Temperature sensitivity study of eddy current and digital gauge probes for nuclear fuel rod oxide measurement

Faith R. Beck, R. Paul Lind, James A. Smith

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Novel fuels are part of the nationwide effort to reduce the enrichment of Uranium for energy production. Performance of such fuels is determined by irradiating their surfaces. To test irradiated samples, the instrumentation must operate remotely. The plate checker used in this experiment at Idaho National Lab (INL) performs non-destructive testing on fuel rod and plate geometries with two different types of sensors: eddy current and digital thickness gauges. The sensors measure oxide growth and total sample thickness on research fuels, respectively. Sensor measurement accuracy is crucial because even 10 microns of error is significant when determining the viability of an experimental fuel. One parameter known to affect the eddy current and thickness gauge sensors is temperature. Since both sensor accuracies depend on the ambient temperature of the system, the plate checker has been characterized for these sensitivities. The manufacturer of the digital gauge probes has noted a rather large coefficient of thermal expansion for their linear scale. It should also be noted that the accuracy of the digital gauge probes are specified at 20°C, which is approximately 7°C cooler than the average hot-cell temperature. In this work, the effect of temperature on the eddy current and digital gauge probes is studied, and thickness measurements are given as empirical functions of temperature.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publication44th Annual Review of Progress in Quantitative Nondestructive Evaluation, Volume 37
EditorsDale E. Chimenti, Leonard J. Bond
PublisherAmerican Institute of Physics Inc.
ISBN (Electronic)9780735416444
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 20 2018
Event44th Annual Review of Progress in Quantitative Nondestructive Evaluation, QNDE 2017 - Provo, United States
Duration: Jul 16 2017Jul 21 2017

Publication series

NameAIP Conference Proceedings
Volume1949
ISSN (Print)0094-243X
ISSN (Electronic)1551-7616

Other

Other44th Annual Review of Progress in Quantitative Nondestructive Evaluation, QNDE 2017
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityProvo
Period7/16/177/21/17

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Physics and Astronomy

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