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August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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Groundwater data pave the way for Environmental Management Disposal Facility at Oak Ridge
Results of a two-year study of groundwater levels at the site of the planned Environmental Management Disposal Facility (EMDF) in Oak Ridge, Tenn., have been released, revealing that the levels fell at a slower-than-expected rate. The collection of data on groundwater levels during two wet seasons, conducted by the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management and the contractor United Cleanup Oak Ridge, formed the core of a groundwater field demonstration study which will help inform the final design of the EMDF landfill.
Vikram Singh, Alexander M. Wheeler, Belle R. Upadhyaya, Ond?ej Chvá (Univ of Tennessee, Knoxville), M. Scott Greenwood (ORNL)
Proceedings | Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control, and Human-Machine Interface Technolgies (NPIC&HMIT 2019) | Orlando, FL, February 9-14, 2019 | Pages 199-208
Preliminary results from a nonlinear dynamic model of the Molten Salt Demonstration Reactor (MSDR) plant are presented. This model is coupled to an integral economizer Once-Through Steam Generator (OTSG) model with variable boiling length to simulate operation at different power levels. The reactivity effect of Xe-135 is also integrated to investigate open-loop load-following operation. Simulation results show that the reactor model is stable for the investigated reactivity perturbations. A load-following excursion is simulated by varying the feedwater flow rate through the steam generator. Results show that the MSDR can follow load demand in a stable manner through temperature-based reactivity feedbacks alone without requiring operator input. Future work involves development of instrumentation systems and control strategies to achieve near autonomous plant operation.