Method for detecting steam leakage in heat-exchanger having circulation tubes surrounded by liquid sodium and devices for the application of said method
First Claim
1. Improvement to the method for detecting a steam micro-leak in a heat-exchange having circulation tubes surrounded by an alkaline molten metal, said improvement consisting in using the normal operating fluid of the exchanger as the hydrogenated tracer fluid, injecting an inert gas successively into groups of tubes comprising at least one circulation tube, and observing the readings of the leak detecting device based on the measurement of hydrogen until a zero reading, indicative of the leaking tube.
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Abstract
The present invention concerns an improvement to the method for detecting a steam micro-leak in a heat-exchanger having circulation tubes surrounded by an alkaline/molten/metal (e.g. liquid sodium), said improvement consisting in using the normal operating fluid of the exchanger (in particular, water) as the hydrogenated tracer fluid, in injecting an inert gas successively into groups of tubes comprising at least detecting device (which is based on the measurement of hydrogen, in particular in sodium) until a zero reading, indicative of the leaking tube, is observed.
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8 Claims
- 1. Improvement to the method for detecting a steam micro-leak in a heat-exchange having circulation tubes surrounded by an alkaline molten metal, said improvement consisting in using the normal operating fluid of the exchanger as the hydrogenated tracer fluid, injecting an inert gas successively into groups of tubes comprising at least one circulation tube, and observing the readings of the leak detecting device based on the measurement of hydrogen until a zero reading, indicative of the leaking tube.
- 4. A device for detecting micro-leaks in heat-exchangers, circulation tubes for said exchangers connected to a tubular plate in contact with sodium or with the gas overlying sodium in said exchanger comprising, at the inlets of the circulation tubes, a tubular counter-plate attached to said first tubular plate, having holes arranged according to the same pattern as in said first tubular plate, and provided with grooves, each of said grooves being connected to a supply of pressurized inert gas through a pipe provided with a valve and to a plurality of circulation tubes by cylindrical notches connecting said circulation tubes to said groove.
Specification