This report presents the preliminary results of a research and development project on the validation of new techniques for on-line testing of calibration drift of process instrumentation channels in nuclear power plants. These techniques generally involve a computer-based data acquisition and data analysis system to trend the output of a large number of instrument channels and identify the channels that have drifted out of tolerance. This helps limit the calibration effort to those channels which need the calibration, as opposed to the current nuclear industry practice of calibrating essentially all the safety-related instrument channels at every refueling outage.

This report presents key results of a research and development project to validate new techniques for on-line testing of calibration drift in the process instrumentation channels of nuclear power plants. These techniques generally involve a computer-based data acquisition and data analysis system to trend the output of a large number of instrument channels and identify the channels that have drifted out of tolerance. The authors demonstrate that replacing conventional surveillance tests with on-line testing promotes plant efficiency by helping to limit calibration to those channels that actually need it.

This book provides a training course for I and C maintenance engineers in power, process, chemical, and other industries. It summarizes all the scattered literature in this field. The book compiles 30 years of knowledge gained by the author and his staff in testing the I and C systems of nuclear power plants around the world. It focuses on process temperature and pressure sensors and the verification of these sensors’ calibration and response time.

This report provides key results of a three-year experimental and theoretical research and development effort performed under the auspices of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The goal of the R&D was to establish the validity of online calibration monitoring of process instrumentation channels in nuclear power plants. The author concludes that the normal outputs of instrument channels in nuclear plants can be monitored over a fuel cycle while the plant is operating and during startup and shutdown periods to verify the calibration of the instruments, thereby improving plant efficiency and safety, eliminating unnecessary calibrations, and reducing operations and maintenance costs.