New market opened up by advanced nuclear reactors (Chapter 3, 4, 5, 7)

Kamide, Hideki; Kawasaki, Nobuchika; Hayafune, Hiroki; Kubo, Shigenobu; Chikazawa, Yoshitaka; Maeda, Seiichiro; Sagayama, Yutaka; Nishihara, Tetsuo; Sumita, Junya; Shibata, Taiju; et al.

Jisedai Genshiro Ga Hiraku Atarashii Shijo; NSA/Commentaries, No.28, p.14 - 36, 2023/10

Developments of next generation nuclear reactors, e.g., Fast Reactor, and High Temperature Gas cooled Reactor, are in progress. They can contribute to markets of electricity and industrial heat utilization in the world including Japan. Here, current status of reactor developments in Japan and also situation in the world are summarized, especially for activities of Generation IV International Forum (GIF), developments of Fast Reactor and High Temperature Gas cooled Reactor in Japan, and SMR movements in the world.

High temperature gas-cooled reactors

Takeda, Tetsuaki*; Inagaki, Yoshiyuki; Aihara, Jun; Aoki, Takeshi; Fujiwara, Yusuke; Fukaya, Yuji; Goto, Minoru; Ho, H. Q.; Iigaki, Kazuhiko; Imai, Yoshiyuki; et al.

High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors; JSME Series in Thermal and Nuclear Power Generation, Vol.5, 464 Pages, 2021/02

https://doi.org/10.1016/C2018-0-05383-9

As a general overview of the research and development of a High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (HTGR) in JAEA, this book describes the achievements by the High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor (HTTR) on the designs, key component technologies such as fuel, reactor internals, high temperature components, etc., and operational experience such as rise-to-power tests, high temperature operation at 950C, safety demonstration tests, etc. In addition, based on the knowledge of the HTTR, the development of designs and component technologies such as high performance fuel, helium gas turbine and hydrogen production by IS process for commercial HTGRs are described. These results are very useful for the future development of HTGRs. This book is published as one of a series of technical books on fossil fuel and nuclear energy systems by the Power Energy Systems Division of the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers.

Code-B-2.5.2 for stress calculation for SiC-TRISO fuel particle

Aihara, Jun; Goto, Minoru; Ueta, Shohei; Tachibana, Yukio

JAEA-Data/Code 2019-018, 22 Pages, 2020/01

JAEA-Data-Code-2019-018.pdf:1.39MB

Concept of Pu-burner high temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) was proposed for purpose of more safely reducing amount of recovered Pu. In Pu-burner HTGR concept, coated fuel particle (CFP), with ZrC coated yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) containing PuO (PuO-YSZ) small particle and with tri-structural isotropic (TRISO) coating, is employed for very high burn-up and high nuclear proliferation resistance. ZrC layer is oxygen getter. On the other hand, we have developed Code-B-2.5.2 for prediction of pressure vessel failure probabilities of SiC-tri-isotropic (TRISO) coated fuel particles for HTGRs under operation by modification of an existing code, Code-B-2. The main purpose of modification is preparation of applying code for CFPs of Pu-burner HTGR. In this report, basic formulae are described.

Flow separation at inlet causing transition and intermittency in circular pipe flow

Ogawa, Masuro*

JAEA-Technology 2019-010, 22 Pages, 2019/07

JAEA-Technology-2019-010.pdf:1.5MB

Transition phenomena from laminar to turbulent flow are roughly classified into three categories. Circular pipe flow of the third category is linearly stable against any small disturbance, despite that flow actually transitions and transitional flow exhibits intermittency. These are among major challenges that are yet to be resolved in fluid dynamics. Thus, author proposes hypothesis as follows; "Flow in a circular pipe transitions from laminar flow because of vortices released from separation bubble forming in vicinity of inlet of pipe, and transitional flow becomes intermittent because vortex-shedding is intermittent." Present hypothesis can easily explain why linear stability theory has not been able to predict transition in circular pipe flow, why circular pipe flow actually transitions, why transitional flow actually exhibits intermittency even due to small disturbance, and why numerical analysis has not been able to predict intermittency of transitional flow in circular pipe.

Comparison between HTFP code and minory changed FORNAX-A code

Aihara, Jun; Ueta, Shohei; Goto, Minoru; Inaba, Yoshitomo; Shibata, Taiju; Ohashi, Hirofumi

JAEA-Technology 2018-002, 70 Pages, 2018/06

JAEA-Technology-2018-002.pdf:1.46MB

HTFP code is code for calculation of additional release amount of fission product (FP) from fuel rod in high temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) after stop of fission. Minory changed Fornax-A code also can calculate that. Therefore, release behavior of Cs calculated with HTFP code was compared with that calculated with minory modified FORNAX-A code in this report. Release constants of Cs evaluated with minory modified FORNAX-A code are rather different from default values for HTFP code.

R&D status in thermochemical water-splitting hydrogen production iodine-sulfur process at JAEA

Noguchi, Hiroki; Takegami, Hiroaki; Kasahara, Seiji; Tanaka, Nobuyuki; Kamiji, Yu; Iwatsuki, Jin; Aita, Hideki; Kubo, Shinji

Energy Procedia, 131, p.113 - 118, 2017/12

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2017.09.459

The IS process is the most deeply investigated thermochemical water-splitting hydrogen production cycle. It is in a process engineering stage in JAEA to use industrial materials for components. Important engineering tasks are verification of integrity of the total process and stability of hydrogen production in harsh environment. A test facility using corrosion-resistant materials was constructed. The hydrogen production ability was 100 L/h. Operation tests of each section were conducted to confirm basic functions of reactors and separators, etc. Then, a trial operation for integration of the sections was successfully conducted to produce hydrogen of about 10 L/h for 8 hours.

IS process hydrogen production test for components and system made of industrial structural material, 1; Bunsen and HI concentration section

Tanaka, Nobuyuki; Takegami, Hiroaki; Noguchi, Hiroki; Kamiji, Yu; Iwatsuki, Jin; Aita, Hideki; Kasahara, Seiji; Kubo, Shinji

Proceedings of 8th International Topical Meeting on High Temperature Reactor Technology (HTR 2016) (CD-ROM), p.1022 - 1028, 2016/11

Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has manufactured 100 NL/h-H-scale hydrogen test apparatus. In advance to conduct the continuous operation, we investigated performance of the components in each section of the IS process. In this paper, the results of test of Bunsen and HI concentration sections was shown. In Bunsen reaction, section, we confirmed that outlet gas flow rate included no SO gas, indicating that all the feed SO gas was absorbed to the solution in the Bunsen reactor for the Bunsen reaction. On the basis of these results, we evaluated that Bunsen reactor was workable. In HI concentration section, HI concentration was conducted by EED stack. As a result, it can concentrate HI in HIx solution as theoretically predicted on the basis of the previous paper. Based on the results added to that shown in Series II, we have conducted a trial continuous operation and succeeded it for 8 hours.

Application of FORNAX-A

Aihara, Jun; Ueta, Shohei; Nishihara, Tetsuo

JAEA-Technology 2015-040, 32 Pages, 2016/02

JAEA-Technology-2015-040.pdf:0.83MB

Original FORNAX-A is a calculation code for amount of fission product (FP) released from fuel rods of pin-in-type high temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs). This report is for explanation what calculations become possible with minor changed FORNAX-A.

Study on operation scenario of tritium production for a fusion reactor using a high temperature gas-cooled reactor

Kawamoto, Yasuko*; Nakaya, Hiroyuki*; Matsuura, Hideaki*; Katayama, Kazunari*; Goto, Minoru; Nakagawa, Shigeaki

Fusion Science and Technology, 68(2), p.397 - 401, 2015/09

https://doi.org/10.13182/FST14-977

To start up a fusion reactor, it is necessary to provide a sufficient amount of tritium from an external device. Herein, methods for supplying a fusion reactor with tritium are discussed. Use of a high temperature gas cooled reactor (HTGR) as a tritium production device has been proposed. So far, the analyses have been focused only on the operation in which fuel is periodically exchanged (batch) using the block type HTGR. In the pebble bed type HTGR, it is possible to design an operation that has no time loss for refueling. The pebble bed type HTGR (PBMR) and the block type HTGR (GTHTR300) are assumed as the calculation and comparison targets. Simulation is made using the continuous-energy Monte Carlo transport code MVPBURN. It is shown that the continuous operation using the pebble bed type HTGR has almost the same tritium productivity compared with the batch operation using the block type HGTR. The issues for pebble bed type HTGR as a tritium production device are discussed.

Numerical modeling assistance system in finite element analysis for the structure of an assembly

Nakajima, Norihiro; Nishida, Akemi; Kawakami, Yoshiaki; Suzuki, Yoshio; Sawa, Kazuhiro; Iigaki, Kazuhiko

Proceedings of 23rd International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (ICONE-23) (DVD-ROM), 5 Pages, 2015/05

A numerical analysis controlling and managing system is implemented on K, which controls the modelling process and data treating, although the manager only controls a structural analysis by finite element method. The modeling process is described by the list of function ID and its procedures in a data base. The manager executes the process by order in the list for simulation procedures. The manager controls the intention of an analysis by changing the analytical process one to another. Experiments were carried out with static and dynamic analyses.