Feasibility study on tritium recoil barrier for neutron reflectors of research and test reactors

Kenzhina, I.*; Ishitsuka, Etsuo; Ho, H. Q.; Sakamoto, Naoki*; Okumura, Keisuke; Takemoto, Noriyuki; Chikhray, Y.*

Fusion Engineering and Design, 164, p.112181_1 - 112181_5, 2021/03

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fusengdes.2020.112181

Tritium release into the primary coolant during operation of the JMTR (Japan Materials Testing Reactor) and the JRR-3M (Japan Research Reactor-3M) had been studied. It is found that the recoil release by Li(n,)H reaction, which comes from a chain reaction of beryllium neutron reflectors, is dominant. To prevent tritium recoil release, the surface area of beryllium neutron reflectors needs to be minimum in the core design and/or be shielded with other material. In this paper, as the feasibility study of the tritium recoil barrier for the beryllium neutron reflectors, various materials such as Al, Ti, V, Ni, and Zr were evaluated from the viewpoint of the thickness of barriers, activities after long-term operations, and effects on the reactivities. From the results of evaluations, Al would be a suitable candidate as the tritium recoil barrier for the beryllium neutron reflectors.

Report of summer holiday practical training 2019; Feasibility study on nuclear battery using HTTR core; Feasibility study for nuclear design, 2

Ishitsuka, Etsuo; Nakashima, Koki*; Nakagawa, Naoki*; Ho, H. Q.; Ishii, Toshiaki; Hamamoto, Shimpei; Takamatsu, Kuniyoshi; Kenzhina, I.*; Chikhray, Y.*; Matsuura, Hideaki*; et al.

JAEA-Technology 2020-008, 16 Pages, 2020/08

JAEA-Technology-2020-008.pdf:2.98MB

As a summer holiday practical training 2019, the feasibility study for nuclear design of a nuclear battery using HTTR core was carried out, and the U enrichment and burnable poison of the fuel, which enables continuous operation for 30 years with thermal power of 5 MW, were studied by the MVP-BURN. As a result, it is clear that a fuel with U enrichment of 12%, radius of burnable poison and natural boron concentration of 1.5 cm and 2wt% are required. As a next step, the downsizing of core will be studied.

Report of summer holiday practical training 2018; Feasibility study on nuclear battery using HTTR core; Feasibility study for nuclear design

Ishitsuka, Etsuo; Matsunaka, Kazuaki*; Ishida, Hiroki*; Ho, H. Q.; Ishii, Toshiaki; Hamamoto, Shimpei; Takamatsu, Kuniyoshi; Kenzhina, I.*; Chikhray, Y.*; Kondo, Atsushi*; et al.

JAEA-Technology 2019-008, 12 Pages, 2019/07

JAEA-Technology-2019-008.pdf:2.37MB

As a summer holiday practical training 2018, the feasibility study for nuclear design of a nuclear battery using HTTR core was carried out. As a result, it is become clear that the continuous operations for about 30 years at 2 MW, about 25 years at 3 MW, about 18 years at 4 MW, about 15 years at 5 MW are possible. As an image of thermal design, the image of the nuclear battery consisting a cooling system with natural convection and a power generation system with no moving equipment is proposed. Further feasibility study to confirm the feasibility of nuclear battery will be carried out in training of next fiscal year.

Corrosion test of HTGR graphite with SiC coating

Chikhray, Y.*; Kulsartov, T.*; Shestakov, V.*; Kenzhina, I.*; Askerbekov, S.*; Sumita, Junya; Ueta, Shohei; Shibata, Taiju; Sakaba, Nariaki; Abdullin, Kh.*; et al.

Proceedings of 8th International Topical Meeting on High Temperature Reactor Technology (HTR 2016) (CD-ROM), p.572 - 577, 2016/11

Application of SiC as corrosion-resistive coating over graphite remains important task for HTGR. This study presents the results of chemical interaction of the SiC gradient coating over the high-density IG-110 graphite with water vapor in the temperature up to 1673 K. The experiments at 100 Pa of water vapor showed that the passive reaction caused to form SiO film on the surface of SiC coating. Active corrosion of SiC in 1Pa of water vapor leads to deposits of various carbon composites on its surface.

Study of origin on tritium release into primary coolant for research and testing reactors; Tritium release rate evaluated from JMTR, JRR-3M and JRR-4 operation data

Ishitsuka, Etsuo; Motohashi, Jun; Hanawa, Yoshio; Komeda, Masao; Watahiki, Shunsuke; Mukanova, A.*; Kenzhina, I. E.*; Chikhray, Y.*

JAEA-Technology 2014-025, 77 Pages, 2014/08

JAEA-Technology-2014-025.pdf:43.46MB

It has been shown that tritium concentration in the primary coolant of the JMTR and JRR-3M increases during its operation. In this report, to clarify the tritium sources, the tritium release rate into the primary coolant in each operation cycle for the JMTR, JRR-3M and JRR-4 was evaluated. As a result, the tritium release rate is 8 Bq/Wd in the JRR-4, which has not the beryllium core components installed, and no increase in the tritium concentration during reactor operation is observed. In contrast, the tritium release rate is about 1095 and 60140 Bq/Wd in the JRR-3M and JMTR respectively, which cores contain beryllium components, and where the tritium content increases while reactor operates. It is also observed that the amount of released tritium is lower in the case of new beryllium components installation, and increases with the reactor operating cycle.

