Impr

oved

BA

DG

ER

Indu

stry

Mee

ting

with

NR

CN

eutro

n A

bsor

ber M

ater

ial D

egra

datio

n

Oct

ober

4 2

012

Mat

t Eyr

e -N

ETC

O

Evol

utio

nof

BA

DG

EREv

olut

ion

of B

AD

GER

IN

87-

43, I

N 9

3-70

& IN

95-

38 id

entif

ied

Bor

afle

xpe

rform

ance

issu

es

Indu

stry

requ

este

d E

PR

I to

deve

lop

Bor

afle

xpe

rform

ance

m

onito

ring

tool

sm

onito

ring

tool

s

1995

Initi

al B

AD

GE

R fa

bric

atio

n

June

Aug

ust1

995

Initi

alcl

ean

pool

test

sin

Pen

nS

tate

Ju

ne –

Aug

ust 1

995

Initi

al c

lean

poo

l tes

ts in

Pen

n S

tate

R

SE

C C

obal

t-60

pool

A

pril

1996

–D

emon

stra

tion

at P

each

Bot

tom

Ja

nuar

y 19

97 –

PW

R B

AD

GE

R d

emon

stra

tion

at

McG

uire

Uni

t 1

2003

/4 re

desi

gn o

f con

trol s

oftw

are,

det

ecto

r con

nect

ions

Nee

dfo

rIm

prov

emen

tN

eed

for I

mpr

ovem

ent

G

ALL

Rep

ort(

NU

RE

G18

01)A

ging

Man

agem

entP

lans

G

ALL

Rep

ort (

NU

RE

G-1

801)

Agi

ng M

anag

emen

t Pla

ns

requ

ire in

-situ

test

ing

for l

ife e

xten

sion

In

crea

sed

relia

nce

on B

AD

GE

R a

s an

“Ope

rabi

lity

Det

erm

inan

t”–

BA

DG

ER

is n

o lo

nger

vie

wed

as

a “M

anag

emen

t Too

l”

Li

mita

tions

ofU

sefo

rHig

hA

real

Den

sity

Abs

orbe

rs(i

e

Lim

itatio

ns o

f Use

for H

igh

Are

al D

ensi

ty A

bsor

bers

(i.e

., C

arbo

rund

um)

N

RC

issu

ance

of B

AD

GE

R/R

AC

KLI

FE T

echn

ical

Let

ter

Rep

orts

–“B

oraf

lex,

RA

CK

LIFE

and

BA

DG

ER

: Des

crip

tion

and

Unc

erta

intie

s”–

“Initi

al A

sses

smen

t of U

ncer

tain

ties

Ass

ocia

ted

with

the

BA

DG

ER

M

etho

dolo

gy”

BA

DG

ERD

esig

nIm

prov

emen

tPro

cess

BA

DG

ER D

esig

n Im

prov

emen

t Pro

cess

Pha

seI:

Pha

seII:

Pha

se I:

S

peci

fical

ly a

ddre

sses

sho

rt te

rm im

prov

emen

ts

Pha

se II

:

Long

er te

rm

Sof

twar

ere

desi

gn

Key

Impr

ovem

ents

to

addr

ess

relia

bilit

y,

repe

atab

ility

and

acc

urac

y

S

oftw

are

rede

sign

A

naly

sis

Met

hod(

real

-tim

e?)

py

y

Hea

d im

prov

emen

ts–

Impr

oved

shi

eldi

ngA

lit

)

Driv

e S

yste

m o

verh

aul

(Now

und

er w

ay)

