Age and provenance of mica-schist pebbles from the Eocene conglomerates of the Tylicz and Krynica Zone (Magura Nappe, Outer Flysch Carpathians)

Science.gov (United States)

Oszczypko, Nestor; Salata, Dorota; Konečný, Patrik

2016-06-01

During the Łate Cretaceous to Palaeogene, the Magura Basin was supplied by clastic material from source areas situated on the northern and southern margins of the basin, which do not outcrop on the surface at present. The northern source area is traditionally connected with the Silesian Ridge, whereas the position of the southern one is still under discussion. A source area situated SE of the Magura Basin supplied the Eocene pebbly para-conglomerates containing partly exotic material. The studied clastic material contains fragments of crystalline rocks, and frequent clasts of Mesozoic to Palaeogene deep and shallow-water limestones. Numerous mica schists, scarce volcanites and granitoids as well as gneisses, quartzites and cataclasites were found in the group of crystalline exotic pebbles. Monazite ages of "exotic" mica-schist pebbles from the Tylicz, Zarzecze and Piwniczna-Mniszek sections document the Variscan 310±10 Ma age of metamorphic processes. The provenance of these exotic rocks could be connected with a remote source area located SE of the Magura Basin, which could be the NW part of the Dacia Mega Unit. The idea is strongly supported by palaeotransport directions from the SE, the absence of material derived from the Pieniny Klippen Belt, the presence of shallow water limestones, typical facies of the Median Dacides belt and metamorphic age distribution proved by monazite dating.

Uinta Arch Project: investigations of uranium potential in Precambrian X and older metasedimentary rocks in the Unita and Wasatch ranges, Utah and Colorado

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Graff, P.J.; Sears, J.W.; Holden, G.S.

1980-06-01

This study is part of the United States Department of Energy's National Uranium Resource Evaluation Program to understand the geologic setting, amount, and availability of uranium resources within the boundaries of the United States. The systematic study of Precambrian quartz-pebble conglomerates and areas that may contain such conglomerates is an integral part of DOE's resource evaluation program, because deposits of world-wide importance occur in such terrains in Canada and South Africa, and because terrains similar to those producing uranium from quartz-pebble conglomerates exist elsewhere in the United States. Because of the ready availability of Tertiary sandstone and Colorado Plateau-type uranium deposits, large areas of Precambrian rocks in the US have not been fully assessed for uranium potential. Thus, the Uinta Arch Project was undertaken to assess the favorability of Precambrian metasedimentary rocks in northern Utah for deposits of uranium in Precambrian quartz-pebble conglomerates. Rocks of interest to this study are the thick, clastic sequences within the Uinta Arch that are considered to be of Early Proterozoic age. The Uinta Arch area is known to contain rocks which generally fit the lithologic characteristics that are understood to limit the occurrence of Precambrian fossil placers. However, detailed geology of these rocks and their exact fit to the model described for uraniferous conglomerates was not known. The primary goal of the Uinta Arch Project was to determine how well these Precambrian rocks resemble known deposits and to describe the favorability of placer uranium deposits

Uinta Arch Project: investigations of uranium potential in Precambrian X and older metasedimentary rocks in the Unita and Wasatch ranges, Utah and Colorado

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Graff, P.J.; Sears, J.W.; Holden, G.S.

1980-06-01

This study is part of the United States Department of Energy's National Uranium Resource Evaluation Program to understand the geologic setting, amount, and availability of uranium resources within the boundaries of the United States. The systematic study of Precambrian quartz-pebble conglomerates and areas that may contain such conglomerates is an integral part of DOE's resource evaluation program, because deposits of world-wide importance occur in such terrains in Canada and South Africa, and because terrains similar to those producing uranium from quartz-pebble conglomerates exist elsewhere in the United States. Because of the ready availability of Tertiary sandstone and Colorado Plateau-type uranium deposits, large areas of Precambrian rocks in the US have not been fully assessed for uranium potential. Thus, the Uinta Arch Project was undertaken to assess the favorability of Precambrian metasedimentary rocks in northern Utah for deposits of uranium in Precambrian quartz-pebble conglomerates. Rocks of interest to this study are the thick, clastic sequences within the Uinta Arch that are considered to be of Early Proterozoic age. The Uinta Arch area is known to contain rocks which generally fit the lithologic characteristics that are understood to limit the occurrence of Precambrian fossil placers. However, detailed geology of these rocks and their exact fit to the model described for uraniferous conglomerates was not known. The primary goal of the Uinta Arch Project was to determine how well these Precambrian rocks resemble known deposits and to describe the favorability of placer uranium deposits.

The uranium deposits of Ontario

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robertson, J.A.

1981-01-01

The principal types of uranium deposits in Ontario are carbonatites and fenites, alkalic volcanic rocks, pegiatites, calc-silicate rocks, pyritic quartz-pebble conglomerates, polymictic conglomerates and some pelitic rocks, and various 'pitchblende' deposits including late Precambrian unconformities, possibly late Precambrian diabase dikes, and other unconformities: carbonates, sandstones, lignites, and semi-pelitic rocks of middle and upper Precambrian age. Only red unzoned pegmatite and the pyritic quartz-pebble conglomerate have supported production. Ontario reasonably assured and estimated resources in the economic and subeconomic categories in 1977 amounted to 553 000 tonnes U, and 1977 production was 4000 tonnes U. Measured, indicated, and inferred resources in the Elliot Lake - Agnew Lake area are at least 400 000 tonnes U. The latter deposits are also a significant thorium resource. Geological features reflecting major changes in physics and chemistry are prime controls on distribution of uranium deposits. Geological province and subprovince boundaries, major faults, higher metamorphic grades, domain boundaries related to quartz monzonite batholiths, alkalic complexes, and the distribution of carbonate rocks are examples of such geological features

Pebbles, Cobbles, and Sockets

Science.gov (United States)

1997-01-01

This Rover image of 'Shark' (upper left center), 'Half Dome' (upper right), and a small rock (right foreground) reveal textures and structures not visible in lander camera images. These rocks are interpreted as conglomerates because their surfaces have rounded protrusions up to several centimeters in size. It is suggested that the protrusions are pebbles and granules.Mars Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost spacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).

BENTONITE-QUARTZ SAND AS THE BACKFILL MATERIALS ON THE RADIOACTIVE WASTE REPOSITORY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raharjo Raharjo

2010-06-01

Full Text Available An investigation of the contribution of quartz sand in the bentonite mixture as the backfill materials on the shallow land burial of radioactive waste has been done. The experiment objective is to determine the effect of quartz sand in a bentonite mixture with bentonite particle sizes of -20+40, -40+60, and -60+80 mesh on the retardation factor and the uranium dispersion in the simulation of uranium migration in the backfill materials. The experiment was carried out by the fixed bed method in the column filled by the bentonite mixture with a bentonite-to-quartz sand weight percent ratio of 0/100, 25/75, 50/50, 75/25, and 100/0 on the water saturated condition flown by uranyl nitrate solution at concentration (Co of 500 ppm. The concentration of uranium in the effluents in interval 15 minutes represented as Ct was analyzed by spectrophotometer, then using Co and Ct, retardation factor (R and dispersivity ( were determined. The experiment data showed that the bentonite of -60+80 mesh and the quartz sand of -20+40 mesh on bentonite-to-quartz sand with weight percent ratio of 50/50 gave the highest retardation factor and dispersivity of 18.37 and 0.0363 cm, respectively.   Keywords: bentonite, quartz sand, backfill materials, radioactive waste

DISPERSION AND SORPTION CHARACTERISTICS OF URANIUM IN THE ZEOLITE-QUARTZ MIXTURE AS BACKFILL MATERIAL IN THE RADIOACTIVE WASTE REPOSITORY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Herry Poernomo

2010-06-01

Full Text Available The experiment of sorption and dispersion characteristics of uranium in the zeolite-quartz mixture as candidate of raw material of backfill material in the radioactive waste repository has been performed. The objective is to know the effect of zeolite and quartz grain size on the zeolite-to-quartz weight ratio that gives porosity (ε, permeability (K, and dispersivity (α of uranium in the zeolite-quartz mixture as backfill material. The experiment was carried out by fixed bed method in the column filled by the zeolite-quartz mixture with zeolite-to-quartz weight percent ratio of 100/0, 80/20, 60/40, 40/60, 20/80, 0/100 wt. % in the water saturated condition flowed by uranyl nitrate solution of 500 ppm concentration (Co as uranium simulation which was leached from immobilized radioactive waste in the repository. The concentration of uranium in the effluents represented as Ct were analyzed by spectrophotometer Corning Colorimeter 253 every 15 minutes, then using Co and Ct uranium dispersivity (α in the backfill material was determined. The experiment data shown that 0.196 mm particle size of zeolite and 0.116 mm particle size of quartz on the zeolite-to-quartz weight ratio of 60/40 wt. % with ε = 0.678, K = 3.345x10-4 cm/second, and α = 0.759 cm can be proposed as candidate of raw material of backfill material in the radioactive waste repository.   Keywords: backfill material, quartz, radioactive waste, zeolite

Investigation of Witwatersrand uranium-bearing quartz-pebble conglomerates in 1944-1945

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bourret, W.

1981-01-01

The paper discusses the results-both short- and long-term of a 1944 study undertaken by a team from the Manhattan Project (supported by the governments of Great Britain and Canada) to assess the potential for uranium occurrence in the Witwatersrand mining region of South Africa. Details are given on the methods used by the Manhattan team and the results of the sampling study and survey that the team conducted in South Africa. The findings for 23 mines that were surveyed in the Witwatersrand are documented. These mines were the major producing mines in the Witwatersrand region. The prior research that led the Manhattan Project administrators to concentrate efforts on the Witwatersrand is described. The history of uranium production in the Rand since the 1944 study is delineated. Tables show the findings of the sampling study in terms of various major mines. A graph is included to show the growth of uranium production in the Witwatersrand from the initiation of the first operation in 1952 to 1975

Experimental and computational investigation of flow of pebbles in a pebble bed nuclear reactor

Science.gov (United States)

Khane, Vaibhav B.

The Pebble Bed Reactor (PBR) is a 4th generation nuclear reactor which is conceptually similar to moving bed reactors used in the chemical and petrochemical industries. In a PBR core, nuclear fuel in the form of pebbles moves slowly under the influence of gravity. Due to the dynamic nature of the core, a thorough understanding about slow and dense granular flow of pebbles is required from both a reactor safety and performance evaluation point of view. In this dissertation, a new integrated experimental and computational study of granular flow in a PBR has been performed. Continuous pebble re-circulation experimental set-up, mimicking flow of pebbles in a PBR, is designed and developed. Experimental investigation of the flow of pebbles in a mimicked test reactor was carried out for the first time using non-invasive radioactive particle tracking (RPT) and residence time distribution (RTD) techniques to measure the pebble trajectory, velocity, overall/zonal residence times, flow patterns etc. The tracer trajectory length and overall/zonal residence time is found to increase with change in pebble's initial seeding position from the center towards the wall of the test reactor. Overall and zonal average velocities of pebbles are found to decrease from the center towards the wall. Discrete element method (DEM) based simulations of test reactor geometry were also carried out using commercial code EDEM(TM) and simulation results were validated using the obtained benchmark experimental data. In addition, EDEM(TM) based parametric sensitivity study of interaction properties was carried out which suggests that static friction characteristics play an important role from a packed/pebble beds structural characterization point of view. To make the RPT technique viable for practical applications and to enhance its accuracy, a novel and dynamic technique for RPT calibration was designed and developed. Preliminary feasibility results suggest that it can be implemented as a non

Pebble-bed pebble motion: Simulation and Applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Joshua J. Cogliati; Abderrafi M. Ougouag

2011-11-01

Pebble bed reactors (PBR) have moving graphite fuel pebbles. This unique feature provides advantages, but also means that simulation of the reactor requires understanding the typical motion and location of the granular flow of pebbles. This report presents a method for simulation of motion of the pebbles in a PBR. A new mechanical motion simulator, PEBBLES, efficiently simulates the key elements of motion of the pebbles in a PBR. This model simulates gravitational force and contact forces including kinetic and true static friction. It's used for a variety of tasks including simulation of the effect of earthquakes on a PBR, calculation of packing fractions, Dancoff factors, pebble wear and the pebble force on the walls. The simulator includes a new differential static friction model for the varied geometries of PBRs. A new static friction benchmark was devised via analytically solving the mechanics equations to determine the minimum pebble-to-pebble friction and pebble-to-surface friction for a five pebble pyramid. This pyramid check as well as a comparison to the Janssen formula was used to test the new static friction equations. Because larger pebble bed simulations involve hundreds of thousands of pebbles and long periods of time, the PEBBLES code has been parallelized. PEBBLES runs on shared memory architectures and distributed memory architectures. For the shared memory architecture, the code uses a new O(n) lock-less parallel collision detection algorithm to determine which pebbles are likely to be in contact. The new collision detection algorithm improves on the traditional non-parallel O(n log(n)) collision detection algorithm. These features combine to form a fast parallel pebble motion simulation. The PEBBLES code provides new capabilities for understanding and optimizing PBRs. The PEBBLES code has provided the pebble motion data required to calculate the motion of pebbles during a simulated earthquake. The PEBBLES code provides the ability to

Pebble-bed pebble motion: Simulation and Applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cogliati, Joshua J.; Ougouag, Abderrafi M.

2011-01-01

Pebble bed reactors (PBR) have moving graphite fuel pebbles. This unique feature provides advantages, but also means that simulation of the reactor requires understanding the typical motion and location of the granular flow of pebbles. This report presents a method for simulation of motion of the pebbles in a PBR. A new mechanical motion simulator, PEBBLES, efficiently simulates the key elements of motion of the pebbles in a PBR. This model simulates gravitational force and contact forces including kinetic and true static friction. It's used for a variety of tasks including simulation of the effect of earthquakes on a PBR, calculation of packing fractions, Dancoff factors, pebble wear and the pebble force on the walls. The simulator includes a new differential static friction model for the varied geometries of PBRs. A new static friction benchmark was devised via analytically solving the mechanics equations to determine the minimum pebble-to-pebble friction and pebble-to-surface friction for a five pebble pyramid. This pyramid check as well as a comparison to the Janssen formula was used to test the new static friction equations. Because larger pebble bed simulations involve hundreds of thousands of pebbles and long periods of time, the PEBBLES code has been parallelized. PEBBLES runs on shared memory architectures and distributed memory architectures. For the shared memory architecture, the code uses a new O(n) lock-less parallel collision detection algorithm to determine which pebbles are likely to be in contact. The new collision detection algorithm improves on the traditional non-parallel O(n log(n)) collision detection algorithm. These features combine to form a fast parallel pebble motion simulation. The PEBBLES code provides new capabilities for understanding and optimizing PBRs. The PEBBLES code has provided the pebble motion data required to calculate the motion of pebbles during a simulated earthquake. The PEBBLES code provides the ability to determine

Pebble bed pebble motion: Simulation and Application

Science.gov (United States)

Cogliati, Joshua J.

Pebble bed reactors (PBR) have moving graphite fuel pebbles. This unique feature provides advantages, but also means that simulation of the reactor requires understanding the typical motion and location of the granular flow of pebbles. This dissertation presents a method for simulation of motion of the pebbles in a PBR. A new mechanical motion simulator, PEBBLES, efficiently simulates the key elements of motion of the pebbles in a PBR. This model simulates gravitational force and contact forces including kinetic and true static friction. It's used for a variety of tasks including simulation of the effect of earthquakes on a PBR, calculation of packing fractions, Dancoff factors, pebble wear and the pebble force on the walls. The simulator includes a new differential static friction model for the varied geometries of PBRs. A new static friction benchmark was devised via analytically solving the mechanics equations to determine the minimum pebble-to-pebble friction and pebble-to-surface friction for a five pebble pyramid. This pyramid check as well as a comparison to the Janssen formula was used to test the new static friction equations. Because larger pebble bed simulations involve hundreds of thousands of pebbles and long periods of time, the PEBBLES code has been parallelized. PEBBLES runs on shared memory architectures and distributed memory architectures. For the shared memory architecture, the code uses a new O(n) lock-less parallel collision detection algorithm to determine which pebbles are likely to be in contact. The new collision detection algorithm improves on the traditional non-parallel O(n log(n)) collision detection algorithm. These features combine to form a fast parallel pebble motion simulation. The PEBBLES code provides new capabilities for understanding and optimizing PBRs. The PEBBLES code has provided the pebble motion data required to calculate the motion of pebbles during a simulated earthquake. The PEBBLES code provides the ability to

SORPTION AND DISPERSION OF STRONTIUM RADIONUCLIDE IN THE BENTONITE-QUARTZ-CLAY AS BACKFILL MATERIAL CANDIDATE ON RADIOACTIVE WASTE REPOSITORY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Herry Poernomo

2010-12-01

Full Text Available The experiment of sorption and dispersion characteristics of strontium in the mixture of bentonite-quartz, clay-quartz, bentonite-clay-quartz as candidate of raw material for backfill material in the radioactive waste repository has been performed. The objective of this research is to know the grain size effect of bentonite, clay, and quartz on the weight percent ratio of bentonite to quartz, clay to quartz, bentonite to clay to-quartz can be gives physical characteristics of best such as bulk density (rb, effective porosity (e, permeability (K, best sorption characteristic such as distribution coefficient (Kd, and best dispersion characteristics such as dispersivity (a and effective dispersion coefficient (De of strontium in the backfill material candidate. The experiment was carried out in the column filled by the mixture of bentonite-quartz, clay-quartz, bentonite-clay-quartz with the weight percent ratio of bentonite to quartz, clay to quartz, bentonite to clay to quartz of 100/0, 80/20, 60/40, 40/60, 20/80, 0/100 respectively at saturated condition of water, then flowed 0.1 N Sr(NO32 as buffer solution with tracer of 0.05 Ci/cm3 90Sr as strontium radionuclide simulation was leached from immobilized radioactive waste in the radioactive waste repository. The concentration of 90Sr in the effluents represented as Ct were analyzed by Ortec b counter every 30 min, then by using profile concentration of Co and Ct, values of Kd, a and De of 90Sr in the backfill material was determined. The experiment data showed that the best results were -80+120 mesh grain size of bentonite, clay, quartz respectively on the weight percent ratio of bentonite to clay to quartz of 70/10/20 with physical characteristics of rb = 0.658 g/cm3, e = 0.666 cm3/cm3, and K = 1.680x10-2 cm/sec, sorption characteristic of Kd = 46.108 cm3/g, dispersion characteristics of a = 5.443 cm, and De = 1.808x10-03 cm2/sec can be proposed as candidate of raw material of backfill material

Aqueous-chlorine leaching of typical Canadian uranium ores

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haque, K.E.

1982-01-01

Laboratory-scale aqueous-chlorine leaches were conducted on quartz-pebble conglomerates, pegmatite and vein-type ores. Optimum leach temperatures, pulp density and retention times were determined. Uranium extraction of 98 per cent was obtained from the Elliot Lake, Madawaska Mines of Bancroft and Rabbit Lake ores, 96 per cent from the Key Lake ore and 86 per cent from the Agnew Lake ore. However, tailings containing 15-20 pCi g -1 of radium-226 were obtained only from the Elliot Lake and Agnew lake quartz-pebble conglomerates and Bancroft pegmatite-type ores by second-stage leaches with HCl. The second-stage leach results indicate that multistage (3 or 4) acid-chloride or salt-chloride leaches might be effective to obtain tailings containing 15-20 pCi 226 Ra g -1 from the high-grade vein-type ores. Comparative reagent-cost estimates show that the sulphuric-acid leach process is far less expensive than aqueous chlorine leaching. Nevertheless, only the aqueous chlorine and acid-chloride leaches in stages are effective in producing tailings containing 15-20 pCi 226 Ra g -1 from the typical Canadian uranium ores. (Auth.)

Retrospective dosimetry: dose evaluation using unheated and heated quartz from a radioactive waste storage building

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jain, M.; Boetter-Jensen, L.; Murray, A.S.; Jungner, H.

2002-01-01

In the assessment of dose received from a nuclear accident, considerable attention has been paid to retrospective dosimetry using heated materials such as household ceramics and bricks. However, unheated materials such as mortar and concrete are more commonly found in industrial sites and particularly in nuclear installations. These materials contain natural dosemeters such as quartz, which usually is less sensitive than its heated counterpart. The potential of quartz extracted from mortar is a wall of a low-level radioactive-waste storage facility containing distributed sources of 60 Co and 13C s has been investigated. Dose-depth profiles based on small aliquots and single grains from the quartz extracted from the mortar samples are reported here. These are compared with results from heated quartz and polymineral fine grains extracted from an adjacent brick, and the integrated dose recorded by environmental TLDs. (author)

Retrospective dosimetry: Dose evaluation using unheated and heated quartz from a radioactive waste storage building

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jain, M.; Bøtter-Jensen, L.; Murray, A.S.

2002-01-01

In the assessment of dose received from a nuclear accident, considerable attention has been paid to retrospective dosimetry using heated materials such as household ceramics and bricks. However, unheated materials such as mortar and concrete are more commonly found in industrial sites......-137 has been investigated. Dose-depth profiles based on small aliquots and single grains from the quartz extracted from the mortar samples are reported here. These are compared with results from heated quartz and polymineral fine grains extracted from an adjacent brick, and the integrated dose...... and particularly in nuclear installations. These materials contain natural dosemeters Such as quartz. which usually is less sensitive than its heated counterpart. The potential of quartz extracted from mortar in a wall of a low-level radioactive-waste storage facility containing distributed sources of Co-60 and Cs...

The geological position, sedimentary record and composition of the Tylicz Conglomerate (Late Eocene-Oligocene): stratigraphical and paleogeographical implications (Magura Nappe, Polish Outer Carpathians)

Science.gov (United States)

Olszewska, Barbara; Oszczypko, Nestor

2010-02-01

During the Late Cretaceous to Paleogene the Magura Basin was supplied with clastic material from, non-existing today, source areas situated on the northern and southern margins of the basin. The northern source area is traditionally connected with Silesian Ridge, whereas the position of the southern one is still under discussion. The Upper Eocene-Oligocene pebbly mudstones of the Tylicz/Krynica facies zone contain exotic material derived from the south-Magura source area. The studied pebbles and clasts contain fragments of crystalline rocks, derived from a continental type of crust, and frequent clasts of Mesozoic to Paleogene deep and shallow-water limestones. Volcanites, rarely granitoides as well as schists, gneisses, quartzites and cataclasites were found in the group of crystalline exotic pebbles. The isotopic ages of "exotic" pebbles from the Tylicz section document a Variscan age of plutonic and metamorphic rocks. The composition of the Tylicz exotic conglomerates occupied the transitional position between the Jarmuta/Proč (Maastrichtian-Lower Eocene) and Strihovce (Eocene) exotic pebbles. The provenance of these rocks could be connected with Eocene exhumation of the SE sector of the Magura Basin basement. Another possibility can be explain by supply of siliciclastic material from a SE source area (Dacia and Tisza Mega-Units) and carbonate material from a S source area (ALCAPA Mega-Unit: Central Carpathian Block and Pieniny Klippen Belt).

Modeling stationary and moving pebbles in a pebble bed reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao, Xiang; Montgomery, Trent; Zhang, Sijun

2015-01-01

Highlights: • The stationary and moving pebbles in a PBR are numerically studied by DEM. • The packing structure of stationary pebbles is simulated by a filling process. • The packing structural properties are obtained and analyzed. • The dynamic behavior of pebbles is predicted and discussed. - Abstract: This paper presents a numerical study of the stationary and moving pebbles in a pebble bed reactor (PBR) by means of discrete element method (DEM). The packing structure of stationary pebbles is simulated by a filling process that terminates with the settling of the pebbles into a PBR. The packing structural properties are obtained and analyzed. Subsequently, when the outlet of the PBR is opened during the operation of the PBR, the stationary pebbles start to flow downward and are removed at the bottom of the PBR. The dynamic behavior of pebbles is predicted and discussed. Our results indicate the DEM can offer both macroscopic and microscopic information for PBR design calculations and safety assessment

The underinvestment problem under conglomeration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jacques A. Schnabel

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This theoretical paper explores whether the underinvestment problem is aggravated or ameliorated by the formation of a pure conglomerate. It establishes that the answer depends critically on the volatility of corporate assets. If volatility is low, conglomeration ameliorates the underinvestment problem, whereas if volatility is high, conglomeration aggravates the underinvestment problem. These analytical results are then invoked as a potential explanation for the ambiguous conclusions of empirical studies that delve into the existence of a conglomerate discount.

Random detailed model for probabilistic neutronic calculation in pebble bed Very High Temperature Reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perez Curbelo, J.; Rosales, J.; Garcia, L.; Garcia, C.; Brayner, C.

2013-01-01

The pebble bed nuclear reactor is one of the main candidates for the next generation of nuclear power plants. In pebble bed type HTRs, the fuel is contained within graphite pebbles in the form of TRISO particles, which form a randomly packed bed inside a graphite-walled cylindrical cavity. Pebble bed reactors (PBR) offer the opportunity to meet the sustainability requirements, such as nuclear safety, economic competitiveness, proliferation resistance and a minimal production of radioactive waste. In order to simulate PBRs correctly, the double heterogeneity of the system must be considered. It consists on randomly located pebbles into the core and TRISO particles into the fuel pebbles. These features are often neglected due to the difficulty to model with MCPN code. The main reason is that there is a limited number of cells and surfaces to be defined. In this study, a computational tool which allows getting a new geometrical model of fuel pebbles for neutronic calculations with MCNPX code, was developed. The heterogeneity of system is considered, and also the randomly located TRISO particles inside the pebble. Four proposed fuel pebble models were compared regarding their effective multiplication factor and energy liberation profiles. Such models are: Homogeneous Pebble, Five Zone Homogeneous Pebble, Detailed Geometry, and Randomly Detailed Geometry. (Author)

Modeling stationary and dynamic pebbles in a pebble bed reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao, Xiang; Montgomery, Trent; Zhang, Sijun

2011-01-01

This paper presents a numerical study of the stationary and dynamic pebbles in a pebble bed reactor (PBR) by means of discrete element method (DEM). At first, the packing structure of stationary pebbles is simulated by filling process until the settling of pebbles into PBR. The packing structural properties are obtained and analyzed. Subsequently, when the outlet of PBR is open during the operational maintenance of PBR, the stationary pebbles start to flow downward and are removed at the bottom of PBR. The dynamic behavior of pebbles is predicted and discussed. Our results indicate the DEM can offer both macroscopic and microscopic information for PBR design calculations and safety assessment. (author)

PEBBLES: A COMPUTER CODE FOR MODELING PACKING, FLOW AND RECIRCULATIONOF PEBBLES IN A PEBBLE BED REACTOR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Joshua J. Cogliati; Abderrafi M. Ougouag

2006-10-01

A comprehensive, high fidelity model for pebble flow has been developed and embodied in the PEBBLES computer code. In this paper, a description of the physical artifacts included in the model is presented and some results from using the computer code for predicting the features of pebble flow and packing in a realistic pebble bed reactor design are shown. The sensitivity of models to various physical parameters is also discussed.

Abrasion behavior of graphite pebble in lifting pipe of pebble-bed HTR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shen, Ke; Su, Jiageng [Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology, Advanced Nuclear Energy Technology Cooperation Innovation Center, The Key Laboratory of Advanced Nuclear Engineering and Safety, Ministry of Education, Beijing 10084 (China); Zhou, Hongbo [Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology, Advanced Nuclear Energy Technology Cooperation Innovation Center, The Key Laboratory of Advanced Nuclear Engineering and Safety, Ministry of Education, Beijing 10084 (China); Chinergy Co., LTD., Beijing 100193 (China); Peng, Wei; Liu, Bing [Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology, Advanced Nuclear Energy Technology Cooperation Innovation Center, The Key Laboratory of Advanced Nuclear Engineering and Safety, Ministry of Education, Beijing 10084 (China); Yu, Suyun, E-mail: suyuan@tsinghua.edu.cn [Center for Combustion Energy, The Key Laboratory for Thermal Science and Power Engineering, Ministry of Educations, Tsinghua University, Beijing 10084 (China)

2015-11-15

Highlights: • Quantitative determination of abrasion rate of graphite pebbles in different lifting velocities. • Abrasion behavior of graphite pebble in helium, air and nitrogen. • In helium, intensive collisions caused by oscillatory motion result in more graphite dust production. - Abstract: A pebble-bed high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (pebble-bed HTR) uses a helium coolant, graphite core structure, and spherical fuel elements. The pebble-bed design enables on-line refueling, avoiding refueling shutdowns. During circulation process, the pebbles are lifted pneumatically via a stainless steel lifting pipe and reinserted into the reactor. Inevitably, the movement of the fuel elements as they recirculate in the reactor produces graphite dust. Mechanical wear is the primary source of graphite dust production. Specifically, the sources are mechanisms of pebble–pebble contact, pebble–wall (structural graphite) contact, and fuel handling (pebble–metal abrasion). The key contribution to graphite dust production is from the fuel handling system, particularly from the lifting pipe. During pneumatic lift, graphite pebbles undergo multiple collisions with the stainless steel lifting pipe, thereby causing abrasion of the graphite pebbles and producing graphite dust. The present work explored the abrasion behavior of graphite pebble in the lifting pipe by measuring the abrasion rate at different lifting velocities. The abrasion rate of the graphite pebble in helium was found much higher than those in air and nitrogen. This gas environment effect could be explained by either tribology behavior or dynamic behavior. Friction testing excluded the possibility of tribology reason. The dynamic behavior of the graphite pebble was captured by analysis of the audio waveforms during pneumatic lift. The analysis results revealed unique dynamic behavior of the graphite pebble in helium. Oscillation and consequently intensive collisions occur during pneumatic lift, causing

Chemical composition of granite uraninites and of quartz-pebble-conglomerates-type uranium deposits: evidences for a placer-type origin for these deposits; Composition chimique des uraninites des granites et des gisements d'uranium de type conglomerats a galets de quartz: evidences pour une origine de type placer de ces gisements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Duhamel, I.; Cuney, M. [Nancy-Universite, Laboratoire G2R - UMR 7566, CNRS, CREGU, 54 - Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy (France)

2009-07-01

The authors report and comment data obtained by geochemical and mineralogical studies performed in several conglomerate-type uranium deposits located in South Africa and in Canada. These data display positive correlations between uranium enriching and that of thorium, rare earth notably. They compare the geochemical signature of uraninites of these conglomerates with that of granitoid uraninites of same age which could be their source. Measurements have been performed with an electronic microprobe for uranium oxide species and a ionic microprobe for rare earth contents. Different types of uranium-bearing minerals are identified which correspond to different mechanisms and origins of formation of uraninites

Examples of possible movement of gold in solution in the Witwatersrand, Ventersdorp, and Transvaal systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Whiteside, H.C.M.

1981-01-01

Many South African geologists consider that gold especially, and probably uraninite, as well as other heavy minerals such as zircon, chromite, and diamond, are detrital in the Precambrian quartz-pebble conglomerates of South Africa. It is suggested here that solution of gold and its redeposition elsewhere may have played a part in its enrichment or impoverishment. Two examples of possible solution of gold are cited, and the lack of modern placers associated with auriferous Witwatersrand is briefly discussed

Contact detection acceleration in pebble flow simulation for pebble bed reactor systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Y.; Ji, W. [Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering Rensselaer, Polytechnic Institute, 110 8th street, Troy, NY 12180 (United States)

2013-07-01

Pebble flow simulation plays an important role in the steady state and transient analysis of thermal-hydraulics and neutronics for Pebble Bed Reactors (PBR). The Discrete Element Method (DEM) and the modified Molecular Dynamics (MD) method are widely used to simulate the pebble motion to obtain the distribution of pebble concentration, velocity, and maximum contact stress. Although DEM and MD present high accuracy in the pebble flow simulation, they are quite computationally expensive due to the large quantity of pebbles to be simulated in a typical PBR and the ubiquitous contacts and collisions between neighboring pebbles that need to be detected frequently in the simulation, which greatly restricted their applicability for large scale PBR designs such as PBMR400. Since the contact detection accounts for more than 60% of the overall CPU time in the pebble flow simulation, the acceleration of the contact detection can greatly enhance the overall efficiency. In the present work, based on the design features of PBRs, two contact detection algorithms, the basic cell search algorithm and the bounding box search algorithm are investigated and applied to pebble contact detection. The influence from the PBR system size, core geometry and the searching cell size on the contact detection efficiency is presented. Our results suggest that for present PBR applications, the bounding box algorithm is less sensitive to the aforementioned effects and has superior performance in pebble contact detection compared with basic cell search algorithm. (authors)

Contact detection acceleration in pebble flow simulation for pebble bed reactor systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Y.; Ji, W.

2013-01-01

Pebble flow simulation plays an important role in the steady state and transient analysis of thermal-hydraulics and neutronics for Pebble Bed Reactors (PBR). The Discrete Element Method (DEM) and the modified Molecular Dynamics (MD) method are widely used to simulate the pebble motion to obtain the distribution of pebble concentration, velocity, and maximum contact stress. Although DEM and MD present high accuracy in the pebble flow simulation, they are quite computationally expensive due to the large quantity of pebbles to be simulated in a typical PBR and the ubiquitous contacts and collisions between neighboring pebbles that need to be detected frequently in the simulation, which greatly restricted their applicability for large scale PBR designs such as PBMR400. Since the contact detection accounts for more than 60% of the overall CPU time in the pebble flow simulation, the acceleration of the contact detection can greatly enhance the overall efficiency. In the present work, based on the design features of PBRs, two contact detection algorithms, the basic cell search algorithm and the bounding box search algorithm are investigated and applied to pebble contact detection. The influence from the PBR system size, core geometry and the searching cell size on the contact detection efficiency is presented. Our results suggest that for present PBR applications, the bounding box algorithm is less sensitive to the aforementioned effects and has superior performance in pebble contact detection compared with basic cell search algorithm. (authors)

Effect of friction on pebble flow pattern in pebble bed reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Yu; Gui, Nan; Yang, Xingtuan; Tu, Jiyuan; Jiang, Shengyao

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A 3D DEM study on particle–wall/particle friction in pebble bed reactor is carried out. • Characteristic values are defined to evaluate features of pebble flow pattern quantitatively. • Particle–wall friction is dominant to determine flow pattern in a specific pebble bed. • Friction effect of hopper part on flow field is more critical than that of cylinder part. • Three cases of 1:1 full scale practical pebble beds are simulated for demonstration. - Abstract: Friction affects pebble flow pattern in pebble-bed high temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) significantly. Through a series of three dimensional DEM (discrete element method) simulations it is shown that reducing friction can be beneficial and create a uniform and consistent flow field required by nuclear engineering. Particle–wall friction poses a decisive impact on flow pattern, and particle–particle friction usually plays a secondary role; relation between particle–wall friction and flow pattern transition is also concluded. Moreover, new criteria are created to describe flow patterns quantitatively according to crucial issues in HTGR like stagnant zone, radial uniformity and flow sequence. Last but not least, it is proved that friction control of hopper part is more important than that of cylinder part in practical pebble beds, so reducing friction between pebbles and hopper surface is the engineering priority.

Thermo-mechanical screening tests to qualify beryllium pebble beds with non-spherical pebbles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reimann, Joerg, E-mail: joerg.reimann@partner.kit.edu [IKET, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe (Germany); Fretz, Benjamin [KBHF GmbH, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Pupeschi, Simone [IAM, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe (Germany)

2015-10-15

Highlights: • In present ceramic breeder blankets, pebble-shaped beryllium is used as a neutron multiplier. • Spherical pebbles are considered as the candidate material, however, non-spherical particles are of economic interest. • Thermo-mechanical pebble bed data do merely exist for non-spherical beryllium grades. • Uniaxial compression tests (UCTs), combined with the Hot Wire Technique (HWT) were used to measure the stress–strain relations and the thermal conductivity. • A small experimental set-up had to be used and a detailed 3D modelling was of prime importance. • Compared to spherical pebble beds, non-spherical pebble beds are generally softer and mainly the thermal conductivity is lower. - Abstract: In present ceramic breeder blankets, pebble-shaped beryllium is used as a neutron multiplier. Fairly spherical pebbles are considered as a candidate material, however, non-spherical particles are of economic interest because production costs are much lower. Yet, thermo-mechanical pebble bed data do merely exist for these beryllium grades, and the blanket relevant potential of these grades cannot be judged. Screening experiments were performed with three different grades of non-spherical beryllium pebbles, produced by different companies, accompanied by experiments with the reference beryllium pebble beds. Uniaxial compression tests (UCTs), combined with the Hot Wire Technique (HWT), were performed to measure both the stress–strain relation and the thermal conductivity, k, at different stress levels. Because of the limited amounts of the non-spherical materials, the experimental set-ups were small and a detailed 3D modelling was of prime importance in order to prove that the used design was appropriate. Compared to the pebble beds consisting of spherical pebbles, non-spherical pebble beds are generally softer (smaller stress for a given strain), and, mainly as a consequence of this, for a given strain value, the thermal conductivity is lower. This

The Cross-Flow Mixing Analysis of Quasi-Static Pebble Flow in Pebble Bed Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fang Xiang; Liu Zhiyong; Sun Yanfei; Yang Xingtuan; Jiang Shengyao

2014-01-01

In the pebble bed reactor, large number of fuel pebbles’ movement law and moving state can affect the reactor’s design, operation and safety directly. Therefore the pebble flow, which is based on the theory of particle streaming, is one of the most important research subjects of the pebble bed reactor engineering. The in-core pebble flow is a very slow particle flow (or called quasi-static particle flow), which is very different from the usual particle motion. How to accurately describe the characteristics of in-core pebble flow is a central issue for this subject. Due to the presence of random flow, the cross-mixing phenomenon will occur inevitably. In the present paper, the mixing phenomenon of pebble flow is generalized on the basis of experiment results. The pebble flow cross-mixing probability serves as the parameter which describes both the regularity and the randomness of pebble flow. The results are provided in the form of diagrammatic presentation. (author)

Pebble-bed reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lohnert, G.; Mueller-Frank, U.; Heil, J.

