Patent ID: 8175210

Claim:
A method for collecting and designating data regarding an operating condition of a portion of a nuclear reactor core, the method comprising: positioning a first linear array of gamma thermometer (GT) sensors in a first instrument housing, wherein the GT sensors are arranged asymmetrically along the first linear array; positioning a second linear array of GT sensors in a second instrument housing, wherein the GT sensors are arranged asymmetrically along the second linear array and wherein the second linear array of GT sensors is asymmetrical with respect to the first linear array of GT sensors; positioning the first instrument housing in the reactor core at a first core location and positioning the second instrument housing at a second core location symmetrical with respect to the first core location, wherein a line of symmetry of the core extends through a center of the core and the first core location, at which is positioned the first instrument housing and first linear array of GT sensors, and the second core location, at which is positioned the second instrument housing including a second linear array of GT sensors, and the second core location is a same horizontal distance from the line of symmetry as is the first instrument housing, wherein the horizontal distance is along a line perpendicular to the line of symmetry; collecting core condition data from at least one of the GT sensors in the first linear array of GT sensors, designating the collected core condition data as equivalent to core condition data at an elevation on the second linear array that is the same as the elevation of the at least one of the GT sensors in the first linear array; and applying the designated core condition data and collected core condition data as overall core condition data.