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Energy
Energy
Procedia
Procedia
7 (2011)
6 (2011)
560–576
1–5

Asian Nuclear Prospects 2010

Laser Applications in Indian Nuclear Power
Programme
P. D. Gupta
Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, Indore 452 013, India

Abstract

High power lasers are remarkable tools which can be used for a wide spectrum of material processing
applications in nuclear reactors. Unique properties of lasers, like high spatial coherence and spectral
purity, can be used for remote diagnostics and precision metrology. Use of optical fibers for laser beam
delivery adds a new dimension to their use in rather inaccessible areas and highly radioactive
environment. In this paper, a brief description of R&D work on high power solid state lasers and laser-
based systems carried out at Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, Indore, for applications
in various aspects of Indian nuclear power programme is presented.
© 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.
Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of Indra Gandhi Centre of Atomic Research
Keywords: Nd:YAG laser; fiber optic beam delivery; nuclear reactor; coolant channel; pressure tube

1. Introducti on

Lasers are increasingly finding applications in several different aspects of nuclear reactors and fuel
cycle [1]. Solid-state lasers with fiber optic beam delivery have been found to be extremely useful tools
for material processing applications such as cutting, welding and drilling in radioactive environment
due to ease in tool handling, flexibility, non-contact nature, longer tool life, low MANREM
consumption with enormous time and cost savings. Laser material processing in nuclear field is mainly
concerned with maintenance of nuclear power reactor parts by laser cutting/welding, fabrication of new
components, and nuclear power reactor decontamination and decommissioning. In addition, lasers are
also being increasingly used for remote diagnostics for nuclear operation and precision metrology in
nuclear fuel cycle.

______________

*Corresponding author. T el.: +91-731-2321341; fax: +91-731-2321343

E-mail address: [email protected]

1876–6102 © 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of Indra Gandhi Centre of Atomic Research
Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license. doi:10.1016/j.egypro.2011.06.077
 P. D. Gupta / Energy Procedia 7 (2011) 560–576 561

Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT), Indore, with its innovative research and
indigenous technology base, has developed and deployed a large number of laser-based systems for
applications in Indian nuclear power programme. Several high power Nd: YAG lasers along with fiber
optic beam delivery systems have been developed which serve as robust industrial tools with remote
control operation. About 20 such laser systems have been commissioned in different DAE units for
various cutting and welding applications. Some of these are: a) Laser cutting of bellow lips during en-
masse coolant channel replacement (EMCCR) in pressurized heavy water reactors, b) Laser cutting of
single coolant channel, c) Laser cutting of irradiated fuel sub -assembly of fast breeder test reactor, d)
Laser cutting of pressure tubes removed from reactors during EMCCR for easy storage, e) Underwater
cutting of spent fuel with lasers, f) Decanning of rejected fuel bundles, g) Repair of leaking weld -joint
inside calendria, h) Laser micro-welding of high dose rate brachytherapy capsules etc. A high stability
CW Nd: YAG laser has also been developed for laser rapid manufacturing for fabrication of component
of dissimilar metals and directly from CAD model. This should find applications in the manufacture of
compositionally graded components for use in nuclear reactors. In addition, to meet future
requirements, development of laser systems and technique for nuclear decontamination and
decommissioning is also underway. Next, several laser-based diagnostics and metrology systems have
been developed which include a) Laser uranium analyzer, b) Optical dip -type probes for remote
plutonium measurement, c) Laser scan gauge for mixed carbide fuel metrology, d) Fuel pellets
inspection system, e) Laser non-destructive testing systems for structural components of reactors, f)
Underwater inspection head for metrology of FBTR spent fuel bundles etc. In this paper, we present a
brief description of high power solid state laser development at RRCAT and laser-based systems for
material processing and diagnostic applications in various aspects of reactor operation, and metrology
applications in fuel cycle for the Indian nuclear power programme.

