Role of Sensors (Nano) in Nuclear Technology

Sensors in a nuclear plant required to be highly accurate, could sense and transfer the process variables at high speeds, provide timely display, Sensors relate with nuclear plant's processes to measure several parameters such as gas leaks, high temperatures, pressures and flow levels, monitor radiation, chemical and biological nuclear sensing, concentrations of gases and components of safety that process the data enabling on-site/on-line monitoring. Special instruments also measure vibrations, H₂ concentration, and conductivity of water, meteorological and concentration or other applications. For example, resistance temperature detectors those are significant to the safety system of the plants[1], with predictable accuracy and respond to changes in temperature in less than 3 seconds. Emerging sensors for the core plant technology has continued the same from their commencement, though several novel sensor technologies have been developed and prototyped, could find adoption in the next- generation nuclear power plants. The next-generation reactors may require extremely high temperatures accurate measurement and this could be the technical challenge that was facing today's novel sensor development. In this presentation, the author discusses sensors, types, miniaturisation towards nanosensors, why we need to measure, their characteristics, classification with a specific set of applications followed by summary and conclusions. Combining these smart nanosensors with virtual reality / AI with available systems based on nanostructured electronics wireless sensor networks could enable more and more effective functionalities. (paper)