Effect of coolant water temperature of emergency core cooling system on failure probability of reactor pressure vessel

Lu, K.; 勝山 仁哉; 眞崎 浩一; 渡辺 正*; Li, Y.

Journal of Pressure Vessel Technology, 143(3), p.031704_1 - 031704_8, 2021/06

https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4049048

Structural integrity assessment of reactor pressure vessel (RPV) is important for the safe operation of nuclear power plant. For an RPV in a pressurized water reactor (PWR), pressurized thermal shock (PTS) resulted from rapid coolant water injection due to a loss-of-coolant accident is an issue of particular concern. The coolant water temperature in the emergency core cooling system (ECCS) can influence the integrity of RPV subjected to PTS events; thus, this paper is focused on investigating the effect of coolant water temperature of ECCS on failure probability of an RPV. First, thermal-hydraulic (TH) analyses were conducted for a Japanese PWR model plant by using RELAP5, and different coolant water temperatures in ECCS were considered to investigate the effect of coolant water temperature on TH behaviors during a PTS event. Using the TH analysis results, probabilistic fracture mechanics (PFM) analyses were performed for the RPV of the Japanese model plant. Based on the PFM analysis results, the effect of coolant water temperature on failure probability of the RPV was quantified.

Stress intensity factor solutions for surface cracks with large aspect ratios in cylinders and plates

Zhang, T.; Lu, K.; 勝山 仁哉; Li, Y.

International Journal of Pressure Vessels and Piping, 189, p.104262_1 - 104262_12, 2021/02

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpvp.2020.104262

In recent years, a large number of surface cracks caused by stress corrosion cracking (SCC) have been reported in dissimilar metal welds of light water reactors. For some of these cracks, the depth (a) is greater than the half-length (). Upon the detection of cracks, the integrity of cracked components should be assessed in accordance with the fitness-for-service (FFS) codes such as the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Section XI or JSME code of Rules on Fitness-for-Service for Nuclear Power Plants. Current FFS codes provide SIF solutions of surface cracks with small aspect ratios (i.e. 0.5) only. For the integrity assessment of components with surface cracks of large aspect ratios (i.e. 0.5), it is necessary to develop the SIF solutions for those cracks. This study calculates the SIF solutions of surface cracks with aspect ratios of 0.5 4 in both cylinders and plates by characterizing the cracks as rectangular shaped ones. Finite element simulations are performed to develop the database of SIF solutions for rectangular shaped surface cracks subjected to a 4th order polynomial stress distribution. Additionally, the universal weight function method (UWFM) in calculating the SIF solutions of rectangular shaped surface cracks with large aspect ratios is investigated. Example SIF calculations for rectangular shaped surface cracks subject to residual stress were conducted using the UWFM. The SIF solutions calculated by the UWFM are compared with those from the finite element simulations to show the effectiveness of the UWFM.

Quasifree neutron knockout reaction reveals a small -Orbital component in the Borromean nucleus B

Yang, Z. H.*; 久保田 悠樹*; Corsi, A.*; 吉田 数貴; Sun, X.-X.*; Li, J. G.*; 木村 真明*; Michel, N.*; 緒方 一介*; Yuan, C. X.*; et al.

Physical Review Letters, 126(8), p.082501_1 - 082501_8, 2021/02

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.126.082501

ボロミアン核であり中性子ハロー構造が期待されるBに対する(,)反応実験を行った。断面積の運動量分布を分析することで、と軌道の分光学的因子を決定した。驚くべきことに、の分光学的因子は9(2)%と小さいことが明らかになった。この結果は、連続状態を含むdeformed relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov理論によってよく説明された。本研究の結果によると、現在知られているハロー構造を持つとされる原子核の中でBはおよび軌道の成分が最も小さく、または軌道成分が支配的であることが必ずしもハロー構造の前提条件ではない可能性を示唆している。

Extension of PASCAL4 code for probabilistic fracture mechanics analysis of reactor pressure vessel in boiling water reactor

Lu, K.; 勝山 仁哉; Li, Y.

