BlueRad™ 5-Sided Fuel Inspection Service

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Background

Since 2013, debris-induced fuel failures have led to declining fuel performance industrywide as addressed in INPO Event Report 19-6. Not only do these failures lead to increased fission products in the reactor coolant system (RCS), but it may also cause lost generation, mid-cycle outages to remove failed fuel, core redesigns, and increased radiation exposure to workers. It is very important to prevent foreign material from entering the RCS and equally important to find and remove foreign material that are already present in the system and commonly collects in the reactor and its fuel.

Westinghouse has developed a shielded BlueRad™ 5-Sided Fuel Inspection System designed and built from the ground up to provide the best possible visual examination of each fuel assembly during or after core offload.

One 5-Sided Camera Viewing Fuel Assembly

Description

The Westinghouse BlueRad™ 5-Sided Fuel Inspection System consists of five high definition BlueRad™ cameras to view each side of the fuel assembly and the bottom nozzle simultaneously. The cameras are mounted to a common custom- made frame and controlled by a simplified controller for easy operation. The inspection can be viewed live and/or recorded for future viewing.

The Westinghouse BlueRad™ 5-Sided Fuel Inspection System includes:

Features

Five High Definition (HD) tungsten-shielded BlueRad™ underwater cameras to view each side of the fuel assembly and the bottom nozzle
Simplified custom camera controls and recording software to allow ease of operation during inspection activities
All-digital, full-HD resolution, for real-time viewing and recording
Custom telephoto lens allows cameras to be positioned anywhere from 18-50 inches from the fuel assembly
High intensity LED lighting
Radiation tolerant up to 2x10⁶ R of Co-60 equivalent at 2x10⁴ R/hr
High-speed shutter minimizes motion blur during fuel movement
Small, lightweight, portable controller
High definition h.264 video encoding saved in convenient MP4 format, which can be viewed by almost any computer
Automatic duplication of video to external storage media
A mounting bracket system custom designed for each plant for quick and easy installation

Inspection Services

Benefits

The Westinghouse BlueRad™ 5-Sided Fuel Inspection System provides high definition video that allows operators to easily locate and identify foreign material within, or damage to, each fuel assembly removed from the core. The custom designed frame for the system allows it to be placed in such a position that it does not interfere with the fuel offload process. Once identified, operators can then remove the foreign material or repair the assembly at a later time during the refueling outage to allow reuse of the assembly and prevent a future failure.

Have the confidence that your next cycle will operate leaker-free for the entire cycle by preventing debris or damaged fuel from being reloaded into your plant at the start of the cycle.

BlueRad™ 5-Sided Fuel Inspection System

Experience

Westinghouse has been providing 5-Sided Fuel Inspection Services for many years utilizing various technology. The BlueRad™ 5-Sided Fuel Inspection System is designed and built for fuel inspectors, by fuel inspectors and combines the latest in optics technology with our extensive fuel inspection experience resulting in an innovative camera for your inspection needs.

Fuel Assembly Inspection

Westinghouse has sold and used the BlueRad™ 5-Sided Fuel Inspection System at multiple customer sites. The clarity of the high-definition image and the ease of use of the system is just some of the positive feedback received.