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Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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No impact from Savannah River radioactive wasps
The news is abuzz with recent news stories about four radioactive wasp nests found at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina. The site has been undergoing cleanup operations since the 1990s related to the production of plutonium and tritium for defense purposes during the Cold War. Cleanup activities are expected to continue into the 2060s.
Eric B. Bartlett, Robert E. Uhrig
Nuclear Technology | Volume 97 | Number 3 | March 1992 | Pages 272-281
Technical Paper | Nuclear Reactor Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT92-A34635
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In this work, nuclear power plant operating status recognition is investigated using a self-optimizing stochastic learning algorithm artificial neural network (ANN) with dynamic node architecture learning. The objective is to train the ANN to classify selected nuclear power plant accident conditions and assess the potential for future success in this area. The network is trained on normal operating conditions as well as on potentially unsafe conditions based on nuclear power plant training simulator-generated accident scenarios. These scenarios include hot- and cold-leg loss of coolant, control rod ejection, total loss of off-site power, main steamline break, main feedwater line break, and steam generator tube leak accidents as well as the normal operating condition. Findings show that ANNs can be used to diagnose and classify nuclear power plant conditions with good results. Continued research work is indicated.