Fe-5Mn-0.1C中Mn鋼におけるリューダース変形中の微視組織および塑性の発達

小山 元道*; 山下 享介*; 諸岡 聡; 澤口 孝宏*; Yang, Z.*; 北條 智彦*; 川崎 卓郎; Harjo, S.

鉄と鋼, 110(3), p.197 - 204, 2024/02

https://doi.org/10.2355/tetsutohagane.TETSU-2023-038

The local plasticity and associated microstructure evolution in Fe-5Mn-0.1C medium-Mn steel (wt.%) were investigated in this study. Specifically, the micro-deformation mechanism during Lders banding was characterized based on multi-scale electron backscatter diffraction measurements and electron channeling contrast imaging. Similar to other medium-Mn steels, the Fe-5Mn-0.1C steel showed discontinuous macroscopic deformation, preferential plastic deformation in austenite, and deformation-induced martensitic transformation during Lders deformation. Hexagonal close-packed martensite was also observed as an intermediate phase. Furthermore, an in-situ neutron diffraction experiment revealed that the pre-existing body- centered cubic phase, which was mainly ferrite, was a minor deformation path, although ferrite was the major constituent phase.

Oxidation and embrittlement behavior of FeCrAl-ODS cladding tube under loss-of-coolant accident conditions

成川 隆文; 近藤 啓悦; 藤村 由希; 垣内 一雄; 宇田川 豊; 根本 義之

Journal of Nuclear Materials, 587, p.154736_1 - 154736_8, 2023/12

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2023.154736

To evaluate the oxidation and embrittlement behavior of an oxide-dispersion-strengthened FeCrAl (FeCrAl-ODS) cladding tube under loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) conditions, we conducted isothermal oxidation and ring-compression tests on unirradiated, stress-relieved FeCrAl-ODS cladding tube specimens. Further, we discussed the loss of coolable geometry of the reactor core loaded with the FeCrAl-ODS cladding tubes under LOCA conditions, using data from the ring-compression tests in this study and the integral thermal shock tests from our previous study. The results reveal that oxidation kinetics of the FeCrAl-ODS cladding tube at 1523 K is four orders of magnitude lower than that of a conventional Zircaloy cladding tube, which highlights the exceptional oxidation resistance of the FeCrAl-ODS cladding tube. The breakaway oxidation of the FeCrAl-ODS cladding tube was observed at 1623 K for durations equal to or exceeding 6 h, and melting was observed at 1723 K. The ring-compression and the integral thermal shock tests indicate that, depending on the oxidation time, the ductile to brittle transition threshold - as determined by the ring-compression test - exists between 1623 K and 1723 K. Meanwhile, the fracture threshold - established through the integral thermal shock test - falls between 1573 K and 1673 K. Therefore, taking a conservative approach based on available data, the fracture and non-fracture results from the integral thermal shock tests can define the lower and upper boundaries of the threshold for the loss of coolable geometry of the reactor core during a LOCA.

Hierarchical Bayesian modeling to quantify fracture limit uncertainty of high-burnup advanced fuel cladding tubes under loss-of-coolant accident conditions

成川 隆文; 濱口 修輔*; 高田 孝*; 宇田川 豊

Nuclear Engineering and Design, 411, p.112443_1 - 112443_12, 2023/09

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2023.112443

For realizing a highly reliable fracture limit evaluation of fuel cladding tubes during loss-of-coolant accidents (LOCAs) in light-water reactors, we developed a method to quantify the fracture limit uncertainty of high-burnup advanced fuel cladding tubes. This method employs a hierarchical Bayesian model that can quantify uncertainty even with limited experimental data. The fracture limit uncertainty was quantified as a probability using the amount of oxidation (Equivalent cladding reacted: ECR) and the initial hydrogen concentration (the hydrogen concentration in the fuel cladding tubes before the LOCA-simulated tests) as explanatory variables. We divided the regression coefficients of this model into a hierarchical structure with an overall average term common to all types of fuel cladding tubes and a term representing differences among various types of fuel cladding tubes. This hierarchical structure enabled us to quantify the fracture limit uncertainty through the effective use of prior knowledge and data, even for high-burnup advanced fuel cladding tubes with a small number of data points. The fracture limits representing a 5% fracture probability with 95% confidence of the high-burnup advanced fuel cladding tubes evaluated by the hierarchical Bayesian model were higher than 15% ECR for the initial hydrogen concentrations of up to 700-900 wtppm and restraint loads below 535 N. These fracture limits were comparable to the limit of the unirradiated Zircaloy-4 cladding tube, indicating that the burnup extension and use of the advanced fuel cladding tubes do not significantly lower the fracture limit of fuel cladding tubes. Further, we proposed a method to reduce the fracture limit uncertainty by using non-binary data, instead of the binary data, depending on the condition of the fuel cladding tube specimens after performing the LOCA-simulated test, thereby increasing the amount of information in the data.

