Light water reactor on base load - is conditioned for load change by periodic local power density increases

摘要

A power reactor is operated with light water cooling by modifying the power density in the core axially, while keeping the total power constant, so that local power densities throughout the core are raised, within a period of several hours to several days, to the maximum permissible level, thus "conditioning" the fuel. Pref. the change in power distribution is produced by varying the set-point of a power distribution control, esp. while still maintaining a limiting value of power density. Used for a reactor operating predominantly on base load. The "conditioning" of the fuel from time to time during base load operation has the effect that steeper temporary increases in power density can be tolerated when a change of load is necessary, provided that these temporary increases are kept below the conditioning level.