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Tobita, Yoshiharu; Tagami, Hirotaka; Ishida, Shinya; Onoda, Yuichi; Sogabe, Joji; Okano, Yasushi
IAEA-TECDOC-2079, p.72 - 84, 2025/00
Since the fast reactor core is not in the maximum reactivity configuration, a hypothetical core disruptive accident could lead to the prompt criticality due to a change in the core material configuration, and the resulting energy generation has been one of the issues in fast reactor safety, and therefore appropriate measures are needed to mitigate and contain the effect of energy generated in the accident. In order to assess the effectiveness of these mitigative measures, a set of computer codes to analyze the event progressions and energy generation behavior in the ATWS of fast reactors have been developed, maintained, and improved under international collaboration in JAEA. Since the important physical phenomena, which govern the event progression, vary along with the progression of the accident, the whole accident process is divided into several phases in the analysis of accident, and dedicated analysis methods for each phase are provided to analyze the event progression in each phase. The organization and overview of these analysis methods are described in this paper. As a representative example of the validation approaches in applying these analysis methods to the reactor safety assessment in licensing procedure in Japan, the validation studies to confirm the applicability to reactor analysis of the SIMMER code for analyzing core material movement and reactor power, which is important to analyze the energy generation in the accident, are presented in the paper. The validation studies of the SIMMER code confirmed the applicability of SIMMER to the reactor analysis, while the critical phenomena that the effect of their uncertainty in the reactor analysis should be checked were also recognized.
Wen, J.*; Kamada, Yuto*; Yokoyama, Kosei*; Matsumoto, Tatsuya*; Liu, W.*; Morita, Koji*; Imaizumi, Yuya; Tagami, Hirotaka; Matsuba, Kenichi; Kamiyama, Kenji
Proceedings of 13th Korea-Japan Symposium on Nuclear Thermal Hydraulics and Safety (NTHAS13) (Internet), 8 Pages, 2024/11
Wen, J.*; Kamada, Yuto*; Yokoyama, Kosei*; Matsumoto, Tatsuya*; Liu, W.*; Morita, Koji*; Imaizumi, Yuya; Tagami, Hirotaka; Matsuba, Kenichi; Kamiyama, Kenji
Proceedings of 31st International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (ICONE31) (Internet), 8 Pages, 2024/11
Kondo, Satoru; Tobita, Yoshiharu*; Morita, Koji*; Kamiyama, Kenji; Yamano, Hidemasa; Suzuki, Toru*; Tagami, Hirotaka; Sogabe, Joji; Ishida, Shinya
JAEA-Research 2024-008, 235 Pages, 2024/10
JAEA-Research-2024-008.pdf:4.77MB
The SIMMER-III and SIMMER-IV computer codes, developed at the Japan Atomic Energy Agency are the codes with two- and three-dimensional, multi-field, multi-component fluid-dynamics models, coupled with a space- and time-dependent neutron kinetics model. The codes have been used widely for simulating complex phenomena during core-disruptive accidents in liquid-metal fast reactors. Advanced features of the codes in comparison with the former codes include: stable and robust fluid-dynamics algorithm with up to 8 velocity fields, improved representation of structures and multi-phase flow topology, comprehensive treatment of complex heat and mass transfer processes, accurate analytic equations of state, a stable and efficient neutron flux shape solution method and decay heat model. This report describes the models and methods of SIMMER-III and SIMMER-IV. For those individual models, the details of which have been reported elsewhere, only the outlines of the models are presented. The reports of code verification and validation have been already published.
Sogabe, Joji; Ishida, Shinya; Tagami, Hirotaka; Okano, Yasushi; Kamiyama, Kenji; Onoda, Yuichi; Matsuba, Kenichi; Yamano, Hidemasa; Kubo, Shigenobu; Kubota, Ryuzaburo*; et al.
Proceedings of International Conference on Nuclear Fuel Cycle (GLOBAL2024) (Internet), 4 Pages, 2024/10
In the frame of France-Japan collaboration, the calculational methodologies were defined and assessed, and the phenomenology and the severe accident consequences were investigated in a pool-type sodium-cooled fast reactor.
Yamano, Hidemasa; Futagami, Satoshi; Doda, Norihiro; Tagami, Hirotaka; Uchibori, Akihiro; Ogata, Takanari*; Ota, Hirokazu*
Nihon Kikai Gakkai 2024-Nendo Nenji Taikai Koen Rombunshu (Internet), 5 Pages, 2024/09
Ishida, Shinya; Tagami, Hirotaka; Okano, Yasushi; Yamano, Hidemasa; Kubo, Shigenobu; Tobita, Yoshiharu
Proceedings of 11th European Review Meeting on Severe Accident Research Conference (ERMSAR 2024) (Internet), 10 Pages, 2024/05
Tagami, Hirotaka; Ishida, Shinya; Okano, Yasushi; Yamano, Hidemasa; Kubo, Shigenobu; Payot, F.*; Saas, L.*; Trotignon, L.*; Gubernatis, P.*; Dufour, E.*; et al.
