The first Swedish commercial nuclear power plant was ordered in 1965. By 1973 it had been inaugurated, and building work had begun on the remaining three facilities that became the locations of Swedish large-scale nuclear power production. This thesis explores what kind of architectural objects, in a broad sense, the nuclear power plants in Sweden was discursively constructed as during these years. During the post war years enormous expectations were in Swedish politics attached to the implementation of nuclear power technology. An important discursive figure was that energy was of fundamental importance to society. Simultaneously it was articulated that nuclear power would provide an unlimited supply of energy. Society therefore was on the verge to a completely new era, an era which was to materialize through the nuclear power plant. Drawing upon Norman Fairclough’s theorization of discourse, three different orders of discourse are delineated wherein the nuclear power plant during the period 1965–1973 could be conceptualized as building: a discourse order of architecture, of landscape and of cultural heritage. It is a question of what sort of collective identity that is constructed through the utterances on nuclear power plants. Through the orders of discourse not only objects are produced, but also a who, on a collective level, that is producing them. These orders of discourse are connected to three different specific modes of temporal orientation which are formative for collective identity: towards the future, the past, and a position outside of history. Through an analysis of utterances and narratives in magazines, official texts, films, etc., this examination shows that in contrast to an international context, the nuclear power plant in Sweden was almost completely negated within the discourse order of architecture. Instead it was within the discourse orders of landscape and of cultural heritage that the nuclear power plant was to be conceptualized.

Bakgrund: Runt omkring oss i samhället finns det organisationer av olika slag. De organisationer som påverkar oss mest i vårt dagliga liv är dock troligen de kommersiella. För sådana organisationer utgör ägarna en stark intressentgrupp då de tillför kapital till verksamheten och för detta kräver ersättning i form av avkastning. För många kommersiella organisationer finns det dock fler intressenter med andra krav på organisationen och dess verksamhet, till exempel måste industrier investera i reningsanläggningar för att inte släppa ut skadlig rök till omgivningen. För de flesta organisationer finns det följaktligen minst två olika måldimensioner. Å ena sidan har vi ägare och investerare som vill ha avkastning på sitt kapital. Å andra sidan finns det intressenter som kräver saker som hög kvalitet, hög säkerhet och tillförlitlighet. Dessa olika krav kan skapa en målkonflikt för verksamheten. Syfte: Syftet med denna uppsats är att studera och analysera hur målkonflikten mellan intressenters säkerhets- och lönsamhetskrav hanteras i verksamhetsstyrningen. Genomförande: Med hjälp av intervjuer har vi genomfört fallstudier vid organisationer inom äldreomsorg och kärnkraftsindustri. Resultat: Vår studie visar på en rad faktorer som bör tas i beaktning vid organisationer med målkonfliktsproblematiken. Ledningen måste vara tydlig i sin målprioritering och kommunikation, ha en tydlig hantering av sina intressenter och deras krav samt att det bör finnas tillfredställande system för felidentifiering och rapporteringsmöjligheter för de anställda. / Background: In the society we live in, there are different kinds of organizations. The organizations that affect us the most however are probably the commercial ones. For these organizations, the owners form a strong a group of stakeholders since they invest capital and therefore require return on their investments. Nevertheless, some organizations also face demands of safety and quality from other stakeholders. With this in mind it becomes clear that organizations sometimes have to handle at least two dimensions of goals, owners that demand yield and the general public that demands a satisfying amount of safety. These different kinds of goals and demands can create a goal conflict situation within the organizations. Aim: The purpose of this study is to explore and analyze how the conflict between safety and economic goals is handled in the operating control.' Completion: A case study was carried out in the geriatric care and nuclear power industry by means of qualitative interviews. Results: The result of this study indicates that there are certain aspects to bear in mind for organizations facing the goal conflict situation. The management has to be clear about what to prioritize and then clearly communicate this priority to the employees. The organization should also have a clearly defined stakeholder strategy concerning their demands and requirements. Finally, it is also important for an organization that employees have proper communication channels and failure identification systems, so that problems can be emphasized.

