METHOD FOR CONTROL OF APPEARANCE, GEOMETRY OF A FUEL ROD AND THE SIZE OF ITS DEFECTS Russian patent published in 2023 - IPC G01B11/30 

FIELD: nuclear engineering.

SUBSTANCE: method for monitoring the appearance, geometry of a fuel rod, and the size of its defects consists in controlled movement of the fuel rod and its subsequent monitoring in the field of view of several video cameras forming a video monitoring unit, covering the entire surface of the fuel rod with fields of view, and further movement of the fuel rod into the longitudinal scanning unit in the field vision of several longitudinally located 2D triangulation scanners with their beams oriented transverse to the axis of the fuel rod and covering the entire surface of the fuel rod with fields of view. For monitoring, an orbital scanning unit is additionally used, which is capable of radial rotation around the longitudinal axis of the fuel rod. In this block, a 2D triangulation scanner and a binocular video camera are located diametrically opposite to each other. The scanner of the specified block monitors the surface of the fuel element by orbital rotation of the block with the orientation of the scanner beam along the axis of the fuel element and synchronous rotation opposite to the specified binocular video camera. When monitoring the appearance, geometric parameters of a fuel rod and the size of its defects, a video monitoring unit is used to search for and determine the coordinates of the defect and measure the length of the fuel rod. A block of 2D scanners determines the deviation of the geometric dimensions of the fuel element from the nominal ones, and using one of the scanners of the specified block, located in the sector of the video camera of the video monitoring unit, with the help of which the presence of a defect is detected, a longitudinal scan of the defect zone is performed in its coordinates. Using an orbital scanning unit, a transverse scan of the defect zone is performed in its coordinates, while at the same time, using a rotating binocular video camera, a 3D survey of the defect zone is performed. All obtained 3D images of the defect are combined on the same scale, taking into account the weighting coefficients of each method, then the depth and height of the defects are determined and a decision is made on the suitability of the fuel element.

EFFECT: expansion of the functionality of the monitoring device by combining the results of external inspection and analysis of the depth of defects, increasing the accuracy of monitoring the depth of mechanical defects, providing the ability to obtain a scan of the outer surface of a fuel element indicating the location of its defects, increasing the durability of the equipment.

1 cl, 1 dwg