PRESSURIZED-WATER REACTOR RELOAD DESIGN BY AN EXPERT-SYSTEM

A knowledge-based expert system was developed for generating a pressur ized water reactor fuel reload design. First, an initial lending patte rn was generated according to the fuel assembly's infinite multiplicat ion factor by using heuristic rules. Then, the fuel assembly was swapp ed or rotated using heuristic rules, to satisfy an assumed search targ et. The search target was the defined nuclear enthalpy rise hot-channe l factor F-Delta H at each fuel assembly location. When F-Delta H's of a trial loading pattern satisfied the search target, the pattern met the design limit at each exposure checkpoint for all control rods out and D-bank control rods half-inserted conditions, which is the design requirement. The developed program successfully generated several relo ad cycles for the Maanshan nuclear power plant in Taiwan.