1976-01-01

A pebble-bed nuclear reactor of large power rating comprises a container having a funnel-shaped bottom forming a pebble run-out having a centrally positioned outlet. A bed of downwardly-flowing substantially spherical nuclear fuel pebbles is positioned in the container and forms a reactive nuclear core maintained by feeding unused pebbles to the bed's top surface while used or burned-out pebbles run out and discharge through the outlet. A substantially conical body with its apex pointing upwardly and its periphery spaced from the periphery of the container spreads the bottom of the bed outwardly to provide an annular flow down the funnel-shaped bottom forming the runout, to the discharge outlet. This provides a largely constant downward velocity of the spheres throughout the diameter of the bed throughout a substantial portion of the down travel, so that all spheres reach about the same burned-out condition when they leave the core, after a single pass through the core area

Effect of bed configuration on pebble flow uniformity and stagnation in the pebble bed reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gui, Nan; Yang, Xingtuan; Tu, Jiyuan; Jiang, Shengyao

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Pebble flow uniformity and stagnation characteristics are very important for HTR-PM. • Arc- and brachistochrone-shaped configuration effects are studied by DEM simulation. • Best bed configurations with uniform flow and no stagnated pebbles are suggested. • Detailed quantified characteristics of bed configuration effects are shown for explanation. - Abstract: Pebble flow uniformity and stagnation characteristics are very important for the design of pebble bed high temperature gas-cooled reactor. Pebble flows inside some specifically designed contraction configurations of pebble bed are studied by discrete element method. The results show the characteristics of stagnation rates, recycling rates, radial distribution of pebble velocity and residence time. It is demonstrated clearly that the bed with a brachistochrone-shaped configuration achieves optimum levels of flow uniformity and recycling rate concentration, and almost no pebbles are stagnated in the bed. Moreover, the optimum choice among the arc-shaped bed configurations is demonstrated too. Detailed information shows the quantified characteristics of bed configuration effects on flow uniformity. In addition, a good design of the pebble bed configuration is suggested

Discussions of the uranium geology working groups IGC, Sydney

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-01-01

The report is divided into six working group discussions on the following subjects: 1) Chemical and physical mechanisms in the formation of uranium mineralization, geochronology, isotope geology and mineralogy; 2) Sedimentary basins and sandstone-type uranium deposits; 3) Uranium in quartz-pebble conglomerates; 4) Vein and similar type deposits (pitchblende); 5) Other uranium deposits; 6) Relation of metallogenic, tectonic and zoning factors to the origin of uranium deposits. Each working group paper contains a short introductory part followed by a discussion by the working group members

Effects of random pebble distribution on the multiplication factor in HTR pebble bed reactors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Auwerda, G.J., E-mail: g.j.auwerda@tudelft.n [Department of Physics of Nuclear Reactors at the Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 15, Delft (Netherlands); Kloosterman, J.L.; Lathouwers, D.; Hagen, T.H.J.J. van der [Department of Physics of Nuclear Reactors at the Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 15, Delft (Netherlands)

2010-08-15

In pebble bed reactors the pebbles have a random distribution within the core. The usual approach in modeling the bed is homogenizing the entire bed. To quantify the errors arising in such a model, this article investigates the effect on k{sub eff} of three phenomena in random pebble distributions: non-uniform packing density, neutron streaming in between the pebbles, and variations in Dancoff factor. For a 100 cm high cylinder with reflective top and bottom boundary conditions 25 pebble beds were generated. Of each bed three core models were made: a homogeneous model, a zones model including density fluctuations, and an exact model with all pebbles modeled individually. The same was done for a model of the PROTEUS facility. k{sub eff} calculations were performed with three codes: Monte Carlo, diffusion, and finite element transport. By comparing k{sub eff} of the homogenized and zones model the effect of including density fluctuations in the pebble bed was found to increase k{sub eff} by 71 pcm for the infinite cylinder and 649 pcm for PROTEUS. The large value for PROTEUS is due to the low packing fraction near the top of the pebble bed, causing a significant lower packing fraction for the bulk of the pebble bed in the homogenized model. The effect of neutron streaming was calculated by comparing the zones model with the exact model, and was found to decrease k{sub eff} by 606 pcm for the infinite cylinder, and by 1240 pcm for PROTEUS. This was compared with the effect of using a streaming correction factor on the diffusion coefficient in the zones model, which resulted in {Delta}{sub streaming} values of 340 and 1085 pcm. From this we conclude neutron streaming is an important effect in pebble bed reactors, and is not accurately described by the correction factor on the diffusion coefficient. Changing the Dancoff factor in the outer part of the pebble bed to compensate for the lower probability of neutrons to enter other fuel pebbles caused no significant changes

The effects of temperatures on the pebble flow in a pebble bed high temperature reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sen, R. S.; Cogliati, J. J.; Gougar, H. D.

2012-01-01

The core of a pebble bed high temperature reactor (PBHTR) moves during operation, a feature which leads to better fuel economy (online refueling with no burnable poisons) and lower fuel stress. The pebbles are loaded at the top and trickle to the bottom of the core after which the burnup of each is measured. The pebbles that are not fully burned are recirculated through the core until the target burnup is achieved. The flow pattern of the pebbles through the core is of importance for core simulations because it couples the burnup distribution to the core temperature and power profiles, especially in cores with two or more radial burnup 'zones '. The pebble velocity profile is a strong function of the core geometry and the friction between the pebbles and the surrounding structures (other pebbles or graphite reflector blocks). The friction coefficient for graphite in a helium environment is inversely related to the temperature. The Thorium High Temperature Reactor (THTR) operated in Germany between 1983 and 1989. It featured a two-zone core, an inner core (IC) and outer core (OC), with different fuel mixtures loaded in each zone. The rate at which the IC was refueled relative to the OC in THTR was designed to be 0.56. During its operation, however, this ratio was measured to be 0.76, suggesting the pebbles in the inner core traveled faster than expected. It has been postulated that the positive feedback effect between inner core temperature, burnup, and pebble flow was underestimated in THTR. Because of the power shape, the center of the core in a typical cylindrical PBHTR operates at a higher temperature than the region next to the side reflector. The friction between pebbles in the IC is lower than that in the OC, perhaps causing a higher relative flow rate and lower average burnup, which in turn yield a higher local power density. Furthermore, the pebbles in the center region have higher velocities than the pebbles next to the side reflector due to the

The effects of temperatures on the pebble flow in a pebble bed high temperature reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sen, R. S.; Cogliati, J. J.; Gougar, H. D. [Idaho National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1625, Idaho Falls, ID 83415 (United States)

2012-07-01

The core of a pebble bed high temperature reactor (PBHTR) moves during operation, a feature which leads to better fuel economy (online refueling with no burnable poisons) and lower fuel stress. The pebbles are loaded at the top and trickle to the bottom of the core after which the burnup of each is measured. The pebbles that are not fully burned are recirculated through the core until the target burnup is achieved. The flow pattern of the pebbles through the core is of importance for core simulations because it couples the burnup distribution to the core temperature and power profiles, especially in cores with two or more radial burnup 'zones '. The pebble velocity profile is a strong function of the core geometry and the friction between the pebbles and the surrounding structures (other pebbles or graphite reflector blocks). The friction coefficient for graphite in a helium environment is inversely related to the temperature. The Thorium High Temperature Reactor (THTR) operated in Germany between 1983 and 1989. It featured a two-zone core, an inner core (IC) and outer core (OC), with different fuel mixtures loaded in each zone. The rate at which the IC was refueled relative to the OC in THTR was designed to be 0.56. During its operation, however, this ratio was measured to be 0.76, suggesting the pebbles in the inner core traveled faster than expected. It has been postulated that the positive feedback effect between inner core temperature, burnup, and pebble flow was underestimated in THTR. Because of the power shape, the center of the core in a typical cylindrical PBHTR operates at a higher temperature than the region next to the side reflector. The friction between pebbles in the IC is lower than that in the OC, perhaps causing a higher relative flow rate and lower average burnup, which in turn yield a higher local power density. Furthermore, the pebbles in the center region have higher velocities than the pebbles next to the side reflector due to the

Mineralogy, geochemistry, genesis, and industrial application of silica in Arefi area, south of Mashhad

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad Hassan Karimpour

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Introduction Arefi quartz-bearing conglomerate (Middle Jurassic is situated within Binalud structural zone. The unit is trending NW-SE located 25 km south of Mashhad. More than 97% of the pebbles are quartz as mono-crystalline, poly-crystalline, and minor fragments of chert, quartzite, and mica schist. Less that 3% of the remaining minerals are feldspar, mica, chlorite, hornblende, tourmaline, zircon, sphene, and opaque minerals. The cement is mainly silica. Hashemi (Hashemi, 2004 suggested this unit is orthoquartzitic polymictic conglomerate. In this study, we carried out detailed mineralogical studies, geochemical analyses for SiO2 and troublesome elements, determination of quartz pebbles source using geological observations and fluid inclusion microthermometry, and industrial application studies with new insight for porcelain and ceramic factories as the nearest silica-rich reserve to Mashhad. Material and methods 1. Preparing geologic map in 1:10000 scale in the Arefi area. 2. Petrographic study of 65 samples from the quartz-bearing conglomerate unit. 3. Major elements such as SiO2, TFeO, TiO2, and CaO were analyzed at the Maghsoud Porcelain Factories Group, using a Philips PW1480 X-ray spectrometer. 4. Ore dressing analyses in Danesh Faravaran Engineering Company. 5. Fluid-inclusion studies in 4 samples doubly-polished wafers of quartz crystals were studied using standard techniques (Roedder, 1984 and Linkam THM 600 heating-freezing stage (from –190 to 600ºC mounted on a Olympus TH4–200 microscope stage at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran. Salinities and density of fluid inclusions were calculated using the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet HOKIEFLINCS-H2O-NACL (Steele-MacInnis et al., 2012; Lecumberri-Sanchez et al., 2012 Results and Discussion Fluid Inclusion studies of both mono- and poly- crystalline quartz revealed that the inclusions consist of three phases (LVS with NaCl crystals. Homogenization temperature is between 484 and more

A discrete element method study on the evolution of thermomechanics of a pebble bed experiencing pebble failure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Van Lew, Jon T., E-mail: jtvanlew@fusion.ucla.edu; Ying, Alice; Abdou, Mohamed

2014-10-15

The discrete element method (DEM) is used to study the thermal effects of pebble failure in an ensemble of lithium ceramic spheres. Some pebbles crushing in a large system is unavoidable and this study provides correlations between the extent of pebble failure and the reduction in effective thermal conductivity of the bed. In the model, we homogeneously induced failure and applied nuclear heating until dynamic and thermal steady-state. Conduction between pebbles and from pebbles to the boundary is the only mode of heat transfer presently modeled. The effective thermal conductivity was found to decrease rapidly as a function of the percent of failed pebbles in the bed. It was found that the dominant contributor to the reduction was the drop in inter-particle forces as pebbles fail; implying the extent of failure induced may not occur in real pebble beds. The results are meant to assist designers in the fusion energy community who are planning to use packed beds of ceramic pebbles. The evolution away from experimentally measured thermomechanical properties as pebbles fail is necessary for proper operation of fusion reactors.

Measurements of the purge helium pressure drop across pebble beds packed with lithium orthosilicate and glass pebbles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abou-Sena, Ali, E-mail: ali.abou-sena@kit.edu; Arbeiter, Frederik; Boccaccini, Lorenzo V.; Schlindwein, Georg

2014-10-15

Highlights: • The objective is to measure the purge helium pressure drop across various HCPB-relevant pebble beds packed with lithium orthosilicate and glass pebbles. • The purge helium pressure drop significantly increases with decreasing the pebbles diameter from one run to another. • At the same superficial velocity, the pressure drop is directly proportional to the helium inlet pressure. • The Ergun's equation can successfully model the purge helium pressure drop for the HCPB-relevant pebble beds. • The measured values of the purge helium pressure drop for the lithium orthosilicate pebble bed will support the design of the purge gas system for the HCPB breeder units. - Abstract: The lithium orthosilicate pebble beds of the Helium Cooled Pebble Bed (HCPB) blanket are purged by helium to transport the produced tritium to the tritium extraction system. The pressure drop of the purge helium has a direct impact on the required pumping power and is a limiting factor for the purge mass flow. Therefore, the objective of this study is to measure the helium pressure drop across various HCPB-relevant pebble beds packed with lithium orthosilicate and glass pebbles. The pebble bed was formed by packing the pebbles into a stainless steel cylinder (ID = 30 mm and L = 120 mm); then it was integrated into a gas loop that has four variable-speed side-channel compressors to regulate the helium mass flow. The static pressure was measured at two locations (100 mm apart) along the pebble bed and at inlet and outlet of the pebble bed. The results demonstrated that: (i) the pressure drop significantly increases with decreasing the pebbles diameter, (ii) for the same superficial velocity, the pressure drop is directly proportional to the inlet pressure, and (iii) predictions of Ergun's equation agree well with the experimental results. The measured pressure drop for the lithium orthosilicate pebble bed will support the design of the purge gas system for the HCPB.

Operating windows of pebble divertor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsuhiro, K.; Isobe, M.; Ohtsuka, Y.; Ueda, Y.; Nishikawa, M.

2001-01-01

A marked feature of the pebble divertor is an effect by use of functional multi-layer coated pebble, which consists of a surface plasma facing layer, an intermediate tritium permeation barrier layer, and a kernel for heat removal. The dimensions, structure and the irradiation conditions of pebbles are the important issues for the development of the pebble divertor. From the view point of resistance of the induced thermal stress, the pebble is taken as small as possible in size. On the other hand, from the view point of the pumping performance, the suitable irradiation temperature range of the surface layer of pebble was estimated from the experiments and the numerical analysis. The pumping process enhanced by dynamic retention is available to extend the higher allowable irradiation temperature range from 900K to 1100K. As taking the temperature rise limitation due to pumping effect and the fractural strength due to the induced thermal stress limitation, it was found that the diameter of the pebble is possible to be 1-2 mm in about 20 MW/m 2 for the SiC kernel and 2-3 mm in less than 30 MW/m 2 for the graphite kernel. (author)

Molecular dynamics simulation for PBR pebble tracking simulation via a random walk approach using Monte Carlo simulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Kyoung O; Holmes, Thomas W; Calderon, Adan F; Gardner, Robin P

2012-05-01

Using a Monte Carlo (MC) simulation, random walks were used for pebble tracking in a two-dimensional geometry in the presence of a biased gravity field. We investigated the effect of viscosity damping in the presence of random Gaussian fluctuations. The particle tracks were generated by Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulation for a Pebble Bed Reactor. The MD simulations were conducted in the interaction of noncohesive Hertz-Mindlin theory where the random walk MC simulation has a correlation with the MD simulation. This treatment can easily be extended to include the generation of transient gamma-ray spectra from a single pebble that contains a radioactive tracer. Then the inverse analysis thereof could be made to determine the uncertainty of the realistic measurement of transient positions of that pebble by any given radiation detection system designed for that purpose. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pebble Bed Reactor Dust Production Model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abderrafi M. Ougouag; Joshua J. Cogliati

2008-09-01

The operation of pebble bed reactors, including fuel circulation, can generate graphite dust, which in turn could be a concern for internal components; and to the near field in the remote event of a break in the coolant circuits. The design of the reactor system must, therefore, take the dust into account and the operation must include contingencies for dust removal and for mitigation of potential releases. Such planning requires a proper assessment of the dust inventory. This paper presents a predictive model of dust generation in an operating pebble bed with recirculating fuel. In this preliminary work the production model is based on the use of the assumption of proportionality between the dust production and the normal force and distance traveled. The model developed in this work uses the slip distances and the inter-pebble forces computed by the authors’ PEBBLES. The code, based on the discrete element method, simulates the relevant static and kinetic friction interactions between the pebbles as well as the recirculation of the pebbles through the reactor vessel. The interaction between pebbles and walls of the reactor vat is treated using the same approach. The amount of dust produced is proportional to the wear coefficient for adhesive wear (taken from literature) and to the slip volume, the product of the contact area and the slip distance. The paper will compare the predicted volume with the measured production rates. The simulation tallies the dust production based on the location of creation. Two peak production zones from intra pebble forces are predicted within the bed. The first zone is located near the pebble inlet chute due to the speed of the dropping pebbles. The second peak zone occurs lower in the reactor with increased pebble contact force due to the weight of supported pebbles. This paper presents the first use of a Discrete Element Method simulation of pebble bed dust production.

Pebble Bed Reactor Dust Production Model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abderrafi M. Ougouag; Joshua J. Cogliati

2008-01-01

The operation of pebble bed reactors, including fuel circulation, can generate graphite dust, which in turn could be a concern for internal components; and to the near field in the remote event of a break in the coolant circuits. The design of the reactor system must, therefore, take the dust into account and the operation must include contingencies for dust removal and for mitigation of potential releases. Such planning requires a proper assessment of the dust inventory. This paper presents a predictive model of dust generation in an operating pebble bed with recirculating fuel. In this preliminary work the production model is based on the use of the assumption of proportionality between the dust production and the normal force and distance traveled. The model developed in this work uses the slip distances and the inter-pebble forces computed by the authors PEBBLES. The code, based on the discrete element method, simulates the relevant static and kinetic friction interactions between the pebbles as well as the recirculation of the pebbles through the reactor vessel. The interaction between pebbles and walls of the reactor vat is treated using the same approach. The amount of dust produced is proportional to the wear coefficient for adhesive wear (taken from literature) and to the slip volume, the product of the contact area and the slip distance. The paper will compare the predicted volume with the measured production rates. The simulation tallies the dust production based on the location of creation. Two peak production zones from intra pebble forces are predicted within the bed. The first zone is located near the pebble inlet chute due to the speed of the dropping pebbles. The second peak zone occurs lower in the reactor with increased pebble contact force due to the weight of supported pebbles. This paper presents the first use of a Discrete Element Method simulation of pebble bed dust production

Pebble breakage in gravel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tuitz, C.

2012-01-01

The spatial clustering of broken pebbles in gravel layers of a Miocene sedimentary succession was investigated. Field observations suggested that the occurrence of broken pebbles could be related with gravel hosted shear deformation bands, which were the result of extensional regional deformation. Several different methods were used in this work to elucidate these observations. These methods include basic field work, measurements of physical pebble and gravel properties and, the application of different numerical modelling schemes. In particular, the finite element method in 2D and the discrete element method in 2D and 3D were used in order to quantify mechanisms of pebble deformation. The main objective of this work was to identify potential mechanisms that control particle breakage in fluvial gravel, which could explain the clustered spatial distribution of broken pebbles. The results of 2D finite element stress analysis indicated that the breakage load of differently located and oriented diametrical loading axes on a pebble varies and, that the weakest loading configuration coincides with the smallest principal axis of the pebble. The 3D discrete element method was applied to study the contact load distribution on pebbles in gravel deposits and the influence of different degrees of particle imbrication and orientation. The results showed that an increase of the number of imbricated particles leads to a significant load transfer from the rim to the centre of the oblate sides of the ellipsoidal particles. The findings of these pebble-scale investigations provided the basis for outcropscale modelling, where simulated gravel layers were subjected to layer-parallel extension. These outcrop-scale models revealed the existence of a particle breakage enhancing mechanism that becomes active during early stages of shear band formation. The interaction of such shear bands with the less deformed host material results in particle stress concentrations and subsequently

A Preliminary Study on Calculation of Inter-Pebble Dancoff Factor in a Pebble Type Core

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Song Hyun; Kim, Hong Chul; Kim, Soon Young; Noh, Jae Man; Kim, Jong Kyung

2009-01-01

The Dancoff factor is an entering probability of the neutron escaped from specific fuel kernel to another one without the interaction with moderators. Currently, Dancoff factors are mainly evaluated from stochastic methods, hence a research on analytical method is considerably insufficient in this field. In order to analytically evaluate Dancoff factor considering double-heterogeneous effect, inter-pebble and intra-pebble Dancoff factors should be calculated, respectively. Intra-pebble Dancoff factor related with the fuel kernels in one pebble was analyzed in past study. For the evaluation of inter-pebble Dancoff factor, fuel region to region Dancoff factor (FRDF) was defined and the method to calculate the FRDF is developed in this study. The result is compared with the calculation result of the MCNP5 code

Density improvement of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles fabricated by wet process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tsuchiya, K; Kawamura, H [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Oarai, Ibaraki (Japan). Oarai Research Establishment; Fuchinoue, K; Sawada, H; Watarumi, K

1998-03-01

Lithium titanate (Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3}) has attracted the attention of many researchers from a point of tritium recovery at low temperature, chemical stability, etc.. The application of small Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} sphere has been proposed in some designs of fusion blanket. On the other hand, the wet process is most advantageous as the fabrication method of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles from a point of mass production, and of reprocessing necessary for effective use of resources and reduction of radioactive wastes. In the preliminary fabrication test, density of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles was about 40%T.D.. Therefore, in this study, density improvement tests and preliminary characterization of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles by wet process were performed, noting the aging condition and sintering condition in the fabrication process of the gel-spheres. This study yielded Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles in target range of 80-85%T.D.. (author)

Uranium in South Africa: 1983 assessment of resources and production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-06-01

NUCOR assesses South Africa's uranium resource and production capabilities on an ongoing basis. Assessments are carried out in close co-operation with the mining companies and the Government Mining Engineer. In carrying out this evaluation, the classification recommended by the NEA/IAEA Working Party on Uranium Resources is followed. In order to preserve company confidentiality, the details of the findings are released in summary form only. Within South Africa, uranium occurrences are found in Precambrian quartz-pebble conglomerates, Precambrian alkaline complexes, Cambrian to Precambrian granite gneisses, Permo-Triassic sandstones and coal, and Recent to Tertiary surficial formations. South Africa's uranium resources were reassessed during 1983 and the total recoverable resources in the Reasonably Assured and Estimated Additional Resource categories recoverable at less than $130/kg U were estimated to be 460 000 t U. This represents a decrease of 13,4% when compared with the 1981 assessment. South Africa's uranium production for 1983 amounted to 6 060 t U, a 4,21 % increase over the 1982 production of 5 816 t U. Ninety-seven percent of the production is derived from the Witwatersrand quartz-pebble conglomerates, the rest being produced as a by-product of copper mining at Palabora. South Africa maintained its position as a major low-cost uranium producer, holding 14% of the WOCA uranium resources, and during 1982 it produced 14% of WOCA's uranium. In making future production capability projections it may be safely concluded that South Africa would be able to produce uranium at substantial levels well into the next century

Market discipline and incentive problems in conglomerate banks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boot, A.W.A.; Schmeits, A.

1998-01-01

This paper analyzes the optimal conglomeration of bank activities. Weshow that the effectiveness of market discipline forstand-alone activities (divisions) is of crucial importance for thepotential benefits of conglomeration. We find thateffective market discipline reduces the potential benefits

Core homogenization method for pebble bed reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kulik, V.; Sanchez, R.

2005-01-01

This work presents a core homogenization scheme for treating a stochastic pebble bed loading in pebble bed reactors. The reactor core is decomposed into macro-domains that contain several pebble types characterized by different degrees of burnup. A stochastic description is introduced to account for pebble-to-pebble and pebble-to-helium interactions within a macro-domain as well as for interactions between macro-domains. Performance of the proposed method is tested for the PROTEUS and ASTRA critical reactor facilities. Numerical simulations accomplished with the APOLLO2 transport lattice code show good agreement with the experimental data for the PROTEUS reactor facility and with the TRIPOLI4 Monte Carlo simulations for the ASTRA reactor configuration. The difference between the proposed method and the traditional volume-averaged homogenization technique is negligible while only one type of fuel pebbles present in the system, but it grows rapidly with the level of pebble heterogeneity. (authors)

Sockets and Pebbles

Science.gov (United States)

1997-01-01

This close-up Sojourner rover image of a small rock shows that weathering has etched-out pebbles to produce sockets. In the image, sunlight is coming from the upper left. Sockets (with shadows on top) are visible at the lower left and pebbles (with bright tops and shadowed bases) are seen at the lower center and lower right. Two pebbles (about 0.5 cm across) are visible at the lower center.Mars Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost spacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).

Pebble Puzzle Solved

Science.gov (United States)

2004-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] Figure 1 In the quest to determine if a pebble was jamming the rock abrasion tool on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity, scientists and engineers examined this up-close, approximate true-color image of the tool. The picture was taken by the rover's panoramic camera, using filters centered at 601, 535, and 482 nanometers, at 12:47 local solar time on sol 200 (August 16, 2004). Colored spots have been drawn on this image corresponding to regions where panoramic camera reflectance spectra were acquired (see chart in Figure 1). Those regions are: the grinding wheel heads (yellow); the rock abrasion tool magnets (green); the supposed pebble (red); a sunlit portion of the aluminum rock abrasion tool housing (purple); and a shadowed portion of the rock abrasion tool housing (brown). These spectra demonstrated that the composition of the supposed pebble was clearly different from that of the sunlit and shadowed portions of the rock abrasion tool, while similar to that of the dust-coated rock abrasion tool magnets and grinding heads. This led the team to conclude that the object disabling the rock abrasion tool was indeed a martian pebble.

The Emerging Paradigm of Pebble Accretion

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ormel, C.W.; Pessah, M.; Gressel, O.

2017-01-01

Pebble accretion is the mechanism in which small particles ("pebbles") accrete onto big bodies big (planetesimals or planetary embryos) in gas-rich environments. In pebble accretion accretion , accretion occurs by settling and depends only on the mass of the gravitating body gravitating , not its

Behavior of beryllium pebbles under irradiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dalle-Donne, M.; Scaffidi-Argentina, F. [Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH Technik und Umwelt (Germany). Inst. fuer Neutronenphysik und Reactortechnik; Baldwin, D.L.; Gelles, D.S.; Greenwood, L.R.; Kawamura, H.; Oliver, B.M.

1998-01-01

Beryllium pebbles are being considered in fusion reactor blanket designs as neutron multiplier. An example is the European `Helium Cooled Pebble Bed Blanket.` Several forms of beryllium pebbles are commercially available but little is known about these forms in response to fast neutron irradiation. Commercially available beryllium pebbles have been irradiated to approximately 1.3 x 10{sup 22} n/cm{sup 2} (E>1 MeV) at 390degC. Pebbles 1-mm in diameter manufactured by Brush Wellman, USA and by Nippon Gaishi Company, Japan, and 3-mm pebbles manufactured by Brush Wellman were included. All were irradiated in the below-core area of the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II in Idaho Falls, USA, in molybdenum alloy capsules containing helium. Post-irradiation results are presented on density change measurements, tritium release by assay, stepped-temperature anneal, and thermal ramp desorption tests, and helium release by assay and stepped-temperature anneal measurements, for Be pebbles from two manufacturing methods, and with two specimen diameters. The experimental results on density change and tritium and helium release are compared with the predictions of the code ANFIBE. (author)

Bank Consolidation, Internationalization, and Conglomeration; Trends and Implications for Financial Risk

OpenAIRE

Gianni De Nicolo; Mary G Zephirin; Philip F. Bartholomew; Jahanara Zaman

2003-01-01

This paper documents global trends in bank activity, consolidation, internationalization, and financial firm conglomeration, and explores the extent to which financial firm risk and systemic risk potential in banking are related to consolidation and conglomeration. We find that while there is a substantial upward trend in conglomeration globally, consolidation and internationalization exhibit uneven patterns across world regions. Trends in consolidation and conglomeration indicate increased r...

Effect of a Central Graphite Column on a Pebble Flow in a Pebble Bed Core

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In, W. K.; Lee, W. J.; Chang, J. H.

2006-01-01

A pebble bed reactor(PBR) uses coated fuel particles embedded in spherical graphite fuel pebbles. The fuel pebbles flow down through the core during an operation. The pebble bed core is configured as cylindrical or annular depending on the reactor power. It is well known that an annular core can increase a cores' thermal power. The annular inner core zone is typically filled with movable graphite balls or a fixed graphite column. The first problem with this conventional annular core is that it is difficult to maintain a boundary between the central graphite ball zone and the outer fuel zone. The second problem is that it is expensive to replace the central fixed graphite column after several tens of years of reactor operation. In order to resolve these problems, a PBR with a central graphite column in a low core is invented. This paper presents the effect of the central graphite column on a pebble flow by using the computational fluid dynamics(CFD) code, CFX-10

X-ray tomography investigations on pebble bed structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reimann, J.; Rolli, R.; Pieritz, R.A.; Ferrero, C.; Di Michiel, M.

2007-01-01

Granular materials (pebbles) are used in present ceramic breeder blankets both for the ceramic breeder material and beryllium. The thermal-mechanical behaviour of these pebble beds strongly depends on the arrangement of the pebbles in the bed, their contacts and contact surfaces with other pebbles and with walls. The influence of these quantities is most pronounced for beryllium pebble beds because of the large thermal conductivity ratio of beryllium to helium gas atmosphere. At present, the data base for the pebble bed thermal conductivity (k) and heat transfer coefficient (h) is quite limited for compressed beds and significant discrepancies exist in respect to h. The detailed knowledge of the pebble bed topology is, therefore, essential to better understand the heat transfer mechanisms. In the present work, results from detailed X-ray tomography investigations are reported on pebble topology in i) the pebble bed bulk (which is relevant for k), and ii) the region close to walls with thicknesses of several pebble diameters (relevant for h). At Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, pebble beds consisting of aluminium spheres with diameters of 2.3 and 5 mm, respectively, (simulating the blanket relevant 1 mm beryllium pebbles), were uniaxially compressed at different pressure levels. High resolution three-dimensional microtomography (MT) experiments were subsequently performed at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Grenoble. Radial and axial void fraction distributions were found to be oscillatory next to the walls and non-oscillatory in the bulk. For non-compressed pebble beds, the bulk void fraction is fairly constant; for compressed beds, a gradient exists along the compression axis. In the bulk, the angular distribution of pebble contacts was found to be fairly constant, indicating that no regular packing structure is induced. In the wall region, the pebble layer touching the wall is composed of zones with hexagonal structures as shown clearly by MT images. This

PEBBLES Simulation of Static Friction and New Static Friction Benchmark

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cogliati, Joshua J.; Ougouag, Abderrafi M.

2010-01-01

Pebble bed reactors contain large numbers of spherical fuel elements arranged randomly. Determining the motion and location of these fuel elements is required for calculating certain parameters of pebble bed reactor operation. This paper documents the PEBBLES static friction model. This model uses a three dimensional differential static friction approximation extended from the two dimensional Cundall and Strack model. The derivation of determining the rotational transformation of pebble to pebble static friction force is provided. A new implementation for a differential rotation method for pebble to container static friction force has been created. Previous published methods are insufficient for pebble bed reactor geometries. A new analytical static friction benchmark is documented that can be used to verify key static friction simulation parameters. This benchmark is based on determining the exact pebble to pebble and pebble to container static friction coefficients required to maintain a stable five sphere pyramid.

Apatite-brannerite-pitchblende association in hydrothermal quartz veins

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brodin, B.V.; Mel'nikova, A.M.; Osipov, B.S.; Pavlov, E.G.

1976-01-01

A study into the vein quartz mineralization confined to the tectonic zones of crush and silicification in sedimentary-igneous rocks of the lower Paleozoic has been made. The physicochemical characteristics of minerals were studied by way of optical and electron microscopy, chemical, laser-microspectral and X-ray structural analyses, microprobing and alpha-microradiography. 3 mineral associations have been discriminated, representative of the sequence of hydrothermal mineralization. An unusual parogenesis of pitchblende and brannerite with apatite, xenotime and more recent goethite has been revealed. The results are indicative of a medium-low-temperature hydrothermal process occurring at the final stages of formation of uraniferrous quartz veins. By composition and mineralization sequence, the latters are close to low- and medium-temperature uranium-quartz-chlorite-hydromica formations with apatite, coffinite, brannerite and pitchblende. The weak initial metamictization of goethite in veins 80 to 100 million years old is due to the radioactive effect of the submicroscopic radioactive mineral impurity on the crystalline lattice

Cold flow study of liquid cooled pebble bed reactor (LC-PBR) through radioisotope techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Verma, Rupesh; Upadhyay, Rajesh K.; Pant, H.J.

2017-01-01

As the world's demand for energy continues to increase burning of coal, oil and natural gases continue to increase which will eventually cause build-up in emission of greenhouse gasses. To overcome this challenge worldwide effort is in progress to develop an economical, more efficient and safer nuclear power. Higher thermal efficiency and enhances safety feature of Generation IV liquid cooled pebble bed reactor (LC-PBR) makes it viable option to replace existing nuclear reactor. However, this reactor is still in research stage and need detailed study before commercialization. In current work, hydrodynamics of LC-PBR is studied by using radioisotope based techniques, radioactive particle tracking and gamma-ray densitometry. Pebble flow profile and distribution are measured for different operating conditions. Optimal operating parameters are identified for operating LC-PBR based on hydrodynamics. (author)

HTR-proteus pebble bed experimental program core 4: random packing with a 1:1 moderator-to-fuel pebble ratio

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bess, John D. [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Montierth, Leland M. [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Sterbentz, James W. [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Briggs, J. Blair [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Gougar, Hans D. [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Snoj, Luka [Jozef Stefan Inst. (IJS), Ljubljana (Slovenia); Lengar, Igor [Jozef Stefan Inst. (IJS), Ljubljana (Slovenia); Koberl, Oliver [Paul Scherrer Inst. (PSI), Villigen (Switzerland)

2014-03-01

In its deployment as a pebble bed reactor (PBR) critical facility from 1992 to 1996, the PROTEUS facility was designated as HTR-PROTEUS. This experimental program was performed as part of an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Coordinated Research Project (CRP) on the Validation of Safety Related Physics Calculations for Low Enriched HTGRs. Within this project, critical experiments were conducted for graphite moderated LEU systems to determine core reactivity, flux and power profiles, reaction-rate ratios, the worth of control rods, both in-core and reflector based, the worth of burnable poisons, kinetic parameters, and the effects of moisture ingress on these parameters. One benchmark experiment was evaluated in this report: Core 4. Core 4 represents the only configuration with random pebble packing in the HTR-PROTEUS series of experiments, and has a moderator-to-fuel pebble ratio of 1:1. Three random configurations were performed. The initial configuration, Core 4.1, was rejected because the method for pebble loading, separate delivery tubes for the moderator and fuel pebbles, may not have been completely random; this core loading was rejected by the experimenters. Cores 4.2 and 4.3 were loaded using a single delivery tube, eliminating the possibility for systematic ordering effects. The second and third cores differed slightly in the quantity of pebbles loaded (40 each of moderator and fuel pebbles), stacked height of the pebbles in the core cavity (0.02 m), withdrawn distance of the stainless steel control rods (20 mm), and withdrawn distance of the autorod (30 mm). The 34 coolant channels in the upper axial reflector and the 33 coolant channels in the lower axial reflector were open. Additionally, the axial graphite fillers used in all other HTR-PROTEUS configurations to create a 12-sided core cavity were not used in the randomly packed cores. Instead, graphite fillers were placed on the cavity floor, creating a funnel-like base, to discourage ordering

HTR-PROTEUS PEBBLE BED EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM CORE 4: RANDOM PACKING WITH A 1:1 MODERATOR-TO-FUEL PEBBLE RATIO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

John D. Bess; Leland M. Montierth

2013-03-01

In its deployment as a pebble bed reactor (PBR) critical facility from 1992 to 1996, the PROTEUS facility was designated as HTR-PROTEUS. This experimental program was performed as part of an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Coordinated Research Project (CRP) on the Validation of Safety Related Physics Calculations for Low Enriched HTGRs. Within this project, critical experiments were conducted for graphite moderated LEU systems to determine core reactivity, flux and power profiles, reaction-rate ratios, the worth of control rods, both in-core and reflector based, the worth of burnable poisons, kinetic parameters, and the effects of moisture ingress on these parameters. One benchmark experiment was evaluated in this report: Core 4. Core 4 represents the only configuration with random pebble packing in the HTR-PROTEUS series of experiments, and has a moderator-to-fuel pebble ratio of 1:1. Three random configurations were performed. The initial configuration, Core 4.1, was rejected because the method for pebble loading, separate delivery tubes for the moderator and fuel pebbles, may not have been completely random; this core loading was rejected by the experimenters. Cores 4.2 and 4.3 were loaded using a single delivery tube, eliminating the possibility for systematic ordering effects. The second and third cores differed slightly in the quantity of pebbles loaded (40 each of moderator and fuel pebbles), stacked height of the pebbles in the core cavity (0.02 m), withdrawn distance of the stainless steel control rods (20 mm), and withdrawn distance of the autorod (30 mm). The 34 coolant channels in the upper axial reflector and the 33 coolant channels in the lower axial reflector were open. Additionally, the axial graphite fillers used in all other HTR-PROTEUS configurations to create a 12-sided core cavity were not used in the randomly packed cores. Instead, graphite fillers were placed on the cavity floor, creating a funnel-like base, to discourage ordering

Mechanics of a crushable pebble assembly using discrete element method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Annabattula, R.K.; Gan, Y.; Zhao, S.; Kamlah, M.

2012-01-01

The influence of crushing of individual pebbles on the overall strength of a pebble assembly is investigated using discrete element method. An assembly comprising of 5000 spherical pebbles is assigned with random critical failure energies with a Weibull distribution in accordance with the experimental observation. Then, the pebble assembly is subjected to uni-axial compression (ε 33 =1.5%) with periodic boundary conditions. The crushable pebble assembly shows a significant difference in stress–strain response in comparison to a non-crushable pebble assembly. The analysis shows that a ideal plasticity like behaviour (constant stress with increase in strain) is the characteristic of a crushable pebble assembly with sudden damage. The damage accumulation law plays a critical role in determining the critical stress while the critical number of completely failed pebbles at the onset of critical stress is independent of such a damage law. Furthermore, a loosely packed pebble assembly shows a higher crush resistance while the critical stress is insensitive to the packing factor (η) of the assembly.

Mechanics of binary and polydisperse spherical pebble assembly

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Annabattula, R.K.; Gan, Y.; Kamlah, M.

2012-01-01

The micromechanical behavior of an assembly of binary and polydisperse spherical pebbles is studied using discrete element method (DEM) accounting for microscopic interactions between individual pebbles. A in-house DEM code has been used to simulate the assemblies consisting of different pebble diameters and the results of the simulations are compared with that of mono-size pebble assemblies. The effect of relative radii and volume fraction of the pebbles on the macroscopic stress–strain response is discussed. Furthermore, the effect of packing factor and coefficient of friction on the overall stress–strain behavior of the system is studied in detail. The shear (tangential) stiffness between the particles is also another influencing parameter. For a very small shear stiffness the system shows a strong dependence on the packing factor while a pebble material dependent shear stiffness shows a rather moderate dependence on the packing factor. For a similar packing factor, the mono-size assembly shows a stiff behavior during loading compared to binary assembly. However, the simulations do not show a significant difference between the two behaviors in contrast to the observations made in the experiments. The discrepancy can be attributed to (i) probable difference in packing factors for mono-size and binary assemblies in the experiments, (ii) arbitrary friction coefficient in the current model and (iii) the tangential interaction (constant shear stiffness) implemented in the present model which needs further modification as a function of the load history on the pebbles. Evolution of other micromechanical characteristics such as coordination number, contact force distribution and stored elastic energy of individual pebbles as a function of external load and system parameters is presented which can be used to estimate important macroscopic properties such as overall thermal conductivity and crushing resistance of the pebble beds.

Mechanics of binary and polydisperse spherical pebble assembly

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Annabattula, R.K., E-mail: ratna.annabattula@kit.edu [Institute for Applied Materials (IAM-WBM), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), D-76344, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Gan, Y., E-mail: yixiang.gan@sydney.edu.au [School of Civil Engineering, University of Sydney, 2006 NSW, Sydney (Australia); Kamlah, M., E-mail: marc.kamlah@kit.edu [Institute for Applied Materials (IAM-WBM), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), D-76344, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany)

2012-08-15

The micromechanical behavior of an assembly of binary and polydisperse spherical pebbles is studied using discrete element method (DEM) accounting for microscopic interactions between individual pebbles. A in-house DEM code has been used to simulate the assemblies consisting of different pebble diameters and the results of the simulations are compared with that of mono-size pebble assemblies. The effect of relative radii and volume fraction of the pebbles on the macroscopic stress-strain response is discussed. Furthermore, the effect of packing factor and coefficient of friction on the overall stress-strain behavior of the system is studied in detail. The shear (tangential) stiffness between the particles is also another influencing parameter. For a very small shear stiffness the system shows a strong dependence on the packing factor while a pebble material dependent shear stiffness shows a rather moderate dependence on the packing factor. For a similar packing factor, the mono-size assembly shows a stiff behavior during loading compared to binary assembly. However, the simulations do not show a significant difference between the two behaviors in contrast to the observations made in the experiments. The discrepancy can be attributed to (i) probable difference in packing factors for mono-size and binary assemblies in the experiments, (ii) arbitrary friction coefficient in the current model and (iii) the tangential interaction (constant shear stiffness) implemented in the present model which needs further modification as a function of the load history on the pebbles. Evolution of other micromechanical characteristics such as coordination number, contact force distribution and stored elastic energy of individual pebbles as a function of external load and system parameters is presented which can be used to estimate important macroscopic properties such as overall thermal conductivity and crushing resistance of the pebble beds.

Uranium in South Africa: 1985

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-03-01

South Africa's participation in the nuclear industry was limited to the production of uranium and research, with minor commercial activities. The commissioning of the Koeberg Nuclear power station in 1984 placed South Africa firmly on the path of commercial nuclear power generation. A unique, locally developed uranium enrichment process will enable South Africa to be self-sufficient in its nuclear-fuel needs. Uranium has always been of secondary importance to gold as a target commodity in the exploration of the quartz-pebble conglomerates. In the Witwatersrand Basin it is estimated that in excess of R100 million was spent on exploration during 1985. This was spent primarily in the search for gold but as many of the gold reefs are uraniferous, new uranium resources are being discovered concurrently with those of gold. Uranium mineralization is present in rocks which encompass almost the whole of the geological history of South Africa. Significant mineralization is restricted to five fairly well-defined time periods. Each period is characterized by a distinct type or combination of types of mineralization. Resource estimates are divided into separate categories that reflect different levels of confidence in the quantities reported. The resource categories are further separated into levels of exploitability based on the estimated cost of their exploitation. A major part (87%) of South Africa's uranium resources is present as a by-product of gold in the quartz-pebble conglomerates of the Witwatersrand Basin. The uranium resources in the reasonably assured resources (RAR) and estimated additional resources - category I (EAR-I) catogories were 483 300 t U. Production during 1985 was 4880 t U. Although a production peaking at over 1200 t U/a is theoretically attainable, it is considered, from market projections, that a production ceilling of 10 000 t U/a would be more realistic

Uranium in South Africa: 1987

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-06-01

South Africa's participation in the nuclear industry was limited to the production of uranium and research, with minor commercial activities. The commissioning of the Koeberg Nuclear power station in 1984 placed South Africa firmly on the path of commercial nuclear power generation. A unique locally developed uranium enrichment process wil enable South Africa to be self-sufficient in its nuclear-fuel needs. Uranium has always been of secondary importance to gold as a target commodity in the exploration of the quartz-pebble conglomerates. In the Witwatersrand Basin it is estimated that in excess of R300 million was spend on exploration during 1987. This was spend primarily in the search for gold but as many of the gold reefs are uraniferous, new uranium resources are being discovered concurrently with those of gold. Uranium mineralization is present in rocks which encompass almost the whole of the geological history of South Africa. Significant mineralization is restricted to five fairly well-defined time periods. Each period is characterized by a distinct type or combination of types of mineralization. Resource estimates are divided into separate categories that reflect different levels of confidence in the quantities reported. The resource categories are further separated into levels of exploitability based on the estimated cost of their exploitation. A major part (87%) of South Africa's uranium resources is present as a by-product of gold in the quartz-pebble conglomerates of the Witwatersrand Basin. The uranium resources in the RAR and EAR-I categories were 536 500 t u. Production during 1987 was 3963 t u. Although a production peaking at over 1100 t U/a is theoretically attainable, it is considered, from market projections, that a production ceiling of 10 000 t U/a would be more realistic

Mechanical behavior of Be–Ti pebbles at blanket relevant temperatures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kurinskiy, Petr, E-mail: petr.kurinskiy@kit.edu [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Applied Materials—Applied Materials Physics (IAM-AWP), P.O. Box 3640, 76021 Karlsruhe (Germany); Rolli, Rolf [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Applied Materials—Materials Biomechanics (IAM-WBM), P.O. Box 3640, 76021 Karlsruhe (Germany); Kim, Jae-Hwan; Nakamichi, Masaru [Breeding Functional Materials Development Group, Department of Blanket Fusion Institute, Rokkasho Fusion Institute, Sector of Fusion Research and Development, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 2-166 Oaza-Obuchi-Aza-Omotedate, Rokkasho-mura, Kamikita-gun, Aoori 039-3212 (Japan)

2016-11-01

Highlights: • Mechanical behavior of two kinds of Be–Ti pebbles in the temperature range of 400–800 °C was investigated. • It was experimentally shown that Be-7 at.%Ti pebbles have the enhanced ductile properties compared to Be-7.7 at.%Ti pebbles. • Brittle failure of both kinds of Be–Ti pebbles was observed by testing at 400 °C using the constant loading with 150 N. - Abstract: Mechanical performance of beryllium-based materials is a matter of a great interest from the point of view of their use as neutron multipliers of the tritium breeding blankets. The compression strains which can occur in beryllium pebble beds under blanket working conditions will lead to deformation or even failure of individual pebbles [1,2] (Reimann et al. 2002; Ishitsuka and Kawamura, 1995). Mechanical behavior of Be–Ti pebbles having chemical contents of Be-7.0 at.% Ti and Be-7.7 at.%Ti was investigated in the temperature range of 400–800 °C. Constant loads varying from 10 up to 150 N were applied uniaxially. It was shown that Be–Ti pebbles compared to pure beryllium pebbles possess much lower ductility, although their strength properties exceed corresponding characteristics of pure beryllium. Also, the influence of titanium content on mechanical behavior of Be–Ti pebbles was investigated. Specific features of deformation of pure beryllium and Be–Ti pebbles having different titanium contents at blanket operation temperatures are discussed.

The corporate centre in a financial conglomerate : governance under fundamental industry changes

OpenAIRE

Fiole, Eelco Rokus Willem

2002-01-01

In part 1, we discuss 1) the fundamental changes in the financial services industry, 2) financial conglomerate structures and 3) value-based-management. These are core components for understanding the challenges and intentions of corporate level management of financial conglomerates. The financial services industry, financial conglomeration and value orientation In the first chapter, we highlight the major trend of consolidation in the financial services industry. This trend...

Ceramic breeder pebble bed packing stability under cyclic loads

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Chunbo, E-mail: chunbozhang@fusion.ucla.edu [Fusion Science and Technology Center, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1597 (United States); Ying, Alice; Abdou, Mohamed A. [Fusion Science and Technology Center, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1597 (United States); Park, Yi-Hyun [National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-11-01

Highlights: • The feasibility of obtaining packing stability for pebble beds is studied. • The responses of pebble bed to cyclic loads have been presented and analyzed in details. • Pebble bed packing saturation and its applications are discussed. • A suggestion is made regarding the improvement of pebbles filling technique. - Abstract: Considering the optimization of blanket performance, it is desired that the bed morphology and packing state during reactor operation are stable and predictable. Both experimental and numerical work are performed to explore the stability of pebble beds, in particular under pulsed loading conditions. Uniaxial compaction tests have been performed for both KIT’s Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} and NFRI’s Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebble beds at elevated temperatures (up to 750 °C) under cyclic loads (up to 6 MPa). The obtained data shows the stress-strain loop initially moves towards the larger strain and nearly saturates after a certain number of cyclic loading cycles. The characterized FEM CAP material models for a Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} pebble bed with an edge-on configuration are used to simulate the thermomechanical behavior of pebble bed under ITER pulsed operations. Simulation results have shown the cyclic variation of temperature/stress/strain/gap and also the same saturation trend with experiments under cyclic loads. Therefore, it is feasible for pebble bed to maintain its packing stability during operation when disregarding pebbles’ breakage and irradiation.

Surface coating of graphite pebbles for Korean HCCR TBM

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Youngmin [National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Yun, Young-Hoon, E-mail: yunh2@dsu.ac.kr [Dongshin University, Naju (Korea, Republic of); Park, Yi-Hyun; Ahn, Mu-Young; Cho, Seungyon [National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2014-10-15

Highlights: • A CVR-SiC coating was successfully formed on graphite pebbles for neutron reflector. • Dense and fine-grained surface morphologies of the SiC coatings were observed. • Oxidation resistance of the CVR-SiC-coated graphite pebbles was improved. - Abstract: The new concept of the recently modified Helium-Cooled Ceramic Reflector (HCCR) Test Blanket Module (TBM) is to adopt a graphite reflector in the form of a pebble bed. A protective SiC coating is applied to the graphite pebbles to prohibit their reaction with steam or air as well as dust generation during TBM operation. In this research, the chemical vapor reaction (CVR) method was applied to fabricate SiC-coated graphite pebbles in a silica source. Relatively dense CVR-SiC coating was successfully formed on the graphite pebbles through the reduction of the graphite phase with SiO gas that was simply created from the silica source at 1850 °C (2 h). The microstructural features, XRD patterns, pore-size distribution and oxidation behavior of the SiC-coated graphite pebbles were investigated. To develop the practical process, which will be applied for mass production hereafter, a novel alternative method was applied to form the layer of SiC coating on the graphite pebbles over the silica source.

Surface coating of graphite pebbles for Korean HCCR TBM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Youngmin; Yun, Young-Hoon; Park, Yi-Hyun; Ahn, Mu-Young; Cho, Seungyon

2014-01-01

Highlights: • A CVR-SiC coating was successfully formed on graphite pebbles for neutron reflector. • Dense and fine-grained surface morphologies of the SiC coatings were observed. • Oxidation resistance of the CVR-SiC-coated graphite pebbles was improved. - Abstract: The new concept of the recently modified Helium-Cooled Ceramic Reflector (HCCR) Test Blanket Module (TBM) is to adopt a graphite reflector in the form of a pebble bed. A protective SiC coating is applied to the graphite pebbles to prohibit their reaction with steam or air as well as dust generation during TBM operation. In this research, the chemical vapor reaction (CVR) method was applied to fabricate SiC-coated graphite pebbles in a silica source. Relatively dense CVR-SiC coating was successfully formed on the graphite pebbles through the reduction of the graphite phase with SiO gas that was simply created from the silica source at 1850 °C (2 h). The microstructural features, XRD patterns, pore-size distribution and oxidation behavior of the SiC-coated graphite pebbles were investigated. To develop the practical process, which will be applied for mass production hereafter, a novel alternative method was applied to form the layer of SiC coating on the graphite pebbles over the silica source

Optimization of MOX fuel cycles in pebble bed HTGR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wei Jinfeng; Li Fu; Sun Yuliang

2013-01-01

Compared with light water reactor (LWR), the pebble bed high temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) is able to operate in a full mixed oxide (MOX) fuelled core without significant change to core structure design. Based on a reference design of 250 MW pebble bed HTGR, four MOX fuel cycles were designed and evaluated by VSOP program package, including the mixed Pu-U fuel pebbles and mixed loading of separate Pu-pebbles and U-pebbles. Some important physics features were investigated and compared for these four cycles, such as the effective multiplication factor of initial core, the pebble residence time, discharge burnup, and temperature coefficients. Preliminary results show that the overall performance of one case is superior to other equivalent MOX fuel cycles on condition that uranium fuel elements and plutonium fuel elements are separated as the different fuel pebbles and that the uranium fuel elements are irradiated longer in the core than the plutonium fuel elements, and the average discharge burnup of this case is also higher than others. (authors)

Pebble Accretion in Turbulent Protoplanetary Disks

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Ziyan; Bai, Xue-Ning; Murray-Clay, Ruth A.

2017-09-01

It has been realized in recent years that the accretion of pebble-sized dust particles onto planetary cores is an important mode of core growth, which enables the formation of giant planets at large distances and assists planet formation in general. The pebble accretion theory is built upon the orbit theory of dust particles in a laminar protoplanetary disk (PPD). For sufficiently large core mass (in the “Hill regime”), essentially all particles of appropriate sizes entering the Hill sphere can be captured. However, the outer regions of PPDs are expected to be weakly turbulent due to the magnetorotational instability (MRI), where turbulent stirring of particle orbits may affect the efficiency of pebble accretion. We conduct shearing-box simulations of pebble accretion with different levels of MRI turbulence (strongly turbulent assuming ideal magnetohydrodynamics, weakly turbulent in the presence of ambipolar diffusion, and laminar) and different core masses to test the efficiency of pebble accretion at a microphysical level. We find that accretion remains efficient for marginally coupled particles (dimensionless stopping time {τ }s˜ 0.1{--}1) even in the presence of strong MRI turbulence. Though more dust particles are brought toward the core by the turbulence, this effect is largely canceled by a reduction in accretion probability. As a result, the overall effect of turbulence on the accretion rate is mainly reflected in the changes in the thickness of the dust layer. On the other hand, we find that the efficiency of pebble accretion for strongly coupled particles (down to {τ }s˜ 0.01) can be modestly reduced by strong turbulence for low-mass cores.

Potential uses of genetic geological modelling to identify new uranium provinces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Finch, W.I.

1982-01-01

Genetic-geological modelling is the placing of the various processes of the development of a uranium province into distinct stages that are ordered chronologically and made part of a matrix with corresponding geologic evidence. The models can be applied to a given region by using one of several methods to determine a numerical favorability rating. Two of the possible methods, geologic decision analysis and an oil-and-gas type of play analysis, are briefly described. Simplified genetic models are given for environments of the quartz-pebble conglomerate, unconformity-related vein, and sandstone types of deposits. Comparison of the genetic models of these three sedimentary-related environments reveals several common attributes that may define a general uranium province environment

Neutronic modeling of pebble bed reactors in APOLLO2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grimod, M.

2010-01-01

In this thesis we develop a new iterative homogenization technique for pebble bed reactors, based on a 'macro-stochastic' transport approximation in the collision probability method. A model has been developed to deal with the stochastic distribution of pebbles with different burnup in the core, considering spectral differences in homogenization and depletion calculations. This is generally not done in the codes presently used for pebble bed analyses, where a pebble with average isotopic composition is considered to perform the cell calculation. Also an iterative core calculation scheme has been set up, where the low-order RZ S N full-core calculation computes the entering currents in the spectrum zones subdividing the core. These currents, together with the core k eff , are then used as surface source in the fine-group heterogeneous calculation of the multi-pebble geometries. The developed method has been verified using reference Monte Carlo simulations of a simplified PBMR- 400 model. The pebbles in this model are individually positioned and have different randomly assigned burnup values. The APOLLO2 developed method matches the reference core k eff within ± 100 pcm, with relative differences on the production shape factors within ± 4%, and maximum discrepancy of 3% at the hotspot. Moreover, the first criticality experiment of the HTR-10 reactor was used to perform a first validation of the developed model. The computed critical number of pebbles to be loaded in the core is very close to the experimental value of 16890, only 77 pebbles less. A method to calculate the equilibrium reactor state was also developed and applied to analyze the simplified PBMR-400 model loaded with different fuel types (UO 2 , Pu, Pu + MA). The potential of the APOLLO2 method to compute different fluxes for the different pebble types of a multi-pebble geometry was used to evaluate the bias committed by the average composition pebble approximation. Thanks to a 'compensation of error

Fabrication of modified lithium orthosilicate pebbles by addition of titania

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Knitter, R., E-mail: regina.knitter@kit.edu [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Applied Materials (IAM-WPT), Karlsruhe, 76021 (Germany); Kolb, M.H.H.; Kaufmann, U. [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Applied Materials (IAM-WPT), Karlsruhe, 76021 (Germany); Goraieb, A.A. [Goraieb Versuchstechnik (GVT), Karlsruhe, 76227 (Germany)

2013-11-15

Highlights: ► Lithium orthosilicate pebbles with additions of titania were fabricated by a modified melt-based process. ► The fabricated pebbles exhibit a very fine-grained microstructure with lithium metatitanate as a secondary phase. ► Due to the addition of titanate, the crush load of the pebbles was significantly increased. ► The closed porosity was found to be slightly increased with increasing titanate content. -- Abstract: Lithium orthosilicate pebbles are one of the ceramic tritium breeder materials destined for the European solid breeder test blanket modules of ITER, the large-scale scientific experiment intended to prove the viability of fusion as an energy source, presently under construction in Cadarache, France. While the current reference material is fabricated by melt-spraying with 2.5 wt.% excess of silica, resulting in a two-phase material of lithium orthosilicate and metasilicate, a modified melt-based process was used to fabricate breeder pebbles with additions of titania in order to obtain pebbles with lithium metatitanate as a secondary phase. The fabricated two-phase pebbles exhibit a fine-grained microstructure and increased crush loads. The optimum titanate content has yet to be evaluated, nonetheless the pebbles may have the potential to combine the advantages of both lithium orthosilicate and metatitanate breeder ceramics.

Creating the future with all finance and financial conglomerates

CERN Document Server

Berghe, Lutgart

1998-01-01

Creating the Future with All Finance and Financial Conglomerates comprises an academic search for an understanding of all finance and financial conglomerates. It presents a strategic and economic analysis of diversification strategies and the growing interface between different types of financial firms. On the basis of a solid analysis of theoretical foundations and practical value, the book develops basic concepts of creating the future: especially solutions in managing risks and fresh ideas for the development of integrated financial services. The structure of the book is logical: starting on theoretical foundations (section 1, part A) and examining the economic value of All Finance and Financial Conglomerates (part B), leads to creating a concept for the future (part C). Case studies add additional practical value to this research. The review of the subject is completed by aspects of risk management in this sector and by political guidelines for the EU single market (section 2). The book builds further on ...

The reprocessing of advanced mixed lithium orthosilicate/metatitanate tritium breeder pebbles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leys, Oliver, E-mail: oliver.leys@kit.edu [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Applied Materials, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, 76344 (Germany); Bergfeldt, Thomas; Kolb, Matthias H.H.; Knitter, Regina [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Applied Materials, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, 76344 (Germany); Goraieb, Aniceto A. [Karlsruhe Beryllium Handling Facility, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, 76344 (Germany)

2016-06-15

Highlights: • The recycling of advanced breeder pebbles without a deterioration of the material properties is possible using a melt-based process. • The only accumulation of impurities upon reprocessing, results from the platinum crucible alloy used for processing. • It is possible to replenish burnt-up lithium by additions of LiOH·H{sub 2}O to the melt during reprocessing. - Abstract: The recycling of tritium breeding materials will be necessary for any future use of nuclear fusion energy due to economical as well as ecological considerations. In the case of the solid breeder blanket concept, the ceramic pebble beds that are intended for the generation of tritium will eventually need to be restored due to depleted lithium levels as well as due to fractured pebbles, which will cause a deterioration of the pebble bed properties. It is proposed that the pebbles, which are fabricated using a melt-based process, are recycled using the same initial process, by replenishing the lithium levels and reforming the pebbles at the same time. To prove this recycling scheme, advanced ceramic pebbles were fabricated and then re-melted multiple times to prove that the reprocessing did not have any negative effect on the pebble properties and secondly, pebbles were produced with a simulated lithium burn-up and subsequently replenished by additions of LiOH to the melt. It was shown that the re-melting and lithium re-enrichment had no effect on the pebble properties, demonstrating that a melt-based process is suitable for recycling used breeder pebbles.

How cores grow by pebble accretion. I. Direct core growth

Science.gov (United States)

Brouwers, M. G.; Vazan, A.; Ormel, C. W.

2018-03-01

Context. Planet formation by pebble accretion is an alternative to planetesimal-driven core accretion. In this scenario, planets grow by the accretion of cm- to m-sized pebbles instead of km-sized planetesimals. One of the main differences with planetesimal-driven core accretion is the increased thermal ablation experienced by pebbles. This can provide early enrichment to the planet's envelope, which influences its subsequent evolution and changes the process of core growth. Aims: We aim to predict core masses and envelope compositions of planets that form by pebble accretion and compare mass deposition of pebbles to planetesimals. Specifically, we calculate the core mass where pebbles completely evaporate and are absorbed before reaching the core, which signifies the end of direct core growth. Methods: We model the early growth of a protoplanet by calculating the structure of its envelope, taking into account the fate of impacting pebbles or planetesimals. The region where high-Z material can exist in vapor form is determined by the temperature-dependent vapor pressure. We include enrichment effects by locally modifying the mean molecular weight of the envelope. Results: In the pebble case, three phases of core growth can be identified. In the first phase (Mcore mixes outwards, slowing core growth. In the third phase (Mcore > 0.5M⊕), the high-Z inner region expands outwards, absorbing an increasing fraction of the ablated material as vapor. Rainout ends before the core mass reaches 0.6 M⊕, terminating direct core growth. In the case of icy H2O pebbles, this happens before 0.1 M⊕. Conclusions: Our results indicate that pebble accretion can directly form rocky cores up to only 0.6 M⊕, and is unable to form similarly sized icy cores. Subsequent core growth can proceed indirectly when the planet cools, provided it is able to retain its high-Z material.

Pebble Bed Reactors Design Optimization Methods and their Application to the Pebble Bed Fluoride Salt Cooled High Temperature Reactor (PB-FHR)

Science.gov (United States)

Cisneros, Anselmo Tomas, Jr.

The Fluoride salt cooled High temperature Reactor (FHR) is a class of advanced nuclear reactors that combine the robust coated particle fuel form from high temperature gas cooled reactors, direct reactor auxillary cooling system (DRACS) passive decay removal of liquid metal fast reactors, and the transparent, high volumetric heat capacitance liquid fluoride salt working fluids---flibe (33%7Li2F-67%BeF)---from molten salt reactors. This combination of fuel and coolant enables FHRs to operate in a high-temperature low-pressure design space that has beneficial safety and economic implications. In 2012, UC Berkeley was charged with developing a pre-conceptual design of a commercial prototype FHR---the Pebble Bed- Fluoride Salt Cooled High Temperature Reactor (PB-FHR)---as part of the Nuclear Energy University Programs' (NEUP) integrated research project. The Mark 1 design of the PB-FHR (Mk1 PB-FHR) is 236 MWt flibe cooled pebble bed nuclear heat source that drives an open-air Brayton combine-cycle power conversion system. The PB-FHR's pebble bed consists of a 19.8% enriched uranium fuel core surrounded by an inert graphite pebble reflector that shields the outer solid graphite reflector, core barrel and reactor vessel. The fuel reaches an average burnup of 178000 MWt-d/MT. The Mk1 PB-FHR exhibits strong negative temperature reactivity feedback from the fuel, graphite moderator and the flibe coolant but a small positive temperature reactivity feedback of the inner reflector and from the outer graphite pebble reflector. A novel neutronics and depletion methodology---the multiple burnup state methodology was developed for an accurate and efficient search for the equilibrium composition of an arbitrary continuously refueled pebble bed reactor core. The Burnup Equilibrium Analysis Utility (BEAU) computer program was developed to implement this methodology. BEAU was successfully benchmarked against published results generated with existing equilibrium depletion codes VSOP

Fluid inclusion study of the Witwatersrand gold-uranium ores

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shepherd, T.J.

1977-01-01

Fluid inclusions, preserved in quartz pebbles of the uraniferous and auriferous Precambrian oligomictic conglomerates of the Witwatersrand Basin, provide a unique insight into the genesis of the ores. Using differences in inclusion characteristics in conjunction with intra- and inter-deformational textures for adjacent pebbles, a distinction is made between pre- and post-depositional inclusions. Excluding those related to subsequent brittle fracture, the former comprise five principal types; two of which are distinguished by the development of liquid carbon dioxide. Collectively they indicate a moderate to high pressure-temperature environment of vein quartz formation. Systematic variation in the relative abundance of these inclusion assemblages for different sections of the orefield demonstrates the importance of well-defined provenance areas or multiple entry points into the basins. A marked sympathetic relationship between uraniferous banket ores and the presence of vein quartz rich in liquid carbon dioxide inclusions, together with a corresponding antipathetic relationship for gold, strongly suggests separate sources for the metals. The temporal and spatial aspects of the association 'U-CO 2 ' also imply a uranium influx into the basin from discrete areas of the hinterland contemporaneous with the sediments. Post-depositional inclusions are subordinate and offer no support for the alternative epigenetic model and show only a later interaction of relatively cool circulating groundwaters. A discussion is given of the probable nature and origin of uranium in the source rocks and its mode of transportation. In conclusion, a proposal is made for the use of applied fluid inclusion research in the evaluation of and exploration for similar deposits. (author)

PBMR Project - Pebble Fuel Advantages

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Slabber, Johan; Matzie, Regis; Casperson, Sten; Kriel, Willem

2006-01-01

An overview is presented of all the important issues that influenced the choice of pebble fuel for the High-temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (HTGR) concept developed by South Africa. Each of these issues is then discussed in detail and compared with other fuel configurations proposed for direct cycle High-temperature Reactor (HTR) applications. The comparisons are provided using objective data generated by analyses done for the design of the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) and data that is available in open literature for the other fuel configurations

Design of a power conversion system for an indirect cycle, helium cooled pebble bed reactor system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, C.; Ballinger, R.G.; Stahle, P.W.; Demetri, E.; Koronowski, M.

2002-01-01

A design is presented for the turbomachinery for an indirect cycle, closed, helium cooled modular pebble bed reactor system. The design makes use of current technology and will operate with an overall efficiency of 45%. The design uses an intermediate heat exchanger which isolated the reactor cycle from the turbomachinery. This design excludes radioactive fission products from the turbomachinery. This minimizes the probability of an air ingress accident and greatly simplifies maintenance. (author)

Particle flow of ceramic breeder pebble beds in bi-axial compression experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hermsmeyer, S.; Reimann, J.

2002-01-01

Pebble beds of ceramic material are investigated within the framework of developing solid breeder blankets for future fusion power plants. A thermo-mechanical characterisation of such pebble beds is mandatory for understanding the behaviour of pebble beds, and thus the overall blanket, under fusion environment conditions. The mechanical behaviour of pebble beds is typically explored with uni-axial, bi-axial and tri-axial compression experiments. The latter two types of experiment are particularly revealing since they contain explicitly, beyond a compression behaviour of the bed, information on the conditions for pebble flow, i.e. macroscopic relocation, in the pebble bed. (orig.)

Uranium mineralization in the Mesoproterozoic Banganapalle formation near Nagayapalle, Cuddapah Basin, Andhra Pradesh

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Basu, Himadri; Harikrishnan, T.; Hanumanthappa, D.; Rengarajan, M.; Saravanan, B.; Bhagat, Sangeeta; Mahendra Kumar

2008-01-01

Cuddapah Basin is the hub of uranium exploration for years together in India. Initial efforts were for quartz-pebble-conglomerate type mineralization. However, the emphasis later shifted towards dolostone-hosted mineralization and finally to unconformity-associated uranium mineralization. The recent finding of uranium mineralization associated with the Banganapalle Formation near Nagayapalle is the outcome of continuous exploration input in the Cuddapah Basin over years. Uranium mineralization (up to 0.278% U 3 O 8 ) associated with the Mesoproterozoic Banganapalle Formation near Nagayapalle is represented by pitchblende and autunite. Pitchblende occurs as tiny grains in the intergranular spaces and along grain boundaries; and also at places replaces pyrite and covellite grains. The geological set-up indicates that the geodomain is favourable for uranium mineralization. (author)

Plutonium burning in a pebble-bed type high temperature nuclear reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bende, E.E

2000-01-24

This thesis deals with the pebble-bed High Temperature Reactor that is fuelled with pure reactor-grade plutonium. It is stressed that neither burnable poisons nor fertile materials like 238U and 212Th are present in the calculational models throughout this thesis. Chapter 2 discusses the general properties of the pebble-bed HTR: the passive safety features of this reactor; different fuel scenarios according to which the pebble-bed HTR can be operated; properties of the pebbles and the coated particles (CPs), including a concise overview of the mechanisms that can lead to coated particle failure. Special attention is paid to the effect of Pu as fuel inside these CPs thereby aiming to indicate which mechanisms are of concern when such CPs are considered as fuel in future reactors. In the last part of this chapter constraints are listed that were imposed to the models considered in the framework of this thesis. Chapter 3 presents the results of unit-cell calculations performed with three code systems. The main objective of this chapter is to compare the calculational results of one particular code system, which is a candidate for the generation of cross sections for a full-core calculation, to those of the other two code systems. Also some reactor physics interpretations of the calculational results are presented. The unit-cell calculations embrace the computation of a number of reactor physics parameters for pebbles with a varying plutonium mass per pebble and with different types of coated particles. For one pebble configuration, these parameters have been calculated for various fuel temperatures and over-all (uniform) temperatures. For that particular pebble configuration, also the results of a two burnup calculations were compared. Chapter 4 reports the results of a parameter study in which the number of coated particles per pebble as well as the type and size of the CPs have been varied. The effect of different pebble configurations on several reactor physics

Failure initiation and propagation of Li4SiO4 pebbles in fusion blankets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao Shuo; Gan Yixiang; Kamlah, Marc

2013-01-01

Lithium orthosilicate (Li 4 SiO 4 ) pebbles are considered to be a candidate as solid tritium breeder in the helium cooled pebble bed (HCPB) blanket. These ceramic pebbles might be crushed during thermomechanical loading in the blanket. In this work, the failure initiation and propagation of pebbles in pebble beds is investigated using the discrete element method (DEM). Pebbles are simplified as mono-sized elastic spheres. Every pebble has a contact strength in terms of critical strain energy, which is derived from a validated strength model and crush test data for pebbles from a specific batch of Li 4 SiO 4 pebbles. Pebble beds are compressed uniaxially and triaxially in DEM simulations. When the strain energy absorbed by a pebble exceeds its critical energy it fails. The failure initiation is defined as a given small fraction of pebbles crushed. It is found that the load level for failure initiation can be very low. For example, if failure initiation is defined as soon as 0.02% of the pebbles have been crushed, the pressure required for uniaxial loading is about 2.5 MPa. Therefore, it is essential to study the influence of failure propagation on the macroscopic response of pebble beds. Thus a reduction ratio defined as the size ratio of a pebble before and after its failure is introduced. The macroscopic stress–strain relation is investigated with different reduction ratios. A typical stress plateau is found for a small reduction ratio.

Detection system for location of fuel pebbles transported in pipes in a pebble-bed reactor based on vibration signal processing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Hongbing, E-mail: liuhb07@mails.tsinghua.edu.cn [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials Processing Technology, Ministry of Education P. R. China, Beijing 100084 (China); Du, Dong, E-mail: dudong@tsinghua.edu.cn [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials Processing Technology, Ministry of Education P. R. China, Beijing 100084 (China); Huang, An; Chang, Baohua; Han, Zandong [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials Processing Technology, Ministry of Education P. R. China, Beijing 100084 (China); He, Ayada [Shanghai Electric Power Generation Group Shanghai Generator Works, Shanghai 200240 (China)

2016-08-15

Highlights: • A detection system for locations of pebbles transported in pipes is introduced. • The detection system is based on vibration signal processing, which is original. • The characteristics of the vibration signals of the pipe are analyzed. • The experiment shows that the detection results are accurate. • The research provides an important basis for the design of the reactor. - Abstract: Pebble-bed high temperature gas-cooled reactors have many advantages such as inherent safety, high efficiency, etc., and have been considered as a candidate for Generation IV nuclear reactors. During the operation of the reactor, there are thousands of fuel pebbles transported in the pipes outside the core by gravity and helium flow. The pattern of the pipes which consist of straight and arc sections is very complex. When a fuel pebble is transported, it will constantly collide with the pipes, especially in the arc sections. The collisions will lead to the vibration of the pipes. This paper aims to provide a detection system for the location of fuel pebbles transported in pipes in a pebble-bed reactor based on vibration signal processing. Before the reactor is running, the system acquires the vibration signals of several key sections by sensors. Then the frequency characteristics of the signals are obtained by joint time–frequency analysis. When the reactor is running, the system detects the signals and processes them based on their frequency characteristics in real time. According to the results of the processing, the system can correctly judge whether the fuel pebble has passed through the section and records the time of the passing. The experiment validates the accuracy and reliability of the detection results. In this way, the operational condition of the reactor can be monitored so that the normal running of the reactor can be ensured. Additionally, the detection data are of great significance to the evaluation and optimization of the reactor performance

Detection system for location of fuel pebbles transported in pipes in a pebble-bed reactor based on vibration signal processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Hongbing; Du, Dong; Huang, An; Chang, Baohua; Han, Zandong; He, Ayada

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A detection system for locations of pebbles transported in pipes is introduced. • The detection system is based on vibration signal processing, which is original. • The characteristics of the vibration signals of the pipe are analyzed. • The experiment shows that the detection results are accurate. • The research provides an important basis for the design of the reactor. - Abstract: Pebble-bed high temperature gas-cooled reactors have many advantages such as inherent safety, high efficiency, etc., and have been considered as a candidate for Generation IV nuclear reactors. During the operation of the reactor, there are thousands of fuel pebbles transported in the pipes outside the core by gravity and helium flow. The pattern of the pipes which consist of straight and arc sections is very complex. When a fuel pebble is transported, it will constantly collide with the pipes, especially in the arc sections. The collisions will lead to the vibration of the pipes. This paper aims to provide a detection system for the location of fuel pebbles transported in pipes in a pebble-bed reactor based on vibration signal processing. Before the reactor is running, the system acquires the vibration signals of several key sections by sensors. Then the frequency characteristics of the signals are obtained by joint time–frequency analysis. When the reactor is running, the system detects the signals and processes them based on their frequency characteristics in real time. According to the results of the processing, the system can correctly judge whether the fuel pebble has passed through the section and records the time of the passing. The experiment validates the accuracy and reliability of the detection results. In this way, the operational condition of the reactor can be monitored so that the normal running of the reactor can be ensured. Additionally, the detection data are of great significance to the evaluation and optimization of the reactor performance

Fabrication of Li2TiO3 pebbles by a freeze drying process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Sang-Jin; Park, Yi-Hyun; Yu, Min-Woo

2013-01-01

Li 2 TiO 3 pebbles were successfully fabricated by using a freeze drying process. The Li 2 TiO 3 slurry was prepared using a commercial powder of particle size 0.5–1.5 μm and the pebble pre-form was prepared by dropping the slurry into liquid nitrogen through a syringe needle. The droplets were rapidly frozen, changing their morphology to spherical pebbles. The frozen pebbles were dried at −10 °C in vacuum. To make crack-free pebbles, some glycerin was employed in the slurry, and long drying time and a low vacuum condition were applied in the freeze drying process. In the process, the solid content in the slurry influenced the spheroidicity of the pebble green body. The dried pebbles were sintered at 1200 °C in an air atmosphere. The sintered pebbles showed almost 40% shrinkage. The sintered pebbles revealed a porous microstructure with a uniform pore distribution and the sintered pebbles were crushed under an average load of 50 N in a compressive strength test. In the present study, a freeze drying process for fabrication of spherical Li 2 TiO 3 pebbles is introduced. The processing parameters, such as solid content in the slurry and the conditions of freeze drying and sintering, are also examined

A COMPARISON OF PEBBLE MIXING AND DEPLETION ALGORITHMS USED IN PEBBLE-BED REACTOR EQUILIBRIUM CYCLE SIMULATION

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gougar, Hans D.; Reitsma, Frederik; Joubert, Wessel

2009-01-01

Recirculating pebble-bed reactors are distinguished from all other reactor types by the downward movement through and reinsertion of fuel into the core during operation. Core simulators must account for this movement and mixing in order to capture the physics of the equilibrium cycle core. VSOP and PEBBED are two codes used to perform such simulations, but they do so using different methods. In this study, a simplified pebble-bed core with a specified flux profile and cross sections is used as the model for conducting analyses of two types of burnup schemes. The differences between the codes are described and related to the differences observed in the nuclide densities in pebbles discharged from the core. Differences in the methods for computing fission product buildup and average number densities lead to significant differences in the computed core power and eigenvalue. These test models provide a key component of an overall equilibrium cycle benchmark involving neutron transport, cross section generation, and fuel circulation.

Manufacturing Technology of Ceramic Pebbles for Breeding Blanket

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rosa Lo Frano

2018-05-01

Full Text Available An open issue for the fusion power reactor is the choice of breeding blanket material. The possible use of Helium-Cooled Pebble Breeder ceramic material in the form of pebble beds is of great interest worldwide as demonstrated by the numerous studies and research on this subject. Lithium orthosilicate (Li4SiO4 is a promising breeding material investigated in this present study because the neutron capture of Li-6 allows the production of tritium, 6Li (n, t 4He. Furthermore, lithium orthosilicate has the advantages of low activation characteristics, low thermal expansion coefficient, high thermal conductivity, high density and stability. Even if they are far from the industrial standard, a variety of industrial processes have been proposed for making orthosilicate pebbles with diameters of 0.1–1 mm. However, some manufacturing problems have been observed, such as in the chemical stability (agglomeration phenomena. The aim of this study is to provide a new methodology for the production of pebbles based on the drip casting method, which was jointly developed by the DICI-University of Pisa and Industrie Bitossi. Using this new (and alternative manufacturing technology, in the field of fusion reactors, appropriately sized ceramic pebbles could be produced for use as tritium breeders.

Thermo-mechanical characterization of ceramic pebbles for breeding blanket

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lo Frano, Rosa, E-mail: rosa.lofrano@ing.unipi.it; Aquaro, Donato; Scaletti, Luca

2016-11-01

Highlights: • Experimental activities to characterize the Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4}. • Compression tests of pebbles. • Experimental evaluation of thermal conductivity of pebbles bed at different temperatures. • Experimental test with/without compression load. - Abstract: An open issue for fusion power reactor is to design a suitable breeding blanket capable to produce the necessary quantity of the tritium and to transfer the energy of the nuclear fusion reaction to the coolant. The envisaged solution called Helium-Cooled Pebble Bed (HCPB) breeding blanket foresees the use of lithium orthosilicate (Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4}) or lithium metatitanate (Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3}) pebble beds. The thermal mechanical properties of the candidate pebble bed materials are presently extensively investigated because they are critical for the feasibility and performances of the numerous conceptual designs which use a solid breeder. This study is aimed at the investigation of mechanical properties of the lithium orthosilicate and at the characterization of the main chemical, physical and thermo-mechanical properties taking into account the production technology. In doing that at the Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering (DICI) of the University of Pisa adequate experiments were carried out. The obtained results may contribute to characterize the material of the pebbles and to optimize the design of the envisaged fusion breeding blankets.

