Abstract
The value of using neutron noise descriptors, especially the power spectral densities (PSDs) of ex-core detectors, to monitor core barrel motion and fuel element vibrations in pressurized water reactors (PWRs) is well established.1–6 Indeed, in the mid-frequency range (1–20 Hz), PWR neutron noise is dominated by vibration peaks in the neutron PSD that result from the motion of reactor internals. A qualitative examination of such descriptors from a 1150 MWE Westinghouse PWR plant, revealed significant changes in the plant’s noise signature (PSD) as its first fuel cycle proceeded. The purpose of this work is to use a mathematical model of the interaction between small mechanical motions and the core neutronics to provide a tool for quantitative investigation of the PSD structure in the vibrational frequency range.7
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References
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J. March-Leuba, G. de Saussure, and R. B. Perez Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc. 44 (1983).
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© 1989 Plenum Press, New York
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Perez, R.B., Wood, R.T. (1989). A Stochastic Method for Nuclear Power Plant Diagnosis. In: Muñoz-Cobo, J.L., Difilippo, F.C. (eds) Noise and Nonlinear Phenomena in Nuclear Systems. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-5613-4_35
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-5613-4_35
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