Nuclear Research andHigher Education: a Disposable Part of Fundamental National Infrastructure?

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Research and higher education
a disposable part of fundamental national infrastructure?
Leon Cizelj
Head, Reactor Engineering Division, Jožef Stefan Institute
Associate Profesor of Nuclear Engineering, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana
REMOO 2014, Ljubljana, Slovenia

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Disclaimer
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I am a nuclear engineer
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I do promote:
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Nuclear safety,
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Research and research based education,
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Competitive, environmentally friendly and sufficient energy sources
•
Robert Stone‘s movie Pandora‘s Promise. „You can not be against climate change and nuclear energy at the same time.“
REMOO 2014, Nov. 2014, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Does this imply that I promote nuclear energy?

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Disclaimer
I do support environmentally and economically sustainable safe nuclear energy.
An important note: Nuclear power plant is with us for a century of more. This implies huge changes in:
•the scientifical and technical knowledge;
•the society (>25 governments, LJ >8 states).
Nuclear energy should therefore strive for the use of the best available people, science, knowledge, technologies and operational experience.

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Overview
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About the Reactor Engineering Divison
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Background and Motivation
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The Basic Question(s)
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Some (Anecdotal) Evidence of Possible Answers
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Summary

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Overview
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Summary

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Reactor Engineering Division Today

(the sole) coherent research group focusing on nuclear safety and nuclear engineering in Slovenia.
Research and pedagogical core of the School of Nuclear Engineering (Faculty of mathematics and physics, University of Ljubljana)
Technical and scientific support organization to the national nuclear regulatory body (URSJV)

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Turbulent Flows Around the Nuclear Fuel Elements
International project by OECD/NEA:
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Started in 2011
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Issue: dominant position of the fuel manufacturers  reduce lack of knowledge elsewhere!
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Experiment MATiS-H by KAERI:
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Blind simulations: 25 teams/12 nations
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R4 within top 5!
Lee et al, Nucl Engnrng Design (2014) 279, 3-18
Krško NPP 2013

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Cooling of Divertor of Fusion Reactor by Multiple Impinging Jets
Draksler et al, Int J Heat and Fluid Flow (2014), 46, 147-157

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Intergranular Stress Corrosion Cracks The Major Ageing Mechanism in NPP
Reconstruction of crystal grains from diffraction contrast tomography
Applicable also in medical physics
Simonovski & Cizelj, Comp Mat Sci (2011) 50, 1606-1618

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Intergranular Stress Corrosion Cracks The Major Ageing Mechanism in NPP
Simonovski & Cizelj, Engnrng Fract Mech (2013) 110, 364-377

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Hydrogen Combustion Experiment in HYKA A2 (LACOMECO)

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Steam explosions R4 Model Integrated in the IRSN Code MC3D

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Overview
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•
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Summary

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Background, Motivation Maturity and stability of the industry and regulators
The electricity from the nuclear fission:
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is abundant and competitive low carbon energy;
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has one of the lowest impacts to the public health and environment.
This is a consequence of:
•large and long term efforts of the nuclear industry to sustain and improve the safety of the nuclear power plants.
•systematic support and occasional leadership by the competent regulatory authorities and academia worldwide.
Scientific and technical evidence clearly supports the above facts.

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Background, Motivation Dwindling Added Value of Research and Higher Education?
Nuclear industry and regulators  unparalleled safety record, levels of stability and maturity.
A possible perception:
•
further research cannot bring much added value to the safe operation of the plants;
•higher education might be fully substituted by professional training;
•could be reinforced by the economic recession.
A possible substantiation:
•Post Fukushima improvements of the NPP largely include the implementations of technologies that were available before Fukushima. REMOO 2014, Nov. 2014, Ljubljana, Slovenia

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Background, Motivation Public acceptance is the key challenge of nuclear
One of the key remaining challenges for the nuclear industry is the dwindling public acceptance.
Possible perception:
•
General public does not believe the facts about the nuclear energy.
A possible substantiation:
Public opinion (in the most of the EU countries):
•highly values and trusts the information received from the scientists;
•does not have much confidence in information provided by industry, regulators, media, government, even international organizations such as IAEA
•Ref: Eurobarometer 324, 2010

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Background, Motivation Is partnership of academia and industry a way out?
Public opinion trusts the information received from the scientists.
Does this make an opportunity for strong partnerhips of academia and industry?

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Overview
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Summary

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Are research and higher education an essential part of fundamental national infrastructure?

Yes

No
Who is responsible to maintain the appropriate infrastructure (including research and education)?

Government

Industry

Regulator

Market

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Are research and higher education an essential part of fundamental national infrastructure?

Yes
o
No
Who is responsible to maintain the appropriate infrastructure (including research and education)?

Government

Industry

Regulator

Market
All stakeholders to work closely together and support each other to create and implement the necessary knowledge and knowhow. Longterm effort!
A lot of money and top level experts!

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Overview
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Summary

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Privatized rail infrastructure in UK (1996) On the problem of new (and not fully explored) interfaces
Train Derailment at Hatfield, UK.
4 casualties, over 70 injured.
The main causes:
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Shortcommings of the maintenance of the infrastructure (fatigued rail broke)
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Failing of the regulatory oversight
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Full report @ www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/docsummary.php?docID=465

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Before privatization/liberalization in 1996
Single business entity
Balanced interface between the wheels and the track:
Observable wear before hidden fatigue

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After privatisation/liberalization in 1996
Business entities 1, 2, 3….
Infrastructure
Opportunity for externalization of costs
Unbalanced interface between the wheels and the track:
Hidden fatigue before observable wear

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After the accident in 2000
Business
Infrastructure
Opportunity for externalization of costs
Unbalanced interface between the wheels and the track:
Hidden fatigue before after observable wear
REGULATORY PATCH

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Possible Nuclear Parallels
Business
Infrastructure
TIME
REGULATORY PATCH
INDUSTRY
ACADEMIA

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Similarities With Fukushima?
Company 1, 2, 3….
Infrastructure
Opportunity for externalization of costs?
REGULATORY PATCH
INDUSTRY
ACADEMIA

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Pickering nuclear
The Ontario Hydro „meltdown“ (1997) Missmanaged safety culture (=infrastructure)?
Long standing, but not resolved, management, process and equipment issues in Ontario Hydro (one of the world largest nuclear utilities with 19 NPP at the time).
Internal investigation ordered by the utility management: no intervention by the national regulator. Full report @ http://www.ccnr.org/hydro_report.html
Results
•Immediate shutdown of 7 out 19 reactors (2 remained out of service until today)
•Huge losses (economy and people)
•Nearly 20 years needed to recover

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The Ontario Hydro „meltdown“ (1997) Some remarks from the report
Employees lack a questioning attitude;
Decisions are dominated by a production mentality and managers feel excessive pressure to continue planned evolutions.
At times, personnel cannot comply with the established processes or procedures
It's acceptable to cut corners. It is not acceptable to make waves. Those who have made waves have been fired or sidelined.
Serious shortages of key management, supervisory and some technical skills exist…
Design basis documentation is not accurately maintained.
The practice of offering critical services, such as training and engineering, on a "fee for service" basis has created an attitude that the groups providing the service are not a part of the team. REMOO 2014, Nov. 2014, Ljubljana, Slovenia

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The Ontario Hydro „meltdown“ (1997) Some remarks from the authors of the report
"The issue of culture is that nuclear tries to keep everything confined within it. [They] won't tell anybody anything. That's not just the Canadian culture, it's the nuclear culture.„
Carl Andognini
"Good teams can turn bad over 10 years if they're not self-checking and probing.„
John Zwolinski
"We've been telling you that for a number of years. Over and over again, sir.„
Maurice Brenner
"There's people in management that shouldn't be in management and they don't want to be in management, but it's the only way they can get more money.„
Carl Andognini
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/ontario-hydro-meltdown/

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Closure of San Onofre NPP (Ca, 2013) Missmanaged Design Bases (=infrastructure)?
2 Units of San Onofre NPP closed in 2013:
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Replaced steam generators in 2009
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Never reached full power after replacement
Decision economic, not safety
Root cause as seen by NRC:
•Desing bases in FSAR outdated
•Poor oversight by NRC
•Full report see world-nuclear-news.org http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/RS-NRC-overlooked- San-Onofre-steam-generator-problem-09101401.html

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Overview
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Summary

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Summary
Our common goal: environmentally and economically sustainable safe nuclear energy.
Public opinion trusts the information received from the scientists.
Does this make an opportunity for stronger partnerships between academia and industry?

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Summary
Nuclear energy should strive for the use of the best available people, science, knowledge, technologies and operational experience.
Excellent infrastructure is vital to support that. Relying on the markets may result in additional risks.
Excellent infrastructure (including research and education) is concern of all stakeholders. REMOO 2014, Nov. 2014, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Nuclear Research andHigher Education: a Disposable Part of Fundamental National Infrastructure?

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