Numerical evaluation on fluctuation absorption characteristics based on nuclear heat supply fluctuation test using HTTR

Takada, Shoji; Honda, Yuki*; Inaba, Yoshitomo; Sekita, Kenji; Nemoto, Takahiro; Tochio, Daisuke; Ishii, Toshiaki; Sato, Hiroyuki; Nakagawa, Shigeaki; Sawa, Kazuhiro*

Proceedings of 9th International Topical Meeting on High Temperature Reactor Technology (HTR 2018) (USB Flash Drive), 7 Pages, 2018/10

Nuclear heat utilization systems connected to HTGRs will be designed on the basis of non-nuclear grade standards for easy entry of chemical plant companies, requiring reactor operations to continue even if abnormal events occur in the systems. The inventory control is considered as one of candidate methods to control reactor power for load following operation for siting close to demand area, in which the primary gas pressure is varied while keeping the reactor inlet and outlet coolant temperatures constant. Numerical investigation was carried out based on the results of nuclear heat supply fluctuation tests using HTTR by non-nuclear heating operation to focus on the temperature transient of the reactor core bottom structure by imposing stepwise fluctuation on the reactor inlet temperature under different primary gas pressures below 120C. As a result, it was emerged that the fluctuation absorption characteristics are not deteriorated by lowering pressure. It was also emerged that the reactor outlet temperature did not reach the scram level by increasing the reactor inlet temperature 10 C stepwise at 80% of the rated power as same with the full power case.

Investigation of countermeasure against local temperature rise in vessel cooling system in loss of core cooling test without nuclear heating

Ono, Masato; Shimizu, Atsushi; Kondo, Makoto; Shimazaki, Yosuke; Shinohara, Masanori; Tochio, Daisuke; Iigaki, Kazuhiko; Nakagawa, Shigeaki; Takada, Shoji; Sawa, Kazuhiro

Journal of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science, 2(4), p.044502_1 - 044502_4, 2016/10

https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4032478

In the loss of forced core cooling test using High Temperature engineering Test Reactor (HTTR), the forced cooling of reactor core is stopped without inserting control rods into the core and cooling by Vessel Cooling System (VCS) to verify safety evaluation codes to investigate the inherent safety of HTGR be secured by natural phenomena to make it possible to design a severe accident free reactor. The VCS passively removes the retained residual heat and the decay heat from the core via the reactor pressure vessel by natural convection and thermal radiation. In the test, the local temperature was supposed to exceed the limit from the viewpoint of long-term use at the uncovered water cooling tube by thermal reflectors in the VCS, although the safety of reactor is kept. Through a cold test, which was carried out by non-nuclear heat input from gas circulators with stopping water flow in the VCS, the local higher temperature position was specified although the temperature was sufficiently lower than the maximum allowable working temperature, and natural circulation of water had insufficient cooling effect on the temperature of water cooling tube below 1C. Then, a new safe and secured procedure for the loss of forced core cooling test was established, which will be carried out soon after the restart of HTTR.

HTTR thermal load fluctuation test (non-nuclear heating test); Confirmation of HTGR system response against temperature transient

Honda, Yuki; Tochio, Daisuke; Nakagawa, Shigeaki; Sekita, Kenji; Homma, Fumitaka; Sawahata, Hiroaki; Sato, Hiroyuki; Sakaba, Nariaki; Takada, Shoji

JAEA-Technology 2016-016, 16 Pages, 2016/08

JAEA-Technology-2016-016.pdf:2.84MB

A system analysis code is validated with the thermal-load fluctuation absorption test with nun-nuclear heating by using the High Temperature Engineering test Reactor (HTTR) to clarify the High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (HTGR) system response against temperature transient. The thermal-load fluctuation absorption test consists on the thermal load fluctuation tests (non-nuclear heating) and heat application system abnormal simulating test (non-nuclear heating). The HTGR reactor response against temperature transient is clarified in the thermal load fluctuation test (non-nuclear heating). The Intermediate Heat Exchanger (IHX) reactor response against temperature transient is clarified in the heat application system abnormal simulating test (non-nuclear heating). With the two HTTR non-nuclear heating test, HTGR system response against temperature transient is obtained.

Validation of system analysis code with HTTR thermal load fluctuation test data (non-nuclear heating) and evaluation of reactor temperature behavior during upsets in hydrogen production plant

Honda, Yuki; Sato, Hiroyuki; Nakagawa, Shigeaki; Takada, Shoji; Tochio, Daisuke; Sakaba, Nariaki; Sawa, Kazuhiro

JAEA-Technology 2015-012, 17 Pages, 2015/06

JAEA-Technology-2015-012.pdf:11.38MB

Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) proposed a draft safety requirement, which consists of the requirements for constructing a H plant under conventional chemical plant regulations as well as the requirements for collocation of a nuclear facility and a H plant. One of the key requirements is to maintain reactor normal operation condition during every possible condition in the H plant. In order to show that the requirement can be reasonably achieved, a system analysis code is validated with the HTTR experimental data obtained in January 2015. The validated code is applied for the evaluation of a postulated abnormal event in H plant to be connected to the HTTR. The results showed that the evaluation items such as reactor power and reactor outlet coolant temperature do not exceed evaluation criteria. As a conclusion, a feasibility of H plant construction under non-nuclear regulations is validated by showing that the stable reactor operation can be achieved against temperature transients induced by abnormal conditions in the H plant.

Investigation of characteristics of natural circulation of water in vessel cooling system in loss of core cooling test without nuclear heating

Takada, Shoji; Shimizu, Atsushi; Kondo, Makoto; Shimazaki, Yosuke; Shinohara, Masanori; Seki, Tomokazu; Tochio, Daisuke; Iigaki, Kazuhiko; Nakagawa, Shigeaki; Sawa, Kazuhiro

Proceedings of 23rd International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (ICONE-23) (DVD-ROM), 5 Pages, 2015/05

In the loss of forced core cooling test using High Temperature engineering Test Reactor (HTTR), the forced cooling of reactor core is stopped without inserting control rods into the core and cooling by Vessel Cooling System (VCS) to demonstrate the inherent safety of HTGR be secured by natural phenomena to make it possible to design a severe accident free reactor. In the test, the local temperature was supposed to exceed the limit from the viewpoint of long-term use at the uncovered water cooling tube by thermal reflectors in the VCS, although the safety of reactor is kept. The local higher temperature position was specified although the temperature was sufficiently lower than the maximum allowable working temperature, and natural circulation of water had insufficient cooling effect on the temperature of water cooling tube below 1C. Then, a new safe and secured procedure for the loss of forced core cooling test was established, which will be carried out soon after the restart of HTTR.

Event structure and double helicity asymmetry in jet production from polarized collisions at = 200 GeV

Adare, A.*; Afanasiev, S.*; Aidala, C.*; Ajitanand, N. N.*; Akiba, Y.*; Al-Bataineh, H.*; Alexander, J.*; Aoki, K.*; Aphecetche, L.*; Armendariz, R.*; et al.

Physical Review D, 84(1), p.012006_1 - 012006_18, 2011/07

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.84.012006

We report on the event structure and double helicity asymmetry () of jet production in longitudinally polarized collisions at = 200 GeV. Photons and charged particles were measured by the PHENIX experiment. Event structure was compared with the results from PYTHIA event generator. The production rate of reconstructed jets is satisfactorily reproduced with the next-to-leading-order perturbative QCD calculation. We measured = -0.0014 0.0037 at the lowest bin and -0.0181 0.0282 at the highest bin. The measured is compared with the predictions that assume various distributions.

Azimuthal correlations of electrons from heavy-flavor decay with hadrons in and Au+Au collisions at = 200 GeV

Adare, A.*; Afanasiev, S.*; Aidala, C.*; Ajitanand, N. N.*; Akiba, Yasuyuki*; Al-Bataineh, H.*; Alexander, J.*; Aoki, Kazuya*; Aphecetche, L.*; Aramaki, Y.*; et al.

Physical Review C, 83(4), p.044912_1 - 044912_16, 2011/04

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.83.044912

Measurements of electrons from the decay of open-heavy-flavor mesons have shown that the yields are suppressed in Au+Au collisions compared to expectations from binary-scaled collisions. Here we extend these studies to two particle correlations where one particle is an electron from the decay of a heavy flavor meson and the other is a charged hadron from either the decay of the heavy meson or from jet fragmentation. These measurements provide more detailed information about the interaction between heavy quarks and the quark-gluon matter. We find the away-side-jet shape and yield to be modified in Au+Au collisions compared to collisions.

Measurements of neutron capture cross section of Np for fast neutrons

Harada, Hideo; Nakamura, Shoji; Hatsukawa, Yuichi; Toh, Yosuke; Kimura, Atsushi; Ishiwatari, Yuki*; Yasumi, Atsushi*; Mabuchi, Yukio*; Nakagawa, Tsutomu*; Okamura, Kazuo*; et al.

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 46(5), p.460 - 468, 2009/05

https://doi.org/10.3327/jnst.46.460

The neutron capture cross section of Np has been measured for fast neutrons supplied at the center of the core in the Yayoi reactor. The activation method was used for the measurement, in which the amount of the product Np was determined by -ray spectroscopy using a Ge detector. The representative neutron energy and the corresponding capture cross section of Np in the experiment were analytically deduced as 0.80 0.04 b at 0.214 0.009 MeV from the measured reaction rate by combining the energy dependence of the cross section in the nuclear data library ENDF/VII.0. The deduced cross section of Np at the representative neutron energy agrees with the evaluated data of ENDF/B-VII.0, but shows 15% larger value than that of JENDL-3.3 and 13% larger value than that of JENDL/AC-2008.

Investigation and design of the dismantling process of irradiation capsules containing tritium, 2; Detailed design and trial fabrication of capsule dismantling apparatus and investigation of glove box facility

Hayashi, Kimio; Nakagawa, Tetsuya; Onose, Shoji; Ishida, Takuya; Nakamichi, Masaru; Katsuyama, Kozo; Iwamatsu, Shigemi; Hasegawa, Teiji; Kodaka, Hideo; Takatsu, Hideyuki; et al.

JAEA-Technology 2009-007, 168 Pages, 2009/03

JAEA-Technology-2009-007.pdf:31.88MB

In-pile functional tests of breeding blankets have been planned by Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), using a test blanket module (TBM) which will be loaded in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). In preparation for the in-pile functional tests, JAEA has been being performed irradiation experiments of lithium titanate (LiTiO), which is the first candidate of solid breeder materials for the blanket of the demonstration reactor (DEMO) under designing in Japan. The present report describes (1) results of a detailed design and trial fabrication tests of a dismantling apparatus for irradiation capsules which were used in irradiation experiments by the Japan Materials Testing Reactor (JMTR) of JAEA, and (2) results of a preliminary investigation of a glove box facility for post-irradiation examinations (PIEs). In the detailed design of the dismantling apparatus, datailed specifications and the installation methods were examined, based on results of a conceptual design and basic design. In the trial fabrication, cutting tests were curried out by making a mockup of a cutting component. Furthermore, a preliminary investigation of a glove box facility was carried out in order to secure a facility for PIE work after the capsule dismantling, which revealed a technical feasibility.

Investigation and design of the dismantling process of irradiation capsules containing tritium, 1; Conceptual investigation and basic design

Hayashi, Kimio; Nakagawa, Tetsuya; Onose, Shoji; Ishida, Takuya; Kodaka, Hideo; Katsuyama, Kozo; Kitajima, Toshio; Takahashi, Kozo; Tsuchiya, Kunihiko; Nakamichi, Masaru; et al.

JAEA-Technology 2008-010, 68 Pages, 2008/03

JAEA-Technology-2008-010.pdf:11.31MB

In-pile functional tests of breeding blankets for fusion reactors have been planned by Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), using a test blanket module (TBM) which will be loaded in ITER. The present report describes a conceptual investigation and a basic design of the dismantling process for irradiation capsules which were used in irradiation experiments by the Japan Materials Testing Reactor (JMTR) of JAEA. In the present design, the irradiation capsule is cut by a band saw; the released tritium is recovered safely by a purge-gas system, and is consolidated into a radioactive waste form. Furthermore, adoption of the inner-box enclosing the dismantling apparatus has brought a prospect to be able to utilize an existing hot cell (beta- cell) equipped with usual wall material permeable to tritium, without extensive refurbishing of the cell. Thus, the present study has indicated the feasibility of the present dismantling process for the irradiated JMTR capsules containing tritium.