Research on Operational Capability of Fuel Elements Cycling System in Pebble Bed Reactor

Fuel elements cycling system (FECS) is the key system to realize the "multi-pass" scheme of spherical fuel elements in pebble bed reactor. The control logic of FECS is very complex, and hence a reasonable system operation planning is necessary to effectively reduce the design period of the control system. In this paper, considering the complexity of FECS and the uncertainty of the process parameters, FECS was studied through simulation technique. The dynamic simulation scheme for FECS was designed using simulation software Arena, and the principle and process of modeling and simulation were described. The results showed that the operational capability of FECS was adequate while there were some aspects need to be improved. In view of the shortcoming that the utilization ratios of some key equipments were not higher, improvement suggestions were proposed, which provided a new method for the operation plan and optimum design of FECS.