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Full-scale hot cell test of an acoustic sensor dedicated to measurement of the internal gas pressure and composition of a LWR nuclear fuel rod

A full-scale hot cell test of the internal gas pressure and composition measurement by an acoustic sensor was carried on successfully between 2008 and 2010 on irradiated fuel rods in the LECA-STAR facility at Cadarache Centre. The acoustic sensor has been specially designed in order to provide a nondestructive technique to easily carry out the measurement of the internal gas pressure and gas composition of a LWR nuclear fuel rod. This sensor has been achieved in 2007 and is now covered by an international patent. The first positive result, concerning the device behaviour, is that the sensor-operating characteristics have not been altered by a two-year exposure in the hot cell ambient. We performed the gas characterisation contained in irradiated fuel rods. The acoustic method accuracy is now {+-}5 bars on the pressure measurement result and {+-}0.3% on the evaluated gas composition. The results of the acoustic method were compared to puncture results. Another significant conclusion is that the efficiency of the acoustic method is not altered by the irradiation time, and possible modification of the cladding properties. These results make it possible to demonstrate the feasibility of the technique on irradiated fuel rods. The transducer and the associated methodology are now operational. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Pile noise experiment in MINERVE reactor to estimate kinetic parameters using various data processing methods

MINERVE is a two-zone pool type zero power reactor operated by CEA (Cadarache, France). Kinetic parameters of the core (prompt neutron decay constant, delayed neutron fraction, generation time) have been recently measured using various pile noise experimental techniques, namely Feynman-α, Rossi-α and Cohn-α. Results are discussed and compared to each other's. The measurement campaign has been conducted in the framework of a tri-partite collaboration between CEA, SCK.CEN and PSI. Results presented in this paper were obtained thanks to a time-stamping acquisition system developed by CEA. PSI performed simultaneous measurements which are presented in a companion paper. Signals come from two high efficiency fission chambers located in the graphite reflector next to the core driver zone. Experiments were conducted at critical state with a reactor power of 0.2 W. The core integral fission rate is obtained from a calibrated miniature fission chamber located at the center of the core. Other results obtained in two sub-critical configurations will be presented elsewhere. Best estimate delayed neutron fraction comes from the Cohn-α method: 747 ± 15 pcm (1σ). In this case, the prompt decay constant is 79 ± 0.5 s{sup -1} and the generation time is 94.5 ± 0.7 μs. Other methods give consistent results within the confidence intervals. Experimental results are compared to calculated values obtained from a full 3D core modeling with the CEA-developed Monte Carlo code TRIPOLI4.9 associated with its continuous energy JEFF3.1.1-based library. A very good agreement is observed for the calculated delayed neutron fraction (748.7 ± 0.4 pcm at 1σ), that is a difference of -0.3% with the experiment. On the contrary, a 10% discrepancy is observed for the calculated generation time (104.4 ± 0.1 μs at 1σ). (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Intelligent uranium fission converter for neutron production on the periphery of the nuclear reactor core (MARIA reactor in Swierk - Poland)

