Measurement of transient fission gas release from high-burnup MOX fuel under a simulated reactivity-initiated accident condition using fission gas dynamics testing technique

Taniguchi, Yoshinori; Urano, Kenta; Mihara, Takeshi; Udagawa, Yutaka; Kakiuchi, Kazuo; Katsuyama, Jinya

Proceedings of TopFuel 2025; Nuclear Reactor Fuel Performance Conference (Internet), p.1292 - 1301, 2025/10

Comparison of correlations for thermal creep of FBR MOX

Calabrese, R.*; Hirooka, Shun

Progress in Nuclear Energy, 178, p.105516_1 - 105516_11, 2025/01

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnucene.2024.105516

Thermal creep is one of the key properties of mixed oxide (MOX) fuel for innovative fast reactors. Thermal creep of fuel affects markedly the interaction between the fuel and the cladding. A review of correlations available in the literature is presented. The effect of porosity, plutonium concentration, and stoichiometry are discussed also in the light of recent numerical results. Our analysis pointed out some inconsistencies concerning the modelling of the effect of porosity on diffusional creep and a re-evaluation of the effect of plutonium concentration. The discussion suggested that Evans's findings on the effect of stoichiometry should be better assessed as well as the level of increase in creep moving towards stoichiometry. Typical operating conditions of fast breeder reactors confirmed the need for an extension of porosity and temperature correlations' domains. Besides this, a new correlation based on a separate-effect approach has been proposed for fuel performance codes.

High-temperature rupture failure of high-burnup LWR-MOX fuel under a reactivity-initiated accident condition

Taniguchi, Yoshinori; Mihara, Takeshi; Kakiuchi, Kazuo; Udagawa, Yutaka

Annals of Nuclear Energy, 195, p.110144_1 - 110144_11, 2024/01

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2023.110144

Continuous improvement activities on nuclear facility maintenance in Nuclear Science Research Institute of Japan Atomic Energy Agency in 2021

Task Force on Maintenance Optimization of Nuclear Facilities

JAEA-Technology 2022-006, 80 Pages, 2022/06

JAEA-Technology-2022-006.pdf:4.24MB

The Task force on maintenance optimization of nuclear facilities was organized in the Nuclear Science Research Institute (NSRI) of Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) since November 2020, in order to adequately respond to "the New nuclear regulatory inspection system since FY 2020" and to continuously improve the facility maintenance activities. In 2021, the task force has studied (1) optimization of the importance classification on maintenance and inspection of nuclear facilities, and (2) improvement in setting and evaluation of the performance indicators on safety, maintenance and quality management activities, considering "the Graded approach" that is one of the basic methodologies in the new nuclear regulatory inspection system. Each nuclear facility (research reactors, nuclear fuel material usage facilities, others) in the NSRI will steadily improve their respective safety, maintenance and quality management activities, referring the review results suggested by the task force.

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.

Analytical study of SPERT-CDC test 859 using fuel performance codes FEMAXI-8 and RANNS

Taniguchi, Yoshinori; Udagawa, Yutaka; Amaya, Masaki

Annals of Nuclear Energy, 139, p.107188_1 - 107188_7, 2020/05

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2019.107188

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.

Performance degradation of candidate accident-tolerant cladding under corrosive environment

Nagase, Fumihisa; Sakamoto, Kan*; Yamashita, Shinichiro

Corrosion Reviews, 35(3), p.129 - 140, 2017/08

https://doi.org/10.1515/corrrev-2017-0014

As the lessons learnt from the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, advanced cladding materials are being developed to enhance accident tolerance comparing with conventional zirconium alloys. The present paper reviews the progress of the development and summarizes subjects to be solved for the enhanced accident-tolerance fuel cladding, focusing on performance degradation under various corrosive environmental conditions that should be considered in designing the LWR fuel.

Nuclear, thermal and hydraulic design for Gas Turbine High Temperature Reactor (GTHTR300)

Nakata, Tetsuo*; Katanishi, Shoji; Takada, Shoji; Yan, X.; Kunitomi, Kazuhiko

Nihon Genshiryoku Gakkai Wabun Rombunshi, 2(4), p.478 - 489, 2003/12

https://doi.org/10.3327/taesj2002.2.478

no abstracts in English

Fabrication of the first-loading-fuel of the High Temperature engineering Test Reactor

Sawa, Kazuhiro; Tobita, Tsutomu*; Mogi, Haruyoshi; Shiozawa, Shusaku; Yoshimuta, Shigeharu*; Suzuki, Shuichi*;

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 36(8), p.683 - 690, 1999/08

https://doi.org/10.3327/jnst.36.683

no abstracts in English