Robust reactivity, neutron source, and precursor estimators for nuclear reactors

Reactivity, precursor concentration, and external neutron source strength determine control, operation and performance of nuclear reactors. These main reactor quantities are not directly measurable and must be calculated or estimated using reactor kinetics. This study presents efficient and robust nonlinear estimation algorithms for predicting these fundamental reactor quantities. The effectiveness of the proposed estimators is assessed through chirp and step test signals in the presence of parameter uncertainties and measurement noise.