Study on the difference between BC powder and BC pellet regarding the eutectic reaction with stainless steel

Hong, Z.*; Ahmed, Z.*; Pellegrini, M.*; Yamano, Hidemasa; Erkan, N.*; Sharma, A. K.*; Okamoto, Koji*

Progress in Nuclear Energy, 171, p.105160_1 - 105160_13, 2024/06

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnucene.2024.105160

In this study, it is found that the eutectic reaction between BC powder and stainless steel (SS) is considerably more rapid than that between the BC pellet and SS. The derived reaction rate constant values for powder and pellet cases are consistently based on the reference values. Also, a composition analysis using SEM/EDS was conducted for the detailed microstructures of the powder and pellet samples. In the powder case, only one thick layer is found as the reaction layer consisting of (Fe, Cr)B precipitate, including BC powder. In the pellet case, two layers are found in the reaction layer.

Characterization of mineral insulated cables at the WWR-K reactor; First results

Shaimerdenov, A.*; Gizatulin, Sh.*; Sairanbayev, D.*; Bugybay, Zh.*; Silnyagin, P.*; Akhanov, A.*; Fuyushima, Takumi; Hirota, Noriaki; Tsuchiya, Kunihiko

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B, 548, p.165235_1 - 165235_6, 2024/03

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nimb.2024.165235

Compared to conditions in other types of installations, cable insulation in nuclear reactors is exposed to mixed conditions (high temperatures, radiation, pressure, humidity, aggressive environments) and at the same time they must maintain their performance characteristics for a long time (about 40-50 years). As a result of irradiation to such conditions, the electrical properties of the cable insulation are degraded, which leads to an increase in current loss. This is because the charge is induced by radiation into the insulator. At the WWR-K reactor, studies were started on the radiation resistance of signal cables with two types of mineral insulation (MgO and AlO). As part of these studies, new experimental data will be obtained on the behavior of signal cables with mineral insulation of two types in mixed operating conditions (radiation field and high temperature). It is planned to accumulate fluence of fast neutrons 10cm in cables. The irradiation temperature will be (500 50)C). The study of the degradation of the electrical properties of the insulation of signal cables will be carried out in real time (in-situ). For this, a special design of the experimental device and a technique for in-reactor measurement of electrical characteristics were developed. This paper presents a sketch of the capsule design, the results of complex calculations for the development of the capsule design, the expected neutron fluences, the dpa in steel, the technique for in-reactor measurement of electrical characteristics, and a work plan for the future indicating the expected results. The cable irradiation time until the target neutron fluence is reached will be about 100 effective days. This research is funded by the International Scientific-Technical Center.

An Analytical model to decompose mass transfer and chemical process contributions to molecular iodine release from aqueous phase under severe accident conditions

Zablackaite, G.; Shiotsu, Hiroyuki; Kido, Kentaro; Sugiyama, Tomoyuki

Nuclear Engineering and Technology, 56(2), p.536 - 545, 2024/02

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.net.2023.10.030

Comparison of nuclear medicine therapeutics targeting PSMA among alpha-emitting nuclides

Kaneda-Nakashima, Kazuko*; Shirakami, Yoshifumi*; Kadonaga, Yuichiro*; Watabe, Tadashi*; Oe, Kazuhiro*; Yin, X.*; Haba, Hiromitsu*; Shirasaki, Kenji*; Kikunaga, Hidetoshi*; Tsukada, Kazuaki; et al.

International Journal of Molecular Sciences (Internet), 25(2), p.933_1 - 933_14, 2024/01

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25020933

Improvement of the longitudinal phase space tomography at the J-PARC synchrotrons

Okita, Hidefumi; Tamura, Fumihiko; Yamamoto, Masanobu; Nomura, Masahiro; Shimada, Taihei; Saha, P. K.; Yoshii, Masahito*; Omori, Chihiro*; Sugiyama, Yasuyuki*; Hasegawa, Katsushi*; et al.

Journal of Physics; Conference Series, 2687(7), p.072005_1 - 072005_7, 2024/01

https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/2687/7/072005

Longitudinal phase space tomography is an effective measurement tool for acquiring the longitudinal phase space distribution. For the J-PARC synchrotrons, tomography, which can take into account the beam dynamics such as longitudinal space charge effect and nonlinearity, is desired, as the beam power increases. In this study, for the J-PARC synchrotron, the CERN's tomography, which employs the hybrid algorithm that can consider the beam dynamics for reconstruction, is introduced and benchmarked. The benchmark results show that the CERN's tomography has the ability to measure the longitudinal phase space distribution accurately, in the high-power beam operation at the J-PARC synchrotrons.

