The use of acoustic monitoring to manage concrete structures in the nuclear industry

Concrete and steel are widely used in containment vessels within the nuclear industry. Both are excellent acoustic transmitters. In many structures tensioned wire elements are used within containment structures. However, tensioned wire can be vulnerable to corrosion. To reduce the probability of corrosion sophisticated protection systems are used. To confirm that the design strength is available through time, extensive inspection and maintenance regimes are implemented. These regimes include tests to confirm the condition of the post-tensioning, and pressure tests (leak tests) to verify the performance of vessel. This paper presents an acoustic monitoring technology which uses widely distributed sensors to detect and locate wire failures using the energy released at failure. The technology has been used on a range of structures including post-tensioned concrete bridges, suspension bridges, buildings, pre-cast concrete cylinder pipelines (PCCP) and prestressed concrete containment vessels (PCCV), where it has increased confidence in structures and reduced maintenance costs. Where the level of ambient noise is low then SoundPrint acoustic monitoring can detect concrete cracking. This has been shown in PCCP pipelines, on laboratory test structures and also in nuclear structures. The programme has shown that distributed sensors can locate internal cracking well before there is any external evidence. Several projects have been completed on nuclear vessels. The first has been completed on an Electricite de France (EDF) concrete test pressure vessel at Civaux in France. The second at the Sandia PCCV Test Vessel in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA, which involved the testing of a steel lined concrete vessel. The third was on a PCCV in Maryland, USA. Acoustic monitoring is also able to monitor the deterioration of post-tensioned concrete structures as a result of seismic activity. Summary details of a case history are presented. (author)