Reactor Core Monitoring

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xxix

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2. Safety First

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

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   2. Reactor Safety Goals

      • Mihály Makai, János Végh

      Pages 3-14

3. Methods Applicable to Determine Core Power Distribution

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 15-15

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   2. Core Monitoring

      • Mihály Makai, János Végh

      Pages 17-109

   3. Description of Core Power Distribution

      • Mihály Makai, János Végh

      Pages 111-129

   4. Reactor Calculation Models

      • Mihály Makai, János Végh

      Pages 131-165

   5. Application of Trial Functions

      • Mihály Makai, János Végh

      Pages 167-182

   6. Power Map Analysis

      • Mihály Makai, János Végh

      Pages 183-230

   7. Detection of Disturbances and Anomalies

      • Mihály Makai, János Végh

      Pages 231-261

4. Back Matter

   Pages 263-423

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This book presents a comprehensive overview of the computerized core monitoring techniques currently employed at pressurized water reactor (PWR) and boiling water reactor (BWR) nuclear power plants. It also offers a brief overview of the corresponding techniques at research and materials testing reactors.

The book combines detailed descriptions of the theoretical background and fundamental underlying principles as well as the practical applications of core surveillance. It not only provides numerous industrial examples to illustrate how complex computerized systems are able to support the safe operation of nuclear reactors, but also outlines some new application areas that were made possible only by state-of-the-art computing resources.

Thanks to its practical approach, it serves as a valuable and practical reference book for readers interested in the surveillance of nuclear reactors, ranging from undergraduate and postgraduate students to researchers and experts working at research reactors and nuclear power plants, as well as at nuclear regulatory authorities.

• PWR and BWR nuclear power plants
• Nuclear reactors
• In-core signal processing
• Reconstruction of core power distribution
• Core anomaly detection
• Reactor safety
• Core power distribution
• Graphical processing unit cards
• Surveillance of nuclear reactors

• Budapest, Hungary

  Mihály Makai

• Alkmaar, The Netherlands

  János Végh

Dr. Mihály Makai has worked for 39 years in the field of core calculation models, and process monitoring of commercial nuclear power plants at the Atomic Energy Research Institute, Budapest, Hungary. Currently he is a professor emeritus at the Atomic Energy Research Institute, Budapest, Hungary. Between 2003  - 2014 he worked as professor of physics at the Nuclear Institute of the Budapest Technical University giving lectures on reactor physics, transport theory, and safety analysis. He has worked as invited scientist at Argonne National Laboratory, the Saclay Centre de Recherche (France), the Demokritos Research Centre (Athens). 
Dr. M. Makai has more than 30 years experience with nuclear power plant and research reactor technology, especially in core monitoring, process monitoring, instrumentation and control. He also headed the Chemical Physics  Department of the Atomic Energy Research Institute between 2000 - 2003, and he served as Deputy Dean at the faculty of Natural Sciences of Budapest Technical University, in which he worked on safety analysis problems. Between 1983-87 he worked in the VERONA project, and afterwards on the reactor calculation complex KARATE. 

He has published six books and book chapters, above 40 papers in reputed international journals and co-authored a book on reactor core calculations. In addition he has presented 83 papers at international conferences and published several reports as open research reports.



Dr János Végh has worked for 34 years in the field of core and process monitoring of commercial nuclear power plants at the Atomic Energy Research Institute, Budapest, Hungary. Currently he is employed by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (Petten, The Netherlands) as scientific and technical project engineer working at the Nuclear Reactor Safety Assessment Department. He has more than 30 years experience with nuclear power plant and research reactor technology, especially in core monitoring, process monitoring, instrumentation and control, and human-system interfaces. He also headed the Applied Reactor Physics Department of the Atomic Energy Research Institute for 17 years. During this period he worked extensively on the development and installation of the VERONA core monitoring system currently in operation at the four VVER-440 units of the Hungarian Paks nuclear power plant. He contributed to the design, implementation, testing and documentation of four VERONA generations between 1982 and 2013 thus obtained ample theoretical and practical experience related to core surveillance systems. He has published 15 papers in reputed international journals and co-authored a book on reactor core calculations. In addition he presented 40 papers at international conferences and published 25 reports as open research reports.

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