Non-condensable gas accumulation and distribution due to condensation in the CIGMA Facility; Implications for Fukushima Daiichi Unit 3 (1F3)

Hamdani, A.; 相馬 秀; 安部 諭; 柴本 泰照

Progress in Nuclear Energy, 185, p.105771_1 - 105771_13, 2025/07

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnucene.2025.105771

This study, motivated by previous TEPSYS analysis, examined how different temperatures on the 4th and 5th floors of the Fukushima Daiichi Unit 3 reactor building (R/B) influenced non-condensable gas distribution during the 2011 severe accident. Understanding this is vital for assessing risks related to gas accumulation, especially since the hydrogen explosion may have involved multiple stages. An experimental study was conducted using the CIGMA facility, designed to mimic the R/B structure, where steam and helium (as a substitute for hydrogen) were injected for 10,000 seconds to simulate leakage. Two cooling conditions were tested: 50C (Case 1) and 90C (Case 2). Results showed that the highest concentration of non-condensable gases was often found downstream rather than near the injection point. In Case 1, after 10,000 seconds, helium concentration reached 65% in the middle region (4th floor) and 45% in the top region (5th floor). Analysis indicated that the gas mixture in the middle region posed a potential detonation risk. This study offers crucial insights for enhancing safety measures and risk mitigation strategies in nuclear reactor designs.

Free outflow from the end of a horizontal circular pipe related to flow from the PWR cold leg to the downcomer

佐藤 聡; 日引 俊*; 池田 遼; 柴本 泰照

Progress in Nuclear Energy, 180, p.105593_1 - 105593_11, 2025/02

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnucene.2024.105593

加圧水型原子炉(PWR)の冷却材喪失事故では、ダウンカマーに流入するコールドレグに注入された緊急炉心冷却(ECC)水の流れにより、原子炉圧力容器(RPV)内壁に加圧熱衝撃(PTS)が発生するリスクがある。PTSは、ECC水によるダウンカマー壁の急冷によって発生し、ECC水の温度、壁面へのジェットの衝突位置と速度、壁面上の液膜の速度、液膜の厚さ、下降流の広がりなどに強く影響される。したがって、コールドレグからダウンカマーに流出するECC水の流れは、PTS事象に強く影響する可能性がある。この流動現象を理解するために、円管からの自由流出に関する研究をレビューした。流動条件の分類、流動条件間の遷移条件、端部深さ比、円管内の流れの自由表面形状、管から流出するナッペの形状に関する実験結果は、ほぼ一致した形で得られている。これに対し、コールドレグからダウンカマーへの流れを考慮する場合、自由空間ではなく狭い隙間への流れ、円管出口の角の丸みの存在、炉心からコールドレグへ流れる蒸気流の影響など、特殊な状況での流れ場を扱う必要がある。しかし、これらの要因を考慮した先行研究は少ないため、今後蓄積すべき知見としてまとめた。

Generalized extreme value analysis of efficient evaluation of extreme values in random media criticality calculations

植木 太郎

Progress in Nuclear Energy, 173, p.105236_1 - 105236_10, 2024/08

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnucene.2024.105236

本論文は、不完全乱雑化ワイエルシュトラス関数(IRWF)によってモデル化された燃料デブリの乱雑化レプリカに対して、中性子実効増倍率(keff)計算の極値評価を効率化したことを報告する。対象とした効率化手法は、有界増幅(BA)として特徴づけられるものである。数値計算結果により、BAのIRWFへの適用が、必要とされる乱雑化レプリカ数を、少なくとも1桁減少させることが分かった。この効率性向上検証のため、BAを適用せずに計算されたkeffのデータセットに一般化極値(GEV)統計を適用し、極値分布がワイブル分布に従うことを明らかにした。GEV理論はワイブル分布の上限値の存在を保証しており、実際に計算された上限は、BAが適用されて乱雑化レプリカ数を1桁以上減らした場合に得られる上位2つのkeff値よりも小さいことが判明した。これは、BAによる効率性向上がGEV解析によって確認されたことを意味する。

Study on the difference between BC powder and BC pellet regarding the eutectic reaction with stainless steel

Hong, Z.*; Ahmed, Z.*; Pellegrini, M.*; 山野 秀将; Erkan, N.*; Sharma, A. K.*; 岡本 孝司*

