Fault location in a cable for a nuclear power plant by frequency domain reflectometry

Cables installed in nuclear power plants are subjected to thermal burden and radioactive rays. Regarding this, if we want to monitor the integrity of a cable in a nuclear power plant continuously, we have to do measurements while the cable is heated and irradiated. In this research, we obtained frequency domain reflectometry signals for a 50-m long cable insulated with flame-retardant ethylene propylene diene copolymer (FR-EPDM) installed in an environment where heat and radiation were given simultaneously. Then, we separated signals originating in the degradation of the insulation from those due to heat and radiation. This result indicates that the separation of the signal arising from the degradation of insulation from other signals due to heat and radiation is in principle possible at least as far as FR-EPDM insulated cables are concerned.