IN-CORE FUEL MANAGEMENT OPTIMIZATION BY HEURISTIC LEARNING TECHNIQUE

The optimization of the multistage refueling decision process was studied by the heuristic approach for four-region batch refueling including shuffling. The final criterion, the average discharge burnup at the end of the whole reactor life can be regarded as a function of the weight and is maximized in the weight space by the hill climbing algorithm. A numerical simulation is given, and the maximum burnup, the refueling scheme, and the optimal weight are discussed in relation to the power-peaking factor constraint. Though the method is not guaranteed as for the optimality, reasonable solutions are obtained and the intuitive understanding of the process is possible by discussing the optimum weight of each rule.