Status of the MeLoDIE experiment, an advanced device for the study of the irradiation creep of LWR cladding with full online capabilities
- CEA, DEN, DER, Jules Horowitz Reactor, F-13108 St-Paul-lez-Durance (France)
- VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Materials performance division, Espoo, FI-02044 VTT (Finland)
- CEA, DEN, DRSN, OSIRIS Reactor, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France)
- CEA, DEN, DER, Instrumentation, Sensors and Dosimetry Laboratory, F-13108 St- Paul-lez-Durance (France)
As a prototype of future instrumented material experiments in the Jules Horowitz Reactor (JHR), the MELODIE project was launched in 2009 by the CEA in collaboration with VTT. Being designed as a biaxial creep experiment with online capability, MELODIE is able to apply an online-controlled biaxial loading on a LWR clad sample up to 120 MPa and to perform an online measurement of its biaxial deformation. An important experimental challenge was to perform reliably accurate measurements under the high nuclear heat load of in-core locations while keeping within their tight space. For that purpose, specific sensors were co-designed with and built by IFE Halden. Manufacturing of the MELODIE components was completed one year ago. The complexity of its in-pile section and of the pressurization system requested a step-by-step tuning of the setup. The toughest part of this process dealt with the Diameter gauge which required a partial redesign to take into account unexpected and unwanted electromagnetic interactions with the hosting device. Final cold performance tests of the on-board instrumentation will be presented. The MELODIE device is now ready and irradiation should start in OSIRIS reactor this spring. (authors)
- Research Organization:
- Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers - IEEE, 3 Park Avenue, 17th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10016-5997 (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 22531414
- Report Number(s):
- ANIMMA-2015-IO-374; TRN: US16V0435102355
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: ANIMMA 2015: 4. International Conference on Advancements in Nuclear Instrumentation Measurement Methods and their Applications, Lisboa (Portugal), 20-24 Apr 2015; Other Information: Country of input: France
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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