Nuclear Materials Science: Enabling Technology for Sustained Operation of Nuclear Power Generation & Development of Next Generation Power Plants

Quake-induced accident of Fukushima nuclear power plant in 2011 triggered heated argument about the country’s energy policy in Japan. Although many people recognized the risk of nuclear energy use, they did not necessarily support the option of abandoning the technology for the near future. This paper focuses on how people perceive risks associated with and without nuclear power generation and how perceived risks affect their opinion. We conducted questionnaire survey targeting 18–20 year old university students, the stakeholders in the future. The survey was implemented in 2013–2014 when none of Japan’s nuclear power plants was in active use. Three quarters of the respondents answered that a future with nuclear power generation was more realistic than without it. The aspects dividing the two groups, i.e., respondents who expect a future with or without nuclear energy use were their evaluations of three themes: (1) the feasibility of renewable energy sources, (2) the impacts in the safety of developing nations’ nuclear power generation, and (3) the difficulty in gaining the acceptance of residents near the power plants. Meanwhile, both groups above were similarly positive about technological innovation, and were similarly and strongly negative about developing safety management.

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Reformation of Regulatory Technical Standards for Nuclear Power Generation Equipments in Japan

Volume 1: Plant Operations, Maintenance and Life Cycle; Component Reliability and Materials Issues; Codes, Standards, Licensing and Regulatory Issues; Fuel Cycle and High Level Waste Management ◽

10.1115/icone14-89707 ◽

2006 ◽

Author(s):

Mikio Kurihara ◽

Masahiro Aoki ◽

Yu Maruyama ◽

Kiyosi Takasaka ◽

Shigetada Nakajo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Power Generation ◽

Nuclear Power ◽

Power Plants ◽

Industrial Safety ◽

Background Information ◽

Regulatory Body ◽

Nuclear Power Generation ◽

Technical Standards ◽

Regulatory Review ◽

Performance Specifications

Comprehensive reformation of the regulatory system has been introduced in Japan in order to apply recent technical progress in a timely manner. “The Technical Standards for Nuclear Power Generation Equipments”, known as the Ordinance No.622) of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, which is used for detailed design, construction and operating stage of Nuclear Power Plants, was being modified to performance specifications with the consensus codes and standards being used as prescriptive specifications, in order to facilitate prompt review of the Ordinance with response to technological innovation. The activities on modification were performed by the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA), the regulatory body in Japan, with support of the Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization (JNES), a technical support organization. The revised Ordinance No.62 was issued on July 1, 2005 and is enforced from January 1 2006. During the period from the issuance to the enforcement, JNES carried out to prepare enforceable regulatory guide which complies with each provisions of the Ordinance No.62, and also made technical assessment to endorse the applicability of consensus codes and standards, in response to NISA’s request. Some consensus codes and standards were re-assessed since they were already used in regulatory review of the construction plan submitted by licensee. Other consensus codes and standards were newly assessed for endorsement. In case that proper consensus code or standards were not prepared, details of regulatory requirements were described in the regulatory guide as immediate measures. At the same time, appropriate standards developing bodies were requested to prepare those consensus code or standards. Supplementary note which provides background information on the modification, applicable examples etc. was prepared for convenience to the users of the Ordinance No. 62. This paper shows the activities on modification and the results, following the NISA’s presentation at ICONE-13 that introduced the framework of the performance specifications and the modification process of the Ordinance NO. 62.

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Updated Knowledge Implemented to the Revision of Environmental Fatigue Evaluation Method for Nuclear Power Plant in JSME Code

Volume 1: Codes and Standards ◽

10.1115/pvp2009-77077 ◽

2009 ◽

Author(s):

Makoto Higuchi ◽

Takao Nakamura ◽

Yasuaki Sugie

Keyword(s):

