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At least 55 records · Page 3

Increasing Precision Of Temperature Sensors Of Liquid H2

Commercial silicon-diode temperature sensors intended for use in boiling or nearly boiling liquid hydrogen at temperatures near 37 degrees R recalibrated to greater precision by method involving careful attention to details of design, operation, and computation. Method based on fundamental electrical and thermodynamic principles and good engineering practice, also applicable to recalibration of other temperature sensors intended for use in other boiling or nearly boiling liquids.

Dempsey, Paula J.↗

Optical temperature sensor utilizing birefringent crystals

A temperature sensor comprising an optical transducer member having an array of birefringent crystals. The length and, accordingly, the sensitivity to temperature change of successive birefringent crystals varies according to a particular relationship. The transducer is interconnected with a fiber optic transmission and detecting system. Respective optical output signals that are transmitted from the birefringent crystals via the fiber optic transmission system are detected and decoded so as to correspond to digits of a numbering system, whereby an accurate digital representation of temperature can ultimately be provided.

Quick, William H.↗

Platinum thin film resistors as accurate and stable temperature sensors

The measurement characteristics of thin-Pt-film temperature sensors fabricated using advanced methods are discussed. The limitations of wound-wire Pt temperature sensors and the history of Pt-film development are outlined, and the commonly used film-deposition, structuring, and trimming methods are presented in a table. The development of a family of sputtered film resistors is described in detail and illustrated with photographs of the different types. The most commonly used tolerances are reported as + or - 0.3 C + 0.5 percent of the temperature measured.

Diehl, W.↗

Fiber-Optic Temperature Sensor Using a Thin-Film Fabry-Perot Interferometer

A fiber-optic temperature sensor was developed that is rugged, compact, stable, and can be inexpensively fabricated. This thin-film interferometric temperature sensor was shown to be capable of providing a +/- 2 C accuracy over the range of -55 to 275 C, throughout a 5000 hr operating life. A temperature-sensitive thin-film Fabry-Perot interferometer can be deposited directly onto the end of a multimode optical fiber. This batch-fabricatable sensor can be manufactured at a much lower cost than can a presently available sensor, which requires the mechanical attachment of a Fabry-Perot interferometer to a fiber. The principal disadvantage of the thin-film sensor is its inherent instability, due to the low processing temperatures that must be used to prevent degradation of the optical fiber's buffer coating. The design of the stable thin-film temperature sensor considered the potential sources of both short and long term drifts. The temperature- sensitive Fabry-Perot interferometer was a silicon film with a thickness of approx. 2 microns. A laser-annealing process was developed which crystallized the silicon film without damaging the optical fiber. The silicon film was encapsulated with a thin layer of Si3N4 over coated with aluminum. Crystallization of the silicon and its encapsulation with a highly stable, impermeable thin-film structure were essential steps in producing a sensor with the required long-term stability.

Beheim, Glenn↗

Fiber-Optic Temperature Sensor

Proposed sensor measures temperatures over wide range, from cryogenic liquids to burning gases. Made in part of optical fibers, sensor lighter in weight than thermocouple and immune to electromagnetic interference. Device does not respond to temperatures elsewhere than at sensing tip. Thermal expansion and contraction of distance between fiber end and mirror alters interference between light reflected from those two surfaces, thereby giving interferometric indication of temperatures.

Maram, Jonathan M.↗

Thin film diamond temperature sensor array for harsh aerospace environment

The feasibility of using polycrystalline CVD diamond films as temperature sensors in harsh aerospace environment associated with hypersonic flights was tested using patterned diamond resistors, fabricated on flat or curved oxidized Si surfaces, as temperature sensors at temperatures between 20 and 1000 C. In this temperature range, the measured resistance was found to vary over 3 orders of magnitude and the temperature coefficient of resistance to change from 0.017/K to 0.003/K. After an annealing treatment, the resistance change was reproducible within 1 percent on the entire temperature range for short measuring times.

Aslam, M.↗

Numerical analysis of flow about a total temperature sensor

The unsteady flowfield about an airfoil-shaped inlet temperature sensor has been investigated using the thin-layer and full Navier-Stokes equations. A finite-volume formulation of the governing equations was used in conjunction with a Runge-Kutta time stepping scheme to analyze the flow about the sensor. Flow characteristics for this configuration were established at Mach numbers of 0.5 and 0.8 for different Reynolds numbers. The results were obtained for configurations of increasing complexity; important physical phenomena such as shock formation, boundary-layer separation, and unsteady wake formation were noted. Based on the computational results, recommendations for further study and refinement of the inlet temperature sensor were made.

Von Lavante, Ernst↗

Flexible Multiplexed Surface Temperature Sensor

Unitary array of sensors measures temperatures at points distributed over designated area on surface. Useful in measuring surface temperatures of aerodynamic models and thermally controlled objects. Made of combination of integrated-circuit microchips and film circuitry. Temperature-sensing chips scanned at speeds approaching 10 kHz. Operating range minus 40 degrees C to 120 degrees C. Flexibility of array conforms to curved surfaces. Multiplexer eliminates numerous monitoring cables. Control of acquisition and recording of data effected by connecting array to microcomputers via suitable interface circuitry.

