Molten Salt Level Detector
Problem statement
The search for clean and efficient sources of energy is becoming increasingly important in today’s world as the rate of energy consumption continues to rise alongside the rate of pollution due to fossil fuels. Power and energy are essential in the modern world, and energy companies similar to TerraPower, our client, are providing that necessity to millions of people, businesses, and communities. A key feature of the power generation process is the molten salt reactor that they use. Due to the critical need for this energy, and the essential safety features needed for a nuclear power plant, a liquid level detector is critical to control the salt within the reactor. The implementation of the liquid salt sensor will allow for increased efficiency in the operation of the Power plant, resulting in cost reduction and increased power output.
A previous group was unsuccessful in delivering a solution, but they discovered a potential solution in a Time Domain Reflectometry sensor from Rosemont(Model 326L). Lack of high temperature functional testing prevented a viable solution to be produced. At this point, the problem is determining the viability of this Rosemont TDR sensor for such a high temperature(750℃) application due to the sensor’s operating limit of 80℃. Therefore it is vital that we ensure, through numerical analysis via SolidWORKS and hand calculations, that the heat transfer from the probe of our sensor in contact with the molten salt does not cause the top of the sensor module to surpass the 80℃ threshold.
This issue of potential overheating of the sensor led us to research alternative sensors that do not require direct contact with the molten salt. However, upon further research into the past group’s findings and our own independent research we found that an acoustic sensor would not be viable because of the small hole in which the sensor must send and receive the signal. This prompted us to investigate LiDAR sensors, as they require no direct contact and operate with a laser that would more than clear the small hole in which the sensor would be fitted on. Upon presenting this question to our faculty advisor, he pointed out that molten salt at such high temperatures is transparent, and therefore would not provide enough interference for the LiDAR to accurately read the distance to the sensitivity required. Therefore, we decided to build upon the past group’s successes and to improve their solution by replacing their sensor with a similar model that has a longer probe to improve the range of our salt height readings.
Team members
Noah Jannusch – leader
Trevor Conway – communicator
Trevor Conway – accountant
James Lacey – admin
Client
Mark Anderson
Professor