Radiation-Hardened Visual Inspection Systems for Nuclear Energy

Improvements and advances are needed in the technical area of Advanced Sensors and Instrumentation technologies to enhance economic competitiveness for nuclear power plants and promote a high level of nuclear safety. Currently, visual inspection systems for Nuclear Energy applications in the core, or in accident conditions are extremely limited. Commercially available vision systems are not radiation-tolerant. Borescopes have been used recently to inspect damage from accidents, but have an extremely limited lifetime. To address these needs, Vega Wave Systems will develop a radiation hardened vision system for Nuclear Power Plant Applications. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: The vision system developed in this program will enable improved inspection of nuclear power plants, spent fuel, and nuclear accident sites.