Daryabeigi, Kamran↗

High-Fluence Active Irradiation and Combined Effects Testing of Sapphire Optical Fiber Distributed Temperature Sensors

The goal of this work was to investigate the in-core performance of sapphire optical fiber temperature sensors and to develop clad sapphire optical fibers for in-core instrumentation. We fabricated clad sapphire optical fibers and evaluated the distributed sensing performance of these sensors via optical backscatter reflectometry under high fluence and combined radiation and temperature effects. A series of irradiations was completed to evaluate the effect of irradiation on sapphire optical fiber temperature sensors and to determine the operational limits of these sensors. (1) Objective 1: Fabricate sapphire optical fiber sensors. (2) Objective 2: Evaluate the clad sapphire fiber to verify single-mode behavior and determine and characterize the light modes supported by optical fibers. (3) Objective 3: Characterize the in-core temperature sensing of sapphire optical fiber, as well as the combined temperature and irradiation effects. (4) Objective 4: Evaluate the lifetime and performance of the sensor under irradiation to high neutron fluence. Objectives 1, 2, and 3 were completed during the first 2 years of the project. Due to the Covid pandemic, Objective 4, a high-fluence irradiation performed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Research Reactor (MITR), was delayed, as partner facilities were subject to mandatory shutdowns and required a 1 year, no-cost extension. This irradiation was eventually completed on December 12, 2022. This work indicates that sapphire optical fiber sensors may be a solution for ultra-high-temperature applications in which traditional silica optical fibers are prone to fail. Sapphire sensors are potentially suitable for experiments featuring temperatures above 700°C for long periods of time, or for any length of time above 1000°C. Experiments featuring a low total fluence, such as irradiations conducted in the Transient Reactor Test (TREAT) facility, also represent good applications for sapphire optical sensors. Additional work is required to characterize the sapphire fiber cladding performance, which falls outside the scope of this project, as well as the effects of high temperatures on the response of the fiber. A comprehensive material study is recommended as future work to evaluate the attenuation in sapphire under irradiation, and how that attenuation changes with irradiation temperature. The drift and attenuation in the fiber at temperatures of up to 1600°C and a total fluence of up to 2.9 x 10 17 n/cm 2 was minimal, and the fibers returned to baseline after being heated to 1600°C under irradiation. This is promising for the future use of sapphire optical fibers in advanced reactors.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Advanced Manufacturing of Printed Melt Wire Chips for Cheap, Compact Passive In-Pile Temperature Sensors

Melt wires are a passive sensor used to determine peak temperatures during a test. Traditional melt wires are commonly used in test reactor experiments such as in the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR). However, the conditions within a reactor present significant challenges towards test design due to space limitations and the harsh environment. For example, some test capsules have only a couple millimeters in diameter available for instrumentation, which is too small to accommodate a traditional melt wire package, and they are ultimately filled to capacity when they are immersed in molten metal. To enable instrumentation for space limited applications, peak temperature sensing capabilities paired with additive manufacturing options have been utilized to develop printed melt wires for peak irradiation temperature detection. Here, we report on the fabrication of miniaturized melt wire chips with a melting temperature ~960 °C with printed silver nanoparticle ink. This study will advance the development of unique temperature sensors capable of sensing user specified temperature ranges within the harsh environment of irradiation testing.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Passive Digital Sensing Method and Its Implementation on Passive RFID Temperature Sensors

Benefitting from the advancement of digital electronics in the 20 th century, sensors have also gradually evolved from analog to digital. As semiconductor components are required in digital sensors, a power supply is still needed for the sensor. To eliminate the need for a power supply a concept of passive digital sensing is proposed. Different from the semiconductor-based electrical digital sensing method, the parameter to be measured is first converted to a mechanical signal, then the mechanical signal is encoded to multiple digital bits by a passive digitizer, where each bit is identified as open or short state that is detectable by general IO ports. To demonstrate the proposed sensing concept, a passive RFID temperature sensor is implemented using a bimetallic coil as the temperature sensing unit. The 6-bit binary codes are acquired and transmitted by a passive RFID that is powered by an energy harvester. Furthermore, the test results show that the temperature sensor has a measurement sensitivity of 1.32 °C/bit and a working distance over 10 meters.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Turbine Blade Temperature Measurements Using Thin Film Temperature Sensors

The development of thin film temperature sensors is discussed. The technology for sputtering 2 micron thin film platinum versus platinum 10 percent rhodium thermocouples on alumina forming coatings was improved and extended to applications on actual turbine blades. Good adherence was found to depend upon achieving a proper morphology of the alumina surface. Problems of adapting fabrication procedures to turbine blades were uncovered, and improvements were recommended. Testing at 1250 K at one atmosphere pressure was then extended to a higher Mach No. (0.5) in combustor flow for 60 hours and 71 thermal cycles. The mean time to failure was 47 hours accumulated during 1 hour exposures in the combustor. Calibration drift was about 0.1 percent per hour, attributable to oxidation of the rhodium in the thin films. An increase in film thickness and application of a protective overcoat are recommended to reduce drift in actual engine testing.

Grant, H. P.↗

Wireless High-Temperature Sensor Network for smart boiler systems

This final project report describes the research data and findings. This project aims to develop a new wireless high-temperature sensor network for real-time continuous boiler condition monitoring in harsh environments. Such a wireless high-temperature sensor network enables network-based automatic temperature sensing and data collection, which combined with artificial intelligent (AI) algorithms allow the construction of smart boiler systems with boiling condition management and optimization for significant energy-saving and reliability improvement

42 ENGINEERING↗