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The uses of virtual reality
03 December, 2012
Technology originally intended to develop 3D environments for video games has been turned to an advantage in the UK nuclear industry, in which a mockup of a facility can help clarify and resolve planning and security issues. By Will Dalrymple

Lessons learned
01 November, 2012
Operational experience feedback can be a valuable tool for preventing recurrence of similar events at nuclear plants. However, human and organizational factors can significantly hamper accident investigations. By Stanislovas Ziedelis and Benoit Zerger

Toward market balance
01 October, 2012
The return to balance for the conversion services market was thought to be several years away, with significant oversupply expected to continue through 2013. A shutdown for anticipated safety upgrades at the Metropolis plant in the US may noticeably reduce oversupply in the near term and hasten a return to balance. By Michael Schwartz and Thomas Meade

Preventing half-SCRAMs with insulated screw bit
03 September, 2012
No manufacturer produced a non-conductive bit for a torque screwdriver, until now. Staff at Entergy’s Pilgrim Nuclear Station developed the tool to prevent short-circuits in I&C cabinets.

Breaking up Brennilis
01 August, 2012
Remote technology will be used to dismantle Brennilis, a unique experimental heavy water reactor built in France more than 50 years ago. It is one of the first heavy-water reactors to be decommissioned. By Thierry André and Werner Botzem

One box fits all
02 July, 2012
A maintenance team at Entergy’s Palisades Power Plant have streamlined in-core instrumentation shearing operations during a refuelling outage, saving time and dose.

Digital image correlation for nuclear
23 April, 2012
In a pilot project, an optical monitoring technique that uses computer image processing to measure displacement and strain was applied to a US nuclear power plant containment vessel during a pressure test. Results agreed with data from strain gauges and other physical structures (such as a hidden cold joint location). By Paul Bruck, Thomas Esselman and Michael Fallin

Reinventing JET, piece by piece
20 April, 2012
Remote handling engineers at the Joint European Torus fusion experiment stripped out the inside of the machine to install a new metal wall over the course of 81 weeks. The materials in the new wall will provide crucial verification for the next generation of fusion devices. By Nick Holloway

Improving like-for-like RSGs
14 February, 2012
Although in a recent project Mitsubishi Heavy Industries suppled what were nominally replacements-in-kind of original steam generators at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, the specifications in fact included many new requirements to improve longevity, reliability, performance and maintainability. By Boguslaw Olech and Tomoyuki Inoue

Wolsong 1 retubed
14 February, 2012
In July 2011, Wolsong 1 was connected to the grid after an 839-day outage for retubing. The reactor is the first CANDU 6 to be successfully retubed. By Katherine Ward

Calculating LOCA system effects
14 February, 2012
The ability of the Westinghouse FULL SPECTRUM LOCA™ (FSLOCA™) best-estimate code to adequately capture the phenomena most important and dominant for small, intermediate, and large breaks of the cold leg is demonstrated for a three-loop Westinghouse PWR. Nominal scenarios, in which typical values are assumed for uncertainty parameters, illustrate the influence of break size on the important system-level phenomena predicted by the code. By M. A. Shockling, C. Frepoli and K. Ohkawa.

Actinide recycling within closed fuel cycles
14 February, 2012
The global energy context argues in favour of the sustainable development of nuclear energy, since the demand for energy will significantly increase, while resources will tend to get scarcer. Reprocessing and recycling nuclear fuel, together with fast reactors, can help nuclear power to conserve existing uranium resources and reduce the nuclear waste burden for future generations. By Christophe Poinssot and Bernard Boullis

PWR and BWR chemistry optimization
19 January, 2012
Water chemistry is evolving to cope with the requirements for higher-performance fuel, safe operation with satisfactory long-term component behaviour, options that are economical and compatible with the environment, and finally low radiation exposure. The author reviews current practices. By Dr Francis Nordmann