Machine learning sintering density prediction model for MOX fuel pellet

Kato, Masato; Nakamichi, Shinya; Hirooka, Shun; Watanabe, Masashi; Murakami, Tatsutoshi; Ishii, Katsunori

Nihon Genshiryoku Gakkai Wabun Rombunshi (Internet), 22(2), p.51 - 58, 2023/04

https://doi.org/10.3327/taesj.J22.008

Uranium and Plutonium mixed oxide (MOX) pellets used as fast reactor fuels have been produced from several raw materials by mechanical blending method through processes of ball milling, additive blending, granulation, pressing, sintering and so on. It is essential to control the pellet density which is one of the important fuel specifications, but it is difficult to understand relationships among many parameters in the production. Database for MOX production was prepared from production results in Japan, and input data of eighteen types were chosen from production process and made a data set. Machine learning model to predict sintered density of MOX pellet was derived by gradient boosting regressor, and represented the measured sintered density with coefficient of determination of R=0.996

Data of radon measurement in underground facilities of Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory

Aoki, Katsunori; Yamanaka, Hiroki*; Watanabe, Kazuhiko*; Sugihara, Kozo

JAEA-Data/Code 2020-018, 45 Pages, 2021/02

JAEA-Data-Code-2020-018.pdf:4.54MB
JAEA-Data-Code-2020-018-appendix(DVD-ROM).zip:6.8MB

Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory (MIU) Project is pursued by Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) in the crystalline host rock (granite) as a part of geoscientific study of JAEA, and underground facilities of MIU are constructed down to 500m blow the ground surface. As small amount of Uranium is normally contained in granite, high concentration of radon is sometimes detected in the air of the underground facilities constructed in granitic rocks depending on their ventilation conditions. Radon concentrations in underground facilities of MIU have been measured according to the excavation progress of underground facilities or the change of ventilation system. It is recognized that the data obtained by the actual measurement of radon concentration in such underground facilities are rare and valuable. This repot summarizes the measured data from fiscal 2010 to fiscal 2020, together with the information of ventilation conditions and air temperature which affect radon concentrations in underground facilities. The variation of the equilibrium factors of radon is also examined with the actually measured data. As a result, it has been found that radon concentration in the drift is high in summer and low in winter according to the natural ventilation caused by the seasonal temperature difference between in and out of the underground facilities. Furthermore, the temporary increase in the equilibrium factor of radon in the drift at the start of ventilation is supposed to be due to the aerosol increase by the ventilation flow, such as the dust blown up.

Mechanism of flashing phenomena by microwave heating and influence of high dielectric constant solution

Fujita, Shunya*; Abe, Yutaka*; Kaneko, Akiko*; Yuasa, Tomohisa*; Segawa, Tomoomi; Kato, Yoshiyuki; Kawaguchi, Koichi; Ishii, Katsunori

Proceedings of 11th Korea-Japan Symposium on Nuclear Thermal Hydraulics and Safety (NTHAS-11) (Internet), 7 Pages, 2018/11

Mixed uranium oxide and plutonium oxide powder is produced from uranyl nitrate and plutonium nitrate mixed solution by the microwave heating denitration method in the spent fuel reprocessing process. Since the microwave heating method is accompanied by a boiling phenomenon, it is necessary to fully grasp the operating conditions in order to avoid flashing and spilling in the mass production of denitrification technology for the future. In this research, it was clarified that the heat transfer coefficient became lower as the dielectric constant increased. The dominant factor of the blowing up phenomena is supposed to be generation of the innumerable bubble rather than bubble's growth.

Development of the pump-integrated intermediate heat exchanger in advanced loop-type sodium-cooled fast reactor for demonstration

Amano, Katsunori; Enuma, Yasuhiro; Futagami, Satoshi; Inoue, Tomoyuki*; Watanabe, Sota*

Proceedings of 24th International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (ICONE-24) (DVD-ROM), 7 Pages, 2016/06

http://doi.org/10.1115/ICONE24-60064

In the framework of GIF, SDC and SDG for the generation IV SFRs have been developed in the circumstance of worldwide deployment of SFRs. JAEA and MFBR have been investigating design study of an advanced loop-type SFR to satisfy SDC in the feasibility study of SDG for SFR. In this study, the ability of the pump/IHX in the advanced loop-type SFR for the safety measures has been evaluated. In addition to the safety measures, maintainability and reparability are taken into account in the advanced loop-type SFR design study. The pump/IHX has been modified to satisfy these requirements. This paper describes the modifications for the ability to withstand a severe earthquake, the reliability of the guard vessel in the primary coolant leak, and the reliability of expansion joints in a sodium-water reaction. The evaluations of thermal transient, structural vibration with pump rotation and wear-out of IHX tubes, that has been adversely effected by the modifications, were described as well.

Crack growth behavior of F82H steel in the 288C water

Ito, Yuzuru; Saito, Masahiro*; Abe, Katsunori*; Wakai, Eiichi

Journal of Plasma and Fusion Research SERIES, Vol.11, p.73 - 78, 2015/03

http://www.jspf.or.jp/JPFRS/PDF/Vol11/jpfrs2015_11-073.pdf

Crack growth is a one of the key mechanical properties for the design evaluation in fusion materials to be tested at the High Flux Test Module (HFTM) in IFMIF. In this study, crack growth rate of the F82H steel in the 288C water was investigated by using an almost standard size specimen in order to avoid the specimen size effect on the crack growth. It was found that the typical intergranular fracture surface could be obtained during the crack propagation even at room temperature. Chromium carbide, CrC, precipitation along the grain boundaries in F82H steel may influence the intergranular fracture under the fatigue crack propagation at room temperature in air. The possible evidence of crack growth in the 288C water was also observed. The crack growth rate at 30 MPa in the 288C water was conservatively estimated to about 710 m/s. Further systematic study of crack growth, and the improvement of surface finishing against crack propagation are necessary for the design evaluation in fusion materials.

Development of small specimen test techniques for the IFMIF test cell

Wakai, Eiichi; Kim, B. J.; Nozawa, Takashi; Kikuchi, Takayuki; Hirano, Michiko*; Kimura, Akihiko*; Kasada, Ryuta*; Yokomine, Takehiko*; Yoshida, Takahide*; Nogami, Shuhei*; et al.

Proceedings of 24th IAEA Fusion Energy Conference (FEC 2012) (CD-ROM), 6 Pages, 2013/03

https://inis.iaea.org/collection/NCLCollectionStore/_Public/44/060/44060304.pdf?r=1&r=1#page=596

Dynamics of ion internal transport barrier in LHD heliotron and JT-60U tokamak plasmas

Ida, Katsumi*; Sakamoto, Yoshiteru; Yoshinuma, Mikiro*; Takenaga, Hidenobu; Nagaoka, Kenichi*; Hayashi, Nobuhiko; Oyama, Naoyuki; Osakabe, Masaki*; Yokoyama, Masayuki*; Funaba, Hisamichi*; et al.

Nuclear Fusion, 49(9), p.095024_1 - 095024_9, 2009/09

https://doi.org/10.1088/0029-5515/49/9/095024

Dynamics of ion internal transport barrier (ITB) formation and impurity transport both in the Large Helical Device (LHD) heliotron and JT-60U tokamak are described. Significant differences between heliotron and tokamak plasmas are observed. The location of the ITB moves outward during the ITB formation regardless of the sign of magnetic shear in JT-60U and the ITB becomes more localized in the plasma with negative magnetic shear. In LHD, the low Te/Ti ratio ( 1) of the target plasma for the high power heating is found to be necessary condition to achieve the ITB plasma and the ITB location tends to expand outward or inward depending on the condition of the target plasmas. Associated with the formation of ITB, the carbon density tends to be peaked due to inward convection in JT-60U, while the carbon density becomes hollow due to outward convection in LHD. The outward convection observed in LHD contradicts the prediction by neoclassical theory.

Spectroscopic observations of beam and source plasma light and testing Cs-deposition monitor in the large area negative ion source for LHD-NBI

Oka, Yoshihide*; Tsumori, Katsuyoshi*; Ikeda, Katsunori*; Kaneko, Osamu*; Nagaoka, Kenichi*; Osakabe, Masaki*; Takeiri, Yasuhiko*; Asano, Eiji*; Komada, Seiji*; Kondo, Tomoki*; et al.

Review of Scientific Instruments, 79(2), p.02C105_1 - 02C105_4, 2008/02

https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2819322

In the present studies, we studied the cesium lines in the source plasma during beam shots on the LND MN-NBI system. It was found for the first time in the LHD-source 2, that both the amount of Cs I (neutral Cs) and Cs II (Cs) in the source plasma light rose sharply when beam acceleration began, and continued rising during a 10 s pulse. We think that this was because the cesium was evaporated/sputtered from the source backplate by the back-streaming positive ions.

Extended steady-state and high-beta regimes of net-current free heliotron plasmas in the large helical device

Motojima, Osamu*; Yamada, Hiroshi*; Komori, Akio*; Oyabu, Nobuyoshi*; Kaneko, Osamu*; Kawahata, Kazuo*; Mito, Toshiyuki*; Muto, Takashi*; Ida, Katsumi*; Imagawa, Shinsaku*; et al.

Proceedings of 21st IAEA Fusion Energy Conference (FEC 2006) (CD-ROM), 12 Pages, 2007/03

http://www-naweb.iaea.org/napc/physics/FEC/FEC2006/html/node31.htm#5947

The performance of net-current free Heliotron plasmas has been developed by findings of innovative operational scenarios in conjunction with an upgrade of the heating power and the pumping/fueling capability in the Large Helical Device (LHD). Consequently, the operational regime has been extended, in particular, with regard to high density, long pulse length and high beta. Diversified studies in LHD have elucidated the advantages of net-current free heliotron plasmas. In particular, an Internal Diffusion Barrier (IDB) by combination of efficient pumping of the local island divertor function and core fueling by pellet injection has realized a super dense core as high as 510m, which stimulates an attractive super dense core reactor. Achievements of a volume averaged beta of 4.5 % and a discharge duration of 54-min. with a total input energy of 1.6 GJ (490 kW in average) are also highlighted. The progress of LHD experiments in these two years is overviewed with highlighting IDB, high and long pulse.

Microstructural development and radiation hardening of neutron irradiated Mo-Re alloys

Nemoto, Yoshiyuki; Hasegawa, Akira*; Sato, Manabu*; Abe, Katsunori*; Hiraoka, Yutaka*

Journal of Nuclear Materials, 324(1), p.62 - 70, 2004/01

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2003.09.007

In this study, stress-relieved specimens and recrystallized specimens of pure Mo and Mo-Re alloys (Re content=2,4,5,10,13 and 41wt%) were neutron irradiated up to 20dpa at various temperatures (681-1072K). On microstructure observation, sigma phase and chi phase precipitates were observed in all irradiated Mo-Re alloys. Voids were observed in all irradiated specimen, and dislocation loops and dislocations were observed in the specimens that were irradiated at lower temperatures. On Vickers hardness testing, all of the irradiated specimens showed hardening. Especially Mo-41Re were drastically embrittled after irradiation at 874K or less. From these results, authors discuss about relation between microstructure development and radiation hardening, embrittlement, and propose the most efficient Re content and thermal treatment for Mo-Re alloys to be used under irradiation condition.