Second harmonic generation using nonlinear ultrasonic waves have been shown to be an early indicator of possible fatigue damage in nuclear power plant components. This technique relies on measuring amplitudes, making it highly susceptible to …
The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is conducting confirmatory research for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for establishing standard methods of modeling and simulation to assess the effectiveness and reliability of ultrasonic …
As the nation’s nuclear fleet looks to life extension, advanced reactor (AdvRx) concepts are being considered as alternatives that may help meet anticipated energy needs. AdvRx concepts include small modular reactors (SMRs) where the electrical …
Computer modeling and simulation is becoming pervasive within the non-destructive evaluation (NDE) industry as a convenient tool for designing and assessing inspection techniques. This raises a pressing need for developing quantitative techniques for …
Advanced reactor concepts include fast reactors (including sodium-cooled fast reactors), gas-cooled reactors, and molten-salt reactors. Common to these concepts is a higher operating temperature (when compared to light-water-cooled reactors), and the …
The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is conducting confirmatory research for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for the validation of computational models for ultrasonic testing (UT). The purpose of this research is to determine if UT …
As the United States transitions to storing used fuel from commercial nuclear reactors in interim dry storage facilities for extended periods, utilities must be prepared to technically justify the viability of extended storage to the regulating …
The harsh environments in advanced reactors (AdvRx) increase the possibility of degradation of safety-critical passive components, and therefore pose a particular challenge for deployment and extended operation of these concepts. Nondestructive …