Seismic evaluation of the CRDM and the CRDM guide tube for JRR-3

Kikuchi, Masanobu; Kawamura, Sho; Hosoya, Toshiaki

JAEA-Technology 2021-040, 86 Pages, 2023/02

JAEA-Technology-2021-040.pdf:3.26MB

In JRR-3, in response to new regulatory standard for research and test reactor which is enforced December 2013, we established new design basis ground motion for confirming new regulatory standard and carried out seismic evaluations of the appointments, instruments and structures which are installed in JRR-3 by using that earthquake motion. This report shows that the result of evaluations by fatigue strength evaluation, which is more detailed evaluation approach, about Control Rod Drive Mechanism (CRDM) and the CRDM Guide Tube that have gotten the serious result of seismic safety margin by using time history response analysis method. As a result, it was confirmed that CRDM and the CRDM Guide Tube have sufficient seismic safety margin.

Experimental study on prevention of high cycle thermal fatigue at the core outlet of advanced sodium-cooled fast reactor; Characteristics of temperature fluctuations and countermeasures to mitigate temperature fluctuations at a bottom of upper internal structure

Kobayashi, Jun; Aizawa, Kosuke; Ezure, Toshiki; Nagasawa, Kazuyoshi*; Kurihara, Akikazu; Tanaka, Masaaki

JAEA-Research 2022-009, 125 Pages, 2023/01

JAEA-Research-2022-009.pdf:29.22MB

The design studies of an advanced loop-type sodium-cooled fast reactor (Advanced- SFR) have been carried out by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA). At the core outlet, temperature fluctuations occur due to mixing of hot sodium from the fuel assembly with cold sodium from the control rod channels and radial blanket assembly. These temperature fluctuations may cause high cycle thermal fatigue around a bottom of Upper Internal Structure (UIS) located above the core. Therefore, we conducted a water experiment using a 1/3 scale 60 degree sector model that simulated the upper plenum of the advanced loop-type sodium-cooled reactor. And we proposed some countermeasures against large temperature fluctuations that occur at the bottom of the UIS. In this report, we have summarized that the effect of the countermeasure structure to mitigate the temperature fluctuation generated at the bottom of UIS is confirmed, and the Reynolds number dependency of the countermeasure structure and the characteristics of the temperature fluctuation on the control rod surface.

The Multiaxial creep-fatigue failure mechanism of Mod. 9Cr-1Mo steel under non-proportional loading; Effect of strain energy on failure lives

Ogawa, Fumio*; Nakayama, Yuta*; Hiyoshi, Noritake*; Hashidate, Ryuta; Wakai, Takashi; Ito, Takamoto*

Transactions of the Indian National Academy of Engineering (Internet), 7(2), p.549 - 564, 2022/06

https://doi.org/10.1007/s41403-021-00279-y

The strain energy-based life evaluation method of Mod. 9Cr-1Mo steel under non-proportional multiaxial creep-fatigue loading is proposed. Inelastic strain energy densities were calculated as the areas inside the hysteresis loops. The effect of mean-stress has been experimentally considered and the relationship between inelastic strain energy densities and creep-fatigue lives was investigated. It was found from the investigation of hysteresis loops, the decrease in maximum stress leads to prolonged failure life, while stress relaxation during strain holding causes strength reduction. The correction method of inelastic strain energy density was proposed considering the effect of maximum stress in hysteresis loop and minimum stress during strain holding, and strain energy densities for uniaxial and non-proportional multiaxial loading were obtained. Based on these results, the mechanisms governing creep-fatigue lives under non-proportional multiaxial loading have been discussed.

Water experiments on thermal striping phenomena at the core outlet of an advanced sodium-cooled fast reactor, 2; Proposal of countermeasures to mitigate temperature fluctuations around radial blanket fuel assemblies

Kobayashi, Jun; Aizawa, Kosuke; Ezure, Toshiki; Kurihara, Akikazu; Tanaka, Masaaki

Hozengaku, 20(3), p.97 - 101, 2021/10

Focusing on the thermal striping phenomena that occurs at a bottom of the internal structure of an advanced sodium-cooled fast reactor (Advanced-SFR) that has been designed by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency, a water experiment using a 1/3 scale 60 degree sector model simulating the upper plenum of the Advanced-SFR has been conducted to examine countermeasures for the significant temperature fluctuation generated around the bottom of Upper Internal Structure (UIS). In the previous paper, we reported the effect of measures to mitigate temperature fluctuations around the control rod channels. In this paper, the same test section was used, and a water experiment was conducted to obtain the characteristics of temperature fluctuations around the radial blanket fuel assembly. And the shape of the Core Instrumentation Support Plate (CIP) was modified, and it was confirmed that it was highly effective in alleviating temperature fluctuations around the radial blanket fuel assembly.

In situ diffraction characterization on microstructure evolution in austenitic stainless steel during cyclic plastic deformation and its relation to the mechanical response

Kumagai, Masayoshi*; Akita, Koichi*; Kuroda, Masatoshi*; Harjo, S.

