Acoustic Sensors for Fission Gas Characterization in MTR Harsh Environment

Very, F.; Rosenkrantz, Eric; Fourmentel, D.; Destouches, C.; Villard, J-F.; Combette, Philippe; Ferrandis, Jean‐Yves

doi:10.1016/j.phpro.2015.08.157

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 7 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Guided-wave send-and-receive was demonstrated on planar and pipe structures for possible field deployable applications. Interesting and possibly relevant research applications with brush-on transducers are going on at the University of Montpellier for fission gas characterization [83,84].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

State-of-the-Art and Practical Guide to Ultrasonic Transducers for Harsh Environments Including Temperatures above 2120 °F (1000 °C) and Neutron Flux above 1013 n/cm2

Tittmann

Batista

Trivedi

et al. 2019

Sensors

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In field applications currently used for health monitoring and nondestructive testing, ultrasonic transducers primarily employ PZT5-H as the piezoelectric element for ultrasound transmission and detection. This material has a Curie–Weiss temperature that limits its use to about 210 °C. Some industrial applications require much higher temperatures, i.e., 1000–1200 °C and possible nuclear radiation up to 1020 n/cm2 when performance is required in a reactor environment. The goal of this paper is the survey and review of piezoelectric elements for use in harsh environments for the ultimate purpose for structural health monitoring (SHM), non-destructive evaluation (NDE) and material characterization (NDMC). The survey comprises the following categories: 1. High-temperature applications with single crystals, thick-film ceramics, and composite ceramics, 2. Radiation-tolerant materials, and 3. Spray-on transducers for harsh-environment applications. In each category the known characteristics are listed, and examples are given of performance in harsh environments. Highlighting some examples, the performance of single-crystal lithium niobate wafers is demonstrated up to 1100 °C. The wafers with the C-direction normal to the wafer plane were mounted on steel cylinders with high-temperature Sauereisen and silver paste wire mountings and tested in air. In another example, the practical use in harsh radiation environments aluminum nitride (AlN) was found to be a good candidate operating well in two different nuclear reactors. The radiation hardness of AlN was evident from the unaltered piezoelectric coefficient after a fast and thermal neutron exposure in a nuclear reactor core (thermal flux = 2.12 × 1013 ncm−2; fast flux 2 (>1.0 MeV) = 4.05 × 1013 ncm−2; gamma dose rate: 1 × 109 r/h; temperature: 400–500 °C). Additionally, some of the high-temperature transducers are shown to be capable of mounting without requiring coupling material. Pulse-echo signal amplitudes (peak-to-peak) for the first two reflections as a function of the temperature for lithium niobate thick-film, spray-on transducers were observed to temperatures of about 900 °C. Guided-wave send-and-receive operation in the 2–4 MHz range was demonstrated on 2–3 mm thick Aluminum (6061) structures for possible field deployable applications where standard ultrasonic coupling media do not survive because of the harsh environment. This approach would benefit steam generators and steam pipes where temperatures are above 210 °C. In summary, there are several promising approaches to ultrasonic transducers for harsh environments and this paper presents a survey based on literature searches and in-house laboratory observations.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

State-of-the-Art and Practical Guide to Ultrasonic Transducers for Harsh Environments Including Temperatures above 2120 °F (1000 °C) and Neutron Flux above 1013 n/cm2

Tittmann

Batista

Trivedi

et al. 2019

Sensors

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The innovative aspect of the sensor comes in part from the materials used in its manufacture and the manufacturing process [5]- [8]. The sensor is made exclusively of ceramic and is divided into two parts: The piezoelectric elements which are shown in Fig 1 A), these elements are disc-shaped and are assembled at the top and bottom of the cavity and bonded…”

Section: Fabrication and Principle Of Working Of The Sensormentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The ink is deposited via screen printing, a method that uses a doctor blade to force ink through a steel mesh stencil to reproduce the stencil pattern on the substrate. The sensor manufacturing process and the technical choices made to produce this sensor are discussed in more detail at the ANIMMA 2021 conference [1] and in this series of articles [5], [6], [8], [9].…”

Section: Fig 1: A) Piezoelectric Elements Plate Of 16 Elements and A ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization and performance of an acoustic sensor for fission gas release characterization devoted to JHR environment measurements

Baudry,

Rosenkrantz,

Combette

et al. 2023

EPJ Web Conf.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

For over a decade, the IES laboratory has been working in collaboration with the CEA on the development of acoustic instrumentation in the nuclear field. As part of this collaboration, the IES acoustics team is developing a miniaturized gas composition sensor for in situ measurements of gas composition in a fuel rod. The first experimental use of an acoustic sensor to measure gas composition dates back to 2010 with the REMORA 3 experiment, which estimated the release of fission gas in an experimental fuel rod. Unlike the sensor tested during REMORA 3, this new sensor should be able to operate at 300°C, a performance made possible by the use of a piezoelectric element based on bismuth titanate (NBT). The material is screen-printed onto an alumina substrate. The manufacturing process and initial characterization were presented in the previous version of ANIMMA 2021 [1]. In this article, we will focus on the performance of this type of sensor by characterizing different gas mixtures representative of the gases inside a fuel rod, in order to estimate relative deviations under laboratory conditions.

show abstract

Design of an acoustic sensor for fission gas release characterization devoted to JHR environment measurements

et al. 2021

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Among numerous research projects devoted to the improvement of the nuclear fuel behaviour knowledge, the development of advanced instrumentation for in-pile experiments in Material Testing Reactor is of great interest. In the frame of JHR reactor, new requirements have arisen creating new constraints. An acoustic method was tested with success during a first experiment called REMORA 3 in 2010 and 2011, and the results were used to differentiate helium and fission gas release kinetics under transient operating conditions. This experiment was leading at OSIRIS reactor (CEA Saclay, France). The maximal temperature during the irradiation test was about 150 °C. [1], [2]. We have developed thick film transducers produced by screen-printing process. They offered a wide range of possible application for the development of acoustic sensors and piezoelectric structure for harsh temperature environment measurements [3]. We proposed a screen-printed modified Bismuth Titanate piezoelectric element on alumina substrate allowing acoustic measurements [4] for JHR environment. In this paper we will focus on the mechanical design of the new sensor. This acoustic sensor is composed of an acoustic element for generation and detection of acoustic waves propagating into a cavity filled with gaz. We will detail the choice of piezoelectric materials, the thickness of the different layers, the cavity shapes, the electrical connections, the means of assembly of the different parts. Theoretical and experimental results will be given. All that point will be discussed in terms of acoustic sensor sensitivity versus dimensional constraints, in the case of a high temperature range working.

show abstract

Acoustic Sensors for Fission Gas Characterization in MTR Harsh Environment

Cited by 5 publications

References 7 publications

State-of-the-Art and Practical Guide to Ultrasonic Transducers for Harsh Environments Including Temperatures above 2120 °F (1000 °C) and Neutron Flux above 1013 n/cm2

State-of-the-Art and Practical Guide to Ultrasonic Transducers for Harsh Environments Including Temperatures above 2120 °F (1000 °C) and Neutron Flux above 1013 n/cm2

Characterization and performance of an acoustic sensor for fission gas release characterization devoted to JHR environment measurements

Design of an acoustic sensor for fission gas release characterization devoted to JHR environment measurements

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About