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2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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Christmas Light
’Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house
No electrons were flowing through even my mouse.
All devices were plugged by the chimney with care
With the hope that St. Nikola Tesla would share.
T. J. Costello, R. L. Laubham, W. R. Miller, C. R. Smith
Nuclear Technology | Volume 19 | Number 3 | September 1973 | Pages 174-180
Technical Paper | Instruments | doi.org/10.13182/NT73-3
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
An eddy-current flowmeter (ECFM), designed to measure the velocity of coolant sodium exiting the fuel subassemblies of the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) to be built at Richland, Washington, was tested in the Westinghouse Advanced Reactors Division’s General Purpose Loop No. 2 (GPL-2) during the period of October 2, 1971 to March 16, 1972. The ECFM was operated in both a wet and dry prototypic (FFTF) design test housing. In the wet design test housing, the ECFM is exposed directly to sodium; in the dry design test housing, the ECFM is shielded from sodium by a stainless-steel “thimble.” During both tests, the same ECFM electronics supply and associated wiring were used. The same ECFM electrical adjustments also were employed in both cases. Throughout the total testing period of 1351.6 h, the ECFM operated satisfactorily. No failures or malfunctions occurred in the ECFM, its power supply, or the three test thermocouples. Significantly, the data showed that the ECFM’s overall average dc output signal in the dry design was 62% of that in the wet design.