Nuclear reactor protection systems and methods
AssigneesNuScale Power, LLC, Paragon Energy Solutions, LLC
InventorsGregory Wayne Clarkson, Rufino Ayala, Jason Pottorf
Life of this patent
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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; 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:
- multiple groups of sensors;
- a set of trip determination modules, individual trip determination modules in the set of trip determination modules configured to receive measured parameters from a group of sensors of the multiple groups of sensors;
- a first voting module configured to:
- receive output data from each trip determination module in the set of trip determination modules;
- make a first safety determination based on a majority indicated in the output data;
- and
- transmit a first actuation signal to a first set of safety equipment;
- and
- a second voting module configured to:
- receive the output data from each trip determination module in the set of trip determination modules;
- make a second safety determination based on the output data;
- and
- transmit a second actuation signal to a second set of safety equipment that is different from the first set of safety equipment.
A method of operating a nuclear reactor protection system, the method comprising:
- receiving measured parameters from multiple groups of sensors;
- providing the measured parameters to a set of trip determination modules, individual trip determination modules in the set of trip determination modules configured to receive measured parameters from a group of sensors of the multiple groups of sensors;
- using a first voting module configured as a first set of hardware components to make a first safety determination based at least in part on a majority of outputs received from the set of trip determination modules;
- transmitting a first actuation signal to a first set of safety equipment based on the first safety determination;
- using a second voting module configured as a second set of hardware components to make a second safety determination based at least in part on a majority of outputs received from the set of trip determination modules;
- and
- transmitting a second actuation signal to a second set of safety equipment different from the first set of safety equipment based on the second safety determination.
A module protection system (MPS) for implementation within a nuclear reactor system comprising:
- a set of trip determination modules, individual trip determination modules in the set of trip determination modules configured to receive measured parameters from a group of sensors;
- a first voting module configured to receive output data from the set of trip determination modules, make a first safety determination based on a majority indicated in the output data, and transmit a first actuation signal to a first set of safety equipment;
- and
- a second voting module configured to receive the output data from each trip determination module in the set of trip determination modules, make a second safety determination based on the output data, and transmit a second actuation signal to a second set of safety equipment that is different from the first set of safety equipment.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.