Concerning aging of nuclear fuel material use facilities Examination of measures to improve safety assessment methods

Sakamoto, Naoki; Fujishima, Tadatsune; Mizukoshi, Yasutaka

Hozengaku, 19(2), p.125 - 126, 2020/07

The five post-irradiation examination facilities in JAEA's Oarai research and development institute have been operated for over 40 years in order to investigate the irradiation performance of fast reactor fuel materials. The equipment associated with these facilities has been managed to maintain secure from the problems occurred in the process of aging. Therefore, we established a safety assessment method for aging facilities in 2002, and we have been conducting maintenance management of facilities since then. In this study, improvement plans of the safety assessment method are considered in order to solve the issues detected as a result of analysis of past maintenance information.

Challenge next-generation nuclear system; Development of oxide dispersion strengthened ferritic steel

Otsuka, Satoshi; Kaito, Takeji

Enerugi Rebyu, 39(1), p.44 - 46, 2019/01

For performance improvement of next-generation nuclear system such as fast reactor, it has been expected to develop advanced material resistant to severe in-reactor environment (i.e. high-dose neutron irradiation at high-temperature). Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has been developing Oxide Dispersion Strengthened (ODS) ferritic steel for long life fuel cladding tube of fast reactor. Application of ODS ferritic steel to fast reactor fuel can extend the fuel life time twice or more as long as the fuel with conventional cladding tube (i.e. modified SUS316), thus reducing fuel exchange frequency and fuel cost. It can be adaptable to high-temperature plant operation, which is favorable for improvement of power generation efficiency. This paper interprets the development of ODS ferritic steel cladding tube for sodium-cooled fast reactor, which has been led by JAEA for dozens of years.

Application of nontransfer type plasma heating technology for core-material-relocation tests in boiling water reactor severe accident conditions

Abe, Yuta; Sato, Ikken; Nakagiri, Toshio; Ishimi, Akihiro; Nagae, Yuji

Journal of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science, 4(2), p.020901_1 - 020901_8, 2018/04

https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4038911

A new experimental program using non-transfer type plasma heating is under consideration in JAEA to clarify the uncertainty on core-material relocation (CMR) behavior of BWR. In order to confirm the applicability of this new technology, authors performed preparatory plasma heating tests using small-scale test pieces (107 mm 107 mm 222 mm (height)). An excellent perspective in terms of applicability of the non-transfer plasma heating to melting high melting-temperature materials such as ZrO has been obtained. In addition, molten pool was formed at the middle height of the test piece indicating its capability to simulate the initial phase of core degradation behavior consistent with the real UO fuel Phebus-FPT tests. Furthermore, application of EPMA, SEM/EDX and X-ray CT led to a conclusion that the pool formed consisted mainly of Zr with some concentration of oxygen which tended to be enhanced at the upper surface region of the pool. Based on these results, an excellent perspective in terms of applicability of the non-transfer plasma heating technology to the Severe Accident (SA) experimental study was obtained.

Distributions of density and fission products in the reaction product between irradiated MOX fuel and molten zircaloy-2

Ishimi, Akihiro; Katsuyama, Kozo; Maeda, Koji; Furuya, Hirotaka*

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 54(11), p.1274 - 1276, 2017/11

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2017.1365024

Two- and three-dimensional images were obtained in the reaction product between zircaloy and MOX fuel by X-ray CT. In addition, the -ray intensity distributions of two fission products (Cs-137 and Eu-154) and one neutron-activated nuclide (Co-60) were obtained in this specimen by -ray measurements. The average values of the fuel density (about 10.5 g/cm) and the cladding density (about 6.55 g/cm) were obtained in the metallic phase region by evaluation of the density distributions on two-dimensional X-ray CT images. In addition, the distributions of the roughly crushed fuel pellet and the pores in the specimen could be clearly observed on the three-dimensional X-ray CT images. From the -ray measurement, Cs-137 was observed on the unreacted fuel region and the region where pores exist in the metallic phase, and Eu-154 was widely distributed to all regions. On the other hand, Co-60 was confirmed only in the metallic phase region.

Oxygen potentials, oxygen diffusion coefficients and defect equilibria of nonstoichiometric (U,Pu)O

Kato, Masato; Watanabe, Masashi; Matsumoto, Taku; Hirooka, Shun; Akashi, Masatoshi

Journal of Nuclear Materials, 487, p.424 - 432, 2017/04

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2017.01.056

Oxygen potential of (U,Pu)O was evaluated based on defect chemistry using an updated experimental data set. The relationship between oxygen partial pressure and deviation in (U,Pu)O was analyzed, and equilibrium constants of defect formation were determined as functions of Pu content and temperature. Brouwer's diagrams were constructed using the determined equilibrium constants, and a relational equation to determine O/M ratio was derived as functions of O/M ratio, Pu content and temperature. In addition, relationship between oxygen potential and oxygen diffusion coefficients were described.