Thermal cycling tests on Li4SiO4 and beryllium pebbles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dalle Donne, M.; Norajitra, P.; Weisenburger, A.

1995-01-01

The European B.O.T. Demo-relevant solid breeder blanket is based on the use of beds of beryllium and Li 4 SiO 4 pebbles. Particularly dangerous for the pebble integrity are the rapid temperature changes which could occur, for instance, by a sudden blanket power shut-down. A series of thermal cycle tests have been performed for various beds of beryllium and Li 4 SiO 4 pebbles. No breaking was observed in the beryllium pebbles, however the Li 4 SiO 4 pebbles broke by temperature rates of change of about -50 C/sec independently on pebbles size and lithium enrichment. This value is considerably higher than the peak temperature rates of change expected in the blanket. (orig.)

Transient heat conduction in a pebble fuel applying fractional model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gomez A, R.; Espinosa P, G.

2009-10-01

In this paper we presents the equation of thermal diffusion of temporary-fractional order in the one-dimensional space in spherical coordinates, with the objective to analyze the heat transference between the fuel and coolant in a fuel element of a Pebble Bed Modular Reactor. The pebble fuel is the heterogeneous system made by microsphere constitutes by U O, pyrolytic carbon and silicon carbide mixed with graphite. To describe the heat transfer phenomena in the pebble fuel we applied a constitutive law fractional (Non-Fourier) in order to analyze the behaviour transient of the temperature distribution in the pebble fuel with anomalous thermal diffusion effects a numerical model is developed. (Author)

A STUDY OF THE PRESSURE SOLUTION AND DEFORMATION OF QUARTZ CRYSTALS AT HIGH pH AND UNDER HIGH STRESS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

JUNG-HAE CHOI

2013-02-01

Full Text Available Bentonite is generally used as a buffer material in high-level radioactive waste disposal facilities and consists of 50% quartz by weight. Quartz strongly affects the behavior of bentonite over very long periods. For this reason, quartz dissolution experiment was performed under high-pressure and high-alkalinity conditions based on the conditions found in a high-level radioactive waste disposal facility located deep underground. In this study, two quartz dissolution experiments were conducted on 1 quartz beads under low-pressure and high-alkalinity conditions and 2 a single quartz crystal under high-pressure and high-alkalinity conditions. Following the experiments, a confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM was used to observe the surfaces of experimental samples. Numerical analyses using the finite element method (FEM were also performed to quantify the deformation of contact area. Quartz dissolution was observed in both experiments. This deformation was due to a concentrated compressive stress field, as indicated by the quartz deformation of the contact area through the FEM analysis. According to the numerical results, a high compressive stress field acted upon the neighboring contact area, which showed a rapid dissolution rate compared to other areas of the sample.

Pebble Fuel Handling and Reactivity Control for Salt-Cooled High Temperature Reactors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Peterson, Per [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Dept. of Nuclear Engineering; Greenspan, Ehud [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Dept. of Nuclear Engineering

2015-02-09

This report documents the work completed on the X-PREX facility under NEUP Project 11- 3172. This project seeks to demonstrate the viability of pebble fuel handling and reactivity control for fluoride salt-cooled high-temperature reactors (FHRs). The research results also improve the understanding of pebble motion in helium-cooled reactors, as well as the general, fundamental understanding of low-velocity granular flows. Successful use of pebble fuels in with salt coolants would bring major benefits for high-temperature reactor technology. Pebble fuels enable on-line refueling and operation with low excess reactivity, and thus simpler reactivity control and improved fuel utilization. If fixed fuel designs are used, the power density of salt- cooled reactors is limited to 10 MW/m³ to obtain adequate duration between refueling, but pebble fuels allow power densities in the range of 20 to 30 MW/m³. This can be compared to the typical modular helium reactor power density of 5 MW/m3. Pebble fuels also permit radial zoning in annular cores and use of thorium or graphite pebble blankets to reduce neutron fluences to outer radial reflectors and increase total power production. Combined with high power conversion efficiency, compact low-pressure primary and containment systems, and unique safety characteristics including very large thermal margins (>500°C) to fuel damage during transients and accidents, salt-cooled pebble fuel cores offer the potential to meet the major goals of the Advanced Reactor Concepts Development program to provide electricity at lower cost than light water reactors with improved safety and system performance.This report presents the facility description, experimental results, and supporting simulation methods of the new X-Ray Pebble Recirculation Experiment (X-PREX), which is now operational and being used to collect data on the behavior of slow dense granular flows relevant to pebble bed reactor core designs. The X

Pebble Fuel Handling and Reactivity Control for Salt-Cooled High Temperature Reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peterson, Per; Greenspan, Ehud

2015-01-01

This report documents the work completed on the X-PREX facility under NEUP Project 11- 3172. This project seeks to demonstrate the viability of pebble fuel handling and reactivity control for fluoride salt-cooled high-temperature reactors (FHRs). The research results also improve the understanding of pebble motion in helium-cooled reactors, as well as the general, fundamental understanding of low-velocity granular flows. Successful use of pebble fuels in with salt coolants would bring major benefits for high-temperature reactor technology. Pebble fuels enable on-line refueling and operation with low excess reactivity, and thus simpler reactivity control and improved fuel utilization. If fixed fuel designs are used, the power density of salt- cooled reactors is limited to 10 MW/m 3 to obtain adequate duration between refueling, but pebble fuels allow power densities in the range of 20 to 30 MW/m 3 . This can be compared to the typical modular helium reactor power density of 5 MW/m3. Pebble fuels also permit radial zoning in annular cores and use of thorium or graphite pebble blankets to reduce neutron fluences to outer radial reflectors and increase total power production. Combined with high power conversion efficiency, compact low-pressure primary and containment systems, and unique safety characteristics including very large thermal margins (>500°C) to fuel damage during transients and accidents, salt-cooled pebble fuel cores offer the potential to meet the major goals of the Advanced Reactor Concepts Development program to provide electricity at lower cost than light water reactors with improved safety and system performance.This report presents the facility description, experimental results, and supporting simulation methods of the new X-Ray Pebble Recirculation Experiment (X-PREX), which is now operational and being used to collect data on the behavior of slow dense granular flows relevant to pebble bed reactor core designs. The X-PREX facility uses novel

Loads on pebble bed fuel elements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Teuchert, E.; Maly, V.

1974-03-15

A comparison is made of key parameters for multi-recycle pebbles and single-pass once-through (OTTO) pebbles. The parameters analyzed include heat transfer characteristics with burn-up, temperature profiles, power per element as a function of axial position in the core, and burn-up. For the OTTO-scheme, the comparisons addressed the use of the conventional fuel element and the advanced "shell ball" designed to reduce the peak fuel temperature in the center of the fuel element. All studies addressed the uranium-thorium fuel cycle.

Pebble fabrication and tritium release properties of an advanced tritium breeder

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoshino, Tsuyoshi, E-mail: hoshino.tsuyoshi@jaea.go.jp [Breeding Functional Materials Development Group, Department of Blanket Systems Research, Rokkasho Fusion Institute, Sector of Fusion Research and Development, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 2-166 Obuch, Omotedate, Rokkasho-mura, Kamikita-gun, Aomori 039-3212 (Japan); Edao, Yuki [Tritium Technology Group, Department of Blanket Systems Research, Rokkasho Fusion Institute, Sector of Fusion Research and Development, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 2-4 Shirakata, Shirane, Tokai-mura, Naka-gun, Ibaraki 319-1195 (Japan); Kawamura, Yoshinori [Blanket Technology Group, Department of Blanket Systems Research, Rokkasho Fusion Institute, Sector of Fusion Research and Development, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 801-1 Mukoyama, Naka, Ibaraki 311-0193 (Japan); Ochiai, Kentaro [BA Project Coordination Group, Department of Fusion Power Systems Research, Rokkasho Fusion Institute, Sector of Fusion Research and Development, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 2-166 Obuch, Omotedate, Rokkasho-mura, Kamikita-gun, Aomori 039-3212 (Japan)

2016-11-01

Highlights: • Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} with excess Li (Li{sub 2+x}TiO{sub 3+y}) pebble as an advanced tritium breeders was fabricated using emulsion method. • Grain size of Li{sub 2+x}TiO{sub 3+y} pebbles was controlled to be less than 5 μm. • Li{sub 2+x}TiO{sub 3+y} pebbles exhibited good tritium release properties similar to that of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles. - Abstract: Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} with excess Li (Li{sub 2+x}TiO{sub 3+y}) has been developed as an advanced tritium breeder. With respect to the tritium release characteristics of the blanket, the optimum grain size after sintering was less than 5 μm. Therefore, an emulsion method was developed to fabricate pebbles with this target grain size. The predominant factor affecting grain growth was assumed to be the presence of binder in the gel particles; this remaining binder was hypothesized to react with the excess Li, thereby generating Li{sub 2}CO{sub 3}, which promotes grain growth. To inhibit the generation of Li{sub 2}CO{sub 3}, calcined Li{sub 2+x}TiO{sub 3+y} pebbles were sintered under vacuum and subsequently under a 1% H{sub 2}–He atmosphere. The average grain size of the sintered Li{sub 2+x}TiO{sub 3+y} pebbles was less than 5 μm. Furthermore, the tritium release properties of Li{sub 2+x}TiO{sub 3+y} pebbles were evaluated, and deuterium–tritium (DT) neutron irradiation experiments were performed at the Fusion Neutronics Source facility in the Japan Atomic Energy Agency. To remove the tritium produced by neutron irradiation, 1% H{sub 2}–He purge gas was passed through the Li{sub 2+x}TiO{sub 3+y} pebbles. The Li{sub 2+x}TiO{sub 3+y} pebbles exhibited good tritium release properties, similar to those of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles. In particular, the released amount of tritiated hydrogen gas for easier tritium handling was greater than the released amount of tritiated water.

Particle flow of ceramic breeder pebble beds in bi-axial compression experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hermsmeyer, S.; Reimann, J.

2002-01-01

Pebble beds of Tritium breeding ceramic material are investigated within the framework of developing solid breeder blankets for future nuclear fusion power plants. For the thermo-mechanical characterisation of such pebble beds, bed compression experiments are the standard tools. New bi-axial compression experiments on 20 and 30 mm high pebble beds show pebble flow effects much more pronounced than in previous 10 mm beds. Owing to the greater bed height, conditions are reached where the bed fails in cross direction and unhindered flow of the pebbles occurs. The paper presents measurements for the orthosilicate and metatitanate breeder materials that are envisaged to be used in a solid breeder blanket. The data are compared with calculations made with a Drucker-Prager soil model within the finite-element code ABAQUS, calibrated with data from other experiments. It is investigated empirically whether internal bed friction angles can be determined from pebble beds of the considered heights, which would simplify, and broaden the data base for, the calibration of the Drucker-Prager pebble bed models

Thermal safety analysis for pebble bed blanket fusion-fission hybrid reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wei Renjie

1998-01-01

Pebble bed blanket hybrid reactor may have more advantages than slab element blanket hybrid reactor in nuclear fuel production and nuclear safety. The thermo-hydraulic calculations of the blanket in the Tokamak helium cooling pebble bed blanket fusion-fission hybrid reactor developed in China are carried out using the Code THERMIX and auxiliary code. In the calculations different fuel pebble material and steady state, depressurization and total loss of flow accident conditions are included. The results demonstrate that the conceptual design of the Tokamak helium cooling pebble bed blanket fusion-fission hybrid reactor with dump tank is feasible and safe enough only if the suitable fuel pebble material is selected and the suitable control system and protection system are established. Some recommendations for due conceptual design are also presented

Genesis of uranium-gold pyritic conglomerates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Myers, W.B.

1981-01-01

The ancient pyritic ore conglomerates have a common origin best exemplified by the Witwatersrand deposits. All contain detrital pyrite and uraninite, which are unstable in modern oxygenated environments and were deposited in a reducing atmosphere. The Rand reefs are not similar to modern gold placers. Placers result from the near incapacity of streams and currents to transport coarse gold. Placers as rich as Rand reef occur only in narrow paystreaks within 15 kilometers of a coarse-gold source. The board dispersion of gold in the reefs is due to solution transport of metal complexed as aurous sulfide, leached anoxygenically from crustal rocks, probably from sea-floor basalt, and precipitated by a slow reaction driven by the radioactive decay of detrital uraninite. Radiolysis of water on shallow marine unconformities resulted in diffusion of hydrogen to the atmosphere and a slight excess of hydroxyl free radical in the reef environment. The mild oxidizing tendency slowly dissolved uranium, precipitated gold, and oxygenated thucholite. These actions define a maturing process. A uraninite placer accumulating on an unconformity becomes progressively converted to a gold reef with little residual uraninite. The most mature reefs tend to grade toward the thucholite-seam type, very thin but exceedingly rich in gold. A combination of chemical attack and physical reworking accounts for the general thinness of mature reefs. Pyrite, like uraninite, decreases in abundance with increasing maturity; buffering by pyrite moderated the oxidative depletion of uranium. Where pyrite was scanty or absent, uraninite was completely dissolved by the effects of radiolysis and no ore formed

HTR-PROTEUS Pebble Bed Experimental Program Cores 1, 1A, 2, and 3: Hexagonal Close Packing with a 1:2 Moderator-to-Fuel Pebble Ratio

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

John D. Bess; Barbara H. Dolphin; James W. Sterbentz; Luka Snoj; Igor Lengar; Oliver Köberl

2013-03-01

In its deployment as a pebble bed reactor (PBR) critical facility from 1992 to 1996, the PROTEUS facility was designated as HTR-PROTEUS. This experimental program was performed as part of an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Coordinated Research Project (CRP) on the Validation of Safety Related Physics Calculations for Low Enriched HTGRs. Within this project, critical experiments were conducted for graphite moderated LEU systems to determine core reactivity, flux and power profiles, reaction-rate ratios, the worth of control rods, both in-core and reflector based, the worth of burnable poisons, kinetic parameters, and the effects of moisture ingress on these parameters. Four benchmark experiments were evaluated in this report: Cores 1, 1A, 2, and 3. These core configurations represent the hexagonal close packing (HCP) configurations of the HTR-PROTEUS experiment with a moderator-to-fuel pebble ratio of 1:2. Core 1 represents the only configuration utilizing ZEBRA control rods. Cores 1A, 2, and 3 use withdrawable, hollow, stainless steel control rods. Cores 1 and 1A are similar except for the use of different control rods; Core 1A also has one less layer of pebbles (21 layers instead of 22). Core 2 retains the first 16 layers of pebbles from Cores 1 and 1A and has 16 layers of moderator pebbles stacked above the fueled layers. Core 3 retains the first 17 layers of pebbles but has polyethylene rods inserted between pebbles to simulate water ingress. The additional partial pebble layer (layer 18) for Core 3 was not included as it was used for core operations and not the reported critical configuration. Cores 1, 1A, 2, and 3 were determined to be acceptable benchmark experiments.

HTR-PROTEUS Pebble Bed Experimental Program Cores 1, 1A, 2, and 3: Hexagonal Close Packing with a 1:2 Moderator-to-Fuel Pebble Ratio

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

John D. Bess; Barbara H. Dolphin; James W. Sterbentz; Luka Snoj; Igor Lengar; Oliver Köberl

2012-03-01

In its deployment as a pebble bed reactor (PBR) critical facility from 1992 to 1996, the PROTEUS facility was designated as HTR-PROTEUS. This experimental program was performed as part of an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Coordinated Research Project (CRP) on the Validation of Safety Related Physics Calculations for Low Enriched HTGRs. Within this project, critical experiments were conducted for graphite moderated LEU systems to determine core reactivity, flux and power profiles, reaction-rate ratios, the worth of control rods, both in-core and reflector based, the worth of burnable poisons, kinetic parameters, and the effects of moisture ingress on these parameters. Four benchmark experiments were evaluated in this report: Cores 1, 1A, 2, and 3. These core configurations represent the hexagonal close packing (HCP) configurations of the HTR-PROTEUS experiment with a moderator-to-fuel pebble ratio of 1:2. Core 1 represents the only configuration utilizing ZEBRA control rods. Cores 1A, 2, and 3 use withdrawable, hollow, stainless steel control rods. Cores 1 and 1A are similar except for the use of different control rods; Core 1A also has one less layer of pebbles (21 layers instead of 22). Core 2 retains the first 16 layers of pebbles from Cores 1 and 1A and has 16 layers of moderator pebbles stacked above the fueled layers. Core 3 retains the first 17 layers of pebbles but has polyethylene rods inserted between pebbles to simulate water ingress. The additional partial pebble layer (layer 18) for Core 3 was not included as it was used for core operations and not the reported critical configuration. Cores 1, 1A, 2, and 3 were determined to be acceptable benchmark experiments.

Gold and uranium occurrences in quartz - pebble conglomerate of Iron Ore Group, Bagiyabahal - Baratangra area, Sundargarh district, Odisha , India

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jana, Ashim; Sarkar, B.C.; Kumar, Suresh; Kumar, Ajay; Yadav, G.S.; Kumar, Pramod

2016-01-01

India is deficient in both gold and uranium resources. Almost one-third of the annual global mine production of ∼2500 tonnes of gold is imported into India to fulfil the high gold consumption. Uranium is important for production of nuclear energy, more specifically to execute the country's ambitious programme to generate 20 GW of electricity by 2020

Usability of #betta#-spectrometric method to prospecting for copper-porphyric skarn and gold-quartz-sulfide deposits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Syromyatnikov, N.G.; Ivanova, Eh.I.; Karpukhin, V.G.; Trofimova, L.A.; Tolmachev, I.I.

1982-01-01

Possibility of the prospecting for non-radioactive element deposits by means of radioactive elements as indicators is studied. Radioactive elements (uranium, thorium and potassium) were determined by gamma spectroscopy. Radiometric methods of prospecting are effective and economical. Clark contents of radioelements in rocks were determined in situ by field gamma spectrometers. It is established that copper-porphyric deposits are regularly controlled from the surface by aureoles of increased uranium contents, which sizes reach 400x500 m and can be revealed by gamma spectroscopy during 1:25000 and more large-scale survey. Skarn-ore zones of deposits of different mineral types (copper, polymetallic, iron ore ones) are fixed on the surface by increased radioactivity; this fact can be used as search criterion. Gold-bearing quartz veins differ from barren lodes by a higher level of total radioactivity and high potassium content. Top walls of ore-bearing quartz veins are mainly enriched by radioelements

Penn State geoPebble system: Design,Implementation, and Initial Results

Science.gov (United States)

Urbina, J. V.; Anandakrishnan, S.; Bilen, S. G.; Fleishman, A.; Burkett, P.

2014-12-01

The Penn State geoPebble system is a new network of wirelessly interconnected seismic and GPS sensor nodes with flexible architecture. This network will be used for studies of ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland, as well as to investigate mountain glaciers. The network will consist of ˜150 geoPebbles that can be deployed in a user-defined spatial geometry. We present our design methodology, which has enabled us to develop these state-of- the art sensors using commercial-off-the-shelf hardware combined with custom-designed hardware and software. Each geoPebble is a self- contained, wirelessly connected sensor for collecting seismic measurements and position information. Key elements of each node encompasses a three-component seismic recorder, which includes an amplifier, filter, and 24- bit analog-to-digital converter that can sample up to 10 kHz. Each unit also includes a microphone channel to record the ground-coupled airwave. The timing for each node is available from GPS measurements and a local precision oscillator that is conditioned by the GPS timing pulses. In addition, we record the carrier-phase measurement of the L1 GPS signal in order to determine location at sub-decimeter accuracy (relative to other geoPebbles within a few kilometers radius). Each geoPebble includes 16 GB of solid-state storage, wireless communications capability to a central supervisory unit, and auxiliary measurements capability (including tilt from accelerometers, absolute orientation from magnetometers and temperature). A novel aspect of the geoPebble is a wireless charging system for the internal battery (using inductive coupling techniques). The geoPebbles include all the sensors (geophones, GPS, microphone), communications (WiFi), and power (battery and charging) internally, so the geoPebble system can operate without any cabling connections (though we do provide an external connector so that different geophones can be used). We report initial field-deployment results and

Aerial gamma ray and magnetic survey: Minnesota Project, the Alpena, Blind River, Cheboygan, Escanaba, and Sault Sainte Marie quadrangles of Michigan and Wisconsin. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-02-01

During the month of September, 1979, EG and G geoMetrics collected 2,547 line miles of high sensitivity airborne radiometric and magnetic data in the states of Michigan and Wisconsin in five 1 0 x 2 0 NTMS quadrangles. This project is part of the Department of Energy's National Uranium Resource Evaluation Program. All radiometric and magnetic data were fully correcthed and interpreted by geoMetrics and are presented as four Volumes (one Volume I and three Volume II's). The study area is dominated by Pleistocene glacial debris. Underlying sediments of the Michigan Basin are predominantly limestone and dolomites of Ordovician through Devonian age. No uranium deposits are known in this region, but major uranium-producing areas lie just north of the project area in Precambrian quartz-pebble conglomerates

Arc plasma assisted rotating electrode process for preparation of metal pebbles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohanty, T.; Tripathi, B.M.; Mahata, T.; Sinha, P.K.

2014-01-01

Spherical beryllium pebbles of size ranging from 0.2-2 mm are required as neutron multiplying material in solid Test Blanket Module (TBM) of International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). Rotating electrode process (REP) has been identified as a suitable technique for preparation of beryllium pebbles. In REP, arc plasma generated between non-consumable electrode (cathode) and rotating metal electrode (anode) plays a major role for continuous consumption of metal electrode and preparation of spherical metal pebbles. This paper focuses on description of the process, selection of sub-systems for development of REP experimental set up and optimization of arc parameters, such as, cathode geometry, arc current, arc voltage, arc gap and carrier gas flow rate for preparation of required size spherical metal pebbles. Other parameters which affect the pebbles sizes are rotational speed, metal electrode diameter and physical properties of the metal. As beryllium is toxic in nature its surrogate metals such as stainless steel (SS) and Titanium (Ti) were selected to evaluate the performance of the REP equipment. Several experiments were carried out using SS and Ti electrode and process parameters have been optimized for preparation of pebbles of different sizes. (author)

CFD study on the supercritical carbon dioxide cooled pebble bed reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yu, Dali, E-mail: ydlmitd@outlook.com; Peng, Minjun; Wang, Zhongyi

2015-01-15

Highlights: • An innovation concept of supercritical carbon dioxide cooled pebble bed reactor is proposed. • Body-centered cuboid (BCCa) arrangement is adopted for the pebbles. • S-CO{sub 2} would be a good candidate coolant for using in pebble bed reactor. - Abstract: The thermal hydraulic study of using supercritical carbon dioxide (S-CO{sub 2}), a superior fluid state brayton cycle medium, in pebble bed type nuclear reactor is assessed through computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methodology. Preliminary concept design of this S-CO{sub 2} cooled pebble bed reactor (PBR) is implemented by the well-known KTA heat transfer correlation and Ergun pressure drop equation. Eddy viscosity transport turbulence model is adopted and verified by KTA calculated results. Distributions of the temperature, velocity, pressure and Nusselt (Nu) number of the coolant near the surface of the middle spherical fuel element are obtained and analyzed. The conclusion of the assessment is that S-CO{sub 2} would be a good candidate coolant for using in pebble bed reactor due primarily to its good heat transfer characteristic and large mass density, which could lead to achieve lower pressure drop and higher power density.

Localization of the hot spots in a pebble bed reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Leisheng; Lee, Wooram; Lee, Jaeyoung

2016-01-01

The pebble bed reactor (PBR) is a candidate reactor type for the very high temperature reactor (VHTR), which is one of the Generation-IV reactor types. The HTGR design concept exhibits excellent safety features due to the low power density and the large amount of graphite present in the core which gives a large thermal inertia in an accident such as loss of coolant. The conclusions are made and may contribute to a better design of a PBR core and a closer inspection of the local hot spots to avoid destruction of pebbles from happening. Thermal field of a PBR core is investigated in this study. Specifically, experiments on measuring the pebbles' surface temperature are performed. It is found that the upper pebble has an overall higher temperature profile than the other pebbles and the stagnation zone under does not increase its surface's temperature. In addition, the temperature profile of the side pebble shows a concave form and it keeps decreasing from the contact point to the vertex in the lower pebble. Lastly, the maximum temperature difference among these points is 5.83 deg. C. These findings above are validated by CFX simulations under two different turbulence models (k-e, SST) and two contact areas (diameter of 6mm and 3.5mm). By contrasting the temperature variation trends of all simulation cases, it is concluded that SST turbulence model with 20% intensity shows a better agreement with the experiment result, nevertheless, slightly deviation is also found in terms of total temperature difference and the peak appears in position 17-19 in experiments

A study for fuel reloading strategy in pebble bed core

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Hong Chul

2012-02-01

A fuel reloading analysis system for pebble bed reactor was developed by using a Monte Carlo code. The kinematic model was modified to improve the accuracy of the pebble velocity profile and to develop the model so that the diffusion coefficient is not changed by the geometry of the core. In addition, the point kernel method was employed to solve an equation derived in this study. Then, the analysis system for the pebble bed reactor was developed to accommodate the double heterogeneity, pebble velocity, and pebble refueling features using the MCNPX Monte Carlo code. The batch-tracking method was employed to simulate the movement of the pebbles and an automation system was written in the C programming language to implement it. The proposed analysis system can be utilized to verify new core analysis codes, deep-burn studies, various sensitivity studies, and other analysis tools available for the application of new fuel reloading strategies. It is noted that the proposed algorithm for the optimum fuel reloading pattern differs from other optimization methods using sensitivity analysis. In this algorithm, the reloading strategy, including the loading of fresh fuel and the reloading positions of the fresh and reloaded fuels, is determined by the interrelations of the criticality, the nuclear material inventories in the extracted fuel, and the power density. The devised algorithm was applied to the PBMR and NHDD-PBR200. The results show that the proposed algorithm can apply to satisfy the nuclear characteristics such as the criticality or power density since the pebble bed core has the characteristics that the fuels are reloaded every day

Localization of the hot spots in a pebble bed reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Leisheng; Lee, Wooram; Lee, Jaeyoung [Handong Global University, Pohang (Korea, Republic of)

2016-05-15

The pebble bed reactor (PBR) is a candidate reactor type for the very high temperature reactor (VHTR), which is one of the Generation-IV reactor types. The HTGR design concept exhibits excellent safety features due to the low power density and the large amount of graphite present in the core which gives a large thermal inertia in an accident such as loss of coolant. The conclusions are made and may contribute to a better design of a PBR core and a closer inspection of the local hot spots to avoid destruction of pebbles from happening. Thermal field of a PBR core is investigated in this study. Specifically, experiments on measuring the pebbles' surface temperature are performed. It is found that the upper pebble has an overall higher temperature profile than the other pebbles and the stagnation zone under does not increase its surface's temperature. In addition, the temperature profile of the side pebble shows a concave form and it keeps decreasing from the contact point to the vertex in the lower pebble. Lastly, the maximum temperature difference among these points is 5.83 deg. C. These findings above are validated by CFX simulations under two different turbulence models (k-e, SST) and two contact areas (diameter of 6mm and 3.5mm). By contrasting the temperature variation trends of all simulation cases, it is concluded that SST turbulence model with 20% intensity shows a better agreement with the experiment result, nevertheless, slightly deviation is also found in terms of total temperature difference and the peak appears in position 17-19 in experiments.

Fundamental burn-up mode in a pebble-bed type reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Xue-Nong; Kiefhaber, Edgar; Maschek, Werner

2008-01-01

This paper deals with a pebble-bed type reactor, in which the fuel is loaded from one side (top) and discharged from the other side (bottom). A boundary value problem of a single group diffusion equation coupled with simplified burn-up equations is studied, where the natural radioactive decay processes are neglected in the burn-up modelling. An asymptotic burning wave solution is found analytically in the one-dimensional case, which is called as fundamental burn-up mode. Among this solution family there are two particular cases, namely, a classic fundamental solution with a zero burn-up and a partial solitary burn-up wave solution with a highest burn-up. An example of Th-U conversion is considered and the solutions are presented in order to show the mechanism of the burning wave. (author)

"Smart pebble" design for environmental monitoring applications

Science.gov (United States)

Valyrakis, Manousos; Pavlovskis, Edgars

2014-05-01

Sediment transport, due to primarily the action of water, wind and ice, is one of the most significant geomorphic processes responsible for shaping Earth's surface. It involves entrainment of sediment grains in rivers and estuaries due to the violently fluctuating hydrodynamic forces near the bed. Here an instrumented particle, namely a "smart pebble", is developed to investigate the exact flow conditions under which individual grains may be entrained from the surface of a gravel bed. This could lead in developing a better understanding of the processes involved, while focusing on the response of the particle during a variety of flow entrainment events. The "smart pebble" is a particle instrumented with MEMS sensors appropriate for capturing the hydrodynamic forces a coarse particle might experience during its entrainment from the river bed. A 3-axial gyroscope and accelerometer registers data to a memory card via a microcontroller, embedded in a 3D-printed waterproof hollow spherical particle. The instrumented board is appropriately fit and centred into the shell of the pebble, so as to achieve a nearly uniform distribution of the mass which could otherwise bias its motion. The "smart pebble" is powered by an independent power to ensure autonomy and sufficiently long periods of operation appropriate for deployment in the field. Post-processing and analysis of the acquired data is currently performed offline, using scientific programming software. The performance of the instrumented particle is validated, conducting a series of calibration experiments under well-controlled laboratory conditions. "Smart pebble" allows for a wider range of environmental sensors (e.g. for environmental/pollutant monitoring) to be incorporated so as to extend the range of its application, enabling accurate environmental monitoring which is required to ensure infrastructure resilience and preservation of ecological health.

Experimental and numerical validation of a two-region-designed pebble bed reactor with dynamic core

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang, S.Y.; Yang, X.T.; Tang, Z.W.; Wang, W.J.; Tu, J.Y.; Liu, Z.Y.; Li, J.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► The experimental installation has been built to investigate the pebble flow. ► The feasibility of two-region pebble bed reactor has been verified. ► The pebble flow is more uniform in a taller vessel than that in a lower vessel. ► Larger base cone angle will decrease the scale of the stagnant zone. - Abstract: The pebble flow is the principal issue for the design of the pebble bed reactor. In order to verify the feasibility of a two-region-designed pebble bed reactor, the experimental installation with a taller vessel has been built, which is proportional to the real pebble bed reactor. With the aid of the experimental installation, the stable establishment and maintenance of the two-region arrangement has been verified, at the same time, the applicability of the DEM program has been also validated. Research results show: (1) The pebble's bouncing on the free surface is an important factor for the mixing of the different colored pebbles. (2) Through the guide plates installed in the top of the pebble packing, the size of the mixing zone can be reduced from 6–7 times to 3–4 times the pebble diameter. (3) The relationship between the width of the central region and the ratio of loading pebbles is approximately linear in the taller vessel. (4) The heighten part of the pebble packing can improve the uniformity of the flowing in the lower. (5) To increase the base cone angle can decrease the scale of the stagnant zone. All of these conclusions are meaningful to the design of the real pebble reactor.

Matrix formulation of pebble circulation in the pebbed code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gougar, H.D.; Terry, W.K.; Ougouag, A.M.

2002-01-01

The PEBBED technique provides a foundation for equilibrium fuel cycle analysis and optimization in pebble-bed cores in which the fuel elements are continuously flowing and, if desired, recirculating. In addition to the modern analysis techniques used in or being developed for the code, PEBBED incorporates a novel nuclide-mixing algorithm that allows for sophisticated recirculation patterns using a matrix generated from basic core parameters. Derived from a simple partitioning of the pebble flow, the elements of the recirculation matrix are used to compute the spatially averaged density of each nuclide at the entry plane from the nuclide densities of pebbles emerging from the discharge conus. The order of the recirculation matrix is a function of the flexibility and sophistication of the fuel handling mechanism. This formulation for coupling pebble flow and neutronics enables core design and fuel cycle optimization to be performed by the manipulation of a few key core parameters. The formulation is amenable to modern optimization techniques. (author)

On the hyperporous non-linear elasticity model for fusion-relevant pebble beds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Di Maio, P.A.; Giammusso, R.; Vella, G.

2010-01-01

Packed pebble beds are particular granular systems composed of a large amount of small particles, arranged in irregular lattices and surrounded by a gas filling interstitial spaces. Due to their heterogeneous structure, pebble beds have non-linear and strongly coupled thermal and mechanical behaviours whose constitutive models seem limited, being not suitable for fusion-relevant design-oriented applications. Within the framework of the modelling activities promoted for the lithiated ceramics and beryllium pebble beds foreseen in the Helium-Cooled Pebble Bed breeding blanket concept of DEMO, at the Department of Nuclear Engineering of the University of Palermo (DIN) a thermo-mechanical constitutive model has been set-up assuming that pebble beds can be considered as continuous, homogeneous and isotropic media. The present paper deals with the DIN non-linear elasticity constitutive model, based on the assumption that during the reversible straining of a pebble bed its effective logarithmic bulk modulus depends on the equivalent pressure according to a modified power law and its effective Poisson modulus remains constant. In these hypotheses the functional dependence of the effective tangential and secant bed deformation moduli on either the equivalent pressure or the volumetric strain have been derived in a closed analytical form. A procedure has been, then, defined to assess the model parameters for a given pebble bed from its oedometric test results and it has been applied to both polydisperse lithium orthosilicate and single size beryllium pebble beds.

TEM study of impurity segregations in beryllium pebbles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Klimenkov, M., E-mail: michael.klimenkov@kit.edu [Institute for Applied Materials – Applied Materials Physics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Chakin, V.; Moeslang, A. [Institute for Applied Materials – Applied Materials Physics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Rolli, R. [Institute for Applied Materials – Materials and Biomechanics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany)

2014-12-15

Beryllium is planned to be used as a neutron multiplier in the Helium-cooled Pebble Bed European concept of a breeding blanket of demonstration power reactor DEMO. In order to evaluate the irradiation performance, individual pebbles and constrained pebble beds were neutron-irradiated at temperatures typical of fusion blankets. Beryllium pebbles 1 mm in diameter produced by the rotating electrode method were subjected to a TEM study before and after irradiation at High Flux Reactor, Petten, Netherlands at 861 K. The grain size varied in a wide range from sub-micron size up to several tens of micrometers, which indicated formation bimodal grain size distribution. Based on the application of combined electron energy loss spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy methods, we suggest that impurity precipitates play an important role in controlling the mechanical properties of beryllium. The impurity elements were present in beryllium at a sub-percent concentration form beryllide particles of a complex (Fe/Al/Mn/Cr)B composition. These particles are often ordered along dislocations lines, forming several micron-long chains. It can be suggested that fracture surfaces often extended along these chains in irradiated material.

Fabrication of Li_2TiO_3 pebbles by a selective laser sintering process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou, Qilai; Gao, Yue; Liu, Kai; Xue, Lihong; Yan, Youwei

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Selective laser sintering (SLS) is employed to fabricate ceramic pebbles. • Quantities and diameter of the pebbles could be easily controlled by adjusting the model of pebbles. • All the pebbles could be prepared at a time within several minutes. • The Li_2TiO_3 pebbles sintered at 1100 °C show a notable crush load of 43 N. - Abstract: Lithium titanate, Li_2TiO_3, is an important tritium breeding material for deuterium (D)–tritium (T) fusion reactor. In test blanket module (TBM) design of China, Li_2TiO_3 is considered as one candidate material of tritium breeders. In this study, selective laser sintering (SLS) technology was introduced to fabricate Li_2TiO_3 ceramic pebbles. This fabrication process is computer assisted and has a high level of flexibility. Li_2TiO_3 powder with a particle size of 1–3 μm was used as the raw material, whilst epoxy resin E06 was adopted as a binder. Green Li_2TiO_3 pebbles with certain strengths were successfully prepared via SLS. Density of the green pebbles was subsequently increased by cold isostatic pressing (CIP) process. Li_2TiO_3 pebbles with a diameter of about 2 mm were obtained after high temperature sintering. Density of the pebbles reaches 80% of theoretical density (TD) with a comparable crush load of 43 N. This computer assisted approach provides a new efficient route for the production of Li_2TiO_3 ceramic pebbles.

Preliminary neutronic study on Pu-based OTTO cycle pebble bed reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Setiadipura, Topan; Zuhair [National Nuclear Energy Agency of Indonesia (BATAN), Selatan (Indonesia). Center for Nuclear Reactor Technology and Safety; Irwanto, Dwi [Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), Bandung (Indonesia). Nuclear Physics and Biophysics Research Group

2017-12-15

The neutron physics characteristic of Pebble Bed Reactor (PBR) allows a better incineration of plutonium (Pu). An optimized design of simple PBR might give a symbiotic solution of providing a safe energy source, effective fuel utilization shown by a higher burnup value, and incineration of Pu stockpiles. This study perform a preliminary neutronic design study of a 200 MWt Once Through Then Out (OTTO) cycle PBR with Pu-based fuel. The safety criteria of the design were represented by the per-fuel-pebble maximum power generation of 4.5 kW/pebble. In this preliminary phase, the parametric survey is limited to the heavy metal (HM) loading per pebble and the average axial speed of the fuel. An optimum high burnup of 419.7 MWd/kg-HM was achieved in this study. This optimum design uses a HM loading of 2.5 g/pebble with average axial fuel velocity 0.5 cm/day.

Fabrication of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles by a freeze drying process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Sang-Jin, E-mail: lee@mokpo.ac.kr [Department of Advanced Materials Science and Engineering, Mokpo National University, Muan 534-729 (Korea, Republic of); Park, Yi-Hyun [National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon 305-806 (Korea, Republic of); Yu, Min-Woo [Department of Advanced Materials Science and Engineering, Mokpo National University, Muan 534-729 (Korea, Republic of)

2013-11-15

Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles were successfully fabricated by using a freeze drying process. The Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} slurry was prepared using a commercial powder of particle size 0.5–1.5 μm and the pebble pre-form was prepared by dropping the slurry into liquid nitrogen through a syringe needle. The droplets were rapidly frozen, changing their morphology to spherical pebbles. The frozen pebbles were dried at −10 °C in vacuum. To make crack-free pebbles, some glycerin was employed in the slurry, and long drying time and a low vacuum condition were applied in the freeze drying process. In the process, the solid content in the slurry influenced the spheroidicity of the pebble green body. The dried pebbles were sintered at 1200 °C in an air atmosphere. The sintered pebbles showed almost 40% shrinkage. The sintered pebbles revealed a porous microstructure with a uniform pore distribution and the sintered pebbles were crushed under an average load of 50 N in a compressive strength test. In the present study, a freeze drying process for fabrication of spherical Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles is introduced. The processing parameters, such as solid content in the slurry and the conditions of freeze drying and sintering, are also examined.

Contact dose rates and relevant radioactive inventory in ITER TBM systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zucchetti, M.; Guerrini, L.; Poitevin, Y.; Ricapito, I.; Zmitko, M.

2011-01-01

The determination of the radioactive inventory and of the contact dose rates in the different ITER Test Blanket Modules systems is carried out, both for Helium-Cooled Lithium-Lead (HCLL) concept and the Helium-Cooled Pebble-Bed (HCPB) concept. The evaluations have been carried out by means of the MICROSHIELD code, starting from the data on the neutron-induced radioactivity in the blanket materials, already available for both the blanket modules. The possible sources of radioactive material in all the systems have been individuated and their contributes estimated.

Contact dose rates and relevant radioactive inventory in ITER TBM systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zucchetti, M., E-mail: massimo.zucchetti@polito.it [EURATOM/ENEA Fusion Association Politecnico di Torino, Torino (Italy); Guerrini, L., E-mail: Laurent.Guerrini@f4e.europa.eu [Fusion for Energy, ITER Department, Test Blanket Modules Group, Barcelona (Spain); Poitevin, Y.; Ricapito, I.; Zmitko, M. [Fusion for Energy, ITER Department, Test Blanket Modules Group, Barcelona (Spain)

2011-10-15

The determination of the radioactive inventory and of the contact dose rates in the different ITER Test Blanket Modules systems is carried out, both for Helium-Cooled Lithium-Lead (HCLL) concept and the Helium-Cooled Pebble-Bed (HCPB) concept. The evaluations have been carried out by means of the MICROSHIELD code, starting from the data on the neutron-induced radioactivity in the blanket materials, already available for both the blanket modules. The possible sources of radioactive material in all the systems have been individuated and their contributes estimated.

Conceptual design of a passively safe thorium breeder Pebble Bed Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wols, F.J.; Kloosterman, J.L.; Lathouwers, D.; Hagen, T.H.J.J. van der

2015-01-01

Highlights: • This work proposes three possible designs for a thorium Pebble Bed Reactor. • A high-conversion PBR (CR > 0.96), passively safe and within practical constraints. • A thorium breeder PBR (220 cm core) in practical regime, but not passively safe. • A passively safe breeder, requiring higher fuel reprocessing and recycling rates. - Abstract: More sustainable nuclear power generation might be achieved by combining the passive safety and high temperature applications of the Pebble Bed Reactor (PBR) design with the resource availability and favourable waste characteristics of the thorium fuel cycle. It has already been known that breeding can be achieved with the thorium fuel cycle inside a Pebble Bed Reactor if reprocessing is performed. This is also demonstrated in this work for a cylindrical core with a central driver zone, with 3 g heavy metal pebbles for enhanced fission, surrounded by a breeder zone containing 30 g thorium pebbles, for enhanced conversion. The main question of the present work is whether it is also possible to combine passive safety and breeding, within a practical operating regime, inside a thorium Pebble Bed Reactor. Therefore, the influence of several fuel design, core design and operational parameters upon the conversion ratio and passive safety is evaluated. A Depressurized Loss of Forced Cooling (DLOFC) is considered the worst safety scenario that can occur within a PBR. So, the response to a DLOFC with and without scram is evaluated for several breeder PBR designs using a coupled DALTON/THERMIX code scheme. With scram it is purely a heat transfer problem (THERMIX) demonstrating the decay heat removal capability of the design. In case control rods cannot be inserted, the temperature feedback of the core should also be able to counterbalance the reactivity insertion by the decaying xenon without fuel temperatures exceeding 1600 °C. Results show that high conversion ratios (CR > 0.96) and passive safety can be combined in

Mechanical performance of irradiated beryllium pebbles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Scaffidi-Argentina, F.; Dalle-Donne, M.; Werle, H. [Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH Technik und Umwelt (Germany). Inst. fuer Neutronenphysik und Reaktortechnik

1998-01-01

For the Helium Cooled Pebble Bed (HCPB) Blanket, which is one of the two reference concepts studied within the European Fusion Technology Programme, the neutron multiplier consists of a mixed bed of about 2 and 0.1-0.2 mm diameter beryllium pebbles. Beryllium has no structural function in the blanket, however microstructural and mechanical properties are important, as they might influence the material behavior under neutron irradiation. The EXOTIC-7 as well as the `Beryllium` experiments carried out in the HFR reactor in Petten are considered as the most detailed and significant tests for investigating it. This paper reviews the present status of beryllium post-irradiation examinations performed at the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe with samples from these irradiation experiments, emphasizing the effects of irradiation of essential material properties and trying to elucidate the processes controlling the property changes. The microstructure, the porosity distribution, the impurity content, the behavior under compression loads and the compatibility of the beryllium pebbles with lithium orthosilicate (Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4}) during the in-pile irradiation are presented and critically discussed. Qualitative information on ductility and creep obtained by hardness-type measurements are also supplied. (author)

Development of Chinese HTR-PM pebble bed equivalent conductivity test facility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ren, Cheng; Yang, Xingtuan; Jiang, Shengyao [Tsinghua Univ., Beijing (China). Inst. of Nuclear and New Energy Technology

2016-01-15

The first two 250-MWt high-temperature reactor pebble bed modules (HTR-PM) have been installing at the Shidaowan plant in Shandong Province, China. The values of the effective thermal conductivity of the pebble bed core are essential parameters for the design. For their determination, Tsinghua University in China has proposed a full-scale heat transfer experiment to conduct comprehensive thermal transfer tests in packed pebble bed and to determine the effective thermal conductivity.

Preliminary neutronic design of high burnup OTTO cycle pebble bed reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Setiadipura, T.; Zuhair; Irwanto, D.

2015-01-01

The pebble bed type High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (HTGR) is among the interesting nuclear reactor designs in terms of safety and flexibility for co-generation applications. In addition, the strong inherent safety characteristics of the pebble bed reactor (PBR) which is based on natural mechanisms improve the simplicity of the PBR design, in particular for the Once-Through-Then-Out (OTTO) cycle PBR design. One of the important challenges of the OTTO cycle PBR design, and nuclear reactor design in general, is improving the nuclear fuel utilization which is shown by attaining a higher burnup value. This study performed a preliminary neutronic design study of a 200 MWt OTTO cycle PBR with high burnup while fulfilling the safety criteria of the PBR design.The safety criteria of the design was represented by the per-fuel-pebble maximum power generation of 4.5 kW/pebble. The maximum burnup value was also limited by the tested maximum burnup value which maintained the integrity of the pebble fuel. Parametric surveys were performed to obtain the optimized parameters used in this study, which are the fuel enrichment, per-pebble heavy metal (HM) loading, and the average axial speed of the fuel. An optimum design with burnup value of 131.1 MWd/Kg-HM was achieved in this study which is much higher compare to the burnup of the reference design HTR-MODUL and a previously proposed OTTO-cycle PBR design. This optimum design uses 17% U-235 enrichment with 4 g HM-loading per fuel pebble. (author)

Preliminary Neutronic Design of High Burnup OTTO Cycle Pebble Bed Reactor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. Setiadipura

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The pebble bed type High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (HTGR is among the interesting nuclear reactor designs in terms of safety and flexibility for co-generation applications. In addition, the strong inherent safety characteristics of the pebble bed reactor (PBR which is based on natural mechanisms improve the simplicity of the PBR design, in particular for the Once-Through-Then-Out (OTTO cycle PBR design. One of the important challenges of the OTTO cycle PBR design, and nuclear reactor design in general, is improving the nuclear fuel utilization which is shown by attaining a higher burnup value. This study performed a preliminary neutronic design study of a 200 MWt OTTO cycle PBR with high burnup while fulfilling the safety criteria of the PBR design.The safety criteria of the design was represented by the per-fuel-pebble maximum power generation of 4.5 kW/pebble. The maximum burnup value was also limited by the tested maximum burnup value which maintained the integrity of the pebble fuel. Parametric surveys were performed to obtain the optimized parameters used in this study, which are the fuel enrichment, per-pebble heavy metal (HM loading, and the average axial speed of the fuel. An optimum design with burnup value of 131.1 MWd/Kg-HM was achieved in this study which is much higher compare to the burnup of the reference design HTR-MODUL and a previously proposed OTTO-cycle PBR design. This optimum design uses 17% U-235 enrichment with 4 g HM-loading per fuel pebble

Geology and potential of the formation of sandstone type uranium mineralization at Hatapang region, North Sumatera

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ngadenin

2013-01-01

The Study based on geological setting of Hatapang region, North Sumatera, identified as a favourable area to the formation of sandstone type uranium mineralization. This characterized by the occurred of anomalous radioactivity, uranium contents of the upper cretaceous granite intrusions and radioactivity anomalous of tertiary sedimentary rocks deposited in terrestrial environments. The study is objective to find out the potential formation of sandstone type-uranium mineralization within tertiary sedimentary rocks based on data’s studies of geological, geochemical, mineralogy, radioactivity of rocks. Stratigraphy of Hatapang area of the oldest to youngest are quartz units (permian-carboniferous), sandstone units (upper Triassic), granite (upper cretaceous), conglomerate units (Lower –middle Miocene) and tuff units (Pleistocene). Hatapang’s granite is S type granite which is not only potential as source of radioactive minerals, particularly placer type monazite, but also potential as source rocks of sandstone type-uranium mineralization on lighter sedimentary rocks. Sedimentary rock of conglomerate units has potential as host rock, even though uranium did not accumulated in its rocks since the lack number of carbon as precipitant material and dissolved U"+"6 in water did not reduced into U"+"4 caused the uranium mineralization did not deposited. (author)

"Smart pebble" designs for sediment transport monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Valyrakis, Manousos; Alexakis, Athanasios; Pavlovskis, Edgars

2015-04-01

Sediment transport, due to primarily the action of water, wind and ice, is one of the most significant geomorphic processes responsible for shaping Earth's surface. It involves entrainment of sediment grains in rivers and estuaries due to the violently fluctuating hydrodynamic forces near the bed. Here an instrumented particle, namely a "smart pebble", is developed to investigate the exact flow conditions under which individual grains may be entrained from the surface of a gravel bed. This could lead in developing a better understanding of the processes involved, focusing on the response of the particle during a variety of flow entrainment events. The "smart pebble" is a particle instrumented with MEMS sensors appropriate for capturing the hydrodynamic forces a coarse particle might experience during its entrainment from the river bed. A 3-axial gyroscope and accelerometer registers data to a memory card via a microcontroller, embedded in a 3D-printed waterproof hollow spherical particle. The instrumented board is appropriately fit and centred into the shell of the pebble, so as to achieve a nearly uniform distribution of the mass which could otherwise bias its motion. The "smart pebble" is powered by an independent power to ensure autonomy and sufficiently long periods of operation appropriate for deployment in the field. Post-processing and analysis of the acquired data is currently performed offline, using scientific programming software. The performance of the instrumented particle is validated, conducting a series of calibration experiments under well-controlled laboratory conditions.

Researchers solve big mysteries of pebble bed reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shams, Afaque; Roelofs, Ferry; Komen, E.M.J. [Nuclear Research and Consultancy Group (NRG), Petten (Netherlands); Baglietto, Emilio [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (United States). Dept. of Nuclear Science and Engineering; Sgro, Titus [CD-adapco, London (United Kingdom). Technical Marketing

2014-03-15

The PBR is one type of High Temperature Reactors, which allows high temperature work while preventing the fuel from melting (bringing huge safety margins to the reactor) and high electricity efficiency. The design is also highly scalable; a plant could be designed to be as large or small as needed, and can even be made mobile, allowing it to be used onboard a ship. In a PBR, small particles of nuclear fuel, embedded in a moderating graphite pebble, are dropped into the reactor as needed. At the bottom, the pebbles can be removed simply by opening a small hatch and letting gravity pull them down. To cool the reactor and create electricity, helium gas is pumped through the reactor to pull heat out which is then run through generators. One of the most difficult problems to deal with has been the possible appearance of local temperature hotspots within the pebble bed heating to the point of melting the graphite moderators surrounding the fuel. Obviously, constructing a reactor and experimenting to investigate this possibility is out of the question. Instead, nuclear engineers have been attempting to simulate a PBR with various CFD codes. The thermo-dynamic analysis to simulate realistic conditions in a pebble bed are described and the results are shown. (orig.)

The occurrence, origin and stratigraphic significance of bone-bearing mudstone pellet conglomerates from the Beaufort group in the Jansenville district, Cape Province, South Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turner, B.R.

1981-01-01

The lack of useful lithostratigraphic markers in the Beaufort Group in the southern Karoo Basin has focused attention on the biostratigraphy of the sediments. As a result a more refined scheme of biostratigraphic classification is now possible which may prove useful in fixing the stratigraphic position of the uranium mineralized horizons. The most important mineralized horizon in the Beaufort West area (contains about 90 per cent of all known uranium occurrences) is associated with the Pristerognathus/Diictodon assemblage zone, but the way in which this relates to the important uranium occurrences farther east, between Graaff-Reinet and Jansenville, is uncertain because of the lack of biostratigraphic control. Vertebrate remains have recently been found in mudstone pellet conglomerates in Beaufort channel sandstones along the Bullrivier in the Jansenville District, in an area that is extensively mineralized. The sandstones were deposited as point bar sands within a meandering river system flowing towards the north-east. The rivers drained a dry, arid to semi-arid alluvial plain and were characterized by fluctuating discharge and periods of low or negligible flow. These conditions promoted flood scour and fill activity and the deposition of internal mudstone pellet conglomerates. Hydrodynamic considerations suggest that estimates of bone transport velocity from their hydrodynamically equivalent quartz sphere is of limited value and can seldom, if ever, be applied to fossil bone accumulations. Identification of the bones from the conglomerates indicates that they belong to the Dino-cephalia biozone and not the overlying Pristerognathus/Diictodon zone. This suggests that the lower part of the Beaufort succession (formerly the Tapinocephalus zone) extends farther east than previously thought, and that the main mineralized horizon in this area occurs lower down in the succession than that around Beaufort West

Radioactive wastes processing and disposing container

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wada, Jiro; Kato, Hiroaki.

1987-01-01

Purpose: To obtain a processing and disposing container at low level radioactive wastes, excellent in corrosion and water resistance, as well as impact shock resistance for the retrieval storage over a long period of time. Constitution: The container is constituted with sands and pebbles as aggregates and glass fiber-added unsaturated polyester resins as binders. The container may entirely be formed with such material or only the entire inner surface may be formed with the material as liners. A container having excellent resistance to water, chemicals, freezing or melting, whether impact shock, etc. can be obtained, thereby enabling retrieval storage for radioactive wastes at the optimum low level. (Takahashi, M.)

Cyclic loading tests on ceramic breeder pebble bed by discrete element modeling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Hao [School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027 (China); Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900 (China); Guo, Haibing; Shi, Tao [Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900 (China); Ye, Minyou [School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027 (China); Huang, Hongwen, E-mail: hhw@caep.cn [Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900 (China); Li, Zhenghong, E-mail: inpcnyb@sina.com [Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900 (China); University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027 (China)

2017-05-15

Highlights: • Methods of cyclic loading tests on the pebble beds were developed in DEM. • Size distribution and sphericity of the pebbles were considered for the specimen. • Mechanical responses of the pebble beds under cyclic loading tests were assessed. - Abstract: Complex mechanics and packing instability can be induced by loading operation on ceramic breeder pebble bed for its discrete nature. A numerical approach using discrete element method (DEM) is applied to study the mechanical performance of the ceramic breeder pebble bed under quasi-static and cyclic loads. A preloaded specimen can be made with servo-control mechanism, the quasi-static and dynamic stress-strain performances are studied during the tests. It is found that the normalized normal contact forces under quasi-static loads have the similar distributions, and increase with increasing loads. Furthermore, the relatively low volumetric strain can be absorbed by pebble bed after several loading and unloading cycles, but the peak normal contact force can be extremely high during the first cycle. Cyclic loading with target pressure is recommended for densely packing, irreversible volume reduction gradually increase with cycles, and the normal contact forces decrease with cycles.

Cyclic loading tests on ceramic breeder pebble bed by discrete element modeling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Hao; Guo, Haibing; Shi, Tao; Ye, Minyou; Huang, Hongwen; Li, Zhenghong

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Methods of cyclic loading tests on the pebble beds were developed in DEM. • Size distribution and sphericity of the pebbles were considered for the specimen. • Mechanical responses of the pebble beds under cyclic loading tests were assessed. - Abstract: Complex mechanics and packing instability can be induced by loading operation on ceramic breeder pebble bed for its discrete nature. A numerical approach using discrete element method (DEM) is applied to study the mechanical performance of the ceramic breeder pebble bed under quasi-static and cyclic loads. A preloaded specimen can be made with servo-control mechanism, the quasi-static and dynamic stress-strain performances are studied during the tests. It is found that the normalized normal contact forces under quasi-static loads have the similar distributions, and increase with increasing loads. Furthermore, the relatively low volumetric strain can be absorbed by pebble bed after several loading and unloading cycles, but the peak normal contact force can be extremely high during the first cycle. Cyclic loading with target pressure is recommended for densely packing, irreversible volume reduction gradually increase with cycles, and the normal contact forces decrease with cycles.

Optimization of a radially cooled pebble bed reactor - HTR2008-58117

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boer, B.; Kloosterman, J. L.; Lathouwers, D.; Van Der Hagen, T. H. J. J.; Van Dam, H.

2008-01-01

By altering the coolant flow direction in a pebble bed reactor from axial to radial, the pressure drop can be reduced tremendously. In this case the coolant flows from the outer reflector through the pebble bed and finally to flow paths in the inner reflector. As a consequence, the fuel temperatures are elevated due to the reduced heat transfer of the coolant. However, the power profile and pebble size in a radially cooled pebble bed reactor can be optimized to achieve lower fuel temperatures than current axially cooled designs, while the low pressure drop can be maintained. The radial power profile in the core can be altered by adopting multi-pass fuel management using several radial fuel zones in the core. The optimal power profile yielding a flat temperature profile is derived analytically and is approximated by radial fuel zoning. In this case, the pebbles pass through the outer region of the core first and each consecutive pass is located in a fuel zone closer to the inner reflector. Thereby, the resulting radial distribution of the fissile material in the core is influenced and the temperature profile is close to optimal. The fuel temperature in the pebbles can be further reduced by reducing the standard pebble diameter from 6 cm to a value as low as I cm. An analytical investigation is used to demonstrate the effects on the fuel temperature and pressure drop for both radial and axial cooling. Finally, two-dimensional numerical calculations were performed, using codes for neutronics, thermal-hydraulics and fuel depletion analysis, in order to validate the results for the optimized design that were obtained from the analytical investigations. It was found that for a radially cooled design with an optimized power profile and reduced pebble diameter (below 3.5 cm) both a reduction in the pressure drop (Δp = -2.6 bar), which increases the reactor efficiency with several percent, and a reduction in the maximum fuel temperature (ΔT = -50 deg. C) can be achieved

Optimization of mass-production conditions for tritium breeder pebbles based on slurry droplet wetting method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Yi-Hyun, E-mail: yhpark@nfri.re.kr [National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Min, Kyung-Mi; Ahn, Mu-Young; Cho, Seungyon; Lee, Young-Min [National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Park, Sang-Jin; Danish, Rehan; Lim, Chul-Hwan; Jo, Yong-Dae [IVT Co., Ltd., Daegu (Korea, Republic of)

2016-11-01

Highlights: • An automatic dispensing system was developed to improve uniformity and production rate of breeder pebbles. • The production rate of this system for Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebble was estimated at 50 kg/year. • The optimization of dispensing and sintering conditions for the mass-production of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebble was conducted. • Integrity of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebble was able to be ensured during mass-production process, especially during batch process. - Abstract: Lithium metatitanate (Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3}) is being considered as tritium breeding material for solid-type breeding blanket, which are used in pebble-bed form. The total amount of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles in Helium Cooled Ceramic Reflector (HCCR) Test Blanket Module (TBM) is approximately 80 kg. Furthermore, DEMO reactor requires a great deal of breeder pebbles. Therefore, the development of mass-production system for breeder pebbles is necessary. The slurry droplet wetting method was adopted in the mass-production process for Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles, which had been developed in Korea. In this method, an automatic slurry dispensing system is one of the key apparatuses because the uniformity of pebbles and production rate are able to be improved. The system was successfully manufactured, which was consisted of a dispensing unit for instillation of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} slurry, a glycerin bath for hardening of droplets, and an automatic maintaining unit for constant distance between syringe needle and glycerin surface. The production rate of this system for Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebble was estimated at 50 kg/year. In this study, it was investigated that the effect of dispensing and sintering conditions on the mass-production of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles.

Investigation of Facies Types and Associations of Kuhlan Red Bed Formation in NW Yemen: A New Hypothesis for Origin and Depositional Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammed A. Al-Wosabi

2006-06-01

Full Text Available Varieties of thirteen facies types were recognized in the Kuhlan Formation represented by red bed siliciclastic sequences of argillaceous sediments. Examination of the Kuhlan stratigraphic column included sequence relationships, lithology, sedimentary characters, structures and petrography of the dominant rock types. These facies types are grouped in three distinct associations of facies. The lower unit A comprises association of facies (Distal turbidites represented by alternates of turbidity sequences including sandstone, siltstone and thick shale beds. These facies types confirm a regressive depositional environment in deep marine shelf conditions. There are three facies types which are identified as massive sandstone, cross-bedded sandstone and pebbly sandstone facies. The middle unit B association of facies (Proximal turbedites represents glaciomarine sequences displaying high lateral and vertical facies changes of glacioturbidite sediment alternates with diamictites and tillite beds. The sequences are affected by eustatic and eustatism of the glacial advance and retreat. This unit B includes eight types of facies. These are identified as; tillite, massive diamictites, stratified diamictites, laminated siltstone/shale, deformed siltstone/mudstone, graded rhythmic siltstone, massive conglomerate and cross-stratified sandy conglomerate facies. The upper unit C association of facies is represented by shallow marine shelf sequences displaying very thick massive and locally cross-bedded sand bar sandstone overlying the laminated siltstone/shale interbeds. The upward gradual changes in mineralogical composition and color confirms the start of marine transgression and later deposited platform Amran Group. Mineralogical composition of Kuhlan sandstone displays impure dirty rocks consisting of more than 30% of argillaceous matrix, 50% of cristobalite and quartz grains, more than 10% of ferruginous cement and 10% of detrital iron oxide grains, potash

CFD simulation of a coolant flow and a heat transfer in a pebble bed reactor - HTR2008-58334

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In, W. K.; Lee, W. J.; Hassan, Y. A.

2008-01-01

This CFD study is to simulate a coolant(gas) flow and heat transfer in a PBR core during a normal operation. This study used a pebble array with direct area contacts among the pebbles which is one of the pebbles arrangements for a detailed simulation of PBR core CFD studies. A CFD model is developed to more adequately represent the pebbles randomly stacked in the PBR core. The CFD predictions showed a large variation of the temperature on the pebble surface as well as in the pebble core. The temperature drop in the outer graphite layer is smaller than that in the pebble-core region. This is because the thermal conductivity of graphite is higher than the fuel (UO, mixture) conductivity in the pebble core. Higher pebble surface temperature is predicted downstream of the pebble contact due to a reverse flow. Multiple vortices are predicted to occur downstream of the spherical pebbles due to a flow separation. The coolant flow structure and fuel temperature in the PBR core appears to largely depend on the in-core distribution of the pebbles. (authors)

Status of the in-pile test of HCPB pebble-bed assemblies in the HFR Petten

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Laan, J.G. van der; Fokkens, J.H.; Hofmans, H.E.; Jong, M.; Magielsen, A.J.; Pijlgroms, B.J.; Stijkel, M.P. [NRG, Petten (Netherlands); Conrad, R. [JRC, Inst. for Energy, Petten (Netherlands); Malang, S.; Reimann, J. [FZK, Karlsruhe (Germany); Roux, N. [CEA Saclay (France)

2002-06-01

In the framework of developing the helium cooled pebble-bed (HCPB) blanket an irradiation test of pebble-bed assemblies is prepared at the HFR Petten. The test objective is to concentrate on the effect of neutron irradiation on the thermal-mechanical behaviour of the HCPB breeder pebble-bed at DEMO representative levels of temperature and defined thermal-mechanical loads. The basic test elements are EUROFER-97 cylinders with a horizontal bed of ceramic breeder pebbles sandwiched between two beryllium beds. The pebble beds are separated by EUROFER-97 steel plates. The heat flow is managed such as to have a radial temperature distribution in the ceramic breeder pebble-bed as flat as reasonably possible. The paper reports on the project status, and presents the results of pre-tests, material characteristics, the manufacturing of the pebble-bed assemblies, and the nuclear and thermo-mechanical loading parameters. (orig.)

Cavitated Conglomerate Mass in Silicosis Indicating Associated Tuberculosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pedro Martins

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Silicosis is the most common occupational lung disease worldwide. It leads to respiratory impairment and may have associated infections that decrease pulmonary function. We describe the case of a 55-year-old man with chronic silicosis who presented with hemoptysis and a cavitated conglomerate mass. The final diagnosis was silicotuberculosis.

National uranium resource evaluation. Raton Quadrangle New Mexico and Colorado. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reid, B.E.; Griswold, G.B.; Jacobsen, L.C.; Lessard, R.H.

1980-12-01

Using National Uranium Resource Evaluation criteria, the Raton Quadrangle (New Mexico and Colorado) contains one environment favorable for uranium deposits, the permeable arkosic sandstone members of the Pennsylvanian-Permian Sangre de Cristo Formation for either peneconcordant or roll-type deposits. The favorable parts of the Sangre de Cristo lie mostly in the subsurface in the Raton and Las Vegas Basins in the eastern part of the quadrangle. An area in the Costilla Peak Massif was investigated for uranium by determining geochemical anomalies in stream sediments and spring waters. Further work will be required to determine plutonic environment type. Environments unfavorable for uranium deposits include the Ogallala, Raton, and Vermejo Formations, the Trinidad Sandstone, the Pierre Shale, the Colorado Group, the Dakota Sandstone, the Morrison Formation, the Entrada and Glorieta Sandstones, Mississippian and Pennsylvanian rocks, quartz-pebble conglomerates, pegmatities, and Tertiary granitic stocks

Ore-processing technology and the uranium supply outlook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

James, H.E.; Simonsen, H.A.

1978-01-01

The subject is covered in sections, as follows: the resource base (uranium content of rocks, regional distribution of Western World uranium); ore types (distribution of Western World uranium, by ore types, response to ore-processing); constraints on expansion in traditional uranium areas (defined for this paper as the sandstone deposits of the U.S.A. and the quartz-pebble conglomerates of the Witwatersrand and Elliot Bay areas, all other deposits being referred to as new uranium areas). Sections then follow dealing in detail with the processing of deposits in U.S.A., South Africa, Canada, Niger, Australia, South West Africa, Greenland. More general sections follow on: shale, lignite and coal deposits, calcrete deposits. Finally, there are sections on: uranium as a by-product; uranium from very low-grade resources; constraints on expansion rate for production facilities. (U.K.)

Turkana Grits - a Cretaceous braided alluvial system in northern Kenya

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Handford, C.R.

1987-05-01

Rather spotty but excellent exposures of the Cretaceous-age Turkana Grits occur near the western shore of Lake Turkana, northern Kenya. These very coarse to pebbly arkosic sandstones and sandy conglomerates were derived from and rest unconformably upon Precambrian metamorphic basement; they are overlain by late Tertiary basaltic flows that comprise much of the volcanics in the East African Rift Zone. The formation ranges up to 2000 ft thick in the Laburr Range. Several outcrops contain sauropod, crocodile, and tortoise remains as well as abundant trunks of petrified wood (Dryoxylon). Five major facies make up the Turkana Grits and record a major episode of continental fluvial deposition in basins flanked by Precambrian basement. Facies 1 is crudely stratified, cobble and boulder conglomerate (clast-supported); Facies 2 is crudely stratified pebble-cobble conglomerate and pebbly sandstone; Facies 3 is trough cross-bedded, very coarse sandstones containing fossils wood and vertebrate remains; Facies 4 is crudely stratified to massive sandstones with ironstone nodules; and Facies 5 is red, purple, and gray mudstone and mud shale with carbonate nodules. Facies 1 through 3 record deposition in proximal to medial braided-stream channel, longitudinal bar and dune complexes. Facies 4 is a lowland, hydromorphic paleosol, and Facies 5 represents overbank and abandoned channel-fill sedimentation in an alluvial plain.

Experimental measurement of effective thermal conductivity of packed lithium-titanate pebble bed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mandal, D.; Sathiyamoorthy, D.; Vinjamur, M.

2012-01-01

Lithium titanate is a promising solid breeder material for the fusion reactor blanket. Packed lithium titanate pebble bed is considered for the blanket. The thermal energy; that will be produced in the bed during breeding and the radiated heat from the reactor core absorbed must be removed. So, the experimental thermal property data are important for the blanket design. In past, a significant amount of works were conducted to determine the effective thermal conductivity of packed solid breeder pebble bed, in helium atmosphere, but no flow of gas was considered. With increase in gas flow rate, effective thermal conductivity of pebble bed increases. Particle size and void fraction also affect the thermal properties of the bed significantly. An experimental facility with external heat source was designed and installed. Experiments were carried out with lithium-titanate pebbles of different sizes at variable gas flow rates and at different bed wall temperature. It was observed that effective thermal conductivity of pebble bed is a function of particle Reynolds number and temperature. From the experimental data two correlations have been developed to estimate the effective thermal conductivity of packed lithium-titanate pebble bed for different particle Reynolds number and at different temperatures. The experimental details and results are discussed in this paper.

Estimation of immune cell densities in immune cell conglomerates: an approach for high-throughput quantification.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Niels Halama

2009-11-01

Full Text Available Determining the correct number of positive immune cells in immunohistological sections of colorectal cancer and other tumor entities is emerging as an important clinical predictor and therapy selector for an individual patient. This task is usually obstructed by cell conglomerates of various sizes. We here show that at least in colorectal cancer the inclusion of immune cell conglomerates is indispensable for estimating reliable patient cell counts. Integrating virtual microscopy and image processing principally allows the high-throughput evaluation of complete tissue slides.For such large-scale systems we demonstrate a robust quantitative image processing algorithm for the reproducible quantification of cell conglomerates on CD3 positive T cells in colorectal cancer. While isolated cells (28 to 80 microm(2 are counted directly, the number of cells contained in a conglomerate is estimated by dividing the area of the conglomerate in thin tissues sections (< or =6 microm by the median area covered by an isolated T cell which we determined as 58 microm(2. We applied our algorithm to large numbers of CD3 positive T cell conglomerates and compared the results to cell counts obtained manually by two independent observers. While especially for high cell counts, the manual counting showed a deviation of up to 400 cells/mm(2 (41% variation, algorithm-determined T cell numbers generally lay in between the manually observed cell numbers but with perfect reproducibility.In summary, we recommend our approach as an objective and robust strategy for quantifying immune cell densities in immunohistological sections which can be directly implemented into automated full slide image processing systems.

Automated Design and Optimization of Pebble-bed Reactor Cores

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gougar, Hans D.; Ougouag, Abderrafi M.; Terry, William K.

2010-01-01

We present a conceptual design approach for high-temperature gas-cooled reactors using recirculating pebble-bed cores. The design approach employs PEBBED, a reactor physics code specifically designed to solve for and analyze the asymptotic burnup state of pebble-bed reactors, in conjunction with a genetic algorithm to obtain a core that maximizes a fitness value that is a function of user-specified parameters. The uniqueness of the asymptotic core state and the small number of independent parameters that define it suggest that core geometry and fuel cycle can be efficiently optimized toward a specified objective. PEBBED exploits a novel representation of the distribution of pebbles that enables efficient coupling of the burnup and neutron diffusion solvers. With this method, even complex pebble recirculation schemes can be expressed in terms of a few parameters that are amenable to modern optimization techniques. With PEBBED, the user chooses the type and range of core physics parameters that represent the design space. A set of traits, each with acceptable and preferred values expressed by a simple fitness function, is used to evaluate the candidate reactor cores. The stochastic search algorithm automatically drives the generation of core parameters toward the optimal core as defined by the user. The optimized design can then be modeled and analyzed in greater detail using higher resolution and more computationally demanding tools to confirm the desired characteristics. For this study, the design of pebble-bed high temperature reactor concepts subjected to demanding physical constraints demonstrated the efficacy of the PEBBED algorithm.

Modelling of thermal and mechanical behaviour of pebble beds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boccaccini, L.V.; Buehler, L.; Hermsmeyer, S.; Wolf, F.

2001-01-01

FZK (Forshungzentrum Karlsruhe) is developing a Helium Cooled Pebble Bed (HCPB) Blanket Concept for fusion power reactors based on the use of ceramic breeder materials and beryllium multiplier in the form of pebble beds. The design of such a blanket requires models and computer codes describing the thermal-mechanical behavior of pebble beds to evaluate the temperatures, stresses, deformations and mechanical interactions between pebble beds and the structure with required accuracy and reliability. The objective to describe the beginning of life condition for the HCPB blanket seems near to be reached. Mechanical models that describe the thermo-mechanical behavior of granular materials used in form of pebble beds are implemented in a commercial structure code. These models have been calibrated using the results of a large series of dedicated experiments. The modeling work is practically concluded for ceramic breeder; it will be carried on in the next year for beryllium to obtain the required correlations for creep and the thermal conductivity. The difficulties for application in large components (such as the HCPB blanket) are the limitations of the present commercial codes to manage such a set of constitutive equations under complex load conditions and large mesh number. The further objective is to model the thermal cycles during operation; the present correlations have to be adapted for the release phase. A complete description of the blanket behavior during irradiation is at the present out of our capability; this objective requires an extensive R and D program that at the present is only at the beginning. (Y.Tanaka)

Pebble-isolation mass: Scaling law and implications for the formation of super-Earths and gas giants

Science.gov (United States)

Bitsch, Bertram; Morbidelli, Alessandro; Johansen, Anders; Lega, Elena; Lambrechts, Michiel; Crida, Aurélien

2018-04-01

The growth of a planetary core by pebble accretion stops at the so-called pebble isolation mass, when the core generates a pressure bump that traps drifting pebbles outside its orbit. The value of the pebble isolation mass is crucial in determining the final planet mass. If the isolation mass is very low, gas accretion is protracted and the planet remains at a few Earth masses with a mainly solid composition. For higher values of the pebble isolation mass, the planet might be able to accrete gas from the protoplanetary disc and grow into a gas giant. Previous works have determined a scaling of the pebble isolation mass with cube of the disc aspect ratio. Here, we expand on previous measurements and explore the dependency of the pebble isolation mass on all relevant parameters of the protoplanetary disc. We use 3D hydrodynamical simulations to measure the pebble isolation mass and derive a simple scaling law that captures the dependence on the local disc structure and the turbulent viscosity parameter α. We find that small pebbles, coupled to the gas, with Stokes number τf gap at pebble isolation mass. However, as the planetary mass increases, particles must be decreasingly smaller to penetrate the pressure bump. Turbulent diffusion of particles, however, can lead to an increase of the pebble isolation mass by a factor of two, depending on the strength of the background viscosity and on the pebble size. We finally explore the implications of the new scaling law of the pebble isolation mass on the formation of planetary systems by numerically integrating the growth and migration pathways of planets in evolving protoplanetary discs. Compared to models neglecting the dependence of the pebble isolation mass on the α-viscosity, our models including this effect result in higher core masses for giant planets. These higher core masses are more similar to the core masses of the giant planets in the solar system.

A virtual pebble game to ensemble average graph rigidity.

Science.gov (United States)

González, Luis C; Wang, Hui; Livesay, Dennis R; Jacobs, Donald J

2015-01-01

The body-bar Pebble Game (PG) algorithm is commonly used to calculate network rigidity properties in proteins and polymeric materials. To account for fluctuating interactions such as hydrogen bonds, an ensemble of constraint topologies are sampled, and average network properties are obtained by averaging PG characterizations. At a simpler level of sophistication, Maxwell constraint counting (MCC) provides a rigorous lower bound for the number of internal degrees of freedom (DOF) within a body-bar network, and it is commonly employed to test if a molecular structure is globally under-constrained or over-constrained. MCC is a mean field approximation (MFA) that ignores spatial fluctuations of distance constraints by replacing the actual molecular structure by an effective medium that has distance constraints globally distributed with perfect uniform density. The Virtual Pebble Game (VPG) algorithm is a MFA that retains spatial inhomogeneity in the density of constraints on all length scales. Network fluctuations due to distance constraints that may be present or absent based on binary random dynamic variables are suppressed by replacing all possible constraint topology realizations with the probabilities that distance constraints are present. The VPG algorithm is isomorphic to the PG algorithm, where integers for counting "pebbles" placed on vertices or edges in the PG map to real numbers representing the probability to find a pebble. In the VPG, edges are assigned pebble capacities, and pebble movements become a continuous flow of probability within the network. Comparisons between the VPG and average PG results over a test set of proteins and disordered lattices demonstrate the VPG quantitatively estimates the ensemble average PG results well. The VPG performs about 20% faster than one PG, and it provides a pragmatic alternative to averaging PG rigidity characteristics over an ensemble of constraint topologies. The utility of the VPG falls in between the most

Influence of gas pressure on the effective thermal conductivity of ceramic breeder pebble beds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dai, Weijing; Pupeschi, Simone; Hanaor, Dorian; Gan, Yixiang

2017-01-01

Highlights: • This study explicitly demonstrates the influence of the gas pressure on the effective thermal conductivity of pebble beds. • The gas pressure influence is shown to correlated to the pebble size. • The effective thermal conductivity is linked to thermal-mechanical properties of pebbles and packing structure. - Abstract: Lithium ceramics have been considered as tritium breeder materials in many proposed designs of fusion breeding blankets. Heat generated in breeder pebble beds due to nuclear breeding reaction must be removed by means of actively cooled plates while generated tritiums is recovered by purge gas slowly flowing through beds. Therefore, the effective thermal conductivity of pebble beds that is one of the governing parameters determining heat transport phenomenon needs to be addressed with respect to mechanical status of beds and purge gas pressure. In this study, a numerical framework combining finite element simulation and a semi-empirical correlation of gas gap conduction is proposed to predict the effective thermal conductivity. The purge gas pressure is found to vary the effective thermal conductivity, in particular with the presence of various sized gaps in pebble beds. Random packing of pebble beds is taken into account by an approximated correlation considering the packing factor and coordination number of pebble beds. The model prediction is compared with experimental observation from different sources showing a quantitative agreement with the measurement.

