Industry Applications

The Chair has been involved with numerous industry projects and applications related not only to the major reactor components of fuel channels, feeders, and steam generators, but also to other important systems, structures and components at nuclear power plants.

Reactor components

Fuel channels

Deuterium ingress

  • An improved statistical model for predicting the deuterium ingress in zirconium alloy pressure tubes
  • Statistical analysis of rolled joint deuterium ingress at the burnish mark at Pickering B and Darlington stations

Material properties

  • Multivariate statistical analysis of pressure tube fracture toughness data
  • A probabilistic approach to update the lower bound fracture toughness using surveillance pressure tube data
  • Modeling irradiation damage and its effects on delayed hydride cracking growth rate
  • A probabilistic approach to update the lower bound threshold stress intensity factor (KIH) for delayed hydride cracking
  • Relationship between burst specimens, compact tension specimens, material chemistry, and operating conditions for Zr-2.5Nb pressure tube material

Creep

  • Statistical analysis and modelling of pressure tube diametral creep using in-service inspection data from Bruce B and Darlington stations
  • Diametral creep analysis of CANDU 6 pressure tubes in support of IAEA-CRP
  • Statistical analysis of fuel channel axial elongation data

Spacers

  • Probabilistic prediction of the number of spacer movements and determination of SLAR sample size
  • Probabilistic modelling of spacer degradation and prediction of end of life

Miscellaneous

  • Analysis of uncertainties in CDEPTH pressure tube to calandria tube gap predictions using in-service AFCIS measurements for three CANDU 6 reactors
  • Probabilistic leak-before-break (LBB) assessment of pressure tubes using partial factors

Feeders

Inspection

  • Development of data visualization tools for the analysis of 6-probe and 14-probe eddy current feeder wall thickness data
  • Analysis and visualization of eddy current inspection data of inlet and outlet feeders from Pickering and Darlington stations
  • Probabilistic assessment of MIT (feeder weld inspection tool) application at Darlington station

Flow accelerated corrosion (FAC)

  • Methodology for predicting flow-accelerated corrosion wear using unreferenced multiple inspection data
  • A probabilistic Gamma process model of wall thinning in CANDU feeders due to flow-accelerated corrosion
  • Assessment and prediction of feeder bend thinning at Pickering station
  • Assessment and prediction of feeder weld thinning at Darlington station
  • Estimation of feeder wall thinning rates from repeat inspection data: Pickering Unit 1 and Unit 4
  • Confidence interval analysis for regression estimated feeder thinning rate

Cracking

  • Probabilistic assessment capability for feeder pipe cracking
  • Using spatial statistical analysis of microstructure to determine feeder susceptibility to cracking
  • A logistic regression model for predicting the probability of pipe bend cracking in CANDU feeders

Welds

  • Statistical analysis of dissimilar metal welds in the Darlington feeder system
  • Aleatory and epistemic uncertainty in the probabilistic leak-before-break assessment of dissimilar metal welds in Darlington feeders
  • Methodology for predicting minimum thickness near the Grayloc weld

Replacement planning

  • Probabilistic analysis of inspection data and development of feeder replacement plan for Pickering A station
  • Analysis and review of Pickering B feeder replacement plan

Steam generators

Inspection

  • Analysis and review of Pickering B steam generator eddy current inspection database
  • Consideration of inspection uncertainties in the probabilistic assessment of steam generator tubing integrity
  • Estimation of steam generator tubing degradation rate from noisy eddy current inspection data
  • Statistical analysis of flaw size measurements between different eddy current probes
  • Reliability analysis of eddy current probe system used for steam generator inspection

Pitting

  • Probabilistic modelling of steam generator tube pitting corrosion
  • The effect of inspection uncertainties in predicting the probability of leak of steam generator tubing due to pitting corrosion
  • A Bayesian approach to modeling and predicting pitting flaws in steam generator tubes

