Nuclear Reactor Plant Kinetics and Control

Radio and control engineers have contributed significantly to the understanding of nuclear reactor stability and transient response over the last 15 years. The successful application of frequency response and analog simulation techniques to reactor kinetics problems, together with experimental confirmation, has allowed increased dependence on inherent feedback mechanisms for self-regulation and self-protection. Digital techniques are becoming increasingly important in transient analysis and in automation of reactor systems. Modern large reactors employing boiling coolant and/or natural circulation require thorough study of reactivity feedback, hydrodynamic effects, and spatial stability of the power distribution to assure successful performance. Many important areas exist for future analytical and experimental research, including prompt feedback mechanisms during fast excursions, stochastic fluctuations, reactor noise, and nuclear-thermal-hydraulic interactions.