VAPEX code-aided analysis of large-scale experiments in corium/water interaction

The VAPEX computer code is used to analyze three large-scale experiments in corium/water interaction performed at the FARO Facility. Only the mixing of a corium jet with water at different values of pressure is studied in experiments L-14 and L-24; in experiment L-33, an initiating device is used to make a steam explosion after mixing. The calculations revealed the importance of taking into account the process of generation of hydrogen during the corium/melt interaction for correctly determining the pressure in the container and gas void fraction below the level. The results of VAPEX code-aided calculations and the experimental data agree qualitatively and quantitatively both at the stage of mixing and at the stage of steam explosion.     

Effect of boron and zirconium on directional solidification behaviour and segregation of DS IN738 superalloy

The effect of boron and zirconium on the directional solidification behaviour and segregation of IN738 superalloy has been studied. It was found that additions of boron and zirconium enlarge the solidus-liquidus temperature interval and increase the amount of residual melt during solidification. Boron gives the alloy a tendency to form developed dendrites, while zirconium enhances a cellular solidified structure. Both boron and zirconium are shown to be rejected to the residual melt during solidification, and shown to change the segregation of alloying elements by interaction.     

The interaction of nuclear reactor core melt with oxide sacrificial material of localization device for a nuclear power plant with water-moderated water-cooled power reactor

The basic results are given of an experimental investigation of the interaction oxide corium melt containing unoxidized zirconium with the sacrificial material of the device for localization of the core melt of a water-moderated water-cooled power reactor (VVER). The mechanism is determined and a model developed of interaction between suboxidized corium melt and sacrificial material.     

Mathematical Simulation of Steady-State Concentration Profiles in Extraction Cascades for Reprocessing NPP Spent Fuel Using TBP-Compatible Processes (SUPERPUREX)

A mathematical model is proposed for calculating distribution coefficients of NPP spent fuel components in extraction systems with 30% TBP in a hydrocarbon diluent and dibutylphosphoric acid zirconium salt in 30% TBP. The model is based on the semiempirical extraction equations. A computer code has been developed for simulation of the steady-state concentration profiles throughout the extraction cascade. Comparison of the predicted and experimental data showed that the code is well applicable to simulation and optimization of the SUPERPUREX process.     

Effect of agglomerates in ZrO2 powder compacts on microstructural development

Ultrafine zirconia powders were prepared by a coprecipitation and spray-drying method. Agglomerates may be fragmented or present in green bodies after compaction. The effect of agglomerates on sintering and microstructural development was studied and it was found that the agglomerate content in compacts was a major factor affecting the microstructure development and the sintered densities. The interaction between agglomerates themselves, and between agglomerates and the primary particle matrix is discussed. It is argued that the hard agglomerates in the powder from the water-washed coprecipitates are formed by oxobridging between non-bridging hydroxyl groups present in the zirconium hydroxide structures due to the effect of hydrogen bonding in the aqueous system. The substitution of organic -OR groups for the non-bridging hydroxyl groups removes this hydrogen-bonding effect between the zirconium hydroxide units and thus eliminates the cause of agglomeration.     

Hydrogen content in titanium and a titanium–zirconium alloy after acid etching

Dental implant alloys made from titanium and zirconium are known for their high mechanical strength, fracture toughness and corrosion resistance in comparison with commercially pure titanium. The aim of the study was to investigate possible differences in the surface chemistry and/or surface topography of titanium and titanium–zirconium surfaces after sand blasting and acid etching. The two surfaces were compared by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, secondary ion mass spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and profilometry.The 1.9 times greater surface hydrogen concentration of titanium zirconium compared to titanium was found to be the major difference between the two materials. Zirconium appeared to enhance hydride formation on titanium alloys when etched in acid. Surface topography revealed significant differences on the micro and nanoscale. Surface roughness was increased significantly (p < 0.01) on the titanium–zirconium alloy. High-resolution images showed nanostructures only present on titanium zirconium.     

氢化锆在高温水蒸气中的氧化行为

通过恒温恒压氧化实验研究了氢化锆在300~700℃高温水蒸气中的氧化行为。结果表明,氢化锆的质量增重随着氧化温度的升高而增大。在氧化过程进行15h以后,OH-/O在氧化膜中的内扩散成为氧化反应的控速步骤。水蒸气中的H抑制了氢化锆在高温氧化条件下的氢损失。氧化膜主要由单斜相M-ZrO2组成,氧化膜的最外层由四方相T-ZrO2和立方相C-ZrO2组成。     

A terminal-velocity model for super-ellipsoidal particles

The prediction of the terminal velocity of non-spherical particles, such as sediments and microplastics, is essential for understanding their transport processes in rivers or marine environments. However, most of the existing models have been proposed based on specific particle materials, and there is a lack of systematic research on the effects of different shape factors on terminal velocity. In this study, super-ellipsoidal particles were selected as test particles for settling experiments, and a particle–velocity tracking code was developed to measure their terminal velocities during falling through glycerin–water mixtures. A terminal–velocity model for super-ellipsoidal particles was proposed based on the measured data. Owing to the new model, multivalued predictions of the terminal velocity based on a single shape factor, such as sphericity and Corey shape factor, were disclosed, and the prediction errors were evaluated. The results of this study can provide a basis for establishing a general terminal–velocity model that considers the influence of particle shape.     

