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US 11,961,625 B2Granted
Nuclear reactor protection systems and methods
AssigneeNuScale Power, LLC
InventorsGregory Wayne Clarkson, Rufino Ayala, Jason Pottorf
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A nuclear reactor protection system includes a plurality of functionally independent modules, each of the modules configured to receive a plurality of inputs from a nuclear reactor safety system, and logically determine a safety action based at least in part on the plurality of inputs, each of the functionally independent modules comprising a digital module or a combination digital and analog module, an analog module electrically coupled to one or more of the functionally independent modules, and one or more nuclear reactor safety actuators communicably coupled to the plurality of functionally independent modules to receive the safety action determination based at least in part on the plurality of inputs.
Claims20
A nuclear reactor protection system, comprising:
- a first logic circuit configured in hardware to logically derive a first safety determination based at least in part on a first set of inputs, wherein the first safety determination is associated with an estimated condition of a nuclear reactor or a portion thereof,
- a second logic circuit configured in hardware to logically derive a second safety determination based at least in part on a second set of inputs,
- wherein the second set of inputs is separate from both the first safety determination and the first set of inputs, and
- wherein the second safety determination is associated with the estimated condition and separate from the first safety determination;
- and
- a display interface module (DIM) including a first converter circuit and a second converter circuit respectively coupled to the first and second logic circuits and configured in hardware to respectively process the first and second safety determinations or representations thereof and to provide driver functionalities for displaying the first and second safety determinations or a processing result thereof across one or more display panels that is/are directly connected to the DIM, wherein the first and second converter circuits have different designs for preserving one or more forms of diversity in processing the first and second safety determinations.
3 more elements
A nuclear reactor protection system, comprising:
- a first logic circuit configured in hardware to logically derive a first safety determination based at least in part on a first set of inputs, wherein the first safety determination is associated with an estimated condition of a nuclear reactor or a portion thereof,
- a second logic circuit configured in hardware to logically derive a second safety determination based at least in part on a second set of inputs, wherein the second safety determination is associated with the estimated condition;
- a display interface module (DIM) coupled to the first and second logic circuits and configured in hardware to process the first and second safety determinations or representations thereof and for displaying on a display panel that is directly connected to the DIM;
- a monitoring and indication bus (MIB) communicatively coupled to the first logic circuit, the second logic circuit, and the DIM, the MIB configured to communicate status and/or diagnostics information associated with the nuclear reactor protection system to the DIM for displaying on the display panel, wherein the status and/or diagnostics information includes the first and second safety determinations or representations thereof;
- and
- a control circuit communicatively coupled to receive the first and second safety determinations from the first and second logic circuits, the control circuit configured to generate a safety action signal based on the first and second safety determinations, wherein
- the safety action signal is configured to control a nuclear reactor safety actuator to address the estimated condition;
- and
- the safety action signal is communicated over the MIB;
- and
- wherein
- the DIM is configured to generate one or more panel drive signals configured to operate the display panel to communicate a status of the nuclear reactor safety actuator according to the first and second safety determinations.
9 more elements
A method of operating a nuclear reactor protection system, the method comprising:
- using a first logic circuit, logically determining a first safety determination based at least in part on a first set of inputs, wherein the first safety determination is associated with an estimated condition of a nuclear reactor or a portion thereof,
- using a second logic circuit, logically determining a second safety determination based at least in part on a second set of inputs,
- wherein the second set of inputs is separate from both the first safety determination and the first set of inputs, and
- wherein the second safety determination is associated with the estimated condition and separate from the first safety determination;
- and
- according to a predetermined hardware configuration of a display interface module (DIM), using a first converter circuit and a second converter circuit to respectively process the first and second safety determinations or representations thereof and to provide driver functionalities for displaying the first and second safety determinations or a processing result thereof across one or more display panels that is/are directly connected to the DIM, wherein the first and second converter circuits have different designs for preserving one or more forms of diversity in processing the first and second safety determinations.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.