This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will produce a prototype low-rate fluid flow instrument for nuclear power plants that incorporates several novel features that permit its use as a clamp-on measurement device having minimal installation costs and complications. By utilizing waste heat on piping lines, and wireless data links, the flow sensor system avoids the requirement for an extended wiring system that interconnects and powers the instrumentation within the containment vessel. Accurate and reliable measurement of critical flow systems will ensure piping thermal stresses remain below design limits, for safe continued generation of electric power.
The broader impact of the proposed flow sensor should significantly enhance nuclear power plant system safety by providing a robust, self-contained, zero-maintenance, zero-power instrument for monitoring in-plant piping systems. In addition, the platform for the flowmeter instrument may serve as a basis for a new family of monitoring systems for nuclear power plants and other environments where instrumentation wire runs are costly or prone to failure.
