Use of krypton-85 for the detection of pinhole failures in GCFR cladding
Radioactive /sup 85/Kr is used as a tracer to detect pinhole failures in GCFR cladding. High-purity helium (99.99 percent pure) that contains 0.3 ppM /sup 85/Kr is used to pressurize the tubular test specimens, and a Geiger-Mueller counter is used to detect /sup 85/Kr in the helium environmental gas as it leaves the test chamber. Under the least favorable conditions of temperature and specimen pressure (760/sup 0/C and 35.6 atm), it is estimated that the smallest pinhole failure that could be detected within 60 s would have an orifice diameter of 0.0102 cm (approximately 102 ..mu..m). Using lead shielding around the Geiger-Mueller counter to reduce background radiation, the electronics associated with the /sup 85/Kr detector will terminate a biaxial creep test at /sup 85/Kr activity levels above 20 counts/min.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Lab., Ill. (USA)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- US Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-31109-ENG-38
- OSTI ID:
- 7355468
- Report Number(s):
- ANL-76-43
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Biaxial creep behavior of ribbed GCFR cladding at 650/sup 0/C in nominally pure helium (99. 99%)
Neutron-induced helium implantation in GCFR cladding
Related Subjects
210500* -- Power Reactors
Breeding
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BREEDER REACTORS
EPITHERMAL REACTORS
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
FAILED ELEMENT DETECTION
FAILED ELEMENT MONITORS
FAST REACTORS
FBR TYPE REACTORS
GAS COOLED REACTORS
GCFR TYPE REACTORS
HOURS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
KRYPTON 85
KRYPTON ISOTOPES
NUCLEI
PERFORMANCE TESTING
RADIOISOTOPES
REACTORS
TESTING
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES