Interaction of solute manganese and nickel atoms with dislocation loops in iron-based alloys irradiated with 2.8 MeV Fe ions at 400 C

Nguyen, B. V. C.*; 村上 健太*; Chena, L.*; Phongsakorn, P. T.*; Chen, X.*; 橋本 貴司; Hwang, T.*; 古澤 彰憲; 鈴木 達也*

Nuclear Materials and Energy (Internet), 39, p.101639_1 - 101639_9, 2024/06

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nme.2024.101639

In reactor pressure vessel materials, the formation of Mn- and Ni-rich nanoclusters is a major cause of neutron irradiation embrittlement. The segregation of these solute atoms into dislocation loops has attracted attention as a mechanism to accelerate solute clustering. In this study, the behaviors of solute Mn and Ni atoms in Fe-0.6wt.%Ni, Fe-1.4wt.%Mn, and Fe-1.4wt.%Mn-0.6wt.%Ni alloys irradiated at 400 C up to 3 dpa were analyzed using three-dimensional atom probe tomography. Solute atom clusters were observed in all materials, and their shapes were spherical, flat, and torus in FeNi, FeMn, and FeMnNi, respectively. In ternary alloy FeMnNi, Mn and Ni atoms were concentrated in the sample in the form of arcs, and the orientation of the plane containing the arcs was estimated by comparing field desorption images. The size, number density, and orientation of this structure were found to be in good agreement with those of both types of dislocation loops, namely, b = 1/2 111 and b = 100, identified in a previous study using the same material. The positions of Ni and Mn enrichment did not fully overlap. Ni atoms tended to be concentrated more in the inner part of the loop than the Mn atoms. Mn atoms were enriched only in the vicinity of the dislocation loops, whereas Ni atoms showed a higher concentration inside the dislocation loops than in the bulk.

Large-eddy simulation on gas mixing induced by the high-buoyancy flow in the CIGMA facility

安部 諭; 柴本 泰照

Nuclear Engineering and Technology, 55(5), p.1742 - 1756, 2023/05

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.net.2023.01.019

The hydrogen behavior in a nuclear containment vessel is a significant issue when discussing the potential of hydrogen combustion during a severe accident. After the Fukushima-Daiichi accident in Japan, we have investigated in-depth the hydrogen transport mechanisms by utilizing experimental and numerical approaches. Computational fluid dynamics is a powerful tool for better understanding the transport behavior of gas mixtures, including hydrogen. This paper describes a large-eddy simulation of gas mixing driven by a high-buoyancy flow. We focused on the interaction behavior of heat and mass transfers driven by the horizontal high-buoyant flow during density stratification. For validation, the experimental data of the Containment InteGral effects Measurement Apparatus (CIGMA) facility were used. With a high-power heater for the gas-injection line in the CIGMA facility, a high temperature flow of approximately 390C was injected into the test vessel. By using the CIGMA facility, we can extend the experimental data to the high temperature region. The phenomenological discussion in this paper help understand the heat and mass transfer induced by the high-buoyancy flow in the containment vessel during a severe accident.

CFD analysis on stratification dissolution and breakup of the air-helium gas mixture by natural convection in a large-scale enclosed vessel

Hamdani, A.; 安部 諭; 石垣 将宏; 柴本 泰照; 与能本 泰介

Progress in Nuclear Energy, 153, p.104415_1 - 104415_16, 2022/11

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnucene.2022.104415

This paper describes the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis and validation works from the previous experimental study on the natural convection driven by outer surface cooling in the presence of density stratification consisting of air and helium (as a mimic gas of hydrogen). The experiment was conducted in the Containment InteGral effects Measurement Apparatus (CIGMA) facility at Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA). The numerical simulation was carried out to analyze the detailed effect of the cooling region on the erosion of the helium stratification layer. The temporal and spatial evolution of the helium concentration and the gas temperature inside the containment vessel was predicted and validated against the experimental data. In addition, two stratification behaviors that depend on the cooling location were presented and discussed. The CFD simulation confirmed that an upper head cooling caused two counter-rotating vortexes in the helium-rich zone. Meanwhile, the upper half body cooling caused two counter-rotating vortexes in the helium-poor zone. These findings are important to understand the mechanism of the density stratification process driven by natural convection in the containment vessel.

