Ultrasonic beam distortion in transversely isotropic media

The distortion of beam profiles and skewing of beam energy observed in transmission of ultrasound into a transversely isotropic medium can lead to erroneous interpretations of NDE data for materials such as columnar-grain steels and fiber-reinforced composites. In this paper, results are presentd for the numerical evaluation of the exact Fourier integral representation of transmission of an arbitrary incident field from an isotropic into a transversely isotropic half-space. The problem is fully three-dimensional, i.e., the symmetry axis of the transversely isotropic material is oriented arbitrarily relative to the half-space boundary and angles of incidence. The cases chosen for numerical study were selected from previously unexplained experimental data obtained from the study of propagation in columnar grain steels (welds), and from situations commonly encountered during the inspection of fiber-reinforced composites. Experimental results which give evidence to the numerically observed phenomena are presented. 11 refs., 4 figs

Current practice and developmental efforts for leak detection in US reactor primary systems

Current leak detection practices in 74 operating nuclear reactors have been reviewed. Existing leak detection systems are adequate to ensure a leak-before-break scenario in most situations, but no currently available, single method combines optimal leakage detection sensitivity, leak-locating ability, and leakage measurement accuracy. Simply tightening current leakage limits may produce an unacceptably large number of unnecessary shutdowns. The use of commercially available acoustic monitoring systems or moisture-sensitive tape may improve leak detection capability at specific sites. However, neither of these methods currently provides source discrimination (e.g., to distinguish between leaks from pipe cracks and valves) or leak-rate information (a small leak may saturate the system). A field-implementable acoustic leak detection system is being developed to address these limitations. 5 refs., 3 figs

Characterization of acoustic emission signals generated by water flow through intergranular stress corrosion cracks

A program is under way at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) to develop an independent capability to assess the effectiveness of current and proposed techniques for acoustic leak detection (ALD) in reactor coolant systems. The program will establish whether meaningful quantitative data on flow rates and leak location can be obtained from acoustic signatures of leaks due to intergranular stress corrosion cracks (TGSCCs) and fatigue cracks, and whether these can be distinguished from other types of leaks. 5 refs., 3 figs

Acoustic emission from thermal-gradient cracks in UOsub2sub 2

A feasibility study has been conducted to evaluate the potential use of acoustic emission to monitor thermal-shock damage in direct electrical heating of UO$sub 2$ pellets. In the apparatus used for the present tests, two acoustic- emission sensors were placed on extensions of the upper and lower electrical feedthroughs. Commercially available equipment was used to accumulate acoustic- emission data. The accumulation of events displayed on a cathode-ray-tube screen indicates the total number of acoustic-emission events at a particular location within the pellet stack. These tests have indicated that acoustic emission can be used to monitor thermal-shock damage in UO$sub 2$ pellets subjected to direct- electrical heating. 8 references. (auth

VISUALIZATION OF ULTRASONIC-BEAM DISTORTION IN ANISOTROPIC STAINLESS STEEL

The inspection of cast stainless steel and stainless steel piping with a weld overlay is an important nondestructive testing problem in the nuclear industry. The ultrasonic inspection of these components is complicated by their coarse-grain and textured microstructure, which distorts the ultrasonic beam. The distortion of pulsed ultrasonic beams produced by conventional piezoelectric transducers mounted on stainless steel samples was measured by scanning the back surface of the samples with a laser interferometer. The plots illustrate how the beam from a 6.3-mn-dia, 2.25-MHz longitudinal transducer can be skewed, focused, or defocused after passing through samples that are 3.2 or 19.0 mm thick. The crystallographic symmetry of the steel samples varied from isotropic to transverse isotropic

Detection and location of leaks in district heating steam systems: Survey and review of current technology and practices

This report presents the results of a survey undertaken to identify and characterize current practices for detecting and locating leaks in district heating systems, particular steam systems. Currently used technology and practices are reviewed. In addition, the survey was used to gather information that may be important for the application of acoustic leak detection. A few examples of attempts to locate leaks in steam and hot water pipes by correlation of acoustic signals generated by the leaks are also discussed