Device and method for detecting the visual health of spherical elements

Abstract

The application relates to a device and a method for detecting the appearance health condition of a spherical element. The device is applied to a pebble bed reactor, and comprises a plurality of detection assemblies. Each detection assembly is fixed to the periphery of a loading and unloading pipe of the pebble bed reactor, and the detection axis of the detection assembly is perpendicular to the axial direction of the loading and unloading pipe. The detection assembly is used for acquiring a detection signal when the loading and unloading pipe is used to pass the spherical element. The detection signal changes with the movement process of the spherical element in the loading and unloading pipe. A processor is connected with each detection assembly. The processor is used for judging the appearance health condition of the spherical element according to the signal width difference of the vibration waveforms in a plurality of detection signals acquired for the same spherical element.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of terminal technology, and in particular to a device and method for detecting the appearance health status of a spherical component. Background Art

[0002] Pebble-bed high-temperature gas-cooled reactors utilize the favorable geometry of spherical elements and employ a fuel loading and unloading system to achieve online continuous fuel loading and unloading. During core circulation and fuel loading and unloading, spherical elements can break due to friction and collisions between them, between them and the core shell assembly, and between them and the transfer pipelines.

[0003] In order to ensure the continuous and reliable operation of the pebble bed high temperature gas-cooled reactor and reduce the possibility of increased radioactivity of the primary circuit cooling gas due to damage of the spherical elements, it is necessary to identify and separate the damaged spherical elements. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present application provides a device and method for detecting the appearance health status of a spherical component to address the deficiencies in the related art.

[0005] According to a first aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a detection device is provided for use in a pebble bed reactor, the detection device comprising:

[0006] a plurality of detection assemblies, each of which is fixed to the periphery of a loading and unloading pipe of the pebble bed reactor, with a detection axis of the detection assembly perpendicular to the axial direction of the loading and unloading pipe, and the detection assembly is used to obtain a detection signal when the loading and unloading pipe passes through a spherical element, and the detection signal changes with the movement of the spherical element in the loading and unloading pipe;

[0007] A processor is connected to each of the detection components, and is used to determine the appearance health status of the spherical element based on the signal width difference of the vibration waveform in the multiple detection signals obtained for the same spherical element.

[0008] Optionally, the processor is further configured to convert the detection signal into a set of coordinate points with current as the vertical coordinate and a sampling number reflecting the time length as the horizontal coordinate, and the signal width difference is the time length difference.

[0009] Optionally, the processor is configured to determine whether the detection assembly passes through the spherical element at the axial position of the loading and unloading pipeline based on whether a vibration waveform exists in the detection signal of each detection assembly.

[0010] Optionally, the multiple detection assemblies include a first detection assembly and a second detection assembly. In the axial direction of the loading and unloading pipeline, the detection axes of the first detection assembly and the second detection assembly are located in the same plane and intersect with each other.

[0011] Optionally, the detection axes of the first detection assembly and the second detection assembly are arranged orthogonally.

[0012] Optionally, the multiple detection assemblies include a first detection assembly and a second detection assembly, and in the axial direction of the loading and unloading pipeline, detection axes of the first detection assembly and the second detection assembly are located in different planes;

[0013] The processor is configured to perform speed difference calibration on the plurality of detection signals, and then determine the appearance health condition of the spherical element based on the detection signals after the speed difference calibration.

[0014] Optionally, the spherical element has radiation characteristics, and the vibration waveform contains a peak;

[0015] Alternatively, the spherical element does not have a radiation characteristic, and the vibration waveform contains a trough; and the detection component includes:

[0016] A detector, the detector being fixed to the periphery of the loading and unloading pipeline;

[0017] A radiation source is fixed to the periphery of the loading and unloading pipe, and is located on the opposite side of the detector in the radial direction of the loading and unloading pipe.

[0018] Optionally, the detection component includes:

[0019] a heat-insulating layer, the heat-insulating layer being attached to the periphery of the loading and unloading pipe;

[0020] detector;

[0021] a collimator, the collimator being connected to the detector, and the collimation direction of the collimator being the same as the detection axis direction of the detector;

[0022] a shielding structure, the shielding structure covering the periphery of the collimator;

[0023] A supporting structure is connected to the thermal insulation layer, the detector, the collimator and the shielding structure respectively.