Proceedings of ASME 2020 Pressure Vessels and Piping Conference (PVP 2020) (Internet), 10 Pages, 2020/08

https://doi.org/10.1115/PVP2020-21421

In Japan, Japan Atomic Energy Agency has developed a probabilistic fracture mechanics (PFM) analysis code, PASCAL4, for probabilistic evaluation of reactor pressure vessels (RPVs) in pressurized water reactors (PWRs) considering neutron irradiation embrittlement and pressurized thermal shock (PTS) events. Besides severe PTS events, however, transients associated with normal operations, such as the cooldown and heatup transients associated with reactor shutdown and startup, respectively, should also be considered in the integrity assessment of RPVs in both PWRs and boiling water reactors (BWRs). With regard to a heatup transient, because temperature is at its minimum, and tensile stress at its maximum on the RPV outer surface, outer surface crack and embedded crack near the RPV outer surface should be taken into account. To extend the applicability of PASCAL4, we improved the code to include analysis functions for these cracks. The improved PASCAL4 can be used to run PFM analyses of RPVs subjected to both cooldown (including PTS) and heatup transients. In this paper, improvements made to PASCAL4 are firstly described, including the incorporated stress intensity factor solutions and the corresponding calculation methods for vessel outer surface crack and embedded crack near the outer surface. Using the improved PASCAL4, PFM analysis examples for a Japanese BWR-type model RPV subjected to thermal transients including a low temperature overpressure event and a heatup transient are presented.

Recent verification activities on probabilistic fracture mechanics analysis code PASCAL4 for reactor pressure vessel

Lu, K.; 勝山 仁哉; Li, Y.; 宮本 裕平*; 廣田 貴俊*; 板橋 遊*; 永井 政貴*; 鈴木 雅秀*; 関東 康祐*

Mechanical Engineering Journal (Internet), 7(3), p.19-00573_1 - 19-00573_14, 2020/06

https://doi.org/10.1299/mej.19-00573

Probabilistic fracture mechanics (PFM) is considered a promising methodology in assessing the integrity of structural components in nuclear power plants because it can rationally represent the influence parameters in their probabilistic distributions without over-conservativeness. In Japan, Japan Atomic Energy Agency has developed a PFM analysis code PASCAL4 (PFM Analysis of Structural Components in Aging LWRs Version 4) which enables the probabilistic integrity assessment of reactor pressure vessels (RPVs) considering neutron irradiation embrittlement and pressurized thermal shock events. Several efforts have been made to verify PASCAL4 to ensure that this code can provide reliable analysis results. In particular, a Japanese working group, which consists of different participants from the industry and from universities and institutes, has been established to conduct the verification studies. This paper summarizes verification activities of the working group in the past two years. Based on those verification activities, the reliability and applicability of PASCAL4 for structural integrity assessments of Japanese RPVs have been confirmed with great confidence.

Shell structure of the neutron-rich isotopes Co

Lokotko, T.*; Leblond, S.*; Lee, J.*; Doornenbal, P.*; Obertelli, A.*; Poves, A.*; Nowacki, F.*; 緒方 一介*; 吉田 数貴; Authelet, G.*; et al.

Physical Review C, 101(3), p.034314_1 - 034314_7, 2020/03

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.101.034314

中性子過剰核であるCoに対する()ノックアウト反応が理化学研究所RIBFで測定された。 coincidenceの方法で準位構造が決定され、測定された包括的断面積および排他的断面積から暫定的ではあるがスピン・パリティが決定された。殻模型計算との比較により、Coの低励起状態には球形核と変形核が共存することが示唆された。

Fine structure in the decay of U

Sun, M. D.*; Liu, Z.*; Huang, T. H.*; Zhang, W. Q.*; Andreyev, A. N.; Ding, B.*; Wang, J. G.*; Liu, X. Y.*; Lu, H. Y.*; Hou, D. S.*; et al.

