Development of gas entrainment evaluation model based on distribution of pressure along vortex center line; Application to a gas entrainment experiment with traveling vortices in an open water channel flow?

松下 健太郎; 江連 俊樹; 田中 正暁; 今井 康友*; 藤崎 竜也*; 堺 公明*

Nuclear Engineering and Design, 432, p.113785_1 - 113785_16, 2025/02

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2024.113785

ナトリウム冷却高速炉の安全設計の観点から、液面渦によるアルゴンカバーガスのガス巻込み現象(GE)を評価する手法の確立が必要となる。本研究では、GEを評価するインハウスツールである「StreamViewer」の評価モデルの高度化として、吸込み部から液面部にかけて連続する渦中心点を接続することで渦中心線を抽出し、渦中心線に沿った減圧量分布と水頭圧とのつり合いに基づいて渦のガスコア長さを評価する「PVLモデル」について提案した。PVLモデルの適用性確認として、矩形開水路体系における垂直平板による非定常後流渦試験の三次元数値解析結果に本モデルを適用し、その結果、PVLモデルを用いたStreamViewerによるGE評価によって、非定常渦流れの試験における入口流速とガスコア長さの関係を再現できることが確認された。

Investigation on multi-dimensional short-term behaviour through benchmark analysis of a large-volume sodium combustion experiment

曽根原 正晃; 岡野 靖; 内堀 昭寛; 大木 裕*

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 12 Pages, 2024/12

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2024.2441427

ナトリウム冷却高速炉では、ナトリウム漏えい事故を管理するためにナトリウムの燃焼挙動を理解することが極めて重要である。本研究では、多次元熱流動解析コードAQUA-SFを用いて、サンディア国立研究所(SNL)のT3実験のベンチマーク解析を実施した。この実験は、容器容積100m、ナトリウム流量1kg/sの密閉空間で実施され、ナトリウム注入直後の局所的な温度上昇がもたらす多次元的な影響を明らかにした。本研究では、AQUA-SFの機能を拡張することを目的として、このような多次元的な温度変動、特に容器底部における高温領域の形成のシミュレーションに焦点を当てた。提案したモデルには、ナトリウム液滴着火の一時停止と床面上のナトリウム飛沫の噴霧燃焼が含まれる。さらに、底部高温域の再現性を高めるためには、床部近傍に熱源を追加することが不可欠であることを示した。そこで、噴霧円錐角の感度解析と床面上の液滴の長時間燃焼を含むケーススタディを実施した。この包括的なアプローチにより、ナトリウム冷却高速炉におけるナトリウム燃焼のダイナミクスと安全対策に関する貴重な知見を得ることができた。

First freezing experiments with a molten mixture of boron carbide and stainless steel in core disruptive accidents of sodium-cooled fast reactors

江村 優軌; 松場 賢一; 菊地 晋; 山野 秀将

Proceedings of 13th Korea-Japan Symposium on Nuclear Thermal Hydraulics and Safety (NTHAS13) (Internet), 8 Pages, 2024/11

Assuming the CDA of SFRs, the eutectic melting between BC as a control rod material and stainless steel (SS) as a structural material could occur below their melting points. After that, the mixture produced by eutectic melting between BC and SS (BC-SS mixture) would relocate inside or outside of the original core region. From the viewpoint of core reactivity changes, the relocation behavior of BC-SS mixture induced by its melting/freezing behavior, is one of the key elements to evaluate the CDA consequences. Many experimental studies on freezing behavior using core materials and its simulants, including molten UO, SS, tin, wood's metal have been reported in the past. Based on these experimental findings, the freezing/blockage model for the severe accident simulation code was established and discussed through analyses of freezing process. Specifically, it has been considered that the experimental correlation of melt-penetration length was a key indicator to quantitatively describe freezing behavior. However, there was no experimental data for the freezing behavior of actual BC-SS mixture. Therefore, the freezing experiments of BC-SS mixture were conducted to investigate the freezing and blockage behavior inside a flow path such as fuel pin bundle. In the freezing experiments, BC powder and SS block were heated up to around 1,750 K using a graphite heating furnace, then BC-SS mixture flowed down into an SS pipe for cooling below 750 K. The experimental results showed that the BC-SS mixture solidified and resulted in the blockage in the SS pipe with 4 mm or 6.7 mm in inner diameter, respectively. Furthermore, the observations for cross section of SS pipe suggested that the BC-SS mixture penetrated deeper than molten SS. This difference is considered to be influenced by decrease of the melting point.

