“Non-conforming” titanium puts a threat on next Mars rover

An industry-wide concern over bad titanium could add more cost to the already over-budget $2.3 billion Mars Science Laboratory mission because engineers need to check the integrity of the metal used in the structure of the spacecraft, NASA officials told an agency advisory committee.

Artist’s concept of the Mars Science Laboratory, or Curiosity, rover. Credit: NASA

“Everybody thought we were buying a (military) standard titanium that was properly treated for use. It turns out it wasn’t worked properly,” said Doug McCuistion, director of NASA’s Mars exploration program.

The extent of the titanium inside the MSL spacecraft, also named Curiosity, is still unclear, but McCuistion said officials are taking inventory of parts to determine where the allegedly counterfeit titanium is located.

The titanium was provided by Western Titanium Inc., a San Diego-based company that provides metals for military and space applications.

Metal believed to on MSL is apparently “improperly treated non-conforming titanium,” McCuistion told the Planetary Science Subcommittee of the NASA Advisory Council.

Most of the spacecraft is built with titanium components, according to McCuistion, and officials will have to spend the next one or two months tracking down what pieces are from the non-conforming lots.

Engineers already know an outlet elbow in a fuel tank and parts of a pressurant tank are made from the suspect titanium, but the problem could be much more widespread.

“We have to do some testing to determine what the risk of this material not being conforming is, whether it can still handle the pressures and the temperatures, whether is has the lifetime characteristics, whether it has the strength,” McCuistion said.

Western Titanium and four executives were indicted last December under eight counts of fraud involving aircraft or space vehicle parts and conspiracy to commit fraud, according to the local U.S. attorney’s office.

The indictment alleges the company and its managers issued false certifications claiming the titanium met stringent requirements specified by the government and contractors.

The suspect titanium was traced to Air Force F-15 and F-22 fighter jets and the C-17 cargo plane, in addition to NASA’s Kepler telescope launched in March.

NASA officials found the titanium on Kepler met performance specifications and allowed the mission to launch as scheduled.

But extensive testing will be required to verify titanium on MSL can withstand the loads it will experience during its mission. If the titanium is found to be unusable, ordering new parts could threaten the mission’s budget and schedule.

“This is being worked extremely hard because if we have significant pieces of equipment to replace and remanufacture, we need to find out if we have the time to do that or not,” McCuistion said.

Engineers may not finish testing on MSL’s titanium until the the middle of next year, leaving little time to replace the metal if it does not meet specifications.

“Western Titanium is one of the few providers of this material, so we know that we know that the majority of the titanium in the system comes from them, it’s just is the majority of the titanium of the lots that were non-conforming and apparently falsified. That’s what we don’t know,” McCuistion said.

“The second step would be, OK, in those, which ones are carrying loads, which ones are not, which ones are critical applications, and then try to test that titanium to understand what it’s characteristics are and whether it’s usable in that application or not.”

Only then will officials know whether the titanium can fly with no changes.

“Just to be clear, the titanium could end up being a situation where we test the materials, we understand what they are and what the limitations of it are, and it’s all used as is. That would be our best case,” McCuistion said. “But right now the threat is there and it’s a legal action as well, which makes it very uncomfortable.”

Jim Green, the director of NASA’s planetary science division, said the project needs additional money over the $400 million extra awarded earlier this year for fiscal years 2010 and 2011.

In addition to the $400 million, about $32 million more has already been given to the mission, but up to $115 million in a second round of unexpected funding could be necessary over the next two years.

And that’s before accounting for the titanium, which is not currently quantifiable, officials said.

“We can accommodate additional funding beyond the $32 million up to a certain point before we have to consider delaying other missions, or cancellations, or other activities as we have talked about in the past,” Green said.

NASA was able to shift funding to cover MSL’s previous overrun by eliminating a technology development program for a Mars sample return mission and reducing money for a Mars lander in 2016.

Officials did not have to cancel or delay any approved missions to give MSL the extra money earlier this year, but more overruns could force NASA to cut funding from missions under full development.

“That number is a few tens of millions beyond the $32 (million), so if we get well into the upper range, then we will definitely have a difficult time accommodating the increase in costs,” Green said.

During a review earlier this month, senior agency managers approved plans to continue the mission. More meetings in November and January will hopefully produce more meaningful cost estimates, officials said.

McCuistion said a recent project management shake-up has proven useful. Peter Theisinger, former leader of the Spirit and Opportunity rover missions, replaced Richard Cook as MSL’s project manager this summer.

“I think they’re a much more disciplined, much more focused team than they were before. They’ve got a very strong systems engineering component to them that they didn’t have before,” McCuistion said.