Initial verification and validation of a new CASMO5 JENDL-5 nuclear data library for typical LWR applications

Watanabe, Tomoaki; Suyama, Kenya; Tada, Kenichi; Ferrer, R. M.*; Hykes, J.*; Wemple, C. A.*

Nuclear Science and Engineering, 10 Pages, 2024/00

https://doi.org/10.1080/00295639.2023.2295075

A new nuclear data library for the advanced lattice physics code CASMO5 has been prepared based on JENDL-5. In JENDL-5, many essential nuclides for conventional LWR analysis have also been modified based on state-of-the-art evaluations. The new JENDL-5-based CASMO5 library was prepared by replacing as much of the nuclear data of the current CASMO5 ENDF/B-VII.1-based library as possible with JENDL-5. This study verified and validated the new library. Verifications were performed based on the OECD/NEA burnup credit criticality safety benchmark phase III-C, and the calculated k and fuel compositions of the BWR fuel assembly were compared with reported benchmark results. Comparison with the MCNP6.2 result was also performed using the same benchmark model. In addition, the TCA critical experiment and Takahama-3 post-irradiation experiment were used for validation. The results indicate that the new library performs well and is comparable to the ENDF/B-VII.1-based library in predictions of reactivity and fuel compositions for LWR systems.

Transient analyses of hydraulic head in the fault slip experiments in fracture zones of Shionohira and Kuruma Faults

Wakahama, Hiroshi*; Nojo, Haruka*; Aoki, Kazuhiro; Imai, Hirotaro; Guglielmi, Y.*; Cook, P.*; Soom, F.*

Oyo Chishitsu, 64(5), p.236 - 254, 2023/12

Upon the Hamadori earthquake (Mw 6.7) of 11 April 2011, coseismic surface deformation of 14 km running NNW to SSE in southeast Fukushima Prefecture occurred and was newly named the Shionohira Fault. However, no surface deformation was observed along the Kuruma Fault which is a southern extension of the Shionohira Fault. Fault injection tests using SIMFIP method at the Shionohira site on the former active segment and the Minakamikita site on the latter inactive segment were conducted to evaluate the activity of the two faults. Based on hydraulic responses to water injection into the fault rupture zone in the monitoring boreholes at the two sites, hydraulic properties of the area across the fault zone were estimated using the GRF model (Barker, 1988). The results obtained on hydraulic conductivity, specific storage and flow dimension were consistent with those in the domestic and international literature. The hydraulic conductivity and specific storage were larger in Shionohira than in Minakamikita. The flow dimension of Shionohira was three-dimensional, while that of Minakamikita was found to be a two-dimensional fractional flow. In addition, it is understood that the volumetric expansion occurs in the former site in the triaxial direction and the latter in the uniaxial with the comparison between the uniaxial expansion coefficient calculated from the results of SIMFIP displacement measurements and the specific storage in the hydraulic analysis. The difference in the hydraulic parameters between the two sites corresponded to the difference in the spatial development of fractures considered to be the "water passway," indicating the possibility of a correlation between the parameters and the different possible causes for fault activity at the two sites.

Development of neutron resonance fission neutron analysis for nondestructive fissile material

Lee, J.; Kodama, Yu; Rossi, F.; Hironaka, Kota; Koizumi, Mitsuo; Hori, Junichi*; Sano, Tadafumi*

Dai-44-Kai Nihon Kaku Busshitsu Kanri Gakkai Nenji Taikai Kaigi Rombunshu (Internet), 4 Pages, 2023/11

no abstracts in English

Neutron-production double-differential cross sections of Pb and Bi in proton-induced reactions near 100 MeV

Iwamoto, Hiroki; Meigo, Shinichiro; Satoh, Daiki; Iwamoto, Yosuke; Ishi, Yoshihiro*; Uesugi, Tomonori*; Yashima, Hiroshi*; Nishio, Katsuhisa; Sugihara, Kenta*; elik, Y.*; et al.

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B, 544, p.165107_1 - 165107_15, 2023/11

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nimb.2023.165107

The lack of double-differential cross-section (DDX) data for neutron production below the incident proton energy of 200 MeV hinders the validation of spallation models in technical applications, such as research and development of accelerator-driven systems (ADSs). The present study aims to obtain experimental DDX data for ADS spallation target materials in this energy region and identify issues related to the spallation models by comparing them with the analytical predictions. The DDXs for the () reactions of Pb and Bi in the 100-MeV region were measured over an angular range of 30 to 150 using the time-of-flight method. The measurements were conducted at Kyoto University utilizing the FFAG accelerator. The DDXs obtained were compared with calculation results from Monte Carlo-based spallation models and the evaluated nuclear data library, JENDL-5. Comparison between the measured DDX and analytical values based on the spallation models and evaluated nuclear data library indicated that, in general, the CEM03.03 model demonstrated the closest match to the experimental values. Additionally, the comparison highlighted several issues that need to be addressed in order to improve the reproducibility of the proton-induced neutron-production DDX in the 100 MeV region by these spallation models and evaluated nuclear data library.

Visualization experiments of radiation heating on the eutectic reaction between BC-SS and its relocation behavior

Ahmed, Z.*; Sharma, A. K.*; Pellegrini, M.*; Yamano, Hidemasa; Okamoto, Koji*

Proceedings of Saudi International Conference On Nuclear Power Engineering (SCOPE2023) (Internet), 8 Pages, 2023/11

In this study, the eutectic behavior and subsequent melt structure of boron migration are observed by a quantitative and high-resolution visualization method using radiative heating. Experiments were conducted using B4C pellet and powder within SS tubes, replicating the actual control rod design in the temperature range of 1150C to 1372C to study long-duration melting and relocation behavior. The visualization technique accurately identified the time of eutectic melting onset and the related temperature, pointing out different values for the pellet and the powder cases.