Assessment of fuel thermocouple decalibration during in-pile service
Abstract
A test involving seven irradiated W-Re thermocouples has been carried out with the objective of assessing the variations in the thermo-electric characteristics ("decalibration") of the thermocouples after service as fuel temperature sensors in the Halden Boiling Water Reactor. The measurements were performed in hot cell and consisted of recalibrating the test thermocouples against unirradiated thermocouples which served as a reference. The operating temperature during irradiation varied from 1000 to 1600°C, while the maximum burn-up reached in the corresponding fuel rods was 21.3 MWd/(kg U). The maximum temperature achieved during the recalibration tests was 1270°C. The results are compatible with the overall picture disclosed by a literature data review and are presented in terms of a correlation of the decalibration as a function of neutron thermal fluence.
- Publication:
-
Journal of Nuclear Materials
- Pub Date:
- May 1986
- DOI:
- 10.1016/0022-3115(86)90158-3
- Bibcode:
- 1986JNuM..139...11V