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At least 1,009 records · Page 56

Determining the Appropriate Emergency Planning Attributes for Microreactors

Micro-reactor designs incorporate design features that provide very low reactor decay heat power at 24 hours after shutdown that is manageable in comparison with larger reactors. This attribute translates into a low probability of core damage negligible offsite dose. This paper provides the conceptual framework for appropriately structuring emergency planning requirements for micro-reactors while ensuring the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) commitment to safety is met. Due to the diversity in reactor designs comprising the micro-reactor community, this paper identifies the necessary concepts that should be considered to ensure emergency plans for micro-reactors are appropriate for the risk. This paper does not mandate specific design features for micro-reactors but provides reactor designers a conceptual framework for a scalable, graded approach to Emergency Planning Standards that should be considered in their individual designs in order to support simplified emergency plans. Given that accident source terms associated with micro-reactors are essentially negligible when compared with those for large light water reactors, revisions to emergency planning standards are justified. A graded approach to implementing emergency planning guidance can be used to appropriately structure micro-reactor emergency plans and reduce the size of the emergency planning zone and plume exposure pathway. Appropriately structuring emergency planning requirements will better optimize licensee and offsite agencies emergency planning resources and reduce the resources associated with emergency planning.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

BISON BWR Fuel Modeling Capability: Material Models (FY2020)

Until this year the BISON fuel performance code has been developed primarily for pressurized water reactor (PWR), accident tolerant fuel (ATF), and advanced reactor (e.g., tri-structural isotropic (TRISO), metallic) analyses. The main focus of this work is to develop and document required material models that would aid predicting cladding failure with a specific hydride distribution to be investigated for boiling water reactor (BWR) applications in the next fiscal year. In terms of materials, the primary differences between a BWR and PWR is the use of gadolinia doping of the UO 2 fuel, the use of Zircaloy-2 for the cladding, and the addition of a liner on the inner surface of the cladding for improved pellet-clad mechanical interaction (PCMI)performance. The liner is typically made of pure zirconium or a lower tin content zirconium alloy (e.g. Zr-0.3%Sn). This work details the development and documentation of material and behavioral models for BWR analysis such as the addition of material and behavior models for gadolinia doped UO 2 , pure zirconium, Zr-0.3%Sn, and Zircaloy-2 as well as the ease-of-use additions to allow internal meshing capabilities to include liners. Another important aspect affecting cladding performance is hydrogen diffusion and hydride precipitation in the cladding. A model was added previously for non-lined, homogeneous claddings. In this work, instructions are provided on how to apply the model to BWR liner cladding. Representative experimental values are provided for the hydrogen diffusion parameters and precipitation-dissolution kinetics for typical liner materials of interest.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Hydrogen Risk Assessment Models (HyRAM) (Version 3.0 Technical Reference Manual)

The HyRAM software toolkit provides a basis for conducting quantitative risk assessment and consequence modeling for hydrogen infrastructure and transportation systems. HyRAM is designed to facilitate the use of state-of-the-art science and engineering models to conduct robust, repeatable assessments of hydrogen safety, hazards, and risk. HyRAM includes generic probabilities for hydrogen equipment failures, probabilistic models for the impact of heat flux on humans and structures, and computationally and experimentally validated first-order models of hydrogen release and flame physics. HyRAM integrates deterministic and probabilistic models for quantifying accident scenarios, predicting physical effects, and characterizing hydrogen hazards (thermal effects from jet fires, overpressure effects from deflagrations), and assessing impact on people and structures. HyRAM is developed at Sandia National Laboratories for the U.S. Department of Energy to increase access to technical data about hydrogen safety and to enable the use of that data to support development and revision of national and international codes and standards. HyRAM is a research software in active development and thus the models and data may change. This report will be updated at appropriate developmental intervals. This document provides a description of the methodology and models contained in the HyRAM version 3.0. HyRAM 3.0 includes the new ability to model cryogenic hydrogen releases from liquid hydrogen systems, using a different property calculation method and different equations of state. Other changes include modifications to the ignition probability calculations, component leak frequency calculations, and addition of default impulse data.

