Quality control of in-service inspection in nuclear island
During the refueling outages of PWRs, ISI in nuclear island will contribute to find the equipment degradation generated during its normal operation, which can lay a foundation for the safe operation of nuclear power plant. ISI of nuclear island equipment was carried out from two sides: implementation and management. A detailed process of nondestructive testing and quality control during the preparation stage, project implementation stage and postsession integration stage was presented in accordance with the project procedures. Main responsibilities of quality control personnel stand out in the whole process.
Discussion on in-service inspection of nuclear power plant
In-service inspection is periodic inspection of pressure-retaining safety components of nuclear power plant, and is important work during the design life of nuclear power plant. From licensee’s standpoint, this paper expounds systems of organization and documentation, main keystones in each stage, and personnel arrangement for in-service inspection of nuclear power plant.
Ocean thermal energy conversion: The promise of a clean future
Due to the world's heavy dependence on fossil fuels for electricity, pollution and global warming is on the rise. However, numerous countries are still relying on diesel generators as their main source of energy. There is a lack of practical alternative energy source that can meet the global energy demand without posing any threat to the natural environment. Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) is a concept that has the potential to address this growing issue. It is basically a mechanism that exploits the temperature difference between warm surface seawater and cold deep ocean water, to produce electricity. Although OTEC has a low energy density, the thermal energy in the ocean is vastly abundant. OTEC development has been dormant for a long time since it was first proposed in 1881. However, it has now regained recognition worldwide as a realistic solution to our world energy issue. Instead of having a great potential for power generation, it also carries the ability to produce high value products from the large volume of Deep Sea Water (DSW) that can be released as byproducts of OTEC plant operation. These products can hold a very profitable place in industries such as pharmaceutical, food, cosmetics and mineral water production. Further research on ocean current and DSW properties can someday lead to the commercial used of OTEC. This paper is a review of the basic concept, present status and future prospects of OTEC around the world.