Reactor core thermohydraulic transients with thermohydrodynamic coupling

A study of the reactor core thermohydraulics in an LMFBR has been performed for the strongly coupled thermo-hydrodynamic transients. A numerical method to solve the coupled energy-momentum equations among multichannels in a core is presented and the computer code ORIFS-TRANSIENT has been developed.The results of sample calculations for a flow coastdown transient to natural circulation following a reactor scram in a typical loop-type LMFBR are as follows: (1) the inter-subassembly coolant flow redistribution due to buoyancy forces is significant under the low flow condition, such as natural circulation; (2) the maximum coolant temperature was decreased by about 80°C (corresponding to about 22% in terms of hot channel factor) due to the flow redistribution; (3) due to thermohydrodynamic coupling between upper plenum and other regions, the maximum coolant temperature was decreased by about 9°C; (4) due to inter-subassembly heat redistribution, the maximum coolant temperature was increased by about 7°C.     

Energetics of simulated HCDA bubble expansions: Some potential attenuation mechanisms

Experiments conducted to increase our understanding of the dynamics and thermodynamics of expanding bubbles similar to the core disruptive accident (CDA) bubble in liquid metal fast breeder reactors (LMFBR) are described. The experiments were conducted in a transparent model of a typical demonstration-size loop-type LMFBR in which water at room temperature simulated the sodium coolant. Nitrogen gas (1450 psia) and flashing water (1160 psia) qualitatively simulated sodium vapor and molten fuel expansions. Three physical mechanisms that may result in attenuation of the work potential of a hypothetical CDA (HCDA) were revealed by the experiments: (1) the pressure gradient existing between the lower core and the bubble within the pool, (2) the hydrodynamic effects of vessel internal structures, and (3) the nonequilibrium flashing process occurring in the lower core. These three mechanisms combine to result in a coolant axial slug kinetic energy that is only 14% of the work potential of the ideal quasi-static nitrogen expansion and only 5% of the work potential of the ideal quasi-static flashing water expansion.     

Studies on Sodium Boiling Accidents in a Large Fast Breeder Reactor, (II) Radial Propagation of Sodium Boiling by Reactivity Effect

A computer code BORE was developed, with which analyses were performed on channel plugging accidents that would occur on a 1,500 MWe LMFBR. The BORE code calculated the dynamic characteristics of coolant boiling and fuel failure propagation radially in the core, and the requirements of core instrumentation systems were also analyzed. The results show that coolant boiling and/or fuel failure in a channel plugging accident are propagated only to a limited number of adjacent channels when sensors are installed that detect anomalies in channel flow, channel outlet temperature, boiling or reactivity. It is also concluded that the coolant void effect is not serious from the standpoint of safety when the time required for boiling propagation to adjacent channels can be made longer than 0.15 sec.     

Feasibility study of the application of exotic pin for tight-lattice fuel assembly

A tight-lattice fuel assembly having less space for the coolant is more feasibly applied in Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactor (LMFBR). The thermal hydraulic constraint due to smaller coolant space can be compensated by the high heat capacity of the liquid metal coolant. A tight pin configuration provides high fuel volume fraction which eventually gives better neutronic performance for longer core lifetime. A cylindrical pin array provides less flexible arrangement for tight-lattice assembly, which results in very narrow coolant gaps connecting its neighboring subchannels. Therefore, the so-called exotic pin shape is introduced, which enable to distribute the coolant flow more uniformly, to be applied in tight-lattice bundles with sodium coolant. As Nusselt number and wall friction correlation are absent for this type of geometry, CFD calculations are performed by employing k-ε turbulent model.     

Expansion of the method of correlated temperatures to clad and fuel design analyses

In the thermal design of nuclear reactor cores, specified design limits (temperatures and linear power rating) should not be exceeded by the operating values of certain elements (coolant, clad and fuel). However, a certain number of channels or fuel pins could be permitted to exceed the specified limits without affecting the reactor's safety while still allowing reliable operation. An expansion of the method of correlated temperatures, developed for coolant temperature analysis, was performed to enable clad temperature and fuel centerline melting analyses for reactor core reliability studies. Since generation of random numbers is involved, calculational procedures, tailored to designer needs, were developed in order to reduce computational time. The method is applied to a typical LMFBR core and results are presented for various assumed clad and fuel design limits.     

