Derivation of ideal power distribution to minimize the maximum kernel migration rate for nuclear design of pin-in-block type HTGR

Okita, Shoichiro; Fukaya, Yuji; Goto, Minoru

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 58(1), p.9 - 16, 2021/01

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2020.1791762

Suppressing the kernel migration rates, which depend on both the fuel temperature and the fuel temperature gradient, under normal operation condition is quite important from the viewpoint of the fuel integrity for High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors. The presence of the ideal axial power distribution to minimize the maximum kernel migration rate allows us to improve efficiency of design work. Therefore, we propose a new method based on Lagrange multiplier method in consideration of thermohydraulic design in order to obtain the ideal axial power distribution to minimize the maximum kernel migration rate. For one of the existing conceptual designs performed by JAEA, the maximum kernel migration rate for the power distribution to minimize the maximum kernel migration rate proposed in this study is lower by approximately 10% than that for the power distribution as a conventional design target to minimize the maximum fuel temperature.

Study on Pu-burner high temperature gas-cooled reactor in Japan; Design study of fuel and reactor core

Goto, Minoru; Aihara, Jun; Inaba, Yoshitomo; Ueta, Shohei; Fukaya, Yuji; Okamoto, Koji*

Proceedings of 9th International Topical Meeting on High Temperature Reactor Technology (HTR 2018) (USB Flash Drive), 6 Pages, 2018/10

JAEA has conducted design studies of a Pu-burner HTGR. The Pu-burner HTGR incinerates Pu by fission, and hence a high burn-up is required for the efficient incineration. In the fuel design, a thin ZrC layer, which acts as an oxygen getter and suppresses the internal pressure, was coated on the fuel kernel to prevent the CFP failure at the high burn-up. A stress analysis of the SiC layer, which acts as a pressure vessel for the CFP, was performed for with consideration of the depression effect due to the ZrC layer. As a result, the CFP failure fraction at high burn-up of 500 GWd/t satisfied the target value. In the reactor core design, an axial fuel shuffling was employed to attain the high burn-up, and the nuclear burn-up calculations with the whole core model and the fuel temperature calculations were performed. As a result, the nuclear characteristics, which are the shutdown margin and the temperature coefficient of reactivity, and the fuel temperature satisfied their target values.

Evaluation items to attain safety requirements in fuel and core designs for commercial HTGRs

Nakagawa, Shigeaki; Sato, Hiroyuki; Fukaya, Yuji; Tokuhara, Kazumi; Ohashi, Hirofumi

JAEA-Technology 2017-022, 32 Pages, 2017/09

JAEA-Technology-2017-022.pdf:3.59MB

As for the design of commercial HTGRs, the fuel design, core design, reactor coolant system design, secondary helium system design, decay heat removal system design and confinement system design are very important and quite different from those of LWRs. To contribute the establishment of the safety standards for commercial HTGRs, the evaluation items to attain safety requirements in fuel and core designs were studied. In this study, the excellence features of HTGRs based on passive safety or inherent safety were fully reflected. Additionally, concerning the core design, the stability to spatial power oscillation in reactor core of HTGR was studied. The evaluation items as the result of the study are applicable to the safety design of commercial HTGRs in the future.

Development of fuel temperature calculation code for HTGRs

Inaba, Yoshitomo; Nishihara, Tetsuo

Annals of Nuclear Energy, 101, p.383 - 389, 2017/03

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2016.11.006

In order to ensure the thermal integrity of fuel in High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors (HTGRs), it is necessary that the maximum fuel temperature in normal operation is to be lower than a thermal design target. In the core thermal-hydraulic design of block-type HTGRs, the maximum fuel temperature should be evaluated considering data such as thermal power, core geometry, power density and neutron fluence distributions, and core coolant flow distribution. The fuel temperature calculation code used in the design stage of the High Temperature engineering Test Reactor (HTTR) presupposes to run on UNIX systems, and its operation and execution procedure are complicated and are not user-friendly. Therefore, a new fuel temperature calculation code named FTCC which has a user-friendly system such as a simple and easy operation and execution procedure, was developed. This paper describes calculation objects and models, basic equations, improvement points from the HTTR design code in FTCC, and the result of a validation calculation with FTCC. The calculation result obtained by FTCC provides good agreement with that of the HTTR design code, and then FTCC will be used as one of the design codes for HTGRs. In addition, the effect of cooling forms on the maximum fuel temperature is investigated by using FTCC. As a result, it was found that the effect of center hole cooling for hollow fuel compacts and gapless cooling with monolithic type fuel rods on reducing the temperature is very high.

