Izvestiya vuzov. Yadernaya Energetika

The peer-reviewed scientific and technology journal. ISSN: 0204-3327

Experience in Developing Modern Acoustic Systems for Monitoring of Coolant Leaks in the VVER Reactor Pipelines and Equipment

12/20/2024 2024 - #04 Global safety, reliability and diagnostics of nuclear power installations

Dvornikov P.A. Kovtun S.N. Kudryaev A.A. Molyavkin A.N. Zamiusskiy V.N. Savinov A.A. Budarin A.A. Shutov S.S. Shutov P.S. Lukyanov D.A.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.26583/npe.2024.4.06

UDC: 621.039.564.5

The paper considers issues concerned with development of modern acoustic systems for monitoring of coolant leaks in the VVER reactor pipelines and equipment as regards the compliance with the current requirements of the “leak before destruction” concept. For the acoustic coolant leak monitoring system, as a system important to the safety of nuclear power plants, in order to comply with current requirements for coolant leak monitoring systems, scientific and technical solutions have been proposed aiming to solve such important issues as extending the dynamic range of monitored coolant leak values, and ensuring the reliability of results from determining the fact that there is a leak, and the accuracy of measuring the coolant leak magnitude and location, as well as issues concerned withimproving the feasibility and reducing the complexity of operations to maintain the acoustic measuring channel hardware installed within the NPP containment in conditions of intensive ionizing radiation. Modern acoustic systems for monitoring of coolant leaksin the VVER reactor pipelines and equipment comply with the patent purity requirements for supply of acoustic leak monitoring systems to Russian and foreign NPPs. The structure and the key technical characteristics of the acoustic leak monitoring system’s hardware package have been considered. It has been noted that the proposed acoustic leak monitoring system in the framework of the «leak before destruction» concept meets current requirements for sensitivity, time of response and accuracy of measuring the leakage magnitude and location, and is applicable to the VVER reactor second circuit pipelines and equipment. Current acoustic systems for monitoring coolant leakage in pipelines and equipment have been practically used for specific applications at NPPs with VVER reactor facilities.

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leak monitoring pipeline equipment acoustic sensor hardware complex system reactor facilities

Link for citing the article: Dvornikov P.A., Kovtun S.N., Kudryaev A.A., Molyavkin A.N., Zamiusskiy V.N., Savinov A.A., Budarin A.A., Shutov S.S., Shutov P.S., Lukyanov D.A. Experience in Developing Modern Acoustic Systems for Monitoring of Coolant Leaks in the VVER Reactor Pipelines and Equipment. Izvestiya vuzov. Yadernaya Energetika. 2024, no. 4, pp. 69-80; DOI: https://doi.org/10.26583/npe.2024.4.06 (in Russian).

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