Experimental study on the sub-atmospheric loop heat pipe passive cooling system for spent fuel pool

As one kind of the natural circulation cooling system, loop heat pipe is promising in improving the safety of the nuclear power station since it is passive and has no electricity driven components. A novel heat pipe cooling system is designed for passively removing the residual heat released by the spent fuel stored in the spent fuel pool (SFP) under the accidental conditions such as the station blackout. This system is characterized by its large-diameter and long-length evaporator. Its working fluid is water and it's sub-atmospheric. To test such system's heat transfer performance and get to know its thermo-fluid dynamics, a test facility for a simplified heat pipe made of one evaporator tube and one condenser has been developed. The heat transfer rate of the simplified heat pipe is obtained in a wide range of conditions covering the potential working conditions in spent fuel pool. Moreover, it's found that heat pipe with such a large-diameter and long-length evaporator is vulnerable to be unstable. The periodic state mode is more likely to happen when the heat source temperature, the air velocity or the volumetric filling ratio is low. Furthermore, the effects of hot water temperature, the air velocity and the filling ratio of the water in the circulation system have been analyzed.     

Development of an evaluation methodology for the natural circulation decay heat removal system in a sodium cooled fast reactor

A natural circulation evaluation methodology has been developed to ensure the safety of a sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) of 1500 MW adopting the natural circulation decay heat removal system (NC-DHRS). The methodology consists of a one-dimensional safety analysis which can evaluate the core hot spot temperature taking into account the temperature flattening effect in the core, a three-dimensional fluid flow analysis which can evaluate the thermal-hydraulics for local convections and thermal stratifications in the primary system and DHRS, and a statistical safety evaluation method for the hot spot temperature in the core. The safety analysis method and the three-dimensional analysis method have been validated using results of a 1/10 scaled water test simulating the primary system of the SFR and a sodium test simulating a part of the primary system and the DHRS with about a 1/7 scale, and the applicability of the safety analysis for the SFR has been confirmed by comparing with the three-dimensional analysis adopting the turbulence model. Finally, a statistical safety evaluation has been performed for the SFR using the safety analysis method.     

Conceptual design and analysis of a passive residual heat removal system for a 10 MW molten salt reactor experiment

A conceptual design of a passive residual heat removal system was developed for a 10 MW molten salt reactor experiment (MSRE) designed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The principle, main components and design parameters of the system were presented, and thermal-hydraulic behaviors, such as natural circulation and heat removal ability, were numerically analyzed in the code of C++, especially for the bayonet cooling thimbles. The results show that the system can effectively remove decay heat in the molten salt in an MSRE and has a heat removal rate that approximates to the decay heat generation rate, thus causing the temperature of the molten salt to decrease steadily. The width of the gas gap in the bayonet cooling thimbles has little effect on either the heat exchange or the natural circulation inside the thimbles, while the width of the steam riser, in spite of its slight effect on the heat transfer of the system, greatly influences the natural circulation. With the width of the steam riser increase from 3.6 to 5.1 mm, the mass flow rate increases from 1.9 kg/s to 4.79 kg/s. Finally, three operational schemes were proposed for the passive residual heat removal system, among which that of reducing the bayonet cooling thimbles by three-quarters had the best comprehensive performance.     

Thermal power calibrations of the IPR-R1 TRIGA reactor by the calorimetric and the heat balance methods

Since the first nuclear reactor was built, a number of methodological variations have been evolved for the calibration of the reactor thermal power. Power monitoring of reactors is done by means of neutronic instruments, but its calibration is always done by thermal procedures. The purpose of this paper is to present the results of the thermal power calibration carried out on March 5th, 2009 in the IPR-R TRIGA reactor. It was used two procedures: the calorimetric and heat balance methods. The calorimetric procedure was done with the reactor operating at a constant power, with primary cooling system switched off. The rate of temperature rise of the water was recorded. The reactor power is calculated as a function of the temperature-rise rate and the system heat capacity constant. The heat balance procedure consists in the steady-state energy balance of the primary cooling loop of the reactor. For this balance, the inlet and outlet temperatures and the water flow in the primary cooling loop were measured. The heat transferred through the primary loop was added to the heat leakage from the reactor pool. The calorimetric method calibration presented a large uncertainty. The main source of error was the determination of the heat content of the system, due to a large uncertainty in the volume of the water in the system and a lack of homogenization of the water temperature. The heat balance calibration in the primary loop is the standard procedure for calibrating the power of the IPR-R1 TRIGA nuclear reactor.     

