Water-Channel Thickness in Research Reactor Fuel Elements Estimations Using a High-Frequency Ultrasonic Device

We have developed a 100-MHz ultrasonic transducer device to measure the interplate distance in spent fuel elements from a high-performance research reactor (HPRR). We first present the transducer structure, the experimental setup, and the signal processing. We then discuss the results of an in situ measurement performed along 50 cm of a fuel element water channel.