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At least 829 records · Page 46
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Baseline Postirradiation Examination of the FUTURIX-FTA Experiments

Postirradiation Examination (PIE) results from the baseline examination of the FUTURIX-FTA irradiation experiment are presented in this report. The FUTURIX-FTA irradiation was designed to study the fuel performance of candidate transmutation fuels. The FUTURIX-FTA experiment was conducted in the true fast neutron spectrum conditions of the Phénix sodium fast test reactor in France. FUTURIX-FTA contained several compositions that were also irradiated as part of the AFC-1 test in cadmium filtered positions in the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) that approximate the neutron spectrum of a fast reactor. This experiment was a joint collaboration between the Department of Energy (DOE) in the U.S. and the Commissariat á l'Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (CEA) in France. A joint agreement between DOE and CEA was established in 2004 to conduct an irradiation experiment of metallic and nitride fuels in the Phénix reactor at CEA. Both the FUTURIX-FTA tests and the AFC-1 tests were conducted for the DOE Advanced Fuels Campaign (AFC) that is part of Fuel Cycle Research & Development (FCRD) program. These programs seek to develop and demonstrate the technologies needed to transmute long-lived transuranic actinide isotopes contained in spent nuclear fuel via fast reactor technology. The long term goal of this work is to reduce the radiotoxicity of future high level waste repositories. Post-irradiation examination of irradiated fuels experiments provides data related to in reactor fuel performance and input into future fuel design choices. The compositions of the FUTURIX-FTA pins were designed to test if minor actinides could be incorporated into the fuel of a fast reactor without significantly changing fuel performance observed for previously well studied fuels. The fuel performance of metallic fuel in fast reactors has been well documented. Likewise the irradiation performance of nitride fuels in fast reactors has also been documented. However the existing database for nitride fuels is much smaller than the database for metal fuels.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Delayed Gamma Measurements in Different Nuclear Research Reactors Bringing Out the Importance of the Delayed Contribution in Gamma Flux Calculations

Neutron and gamma flux levels are key parameters in nuclear research reactors. In Material Testing Reactors, such as the future Jules Horowitz Reactor, under construction at the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA Cadarache, France), the expected gamma flux levels are very high (nuclear heating is of the order of 20 W/g at 100 MWth). As gamma rays deposit their energy in the reactor structures and structural materials it is important to take them into account when designing irradiation devices. There are only a few sensors which allow measurements of the nuclear heating ; a recent development at the CEA Cadarache allows measurements of the gamma flux using a miniature ionization chamber (MIC). The measured MIC response is often compared with calculation using modern Monte Carlo (MC) neutron and photon transport codes, such as TRIPOLI-4 and MCNP6. In these calculations only the production of prompt gamma rays in the reactor is usually modelled thus neglecting the delayed gamma rays. Hence calculations and measurements are usually in better accordance for the neutron flux than for the gamma flux. In this paper we study the contribution of delayed gamma rays to the total MIC signal in order to estimate the systematic error in gamma flux MC calculations. In order to experimentally determine the delayed gamma flux contributions to the MIC response, we performed gamma flux measurements with CEA developed MIC at three different research reactors: the OSIRIS reactor (MTR - 70 MWth at CEA Saclay, France), the TRIGA MARK II reactor (TRIGA - 250 kWth at the Jozef Stefan Institute, Slovenia) and the MARIA reactor (MTR - 30 MWth at the National Center for Nuclear Research, Poland). In order to experimentally assess the delayed gamma flux contribution to the total gamma flux, several reactor shut down (scram) experiments were performed specifically for the purpose of the measurements. Results show that on average about 30 % of the MIC signal is due to the delayed gamma rays. In this paper we describe experiments in each of the three reactors and how we estimate delayed gamma rays with MIC measurements. The results and perspectives are discussed. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Advances in reactor physics education: Visualization of reactor parameters

Modern computer codes allow detailed neutron transport calculations. In combination with advanced 3D visualization software capable of treating large amounts of data in real time they form a powerful tool that can be used as a convenient modern educational tool for reactor operators, nuclear engineers, students and specialists involved in reactor operation and design. Visualization is applicable not only in education and training, but also as a tool for fuel management, core analysis and irradiation planning. The paper treats the visualization of neutron transport in different moderators, neutron flux and power distributions in two nuclear reactors (TRIGA type research reactor and a typical PWR). The distributions are calculated with MCNP and CORD-2 computer codes and presented using Amira software. (authors)

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Method and apparatus for monitoring a hydrocarbon-selective catalytic reduction device