1.1. Solid-state laser development at RRCAT

Over the last two decades, lamp pumped Nd:YAG lasers have proven to be the workhorse in
industrial environment. High power Nd:YAG lasers with fiber optic beam delivery have been exploited
commercially for various material processing applications such as cutting, welding, drilling etc. in
harsh environments. In order to enhance the quality and range of material processing applications, it is
desirable to deliver the beam through an optical fiber with core diameter and numerical aperture as
small as possible. Thus, to cope up with the demands of material processing applications, higher and
higher power Nd:YAG lasers with improved beam quality are being developed world wide. The basic
configuration of a lamp pumped Nd:YAG laser consists of a pump cavity containing a flash lamp and a
Nd:YAG rod within a gold coated elliptical reflector or a close coupled diffuse reflector and an optical
resonator suitably designed to achieve high output power and better beam quality. Assessing the
advantages of fiber coupled Nd:YAG lasers in applications related to Dep artment of Atomic Energy, an
industrial laser system of 250 W average power, 2-20ms pulse duration and 1-100Hz repetition rate
having 5 kW peak power and 100 J maximum pulse energy was developed [2]. This system is pumped
with 5 kW input electrical power and provides an electrical to laser conversion efficiency of about 5%,
which, to the best of our knowledge is the highest as compared to any commercially available lamp
pumped Nd:YAG laser. This fiber-coupled Nd:YAG laser system has four time-shared fiber ports, each
of them has a fiber of 400 μm core diameter, 0.2 numerical aperture (NA) and 150 m length. Specially
designed material processing nozzles of diameter in the range of 12 mm to 25 mm with gas flow
through the same tube containing optical fiber were developed for applications having space restrictions
in nuclear power installations. Using this, cutting of stainless steel sheets up to 14 mm and welding up
to depth of 2 mm were established. This remotely operable laser system has been engineered for its
robustness with proper fixtures and toolings for various material processing operations on industrial
scale. Now, it has been scaled to 500W average power with 2-40 ms pulse duration and 1-100 Hz rep.
rate with ~10kW peak power, 300J pulse energy and 400μm fiber optic beam delivery for laser cutting
of up to one inch thick SS and weld depths in SS up to 6 mm [3].
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Fig.1. A view of 250 W average power pulsed industrial Nd:YAG laser with time-shared fiber-optic beam delivery.

Fig.2. A view of 500 W average power pulsed industrial Nd:YAG laser with fiber-optic beam delivery.

Fig.1 shows a view of the 250 W average power industrial Nd:YAG laser and Fig. 2 shows a view of
500 W average power industrial Nd:YAG laser developed inhouse at RRCAT. High power CW lasers
have also been developed with an output power of 880 W having 4.4% electrical to laser conversion
efficiency [4]. CW laser with power scaling using multi-cavity design and modulation is useful in deep
penetration welding and laser rapid manufacturing. One such CW laser system has been developed and
commissioned at MSD, BARC for laser rapid manufacturing. Fig. 3 shows a view of this CW Nd:YAG
laser.

Fig.3. A view of 880 W CW industrial Nd:YAG laser with fiber-optic beam delivery.

Development of high-performance materials is often needed in nuclear applications, which requires

measurement of thermal conductivity variation with temperature. It is very difficult and time consuming
to measure thermal conductivity at high temperatures and it also requires large specimens for
conventional methods. The method of laser flash to measure thermal diffusivity is relatively fast and
 P. D. Gupta / Energy Procedia 7 (2011) 560–576 563

requires very small amount of material, which is an important consideration in research on new
experimental materials. A high energy short pulse Nd:YAG laser has also been developed for thermal
diffusivity measurement of high-performance materials [5]. This lamp pumped Nd:YAG laser system
provides a short duration (1 ms) laser pulse with variable laser energy from 1 J to 18.5 J. Four such
laser systems for thermal diffusivity measurement have been commissioned in IGCAR and BARC for
regular use.

