NUCLEAR FUEL ELEMENT LEAK DETECTION

Patent · Wed Aug 31 04:00:00 EDT 1960

OSTI ID:4728364

A process and apparatus for detecting the existence of and for identifying defective and leaking fuel elements in nuclear reactors including the steps of and means for withdrawing a sample of fluid flowing adjacent a given fuel element and containing any noble gas fission products leaking from a defective fuel element, passing at least part of the sample through contact with a body of solid adsorbent to absorb at least part of the radioactive daughter products of the noble gas fission products, and subsequently monitoring the adsorbent to determine the presence thereon of adsorbed radioactive materials. Preferably a sample of coolant stream, which may contain rare or noble gas fission products, is obtained from the exit region of each fuel channel, or groups of fuel channels. Each sample of coolant is then separated into liquid and gas phases, and the gas phase is conducted to an adsorptive collector which may be within the reactor vessel. After reactor shutdown, due to a fuel element leak as may be shown by a high coolant activity rise, or in the normal course of refueling, the collectors are removed to a monitoring station. If anomalously high activity is detected on some collector, it will indicate the channel or group of channels in which a leak has occurred. (IIB)

• Research Organization: Originating Research Org. not identified
• NSA Number: NSA-17-021286
• OSTI ID: 4728364
• Report Number(s): FR 1228525
• Country of Publication: France
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ADSORPTION
FISSION PRODUCTS
FLUID FLOW
FUEL ELEMENTS
GASES
INERT GASES
LEAK DETECTORS
LEAKS
LIQUIDS
MONITORING
RADIOISOTOPES
REACTOR FUELING
REACTOR TECHNOLOGY
REACTORS
SAMPLING
SHUTDOWN
SOLIDS