US 11,721,446 B2
System for sensing UF6 gas leak in nuclear fuel manufacturing process
Youngmoon Bae, Daejeon (KR); Seungchul Yang, Daejeon (KR); Dongyong Kwak, Daejeon (KR); Byungkuk Lee, Sejong (KR); Hyunkwang Cho, Daejeon (KR); and Junho Lee, Daejeon (KR)
Assigned to Kepco Nuclear Fuel Co., Ltd., Daejeon (KR)
Filed by Youngmoon Bae, Daejeon (KR); Seungchul Yang, Daejeon (KR); Dongyong Kwak, Daejeon (KR); Byungkuk Lee, Sejong (KR); Hyunkwang Cho, Daejeon (KR); and Junho Lee, Daejeon (KR)
Filed on Dec. 23, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/132,680.
Application 17/132,680 is a continuation of application No. PCT/KR2018/009388, filed on Aug. 16, 2018.
Claims priority of application No. 10-2018-0073540 (KR), filed on Jun. 26, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0280328 A1, Sep. 9, 2021
Int. Cl. G21C 17/00 (2006.01); G01M 3/20 (2006.01); G01M 3/38 (2006.01); G21C 21/00 (2006.01); C01G 43/06 (2006.01)
CPC G21C 17/002 (2013.01) [G01M 3/20 (2013.01); G01M 3/38 (2013.01); G21C 21/00 (2013.01); C01G 43/063 (2013.01)] 4 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for sensing a UF6 gas leak in a nuclear fuel manufacturing process, the system comprising:
an autoclave connected to a nitrogen supply pipe installed on one side of the autoclave and to a nitrogen discharge pipe installed on an opposite side of the autoclave, nitrogen inflow and nitrogen discharge being provided through the nitrogen supply pipe and the nitrogen discharge pipe, respectively,
a cylinder charged with uranium hexafluoride (UF6) in a solid state, the cylinder being disposed in the autoclave, wherein the autoclave vaporizes the UF6 inside the cylinder through heating the nitrogen inside the autoclave; and
a detection unit, the detection unit configured to sense whether the UF6 is mixed with the nitrogen discharged after circulating inside the autoclave, thereby sensing whether the UF6 leaks inside the autoclave, and the detection unit configured to generate UO2F2 particles and HF by allowing the UF6 to react with outside air;
wherein the detection unit comprises an outside air injection pipe for injecting the outside air into the detection unit and a measuring instrument for optically sensing the UO2F2 particles in a solid state generated by reacting the outside air with the UF6, thereby allowing non-contact UF6 leak detection to be made.