A NEW PROBE FOR MEASURING LIQUID LEVELS IN PYROCHEMICAL PROCESSING

THIS PHASE I PROJECT UTILIZES THE CORROSION RESISTANCE AND ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES OF CERTAIN ADVANCED MATERIALS IN THE DESIGN OF PROBES TO SENSE LIQUID LEVELS AT MOLTEN METAL-SALTINTERFACES AND MOLTEN SALT-GAS INTERFACES. ONE OF THE MORE SUCCESSFUL APPLICATIONS OF ADVANCED HIGH TECHNOLOGY MATERIALS RESEARCH IS IN THE PYROCHEMICAL PROCESSING OF SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL. IN PARTICULAR, SEVERAL MATERIALS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED THAT ARE STABLE IN THE DEMANDING CONDITIONS CAUSED BY THIS PROCESSING. ONE POTENTIALLY USEFUL FEATURE OF THESE MATERIALS IS THEIR EXTREMES OF HIGH AND LOW ELECTRICAL RESISTIVITY. THIS COMBINATION ALLOWS THE DEVELOPMENT OF ROBUST ELECTRICALLY BASED SENSORS CAPABLE OF WITHSTANDING THE EXTREME CONDITIONS THAT ARE FOUND IN THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT OF PYROCHEMICAL PROCESSING.