Devices for the automatic monitoring of the variations of a physical magnitude at a multiplicity of distinct points and in particular for detecting can leaks in the channels of a heterogeneous nuclear reactor

Claim 1

A DEVICE FOR MONITORING THE VARIATIONS OF A PHYSICAL MAGNITUDE AT A MULTIPLICITY OF DISTINCT POINTS, THE GROUP FORMED BY SAID POINTS BEING DIVIDED INTO A PLURALITY OF SUB-GROUPS, THIS DEVICE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A SINGLE INSTRUMENT CAPABLE OF MEASURING SAID MAGNITUDE, A PLURALITY OF MAGNITUDE CONVEYING PATHS CONNECTED WITH EACH OF SAID POINTS FOR TRANSMITTING SAID MAGNITUDE AND FORMING A SINGLE CONVERGING NETWORK STARTING AT SAID POINTS AND ENDING IN FRONT OF SAID SINGLE INSTRUMENT, SWITCH MEANS MOUNTED IN SAID PATHS FOR CONNECTING THEM WITH SAID INSTRUMENT TO TRANSMIT TO SAID INSTRUMENT, ACCORDING TO THE POSITION OF SAID SWITCH MEANS, EITHER SIMULTANEOUSLY THE RESPECTIVE MAGNITUDES AT ALL THE POINTS OF ANY OF SAID SUB-GROUPS, OR SIMULTANEOUSLY THE RESPECTIVE MAGNITUDES AT ALL THE POINTS LESS ONE OF ANY OF SAID SUB-GROUPS, OR THE MAGNITUDE AT ANY OF SAID POINTS, CONTROL MEANS CONNECTED WITH THE OUTPUT OF SAID MEASUREMENT INSTRUMENT AND RESPONSIVE TO THE INFORMATION SUPPLIED BY SAID INSTRUMENT TO TRANSMIT AN ALARM SIGNAL WHEN THE VALUE MEASURED BY SAID INSTRUMENT EXCEEDS A CRITICAL VALUE, SWITCH OPERATING MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITH SAID SWITCH MEANS, SAID SWITCH OPERATING MEANS BEING RESPONSIVE BOTH TO SAID ALARM SIGNAL FROM SAID CONTROL MEANS AND TO PREDETERMINED CONTROL PROGRAMS, SAID SWITCH OPERATING MEANS BEING ADAPTED TO SEND OPERATING ORDERS TO SAID SWITCH MEANS TO CAUSE THEM TO PRODUCE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING OPERATIONS, TO WIT, FIRST, IN THE ABSENCE OF SUCH AN ALARM SIGNAL, TO TRANSMIT TO SAID INSTRUMENT THE MEAN VALUE OF SAID MAGNITUDE FOR EACH OF SAID SUB-GROUPS SUCCESSIVELY ACCORDING TO A FIRST TYPE OF CONTROL PROGRAM FORMING A REPEATED BASIC CYCLE OF GIVEN PERIOD, SECONDLY, IN RESPONSE TO SUCH AN ALARM SIGNAL FROM SAID CONTROL MEANS, TO TRANSMIT TO SAID INSTRUMENT BOTH ACCORDING TO A FIRST CYCLE SLIGHTLY LONGER THAN SAID BASIC CYCLE SUCCESSIVELY AND CYCLICALLY THE MEAN VALUE OF SAID MAGNITUDE FOR THE RESPECTIVE SUB-GROUPS WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THAT CORRESPONDING TO SAID SIGNAL AND, ACCORDING TO A SECOND CYCLE SHORTER THAN SAID BASIC CYCLE, SUCCESSIVELY THE VALUE OF SAID MAGNITUDE AT EACH OF THE POINTS OF THE LAST MENTIONED SUBGROUP, THESE FIRST AND SECOND CYCLES BEING INTERMIXED TO FORM A SECOND TYPE OF CONTROL PROGRAM, AND THIRDLY, IN RESPONSE TO SUCH AN ALARM SIGNAL FROM SAID CONTROL MEANS RESULTING FROM THE VALUE OF SAID MAGNITUDE AT ONE PARTICULAR POINT OF SAID LAST MENTIONED SUB-GROUP, TO TRANSMIT TO SAID INSTRUMENT, BOTH ACCORDING TO A FIRST CYCLE SLIGHTLY LONGER THAN SAID BASIC CYCLE, SUCCESSIVELY AND CYCLICALLY THE MEAN VALUE OF SAID MAGNITUDE FOR THE RESPECTIVE SUB-GROUPS, THE LAST MENTIONED SUB-GROUP HAVING SAID PARTICULAR POINT EXCLUDED THEREOF, AND, ACCORDING TO A SECOND CYCLE SHORTER THAN SAID BASIC CYCLE, THE SUCCESSIVE VALUES OF SAID MAGNITUDE AT SAID PARTICULAR POINT, THESE TWO LAST MENTIONED CYCLES BEING INTERMIXED TO FORM A THIRD TYPE OF CONTROL PROGRAM, WHEREBY THE EVOLUTION OF SAID MAGNITUDE AT SAID PARTICULAR POINT IS FOLLOWED AT RELATIVELY SMALL INTERVALS OF TIME.

