IEEE SENSORS JOURNAL, VOL. 17, NO.
2, JANUARY 15, 2017
Wireless Online Position Monitoring of Manual
Valve Types for Plant Configuration
Management in Nuclear Power Plants
Vivek Agarwal, Member, IEEE, John W. Buttles, Lawrence H. Beaty, Member, IEEE,
Joseph Naser, Senior Member, IEEE, and Bruce P. Hallbert
Abstract— In the current competitive energy market, the
nuclear industry is committed to lowering operations and main-
tenance costs and increasing productivity and efficiency while
maintaining a safe and reliable operation. The present nuclear
power plant operating model is dependent on a large technical
staff, which has put the nuclear industry at a long-term economic
disadvantage. Technology can play a key role in nuclear power
plant configuration management to offset labor costs by automat-
ing manually performed plant activities. The technology being
developed, tested, and demonstrated in this paper will support
continued safe operation of today’s fleet of light water reactors
by providing the technical means of monitoring components in
nuclear power plants today that are only routinely monitored
through manual activities. The wireless-enabled valve position
indicators that are the subject of this paper are able to provide
a continuously available, rather than periodically available,
valid position indication. A real-time (online) availability of
valve positions using affordable technologies is vital to plant
configuration when compared with long-term labor rates and
it provides information that can be used for a variety of plant
engineering, maintenance, and management applications.
Index Terms— Online monitoring, wireless valve position indi-
cator sensors, manual valves, plant configuration, nuclear power
plants.
I. I NTRODUCTION
M OST operating nuclear power plants (NPPs) in the
United States have received approval to extend their
operating licenses to 60 years. Now the nuclear industry is
preparing to extend operating licenses to 80 years. While
NPPs are preparing for extensions, it is important to remain
competitive in the electricity-generating market. Despite excel-
lent nuclear safety records, a decision has been made to
prematurely shut down three NPPs in the United States due to
economic reasons, namely, the Kewaunee, Vermont Yankee,
and Pilgrim NPPs, in the last 2 years [1]. In addition to recent
shutdown decisions, there are other nuclear stations that are
Manuscript received July 22, 2016; revised September 23, 2016; accepted
September 24, 2016. Date of publication October 5, 2016; date of current
version December 20, 2016. This work was supported by the Electric Power
Research Institute under Grant 14818. The associate editor coordinating the
review of this paper and approving it for publication was Prof. Elena Gaura.
V. Agarwal, J. W. Buttles, and B. P. Hallbert are with the Idaho National
Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID 83415 USA (e-mail: vivek.agarwal@inl.gov;
john.buttles@inl.gov; bruce.hallbert@inl.gov).
L. H. Beaty is with the College of Technology, Idaho State University,
Pocatello, ID 83209 USA (e-mail: beatlawr@isu.edu).
J. Naser is with the Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, CA 94304
USA (e-mail: jnaser@epri.com).
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/JSEN.2016.2615131
1558-1748 © 2016 IEEE. Personal use is permitted, but republication/redistribution requires IEEE permission.
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311
also at risk of being shut down due to economic reasons in
this energy competitive market.
The nuclear industry has already captured most of the
economic benefits that are available through power uprates
and more reliable operations (e.g., high capacity factors and
shorter outages). To improve the nuclear competitive position,
the industry must focus on reducing the embedded workload
in the ongoing operation and support of NPPs. One of the
ways to enhance operational efficiency of NPPs is to leverage
advancements in sensor and wireless communication technolo-
gies [2], [3]. The area explored during research and presented
in this paper implements intelligent NPP configuration man-
agement with wireless capability.
Configuration management is an established concept
across several industries such as nuclear [4]–[10],
aerospace [11], [12], transportation [13], [14],
defense [15], [16], and other complex/critical engineering
disciplines [17]. In accordance with standards [18], [19],
configuration management consists of five elements, including
(1) configuration management planning, (2) configuration
identification, (3) change control, (4) configuration status
accounting, and (5) configuration audit. One of the
essential sub-elements of configuration management is
data management. Transformation in sensors, digital data,
and data management technologies has enabled configuration
management to become more, rather than less, important
across different industries [20].
Plant configuration management is an essential element
of NPP design, construction, and operation. Plant configu-
ration control ensures that changes to the NPP and systems
are properly identified, screened, designed, evaluated, imple-
mented, and recorded in a timely manner. Changes in NPP
configuration may result from maintenance, modifications,
aging of components, testing activities, operating experience,
technical developments, and operational limits and conditions
controls [6], [7].
The International Atomic Energy Agency [6], [7] recog-
nizes the significance of NPP configuration management in
current NPP fleets across the world. Inadequate configuration
management can result in the inability to perform safety
and non-safety actions as needed. An example of inade-
quate configuration management includes not having the right
information available to the right people and systems at
the right time and in the right format. This could lead to
312
human errors with potentially significant safety and economic
consequences.
In the current operating model of NPPs, plant configuration
management is highly dependent on a large technical staff.
This dependency is caused by NPPs having a large number of
systems with many operations that are manually performed.
