Green energy

Green Energy

In a nutshell

  • The safety of nuclear research reactors is paramount, given their potential risks related to the specific facility utilisation, and the critical needs for timely response to any refuelling necessity and incidental scenarios.
  • The HYPER-AI platform will develop a response action to foresee future action on the operation of the reactor and organise, in an optimised perspective, the refuelling or change in the core configuration. The final objective is to reach an optimised utilisation of the fuel, based on a scheduled or presumed working load.
  • This use case will improve safety for TRIGA (Training, Research, Isotopes, General Atomics) type low power nuclear research reactors, along with providing valuable research for the peaceful use of nuclear energy, in collaboration with Casaccia Research Centre, ENEA (Italian National Agency for New Technology, Energy and the Environment).

Looking up a nuclear cooling tower

Challenge

The utilisation, availability and reliability of a research reactor depends on the awareness and predictability of fuel utilisation and its availability. Therefore, it is of primary importance to manage and predict future needs to optimise all the operational processes of the facility in a safe way. Ensuring the authenticity and integrity of sensor data is also critical, as data that is compromised or fabricated by an adversary could either delay emergency responses or trigger false alarms, both of which have significant consequences.

Nuclear power plant component
Power plant workers overseeing controls

HYPER-AI Solution

By integrating advanced sensors with high-fidelity modelling and simulations, HYPER-AI, in collaboration with ENEA, will enable the accurate monitoring, timely response, and optimised utilisation of TRIGA type low power research reactors. The platform will utilise self-protection mechanisms to ensure the authenticity and integrity of sensor data and system messages, preventing both false predictions and the concealment of real operational status. This approach could also support further simulations of atmospheric dispersion of radioactive pollutants, providing more accurate and reliable data relative to the source terms developed by the operation of the selected reactor.

Impact

This use case aims to enhance the safety and utilisation protocols for TRIGA type low power research reactors, based on the specific use case of the TRIGA RC1 research reactor, by providing accurate, energy-efficient simulations and robust data integrity mechanisms. HYPER-AI integration will also aim to improve system availability and accountability, by ensuring that communication takes place as desired, which will also ensure easier auditing. The developed methodology and implemented workflow could be integrated in the broader CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear) risk mitigation spectrum.

Low-power TRIGA reactor at Casaccia

Project KPIs

  • Reduction of energy costs for simulation data processing.
  • Time needed to perform decision making.
  • Enhancement of situational awareness.

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