Nondestructive measurement of the coating thickness for simulated TRISO-coated fuel particles by using phase contrast X-ray radiography

• Published in: Nuclear engineering and design Vol. 238; no. 12; pp. 3285 - 3291
• Main Authors: Kim, Woong Ki, Lee, Young Woo, Cho, Moon Sung, Park, Ji Yeon, Ra, Sung Woong, Park, Jung Byung
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.12.2008; Elsevier
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Controled nuclear fusion plants; Energy; Energy. Thermal use of fuels; Exact sciences and technology; Fission nuclear power plants; Fuels; Installations for energy generation and conversion: thermal and electrical energy; Nuclear fuels; Preparation and processing of nuclear fuels; Radioactive waste; High temperature reactor; Silicon carbide; X ray radiography; Coated particle; Nuclear fuel; X ray; Gas cooled reactor; Carbon; Protective coatings; Nuclear reactor
• ISSN: 0029-5493; 1872-759X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nucengdes.2008.07.009

The TRISO-coated fuel particle for a HTGR (high temperature gas-cooled reactor) is composed of a nuclear fuel kernel and outer coating layers. The coating layers consist of a buffer PyC (pyrolytic carbon) layer, an inner PyC (I-PyC) layer, a SiC layer, and an outer PyC (O-PyC) layer. X-ray radiography is one of the nondestructive alternatives to measure a coating thickness without generating a radioactive waste. Phase contrast X-ray radiography technology is more powerful for acquiring a radiograph with clear boundaries, when compared with a conventional X-ray radiography. The contrast can be enhanced for weakly absorbing materials in a phase contrast X-ray radiograph by detecting an intensity variation due to the variation of a phase of the X-rays in the boundary between two objects. Phase contrast X-ray radiograph was acquired from a simulated TRISO-coated fuel particle with a micro-focus X-ray imaging system. The coating thickness was nondestructively measured from the phase contrast X-ray image for the fuel particle.