Update on ultrasonic thermometry development at Idaho National Laboratory

The Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has initiated an effort to evaluate the viability of using ultrasonic thermometry technology as an improved sensor for detecting temperature during irradiation testing of advanced fuels proposed within the Fuel Cycle Research and Development (FCR&D) program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (US DOE). Ultrasonic thermometers (UTs) work on the principle that the speed at which sound travels through a material (acoustic velocity) is dependent on the temperature of the material. UTs have several advantages over other types of temperature sensors. UTs can be made very small, as the sensor consists only of a small diameter rod which may or may not require a sheath. Measurements may be made up to very high temperature (near the melting point of the sensor material) and, as no electrical insulation is required, shunting effects observed in traditional high temperature thermocouple applications are avoided. Most attractive, however, is the ability to introduce multiple acoustic discontinuities into the sensor, as this enables temperature profiling with a single sensor. The current paper presents initial results from FCR&D UT development efforts. These developments include improved methods for fabricating magnetostrictive transducers and joining them to waveguides, characterization of candidate sensor materials appropriate for use in FCR&D fuels irradiations (both ceramic fuels in inert gas and sodium bonded metallic fuels), enhanced signal processing techniques, and tests to determine potential accuracy and resolution.