Hydrogenation of silicon-bearing hexagonal close-packed iron and its implications for density deficits in the inner core

Mori, Yuichiro*; Kagi, Hiroyuki*; Aoki, Katsutoshi*; Takano, Masahiro*; Kakizawa, Sho*; Sano, Asami; Funakoshi, Kenichi*

Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 634, p.118673_1 - 118673_8, 2024/05

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2024.118673

To investigate silicon effects on the hydrogen-induced volume expansion of iron, neutron diffraction and X-ray diffraction experiments were conducted to examine hcp-FeSi under high pressures and high temperatures. Neutron diffraction experiments were performed on the deuterated hcp-FeSi at 13.5 GPa and 900 K, and at 12.1 GPa and 300 K. By combining the P-V-T equation of state of hcp-FeSi, present results indicate that the hydrogen-induced volume expansion of hcp-FeSi is 10% greater than that of pure hcp iron. Using the obtained values, we estimated the hydrogen content that would reproduce the density deficit in the inner core, which was 50% less than that without the effect of silicon. Possible hydrogen content, , in the inner core and the outer core was calculated to be 0.07 and 0.12-0.15, respectively, when reproducing the density deficit of the inner core with hcp-FeSiHx.

First observation of O

Kondo, Yosuke*; Achouri, N. L.*; Al Falou, H.*; Atar, L.*; Aumann, T.*; Baba, Hidetada*; Boretzky, K.*; Caesar, C.*; Calvet, D.*; Chae, H.*; et al.

Nature, 620(7976), p.965 - 970, 2023/08

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06352-6

no abstracts in English

Development of safety design technologies for sodium-cooled fast reactor coupled to thermal energy storage system with sodium-molten salt heat exchanger

Yamano, Hidemasa; Kurisaka, Kenichi; Takano, Kazuya; Kikuchi, Shin; Kondo, Toshiki; Umeda, Ryota; Shirakura, Shota*; Hayashi, Masaaki*

Proceedings of 8th International Conference on New Energy and Future Energy Systems (NEFES 2023) (Internet), p.27 - 34, 2023/00

https://doi.org/10.3233/ATDE231072

This project studies investigation on safety design guideline and risk assessment technology for sodium-cooled fast reactor with the molten-salt heat storage system, development of evaluation method for heat transferring performance between sodium and molten-salt and improvement of the performance, and evaluation of chemical reaction characteristic between sodium and molten-salt and improvement of its safety. The project overview is presented in this report.

KeV-region analysis of the neutron capture cross-section of Np

Rovira Leveroni, G.; Katabuchi, Tatsuya*; Tosaka, Kenichi*; Matsuura, Shota*; Kodama, Yu*; Nakano, Hideto*; Iwamoto, Osamu; Kimura, Atsushi; Nakamura, Shoji; Iwamoto, Nobuyuki

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 59(1), p.110 - 122, 2022/01

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2021.1954104

Validation study of SAS4A code for the unprotected loss-of-flow accident in an SFR

Ishida, Shinya; Kawada, Kenichi; Fukano, Yoshitaka

Mechanical Engineering Journal (Internet), 7(3), p.19-00523_1 - 19-00523_17, 2020/06

https://doi.org/10.1299/mej.19-00523

The Phenomena Identification and Ranking Table (PIRT) approach was applied to the validation of SAS4A code in order to indicate the reliability of SAS4A code sufficiently and objectively. Based on this approach, issue and objective were clarified, plant design and scenario were defined, FOM and key phenomena were selected, and the code validation test matrix was completed with the results of investigation about analysis models and test cases. The results of the test analysis corresponding to this matrix show that the SAS4A models required for the IP evaluation were sufficiently validated. Furthermore, the validation with this matrix is highly reliable, since this matrix represents the comprehensive validation that also considers the relation between physical phenomena. In this study, the reliability and validity of SAS4A code were significantly enhanced by using PIRT approach to the sufficient level for CDA analyses in SFR.

A Study of probabilistic risk assessment methodology of external hazard combinations; Identification of hazard combination impacts on air-cooling decay heat removal system

Okano, Yasushi; Nishino, Hiroyuki; Yamano, Hidemasa; Kurisaka, Kenichi

Proceedings of International Topical Meeting on Probabilistic Safety Assessment and Analysis (PSA 2019), p.274 - 281, 2019/04

A sodium-cooled fast reactor uses the ambient air as an ultimate heat sink to remove decay heat, thus meteorological phenomena can potentially pose risks to the reactor. If a rare and intense external hazard occurs concurrently with another external hazard, it would affect the systems (i.e. air cooler of decay heat removal system). In this study, a new scheme of screening of the external hazard combinations was proposed. The authors classified simultaneous or sequential combinational hazards, and identified associated potential effects in terms of hazard duration and sequential order. As a result, this study identified scenarios of the external hazard combinations of preceding rare and intense external hazard with an following additional external hazard.

