Abstract
Johnson noise thermometry is one of many important measurement techniques used to monitor the safety levels and stability in a nuclear reactor. However, this measurement is very dependent on the minimal electromagnetic environment. Properly removing unwanted electromagnetic interference (EMI) is critical for accurate drift-free temperature measurements. The two techniques developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to remove transient and periodic EMI are briefly discussed in this paper. Spectral estimation is a key component in the signal processing algorithm used for EMI removal and temperature calculation. The cross-power spectral density is a key component in the Johnson noise temperature computation. Applying either technique requires the simple addition of electronics and signal processing to existing resistive thermometers. With minimal installation changes, the system discussed here can be installed on existing nuclear power plants. The Johnson noise system developed is tested at three locations: ORNL, Sandia National Laboratory, and the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Kingston Fossil Plant. Each of these locations enabled improvement on the EMI removal algorithm. The conclusions made from the results at each of these locations is discussed, as well as possible future work.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 173-179 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Nuclear Technology |
Volume | 202 |
Issue number | 2-3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2018 |
Funding
ORNL would like to acknowledge the Advanced Reactor Technologies Program for the funding support for this research. We would also like to acknowledge Bruce Warmack with ORNL who was heavily involved in the system integration and build and was instrumental in the portable JNT system. This manuscript has been authored by UT-Battelle, LLC, under Contract DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the US Department of Energy (DOE). The United States government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the United States government retains a nonexclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for United States government purposes. DOE will provide public access to these results of federally sponsored research in accordance with the DOE Public Access Plan (http://energy. gov/downloads/doe-public-access-plan). ORNL would like to acknowledge the Advanced Reactor Technologies Program for the funding support for this research. We would also like to acknowledge Bruce Warmack with ORNL who was heavily involved in the system integration and build and was instrumental in the portable JNT system. This manuscript has been authored by UT-Battelle, LLC, under Contract DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the US Department of Energy (DOE). The United States government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the United States government retains a nonexclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for United States government purposes. DOE will provide public access to these results of federally sponsored research in accordance with the DOE Public Access Plan (http://energy.gov/downloads/doe-public-access-plan).
Funders | Funder number |
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U.S. Department of Energy | |
Oak Ridge National Laboratory |
Keywords
- Cross-power spectral density
- Electromagnetic interference
- Johnson noise thermometry
- Spectral estimation