All of the building block technologies for creating a salt-compatible testing platform are generally known. The project has now produced an initial design and has not identified any basic flaws or unachievable material performance issues. However, the combined requirements for high reliability, graceful degradation, and long-term, high-temperature operation create a complex coupled control system. To handle this complexity, both detailed simulation and experimental validation are required to translate an early-phase conceptual design into a working demonstration platform for I&C validation. For example, vibrational modes of the shaft will affect the position measurement system, control algorithm, power electronics, and the magnetic elements. NPPs are high-capital-cost items necessitating very high component reliability. Shutting down a power plant due to subcomponent failure is financially unacceptable. System reliability is thus a central metric to the pump system design. Entropy requires that all components degrade over time. To minimize the potential for component failure during operation, NPPs employ extensive (and expensive) maintenance programs. The pump control system must, therefore, be designed to gracefully degrade in the event of unplanned subcomponent failures and allow for on-line exterior subcomponent replacement. Further, the embedded measurements must identify impending failures to allow any necessary maintenance to be performed during planned plant shutdowns.
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