Finite Element Analysis of Vibration of Thin Elastic Plates by Simplified Hybrid Displacement Method

Temperature noise, measured by thermocouples mounted at each core fuel subassembly, is considered to be the most useful signal for detecting and locating local cooling anomalies in an LMFBR core. However, the core outlet temperature noise contains background noise due to fluctuations in the operating parameters including reactor power. It is therefore necessary to reduce this background noise for highly sensitive anomaly detection by subtracting predictable components from the measured signal. In the present study, both a physical model and an autoregressive model were applied to noise data measured in the experimental fast reactor JOYO. The results indicate that the autoregressive model has a higher precision than the physical model in background noise prediction. Based on these results, an “autoregressive model modification method” is proposed, in which a temporary autoregressive model is generated by interpolation or extrapolation of reference models identified under a small number of different operating conditions. The generated autoregressive model has shown sufficient precision over a wide range of reactor power in applications to artificial noise data produced by an LMFBR noise simulator even when the coolant flow rate was changed to keep a constant power-to-flow ratio.     

A subchannel analysis code MATRA-LMR for wire wrapped LMR subassembly

In sodium cooled liquid metal reactors design limits are imposed on the maximum temperatures of the cladding and fuel pins. Thus an accurate prediction of the core coolant/fuel temperature distribution is essential to LMR core thermal hydraulic design. The detailed subchannel thermal hydraulic analysis code MATRA-LMR is being developed for LMFBR core design and analysis based on COBRA-IV-I and MATRA. The major modifications and improvements implemented in MATRA-LMR are as follows: sodium property calculation subprogram, sodium coolant heat transfer correlations, and most recent pressure drop correlations. To assess the development status of this code, benchmark calculations were performed with the ORNL 19 pin tests and EBR-II seven-assembly SLTHEN calculation results. The calculation results of MATRA-LMR were compared to the measurements and to the SABRE4 and SLTHEN code calculation results, respectively. Finally, the major technical results of the conceptual design for the KALIMER U-10%Zr binary alloy fueled core have been compared with the calculations of the MATRA-LMR, SABRE4 and SLTHEN codes.     

Structural shock tests of prototype FBR “MONJU” scale models

This paper presents some results of experiments which simulate the structural dynamic response of a LMFBR primary coolant boundary to a hypothetical core disruptive accident (HCDA) based on scale models and high explosives. It was noted that high explosives are no longer a good simulant of the HCDA. However, the main purpose of the program, which included this experiment, is not to experimentally predict the dynamic response of the reactor structure at the HCDA, but to validate computer codes, which describe the pressure wave propagation and damage process in the reactor structures, using data obtained from these model experiments. The experiments were undertaken using many 1/15 scale simple models of the reactor vessels and internal structures, as well as 1/15 and 1/7.5 scale complex models of the interim design of prototype LMFBR ‘MONJU’. Simple model experiments involved a series of shock tests using pentolite to investigate the configuration effects of the vessel restraining section, the dipped-plate effect and the core barrel effect, respectively.     

Transient deformation of LMFBR cores due to local failure: Experimental and theoretical investigation

This paper describes an effort to predict the mechanical core deformation caused by local failure within an LMFBR core. These activities are intended to cover all the potential core damage possibilities currently under discussion and analysis. In particular it is shown that the reactor can be scrammed in time under pessimistic-realistic pressure transients and that the damage does not exceed tolerable limits.A special gas generator technique to simulate a fuel coolant explosion has been developed at AWRE Foulness. This has been used to perform the explosion tests needed to demonstrate the safety of the SNR 300 core. A molten fuel—coolant interaction (MFCI) experimental facility, and a drop tower to carry out sub-assembly crushing tests are described. Theoretical studies are presented which use mass-spring-dashpot, lumped parameter-hinge or micro-rigid-lumped-mass models. They simulate the crushing and bending of a single sub-assembly interacting with the coolant as well as the behaviour of a multirow “spoke” model.For the core analysis only preliminary computational results are presently available which can be compared with the full scale tests in which the fluid pressure did not exceed a “threshold” of about 100 bar. Parameter studies show the influence of pulse shape, material properties as well as the time integrator.Some of the unanswered question concern the dydrodynamic feedback of the deformations on the pressure distribution in space and time. Also the behaviour of the highly irradiation-embrittled cores is poorly understood today. Finally, an enhanced energy release package to describe the MFCI must still be added to the reactivity calculation module of a future fast reactor dynamics code.     

