Damping of xenon oscillations in the Maine-Yankee reactor

Radial, azimuthal, and axial xenon oscillation experiments were performed at Maine Yankee to confirm experimentally the theoretical predictions of stability with respect to these three primary modes of xenon oscillation. These experiments and the evaluation of the data to obtain damping factors are discussed briefly, and the results are compared with predictive calculations. Calculated damping factors, based on linear modal analysis techniques using a best estimate of the total power coefficient, are found to lie within the uncertainty bounds of the experimentally determined damping factors. The results of the axial experiments are also used in conjunction with results from calculational models to estimate the time in life at which the onset of divergent axial xenon oscillations may be expected.