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5i L-L- a c. OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORA~Y; d’t’5T-- w operated by UNION CARBIDE CORPORATION for the U.S. ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION 4 m % ORNL- TM- 14-43 COPY NO. - -i * z DATE - April -5, 1966 S IMJIITORS FO3 TRAINING MOLTETJ-SALT REACTOR EXPERIMENT OPEMTORS S.J. Ball A3STPACT Two on-site reactor kinetics simulators were developed for training ogerators of the Molten-Salt Reactor Experiment (MSm) in nuclear startup and power-level operating procedures. general purpose, portable Electronic Associates, Inc., TR-10 analog com- puters and were connected to the reactor control and instrumentation system. Both simulators were set up on The training prograrL was successfully completed. Also, the reactor control and instrumentation system, the operating procedures, and the rod and radiator-door drives were checked out. Some minor modifications were made t o the system as a result of the experience with these simulators. -SED FOR ANNCUTCEMENT IN LyucItEAR SCIENCF ASS‘IIAZTS NOTICE This document contains information of a preliminary nature and was prepared primarily for internal use at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. It is subject to revision or correction and therefore does not represent o final report.

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5i L-L- a c. OAK RIDGE NATIONAL L A B O R A ~ Y ; d’t’5T-- w

operated by U N I O N CARBIDE CORPORATION

f o r the

U.S. ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION

4

m

%

ORNL- TM- 14-43

COPY NO. - -i *

z

DATE - April -5, 1966

S IMJIITORS FO3 TRAINING MOLTETJ-SALT REACTOR EXPERIMENT OPEMTORS

S . J . Ball

A3STPACT

Two on-s i te reactor k ine t ics simulators were developed f o r t r a i n i n g ogerators of the Molten-Salt Reactor Experiment (MSm) i n nuclear s t a r t u p and power-level operating procedures. general purpose, portable Electronic Associates, Inc., TR-10 analog com- puters and were connected t o the reactor control and instrumentation system.

Both simulators were s e t up on

The t r a i n i n g prograrL w a s successfully completed. Also, the reactor control and instrumentation system, t h e operating procedures, and the rod and radiator-door dr ives were checked ou t . Some minor modifications were made t o the system as a r e s u l t of the experience with these simulators.

-SED FOR ANNCUTCEMENT

IN LyucItEAR SCIENCF ASS‘IIAZTS

NOTICE Th is document contains information of a preliminary nature and was prepared primarily for internal use a t the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. I t i s subject to revision or correction and therefore does not represent o f inal report.

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LEGAL NOTICE

This report was prepored q s on account of Go*.rnment sponsored work. Neither the United States,

nor the Commission, nor ony person acting on beholf of the Commission:

A. Makes any worronty or representotion, expressed or implied, with respect to the accuracy,

completeness, or usefulness of the informotion contoined In this report, or thot the use of

ony information, apparatus, method, or process disclosed In this report may not infringe

privately owned rights; or 6. Assumes ony l iabi l i t ies wi th respect to the use of, or for damoges resulting from the use of

any informotion. apparotus, method, or process disclosed in this report. As used in the obove, “person acting on behalf of the Commission’’ includes any employee or

controctor of the Commission, or employee o f such controctor. to the extent thot such employee

or contractor of the Commission, or .mpioyee of such contractor prepares, disseminates, or

provides access to, ony information pursuant to his employment or controct wi th the Commission,

or h is employment wi th such controctor. 4

3

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t; 4

*

1 - * j

] p

!

6,

3

CONTENTS

page

Abstract 1

1. Introduction ................................................. 5

2. Startup (Zero m e r ) Simulator ............................... 5

3. Power Level Simulator ........................................ 8

4. Time Required fo r Setup of Simulators ........................ 13

5. Conclusions .................................................. 13

6. Appendix ..................................................... 15

6.1 Details of Startup Simulation ........................... 15

6.2 Details of m e r Level Simulation ....................... 19

6.2.1 Neutron Kinetics Equations ....................... 19

6.2.2 Core Thermal Dynamic muations ................... 21

6.2.3 Radiator Effectiveness ........................... 22

6.2.4 Xenon Poisoning .................................. 23

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E

c

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1. INTRODUCTION

Two reactor kine--x simulators were developel fo r t ra ining operators of the Molten-Salt Reactor Experiment (MSRE) i n nuclear s tar tup and power- leve l operation procedures. Both simulators were instal led a t the reactor s i t e , and were connected t o the reactor instrumentation and controls system. The operators were trained i n startup, or zero power, operation w i t h the simulator i n February 1965 and i n parer-level operation in October 1965.

Both simulators were set up on general purpose, portable Electronic Associates, Inc., TR-10 analog computers (borrowed from the Instrumentation and Controls Division analog computer pool). No special hardware (other than the computers) was required. Although most of the simulation tech- niques were straightforward, a few special techniques were devised.

This report describes the two simulators.

2. STARTUP (ZERO POWER) SIMULATOR

The s tar tup simulator, se t up on one 9-10 analog computer (Fig. l), computed the reactor neutron level from 10- w t o 1.5 Mw as a function of control-rod-induced reac t iv i ty perturbations. on s y s t e m temperatures was not included.

The e f fec t of nuclear power

ORNL DWG. 66-4834

INPUTS OUTPUTS RE ACTOR INSTRUMENTATION . ~t U L

A

NEUTRON LEVEL!

FISSION CHAMBER I POSITION

R R -8 100 R R- 8200 CONSOLE METER: CHANNEL 1 CONSOLE METER: CHANNEL 2 SPECIAL: ON CONSOLE

LINEAR FLUX RANGE

Fig. 1. Diagram of Startup Simulator.

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6

Tbe inputs t o the sirhulator were signals indicating the actual positions of the control rods, and the outputs (indicated on the reactor instrumentation) were log count ra te , period, log power, and l inear power.

The l inear flux-range input signal was taken f r o m the selector switch The fission-chamber position readout was provided on the reactor console.

by a meter mounted on the console. f o r the wide-range counting channel system.' The chamber position i s servo-controlled to give a constant output s i m a l , and the charriber posi- t i on is related t o the log of the nuclear power. and the flux control system were also used.

The f is ion chamber is the detector

The period interlocks

The operators practiced the approach-to-critical experiment (in which plots of inverse count rate vs rod position are used t o extrapolate t o the c r i t i c a l rod posit ion) and rod-bump experiments fo r calculating d i f fe ren t ia l rod-reactivity worth from measurements of s table reactor period. simulator was a l so used t o check out the flux servo controller.

The

Rod position simals were obtained f r o m the three potentiometers nor- mally used by the MSRE computer. position was approximated fo r the regulating rod by a diode f'unction gen- erator (Mg. 2). two rods w a s l inear .

The "S" curve re la t ing rod worth and

The rod worth vs position relationship for the other

k . E . B a l l e t -- al., MSRF: Design and Operations Report, pdrt V, Reactor Safety Analysis Report, ORNL-TM-732 (August 1964), pp. 96-98.

ORNL IWG. 66-4835

I 1.0 -

I 2 0.8 - 0 3 n a 0

-I 0.6 -

2 e LL 0 0.4 - z I- V 4

2

0.2 -

f I I I 10 20 30 40 50 f

DISTANCE WITHDRAWN (IN.)

1

0

Fig. 2. Simulator Approximation of Regulating Rod Worth vs B s i t i o n .

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The analog c i rcu i t used t o compute reac t iv i ty from the three rod posi- t ions included the e f fec ts of the position of one rod on the t o t a l worth of the others ("able 1).

Bible 1. Full-Scale €bd Worths

Full - Scale Rod Worth Reactivity

Rod Pos it ion (Q W K ) vs Position - Regulating Rod Shims out 2.6 "S" curve

Shims in 1.3 I' S" curve

Both Shims Regulating rod out 5.8 l inear

l inear Regulating rod i n 4.5

The neutron leve l computation was made by converting the kinet ics equations t o logarithmic form? since the neutron level varied over eight decades. 'lho effective delayed-neutron precursor groups were used. The usual method of including the source term in these equations was found t o be unsatisfactory, and a special c i rcu i t was used (see Sect. 6.1).

