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Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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Sandia and Aeva evaluate intrusion detection system
Sandia National Laboratories is collaborating with the California-based Aeva Technologies, a developer of next-generation sensing and perception systems, on the development of technology for strengthening security at U.S. nuclear reactor sites.
J. Blázquez, I. Vallejo, A. García-Berrocal, M. Balbás
Nuclear Technology | Volume 176 | Number 2 | November 2011 | Pages 284-289
Technical Paper | Nuclear Plant Operations and Control | doi.org/10.13182/NT11-A13302
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In the case of large burnup, a control rod (CR) guide tube in the pressurized water reactor of a commercial nuclear power plant might bend. As a consequence, a CR drop experiment may indicate an event of a CR partially inserted and whether the CR should be deemed inoperable. Early prevention of such an event can be achieved by measuring two friction coefficients: the hydraulic coefficient and the sliding coefficient. The hydraulic coefficient hardly changes, so that the curvature of the guide tube can only be detected thanks to a variation of the sliding coefficient. A simple model for the CR drop is established and validated with CR drop experiments. If tmx denotes the instant of CR maximum velocity, a linear relationship between (tmx)-2 and the sliding coefficient is found.