Method and apparatus for preventing inadvertent criticality in a nuclear fueled electric powering generating unit
US4582672A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 11, 1982 |
| Grant date | Apr 15, 1986 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 11, 2002 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02E30/30
- WIPO fieldEngines, pumps, turbines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
An inadvertent approach to criticality in a nuclear fueled electric power generating unit is detected and an alarm is generated through on-line monitoring of the neutron flux. The difficulties of accurately measuring the low levels of neutron flux in a subcritical reactor are overcome by the use of a microcomputer which continuously generates average flux count rate signals for incremental time periods from thousands of samples taken during each such period and which serially stores the average flux count rate signals for a preselected time interval. At the end of each incremental time period, the microcomputer compares the latest average flux count rate signal with the oldest, and preferably each of the intervening stored values, and if it exceeds any of them by at least a preselected multiplication factor, an alarm is generated. The interval and multiplication factor are chosen such that an alarm is generated early enough in the event to provide adequate time for an automatic system or the operator to take action which prevents the reactor from going critical yet minimizes the likelihood of a spurious response. As applied to a pressurized water reactor system, boron dilution even…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.