08 HYDROGEN↗

A Review of Nuclear Reactor Transients

This paper explores the nuclear yield that is produced during nuclear transients in small reactors. Nuclear reactor transients can have a wide range of effects such as the reproducible power excursions as found in Godiva-IV to full reactor destruction as planned for in the Kiwi-TNT test. Criticality accidents are also included in this study as in essence a small nuclear reactor has been inadvertently created. The motivation for this paper is to educate the audience as to the likely fission energy release for a typical transient in a small nuclear reactor.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Computational Analysis of Water Film Thickness During Rain Events for Assessing Hydroplaning Risk Part 2: Rough Road Surfaces

Hydroplaning occurs when a water film forms on a road during a rain event and vehicles are traveling at a speed that does not provide sufficient time for the tires to push the water film out of the tire path. Under these conditions, the tire loses contact with the road and the driver may lose control over the vehicle. The present study is a part of a multiyear research effort aimed at gaining a better understanding of the factors that contribute to hydroplaning risk in order to minimize the occurrence of hydroplaning accidents. Three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis was used to investigate the water film thickness on multilane roads, one of the key parameters in evaluating hydroplaning risk. In the first part of the study, water films forming on wide roadways, i.e. multilane highways with 2, 4, and 6 lanes per side, were analyzed, with varying cross slope, longitudinal slope, and rainfall rate. Roadways with and without curbs and drainage were included in the analysis. The analysis in the first part was limited to nearly smooth asphalt or concrete surfaces because the maximum roughness height that can be specified in a CFD model using wall functions to determine shear stress at the road surface boundary is one half the thickness of computational cell layer adjacent to the boundary and the need to resolve the vertical velocity distribution in a thin water film requires cell layers that are a fraction of a millimeter thick. In this part of the study, the analysis was extended to consider the influence of pavement roughness over a range extending up 3.6 mm on the development of water film thickness. Various methods of modeling roughness were investigated and are presented: the roughness height model, a meshed-out geometry of the macrotexture of the pavement, and a porous region model. The computational results were analyzed and compared with experimental measurements performed by Gallaway et al.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Nuclear Security Governance in India: Institutions, Instruments, and Culture (2019)

There is an emerging consciousness in India of the importance of nuclear security and safety. Motivated by a combination of rapid growth in its civil nuclear sector, heightened scrutiny of recent nuclear accidents around the world, and the deteriorating regional security environment, India has pushed to adopt measures to strengthen and enhance its nuclear security and safety governance structures. India recognizes that the various recent global nuclear security initiatives are in its own best interest and has been an enthusiastic participant in the Nuclear Security Summit process. Today, India demonstrates a greater willingness to showcase its nuclear security arrangements before the public and has undertaken many institutional, legal, and operational reforms to maintain international regime compliance. This study takes a comprehensive look at India's approach to nuclear security and critically examines the physical security measures the country has put in place. Particular focus is placed on the evolution and strengths, as well as weaknesses, of the country's nuclear security institutions, instruments, practices, and culture. Given that the strengthening of India's nuclear security governance is an ongoing endeavor, the paper also puts forward a number of policy recommendations.

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Hydrogen Plant Hazards and Risk Analysis Supporting Hydrogen Plant Siting near Nuclear Power Plants (Final Report)

Nuclear power plants (NPPs) are considering flexible plant operations to take advantage of excess thermal and electrical energy. One option for NPPs is to pursue hydrogen production through high temperature electrolysis as an alternate revenue stream to remain economically viable. The intent of this study is to investigate the risk of a high temperature steam electrolysis hydrogen production facility (HTEF) in close proximity to an NPP. This analysis evaluates a postulated HTEF located 1 km from an NPP, including the likelihood of an accident and the associated consequence to critical NPP targets. This analysis shows that although the likelihood of a leak in an HTEF is not negligible, the consequence to critical NPP targets is not expected to lead to a failure at a distance of 1 km. Furthermore, the minimum separation distance of the HTEF is calculated based on the target fragility criteria of 1 psi defined in Regulatory Guide 1.91.

