Impact of nuclear data updates from JENDL-4.0 to JENDL-5 on burnup calculations of light-water reactor fuels

渡邉 友章; 多田 健一; 遠藤 知弘*; 山本 章夫*

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 16 Pages, 2025/04

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2025.2486798

本研究では、JENDL-4.0(J4)からJENDL-5(J5)への核データ更新が軽水炉燃料燃焼計算に与える影響を調査した。燃焼計算はPWRピンセル及びBWR燃料集合体形状について実施した。計算の結果、中性子増倍率(k)に燃焼度に依存した大きな差異があることがわかった。燃焼度0-50GWd/tの範囲において、J5のkはJ4のkよりも一貫して小さく、その差は燃焼が進むにつれて徐々に大きくなった。各核種の断面積データをJ4からJ5に置き換えた計算の結果、U, U, Puの断面積とHO中のHの熱中性子散乱則データの更新がkの差に顕著な影響を与えることが分かった。Gd燃料を含むBWR集合体形状では、10-15GWd/tの燃焼度範囲で大きなkの違いが観測された。この差異は主にU, Gd, Gd断面積の更新とHO中のHの熱中性子散乱則データに起因することが分かった。さらに、核種数密度、中性子エネルギー依存の感度係数、中性子スペクトルを調査することにより、核データの更新がkにどのように影響を与えたかを明らかにした。

Difference in accumulation of plutonium and curium isotopes formed in americium targets irradiated in Joyo and JMTR

大西 貴士; 小山 真一*; 横山 佳祐; 森下 一喜; 渡部 雅; 前田 茂貴; 矢野 康英; 大木 繁夫

Nuclear Engineering and Design, 432, p.113755_1 - 113755_17, 2025/02

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2024.113755

The burning of minor actinide (MA) elements, such as neptunium (Np) and americium (Am), in fast reactors (FRs) has been proposed to reduce the volume of high-level radioactive waste. Evaluation of the transmutation behavior of Am for a wide spectral range from thermal to fast neutrons requires experimental validation based on the irradiation of Am targets with well-known isotopic compositions. Four samples each of two types of Am targets, Am-241 oxide and Am-243 oxide, were prepared and irradiated in the experimental fast reactor Joyo under fast neutron flux. Additionally, a ninth sample consisting of Am-241 oxide contained in a MgO pellet was prepared and irradiated in the JMTR under thermal neutron flux. All irradiated samples were analyzed by a radiochemical method. Indexes of the transmutation behavior such as the transmutation ratio, the ratio between burnup and accumulation of an actinide could be evaluated based on the analytical results.

Modeling of the P2M past fuel melting experiments with the FEMAXI-8 code

Mohamad, A. B.; 宇田川 豊

Nuclear Technology, 210(2), p.245 - 260, 2024/02

https://doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2023.2185061

In the Power to Melt and Maneuverability (P2M) project, a simulation exercise on two past power ramp experiments xM3 on medium burn-up rod and HBC4 on high burn-up rod were performed with the fuel performance code FEMAXI-8 to investigate the fuel behavior under high power and high-temperature conditions toward centerline fuel melting. In order to treat fuel melting, empirical melting temperature models have been incorporated into the FEMAXI-8 code. The present analysis gave reasonable predictions not only on cladding deformation but also on the fuel melting behavior of the HBC4 rod, in which the UO liquidus temperature was reached during the transient. On the other hand, model improvement appeared to be needed for a more accurate treatment of fuel melting behavior of the xM3 rod, in which fuel center temperature reached solidus line, whereas may not reached liquidus line. A reasonable agreement of estimated FGR with the measurement suggested that the high temperature FGR at the given conditions are essentially temperature dependent phenomenon: rate-limited primarily by thermally activated elementary processes such as fission gas diffusion.

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.

Hierarchical Bayes model to quantify fracture limit uncertainty of high-burnup advanced fuel cladding tubes under LOCA conditions

成川 隆文; 濱口 修輔*; 高田 孝*; 宇田川 豊

Proceedings of Asian Symposium on Risk Assessment and Management 2022 (ASRAM 2022) (Internet), 11 Pages, 2022/12

To realize a more reliable safety evaluation of loss-of-coolant accidents (LOCAs) in light-water-reactors, we developed a quantification method of the fracture limit uncertainty of high-burnup advanced fuel cladding tubes using a hierarchical Bayes model that can quantify uncertainty even when experimental data are limited. The fracture limit uncertainty was quantified as a probability using the amount of oxidation and the initial hydrogen concentration (the hydrogen concentration in fuel cladding tubes before the LOCA-simulated tests) as explanatory variables. The hierarchical Bayes model was developed by dividing the regression coefficients into a hierarchical structure with an overall average term common to all types of fuel cladding tubes and a term representing differences between types of fuel cladding tubes. Using the developed model, we showed that the fracture limits of the high-burnup advanced fuel cladding tubes tended to be on average equal to or higher than that of an unirradiated conventional fuel cladding tube. Further, we proposed a method to reduce the fracture limit uncertainty by using non-binary data depending on the condition of the fuel cladding tube specimens after the LOCA-simulated test instead of the binary data, thereby increasing the amount of information in each data.

Depletion calculation of subcritical system with consideration of spontaneous fission reaction

Riyana, E. S.; 奥村 啓介; 坂本 雅洋; 松村 太伊知; 寺島 顕一

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 59(4), p.424 - 430, 2022/04

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2021.1974970

Modification of the Monte Carlo depletion calculation code OpenMC was performed to enable the depletion calculation of the subcritical neutron multiplying system. With the modified code, it became possible to evaluate the quantity of short half-life fission products from spontaneous and induced fissions in the subcritical system. As a preliminary study, it was applied to the fuel debris storage canister filled with nuclear materials and spontaneous fission nuclides. It was confirmed that the code could successfully provide a quantity of short half-life FPs over time and provide the relationship between the activity ratio of Kr-88 to Xe-135 and effective neutron multiplication factor of the canister.

