Title: A fuzzy inference system for two-phase flow regime identification from radiography images

Authors: Tatiana Tambouratzis, Imre Pazsit

Addresses: Department of Industrial Management & Technology, University of Piraeus, 107 Deligiorgi St, Piraeus 185 34, Greece. ' Department of Nuclear Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, SE-41296 Goteborg, Sweden

Abstract: Swiftly identifying the two-phase flow that occurs in coolant channels is crucial for monitoring energy producing installations such as boiling water reactors. In this piece of research, a Sugeno-type fuzzy inference system is implemented for online, non-invasive flow regime identification. The proposed system is predominantly efficient in its construction and operation: a single directly computable input is employed and as many fuzzy inference outputs and rules are used as there are flow regimes to be identified. Non-invasiveness is accomplished through the utilisation of radiography images. Compactness notwithstanding, the fuzzy inference system successfully and reliably identifies the flow regime of sequences of frames from neutron radiography videos.

Keywords: flow regime identification; two-phase flow; energy producing installations; boiling water reactors; coolant channels; monitoring; neutron radiography images; neutron radiography videos; fuzzy inference systems; Sugeno-type; non-invasiveness; online operations.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNEST.2010.035542

International Journal of Nuclear Energy Science and Technology, 2010 Vol.5 No.4, pp.321 - 334

Published online: 30 Sep 2010 *

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