08 HYDROGEN↗

Preliminary Criticality and Radiation Shielding Analysis for the Storage and Transfer of MARVEL Reactor Spent Nuclear Fuel

This report documents the results of preliminary nuclear criticality and radiation shielding assessments during transfer and dry storage of irradiated Microreactor Applications Research Validation and Evaluation (MARVEL) reactor fuel at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The assessments focus on transfer casks and storage canisters that are currently in use at INL, which may be compatible with the irradiated MARVEL reactor fuel. The criticality assessments were performed using the radiation transport code MCNP6 with 37 MARVEL reactor fuel elements in various configurations and scenarios. All transfer and storage configurations under dry conditions were below the assumed criticality safety limit of 0.93. Some storage and transfer configurations under wet conditions exceeded the criticality safety limit. This suggests that the appropriate administrative and engineering controls, in addition to reducing the number of MARVEL reactor fuel elements per transfer cask or storage canister, can be expected to ensure criticality safety under all scenarios. The radiation shielding assessments were performed by generating conservative neutron and photon source terms using the ORIGEN module in the SCALE suite of codes. These source spectra were used to estimate the dose equivalent rates using the radiation transport code MCNP6, both on contact and 1 m away from the fuel and transfer casks. The maximum estimated dose equivalent rate of 37 unshielded MARVEL reactor fuel elements on contact is approximately 42000 R/hr. The maximum estimated dose equivalent rates on contact to the ATR transfer cask, HFEF-5 transfer cask, and high load charger were approximately 233 mR/hr, 171 mR/hr, and 201 mR/hr, respectively. This suggests that with the appropriate administrative and engineering controls, all three transfer casks analyzed can be expected to provide sufficient radiation shielding to workers during transfer of irradiated MARVEL reactor fuel. These calculations are performed to support the planning and strategy for the MARVEL project and will demonstrate the technical viability of the different configurations discussed and help identify where engineered or administrative controls may be necessary. A complete criticality safety analysis and radiation shielding analysis, including validation and contingency and accident analysis must be completed by licensed and authorized personnel before any transfer or storage of MARVEL reactor nuclear fuel.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Risk Informed, Performance-Based, Technology-Inclusive Regulatory Infrastructure: Technology-Inclusive Determination of Mechanistic Source Terms for Offsite Dose-Related Assessments for Advanced Nuclear Reactor Facilities

This report summarizes a risk informed, performance-based and technology-inclusive approach to determine source terms for dose related assessments at advanced nuclear facilities. This approach uses a graded process which allows both the non-mechanistic source terms calculation methods, which adopt conservative approaches and assumptions based on known physical and chemical principles, and more importantly the mechanistic source term calculation methods, which consider design-specific scenarios and use best estimate models with uncertainty quantification for a range of licensing basis events (LBEs), to be used for the design and licensing of advanced nuclear technologies. The source terms developed with this graded approach, and radionuclide inventories elsewhere in the facility that are determined during source term analysis, can be used to address licensing issues to support the application processes of 10 CFR Part 50 for a construction permit and operating license or 10 CFR Part 52 for a Combined Operating License (COL), Standard Design Certification, Early Site Permit, Standard Design Approval or Manufacturing License. They can also be used for other purposes including equipment environmental qualification, control room habitability analyses, and assessments of severe accident risks in environmental impact statements. There are many advanced reactor concepts being developed including high temperature gas-cooled reactor (HGTR), sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR), lead-cooled fast reactor (LFR), molten salt reactor (MSR), micro-reactor, etc. The graded approach presented in this report for source terms determination is, to the extent possible, generic to any of these reactor designs and to future reactor designs. This report provides information on the review of the regulatory foundation for use of conservative bounding source terms as well as event-specific mechanistic source terms for advanced nuclear reactor designs.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗

Thermal Hydraulic Experimental Test Article (FY2020 Status Report)