Design characteristics and fabrication of radioisotope heat sources for space missions

Radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) have been used by the United States to provide electrical power for spacecraft since 1961. All RTGs that have been launched by the U.S. have used heat sources fueled with the plutonium-238 isotope. Low-power (1 W_thermal) Light Weight Radioisotope Heater Units have also been used to maintain spacecraft equipment within their normal operating temperature range. Los Alamos National Laboratory is responsible for fabricating heat sources for current and future space missions. The ²³⁸PuO₂ is purified by aqueous processing, fabricated into hot pressed pellets, encapsulated into precious metal cladding material, then the fueled clads are nondestructively tested. NASA currently plans for the potential use of radioisotope power systems for the Europa Orbiter and the Solar Probe missions, which are all scheduled for launch this decade. In addition several Mars Exploration missions over the next decade will employ radioisotope heater units.     

基于简单开式布雷顿循环的热管反应堆系统功率质量比影响因素初步探索

基于简单开式布雷顿循环的热管反应堆系统具有结构简单、固有安全、放射性泄漏风险低等特点,是小型可移动反应堆的潜在优势技术选项,其功率质量比是评价总体方案先进性的重要指标。本文以5MW热管反应堆为研究对象,建立包含热管反应堆与开式布雷顿发电装置的方案功率质量比评估模型,对多种关键参数对总体指标的影响规律进行了探索。研究表明功率质量比随热传导途径上温差增大而先提高后降低,最优值则与堆芯基体最高温度限值正相关。在给定温度限值条件下,热管反应堆电源系统内热量传输途径上温差设计是热管反应堆优化设计的关键因素。未来可进一步细化模型,对压气机、涡轮、热管等进行更详细建模,提高模型准确程度。     

Preliminary study on feasibility of large and small water cooled thorium breeder reactor in equilibrium states

Fuel breeding is one of the essential performances for a self-sustaining reactor system which can maintains the fuel sustainability while the reactor produces energy and consumes the fissile materials during operation. Thorium cycle shows some advantageous on higher breeding characteristics in thermal neutron spectrum region as shown in the Shippingport reactor and molten salt breeder reactor (MSBR) project. In the present study, the feasibility of large and small water cooled thorium breeder reactors is investigated under equilibrium conditions where the reactors are fueled by ²³³U–Th oxide and they adopts light water coolant as moderator. The key properties such as required enrichment, breeding capability, and initial fissile inventory are evaluated. The conversion ratio and fissile inventory ratio (FIR) are used for evaluating breeding performance. The results show the feasibility of breeding for small and large reactors. The breeding performance increases with increasing power output and lower power density. The small reactor may achieve the breeding condition when the fuel pellets' power density of about 22.5 W/cm³ and burnup of about 20 GWd/t.     

Reliability model of the digital reactor protection system considering the repair time and common cause failure

Reliability of the digital reactor protection system (RPS) is intensively researched as it is designed and installed to ensure the safety and economy which can be measured respectively by the probability of failure on demand (PFD) and probability of spurious trip (PST). Meanwhile, by analyzing the failure modes of the digital RPS, the failure on demand and spurious trip are the two main modes that should be evaluated for the reliability of digital RPS. Therefore, this paper develops the PFD and PST calculation formulas considering the module repair time as the repair takes some time, and during the repair duration, the digital system is operated in the degraded configuration and the common cause failure (CCF) which would severely impact the system in the event of occurrence. Considering the failure phenomenon of the digital RPS, the binomial failure rate (BFR) model is adopted for CCF. And the fault-tolerance techniques and their fault coverage are considered when calculating the PFD and PST. The quantitative results show that, in the example, CCF dominates the PFD while CCF is one of the major factors that result in PST but the main contributor is the independent failure. Also it can be concluded that the discovery time for the undetected failures dominates the PFD and PST when it costs long time to discover the failures even though the uncovered failures are very few. Thus, the failures should be covered by the fault-tolerance techniques as much as possible when designing the digital RPS.     

Numerical simulation and experimental research on CHF characteristics of AP1000 nuclear reactor

The present paper aims to investigate the critical heat flux (CHF) characteristics of AP1000 reactor based on the experimental and numerical researches, under normal operation and loop fault conditions, respectively. The differences of flow characteristics in these conditions were analyzed. It indicated that the flow features are very complicated in three dimensions and AP1000 has better self-regulation capability to distribute coolant flow compared to conventional reactors. Under normal operation condition, coolant of two loops is distributed along circumference of the reactor annular channel symmetrically. In case that one of the loops fails suddenly and the coolant is partially lost to total loss, the core flow distribution plate and lower grid plate cannot eliminate uneven flow immediately due to loop failure, also the nonuniformity of reactor coolant flow distribution increases gradually, which leads to the heat transfer deterioration easily. In addition, the reactor core departure from nuclear boiling ratio (DNBR) and CHF does not show a certain linear relation, and the DNBR and CHF of AP1000 are greater than that of conventional reactors which not only improve the reactor thermal efficiency, but also obviously reduce the probability of CHF phenomenon appear.     

Analysis of fuel subassembly innerduct configurational effects on the core characteristics and power distribution of a sodium-cooled fast breeder reactor

The power distribution and core characteristics in various configurations of fuel subassemblies with an innerduct structure in the Japan sodium-cooled fast reactor were evaluated using a Monte Carlo code for neutron transport and burnup calculation. The correlation between the fraction of fuel subassemblies facing outward and the degree of power increase at the core center was observed regardless of the compositions. This indicated that the spatial fissile distribution caused by innerduct configurations was the major factor of the difference in the power distribution. A power increase was also found in an off-center region, and it tended to be greater than that at the core center because of the steep gradient of neutron flux intensity. The differences in the worth of control rods caused by the innerduct configurations were confirmed.     

Influence on moisture and hydrocarbons on conversion rate of tritium in catalytic reactors of fusion-DEMO detritiation system

Thoughtful consideration of abnormal events such as fire is required to design and qualify a detritiation system (DS) of a nuclear fusion facility. Since conversion of tritium to tritiated vapor over catalyst is the key process of the DS, it is indispensable to evaluate the effect of excess moisture and hydrocarbons produced by combustion of cables on tritium conversion rate considering fire events. We conducted demonstration tests on tritium conversion under the following representative conditions: (I) leakage of tritium, (II) leakage of tritium plus moisture, and (III) leakage of tritium plus hydrocarbons. Detritiation behavior in the simulated room was assessed, and the amount of catalyst to fulfill the requirement on tritium conversion rate was evaluated. The dominant parameters for detritiation are the concentration of hydrogen in air and catalyst temperature. The tritium in the simulated room was decreased for condition (I) following ventilation theory. An initial reduction in conversion rate was measured for condition (II). To recover the reduction smoothly, it is suggested to optimize the power of preheater. An increase in catalyst temperature by heat of reaction of hydrocarbon combustion was evaluated for condition (III). The heat balance of catalytic reactor is a point to be carefully investigated to avoid runaway of catalyst temperature.     

Activation characteristics of candidate structural materials for a near-term Indian fusion reactor and the impact of their impurities on design considerations

Activation analyses play a vital role in nuclear reactor design.Activation analyses,along with nuclear analyses,provide important information for nuclear safety and maintenance strategies.Activation analyses also help in the selection of materials for a nuclear reactor,by providing the radioactivity and dose rate levels after irradiation.This information is important to help define maintenance activity for different parts of the reactor,and to plan decommissioning and radioactive waste disposal strategies.The study of activation analyses of candidate structural materials for near-term fusion reactors or ITER is equally essential,due to the presence of a highenergy neutron environment which makes decisive demands on material selection.This study comprises two parts; in the first part the activation characteristics,in a fusion radiation environment,of several elements which are widely present in structural materials,are studied.It reveals that the presence of a few specific elements in a material can diminish its feasibility for use in the nuclear environment.The second part of the study concentrates on activation analyses of candidate structural materials for near-term fusion reactors and their comparison in fusion radiation conditions.The structural materials selected for this study,i.e.India-specific Reduced Activation Ferritic-Martensitic steel(IN-RAFMS),P91-grade steel,stainless steel 316 LN ITER-grade(SS-316 LN-IG),stainless steel 316 L and stainless steel 304,are candidates for use in ITER either in vessel components or test blanket systems.Tungsten is also included in this study because of its use for ITER plasma-facing components.The study is carried out using the reference parameters of the ITER fusion reactor.The activation characteristics of the materials are assessed considering the irradiation at an ITER equatorial port.The presence of elements like Nb,Mo,Co and Ta in a structural material enhance the activity level as well as the dose level,which has an impact on design considerations.IN-RAFMS was shown to be a more effective low-activation material than SS-316 LN-IG.     

Study on explosion characteristics of natural gas and methane in semi-open space for the HTTR hydrogen production system

It is important to grasp the explosion characteristics of object gases: natural gas and methane, in order to evaluate the influence of a gas explosion accident in the HTTR hydrogen production system on the reactor. Thus, we carried out explosion experiments of the object gases in semi-open space, and verified a numerical analysis code for the simulation of the explosion accident. It was confirmed that NG–air mixture or methane-air mixture in semi-open space did not result in DDT although 10 g of C-4 explosive was used as an ignition source, and the numerical results agreed relatively with the experimental results. As a result, we could have the prospects for predicting the influence of the explosion accident on the reactor.     

Influences of the ZrC coating process and heat treatment on ZrC-coated kernels used as fuel in Pu-burner high temperature gas-cooled reactor in Japan

ABSTRACT

The concept of Pu-burner high temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) has been proposed to more safely reduce the amount of recovered Pu. In the Pu-burner HTGR concept, coated fuel particles with ZrC-coated yttria-stabilized zirconia containing PuO₂ (PuO₂-YSZ) kernels are employed for very high burn-up and high nuclear proliferation resistance. The role of ZrC layer is that of oxygen getter. CeO₂-YSZ kernels were fabricated to simulate the PuO₂-YSZ kernel and coated with a ZrC layer. In this study, we clarified that both Ce-rich grains and Zr-rich grains were densely distributed in surface regions of the as-fabricated CeO₂-YSZ kernel. However, we have already clarified that the surface region of the CeO₂-YSZ kernel coated with a ZrC layer was porous and mainly consisted of Zr-rich grains. These experimental results confirmed that Ce-rich grains were selectively corroded during the ZrC coating process. Then, the chemical stability of Zr-rich grains would be higher than that of Pu-rich grains. Thus, it would be more difficult to extract Pu from PuO₂-YSZ kernels (in which almost all grains are Zr-rich) than from PuO₂-YSZ kernels (in which many Pu-rich grains are included). Influences of the sintering of fuel compact on the microstructure of the ZrC-coated CeO₂-YSZ kernel is also reported.     

耐高温绝缘漆在核电控制棒驱动机构线圈组件用电磁线及引接线上的应用研究

采用环氧改性有机硅树脂为基体,加入超细无机填料和有机助剂等材料制备了耐高温绝缘漆,并应用于核电控制棒驱动机构用电磁线及引接线。考察了其耐高温、耐辐射的主要性能指标。实验结果表明:加入超细无机填料的耐高温绝缘漆具有较好的耐高温、柔韧和附着力性能,作为核电控制棒驱动机构用电磁线及引接线的涂覆层,可有效提高电磁线及引接线的耐高温、耐辐射性能。