Abstract
Commercial nuclear fuel rods are pre-pressurized with helium before irradiation. During irradiation, the rod internal pressure (RIP) increases due to cladding dimensional changes and pellet fission gas release. RIP is a limiting parameter for rod operation and is a barrier to achieving higher fuel burnup. Currently, the only method for RIP measurement is rod puncture which is a destructive method. Because of the challenges and cost associated with handling irradiated fuel, the existing database on RIP is extremely limited. This paper presents progress towards developing a novel acoustic-based nondestructive examination method to accurately measure the internal gas pressure and gas composition in pressurized containers without the need for puncturing the pressure boundary, with an emphasis on applications to spent nuclear fuel (SNF) rods and radioactive material dry storage canisters.
