Patent ID: 9208907
Filing Date: 2015-12-08
Classification: G21C,G21D,Y02E

Abstract:
1. A method of validating a nuclear reactor instrumentation output signal for a plurality of in-reactor detectors having a plurality of detector elements radially spaced at approximately the same axial elevation relative to a nuclear reactor core with each of the detector elements having an output signal indicative of a measured reactor operating parameter at a radial and axial location at which the detector element is located, comprising the steps of: running a predictive calculation of an anticipated output of three or more of the detector elements at substantially the same axial elevation based on a current operating state of the reactor; taking a ratio of an actual signal respectively generated by the three or more detector elements at approximately the same axial elevation, to the corresponding anticipated output; generating an expected range of the ratios of the actual signals generated to the corresponding anticipated outputs for a number of adverse plant operating conditions; determining if the ratio of the actual signal generated by any of the three or more of the detector elements at substantially the same axial elevation is outside the range of ratios; spline fitting the ratios of the detector elements at substantially the same axial elevation that are within the range of ratios; identifying whether any detector element who has a ratio outside the ange has a ratio that is similar to the spline fit ratio at the corresponding radial location; and removing any detector element that has a ratio outside the range that is not similar to the spline fit ratio from reactor core calculation considerations.