. 761-0100-00-205-123005 - Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, SPERT-I & Power Burst Facility Area, Scoville, Butte County, ID

Silane-Pyrolysis Reactor With Nonuniform Heating

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Iya, Sridhar K.

1991-01-01

Improved reactor serves as last stage in system processing metallurgical-grade silicon feedstock into silicon powder of ultrahigh purity. Silane pyrolized to silicon powder and hydrogen gas via homogeneous decomposition reaction in free space. Features set of individually adjustable electrical heaters and purge flow of hydrogen to improve control of pyrolysis conditions. Power supplied to each heater set in conjunction with flow in reactor to obtain desired distribution of temperature as function of position along reactor.

MEANS FOR CONTROLLING A NUCLEAR REACTOR

DOEpatents

Wilson, V.C.; Overbeck, W.P.; Slotin, L.; Froman, D.K.

1957-12-17

This patent relates to nuclear reactors of the type using a solid neutron absorbing material as a means for controlling the reproduction ratio of the system and thereby the power output. Elongated rods of neutron absorbing material, such as boron steel for example, are adapted to be inserted and removed from the core of tae reactor by electronic motors and suitable drive means. The motors and drive means are controlled by means responsive to the neutron density, such as ionization chambers. The control system is designed to be responsive also to the rate of change in neutron density to automatically maintain the total power output at a substantially constant predetermined value. A safety rod means responsive to neutron density is also provided for keeping the power output below a predetermined maximum value at all times.

Application of a Self-Actuating Shutdown System (SASS) to a Gas-Cooled Fast Reactor (GCFR)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Germer, J.H.; Peterson, L.F.; Kluck, A.L.

1980-09-01

The application of a SASS (Self-Actuated Shutdown System) to a GCFR (Gas-Cooled Fast Reactor) is compared with similar systems designed for an LMFBR (Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactor). A comparison of three basic SASS concepts is given: hydrostatic holdup, fluidic control, and magnetic holdup.

Steam Reformer With Fibrous Catalytic Combustor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Voecks, Gerald E.

1987-01-01

Proposed steam-reforming reactor derives heat from internal combustion on fibrous catalyst. Supplies of fuel and air to combustor controlled to meet demand for heat for steam-reforming reaction. Enables use of less expensive reactor-tube material by limiting temperature to value safe for material yet not so low as to reduce reactor efficiency.

Optimization of the nitrification process of wastewater resulting from cassava starch production.

PubMed

Fleck, Leandro; Ferreira Tavares, Maria Hermínia; Eyng, Eduardo; Orssatto, Fabio

2018-05-14

The present study has the objective of optimizing operational conditions of an aerated reactor applied to the removal of ammoniacal nitrogen from wastewater resulting from the production of cassava starch. An aerated reactor with a usable volume of 4 L and aeration control by rotameter was used. The airflow and cycle time parameters were controlled and their effects on the removal of ammoniacal nitrogen and the conversion to nitrate were evaluated. The highest ammoniacal nitrogen removal, of 96.62%, occurred under conditions of 24 h and 0.15 L min -1 L reactor -1 . The highest nitrate conversion, of 24.81%, occurred under conditions of 40.92 h and 0.15 L min -1  L reactor -1 . The remaining value of ammoniacal nitrogen was converted primarily into nitrite, energy, hydrogen and water. The optimal operational values of the aerated reactor are 29.25 h and 0.22 L min -1  L reactor -1 . The mathematical models representative of the process satisfactorily describe ammoniacal nitrogen removal efficiency and nitrate conversion, presenting errors of 2.87% and 3.70%, respectively.

Nuclear reactor control apparatus

DOEpatents

Sridhar, Bettadapur N.

1983-11-01

Nuclear reactor core safety rod release apparatus comprises a control rod having a detent notch in the form of an annular peripheral recess at its upper end, a control rod support tube for raising and lowering the control rod under normal conditions, latches pivotally mounted on the control support tube with free ends thereof normally disposed in the recess in the control rod, and cam means for pivoting the latches out of the recess in the control rod when a scram condition occurs. One embodiment of the invention comprises an additional magnetically-operated latch for releasing the control rod under two different conditions, one involving seismic shock.

10 CFR 54.21 - Contents of application-technical information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

...), motors, diesel generators, air compressors, snubbers, the control rod drive, ventilation dampers..., the reactor vessel, the reactor coolant system pressure boundary, steam generators, the pressurizer...

10 CFR 54.21 - Contents of application-technical information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

...), motors, diesel generators, air compressors, snubbers, the control rod drive, ventilation dampers..., the reactor vessel, the reactor coolant system pressure boundary, steam generators, the pressurizer...

PBF Reactor Building (PER620) as seen from control room window ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

PBF Reactor Building (PER-620) as seen from control room window in PER-619. Photographer stood just outside window. Note exposed communication cables on desert surface. Date: July 2004. INEEL negative no. HD-41-9-3 - Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, SPERT-I & Power Burst Facility Area, Scoville, Butte County, ID

Neutronic reactor

DOEpatents

Wende, Charles W. J.; Babcock, Dale F.; Menegus, Robert L.

1983-01-01

A nuclear reactor includes an active portion with fissionable fuel and neutron moderating material surrounded by neutron reflecting material. A control element in the active portion includes a group of movable rods constructed of neutron-absorbing material. Each rod is movable with respect to the other rods to vary the absorption of neutrons and effect control over neutron flux.

PROCESS WATER BUILDING, TRA605. CONTROL PANEL SUPPLIES STATUS INDICATORS. CARD ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

PROCESS WATER BUILDING, TRA-605. CONTROL PANEL SUPPLIES STATUS INDICATORS. CARD IN LOWER RIGHT WAS INSERTED BY INL PHOTOGRAPHER TO COVER AN OBSOLETE SECURITY RESTRICTION ON ORIGINAL NEGATIVE. INL NEGATIVE NO. 4219. Unknown Photographer, 2/13/1952 - Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Test Reactor Area, Materials & Engineering Test Reactors, Scoville, Butte County, ID

Characterization of elemental release during microbe-basalt interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, L.; Jacobson, A. D.; Hausner, M.

2006-12-01

This study used batch reactors to characterize the rates, mechanisms, and stoichiometry of elemental release during the interaction of Burkholderia fungorum, a common soil microbe, with Columbia River Flood Basalt at 28°C for 36 d. We especially focused on the release of Ca, Mg, P, Si, and Sr under a variety of biotic and abiotic conditions with the ultimate aim of evaluating how actively metabolizing bacteria might influence basalt weathering on the continents. Four days after inoculating P-limited reactors (those lacking P in the growth medium), pH decreased from ~7 to 4, and glucose was depleted. Theoretical calculations suggest that the lowered pH resulted from the release of organic acids and/or CO2. Purely abiotic control reactors as well as control reactors containing nonviable cells showed constant glucose concentrations and near-neutral pH. Over the entire 36 day period, the P-limited reactors yielded Ca, Mg, Si, and Sr release rates several times higher than those observed in the P-bearing biotic reactors and the abiotic controls. Release rates directly correlate with pH, indicating that proton-promoted dissolution was the dominant reaction mechanism. Ligand- promoted dissolution was probably less important because the P-limited and P-bearing reactors experienced nearly identical rates of microbial growth, but the P-bearing reactors displayed overall lower dissolution rates at near-neutral pH, where presumably, the effect of ligand-promoted dissolution would be most evident. Chemical analyses of bacteria collected at the end of the experiments, combined with mass-balances between the biological and fluid phases, demonstrate that the low P concentration in the biotic reactors was an artifact of P uptake during microbial growth. These findings suggest that when bacteria utilize basalt as a nutrient source, they can potentially elevate the rate of long-term atmospheric CO2 consumption by Ca-Mg silicate weathering by a factor of 5 over the corresponding inorganic rate.

HEDL FACILITIES CATALOG 400 AREA

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

MAYANCSIK BA

1987-03-01

The purpose of this project is to provide a sodium-cooled fast flux test reactor designed specifically for irradiation testing of fuels and materials and for long-term testing and evaluation of plant components and systems for the Liquid Metal Reactor (LMR) Program. The FFTF includes the reactor, heat removal equipment and structures, containment, core component handling and examination, instrumentation and control, and utilities and other essential services. The complex array of buildings and equipment are arranged around the Reactor Containment Building.

TRITIUM LABORATORY, TRA666, INTERIOR. MAIN FLOOR. CONTROL ROOM ENCLOSURE AT ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

TRITIUM LABORATORY, TRA-666, INTERIOR. MAIN FLOOR. CONTROL ROOM ENCLOSURE AT CENTER OF VIEW. SIGN ABOVE DOOR SAYS "HYDRAULIC TEST FACILITY CONTROL ROOM." SIGN IN WINDOW SAYS "EATING AREA." "EVACUATION AND EMERGENCY INFORMATION" IS POSTED ON CABINET AT LEFT OF VIEW. INL NEGATIVE NO. HD30-2-3. Mike Crane, Photographer, 6/2001 - Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Test Reactor Area, Materials & Engineering Test Reactors, Scoville, Butte County, ID

PRESSURE SYSTEM CONTROL

DOEpatents

Esselman, W.H.; Kaplan, G.M.

1961-06-20

The control of pressure in pressurized liquid systems, especially a pressurized liquid reactor system, may be achieved by providing a bias circuit or loop across a closed loop having a flow restriction means in the form of an orifice, a storage tank, and a pump connected in series. The subject invention is advantageously utilized where control of a reactor can be achieved by response to the temperature and pressure of the primary cooling system.

Apparatus and method for closed-loop control of reactor power in minimum time

DOEpatents

Bernard, Jr., John A.

1988-11-01

Closed-loop control law for altering the power level of nuclear reactors in a safe manner and without overshoot and in minimum time. Apparatus is provided for moving a fast-acting control element such as a control rod or a control drum for altering the nuclear reactor power level. A computer computes at short time intervals either the function: .rho.=(.beta.-.rho.).omega.-.lambda..sub.e '.rho.-.SIGMA..beta..sub.i (.lambda..sub.i -.lambda..sub.e ')+l* .omega.+l* [.omega..sup.2 +.lambda..sub.e '.omega.] or the function: .rho.=(.beta.-.rho.).omega.-.lambda..sub.e .rho.-(.lambda..sub.e /.lambda..sub.e)(.beta.-.rho.)+l* .omega.+l* [.omega..sup.2 +.lambda..sub.e .omega.-(.lambda..sub.e /.lambda..sub.e).omega.] These functions each specify the rate of change of reactivity that is necessary to achieve a specified rate of change of reactor power. The direction and speed of motion of the control element is altered so as to provide the rate of reactivity change calculated using either or both of these functions thereby resulting in the attainment of a new power level without overshoot and in minimum time. These functions are computed at intervals of approximately 0.01-1.0 seconds depending on the specific application.

DESIGN AND HAZARDS SUMMARY REPORT, BOILING REACTOR EXPERIMENT V (BORAX V)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

1961-05-01

Design data for BORAX V are presented along with results of hazards evaluation studies. Considcration of the hazards associated with the operation of BORAX V was based on the following conditions: For normal steady-state power and experimental operation, the reactor and plant are adequately shielded and ventilated to allow personnel to be safely stationed in the turbine building and on the main floor of the reactor building. The control building is located one- half mile distant from the reactor building. For special, hazardous experiments, personnel are withdrawn from the reactor area. (M.C.G.)

Neutrino oscillation studies with reactors

PubMed Central

Vogel, P.; Wen, L.J.; Zhang, C.

2015-01-01

Nuclear reactors are one of the most intense, pure, controllable, cost-effective and well-understood sources of neutrinos. Reactors have played a major role in the study of neutrino oscillations, a phenomenon that indicates that neutrinos have mass and that neutrino flavours are quantum mechanical mixtures. Over the past several decades, reactors were used in the discovery of neutrinos, were crucial in solving the solar neutrino puzzle, and allowed the determination of the smallest mixing angle θ13. In the near future, reactors will help to determine the neutrino mass hierarchy and to solve the puzzling issue of sterile neutrinos. PMID:25913819

Neutrino oscillation studies with reactors

DOE PAGES

Vogel, P.; Wen, L.J.; Zhang, C.

2015-04-27

Nuclear reactors are one of the most intense, pure, controllable, cost-effective and well-understood sources of neutrinos. Reactors have played a major role in the study of neutrino oscillations, a phenomenon that indicates that neutrinos have mass and that neutrino flavours are quantum mechanical mixtures. Over the past several decades, reactors were used in the discovery of neutrinos, were crucial in solving the solar neutrino puzzle, and allowed the determination of the smallest mixing angle θ 13. In the near future, reactors will help to determine the neutrino mass hierarchy and to solve the puzzling issue of sterile neutrinos.

Neutrino oscillation studies with reactors.

PubMed

Vogel, P; Wen, L J; Zhang, C

2015-04-27

Nuclear reactors are one of the most intense, pure, controllable, cost-effective and well-understood sources of neutrinos. Reactors have played a major role in the study of neutrino oscillations, a phenomenon that indicates that neutrinos have mass and that neutrino flavours are quantum mechanical mixtures. Over the past several decades, reactors were used in the discovery of neutrinos, were crucial in solving the solar neutrino puzzle, and allowed the determination of the smallest mixing angle θ13. In the near future, reactors will help to determine the neutrino mass hierarchy and to solve the puzzling issue of sterile neutrinos.

Advanced electrical power system technology for the all electric aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Finke, R. C.; Sundberg, G. R.

1983-01-01

The application of advanced electric power system technology to an all electric airplane results in an estimated reduction of the total takeoff gross weight of over 23,000 pounds for a large airplane. This will result in a 5 to 10 percent reduction in direct operating costs (DOC). Critical to this savings is the basic electrical power system component technology. These advanced electrical power components will provide a solid foundation for the materials, devices, circuits, and subsystems needed to satisfy the unique requirements of advanced all electric aircraft power systems. The program for the development of advanced electrical power component technology is described. The program is divided into five generic areas: semiconductor devices (transistors, thyristors, and diodes); conductors (materials and transmission lines); dielectrics; magnetic devices; and load management devices. Examples of progress in each of the five areas are discussed. Bipolar power transistors up to 1000 V at 100 A with a gain of 10 and a 0.5 microsec rise and fall time are presented. A class of semiconductor devices with a possibility of switching up to 100 kV is described. Solid state power controllers for load management at 120 to 1000 V and power levels to 25 kW were developed along with a 25 kW, 20 kHz transformer weighing only 3.2 kg.

A 1 MW, 100 kV, less than 100 kg space based dc-dc power converter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cooper, J. R.; White, C. W.

1991-01-01

A 1 MW dc-dc power converter has been designed which has an input voltage of 5 kV +/-3 percent, an output voltage of 100 kV +/- 0.25 percent, and a run time of 1000 s at full power. The estimated system mass is 83.8 kg, giving a power density of 11.9 kW/kg. The system exceeded the weight goal of 10 kW/kg through the use of innovative components and system concepts. The system volume is approximately 0.1 cu m, and the overall system efficiency is estimated to be 87 percent. Some of the unique system features include a 50-kHz H-bridge inverter using MOS-controlled thyristors as the switching devices, a resonance transformer to step up the voltage, open-cycle cryogenic hydrogen gas cooling, and a nonrigid, inflatable housing which provides on-demand pressurization of the power converter local environment. This system scales very well to higher output powers. The weight of the 10-MW system with the same input and output voltage requirements and overall system configuration is estimated to be 575.3 kg. This gives a power density of 17.4 kW/kg, significantly higher than the 11.9 kW/kg estimated at 1 MW.