The multipurpose, high flux research reactor MARIA in Otwock - Swierk is an open-pool type, water and beryllium moderated and graphite reflected. There are two not occupied experimental H1 and H2 horizontal channels with complex of empty rooms beside them. Making use of these two channels is not in conflict with other research or commercial employing channels. They can work simultaneously, moreover commercial channels covers the cost of reactor working. Such conditions give beneficial possibility of creating epithermal neutron stand for researches in various field at the horizontal channel H2 of MARIA reactor (co-organization of research at H1 channel is additionally planned). At the front of experimental channels the neutron flux is strongly thermalized - neutrons with energies above 0.625 eV constitute only ∼2% of the total flux. This thermalized neutron flux will be used to achieve high flux of epithermal neutrons at the level of 2x10{sup 9} n cm{sup -2}s{sup -1} by uranium neutron converter (fast neutron production - conversion of reactor core thermal neutrons to fast neutrons - and then filtering, moderating and finally cutting of unwanted gamma radiation). The intelligent converter will be placed in the reactor pool, near the front of the H2 channel. It will replace one graphite block at the periphery of MARIA graphite reflector. The converter will consist of 20 fuel elements - low enriched uranium plates. A fuel plate will be a part which will measure 110 mm wide by 380 mm long and will consist of a thin layer of uranium sealed between two aluminium plates. These plates, once assembled, form the fuel element used in converter. The plates will be positioned vertically. There are several important requirements which should be taken into account at the converter design stage: -maximum efficiency of the converter for neutrons conversion, -cooling of the converter need to be integrated with the cooling circuit of the reactor pool and if needed equipped with self-cooling system (enhanced comparing to the cooling properties inherent with regular rector pool water flows), -proper cooling conditions can be ensured by an appropriate water flow, so the resistance to flow has to be optimised, -the requirement of the minimum resistance to water flow leads to the openwork design of the fuel element separator, which, on the other hand, has to be strong enough to ensure the needed strength for mechanical load due to the fuel weight and forces associated with the water flow, -the possibility of changing beam and flux qualities by rotating the converter or repositioning the converter plates by moving or replacing with another materials. In order to minimize the neutron activation of the fuel in the converter, the possibility was predicted to remove the converter and to replace it with an aluminium dummy for the time when the beam at the channel H2 is not used. This means that both, the converter and the dummy, have to be easily removable from the converter socket. There has to be also the place in the water pool, near the research stand or in technological pool, where the converter can be safely stored (this place have to be proper for operation with plates i.e. changing amount of plates). Thermal and neutron load of the fuel plates in the converter will be inhomogeneous. In order to equalize these loads, the converter should be designed in such way that it would be possible to change the order of fuel plates. Moreover replacing the amount of the plates gives the opportunity to obtain different fluxes of neutrons (quantitatively and qualitatively i.e. energetically). The project of the converter is based on Monte Carlo calculation concerning neutron production and on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) i.e. modelling of converter for thermodynamical aspects. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Development and applications of retro-reflective surfaces for ultrasound in LBE

The Belgian Nuclear Research Centre SCK-CEN is in the process of developing MYRRHA - a fast flux research reactor to replace the aging BR2. MYRRHA is conceptualized as an accelerator driven system cooled by lead bismuth eutectic mixture (LBE). As LBE is opaque to visual light, ultrasonic measurement techniques are employed as the main technology to provide feedback to submerged operations when needed. Conceptually, MYRRHA is a pool type reactor divided in a cold lower plenum and hot upper plenum separated by a diaphragm that forces the main flow through the core. The main flow is cooled by four heat exchangers and driven by two liquid metal pumps. One of the tasks tackled using ultrasound is locating a potentially lost fuel assembly to assist a recovery operation. As all fuel manipulations in MYRRHA are performed in the lower plenum, a potentially lost fuel assembly is located in the lower plenum. Buoyancy will force the lost fuel assembly to float against the diaphragm unless it is still partially inserted in the core. Because of the latter situation, an ultrasonic scan localizing the fuel assembly should be performed from a large distance to avoid a collision with such a partially inserted fuel assembly. Unfortunately, standard machined stainless steel objects, such as a fuel assembly, reflect an ultrasonic pulse in a specular way which induces stringent requirements on the alignment of the ultrasonic sensor with respect to the fuel assembly as we cannot rely on diffuse reflections and/or scattering of the ultrasonic pulse. Moreover, increasing the distance also increases geometric spreading and absorption of the pulse weakening the signal amplitude even faster to noise levels when deviating from perfect alignment. An alternative approach consists in relying on reflections from the known surroundings: a lost fuel assembly will block the line-of-sight to the diaphragm resulting in an anomaly in the reflection - either a shorter than expected time-of-flight of the pulse or a complete absence of a reflection like a shadow. In that way, it suffices to align the sensor with the diaphragm instead of the fuel assembly which is much easier to achieve as the robotics on which the sensor is mounted move parallel with the diaphragm. The alignment requirement in the latter approach can be further relaxed by using a tiling of retro-reflectors on the lower surface of the diaphragm. In that way, alignment becomes less vital and the main source of acoustic energy loss - geometric spread of the beam - is almost completely removed, leaving only absorption losses. In this paper, we present the first results in developing a retro reflectance surface for ultrasound in LBE. We present experimental results for different designs of retro-reflectors in both water and LBE. We discuss both linear and array retro-reflectors of different sizes and investigate the influence of the main relevant ultrasonic parameters such as wavelength and spot size on the strength of the received reflection under different alignment angles. We also demonstrate how retro-reflective surfaces can be exploited when localizing objects using linear and rotating scanning methods. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Implementation and Analysis for APR1400 Soft Control System