The conversion of log power t o l inear power wag approximated by using a squaring device tha t gave adequate accuracy over each l inear (1.5 decade) range (Fig. 3 ) . A voltage signal from the reactor instrumentation l i n e a r -

2A.E. Rogers and T.W. Connolly, Analog Computation i n Ehgineering Design, pp. 334-7, I k G r a w - H i l l , New York, 1960.

POWER SIGNAL FROM LOGARITHMIC CALCULATION

Fig. 3. Approximate bg-to-Linear Conversion.

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ROD P o s i T i o N s ~

RADIATOR 1 -e M

DOOR POSITIONS “ L -

range selector c i r cu i t was subtracted from the log power signal, and t h i s difference was then converted t o the l inear signal.

RR-8100 RR-8200 CONSOLE METER: CHANNEL t CONSOLE METER: CHANNEL 2 SPEC’AL : ON

NEUTRON LEVEL: LINEAR POWER

LOG COUNT RATE PERIOD FISSION CHAMBER POSITION

REACTOR INLET TEMPERATURE

REACTOR OUTLET TEMPERATURE

RADIATOR SALT OUTLET TEMP.

- [ LOG POWER

T R -202 -A 5 k u - T I - 2 0 2 - A 2

The equations and analog computer c i rcu i t used fo r the s tar tup simu- l a t o r are given i n Sect. 6.1

RAD I ATOR

A P AIR

REACTOR CONTROL -

MODE

3. POWER U:vEL SIMULATOR

Td 1 - 2 01 -A A ?

- T -

R

RADIATOR SALT AT

RADIATOR HEAT POWER X p R-201-A 0 - FLOW (CONST) X AT

*

The power leve l simulator, set up on two TR-10 analog computers (Fig. 4), simulated the kinet ic behavior of the MSRE fo r power levels

Fig. 4. Diagram of Parer Level Simulator.

between 0.5 and 12 Mw. positions of the rods and the radiator doors and the actual pressure drop of the cooling a i r across the radiator. The outputs were neutron levels and temperatures. The usual nuclear information and key system tempera- t u re outputs were indicated on the reactor instrumentation. The reactor power-level servo controller and radiator load control systems were a l so used.

The inputs were signals indicating the actual

m e reac t iv i ty inputs from control-rod position signals were computed as i n the s ta r tup simulation. delayed-neutron precursor groups ) solved the l inear, rather than loga- rithmic, kinet ics equations. ranges on the reactor l inear power channels were operational. l inear t o log power was approximated using a square-root device (Fig. 5 ) .

The neutron leve l computation (using two

Only the 0 t o 1 .5 and the 0 t o 1 5 Conversion from

a

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i

*

.I 675

= O - l O M W

Q.40 t I O V :

x X = SJUULATOR APPROXJMATION

DESJRED OUTPUT

/"

0

COMPUTED LINEAR POWER (Mw)

Approximate Linear -to -Log Conversion. Fig. 5 . -0

7

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P - I O D I N E b -

Other react ivi ty inputs t o the power leve l simulator were f r o m com- puted xenon poisoning, noise, and fue l and graphite temperature changes. The xenon-poisoning computation (Fig. 6 ) was included as an option. In consideration of the long time-constants of xenon buildup and decay, the equations were time scaled t o run a t ten times real time.

Xe (FUEL) Y ). X=(CRAPHITE)

ORNL DWG. 66-4839

t STRIPPING (DOMINANT) DECAY BURNUP xF(ToTAL) >>,,I BURNUP 1.66X10-6 PSEC-'

DECAY Ax = 2.1 X lo-' SEC-'

DECAY 1 >*=2.9XlOJSEC-'

Steady- State Xe Poisoning When P = 10 Mw: 6 K Fuel = -0.7% 6 K Graphite = - 0.79 5'0

Fig. 6. Diagram of Xenon Poisoning Computation.

'Ihe reac t iv i ty noise input w a s included t o of fse t complaints typical of usual simulators about how "smooth" the flux output is compared w i t h the noisy output of actual reactors. resistance feedback (40 megohms) w a s used a s the noise source.

An operational amplifier w i t h high

A simplified simulation of the thermal kinet ics of the MSRE w a s used which was based on previous studies of reactor dynamics.3

The core was represented by two fue l "lumps," or nodes, and the graphite by one. system.

Six more lumps were used t o represent the r e s t of the The thermal character is t ics a re summarized in Table 2.

The heat removal rate f r o m the radiator is controlled by varying the a i r flow through the radiator; hence, the radiator salt out le t temperature is affected by s a l t i n l e t temperature, a i r i n l e t temperature, and a i r f l o w r a t e changes. removal i s t o make use of the relationship of radiator cooling "effectiveness" as a function of a i r flow ra te . r a t i o of the actual temperature decrease of the hot f l u id t o t he tempera- tu re decrease i n an ideal (i.e., i n f in i t e heat-transfer surface) heat exchanger:

A simple but f a i r l y accurate way of simulating the heat

Cooling effectiveness is defined as the

3S.J. B a l l and T.W. Kerlin, S tab i l i ty Analysis of the Molten-Salt Reactor Experiment, ORNL-TM-1070 (Dec. 1965).

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Table 2. MSm Thermal Characteristics Used in the Power k v e l Simulator

Core t r a n s i t time, sec

Graphite time-constant, sec

Heat exchanger t o core t r a n s i t time, sec a

Core t o heat exchanger t r a n s i t time, sec

Radiator t r a n s i t time, sec

Radiator t o heat exchanger t r a n s i t time, sec

Heat exchanger t o radiator t r a n s i t time, sec

Heat exchanger "effectiveness" factors a t steady stateb:

a

a

rn I = 0.7029 T

P= rn I

= 0.4478 so T P l

T = 0.2971 Tsi = 0.5522 so T

Tsi

7.6 (two lumps )

200.0

10 .o

6.67

6.67

10.0 (two lumps )

5 -0

Holdup time i n heat exchanger is included i n the other t r a n s i t times. a

b . P, primary; S, secondary; i, in l e t ; and 0, out le t .

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- - Tsal t i n - 'salt out EC

The salt out le t temperature is computed from

'salt out Tsalt i n - Ec(Tsslt i n - Tair i n 1 ' - -

The calculated cooling effectiveness as a f'unction of a i r flow ra te and the l inear approximation used i n the simulator are shown i n Fig. 7.

ORNL DWG. 66-4840

0.05 (3 Z J 0 0 U

-

COOL I NG EFFECT IVEN ESS = TSALT IN- J SALT OUT

TSALT IN - TAIR IN 4 EC

A PPROXfMATlON

COOLING AIR FLOW RATE (Yo)

Fig. 7. MSRE Radiation Cooling Effectiveness vs A i r Flow Rate.

4

*

r

u

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The a i r flow rate W through the radiator w a s computed from a

'a

where

K = constant adjusted t o give 10 Elw cooling a t f u l l a i r flow,

APa = measured a i r pressure-drop s ignal across the radiator,

= measured radiator door positions (inches raised). %,% Conversion of the analog computer voltages representing temperatures

t o signals compatible w i t h the Fbxboro ECI instruments was done w i t h straightforward resistance divider networks.

The equations and analog computer c i r cu i t used f o r the power leve l simulator are given i n Sect. 6.2.

4. TIME REQUmD FOR SETUP OF SIMULATORS

IIhe engineering and c ra f t time required t o develop, i n s t a l l , and check out the simulators and t o t r a i n the operators i n t h e i r use w a s as follows (a l l values i n man-weeks):

Startup Fower Level Simulator Simulator

Engineering Labor

Development

Set up and check out

Lecturing on use

Craft Labor

Ins ta l la t ion

Total

1.6 0.7 0.3

0.3

5. CONCLUSIONS

1.4 1.2

1 .o

0.4 - 4.0

The two on-site t r a in ing simulators were developed and operated satis- f ac to r i ly as par t of the MSRE operator t ra in ing program. obvious function of t ra ining the operators, the simulators served as a

Besides the

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means of checking out the reactor instrumentation and control system, the operating procedures, and the rod and radiator-door drives. Some minor modifications w e r e made t o the system as a r e su l t of t h i s experience w i t h the simulators.

All manipulations required t o operate the simulated reactor were done from the reactor console, and the readout devices were par t of the standard reactor instrumentation.

