Wireless Nuclear Instrumentation

Abstract

In this chapter, the dipole coil inductive power transfer system (IPTS) is applied to a special purpose instrumentation. A highly reliable power and communication system that guarantees the protection of essential instruments in a nuclear power plant (NPP) under a severe accident is explained. Both power and communication lines are established with not only conventional wired channels but also the proposed wireless channels for an emergency reserve. An IPTS is selected due to its robust power transfer characteristics under high temperature, high pressure, and highly humid environments with a number of scattered debris after a severe accident. A thermal insulation box and a glass‐fiber reinforced plastic box are proposed to protect the essential instruments, including vulnerable electronic circuits, from extremely high temperatures of up to 627 ˚C and pressure of up to 5 bar. The proposed wireless power and communication system is experimentally verified by an IPTS prototype having a dipole coil structure and prototype Zigbee modules over a 7 m distance, where both the thermal insulation box and the glass‐fiber reinforced plastic box are fabricated and tested using a high‐temperature chamber. Moreover, an experiment on the effects of a high radiation environment on various electronic devices is conducted based on the radiation test having a maximum accumulated dose of 27 Mrad.This chapter is based on the paper by B.H. Choi, G.C. Jang, S.M. Shin, S.I. Lee, H.K. Kang, and C.T. Rim, “Development of highly reliable power and communication system for essential instruments under severe accidents in NPP,” Nuclear Engineering and Technology , available online, 3 May 2016.