Monitoring and control of reactor vessel heat treatment.

摘要

A process for controlling a vessel annealing treatment in which a heater unit assembly (2,4,6,8,10,12) composed of a plurality of electric heater units (6) is disposed in a vessel such that each heater unit (6) is in facing relation with a respective zone of the vessel, the heater unit assembly (2,4,6,8,10,12) being composed of a plurality of regions each containing a respective plurality of heater units (6), by the steps of: supplying electric current to each heater unit (6) for causing the heater unit (6) to deliver heat energy to the vessel; individually sensing the temperature of each zone of the vessel and producing a representation of each sensed temperature; deriving a representation of the temperature of each zone of the vessel by mathematically combining the sensed temperature representation of each zone with the sensed temperature representation of all other zones associated with the same region; at least periodically determining the quantity of heat to be produced by each heater unit (6) on the basis of the temperature representation derived for the zone with which that heater unit (6) is in facing relation; and adjusting the level of current supplied to each heater unit (6) on the basis of the results produced in the determining step.