Uncertainty reduction of sodium void reactivity using data from a sodium shielding experiment

Maruyama, Shuhei; Endo, Tomohiro*; Yamamoto, Akio*

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 61(1), p.31 - 43, 2024/01

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2023.2244512

This study investigated the feasibility of reducing the uncertainty associated with fast-reactor-core design by sharing an experimental database between different fields (e.g., reactor physics and radiation shielding) using data assimilation techniques. As the first step in this study, we focused on the ORNL sodium shielding experiment and investigated the possibility of using the experimental data to reduce the uncertainty in sodium void reactivity (SVR), which is the most important safety parameter for sodium-cooled fast reactors. A sensitivity analysis based on the Generalized Perturbation Theory was performed for the sodium shielding experiment. Using the sensitivity coefficients evaluated here and those of the sodium void reactivity previously evaluated by the JAEA, we showed that sodium shielding experimental data can contribute to the uncertainty reduction of SVR by adopting the cross-section adjustment method. Based on this study, the uncertainty reduction effect is expected to be significant, especially for SVR dominated by neutron-leakage phenomena. Although new reactor physics experimental data on SVR may be difficult to obtain, the results of this study suggest that data from sodium shielding experiments can partially substitute for this role. This study demonstrated the value of the mutual use of integral experimental data in fast reactor designs.

Improvement of reactivity model of core deformation in plant dynamics analysis code during unprotected loss of heat sink event in EBR-II

Yoshimura, Kazuo; Doda, Norihiro; Fujisaki, Tatsuya*; Igawa, Kenichi*; Tanaka, Masaaki; Yamano, Hidemasa

Proceedings of 30th International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (ICONE30) (Internet), 10 Pages, 2023/05

The benchmark analyses for the unprotected loss of heat sink (ULOHS) tests in the pool-type experimental SFR in the United States, EBR-II (BOP-301 and BOP-302R) have been conducted in order to validate the evaluation method of the reactivity feedback equipped in the plant dynamics analysis code named Super-COPD. In this study, 1D-CFD coupled analyses adding the core bowing reactivity model were conducted. Through the analysis, the applicability of the modified reactivity model was confirmed for the BOP-301 test. For the BOP-302R test, consideration of the core restraint system in the core and modeling the control rod driveline expansion reactivity was indicated.

Development of evaluation method for core deformation reactivity in sodium-cooled fast reactor; Verification of core deformation reactivity evaluation based on first-order perturbation theory

Doda, Norihiro; Kato, Shinya; Iida, Masaki*; Yokoyama, Kenji; Tanaka, Masaaki

Proceedings of 12th Japan-Korea Symposium on Nuclear Thermal Hydraulics and Safety (NTHAS12) (Internet), 8 Pages, 2022/10

In the conventional core design in sodium-cooled fast reactors (SFRs), negative reactivity feedback due to core deformation was neglected because of large uncertainty in analytical evaluation. To optimize core design, it is necessary to develop an analytical evaluation method and eliminate excessive conservativeness. An evaluation method for core deformation reactivity has been developed by coupling analysis of neutronics, thermal-hydraulics, and structural mechanics. For the verification study of the neutronics calculation method, the reactivity was calculated for the deformed core geometry in which the fuel assembly (FA) moved horizontally in the radial direction for each row from the core center. Compared to reference values derived from Monte Carlo calculations, the calculated reactivity due to FA displacement agreed well in the core region and was overestimated in the reflector region. The modification challenges in development of the core deformation model were identified.

Verification of detailed core-bowing analysis code ARKAS_cellule with IAEA benchmark problems

Ota, Hirokazu*; Ohgama, Kazuya; Yamano, Hidemasa

Proceedings of International Nuclear Fuel Cycle Conference / Light Water Reactor Fuel Performance Conference (Global/Top Fuel 2019) (USB Flash Drive), p.30 - 39, 2019/09

Behavior of high burnup advanced fuels for LWR during design-basis accidents

Amaya, Masaki; Udagawa, Yutaka; Narukawa, Takafumi; Mihara, Takeshi; Sugiyama, Tomoyuki

Proceedings of Annual Topical Meeting on Reactor Fuel Performance (TopFuel 2015), Part.2 (Internet), p.10 - 18, 2015/09

http://www.euronuclear.org/events/topfuel/topfuel2015/transactions/topfuel2015-transactions-oral-2.pdf#page=10

Advanced fuels which consist of cladding materials with high corrosion resistance and pellets with lower fission gas release have been developed by utilities and fuel vendors to improve fuel performance even in the high burnup region and also raise the safety level of current nuclear power plants to a higher one. In order to evaluate the adequacy of present safety criteria and safety margins in terms of such advanced fuels and provide a database for future regulation on them, Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has started a new extensive research program called ALPS-II program (Phase II of Advanced LWR Fuel Performance and Safety program). This program is primarily composed of tests simulating a reactivity-initiated accident (RIA) and a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) on high burnup advanced fuels shipped from European nuclear power plants. This paper describes an outline of this program and some experimental results with respect to RIA and LOCA which have been obtained in this program.

