ACOUSTIC PASSIVE TOMOGRAPHY SCANNER (APT-SCAN)

THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR DEVELOPED AN APT-SCAN TYPE SYSTEM FOR LIQUID METAL FAST BREEDER REACTOR STEAM GENERATORS UNDER DOE SPONSORSHIP. IT RAPIDLY AND RELIABLY DETECTED WATER INTO SODIUM LEAKS WITH THE CAPABILITY TO PROTECT THE STEAM GENERATOR FROM SEVERE DAMAGE PROPAGATION. THE ORIGINAL FULL SCALE MONITOR WAS OPTIMIZED FOR A SPECIFIC VESSEL, AND WAS COMPLEX AND EXPENSIVE. THIS LIMITED ITS TRANSFER TO OTHER DESIGNS AND APPLICATIONS. THIS PROGRAM PROVIDES A SIMPLER VERSION OF THE ACOUSTIC DETECTION SYSTEM, WITHOUT LOSS OF SENSITIVITY OR RELIABILITY. IT WILL BE SHOWN INEXPENSIVE DATA AQUISITION AND SIGNAL PROCESSING CARDS AVAILABLE IN THE NEWER, POWERFUL PERSONAL COMPUTERS (SCIENTIFIC WORKSTATIONS) MEET THE REQUIRED PERFORMANCE SPECIFICATIONS. A FLEXIBLE DESIGN EASILY ADAPTABLE TO MANY GEOMETRIC CONFIGURATIONS WILL OPEN THE TECHNOLOGY TO OTHER APPLICATIONS. THE REDUCED COST WILL MAKE THE MONITOR ATTRACTIVE FOR FEASIBILITY AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS IN BOTH THE ORIGINAL AND NEW APPLICATIONS.