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Title: Designing a TAC thermometer from a VHTR graphite structure

Abstract

The interior of a nuclear reactor presents a particularly harsh and challenging environment for both sensors and telemetry due to high temperatures and high fluxes of energetic and ionizing particles among the radioactive decay products. Very High Temperature Reactors are pushing the in core temperatures even higher. A unique sensing approach will be discussed to address the necessary high temperature measurements. Thermoacoustic thermometry exploits high temperatures and uses materials that are immune to the effects of ionizing radiation to create a temperature sensor that is self-powered and wireless. In addition, the form-factor for the Thermoacoustic Thermometer (TACT) can be designed to be integrated within common in-pile structures. There are no physical moving parts required for TACT and the sensor is self-powered, as it uses the nuclear fuel for its heat source. TACT data will be presented from a laboratory prototype mimicking the design necessary for a VHTR graphite structure.

Authors:
 [1]; ;  [2]
  1. Fuel Performance and Design, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID 83415 (United States)
  2. Graduate Program in Acoustics, Penn State University, State College, PA (United States)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22391217
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
AIP Conference Proceedings
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 1650; Journal Issue: 1; Conference: 41. Annual Review of Progress in Quantitative Nondestructive Evaluation, Boise, ID (United States), 20-25 Jul 2014; Other Information: (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 0094-243X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS; DESIGN; GRAPHITE; HEAT SOURCES; IN PILE LOOPS; NUCLEAR FUELS; POWER REACTORS; SENSORS; TANTALUM CARBIDES; TELEMETRY; TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT; TEMPERATURE RANGE 1000-4000 K; THERMOMETERS

Citation Formats

Smith, James A., E-mail: James.Smith@INL.gov, Kotter, Dale, Garrett, Steven L., and Ali, Randall A. Designing a TAC thermometer from a VHTR graphite structure. United States: N. p., 2015. Web. doi:10.1063/1.4914770.
Smith, James A., E-mail: James.Smith@INL.gov, Kotter, Dale, Garrett, Steven L., & Ali, Randall A. Designing a TAC thermometer from a VHTR graphite structure. United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4914770
Smith, James A., E-mail: James.Smith@INL.gov, Kotter, Dale, Garrett, Steven L., and Ali, Randall A. 2015. "Designing a TAC thermometer from a VHTR graphite structure". United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4914770.
@article{osti_22391217,
title = {Designing a TAC thermometer from a VHTR graphite structure},
author = {Smith, James A., E-mail: James.Smith@INL.gov and Kotter, Dale and Garrett, Steven L. and Ali, Randall A.},
abstractNote = {The interior of a nuclear reactor presents a particularly harsh and challenging environment for both sensors and telemetry due to high temperatures and high fluxes of energetic and ionizing particles among the radioactive decay products. Very High Temperature Reactors are pushing the in core temperatures even higher. A unique sensing approach will be discussed to address the necessary high temperature measurements. Thermoacoustic thermometry exploits high temperatures and uses materials that are immune to the effects of ionizing radiation to create a temperature sensor that is self-powered and wireless. In addition, the form-factor for the Thermoacoustic Thermometer (TACT) can be designed to be integrated within common in-pile structures. There are no physical moving parts required for TACT and the sensor is self-powered, as it uses the nuclear fuel for its heat source. TACT data will be presented from a laboratory prototype mimicking the design necessary for a VHTR graphite structure.},
doi = {10.1063/1.4914770},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22391217}, journal = {AIP Conference Proceedings},
issn = {0094-243X},
number = 1,
volume = 1650,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Mar 31 00:00:00 EDT 2015},
month = {Tue Mar 31 00:00:00 EDT 2015}
}