Condition Based Maintenance in Nuclear Power Plants: Limitations & Practicality

Advancements in sensor and IoT technology and Deep Learning algorithms has made Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) a promising maintenance strategy for many industries. However, the use of these technologies can be limited by safety and cost requirements; more so for a highly regulated nuclear industry. CBM in nuclear powerplants can serve to alleviate maintenance bottlenecks such as providing condition analytics between inspection periods and provide better prognostics. Yet, there are many challenges in trying to implement such a system due to limitations imposed from rigorous safety practices and cost considerations, ultimately affecting the practicality. In this paper, we attempt to address the limitations by undertaking a survey of literature to identify such limitations as well as to aid decision makers in the development and implementation of a CBM system in nuclear power plants. By identifying these limitations, it can also aid in the development of more advanced methods of CBM applicable for nuclear power plants.