汎用炉心解析システムMARBLE3の開発

横山 賢治; 羽様 平; 谷中 裕; 大木 繁夫

JAEA-Data/Code 2024-007, 41 Pages, 2024/10

JAEA-Data-Code-2024-007.pdf:1.1MB

汎用炉心解析システムMARBLEの第3版であるMARBLE3を開発した。MARBLEの開発ではオブジェクト指向スクリプト言語Pythonを用いており、これまでの開発ではPythonバージョン2(Python2)を用いていたが、Pythonのバージョンアップの後方非互換性の問題により、Pythonの最新版であるPythonバージョン3(Python3)では、MARBLEを動作させることができなくなっていた。このため、MARBLE3の開発では全面的に改修を行って、Python3で動作するように整備した。また、MARBLE3では、新しく開発された解析コードのカプセル化や新しく提案された計算手法等の組み込みを行うとともに、メンテナンス性や拡張性、柔軟性の観点からユーザインターフェースの拡張やソルバーの再実装等を行った。MARBLE3では、新規に開発された3次元六角/三角体系輸送計算コードMINISTRIVer.7(MINISTRI7)と3次元六角/三角体系拡散計算コードD-MINISTRIを利用できるように整備した。これらのコードは、MARBLEのサブシステムである核特性解析システムSCHEMEや高速炉燃焼解析システムOPRHEUSで利用できる。また、MARBLEに組み込まれている炉心解析システムCBGのユーザインターフェースを拡張して、CBGの2次元RZ体系の拡散計算ソルバーや輸送計算ソルバーをSCHEME上で利用できるように整備した。一方、計算手法についても改良を加えた。MARBLE3では、チェビシェフ有理関数近似法に基づく燃焼計算手法の改良に関する論文やミニマックス多項式近似法に基づく燃焼計算手法に関する論文で提案された計算手法を利用できるように、燃焼計算ソルバーの機能拡張を行った。また、メンテナンス性の観点から、MARBLE2で導入された一点炉動特性ソルバーPOINTKINETICSを廃止して、MARBLE3ではKINETICSソルバーとして新たに整備し直した。

France-Japan collaboration on severe accident studies in sodium-cooled fast reactors, 1; Severe accident scenarios assessment

小野田 雄一; 石田 真也; 深野 義隆; 神山 健司; 山野 秀将; 久保 重信; 柴田 明裕*; Bertrand, F.*; Seiler, N.*

Proceedings of International Conference on Nuclear Fuel Cycle (GLOBAL2024) (Internet), 4 Pages, 2024/10

PIRTs have been developed and are reported for the 3 sequence event families of SFR severe accidents. For ULOF, there are 13 phenomena ranked with high importance and large uncertainty. Two PIRTs for primary phase of UTOP have been developed based on those of ULOF. Two phenomena with high importance and large uncertainty both in FRN and JPN ranking are highlighted. For USAF PIRT, they are eight phenomena ranked important and uncertain by both sides related to heat transfer coefficient, chunk relocation in the molten pool of the initiating SA and to thermomechanical loading on the hexcan of the initiating SA. These phenomena are recognized to deserve priority study. The event progression regarding FP transport focusing on phenomena of ULOF is investigated. Seven phenomenological phases were identified along with the accident sequences and of their events progression. The summary of the elementary phenomena on this PIRT, and the vote for the table are foreseen in the future study.

Application of the GIF safety design criteria and safety design guidelines on reactor shutdown system to next generation sodium-cooled fast reactor in Japan

山野 秀将; 二神 敏; 柴田 明裕*

Proceedings of Advanced Reactor Safety (ARS 2024), p.151 - 160, 2024/08

本研究では、動的安全保護系に関して、第4世代国際フォーラムで開発された安全設計クライテリアとガイドラインを我が国で最近に設計されたナトリウム冷却高速炉へ適用した。

Sintering behavior analysis of compacted dry recycled UPuO powder using master sintering curve theory

中道 晋哉; 砂押 剛雄*; 廣岡 瞬; Vauchy, R.; 村上 龍敏

Journal of Nuclear Materials, 595, p.155072_1 - 155072_11, 2024/07

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2024.155072

Using dry recycled powders for uranium and plutonium mixed oxide (MOX) fuel production can reduce unnecessary storage and accountability of nuclear material in facilities. The shrinkage behavior of green compacts of dry recycled powders differs from that of conventional raw powders because the dry recycled MOX powder is obtained from the fabrication scrap of sintered pellets. The shrinkage behavior of dry recycled MOX powder has been investigated by dilatometry. Based on the shrinkage curves, sintering apparent activation energies were evaluated using the master sintering curve (MSC) and the constant rate of heating methods. The obtained values were higher than the energy evaluated for raw powder experiments. The sigmoid sintering prediction equation using the MSC function was constructed. The accumulation of data on the activation energy for various sintering conditions will lead to the wide application of this prediction formula in the future.

The Development of Petri Net-based continuous Markov Chain Monte Carlo methodology applying to dynamic probability risk assessment for multi-state resilience systems with repairable multi-component interdependency under longtermly thereat

Li, C.-Y.; 渡部 晃*; 内堀 昭寛; 岡野 靖

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 61(7), p.935 - 957, 2024/07

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2023.2290067

For all the nuclear reactor systems, quantitative assessment of the accident management (AM) effects against long-term external hazards became one of the essential issues after the lesson learned from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. However, the influence from the safety systems' stochastic and dynamic shifting between multiple working states, which is related to the interaction with the adjacent components/systems in general, has not been accounted for yet. Therefore, this research aims to develop a dynamic probability risk assessment tool considering repairable multi-component interdependency for investigating the AM influences on the multi-state safety systems under long-term external hazards. Based on the newly proposed methodology in this research via integrating the Petri Net (PN) model with the continuous Markov chain Monte Carlo (CMMC) method, a framework applying PN-CMMC methodology to a severe accident analysis code, SPECTRA, had been originally constructed. Different AM influences on the multi-state decay heat removal systems against long-term volcanic ashfall were also quantitatively confirmed, indicating that halving the repairing time is more influential in suppressing the core damage frequency than doubling the number of adjacent electricity support systems. Therefore, the PN-CMMC-SPECTRA framework can further assess the uncharted dynamic multi-state concerns, leading to a safer AM strategy.

Formulation of high-temperature strength equation of 9Cr-ODS tempered martensitic steels using the Larson-Miller parameter and life-fraction rule for rupture life assessment in steady-state, transient, and accident conditions of fast reactor fuel

宮澤 健; 丹野 敬嗣; 今川 裕也; 橋立 竜太; 矢野 康英; 皆藤 威二; 大塚 智史; 光原 昌寿*; 外山 健*; 大沼 正人*; et al.

Journal of Nuclear Materials, 593, p.155008_1 - 155008_16, 2024/05

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2024.155008

This paper discusses the applicability of J.L. Straalsund et al.'s technique for combining the Larson-Miller parameter (LMP) and life-fraction rule to form a single high-temperature strength equation for 9Cr- oxide-dispersion-strengthened (ODS) tempered martensitic steels (TMS). It uses the extensive dataset on creep rupture, tensile, and temperature-transient-to-burst tests of 9Cr-ODS TMS cladding tubes in the -phase, /-duplex, -phase matrices, which are accumulated by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency so far. The technique is adequately applicable to 9Cr-ODS TMS cladding tubes. A single high-temperature strength equation expressing the mechanical strength in different deformation and rupture modes (creep, tensile, temperature-transient-to-burst) is derived for 9Cr-ODS TMS cladding tubes. This equation can predict the rupture life of the cladding tubes under various stresses and temperatures over time. The applicable range of the high-temperature strength equation is specified in this study and the upper limit temperature for the equation is found to be 1200C. At temperatures higher than 1200C, the coarsening and aggregation of nanosized oxide particles and the to phase transformation are reported in previous studies. The high-temperature strength equation can be well applied to the creep and tensile strength in the -phase matrix, the creep strength in the -phase matrix and the temperature-transient-to-burst strength in both phases except for the low equivalent stress (43 MPa) at temperatures exceeding 1050C. The mechanism of the notable consistency between creep and tensile strength in the -phase matrix is discussed by analyzing the high-temperature deformation data in the light of existing deformation models.

Validation of the hybrid turbulence model in detailed thermal-hydraulic analysis code SPIRAL for fuel assembly using sodium experiments data of 37-pin bundles

吉川 龍志; 今井 康友*; 菊地 紀宏; 田中 正暁; 大島 宏之

Nuclear Technology, 210(5), p.814 - 835, 2024/05

https://doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2023.2249707

ナトリウム冷却高速炉安全性強化研究では、燃料ピンの構造健全性を評価するために各種運転条件下におけるワイヤスペーサ型燃料集合体内熱流動特性の解明が重要である。そこで有限要素法による集合体詳細熱流動解析コードSPIRALが開発されている。本研究では、SPIRALにおける壁近傍低Re数効果を考慮したハイブリッド型乱流モデルの妥当性を確認するために、層流-乱流遷移条件及び乱流条件を含む異なるRe数条件下の37本ピンバンドルナトリウム実験の再現解析を実施した。SPIRALによる予測された温度分布はナトリウム実験で測定され温度と一致した。以上によって、SPIRALにおけるハイブリッド型乱流モデルの広範囲Re数条件下ナトリウム冷却集合体熱流動評価への適用性を確認した。