Under Sodium Viewing
1981 film, with transcript
Catalog description: Since liquid metal sodium is opaque and reactive, it can be hard to find equipment or loose parts under it. So ultrasonic under-sodium viewing technology was developed. This film shows an early form of the technology being used at the Fast Flux Test Facility. You could even see the identification notches on the assemblies.
This is film 7479949 in our catalog.
Show transcript
| 00:00 | Several of the Hanford Engineering Development Laboratory's measurement technology programs are |
| 00:07 | aimed at improving safety and reliability of the liquid metal fast breeder reactor. Many sodium |
| 00:14 | properties are important to the success of the LMFBR program. However, since sodium is opaque |
| 00:20 | and reactive, it is necessary to develop several safety and inspection systems. One program is |
| 00:27 | developing a unique under-sodium viewing inspection system, which can minimize |
| 00:31 | expensive reactor downtime and improve reliability. Recent tests of this system |
| 00:37 | being developed for use in the FFTF demonstrated the ability to produce |
| 00:42 | high-resolution pictures of objects under 16 feet of liquid sodium. Using |
| 00:48 | special ultrasonic transducers, pulse echo methods similar to sonar and a |
| 00:53 | display technique invented by Hedl, three-dimensional pictures of objects |
| 00:57 | can be constructed as shown. A set of stacked metal discs shown at the top is |
| 01:03 | imaged at the same viewing angle by this under-sodium viewing system. Changing the |
| 01:08 | electronic controls results in a new three-dimensional view. This process can |
| 01:13 | be continued until the desired viewing angle is achieved. The system being |
| 01:19 | developed for use in FFTF is installed through small penetrations in the vessel head. |
| 01:28 | Pictures taken under 16 feet of sodium are built up on an oscilloscope screen as the |
| 01:34 | scanner sweeps over the reactor core model. |
| 01:39 | A comparison of the resulting image and a photograph of the core prior to sodium fill |
| 01:45 | demonstrates the excellent clarity of the image. |
| 01:49 | closer examination of one sub assembly reveals identification features the small holes and side |
| 01:59 | notches are visible in the first high resolution images shown here without image enhancement |
| 02:05 | application of this system will permit core sub assembly location and identification precise |
| 02:16 | location of in vessel components periodic inspection of critical |
| 02:22 | components such as thermal baffles and welds search and retrieval guidance |
| 02:27 | information for misplaced or foreign objects use of an ultrasonic ranging |
| 02:34 | system is a requirement in the French Phoenix reactor during refueling however |
| 02:39 | high resolution pictures which are important in many inspection operations |
| 02:43 | are not possible with the French system. |
| 02:48 | Besides high-resolution features, the HEDL developed system |
| 02:51 | has the capability to identify and accurately locate objects |
| 02:55 | at distances up to 16 feet. |
| 02:58 | This drawing identifies the location of installed equipment |
| 03:01 | in the sodium-filled test vessel. |
| 03:04 | Equipment such as the fuel handling machine, |
| 03:09 | the instrument tree, |
| 03:13 | the in-reactor test assembly, and the immersion heater |
| 03:18 | are shown relative to the installed position of the undersodium viewing system. |
| 03:27 | As a demonstration of this feature, the radar-like display shown here |
| 03:32 | clearly locates the items described in the drawing. |
| 03:35 | This display is a result of recording reflections from in-vessel components. |
| 03:40 | Accurate location of any reflection can be determined from range and azimuth indicators on the instrument panel. |
| 03:48 | An ultrasonic sweep arm based on this technology has been proposed for use in the Clinch River breeder reactor during each refueling operation. |
| 03:56 | Such a system would locate out of position core components to prevent damage during refueling. |