Patent ID: 6404835
Filing Date: 2002-06-11
Classification: G21C,Y02E

Abstract:
A method for measuring the drop time of at least one control or shutdown rod in a nuclear reactor, said method comprising the steps of:(a) releasing a rod from a resting position above a nuclear reactor core; (b) guiding the rod through a plurality of energized coils; (c) recording a signal present at the plurality of energized coils, said signal being recorded from said step of releasing a rod from a resting position above a nuclear reactor core until the rod comes to a resting position within the reactor core, said signal including both a coil power measurement and a rod drop trace, said coil power measurement including information about the instantaneous power of the plurality of energized coils, said rod drop trace including information about the electrical signal induced in the plurality of energized coils by the rod; and (d) filtering said signal to isolate the rod drop trace from coil power measurement to identify the drop time.