Nuclear Industry
AFT in the Nuclear Industry
Water cooling, Wastewater
Nuclear knows better than anyone that safety is the number one priority. AFT knows that confidence in results can be the difference between business as usual and a nuclear meltdown. Not only is AFT software nuclear validated, its been trusted and proven to help keep that pesky radiation to the reaction chamber.
AFT In Action
Nuclear Power Station Service Water Pump NPSH Hydraulic Model Benchmarked Using AFT Fathom
Company: Duke Energy
Problem: A safety-critical cooling water system faced corrosion from years of use. A corresponding reduction in NPSHa for cooling water pump could lead to catastrophic failure.
Product Used: An AFT Fathom model was developed and calibrated against field data. The model accounted for the piping configuration as well as additional roughness and constriction caused by corrosion.
Solution: Duke Energy benchmarked an AFT Fathom model to corroded pipe performance in a safety-critical cooling water system, matching system to within 0.2 psig. Worst case scenario included max operating temperature, low liquid feed level, and assumed strainer fouling. The potential pressure recovery from cleaning pipes was also evaluated.
AFT Fathom Used to Enhance 40-Year Old Hand
Calculations at Nuclear Power Plant
Company: Energy Northwest
Problem: An existing nuclear cooling system was modeled with hand calculations. Nuclear regulations required AFT software be verified against existing hand calculations.
Product Used: AFT Fathom was used to model the cooling system under nine operating conditions.
Solution: Energy Northwest enhanced 40-year-old hand calculations for a nuclear power plant, confirming AFT Fathom results to within 1% accuracy of the system. AFT Fathom was confirmed with frictional loss differences ranging from 0.03% to 0.80% and is now the main modeling tool used at the power plant.
World War II Remnant: Nuclear Waste Transfer Lines Pressure Evaluation using AFT Fathom and AFT Impulse
Company: ARES Corporation (Sargent & Lundy)
Problem: Residual nuclear waste needed to be transported to a treatment facility safely. ARES had insufficient confidence in manufacturer data for a nuclear surge analysis and the system had potential for siphoning and column separation.
Product Used: An AFT Fathom model was used to compare different system control methods and AFT Impulse was used to compare the impact of system parameters on surge.
Solution: Engineers evaluated transfer line pressures for nuclear waste from WWII weapons production. AFT modeling allowed for worst case scenario considerations where data was potentially unreliable and a siphoning solution was implemented based on model results.
Troubleshoot
Design
Accurately simulate component-system interactions prior to construction to ensure cost-effective and efficient designs
Import
Avoid redundant model building by importing GIS, PCF, EPANET, or CAESAR II Neutral files
Export
Automate data transfer with the Excel Export Manager, organizing your model's results exactly how you want them