Work processes tend to be fairly complex due to nuclear
quality and documentation requirements. NPPs conduct a
substantial number of surveillance activities on an ongoing
basis to verify NPP components are in their required positions
(e.g., open/close, on/off, etc.) for current and upcoming NPP
configuration. Most NPP manipulations have to be verified by
a second person and sometimes even a third person in high-risk
situations. With rising labor costs [21], this puts nuclear energy
at somewhat of a long-term economic disadvantage compared
to non-nuclear energy generation sources. Dependence on a
large technical staff also presents human error opportunities,
regulatory compliance impacts, and personnel safety hazards.
U.S. companies operating NPPs are committed to strength-
ening the industry’s commitment to excellence in safety and
reliability, assuring future viability through efficiency improve-
ment and driving regulatory and market changes so nuclear
energy facilities are fully recognized for their value. To achieve
these goals, they are partnering with the Nuclear Energy
Institute’s multiyear initiative called “Delivering the Nuclear
Promise: Advancing Safety, Reliability, and Economic Perfor-
mance” [22]. The Delivering the Nuclear Promise Initiative
will identify efficiency measures and adopt best practices
and technology solutions for improving operations, reducing
electric generating costs, and preventing premature reactor
closures.
Taking advantage of conventional and emergency sensor
technology solutions (in particular, wireless sensors) would
effectively augment the best practices identified under the
Delivering the Nuclear Promise Initiative. Information from
some of the conventional sensor technology solutions that
could be utilized to benefit configuration management in
the nuclear industry include [23]: thermocouples, resistance
temperature detectors [24], pressure, flow, neutron flux, water
chemistry (e.g., pH and conductivity), and position indicators.
Conventional sensor technologies could be upgraded (if possi-
ble) to include wireless communication capability. Emerging
sensor technology that would benefit the nuclear industry
includes fiber optics sensors [25]–[27], sensor systems based
on field programmable gate arrays [28], hydrogen sensors [29],
and self-powered wireless sensor nodes [30]. In addition, as
current instrumentation and control systems in NPPs today
are approaching their end-of-life and are facing age-related
issues, an opportunity presents itself to upgrade these systems
in a manner that can reduce dependence on manual activities.
The research presented in this paper focuses on automat-
ing manual valve position indication (VPI) using commer-
cially available passive resistive sensors and transmitting the
information over a wireless network based on the Institute
of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 stan-
dards [31]. The wireless-enabled VPI technology presented in
this paper will provide technical means of monitoring compo-
nents (i.e., manual valves in this case) in NPPs today that are
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IEEE SENSORS JOURNAL, VOL. 17, NO. 2, JANUARY 15, 2017
only routinely monitored through manual activities. This
information can be used for a variety of plant engineering,
maintenance, and management applications.
This work utilizes The Internet of Things (IoT) network
to enable many different devices to communicate between
each other across the same network. For details on IoT,
see [32]–[35]. A prototype system was developed, tested, and
demonstrated on a laboratory-scale flow loop that is fitted
with different manual valve types. The results of this work
(i.e., online knowledge of current valve position and plant
configuration) will also allow operators to make better or
more informed decisions and will provide VPI records for use
in the investigation of an event. Additionally, this capability
can benefit the nuclear industry by reducing labor costs,
reducing radiation dose, reducing nuclear and personnel safety
challenges, and improving plant and regulatory performance.
The paper is organized as follows: Section II presents
discussion on manual valve types and the VPI sensor selec-
tion process. Section III presents discussion on designing
and developing a flow loop to test and demonstrating the
intelligent plant configuration management using wireless VPI
sensors. Section IV captures the design and development of
wireless sensor capabilities. Section V presents valve line-
up scenarios and testing of two of those scenarios. Finally,
Section VI presents conclusions and the potential future path
forward.
II. M ANUAL VALVE T YPES AND VALVE P OSITION
I NDICATION S ENSORS
Any commercial NPP has thousands of manual valves for
general isolation, control, or regulation of the flow of fluids
for balance of plant activities. Line-up of manually operated
valves is one of the important plant configuration activities
performed more frequently in NPPs by field workers because
the manual valves traditionally do not come with continuous
position indication devices. Knowledge about valve position is
essential to permit NPP operations. Based on discussions with
subject matter experts in the area of valves used in NPPs, the
following three valve types were selected for this research:
rising stem gate valve, rising handle globe valve, and butterfly
valve (i.e., 90-degree turn valve).
Many types of VPI sensors (e.g., fixed-position limit
switches; revolution-counting, proximity switches; shaft
encoders; and linear variable differential transformers) were
investigated [8]. The pros and cons of each VPI sensor type
were evaluated using the following guiding characteristics:
(1) low power and continuous linear response; (2) low sensor
cost; and (3) low installation cost without compromising
valve integrity/qualification. The benefits of wireless-enabled
over wired VPI sensors are presented in [8]. The passive-
type position indication sensor (i.e., a sensor that does not
require any power to generate a signal) offers the lowest
power requirements and is one of the preferred choices for a
position indicator. A resistive sensor (an example of a passive
sensor type) has the advantage of offering continuous position
indication and is a good choice for a VPI. Low sensor cost
is important because there are thousands of manual valves
AGARWAL et al.: WIRELESS ONLINE POSITION MONITORING OF MANUAL VALVE TYPES
Fig. 1. MagnetoPot potentiometer sensors in (a) rectangular form and
(b) rotary form [36].
Fig. 2. Electrical schematic of MagnetoPot potentiometer sensors [36].
in a typical NPP. Retrofitting a large number of manual
valves with expensive sensors would defeat the purpose. Low
installation cost and the ability to not compromise the valve
integrity/qualification is required to maintain the certification
of use in an NPP.
The MagnetoPot [36] (shown in Fig. 1) is a type of resistive
sensor that best meets the desired sensor characteristics for
this project. For this work, a rectangular sensor was used to
monitor position for rising stem and rising handle valve types.
The rotary sensor was used to monitor the position of butterfly
valves. The MagnetoPot sensor consists of a resistive strip
and a small internal magnetic attractor inside a cylinder. The
resistive strip and internal magnetic attractor are designed in
a three-pin electrical configuration (Fig. 2). When an exterior
magnet is in the proximity of the sensor, it attracts the internal
magnetic attractor. As the external magnet is moved along the
length of the MagnetoPot, the internal attractor moves along
the length of the resistive element, changing the resistance
valve from 0 to 10 K ohms. This offers contactless operation
and eliminates the possibility of failure due to wear. For this
project, a direct current (DC) voltage is connected across
Pins 2 and 3 in accordance with the electric schematic shown
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313
Fig. 3. Linear response of the rectangular MagnetoPot sensors.
Fig. 4. Linear response of the rotary MagnetoPot sensors.
in Fig. 2. The result is a variable voltage that is measured on
Pin 1 as a magnet is moved along the length or radius of the
MagnetoPot.
The voltage response of both the cylindrical and rotary
MagnetoPot sensors to an external magnet is studied before
they are installed on the identified valves. In the case of the
rectangular MagnetoPot, the external magnet is moved from
one end of the strip to the other end in 0.25-in. intervals.
The output voltage is recorded at every step. Similarly, in
the case of the rotary MagnetoPot, which is to be used
on butterfly valves, the external magnet is moved along the
circular resistive strip for 90-degrees (from any starting point)
in 10-degree intervals. The output voltage is recorded at
every step. The voltage response for both the rectangular
and rotary MagnetoPots is linear as shown in Figs. 3 and 4,
respectively.
III. D ESIGN AND D EVELOPMENT OF A F LOW L OOP
With different valve types and the VPI sensor identified for
implementation of intelligent NPP configuration management
with wireless capability, a laboratory-scale flow loop was
314 IEEE SENSORS JOURNAL, VOL. 17, NO. 2, JANUARY 15, 2017

Fig. 5. ISU flow loop (internal section). Fig. 7. A view of the modified flow loop with CDW connected to the
discharge section.

Fig. 6. ISU flow loop with external water tank reservoir and pump system.
Fig. 8. A view of the modified flow loop with MWI connected to the
incoming section.

identified and fitted with selected valve types and VPI sensors.
The instrumented flow loop is representative of a system found
in many industrial plants and NPPs.
The existing flow loop at Idaho State University’s (ISU’s)
Energy Systems Technology and Education Center (ESTEC)
consists of parallel lines of 4-in. steel pipes (Fig. 5). The flow
loop is operated at 734 N (165 lb.), with fluid flowing up to
379 liter per minute (100 gallon per minute). The flow loop
is operated using a programmable logic controller (PLC) with
various input/output connections to collect sensor data. The
PLC is connected to a human-machine interface (HMI) that
is used to display the graphics of the flow loop configuration
and operational status. Parallel pipelines are connected to a
watertank reservoir system with four pumps that circulate
water through the flow loop and back to the water tanks. Fig. 6
shows the water tank reservoir system (i.e., the external section Fig. 9. A schematic of the modified flow loop.

of the flow loop).

The existing flow loop configuration was modified to
include cross connects fitted with manually operated rising
stem gate valves, rising handle globe valves (i.e., non-rising
stem), and butterfly valves (see Fig. 7). The cross-connects
are made using 4-in. polyvinyl chloride pipes. The elements
of the modified flow loop include two pumps, nine manually
operated valves to control the flow of the fluids into heat
exchangers (HXs), cleanup discharge waste (CDW), and
makeup water injection (MWI) (Figs. 7 and 8). MWI is
included to compensate for leakage losses. A schematic of
the modified flow loop is shown in Fig. 9, where Valves 1, 2,
5, and 6 are rising stem gate valves. Valves 3 and 4 are rising
handle globe valves. Valves 7, 8, and 9 are butterfly valves.

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AGARWAL et al.: WIRELESS ONLINE POSITION MONITORING OF MANUAL VALVE TYPES
Fig. 10. VPI wireless network.
IV. D ESIGN AND D EVELOPMENT OF
W IRELESS C APABILITY
Flat wireless communication architecture on an Ethernet
network is adapted to implement wireless VPI. It is one of
the IoT classes of communication [37]. The network standard
being used today can be categorized into three basic network
topologies: point-to-point, star, and mesh. For details on each
network topology, see [37], [38]. Flat wireless communication
architecture utilizes star topology, where each wireless device
or node communicates directly with a gateway or access point.
The gateway or access point transmits data to a central loca-
tion over another network. In this research, another network
selected was the Ethernet network. One of the limitations
of flat wireless communication is loss of data if something
disrupts the line of communication between a device and
gateway. For the experimental flow loop configuration used
during this research, no such disruption was witnessed.