Study on mechanism and threshold conditions for fuel fragmentation during loss-of-coolant accident conditions

成川 隆文; 宇田川 豊

Proceedings of TopFuel 2021 (Internet), 10 Pages, 2021/10

To clarify the mechanism and temperature threshold for fuel fragmentation during loss-of-coolant accidents (LOCAs), out-of-pile heating tests on bare fuel pellet pieces taken from a high-burnup PWR UO fuel rod (segment average burnup: 81 GWd/tU) were performed. The fuel pellet pieces taken from various regions in the radial direction of the fuel pellet were inductively heated with no cladding restraint in vacuum up to 1473 K at a rate of 5 K/s. During the heating tests, the fission gases released from the fuel pellet pieces were continuously analyzed in-situ using a quadrupole mass spectrometer. Following the heating tests, microstructural observation of the fuel pellet fragments was carried out. Based on the relationship between the extent of fuel fragmentation and the terminal temperature, and the time history of fission gas release, temperature thresholds for minor fuel fragmentation and slightly more fuel fragmentation were estimated to be 973 - 1073 K and 1173 - 1273 K, respectively. The extent of fuel fragmentation and the amount of fission gas release became more pronounced with increasing temperature. Further, the microstructural observations after the heating tests revealed that most of the fuel fragments smaller than approximately 500 - 750 m have microstructures consisting of many micropores and subgrains, which are characteristic of the dark zone or high-burnup structure. On the basis of these results, the mechanism of fuel fragmentation during LOCAs was discussed.

MVP-BURNを用いた軸方向詳細モデルによるHTTRの燃焼特性解析

池田 礼治*; Ho, H. Q.; 長住 達; 石井 俊晃; 濱本 真平; 中野 優美*; 石塚 悦男; 藤本 望*

JAEA-Technology 2021-015, 32 Pages, 2021/09

JAEA-Technology-2021-015.pdf:2.74MB

MVP-BURNを用いてHTTR炉心の燃焼計算を行い、炉内温度分布を考慮した場合の影響とタリー領域分割を細分化した場合の影響を調べた。この結果、炉内温度分布を考慮した場合については、実効増倍率や主要核種密度に大きな影響がなかったこと、燃料ブロックごとの局所なU, Pu及びBの物質量が最大で約6%、約8%及び約30%の差が生じたことが明らかとなった。また、タリー領域分割を細分化した場合については、実効増倍率への影響が0.6%k/k以下と小さかったこと、黒鉛反射体の効果も含めた物質量の詳細分布、従来の計算より燃焼挙動を詳細に評価できることが明らかとなった。

燃料挙動解析コードFEMAXI-8の燃料結晶粒内ガス移行モデル改良

宇田川 豊; 田崎 雄大

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

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

FEMAXI-8は、軽水炉燃料の通常運転時及び過渡条件下の挙動解析を目的として日本原子力研究開発機構が開発・整備を進めてきたFEMAXIコードの最新バージョンとして、2019年3月に公開された。本報告では、公開以降新たに整備を進めた、燃料結晶粒内核分裂生成物(FP)ガスバブルの多群/非平衡モデルについてまとめた。結晶粒内で様々なサイズを持って分布しているFPガスバブルを単一の大きさのガスバブルにより近似していた従来のモデルに対し、このモデルでは、バブルサイズに関する2群以上の群構造と非平衡な挙動の双方を表現することが出来る。これによって、妥当なオーダーのガスバブル圧力算定が可能となるなど、主に過渡的な挙動の再現性改善が見込めると共に、粒内FPガスバブル挙動についてより厳密な記述が可能となり、FP挙動モデリング全体としての高度化余地が拡大している。今回のモデル整備では、まず、任意の群数や空間分割に対応する粒内FP挙動解析モジュールを開発した。次に、FEMAXI-8上で容易に運用可能な2群モデルとして扱うため、同モジュールとFEMAXI-8間のインタフェースを開発し、両者を接続した。これによりFEMAXI-8から利用可能となった2群モデルについては改めて検証解析を実施した。多群/非平衡モデル適用時にも一定の性能を確保できるモデルパラメータを決定し、公開パッケージ向けに整備した。

軽水型動力炉の非常用炉心冷却系の性能評価指針の技術的根拠と高燃焼度燃料への適用性

永瀬 文久; 成川 隆文; 天谷 政樹

JAEA-Review 2020-076, 129 Pages, 2021/03

JAEA-Review-2020-076.pdf:3.9MB

軽水炉においては、冷却系配管破断等による冷却材喪失事故(LOCA)時にも炉心の冷却可能な形状を維持し放射性核分裂生成物の周辺への放出を抑制するために、非常用炉心冷却系(ECCS)が設置されている。ECCSの設計上の機能及び性能を評価し、評価結果が十分な安全余裕を有することを確認するために、「軽水型動力炉の非常用炉心冷却系の性能評価指針」が定められている。同指針に規定されている基準は1975年に定められた後、1981年に当時の最新知見を参考に見直しが行われている。その後、軽水炉においては燃料の高燃焼度化及びそれに必要な被覆管材料の改良や設計変更が進められたが、それに対応した指針の見直しは行われていない。一方、高燃焼度燃料のLOCA時挙動や高燃焼度燃料への現行指針の適用性に関する多くの技術的な知見が取得されてきている。本報告においては、我が国における指針の制定経緯及び技術的根拠を確認しつつ、国内外におけるLOCA時燃料挙動に係る最新の技術的知見を取りまとめる。また、同指針を高燃焼度燃料に適用することの妥当性に関する見解を述べる。