ESDU Nuclear Engineering Package

In the design, safety assessment, and maintenance/operation of nuclear facilities, such as power generation, decommissioning and fuel reprocessing plants, the use of accurate and reliable methods is imperative. The ESDU Nuclear Package provides validated data, procedures and software, endorsed by Professional Institutions, for use in the design of nuclear facilities and their maintenance, repair and operation (MRO).

Typical applications of this package include:

  • Plant thermo-hydraulic design including safety assessment
  • Plant mechanical/structural design
  • Plant response to wind load
  • Environmental impact, accidental and intentional fluid release, design of pressure relief and pressure release systems
  • Selection of plant equipment (pumps, fans, heat exchangers etc), handling gases, liquids and mixed liquid-gas fluids
  • Design and assessment of duct fittings and equipment, including valves, pumps, bends, junctions, orifices etc
  • Design of ventilation systems, ventilation ducts, noise reduction, modelling of HVAC in control rooms and nuclear reactor containments
  • Analysis of transient effects in pipelines including vibration, water hammer, fatigue and acoustic fatigue
  • CFD modelling

Methods and data are given for use by the plant engineer, design engineer or consultant in the day- to-day evaluation of fluid flow through various piping systems. Hand calculation methods and computer programs based on empirically-derived correlations and numerical methods provide rapid and reliable estimates of fluid flow parameters. The limits of applicability are stated and guidance is given on the maximum tolerance to be allowed on the predictions.

Data are provided for use by design engineers or consultants dealing with the evaluation or prediction of the performance of heat transfer equipment and the costing of heat exchangers. The data give step-by-step calculation methods and indicate the limits of applicability and the limits of accuracy of empirical correlations.

Correlated data, based on reliable measurements, are provided for the fluid physical properties of a wide range of pure compounds and some mixtures as equations and in tabular form.

The Wind Engineering Series provides reliable methods and data for predicting the loads on, and the response of, buildings and structures (including stacks, masts, towers, lattice structures, beams, plates, boundary walls and aerials) to the wind. Methods and computer programs for estimating design wind speeds and turbulence properties for all types of terrain including topographic effects on wind speed are included.

The stress analysis of components typically used in mechanical engineering applications is presented. Stress concentration and fatigue data are also included. The latter are for many low and high alloy and stainless steels made to US, UK, European and other specifications. The fracture mechanics data include both crack propagation rates, many down to threshold, and fracture toughness values. All information on stresses, deflections, stiffness and buckling loads is applicable to metals and other isotropic materials such as glass, rubber or plastic.

The Metallic Materials Data Handbook has been prepared to meet design requirements of structural metallic materials properties for both the designer and the customer. The methods of analysis and materials data provided are monitored and guided by ESDU Panel M with the approval of the Civil Aviation Authority, Safety Regulation Group. The Handbook is recognised as a valuable source of materials data by the Society of British Aerospace Companies (SBAC).

The Mechanism Series covers methods and data for the design and analysis of cams, gears, linkages and Geneva mechanisms, and also includes contact stress estimation. The Tribology Series covers methods and data for the design, analysis and selection processes associated with lubricants, lubrication, friction, wear and bearings.

Methods on the propagation and suppression of noise in nuclear facilities are provided. Noise reduction in flow ducts, shielding by barriers, atmospheric attenuation, ground reflection, and wind and temperature effects are covered. Although primarily aimed at the aerospace industry, these methods can estimate noise attenuation from various sources in nuclear facilities.

To assess acoustic fatigue life, knowledge of the natural vibration characteristics of the structure is required. Data on the natural frequencies of plate, box and shell structures are included.