NSUF 18-1473: High Fluence Irradiation Testing of Fiber Optic Material Transmission
Rapid development and deployment of advanced nuclear fuels and materials will require novel instrumentation to provide high fidelity real-time data, during irradiation in test reactors and for on-line condition monitoring in power reactors. Sensors are currently being sought that provide unprecedented accuracy, resolution, reduced size, and, perhaps most importantly, performance in harsh environments. Fiber optic-based sensors are a promising candidate for in-pile instrumentation due to their small size, immunity to electromagnetic interference, and the capability to perform distributed sensing along the length of a single optical fiber. Fiber optic-based sensors are presently being considered for temperature sensing in TREAT. Research to date indicates that temperature sensing with fiber optic-based sensors is plausible for TREAT; however, for TREAT experiments the total neutron and gamma-ray fluences are low due to the short duration of the TREAT pulse. A primary limitation to extending this technology for in-pile instrumentation applications, to higher fluence irradiations in other test facilities, is the signal darkening of the fiber materials (fused silica and single crystal sapphire) caused by radiation damage. Limited data regarding the effects of high dose reactor irradiation on optical transmission is available, particularly at elevated temperatures (300-1200°C) that are relevant to nuclear fuels and materials applications. The intent of this study is to provide experimental data for the dose and temperature dependence of Radiation Induced Attenuation (RIA) in fiber optic materials (fused silica and single crystal sapphire) irradiated to high dose (~2-3 dpa) at temperatures of 300 and 600°C. Radiation-induced dimensional changes will also be determined, since radiation-induced swelling or compaction would affect the functioning of interferometrically-based fiber optic sensors. Together this information would provide convincing evidence for the feasibility of using fiber optic sensors for high dose in-pile instrumentation.
This work will leverage the irradiation of five irradiation capsules in the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR). A broadband optical transmission measurement system has been acquired and tested at ORNL. This system will allow post-irradiation transmission measurements to be made in the ORNL Low Activation Materials Development and Analysis Laboratory. Dr. Christian Petrie, a former graduate of the Ohio State University (OSU) with Dr. Thomas Blue, will supervise this study at ORNL. Dr. Petrie will also determine radiation-induced dimensional changes.
NSUF funding will allow for the post-irradiation measurements by Dr. Petrie on specimens from two of the five rabbit capsules (OPT03 and OPT05). Graduate-student NEUP Fellows, working with Dr. Blue at OSU, will assist with the measurements made at ORNL and help analyze the optical transmission data. These results will contribute to their PhD theses.
Additional Info
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Rapid development and deployment of advanced nuclear fuels and materials will require novel instrumentation to provide high fidelity real-time data, during irradiation in test reactors and for on-line condition monitoring in power reactors. Sensors are currently being sought that provide unprecedented accuracy, resolution, reduced size, and, perhaps most importantly, performance in harsh environments. Fiber optic-based sensors are a promising candidate for in-pile instrumentation due to their small size, immunity to electromagnetic interference, and the capability to perform distributed sensing along the length of a single optical fiber. Fiber optic-based sensors are presently being considered for temperature sensing in TREAT. Research to date indicates that temperature sensing with fiber optic-based sensors is plausible for TREAT; however, for TREAT experiments the total neutron and gamma-ray fluences are low due to the short duration of the TREAT pulse. A primary limitation to extending this technology for in-pile instrumentation applications, to higher fluence irradiations in other test facilities, is the signal darkening of the fiber materials (fused silica and single crystal sapphire) caused by radiation damage. Limited data regarding the effects of high dose reactor irradiation on optical transmission is available, particularly at elevated temperatures (300-1200°C) that are relevant to nuclear fuels and materials applications. The intent of this study is to provide experimental data for the dose and temperature dependence of Radiation Induced Attenuation (RIA) in fiber optic materials (fused silica and single crystal sapphire) irradiated to high dose (~2-3 dpa) at temperatures of 300 and 600°C. Radiation-induced dimensional changes will also be determined, since radiation-induced swelling or compaction would affect the functioning of interferometrically-based fiber optic sensors. Together this information would provide convincing evidence for the feasibility of using fiber optic sensors for high dose in-pile instrumentation. This work will leverage the irradiation of five irradiation capsules in the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR). A broadband optical transmission measurement system has been acquired and tested at ORNL. This system will allow post-irradiation transmission measurements to be made in the ORNL Low Activation Materials Development and Analysis Laboratory. Dr. Christian Petrie, a former graduate of the Ohio State University (OSU) with Dr. Thomas Blue, will supervise this study at ORNL. Dr. Petrie will also determine radiation-induced dimensional changes. NSUF funding will allow for the post-irradiation measurements by Dr. Petrie on specimens from two of the five rabbit capsules (OPT03 and OPT05). Graduate-student NEUP Fellows, working with Dr. Blue at OSU, will assist with the measurements made at ORNL and help analyze the optical transmission data. These results will contribute to their PhD theses. |
| Award Announced Date | 2018-05-17T11:15:56.58 |
| Awarded Institution | Center for Advanced Energy Studies |
| Facility | Microscopy and Characterization Suite |
| Facility Tech Lead | Alina Zackrone, Kory Linton, Yaqiao Wu |
| Irradiation Facility | None |
| PI | Thomas Blue |
| PI Email | [email protected] |
| Project Type | RTE |
| RTE Number | 1473 |