Rosemount 5300 Time-Domain Reflectometer was used to find water level measurements in a test fixture which is used to simulate nuclear reactor start-up conditions, including various high pressures and temperatures.
Sponsored by: GE Hitachi
Team Members
Joseph Higgins Jr. Stephen McGlynn Gavin Pettigrew Andrew Pitt Andre Stafiuc
Instructor: Sean Knecht
Project Poster
Click on any image to enlarge.
Project Video
Project Summary
Overview
GE Hitachi is a provider of advanced reactors and nuclear services. This project was to test and evaluate a new water level monitoring system for nuclear reactors using Time-Domain Reflectometry (TDR) and more specifically the Rosemount 5300 TDR. As the previous semester’s group worked on this project, they concluded by building a test fixture which could withstand high pressures and high temperatures to simulate nuclear reactor start-up conditions. Under various abnormal conditions, the TDR was tested for accuracy relating physical water level measurements and TDR water level measurements.
Objectives
– Extract data from the Rosemount 5300 Time-Domain Reflectometer via the Radar Master software under different temperature and pressure conditions to simulate a nuclear reactor start-up.
– Implement a water gauge into the existing test fixture to verify the accuracy of the Rosemount 5300 readings.
Approach
The approach to this project was to first understand what time-domain reflectometry was and how it is utilized. GE Hitachi had a goal in mind of applying this technology to the test fixture supplied to us in the beginning of the semester. Using both research and hands on testing with the test fixture, we planned to gather data and use analysis to determine if the TDR was capable of withstanding and accurately reporting water level measurements within the test fixture. Once testing was done, the team continued to make improvements to the test fixture and to the test procedure that was in place.
Outcomes
– The final test fixture could give temperature readings of the steam which was used for data analysis. However, pressure readings were unable to be used due to a malfunctioning pressure gauge. The results showed as time and temperature continued to increase, the inaccuracies began to increase due to issues within the test fixture.
– Due to the probe length of the TDR not being long enough to reach the bottom of the test fixture, the boiling water continued to overlap with the water gauge creating inaccuracies in the readings on the TDR. A longer probe for the TDR could potentially be used to overcome this problem but can’t be confirmed until a longer probe is installed and further testing is done.