울진 1, 2호기의 중성자 잡음신호 분석

Neutron Noise Analysis in Ulchin Nuclear Unit 1 & 2

This paper presents the analysis results of ex-core and in-core neutron noise, acceleration signals and pressure fluctuation measured at Ulchin Nuclear Unit 1 & 2 to identify and monitor the reactor internals vibration including fuel motion. A phase separation algorithm developed by authors was applied to the neutron noises to clearly identify the reactor internals vibratory motion. The beam mode frequency of the core support barrel was identified to be 8Hz and the shell mode to be 20Hz. The first frequency of the fuel assembly was also found to be 3Hz, while first two acoustic frequencies of the primary coolant system were 6 and 17.5Hz. By monitoring and analyzing these frequencies periodically, it is possible to diagnose the operating condition of reactor internals and to provide an early detection of faults for the predictive maintenance.