Method and apparatus for diagnosing breached fuel elements

Patent · Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:866684

Gross, Kenny C ^[1]; Lambert, John D. B. ^[2]; Nomura, Shigeo ^[3]

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1. Lemont, IL
2. Wheston, IL
3. Mito, JP

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 cure 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.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• Assignee: United States of America as represented by United States (Washington, DC)
• Patent Number(s): US 4764335
• OSTI ID: 866684
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

method
apparatus
diagnosing
breached
fuel
elements
provides
nuclear
reactor
detection
measures
activity
isotopes
cover-gas
data
acquisition
processing
monitors
corrects
effects
clean
measured
calculates
derivative
cure
corrected
function
time
plotting
graphs
curve
represents
instantaneous
release
rate
fission
gas
element
release rate
breached fuel
data acquisition
fuel elements
fuel element
nuclear reactor
fission gas
gas clean
diagnosing breached
/376/976/