MTA-MA-001

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Administrative Items
Date	12/15/2020
Functional Area Where Benefits Will Be Realized	Maintenance
Reference Implementation Guidance	Common Design Package for Wireless Ultrasonic Sensors and Associated Equipment (EPRI 3002015806)
Industry SME	EPRI Operating Plant Initiatives Contact: NuclearPlantMod@epri.com
Previous Implementation	Please contact EPRI for implementation examples and contacts
Implementation Enablers	MTA-MA-003 Distributed Antenna System MTA-MA-004 Wi‑Fi Infrastructure
Applicability	All Reactor Types Applicable to All Regions
Keywords	Void Detection; Online Monitoring; Reduced Maintenance Costs; Pipe Wall Thickness Monitoring; Weld Condition Monitoring
Business Case Analysis Cross-Reference	N/A

Description

Gas void detection identifies accumulation of gases in liquid systems for corrective action (e.g., venting) to avoid conditions adverse for site operation. However, current practices for manual inspection can require scaffolding, extensive personnel time, and unnecessary dose. The technology uses a wireless ultrasonic sensor and ultrasonic waves to measure reflections at the interfaces of liquid, piping, and/or gas to determine if there is a gaseous void. This technology can also be used to provide information on the pipe wall thickness or condition of a weld.

Benefits

Benefits Estimate

Level 1 – Savings are less than USD 1M per year.

Benefits Description

• Reduction of risk of identifying gaseous voids during important site evolutions, such as startup.
• Reduction in maintenance effort to detect and purge gaseous voids.
• Increased safety, as Maintenance personnel do not have to purge gaseous voids from ECCS piping as frequently.
• Increased equipment reliability as gaseous voids are more quickly identified before they have a chance to impact equipment, or equipment that leads to gaseous voids may be identified and fixed more quickly.
• Reduction in costs associated with scaffolding.
• Reduction in personnel dose, depending on sensor location.

Costs and Schedule

Cost

Level 3 – A wireless ultrasonic monitoring system installation, including equipment and engineering support, provided a wireless connectivity framework is already established, should be limited to USD 1M or less.

Schedule

Less than 6 months.

Scope Context

Per unit.

Risks

No unique risks beyond standard project risks associated with implementing changes at nuclear power plants.

Cyber: If the system is not properly segmented and implemented, cyber security deficiencies could result in project delays. Following the cyber security guidance in the Reference Implementation Guidance will mitigate this risk.

SWEEP Score

Category	Level	Description
Cost	3	A wireless ultrasonic monitoring system installation, including equipment and engineering support, provided a wireless connectivity framework is already established, should be limited to USD 1M or less.
Savings	1	Potential savings are achieved through reduction in scaffolding costs, technician resources, and dose associated with performing manual ultrasonic examinations.
Payback	2	Based upon available cost and savings information, the payback period for implementation would be within 1 to 5 years.
Licensing Readiness	3	This technology has already been implemented at nuclear power plants. Furthermore, the 10CFR50.59 screening guidance provided in Reference 2 indicates that a 10CFR50.59 Evaluation would not be required, and thus, no changes to the site license would be required to implement the technology.
Technology Readiness	3	The technology is commercially available, and is already in use at commercial nuclear sites.
Implementation Proficiency	3	The implementation and operation of the wireless ultrasonic monitoring system does not require knowledge in implementing digital technologies.