A new generation of compact and highly efficient power production and propulsion technologies are critically needed in enabling NASAs long-term goals. Nuclear fission power technologies as part of project Prometheus are in development to meet this need. Proposed reactor concepts utilize a combination of refractory metals and stainless steels. One such refractory alloy, Niobium 1% Zirconium (Nb-1Zr), will be used because of its strength at high temperatures, neutron absorption properties, and resistance to corrosion by liquid alkali metals. One potential problem in using Nb-1Zr is that it undergoes rapid high temperature oxidation, even in low oxygen concentrations. Long-term oxidation of the niobium matrix can significantly deteriorate the mechanical properties of the alloy. This thesis reports on experimental studies of the high temperature interaction of 316 stainless steel (316 SS) and Nb-1Zr under prototypic space fission reactor operating conditions. Specifically, how the high temperature oxidation rate of Nb-1Zr changes when in contact with 316 SS at low external oxygen concentrations. The objective of the project is to determine if transport of gaseous contaminants, such as oxygen, will occur when Nb-1Zr is in contact with 316 SS, thereby increasing the oxidation rate and degrading material properties. Experiments were preformed in a realistic non-nuclear environment at the appropriate operating conditions. Thermal Gravimetric Analysis techniques were used to quantify results. Coupons of Nb-1Zr and Nb-1Zr in contact with 316 SS foil are subjected to flowing argon with oxygen concentrations between 4-15ppm and heated to a temperature of 500, 750, and 1000oC for 2 to 10 hours. Experiments were conducted at the Early Flight Fission Test Facility at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. The experimental results indicate that a complex oxidation process, which depends greatly on temperature and oxygen concentration, occurs at the expected operating conditions. Non-linear regression techniques were applied to experimental data in order to derive correlations for the approximate oxidation rate of Nb-1Zr and Nb-1Zr in contact with 316 SS as a function of time, temperature, and oxygen concentration.

The objective of this thesis is to determine and analyze the dose rate to personnel throughout the proposed IRIS nuclear power plant. To accomplish this objective, complex models of the IRIS plant have been devised, advanced transport theory methods employed, and computationally intense simulations performed. IRIS is an advanced integral, light water reactor with a 335 MWe expected power output (1000 MWth). Due to its integral design, the IRIS pressure vessel has a large downcomer region. The large downcomer and the neutron reflector provide a great deal of additional shielding. This increase in shielding ensures that the IRIS design easily accomplishes the regulatory dose limits for radiation workers. However, The IRIS project set enhanced objectives of further reducing the dose rate to significantly lower levels, comparable or below the limit allowed for general public. The IRIS nuclear power plant design is very compact and has a rather complex geometric structure. Programs that use conventional methods would take too much time or would be unable to provide an answer for such a challenging deep penetration problem. Therefore, the modeling of the power plant was done using a hybrid methodology for automated variance reduction implemented into the MAVRIC sequence of the SCALE6 program package. The methodology is based on the CADIS and FW-CADIS methods. The CADIS method was developed by J.C. Wagner and A. Haghighat. The FW-CADIS method was developed by J.C. Wagner and D. Peplow. Using these methodologies in the MAVRIC code sequence, this thesis shows the dose rate throughout most of the inhabitable regions of the IRIS nuclear power plant. This thesis will also show the regions that are below the dose rate reduction objective set by the IRIS shielding team.

A new solution technique is derived for the time-dependent transport equation. This approach extends the steady-state coarse-mesh transport method that is based on global-local decompositions of large (i.e. full-core) neutron transport problems. The new method is based on polynomial expansions of the space, angle and time variables in a response-based formulation of the transport equation. The local problem (coarse mesh) solutions, which are entirely decoupled from each other, are characterized by space-, angle- and time-dependent response functions. These response functions are, in turn, used to couple an arbitrary sequence of local problems to form the solution of a much larger global problem. In the current work, the local problem (response function) computations are performed using the Monte Carlo method, while the global (coupling) problem is solved deterministically. The spatial coupling is performed by orthogonal polynomial expansions of the partial currents on the local problem surfaces, and similarly, the timedependent response of the system (i.e. the time-varying flux) is computed by convolving the time-dependent surface partial currents and time-dependent volumetric sources against pre-computed time-dependent response kernels.

The Liquid-Salt-Cooled Very High-Temperature Reactor (LS-VHTR) was modeled using the neutronics analysis code SCALE6.0 and the thermal-hydraulics and kinetics modeling code RELAP5-3D with objective to devise, analyze, and evaluate the feasibility and stability of a start-up procedure for this reactor using natural circulation of the coolant and under the Loss Of Offsite Power (LOOP) conditions. This Generation IV reactor design has been studied by research facilities worldwide for almost a decade. While neutronics and thermal-hydraulics analyses have been previously performed to show the performance of the reactor during normal operation and for shutdown scenarios, no study has heretofore been published to examine the active or passive start-up of the reactor. The fuel temperature (Doppler) and coolant density coefficient of reactivity of the LS-VHTR were examined using the CSAS6 module of the SCALE6.0 code. Negative Doppler and coolant density feedback coefficients were calculated. Two initial RELAP5 simulations were run to obtain the steady-state conditions of the model and to predict the changes of the thermal-hydraulic parameters during the shutdown of the reactor. Next, a series of step reactivity additions to the core were simulated to determine how much reactivity can be inserted without jeopardizing safety and the stability of the core. Finally, a start-up procedure was developed, and the restart of the reactor with natural convection of the coolant was simulated. The results of the simulations demonstrated the potential of a passive start-up of the LS-VHTR.