Proceedings of 11th European Review Meeting on Severe Accident Research Conference (ERMSAR 2024) (Internet), 12 Pages, 2024/05
JAEA has been developing the SIMMER-V code in collaboration with CEA to perform severe accident (SA) simulations of future sodium-cooled fast reactors (SFRs) including a unique core design with large-scale heterogeneous cores. An SA sequence in SFRs has been analyzed by: the SAS4A code for the Initiation Phase (IP), in which fuel pin disruption and vertical fuel dispersion occur in individual fuel subassemblies; and the two-dimensional SIMMER-III or three-dimensional SIMMER-IV code for the Transition Phase (TP), in which core disruption extends to the whole core. The joint development of SIMMER-V is of limited scope but aims at significantly expanding the code applicability by providing flexible interfaces to couple a SIMMER-V calculation with other computational domains or other codes, and by adding new advanced physical models such as a detailed fuel pin model and a model of flexible treatment of fuel isotopic composition. The former tasks are conducted by CEA the latter tasks by JAEA. In parallel to the code development, verification and validation of the new models and methods have been performed. This paper describes the objectives and overall framework of SIMMER-V code development program, representative new elements, and recent development progress.
Tagami, Hirotaka; Tobita, Yoshiharu
Nuclear Engineering and Technology, 56(3), p.873 - 879, 2024/03
Times Cited Count：0 Percentile：0.00(Nuclear Science & Technology)A sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) core has a potential of prompt criticality due to a change of core material distribution during a severe accident, and the resultant energy release has been one of the safety issues of SFRs. In this study, the safety assessment of an unprotected loss-of-flow (ULOF) in a small SFR (SSFR) has been performed using the SIMMER-IV computer code, which couples the models of space- and time-dependent neutronics and multi-component, multi-field thermal hydraulics in three dimensions. The code, therefore, is applicable to the simulations of transient behaviors of extended disrupted core material motion and its reactivity effects during the transition phase (TP) of ULOF, including a potential of prompt-criticality power excursions driven by fuel compaction. Several conservative assumptions are used in the TP analysis by SIMMER-IV. It was found out that one of the important mechanisms that drives the reactivity-inserting fuel motion was sodium vapor pressure resulted from a fuel-coolant interaction (FCI), which itself was non-energetic local phenomenon. The uncertainties relating to FCI is also evaluated in much conservative way in the sensitivity analysis. From this study, the ULOF characteristics in an SSFR have been understood. Occurrence of recriticality events under conservative assumptions are plausible, but their energy releases are limited.
Tagami, Hirotaka; Ishida, Shinya; Tobita, Yoshiharu
Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 60(12), p.1548 - 1562, 2023/12
Times Cited Count：0 Percentile：0.00(Nuclear Science & Technology)In a design of future Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor, there is a demand for evaluation of sequences and consequences of core disruptive accidents. Future SFRs include a unique core design with axially or horizontally heterogeneous core arrangement having complex fuel isotope distribution. A new model to flexibly represent fuel isotope distribution, called the Pu-vector model, has been developed in this study for inclusion in the SIMMER-III and SIMMER-IV codes (simply called as SIMMER). The model calculates movement of individual fuel isotopes, assuming they always accompany the convecting fuel in the fluid-dynamics model. The accuracy of the Pu-vector model was confirmed by comparing with the standard Monte Carlo static neutronics calculation. The new model can improve some of the limitations in the current SIMMER code, in which the fuel isotopes are represented only by two groups, fertile and fissile fuels. Assignment of a number of fuel isotopes to the two groups requires a detailed examination of different combinations of fuel isotopes to determine an optimized combination. The Pu-vector model can eliminate this complicated procedure to be performed prior to a SIMMER analysis, and more importantly provides accurate spatial distribution of fuel isotopes and thus will improve the applicability of SIMMER to the analyses of future large heterogeneous reactors.
Ishida, Shinya; Tagami, Hirotaka; Tobita, Yoshiharu; Okano, Yasushi; Yamano, Hidemasa; Kubo, Shigenobu
Dai-27-Kai Doryoku, Enerugi Gijutsu Shimpojiumu Koen Rombunshu (Internet), 5 Pages, 2023/09
no abstracts in English
Tagami, Hirotaka; Tobita, Yoshiharu
Proceedings of 2023 International Congress on Advanced in Nuclear Power Plants (ICAPP 2023) (Internet), 8 Pages, 2023/04
Recently, the safety analysis for a licensing of small nuclear power fast reactor is performed. It is necessary to confirm the effectiveness of the design measure to prevent the CV failure in the licensing procedure. Because the energy generation in TP of ULOF is one of the main factors to affect the integrity of CV, the ULOF behavior is analyzed using SIMMER developed under international cooperation. Although the characteristic of TP in small reactor is a slow and mild event progression due to the negative void reactivity, several conservative assumptions are applied in the analysis. Because the prompt criticality by fuel compaction is mainly driven by a fuel coolant interaction, its impact on energy generation is also investigated by conservatively assuming uncertainties. The obtained results by the analysis using SIMMER are used for the subsequent phase to analyze the mechanical integrities of reactor vessel and CV.
Phan, L. H. S.*; Ohara, Yohei*; Kawata, Ryo*; Liu, X.*; Liu, W.*; Morita, Koji*; Guo, L.*; Kamiyama, Kenji; Tagami, Hirotaka
Proceedings of 12th International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Reactor Thermal-Hydraulics, Operation and Safety (NUTHOS-12) (USB Flash Drive), 12 Pages, 2018/10
Self-leveling behavior of core fuel debris beds is one of the key phenomena for the safety assessment of core disruptive accidents (CDAs) in sodium-cooled fast reactors (SFRs). The SIMMER code has been developed for CDA analysis of SFRs, and the code has been successfully applied to numerical simulations for key thermal-hydraulic phenomena involved in CDAs as well as reactor safety assessment. However, in SIMMER's fluid-dynamics model, it is always difficult to represent the strong interactions between solid particles as well as the discrete particle characteristics. To solve this problem, a new method has been developed by combining the multi-fluid model of the SIMMER code with the discrete element method (DEM) for the solid phase to reasonably simulate the particle behaviors as well as the fluid-particle interactions in multi-phase flows. In this study, in order to validate the multi-fluid model of the SIMMER code coupled with DEM, numerical simulations were performed on a series of self-leveling experiments using a gas injection method in cylindrical particle beds. The effects of friction coefficient on the simulation results were investigated by sensitivity analysis. Though more extensive validations are needed, the reasonable agreement between simulation results and corresponding experimental data preliminarily demonstrates the potential ability of the present method in simulating the self-leveling behaviors of debris bed. It is expected that the SIMMER code coupled with DEM is a prospective computational tool for analysis of safety issues related to solid particle debris bed in SFRs.
Tagami, Hirotaka; Cheng, S.*; Tobita, Yoshiharu; Morita, Koji*
Nuclear Engineering and Design, 328, p.95 - 106, 2018/03
Times Cited Count：12 Percentile：71.33(Nuclear Science & Technology)Shamsuzzaman, M.*; Horie, Tatsuro*; Fuke, Fusata*; Kamiyama, Motoki*; Morioka, Toru*; Matsumoto, Tatsuya*; Morita, Koji*; Tagami, Hirotaka; Suzuki, Toru*; Tobita, Yoshiharu
Annals of Nuclear Energy, 111, p.474 - 486, 2018/01
Times Cited Count：20 Percentile：86.27(Nuclear Science & Technology)Tobita, Yoshiharu; Kamiyama, Kenji; Tagami, Hirotaka; Matsuba, Kenichi; Suzuki, Toru; Isozaki, Mikio; Yamano, Hidemasa; Morita, Koji*; Guo, L.*; Zhang, B.*
Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 53(5), p.698 - 706, 2016/05
Times Cited Count：32 Percentile：92.19(Nuclear Science & Technology)The in-vessel retention (IVR) of core disruptive accident (CDA) is of prime importance in enhancing safety characteristics of sodium-cooled fast reactors (SFRs). In the CDA of SFRs, molten core material relocates to the lower plenum of reactor vessel and may impose significant thermal load on the structures, resulting in the melt through of the reactor vessel. In order to enable the assessment of this relocation process and prove that IVR of core material is the most probable consequence of the CDA in SFRs, a research program to develop the evaluation methodology for the material relocation behavior in the CDA of SFRs has been conducted. This program consists of three developmental studies, namely the development of the analysis method of molten material discharge from the core region, the development of evaluation methodology of molten material penetration into sodium pool, and the development of the simulation tool of debris bed behavior.
Suzuki, Toru; Tobita, Yoshiharu; Kawada, Kenichi; Tagami, Hirotaka; Sogabe, Joji; Matsuba, Kenichi; Ito, Kei; Ohshima, Hiroyuki
Nuclear Engineering and Technology, 47(3), p.240 - 252, 2015/04
Times Cited Count：29 Percentile：90.23(Nuclear Science & Technology)Tagami, Hirotaka; Tobita, Yoshiharu
Proceedings of 10th International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Thermal Hydraulics, Operation and Safety (NUTHOS-10) (USB Flash Drive), 12 Pages, 2014/12
Cheng, S.; Tagami, Hirotaka; Yamano, Hidemasa; Suzuki, Toru; Tobita, Yoshiharu; Takeda, Shohei*; Nishi, Shimpei*; Nishikido, Tatsuya*; Zhang, B.*; Matsumoto, Tatsuya*; et al.
Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 51(9), p.1096 - 1106, 2014/09
Times Cited Count：27 Percentile：87.80(Nuclear Science & Technology)Cheng, S.; Tagami, Hirotaka; Yamano, Hidemasa; Suzuki, Toru; Tobita, Yoshiharu; Nakamura, Yuya*; Takeda, Shohei*; Nishi, Shimpei*; Zhang, B.*; Matsumoto, Tatsuya*; et al.
Mechanical Engineering Journal (Internet), 1(4), p.TEP0022_1 - TEP0022_16, 2014/08