A method for monitoring a hydrocarbon-selective catalytic reactor device of an exhaust aftertreatment system of an internal combustion engine operating lean of stoichiometry includes injecting a reductant into an exhaust gas feedstream upstream of the hydrocarbon-selective catalytic reactor device at a predetermined mass flowrate of the reductant, and determining a space velocity associated with a predetermined forward portion of the hydrocarbon-selective catalytic reactor device. When the space velocity exceeds a predetermined threshold space velocity, a temperature differential across the predetermined forward portion of the hydrocarbon-selective catalytic reactor device is determined, and a threshold temperature as a function of the space velocity and the mass flowrate of the reductant is determined. If the temperature differential across the predetermined forward portion of the hydrocarbon-selective catalytic reactor device is below the threshold temperature, operation of the engine is controlled to regenerate the hydrocarbon-selective catalytic reactor device.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2011

High Temperature Ultrasonic Transducers for In-Service Inspection of Liquid Metal Fast Reactors

In-service inspection of liquid metal (sodium) fast reactors requires the use of ultrasonic transducers capable of operating at high temperatures (>200°C), high gamma radiation fields, and the chemically reactive liquid sodium environment. In the early- to mid-1970s, the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission supported development of high-temperature, submersible single-element transducers, used for scanning and under-sodium imaging in the Fast Flux Test Facility and the Clinch River Breeder Reactor. Current work is building on this technology to develop the next generation of high-temperature linear ultrasonic transducer arrays for under-sodium viewing and in-service inspections.

Fast Reactors↗
DOE OSTI2015

Application of the EPRI depletion reactivity benchmarks - 14423

The EPRI measured-based depletion reactivity benchmarks intend to facilitate the validation of burnup credit by validating the combined effect of changes in isotopic content and cross-sections. In the framework of burnup credit implementation for PWR fuels, this paper proposes to study the application of the EPRI benchmarks for a spent fuel pool criticality evaluation using the French tools: the DARWIN 2.2 depletion package and the CRISTAL V1 criticality safety package, both based on cross-section libraries from the JEF2.2 evaluation. For that purpose, the benchmarks are analyzed using the connection of DARWIN 2.2 with APOLLO2-MORET 4, allowing the determination of the bias for the reactivity decrement. Then, these results are used to define a bias to take into account in the criticality evaluation of a spent fuel pool. In addition, the benefit of the EPRI depletion reactivity benchmarks is assessed through a comparison with the validation approach adopted in France until now. The bias resulting from this latter approach is evaluated by 1) applying, to the calculated nuclides concentrations, isotopic penalizing factors derived from the comparison between calculated values of nuclide concentrations and experimental values obtained from used fuel chemical analyses from French reactors, 2) analyzing representative critical experiments. Additional analysis of the benchmarks using the connection of VESTA 2.1 with MORET 5 is performed as these codes allow calculations of complex 3D geometrical configurations and the use of various nuclear data libraries. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2024

FY24 LWRS Program overview

This slide deck provides a brief overview of the Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) Program. It will be used during public presentations. The LWRS Program aims to enhance the safe, efficient, and economical performance of our nation's nuclear fleet and extend the operating lifetimes of this reliable source of electricity.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Synergistic smart fuel for in-pile nuclear reactor measurements

The thermo-acoustic fuel rod sensor developed in this research has demonstrated a novel technique for monitoring the temperature within the core of a nuclear reactor or the temperature of the surrounding heat-transfer fluid. It uses the heat from the nuclear fuel to generate sustained acoustic oscillations whose frequency will be indicative of the temperature. Converting a nuclear fuel rod into this type of thermo-acoustic sensor simply requires the insertion of a porous material (stack). This sensor has demonstrated a synergy with the elevated temperatures that exist within the nuclear reactor using materials that have only minimal susceptibility to high-energy particle fluxes. When the sensor is in operation, the sound waves radiated from the fuel rod resonator will propagate through the surrounding cooling fluid. The frequency of these oscillations is directly correlated with an effective temperature within the fuel rod resonator. This device is self-powered and is operational even in case of total loss of power of the reactor.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2017

TORCHE - Toolbox for Reactor Cross-Flow Heat Exchangers

As interest within the scientific community for the development of small modular reactors (SMRs) grows, utilizing compact and cross-flow heat exchangers present many design advantages. Cross-flow configurations of tube bundles allow water, liquid metal, or a molten salt to be contained within the tube side or shell side in an efficient spatial arrangement. The goal of this project is to provide the user with an easy-to-use set of tools for cross-flow heat exchanger design. The tools are intended to require little to no geometric set-up like meshing in a CFD code in order to enable rapid preliminary design and optimization. With this set of simple Python scripts, the user can determine the necessary quantities and correctional factors in order to assess the heat exchanger characteristics. The two characteristics used in designing novel and efficient heat exchangers incorporated into this work currently are pressure drop and heat transfer coefficients. In support of these efforts, the literature has been scoured for sources of experimental data and proposed methods for calculating pressure drop and heat transfer in cross-flow tube banks. Several empirical correlations and methodologies for calculating pressure drop and heat transfer incorporated into the Toolbox for Reactor Cross-Flow Heat Exchangers (TORCHE). TORCHE is an expansion on the cross-flow pressure drop scripts reported by Haefner et al.. Presented in this summary is a synopsis of the empirical correlations and methodologies of pressure drops and heat transfer coefficient. A validation effort of these models is also presented to provide confidence in the implementation. For this validation of TORCHE, experimental data has been gathered and extracted from graphs in the literature. Error bars were not reported in the experimental data used in this summary and therefore is not included in the analysis.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2014

