Current practice and developmental efforts for leak detection in US reactor primary systems

Current leak detection practices in 74 operating nuclear reactors have been reviewed. Existing leak detection systems are adequate to ensure a leak-before-break scenario in most situations, but no currently available, single method combines optimal leakage detection sensitivity, leak-locating ability, and leakage measurement accuracy. Simply tightening current leakage limits may produce an unacceptably large number of unnecessary shutdowns. The use of commercially available acoustic monitoring systems or moisture-sensitive tape may improve leak detection capability at specific sites. However, neither of these methods currently provides source discrimination (e.g., to distinguish between leaks from pipe cracks and valves) or leak-rate information (a small leak may saturate the system). A field-implementable acoustic leak detection system is being developed to address these limitations. 5 refs., 3 figs