Ensure uptime in nuclear plants with rapid leak detection
Detect and quantify leaks in steam, hydrogen, air, and vacuum systems, from a safe distance. Reduce outage duration, support tightness testing, and avoid costly delays
Nuclear power plants: where safety and availability are inseparable
Gas leaks are a constant concern in nuclear power plants: across steam circuits, compressed air systems, hydrogen-cooled generators, vacuum systems, and containment infrastructures.
In these environments, detecting leaks is challenging: complex and dense installations, and limited accessibility make conventional methods slow, operator-dependent, or inconclusive.
Yet even small leaks can have significant consequences. Steam or air leaks can affect system performance, vacuum losses can reduce efficiency and accelerate corrosion, and certain leaks can trigger regulatory events requiring rapid assessment and decision-making.
Distran acoustic cameras enable nuclear teams to detect and precisely quantify gas leaks from a safe distance, without contact and in real operating conditions. Used by operations, maintenance, and reliability teams across multiple nuclear power plants, the technology supports faster diagnostics, improves safety, and helps maintain plant availability.
Where leaks occur in nuclear power plants
Gas leaks can occur across multiple systems in a nuclear power plant. These systems are often difficult to access, highly noisy, or critical to operations.
Steam and condensate systems
- Turbine bypass valves and steam lines
- Flanges, fittings, and valve packings
- Heat exchangers and auxiliary circuits
Superheated steam leaks are particularly hazardous. They are often invisible, can cause severe injury, and may lead to rapid equipment degradation or trigger safety procedures.
Compressed air and gas systems
- Control and service air networks
- Compressors, dryers, and distribution lines
- Nitrogen and auxiliary gas systems
Even small leaks can lead to pressure losses, malfunction of actuators, and increased energy consumption.
Hydrogen-cooled generators
- Alternator cooling circuits
- Seals, valves, and monitoring systems
Hydrogen leaks require rapid detection due to their flammability and the operational constraints associated with generator cooling systems.
Vacuum systems and air ingress
- Condensers and turbine housings
- Vacuum lines and extraction systems
Air ingress reduces efficiency, increases corrosion risks, and directly impacts plant performance.
Ventilation and containment systems
- HVAC systems and ducting
- Containment penetrations and pressurized or depressurized areas
Leaks in these systems can affect controlled environments and safety-related functions.
Quantify Leaks Within the Regulatory Window
When a group 1 event is declared, teams have 8 hours to assess the leak. Distran cameras quantify the leak rate and set up time-based monitoring in under 1 hour — enabling informed decisions without forced shutdown.
Inspect from a Safe Distance
Detect leaks from 0.3 to 100 m with no contact with the gas or the equipment. Eliminates the need for scaffolding, lifts, and direct exposure to pressurized systems.
All Gas Types Across All Systems
Steam, compressed air, vacuum (air ingress), CO₂, hydrogen on alternators — one device covers turbines, condensers, HVAC, valves, and the full balance-of-plant.
Avoid Costly Unplanned Shutdowns
Every avoided unplanned shutdown at a nuclear plant saves millions. EDF Dampierre used Distran to avert a shutdown that would have cost 5 to 6 million euros per day.
Detect Partial Discharges
In addition to gas leaks, Distran cameras detect partial discharges — corona, arcing, and tracking on high-voltage systems — enabling proactive electrical fault management.
Reactor Building Tightness Testing
Acoustic cameras are used to verify the tightness of reactor buildings — one of the most demanding leak detection applications in any industrial environment.
EDF Dampierre — Shutdown Avoided, €5–6M/day Saved
EDF's nuclear power plant at Dampierre-en-Burly produces ~20 TWh of low-carbon electricity per year — around 8% of France's nuclear output. In January 2023, during a period of acute strain on the French electricity network, an air leak was detected on a turbine bypass valve. This triggered a group 1 regulatory event: teams had 8 hours to quantify the leak and confirm it was below safety thresholds — or initiate a unit shutdown.
With the Distran Ultra Pro X, the team quantified the leak rate and established real-time monitoring in under one hour. The leak was confirmed well below the regulatory threshold. Production continued. Long-term monitoring was put in place and the leak has not exceeded the threshold since.
"The unique features of the Distran acoustic camera, in particular the quantification of the leak rate, empowered us to estimate the degree of urgency for intervention. In addition to ensuring continuity of supply to the network, the avoided shutdown would have cost between 5 to 6 million euros per day of shutdown." — Xavier Bacquenois, Plant Manager, EDF NPP Dampierre-en-Burly
Deployed Across 20 Nuclear Power Plants Worldwide
EDF has been using Distran cameras since 2020. The technology is now deployed across the French nuclear fleet and beyond, covering a wide range of applications across multiple departments: Operations, Engineering, Reliability, HVAC, Testing & Monitoring, Mechanics (taps and valves), and Automatisms.
Routine applications include weekly and bi-monthly air line inspections, on-demand condenser vacuum tests, steam and MSR department leak surveys, and CO₂ monitoring. In 2023, Distran was awarded the Operational Excellence Innovation Award at the World Nuclear Exhibition — presented in partnership with EDF.
"The Distran ultrasonic camera has proved to be an invaluable tool, helping us to monitor numerous pieces of equipment — such as our production system of control air, ventilation systems, and our condenser, kept at negative pressure." — Xavier Bacquenois, Plant Manager, EDF NPP Dampierre-en-Burly
What nuclear plant operators say about Distran
"The Distran ultrasonic camera has proved to be an invaluable tool, helping us to monitor numerous pieces of equipment. Using the DISTRAN camera for monitoring our networks and pressurized equipment allows us to increase both the nuclear safety and the availability of the Dampierre Nuclear Power Plant." — Xavier Bacquenois, Plant Manager, EDF NPP Dampierre-en-Burly
"Before using the Distran camera, we've been detecting dry steam with a piece of fabric. It was neither safe nor reliable. Now we detect it from a safe distance, and we clearly visualize from where it escapes the system." — Nicolas Chapeau, Inspector RIS, EDF NPP Paluel
Estimate downtime losses from leaks in your plant
A single undetected leak can cost hundreds of thousands to millions per day. Get a quick estimate based on your plant conditions.