System and method for determining a state of operational readiness of a fuel cell backup system of a nuclear reactor system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9691508-B2
Application number	US-92594010-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 2, 2010
Priority date	Oct 1, 2010
Publication date	Jun 27, 2017
Grant date	Jun 27, 2017

Abstract

A method for determining a state of operational readiness of a fuel cell backup system of a nuclear reactor system includes monitoring a readiness state of a fuel cell system associated with a nuclear reactor system, and providing a readiness determination of the fuel cell system by comparing the monitored state of readiness of the fuel cell system to an established operating readiness state, the established operating readiness state a function of at least one characteristic of the nuclear reactor system. An apparatus includes a fuel cell monitoring system configured to monitor a readiness state of a fuel cell system associated with a nuclear reactor system, and a readiness determination system configured to provide a readiness determination of the fuel cell system by comparing the monitored state of readiness of the fuel cell system to an established operating readiness state.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus, comprising:
a nuclear reactor;
a fuel cell associated with the nuclear reactor;
a fuel cell monitoring system monitoring a readiness state of the fuel cell associated with the nuclear reactor;
a readiness determination system;
a fuel cell control system including a heat transfer system, the heat transfer system including a heat supply loop, the heat supply loop in thermal communication with a waste heat rejection loop of the nuclear reactor to selectively transfer thermal energy from the waste heat rejection loop of the nuclear reactor to a portion of the fuel cell, in response to one or more signals from the readiness determination system, to establish an operating readiness state condition of the fuel cell within a set of readiness parameters in response to a monitored temperature of the core of the nuclear reactor from a nuclear reactor monitoring system by increasing the temperature of the fuel cell,
wherein the readiness determination system includes one or more processors communicatively coupled to the fuel cell control system and the fuel cell monitoring system, the one or more processors configured to:
provide a readiness determination of the fuel cell by comparing the monitored state of readiness of the fuel cell to an established operating readiness state condition, the established operating readiness state condition being a function of at least one characteristic of the nuclear reactor; and
transmit one or more signals indicative of the readiness determination to the fuel cell control system so as to direct the fuel cell control system to selectively transfer thermal energy from the waste heat rejection loop of the nuclear reactor to a portion of the fuel cell via the heat supply loop.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the operating readiness state condition is a variable function of a characteristic of the nuclear reactor.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the fuel cell monitoring system configured to monitor a readiness state condition of a fuel cell system associated with a nuclear reactor system comprises:
a fuel cell monitoring system configured to periodically monitor a readiness state condition of a fuel cell system associated with a nuclear reactor system.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the fuel cell monitoring system configured to monitor a readiness state of a fuel cell system associated with a nuclear reactor system comprises:
a fuel cell monitoring system configured to continuously monitor a readiness state of a fuel cell system associated with a nuclear reactor system.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the fuel cell monitoring system configured to monitor a readiness state of a fuel cell system associated with a nuclear reactor system comprises:
a fuel cell monitoring system configured to comparatively monitor a readiness state of a fuel cell system associated with a nuclear reactor system.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the fuel cell monitoring system comprises:
a fuel cell monitoring system monitoring a readiness state condition of a fuel cell associated with a nuclear reactor in response to an adjusted characteristic of the nuclear reactor.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the fuel cell monitoring system comprises:
a thermocouple device monitoring a thermal characteristic of a fuel cell associated with a nuclear reactor.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the fuel cell monitoring system comprises:
a pressure monitoring system monitoring a pressure characteristic of a fuel cell associated with a nuclear reactor.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the fuel cell monitoring system comprises:
a humidity monitoring system monitoring a humidity characteristic of a fuel cell associated with a nuclear reactor.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the fuel cell monitoring system comprises:
an electrical monitoring system monitoring an electrical characteristic of a fuel cell associated with a nuclear reactor.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the electrical monitoring system comprises:
an electrical monitoring system monitoring an electrical current output level of a fuel cell associated with a nuclear reactor.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the electrical monitoring system comprises:
an electrical monitoring system monitoring a voltage output of a fuel cell associated with a nuclear reactor.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the electrical monitoring system comprises:
an electrical monitoring system monitoring an electrical resistance of a fuel cell associated with a nuclear reactor.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the electrical monitoring system comprises:
an electrical monitoring system monitoring a capacitance of a fuel cell associated with a nuclear reactor.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the fuel cell monitoring system comprises:
a fuel cell monitoring system transmitting a signal from the fuel cell monitoring system to the readiness determination system.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the fuel cell monitoring system comprises:
a fuel cell monitoring system transmitting the monitored state of readiness from the fuel cell monitoring system to at least one readiness determination system.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the fuel cell monitoring system comprises:
a fuel cell monitoring system transmitting a signal from the fuel cell monitoring system to a computer data management system.

18. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the fuel cell monitoring system comprises:
a fuel cell monitoring system transmitting a signal from the fuel cell monitoring system to an operator.

19. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the fuel cell monitoring system comprises:
a fuel cell monitoring system transmitting a signal from a fuel cell monitoring system to a fuel cell safety system.

20. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors of the readiness determination system are further configured to:
provide a readiness determination of the fuel cell by comparing the monitored state of readiness of the fuel cell to an established operating readiness state, the established operating readiness state a function of at least one operational characteristic of the nuclear reactor.

21. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors of the readiness determination system are further configured to:
provide a readiness determination of the fuel cell by comparing the monitored state of readiness of the fuel cell to an established operating readiness state condition, the established operating readiness state condition a function of at least one design characteristic of the nuclear reactor.

22. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors of the readiness determination system are further configured to:
provide a readiness determination of the fuel cell by comparing the monitored state of readiness of the fuel cell to an external input signal.

23. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the fuel cell control system is configured to:
adjust at least one pressure characteristic of the fuel cell in response to the readiness determination.

24. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the fuel cell control system is further configured to:
adjust at least one humidity characteristic of the fuel cell in response to the readiness determination.

25. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the fuel cell control system is

Assignees

• Hyde Roderick A
• Tegreene Clarence T
• Walter Joshua C
• Terrapower Llc

Inventors

• Hyde Roderick A
• Tegreene Clarence T
• Walter Joshua C

Classifications

• H01M8/04298

  Processes for controlling fuel cells or fuel cell systems · CPC title

• G21D3/06

  responsive to faults within the plant (in the reactor G21C9/00) · CPC title

• G21D3/001 Primary

  Computer implemented control · CPC title

• G21C17/10

  Structural combination of fuel element, control rod, reactor core, or moderator structure with sensitive instruments, e.g. for measuring radioactivity, strain · CPC title

• Y02E30/40

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic