Abstract
A preliminary evaluation of the performance of a consumer electronics-based data acquisition system (DAS) has been performed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) as part of the NEUP project In-situ Condition Monitoring of Components in Small Modular Reactors (SMR) Using Process and Electrical Signature Analysis. The main advantage of these systems compared to conventional instrumentation grade systems is cost; instrument grade data acquisition systems average costs range from $800 to $2,000 per channel compared to a range of $200 - $400 per channel for a consumer electronics-based system. The evaluation was performed by assembling a 20 channel DAS by using a combination of development level board CPUs, MEMs accelerometers, and consumer grade electronics. The DAS was installed on a chiller and cooling water pump used to cool ORNL’s Titan supercomputer. Evaluation of the data provided by the consumer electronics-based system leads to the conclusion that for many industrial processes this system could form the basis for a cost effective means of obtaining operating health data in real time. While it is not anticipated that monitoring systems using consumer grade electronics will be suitable for use in monitoring reactor operating or safety systems, the possibility exists to apply these systems to monitor the operating health of balance of plant components.