NSRR RIA-simulating experiments on high burnup LWR fuels

Fuketa, Toyoshi; Sugiyama, Tomoyuki; Sasajima, Hideo; Nagase, Fumihisa

Proceedings of 2005 Water Reactor Fuel Performance Meeting (CD-ROM), p.633 - 645, 2005/10

LWR fuel behaviors during a reactivity initiated accident (RIA) are being studied in the NSRR program. Results from recent NSRR experiments, no failures in Tests OI-10 and -12 and the higher failure enthalpy in Test OI-11, reflect the better performance of the new cladding materials in terms of corrosion during PWR operations. Accordingly, these rods with improved corrosion resistance have larger safety margin than conventional Zircaloy-4 rods. In addition, the smaller inventory of inter-granular gas in the large grain pellet could reduce the fission gas release in RIA as observed in the OI-10. Test VA-1 was conducted with an MDA sheathed 78 MWd/kgU PWR fuel rod. Despite of the higher burnup and thicker oxide layer of 81m, the enthalpy at failure remained in a same level as those for rods with of 40m-oxide at 50 - 60 MWd/kgU. This result suggests high burnup structure (rim structure) in pellet periphery does not have strong effect on the failure enthalpy reduction because the PCMI load is produced primarily by solid thermal expansion of the pellet.

RIA-simulating experiments on high burnup PWR fuel rods with advanced cladding alloys

Sugiyama, Tomoyuki; Fuketa, Toyoshi; Ozawa, Masaaki*; Nagase, Fumihisa

Proceedings of 2004 International Meeting on LWR Fuel Performance, p.544 - 550, 2004/09

Two pulse irradiation experiments simulating reactivity initiated accidents were performed on high burnup (60 GWd/t) PWR UO rods with advanced cladding alloys. Test OI-10 was performed on an MDA cladded rod with large-grain (25 m) fuel pellets with a peak fuel enthalpy condition of 435 J/g, and resulted in a peak residual hoop strain of 0.7%. On the other hand, Test OI-11 on a ZIRLO cladded rod with conventional pellets resulted in a fuel failure at a fuel enthalpy of 500 J/g due to the pellet-cladding mechanical interaction (PCMI). A long axial split was generated on the cladding over the active length. The fuel pellets were fragmented and dispersed into the coolant water. The fuel enthalpy at failure is higher than the PCMI failure criterion of 209 J/g at the corresponding burnup. The experimental results suggest that the rods with improved corrosion resistance have much safety margin against the PCMI failure compared to the conventional Zircaloy-4 rod.

Neutronics design for lead-bismuth cooled accelerator-driven system for transmutation of minor actinide

Tsujimoto, Kazufumi; Sasa, Toshinobu; Nishihara, Kenji; Oigawa, Hiroyuki; Takano, Hideki

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 41(1), p.21 - 36, 2004/01

https://doi.org/10.3327/jnst.41.21

Neutronics design study was performed for lead-bismuth cooled accelerator-driven system (ADS) to transmute minor actinides. Early study for ADS indicated two problems: a large burnup reactivity swing and a significant peaking factor. To solve these problems, effect of design parameters on neutronics characteristics were searched. Parametric survey calculations were performed considering fuel cycle consisting of burnup and recycle. The results showed that burnup reactivity swing depends on the plutonium fraction in the initial fuel loading, and the lead-bismuth buffer region and the two-zone loading were effective for solving the problems. Moreover, an optimum value for the effective multiplication factor was also evaluated using reactivity coefficients. From the result, the maximum allowable value of the effective multiplication factor for a practical ADS can be set at 0.97. Consequently, a new core concept combining the buffer region and the two-zone loading was proposed base on the results of the parametric survey.

Analyses of neutronic characteristics of STACY heterogeneous core with 1.5-cm-lattice-pitch fuel pins

Sono, Hiroki; Fukaya, Yuji; Yanagisawa, Hiroshi; Miyoshi, Yoshinori

JAERI-Tech 2003-065, 61 Pages, 2003/07

JAERI-Tech-2003-065.pdf:3.11MB

A series of critical experiments using a heterogeneous core of the Static Experiment Critical Facility (STACY) in the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute is planned in F.Y. 2003. In the experiment, the core is composed of uranyl nitrate solution (U enrichment 6 wt%) and 333 pins of uranium dioxide (U enrichment 5 wt%) loaded in lattice-pitch of 1.5 cm. Prior to the experiment, neutronic characteristics are analyzed to evaluate neutronic safety and criticality limitations of the core. The analyzed items are the parameters on criticality, reactivity and reactor shutdown margins. In the analyses, a Monte Carlo code, MVP, and a neutronics code system, SRAC, have been used with an evaluated nuclear data library, JENDL-3.3. By using the calculated characteristics, simplified equations to interpolate these values and criticality limitations of the core are evaluated. It has been also confirmed that the reactor shutdown margins will comply with safety criteria under all fuel conditions in the experiments.

Design study on PWR-type reduced-moderation light water core; Investigation of core adopting seed-blanket fuel assemblies

Shimada, Shoichiro*; Kugo, Teruhiko; Okubo, Tsutomu; Iwamura, Takamichi

JAERI-Research 2003-003, 72 Pages, 2003/03

JAERI-Research-2003-003.pdf:3.82MB

As a part of the design study on PWR-type Reduced-Moderation Water Reactors (RMWRs), a light water cooled core with the seed-blanket type fuel assemblies has been investigated. An assembly with seed of 13 layers and blanket of 5 layers was selected by optimization calculations. The core was composed with the 163 assemblies. The following results were obtained by burn-up calculations with the MVP-BURN code; The cycle length is 15 months by 3-batch refueling. The discharge burn-up including the inner blanket is about 25 GWd/t. The conversion ratio is about 1.0. The void reactivity coefficient is about -26.1pcm/%void at BOC and -21.7pcm/%void at EOC. Effects of about 10% of MA or about 2 % of FP on core performances were investigated, and they were confirmred within the design margins. Capability of multi-recycling of plutonium was confirmed, using discharged plutonium for 4 cycles, if fissile plutonium of 15.5wt% is used.