Plant diagnosis apparatus and method

• US 5,369,674 A
• Filed: 01/23/1992
• Issued: 11/29/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Matsui, Tetsuya, Nagase, Makoto, Kamimura, Hiroshi, Uchida, Shunsuke, Ibe, Hidefumi, Asakura, Yamato, Yokose, Kenji, Nishino, Yoshitaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Walsh, Donald P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHELLIAH, MEENA A
• Application Number:
  US07/824,399
• Time in Patent Office: 1,041 Days
• Field of Search: 376/245, 376/256, 376/310, 210/743, 210/746, 204/153.22, 422/71, 422/80, 422/82.02
• US Class Current: 376/245
• CPC Class Codes: G21C 17/00 Monitoring; Testing measuring in general G01; Maintaining
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 30/30 Nuclear fission reactors

Abstract

This invention concerns a plant diagnosis apparatus which comprises a first detecting unit for detecting a state of devices constituting a circulating system in which a fluid circulates and a second detecting unit for detecting a quality of the above-mentioned circulating fluid or a quality of the atmosphere surrounding the above-mentioned circulating system, and a unit for diagnosing the circulating system by output of the first and second detecting units, and therefore can diagnose anomaly of facilities such as a nuclear power plant with high reliability and rapidity.

Claims

1. A plant diagnosis apparatus comprising:

first detecting means for detecting a state of devices constituting a circulating system in which a fluid circulates;

second detecting means for detecting a quality of said circulating fluid caused by and indicative of impurities in said circulating fluid; and

means for diagnosing said circulating system from a correlation between outputs of said first and second detecting means.

38. A plant diagnosis apparatus according to any one of claims 1, 2 and 4-10 wherein the second detecting means for detecting a quality of said circulating fluid caused by and indicative of impurities in said circulating fluid includes means for detecting at least one of a value relating to a number of particles in the fluid, conductivity and pH value of the fluid as a quality thereof.

2. A plant diagnosis apparatus comprising:

first detecting means for detecting a state of device constituting a circulating system in which water circulates;

second detecting means for detecting a quality of said circulating water caused by and indicative of impurities in said circulating water; and

means for diagnosing said circulating system by a correlation between outputs of said first and second detecting means.

3. A plant diagnosis apparatus comprising:

first detecting means for detecting a state of devices constituting a circulating system in which a fluid circulates;

second detecting means for detecting a quality of atmosphere around said circulating system; and

means for diagnosing said circulating system from a correlation between outputs of said first and second detecting means.

4. A plant diagnosis apparatus comprising:

first detecting means for detecting a vibrating condition of devices constituting a circulating system in which a fluid circulates;

second detecting means for detecting a quality of said circulating fluid caused by and indicative of impurities in said circulating fluid; and

means for diagnosing said circulating system by a correlation between outputs of said first and second detecting means.

5. A plant diagnosis apparatus comprising:

first detecting means for detecting a vibrating condition of devices constituting a circulating system in which water circulates;

second detecting means for detecting a quality of said circulating water caused by and indicative of impurities in said circulating water; and

means for diagnosing said circulating system by a correlation between outputs of said first and second detecting means.

6. A plant diagnosis apparatus comprising:

first detecting means for detecting a vibrating condition of a pump constituting a circulating system;

second detecting means for detecting a quality of said circulating fluid caused by and indicative of impurities in said circulating fluid; and

means for diagnosing said circulating system by a correlation between outputs of said first and second detecting means.

7. A plant diagnosis apparatus comprising:

first detecting means for detecting a state of devices constituting a circulating system in which a fluid circulates;

second detecting means for detecting a quality of said circulating fluid caused by and indicative of impurities in said circulating fluid; and

means for diagnosing said circulating system as normal when one of outputs of said first and second detecting means indicates anomaly and the other output indicates normalcy.

8. A plant diagnosis apparatus comprising:

first detecting means for detecting a state of devices constituting a circulating system in which a fluid circulates;

second detecting means for detecting a quality of said circulating fluid caused by and indicative of impurities in said circulating fluid; and

means for diagnosing said circulating system as normal when an output of said first detecting means indicates anomaly and an output of said second detecting means indicates normalcy.

9. A plant diagnosis apparatus comprising:

first detecting means for detecting a flow rate of a fluid circulating in a circulating system as a state of devices constituting said circulating system;

second detecting means for detecting a quality of said circulating fluid caused by and indicative of impurities in said circulating fluid; and

means for diagnosing said circulating system by a correlation between outputs of said first and second detecting means.