To achieve wireless VPI using flat communication archi-
tecture, each valve in Fig. 9 was fitted with a wireless VPI
module, which includes a MagnetoPot sensor, an analog-
to-digital converter (ADC), and a wireless-network-enabled
bridge. Each bridge was assigned a dedicated service set
identifier (SSID) with password encryption for security. In
addition, a wireless bridge was installed at a remote location
to receive the data transmitted wirelessly by each VPI module
and was connected into the PLC via an Ethernet network.
HMI is provided to display information from this PLC. This
wireless communication is shown in Fig. 10.
The design and development of each element associated
with the wireless-enabled VPI and network configuration
(Fig. 10) is discussed in the following subsections.
A. Wireless Sensor Electronics
The first component of the wireless sensor electronic is the
MagnetoPot resistive sensor. An external magnet is installed
on each valve and is positioned such that as the valve position
changes, there is a corresponding change to the resistive valve
of the sensor. A 5-V DC source is connected across the
sensor, which produces a 0 to 5-V DC signal corresponding
to the change in the valve position. The second component
of the wireless sensor electronic is the X-320 ADC [39].
The output signal from the sensor is connected to the X-320
ADC unit. The input/output of the unit supports 0 to 5-V DC
output from the sensor, provides digital output indication, and
uses transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP)
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315
Fig. 11. An example of wireless sensor electronics installed on a butterfly
valve.
Modbus communication protocol. The third component of the
wireless sensor electronic is a 2.4-GHz wireless bridge [40].
The X-320 ADC is connected to the 2.4-GHz wireless
bridge via an Ethernet cable to communicate valve position
information to the PLC installed at a remote location. The
2.4-GHz wireless networking was selected because it is widely
used in industry for both business and process control data
transmission. The 2.4-GHz wireless bridge allows the user
to set up a dedicated SSID with encryption and password
for security. The X-320 ADC unit and the wireless bridge
are powered using four AA batteries, which allows minimum
continuous operation of the prototype unit for up to 2 weeks
(on average) with data transferred every second.
Each element of the wireless sensor electronics is connected
and mounted on a square Plexiglass frame (6-in. × 6-in.) and
installed on each of the nine valves (Fig. 11).
B. Sensor Brackets
As mentioned earlier, four rising stem gate valves, three but-
terfly valves, and two rising handle globe valves were selected
for this work. Each of the valve types presents a unique
challenge for installing the MagnetoPot resistive sensor. To
address this challenge, customized adjustable brackets were
developed to support the sensors. The brackets were either
bolted to the valve itself or to the valve support structure
without requiring any major change to the valve and without
impacting valve integrity/qualification.
C. Programmable Logic Controller
PLC with TCP/IP Modbus protocol is programmed to poll
the data from each VPI module. The polled valve data are
stored in a register location in the PLC and converted to
display valve position on an HMI. The TCP/IP Modbus com-
munication protocol is used for its simplicity and robustness.
316
Fig. 12. HMI used to display the flow loop configuration.
Fig. 13. HMI showing the percentage of open/closed valve positions with
output voltage in a separate pop-up window.
The Modbus protocol relies on a master and slave concept.
The PLC acts as a master, sending requests to read data
from the VPI modules installed on all nine valves. The
frequency of the data pulling and pushing is configurable in
the PLC. The protocol waits for a pre-defined time interval to
receive a notification from the VPI module. If no communica-
tion is received within the pre-defined time interval, the VPI
module is declared down and the status of the valve on the
HMI is changed to unavailable.
D. Human-Machine Interface
HMI is used to graphically display the flow loop con-
figuration, valve position, and fluid flow through the loop
(Fig. 12). HMI uses the Windows®CE.NET operating system
with FactoryTalk®View Machine software to design graphical
elements and communicate with the PLC. This software is
used to design several graphical displays of the flow loop,
with these displays indicating the data collected from the flow
loop. The 0 to 5-V DC output of the MagnetoPot is converted
into 0 to 100% and is displayed as a bar graph on the HMI
(Fig. 13). The bar graph is displayed as a separate pop-
up window when the user selects the valve (see Fig. 13).
In addition, the HMI display could be used to display various
pressure and flow meter readings at several locations on the
flow loop.
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IEEE SENSORS JOURNAL, VOL. 17, NO. 2, JANUARY 15, 2017
Fig. 14. Calibration response of Valve 1 (gate valve).
V. D EMONSTRATION OF VALVE P OSITION I NDICATION
U SING W IRELESS S ENSORS
Testing and demonstration of intelligent NPP configuration
management using the laboratory-scale flow loop fitted with
manual valves and wireless VPI sensors are presented in this
section. Prior to performing the valve line-up scenarios and
observing their outcomes, valve calibrations were performed.
Valve calibration is important to accurately map the sensor
output to the percentage valve as OPEN or CLOSED in the
PLC registry.
A. Calibration Process
For calibration purposes, the MagnetoPot sensor and exter-
nal magnet position were adjusted so as the external magnet
travels along the length of the sensor, the output stayed
bounded within the 0 to 5-V DC limits. All valves were
placed in a fully CLOSED position and were fully OPENED
by turning the valve handle. The number of turns to fully
OPEN each gate and globe valve from the fully CLOSED
position and the sensor output voltage were recorded using the
PLC and its HMI. Similarly, for butterfly valves, the handle
was operated in incremental steps from the fully CLOSED
position to the fully OPEN position. Each incremental step and
corresponding sensor output were recorded. The calibration
was repeated on all of the valves from fully OPEN to fully
CLOSED positions and the sensor outputs were recorded.