–A

lignm

ent

–C

able

shi

eldi

ng–

Wat

er ti

ght c

onne

ctio

ns

Des

ign

Impr

ovem

entR

equi

rem

ents

Des

ign

Impr

ovem

ent R

equi

rem

ents

S

yste

mm

ustp

rovi

dea

coun

ting

geom

etry

that

limits

Neu

tron

ic

Sys

tem

mus

t pro

vide

a c

ount

ing

geom

etry

that

lim

its

inte

rfere

nce

from

und

esira

ble

neut

ron

sour

ces

whi

ch a

re n

ot tr

ansm

issi

on n

eutro

ns

In

terfe

renc

e of

rack

cha

ract

eris

tics

whi

ch m

ay a

ffect

fin

al re

sults

mus

t be

quan

tifia

ble

C

alib

ratio

n st

anda

rds

mus

t clo

sely

mim

ic th

e ra

ck

mat

eria

l or p

rovi

de a

resu

lt w

hich

has

bee

n de

mon

stra

ted

tobe

cons

erva

tive

dem

onst

rate

d to

be

cons

erva

tive

C

alib

ratio

n ce

ll di

men

sion

s an

d w

all t

hick

ness

es

shou

ld m

imic

rack

cel

ls

C

alib

ratio

n ce

ll m

ater

ials

sho

uld

mim

ic ra

ck c

ell

mat

eria

ls

C

alib

ratio

n ce

ll ne

utro

n ab

sorb

er c

onfig

urat

ions

sh

ould

mim

icra

ckce

llco

nfig

urat

ion

shou

ld m

imic

rack

cel

l con

figur

atio

n

C

alib

ratio

n st

anda

rds

will

be

of k

now

n an

d ce

rtifia

ble

10B

are

al d

ensi

ty

Des

ign

Impr

ovem

entR

equi

rem

ents

Des

ign

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ovem

ent R

equi

rem

ents

B

AD

GE

Rte

steq

uipm

enth

asbe

ensp

ecifi

cally

desi

gned

forc

ompa

tibili

tyw

ith

Mec

hani

cal

BA

DG

ER

test

equ

ipm

ent h

as b

een

spec

ifica

lly d

esig

ned

for c

ompa

tibili

ty w

ith

plan

t rac

k de

sign

. Thi

s w

ould

incl

ude:

cal

ibra

tion

cell,

sou

rce

head

, and

de

tect

or h

ead

U

nenc

umbe

red

inse

rtion

, rem

oval

and

ver

tical

mot

ion

in th

e fu

el c

ell o

f the

B

AD

GE

R p

robe

hea

d

P

robe

s m

ust m

aint

ain

iden

tical

axi

al p

ositi

on a

t all

mea

sure

men

t poi

nts

P

robe

sm

ustb

eal

igne

dsu

chth

atth

eyar

ein

clos

eco

ntac

twith

the

cell

wal

lsP

robe

s m

ust b

e al

igne

d su

ch th

at th

ey a

re in

clo

se c

onta

ct w

ith th

e ce

ll w

alls

co

ntai

ning

the

pane

l bei

ng s

cann

ed

Des

ign

Impr

ovem

entR

equi

rem

ents

Des

ign

Impr

ovem

ent R

equi

rem

ents

P

ower

supp

lyfil

ters

orot

herm

eans

nece

ssar

yto

ensu

reth

ete

stin

gre

sults

Elec

tric

al

Pow

er s

uppl

y fil

ters

, or o

ther

mea

ns n

eces

sary

to e

nsur

e th

e te

stin

g re

sults

ar

e no

t com

prom

ised

by

the

supp

ly v

olta

ge

N

eutro

n co

unt s

igna

l cab

le c

onne

ctio

ns a

re s

ecur

e an

d re

liabl

e an

d du

ring

oper

atio

n -n

ot s

ubje

ct to

wat

er in

trusi

on

N

eutro

n co

unt s

igna

l cab

le c

onne

ctio

ns a

re s

ecur

e an

d re

liabl

e an

d du

ring

oper

atio

n no

t sub

ject

to m

echa

nica

l deg

rada

tion

due

to u

navo

idab

le c

able

tu

ggin

g an

d di

spla

cem

ent d

urin

g op

erat

ion

D

etec

tor i

sola

tion

circ

uitry

ade

quat

e to

pre

clud

e no

ise

disr

uptio

n of

neu

tron

coun

t sig

nals

P

rope

r EM

I/RFI

shi

eldi

ng to

pre

vent

sig

nal i

ngre

ss/e

gres

s

Phas

eI

Phas

e I

H

ead

Alig

nmen

tS

idt

idt

fBA

DG

ER

–S

ide-

to-s

ide

mov

emen

t of B

AD

GE

R

head

s co

ntrib

utes

to u

ncer

tain

ty o

f m

easu

rem

ents

–O

lder

Hea

ds w

ere

built

to ti

ght c

ell

ID to

lera

nces

to e

limin

ate

“sw

ay”y

–In

som

e in

stan

ces,

hea

ds w

ould

“S

tick”

if to

lera

nces

wer

e tig

ht o

r rac

k fa

bric

atio

n ar

tifac

ts (w

eld

bead

s, c

ell

defo

rmat

ion,

etc

.) w

ere

larg

er th

an

indi

cate

d.in

dica

ted.

