Sintering behavior analysis of compacted dry recycled UPuO powder using master sintering curve theory

Nakamichi, Shinya; Sunaoshi, Takeo*; Hirooka, Shun; Vauchy, R.; Murakami, Tatsutoshi

Journal of Nuclear Materials, 595, p.155072_1 - 155072_11, 2024/07

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2024.155072

Preliminary study of the criticality monitoring method based on the simulation for the activity ratio of short half-life noble-gas fission products from fuel debris

Riyana, E. S.; Okumura, Keisuke; Sakamoto, Masahiro; Matsumura, Taichi; Terashima, Kenichi; Kanno, Ikuo

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 8 Pages, 2024/00

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2023.2300773

Understanding muon diffusion in perovskite oxides below room temperature based on harmonic transition state theory

Ito, Takashi; Higemoto, Wataru; Shimomura, Koichiro*

Physical Review B, 108(22), p.224301_1 - 224301_11, 2023/12

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.108.224301

Data report of ROSA/LSTF experiment TR-LF-15; Accident management actions during station blackout transient with pump seal LOCA

Takeda, Takeshi

JAEA-Data/Code 2023-012, 75 Pages, 2023/10

JAEA-Data-Code-2023-012.pdf:4.45MB

An experiment denoted as TR-LF-15 was conducted on June 11, 2014 using the Large Scale Test Facility (LSTF) in the Rig of Safety Assessment-V (ROSA-V) Program. The ROSA/LSTF experiment TR-LF-15 simulated accident management (AM) actions during a station blackout transient with TMLB' scenario with pump seal loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) in a pressurized water reactor (PWR). This scenario is featured by loss of auxiliary feedwater functions. The pump seal LOCA was simulated by a 0.1% cold leg break. The test assumptions included total failure of both high pressure injection system and low pressure injection system of emergency core cooling system (ECCS). Also, it was presumed non-condensable gas (nitrogen gas) inflow to the primary system from accumulator (ACC) tanks of ECCS. When steam generator (SG) secondary-side collapsed liquid level dropped to a certain low liquid level, the primary pressure turned to rise. After the SG secondary-side became voided, the safety valve of a pressurizer cyclically opened which led to loss of primary coolant. Core uncovery thus took place owing to core boil-off at high pressure. When an increase of 10 K was confirmed in cladding surface temperature of simulated fuel rods, SG secondary-side depressurization was started as the first AM action. At that time, the safety valves in both SGs were fully opened. Primary depressurization was initiated by completely opening the pressurizer safety valve as the second AM action with some delay after the first AM action onset. When the SG secondary-side pressure lowered to 1.0 MPa following the first AM action, water was injected into the secondary-side of both SGs via feedwater lines with low-head pumps as the third AM action. A reduction in the primary pressure was accelerated because the heat removal from the SG secondary-side system resumed shortly after the third AM action initiation.

Cavitation damage prediction in mercury target for pulsed spallation neutron source using Monte Carlo simulation

Wakui, Takashi; Takagishi, Yoichi*; Futakawa, Masatoshi

Materials, 16(17), p.5830_1 - 5830_16, 2023/09

https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16175830

Cavitation damage on the mercury target vessel is induced by proton beam injection in mercury. The prediction method of the cavitation damage using Monte Carlo simulations was proposed taking into account of the uncertainties of the position of cavitation bubbles and impact pressure distributions. The distribution of impact pressure attributed to individual cavitation bubble collapsing was assumed to be the Gaussian distribution, and the probability distribution of the maximum value of impact pressures was assumed to be three kinds of distributions; the delta function, the Gaussian and Weibull distributions. Two parameters were estimated using Bayesian optimization by comparing the distribution of the cavitation damage obtained from experiment with that of accumulated plastic strain obtained from the simulation. It was found that the results obtained using the Weibull distribution reproduced the actual cavitation erosion phenomenon better than the other results.

Investigations and consideration on conditions of contamination and measures of decontamination for motor vehicles at a nuclear emergency

Togawa, Orihiko; Hokama, Tomonori; Hiraoka, Hirokazu

JAEA-Review 2023-013, 48 Pages, 2023/08

JAEA-Review-2023-013.pdf:2.11MB

When radionuclides are released into the atmospheric environment at a nuclear emergency, protective measures such as evacuation and temporal relocation are carried out using motor vehicles such as private cars and buses to reduce radiation exposure to residents. To confirm conditions of contamination for the evacuated or relocated residents, contamination inspection is conducted, in which it is important not to spoil its rapidity. In the present inspection, wipers and tires are designated to first measuring parts, and they are basically inspected by persons using GM survey meters. Utilization of portable radiation portal monitors is also being considered for rapid and efficient inspection of motor vehicles. In order to contribute to rapid and efficient operation of contamination inspection, this report investigated conditions of contamination and measures of decontaminations for motor vehicles at a nuclear emergency. Although available documents and information were quite few, results of the investigations described in the related documents were extracted and rearranged according to the objectives of this report. Furthermore, these results were considered from a viewpoint of rapid and efficient operation of contamination inspection.

