Sistema de aquisição de dados e automação da calibração de barras de controle para o reator nuclear de pesquisa TRIGA IPR-R1

Abstract

The TRIGA IPR-R1 research reactor, located at the Nuclear Technology Development Center (CDTN), plays a key role in education, research, and isotope production. The calibration of its control rods, currently performed manually, requires significant time and effort while being prone to human errors. This study aims to modernize the process by developing a computational data acquisition and automation system. The proposed system utilizes modern instrumentation to capture analog and digital signals from the reactor’s Instrumentation and Control (I&C) system, processing them with enhanced precision and speed. A data acquisition server was developed to transmit real-time information to multiple users, enabling automated calculations and report generation for rod calibration. Additionally, a reactorspecific InHour equation was developed to optimize reactivity calculations based on automatically collected data. The new calibration procedure significantly reduces the time required for experiments, minimizes the number of operators involved, and ensures consistent results with traditional methods. Experimental results demonstrated the system’s effectiveness in acquiring reliable data and automating the calibration process, producing reactivity curves and graphs consistent with historical records. The computational methodology developed eliminates manual intervention in calculations, enhancing the safety and efficiency of operations. The study concludes that its objectives of reducing time, human effort, and uncertainties in the calibration process were achieved. The developed system expands the reactor’s potential for research and teaching, aligning with modernization and nuclear safety demands.