A Science-based mixed oxide property model for developing advanced oxide nuclear fuels

Kato, Masato; Oki, Takumi; Watanabe, Masashi; Hirooka, Shun; Vauchy, R.; Ozawa, Takayuki; Uwaba, Tomoyuki; Ikusawa, Yoshihisa; Nakamura, Hiroki; Machida, Masahiko

Journal of the American Ceramic Society, 107(5), p.2998 - 3011, 2024/05

https://doi.org/10.1111/jace.19609

Oxygen potential of neodymium-doped UPuAmO uranium-plutonium-americium mixed oxides at 1573, 1773, and 1873 K

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

Journal of Nuclear Materials, 580, p.154416_1 - 154416_11, 2023/07

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2023.154416

Numerical study of initiating phase of core disruptive accident in small sodium-cooled fast reactors with negative void reactivity

Ishida, Shinya; Fukano, Yoshitaka; Tobita, Yoshiharu; Okano, Yasushi

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 13 Pages, 2023/00

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2023.2243949

Measurements of thermal conductivity for near stoichiometric (UPuAm)O (z = 0.05, 0.10, and 0.15)

Yokoyama, Keisuke; Watanabe, Masashi; Tokoro, Daishiro*; Sugimoto, Masatoshi*; Morimoto, Kyoichi; Kato, Masato; Hino, Tetsushi*

Nuclear Materials and Energy (Internet), 31, p.101156_1 - 101156_7, 2022/06

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nme.2022.101156

In current nuclear fuel cycle systems, to reduce the amount of high-level radioactive waste, minor actinides (MAs) bearing MOX fuel is one option for burning MAs using fast reactor. However, the effects of Am content in fuel on thermal conductivity are unclear because there are no experimental data on thermal conductivity of high Am bearing MOX fuel. In this study, The thermal conductivities of near stoichiometric (UPuAm)O solid solutions(z = 0.05, 0.10, and 0.15) have been measured between room temperature (RT) and 1473 K. The thermal conductivities decreased with increasing Am content and satisfied the classical phonon transport model ((A+BT)) up to about 1473 K. A values increased linearly with increasing Am content because the change in ionic radius affects the conduction of the phonon due to the solid solution in U and Am. B values were independent of Am content.

Advanced reactor experiments for sodium fast reactor fuels (ARES) project; Transient irradiation experiments for metallic and MOX fuels

Jensen, C. B.*; Wachs, D. M.*; Woolstenhulme, N. E.*; Ozawa, Takayuki; Hirooka, Shun; Kato, Masato

Proceedings of International Conference on Fast Reactors and Related Fuel Cycles; Sustainable Clean Energy for the Future (FR22) (Internet), 9 Pages, 2022/04

Improvement of intragranular fission gas behavior model for fuel performance code FEMAXI-8

Udagawa, Yutaka; Tasaki, Yudai

JAEA-Data/Code 2021-007, 56 Pages, 2021/07

JAEA-Data-Code-2021-007.pdf:5.05MB

Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has released FEMAXI-8 in 2019 as the latest version of the fuel performance code FEMAXI, which has been developed to analyze thermal and mechanical behaviors of a single fuel rod in mainly normal operation conditions and anticipated transient conditions. This report summarizes a newly developed model to analyze intragranular fission gas behaviors considering size distribution of gas bubbles and their dynamics. While the intragranular fission gas behavior models implemented in the previous FEMAXI versions have supported only treating single bubble size for a given fuel element, the new model supports multiple gas groups according to their size and treats their dynamic behaviors, making the code more versatile. The model was first implemented as a general module that takes arbitrary number of bubble groups and spatial mesh division for a given fuel grain system. An interface module to connect the model to FEMAXI-8 was then developed so that it works as a 2 bubble groups model, which is the minimum configuration of the multi-grouped model to be operated with FEMAXI-8 at the minimum calculation cost. FEMAXI-8 with the new intragranular model was subjected to a systematic validation calculation against 144 irradiation test cases and recommended values for model parameters were determined so that the code makes reasonable predictions in terms of fuel center temperature, fission gas release, etc. under steady-state and power ramp conditions.

Post-irradiation examinations of annular mixed oxide fuels with average burnup 4 and 5% FIMA

Cappia, F.*; Tanaka, Kosuke; Kato, Masato; McClellan, K.*; Harp, J.*

Journal of Nuclear Materials, 533, p.152076_1 - 152076_14, 2020/05

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2020.152076

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 fuel performance code FEMAXI-8; Model improvements for light water reactor fuel analysis and systematic validation

Udagawa, Yutaka; Yamauchi, Akihiro*; Kitano, Koji*; Amaya, Masaki

JAEA-Data/Code 2018-016, 79 Pages, 2019/01

JAEA-Data-Code-2018-016.pdf:2.75MB

FEMAXI-8 is the latest version of the fuel performance code FEMAXI developed by JAEA. A systematic validation work has been achieved against 144 irradiation test cases, after many efforts have been made, in development of new models, improvements in existing models and the code structure, bug-fixes, construction of irradiation-tests database and other infrastructures.

Thermal expansion measurement of (U,Pu)O in oxygen partial pressure-controlled atmosphere

Kato, Masato; Ikusawa, Yoshihisa; Sunaoshi, Takeo*; Nelson, A. T.*; McClellan, K. J.*

Journal of Nuclear Materials, 469, p.223 - 227, 2016/02

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2015.11.048

Thermal expansion of (UPu)O (x = 0, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03) and (UPu)O was measured with a dilatometer in an oxygen partial pressure-controlled atmosphere. The oxygen partial pressure was controlled to hold a constant oxygen-to-metal ratio in the (U,Pu)O during the measurement. Thermal expansion slightly increased with the decrease in oxygen-to-metal ratio. The relationship was derived to describe thermal expansion.