[0024] According to a second aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a method for detecting the appearance health of a spherical component is provided, which is applied to any of the aforementioned detection devices, and the detection method includes:

[0025] Acquiring a detection signal when a loading and unloading pipe of a pebble bed reactor passes through a spherical element, wherein the detection signal changes with the movement of the spherical element in the loading and unloading pipe;

[0026] The appearance health condition of the spherical element is determined based on the signal width difference of the vibration waveforms in the plurality of detection signals obtained for the same spherical element.

[0027] Optionally, also include:

[0028] According to whether there is a vibration waveform in the detection signal of each detection assembly, it is determined whether the detection assembly passes through the spherical element at the axial position of the loading and unloading pipeline.

[0029] The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application may have the following beneficial effects:

[0030] It can be seen from the above embodiments that the detection device in this application can determine the appearance health status of the spherical element based on the detection signals detected by multiple detection components, so as to identify damaged spherical elements and ensure the stability and accuracy of the fuel loading and unloading system.

[0031] It should be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present application.

[0033] Figure 1 It is a structural block diagram of a detection device according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0034] Figure 2 The figure is a top view of the connection between a detection device and a loading and unloading pipeline according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0035] Figure 3 The figure is a front view showing the connection between a detection device and a loading and unloading pipeline according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0036] Figure 4 is a sampling curve diagram of a first detection signal according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0037] Figure 5 The present invention is a flow chart of a method for detecting the appearance health condition of a spherical component according to an exemplary embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein, with examples illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the following description, when referring to the drawings, identical numerals in different figures represent identical or similar elements, unless otherwise indicated. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments are not intended to represent all embodiments consistent with the present application. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatus and methods consistent with certain aspects of the present application, as detailed in the appended claims.

[0039] The terms used in this application are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit this application. As used in this application and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," "the," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term "and / or" as used herein refers to and encompasses any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0040] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used in this application to describe various information, such information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish information of the same type from each other. For example, without departing from the scope of this application, first information may also be referred to as second information, and similarly, second information may also be referred to as first information. Depending on the context, the word "if" as used herein may be interpreted as "at the time of" or "when" or "in response to determining".

[0041] Figure 1 is a structural block diagram of a detection device according to an exemplary embodiment. Figure 2 is a top view showing a connection between a detection device and a loading and unloading pipeline according to an exemplary embodiment. Figure 3 This is a front view of the connection between a detection device and a loading and unloading pipeline according to an exemplary embodiment. Figure 1-Figure 3 As shown, the detection device includes a first detection assembly 1, a second detection assembly 2 and a processor 3. The first detection assembly 1 and the second detection assembly 2 are respectively fixed to the periphery of the loading and unloading pipe of the pebble bed reactor. The loading and unloading pipe can be used to pass the spherical elements required by the pebble bed reactor. The detection axis of the first detection assembly 1 is perpendicular to the axial direction of the loading and unloading pipe, that is, Figure 2 As shown in FIG, the detection axis of the first detection assembly 1 is in the left-right direction, and the axial direction of the loading and unloading pipe is in the up-down direction. The axial direction of the loading and unloading pipe is also the direction of movement of the spherical element in the loading and unloading pipe. Similarly, the detection axis of the second detection assembly 2 is perpendicular to the axial direction of the loading and unloading pipe.

[0042] The first detection component 1 can be used to obtain a first detection signal when a spherical element passes through the loading and unloading pipe, and the second detection component 2 can be used to obtain a second detection signal when the loading and unloading pipe passes through the spherical element. The first detection signal and the second detection signal both change with the movement of the spherical element in the loading and unloading pipe, that is, the first detection signal detected by the first detection component 1 is affected by whether a spherical element passes through the axial position of the loading and unloading pipe, and the second detection signal detected by the second detection component 2 is affected by whether a spherical element passes through the axial position of the loading and unloading pipe. The processor 3 is connected to the first detection component 1 and the second detection component 2, respectively, and the processor can be used to determine the appearance health of the spherical element based on the signal width difference of the vibration waveforms of the first detection signal and the second detection signal obtained for the same spherical element.

[0043] In other words, when the spherical element appears healthy, that is, when the surface of the spherical element is intact, the impact of each position of the spherical element on the radiation environment is similar, so the difference in the signal width of the vibration waveform of the first detection signal and the second detection signal is small. However, when the spherical element is damaged, the impact of the intact position and the damaged position on the radiation environment is different, so the difference in the signal width of the vibration waveform of the first detection signal and the second detection signal is large. Therefore, in some embodiments, the appearance of the spherical element can be determined to be damaged when the signal width difference is greater than a predetermined threshold, and the appearance of the spherical element can be determined to be intact when the signal width difference is less than or equal to the predetermined threshold.

