Impact of Corrosion Layer Composition and Thermal Pretreatment on the Radiolytic Generation of Molecular Hydrogen from Aluminum Alloys
To fully evaluate the feasibility of extending the dry storage of aluminum-clad spent nuclear fuel (ASNF) in helium-backfilled cannisters, the amount of radiation-induced molecular hydrogen (H2) generated and the impact of absorbed radiation dose on the ASNF corrosion layer composition must be accurately assessed. Here, we report a slowing in the rate of radiolytic H2 […]
A Knowledge-Informed Large Language Model Framework for U.S. Nuclear Power Plant Shutdown Initiating Event Classification for Probabilistic Risk Assessment
Identifying shutdown initiating event (SDIE) is critical for developing low power shutdown probabilistic risk assessment for nuclear power plants. Existing computational approaches cannot achieve satisfactory performance because of the challenges of unavailable large, labeled datasets, imbalanced event types, and label noise. To address the challenges, we propose a hybrid pipeline that integrates a knowledge-informed machine […]
An Integrated Approach to Examining Fuel-Cladding Chemical Interaction in U-10Zr Metallic Fast Reactor Fuels: Coupling Machine Learning with Electron Microscopy and Local Mechanical Properties Analysis
Metallic U-Zr nuclear fuel alloy has regained interest as a promising candidate for next generation sodium-cooled fast reactors. Recent studies and technology assessments have identified several areas where improvements, enhanced knowledge, and reliable data are needed to bolster the U-Zr fuel design basis for qualification and commercial use. One of the most constraining phenomena affecting […]
Empirical validation of size effects in sub-sized tensile specimens for nuclear structural materials
Advancing the understanding of material behavior and phenomena related to the size effect in small-scale components is important for settings where limited quantities of material samples can be tested. Through research and collaborative efforts, the scientific community and industry stakeholders have established guidelines for sub-sized specimen testing, encompassing best practices for specimen preparation, testing equipment, […]
Dataset of tensile properties for sub-sized specimens of nuclear structural materials
Mechanical testing with sub-sized specimens plays an important role in the nuclear industry, facilitating tests in confined experimental spaces with lower irradiation levels and accelerating the qualification of new materials. The reduced size of specimens results in different material behavior at the microscale, mesoscale, and macroscale, in comparison to standard-sized specimens, which is referred to […]
Determining the oxidation behavior of matrix graphite
This work presents the oxidation behavior of matrix graphite in air. Matrix graphite, graphite powder/flakes bonded by a small amount of non-graphitic carbon, surrounds coated fuel particles in order to form cylindrical fuel compacts (in prismatic core designs) or spheres (in pebble-bed reactor designs). This work focuses on oxidation tests conducted on two matrix graphite […]
Natural Language Processing-Enhanced Nuclear Industry Operating Experience Data Analysis: Aggregation and Interpretation of Multi-Report Analysis Results
Industry-wide operating experience is a critical source of raw data for reliability and risk model parameter estimations for nuclear power plants. A large portion of operating experience data are failure events stored as reports that contain unstructured data, such as narratives. In current practice, a failure report is usually reviewed and manually coded by analysts. […]
Milestone 1.2.14: Surface Characterization of Irradiated Surrogate Non-Native Corrosion Plumes on Aluminum 6061-T6 Specimens
The United States Department of Energy is seeking to evaluate the feasibility of extended dry storage of aluminum-clad spent nuclear fuel (ASNF) in helium-backfilled cannisters. A significant research effort has been devoted to determining the amount of radiation-induced molecular hydrogen generation from corrosion layers that would be present on the fuel assembly surfaces. However, to […]
Natural Language Processing-Enhanced Nuclear Industry Operating Experience Data Analysis to Support Risk Model Parameter Estimations
This set of slides has been prepared for a talk at the INL AI/ML Symposium held on September 8, 2022. Presentation outline: Background – Nuclear power plant operating experience data sources • Research focus and motivation – Analyzing free-text operating experience data: present and future • Research method – Input – Methodological steps – Output […]