A REMOTE LASER INSPECTION SYSTEM FOR NUCLEAR REACTOR COMPONENTS

THE DAMAGE FROM OPERATING STRESSES, AGING, AND ENVIRONMENT ACT TO MODIFY THE VIBRATIONAL MODAL PATTERNS OF NUCLEAR REACTOR COMPONENTS. WE PROPOSE TO EVALUATE THE FEASIBILITY OF APPLYING HOLOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUES FOR MONITORING AND QUANTIFYING THESE PATTERNS. THESE MEASUREMENTS COULD BE PERFORMED REMOTELY AND WITH MINIMUM DISRUPTION OF PLANT OPERATIONS. THE APPLICATION OF HOLOGRAPHY TO AUGMENT THE USE OF ADVANCED DESIGN TECHNIQUES, SUCH AS STRUCTURAL MODAL ANALYSIS TO PRODUCE HIGH QUALITY DESIGNS, AS WELL AS FOR PREDICTING THE RESPONSE OF EXISTING STRUCTURES TO REAL OR SIMULATED EFFECTS OF STRESS, TIME, AND THE ENVIRONMENT WILL BE INVESTIGATED. THE RESEARCH BUILDS UPON PREVIOUS WORK WHICH PRODUCED AND DEMONSTRATED HOLOGRAPHY CONCEPTS THAT AREVIABLE TOOLS FOR STUDYING LARGE STRUCTURES. THIS WORK INCLUDED THE SUCCESSFUL DEMONSTRATION OF HOLOGRAPHY FOR LOCATING INCIPIENT CRACKS IN NUCLEAR PLANT HIGH PRESSURE VESSELS. OTHER WORK DEMONSTRATED THE USE OF HOLOGRAPHY AT DISTANCES OVER 20 METERS FROM AN INSTRUMENTED 4-METER-TALL LIQUID STORAGE VESSEL SUBJECTED TO A CONTROLLED INPUT FORCES. A BRASSBOARD EXPERIMENT WILL BE DEVISED TO TEST THENECESSARY COMPONENTS FOR A PROTOTYPE INSTRUMENT. THE DEVICEWILL EMPLOY DOUBLE PULSED TV HOLOGRAPHIC INTERFEROMETRY. THE RESEARCH WILL BE PERFORMED IN COOPERATION WITH THE STRUCTURES ENGINEERING TEST HALL AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT IRVINE.