Development of a fast neutron radiography converter using wavelength-shifting fibers

A fluorescent converter for fast neutron radiography (FNR) comprising a scintillator and hydrogen-rich resin has been developed and applied to electronic imaging. The rate of the reaction between fast neutrons and the converter is increased by thickening the converter, but its opaqueness attenuates emitted light photons before they reach its surface. To improve the luminosity of a fluorescent converter for FNR, a novel type of converter was designed in which wavelength-shifting fibers were adopted to transport radiated light to the observation end face. The performance of the converter was compared with that of a polypropylene-based fluorescent converter in an experiment conducted at the fast-neutron-source reactor YAYOI in the University of Tokyo.     

Two-group interfacial area transport equations at bubbly-to-slug flow transition

In relation to nuclear reactor accident and safety studies, experiments on hot-leg U-bend two-phase natural circulation in a loop with a relatively large diameter pipe (10.2 cm inner diameter) were performed for understanding the two-phase natural circulation and flow termination during a small break loss of coolant accident in LWRs. The loop design was based on the scaling criteria developed under this program and the loop was operated either in a natural circulation mode or in a forced circulation mode using nitrogen gas and water. Various tests were carried out to establish the basic mechanism of the flow termination as well as to obtain essential information on scale effects of various parameters such as the loop frictional resistance, thermal center and pipe diameter. The void distribution in a hot-leg, flow regime and natural circulation rate were measured in detail for various conditions. The termination of the natural circulation occurred when there was insufficient hydrostatic head in the downcomer side. The superficial gas velocity at the flow termination could be predicted well by the simple model derived from a force balance between the frictional pressure drop along the loop and the hydrostatic head difference. The bubbly-to-slug flow transition was found to be dependent on axial locations. It turned out that the formation of cap bubbles in the large diameter pipe caused the increased drift velocity, which would affect the prediction of the void fraction in the hot leg.     

Modeling of distribution parameter,void fraction covariance and relative velocity covariance for upward steam-water boiling flow in vertical rod bundle

In order to improve the prediction accuracy of one-dimensional interfacial force formulated by ‘Andersen’ approach, the distribution parameter in a drift–flux correlation, void fraction covariance, and relative velocity covariance has been modeled for dispersed boiling two-phase flow in a vertical rod bundle. The distribution parameter has been derived by a bubble-layer thickness model. The correlations of void fraction covariance and relative velocity covariance have been developed based on prototypic 8 × 8 rod bundle data. The correlation of void fraction covariance agrees with the bundle data with the mean absolute error, standard deviation, mean relative deviation, and mean absolute relative deviation being 0.00120, 0.0415, ?0.173%, and 1.80%, respectively. The correlation of relative velocity covariance agrees with the bundle data with the mean absolute error, standard deviation, mean relative deviation, and mean absolute relative deviation being ?0.00241, 0.0452, ?0.0316%, and 2.52%, respectively. In view of the great importance of void fraction covariance and relative velocity covariance on the one-dimensional interfacial drag force formulation, it is highly recommended to include the void fraction covariance and relative velocity covariance in the one-dimensional formulation of interfacial drag force used in nuclear thermal-hydraulic system analysis codes.     

Code performance with improved two-group interfacial area concentration correlation for one-dimensional forced convective two-phase flow simulation

In gas–liquid two-phase flow simulation for reactor safety analysis, interfacial momentum transfer in two-fluid model plays an important role in predicting void fraction. Depending on flow conditions, a shape of the two-phase interface complicatedly evolves. One of the proposed approaches is to quantify the gas–liquid interface information using interfacial area transport equation. On the other hand, a more simplified and robust approach is to classify bubbles into two-groups based on their transport characteristics and utilize constitutive equations for interfacial area concentration for each group. In this paper, interfacial drag model based on the two-group interfacial area concentration correlations is implemented into system analysis code, and void fractions were calculated for the evaluation of numerical behaviors. The present analysis includes (1) comparison of one-group and two-group relative velocity models, (2) comparison with separate effect test database, (3) uncertainty evaluation of drag coefficient, (4) numerical stability assessment in flow regime transition, and (5) transient analysis for simulating the prototypic condition. Results showed that utilization of interfacial drag force term using constitutive equations of two-group interfacial area concentration yields satisfactory void fraction calculation results. The proposed solution technique is practical and advantageous in view of reducing the computational cost and simplifying the solution scheme.     

Growth of β-FeSi2 thin films on β-FeSi2 (110) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy

We have investigated the preparation of β-FeSi₂ substrate and growth condition of β-FeSi₂ thin film on β-FeSi₂ (110) substrate by molecular beam epitaxy. The surface of the substrate was prepared by a wet-etching using HF(50%):HNO₃(60%):H₂O = 1:1:5 solution at 25 °C. It is clear that the optimal etching period to obtain a flat surface was 3 min. The β-FeSi₂ thin film with streak RHEED pattern was obtained at Si/Fe flux ratio of 2.9. Average surface roughness (Ra) of the β-FeSi₂ film was about 0.5 nm in 5 × 5 μm² area.     

Preparation of β-FeSi2 substrates by molten salt method

Large-sized β-FeSi₂ substrates were successfully prepared for the first time from the silicide bulk crystal grown by the molten salt method. The structural, electrical and optical properties of the as-grown β-FeSi₂ bulk crystals were also investigated. The crystal is single phase β-FeSi₂, and polycrystalline with no preferable growth crystallographic orientations. It was also determined that the β-FeSi₂ shows a p-type conduction, and the hole concentration and the Hall mobility at room temperature were about 10¹⁷ cm^− 3 and 10 cm²/Vs, respectively. In addition, the PL emission around 0.8 eV was realized from the β-FeSi₂ bulk crystal. This simple vacuum-free growth technique of β-FeSi₂ and the large-sized substrate preparation procedure encourage us to develop future silicide-based electronics.     

Study on point of net vapor generation by neutron radiography in subcooled boiling flow along narrow rectangular channels with short heated length

Point of net vapor generation (PNVG) was investigated based on the void fraction dataset obtained by high-frame-rate neutron radiography. The test channels used in the experiment were rectangular channels heated from one side with channel gap of 3 and 5 mm, channel width of 30 mm, and heated length of 100 mm. In this study, we discuss on (1) the determination of the instantaneous and time-averaged PNVG, (2) the effects of system parameters on PNVG, (3) the applicability of existing PNVG correlations to the channel with a short heated length, and (4) the effect of the PNVG in critical heat flux (CHF) model. The following results were obtained: (a) the effects of system parameters on the thermal equilibrium quality at the PNVG were small under the present conditions, (b) existing PNVG correlations tended to underestimate the thermal equilibrium quality at the PNVG in the channel with a short heated length, and (c) the prediction accuracy of Katto’s CHF model could be improved significantly by using the accurate PNVG.     

Solution Growth and Thermoelectric Properties of Single-Phase MnSi<Subscript>1.75−<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>

We have investigated the crystal growth of single-phase MnSi_1.75−x by a temperature gradient solution growth (TGSG) method using Ga and Sn as solvents and MnSi_1.7 alloy as the solute, and measured the thermoelectric properties of the resulting crystals. Single-phase Mn₁₁Si₁₉ and Mn₄Si₇ crystals were grown successfully using Ga and Sn as solvents, respectively. The typical size of a grown ingot of Mn₁₁Si₁₉ was 2 mm to 4 mm in thickness and 12 mm in diameter, whereas Mn₄Si₇ had polyhedral shape with dimensions in the range of several millimeters. The single-phase Mn₁₁Si₁₉ has good electrical conduction (ρ = 0.89 × 10⁻³ Ω cm to 1.09 × 10⁻³ Ω cm) compared with melt-grown multiphase higher-manganese silicide (HMS) crystals. The Seebeck coefficient, power factor, and thermal conductivity were 77 μV K⁻¹ to 85 μV K⁻¹, 6.7 μW cm⁻¹ K⁻² to 7.2 μW cm⁻¹ K⁻², and 0.032 W cm⁻¹ K⁻¹, respectively, at 300 K.     

Experimental study on two-phase natural circulation and flow termination in a loop

In order to study the two-phase natural circulation and flow termination during a small break loss of coolant accident in LWR, a hot leg U-bend simulation loop has been built based on the two-phase flow scaling criteria developed under this program. The nitrogen-water system has been used to isolate the key hydrodynamic phenomena from heat transfer problems. Various tests were carried out to establish the basic mechanism of the flow termination and reestablishment as well as to obtain essential information on scale effects of various parameters such as the loop frictional resistance, thermal center, U-bend curvature, and inlet geometry. It was found that the permanent termination of the natural circulation was related to the head balance between the hot and cold legs. The local flow condition at the inverted U-bend could produce intermittent flow, however was not related to the permanent flow termination. The void distribution in a hot leg, flow regime, and natural circulation rate have been measured in detail for various conditions. Significant effects of the inlet geometry on these were observed. Near the flow termination condition, large amplitude flow oscillations occurred. The occurrence of this type of flow instability is important for safety analyses, because it may lead to loop-to-loop oscillations or flow excursions in a prototype system which has a multi-loop configuration.