Progress in Nuclear Energy, 171, p.105160_1 - 105160_13, 2024/06

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnucene.2024.105160

本研究では、BC粉末とステンレス鋼(SS)間との共晶反応はBC粉ペレットとSS間とのそれより相当に速いことが分かった。粉末及びペレットに対して導出された反応速度定数は参考文献値によく一致している。また、粉末とペレットの場合の詳細微細構造をSEM/EDSを用いて組成分析を行った。粉末の場合、(Fe,Cr)Bからなる反応層として厚肉層が見られた。一方、ペレットの場合、2つの反応層が見られた。

Critical heat flux for downward flows in vertical round pipes

廣瀬 意育; 柴本 泰照; 日引 俊*

Progress in Nuclear Energy, 168, p.105027_1 - 105027_17, 2024/03

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnucene.2023.105027

This study reviewed the literature that measured critical heat flux (CHF) for downward flow in round pipes and arranged the proposed correlations. Each correlation shows relatively good prediction accuracy for experimental data from their literature, but the accuracies sometimes decrease for experimental data from other literature. No correlation accurately predicts all the experimental data of the literature, indicating an issue in extrapolating existing correlations. Therefore, we developed a correlation that can accurately predict the experimental data of the collected literature. First, we used a neural network to select the essential dimensionless quantities that comprise the correlation. Then, we regarded the prediction accuracy when all candidate dimensionless quantities extracted from the literature were used for the input variables of the network as the achievable limit prediction accuracy and searched for the minimum combination of dimensionless quantities required to achieve it. The results showed that only the dimensionless mass flux and the ratio of the heating length to the channel diameter are the essential parameters to achieve it. We developed a correlation equation using these two dimensionless quantities and achieved 17.6% of the average prediction accuracy. This result considerably improved existing correlation equations with 25%-40% average prediction accuracy for the same experimental data.

Generalized extreme value analysis of criticality tallies in Monte Carlo calculation

植木 太郎

Progress in Nuclear Energy, 159, p.104630_1 - 104630_9, 2023/05

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnucene.2023.104630

一般化極値(GEV)は、極端な値の観測に関する統計モデルである。本論文では、GEVの方法論を、サンプリングの困難さで知られる弱結合体系のモンテカルロ臨界計算の例題に適用し、中性子実効増倍率(keff)分布の裾野の利用価値を評価したことを報告する。具体的には、核分裂源サイクルあたりの粒子数が十分に大きい場合に、keff分布の上限と下限に対する極値指数(EVI)が不確かさの範囲内で同じ値をとること、及びその値が境界値層としてのガンベル分布のEVIを含むワイブル分布の範囲内に収まることを示す。核分裂源サイクルあたりの粒子数が不十分な場合に対しては、一つの平衡状態から別の平衡状態への移行時に、keff分布の上下限のEVIが剥離し、一方がワイブル分布の範囲内に、もう一方がフレシェ分布の範囲内に入り、計算の異常診断に利用可能であることが示される。

Liquid decontamination using acidic electrolyzed water for various uranium-contaminated steel surfaces in dismantled centrifuge

酒瀬川 英雄; 野村 光生; 澤山 兼吾; 中山 卓也; 矢板 由美*; 米川 仁*; 小林 登*; 有馬 立身*; 檜山 敏明*; 村田 栄一*

Progress in Nuclear Energy, 153, p.104396_1 - 104396_9, 2022/11

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnucene.2022.104396

ウラン濃縮施設の使用済み遠心分離機を解体する際、解体部品のウラン汚染面のみを選択的に除去できる除染技術を開発することは重要である。これは適切な除染を通じて、解体部品を非放射性廃棄物として処分、もしくは、再利用するためである。これまでの研究により、ウラン汚染面を除去できる酸性電解水を利用した湿式除染技術を開発した。ただし、実用化のためにはさらなる技術の最適化は必要である。解体部品は、様々な運転履歴、七フッ化ヨウ素ガスを使用した不均一な系統除染の状況、そして、解体後の長期保管条件の変化により、ウラン汚染状態が異なるためである。本研究は遠心分離機の低炭素鋼製ケーシングからウラン汚染状態の異なる試料を採取して酸性電解水を利用した湿式除染を実施した。その結果、ウラン汚染面のみを効果的に除去することができ、最大20分間で放射能の目標値を下回った。実際の除染時間は解体部品の大きさや形状にも依存することになるが、この方法が遠心分離機のウラン汚染部品に対する除染技術として利用できることを明らかとした。

Oxidative decomposition of ammonium ion with ozone in the presence of cobalt and chloride ions for the treatment of radioactive liquid waste

