Analytical study on safety margins against significant core damage during loss-of-heat-removal-system events in a sodium-cooled fast reactor

Fukano, Yoshitaka

Proceedings of 2017 International Congress on Advances in Nuclear Power Plants (ICAPP 2017) (CD-ROM), 9 Pages, 2017/04

Loss-of-heat-removal-system (LOHRS) events are identified as some of most dominant severe accident sequences in a sodium-cooled fast reactor. Safety margins against significant core damage in LOHRS events were therefore studied in this paper assuming large fuel-cladding gap and fuel cladding failure. It was clarified through analyses by the developed code that neither fuel melting nor further mechanical pin failure occurs owing to large fuel-cladding gap and fuel cladding failure. It was therefore concluded that large safety margins against significant core damage are provided during LOHRS events. These results will be effectively used in formulating the safety criteria for severe accidents or beyond-design-basis-accidents as one of the supporting evidences to be seriously considered.

Design of test methods for remotely operated robots utilized for decommissioning tasks

Kawabata, Kuniaki; Tanifuji, Yuta; Mori, Fumiaki; Shirasaki, Norihito

Proceedings of 2017 International Congress on Advances in Nuclear Power Plants (ICAPP 2017) (CD-ROM), 4 Pages, 2017/04

This paper describes to develop test methods for evaluation of remotely operated robots and operator proficiency for nuclear emergency response and decommissioning tasks. We summarized representative robot's behaviors in the actual operations by the time analysis approach. We also examined environmental factors from the view point of the operation efficiency. Based on these examinations, we currently design some modules of the field for testing remotely operated machines. The approach and progress of the test method development are reported.

Development of U and Pu co-processing process; Demonstration of U, Pu and Np Co-recovery with centrifugal contactors

Kudo, Atsunari; Kurabayashi, Kazuaki; Yanagibashi, Futoshi; Sasaki, Shunichi; Sato, Takehiko; Fujimoto, Ikuo; Obu, Tomoyuki

Proceedings of 2017 International Congress on Advances in Nuclear Power Plants (ICAPP 2017) (CD-ROM), 6 Pages, 2017/04

The Co-processing process is the extraction process to recover Pu/U mixed product solution with given Pu/U ratio for improving of nuclear proliferation resistance. In addition, Np is also recovered with U and Pu because Np is one of minor actinides and a long-lived radionuclide and Np has the extractability into TBP solvent. Development of its flowsheet achieves to decrease environmental effect of waste materials. The orientation of development about Co-processing process is to demonstrate of reprocessing the future spent fuels from a LWR, a LWR-MOX hybrid, and a FR-MOX with one cycle. We demonstrated by use of miniature reflux-type centrifugal contactors at the partitioning unit. The test conditions of the Pu/U ratio in the loaded solvents were 1%, 3%, and 5% considering the composition of spent fuels. We used the HAN as the reductant of Np (VI) for back extraction. The results of these tests were very good. We got the prospect of U, Pu, and Np Co-processing flowsheet.

Comparative study on burnup characteristics of a 1500 MWe metal fuel sodium-cooled fast reactor

Ohgama, Kazuya; Aliberti, G.*; Stauff, N. E.*; Oki, Shigeo; Kim, T. K.*

Proceedings of 2017 International Congress on Advances in Nuclear Power Plants (ICAPP 2017) (CD-ROM), 8 Pages, 2017/04

Design study of a 750 MWe Japan sodium-cooled fast reactor with metal fuel

Ohgama, Kazuya; Ota, Hirokazu*; Ikusawa, Yoshihisa; Oki, Shigeo; Ogata, Takanari*

Proceedings of 2017 International Congress on Advances in Nuclear Power Plants (ICAPP 2017) (CD-ROM), 6 Pages, 2017/04

Core performance requirements and design conditions for next-generation sodium-cooled fast reactor in Japan

Oki, Shigeo; Maruyama, Shuhei; Chikazawa, Yoshitaka; Ohtaki, Akira; Kubo, Shigenobu; Hibi, Koki*; Kan, Taro*

Proceedings of 2017 International Congress on Advances in Nuclear Power Plants (ICAPP 2017) (CD-ROM), 9 Pages, 2017/04

Development of prototype reactor maintenance, 2; Application to piping support of sodium-cooled reactor prototype

Arai, Masanobu; Kunogi, Kosuke; Aizawa, Kosuke; Chikazawa, Yoshitaka; Takaya, Shigeru; Kubo, Shigenobu; Kotake, Shoji*; Ito, Takaya*; Yamaguchi, Akira*

Proceedings of 2017 International Congress on Advances in Nuclear Power Plants (ICAPP 2017) (CD-ROM), 6 Pages, 2017/04

