Improving the reliability and performance of a nuclear power plant by using computers in control systems

The authors believe that the fundamental possibility exists for simplifying the controlled system itself by using computer technology for control problems with some increased complexity. They believe this formulation of the problem to be the only realistic source of a payback on computer technology used to control a nuclear power plant. Two ways of elevating the technical and economic indicators of a plant's operation are of interest in the construction of a safety and control system utilizing the capabilities of computer technology: (1) simplification of reactor design, and (2) an increase in the operational reliability of the nuclear power plant through a reduction of the number of trips of the emergency protection system, and optimization of accident conditions with a view to reducing thermal stresses in structural elements, including the reactor core. Obviously, these two directions are competitive, and the question of the optimal proportion of each is a subject for an independent study. In this paper the authors set the task and, using fast reactors as an example, illustrate the possibility of carrying it out without considering weighting factors for each direction