The role of risk management in the design of diagnostics for fusion reactors

A project-oriented approach is beneficial for the selection and design of viable diagnostics for fusion reactors because of the associated complex physical and organizational environment. The project-oriented approach includes rigorous risk management. The nature and impact of risks related to technical, organizational and commercial aspects in relation to the development of ITER diagnostics under EU responsibility are analyzed. The majority of risks are related to organizational aspects and technical feasibility issues. The experience with ITER is extrapolated to DEMO and beyond. It should not be taken for granted that technical solutions will be found, while a risk analysis of various diagnostic techniques with quantitative assessments undertaken early in the design of DEMO would be beneficial.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2012

One-group fission cross sections for plutonium and minor actinides inserted in calculated neutron spectra of fast reactor cooled with lead-208 or lead-bismuth eutectic

The paper is dedicated to one-group fission cross sections of Pu and MA in LFRs spectra with the aim to increase these values by choosing a coolant which hardens neutron spectra. It is shown that replacement of coolant from Pb-Bi with Pb-208 in the fast reactor RBEC-M, designed in Russia, leads to increasing the core mean neutron energy. As concerns fuel Pu isotopes, their one-group fission cross sections become slightly changed, while more dramatically Am-241 one-group fission cross section is changed. Another situation occurs in the lateral blanket containing small quantities of minor actinides. It is shown that as a result of lateral blanket mean neutron energy hardening the one-group fission cross sections of Np-237, Am-241 and Am-243 increases up to 8-11%. This result allows reducing the time of minor actinides burning in FRs. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
NASA NTRS1989

A look at the Soviet space nuclear power program

The Soviet Union has been flying nuclear power sources in space since about 1965. For the most part these nuclear power sources have been low-power nuclear reactors using a thermoelectric conversion principle. Recently the Soviet Union has flown two satellites using a higher power reactor that employs a thermionic conversion system. Reentry of two of the earlier reactors on board Cosmos 954 and Cosmos 1402 plus the recent potential accident involving Cosmos 1900 have focused world attention on Soviet usage of space nuclear power. Despite these problems the evidence points toward a continued Soviet usage of nuclear power sources in space.

Inductors↗
DOE OSTI2016

Fluoride Salt-Cooled High-Temperature Demonstration Reactor Point Design

The fluoride salt-cooled high-temperature reactor (FHR) demonstration reactor (DR) is a concept for a salt-cooled reactor with 100 megawatts of thermal output (MWt). It would use tristructural-isotropic (TRISO) particle fuel within prismatic graphite blocks. FLiBe (2 LiF-BeF 2 ) is the reference primary coolant. The FHR DR is designed to be small, simple, and affordable. Development of the FHR DR is a necessary intermediate step to enable near-term commercial FHRs. Lower risk technologies are purposely included in the initial FHR DR design to ensure that the reactor can be built, licensed, and operated within an acceptable budget and schedule. These technologies include TRISO particle fuel, replaceable core structural material, the use of that same material for the primary and intermediate loops, and tube-and-shell primary-to-intermediate heat exchangers. Several preconceptual and conceptual design efforts that have been conducted on FHR concepts bear a significant influence on the FHR DR design. Specific designs include the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) advanced high-temperature reactor (AHTR) with 3400/1500 MWt/megawatts of electric output (MWe), as well as a 125 MWt small modular AHTR (SmAHTR) from ORNL. Other important examples are the Mk1 pebble bed FHR (PB-FHR) concept from the University of California, Berkeley (UCB), and an FHR test reactor design developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The MIT FHR test reactor is based on a prismatic fuel platform and is directly relevant to the present FHR DR design effort. These FHR concepts are based on reasonable assumptions for credible commercial prototypes. The FHR DR concept also directly benefits from the operating experience of the Molten Salt Reactor Experiment (MSRE), as well as the detailed design efforts for a large molten salt reactor concept and its breeder variant, the Molten Salt Breeder Reactor. The FHR DR technology is most representative of the 3400 MWt AHTR concept, and it will demonstrate key operational features of that design. The FHR DR will be closely scaled to the SmAHTR concept in power and flows, so any technologies demonstrated will be directly applicable to a reactor concept of that size. The FHR DR is not a commercial prototype design, but rather a DR that serves a cost and risk mitigation function for a later commercial prototype. It is expected to have a limited operational lifetime compared to a commercial plant. It is designed to be a low-cost reactor compared to more mature advanced prototype DRs. A primary reason to build the FHR DR is to learn about salt reactor technologies and demonstrate solutions to remaining technical gaps.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2015

