Magnetic flux distortion in two-phase liquid metal flow: Model experiment

In this paper, we present the model experiments in order to study the magnetic flux distortion of a two-phase liquid metal flow excited by an AC magnetic field in a range of pulsation where Faraday induction and Lorentz force effects are significant. These experiments realized with solid aluminum rods allow to characterize the effects of flow velocity (0 ≲ U≤1 ms−1), void fraction (0≤α≤6.9 %), pulsation of the AC magnetic field (1.5×103≤ω≤12.5×103 rad s−1), and of two different void geometries. The results are analyzed on the basis of a first order expansion of magnetic flux in U and α. Despite the strong coupling between Faraday induction and Lorentz force effects, the results show that the contributions of U and α on a magnetic flux distortion can be well separated at both low magnetic Reynolds number and α values. These results are independent of void geometry

Experimental study of bubble detection in liquid metal.

Bubble detection in liquid metal is an important issue for various technological applications. For instance, in the framework of Sodium Fast Reactors design, the presence of gas in the sodium flow of the primary and secondary loops is an issue of crucial importance for safety and reliability. Here, the two main gas measurement methods in sodium are ultrasonic testing and eddy-current testing; we investigate the second method in our study. In a first approach, we have performed experiments with liquid metal galinstan containing insulating spherical beads of millimeter size. The liquid metal is probed with an Eddy-current Flowmeter (ECFM) in order to detect the beads and characterize their diameter and position. Results show that the signal measured by the ECFM is correlated with the effect of these parameters. Finally, an analytical model is proposed and compared to the experimental results

Towards Quantitative Void Fraction Measurement With an Eddy Current Flowmeter for Fourth Generation Sodium Cooled Fast Reactors: A Simplified Model

We propose an experimental methodology for the purpose of quantitative void fraction measurements in fourth generation Sodium cooled fast reactors with a standard Eddy Current Flow Meter (ECFM) sensor. The methodology consists of using the technique of ellipse fit and correlate the fluctuations in the angle of inclination of this ellipse with the void fraction. This methodology is applied in this paper to an ideal configuration of periodic grooves on solid aluminium cylinder with various volumic fractions. The effects of physical parameters such as coil excitation frequency, coil current and motion have been studied. The first results show that ECFM is sensitive to void fractions between 0.3% and 6.9%. It further demonstrates that the response to void fraction is insensitive to the mean velocity of the two-phase medium

Sodium boiling Detection in a LMFBR Using Autoregressive Models and SVM

International audienceThis paper deals with acoustic detection of sodium boiling in a Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactor (LMFBR) cooled by liquid sodium. As sodium boiling induces acoustic emission, the method consists in real time analysis of acoustic signals measured through wave guides. AutoRegressive (AR) models are estimated on sliding windows and are classified in boiling or non-boiling models using Support Vector Machines (SVM). One of the difficulties to cope with is disturbances due to the influence of some environment noises like the liquid coolant cavitation, vortex flow, shaft vibration and mechanical pump noise. These disturbances can generate false alarms or mask the boiling. The proposed method is designed to be robust toward these disturbances. Furthermore, the SVM are designed to be robust toward the operating mode changing. The application for online monitoring is made on data obtained from French nuclear power plant Phenix and boiling sound signals generated from Laboratory experiments. Different acoustic boiling sound levels are used and the effectiveness of the method is shown by the good detection rate and its low false alarm rate even for low acoustic boiling sound level

CONTRIBUTION A L'ETUDE DE LA TRANSMISSION DES ULTRASONS A UNE INTERFACE SOLIDE - GAZ - LIQUIDE. Application au contrôle non destructif des réacteurs de quatrième génération refroidis par du sodium liquide

Under the ultrasonic inspection of the fourth generation of sodium cooled reactors, the goal is to study the conditions for the appearance of a very bad acoustic coupling of the transducer with liquid sodium. Under certain conditions, the non wetting of the surface of the transducer by sodium causes trapping gas pockets in the roughness. A first quasi-static analysis based on the crevice model allows to study the dependence of the stability of these gas pockets on the temperature, the hydrostatic pressure, and the level of dissolved gas saturation of the liquid. In order to develop a parametric study based on the size and gas surface fraction, several samples are made. An ultrasonic experiment using various frequencies can measure the transmission through these samples. Meanwhile, three different models describing the experimental setup are proposed, the latter being based on a description of the dynamic behaviour of a simple gas pocket geometry. The comparison of experimental and analytical results (of the last model) show a similar pattern of the dependence of the transmission on the various parameters.Dans le cadre de l'inspection ultrasonore des réacteurs au sodium, l'objectif est d'étudier les conditions d'apparition d'un très mauvais couplage acoustique du traducteur avec le sodium liquide. Le non mouillage de la surface du traducteur par le sodium peut provoquer le piégeage de poches de gaz dans la rugosité. Une première analyse quasi-statique permet d'étudier la stabilité de ces poches de gaz vis-à-vis de la température, de la pression hydrostatique, du niveau de saturation en gaz dissous dans le liquide. Afin de mener une étude paramétrique en fonction de la taille et la fraction surfacique des poches de gaz, plusieurs échantillons sont réalisés. Une expérience ultrasonore en eau, utilisant différentes fréquences, permet de mesurer la transmission à travers ces échantillons. Parallèlement, divers modèles décrivant la configuration expérimentale sont proposés, le dernier étant basé sur une description du comportement dynamique d'une poche de gaz de géométrie simple. La comparaison des résultats expérimentaux et analytiques (du dernier modèle) montrent une évolution similaire de la transmission en fonction des différents paramètres

Contribution à l'étude de la transmission des ultrasons à une interface solide - gaz - liquide (application au contrôle non destructif des réacteurs de quatrième génération refroidis par du sodium liquide)

Dans le cadre de l'inspection ultrasonore des réacteurs au sodium, l objectif est d étudier les conditions d apparition d un très mauvais couplage acoustique du traducteur avec le sodium liquide. Le non mouillage de la surface du traducteur par le sodium peut provoquer le piégeage de poches de gaz dans la rugosité. Une première analyse quasi-statique permet d'étudier la stabilité de ces poches de gaz vis-à-vis de la température, de la pression hydrostatique, du niveau de saturation en gaz dissous dans le liquide. Afin de mener une étude paramétrique en fonction de la taille et la fraction surfacique des poches de gaz, plusieurs échantillons sont réalisés. Une expérience ultrasonore en eau, utilisant différentes fréquences, permet de mesurer la transmission à travers ces échantillons. Parallèlement, divers modèles décrivant la configuration expérimentale sont proposés, le dernier étant basé sur une description du comportement dynamique d une poche de gaz de géométrie simple. La comparaison des résultats expérimentaux et analytiques (du dernier modèle) montrent une évolution similaire de la transmission en fonction des différents paramètres.Under the ultrasonic inspection of the fourth generation of sodium cooled reactors, the goal is to study the conditions for the appearance of a very bad acoustic coupling of the transducer with liquid sodium. Under certain conditions, the non wetting of the surface of the transducer by sodium causes trapping gas pockets in the roughness. A first quasi-static analysis based on the crevice model allows to study the dependence of the stability of these gas pockets on the temperature, the hydrostatic pressure, and the level of dissolved gas saturation of the liquid. In order to develop a parametric study based on the size and gas surface fraction, several samples are made. An ultrasonic experiment using various frequencies can measure the transmission through these samples. Meanwhile, three different models describing the experimental setup are proposed, the latter being based on a description of the dynamic behaviour of a simple gas pocket geometry. The comparison of experimental and analytical results (of the last model) show a similar pattern of the dependence of the transmission on the various parameters.AIX-MARSEILLE2-BU Sci.Luminy (130552106) / SudocSudocFranceF

Numerical simulations in support of the design of an ultrasonic device for sub-assembly identification

In this paper, it is shown how numerical simulations can help designing an ultrasonic instrument operating in harsh conditions. To prevent fuel handling errors in sodium cooled fast reactors, the identification of fuel sub-assemblies using ultrasound is being investigated. It is based on the interpretation of a code (aligned notches) engraved on the sub-assembly head using an emitting/receiving ultrasonic sensor. This reading is performed in liquid sodium with high temperature (up to 600°C) transducers. A first experiment in liquid sodium demonstrated the feasibility of this method. The reading quality and robustness depend on various parameters related to the ultrasonic beam (spectral response, focal distance, focal spot size), the code geometry (especially the notches’ dimensions) and geometrical alignments. In order to avoid numerous experiments, two numerical models are developed. The first one is a finite element simulation of the sensor providing its radiated field. This model is validated with the well-known analytic solution of the Rayleigh integral; then it is applied to the sensor used in the sodium experiment. The focal distance and focal spot diameter are close to the expected values. The second simulation, using CIVA software, provides the ultrasonic scan of the code. The result is in good agreement with the sodium experiment and a first comparison with a water experiment shows that this numerical tool is relevant for easily taking into account misalignment and misorientation of the scan

Modélisation d’une raideur équivalente créée par un réseau de poche de gaz à une interface liquide-solide. Application à l’inspection ultrasonore des réacteurs SFR

L’inspection ultrasonore au travers de surfaces en contact avec le sodium est complexe à cause de poches de gaz piégées à l’interface. Nous définissons une raideur créée par une poche de gaz à une interface liquide – solide, ce qui permettra de calculer le coefficient de transmission de l’interface. La raideur de la fraction surfacique du gaz a une composante statique mais aussi une composante inertielle où interviennent la fréquence d'excitation acoustique et une masse de radiation

Perturbation of eddy-currents by one inclusion in liquid metal

International audienceIn this article, we present an analytical model to calculate the perturbation of the magnetic vector potential due to a non-conducting inclusion in a liquid metal translated at constant velocity. The model is valid for a low magnetic Reynolds number, Rem, and a low shielding parameter, Sω. We establish that the first order perturbation of the vector potential can be directly obtained from the value of the unperturbed eddy-current calculated at the location of the inclusion. An ECFM (Eddy-Current FlowMeter) device has been designed to validate the model and to study the frequency effects of the eddy-current and the volume of one inclusion and its location. We observe a good agreement between the model predictions and experimental data within the limit of the validity of the model. Based on scaling analysis, we show that a unique relation exists between the perturbation of the emf (electromotive force) measured with the ECFM and the volume of the inclusion and its location, which reflects the self-similarity of the model solution

Analyse du bruit de fond acoustique du réacteur Phénix

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