Distributed Antenna System for Wireless Data Communication in Nuclear Power Plants

The commercial nuclear fleet in the United States is striving for plant life extension and reduced operating and maintenance costs as part of the “Delivering the Nuclear Promise” initiative. Wireless technology plays a key role in achieving these goals by facilitating a more mobile workforce and enabling wireless equipment condition monitoring for predictive maintenance. However, there are multiple barriers that impede the implementation of wireless technology in the nuclear industry. These barriers include electromagnetic and radio frequency interference, cyber security, and the costs associated with installing and maintaining wireless infrastructure, which has a short technological life cycle compared to other pieces of nuclear plant equipment. To identify and mitigate these concerns, the proposed research and development effort will perform hands-on laboratory experiments to establish the technical basis for the implementation of a distributed antenna system in a nuclear power plant. The distributed antenna system uses a “leaky” or radiating cable to provide high bandwidth wireless signal coverage throughout a nuclear facility, and accommodate a wide range of frequencies and wireless protocols simultaneously using a single cable and fewer pieces of technology-dependent hardware. The goal of the Phase I project is to identify the optimal system components and installation practices that should be used when implementing a distributed antenna system in a nuclear power plant with the goal of maximizing performance, minimizing electromagnetic and radio frequency interference, and addressing cyber security and other installation considerations. This project will also develop customized hardware and software for adapting commercial wireless transmitters and software defined radios for nuclear power plant applications. The implementation of a distributed antenna system as a backbone for wireless communications will not only save nuclear power plants millions of dollars in reduced equipment and installation costs, but will also enhance communication and data access throughout the entire plant. The proposing firm will offer distributed antenna system implementation services as well as products capable of communicating over the system. This technology is cross-cutting and benefits both the existing fleet of nuclear facilities and new reactors including small modular reactors and advanced designs. The direct benefits of this project extend to the general public in the form of safer, more reliable nuclear power plants and cleaner, cheaper electricity.