AUTOLOAD, an expert system code that automatically and optimally reloads a PWR

Conference · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1993 · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States)

OSTI ID:6912434

Zhian, L; Levine, S H ^[1]

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1. Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States)

An automatic optimal pressurized water reactor (PWR) reload design expert system computer code called AUTO-LOAD has been developed. This expert system code is a combination of C and FORTRAN programming languages. It takes the required core cycle length, the maximum peak normalized power (NP) constraint, the available fuel assemblies, and the burnable poison (BP) type to be used as its input and completes an optimal or superior reload design automatically. It produces two final designs, which can be used as competitive practical designs for the reload. It employs two new important techniques, which provide the key elements in establishing an optimum PWR reload pattern. The first is a new priority scheme that defines the optimum placement of the fuel in the core to maximize the cycle length or minimize the [sup 235]U inventory of the fresh fuel. The second is a new method to establish the BP loading in the fresh fuel assemblies. Other techniques involve the Haling power distribution, one of which is to expeditiously convert the initial loading pattern, using the priority scheme, to an acceptable or BP solvable loading pattern without the use of BPs.

• OSTI ID: 6912434
• Report Number(s): CONF-931160--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States) Journal Volume: 69
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
210200* -- Power Reactors
Nonbreeding
Light-Water Moderated
Nonboiling Water Cooled
A CODES
BURNABLE POISONS
COMPUTER CODES
ENRICHED URANIUM REACTORS
EXPERT SYSTEMS
FUEL ASSEMBLIES
LOADING
MATERIALS
MATERIALS HANDLING
NEUTRON ABSORBERS
NUCLEAR POISONS
OPTIMIZATION
POWER DISTRIBUTION
POWER REACTORS
PWR TYPE REACTORS
REACTOR FUELING
REACTOR MATERIALS
REACTORS
THERMAL REACTORS
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS