An Analytical model to decompose mass transfer and chemical process contributions to molecular iodine release from aqueous phase under severe accident conditions

Zablackaite, G.; Shiotsu, Hiroyuki; Kido, Kentaro; Sugiyama, Tomoyuki

Nuclear Engineering and Technology, 56(2), p.536 - 545, 2024/02

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.net.2023.10.030

Development of analytical approach of source term for accident of evaporation to dryness by boiling of reprocessed high level liquid waste

Yoshida, Kazuo; Tamaki, Hitoshi; Hiyama, Mina*

JAEA-Research 2023-001, 26 Pages, 2023/05

JAEA-Research-2023-001.pdf:1.61MB

An accident of evaporation to dryness by boiling of high-level radioactive liquid waste (HLLW) is postulated as one of the severe accidents caused by the loss of cooling function at a fuel reprocessing plant. In this case, volatile radioactive materials, such as ruthenium (Ru) are released from the tanks with water and nitric-acid mixed vapor into the atmosphere. Accurate quantitative estimation of released Ru is one of the important issues for risk assessment of those facilities. To resolve this issue, an analytical approach has been developed using computer simulation programs to assess the radioactive source term from those facilities. The proposed approach consists analyses with three computer programs. At first, the simulation of boiling behavior in the HLLW tank is conducted with SHAWED code. Next step, the thermal-hydraulic behavior in the facility building is simulated with MELCOR code based on the results at the first step simulation such as flowed out mixed steam flow rate, temperature and volatilized Ru from the tank. The final analysis step is carried out for estimating amount of released radioactive materials with SCHERN computer code which simulates chemical behaviors of nitric acid, nitrogen oxide and Ru based on the condition also simulated MELCOR. Series of sample simulations of the accident at a hypothetical typical facility are presented with the data transfer between those codes in this report.

Analysis of behavior of Ru with nitrogen oxide chemical behavior in accident of evaporation to dryness by boiling of reprocessed high level liquid waste

Yoshida, Kazuo; Tamaki, Hitoshi; Hiyama, Mina*

JAEA-Research 2021-005, 25 Pages, 2021/08

JAEA-Research-2021-005.pdf:2.91MB

An accident of evaporation to dryness by boiling of high level liquid waste (HLLW) is postulated as one of the severe accidents caused by the loss of cooling function at a fuel reprocessing plant. In this case, volatile radioactive materials, such as ruthenium (Ru) are released from the tanks with water and nitric-acid mixed vapor into atmosphere. Accurate quantitative estimation of released Ru is one of the important issues for risk assessment of those facilities. To resolve this issue, an empirical correlation equation of Ru mass transfer coefficient across the vapor-liquid surface, which can be useful for quantitative simulation of Ru mitigating behavior, has been obtained from data analyses of small-scale experiments conducted to clarify gaseous Ru migrating behavior under steam-condensing condition. A simulation study has been also carried out with a hypothetical typical facility building successfully to demonstrate the feasibility of quantitative estimation of amount of Ru migrating in the facility using the obtained correlation equation implemented in SCHERN computer code which simulates chemical behaviors of nitrogen oxide based on the condition also simulated thermal-hydraulic computer code.

Experimental study on transport behavior of cesium iodide in the reactor coolant system under LWR severe accident conditions

Miyahara, Naoya; Miwa, Shuhei; Goullo, M.*; Imoto, Jumpei; Horiguchi, Naoki; Sato, Isamu*; Osaka, Masahiko

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 57(12), p.1287 - 1296, 2020/12

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2020.1782281

In order to clarify the cesium iodide (CsI) transport behavior with a focus on the mechanisms of gaseous iodine formation in the reactor coolant system of LWR under a severe accident condition, a reproductive experiment of CsI transport behavior was conducted using a facility equipped with a thermal gradient tube. Various analyses on deposits and airborne materials during transportation could elucidate two mechanisms for the gaseous iodine formation. One was the gaseous phase chemical reaction in Cs-I-O-H system at relatively high-temperature region, which led to gaseous iodine transport to the lower temperature region without any further changes in gas species due to the kinetics limitation effects. The other one was the chemical reactions related to condensed phase of CsI, namely those of CsI deposits on walls with surface of stainless steel to form CsCrO compound and CsI aerosol particles with steam, which were newly found in this study.

