LESE-NuclearQA: A Physics-Derived Structural Coherence Indicator for Real-Time Nuclear Plant Life Management and Early Warning

Key Points

• The aim is to develop a physics-derived indicator to enhance nuclear plant life management and early warning systems.
• Applied the W_ij structural coherence framework for real-time management.
• Conducted retrospective validation on multiple nuclear facilities, including Davis-Besse, Crystal River 3, and San Onofre 2&3.
• Integrated deployment workflow into existing quality assurance processes.
• Validated W_min crossed the critical threshold approximately 8 months before a significant incident (RPV head cavity).
• Achieved a total of 4 risk event detections with a true positive rate of 100%.
• Establishment of a rapid integration process into QA within one hour per month.

Abstract