Coming Soon…
Design and Prototyping of Advanced Control Systems for Advanced Reactors Operating in the Future Electric Grid
In collaboration with Roberto Ponciroli (PI) and Richard Vilim at Argonne National Laboratory, and Anthonie Cilliers at Kairos Power.
Dates: Oct. 2020 – Sept. 2023
Researchers will design and demonstrate advanced control schemes for semi-autonomous and remote operation of advanced reactors to support integrated energy systems with energy storage technologies. The research will develop a control system architecture that will integrate with future changes to the grid, including highly variable grid demand.
Read the full project abstract here!
Innovative Enhanced Automation Control Strategies for Multi-unit SMRs
In collaboration with Jamie Coble at the University of Tennessee, Ben Lindley at the University of Wisconsin, Vivek Agarwal at the Idaho National Laboratory, and Ross Snuggerud at NuScale Power.
Dates: Oct. 2020 – Sept. 2023
Researchers will develop an innovative, enhanced automation control framework for small modular reactors (SMRs) that supports control of multiple units operating in a variety of reactor core conditions. Through these enhancements, SMR technology gains improved marketability through potential deployment to a broader range of markets and can also lead to reduced operating and maintenance costs for a SMR site, increasing the overall profitability.
Read the full project abstract here!
Project SAFARI – Secure Automation for Advanced Reactor Innovation
Read the announcement here!
Current:
Modeling and Analysis of Exelon Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs) for Eigenvalue & Thermal Limits Predictability
Dates: Dec. 2020 – Sept. 2021
Read the announcement here.
Evaluation of Semi-Autonomous Passive Control Systems for HTGR Type Special Purpose Reactors
In collaboration with Victor Petrov, Nicolas Stauff and Changho Lee at Argonne National Laboratory, and Claudio Filippone and Alan Wells at Holosgen, LLC.
Dates: Oct. 2019 – Sept. 2022
Researchers will investigate the use of variable flow controllers and a variable reflector as passive or semi-autonomous reactivity control mechanisms for multi-module HTGR type special purpose reactors. This applies to the commercially developed special purpose reactor concepts from HolosGen. The incorporation of these systems will reduce the movable parts count and enable more robust load follow capabilities over broader power ranges and local and global reactivity control.
Read the full project abstract here
Process Constrained Data Analytics for Sensor Assignment and Calibration
In collaboration with Richard Vilim (PI) at Argonne National Laboratory and Marc Anderson at Xcel Energy.
Dates: April 2020 – Sept. 2021
This project will develop and demonstrate data-analytic methods to address the problem of how to assign a sensor set in a nuclear facility such that 1) a requisite level of process monitoring capability is realized, and in turn, 2) the sensor set is sufficiently rich to allow analytics to determine the status of the individual sensors with respect to their need for calibration. This approach will allow for automated calibration status, avoiding unneeded calibration activities in the facility.
Read the full project abstract here
Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors (CASL)
Dates: July, 2010 – Nov. 2020
Read more about the project at their homepage www.casl.gov and check for the latest news at vera.ornl.gov