scholarly journals Patchy nuclear chain reactions

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Dumonteil ◽  
Rian Bahran ◽  
Theresa Cutler ◽  
Benjamin Dechenaux ◽  
Travis Grove ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Reactor ◽  
Reactor Core ◽  
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Chain Reactions ◽  
Branching Random Walks ◽  
Stochastic Fluctuations ◽  
Nuclear Chain ◽  
Reactor Operating ◽  
Experimental Findings

AbstractStochastic fluctuations of the neutron population within a nuclear reactor are typically prevented by operating the core at a sufficient power, since a deterministic (i.e., exactly predictable) behavior of the neutron population is required by automatic safety systems to detect unwanted power excursions. In order to characterize the reactor operating conditions at which the fluctuations vanish, an experiment was designed and took place in 2017 at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Reactor Critical Facility. This experiment however revealed persisting fluctuations and striking patchy spatial patterns in neutron spatial distributions. Here we report these experimental findings, interpret them by a stochastic modeling based on branching random walks, and extend them using a “numerical twin” of the reactor core. Consequences on nuclear safety will be discussed.

SIMULASI KARAKTERISTIK ALIRAN DAN SUHU FLUIDA PENDINGIN (H2O) PADA TERAS REAKTOR NUKLIR SMR (SMALL MODULAR REACTOR)

ROTASI ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 33
Author(s):  
Anwar Ilmar Ramadhan ◽  
Indra Setiawan ◽  
M. Ivan Satryo
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Flow ◽  
Nuclear Reactor ◽  
Reactor Core ◽  
Heat Removal ◽  
Axial Direction ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Fluid Temperature ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Fuel Reactor ◽  
Performance Of Heat Transfer

Safety is an issue that is of considerable concern in the design, operation and development of a nuclear reactor. Therefore, the method of analysis used in all these activities should be thorough and reliable so as to predict a wide range of operating conditions of the reactor, both under normal operating conditions and in the event of an accident. Performance of heat transfer to the cooling of nuclear fuel, reactor safety is key. Poor heat removal performance would threaten the integrity of the fuel cladding which could further impact on the release of radioactive substances into the environment in an uncontrolled manner to endanger the safety of the reactor workers, the general public, and the environment. This study has the objective is to know is profile contour of fluid flow and the temperature distribution pattern of the cooling fluid is water (H2O) in convection in to SMR reactor with fuel sub reed arrangement of hexagonal in forced convection. In this study will be conducted simulations on the SMR reactor core used sub channel hexagonal using CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) code. And the results of this simulation look more upward (vector of fluid flow) fluid temperature will be warm because the heat moves from the wall to the fluid heater. Axial direction and also looks more fluid away from the heating element temperature will be lower.

Formation of Local, Transient “Acid Spikes” in the Fast Neutron Radiolysis of Supercritical Water at 400 °C: A Potential Source of Corrosion in Supercritical Water-Cooled Reactors?

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Md Mohsin Patwary ◽  
Sunuchakan Sanguanmith ◽  
Jintana Meesungnoen ◽  
Jean-Paul Jay-Gerin
Keyword(s):  
Fast Neutron ◽  
Supercritical Water ◽  
Reactor Core ◽  
Radiation Chemistry ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Monte Carlo Simulation Study ◽  
Proper Understanding ◽  
Gen Iv ◽  
Reactor Operating

Abstract The use of supercritical water (SCW) in GEN IV reactors is a logical approach to the ongoing development of nuclear energy. A proper understanding of the radiation chemistry and reactivities of transients in a reactor core under SCW conditions is required to achieve optimal water chemistry control and safety. A Monte Carlo simulation study of the radiolysis of SCW at 400 °C by incident 2 MeV monoenergetic neutrons (taken as representative of a fast neutron flux in a reactor) was carried out as a function of water density between ∼150 and 600 kg/m3. The in situ formation of H3O+ by the generated recoil protons was shown to render the “native” track regions temporarily very acidic (pH ∼ 1). This acidity, though local and transitory (“acid spikes”), raises the question whether it may promote a corrosive environment under proposed SCW-cooled reactor operating conditions that would lead to progressive degradation of reactor components.

