Results of the LIRES Round Robin test on high temperature referenceelectrodes for LWR applications

摘要

A European sponsored research project has developed high temperature reference electrodes thatcan be used for in-core electrochemical measurements in Light Water Reactors (LWR's). This LIRES-project(Development of Light Water Reactor Reference Electrodes) consists of 9 partners (SCK-CEN, AEKI, CEA,CIEMAT, KU Leuven, NRI Rez, Framatone ANP, Studsvik Nuclear and VTT). The main objective of thisLIRES project is to develop a reference electrode, which is robust enough to be used inside a LWR.Emphasize is put on the radiation hardness of both the mechanical design of the electrode as the properfunctioning of the electrode. A four steps development trajectory is foreseen: (1) To set a testing standard fora Round Robin, (2) To develop different reference electrodes, (3) To perform a Round Robin test of thesereference electrodes followed by selection of the best reference electrode(s), (4) To perform irradiation testsunder appropriate LWR conditions in a Material Test Reactor (MTR).Four different high temperature reference electrodes have been developed and have being tested in a RoundRobin test. These electrodes are: A Ceramic Membrane Electrode (CME), a Rhodium electrode, an externalAg/AgCl electrode and a Palladium electrode. The presentation will focus on the results obtained with theRound Robin test.