On-line testing of calibration of pressure transmitters in nuclear power plants

The author presents the preliminary results of an experimental research project recently initiated to validate the new techniques that have been developed for instrument calibration reduction in nuclear power plants. These techniques will permit online testing of calibration of pressure transmitters as installed in an operating nuclear power plant. In addition to the transmitter itself, the techniques will provide calibration testing of the signal conditioning equipment and other components of the instrument channel and thereby eliminate the need for much of the calibration effort currently carried out in nuclear power plants. The results of laboratory and in-plant research completed to date have shown that online drift monitoring should be successful for separating transmitters that must be calibrated