Real-time analysis of the growth of granular media by an ultrasonic method: Application to the sedimentation of glass balls in water

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High temperature ultrasonic sensor for fission gas characterization in MTR harsh environment

In the contemporary world, the measurements in hostile environment is one of the predominant necessity for automotive, aerospace, metallurgy and nuclear plant. The measurement of different parameters in experimental reactors is an important point in nuclear power strategy. In the near past, IES (Institut d’Électronique et des Systèmes) on collaboration with CEA (Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives) have developed the first ultrasonic sensor for the application of gas quantity determination that has been tested in a Materials Testing Reactor (MTR). Modern requirements state to labor with the materials that possess stability on its parameters around 350°C in operation temperature. Previous work on PZT components elaboration by screen printing method established the new basis in thick film fabrication and characterization in our laboratory. Our trials on Bismuth Titanate ceramics showed the difficulties related to high electrical conductivity of fabricated samples that postponed further research on this material. Among piezoceramics, the requirements on finding an alternative solution on ceramics that might be easily polarized and fabricated by screen printing approach were resolved by the fabrication of thick film from Sodium Bismuth Titanate (NBT) piezoelectric powder. This material exhibits high Curie temperature, relatively good piezoelectric and coupling coefficients, and it stands to be a good solution for the anticipated application. In this paper, we present NBT thick film fabrication by screen printing, characterization of piezoelectric, dielectric properties and material parameters studies in dependence of temperature. Relatively high resistivity in the range of 1.1013 Ohm.cm for fabricated thick film is explained by Aurivillius structure in which a-and b-layers form perovskite structure between oxides of c-layer. Main results of this study are presented and discussed in terms of feasibility for an application to a new sensor device operating at high temperature level (400°). Piezoelectric parameters enhancement and loss reduction at elevated temperatures are envisaged to be optimized. Further sensor development and test in MTR are expected to be realized in the near future

High temperature ultrasonic sensor for fission gas characterization in MTR harsh environment

In the contemporary world, the measurements in hostile environment is one of the predominant necessity for automotive, aerospace, metallurgy and nuclear plant. The measurement of different parameters in experimental reactors is an important point in nuclear power strategy. In the near past, IES (Institut d’Électronique et des Systèmes) on collaboration with CEA (Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives) have developed the first ultrasonic sensor for the application of gas quantity determination that has been tested in a Materials Testing Reactor (MTR). Modern requirements state to labor with the materials that possess stability on its parameters around 350°C in operation temperature. Previous work on PZT components elaboration by screen printing method established the new basis in thick film fabrication and characterization in our laboratory. Our trials on Bismuth Titanate ceramics showed the difficulties related to high electrical conductivity of fabricated samples that postponed further research on this material. Among piezoceramics, the requirements on finding an alternative solution on ceramics that might be easily polarized and fabricated by screen printing approach were resolved by the fabrication of thick film from Sodium Bismuth Titanate (NBT) piezoelectric powder. This material exhibits high Curie temperature, relatively good piezoelectric and coupling coefficients, and it stands to be a good solution for the anticipated application. In this paper, we present NBT thick film fabrication by screen printing, characterization of piezoelectric, dielectric properties and material parameters studies in dependence of temperature. Relatively high resistivity in the range of 1.1013 Ohm.cm for fabricated thick film is explained by Aurivillius structure in which a-and b-layers form perovskite structure between oxides of c-layer. Main results of this study are presented and discussed in terms of feasibility for an application to a new sensor device operating at high temperature level (400°). Piezoelectric parameters enhancement and loss reduction at elevated temperatures are envisaged to be optimized. Further sensor development and test in MTR are expected to be realized in the near future

Characterization and performance of an acoustic sensor for fission gas release characterization devoted to JHR environment measurements

International audienceFor over a decade, the IES laboratory has been working in collaboration with the CEA on the development of acoustic instrumentation in the nuclear field. As part of this collaboration, the IES acoustics team is developing a miniaturized gas composition sensor for in situ measurements of gas composition in a fuel rod. The first experimental use of an acoustic sensor to measure gas composition dates back to 2010 with the REMORA 3 experiment, which estimated the release of fission gas in an experimental fuel rod. Unlike the sensor tested during REMORA 3, this new sensor should be able to operate at 300°C, a performance made possible by the use of a piezoelectric element based on bismuth titanate (NBT). The material is screen-printed onto an alumina substrate. The manufacturing process and initial characterization were presented in the previous version of ANIMMA 2021 [1]. In this article, we will focus on the performance of this type of sensor by characterizing different gas mixtures representative of the gases inside a fuel rod, in order to estimate relative deviations under laboratory conditions

Irradiation behavior and post-irradiation examinations of an acoustic sensor using a piezoelectric transducer

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