Data report of ROSA/LSTF experiment TR-LF-15; Accident management actions during station blackout transient with pump seal LOCA

Takeda, Takeshi

JAEA-Data/Code 2023-012, 75 Pages, 2023/10

JAEA-Data-Code-2023-012.pdf:4.45MB

An experiment denoted as TR-LF-15 was conducted on June 11, 2014 using the Large Scale Test Facility (LSTF) in the Rig of Safety Assessment-V (ROSA-V) Program. The ROSA/LSTF experiment TR-LF-15 simulated accident management (AM) actions during a station blackout transient with TMLB' scenario with pump seal loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) in a pressurized water reactor (PWR). This scenario is featured by loss of auxiliary feedwater functions. The pump seal LOCA was simulated by a 0.1% cold leg break. The test assumptions included total failure of both high pressure injection system and low pressure injection system of emergency core cooling system (ECCS). Also, it was presumed non-condensable gas (nitrogen gas) inflow to the primary system from accumulator (ACC) tanks of ECCS. When steam generator (SG) secondary-side collapsed liquid level dropped to a certain low liquid level, the primary pressure turned to rise. After the SG secondary-side became voided, the safety valve of a pressurizer cyclically opened which led to loss of primary coolant. Core uncovery thus took place owing to core boil-off at high pressure. When an increase of 10 K was confirmed in cladding surface temperature of simulated fuel rods, SG secondary-side depressurization was started as the first AM action. At that time, the safety valves in both SGs were fully opened. Primary depressurization was initiated by completely opening the pressurizer safety valve as the second AM action with some delay after the first AM action onset. When the SG secondary-side pressure lowered to 1.0 MPa following the first AM action, water was injected into the secondary-side of both SGs via feedwater lines with low-head pumps as the third AM action. A reduction in the primary pressure was accelerated because the heat removal from the SG secondary-side system resumed shortly after the third AM action initiation.

Differential pressure rise event for filters of HTTR primary helium gas circulators, 1; Investigation of differential pressure rise event

Nemoto, Takahiro; Arakawa, Ryoki; Kawakami, Satoru; Nagasumi, Satoru; Yokoyama, Keisuke; Watanabe, Masashi; Onishi, Takashi; Kawamoto, Taiki; Furusawa, Takayuki; Inoi, Hiroyuki; et al.

JAEA-Technology 2023-005, 33 Pages, 2023/05

JAEA-Technology-2023-005.pdf:5.25MB

During shut down of the HTTR (High Temperature engineering Test Reactor) RS-14 cycle, an increasing trend of filter differential pressure for the helium gas circulator was observed. In order to investigate this phenomenon, the blower of the primary helium purification system was disassembled and inspected. As a result, it is clear that the silicon oil mist entered into the primary coolant due to the deterioration of the charcoal filter performance. The replacement and further investigation of the filter are planning to prevent the reoccurrence of the same phenomenon in the future.

Instability phenomena of lean hydrogen/oxygen/inert-gas premixed flames on a flat burner

Katsumi, Toshiyuki; Thwe Thwe, A.; Kadowaki, Satoshi

Journal of Visualization, 25(5), p.1075 - 1083, 2022/10

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12650-022-00844-9

Lean combustion and inert-gas addition are useful to control the burning velocity of hydrogen premixed flames, and it is well known that the cellular structure forms on the front of lean hydrogen flames owing to intrinsic instability. However, the influences of inert-gas addition on the instability phenomena of lean hydrogen premixed flames are not understood fully, and then it is needed to be investigated the flame instability experimentally. In the experiments, the cellular structure and fluctuation of H/O/inert gases (Ar, N,CO) premixed flames on a flat burner were obtained using direct observation, laser diagnostics and light emission intensity to elucidate the characteristics of instability phenomena. As the results, the correlation of inert-gas addition, equivalence ratio and total flow rate with the characteristics of cellular flames was revealed, and the influences of these parameters on flame instability were discussed.

On the adsorption and reactivity of element 114, flerovium

Yakushev, A.*; Lens, L.*; Dllmann, Ch. E.*; Khuyagbaatar, J.*; Jger, E.*; Krier, J.*; Runke, J.*; Albers, H. M.*; Asai, Masato; Block, M.*; et al.

Frontiers in Chemistry (Internet), 10, p.976635_1 - 976635_11, 2022/08

https://doi.org/10.3389/fchem.2022.976635

Flerovium (Fl, element 114) is the heaviest element chemically studied so far. The first chemical experiment on Fl suggested that Fl is a noble-gas-like element, while the second studies suggested that Fl has a volatile-metal-like character. To obtain more reliable conclusion, we performed further experimental studies on Fl adsorption behavior on Si oxide and gold surfaces. The present results suggest that Fl is highly volatile and less reactive than the volatile metal, Hg, but has higher reactivity than the noble gas, Rn.

Numerical simulation of sodium mist behavior in turbulent Rayleigh-Bnard convection using new developed mist models

Ohira, Hiroaki*; Tanaka, Masaaki; Yoshikawa, Ryuji; Ezure, Toshiki

Annals of Nuclear Energy, 172, p.109075_1 - 109075_10, 2022/07

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2022.109075

In order to evaluate the mist behavior in the cover gas region of Sodium-cooled Fast Reactors (SFRs) in good accuracy, turbulent model for Rayleigh-Bnard convection (RBC) was selected, and the Reynolds-averaged number density and momentum equations for mist behavior were developed and incorporated into the OpenFOAM code. In the first stage, the RBC in a simple parallel channel was calculated using Favre-averaged k- SST model. The average temperature and flow characteristics agreed well with results from DNS, LES, and experiments. Then the basic heat transfer experiment simulating the cover gas region of SFRs was calculated using this turbulent model and new mist models. The calculated average temperature distribution in the height direction and the mist mass concentration agreed well with the experimental results. We developed a method that could simulate the mist behavior in turbulent RBC environments and the cover gas region of SFRs with high accuracy.

Neutronic analysis of beam window and LBE of an Accelerator-Driven System

Nakano, Keita; Iwamoto, Hiroki; Nishihara, Kenji; Meigo, Shinichiro; Sugawara, Takanori; Iwamoto, Yosuke; Takeshita, Hayato*; Maekawa, Fujio

JAEA-Research 2021-018, 41 Pages, 2022/03

JAEA-Research-2021-018.pdf:2.93MB

Neutronic analysis of beam window of the Accelerator-Driven System (ADS) proposed by Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has been conducted using PHITS and DCHAIN-PHITS codes. We investigate gas production of hydrogen and helium isotopes in the beam window, displacement per atom of beam window material, and heat generation in the beam window. In addition, distributions of produced nuclides, heat density, and activity are derived. It was found that at the maximum 12500 appm H production, 1800 appm He production, and damage of 62.1 DPA occurred in the beam window by the ADS operation. On the other hand, the maximum heat generation in the beam window was 374 W/cm. In the analysis of LBE, Bi and Po were found to be the dominant nuclides in decay heat and radioactivity. Furthermore, the heat generation in the LBE by the proton beam was maximum around 5 cm downstream of the beam window, which was 945 W/cm.

Gas entrainment phenomenon from free liquid surface in a sodium-cooled fast reactor; Measurements and evaluation on a gas core growth form the liquid surface

Uchida, Mao*; Alzahrani, H.*; Shiono, Mikihito*; Sakai, Takaaki*; Matsushita, Kentaro; Ezure, Toshiki; Tanaka, Masaaki

Proceedings of 19th International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Reactor Thermal Hydraulics (NURETH-19) (Internet), 16 Pages, 2022/03

Gas entrainment from cover gas is one of key issues for sodium-cooled fast reactors design to prevent unexpected effects to core reactivity. A vortex model based evaluation method has been developed to evaluate the surface vortex gas core growth at the free surface in the reactor vessel. In this study, water experiments were performed to clarify the prediction accuracy for the vortex gas core growth during the vortex drift motion using a circulating water tunnel with an open flow channel test section. Gas core growth were predicted by applying the evaluation method to the numerical analyses performed in the same geometry of the experiments, and compared with the experimental results. It was observed the gas core growth became large at downstream region where downward velocity became large in experiment. However, the gas core length which were predicted from numerical result showed a discrepancy with the experimental result on the peak position and an overestimation of peak value.