An example of gate (Valve 1), globe (Valve 3), and butterfly
(Valve 7) valve responses operated from the fully CLOSED
to the fully OPEN position and vice versa are shown in
Figs. 14 through 16, respectively. The response was observed
to be linear. The calibration plots for the other six valves
showed similar performance.
B. Experimentation and Demonstration Scenarios
Seven valve line-up scenarios summarized in Table 1 were
developed for testing and demonstration purposes. An exper-
imental procedure was developed that describes the steps
to be carried out for each scenario. The procedure enabled
AGARWAL et al.: WIRELESS ONLINE POSITION MONITORING OF MANUAL VALVE TYPES
TABLE I
VALVE L INE -U P S CENARIOS D EVELOPED TO D EMONSTRATE A PPLICATION OF W IRELESS VPI S ENSORS FOR NPP C ONFIGURATION M ANAGEMENT
Fig. 15. Calibration response of Valve 3 (globe valve).
Fig. 16. Calibration response of Valve 7 (butterfly valve).
independent execution of each demonstration scenario by any
ISU student. All scenarios were executed as part of the
demonstration process, where ISU students performed the role
of field workers and the shift maintenance supervisor.
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317
The procedure developed for each of the seven scenarios
had the following three steps:
1) Initial Condition: In this step, the field worker checks
the current state of the valves.
2) Operation Sequence: In this step, the field worker per-
forms valve manipulations as recommended in a valve
line-up procedure.
3) Closeout: In this step, the field worker completes the
specified valve line-up, and records and reports the state
of the loop to the maintenance supervisor.
During execution of each scenario (i.e., valve line-up proce-
dure), it was assumed that a maintenance supervisor and a field
worker maintained two-way communication with each other.
This allowed the field worker to communicate any information
from the worksite to a maintenance supervisor. Similarly, this
allowed the maintenance supervisor to inform a field worker if
any error occurred or if any changes were made to the existing
valve line-up procedure.
Each scenario execution required three ISU students. Two
out of the three students acted as a field operator and one
as a shift maintenance supervisor. Selection of a student’s
role as a field operator or as a shift maintenance supervi-
sor was random. Also, each of the seven scenarios sum-
marized in Table 1 was executed multiple times with an
independent set of ISU students. To ensure consistency, at
the beginning of each scenario (randomly set up by exper-
imenters), an ISU student acting as a field operator or as
a shift maintenance supervisor would review the procedure
to gain knowledge about the current flow loop configuration
(initial condition).
Following the initial condition step, students acting as field
operators manipulate the valve positions per the scenario
and the student acting as the shift maintenance supervisor
monitors the process on the HMI display at a remote loca-
tion (operation sequence). During the operation sequence, if
the shift maintenance supervisor notices any error, a field
worker is immediately notified. After completing the scenario,
field workers report the final state to the shift maintenance
supervisor, who verifies the operation sequence and confirms
completion of the scenario (closeout).
318
Fig. 17. A schematic showing the initial flow loop configuration at the start
of the scenario with the field worker recording the incorrect valve position.
Three human errors and one valve line-up configuration
change were introduced in certain valve line-up scenarios to
demonstrate how online (i.e., real-time) monitoring of manual
valve positions via the wireless-enabled VPI sensors enabled
early identification of errors, prevented delay, and reduced cost
associated with post-performance corrective actions.
For brevity, only two out of seven scenarios are discussed
here. However, for completeness, lessons learned from remain-
ing scenarios are summarized in Section V. For details on
other scenarios, see [8]. The two scenarios presented here
highlight common human errors that are observed in NPP
field operations—(1) recording incorrect valve position and
(2) operating on an incorrect valve.
C. Scenario 1: Field Worker Recording Incorrect
Valve Position
In this scenario, the initial NPP configuration (Fig. 17) has
HX-1 connected to Pump 1 (P-1) via Valves 1 and 2 and HX-2
connected to Pump 2 (P-2) via Valves 5 and 6. In Fig. 17, both
pumps are ON and Valves 1, 2, 5, and 6 are fully OPEN, while
other valves are fully CLOSED. The changes are made to the
initial NPP configuration to have HX-1 connected to P-2 via
Valves 2, 3, 4, and 5. The other valves are fully CLOSED;
HX-2, MWI, and CDW are not engaged in this NPP config-
uration. P-1 is turned OFF. A human error is introduced in
the scenario that is corrected as a result of online (i.e., real-
time) remote monitoring of field activity progress on the HMI
display by a shift maintenance supervisor.
A representation of the flow loop configuration with addi-
tional details (e.g., controls, pop-up window, and flow/pressure
information) is available to the shift maintenance supervisor
at a remote location on the HMI display. A schematic of the
final flow loop configuration is shown in Fig. 18.
To process the fluid from P-2 through HX-1, the field
worker must connect P-2 to HX-1 via cross-connected valves.
