Identification of BWR Feedwater Control System using Autoregressive Integrated Model

Abstract

With the view of contributing toward more reliable interpretation of noise behavior under normal operating conditions, which is essential for correct detection and/or diagnosis of incipient anomalies in nuclear power plants by noise analysis technique, studies has been undertaken of the noise behavior in a BWR feedwater control system, with use made of a multivariate autoregressive modeling technique. Noise propagation mechanisms as well as open- and closed-loop responses in the system are identified from noise data by a method in which an autoregressive integrated model is introduced. The closed-loop responses obtained with this method are compared with transient data from an actual test, and confirmed to be reliable in estimating semi-quantitative features. Other analyses performed with this model also yield results that appear most reasonable in their physical character-istics.These results have demonstrated the effectiveness of the noise analyses technique based on the autoregressive integrated model for evaluating and diagnosing the performance of feedwater control systems.