Innovating leak detection on conducting fluid pipelines

M. Girard (1) , S. Albaladejo (1) , P. Charvet (1) , S. Lusso (1) , S. Armiroli (1) , G. Laffont (1) , R. Cotillard (1)

1 CEA-DES (ex-DEN) - CEA-Direction des Energies (ex-Direction de l'Energie Nucléaire)

CEA (French Commission for Atomic and Alternative Energies) has launched a R&D program focused on leak detection of sodium on industrial ducts aiming at detecting and pinpointing the exact location of fluid leakage along pipelines or on tanks quickly. This R&D program is focused on the development of innovating detectors, Multilayer-type and Optical Fiber Distributed Sensors, involving tests on mock-ups in a dedicated sodium loop settled at CEA-CADARACHE, France. This loop named FUTUNa, is designed to produce very accurate sodium leak rates within a range around 1 cm$^3$/min, the tests being performed at various temperatures (from 180°C up to 550°C) on large-diameter pipe mock-ups (DN 800) under ambient or nitrogen environment. This paper presents the advantages of each innovating detector and series of tests carried out with various materials of the Multilayer-type Detector and different routings of the Optical Fiber Sensor. The relevant results are compared and discussed as well as the observations made after removing the mock-ups. The most interesting result of the overall tests is a rapid detection time for the two types of detectors less than the other conventional wire type leak detection systems

Mots clés: In-service inspection; leak instrumentation; conductive fluid; pipeline; duct; storage tank; electrical short circuit; multilayer detector system; optical fiber sensor

Domaines: Physique Nucléaire Expérimentale [nucl-ex]; Physique Nucléaire Théorique [nucl-th]

M. Girard, S. Albaladejo, P. Charvet, S. Lusso, S. Armiroli, et al.. Innovating leak detection on conducting fluid pipelines. I2MTC (International Instrumentation and Measurement Technology Conference), May 2018, Houston, United States. ⟨cea-02400171⟩