Intelligent Integrated Machining: Zr Thickness Measurements using XRF for Process Control and Quality Assurance

Reactor operation is dependent upon precise control of fuel plate geometry and thickness of individual layers, however there is currently no method to assess Zr diffusion barrier thickness over the entire surface area of the foil. An energy-dispersive x-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) technique was developed to map Zr coating thickness over the surfaces of co-rolled fuel foils. Two different instruments and calibration methods were employed. An inexpensive handheld XRF analyzer was chosen for rapid non‐destructive estimation of Zr coating and/or Al cladding thickness in situ on the shop floor, while a laboratory-grade scanning macro-XRF was used to confirm the handheld measurements and for R&D applications. For Zr foil calibration standards, results from the handheld analyzer and the macro-XRF instrument are in excellent agreement with each other and within ±5% of known values. The method was successfully applied to map Zr on 48” LEU foils and to study effects of cold-rolling.