Test rig for condition monitoring and inspection

Project

Condition Monitoring & Inspection

Benefits

This project enables us to work collaboratively with several research institutions and engineering firms to expand our understanding of the technology capabilities and test them on a purpose-built rig.

The test rig enables the technologies to progress closer to plant and the collaborative utilisation of the test rig has enabled cost savings across these other technologies.

Current Status

Ongoing development and implementation of technologies to support CM&I.

Delivery Partners

Fraunhofer Centre for Applied Photonics, NPL, RED Engineering, University of Strathclyde

Contact Details

Kayleigh Finley

innovation.team@sellafieldsites.com

To ensure waste packages within the ILW stores are evolving as predicted, CM&I is required. A crane-mounted system provides the benefit of enabling inspection during each stage of the packages’ lifecycle; from filling, to monitoring, and finally emptying of the package.

RED Engineering was awarded a contract to manufacture and test a prototype of an integrated crane-mounted inspection system. The system is designed to perform dimensional inspection, detailed inspection, and thermal imaging using various technologies such as Digital Image Correlation (DIC), DSLR cameras, and FLIR Boson cameras.

During proof-of-concept trials at RED Engineering, collaboration opportunities emerged with multiple supply chain partners to aid in development of other CM&I technologies, including:

• Fraunhofer’s successfully demonstrated capability for in-situ monitoring of hydrogen, which detects concentrations dissipated through filters on storage boxes (see page 36 of the Annual R&D Review 2022/23). Testing the technology at RED Engineering allowed for a more realistic scenario, bringing the technology a step closer to deployment on plant.

• The University of Strathclyde investigated the use of hyperspectral imaging to detect salt deposits and package damage. Demonstration trials were undertaken at RED Engineering on the test rig, with results currently being analysed.

• Finally, National Physical Laboratory (NPL) provided guidance on camera setup requirements for DIC and contributed to its development. Future plans involve further integration of DIC with NPL and completing the system’s functional specifications for a deployment prototype, followed by commissioning trials.

Overall, these collaborations advance the development and feasibility of the integrated CM&I system for deployment in industrial settings.