COG Official Use Only
Excellence through Collaboration
CANDU Owners Group Inc.Research & Development Program
Peter ErnstProgram Manager, Health, Safety and Environment Program, Research & Development
Nuclear 2013, Pitesti Romani - May, 2013
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Introduction to COG
COG Research & Development Program
Recent R&D Highlights
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The Company
• Is a Federally Incorporated Not-for-Profit Corporation
• President is accountable to a Board of Directors
• Board is accountable to the Shareholders
COG:• Voting Non Voting• OPG, Canada NPCIL, India• AECL, Canada KHNP, Korea• Bruce Power, Canada TQNPC, China
• NB Power, Canada NASA, Argentina• SNN, Romania Hydro Quebec,
CanadaPAEC,
Pakistan
Members are:
• AMEC NSS; Kinectrics; B&W; CAMECO; CPUS; GE Hitachi; Candu Energy; Aecon
There are also Supplier
Participants:
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CANDU Reactors in the World
COG MembersOperational Units
InstalledCANDU
Capacity(Mw(e))
Laid-up UnitsUnits under
Construction or Refurbishment
8 6300
675 1 (in progress)
1 680
10 6980 2
17* 4360* 1* 4 Const.*
4 2867
2 1411 2 Const.
2 1400
1 648
1 137
TOTAL 45 25458 4 6
*2 CANDUs – the other units are indigenous PHWRs
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COG Mission and Vision
Mission
• To improve the performance of CANDU stations worldwide through member collaboration.
Vision• CANDU Excellence
Through Collaboration
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The Business
Approximately a $75M annual business that is designed to bring value to the Industry by:
Leveraging investments by identifying common needs and initiating Joint Projects
Solving Industry problems by either linking Members to solution sources or facilitating solutions
Looking across the Industry to identify opportunities for collaboration and avoidance of duplicated effort
Managing CANDU operationally focused R&D investment – so that each Member gets leveraged
investment and benefit
Providing OPEX – Events, Pattern Analysis, Alerts, Good Practices
Linking Members to a warehouse of Information
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Organizational Structure
Information ExchangeTom Henderson
Nuclear Safety and Environmental Affairs
Martin Reid
Research & Development Frank Doyle
– OPEX – CANTEACH– EPRI Interface– Communications– Workshops and
Conferences– Supplier Participants– Knowledge
Management
– Nuclear Safety– Environmental
Affairs– Risk Informed
Regulation– Regulatory Issues
Support and Information Exchange
– Fuel Channels– Safety & Licensing– Health, Safety &
Environment– Chemistry, Materials &
Components– Industry Standard Tool
Set
Business ServicesRod McIvor
President & CEORobert Morrison
– CANPAC– Joint Projects– Fuel Channel Life
Management– CANDU Inspection
Qualification Bureau
Strategic Planning & Transition
Bob Goodman
Office ServicesBernice Brooks
Information TechnologyCarmen Trandafir
Joint Projects & Services
Barry Collingwood
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Introduction to COG
COG Research & Development Program
Recent R&D Highlights
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COG R&D GOAL
COG’s R&D Goal is to assist participating Members to achieve excellence in the safety, reliability and economic performance of their CANDU stations worldwide by initiating and managing jointly funded R&D
COG R&Daddresses current and emerging operating issues to support the safe, reliable and economic operation of CANDU reactors.is sponsored by Ontario Power Generation, Bruce Power LP, New Brunswick Power Nuclear, SNN-SA (Romania), KHNP (Korea) and by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited.Deals mainly with CANDU-specific problems.
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R&D Program Overview
Chemistry, Materials & Components addresses a diverse range of CANDU reactor operating and maintenance issues that impact the economics and reliability of a station and may shorten its operating life: chemistry control regimes; material aging effects; valves; cables; sealants; lubricants and other organically based materials.
Fuel Channels addresses the issue of fuel channel life cycle management through technical support for fitness for service (CSA N285.8).refining the models to predict deformation, corrosion and deuterium ingress.
Safety and Licensing addresses issues relating to the safety design basis and safe operating envelope of existing facilities focuses on the resolution of outstanding generic safety and licensing issues
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R&D Program Overview
Health, Safety and EnvironmentAddresses issues related to radiation monitoring and dosimetry, including the establishment of the risks of radiation exposureAddresses regulatory aspects of ecological impact, emission reduction and techniques for monitoring emissions and the environment
Industry Standard ToolsetIs a consolidation of the validation, development and maintenance activities on different computer codes used for the design, safety analysis and operational support of CANDU reactors
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Leveraged R&D Investment
Fuel Channel
s
Safety &
Licensing
Health, Safety & Environment
Chemistry, Materials
& Componen
ts
Canadian COG Members, SNN in Romania , and KHNP
in Korea are participants
This investment is leveraged and provides access to
approximately $40M of R&D program annually
Of the programming being invested in, members
typically use approximately 85% of the products
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R&D Strategic Direction
Develop and implement long term strategies for COG R&D, including capability maintenance
Undertake R&D to improve plant performance and life cycle management
Complete R&D to close regulatory actions (GAIs) and to address emerging safety issues
Contribute to the maintenance of CANDU-specific R&D technical response capability
Utilize national and international R&D programs to leverage COG R&D
Plant Perf. & LCM64%
Regulatory30%
CM & Collaboration
R&D6%
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COG R&D Funding Distribution FY 2012/13
FC
S&L
HS&E
CM&C
IST
COG R&D FUNDING DISTRIBUTION (M$) 2012/13
FC
S&L
HS&E
CM&C
IST
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
AECL
Kinectrics
Candu Energy
AMEC NSS
COG
Other
2012/13 Budget 38.5M$ - ~400 projects
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COG R&D Value
High Investment leverage: 14:1 for SNN
High Product Utilization (88% - 10 year average)
Proven Track Record on Delivery and Costs
Low Program Management Costs (7%)
International Collaboration
Cost Effective Knowledge Preservation & Capability Maintenance
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EPRI – COG Collaboration
Good Engagement with EPRI on a number of Collaborative R&D Programs
Materials Degradation Matrix (MDM)EPRI has issued the CANDU MDMNext steps (Issues Management Table) in discussion
Exploring additional synergy and collaboration on Programs:
Specific Programs on Long Term Operation:Buried Piping, Cable Aging, Concrete Aging
Specific Programs on Radiation ProtectionCollaboration in Revising EPRI Alpha Monitoring Guidelines
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Introduction to COG
COG Research & Development Program
Recent R&D Highlights
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Performance Highlights - Chemistry, Materials & Components
(TC Directed) COG-11-4049 Plant Assessment of Indirect Inspection Techniques for Detection of Coating Defects on Buried Piping
Indirect inspection techniques, which are being successfully used in the oil and gas pipeline industry, are facing challenges in nuclear power plants. In this project, selected over the line survey techniques were evaluated in a plant test. This document reports and discusses the findings of the testing performed in AECL Laboratories at Chalk River, providing some valuable insights into the capabilities and limitations of the indirect inspection techniques for plant buried piping integrity management programmes.
Schematic Illustration of Close Interval Survey
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Fuel Channel Program
The Fuel Channel R&D program in place for 30 years.
The CSA Standard for Fuel Channel Life Assessment was developed by the R&D program and the focus of the R&D program is to primarily provide technical justification that address issues in the CSA Standard.
The Fuel Channel Program supports JPs on:
Fuel Channel Life Management Pressure Tube End-of Life Hydrogen Equivalent Fracture Toughness Testing and Assessment Project
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Performance Highlights - Fuel Channels
Highlights from 2011-2012 from 101 Program Area
Radial Hydrides
Enhanced crack growth after crack initiation during test
Accumulation of hydrides on crack face indicates DHC or hydrogen assisted crack growth
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Performance Highlights - Safety and Licensing
Confirmatory Critical Heat Flux and Post-Dryout Experiments Using the Modified 37-Element Fuel Simulation in Water
experiments were performed to confirm the results of the tests that were originally performed in 2008 using the modified bundle that exhibited improved CHF performance that could be beneficial in increasing safety margins in aging reactors.
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Modified 37 Element Fuel Bundle – Background/Heat Distribution
Temperature maps from recent tests of Reference (left) and Modified (below) bundles at left demonstrate impact of design change•Same boundary conditions
Reduced centre element diameter results in:•Reduced temperature in the centre of the bundle•Reduced maximum temperature•More even radial heat distribution
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Performance Highlights - Health, Safety & Environment con…
WP 30478 – Thermal Effect Benchmarks addresses the need to further refine thermal effect endpoints for fish species at risk to permit accurate risk assessment evaluations by life stage for these species. The objective of the study was to develop updated thermal preferences and tolerances for round and lake whitefish eggs. Earlier studies on developing thermal tolerances for round whitefish are over 30 years old, and were not conducted with ambient lake temperatures. Present studies were conducted in a hatchery specially design for thermal inputs which were computer controlled (see next slide). Egg incubation studies focused on the temperature effects on embryo development for both species.This project has generated considerable positive interest in several government departments, both federal and provincial. A paper on interim results given at the recent American Fish Society conference was well received.
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Performance Highlights - Health, Safety & Environment con…
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Performance Highlights - Health, Safety & Environment con…
Hatched Lake Whitefish (Lake Huron) and hatched Round
Whitefish (Lake Ontario)
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Performance Highlights - Health, Safety & Environment con…
WP 30716 - Investigation of 2-Phase Systems for Application to Hose-Less Plastic Suit was completed
successful advances in the development of a dual adsorbent cartridge described in this document brings the hose-less plastic suit another step closer to field use The enhanced mobility, with continuous protection within nuclear containment and during entry and egress of radioactive environments will have a positive impact on reducing radioactive dose to the worker with a strong potential for enhancements in field productivity
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Performance Highlights - Health, Safety & Environment con…
WP 30716Dual phase cartridge testing
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IST Program Background
The Industry Standard Toolset (IST) Program is a consolidation of the qualification, development, maintenance and support activities on different computer codes used for the design, safety analysis and operational support of CANDU reactors.
The IST program is currently structured around 18 computer codes
Code Group(Discipline Area)
Codes
Containment & Severe Accident Management
GOTHIC, SMART, ADDAM, MAAP-CANDU
Thermalhydraulics ASSERT-PV, MODTURC_CLAS, TUF, CATHENA
Physics RFSP, WIMS, DRAGON, DOORS/ORIGEN, MCNP
Fuel & Fuel Channels ELESTRES, ELOCA, SOPHAEROS, SOURCE, TUBRUPT
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CANDU Excellence through Collaboration
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