The Russian State Research Institute of Technology has developed a new type of stress sensor that can continuously monitor the condition of industrial facilities such as nuclear power plants, oil and gas pipelines, and mines.
Continuous monitoring of the condition of industrial facilities is crucial. Nuclear power plants, mines, chemical plants, liquefied natural gas storage facilities, and oil and gas pipelines, even if partially damaged, can cause ecological disasters, such as the toxic gas leak at the chemical plant in Bhopal, India (1984) and the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident in the former Soviet Union (1986). In order to prevent such disasters, it is necessary to continuously monitor the condition of mechanical devices that carry mechanical effects, high temperatures, or radiation. At present, there is a great need for methods to monitor whether mechanical devices are functioning properly without shutting them down.
Experts from the Industrial Technology Engineering Center of the university have developed a new type of stress sensor that uses amorphous ferromagnetic micro wires as sensitive components. This type of micro wire has a diameter of 20-80 microns, covered with a thin layer of glass on the surface, and is processed using iron cobalt alloy. It is reported that the magnetic measurement laboratory of the university has mastered the process of obtaining ferromagnetic micro wires with the required plasticity and magnetism. Sergei Gudoshnikov, the laboratory director and project leader, introduced, "In this type of micro wire with a diameter thinner than a human hair, external tensile stress can cause significant changes in the magnetization curve. Due to the different wire diameters, sensors manufactured based on this effect can determine mechanical stresses from 1 to several kilomegapascals, and with specialized electronic circuits, can record length changes from 1/1000 millimeter to 1/10 millimeter. Unlike widely used pressure sensors, the new sensor has a larger deformation limit and the potential for non-contact (electromagnetic) signal reading
The samples of the new sensor have been tested and registered both domestically and internationally in Russia. Experts from the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations will start using this sensor from 2017 to monitor the damage and level of firefighting equipment and various facilities before and after a fire. According to experts' estimates, sensors using amorphous ferromagnetic micro wires are 20% to 30% cheaper than pressure sensors currently in use.
The sensors of amorphous ferromagnetic micro wires can be used to monitor the condition of bridges, high-rise buildings, mine columns and supports, oil and gas pipelines, and can also be used in shipbuilding and energy fields for continuous monitoring of large ships and oil tankers, hydropower stations, and nuclear energy facilities.