Development of a design optimization framework for sodium-cooled fast reactors, 2; Development of optimization analysis control function

Doda, Norihiro; Nakamine, Yoshiaki*; Kuwagaki, Kazuki; Hamase, Erina; Kikuchi, Norihiro; Yoshimura, Kazuo; Matsushita, Kentaro; Tanaka, Masaaki

Keisan Kogaku Koenkai Rombunshu (CD-ROM), 28, 5 Pages, 2023/05

As a part of the development of the "Advanced Reactor Knowledge- and AI-aided Design Integration Approach through the whole plant lifecycle (ARKADIA)" to automatically optimize the life cycle of innovative nuclear reactors including fast reactors, ARKADIA-design is being developed to support the optimization of fast reactor in the conceptual design stage. ARKADIA-Design consists of three systems (Virtual plant Life System (VLS), Evaluation assistance and Application System (EAS), and Knowledge Management System (KMS)). A design optimization framework controls the connection between the three systems through the interfaces in each system. This paper reports on the development of an optimization analysis control function that performs design optimization analysis combining plant behavior analysis by VLS and optimization study by EAS.

Verification of fuel assembly bowing analysis model for core deformation reactivity evaluation

Doda, Norihiro; Uwaba, Tomoyuki; Ohgama, Kazuya; Yoshimura, Kazuo; Nemoto, Toshiyuki*; Tanaka, Masaaki; Yamano, Hidemasa

Nihon Kikai Gakkai Kanto Shibu Dai-29-Ki Sokai, Koenkai Koen Rombunshu (Internet), 5 Pages, 2023/03

An evaluation method for reactivity feedback due to core deformation during reactor power increase in sodium-cooled fast reactors is being developed for realistic core design evaluation. In this evaluation method, fuel assembly bowing was modeled with a beam element of the finite element method, and the assembly's pad contact between adjacent assemblies was modeled with a dedicated element which could consider the wrapper tube cross-sectional distortion and the pad stiffness depending on pad contact conditions. This fuel assembly bowing analysis model was verified for thermal bowing of a single assembly and assembly pad contact between adjacent assemblies in a core as past benchmark problems. The calculation results by this model showed good agreement with those of reference solutions of theoretical solutions or results by participating institutions in the benchmark. This study confirmed that the analysis model was able to calculate thermal assembly bowing appropriately.

Application of 1D-CFD coupling method to unprotected loss of heat sink event in EBR-II focusing on thermal stratification in cold pool

Yoshimura, Kazuo; Doda, Norihiro; Fujisaki, Tatsuya*; Igawa, Kenichi*; Tanaka, Masaaki; Yamano, Hidemasa

Proceedings of 29th International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (ICONE 29) (Internet), 10 Pages, 2022/08

To confirm the applicability of the reactivity model, the authors have been conducting the benchmark exercises of the unprotected loss of heat sink event tests in a pool-type experimental fast reactor EBR-II. In the blind phase in the benchmark analyses using the plant dynamics analysis (1D) code in which the cold pool was modeled by means of the perfect mixing volume, it was found the increase of the core inlet temperature was evaluated lower than that of the measured data and the feedback reactivity was underestimated, because the thermal stratification in the cold pool was ignored. Then, the detailed model of the cold pool for the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code was introduced and the 1D-CFD codes coupling method was applied to the benchmark analyses. It was confirmed that both the thermal stratification in the cold pool and the increase of the core inlet temperature were successfully reproduced.

Development of 1D-CFD coupling method through benchmark analyses of SHRT tests in EBR-II

Yoshimura, Kazuo; Doda, Norihiro; Tanaka, Masaaki; Fujisaki, Tatsuya*; Murakami, Satoshi*; Vilim, R. B.*

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

In Japan Atomic Energy Agency, the multilevel simulation system which enables consistent evaluation from the whole plant behavior to the local phenomena is being developed to optimize plant design and enhance the safety of sodium-cooled fast reactors. To validate the coupling method in the MLS system, the 1D-CFD coupling method using Super-COPD for 1D plant dynamics analysis and Fluent for multi-dimensional CFD analysis was applied to the analyses of loss of flow tests in EBR-II. It was confirmed that it could predict multi-dimensional thermal-hydraulic phenomena such as thermal stratification in the upper plenum, Z-shaped pipe, and cold pool, holding the whole plant behavior simultaneously. Moreover, the applicability of the 1D-CFD coupling method to the evaluation of the phenomena in natural circulation conditions was confirmed by comparing the results of the 1D-CFD couple analyses and the measured data.

Validation of evaluation method of feedback reactivity for plant dynamics analysis code during unprotected loss of heat sink event in sodium-cooled fast reactors

Yoshimura, Kazuo; Doda, Norihiro; Tanaka, Masaaki; Yamano, Hidemasa; Igawa, Kenichi*

Proceedings of 28th International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (ICONE 28) (Internet), 8 Pages, 2021/08

The numerical results of the benchmark analyses for the unprotected loss of heat sink (ULOHS) tests in the pool-type experimental SFR in the United States, EBR-II (BOP-302R and BOP-301) are discussed in order to validate the evaluation method of the reactivity feedback equipped in the in-house plant dynamics analysis code named Super-COPD. By comparing the numerical results and the experimental data, the profiles of the increase of the core inlet temperature and the decrease of the reactor power calculated by Super-COPD were comparable with those of the experimental data and the applicability of the evaluation method for the reactivity feedback was indicated during the ULOHS event.