Behavior of FeCrAl-ODS cladding tube under loss-of-coolant accident conditions

成川 隆文; 近藤 啓悦; 藤村 由希; 垣内 一雄; 宇田川 豊; 根本 義之

Journal of Nuclear Materials, 582, p.154467_1 - 154467_12, 2023/08

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2023.154467

To evaluate the behavior of an oxide-dispersion-strengthened FeCrAl (FeCrAl-ODS) cladding tube under loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) conditions of light-water reactors (LWRs), the following two laboratory-scale LOCA-simulated tests were performed: the burst and integral thermal shock tests. Four burst and three integral thermal shock tests were performed on unirradiated, stress-relieved FeCrAl-ODS cladding tube specimens, simulating ballooning and rupture, oxidation, and quenching, which were postulated during a LOCA. The burst temperature of the FeCrAl-ODS cladding tube was 200-300 K higher than that of the Zircaloy cladding tube, and the FeCrAl-ODS cladding tube's maximum circumferential strain was smaller than or equal to the Zircaloy-4 cladding tube. These results indicate that the FeCrAl-ODS cladding tube has higher strength at high temperatures than the conventional Zircaloy cladding tube. The FeCrAl-ODS cladding tube did not fracture after being subjected to an axial restraint load of 5000 N, which is more than 10 times higher than the axial restraint load estimated for existing LWRs, during quenching, following isothermal oxidation at 1473 K for 1 h. The FeCrAl-ODS cladding tube was hardly oxidized during this isothermal oxidation condition. However, it melted after a short oxidation at 1673 K and fractured after abnormal oxidation at 1573 K for 1 h. Based on these results, the FeCrAl-ODS cladding tube should not fracture in the time range expected during LOCAs below 1473 K, where no melting or abnormal oxidation occurs.

Effects of azimuthal temperature distribution and rod internal gas energy on ballooning deformation and rupture opening formation of a 17 17 type PWR fuel cladding tube under LOCA-simulated burst conditions

古本 健一郎; 宇田川 豊

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 60(5), p.500 - 511, 2023/05

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2022.2116497

In order to contribute to better modeling and evaluation of fuel fragmentation, relocation, and dispersal expected under loss of coolant accident (LOCA) conditions, LOCA-simulated cladding burst experiments were performed on as-received nonirradiated 17 17 type Zircaloy-4 cladding specimens that were internally pressurized. The experiments were designed to terminate at burst occurrence to focus on ballooning and rupture opening formation and to investigate the effects of various factors. The postburst cladding hoop strain decreased with the increase in azimuthal temperature distribution (ATD) of the cladding, as found previously. The rupture opening size increased with the increase in ATD and the increase in energy of the pressurized gas stored inside the pressure boundary of the test sample system. Comparison with the existing database, which included tests on irradiated rods containing fuel pellets, suggested that formation of the rupture opening was influenced by the characteristic behavior of high burnup fuels, such as limited gas migration in the cladding tube due to fuel-cladding bonding and interaction of the ejected fuel fragments with the cladding tube.

The Effect of a cyclic bending load on the bending resistance of ballooned, ruptured, and oxidized Zircaloy-4 cladding

Li, F.; 成川 隆文; 宇田川 豊

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 12 Pages, 2023/00

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2023.2293100

The seismic resistance of fuel cladding during the long-term core cooling after loss-of-coolant accidents (LOCAs) was investigated by performing cyclic four-point bending tests (4PBTs) of up to 1000 cycles with fresh fuel cladding samples that experienced integral thermal shock test, simulating LOCA conditions, including ballooning, rupture, oxidation, and quench. 4PBTs were performed on the samples that survived the quenching process. The results showed that up to 1000 cycles and 5.8 Nm of cyclic loading moment, there was no apparent effect on the bending fracture limit of the fuel cladding under the 4PBT. The scatter of the bending fracture limit for a given equivalent cladding reacted (ECR) evaluated by the Baker-Just oxidation rate equation (BJ-ECR) is attributed to two primary factors: first, the difference between the prescribed and the actual oxidation behavior, confirmed by comparing the BJ-ECR and the ECR evaluated based on metallographic observation (M-ECR), and second, the variated shape of the rupture-opening area after the integral thermal shock test. The strength of the alpha phase-dominant zone near the rupture opening seems to contribute to the bending fracture limit.

Microstructure and plasticity evolution during Lders deformation in an Fe-5Mn-0.1C medium-Mn steel

小山 元道*; 山下 享介*; 諸岡 聡; 澤口 孝宏*; Yang, Z.*; 北條 智彦*; 川崎 卓郎; Harjo, S.