Two valve line-up options exist. The primary line-up involves
Valves 2, 3, 4, and 5 and the secondary line-up includes
Valves 1, 2, 8, and 9. The primary valve line-up is selected in
this scenario. The field worker STOPPED P-1, fully CLOSED
Valves 1 and 6, and took HX-2 out-of-service. This created a
restriction that prevented processing of fluid from P-2 through
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IEEE SENSORS JOURNAL, VOL. 17, NO. 2, JANUARY 15, 2017
Fig. 18. A schematic showing the final flow loop configuration at the end
of the scenario with the field worker recording the incorrect valve position.
Fig. 19. A schematic showing the final flow loop configuration at the end
of the scenario, with the field worker recording the incorrect valve position.
HX-2. The field worker then fully OPENED Valve 4 first
and, while working on Valve 3, the field worker failed to
OPEN Valve 3 fully, but recorded it as fully OPEN. This is
an example of human error that occurred during the scenario.
The shift maintenance supervisor remotely monitoring
progress of the field activity on the HMI display as it was
performed, immediately observed the error based on the valve
position (i.e., percentage OPEN) communicated wirelessly on
the HMI display. The shift supervisor immediately communi-
cated to the field worker that Valve 3 was not fully OPEN
and the entry was INCORRECT. The field worker returned to
check Valve 3 and confirmed the shift maintenance supervisor
was CORRECT. The field worker then fully OPENED Valve 3
and recorded the updated valve position.
The shift maintenance supervisor noticed the updated valve
position on the HMI display and confirmed to the field worker
that the updated Valve 3 position was CORRECT. The field
worker proceeded to the next step in the procedure. Once all
procedural steps were complete, the correct valve positions
were displayed on the HMI screen (Fig. 18).
D. Scenario 2: Field Worker Operates on an Incorrect Valve
In this scenario, the initial NPP configuration (Fig. 19)
has fluid flowing from P-1 to CDW via Valves 1, 3, and 7.
Changes are made to the initial NPP configuration to have
HX-1 connected to P-1 via Valves 1 and 2 and HX-2 connected
AGARWAL et al.: WIRELESS ONLINE POSITION MONITORING OF MANUAL VALVE TYPES
to P-2 via Valves 5 and 6 (Fig. 17). The other valves are fully
CLOSED and MWI is not engaged. A field worker follows the
procedure to restore the flow loop from its initial configuration
(shown in Fig. 19) to the line-up shown in Fig. 17. During this
process, the field worker operates on an incorrect valve. This
error is immediately noted and corrected as a result of online
(i.e., real-time) remote monitoring of field activity progress on
the HMI display by a shift maintenance supervisor.
For fluid to flow from P-1 to HX-1 and from P-2 to HX-2,
the field worker first fully CLOSED Valve 7 and 3 in order.
Then the field worker fully OPENED Valves 2 and 5. Next
the field worker was required to fully OPEN Valve 6; instead
the field worker operated on Valve 4, which is next to Valve 6.
In an NPP, several different valve types are in close proximity
and it is one of the common human errors to operate on an
incorrect valve. The shift maintenance supervisor, who was
monitoring the progress of the field activity remotely on the
HMI display as it was performed, immediately observed the
field worker error on the HMI display and immediately com-
municated to the field worker that Valve 4 is the INCORRECT
valve. The field worker was required to operate on Valve 6.
The field worker recognized the error, ensured Valve 4 was
fully CLOSED, and returned to Valve 6 to fully OPEN it.
Finally, P-1 was turned ON. The correct (or expected) valve
positions were displayed on the HMI screen (Fig. 17).
E. Summary of Lessons Learned from Scenarios 3 Through 7
Prior to executing Scenario 3, pumps P-1 and P-2 were
OFF and all valves were fully CLOSED. Scenario 3 required
fluid flow from P-1 to HX-1 and from P-2 to HX-2 via a
least complicated valve line-up configuration. It was achieved
by connecting P-1 to HX-1 via Valves 1 and 2 and P-2
to HX-2 via Valves 5 and 6. This scenario demonstrated
online monitoring of the activities performed by field workers
and instant verification of reported valve line-up by a shift
maintenance supervisor.
Scenario 4 was an extension of Scenario 1 that required con-
trolled flow of fluid at 340.69 liter per minute (90 gallon per
minute) through HX-1 with both pumps P-1 and P-2 operating.
The controlled fluid flow rate through HX-1 was achieved
by partially opening Valve 1 by 25% and Valve 3 by 50%.
During this scenario, a human error of incorrect percentage
of valve opening by a field worker was observed. The field
worker incorrectly recorded the Valve 3 to be 50% OPEN by
making an error in counting the number of valve turns from
the fully CLOSED position. Because of online monitoring
of the valve position, the shift maintenance supervisor was
immediately able to identify the potential human error and
prevent it. In addition, it enabled real-time monitoring of flow
rate and any deviation.
During Scenario 5, a leakage of fluid at P-1 was assumed;
therefore, MWI via Valve 8 was engaged to compensate for
the low flow rate through HX-1. As the field worker was
engaging MWI via Valve 8, the field worker found that Valve
8 was stuck CLOSED (assumed) and required maintenance.
The shift maintenance supervisor was informed and an alterna-
tive valve line-up was requested. This scenario demonstrated
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319
that the field worker was able to identify a faulty valve in
the field and update the current work order to include an
alternative valve line-up with the help of the shift maintenance
supervisor without any significant delay. This scenario demon-
strated communication of the correct information available
about the system, to the right person, and at the right time.
