LES-WALE simulation on two liquid mixing in the horizontal legs and downcomer; The Open-test condition in the TAMU-CFD benchmark (IBE-5)

Abe, Satoshi; Okagaki, Yuria; Ishigaki, Masahiro; Shibamoto, Yasuteru

Proceedings of OECD/NEA Workshop on Virtual CFD4NRS-8; Computational Fluid Dynamics for Nuclear Reactor Safety (Internet), 11 Pages, 2020/11

Improving fatigue performance of laser-welded 2024-T3 aluminum alloy using dry laser peening

Sano, Tomokazu*; Eimura, Takayuki*; Hirose, Akio*; Kawahito, Yosuke*; Katayama, Seiji*; Arakawa, Kazuto*; Masaki, Kiyotaka*; Shiro, Ayumi*; Shobu, Takahisa; Sano, Yuji*

Metals, 9(11), p.1192_1 - 1192_13, 2019/11

AA2019-0690.pdf:3.91MB

https://doi.org/10.3390/met9111192

The purpose of the present study was to verify the effectiveness of dry laser peening (DryLP), which is the peening technique without a sacrificial overlay under atmospheric conditions using femtosecond laser pulses on the mechanical properties such as hardness, residual stress, and fatigue performance. After DryLP treatment of the laser-welded 2024 aluminum alloy, the softened weld metal recovered to the original hardness of base metal, while residual tensile stress in the weld metal and heat-affected zone changed to compressive stresses. The fatigue life almost doubled at a stress amplitude of 180 MPa and increased by a factor of more than 50 at 120 MPa. As a result, DryLP was found to be more effective for improving the fatigue performance of laser-welded aluminum specimens with welding defects at lower stress amplitudes.

Development on high-power spallation neutron sources with liquid metals

Futakawa, Masatoshi

Proceedings of 13th International Symposium on Advanced Science and Technology in Experimental Mechanics (13th ISEM'18) (USB Flash Drive), 6 Pages, 2018/10

Issues on the engineering technologies relating to high-power spallation neutron sources with liquid metals are introduced. The present status on research activities and results was reviewed.

Engineering applications using probabilistic aftershock hazard analyses; Aftershock hazard map and load combination of aftershocks and tsunamis

Choi, B.; Nishida, Akemi; Itoi, Tatsuya*; Takada, Tsuyoshi*

Geosciences (Internet), 8(1), p.1_1 - 1_22, 2018/01

AA2017-0570.pdf:1.96MB

https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences8010001

After the Tohoku earthquake in 2011, we observed that aftershocks tended to occur in a wide region after such a large earthquake. These aftershocks resulted in secondary damage or delayed rescue and recovery activities. However, it is difficult to evaluate the hazards of an aftershock before the main shock due to various uncertainties. For possible great earthquakes, we must make decisions based on such uncertainties, and it is important to quantify the various uncertainties. We previously proposed a probabilistic aftershock occurrence model that is expected to be useful to develop plans for recovery activities after future large earthquakes. In this paper, engineering applications of the proposed approach for probabilistic aftershock hazard analysis are shown for demonstration purposes. One application is to use aftershock hazard maps to plan recovery activities. Another application is to derive load combination equations of the load and resistance factor design (LRFD) considering the simultaneous occurrence of tsunamis and aftershocks for the tsunami-resistant design of tsunami evacuation buildings and nuclear facilities.

Derivation of simple evaluation method for thermal shock damage on accelerator materials caused by out-of-control beam pulses and its application to J-PARC

Takei, Hayanori; Kobayashi, Hitoshi*

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 42(12), p.1032 - 1039, 2005/12

https://doi.org/10.3327/jnst.42.1032

In high-intensity proton accelerator facilities, a failure of an electromagnet that steers beam pulses may result in thermal shock damage on the accelerator component by injecting an out-of-control pulse. It is important that a Machine Protection System (MPS) is appropriately designed to prevent this damage in the facilities such as Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC). In this study, the simple evaluation method for the allowable injection time before the operation of the MPS was derived from the relation between the thermal stress and the yield stress of materials.The derived evaluation method was then applied to J-PARC. The allowable injection time for each component ranged from 0.1 to 70 s.

Failure probability analysis on mercury target vessel

Ishikura, Shuichi*; Shiga, Akio*; Futakawa, Masatoshi; Kogawa, Hiroyuki; Sato, Hiroshi; Haga, Katsuhiro; Ikeda, Yujiro

JAERI-Tech 2005-026, 65 Pages, 2005/03

JAERI-Tech-2005-026.pdf:2.86MB

Failure probability analysis was carried out to estimate the lifetime of the mercury target which will be installed into the JSNS (Japan spallation neutron source) in J-PARC (Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex). The lifetime was estimated as taking loading condition and materials degradation into account. Considered loads imposed on the target vessel were the static stresses due to thermal expansion and static pre-pressure on He-gas and mercury and the dynamic stresses due to the thermally shocked pressure waves generated repeatedly at 25 Hz. Materials used in target vessel will be degraded by the fatigue, neutron and proton irradiation, mercury immersion and pitting damages, etc. The imposed stresses were evaluated through static and dynamic structural analyses. The material-degradations were deduced based on published experimental data. As results, it was quantitatively confirmed that the failure probability for the lifetime expected in the design is very much lower, 10 in the safety hull, meaning that it will be hardly failed during the design lifetime. On the other hand, the beam window of mercury vessel suffered with high-pressure waves exhibits the failure probability of 12%. It was concluded, therefore, that the leaked mercury from the failed area at the beam window is adequately kept in the space between the safety hull and the mercury vessel to detect mercury-leakage sensors.

Importance of fracture criterion and crack tip material characterization in probabilistic fracture mechanics analysis of an RPV under a pressurized thermal shock

Shibata, Katsuyuki; Onizawa, Kunio; Li, Y.*; Kato, Daisuke*

International Journal of Pressure Vessels and Piping, 81(9), p.749 - 756, 2004/09

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpvp.2004.05.003

The paper describes the procedure to evaluate the ductile crack extension, where an increase in fracture resistance by a ductile crack extension is considered. Two standard -resistance curves are prepared for applying the elasto-plastic fracture criterion. Case studies concerning the effect of elasto-plastic fracture criterion were carried out using a severe PTS transient. The introduction of the elasto-plastic fracture criterion significantly contributes to remove the over-conservatism in applying the linear elastic fracture criterion. It was also found that the algorithm of the re-evaluation of crack tip characterization also has a significant effect on the failure probability.

Effect of pre-hydriding on thermal shock resistance of Zircaloy-4 cladding under simulated loss-of-coolant accident conditions

Nagase, Fumihisa; Fuketa, Toyoshi

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 41(7), p.723 - 730, 2004/07

https://doi.org/10.3327/jnst.41.723

Experiments simulating loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) conditions were performed to evaluate effect of pre-hydriding on thermal-shock resistance of oxidized Zircaloy-4 cladding. Artificially hydrided (400 to 600 ppm) and non-hydrided claddings were subjected to the tests. Since cladding fracture on quenching primarily depends on the oxidation amount, fracture threshold was evaluated in terms of "Equivalent Cladding Reacted (ECR)". Under axially non-restrained condition, the fracture threshold is 56% ECR and the influence of pre-hydriding is not seen. The fracture threshold is decreased by restraining the test rods on quenching, and it is more remarkable in pre-hydrided claddings than in non-hydrided claddings. Consequently, the fracture threshold was 20% ECR and 10% ECR for non-hydrided and pre-hydrided claddings, respectively, under the fully restrained condition. These results indicate possible decrease of fracture threshold of high burnup fuel claddings under LOCA conditions.

Micro pit formation by mercury-sphere collision

Ishikura, Shuichi*; Kogawa, Hiroyuki; Futakawa, Masatoshi; Kaminaga, Masanori; Hino, Ryutaro; Saito, Masakatsu*

Nihon Genshiryoku Gakkai Wabun Rombunshi, 3(1), p.59 - 66, 2004/03

https://doi.org/10.3327/taesj2002.3.59

The development of a MW-class spallation neutron source facility is being carried out under the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC) Project promoted by JAERI and KEK. A mercury target working as the spallation neutron source will be subjected to pressure waves generated by rapid thermal expansion of mercury due to a pulsed proton beam injection. The pressure wave will impose dynamic stress on the vessel and deform the vessel, which would cause cavitation in mercury. To evaluate the effect of mercury micro jets, driven by cavitation bubble collapse, on the micro-pit formation, analyses on mercury sphere collision were carried out: single bubble dynamics and collision behavior on interface between liquid and solid, which take the nonlinearity due to shock wave in mercury and the strain rate dependency of yield stress in solid metal into account. Analytical results give a good explanation to understand relationship between the micro-pit formation and material properties: the pit size could decrease with increasing the yield strength of materials.

Structural integrity of heavy liquid-metal target installed in spallation neutron facility, 4; Consideration by fracture mechanics of target container window

Ishikura, Shuichi*; Kogawa, Hiroyuki; Futakawa, Masatoshi; Kikuchi, Kenji; Haga, Katsuhiro; Kaminaga, Masanori; Hino, Ryutaro

JAERI-Tech 2003-093, 55 Pages, 2004/01

JAERI-Tech-2003-093.pdf:5.41MB

To estimate the structural integrity of the heavy liquid-metal (Hg) target used in a MW-class neutron scattering facility, static and dynamic stress behaviors due to the incident of a 1MW-pulsed proton beam were analyzed. In the analyses, two-type target containers with semi-cylindrical type and flat type window were used as analytical models of the structural analysis codes LS-DYNA. As a result, it is confirmed that the stress generated by dynamic thermal shock becomes the largest at the center of window, and the flat type window is more advantageous from the structural viewpoint than the semi-cylindrical type window. It was confirmed to erosion damage the target container by mercury's becoming negative pressure in the window and generating the cavitation by the experiment. Therefore, it has been understood that the point top of the window was in the compression stress field by the steady state thermal stress because of the evaluation from destroying the dynamic viewpoint for the crack in the generated pit and the pit point, and the crack did not progress.