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ABSTRACT
In nuclear power plants, the fuel is stored in sealed tubes named fuel rods. During their activity, the confined radioactive elements release a mixture of helium and xenon. To date, there exists no non-destructive testing in order to monitor the evolution of the production of these fission gases. This article presents an innovative acoustic device for measuring their pressure and composition, detecting a faulty rod and decision making concerning the reloading of a reactor. In addition, this tool is able to provide a better assessment of margins according to safety criteria.
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Read the articleAUTHORS
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Eric Rosenkrantz
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Jean-Yves Ferrandis
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Gérard Lévêque
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Daniel Baron
INTRODUCTION
The world's electricity consumption continues to grow. In France, around 80% of electricity is generated by nuclear power. In power plants, nuclear fuel is packaged in hermetically sealed tubes known as fuel rods. By confining radioactive elements, fuel rods form the first biological barrier to the environment. As uranium decays, after several power plant cycles, it produces gases in the tube containing it, mainly helium and xenon. Better monitoring of fission gas release (by measuring pressure and composition) could help optimize the length of time pencils are used in power plants. To date, the only checks carried out are destructive: the rods are extracted from the power plants, pierced and the gases analyzed. Non-destructive in situ measurement of the properties of these gases would represent a major step forward in plant management control.
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Characterization of a confined gas using an acoustic sensor
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