Advanced Surveillance, Diagnostics, and Prognostics (SDP) Techniques used for Health Monitoring of Systems, Structures, and Components in Nuclear Power, Plants with the purpose of meeting the needs for advanced surveillance,  diagnostics, and prognostics to support existing plants, their life extensions, their power uprates, and future plant designs. As an increasing number of NPPs are going through power uprates and renewals of their operating license, the deployment of additional SDP techniques at the NPP is necessitated. Similarly, advanced SDP techniques can be incorporated in new NPP designs as an integral part of their I&C systems. In a recent Coordinated Reserach Project (CRP) meeting, the working materials and task definitions were further developed by an international group of 36 experts from 12 countries. The meeting was held on 1-3 April 2009 in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, hosted by the Analysis and Measurement Services Corporation.
Research needs were identified in the following four technical areas:
- Reactor signal noise analysis, including data collection, signal processing systems, interpretation of noise measurements, and presentation of results to end-users.
- Acoustic and vibration monitoring methods and systems, including loose parts monitoring and leakage detection.
- Prognostics for structural integrity and material degradation, including identification of measurable parameters that are sensitive to certain degradation mechanisms.
- Instruments and equipment condition monitoring, including on-line monitoring, statistical analysis, new
sensing and data transfer techniques.
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The results of the CRP are expected to be published in an NE Series Report at the completion of the project. Also, recommendations to utilities and regulatory bodies will be available regarding the implementation and maintenance of SDP systems. Technology gaps will be identified to which universities, research institutes, and utilities can direct future development to improve the
capabilities of SDP techniques.
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