The Automatic Reactor Control System (ARCS) Upgrade, version 2.0 for TREAT

Baker, Benjamin A [Idaho National Laboratory] (ORCID:0000000262742478); Heim, Andrew Joseph [Idaho National Laboratory]; Hansen, Jacob E [Idaho National Laboratory]; Hanson, Kirby J [Idaho National Laboratory]; Chase, Benjamin M [Idaho National Laboratory]

DOE OSTI · 3028732

The Automatic Reactor Control System (ARCS) Upgrade, version 2.0 for TREAT

Baker, Benjamin A [Idaho National Laboratory] (ORCID:0000000262742478)·Heim, Andrew Joseph [Idaho National Laboratory]·Hansen, Jacob E [Idaho National Laboratory]·Hanson, Kirby J [Idaho National Laboratory]·Chase, Benjamin M [Idaho National Laboratory]

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Abstract

The Transient REActor Test Facility (TREAT) recently underwent an upgraded to the Automatic Reactor Control System (ARCS). The purpose of the upgrade was to institute a new software architecture that is better suited for the programming environment, patched software bugs and applied two new segments for reactor control. This paper will focus on the new segments for reactor control. The two new control segments added to ARCS are called Generic Power and Generic Rods. The original version of ARCS provided only two power related functions, namely periods and ramps, that had to be spliced together to generate any power shape. The Generic Power segment allows the user to input data points to define the function and then the algorithm does its best to create the desired shape. The original ARCS program utilized two direct rod commands (i.e. open loop control), these were a rod stop and clip. A Generic Rod segment extends the ability of the computer to directly command any rod position. The functionality of these new segments was proven during the TREAT outage in 2024.

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BibTeX RIS

Baker, Benjamin A [Idaho National Laboratory] (ORCID:0000000262742478), Heim, Andrew Joseph [Idaho National Laboratory], Hansen, Jacob E [Idaho National Laboratory], Hanson, Kirby J [Idaho National Laboratory], Chase, Benjamin M [Idaho National Laboratory]. 2025-06-16. The Automatic Reactor Control System (ARCS) Upgrade, version 2.0 for TREAT. https://www.osti.gov/biblio/3028732

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