Apparatus for thermal performance monitoring and safe operation of a nuclear power plant

A computing apparatus for improving system control and/or safety of a nuclear power plant, said plant comprising a Reactor Vessel (RV) containing a fissioning material and a Turbine Cycle (TC), the computing apparatus comprising:

• a data acquisition device which collects data associated with the nuclear power plant comprising Operating Parameters which include a set of Off-Line Operating Parameters and set of On-Line Operating Parameters, the data acquisition device producing a set of acquired system data;
• a computer with a means for processing instructions;
• a set of computer instructions which describe the NCV Method through which a complete thermodynamic understanding of the nuclear power plant is achieved, said understanding based on a plurality of First and Second Laws of thermodynamics which produce computational nexus between a set of neutronic and system thermodynamic parameters including a neutron flux dependent term, thermodynamic boundary conditions and system fluid mass flows;
• means for programming the computer with the set of instructions, resulting in a programmed computer;
• means for receiving as input to the programmed computer the set of acquired system data;
• execution of the programmed computer, based on the set of acquired system data producing the complete thermodynamic understanding of the nuclear power plant which includes a set of Thermal Performance Parameters;
• and
• actions instigated by the operator based on the complete thermodynamic understanding of the nuclear power plant and the set of Thermal Performance Parameters, resulting in improved system control and/or safety of the nuclear power plant.