Transient ionization of the mesosphere during auroral breakup; Arase satellite and ground-based conjugate observations at Syowa Station

Kataoka, Ryuho*; Nishiyama, Takanori*; Tanaka, Yoshimasa*; Kadokura, Akira*; Uchida, Herbert Akihito*; Ebihara, Yusuke*; Ejiri, Mitsumu*; Tomikawa, Yoshihiro*; Tsutsumi, Masaki*; Sato, Kaoru*; et al.

Earth, Planets and Space (Internet), 71(1), p.9_1 - 9_10, 2019/12

https://doi.org/10.1186/s40623-019-0989-7

Transient ionization of the mesosphere was detected at around 65 km altitude during the isolated auroral expansion occurred at 2221-2226 UT on June 30, 2017. A general-purpose Monte Carlo particle transport code PHITS suggested that significant ionization is possible in the middle atmosphere due to auroral X-rays from the auroral electrons of 10 keV.

New precise measurements of muonium hyperfine structure at J-PARC MUSE

Strasser, P.*; Abe, Mitsushi*; Aoki, Masaharu*; Choi, S.*; Fukao, Yoshinori*; Higashi, Yoshitaka*; Higuchi, Takashi*; Iinuma, Hiromi*; Ikedo, Yutaka*; Ishida, Katsuhiko*; et al.

EPJ Web of Conferences, 198, p.00003_1 - 00003_8, 2019/01

https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/201919800003

New precise measurement of muonium hyperfine structure interval at J-PARC

Ueno, Yasuhiro*; Aoki, Masaharu*; Fukao, Yoshinori*; Higashi, Yoshitaka*; Higuchi, Takashi*; Iinuma, Hiromi*; Ikedo, Yutaka*; Ishida, Katsuhiko*; Ito, Takashi; Iwasaki, Masahiko*; et al.

Hyperfine Interactions, 238(1), p.14_1 - 14_6, 2017/11

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10751-016-1381-7

Chemical form consideration of released fission products from irradiated fast reactor fuels during overheating

Sato, Isamu; Tanaka, Kosuke; Koyama, Shinichi; Matsushima, Kenichi*; Matsunaga, Junji*; Hirai, Mutsumi*; Endo, Hiroshi*; Haga, Kazuo*

Energy Procedia, 82, p.86 - 91, 2015/07

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnucene.2014.07.033

Experiments simulating overheating conditions of fast reactor severe accidents have been previously carried out with irradiated fuels. For the present study, the chemical forms of the fission products (FPs) included in the irradiated fuels were evaluated by thermochemical equilibrium calculations. At temperatures of 2773 K and 2973 K, the most stable forms of Cs, I, Te, Sb, Pd and Ag are gaseous compounds. Cs and Sb detected in the thermal gradient tube (TGT) in the experiments can take gaseous chemical forms of elemental Cs, CsI, CsMoO, CsO and elemental Sb, SbO, SbTe, respectively. By comparing experimental results and the estimations, it is seen CsI thermochemically behaves in a manner that traps it in the TGT, while elemental Cs trends to move as fine particles. The moving behavior of the gaseous FPs will obey not only thermochemical principles, but also those of particle dynamics.

Evaluation of performance for IBARAKI biological crystal diffractometer iBIX with new detectors

Kusaka, Katsuhiro*; Hosoya, Takaaki*; Yamada, Taro*; Tomoyori, Katsuaki; Ohara, Takashi; Katagiri, Masaki*; Kurihara, Kazuo; Tanaka, Ichiro*; Niimura, Nobuo*

Journal of Synchrotron Radiation, 20(6), p.994 - 998, 2013/11

https://doi.org/10.1107/S0909049513021845

The IBARAKI biological crystal diffractometer, iBIX, is a high-performance time-of-flight neutron single-crystal diffractometer for elucidating mainly the hydrogen, protonation and hydration structures of biological macromolecules in various life processes. Since the end of 2008, iBIX has been available to user's experiments supported by Ibaraki University. Since August 2012, an upgrade of the 14-existing detectors has begun and 16 new detectors have been installed for iBIX. The total measurement efficiency of the present diffractometer has been impoved by one order of magnitude from the previous one with the increasing of accelerator power. In December 2012, commissioning of the new detectors was successful, and collection of the diffraction dataset of ribonucrease A as a standard protein was attempted in order to estimate the performance of the upgraded iBIX in comparison with previous results. The resolution of diffraction data, equivalence among intensities of symmetry-related reflections and reliability of the refined structure have been improved dramatically. iBIX is expected to be one of the highest-performance neutron single-crystal diffractometers for biological macromolecules in the world.