Preliminary deformation analysis of the reactor vessel due to core debris accumulation onto the reactor vessel bottom for sodium-cooled fast reactor

小野田 雄一; 山野 秀将

Proceedings of 12th Japan-Korea Symposium on Nuclear Thermal Hydraulics and Safety (NTHAS12) (Internet), 9 Pages, 2022/10

原子力機構におけるナトリウム冷却高速炉の設計では、シビアアクシデントが生じた場合に、さまざまな設計対策により損傷炉心物質を原子炉容器内で安定的に冷却する方針(炉容器内保持: IVR)をとっている。IVRに失敗する可能性は非常に低いものの、確率論的リスク評価の研究では、IVRの失敗を含むさまざまなシナリオの検討が必要となる。そこで本研究では、原子炉容器内におけるデブリの安定冷却に関わる事象スペクトルを幅広く検討するため、コアキャッチャーのスカート部にデブリが堆積する場合の原子炉容器の変形・破損挙動を、構造解析コードFNAS-STARを用いて数値的に解析した。原子炉容器の破損条件を調査する観点から、出力密度の異なる2ケースの解析を実施した。今回の想定条件下における高出力密度のケースでは、原子炉容器の温度が約1100Cに達すると原子炉容器が大幅に変形し、その破損判断基準に到達した。

Estimation of long-term ex-vessel debris cooling behavior in Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant unit 3

佐藤 一憲; 山路 哲史*; Li, X.*; 間所 寛

Mechanical Engineering Journal (Internet), 9(2), p.21-00436_1 - 21-00436_17, 2022/04

https://doi.org/10.1299/mej.21-00436

Interpretation for the two-week long Unit 3 ex-vessel debris cooling behavior was conducted based on the Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (1F) data and the site data such as pressure, temperature, gamma ray level and live camera pictures. It was estimated that the debris relocated to the pedestal was in partial contact with liquid water for about initial two days. With the reduction of the sea water injection flowrate, the debris, existed mainly in the pedestal region, became "dry", in which the debris was only weakly cooled by vapor and this condition lasted for about four days until the increase of the sea water injection. During this dry period, the pedestal debris was heated up and it took further days to re-flood the heated up debris.

Experimental investigation of natural convection and gas mixing behaviors driven by outer surface cooling with and without density stratification consisting of an air-helium gas mixture in a large-scale enclosed vessel

安部 諭; Hamdani, A.; 石垣 将宏*; 柴本 泰照

Annals of Nuclear Energy, 166, p.108791_1 - 108791_18, 2022/02

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2021.108791

This paper describes an experimental investigation of natural convection driven by outer surface cooling in the presence of density stratification consisting of an air-helium gas mixture (as mimic gas of hydrogen) in an enclosed vessel. The unique cooling system of the Containment InteGral effects Measurement Apparatus (whose test vessel is a cylinder with 2.5-m diameter and 11-m height) is used, and findings reveal that the cooling location relative to the stratification plays an important role in determining the interaction behavior of the heat and mass transfer in the enclosed vessel. When the cooling region is narrower than the stratification thickness, the density-stratified region expands to the lower part while decreasing in concentration (stratification dissolution). When the cooling region is wider than the stratification thickness, the stratification is gradually eroded from the bottom with decreasing layer thickness (stratification breakup). This knowledge is useful for understanding the interaction behavior of heat and mass transfer during severe accidents in nuclear power plants.

Numerical investigations on the coolability and the re-criticality of a debris bed with the density-stratified configuration

Li, C.-Y.; 内堀 昭寛; 高田 孝; Pellegrini, M.*; Erkan, N.*; 岡本 孝司*

第25回動力・エネルギー技術シンポジウム講演論文集(インターネット), 4 Pages, 2021/07

溶融炉心の原子炉容器内保持を達成するためには、デブリベッドの安定冷却と再臨界回避が重要である。本研究では、異なる物質から構成され、密度成層化したデブリベッドの挙動を評価するため、数値流体力学(CFD),個別要素法(DEM),モンテカルロ法を連成させた解析手法を構築した。本解析手法により、デブリベッドにおける密度成層化の挙動等を解析できることを確認した。

Data report of ROSA/LSTF experiment SB-PV-09; 1.9% pressure vessel top small break LOCA with SG depressurization and gas inflow

竹田 武司

JAEA-Data/Code 2021-006, 61 Pages, 2021/04

JAEA-Data-Code-2021-006.pdf:2.78MB

ROSA-V計画において、大型非定常実験装置(LSTF)を用いた実験(実験番号: SB-PV-09)が2005年11月17日に行われた。ROSA/LSTF SB-PV-09実験では、加圧水型原子炉(PWR)の1.9%圧力容器頂部小破断冷却材喪失事故を模擬した。このとき、非常用炉心冷却系(ECCS)である高圧注入系の全故障と蓄圧注入(ACC)タンクから一次系への非凝縮性ガス(窒素ガス)の流入を仮定した。実験では、上部ヘッドに形成される水位が破断流量に影響を与えることを見出した。アクシデントマネジメント(AM)策として、両ループの蒸気発生器(SG)逃し弁開放によるSG二次側減圧を炉心出口最高温度が623Kに到達した時点で開始した。SG二次側圧力が一次系圧力に低下するまで、このAM策は一次系減圧に対して有効とならなかった。一方、炉心出口温度の応答が遅くかつ緩慢であるため、模擬燃料棒の被覆管表面最高温度がLSTFの炉心保護のために予め決定した値(958K)を超えたとき、炉心出力は自動的に低下した。炉心出力の自動低下後、低温側配管内でのACC水と蒸気の凝縮により両ループのループシールクリアリング(LSC)が誘発された。LSC後、炉心水位が回復して炉心はクエンチした。ACCタンクから窒素ガスの流入開始後、一次系とSG二次側の圧力差が大きくなった。ECCSである低圧注入系の作動を通じた継続的な炉心冷却を確認後、実験を終了した。本報告書は、ROSA/LSTF SB-PV-09実験の手順、条件および実験で観察された主な結果をまとめたものである。

Application of probabilistic fracture mechanics to reactor pressure vessel using PASCAL4 code

Lu, K.; 勝山 仁哉; Li, Y.; 吉村 忍*

Journal of Pressure Vessel Technology, 143(2), p.021505_1 - 021505_8, 2021/04

https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4048103

Probabilistic fracture mechanics (PFM) is considered to be a promising methodology in structural integrity assessments of pressure-boundary components in nuclear power plants since it can rationally represent the inherent probabilistic distributions for influence parameters without over-conservativeness. To strengthen the applicability of PFM methodology in Japan, Japan Atomic Energy Agency has developed a PFM analysis code PASCAL4 which enables the failure frequency evaluation of reactor pressure vessels (RPVs) considering neutron irradiation embrittlement and thermal transients. PASCAL4 is expected to make a significant contribution to the probabilistic integrity assessment of Japanese RPVs. In this study, PFM analysis for a Japanese model RPV in a pressurized water reactor (PWR) was conducted using PASCAL4, and the effects of nondestructive examination (NDE) and neutron flux reduction on failure frequencies of the RPV were quantitatively evaluated. From the analysis results, it is concluded that PASCAL4 is useful for probabilistic integrity assessments of embrittled RPVs and can enhance the applicability of PFM methodology.

The Analysis for Ex-Vessel debris coolability of BWR

松本 俊慶; 岩澤 譲; 安島 航平*; 杉山 智之

Proceedings of Asian Symposium on Risk Assessment and Management 2020 (ASRAM 2020) (Internet), 10 Pages, 2020/11

本研究では、事前注水した格納容器内デブリの冷却確率を評価した。まず、落下溶融物条件を求めるため、シビアアクシデント解析コードMELCORによる不確かさ解析を行った。この解析では炉心の溶融・移行過程に関連する5つの不確かさパラメータを選択し、仮定された確率分布を用いて、ラテン超方格法(LHS)により入力パラメータセットを生成した。これを用いたMELCORによる多ケース解析の結果から落下溶融物条件を抽出した。次に、MELCOR解析結果をもとに、パラメータの確率分布を決定し、LHSにより生成した59個のパラメータセットを用いてJASMINEコードによる水中の溶融物挙動の解析を行った。水位の条件は0.5m, 1.0m及び2.0mとした。広がり半径とデブリ質量の解析結果からデブリの堆積高さを求め、判定基準と比較することで冷却の成否判定を行った。以上の一連の解析の結果、デブリ冷却の成功確率を求めた。また、MELCOR及びJASMINEを組み合わせた冷却性解析の課題について論じた。