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Title: Assessment of Sensor Technologies for Advanced Reactors

Abstract

Sensors and measurement technologies provide information on processes, support operations and provide indications of component health. They are therefore crucial to plant operations and to commercialization of advanced reactors (AdvRx). This report, developed by a three-laboratory team consisting of Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), provides an assessment of sensor technologies and a determination of measurement needs for AdvRx. It provides the technical basis for identifying and prioritizing research targets within the instrumentation and control (I&C) Technology Area under the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Advanced Reactor Technology (ART) program and contributes to the design and implementation of AdvRx concepts.

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [1];  [1];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [3];  [3];  [3];  [3];  [3];  [3];  [3];  [4];  [4]
  1. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
  2. Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
  3. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
  4. Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1345781
Report Number(s):
ORNL/TM-2016/337
RC0423000; NERC036
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION

Citation Formats

Korsah, Kofi, Ramuhalli, Pradeep, Vlim, R., Kisner, Roger A., Britton, Jr, Charles L., Wootan, D. W., Anheier, Jr, N. C., Diaz, A. A., Hirt, E. H., Chien, H. T., Sheen, S., Bakhtiari, Sasan, Gopalsami, S., Heifetz, A., Tam, S. W., Park, Y., Upadhyaya, B. R., and Stanford, A. Assessment of Sensor Technologies for Advanced Reactors. United States: N. p., 2016. Web. doi:10.2172/1345781.
Korsah, Kofi, Ramuhalli, Pradeep, Vlim, R., Kisner, Roger A., Britton, Jr, Charles L., Wootan, D. W., Anheier, Jr, N. C., Diaz, A. A., Hirt, E. H., Chien, H. T., Sheen, S., Bakhtiari, Sasan, Gopalsami, S., Heifetz, A., Tam, S. W., Park, Y., Upadhyaya, B. R., & Stanford, A. Assessment of Sensor Technologies for Advanced Reactors. United States. doi:10.2172/1345781.
Korsah, Kofi, Ramuhalli, Pradeep, Vlim, R., Kisner, Roger A., Britton, Jr, Charles L., Wootan, D. W., Anheier, Jr, N. C., Diaz, A. A., Hirt, E. H., Chien, H. T., Sheen, S., Bakhtiari, Sasan, Gopalsami, S., Heifetz, A., Tam, S. W., Park, Y., Upadhyaya, B. R., and Stanford, A. Sat . "Assessment of Sensor Technologies for Advanced Reactors". United States. doi:10.2172/1345781. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1345781.
@article{osti_1345781,
title = {Assessment of Sensor Technologies for Advanced Reactors},
author = {Korsah, Kofi and Ramuhalli, Pradeep and Vlim, R. and Kisner, Roger A. and Britton, Jr, Charles L. and Wootan, D. W. and Anheier, Jr, N. C. and Diaz, A. A. and Hirt, E. H. and Chien, H. T. and Sheen, S. and Bakhtiari, Sasan and Gopalsami, S. and Heifetz, A. and Tam, S. W. and Park, Y. and Upadhyaya, B. R. and Stanford, A.},
abstractNote = {Sensors and measurement technologies provide information on processes, support operations and provide indications of component health. They are therefore crucial to plant operations and to commercialization of advanced reactors (AdvRx). This report, developed by a three-laboratory team consisting of Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), provides an assessment of sensor technologies and a determination of measurement needs for AdvRx. It provides the technical basis for identifying and prioritizing research targets within the instrumentation and control (I&C) Technology Area under the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Advanced Reactor Technology (ART) program and contributes to the design and implementation of AdvRx concepts.},
doi = {10.2172/1345781},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Sat Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 2016},
month = {Sat Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 2016}
}

Technical Report:

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  • This paper provides an assessment of sensor technologies and a determination of measurement needs for advanced reactors (AdvRx). It is a summary of a study performed to provide the technical basis for identifying and prioritizing research targets within the instrumentation and control (I&C) Technology Area under the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Advanced Reactor Technology (ART) program. The study covered two broad reactor technology categories: High Temperature Reactors and Fast Reactors. The scope of “High temperature reactors” included Gen IV reactors whose coolant exit temperatures exceed ≈650 °C and are moderated (as opposed to fast reactors). To bound the scope formore » fast reactors, this report reviewed relevant operating experience from US-operated Sodium Fast Reactor (SFR) and relevant test experience from the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF). For high temperature reactors the study showed that in many cases instrumentation have performed reasonably well in research and demonstration reactors. However, even in cases where the technology is “mature” (such as thermocouples), HTGRs can benefit from improved technologies. Current HTGR instrumentation is generally based on decades-old technology and adapting newer technologies could provide significant advantages. For sodium fast reactors, the study found that several key research needs arise around (1) radiation-tolerant sensor design for in-vessel or in-core applications, where possible non-invasive sensing approaches for key parameters that minimize the need to deploy sensors in-vessel, (2) approaches to exfiltrating data from in-vessel sensors while minimizing penetrations, (3) calibration of sensors in-situ, and (4) optimizing sensor placements to maximize the information content while minimizing the number of sensors needed.« less
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  • The travelers participated in multiple IAEA meetings on fuel improvements and advanced technologies for light water reactors. The meeting in Vienna was a planning meeting to determine what should be done in an Agency-proposed study of many possible improvements to LWR fuel to improve its economics, reliability, and uranium utilization. The scope of reasonable improvements to be studied as recommended by the advisors was much smaller than Agency expectations; our future participation in this study may need to be re-examined after the Agency decides precisely what it hopes to accomplish. The travelers then participated in multiple International Atomic Energy Agencymore » (IAEA) meetings on technologies for water-cooled reactors. At the Technical Committee Meeting, the travelers presented papers and worked with the committee to develop internationally agreed upon definitions and understandings of safety terms for advanced reactors. At the International Working Group Meeting, the travelers worked with the group to plan future IAEA meetings on advanced water-cooled reactor technology. The meetings provided information of the direction and scope of foreign advanced and developmental water-cooled reactor research programs. In particular, a better understanding of the programs in Sweden, Canada, Italy, and Japan was obtained. Work in Canada at Chalk River on a developmental Candu reactor work may be applicable in the United States for a developmental light-water reactor.« less