POWER January 2011 - 39

2011 INDUSTRY FORECAST
plant shutdown to reduce concentrations
of Co and other soluble species to safe
levels in boiling water reactor (BWR) and
pressurized water reactor (PWR) feedwater.
This performance limitation can delay
key maintenance activities. New sequestration
resins designed to lock activated
BWR. Full-scale trials are scheduled for
2012 in collaboration with a resin manufacturer.
EPRI's
goal is to make reactor-grade
sequestration resins ready for commercial
application within the next three years.
Breakthrough removal capabilities will
EPRI's goal is to make reactor-grade sequestration
resins ready for commercial application
within the next three years.
corrosion products within their chemical
structures-rather than loosely bond to
them-offer the potential for faster and
higher-capacity uptake.
In late 2009, EPRI conducted smallscale
laboratory tests on an experimental
batch of the new resins that demonstrated
substantial increases in Co-60 uptake compared
with traditional materials. Today, sequestration
resins with chemical structures
optimized for reactor water treatment are
being synthesized and evaluated using
simulated coolant.
The most promising material(s) will
be subjected to in-plant testing using a
pilot-scale resin bed and primary coolant
samples taken from the reactor water of a
help speed the removal of contaminants
such as Co-60 and Co-53-the isotopes
responsible for the majority of radiation
dosage in BWRs and PWRs. This technology
will enable workers to safely access
the reactor core sooner during outages.
Resulting reductions in downtime correspond
to a savings of $500,000 to $1
million per day in replacement power costs
alone. In addition to decreasing worker exposure,
this innovation will extend the lifetime
of resin beds while helping to control
radioactive waste production and associated
management and disposal costs.
For more information on this project,
contact Paul Frattini (pfrattin@ epri.com)
or Susan Garcia (sgarcia@epri.com).
5. A mouse you'll want in your plant. Handheld acoustic mouse technology offers
the potential for manual scanning and real-time ultrasonic imaging to detect, quantify, and
monitor internal flaws with a level of precision currently achievable only from costly automated
techniques. Courtesy: EPRI
Handheld Imaging Tool Reduces
Inspection Cost
EPRI is creating a manual ultrasonic inspection
system that could revolutionize
nondestructive evaluation (NDE) programs
at nuclear and fossil power plants by delivering
real-time, three-dimensional (3-D)
images that match or exceed the precision
provided by automated techniques at a fraction
of the cost. This innovation is expected
to significantly improve inspection accuracy,
component reliability, and plant safety while
eliminating costly and unnecessary maintenance
tasks (Figure 5).
State-of-the-art ultrasonic inspection relies
on expensive mechanized scanning devices
that cannot access many locations. Integrating
a handheld " acoustic mouse " with advanced
imaging promises high-accuracy NDE at a
much lower cost than today's robotic devices,
and it could expand the range of quantitative
inspection capabilities.
In 2009 proof-of-concept tests, EPRI
demonstrated that the acoustic mouse and
associated sensors and analytics can provide
real-time, 3-D images of component interiors
suitable for accurate flaw detection, damage
monitoring, and condition assessment.
The system will be augmented to incorporate
additional internal imaging and surface
mapping techniques, including advanced animation
capabilities such as those created for
movie and video game applications. Laboratory
testing and hardware and software development
are ongoing; field demonstration of a
prototype is expected in 2011.
EPRI's goal is for handheld acoustic imaging
technology to be ready in three years
for qualification testing and commercial
application in the power generation industry
and other sectors. The technology
will allow manual inspections to be performed
with accuracy equivalent to or better
than today's best automated inspections
at roughly 70% of the cost, corresponding
to approximately $100,000 in savings per
avoided robotic scanning setup. In addition,
quantitative condition assessment
will be possible for entire components
rather than being limited to accessible locations.
Better NDE data will support more
informed run, repair, and replace decisions
and enhanced asset management.
Depending on the component and circumstance,
the savings associated with avoiding
unnecessary repairs or replacement of a component
could range from tens of thousands to
hundreds of millions of dollars.
For more information on this project,
contact Mark Dennis (mdennis@epri.com)
or John Lindberg (jlindberg@epri.com). ■
-Rosa Yang (ryang@epri.com) is EPRI's
vice president for Innovation.
38
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POWER January 2011

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