Influence of gas pressure on the effective thermal conductivity of ceramic breeder pebble beds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dai, Weijing [School of Civil Engineering, The University of Sydney, Sydney (Australia); Pupeschi, Simone [Institute for Applied Materials, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) (Germany); Hanaor, Dorian [School of Civil Engineering, The University of Sydney, Sydney (Australia); Institute for Materials Science and Technologies, Technical University of Berlin (Germany); Gan, Yixiang, E-mail: yixiang.gan@sydney.edu.au [School of Civil Engineering, The University of Sydney, Sydney (Australia)

2017-05-15

Highlights: • This study explicitly demonstrates the influence of the gas pressure on the effective thermal conductivity of pebble beds. • The gas pressure influence is shown to correlated to the pebble size. • The effective thermal conductivity is linked to thermal-mechanical properties of pebbles and packing structure. - Abstract: Lithium ceramics have been considered as tritium breeder materials in many proposed designs of fusion breeding blankets. Heat generated in breeder pebble beds due to nuclear breeding reaction must be removed by means of actively cooled plates while generated tritiums is recovered by purge gas slowly flowing through beds. Therefore, the effective thermal conductivity of pebble beds that is one of the governing parameters determining heat transport phenomenon needs to be addressed with respect to mechanical status of beds and purge gas pressure. In this study, a numerical framework combining finite element simulation and a semi-empirical correlation of gas gap conduction is proposed to predict the effective thermal conductivity. The purge gas pressure is found to vary the effective thermal conductivity, in particular with the presence of various sized gaps in pebble beds. Random packing of pebble beds is taken into account by an approximated correlation considering the packing factor and coordination number of pebble beds. The model prediction is compared with experimental observation from different sources showing a quantitative agreement with the measurement.

Numerical and experimental characterization of ceramic pebble beds under cycling mechanical loading

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pupeschi, S., E-mail: pupeschi.simone@hotmail.it [Institute for Applied Materials, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) (Germany); Knitter, R.; Kamlah, M. [Institute for Applied Materials, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) (Germany); Gan, Y. [School of Civil Engineering, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006 (Australia)

2016-11-15

Highlights: • The effect of cyclic loading on the mechanical response of pebble beds was assessed. • Numerical simulations were performed with KIT-DEM code. • The numerical simulations were compared with the experimental outcomes. • A good qualitative agreement between experimental and simulation results was found. • The pebble size distribution affects the mechanical response of the assemblies. - Abstract: All solid breeder concepts considered to be tested in ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor), make use of lithium-based ceramics in the form of pebble-packed beds as tritium breeder. A thorough understanding of the thermal and mechanical properties of the ceramic pebble beds under fusion relevant conditions is essential for the design of the breeder blanket modules of future fusion reactors. In this study, the effect of cyclic loading on the mechanical behaviour of pebble bed assemblies was investigated using a Discrete Element Method (DEM) code. The numerical simulations were compared with the experimental outcomes. The results of numerical simulations show that the pebble size distribution affects noticeably the stress-strain behaviour of the assemblies. A good qualitative agreement between experimental and simulation results was found in terms of difference between residual strains of consecutive cycles. An increase of the oedometric modulus with the compressive load was observed for all investigated compositions in both experimental and DEM simulations. The numerical results show an increase of the oedometric modulus (E) with progressive compaction of the assemblies due to the cycling loading, while no significant influence of the pebbles size distribution was observed.

Pressurizing Behavior on Ingress of Coolant into Pebble Bed of Blanket of Fusion DEMO Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Daigo Tsuru; Mikio Enoeda; Masato Akiba

2006-01-01

Solid breeder blankets are being developed as candidate blankets for the Fusion DEMO reactor in Japan. JAEA is performing the development of the water cooled and helium cooled solid breeder blankets. The blanket utilizes ceramic breeder pebbles and multiplier pebbles beds cooled by high pressure water or high pressure helium in the cooling tubes placed in the blanket box structure. In the development of the blanket, it is very important to incorporate the safety technology as well as the performance improvement on tritium production and energy conversion. In the safety design and technology, coolant ingress in the blanket box structure is one of the most important events as the initiators. Especially the thermal hydraulics in the pebble bed in the case of the high pressure coolant ingress is very important to evaluate the pressure propagation and coolant flow behavior. This paper presents the preliminary results of the pressure loss characteristics by the coolant ingress in the pebble bed. Experiments have been performed by using alumina pebble bed (4 litter maximum volume of the pebble bed) and nitrogen gas to simulate the helium coolant ingress into breeder and multiplier pebble beds. Reservoir tank of 10 liter is filled with 1.0 MPa nitrogen. The nitrogen gas is released at the bottom part of the alumina pebble bed whose upper part is open to the atmosphere. The pressure change in the pebble bed is measured to identify the pressure loss. The measured values are compared with the predicted values by Ergun's equation, which is the correlation equation on pressure loss of the flow through porous medium. By the results of the experiments with no constraint on the alumina pebble bed, it was clarified that the measured value agreed in the lower flow rate. However, in the higher flow rate where the pressure loss is high, the measured value is about half of the predicted value. The differences between the measured values and the predicted values will be discussed from

Development of Quartz Fiber Calorimetry

CERN Multimedia

2002-01-01

% RD40 \\\\ \\\\ Very Forward Calorimeters (VFCs) in LHC detectors should cover the pseudorapidity range from $\\eta$~=~2.5 to at least $\\eta$~=~5 in order to compute missing transverse energy and for jet tagging. Operation at such high rapidity requires the use of a calorimetry technique that is very radiation resistant, fast and insensitive to radioactivity (especially to neutrons). This can be accomplished through the Quartz-Calorimeter~(Q-Cal) concept of embedding silica core fibers, that resist to the Gigarad radiation level, into an absorber. In this calorimeter the shower particles produce light through the Cherenkov effect generating a signal less than 10~ns in duration. Unique to this new technology the visible energy of hadronic showers has a transverse dimension nearly an order of magnitude smaller than that in conventional calorimeters, enabling precise spatial resolution, sharper isolation cuts and better jet recognition against the minimum bias events background. Last but not least, most radioactive ...

Steamworlds: Atmospheric Structure and Critical Mass of Planets Accreting Icy Pebbles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chambers, John

2017-01-01

In the core accretion model, gas-giant planets first form a solid core, which then accretes gas from a protoplanetary disk when the core exceeds a critical mass. Here, we model the atmosphere of a core that grows by accreting ice-rich pebbles. The ice fraction of pebbles evaporates in warm regions of the atmosphere, saturating it with water vapor. Excess water precipitates to lower altitudes. Beneath an outer radiative region, the atmosphere is convective, following a moist adiabat in saturated regions due to water condensation and precipitation. Atmospheric mass, density, and temperature increase with core mass. For nominal model parameters, planets with core masses (ice + rock) between 0.08 and 0.16 Earth masses have surface temperatures between 273 and 647 K and form an ocean. In more massive planets, water exists as a supercritical convecting fluid mixed with gas from the disk. Typically, the core mass reaches a maximum (the critical mass) as a function of the total mass when the core is 2–5 Earth masses. The critical mass depends in a complicated way on pebble size, mass flux, and dust opacity due to the occasional appearance of multiple core-mass maxima. The core mass for an atmosphere of 50% hydrogen and helium may be a more robust indicator of the onset of gas accretion. This mass is typically 1–3 Earth masses for pebbles that are 50% ice by mass, increasing with opacity and pebble flux and decreasing with pebble ice/rock ratio.

Steamworlds: Atmospheric Structure and Critical Mass of Planets Accreting Icy Pebbles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chambers, John, E-mail: jchambers@carnegiescience.edu [Carnegie Institution for Science Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, 5241 Broad Branch Road, NW, Washington, DC 20015 (United States)

2017-11-01

In the core accretion model, gas-giant planets first form a solid core, which then accretes gas from a protoplanetary disk when the core exceeds a critical mass. Here, we model the atmosphere of a core that grows by accreting ice-rich pebbles. The ice fraction of pebbles evaporates in warm regions of the atmosphere, saturating it with water vapor. Excess water precipitates to lower altitudes. Beneath an outer radiative region, the atmosphere is convective, following a moist adiabat in saturated regions due to water condensation and precipitation. Atmospheric mass, density, and temperature increase with core mass. For nominal model parameters, planets with core masses (ice + rock) between 0.08 and 0.16 Earth masses have surface temperatures between 273 and 647 K and form an ocean. In more massive planets, water exists as a supercritical convecting fluid mixed with gas from the disk. Typically, the core mass reaches a maximum (the critical mass) as a function of the total mass when the core is 2–5 Earth masses. The critical mass depends in a complicated way on pebble size, mass flux, and dust opacity due to the occasional appearance of multiple core-mass maxima. The core mass for an atmosphere of 50% hydrogen and helium may be a more robust indicator of the onset of gas accretion. This mass is typically 1–3 Earth masses for pebbles that are 50% ice by mass, increasing with opacity and pebble flux and decreasing with pebble ice/rock ratio.

Mechanical compression tests of beryllium pebbles after neutron irradiation up to 3000 appm helium production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chakin, V., E-mail: vladimir.chakin@kit.edu [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institite for Applied Materials, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Rolli, R.; Moeslang, A. [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institite for Applied Materials, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Zmitko, M. [The European Joint Undertaking for ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy, c/Josep Pla, no. 2, Torres Diagonal Litoral, Edificio B3, 08019 Barcelona (Spain)

2015-04-15

Highlights: • Compression tests of highly neutron irradiated beryllium pebbles have been performed. • Irradiation hardening of beryllium pebbles decreases the steady-state strain-rates. • The steady-state strain-rates of irradiated beryllium pebbles exceed their swelling rates. - Abstract: Results: of mechanical compression tests of irradiated and non-irradiated beryllium pebbles with diameters of 1 and 2 mm are presented. The neutron irradiation was performed in the HFR in Petten, The Netherlands at 686–968 K up to 1890–2950 appm helium production. The irradiation at 686 and 753 K cause irradiation hardening due to the gas bubble formation in beryllium. The irradiation-induced hardening leads to decrease of steady-state strain-rates of irradiated beryllium pebbles compared to non-irradiated ones. In contrary, after irradiation at higher temperatures of 861 and 968 K, the steady-state strain-rates of the pebbles increase because annealing of irradiation defects and softening of the material take place. It was shown that the steady-state strain-rates of irradiated beryllium pebbles always exceed their swelling rates.

Year One Summary of X-energy Pebble Fuel Development at ORNL

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Helmreich, Grant W. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Hunn, John D. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); McMurray, Jake W. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Hunt, Rodney D. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Jolly, Brian C. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Trammell, Michael P. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Brown, Daniel R. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Blamer, Brandon J. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Reif, Tyler J. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Kim, Howard T. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2017-06-01

The Advanced Reactor Concepts X-energy (ARC-Xe) Pebble Fuel Development project at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has successfully completed its first year, having made excellent progress in accomplishing programmatic objectives. The primary focus of research at ORNL in support of X-energy has been the training of X-energy fuel fabrication engineers and the establishment of US pebble fuel production capabilities able to supply the Xe-100 pebble-bed reactor. These efforts have been strongly supported by particle fuel fabrication and characterization expertise present at ORNL from the Advanced Gas Reactor (AGR) Fuel Development and Qualification Program.

An Analysis of Fuel Region to Region Dancoff Factor with the Random Mixture Effects of Moderator and Fuel Pebbles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Song Hyun; Kim, Hong Chul; Kim, Jong Kyung; Noh, Jae Man

2009-01-01

Dancoff factor is an entering probability of the neutron escaped from specific fuel kernel to another one without the interaction with moderators. In order to analytically evaluate Dancoff factor considering double-heterogeneous effect, inter-pebble and intra-pebble Dancoff factors should be calculated, respectively. Intra-pebble Dancoff factor related with the fuel kernels in one pebble was analyzed in the past study. The fuel and moderator pebbles are randomly located in the pebble-type reactor. For the evaluation of inter-pebble Dancoff factor, a repetition of simple pebble structure is commonly assumed to simulate the complex geometry of pebble-type reactor. The evaluation using these structures can be underestimated because of the shadowing effects generated from the repetition of simple pebble structure. Fuel region to region Dancoff factor (FRDF) was defined as an entering probability of the neutron escaped from a specific fuel region to another one without any collision with moderator for a preliminary evaluation of inter-pebble Dancoff factor. To solve the underestimation problem of FRDF from the shadow effect, the specific pebble was assumed and FRDF was evaluated with the approximation method proposed in this study

Computational Investigation of On-Line Interrogation of Pebble Bed Reactor Fuel

Science.gov (United States)

Hawari, A. I.; Chen, Jianwei

2005-10-01

Pebble bed reactors are characterized by multipass fuel systems in which spherical fuel pebbles are circulated through the core until they reach a proposed burnup limit (80000-100000 MWD/MTU). For such reactors, the fuel is assayed on-line to ensure that the burnup limit is not breached. We considered assaying the fuel using an HPGe detector to perform passive gamma-ray spectrometry of fission products. Since neither fresh nor irradiated fuel is readily available, computer simulations were utilized to identify the radionuclides that can be used as burnup indicators, and to visualize the gamma-ray spectra at various levels of burnup. Specifically, we used the ORIGEN-MONTEBURNS-MCNP code system. This allowed the establishment of the burnup dependent one-group gas reactor cross-sections for the radionuclides of interest. Subsequently, ORIGEN was used to simulate in-core pebble depletion to establish the irradiated pebble isotopics. Finally, the codes MCNP and SYNTH were used to simulate the response of the HPGe gamma-ray spectrometer. The results show that absolute and relative indicators can be used on-line to determine unambiguously the enrichment and burnup on a pebble-by-pebble basis. The activity of Cs-137 or the activity ratio of Co-60/Cs-134 can be combined with the activity ratio of Np-239/I-132 to yield the enrichment and burnup information. To use the relative indicators, a relative efficiency calibration of the gamma-ray spectrometer can be performed using the La-140 gamma lines that are emitted by the irradiated pebble. I-132, Cs-134, Cs-137, La-140, and Np-239 are produced upon the irradiation of the fuel. Co-60 is produced by doping the fuel with a small amount (/spl sim/100 ppm) of Co-59. Using this approach, the uncertainty in burnup determination due to factors such as power history variation, detector efficiency calibration, and counting statistics is expected to remain in the range of /spl plusmn/5% to /spl plusmn/10%.

Analysis of impact of mixing flow on the pebble bed high temperature reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hao Chen; Li Fu; Guo Jiong

2014-01-01

The impact of the mixing flow in the pebble flow on pebble bed high temperature gas cooled reactor (HTR) was analyzed in the paper. New code package MFVSOP which can simulate the mixing flow was developed. The equilibrium core of HTR-PM was selected as reference case, the impact of the mixing flow on the core parameters such as core power peak factor, power distribution was analyzed with different degree of mixing flow, and uncertainty analysis was carried out. Numerical results showed that the mixing flow had little impact on key parameters of pebble bed HTR, and the multiple-pass-operation-mode in pebble bed HTR can reduce the uncertainty arouse from the mixing flow. (authors)

Production of various sizes and some properties of beryllium pebbles by the rotating electrode method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Iwadachi, T.; Sakamoto, N.; Nishida, K. [NGK Insulators Ltd., Nagoya (Japan); Kawamura, H.

1998-01-01

The particle size distribution of beryllium pebbles produced by the rotating electrode method was investigated. Particle size depends on some physical properties and process parameters, which can practicaly be controlled by varying electrode angular velocities. The average particle sizes produced were expressed by the hyperbolic function with electrode angular velocity. Particles within the range of 0.3 and 2.0 mm in diameter are readily produced by the rotating electrode method while those of 0.2 mm in diameter are also fabricable. Sphericity and surface roughness were good in each size of pebble. Grain sizes of the pebbles are 17 {mu} m in 0.25 mm diameter pebbles and 260 {mu} m in 1.8 mm diameter pebbles. (author)

Plasma-assisted quartz-to-quartz direct bonding for the fabrication of a multilayered quartz template for nanoimprint lithography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Jihye; Ali, Altun; Kim, Ki-don; Choi, Dae-guen; Choi, Jun-Hyuk; Jeong, Jun-ho; Kim, Jae-Hyun

2010-01-01

In this paper, a low-temperature plasma-assisted process is developed to realize a uniform, ultraviolet (UV) transparent and chemically inert quartz-to-quartz direct bonding. Two sets of pretests are performed in order to understand how the bond surface energy changes with the plasma exposure time and the wet etching of quartz, respectively. The developed technique is used to fabricate a multilayered quartz template for UV nanoimprint lithography (UV-NIL). The multilayered quartz template is fabricated by bonding a square piece of a standard quartz wafer, which is about 625 µm in thickness, to a wet-etched 6.35 mm thick quartz photomask plate. A fabricated multilayered template is loaded to the commercial UV-NIL tool Imprio(TM) 100, and NIL was performed successfully. The developed direct bonding technique makes it possible for standard quartz wafers, which are compatible with high-resolution semiconductor fabrication processes, to be utilized as the templates in commercial UV-NIL machines with enhanced mechanical stability.

Conceptual study of ferromagnetic pebbles for heat exhaust in fusion reactors with short power decay length

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. Gierse

2015-03-01

The key results of this study are that very high heat fluxes are accessible in the operation space of ferromagnetic pebbles, that ferromagnetic pebbles are compatible with tokamak operation and current divertor designs, that the heat removal capability of ferromagnetic pebbles increases as λq decreases and, finally, that for fusion relevant values of q∥ pebble diameters below 100 μm are required.

Fabrication of Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} pebbles by a sol-gel technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu Xiangwei [Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1295 Dingxi Road, Shanghai 200050 (China); Wen Zhaoyin [Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1295 Dingxi Road, Shanghai 200050 (China)], E-mail: zywen@mail.sic.ac.cn; Xu Xiaogang; Liu Yu [Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1295 Dingxi Road, Shanghai 200050 (China)

2010-04-15

Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} pebbles are considered as candidate ceramic breeder materials in many blanket designs. In this work, Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} pebbles with adequate sphericity were fabricated by a water-based sol-gel process using LiOH and SiO{sub 2} (aerosil) as the raw materials, which has not been reported for fabrication of Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} pebbles previously. Thermal analysis, phase analysis and morphological observations were carried out systematically. The effects of LiOH/C{sub 6}H{sub 8}O{sub 7} molar ratios and sintering temperature on the microstructure and density of the pebbles were discussed. Experimental results showed that when the LiOH/C{sub 6}H{sub 8}O{sub 7} molar ratio was 3, the microstructure of the Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} pebbles was the most favorable. While sintered at 900 deg. C for 4 h, Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} pebbles with about 1.2 mm in diameter were obtained and the density of the pebbles achieved about 74%.

Tritium release and retention properties of highly neutron-irradiated beryllium pebbles from HIDOBE-01 experiment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chakin, V., E-mail: vladimir.chakin@kit.edu [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Applied Materials, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Rolli, R.; Moeslang, A.; Klimenkov, M.; Kolb, M.; Vladimirov, P.; Kurinskiy, P.; Schneider, H.-C. [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Applied Materials, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Til, S. van; Magielsen, A.J. [Nuclear Research and Consultancy Group, Westerduinweg 3, Postbus 25, 1755 ZG Petten (Netherlands); Zmitko, M. [The European Joint Undertaking for ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy, c/Josep Pla, no. 2, Torres Diagonal Litoral, Edificio B3, 08019 Barcelona (Spain)

2013-11-15

The current helium cooled pebble bed (HCPB) tritium breeding blanket concept for fusion reactors includes a bed of 1 mm diameter beryllium pebbles to act as a neutron multiplier. Beryllium pebbles, fabricated by the rotating electrode method, were neutron irradiated in the HFR in Petten within the HIDOBE-01 experiment. This study presents tritium release and retention properties and data on microstructure evolution of beryllium pebbles irradiated at 630, 740, 873, 948 K up to a damage dose of 18 dpa, corresponding to a helium accumulation of about 3000 appm. The measured cumulative released activity from the beryllium pebbles irradiated at 948 K was found to be significantly lower than the calculated value. After irradiation at 873 and 948 K scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses revealed large pores or bubbles in the bulk and oxide films with a thickness of up to 8 μm at the surface of the beryllium pebbles. The radiation-enhanced diffusion of tritium and the formation of open porosity networks accelerate the tritium release from the beryllium pebbles during the high-flux neutron irradiation.

Tritium adsorption/release behaviour of advanced EU breeder pebbles

Science.gov (United States)

Kolb, Matthias H. H.; Rolli, Rolf; Knitter, Regina

2017-06-01

The tritium loading of current grades of advanced ceramic breeder pebbles with three different lithium orthosilicate (LOS)/lithium metatitanate (LMT) compositions (20-30 mol% LMT in LOS) and pebbles of EU reference material, was performed in a consistent way. The temperature dependent release of the introduced tritium was subsequently investigated by temperature programmed desorption (TPD) experiments to gain insight into the desorption characteristics. The obtained TPD data was decomposed into individual release mechanisms according to well-established desorption kinetics. The analysis showed that the pebble composition of the tested samples does not severely change the release behaviour. Yet, an increased content of lithium metatitanate leads to additional desorption peaks at medium temperatures. The majority of tritium is released by high temperature release mechanisms of chemisorbed tritium, while the release of physisorbed tritium is marginal in comparison. The results allow valuable projections for the tritium release behaviour in a fusion blanket.

Transmutation of plutonium in pebble bed type high temperature reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bende, E.E.

1997-01-01

The pebble bed type High Temperature Reactor (HTR) has been studied as a uranium-free burner of reactor grade plutonium. In a parametric study, the plutonium loading per pebble as well as the type and size of the coated particles (CPs) have been varied to determine the plutonium consumption, the final plutonium burnup, the k ∞ and the temperature coefficients as a function of burnup. The plutonium loading per pebble is bounded between 1 and 3 gr Pu per pebble. The upper limit is imposed by the maximal allowable fast fluence for the CPs. A higher plutonium loading requires a longer irradiation time to reach a desired burnup, so that the CPs are exposed to a higher fast fluence. The lower limit is determined by the temperature coefficients, which become less negative with increasing moderator-actinide ratio. A burnup of about 600 MWd/kgHM can be reached. With the HTR's high efficiency of 40%, a plutonium supply of 1520 kg/GW e a is achieved. The discharges of plutonium and minor actinides are then 450 and 110 kg/GW e a, respectively. (author)

Conglomerate memory and cosmopolitanism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Susannah Ryan

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Under what conditions do countries and cultures considered radically different find a basis for allegiance and kinship? What part does memory play in this process? This article responds to these questions in two ways: 1 Through Emmanuel Levinas and Hannah Arendt, I propose that when an other appears in empathetic discourses that both honor difference and cite shared human experiences, seemingly irreconcilable people can develop a sense of mutual responsibility and 2 Conglomerate memory, memories that fuse together others through common pains, contributes to such an appearance. To illustrate this point, I turn to Congolese voices as they are articulated in online American discourses; although currently, authors of online texts typically rely on traditional narrative forms that position Central Africa as incommensurate to Western civilizations, the Internet's worldwide accessibility and intertextual capacities render it a place primed for developing international collectives by connecting memories while maintaining difference.

Fabrication and characterization of lithium orthosilicate pebbles using LiOH as a new raw material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knitter, R.; Reimann, J.; Risthaus, P.; Boccaccini, L.V.; Piazza, G.

2004-01-01

For the European Helium Cooled Pebble Bed (HCPB) blanket slightly overstoichiometric lithium orthosilicate pebbles (Li 4 SiO 4 +SiO 2 ) have been chosen as one optional breeder material. This material is developed in collaboration between Research Centre Karlsruhe (FZK) and the Schott Glas, Mainz. The lithium orthosilicate (OSi) pebbles are fabricated by the melting and spraying method in a semi-industrial scale facility. In the past, the not enriched pebbles were produced from a mixture of Li 4 SiO 4 and SiO 2 powders, but due to the fact that enriched Li 4 SiO 4 is not available on the market, highly enriched carbonate powder was used that finally resulted in nonsatisfying pebble characteristics. Enriched LiOH powder is commercially available, therefore, a new production route was pursued based on the following, simplified reaction: 4 LiOH + SiO 2 → Li 4 SiO 4 + 2 H 2 O. The melting process of LiOH and SiO 2 is less difficult to control than the melting of Li 2 CO 3 in spite of the decomposition of water. The pebbles produced from LiOH and SiO 2 are similar to those produced from Li 4 SiO 4 and SiO 2 . They exhibit a distinctly dendritic structure and show only a small amount of pores and cracks. In addition to the main constituent Li 4 SiO 4 , the high temperature phase Li 6 Si 2 O 7 was detected due to the quenching process and the excess of SiO 2 . This minor constituent, however, decomposes to Li 4 SiO 4 and Li 2 SiO 3 during annealing. In compressive crush load tests of single pebbles a crush load of about 9.5 N was measured for pebbles after drying at 300degC. The chemical analysis revealed a further advantage of the use of LiOH in the melting process. As LiOH is available in high-purity quality, the pebbles contain impurities to a lower degree than pebbles produced from Li 4 SiO 4 or Li 2 CO 3 . In order to obtain characteristic pebble bed data, first Uniaxial Compression Tests (UCTs) were performed at temperatures between ambient and at 850deg

Numerical characterization of thermo-mechanical performance of breeder pebble beds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

An, Zhiyong; Ying, Alice; Abdou, Mohamed

2007-01-01

A numerical approach using the discrete element method (DEM) has been applied to study the thermo-mechanical properties of ceramic breeder pebble beds. This numerical scheme is able to predict the inelastic behavior observed in a loading and unloading operation. In addition, it demonstrates that the average value of contact force increases linearly with overall pressure, but at a much faster rate, about 3.4 times the overall pressure increase rate. In this paper, the thermal creep properties of two different ceramic breeder pebble materials, Li 4 SiO 4 and Li 2 O, are also examined by the current numerical code. The difference found in the properties of candidate materials is reflected numerically in the overall strain in the pebble bed when the stress magnitude becomes smaller

Numerical characterization of thermo-mechanical performance of breeder pebble beds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

An, Zhiyong; Ying, Alice; Abdou, Mohamed

2008-01-01

A numerical approach using the discrete element method (DEM) has been applied to study the thermo-mechanical properties of ceramic breeder pebble beds. This numerical scheme is able to predict the inelastic behavior observed in a loading and unloading operation. In addition, it demonstrates that the average value of contact force increases linearly with overall pressure, but at a much faster rate, about 3.4 times the overall pressure increase rate. In this paper, the thermal creep properties of two different ceramic breeder pebble materials, Li 4 SiO 4 and Li 2 O, are also examined by the current numerical code. The difference found in the properties of candidate materials is reflected numerically in the overall strain in the pebble bed when the stress magnitude becomes smaller. (author)

Numerical Simulation of Particle Flow Motion in a Two-Dimensional Modular Pebble-Bed Reactor with Discrete Element Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guodong Liu

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Modular pebble-bed nuclear reactor (MPBNR technology is promising due to its attractive features such as high fuel performance and inherent safety. Particle motion of fuel and graphite pebbles is highly associated with the performance of pebbled-bed modular nuclear reactor. To understand the mechanism of pebble’s motion in the reactor, we numerically studied the influence of number ratio of fuel and graphite pebbles, funnel angle of the reactor, height of guide ring on the distribution of pebble position, and velocity by means of discrete element method (DEM in a two-dimensional MPBNR. Velocity distributions at different areas of the reactor as well as mixing characteristics of fuel and graphite pebbles were investigated. Both fuel and graphite pebbles moved downward, and a uniform motion was formed in the column zone, while pebbles motion in the cone zone was accelerated due to the decrease of the cross sectional flow area. The number ratio of fuel and graphite pebbles and the height of guide ring had a minor influence on the velocity distribution of pebbles, while the variation of funnel angle had an obvious impact on the velocity distribution. Simulated results agreed well with the work in the literature.

Tritium adsorption/release behaviour of advanced EU breeder pebbles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kolb, Matthias H.H., E-mail: matthias.kolb@kit.edu; Rolli, Rolf; Knitter, Regina

2017-06-15

The tritium loading of current grades of advanced ceramic breeder pebbles with three different lithium orthosilicate (LOS)/lithium metatitanate (LMT) compositions (20–30 mol% LMT in LOS) and pebbles of EU reference material, was performed in a consistent way. The temperature dependent release of the introduced tritium was subsequently investigated by temperature programmed desorption (TPD) experiments to gain insight into the desorption characteristics. The obtained TPD data was decomposed into individual release mechanisms according to well-established desorption kinetics. The analysis showed that the pebble composition of the tested samples does not severely change the release behaviour. Yet, an increased content of lithium metatitanate leads to additional desorption peaks at medium temperatures. The majority of tritium is released by high temperature release mechanisms of chemisorbed tritium, while the release of physisorbed tritium is marginal in comparison. The results allow valuable projections for the tritium release behaviour in a fusion blanket.

Geological and Hydrodynamical Examination of the Bathyal Tsunamigenic Origin of Miocene Conglomerates in Chita Peninsula, Central Japan

Science.gov (United States)

Tachibana, Toru; Tsuji, Yoshinobu

2011-06-01

A conglomerate appears on a rocky coast called "Tsubutega-ura Coast", located on the southwestern coast near the southern tip of the Chita Peninsula, Aichi Prefecture, central Japan. The conglomerate belongs to Miocene sedimentary rocks termed the Morozaki Group. The conglomerate includes meter-scale boulders, indicating that it was formed by an extraordinary event. In the geological investigation, we observed that the conglomerate shows alternate changes of paleocurrent directions between seaward and landward. This feature is supposed to be formed by tsunami currents. In the hydrodynamical investigation, we obtained following results: (1) the lowest limit of a current velocity to move a boulder of about 3 m in diameter would be about 2-3 m/s, (2) the speed of tsunami currents reproduced by tsunami simulation exceeds 3 m/s at 300 m in depth when the tsunami is generated by a gigantic earthquake with magnitude 9.0 or more, (3) the transport distance of the boulder would be several hundred meters to several kilometers by one tsunami event caused by a gigantic earthquake. We conclude that tsunamis best explain the formation of the conglomerate deposited in upper bathyal environments about 200-400 m depth, both from geological and hydrodynamical viewpoints.

Drucker-Prager-Cap creep modelling of pebble beds in fusion blankets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hofer, D.; Kamlah, M.

2005-01-01

Modelling of thermal and mechanical behaviour of pebble beds for fusion blankets is an important issue to understand the interaction of solid breeder and beryllium pebble beds with the surrounding structural material. Especially the differing coefficients of thermal expansion of these materials cause high stresses and strains during irradiation induced volumetric heating. To describe this process, the coupled thermomechanical behaviour of both pebble bed materials has to be modelled. Additionally, creep has to be considered contributing to bed deformations and stress relaxation. Motivated by experiments, we use a continuum mechanical approach called Drucker-Prager/Cap theory to model the macroscopic pebble bed behaviour. The model accounts for pressure dependent shear failure, inelastic hardening, and volumetric creep. The elastic part is described by a nonlinear elasticity law. The model has been implemented by user-defined routines in the commercial finite-element code ABAQUS. To check the numerics, the implementation is compared to an analytical solution. Furthermore, the Drucker-Prager/Cap tool is applied to a single ceramic breeder bed subject to creep under volumetric heating

Aerial gamma ray and magnetic survey: Minnesota Project, Cheboygan and Alpena quadrangles, Michigan. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-02-01

The Cheboygan and Alpena 1 0 x 2 0 quadrangles of Michigan are covered almost everywhere (United States only) with Wisconsin age glacial deposits (moraines, outwash, leak deposits, etc.) of variable thickness. Where exposed, bedrock is of Early and Middle Paleozoic age, and consists almost entirely of limestone and dolomite. There are no uranium deposits (or occurrences) known within the study area, though the Elliot Lake quartz pebble conglomerate uranium deposit lies to the north in the Canadian section of the Blind River quadrangle. Magnetic data illustrate relative depth to magnetic basement in the area. Higher frequency/amplitude wavelengths in the eastern and northern sections of the lower peninsula may be a reflection of the lithologic character of the Precambrian bedrock. Twenty-four groups of uranium samples were defined as anomalies and are discussed briefly in this report. None of them are considered significant

Single-phase convection heat transfer characteristics of pebble-bed channels with internal heat generation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meng Xianke; Sun Zhongning; Xu Guangzhan

2012-01-01

Graphical abstract: The core of the water-cooled pebble bed reactor is the porous channels which stacked with spherical fuel elements. The gaps between the adjacent fuel elements are complex because they are stochastic and often shift. We adopt electromagnetic induction heating method to overall heat the pebble bed. By comparing and analyzing the experimental data, we get the rule of power distribution and the rule of heat transfer coefficient with particle diameter, heat flux density, inlet temperature and working fluid's Re number. Highlights: ► We adopt electromagnetic induction heating method to overall heat the pebble bed to be the internal heat source. ► The ball diameter is smaller, the effect of the heat transfer is better. ► With Re number increasing, heat transfer coefficient is also increasing and eventually tends to stabilize. ► The changing of heat power makes little effect on the heat transfer coefficient of pebble bed channels. - Abstract: The reactor core of a water-cooled pebble bed reactor includes porous channels that are formed by spherical fuel elements. This structure has notably improved heat transfer. Due to the variability and randomness of the interstices in pebble bed channels, heat transfer is complex, and there are few studies regarding this topic. To study the heat transfer characters of pebble bed channels with internal heat sources, oxidized stainless steel spheres with diameters of 3 and 8 mm and carbon steel spheres with 8 mm diameters are used in a stacked pebble bed. Distilled water is used as a refrigerant for the experiments, and the electromagnetic induction heating method is used to heat the pebble bed. By comparing and analyzing the experimental results, we obtain the governing rules for the power distribution and the heat transfer coefficient with respect to particle diameter, heat flux density, inlet temperature and working fluid Re number. From fitting of the experimental data, we obtain the dimensionless average

Calculation of the packing fraction in a pebble-bed ADS and redesigning of the Transmutation Advanced Device for Sustainable Energy Applications (TADSEA)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Garcia, L., E-mail: maiden@instec.cu [Instituto Superior de Tecnologias y Ciencias Aplicadas (InSTEC), Av. Salvador Allende y Luaces, Ciudad de la Habana, 10400 (Cuba); Perez, J., E-mail: jcurbelo@instec.cu [Instituto Superior de Tecnologias y Ciencias Aplicadas (InSTEC), Av. Salvador Allende y Luaces, Ciudad de la Habana, 10400 (Cuba); Garcia, C., E-mail: cgh@instec.cu [Instituto Superior de Tecnologias y Ciencias Aplicadas (InSTEC), Av. Salvador Allende y Luaces, Ciudad de la Habana, 10400 (Cuba); Escriva, A., E-mail: aescriva@iqn.upv.es [Instituto de Ingenieria Energetica (IIE), Universidad Politecnica de Valencia (UPV), Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia (Spain); Rosales, J., E-mail: jrosales@instec.cu [Instituto Superior de Tecnologias y Ciencias Aplicadas (InSTEC), Av. Salvador Allende y Luaces, Ciudad de la Habana, 10400 (Cuba); Abanades, A., E-mail: abanades@etsii.upm.es [Escuela Superior de Ingenieros Industriales (ETSII), Universidad Politecnica de Madrid (UPM), J. Gutierrez Abascal, 2, 28006 Madrid (Spain)

2012-12-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We based our study on an ADS for TRU transmutation and high temperature production. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We calculated the number of pebbles that fit in a cylindrical ADS core. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer In both ADS design options studied, the mass of Pu isotopes reduces considerably. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The system can reach coolant outlet temperatures high enough for hydrogen production. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The maximum temperature values obtained in the ADS are not dangerous for TRISO fuel. - Abstract: One of the main problems that should be addressed in the use of nuclear fuels for heat and electricity production is the management of nuclear waste from conventional nuclear power plants and its inventory minimization. Fast reactors and Accelerator Driven Systems (ADSs) are the main options for reducing the long-lived radioactive waste inventory. In previous studies, the conceptual design of a Transmutation Advanced Device for Sustainable Energy Applications (TADSEA) has been made. The TADSEA is a pebble-bed ADS cooled by helium and moderated by graphite; it uses as fuel small amounts of transuranic elements in the form of TRISO particles, confined in 3 cm radius graphite pebbles. It has been conceived for Plutonium (Pu) and Minor Actinides (MA) transmutation and for achieving very high helium temperatures at the core's outlet to match the thermal requirements for hydrogen production by high temperature electrolysis (HTE) or by the iodine-sulfur (I-S) thermo-chemical cycle. In this paper, a geometrical method for calculating the real number of pebbles that fit in a cylindrical ADS core, according to its size and pebble configuration, is described. Based on its results, the packing fraction influence on the TADSEA's main work parameters is studied, and the redesign of the previous configuration is done in order to maintain the exit thermal power established in the preliminary design

Calculation of the packing fraction in a pebble-bed ADS and redesigning of the Transmutation Advanced Device for Sustainable Energy Applications (TADSEA)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

García, L.; Pérez, J.; García, C.; Escrivá, A.; Rosales, J.; Abánades, A.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► We based our study on an ADS for TRU transmutation and high temperature production. ► We calculated the number of pebbles that fit in a cylindrical ADS core. ► In both ADS design options studied, the mass of Pu isotopes reduces considerably. ► The system can reach coolant outlet temperatures high enough for hydrogen production. ► The maximum temperature values obtained in the ADS are not dangerous for TRISO fuel. - Abstract: One of the main problems that should be addressed in the use of nuclear fuels for heat and electricity production is the management of nuclear waste from conventional nuclear power plants and its inventory minimization. Fast reactors and Accelerator Driven Systems (ADSs) are the main options for reducing the long-lived radioactive waste inventory. In previous studies, the conceptual design of a Transmutation Advanced Device for Sustainable Energy Applications (TADSEA) has been made. The TADSEA is a pebble-bed ADS cooled by helium and moderated by graphite; it uses as fuel small amounts of transuranic elements in the form of TRISO particles, confined in 3 cm radius graphite pebbles. It has been conceived for Plutonium (Pu) and Minor Actinides (MA) transmutation and for achieving very high helium temperatures at the core's outlet to match the thermal requirements for hydrogen production by high temperature electrolysis (HTE) or by the iodine-sulfur (I–S) thermo-chemical cycle. In this paper, a geometrical method for calculating the real number of pebbles that fit in a cylindrical ADS core, according to its size and pebble configuration, is described. Based on its results, the packing fraction influence on the TADSEA's main work parameters is studied, and the redesign of the previous configuration is done in order to maintain the exit thermal power established in the preliminary design. Results have shown the capability of the system to reach coolant outlet temperatures high enough for its application to hydrogen

Do rock fragments participate to plant water and mineral nutrition?

Science.gov (United States)

Korboulewsky, Nathalie; Tétégan, Marion; Besnault, Adeline; Cousin, Isabelle

2010-05-01

Rock fragments modify soil properties, and can be a potential reservoir of water. Besides, recent studies showed that this coarse soil fraction is chemically active, release nutrients, and could therefore be involved in biogeochemical nutrient cycles. However, these studies carried out on rock fragments, crushed pebbles or mineral particles do not answer the question whether the coarse soil fraction has significant nutritive functions. Only a couple of studies were conducted on plants, one on grass and the other on coniferous seedlings. This present work attempted to assess if pebbles may act as water and nutrient sources for poplar saplings, a deciduous species. Remoulded soils were set up in 5 L-pots with three percentages of pebbles: 0, 20, and 40% in volume. We used, as substrate either fine earth or sand (quartz), and as rock fragments either calcareous or inert pebbles (quartz). Additional modalities were settled with sand mixed with 20 and 40% pebbles enriched with nutrients. Both fine earth and calcareous pebbles were collected from the Ap horizon of a calcareous lacustrine limestone silty soil located in the central region of France. After cleaning, all pebbles were mixed to reach a bulk density in pots of 1.1 g/cm3 for the fine earth and 1.5 g/cm3 for the sand. Ten replicates were settled per modality, and one cutting of Populus robusta was planted in each. The experiment was conducted under controlled conditions. All pots were saturated at the beginning of the experiment, then irrigated by capillarity and controlled to maintain a moderate water stress. Growth and evapotranspiration were followed regularly, while water stress status was measured by stomatal conductivity every day during two drying periods of 10 days. After three months, plants were collected, separated in below- and above-ground parts for biomass and cation analysis (Ca, Mg, K). Results showed that pebbles can participate to plant nutrition, but no reduction of water stress was observed

A scaled experimental study of control blade insertion dynamics in Pebble-Bed Fluoride-Salt-Cooled High-Temperature Reactors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Buster, Grant C., E-mail: grant.buster@gmail.com; Laufer, Michael R.; Peterson, Per F.

2016-07-15

Highlights: • A granular dynamics scaling methodology is discussed. • Control blade insertion in a representative pebble-bed core is experimentally studied. • Control blade insertion forces and pebble displacements are experimentally measured. • X-ray tomography techniques are used to observe pebble displacement distributions. - Abstract: Direct control element insertion into a pebble-bed reactor core is proposed as a viable control system in molten-salt-cooled pebble-bed reactors. Unlike helium-cooled pebble-bed reactors, this reactor type uses spherical fuel elements with near-neutral buoyancy in the molten-salt coolant, thus reducing contact forces on the fuel elements. This study uses the X-ray Pebble Bed Recirculation Experiment facility to measure the force required to insert a control element directly into a scaled pebble-bed. The required control element insertion force, and therefore the contact force on fuel elements, is measured to be well below recommended limits. Additionally, X-ray tomography is used to observe how the direct insertion of a control element physically displaces spherical fuel elements. The tomography results further support the viability of direct control element insertion into molten-salt-cooled pebble-bed reactor cores.

High temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) graphite pebble fuel: Review of technologies for reprocessing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mcwilliams, A. J. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)

2015-09-08

This report reviews literature on reprocessing high temperature gas-cooled reactor graphite fuel components. A basic review of the various fuel components used in the pebble bed type reactors is provided along with a survey of synthesis methods for the fabrication of the fuel components. Several disposal options are considered for the graphite pebble fuel elements including the storage of intact pebbles, volume reduction by separating the graphite from fuel kernels, and complete processing of the pebbles for waste storage. Existing methods for graphite removal are presented and generally consist of mechanical separation techniques such as crushing and grinding chemical techniques through the use of acid digestion and oxidation. Potential methods for reprocessing the graphite pebbles include improvements to existing methods and novel technologies that have not previously been investigated for nuclear graphite waste applications. The best overall method will be dependent on the desired final waste form and needs to factor in the technical efficiency, political concerns, cost, and implementation.

Application of discrete element method to study mechanical behaviors of ceramic breeder pebble beds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

An Zhiyong; Ying, Alice; Abdou, Mohamed

2007-01-01

In this paper, the discrete element method (DEM) approach has been applied to study mechanical behaviors of ceramic breeder pebble beds. Directly simulating the contact state of each individual particle by the physically based interaction laws, the DEM numerical program is capable of predicting the mechanical behaviors of non-standard packing structures. The program can also provide the data to trace the evolution of contact characteristics and forces as deformation proceeds, as well as the particle movement when the pebble bed is subjected to external loadings. Our numerical simulations focus on predicting the mechanical behaviors of ceramic breeder pebble beds, which include typical fusion breeder materials in solid breeder blankets. Current numerical results clearly show that the packing density and the bed geometry can have an impact on the mechanical stiffness of the pebble beds. Statistical data show that the contact forces are highly related to the contact status of the pebbles

Comparison of Several Thermal Conductivity Constants for Thermal Hydraulic Calculation of Pebble Bed Reactor

Science.gov (United States)

Irwanto, Dwi; Setiadipura, Topan; Pramutadi, Asril

2017-07-01

There are two type of High Temperature Gas Reactor (HTGR), prismatic and pebble bed. Pebble Bed type has unique configuration because the fuels are randomly distributed inside the reactor core. In term of safety features, Pebble Bed Reactor (PBR) is one of the most promising reactor type in avoiding severe nuclear accidents. In order to analyze heat transfer and safety of this reactor type, a computer code is now under development. As a first step, calculation method proposed by Stroh [1] is adopted. An approach has been made to treat randomly distributed pebble balls contains fissile material inside the reactor core as a porous medium. Helium gas act as coolant on the reactor system are carrying heat flowing in the area between the pebble balls. Several parameters and constants are taken into account in the new developed code. Progress of the development of the code especially comparison of several thermal conductivity constants for a certain PBR-case are reported in the present study.

MIT pebble bed reactor project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kadak, Andrew C. [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge (United States)

2007-03-15

The conceptual design of the MIT modular pebble bed reactor is described. This reactor plant is a 250 Mwth, 120 Mwe indirect cycle plant that is designed to be deployed in the near term using demonstrated helium system components. The primary system is a conventional pebble bed reactor with a dynamic central column with an outlet temperature of 900 C providing helium to an intermediate helium to helium heat exchanger (IHX). The outlet of the IHX is input to a three shaft horizontal Brayton Cycle power conversion system. The design constraint used in sizing the plant is based on a factory modularity principle which allows the plant to be assembled 'Lego' style instead of constructed piece by piece. This principle employs space frames which contain the power conversion system that permits the Lego-like modules to be shipped by truck or train to sites. This paper also describes the research that has been conducted at MIT since 1998 on fuel modeling, silver leakage from coated fuel particles, dynamic simulation, MCNP reactor physics modeling and air ingress analysis.

MIT pebble bed reactor project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kadak, Andrew C.

2007-01-01

The conceptual design of the MIT modular pebble bed reactor is described. This reactor plant is a 250 Mwth, 120 Mwe indirect cycle plant that is designed to be deployed in the near term using demonstrated helium system components. The primary system is a conventional pebble bed reactor with a dynamic central column with an outlet temperature of 900 C providing helium to an intermediate helium to helium heat exchanger (IHX). The outlet of the IHX is input to a three shaft horizontal Brayton Cycle power conversion system. The design constraint used in sizing the plant is based on a factory modularity principle which allows the plant to be assembled 'Lego' style instead of constructed piece by piece. This principle employs space frames which contain the power conversion system that permits the Lego-like modules to be shipped by truck or train to sites. This paper also describes the research that has been conducted at MIT since 1998 on fuel modeling, silver leakage from coated fuel particles, dynamic simulation, MCNP reactor physics modeling and air ingress analysis

THE ROLE OF PEBBLE FRAGMENTATION IN PLANETESIMAL FORMATION. II. NUMERICAL SIMULATIONS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jansson, Karl Wahlberg; Johansen, Anders [Lund Observatory, Department of Astronomy and Theoretical Physics, Lund University, Box 43, SE-221 00 Lund (Sweden); Syed, Mohtashim Bukhari; Blum, Jürgen [Technische Universität Braunschweig, Institut für Geophysik und extraterrestrische Physik, Mendelssohnstraße 3, D-38106 Braunschweig (Germany)

2017-01-20

Some scenarios for planetesimal formation go through a phase of collapse of gravitationally bound clouds of millimeter- to centimeter-size pebbles. Such clouds can form, for example, through the streaming instability in protoplanetary disks. We model the collapse process with a statistical model to obtain the internal structure of planetesimals with solid radii between 10 and 1000 km. During the collapse, pebbles collide, and depending on their relative speeds, collisions have different outcomes. A mixture of particle sizes inside a planetesimal leads to better packing capabilities and higher densities. In this paper we apply results from new laboratory experiments of dust aggregate collisions (presented in a companion paper) to model collision outcomes. We find that the internal structure of a planetesimal is strongly dependent on both its mass and the applied fragmentation model. Low-mass planetesimals have no/few fragmenting pebble collisions in the collapse phase and end up as porous pebble piles. The number of fragmenting collisions increases with increasing cloud mass, resulting in wider particle size distributions and higher density. The collapse is nevertheless “cold” in the sense that collision speeds are damped by the high collision frequency. This ensures that a significant fraction of large pebbles survive the collapse in all but the most massive clouds. Our results are in broad agreement with the observed increase in density of Kuiper Belt objects with increasing size, as exemplified by the recent characterization of the highly porous comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.

Study on Characteristic of Temperature Coefficient of Reactivity for Plutonium Core of Pebbled Bed Reactor

Science.gov (United States)

Zuhair; Suwoto; Setiadipura, T.; Bakhri, S.; Sunaryo, G. R.

2018-02-01

As a part of the solution searching for possibility to control the plutonium, a current effort is focused on mechanisms to maximize consumption of plutonium. Plutonium core solution is a unique case in the high temperature reactor which is intended to reduce the accumulation of plutonium. However, the safety performance of the plutonium core which tends to produce a positive temperature coefficient of reactivity should be examined. The pebble bed inherent safety features which are characterized by a negative temperature coefficient of reactivity must be maintained under any circumstances. The purpose of this study is to investigate the characteristic of temperature coefficient of reactivity for plutonium core of pebble bed reactor. A series of calculations with plutonium loading varied from 0.5 g to 1.5 g per fuel pebble were performed by the MCNPX code and ENDF/B-VII library. The calculation results show that the k eff curve of 0.5 g Pu/pebble declines sharply with the increase in fuel burnup while the greater Pu loading per pebble yields k eff curve declines slighter. The fuel with high Pu content per pebble may reach long burnup cycle. From the temperature coefficient point of view, it is concluded that the reactor containing 0.5 g-1.25 g Pu/pebble at high burnup has less favorable safety features if it is operated at high temperature. The use of fuel with Pu content of 1.5 g/pebble at high burnup should be considered carefully from core safety aspect because it could affect transient behavior into a fatal accident situation.

Pore Scale Thermal Hydraulics Investigations of Molten Salt Cooled Pebble Bed High Temperature Reactor with BCC and FCC Configurations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shixiong Song

2014-01-01

CFD results and empirical correlations’ predictions of pressure drop and local Nusselt numbers. Local pebble surface temperature distributions in several default conditions are investigated. Thermal removal capacities of molten salt are confirmed in the case of nominal condition; the pebble surface temperature under the condition of local power distortion shows the tolerance of pebble in extreme neutron dose exposure. The numerical experiments of local pebble insufficient cooling indicate that in the molten salt cooled pebble bed reactor, the pebble surface temperature is not very sensitive to loss of partial coolant. The methods and results of this paper would be useful for optimum designs and safety analysis of molten salt cooled pebble bed reactors.

Discussion on Design Transients of Pebble-bed High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Yan; Li Fu; Zheng Yanhua

2014-01-01

In order to assure high quality for the components and their supports in the reactor coolant system, etc., some thermal-hydraulic transient conditions will be selected and researched for equipment design evaluation to satisfy the requirements ASME code, which are based on the conservative estimates of the magnitude and frequency of the temperature and pressure transients resulting from various operating conditions in the plant. In the mature design on pressurized water reactor, five conditions are considered. For the developing advanced pebble-bed high temperature gas-cooled reactor(HTGR), its design and operation has much difference with other reactors, so the transients of the pebble-bed high temperature gas-cooled reactor have distinctive characteristics. In this paper, the possible design transients of the pebble-bed HTGR will be discussed, and the frequency of design transients for equipment fatigue analysis and stress analysis due to cyclic stresses is also studied. The results will provide support for the design and construct of the pebble-bed HTGR. (author)

Studies on air ingress for pebble bed reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moore, R.L.; Oh, C.H.; Merrill, B.J.; Petti, D.A.

2002-01-01

A loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) has been considered a critical event for helium-cooled pebbled bed reactors. Following helium depressurization, it is anticipated that unless countermeasures are taken air will enter the core through the break and then by molecular diffusion and ultimately by natural convection leading to oxidation of the in-core graphite structure and graphite pebbles. Thus, without any mitigating features a LOCA will lead to an air ingress event. The INEEL is studying such an event with two well-respected light water reactor transient response codes: RELAP5/ATHENA and MELCOR. To study the degree of graphite oxidation occurring due to an air ingress event, a MELCOR model of a reference pebble bed design was constructed. A modified version of MELCOR developed at INEEL, which includes graphite oxidation capabilities, and molecular diffusion of air into helium was used for these calculations. Results show that the lower reflector graphite consumes all of the oxygen before reaching the core. The results also show a long time delay between the time that the depressurization phase of the accident is over and the time that natural circulation air through the core occurs. (author)

Eogenetic caves in conglomerate: an example from Udin Boršt, Slovenia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lipar Matej

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Udin Boršt is a karstified terrace of carbonate rock, which is of fluvioglacial origin, and is situated in the north-western part of Slovenia. There are 15 registered caves, which have been interpreted as caves in conglomerate, while karst of Udin Boršt itself was interpreted as conglomerate karst, shallow karst or isolated karst. In this article, caves in Udin Boršt have been interpreted as eogenetic caves. Based on porosity and bedding material, different types of caves and cave passages have developed. Four general types of eogenetic caves found in Udin Boršt are; linear stream caves, shelter caves, breakdown caves and vadose shafts.

Provenance and U-Pb geochronology of the Upper Cretaceous El Chanate Group, northwest Sonora, Mexico, and its tectonic significance

Science.gov (United States)

Jacques-Ayala, C.; Barth, A.P.; Wooden, J.L.; Jacobson, C.E.

2009-01-01

The Upper Cretaceous El Chanate Group, northwest Sonora, Mexico, is a 2.8km thick clastic sedimentary sequence deposited in a continental basin closely related to volcanic activity. It consists of three formations: the Pozo Duro (oldest), the Anita, and the Escalante (youngest). Petrographic study, conglomerate pebble counts, and U-Pb geochronology of detrital zircons were performed to determine the source and age of this sequence, and to interpret its tectonic setting. In the sandstones of all three formations, the most abundant grains are those of volcanic composition (Q38F22L 40, Q35F19L46, and Q 31F22L47, respectively). The Pozo Duro Formation includes well-rounded quartz-arenite clast conglomerates, whereas conglomerates of the two upper units have clasts predominantly of andesitic and rhyolitic composition. The most likely source for these sediments was the Jurassic volcanic arc exposed in northern Sonora and southern Arizona. Zircons from five sandstone samples define two main age groups, Proterozoic and Mesozoic. The first ranges mostly from 1000 to 1800Ma, which suggests the influence of a cratonic source. This zircon suite is interpreted to be recycled and derived from the same source area as the quartz-rich sandstone clasts in the basal part of the section. Mesozoic zircons range from Triassic to Late Cretaceous, which confirms the proposed Late Cretaceous age for the sequence, and also corroborates Jurassic felsic source rocks. Another possible source was the Alisitos volcanic arc, exposed along the western margin of the Baja California Peninsula. Of regional significance is the great similarity between the El Chanate Group and the McCoy Mountains Formation of southeastern California and southwestern Arizona. Both are Cretaceous, were deposited in continental environments, and have similar zircon-age patterns. Also, both exhibit intense deformation and locally display penetrative foliation. These features strongly suggest that both units underwent

Petrography and depositional environments of the sandstones in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The bivariate plots of the pebble studies indicate a dominating population of fluvial-influenced pebbles in association with a subordinate population of beach influenced pebbles. However, minor grain compression is evident through the observed sediment compaction, stretched grains and presence of quartz overgrowths in ...

Letters initiating Clean Water Act 404(c) review of mining at Pebble deposit

Science.gov (United States)

Correspondence between EPA and the Pebble Limited Partnership and the State of Alaska initiating review under section 404(c) of the Clean Water Act of potential adverse environmental effects associated with mining the Pebble deposit in southwest Alaska.

An analytical evaluation for spatial-dependent intra-pebble Dancoff factor and escape probability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Songhyun; Kim, Hong-Chul; Kim, Jong Kyung; Kim, Soon Young; Noh, Jae Man

2009-01-01

The analytical evaluation of spatial-dependent intra-pebble Dancoff factors and their escape probabilities is pursued by the model developed in this study. Intra-pebble Dancoff factors and their escape probabilities are calculated as a function of fuel kernel radius, number of fuel kernels, and fuel region radius. The method in this study can be easily utilized to analyze the tendency of spatial-dependent intra-pebble Dancoff factor and spatial-dependent fuel region escape probability for the various geometries because it is faster than the MCNP method as well as good accuracy. (author)

Characterisation and radiolysis of modified lithium orthosilicate pebbles with noble metal impurities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tamulevičius, Sigitas; Zariņš, A.; Valtenbergs, O.

2017-01-01

Modified lithium orthosilicate (Li4SiO4) pebbles with additions of titanium dioxide (TiO2) are suggested as an alternative tritium breeding ceramic for the European solid breeder test blanket module. The noble metals – platinum (Pt), gold (Au) and rhodium (Rh), can be introduced into the modified...... Li4SiO4 pebbles during the melt-based process, due to the corrosion of Pt-Rh and Pt-Au alloy crucible components. In this study, the surface microstructure, chemical and phase composition of the modified Li4SiO4 pebbles with different contents of the noble metals was analysed. The influence...

Experimental investigation on feasibility of two-region-designed pebble-bed high-temperature gas-cooled reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Xingtuan; Hu Wenping; Jiang Shengyao

2009-01-01

Phenomenological experiments were performed on a 2-dimensional scaled model of the two-region designed pebble-bed high-temperature gas-cooled reactor core consisting of the distinct fuel pebble region and graphite pebble region. Issues with respect to the feasibility of the two-region design, including the establishment of the two-region arrangement, the mixing zone between the two regions, and the stagnant zone existence, were investigated. Three equilibrium conditions were proposed to evaluate the stable two-region arrangement formation. The general characteristics of the flow of the pebble bed were analyzed on basis of the observed phenomenon. It was found that a stable two-region arrangement was formed under the experimental conditions: the pebbles' motion was to some extent random but also confined by the neighbors of pebbles so that the mixing zone is constrained to a reasonable size. Guide plates utilized to improve mixing are proved to be effective without noticeable effect on the two-region arrangement features. Stagnant zones were observed under the experimental conditions and they were expected to be avoided by improving the design of the experimental setup. (author)

Geochemical fingerprints and pebbles zircon geochronology

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Home; Journals; Journal of Earth System Science; Volume 125; Issue 7. Geochemical fingerprints and pebbles zircon geochronology: Implications for the provenance and tectonic setting of Lower Cretaceous sediments in the Zhucheng Basin (Jiaodong peninsula, North China). Jin-Long Ni Jun-Lai Liu Xiao-Ling Tang ...

Inside-out Planet Formation. IV. Pebble Evolution and Planet Formation Timescales

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Xiao; Tan, Jonathan C.; Zhu, Zhaohuan; Chatterjee, Sourav; Birnstiel, Tilman; Youdin, Andrew N.; Mohanty, Subhanjoy

2018-04-01

Systems with tightly packed inner planets (STIPs) are very common. Chatterjee & Tan proposed Inside-out Planet Formation (IOPF), an in situ formation theory, to explain these planets. IOPF involves sequential planet formation from pebble-rich rings that are fed from the outer disk and trapped at the pressure maximum associated with the dead zone inner boundary (DZIB). Planet masses are set by their ability to open a gap and cause the DZIB to retreat outwards. We present models for the disk density and temperature structures that are relevant to the conditions of IOPF. For a wide range of DZIB conditions, we evaluate the gap-opening masses of planets in these disks that are expected to lead to the truncation of pebble accretion onto the forming planet. We then consider the evolution of dust and pebbles in the disk, estimating that pebbles typically grow to sizes of a few centimeters during their radial drift from several tens of astronomical units to the inner, ≲1 au scale disk. A large fraction of the accretion flux of solids is expected to be in such pebbles. This allows us to estimate the timescales for individual planet formation and the entire planetary system formation in the IOPF scenario. We find that to produce realistic STIPs within reasonable timescales similar to disk lifetimes requires disk accretion rates of ∼10‑9 M ⊙ yr‑1 and relatively low viscosity conditions in the DZIB region, i.e., a Shakura–Sunyaev parameter of α ∼ 10‑4.

Test-element assembly and loading parameters for the in-pile test of HCPB ceramic pebble beds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Laan, J.G. van der E-mail: vanderlaan@nrg-nl.com; Boccaccini, L.V.; Conrad, R.; Fokkens, J.H.; Jong, M.; Magielsen, A.J.; Pijlgroms, B.J.; Reimann, J.; Stijkel, M.P.; Malang, S

2002-11-01

In the framework of developing the helium cooled pebble-bed (HCPB) blanket an irradiation test of pebble-bed assemblies is prepared at the HFR Petten. The test objective is to concentrate on the effect of neutron irradiation on the thermal-mechanical behaviour of the HCPB breeder pebble-bed at DEMO representative levels of temperature and defined thermal-mechanical loads. The paper reports on the project status, and presents the results of pre-tests, material characteristics, the manufacturing of the pebble-bed assemblies, and the nuclear and thermo-mechanical loading parameters.

The importance of the AVR pebble-bed reactor for the future of nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pohl, P.

2006-01-01

The AVR pebble-bed high temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) at Juelich (Germany)) operated from 1967 to 1988 and was certainly the most important HTGR project of the past. The reactor was the mass test bed for all development steps of HTGR pebble fuel. Some early fuel charges failed under high temperature conditions and contaminated the reactor. An accurate pebble measurement (Cs 137) allowed to clean the core from unwanted pebbles after 1981. The coolant activity went down and remained very low for the remaining reactor operation. A melt-wire experiment in 1986 revealed max. coolant temperatures of >1280 deg. C and fuel temperatures of >1350 deg. C, explained by under-estimated bypasses. The fuel still in the core achieved high burn-ups and showed under the extreme temperature conditions excellent fission product retention. Thus, the AVR operation qualified the HTGR fuel, and an average discharge burn-up of 112% fifa revealed an excellent fuel economy of the pebble-bed reactor. Furthermore, the AVR operation offers many meaningful data for code-to-experiment comparisons. (authors)

Numerical modelling for the effective thermal conductivity of lithium meta titanate pebble bed with different packing structures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Panchal, Maulik, E-mail: maulikpanchal@ipr.res.in [Institute for Plasma Research, Bhat, Gandhinagar-382428 (India); Chaudhuri, Paritosh [Institute for Plasma Research, Bhat, Gandhinagar-382428 (India); Van Lew, Jon T; Ying, Alice [UCLA, MAE Department, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1597 (United States)

2016-11-15

Highlights: • The effective thermal conductivity (k{sub eff}) of lithium meta-titanate (Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3}) pebble beds is an important parameter for the design and analysis of TBM in ITER. • The k{sub eff} of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebble beds under stagnant helium gas have been determined numerically using different uniform packing structures and random close packing (RCP) structures. • k{sub eff} of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebble beds with different packing fractions have been reported as function of temperature; k{sub eff} of the RCP Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebble bed is compared with reported experimental results. • The numerically-determined k{sub eff} of the RCP Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebble bed agrees reasonably well with the experimental data and Zehner-Schlunder correlation. - Abstract: The effective thermal conductivity (k{sub eff}) of lithium meta-titanate (Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3}) pebble beds is an important parameter for the design and analysis of IN LLCB TBM (Indian Lead Lithium Ceramic Breeder Test Blanket Module). The k{sub eff} of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebble beds under stagnant helium gas have been determined numerically using different uniform packing structures and random close packing (RCP) structures. The uniform packing structures of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebble bed are modelled by using the simple cubic, body centered cubic and face centered cubic arrangement. The packing structure of the RCP bed of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles is generated with the discrete element method (DEM) code. k{sub eff} of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebble beds with different packing fractions have been reported as function of temperature; k{sub eff} of the RCP Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebble bed is compared with reported experimental results from literature. The numerically determined k{sub eff} of the Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebble bed agrees reasonably well with the experimental data.

Stratigraphy and correlation of the Manitou Falls formation, the Athabasca Group

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iida, Yoshimasa; Ikeda, Koki; Tsuruta, Tadahiko; Yamada, Yasuo; Ito, Hiroaki; Goto, Junichi

1996-01-01

Manitou Falls formation is the thick strata of Proterozoic era that spread widely in the uranium deposit zone in Northern Saskatchewan, Canada (Athabasca basin). In order to study in detail underground geological structure by trial boring, it is necessary to distinguish and compare strata by dividing them into the units as small as possible. The Manitou Falls formation is composed of only sandstone and conglomerate, and it does not have simply identified, continuous strata like tuff and coal layers. In the Christie Lake B district located in Eastern Athabasca basin, the division of strata was carried out by utilizing the data of the changes in the volume ratio of conglomerate layer and maximum pebble size and natural radioactivity logging and based on the careful comparison among trial bores. As the result, this formation was divided into the units of 9 strata. As one of the methods of identifying each unit, the comparison of the power spectra of natural radioactivity logging data was attempted. By this means, it was found that the features in the periodicity of stratum accumulation are useful for identifying strata. The outline of the Manitou Falls formation, the location of the investigated district, the basic data for stratigraphy division, the stratigraphy division in Christie Lake B district and the results are reported. (K.I.)

Gas Reactor International Cooperative Program. Interim report. Safety and licensing evaluaion of German Pebble Bed Reactor concepts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-09-01

The Pebble Bed Gas Cooled Reactor, as developed in the Federal Republic of Germany, was reviewed from a United States Safety and Licensing perspective. The primary concepts considered were the steam cycle electric generating pebble bed (HTR-K) and the process heat pebble bed (PNP), although generic consideration of the direct cycle gas turbine pebble bed (HHT) was included. The study examines potential U.S. licensing issues and offers some suggestions as to required development areas

A prediction model for the effective thermal conductivity of mono-sized pebble beds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Xiaoliang; Zheng, Jie; Chen, Hongli, E-mail: hlchen1@ustc.edu.cn

2016-02-15

Highlights: • One new method to couple the contact area with bed strain is developed. • The constant coefficient to correlate the effect of gas flow is determined. • This model is valid for various cases, and its advantages are showed obviously. - Abstract: A model is presented here to predict the effective thermal conductivity of porous medium packed with mono-sized spherical pebbles, and it is valid when pebbles’ size is far less than the characteristic length of porous medium just like the fusion pebble beds. In this model, the influences of parameters such as properties of pebble and gas materials, bed porosity, pebble size, gas flow, contact area, thermal radiation, contact resistance, etc. are all taken into account, and one method to couple the contact areas with bed strains is also developed and implemented preliminarily. Compared with available theoretical models, CFD numerical simulations and experimental data, this model is verified to be successful to forecast the bed effective thermal conductivity in various cases and its advantages are also showed obviously. Especially, the convection in pebble beds is focused on and a constant coefficient C to correlate the effect of gas flow is determined for the fully developed region of beds by numerical simulation, which is close to some experimental data.

Role of Substrate on Quartz Cementation in Quartz Aggregates

Science.gov (United States)

Farver, J. R.; Winslow, D.; Onasch, C.

2010-12-01

Quartz cementation in quartz aggregates has been experimentally investigated. The starting material was disaggregated detrital quartz grains from the well-sorted, mature St. Peter Sandstone. The ‘as-is’ grains have patches of iron oxide coatings and some have euhedral overgrowths that contain iron oxide dust rims. In addition a set of experiments was run using grains that were cleaned by soaking in sodium hydrosulfite and sodium bisulfate solutions to remove exposed iron oxide coatings. Experimental charges consisted of amorphous silica powder (≈30 mg) to provide a source of silica for the quartz cement, AlCl3 powder (≈3 mg) to provide a tracer for Cathodoluminescence (CL) identification of cement formed during the experiment, 25 wt% NaCl brine solution (≈25 mg) to increase the silica solubility and to better mimic oil field brines, and the natural quartz grains (100-130 mg). The charges were weld-sealed in Au capsules and run in cold-seal pressure vessels at 250°C to 450°C at 150 MPa confining pressure for up to 8 weeks. After the experiments, the samples were vacuum impregnated with a low viscosity epoxy containing a blue dye. After curing, the sample charge was sawn in half along its long axis and one half was polished (to 1 micron diamond paste) for analysis. The nature and amount of quartz cement in the samples were determined by a combination of CL, light microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Photomosaics of the samples were created and the amount of cement, porosity, and average grain sizes were determined by point-counting. The cement formed during the experiment was easily recognized from the quartz grains (and previous overgrowths) by the difference in luminescence. The results indicate the amorphous silica powder provides a ready source for silica for quartz cementation due to its greater solubility than the quartz. The cementation rates are rapid (>14% cement formed in 2 weeks at 450°C and >7% in 8 weeks at 250°C). Compared to

Computational and experimental prediction of dust production in pebble bed reactors, Part II

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hiruta, Mie; Johnson, Gannon [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Idaho, 1776 Science Center Drive, Idaho Falls, ID 83401 (United States); Rostamian, Maziar, E-mail: mrostamian@asme.org [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Idaho, 1776 Science Center Drive, Idaho Falls, ID 83401 (United States); Potirniche, Gabriel P. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Idaho, 1776 Science Center Drive, Idaho Falls, ID 83401 (United States); Ougouag, Abderrafi M. [Idaho National Laboratory, 2525 N Fremont Avenue, Idaho Falls, ID 83401 (United States); Bertino, Massimo; Franzel, Louis [Department of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284 (United States); Tokuhiro, Akira [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Idaho, 1776 Science Center Drive, Idaho Falls, ID 83401 (United States)

2013-10-15

Highlights: • Custom-built high temperature, high pressure tribometer is designed. • Two different wear phenomena at high temperatures are observed. • Experimental wear results for graphite are presented. • The graphite wear dust production in a typical Pebble Bed Reactor is predicted. -- Abstract: This paper is the continuation of Part I, which describes the high temperature and high pressure helium environment wear tests of graphite–graphite in frictional contact. In the present work, it has been attempted to simulate a Pebble Bed Reactor core environment as compared to Part I. The experimental apparatus, which is a custom-designed tribometer, is capable of performing wear tests at PBR relevant higher temperatures and pressures under a helium environment. This environment facilitates prediction of wear mass loss of graphite as dust particulates from the pebble bed. The experimental results of high temperature helium environment are used to anticipate the amount of wear mass produced in a pebble bed nuclear reactor.

Investigation of effective thermal conductivity for pebble beds by one-way coupled CFD-DEM method for CFETR WCCB

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Lei [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230031 (China); University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230027 (China); Chen, Youhua [University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230027 (China); Huang, Kai [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230031 (China); Liu, Songlin, E-mail: slliu@ipp.ac.cn [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230031 (China); University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230027 (China)

2016-05-15

Highlights: • A CFD-DEM coupled numerical model is built based on the prototypical blanket pebble bed. • The numerical model can be applied to simulate heat transfer of a pebble bed and estimate effective thermal conductivity. • The numerical model agrees well with the theoretical SZB model. • Effective thermal conductivity of pebble beds for WCCB is estimated by the current model. - Abstract: The mono-sized beryllium pebble bed and the multi-sized Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3}/Be{sub 12}Ti mixed pebble bed are the main schemes for the Water-cooled ceramic breeder blanket (WCCB) of China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR). And the effective thermal conductivity (k{sub eff}) of the pebble beds is important to characterize the thermal performance of WCCB. In this study, a one-way coupled CFD-DEM method was employed to simulate heat transfer and estimate k{sub eff}. The geometric topology of a prototypical blanket pebble bed was produced by the discrete element method (DEM). Based on the geometric topology, the temperature distribution and the k{sub eff} were obtained by the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis. The current numerical model presented a good performance to calculate k{sub eff} of the beryllium pebble bed, and according to the modeling of the Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3}/Be{sub 12}Ti mixed pebble bed, k{sub eff} was estimated with values ranged between 2.0 and 4.0 W/(m∙K).

Thermal-hydraulic analysis techniques for axisymmetric pebble bed nuclear reactor cores

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stroh, K.R.

1979-03-01

The pebble bed reactor's cylindrical core volume contains a random bed of small, spherical fuel-moderator elements. These graphite spheres, containing a central region of dispersed coated-particle fissile and fertile material, are cooled by high pressure helium flowing through the connected interstitial voids. A mathematical model and numerical solution technique have been developed which allow calculation of macroscopic values of thermal-hydraulic variables in an axisymmetric pebble bed nuclear reactor core. The computer program PEBBLE is based on a mathematical model which treats the bed macroscopically as a generating, conducting porous medium. The steady-state model uses a nonlinear Forchheimer-type relation between the coolant pressure gradient and mass flux, with newly derived coefficients for the linear and quadratic resistance terms. The remaining equations in the model make use of mass continuity, and thermal energy balances for the solid and fluid phases

Numerical Simulation of a Coolant Flow and Heat Transfer in a Pebble Bed Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In, Wang-Kee; Kim, Min-Hwan; Lee, Won-Jae

2008-01-01

Pebble Bed Reactor(PBR) is one of the very high temperature gas cooled reactors(VHTR) which have been reviewed in the Generation IV International Forum as potential sources for future energy needs, particularly for a hydrogen production. The pebble bed modular reactor(PBMR) exhibits inherent safety features due to the low power density and the large amount of graphite present in the core. PBR uses coated fuel particles(TRISO) embedded in spherical graphite fuel pebbles. The fuel pebbles flow down through the PBR core during a reactor operation and the coolant flows around randomly distributed spheres. For the reliable operation and the safety of the PBR, it is important to understand the coolant flow structure and the fuel pebble temperature in the PBR core. There have been few experimental and numerical studies to investigate the fluid and heat transfer phenomena in the PBR core. The objective of this paper is to predict the fluid and heat transfer in the PBR core. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code, STAR-CCM+(V2.08) is used to perform the CFD analysis using the design data for the PBMR400

Stability and convergence analysis of the quasi-dynamics method for the initial pebble packing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Y.; Ji, W.

2012-01-01

The simulation for the pebble flow recirculation within Pebble Bed Reactors (PBRs) requires an efficient algorithm to generate an initial overlap-free pebble configuration within the reactor core. In the previous work, a dynamics-based approach, the Quasi-Dynamics Method (QDM), has been proposed to generate densely distributed pebbles in PBRs with cylindrical and annular core geometries. However, the stability and the efficiency of the QDM were not fully addressed. In this work, the algorithm is reformulated with two control parameters and the impact of these parameters on the algorithm performance is investigated. Firstly, the theoretical analysis for a 1-D packing system is conducted and the range of the parameter in which the algorithm is convergent is estimated. Then, this estimation is verified numerically for a 3-D packing system. Finally, the algorithm is applied to modeling the PBR fuel loading configuration and the convergence performance at different packing fractions is presented. Results show that the QDM is efficient in packing pebbles within the realistic range of the packing fraction in PBRs, and it is capable in handling cylindrical geometry with packing fractions up to 63.5%. (authors)

Development of a safeguards system for the THTR pebble bed reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Engelhardt, H.

1978-08-01

This report provides a survey of the technical possibilities of safeguarding the THTR-300 pebble bed reactor in accordance with the NPT. Description of the reactor system, the operational mode, and the operator's material control system are presented in Sections 2, 3 and 4. A suggested safeguards approach which is based on an item counting of pebble elements with containment and surveillance as a supplementary measure is described in the Sections 5 and 6

Function of minerals in the natural radioactivity level of Vaigai River sediments, Tamilnadu, India--spectroscopical approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramasamy, V; Paramasivam, K; Suresh, G; Jose, M T

2014-01-03

Using Gamma ray and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic techniques, level of natural radioactivity ((238)U, (232)Th and (40)K) and mineralogical characterization of Vaigai River sediments have been analyzed with the view of evaluating the radiation risk and its relation to available minerals. Different radiological parameters are calculated to know the entire radiological characterization. The average of activity concentrations and all radiological parameters are lower than the recommended safety limit. However, some sites are having higher radioactivity values than the safety limit. From the FTIR spectroscopic technique, the minerals such as quartz, microcline feldspar, orthoclase feldspar, kaolinite, gibbsite, calcite, montmorillonite and organic carbon are identified and they are characterized. The extinction co-efficient values are calculated to know the relative distribution of major minerals such as quartz, microcline feldspar, orthoclase feldspar and kaolinite. The calculated values indicate that the amount of quartz is higher than orthoclase feldspar, microcline feldspar and much higher than kaolinite. Crystallinity index is calculated to know the crystalline nature of quartz and the result indicates that the presence of ordered crystalline quartz in the present sediment. The role of minerals in the level of radioactivity is assessed by multivariate statistical analysis (Pearson's correlation and Cluster analysis). The statistical analysis confirms that the clay mineral kaolinite is the major factor than other major minerals to induce the important radioactivity variables such as absorbed dose rate and concentrations of (232)Th and (238)U. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

International Uranium Resources Evaluation Project (IUREP) orientation phase mission summary report: Colombia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-01-01

A full report has been released describing the findings of the International Uranium Resources Evaluation Project (IUREP) Orientation Phase Mission to Colombia. The Mission suggests that the speculative uranium resources of the country could be within the very wide range of 20 000 tonnes of 220 000 tonnes of uranium metal. The Mission finds that the area with the highest potential is the Llanos Orientales (Interior Zone), which has the potential of hosting quartz-pebble conglomerate deposits, Proterozoic unconformity-related deposits and sandstone deposits. The Mission recommends that approximately US$80 million should be expended in a phased ten-year exploration programme. It is likely that the majority of the funds will be needed for drilling, followed by ground surveys and airborne radiometry. It is the opinion of the Mission that the considerable funds required for the proposed programme could most suitably be raised by inviting national or foreign commercial organizations to participate under a shared production agreement. (author)

Classification of Uranium deposits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dahlkamp, F.J.

