Comprehensive signal validation for nuclear power plants

Thesis/Dissertation · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1989

OSTI ID:6157720

Holbert, K E

Signal validation is the detection, isolation and characterization of faulty signals. A signal validation technique utilizing a process hypercube comparison (PHC) was originated during the research and other methods were extended. The hypercube is merely a multi-dimensional joint histogram of the process conditions. The hypercube is created off-line during a learning phase. In the event that a newly observed plant state does not match with those in the learned hypercube, the PHC algorithm performs signal validation by progressively hypothesizing that one or more signals is in error. This assumption is then either substantiated or denied. In the case where many signals are found to be in error, a conclusion that the process conditions are abnormal is reached. A comprehensive signal validation software system has been developed for application to nuclear power plants. This system combines some previously established fault detection methodologies as well as some newly developed ones. The techniques have been implemented in a modular architecture which allows the addition or removal of signal validation modules as deemed necessary. Intra-module confidence factors describing the validity of a given signal are derived using fuzzy membership functions. A final evaluation of signal status is made by the System Executive (SE) based on results from each signal validation module. In order to make reliable decisions in this parallel system a positive decision maker (PDM) was developed.

• Research Organization: Tennessee Univ., Knoxville, TN (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6157720
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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Breeding
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
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ALGORITHMS
BREEDER REACTORS
COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE
COMPUTERIZED CONTROL SYSTEMS
COMPUTERS
CONTROL
CONTROL SYSTEMS
DECISION MAKING
DETECTION
EBR-2 REACTOR
EPITHERMAL REACTORS
EVALUATION
EXPERIMENTAL REACTORS
FAILURES
FAST REACTORS
FBR TYPE REACTORS
HYPERCUBE COMPUTERS
LIQUID METAL COOLED REACTORS
LMFBR TYPE REACTORS
MATHEMATICAL LOGIC
MONITORING
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
OPERATION
PERFORMANCE TESTING
POWER PLANTS
POWER REACTORS
PROCESS CONTROL
PWR TYPE REACTORS
REACTOR OPERATION
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SIGNALS
SODIUM COOLED REACTORS
TESTING
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
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WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS