Sensors for passively measuring a maximum temperature of a nuclear reactor, and related methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021398698-A1
Application number	US-202117303633-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 3, 2021
Priority date	Jun 18, 2020
Publication date	Dec 23, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

A sensor for passively measuring a maximum temperature within a nuclear reactor comprises a substrate, and a plurality of melt wires within a cavity defined within the substrate, at least one melt wire of the plurality of melt wires exhibiting a variable melting temperature along a length of the at least one melt wire. Related sensors and methods of forming the sensors are also disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A sensor for passively measuring a maximum temperature within a nuclear reactor, the sensor comprising:
a substrate; and a plurality of melt wires on a surface of the substrate, at least one melt wire of the plurality of melt wires exhibiting a variable melting temperature along a dimension of the at least one melt wire.

2 . The sensor of claim 1 , wherein the at least one melt wire comprises an alloy of platinum and bismuth.

3 . The sensor of claim 1 , wherein the at least one melt wire comprise nanoparticles of at least one of platinum and bismuth.

4 . The sensor of claim 1 , wherein a weight percent of at least one chemical element of the at least one melt wire varies along the dimension of the at least one melt wire.

5 . The sensor of claim 1 , wherein one or both of a cross-sectional shape and a cross-sectional area of the at least one melt wire varies along the dimension of the at least one melt wire.

6 . The sensor of claim 1 , wherein the at least one melt wire comprises an alloy of at least three chemical elements.

7 . The sensor of claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises one or more of an elemental metal, sapphire, alumina, glass, quartz, silicon dioxide, stainless steel, titanium, and zircaloy.

8 . The sensor of claim 1 , where each melt wire of the plurality of melt wires exhibits a different melting temperature.

9 . The sensor of claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises a metal material or a ceramic material.

10 . The sensor of claim 1 , wherein the at least one melt wire exhibits a variable melting temperature along a length of the at least one melt wire.

11 . The sensor of claim 1 , wherein further comprising a cover overlying the substrate and encapsulating the plurality of melt wires.

12 . A method of forming a sensor for passively measuring a maximum temperature within a nuclear reactor, the method comprising:
disposing a substrate on a table of an additive manufacturing tool; disposing nanoparticles of one or more materials on the substrate to form a melt wire exhibiting a variable melting temperature along a dimension of the melt wire; and encapsulating the melt wire.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein forming a melt wire exhibiting a variable melting temperature along a dimension of the melt wire comprises forming a melt wire exhibiting a variable composition along a length of the melt wire.

14 . The method of claim 12 , wherein disposing a substrate on a table of an additive manufacturing tool comprises disposing the substrate on an aerosol jet printing tool.

15 . The method of claim 12 , wherein disposing nanoparticles of one or more materials on the substrate to form a melt wire exhibiting a variable melting temperature along a dimension of the melt wire comprises forming a melt wire comprising a variable amount of bismuth along the dimension of the melt wire.

16 . The method of claim 12 , wherein disposing nanoparticles of one or more materials on the substrate to form a melt wire exhibiting a variable melting temperature along a dimension of the melt wire comprises forming a melt wire comprising platinum and bismuth.

17 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising forming additional melt wires with the additive manufacturing tool within the cavity.

18 . The method of claim 12 , wherein forming a melt wire exhibiting a variable melting temperature along a dimension of the melt wire comprises forming the melt wire to exhibit a lowermost melting temperature of the melt wire within a range from about 2° C. to about 20° C. less than an uppermost melting temperature of the melt wire.

19 . The method of claim 12 , wherein encapsulating the melt wire comprises attaching a cover to the substrate and forming a cavity comprising an inert atmosphere and including the melt wire.

20 . A sensor for passively measuring a maximum temperature within a nuclear reactor, the sensor comprising:
a substrate; melt wires on the substrate, the melt wires exhibiting a different melting temperature, at least one melt wire of the melt wires comprising an alloy of two or more elements; and a cover overlying the substrate and encapsulating the melt wires.

21 . The sensor of claim 20 , wherein the at least one melt wire comprises bismuth and platinum.

22 . The sensor of claim 20 , wherein the at least one melt wire comprises at least three chemical elements.

23 . The sensor of claim 20 , wherein the at least one melt wire comprise tin, zinc, and aluminum.

24 . A method of determining a maximum temperature within a nuclear reactor core, the method comprising:
placing a sensor within a nuclear reactor core, the sensor comprising:
a substrate; and
a plurality of melt wires on a surface of the substrate, at least one melt wire of the plurality of melt wires exhibiting a variable melting temperature along a dimension of the at least one melt wire; and
imaging the sensor with x-ray computed tomography to determine a maximum temperature within the nuclear reactor core.

Assignees

• Battelle Energy Alliance Llc
• Univ Boise State

Inventors

• Daw Joshua
• Unruh Troy C
• Heidrich Brenden J
• Hurley David H
• Fujimoto Kiyo Tiffany
• Estrada David
• Mcmurtrey Michael
• Mondal Kunal
• Hone Lance
• Seifert Robert D

Classifications

• Y02E30/30

  Nuclear fission reactors · CPC title

• G21C17/112 Primary

  Measuring temperature · CPC title

• G01K11/06

  using melting, freezing, or softening · CPC title