Detailed neutronic study of the power evolution for the European Sodium Fast Reactor during a positive insertion of reactivity

Abstract The new reactor concepts proposed in the Generation IV International Forum require the development and validation of new components and new materials. Inside the Collaborative Project on the European Sodium Fast Reactor, several accidental scenario have been studied. Nevertheless, none of them coped with mechanical safety assessment of the fuel cladding under accidental conditions. Among the accidental conditions considered, there is the unprotected transient of overpower (UTOP), due to the insertion, at the end of the first fuel cycle, of a positive reactivity into the reactor core as a consequence of the unexpected runaway of one control rod. The goal of the study was the search for a detailed distribution of the fission power, in the radial and axial directions, within the power peaked fuel pin under the above accidental conditions. Results show that after the control rod ejection an increase from 658 W/cm 3 to 894 W/cm 3 , i.e. of some 36%, is expected for the power peaked fuel pin. This information will represent the base to investigate, in a future work, the fuel cladding safety margin

Identification and categorisation of safety issues for ESNII reactor concepts. Part I: Common phenomena related to materials

International audience; With the aim to develop a joint proposal for a harmonised European methodology for safety assessment of advanced reactors with fast neutron spectrum, SARGEN-IV (Safety Assessment for Reactors of Gen IV) Euratom coordination action project gathered together twenty-two partners' safety experts from twelve EU Member States. The group consisted of eight European Technical Safety Organisations involved in the European Technical Safety Organisation Network (ETSON), European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC), system designers, industrial vendors as well as research and development (RandD) organisations. To support the methodology development, key safety features of four fast neutron spectrum reactor concepts considered in Deployment Strategy of the Sustainable Nuclear Energy Technology Platform (SNETP) were reviewed. In particular, outcomes from running European Sustainable Nuclear Industrial Initiative (ESNII) system projects and related Euratom collaborative projects for Sodium-cooled Fast Reactors, Lead-cooled Fast Reactors, Gas-cooled Fast Reactors, and the lead-bismuth eutectic cooled Fast Spectrum Transmutation Experimental Facility were gathered and critically assessed. To allow a consistent build-up of safety architecture for the ESNII reactor concepts, the safety issues were further categorised to identify common phenomena related to materials. Outcomes of the present work also provided guidance for the identification and prioritisation of further RandD needs respective to the identified safety issues. © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-NDlicense

Space weathering simulations through controlled growth of iron nanoparticles on olivine

Airless planetary bodies are directly exposed to space weathering. The main spectral effects of space weathering are darkening, reduction in intensity of silicate mineral absorption bands, and an increase in the spectral slope towards longer wavelengths (reddening). Production of nanophase metallic iron (npFe0) during space weathering plays major role in these spectral changes. A laboratory procedure for the controlled production of npFe0 in silicate mineral powders has been developed. The method is based on a two-step thermal treatment of low-iron olivine, first in ambient air and then in hydrogen atmosphere. Through this process, a series of olivine powder samples was prepared with varying amounts of npFe0 in the 7-20 nm size range. A logarithmic trend is observed between amount of npFe0 and darkening, reduction of 1 µm olivine absorption band, reddening, and 1 µm band width. Olivine with a population of physically larger npFe0 particles follows spectral trends similar to other samples, except for the reddening trend. This is interpreted as the larger, ~40-50 nm sized, npFe0 particles do not contribute to the spectral slope change as efficiently as the smaller npFe0 fraction. A linear trend is observed between the amount of npFe0 and 1 µm band center position, most likely caused by Fe2+ disassociation from olivine structure into npFe0 particles.Peer reviewe

Empiryczne studium praktyk zarządzania jakością przedsiębiorstw przemysłowych w Republice Czeskiej

Monitoring, managing and sustaining the quality are crucial to the competitiveness of companies. In order to manage the quality, a variety of Quality Management tools and techniques can be used. The main objective of this study is to identify the use of selected Quality Management tools and techniques in industrial companies in the Czech Republic. This study summarizes the results of the online questionnaire survey (research sample of 200 industry companies). It has been found that the most commonly used Quality Management tools and techniques are Checksheets, Total Quality Management and Pareto Chart. Total Quality Management is currently the most commonly single-used Quality Management technique. Research findings also provide information about the quality tools using. The survey shows that basic (classical) Quality Management tools are used more than new Quality Management tools. The relationship between industrial specializations of companies and used Quality Management tools and techniques are found (The Pearson’s Chi-square Test of Independence and the G-Test of Independence were used). Other relationships have been identified between the type of production and Quality Management tools and techniques.Monitorowanie, zarządzanie i utrzymanie jakości mają kluczowe znaczenie dla konkurencyjności przedsiębiorstw. W celu zarządzania jakością można stosować różnorodne narzędzia i techniki zarządzania jakością. Głównym celem tego badania jest identyfikacja wykorzystania wybranych narzędzi i technik zarządzania jakością w przedsiębiorstwach przemysłowych w Republice Czeskiej. Niniejsze badanie podsumowuje wyniki ankiety internetowej (próbka badawcza 200 firm z branży). Stwierdzono, że najczęściej używanymi narzędziami i technikami zarządzania jakością są arkusze kontrolne, kompleksowe zarządzanie jakością i wykres Pareto. Kompleksowe zarządzanie jakością jest obecnie najczęściej używaną techniką zarządzania jakością. Wyniki badań dostarczają również informacji o wykorzystywanych narzędziach jakości. Badanie pokazuje, że podstawowe (klasyczne) narzędzia do zarządzania jakością są częściej wykorzystywane niż nowe. Stwierdzono związek między specjalizacjami przemysłowymi firm a używanymi narzędziami i technikami zarządzania jakością (wykorzystano test niezależności chi-kwadrat Pearsona i test niezależności G). Zidentyfikowano inne zależności między rodzajem produkcji a narzędziami i technikami zarządzania jakością