The Thermal Hydraulic Experimental Test Article (THETA) is a facility that will be used to develop sodium components and instrumentation as well as acquire experimental data for validation of reactor thermal hydraulic and safety analysis codes. The facility will simulate nominal conditions as well as protected/unprotected loss of flow accidents in a sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR). High fidelity distributed temperature profiles of the developed flow field will be acquired with Rayleigh backscatter based optical fiber temperature sensors. The facility is being designed in partnership with systems code experts to tailor the experiment to ensure the most relevant and highest quality data for code validation. THETA is comprised of a traditional primary and secondary system. The primary system is submerged in the pool of sodium and consists of a pump, electrically heated core, intermediate heat exchanger, and connected piping and thermal barriers (redan). The secondary system, located outside of the sodium pool, consists of a pump, sodium to air heat exchanger, and connected piping and valves. Figure 1 illustrates the main components of the primary system. THETA will be installed in the Mechanisms Engineering Test Loop (METL) with the primary system in the 28 inch Test Vessel #4, Figure 2. The design work for the facility has been completed. Since the FY19 THETA status report, the THETA primary system components have been assembled and tested using de-ionized water. Some results of this testing at select Richardson and Reynolds numbers are included herein. The custom THETA sodium flowmeter (permanent magnet submersible sodium flowmeter) has been built and calibrated using sodium in an auxiliary facility against a NIST traceable vortex shedder type flowmeter. The permanent magnet flowmeter showed excellent performance, following the theoretical equation for measured voltage quite well, with an error < 3.5% at flow rates ranging from 3-24 GPM at temperatures up to 400 °C. The secondary sodium system for heat rejection from intermediate heat exchanger has been analyzed according to ASME code. All secondary side piping, fittings and a U-stamped air-to-sodium heat exchanger have been procured.

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SYS800 Report Diagrams (Working copies) [Slides]

Currently the black box system is in the design and development phase. As the system design undergoes qualification & transitions to the production phase it will be key to evaluate, determine and integrate accident based requirements and capabilities into the design.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Radial Deconsolidation and Leach-Burn-Leach of AGR-3/4 Compact 1-4 and 10-4

The Advanced Gas Reactor (AGR) Fuel Development and Qualification Program third and fourth irradiation experiments (AGR-3/4), originally planned as separate tests, were combined in one test train for irradiation in the Advanced Test Reactor at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The irradiation test began on December 14, 2011 and ended on April 12, 2014 (Collin 2016). The originally planned AGR-3 and AGR-4 irradiation experiments were both focused on obtaining data on fission product transport to support the improvement of modeling. The AGR-3 experimental plan was focused on gaseous and metallic fission product release from the kernels and diffusion in the coatings during irradiation and postirradiation safety testing. The AGR-4 experimental plan was focused on diffusivities and sorptivities in the compact matrix and reactor graphite (Petti et al. 2005). These two goals were combined in the AGR-3/4 irradiation, which consisted of twelve independently monitored capsules that each contained four AGR-3/4 compacts in a single stack surrounded by an inner ring of matrix or graphite and an outer ring of graphite. There were two capsule types: a standard capsule and a “fuel body”, in which the outer graphite ring included a floor and cap that fully enclosed the fuel (Stempien et al. 2018a). The fuel body design supported post-irradiation safety testing of the intact fuel and ring assembly to provide data on fission product transport and release from matrix and graphite at accident temperatures (Demkowicz 2017).

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

AniMACCS User Guide

This SAND Report provides an overview of AniMACCS, the animation software developed for the MELCOR Accident Consequence Code System (MACCS). It details what users need to know in order to successfully generate animations from MACCS results, to include information on the capabilities, requirements, testing, limitations, input settings, and problem reporting instructions for AniMACCS version 1.3. Supporting information is provided in the appendices, such as guidance on required input files using both WinMACCS and running MACCS from the command line. This page left blank

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

CTF Validation and Verification (V.4.2)