Also, this scenario allowed the shift maintenance supervisor to
update the HMI display based on information from the field.
Scenario 6 is an extension of Scenario 5, enabling recon-
figuration of the flow loop (because Valve 8 is out of service)
to engage MWI using an alternative valve line-up via Valve 9.
Due to an alternative valve line-up, a loss of labor time and
revenue were prevented. The loss of revenue, at a minimum,
would have included the field worker returning to the office,
updating the work order status, getting approval for a revised
work order, and returning to the field to engage MWI via an
alternative valve line-up.
Scenario 7 requires fluid flow from P-1 through CDW. Two
possible valve line-up options were available. The first valve
line-up option included Valves 1, 3, and 7, while the second
valve line-up option included Valves 8, 9, 5, 4, and 7. For this
scenario, the first valve line-up option was selected because it
involved fewer valves, which presents fewer opportunities for
human error and less labor time.
F. Overall Impact of Wireless VPI Technology
The estimated impact of implementing wireless VPI tech-
nology or other related wireless sensor technologies for NPP
configuration management based on the lessons learned from
these seven scenarios includes (1) reliable remote online mon-
itoring of manually operated components, thereby, enabling
access to information that was previously not available on a
regular basis and potentially reducing a possibility of human
error (i.e., increasing operational reliability); (2) minimizing
the time required to complete a task by having access to the
right information at the right time and in the right format to
the right person; and (3) reducing the amount of rework and
corrective actions.
To leverage the maximum benefit and impact of wireless
sensor technologies in NPP configuration management, it is
crucial that the implementation technology is not expensive to
install and maintain.
VI. C ONCLUSIONS AND P OTENTIAL PATH F ORWARD
The wireless online monitoring of manual valves for NPP
configuration management in NPPs addressed some of the
concerns associated with their current operating model. In par-
ticular, the focus was to reduce cost and increase productivity
by automating manual operations and reducing the possibility
of human errors. From the wide range of NPP components,
this work focused on automating manual VPI using a passive
resistive sensor and transmitting the information wirelessly
over a wireless network based on IEEE 802.11 standards [31].
The work designed, tested, and demonstrated the concept on a
laboratory-scale flow loop at ISU’s ESTEC that was fitted with
three manual valve types commonly found in NPPs selected
320
for the project (rising stem gate, rising handle globe, and
butterfly valves).
The salient features of the developed flow loop include the
following:
• IoT network that enabled communication between differ-
ent VPI modules across the same network
• Each of the VPI modules was assigned a dedicated SSID
with a password encryption for security
• The TCP/IP Modbus communication protocol was used
to transmit data from each valve’s wireless network to
the PLC because of its simplicity and robustness
• HMI displayed, using a separate pop-up window (when
selected by user), a bar graph showing the valve position
in real-time as it was operated
• Valve positions on the HMI display were color-coded to
represent the different valve states.
This work highlights that remote monitoring of manual VPI
using wireless sensors would benefit the nuclear industry in
several ways, including reduced labor costs, reduced radiation
dose, reduced nuclear and personnel safety challenges, and
improved regulatory performance. The results of this work lay
the foundation for automation of manual operation in an NPP
and impact a wide range of manual activities, including field
worker activities, online monitoring, NPP outages, and control
room operation. It also lays the foundation toward achieving
additional increased efficiency and reduced cost, which are
consistent with the goals of Delivering the Nuclear Promise
Initiative. The results of this work will allow operators to make
better or more-informed decisions. This work demonstrates
an opportunity to train the next generation of the nuclear
workforce with the advantage of advanced sensor and wireless
communication technologies.
To adopt the work presented in this paper, it is impor-
tant to carry out a cost-benefit analysis in a facility that
is representative of an environment observed in an NPP.
This is definitely part of research activities path forward. To
perform a cost-benefit analysis of the technology, concerns
related to (1) increasing the robustness of the installed wire-
less sensor’s electronics against electromagnetic interference
and cyber attacks, (2) increasing the robustness of wireless
communication in an NPP environment, and (3) increasing
the longevity and decreasing the maintenance of a battery
source used to power a wireless sensor’s electronics must
be addressed. Designing power efficient wireless sensor elec-
tronics and varying the data transfer rate (as per industrial
requirements) enables maximization of the battery source’s
operational time. This issue will be addressed in the next
phase of the research. The research team is also exploring
the possibility of testing the prototype in a representative
NPP environment, along with application of self-powered (i.e.,
energy harvesting) and radiation-tolerant wireless sensors for
remote monitoring [30] as part of efforts for a path forward.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and ISU performed
work under the contract funded by the Electric Power
Research Institute (EPRI). Authors acknowledge support from
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IEEE SENSORS JOURNAL, VOL. 17, NO. 2, JANUARY 15, 2017
the following individuals and organizations that contributed
to this work: A. Al Rashdan (INL), R. Beaman (ISU),
C. Hawk (INL), R. Heydt (ISU), J. Meng (ISU), C. Morgan
(INL), J. Perschon (ISU), R. Pitcher (ISU), B. Smith (ISU),
E. Smith (ISU), and K. Thomas (INL). Authors would like to
thank anonymous reviewers for their feedback. They would
also like to thank Jodi L. Vollmer and Jake E. Rudd for
technical editing of the manuscript.