Scoping Analyses of Parameterized Cool-Down Transients Associated With Reactor Shutdown

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. L. Dickson ◽  
M. T. EricksonKirk
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Reactor ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Operating Temperature ◽  
Nuclear Regulatory Commission ◽  
The United States ◽  
Pressure Vessels ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Temperature And Pressure ◽  
Reactor Operating ◽  
Technical Basis

The current regulations, as set forth by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), to insure that light-water nuclear reactor pressure vessels (RPVs) maintain their structural integrity when subjected to planned startup (heat-up) and shutdown (cool-down) transients are specified in Appendix G to 10 CFR Part 50, which incorporates by reference Appendix G to Section XI of the ASME Code. The technical basis for these regulations contains many aspects that are now broadly recognized by the technical community as being unnecessarily conservative. During the past decade, the NRC conducted the interdisciplinary Pressurized Thermal Shock (PTS) Re-evaluation Project that established a technical basis to support a risk-informed revision to current PTS regulations (10CFR Part 50.61). Once the results of the PTS reevaluation are incorporated into a revision of the 10 CFR 50 guidance on PTS, it is anticipated that the regulatory requirements for the fracture toughness of the RPV required to withstand a PTS event (accidental loading) will in some cases be less restrictive than the current requirements of Appendix G to 10 CFR Part 50, which apply to normal operating conditions. This logical inconsistency occurs because the new PTS guidelines will be based on realistic models and inputs whereas existing Appendix G requirements contain known and substantial conservatisms. Consequently, a goal of current NRC research is to derive a technical basis for a risk-informed revision to the current requirements of Appendix G to 10 CFR Part 50 in a manner that is consistent with that used to develop the risk-informed revision to the PTS regulations. Scoping probabilistic fracture mechanics (PFM) analyses have been performed for several hundred parameterized cool-down transients to (1) obtain insights regarding the interaction of operating temperature and pressure parameters on the conditional probability of crack initiation and vessel failure and (2) determine the limits on the permissible combinations of operating temperature and pressure within which the reactor may be brought into or out of an operational condition that remains below the acceptance criteria adopted for PTS of 1 × 10−6 failed RPVs per reactor operating year. This paper discusses the modeling assumptions, results, and implications of these scoping analyses.

Study of the Influence of Microstructure and Intergranular Carbides on the Oxidation Behavior of a Nickel Base Alloy 690 TT in Supercritical Water Nuclear Reactor Conditions

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Sáez-Maderuelo ◽  
María Luisa Ruiz-Lorenzo ◽  
Francisco Javier Perosanz ◽  
Patricie Halodová ◽  
Jan Prochazka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Supercritical Water ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Oxidation Behavior ◽  
Nuclear Reactor ◽  
Base Alloy ◽  
Nuclear Industry ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Alloy 690 ◽  
Reactor Operating

Abstract Alloy 690, which was designed as a replacement for the Alloy 600, is widely used in the nuclear industry due to its optimum behavior to stress corrosion cracking (SCC) under nuclear reactor operating conditions. Because of this superior resistance, alloy 690 has been proposed as a candidate structural material for the Supercritical Water Reactor (SCWR), which is one of the designs of the next generation of nuclear power plants (Gen IV). In spite of this, striking results were found [1] when alloy 690 was tested without intergranular carbides. These results showed that, contrary to expectations, the crack growth rate is lower in samples without intergranular carbides than in samples with intergranular carbides. Therefore, the role of the carbides in the corrosion behavior of Alloy 690 is not yet well understood. Considering these observations, the aim of this work is to study the effect of intergranular carbides in the oxidation behavior (as a preliminary stage of degenerative processes SCC) of Alloy 690 in supercritical water (SCW) at two temperatures: 400 °C and 500 °C and 25 MPa. Oxide layers of selected specimens were studied by different techniques like Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES).

