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Dr. Christian M. Petrie

Group Leader, Senior R&D Staff 

Oak Ridge National Laboratory 

Bio:

Dr. Christian Petrie leads the Fuel Cladding and Core Internals Group and performs research spanning a wide range of areas including nuclear fuel development, accelerated fuel qualification, advanced manufacturing, accelerated irradiation testing, and sensor integration. Dr. Petrie is driving new innovations in nuclear science and technology through scientific output, industry engagement, and organizational and programmatic leadership. He is responsible for the conception and commissioning of several unique separate-effects irradiation vehicles in the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) that target important phenomena specific to advanced nuclear fuels, fuel cladding materials, and sensors. Dr. Petrie is a leading expert on fiber-optic sensors for nuclear applications. He has demonstrated sensors for measuring reactor conditions (e.g., spatially distributed temperature and strain, pressure, corrosion, gamma heating, and liquid level); embedded sensors in metal and ceramic materials using various additive manufacturing processes; and published many papers on the performance of fiber-optic sensors under extreme nuclear reactor–relevant environments. Dr. Petrie has authored more than 140 peer-reviewed publications in archived journals and conference proceedings, holds numerous programmatic leadership roles within the US Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy, and has received many awards for his professional service.

 

 

Topic: Fiber Optic Sensing for Nuclear Applications: Challenges and Opportunities 

Abstract:

Nuclear energy accounts for nearly 20% of US power generation, with hopes to deploy additional generating capacity in the coming decades. Advanced instrumentation is a critical part of ensuring the safety and economics of the existing aging fleet of nuclear reactors as well as new reactor concepts, both of which would benefit from enhanced health monitoring capabilities to reduce operating and maintenance costs. Fiber optic sensors are promising candidates due to their small size, high accuracy, and ability to perform spatially distributed measurements under relatively harsh environmental conditions. This presentation discusses potential applications of fiber optic sensors for nuclear energy applications as well as challenges to their deployment, which include radiation effects and methods for embedding or otherwise attaching sensors to nuclear reactor components.

 

Thursday, February 27, 2025

102 BEH

11:00am

Host: Paul Ohodnicki

Event Details

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