Defect Detection Method for Large Size Graphite and Carbon Components of High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor Based on Computed Tomography

Abstract High temperature gas cooled reactor (HTGR) is a typical type of the fourth-generation nuclear power system. The main supporting structure, consisting of graphite and carbon components, play a vital role in the construction of the HTGR. The quality of the components is essential for the safety operation of HTGR since they are irreplaceable throughout the reactor lifetime. The manufacture of the components is complex, including multiple process, during which defects such as holes and crack often arise inevitably. These defects may bring serious risk to the structural safety and steady operation of the reactor. Therefore, it is of great significance to inspect and evaluate the quality of the components. Considering the large size of the components as well as the long production cycle, traditional non-destructive testing method such as x-ray and eddy current testing are not applicable. Visual inspection and spot check are generally applied to check the surface condition, which are unable to provide the internal situation of the components. This paper proposes a helical CT based defects detection method for large size graphite and carbon components in HTGR. Graphite and carbon samples with artificial and original defect were produced, and various experiments were conducted on a multi-slice helical CT system to check the performance as well as optimize the operation parameter. The results indicates that defect larger than 2 mm in graphite components and 1 mm in carbon components can be detected and clearly visualized, which proves the feasibility of the proposed method.