Comparison of sodium fast reactor core assembly seismic evaluation using the Japanese and French simulation tools

Yamamoto, Tomohiko; Matsubara, Shinichiro*; Harada, Hidenori*; Saunier, P.*; Martin, L.*; Gentet, D.*; Dirat, J.-F.*; Collignon, C.*

Nuclear Engineering and Design, 383, p.111406_1 - 111406_14, 2021/11

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2021.111406

Japan-France collaboration on ASTRID (Advanced Sodium Technological Reactor for Industrial Demonstration) project is launched in 2014. In this project, Japan-France evaluates core assemblies with interferences on seismic event. The object of this study is to verify the seismic evaluation method on core assemblies between Japan and France by comparing the results. The analysis of this benchmark calculation shows a satisfactory agreement between the Japanese and French tools and the figures show a good behavior of the core in horizontal direction under French seismic condition.

An Approach toward evaluation of long-term fission product distributions in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant after the severe accident

Uchida, Shunsuke; Karasawa, Hidetoshi; Kino, Chiaki*; Pellegrini, M.*; Naito, Masanori*; Osaka, Masahiko

Nuclear Engineering and Design, 380, p.111256_1 - 111256_19, 2021/08

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2021.111256

It is essential to grasp the long-term distributions of FP as well as fuel debris all over the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (1F) for safe completion of its decommissioning projects. The fuel debris is going to be removed from the plant under the severe conditions of FP being scattered during major decommissioning work, and then, the decommissioning projects are going to be terminated by storing safely the removed debris as recovered fertile materials or as materials for final radioactive disposal. In order to determine the FP distribution in the plant for the long period from the accident occurrence to the termination of the plant decommissioning, procedures for analyzing multi-term FP behaviors were proposed. The proposed procedures should be improved by applying the FP data measured in the plant and validated based on the feedback data. Then, the accuracy-improved procedures should be applied to estimate FP distribution during each period of the decommissioning projects.

Numerical modeling of radiation heat transfer from combusting droplets for a sodium fire analysis

Aoyagi, Mitsuhiro; Takata, Takashi; Uno, Masayoshi*

Nuclear Engineering and Design, 380, p.111258_1 - 111258_11, 2021/08

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2021.111258

Preparation for restarting the high temperature engineering test reactor; Development of utility tool for auto seeking critical control rod position

Ho, H. Q.; Fujimoto, Nozomu*; Hamamoto, Shimpei; Nagasumi, Satoru; Goto, Minoru; Ishitsuka, Etsuo

Nuclear Engineering and Design, 377, p.111161_1 - 111161_9, 2021/06

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2021.111161

Overview and outcomes of the OECD/NEA benchmark study of the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi NPS (BSAF), Phase 2; Results of severe accident analyses for unit 3

Lind, T.*; Pellegrini, M.*; Herranz, L. E.*; Sonnenkalb, M.*; Nishi, Yoshihisa*; Tamaki, Hitoshi; Cousin, F.*; Fernandez Moguel, L.*; Andrews, N.*; Sevon, T.*

Nuclear Engineering and Design, 376, p.111138_1 - 111138_12, 2021/05

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2021.111138

This is the third part of the three part paper describing the accidents at the FDNPS as analyzed in the Phase 2 of the OECD/NEA project "Benchmark Study of the Accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant" (BSAF). In this paper, we describe the accident progression in unit 3. In the BSAF project, eight organizations from five countries analyzed severe accident scenarios for Unit 3 at the Fukushima Daiichi site using different severe accident codes. The present paper for Unit 3 describes the findings of the comparison of the participants' results against each other and against plant data, the evaluation of the accident progression and the final status inside the reactors. Special focus is on the status of the reactor pressure vessel, melt release and fission product release and transport. Unit 3 specific aspects, e.g., the complicated accident progression following repeated containment venting actuations and attempts at coolant injection at the time of the major core degradation, are highlighted and points of consensus as well as remaining uncertainties and data needs will be summarized. FP transport is analyzed, and the calculation results are compared with dose rate measurements in the containment. The release of I-131 and Cs-137 to the environment is compared with analysis conducted by using WSPEEDI code.

Overview and outcomes of the OECD/NEA benchmark study of the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi NPS (BSAF) Phase 2; Results of severe accident analyses for Unit 1

Herranz, L. E.*; Pellegrini, M.*; Lind, T.*; Sonnenkalb, M.*; Godin-Jacqmin, L.*; Lpez, C.*; Dolganov, K.*; Cousin, F.*; Tamaki, Hitoshi; Kim, T. W.*; et al.

Nuclear Engineering and Design, 369, p.110849_1 - 110849_7, 2020/12

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2020.110849

Phase 2 of the OECD/NEA Project "Benchmark Study of the Accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (BSAF)" was established in mid-2015. The objectives have been similar to Phase 1 of the project but with an extended analysis period of 3 weeks, a major focus on FP behaviour and releases to the environment and the comparison to various data and results of backwards calculations of the source term. Nine organizations of six countries submitted results of their calculated severe accident scenarios for Unit 1 at the 1F site using different severe accident codes. This paper describes the findings of the comparison of the participants results for Unit1 against each other and against plant data, the evaluation of the accident progression and the final status inside the reactors. Special focus is on RPV status, melt release and FP behaviour and release. Unit specific aspects will be highlighted and points of consensus as well as remaining uncertainties and data needs will be summarised.

Evaluation of breach characteristics of fast reactor fuel pins during steady state irradiation

Oka, Hiroshi*; Kaito, Takeji; Ikusawa, Yoshihisa; Otsuka, Satoshi

Nuclear Engineering and Design, 370, p.110894_1 - 110894_8, 2020/12

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2020.110894

The objective of this study is to evaluate the reliability of a cumulative damage fraction (CDF) analysis for the prediction of fuel pin breach in fast rector using experimentally obtained fuel pin breach data for the first time. Six breached fuel pins were obtained from steady state irradiation in the EBR-II. Post irradiation examinations revealed that FP gas pressure was the main cause of creep damage in cladding, and that the stress contribution from FCMI was negligible. CDFs evaluated for these pins using in-reactor creep rupture equation, taking into account the irradiation history of cladding temperature and hoop stress due to FP gas pressure, were in the range of 0.7 to 1.4 at the occurrence of breach. This shows clearly that fuel pin breach occurs when the CDF approaches 1.0. The results indicate that CDF analysis would be a reliable method for the prediction of fuel pin breach when appropriate material strength and environmental effects are adopted.

Experimental investigation of density stratification behavior during outer surface cooling of a containment vessel with the CIGMA facility

Ishigaki, Masahiro; Abe, Satoshi; Shibamoto, Yasuteru; Yonomoto, Taisuke

Nuclear Engineering and Design, 367, p.110790_1 - 110790_15, 2020/10

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2020.110790

no abstracts in English

Reliability improvements of corrosion-resistant equipment for thermochemical water splitting hydrogen production iodine-sulfur process

Kamiji, Yu; Noguchi, Hiroki; Takegami, Hiroaki; Tanaka, Nobuyuki; Iwatsuki, Jin; Kasahara, Seiji; Kubo, Shinji

Nuclear Engineering and Design, 361, p.110573_1 - 110573_6, 2020/05

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2020.110573

JAEA has been conducting R&D on the thermochemical iodine-sulfur (IS) process for nuclear-powered hydrogen production. The IS process is one of the promising candidates of heat application of the high-temperature gas-cooled reactors. The glass-lined steel is one of the candidate materials which has both corrosion resistance and structural strength. This paper reveals technical matters to improve reliability of the glass-lined steel equipment. It found that the improved glass-lined steel showed soundness in the process environment from the results of stress analyses for the glass layer by FEM, tests for heat cycle, bending load and corrosion.

Computer code analysis of irradiation performance of axially heterogeneous mixed oxide fuel elements attaining high burnup in a fast reactor

Uwaba, Tomoyuki; Yokoyama, Keisuke; Nemoto, Junichi*; Ishitani, Ikuo*; Ito, Masahiro*; Pelletier, M.*

Nuclear Engineering and Design, 359, p.110448_1 - 110448_7, 2020/04

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2019.110448

Coupled computer code analyses of irradiation performance of axially heterogeneous mixed oxide (MOX) fuel elements with high burnup in a fast reactor were conducted. Post-irradiation experiments revealed local concentration of Cs near the interfaces between MOX fuel and blanket columns including the internal blanket of the fuel elements as well as an increase in their cladding diameters. The analyses indicated that the local Cs concentration occurred as a result of Cs axial migration from the MOX fuels toward the blanket pellets near the interfaces. Swelling of the blanket pellets induced by the formation of low-density Cs-U-O compound was not sufficient to cause pellet-to-cladding mechanical interaction (PCMI). The PCMI analyzed in the MOX fuel column regions was insignificant, and the cladding diameter increases were caused mainly by void swelling in cladding and irradiation creep due to fission gas pressure.