Chemical reaction kinetics dataset of Cs-I-B-Mo-O-H system for evaluation of fission product chemistry under LWR severe accident conditions

Miyahara, Naoya; Miwa, Shuhei; Horiguchi, Naoki; Sato, Isamu*; Osaka, Masahiko

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 56(2), p.228 - 240, 2019/02

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2018.1544939

In order to improve LWR source term under severe accident conditions, the first version of a fission product (FP) chemistry database named "ECUME" was developed. The ECUME is intended to include major chemical reactions and their effective kinetic constants for representative SA sequences. It is expected that the ECUME can serve as a fundamental basis from which FP chemical models in the SA analysis codes can be elaborated. The implemented chemical reactions in the first version were those for representative gas species in Cs-I-B-Mo-O-H system. The chemical reaction kinetic constants were evaluated from either literature data or calculated values using ab-initio calculations. The sample chemical reaction calculation using the presently constructed dataset showed meaningful kinetics effects at 1000 K. Comparison of the chemical equilibrium compositions by using the dataset with those by chemical equilibrium calculations has shown rather good consistency for the representative Cs-I-B-Mo-O-H species. From these results, it was concluded that the present dataset should be useful to evaluate FP chemistry in Cs-I-B-Mo-O-H system under LWA SA conditions.

Radiochemical study of the kinematics of multi-nucleon transfer reactions in Ca + Cm collisions 10% above the Coulomb barrier

Gtz, M.*; Gtz, S.*; Kratz, J. V.*; Dllmann, Ch. E.*; Mokry, Ch.*; Runke, J.*; Thrle-Pospiech, P.*; Wiehl, N.*; Schdel, M.; Ballof, J.*; et al.

Nuclear Physics A, 961, p.1 - 21, 2017/05

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nuclphysa.2017.02.006

The kinematics of multi-nucleon transfer reactions in the Ca + Cm collisions were investigated using a stacked-foil technique and radiochemical separations. In previous studies, isotopic distributions of the products of below-target isotopes were found to be broader than those of above-target isotopes, which had been interpreted as larger contributions of strongly dumped collisions in the productions of below-target isotopes than above-target ones. However, in the present study, the average total kinetic energy loss (TKEL), and thus, the average excitation energies were determined for both below-target and above-target isotopes, and they were found to be similar. This contradicts the previous interpretation, and thus, a new interpretation has been proposed; highly excited above-target products are lost by fission.

Formation and release of molecular iodine in aqueous phase chemistry during severe accident with seawater injection

Kido, Kentaro; Hata, Kuniki; Maruyama, Yu; Nishiyama, Yutaka; Hoshi, Harutaka*

NEA/CSNI/R(2016)5 (Internet), p.204 - 212, 2016/05

https://www.oecd-nea.org/nsd/docs/2016/csni-r2016-5.pdf

Development of fast reactor containment safety analysis code, CONTAIN-LMR, 3; Improvement of sodium-concrete reaction model

Kawaguchi, Munemichi; Doi, Daisuke; Seino, Hiroshi; Miyahara, Shinya

Proceedings of 23rd International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (ICONE-23) (DVD-ROM), 6 Pages, 2015/05

CONTAIN-LMR code is an integrated analysis tool to predict the consequence of severe accident in a liquid metal fast reactor. A sodium-concrete reaction is one of the most important phenomena, and Sodium-Limestone Concrete Ablation Model (SLAM) has been installed into the original CONTAIN code. The SLAM treats chemical reaction kinetics between the sodium and the concrete compositions mechanistically, the application is limited to the limestone concrete. In order to apply SLAM to the siliceous concrete which is an ordinary structural concrete in Japan, the chemical reaction kinetics model has been improved. The improved model was validated to analyze a series of sodium-concrete experiments which were conducted in Japan Atomic Energy Agency. It has been found that relatively good agreement between calculation and experimental results is obtained and the CONTAIN-LMR code has been validated with regard to the sodium-concrete reaction phenomena.

Simulation of chemical and electrochemical behavior of actinides and fission products in pyrochemical reprocessing

Minato, Kazuo; Hayashi, Hirokazu; Mizuguchi, Koji*; Sato, Takeyuki*; Amano, Osamu*; Miyamoto, Satoshi*

Proceedings of GLOBAL2003 Atoms for Prosperity; Updating Eisenhower's Global Vision for Nuclear Energy (CD-ROM), p.778 - 781, 2003/11

The simulation technology for the pyrochemical reprocessing of oxide fuels was developed to analyze experimental data, to predict experimental results, and to propose adequate conditions and processes. The simulation method was based on calculations of chemical equilibrium and electrochemical reactions. Some model calculations to simulate the experimental results were made on the process of electro-codeposition of UO and PuO. Although it was difficult to trace the experiments and compare the calculated results with the experimental results quantitatively due to the limitation of available data on the experimental conditions, the calculated results were consistent with the experimental results. The phenomena of the repeated oxidation-reduction reactions between Pu and Pu ions and those between Fe and Fe ions were theoretically analyzed,which caused the low current efficiency in the electro-codeposition process.

Mechanisms and kinetics of hydrogen yield from polymers by irradiation

Seguchi, Tadao

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B, 185(1-4), p.43 - 49, 2001/12

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0168-583X(01)00777-7

no abstracts in English