Application of InGaP space solar cells for a radiation dosimetry at high dose rates environment of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant

ABSTRACT

Decommissioning the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (1F) after the accident caused by a tsunami in 2011 requires characterization of the fuel debris by dose distribution measurement. This paper describes the experimental and theoretical behavior of a radiation detector applied with InGaP solar cells is investigated and allow the localization and characterization of the fuel debris. In the irradiation test, it was observed that the radiation-induced current output of the InGaP solar cells increases linearly with increasing dose rates of ⁶⁰Co γ-rays. For measurements at low dose rates, it becomes clear that the minimum detectable dose rate and resolution can be determined by analyzing the noise characterization. The maximum detectable level of radiation dosimetry for the InGaP solar cell was found to be higher than the highest γ-ray dose rate observable at the reactor core for 1F plants. Additionally, as an analysis of the radiation-induced current, it is attempted to express a relational expression between the absorbed dose rate and the creation of radiation-induced current pairs in the solar cells. The experimental and simulation results suggest that solar cells can be powerful tools for radiation dosimetry in high dose rate environments near the debris of the 1F plant.     

Chemical Dosimeters for Mixed Radiations in a Nuclear Reactor

The dose rates due to mixed reactor radiations were measured by five gaseous chemical dosimeters – nitrous oxide (natural), ¹⁵N-enriched nitrous oxide, ethylene, ethane and carbon dioxide. The observed dose rates for these gases at the same irradiation position in a nuclear reactor were, 1.8×10⁸, 1.5×l0⁸, 1.9×10⁸, 2.5×l0⁸ and 1.0×10⁸ rad/hr, respectively. These values were compared with those calculated from the mass stopping power of the gases for secondary electrons produced by γ-rays and those from thermal and fast neutron fluxes. No contradiction was found among them. A method of analysis of the reactor radiation dose rates into γ, thermal and fast neutron components is proposed, which is based solely on chemical dosimetry.     

空间堆热管输热能力分析

为保证空间堆的传热安全,空间堆热管必须工作在各种传热极限以下,并能满足避免单点失效的安全要求。本文建立了空间堆热管黏性极限、声速极限、携带极限、沸腾极限和毛细极限5种传热极限计算方法,并改进了毛细极限计算模型。利用建立的方法计算了分段式热电偶转换的热管冷却空间堆电源系统堆芯锂热管、辐射散热器钾热管和碱金属热电转换的空间堆电源系统堆芯钠热管的传热极限。结果表明,空间堆用锂热管和钠热管的毛细极限分别为25.21kW和14.69kW,钾热管的声速极限为7.88kW,其传热设计冗余量分别大于19.4%、23.6%和43.2%。空间堆堆芯热管在正常运行时限制其热量输出的传热极限为毛细极限,而限制散热器钾热管正常运行时热量输出的传热极限为声速极限。     

新型热管反应堆堆芯热工安全分析

针对新型空间热管反应堆,采用商用CFD软件FLUENT对其堆芯进行了稳态热工安全分析。根据MCNP物理计算的堆芯功率分布,选取功率份额最高的相邻3个燃料元件作为分析对象,对控制转鼓7种不同转动角度下的正常工况以及单根热管失效的事故工况进行计算分析,得到最热通道各层材料的温度分布。采用二维热管分析程序计算得到蒸汽区的温度分布,并作为三维计算模型的温度边界。堆芯功率分布采用用户自定义程序UDF进行添加。计算结果表明,在额定功率4.0 MW水平下,在正常工况以及单根热管失效事故工况下,热管具有足够的传热能力将堆芯裂变热导出,同时,堆芯最热通道各层材料温度均低于安全限值,且具有较大的安全裕度,满足设计要求。     

Application of the Pseudo Random Binary Signals to JRR-3 High Power Dynamics Measurements

The maximum period sequence binary signal has been applied to measurements of the JRR-3 frequency response at 10 MW. Three measurements have been made to cover the frequency range of 0.003 to 10 radians/sec. The measurements were readily made when the reactor temperature was in equilibrium. Even when it was not, and the reactor power was varying slowly, a power drift compensating system made it possible to carry out accurate measurements. The results obtained under equilibrium and non-equilibrium conditions agreed well with each other.