Due to the rapid advancement of digital technology, the definite technical advantages of digital control system compared to analog control system are accelerating the implementation of advanced distributed digital control system in the nuclear power plant. One of the major advantages of digital control system is the capability of Soft Control System. The design of Soft Control System for Advanced Power Reactor 1400 (APR1400) plant of Man-Machine Interface System (MMIS) is based on full digital technologies to enhance reliability, operability and maintainability. Computer-based compact workstation has been adopted in the APR1400 Main Control Room (MCR) to provide convenient working environment. This paper introduces the approaches and methodologies of Soft Control System for the Advanced Control Room (ACR). This paper also explains major design features for operation and display of the Soft Control System and its implementation to cope with regulatory requirements. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Design and commissioning of a high magnetic field muon spin relaxation spectrometer at the ISIS pulsed neutron and muon source

The high magnetic field (HiFi) muon instrument at the ISIS pulsed neutron and muon source is a state-of-the-art spectrometer designed to provide applied magnetic fields up to 5 T for muon studies of condensed matter and molecular systems. The spectrometer is optimised for time-differential muon spin relaxation studies at a pulsed muon source. We describe the challenges involved in its design and construction, detailing, in particular, the magnet and detector performance. Commissioning experiments have been conducted and the results are presented to demonstrate the scientific capabilities of the new instrument.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Update on ORNL TRANSFORM Tool: Simulating Multi-Module Advanced Reactor with End-to-End I&C

The Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Dynamic System Modeling Tool project is in the fourth year of development. The project is designed to support collaborative modeling and study of various advanced SMR (non-light water cooled reactor) concepts, including the use of multiple coupled reactors at a single site. The focus of this report is the development of a steam generator and drum system model that includes the complex dynamics of typical steam drum systems, the development of instrumentation and controls for the steam generator with drum system model, and the development of multi-reactor module models that reflect the full power reactor innovative small module design concept. The objective of the project is to provide a common simulation environment and baseline modeling resources to facilitate rapid development of dynamic advanced reactor models; ensure consistency among research products within the Instrumentation, Controls, and Human-Machine Interface technical area; and leverage cross-cutting capabilities while minimizing duplication of effort. The combined simulation environment and suite of models are identified as the TRANSFORM tool. The critical elements of this effort include (1) defining a standardized, common simulation environment that can be applied throughout the Advanced Reactors Technology program; (2) developing a library of baseline component modules that can be assembled into full plant models using available geometry, design, and thermal-hydraulic data; (3) defining modeling conventions for interconnecting component models; and (4) establishing user interfaces and support tools to facilitate simulation development (i.e., configuration and parameterization), execution, and results display and capture.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Benefits of digitalizing and employing simulation to increase plant system performance and ensure compliance with technical specifications - 109

The essential services water system in a BWR nuclear power plant was affected by corrosion, soiling and blockages due to ageing. Those episodes affected safety margins hindering the Technical Specifications compliance during periodic system testing. Tecnatom designed, implemented and tested a design modification for the on-line monitoring of this system by integrating it in the existing Digital Control System (DCS). Key system parameters were acquired in real time to be displayed in the Human System Interface, used in performing calculations and stored their historical evolution. The objective was to optimize monitoring and surveillance of the essential service water system. Furthermore, Tecnatom developed an engineering simulator ('What if' simulator) consisting of a hydraulic model of the system. This simulator takes as inputs each heat exchanger performance parameters from the plant DCS, allows the user to change the essential services water system configuration (valves position, UHS level...) and calculates theoretical process values predicting the system real behavior. In a second stage, more system instruments were wired to the DCS for Technical Specifications compliance automatic surveillance regarding opening and closing times of system valves. Operating experience shows important benefits after the digitalization. It enhances on-line information of system operation and automates calculation of load loss factor of each heat exchanger. It eases the evaluation of blockages and soiling in the system allowing optimization of cleaning proceedings. System Surveillance Requirements and Test Requirements reports have been automated optimizing the operation workload. The simulator use enables to identify optimal system configuration increasing safety margins of the system and ensuring Technical Specifications fulfillment. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Analysis and recent advances in gamma heating measurements in MINERVE facility by using TLD and OSLD techniques

The objective of this study is to develop nuclear heating measurement methods in Zero Power experimental reactors. This paper presents the analysis of Thermo-Luminescent Detector (TLD) and Optically Stimulated Luminescent Detectors (OSLD) experiments in the UO{sub 2} core of the MINERVE research reactor at the CEA Cadarache. The experimental sources of uncertainties on the gamma dose have been reduced by improving the conditions, as well as the repeatability, of the calibration step for each individual TLD. The interpretation of these measurements needs to take into account calculation of cavity correction factors, related to calibration and irradiation configurations, as well as neutron corrections calculations. These calculations are based on Monte Carlo simulations of neutron-gamma and gamma-electron transport coupled particles. TLD and OSLD are positioned inside aluminum pillboxes. The comparison between calculated and measured integral gamma-ray absorbed doses using TLD, shows that calculation slightly overestimates the measurement with a C/E value equal to 1.05 {+-} 5.3 % (k = 2). By using OSLD, the calculation slightly underestimates the measurement with a C/E value equal to 0.96 {+-} 7.0% (k = 2. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Long-Term Instrumentation, Information, and Control Systems (II&C) Modernization Future Vision and Strategy (Revision 1)

Life extension beyond 60 years for the U.S operating nuclear fleet requires that instrumentation and control (I&C) systems be upgraded to address aging and reliability concerns. It is impractical for the legacy systems based on 1970's vintage technology operate over this extended time period. Indeed, utilities have successfully engaged in such replacements when dictated by these operational concerns. However, the replacements have been approached in a like-for-like manner, meaning that they do not take advantage of the inherent capabilities of digital technology to improve business functions. And so, the improvement in I&C system performance has not translated to bottom-line performance improvement for the fleet. Therefore, wide-scale modernization of the legacy I&C systems could prove to be cost-prohibitive unless the technology is implemented in a manner to enable significant business innovation as a means of off-setting the cost of upgrades. A Future Vision of a transformed nuclear plant operating model based on an integrated digital environment has been developed as part of the Advanced Instrumentation, Information, and Control (II&C) research pathway, under the Light Water Reactor (LWR) Sustainability Program. This is a research and development program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), performed in close collaboration with the nuclear utility industry, to provide the technical foundations for licensing and managing the long-term, safe and economical operation of current nuclear power plants. DOE's program focus is on longer-term and higher-risk/reward research that contributes to the national policy objectives of energy security and environmental security. The Advanced II&C research pathway is being conducted by the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The Future Vision is based on a digital architecture that encompasses all aspects of plant operations and support, integrating plant systems, plant work processes, and plant workers in a seamless digital environment to enhance nuclear safety, increase productivity, and improve overall plant performance. The long-term goal is to transform the operating model of the nuclear power plants (NPP)s from one that is highly reliant on a large staff performing mostly manual activities to an operating model based on highly integrated technology with a smaller staff. This digital transformation is critical to addressing an array of issues facing the plants, including aging of legacy analog systems, potential shortage of technical workers, ever-increasing expectations for nuclear safety improvement, and relentless pressure to reduce cost. The Future Vision is based on research is being conducted in the following major areas of plant function: (1) Highly integrated control rooms; (2) Highly automated plant; (3) Integrated operations; (4) Human performance improvement for field workers; and (5) Outage safety and efficiency. Pilot projects will be conducted in each of these areas as the means for industry to collectively integrate these new technologies into nuclear plant work activities. The pilot projects introduce new digital technologies into the nuclear plant operating environment at host operating plants to demonstrate and validate them for production usage. In turn, the pilot project technologies serve as the stepping stones to the eventual seamless digital environment as described in the Future Vision.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Cryogenic system with GM cryocooler for krypton, xenon separation from hydrogen-helium purge gas

In the thorium molten salt reactor (TMSR), fission products such as krypton, xenon and tritium will be produced continuously in the process of nuclear fission reaction. A cryogenic system with a two stage GM cryocooler was designed to separate Kr, Xe, and H{sub 2} from helium purge gas. The temperatures of two stage heat exchanger condensation tanks were maintained at about 38 K and 4.5 K, respectively. The main fluid parameters of heat transfer were confirmed, and the structural heat exchanger equipment and cold box were designed. Designed concentrations after cryogenic separation of Kr, Xe and H{sub 2} in helium recycle gas are less than 1 ppb.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Improvement in Thermal-Ionization Mass Spectrometry (TIMS) using Total Flash Evaporation (TFE) method for lanthanides isotope ratio measurements in transmutation targets

The experiments involved in the PHENIX french nuclear reactor to obtain precise and accurate data on the total capture cross sections of the heavy isotopes and fission products require isotopic ratios measurements with uncertainty of a few per mil. These accurate isotopic ratio measurements are performed with mass spectrometer equipped with multi-collector system. The major difficulty for the analyses of these actinides and fission products is the low quantity of the initial powder enclosed in steel container (3 to 5 mg) and the very low quantities of products formed (several {mu}g) after irradiation. Specific analytical developments are performed by Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometry (TIMS) to be able to analyse several nanograms of elements with this technique. A specific method of acquisition named Total Flash Evaporation was adapted in this study in the case of lanthanide measurements for quantity deposited on the filament in the order of 2 ng and applied on irradiated fuel. To validate the analytical approach and discuss about the accuracy of the data, the isotopic ratios obtained by TIMS are compared with other mass spectrometric techniques such as Multiple-Collector Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (MC-ICPMS). (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Reactivity measurements using the Zolotukhin-Mogilner Method

The zero count probability method (also called Zolotukhin-Mogilner Method, after its inventors) is a method for measuring the reactivity in nuclear reactors, being a competitor of the [more well-known in the West] Feynman-alpha Method and the Rossi-alpha Method. The modus operandi of this method is using the detector channels where there was no counting at all in order to calculate reactor parameters. In deep subcriticality few models have been tested and this work tries out the Zolotukhin-Mogilner Method in one of such scenarios: measurements will be made in environments below -3,5 k pcm in the zero-potency water-moderated reactor IPEN/MB-01 which is fuelled by UO{sub 2} enriched by 4.3%. These extremely low reactivity environments are required because the chance of no counts on the detector must be significant: otherwise, the method would demand a large time of acquisition of data. Besides that, the method is very simple and straightforward. One of the advantages of this method is that it needs very little data reduction, since the essential data is directly given by the measuring apparatus. The detection will be in charge of modern BF{sub 3} detectors. It will be assumed that, in these deep subcritical systems, the function K{sub eff} = f(N-Nkp) has a linear portion in its first part, resulting of the decomposition of it in a Taylor series. The value of alpha is related to the reactivity ρ with linear dependency. The results will be compared with recent studies of the two main methods described above. Presented for the first time in the 60's, this tool has seen little use in the west hemisphere. This work shows its use in the measurements of the nuclear reactor IPEN/MB-01, as well as the code developed for its employment. It will be the first time this method is used in the south hemisphere. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Study on main control room and human-system interface of generation III in China - 313