Claim 2

A DEVICE FOR MONITORING THE VARIATIONS OF A PHYSICAL MAGNITUDE AT A MULTIPLICITY OF DISTINCT POINTS, THE GROUP FORMED BY SAID POINTS BEING DIVIDED INTO A PLURALITY OF SUB-GROUPS, THIS DEVICE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A SINGLE INSTRUMENT CAPABLE OF MEASURING SAID MAGNITUDE, A PLURALITY OF MAGNITUDE CONVEYING PATHS CONNECTED WITH EACH OF SAID POINTS FOR TRANSMITTING SAID MAGNITUDE AND FORMING A SINGLE CONVERGING NETWORK STARTING AT SAID POINTS AND ENDING IN FRONT OF SAID SINGLE INSTRUMENT, SWITCH MEANS MOUNTED IN SAID PATHS FOR CONNECTING THEM WITH SAID INSTRUMENT TO TRANSMIT TO SAID INSTRUMENT, ACCORDING TO THE POSITION OF SAID SWITCH MEANS, EITHER SIMULTANEOUSLY THE RESPECTIVE MAGNITUDES AT ALL THE POINTS OF ANY OF SAID SUB-GROUPS, OR SIMULTANEOUSLY THE RESPECTIVE MAGNITUDES AT ALL THE POINTS LESS ONE OF ANY OF SAID SUB-GROUPS, OR THE MAGNITUDE AT ANY OF SAID POINTS, CONTROL MEANS CONNECTED WITH THE OUTPUT OF SAID MEASUREMENT INSTRUMENT AND RESPONSIVE TO THE INFORMATION SUPPLIED BY SAID INSTRUMENT TO TRANSMIT AN ALARM SIGNAL WHEN THE VALUE MEASURED BY SAID INSTRUMENT EXCEEDS A CRITICAL VALUE, SWITCH OPERATING MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITH SAID SWITCH MEANS, SAID SWITCH OPERATING MEANS BEING RESPONSIVE BOTH TO SAID ALARM SIGNAL FROM SAID CONTROL MEANS AND TO PREDETERMINED CONTROL PROGRAMS, SAID SWITCH OPERATING MEANS BEING ADAPTED TO SEND OPERATING ORDERS TO SAID SWITCH MEANS TO CAUSE THEM TO PRODUCE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING OPERATIONS, TO WIT, FIRST, IN THE ABSENCE OF SUCH AN ALARM SIGNAL, TO TRANSMIT TO SAID INSTRUMENT THE MEAN VALUE OF SAID MAGNITUDE FOR EACH OF SAID SUB-GROUPS SUCCESSIVELY ACCORDING TO A FIRST TYPE OF CONTROL PROGRAM FORMING A REPEATED BASIC CYCLE OF GIVEN PERIOD, SECONDLY, IN RESPONSE TO SUCH AN ALARM SIGNAL FROM SAID CONTROL MEANS, TO TRANSMIT TO SAID INSTRUMENT BOTH ACCORDING TO A FIRST CYCLE SLIGHTLY LONGER THAN SAID BASIC CYCLE SUCCESSIVELY AND CYCLICALLY THE MEAN VALUE OF SAID MAGNITUDE FOR THE RESPECTIVE SUB-GROUPS WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THAT CORRESPONDING TO SAID SIGNAL AND, ACCORDING TO A SECOND CYCLE SHORTER THAN SAID BASIC CYCLE, SUCCESSIVELY THE VALUE OF SAID MAGNITUDE AT EACH OF THE POINTS OF THE LAST MENTIONED SUBGROUP, THESE FIRST AND SECOND CYCLES BEING INTERMIXED TO FORM A SECOND TYPE OF CONTROL PROGRAM, AND THIRDLY, IN RESPONSE TO SUCH AN ALARM SIGNAL FROM SAID CONTROL MEANS RESULTING FROM THE VALUE OF SAID MAGNITUDE AT ONE PARTICULAR POINT OF SAID LAST MENTIONED SUB-GROUP, TO TRANSMIT TO SAID INSTRUMENT, BOTH ACCORDING TO A FIRST CYCLE SLIGHTLY LONGER THAN SAID BASIC CYCLE, SUCCESSIVELY AND CYCLICALLY THE MEAN VALUE OF SAID MAGNITUDE FOR THE RESPECTIVE SUB-GROUPS, THE LAST MENTIONED SUB-GROUP HAVING SAID PARTICULAR POINT EXCLUDED THEREOF, AND, ACCORDING TO A SECOND CYCLE SHORTER THAN SAID BASIC CYCLE, THE SUCCESSIVE VALUES OF SAID MAGNITUDE AT SAID PARTICULAR POINT, THESE TWO LAST MENTIONED CYCLES BEING INTERMIXED TO FORM A THIRD TYPE OF CONTROL PROGRAM, WHEREBY THE EVOLUTION OF SAID MAGNITUDE AT SAID PARTICULAR POINT IS FOLLOWED AT RELATIVELY SMALL INTERVALS OF TIME.