A 1 MW, 100 kV, less than 100 kg space based dc-dc power converter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cooper, J. R.; White, C. W.

A 1 MW dc-dc power converter has been designed which has an input voltage of 5 kV +/-3 percent, an output voltage of 100 kV +/- 0.25 percent, and a run time of 1000 s at full power. The estimated system mass is 83.8 kg, giving a power density of 11.9 kW/kg. The system exceeded the weight goal of 10 kW/kg through the use of innovative components and system concepts. The system volume is approximately 0.1 cu m, and the overall system efficiency is estimated to be 87 percent. Some of the unique system features include a 50-kHz H-bridge inverter using MOS-controlled thyristors as the switching devices, a resonance transformer to step up the voltage, open-cycle cryogenic hydrogen gas cooling, and a nonrigid, inflatable housing which provides on-demand pressurization of the power converter local environment. This system scales very well to higher output powers. The weight of the 10-MW system with the same input and output voltage requirements and overall system configuration is estimated to be 575.3 kg. This gives a power density of 17.4 kW/kg, significantly higher than the 11.9 kW/kg estimated at 1 MW.

Extensions of the MCNP5 and TRIPOLI4 Monte Carlo Codes for Transient Reactor Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoogenboom, J. Eduard; Sjenitzer, Bart L.

2014-06-01

To simulate reactor transients for safety analysis with the Monte Carlo method the generation and decay of delayed neutron precursors is implemented in the MCNP5 and TRIPOLI4 general purpose Monte Carlo codes. Important new variance reduction techniques like forced decay of precursors in each time interval and the branchless collision method are included to obtain reasonable statistics for the power production per time interval. For simulation of practical reactor transients also the feedback effect from the thermal-hydraulics must be included. This requires coupling of the Monte Carlo code with a thermal-hydraulics (TH) code, providing the temperature distribution in the reactor, which affects the neutron transport via the cross section data. The TH code also provides the coolant density distribution in the reactor, directly influencing the neutron transport. Different techniques for this coupling are discussed. As a demonstration a 3x3 mini fuel assembly with a moving control rod is considered for MCNP5 and a mini core existing of 3x3 PWR fuel assemblies with control rods and burnable poisons for TRIPOLI4. Results are shown for reactor transients due to control rod movement or withdrawal. The TRIPOLI4 transient calculation is started at low power and includes thermal-hydraulic feedback. The power rises about 10 decades and finally stabilises the reactor power at a much higher level than initial. The examples demonstrate that the modified Monte Carlo codes are capable of performing correct transient calculations, taking into account all geometrical and cross section detail.

76 FR 16458 - Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS); Meeting of the ACRS Subcommittee on U.S...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-23

... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS); Meeting of the ACRS Subcommittee on U.S. Evolutionary Power Reactor (U.S. EPR); Notice of Meeting The ACRS Subcommittee on U.S. EPR... of the Safety Evaluation Report (SER) with open items associated with U.S. EPR Design Control...

The near boiling reactor: Conceptual design of a small inherently safe nuclear reactor to extend the operational capability of the Victoria Class submarine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cole, Christopher J. P.

Nuclear power has several unique advantages over other air independent energy sources for nuclear combat submarines. An inherently safe, small nuclear reactor, capable of supply the hotel load of the Victoria Class submarines, has been conceptually developed. The reactor is designed to complement the existing diesel electric power generation plant presently onboard the submarine. The reactor, rated at greater than 1 MW thermal, will supply electricity to the submarine's batteries through an organic Rankine cycle energy conversion plant at 200 kW. This load will increase the operational envelope of the submarine by providing up to 28 continuous days submerged, allowing for an enhanced indiscretion ratio (ratio of time spent on the surface versus time submerged) and a limited under ice capability. The power plant can be fitted into the existing submarine by inserting a 6 m hull plug. With its simplistic design and inherent safety features, the reactor plant will require a minimal addition to the crew. The reactor employs TRISO fuel particles for increased safety. The light water coolant remains at atmospheric pressure, exiting the core at 96°C. Burn-up control and limiting excess reactivity is achieved through movable reflector plates. Shut down and regulatory control is achieved through the thirteen hafnium control rods. Inherent safety is achieved through the negative prompt and delayed temperature coefficients, as well as the negative void coefficient. During a transient, the boiling of the moderator results in a sudden drop in reactivity, essentially shutting down the reactor. It is this characteristic after which the reactor has been named. The design of the reactor was achieved through modelling using computer codes such as MCNP5, WIMS-AECL, FEMLAB, and MicroShield5, in addition to specially written software for kinetics, heat transfer and fission product poisoning calculations. The work has covered a broad area of research and has highlighted additional areas that should be investigated. These include developing a detailed point nodel kinetic model coupled with a finite element heat transfer model, undertaking radiation protection shielding calculations in accordance with international and national regulations, and exploring the effects of advanced fuels.

Biogeochemical controls on interactions of microbial iron and sulfate reduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kirk, M. F.; Paper, J. M.; Haller, B. R.; Shodunke, G. O.; Marquart, K. A.; Jin, Q.

2016-12-01

Although iron and sulfate reduction are two of the most common microbial electron accepting processes in anoxic settings, the relative influences of environmental factors that guide interactions between each are poorly known. Identifying these factors is a key to predicting how those interactions will respond to future environmental changes. In this study, we used semi-continuous bioreactors to examine the influence of pH, electron donor flux, and sulfate availability. The reactors contained 100 mL of aqueous media and 1 g of marsh sediment amended with goethite (1 mmol). One set of reactors received acidic media (pH 6) while the other set received alkaline media (pH 7.5). Media for both sets of reactors included acetate (0.25 and 1 mM), which served as an electron donor, and sulfate (2.5 mM). We also included sets of sulfate-deficient and acetate-deficient control reactors. We maintained a fluid residence time of 35 days in the reactors by sampling and feeding them every seven days during the 91-day incubation. Our results show that, under the conditions tested, pH had a larger influence on the balance between each reaction than acetate concentration. In acidic reactors, the molar amount of iron reduced exceeded the amount of sulfate reduced by a factor of 3 in reactors receiving media with 0 and 0.25 mM acetate and a factor of 2 in reactors receiving 1 mM acetate. Under alkaline conditions, iron and sulfate were reduced in nearly equal proportions, regardless of influent acetate concentration. Results from sulfate-deficient control reactors show that the presence of sulfate reduction increased the extent of iron reduction in all reactors, but particularly those with alkaline pH. Under acidic conditions, the amount of iron reduced was greater by a factor of 1.2 if sulfate reduction occurred simultaneously than if it did not. Under alkaline conditions, that factor increased to 8.2. Hence, pH influenced the extent to which sulfate reduction promoted iron reduction.

POSITIONING MEANS FOR THE CONTROL ROD IN A NUCLEAR REACTOR

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bell, F.R.

1963-09-26

An electric motor and transmission means for adjusting the position of the control rod in relation to the reactor core to control the level of activity in either sense and a lock that is retained in a locking condition by a longitudinal force derived electrically from the motor but arranged to be released when the electrical force is removed to allow the control rod in an emergency to drop into its shut-down position are described. (Gmelin Inst.)

Simultaneous hydrogen utilization and in situ biogas upgrading in an anaerobic reactor.

PubMed

Luo, Gang; Johansson, Sara; Boe, Kanokwan; Xie, Li; Zhou, Qi; Angelidaki, Irini

2012-04-01

The possibility of converting hydrogen to methane and simultaneous upgrading of biogas was investigated in both batch tests and fully mixed biogas reactor, simultaneously fed with manure and hydrogen. Batch experiments showed that hydrogen could be converted to methane by hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis with conversion of more than 90% of the consumed hydrogen to methane. The hydrogen consumption rates were affected by both P(H₂) (hydrogen partial pressure) and mixing intensity. Inhibition of propionate and butyrate degradation by hydrogen (1 atm) was only observed under high mixing intensity (shaking speed 300 rpm). Continuous addition of hydrogen (flow rate of 28.6 mL/(L/h)) to an anaerobic reactor fed with manure, showed that more than 80% of the hydrogen was utilized. The propionate and butyrate level in the reactor was not significantly affected by the hydrogen addition. The methane production rate of the reactor with H₂ addition was 22% higher, compared to the control reactor only fed with manure. The CO₂ content in the produced biogas was only 15%, while it was 38% in the control reactor. However, the addition of hydrogen resulted in increase of pH (from 8.0 to 8.3) due to the consumption of bicarbonate, which subsequently caused slight inhibition of methanogenesis. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Preliminary Comparison of Radioactive Waste Disposal Cost for Fusion and Fission Reactors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seki, Yasushi; Aoki, Isao; Yamano, Naoki; Tabara, Takashi

1997-09-01

The environmental and economic impact of radioactive waste (radwaste) generated from fusion power reactors using five types of structural materials and a fission reactor has been evaluated and compared. Possible radwaste disposal scenario of fusion radwaste in Japan is considered. The exposure doses were evaluated for the skyshine of gamma-ray during the disposal operation, groundwater migration scenario during the institutional control period of 300 years and future site use scenario after the institutional period. The radwaste generated from a typical light water fission reactor was evaluated using the same methodology as for the fusion reactors. It is found that radwaste from the fusion reactors using F82H and SiC/SiC composites without impurities could be disposed by the shallow land disposal presently applied to the low level waste in Japan. The disposal cost of radwaste from five fusion power reactors and a typical light water reactor were roughly evaluated and compared.

Eddy Current Flow Measurements in the FFTF

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nielsen, Deborah L.; Polzin, David L.; Omberg, Ronald P.

2017-02-02

The Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) is the most recent liquid metal reactor (LMR) to be designed, constructed, and operated by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The 400-MWt sodium-cooled, fast-neutron flux reactor plant was designed for irradiation testing of nuclear reactor fuels and materials for liquid metal fast breeder reactors. Following shut down of the Clinch River Breeder Reactor Plant (CRBRP) project in 1983, FFTF continued to play a key role in providing a test bed for demonstrating performance of advanced fuel designs and demonstrating operation, maintenance, and safety of advanced liquid metal reactors. The FFTF Program provides valuablemore » information for potential follow-on reactor projects in the areas of plant system and component design, component fabrication, fuel design and performance, prototype testing, site construction, and reactor control and operations. This report provides HEDL-TC-1344, “ECFM Flow Measurements in the FFTF Using Phase-Sensitive Detectors”, March 1979.« less

Control of Advanced Reactor-Coupled Heat Exchanger System: Incorporation of Reactor Dynamics in System Response to Load Disturbances

DOE PAGES

Skavdahl, Isaac; Utgikar, Vivek; Christensen, Richard; ...

2016-05-24

We present an alternative control schemes for an Advanced High Temperature Reactor system consisting of a reactor, an intermediate heat exchanger, and a secondary heat exchanger (SHX) in this paper. One scheme is designed to control the cold outlet temperature of the SHX (T co) and the hot outlet temperature of the intermediate heat exchanger (T ho2) by manipulating the hot-side flow rates of the heat exchangers (F h/F h2) responding to the flow rate and temperature disturbances. The flow rate disturbances typically require a larger manipulation of the flow rates than temperature disturbances. An alternate strategy examines the controlmore » of the cold outlet temperature of the SHX (T co) only, since this temperature provides the driving force for energy production in the power conversion unit or the process application. The control can be achieved by three options: (1) flow rate manipulation; (2) reactor power manipulation; or (3) a combination of the two. The first option has a quicker response but requires a large flow rate change. The second option is the slowest but does not involve any change in the flow rates of streams. The final option appears preferable as it has an intermediate response time and requires only a minimal flow rate change.« less

COAXIAL CONTROL ROD DRIVE MECHANISM FOR NEUTRONIC REACTORS

DOEpatents

Fox, R.J.; Oakes, L.C.

1959-04-14

A drive mechanism is presented for the control rod or a nuclear reactor. In this device the control rod is coupled to a drive shaft which extends coaxially through the rotor of an electric motor for relative rotation with respect thereto. A gear reduction mehanism is coupled between the rotor and the drive shaft to convert the rotary motion of the motor into linear motion of the shaft with a comparatively great reduction in speed, thereby providing relatively glow linear movement of the shaft and control rod for control purposes.

CONTROL SYSTEM FOR NEUTRONIC REACTORS

DOEpatents

Crever, F.E.

1962-05-01

BS>A slow-acting shim rod for control of major variations in reactor neutron flux and a fast-acting control rod to correct minor flux variations are employed to provide a sensitive, accurate control system. The fast-acting rod is responsive to an error signal which is produced by changes in the neutron flux from a predetermined optimum level. When the fast rod is thus actuated in a given direction, means is provided to actuate the slow-moving rod in that direction to return the fast rod to a position near the midpoint of its control range. (AEC)

Preparation of dielectric coating of variable dielectric constant by plasma polymerization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hudis, M.; Wydeven, T. (Inventor)

1979-01-01

A plasma polymerization process for the deposition of a dielectric polymer coating on a substrate comprising disposing of the substrate in a closed reactor between two temperature controlled electrodes connected to a power supply is presented. A vacuum is maintained within the closed reactor, causing a monomer gas or gas mixture of a monomer and diluent to flow into the reactor, generating a plasma between the electrodes. The vacuum varies and controls the dielectric constant of the polymer coating being deposited by regulating the gas total and partial pressure, the electric field strength and frequency, and the current density.

DENSITY CONTROL IN A REACTOR

DOEpatents

Marshall, J. Jr.

1961-10-24

A reactor is described in which natural-uranium bodies are located in parallel channels which extend through the graphite mass in a regular lattice. The graphite mass has additional channels that are out of the lattice and contain no uranium. These additional channels decrease in number per unit volume of graphite from the center of the reactor to the exterior and have the effect of reducing the density of the graphite more at the center than at the exterior, thereby spreading neutron activity throughout the reactor. (AEC)

Systems and methods for dismantling a nuclear reactor

DOEpatents

Heim, Robert R; Adams, Scott Ryan; Cole, Matthew Denver; Kirby, William E; Linnebur, Paul Damon

2014-10-28

Systems and methods for dismantling a nuclear reactor are described. In one aspect the system includes a remotely controlled heavy manipulator ("manipulator") operatively coupled to a support structure, and a control station in a non-contaminated portion of a workspace. The support structure provides the manipulator with top down access into a bioshield of a nuclear reactor. At least one computing device in the control station provides remote control to perform operations including: (a) dismantling, using the manipulator, a graphite moderator, concrete walls, and a ceiling of the bioshield, the manipulator being provided with automated access to all internal portions of the bioshield; (b) loading, using the manipulator, contaminated graphite blocks from the graphite core and other components from the bioshield into one or more waste containers; and (c) dispersing, using the manipulator, dust suppression and contamination fixing spray to contaminated matter.

Improved hydrocracker temperature control: Mobil quench zone technology

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sarli, M.S.; McGovern, S.J.; Lewis, D.W.

