Radiation Resilient Ultrasonic Sensors (RRUS)

Limited access and high thickness components typically limit non-destructive inspection in the nuclear industry to Ultrasonic testing (UT) techniques. Radiation endurance of commercially available UT sensors is limited to cumulative doses of 1 to 2 MGy even for models branded as radiation resistant. Severe operational difficulties can occur due to unexpected sensor failure and recurrent sensor replacement is both time consuming and expensive. The RRUS project will explore the constructed and testing of novel, radiation resilience, probes manufactured from exotic materials and a variety of assembly techniques. This goal will be to provide the nuclear industry with a reliable UT solution for prolonged inspection and monitoring. Two scenarios are envisaged: a) high radiation - inspection close to fission nuclear reactors and b) low radiation - inspection in nuclear waste disposal sites. Our main objective is to manufacture and test a series of prototype probes tailored to determine the design most suited to each condition.