Viability of Pushrod Dilatometry Techniques for High Temperature In-Pile Measurements

J. E. Daw ; J. L. Rempe ; D. L. Knudson ; K. G. Condie ; J. C. Crepeau

关键词: in-pile deformation;    pushrod dilatometer;    reactor vessel steels;    thermal expansion;   

DOI  :  10.2172/926333
RP-ID  :  INL/EXT-07-13120
PID  :  OSTI ID: 926333

美国|英语

来源: SciTech Connect

【 摘 要 】

To evaluate the performance of new fuel, cladding, and structural materials for use in advanced and existing nuclear reactors, robust instrumentation is needed. Changes in material deformation are typically evaluated out-of-pile, where properties of materials are measured after samples were irradiated for a specified length of time. To address this problem, a series of tests were performed to examine the viability of using pushrod dilatometer techniques for in-pile instrumentation to measure deformation. The tests were performed in three phases. First, familiarity was gained in the use and accuracy of this system by testing samples with well defined thermal elongation characteristics. Second, high temperature data for steels, specifically SA533 Grade B, Class 1 (SA533B1) Low Alloy Steel and Stainless Steel 304 (SS304), found in Light Water Reactor (LWR) vessels, were aquired. Finally, data were obtained from a short pushrod in a horizontal geometry to data obtained from a longer pushrod in a vertical geometry, the configuration likely to be used for in-situ measurements. Results of testing show that previously accepted data for the structural steels tested, SA533B1 and SS304, are inaccurate at high temperatures (above 500 oC) due to extrpolation of high temperature data. This is especially true for SA533B1, as previous data do not account for the phase transformation of the material between 730 oC and 830 oC. Also, comparison of results for horizontal and vertical configurations show a maximum percent difference of 2.02% for high temperature data.