Health Monitoring of Digital I&C Systems using Online Electromagnetic Measurements

There is currently a lack of condition monitoring tools for electrical and instrumentation & control equipment. When this equipment (or subcomponents) fails in nuclear power plants, it is often considered to be a random occurrence because the impending failure was not detectable using walk downs or surveillance testing and the internal status indicators of the equipment showed everything was operational. Early identification of equipment or component degradation could allow for repair or replacement prior to a complete system failure. Each piece of electrical/electronic equipment emits a unique electromagnetic emission signature which can be correlated to the health or condition of the equipment. Identifying and understanding the subtle changes in the electromagnetic signature is key to detecting degrading components prior to equipment failure. Under this project, electrical and instrumentation & control equipment that experiences a high rate of failure will be artificially degraded in a simulated plant electromagnetic environment. The emission signatures from this equipment will be measured, recorded, and correlated to the health or condition of the equipment. The goal of this effort is to establish the basis for automated analysis of the emission signatures. This effort will result in development of a condition monitoring tool kit that will allow for the identification of degrading components prior to equipment failure. COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS AND OTHER BENEFITS:By employing the proposed system, nuclear plant operators will be able to more proactively maintain their electrical and instrumentation & control equipment, improve plant safety, reduce risks to operation, and limit the number and duration of unplanned shutdowns. In addition, digital instrumentation & control components may gain wider adoption in the nuclear industry if measures are in place to help ensure their reliability. These benefits will help make the existing fleet of nuclear reactors more competitive and add to the prosperity of next generation nuclear reactors.