Components get smarter

摘要

The extension of current operating licences for nuclear power plants and forecasts for new plant construction in the foreseeable future create an opportunity for the design and manufacture of components with the appropriate instrumentation for meaningful condition and performance monitoring. The inclusion of the concept of a 'self-monitoring' component in the design phase can also push the development of computer modelling to allow the information from the monitorirfg instrumentation to be processed by computational circuits. To date, relatively little advancement has been made in integrating instrumentation, sensors, monitoring, and controls to provide periodic estimates of material degradation capable of predicting the need for refurbishment and replacement of components. Components with such integrated equipment can considerably reduce operation and maintenance (O&M) costs while improving reliability, availability and safety. 'Smart' component technologies can predict system performance and remaining useful life with high confidence, based on various predictive maintenance technologies that use current and projected conditions of critical components and subsystems to predict their state of health. The capability to assess risk versus benefit of delaying maintenance tasks results in overhaul and repair being performed only when necessary. The primary objective of the smart component project is to assess current technologies and identify what subsequent tasks will be required.