A simple mathematical model has been used to predict the JRR-3 high power dynamics. The frequency response computed with the use of this model also agreed fairly well with the experimental data.     

液体化学剂量计测定电子束吸收剂量

用重铬酸钾（银）和硫酸高铈－硫酸铈剂量计对电子束（能量１－１５ＭｅＶ）的水中吸收剂量进行了测量，其剂量响应线性良好，准确度高，测量的扩展不确定度为４．８％（Ｋ＝２）。针对电子束吸收剂量测量的特点，特别设计加工了硬币型聚苯乙烯制容器。根据深度剂量分布曲线，计算了吸收介质中某一深度处的吸收剂量，并通过射程法的计算，对电子束最可几能量进行了估计。     

电子束吸收剂量量热计

研制了一种用于电子束吸收剂量深度分布和电子束能量测量的多层石墨量热计及一种用于吸收剂量测量和薄膜剂量计校准的石墨量热计校准装置,并介绍了两种量热计的结构和在中国原子能科学研究院14MeV加速器上的研究结果。     

球床堆卸料管中燃料效应的研究

介绍了球床式高温气冷堆卸料管中燃料倒料的模拟方法，并以１０ＭＷ高温气冷堆为实例，使用ＣＨＴＲＰ程序计算和分析了卸料管中燃料对反应堆物理及热工性能的影响，给出了卸料管中的功率分布及温度分布，这对进一步研究反应堆物理和安全分析是很重要的。     

研究堆内材料释热率测量装置研制

为了探究材料释热率在研究堆孔道内的轴向分布规律,以高通量工程试验堆（HFETR）G7孔道为例,设计一种材料释热率测量装置。通过数值模拟方法得到释热率测量装置及试验段在载荷作用下的应变分布云图,采用物理计算得到量热计校对桥和测量桥的温度参数,并利用本装置在G7孔道开展释热率测量试验。结果表明,该装置整体结构满足强度要求,试验段量热计之间需加装保护管;计算得出样品、校对桥和测量桥的温度低于材料熔点,装置满足热工要求;试验测得的释热率值随堆功率变化规律性强,且不同材料在不同能量等级的γ射线环境下,对γ的吸收性是有区别的。因此,本装置可以作为HFETR释热率测量工具,为确定不同材料在堆内释热率分布情况提供保障。      

Beam Hole Configuration and Analysis of Medical Reactor for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy

This report presents an investigation of beam holes to be provided in a medical reactor for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy. The principal requirement for the beam holes is to deliver the therapeutic doses of thermal and epithermal neutrons in a modest time (30 to 60min) with minimal fast neutron and γ-contaminants. Characteristics of the beam holes have been evaluated by 2-dim. n-γ coupling S _N transport calculations. Reexaminations and revisions of the beam hole design have brought improvements of the characteristics, especially an increase of the thermal neutron flux at the horizontal thermal neutron beam port and a decrease of the fast neutron flux at the vertical epithermal neutron beam port. The design objectives for the beam holes set up in this study may be achievable even if the thermal power of the reactor is reduced from 2 to 1MW.     

Off-take and Slug Transition at T-junction of Vertical-up Branch in the Horizontal Pipe

The off-take and the slug transition on air-water interface are experimentally investigated at the T-junction of the horizontal pipe with a vertical upward branch to simulate the loss-of-residual-heat-removal during a mid-loop operation in the Korea standard nuclear power plant. Scaling analysis is performed to scale down the experimental facility to the reference nuclear power plant. Two different diameters of branch pipes are used to verify the scaling laws and their scale effects. Air is used as working gaseous fluid and no water flow exists. Off-take behavior on horizontal stratified and slug flows is visually observed in the horizontal pipe. The experimental data are divided into three categories; onset of liquid entrainment at T-junction, onset of slug transition in the horizontal pipe, and discharge quality in the branch pipe. It is found out that the scale effect of the branch diameter on the onset of liquid entrainment is small and the existing correlations for it are applicable. Also, the onset of slug transition shows a discrepancy with Taitel-Dukler's correlation and has a strong influence on the discharge quality. New correlations for discharge quality are developed considering the critical dependency of the onset of slugging.     

RELAP5/FLUENT耦合程序的开发

热工水力数值模拟是反应堆系统设计和安全分析的重要内容,以RELAP5为代表的系统程序可对瞬态或事故工况进行快速分析,同时以FLUENT为代表的计算流体动力学(CFD)程序对堆芯局部三维现象的分析也越来越重要。为综合利用两者的优点,以RELAP5/FLUENT为基础,利用对RELAP5程序源代码的二次开发和FLUENT的用户自定义函数(UDF)进行编程,开发了RELAP5/FLUENT耦合程序。利用flibe熔盐在水平圆管流动问题验证了程序耦合的正确性;针对2 MW熔盐堆进行了稳态模拟,耦合程序能详细分析熔盐堆的热工水力行为;模拟了2 MW熔盐堆功率突变的瞬态热工水力行为,相对于单独的RELAP5,耦合程序能更好地揭示熔盐堆系统和堆芯的三维物理现象。该耦合程序可用于解决熔盐堆热工水力分析中存在的显著三维混合现象的问题。     

Development of flow-induced vibration evaluation methodology for large-diameter piping with elbow in Japan sodium-cooled fast reactor

This paper describes the current status of flow-induced vibration evaluation methodology development for the primary piping in Japan sodium-cooled fast reactor, with particularly emphasis on the development approach and research activities that investigate unsteady hydraulic characteristics in a short-elbow piping. The approach to the methodology development was defined: experiment-based methodology and simulation-based one as well as extrapolation logic to the reactor condition based on no dependency on Reynolds number in the high Reynolds number range from the experimental results. Experimental efforts have been made using 1/3-scale single-elbow test sections for the hot-leg piping as the main activity. Recent experiments using the 1/3-scale test section revealed that a swirl flow at the inlet of the hot-leg piping hardly influenced pressure fluctuations onto the pipe though a slight deformation of flow separation was observed. Numerical results under different Reynolds number conditions appear in this paper using the unsteady Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes equation approach, indicating its applicability to the hot-leg piping experiments.     

Monte Carlo calculation of radiation damage in first wall of an experimental hybrid reactor

This work was focused on the neutronic calculation of the nuclear parameters (neutron spectrum, displacement per atom (DPA), gas production, tritium breeding ratio (TBR), nuclear heating) for structural materials in the first wall (FW) and fuel clad (made of ferritic/martensitic steels, vanadium alloy, silicon carbide, copper alloy, and stainless steel) of an experimental hybrid reactor using the most current Monte Carlo Neutron-Particle Transport code MCNP5 1.4. Neutronic calculations were performed using a (DT) fusion driver hybrid reactor under a neutron wall loud of 2.25 MW/m² by full reactor power for one year. Obtained results were compared with three different data libraries (ENDF/B-V, ENDF/B-VI and CLAW-IV). TBR values in the reactor blanket for all investigated materials became greater than the minimum requirement (TBR > 1.05). Nuclear parameters like DPA, He-production and nuclear heating were considered as radiation damage limits for structural materials, copper alloy (Cu0.5Cr0.3Zr) showed better performance than all investigated materials.     

