Instrument Capabilities and Developments at the Halden Reactor Project

AbstractThe Halden Reactor Project (HRP) relies on extensive use of in-core instrumentation for both fuel and material testing in the Halden Boiling Water Reactor (HBWR). Separate loop systems have been installed in the reactor to simulate boiling water reactor and pressurized water reactor conditions. Reliable in-core instrumentation has been developed for measuring all key parameters both for fuel and material such as fission gas release, fuel temperature, fuel swelling/densification, cladding creep, etc. HRP has a fully equipped workshop for instrument production, and all our instruments are developed and made in-house. Instruments based upon the in-core linear variable differential transformer (LVDT) have been developed by HRP, such as the fuel pressure sensor, fuel rod expansion thermometer, fuel swelling, and cladding elongation. A special diameter gauge based upon the LVDT principle has also been developed to measure diametric changes of the fuel rods.In order to characterize the irradiation condit...