Project Details

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Thermocouple Jig for Surface Temperature Measurement on Outside Diameter of Tubing

Company: Westinghouse Electric Company

Major(s):
Primary: ME
Secondary: IE

Non-Disclosure Agreement: YES

Intellectual Property: YES

As part of the research and development efforts of the eVinci™ Microreactor, high temperature heat pipes are being constructed and tested. During functional testing of the heat pipes, the heat pipe temperature is a critical measurement and needs to be accurately measured. The primary instrumentation temperature measurement method uses thermocouples and is affixed to the outside diameter of the heat pipe. The importance of this project is to improve on temperature measuring accuracy and repeatability of the heat pipe surface temperature over current methods ultimately improving the quality of the heat pipe testing and test results. Primary objective: Improved Thermocouple Mounting The goal of this design team will be to design a thermocouple mounting method that ensures the most accurate surface temperature reading of the heat pipe. The process of installing and removing thermocouples needs to be repeatable and allow for achieving repeatable temperature readings. The maximum design temperature for the thermocouple and thermocouple fixture needs to be considered in the design along with maximum clamping force allowed to be applied to the heat pipe. Stretch goal: Distributed Thermocouple Mounting The goal of this design team will be to design a mounting jig for multiple thermocouples along the length of a heat pipe to allow for axial distributed temperature measurements that are accurate and repeatable for measurements and for installation. The process of installing and removing thermocouples as well as high temperature and maximum clamping force will need to be accounted for in this design.