Experimental comparison of the heat balance method and the neutron noise technique for thermal power calibration in the RP-10 research reactor

Tataje P.; Sanchez H.; Suica J.; Aguirre Á. · Annals of Nuclear Energy (2026) · DOI: 10.1016/j.anucene.2026.112529

Resumen

Four relatively low-power values, between 0.4 and 5.2 kW, were measured under critical conditions, natural convection, and neglecting temperature feedback effects using the neutron noise technique. Based on these values, the calibration of the Compensated Ionization Chamber (CIC) of Linear Channel 4 (CM4) was performed by weighted linear least squares. Afterwards, the heat balance technique was applied under forced convection at higher power levels, approximately between 0.9 and 5.2 MW, in order to calibrate the same channel, also using weighted linear least squares.The values of the two calibration factors obtained by both techniques are in good agreement. The neutron noise technique demonstrated higher accuracy, characterized by lower and more stable uncertainties, highlighting its strong potential to be adopted as a standard method for thermal power measurement in research reactors.

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos; Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería