Management Tool for Assessment of Alternative Fuel Cycles

A new approach to fuel cycle uncertainty analysis and optimization is presented that combines reactor physics information, spent fuel management, and economic forecasting, which may be used to investigate effects of decisions in the design of advanced nuclear fuel cycles. The Matlab-based simulation includes isotopic mass and integral decay heat data produced by reactor physics codes in the SCALE package (SAS2, ORIGEN-ARP, and ORIGEN-S). Reactor physics data for Light Water Reactor (LWR), and metal- and oxide-fueled Liquid Metal-cooled Fast Burner Reactor (LMFBR) designs are stored in databases that the code uses as needed. Detailed models of the once through and hybrid LWR-LMFBR fuel cycles have been developed for repository decay heat analysis, determination of levelized unit electric cost (LUEC), and reprocessing of spent fuel into fast reactor fuel or targets as a means of isotopic inventory minimization. The models may be run for single estimates based on best estimates of model parameters as either a Monte Carlo uncertainty analysis or as an optimization using Genetic Algorithms (GA). Results from the LUEC calculations show the once through cycle has a bus bar cost of about $19.0mills/kWh (excluding repository and interim storage costs), and the hybrid cycle has a bus bar cost of about$26.5mills/kWh. Implementation of the hybrid cycle compared to the closed once through cycle yields an effective repository mass capacity increase by a percentage of about 30% to 60% through full reprocessing of LWR spent fuel compared to original mass definitions of the Yucca Mountain repository. The GA optimization routine allows the user to define any one of the variables present in the output structure as the fitness parameter; thus, optimization of any calculated value is possible, including economic cost, isotopic inventory, or required repository capacity. Optimization of the once through cycle with respect to LUEC gives a result of $19.2 mills/kWh when burn up approaches the upper limit of 60 GWd/t and delay time spent fuel cools after discharge approaches 200 years (including repository and interim storage costs)

Supervisory Control System Architecture for Advanced Small Modular Reactors

This technical report was generated as a product of the Supervisory Control for Multi-Modular SMR Plants project within the Instrumentation, Control and Human-Machine Interface technology area under the Advanced Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Research and Development Program of the U.S. Department of Energy. The report documents the definition of strategies, functional elements, and the structural architecture of a supervisory control system for multi-modular advanced SMR (AdvSMR) plants. This research activity advances the state-of-the art by incorporating decision making into the supervisory control system architectural layers through the introduction of a tiered-plant system approach. The report provides a brief history of hierarchical functional architectures and the current state-of-the-art, describes a reference AdvSMR to show the dependencies between systems, presents a hierarchical structure for supervisory control, indicates the importance of understanding trip setpoints, applies a new theoretic approach for comparing architectures, identifies cyber security controls that should be addressed early in system design, and describes ongoing work to develop system requirements and hardware/software configurations

Moonport: Transportation node in lunar orbit

An orbital transporation system between the Earth and Moon was designed. The design work focused on the requirements and configuration of an orbiting lunar base. The design utilized current Space Station technologies, but also focused on the specific requirements involved with a permanently manned, orbiting lunar station. A model of the recommended configuration was constructed. In order to analyze Moonport activity and requirements, a traffic model was designed, defining traffic between the lunar port, or Moonport and low Earth orbit. Also, a lunar base model was used to estimate requirements of the surface base on Moonport traffic and operations. A study was conducted to compare Moonport traffic and operations based in low lunar orbit and the L (sub 2) equilibrium point, behind the Moon. The study compared delta-V requirements to each location and possible payload deliveries to low Earth orbit from each location. Products of the Moonport location study included number of flights annually to Moonport, net payload delivery to low Earth orbit, and Moonport storage requirement

Design innovation for the 1990's

Statement of responsibility on title-page reads: Richard K. Lester, Michael J. Driscoll, Michael W. Golay, David D. Lanning, Lawrence M. Lidsky, Norman C. Rasmussen and Neil E. Todreas"September 1983."Includes bibliographical reference

Analysis and modeling of human performance in nuclear power plants

This work investigates two important areas in human reliability engineering: models for human performance analysis, and reliable data for these models. In the first area, the author addresses the two modeling techniques THERP and SAINT showing that the flexibility and nuclear relevance of the second give it the merit to be used in modeling and analyzing human tasks in complex man-machine systems such as nuclear systems. A case study is investigated and simulated by the SAINT to explore its dynamic capabilities;In the second area, the author evaluates all the available human data sources, develops a new description format for human related events with all the information matrices needed for human reliability analysis. A complete operations data bank for sixty-five commercial power plants in the U.S.A. over a period of ten years is constructed;Data analysis, with qualitative and quantitative evaluations using the information matrices provided in the operations data bank, is presented. Operator error probability computations are made for some operational tasks in selected nuclear engineered safety feature systems. Moreover, the assessment of the role of the performance shaping factors is discussed