Coolant-Boiling in Rod Arrays- Two Fluids (COBRA-TF) is a thermal/hydraulic (T/H) simulation code designed for Light Water Reactor (LWR) analysis. It uses a two-fluid, three-field (i.e. fluid film, fluid drops, and vapor) modeling approach. Both sub-channel and 3D Cartesian forms of nine conservation equations are available for LWR modeling. The code was originally developed by Pacific Northwest Laboratory in 1980 and has been used and modified by several institutions over the last several decades. COBRA-TF is also used at the Pennsylvania State University (PSU) by the Reactor Dynamics and Fuel Modeling Group (RDFMG) and has been improved, updated, and subsequently became the PSU RDFMG version of COBRA-TF (CTF). One part of the improvement process includes validating the methods in CTF. This document seeks to provide a certain level of certainty and confidence in the predictive capabilities of the code for the scenarios it was designed to model-rod bundle geometries with operating conditions that are representative of prototypical Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR)s and Boiling Water Reactor (BWR)s in both normal and accident conditions. This is done by modeling a variety of experiments that simulate these scenarios and then presenting a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the results that demonstrates the accuracy to which CTF is capable of capturing specific quantities of interest.

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An Investigation of Liquefaction in Irradiated TRIGA Fuel Exposed to Relatively High Temperatures

This report presents the findings of an investigation into high temperature fuel cladding chemical interactions (FCCI) in Training, Research, Isotopes, General Atomics (TRIGA) fuel rods. A TRIGA fuel-rod core or meat is principally composed of uranium (U) particles dispersed in a zirconium hydride (Zr H) matrix. The fuel is clad in sealed 304SS or Incoloy 800 tubes. At high temperatures, the fuel will interact with the cladding, resulting in FCCI. To investigate the FCCI (in this case, liquefaction), irradiated TRIGA fuel rods were exposed to relatively high temperatures in furnace tests. The tests were performed at different temperatures using segments from an irradiated TRIGA fuel rod at the Hot Fuel Examination Facility located at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The data from this study is important for developing a better understanding of the performance of U-ZrH fuel type during transient events (e.g., a Loss of Coolant Accident (LOCA) event) that may result in high temperatures while operating a TRIGA reactor. Furnace tests were run for 6 hours at 730, 800, 900, 950, and 1,000°C. One test was run for 12 hours at 950°C. Post-test microstructural characterization was performed on the heat-treated samples using optical metallography to look for evidence of liquefaction. Additionally, microstructural characterization was performed using scanning electron microscopy to investigate the microstructure of the as-irradiated fuel before heat treatment and the microstructural changes that occurred after heat treating for the 730 and 950°C heat treatments for 6 hours. Results of the analysis were compared to those produced during diffusion studies performed using unirradiated TRIGA fuel meat and type 304 stainless steel. A gap is typically present in as-irradiated fuel that limits any possibility for chemical interaction between the fuel and cladding. Optical metallography (OM) was used to identify areas in the specimens heat treated at 950 and 1000°C where fuel and cladding contact was satisfactory for the FCCI to transpire. The bulk of the interaction zones that form due to FCCI developed in the fuel meat and not as much in the cladding. Even in the sample tested at 1,000°C, no evidence was found that gross fuel meat or cladding melting had occurred. Only limited porosity was found in the fuel meat that possibly could have been due to melting of a particular precipitate phase or phases that had formed during FCCI. These results agreed with those reported for the unirradiated diffusion couple studies.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Additively Manufactured Tamper Evident Container (TEC)

Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory have developed a tamper evident container (TEC) to secure a broad variety of items from adversarial disclosure and espionage accidents. The new technology uses additive-manufacturing (AM) techniques for the concurrent creation of a container and arbitrarily complex-shaped three-dimensional tamper-sensitive features within its walls that authenticate the package. Analog and encrypted digital boards safely stored inside the TEC permanently record the complete security history of the protected items. Los Alamos is seeking commercial partners interested in further development and engineering prototype work.

