Electropotential Monitoring: Nondestructive Method for Fast Assessment of Fuel-Element Cladding Condition in the BN-600 Reactor

Resumo

Electropotential monitoring, used as a fast method for evaluating fuel-element cladding after operation in the BN-600 reactor and in the shielded-enclosure block at the Institute of Reactor Materials during incoming inspection, is described. The plots of changes in the electrical resistance obtained during electropotential monitoring reflect the degree of imperfection of a fuel element and make it possible construct a cutting scheme for subsequent post-reactor material science studies. The particularities of electropotential monitoring of fuel-element cladding made of the steels ChS-68 and EK-164 are shown.