1993-01-01

Hydrocracking is a well established process in the oil refining industry. There are over 2.7 million barrels of installed capacity world-wide. The hydrocracking process comprises several families of highly exothermic reactions and the total adiabatic temperature rise can easily exceed 200 F. Reactor temperature control is therefore very important. Hydrocracking reactors are typically constructed with multiple catalyst beds in series. Cold recycle gas is usually injected between the catalyst beds to quench the reactions, thereby controlling overall temperature rise. The design of this quench zone is the key to good reactor temperature control, particularly when processing poorer quality, i.e., highermore » heat release, feeds. Mobil Research and Development Corporation (MRDC) has developed a robust and very effective quench zone technology (QZT) package, which is now being licensed to the industry for hydrocracking applications.« less

Preconceptual design of a fluoride high temperature salt-cooled engineering demonstration reactor: Motivation and overview

DOE PAGES

Qualls, A. Louis; Betzler, Benjamin R.; Brown, Nicholas R.; ...

2016-12-21

Engineering demonstration reactors are nuclear reactors built to establish proof of concept for technology options that have never been built. Examples of engineering demonstration reactors include Peach Bottom 1 for high temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs) and Experimental Breeder Reactor-II (EBR-II) for sodium-cooled fast reactors. Historically, engineering demonstrations have played a vital role in advancing the technology readiness level of reactor technologies. Our paper details a preconceptual design for a fluoride salt-cooled engineering demonstration reactor. The fluoride salt-cooled high-temperature reactor (FHR) demonstration reactor (DR) is a concept for a salt-cooled reactor with 100 megawatts of thermal output (MWt). It would usemore » tristructural-isotropic (TRISO) particle fuel within prismatic graphite blocks. FLiBe (2 7LiF-BeF2) is the reference primary coolant. The FHR DR is designed to be small, simple, and affordable. Development of the FHR DR is a necessary intermediate step to enable near-term commercial FHRs. The design philosophy of the FHR DR was focused on safety, near-term deployment, and flexibility. Lower risk technologies are purposely included in the initial FHR DR design to ensure that the reactor can be built, licensed, and operated as an engineering demonstration with minimal risk and cost. These technologies include TRISO particle fuel, replaceable core structures, and consistent structural material selection for core structures and the primary and intermediate loops, and tube-and-shell primary-to-intermediate heat exchangers. Important capabilities to be demonstrated by building and operating the FHR DR include fabrication and operation of high temperature reactors; heat exchanger performance (including passive decay heat removal); pump performance; and reactivity control; salt chemistry control to maximize vessel life; tritium management; core design methodologies; salt procurement, handling, maintenance and ultimate disposal. It is recognized that non-nuclear separate and integral test efforts (e.g., heated salt loops or loops using simulant fluids) are necessary to develop the technologies that will be demonstrated in the FHR DR.« less

Preconceptual design of a fluoride high temperature salt-cooled engineering demonstration reactor: Motivation and overview

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Qualls, A. Louis; Betzler, Benjamin R.; Brown, Nicholas R.

Engineering demonstration reactors are nuclear reactors built to establish proof of concept for technology options that have never been built. Examples of engineering demonstration reactors include Peach Bottom 1 for high temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs) and Experimental Breeder Reactor-II (EBR-II) for sodium-cooled fast reactors. Historically, engineering demonstrations have played a vital role in advancing the technology readiness level of reactor technologies. Our paper details a preconceptual design for a fluoride salt-cooled engineering demonstration reactor. The fluoride salt-cooled high-temperature reactor (FHR) demonstration reactor (DR) is a concept for a salt-cooled reactor with 100 megawatts of thermal output (MWt). It would usemore » tristructural-isotropic (TRISO) particle fuel within prismatic graphite blocks. FLiBe (2 7LiF-BeF2) is the reference primary coolant. The FHR DR is designed to be small, simple, and affordable. Development of the FHR DR is a necessary intermediate step to enable near-term commercial FHRs. The design philosophy of the FHR DR was focused on safety, near-term deployment, and flexibility. Lower risk technologies are purposely included in the initial FHR DR design to ensure that the reactor can be built, licensed, and operated as an engineering demonstration with minimal risk and cost. These technologies include TRISO particle fuel, replaceable core structures, and consistent structural material selection for core structures and the primary and intermediate loops, and tube-and-shell primary-to-intermediate heat exchangers. Important capabilities to be demonstrated by building and operating the FHR DR include fabrication and operation of high temperature reactors; heat exchanger performance (including passive decay heat removal); pump performance; and reactivity control; salt chemistry control to maximize vessel life; tritium management; core design methodologies; salt procurement, handling, maintenance and ultimate disposal. It is recognized that non-nuclear separate and integral test efforts (e.g., heated salt loops or loops using simulant fluids) are necessary to develop the technologies that will be demonstrated in the FHR DR.« less

Project Luna Succendo: The Lunar Evolutionary Growth-Optimized (LEGO) Reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bess, John Darrell

A final design has been established for a basic Lunar Evolutionary Growth-Optimized (LEGO) Reactor using current and near-term technologies. The LEGO Reactor is a modular, fast-fission, heatpipe-cooled, clustered-reactor system for lunar-surface power generation. The reactor is divided into subcritical units that can be safely launched within lunar shipments from the Earth, and then emplaced directly into holes drilled into the lunar regolith to form a critical reactor assembly. The regolith would not just provide radiation shielding, but serve as neutron-reflector material as well. The reactor subunits are to be manufactured using proven and tested materials for use in radiation environments, such as uranium-dioxide fuel, stainless-steel cladding and structural support, and liquid-sodium heatpipes. The LEGO Reactor system promotes reliability, safety, and ease of manufacture and testing at the cost of an increase in launch mass per overall rated power level and a reduction in neutron economy when compared to a single-reactor system. A single unshielded LEGO Reactor subunit has an estimated mass of approximately 448 kg and provides 5 kWe using a free-piston Stirling space converter. The overall envelope for a single unit with fully extended radiator panels has a height of 8.77 m and a diameter of 0.50 m. The subunits can be placed with centerline distances of approximately 0.6 m in a hexagonal-lattice pattern to provide sufficient neutronic coupling while allowing room for heat rejection and interstitial control. A lattice of six subunits could provide sufficient power generation throughout the initial stages of establishing a lunar outpost. Portions of the reactor may be neutronically decoupled to allow for reduced power production during unmanned periods of base operations. During later stages of lunar-base development, additional subunits may be emplaced and coupled into the existing LEGO Reactor network Future improvements include advances in reactor control methods, fuel form and matrix, determination of shielding requirements, as well as power conversion and heat rejection techniques to generate an even more competitive LEGO Reactor design. Further modifications in the design could provide power generative opportunities for use on other extraterrestrial surfaces such as Mars, other moons, and asteroids.

Hydroponic potato production on nutrients derived from anaerobically-processed potato plant residues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mackowiak, C. L.; Stutte, G. W.; Garland, J. L.; Finger, B. W.; Ruffe, L. M.

1997-01-01

Bioregenerative methods are being developed for recycling plant minerals from harvested inedible biomass as part of NASA's Advanced Life Support (ALS) research. Anaerobic processing produces secondary metabolites, a food source for yeast production, while providing a source of water soluble nutrients for plant growth. Since NH_4-N is the nitrogen product, processing the effluent through a nitrification reactor was used to convert this to NO_3-N, a more acceptable form for plants. Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cv. Norland plants were used to test the effects of anaerobically-produced effluent after processing through a yeast reactor or nitrification reactor. These treatments were compared to a mixed-N treatment (75:25, NO_3:NH_4) or a NO_3-N control, both containing only reagent-grade salts. Plant growth and tuber yields were greatest in the NO_3-N control and yeast reactor effluent treatments, which is noteworthy, considering the yeast reactor treatment had high organic loading in the nutrient solution and concomitant microbial activity.

76 FR 52715 - Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS); Meeting of the ACRS Subcommittee on Digital...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-23

... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS); Meeting of the ACRS Subcommittee on Digital Instrumentation and Control Systems; Notice of Meeting The ACRS Subcommittee on Digital Instrumentation and Control Systems (DI&C) will hold a meeting on September 7, 2011, Room T-2B1, 11545 Rockville...

76 FR 32240 - Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS); Meeting of the ACRS Subcommittee on Digital...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-03

... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS); Meeting of the ACRS Subcommittee on Digital Instrumentation and Control Systems; Notice of Meeting The ACRS Subcommittee on Digital Instrumentation and Control Systems (DI&C) will hold a meeting on June 7, 2011, Room T-2B1, 11545 Rockville Pike...

MTR, TRA603. CONTROL ROOM DETAILS. ACOUSTIC PLASTER CEILING, USHAPED CONSOLE, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

MTR, TRA-603. CONTROL ROOM DETAILS. ACOUSTIC PLASTER CEILING, U-SHAPED CONSOLE, INSTRUMENT PANELS, GLASS DOOR, ASPHALT TILE FLOOR AND COLORS. BLAW-KNOX 3150-803-11, 10/1950. INL INDEX NO. 531-0603-00-098-100570, REV. 3. - Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Test Reactor Area, Materials & Engineering Test Reactors, Scoville, Butte County, ID

General layout of reactor and control areas upon advent of ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

General layout of reactor and control areas upon advent of power burst facility (PBF). Shows relationship of PBF to SPERT-I, -II, -III, and -IV. Ebasco Services 1205-PER/PBF-U-102. Date: July 1965. INEEL index no. 761-0100-00-205-123006 - Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, SPERT-I & Power Burst Facility Area, Scoville, Butte County, ID

77 FR 60480 - Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) Meeting of the ACRS Subcommittee on Digital...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-03

... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) Meeting of the ACRS Subcommittee on Digital Instrumentation and Control Systems; Notice of Meeting The ACRS Subcommittee on Digital Instrumentation and Control Systems (DI&C) will hold a meeting on October 30, 2012, Room T-2B1, 11545 Rockville...

CADMIUM-RARE EARTH BORATE GLASS AS REACTOR CONTROL MATERIAL

DOEpatents

Ploetz, G.L.; Ray, W.E.

1958-11-01

A reactor control rod fabricated from a cadmiumrare earth-borate glass is presented. The rare earth component of this glass is selected from among those rare earths having large neutron capture cross sections, such as samarium, gadolinium or europium. Partlcles of this glass are then dispersed in a metal matrix by standard powder metallurgy techniques.

NUCLEAR REACTOR FUEL ELEMENT

DOEpatents

Currier, E.L. Jr.; Nicklas, J.H.

1963-06-11

A fuel plate is designed for incorporation into control rods of the type utilized in high-flux test reactors. The fuel plate is designed so that the portion nearest the poison section of the control rod contains about one-half as much fissionable material as in the rest of the plate, thereby eliminating dangerous flux peaking in that portion. (AEC)

Carbon mass balance and microbial ecology in a laboratory scale reactor achieving simultaneous sludge reduction and nutrient removal.

PubMed

Huang, Pei; Li, Liang; Kotay, Shireen Meher; Goel, Ramesh

2014-04-15

Solids reduction in activated sludge processes (ASP) at source using process manipulation has been researched widely over the last two-decades. However, the absence of nutrient removal component, lack of understanding on the organic carbon, and limited information on key microbial community in solids minimizing ASP preclude the widespread acceptance of sludge minimizing processes. In this manuscript, we report simultaneous solids reduction through anaerobiosis along with nitrogen and phosphorus removals. The manuscript also reports carbon mass balance using stable isotope of carbon, microbial ecology of nitrifiers and polyphosphate accumulating organisms (PAOs). Two laboratory scale reactors were operated in anaerobic-aerobic-anoxic (A(2)O) mode. One reactor was run in the standard mode (hereafter called the control-SBR) simulating conventional A(2)O type of activated sludge process and the second reactor was run in the sludge minimizing mode (called the modified-SBR). Unlike other research efforts where the sludge minimizing reactor was maintained at nearly infinite solids retention time (SRT). To sustain the efficient nutrient removal, the modified-SBR in this research was operated at a very small solids yield rather than at infinite SRT. Both reactors showed consistent NH3-N, phosphorus and COD removals over a period of 263 days. Both reactors also showed active denitrification during the anoxic phase even if there was no organic carbon source available during this phase, suggesting the presence of denitrifying PAOs (DNPAOs). The observed solids yield in the modified-SBR was 60% less than the observed solids yield in the control-SBR. Specific oxygen uptake rate (SOUR) for the modified-SBR was almost 44% more than the control-SBR under identical feeding conditions, but was nearly the same for both reactors under fasting conditions. The modified-SBR showed greater diversity of ammonia oxidizing bacteria and PAOs compared to the control-SBR. The diversity of PAOs in the modified-SBR was even more interesting in which case novel clades of Candidatus Accumulibacter phosphatis (CAP), an uncultured but widely found PAOs, were found. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Optically isolated, 2 kHz repetition rate, 4 kV solid-state pulse trigger generator.

PubMed

Barnett, D H; Parson, J M; Lynn, C F; Kelly, P M; Taylor, M; Calico, S; Scott, M C; Dickens, J C; Neuber, A A; Mankowski, J J

2015-03-01

This paper presents the design and operation characteristics of a solid-state high voltage pulse generator. Its primary utilization is aimed at triggering a gaseous spark gap with high repeatability. Specifically, the trigger generator is designed to achieve a risetime on the order of 0.1 kV/ns to trigger the first stage, trigatron spark gap of a 10-stage, 500 kV Marx generator. The major design components are comprised of a 60 W constant current DC-DC converter for high voltage charging, a single 4 kV thyristor, a step-up pulse transformer, and magnetic switch for pulse steepening. A risetime of <30 ns and pulse magnitude of 4 kV is achieved matching the simulated performance of the design.

Development and fabrication of improved power transistor switches

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hower, P. L.; Chu, C. K.

1979-01-01

A new class of high-voltage power transistors was achieved by adapting present interdigitated thyristor processing techniques to the fabrication of npn Si transistors. Present devices are 2.3 cm in diameter and have V sub CEO (sus) in the range of 400 to 600V. V sub CEO (sus) = 450V devices were made with an (h sub FE)(I sub C) product of 900A at V sub CE = 2.5V. The electrical performance obtained was consistent with the predictions of an optimum design theory specifically developed for power switching transistors. The device design, wafer processing, and assembly techniques are described. Experimental measurements of the dc characteristics, forward SOA, and switching times are included. A new method of characterizing the switching performance of power transistors is proposed.

Definition of a Robust Supervisory Control Scheme for Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ponciroli, R.; Passerini, S.; Vilim, R. B.

In this work, an innovative control approach for metal-fueled Sodium-cooled Fast Reactors is proposed. With respect to the classical approach adopted for base-load Nuclear Power Plants, an alternative control strategy for operating the reactor at different power levels by respecting the system physical constraints is presented. In order to achieve a higher operational flexibility along with ensuring that the implemented control loops do not influence the system inherent passive safety features, a dedicated supervisory control scheme for the dynamic definition of the corresponding set-points to be supplied to the PID controllers is designed. In particular, the traditional approach based onmore » the adoption of tabulated lookup tables for the set-point definition is found not to be robust enough when failures of the implemented SISO (Single Input Single Output) actuators occur. Therefore, a feedback algorithm based on the Reference Governor approach, which allows for the optimization of reference signals according to the system operating conditions, is proposed.« less

10 CFR 73.4 - Communications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

...: Document Control Desk, Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, Director, Office of New Reactors...://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals.html; by e-mail to [email protected]; or by writing the Office...