[0044] Among them, for the first detection signal, taking the spherical element with radiation characteristics as an example, when the spherical element does not pass through the first detection component 1, the radiation intensity in the environment is low, so the first detection signal is relatively weak; when the spherical element passes through the first detection component 1, the radiation intensity in the environment is high, so the first detection signal is relatively strong; the processor 3 is also used to convert the detected first detection signal into a set of coordinate points with current as the vertical coordinate and the sampling number reflecting the time length as the horizontal coordinate, so as to obtain Figure 4 The sampling curve of the first detection signal is shown, in which the vibration waveform includes a peak; similarly, the processor 3 is also used to convert the detected second detection signal into a set of coordinate points with current as the vertical coordinate and a sampling number reflecting the time length as the horizontal coordinate, so as to obtain a sampling curve of the second detection signal. Since there is also a vibration waveform including a peak in the sampling curve of the second detection signal, the appearance health status of the spherical element can be determined by comparing the signal widths of the vibration waveforms of the first detection signal and the second detection signal, which can be understood as the horizontal coordinate width, that is, the difference in the signal width is understood as the difference in time.

[0045] Among them, in the embodiments provided in the present application, the detection device is taken as an example including a first detection component 1 and a second detection component 2. In other embodiments, the detection device can of course also include three or more detection components, and all can be implemented with reference to the embodiments provided in the present application. The first detection signal includes ray energy or radiation intensity, and the second detection signal includes ray energy or radiation intensity. The first detection signal and the second detection signal are signals that measure the same parameter, that is, both are ray energy or both are radiation intensity. Of course, in order to maintain the mechanical stability between the detection device and the loading and unloading pipeline, the detection device can of course also include other structures such as brackets or fixed seats to maintain the stability between the detection component and the loading and unloading pipeline, which will not be repeated here.

[0046] It can be seen from the above embodiments that the detection device in this application can determine the appearance health of the spherical element based on the detection signals detected by multiple detection components, so as to identify damaged spherical elements and ensure the stability and accuracy of the fuel loading and unloading system.

[0047] Furthermore, through the embodiments of the present application, the processor can also be used to determine whether the detection component passes through the spherical element at the axial position of the loading and unloading pipeline according to whether there is a vibration waveform in the detection signal of each detection component. Figure 4 For example, if a significant vibration waveform is present in the first detection signal, it can be determined that a spherical element has passed through the first detection assembly 1 at an axial position in the loading and unloading pipe. If the first detection signal remains essentially at background radiation and lacks a vibration waveform, it is assumed that no spherical element has passed through. Furthermore, this information can be used to count the number of spherical elements passing through the loading and unloading pipe. Using multiple detection signals to determine whether a spherical element has passed through the loading and unloading pipe can improve detection accuracy.

[0048] In the above embodiment, the detection axes of the first detection component 1 and the second detection component 2 are located in the same plane, that is, at the same axial position of the loading and unloading pipe, so as to ensure that the speeds of the spherical elements corresponding to the first detection signal and the second detection signal are consistent, thereby improving the accuracy of the appearance health status detection. In addition, the detection axes of the first detection component 1 and the second detection component 2 are arranged to intersect in the same plane perpendicular to the axis of the loading and unloading pipe, so that the first detection signal and the second detection signal can be obtained from different angles to achieve the appearance health detection of the spherical element. Preferably, the detection axes of the first detection component 1 and the second detection component 2 can be arranged orthogonally. Of course, when the detection device includes three or more detection components, the detection axes of the multiple detection components can all be located in the same plane.

[0049] In other embodiments, in the axial direction of the loading and unloading pipe, the detection axes of the first detection component 1 and the second detection component 2 are located in different planes, that is, in the axial direction of the loading and unloading pipe, the first detection component 1 and the second detection component 2 are located at different axial positions of the loading and unloading pipe; at this time, the processor 3 is used to perform speed difference calibration on multiple detection signals, and then determine the appearance health status of the spherical element based on the detection signal after the speed difference calibration. This ensures that the judgment is made based on the impact of the spherical element with basically the same speed on the intensity of the radiation in the environment, thereby improving the detection accuracy. Among them, the speed difference calibration can be based on the average speed within the distance range between the first detection component 1 and the second detection component 2 to calibrate the first detection signal and the second detection signal. Specifically, the average speed can be obtained based on the time difference between the spherical element passing through the position of the first detection component 1 and the second detection component 2, and the distance between the first detection component 1 and the second detection component 2.

