Gravity-based, non-invasive reactor system and method for coolant inventory monitoring
Abstract
A gravity-based, non-invasive method of measuring a level of fluid in a container comprises use of at least one gravity meter located as proximate a center of mass of the fluid as possible. In a nuclear reactor system a method for monitoring the level of fluid in a nuclear reactor module, a report of a loss or gain of fluid within a cylindrical module may be generated from capturing a time series of gravity data from a first gravity meter mounted as an upper gravity meter and a second gravity meter mounted as a lower gravity meter, for example, proximate a cylindrical nuclear reactor module so as not to require any invasive conduit through, for example, a containment pressure vessel (CPV) or a reactor pressure vessel (RPV). In one embodiment, the upper and lower gravity meters are mounted on stable mounts as close to the fluid in the module as possible within a coolant pool or a structure containing cooled air. If a coolant pool of water surrounds a nuclear reactor module, the meters may be housed within a dry housing in the coolant pool such that the meters may be accessed from above the coolant pool and are locatedmore »
- Inventors:
- Issue Date:
- Research Org.:
- Information Systems Laboratories, Inc., La Jolla, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE), Nuclear Energy Enabling Technologies (NEET)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1600231
- Patent Number(s):
- 10460847
- Application Number:
- 15/407,509
- Assignee:
- Information Systems Laboratories, Inc. (La Jolla, CA)
- Patent Classifications (CPCs):
-
G - PHYSICS G01 - MEASURING G01F - MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUID LEVEL
G - PHYSICS G21 - NUCLEAR PHYSICS G21C - NUCLEAR REACTORS
- DOE Contract Number:
- SC0013729
- Resource Type:
- Patent
- Resource Relation:
- Patent File Date: 01/17/2017
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Citation Formats
Bloom, Scott Harris, Prelewicz, Daniel Adam, and Ridgway, Jeffrey Richard. Gravity-based, non-invasive reactor system and method for coolant inventory monitoring. United States: N. p., 2019.
Web.
Bloom, Scott Harris, Prelewicz, Daniel Adam, & Ridgway, Jeffrey Richard. Gravity-based, non-invasive reactor system and method for coolant inventory monitoring. United States.
Bloom, Scott Harris, Prelewicz, Daniel Adam, and Ridgway, Jeffrey Richard. Tue .
"Gravity-based, non-invasive reactor system and method for coolant inventory monitoring". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1600231.
@article{osti_1600231,
title = {Gravity-based, non-invasive reactor system and method for coolant inventory monitoring},
author = {Bloom, Scott Harris and Prelewicz, Daniel Adam and Ridgway, Jeffrey Richard},
abstractNote = {A gravity-based, non-invasive method of measuring a level of fluid in a container comprises use of at least one gravity meter located as proximate a center of mass of the fluid as possible. In a nuclear reactor system a method for monitoring the level of fluid in a nuclear reactor module, a report of a loss or gain of fluid within a cylindrical module may be generated from capturing a time series of gravity data from a first gravity meter mounted as an upper gravity meter and a second gravity meter mounted as a lower gravity meter, for example, proximate a cylindrical nuclear reactor module so as not to require any invasive conduit through, for example, a containment pressure vessel (CPV) or a reactor pressure vessel (RPV). In one embodiment, the upper and lower gravity meters are mounted on stable mounts as close to the fluid in the module as possible within a coolant pool or a structure containing cooled air. If a coolant pool of water surrounds a nuclear reactor module, the meters may be housed within a dry housing in the coolant pool such that the meters may be accessed from above the coolant pool and are located as close as possible to the reactor module and its contained mass of fluid.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {2019},
month = {10}
}
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