Applications for maintenance program on piping support of prototype fast breeder reactor Monju are studied. Based on degradation mechanism, snubbers in Monju primary cooling system showed lifetime more than the plant lifetime of 30 years by experiments conservatively. For the first step during construction, visual inspection on accessible all supports could be available. In that visual inspection, mounting conditions and damages of all accessible supports could be monitored. One of major features of the Monju primary piping system is large thermal expansion due to large temperature difference between maintenance and operation conditions. Thanks to that large thermal expansion, integrity of the piping support could be monitored by measuring piping displacement. When technologies of piping displacement monitoring are matured in Monju, visual inspection on piping support could be shifted to piping displacement monitoring. At that stage, the visual inspection could be limited only on representative supports.

Probabilistic risk assessment method development for high temperature gas-cooled reactor, 5; Accident progression analysis

Honda, Yuki; Sato, Hiroyuki; Ohashi, Hirofumi

Proceedings of 2017 International Congress on Advances in Nuclear Power Plants (ICAPP 2017) (CD-ROM), 8 Pages, 2017/04

We have been conducting a source term evaluation method development for high temperature gas-cooled reactors considering structural failures in the major components. This paper present the results of transient analysis for depressurized loss-of-forced cooling accident with ruptures of the cross cut ducts and standpipe, which may be initiated by earthquake. The sequences accounts failures of mitigation systems such as core heat removal by Vessel Cooling System (VCS) and reactor shut down by control rod systems. We will show the effect of mitigation system failure to depressurized loss-of-forced cooling accident in the view point of fuel temperature and natural circulation flow rate which is important for source term evaluation. The major findings obtained in this study showed that multiple failures in mitigation systems for a representative HTGR plant do not aggravate the accident. The result demonstrated that a simplification of event sequence analysis and source term analysis can be achieved with a design fully utilizing the safety characteristics of HTGR.

Development of high-performance monitoring system under severe accident condition

Takeuchi, Tomoaki; Tsuchiya, Kunihiko; Komanome, Hirohisa*; Miura, Kuniaki*; Ishihara, Masahiro

Proceedings of 2017 International Congress on Advances in Nuclear Power Plants (ICAPP 2017) (CD-ROM), 6 Pages, 2017/04

After the accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi (1F) Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), the Japanese Government referred to "Enhancement of instrumentation to identify the status of the reactors and PCVs", in the report of Japanese government to the IAEA ministerial conference in June 2011. In response to these provisions, a research and development of a monitoring system for NPPs situations during severe accidents started in November 2012. The objectives of the R&D are composed of radiation-resistant monitoring camera, radiation-resistant in-water transmission system, and heat-resistant signal cable. For all the three objectives, the elemental technologies have been already developed and now trial system are being fabricated and tested under simulated conditions of severe accidents. The results will enable us to determine the basic specifications of the systems and to provide the information about application limits for users.

Heat treatment of phosphate-modified cementitious matrices for safe storage of secondary radioactive aqueous wastes in Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant

Irisawa, Keita; Taniguchi, Takumi; Namiki, Masahiro; Garca-Lodeiro, I.*; Osugi, Takeshi; Sakakibara, Tetsuro; Nakazawa, Osamu; Meguro, Yoshihiro; Kinoshita, Hajime*

Proceedings of 2017 International Congress on Advances in Nuclear Power Plants (ICAPP 2017) (CD-ROM), 6 Pages, 2017/04

A solidification technique with minimized water content is being developed using phosphate cements for the safe storage of secondary radioactive wastes in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Conventional cement systems become solidified via hydration reactions, and need a certain water content. Phosphate cement systems, however, become solidified via an acid-base reaction, and so they only require water mainly for reasons of workability. A reduced water content of phosphate cement systems is beneficial for the immobilization of the radioactive wastes from mitigating the potential to generate hydrogen gas by the radiolysis of water by radioactive wastes. The current study investigated the water content and mineralogy of calcium aluminate cement (CAC) and phosphate-modified CAC (CAP) cured in open systems at 60, 90 and 120 C and in a closed system at 20 C as a reference case. Water contents in both the CAC and the CAP were seen to decrease as curing progressed. For 90 C, the CAP contained less water than CAC. Free water in CAC converted to structural water by heat treatment, but this was not the case for CAP. An orthophosphate hydrate salt, a precursor phase of hydroxyapatite, was found in CAP when cured at 20 and 60 C, and a mixture of the orthophosphate hydrate salt and hydroxyapatite, Ca(PO)(OH), were formed in the CAP when cured at 90 C. Phosphate products in CAP cured at 120 C appears to consist of a different phosphate phase compared with the CAP cured at 20, 60 and 90 C.