Application of Wireless LAN technology to Remote Monitoring for Inspection Equipment

As a one of the requirements to introduce the Integrated Safeguards that IAEA and Japan agreed to Tokai Reprocessing Plant (TRP), IAEA required the introduction of Remote Monitoring (RM) for inspection equipments (surveillance cameras and NDA equipments) installed in the spent fuel pond at TRP. For the requirement, a lot of cost and longtime construction for the cabling were expected because there is no necessary existing cable (LAN line etc.) for data transmission of RM in the spent fuel pond area. In order to resolve the issue, JAEA proposed the wireless LAN which can introduce the RM by low cost in comparison with cabling to IAEA and proved the communication could be performed absolutely on the basis of performance test of various performance tests, such as prolonged continuation communication. As a result, it was recognized that wireless LAN has enough ability to communicate for long periods of time. Consequently, the IAEA installed access point (AP) and an external antenna to each inspection equipment and the wireless LAN technology was applied for RM. For the wireless LAN technique for the RM, JAEA could get an approval from the IAEA through the some field tests. TRP is the first facility in Japan for application of wireless LAN technique to several Containment and Surveillance (C/S) systems. It is less expensive to install the wireless LAN system than cabling. And such system can be installed easily if communication conditions are properly confirmed in advance. Using virtual private network (VPN) for like this system may make it possible to extend the wireless LAN technique to other facilities. The IAEA could lay the groundwork for the RM with the wireless LAN technique which can be provided inexpensively, in a short time, with less impact to facility/operators. This is the good example because we could overcome the subjects about the both of communication difficulty and security. JAEA thinks that this technique is not only safeguards advantages as IAEA, but also this technique can be extended to other facilities or the remote monitoring for temporary C/S system.