Exploration of the search space of the in-core fuel management problem by knowledge-based techniques

The process of generating reload configuration patterns is presented as a search procedure. The search space of the problem which is particularly called 'large space search problem' should be understood in order to choose a suitable search method and to utilize adequately domain heristic knowledge. A worth function is developed based on two performance parameters; cycle length and power peaking factor. A series of experiments were performed to generate 300,000 patterns which were later analyzed by simulating the power production cycle and by evaluating the two performance parameters. The worth function was calculated and plotted. Analysis of the worth function revealed a complicated search space. It is concluded that the basic challenge of the reload configuration design is due to an extremely large space and its complicated structure. It is suggested that heuristically guided search is appropriate for the problem.