Wire System Aging Assessment and Condition Monitoring (WASCO)
Activity Acronym:
WASCO
Authors:
Paolo F. Fantoni
Abstract:
Nuclear facilities rely on electrical wire systems to perform a variety of functions for successful operation. Many of these functions directly support the safe operation of the facility; therefore, the continued reliability of wire systems, even as they age, is critical. Condition Monitoring (CM) of installed wire systems is an important part of any aging program, both during the first 40 years of the qualified life and even more in anticipation of the license renewal for a nuclear power plant. This report contains some test results of a method for wire system condition monitoring, developed at the Halden Reactor Project, called LIRA (LIne Resonance Analysis), which can be used on-line to detect any local or global changes in the cable electrical parameters as a consequence of insulation faults or degradation.
Keywords:
Condition monitoring; cable aging; transmission lines; hot spot detection; fault detection; frequency domain reflectometry; time domain reflectometry; standing wave reflectometry; LIRA; positron