Other issues driving the rising cost include trouble with pumps inside the Curiosity rover’s sample analysis instrument and an investigation into a hard failure of a gearbox during testing.

Testing of actuators and avionics that caused the delay of MSL’s launch until 2011 is also continuing, McCuistion said.

NASA has received enough actuators to launch the mission, but teams are still struggling with the motors after one unit caused the gearbox failure.

McCuistion and Green were confident MSL’s other technical challenges could be resolved before its launch in the fall of 2011.

“The titanium one is the only one that makes me a little nervous right now,” McCuistion said.

Source: Spaceflight Now

AECL engineers appeal to Ottawa to protect CANDU technology

A union that represents engineers and scientists at Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. is warning that the sale of AECL’s reactor unit to a foreign buyer could spell the end of the country’s CANDU technology.

The Society of Professional Engineers and Associates, which represents more than 900 AECL engineers and scientists, is calling on the federal government to ensure that AECL’s CANDU reactor technology is preserved as the Conservatives prepare to unveil their restructuring plan for the Crown corporation.

“Historically, whenever you sell a technology to a foreign country, you lose it,” union vice president Michael Ivanco, who works at AECL as a scientist, said Thursday.

The union’s remarks come a day after Canwest News Service reported that several domestic and foreign players in the nuclear industry are positioning themselves to make a bid for AECL’s assets.

This summer, the government announced plans to split AECL in two and put its CANDU reactor business on the block. AECL’s research and technology division, based in Chalk River, Ont., will likely be maintained under government ownership, although the unit’s management could be contracted out to the private sector. The Chalk River laboratories produce medical isotopes used worldwide to test for cancer and other diseases.

Investment bank Rothschild has been hired to come up with recommendations for how exactly the restructuring will be implemented. The government is expected to unveil further details this fall.

Several companies, including French state-owned giant Areva and Ontario-based Bruce Power, are interested in making a play for part or all of AECL’s reactor business. But companies such as Areva are more interested in promoting their own next-generation reactor technology, rather than AECL’s advanced CANDU reactor.

Ivanco says that would be a shame, since the CANDU is one of Canada’s “few high-tech achievements.” He notes that the nuclear industry is the only major sector where Canada controls the “entire supply chain,” from mining uranium, to refining it into fuel and designing reactors.

“The overriding fear as a Canadian is that we’d be bought by a foreign bidder whose main objective is basically to shut us down,” he said. “If you can eliminate a competitor for peanuts, why wouldn’t you do it?”

If AECL merely becomes a branch plant for a foreign firm, some of the Crown corporation’s engineers and scientists could leave the country in search of more interesting work, he added.

“Once you start breaking up the engineering division piecemeal, you lose the ability to design and build,” said Ivanco. “Ontario Hydro, 20 years ago, could build reactors. But they stopped building reactors and a lot of their good people got bored and left.”

A spokeswoman for Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt, who was out of the country, was not immediately available for comment. A government review released this summer concluded that AECL’s reactor business was simply too small to compete with foreign nuclear giants with the deep pockets to spend billions developing new reactors.

SAE creates standard to stop counterfeit aerospace electronics components

In a nondescript village, somewhere in the world, the residents take old, discarded circuit assemblies, strip and clean the components, then remark and repackage them for sale as new.

In many cases, the entire economy of the village is based on creating these counterfeit electronic parts – parts that have infiltrated every sector of the aerospace electronics industry. The increasing volume of counterfeit parts entering the aerospace supply chain poses significant performance, reliability and safety risks.

SAE International recently responded to the problem, completing a new standard designed to mitigate the risks of receiving and installing counterfeit electronic parts.

The SAE standard, “AS5553 – Counterfeit Electronic Parts; Avoidance, Detection, Mitigation, and Disposition,” standardizes the requirements, practices, and methods related to parts management, supplier management, procurement, inspection, test/evaluation, and response strategies when suspected or confirmed counterfeit parts are discovered.

The standard was recently adopted by the U.S. Department of Defense.

According to a study by the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry & Security, the number of counterfeit incidents reported by 387 participants climbed from 3,868 in 2005 to 9,356 in 2008, an increase of more than 140 percent. About nine percent of the companies documented cases related to government applications.

“Quite simply, it’s a huge problem,” said Phil Zulueta, chair for SAE’s Counterfeit Electronic Parts Committee. “We’ve seen a 140 percent increase of counterfeit incidents in three years, but that’s only what the U.S. Department of Commerce has been able to document. The problem is unquestionably bigger than this. That figure only accounts for the incidents reported, and the majority of incidents go unreported.”

