Pitt awarded Department of Energy grant to develop sensor network

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Westinghouse Electric Co. is based in Cranberry Township.

Sam Kusic

Staff Reporter- Pittsburgh Business Times

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University of Pittsburgh researchers have been awarded a $987,000 Department of Energy grant to develop a radiation-resistant, fiber optical sensor network for nuclear power plants.

Such a network would allow nuclear engineers to better monitor nuclear power systems, improving safety and operational efficiency, according to Kevin P. Chen, an electrical engineering professor and the principal investigator on the project.

"An important lesson of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011 is the lack of situation awareness of nuclear power systems especially under stressed or severe situations," Chen said in a statement.

"When the plant was evacuated following the earthquake and tsunami, we lost the ability to know what was happening in key systems. This information blackout prevented the implementation of proper control mechanisms, which then triggered a disastrous chain of events."

The grant was awarded under the department's Nuclear Energy Enabling Technology program. Corning Inc., of Corning, N.Y., and Westinghouse Electric Co. LLC in Cranberry are collaborating on the project.

"This is a challenging project because we will be designing new radiation-robust sensors from the ground up," Chen said.

"However, the success of this project will enable us to improve the reliability and safety of future nuclear systems, as well as existing nuclear power plants through retrofitting.

Sam Kusic covers energy for the Pittsburgh Business Times.