Izvestiya vuzov. Yadernaya Energetika

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

Experience in the Development of Modern Systems for Humidity Monitoring of Coolant Leaks in Pipelines and Equipment of VVER Reactor Facilities

3/25/2025 2025 - #01 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.2025.1.05

UDC: 621.039.564.5

The paper considers issues of developing modern systems for humidity monitoring of coolant leaks in pipelines and equipment of VVER reactor facilities in terms of meeting current requirements of the “leak before destruction” concept. For a humidity leakage monitoring system (HLMS), as a safety-related system of nuclear power plants, for the purpose of complying with current requirements for coolant leakage monitoring systems, scientific and technical solutions have been proposed aiming to address such important issues as increasing the sensitivity of monitored coolant leak values, increasing the reliability of leak detection results and the results of determining the coolant leak extent and location, as well as issues of improving the technological effectiveness and reducing the labor intensity of the operations to maintain the components of humidity measuring channels within the NPP containment in conditions of intense ionizing radiation. Modern systems for humidity monitoring of coolant leakage in pipelines and equipment of VVER reactor facilities meet the patent purity requirements in supply of humidity leakage monitoring systems to Russian and foreign NPPs. The paper considers the design and key technical characteristics of the humidity leakage monitoring system hardware complex. It is noted that the proposed humidity leakage monitoring system, as part of the “leak before destruction” concept, complies with current requirements for the sensitivity, speed and accuracy of measuring the leak extent and location, and is applicable for the VVER second circuit pipelines and equipment. Modern systems for humidity monitoring of coolant leakage in pipelines and equipment have been practically used for specific applications in NPPs with VVER reactor facilities.

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leak monitoring pipeline equipment humidity 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 the Development of Modern Systems for Humidity Monitoring of Coolant Leaks in Pipelines and Equipment of VVER Reactor Facilities. Izvestiya vuzov. Yadernaya Energetika. 2025, no. 1, pp. 65-80; DOI: https://doi.org/10.26583/npe.2025.1.05 (in Russian).

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