Development of combined temperature – Electric potential sensors

Abstract Thermohydraulic measurements in liquid metal test blanket modules for ITER require reliable sensors for detection of temperature and magnetohydrodynamic properties of the flow such as the distribution of electric potential. The latter one can be directly compared with numerical simulations or interpreted in terms of local liquid metal flow rates. Combined temperature-potential probes may serve for both purposes for sensing temperature and potential values, while remaining relatively small in size. By comparison with results obtained using other sensing techniques or theoretical results, the present paper confirms that such measurements in magnetohydrodynamic liquid metal flows may yield accurate data for potential.