Development of an electromagnetic velocity sensor for local measurement in a high temperature heavy liquid metal

Ariyoshi, Gen  ; Obayashi, Hironari  ; Sasa, Toshinobu   

Electromagnetic induction method is an effective technique for local velocity measurement in heavy liquid metals, such as lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE). For some conventional electro-magnetic probes, permanent magnet is incorporated. However, the probe performances unexpectedly vary because the permanent magnet is demagnetized as the temperature rises to the Curie temperature. Furthermore, such probes do not work for local velocity measurements over the Curie temperature. Therefore, in this study, a new electromagnetic probe equipping a miniature electromagnet was developed as a prototype sensor to overcome the temperature dependency of the permanent magnet. As a result, clear linearities between the velocities and the measured output voltages was confirmed regardless of the Curie temperature. Furthermore, static corrosion test in the LBE with 450C was performed by using the candidate materials of W, Mo and Zr, to upgrade durability of electrode material for the developed probe.