Hydrogen sensors for comprehensive detection of steam leak in sodium-cooled fast reactors

•Hydrogen in sodium is detected by Electro Chemical Hydrogen Meter.•Hydrogen in argon cover gas is detected by TCD and SnO2 based sensors.•A comprehensive hydrogen detection system demonstrated to track steam leak in SFR. A comprehensive hydrogen detection system is developed to track steam leak into sodium by monitoring hydrogen in liquid sodium and in argon cover gas simultaneously and its performance is demonstrated. A fraction of hydrogen, generated from steam leaks, gets dissolved in liquid sodium while the other enters the cover gas and its relative distribution depends on the sodium temperature. Detectors for hydrogen in sodium and argon cover gas are deployed to track the hydrogen in liquid sodium and in cover gas to assess the extent of the steam leak.