Analysis of fracture conditions of Cr-coated Zr alloy claddings under LOCA conditions calculated using FEMAXI fuel performance code

Luu, V. N.; Taniguchi, Yoshinori; Udagawa, Yutaka; Tasaki, Yudai; Katsuyama, Jinya

Annals of Nuclear Energy, 230, p.112114_1 - 112114_14, 2026/06

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2026.112114

Analysis of the effect of crack curvature in Mini-C(T) specimen on fracture toughness evaluation

Shimodaira, Masaki; Ha, Yoosung; Takamizawa, Hisashi; Katsuyama, Jinya; Onizawa, Kunio

Journal of Pressure Vessel Technology, 148(2), p.021504_1 - 021504_10, 2026/04

https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4070669

In the current structural integrity assessment of the reactor pressure vessel, the accurate reference temperature (T) based on the Master Curve method is necessary. The T can be estimated by using the Mini-C(T) fracture toughness specimen in accordance with ASTM E1921 and JEAC4216, which prescribe the crack straightness criteria. A requirement in ASTM E1921 has been revised in a decade to increase the accuracy and reasonability, and the applicable crack curvature has been varied by applied codes. The crack curvature of the Mini-C(T) specimen might have an impact on the T because of the variation of the plastic constraint. In this work, the effect of the crack curvature on the fracture toughness (K) evaluation using the Mini-C(T) specimen was quantitatively evaluated by using the finite element analysis (FEA) including the Weibull stress analysis, to discuss the difference in a requirement of the crack straightness in ASTM E1921 and JEAC4216. FEAs showed a possibility that the upper limit curvature would decrease the plastic constraint, and consequently obtain higher K in the Mini-C(T) specimen. Furthermore, if the upper limit curvature according to the ASTM E1921-21 was allowed, the T would be estimated as nonconservative based on the Weibull stress analysis. In contrast, the difference in (T) between the crack with upper limit curvature according to JEAC4216 and the ideal straight crack was not significant.

Development of 1D-CFD coupling method for natural circulation analyses through benchmark analyses of shutdown heat removal tests in EBR-II

Yoshimura, Kazuo; Doda, Norihiro; Tanaka, Masaaki; Fujisaki, Tatsuya*; Murakami, Satoshi*

Annals of Nuclear Energy, 226, p.111896_1 - 111896_11, 2026/02

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2025.111896

At the Japan Atomic Energy Agency, a multilevel simulation (MLS) methodology which enables consistent evaluation from whole plant behavior to local phenomena in the plant components is being developed to attempt 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.

Benchmarks of iron nuclear data for fusion neutron sources

Kwon, Saerom*; Konno, Chikara; Honda, Shogo*; Kenjo, Shunsuke*; Sato, Satoshi*

Fusion Engineering and Design, 223, p.115548_1 - 115548_8, 2026/02

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fusengdes.2025.115548

In order to evaluate the accuracy of the iron data in the latest nuclear data libraries (FENDL-3.2b, JENDL-5, ENDF/B-VIII.0 and JEFF-3.3) used in the fusion neutron source design, we performed their benchmark tests by using QST/TIARA iron experiment with quasi mono-energy neutrons of 40 and 65 MeV and JAEA/FNS iron experiment with DT neutrons. From the test results, we have found the following issues; (1) The calculation results with FENDL-3.2b underestimate the measured neutron fluxes of the continuous energy range (10-60 MeV) by a factor of 0.6 in the TIARA experiment with 65 MeV neutrons; (2) The calculation results with FENDL-3.2b tend to underestimate the measured neutron flux above 10 MeV by a factor of 0.8 at depth of 70 cm and overestimate the measured ones below 10 keV by a factor of 1.3 up to depth of 40 cm in the FNS experiment. We investigated those issues in detail and clarified their reasons.

