Ultrasonic Transducer for Non-Destructive Testing of Structures Immersed in Liquid Sodium at 200 °C

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Mechanical Engineering
• Ultrasonic Testing

Background:

• Performing non-destructive testing (NDT) under liquid sodium presents unique challenges due to high temperatures and material interactions.
• Conventional ultrasonic testing methods require adaptation for immersion in liquid sodium environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the performance of the TUCSS (Transducteur Ultrasonore pour CND Sous Sodium) transducer for NDT under liquid sodium.
• To assess the acoustic properties of the transducer at elevated temperatures (around 200 °C).

Main Methods:

• Utilized the TUCSS transducer, specifically designed for under-sodium NDT.
• Employed conventional immersion ultrasonic techniques in a liquid sodium environment at approximately 200 °C.
• Introduced artificial defects adjacent to an X-shaped weld for detection.

Main Results:

• The TUCSS transducer exhibited sufficiently good acoustic properties for NDT under liquid sodium.
• Artificial defects located near an X-shaped weld were clearly detected using the developed system.
• The testing confirmed the feasibility of using conventional immersion ultrasonic techniques in this challenging environment.

Conclusions:

• The TUCSS transducer is suitable for basic NDT of structures immersed in liquid sodium at 200 °C.
• The study validates the use of specialized ultrasonic transducers for in-situ inspection in liquid metal environments.
• Effective defect detection was achieved, demonstrating the practical application of the technology.