Additive Manufacturing of Miniaturized Peak Temperature Monitors for In-Pile Applications

Fujimoto, Kiyo; Hone, Lance; Manning, Kory; Seifert, R.; Davis, K. L.; Milloway, James N.; Skifton, Richard; Wu, Yueqin; Wilding, Malwina; Estrada, David

doi:10.3390/s21227688

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…In recent years, AM has demonstrated the ability to fabricate sensors and patterns that can overcome the high temperature environments (i.e., above 300 °C conditions; [4]) and non-planar, geometric challenges (i.e., cylindrical geometries; [13]) that are commonly found in nuclear reactors. In addition to allowing the deposition of up to a sub-micron feature size, the flexibility of AM allows for it to be compatible with tailorable, nuclear-relevant ink materials [14] making it an ideal tool for the rapid prototyping of both CSGs and DIC patterns for in-pile applications. In this work, the performance of AM sensing techniques were tested up to 300 °C and 600 °C for the CSG and DIC patterns, respectively.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Additively Manufactured Strain Sensing for Nuclear Reactor Applications

Phero,

Novich,

Fujimoto

et al. 2023

13th Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control &Amp; Human-Machine Interface Technologies (NPIC&HMIT 2023)

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Real-time monitoring of materials in harsh environments is a crucial technique towards reducing innovation time in nuclear systems. The successful measurement of real time, in-situ strain measurements during nuclear reactor operation requires innovative sensing solutions, including novel sensing strategies as well as advanced sensor design, manufacturing, and materials selection. In this paper, we will discuss two primary strategies for in-situ strain measurement strategies: additively manufactured (AM) capacitive strain gauges (CSGs) and digital image correlation (DIC).Current commercial strain gauges have limited applications in reactors due to the harsh operating conditions and non-trivial attachment strategies (i.e., welding, epoxy-adhesive) that can affect both the sensing performance and the underlying substrate under testing. AM CSGs are a viable solution as they have a low profile, low hysteresis, and wireless sensing integration capabilities that will enhance nuclear sensing technologies. In this work, the mechanical and thermal performance of the AM CSGs were tested up to 300 °C using ASTM standardized testing procedures to simulate the temperatures found in existing light water reactors. The AM CSGs had a similar performance across multiple samples which correlates to analytical models. This work leads towards the development of CSGs designed for higher temperatures and additional environmental factors found in Generation-IV reactors.Non-contact sensors, such as DIC, offer a less destructive way to measure deformation of materials when compared to alternative methods of in-situ strain determination, such as weldable strain gauges. However, DIC requires high contrast surfaces, which often relies on the implementation of artificial patterns. Using traditional splatter techniques to fabricate these patterns have limitations, including poor surface adhesion and reproducibility. In this work, AM fabrication techniques were implemented to avoid such limitations. Accordingly, aerosol jet printing (AJP) was used to print small scale periodic patterns of silver on stainless steel and aluminum tensile specimens. DIC was employed to monitor strain (up to 1100 µε) during temperature cycling from 23-600 °C. The results validated the use of AJP to better control pattern parameters for small fields of view applications at high temperatures.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Additively Manufactured Strain Sensing for Nuclear Reactor Applications

Phero,

Novich,

Fujimoto

et al. 2023

13th Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control &Amp; Human-Machine Interface Technologies (NPIC&HMIT 2023)

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“…The miniaturization of sensors will allow for the incorporation of melt wires into more experiment designs while also freeing up space to integrate more sensors in a given area, providing a better understanding of the reactor environment during testing. 6 Currently, there are multiple different ways to measure the peak temperature passively and actively in a material test reactor. Active methods include High Temperature Irradiation Resistant Thermocouples which give temperature data in real time throughout the duration of an experiment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bi-metallic Nanoparticle Synthesis for Advanced Manufactured Melt Wires

Garabedian

Fujimoto

Orme

2022

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Additive manufacturing (AM) based on direct-write technologies has emerged as the predominant method for the fabrication of passive sensors for the harsh operating environments seen in a nuclear reactor. Through the modification of previous methods, Idaho National Laboratory and Villanova University have improved the synthesis process for AM feedstock, which will allow for the improvement of advanced nuclear sensors and instrumentation. A major part of this work includes the synthesis process of relevant AM compatible feedstock to support the development, fabrication, and testing of AM sensors for peak temperature detection. For this report, bismuth, bismuth/platinum, tin, tin/silver, tin/zinc, indium, and indium/silver bi-metallic nanoparticles were synthesized using the polyol method, which will enhance temperature sensitivity and allow for miniaturization. To characterize the synthesized nanoparticles, we used x-ray fluorescence to evaluate the elemental composition of the nanoparticles and differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis to determine the melting point and mass loss of the samples. Results show that bi-metallic nanoparticles are a viable option for the fabrication of high-resolution AM melt wires. The temperature sensitivity can be brought to within 5˚C and melt wires can be fabricated that are in the micrometer scale. This will expand the range of irradiation experiments melt wires can be used for and the measured temperature will be significantly more accurate.

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“…This enables the exploration and fabrication of specialized devices (i.e., nuclear sensors) that conventional manufacturing by commercial vendors had rendered economically non-viable [5]. Over the last couple of years, AM has demonstrated the capability to fabricate and test in-pile sensors for monitoring peak temperatures [6] and mechanical strain [2]. The material testing enhancements unlocked by these new capabilities help validate modeling and simulation efforts supporting the development, testing, and qualification of new nuclear materials.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Validation of Printed Strain Gauges at Moderate Temperatures (up to 300°C)

Phero

McMurtrey

Heighes

et al. 2022

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Strain gauges in material test reactors serve to generate critical mechanical property data for qualifying the performance of reactor components. Resistance-based strain gauge technologies are both well established and commercially available; however, they present limitations in terms of reactor experiment conditions, especially in areas where physical space is a challenge. In this work, an additively manufactured capacitance-based strain gauge was printed on a stainless-steel specimen and tested at up to the prototypic pressurized-water reactor operating temperature of 300°C. In addition, a high-temperature resistive strain gauge (RSG) was used to better understand how the RSGs operate, and to provide baseline measurements for comparison against the printed strain gauges. Future development of printed strain gauges will focus on expanding their temperature limits to 500°C and enabling applications currently beyond the capabilities of commercial RSGs. vii

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Additive Manufacturing of Miniaturized Peak Temperature Monitors for In-Pile Applications

Cited by 6 publications

References 22 publications

Additively Manufactured Strain Sensing for Nuclear Reactor Applications

Additively Manufactured Strain Sensing for Nuclear Reactor Applications

Bi-metallic Nanoparticle Synthesis for Advanced Manufactured Melt Wires

Validation of Printed Strain Gauges at Moderate Temperatures (up to 300°C)

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