The globalization of the aerospace industry and the resulting diversity of regional and national requirements have complicated the problem. Assuring the quality and integration of products purchased from suppliers throughout the world, and at all levels within the supply chain, has become increasingly difficult.

How do counterfeit parts get into the supply chain of the aviation industry, which has a reputation for thoroughness and security?

It begins with simple economics – supply and demand.

The volume of electronics used by the military and the airline industry is miniscule compared to the public’s use, which includes cell phones, computers and entertainment systems. Chip manufacturers focus on meeting these large volume needs and subsequently stop producing the less-profitable aerospace components.

When original equipment manufacturers can no longer buy from an original component manufacturer, they must go to the open market and find a broker who can supply the equipment. Counterfeiters are aware of the shortages and begin approaching brokers with the bogus goods. Brokers must rely on the word of the suppliers and have no way of determining if the electronic parts are bogus.

“The longer the supply stream, the more opportunity for counterfeiters to slip bogus parts into the mix,” Zulueta said. “When the parts changes hands multiple times, it becomes rather easy for them to get in the supply chain. It is a huge, expensive problem.”

The control plan includes processes to specifically address counterfeit part risk mitigation methods in electronic design and parts management, supplier management, procurement, part verification, material control and response strategies when suspect or confirmed counterfeit parts are discovered.

The SAE International standard calls for:
– Maximized availability of authentic parts;
– Procurement of parts from reliable sources;
– Assuring authenticity and conformance of procured parts;
– Control of parts identified as counterfeit; and

– Reporting counterfeit parts to other potential users and government investigative authorities.

AS5553 – Counterfeit Electronic Parts; Avoidance, Detection, Mitigation, and Disposition was created by SAE International’s Counterfeit Electronic Parts Committee. Reporters can obtain a copy of the standard by contacting 724-772 8522 or pr@sae.org.

SAE International is a global association of more than 121,000 engineers and related technical experts in the automotive, aerospace and commercial-vehicle industries. SAE International’s core competencies are life-long learning and standards development. SAE International’s charitable arm is the SAE Foundation, which supports many programs, including A World In Motion(R) and the Collegiate Design Series.

- www.sae.org -

Source: SAE International

Semiconductor Industry Association salutes anticounterfeiting measures

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) applauded the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia`s announcement of arrests and indictments involving counterfeit semiconductors.

“Semiconductor counterfeiting is fraud, pure and simple,” said SIA President George Scalise. “Today`s law enforcement actions should send a clear message to those who traffic in counterfeit semiconductors that this illegal activity will not be tolerated. The SIA will work with governments around the world to ensure the integrity of semiconductor markets. Electronic equipment manufacturers can also combat counterfeiting by purchasing semiconductors only from trusted sources,” Scalise added.

SIA formed an Anticounterfeiting Task Force in 2006 to address the growing problem of semiconductor counterfeiting. The Task Force`s work with U.S. Customs and Border Protection led to the seizure of 780,000 counterfeit semiconductors in two operations in 2007 and 2008. Task Force assistance with law enforcement officials to arrest suspected traffickers in counterfeit semiconductors opens a new front on the war against counterfeits. Last week`s action involved Immigration Customs Enforcement, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and Internal Revenue Service as well as the Department of Justice. If convicted, the defendants in the case could face a likely sentence of 63-78 months in prison, as well as forfeiture and restitution.

“A thousand-dollar electronic system can fail due to an unreliable counterfeit one-dollar part, leaving the systems manufacturer or consumer with an expensive loss,” Scalise concluded. “Semiconductor applications where unreliable devices can also have serious safety implications include medical instruments, automotive and aircraft parts, and public infrastructure such as first responders` radio communications.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia press release is available at:

http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/dc/Press_Releases/2009%20Archives/October/09-252.pdf

A Customs and Border Protection release on counterfeit semiconductors is at:

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/archives/2008_news_releases/nov_2008/11202008_7.xml

An online version of the SIA Authorized Component Directory is available at:

http://www.authorizedcomponents.com/

Source: Business Wire

Australians eager to adopt nuclear energy

A new poll says there has been a significant shift in support for nuclear power in Australia. It has found that almost half of all Aussies believe the technology should be considered as an alternative source of energy to help combat the effects of climate change.

The survey, conducted by the Melbourne Age newspaper and the Nielson polling company, shows a marked change in Australian attitudes to nuclear power, in the last three years. In 2006, only a third of respondents thought the atomic option was a good one. Today almost 50 percent believe it would be a sensible alternative source of energy in a country that is heavily dependent on fossil fuels.

