Method and apparatus for diagnosing breached fuel elements

Patent · 01 March 1987

OSTI ID:6823763

Gross, K C; Lambert, J D.B.; Nomura, S

The invention provides an apparatus and method for diagnosing breached fuel elements in a nuclear reactor. A detection system measures the activity of isotopes from the cover gas in the reactor. A data acquisition and processing system monitors the detection system and corrects for the effects of the cover-gas clean up system on the measured activity and further calculates the derivative curve of the corrected activity as a function of time. A plotting system graphs the derivative curve, which represents the instantaneous release rate of fission gas from a breached fuel element. 8 figs.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab., IL (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• Assignee: ANL; EDB-88-183589; ERA-14-000616
• Patent Number(s): PATENTS-US-A6020997
• OSTI ID: 6823763
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
220300* -- Nuclear Reactor Technology-- Fuel Elements
220400 -- Nuclear Reactor Technology-- Control Systems
ACCIDENTS
ACTIVITY LEVELS
DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEMS
DESIGN
DETECTION
FAILED ELEMENT DETECTION
FAILED ELEMENT MONITORS
FUEL ELEMENT FAILURE
HOT GAS CLEANUP
INVENTIONS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MONITORS
PURIFICATION
REACTOR ACCIDENTS