MIRACLE is an artificial intelligence tool for automated condition report review and analysis. It uses natural language processing and machine learning techniques to rapidly scan through reports, analyzing the information in them to make in fractions of a second key decisions that are currently performed in hours by plant staff. In addition to making the process much more efficient, MIRACLE reduces human error and therefore further improves the industry's excellent safety record.
The LWRS Program recognizes the potential for drones to automate rounds in a nuclear power plant and developed a cost-effective method for drones to navigate a course inside a building or other structures where strong GPS signals are absent. Self-navigation is achieved by determining the drone’s location from the visual angle of QR codes placed along the desired course, then dynamically adjusting trajectory accordingly.
The LWRS Program collaborates with Palo Verde to support control room modernization in a nuclear power plant. Addressing equipment issues and the benefit of improved performance with people who operate and maintain the plant. One of the goals is to make the plants more economically competitive while maintaining the safety and reliability.
Using animated 3-D modeling technology, this video presents a fly-through tour of a proposed concept for a modernized control room for the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, depicting how the current analog-based control boards are transformed into modern digital operator control stations.
The Human System Simulation Laboratory (HSSL) is a complete virtual nuclear control room created to safely test new technologies before they are implemented in real commercial reactor control rooms. LWRS Program researchers use the HSSL to conduct human factors engineering R&D in order to enhance plant safety and human-system performance.
Highlights of the launch of a long-term concrete aging study for the Materials Research Pathway performed by the University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Simulating an error-prone manual valve alignment task in a nuclear power plant, this video illustrates how new technology for wireless component position indication can monitor the results of valve manipulations, detect positioning errors, and instruct the operators to correct such errors before they result in operational events, thus preventing nuclear safety challenges and loss of generation.
The LWRS Program has been instrumental in developing and validating diagnostic and prognostic models for on-line monitoring of active components in nuclear power plants. This work was done in collaboration with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) in support of their Fleet-Wide Plant Health Monitoring (FW-PHM) monitoring platform.
The LWRS Program produced a concept video on a modernized outage control center for a nuclear plant, which optimizes technology and human interaction. This work is founded on human factors studies of how to more effectively integrate informational and collaborative digital technologies into the critical tasks of processing volumes of real-time outage information for timely-effective decision-making. (No sound for this video)