G21C17/002

Analysis device for the detection of fission products by measurement of a radioactivity

An analysis device (10) for the detection of fission products by measurement of a radioactivity includes a first line (12) for carrying a liquid sample, a first detector (17) connected to the first line (12) and designed for measuring the radioactivity of fission products contained in the liquid sample, a second line (23) for carrying a gas sample and a second detector (29) connected to the second line (23) and designed for measuring the radioactivity of fission products contained in the gas sample. The analysis device includes a separation device (18) for separating gas from the first line (12) carrying the liquid sample, which line has an outlet opening into the second line (23) for removed gas in such a manner that the removed gas can be supplied as a gas sample to the first detector (17) for measuring the radioactivity of fission products contained therein.

Heat exchanger and nuclear power plant comprising same

The present invention relates to a plate heat exchanger and provides a heat exchanger and a nuclear power plant comprising same, the heat exchanger comprising: a plate unit having multiple plates overlapping one another; a flow path unit, which forms flow paths having fluids flowing therein by processing at least parts of the respective plates; and a detection flow path formed between the multiple plates so as to allow the fluids leaking from the flow paths to flow thereinto and formed so as to detect the leakage of the fluids from the flow paths.

Nuclear instrumentation system and method for locating the same

A nuclear instrumentation system includes a source range channel, an intermediate range channel, and a power range channel. Each channel includes one detector installed around the pressure vessel. The detectors of the power range channel and the intermediate range channel both include several fission chambers. The detectors of the intermediate range channel and power range channel share several fission chambers. Since some detectors employ fission chambers, the Gamma radiation resistance property, anti-noise property, and anti-electromagnetic interference property are improved. Sharing fission chambers reduces the number of detectors to be installed, thus relieving the installation workload and the positioning of a follow-up detector. Further, the system increases the number of some channels, which increases redundancy and improves system reliability.

Leak detection and containment for liquid cooled computing

An assembly for containing and detecting leaks from a coolant line includes a basin with side and end walls, and at least one U-shaped cavity in an end wall for receiving a coolant line of a liquid cooling system. A bottom of the basin includes at least one sloped interior surface arranged to divert water in the basin to a local low point, where a sensor is positioned and operable to detect liquid in the collection basin. A leak detection system can employ a leak detection assembly to detect and/or locate a leak.

ENVIRONMENTALLY SEQUESTERED SPENT FUEL POOL
20200035370 · 2020-01-30 · ·

An environmentally sequestered nuclear spent fuel pool in one embodiment includes sidewalls and a base slab that confine a water impoundment. The pool includes fuel racks containing spent fuel assemblies which heat the water via radioactive decay. A dual liner system enclosing the pool forms an impervious barrier providing redundant provisions for preventing leakage of contaminated pool water into the environment. An interstitial space is formed between the liners which may be maintained at sub-atmospheric pressures by a vacuum pump system that evacuates the space. By maintaining the pressure in the space at a negative pressure with corresponding boiling point less than the temperature of the pool water, any leakage through the inner-most liner into the interstitial space will vaporize and be extracted via the pump for signaling a potential leak in the liner system.

PROCESS SIGNAL CONTROL AND MONITORING SYSTEM
20200027597 · 2020-01-23 · ·

A process signal control and monitoring system, includes: a signal processing device which is installed on an outside of a nuclear reactor containment vessel, an internal electrical power source, an analog-digital conversion part, an internal communication part which transmits the digital signal to the signal processing device, an internal repeater, and an external repeater which transmits the received signal to a communication satellite. When electric power supply from the signal processing device is disconnected, the internal electrical power source supplies electric power which is charged in the rechargeable battery, to the analog-digital conversion part and the internal communication part; and the internal communication part judges whether communication with the signal processing device is continued or disconnected; and when the communication is judged to be continued, the internal communication part continues transmitting the digital signal to the signal processing device.

Predicting Multiple Nuclear Fuel Failures, Failure Locations and Thermal Neutron Flux 3D Distributions Using Artificial Intelligent and Machine Learning
20190392959 · 2019-12-26 · ·

Most commercial power reactors in the world, so called second generation of nuclear power plants (NPP), were designed in 1960s and 1970s. Due to technology constrains, these NPP's nuclear fuel burnup data are calculated as a whole of a fuel assembly (FA) based on the total core power output during certain period of time and the theoretical physics calculation of the thermal neutron flux (TNF) distribution in the reactor core. This traditional burnup calculation based on theoretical TNF 3-D distribution for each FA in the core is far less accurate in term of pin-point burnup data along the entire length of a FA. Therefore, the most contribution factor to fuel failure event, e.g. the accurate burnup data at a fine grained location along a FA, could not be obtained by these existing methods and practice in these NPPs.

This invention applies the modern machine learning and artificial intelligent methods to provide a much finer-grained TNF 3D distribution prediction for these second generation NPPs. With this pin-point TNF data along each FA's length, the maximum burnup locations in the entire core can be determined. This will result a more accurate method for determine the fuel failure locations after fuel failure events.

Environmentally sequestered spent fuel pool
10468145 · 2019-11-05 · ·

An environmentally sequestered nuclear spent fuel pool in one embodiment includes sidewalls and a base slab that confine a water impoundment. The pool includes fuel racks containing spent fuel assemblies which heat the water via radioactive decay. A dual liner system enclosing the pool forms an impervious barrier providing redundant provisions for preventing leakage of contaminated pool water into the environment. An interstitial space is formed between the liners which may be maintained at sub-atmospheric pressures by a vacuum pump system that evacuates the space. By maintaining the pressure in the space at a negative pressure with corresponding boiling point less than the temperature of the pool water, any leakage through the inner-most liner into the interstitial space will vaporize and be extracted via the pump for signaling a potential leak in the liner system.

Gravity-based, non-invasive reactor system and method for coolant inventory monitoring

A gravity-based, non-invasive method of measuring a level of fluid in a container comprises use of at least one gravity meter located as proximate a center of mass of the fluid as possible. In a nuclear reactor system a method for monitoring the level of fluid in a nuclear reactor module, a report of a loss or gain of fluid within a cylindrical module may be generated from capturing a time series of gravity data from a first gravity meter mounted as an upper gravity meter and a second gravity meter mounted as a lower gravity meter, for example, proximate a cylindrical nuclear reactor module so as not to require any invasive conduit through, for example, a containment pressure vessel (CPV) or a reactor pressure vessel (RPV). In one embodiment, the upper and lower gravity meters are mounted on stable mounts as close to the fluid in the module as possible within a coolant pool or a structure containing cooled air. If a coolant pool of water surrounds a nuclear reactor module, the meters may be housed within a dry housing in the coolant pool such that the meters may be accessed from above the coolant pool and are located as close as possible to the reactor module and its contained mass of fluid.

System and method for preventing and monitoring leakage of water from tank liner

Disclosed are a system and method for preventing and monitoring a leakage of water from a tank liner at a storage tank having: a concrete reservoir; the tank liner made up of a wall liner that is formed by coupling a plurality of first panels and is attached to an inner wall of the concrete reservoir, and a floor liner that is formed by coupling a plurality of second panels, is attached to a floor of the concrete reservoir, and is coupled to the wall liner by welding; a leaking water collecting plate formed by welding a plurality of third panels and inserted between the floor liner and the floor of the concrete reservoir; and an edge leaking water collecting channel buried in an edge of the storage tank and configured to collect leaking water discharged between the floor liner and the leaking water collecting plate.