Potential application of neural networks to nuclear power plants

This paper reports on application of neural networks to the operation of nuclear power plants being investigated under a U.S. Department of Energy sponsored program at the University of Tennessee. Projects include the feasibility of using neural networks for the following tasks: diagnosing specific abnormal conditions, detection of the change of mode of operation, signal validation, monitoring of check valves, plant-wide monitoring using autoassociative neural networks, modeling of the plant thermodynamics, emulation of core reload calculations, monitoring of plant parameters, and analysis of plant vibrations. Each of these projects and its status are described briefly in this article. The objective of each of these projects is to enhance the safety and performance of nuclear plants through the use of neural networks.