Reactor Noise Analysis of Swimming Pool Type Reactor

Reactor power frequency spectrum measurements at various power levels (0.2 W, 1 W, 5 W, 100 W, 500 W, 5 kW and 100 kW) were made with HTR** (swimming-pool type). A low frequency AC amplifier, a magnetic tape recorder, a frequency selective amplifier with twin-T filters, a multiplier, and an integrator were used. Speed-up and speed-down techniques of tape recorder were convenient for extending the frequency range of the analysis.

The measured frequency spectrum of reactor noise determined the modulus of zero power transfer function, and indicated a prompt neutron mean life time of (7.58±1.58) × 10^-5 sec based on an effective delayed neutron fraction of 0.0082. The calculations were made with a HIPAC-103 computer. At higher power, some resonance peaks were found in the low frequency region. The absolute value of reactor power obtained by noise analysis agreed within 3% with the power meter indication at the power below 5kW.