Extended particle filter design for poisons concentrations estimation in a nuclear power plant using reactor power measurements under different reactor power conditions

Abstract

Accurate control of reactor power is one of the persistent challenges in the operation of nuclear power plants. The variation of neutron-absorbing fission products, mainly xenon and samarium, has a considerable influence on the reactor’s dynamic behavior and control performance. Since these isotopes cannot be directly measured with sufficient precision, it becomes essential to estimate their concentrations through advanced filtering methods. In this work, an Extended Particle Filter (EPF) is developed for xenon and samarium concentrations estimation in a Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR). The reactor dynamics are modeled by a one-point kinetics formulation that includes one delayed neutron group. To validate the proposed method, its performance is compared with the Particle filter (PF) and the Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) under different load-following scenarios. The simulation outcomes confirm that the Extended Particle Filter (EPF) delivers enhanced estimation precision and robustness, providing an effective solution for improving reactor power control performance.