Photonic sensing within civil nuclear infrastructure for lifetime extension and long-term structural health monitoring of de-commissioned plant

英国现有的核电站(NPP)已获准延长到本世纪20年代和20世纪30年代。延长使用寿命与监控以确保安全运行的需求增加有关。为了实现这一目标，在降低新仪器基础设施投资成本的同时，需要创新和强大的传感器解决方案以及自动分析测量数据的方法。在核电站投产和部分拆除后，至关重要的是，许多监测系统必须保持运行数十年，以提醒核电站保管人注意任何可能对人员造成进一步损害或风险的结构恶化。光子学和光纤技术有望实现高分辨率测量、多路复用、坚固耐用、安全性和寿命。因此，这个EngD项目将解决过多的工程问题，为具有核电厂的关键民用建筑开发远程监测系统。除其他事项外，该项目将开发和演示一个组合系统，用于监测装有先进气体反应堆的压力容器多个位置的裂纹恶化和二氧化碳泄漏。该项目将评估可用于这些任务的多种相互竞争的光子技术，包括分布式和半分布式应变传感器，以及与多路复用系统兼容的各种气体传感技术。可能需要部署干涉技术来测量应变或位移的非常微小的变化。将开发传感器与工厂集成的方法，以确保长期稳定性，同时确保成本效益。将研究机器学习和其他技术，例如临界点分析，以帮助检测结构劣化。在实验室调查之后，将在运行中的核电厂内部署一个示范系统。该项目预计将在光子系统集成和分布式光子传感器网络的自动数据分析领域突破光纤测量的最先进水平。

The existing fleet of nuclear power plants (NPPs) in the UK have been granted life extensions into the 2020s and 2030s. Lifetime extension is associated with an increased need for monitoring to ensure safe operation. To achieve this, while keeping the cost of investment in new instrumentation infrastructure down, innovative and robust sensor solutions and ways to analyse measurement data automatically are required. Following de-commissioning and partial de-construction of NPPs, it is critical that many monitoring systems remain operational for decades to alert the custodian of the plant of any structural deterioration that may cause further damage or risk to personnel. Photonics and fibre optics hold the promise of high-resolution measurement, multiplexing, robustness, security and longevity. Consequently, this EngD project will address the plethora of engineering issues to develop remote monitoring systems for key civil structures with an NPP. Among other things, the project will develop and demonstrate a combined system for monitoring crack deterioration and CO2 leakage in multiple locations of a pressure vessel housing an Advanced Gas Reactor. The project will assess a number of competing photonic techniques that can be employed for these tasks, including distributed and semi-distributed strain sensors, and various techniques for gas sensing, compatible with a multiplexed system. Interferometric techniques may need to be deployed to measure very small changes in strain or displacement. Methods of sensor integration with plant ensuring long-term stability will be developed while ensuring cost effectiveness. Machine learning and other techniques, e.g., tipping point analysis will be investigated to assist in the detection of structural deterioration. Following laboratory investigations, a demonstration system will be deployed within an operating NPP. The project is expected to push the boundaries of the current state of the art in fibre-optic measurement in the areas of photonic systems integration and automatic data analysis from a distributed photonic sensor network.