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6 . APPENDIX

6.1 Details of Startup Simulation

The neutron kinet ics equations are , b

5 = d t i* [ k ( l - 4) - 11 +I hiCi + S ,

where

n = neutron population,

t = t i m e , sec,

1* = prompt neutron l ifetime, sec,

k = reactor multiplication,

& = t o t a l delayed neutron fraction,

p i

'i

ci - - it' precursor population,

= effect ive delayed neutron fraction for i t h precursor group with fuel sal t circulating,

decay constant f o r i t h precursor group, =

S = rate of neutron production by source.

R e w r i t e Eqs. (1) and (2 ) , assuming kpT M & and -- 1* - - I* * - b f 3 - i nBi

"Pi dCi - - - - hiCi * -

d t 1*

Divide EQs. ( 3 ) and (4) by n:

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6 B, +I 'iCi 6k - - 1 d n -

G a t - l* n n i=1

1 dCi - Pi AiCi - - - n d t l* n

Define new variables:

dn

n M = - - - reciprocal period,

S w = - n

kSubsti tute into a s . ( 3 ' ) and (4'): 6

- P i p - 1 . V . - mi . dVi - - d t 1 1

(3' )

(4' 1

( 5 )

%e usual method of computing the source term is as follows: noting tha t Wn = S and

therefore

or

The analog computer can usually solve a f i r s t -order d i f f e ren t i a l equation such as EQ. (7) f o r W; however i n t h i s case, W becomes so small when n >> S that the voltage representing W i s within the noise leve l of the amplifier, so fur ther computation w i t h it i s meaningless. t h i s problem, the relationship between W and log n was approximated as shown i n Fig. 8.

To avoid

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I j i.

x

P

s

Q) k

oh

M

cn \o

k

k

5

V

PI

0

:: 8

al k

9

rl I 0

al m

II

cu f

A- 0

0

II II

II m I

rl

1.4

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I C

-r i I cl

0 F F

c 9

! L ? xi 'E H

i 1

0 J

Y i

N

0

0 x

I; I?

I,

t

P

03

Y

..-

b i

4)

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6.2 Details of Power Level Simulation

6.2.1 Neutron Kinetics Equations

Equations (1) and (2) of Sect. 6.1,with two delayed-neutron precursor groups, were used. An analog c i rcu i t (Fig. 10) developed many years ago5 w a s used t o solve these equations. This c i r cu i t i s superior 30 most of those published i n the l i t e ra ture , mainly because of the way in which the amplitude scaling is accomplished.

A key point in the scheme for simulating the equations i s the use of a small feedback capacitor for the integration of the neutron level equa- t ion, ra ther than solving d i rec t ly for dn/dt and t h n integrating with a conventional large-feedback-capacitance integrator .? In Fig. 10, ampli- f i e r 1 (which solves fo r n ) has a feedback capacitor of 10 I* w f . The amplifier gain i s 1/10 1* Rin(sec-l), where Rin is i n megohms. With the assumption tha t a l l input res i s tors are 0.1 megohm, Eq. 1 can be rearranged t o show the desired form of the inputs t o amplifier 1, as follows:

(kn - knp, - n + l*AIC1 + 1*X2C2). (8 1 dn 1 dtF

The quantity kn is generated from n and 6k as shown i n Fig. 10. Typically k w i l l vary between 1.005 and 0.98 f o r control studies. inherent inaccuracy of the multiplier, it i s advantageous t o l e t the f u l l - scale output of the (6k x n ) multiplier be only a few percent of kn. the simulator, the voltage representing zero 6k w a s offset , i . e . , -1.5% < 6k I; +0.5$, because of the apparent deadband i n the quarter-square multiplier when one input oprates around zero vol ts . i s generated from

Owing t o the

In

The quantity kn&

0.1 kn x 100 pT x 0.1 1 J U

pot 2 se t t ing 1 megohm input t o amplifier 1

the gain reductions thus allowing a reasonably large gain se t t i ng on pot 2.

The 1* AiCiterms a re obtained by first taking the Iaplace transform of EQ. 2;

which rearranged is

5By E.R. Wnn (deceased), Instrumentation and Controls Division.

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ORNL DWG. 66-4843

.-

.e

-10x2

-6K

I I L I

1 2

@ i

OTHER

AS REQUIRED DELAY GROUPS 4-

NOTE! RUPL/F/€R GAIN OF ? IMPLIES ?-MEGOHM INPUT RESISTOR; W I N OF ?O= O.?M

.I kn

1

1

Fig. 10. Analog Circuit Designed by E.R. Mann for Neutron Kinetics Equations. t

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where S is the Laplacian argument.