Tritium accumulation and release from LiTiO during long-term irradiation in the WWR-K reactor

Tazhibayeva, I.*; Beckman, I.*; Shestakov, V.*; Kulsartov, T.*; Chikhray, E.*; Kenzhin, E.*; Kuykabaeva, A.*; Kawamura, Hiroshi; Tsuchiya, Kunihiko

Journal of Nuclear Materials, 417(1-3), p.748 - 752, 2011/10

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2010.12.133

For the first time the data was obtained on tritium release from Li-enriched (96%) lithium metatitanate under high lithium burn-up (up to 23%). Proposed mathematics and software of the reactor experiments allowed to interpret the experimental results of tritium release study. Tritium was continuously generated as a result of the nuclear reaction of lithium-6 and thermal neutrons under variable thermal impacts (graduated heating and cooling) on lithium metatitanate LiTiO. Main gas release parameters were calculated in order to assess acceptability of the use of lithium metatitanate granules in tritium breeders; the parameters are as follows: gas release rate, tritium retention in the materials, retention time, activation energy of thermal desorption HT, activation energy of volume diffusion T, as well as corresponding pre-exponential (frequency) indexes. It was discovered that the tritium release process is mainly controlled by tritium volume diffusion, however, capture of tritium by the point defects and tritium molization at the material's surface played the certain role in the process as well. It was discovered that as lithium is burnt-up, the activation energy of tritium release decreases and tends to a constant value under high lithium-6 burn-up.

Tritium generation in lithium ceramics LiTiO for fusion reactor blanket

Tazhibayeva, I. L.*; Kenzhin, E. A.*; Kulsartov, T. V.*; Kuykabayeva, A. A.*; Shestakov, V.*; Chikhray, E.*; Gizatulin, S.*; Maksimkin, O. P.*; Beckman, I. N.*; Kawamura, Hiroshi; et al.

Questions of Atomic Science and Technology, 2, p.3 - 11, 2008/00

Lithium titanate (LiTiO) was chosen as a tentative reference material from viewpoints of good tritium recovery at low temperatures and of low tritium inventory and chemical stability for the breeding blanket in fusion reactors. The results of the irradiation tests of LiTiO in the WWR-K of NNC-RK are described in this paper. 96at% Li-enriched LiTiO pebbles and disks were prepared as the irradiation specimens and these specimens were irradiated during 220 days (5350 hours) at the reactor power of 6 MWt. Tritium release was measured continuously during irradiation tests and tritium release properties were evaluated. The mechanics describing generation and release of tritium from the irradiated LiTiO were analyzed. There was estimated tritium loss due to recoil energy and binding of tritium in HTO, and there was calculated stationary tritium release due to diffusion under constant temperature and under thermal cycling.

In-pile tritium permeation through F82H steel with and without a ceramic coating of CrO-SiO Including CrPO

Nakamichi, Masaru; Kulsartov, T. V.*; Hayashi, Kimio; Afanasyev, S. E.*; Shestakov, V. P.*; Chikhray, Y. V.*; Kenzhin, E. A.*; Kolbaenkov, A. N.*

Fusion Engineering and Design, 82(15-24), p.2246 - 2251, 2007/10

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fusengdes.2007.05.064

no abstracts in English

Investigation of hydrogen isotope permeation through F82H steel with and without a ceramic coating of CrO-SiO including CrPO, Out-of-pile tests

Kulsartov, T. V.*; Hayashi, Kimio; Nakamichi, Masaru*; Afanasyev, S. E.*; Shestakov, V. P.*; Chikhray, Y. V.*; Kenzhin, E. A.*; Kolbaenkov, A. N.*

Fusion Engineering and Design, 81(1-7), p.701 - 705, 2006/02

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fusengdes.2005.07.019

no abstracts in English

Evaluation of curve for tritium release rate into primary coolant for research and testing reactors

Kenzhina, I. E.*; Ishitsuka, Etsuo; Okumura, Keisuke; Takemoto, Noriyuki; Mukanova, A.*; Chikhray, Y.*

no journal, , 

Increase of tritium concentration in the primary coolant for research and testing reactors during reactor operation had been reported. To clarify the tritium sources, a curve of tritium release rate into the primary coolant for the JMTR and JRR-3M are evaluated. As a result, the tritium release rate is related with produced Li by (n,) reaction from Be, and evaluation results of tritium release curve are shown as the dominant source of tritium release into the primary coolant for the JMTR and JRR-3M are beryllium components. Scattering of the tritium release rate with irradiation time were observed, and this phenomena in the JMTR occurred in earlier time than that of the JRR-3M.