Estimation of the metrological performance instability for measuring channels of research reactors

• Main Authors: D.A. Berezhnoy, S.Ye. Kravtsova, K.N. Malovik
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: National Research Nuclear University (MEPhI) 2015-12-01
• Series: Nuclear Energy and Technology
• Subjects: Research reactor; Measuring channel; Instability of metrological performance; Taguchi theory
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2452303816000273

Measuring channels (MC) of research reactors are used to monitor process parameters. This paper considers the problem of estimating the instability of the neutron power MC error in research reactors. The purpose of the study is to investigate the general regularities of the time-dependent MC performance instability and to determine the major components of the useful signal losses when estimating the metrological performance instability of channels. It is proposed in [7] that mathematical simulation should be used to estimate the metrological performance instability of measuring devices, while [2] recommends that instability should be estimated based on the sensitivity function of measuring devices. Such approaches however do not make it possible to assess to which extent the effects of each influencing factor on the MC error are individual. It is therefore appears to be reasonable to apply Taguchi methodology based on estimating the losses using the “useful signal/noise” ratio. Factors influencing the MC error instability have been considered. The area has been defined for the preventive control of the neutron power MC error instability. It has been proposed to use Taguchi theory approaches to estimate instability of the measuring channel metrological performance.