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Fukuda, Takanari; Yamashita, Susumu; Yoshida, Hiroyuki
Journal of Computational Physics, 545, p.114485_1 - 114485_32, 2026/01
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.
Fukuda, Takanari; Yamashita, Susumu; Yoshida, Hiroyuki
Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 62(12), p.1264 - 1278, 2025/12
This study compared three interface capturing schemes (ICSs) for multi-phase flow simulations based on the VOF method, focusing on bubble volume conservation. The THINC/WLIC scheme showed significant VOF diffusion and underestimated total bubble volume, while the original THINC and PLIC conserved bubble volumes. Moreover, an analysis of THINC/WLIC based on a new visualization approach revealed that VOF fragments were ripped off by shear forces around interface, making it unsuitable for accurate void fraction prediction in boiling water reactors. The original THINC may be a viable alternative to PLIC due to its simplicity.
Zhang, H.*; Umehara, Yutaro*; Horiguchi, Naoki; Yoshida, Hiroyuki; Eto, Atsuro*; Mori, Shoji*
Energy, 335, p.138090_1 - 138090_18, 2025/10
Nuclear power is a key low-carbon energy source for a carbon-neutral future. In boiling water reactors (BWRs), steam-water annular flow near fuel rods is crucial for reactor safety, but its high-temperature, high-pressure conditions (285
C, 7 MPa) make direct measurement challenges. To address this, we used an HFC134a-ethanol system at lower conditions (40C, 0.7 MPa) to simulate BWR annular flow. Using a high-speed camera and the constant electric current method, we analyzed liquid-film characteristics, wave velocity and frequency. We also examined surface tension and interfacial shear stress effects. Furthermore, we proposed a new correlation for base film thickness.
Kamiya, Tomohiro; Yoshida, Hiroyuki
Physics of Fluids, 37(10), p.103359_1 - 103359_23, 2025/10
In this study, we developed a conservative scheme based on a volume of fluid (VOF) and a ghost fluid method for liquid-gas two-phase compressible fluid simulations. We treated several one- and two-dimensional numerical problems to investigate the capability and applicability of the proposed method for compressible two-phase fluid simulations. The results agree well with the exact solutions or the numerical results of previous studies. Furthermore, the results also show that the proposed method can almost completely ensure the conservation property. Consequently, we concluded that the proposed method could simulate compressible two-phase flows and conserve mass, momentum, and total energy.
Uesawa, Shinichiro; Ono, Ayako; Yoshida, Hiroyuki
Gazo Rabo, p.1 - 5, 2025/08
This paper introduces a new measurement technique for visualizing the three-dimensional distribution of bubbles in a complex channel such as a nuclear reactor fuel assembly. Bubbly flow is important in many engineering fields, and especially in nuclear engineering, where bubble behavior significantly affects the performance and safety of nuclear reactors, and thus requires detailed understanding. Conventional rule-based image recognition has difficulty identifying bubbles overlapping in the line-of-sight direction, but in this study, deep learning (Mask R-CNN and Swin Transformer) is used to achieve highly accurate bubble detection with a small amount of training data. Furthermore, the tracking technique using ByteTrack made it possible to track many bubbles with complex motions, and by combining images taken from different viewpoints using two high-speed cameras and reconstructing the 3D shape of the bubbles using the ellipsoid approximation, 3D instantaneous local information such as bubble position, diameter, and velocity was obtained. To eliminate the effects of refraction and obstruction of vision by structures in the channel, a simulated fuel rod was made of a transparent material (PFA tube) with a refractive index similar to that of water, enabling distortion-free imaging and measurement even in channels with complex structures. This enabled 3D visualization of bubble behavior in complex channels, which had been difficult to achieve in the past. Since this technology enables highly accurate 3D visualization with a small number of cameras and a small amount of learning, it is expected to be applied to objects other than bubbles.
