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

Sonehara, Masateru; Okano, Yasushi; Uchibori, Akihiro; Oki, Hiroshi*

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

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2024.2441427

For sodium-cooled fast reactors, understanding sodium combustion behaviour is crucial for managing sodium leakage accidents. In this study, we perform benchmark analyses of the Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) T3 experiment using the multi-dimensional thermal hydraulic code AQUA-SF. Conducted in an enclosed space with a large vessel volume of 100 m and a sodium mass flow rate of 1 kg/s, the experiment highlighted the multi-dimensional effects of local temperature increase shortly after sodium injection. This study aims to extend the capabilities of AQUA-SF by focusing on the simulation of these multi-dimensional temperature variations, in particular the formation of high temperature regions at the bottom of the vessel. The proposed models include the temporary stopping of sodium droplet ignition and spray combustion of sodium splash on the floor. Furthermore, it has been shown that additional heat source near the floor is essential to enhance the reproduction of the high temperature region at the bottom. Therefore, case studies including sensitivity analyses of spray cone angle and prolonged combustion of droplets on the floor are conducted. This comprehensive approach provides valuable insights into the dynamics of sodium combustion and safety measures in sodium-cooled fast reactors.

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

Emura, Yuki; Matsuba, Kenichi; Kikuchi, Shin; Yamano, Hidemasa

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

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

Onoda, Yuichi; Ishida, Shinya; Fukano, Yoshitaka; Kamiyama, Kenji; Yamano, Hidemasa; Kubo, Shigenobu; Shibata, Akihiro*; Bertrand, F.*; Seiler, N.*

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

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

Yamano, Hidemasa; Futagami, Satoshi; Higurashi, Koichi*

Proceedings of Advanced Reactor Safety (ARS 2024), p.121 - 130, 2024/08

This paper describes the application of safety design criteria (SDC) and safety design guideline (SDG) developed in the Generation-IV international forum on decay heat removal system (DHRS) enhancing reliability to sodium-cooled fast reactors (SFRs) recently designed in Japan.

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.; Watanabe, Akira*; Uchibori, Akihiro; Okano, Yasushi

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

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2023.2290067

Numerical simulation of accidents involving core damage with integrative severe accident analysis code, SPECTRA

Ishida, Shinya; Uchibori, Akihiro; Okano, Yasushi

Dai-28-Kai Doryoku, Enerugi Gijutsu Shimpojiumu Koen Rombunshu (Internet), 4 Pages, 2024/06

no abstracts in English

Numerical study of initiating phase of core disruptive accident in small sodium-cooled fast reactors with negative void reactivity

Ishida, Shinya; Fukano, Yoshitaka; Tobita, Yoshiharu; Okano, Yasushi

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 61(5), p.582 - 594, 2024/05

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2023.2243949

Time-dependent change in occurrence rate of steam generator tube leak in sodium-cooled fast reactors; Phenix and BN-600

Kurisaka, Kenichi

Mechanical Engineering Journal (Internet), 11(2), p.23-00377_1 - 23-00377_14, 2024/04

https://doi.org/10.1299/mej.23-00377

This study aims to understand the time-dependent change in the occurrence rate of leak from steam generator (SG) tubes in sodium-cooled fast reactors (SFRs). The target SFRs in the present paper are Phenix in France and BN-600 in Russia. By reviewing publicly available literature that show data from the SFRs, we have investigated the numbers of tube-to-tubeplate welds and tube-to-tube welds, heat transfer areas of tube base metal, operating hours of SGs, dates when SG tube leak occurred, locations of leak, and corrective actions taken after tube leak events, such as replacement of the module, in which a leak occurred. Based on these, we have estimated the time to leak and quantitatively analyzed the time-dependent change of the occurrence rates of SG tube leak for each of the above-mentioned parts by hazard plotting method. The results show that the rates of both Phenix and BN-600 decreased over time. For Phenix, this is probably thanks to improved welding and SG operating conditions. For BN-600, it seems that in many cases, the probable cause of the leak was initial defects that developed to failure during the early stage of reactor operation, and that no special countermeasure was taken in the later stages. Therefore, it would be natural to assume that the rate simply decreased over time. The rate of leak at tube-to-tube welds in Phenix shows significant increase in a short term after a certain period of time. This can be caused by thermal stress repeatedly exerted on the materials.

Estimation method for residual sodium amount on unloaded dummy fuel assembly

Kawaguchi, Munemichi; Hirakawa, Yasushi; Sugita, Yusuke; Yamaguchi, Yutaka

Nuclear Technology, 210(1), p.55 - 71, 2024/01

https://doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2023.2214261

This study has developed an estimation method for residual sodium film and sodium lumps on dummy fuel pins in Monju and demonstrated sodium draining behavior through gaps among the pins, experimentally. The amounts of the residual sodium on the surface of the pins were measured using the three-type test specimens: (a) single pin, (b) 7-pin assembly, and (c) 169-pin assembly. The experiments revealed that the withdrawal speed of the pins and improvement of the sodium wetting increased drastically the amounts of the residual sodium. Furthermore, the experiments using the 169-pin assembly measured the practical amounts of the residual sodium in the dummy fuel assembly of short length and demonstrated sodium draining behavior through the dummy fuel assembly. The estimation method includes four models: a viscosity flow model, Landau-Levich-Derjaguin (LLD) model, an empirical equation related to the Bretherton model, and a capillary force model in a tube. The calculation predicted comparable amounts of the residual sodium with the experiments. An uncertain of the sodium wetting effects were close to 1.8 times the estimation values of the LLD model. With this estimation method, the amounts of the residual sodium on the unloaded Monju dummy fuel assembly can be evaluated.

Development of Lagrangian particle method for temperature distribution formed by sodium-water reaction in a tube bundle system

Kosaka, Wataru; Uchibori, Akihiro; Okano, Yasushi; Yanagisawa, Hideki*

Proceedings of 20th International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Reactor Thermal Hydraulics (NURETH-20) (Internet), p.1150 - 1163, 2023/08

https://doi.org/10.13182/NURETH20-40116

The leakage of pressurized water from a steam generator (SG) and the progress after that are a key issue in the safety assessment or design of a SG in sodium-cooled fast reactor. The analysis code LEAP-III can evaluate a rate of water leakage during the long-term event progress, i.e., from the self-wastage initiated by an occurrence of a microscopic crack in a tube wall to the water leak detection and water/water-vapor blowdown. Since LEAP-III consists of semi-empirical formulae and one-dimensional equations of conservation, it has an advantage in short computation time. Thus, LEAP-III can facilitate the exploration of various new SG designs in the development of innovative reactors. However, there are several problems, such as an excessive conservative result in some case and the need for numerous experiments or preliminary analyses to determine tuning parameters of models in LEAP-III. Hence, we have developed a Lagrangian particle method code, which is characterized by a simpler computational principle and faster calculation. In this study, we have improved the existing particle pair search method for interparticle interaction in this code and developed an alternative model without the pair search. Through the trial analysis simulating in a tube bundle system, it was confirmed that new models reduced the computation time. In addition, it was shown that representative temperatures of the heat-transfer tubes evaluated by this particle method code, which is used to predict the tube failure in LEAP-III, were good agreement with that by SERAPHIM, which is a detailed mechanistic analysis method code.