skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Remote Fiber Based Velocimeter For Interface Strength Measurements

Conference ·
OSTI ID:1594079

The understanding of the performance of nuclear reactor plate fuels is essential when developing new fuel systems. The condition of pre and post irradiated plate fuels must be characterized effectively and efficiently prior to irradiation and then post irradiation within a high rad environment. The post characterization work must be performed remotely and in an environment hostile to instrumentation. Laser based characterization methods provide the capability to be remote and robust within a hot-cell environment. Laser based characterization can provide high spatial resolution appropriate for scanning and imaging large areas. The INL is currently developing a laser shock system for Post Irradiation Examination (PIE) station for use in the Hot Fuel Examination Facility (HFEF) at the INL. The laser shock system is designed to characterize fuel to cladding and cladding to cladding interface strength. The laser shock-technique induces large amplitude shock waves to mechanically characterize interfaces such as the fuel-clad interface. The shock wave propagates as a compressional wave through the fuel plate to the free (unconfined) backside surface and is reflected back through the test plate as a rarefaction (tensile) wave. This rarefaction wave is the physical mechanism that produces internal delamination failure. The focus or this paper is on the accurate measurement of surface velocity to quantify the amount of energy traveling through the interfaces to the back surface of the fuel plate. The original fiber based velocimeter design was biased by parasitic back reflections. This paper will discuss the discovery of the back-reflection issue and the design changes to resolve the issue. Supporting data will be presented.

Research Organization:
Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE NNSA
DOE Contract Number:
DE-AC07-05ID14517
OSTI ID:
1594079
Report Number(s):
INL/CON-19-56738-Rev000
Resource Relation:
Conference: IEEE I2MTC – International Instrumentation and Measurement technology Conference, Valamar Lacroma Dubrovnik, Croatia, 05/25/2020 - 05/28/2020
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English