Stochastic Nondestructive Testing Simulation: Sensitivity Analysis Applied to Material Properties in Clogging of Nuclear Powerplant Steam Generators

Wavelet network controller for nuclear steam generators

Poor control of steam generator water level is the main cause of unexpected shutdowns in nuclear power plants. Particularly at low powers, it is a difficult task due to shrink and swell phenomena and flow measurement errors. In addition, the steam generator is a highly complex, nonlinear and time-varying system and its parameters vary with operating conditions. Therefore, it seems that design o...

Topological Sensitivity Analysis in the Context of Ultrasonic Nondestructive Testing

Abstract. The aim of the topological sensitivity analysis is to determine an asymptotic expansion of a shape functional with respect to the variation of the topology of the domain. In this paper, we consider a state equation of the form div (A∇u) + ku = 0 in dimensions 2 and 3. For that problem, the topological asymptotic expansion is obtained for a large class of cost functions and two kinds o...

Sensitivity analysis and dimension reduction of a steam generator model for clogging diagnosis

Nuclear steam generators are subject to clogging of their internal parts which causes safety issues. Diagnosis methodologies are needed to optimize maintenance operations. Clogging alters the dynamic behaviour of steam generators and particularly the response of the wide range level (WRL – a pressure measurement) to power transients. A numerical model of this phenomenon has previously been deve...

Pulse compression technique applied to ultrasonic nondestructive testing of concrete

The pulse compression technique is successfully and widely used in many fields for improving the signal to noise ratio (SNR); which is especially useful when the environment is noisy and the SNR is poor. Since high frequency ultrasound is strongly attenuated in concrete, only low frequency ultrasound can be used in ultrasonic nondestructive testing (NDT) of concrete. In this study the pulse com...

Nondestructive Material Testing with Ultrasonics Introduction to the Basic Principles