2024 ENE Capstone Projects

Department of Energy and Nuclear Engineering

• FIRST PLACE - Design of a Collector of Radioactive Liquid Wastes Generated During Decommissioning

  Group Members: Meryam Al-Khalaf, Paul Tran, Lucas Taylor, Labiba Tasnim, Shadi Dahrouj
  Faculty Advisor: Dr. Glenn Harvel

  Description: This project explores methods to capture liquid radioactive wastes that may be generated during the decontamination or dismantling processes. Such wastes can cause harm to staff and the environment. Thus, developing a method to capture and store the waste in a more solid form will reduce the risk to humans and the environment. The project
  team has developed a collection system that could be used with remote application for improved safety.

• SECOND PLACE - Design of a Nuclear Plant Work Planning Tool

  Group Members: Janice Silva, Calvin Ng, Roman Carvalho, Valery Senka, Yibin Wang
  Faculty Advisor: Dr. Glenn Harvel

  Description: Previous work has developed a wrench time assessment system to help nuclear utilities identify barriers to completing maintenance, repair, or construction work in a timely manner. That system was passive in that it could only inform of barriers found so that planners could improve future work. The intent of this project is to develop a more rapid feedback system that will (a) make it easier for field workers to use without interfering with their own duties, (b) help generate the data needed to find solutions that could be implemented when the barrier is found, and (c) provide a tracking capability to determine if smaller/new barriers are starting to develop before they impact the work.

• THIRD PLACE - Environmental Monitoring System for the BWRX-300

  Group Members: Alyssa Cinerari, Sam Maksymyk, Tanner McBride, Danton Kellington
  Faculty Advisor: Professor John Froats

  Description: The Effluent and Emissions Monitoring project for the 2023 / 2024 Capstone program looked at designing effluent monitoring systems for the GE / Hitachi BWRX 300 SMR being constructed at the Darlington Site. The fall semester focused the group on understanding the various effluent streams from the BWRX 300, the regulatory and legal requirements for monitoring of effluent streams and the development of a conceptual design approach to achieve compliance. The second semester had each of the four students on the team select one of the effluent pathways from the BWRX 300 to advance to a detailed effluent
  monitoring design. In executing the Capstone project, students were expected to address real nuclear design QA aspects in their design work and consider the impacts of the design basis for the plant on their system and component design.

• Design of SMR Waste Management System

  Group Members: Stelios Constantinides, Matt Maltese, Justin Maher, Noah Currie, Curtis Smith
  Faculty Advisor: Dr. Hossam Gaber

  Description: Design an effective waste management process system for SMR deployments considering radioactive waste classifications of low, intermediate, and high-level waste. The design includes a transportation system, treatment unit interfaces, off-gas processing, and used nuclear fuel disposal.

• Traditional and Alternative Power Cycles in SMRs

  Group Members: Jared Meyer, Aidan Quish, Thomas Anstey, Andrew Davidson, Logan Elku
  Faculty Advisor: Dr. Igor Pioro

  Description: This project investigated the following topics for power cycles in SMRs:
  1. Thermal Efficiencies of Alternative Combined Cycle: Nitrogen/ Helium Brayton and Subcritical-Pressure Rankine Cycles;
  2. ThermalEfficiency Analysis of Supercritical-Pressure Rankine Cycle;
  3. Thermal Efficiency of Alternative Supercritical CO2 Combined Cycle;
  4. Impact of Thermophysical Properties of Working Fluids on Heat Transfer in Alternative Power Cycles; and 5. Thermal Efficiencies of Modern Advanced NPPs with High-Temperature Reactors.

• Design of Digital Control Room for SMR Deployments – Group (A): Conceptual Design

  Group Members: Zain Pasha, Neal Betts, Manu Mathew, Virgil Risi, Farhan Maghrabi
  Faculty Advisor: Dr. Hossam Gaber

  Description: Design digital control room for SMR deployments considering human factors to support on-site, off-site, and emergency operation and monitoring of SMR deployments. This includes the design of humanmachine interface (HMI) and room layout and capabilities as integrated with co-simulation to support effective SMR operation.

• Thermodynamic Properties of Supercritical Water as a Coolant and SCWR Pressure Tube Design

  Group Members: Marcus Cornelius, Laura Heyns, Mark Wspanialy
  Faculty Advisor: Dr. Igor Pioro

  Description: This project investigated and analyzed
  1. Heat Transfer to Supercritical Water Flowing through Vertical Bare Tubes;
  2. Heat Transfer to Supercritical Water Flowing Upward in Single-Rod Bundle;
  and 3. Specifics of Heat Transfer to Supercritical Water Flowing Upward over a Three Rod Bundle.

Capstone Coordinator (ENE)