Advanced power range neutron monitor system for BWRs

Using advanced state-of-the-art digital technologies, a novel power range neutron monitor (PRNM) system has been developed for application to boiling water reactor (BWR) nuclear power plants. The digital PRNM system performs the same in-core instrument signal monitoring, averaging, and trip functions as those performed by conventional analog PRNM designs. In addition, the new digital PRNM design capitalizes upon the inherently greater capabilities of advanced digital technologies to provide enhanced instrument signal processing performance, improved system operability, enhanced self-test and diagnostic features, automated sensor calibration, and user-friendly graphic display interfaces. The challenging PRNM system design and signal processing performance requirements are satisfied through an array of creative design approaches. Design goals for high reliability, accuracy, and processed signal stability and noise rejection have all been achieved making the new Class 1E qualified digital PRNM a much improved and technically advanced instrumentation system compared to the predecessor analog system designs