DRACS thermal performance evaluation for FHR

Direct Reactor Auxiliary Cooling System (DRACS) is a passive decay heat removal system proposed for the Fluoride-salt-cooled High-temperature Reactor (FHR) that combines coated particle fuel and a graphite moderator with a liquid fluoride salt as the coolant. The DRACS features three coupled natural circulation/convection loops, relying completely on buoyancy as the driving force. These loops are coupled through two heat exchangers, namely, the DRACS Heat Exchanger and the Natural Draft Heat Exchanger. In addition, a fluidic diode is employed to minimize the parasitic flow into the DRACS primary loop and correspondingly the heat loss to the DRACS during normal operation of the reactor, and to keep the DRACS ready for activation, if needed, during accidents. To help with the design and thermal performance evaluation of the DRACS, a computer code using MATLAB has been developed. This code is based on a one-dimensional formulation and its principle is to solve the energy balance and integral momentum equations. By discretizing the DRACS system in the axial direction, a bulk mean temperature is assumed for each mesh cell. The temperatures of all the cells, as well as the mass flow rates in the DRACS loops, are predicted by solving the governing equations that are obtained by integrating the energy conservation equation over each cell and integrating the momentum conservation equation over each of the DRACS loops. In addition, an intermediate heat transfer loop equipped with a pump has also been modeled in the code. This enables the study of flow reversal phenomenon in the DRACS primary loop, associated with the pump trip process. Experimental data from a High-Temperature DRACS Test Facility (HTDF) are not available yet to benchmark the code. A preliminary code validation is performed by using natural circulation experimental data available in the literature, which are as closely relevant as possible. The code is subsequently applied to the HTDF that is under construction at the Ohio State University.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2012

HYBRID ALARM SYSTEMS: COMBINING SPATIAL ALARMS AND ALARM LISTS FOR OPTIMIZED CONTROL ROOM OPERATION

The US Department of Energy (DOE) is sponsoring research, development, and deployment on Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS), in which the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is working closely with nuclear utilities to develop technologies and solutions to help ensure the safe operational life extension of current nuclear power plants. One of the main areas of focus is control room modernization. Within control room modernization, alarm system upgrades present opportunities to meet the broader goals of the LWRS project in demonstrating the use and safety of the advanced instrumentation and control (I&C) technologies and the short-term and longer term objectives of the plant. In this paper, we review approaches for and human factors issues behind upgrading alarms in the main control room of nuclear power plants.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Status Report 2: Advanced Nuclear Reactors Utilized for Synthetic Fuel Creation

Synthetic fuels (synfuels) are hydrocarbon fuels that source energy from electricity. Synfuels have the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions throughout the transportation sector. To achieve this substantial reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, the electricity must be sourced from zero- or near-zero-carbon fuel sources such as solar, wind, hydroelectricity, and nuclear power. Synfuels are produced from a combination of carbon and hydrogen sources. Hydrogen can be sourced from water electrolysis with near-zero-carbon electricity and heat (e.g., nuclear), while carbon dioxide can be sourced from ethanol and ammonia plants. In the hydrocarbon fuel synthesis process, hydrogen and carbon dioxide can be reacted to produce carbon monoxide and water, via the so-called reverse watergas shift reaction. Carbon monoxide can then react with additional hydrogen to form hydrocarbons, with carbon chains ranging from C1–C30 in the reaction known as the Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) synthesis reaction. The synthesized hydrocarbon molecules can then be hydro-processed with additional hydrogen and distilled into different carbon chain lengths so as to be compatible with existing conventional gasoline, jet, and diesel fuels. Carbon-free synfuel production comes with a “green premium” over the manufacture of identical products via conventional fossil fuels. Reports from Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) reveal that hydrogen costs dominate the cost of carbon-free synfuel production. This suggests that for the cost of green synfuel to approach that of conventional petroleum fuel, the cost of hydrogen must be approximately $\$1$/kg. Of the primary low-carbon energy sources, only nuclear carries the potential to produce hydrogen at below $\$2$/kg. (Still a bit above the lofty $\$1$/kg goal, but perhaps manageable). To further identify the potential for creating low-cost synfuels capable of competing with legacy technologies, the Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy has funded a multi-program, multi-lab effort among ANL, Idaho National Laboratory (INL), the Integrated Energy Systems (IES) program, and the Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) program. This collaboration effort will determine the possibility of using current and next generation nuclear reactors to create low-cost carbon-free synfuels for sale in the U.S. energy and commodities market.

10 SYNTHETIC FUELS↗