Nuclear Facility monitoring

Nuclear Facility monitoring

Thanks to its sensitivity and precision, fiber optic monitoring provides early event detection. It integrates easily into prescribed or existing safety systems. From fire detection, condition monitoring to detection of leaks, early detection gives the operator time to respond, reducing the risk to people, the environment or the asset's integrity.

The inert sensing cable detects temperature changes of one degree Celsius (or less) and locates events to within about a foot. It withstands high and low temperatures, is lightweight, flexible and can be deployed in cable ducts, floor and ceiling voids, tunnels and other often unseen or remote plant areas. Thanks to its distance range, the interrogator can be housed remotely in a convenient control room.

Leak Detection

Distributed fiber optic sensing indicates and locates temperature changes in insulated (steam) pipes, which may be due to leaks. Temperature history can be compared over time to see event evolution and alarm levels can set to enable automated response.

Condition Monitoring

Detecting and locating temperature events along the entire length of a power cable or cable tray provides valuable insight into a cable’s condition. Alarms can be set to warn of any incursions above its allowable operating temperature, (commonly 90⁰C). Knowing actual, rather than calculated, temperature informs decisions on cable replacement, use or environment.

Fire Detection

 Overheating in floor and ceiling voids, ducts, tunnels and other often unseen areas can build up until the smoke and/or temperature is ‘seen’ by traditional fire detection. Fiber optic Distributed Temperature Sensing detects and locates small temperature changes, typical of an incipient fire. This early detection gives the operator time to respond to the threat before it become a disaster.  An approved linear heat detection system, with 1000 user-configurable zones and 3 alarm types, providing high temperature sensitivity with minimal risk of false positives.

Communication

Standard protocols provide integration with other control and alarming systems. Temperature and alarms can be visualised on a graphical user interface, available (with different user security levels) anywhere within a given network.

Distances from hundreds of yards to 24 miles (40 km) can be monitored from a single interrogator, so the interrogator (and other hardware) can be placed in a convenient control or instrument room.

A range of hardware and software options provides project and budget specific solutions. Alarms can be set using different thresholds by zones, minimizing the risk of nuisance alarms in environments with dynamic temperature ranges.

Reports and analysis are available to track temperature events.