Noncontact Flow Rate Using Laser Ultrasonics
- Intelligent Optical Systems, Inc., Torrance, CA (United States)
Several types of advanced nuclear reactors are cooled with high-temperature liquid metal or molten salt flows. There is a critical need to measure flow velocity in flow channels for test purposes, and eventually in operational reactors. In conventional ultrasonic flow sensors, ultrasonic waves traveling in both the upstream and downstream directions are generated and detected by transducers that must contact the flow channels. A shift in the frequency or transit time between the two ultrasonic waves is measured to determine flow velocity. We describe here an initial effort to apply that sensing concept when the contact transducers are replaced by laser-based generation and detection instrumentation. This noncontact sensing avoids many practical problems associated with contact transducers when implemented on flow channels at high temperature. Laser-based flow monitoring can also be applied to hot-process piping in the geothermal energy, chemical-processing and petroleum-refining industries. Our effort has included theoretical simulation of noncontact laser-based flow monitoring, indicating capability of measuring flow velocities relevant to reactor cooling. It also included a room-temperature experimental demonstration using water as the flow liquid, and indicating capability of measuring flow velocity at a responsivity roughly consistent with simulation predictions. Plans were made for an experimental demonstration at Oregon State University using liquid metal at 110 degrees C.
- Research Organization:
- Intelligent Optical Systems, Inc., Torrance, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)
- DOE Contract Number:
- SC0019880
- OSTI ID:
- 1614760
- Type / Phase:
- SBIR (Phase I)
- Report Number(s):
- DOE-IOS-19880; TRN: US2104843
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Multimodal Nondestructive Dry Cask Basket Structure and Spent Fuel Evaluation
Photorefractive Interferometers for Ultrasonic Measurements on Paper
Related Subjects
07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES
10 SYNTHETIC FUELS
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
25 ENERGY STORAGE
42 ENGINEERING
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
flow meter
flow velocity
liquid metal
reactor cooling
process cooling