粟飯原 はるか; 渡部 創; 柴田 淳広; Mahardiani, L.*; 大友 亮一*; 神谷 裕一*

Progress in Nuclear Energy, 139, p.103872_1 - 103872_9, 2021/09

AA2020-0412.pdf:1.22MB

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnucene.2021.103872

To prevent unexpected accidents at nuclear facilities caused by accumulated ammonium nitrate in an aqueous liquid waste containing ammonium salts and nitric acid, NH in the liquid waste must be decomposed under mild reaction conditions. In this study, we investigated the oxidative decomposition of NH with O at 333 K in the presence of a homogeneous Co catalyst and Cl in the wide pH range of the test solution. The reaction behavior was greatly affected by pH of the test solution. In a basic solution at pH 12, high conversion of NH was obtained even in the absence of Co and Cl and the main product was NO . However, Co and Cl in the solution greatly enhanced the decomposition rate of NH in acidic to mild basic solutions (pH 1-8), while only low conversion of NH was observed unless both Co and Cl were present. For the reaction with Co and Cl in the solutions, NH was transformed mainly into chloramines (NH Cl , x = 1-3) by the reaction with HClO, which was formed by the reaction of Cl with O catalyzed by the homogeneous Co catalyst, and led to the high decomposition rate of NH . Cl suppressed the formation of the precipitate CoO(OH) during the reaction and consequently the Co catalyst stably existed in the reaction solution, which was another reason for the high decomposition rate of NH in the presence of Cl. Owing to the swift decomposition of NH under mild reaction conditions and small formation of secondary waste, the oxidative decomposition of NH in the presence of the homogeneous Co catalyst and Cl is suitable and applicable for the treatment of the aqueous liquid waste containing ammonium salts and nitric acid.

Development of a membrane reactor with a closed-end silica membrane for nuclear-heated hydrogen production

Myagmarjav, O.; 田中 伸幸; 野村 幹弘*; 野口 弘喜; 今井 良行; 上地 優; 久保 真治; 竹上 弘彰

Progress in Nuclear Energy, 137, p.103772_1 - 103772_7, 2021/07

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnucene.2021.103772

Hydrogen production from nuclear energy has attracted considerable interest as a clean energy solution to address the challenges of climate change and environmental sustainability. With respect to the large-scale and economical production of hydrogen using nuclear energy, the thermochemical water-splitting iodine-sulfur (IS) process is a promising method. The IS process uses sulfur and iodine compounds to decompose water into its elemental constituents, hydrogen and oxygen, by using three coupled chemical reactions: the Bunsen reaction; sulfuric acid decomposition; and hydrogen iodide (HI) decomposition. The decomposition of HI is the efficiency-determining step of the process. In this work, a membrane reactor with a silica membrane closed on one end was designed, and its potential for hydrogen production from HI decomposition was explored. In the reactor-module design, only one end of the membrane tube was fixed, while the closed-end of the tube was freely suspended to avoid thermal expansion effects. The closed-end silica membranes were prepared for the first time by a counter-diffusion chemical vapor deposition of hexyltrimethoxysilane. In application, HI conversion of greater than 0.60 was achieved at a decomposition temperature of 400C. Thus, the membrane reactor with closed-end silica membrane was shown to produce a successful equilibrium shift in the production of hydrogen via HI decomposition in the thermochemical IS process.

The Working group on the analysis and management of accidents (WGAMA); A Historical review of major contributions

Herranz, L. E.*; Jacquemain, D.*; Nitheanandan, T.*; Sandberg, N.*; Barr, F.*; Bechta, S.*; Choi, K.-Y.*; D'Auria, F.*; Lee, R.*; 中村 秀夫

Progress in Nuclear Energy, 127, p.103432_1 - 103432_14, 2020/09

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnucene.2020.103432

WGAMA started on Dec. 31st 1999 to assess and strengthen the technical basis needed for the prevention, mitigation and management of potential accidents in NPP and to facilitate international convergence on safety issues and AM analyses and strategies. WGAMA addresses reactor thermal-hydraulics (Thys), in-vessel behavior of degraded cores, containment behavior and protection, and FP release, transport, deposition and retention, for both current and advanced reactors. This paper summarizes such WGAMA contributions in Thys, CFD and severe accidents, which include the Fukushima-Daiichi accident impacts on the WGAMA activities and their substantial outcomes. Around 50 technical reports have become reference in the related fields, which appear in References. Recommendations in these reports include further research, some of which have given rise to the joint projects conducted or underway within the OECD framework. Ongoing WGAMA activities are numerous and a number of them are to be launched in the near future, which are shortly mentioned too.