The flow distribution in the primary circuit of the pressurized water reactor was studied with experiments and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations. The main focus was on the flow field and mixing in the downcomer of the pressure vessel: how the different factors like the orientation of operating loops, the total loop flow rate and the asymmetry of the loop flow rates affect the outcome. In addition to the flow field studies the overall applicability of CFD methods for primary circuit thermal-hydraulic analysis was evaluated based on the CFD simulations of the mixing experiments of the ROCOM (Rossendorf Coolant Mixing Model) test facility and the mixing experiments of the Paks NPP. The experimental part of the work in work package 3 included series of steady state mixing experiments with the ROCOM test facility and the publication of results of Paks VVER-440 NPP thermal mixing experiments. The ROCOM test facility models a 4-loop KONVOI type reactor. In the steady-state mixing experiments the velocity field in the downcomer was measured using laser Doppler anemometry and the concentration of the tracer solution fed from one loop was measured at the downcomer and at the core inlet plane. The varied parameters were the number and orientation of the operating loops, the total flow rate and the (asymmetric) flow rate of individual loops. The Paks NPP thermal mixing experiments took place during commissioning tests of replaced steam generator safety valves in 1987-1989. It was assumed that in the reactor vessels of Paks VVER-440 NPP equipped with six loops the mixing of the coolant is not ideal. For the realistic determination of the active core inlet temperature field for the transients and accidents associated with different level temperature asymmetry a set of mixing factors were determined. Based on data from the online core monitoring system and a separate mathematical model the mixing factors for loop flows at the core inlet were determined. In the numerical simulation part of the work package 3 the detailed measurements of ROCOM tests were used for the validation of CFD methods for primary circuit studies. The selected steady state mixing experiments were simulated with CFD codes CFX-4, CFX-5 and FLUENT. The velocity field in the downcomer and the mixing of the scalar were compared between CFD simulations and experiments. The CFD simulations of full scale PWR included the simulation of Paks VVER-440 mixing experiment and the simulation of Loviisa VVER-440 downcomer flow field. In the simulations of Paks experiments the experimental and simulated concentration field at the core inlet were compared and conclusions made concerning the results overall and the VVER-440 specific geometry modelling aspects like how to model the perforated elliptic bottom plate and what is the effect of the cold leg bends to the flow field entering to the downcomer. With Loviisa simulations the qualitative comparison was made against the original commissioning experiments but the emphasis was on the CFD method validation and testing. The overall conclusion concerning the CFD modelling of the flow field and mixing in the PWR primary circuit could be that the current computation capacity and physical models also in commercial codes is beginning to be sufficient for simulations giving reliable and useful results for many real primary circuit applications. However the misuse of CFD methods is easy, and the general as well as the nuclear power specific modelling guidelines should be followed when the CFD simulations are made.

Nuclear power plants across the United States are reaching the end of their current operating licenses, forcing decision makers to think about the way forward. As they consider the best alternatives for dealing with aging nuclear plants, it is becoming increasingly important to have an accurate method for calculating the long-term costs of nuclear power plants. This report begins by investigating the methodologies currently used in these calculations. They focus on the uncertainty associated with deregulated electricity markets and can be broken down into two main categories: discounted cash flow and real options analysis. Next the report discusses the limitations of the current methodologies, focusing specifically on those aspects of evaluation that are currently eclipsed by electricity market uncertainty. Finally the report offers recommendations for addressing these limitations and creating a stronger analytical framework for calculating the lifetime cost of nuclear power plants. / text

