Development of accuracy enhancement system for boron meters using multisensitive detector for reactor safety

Abstract

Boric acid is used as a coolant for pressurized-water reactors, and the degree of burnup is controlled by the concentration of boric acid. Therefore, accurate measurement of the concentration of boric acid is an important factor in reactor safety. An improved system was proposed for the accurate determination of boron concentration. A new boron-concentration measurement technique, called multisensitive detection, was developed to improve the measurement accuracy of boron meters. In previous studies, laboratory-scale experiments were performed based on different sensitivity detectors, confirming a 65% better accuracy than conventional single-detector boron meters. Based on these experimental results, an experimental system simulating the coolant-circulation environment in the reactor was constructed; accuracy analysis of the boron meter with a multisensitivity detector was performed at the actual coolant pressure and temperature. In this study, the boron concentration conversion equation was derived from the calibration test, and the accuracy of the boron concentration conversion equation was examined through a repeatability test. Through the experiment, it was confirmed that the accuracy was up to 87.5% higher than the conventional single-detector boron meter.