D ISCLAIMER
This information was prepared as an account of work
sponsored by an agency of the U.S. Government. Neither
the U.S. Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of
their employees, makes any warranty, expressed or implied, or
assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy,
completeness, or usefulness, of any information, apparatus,
product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would
not infringe privately owned rights. References herein to any
specific commercial product, process, or service by trade
name, trade mark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not nec-
essarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation,
or favoring by the U.S. Government or any agency thereof.
The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not
necessarily state or reflect those of the U.S. Government or
any agency thereof.
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321
Vivek Agarwal (M’11) received the B.E. degree in
electrical engineering from the University of Madras,
Chennai, India, the M.S. degree in electrical engi-
neering from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville,
TN, USA, in 2001 and 2005, respectively, and the
Ph.D. degree in nuclear engineering from Purdue
University, West Lafayette, IN, USA, in 2011.
He is currently a Research Scientist with INL,
Department of Human Factors, Controls, and
Statistics. His current research interests include
interdisciplinary, ranging from prognostics health
management, wireless sensor networks, instrumentation and controls, math-
ematical modeling, computer vision, signal/image processing, and nuclear
engineering. He is on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Pattern Recognition
Research. He is an Executive Member of the American Nuclear Society’s
Human Factors and Instrumentation and Controls Division and the American
Society of Mechanical Engineer’s Non-Destructive Prognostics and Diagnos-
tics Division.
Dr. Agarwal has authored or co-authored a book chapter and over 30 peer-
reviewed conference and journal publications. He is responsible for 15 INL
technical reports and three EPRI reports.
John W. Buttles received the B.S. and M.S. degrees
in electrical engineering from the University of Utah,
in 1977 and 1982, respectively. He is currently a
Project Engineer in Idaho, Utah, and California.
He has been an Experimental Design Engineer
with INL since 2004, where he manages experi-
ment lifecycle requirements for experiments at the
Materials and Fuels Complex. He has supervised
the installation of new equipment for the Wireless
Test Bed and Cyber Security Test Bed at INL. He
has over 15 years of successful experience with
major emphasis on wireless area network telecommunication, wireless sensor
networks, supervisory control and data acquisition networks, PLC control
system design, process control, alternating current and dc power systems,
and energy harvesting using environmental and wireless sources. He has an
FCC Amateur Radio Extra Class radio-communications license (N7WZ).
Mr. Buttles has two U.S. patents and one pending. He has authored over
20 peer-reviewed journal and conference publications.
Lawrence H. Beaty (SM’03) graduated from the
United States Navy Electronics School in 1980, the
United States Navy Nuclear Power School in 1983,
and from General Electric Turbine University in
1986.
He has been with ESTEC, ISU, since 2003. From
2003 to 2007, he was a Faculty Member with ISU.
From 2007 to 2011, he served as the Associate
Director of ESTEC. Since 2011, he has been the
Executive Director and Chair of ESTEC. Prior to
joining ISU, he was a Systems Manager with the GE
Power Plant Systems Department from 1986 to 1991. From 1991 to 1995, he
was the Vice President for BBA Energy Services, Atlanta, GA, USA. From
1995 to 2001, he was a Site Manager with GE Power Systems, Schenectady,
NY, USA. From 2001 to 2003, he was a Senior Power Systems Analyst for
United States Power Technology, Fort Smith, AR, USA.
Dr. Beaty has over 60 peer-reviewed journal and conference publications.
322
Joseph Naser (SM’91) received the B.S. degree in
science engineering from Northwestern University,
Chicago, IL, USA, in 1969, the M.S. degree in
nuclear engineering from the University of Califor-
nia at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA, the M.S. degree
in computer science from Stanford University,
Stanford, CA, USA, in 1969, 1986, respectively, and
the Ph.D. degree in nuclear engineering from the
University of California at Berkeley in 1976.
He has been with EPRI for 41 years working
in a number of different areas. He is currently a
Technical Executive with EPRI’s Nuclear Power Sector, Plant Technology
Department. He is also the ERPI lead with the joint Department of Energy’s
Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program and the EPRI Long-Term Opera-
tion Program for the topic area of Instrumentation, Information, and Control
Technologies.
Dr. Naser is responsible for over 140 EPRI technical reports. He has
authored over 300 peer-reviewed publications. He is a Fellow with the
American Nuclear Society and the International Society of Automation.
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IEEE SENSORS JOURNAL, VOL. 17, NO. 2, JANUARY 15, 2017
Bruce P. Hallbert received the B.S. and the M.S.
degrees from ISU, Idaho Falls, ID, USA, in psy-
chology and in experimental psychology, in 1983
and 1987, respectively, and the Ph.D. degree in
civil and environmental engineering from Vanderbilt
University, Nashville, TN, USA, in 2010.
Since 2009, he has been the research pathway lead
of Instrumentation, Information, and Control System
research for the U.S. Department of Energy spon-
sored Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program.
Since 2013, he has been the Director of the Nuclear
Energy Enabling Technologies Program at INL. He also serves as the National
Technical Director of advanced sensors and instrumentation research for the
U.S. Department of Energy sponsored Nuclear Energy Enabling Technology
Program. He was the President of the International Association of Probabilistic
Safety Assessment and Management.
Dr. Hallbert has published over 100 peer-reviewed journal and conference
publications.