2. Laser material processing applications in nuclear power programme

To introduce laser material processing applications in nuclear power programmme, we begin with the
design of pressurized heavy water reactors (PHWR), which is characterized by natural uranium fuel,
heavy water as moderator, pressure tube containment of primary coolant, fuel bundles and ON POWER
refueling. PHWR reactors of 220 MWe have typically 306 coolant channels, which are mounted
horizontally within a horizontal cylindrical vessel, called Calandria and is surrounded b y low pressure,
low temperature heavy water moderator. A single coolant channel is a composite structure of end
fittings, liner tube and a pressure tube. These pressure tubes, which contains fuel bundles, is made up of
Zr-2 or Zr-2.5% Nb alloy and is attached with SS-403 liner tube and end fitting by means of rolled
joints. Further, each end fitting is connected to a coolant pipe (feeder) by hub joint with a seal ring and
high-pressure feeder coupling (HPFC) studs. Annular space around the coolant channel is sealed by a
metallic bellow and CO2 is circulated in it. It is essential to replace the pressure tubes in PHWR type of
nuclear reactors after a period of 10-15years and this replacement is performed during en-masse coolant
channel replacement (EMCCR) campaign of such reactors. This is a complicated process due to space
restrictions and high MANREM involvement. The 306 coolant channels placed in a matrix are very
close to each other and bounded to the core of the reactor by means of two shrink fit welded bellow
attachment rings, made up of carbon steel, one on each face of reactor core located at a distance of
about 945mm from E-face of end fittings i.e., from end point of coolant channel. These coolant
channels can be replaced, if the welded bellow rings are detached at the welding point on each end. This
requires grooving at the welding point up to the depth of welding (~3-4 mm) and then pulling the
channel. Although, single point mechanical cutters can be utilized for this operation, but these
mechanical cutters are bulky, require their frequent replacement and take long time to cut, which results
in higher MANREM involvement. In the following a brief description of a few massive laser material
processing applications in nuclear power programme carried ou t during past few years is presented.

2.1. Laser cutting of bellow lips during EMCCR

The mechanism for laser cutting of bellow lips developed at RRCAT consists of a motorized
circumferential rotary arrangement, which can be mounted on the E-face of coolant channel and can be
fixed on it just by tightening of a single bolt. The tool is designed to fit on E-face of end fitting using
bore of the end fitting [6]. The locking of this tool is based on tapered ball locking grip at sealing plug
position of end fitting. Specially designed material processing nozzles of 1/2 inch diameter with gas
flow through the same tube containing optical fiber were developed for applications having space
restrictions in nuclear power installations. Using this system, laser cutting of 612 bellow lips during
EMCCR of NAPS#1, NAPS#2 and KAPS#1 reactors have been performed successfully in May 2006,
Nov. 2008 and Feb. 2009 respectively. It is desired to separate the bellow rings in such a way that the
outer ring can be reused for welding at the time of recommissioning. This required grooving of the ring
at weld location up to a depth of ~4mm. It is easy to cut through and through using laser beam while it
is very difficult to make grooves in a material. The laser grooving techniq ue for carbon steel was
established specially for this purpose.
Two industrial Nd:YAG lasers with four port time shared fiber optic beam delivery and 150 m long
fiber optic cable were deployed for cutting of bellow lip, one on each north and south vau lts of these
220 MWe reactors and in-situ bellow lip cutting was performed and separation was ensured for all the
612 bellow lips. The fixing of tool on any of the coolant channels required about one minute and the
cutting process took ten minutes for each bellow lip, and total operation was completed within a few
days of laser operation. Laser cutting of 18 numbers of shock absorber yoke studs was also performed
during EMCCR activity to access bellow lip weld for laser cutting. These studs were jammed and could
not be opened by any mechanical means. This resulted in a large MANREM saving as compared to
564 P. D. Gupta / Energy Procedia 7 (2011) 560–576
p gy ( )

conventional technique and also time saving of at least six months with enormous cost saving. As
compared to previous campaign of laser cutting of bellow lip during EMCCR of NAPS#1 reactor, about
30% less MANREM was consumed and bellow lip cut quality was improved, which resulted in much
safe separation of bellow rings. Fig. 4 shows the fixture mounted on a coolant channel performing the
cutting process in mock-setup. Fig. 5 shows the laser cut and separated bellow lip. Fig. 6 & 7 show the
fixture mounted on E-face of one of the coolant channels in NAPS#1 and NAPS#2 reactors,
respectively. Fig. 8 shows welded bellow lip. The same fixture was utilized for re-welding of bellow lip
during re-installation of coolant channels. This fixture is able to hold laser welding nozzle as well as
TIG welding torch. Fig. 9 shows fixture mounted on end face of coolant channel for cutting of HPFC
stud in mock up and Fig. 10 shows laser cutting of HPFC stud. Fig. 11 shows laser cut shock absorber
studs from NAPS#2.
Prior to bellow lip weld cutting, it is necessary to remove obstruction of all the 612 shock absorber yoke
assembly and its 1224 studs. In previous EMCCR campaign at NAPS#1, it was found that in serious
attempts to open a few jammed shock absorber studs, shock absorber yoke assembly studs were broken
from end shield. This required a lot of effort to make threads at proper location in end shield during re-
commissioning process of reactor coolant channels. To avoid this difficulty, laser cutting technique and
fixture for 18 mm diameter shock absorber yoke assembly studs was also developed at KAPS site (in a
similar fashion as at NAPS#2) to cut these studs near the bellow lip weld joint to remove obstruction for
bellow lip weld cutting and also to avoid damage of stud threads in end shield. Out of 1224 studs, a
total of 78 were found jammed and using laser technique, these stud s were cut successfully and safely
near the bellow lip weld joint during EMCCR campaign at KAPS#1. Now, the laser based cutting
technique for EMCCR of PHWRs has been established and can be exploited in future EMCCR
campaigns.