Achieving market performance via Industry 4.0 enabled dynamic marketing capability, sustainable human resource management, and circular product design

Business-to-business (B2B) firms are striving to sustain market growth and share in dynamic marketing environment with an increasing need to protect natural resources in era of sustainability and industry 4.0. Although many firms have adapted industry 4.0 technologies, circular economy and sustainability practices in their business activities, but to sustain market growth is still a challenge. They need dynamic capabilities to face the current dynamic market instead of just resources and their capabilities. This study empirically examines whether Industry 4.0-enabled dynamic marketing capabilities and sustainable human resource management (SHRM) can enable firms to implement circular product design strategies and further improve market performance. The proposed framework is based on a dynamic capability view (DCV) and tested by structural equation modeling using survey data from 424 Indian B2B manufacturing firms. The findings show that SHRM promotes Industry 4.0-enabled dynamic marketing capabilities (IDMC); IDMC and SHRM both support implementation of circular product design strategies. Circular product design is supposed to facilitate IDMC to expand market performance. But, IDMC alone is also enough to significantly enhance market performance, despite the combined positive effect of circular product design and SHRM on market performance. These findings contribute to better understanding on what type of dynamic capabilities of organizational resources should be developed and utilized to improve market performance. The study helps firms to develop dynamic marketing capabilities such as circular product design strategies, SHRM and IDMC for helping them in improving market performance while also growing sustainably. © 202

SARGEN-IV Consideration on the possible content of the safety analysis report for innovative ESNII reactors

International audienceIn view of the potential deployment of demonstrators and prototypes associated with the European Sustainable Nuclear Industrial Initiative (ESNII), the present licensing framework, based on the current Light Water Reactor (LWR) technology, will have to adjust as necessary taking into account to the new safety aspects introduced by these innovative technologies. Within the SARGEN-IV project under the Euratom Framework Programme FP7, an extensive work has been done to review the critical safety features of the reactor concepts developed under ESNII. This review has also been used as a reference to provide guidelines on the structure and content of the Safety Analysis Report (SAR) for the innovative ESNII reactors. Structure and content of a SAR generally differ among countries. The approach followed to give recommendations and guidance was to adopt as far as possible the format of the current practices for LWR based on the US NRC Reg Guide 1.70 together with IAEA publication GS-G-4.1 and to identify those chapters whose subjects need to be adapted to the specific design. Due to the innovative nature of the design, the licensing process for new ESNII concepts may take longer. The early involvement of regulators in defining safety objectives and criteria and acceptable solutions to meet these criteria may be beneficial to shorten this process. Therefore, it is recommended that parts of the SAR should be submitted to the regulatory body at an early stage and in accordance with an agreed timetable; this approach will permit a smoother review process and help preventing unnecessary delays. © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V

Identification and categorisation of safety issues for ESNII reactor concepts. Part I: Common phenomena related to materials

International audienceWith the aim to develop a joint proposal for a harmonised European methodology for safety assessment of advanced reactors with fast neutron spectrum, SARGEN-IV (Safety Assessment for Reactors of Gen IV) Euratom coordination action project gathered together twenty-two partners' safety experts from twelve EU Member States. The group consisted of eight European Technical Safety Organisations involved in the European Technical Safety Organisation Network (ETSON), European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC), system designers, industrial vendors as well as research and development (RandD) organisations. To support the methodology development, key safety features of four fast neutron spectrum reactor concepts considered in Deployment Strategy of the Sustainable Nuclear Energy Technology Platform (SNETP) were reviewed. In particular, outcomes from running European Sustainable Nuclear Industrial Initiative (ESNII) system projects and related Euratom collaborative projects for Sodium-cooled Fast Reactors, Lead-cooled Fast Reactors, Gas-cooled Fast Reactors, and the lead-bismuth eutectic cooled Fast Spectrum Transmutation Experimental Facility were gathered and critically assessed. To allow a consistent build-up of safety architecture for the ESNII reactor concepts, the safety issues were further categorised to identify common phenomena related to materials. Outcomes of the present work also provided guidance for the identification and prioritisation of further RandD needs respective to the identified safety issues. © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-NDlicense