Title: "Research to Advance Online Monitoring and Automation in Nuclear Power Plants."

Vivek Agarwal is a Senior Research Scientist in the Instrumentation, Controls, and Data Science Department at Idaho National Laboratory.

Abstract
The current domestic fleet of nuclear reactors are facing a unique economic sustainability challenge. The operation and maintenance (O&M) costs (bundled with the labor-intensive preventive maintenance program) are one of the major contributors to total operating costs of a nuclear power plant. They involve manually-performed inspection, calibration, testing, and maintenance of plant assets at periodic frequency, along with time-based replacement of assets, irrespective of condition. This has resulted in a costly, labor-centric business model. Fortunately, there are technologies (advanced sensor, data analytics, and risk assessment methodologies) that can enable transition to a technology-centric business model. The technology-centric business model will result in the significant reduction of preventive maintenance activities, driving down costs since labor is a rising cost and technology is a declining cost. This transition will also enable nuclear plants to maintain and perhaps even achieve higher capacity factors while still significantly reducing O&M costs. To address the existing concerns, Idaho National Laboratory is leading several research projects to develop, enhance, and demonstrate technologies that would advance online monitoring capabilities and automation in nuclear power plants. This seminar will discuss some of these technologies that ranges from sensors, data analytics, and application of machine learning techniques.

Bio
Vivek Agarwal is a Senior Research Scientist in the Instrumentation, Controls, and Data Science Department at Idaho National Laboratory, specializing in crosscutting applications and advancement of sensor research to enable resilient real-time measurement and control of process variables within the nuclear and other critical industries. He received his PhD in Nuclear Engineering from Purdue University; MS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville; and a Bachelor in Electrical Engineering from the University of Madras, India. For his innovative research contributions at the frontiers of science and technology, and for exceptional potential to shape the future through intellectual and inspired leadership, he was awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers in 2019. He was also awarded Laboratory Director Early Career Achievement Award (2016) and ANS Ted Quinn Early Career Award (2019).

NOTE: This lecture will be available as a webcast.