Real-time, Radiation-Hardened Video System for Operational Monitoring in Nuclear Reactor Vessels

Visual inspection systems for remote inspection in radioactive environments, or for investigating nuclear accident conditions are extremely limited. Commercially available vision systems cannot survive in extremely high-radiation-level environments. Vega Wave Systems, Inc. has developed an advanced, ultra-radiation-hardened vision system for the nuclear industry capable of withstanding more than an order of magnitude more radiation than the maximum encountered during the nuclear refueling process. In this program, Vega Wave Systems, Inc. will develop a version of the camera system capable of operating in all areas of the containment and providing close, continuous observation of the reactor vessel and support equipment during full-power operation of a nuclear power plant. This development would significantly enhance the safety and operational efficiency of the United States commercial nuclear reactor fleet. The vision system developed in this program will enable improved inspection and visual verification of the operation of nuclear power plants. This will also be useful improved inspection of remote handling of radioactive materials for nuclear physics, spent fuel, and nuclear accident sites.