An exhaust stack rises through the steam of the Loy Yang B power station in the Latrobe Valley, east of Melbourne , Australia, 13 Aug 2009

On a per capita basis, Australia is one of the world’s worst emitters of greenhouse gases and scientists have warned it is particularly vulnerable to the effects of a shifting climate.

Supporters of nuclear power have insisted it is the only practical low-emissions substitute for coal.

Barry Green – one of Australia’s leading nuclear physicists – says the technology is improving all the time.

“The fission community – R&D community – is working very hard to produce advanced reactors that will reduce the radioactive waste problem, which will be safer and so on. And it strikes me that certainly you cannot shut nuclear fission out of the debate at all,” said Green.

Green believes that, in decades to come, nuclear fusion – a process where two atomic nuclei fuse together to release large amounts of energy – could play a major role in eventually solving the world’s power crisis.

Proponents have insisted that fusion is attractive because tests indicate it will be affordable, safe and environmentally friendly. The fuel the process relies upon deuterium, which is a sustainable resource. However, commercial fusion reactors, could be 50 years away.

At present, nuclear technology revolves around a process called fission, where atoms are split to generate power.

However, critics are worried about the risk of accidents and the awkward issue of safely storing radioactive waste. Opponents also assert that it would take too long for Australia to develop a nuclear power industry.

At the moment, the federal government has no plans to go down the nuclear path, preferring instead to investigate clean-coal technology and a raft of renewable energy sources.

Australia has just one atomic facility, on the outskirts of Sydney, which is used mainly to produce radiopharmaceuticals.

Source: VOA News

India’s nuclear power program is set for major expansion

India will see a large increase in nuclear-power generation in the coming years, helping the country bridge its huge energy deficit and combat climate change. India says global efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons have failed.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh says the global nuclear industry will have huge opportunities in India, as the country could have a hundred-fold increase in nuclear energy generation, in the next four decades.

Addressing an international conference on Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy in New Delhi, Tuesday, Singh said that India’s nuclear energy industry is poised for major expansion. “If we can manage our program well, our three-stage strategy could yield potentially 470,000 megawatts of power, by the year 2050,” he said. “This will sharply reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and will be a major contribution to global efforts to combat climate change.”

Many companies from countries like United States and France have been eyeing the opportunity to build nuclear power plants in India since an international ban on civil nuclear trade with the country was lifted last year.

India hopes a massive increase in cleaner nuclear power will help it to check greenhouse gas emissions and cut its dependence on oil, most of which it imports.

The conference in New Delhi also focused on the issue of nuclear disarmament. International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed El-Baradei, who attended the conference, says nuclear disarmament has moved to the top of the international agenda after a couple of what he calls “wasted decades.” He says plans by the United States and Russia to resume talks on reducing their nuclear arsenals could contribute to efforts to rid the world of such weapons.

Prime Minister Singh criticized the existing global non-proliferation program, saying it has failed to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. The cornerstone of this is the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which considers only five countries as nuclear-weapons powers.

Singh’s comments come in the wake of a United Nations Security Council resolution calling on all countries to sign the treaty. The American-backed resolution, passed last week, has raised concerns that India will come under pressure to join the treaty, to which it is not a signatory.

“Its deficiencies, in fact, have had an adverse impact on our security,” said Singh. “Global non proliferation, to be successful, should be universal, comprehensive and non-discriminatory and linked to the goal of complete nuclear disarmament.”

India has said there is no question of its joining the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as a nuclear weapon state, saying nuclear weapons are an integral part of its national security.

Source: The Chosun llbo

AECL issues status report on the Point Lepreau Life Extension Project

USA and Italy signs nuclear cooperation

The USA and Italy have signed a nuclear energy cooperation agreement, opening the door of the Italian market to US suppliers of nuclear technology and services.

The five-year agreement was signed in Washington yesterday by Italy’s minister of economic development, Claudio Scajola, US energy secretary Steven Chu and deputy secretary of commerce Dennis Hightower.

The Joint Declaration on Nuclear Cooperation will allow American companies to bid to supply goods and services for nuclear energy-related projects in Italy. There is an option to renew the agreement for a further five years. General Electric and Westinghouse both welcomed the signing of the agreement.

The agreement calls for cooperation between the two countries to construct up to a dozen new nuclear power reactors in Italy. It also creates a framework for the exchange of skilled nuclear workers, as well as information and materials. It also covers the treatment and storage of radioactive waste. The agreement establishes a bilateral surveillance panel comprising of two representatives from each country which will meet to discuss the programs once per year.

Aris Candris, president and CEO of Westinghouse, commented: “Italy clearly wants and deserves access to the world’s best technology as it works to make clean, safe and reliable nuclear energy a larger part of its energy mix.”

