Development of a Fast Neutron Computed Tomography System for Non-Invasive Testing

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

This research grant aims to develop a novel computed tomography system which is capable of measuring 3-dimensional phasic distributions inside complex engineering structures. Phase-change phenomena greatly impact the physics in many engineering systems but direct measurement of the 3-dimensional phase field has historically involved intrusive measurements and/or may not be applied universally to systems that operate under boiling conditions at high pressure and temperatures. The industrial collaborator for this work is the CANDU Owners Group and their goal is to obtain measurements of the phase field inside a CANDU fuel string simulator where boiling occurs and pressures can exceed 10 MPa in order to generate data for model improvement and multi-phase computational fluid dynamics validation. A review of existing commercially available measurements has indicated that there is a need for new advancements in 3D non-destructive testing in this area with application to the nuclear industry as well as other sectors where phase change phenomena can occur. This project will develop a fast-neutron computed tomography (FCNT) system capable of imaging 3-dimensional phase-field distributions in complex geometries and involving thick pressure boundaries. The new technology development is possible today due to radical improvements in mobile nuetron generator technologies which have increased in neutron output from 1e7 to 1e10 over the last ten years. It integrates new developments in the area of accelerator based neutron generators, new Silicon-Photo multiplier (SiPM) technologies with existing CT schemes to obtain a new mobile system capable of meeting current and future R&D demands. The goal is to have the technology render distributions with 1cm or better resolution and scan times which are acceptable to industry (on the order of 1 hour as opposed to multiple hours or days required with some historical system). The work represents the first-of-its-kind technology in Canada and will have wide ranging applications across various R&D sectors in Canada.