Reduce Cost of Oil Analysis for Large Oil Reservoirs Using Online Oil Sensors - MTA-MA-007

Administrative Items
Date	12/15/2020
Functional Area Where Benefits Will Be Realized	Maintenance
Reference Implementation Guidance	Investigation of Oil Sensor Technology for Online Monitoring (EPRI 3002012916)
Industry SME	EPRI – Nick Camilli Contact: NuclearPlantMod@epri.com
Previous Implementation	Please contact EPRI for implementation examples and contacts.
Implementation Enablers	Wireless network connection is required for continuous data analysis. See: MTA-MA-003 – Implement a Wireless Network Infrastructure Using a Distributed Antenna System (DAS) MTA-MA-004 – Implement a Wireless Network Infrastructure Using WiFi
SWEEP Score	Cost – Level 3 – Cost of installing an oil monitoring system is less than $100,000. Savings – Level 1 – Direct savings due to reduced frequency of manual oil samples are expected to be approximately $15,000 per year. Additional savings (> Level 1) can be realized from earlier detection of conditions adverse to equipment health and avoidance of associated failures. Payback – Level 3 – Payback period is likely longer than 5 years. Licensing Readiness – Level 3 – Online oil monitoring of non-safety equipment does not affect licensing. The Licensing Readiness of oil monitoring systems for safety-related equipment has not been evaluated. Technology Readiness – Level 3 – Online oil monitoring systems are used in commercial applications and are in the pilot stage at U.S. nuclear plants. Implementation Proficiency – Level 2 – Cybersecurity and wireless network compatibility need to be evaluated when installing an online oil sensor system.
Applicability	All reactor types All geographic regions
Keywords	Oil; sampling; oil analysis; online monitoring; sensor
Business Case Analysis Cross-Reference	Plant Modernization Business Case: Monitoring and Diagnostic Program Development (EPRI 3002018424).

Description

The current process for oil analyses involves a number of manual tasks, including collecting an oil sample, laboratory testing, processing the data, and trending the results as deemed appropriate. Results of the tests can be affected by variables such as the time the sample was collected, the cleanliness of the sample equipment used and the amount of oil drained before collecting the sample. Online sensors also enable early detection of machine faults in real time. This provides an opportunity for immediate actions to be taken, even before traditional oil analysis indicates abnormal conditions. Sensors are available to monitor a variety of oil properties including:

• Water content
• Oil cleanliness (i.e., particulate count/concentration)
• Oxidation
• Base number/acid number
• Additive concentration or degradation
• Viscosity

This MQG is based on a pilot implementation of an oil sensor box with three sensors on a main turbine lube oil system. Instrumentation of the oil reservoirs for the reactor feed pump turbine and the main turbine electro‑hydraulic control system are under consideration. The pilot plant may eventually install up to four sensor boxes per unit to monitor several applicable systems.

Benefits

Benefits Estimate

Level 1 – Direct savings due to reduced frequency of manual oil samples are expected to be approximately $15,000 per year. Additional savings (> Level 1) can be realized from earlier detection of conditions adverse to equipment health and avoidance of associated failures.

Benefits Description

• Potential to reduce frequency of manual sampling after system is properly calibrated.
• Increased insight into equipment health due to continuous or semi‑continuous online measurement of oil properties.
• Potential to detect incipient failures before occurrence.
• Improved protection of critical assets such as the main turbine.

Costs and Schedule

Cost

Level 3 – Cost of procuring and installing an oil monitoring system with three sensors, including the necessary documentation, is less than $100,000.

Schedule

Six months to one year if a wireless network is available or if sensor data will be read locally.

Scope Context

Per component

Risks

• If IT security concerns delay sensor integration into plant system, the sensors can be read locally using a laptop computer. To receive the full benefits of increased insight into equipment health (i.e., timely detection of incipient failures), continuous, remote data analysis is required.
• Establishing a sensor baseline will require concurrent use of conventional laboratory oil testing until data assurance is established. Savings from reduced manual oil sampling have not been realized at the pilot implementation plant because sensor calibration is ongoing.
• If the sensor installation location is poorly chosen, measured data will not be representative because some lube oil properties, especially wear particle concentrations, vary significantly across locations of the lube oil system. The determination of a sensor location should be based on a thorough review of the oil system that considers property variations. In some cases, sensors in multiple locations may be necessary to obtain sufficient granularity.
• If instrumentation of safety‑related equipment (e.g., diesel generator lube oil) is desired, licensing impacts have to be considered. The licensing readiness of online oil sensors is not known because the pilot implementation did not include safety‑related equipment.