Fig.4. Bellow lip cutting mock-up.

Fig.5. Separated bellow lip.

Fig.6. A site view of laser based bellow lip cutting in NAPS#1 reactor.
 P. D. Gupta / Energy Procedia 7 (2011) 560–576 565

Fig.7. A site view of laser based bellow lip cutting in NAPS#2 reactor.

Fig.8. Welded bellow lip.

Fig.9. Fixture mounted on coolant channel for laser cutting of HPFC studs.

Fig.10. Laser cutting mock-up of HPFC studs.

566 P. D. Gupta / Energy Procedia 7 (2011) 560–576

Fig.11. A view of laser cut shock absorber studs from NAPS#2 reactor.

2.2. In-situ laser cutting of a single coolant channel at KAPS#2 reactor

Laser cutting technique along with fixture was developed and deployed successfully in January 2005
for in-situ cutting of single coolant channel S-7 from inside of the channel, which includes cutting of
4mm thick liner tube and 12mm thick end fitting made up of SS. Total cutting time was 12 min. This
was cut to generate data on Zr-2.5%Nb pressure tubes used for the first time in KAPS#2 reactor after a
life of 8 years.
Kakrapar Atomic Power Station#2 is the first reactor in which Zr-2.5%Nb pressure tubes were used
and it was required to generate data on these kind of pressure tubes. It was decided to take out one of
the pressure tubes after about eight years of reactor operation. To extract pressure tube, it was required
to cut liner tube and end fitting from inside due to space restrictions. This cutting was performed
remotely by laser cutting fixture specially designed with several innovative ideas. The coolant tube
cutting fixture developed is described briefly here. The tool fixing mechanism consisted of two disks
made up of Aluminium, one of them gets attached at E-face and the other disk is inserted inside end
fitting through a dual rod handle which comes out from two diametrically opposite holes in the first disk
and holds the two disks together and can also fix the separation of the two disks.

Fig.12. Coolant channel cutting fixture.

There is a third long screw, which passes through th e first disk and is attached to the second disk.
Tightening of this third screw pushes movement of a button out of the disk diameter and helps in
locking this disk with the inner diameter of the end fitting and the whole fixture. The motion of nozzle
for circumferential cutting from inside of the tubes has been motorized by means of a DC motor and a
geared coupling of fixture with the motor. Tool fixing time was about one minute and total cutting time
was four minutes for linear tube and ten minutes for end fitting with enormous MANREM, time and
cost savings. Fig.13 shows a mock-up of coolant channel cutting [7].
 P. D. Gupta / Energy Procedia 7 (2011) 560–576 567

Fig.13. Coolant channel cutting mock-up.

2.3. Laser cutting of FBTR spent fuel subassembly

Laser cutting for dismantling of highly radioactive fuel subassemblies of FBTR was succesfully
carried out in hot cell at IGCAR, Kalpakkam using a fiber coupled industrial Nd:YAG laser ( 250 W
average power and 5 kW peak power). The Pu-U carbide fuel rods had undergone a burn-up of 154
7
GWd/t and had a radiation level of 10 rad/hour . This fuel assembly was precisely cut at a gap of 5 mm
from the position of the fuel pins for Post–Irradiation Examination (PIE) of burnt fuel. The following
were cutting parameters: total cutting time of the subassembly ~ 2 minutes, cutting speed ~120
mm/minute, cut width of 400μm. Compared to the conventional mechanical methods there are several
advantages in laser cutting like: it is fast, does not lead to contamination and secondary waste
generation, does not create shape deformation and stress on surface, which is important for measuring
swelling, cracks, and stress of a burnt subassembly at different locations [8].
The laser beam was delivered through a 400μm optical fiber with a focused spot size of 400μm on
the job to minimize waste generation. The laser system has a dual port time shared fiber optic beam
delivery, with one fiber port for optimization of cutting process outside the hot cell, and another fo r
cutting inside the hot cell. A compact, shielded cutting nozzle assembly of 20 mm outer diameter
containing beam delivery fiber and coaxial flow of the assist gas was specially developed for insertion
through the S-bend in hot cells. Due to the presence of highly radioactive sodium, cutting was carried
2
out with nitrogen as an assist gas at a pressure of 8 kg/cm . Now, this technique of laser cutting of
FBTR spent fuel subassembly is in regular use at IGCAR since past three years for PIE data. Fig. 14
(a), (b) and (c) show laser cutting of hexagonal FBTR spent fuel during mock up, cut sample and actual
cutting in hot cell.
This industrial Nd:YAG laser was also deployed at Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) to extract fuel from
rejected fuel pins of PHWRs and fuel from about 65 tons of rejected storage was extracted within a
period of one year.

