Nuclear power plants are complex systems that may have a variety of sensors monitoring process parameters such as, for example, temperature, pressure, flow and neutron flux, and control systems issuing commands to controllers, safety logic circuitry, or safety actuation systems. The nuclear environment is subject to a variety of regulations mandating tight safety measures. For instance, the safety measures comprise combining diverse instrumentation, separating safety and non-safety equipment, hardware redundancy, etc. Typically, for each property and/or parameter measured, signals from three to four independent sensors are collected during plant operation. The signals are processed and used to monitor performance, to verify the correct operation of the associated instrumentation and to detect process anomalies. The priority logic module (PLM) is a logic component placed between initiating safety and/or control systems and a plurality of actuating devices coupled to the safety and/or control systems. The PLM receives safety and/or non-safety commands and arbitrates between them, responding to conflicting instructions by selecting a priority command signal from a plurality of device actuation commands.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds