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Ultrasonic Thermometry for In-Pile Temperature Detection

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 INL/CON-10-18293
PREPRINT

Ultrasonic Thermometry
for In-Pile Temperature
Detection

NPIC&HMIT 2010

Joshua Daw
Joy Rempe
Steven Taylor
John Crepeau
S. Curtis Wilkins

November 2010

This is a preprint of a paper intended for publication in a journal or

proceedings. Since changes may be made before publication, this
preprint should not be cited or reproduced without permission of the
author. This document was prepared as an account of work
sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither
the United States Government nor any agency thereof, or any of
their employees, makes any warranty, expressed or implied, or
assumes any legal liability or responsibility for any third party’s use,
or the results of such use, of any information, apparatus, product or
process disclosed in this report, or represents that its use by such
third party would not infringe privately owned rights. The views
expressed in this paper are not necessarily those of the United
States Government or the sponsoring agency.
Seventh American Nuclear Society International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control and Human-Machine Interface Technologies
NPIC&HMIT 2010, Las Vegas, Nevada, November 7-11, 2010, on CD-ROM, American Nuclear Society, LaGrange Park, IL (2010)

Ultrasonic Thermometry for In-Pile Temperature Detection

Joshua Daw, Joy Rempe, and Steven Taylor

Idaho National Laboratory
PO Box 1625, Mail Stop 4112
Idaho Falls, ID 83415
Joshua.Daw@inl.gov; Joy.Rempe@inl.gov, Steven.Taylor@inl.gov

John Crepeau
University of Idaho
P.O. Box 44 0902
Moscow, ID 83844-0902
Crepeau@uidaho.edu

S. Curtis Wilkins
Private Consultant

ABSTRACT

The Idaho National Laboratory (INL) recently initiated an effort to evaluate the viability of
using ultrasonic thermometry technology as an improved in-pile sensor for detecting temperature
during irradiation testing. Ultrasonic Thermometers (UTs) work on the principle that the speed at
which sound travels through a material (acoustic velocity) is dependant on the temperature of the
material. By introducing an acoustic pulse to the sensor and measuring the time delay of echoes,
temperature may be derived. UTs offer several advantages over other temperature sensors. UTs
can be made very small, as the sensor consists only of a small diameter rod which may or may not
require a sheath. Measurements may be made near the melting point of the sensor material, as no
electrical insulation is required; and shunting effects are avoided. Most attractive, however, is the
ability to introduce acoustic discontinuities to the sensor, as this enables temperature
measurements at several points along the sensor length (allowing temperature profiling with a
single sensor). Although UTs have been successfully deployed in several applications, several
problems have limited their success. This paper summarizes the capabilities of UTs, their prior
applications, and the proposed project to develop an optimized UT probe. As described in this
paper, options to resolve issues identified with prior UT use are under evaluation in this INL
feasibility study. Once most promising options are demonstrated, an optimized prototype UT
design will be developed and evaluated.
Key Words: In-Pile Instrumentation, Ultrasonic, Temperature Sensor, Temperature Profile

1 INTRODUCTION

Ultrasonic thermometry has the potential to improve upon temperature sensors currently used for in-
pile fuel temperature measurements. Current methods for in-pile temperature detection primarily rely on
either thermocouples or post-irradiation examination methods (such as melt wires). Commercially-
available thermocouples (e.g., Type K, Type N, Type C, etc.) are widely used and cover a wide
temperature range. However their use is limited. Type K and Type N thermocouples decalibrate at
temperatures in excess of 1100 RC. Material transmutation causes decalibration in tungsten/rhenium
(e.g., Type C) or platinum/rhodium (e.g., Type R or S) thermocouples in neutron radiation environments.
Even though the High Temperature Irradiation Resistant Thermocouple (HTIR-TC) developed by Idaho
 Daw, et al.

National Laboratory (INL) has overcome most of the difficulties associated with thermocouples [1], the
resistivity of electrical insulators can degrade if subjected to high temperatures (in excess of 1800 RC),
causing shunting errors. Thermocouples typically allow only measurement at a single location.
Examination of melt wires and other post irradiation methods allow only the estimation of maximum test
temperatures at the point of installation. The labor and time to remove, examine, and return irradiated
samples for each measurement also makes this out-of-pile approach very expensive.

2 BACKGROUND

2.1 Principles of Operation

Ultrasonic Thermometers (UTs) work on the principle that the speed at which sound travels through
a material (acoustic velocity) is dependant on the temperature of the material. The most studied (and,
therefore, most well-developed) form of ultrasonic thermometry is the pulse echo method. By sending an
ultrasonic pulse through a thin rod of known length, and measuring the time between the initial pulse and
the reflection of the pulse from the opposite end of the rod, the average acoustic velocity (and, therefore,
the average temperature of the rod) may be calculated. By introducing acoustic discontinuities, such as
notches or sudden diameter changes, the rod may be segmented into a multipoint temperature sensor (the
average temperature of each segment derived from timing of the successive reflections). In order to avoid
wave dispersion effects, the rod should have a diameter of less than one tenth of the acoustic wavelength
[2]. If this condition is met, the temperature -dependant acoustic velocity, v(T), is related to density,
U(T), and elastic modulus, E(T), (both properties are also temperature dependant) through the following
equation:

E (T )
v(T ) (1)
U (T )

A conceptual design of a typical multi-sensor UT system, with key components identified, is shown
in Figure 1. As indicated in this figure, a narrow ultrasonic pulse is generated in a magnetostrictive rod
by a short duration magnetic field pulse produced by an excitation coil. The ultrasonic pulse propagates to
the sensor wire, where a fraction of the pulse energy is reflected at each discontinuity (notches or
diameter change). Each reflected pulse is received by the excitation coil, transformed into an electrical
signal, amplified and evaluated in a start/stop counter system. The time interval between two adjacent
echoes is evaluated and compared to a calibration curve to give the average temperature in the
corresponding sensor segment. When a number of notches are available on the wire sensor, the various
measurements give access to a temperature profile along the probe.

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 Ultrasonic Thermometry for In-Pile Temperature Detection

Figure 1. A typical multi-sensor pulse/echo ultrasonic thermometry system.

2.2 Prior Development

Prior UT applications have demonstrated the viability of this technology, but in-pile applications
were primarily limited to high-temperature fuel damage tests, which ceased several decades ago.
Selected applications of UT usage, which are identified in Ref 3, are summarized in Table 1.

Maximum Sensor
Organization Test Comments
Temperature Material
WDC-3-5
Minor sticking between sensor
INL Engineering 2707 RC W-25%Re
and sheath
Test Reactor
Power
Thoriated
INL Cooling 2017 RC Short duration tests, no failures
Tungsten
Mismatch
Demonstrated faster response
Capsule
INL ~1807 RC W-25%Re time compared to
Driver Core
thermocouples

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 Daw, et al.

High Flux
Oak Ridge
Isotope -1070 RC drift after test due to
National 907-1107 RC Rhenium
Reactor- transmutation of rhenium
Laboratory
HRB
Sandia 5 sensor segments in molten
Molten Fuel Thoriated
National 2860 RC UO2, thoria sheath, temperature
Pool Tungsten
Laboratory reached in 19 minutes
Nuclear
2000 hour test at 2000 RC
Research and R Thoriated
Consultancy
RETSON 2000 C
Tungsten results in less than 30 RC
Group decalibration
Commissariat à
Doped Operation for more than one
l'énergie FARO 2800RC
Tungsten hour in oxide corium
atomique/Ispra
Commissariat à
l'énergie PHEBUS Thoriated Transients in excess of
2207 RC
atomique FPT3 Tungsten 300 RC/min experienced

3 ADVANTAGES OF ULTRASONIC THERMOMETERS

UTs have several advantages over other sensors [4]. UTs can be made with very small diameters
while maintaining a high level of durability, as the sensor consists simply of a small diameter rod (typical
diameters range from 0.25 mm to 1 mm, though a sheath may be required for some environments) [5]. In
fact, a small diameter rod is desirable; as wave dispersion is avoided when the rod diameter is sufficiently
smaller than the acoustic wavelength [2]. Temperature measurements may be made near the melting
point of the transducer material. As no electrical insulation is required, shunting effects found in
thermocouples and resistance temperature devices (RTDs) are eliminated. A clear line of sight is not
required, as is the case for most optical pyrometry applications. Fiber optic cables are used in some
pyrometry applications where line of sight is not possible, but darkening of the fibers has typically made
this option unattractive for nuclear applications (though recent work performed in Europe [6] indicates
that this technology may be viable). With proper selection of materials, UTs may be used in very harsh
environments, such as high temperature steam or liquid metals. Perhaps the most appealing characteristic
of ultrasonic thermometers is the ability to make temperature measurements at several axial positions
using a single sensor, thereby measuring a temperature profile.

4 DESIGN ASPECTS TO BE ADDRESSED

The following section details some of the problems that have caused difficulties in previous efforts to
develop an ultrasonic thermometer for in-pile applications.

4.1 Signal Processing

There are several problems that have caused difficulty in the development of UTs, particularly for
high temperature measurements in nuclear environments. The primary difficulty in developing a useful
ultrasonic thermometry system was in signal processing. The temperature of each sensor segment is
derived by measuring the time gap between successive pulse echoes (reflected sound waves) [7]. Each

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 Ultrasonic Thermometry for In-Pile Temperature Detection

generated pulse results in multiple echoes (the number dependent on the number of sensor segments).
These reflections may overlap. There may also be unwanted reflections, as shown in Figures 2 through 4
[8]. These reflections may be in the form of secondary reflections produced by echoes or reflections from
points of contact between the sensor and its surroundings (the test environment or a protective sheath). It
is essential to be able to identify, and accurately measure the time between, individual reflections. This
can be simplified by generating a sufficiently short pulse, and by recording only one data set at a time
(that is, generate a pulse and record all reflections before generating another pulse). Advances made in
electronics since previous UT research was completed may allow for improvement of temperature
resolution as well as automation of signal processing. Specifically, temperature resolution can be
improved through faster sampling rates, as this allows for more accurate measurements of delay time.

Figure 2. Normal single sensor echo waveforms showing notch and end reflections.

Figure 3. Single sensor echo with signal interference caused by minor sticking.

Page 5 of 11
 Daw, et al.

Figure 4. Single sensor with signal interference caused by severe sticking

4.2 Material Selection

Sensors used for in-pile temperature measurements are subjected to a very harsh environment.
Therefore, proper material selection is crucial to the success of the sensor. Some conditions to be
considered are high temperature (more than 1000 oC and potentially in excess of 2000 oC) melting and
materials interactions. The latter includes interactions between sensor materials at high temperature as
well as interactions between the sensor (or sheath) and the environment (which may include fuels, fill
gases, coolants, and fission products).
A problem specifically related to high temperature measurements in nuclear research is
transmutation of the sensor material. Materials previously found to be good candidates have come from
the family of refractory metals. Particularly promising were rhenium, 2% thoriated tungsten, and
tungsten doped with potassium, silicon, and aluminum (commonly used as a filament in incandescent
light bulbs) [4,5,9]. Unfortunately, rhenium and tungsten will transmute significantly with increasing
thermal neutron fluence, resulting in large sensor decalibration. Thoria, used in thoriated tungsten
sensors, is added in order to control grain growth in tungsten. However, at high temperatures, the thoria
has been observed to migrate from the sensor and vaporize. The thoria vapor then diffuses to cooler areas
and precipitates. This can cause contact with the sheath, but also leads to excessive grain growth in the
sensor (large grains can cause unwanted acoustic reflections) [7]. Refractory metals with lower
absorption cross sections, as well as refractory based ceramics, may have the potential to minimize this
problem.
A more fundamental consideration in selecting a material for use as an ultrasonic thermometer is the
dependence of acoustic velocity on temperature [2,4,5,7-10]. This is an essential consideration as this
dependence will have a large influence on the possible temperature resolution of the sensor. Figure 5 (re-
created from Reference 9) shows the relative temperature dependence of the acoustic delay times (inverse
of acoustic velocity) of candidate materials. From the figure, two candidates show temperature/velocity
relationships that may be problematic. Niobium has a non-single valued response and a low overall
sensitivity to temperature changes. Titanium has a very good response to nearly 940 RC. However,
beyond this point, the temperature dependence appears to change, no longer being single valued.

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 Ultrasonic Thermometry for In-Pile Temperature Detection

Figure 5. Relative acoustic delay times of several candidate materials.

4.3 Sticking
Contact welding of metallic sensors to protective sheaths (commonly referred to as sticking) can
cause unwanted acoustic reflections [4,5,7], signal attenuation [4,7] and, in the case of severely embrittled
sensors, damage to the sensor (embrittlement resulting from high temperature exposure). Previous
attempts to preclude sticking have focused on minimizing contact between the sheath and sensor. This
has been accomplished by the use of various forms of standoffs. These standoffs have typically taken the
form of coils of tungsten wire wrapped around the sensor, or small protrusions of materials at points along
the sensor length. These standoffs have not been completely successful, however, and may cause some
unwanted reflections. In one case, a thoria sheath was used, which did appear to eliminate sticking to a
large extent [4,5,7,10]. However, as noted above, at high temperatures, the thoria will evaporate, diffuse
to cooler areas, and precipitate, causing sticking in the cooler regions. Newer materials and
manufacturing techniques may yield new solutions to the sticking problem.

5 PROJECT DESCRIPTION

This project is organized into the following three tasks.

Page 7 of 11
 Daw, et al.

5.1 Task 1: Laboratory Evaluations to Optimize Test Setup

Prior to recommending an optimized design, bench-top testing will be performed at INL’s High
Temperature Testing Laboratory (HTTL) in order to demonstrate the viability of ultrasonic thermometers
and optimize the testing setup. A preliminary design should include a transducer, a waveguide, a single
segment sensor, and a signal conditioning/processing system. Each component will be investigated in an
attempt to optimize performance. Primarily selection of proper materials and transducer types is critical.
Proper material selection is critical to the success of a new ultrasonic temperature sensor design. As
refractory materials have been successful in previous designs for non-nuclear applications, these materials
are initially being evalauted for new designs. Refractory metals with low neutron absorption cross
sections have been successfully used in the INL-developed HTIR-TCs [11], and should be studied. Also,
refractory based ceramic materials may have high temperature properties desirable in an ultrasonic
temperature probe.
Ultrasonic temperature sensors typically consist of a magnetostrictive rod connected in a linear
fashion to the sensor. This configuration results in a sensor device in which pulse generation and echo
detection are accomplished with a single transducer. This system is simple and robust. Other
technologies for generating/sensing of signals (i.e. piezoelectric materials) should be explored as
improvements in pulse narrowing, amplitude sensitivity, and irradiation resistance may be achieved.

5.2 Task 2: Alternative Design Evaluations

This project is also focusing on developing an improved signal processing system to capture, record,
and interpret signals from the sensor. Specifications for such a system are being identified, with
development of the system performed in collaboration with a commercial vendor. The signal processing
system will incorporate a pulse generator, and be capable of capturing and recording incoming echo
signals with sufficient time and amplitude resolution to distinguish individual echoes. Options that will
optimize the system’s ability to separate overlapping pulses (such as cross-correlation and other modern
signal analysis techniques) are being explored, as this will expedite the measurement process for multiple-
sensor probes.
Though standoffs have not been entirely successful in resolving the sticking problem, the technique
should be studied further as variations on the concept could prove more successful. Sheath materials and
coatings should be closely examined, as reducing the high temperature diffusion potential between sensor
and sheath could potentially eliminate sticking. The sticking problem may be avoided altogether if a
sheath is not necessary. This is dependant on the conditions to which the probe is exposed. If the
ultrasonic thermometer is constructed from a material that is compatible with the environment, or if a
proper coating material can be applied, an unsheathed probe may be sufficiently robust. The selected
probe or coating material must be non-reactive with any materials the probe may contact, must have a
sufficiently high melting point, and must be highly resistant to corrosion in the test environment (this may
include liquid water, steam, or liquid metals). For example, unsheathed UTs have been tested in liquids to
study the attenuation effects of fluid viscosity [2]. A stainless steel sensor was tested in liquid sodium at
370 RC (this temperature was chosen to yield a high viscosity), while a tungsten sensor was tested in
liquid water at room temperature (simulating the viscosity of liquid sodium at 1020 RC. Attenuation
effects were found to be negligible.
Ultrasonic signals have typically been generated in the form of longitudinal waves, but it is possible
to produce torsional waves as well. Previous work indicates that ultrasonic torsional wave velocity has a
stronger dependence on temperature than longitudinal waves [4].

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 Ultrasonic Thermometry for In-Pile Temperature Detection

5.3 Task 3: Evaluation of Optimize Design

The temperature resolution of a UT system is strongly dependant on the sampling rate of the data
acquisition system. A higher sampling rate allows for more accurate measurement of the delay time
between pulse echoes and, therefore, the acoustic velocity. As the temperature is derived from the delay
time (or the acoustic velocity), the ability to measure smaller changes in the delay time yields the ability
to measure smaller changes in temperature. Current sampling technologies (for example, digitizing
oscilloscopes) can provide sampling rates in the 1-5 gigahertz range, resulting in a time resolution of as
small as 0.2 nanoseconds. For perspective, a previous study [2] estimated a temperature resolution of
0.1% at 2200 RC for a rhenium sensor with an effective length of 25 cm (the sensor was 5 cm in length,
but multiple reflections were measured) and a sampling rate of 0.1 Ps. A sampling rate of 0.2 ns improves
the time resolution of this system by a factor of 500. Theoretically, a similar improvement in temperature
resolution is possible. This level of improvement is unlikely in practical applications, however, as other
factors have a significant impact on the resolution. In the previously mentioned example, for instance, the
estimate was made using a large effective length sensor at a temperature where the acoustic velocity of
rhenium is very sensitive to temperature changes, both of these parameters increase resolution.
The accuracy of the UT is primarily influenced by the sensor's calibration. Temperature calibration
is performed using secondary measurements. That is, the temperatures corresponding to delay time
measurements are measured using a second sensor (i.e. a thermocouple or infrared pyrometer).
Therefore, the overall accuracy of the UT is limited by the accuracy of the secondary sensor, as well as
that of the delay time measurement. As mentioned previously, the delay time measurement technology
has improved significantly. This leaves the calibration temperature measurement as the primary source of
error. Accuracy of the secondary temperature sensors has improved over time; though not as much as
delay time measurements. A further source of error in calibration is the positioning of sensors during
calibration. For example, an optical pyrometer may be trained directly on an unsheathed UT; but if a
sheathed UT is calibrated using a sheathed thermocouple, there are several layers of thermal separation
between the sensors. The geometry used during calibration should be chosen carefully to maximize the
accuracy of the UT.
Finally, once the most promising options are identified, one or more prototype multi-segment
ultrasonic temperature probes will be produced and tested. A full test should include a long term
installation in a high temperature test assembly installed in a high neutron flux environment, such as that
found in the Idaho National Laboratory’s Advanced Test Reactor.

6 CONCLUSIONS

The INL has recently initiated an effort to evaluate the viability of using ultrasonic thermometry
technology as an improved in-pile sensor for detecting temperature during irradiation testing. As
described in this paper, UTs offer several advantages over currently used temperature sensors. UTs can
be made very small, as the sensor consists only of a small diameter rod which may or may not require a
sheath. Measurements may be made near the melting point of the sensor material, as no electrical
insulation is required; and shunting effects are avoided. Most attractive, however, is the ability to
introduce acoustic discontinuities to the sensor, as this enables temperature measurements at several
points along the sensor length (allowing temperature profiling with a single sensor). UTs have been used
successfully for several applications; however, several problems have limited the success of these sensors.
As part of the INL feasibility study, options to resolve issues identified with prior UT use are under
evaluation. Once most promising options are demonstrated, an optimized prototype UT design will be
developed and evaluated.

Page 9 of 11
 Daw, et al.

7 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy,
Science, and Technology under DOE-NE Idaho Operations Contract DE AC07 05ID14517.

8 REFERENCES

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8. A.E. Arave, F.E. Panisko, J.A. Christensen, ”High-Temperature Ultrasonic Thermometer In-
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9. G.A. Carlson, H.G. Plein, “Refractory Metals for Ultrasonic Thermometry Application,”
NUREG/CR-0368 SAND78-1382 R-7, Sandia Laboratories, 1978.

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 Ultrasonic Thermometry for In-Pile Temperature Detection

10. G.A. Carlson, W.H. Sullivan, H.G. Plein, “Application of Ultrasonic Thermometry in LMFBR
Safety Research,” SAND-77 1157, Sandia Laboratories, 1977.

11. J. E. Daw, J. L. Rempe, D. L. Knudson, S. C. Wilkins, J. C. Crepeau, “High Temperature

Irradiation-Resistant Thermocouple Performance Improvements,” Proc. ANS NPIC HMIT 2009
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