MONTE CARLO SIMULATIONS OF PERIODIC PULSED REACTOR WITH MOVING GEOMETRY PARTS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cao, Yan; Gohar, Yousry

2015-11-01

In a periodic pulsed reactor, the reactor state varies periodically from slightly subcritical to slightly prompt supercritical for producing periodic power pulses. Such periodic state change is accomplished by a periodic movement of specific reactor parts, such as control rods or reflector sections. The analysis of such reactor is difficult to perform with the current reactor physics computer programs. Based on past experience, the utilization of the point kinetics approximations gives considerable errors in predicting the magnitude and the shape of the power pulse if the reactor has significantly different neutron life times in different zones. To accurately simulate themore » dynamics of this type of reactor, a Monte Carlo procedure using the transfer function TRCL/TR of the MCNP/MCNPX computer programs is utilized to model the movable reactor parts. In this paper, two algorithms simulating the geometry part movements during a neutron history tracking have been developed. Several test cases have been developed to evaluate these procedures. The numerical test cases have shown that the developed algorithms can be utilized to simulate the reactor dynamics with movable geometry parts.« less

Pressurized fluidized bed reactor

DOEpatents

Isaksson, J.

1996-03-19

A pressurized fluid bed reactor power plant includes a fluidized bed reactor contained within a pressure vessel with a pressurized gas volume between the reactor and the vessel. A first conduit supplies primary gas from the gas volume to the reactor, passing outside the pressure vessel and then returning through the pressure vessel to the reactor, and pressurized gas is supplied from a compressor through a second conduit to the gas volume. A third conduit, comprising a hot gas discharge, carries gases from the reactor, through a filter, and ultimately to a turbine. During normal operation of the plant, pressurized gas is withdrawn from the gas volume through the first conduit and introduced into the reactor at a substantially continuously controlled rate as the primary gas to the reactor. In response to an operational disturbance of the plant, the flow of gas in the first, second, and third conduits is terminated, and thereafter the pressure in the gas volume and in the reactor is substantially simultaneously reduced by opening pressure relief valves in the first and third conduits, and optionally by passing air directly from the second conduit to the turbine. 1 fig.

Pressurized fluidized bed reactor

DOEpatents

Isaksson, Juhani

1996-01-01

A pressurized fluid bed reactor power plant includes a fluidized bed reactor contained within a pressure vessel with a pressurized gas volume between the reactor and the vessel. A first conduit supplies primary gas from the gas volume to the reactor, passing outside the pressure vessel and then returning through the pressure vessel to the reactor, and pressurized gas is supplied from a compressor through a second conduit to the gas volume. A third conduit, comprising a hot gas discharge, carries gases from the reactor, through a filter, and ultimately to a turbine. During normal operation of the plant, pressurized gas is withdrawn from the gas volume through the first conduit and introduced into the reactor at a substantially continuously controlled rate as the primary gas to the reactor. In response to an operational disturbance of the plant, the flow of gas in the first, second, and third conduits is terminated, and thereafter the pressure in the gas volume and in the reactor is substantially simultaneously reduced by opening pressure relief valves in the first and third conduits, and optionally by passing air directly from the second conduit to the turbine.

Synthesis of colloidal metal nanocrystals in droplet reactors: the pros and cons of interfacial adsorption.

PubMed

Zhang, Lei; Wang, Yi; Tong, Limin; Xia, Younan

2014-07-09

Droplet reactors have received considerable attention in recent years as an alternative route to the synthesis and potentially high-volume production of colloidal metal nanocrystals. Interfacial adsorption will immediately become an important issue to address when one seeks to translate a nanocrystal synthesis from batch reactors to droplet reactors due to the involvement of higher surface-to-volume ratios for the droplets and the fact that nanocrystals tend to be concentrated at the water-oil interface. Here we report a systematic study to compare the pros and cons of interfacial adsorption of metal nanocrystals during their synthesis in droplet reactors. On the one hand, interfacial adsorption can be used to generate nanocrystals with asymmetric shapes or structures, including one-sixth-truncated Ag octahedra and Au-Ag nanocups. On the other hand, interfacial adsorption has to be mitigated to obtain nanocrystals with uniform sizes and controlled shapes. We confirmed that Triton X-100, a nonionic surfactant, could effectively alleviate interfacial adsorption while imposing no impact on the capping agent typically needed for a shape-controlled synthesis. With the introduction of a proper surfactant, droplet reactors offer an attractive platform for the continuous production of colloidal metal nanocrystals.

Effect of Reactor Design on the Plasma Treatment of NOx

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-10-01

control parameter is the input energy density. Consequently, different reactor designs should yield basically the same plasma chemistry if the experiments are performed under identical gas composition and temperature conditions.

Automated startup of the MIT research reactor

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kwok, K.S.

1992-01-01

This summary describes the development, implementation, and testing of a generic method for performing automated startups of nuclear reactors described by space-independent kinetics under conditions of closed-loop digital control. The technique entails first obtaining a reliable estimate of the reactor's initial degree of subcriticality and then substituting that estimate into a model-based control law so as to permit a power increase from subcritical on a demanded trajectory. The estimation of subcriticality is accomplished by application of the perturbed reactivity method. The shutdown reactor is perturbed by the insertion of reactivity at a known rate. Observation of the resulting period permitsmore » determination of the initial degree of subcriticality. A major advantage to this method is that repeated estimates are obtained of the same quantity. Hence, statistical methods can be applied to improve the quality of the calculation.« less

Development of variable-width ribbon heating elements for liquid-metal and gas-cooled fast breeder reactor fuel-pin simulators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McCulloch, R.W.; Post, D.W.; Lovell, R.T.

1981-04-01

Variable-width ribbon heating elements that provide a chopped-cosine variable heat flux profile have been fabricated for fuel pin simulators used in test loops by the Breeder Reactor Program Thermal-Hydraulic Out-of-Reactor Safety test facility and the Gas-Cooled Fast Breeder Reactor-Core Flow Test Loop. Thermal, mechanical, and electrical design considerations are used to derive an analytical expression that precisely describes ribbon contour in terms of the major fabrication parameters. These parameters are used to generate numerical control tapes that control ribbon cutting and winding machines. Infrared scanning techniques are developed to determine the optimum transient thermal profile of the coils and relatemore » this profile to that generated by the coils in completed fuel pin simulators.« less

Mass tracking and material accounting in the Integral Fast Reactor (IFR)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Orechwa, Y.; Adams, C.H.; White, A.M.

1991-01-01

The Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) is a generic advanced liquid metal cooled reactor concept being developed at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). There are a number of technical features of the IFR which contribute to its potential as a next-generation reactor. These are associated with large safety margins with regard to off-normal events involving the heat transport system, and the use of metallic fuel which makes possible the utilization of innovative fuel cycle processes. The latter feature permits fuel cycle closure the compact, low-cost reprocessing facilities, collocated with the reactor plant. These primary features are being demonstrated in the facilities atmore » ANL-West, utilizing Experimental Breeder Reactor 2 and the associated Fuel Cycle Facility (FCF) as an IFR prototype. The demonstration of this IFR prototype includes the design and implementation of the Mass-Tracking System (MTG). In this system, data from the operations of the FCF, including weights and batch-process parameters, are collected and maintained by the MTG running on distributed workstations. The components of the MTG System include: (1) an Oracle database manager with a Fortran interface, (2) a set of MTG Tasks'' which collect, manipulate and report data, (3) a set of MTG Terminal Sessions'' which provide some interactive control of the Tasks, and (4) a set of servers which manage the Tasks and which provide the communications link between the MTG System and Operator Control Stations, which control process equipment and monitoring devices within the FCF.« less

Application of the Monte Carlo method to estimate doses due to neutron activation of different materials in a nuclear reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ródenas, José

2017-11-01

All materials exposed to some neutron flux can be activated independently of the kind of the neutron source. In this study, a nuclear reactor has been considered as neutron source. In particular, the activation of control rods in a BWR is studied to obtain the doses produced around the storage pool for irradiated fuel of the plant when control rods are withdrawn from the reactor and installed into this pool. It is very important to calculate these doses because they can affect to plant workers in the area. The MCNP code based on the Monte Carlo method has been applied to simulate activation reactions produced in the control rods inserted into the reactor. Obtained activities are introduced as input into another MC model to estimate doses produced by them. The comparison of simulation results with experimental measurements allows the validation of developed models. The developed MC models have been also applied to simulate the activation of other materials, such as components of a stainless steel sample introduced into a training reactors. These models, once validated, can be applied to other situations and materials where a neutron flux can be found, not only nuclear reactors. For instance, activation analysis with an Am-Be source, neutrography techniques in both medical applications and non-destructive analysis of materials, civil engineering applications using a Troxler, analysis of materials in decommissioning of nuclear power plants, etc.

Design and Analysis of Embedded I&C for a Fully Submerged Magnetically Suspended Impeller Pump

DOE PAGES

Melin, Alexander M.; Kisner, Roger A.

2018-04-03

Improving nuclear reactor power system designs and fuel-processing technologies for safer and more efficient operation requires the development of new component designs. In particular, many of the advanced reactor designs such as the molten salt reactors and high-temperature gas-cooled reactors have operating environments beyond the capability of most currently available commercial components. To address this gap, new cross-cutting technologies need to be developed that will enable design, fabrication, and reliable operation of new classes of reactor components. The Advanced Sensor Initiative of the Nuclear Energy Enabling Technologies initiative is investigating advanced sensor and control designs that are capable of operatingmore » in these extreme environments. Under this initiative, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has been developing embedded instrumentation and control (I&C) for extreme environments. To develop, test, and validate these new sensing and control techniques, ORNL is building a pump test bed that utilizes submerged magnetic bearings to levitate the shaft. The eventual goal is to apply these techniques to a high-temperature (700°C) canned rotor pump that utilizes active magnetic bearings to eliminate the need for mechanical bearings and seals. The technologies will benefit the Next Generation Power Plant, Advanced Reactor Concepts, and Small Modular Reactor programs. In this paper, we will detail the design and analysis of the embedded I&C test bed with submerged magnetic bearings, focusing on the interplay between the different major systems. Then we will analyze the forces on the shaft and their role in the magnetic bearing design. Next, we will develop the radial and thrust bearing geometries needed to meet the operational requirements of the test bed. In conclusion, we will present some initial system identification results to validate the theoretical models of the test bed dynamics.« less

Design and Analysis of Embedded I&C for a Fully Submerged Magnetically Suspended Impeller Pump

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Melin, Alexander M.; Kisner, Roger A.

Improving nuclear reactor power system designs and fuel-processing technologies for safer and more efficient operation requires the development of new component designs. In particular, many of the advanced reactor designs such as the molten salt reactors and high-temperature gas-cooled reactors have operating environments beyond the capability of most currently available commercial components. To address this gap, new cross-cutting technologies need to be developed that will enable design, fabrication, and reliable operation of new classes of reactor components. The Advanced Sensor Initiative of the Nuclear Energy Enabling Technologies initiative is investigating advanced sensor and control designs that are capable of operatingmore » in these extreme environments. Under this initiative, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has been developing embedded instrumentation and control (I&C) for extreme environments. To develop, test, and validate these new sensing and control techniques, ORNL is building a pump test bed that utilizes submerged magnetic bearings to levitate the shaft. The eventual goal is to apply these techniques to a high-temperature (700°C) canned rotor pump that utilizes active magnetic bearings to eliminate the need for mechanical bearings and seals. The technologies will benefit the Next Generation Power Plant, Advanced Reactor Concepts, and Small Modular Reactor programs. In this paper, we will detail the design and analysis of the embedded I&C test bed with submerged magnetic bearings, focusing on the interplay between the different major systems. Then we will analyze the forces on the shaft and their role in the magnetic bearing design. Next, we will develop the radial and thrust bearing geometries needed to meet the operational requirements of the test bed. In conclusion, we will present some initial system identification results to validate the theoretical models of the test bed dynamics.« less

Acidogenic fermentation of iron-enhanced primary sedimentation sludge under different pH conditions for production of volatile fatty acids.

PubMed

Lin, Lin; Li, Xiao-Yan

2018-03-01

Iron-based chemically enhanced primary sedimentation (CEPS) is increasingly adopted for wastewater treatment in mega cities, producing a large amount of sludge (Fe-sludge) with a high content of organics for potential organic resource recovery. In this experimental study, acidogenic fermentation was applied treat FeCl 3 -based CEPS sludge for production of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) at different pHs. Batch fermentation tests on the Fe-sludge with an organic content of 10 g-COD/L showed that the maximum VFAs production reached 2782.2 mg-COD/L in the reactor without pH control, and it reached 688.4, 3095.3, and 2603.7 mg-COD/L in reactors with pHs kept at 5.0, 6.0 and 8.0, respectively. Analysis of the acidogenesis kinetics and enzymatic activity indicated that the alkaline pH could accelerate the rate of organic hydrolysis but inhibited the further organic conversion to VFAs. In semi-continuous sludge fermentation tests, the VFAs yield in the pH6 reactor was 20% higher than that in the control reactor without pH regulation, while the VFAs yield in the pH8 reactor was 10% lower than the control. Illumina MiSeq sequencing revealed that key functional microorganisms known for effective sludge fermentation, including Bacteroidia and Erysipelotrichi, were enriched in the pH6 reactor with an enhanced VFAs production, while Clostridia became more abundant in the pH8 reactor to stand the unfavorable pH condition. The research presented acidogenic fermentation as an effective process for CEPS sludge treatment and organic resource recovery and provided the first insight into the related microbial community dynamics. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Voltage stability analysis in the new deregulated environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Tong

Nowadays, a significant portion of the power industry is under deregulation. Under this new circumstance, network security analysis is more critical and more difficult. One of the most important issues in network security analysis is voltage stability analysis. Due to the expected higher utilization of equipment induced by competition in a power market that covers bigger power systems, this issue is increasingly acute after deregulation. In this dissertation, some selected topics of voltage stability analysis are covered. In the first part, after a brief review of general concepts of continuation power flow (CPF), investigations on various matrix analysis techniques to improve the speed of CPF calculation for large systems are reported. Based on these improvements, a new CPF algorithm is proposed. This new method is then tested by an inter-area transaction in a large inter-connected power system. In the second part, the Arnoldi algorithm, the best method to find a few minimum singular values for a large sparse matrix, is introduced into the modal analysis for the first time. This new modal analysis is applied to the estimation of the point of voltage collapse and contingency evaluation in voltage security assessment. Simulations show that the new method is very efficient. In the third part, after transient voltage stability component models are investigated systematically, a novel system model for transient voltage stability analysis, which is a logical-algebraic-differential-difference equation (LADDE), is offered. As an example, TCSC (Thyristor controlled series capacitors) is addressed as a transient voltage stabilizing controller. After a TCSC transient voltage stability model is outlined, a new TCSC controller is proposed to enhance both fault related and load increasing related transient voltage stability. Its ability is proven by the simulation.

