In-vessel source term analysis code TRACER Version 2.4.1 (User's manual)

Ono, Masahiro*; Uchibori, Akihiro; Okano, Yasushi; Takata, Takashi*

JAEA-Testing 2022-004, 193 Pages, 2023/03

A computer code TRACER (Transport phenomena of Radionuclides for Accident Consequence Evaluation of Reactor) version 2.4.1 has been developed to evaluate species and quantities of fission products (FPs) released into cover gas due to a fuel pin failure in an LMFBR. The TRACER version 2.4.1 includes the models related to NUREG-0772 and also new or modified computational program codes in order to possess a new function shown below, and partial modify of coefficient of FP transition model between coolant and cover gas. This manual includes manual conventions for TRACER Version 2.3, addition of reference such as formula, improvement of explanation of input file creation method, addition of improvement of NUREG-0772 model added to TRACER code, modification of figure of sample analysis performed in appendix. It includes modifications and additions of sample analysis.

Validation study of sodium pool fire modeling efforts in MELCOR and SPHINCS codes

Louie, D. L. Y.*; Aoyagi, Mitsuhiro; Uchibori, Akihiro; Takata, Takashi; Luxat, D. L.*

Proceedings of Technical Meeting on State-of-the-art Thermal Hydraulics of Fast Reactors (Internet), 6 Pages, 2022/09

Development of dynamic PRA methodology for external hazards (Application of CMMC method to severe accident analysis code)

Li, C.; Watanabe, Akira*; Uchibori, Akihiro; Okano, Yasushi

Dai-26-Kai Doryoku, Enerugi Gijutsu Shimpojiumu Koen Rombunshu (Internet), 4 Pages, 2022/07

https://doi.org/10.1299/jsmepes.2022.26.A234

Identifying accident scenarios that could lead to severe accidents and evaluating their frequency of occurrence are essential issues. This study aims to establish the methodology of the dynamic Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) for sodium-cooled fast reactors that can consider the time dependency and the interdependence of each event. Specifically, the Continuous Markov chain Monte Carlo (CMMC) method is newly applied to the SPECTRA code, which analyzes the severe accident conditions of nuclear reactors, to develop an evaluation methodology for typical external hazards. Currently, a fault-tree model of air coolers of decay heat removal system is implemented as the CMMC method, and a series of preliminary analysis of the plant's transient characteristics under the scenario of volcanic ashfall has been conducted.

Development of integrated severe accident analysis code, SPECTRA for sodium-cooled fast reactor

Uchibori, Akihiro; Sonehara, Masateru; Aoyagi, Mitsuhiro; Takata, Takashi*; Ohshima, Hiroyuki

Proceedings of International Conference on Fast Reactors and Related Fuel Cycles; Sustainable Clean Energy for the Future (FR22) (Internet), 9 Pages, 2022/04

A new computational code, SPECTRA, has been developed for integrated analysis of in- and ex-vessel phenomena during severe accidents in sodium-cooled fast reactors. The in-vessel thermal hydraulics module includes coupled analytical models for multidimensional multifluid model considering compressibility and relocation of a molten core. A lumped mass model is employed for computing behavior of ex-vessel compressible multicomponent gas including aerosols. This model is coupled with the models for ex-vessel phenomena such as sodium fire. Loss of reactor level event starting from leakage of sodium coolant was computed. Basic capability to evaluate severe accident progress was demonstrated through this analysis.

Development of reacting jet evaluation model based on engineering approaches with particle method for improvement of LEAP-III code

Kosaka, Wataru; Uchibori, Akihiro; Takata, Takashi; Yanagisawa, Hideki*; Watanabe, Akira*; Jang, S.*

Proceedings of 19th International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Reactor Thermal Hydraulics (NURETH-19) (Internet), 11 Pages, 2022/03

For the safety assessment of a steam generator (SG) in a sodium-cooled fast reactor, the analysis code LEAP-III can evaluate the water leak rate during the long-term event progress including the tube failure propagation triggered by an occurrence of a small water leak in a failed heat transfer tube in SG. The LEAP-III has the advantage in completing the calculation with low computational cost since it consists of semi-empirical formulae and one-dimensional equations of conservation. However, an evaluation model of temperature distribution by the reacting jet provides wider high temperature region than the experimental data. As a result, LEAP-III shows excessive conservativeness in some case. A Lagrangian particle method code based on engineering approaches has been developed in order to improve this model to get more realistic temperature distribution. In this method, the jet behavior and chemical reaction are simulated using Newton's equation of motion with several engineering approximations instead of solving multi-dimension multiphase thermal hydraulic equations with sodium-water reaction. In this study, interparticle interaction force model was added, and also the chemical reaction and gas-liquid heat transfer evaluation models were improved. We conducted a test analysis, and compared the results by this particle method with the ones by SERAPHIM, that is a mechanistic analysis code for multi-dimensional multiphase flow considering compressibility and sodium-water reaction. Through this test analysis, it confirmed that this particle method has the basic capability to get a realistic temperature distribution with low computational cost, and also to predict tube failure occurrence by coupled with LEAP-III.

