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.

Fracture-mechanics-based evaluation of failure limit on pre-cracked and hydrided Zircaloy-4 cladding tube under biaxial stress states

Li, F.; Mihara, Takeshi; Udagawa, Yutaka; Amaya, Masaki

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 57(6), p.633 - 645, 2020/06

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2019.1709996

Analytical study of SPERT-CDC test 859 using fuel performance codes FEMAXI-8 and RANNS

Taniguchi, Yoshinori; Udagawa, Yutaka; Amaya, Masaki

Annals of Nuclear Energy, 139, p.107188_1 - 107188_7, 2020/05

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2019.107188

Code-B-2.5.2 for stress calculation for SiC-TRISO fuel particle

Aihara, Jun; Goto, Minoru; Ueta, Shohei; Tachibana, Yukio

JAEA-Data/Code 2019-018, 22 Pages, 2020/01

JAEA-Data-Code-2019-018.pdf:1.39MB

Concept of Pu-burner high temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) was proposed for purpose of more safely reducing amount of recovered Pu. In Pu-burner HTGR concept, coated fuel particle (CFP), with ZrC coated yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) containing PuO (PuO-YSZ) small particle and with tri-structural isotropic (TRISO) coating, is employed for very high burn-up and high nuclear proliferation resistance. ZrC layer is oxygen getter. On the other hand, we have developed Code-B-2.5.2 for prediction of pressure vessel failure probabilities of SiC-tri-isotropic (TRISO) coated fuel particles for HTGRs under operation by modification of an existing code, Code-B-2. The main purpose of modification is preparation of applying code for CFPs of Pu-burner HTGR. In this report, basic formulae are described.

Behavior of high-burnup LWR-MOX fuel under a reactivity-initiated accident condition

Taniguchi, Yoshinori; Udagawa, Yutaka; Mihara, Takeshi; Amaya, Masaki; Kakiuchi, Kazuo

Proceedings of International Nuclear Fuel Cycle Conference / Light Water Reactor Fuel Performance Conference (Global/Top Fuel 2019) (USB Flash Drive), p.551 - 558, 2019/09

Development of numerical analysis method for tube failure propagation under sodium-water reaction accident

Uchibori, Akihiro; Yanagisawa, Hideki*; Takata, Takashi; Ohshima, Hiroyuki

Proceedings of 11th Korea-Japan Symposium on Nuclear Thermal Hydraulics and Safety (NTHAS-11) (Internet), 6 Pages, 2018/11

Evaluation of occurrence possibility of tube failure propagation under sodium-water reaction accident is an important issue. In this study, a numerical analysis method to predict occurrence of failure propagation by overheating rupture was constructed to expand application range of an existing computer code. Applicability of the method was constructed through the numerical analysis of the experiment on water vapor discharging in liquid sodium.

Technical investigation on small water leakage incident occurrence in mercury target of J-PARC

Haga, Katsuhiro; Kogawa, Hiroyuki; Wakui, Takashi; Naoe, Takashi; Takada, Hiroshi

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 55(2), p.160 - 168, 2018/02

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2017.1384706

The mercury target vessel used for the spallation neutron source in J-PARC has multi-walled structure made of stainless steel type 316L, which comprises a mercury vessel and a water shroud. In 2015, water leak incidents from the water shroud occurred while the mercury target was operated with a proton beam power of 500 kW. Several investigations were conducted to identify the cause of failure. The results of the visual inspections, mockup tests, and analytical evaluations suggested that the water leak was caused by the combination of two factors. One was the diffusion bonding failure due to the large thermal stress induced by welding of the bolt head, which fixes the mercury vessel and the water shroud, during the fabrication process. The other was the thermal fatigue failure of the seal weld due to the repetitive beam trip during the operating period. These target failures point to the importance of eliminating initial defects from welding lines and to secure the rigidity and reliability of welded structures. The next mercury target was fabricated with an improved design which adopted parts of monolithic structure machined by wire EDM to reduce welding lines, and intensified inspections to eliminate the initial defects. The operation with the improved target is planned to be started in October 2017.

Field observations and failure analysis of an excavation damaged zone in the Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory

Aoyagi, Kazuhei; Ishii, Eiichi; Ishida, Tsuyoshi*

Journal of MMIJ, 133(2), p.25 - 33, 2017/02

https://doi.org/10.2473/journalofmmij.133.25

In the construction of a deep underground facility, the hydromechanical properties of the rock mass around an underground opening are changed significantly due to stress redistribution. This zone is called an excavation damaged zone (EDZ). In high-level radioactive waste disposal, EDZs can provide a shortcut for the escape of radionuclides to the surface environment. Therefore, it is important to develop a method for predicting the detailed characteristics of EDZs. For prediction of the EDZ in the Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory of Japan, we conducted borehole televiewer surveys, rock core analyses, and repeated hydraulic conductivity measurements. We observed that niche excavation resulted in the formation of extension fractures within 0.2 to 1.0 m into the niche wall, i.e., the extent of the EDZ is within 0.2 to 1.0 m into the niche wall. These results are largely consistent with the results of a finite element analysis implemented with the failure criteria considering failure mode. The hydraulic conductivity in the EDZ was increased by 3 to 5 orders of magnitude compared with the outer zone. The hydraulic conductivity in and around the EDZ has not changed significantly in the two years following excavation of the niche. These results show that short-term unloading due to excavation of the niche created a highly permeable EDZ.

Applicability of a mechanistic numerical method for sodium-water reaction phenomena in steam generators of sodium-cooled fast reactors

Uchibori, Akihiro; Ohshima, Hiroyuki

Proceedings of 23rd International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (ICONE-23) (DVD-ROM), 7 Pages, 2015/05

For assessment of the wastage environment under tube failure accident, a mechanistic computer code called SERAPHIM calculating compressible multicomponent multiphase flow with sodium-water chemical reaction has been developed. In this study, applicability of the SERAPHIM code was investigated through the analysis of the experiment on water vapor discharging in liquid sodium under actual condition of the steam generator. The numerical result showed that the underexpanded jet appeared and impinged on the target tube located above the discharging tube. The calculated temperature distribution agreed with the measurement result well. The liquid droplet entrainment and its transport were considered in this analysis. The region with higher impingement velocity of the liquid droplet was close to the wastage region confirmed in the experiment. It was demonstrated that the SERAPHIM code could predict the temperature distribution and the environment of LDIE under the actual condition.

Effects of secondary depressurization on core cooling in PWR vessel bottom small break LOCA experiments with HPI failure and gas inflow

Suzuki, Mitsuhiro; Takeda, Takeshi; Asaka, Hideaki; Nakamura, Hideo

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 43(1), p.55 - 64, 2006/01

https://doi.org/10.3327/jnst.43.55

Effects of non-condensable gas from the accumulator tanks on secondary depressurization, as one of accident management (AM) measures in case of high pressure injection system failure, are studied at the ROSA-V/LSTF experiments simulating a ten instrument-tube break LOCA at the PWR vessel bottom. In an experiment with no gas inflow, the secondary depressurization at -55 K/h initiated by SI signal with 10 minutes delay succeeded in the LPI actuation. On the other hand, the gas inflow in another experiment degraded the primary depressurization and resulted in core uncovery before the LPI start. The third experiment with rapid secondary depressurization and continuous auxiliary feedwater supply, however, showed a possibility of long-term core cooling by the LPI actuation. RELAP5/MOD3 code analyses well predicted these experiment results and clarified that condensation heat transfer was largely degraded by the gas in the U-tubes. In addition, a primary pressure - coolant mass map was found to be useful for indication of key plant parameters of AM measures.