CPC G21C 17/112 (2013.01) [G21C 17/022 (2013.01); G21C 17/032 (2013.01)] | 6 Claims |
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.
|