Characterising the performance of hydrogen sensitive coatings for nuclear safety applications

James Ingram, Paul Holborn, Jeremy Ball

Research output: Contribution to conferencePaperpeer-review

Abstract

The detection of hydrogen gas is essential in ensuring the safety of nuclear plants. However, events at Fukushima Daiichi NPP highlighted the vulnerability of conventional detection systems to extreme events, where power may be lost. Herein, chemochromic hydrogen sensors have been fabricated using transition metal oxide thin films, sensitised with a palladium catalyst, to provide passive hydrogen detection systems that would be resilient to any plant power failures. To assess their viability for nuclear safety applications, these sensors have been gamma-irradiated to four total doses (0, 5, 20, 50 kGy) using a Co-60 gamma radioisotope. Optical properties of both un-irradiated and irradiated samples were investigated to compare the effect of increased radiation dose on the sensors resultant colour change. The results suggest that gamma irradiation, at the levels examined (>5 kGy), has a significant effect on the initial colour of the thin films and has a negative effect on the hydrogen sensing abilities.
Original languageEnglish
Publication statusPublished - 11 Jun 2017
Externally publishedYes
EventInternational Conference on Hydrogen Safety (ICHS 2017) -
Duration: 6 Nov 2017 → …

Conference

ConferenceInternational Conference on Hydrogen Safety (ICHS 2017)
Period6/11/17 → …

Keywords

  • nuclear safety
  • hydrogen
  • coatings

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