Previous sections contain discussions of all of the reactor types with current or near-term importance as central-station power plants. Tests have also been performed on research reactors, isotope production reactors, nuclear rocket engines, and prototypes of potential advanced types of central station power reactors. Many of these reactors are one-of-a-kind, and testing experiences with them generally are interesting more for what they tell about testing procedures than for what they tell about the dynamics of these reactors.

A great deal of useful experience has been obtained in these tests. This experience has had an influence on the development of the technology whose status is described in other portions of this book, but a description of the individual tests does not seem warranted. Instead, a rather complete bibliography is included to serve the interested reader.

8.4. Conclusions

A great deal of theoretical and practical experience with frequency response testing in nuclear reactors has been accumulated. This experience has demonstrated that methods for planning, performing, and interpreting these tests are suitably developed for routine use in power reactors.

[1] Represent each dependent variable as an equilibrium value plus a deviation from equilibrium :

x = x0 + 5x.

[2] Substitute this form for each term in the equations.

[3] If a function of a dependent variable occurs, write the function as a power series in 5x.

[4] Eliminate all terms that contain products of deviations from equilib­rium. This is justified if the model is used only for “small” perturbations. Terms with products of small quantities are smaller than terms with these small quantities raised to the first power.

[5] S. M. Shinners, Control System Design. Wiley, New York, 1964.