Identifying subassemblies by ultrasound to prevent fuel handling error in sodium fast reactors First test performed in water

K. Paumel (1) , C. Lhuillier (1)

1 CEA-DES (ex-DEN) - CEA-Direction des Energies (ex-Direction de l'Energie Nucléaire)

Identifying subassemblies by ultrasound is a method that is being considered to prevent handling errors in sodium fast reactors. It is based on the reading of a code (aligned notches) engraved on the subassembly head by an emitting/receiving ultrasonic sensor. This reading is carried out in sodium with high temperature transducers. The resulting one-dimensional C-scan can be likened to a binary code expressing the subassembly type and number. The first test performed in water investigated two parameters: width and depth of the notches. The code remained legible for notches as thin as 1.6 mm wide. The impact of the depth seems minor in the range under investigation.

Domaines: Physique Nucléaire Expérimentale [nucl-ex]; Physique Nucléaire Théorique [nucl-th]

K. Paumel, C. Lhuillier. Identifying subassemblies by ultrasound to prevent fuel handling error in sodium fast reactors First test performed in water. ANIMMA 2015 - 4th International Conference on Advancements in Nuclear Instrumentation: Measurement Methods and their Applications, IEEE, Apr 2015, Lisbon, Portugal. ⟨cea-02500821⟩