Fuel debris criticality analysis technology using non-contact measurement method (Contract research); FY2021 Nuclear Energy Science & Technology and Human Resource Development Project

Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science; Tokyo Institute of Technology*

JAEA-Review 2022-043, 52 Pages, 2023/01

JAEA-Review-2022-043.pdf:3.48MB

The Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science (CLADS), Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), had been conducting the Nuclear Energy Science & Technology and Human Resource Development Project (hereafter referred to "the Project") in FY2021. The Project aims to contribute to solving problems in the nuclear energy field represented by the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. (TEPCO). For this purpose, intelligence was collected from all over the world, and basic research and human resource development were promoted by closely integrating/collaborating knowledge and experiences in various fields beyond the barrier of conventional organizations and research fields. The sponsor of the Project was moved from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology to JAEA since the newly adopted proposals in FY2018. On this occasion, JAEA constructed a new research system where JAEA-academia collaboration is reinforced and medium-to-long term research/development and human resource development contributing to the decommissioning are stably and consecutively implemented. Among the adopted proposals in FY2021, this report summarizes the research results of the "Fuel debris criticality analysis technology using non-contact measurement method" conducted in FY2021. The purpose of research was to improve the fuel debris criticality analysis technology using non-contact measurement method by the development of the fuel debris criticality characteristics measurement system and the multi-region integral kinetic analysis code. It was performed by Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), and National Research Nuclear University (MEPhI) as the first year of four years research project. For the criticality characteristic measurement systems to be developed by the Japanese and Russian sides, …

Evaluation of detectability of pump/diagrid link rupture in pool-type sodium-cooled fast reactor

Onoda, Yuichi; Uchita, Masato*; Tokizaki, Minako*; Okazaki, Hitoshi*

Proceedings of 29th International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (ICONE 29) (Internet), 6 Pages, 2022/08

https://doi.org/10.1115/ICONE29-91688

The safety analyses were carried out to confirm the sufficiency of the function of the plant protection system against the pump/diagrid link rupture. The target plant is a pool-type SFR of about 600 MWe class equipped with an axially homogeneous core currently under development in Japan. In the pool-type SFR, the primary system piping connects primary pump and the high-pressure sodium plenum located at the inlet of fuel sub-assemblies and called "pump/diagrid link". Because this piping is submerged in the reactor vessel, it is difficult to detect small scale sodium leakage in this piping, and thus a certain large pipe break like guillotine should be assumed and evaluated as a design basis event. In order to confirm the detectability of pump/diagrid link rupture by safety protection system signals, a series of analyses of the guillotine break for a pump/diagrid link were carried out. Sensitivity study had also been performed to consider the uncertainty of the reactivity coefficient in the analyses. The sufficiency of the function of the plant protection system against the pump/diagrid link rupture was confirmed by the analysis results that at least two signals are transmitted for the detection of the event, which is the development target of the plant protection system in pool-type SFR.

The Working group on the analysis and management of accidents (WGAMA); A Historical review of major contributions

Herranz, L. E.*; Jacquemain, D.*; Nitheanandan, T.*; Sandberg, N.*; Barr, F.*; Bechta, S.*; Choi, K.-Y.*; D'Auria, F.*; Lee, R.*; Nakamura, Hideo

Progress in Nuclear Energy, 127, p.103432_1 - 103432_14, 2020/09

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnucene.2020.103432

Progress report on Nuclear Safety Research Center (JFY 2015 - 2017)

Nuclear Safety Research Center, Sector of Nuclear Safety Research and Emergency Preparedness

JAEA-Review 2018-022, 201 Pages, 2019/01

JAEA-Review-2018-022.pdf:20.61MB

Nuclear Safety Research Center (NSRC), Sector of Nuclear Safety Research and Emergency Preparedness, Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) is conducting technical support to nuclear safety regulation and safety research based on the Mid-Long Term Target determined by Japanese government. This report summarizes the research structure of NSRC and the cooperative research activities with domestic and international organizations as well as the nuclear safety research activities and results in the period from JFY 2015 to 2017 on the nine research fields in NSRC; (1) severe accident analysis, (2) radiation risk analysis, (3) safety of nuclear fuels in light water reactors (LWRs), (4) thermohydraulic behavior under severe accident in LWRs, (5) materials degradation and structural integrity, (6) safety of nuclear fuel cycle facilities, (7) safety management on criticality, (8) safety of radioactive waste management, and (9) nuclear safeguards.

Contributions of OECD ROSA & ROSA-2 Projects for thermal-hydraulic code validation

Nakamura, Hideo

Proceedings of Seminar on the Transfer of Competence, Knowledge and Experience gained through CSNI Activities in the Field of Thermal-Hydraulics (THICKET 2016) (CD-ROM), 29 Pages, 2016/06

no abstracts in English

Development of an evaluation methodology for the natural circulation decay heat removal system in a sodium cooled fast reactor

Watanabe, Osamu*; Oyama, Kazuhiro*; Endo, Junji*; Doda, Norihiro; Ono, Ayako; Kamide, Hideki; Murakami, Takahiro*; Eguchi, Yuzuru*

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 52(9), p.1102 - 1121, 2015/09

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2014.994049

A natural circulation (NC) evaluation methodology has been developed to ensure the safety of a sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) of 1500MW adopting the NC decay heat removal system (DHRS). The methodology consists of a 1D safety analysis which can evaluate the core hot spot temperature taking into account the temperature flattening effect in the core, a 3D fluid flow analysis which can evaluate the thermal-hydraulics for local convections and thermal stratifications in the primary system and DHRS, and a statistical safety evaluation method. The safety analysis method and the 3D analysis method have been validated using results of a 1/10 scaled water test simulating the primary system of the SFR and a 1/7 scaled sodium test simulating the primary system and the DHRS, and the applicability of the safety analysis for the SFR has been confirmed by comparing with the 3D analysis. Finally, a statistical safety evaluation has been performed for the SFR using the safety analysis method.

Pre-test analysis method using a neural network for control-rod withdrawal tests of HTTR

Ono, Tomio*; Subekti, M.*; Kudo, Kazuhiko*; Takamatsu, Kuniyoshi; Nakagawa, Shigeaki; Nabeshima, Kunihiko

Nihon Genshiryoku Gakkai Wabun Rombunshi, 4(2), p.115 - 126, 2005/06

http://doi.org/10.3327/taesj2002.4.115

Control-rod withdrawal tests simulating reactivity insertion are carried out in the HTTR to verify the inherent safety features of HTGRs. This paper describes pre-test analysis method using artificial neural networks to predict the changes of reactor power and reactivity. The network model applied in this study is based on recurrent neural networks. The inputs of the network are the changes of the central control rods position and other significant core parameters, and the outputs are the changes of reactor power and reactivity. Furthermore, Time Synchronizing Signal(TSS) is added to input to improve the modeling of time series data. The actual tests data, which were previously carried out in the HTTR, were used for learning the model of the plant dynamics. After the learning, the network can predict the changes of reactor power and reactivity in the following tests.

Structural analysis of support structure for ITER vacuum vessel

Takeda, Nobukazu; Omori, Junji*; Nakahira, Masataka

JAERI-Tech 2004-068, 27 Pages, 2004/12

JAERI-Tech-2004-068.pdf:7.68MB

ITER vacuum vessel (VV) is a safety component confining radioactive materials such as tritium and activated dust. An independent VV support structure with multiple flexible plates located at the bottom of VV lower port is proposed. This independent concept has two advantages: (1) thermal load due to the temperature deference between VV and the lower temperature components such as TF coil becomes lower and (2) the other components such as TF coil is categorized as a non-safety component because of its independence from VV. Stress analyses have been performed to assess the integrity of the VV support structure using a precisely modeled VV structure. As a result, (1) the maximum displacement of the VV corresponding to the relative displacement between VV and TF coil is found to be 15 mm, much less than the current design value of 100 mm, and (2) the stresses of the whole VV system including VV support are estimated to be less than the allowable ones defined by ASME. Based on these assessments, the feasibility of the proposed independent VV support has been verified as a VV support.

Temperature transient analysis of gas circulator trip test using the HTTR

Takamatsu, Kuniyoshi; Furusawa, Takayuki; Hamamoto, Shimpei; Nakagawa, Shigeaki

Proceedings of 6th International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Reactor Thermal Hydraulics, Operations and Safety (NUTHOS-6) (CD-ROM), 11 Pages, 2004/10

Safety demonstration tests using the High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor (HTTR) are in progress to verify the inherent safety features for High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors (HTGRs). The coolant flow reduction test by tripping one or two out of three gas circulators is one of the safety demonstration tests. The reactor power safely brings to a stable level without a reactor scram and the temperature transient of the reactor-core is very slow. Through the safety demonstration test, the two dimensional temperature analysis code (TAC-NC code) was improved. This paper describes the validation of the TAC-NC code using the measured value of the test by tripping of one and two out of three gas circulators at 30%(9MW). The TAC-NC code could evaluate accurately the temperature transient within 10% during the test. Also, it was confirmed that the temperature transient by tripping all gas circulators is very slow.

Development of plant dynamics analytical code named Conan-GTHTR for the Gas Turbine High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor, 1; Code validation by Use of the experimental data of HTTR

Takamatsu, Kuniyoshi; Katanishi, Shoji; Nakagawa, Shigeaki; Kunitomi, Kazuhiko

Nihon Genshiryoku Gakkai Wabun Rombunshi, 3(1), p.76 - 87, 2004/03

https://doi.org/10.3327/taesj2002.3.76

The Gas Turbine High Temperature Reactor 300 (GTHTR300) composed of an inherent safe 600MWt reactor and a closed gas turbine power conversion system is a high efficient and economically competitive HTGR to be deployed in 2010s. To analyze the plant dynamics and the thermal hydraulics of the GTHTR300, a new analytical code (Conan-GTHTR) based on 'RELAP5/MOD3' has been developed and applied to heat transfer calculations of the High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor (HTTR) for its verification. The results proved that the new code was available for transient simulations in Higt Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor systems.