Self-Limiting Power Excursion Characteristics of Light Water Reactor,(II)

The power excursion characteristics of a water-moderated UO₂ fuel reactor were investigated by pulse operation tests on the Hitachi Training Reactor. A series of pulse operation tests were performed without mishap with reactivity insertions up to 1.20% Δk/k, corresponding to a reactor period of 15 msec. With a reactivity insertion of 1.20% Δk/k, the peak power and energy release to the time of peak power were found to be restricted by the Doppler effect to 118 MW and 4.1 MW-sec respectively. Comparison were made between experimental and calculated values of peak power and energy for various published resonance integral temperature coefficients.     

热管堆中分段式温差发电器的仿真分析

温差发电器（TEG）是一种能够直接将热能转化为电能的器件设备,因此可在热管堆中将TEG作为能量转换系统。但当热管堆堆芯的平均或最高温度超过1 000 K后,TEG的缺陷就会暴露出来。分段式温差发电器（STEG）可解决这一问题。本文在COMSOL软件中搭建了STEG模型,确定了数值模拟方法,并对STEG的几何形状和热电性能进行了优化设计,将热管与STEG组合成单通道模型来进行仿真计算。对STEG进行了稳态的仿真计算,得到STEG的几何优化设计,并探究了热电和热力性能,热电转换效率最高可达15.75%,最大应力约为270 MPa。在单通道模型中,结合STEG的最优几何设计,热电转换效率最高可达15.63%。本文工作可为STEG与热管堆结合的数值模拟提供相应的基础。     

Indirect air cooling techniques for control rod drives in the high temperature engineering test reactor

The high temperature engineering test reactor (HTTR) is the first high-temperature gas-cooled reactor in Japan with reactor outlet gas temperature of 950 °C and thermal power of 30 MW. Sixteen pairs of control rods are employed for controlling the reactivity change of the HTTR. Each standpipe for a pair of the control rods, which is placed on the top head dome of the reactor pressure vessel, contains one control rod drive mechanism. The control rod drive mechanism may malfunction because of reduction of the electrical insulation of the electromagnetic clutch when the temperature exceeds 180 °C. Because 31 standpipes stand close together in the standpipe room, 16 standpipes for the control rods, which are located at the center, should be cooled effectively. Therefore, the control rod drives are cooled indirectly by forced air circulation through a pair of ring-ducts with proper air outlet nozzles and inlets. Based on analytical results, a pair of the ring-ducts was installed as one of structures in the standpipe room. Evaluation results through the rise-to-power test of the HTTR showed that temperatures of the electromagnetic clutch and the ambient helium gas inside the control rod standpipe should be below the limits of 180 and 75 °C, respectively, at full power operation and at the scram from the operation.     

NPDMC中子和光子耦合输运孔道计算三维蒙特卡罗程序

ＮＰＤＭＣ是一个我国研制的多群中子和光子耦合输运的三维孔道计算蒙特卡罗程序。该程序配备了国内制作的８７群中子和２５群光子截面数据库,在程序设计中,采用了一些独特的方法和技巧,成功地解决了蒙特卡罗方法应有和到辐射屏蔽计算中所遇到的“深穿透”和“小概率”等难题。ＮＰＤＭＣ程序可以计算各种类型的研究性反应堆和动力堆中的管道,束孔和缝隙的中子能量,能谱,剂量率和γ光子通量及剂量率等。     

γ辐照对枯草芽孢杆菌营养体的损伤

选用不同剂量γ射线辐照枯草芽孢杆菌营养体,分别用细胞计数、黄嘌呤氧化及脉冲场凝胶电泳法分析了辐照后的细胞存活率、胞内SOD活性及细胞DNA双链断裂水平。研究发现,随着γ辐照吸收剂量的增大,细胞存活率不断下降;SOD活性随剂量的变化无明显的规律;DNA双链断裂水平与细胞存活率密切相关,DNA的释放百分比和断裂水平值随辐照剂量增加而不断增大。结果表明：γ辐照对枯草芽孢杆菌营养体有较高的灭活能力,其损伤效果可能与SOD活性及双链断裂相关。