Pulsed ionization chamber methodology applied to reactor power measurement revisited

Since 1985, the plasma diagnostic PIC (pulsed ionization chamber) system has been repeatedly upgraded. A complete system incorporating microcomputer-based control and data acquisition, analysis, and hard copy output has been recently reported. The new features, implemented with IEEE-488 (GPIB) compatible NIM instruments, a Macintosh 17 series microcomputer, and National Instrument, Inc.´s LabVIEW software, modules, and plug-in I/O boards, are readily applicable to reactor instrumentation systems. A preliminary design of such a system has been recently completed and tests have been conducted at the University of Florida Training Reactor. Recent encouraging results, the advantages of the PIC mode ionization chamber, the possibility of full implementation of a microcomputer-based system, the system´s promises of further enhancements, and the instrumentation requirements for reactors of advanced design indicate that additional development work in this field would be a productive undertaking