Nuclear reactor control

DOEpatents

Cawley, William E.; Warnick, Robert F.

1982-01-01

1. In a nuclear reactor incorporating a plurality of columns of tubular fuel elements disposed in horizontal tubes in a mass of graphite wherein water flows through the tubes to cool the fuel elements, the improvement comprising at least one control column disposed in a horizontal tube including fewer fuel elements than in a normal column of fuel elements and tubular control elements disposed at both ends of said control column, and means for varying the horizontal displacement of the control column comprising a winch at the upstream end of the control column and a cable extending through the fuel and control elements and attached to the element at the downstream end of the column.

Selected Literature According to Subject Field. Measurement and Control Techniques in Nuclear Reactors. Bibliographuc Compilation; AUSGEWAHLTES SCHRIFTTUM NACH SACHGEBIETEN. MESS- UND REGELTECHNIK AN KERNREAKTOREN. BIBLIOGRAPHISCHE ZUSAMMENSTELLUNG

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gessmann, D., comp

1963-11-01

One hundred and eighty-one references on measurement and control techniques in nuclear reactors are presented. The period covered is Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 1962. The references are arranged by subject and report number and author indexes are included. (M.C.G.)

Automatic coolant flow control device for a nuclear reactor assembly

DOEpatents

Hutter, E.

1984-01-27

A device which controls coolant flow through a nuclear reactor assembly comprises a baffle means at the exit end of said assembly having a plurality of orifices, and a bimetallic member in operative relation to the baffle means such that at increased temperatures said bimetallic member deforms to unblock some of said orifices and allow increased coolant flow therethrough.

APPARATUS FOR CONTROL OF A BOILING REACTOR RESPONSIVE TO STEAM DEMAND

DOEpatents

Treshow, M.

1963-07-23

A method of controlling a fuel-rod-in-tube-type boilingwater reactor having nozzles at the point of water entry into the tube is described. Water is pumped into the nozzles by an auxiliary pump operated by steam from an interstage position of the associated turbine, so that the pumping speed is responsive to turbine demand. (AEC)

Automatic coolant flow control device for a nuclear reactor assembly

DOEpatents

Hutter, Ernest

1986-01-01

A device which controls coolant flow through a nuclear reactor assembly comprises a baffle means at the exit end of said assembly having a plurality of orifices, and a bimetallic member in operative relation to the baffle means such that at increased temperatures said bimetallic member deforms to unblock some of said orifices and allow increased coolant flow therethrough.

The effect of pH control and 'hydraulic flush' on hydrolysis and Volatile Fatty Acids (VFA) production and profile in anaerobic leach bed reactors digesting a high solids content substrate.

PubMed

Cysneiros, Denise; Banks, Charles J; Heaven, Sonia; Karatzas, Kimon-Andreas G

2012-11-01

The effect of hydraulic flush and pH control on hydrolysis, Volatile Fatty Acids (VFA) production and profile in anaerobic leach bed reactors was investigated for the first time. Six reactors were operated under different regimes for two consecutive batches of 28days each. Buffering at pH ∼6.5 improved hydrolysis (Volatile Solid (VS) degradation) and VFA production by ∼50%. Butyric and acetic acid were dominant when reactors were buffered, while only butyric acid was produced at low pH. Hydraulic flush enhanced VS degradation and VFA production by ∼15% and ∼32%, respectively. Most Probable Number (MPN) of cellulolytic microorganisms indicated a wash out when hydraulic flush was applied, but pH control helped to counteract this. The highest VS degradation (∼89%), VFA yield (0.84kgCODkg(-1)VS(added)) and theoretical methane potential (0.37m(3)CH(4)kg(-1)VS(added)) were obtained when pH control and hydraulic flush were applied, and therefore, these conditions are recommended. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Process control, energy recovery and cost savings in acetic acid wastewater treatment.

PubMed

Vaiopoulou, E; Melidis, P; Aivasidis, A

2011-02-28

An anaerobic fixed bed loop (AFBL) reactor was applied for treatment of acetic acid (HAc) wastewater. Two pH process control concepts were investigated; auxostatic and chemostatic control. In the auxostatic pH control, feed pump is interrupted when pH falls below a certain pH value in the bioreactor, which results in reactor operation at maximum load. Chemostatic control assures alkaline conditions by setting a certain pH value in the influent, preventing initial reactor acidification. The AFBL reactor treated HAc wastewater at low hydraulic residence time (HRT) (10-12 h), performed at high space time loads (40-45 kg COD/m(3) d) and high space time yield (30-35 kg COD/m(3) d) to achieve high COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) removal (80%). Material and cost savings were accomplished by utilizing the microbial potential for wastewater neutralization during anaerobic treatment along with application of favourable pH-auxostatic control. NaOH requirement for neutralization was reduced by 75% and HRT was increased up to 20 h. Energy was recovered by applying costless CO(2) contained in the biogas for neutralization of alkaline wastewater. Biogas was enriched in methane by 4 times. This actually brings in more energy profits, since biogas extra heating for CO(2) content during biogas combustion is minimized and usage of other acidifying agents is omitted. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Modeling a multivariable reactor and on-line model predictive control.

PubMed

Yu, D W; Yu, D L

2005-10-01

A nonlinear first principle model is developed for a laboratory-scaled multivariable chemical reactor rig in this paper and the on-line model predictive control (MPC) is implemented to the rig. The reactor has three variables-temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen with nonlinear dynamics-and is therefore used as a pilot system for the biochemical industry. A nonlinear discrete-time model is derived for each of the three output variables and their model parameters are estimated from the real data using an adaptive optimization method. The developed model is used in a nonlinear MPC scheme. An accurate multistep-ahead prediction is obtained for MPC, where the extended Kalman filter is used to estimate system unknown states. The on-line control is implemented and a satisfactory tracking performance is achieved. The MPC is compared with three decentralized PID controllers and the advantage of the nonlinear MPC over the PID is clearly shown.

A Microwave Thermostatic Reactor for Processing Liquid Materials Based on a Heat-Exchanger.

PubMed

Zhou, Yongqiang; Zhang, Chun; Xie, Tian; Hong, Tao; Zhu, Huacheng; Yang, Yang; Liu, Changjun; Huang, Kama

2017-10-08

Microwaves have been widely used in the treatment of different materials. However, the existing adjustable power thermostatic reactors cannot be used to analyze materials characteristics under microwave effects. In this paper, a microwave thermostatic chemical reactor for processing liquid materials is proposed, by controlling the velocity of coolant based on PLC (programmable logic controller) in different liquid under different constant electric field intensity. A nonpolar coolant (Polydimethylsiloxane), which is completely microwave transparent, is employed to cool the liquid materials. Experiments are performed to measure the liquid temperature using optical fibers, the results show that the precision of temperature control is at the range of ±0.5 °C. Compared with the adjustable power thermostatic control system, the effect of electric field changes on material properties are avoided and it also can be used to detect the properties of liquid materials and special microwave effects.

A Microwave Thermostatic Reactor for Processing Liquid Materials Based on a Heat-Exchanger

PubMed Central

Zhou, Yongqiang; Zhang, Chun; Xie, Tian; Hong, Tao; Yang, Yang; Liu, Changjun; Huang, Kama

2017-01-01

Microwaves have been widely used in the treatment of different materials. However, the existing adjustable power thermostatic reactors cannot be used to analyze materials characteristics under microwave effects. In this paper, a microwave thermostatic chemical reactor for processing liquid materials is proposed, by controlling the velocity of coolant based on PLC (programmable logic controller) in different liquid under different constant electric field intensity. A nonpolar coolant (Polydimethylsiloxane), which is completely microwave transparent, is employed to cool the liquid materials. Experiments are performed to measure the liquid temperature using optical fibers, the results show that the precision of temperature control is at the range of ±0.5 °C. Compared with the adjustable power thermostatic control system, the effect of electric field changes on material properties are avoided and it also can be used to detect the properties of liquid materials and special microwave effects. PMID:28991195

Nuclear reactor safety device

DOEpatents

Hutter, E.

1983-08-15

A safety device is described for use in a nuclear reactor for axially repositioning a control rod with respect to the reactor core in the event of a thermal excursion. It comprises a laminated strip helically configured to form a tube, said tube being in operative relation to said control rod. The laminated strip is formed of at least two materials having different thermal coefficients of expansion, and is helically configured such that the material forming the outer lamina of the tube has a greater thermal coefficient of expansion than the material forming the inner lamina of said tube. In the event of a thermal excursion the laminated strip will tend to curl inwardly so that said tube will increase in length, whereby as said tube increases in length it exerts a force on said control rod to axially reposition said control rod with respect to said core.

Impact of Active Control on Passive Safety Response Characteristics of Sodium-cooled Fast Reactors: I - Theoretical background

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Passerini, Stefano; Ponciroli, Roberto; Vilim, Richard B.

Here, the interaction of the active control system with passive safety behavior is investigated for sodium-cooled fast reactors. A claim often made of advanced reactors is that they are passively safe against unprotected upset events. In practice, such upset events are not analyzed in the context of the plant control system, but rather the analyses are performed without considering the normally programmed response of the control system (open-loop approach). This represents an oversimplification of the safety case. The issue of passive safety override arises since the control system commands actuators whose motions have safety consequences. Depending on the upset involvingmore » the control system ( operator error, active control system failure, or inadvertent control system override), an actuator does not necessarily go in the same direction as needed for safety. So neglecting to account for control system action during an unprotected upset is nonconservative from a safety standpoint. It is important then, during the design of the plant, to consider the potential for the control system to work against the inherent and safe regulating effects of purposefully engineered temperature feedbacks.« less

Impact of Active Control on Passive Safety Response Characteristics of Sodium-cooled Fast Reactors: I - Theoretical background

DOE PAGES

Passerini, Stefano; Ponciroli, Roberto; Vilim, Richard B.

2017-06-21

Here, the interaction of the active control system with passive safety behavior is investigated for sodium-cooled fast reactors. A claim often made of advanced reactors is that they are passively safe against unprotected upset events. In practice, such upset events are not analyzed in the context of the plant control system, but rather the analyses are performed without considering the normally programmed response of the control system (open-loop approach). This represents an oversimplification of the safety case. The issue of passive safety override arises since the control system commands actuators whose motions have safety consequences. Depending on the upset involvingmore » the control system ( operator error, active control system failure, or inadvertent control system override), an actuator does not necessarily go in the same direction as needed for safety. So neglecting to account for control system action during an unprotected upset is nonconservative from a safety standpoint. It is important then, during the design of the plant, to consider the potential for the control system to work against the inherent and safe regulating effects of purposefully engineered temperature feedbacks.« less

Closed Brayton cycle power conversion systems for nuclear reactors :

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wright, Steven A.; Lipinski, Ronald J.; Vernon, Milton E.

2006-04-01

This report describes the results of a Sandia National Laboratories internally funded research program to study the coupling of nuclear reactors to gas dynamic Brayton power conversion systems. The research focused on developing integrated dynamic system models, fabricating a 10-30 kWe closed loop Brayton cycle, and validating these models by operating the Brayton test-loop. The work tasks were performed in three major areas. First, the system equations and dynamic models for reactors and Closed Brayton Cycle (CBC) systems were developed and implemented in SIMULINKTM. Within this effort, both steady state and dynamic system models for all the components (turbines, compressors,more » reactors, ducting, alternators, heat exchangers, and space based radiators) were developed and assembled into complete systems for gas cooled reactors, liquid metal reactors, and electrically heated simulators. Various control modules that use proportional-integral-differential (PID) feedback loops for the reactor and the power-conversion shaft speed were also developed and implemented. The simulation code is called RPCSIM (Reactor Power and Control Simulator). In the second task an open cycle commercially available Capstone C30 micro-turbine power generator was modified to provide a small inexpensive closed Brayton cycle test loop called the Sandia Brayton test-Loop (SBL-30). The Capstone gas-turbine unit housing was modified to permit the attachment of an electrical heater and a water cooled chiller to form a closed loop. The Capstone turbine, compressor, and alternator were used without modification. The Capstone systems nominal operating point is 1150 K turbine inlet temperature at 96,000 rpm. The annular recuperator and portions of the Capstone control system (inverter) and starter system also were reused. The rotational speed of the turbo-machinery is controlled by adjusting the alternator load by using the electrical grid as the load bank. The SBL-30 test loop was operated at the manufacturers site (Barber-Nichols Inc.) and installed and operated at Sandia. A sufficiently detailed description of the loop is provided in this report along with the design characteristics of the turbo-alternator-compressor set to allow other researchers to compare their results with those measured in the Sandia test-loop. The third task consisted of a validation effort. In this task the test loop was operated and compared with the modeled results to develop a more complete understanding of this electrically heated closed power generation system and to validate the model. The measured and predicted system temperatures and pressures are in good agreement, indicating that the model is a reasonable representation of the test loop. Typical deviations between the model and the hardware results are less than 10%. Additional tests were performed to assess the capability of the Brayton engine to continue to remove decay heat after the reactor/heater is shutdown, to develop safe and effective control strategies, and to access the effectiveness of gas inventory control as an alternative means to provide load following. In one test the heater power was turned off to simulate a rapid reactor shutdown, and the turbomachinery was driven solely by the sensible heat stored in the heater for over 71 minutes without external power input. This is an important safety feature for CBC systems as it means that the closed Brayton loop will keep cooling the reactor without the need for auxiliary power (other than that needed to circulate the waste heat rejection coolant) provided the heat sink is available.« less

Hydraulic balancing of a control component within a nuclear reactor

DOEpatents

Marinos, D.; Ripfel, H.C.F.

1975-10-14

A reactor control component includes an inner conduit, for instance containing neutron absorber elements, adapted for longitudinal movement within an outer guide duct. A transverse partition partially encloses one end of the conduit and meets a transverse wall within the guide duct when the conduit is fully inserted into the reactor core. A tube piece extends from the transverse partition and is coaxially aligned to be received within a tubular receptacle which extends from the transverse wall. The tube piece and receptacle cooperate in engagement to restrict the flow and pressure of coolant beneath the transverse partition and thereby minimize upward forces tending to expel the inner conduit.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Boyack, B.E.; Steiner, J.L.; Harmony, S.C.

The PIUS advanced reactor is a 640-MWe pressurized water reactor concept developed by Asea Brown Boveri. A unique feature of PIUS is the absence of mechanical control and shutdown rods. Reactivity is controlled by coolant boron concentration and the temperature of the moderator coolant. Los Alamos is supporting the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission`s preapplication review of the PIUS reactor. Baseline calculations of the PIUS design were performed for a loss of offsite power initiator using TRAC-PF1/MOD2. Additional sensitivity studies examined flow blockage and boron dilution events to explore the robustness of the PIUS concept for low-probability combination events following amore » loss of offsite power.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Steiner, J.L.; Harmony, S.C.; Stumpf, H.J.

The PIUS advanced reactor is a 640-MWe pressurized water reactor concept developed by Asea Brown Boveri. A unique feature of PIUS is the absence of mechanical control and shutdown rods. Reactivity is controlled by coolant boron concentration and the temperature of the moderator coolant. Los Alamos is supporting the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission`s preapplication review of the PIUS reactor. Baseline calculations of the PIUS Supplement design were performed for a large-break loss-of-coolant (LBLOCA) initiator using TRAC-PF1/MOD2. Additional sensitivity studies examined flow blockage and boron dilution events to explore the robustness of the PIUS concept for low-probability combination events following anmore » LBLOCA.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Harmony, S.C.; Steiner, J.L.; Stumpf, H.J.

The PIUS advanced reactor is a 640-MWe pressurized water reactor developed by Asea Brown Boveri (ABB). A unique feature of the PIUS concept is the absence of mechanical control and shutdown rods. Reactivity is controlled by coolant boron concentration and the temperature of the moderator coolant. As part of the preapplication and eventual design certification process, advanced reactor applicants are required to submit neutronic and thermal-hydraulic safety analyses over a sufficient range of normal operation, transient conditions, and specified accident sequences. Los Alamos is supporting the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission`s preapplication review of the PIUS reactor. A fully one-dimensional modelmore » of the PIUS reactor has been developed for the Transient Reactor Analysis Code, TRACPF1/MOD2. Early in 1992, ABB submitted a Supplemental Information Package describing recent design modifications. An important feature of the PIUS Supplement design was the addition of an active scram system that will function for most transient and accident conditions. A one-dimensional Transient Reactor Analysis Code baseline calculation of the PIUS Supplement design were performed for a break in the main steam line at the outlet nozzle of the loop 3 steam generator. Sensitivity studies were performed to explore the robustness of the PIUS concept to severe off-normal conditions following a main steam line break. The sensitivity study results provide insights into the robustness of the design.« less

Benchmark tests of JENDL-3.2 for thermal and fast reactors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Takano, Hideki; Akie, Hiroshi; Kikuchi, Yasuyuki

1994-12-31

Benchmark calculations for a variety of thermal and fast reactors have been performed by using the newly evaluated JENDL-3 Version-2 (JENDL-3.2) file. In the thermal reactor calculations for the uranium and plutonium fueled cores of TRX and TCA, the k{sub eff} and lattice parameters were well predicted. The fast reactor calculations for ZPPR-9 and FCA assemblies showed that the k{sub eff} reactivity worths of Doppler, sodium void and control rod, and reaction rate distribution were in a very good agreement with the experiments.

NEUTRONIC REACTOR CONTROL

DOEpatents

Hurwitz, H. Jr.

1960-04-01

An apparatus is described for indicating the approach to prompt criticality of a neutronic reactor and comprises means for oscillating an absorber in the reactor, a detector for measuring neutron flux in the reactor, two channels into which the output of the detector can be directed, one of which includes a narrow band filter with band pass frequency equal to that of the oscillator, and means for indicating the ratio of the signal produced by the channel with the filter to the signal produced by the other channel, which constitutes an indication of the approach to prompt criticality.

Small low mass advanced PBR's for propulsion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Powell, J. R.; Todosow, M.; Ludewig, H.

1993-10-01

The advanced Particle Bed Reactor (PBR) to be described in this paper is characterized by relatively low power, and low cost, while still maintaining competition values for thrust/weight, specific impulse and operating times. In order to retain competitive values for the thrust/weight ratio while reducing the reactor size, it is necessary to change the basic reactor layout, by incorporating new concepts. The new reactor design concept is termed SIRIUS (Small Lightweight Reactor Integral Propulsion System). The following modifications are proposed for the reactor design to be discussed in this paper: Pre-heater (U-235 included in Moderator); Hy-C (Hydride/De-hydride for Reactor Control); Afterburner (U-235 impregnated into Hot Frit); and Hy-S (Hydride Spike Inside Hot Frit). Each of the modifications will be briefly discussed below, with benefits, technical issues, design approach, and risk levels addressed. The paper discusses conceptual assumptions, feasibility analysis, mass estimates, and information needs.

Pressure regulator

DOEpatents

Ebeling, Jr., Robert W.; Weaver, Robert B.

1979-01-01

The pressure within a pressurized flow reactor operated under harsh environmental conditions is controlled by establishing and maintaining a fluidized bed of uniformly sized granular material of selected density by passing the gas from the reactor upwardly therethrough at a rate sufficient to fluidize the bed and varying the height of the bed by adding granular material thereto or removing granular material therefrom to adjust the backpressure on the flow reactor.

Testimony of Fred R. Mynatt before the Energy Research and Development Subcommittee of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, US House of Representatives. [Advanced fuel technology, gas-cooled reactor technology, and liquid metal-cooled reactor technology programs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mynatt, F.R.

1987-03-18

This report provides a description of the statements submitted for the record to the committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the United States House of Representatives. These statements describe three principal areas of activity of the Advanced Reactor Technology Program of the Department of Energy (DOE). These areas are advanced fuel cycle technology, modular high-temperature gas-cooled reactor technology, and liquid metal-cooled reactor. The areas of automated reactor control systems, robotics, materials and structural design shielding and international cooperation were included in these statements describing the Oak Ridge National Laboratory's efforts in these areas. (FI)

Design and Testing of a Small Inductive Pulsed Plasma Thruster

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martin, Adam K.; Eskridge, Richard H.; Dominguez, Alexandra; Polzin, Kurt A.; Riley, Daniel P.; Kimberlin, Adam C.

2015-01-01

The design and testing of a small inductive pulsed plasma thruster (IPPT), shown in Fig. 1 with all the major subsystems required for a thruster of this kind are described. Thrust measurements and imaging of the device operated in rep-rated mode are presented to quantify the performance envelope of the device. The small IPPT described in this paper was designed to serve as a test-bed for the pulsed gas-valves and solid-state switches required for a IPPTs. A modular design approach was used to permit future modifications and upgrades. The thruster consists of the following sub-systems: a) a multi-turn, spiral-wound acceleration coil (27 cm o.d., 10 cm i.d.) driven by a 10 microFarad capacitor and switched with a high-voltage thyristor, b) a fast pulsed gas-valve, and c.) a glow-discharge pre-ionizer (PI) circuit. The acceleration-coil circuit may be operated at voltages up to 4 kV (the thyristor limit is 4.5 kV). The device may be operated at rep-rates up to 30 Hz with the present gas-valve. Thrust measurements and imaging of the device operated in rep-rated mode will be presented. The pre-ionizer consists of a 0.3 microFarad capacitor charged to 4 kV and connected to two annular stainless-steel electrodes bounding the area of the coil-face. The 4 kV potential is held across them and when the gas is puffed in over the coil, the PI circuit is completed, and a plasma is formed. Even at the less than optimal base-pressure in the chamber (approximately 5 × 10(exp -4) torr), the PI held-off the applied voltage, and only discharged upon command. For a capacitor charge of 2 kV the peak coil current is 4.1 kA, and during this pulse a very bright discharge (much brighter than from the PI alone) was observed (see Fig. 2). Interestingly, for discharges at this charge voltage the PI was not required as the current rise rate, dI/dt, of the coil itself was sufficient to ionize the gas.

Reactor performance and microbial community dynamics during anaerobic co-digestion of municipal wastewater sludge with restaurant grease waste at steady state and overloading stages.

PubMed

Razaviarani, Vahid; Buchanan, Ian D

2014-11-01

Linkage between reactor performance and microbial community dynamics was investigated during mesophilic anaerobic co-digestion of restaurant grease waste (GTW) with municipal wastewater sludge (MWS) using 10L completely mixed reactors and a 20day SRT. Test reactors received a mixture of GTW and MWS while control reactors received only MWS. Addition of GTW to the test reactors enhanced the biogas production and methane yield by up to 65% and 120%, respectively. Pyrosequencing revealed that Methanosaeta and Methanomicrobium were the dominant acetoclastic and hydrogenotrophic methanogen genera, respectively, during stable reactor operation. The number of Methanosarcina and Methanomicrobium sequences increased and that of Methanosaeta declined when the proportion of GTW in the feed was increased to cause an overload condition. Under this overload condition, the pH, alkalinity and methane production decreased and VFA concentrations increased dramatically. Candidatus cloacamonas, affiliated within phylum Spirochaetes, were the dominant bacterial genus at all reactor loadings. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Integrated hydrocarbon reforming system and controls

DOEpatents

Clawson, Lawrence G.; Dorson, Matthew H.; Mitchell, William L.; Nowicki, Brian J.; Thijssen, Johannes; Davis, Robert; Papile, Christopher; Rumsey, Jennifer W.; Longo, Nathan; Cross, III, James C.; Rizzo, Vincent; Kleeburg, Gunther; Rindone, Michael; Block, Stephen G.; Sun, Maria; Morriseau, Brian D.; Hagan, Mark R.; Bowers, Brian

2003-11-04

A hydrocarbon reformer system including a first reactor configured to generate hydrogen-rich reformate by carrying out at least one of a non-catalytic thermal partial oxidation, a catalytic partial oxidation, a steam reforming, and any combinations thereof, a second reactor in fluid communication with the first reactor to receive the hydrogen-rich reformate, and having a catalyst for promoting a water gas shift reaction in the hydrogen-rich reformate, and a heat exchanger having a first mass of two-phase water therein and configured to exchange heat between the two-phase water and the hydrogen-rich reformate in the second reactor, the heat exchanger being in fluid communication with the first reactor so as to supply steam to the first reactor as a reactant is disclosed. The disclosed reformer includes an auxiliary reactor configured to generate heated water/steam and being in fluid communication with the heat exchanger of the second reactor to supply the heated water/steam to the heat exchanger.

Standardized reactors for the study of medical biofilms: a review of the principles and latest modifications.

PubMed

Gomes, Inês B; Meireles, Ana; Gonçalves, Ana L; Goeres, Darla M; Sjollema, Jelmer; Simões, Lúcia C; Simões, Manuel

2018-08-01

Biofilms can cause severe problems to human health due to the high tolerance to antimicrobials; consequently, biofilm science and technology constitutes an important research field. Growing a relevant biofilm in the laboratory provides insights into the basic understanding of the biofilm life cycle including responses to antibiotic therapies. Therefore, the selection of an appropriate biofilm reactor is a critical decision, necessary to obtain reproducible and reliable in vitro results. A reactor should be chosen based upon the study goals and a balance between the pros and cons associated with its use and operational conditions that are as similar as possible to the clinical setting. However, standardization in biofilm studies is rare. This review will focus on the four reactors (Calgary biofilm device, Center for Disease Control biofilm reactor, drip flow biofilm reactor, and rotating disk reactor) approved by a standard setting organization (ASTM International) for biofilm experiments and how researchers have modified these standardized reactors and associated protocols to improve the study and understanding of medical biofilms.

Summary of NR Program Prometheus Efforts

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

J Ashcroft; C Eshelman

2006-02-08

The Naval Reactors Program led work on the development of a reactor plant system for the Prometheus space reactor program. The work centered on a 200 kWe electric reactor plant with a 15-20 year mission applicable to nuclear electric propulsion (NEP). After a review of all reactor and energy conversion alternatives, a direct gas Brayton reactor plant was selected for further development. The work performed subsequent to this selection included preliminary nuclear reactor and reactor plant design, development of instrumentation and control techniques, modeling reactor plant operational features, development and testing of core and plant material options, and development ofmore » an overall project plan. Prior to restructuring of the program, substantial progress had been made on defining reference plant operating conditions, defining reactor mechanical, thermal and nuclear performance, understanding the capabilities and uncertainties provided by material alternatives, and planning non-nuclear and nuclear system testing. The mission requirements for the envisioned NEP missions cannot be accommodated with existing reactor technologies. Therefore concurrent design, development and testing would be needed to deliver a functional reactor system. Fuel and material performance beyond the current state of the art is needed. There is very little national infrastructure available for fast reactor nuclear testing and associated materials development and testing. Surface mission requirements may be different enough to warrant different reactor design approaches and development of a generic multi-purpose reactor requires substantial sacrifice in performance capability for each mission.« less

Versatile in situ gas analysis apparatus for nanomaterials reactors.

PubMed

Meysami, Seyyed Shayan; Snoek, Lavina C; Grobert, Nicole

2014-09-02

We report a newly developed technique for the in situ real-time gas analysis of reactors commonly used for the production of nanomaterials, by showing case-study results obtained using a dedicated apparatus for measuring the gas composition in reactors operating at high temperature (<1000 °C). The in situ gas-cooled sampling probe mapped the chemistry inside the high-temperature reactor, while suppressing the thermal decomposition of the analytes. It thus allows a more accurate study of the mechanism of progressive thermocatalytic cracking of precursors compared to previously reported conventional residual gas analyses of the reactor exhaust gas and hence paves the way for the controlled production of novel nanomaterials with tailored properties. Our studies demonstrate that the composition of the precursors dynamically changes as they travel inside of the reactor, causing a nonuniform growth of nanomaterials. Moreover, mapping of the nanomaterials reactor using quantitative gas analysis revealed the actual contribution of thermocatalytic cracking and a quantification of individual precursor fragments. This information is particularly important for quality control of the produced nanomaterials and for the recycling of exhaust residues, ultimately leading toward a more cost-effective continuous production of nanomaterials in large quantities. Our case study of multiwall carbon nanotube synthesis was conducted using the probe in conjunction with chemical vapor deposition (CVD) techniques. Given the similarities of this particular CVD setup to other CVD reactors and high-temperature setups generally used for nanomaterials synthesis, the concept and methodology of in situ gas analysis presented here does also apply to other systems, making it a versatile and widely applicable method across a wide range of materials/manufacturing methods, catalysis, as well as reactor design and engineering.

Design of neural network model-based controller in a fed-batch microbial electrolysis cell reactor for bio-hydrogen gas production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azwar; Hussain, M. A.; Abdul-Wahab, A. K.; Zanil, M. F.; Mukhlishien

2018-03-01

One of major challenge in bio-hydrogen production process by using MEC process is nonlinear and highly complex system. This is mainly due to the presence of microbial interactions and highly complex phenomena in the system. Its complexity makes MEC system difficult to operate and control under optimal conditions. Thus, precise control is required for the MEC reactor, so that the amount of current required to produce hydrogen gas can be controlled according to the composition of the substrate in the reactor. In this work, two schemes for controlling the current and voltage of MEC were evaluated. The controllers evaluated are PID and Inverse neural network (NN) controller. The comparative study has been carried out under optimal condition for the production of bio-hydrogen gas wherein the controller output is based on the correlation of optimal current and voltage to the MEC. Various simulation tests involving multiple set-point changes and disturbances rejection have been evaluated and the performances of both controllers are discussed. The neural network-based controller results in fast response time and less overshoots while the offset effects are minimal. In conclusion, the Inverse neural network (NN)-based controllers provide better control performance for the MEC system compared to the PID controller.

Performance of semi-continuous membrane bioreactor in biogas production from toxic feedstock containing D-Limonene.

