Measurement techniques for column interface monitoring in an advanced gas cooled reactor model

Highlights: • Design and testing of techniques for column interface measurements. • Experiments of channel distortion via infrared vision and Hall effect sensors. • Neural network (NN)-based modelling of channel interface calibration data. This work features an important structural engineering project that provides experimental and numerical predictions to support the safety cases of the Advanced Gas-cooled Reactors (AGRs) in the United Kingdom (UK). The AGR core columns must remain vertical within tight tolerances so that the control rods and the fuel stringers have a secure and unimpeded travel in and out the channels. This paper presents the design, development and testing of bespoke techniques for column interface measurements which feed into the channel shape calculations of a quarter size physical model of an AGR core, developed at the University of Bristol (UOB). The results will play a vital part in the characterization of the core's dynamic behaviour and will feed into the seismic resilience assessments of the AGRs.