Reactor Water-Level/Temperature Measurement Apparatus

• US 20130177122A1
• Filed: 12/26/2012
• Published: 07/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hitachi-Ge Nuclear Energy Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi-Ge Nuclear Energy Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: FUSHIMI, Atsushi, BABA, Atsushi, YAMADA, Izumi, MURATA, Akira, ASANO, Tamotsu, KOYAMA, Mikio, KATSUYAMA, Hiroaki, HAMA, Ryuta, ARITA, Setsuo, KANADA, Masaki, NAITO, Itsuki
• Application Number:
  US13/727,374
• Publication Number:
  US 20130177122A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 376/247
• CPC Class Codes: G21C 17/035 Moderator- or coolant-level detecting devices indicating or measuring liquid level in general G01F23/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 30/30 Nuclear fission reactors

Abstract

A reactor water-level/temperature measurement apparatus is disclosed that includes an in-core instrumentation tube inserted into an in-core instrumentation housing and an in-core instrumentation guide tube, a plurality of water-level/temperature detection sensors provided in the tube, a temperature measurement device measuring the temperature of a thermocouple included in each of the sensors, a heater control device for controlling a current flowing to a heater wire included in each of the sensors, a storage device used for storing a threshold-value table, and a water atmosphere and a sensor failure and a water-level/temperature/failure determination device.

Claims

1. A reactor water-level/temperature measurement apparatus for detecting a water level in a reactor on the basis of temperatures measured by making use of a plurality of thermocouples installed inside a reactor pressure vessel, the reactor water-level/temperature measurement apparatus comprising:

an in-core instrumentation housing welded to the bottom of the pressure vessel;

an in-core instrumentation guide tube placed between the upper portion of the in-core instrumentation housing and a reactor-core support plate;

an in-core instrumentation tube inserted into the in-core instrumentation housing and the in-core instrumentation guide tube;

a water-level/temperature detection sensor including one of the thermocouples and a heater wire, the thermocouples being installed at a plurality of vertical positions inside the in-core instrumentation tube;

a temperature measurement device for measuring the temperatures of the thermocouples;

a heater control device for controlling a current flowing to the heater wire;

a storage device used for storing a threshold-value table associating a temperature indicated by the thermocouple before a current flows to the heater wire and a temperature increase indicated by the thermocouple while a current is flowing to the heater wire with a steam atmosphere, a water atmosphere and a sensor failure;

a water-level/temperature/sensor-failure determination device for comparing a thermocouple temperature measured by the temperature measurement device before a current flows to the heater wire as well as a thermocouple temperature increase measured by the temperature measurement device while a current is flowing to the heater wire with the contents of the threshold-value table and for determining whether the environment of the water-level/temperature detection sensor is a steam atmosphere or a water atmosphere or for determining whether or not the water-level/temperature detection sensor has failed in order to generate information on reactor water levels, reactor temperatures and sensor failures on the basis of data representing determination results; and

a display device for displaying the information on reactor water levels, reactor temperatures and sensor failures.

2. The reactor water-level/temperature measurement apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the reactor water-level/temperature measurement apparatus further includes a flow suppression structure for suppressing a coolant flow in a surrounding area of the water-level/temperature detection sensor.

3. The reactor water-level/temperature measurement apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the water-level/temperature/sensor-failure determination device holds a first current set value used for determining whether or not the environment of the water-level/temperature detection sensor is a steam atmosphere and a second current set value greater than the first current set value; and

only when the environment of the water-level/temperature detection sensor is determined to be not a steam atmosphere as a result of allowing a current having a magnitude equal to the first current set value to flow to the heater wire, a current having a magnitude equal to the second current set value is allowed to flow to the heater wire in order to determine whether the environment of the water-level/temperature detection sensor is a water atmosphere or the water-level/temperature detection sensor has failed.

4. The reactor water-level/temperature measurement apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the reactor water-level/temperature measurement apparatus further includes a resistance measurement device for measuring resistances between a thermocouple wire, a heater lead wire and an earth wire which are drawn from the water-level/temperature detection sensor;

the resistances measured by the resistance measurement device are compared with determination values held in the water-level/temperature/sensor-failure determination device in order to determine whether or not the water-level/temperature detection sensor has failed; and

a result of the determination as to whether or not the water-level/temperature detection sensor has failed is displayed.

5. The reactor water-level/temperature measurement apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the water-level/temperature detection sensors are provided in a plurality of the in-core instrumentation tubes at positions different in height from each other so that the installation heights of the water-level/temperature detection sensors can be used in interpolation (to find a water level).

6. The reactor water-level/temperature measurement apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the reactor water-level/temperature measurement apparatus further includes a storage device used for storing a reactor water level, reactor temperatures and sensor-failure data as time-series information.

7. A reactor water-level/temperature measurement apparatus for detecting a water level in a reactor on the basis of temperatures measured by making use of a plurality of thermocouples installed inside a reactor pressure vessel, the reactor water-level/temperature measurement apparatus comprising:

an in-core instrumentation housing welded to the bottom of the pressure vessel;

an in-core instrumentation guide tube placed between the upper portion of the in-core instrumentation housing and a reactor-core support plate;

an in-core instrumentation tube inserted into the in-core instrumentation housing and the in-core instrumentation guide tube and placed at a location adjacent to an outermost-circumference fuel of the reactor or a location outside the outermost-circumference fuel;

a water-level/temperature detection sensor including one of the thermocouples installed at a plurality of vertical positions inside the in-core instrumentation tube;

a temperature measurement device for measuring the temperatures of the thermocouples;

a water-level/temperature/sensor-failure determination device for determining whether the environment of the water-level/temperature detection sensor is a steam atmosphere or a water atmosphere or for determining whether or not the water-level/temperature detection sensor has failed on the basis of the temperature of the thermocouple in order to generate information on reactor water levels, reactor temperatures and sensor failures on the basis of data representing determination results; and

a display device for displaying the information on reactor water levels, reactor temperatures and sensor failures.

8. The reactor water-level/temperature measurement apparatus according to claim 7 wherein:

in addition to the in-core instrumentation tube placed at a location adjacent to an outermost-circumference fuel of the reactor or a location outside the outermost-circumference fuel, an in-core instrumentation tube is placed at a location other than the location adjacent to the outermost-circumference fuel and the location outside the outermost-circumference fuel; and

the water-level/temperature detection sensors each including one of the thermocouples are installed at a plurality of vertical positions inside the in-core instrumentation tubes.

9. The reactor water-level/temperature measurement apparatus according to claim 8,

wherein the reactor water-level/temperature measurement apparatus further includes a storage device used for storing a reactor water level, reactor temperatures and sensor-failure data as time-series information.