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Measurement of hydrogen concentration in containment atmospheres in nuclear plants is a key safety capability. Current technologies require extensive sampling systems and subsequent maintenance and calibration costs can be very expensive. A new hydrogen sensor has been developed that is small and potentially inexpensive to install and maintain. Its size and low power requirement make it suitable in distributed systems for pinpointing hydrogen buildup. This paper will address the first phase of a testing program conducted to evaluate this sensor for operation in reactor containments.

The goals of this CRADA were to: (1) development and demonstrate a highly frequency-agile microwave furnace; (2) explore applications of the furnace for materials processing; and (3) develop control systems and packaging that are robust, user-friendly, and suitable for sale as a turnkey system. Microwave Laboratories, Inc. (MLI) designed, built, and successfully brought to market a benchtop Variable Frequency Microwave Furnace (VFMF). The concept has demonstrated advantages in polymer curing, waste remediation, and diamond (CVD). Through experimentation and modeling, the VFMF approach has gained credibility within the technical community.

An intelligent gas sensor has been developed using thick‐film techniques to create a semiconducting oxide surface with carefully varied catalytic properties. An integral heater causes the surface to react with combustible gases and the resulting resistance map of the surface forms a signature that can be related to the functional groups present in the gas. For example, alcohols, ketones and alkanes have distinct, recognisable signatures on one sensor model.