Yuki, Kohei*; Horiguchi, Naoki; Yoshida, Hiroyuki; Yuki, Kazuhisa*
Mechanical Engineering Journal (Internet), 12(4), p.24-00451_1 - 24-00451_8, 2025/08
Fuel debris at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station is typically cooled under immersion. However, an unexpected significant drop in water level results in coolant contact with high-temperature fuel debris having porous structure. In such scenarios, rapid cooling is essential, yet the thermal behavior at the liquid-solid interface, including capillary phenomena, is not well understood. This paper presents basic research evaluating the evaporation characteristics of droplets upon contact with metallic porous media featuring small pores under 1 mm. We conducted experiments using bronze or stainless steel porous media with pore diameters of 1, 40, or 100 
m to derive lifetime curves for droplets. Our findings indicate that Leidenfrost effect is mitigated on porous surfaces as the vapor can escape through the pores. Moreover, in bronze porous media, as the temperature increases, oxide film with a fine structure facilitates capillary action. In contrast, the low wettability of stainless steel porous media prevents capillary action, inhibiting droplet absorption and dispersion into the pores. Consequently, rapid cooling via the capillary action is unlikely if the fuel debris shares similar characteristics with steel porous media. Therefore, for risk management, the cooling system should be established assuming that capillary force does not act in the fuel debris.
Kamiya, Tomohiro; Nagatake, Taku; Ono, Ayako; Tada, Kenichi; Kondo, Ryoichi; Nagaya, Yasunobu; Yoshida, Hiroyuki
Mechanical Engineering Journal (Internet), 12(4), p.24-00461_1 - 24-00461_9, 2025/08
JAEA has developed the JAEA Advanced Multi-Physics Analysis platform for Nuclear systems (JAMPAN) to realize high-fidelity neutronics/thermal-hydraulics coupling simulations. We performed a neutronics/thermal-hydraulics coupling simulation for a single BWR fuel assembly in order to confirm that the MVP/JUPITER coupling through JAMPAN is feasible. As a result, we confirmed that the void fraction and the corresponding change in the heat generation distribution are reasonable qualitatively.
Uesawa, Shinichiro; Yamashita, Susumu; Sano, Yoshihiko*; Yoshida, Hiroyuki
Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 62(6), p.523 - 541, 2025/06
Times Cited Count：0 Percentile：0.00(Nuclear Science & Technology)Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has developed a numerical method with the JUPITER code with a porous medium model to calculate the thermal behavior in PCVs of 1F. In this study, we performed an experiment and numerical simulation of the natural convective heat transfer with the porous medium to validate JUPITER with the porous medium model. In comparison of the temperature and velocity distributions between the experiment and simulation, the temperature distribution in the simulation was in good agreement with the distribution in the experiment except the temperature near the top surface of the porous medium. The velocity distribution also agreed qualitatively with the experimental result. In addition, we also performed the numerical simulations with various effective thermal conductivity models to discuss the effect of the conductivity based on the internal structure of porous media on the natural convective heat transfer. The result indicated that the temperature distribution in the porous medium and the velocity distribution of the natural convection were significantly different for each model, and thus the conductivity of the fuel debris was one of the key parameters of in the thermal behavior analysis in 1F.
Uesawa, Shinichiro; Ono, Ayako; Nagatake, Taku; Yamashita, Susumu; Yoshida, Hiroyuki
Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 62(5), p.432 - 456, 2025/05
Times Cited Count：0 Percentile：0.00(Nuclear Science & Technology)We performed electrostatic simulations of a wire-mesh sensor (WMS) for a single spherical bubble and bubbly flow to clarify the accuracy of the WMS. The electrostatic simulation for the single bubble showed the electric current density distribution and the electric current path from the excited transmitter to receivers for various bubble locations. It indicated systematic errors based on the nonuniform current density distribution around the WMS. The electrostatic simulation for the bubbly flow calculated by the computational fluid dynamics code, JAEA Utility Program for Interdisciplinary Thermal-hydraulics Engineering and Research (JUPITER), indicated that the WMS had difficulty in quantitatively measuring the intermediate values of the instantaneous void fraction between 0 and 1 because they cannot be estimated by previous transformation methods from the WMS signal to the void fraction, such as linear approximation or Maxwell's equation, and have a significant deviation of the void fraction of 
0.2 for the WMS signal. However, the electrostatic simulation indicated that the time-averaged void fractions around the center of the flow channel can be estimated using linear approximation, and the time-averaged void fraction near the wall of the flow channel can be estimated using Maxwell's equation.
