The super-temperature and super-power ΔT protection indirectly characterizes the core status via the temperature difference between the core inlet and outlet. This approach struggles to accurately reflect the core’s real conditions. In contrast, core online protection leverages signals from in-core self-powered neutron detectors (SPND) to acquire the core power distribution. By integrating measured signals like cold leg temperature, pressurizer pressure, and main pump speed, it directly calculates the core’s linear power density (LPD) and departure from nucleate boiling ratio (DNBR). Compared with the indirect measurement of ΔT protection, core online protection—through direct SPND measurement and calculation—effectively reduces the protection system uncertainty and unlocks the unit’s operational and safety margins. This paper explores the core online protection scheme from aspects including core neutron fluence rate measurement, core protection parameter calculation methods, and instrumentation & control implementation plans, and identifies the demonstration work required for scheme implementation.