PubMed

Wikandari, Rachma; Youngsukkasem, Supansa; Millati, Ria; Taherzadeh, Mohammad J

2014-10-01

A novel membrane bioreactor configuration containing both free and encased cells in a single reactor was proposed in this work. The reactor consisted of 120g/L of free cells and 120g/L of encased cells in a polyvinylidene fluoride membrane. Microcrystalline cellulose (Avicel) and d-Limonene were used as the models of substrate and inhibitor for biogas production, respectively. Different concentrations of d-Limonene i.e., 1, 5, and 10g/L were tested, and an experiment without the addition of d-Limonene was prepared as control. The digestion was performed in a semi-continuous thermophilic reactor for 75 days. The result showed that daily methane production in the reactor with the addition of 1g/L d-Limonene was similar to that of control. A lag phase was observed in the presence of 5g/L d-Limonene; however, after 10 days, the methane production increased and reached a similar production to that of the control after 15 days. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A bioreactor system for the nitrogen loop in a Controlled Ecological Life Support System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Saulmon, M. M.; Reardon, K. F.; Sadeh, W. Z.

1996-01-01

As space missions become longer in duration, the need to recycle waste into useful compounds rises dramatically. This problem can be addressed by the development of Controlled Ecological Life Support Systems (CELSS) (i.e., Engineered Closed/Controlled Eco-Systems (ECCES)), consisting of human and plant modules. One of the waste streams leaving the human module is urine. In addition to the reclamation of water from urine, recovery of the nitrogen is important because it is an essential nutrient for the plant module. A 3-step biological process for the recycling of nitrogenous waste (urea) is proposed. A packed-bed bioreactor system for this purpose was modeled, and the issues of reaction step segregation, reactor type and volume, support particle size, and pressure drop were addressed. Based on minimization of volume, a bioreactor system consisting of a plug flow immobilized urease reactor, a completely mixed flow immobilized cell reactor to convert ammonia to nitrite, and a plug flow immobilized cell reactor to produce nitrate from nitrite is recommended. It is apparent that this 3-step bioprocess meets the requirements for space applications.

Optimization of food waste hydrolysis in leach bed coupled with methanogenic reactor: effect of pH and bulking agent.

PubMed

Xu, Su Yun; Lam, Hoi Pui; Karthikeyan, O Parthiba; Wong, Jonathan W C

2011-02-01

The effects of pH and bulking agents on hydrolysis/acidogenesis of food waste were studied using leach bed reactor (LBR) coupled with methanogenic up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor. The hydrolysis rate under regulated pH (6.0) was studied and compared with unregulated one during initial experiment. Then, the efficacies of five different bulking agents, i.e. plastic full particles, plastic hollow sphere, bottom ash, wood chip and saw dust were experimented under the regulated pH condition. Leachate recirculation with 50% water replacement was practiced throughout the experiment. Results proved that the daily leachate recirculation with pH control (6.0) accelerated the hydrolysis rate (59% higher volatile fatty acids) and methane production (up to 88%) compared to that of control without pH control. Furthermore, bottom ash improved the reactor alkalinity, which internally buffered the system that improved the methane production rate (0.182 l CH(4)/g VS(added)) than other bulking agents. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program Advanced Instrumentation, Information, and Control Systems Technologies Technical Program Plan for FY 2016

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hallbert, Bruce Perry; Thomas, Kenneth David

2015-10-01

Reliable instrumentation, information, and control (II&C) systems technologies are essential to ensuring safe and efficient operation of the U.S. light water reactor (LWR) fleet. These technologies affect every aspect of nuclear power plant (NPP) and balance-of-plant operations. In 1997, the National Research Council conducted a study concerning the challenges involved in modernization of digital instrumentation and control systems in NPPs. Their findings identified the need for new II&C technology integration.

Operational performance of the three bean salad control algorithm on the ACRR

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ball, R.M.; Madaras, J.J.; Trowbridge, F.R. Jr.

Experimental tests on the Annular Core Research Reactor have confirmed that the Three-Bean-Salad'' control algorithm based on the Pontryagin maximum principle can change the power of a nuclear reactor many decades with a very fast startup rate and minimal overshoot. The paper describes the results of simulations and operations up to 25 MW and 87 decades per minute.

Operational performance of the three bean salad control algorithm on the ACRR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ball, Russell M.; Madaras, John J.; Trowbridge, F. Ray; Talley, Darren G.; Parma, Edward J.

1991-01-01

Experimental tests on the Annular Core Research Reactor have confirmed that the ``Three-Bean-Salad'' control algorithm based on the Pontryagin maximum principle can change the power of a nuclear reactor many decades with a very fast startup rate and minimal overshoot. The paper describes the results of simulations and operations up to 25 MW and 87 decades per minute.

PBF (PER620) interior of Reactor Room. Camera facing south from ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

PBF (PER-620) interior of Reactor Room. Camera facing south from stairway platform in southwest corner (similar to platform in view at left). Reactor was beneath water in circular tank. Fuel was stored in the canal north of it. Platform and apparatus at right is reactor bridge with control rod mechanisms and actuators. The entire apparatus swung over the reactor and pool during operations. Personnel in view are involved with decontamination and preparation of facility for demolition. Note rails near ceiling for crane; motor for rollup door at upper center of view. Date: March 2004. INEEL negative no. HD-41-3-2 - Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, SPERT-I & Power Burst Facility Area, Scoville, Butte County, ID

Space station prototype Sabatier reactor design verification testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cusick, R. J.

1974-01-01

A six-man, flight prototype carbon dioxide reduction subsystem for the SSP ETC/LSS (Space Station Prototype Environmental/Thermal Control and Life Support System) was developed and fabricated for the NASA-Johnson Space Center between February 1971 and October 1973. Component design verification testing was conducted on the Sabatier reactor covering design and off-design conditions as part of this development program. The reactor was designed to convert a minimum of 98 per cent hydrogen to water and methane for both six-man and two-man reactant flow conditions. Important design features of the reactor and test conditions are described. Reactor test results are presented that show design goals were achieved and off-design performance was stable.

10 CFR 140.5 - Communications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

...: ATTN: Document Control Desk, Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, Director, Office of New Reactors, Director, Office of Federal and State Materials and Environmental Management Programs, or..., Rockville, Maryland; or, where practicable, by electronic submission, for example, via Electronic...

10 CFR 140.5 - Communications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

...: ATTN: Document Control Desk, Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, Director, Office of New Reactors, Director, Office of Federal and State Materials and Environmental Management Programs, or..., Rockville, Maryland; or, where practicable, by electronic submission, for example, via Electronic...

Factors affecting cleanup of exhaust gases from a pressurized, fluidized-bed coal combustor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rollbuhler, R. J.; Kobak, J. A.

1980-01-01

The cleanup of effluent gases from the fluidized-bed combustion of coal is examined. Testing conditions include the type and feed rate of the coal and the sulfur sorbent, the coal-sorbent ratio, the coal-combustion air ratio, the depth of the reactor fluidizing bed, and the technique used to physically remove fly ash from the reactor effluent gases. Tests reveal that the particulate loading matter in the effluent gases is a function not only of the reactor-bed surface gas velocity, but also of the type of coal being burnt and the time the bed is operating. At least 95 percent of the fly ash particules in the effluent gas are removed by using a gas-solids separator under controlled operating conditions. Gaseous pollutants in the effluent (nitrogen and sulfur oxides) are held within the proposed Federal limits by controlling the reactor operating conditions and the type and quantity of sorbent material.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Boyack, B.E.; Steiner, J.L.; Harmony, S.C.

The PIUS Advanced Reactor is a 640-MW(e) pressurized-water reactor developed by Asea Brown Boveri. A unique feature of the PIUS concept is the absence of mechanical control and shutdown rods. Reactivity normally is controlled by the boron concentration in the coolant and the temperature of the moderator coolant. Analyses of five initiating events have been completed on the basis of calculations performed with the system neutronic and thermal-hydraulic analysis code TRAC-PF1/MOD2. The initiating events analyzed are (1) reactor scram, (2) loss of off-site power (3) main steam-line break, (4) small-break loss of coolant, and (5) large-break loss of coolant. Inmore » addition to the baseline calculation for each sequence, sensitivity studies were performed to explore the response of the PIUS reactor to severe off-normal conditions having a very low probability of occurrence. The sensitivity studies provide insights into the robustness of the design.« less

Testing of an Integrated Reactor Core Simulator and Power Conversion System with Simulated Reactivity Feedback

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bragg-Sitton, Shannon M.; Hervol, David S.; Godfroy, Thomas J.

2009-01-01

A Direct Drive Gas-Cooled (DDG) reactor core simulator has been coupled to a Brayton Power Conversion Unit (BPCU) for integrated system testing at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) in Cleveland, OH. This is a closed-cycle system that incorporates an electrically heated reactor core module, turbo alternator, recuperator, and gas cooler. Nuclear fuel elements in the gas-cooled reactor design are replaced with electric resistance heaters to simulate the heat from nuclear fuel in the corresponding fast spectrum nuclear reactor. The thermodynamic transient behavior of the integrated system was the focus of this test series. In order to better mimic the integrated response of the nuclear-fueled system, a simulated reactivity feedback control loop was implemented. Core power was controlled by a point kinetics model in which the reactivity feedback was based on core temperature measurements; the neutron generation time and the temperature feedback coefficient are provided as model inputs. These dynamic system response tests demonstrate the overall capability of a non-nuclear test facility in assessing system integration issues and characterizing integrated system response times and response characteristics.

Testing of an Integrated Reactor Core Simulator and Power Conversion System with Simulated Reactivity Feedback

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bragg-Sitton, Shannon M.; Hervol, David S.; Godfroy, Thomas J.

2010-01-01

A Direct Drive Gas-Cooled (DDG) reactor core simulator has been coupled to a Brayton Power Conversion Unit (BPCU) for integrated system testing at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) in Cleveland, Ohio. This is a closed-cycle system that incorporates an electrically heated reactor core module, turboalternator, recuperator, and gas cooler. Nuclear fuel elements in the gas-cooled reactor design are replaced with electric resistance heaters to simulate the heat from nuclear fuel in the corresponding fast spectrum nuclear reactor. The thermodynamic transient behavior of the integrated system was the focus of this test series. In order to better mimic the integrated response of the nuclear-fueled system, a simulated reactivity feedback control loop was implemented. Core power was controlled by a point kinetics model in which the reactivity feedback was based on core temperature measurements; the neutron generation time and the temperature feedback coefficient are provided as model inputs. These dynamic system response tests demonstrate the overall capability of a non-nuclear test facility in assessing system integration issues and characterizing integrated system response times and response characteristics.

Mars, the Moon, and the Ends of the Earth: Autonomy for Small Reactor Power Systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wood, Richard Thomas

2008-01-01

In recent years, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been considering deep space missions that utilize a small-reactor power system (SRPS) to provide energy for propulsion and spacecraft power. Additionally, application of SRPS modules as a planetary power source is being investigated to enable a continuous human presence for nonpolar lunar sites and on Mars. A SRPS can supply high-sustained power for space and surface applications that is both reliable and mass efficient. The use of small nuclear reactors for deep space or planetary missions presents some unique challenges regarding the operations and control of the power system.more » Current-generation terrestrial nuclear reactors employ varying degrees of human control and decision-making for operations and benefit from periodic human interaction for maintenance. In contrast, the control system of a SRPS employed for deep space missions must be able to accommodate unattended operations due to communications delays and periods of planetary occlusion while adapting to evolving or degraded conditions with no opportunity for repair or refurbishment. While surface power systems for planetary outposts face less extreme delays and periods of isolation and may benefit from limited maintenance capabilities, considerations such as human safety, resource limitations and usage priorities, and economics favor minimizing direct, continuous human interaction with the SRPS for online, dedicated power system management. Thus, a SRPS control system for space or planetary missions must provide capabilities for operational autonomy. For terrestrial reactors, large-scale power plants remain the preferred near-term option for nuclear power generation. However, the desire to reduce reliance on carbon-emitting power sources in developing countries may lead to increased consideration of SRPS modules for local power generation in remote regions that are characterized by emerging, less established infrastructures. Additionally, many Generation IV (Gen IV) reactor concepts have goals for optimizing investment recovery and economic efficiency that promote significant reductions in plant operations and maintenance staff over current-generation nuclear power plants. To accomplish these Gen IV goals and also address the SRPS remote-siting challenges, higher levels of automation, fault tolerance, and advanced diagnostic capabilities are needed to provide nearly autonomous operations with anticipatory maintenance. Essentially, the SRPS control system for several anticipated terrestrial applications can benefit from the kind of operational autonomy that is necessary for deep space and planetary SRPS-enabled missions. Investigation of the state of the technology for autonomous control confirmed that control systems with varying levels of autonomy have been employed in robotic, transportation, spacecraft, and manufacturing applications. As an example, NASA has pursued autonomy for spacecraft and surface exploration vehicles (e.g., rovers) to reduce mission costs, increase efficiency for communications between ground control and the vehicle, and enable independent operation of the vehicle during times of communications blackout. However, autonomous control has not been implemented for an operating terrestrial nuclear power plant nor has there been any experience beyond automating simple control loops for space reactors. Current automated control technologies for nuclear power plants are reasonably mature, and fully automated control of normal SRPS operations is clearly feasible. However, the space-based and remote terrestrial applications of SRPS modules require autonomous capabilities that can accommodate nonoptimum operations when degradation, failure, and other off-normal events challenge the performance of the reactor while immediate human intervention is not possible. The independent action provided by autonomous control, which is distinct from the more limited self action of automated control, can satisfy these conditions. Key characteristics that distinguish autonomous control include: (1) intelligence to confirm system performance and detect degraded or failed conditions, (2) optimization to minimize stress on SRPS components and efficiently react to operational events without compromising system integrity, (3) robustness to accommodate uncertainties and changing conditions, and (4) flexibility and adaptability to accommodate failures through reconfiguration among available control system elements or adjustment of control system strategies, algorithms, or parameters.« less

Pressurized fluidized bed reactor and a method of operating the same

DOEpatents

Isaksson, J.

1996-02-20

A pressurized fluid bed reactor power plant includes a fluidized bed reactor contained within a pressure vessel with a pressurized gas volume between the reactor and the vessel. A first conduit supplies primary gas from the gas volume to the reactor, passing outside the pressure vessel and then returning through the pressure vessel to the reactor, and pressurized gas is supplied from a compressor through a second conduit to the gas volume. A third conduit, comprising a hot gas discharge, carries gases from the reactor, through a filter, and ultimately to a turbine. During normal operation of the plant, pressurized gas is withdrawn from the gas volume through the first conduit and introduced into the reactor at a substantially continuously controlled rate as the primary gas to the reactor. In response to an operational disturbance of the plant, the flow of gas in the first, second, and third conduits is terminated, and thereafter the pressure in the gas volume and in the reactor is substantially simultaneously reduced by opening pressure relief valves in the first and third conduits, and optionally by passing air directly from the second conduit to the turbine. 1 fig.

Pressurized fluidized bed reactor and a method of operating the same

DOEpatents

Isaksson, Juhani

1996-01-01

A pressurized fluid bed reactor power plant includes a fluidized bed reactor contained within a pressure vessel with a pressurized gas volume between the reactor and the vessel. A first conduit supplies primary gas from the gas volume to the reactor, passing outside the pressure vessel and then returning through the pressure vessel to the reactor, and pressurized gas is supplied from a compressor through a second conduit to the gas volume. A third conduit, comprising a hot gas discharge, carries gases from the reactor, through a filter, and ultimately to a turbine. During normal operation of the plant, pressurized gas is withdrawn from the gas volume through the first conduit and introduced into the reactor at a substantially continuously controlled rate as the primary gas to the reactor. In response to an operational disturbance of the plant, the flow of gas in the first, second, and third conduits is terminated, and thereafter the pressure in the gas volume and in the reactor is substantially simultaneously reduced by opening pressure relief valves in the first and third conduits, and optionally by passing air directly from the second conduit to the turbine.