Uesawa, Shinichiro; Ono, Ayako; Yoshida, Hiroyuki
Konsoryu, 39(1), p.61 - 71, 2025/03
Bubble visualization using a high-speed video-camera has been used as a measurement technique of bubble diameters and velocities. However, the bubble detection was difficult under the condition of the high void fraction because the overlapping bubbles for the sight direction of the camera increased with the void fraction. Additionally, the visualization for a system with objects, such as rod bundle flow channels, becomes more difficult. In this study, we applied a deep learning-based bubble detection technique with Shifted Window Transformer to bubble images shoot from two directions to identify the bubble size, three-dimensional (3D) positions of bubbles, 3D bubble trajectories in the rod bundle flow channel. Furthermore, we used perfluoroalkoxy alkane tubes with almost the same reflection as water in the channel to visualize the bubbly flow in the whole of the flow channel. We confirmed that the detection technique can segment individual bubbles in overlapping bubbles and bubbles behind the rod. By using the detection results, we estimated the diameter and velocity of each bubble and cross-sectional void fraction.
Horiguchi, Naoki; Yoshida, Hiroyuki; Kaneko, Akiko*; Abe, Yutaka*
Physics of Fluids, 37(3), p.033333_1 - 033333_20, 2025/03
Times Cited Count：0 Percentile：0.00(Mechanics)In a severe accident, as molten fuel is assumed to behave as a wall-impinging jet in a shallow coolant pool, atomize and accumulate as fuel debris, it is important to reveal the atomization mechanisms of the wall-impinging jet. This study aimed to reveal the atomization mechanisms in the vortex-like flow of a wall-impinging jet in a shallow pool of a liquid-liquid system, focusing on droplet formation as an elementary process of atomization. To quantitatively investigate these mechanisms, we applied quantification methods to three-dimensional interfacial data obtained by a previous experimental study using three-dimensional laser-induced fluorescence with index matching. Detailed observations of the spreading behavior of droplets and vortex-like flow, along with quantitative estimations, found out that the vortex-like flow is the dominant source of droplets on the atomization. Further investigations into the forces acting on the vortex-like flow found out the formation and collapse processes of the vortex-like flow. The accelerations of the normal forces acting on the vortex-like flow can be represented by superficial centrifugal acceleration and gravitational acceleration. Our next analysis focused on investigating droplet formation as the elementary process of atomization. The results showed two droplet formation patterns: liquid-film breaking patterns, wherein droplets directly form from the liquid film, and the surfing pattern, wherein droplets form from interfacial waves on the liquid film. Subsequently, the droplet data were grouped using dimensionless numbers and compared with theoretical lines describing the different droplet formation mechanisms. This comparison revealed the mechanisms of droplet formation within the vortex-like flow.
Nakamura, Satoshi; Ishii, Sho*; Kato, Hitoshi*; Ban, Yasutoshi; Hiruta, Kenta; Yoshida, Takuya; Uehara, Hiroyuki; Obata, Hiroki; Kimura, Yasuhiko; Takano, Masahide
Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 62(1), p.56 - 64, 2025/01
Times Cited Count：1 Percentile：33.61(Nuclear Science & Technology)A dissolution method for analyzing the elemental composition of fuel debris using the sodium peroxide (Na
O) fusion technique has been developed. Herein, two different types of simulated debris materials (such as solid solution of (Zr,RE)O and molten core-concrete interaction products (MCCI)) were taken. At various temperatures, these debris materials were subsequently fused with NaO in crucibles, which are made of different materials, such as Ni, AlO
, Fe, and Zr. Then, the fused samples are dissolved in nitric acid. Furthermore, the effects of the experimental conditions on the elemental composition analysis were evaluated using inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), which suggested the use of a Ni crucible at 923 K as an optimum testing condition. The optimum testing condition was then applied to the demonstration tests with Three Mile Island unit-2 (TMI-2) debris in a shielded concrete cell, thereby achieving complete dissolution of the debris. The elemental composition of TMI-2 debris revealed by the proposed dissolution method has good reproducibility and has an insignificant contradiction in the mass balance of the sample. Therefore, this newly developed reproducible dissolution method can be effectively utilized in practical applications by dissolving fuel debris and estimating its elemental composition.