(a)

(c)

(a) (b)
568 P. D. Gupta / Energy Procedia 7 (2011) 560–576

Fig.14. (a) Laser cutting of FBTR spent fuel bundle in hot cell, (b) laser cutting of hexagonal FBTR
spent fuel bundle during mock-up, and (c) cut sample.

2.4. Laser cutting for easy storage of pressure tubes removed from reactors during EMCCR

Laser cutting technique was developed and successfully deployed for cutting of 7 pressure tubes
made up of zircaloy material, which were removed from MAPS#1 reactor. These tubes of 5m length
were cut in two pieces to establish laser cutting technique for reduction in storage space with a radiation
level of 700 Rad/h [9].
Pressure tubes in PHWRs are about 5m in length and are highly radioactive. After EMCCR operations,
these tubes are stored as such and require a large space. For initial study, a laser based cutting fixture
was designed and deployed for cutting of seven pressure tubes removed from MAPS#1 in two halves to
reduce storage space. This will be further deployed in mass cutting of pressure tubes by slotting the
pressure tube linearly in three pieces using three nozzles simultaneously at 120° with each other and
then cutting it circumferentially after a certan length. Fig. 15(a) shows pressure tube cutting fixture and
cutting mock up and Fig. 15(b) shows a cut samples from pressure tube.

(a)

(b)
Fig.15. (a) Pressure tube cutting fixture and mock-up, (b) laser cut samples from pressure tube.
2.5. Under water cutting of spent fuel with lasers

There are several requirements from NPCIL to cut nuclear components underwater in water pool at a
depth of about 8-10 m. In Dhruva reactor also, it is required to cut Aluminium racks of 3 mm thick. In
this regard laser cutting technique using fiber optic beam delivery has been developed for cutting of SS
 P. D. Gupta / Energy Procedia 7 (2011) 560–576 569

up to a thickness of 12mm and aluminium of thickness 4 mm. Development of fixture for underwater
cutting of Aluminium rack of irregular orientation is under progress. Fig. 16 shows underwater cutting
of 4.2 mm thick zircaloy [10 – 12].

Fig.16. A view of laser cutting mock-up of 4.2 mm thick zircaloy.

2.6. Repair of water leak from weld joint inside calendria at KAPS#1 reactor

There was leak from a few weld joints inside calendria of KAPS#1 reactor since its commissioning.
It was decided to repair this leak during EMCCR campaign. Due to high radiation field near the leak
position, laser welding technique with remote operation was decided as an option. Development of
required fixture for remote laser welding operation and nozzle for welding along with laser weld
qualification has been carried out and its implementation at site is under progress. Fig. 17 shows a view
of wire rope based three axis remotely operable fixture developed for welding in high radiation field .

Fig.17. A view of three axis wire rope based manipulator developed for welding in high radiation field.

2.7. Decanning of rejected fuel bundles

Using laser cutting technique, extraction of fuel pellets from rejected fuel bundles was also carried out
at NFC by cutting the fuel pin linearly and giving a thrust on fuel pin. Using laser cutting technique
about 65 tonnes of fuel pellets were decanned, which were piled up due to rejection during fabrication
process. Dismantling of spent fuel bundles from PHWRs by cutting end plates is a lso being carried out
regularly in hot cell at BARC by using laser from RRCAT. Figure 18 (a) shows a view of laser cutting
of end plate of fuel bundle in hot cell. Fig. 18 (b) & (c) shows intact fuel bundle and dismantled fuel
bundle.
570 P. D. Gupta / Energy Procedia 7 (2011) 560–576

(a)

(b) (c)
Fig. 18. (a) A view of laser cutting of end plate of PHWR fuel bundle in hot cell, (b) intact fuel bundle, (c)
dismantled fuel bundle using laser.

