US 12,374,467 B2
Nuclear reactor protection systems and methods
Gregory Wayne Clarkson, Waverly, KS (US); Rufino Ayala, Corvallis, OR (US); and Jason Pottorf, Lebanon, OR (US)
Assigned to NUSCALE POWER, LLC, Corvallis, OR (US); and PARAGON ENERGY SOLUTIONS, LLC, Fort Worth, TX (US)
Filed by NuScale Power, LLC, Portland, OR (US); and PARAGON ENERGY SOLUTIONS, LLC, Forth Worth, TX (US)
Filed on Mar. 15, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/122,028.
Application 18/122,028 is a continuation of application No. 17/077,979, filed on Oct. 22, 2020, granted, now 11,728,051.
Application 17/077,979 is a continuation of application No. 14/198,891, filed on Mar. 6, 2014, granted, now 11,017,907, issued on May 25, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/922,625, filed on Dec. 31, 2013.
Prior Publication US 2023/0290527 A1, Sep. 14, 2023
Int. Cl. G21C 7/36 (2006.01); G21C 9/00 (2006.01); G05B 9/02 (2006.01); G06F 1/28 (2006.01); G06F 11/00 (2006.01); G21C 17/00 (2006.01); G21D 3/04 (2006.01); G21D 3/06 (2006.01); H02H 3/05 (2006.01)
CPC G21C 9/00 (2013.01) [G21C 7/36 (2013.01); G05B 9/02 (2013.01); G06F 1/28 (2013.01); G06F 11/00 (2013.01); G21C 17/00 (2013.01); G21D 3/04 (2013.01); G21D 3/06 (2013.01); H02H 3/05 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A nuclear reactor protection system, comprising:
a first logic circuit configured as a first set of hardware components that include multiple redundant circuits and a voting circuit, the first logic circuit configured to:
receive a first set of inputs from a first set of one or more sensors for a nuclear power system; and
logically derive a first safety determination based on the first set of inputs, wherein the first safety determination is made by the voting circuit based on a majority of outputs received from the multiple redundant circuits, the first safety determination associated with a transient event of a nuclear reactor or a portion thereof,
a second logic circuit configured as a second set of hardware components different from the first set of hardware components to:
receive a second set of inputs from a second set of one or more sensors for the nuclear power system, wherein the second set of inputs include measured parameters different from the first set of inputs; and
logically derive a second safety determination based on the second set of inputs, wherein the second safety determination is associated with the transient event; and
a safety actuator configured to actuate in response to the first and second safety determinations and address the transient event.