[0050] In each of the above embodiments, the detection assembly may have different structures for different types of spherical elements. In some embodiments, when the spherical element has radiation characteristics, the detection assembly may only have a detection function, and the vibration waveform of the detection signal includes a peak. This is because the radiation characteristics of the spherical element itself enhance the radiation intensity in the environment. In other embodiments, the spherical element may not have radiation characteristics. In this case, the detection assembly may include a detector and a radiation source. The detector is fixed to the periphery of the loading and unloading pipe. The radiation source is fixed to the periphery of the loading and unloading pipe and is located on the opposite side of the detector in the radial direction of the loading and unloading pipe. The radiation intensity affected by the rays emitted by the radiation source is detected by the detector. When the spherical element passes through, the blocking effect of the spherical element will affect the intensity of the first detection signal and the second detection signal, so that the radiation intensity detected by the first detection assembly 1 and the second detection assembly 2 is weakened. Therefore, at this time, the vibration waveforms of the first detection signal and the second detection signal include a trough.

[0051] In the above embodiments, Figure 2 and Figure 4As shown, the detection assembly includes an insulation layer 4, a detector 8, a collimator 5, a shielding structure 6 and a support structure 7. The insulation layer 4 is attached to the periphery of the loading and unloading pipe; the collimator 5 is connected to the detector, and the collimation direction of the collimator 5 is the same as the detection axis direction of the detector; the shielding structure 6 covers the periphery of the collimator 5; the support structure 7 is respectively connected to the insulation layer 4, the detector, the collimator 5 and the shielding structure 6 to play a supporting role. When the spherical element has radiation characteristics, the detection assembly can only include the insulation layer 4, the detector 8, the collimator 5, the shielding structure 6 and the support structure 7, or it can also include a radiation source; when the spherical element does not have radiation characteristics, the detection assembly includes the insulation layer 4, the detector 8, the collimator 5, the shielding structure 6 and the support structure 7, and also includes a radiation source arranged on the opposite side of the detector.

[0052] The support structure 7 can be made of steel, such as 304 steel, to ensure its strength. The loading and unloading pipe can penetrate the support structure 7 axially, with an insulation layer 4 positioned between the support structure 7 and the pipe. The support structure 7 can be divided into a first portion and a second portion by the pipe, which can be detachably connected to facilitate loading and unloading of the detector. A collimator 5 and a shielding structure 6 are both located within the support structure. The collimator 5 collimates the radiation entering the detector, enhancing signal accuracy. Tungsten can be used as the material for the collimator 5. The radiation can be alpha, beta, or gamma. The shielding structure 6 shields the detector from other radiation interference. Tungsten can be used as the material for the shielding structure. The insulation layer 4 provides thermal insulation for the detector, preventing overheating and detector failure. Synthetic silicate materials can be used for the insulation layer 4, which tightly wraps around the loading and unloading pipe. The detector consists of a scintillator crystal, a silicon photomultiplier tube (or photomultiplier tube), and subsequent electronic circuitry. The scintillator crystal can be made of the inorganic scintillator CsI (Tl). When multiple detection assemblies are located at the same axial position of the loading and unloading pipeline, they can share the thermal insulation layer 4 and the supporting structure 7 .

[0053] Based on the technical solution of this application, such as Figure 5 As shown, a method for detecting the appearance health of a spherical element is also provided, and the detection method can be applied to any of the above detection devices. Figure 5 As shown, the detection method includes the following steps:

[0054] In step 501, a detection signal is acquired when a spherical element passes through a loading and unloading pipe of a pebble bed reactor. The detection signal changes with the movement of the spherical element in the loading and unloading pipe.

[0055] In this embodiment, that is, when the loading and unloading pipe is in the working state of transferring the spherical element, the detection assembly of the detection device can obtain a detection signal. The detection signal obtained by the detection assembly differs depending on whether the spherical element passes through the axial position of the loading and unloading pipe, resulting in a vibration waveform in the detection signal detected by the detection assembly. This vibration waveform may include peaks and troughs.

[0056] In step 502, the appearance health condition of the spherical element is determined based on the signal width difference of the vibration waveforms in the plurality of detection signals obtained for the same spherical element.

[0057] In this embodiment, the signal width difference may be a duration difference. When the signal width difference is less than or equal to a preset threshold, the spherical component is judged to be in good health; when the signal width difference is greater than a preset threshold, the spherical component is judged to be in damaged health. The preset threshold is the maximum allowable value of the signal width difference in different directions for an intact spherical component.

