• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.301-308
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• 2011

The diametral creep of pressure tubes (PTs) in CANDU (CANada Deuterium Uranium) reactors is one of the principal aging mechanisms governing the heat transfer and hydraulic degradation of the heat transport system (HTS). PT diametral creep leads to diametral expansion, which affects the thermal hydraulic characteristics of the coolant channels and the critical heat flux (CHF). The CHF is a major parameter determining the critical channel power (CCP), which is used in the trip setpoint calculations of regional overpower protection (ROP) systems. Therefore, it is essential to predict PT diametral creep in CANDU reactors. PT diametral creep is caused mainly by fast neutron irradiation, temperature and applied stress. The objective of this study was to develop a bundle position-wise linear model (BPLM) to predict PT diametral creep employing previously measured PT diameters and HTS operating conditions. The linear model was optimized using a genetic algorithm and was devised based on a bundle position because it is expected that each bundle position in a PT channel has inherent characteristics. The proposed BPLM for predicting PT diametral creep was confirmed using the operating data of the Wolsung nuclear power plant in Korea. The linear model was able to predict PT diametral creep accurately.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.355-362
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• 2012

The aim of this study was to develop a bundle position-wise linear model (BPLM) to predict Pressure Tube (PT) diametral creep employing the previously measured PT diameters and operating conditions. There are twelve bundles in a fuel channel, and for each bundle a linear model was developed by using the dependent variables, such as the fast neutron fluences and the bundle coolant temperatures. The training data set was selected using the subtractive clustering method. The data of 39 channels that consist of 80 percent of a total of 49 measured channels from Units 2, 3, and 4 of the Wolsung nuclear plant in Korea were used to develop the BPLM. The data from the remaining 10 channels were used to test the developed BPLM. The BPLM was optimized by the maximum likelihood estimation method. The developed BPLM to predict PT diametral creep was verified using the operating data gathered from Units 2, 3, and 4. Two error components for the BPLM, which are the epistemic error and the aleatory error, were generated. The diametral creep prediction and two error components will be used for the generation of the regional overpower trip setpoint at the corresponding effective full power days. The root mean square (RMS) errors were also generated and compared to those from the current prediction method. The RMS errors were found to be less than the previous errors.