Analytical study on removal mechanisms of cesium aerosol from a noble gas bubble rising through liquid sodium pool, 2; Effects of particle size distribution and agglomeration in aerosols

Miyahara, Shinya*; Kawaguchi, Munemichi; Seino, Hiroshi; Atsumi, Takuto*; Uno, Masayoshi*

Proceedings of 28th International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (ICONE 28) (Internet), 6 Pages, 2021/08

https://doi.org/10.1115/ICONE28-63286

In a postulated accident of fuel pin failure of sodium cooled fast reactor, a fission product cesium will be released from the failed pin as an aerosol such as cesium iodide and/or cesium oxide together with a fission product noble gas such as xenon and krypton. As the result, the xenon and krypton released with cesium aerosol into the sodium coolant as bubbles have an influence on the removal of cesium aerosol by the sodium pool in a period of bubble rising to the pool surface. In this study, cesium aerosol removal behavior due to inertial deposition, sedimentation and diffusion from a noble gas bubble rising through liquid sodium pool was analyzed by a computer program which deals with the expansion and the deformation of the bubble together with the aerosol absorption considering the effects of particle size distribution and agglomeration in aerosols. In the analysis, initial bubble diameter, sodium pool depth and temperature, aerosol particle diameter and density, initial aerosol concentration in the bubble were changed as parameter, and the results for the sensitivities of these parameters on decontamination factor (DF) of cesium aerosol were compared with the results of the previous study in which the effects of particle size distribution and agglomeration in aerosols were not considered. From the results, it was concluded that the sensitivities of initial bubble diameter, the aerosol particle diameter and density to the DF became significant due to the inertial deposition of agglomerated aerosols. To validate these analysis results, the simulation experiments have been conducted using a simulant particles of cesium aerosol under the condition of room temperature in water pool and air bubble systems. The experimental results were compared with the analysis results calculated under the same condition.

Fission gas release from irradiated mixed-oxide fuel pellet during simulated reactivity-initiated accident conditions; Results of BZ-3 and BZ-4 tests

Kakiuchi, Kazuo; Udagawa, Yutaka; Amaya, Masaki

Annals of Nuclear Energy, 155, p.108171_1 - 108171_11, 2021/06

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2021.108171

Data report of ROSA/LSTF experiment SB-PV-09; 1.9% pressure vessel top small break LOCA with SG depressurization and gas inflow

Takeda, Takeshi

JAEA-Data/Code 2021-006, 61 Pages, 2021/04

JAEA-Data-Code-2021-006.pdf:2.78MB

An experiment denoted as SB-PV-09 was conducted on November 17, 2005 using the Large Scale Test Facility (LSTF) in the Rig of Safety Assessment-V (ROSA-V) Program. The ROSA/LSTF experiment SB-PV-09 simulated a 1.9% pressure vessel top small-break loss-of-coolant accident in a pressurized water reactor (PWR). The test assumptions included total failure of high pressure injection system and non-condensable gas (nitrogen gas) inflow to the primary system from accumulator (ACC) tanks of emergency core cooling system (ECCS). In the experiment, liquid level in the upper-head was found to control break flow rate. When maximum core exit temperature reached 623 K, steam generator (SG) secondary-side depressurization was initiated by fully opening the relief valves in both SGs as an accident management (AM) action. The AM action, however, was ineffective on the primary depressurization until the SG secondary-side pressure decreased to the primary pressure. Meanwhile, the core power was automatically reduced when maximum cladding surface temperature of simulated fuel rods exceeded the pre-determined value of 958 K to protect the LSTF core due to late and slow response of core exit temperature. After the automatic core power reduction, loop seal clearing (LSC) was induced in both loops by steam condensation on the ACC coolant injected into cold legs. The whole core was quenched because of core recovery after the LSC. After the ACC tanks started to discharge nitrogen gas, the pressure difference between the primary and SG secondary sides became larger. After the continuous core cooling was confirmed through the actuation of low pressure injection system of ECCS, the experiment was terminated. This report summarizes the test procedures, conditions, and major observations in the ROSA/LSTF experiment SB-PV-09.