Digital Start-Up Control of a Research Reactor

The automatic start-up of the Toshiba Training Reactor, a 100 kW swimming-pool type reactor, from its source level up to the power level is made possible with a digital computer. The digital computer specially designed for this purpose is used to count pulse signals of the neutron detector every Δt seconds and, at the same time, to calculate reactor period for the indication and inverse period for the control using an approximate formula. The calculated inverse period together with the number of counts is compared with the program of start-up which is preset on push-buttons on the control panel of the computer, sending digital control signals to the control rod servo-mechanisms. The control signal is so determined that the speed of the control rod is in proportion to the deviation of the inverse period from the preset value.