10. A plant diagnosis apparatus comprising:

first detecting means for detecting a temperature of a fluid circulating in a circulating system;

second detecting means for detecting a quality of said circulating fluid caused by and indicative of impurities in said circulating fluid and

means for diagnosing said circulating system by a correlation between outputs of said first and second detecting means.

11. A plant diagnosis apparatus comprising:

analysis means for analyzing components of particulate substances in a fluid flowing in a circulating system; and

means for diagnosing said circulating system according to a result from said analysis means.

12. A plant diagnosis apparatus comprising:

first detecting means for detecting a state of devices constituting a circulation system of the plant in which a fluid circulates;

second detecting means for analyzing particulate substances in the fluid flowing in said circulating system; and

means for diagnosing said circulating system by correlation between outputs of said first and second detecting means.

13. A plant diagnosis apparatus comprising:

first detecting means for detecting vibration of devices constituting a circulating system in which a fluid circulates;

second detecting means for analyzing particulate substances in the fluid flowing in said circulating system; and

means for diagnosing said circulating system by a correlation between outputs of said first and second detecting means.

14. A plant diagnosis apparatus comprising:

first detecting means for detecting a state of devices constituting a circulating system in which a fluid circulates;

second detecting means for detecting at least either a conductivity or pH value of the fluid flowing in said circulating system; and

means of diagnosing said circulating system by a correlation between outputs of said first and second detecting means.

42. A plant according to any one of claims 23, 14 and 26, wherein said second detecting means for detecting a quality of said circulating water caused by and indicative of impurities in said circulating water includes means for detecting at least one of a value relating to a number of particles in said circulating water, conductivity and pH of said circulating water as the quality thereof.

15. A plant diagnosis apparatus comprising:

first detecting means for detecting at least either a temperature or a flow rate of a fluid circulating in a circulating system as a state of devices constituting said circulating system;

second detecting means for detecting a quality of atmosphere around said circulating system; and

means for diagnosing said circulating system by a correlation between outputs of said first and second detecting means.

39. A plant diagnosis apparatus according to any one claims 3 and 15 wherein said second detecting means for detecting a quality of atmosphere around said circulating system includes radiation detection means for detecting radiation as the quality of the atmosphere.

16. A plant diagnosis method comprising the step of:

diagnosing a circulating system from a correlation between information about devices constituting said circulating system in which a fluid circulates and information about quality of said circulating fluid caused by and indicative of impurities in said circulating fluid.

40. A plant diagnosis method according to any one of claims 16, 17, 21 and 22 wherein information about quality of said circulating fluid carried by impurities in said circulating fluid includes information of at least one of a value relating to a number of particles in said circulation fluid, conductivity and pH of said circulating fluid.

17. A plant diagnosis method comprising the steps of:

detecting an indication of anomaly of devices constituting a circulating system in which a fluid circulates; and

subsequently determining the presence or absence of anomaly of said devices according to a detection result as to quality of said circulating fluid caused by and indicative of impurities in said circulating fluid.

18. A plant diagnosis method comprising the steps of:

detecting signals of anomaly of a whole circulating system by detecting a quality of a fluid circulating in said circulating system, said quality being caused by and indicative of impurities in said circulating fluid; and

subsequently determining the presence or absence of anomaly of devices from a detection result indicating a state of devices constituting said circulating system.

19. A plant diagnosis method comprising the step of:

diagnosing devices constituting a circulating system by analyzing components of particulate substances in a fluid circulating in said circulating system.

20. A plant diagnosis method comprising the step of:

diagnosing a circulating system by a correlation between information about devices constituting said circulating system in which a fluid circulates and information about quality of an atmosphere around said circulating system,

41. A plant diagnosis method according to claim 20, wherein said information about quality of an atmosphere around said circulating system includes information about radiation of the atmosphere.

21. A plant diagnosis method comprising the step of:

diagnosing a circulating system as normal when either one of information about devices constituting said circulating system in which a fluid circulates and information about quality of said circulating fluid caused by and indicative of impurities in said circulating fluid indicates anomaly and the other information indicates normalcy.

22. A plant diagnosis method comprising the step of:

diagnosing a circulating system, as normal when information about devices constituting said circulating system in which a fluid circulates caused by and indicative of impurities in said circulation fluid indicates anomaly and information about quality of said circulating fluid indicates normalcy.