Power Generation ◽

Fatigue Life ◽

Nuclear Power ◽

Power Plants ◽

Nuclear Power Plants ◽

Evaluation Method ◽

Power Engineering ◽

Nuclear Power Generation ◽

Fatigue Data ◽

Fatigue Evaluation

Many examinations concerning the fatigue life reduction for structural materials of nuclear power plants in water simulated LWR coolants had been carried out after the first paper had been recognized in Japan [1, 2]. Based on these results, the method to evaluate the fatigue damage for the materials exposed to the LWR coolant had been developed. After 1990s in Japan, the Environmental Fatigue Data Committee (EFD) of the Thermal and Nuclear Power Engineering Society (TENPES), the Project on Environmental Fatigue Testing (EFT) supported by the Japan Power Engineering and Inspection Corporation (JAPEIC) and the Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization (JNES) and some utility joint studies have investigated the environmental fatigue. In September 2000, the Nuclear Power Generation Safety Management Division of the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, Ministry of International Trade and Industry issued “Guidelines for Evaluating Fatigue Initiation Life Reduction in the LWR Environment” (hereafter, called “the MITI Guidelines”) [3]. These guidelines include an equation to evaluate environmental fatigue and require electric utilities to consider the environmental effects in their Plant Life Management (PLM) activities. However, the MITI Guidelines do not provide specific and practical techniques for evaluating environmental fatigue under actual plant conditions. Accordingly, TENPES took on the task to produce one. In 2002 TENPES issued the “Guidelines on Environmental Fatigue Evaluation for LWR Component” [4, 5] (hereafter, called “the TENPES Guidelines”) based on the techniques developed by the EFD Committee. A set of Rules, called the Environmental Fatigue Evaluation Method (EFEM), was established in the Codes for Nuclear Power Generation Facilities - Environmental Fatigue Evaluation Method for Nuclear Power Plants (JSME S NF1-2006, EFEM-2006)[6], which was issued in March 2006 by reviewing the equations for the environmental fatigue life correction factor, Fen, specified in the MITI Guidelines, and the techniques for evaluating environmental fatigue specified in the TENPES Guidelines, and considering the new environmental fatigue data including JNES-SS report (August 2005) [7]. The EFEM revised version has been drafted by incorporating the updated knowledge described in JNES-SS report (April 2007) [8] and is scheduled to be issued by the end of 2009. This paper introduces the revision in it and their technical basis. Additionally, future issues are addressed to be considered in the improvement of the EFEM.

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Advances in the Design and Qualification of Main Steam and Main Feedwater Isolation Valves (MSIV and MFIV) With Type A, Gas Hydraulic Actuators

ASME 2011 Pressure Vessels and Piping Conference: Volume 7 ◽

10.1115/pvp2011-57124 ◽

2011 ◽

Author(s):

Richard J. Gradle ◽

Floyd A. Bensinger

Keyword(s):

Power Generation ◽

Nuclear Power ◽

Power Plants ◽

Type A ◽

Nuclear Industry ◽

Nuclear Power Generation ◽

Hydraulic Actuator ◽

The Us ◽

History Of ◽

Main Steam

Flowserve and its heritage companies have supplied valves for many of the critical applications within commercial nuclear power generation plants since the beginning of commercial nuclear power generation. Two of these highly critical applications are the Main Steam Isolation Valves (MSIVs) and the Main Feedwater Isolation Valves (MFIVs). As the requirements of these two applications have evolved, so have the applicable valve and actuator designs and their qualifications. Although functional qualification standards (ASME QME-1) for power operated valve applications have been developed within the US nuclear industry, their use is relatively new within the US. In order to globally supply these valves, Flowserve has functionally qualified its MSIVs and MFIVs to this standard. In addition to the valves, the actuators have also evolved. Flowserve’s type A, gas / hydraulic actuator has been updated to improve its reliability and provide better performance for the power plants. The updated Flowserve type A, type A, gas / hydraulic actuator has completed the Environmental Qualification testing in accordance with the requirements of IEEE 323, 344 and 382. The Flowserve MSIV and MFIV designs have been selected for installation in many of the new Generation 3 and Generation 3+ nuclear power generation plants. This paper briefly discusses: • The history of the MSIV and MFIV valve applications within the nuclear power generation plants and • The Flowserve MSIV and MFIV, ASME QME-1 functional qualifications. Major paper emphasis is placed on: • The latest updates to the Flowserve type A, type A, gas / hydraulic actuator design, and • The latest results of the Flowserve type A, gas hydraulic actuator environmental qualification to IEEE 323, 344 and 382.

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Safety Monitoring System Design and Key Technologies for Wide Area Nuclear Power Generation

Applied Mechanics and Materials ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.448-453.3576 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 448-453 ◽

pp. 3576-3579

Author(s):

Shi Xin Wan ◽

Lan Xin Li ◽

Shu Fang Song

Keyword(s):

Power Generation ◽

Monitoring System ◽

Data Storage ◽

Nuclear Power ◽

Power Plants ◽

Safety Monitoring ◽

Wide Area ◽

Nuclear Power Generation ◽

Safety Monitoring System ◽

Key Technologies

To improve the safe operation level of nuclear power plants, the design principle and overall architecture of safety monitoring system for nuclear power generation were proposed from the aspect of technology development and wide area security. The constitution, monitoring scope and main functions including image surveillance, alarm, data storage and processing, security protection and network management etc., were designed. The key technologies involved, such as image recognition, data compression, remote transmission and monitoring and so on, were analyzed. The target technical indicators were put forward.

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