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Measurement for New Technologies Case Study

Identifying potential pipe failures in power plants or other hostile environments, can reduce unplanned shutdowns and prevent huge emergency repair costs.

Piezoelectric sensors could provide the integrity information needed but these materials require development for high temperature operation and improved characterisation to ensure reliable performance.

The EMRP project 'Metrology of electrothermal coupling for new functional materials technology', evaluated many different new piezo-electric materials and identified one with great potential for high temperature measurements. This was further developed, tested and characterised in the project, demonstrating its suitability both as a reference grade material and also for use in installed sensors that operate at high temperatures.

As a result, IONIX, a company setup to commercialise these new piezoelectric materials, has the accurate data needed to prove the materials reliability and is now extensively testing sensor prototypes to obtain the licence required for power plant installation.

Read the full two-page 'Installed sensing for power plant' case study.