Method and apparatus for measuring subchannel voids in a light water reactor test fuel assembly

Patent · Tue Mar 24 04:00:00 EST 1992

OSTI ID:5301811

Shiraishi, L M; Wilhelmson, D A; Matzner, B

This patent describes a nuclear fuel bundle test assembly. It comprises: upstanding vertical rods, the rods having an outside diameter the same as the outside diameter of fuel rods within a nuclear fuel bundle; a lower support plate for supporting the vertical rods and providing current to the lower end of the vertical upstanding rods, the lower support plate exposing the lower open ends of the vertical upstanding rods to enable the entrance and exit of testing probes to the interior of the vertical upstanding rods; an upper support plate for maintaining the rods in vertical upstanding relation and providing current to the upper end of the vertical upstanding rods; a power source connected across the upper and lower support plates for supplying power to the test assembly to produce heat at the individual upstanding rods; a test chamber surrounding the vertical upstanding rods for permitting inflow of water at the bottom of the rods and the outflow of water and steam at the upper end of the vertical upstanding rods to enable the test assembly to emulate a nuclear fuel bundle, the improvement to the nuclear fuel bundle test assembly comprising: first and second probes for vertical excursion interior of first and second upstanding vertical rods; a gamma ray source mounted to one of the probes, the radioactive source emitting particles attenuated by passage through water; a Geiger-Muller detector mounted to the other of the probes, the Geiger-Muller detector for insertion to the electrically heated tube within a nuclear fuel bundle test assembly, the detector comprising: a Geiger-Muller counter; a conducting and shielding material surrounding the Geiger-Muller counter, the material having a window therein for permitting collimated radiation to be received to the counter.

• Assignee: General Electric Co., San Jose, CA (United States)
• Patent Number(s): A; US 5098641
• Application Number: PPN: US 7-625176
• OSTI ID: 5301811
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
210200* -- Power Reactors
Nonbreeding
Light-Water Moderated
Nonboiling Water Cooled
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
EQUIPMENT
FUEL ASSEMBLIES
FUEL CHANNELS
FUEL ELEMENTS
FUEL RODS
GAMMA SOURCES
GEIGER-MUELLER COUNTERS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MEASURING METHODS
POWER SUPPLIES
RADIATION DETECTORS
RADIATION SOURCES
REACTOR CHANNELS
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTORS
ROD BUNDLES
TESTING
VOIDS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS