Graduation date: 1998

An approach for developing a computer-based aid to assist in monitoring and assessing nuclear power plant status during situations requiring emergency response has been developed. It is based on the representation of regulatory requirements and plant-specific systems and instrumentation in the form of hierarchical rules. Making use of inferencing techniques from the field of artificial intelligence, the rules are combined with dynamic state data to determine appropriate emergency response actions. In a joint project with Portland General Electric Company, a prototype system, called EM-CLASS, was been created to demonstrate the knowledge-based approach for use at the Trojan Nuclear Power Plant. The knowledge domain selected for implementation addresses the emergency classification process chat is used to communicate the severity of the emergency and the extent of response actions required. EM-CLASS was developed using Personal Consultant Plus (PCPlus), a knowledge-based system development shell from Texas Instruments which runs on IBM-PC compatible computers. The knowledge base in EM-CLASS contains over 200 rules. The regulatory basis, as defined in 10 CFR 50, calls for categorization of emergencies into four emergency action level classes: (1) notification of unusual event, (2) alert, (3) site area emergency, and (4) general emergency. Each class is broadly defined by expected frequency and the potential for release of radioactive materials to the environment. In a functional sense, however, each class must be ultimately defined by a complex combination of in- plant conditions, plant instrumentation and sensors, and radiation monitoring information from stations located both on- and off-site. The complexity of this classification process and the importance of accurate and timely classification in emergency response make this particular application amenable to an automated, knowledge-based approach. EM-CLASS has been tested with a simulation of a 1988 Trojan Nuclear Power Plant emergency exercise and was found to produce accurate classification of the emergency using manual entry of the data into the program. / Graduation date: 1997

A prototype real-time process monitoring emergency classification expert system, RT/EM-CLASS, has been developed for use at the Trojan Nuclear Power Plant. This knowledge-based system features the integration of electronically sensed plant data with the menu selection data representation of its predecessor, EM-CLASS. This prototype demonstrates the techniques required to acquire plant process data from another computer and use that data in an expert system to determine the proper Emergency Action Level. Several benefits are realized by the RT/EM-CLASS application. These include: The resources required to make a classification are reduced thereby freeing the responsible person to devote time to other important tasks. The classification may be completed more often and with better data than the current system allows. The human user is less likely to make an erroneous Emergency Action Level classification. Prototype implementation required resolution of an efficiency problem of relating plant process data to the expert system data forms. This was achieved through the development of multi-conditional rules that significantly reduce the size of the rule set. The development of RT/EM-CLASS presents a methodology for building knowledge based applications that perform nonintrusive real-time monitoring of dynamic systems. This methodology features Use of existing analytical and Al tools where possible Monitoring of a dynamic system Non-intrusive acquisition of data from the system This technology might be applied to portions of the nuclear engineering design process (control rod programming in Boiling Water Reactors, for example) to emulate the guidance and activities of an expert. A substantial portion of the effort by the expert engineer involves preparation of the code input, running the computer code, analyzing the results, and based on the results, deciding what case to submit next. A suitably designed expert system could act in the place of the engineer in this dynamic design process. This methodology has been tested against the 1988 emergency exercise at the Trojan Nuclear Power Plant. / Graduation date: 1992

From 1976 to 1992 Portland General Electric (PGE) -- a private utility based in Portland, Oregon -- operated the Trojan Nuclear Plant near Rainier, Oregon, on the bank of the Columbia River. Trojan was the first commercial nuclear facility in the Pacific Northwest and was the largest such facility in U.S. history. From its origins, Trojan was the focus of growing conflict over atomic energy facilities and their environmental effects, risks, and costs. This thesis traces the history of Trojan, including the conditions in which PGE decided to build the plant as well as the changing conditions in which the environmental movement in Oregon worked to impact the operation of Trojan and the development of further atomic energy facilities in the region. Two sets of values, largely endemic to the region, came into conflict in the debate over Trojan: one which valued preservation of vital natural systems over all else, and another that elevated technological progress to supreme importance in achieving the ultimate social good. Supporters of Trojan and anti-nuclear activists both viewed misinformation about nuclear power as one of the central problems in the way that Oregon residents viewed nuclear power. Although there were many loyal supporters of Trojan, particularly in Columbia County, there were also a great number who viewed the technology cautiously. While both PGE and nuclear opponents worked diligently to sway public opinion, many activists did so by attempting to uncover and publicize hidden information about the design and operation of Trojan, and the nuclear fuel cycle in general. This included efforts throughout the plant's lifetime to develop opportunities for intervention in administrative proceedings, government hearings, and other arenas which often discourage citizen involvement. Related to the public debate over Trojan were ongoing operational difficulties and changing economic conditions, which contributed to the decision PGE announced in 1993 that Trojan would be permanently shut down. This study is based primarily on coverage from newspapers and periodicals, new and extant oral history interviews, documents from the personal files of activists, as well as various archival materials associated with PGE, activist groups, and government agencies.