US 11,728,057 B2
Nuclear fuel failure protection system
Michael D. Heibel, Broomfield, CO (US); Jorge V. Carvajal, Irwin, PA (US); Shawn C. Stafford, Scottdale, PA (US); and Jeffrey L. Arndt, Pittsburgh, PA (US)
Assigned to Westinghouse Electric Company LLC, Cranberry Township, PA (US)
Filed by Westinghouse Electric Company LLC, Cranberry Township, PA (US)
Filed on Aug. 16, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/445,155.
Application 17/445,155 is a division of application No. 16/264,815, filed on Feb. 1, 2019, granted, now 11,094,423.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/625,393, filed on Feb. 2, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2022/0084705 A1, Mar. 17, 2022
Int. Cl. G21C 17/112 (2006.01); G21C 17/022 (2006.01); G21C 17/032 (2006.01)
CPC G21C 17/112 (2013.01) [G21C 17/022 (2013.01); G21C 17/032 (2013.01)] 6 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system to determine a maximum measured internal fuel rod temperature and a peak clad temperature of one or more of fuel rods in an operating nuclear core, the system comprising:
sensors disposed in one or more of the fuel rods and being structured to directly measure the temperatures at one or more locations within the one or more of the fuel rods;
an instrument thimble disposed outside the one or more fuel rods and being structured to receive the measured temperatures from the sensors;
signal processing elements structured to receive signals indicative of the temperatures measured by the sensors and to:
identify a hottest temperature within the one or more fuel rods as the maximum measured internal fuel rod temperature and a core location where the hottest temperature is measured,
receive a measured maximum temperature of coolant exiting the core at the core location where the hottest temperature is measured and the minimum flow rate of the coolant, and
determine the peak clad temperature from the maximum measured internal fuel rod temperature, the maximum temperature of the coolant exiting the core at the core location where the hottest temperature is measured and the minimum flow rate of the coolant.