Granted Patent B2

US 8,767,903 · App. 12/986,242 · Granted Jul 1, 2014

Abstract

Claims (26)

1. A nuclear reactor in-core detector system including an in-core nuclear instrument thimble assembly comprising:

a self-powered, fixed, in-core detector for monitoring a reactor core parameter indicative of a state of a reactor core and providing an electrical output representative of the monitored parameter;

a wireless transmitter connected to receive the electrical output, wherein the wireless transmitter comprises a number of electronic components at least one of which is a Vacuum Micro-Electric Device configured as a vacuum diode placed in a grid circuit of an amplifier which is connected to the electrical output of the self-powered, fixed, in-core detector and responds substantially logarithmically, thus enabling the electronic components to follow the monitored neutron flux from startup through full power of a nuclear reactor in which the in-core detector system is disposed; and

wherein substantially the entire in-core nuclear instrument thimble assembly is wholly contained within an instrument thimble within a nuclear fuel assembly without any in-core detector wiring external to the instrument thimble, inside a reactor vessel in which the in-core detector system is disposed.

2. The nuclear reactor in-core detector system of claim 1 wherein in addition to the amplifier the electronic components include a current-to-voltage converter and a voltage controlled oscillator with an output of the amplifier connected to an input of the current-to-voltage converter whose output is connected to an input of the voltage controlled oscillator that provides a frequency output proportional to a voltage on the input of the voltage controlled oscillator so that a current which is the electrical output representative of the monitored parameter which is connected to the amplifier is converted to a corresponding frequency that can be transmitted by the wireless transmitter wirelessly.

3. The nuclear reactor in-core detector system of claim 2 wherein the voltage controlled oscillator comprises a Micro-Electronic reactance tube.

4. The nuclear reactor in-core detector system of claim 1 wherein the electronic components comprise an input of a first amplifier connected to the electrical output of the self-powered, fixed, in-core detector, an input of a current-to-voltage converter connected to an output of the amplifier, an input of a voltage controlled oscillator connected to an output of the current-to-voltage converter, an input of a second amplifier connected to an output of the voltage controlled oscillator and a wireless transmission circuit connected to an output of the second amplifier for wirelessly transmitting the output of the second amplifier.

5. The nuclear reactor in-core detector system of claim 1 including a wireless receiver circuit and signal conditioning component designed to be situated remote from the reactor vessel, substantially including conventional solid state components.

6. The nuclear reactor in-core detector system of claim 1 including:

a wireless receiver at least in part positioned outside and within the vicinity of the reactor vessel for receiving signals from the wireless transmitter; and

a re-transmitter for transmitting to an area remote from the reactor vessel the signals received from the wireless transmitter.

7. The nuclear reactor in-core detector system of claim 6 wherein the re-transmitter is a second wireless transmission circuit that transmits the signals received from the wireless transmitter to a second wireless receiver that communicates the signals received from the wireless transmitter by way of the wireless receiver and the re-transmitter to processing circuitry remote from the reactor vessel.

8. The nuclear reactor in-core detector system of claim 7 wherein the second wireless receiver is positioned within the vicinity of a containment wall that shields a reactor power facility in which the in-core detector system is placed.

9. A nuclear fuel assembly having a top nozzle and a bottom nozzle and a plurality of thimble tubes extending between and substantially connected to the top nozzle and the bottom nozzle, at least one of the thimble tubes comprising an instrumentation thimble that houses a fixed in-core detector system comprising:

a self-powered, fixed, in-core detector for monitoring a reactor core parameter indicative of a state of a reactor core and providing an electrical output representative of the monitored parameter;

a wireless transmitter connected to receive the electrical output, wherein the wireless transmitter comprises a number of electronic components at least one of which is a Vacuum Micro-Electronic Device configured as a vacuum diode placed in a grid circuit of an amplifier which is connected to the electrical output of the self-powered, fixed, in-core detector and responds substantially logarithmically, thus enabling the electronic components to follow the monitored neutron flux from startup through full power of a nuclear reactor in which the in-core detector system is disposed; and

wherein substantially the entire in-core nuclear instrument thimble assembly is wholly contained within an instrument thimble within a nuclear fuel assembly without any in-core detector wiring external to the instrument thimble, inside a reactor vessel in which the in-core detector is disposed.

10. The nuclear reactor in-core detector system of claim 9 wherein in addition to the amplifier the electronic components include a current-to-voltage converter and a voltage controlled oscillator with an output of the amplifier connected to an input of the current-to-voltage converter whose output is connected to an input of the voltage controlled oscillator that provides a frequency output proportional to a voltage on the input of the voltage controlled oscillator so that a current which is the electrical output representative of the monitored parameter which is connected to the amplifier is converted to a corresponding frequency that can be transmitted by the wireless transmitter.

11. The nuclear reactor in-core detector system of claim 10 wherein the voltage controlled oscillator comprises a Micro-Electronic reactance tube.

12. The nuclear reactor in-core detector system of claim 9 wherein the electronic components comprise an input of a first amplifier connected to the electrical output of the self-powered, fixed, in-core detector, an input of a current-to-voltage converter connected to an output of the amplifier, an input of a voltage controlled oscillator connected to an output of the current-to-voltage converter, an input of a second amplifier connected to an output of the voltage controlled oscillator and a wireless transmission circuit connected to an output of the second amplifier for wirelessly transmitting the output of the second amplifier.

13. The nuclear reactor in-core detector system of claim 9 including a wireless receiver circuit and signal conditioning component designed to be situated remote from the reactor vessel, substantially including conventional solid state components.

14. The nuclear reactor in-core detector system of claim 9 including:

a wireless receiver at least in part positioned outside and within the vicinity of the reactor vessel for receiving signals from the wireless transmitter; and

a re-transmitter for transmitting to an area remote from the reactor vessel the signals received from the wireless transmitter.

15. The nuclear reactor in-core detector system of claim 14 wherein the re-transmitter is a second wireless transmission circuit that transmits the signals received from the wireless transmitter to a second wireless receiver that communicates the signals received from the wireless transmitter by way of the wireless receiver and the re-transmitter to processing circuitry remote from the reactor vessel.

16. The nuclear reactor in-core detector system of claim 15 wherein the second wireless receiver is positioned within the vicinity of a containment wall that shields a reactor power facility in which the in-core detector system is placed.

Assignments (11)