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Conference Spotlight
2025 ANS Winter Conference & Expo
November 9–12, 2025
Washington, DC|Washington Hilton
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Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Optimizing nuclear plant outages: Data analytics tools and methods for enhancing resilience and efficiency
Nuclear power plant refueling outages are among the most complex phases in a plant’s operational cycle.1 During these outages, tens of thousands of activities, including maintenance and surveillance, are conducted simultaneously within a short timeframe. Typically lasting three to four weeks, these operations involve large crews of contractors with diverse skill sets performing tasks ranging from testing and surveillance to maintenance. Outages may extend longer if major backfitting or modernization projects are planned. Consequently, plant outages are expensive, incurring significant operational costs, such as contractor labor and equipment, as well as the loss of generation while the plant is off line. This can easily cost a plant operator more than $1 million a day. Therefore, there is a constant need to mitigate the economic impact on plants by reducing the frequency, duration, and risks associated with these outages.2,3
J.M. Perlado
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 10 | Number 3 | November 1986 | Pages 1303-1308
Fusion Application | doi.org/10.13182/FST86-A24910
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The more important neutronic characteristics are simultaneously analyzed in the context of fusion-fission blankets. The analysis is referenced to a gas protected cavity, where dimensions and material compositions are varied. It is intended to know the regimes in which that hybrid blanket works when two independent variables are changed. The 6Li enrichment and the atomic density of 238U have been selected as those variables, and the study is performed for two different solid breeders Li2O and γ-LiAlO2. The effect of the thickness of the fertile zone was pointed out in previous articles and here we look for an optimum working point and will set a comparison with precedent results when LiH is used as the solid breeder. A physical figure of merit is established, which relates the characteristics of the fertile zone. Constraints on the TBR and fissile production are introduced to obtain efficient working points. Finally, the He, liquid lithium and Li17Pb83 eutectic are considered as candidate coolants and their effects on the neutronic performances are analyzed.