Solving f o r the output of integrator 4 [e(4)]:

i- 0.1 hi kn = 9 4 ) - - 5 ” ( 4 ) - de (4 )

d t

Multiplication of e by 100 pi gives -10 (4 1 which is seen from Eq. ( 9 ) t o equal -10 l*A.C. as required f o r generating dn/dt i n Eq. (8). gains on the pi pots could be increased.

410’ and thus w i l l have a negligible e f fec t on the response of n fo r the slow variations normally encountered i n control studies. Under these condi- t ions the negligible e f fec t of t h i s capacitor implies that the neutron kinet ics are independent of 1*, and f o r m precursor groups, the neutron kinet ics can be described by m d i f fe ren t ia l equations, ra ther than (m + 1) equations. This simplification i s useful when the kinet ics equations are solved on a d i g i t a l computer, because the maximum computation time inverval is usually governed by the l*/& time constant and must be made qui te small t o give stable (and accurate) answers.

Again, because the ampltfier gains were reduced, the

-4 Tis c i r cu i t c lear ly shows tha t fo r small values of l* (e.g., 10 sec) the feedback capacitor fo r amplifier 1 w i l l be very small

6.2.2 Core Thermal Dynamic Equations

The fue l f l o w i n the core is approximated by two f i rs t -order lags i n series, and heat t ransfer takes place between the first fuel lump and the graphite. seven percent of the nuclear heat is generated in each fue l lump. remaining 6$ is generated i n the graphite. used f o r t h e core are as follows:

The nuclear importancesof the two fuel lumps are equal. Forty- ’Ihe

The heat balance equations

a. F i r s t fue l lump

dFc - - e - 0.263 ? + 0.017 FG + 0.246 Tci + 0.0329 n; d t C

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b. Second fue l lump

U A - - co - - 0.263 Tco +- 0.263 Fc + 0.0329 n; a t

c. Graphite - -

- - - - 0.005 FG + 0.005 Fc + 0.00084 n. dTG a t

Temperatures are i n OF, time i s i n seconds, and neutron leve l n i s in megawatts.

As discussed previously, the lags due t o holdup and heat t ransfer i n the loop external t o the core were represented by six f i rs t -order lags. Each l ag is described by the equation

a x - 1 at T - - (xin - Z) ,

where T is the time constant of the lag.

6.2.3 Radiator Effectiveness

The plot of radiator cooling effectiveness vs air flow w a s calculated by

i - 1

1 - exp [-(1 - Nl)N2]

1 - N 1 exP‘ [-(1 - N1)N2] Tsalt i n - Tsalt out -

> - - Ec - Tsal t i n - Tair i n

where

“‘p )salt N1 = (WCp)air

W = mass flow rate, lb/sec,

C = specific heat, Btu/lb-OF, %

P

U = overall heat t ransfer coefficient, Btu/sec-ft - F, t 2 0

A = heat t ransfer area, ft2. d’

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Since a i r flow i s perpendicular t o the tubes, the heat t ransfer coefficient on the air side was assumed t o vary as the 0.6 power of flow ra t e .

6.2.4 Xenon Poisonina

Even when time scaled by a factor of 10, the xenon t ransients a re very very slow, and care had t o be taken t o avoid large errors due t o integrator d r i f t . Manual dr i f t -control pots were added t o both integrators i n the c i r cu i t .

Fuel xenon was assumed t o build up a t a ra te equal t o iodine production, since the xenon stripping time-constant is small compared w i t h those for decay, burnup, and diffusion t o the graphite.

Since simulation pressed the l imitations of the accuracy of the com- puter, some of the coefficients had t o be f i e ld s e t t o give proper steady- s t a t e output values. i n speeding up the computation even more, it was not done because we d idn ' t want t o have the xenon dynamics confused with the reactor thermal dynamics.

Although there would have been a number of advantages

Fig. 11 is the analog computer c i r cu i t used fo r the power leve l simulator.

.

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c!'

Fig. 11. Analog Computer Circuit for the Fder Level Simulator.

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a - *

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