This paper focuses on the study on Main Control Room (MCR) and Human-System Interface (HSI) of Generation III in China. An intelligent HSI has been developed to enhance the safety and availability of Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) by improving operational reliability. The key elements of the proposed HSI such as Advanced Alarm System, State Oriented Procedures (SOP), Large Display Panel (LDP), Computerized-base procedures..., that affects what information the operator sees or the system's response to a control input must be empirically evaluated to ensure that the new design does not compromise HSI effectiveness. Based on CPR1000's experience in China, this paper presents the approach used as well as the most relevant aspects of this kind of project for the next generation. This approach will be used in new Generation III nuclear power plant, and also used in modernizing I and C system in currently operative nuclear power plants, in addition to meeting safety requirements and the plant's operational requirements, to improve cost-effective plant and human performance and to reduce likelihood of human errors, to gain maximum benefit of the implemented technology and to increase the performance, resulting in improved plant safety, availability, reliability, and cost-effective operation. The proposed HSI has been validated and demonstrated using the CPR1000 simulator of National Key Laboratory. After sufficient validation, the characteristic design features of the proposed HSI will be reflected in the design of the main control room of the next generation reactors in China. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Design Concept for a Nuclear Reactor-Powered Mars Rover

A report presents a design concept for an instrumented robotic vehicle (rover) to be used on a future mission of exploration of the planet Mars. The design incorporates a nuclear fission power system to provide long range, long life, and high power capabilities unachievable through the use of alternative solar or radioisotope power systems. The concept described in the report draws on previous rover designs developed for the 2009 Mars Science laboratory (MSL) mission to minimize the need for new technology developments.

Elliott, John↗

Expected total counts for the Self-Interrogation Neutron Resonance Densitometry measurements of spent nuclear fuel

The Self-Interrogation Neutron Resonance Densitometry (SINRD) is a passive neutron technique that aims at a direct quantification of {sup 239}Pu in spent fuel assemblies by measuring the attenuation of the neutron flux in the energy region close to the 0.3 eV resonance of {sup 239}Pu. The {sup 239}Pu mass is estimated by calculating the SINRD signature, that is the ratio between the neutron counts in the fast energy region and around the 0.3 eV resonance region. The SINRD measurement approach in this study consisted in introducing a small neutron detector in the central guide tube of a PWR 17x17 fuel assembly. In order to measure the neutron flux in the energy regions defined in the SINRD signature, different detector types were used. The response of a bare {sup 238}U fission chamber is considered for the determination of the fast neutron flux, while other thermal-epithermal detectors wrapped in neutron absorbers are envisaged to measure the neutron flux around the resonance region. This paper provides an estimation of the total neutron counts that can be achieved with the detector types proposed for the SINRD measurement. In the first section a set of detectors are evaluated in terms of total neutron counts and sensitivity to the {sup 239}Pu content, in order to identify the optimal measurement configuration for each detector type. Then a study is performed to increase the total neutron counts by increasing the detector size. The study shows that the highest total neutron counts are achieved by using either {sup 3}He or {sup 10}B proportional counters because of the high neutron efficiency of these detectors. However, the calculations indicate that the biggest contribution to the measurement uncertainty is due to the measurement of the fast neutron flux. Finally, similar sensitivity to the {sup 239}Pu content is obtained by using the different detector types for the measurement of the neutron flux close to the resonance region. Therefore, the total neutron counts associated to each detector type will play a major role in the selection of the detector types used for the SINRD measurement. (authors)

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