Advanced Reactors Instrumentation: Challenges and Opportunities

Instrumentation for advanced nuclear reactors presents several technical challenges: harsh environment, including high temperatures, high radiation levels and corrosion; material compatibility; radiation effects, in particular for the degradation of insulation, optical and electronic components; data integrity and security; real-time monitoring; miniaturization and integration; long-term reliability; qualification and certification; cost and maintenance. Several of these challenges are common to the existing fleet of water-cooled reactors and shared among advanced reactor concepts. However, different reactor concepts present unique challenges specific to the materials, fuels, operating conditions and design constraints foreseen. The first objective of this panel is to highlight fundamental challenges in nuclear instrumentation related to sodium cooled fast reactors, molten salt reactors and microreactors. A second objective is to discuss ongoing research activities within the Department of Energy, Nuclear Energy office in the area of instrumentation and control (I&C) that can be leveraged to address the identified technical challenges. To do so the panel gathers the National Technical Directors of programs engaged in advanced reactors research activities, namely the Advanced Sensor and Instrumentation (ASI) program, the Fast Reactor program (FRP), the Molten Salt Reactor (MSR) program and the microreactors program (MRP), in addition to an I&C expert from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission.