Automatic power control for a pressurized water reactor

Abstract

During a normal operation of a pressurized water reactor (PWR), the reactivity is controlled by control rods, boron, and the average temperature of the primary coolant. Especially in load follow operation, the reactivity change is induced by changes in power level and effects of xenon concentration. The control of the core power distribution is concerned, mainly, with the axial power distribution which depends on insertion and withdrawal of the control rods resulting in additional reactivity compensation. The utilization of part strength control element assemblies (PSCEAs) is quite appropriate for a control of the power distribution in the case of Yonggwang Nuclear Unit 3 (YGN Unit 3). However, control of the PSCEAs is not automatic, and changes in the boron concentration by dilution/boration are done manually. Thus, manual control of the PSCEAs and the boron concentration require the operator``s experience and knowledge for a successful load follow operation. In this thesis, the new concepts have been proposed to adapt for an automatic power control in a PWR. One of the new concepts is the mode K control, another is a fuzzy power control. The system in mode K control implements a heavy-worth bank dedicated to axial shape control, independent of the existing regulating banks. The heavy bank provides a monotonic relationship between its motion and the axial power shape change, which allows automatic control of the axial power distribution. And the mode K enables precise regulation, by using double closed-loop control of the reactor coolant temperature and the axial power difference. Automatic reactor power control permits the nuclear power plant to accommodate the load follow operations, including frequency control, to respond to the grid requirements. The mode K reactor control concepts were tested using simulation responses of a Korean standardized 1000-MWe PWR which is a reference plant for the YGN Unit 3. The simulation results illustrate that the mode K wou...