Small gas bubble experiment for mitigation of cavitation damage and pressure waves in short-pulse mercury spallation targets

Riemer, B. W.*; Wendel, M. W.*; Felde, D. K.*; Sangrey, R. L.*; Abdou, A.*; West, D. L.*; Shea, T. J.*; Hasegawa, Shoichi; Kogawa, Hiroyuki; Naoe, Takashi; et al.

Journal of Nuclear Materials, 450(1-3), p.192 - 203, 2014/07

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2013.10.011

Populations of small helium gas bubbles were introduced into a flowing mercury experiment test loop to evaluate mitigation of beam-pulse induced cavitation damage and pressure waves. The test loop was developed and thoroughly tested at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) prior to irradiations at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center - Weapons Neutron Research Center (LANSCE-WNR) facility. Twelve candidate bubblers were evaluated over a range of mercury flow and gas injection rates by use of a novel optical measurement technique that accurately assessed the generated bubble size distributions. Final selection for irradiation testing included two variations of a swirl bubbler provided by Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC) collaborators and one orifice bubbler developed at SNS. Bubble populations of interest consisted of sizes up to 150 m in radius with achieved gas void fractions in the 10 to 10 range. The nominal WNR beam pulse used for the experiment created energy deposition in the mercury comparable to SNS pulses operating at 2.5 MW. Nineteen test conditions were completed each with 100 pulses, including variations on mercury flow, gas injection and protons per pulse. The principal measure of cavitation damage mitigation was surface damage assessment on test specimens that were manually replaced for each test condition. Damage assessment was done after radiation decay and decontamination by optical and laser profiling microscopy with damaged area fraction and maximum pit depth being the more valued results. Damage was reduced by flow alone; the best mitigation from bubble injection was between half and a quarter that of flow alone. Other data collected included surface motion tracking by three laser Doppler vibrometers (LDV), loop wall dynamic strain, beam diagnostics for charge and beam profile assessment, embedded hydrophones and pressure sensors, and sound measurement by a suite of conventional and contact microphones.

Off-axis neutral beam current drive for advanced scenario development in DIII-D

Murakami, Masanori*; Park, J. M.*; Petty, C. C.*; Luce, T. C.*; Heidbrink, W. W.*; Osborne, T. H.*; Prater, R.*; Wade, M. R.*; Anderson, P. M.*; Austin, M. E.*; et al.

Nuclear Fusion, 49(6), p.065031_1 - 065031_8, 2009/06

https://doi.org/10.1088/0029-5515/49/6/065031

Modification of the two existing DIII-D neutral beam lines is planned to allow vertical steering to provide off-axis neutral beam current drive (NBCD) peaked as far off-axis as half the plasma minor radius. New calculations for a downward-steered beam indicate strong current drive with good localization off-axis so long as the toroidal magnetic field, BT, and the plasma current, Ip, point in the same direction. This is due to good alignment of neutral beam injection (NBI) with the local pitch of the magnetic field lines. This model has been tested experimentally on DIII-D by an injecting equatorially-mounted NBs into reduced size plasmas that are vertically displaced with respect to the vessel midplane. The existence of off-axis NBCD is evident in the changes seen in sawtooth behavior in the internal inductance. By shifting the plasma upward or downward, or by changing the sign of the toroidal field, measured off-axis NBCD profiles measured with motional Stark effect data and internal loop voltage show a difference in amplitude (40%-45%) consistent with predicted differences predicted by the changed NBI alignment with respect to the helicity of the magnetic field lines. The effects of NB injection direction relative to field line helicity can be large even in ITER: off-axis NBCD can be increased by more than 20% if the BT direction is reversed. Modification of the DIII-D NB system will strongly support scenario development for ITER and future tokamaks as well as providing flexible scientific tools for understanding transport, energetic particles and heating and current drive.

Influence of bacteria on rock-water interaction, and clay mineral formation in subsurface granitic environments; Bacteria and Clay mineral formation

Hama, Katsuhiro; Hards, V. L.*; Milodo, A. E.*; West, J. M.*; Bateman, K.*; Coombs, P.*; Milodowski, A. E.*; Wetton, P. D.*; Yoshida, Hidekazu; Aoki, Kazuhiro

Clay Minerals, 36(4), p.599 - 613, 2001/00

https://doi.org/10.1180/0009855013640012

None

A Three Task Project -Fluid Processes Group Series Technical Report

West, J. M.*

JNC TJ7400 99-006, 228 Pages, 1998/05

JNC-TJ7400-99-006.pdf:11.74MB

In April 1997 the Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation (PNC) of Japan commissioned a Three Task projet from the British Geological Survey (BGS). Task 1 was a coutinuation of work started in 1996 to examine microbial effects on redox and to quantify the effects of microbiological perturbations on the geological disposal of HLW (TRU ). Task 2 was commissioned to provide information on the Tsukiyoshi Fault for use in ongoing work at the Tono Geoscience Centre. Task 3 was to publish the results of work undertaken in 1996/97 by attending two conferences. This report details the results of all the Tasks undertaken in 1997/98.