Analysis of TRIGA reactor thermal power calibration method

Analysis of thermal power method of the nuclear instrumentation of the TRIGA reactor in Ljubljana is described. Thermal power calibration was performed at different power levels and at different conditions. Different heat loss processes from the reactor pool to the surrounding are considered. It is shown that the use of proper calorimetric calibration procedure and the use of heat loss corrections improve the accuracy of the measurement. To correct the position of the control rods, perturbation factors are introduced. It is shown that the use of the perturbation factors enables power readings from nuclear instrumentation with accuracy better than without corrections.(author)