Impact of Bi content on the accuracy of oxygen concentration measurements in liquid Pb–Bi alloys

Autor: Xian Zeng, Xintong Zhang, Xie Meng, Wenliang Zhang, Xiaoxin Zhang, Qingzhi Yan
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: Heliyon, Vol 8, Iss 12, Pp e12606- (2022)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2405-8440
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e12606
Popis: Accurate measurements of the oxygen concentration in liquid lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) alloys are essential for ensuring optimum cooling conditions in heavy liquid metal coolant fast reactors. However, while unavoidable variations in the Bi contents of these alloys can affect the accuracy of these measurements, this issue has not yet been rigorously evaluated. The present work addresses this issue by evaluating variations in oxygen concentration measurements obtained experimentally for oxygen-saturated liquid LBE alloys with different Bi contents at different temperatures using a solid electrolyte oxygen sensor. Theoretical relationships are established between sensor voltage, oxygen concentration, temperature, and Bi content under the applied experimental conditions, and excellent agreement is obtained between the experimental and theoretical results. The theoretical relationships establish that the voltage decreases by about 1 mV for every 1 wt% increase in Bi content at a temperature of 400 °C. At a fixed voltage, with the increase of T, the influence of the Bi content on the CO calculation results gradually increased. Finally, the impact of varying Bi contents on the accuracy of oxygen concentration measurements is evaluated under practical reactor operation conditions, and higher requirements for the control of dissolved oxygen in LBE-cooled fast reactors are proposed.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals