Abstract
Embedded instrumentation and control systems that can operate in extreme environments are challenging to design and operate. Extreme environments limit the options for sensors and actuators and degrade their performance. Because sensors and actuators are necessary for feedback control, these limitations mean that designing embedded instrumentation and control systems for the challenging environments of nuclear reactors requires advanced technical solutions that are not available commercially. This report details the development of testbed that will be used for cross-cutting embedded instrumentation and control research for nuclear power applications. This research is funded by the Department of Energy's Nuclear Energy Enabling Technology program's Advanced Sensors and Instrumentation topic. The design goal of the loop-scale testbed is to build a low temperature pump that utilizes magnetic bearing that will be incorporated into a water loop to test control system performance and self-sensing techniques. Specifically, this testbed will be used to analyze control system performance in response to nonlinear and cross-coupling fluid effects between the shaft axes of motion, rotordynamics and gyroscopic effects, and impeller disturbances. This testbed will also be used to characterize the performance losses when using self-sensing position measurement techniques. Active magnetic bearings are a technology that can reduce failures and maintenance costs in nuclear power plants. They are particularly relevant to liquid salt reactors that operate at high temperatures (700 C). Pumps used in the extreme environment of liquid salt reactors provide many engineering challenges that can be overcome with magnetic bearings and their associated embedded instrumentation and control. This report will give details of the mechanical design and electromagnetic design of the loop-scale embedded instrumentation and control testbed.
Original language | English |
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Place of Publication | United States |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2016 |
Keywords
- 46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
- 21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
- TEST FACILITIES
- CONTROL SYSTEMS
- DESIGN
- MAGNETIC BEARINGS
- PERFORMANCE
- SENSORS
- PUMPS
- AMBIENT TEMPERATURE
- TEMPERATURE RANGE 0400-1000 K
- MECHANICAL SHAFTS
- SAFETY REPORTS
- ACTUATORS
- RELIABILITY
- NONLINEAR PROBLEMS
- LOSSES
- MOLTEN SALT COOLED REACTORS
- IN PILE LOOPS
- IN CORE INSTRUMENTS