A Semi-implicit weakly compressible solver for gas-liquid two-phase flows

Sugihara, Kenta; Onodera, Naoyuki*; Idomura, Yasuhiro; Sitompul, Y.; Yamashita, Susumu

Journal of Computational Physics, 547, p.114534_1 - 114534_25, 2026/02

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcp.2025.114534

Separation of Rh(III) and direct electrodeposition in phosphonium-based ionic liquids with electrochemical and spectroscopic analyses for extracted Rh(III) complex

Tokumitsu, Shun*; Matsumiya, Masahiko*; Sasaki, Yuji

Separation and Purification Technology, 382(Part 2), p.135631_1 - 135631_9, 2026/02

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2025.135631

Effects of melting and coagulating conditions on the structure of simulated waste glasses

Nagai, Takayuki; Aoyama, Yusuke; Okamoto, Yoshihiro; Hasegawa, Takehiko*; Sato, Seiichi*; Kikuchi, Tetsuya*; Hatakeyama, Kiyoshi*

JAEA-Research 2025-012, 43 Pages, 2026/01

JAEA-Research-2025-012.pdf:6.99MB

In the vitrification process study of high-level radioactive waste liquids, precipitates present in the simulated waste glasses are detected by X-ray diffraction (XRD), but due to the state of the precipitates (fine size, extremely small amount), precipitate peaks cannot be observed in the XRD pattern. We have evaluated the glass structure of simulated waste glasses prepared under different melting and coagulated conditions using Raman spectroscopy and other methods, in this study. The simulated waste glass, which does not show any precipitate peaks in the XRD pattern, was subjected to Raman spectroscopy, and it was confirmed that precipitate particles in the glass phase could be detected. And it was confirmed that in glass preparation, stirring the molten glass and increasing the cooling rate from the molten state are likely to suppress the formation of precipitate particles in the glass phase. The evaluation of the Si-O bridging structure of the glass revealed no difference in the Si-O bridging structure between areas with and without precipitates. The precipitates detected by Raman spectroscopy are not ceria (CeO) or calcium molybdate (CaMoO), but they are presumed to be compounds such as spinel. In experiments using synchrotron radiation, X-ray transmission images of the internal state of glasses were observed, and it was confirmed that stirring molten glass is effective in reducing bubbles present in the glass phase. The XAFS measurements of Mo K-edge, Ce L-edge, and Si K-edge confirmed that stirring the molten glass does not affect the chemical state of Mo, Ce, and Si contained in the glass.

Results of environmental impact investigations as part of environmental monitoring investigation in backfilling of shafts and tunnels of Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory (FY2024)

Kokubu, Yoko; Takeuchi, Ryuji; Nishio, Kazuhisa*; Ikeda, Koki

JAEA-Data/Code 2025-013, 66 Pages, 2026/01

JAEA-Data-Code-2025-013.pdf:5.88MB

The Tono Geoscience Center of Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has been conducting the environmental monitoring investigation to confirm the environmental impacts associated with the backfilling of shafts and tunnels at the Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory (MIU). This report summarizes the results of the environmental impact investigations conducted as part of the environmental monitoring investigation around the MIU Site in FY2024, which include groundwater level measurement in wells, river flow rate measurement, water analysis of Hazama river, noise and vibration surveys, and soil survey.

Neutron total and capture cross-section measurement and resolved resonance analysis of Er

Rovira Leveroni, G.; Kimura, Atsushi; Nakamura, Shoji; Endo, Shunsuke; Iwamoto, Osamu; Iwamoto, Nobuyuki; Katabuchi, Tatsuya*

Annals of Nuclear Energy, 225, p.111688_1 - 111688_18, 2026/01

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2025.111688

Development of a new THINC/WLIC method based on a separate evaluation of the geometrical fidelity and the interface sharpness

Fukuda, Takanari; Yamashita, Susumu; Yoshida, Hiroyuki

Journal of Computational Physics, 545, p.114485_1 - 114485_32, 2026/01

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcp.2025.114485

This paper puts forward a novel approach for the evaluation of the geometrical fidelity and the interface sharpness of the VOF advection schemes separately and quantitatively. This new evaluation has elucidated the trade-off relationship of the geometrical fidelity and the interface sharpness between the existing schemes of the original THINC and the THINC/WLIC. By investigating and resolving this trade-off relationship, we have developed a novel THINC-based scheme that exhibits high performance with regard to both geometrical fidelity and interface sharpness, despite employing an algorithm as concise as those of the original THINC and the THINC/WLIC. The novel scheme, designated "THINC/Advanced WLIC (THINC/AWLIC)," has been developed by redefining the weight function of the preceding THINC/WLIC so that the contribution of the first-order upwind flux can be variably blended with the usage of the control parameter. The results of the multiple benchmark tests in two and three dimensions demonstrate that both the geometrical fidelity and the interface sharpness are significantly enhanced if the control parameter is appropriately determined. Furthermore, the associated error of THINC/AWLIC is comparable to that of the geometrical scheme, although the implementation complexity is unchanged from that of the simple THICN/WLIC.