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Title: Development of Advanced Instrumentation for Transient Testing

Journal Article · · Nuclear Technology
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1]
  1. Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
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A fuel safety research program centered on in-pile transient testing experiments is being developed to support assessment and qualification of advanced nuclear fuel systems using the recently restarted Transient Reactor Test (TREAT) facility at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). While resumption of transient testing at TREAT is crucial to enable these programs, full recovery and cutting-edge transient testing capability also requires a well-coordinated and innovative instrumentation development and qualification program to support near-term and future objectives. This paper summarizes the experimental approach of transient testing to focus on measuring the response of nuclear fuel to off-normal (or power-cooling mismatch) conditions for modern and advanced reactor environments requiring capabilities extending over wide measurement and environment conditions. It also highlights unique attributes of transient testing of importance to in-pile instruments including relatively low total neutron fluence, high gamma heating, and the need for well-defined and possibly short time response. Historical approaches to instrumentation for transient testing are also reviewed to provide context to the modern instrument strategy. The instrumentation needs of a modern transient testing are detailed while summarizing several ongoing R&D activities are supporting the development of state-of-the-art and ‘advanced’ measurement technologies that will provide baseline capability for Light Water Reactor (LWR) and Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactor (SFR) experiment objectives, while extending to other advanced reactor needs and advanced sensing technology opportunities. Examples of specific sensors planned for near-term deployment with ongoing development includes prompt-response self-powered neutron detectors (SPND), miniature fission chambers, optical-fiber-coupled infrared pyrometer, cladding surface thermocouples, electrical-impedance based boiling detector, and Linear Variable Differential Transformer (LVDT) based sensors for fuel elongation and pressure measurement.

Research Organization:
Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
Grant/Contract Number:
DE-AC07-05ID14517; AC07-05ID14517
OSTI ID:
1631166
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1631416
Report Number(s):
INL/JOU-19-55264-Rev000; INL/JOU-18-51181-Rev000; TRN: US2200755
Journal Information:
Nuclear Technology, Vol. 205, Issue 10; ISSN 0029-5450
Publisher:
Taylor & Francis - formerly American Nuclear Society (ANS)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (18)

Nuclear instrumentation and measurement: a review based on the ANIMMA conferences journal January 2017
Fast-Neutron Hodoscope at TREAT: Methods for Quantitative Determination of Fuel Dispersal journal January 1982
Instrument Capabilities and Developments at the Halden Reactor Project journal January 2011
Development of Irradiation Test Devices for Transient Testing journal April 2019
A review of inherent safety characteristics of metal alloy sodium-cooled fast reactor fuel against postulated accidents journal April 2015
Transient Reactor Test (TREAT) Facility Design and Experiment Capability journal May 2019
Nuclear characterization of a general-purpose instrumentation and materials testing location in TREAT journal February 2019
Ultrasonic High-Temperature Sensors: Past Experiments and Prospects for Future Use journal August 2010
Transient Testing of Nuclear Fuels and Materials in the United States journal October 2012
Interpretation of energy deposition data from historical operation of the transient test facility (TREAT) journal October 2017
Irradiation Capabilities at the Halden Reactor and Testing Possibilities Under Supercritical Water Conditions journal February 2016
Behavior of Modern Metallic Fuel in TREAT Transient Overpower Tests journal December 1990
The performance of hafnium and gadolinium self powered neutron detectors in the TREAT reactor journal May 1996
Contributions from the ACRR in-pile experiments to the understanding of key phenomena influencing unprotected loss of flow accident simulations in LMFBRs journal March 1987
The result of a wall failure in-pile experiment under the EAGLE project journal November 2007
Review Paper: Review of Instrumentation for Irradiation Testing of Nuclear Fuels and Materials journal November 2011
Evaluation of Thermocouple Fin Effect in Cladding Surface Temperature Measurement during Film Boiling journal July 1984
Narrowing transient testing pulse widths to enhance LWR RIA experiment design in the TREAT facility journal February 2019

Figures / Tables (9)

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Table 1(p. 40)table Table 1
Figure 8(p. 41)figure Figure 8

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