University of South Florida develops laser maintenance system for TVA

[Marlin]

University of South Florida develops laser maintenance system for TVA

https://www.ans.org/news/2026-08-26/article-8339/university-of-south-florida-develops-laser-maintenance-system-for-tva/

[Core Content]

Engineers at the University of South Florida developed a laser system to separate frozen ice condenser baskets at Tennessee Valley Authority nuclear plants. This technology allows maintenance crews to conduct inspections more efficiently by cutting through ice sheets that connect the baskets. The system is designed to operate in confined, freezing conditions and has been approved for independent use by plant personnel following successful testing at Watts Bar and Sequoyah.

The Tennessee Valley Authority has successfully tested a new laser-based maintenance technology developed by engineers at the University of South Florida. The technology involves the use of a precision laser during regular inspections of ice condenser systems that are part of the emergency core cooling systems at certain nuclear power plants.

Only a few pressurized water reactors in the United States, Finland, and Japan incorporate ice condensers into their containment designs, including the TVA-operated Watts Bar, in Spring City, Tenn., and Sequoyah, in Soddy-Daisy, Tenn., the two plants where the USF technology was tested. The ice condensers act as a passive, static heat sink to rapidly absorb steam and reduce containment pressure and temperature in the event of a loss-of-coolant accident or main steam line break.

Read the full article at ans.org:
https://www.ans.org/news/2026-08-26/article-8339/university-of-south-florida-develops-laser-maintenance-system-for-tva/