Applications of artificial intelligence in the US nuclear industry

Conference · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1987

OSTI ID:6228938

Uhrig, R E

In the US, the development of expert systems in the nuclear power field is being carried out by a wide spectrum of organizations, i.e., vendors, architect-engineer firms, universities, national laboratories, Federal agencies, the electric utility industry, and small entrepreneur groups. The most coherent development program is the Electric Power Research Institute program to demonstrate the usefulness of artificial intelligence in a number of areas, including augmenting plant automation and an agreement to transfer the technology of NASA's multi-year AI ''Core Technology in Systems Autonomy'' to the nuclear power industry. A few vendors are offering commercial products that reduce the burden on reactor operators during both normal and abnormal operation. Several AI programs at universities and national laboratories have automation as their primary focus. Many individual AI projects have been initiated under the SBIR (Small Business Innovative Research) program. The fundamental and synergistic relationship between training and expert systems supports the use of artificial intelligence in the training of nuclear personnel. In the long run, the most significant contribution of artificial intelligence may well be the introduction of AI programming techniques. With multi-million line computer codes contemplated for automated nuclear plants, the ability to readily modify programs and utilize verified and validated ''building blocks'' of code offer extraordinary advantages.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA); Tennessee Univ., Knoxville (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 6228938
• Report Number(s): CONF-870832-2-Draft; ON: DE87014414
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
220000 -- Nuclear Reactor Technology
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS
990210* -- Supercomputers-- (1987-1989)
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
AUTOMATION
COMPUTERIZED CONTROL SYSTEMS
CONTROL SYSTEMS
EXPERT SYSTEMS
INDUSTRY
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEAR INDUSTRY
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
POWER PLANTS
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
USES