SBIR-STTR Award

The reliability and economic viability of Generation IV nuclear power plants would be significantly enhanced by a simple, low-cost maintenance technology that can predict the degradation of insulation in electrical-power-system components, such as motors, generators and transformers. Current methods require significant operator training for interpretation, and have limited capabilities of predicting remaining life. Other modeling approaches, such as time-temperature integration, require a large number of environmental sensors for sensing each environmental stressor, and do not reduce complexity and wiring as required of next-generation nuclear power plants. This project will demonstrate the feasibility of a new conductive composite degradation sensor, called AgeAlert, to continuously monitor the condition of the insulation systems of electrical components. Because this tiny in situ sensor will be made of the same polymeric components as the insulation itself, it will respond in exactly the same way as the component insulation system, improving monitoring accuracy and allowing repair or replacement of the component before failure.

Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee:
AgeAlert sensors could be used to monitor the degradation of virtually any polymeric material, including wire and cable systems; seals and gaskets; hybrid automobile motor/generators, tires, and belts; and aerospace composite structures. Since the sensors are passive and respond to degradation effects without power, they can be incorporated into passive Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) devices to make smart labels - not only would such labels identity an item, they also would automatically adjust the shelf-life

Component failures resulting from degradation within insulation systems represents a significant contribution to reliability and cost issues facing the nuclear power industry. For example, the Electric Power Research Institute found that 37% of motor failures were due to winding failures, many of which involve failure of the insulation system. Although a number of visual, tactile, or electrical tests exist for detecting and locating insulation problems, current methods are complex and expensive, and require considerable expertise, or they are subjective and require shutdowns and/or disassembly. This project will develop a new sensing technology, called AgeAlert, which will provide the first direct measurement of insulation degradation, both in situ and in real time. In this approach, a tiny low-cost sensor - installed in the windings of a motor, generator, or transformer - responds to actual environmental conditions in the motor and accurately correlates to insulation degradation. Because AgeAlert sensors are conductive composites made with the same insulation resin of the insulation being monitored, the sensors respond in exactly the same manner, and under exactly the same conditions, as the insulation itself. Phase I developed prototype AgeAlert sensors and demonstrated feasibility by accurately tracking the insulation in a reactor coolant pump motor. In Phase II, expanded aging trials will be conducted on additional insulation systems in thermal, radiation, and humidity environments. The prototype sensor will be tested in a realistic nuclear component test bed, and an integrated system design will be completed for the incorporation of AgeAlert sensors in plant-wide condition-monitoring systems.

Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee:
The AgeAlert technology should reduce the cost of screening individual electrical components for insulation deterioration and provide advance warning of insulation degradation. In addition to the application to the nuclear power industry, the sensors should be applicable to degradation monitoring of virtually any polymeric material, opening possibilities for use in wire and cable systems, seals and gaskets, hybrid automobile motor/generators, tires, belts, and aerospace composite structures