Scajola was today due to tour FirstEnergy’s Beaver Valley nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania, which is based on Westinghouse technology.

Following a referendum in November 1987, provoked by the Chernobyl accident 18 months earlier, work on Italy’s nuclear program was largely stopped. In 1988, the government resolved to halt all nuclear construction, shut the remaining reactors and decommission them from 1990. As well as the operating plants, two new boiling water reactors were almost complete and six locally-designed pressurized water reactor units were planned. Various fuel cycle facilities were also shut down. The country now relies on imported energy to meet its needs – notably from France, where 78% of electricity comes from nuclear.

In 2004, a new energy law opened up the possibility of joint venture with foreign companies in relation to nuclear power plants and importing electricity from them. This resulted from a clear change in public opinion, especially among younger people favouring nuclear power for Italy.

This situation was reversed by the general election of May 2008, when Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party put a return to nuclear energy in its manifesto.

Italy has since signed nuclear cooperation agreements with Russia, France and Japan.

Source: World Nuclear News

Brunswick nuclear reactors’ ongoing shutdown prompts the NRC to investigate

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has sent a special inspection team to assess an equipment malfunction that forced officials to shut down the Brunswick Nuclear Plant near Southport.

The plant’s two nuclear reactors were shut down Sept. 20 and remained down as of Monday afternoon, NRC spokesman Roger Hannah said.

The Progress Energy plant had to shut down its two reactors after one of its four emergency diesel generators shut down and would not start again.

The inspection team will be at the plant near Southport for the next week or so inspecting and assessing circumstances associated with the malfunction, Hannah said.

The plant’s technical specifications require it to shut down if it cannot find and fix the diesel generator problem within seven days, Hannah said.

That is because the diesel generator is a backup safety piece of equipment that is not needed to run the plant but would be necessary in the event of an emergency, Hannah said.

He said the NRC would release its findings within 45 days of completing the inspection.

He said he would not know until after the inspection whether Progress Energy would be cited for any violations.

This is not the first issue the plant has had with diesel generators, Hannah said.

Between the remaining capacity at the plant and open market purchases, the utility has adequate power supply to meet wholesale and retail customer needs, a spokesman previously told the StarNews.

Source: StarNews Online

Canada and Kazakhstan signs Letter of Intent

Canada and Kazakhstan have concluded negotiations on the text of a nuclear cooperation agreement, ministers from the two countries have announced.

The negotiations took place during a visit by Canadian international trade minister Stockwell Day to Kazakhstan, and culminated with the signing of a Letter of Intent by Day and Kazakh energy minister Sauat Mynbaev. The two governments will now work to finalise the legal text before signature and implementation.

Day said that the agreement, which will ensure that any nuclear material, equipment or technology transferred by Canada would be used for peaceful purposes only, would open up the civil market to Canadian companies. “Given its expertise in nuclear energy, Canada will continue to play a growing role in this energy-rich country, especially in oil and gas and uranium extraction,” he said.

Jerry Grandey, CEO of Canadian uranium producer Cameco, welcomed the agreement, saying it would allow his company to expand its role and presence in Kazakhstan “and develop partnerships that will allow Cameco and Kazatomprom to work together on opportunities to convert uranium.” Cameco already has strong links with Kazakhstan, where it owns 60% of the Inkai uranium joint venture. In June 2008 Cameco and Kazakh nuclear company KazAtomProm announced formation of a new company, Ulba Conversion LLP, to build a 12,000 t/yr uranium hexafluoride conversion plant at the Ulba Metallurgical Plant in Ust-Kamenogorsk, in which Cameco would have a 49% holding as well as providing the technology.

Canada and Kazakhstan are the top two uranium producing countries in the world, with Kazakhstan poised to overtake Canada in the number one spot this year. Kazakhstan already has a major plant making nuclear fuel pellets and has ambitions to supply 30% of the world fuel fabrication market by 2015, as well as being committed to increasing its uranium exports. As well as Canadian involvement, French nuclear giant Areva is involved in the transfer of fuel fabrication technology to Kazakhstan.

Reinforcing Candu attitude

Before travelling to Kazakhstan, Stockwell Day had visited Ukraine, where he discussed the feasibility of using Canadian Candu reactor technology for Ukrainian nuclear energy expansion with the country’s minister of fuel and energy Yurij Prodan. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) setting up a framework for collaboration on the technical and economic feasibility of a Candu nuclear power program in Ukraine was signed by Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd (AECL) and Ukraine’s Minister of Fuel and Energy last year.

Source: World Nuclear News