Objective
Uncertainties in the calculation of the lifetime of superheated steam pipes in power plants that contain a minor defect create situations with potentially catastrophic results, typically costing €120 million per event. Superheated steam pipes are periodically inspected and depending on their defects sizes they may be replaced after a lifetime assessment has been performed. Common errors in defect sizing create dangerous situations as size underestimation will result in a pipe prone to failure. Inetec and Enkon, often face this difficult issue when performing inspections for their customers, thus the need for a frequent in-service and accurate monitoring of defects on pipes was identified.
The final goal of the HotPhasedArray project is the development of a Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) system for superheated steam pipes. The expected benefits of the project are:
• Increased safety in electrical production power plants;
• Elimination of catastrophic accidents from superheated steam pipe failures;
• Decrease of the required shut-down time for inspection purposes;
• Projected Return on Investment of 101:1 from system sales and operator savings; and Increase in confidence in the operational safety of thermal power and nuclear energy plants.
Fields of science
Topic(s)
Call for proposal
FP7-SME-2013
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
BSG-SME - Research for SMEsCoordinator
10 250 ZAGREB
Croatia