Evaluation of SCORPIO by comparison to Catawba and Ringhals data

An on-line simulator can supply detailed information about the status of the reactor core, thereby facilitating improved assessment of the margins to operating limits. This, in combination with improved in-core instrumentation, should lead to more flexible and economic operation of pressurized water reactors. The SCORPIO system developed at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's Halden Reactor Project performs both core monitoring and predictive functions. The monitoring is built around a three-dimensional nodal reactor simulator that performs a reactor state point calculation when significant process changes occur. A simpler physics model known as the strategy generator is available to assist the operator in planning plant maneuvers up to 2 days into the future. The three-dimensional nodal model is used for predicting the detailed power distribution and margins information when evaluating maneuver strategies. The predictive capability can also be used by the reactor engineer for technical investigations and for training purposes. To verify the adequacy of the models, the system has been subjected to thorough testing both off-line and on-line at the Ringhals power plant in Sweden. A stand-alone predictive system has also been evaluated by Duke Power Company using measured data from Catawba nuclear station