Optimization of mercury flow with microbubbles in the target-vessel design by means of machine learning

Kogawa, Hiroyuki; Futakawa, Masatoshi; Haga, Katsuhiro; Tsuzuki, Takayuki*; Murai, Tetsuro*

JAEA-Technology 2022-023, 128 Pages, 2022/11

JAEA-Technology-2022-023.pdf:9.0MB

In a mercury target of the J-PARC (Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex), pulsed proton beams repeatedly bombard the flowing mercury which is confined in a stainless-steel vessel (target vessel). Cavitation damage caused by the propagation of the pressure waves is a factor of the life of the target vessel. As a measure to reduce damages, we developed a bubbler to inject the gas microbubbles into the flowing mercury, which can reduce the pressure waves. To operate the mercury target vessel stably with the 1 MW high-intensity proton beams, further reduction of the damage is required. The bubbler setting position should be closer to the beam window to increase the bubble population, which could enhance the reduction effect on the pressure waves and damage. However, the space at the beam window of the target vessel is restricted. The bubbler design and setting position as well as the vane design for the mercury flowing pattern are optimized by means of a machine learning technique to get more suitable bubble distribution, increasing in bubble population and optimizing bubble size nearby the beam window of the target vessel. The results of CFD analyses performed with 1000 cases were used for machine learning. Since the flow rate of mercury affects the temperature of the target vessel, this was used for the constraint condition. As a result, we found a design of mercury target vessel that can increase the bubble population by ca. 20% higher than the current design.

Development of the simplified boiling model applied to the large-scale detailed simulation

Ono, Ayako; Yamashita, Susumu; Sakashita, Hiroto*; Suzuki, Takayuki*; Yoshida, Hiroyuki

Proceedings of 13th International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Reactor Thermal-Hydraulics, Operation and Safety (NUTHOS-13) (Internet), 12 Pages, 2022/09

Japan Atomic Energy Agency is developing the computational fluid dynamics code, JUPITER, based on the volume of fluid (VOF) method to analyze detailed thermal-hydraulics in a reactor. The detailed numerical simulation of boiling from a heating surface needs a substantial computational cost to resolve the microscale thermal-hydraulic phenomena such as the bubble generation from a cavity and evaporation of a micro-layer. This study developed the simplified boiling model from the heating surface to reduce the computational cost, which will apply to the detailed simulation code based on the surface tracking method such as JUPITER. We applied the simplified boiling model to JUPITER, and compared the simulation results with the experimental data of the vertical heating surface in the forced convection. We confirmed the degree of their reproducibility, and the issues to be modified were extracted.

Numerical simulation of two-phase flow in fuel assemblies with a spacer grid using a mechanistically based method

Ono, Ayako; Yamashita, Susumu; Suzuki, Takayuki*; Yoshida, Hiroyuki

Proceedings of 19th International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Reactor Thermal Hydraulics (NURETH-19) (Internet), 16 Pages, 2022/03

JAEA is developing the methodology to predict the critical heat flux based on a mechanism in order to reduce the cost for full mock-up test. The evaluation method based on a mechanism is expected to be able to predict in the wide range of parameter under the unexpected conditions including the severe accident. In this study, the JUPITER code developed by JAEA is examined to apply for the two-phase flow simulation of LWR fuel assembly with the spacer grid. The benchmark data of single-phase flow in the bundle with the spacers by KAERI were used to validate the simulation result by JUPITER. Moreover, the single-phase flow simulation was conducted by another simulation method, STAR-CCM+, as a supplemental analysis to consider the effect of the different simulation methods. Finally, the two-phase flow simulation for the bundle with the spacer was conducted by JUPITER. The effect of the spacer with a vane on the bubble behavior is discussed.

Practical tests of neutron transmission imaging with a superconducting kinetic-inductance sensor

Vu, TheDang; Shishido, Hiroaki*; Aizawa, Kazuya; Kojima, Kenji M*; Koyama, Tomio*; Oikawa, Kenichi; Harada, Masahide; Oku, Takayuki; Soyama, Kazuhiko; Miyajima, Shigeyuki*; et al.

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A, 1006, p.165411_1 - 165411_8, 2021/08

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2021.165411

Development of spin-contrast-variation neutron powder diffractometry for extracting the structure factor of hydrogen atoms

Miura, Daisuke*; Kumada, Takayuki; Sekine, Yurina; Motokawa, Ryuhei; Nakagawa, Hiroshi; Oba, Yojiro; Ohara, Takashi; Takata, Shinichi; Hiroi, Kosuke; Morikawa, Toshiaki*; et al.

Journal of Applied Crystallography, 54(2), p.454 - 460, 2021/04

AA2020-0724.pdf:2.05MB

https://doi.org/10.1107/S1600576721000303

We developed a spin-contrast-variation neutron powder diffractometry technique that extracts the structure factor of hydrogen atoms, namely, the contribution of hydrogen atoms to a crystal structure factor. Crystals of L-glutamic acid were dispersed in a dpolystyrene matrix containing 4-methacryloyloxy-2,2,6,6,-tetramethyl-1-piperidinyloxy (TEMPO methacrylate) to polarize their proton spins dynamically. The intensities of the diffraction peaks of the sample changed according to the proton polarization, and the structure factor of the hydrogen atoms was extracted from the proton-polarization dependent intensities. This technique is expected to enable analyses of the structures of hydrogen-containing materials that are difficult to determine with conventional powder diffractometry.

Homogeneity of neutron transmission imaging over a large sensitive area with a four-channel superconducting detector

Vu, TheDang; Shishido, Hiroaki*; Kojima, Kenji M*; Koyama, Tomio*; Oikawa, Kenichi; Harada, Masahide; Miyajima, Shigeyuki*; Oku, Takayuki; Soyama, Kazuhiko; Aizawa, Kazuya; et al.

Superconductor Science and Technology, 34(1), p.015010_1 - 015010_10, 2021/01

https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6668/abc2af

Development of spin-contrast-variation neutron reflectometry for structural analyses of multilayer films

Kumada, Takayuki; Miura, Daisuke*; Akutsu, Kazuhiro*; Suzuki, Junichi*; Torikai, Naoya*

Hamon, 30(4), p.207 - 211, 2020/11

We developed a technique of spin-contrast-variation neutron reflectivity (SCV-NR) for structural analyses of multilayer films. The SCV-NR curves of the polystyrene monolayer film were precisely reproduced using a common set of structural parameters and neutron scattering length density at each proton polarization. This result ensures that SCV-NR curves are not deformed by inhomogeneous PH due to the spin-diffusion mechanism. The number of structural parameters of the lamellar microphase-separated poly(styrene-block-isoprene) thin film is too large to determine with a single unpolarized reflectivity curve only. However, these parameters converged through the global analysis of the SCV-NR curves. In this manner, SCV-NR determines the structure of multilayer films while excluding the incorrect structural model that accidentally accounts for a single unpolarized reflectivity curve only.

JAEA activities related to the use of computer programs and databases in the nuclear field

Suzuki, Yoshio; Otani, Takayuki; Sakamoto, Kensaku; Takakura, Masahiro*; Kuwabara, Yasuhiro*

Proceedings of Joint International Conference on Supercomputing in Nuclear Applications + Monte Carlo 2020 (SNA + MC 2020), p.287 - 294, 2020/10

HPC Technology Promotion Office, Center for Computational Science and e-systems (CCSE) of Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) is responsible for the administration of computer programs (CPs) and databases (DBs) developed in JAEA to disseminate R&D results in JAEA to the outside and improve R&D efficiency. The information of these CPs and DBs can be found using Program and Database retrieval System (PRODAS) (https://prodas.jaea.go.jp), which is developed by our team. Those in Japan can also obtain CPs and DBs in the nuclear field possessed in OECD NEA Data Bank (NEADB), Radiation Safety Information Computational Center (RSICC) in the United States, and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). In this paper, the recent situation of possession and dispatch of CPs and DBs developed within JAEA and the frameworks to obtain and provide CPs and DBs in nuclear field worldwide are presented.

Numerical simulation of two-phase flow in 44 simulated bundle

Ono, Ayako; Yamashita, Susumu; Suzuki, Takayuki*; Yoshida, Hiroyuki

Mechanical Engineering Journal (Internet), 7(3), p.19-00583_1 - 19-00583_12, 2020/06

https://doi.org/10.1299/mej.19-00583

JAEA is implementing the 3D detailed nuclear-thermal-coupled analysis code to analyze the transition state of the core and to reduce the likelihood of the design. In the development plan, the computational fluid dynamics code based on the VOF method, JUPITER, is applied for TH part of the 3D detailed nuclear-thermal-coupled analysis code.

Development of spin-contrast-variation neutron reflectometry for the structural analysis of multilayer films

Kumada, Takayuki; Akutsu, Kazuhiro*; Oishi, Kazuki*; Morikawa, Toshiaki*; Kawamura, Yukihiko*; Sahara, Masae*; Suzuki, Junichi*; Torikai, Naoya*

Journal of Applied Crystallography, 52(5), p.1054 - 1060, 2019/10

AA2018-0116.pdf:0.86MB

https://doi.org/10.1107/S1600576719010616

We developed a technique of spin-contrast-variation neutron reflectometry (SCV-NR). Polarized-neutron reflectivity curves of film samples vary as a function of their proton-polarization P. The P-dependent reflectivity curves of a polystyrene film was precisely reproduced using a common set of structure parameters and the P-dependent neutron scattering length. The reflectivity curve of poly (styrene-block-isoprene) (PSPI) presented a shoulder attributed to holes with the depth corresponding to one period of periodic lamellae on the free surface only at a specific P. In this way, structural information about specific surfaces or interfaces can be obtained by controlling the P.