ISIJ International, 62(10), p.2036 - 2042, 2022/10

https://doi.org/10.2355/isijinternational.ISIJINT-2021-510

The local plasticity and associated microstructure evolution in Fe-5Mn-0.1C medium-Mn steel (wt.%) were investigated in this study. Specifically, the micro-deformation mechanism during Lders banding was characterized based on multi-scale electron backscatter diffraction measurements and electron channeling contrast imaging. Similar to other medium-Mn steels, the Fe-5Mn-0.1C steel showed discontinuous macroscopic deformation, preferential plastic deformation in austenite, and deformation-induced martensitic transformation during Lders deformation. Hexagonal close-packed martensite was also observed as an intermediate phase. Furthermore, an in-situ neutron diffraction experiment revealed that the pre-existing body-centered cubic phase, which was mainly ferrite, was a minor deformation path, although ferrite was the major constituent phase.

Effect of magnesium silicate hydrate (M-S-H) formation on the local atomic arrangements and mechanical properties of calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H); In situ X-ray scattering study

Kim, G.*; Im, S.*; Jee, H.*; Suh, H.*; Cho, S.*; 兼松 学*; 諸岡 聡; 小山 拓*; 西尾 悠平*; 町田 晃彦*; et al.

Cement and Concrete Research, 159, p.106869_1 - 106869_17, 2022/09

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2022.106869

This study explored the effect of M-S-H formation on the local atomic arrangements and mechanical properties of C-S-H. The elastic moduli of the samples were calculated using shifted atomic distances (r) and d-spacings (d) acquired by applying an external load on the pastes during X-ray scattering experiments. The experimental results indicated that the crystal structure of C-S-H remained intact with MgCl addition. At the highest Mg/Si ratio (Ca/Si = 0.6, Mg/Si = 0.2), change in the dominant phase occurred from C-S-H to M-S-H because the low pH environment hindered the formation of C-S-H and facilitated the formation of M-S-H. The elastic modulus decreased with increasing Mg/Si ratio up to 0.1 owing to both C-S-H destabilization and low M-S-H content in the samples. Conversely, the elastic modulus increased in the paste synthesized with the highest Mg/Si ratio because considerable M-S-H had formed, which exhibited a higher elastic modulus than C-S-H.

Study on the discharge behavior of the molten-core materials through the control rod guide tube; Investigations of the effect of an internal structure in the control rod guide tube on the discharge behavior

加藤 慎也; 松場 賢一; 神山 健司; Akaev, A.*; Vurim, A.*; Baklanov, V.*

Proceedings of 13th International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Reactor Thermal-Hydraulics, Operation and Safety (NUTHOS-13) (Internet), 12 Pages, 2022/09

炉心崩壊事故(CDA)における溶融炉心物質の原子炉内保持(IVR)はナトリウム冷却高速炉の安全性を高めるために最も重要である。IVRを確保するための主要な課題の一つは、溶融炉心物質を炉心領域から効率的に排出するための制御棒案内管(CRGT)の設計である。CRGTの設計の有効性はCDA解析によって評価されるが、この解析には試験研究と連携した計算機コードの開発が合理的である。そこで、EAGLE-3プロジェクトと呼ばれる共同研究において、CRGTを介した溶融炉心物質の流出挙動を課題の一つとして試験研究が進められてきた。本試験研究で得られた知見はSIMMERコードの開発に反映される。このプロジェクトでは、CRGTを通じた溶融炉心物質の流出挙動を把握するために、溶融アルミナを燃料模擬物質とした一連の炉外試験が行われた。本研究では、CRGT内の内部構造物が溶融炉心物質の流出挙動に与える影響を調べるため、内部構造物を有するダクトを溶融アルミナが流下する炉外試験のデータを分析した。さらに、SIMMERコードによる試験後の解析を行い、試験結果との比較を行った。

ナノインデンテーション法によるLOCA模擬試験後ジルカロイ被覆管の機械特性評価(共同研究)

垣内 一雄; 宇田川 豊; 山内 紹裕*

JAEA-Research 2022-001, 21 Pages, 2022/06

JAEA-Research-2022-001.pdf:1.84MB

冷却材喪失事故(LOCA)時想定される被覆管脆化の主たる要因は、高温酸化に伴う金属層中酸素濃度の増大とこれに起因する微細組織の変化である。被覆管が破裂した場合には、燃料棒内に侵入した水蒸気によって生じる被覆管内面の酸化及びこれに伴う燃料棒内水素分圧の上昇の結果、破裂開口部からやや離れた軸方向位置で局所的な水素吸収が起こり(二次水素化)、二次水素化部では水素脆化による延性低下も重畳する。これら微細組織の変化がLOCA条件下における燃料棒の機械特性に及ぼす影響をより詳細かつ定量的に把握するため、LOCA模擬試験後試料の破裂開口部及び二次水素化部の延性評価にナノインデンテーション法を適用した。硬さやヤング率に加えて、押込み荷重-変位曲線から算出される塑性仕事割合を評価したところ、二次水素化部の金属層(prior-相)における塑性仕事割合は、被覆管外周のZrO層と-Zr(O)層に近い水準であり、破裂開口部に比べて酸素濃度が低いにもかかわらず、水素の影響により有意に延性が低下していることが示唆された。