Level 1 PRA for external vessel storage tank of Japan sodium-cooled fast reactor in scheduled refueling

Yamano, Hidemasa; Naruto, Kenichi*; Kurisaka, Kenichi; Nishino, Hiroyuki; Okano, Yasushi

Proceedings of 26th International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (ICONE-26) (Internet), 9 Pages, 2018/07

Spent fuels are transferred from a reactor core to a spent fuel pool through an external vessel storage tank (EVST) filled with sodium in sodium-cooled fast reactors in Japan. This paper describes identification of dominant accident sequences leading to fuel failure by conducting probabilistic risk assessment for EVST designed for a next sodium-cooled fast reactor plant system in Japan to improve the EVST design. Based on the design information, this study has carried out identification of initiating events, event and fault tree analyses, human error probability analysis, and quantification of accident sequences. Fuel damage frequency of the EVST was evaluated approx. 10 /year in this paper. By considering the secondary sodium freezing, the fuel damage frequency was twice increased. The dominant accident sequence resulted from the common cause failure of the damper opening and/or the human error for the switching from the stand-by to the operation mode in the three stand-by cooling circuits. The importance analyses have indicated high risk contributions.

Level 1 PRA for external vessel storage tank of Japan sodium-cooled fast reactor in scheduled refueling

Yamano, Hidemasa; Naruto, Kenichi*; Kurisaka, Kenichi; Nishino, Hiroyuki; Okano, Yasushi

Proceedings of Asian Symposium on Risk Assessment and Management 2017 (ASRAM 2017) (USB Flash Drive), 3 Pages, 2017/11

Spent fuels are transferred from a reactor core to a spent fuel pool through an external vessel storage tank (EVST) filled with sodium in sodium-cooled fast reactors in Japan (JSFR). The objective of this study is to identify dominant accident sequences leading to fuel failure by conducting PRA for EVST. The EVST heat removal system in JSFR consists of four independent loops with for primary and secondary ones. Based on the JSFR design information, this study has identified initiating events, event and /fault tree analyses, human reliability analysis, and quantification of accident sequences. Fuel damage frequency of the EVST was evaluated approx. 10 /year in this paper. The main contributor of the fuel damage frequency is the loss of heat removal function of the cooling system. The dominant initiating event was the loss of one circuit of normal heat removal operation.

Development of risk assessment methodology against natural external hazards for sodium-cooled fast reactors; Project overview and margin assessment methodology against volcanic eruption

Yamano, Hidemasa; Nishino, Hiroyuki; Kurisaka, Kenichi; Okano, Yasushi; Sakai, Takaaki; Yamamoto, Takahiro*; Ishizuka, Yoshihiro*; Geshi, Nobuo*; Furukawa, Ryuta*; Nanayama, Futoshi*; et al.

Proceedings of 11th International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Reactor Thermal Hydraulics, Operation and Safety (NUTHOS-11) (USB Flash Drive), 12 Pages, 2016/10

This paper describes mainly volcanic margin assessment methodology development in addition to the project overview. The volcanic tephra could potentially clog filters of air-intakes that need the decay heat removal. The filter clogging can be calculated by atmospheric concentration and fallout duration of the volcanic tephra and also suction flow rate of each component. In this paper, the margin was defined as a grace period to a filter failure limit. Consideration is needed only when the grace period is shorter than the fallout duration. The margin by component was calculated using the filter failure limit and the suction flow rate of each component. The margin by sequence was evaluated based on an event tree and the margin by component. An accident management strategy was also suggested to extend the margin; for instance, manual trip of the forced circulation operation, sequential operation of three air coolers, and covering with pre-filter.

Development of risk assessment methodology of decay heat removal function against natural external hazards for sodium-cooled fast reactors; Project overview and volcanic PRA methodology

Yamano, Hidemasa; Nishino, Hiroyuki; Kurisaka, Kenichi; Okano, Yasushi; Sakai, Takaaki; Yamamoto, Takahiro*; Ishizuka, Yoshihiro*; Geshi, Nobuo*; Furukawa, Ryuta*; Nanayama, Futoshi*; et al.

Proceedings of 24th International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (ICONE-24) (DVD-ROM), 10 Pages, 2016/06

https://doi.org/10.1115/ICONE24-60023

This paper describes mainly volcanic probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) methodology development for sodium-cooled fast reactors in addition to the project overview. The volcanic ash could potentially clog air filters of air-intakes that are essential for the decay heat removal. The degree of filter clogging can be calculated by atmospheric concentration of ash and tephra fallout duration and also suction flow rate of each component. The atmospheric concentration can be calculated by deposited tephra layer thickness, tephra fallout duration and fallout speed. This study evaluated a volcanic hazard using a combination of tephra fragment size, layer thickness and duration. In this paper, each component functional failure probability was defined as a failure probability of filter replacement obtained by using a grace period to a filter failure limit. Finally, based on an event tree, a core damage frequency was estimated about 310/year in total by multiplying discrete hazard probabilities by conditional decay heat removal failure probabilities. A dominant sequence was led by the loss of decay heat removal system due to the filter clogging after the loss of emergency power supply. A dominant volcanic hazard was 10 kg/m of atmospheric concentration, 0.1 mm of tephra diameter, 50-75 cm of deposited tephra layer thickness, and 1-10 hr of tephra fallout duration.