–H

ead

wal

ls w

ere

thin

gag

e to

allo

w

for s

paci

ng o

f det

ecto

rs a

nd

conn

ecto

r fla

nge,

pre

vent

ing

the

abili

ty to

cut

cha

mfe

rs o

r allo

w fo

r la

rge

bend

radi

ila

rge

bend

radi

i.–

Impl

emen

ted

a se

ries

of b

all-b

earin

g sp

ring

plun

gers

on

3 si

des

to a

lign

head

s

Phas

eI

Phas

e I

D

etec

torS

hiel

ding

D

etec

tor S

hiel

ding

–P

revi

ous

desi

gns

shie

lded

by

sing

le la

yer o

f BO

RA

LU

t30

%f

tlt

–U

p to

30%

of c

ount

s m

ay re

sult

from

bac

ksca

ttere

d ne

utro

ns–

Exp

erim

ente

d w

ith b

orat

ed

poly

ethy

lene

poly

ethy

lene

–

New

des

ign

utili

zes

a ro

bust

qu

antit

y of

alu

min

um-b

oron

ca

rbid

em

etal

mat

rixco

mpo

site

carb

ide

met

al m

atrix

com

posi

te

to s

hiel

d th

e de

tect

ors

from

ne

utro

n ba

cksc

atte

r

Phas

eI

Phas

e I

C

able

Shi

eldi

ngC

able

Shi

eldi

ng–

45ft

coax

ial d

etec

tor c

able

s (ty

pica

l len

gth

is 5

ft fo

r BF3

tube

s)–

Pic

ks u

p ga

mm

a no

ise

from

fuel

and

‘hot

’ com

pone

nts

Ne

desi

gnho

ses

coa

insi

dea

stai

nles

sst

eels

hiel

ded

cond

it–

New

des

ign

hous

es c

oax

insi

de a

sta

inle

ss s

teel

shi

elde

d co

ndui

t

W

ater

Tig

ht C

onne

ctio

ns–

Pre

viou

s de

sign

util

ized

a s

eale

d co

ax s

traig

ht p

lug

into

a

bulk

head

-type

fitti

ng(o

-rin

g).

B

ulkh

ead

fittin

g w

as w

ater

-tigh

t; st

raig

ht p

lug

was

not

.A

ttt

dt

lith

biti

fRTV

ht

hi

kt

bid

lf

Atte

mpt

ed to

sea

l with

com

bina

tion

of R

TV, h

eat s

hrin

k tu

bing

and

sel

f-se

alin

g el

ectri

cal t

ape.

–N

ew d

esig

n ut

ilize

s im

prov

ed c

onne

ctor

s

Wat

ertig

htto

~90f

tW

ater

tigh

t to

90ft

A

llow

s cl

oser

spa

cing

of d

etec

tors

suc

h th

at a

dditi

onal

shi

eldi

ng c

an b

e pl

aced

on

the

side

s.

Phas

eI

Phas

e I

Det

ecto

r Con

nect

ions

Cur

rent

Test

ing

Stat

usC

urre

nt T

estin

g St

atus

C

lean

Poo

ltes

tatP

SU

Sep

tem

ber

C

lean

Poo

l tes

t at P

SU

-S

epte

mbe

r

Mot

or C

ontro

l iss

ues

resu

lted

in la

ter t

est d

ate

D

ecis

ion

tore

desi

gnan

dup

date

entir

em

otor

driv

e

Dec

isio

n to

rede

sign

and

upd

ate

entir

e m

otor

driv

e

Pha

se II

initi

ated