On the possibility of development of defects in zirconium parts of thermal reactors during storage prior to and after operation

We have established that technological defects (cracks) in zirconium articles can develop in the course of long-term storage prior to their mounting in a reactor, which is caused by the action of residual stresses and hydrogen. We have considered the conditions of after-operation storage of zirconium articles of the fuel core of thermal reactors in water of the cooling ponds of reactors and in spent-fuel storehouses. The possibility of subsequent hydrogenation of these articles during their storage has been shown. Finally, we have studied the effect of hydrogen, absorbed in the course of storage, on the crack resistance of zirconium articles and the development of defects in them due to delayed hydride cracking. __________ Translated from Fizyko-Khimichna Mekhanika Materialiv, Vol. 43, No. 5, pp. 105–109, September–October, 2007.     

Experimental investigation of the effects of water electrolysis parameters on the amount of hydrogen damage in Pb(Zr,Ti)O3

Water electrolysis technique has been used in this work to investigate the interactions between hydrogen and Pb(Zr,Ti)O₃ (PZT), and the effects of water electrolysis parameters on the amount of hydrogen damage have been investigated. Microstructural investigations show that increasing the current density during water electrolysis will increase the amount of hydrogen damage, while increasing the voltage during water electrolysis treatment will decrease the amount of hydrogen damage. The mechanisms by which changing the current density and voltage affects the amount hydrogen damage are tentatively proposed. The changes in the capacitance and dissipation factor of PZT after water electrolysis are investigated, and a simple model has been developed to correlate the electrical properties changes to the thickness of the corroded layer.     

Discrete element modeling of non-linear submerged particle collisions

Coupling of the Discrete Element Method with Computational Fluid Dynamics (DEM–CFD) is a widely used approach for modeling particle–fluid interactions.Although DEM–CFD focuses on particle–fluid interaction, the particle–particle contact behavior is usually modeled using a simple Kelvin–Voigt contact model which may not represent realistic interactions of particles in high viscosity fluids. This paper presents an implementation of a new user-defined contact model that accounts for the effects of lubrication of fluid between two approaching particles while maintaining all other DEM–CFD particle–fluid interaction phenomena. Theoretical model that yields a non-linear restitution coefficient for submerged particle collisions, which was developed by Davis et al. (J Fluid Mech 163:479–497, 1986), is implemented in a DEM–CFD code. In this model, the behavior of particles at a contact depends on fluid properties, particle velocities and distance between particle surfaces. When two particles approach each other in a fluid, their kinetic energy decreases gradually because of a lubrication effect associated with the thin fluid layer between the particles. Particle post-collision behavior is governed by a simplified elastic contact law. With lubrication, it is possible that particles are not able to rebound if the approaching velocity is completely damped by lubrication, and in this case the particles agglomerate in the fluid. Tangential surface friction-slip forces are activated as in the case of dry particle contact. The lubrication model represents an advanced submerged particle collision approach that permits improved accuracy when modeling problems with high particle concentrations in a fluid. An application of the new model is shown in a simple sediment transport problem.     

Texture evolution in two phase Zr – 2.5 wt-%Nb through modified route

Abstract

Two phase Zr – 2.5 wt-%Nb is used as pressure tube material in water cooled and moderated reactors. The in service behaviour of this hcp zirconium based alloy is dependent on strong textures developed during thermomechanical processing. In the present study, the texture evolution during fabrication of this material, using a modified route, was investigated. Texture, evaluated by the orientation distribution function, was correlated to microstructure during various stages of processing. It was observed that a strong orientation fibre parallel to the working direction develops with hot working (extrusion). With subsequent cold working, the texture formed after extrusion alone becomes strengthened. This observation is attributed to the presence of a soft secondary phase (β) at the α-phase grain boundary. In contrast to the above, in the case of single phase Zircaloy 4, new components of texture are generated with cold deformation after hot extrusion, as a result of interaction between grains.     

Chemical vapour deposition of zirconium carbide and silicon carbide hybrid whiskers

Zirconium carbide and silicon carbide hybrid whiskers were codeposited by chemical vapour deposition using methyl trichlorosilane, zirconium chloride, methane and hydrogen as the precursors. The zirconium carbide and silicon carbide whiskers were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The results indicate that the codeposition process is more effective in the presence of methane than in the absence of methane. The codeposition process and the growth of zirconium carbide in the whiskers can be accelerated at high temperature in the presence of methane. A growth model was proposed based on the deposition model of carbon, zirconium carbide and silicon carbide.     

Influence of powder metallurgical processing on production and properties of rapidly solidified Al–5Cr–2Zr,Al–6·43Cr–1·67Zr,and Al–4Cr–1Fe extrudates

Abstract

Rapidly solidified Al–5Cr–2Zr, Al–6·43Cr–1·67Zr, and Al–4Cr–1Fe alloy powders were processed using cold compaction and hot extrusion. It was found that the iron containing alloy was more easily extruded than the zirconium containing alloys, and this was attributed to phase transformations occurring during deformation of the latter. By obtaining extrudates in the form of rectangular bars, mechanical properties could be studied for both the transverse and the longitudinal directions. Compared with the longitudinal direction, no significant decrease of strength was detected in the transverse direction for any of the alloys, whereas significant decreases of ductility were recorded, especially for Al–6·43Cr–1·67Zr alloy. Fracture was observed to occur along primary powder particle boundaries. The relationship between microstructure and mechanical properties was also investigated. Compared with the addition of iron, it was found that additions of zirconium are more beneficial in that they promote formation of fine intermetallic phases. In addition, between the Al–Cr–Zr alloys, a reduction of chromium content yields a more homogenous and fine microstructure, which combined with the beneficial effects of increased additions of zirconium results in superior properties.

MST/1118     

Fracture and fragmentation of thin shells using the combined finite–discrete element method

A model for fracture and fragmentation of multilayered thin shells has been developed and implemented into the combined finite–discrete element code. The proposed model incorporates an extension of the original combined single and smeared fracture approach to multilayered thin shells; it then combines these with an interaction algorithm that is based on the original distributed potential contact force approach. The developed contact kinematics preserves both energy and momentum balance, whereas the developed fracture model is capable of modelling complex fracture patterns such as fracture of laminated glass under impact. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Quantitative hydrogen analysis of zircaloy-4 using low-pressure laser plasma technique

It is found in this work that variation of laser power density in low-pressure plasma spectrochemical analysis of hydrogen affects sensitively the hydrogen emission intensity from the unwanted and yet ubiquitous presence of ambient water. A special experimental setup has been devised to allow the simple condition of focusing/defocusing the laser beam on the sample surface. When applied to zircaloy-4 samples prepared with various hydrogen impurity concentrations using low-pressure helium surrounding gas, good-quality hydrogen emission lines of very high signal to background ratios were obtained with high reproducibility under weakly focused or largely defocused laser irradiation. These measurements resulted in a linear calibration line with nonzero intercept representing the residual contribution from the recalcitrant water molecules. It was further shown that this can be evaluated and taken into account by means of the measured intensity ratio between the oxygen and zirconium emission lines. We have demonstrated the applicability of this experimental approach for quantitative determination of hydrogen impurity concentrations in the samples considered.     

Design of interaction cavity of a 170-GHz, 1-MW gyrotron for ECRH application

The design of the interaction cavity of a 170 GHz gyrotron operating in the TE_34,10 mode is presented in this article. An in-house developed code GCOMS and Particle-in-Cell (PIC) code MAGIC are used for the mode selection and beam–wave interaction simulations, respectively. The cold cavity analysis and beam–wave interaction computation are carried out to analyze the eigenmode and output power, respectively. A thorough parametric analysis of the interaction cavity geometry and electron beam parameters is also carried out with respect to the output power and frequency. The results show the capability of the interaction cavity, designed for the TE_34,10 mode, to produce more than 1 MW of RF power of a gyrotron at the operating frequency of 170.03 GHz.     

Hydrogenation of the intermetallic compound Zr2Ni

We have determined conditions for the preparation of hydride phases with the composition Zr₂NiH_～5 by reacting the intermetallic compound Zr₂Ni with hydrogen or ammonia and identified the products of the reaction between the intermetallic compound and ammonia in the temperature range 150–500°C in the presence of NH₄Cl as an activator. The results demonstrate that the use of ammonia at 500°C leads to decomposition of the intermetallic compound and formation of zirconium hydride, zirconium nitride, and metallic nickel.     

An engineering model for prediction of rolling contact fatigue of railway wheels

An engineering model for rolling contact fatigue (RCF) of railway wheels is developed. Three well‐known types of fatigue in wheels – surface‐initiated fatigue, subsurface‐initiated fatigue and fatigue initiated at deep material defects – are accounted for. Fatigue impact is quantified by three fatigue indices expressed in analytical form. The model can easily be integrated in a multibody dynamics code without significantly increasing computational demands. A powerful tool for optimizing train–track configurations with respect to fatigue performance should result. In this paper, theoretical foundations, benefits and limitations of the model are presented. An example of a postprocessing analysis of data from a dynamic simulation of train–track interaction is given.