Calculation method improvement of the original one-dimensional code GENGTC

Fuyushima, Takumi; Sayato, Natsuki; Otsuka, Kaoru; Endo, Yasuichi; Tobita, Masahiro*; Takemoto, Noriyuki

JAEA-Testing 2024-008, 38 Pages, 2025/03

JAEA-Testing-2024-008.pdf:2.37MB

In Japan Materials Testing Reactor (JMTR), irradiation tests had been conducted by loading specimens into capsules for irradiating fuels and materials. The thermal design calculation of capsules is significant to irradiate various types of specimens at the target temperature. The decommissioning plan of JMTR was approved in March 2021, and the Department of Waste Management and Decommissioning Technology Development is currently working on irradiation plans by foreign testing reactors as an alternative for JMTR. A one-dimensional thermal calculation code "GENGTC", which was developed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in U.S., is used for capsule design and irradiation tests. GENGTC has been repeatedly improved as improvements of computer performance, but there were some defects in calculation function. Therefore, we investigated the cause of the problem and changed the program from the currently used FORTRAN77 language program to a Visual Basic language program that uses the macro calculation function of Excel. In addition, the program was improved to make it easier to use the calculation code.

Development of a theoretical scaling factor method for the inventory estimation of difficult-to-measure nuclide Cs-135 in fuel debris and radioactive wastes

Sakamoto, Masahiro; Okumura, Keisuke; Kanno, Ikuo; Matsumura, Taichi; Terashima, Kenichi; Riyana, E. S.; Kaneko, Junichi*; Mizokami, Masato*; Mizokami, Shinya*

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 10 Pages, 2025/00

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2025.2478926

Application of indentation technique to material degradation evaluation in the mercury target vessel for spallation neutron sources

Wakui, Takashi; Saito, Shigeru; Futakawa, Masatoshi

Jikken Rikigaku, 24(4), p.212 - 218, 2024/12

Irradiation damage is one of the main factors determining the lifetime of the mercury target vessel for spallation neutron source in J-PARC. To understand material degradation of the used vessels, it is planned to conduct an evaluation using inverse analyses with indentation tests on the structural materials of the used vessels and numerical experiments. This evaluation technique was applied to two kinds of ion-irradiated materials with different displacement damage doses, in which the irradiation condition was simulated. It could be confirmed that the ultimate strength increased, and the total elongation decreased with increasing irradiation. These trends are like the material degradation behaviors which have been reported by using small specimen's tensile tests.

Effect of grain refinement on transgranular stress corrosion cracking in SUS304L under boiling water reactor conditions

Hirota, Noriaki; Nakano, Hiroko; Takeda, Ryoma; Ide, Hiroshi; Tsuchiya, Kunihiko; Kobayashi, Yoshinao*

Zairyo No Kagaku To Kogaku, 61(6), p.248 - 252, 2024/12

A comparative analysis of the 0.2 % yield stress in SUS304L stainless steel revealed that lower strain rates and higher temperatures significantly reduce yield stress. Grain refinement from 68.6 m to 0.59 m minimally impacted the rate of yield stress reduction at slower strain rates. However, finer grains showed a decrease in yield stress at reactor operating temperature compared to room temperature. In slow strain rate tests under conditions promoting intragranular stress corrosion cracking (SCC), SUS304L with grain sizes of 28.4 m or smaller exhibited similar fracture strains comparable to those at reactor operating temperatures, whereas coarse-grained SUS304L showed reduced fracture strain. Microstructural analysis showed that in smaller grains, over 87 % of the fracture surface was ductile. In particular, SUS304L with 0.59 m grains exhibited a higher presence of {111} / 3 boundaries, which decreased with grain growth. These results indicate that grain refinement will suppress intragranular SCC by slowing corrosion progression through increased {111} / 3 boundaries.

The Effect of a cyclic bending load on the bending resistance of ballooned, ruptured, and oxidized Zircaloy-4 cladding

Li, F.; Narukawa, Takafumi; Udagawa, Yutaka

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 61(8), p.1036 - 1047, 2024/08

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2023.2293100

Current status of high temperature gas-cooled reactor development in Japan

Nagatsuka, Kentaro; Noguchi, Hiroki; Nagasumi, Satoru; Nomoto, Yasunobu; Shimizu, Atsushi; Sato, Hiroyuki; Nishihara, Tetsuo; Sakaba, Nariaki

Nuclear Engineering and Design, 425, p.113338_1 - 113338_11, 2024/08

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2024.113338

HTGR has a potential to contribute to decarbonization of hard-to-abate industries by supplying a large amount of hydrogen and high temperature heat or steam without carbon dioxide emission. JAEA has been conducting R&Ds for HTGR technologies with High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor (HTTR). This paper shows that HTTR's tests including the loss of core cooing test as a joint the OECD/NEA international research project and a HTTR heat application test plan which demonstrate hydrogen production by coupling the HTTR with a hydrogen production test facility. Additionally, aiming for operation start from the latter half of 2030s, the basic design of the HTGR demonstration reactor has been shown. The Japan's HTGR technology capabilities established by the HTTR project will be fully utilized for the construction of HTGR demonstration reactor.

Research and development of three-dimensional isolation system for sodium cooled fast reactor, 7; Development summary of three-dimensional isolation system

Watakabe, Tomoyoshi; Yamamoto, Tomohiko; Okamura, Shigeki; Miyazaki, Masashi; Miyagawa, Takayuki; Uchita, Masato*; Hirayama, Tomoyuki*; Somaki, Takahiro*; Yukawa, Masaki*; Fukasawa, Tsuyoshi*; et al.

Proceedings of ASME 2024 Pressure Vessels & Piping Conference (PVP 2024) (Internet), 10 Pages, 2024/07

To secure the seismic safety of the thin-walled mechanical components and piping under a severe design earthquake level, employing a three-dimensional (3D) seismic isolation system has been planned in a sodium-cooled fast reactor. The development results of the 3D isolation system have been reported in previous papers so far. Its update is reported in Part 7 to Part 9. Part 7 describes the overview of the development, the test plan of the isolation system in the assembled state of each element, and the performance of individual isolation elements. In part 8, the performance of the isolation device that each element was assembled into was investigated through loading tests. Part 9 reports analytical studies by an analysis model validated based on the insight of the test results.

Countermeasure against Beyond Design Basis Accident of HTTR by using fire engine

Shimazaki, Yosuke; Jidaisho, Tatsuya; Ishii, Toshiaki; Inoi, Hiroyuki; Iigaki, Kazuhiko

JAEA-Technology 2024-005, 23 Pages, 2024/06

JAEA-Technology-2024-005.pdf:5.53MB

HTTR has newly assumed Beyond Design Basis Accident (BDBA) as part of conformity assessment with the new regulatory standards and has established measures to prevent the spread of BDBA. Among these measures, to prevent the spread of BDBA caused by cooling water leaks from spent fuel storage pool, the Oarai Research Institute's fire engine was selected as an equipment to prevent the spread of BDBA, and required performances such as pumping water performance were determined. After all required performances were confirmed by inspections, the fire engine passed the operator's pre-use inspection and contributed to the restart of the HTTR operations.

Comparing DGSMC, FIER, and FISPACT simulations to experimental delayed gamma-ray spectra for nuclear safeguards development

Rodriguez, D.; Rossi, F.; Takahashi, Tone

IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science, 71(3), p.255 - 268, 2024/03

https://doi.org/10.1109/TNS.2024.3353816

Rapid and long-lasting bedrock flow-path sealing by a "concretion-forming resin"; Results from evaluation tests in an Underground Research Laboratory, Horonobe, Japan

Yoshida, Hidekazu*; Yamamoto, Koshi*; Asahara, Yoshihiro*; Maruyama, Ippei*; Karukaya, Koichi*; Saito, Akane*; Matsui, Hiroya; Mochizuki, Akihito; Katsuta, Nagayoshi*; Metcalfe, R.*

Powering the Energy Transition through Subsurface Collaboration; Proceedings of the 1st Energy Geoscience Conference (Energy Geoscience Conference Series, 1), 20 Pages, 2024/00

https://doi.org/10.1144/egc1-2023-35

A capability to permanently seal fluid flow-paths in bedrock, such as natural faults/fractures, and damaged zones around boreholes/excavations, is needed to ensure the long-term safety and effectiveness of many underground activities. Cementitious materials are commonly used as seals, however these materials unavoidably undergo physical and chemical degradation, therefore potentially decreasing seal durability. In order to solve these problems, a more durable sealing method using concretion-forming resin has been developed by learning from natural calcite (CaCO) concretion formation. The sealing capability of resin was tested by experiments on bedrock flow-paths in an underground research laboratory (URL), Hokkaido, Japan. The results showed a decrease the permeability rapidly down to 1/1,000 of the initial permeability due to calcite precipitation over a period of one year. During the experiment inland earthquakes occurred with foci below the URL (depths 2-7 km and maximum magnitude 5.4). Due to the earthquakes the hydraulic conductivities of the flow-paths sealed initially by concretion-forming resin increased. However, these flow-paths subsequently resealed rapidly, and within a few months recovered the same hydraulic conductivities as before the earthquakes. This new technique for rapidly producing long-lasting seals against fluid flow through rocks will be applicable to many kinds of underground activities.