Abstract
In the nuclear industry, many vital components, such as spent fuel storage canisters and nuclear reactor pressure vessels (RPV), are entirely enclosed by metal and surrounded by thick concrete walls that manage the potentially harmful radiation and prevent release to the environment. Due to the casks’ long storage, monitoring temperature, pressure, radiation, humidity, structural health, etc., within these enclosed vessels is crucial to ensure the fuel containment safety and security. In this paper, a self-powered wireless through-wall data communication system for nuclear environments was designed. The whole package includes: a radiation energy harvester with power management; ultrasound wireless communication using high-temperature piezoelectric transducers; electronics modules for harvesting, sensing, and data transmission; and radiation shielding for electronics and sensors. The package is able to harvest tens to hundreds of mW power from a nuclear canister environment directly and provides a path forward for continuous monitoring of the dry cask for 50 years.
