Nuclear Energy & Infrastructure Systems Division
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Dr. David Diamond
Division Head |
The mission of the Nuclear Energy & Infrastructure Systems Division
(NEISD) is to conduct programs and projects in nuclear energy and infrastructure
systems through the following types of analysis: seismic and structural, plant aging,
risk management, human factors, and neutronics/thermal-hydraulics.
The bulk
of the research in the NEISD supports nuclear power safety issues for the
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The division is active in research
reactor safety analysis and support, which is provided to the NRC, the
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Department
of Energy (DOE). NEISD also has research and development programs with the
Department of Homeland Security, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI),
and NASA.
Major program areas in NEISD are summarized
below. More detailed discussions of
these projects and others not mentioned
here are provided in the technical highlights
for each group.
- Nuclear Power Reactor Safety - NEISD’s work in
reactor safety continues a decades-old tradition at Brookhaven National
Laboratory (BNL) of providing in-depth support to the NRC to ensure that
operating U.S. nuclear power plants (NPPs) provide electricity safely
and reliably. Present work is focused on structural and seismic
analysis; NPP license renewal and new license review support; neutronic and thermal-hydraulic analyses, and operational
safety inspections. The work includes both engineering and analytical
support, and the results of this work contribute to the development of
NRC regulatory guidelines, licensing activities, and operating plant
safety.
- Human Factors – The human factors work in NEISD
helps to ensure that the human-system interface in nuclear plants and
other industrial facilities contributes to the overall safety of
operations conducted there. These projects include development of a
risk-informed methodology and human factors review and acceptance
criteria in nuclear power plants for the NRC, and human factors guidance
documents for digital I&C systems and control rooms for DOE, in
collaboration with industry.
- Research Reactor Safety – NEISD is involved in a
number of projects related to the safety of research reactors. These
include conducting reactor safety analyses for the research reactor
operated by the NIST Center for Neutron Research, reviewing the updated
Safety Analysis Report for the High Flux Isotope Reactor at Oak Ridge
National Laboratory, and supporting license renewal review of several
university research reactors.
- Structural and Infrastructure Issues –
NEISD collaborates with industry, both
domestic and foreign, on several large
projects requiring specialized engineering
and analysis capabilities. With the
Nuclear Power Engineering Corporation
of Japan and the recently established
Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization,
NEISD collaborates on large-scale
seismic tests of NPP structures. As subcontractor
to Raytheon on a Federal Aviation
Agency program, NEISD addressed
wire aging as it relates to aircraft. NEISD is in the process of finalizing an
agreement with the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute on the development of
seismic capability evaluation for degraded structures and components.
Last Modified: February 1, 2008
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