Nuclear-Magnetic Flowmeter-Relaxometer for Monitoring the Flow Rate and State of the Coolant in the First Loop of the Nuclear Reactor of a Moving Object

The need for increasing the accuracy of measuring the flow rate of coolant in the first loop of a nuclear reactor for moving objects is substantiated. It is shown that at present in nuclear power plants of moving objects the state of the coolant is not monitored in real time. Problems arising during monitoring of the coolant flow rate by various models of flowmeters in the first loop of a nuclear reactor are examined. It is found that these problems can be solved using nuclear-magnetic flowmeters. A design is developed for a nuclear-magnetic flowmeter-relaxometer of a marker type using a nuclear-magnetic resonance modulation method with modulation of the magnetic field in the zone where the nutation coil is located. Methods are proposed for measuring the times of longitudinal and transverse relaxation of the flowing coolant. Results are presented from studies of the flow rate and relaxation times of a model solution flowing in the piping. The model solution contains chemical elements of which the coolants for nuclear reactors of moving objects are made. It is found that the measurement error for these parameters does not exceed 1%. The prospects for using this design of a nuclear-magnetic flowmeter-relaxometer in the first loop of the nuclear reactor or a moving object are discussed.