Abstract: | The basic concept of a novel frequency-based on-line expert system (FBOLES) approach for on-line fault diagnoses in nuclear power plants has been presented previously. This paper reports further progress, and includes how to express the uncertainties of expert opinion in knowledge-bases and propagate then in inferences, and how to deal with imperfect knowledge-bases. It also describes the main elements of FBOLES and outlines how the system works under complex conditions including the dynamic behavior of signals during accidents, multiple failures, and on-line changes of plant operation mode. Its ability to diagnose root causes of accidents has been tested using the main steam and feedwater condensate systems of a full-scale, three-loop, 950 MW nuclear power plant simulated by the Tsinghua simulator. So far the results seem good. |