System for continually monitoring the condition of nuclear reactor internals

A system configured to monitor structural health of reactor vessel internals within a nuclear reactor, the system comprising:

• a memory that stores historical information associated with a past performance of the nuclear reactor;
• an anomaly detection subsystem comprising a first control circuit configured to receive a signal from a sensor, wherein the signal is associated with a level of neutron noise emitted by the nuclear reactor, and wherein the anomaly detection subsystem is configured to:
• determine, via the first control circuit, a characteristic of a vibrational response of the reactor vessel internals based on the received signal;
• access, via the first control circuit, the historical information stored in the memory;
• compare, via the first control circuit, the determined characteristic to the historical information stored in the memory;
• and
• determine, via the first control circuit, a condition of the reactor vessel internals based on the comparison of the determined characteristic and the historical information;
• and
• a mechanical diagnostic subsystem communicably coupled to the memory and the anomaly detection subsystem, wherein the mechanical diagnostic subsystem comprises a second control circuit, and wherein the mechanical diagnostic subsystem is configured to:
• receive, via the second control circuit, the determined condition of the reactor vessel internals from the anomaly detection subsystem;
• generate, via the second control circuit, a computer-generated, three-dimensional model of at least a portion of the nuclear reactor;
• and
• generate, via the second control circuit, a diagnostic conclusion associated with the nuclear reactor based on the determined condition of the reactor vessel internals and the computer-generated, three-dimensional model.