Condition Monitoring and Diagnosis in Mechanical Components of Nuclear Power Plant

The interest in monitoring and diagnosing abnormal conditions in nuclear power plants has increased since the Fukushima accident. The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute has been developing technology for the monitoring and diagnosis of the mechanical components of nuclear power plants. Technology for monitoring the structural integrity of the nuclear steam-supply system has been a focus since the 1990s. Researchers have also developed technology to monitor and control abnormal vibrations of piping and rotating machinery, along with technology to detect leaks using both visual and acoustic signals. Research on detecting leaks in buried pipe and monitoring pipe-wall thinning is also being conducted. The coming technologies of the fourth industrial revolution will have integrated safety systems to improve the reliability of monitoring/diagnosis technologies.