Application of FE-SEM to the measurement of U, Pu, Am in the irradiated MA-MOX fuel

Sasaki, Shinji; Tanno, Takashi; Maeda, Koji

Proceedings of 54th Annual Meeting of Hot Laboratories and Remote Handling (HOTLAB 2017) (Internet), 6 Pages, 2017/00

http://hotlab.sckcen.be/proceedings

During irradiation in a fast reactor, the microstructure change of the mixed oxide fuels and the changes of element distributions occur because of a radial temperature gradient. Therefore, it is important to study the irradiation behavior of MA-MOX for advancement of fast reactor fuels. In order to make detailed observations of microstructure and elemental analyses of MA-MOX, irradiated MA-MOX specimens were carried out PIE by using a FE-SEM equipped with WDX. Because fuel samples have high radio activities and emit alpha-particles, the instrument was modified. the instrument was installed in a lead shield box and the control unit was separately located outside the box. The microstructure changes were observed in irradiated MA-MOX specimen. The characteristic X-rays peaks were detected successfully. By measuring the intensities of characteristic X-rays, it was tried quantitative analysis of U, Pu, Am along radial direction of irradiated specimen.

Fuel performance of hollow pellets for fast breeder reactors

Ishimi, Akihiro; Katsuyama, Kozo; Kihara, Yoshiyuki; *

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 53(7), p.951 - 956, 2016/07

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2015.1085337

Three fuel rods containing hollow MOX pellets of uranium and plutonium oxides were fabricated and irradiated at a high linear heat rate to burn-up of nearly 30,000 MWd/t in the experimental fast reactor, JOYO MK-II. After irradiation, one of the fuel rods pellets was examined by X-ray CT and conventional nondestructive and destructive methods. Swelling rate was evaluated by both dimensional change and radial density distribution. There were no differences between both types of results and it was concluded that swelling rate can be examined in detail by the X-ray CT technique by dismantling the assembly. In addition, the swelling rate of hollow pellets was nearly the same as values reported for the fuel rods containing solid pellets. LHR was higher in the examined fuel rod containing hollow pellets than in the conventional fuel rod containing solid pellets, but fission gas release rates for both fuel rods were nearly the same. Since it is possible to decrease the maximum temperature in the radial center of the hollow fuel pellets, they can be effectively utilized in reactor operation at higher LHR.

The Research of MOX fuels in Japan

Kato, Masato

Transactions of the American Nuclear Society, 114, p.987 - 988, 2016/06

In Japan, uranium and plutonium mixed oxide (MOX) has been developed as fuels of sodium-cooled fast reactors. The developing MOX fuels come in variety of O/M ratio, Pu content, minor actinide (MA) content and density. We have studied a science based fuel technology to evaluate fuel behaviors in fabrication process and irradiation condition of such various fuels. The technologies which are constructed based on experimental database can apply to mechanistic evaluation of fuel behaviors. To develop the science based fuel technology, many different varieties of basic properties have been investigated, and experimental database was constructed. And a mechanistic physical property model has been studied. The models contribute to describe various behaviors in fuel fabrication process and irradiation condition.

Development of BDI behavior evaluation method in the fast reactor fuel assembly; Improvement of out-of-pile bundle compression test technology

Higashiuchi, Atsushi; Ishimi, Akihiro; Katsuyama, Kozo; Uwaba, Tomoyuki; Ichikawa, Shoichi

JAEA-Technology 2015-057, 72 Pages, 2016/03

JAEA-Technology-2015-057.pdf:36.91MB

Bundle-duct interaction (BDI) in fast reactors (FRs) is one of the limiting factors for burnup. To study the high performance fuel for FR fuel, it is important to establish the method to predict accurately the BDI behavior for the fuel assembly of large-diameter fuel pins. Therefore, it was adopted a new method that the bundle compression test apparatus is placed outside the cell, the bundle specimen is put in the airtight container for contamination prevention, and the bundle specimen is carried in the cell for internal observation by X-ray CT examination apparatus. From the result of this test, it was confirmed that the new method of out-of-pile bundle compression test is carried out as it was before. The results of this test are available to study integrity assessment of fast reactor fuel, validation of the BDI analysis code and substantiation of the safety design guidelines of fast reactor. In addition, it is possible to reflect in the BDI behavior evaluation for "ASTRID".

Radial density distribution in irradiated FBR MOX fuel pellets

Ishimi, Akihiro; Katsuyama, Kozo; Nakamura, Hirofumi; Asaka, Takeo; Furuya, Hirotaka

Nuclear Technology, 189(3), p.312 - 317, 2015/03

https://doi.org/10.13182/NT14-34

A high resolution X-ray CT technique was developed, which made it possible to obtain fine X-ray CT images of an irradiated fuel assembly. In addition, the density distributions in the irradiated MOX fuel pellet could be continually measured, using the relationship between the densities and CT values. These results were compared to the one obtained by metallographical method. As results, it was found that the relative change of radial density distributions in the irradiated fuel pellet can be measured more accurately by the X-ray CT technique than by the metallographical examination.