Concrete Structural Health Monitoring in Nuclear Power Plants
Assessment and management of aging concrete structures in nuclear power plants require a more systematic approach than simple reliance on existing code margins of safety. Health monitoring of concrete structures is performed in order to understand the current condition of a structure based on heterogeneous measurements and then produce high confidence actionable information regarding structural integrity; this information can then be used to support operational and maintenance decisions. The paper describes a framework of research activities for the health monitoring of nuclear power plant concrete structures. The proposed framework consists of four elements: health monitoring, data analytics, uncertainty quantification, and prognosis. The goal of this framework is to enable plant operators to make risk-informed decisions on structural integrity, remaining useful life, and performance of concrete structures across the nuclear fleet. Among several concrete degradations, the research focuses on the degradation caused by the Alkali-Silica Reaction (ASR). ASR is a chemical reaction that in presence of sufficient moisture forms a gel that increases in volume and exerts an expansive pressure inside the material causing micro- to macro-cracks. The paper also presents development of controlled concrete samples with reactive aggregates to cause ASR degradation and application of different non-destructive evaluation techniques to detect the damage caused by ASR. Initial results are presented in the paper along with potential path forward.
- Research Organization:
- Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)
- DOE Contract Number:
- DE-AC07-05ID14517
- OSTI ID:
- 1395995
- Report Number(s):
- INL/CON-17-41433
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Nuclear Plant Instrumentation and Controls & Human Machine Interface Technologies, San Francisco, CA, USA, June 11–15, 2017
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
A Demonstration of Concrete Structural Health Monitoring Framework for Degradation due to Alkali-Silica Reaction
Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program Interrogation of Alkali-Silica Reaction Degraded Concrete Samples using Acoustic and Thermal Techniques to Support Development of a Structural Health Monitoring Framework