Materials Issues in High Temperature Ultrasonic Transducers for Under-Sodium Viewing
Liquid sodium is used as the coolant in some fast spectrum nuclear reactors. This material is optically opaque. To facilitate operations and maintenance activities, an ultrasonic under-sodium viewing system has been developed. In the USA, the technology was successfully demonstrated in the 1970's, and, over the intervening 30+ years the capability was lost. This paper reports materials challenges encountered in developing both single-element and linear phased array 2 MHz transducers that must operate at temperatures up to 260C. The critical issues are fundamentally material selection: the ability of a transducer to be immersed into liquid sodium and function at 260C, to achieve wetting and transmission of ultrasound into the sodium, and to be able to be removed and re-used.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 1045114
- Report Number(s):
- PNNL-SA-82564; RC0404000; TRN: US1203515
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Review of Progress in Quantitative Nondestructive Evaluation Volume 31, July 17-22, 2011, Burlington, Vermont. AIP Conference Proceedings, 1430:1617-1624
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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