Basic concept on structural design criteria for zirconia ceramics applying to nuclear components

Shibata, Taiju; Sumita, Junya; Baba, Shinichi; Yamaji, Masatoshi*; Ishihara, Masahiro; Iyoku, Tatsuo; Tsuji, Nobumasa*

Key Engineering Materials, 297-300, p.728 - 733, 2005/11

no abstracts in English

Nuclear design

Fujimoto, Nozomu; Nojiri, Naoki; Ando, Hiroei*; Yamashita, Kiyonobu*

Nuclear Engineering and Design, 233(1-3), p.23 - 36, 2004/10

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2004.07.008

In the nuclear design of the HTTR, the reactivity balance is planned so that the design requirements are fully satisfied. Moreover, the reactivity coefficients are evaluated to confirm the safety characteristics of the reactor. The power distribution in the core was optimized by changing the uranium enrichment to maintain the fuel temperature at less than the limit (1600C). Deviation from the optimized distribution due to the burnup of fissile materials was avoided by flattening time-dependent changes in local reactivities. Flattening was achieved by optimizing the specifications of the burnable poisons. The original nuclear design model had to be modified based on the first critical experiments. The Monte Carlo code MVP was also used to predict criticality of the initial core. The predicted excess reactivities are now in good agreement with the experimental results.

Research and development on HTGR fuel in the HTTR project

Sawa, Kazuhiro; Ueta, Shohei

Nuclear Engineering and Design, 233(1-3), p.163 - 172, 2004/10

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2004.08.006

In the high temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs), refractory coated fuel particles are employed as fuel to permit high outlet coolant temperature. The High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor (HTTR) employs Tri-isotropic (Triso) coated fuel particles in the prismatic fuel assembly. Research and development on the HTTR fuel has been carried out spread over about 30 years, in fuel fabrication technologies, fuel performance, and so on. Furthermore, for upgrading of HTGR technologies, an extended burnup TRISO-coated fuel particle and an advanced type of coated fuel particle, ZrC-coated fuel particle in order to keep the integrity at higher operating temperatures has been developed. The present paper provides experiences and current status of research and development works for the HTGR fuel in the HTTR Project.

Core dynamics analysis of control rod withdrawal test in HTTR (Contract Research)

Takada, Eiji*; Nakagawa, Shigeaki; Takamatsu, Kuniyoshi; Shimakawa, Satoshi; Nojiri, Naoki; Fujimoto, Nozomu

JAERI-Tech 2004-048, 60 Pages, 2004/06

JAERI-Tech-2004-048.pdf:4.18MB

The HTTR (High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor), which has thermal output of 30MW, coolant inlet temperature of 395C and coolant outlet temperature of 850C/950C, is a first high temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) in Japan. The HTGR has a high inherent safety potential to accident condition. Safety demonstration tests using the HTTR are underway in order to demonstrate such excellent inherent safety features of the HTGR. The reactivity insertion test demonstrates that rapid increase of reactor power by withdrawing the control rod is restrained by only the negative reactivity feedback effect without operating the reactor power control system, and the temperature transient of the reactor is slow. The best estimated analyses have been conducted to simulate reactor transients during the reactivity insertion test. A one-point core dynamics approximation with one fuel channel model is applied to this analysis. It was found that the analytical model for core dynamics could simulate the reactor power behavior.

Creep behavior and microstructure for two-dimensional C/C composite

Shibata, Taiju; Baba, Shinichi; Yamaji, Masatoshi*; Sumita, Junya; Ishihara, Masahiro

Nihon Kikai Gakkai M&M 2004 Zairyo Rikigaku Kanfarensu Koen Rombunshu, p.407 - 408, 2004/00

no abstracts in English

The High temperature gas cooled reactor fuel

Sawa, Kazuhiro; Ueta, Shohei; Iyoku, Tatsuo

Proceedings of International Conference on Global Environment and Advanced Nuclear Power Plants (GENES4/ANP 2003) (CD-ROM), 10 Pages, 2003/09

This paper provides present status of research and development for the coated fuel particle (CFPs) including the advanced ZrC-CFP. Current HTGR employs so-called TRISO-CFPs with SiC layer. In safety design of the HTGR fuels, it is important to retain fission products within CFPs so that their release to primary coolant does not exceed an acceptable level. The behavior of TRISO-CFPs has been investigated through experiments and reactor operation. These data show excellent performance of the TRISO-CFPs when they are correctly fabricated. On the other hand, the crystalline material comprising the SiC layer has a tendency to decompose at high temperature. The transition temperatures of beta-SiC (as-deposited) to alpha-SiC vary from 1600 to 2200C. ZrC is one of the transition metal carbides which are characterized by the high melting point and the thermodynamic stability etc. The CFPs with CVD-ZrC coatings have been investigated including the fabrication processes and characterization techniques developments.