Magistriniame darbe įvertinamas Ignalinos atominės elektrinės ir gamtinių sąlygų poveikis terminiam Drūkšių ežero režimui. Tyrimo tikslas – įvertinti Ignalinos atominės elektrinės ir gamtinių sąlygų poveikį terminiam Drūkšių ežero režimui. Tyrimo objektas – atominė elektrinė ir Drūkšių ežeras. Nuo l984 m. Lietuvos didžiausias Drūkšių ežeras pradėjo tarnauti kaip Ignalinos atominės elektrinės (IAE) aušintuvas. Todėl natūralus hidrologinis režimas ir šilumos balansas ežere buvo sutrikdyti. Ypač pakito Drūkšių ežero terminis režimas. Vidutiniškai Drūkšių ežero vandens temperatūra pakilo apie 3,5 ºC. Tačiau pastaraisiais metais Lietuvoje stebimos klimato atšilimo tendencijos. Per pastaruosius dešimtmečius vidutinė oro temperatūra padidėjo apie 1 ºC. Oro temperatūros augimas taip pat turėjo įtakos visų vandens telkinių, tuo pačiu ir Drūkšių ežero vandens temperatūrai. Todėl tiek antropogeniniai veiksniai (atominė elektrinė), tiek gamtiniai veiksniai (klimato kaita) turi įtakos Drūkšių ežero terminiam režimui. Lietuvos energetikos instituto ir kitų mokslinių institucijų darbuotojai atliko daug tyrimų, susijusių su Drūkšių ežero hidrologine, hidrotermine bei ekologine būkle. Tačiau šiuose tyrimuose mažai dėmesio buvo skirta gamtinės kaitos įtakos Drūkšių ežero terminiam režimui nustatymui. Šio tyrimo tikslas buvo įvertinti atominės elektrinės ir gamtinių sąlygų poveikį terminiam Drūkšių ežero režimui. Norint įvertinti Drūkšių ežero terminio režimo pokyčius veikiant IAE... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The paper evaluated the Ignalina nuclear power and natural conditions, the thermal effect of the lake Drūkšiai regime. Purpose of the survey - to assess the Ignalina nuclear power and natural conditions on the thermal regime of Lake Drūkšiai. The object of research - nuclear power and natural environment impacts. Since l984, the Lithuanian Drūkšiai largest lake began to serve as the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant (INPP) cooler. Therefore, the natural hydrological regime and heat balance in the lake has been disturbed. In particular, changes in lake thermal regime Drūkšiai. On average, Drūkšiai lake temperature has risen approximately 3.5 ° C. However, in recent years, Lithuania observed warming trends. Over the past decades, the average air temperature increased about 1 ° C. Air temperature rise is also affected by the water at the same time and lake water temperatures. Therefore, both anthropogenic factors (NPP) and natural factors (climate change) affect the thermal regime of Lake Drūkšiai. Lithuanian Energy Institute and other scientific staff, the large number of tests and touching Drūkšiai lake hydrology, hydrothermal and ecological condition. However, these studies little attention was given to natural changes affect Drūkšiai lake thermal regime. Purpose of this study was to evaluate nuclear power and natural conditions on the thermal regime of Lake Drūkšiai. To assess Drūkšiai Lake thermal regime change operation IAE... [to full text]

Teorinėje dalyje nagrinėjama žmogų supanti aplinka, kaip vienas iš ugdymo veiksnių. Labiau akcentuojama gamtinė ir kultūrinė aplinka, bei detaliau analizuojama Ignalinos AE regiono pažintinį turizmą sudaranti gamtinė ir kultūrinė aplinka ir jų vieta moksleivių ugdyme. Praktinę dalį sudaro anketinė apklausa, vykdyta 2006m. rugsėjo mėn. Ignalinos, Zarasų rajonuose bei Visagino mieste. Tyrime dalyvavo gimnazijų bei vidurinių mokyklų moksleiviai, tuo metu besilankantys Ignalinos ir Zarasų rajonuose. Tyrimu siekiama atskleisti kelionių su klase dažnumą, tikslus, moksleivų tarpusavio santykius, Ignalinos AE regiono išskirtinumą, šio regiono pažintinio turizmo (gamtinės ir kultūrinės aplinkos) veiksnių svarbą moksleivių ugdyme. / The study consists of theoretical and practical parts. At the theoretical part there are the researches about the environment surrounding a human-being like one of the education factors. The nature and culture environments are more emphasized. The nature and culture environments forming the cognitive tourism in Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant (further – Ignalina NPP) region and their influence in pupils’ education are analyzed more elaborately. The practical part consists of a questionnaire, data of which were gathered in September 2006 in Ignalina district, Zarasai district and Visaginas town. The students of the Ignalina and Zarasai districts’ secondary and grammar schools took a part at the research. Research target is to discover how often the class trips are organized, what are their targets and tasks, what are the rapports within the pupils, what are the advantages of Ignalina NPP region and what is the importance of this region’s cognitive tourism to pupils’ education.