原子力発電所の監視

Loose part monitoring

Nuclear power plants are complex structures with thousands of small components such as fixtures, valves and screws. Loose parts resulting from wear and fatigue or maintenance errors can cause critical safety and performance issues. Early detection of loose parts helps to avoid or mitigate damage and malfunction of primary system components.

A Loose Part Monitoring System (LPMS) typically consists of a set of accelerometers placed in critical spots of the monitored system (e.g. reactor vessels, steam generators or coolant pumps) and according cabling and electronics for data processing. Kistler is able to deliver complete measuring chains for LPMS based on specific customer requirements.

Vibration monitoring and testing

Flow-induced vibrations (FIV) hamper performance and can lead to safety-critical malfunctions. Main tests include model testing of the pressure water reactor (PWR), the rod control cluster (RCC) and the steam generator. Being small in size and water proof, having high temperature stability and being able to capture the dynamic response during the entire testing phase, Kistler sensors are the first choice.

Proper testing of components inside and outside the reactor ensures safe nuclear power plant operation to maximize its efficiency and power output. A special procedure conducted in this field is fretting wear testing, for example in tubes of steam generators. Fretting wear often occurs as a result of relative motion between contacting components. In contrast to sliding wear, these flow-induced motions typically have low amplitudes.

Dynamic pressure measurement

In the reactor circulation system (e.g. the flow equalization board) and connected piping systems of a nuclear power plant, pressure pulsations have to be tested and monitored in order to ensure safety and to optimize performance – especially in case of using modern speed-controlled circulation pumps which can induce pipe noise and vibration.

With the help of miniature, highly sensitive and very temperature stable pressure transducers, fluid resonances and even small pressure pulsations on top of high static pressures can be captured precisely. For such conditioning monitoring applications we offer piezoelectric pressure sensors with charge or voltage output, flexible measuring ranges (up to 250 bar) and wide temperature ranges.

Other applications

In case of special requirements, we can provide you with custom solutions for your application. Our expertise covers areas such as:

• Tribology testing
• Safety valve testing
• Corium melt drop testing
• Regular surveys to prevent vibration fatigue on pressurized water reactors