THEORY AND PRACTICE OF DETERMINING LEAK RATES OF REACTOR SAFETY CONTAINMENTS

Journal Article · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1964 · Atomwirtschaft (West Germany) Changed to ATW, Atomwirtsch., Atomtech.

OSTI ID:4072398

Becker, H M; Wagener, H J

The manufacturing costs of reactor vessels increase with the requirements on their leak tightness. These requirements should therefore not be made higher than is necessary for the relevant application. To determine the leak rate of a large container it is necessary to measure the total pressure in the container, the mean absolute air temperature, and the mean specific water vapor content. A measuring process was developed in which a metal wire is used as a resistance thermometer. Because of the difficulties accompanying the use of a free, stretched wire in a large container a hemp rope was used as a carrier for the wire which was laid between the strands. The theory and practice of this process are described in terms of the practical example provided by the tightness testing of the reactor chamber of the DIDO reactor (FRJ-2) in the Julich Nuclear Research Center. The method had the expected advantages in addition to an improvement in the accuracy of measurement. It proved possible to construct the measuring arrangement and mount the cable in about three hours. The investigation described occupied only 2 to 3 workers for 24 hours and, compared with similar tightness tests on reactor chambers performed using other arrangements, led to a considerable lowering of costs. After the experiment the calibration of the cable was again checked without any change of resistance or of temperature coefficient being detected within the limits of measurement. (auth)

• Research Organization: Technische Uberwachungs-Vereins Rheinland e. V., Aachen
• NSA Number: NSA-18-015451
• OSTI ID: 4072398
• Journal Information: Atomwirtschaft (West Germany) Changed to ATW, Atomwirtsch., Atomtech., Journal Name: Atomwirtschaft (West Germany) Changed to ATW, Atomwirtsch., Atomtech. Vol. Vol: 9; ISSN ATWSA
• Country of Publication: Country unknown/Code not available
• Language: German

Related Subjects

AIR
ATMOSPHERE
ECONOMICS
LEAK DETECTORS
LEAKS
MEASURED VALUES
PRESSURE
QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS
REACTOR SAFETY
REACTOR TECHNOLOGY
REACTORS
TEMPERATURE
VAPORS
VESSELS
WATER