2.8. Laser welding of high dose rate brachytherapy assembly

Treatment of cancer by using radiation emitted from the radio -isotopes is in practice for decades.
Teletherapy and Brachytherapy are widely used for this purpose. In teletherapy, the cancerous volume
is irradiated by gamma rays emitted by radio-isotopes. Brachytherapy is one of the most efficient ways
of treating cancers such as localized uterus cancer and cancers of the head and neck. Brachy is from the
Greek word for "short", hence, brachytherapy approximately means short distance therapy. This is
essentially a supplementary radiotherapy, where a radioactive source is placed inside or next to the area
requiring treatment. High Dose Rate (HDR) Brachytherapy is a common brachytherapy method used
for treatment of a large number of cancer patients. Applicators in the form of catheters are arranged on
the patient. A high dose rate source (often Iridium-192) is then driven along the catheters on the end of
a wire by a machine while the patient is isolated in a room. The source remains in a preplanned position
for a preset time to allow controlled doses of radiation to be delivered to the cancerous tissues, without
damaging the healthy tissues. The capsules that hold the radioactive 'seed' are only a few millimetres
long, and about a millimeter in diameter and have a wall thickness of less than 150 μm.
The welds that join the capsules together (five weld joints) need to produce a hermetic seal, with a
smooth weld bead. Presently, hospitals in India engaged in providing Brachytherapy, use imported
HDR source assembly, which consists of radioactive material, miniature housing with cover and
metallic wire ropes [13]. BARC with the help of RRCAT is developing indigenous HDR source
assembly for BRIT. The quality of the indigenously developed HDR source assembly is matching with
the imported ones, and will be considerably less expensive. This assembly has been tested in
accordance with the AERB (Atomic Energy Regulatory Board) and IAEA (International Atomic
Energy Agency) stipulated test procedures and guidelines. Based on the literature survey and after
giving due consideration to various joining methods like friction welding, micro -TIG welding etc., laser
welding has been chosen as the mode of joining the miniature SS components with the SS wire ropes.
As compared to other welding techniques, laser welding is advantageous in terms of heat affected
zone(HAZ), pointed and localized heating with better bead quality. A typical HDR source assembly,
has four miniature SS micro machined components viz.; machine end terminal, rope joining sleeve,
source retaining capsule and cover and two SS wire ropes (dia 0.91 and 0.73 mm). There are five laser
welded joints between SS wire ropes and miniature components. Laser welding of miniature
components has been performed without any damage. A laser welding system with 200μm fiber optic
 P. D. Gupta / Energy Procedia 7 (2011) 560–576 571

beam delivery and required arrangement has been developed at RRCAT, which will be commissioned
at BRIT for regular production of HDR brachytherapy assembly. Fig. 19(a) and (b) show the
brachytherapy assembly and laser welded sample of this assembly.

(a)

(a)

(b)
Fig.19. (a) Brachytherapy assembly having HDR Source (b) Welded Brachytherapy assembly.

3. Laser-based diagnostic and metrology systems

Lasers are increasingly being used for measuremet, inspection and metrology in industrial
applications. Laser based techniques have the advantage of being non -contact in nature, which enable
development of many instruments for nuclear application that are not realizable using conventional
gauging techniques. Moreover the non-contact nature of laser-based measurement ensures minimal
contamination, low wear & tear and good repeatability. Since metrology and inspection can be done in
an automated process, radiation dosages to operators and work personnel is also minimized. Keeping
these points in mind development of laser based measurement techniques and instruments were taken
up at RRCAT. Based on the end-use requirement, laser-based instruments have been designed,
developed and delivered to end users in various units of DAE. Some of the instruments developed are
briefly described in this section.