Physics Letters B, 800, p.135096_1 - 135096_5, 2020/01

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physletb.2019.135096

Fine structure in the decay of U was observed in the fusion-evaporation reaction Re(Ar,p3n) by using fast digital pulse processing technique. Two -decay branches of U feeding the ground state and 244 keV excited state of Th were identified by establishing the decay chain UThRaRn. The -particle energy for the ground-state to ground-state transition of U was determined to be 8993(17) keV, 213 keV higher than the previous value, the half-life was updated to be 62s. Evolution of nuclear structure for =131 even- isotones from Po to U was discussed in the frameworks of nuclear mass and reduced -decay width, a weakening octupole deformation in the ground state of U relative to its lighter isotones Ra and Th was suggested.

Effect of coolant water temperature of ECCS on failure probability of RPV

勝山 仁哉; 眞崎 浩一; Lu, K.; 渡辺 正*; Li, Y.

Proceedings of 2019 ASME Pressure Vessels and Piping Conference (PVP 2019) (Internet), 7 Pages, 2019/07

加圧水型原子炉の原子炉圧力容器(RPV)において、非常用炉心冷却系(ECCS)の冷却材の温度が加圧熱衝撃(PTS)事象時のRPVの構造健全性に影響する可能性がある。PTS事象時の熱衝撃の影響を低減することを目的とした緩和措置として、ECCSの冷却水温度を上げることに着目し、国内の代表的な高経年化したPWRプラントを対象に、システム解析コードRELAP5及び確率論的破壊力学(PFM)解析コードPASCAL4を用いた熱水力解析及びPFM解析を実施した。その結果、高圧注入系と低圧注入系(HPI/LPI)の冷却水温度のみを上昇させた場合には破損確率の低減に効果はない。一方、HPI/LPI及び蓄圧系の冷却水温度を上昇させた場合にはRPVの破損確率が大きく低減することを示した。

Observation of and

Lu, P.-C.*; 谷田 聖; Belle Collaboration*; 他203名*

Physical Review D, 99(3), p.032003_1 - 032003_9, 2019/02

AA2019-0533.pdf:1.04MB

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.99.032003

We report the study of and using a pair data sample recorded on the resonance with the Belle detector at KEKB. These include the observations of decay modes with the corresponding branching fractions () , () , () and () , where denotes the decay branching fraction and the intermediate resonance decays are excluded in the four-body decay measurements.

Stratification break-up by a diffuse buoyant jet; A CFD benchmark exercise

Studer, E.*; 安部 諭; Andreani, M.*; Bharj, J. S.*; Gera, B.*; Ishay, L.*; Kelm, S.*; Kim, J.*; Lu, Y.*; Paliwal, P.*; et al.

Proceedings of 12th International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Reactor Thermal-Hydraulics, Operation and Safety (NUTHOS-12) (USB Flash Drive), 16 Pages, 2018/10

Nuclear engineering research groups were interested in the phenomena of the interaction between a rising jet and a stratified layer located above in order to better understand the underlying mechanisms of hydrogen accumulation and dispersion in a nuclear reactor containment. Previous studies were performed with an upward jet of fluid heavier or lighter than the upper stratified layer. However, in real configurations i.e. the inner part of a nuclear containment, obstacles such as pipes, components as pumps or reservoirs and walls are present, and they can dissipate the initial momentum of the gas release. Consequently, the upward flow pattern can be considered "diffuse" and buoyant, neither pure jet nor pure plume. Therefore, this challenging issue was part of a project called HYMERES, which was launched and conducted in the OECD/NEA framework. Dedicated experiments were performed to study the interaction between a diffuse buoyant jet and two-layer stratification. In the large-scale MISTRA facility, the HM1-1 test series were conducted in which the erosive flow pattern came from a horizontal hot air jet impinging on a vertical cylinder. These experimental results were offered for a blind and open benchmark exercise.