Noise and DC balanced outlet temperature signals for monitoring coolant flow in LMFBR fuel elements

Local cooling disturbances in LMFBR fuel elements may have serious safety implications for the whole reactor core. They have to be detected reliably in an early stage of their formation therefore. This can be accomplished in principle by individual monitoring of the coolant flow rate or the coolant outlet temperature of the subassemblies with high precision.

In this paper a method is proposed to increase the sensitivity of outlet temperature signals to cooling disturbances. Using balanced temperature signals provides a means for eliminating the normal variations from the original signals which limit the sensitivity and speed of response to cooling disturbances. It is shown that a balanced signal can be derived easily from the original temperature signal by subtracting an inlet temperature and a neutron detector signal with appropriate time shift.

The method was tested with tape-recorded noise signals of the KNK I reactor at Karlsruhe. The experimental results confirm the theoretical predictions. A significant reduction of the uncertainty of measured outlet temperatures was achieved. This enables very sensitive and fast response monitoring of coolant flow.

Furthermore, it was found that minimizing the variance of the balanced signal offers the possibility for a rough determination of the heat transfer coefficient of the fuel rods during normal reactor operation at power.     

Heat transfer from a totally blocked fuel subassembly of a liquid metal fast breeder reactor: Part I. Experimental investigation

The safety issues of liquid metal fast breeder reactors (LMFBR) are crucial due to the fact that a highly reactive and hazardous fluid like liquid sodium is used as coolant. One of the extreme cases, which can occur in a fuel subassembly of an LMFBR, is a total blockage of liquid inside the subassembly, which may lead to boiling of sodium. The present study addresses this problem by conducting experiments on a 19-rod bundle assembly enclosed inside a tall hexagonal enclosure. Liquid sodium is used as the heat transfer fluid. The natural convection mode of heat transfer is the main focus of investigation with a co-flowing air through an annular packed bed to simulate the neighbouring subassemblies. The maximum temperature achieved under different rates of power generations and air flow conditions are observed. Also the radial temperature distributions at different planes under different operating conditions of power and air flow rates have been observed. The results are of significant importance for validating analysis for the purpose of prediction of boiling incipience in an LMFBR subassembly under totally blocked condition.     

A thermal stress mechanism for the fragmentation of molten UO2 upon contact with sodium coolant

An important aspect of fuel-coolant interaction problems relative to various hypothetical LMFBR accidents is the fragmentation of molten oxide fuel on contact with sodium coolant. In order to properly analyze the kinetics of such an event, an understanding of the breakup process and an estimate of the size and dispersion of such fragmented fuel must be known. A thermal stress initiated mechanism for fragmentation is presented using elastic stress theory for the cases of both temperature-dependent and independent mechanical properties. Included is a study of the effect of the choice of surface heat transfer boundary condition and the compressibility of the unsolidified inner core. Results of parametric calculations indicate that the thermal stresses induced in the thin outer shell and the pressurization of the inner molten core are potentially responsible for the fragmentation. For UO₂ in Na the calculated stresses are extremely high, while for aluminum in water they are much smaller and a strong function of the surface heat transfer boundary condition. Qualitatively, these results compare favorably with small scale dropping experiments, that is, molten UO₂ quenched in Na undergoes fragmentation while aluminum in water usually results in little breakup. The experimentally observed increase in breakup with decreasing coolant temperature is also in qualitative agreement with the thermal stress-induced mode of fragmentation.     

CALIPSO—A computer code for the calculation of the thermodynamics, fluiddynamics and geometry changes following pin failure

The computer code CALIPSO calculates the thermodynamics and fluid-dynamics of fuel, fission gas and coolant as well as changes in geometry subsequent to pin failure in an anticipated liquid-metal fast breeder reactor (LMFBR) accident. In the documented version, CALIPSO is well suited for the analysis of the out-of pile SIMBATH experiments carried out at Kernforschungszentrum Karlsruhe (KfK) which simulate the above-mentioned accident with thermite technology. In two-dimensional geometry the fuel pin and its associated coolant channel, initially separated by the fuel cladding are treated as a single fluid domain. The conservation equations of mass, momentum and energy are solved separately for each component. The transient evolution of the temperature profile in the cladding is modeled in detail, thus permitting the analysis of various phase transition processes (melting, freezing and clad failure propagation). The coolant channel has a variable cross section and it is surrounded by an outer channel wall for single pin experiment analysis. Axially the coolant channel is connected to a simplified model of the whole sodium loop.     

On local blockage formation in sodium cooled reactors

For LMFBR safety considerations the formation of local blockages in the reactor core is investigated since years. A summary of experimental and theoretical results is given considering e.g. granulate material sources, transport phenomena, geometrical data and technological concepts influencing blockage deposition. The experimental results show clearly that for safety relevant blockages in fuel element subchannels a sufficient mass of solid particles of the right grain size is necessary to be accumulated in a few subchannels. Transport by the primary coolant through the whole pool or loop type reactor and distribution in the lower core plenum are not expected to lead to non-fuel blockages. For fuel particle blockages canning defects have to occur first. The experiments show that in this case wire wrapping has some advantages for coolability compared to spacer grids. But here also a lot of undetected material is necessary. Assuming a high quality standard for fuel element production and e.g. a sensitive DND-system for early failure detection with subsequent removal of defect fuel elements the risk of sufficiently large local blockages with following incidental situations is very low.     

An application of response theory to steam venting during a loss of AC power transient

We have applied the theory of response to the loss of AC power transient for an LMFBR design to determine the ultimate loss of coolant inventory and the sensitivity of this figure with respect to the initial conditions and input parameters. Using a simple four region heat transfer model, the analysis shows that 3717 kg coolant are vented after feed water is lost and before venting stops. The sensitivity analysis reveals that this figure is strongly dependent on design parameters and system assumptions. The uncertainty in the lost inventory caused by the uncertainties and correlations in the input parameters and initial conditions is found to be 3464 kg. We thus report the result of the calculation as and conclude that the available inventory of 8775 kg is sufficient to ensure an adequate heat sink.     

Comparison of binding energy to the sorption enthalpy of radionuclides with trap materials used in LMFBRs

In liquid metal fast breeder reactors (LMFBR), traps are provided in the primary coolant circuit to reduce the contamination due to the deposition of long lived γ-emitting nuclides. The binding energies of the radionuclides with iron and nickel were estimated using Pauling’s electronegativity. The results are comparable to the sorption enthalpies derived from the experimental isotherms.     

Experimental and analytical dynamic analysis of coolant channel and its internals of Indian 540 MWe PHWR reactor

The horizontal coolant channel is one of the important parts of primary heat transport system in PHWR type of reactors. There are in all 392 channels in the core of Indian 540 MWe reactor. Each channel houses 13 natural uranium fuel bundles and shielding and sealing plugs one each on either side of the channel. The heavy water coolant flows through the coolant channel and carry the nuclear heat to outside the core for steam generation and power production in the turbo-generator. India has commissioned one 540 MWe PHWR reactor in September 2005 and another similar unit will be in operation very shortly. For a complete dynamic study of the channel and its internals under the influence of high coolant flow, experimental and analytical study has been carried out. The operating life of a typical coolant channel typically range from 10 to 15 full power years. Towards the end of its operating life, its health monitoring becomes an important activity. Vibration diagnosis plays an important role as a tool for life management of coolant. A good correlation has been achieved between the results of experimental and analytical models. Through the study dynamic characteristics of the coolant channel under simulated loading condition, an attempt has been made to develop a diagnostics to monitor the health of the coolant channel over its operating life. Experimental study has been also carried out to characterize PHWR fuel vibration under different flow conditions. Such results are published for the first time.     

Treatment of Radioactive Waste Regenerant of Ion Exchange Resin by Preferential Flotation Method

To answer the increasing demand for electric power in Japan, Very Large Fast Reactors of 10,000 MWe unit capacity are expected to make their appearance in due course. The paper describes the method and results of a design study on a 10,000 MWe Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactor. First, a reference design was obtained for this unit of unprecedented capacity by extrapolating the various characteristics of a 1,000 MWe LMFBR and the nuclear characteristics thereof were studied. It was found that reactivity increase could be reduced to about 6 ¢ when seven subassemblies were voided in the central part of the core, and that the increase of reactivity and the decrease of breeding ratio with time were rather large for the initial loading core.

Secondly, a design optimization procedure was developed based on complex method of nonlinear programming, and the method was applied to the Very Large Fast Reactor. The process resulted in a relatively large core height and fuel pin diameter, while the power cost was improved due to enhanced breeding gain. The fuel center temperature and the coolant velocity were found close to the upper boundaries of their prescribed ranges. These results concurred qualitatively with calculations using more straightforward optimization techniques.