Robust automatic tracking of individual triso-fueled pebbles through a novel application of x-ray imaging and machine learning

A system for tagging a plurality of TRISO-fueled pebbles flowing throughout a pebble bed reactor core, the system comprising:

• an imaging system that is configured to capture ionizing radiation images of the plurality of TRISO-fueled pebbles;
• and
• a computing device having a memory and a processor,
• wherein, before the plurality of TRISO-fueled pebbles exit the pebble bed reactor core, for each of the plurality of TRISO-fueled pebbles, the processor is configured to:
• analyze, using a machine learning algorithm, a first captured image of the TRISO-fueled pebble to identify a unique pattern of TRISO-fuel particle distributions within a solid graphite matrix of the TRISO-fueled pebble that is visible in the first captured image of the TRISO-fueled pebble, wherein the first captured image is a first ionizing radiation image obtained from the imaging system;
• derive a TRISO-particle distribution fingerprint for the TRISO-fueled pebble that corresponds to the unique pattern of TRISO-fuel particle distributions within the solid graphite matrix of the TRISO-fueled pebble;
• assign an individual identifier to the TRISO-fueled pebble that corresponds to the TRISO-particle distribution fingerprint;
• and
• store the TRISO-particle distribution fingerprint and the individual identifier for the TRISO-fueled pebble in an image database;
• wherein the processor is further configured to:
• acquire a second image of one of the plurality of TRISO-fueled pebbles exiting the from a pebble bed reactor core;
• analyze the acquired second image of the exiting TRISO-fueled pebble to identify, using the machine learning algorithm, a unique pattern of TRISO-fueled particle distributions within the solid graphite matrix of the exiting TRISO-fueled pebble that is visible in the acquired second image of the exiting TRISO-fueled pebble, wherein the acquired second image is a second ionizing radiation image obtained from the imaging system;
• derive a TRISO-particle distribution fingerprint for the exiting TRISO-fueled pebble that corresponds to the unique pattern of TRISO-fuel particle distributions within the solid graphite matrix of the exiting TRISO-fueled pebble;
• query the image database for the individual identifier associated with the TRISO-particle distribution fingerprint of the exiting TRISO-fueled pebble;
• obtain the individual identifier associated with the TRISO-particle distribution fingerprint of the exiting TRISO-fueled pebble from the image database;
• obtain a current measurement of a burnup value for the exiting TRISO-fueled pebble;
• obtain a stored burnup value associated with the individual identifier associated with the TRISO-particle distribution fingerprint for the exiting TRISO-fueled pebble;
• and
• validate that the individual identifier was successfully found for the exiting TRISO-fueled pebble by comparing the stored burnup value with the current measurement of the burnup value.