42 ENGINEERING↗

CISME report on experiments with HMX powder, PBX 9501 prills, and heated PBX 9501

The ability to predict post-ignition explosive response is relevant to explosives safety, particularly weapons assembly/disassembly operations that must operate under a sufficiently conservative safety basis to meet risk mitigation criteria for inadvertent nuclear detonation (IND). In particular, hazard determinations hinge on whether the PBX 9501 main charge can ultimately attain detonation from an initial, non-shock, ignition stimulus. The CISME experiment uses a spherical explosive charge, which is thermally ignited in the center using a fiber-delivered infrared laser pulse. This ignition mechanism - i.e. a localized thermal hotspot - is representative of the ignition-causing insults typical in accident scenarios, including low-velocity impact, drop, skid, and punch events. In fiscal year 2018 CISME experiments were conducted with pristine PBX 9501 spheres, confined and unconfined. Sub-detonative, low-violence reactions were observed. Here we report experiments conducted since 2018. The explosive charge was varied: experiments were conducted with room temperature pour-density HMX powder and prills of PBX 9501, and heated, thermally damaged PBX 9501. Experiments were conducted in a confined configuration, with two 4 mm-thick stainless-steel hemispherical shells bolted around the sphere. Detonation, via DDT (deflagration-to-detonation transition) was observed in the 3-inch diameter powdered HMX and the 6-inch diameter heated and thermally-damaged PBX 9501 tests. No transition to DDT was observed in smaller diameters for those configurations, and no DDT was observed for pour-density prills of PBX 9501 of any diameter. The original test series demonstrated that the response of pristine, undamaged PBX 9501 to a central ignition is relatively benign. This new test series shows that increased porosity, lack of polymer binders and thermal damage can greatly increase the violence of the post-ignition response, up to and including detonation. These results bridge the explosive response of PBX 9501 from sub-detonative through detonation as a function of diameter and provide valuable test cases for modeling efforts that strive to capture the DDT threshold. By exploring explosive response in a more representative 3D geometry, we can also benchmark these new results to more plentiful DDT datasets generated from testing in 1D tube confinement (the historical test configuration)–the configuration upon which almost all DDT models were developed.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Review of Tools for Modeling Core Radial Expansion in Liquid Metal-Cooled Fast Reactors

Core radial expansion in liquid-metal cooled fast reactor systems is a well-known phenomenon that produces strong reactivity feedback effects. It is crucial from a safety standpoint to design a reactor with the proper core restraint system to guide expansion of the fuel assemblies into a formation that produces negative reactivity feedback in accident conditions. However, the modeling of core radial expansion and its associated reactivity feedback is extremely challenging. Liquid metal-cooled fast reactor designers (both industry and commercial) have pointed to improved modeling of core radial expansion as a key modeling challenge for these types of reactors. The Department of Energy Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation (DOE-NEAMS) program has an important role to play in helping to develop a robust, predictive tool for this phenomenon. A literature review has been performed to identify current simulation capabilities applicable to the prediction of core radial expansion in liquid metal-cooled fast reactors and the resultant reactivity feedback effects. An overview as well as a detailed description of the multi-physics phenomena underlying core radial expansion is given in the first two chapters. The objective of this report is to identify existing software that has been or could be applied to the core radial expansion problem, and then to identify possible paths to develop a robust, coupled Multiphysics tool for advanced analysis, in which all three physics (radiation transport, structural mechanics, thermal fluids) are taken into account considering feedback effects from each physics to the other. Several computer codes and workflows have been developed in the United States and abroad to perform individual aspects of radial expansion calculations or to perform loosely coupled analysis. No code system currently exists which tightly and robustly couples the neutronics, thermal hydraulics, and thermal mechanical physics with enough detail to fully resolve the complex core radial expansion reactivity feedback effects. The future availability of such a code system is of vital importance to fully understanding the reactivity feedback effects that occur due to radial expansion, and consequently to optimizing the design of the core restraint system. A potential code development path forward using MOOSE-based tools is suggested in order to leverage the natural tight coupling and robustness of MOOSE-based applications. Additionally, potential gaps for modeling and common assumptions are listed which require further investigation to ensure accuracy for prediction of deformations.

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