[0058] Through the detection method of the present application, the appearance health status of the spherical element can be determined based on the detection signals detected by multiple detection components, so as to identify damaged spherical elements and ensure the stability and accuracy of the fuel loading and unloading system.

[0059] Furthermore, the detection method may further include step 503, wherein:

[0060] In step 503, based on whether a vibration waveform exists in the detection signal of each detection assembly, it is determined whether the detection assembly passes through the spherical element at the axial position of the loading and unloading pipeline.

[0061] In this embodiment, when a vibration waveform is present in the detection signal, it can be determined that the detection assembly has passed through the spherical element at the axial position of the loading and unloading pipe. When no vibration waveform is present in the detection signal, it can be determined that the detection assembly has not passed through the spherical element at the axial position of the loading and unloading pipe.

[0062] Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate other embodiments of the present application after considering the specification and practicing the disclosure disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the present application that follow the general principles of the present application and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The description and examples are to be considered as exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of the present application are indicated by the following claims.

[0063] It should be understood that the present application is not limited to the exact structures described above and shown in the drawings, and that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the present application is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A device for detecting the appearance health of a spherical component, characterized in that: Applied to a pebble bed reactor, the detection device comprises: a plurality of detection assemblies, each of which is fixed to the periphery of a loading and unloading pipe of the pebble bed reactor, with a detection axis of the detection assembly perpendicular to the axial direction of the loading and unloading pipe, the detection assembly being used to obtain a detection signal when the loading and unloading pipe is used to pass a spherical element, the detection signal varying with the movement of the spherical element in the loading and unloading pipe; The plurality of detection assemblies include a first detection assembly and a second detection assembly. In the axial direction of the loading and unloading pipeline, the detection axes of the first detection assembly and the second detection assembly are located in the same plane and intersect with each other. The first detection assembly detects a first detection signal, and the second detection assembly detects a second detection signal. When the spherical element is damaged, the intact position and the damaged position have different degrees of influence on the radiation environment, and the difference in signal widths of the vibration waveforms of the first detection signal and the second detection signal is large. When the signal width difference is greater than a predetermined threshold, the appearance health of the spherical element is determined to be damaged; when the signal width difference is less than or equal to the predetermined threshold, the appearance health of the spherical element is determined to be intact. a processor connected to each of the detection assemblies, the processor being configured to determine an appearance health condition of the spherical element based on a signal width difference between vibration waveforms in a first detection signal and a second detection signal acquired for the same spherical element; The processor is further configured to convert the detection signal into a set of coordinate points with current as the vertical coordinate and a sampling number reflecting the time length as the horizontal coordinate, and the signal width difference is the time length difference.

2. The detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that The processor is used to determine whether the detection assembly passes through the spherical element at the axial position of the loading and unloading pipeline according to whether there is a vibration waveform in the detection signal of each detection assembly.

3. The detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that The detection axes of the first detection assembly and the second detection assembly are arranged orthogonally.

4. The detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that The spherical element has radiation characteristics, and the vibration waveform contains a peak; Alternatively, the spherical element does not have a radiation characteristic, and the vibration waveform contains a trough; and the detection component includes: A detector, the detector being fixed to the periphery of the loading and unloading pipeline; A radiation source is fixed to the periphery of the loading and unloading pipe, and in the radial direction of the loading and unloading pipe, the radiation source is located on the opposite side of the detector.

5. The detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that The detection component includes: a heat-insulating layer, the heat-insulating layer being attached to the periphery of the loading and unloading pipe; detector; a collimator, the collimator being connected to the detector, and the collimation direction of the collimator being the same as the detection axis direction of the detector; a shielding structure, the shielding structure covering the periphery of the collimator; A supporting structure is connected to the thermal insulation layer, the detector, the collimator and the shielding structure respectively.

6. A method for detecting the appearance health of a spherical component, characterized in that: Applied to the detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, the detection method comprises: Acquiring a detection signal when a loading and unloading pipe of a pebble bed reactor passes through a spherical element, wherein the detection signal changes with the movement of the spherical element in the loading and unloading pipe; The appearance health condition of the spherical element is determined based on the signal width difference of the vibration waveforms in the plurality of detection signals obtained for the same spherical element.

7. The detection method according to claim 6, characterized in that: Also includes: According to whether there is a vibration waveform in the detection signal of each detection assembly, it is determined whether the detection assembly passes through the spherical element at the axial position of the loading and unloading pipeline.

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