Reactivity Estimation and Validation for the Control of Reactor Neutronic Power

Abstract

From July 1986 to July 1991, a joint MIT-SNL research team developed a controller capable of safely raising reactor power by approximately five orders of magnitude in a few seconds. This controller was experimentally demonstrated on the MIT Research Reactor (MITR-II) as well as on the 'Sandia National Laboratories' Annular Core Research Reactor (ACRR). This controller's intended application is for the control of spacecraft nuclear reactors. However, it also has direct application for the control of military, commercial, and research reactors. This report is concerned with a method for enhancing the controller's performance through the development of an improved model to validate estimates of the magnitude of reactivity feedback effects. The focus is on the Doppler effect but the resulting model is applicable to other types of reactivity feedback such as that associated with the thermal effects of a hydrogen coolant.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 1993
Accession Number
ADA268704

Entities

People

  • Charles S. Lasota

Organizations

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accuracy
  • Algorithms
  • Computer Science
  • Detectors
  • Estimators
  • Heat Capacity
  • Heat Energy
  • Heat Transfer
  • Heat Transfer Coefficients
  • Kalman Filters
  • Measurement
  • Nuclear Reactors
  • Reactor Fuels
  • Reactor Operation
  • Specific Heat
  • Spreadsheet Software
  • Three Dimensional

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Nuclear and Radiation Engineering.
  • Robotics and Automation.

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Hall-Effect Thruster
  • Space - Spacecraft Maneuvers