Data report of ROSA/LSTF experiment IB-HL-01; 17% hot leg intermediate break LOCA with totally-failed high pressure injection system

Takeda, Takeshi

JAEA-Data/Code 2023-007, 72 Pages, 2023/07

JAEA-Data-Code-2023-007.pdf:3.24MB

An experiment denoted as IB-HL-01 was conducted on November 19, 2009 using the Large Scale Test Facility (LSTF) in the Rig of Safety Assessment-V (ROSA-V) Program. The ROSA/LSTF experiment IB-HL-01 simulated a 17% hot leg intermediate break loss-of-coolant accident due to a double-ended guillotine break of pressurizer surge line in a pressurized water reactor (PWR). The break was simulated by a long nozzle upwardly mounted flush with a hot leg inner surface. The test assumptions included total failure of both high pressure injection system of emergency core cooling system (ECCS) and auxiliary feedwater system. In the experiment, relatively large size of break led to a fast transient of phenomena. The primary pressure steeply dropped after the break, and became lower than steam generator (SG) secondary-side pressure. Break flow turned from single-phase flow to two-phase flow soon after the break. Core uncovery started simultaneously with liquid level drop in downflow-side of crossover leg before loop seal clearing (LSC). The LSC was induced in both loops by steam condensation on accumulator (ACC) coolant of ECCS injected into cold legs. The whole core was quenched owing to the rapid recovery in the core liquid level after the LSC. Peak cladding temperature of simulated fuel rods was detected almost concurrently with the LSC. During the ACC coolant injection, liquid levels recovered in the hot legs and SG inlet plena because of liquid entrainment from the hot leg into the SG inlet plenum by high-velocity steam flow. After the continuous core cooling was confirmed through the actuation of low pressure injection system of ECCS, the experiment was terminated. This report summarizes the test procedures, conditions, and major observations in the ROSA/LSTF experiment IB-HL-01.

Characterization of liquid targets in Vacuum condition

Yamamoto, Kazami; Ogiwara, Norio*; Kuramochi, Masaya*

e-Journal of Surface Science and Nanotechnology (Internet), 21(4), p.359 - 364, 2023/07

https://doi.org/10.1380/ejssnt.2023-053

In recent years, durable target is required according to increase of the beam power. To solve this problem, a liquid film was formed in vacuum and tested it as a target. An ethanol and a mercury were selected as liquid target materials, and we investigated whether the liquid sheet could be formed stably in a vacuum and how about the vacuum pressure. As a result, it was confirmed that the liquid films were stably formed in both case and the pressures with the films were about the vapor pressure of the materials.

Cavitation damage prediction in mercury target for pulsed spallation neutron sources by Monte Carlo simulation

Wakui, Takashi; Takagishi, Yoichi*; Futakawa, Masatoshi; Tanabe, Makoto*

Jikken Rikigaku, 23(2), p.168 - 174, 2023/06

Cavitation damage on the inner surface of the mercury target for the spallation neutron source occurs by proton bombarding in mercury. The prediction method of the cavitation damage using Monte Carlo simulations was suggested taking variability of the bubble core position and impact pressure distribution into account. The impact pressure distribution was estimated using the inverse analysis with Bayesian optimization was conducted with comparison between cavitation damage distribution obtained from experiment and the cumulative plastic strain distribution obtained from simulation. The average value and spread of maximum impact pressure estimated assuming the Gaussian distribution were 3.1 GPa and 1.2 m, respectively. Simulation results reproduced experimental results and it can be said that this evaluation method is useful.

Experiment and numerical simulation of pulsation flow in single channel for Li-7 enrichment technology development by MCCCE method

Horiguchi, Naoki; Yoshida, Hiroyuki; Kitatsuji, Yoshihiro; Hasegawa, Makoto*; Kishimoto, Tadafumi*

Proceedings of 30th International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (ICONE30) (Internet), 7 Pages, 2023/05

From the viewpoint of energy security in Japan and reduction of the environmental load, continuous operation of light water reactors is essential. Since a pH adjuster with enriched Li-7 ions is required for water quality control on PWR, the development of Li-7 enrichment technology is one of the key issues. The multi-channel counter-current electrophoresis (MCCCE) method has been developed as the technology with a low environmental load. To put this method into practical use, it is necessary to understand Li-7 ion behavior in the channel flow and optimize the experimental condition to separate Li-7 and its isotope. In this paper, to understand Li-7 ion behavior in a single channel of the experimental apparatus, a numerical simulation method based on a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code with a particle tracking method, TPFIT-LPT, was developed. In the method, the motion of multiple ions under the electric field was simulated as a particle with an added velocity by the electric field. The difference in the isotopes was represented by changing of the magnitude of the added velocity. We also considered that although it is impossible to measure the behavior of each ion, it is important to measure the flow velocity of the bulk fluid for the validation of the numerical simulation. We developed a lab-scale experimental apparatus in which the single channel of the actual apparatus was simplified to measure the flow velocity by Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). We set a pulsation flow condition on the lab-scale experiment, which is one of difficult conditions for the numerical simulation, and measured the velocity. As the result, we confirmed that the pulsation flow was reproduced. We set the measured data as the inlet boundary condition of the numerical simulation and conducted it. As the numerical result, we confirmed the ions affected by the electric field moved upstream with pulsation. We also confirmed the effect of the electric field on the motion of the isotope.