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The fuel channels in CANDU® (CANada Deuterium Uranium) nuclear reactors consist of a pressure tube (PT) contained within a larger diameter calandria tube (CT). The separation between the tubes, known as the PT-CT gap, ensures PT hydride blisters, which could lead to potential cracking of the PT, do not develop. Therefore, accurate measurements are required to confirm that contact between PT and CT is not imminent. Gap measurement uses an eddy current probe. However this probe is sensitive to lift-off variations, which can adversely affect estimated gap. A validated analytical flat plate model of eddy current response to gap was used to examine the effect of driver-pickup spacing on lift-off and response to gap at a frequency of 4 kHz, which is used for in-reactor measurements. This model was compared against, and shown to have good agreement with, a COMSOL® finite element method (FEM) model. The optimum coil separation, which included the constraint of coil size, was found to be 11 mm, resulting in a phase response between lift-off and response to change in gap of 66°. This work demonstrates the advantages of using analytical models for optimizing coil designs for measurement of parameters that may negatively influence the outcome of an inspection measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fuel channels in CANDU® (CANada Deuterium Uranium) nuclear reactors consist of two non-concentric tubes; an inner pressure tube (PT) and a larger diameter calandria tube (CT). Up to 400 horizontally mounted fuel channels are contained within a calandria vessel, which also holds the heavy water moderator. Certain fuel channels pass perpendicularly over horizontally oriented tubes (nozzles) that are part of the reactor’s liquid injection shutdown system (LISS). Due to sag, these fuel channels are at risk of coming into contact with the LISS nozzles. In the event of contact between the LISS nozzle and CT, flow-induced vibrations from within the moderator could lead to fretting and deformation of the CT. LISS nozzle proximity to CTs is currently measured optically from within the calandria vessel, but from outside the fuel channels. Measurement by an independent means would provide confidence in optical results and supplement cases where optical observations are not possible. Separation of PT and CT, known as gap, is monitored from within the PT using a transmit-receive eddy current probe. Investigation of the eddy current based gap probe as a tool to also measure proximity of LISS nozzles was carried out experimentally in this work. Eddy current response as a function of LISS-PT proximity was recorded. When PT-CT gap, PT wall thickness, PT resistivity and probe lift-off variations were not present this dependence could be used to determine the LISS-PT proximity. This method has the potential to provide LISS-CT proximity using existing gap measurement data. Obtaining LISS nozzle proximity at multiple inspection intervals could be used to provide an estimate of the time to LISS-CT contact, and thereby provide a means of optimizing maintenance schedules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monitoring the gap between the pressure tube (PT) and the calandria tube (CT) in CANDU® fuel channels is essential, as contact between the two tubes can lead to delayed hydride cracking of the pressure tube. Multifrequency transmit-receive eddy current non-destructive evaluation is used to determine this gap, as this method has different depths of penetration and variable sensitivity to noise, unlike single frequency eddy current non-destructive evaluation. An Analytical model based on the Dodd and Deeds solutions, and a second model that accounts for normal and lossy selfinductances, and a non-coaxial pickup coil, are examined for representing the response of an eddy current transmit-receive probe when considering factors that affect the gap response, such as pressure tube wall thickness and pressure tube resistivity. The multifrequency model data was analyzed using principal components analysis (PCA), a statistical method used to reduce the data set into a data set of fewer variables. The results of the PCA of the analytical models were then compared to PCA performed on a previously obtained experimental data set. The models gave similar results under variable PT wall thickness conditions, but the non-coaxial coil model, which accounts for self-inductive losses, performed significantly better than the Dodd and Deeds model under variable resistivity conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]