NUCLEAR REACTOR FUEL INTEGRITY MONITOR

• US 20150115157A1
• Filed: 10/22/2014
• Published: 04/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
• Inventors: Nishimura, Takao, Kino, Kenichiro
• Granted Patent: US 9,268,034 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/336.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 1/167 Measuring radioactive content of objects, e.g. contamination whole body counters G01T1/163
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 7/02 Collecting means for receiving or storing samples to be investigated and possibly directly transporting the samples to the measuring arrangement; particularly for investigating radioactive fluids sampling, preparing specimens for investigation in general G01N1/00, G01N1/02; shielded cells or rooms structurally combined with manipulatin devices G21F; measuring of chromatographically separated samples G01N30/00 - G01N30/96
• CPC Class Codes: G21C 1/022 characterised by the design or properties of the core
• CPC Class Codes: G21C 17/02 Devices or arrangements for monitoring coolant or moderator
• CPC Class Codes: G21C 17/022 for monitoring liquid coolants or moderators
• CPC Class Codes: G21C 17/06 Devices or arrangements for monitoring or testing fuel or fuel elements outside the reactor core, e.g. for burn-up, for contamination G21C17/08, G21C17/10 take precedence; detecting leaking fuel elements during reactor operation G21C17/04
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 30/30 Nuclear fission reactors

Abstract

A nuclear reactor fuel integrity monitor includes: a γ-ray detector which detects γ-ray of a specific radionuclide of a subject measurement medium of a nuclear reactor; a sample container which retains the subject measurement medium therein and surrounds the circumference of the γ-ray detector; and a measurement control device which performs a control so that a predetermined amount of the subject measurement medium is introduced into the sample container and calculates a concentration of the specific radionuclide from γ-ray data per each unit time detected by the γ-ray detector and a volume of the subject measurement medium introduced into the sample container.

Claims

1. A nuclear reactor fuel integrity monitor comprising:

a γ

-ray detector which detects γ

-ray of a specific radionuclide of a subject measurement medium of a nuclear reactor;

a sample container which retains the subject measurement medium therein and surrounds the circumference of the γ

-ray detector; and

a measurement control device which performs a control so that a predetermined amount of the subject measurement medium is introduced into the sample container, and calculates a concentration of the specific radionuclide from γ

-ray data per each unit time detected by the γ

-ray detector and a volume of the subject measurement medium introduced into the sample container.

2. The nuclear reactor fuel integrity monitor according to claim 1, wherein

the sample container is formed in a hollow shape and is wound on the γ

-ray detector so as to surround the γ

-ray detector in a spiral shape.

3. The nuclear reactor fuel integrity monitor according to claim 2, wherein

the subject measurement medium is a gas and the specific radionuclide is radioxenon.