Alloys

  • Alloy 800 steam generator tubing: Current status and future challenges
  • Degradation of Alloy 800 steam generator tubing and its long term behavior prediction for plant life management
  • Prediction of lifetime of Alloy 600 steam generator tubing at Bruce nuclear generating station
  • Improvement factors for steam generator tubing alloys
  • Corrosion stress cycle model (CSCM) for material degradation
  • Estimation of the material improvement factor for Alloy 800 steam generator tubing based on incubation time test data
  • Memory effect and recoverability of passive film degradation of Alloy 800 in simulated crevice chemistry

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LCM/GRA/Risk-informed

Life cycle management (LCM) planning

  • The impact of aging on life-cycle cost: Techniques for analysis and optimization
  • An accurate probabilistic model for estimating the life cycle cost of degrading components in nuclear power plants
  • Review of Darlington main generator and auxiliaries life cycle management (LCM) plan
  • Life cycle cost analysis of the main generator and auxiliaries
  • Life cycle management (LCM) plan for the air compressor system at Darlington station
  • Life cycle management (LCM) planning of VPCE superheaters at the Darlington tritium removal facility (TRF)
  • Life cycle planning of primary heat transport (PHT) system pump motors at Darlington station
  • Life cycle management for large transformers: Main output transformer (MOT) spare analysis
  • The influence of temporal uncertainty of deterioration in life cycle management (LCM) of structures
  • Reliability analysis of the fuel handling system based on station condition records

 Generation risk assessment (GRA)

  • An improved generation risk assessment (GRA) model considering the degradation of components
  • Generation risk assessment (GRA) of the primary heat transport system at Darlington station
  • Generation risk assessment (GRA) of the turbine/main generator at Darlington station
  • Generation risk assessment (GRA) of main output transformers (MOTs) at Darlington station

Risk-informed

  • Risk-informed inspection of instrumentation line tubes at Darlington station
  • Risk-informed ranking of engineering projects
  • Risk-informed prioritization of refurbishment project portfolio
  • Review of OPG’s plant aging management risk ranking methodology

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Piping related

  • A stochastic model for piping failure frequency analysis using OPDE data
  • Bayesian analysis of piping leak frequency using OECD/NEA data
  • Reliability analysis of nuclear piping system using Semi-Markov process model
  • Development of visualization tools to support the degradation assessment of nuclear piping
  • A probabilistic assessment of flow-accelerated corrosion rate in pipe bends with unknown initial thickness
  • Probabilistic estimation of flow-accelerated corrosion rate at the welded joints of the nuclear piping system
  • Risk-based partial factors for the assessment of nuclear piping vulnerable to corrosion
  • Using spatial statistical analysis of Taylor factors to characterize material susceptibility to intergranular stress corrosion cracking

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Seismic

  • Seismic gap analysis for systems, structures and components (SSCs) at Pickering B station
  • Seismic risk assessment of nuclear plant structures
  • Probabilistic seismic hazard analysis of nuclear plant structures
  • Development of technical requirements for seismic PSA for the nuclear industry in Canada as part of CSA N291.17

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Miscellaneous

  • Statistical analysis of deviation of forces in spring hangers supporting feeder piping at the Pickering station
  • Probabilistic modelling and prediction of instrument line fretting at Darlington station
  • Reliability analysis and prediction of Miz-80iD eddy current inspection system
  • Evaluation of effectiveness of maintenance on steam turbine control fluid system
  • Statistical analysis of fish impingement at Pickering station
  • Evaluation of the effectiveness of the fish diversion structure (FDS) to reduce fish impingement at the Pickering station
  • Statistical analysis of round white fish egg mortality data in the thermal discharge plume
  • Statistical modelling of external corrosion in buried piping
  • Statistical analysis of delayed neutron monitoring data for the detection of fuel defects
  • Reliability analysis of digital feedwater regulating valve controller system using a Semi-Markov process model
  • Evaluation of common cause failure probabilities in systems important to safety
  • Regulation of nuclear power plants: A multi objective approach
  • Statistical analysis and prediction of reactor inlet header temperature (RIHT) as a function of operating conditions