Abstract
Reinforced concrete systems used in the construction of nuclear reactor buildings, spent fuel pools, and related nuclear facilities are subject to degradation over time. Corrosion of steel reinforcement and thermal cracking are potential degradation mechanisms that adversely affect durability. Remote monitoring of such degradation can be used to enable informed decision making for facility maintenance operations and projecting remaining service life. Acoustic emission (AE) monitoring has been successfully employed for the detection and evaluation of damage related to cracking and material degradation in laboratory settings. This paper describes the use of AE sensing systems for remote monitoring of active corrosion regions in a decommissioned reactor facility for a period of approximately one year. In parallel, a representative block was cut from a wall at a similar nuclear facility and monitored during an accelerated corrosion test in the laboratory. Electrochemical measurements were recorded periodically during the test to correlate AE activity to quantifiable corrosion measurements. The results of both investigations demonstrate the feasibility of using AE for corrosion damage detection and classification as well as its potential as a remote monitoring technique for structural condition assessment and prognosis of aging structures.
Highlights
The vast presence of aging infrastructure throughout the nation including transportation and energy-related infrastructure has raised concerns regarding the level of service, reliability, and vulnerability to natural disasters
The study is divided into two main activities: (1) Remote acoustic emission monitoring and analysis of data collected at the 105-C Reactor Facility and (2) Accelerated corrosion testing to assess corrosion damage within an aged and reinforced concrete block supplied by SRNS at the University of
The filters are primarily parameter-based filters that were developed based on visual inspection of Acoustic emission (AE) waveforms, which is similar to those described in ElBatanouny et al (2014a)
Summary
The vast presence of aging infrastructure throughout the nation including transportation and energy-related infrastructure has raised concerns regarding the level of service, reliability, and vulnerability to natural disasters. To aid in the development of damage algorithms and to provide a more controlled study, an aged reinforced concrete block specimen cut from a similar reactor facility was maintained and monitored in the University of South Carolina Structures and Materials Laboratory for the majority of the project duration. This specimen was subjected to wet/dry cycling to accelerate the corrosion process. The study is divided into two main activities: (1) Remote acoustic emission monitoring and analysis of data collected at the 105-C Reactor Facility and (2) Accelerated corrosion testing to assess corrosion damage within an aged and reinforced concrete block supplied by SRNS at the University of.
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