Wireless Sensor Network in Fast Breeder Test Reactor

Abstract

The second stage of India’s three-stage nuclear energy programme envisages of the development of Sodium cooled fast breeder reactors. As a forerunner, Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR) at Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam has been constructed. It is being operated successfully for more than 27 years. FBTR provides experience in fast reactor operation, fuel behavior, large scale sodium handling and is serving as a test bed for irradiation of fast reactor fuels & materials. Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) is an emerging technology in industrial automation. WSN application in nuclear reactor environment requires high data reliability, fault tolerance, low latency, security etc. To analyze these features and to prove its feasibility, authors have established a pilot WSN in FBTR. In this deployment, few non nuclear safety signals from in and around the reactor containment building have been networked wirelessly to monitor them in the control room and data is logged. This paper describes about the hardware and software of WSN node, deployment details of wireless sensor network and the observations derived for the future permanent deployment.