Diversity Signal Processing System for Nuclear Safety Reliability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Safety protection instrumentation systems in nuclear plants face malfunctions due to common errors in design, FPGA elements, or configuration tools, which can cause all diversity channels to fail simultaneously, leading to a whole system malfunction.
Innovation Solution
A redundant signal processing system with diverse channels, each having a unique circuit substrate and circuit description element implemented in a hardware description language, differing in circuit pattern or element, to prevent simultaneous malfunctions by using different providers or designs for each channel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If digital signal processing is applied to safety protection instrumentation system, then processing accuracy and noise resistance are improved, but error occurrence risk increases due to design logic errors or signal processing timing issues
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into multiple independent diversity channels (at least two), each processing signals independently through separate digital signal processing paths. This segmentation ensures that an error in one channel does not propagate to other channels, maintaining system reliability while preserving the accuracy benefits of digital processing in each channel.
Solution Approach 2:
Each diversity channel is designed with locally optimized digital signal processing circuits tailored to specific processing requirements. The circuit configuration, logic design, and timing parameters are customized for each channel to minimize error occurrence risks while maximizing processing accuracy for that specific channel's function.
2Ease of manufacture
If diversity system uses common design logic and configuration tools, then ease of manufacture and verification are improved, but common cause malfunction risk increases affecting all channels simultaneously
Solution Approach 1:
The diversity channels are designed with asymmetric differences in their logic circuits, including different logic gate arrangements, different configuration parameters, and different timing characteristics. These intentional asymmetries ensure that a defect in common design logic or configuration tools does not manifest identically across all channels, preventing common cause malfunctions while still allowing standardized manufacturing processes.
3Device complexity
If FPGA elements and circuit patterns are standardized across channels, then manufacturing cost and complexity are reduced, but susceptibility to common defects increases
Solution Approach 1:
While using standardized FPGA elements to maintain manufacturing efficiency, the invention varies critical parameters such as logic configuration bits, timing parameters, voltage levels, and signal routing patterns across different diversity channels. These parameter changes ensure that manufacturing defects or design errors do not affect all channels simultaneously, balancing complexity reduction with reliability enhancement.
Data Source
AI summary
Each of APRM units equipped for each of the diversity channels has printed circuit boards having circuit patterns thereon and a circuit description elements installed on the printed circuit board. The circuit description elements are FPGA elements manufactured by mutually different providers for example and implemented an electric circuit described in a hardware description language by a configuration tool. The circuit description elements can be implemented mutually different descriptions of the electric circuit, or can be implemented the electric circuit by mutually different configuration tools. Also, the printed circuit boards for the diversity channels can be different from each other.