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THERE HAS RECENTLY BEEN HEIGHTENED CONCERN FOR THE POSSIBILITY THAT NUCLEAR POWER-PLANT ACCIDENTS DURING SHUTDOWNS COULD BE IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTORS TO THE OVERALL RISK PROFILE OF THESE PLANTS. THE 1986 SOVIET ACCIDENT AT CHERNOBYL WAS THE PRINCIPAL EVENT THAT LED TO THIS HEIGHTENED CONCERN, BUT A FEW RECENT EVENTS AT U.S. PLANTS HAVE ALSO CONTRIBUTED. TODAY, IT IS WIDELY UNDERSTOOD THAT THE RISK OF ...

THE PROPOSED RESEARCH WILL PROVIDE PROOF OF PRINCIPLE OF NEWRADIATION DETECTION TECHNOLOGY THAT WHEN FULLY DEVELOPED WILL PREVENT INADVERTENT DISPOSAL OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL INLANDFILLS AND SEWAGES. THE TECHNOLOGY WILL PROVIDE ORDER OFMAGNITUDE IMPROVEMENT IN DETECTION OVER CONVENTIONAL SYSTEMS. THE TECHNOLOGY WILL PROVIDE FIELD RUGGED AND COST COMPETITIVE DEVICES. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH WILL PROV ...

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TWO APPROACHES WILL BE EXAMINED TO SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE THESENSITIVITY OF LAUNDRY MONITORS TO DETECT AND SPECIFY LOCATION OF HOT PARTICLES ON LAUNDERED GARMENTS. THESE PROPOSED TECNIQUES HAVE HIGH POTENTIAL FOR DETECTING BOTH LOW ENERGY BETA AND ALPHA PARTICLE RADIATION AS WELL AS IMPROVING SENSITIVITY BY REDUCING BACKGROUND COUNT RATE.

INSPECTION OF PAINTED OR COATED CARBON STEEL SURFACES OFTEN INVOLVES THE REMOVAL OF THE COATING PRIOR TO INSPECTION, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE USE OF MAGNETIC PARTICLE TESTING (MT) IS REQUIRED. IN THE CASE OF EXAMINATION OF CONTAINMENT VESSEL WALLS IN NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS, THE REMOVAL IS TIME CONSUMING, RESULTING IN INCREASED RADIATION EXPOSURE TO WORKERS. IN ADDITION, THE REMOVAL MUST BE DONE WITHOUT C ...

THE DISCIPLINE OF EXTERNAL-INITIATOR PRA ANALYSIS IS RELA- TIVELY LESS MATURE AND LESS RELIABLE THAN THE CORRESPONDING INTERNAL-INITIATORS PRA ANALYSIS. THESE RELATIVE WEAKNESSESHAVE MADE MANY DECISION-MAKERS, IN BOTH INDUSTRY AND THE NRCRELUCTANT TO USE EXTERNAL-INITIATOR PRA RESULTS. THE EXTER-NAL-INITIATOR ANALYSES HAVE BEEN CONSIDERED TOO UNCERTAIN, OR TOO CONSERVATIVE, OR SUPPORTED BY TOO LIT ...

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