Influence of sodium deposits in steam generator tubes on remote field eddy current signals

Abstract

The presence of sodium deposits in defective regions of steam generator (SG) tubes of fast-breeder reactors is expected to influence the remote field eddy current (RFEC) signals. By exposing five SG tubes having uniform wall loss grooves to a sodium environment in a specially designed test vessel, changes in the shape of RFEC signals were observed and it was possible to approximate the volume of sodium deposited in defects. An invariant signal parameter was determined for quantitative characterization of defects despite the presence of sodium in the defects.