Flow measurement by pulsed-neutron activation techniques at the PKL facility at Erlangen (Germany). [PWR]

Flow velocities in the downcomer at the PKL facility (in Erlangen, Germany) were measured by the Pulsed-Neutron Activation (PNA) techniques. This was the first time that a fully automated PNA system, incorporating a dedicated computer for on-line data reduction, was used for flow measurements. A prototype of a portable, pulsed, high-output neutron source, developed by the Sandia National Laboratories for the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, was also successfully demonstrated during this test. The PNA system was the primary flow-measuring device used at the PKL, covering the whole range of velocities of interest. In this test series, the PKL simulated small-break accidents similar to the one that occurred at TMI. The flow velocities in the downcomer were, therefore, very low, ranging between 0.03 and 0.35 m/sec. Two additional flow-measuring methods were used over a smaller range of velocities. Wherever comparison was possible, the PNA-derived velocity values agreed well with the measurements performed by the two more conventional methods.