{"id":2299,"date":"2023-10-10T12:24:09","date_gmt":"2023-10-10T12:24:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/35.94.173.37\/blog\/?p=2299"},"modified":"2026-02-26T19:00:53","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T19:00:53","slug":"using-flexrio-and-labview-to-ensure-the-safety-of-nuclear-waste-containers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/using-flexrio-and-labview-to-ensure-the-safety-of-nuclear-waste-containers\/","title":{"rendered":"Using FlexRIO and LabVIEW to Ensure the Safety of Nuclear Waste Containers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/FlexRIO-and-LabVIEW-to-Ensure-Safety-of-Nuclear-Waste.mp3\"><\/audio><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong><em>Click here to listen to this post.<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-align-left\">Imagine being tasked with ensuring the safety of highly radioactive nuclear waste containers not for decades or centuries, but for a staggering 10,000 years. Together with the <strong>Swedish Radiation Safety Authority<\/strong>, Finland-based company <strong>ProtoRhino <\/strong>faced this problem head on. Their ultimate goal? To determine if copper containers can withstand the test of time and to secure the safety of hazardous materials for millennia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-7e56781174b7c9115e61058319edcf7c\" style=\"font-size:25px\"><strong>THE SOLUTION<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-align-left\">Using&nbsp;<strong>NI FlexRIO<\/strong>&nbsp;hardware and&nbsp;<strong>NI LabVIEW<\/strong>&nbsp;system design software to measure the mechanics of copper cracking under stress in the millisecond timescale, to ascertain the suitability of copper containers for the storage of highly hazardous materials over long time spans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-align-left\">When it comes to handling highly radioactive nuclear waste, the stakes are extraordinarily high. We\u2019re not talking about ensuring the safety of these hazardous materials for a few decades or even a century \u2013 the challenge is to guarantee their safety for a mind-boggling 10,000 years. That\u2019s the kind of long-term thinking that\u2019s required when dealing with nuclear waste, and it\u2019s precisely the challenge we\u2019re going to explore in this fascinating case study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/pexels-johannes-plenio-4460676-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Huge cooling towers in nuclear power plant at sunset\" class=\"wp-image-2446\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-9bc86f21d608337351e48f34160f6470\" style=\"font-size:25px\"><strong>The Unique Challenge of Long-Term Nuclear Waste Storage<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-align-left\">The&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stralsakerhetsmyndigheten.se\/en\/\">Swedish Radiation Safety Authority<\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;raised a critical question: Can copper containers, planned for super long-term storage of nuclear waste in deep geological repositories, maintain their integrity until the radioactivity of the enclosed matter has subsided to safe levels? This challenge was unique because these containers are exposed to varying strain over thousands of years from geological stress and corrosion, ultimately leading to cracks. However, the monumental engineering task was that these cracks could not compromise the container\u2019s integrity until after 10,000 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-align-left\">The slow pace of the cracking process itself is intriguing, as these cracks result from countless microscopic cracking events that happen within milliseconds. Understanding the mechanics of these events was crucial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-fa56fc7182fe313bb1c9384c413d6833\" style=\"font-size:25px\"><strong>Partnering with ProtoRhino: A Solution Takes Shape<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-align-left\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/protorhino.com\/\">ProtoRhino<\/a><\/strong>, a National Instruments Alliance Partner in Finland, was chosen to tackle this monumental challenge. They were selected because of their experience in providing tailored solutions requiring high data acquisition rates and real-time analysis. Additionally, they had a device template based on&nbsp;<strong>NI FlexRIO<\/strong>&nbsp;hardware in their product portfolio, which greatly expedited measurement device prototyping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-align-left\">The primary goal was to thoroughly inspect copper cracking mechanisms at the millisecond scale to gain a complete understanding of the dynamics involved. This understanding would determine the suitability of copper containers for long-term hazardous waste storage and, by extension, the safety of future generations. The measurement approach involved correlating acoustic emission from stress effects with optical observation of surface cracking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-1 wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/pxie-7965r-side.jpg\" alt=\"Side view of the PXIe-7965R PXI FPGA Module for FlexRIO\" class=\"wp-image-2447\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-align-left\">The technical setup was impressive. The sample was fixed in a stress-strain apparatus, and high-speed camera data was collected at an astonishing rate of 8,904 images per second using the&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/modular-systems\/national-instruments\/flexrio\/NI-1483\">NI-1483<\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;<strong>Camera Link Adapter for FPGA<\/strong>. This data was processed in real time with the&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/modular-systems\/national-instruments\/r-series\/PXIe-7965R\">NI PXIe-7965R<\/a>&nbsp;NI FlexRIO FPGA Module<\/strong>. Acoustic emission signals were digitized and analyzed with another NI FlexRIO module.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-align-left\">Synchronization was made seamless thanks to the&nbsp;<strong>NI PXI Express<\/strong>&nbsp;chassis, which incorporated a timing bus for simple module synchronization. The&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/modular-systems\/national-instruments\/pxi-controllers\/PXIe-8100\">NI PXIe-8100<\/a>&nbsp;RT controller<\/strong>&nbsp;ensured uninterrupted operation of the measurement system, and data analysis was performed on a PC using the NI Vision Development Module.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-0ff1d40512e99f40d04bd599d4d59052\" style=\"font-size:25px\"><strong>FLEXIBILITY AND SCALABILITY FOR FUTURE CHALLENGES<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-align-left\">The flexibility of the NI FlexRIO platform allowed data collection over extended periods. Triggers were activated only when significant changes were detected, ensuring that only essential data was stored. Programming the FPGA was straightforward with the NI LabVIEW FPGA Module, thanks to a high-level programming language and available sample code. The inherent scalability of the NI FlexRIO peer-to-peer streaming feature made accommodating future data mining needs effortless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/jason-blackeye-zAITDJYV09w-unsplash-1024x750.jpg\" alt=\"Nuclear Facility in foggy environment\" class=\"wp-image-2449\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-align-left\">The project was a resounding success. ProtoRhino successfully monitored single-event cracks in copper undergoing prolonged deformation well below yield stress. This breakthrough served as the foundation for a comprehensive study, ultimately resulting in the development of proven safe, long-term nuclear waste containers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-align-left\">While these structures typically have lifespans measured in years, decades, or at most, centuries, the consequences of critical structural failure can be devastating. This case study demonstrates the power of cutting-edge technology and innovative thinking to address some of the most complex challenges facing humanity \u2013 ensuring the safety of our world for generations to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-align-left\"><em>The case study discussed in this post was originally co-authored by Pasi Karppinen, Jari Tuovinen, and Kimmo Mustonen from ProtoRhino Ltd.; as well as Juha Koivisto, Markus Ovaska, and Mikko Alava from Aalto University in Finland.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Imagine being tasked with ensuring the safety of highly radioactive nuclear waste containers not for decades or centuries, but for a staggering 10,000 years. Together with the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority, Finland-based company ProtoRhino faced this problem head on. Their ultimate goal? To determine if copper containers can withstand the test of time and to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2818,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,8],"tags":[242,255,318,393,437,440,493,496,576,623,910,921],"class_list":["post-2299","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-case-study","category-national-instruments","tag-flexrio","tag-fpga","tag-labview","tag-national-instruments","tag-ni","tag-ni-alliance","tag-nuclear","tag-nuclear-waste","tag-pxi-express","tag-pxie","tag-technology","tag-test-equipment"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2299","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2299"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2299\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3650,"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2299\/revisions\/3650"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2818"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2299"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2299"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2299"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}