Uesawa, Shinichiro; Yoshida, Hiroyuki
Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 61(11), p.1438 - 1452, 2024/11
Times Cited Count：2 Percentile：57.55(Nuclear Science & Technology)We developed a deep learning-based bubble detector with a Shifted window Transformer (Swin Transformer) to detect and segment individual bubbles among overlapping bubbles. To verify the performance of the detector, we calculated its average precision (AP) with different number of training images. The mask AP increased with the increase in the number of training images when there were less than 50 images but remained constant when there were more than 50 images. It was observed that the AP for the Swin Transformer and ResNet were almost the same when there were more than 50 images; however, when few training images were used, the AP of the Swin Transformer were higher than that of the ResNet. Furthermore, with regard to the increase in void fraction, the AP of the Swin Transformer showed a decrease similar to that in the case of the ResNet; however, for few training images, the AP of the Swin Transformer was higher than that of the ResNet in all void fractions. Moreover, we confirmed the detector trained with synthetic bubble images was able to segment overlapping bubbles and deformed bubbles in a bubbly flow experiment. Thus, we verified that the new bubble detector with Swin Transformer provided higher AP than the detector with ResNet for fewer training images.
Uesawa, Shinichiro; Ono, Ayako; Yamashita, Susumu; Yoshida, Hiroyuki
Proceedings of 13th Korea-Japan Symposium on Nuclear Thermal Hydraulics and Safety (NTHAS13) (Internet), 7 Pages, 2024/11
A conductance-typed wire-mesh sensor (WMS), utilizing the difference in conductivity between gas and liquid phases between the electrodes, is one of the practical measurement techniques of a cross-sectional void fraction distribution in a flow path. In this study, we performed two-phase computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and electrostatic simulations around a WMS for a single spherical bubble and bubbly flow to clarify the systematic error in the WMS. The results for the single bubble indicated that there were systematic errors based on the non-uniform current density distribution around the WMS. The correlation between instantaneous void fractions and WMS signals is not uniquely determined for positions of the single bubble moving across the WMS, even for the same bubble. Moreover, the correlation between the instantaneous void fractions and the WMS signals did not fit in a linear approximation and Maxwell's equation, which traditionally used transformation methods from the WMS signal to the void fraction. The results for the bubbly flow indicated that the WMS had difficulty in quantitative measurements of the instantaneous void fraction because the values had a significant deviation of the void fraction of approximately 0.2. On the other hand, time-averaged void fraction values had relatively small deviation. Thus, we concluded that the WMS, using existing transformation methods, can measure time-averaged void fractions, but it is difficult to measure quantitatively instantaneous void fractions.
Kamiya, Tomohiro; Nagatake, Taku; Ono, Ayako; Tada, Kenichi; Kondo, Ryoichi; Nagaya, Yasunobu; Yoshida, Hiroyuki
Proceedings of 31st International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (ICONE31) (Internet), 7 Pages, 2024/11
We have developed the JAEA Advances Multi-Physics Analysis platform for Nuclear systems (JAMPAN) to realize high-fidelity neutronics/thermal-hydraulics coupling simulations. We will perform MVP/JUPITER coupling simulation for a single BWR fuel assembly in order to confirm that the neutronics/thermal-hydraulics coupling through JAMPAN is feasible. This presentation explains how to send and receive data between MVP and JUPITER through JAMPAN and simulation results.
Yuki, Kohei*; Horiguchi, Naoki; Yoshida, Hiroyuki; Yuki, Kazuhisa*
Proceedings of 31st International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (ICONE31) (Internet), 4 Pages, 2024/11
Fuel debris in the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station is cooled under immersion condition. However, in the event of an unexpected decrease in water level, coolant contacts high-temperature fuel debris having porous structure. In this event, although fuel debris needs to be cooled rapidly, thermal behavior at liquid-solid contact, such as capillary phenomenon, remains unclear. In this paper, as basic research, we evaluate droplet evaporation characteristics after contact with metal porous media with small pores less than 1 mm. In experiment, to obtain life time curve of a droplet, bronze or stainless steel porous media having 1, 40, or 100 m pore diameter are utilized. Experimental results show that Leidenfrost phenomenon is suppressed on the porous surfaces because generated vapor can be discharged from the pores. Further, for bronze porous media, capillary phenomenon is observed as the temperature of the porous media increase because of generation of oxide film having fine structure. On the other hand, due to low wettability of stainless steel porous media, capillary phenomenon does not occur, and the droplet was not sucked and spread into pore. This indicates that rapid cooling by the capillary phenomenon can not be expected if fuel debris has the same characteristics as the stainless steel porous media.
Uesawa, Shinichiro; Ono, Ayako; Yoshida, Hiroyuki
Konsoryu Shimpojiumu 2024 Koen Rombunshu (Internet), 2 Pages, 2024/09
Bubble visualization using a high-speed video-camera has been used as measurement techniques of bubble diameters, interfacial area concentrations, and void fractions in dispersed bubbly flow. However, the bubble detection was difficult under the condition of the high void fraction because the overlapping bubbles for the sight direction of the camera increased with the increase in the void fraction. In this study, we developed the deep learning-based bubble detector with Shifted window Transformer (Swin Transformer) to overcome the issue. To verify the performance, we used the synthetic bubble images obtained by Generative Adversarial Networks (GAN) and obtained average precisions (APs) for the number of the training dataset. The result showed that the AP was large enough for 50 datasets, and bubble detection was possible even with a small number of the training data. Additionally, we confirmed that the detector can detect and segment individual bubbles in overlapping bubbles obtained in the visualization experiments of pipe and bundle flows. By using the detection results, we estimated the interfacial area concentrations and void fractions. In comparison with commonly used relations, the results were in good agreement with the relations. Thus, the detector can measure not only bubble diameters but also interfacial area concentrations and void fractions.
Fukuda, Takanari; Yamashita, Susumu; Yoshida, Hiroyuki
Proceedings of 14th International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Reactor Thermal-Hydraulics, Operation, and Safety (NUTHOS-14) (Internet), 12 Pages, 2024/08
The VOF method is a type of CFDs that is most widely applied to multiphase flow analysis involving advective interfaces, and several interface-capturing schemes have been developed for an accurate advection of VOF values. However, the performance of these schemes has typically been evaluated only for limited numerical problems where velocity fields are spatially orderly and fixed in time. Few studies have been conducted to evaluate the performance of these schemes for more realistic and complex conditions, such as gas-liquid two-phase flows in nuclear reactors. Therefore, in this study, three-dimensional analysis of bubble flows has been conducted using the interface-capturing schemes of THINC and THINC/WLIC, which have been developed relatively recently. Evaluation is performed using more engineering indicators such as the number, volume, and trajectory of bubbles, which can influence the void fraction distribution in reactor cores. The results of these comparisons showed that the VOF value could be significantly diffused, leading to numerical brake-up and dissipation of the bubbles, with the influence of interface-capturing scheme.
Uesawa, Shinichiro; Ono, Ayako; Yoshida, Hiroyuki
Dai-52-Kai Kashika Joho Shimpojiumu Koen Rombunshu (Internet), 2 Pages, 2024/07
In order to obtain 3D behavior of bubbles, visualization using high-speed video-cameras has been used to identify 3D positions of bubbles. However, it was difficult to apply the technique to bubbly flow with the high void fraction because overlapping bubbles for the sight direction of the camera increased with the increase in the void fraction. JAEA has developed the deep learning-based bubble detector with Shifted window Transformer (Swin Transformer) to overcome the issue for the overlapping bubbles. In this study, we applied the bubble detection technique to images of bubble swarms visualized from two directions other than the direction of main flow and visualized 3D behavior of dispersed bubbles. The result showed that individual bubbles in bubble swarms were detected, and bubble diameters and aspect ratios were measured. Additionally, we obtained 3D positions of bubbles and 3D bubble velocities by linking the bubble positions for the direction of main flow in both images.
Ono, Ayako; Sakashita, Hiroto*; Yamashita, Susumu; Suzuki, Takayuki*; Yoshida, Hiroyuki
Mechanical Engineering Journal (Internet), 11(4), p.24-00188_1 - 24-00188_12, 2024/07
Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) is developing the evaluation method for a two-phase flow in the reactor core using simulation codes based on the Volume Of Fluid (VOF) method. JAEA started developing a Simplified Boiling Model (SBM) for the large-scale two-phase flow in the fuel assemblies. In the SBM, the motion and growth equations of the bubble are solved to obtain their diameter and time length at the detachment, of which size scale is within/around the calculation grid size of the numerical simulation. JUPITER calculates the bubble behavior with a scale of more than several m. In this study, the convection boiling on a vertical heating surface is simulated using the developed SBM. The comparison between the simulation and experimental results showed good reproducibility of the heat flux and velocity dependency on the passage period of the bubble.