Method of Operating a Neutronic Reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fermi, Enrico; Szilard, Leo

This Patent is a later,1 almost faithful, copy of Patent No. 2,708,656 (which is then not reported in the present volume). This revised version was probably prepared (by the authors) in order to correct several misprints of the previous version. As emphasized in The New York Times of May 19, 1955, Patent No. 2,708,656, an "historic Patent, covering the first nuclear reactor", is the first one on this topic issued by the U.S. Patent Office, and served as a reference for the subsequent Patents on the same subject. In this long Patent, the theory, exper- imental data and principles of construction and operation of "any" type of nuclear reactor known at that time are discussed in an extremely detailed way. Various possible fission fragments produced by the reactor, several forms of the uranium employed (metal, oxide and so on, grouped in different geometrical forms), various materials adopted as moderators, several cooling systems, different geometries of the reactors, etc. are considered accurately. The theoretical description, centered around the achievement of a self-sustaining chain reaction, is exhaustive, and great attention is devoted to any possible cause of neutron loss, to the resonance capture of neutrons and to the effect of the presence of relevant impurities in the reactor. The chain production of neutrons in the pile is described in great detail, along with the theoretical arguments underlying the exponential experiment. The problem of the variation of the multiplication factor due to the production of radioactive elements, such as xenon, is discussed extensively. In particular it is pointed out that, although the initial production of xenon lowers the multiplication factor K due to its relevant neutron absorption, it subsequently increases again due to the decay of xenon into another isotope which absorbs fewer neutrons. The building up of reactors with solid (graphite) or liquid (heavy water) moderators is discussed, as well as other possible moderators such as light water or beryllium. In particular, the ratio is given of the absorption cross section to the scattering cross section for several moderators. Procedures for the purification of uranium are described as well. Several methods (i.e., the exponential pile or the "shotgun" method; see Patent No. 2.969,307) are reported for testing the purity against neutron absorption of different materials. The effect of the boron and vanadium impurities in the graphite and light water in the heavy water are considered. Different cooling systems for the reactors are considered and compared in the Patent, based on the circulation of a gas (typically, air) or a liquid (light or heavy water, diphenyl, etc.). The principles and practice for the construction, functioning and control of several kinds of reactors are reported in detail. One reactor considered in the present Patent is a low power uranium-graphite one without cooling system, where the active part consists in (small) cylinders of metallic uranium or pseudo-spheres of uranium oxide (or cylinders of U3O8). The control rods are made of steel with boron inserts, while limitation and safety rods are made of cadmium. In addition, an uranium-graphite pile cooled by air or even by water or diphenyl is considered. It is pointed out that dyphenil should usually be preferred with respect to water, due to its lower absorption of neutrons and to its higher boiling temperature, but the disadvantage related to its use is mainly due to the closed pumping system required and to the possible occurrence of polymerization which makes the fluid viscous. Another kind of reactor described in detail is made of uranium (vertical) bars immersed in heavy water. When, during the operation, heavy water is dissociated into D2 and O2, these two gaseous elements are carried by an inert gas (helium) into a recombination device. The control and safety rods are made of cadmium. Hybrid reactors composed of different lattices in the same neutronic reactor, in order to increase the multiplication factor K, are considered as well. A description of the possible uses of nuclear reactors, other than as power supplies, including the production of collimated beams of fast neutrons, the production of plutonium (a fissionable material usable in other reactors) or several other radioactive isotopes (for possible utilization in medicine) is as well given. As it results clear, no published reference article behind the present Patent exists. Some partial results may be found in several papers2 of Volume II of [Fermi (1962)] (see, for example, [Fermi (1952)]), but here very many technical data and some information of historic interest (mainly on the experiments performed in order to obtain the data reported) are given. The most "relevant" change of Patent No. 2,798,847 with respect to the original Patent No. 2,708,656 is the replacement of the 8 claims of the previous one by the following only one claim, which well summarizes the work done: "A method of operating a neutronic reactor including an active portion having a neutron reproduction ratio substantially in excess of unity in the absence of high neutron absorbing bodies, said method comprising the steps of inserting in the active portion a shim member consisting essentially of a high neutron absorbing body in an amount to reduce the neutron reproduction ratio to a value slightly higher than unit to prevent a dangerous reactivity level, controlling the reaction by moving a control member consisting essentially of a second high neutron absorbing body inwardly and outwardly in response to variations in neutron density, to maintain the neutron reproduction ratio substantially at unity, and withdrawing successive portions of the shim member to the extent necessary to enable the reactor to be controlled by movement of the control member after the neutron reproduction value has been lowered to the point where the outward movement of the control member is insufficient to maintain the neutron reproduction ratio at the desired point, and thus to maintain the range of control effected by such movement of the control member substantially constant despite diminution of neutron reproduction ratio caused by operation of the reactor, the active portion being substantially free of high neutron absorber other than the control member and the shim member."

Control of reactor coolant flow path during reactor decay heat removal

DOEpatents

Hunsbedt, Anstein N.

1988-01-01

An improved reactor vessel auxiliary cooling system for a sodium cooled nuclear reactor is disclosed. The sodium cooled nuclear reactor is of the type having a reactor vessel liner separating the reactor hot pool on the upstream side of an intermediate heat exchanger and the reactor cold pool on the downstream side of the intermediate heat exchanger. The improvement includes a flow path across the reactor vessel liner flow gap which dissipates core heat across the reactor vessel and containment vessel responsive to a casualty including the loss of normal heat removal paths and associated shutdown of the main coolant liquid sodium pumps. In normal operation, the reactor vessel cold pool is inlet to the suction side of coolant liquid sodium pumps, these pumps being of the electromagnetic variety. The pumps discharge through the core into the reactor hot pool and then through an intermediate heat exchanger where the heat generated in the reactor core is discharged. Upon outlet from the heat exchanger, the sodium is returned to the reactor cold pool. The improvement includes placing a jet pump across the reactor vessel liner flow gap, pumping a small flow of liquid sodium from the lower pressure cold pool into the hot pool. The jet pump has a small high pressure driving stream diverted from the high pressure side of the reactor pumps. During normal operation, the jet pumps supplement the normal reactor pressure differential from the lower pressure cold pool to the hot pool. Upon the occurrence of a casualty involving loss of coolant pump pressure, and immediate cooling circuit is established by the back flow of sodium through the jet pumps from the reactor vessel hot pool to the reactor vessel cold pool. The cooling circuit includes flow into the reactor vessel liner flow gap immediate the reactor vessel wall and containment vessel where optimum and immediate discharge of residual reactor heat occurs.

Burn Control in Fusion Reactors via Isotopic Fuel Tailoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boyer, Mark D.; Schuster, Eugenio

2011-10-01

The control of plasma density and temperature are among the most fundamental problems in fusion reactors and will be critical to the success of burning plasma experiments like ITER. Economic and technological constraints may require future commercial reactors to operate with low temperature, high-density plasma, for which the burn condition may be unstable. An active control system will be essential for stabilizing such operating points. In this work, a volume-averaged transport model for the energy and the densities of deuterium and tritium fuel ions, as well as the alpha particles, is used to synthesize a nonlinear feedback controller for stabilizing the burn condition. The controller makes use of ITER's planned isotopic fueling capability and controls the densities of these ions separately. The ability to modulate the DT fuel mix is exploited in order to reduce the fusion power during thermal excursions without the need for impurity injection. By moving the isotopic mix in the plasma away from the optimal 50:50 mix, the reaction rate is slowed and the alpha-particle heating is reduced to desired levels. Supported by the NSF CAREER award program (ECCS-0645086).

Sensitivity Analysis of Algan/GAN High Electron Mobility Transistors to Process Variation

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-02-01

delivery system gas panel including both hydride and alkyl delivery modules and the vent/valve configurations [14...Reactor Gas Delivery Systems A basic schematic diagram of an MOCVD reactor delivery gas panel is shown in Figure 13. The reactor gas delivery...system, or gas panel , consists of a network of stainless steel tubing, automatic valves and electronic mass flow controllers (MFC). There are separate

ETR CRITICAL FACILITY, TRA654. SCIENTISTS STAND AT EDGE OF TANK ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

ETR CRITICAL FACILITY, TRA-654. SCIENTISTS STAND AT EDGE OF TANK AND LIFT REMOVABLE BRIDGE ABOVE THE REACTOR. CONTROL RODS AND FUEL RODS ARE BELOW ENOUGH WATER TO SHIELD WORKERS ABOVE. NOTE CRANE RAILS ALONG WALLS, PUMICE BLOCK WALLS. INL NEGATIVE NO. 57-3690. R.G. Larsen, Photographer, 7/29/1957 - Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Test Reactor Area, Materials & Engineering Test Reactors, Scoville, Butte County, ID

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING NEUTRON DENSITY

DOEpatents

Wigner, E.P.; Young, G.J.; Weinberg, A.M.

1961-06-27

A neutronic reactor comprising a moderator containing uniformly sized and spaced channels and uniformly dimensioned fuel elements is patented. The fuel elements have a fissionable core and an aluminum jacket. The cores and the jackets of the fuel elements in the central channels of the reactor are respectively thinner and thicker than the cores and jackets of the fuel elements in the remainder of the reactor, producing a flattened flux.

REACTOR

DOEpatents

Christy, R.F.

1961-07-25

A means is described for co-relating the essential physical requirements of a fission chain reaction in order that practical, compact, and easily controllable reactors can be built. These objects are obtained by employing a composition of fissionsble isotope and moderator in fluid form in which the amount of fissionsble isotcpe present governs the reaction. The size of the reactor is no longer a critical factor, the new criterion being the concentration of the fissionable isotope.

U.S.-Russian Civilian Nuclear Cooperation Agreement: Issues for Congress

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-07-09

for nuclear cooperation in 1973 to allow for cooperation in controlled thermonuclear fusion, fast breeder reactors , and fundamental research. The...that a 123 agreement is needed to implement this action plan—for example, full scale technical cooperation on fast reactors and demonstration of...superpowers convened a Joint Coordinating Committee for Civilian Reactor Safety starting in 1988.10 After the fall of the Soviet Union and prior to July

Compact power reactor

DOEpatents

Wetch, Joseph R.; Dieckamp, Herman M.; Wilson, Lewis A.

1978-01-01

There is disclosed a small compact nuclear reactor operating in the epithermal neutron energy range for supplying power at remote locations, as for a satellite. The core contains fuel moderator elements of Zr hydride with 7 w/o of 93% enriched uranium alloy. The core has a radial beryllium reflector and is cooled by liquid metal coolant such as NaK. The reactor is controlled and shut down by moving portions of the reflector.

ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS OF ANALOG COMPUTERS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bryant, L.T.; Janicke, M.J.; Just, L.C.

1961-02-01

Six examples are given of the application of analog computers in the fields of reactor engineering, heat transfer, and dynamics: deceleration of a reactor control rod by dashpot, pressure variations through a packed bed, reactor kinetics over many decades with thermal feedback (simulation of a TREAT transient), vibrating system with two degrees of freedom, temperature distribution in a radiating fin, and temperature distribution in an irfinite slab with variable thermal properties. (D.L.C.)

REACTOR AND NOVEL METHOD

DOEpatents

Young, G.J.; Ohlinger, L.A.

1958-06-24

A nuclear reactor of the type which uses a liquid fuel and a method of controlling such a reactor are described. The reactor is comprised essentially of a tank for containing the liquid fuel such as a slurry of discrete particles of fissionnble material suspended in a heavy water moderator, and a control means in the form of a disc of neutron absorbirg material disposed below the top surface of the slurry and parallel thereto. The diameter of the disc is slightly smaller than the diameter of the tank and the disc is perforated to permit a flow of the slurry therethrough. The function of the disc is to divide the body of slurry into two separate portions, the lower portion being of a critical size to sustain a nuclear chain reaction and the upper portion between the top surface of the slurry and the top surface of the disc being of a non-critical size. The method of operation is to raise the disc in the reactor until the lower portion of the slurry has reached a critical size when it is desired to initiate the reaction, and to lower the disc in the reactor to reduce the size of the lower active portion the slurry to below criticality when it is desired to stop the reaction.

Flow Reactor for studying Physicochemical and aging properties of SOA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Babar, Z. B.

2016-12-01

Secondary organic aerosols (SOA) have importance in environmental processes such as affecting earth's radiative balance and cloud formation processes. For studying SOA formation large scale environmental batch reactors and laboratory scale flow reactors have been used. In this study application of flow reactor to study physicochemical properties of SOA is also investigated after its characterization. The flow reactor is of cylindrical design (ID 15 cm x L 70 cm) equipped with UV lamps. It is coupled with various instruments such as scanning mobility particle sizer, NOx analyzer, ozone analyzer, VOC analyzer, hygrometer, and temperature sensors for gas and particle phase measurements. OH radicals were generated by custom build ozone generator and relative humidity. The following characterizations were performed: (1) residence time distribution (RTD) measurements, (2) RH and temperature control, (3) OH radical exposure range (atmospheric aging time), (4) gas phase oxidation of SOA precursors such as α-pinene by OH radical. The flow reactor yielded narrow RTDs. In particular, RH and temperature can be controlled effectively between 0-60% and 22-43oC, respectively. OH radical exposure ranges from 6.49x1010 to 3.68x1011 molecules/cm3s (0.49 to 4.91 days). Our initial efforts on OH radical generation using hydrogen peroxide and its quantification by using flourescenet technique will be also be presented.

Comparative evaluation of solar, fission, fusion, and fossil energy resources, part 3

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clement, J. D.; Reupke, W. A.

1974-01-01

The role of nuclear fission reactors in becoming an important power source in the world is discussed. The supply of fissile nuclear fuel will be severely depleted by the year 2000. With breeder reactors the world supply of uranium could last thousands of years. However, breeder reactors have problems of a large radioactive inventory and an accident potential which could present an unacceptable hazard. Although breeder reactors afford a possible solution to the energy shortage, their ultimate role will depend on demonstrated safety and acceptable risks and environmental effects. Fusion power would also be a long range, essentially permanent, solution to the world's energy problem. Fusion appears to compare favorably with breeders in safety and environmental effects. Research comparing a controlled fusion reactor with the breeder reactor in solving our long range energy needs is discussed.

Surveillance application using patten recognition software at the EBR-II Reactor Facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Olson, D.L.

1992-01-01

The System State Analyzer (SSA) is a software based pattern recognition system. For the past several year this system has been used at Argonne National Laboratory's Experimental Breeder Reactor 2 (EBR-2) reactor for detection of degradation and other abnormalities in plant systems. Currently there are two versions of the SSA being used at EBR-2. One version of SSA is used for daily surveillance and trending of the reactor delta-T and startups of the reactor. Another version of the SSA is the QSSA which is used to monitor individual systems of the reactor such as the Secondary Sodium System, Secondary Sodiummore » Pumps, and Steam Generator. This system has been able to detect problems such as signals being affected by temperature variations due to a failing temperature controller.« less