Coated electrochemical corrosion potential sensor
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsYoung Jin Kim, Peter Louis Andresen, Dennis Michael Gray
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Abstract
An electrochemical corrosion potential sensor includes a sensor tip electrically joined to a conductor, and a ceramic insulator joined to the tip around the conductor. A sleeve is joined to the insulator around the conductor, and is electrically insulated from the tip by the ceramic insulator. The insulator has an exposed surface axially separating the tip and sleeve, and a ceramic coating is bonded thereto for preventing dissolution of the insulator by reactor water. In a preferred embodiment, the ceramic insulator is sapphire, and the ceramic coating is yttria-stabilized-zirconia or magnesia-stabilized-zirconia which may be plasma sprayed over the insulator.
Claims10
A sensor for measuring electrochemical corrosion potential in a nuclear reactor comprising:
- a sensor tip electrically joined to a conductor;
- a tubular ceramic insulator joined to said tip around said conductor;
- a tubular sleeve joined to said ceramic insulator around said conductor, and electrically insulated from said tip by said ceramic insulator;
- said ceramic insulator having an exposed surface axially separating said tip and sleeve;
- and
- a ceramic coating bonded to said exposed surface and adjoining portions of said tip and sleeve for preventing dissolution of said ceramic insulator by circulating water in said reactor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.