For the operation of subcritical source-driven systems it is very important to develop reliable techniques to monitor the subcriticality level, in order to be able to establish the effective distance from criticality and promptly detect changes in the reactivity that may be relevant for the safety of the plant. In this paper, a new method to interpret flux measurements in a subcritical system is presented, generalizing a technique that has been recently proposed for source-free nuclear systems. The method is based on the mathematical relationship between the power, its derivative, the convolution integral appearing in the delayed neutron precursor balance equations and the stable period of the multiplying system within the point kinetic model. The assessment of the method is carried out interpreting flux evolutions obtained from numerical transient simulations. The results presented prove that the method can yield accurate reactivity predictions for various physical situations and can be of interest for accelerator-driven system technology.

A method for reactivity monitoring in subcritical source-driven systems / Dulla, Sandra; Nervo, Marta; Ravetto, Piero. - (2014). (Intervento presentato al convegno International Conference PHYSOR2014 tenutosi a Kyoto, Japan nel 28 September - 3 October 2014).

A method for reactivity monitoring in subcritical source-driven systems

DULLA, SANDRA;NERVO, MARTA;RAVETTO, PIERO
2014

Abstract

For the operation of subcritical source-driven systems it is very important to develop reliable techniques to monitor the subcriticality level, in order to be able to establish the effective distance from criticality and promptly detect changes in the reactivity that may be relevant for the safety of the plant. In this paper, a new method to interpret flux measurements in a subcritical system is presented, generalizing a technique that has been recently proposed for source-free nuclear systems. The method is based on the mathematical relationship between the power, its derivative, the convolution integral appearing in the delayed neutron precursor balance equations and the stable period of the multiplying system within the point kinetic model. The assessment of the method is carried out interpreting flux evolutions obtained from numerical transient simulations. The results presented prove that the method can yield accurate reactivity predictions for various physical situations and can be of interest for accelerator-driven system technology.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11583/2572753