Materials Science & Engineering A, 820, p.141582_1 - 141582_9, 2021/07

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msea.2021.141582

Change in mechanical properties by high-cycle loading up to Gigacycle for 316L stainless steel

Naoe, Takashi; Harjo, S.; Kawasaki, Takuro; Xiong, Z.*; Futakawa, Masatoshi

JPS Conference Proceedings (Internet), 28, p.061009_1 - 061009_6, 2020/02

https://doi.org/10.7566/JPSCP.28.061009

At the J-PARC, a mercury target vessel made of 316L SS suffers proton and neutron radiation environment. The target vessel also suffers cyclic impact stress caused by the proton beam-induced pressure waves. The vessel suffers higher than 4.510 cyclic loading during the expected service life of 5000 h. We have investigated fatigue strength 316L SS up to gigacycle in the previous studies. The cyclic hardening and softening behavior were observed. In this study, to evaluate the cyclic hardening/softening behavior, the dislocation densities of specimens were measured using the neutron diffraction method at the MLF BL-19. The result showed that the dislocation density of a 316L SS was increased with increasing the number of loading cycles. By contrast, in the case of cold-rolled 316L SS, annihilation and re-accumulation of dislocation by cyclic loading were observed. In the workshop, result of neutron diffraction measurement will be introduced with the progress of fatigue test.

Thermal fatigue test on dissimilar welded joint between Gr.91 and 304SS

Wakai, Takashi; Kobayashi, Sumio; Kato, Shoichi; Ando, Masanori; Takasho, Hideki*

Proceedings of 25th International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (ICONE-25) (CD-ROM), 7 Pages, 2017/07

https://doi.org/10.1115/ICONE25-66099

This paper describes a thermal fatigue test on a structural model with a dissimilar welded joint. In the present design of JSFR, there may be dissimilar welded joints between ferritic and austenitic steels especially in IHX and SG. Creep-fatigue is one of the most important failure modes in JSFR components. However, the creep-fatigue damage evaluation method has not been established for dissimilar welded joint. To investigate the evaluation method, structural test will be needed for verification. Therefore, a thermal fatigue test on a thick-wall cylinder with a circumferential dissimilar welded joint between Mod.9Cr-1Mo steel and 304SS was performed. Since the coefficients of thermal expansion of these steels were significantly different, buttering layer of Ni base alloy was installed between them. After the completion of the test, deep cracks were observed at the HAZ in 304SS, as well as at HAZ in Mod.9Cr-1Mo steel. There were many tiny surface cracks in BM of 304SS. According to the fatigue damage evaluation based on the finite element analysis results, the largest fatigue damage was calculated at HAZ in 304SS. Large fatigue damage was also estimated at BM of 304SS. Fatigue cracks were observed at HAZ and BM of 304SS in the test, so that analytical results are in a good agreement with the observations. However, though relatively small fatigue damage was estimated at HAZ in Mod.9Cr-1Mo steel, deep fatigue cracks were observed in the test. To identify the cause of such a discrepancy between the test and calculations, we performed a series of finite element analyses. Some metallurgical investigations were also performed.

Fatigue crack growth calculations for two adjacent surface cracks using combination rules in fitness-for-service codes

Lu, K.; Li, Y.

AIMS Materials Science, 4(2), p.439 - 451, 2017/03

https://doi.org/10.3934/matersci.2017.2.439

In situ X-ray diffraction study of the oxide formed on alloy 600 in borated and lithiated high-temperature water

Watanabe, Masashi*; Yonezawa, Toshio*; Shobu, Takahisa; Shiro, Ayumi; Shoji, Tetsuo*

Corrosion, 72(9), p.1155 - 1169, 2016/09

https://doi.org/10.5006/1994

Creep-fatigue tests of double-end notched bar made of Mod.9Cr-1Mo steel

Shimomura, Kenta; Kato, Shoichi; Wakai, Takashi; Ando, Masanori; Hirose, Yuichi*; Sato, Kenichiro*

Proceedings of 23rd International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (ICONE-23) (DVD-ROM), 9 Pages, 2015/05

This paper describes experimental and analytical works to confirm that the design standard for SFR components sufficiently covers possible failure mechanisms. Creep-fatigue damage evaluation method in JSME design standard for SFR components has been constructed based on experiments and/or numerical analyses of conventional austenitic stainless steels, such as 304SS. Since the material characteristics of Mod.9Cr-1Mo steel are substantially different from those of austenitic stainless steels, it is required to verify the applicability of the design standards to the SFR components made of Mod.9Cr-1Mo steel. A series of uni-axial creep-fatigue tests were conducted using double-ended notch bar specimens made of Mod.9Cr-1Mo steel under displacement controlled condition with 30 minute holding. The curvature radii of the specimens were 1.6mm, 11.2mm and 40.0mm. The specimen having 1.6mm notch and 11.2mm notch failed from outer surface but the specimen having 40.0mm notch showed obvious internal crack nucleation. In addition, though total duration time of the creep-fatigue test was only 2,000 hours, a lot of creep voids and inter granular crack growth were observed. To clarify the cause of such peculiar failure, some additional experiments were performed, as well as some numerical analyses. We could point out that such a peculiar failure aspect might result from corresponding stress distribution in the cross section. As a result of a series of investigations, possible causes of such peculiar failure could be narrowed down. A future investigation plan was proposed to clarify the most significant cause.