Circular polarization measurement for individual gamma rays in capture reactions with intense pulsed neutrons

Endo, Shunsuke; Abe, Ryota*; Fujioka, Hiroyuki*; Ino, Takashi*; Iwamoto, Osamu; Iwamoto, Nobuyuki; Kawamura, Shiori*; Kimura, Atsushi; Kitaguchi, Masaaki*; Kobayashi, Ryuju*; et al.

European Physical Journal A, 60(8), p.166_1 - 166_10, 2024/08

https://doi.org/10.1140/epja/s10050-024-01392-6

Establishment of reasonable 2-D model to investigate heat transfer and flow characteristics by using scale model of vessel cooling system for HTTR

Takada, Shoji; Ngarayana, I. W.*; Nakatsuru, Yukihiro*; Terada, Atsuhiko; Murakami, Kenta*; Sawa, Kazuhiro*

Mechanical Engineering Journal (Internet), 7(3), p.19-00536_1 - 19-00536_12, 2020/06

https://doi.org/10.1299/mej.19-00536

In this study reasonable 2D model was established by using FLUENT for start-up of analysis and evaluation of heat transfer flow characteristics in 1/6 scale model of VCS for HTTR. By setting up pressure vessel temperature around 200C about relatively high ratio of heat transfer via natural convection in total heat removal around 20-30%, which is useful for code to experiment benchmark in the aspect to confirm accuracy to predict temperature distribution of components which is heated up by natural convection flow. The numerical results of upper head of pressure vessel by the --SST intermittency transition model, which can adequately reproduce the separation, re-adhesion and transition, reproduced the test results including temperature distribution well in contrast to those by the - model in both cases that helium gas is evacuated or filled in the pressure vessel. It was emerged that any local hot spot did not appear on the top of upper head of pressure vessel where natural convection flow of air is separated in both cases. In addition, the plume of high temperature helium gas generated by the heating of heater was well mixed in the upper head and uniformly heated the inner surface of upper head without generating hot spots.

Promising neutron irradiation applications at the high temperature engineering test reactor

Ho, H. Q.; Honda, Yuki*; Hamamoto, Shimpei; Ishii, Toshiaki; Takada, Shoji; Fujimoto, Nozomu*; Ishitsuka, Etsuo

Journal of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science, 6(2), p.021902_1 - 021902_6, 2020/04

https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4044529

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.

Comprehensive seismic evaluation of HTTR against the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake

Ono, Masato; Iigaki, Kazuhiko; Sawahata, Hiroaki; Shimazaki, Yosuke; Shimizu, Atsushi; Inoi, Hiroyuki; Kondo, Toshinari; Kojima, Keidai; Takada, Shoji; Sawa, Kazuhiro

Journal of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science, 4(2), p.020906_1 - 020906_8, 2018/04

https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4039288

On March 11th, 2011, the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake of magnitude 9.0 occurred. When the great earthquake occurred, the High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor (HTTR) had been stopped under the periodic inspection and maintenance of equipment and instruments. A comprehensive integrity evaluation was carried out for the HTTR facility because the maximum seismic acceleration observed at the HTTR exceeded the maximum value of design basis earthquake. The concept of comprehensive integrity evaluation is divided into two parts. One is the "visual inspection of equipment and instruments". The other is the "seismic response analysis" for the building structure, equipment and instruments using the observed earthquake. All equipment and instruments related to operation were inspected in the basic inspection. The integrity of the facilities was confirmed by comparing the inspection results or the numerical results with their evaluation criteria. As the results of inspection of equipment and instruments associated with the seismic response analysis, it was judged that there was no problem for operation of the reactor, because there was no damage and performance deterioration. The integrity of HTTR was also supported by the several operations without reactor power in cold conditions of HTTR in 2011, 2013 and 2015. Additionally, the integrity of control rod guide blocks was also confirmed visually when three control rod guide blocks and six replaceable reflector blocks were taken out from reactor core in order to change neutron startup sources in 2015.

Loss of core cooling test with one cooling line inactive in Vessel Cooling System of High-Temperature Engineering Test Reactor

Fujiwara, Yusuke; Nemoto, Takahiro; Tochio, Daisuke; Shinohara, Masanori; Ono, Masato; Takada, Shoji

Journal of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science, 3(4), p.041013_1 - 041013_8, 2017/10

https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4036985

In HTTR, the test was carried out at the reactor thermal power of 9 MW under the condition that one cooling line of VCS was stopped to simulate the partial loss of cooling function from the surface of RPV in addition to the loss of forced cooling flow in the core simulation. The test results showed that temperature change of the core internal structures and the biological shielding concrete was slow during the test. Temperature of RPV decreased several degrees during the test. The temperature decrease of biological shielding made of concrete was within 1C. The numerical result simulating the detail configuration of the cooling tubes of VCS showed that the temperature rise of cooling tubes of VCS was about 15C, which is sufficiently small, which did not significantly affect the temperature of biological shielding concrete. As the results, it was confirmed that the cooling ability of VCS can be kept in case that one cooling line of VCS is lost.

