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Application of noise-analysis methods to monitor stability of boiling water reactors

Conference ·
OSTI ID:5818628
The dynamic stability of Boiling Water Reactors (BWR's) is influenced by the reactor control system and its interaction with external load demand, channel thermal hydraulic properties, and coupled neutronic-thermal-hydraulic dynamics. The latter aspect of BWR stability which is affected by void reactivity feedback, coolant flow rate and fuel-to-coolant heat transfer characteristics is studied in this paper using the normal fluctuation data. The feasibility of overall core stability trend monitoring using neutron noise and the relatonship between stability and two-phase flow velocity in a fuel channel are studied. Time series modeling of the average power range monitor (APRM) detector signal, and bivariate analysis of adjacent local power range monitor (LPRM) detector signals are used to determine the neutron impulse response, spectral characteristics and two-phase flow velocity using data from an operating BWR. The results of analysis show that the APRM noise signal can be used to monitor changes in the closed-loop output stability of BWRs (but not the absolute stability as determined by the reactivity-to-neutron power transfer function), and that a positive correlation exists between stability and two-phase flow velocity in a fuel channel.
Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA); Tennessee Univ., Knoxville (USA). Dept. of Nuclear Engineering; Tohoku Univ., Sendai (Japan)
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-26
OSTI ID:
5818628
Report Number(s):
CONF-8110107-2; ON: DE82002737
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English