Characterization of irradiated fuel rods using pulsed eddy-current techniques

A pulsed eddy-current (PEC) system was used in the remote nondestructive examination of 100 irradiated fuel rods and unfueled cladding tubes. The examination was carried out by Aerojet Nuclear Company as part of the water reactor safety program. Two fuel rods and one cladding tube were destructively examined to correlate the PEC defect indications with actual phenomena. The PEC equipment, designed jointly by Argonne National Laboratory and Aerojet, performed the functions of diametral, bowing, and wall-thickness measurements and od and id surface defect detection very satisfactorily