23. A plant comprising:

a circulating system in which a fluid circulates;

first detecting means for detecting a state of devices constituting said circulating system;

second detecting means for detecting a quality of said circulating fluid caused by and indicative of impurities in said circulating fluid; and

means for diagnosing said circulating system by a correlation between outputs of said first and second detecting means.

24. A plant comprising:

a circulating system in which water circulates;

first detecting means for detecting a state of devices constituting said circulating system;

second detecting means for detecting a quality of said circulating water caused by and indicative of impurities in said circulating water; and

means for diagnosing said circulating system by a correlation between outputs of said first and second detecting means.

25. A plant comprising:

a circulating system in which a fluid circulates;

first detecting means for detecting a state of devices constituting said circulating system;

second detecting means for detecting a quality of atmosphere around said plant; and

means for diagnosing said circulating system by a correlation between outputs of said first and second detecting means.

33. A plant according to claim 25, wherein the plant is a nuclear plant and the circulating system is a recirculating system in which cooling water is the water which circulates.

34. A plant according to claim 25, wherein the plant is a nuclear power plant and the circulating system is a recirculation system of the nuclear power plant, the first detecting means detecting a vibration state of the devices of the recirculation system.

43. A plant according to claim 25, wherein said second detecting means for detecting a quality of atmosphere around said plant includes means for detecting radiation as the quality of atmosphere.

26. A plant comprising:

a circulating system in which water circulates;

first detecting means for detecting a vibrating state of devices constituting said circulating system;

second detecting means for detecting a quality of said circulating water caused by and indicative of impurities in said circulating water; and

means for diagnosing said circulating system by a correlation between outputs of said first and second detecting means.

35. A plant according to claim 26, wherein the plant is a nuclear power plant and the circulating system is a recirculation system of the nuclear power plant, the first detecting means detecting a vibration of a pump of said recirculation system as a vibrating state of devices constituting said circulating system, the means for diagnosing diagnosing said pump of said recirculation system.

36. A plant according to claim 26, wherein the circulating system includes a reactor core, a main vapor line, a turbine, a condenser and a feed water line.

37. A plant according to claim 26, wherein the circulating system includes a reactor core, a main vapor line, a turbine, a condenser, a feed water line and a recirculation system.

27. A plant comprising:

a circulating system in which water circulates;

analysis means for analyzing components of particulate substances in a fluid flowing in said circulating system; and

means for diagnosing said circulating system according to a result from said analysis means.

28. A nuclear power plant having a recirculation system comprising:

first detecting means for detecting a vibration of said recirculation system;

second detecting means for detecting quality of cooling water of said recirculation system, said quality being caused by and indicative of impurities in said cooling water; and

means for diagnosing devices constituting said recirculation system by output of said first and second detecting means.

29. A nuclear power plant having a recirculation system comprising:

first detecting means for detecting a vibration of said recirculation system;

second detecting means for detecting a quality of atmosphere around said nuclear power plant; and

means for diagnosing devices constituting said recirculation system by output of said first and second detecting means.

30. A nuclear power plant having a recirculation system comprising:

first detecting means for detecting a vibration of a pump of said recirculation system;

second detecting means for detecting a quality of cooling water of said recirculation system, said quality being caused by and indicative of impurities in said cooling water;

means for diagnosing said pump of said recirculation system by output of said first and second detecting means.

31. A plant comprising:

a circulating system having a reactor core, a main vapor line, a turbine, a condenser and a feed water line;

first detecting means for detecting a state of device constituting said circulating system;

second detecting means for detecting a quality of cooling water of said recirculating system, said quality being caused by and indicative of impurities in said cooling water; and

means for diagnosing devices constituting said circulating system by output of said first and second detecting means.

32. A plant comprising:

a circulating system having a reactor core, a main vapor line, a turbine, a condenser, a feed water line, and a recirculation system;

first detecting means for detecting a state of devices constituting said circulating system;

second detecting means for detecting a quality of cooling water of said circulating system, said quality being caused by and indicative of impurities in said cooling water; and

means for diagnosing devices constituting said circulating system by output of said first and second detecting means.

44. A nuclear power plant having a recirculation system comprising:

first detecting means for detecting a vibration of a pump of said recirculation system;

second detecting means for detecting a quality of cooling water of said recirculation system at an outlet side of said pump, said quality being caused by and indicative of impurities included in said cooling water;

means for diagnosing said pump of said recirculation system by output of said first and second detecting means.