Non-intrusive acoustic thermometry using an acoustic impulse generator and two microphones is developed and integrated with tomographic techniques to reconstruct temperature contours. A low velocity plume at around 450 °F exiting through a rectangular duct (3.25 by 10 inches) was used for validation and reconstruction. 0.3 % static temperature relative error compared with thermocouple-measured data was achieved using a cross-correlation algorithm to calculate speed of sound. Tomographic reconstruction algorithms, the simplified multiplicative algebraic reconstruction technique (SMART) and least squares method (LSQR), are investigated for visualizing temperature contours of the heated plume. A rectangular arrangement of transmitter and microphones with a traversing mechanism collected two orthogonal sets of acoustic projection data. Both reconstruction techniques have successfully recreated the overall characteristic of the contour; however, for the future work, the integration of the refraction effect and implementation of additional angled projections are required to improve local temperature estimation accuracy. The root-mean-square percentage errors of reconstructing non-uniform, asymmetric temperature contours using the SMART and LSQR method are calculated as 20% and 19%, respectively. / Master of Science / Computational tomography is an approach to reconstruct the cross-sectional planar image of a 3D object. This technique is widely used in the medical field using x-rays to visualize cross-sections of internal organs. Along with x-rays, acoustic rays can also be utilized with tomographic techniques. The speed of sound travelling through a gaseous medium, such as air, is depended on the density, humidity, and temperature of the medium. Using this relationship, the temperature of the medium can be calculated with known speed of sound, density, and humidity. The speed of sound can be found using the distance and time of flight of the acoustic ray using transmitter and microphones. Since the effect of density and humidity of the medium on speed of sound is relatively insignificant, those values were assumed to be constant. In this research, the acoustic temperature measuring technique using the speed of sound relationship was applied and validated, then the technique was integrated with tomography using two projection angles. A rectangular duct (3.25 by 10 inches) with a heated air at around 450 °F exiting the duct was tested. The calculated temperature from acoustics was compared with values measured with thermocouples. After the acoustic temperature measuring technique was validated, multiple acoustic rays arranged in two orthogonal projections were setup. The speed of sound values from the acoustic rays were utilized to reconstruct the temperature distribution of the duct exit using two tomographic reconstruction methods: LSQR and SMART. Both reconstruction techniques have captured overall contour of the temperature. More projection angles and sound refractive properties will be utilized in the future to overcome the limitations of detailed reconstruction.

Dans le cadre des recherches menées sur les SFR (Sodium cooled Fast Reactor), le CEA souhaite développer une instrumentation innovante et spécifique à ces réacteurs. Le travail présenté concerne la mesure par ultrasons, de la température du sodium à la sortie des têtes des assemblages du coeur du réacteur. Cette instrumentation implique la propagation d'ultrasons dans du sodium liquide, thermiquement inhomogène et turbulent. Le milieu provoque des déviations du faisceau acoustique qu'il faut prévoir et quantifier pour envisager d'employer les ultrasons comme moyen de mesure dans un coeur de réacteur SFR.Pour cela un code nommé AcRaLiS (Acoustic Ray in Liquid Sodium) a été implémenté. Une étude thermo-hydraulique précise du sodium a tout d'abord été menée afin de proposer une description adaptée du milieu et de choisir le modèle de propagation acoustique adéquat. Puis une implémentation a été réalisée afin de permettre la simulation rapide de la propagation d'ondes de plusieurs mégahertz dans ce milieu particulier. Ce code prévoit les déviations et l'évolution de l'intensité du faisceau acoustique. Deux expériences ont ensuite été conçues et réalisées pour vérifier ce code. La première, nommée UPSilon, innove en remplaçant le sodium par de l'huile de silicone afin d'avoir une inhomogénéité thermique stable pendant l'expérience. Elle permet de déterminer la validité du code AcRaLiS dans des inhomogénéités thermiques. La seconde, nommée IKHAR, permet d'étudier en eau l'influence de la turbulence sur la propagation d'ondes, en exploitant les instabilités de Kelvin-Helmholtz. Les conclusions et les perspectives sont présentées en élargissant à d'autres domaines d'application. / In the frame of research on Sodium cooled Fast nuclear Reactor (SFR), CEA aims to develop an innovative instrumentation, specific to these reactors. The present work relates to the measurement of the sodium temperature at the outlet of the assemblies of the reactor's core by an ultrasonic method. This instrumentation involves the propagation of ultrasonic waves in liquid sodium, thermally inhomogeneous and turbulent. Environment causes deviations of the acoustic beam that must be understood to predict and quantify to consider ultrasound as a measure means in a core of SFR reactor. To determine the magnitude of these influences, a code named AcRaLiS (Acoustic Ray in Liquid Sodium) has been implemented. In a first step, a thermal-hydraulic study specific to the medium, was conducted to provide an adequate description of the environment and choose a suitable acoustic propagation model. Then an implementation has been performed to allow rapid simulations of the wave propagation at several megahertz in this particular environment. This code provides ultrasounds deviations and changes in beam intensity.Two experiments were designed and conducted to verify the code. The first, named UPSilon innovates by replacing sodium by silicone oil in order to have a stable thermal inhomogeneity during the experiment. It allows to determine the validity of the code AcRaLiS with thermal inhomogeneities. The second, called IKHAR allows to study the influence of water turbulence on the propagation of waves, using the Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities. Conclusions and perspectives are presented, including perspectives for other application domains.