3.1. Laser uranium analyzer

Measurement of uranyl salt concentration in ground water is used to locate uranium deposits. This
requires measurement of uranium in water at ppb level concentrations. Since uranium salts fluoresce
when irradiated with ultraviolet light, the fluorescence can be used for measuring concentration of
uranium in water samples. In order to be able to measure uranium concentration to level of ppb it is
necessary that the fluorescence arising from uranyl salts be separated from that arising from the organic
impurities present in the ground water. Since the organic fluorescence decays much faster (decay time ~
few ns) compared to the fluorescence from uranyl salts (few hundred μs) a convenient approach is to
excite fluorescence with a ns duration pulsed source of light (337 nm N2 laser) and use a gated detector
that can be switched on after a delay of few tens of μs from the excitation pulse. This way, one can filter
out the organic fluorescence and measure uranium fluorescence with high sensitivity. Development of a
miniature metal-ceramic sealed-off nitrogen laser rugged enough for field use was taken up as a light
source for this application. The compact Laser Uranium Analyzer developed using the miniature
nitrogen laser system measures only 150mm x 110mm x 90mm and operates from a 12V power supply
making it suitable for field use. This instrument can measure uranium in water with a resolution of 0.05
ppb and has a range of up to 20 ppb. The laser uranium analyzer, apart from being used in uranium
exploration is also useful for uranium measurement in reactor ch emistry, health physics, effluent
572 P. D. Gupta / Energy Procedia 7 (2011) 560–576

monitoring and environmental survey. Several of these instruments (Fig. 20) have been supplied to
various users in AMD, IGCAR and HWPs. The technology for this instrument has been transferred to
Quantalase Enterprises Pvt. Ltd., Indore, for production.

Fig. 20. The compact laser uranium analyzer

The uranium analyzer is based on a miniature sealed-off nitrogen laser which needs to be re-filled
after a year. The Reprocessing Development Lab (RDL) of IGCAR was interested in using the system
for measuring uranium in the re-processing raffinate which would require putting the uranium analyzer
inside a glove box precluding any kind of service/maintenance or re-filling of the tube. To solve this
issue a system based on a high power UV LED (200mW at 385nm) was developed and has been
delivered to RDL of IGCAR for use in the measurement of uranium in active samples. The developed
LED based system achieves the sensitivities comparable to the laser based system. Field trial of this
version of the laser Uranium analyzer is in progress.
A micro-fluidic version of the Laser Uranium Analyzer is being developed for measurement of
Uranium in active samples. Use of miniscule quantities for measurement should reduce the radiation
dose to personal as well as minimize the radioactive waste generated due to analytical measurements
during the reprocessing cycle.

3.2. Remote Pu measurement

Fiber optic absorption probes of different path lengths from 5mm to 100mm have been designed and
developed for remote Pu Spectroscopy for use at Reprocessing Development Lab (RDL) of IGCAR.
The probes (Fig. 21)are used in conjunction with a fiber coupled spectrophotometer to acquire
absorption spectra of samples remotely. A detection limit of 12μg/ml for Pu has been achieved. Patents
for the probes and the remote Pu measurement technique have been applied for jointly with RDL of
IGCAR.
 P. D. Gupta / Energy Procedia 7 (2011) 560–576 573

Fig. 21. Fiber optic dip-type probes with different optical path-length tips

3.3. Nuclear fuel pellet metrology

Most nuclear fuel pellets are made from ceramic powders by sintering. These have to meet stringent
specifications in regards to its diameter, length, weight and density before acceptance for loading in a
fuel pin. Instruments required for this purpose have also been developed taking into account the nature
of the fuel.

3.3.1. Uranium oxide fuel:

Uranium oxide fuel pellet dimensions need to be within a tolerance of ± 25μm and the density needs
to be estimated to second decimal digit accuracy. The diameter of pellet is measured at three cross -
sections and length is measured along one cross -section. We have developed an instrument, which
makes use of laser scanning technique to measure diameter and length with the desired resolution and
minimizes handling of the pellet. In this approach, the pellet is scanned with a laser beam and the time
duration for which it obstructs the scanned laser beam is measured. The laser-gauging unit, a schematic
of which is shown in Fig. 22 consists of an optical polygon mounted on a brushless dc motor that scans
the laser beam and a collimating lens that generates the line scan. The pellet to be measured is placed in
the collimated scan region.

Fig. 22.Schematic of the laser scan gauge.

574 P. D. Gupta / Energy Procedia 7 (2011) 560–576

Three laser gauging units were used to measure the diameter of the pellets at three equally spaced
cross-sections and to measure length of the pellet across one cross -section. The measured diameter and
length of the pellet are used to calculate the geometric volume of the fuel pellet. With an accuracy of ±
2μm for the laser scan gauges and an accuracy of 1mg for the weighing machine, the density of the
pellet could be calculated to second decimal digit accuracy. This system was developed for NFC, for
their UO2 fuel fabrication line.

3.3.2.Mixed carbide fuel

Mixed carbide fuels are alpha-active and have to be handled in a glove box. The laser scan gauges
developed for this application are of a retro-reflective design so that the transmitting and receiving
optics sit in the same unit and the pellet can be measured through a single window in the glove box. The
pellet sits on a precision machined V-block mounted inside the glove box on the load cell of the
weighing machine. The retro-reflective optics is mounted on the V-block assembly. The transmitting
optics with the scanner elements, the receiving optics with the associated elect ronics for diameter and
length measurement and the electronics of the weighing machine are located outside the glove box in a
single unit. This design ensures that only passive components are inside the glove box and all items
that need maintenance are outside the glove-box. The prototype system developed for the metrology of
mixed carbide fuel is shown in Figure 23. The developed system has a resolution of 1μm and can
measure the fuel pellets with an accuracy of ± 2μm. This system has been developed for Radio
Metallurgy Division, BARC for their FBTR fuel fabrication line.

Fig. 23. Nuclear fuel metrology system for mixed carbide fuel

3.4. Laser NDT systems for mechanical component testing

Structural components of reactors are designed and analysed for mechanical stability and deformation
using finite element codes. To validate these designs, scaled down models of these components are
tested by loading with the required stress and measuring the generated strain. Conventional techniques
using strain gauges take a long time to setup; are manpower intensive and are complicated by the large
number of data acquisition channels that need to be used simultaneously to measure the strain field.
Laser based techniques such as shearing speckle interferometry can greatly simplify the strain analysis
of loaded structures. Moreover these techniques are more sensitive and can generate a larger density of
data than what are possible using strain gauges. A speckle shear interferometer (Fig. 24) has been
designed and developed to do strain measurements on scale models. Shearing speckle interferometry is
an optical method based on the principle of speckle correlation where an interferometer is used in
shearing mode. This and other laser based systems are being developed for inspection and non-
destructive testing of structural components for reactors, at the Structural Mechanics Lab of IGCAR.
 P. D. Gupta / Energy Procedia 7 (2011) 560–576 575

Fig. 24. The speckle shear interferometer developed for NDT of structural components

3.5. Under water inspection system for metrology of FBTR spent fuel bundles

The spent FBTR Fuel at IGCAR is kept under water for cooling and shielding. These spent fuel need
to be inspected as part of the post-irradiated examination to generate data about the fuel integrity and
projected life. One of the first measurements that need to be done is the dimensional gauging of the
whole fuel bundle assembly. RRCAT was requested by the MMG group of IGCAR to explore the
possibility of developing optical techniques that can be used for inspection under water in a non contact
way. A triangulation sensor based optical probe head has been developed for the under water inspection
of the spent fuel. The laser triangulation sensor comprises of a laser diode module, an imaging lens and
a linear position sensitive detector. The probe is positioned in such a way that the laser beam falls
normally to the surface to be detected. The light scattered from the object is imaged onto the linear
position sensitive detector by the lens system. A change in the surface contour of the object leads to a
change in the position of the image spot on the linear position sensitive detector. The Fig. 25 shows the
developed triangulation head on a calibration setup.

Fig. 25. Triangulation head for underwater inspection

This triangulation head would be used in conjunction with a robotic system built by IGCAR, for
moving the optical probe underwater. After successful trials are completed similar systems would be
developed for use in underwater inspection of spent PFBR fuel in the future.
576 P. D. Gupta / Energy Procedia 7 (2011) 560–576

4. Conclusion

In conclusion, RRCAT has developed high power industrial Nd:YAG lasers and deployed them
successfully on industrial scale for refurbishing and maintenance operations in nuclear power reactors
with significant savings on MANREM, time and cost. A number of laser-based diagnostic systems for
nuclear operations and mineral exploration and metrology of nuclear fuel have been developed and
deployed. RRCAT is also working on development of short pulse Nd:YAG lasers with fiber optic beam
delivery for decontamination purposes and kW -level power Nd:YAG lasers for decommissioning of
nuclear power plants in future.

Acknowledgement

This paper is based on work carried out in the Solid State Laser Division and Laser Biomedical
Applications and Instrumentation Division of Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, Indore.
Thanks are due to B. N. Upadhyay and Sendhil Raja for their help in preparation of this article.

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