Magnetostrictive EMAT for Nuclear Spent Fuel Canisters
One approach for mitigation of stainless steel (SS) spent fuel canisters (SFCs) is to coat the welds or even the entire SFC with a cold-sprayed nickel coating. The coating can serve as a magnetostrictive interface between an electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) and the SS plate material. The EMAT can send ultrasound into the canister and “listen” for reflections caused by chloride-initiated stress corrosion cracking (CISCC) or other damage mechanisms that may lead to leaks if undetected and unmitigated. Here, this project outlines an approach for monitoring the integrity of SFCs using magnetostrictive EMAT sensors, which emit and detect discontinuity-initiated reflections indicative of pits or cracks likely arising from CISCC. Flat 13 mm SS plates with welds similar to actual canister welds were prepared, with flat-bottom holes 3 mm and 6 mm deep and 6 mm in diameter placed within the weld heat-affected zone (HAZ). The most effective sensor configurations were able to detect critical discontinuities more than 2 m away. Although a single sensor could be robotically deployed, the large volume covered by each sensor could support a small number of permanently mounted sensors, equipped with an external connector for periodic interrogation. The HAZ of a hypothetical SFC cylindrical surface could be effectively monitored with just 16 sensors.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC05-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 2552931
- Report Number(s):
- PNNL-SA--193477
- Journal Information:
- Materials Evaluation, Journal Name: Materials Evaluation Journal Issue: 10 Vol. 82; ISSN 0025-5327
- Publisher:
- American Society for Nondestructive TestingCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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