Summary report in FY2022 of subsidy program for "the Project of Decommissioning and Contaminated Water Management (Development of Analysis and Estimation Technology for Characterization of Fuel Debris (Development of Technologies for Enhanced Analysis Accuracy, Thermal behavior Estimation, and Simplified Analysis of Fuel Debris)" started in FY2011

Koyama, Shinichi; Ikeuchi, Hirotomo; Mitsugi, Takeshi; Maeda, Koji; Sasaki, Shinji; Onishi, Takashi; Tsai, T.-H.; Takano, Masahide; Fukaya, Hiroyuki; Nakamura, Satoshi; et al.

Hairo, Osensui, Shorisui Taisaku Jigyo Jimukyoku Homu Peji (Internet), 216 Pages, 2023/11

https://en.dccc-program.jp/wp-content/uploads/20231117_JAEA.pdf

In FY 2021 and 2022, JAEA perfomed the subsidy program for "the Project of Decommissioning and Contaminated Water Management (Development of Analysis and Estimation Technology for Characterization of Fuel Debris (Development of Technologies for Enhanced Analysis Accuracy, Thermal Bahavior Estimation, and Simplified Analysis of Fuel Debris)" started in FY 2021. This presentation material summarized the results of the project, which will be available shortly on the website of Management Office for the Project of Decommissioning, Contaminated Water and Treated Water Management.

Orientation dependence of yield strength in a new single crystal-like FeCrAl oxide dispersion strengthened alloy

Aghamiri, S. M. S.*; Sugawara, Naoya*; Ukai, Shigeharu; Ono, Naoko*; Sakamoto, Kan*; Yamashita, Shinichiro

Materials Characterization, 176, p.111043_1 - 111043_6, 2021/06

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matchar.2021.111043

Advanced oxidation-resistant FeCrAl ODS alloys were developed via the control of composition-processing conditions for the accident tolerant fuel (ATF) cladding. For the first time, a single-crystal like recrystallized FeCrAl ODS alloy was achieved with a unique crystallographic texture of 110-plane and 211-direction and a high number density of fine nanoscale oxide particles. Evaluation of yield strengths at different temperatures showed higher values in transverse (T) direction than longitudinal (L) direction. The crystal orientation dependence of the yield strength up to 800C was attributed to lower value of Schmid factor in transverse direction. Accordingly, the critical resolved shear stress of this practical class of advanced materials was calculated in various temperatures.

"J-PARC Hello Science" outreach activity of J-PARC Center

Sakamoto, Shinichi

JAEA-Review 2020-014, 63 Pages, 2020/09

JAEA-Review-2020-014.pdf:9.8MB

J-PARC Center has been promoting several public relations activities to appeal the cutting-edge research programs and their outputs to the citizen, especially in Ibaraki prefecture and Tokai village. The Public Relations Section put weight to outreach events as the best tool for this purpose, such as site tour, open house, and summer school. Here the outreach activities are summarized mainly from FY2012 to FY2019.

Microstructure and texture evolution and ring-tensile properties of recrystallized FeCrAl ODS cladding tubes

Aghamiri, S. M. S.*; Sowa, Takashi*; Ukai, Shigeharu*; Ono, Naoko*; Sakamoto, Kan*; Yamashita, Shinichiro

Materials Science & Engineering A, 771, p.138636_1 - 138636_12, 2020/01

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msea.2019.138636

Oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) FeCrAl ferritic steels are being developed as potential accident tolerance fuel cladding materials for the light water reactors (LWRs) due to significant improvement in steam oxidation by alumina forming scale and good mechanical properties up to high temperatures. In this study, the microstructural characteristics and tensile properties of the two FeCrAl ODS cladding tubes with different extrusion temperatures of 1100C and 1150C were investigated during processing conditions. While the hot extruded sample showed micron sized elongated grains with strong -fiber in 110 texture, cold pilger rolling process change the microstructure to submicron/micron size grain structure along with texture evolution to both -fiber (110 texture) and -fiber ({111} texture) via crystalline rotations. Subsequently, final annealing resulted in evolution of microstructure to large grain recrystallized structure starting at recrystallization temperature of 810-850C. Two distinct texture development happened in recrystallized cladding tubes, i.e., only large elongated grains of (110) 211 texture following extrusion temperature of 1100C; and two texture components of (110) 211 and {111} 112 following higher extrusion temperature of 1150C. The different texture development and retarding of recrystallization progress in 1100C-extruded cladding tubes were attributed to higher distribution of oxide particles.

Electronic structure of the high- ferromagnetic semiconductor (Ga,Fe)Sb; X-ray magnetic circular dichroism and resonance photoemission spectroscopy studies

Sakamoto, Shoya*; Tu, N. T.*; Takeda, Yukiharu; Fujimori, Shinichi; Hai, P. N.*; Anh, L. D.*; Wakabayashi, Yuki*; Shibata, Goro*; Horio, Masafumi*; Ikeda, Keisuke*; et al.

Physical Review B, 100(3), p.035204_1 - 035204_8, 2019/07

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.100.035204

Corrosion behaviour of FeCrAl-ODS steels in nitric acid solutions with several temperatures

Takahatake, Yoko; Ambai, Hiromu; Sano, Yuichi; Takeuchi, Masayuki; Koizumi, Kenji; Sakamoto, Kan*; Yamashita, Shinichiro

Proceedings of Annual Topical Meeting on Reactor Fuel Performance (TopFuel 2018) (Internet), 9 Pages, 2018/10

https://euronuclear.org/events/topfuel/topfuel2018/fullpapers/TopFuel2018-A0080-fullpaper.pdf

The corrosion behaviour of FeCrAl-ODS steels for the accident tolerant fuel cladding of LWRs were investigated in nitric acid solutions for the reprocessing process of spent fuels. The corrosion tests were carried out at 60C, 80C and the boiling point of the solutions, and the specimens were then analysed by XPS. The corrosion remarkably progressed at the boiling point, and the highest corrosion rate was 0.22 mm/y. In the oxide film, the atomic concentration of Fe was lower, than that in the base material, and those of Cr and Al were higher. The results show that the corrosion of FeCrAl-ODS steels in hot nitric acid solution is not severe because of the high corrosion resistance of the oxide film formed on the material; hence, the corrosion resistance of the new cladding materials in the dissolution process of spent fuel is acceptable for reprocessing operations.

Analytical study of the applicability of FeCrAl-ODS cladding for BWR

Takano, Sho*; Kusagaya, Kazuyuki*; Goto, Daisuke*; Sakamoto, Kan*; Yamashita, Shinichiro

Proceedings of 2017 Water Reactor Fuel Performance Meeting (WRFPM 2017) (USB Flash Drive), 10 Pages, 2017/09

http://www.wrfpm2017.org/upload/draft_file/F-032-PD1.pdf

We focused on one of accident tolerant fuel (ATF) materials, Oxide Dispersion Strengthened Fe-Cr-Al Steel (FeCrAl-ODS). There is a reasonable prospect that FeCrAl-ODS is applied to BWRs, but relatively high neutron absorption should be compensated. To decrease adverse neutron economic impact, thin FeCrAl-ODS cladding was designed, and we evaluated characteristics of a core into which 99 Advanced BWR (ABWR) bundles with thin FeCrAl-ODS claddings were loaded. Thin FeCrAl-ODS water rods and channel boxes were also applied. We confirmed that FeCrAl-ODS core reactivity was sufficient by increasing enrichment of UO fuel under the limit of 5 wt%. Moreover, some representative FeCrAl-ODS core characteristics were comparable to zircaloy core. We also confirmed that fuel thermal-mechanical behaviors of thin FeCrAl-ODS cladding at normal operation and transient conditions were acceptable. These results led to a conclusion that FeCrAl-ODS was applicable to BWR in the analysis range of this study.

FEMAXI-7 prediction of the behavior of BWR-type accident tolerant fuel rod with FeCrAl-ODS steel cladding in normal condition

Yamaji, Akifumi*; Yamasaki, Daiki*; Okada, Tomoya*; Sakamoto, Kan*; Yamashita, Shinichiro

Proceedings of 2017 Water Reactor Fuel Performance Meeting (WRFPM 2017) (USB Flash Drive), 10 Pages, 2017/09

http://www.wrfpm2017.org/upload/draft_file/F-043-PD4.pdf

Features of the accident tolerant fuel performance were evaluated with FEMAXI-7 when the current Zircaloy(Zry) cladding is replaced with FeCrAl-ODS steel cladding (a type of oxide dispersion strengthened steel being developed under the Project on Development of Technical Basis for Safety Improvement at Nuclear Power Plants by Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) of Japan) for BWR 99 type fuel rod. In particular, influences of the creep strain rate and thickness of the ODS cladding on the fuel temperature, fission gas release rate (FGR) and pellet-cladding mechanical interaction (PCMI) are investigated.

Technical basis of accident tolerant fuel updated under a Japanese R&D project

Yamashita, Shinichiro; Nagase, Fumihisa; Kurata, Masaki; Nozawa, Takashi; Watanabe, Seiichi*; Kirimura, Kazuki*; Kakiuchi, Kazuo*; Kondo, Takao*; Sakamoto, Kan*; Kusagaya, Kazuyuki*; et al.

Proceedings of 2017 Water Reactor Fuel Performance Meeting (WRFPM 2017) (USB Flash Drive), 10 Pages, 2017/09

In Japan, the research and development (R&D) project on accident tolerant fuel and other components (ATFs) of light water reactors (LWRs) has been initiated in 2015 for establishing technical basis of ATFs. The Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has coordinated and carried out this ATF R&D project in cooperation with power plant providers, fuel venders and universities for making the best use of the experiences, knowledges in commercial uses of zirconium-base alloys (Zircaloy) in LWRs. ATF candidate materials under consideration in the project are FeCrAl steel strengthened by dispersion of fine oxide particles(FeCrAl-ODS) and silicon carbide (SiC) composite, and are expecting to endure severe accident conditions in the reactor core for a longer period of time than the Zircaloy while maintaining or improving fuel performance during normal operations. In this paper, the progresses of the R&D project are reported.

Origin of robust nanoscale ferromagnetism in Fe-doped Ge revealed by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and first-principles calculation

Sakamoto, Shoya*; Wakabayashi, Yuki*; Takeda, Yukiharu; Fujimori, Shinichi; Suzuki, Hakuto*; Ban, Yoshisuke*; Yamagami, Hiroshi; Tanaka, Masaaki*; Oya, Shinobu*; Fujimori, Atsushi*

Physical Review B, 95(7), p.075203_1 - 075203_5, 2017/02

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.95.075203