Benchmark study on realized random packing model for coated fuel particles of HTTR using MCNP6

Ho, H. Q.; Morita, Keisuke*; Honda, Yuki; Fujimoto, Nozomu*; Takada, Shoji

Proceedings of 2017 International Congress on Advances in Nuclear Power Plants (ICAPP 2017) (CD-ROM), 8 Pages, 2017/04

Measurement of temperature response of intermediate heat exchanger in heat application system abnormal simulating test using HTTR

Ono, Masato; Fujiwara, Yusuke; Honda, Yuki; Sato, Hiroyuki; Shimazaki, Yosuke; Tochio, Daisuke; Homma, Fumitaka; Sawahata, Hiroaki; Iigaki, Kazuhiko; Takada, Shoji

Proceedings of 2017 International Congress on Advances in Nuclear Power Plants (ICAPP 2017) (CD-ROM), 5 Pages, 2017/04

Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has carried out research and developments towards nuclear heat utilization of High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (HTGR) using High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor (HTTR). The nuclear heat utilization systems connected to HTGR will be designed on the basis of non-nuclear-grade standards in terms of easier entry for the chemical plant companies and the construction economics of the systems. Therefore, it is necessary that the reactor operations continue even if abnormal events occur in the systems. Heat application system abnormal simulating test with HTTR was carried out in non-nuclear heating operation to focus on the thermal effect in order to obtain data of the transient temperature behavior of the metallic components in the Intermediate Heat Exchanger (IHX). The IHX is the key components to connect the HTTR with the heat application system. In the test, the coolant helium gas temperature was heated up to 120C by the compression heat of the gas circulators in the HTTR under the ideal condition to focus on the heat transfer. The tests were conducted by decreasing the helium gas temperature stepwise by increasing the mass flow rate to the air cooler. The temperature responses of the IHX were investigated. For the components such as the heat transfer tubes and heat transfer enhancement plates of IHX, the temperature response was slower in the lower position in comparison with the higher position. The reason is considered that thermal load fluctuation is imposed in the secondary helium gas which flows from the top to the bottom in the heat transfer tubes of the IHX. The test data are useful to verify the numerical model of the safety evaluation code.

Development of transportation container for neutron startup source of High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor (HTTR)

Shimazaki, Yosuke; Sawahata, Hiroaki; Yanagida, Yoshinori; Shinohara, Masanori; Kawamoto, Taiki; Takada, Shoji

JAEA-Technology 2016-038, 36 Pages, 2017/02

JAEA-Technology-2016-038.pdf:8.75MB

The High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor (HTTR) has three neutron startup sources (NSs) in the reactor core, each of which consists of Cf with 3.7GBq The NSs are exchanged at the interval of approximately 7 years. The NS holders including NSs are transported from the dealer's hot cell to the reactor facility of HTTR using a transportation container. The loading work of NS holders to the Control Rod guide blocks is subsequently carried out in the fuel handling machine maintenance pit of HTTR. Following technical issues were extracted from the experiences in the past two exchange works of NSs to develop a safety handling procedure; (1) The reduction and prevention of radiation exposure of workers. (2) The exclusion of falling of NS holder. Then, a new transportation container special to the NSs of HTTR was developed to solve the technical issues while keeping the cost as low as that for overhaul of conventional container and satisfying the regulation of A type transportation package.

Burn-up dependency of control rod position at zero-power criticality in the high-temperature engineering test reactor

Honda, Yuki; Fujimoto, Nozomu*; Sawahata, Hiroaki; Takada, Shoji; Sawa, Kazuhiro

Journal of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science, 3(1), p.011013_1 - 011013_4, 2017/01

https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4033812

The operating data of the HTTR with burn-up is very important for developments of HTGRs. There is a temperature distribution in a core in full power operation. The temperature distribution in a core makes it difficult to validate of calculation code. On the other hands, the data of the control rod position at criticality at zero power have been measured at the beginning of each operation cycle. The temperature distribution in a core at zero power is uniform. Therefore, the data at zero power are suitable for validation of calculation code. In this study, the calculated control rod positions at zero power criticality with burn-up are compared with the experimental data with correlation of core temperature. The calculated results of criticality control rod position at zero power show good agreement to the experimental data. It means that calculated result shows appropriate decrease in uranium and accumulation in plutonium decrease in burnable absorber with burn-up.