Application of periodic perturbations to a RELAP5 hydraulic simulation to determine frequency response
Time series analysis requires a collection of data taken sequentially in time to apply techniques for identification, modeling, prediction or control purposes. Some systems operating at steady state are perturbed with white noise to extract system information using autoregressive models or spectral analysis, and then the dynamic response is used to assess system properties. If it is not possible to perturb the physical system, a mathematical model can be used to work with and study the perturbation effect. In this work, the system object of perturbation study is a RELAP5 hydraulic model, and since the excitation with a white noise sequence is not readily implementable, an alternative is proposed to apply a series of periodic steps in a square wave pattern. With this periodic excitation, the output of a RELAP5 model for a hydraulic piping system can be analyzed with frequency domain tools. The piping systems can be found in the balance of plant of a steam power plant, and the aim of this work is to explore the capability of RELAP5 to determine system frequency characteristics linked to mechanical vibration in operating lines of a power plant. (authors)