Predictive Modeling of Acoustic Signals From Thermoacoustic Power Sensors (TAPS)

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher M. Dumm ◽  
Jeffrey S. Vipperman ◽  
Jorge V. Carvajal ◽  
Melissa M. Walter ◽  
Luke Czerniak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Predictive Modeling ◽  
Acoustic Waves ◽  
Nuclear Reactor ◽  
Reactor Core ◽  
Signal Propagation ◽  
Acoustic Signals ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Liquid Sodium ◽  
Thermoacoustic Engines ◽  
Self Powered

Thermoacoustic Power Sensor (TAPS) technology offers the potential for self-powered, wireless measurement of nuclear reactor core operating conditions. TAPS are based on thermoacoustic engines, which harness thermal energy from fission reactions to generate acoustic waves by virtue of gas motion through a porous stack of thermally nonconductive material. TAPS can be placed in the core, where they generate acoustic waves whose frequency and amplitude are proportional to the local temperature and radiation flux, respectively. TAPS acoustic signals are not measured directly at the TAPS; rather, they propagate wirelessly from an individual TAPS through the reactor, and ultimately to a low-power receiver network on the vessel’s exterior. In order to rely on TAPS as primary instrumentation, reactor-specific models which account for geometric/acoustic complexities in the signal propagation environment must be used to predict the amplitude and frequency of TAPS signals at receiver locations. The reactor state may then be derived by comparing receiver signals to the reference levels established by predictive modeling. In this paper, we develop and experimentally benchmark a methodology for predictive modeling of the signals generated by a TAPS system, with the intent of subsequently extending these efforts to modeling of TAPS in a liquid sodium environment.

Assessing Advanced Test Reactor Process States Using Acoustic Measurement Infrastructure

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vivek Agarwal ◽  
James A. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Reactor ◽  
Signal Transmission ◽  
National Laboratory ◽  
Reactor Core ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Acoustic Measurement ◽  
Primary Coolant ◽  
Test Reactor ◽  
Operation Cycle ◽  
Measurement Infrastructure

The core of any nuclear reactor presents a particularly harsh environment for sensors and instrumentations. The reactor core also imposes challenging constraints on signal transmission from inside the reactor core to outside of the reactor vessel. In this paper, an acoustic measurement infrastructure installed at the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR), located at Idaho National Laboratory, is presented. The measurement infrastructure consists of ATR in-pile structural components, coolant, acoustic receivers, primary coolant pumps, a data-acquisition system, and signal processing algorithms. Intrinsic and cyclic acoustic signals generated by the operation of the primary coolant pumps are collected and processed. The characteristics of the intrinsic signal can indicate the process state of the ATR (such as reactor startup, reactor criticality, reactor attaining maximum power, and reactor shutdown) during operation (i.e., real-time measurement). This paper demonstrated different in acoustic signature of the ATR under different operating conditions. In particular, ATR acoustic baseline is captured during typical operation cycle and during power axial locator mechanism operation cycle. The difference in two acoustic baseline is significant and highlights salient difference that are critical in the design and development of acoustically telemetered sensors.

scholarly journals Temperature Dependence of Primary Species G(values) Formed from Radiolysis of Water by Interaction of Tritium β-Particles

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 17
Author(s):  
Sofia Loren Butarbutar ◽  
Sriyono Sriyono ◽  
Geni Rina Sunaryo
Keyword(s):  
Temperature Dependence ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Reactor Core ◽  
Cooling Water ◽  
Radiation Chemistry ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Water Radiolysis ◽  
Direct Measurements ◽  
Temperature Ranges ◽  
Reactor Operating

TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE OF PRIMARY SPECIES G(VALUES) FORMED FROM RADIOLYSIS OF WATER BY INTERACTION OF TRITIUM β-PARTICLES. G(values) are important to understand the effect of radiolysis of Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) cooling water. Since direct measurements are difficult, hence modeling and computer simulation were carried out to predict radiation chemistry in and around reactor core. G(values) are required to calculate the radiation chemistry. Monte Carlo simulations were used to calculate the G(values) of primary species , H•, H2, •OH dan H2O2 formed from the radiolysis of tritium β low energy electron. These radiolytic products can degrade the reactor components and cause corrosion under the reactor operating conditions. G(values) prediction can indirectly contribute to maintain the material reliability. G(values) were calculated at 10-8, 10-7, 10-6 and 10-5 s after ionization at temperature ranges. The calculation were compared with the G(values) of g-ray 60Co. The work aimed to understand temperature effect on the water radiolysis mechanism by the tritium β electron. The results show that the trend similarity was found on the temperature dependence of G(values) of tritium β electron and g-ray 60Co. For tritium β electron, G(values) for free radical were lower than g-ray 60Co, but higher for molecular products as temperature raise at 10-8 and 10-7. The significant differences for these two type of radiations were on G(H2), G(•OH) and G(H•) at 10-6and 10-5 s above 200 oC.

scholarly journals CALCULATION OF RADIOACTIVE SOURCE TERM RELEASE FROM FLEXBLUE NPP

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 63
Author(s):  
Muhammad Budi Setiawan ◽  
Pande Made Udiyani
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Noble Metals ◽  
Nuclear Reactor ◽  
Source Term ◽  
Reactor Core ◽  
Fission Products ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Normal Operating ◽  
Small Modular Reactor ◽  
Mechanistic Approach

One of the National Research Programs (PRN) in the energy sector of the Indonesian Ministry of Research and Technology for the period of 2020-2024 is small modular reactor (SMR) nuclear power plant (NPP) assessment. The France’s Flexblue is a PWR-based SMR submerged reactor with a power of 160 MWe. The Flexblue reactor module was built on the ocean site and easily provided the supply of reactor modules, in accordance with the conditions of Indonesia as an archipelagic country. Therefore, it is necessary to know the release of fission products (source term), which is necessary for the study of the radiation safety of a nuclear reactor. This paper aims to examine the source term in normal operating conditions and abnormal normal operating conditions, as well as postulated accidents. Based on the Flexblue reactor core parameter data, the calculation of the reactor core inventory uses the ORIGEN2 software is previously evaluated. The source term calculation uses a mechanistic approach and a graded approach. The normal source term is calculated assuming the presence of impurities on the fuel plate, due to fabrication limitations. Meanwhile, the abnormal source term is postulated in the LOCA event. The core reactor inventory and source term is divided into 8 radionuclide groups which are Noble gasses group (Xe, Kr); Halogen (I); Akali Metal (Cs, Rb); Tellurium Group (Te, Sb, Sc); Barium-Strontium Group (Ba, Sr); Noble Metals (Ru, Rh, Pd, Mo, Tc, Co); Lanthanides group (La, Zr, Nd, Eu, Nb, Pm, Pr, Sm, Y, Cm, Am) and Cerium Group (Ce, Pu , Np).

scholarly journals Fabrication and Testing of a Modular Micro-Pocket Fission Detector Instrumentation System for Test Nuclear Reactors

2018 ◽  
Vol 170 ◽  
pp. 04018
Author(s):  
Michael A. Reichenberger ◽  
Daniel M. Nichols ◽  
Sarah R. Stevenson ◽  
Tanner M. Swope ◽  
Caden W. Hilger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neutron Flux ◽  
Nuclear Reactor ◽  
Modular Design ◽  
Reactor Core ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Sensor Nodes ◽  
Detector Array ◽  
State University ◽  
The Core ◽  
Kansas State University

Advancements in nuclear reactor core modeling and computational capability have encouraged further development of in-core neutron sensors. Measurement of the neutron-flux distribution within the reactor core provides a more complete understanding of the operating conditions in the reactor than typical ex-core sensors. Micro-Pocket Fission Detectors have been developed and tested previously but have been limited to single-node operation and have utilized highly specialized designs. The development of a widely deployable, multi-node Micro-Pocket Fission Detector assembly will enhance nuclear research capabilities. A modular, four-node Micro-Pocket Fission Detector array was designed, fabricated, and tested at Kansas State University. The array was constructed from materials that do not significantly perturb the neutron flux in the reactor core. All four sensor nodes were equally spaced axially in the array to span the fuel-region of the reactor core. The array was filled with neon gas, serving as an ionization medium in the small cavities of the Micro-Pocket Fission Detectors. The modular design of the instrument facilitates the testing and deployment of numerous sensor arrays. The unified design drastically improved device ruggedness and simplified construction from previous designs. Five 8-mm penetrations in the upper grid plate of the Kansas State University TRIGA Mk. II research nuclear reactor were utilized to deploy the array between fuel elements in the core. The Micro-Pocket Fission Detector array was coupled to an electronic support system which has been specially developed to support pulse-mode operation. The Micro-Pocket Fission Detector array composed of four sensors was used to monitor local neutron flux at a constant reactor power of 100 kWth at different axial locations simultaneously. The array was positioned at five different radial locations within the core to emulate the deployment of multiple arrays and develop a 2-dimensional measurement of neutron flux in the reactor core.

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