Hydrogen fuel cell heavy-duty trucks: review of main research topics

Agencia Nacional de Investigación e Innovación. FSE_1_2019_1_158846. Fondo Sectorial de Energía (Proyecto) – 2019. “Transporte Eléctrico de Carga: Análisis de los desafíos para su introducción en Uruguay”. Duración: octubre 2020 – abril 2022.Road transportation is a significant source of CO2 emissions and energy demand. Consequently, initiatives are being promoted to decrease the sector’s emissions and comply with the Paris agreement. This article synthesizes the available information about heavy-duty fuel cell trucks as their deployment needs to be considered a complementary solution to decreasing CO2 emissions alongside battery electric vehicles. A thorough evaluation of 95 relevant documents determines that the main research topics in the past ten years converge on public policies, hydrogen supply chain, environmental impact, drivetrain technology, fuel cell, and storage tank applications. The identified research gaps relate to expanding collaboration between institutions and governments in developing joint green macro policies focused on hydrogen heavy-duty trucks, scarce research about hydrogen production energy sources, low interest in documenting hydrogen pilot projects, and minimal involvement of logistic companies, which need to plan their diesel freight’s conversion as soon as possible

Space Exploration Systems, Strategies and Solutions

The present thesis describes the PhD research activities dealing with the topic “Space Exploration Systems, Strategies and Solutions”. Traveling beyond low Earth orbit is the next step in the conquest of the solar system and so far, a human expedition to Mars is considered the most interesting goal of future human space exploration. Due to the technological and operational challenges associated with such a mission, it is necessary to define an opportune path of exploration, relying on many missions to intermediate and “easier” destinations, which would allow a gradual achievement of the capabilities required for the human Mars mission. The main scope of this research has been the development of a rigorous and versatile methodology to define and analyze evolutionary exploration scenarios and to provide a detailed technologies’ database, to support strategic decisions for human space exploration. The very innovative aspect of this work regards the development of a flexible methodology which can be followed to assess which are the next destinations for the exploration of space beyond LEO and to preliminarily define mission’s architectures, identifying the most significant needed elements and advanced technologies. The obtained results should be seen as a pure technical reference, as no cost and/or political considerations have been included, and can be exploited to opportunely drive the decisions of the agencies to place investments for the development of specific technologies and get ready for future exploration missions. The first part of the work has been devoted to the definition of a reference human space exploration scenario, which relies on both robotic and human missions towards several destinations, pursuing an increasing complexity approach and looking at a human expedition to Mars as final target. The scenario has been characterized through the assessment of the missions and the relative phases and concepts of operations. Accordingly, the needed space elements, or building blocks, have been identified. In this frame, the concept design of two specific elements has been performed: the first is a pressurized habitation module (Deep Space Habitat) for hosting astronauts during deep space missions; the second is an electrical propulsive module (Space Tug), mainly envisioned for satellites servicing. The last part of the work has focused on the analysis of innovative and enabling technologies, with particular attention to the aspects related to their on-orbit demonstration/validation, prior to their actual implementation in real exploration missions. The PhD has been sponsored by Thales Alenia Space - Italy and the overall work has been performed in different frameworks along the three years, as well as participating to several additional activities. In line with the objectives of the PhD, in 2012 a collaboration between Politecnico di Torino and Massachusetts Institute of Technology has been established (MITOR Project, managed by MIT-Italy Program), with the support of Thales Alenia Space as industrial partner. The MITOR project, titled “Human Space Exploration: from Scenario to Technologies”, has been aimed at identifying and investigating state of the art for Human Space Ex- ploration, enabling elements, subsystems and technologies with reference to a selected scenario and relevant missions and architectures. Part of the nine months activities has been carried out at MIT AeroAstro department. Besides MITOR project, the PhD activities have been carried out in synergy with some other research programs, such as ESA “Human Spaceflight & Exploration Scenario Studies” and STEPS2 project (Sistemi e Tecnologie per l’EsPlorazione Spaziale - phase 2). Furthermore, in 2013 a specific study has been performed in collabora- tion with university “La Sapienza” (Rome), “Osservatorio Astrofisico di Torino” (Astrophysical Observatory of Torino) and DLR (Deutsches Zentrum fr Luft- und Raumfahrt) in Bremen; its main objective has been the analysis of an interplanetary cubesats mission, aimed at space weather evaluations and technologies demonstration

Draft Function Allocation Framework and Preliminary Technical Basis for Advanced SMR Concepts of Operations

This report presents preliminary research results from the investigation in to the development of new models and guidance for concepts of operations (ConOps) in advanced small modular reactor (aSMR) designs. In support of this objective, three important research areas were included: operating principles of multi-modular plants, functional allocation models and strategies that would affect the development of new, non-traditional concept of operations, and the requiremetns for human performance, based upon work domain analysis and current regulatory requirements. As part of the approach for this report, we outline potential functions, including the theoretical and operational foundations for the development of a new functional allocation model and the identification of specific regulatory requirements that will influence the development of future concept of operations. The report also highlights changes in research strategy prompted by confirmationof the importance of applying the work domain analysis methodology to a reference aSMR design. It is described how this methodology will enrich the findings from this phase of the project in the subsequent phases and help in identification of metrics and focused studies for the determination of human performance criteria that can be used to support the design process