Dominion Engineering, Inc.

Other

David Arguelles

Robert Douglas Varrin, Jr

David J Gross

Michael J Little

Marc A Kreider

Jean E Collin

Joshua M Luszcz

Aaron Pellman

Ryan Jones

Brian Lee Lipford

Michael Jamie Baron

Robert David Geier

Florian Weber

David Jonathan Gross

Abby Margaret Pellman

Robert D Varrin

Jr Robert D Varrin

David Gross

In a submersible ultrasonic cleaning system for use in highly radioactive environments (e.g., cleaning radiated nuclear fuel assemblies), a bond between energy producing transducers and an radiating wall is strengthened with a polyurethane adhesive such as Permabond PT326, or 3M DP-190 adhesive. In various diagnostic tests, one or more of the transducers are operated in an energy-transmitting mode while one or more other transducers are operated in an energy-detecting mode to detect a weakened transducer/wall bond and/or acoustic conditions of the working fluid.

Radiation hardened ultrasonic cleaning system

A modular water purification system for a nuclear power plant includes a plurality of modules that may be selectively connected together directly or through the use of intermediary adapters in a plurality of arrangements. The modules may include a pump module, a FOSAR module, a particulate filtration module, a cross-flow filtration module, a degasification module, and/or a demineralization module, among other possible modules. The modules may have common interfaces so that they can be interconnected (directly or through intermediary adapters) in a variety of configurations for different purposes within the context of the nuclear power plant (e.g., filtering pool water; collecting large objects via vacuuming). Various modules may have form factors and/or mounting structures that are similar enough to the fuel assemblies of the plant that (1) the plant's fuel assembly handling equipment can grab, move, and reposition the modules, and/or (2) the modules may be stored in the fuel pool's storage rack.

Modular water purification system for nuclear power plants

A method and system detects failures in nuclear fuel assemblies (). A water treatment device degasses/removes fission gases from water used in the canister () of a vacuum sipping device (). A sipping procedure then detects a failure in a fuel assembly in the canister. The degassing improves a signal-to-noise ratio of the detector used during the sipping process, and improves the failure detection sensitivity of the system. Additionally and/or alternatively, gas may be recirculated through the canister water before the vacuum is applied so that fission gas concentration in the recirculating gas reaches a baseline equilibrium with the canister water. The vacuum is thereafter applied and the sipping procedure proceeds such that an increase in detected radioactivity over the baseline equilibrium indicates a leak in the fuel assembly.

System and method for improving sensitivity of a sipping system

A particulate removal apparatus and method are used to capture and remove particulates from nuclear reactor core coolant during normal operation. Bottom nozzle, particulate removal apparatus and top nozzle structures form an assembly sized to be installed in place of a nuclear fuel assembly. The particulate removal achieved reduces the inventory of corrosion product deposits, foreign objects and other particulates in the reactor coolant system. This in turn reduces activation or deposition of particulates on fuel cladding, with a corresponding improvement in fuel reliability and reduction in ex-core radiation fields.

Particulate removal system

Provided are a range of ultrasonic cleaning assemblies that include radiating surfaces activated by corresponding arrays of planar transducers configured to increase the power applied to a reduced volume of fluid associated with a fuel assembly, thereby increasing that applied power density for improved cleaning. The individual ultrasonic cleaning assemblies may be arranged in a variety of modules that, in turn, may be combined to increase the length of the cleaning zone and provide variations in the power density applied to improve the cleaning uniformity.

High power density ultrasonic fuel cleaning with planar transducers

Provided area cleaning apparatus and an associated method of using the disclosed apparatus wherein the apparatus utilizes one or more nozzles configured to provide a coherent stream of one or more cleaning fluids for removing accumulated fine particulate matter, sludge, from surfaces. The nozzles may be sized, arranged and configured to provide coherent streams that maintain the initial stream diameter for a substantial portion of the maximum dimension of the space being cleaned. The apparatus and method are expected to be particularly useful in the cleaning of heat exchangers incorporating a plurality of substantially vertical and narrowly spaced tubes by directing cleansing streams along a plurality of intertube spaces.

Low-pressure sludge removal method and apparatus using coherent jet nozzles

A method of in-situ cleaning of a portion of a boiling water reactor nuclear power plant. In one aspect, the method includes identifying a jet pump for the boiling water reactor nuclear power plant for cleaning, providing an ultrasonic cleaning tool that has a transducer, inserting at least a portion of the transducer into or adjacent to the interior cavity of the jet pump, in-situ, and energizing the transducer to a desired energy level.

Ultrasonic jet-pump cleaner

A filter system and associated methods of filtering utilize a combination of ultrasonically enhanced backwashing and a modified filter media configurations for increasing the specific loading on a portion of the filter media, thereby tending to increase the total particulate holding capacity of the improved filter. Depending on factors such as the filter configuration, the particulate size distribution and the differential pressure that can be maintained across the filter, it is expected that the particulate holding capacity can be more than doubled relative to a conventional filter having similarly configured filter media.

Apparatus and method for increasing filter capacity using ultrasonic regeneration

A passive assembly for operating two cleaning chambers using a single filtration system having a flow diverter assembly is disclosed. The flow diverter assembly is actuated by a fuel assembly when a fuel assembly is inserted into the cleaning chamber. The flow diverter assembly acts so that each cleaning chamber is supplied with suction flow whenever there is a fuel assembly in the cleaning chamber. When a cleaning chamber is empty, the flow diverter acts to block the suction flow from the filtration system, forcing suction flow through the opposite cleaning chamber. The flow diverter only provides suction head to a cleaning chamber when there is a fuel assembly in the cleaning chamber. When both cleaning chambers are empty, suction pressure from the pump increases to the point that the flow diverters in both chambers open sufficiently to maintain flow through the pumps and prevent the pumps from cavitating.

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Herndon, VA, United States of America

David Arguelles