Innovative Instrumentation and Intelligent Diagnostic System for Reactor Safety

72201S03-I In future nuclear reactor systems, there must be assurance that passive safety systems (which depend only on natural forces such as the gravitational force), including the diagnostics, work properly under all emergency or accident conditions. To support this requirement, this project will develop advanced, two-phase flow instrumentation and intelligent diagnostics for monitoring two phase flow in nuclear reactor systems. Phase I will: (1) design and develop a multi-electrode capacitance void sensor, (2) experimentally evaluate the sensor, and (3) improve existing flow regime identification methodologies using the capacitance sensors. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by awardee: The diagnostic system should be applicable to existing and future nuclear systems requiring higher degrees of operational autonomy, passive safety, and remote monitoring. Additional applications include two-phase flow monitoring in the petroleum and chemical industries.