Study on sodium-water reaction jet evaluation model based on engineering approaches with particle method

Kosaka, Wataru; Uchibori, Akihiro; Yanagisawa, Hideki*; Takata, Takashi; Jang, S.*

Nihon Kikai Gakkai Rombunshu (Internet), 88(905), p.21-00310_1 - 21-00310_9, 2022/01

https://doi.org/10.1299/transjsme.21-00310

If a pressurized water/water-vapor leaks from a heat transfer tube in a steam generator (SG) in a sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR), sodium-water reaction forms high-velocity, high-temperature, and corrosive jet. It would damage the other tubes and might propagate the tube failure in the SG. Thus, it is important to evaluate the effect of the tube failure propagation for safety assessment of SFR. The computational code LEAP-III can evaluate water leak rate during the tube failure propagation with short calculation time, since it consists of empirical formulae and one-dimensional equations of conservation. One of the empirical models, temperature distribution evaluation model, evaluates the temperature distribution in SG as circular arc isolines determined by experiments and preliminary analyses instead of complicated real distribution. In order to improve this model to get more realistic temperature distribution, we have developed the Lagrangian particle method based on engineering approaches. In this study, we have focused on evaluating gas flow in a tube bundle system, and constructed new models for the gas-particles behavior around a tube to evaluate void fraction distribution near the tube. Through the test analysis simulating one target tube system, we confirmed the capability of the models and next topic to improve the models.

Numerical evaluation of sodium-water reaction based on engineering approach with particle method

Kosaka, Wataru; Uchibori, Akihiro; Yanagisawa, Hideki*; Takata, Takashi; Jang, S.*

Proceedings of 28th International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (ICONE 28) (Internet), 6 Pages, 2021/08

https://doi.org/10.1115/ICONE28-61345

For safety assessment or design of a steam generator (SG) of a sodium-cooled fast reactor, it is important to evaluate the effects of a multiphase flow involving sodium-water reaction. If pressurized water/water-vapor leaks from a tube, it forms a corrosive, high-temperature, and high-velocity jet, and may cause failure of the adjacent tubes. The occurrence of tube failure on many tubes will lead to failure of the boundary between the primary and secondary cooling loops. The numerical analysis code, LEAP-III, has been developed to evaluate water leak rate considering the effects of the above-mentioned phenomena with short computational time. In some cases, however, the current LEAP-III provides excessive conservativeness due to its temperature distribution evaluation model. In order to reduce this excess, we have developed a new Lagrange particle method with several engineering approaches. We also performed test analyses which simulate time development of the vapor jet with chemical reaction in a SG. The results of the developed method were compared with ones of the multi-dimensional multiphase thermal hydraulic analysis code, SERAPHIM which considers compressibility and chemical reaction. Through the test analyses, the basic capability of the developed method was confirmed.

Droplet-entrainment phenomena affected by interfacial behavior of a high-speed gas jet into a liquid pool

Saito, Masafumi*; Kaneko, Akiko*; Abe, Yutaka*; Uchibori, Akihiro; Kurihara, Akikazu; Takata, Takashi*; Ohshima, Hiroyuki

Proceedings of 28th International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (ICONE 28) (Internet), 7 Pages, 2021/08

In order to provide the data for validation and improvement of the sodium-water reaction analysis code, a visualization experiment on liquid droplet entrainment in a high-pressure air jet submerged in a water pool was conducted. Diameter and velocity of entrained liquid droplets were successfully measured. The effect of a nozzle shape was elucidated.

Numerical investigations on the coolability and the re-criticality of a debris bed with the density-stratified configuration

Li, C.; Uchibori, Akihiro; Takata, Takashi; Pellegrini, M.*; Erkan, N.*; Okamoto, Koji*

Dai-25-Kai Doryoku, Enerugi Gijutsu Shimpojiumu Koen Rombunshu (Internet), 4 Pages, 2021/07

The capability of stable cooling and avoiding re-criticality on the debris bed are the main issues for achieving IVR (In-Vessel Retention). In the actual situation, the debris bed is composed of mixed-density debris particles. Hence, when these mixed-density debris particles were launched to re-distribute, the debris bed would possibly form a density-stratified distribution. For the proper evaluation of this scenario, the multi-physics model of CFD-DEM-Monte-Carlo based neutronics is established to investigate the coolability and re-criticality on the heterogeneous density-stratified debris bed with considering the particle relocation. The CFD-DEM model has been verified by utilizing water injection experiments on the mixed-density particle bed in the first portion of this research. In the second portion, the coupled system of the CFD-DEM-Monte-Carlo based neutronics model is applied to reactor cases. Afterward, the debris particles' movement, debris particles' and coolant's temperature, and the k-eff eigenvalue are successfully tracked. Ultimately, the relocation and stratification effects on debris bed's coolability and re-criticality had been quantitatively confirmed.

Sodium fire analysis using a sodium chemistry package in MELCOR

Aoyagi, Mitsuhiro; Uchibori, Akihiro; Takata, Takashi; Louie, D. L. Y.*; Clark, A. J.*

Proceedings of 2020 International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (ICONE 2020) (Internet), 6 Pages, 2020/08

https://doi.org/10.1115/ICONE2020-16751

The Sodium Chemistry (NAC) package in MELCOR has been developed to enhance application to sodium cooled fast reactors. The models in the NAC package have been assessed through benchmark analyses of the F7-1 pool fire experiment. This study assesses the capability of the pool fire model in MELCOR and provides recommendations for future model improvements. The MELCOR analysis yields lower values than the experimental data in pool combustion rate and pool, catch pan, and gas temperature during early time. The current heat transfer model for the catch pan is the primary cause of the difference. After sodium discharge stopping, the pool combustion rate and temperature become higher than experimental data. This is caused by absence of a model for pool fire suppression due to the oxide layer buildup on the pool surface. Based on these results, recommendations for future works are needed, such as heat transfer modification for the catch pan and consideration of the effects of the oxide layer.