1978-01-01

A listing of the recognized types of uranium mineralization shows nineteen determinable types out of which only six can be classified as of economic significance at present: Oligomiitic quartz pebble conglomerates, sandstone types, calcretes, intra-intrusive types, hydrothermal veins, veinlike types. The different types can be genetically related to prevalent geological environments, i.e. 1. the primary uranium occurrences formed by endogenic processes, 2. the secondary derived from the primary by subsequent exogenic processes, 3. the tertiary occurrences are assumed to be formed by endogenic metamorphic processes, although little is known about the behaviour of the uranium during the metamorphosis and therefore the metallogenesis of this tertiary uranium generation is still vague. A metallotectonic-geochronologic correlation of the uranium deposits shows a distinct affinity of the uranium to certain geological epochs: The Upper Archean, Lower Proterozoic, the Hercynian and, in a less established stage, the Upper Proterozoic. (orig.) 891 HP/orig. 892 MKO [de

Application of a model to investigate the effective thermal conductivity of randomly packed fusion pebble beds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Xiaoliang; Zheng, Jie; Chen, Hongli, E-mail: hlchen1@ustc.edu.cn

2016-05-15

In our precious study, a prediction model, which calculates the effective thermal conductivity k{sub eff} of mono-sized pebble beds, has been developed and validated. Based on this model, here the effects of these influencing factors such as pebble size, thermal radiation, contact area, filling gas, gas flow, gas pressure, etc. on the k{sub eff} of randomly packed fusion pebble beds are studied and analyzed. The pebble beds investigated include Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4}, Li{sub 2}ZrO{sub 3}, Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3}, Li{sub 2}O, Be and BeO pebble beds. In the current study, many important and meaningful conclusions are derived and some of them are similar to the existing research results. Particularly, some critters that under which conditions the effect of some influencing factors can be neglected or should be considered are also presented.

Characteristics of microstructure and tritium release properties of different kinds of beryllium pebbles for application in tritium breeding modules

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kurinskiy, P., E-mail: petr.kurinskiy@kit.edu [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Applied Materials – Applied Materials Physics (IAM-AWP), P.O. Box 3640, Karlsruhe 76021 (Germany); Vladimirov, P.; Moeslang, A. [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Applied Materials – Applied Materials Physics (IAM-AWP), P.O. Box 3640, Karlsruhe 76021 (Germany); Rolli, R. [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Applied Materials – Materials and Biomechanics (IAM-WBM), P.O. Box 3640, Karlsruhe 76021 (Germany); Zmitko, M. [The European Joint Undertaking for ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy, c/Josep Pla, no. 2, Torres Diagonal Litoral, Edificio B3, Barcelona 08019 (Spain)

2014-10-15

Highlights: • Tritium release properties and characteristics of microstructure of beryllium pebbles having different sizes of grains were studied. • Fine-grained beryllium pebbles showed the best ability to release tritium compared to pebbles from another charges. • Be pebbles with the grain sizes exceeding 100 μm contain a great number of small pores and inclusions presumably referring to the history of material fabrication. • The sizes of grains are one of a key characteristic of microstructure which influences the parameters of tritium release. - Abstract: Beryllium pebbles with diameters of 1 mm are considered to be perspective material for the use as neutron multiplier in tritium breeding modules of fusion reactors. Up to now, the design of helium-cooled breeding blanket in ITER project foresees the use of 1 mm beryllium pebbles fabricated by NGK Insulators Ltd., Japan. It is notable that beryllium pebbles from Russian Federation and USA are also available and the possibility of their large-scale fabrication is under study. Presented work is dedicated to a study of characteristics of microstructure and parameters of tritium release of beryllium pebbles produced by Bochvar Institute, Russian Federation, and Materion Corporation, USA.

Fabrication and characterization of 6Li-enriched Li2TiO3 pebbles for a high Li-burnup irradiation test

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsuchiya, Kunihiko; Kawamura, Hiroshi

2006-10-01

Lithium titanate (Li 2 TiO 3 ) pebbles are considered to be a candidate material of tritium breeders for fusion reactor from viewpoints of easy tritium release at low temperatures (about 300degC) and chemical stability. In the present study, trial fabrication tests of 6 Li-enriched Li 2 TiO 3 pebbles of 1mm in diameter were carried out by a wet process with a dehydration reaction, and characteristics of the 6 Li-enriched Li 2 TiO 3 pebbles were evaluated for preparation of a high Li-burnup test in a testing reactor. Powder of 96at% 6 Li-enriched Li 2 TiO 3 was prepared by a solid state reaction, and two kinds of 6 Li-enriched Li 2 TiO 3 pebbles, namely un-doped and TiO 2 -doped Li 2 TiO 3 pebbles, were fabricated by the wet process. Based on results of the pebble fabrication tests, two kinds of 6 Li-enriched Li 2 TiO 3 pebbles were successfully fabricated with target values (density: 80-85%T.D., grain size: 2 TiO 3 pebbles was a satisfying value of about 1.05. Contact strength of these pebbles was about 6300MPa, which was almost the same as that of the Li 2 TiO 3 pebbles with natural Li. (author)

Testing of a "smart-pebble" for measuring particle transport statistics

Science.gov (United States)

Kitsikoudis, Vasileios; Avgeris, Loukas; Valyrakis, Manousos

2017-04-01

This paper presents preliminary results from novel experiments aiming to assess coarse sediment transport statistics for a range of transport conditions, via the use of an innovative "smart-pebble" device. This device is a waterproof sphere, which has 7 cm diameter and is equipped with a number of sensors that provide information about the velocity, acceleration and positioning of the "smart-pebble" within the flow field. A series of specifically designed experiments are carried out to monitor the entrainment of a "smart-pebble" for fully developed, uniform, turbulent flow conditions over a hydraulically rough bed. Specifically, the bed surface is configured to three sections, each of them consisting of well packed glass beads of slightly increasing size at the downstream direction. The first section has a streamwise length of L1=150 cm and beads size of D1=15 mm, the second section has a length of L2=85 cm and beads size of D2=22 mm, and the third bed section has a length of L3=55 cm and beads size of D3=25.4 mm. Two cameras monitor the area of interest to provide additional information regarding the "smart-pebble" movement. Three-dimensional flow measurements are obtained with the aid of an acoustic Doppler velocimeter along a measurement grid to assess the flow forcing field. A wide range of flow rates near and above the threshold of entrainment is tested, while using four distinct densities for the "smart-pebble", which can affect its transport speed and total momentum. The acquired data are analyzed to derive Lagrangian transport statistics and the implications of such an important experiment for the transport of particles by rolling are discussed. The flow conditions for the initiation of motion, particle accelerations and equilibrium particle velocities (translating into transport rates), statistics of particle impact and its motion, can be extracted from the acquired data, which can be further compared to develop meaningful insights for sediment transport

Preliminary Neutronic Design of High Burnup OTTO Cycle Pebble Bed Reactor

OpenAIRE

Setiadipura, T; Irwanto, D; Zuhair, Zuhair

2015-01-01

The pebble bed type High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (HTGR) is among the interesting nuclear reactor designs in terms of safety and flexibility for co-generation applications. In addition, the strong inherent safety characteristics of the pebble bed reactor (PBR) which is based on natural mechanisms improve the simplicity of the PBR design, in particular for the Once-Through-Then-Out (OTTO) cycle PBR design. One of the important challenges of the OTTO cycle PBR design, and nuclear reactor ...

Porous structure analysis of large-scale randomly packed pebble bed in high temperature gas-cooled reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ren, Cheng; Yang, Xingtuan; Liu, Zhiyong; Sun, Yanfei; Jiang, Shengyao [Tsinghua Univ., Beijing (China). Key Laboratory of Advanced Reactor Engineering and Safety; Li, Congxin [Ministry of Environmental Protection of the People' s Republic of China, Beijing (China). Nuclear and Radiation Safety Center

2015-02-15

A three-dimensional pebble bed corresponding to the randomly packed bed in the heat transfer test facility built for the High Temperature Reactor Pebble bed Modules (HTR-PM) in Shandong Shidaowan is simulated via discrete element method. Based on the simulation, we make a detailed analysis on the packing structure of the pebble bed from several aspects, such as transverse section image, longitudinal section image, radial and axial porosity distributions, two-dimensional porosity distribution and coordination number distribution. The calculation results show that radial distribution of porosity is uniform in the center and oscillates near the wall; axial distribution of porosity oscillates near the bottom and linearly varies along height due to effect of gravity; the average coordination number is about seven and equals to the maximum coordination number frequency. The fully established three-dimensional packing structure analysis of the pebble bed in this work is of fundamental significance to understand the flow and heat transfer characteristics throughout the pebble-bed type structure.

Challenges in forming the solar system's giant planet cores via pebble accretion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kretke, K. A.; Levison, H. F.

2014-01-01

Though ∼10 M ⊕ mass rocky/icy cores are commonly held as a prerequisite for the formation of gas giants, theoretical models still struggle to explain how these embryos can form within the lifetimes of gaseous circumstellar disks. In recent years, aerodynamic-aided accretion of 'pebbles', objects ranging from centimeters to meters in size, has been suggested as a potential solution to this long-standing problem. While pebble accretion has been demonstrated to be extremely effective in local simulations that look at the detailed behavior of these pebbles in the vicinity of a single planetary embryo, to date there have been no global simulations demonstrating the effectiveness of pebble accretion in a more complicated, multi-planet environment. Therefore, we have incorporated the aerodynamic-aided accretion physics into LIPAD, a Lagrangian code that can follow the collisional/accretional/dynamical evolution of a protoplanetary system, to investigate how pebble accretion manifests itself in the larger planet formation picture. We find that under generic circumstances, pebble accretion naturally leads to an 'oligarchic' type of growth in which a large number of planetesimals grow to similar-sized planets. In particular, our simulations tend to form hundreds of Mars- and Earth-mass objects between 4 and 10 AU. While merging of some oligarchs may grow massive enough to form giant planet cores, leftover oligarchs lead to planetary systems that cannot be consistent with our own solar system. We investigate various ideas presented in the literature (including evaporation fronts and planet traps) and find that none easily overcome this tendency toward oligarchic growth.

Experimental study of flow field characteristics on bed configurations in the pebble bed reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jia, Xinlong; Gui, Nan; Yang, Xingtuan; Tu, Jiyuan; Jia, Haijun; Jiang, Shengyao

2017-01-01

Highlights: • PTV study of flow fields of pebble bed reactor with different configurations are carried out. • Some criteria are proposed to quantify vertical velocity field and flow uniformity. • The effect of different pebble bed configurations is also compared by the proposed criteria. • The displacement thickness is used analogically to analyze flow field characteristics. • The effect of mass flow variation in the stagnated region of the funnel flow is measured. - Abstract: The flow field characteristics are of fundamental importance in the design work of the pebble bed high temperature gas cooled reactor (HTGR). The different effects of bed configurations on the flow characteristics of pebble bed are studied through the PTV (Particle Tracking Velocimetry) experiment. Some criteria, e.g. flow uniformity (σ) and mass flow level (α), are proposed to estimate vertical velocity field and compare the bed configurations. The distribution of the Δθ (angle difference between the individual particle velocity and the velocity vector sum of all particles) is also used to estimate the resultant motion consistency level. Moreover, for each bed configuration, the thickness of displacement is analyzed to measure the effect of the funnel flow zone based on the boundary layer theory. Detailed information shows the quantified characteristics of bed configuration effects on flow uniformity and other characteristics; and the sequence of levels of each estimation criterion is obtained for all bed configurations. In addition, a good design of the pebble bed configuration is suggested and these estimation criteria can be also applied and adopted in testing other geometry designs of pebble bed.

Ninety years of mining and metallurgy in Trepča-sever conglomerate (part I

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nikolić Branislav

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Present company Trepča-Sever is formed by foreigners after the bombing of Serbia and Monten former Trepča Conglomerate located in northern part of Kosovo and Metohija, namely in three municipalities: North Kosovska Mitrovica, Zvečan and Leposavić. Main office of Trepča Conglomerate was always in Zvečan, flotation of lead-zinc ore (in the period of 1930- 1985, lead smelting and refining plants (founded in 1939, laboratory, Institute, electromechanical workshops and other ancillary services. In Leposavić flotation, ores of Kopaonik mines are processed, while financial and commercial services are located in the North Kosovska Mitrovica.

Advanced Core Design And Fuel Management For Pebble-Bed Reactors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hans D. Gougar; Abderrafi M. Ougouag; William K. Terry

2004-10-01

A method for designing and optimizing recirculating pebble-bed reactor cores is presented. At the heart of the method is a new reactor physics computer code, PEBBED, which accurately and efficiently computes the neutronic and material properties of the asymptotic (equilibrium) fuel cycle. This core state is shown to be unique for a given core geometry, power level, discharge burnup, and fuel circulation policy. Fuel circulation in the pebble-bed can be described in terms of a few well?defined parameters and expressed as a recirculation matrix. The implementation of a few heat?transfer relations suitable for high-temperature gas-cooled reactors allows for the rapid estimation of thermal properties critical for safe operation. Thus, modeling and design optimization of a given pebble-bed core can be performed quickly and efficiently via the manipulation of a limited number key parameters. Automation of the optimization process is achieved by manipulation of these parameters using a genetic algorithm. The end result is an economical, passively safe, proliferation-resistant nuclear power plant.

Interim report on core physics and fuel cycle analysis of the pebble bed reactor power plant concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vondy, D.R.

1977-12-01

Calculations were made to predict the performance of a pebble bed reactor operated in a mode to produce fissile fuel (high conversion or breeding). Both a one pebble design and a design involving large primary feed pebbles and small fertile pebbles were considered. A relatively short residence time of the primary pebbles loaded with 233 U fuel was found to be necessary to achieve a high breeding ratio, but this leads to relatively high fuel costs. A high fissile inventory is associated with a low C/Th ratio and a high thorium loading, causing the doubling time to be long, even though the breeding ratio is high, and the fuel cost of electrical product to be high. Production of 233 U fuel from 235 U feed was studied and performances of the converter and breeder reactor concepts were examined varying the key parameters

Features and validation of discrete element method for simulating pebble flow in reactor core

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu Yong; Li Yanjie

2005-01-01

The core of a High-Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (HTGR) is composed of big number of fuel pebbles, their kinetic behaviors are of great importance in estimating the path and residence time of individual pebble, the evolution of the mixing zone for the assessment of the efficiency of a reactor. Numerical method is highlighted in modern reactor design. In view of granular flow, the Discrete Element Model based on contact mechanics of spheres was briefly described. Two typical examples were presented to show the capability of the DEM method. The former is piling with glass/steel spheres, which provides validated evidences that the simulated angles of repose are in good coincidence with the experimental results. The later is particle discharge in a flat- bottomed silo, which shows the effects of material modulus and demonstrates several features. The two examples show the DEM method enables to predict the behaviors, such as the evolution of pebble profiles, streamlines etc., and provides sufficient information for pebble flow analysis and core design. In order to predict the cyclic pebble flow in a HTGR core precisely and efficiently, both model and code improvement are needed, together with rational specification of physical properties with proper measuring techniques. Strategic and methodological considerations were also discussed. (authors)

Computational and experimental prediction of dust production in pebble bed reactors, Part II

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mie Hiruta; Gannon Johnson; Maziar Rostamian; Gabriel P. Potirniche; Abderrafi M. Ougouag; Massimo Bertino; Louis Franzel; Akira Tokuhiro

2013-10-01

This paper is the continuation of Part I, which describes the high temperature and high pressure helium environment wear tests of graphite–graphite in frictional contact. In the present work, it has been attempted to simulate a Pebble Bed Reactor core environment as compared to Part I. The experimental apparatus, which is a custom-designed tribometer, is capable of performing wear tests at PBR relevant higher temperatures and pressures under a helium environment. This environment facilitates prediction of wear mass loss of graphite as dust particulates from the pebble bed. The experimental results of high temperature helium environment are used to anticipate the amount of wear mass produced in a pebble bed nuclear reactor.

Nuclear safeguards considerations for pebble bed reactors (PBRs)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moses, David L.

2012-01-01

Recent reports by the Department of Energy National Laboratories have discussed safeguards considerations for low enriched uranium (LEU)-fueled pebble bed reactors (PBRs) and the need for bulk accountancy of the plutonium in “used fuel.” These reports fail to account for the degree of plutonium dilution in the graphitized-carbon pebbles that is sufficient to meet the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) “provisional” guidelines for termination of safeguards on “measured discards.” The thrust of this finding is not to terminate safeguards but to limit the need for specific accountancy of plutonium in stored used fuel. While the residual uranium in the used fuel is not sufficiently diluted to meet the IAEA provisional guidelines for termination of safeguards, the estimated quantities of the uranium minor isotopes 232 U and 236 U in the used fuel at the target burnup of ∼90 Gigawatt-days per metric ton (GWD/MT) exceed standard specification limits for reprocessed uranium and will require extensive blending with either natural uranium or uranium enrichment tails to dilute the 236 U content to fall within specification. Hence, the PBR used fuel is less desirable for commercial reprocessing and reuse than that from light water reactors. Also the PBR specific activity of a reprocessed uranium isotopic mixture and its A 2 values for effective dose limits if released in a dispersible form during a transportation accident are more limiting than the equivalent values for light-water-reactor used fuel at 55 GWD/MT without accounting for the presence of the principal carry-over fission product (technetium, 99 Tc) and plutonium contamination. Thus, the potentially recoverable uranium from PBR used fuel carries reactivity penalties and radiological penalties likely greater than those for reprocessed uranium from light water reactors. These factors impact the economics of reprocessing, but a more significant consideration is that reprocessing technologies for

3D Nondestructive Visualization and Evaluation of TRISO Particles Distribution in HTGR Fuel Pebbles Using Cone-Beam Computed Tomography

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gongyi Yu

2017-01-01

Full Text Available A nonuniform distribution of tristructural isotropic (TRISO particles within a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR pebble may lead to excessive thermal gradients and nonuniform thermal expansion during operation. If the particles are closely clustered, local hotspots may form, leading to excessive stresses on particle layers and an increased probability of particle failure. Although X-ray digital radiography (DR is currently used to evaluate the TRISO distributions in pebbles, X-ray DR projection images are two-dimensional in nature, which would potentially miss some details for 3D evaluation. This paper proposes a method of 3D visualization and evaluation of the TRISO distribution in HTGR pebbles using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT: first, a pebble is scanned on our high-resolution CBCT, and 2D cross-sectional images are reconstructed; secondly, all cross-sectional images are restructured to form the 3D model of the pebble; then, volume rendering is applied to segment and display the TRISO particles in 3D for visualization and distribution evaluation. For method validation, several pebbles were scanned and the 3D distributions of the TRISO particles within the pebbles were produced. Experiment results show that the proposed method provides more 3D than DR, which will facilitate pebble fabrication research and production quality control.

Gold-bearing fluvial and associated tidal marine sediments of Proterozoic age in the Mporokoso Basin, northern Zambia

Science.gov (United States)

Andrews-Speed, C. P.

1986-07-01

The structurally defined Mporokoso Basin contains up to 5000 m of continental and marine clastic sediments and minor silicic volcanics which together form the Mporokoso Group. These rocks overlie unconformably a basement of silicic-intermediate igneous rocks and accumulated within the interval 1830-1130 Ma. This sedimentological study was restricted to the eastern end of the basin and was part of an assessment of the potential for palaeoplacer gold in the Mporokoso Group. At the base of the Mporokoso Group, the Mbala Formation consists of 1000-1500 m of purple sandstones and conglomerates deposited in a braided-stream system overlain by 500-1000 m of mature quartz arenites deposited in a tidal marine setting. A general coarsening-upward trend exists within the fluvial sediments. Sandy, distal braided-stream facies passes upwards into more proximal conglomeratic facies. In proximal sections, poorly sorted conglomerates form the top of the coarsening-up sequence which is 500-700 m thick. The overlying fluvial sediments fine upwards. The tidal marine sandstones at the top of the Mbala Formation resulted from reworking of fluvial sediments during a marine transgression. Well-exposed sections with fluvial conglomerates were studied in detail. Individual conglomerate bodies form sheets extending for hundreds of metres downstream and at least one hundred metres across stream, with little sign of deep scouring or channelling. They are generally matrix-supported. The whole fluvial sequence is characterised by a paucity of mud or silt. These conglomerates were deposited by large velocity, sheet flows of water which transported a bed-load of pebbles and sand. Most fine material settling out from suspension was eroded by the next flow. The great lateral and vertical extent and the uniformity of the fluvial sediments suggest that the sediments accumulated over an unconfined alluvial plain and that the tectonic evolution of the source area was relatively continuous and not

Quasi-direct numerical simulation of a pebble bed configuration. Part I: Flow (velocity) field analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shams, A.; Roelofs, F.; Komen, E.M.J.; Baglietto, E.

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Quasi direct numerical simulations (q-DNS) of a pebble bed configuration has been performed. ► This q-DNS database may serve as a reference for the validation of different turbulence modeling approaches. ► A wide range of qualitative and quantitative data throughout the computational domain has been generated. ► Results for mean, RMS and covariance of velocity field are extensively reported in this paper. -- Abstract: High temperature reactors (HTR) are being considered for deployment around the world because of their excellent safety features. The fuel is embedded in a graphite moderator and can sustain very high temperatures. However, the appearance of hot spots in the pebble bed cores of HTR's may affect the integrity of the pebbles. A good prediction of the flow and heat transport in such a pebble bed core is a challenge for available turbulence models and such models need to be validated. In the present article, quasi direct numerical simulations (q-DNS) of a pebble bed configuration are reported, which may serve as a reference for the validation of different turbulence modeling approaches. Such approaches can be used in order to perform calculations for a randomly arranged pebble bed. Simulations are performed at a Reynolds number of 3088, based on pebble diameter, with a porosity level of 0.42. Detailed flow analyses have shown complex physics flow behavior and make this case challenging for turbulence model validation. Hence, a wide range of qualitative and quantitative data for velocity and temperature field have been extracted for this benchmark. In the present article (part I), results related to the flow field (mean, RMS and covariance of velocity) are documented and discussed in detail. Moreover, the discussion regarding the temperature field will be published in a separate article

The X-Ray Pebble Recirculation Experiment (X-PREX): Facility Description, Preliminary Discrete Element Method Simulation Validation Studies, and Future Test Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laufer, Michael R.; Bickel, Jeffrey E.; Buster, Grant C.; Krumwiede, David L.; Peterson, Per F.

2014-01-01

This paper presents a facility description, preliminary results, and future test program of the new X-Ray Pebble Recirculation Experiment (X-PREX), which is now operational and being used to collect data on the behavior of slow dense granular flows relevant to pebble bed reactor core designs. The X-PREX facility uses digital x-ray tomography methods to track both the translational and rotational motion of spherical pebbles, which provides unique experimental results that can be used to validate discrete element method (DEM) simulations of pebble motion. The validation effort supported by the X-PREX facility provides a means to build confidence in analysis of pebble bed configuration and residence time distributions that impact the neutronics, thermal hydraulics, and safety analysis of pebble bed reactor cores. Preliminary experimental and DEM simulation results are reported for silo drainage, a classical problem in the granular flow literature, at several hopper angles. These studies include conventional converging and novel diverging geometries that provide additional flexibility in the design of pebble bed reactor cores. Excellent agreement is found between the X-PREX experimental and DEM simulation results. Finally, this paper discusses additional studies in progress relevant to the design and analysis of pebble bed reactor cores including pebble recirculation in cylindrical core geometries and evaluation of forces on shut down blades inserted directly into a packed pebble bed. (author)

Preparation of β-Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles by a modified indirect wet chemistry method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yu, Cheng-Long, E-mail: johnyucl@aliyun.com [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shaanxi University of Science & Technology, Xi’an 710021 (China); Research Laboratory of Hydrothermal Chemistry, Faculty of Science, The Kochi University, Kochi 780-8520 (Japan); Wang, Fei; Zhang, Ai-Lin; Gao, Dan-Peng; Cao, Shu-Yao [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shaanxi University of Science & Technology, Xi’an 710021 (China); Guo, Ying-Yan [College of Resources and Environment, Shaanxi University of Science & Technology, Xi’an 710021 (China); Hui, Huai-Bin [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shaanxi University of Science & Technology, Xi’an 710021 (China); Technology Research Institute, Technical Center at Dongfeng Commercial Vehicle Company Limited, Wuhan 430056 (China); Hao, Xin [School of Management, Shaanxi University of Science & Technology, Xi’an 710021 (China); Wang, Dao-Yi [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shaanxi University of Science & Technology, Xi’an 710021 (China); Yanagisawa, Kazumichi [Research Laboratory of Hydrothermal Chemistry, Faculty of Science, The Kochi University, Kochi 780-8520 (Japan)

2015-12-15

Graphical abstract: β-Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles with about 1.56 mm in diameter, a better sphericity of 1.02 and relative sintered density of 95.8%T.D. are successfully fabricated when sintered at 1100 °C for 6 h in ambient conditions. - Highlights: • β-Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} powders via hydrothermal method are used as raw materials. • A mixture of the acetone and carbon tetrachloride bath is used. • The wet gel pebbles can be fabricated at room temperature. - Abstract: β-Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles were fabricated by a modified indirect wet chemistry method. The first feature lies in that β-Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} powders via hydrothermal method were used as raw materials. The second one lies in that a mixture of the acetone and carbon tetrachloride was used for formation and aging of the pebbles at room temperature. The phase identification of the β-Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} sintered pebbles was conducted by the X-ray Diffraction analysis. The morphology of the sintered β-Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles was observed by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope. The experimental results show that the β-Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles with about 1.56 mm in diameter, a better sphericity of 1.02 and relative sintered density of 95.8%T.D. are successfully fabricated when sintered at 1100 °C for 6 h in ambient conditions. The grains in the pebbles are polyhedral brick-shaped, and homogeneous in size distribution. The morphology evolution and relative density of the β-Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles are governed by the sintering temperature, between 1050 °C and 1150 °C. More homogeneous in grain size, less porosity, and higher densification of the β-Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles can be obtained at 1100 °C.

On-line interrogation of pebble bed reactor fuel using passive gamma-ray spectrometry

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Jianwei

The Pebble Bed Reactor (PBR) is a helium-cooled, graphite-moderated high temperature nuclear power reactor. In addition to its inherently safe design, a unique feature of this reactor is its multipass fuel cycle in which graphite fuel pebbles (of varying enrichment) are randomly loaded and continuously circulated through the core until they reach their prescribed end-of-life burnup limit (˜80,000--100,000 MWD/MTU). Unlike the situation with conventional light water reactors (LWRs), depending solely on computational methods to perform in-core fuel management will be highly inaccurate. As a result, an on-line measurement approach becomes the only accurate method to assess whether a particular pebble has reached its end-of-life burnup limit. In this work, an investigation was performed to assess the feasibility of passive gamma-ray spectrometry assay as an approach for on-line interrogation of PBR fuel for the simultaneous determination of burnup and enrichment on a pebble-by-pebble basis. Due to the unavailability of irradiated or fresh pebbles, Monte Carlo simulations were used to study the gamma-ray spectra of the PBR fuel at various levels of burnup. A pebble depletion calculation was performed using the ORIGEN code, which yielded the gamma-ray source term that was introduced into the input of an MCNP simulation. The MCNP simulation assumed the use of a high-purity coaxial germanium detector. Due to the lack of one-group high temperature reactor cross sections for ORIGEN, a heterogeneous MCNP model was developed to describe a typical PBR core. Subsequently, the code MONTEBURNS was used to couple the MCNP model and ORIGEN. This approach allowed the development of the burnup-dependent, one-group spectral-averaged PBR cross sections to be used in the ORIGEN pebble depletion calculation. Based on the above studies, a relative approach for performing the measurements was established. The approach is based on using the relative activities of Np-239/I-132 in combination

Computational prediction of dust production in graphite moderated pebble bed reactors

Science.gov (United States)

Rostamian, Maziar

The scope of the work reported here, which is the computational study of graphite wear behavior, supports the Nuclear Engineering University Programs project "Experimental Study and Computational Simulations of Key Pebble Bed Thermomechanics Issues for Design and Safety" funded by the US Department of Energy. In this work, modeling and simulating the contact mechanics, as anticipated in a PBR configuration, is carried out for the purpose of assessing the amount of dust generated during a full power operation year of a PBR. A methodology that encompasses finite element analysis (FEA) and micromechanics of wear is developed to address the issue of dust production and its quantification. Particularly, the phenomenon of wear and change of its rate with sliding length is the main focus of this dissertation. This work studies the wear properties of graphite by simulating pebble motion and interactions of a specific type of nuclear grade graphite, IG-11. This study consists of two perspectives: macroscale stress analysis and microscale analysis of wear mechanisms. The first is a set of FEA simulations considering pebble-pebble frictional contact. In these simulations, the mass of generated graphite particulates due to frictional contact is calculated by incorporating FEA results into Archard's equation, which is a linear correlation between wear mass and wear length. However, the experimental data by Johnson, University of Idaho, revealed that the wear rate of graphite decreases with sliding length. This is because the surfaces of the graphite pebbles become smoother over time, which results in a gradual decrease in wear rate. In order to address the change in wear rate, a more detailed analysis of wear mechanisms at room temperature is presented. In this microscale study, the wear behavior of graphite at the asperity level is studied by simulating the contact between asperities of facing surfaces. By introducing the effect of asperity removal on wear rate, a nonlinear

Electrical behaviour of ceramic breeder blankets in pebble form after γ-radiation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. Carella

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Lithium orthosilicate (Li4SiO4 ceramics in from of pebble bed is the European candidate for ITER testing HCPB (Helium Cooled Pebble Bed breeding modules. The breeder function and the shielding role of this material, represent the areas upon which attention is focused. Electrical measurements are proposed for monitoring the modification created by ionizing radiation and at the same time provide information on lithium movement in this ceramic structure. The electrical tests are performed on pebbles fabricated by Spray-dryer method before and after gamma-irradiation through a 60Co source to a fluence of 4.8 Gy/s till a total dose of 5 ∗ 105 Gy. The introduction of thermal annealing treatments during the electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS measurements points out the recombination effect of the temperature on the γ-induced defects.

Verification of two-temperature method for heat transfer process within a pebble fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu Dali; Peng Minjun

2014-01-01

A typical pebble fuel that used in high temperature reactor (HTR), mainly consists of a graphite matrix with numerous dispersed tristructural-isotropic (TRISO) fuel particles and a surrounding thin non-fueled graphite shell. These high heterogeneities lead to difficulty in explicit thermal calculation of a pebble fuel. We proposed a two-temperature method (TTM) to calculate the temperature distribution within a pebble fuel. The method is not only convenient to perform but also gives more realistic results since particles and graphite matrix are considered separately while the traditional ways are considering the fuel zone as average heat generation source. The method is validated both by Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) method and Wiener bounds. Results show that TTM has a stable performance and high accuracy. (author)

Progress on pebble bed experimental activity for the HE-FUS3 mock-ups

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dell'Orco, G.; Sansone, L.; Simoncini, M.; Zito, D.

2002-01-01

The EU Long Term for DEMO Programme foresees the qualification of the reference design of the helium cooled pebble bed (HCPB) - test blanket module (TBM) to be tested in ITER Reactor. In this frame, FZK and ENEA have launched many experimental activities for the evaluation of the interactions between the Tritium breeder and neutron multiplier pebble beds and the steel containment walls. Main aim of these activities is the measuring the pebble bed effective thermal conductivity, the wall heat transfer coefficient as well as their dependency from the mechanical constraints. The paper presents the progress of the testing activity and results of the tests on two mock-up, called Tazza and Helichetta, carried out on the HE-FUS3 facility at ENEA Brasimone. (orig.)

KüFA safety testing of HTR fuel pebbles irradiated in the High Flux Reactor in Petten

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Seeger, O., E-mail: oliver.seeger@rwth-aachen.de [European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Institute for Transuranium Elements (ITU), Safety of Irradiated Nuclear Materials Unit, Postfach 2340, 76125 Karlsruhe (Germany); Laurie, M., E-mail: mathias.laurie@ec.europa.eu [European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Institute for Transuranium Elements (ITU), Safety of Irradiated Nuclear Materials Unit, Postfach 2340, 76125 Karlsruhe (Germany); Abjani, A. El; Ejton, J.; Boudaud, D.; Freis, D.; Carbol, P.; Rondinella, V.V. [European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Institute for Transuranium Elements (ITU), Safety of Irradiated Nuclear Materials Unit, Postfach 2340, 76125 Karlsruhe (Germany); Fütterer, M. [European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Institute for Energy and Transport (IET), Nuclear Reactor Integrity Assessment and Knowledge Management Unit, PO Box 2, 1755 ZG Petten (Netherlands); Allelein, H.-J. [Lehrstuhl für Reaktorsicherheit und -technik an der RWTH Aachen, Kackertstraße 9, 52072 Aachen (Germany)

2016-09-15

The Cold Finger Apparatus (KühlFinger-Apparatur—KüFA) in operation at JRC-ITU is designed to experimentally scrutinize the effects of Depressurization LOss of Forced Circulation (D-LOFC) accident scenarios on irradiated High Temperature Reactor (HTR) fuel pebbles. Up to 1600 °C, the reference maximum temperature for these accidents, high-quality German HTR fuel pebbles have already demonstrated a small fission product release. This paper discusses and compares the releases obtained from KüFA-testing the pebbles HFR-K5/3 and HFR-EU1/3, which were both irradiated in the High Flux Reactor (HFR) in Petten. We present the time-dependent fractional release of the volatile fission product {sup 137}Cs as well as the fission gas {sup 85}Kr for both pebbles. For HFR-EU1/3 the isotopes {sup 134}Cs and {sup 154}Eu as well as the shorter-lived {sup 110m}Ag have also been measured. A detailed description of the experimental setup and its accuracy is given. The data for the recently tested pebbles is discussed in the context of previous results.

Ultrastructure and electrophoretic protein pattern of a nuclear fraction enriched in interchromatin granule conglomerations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krzyzowska-Gruca, S.; Zborek, A.; Gruca, S.

1986-01-01

Rats were injected with a cytostatic 1-nitro-9/3'-dimethylpropyloamine/acridine.2HCl to induce aggregation of interchromatin granules (IG). The conglomerations of IG were well preserved in isolated liver nuclei and in nuclear structures deprived of chromatin. This feature enabled obtaining a nuclear fraction enriched in IG. The method consisted in extraction of isolated nuclei with a non-ionic detergent and digestion with DNase I in a high ionic strength. Each step of isolation was ultrastructurally monitored using both the routine electron microscopy as well as a preferential staining of IG with bismuth. Presence of spots of tightly packed granules within IG conglomerations in the final fraction like in the nuclei in situ was a good ultrastructural marker of IG. The resulting fraction consisted predominantly of IG conglomerations. Their preferential staining with bismuth was well preserved. Minute amounts of fibrillar material originating from nuclear matrix and residual nuclei could be observed. Protein composition of the fraction enriched in IG was studied by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. After electrotransfer, nitrocellulose filters were fixed with glutaraldehyde and stained with bismuth method in order to identify IG proteins. The results of ultrastructural and cytochemical studies in comparison to electrophoretic protein pattern are discussed.

Understanding the unusual reorganization of the nanostructure of a dark conglomerate phase

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nagaraj, M.; Jones, J. C.; Panov, V. P.; Liu, H.; Portale, G.; Bras, W.; Gleeson, H. F.

2015-01-01

The dark conglomerate (DC) phase exhibited by a bent-core liquid crystal shows remarkable properties including an electric-field tunable chiral domain structure and a large (0.045) reduction of refractive index, while maintaining an optically dark texture when observed under crossed polarizers. A

In-pile test of Li 2TiO 3 pebble bed with neutron pulse operation

Science.gov (United States)

Tsuchiya, K.; Nakamichi, M.; Kikukawa, A.; Nagao, Y.; Enoeda, M.; Osaki, T.; Ioki, K.; Kawamura, H.

2002-12-01

Lithium titanate (Li 2TiO 3) is one of the candidate materials as tritium breeder in the breeding blanket of fusion reactors, and it is necessary to show the tritium release behavior of Li 2TiO 3 pebble beds. Therefore, a blanket in-pile mockup was developed and in situ tritium release experiments with the Li 2TiO 3 pebble bed were carried out in the Japan Materials Testing Reactor. In this study, the relationship between tritium release behavior from Li 2TiO 3 pebble beds and effects of various parameters were evaluated. The ( R/ G) ratio of tritium release ( R) and tritium generation ( G) was saturated when the temperature at the outside edge of the Li 2TiO 3 pebble bed became 300 °C. The tritium release amount increased cycle by cycle and saturated after about 20 pulse operations.

First results of the post-irradiation examination of the Ceramic Breeder materials from the Pebble Bed Assemblies Irradiation for the HCPB Blanket concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hegeman, J.; Magielsen, A.J.; Peeters, M.; Stijkel, M.P.; Fokkens, J.H.; Laan, J.G. van der

2006-01-01

In the framework of developing the European Helium Cooled Pebble-Bed (HCPB) blanket an irradiation test of pebble-bed assemblies is performed in the HFR Petten. The experiment is focused on the thermo-mechanical behavior of the HCPB type breeder pebble-bed at DEMO representative levels of temperature and defined thermal-mechanical loads. To achieve representative conditions a section of the HCPB is simulated by EUROFER-97 cylinders with a horizontal bed of ceramic breeder pebbles sandwiched between two beryllium beds. Floating Eurofer-97 steel plates separate the pebble-beds. The structural integrity of the ceramic breeder materials is an issue for the design of the Helium Cooled Pebble Bed concept. Therefore the objective of the post irradiation examination is to study deformation of pebbles and the pebble beds and to investigate the microstructure of the ceramic pebbles from the Pebble Bed Assemblies. This paper concentrates on the Post Irradiation Examination (PIE) of the four ceramic pebble beds that have been irradiated in the Pebble Bed Assembly experiment for the HCPB blanket concept. Two assemblies with Li 4 SiO 4 pebble-beds are operated at different maximum temperatures of approximately 600 o C and 800 o C. Post irradiation computational analysis has shown that both have different creep deformation. Two other assemblies have been loaded with a ceramic breeder bed of two types of Li 2 TiO 3 beds having different sintering temperatures and consequently different creep behavior. The irradiation maximum temperature of the Li 2 TiO 3 was 800 o C. To support the first PIE result, the post irradiation thermal analysis will be discussed because thermal gradients have influence on the pebble-bed thermo-mechanical behavior and as a result it may have impact on the structural integrity of the ceramic breeder materials. (author)

Renewable side reflector structure for a pebble bed high temperature reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martin, Roger.

1977-01-01

The description is given of a renewable side reflector structure for a pebble bed high temperature reactor of the kind comprising a cylindrical graphite vessel constituting the neutron reflector, this vessel being filled with graphite pebbles containing the nuclear fuel and enclosed in a concrete protective containment. The internal peripheral area of the vessel is constituted by a line of adjacent graphite rods mounted so that they can rotate about their longitudinal axis and manoeuvrable from outside the concrete containment by means of a shaft passing into it [fr

Optimized Core Design and Fuel Management of a Pebble-Bed Type Nuclear Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boer, Brian

2007-01-01

The Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) has been selected by the international Generation IV research initiative as one of the six most promising nuclear reactor concepts that are expected to enter service in the second half of the 21st century. The VHTR is characterized by a high plant efficiency and a high fuel discharge burnup level. More specifically, the (pebble-bed type) High Temperature Reactor (HTR) is known for its inherently safe characteristics, coming from a negative temperature reactivity feedback, a low power density and a large thermal inertia of the core. The core of a pebble-bed reactor consists of graphite spheres (pebbles) that form a randomly packed porous bed, which is cooled by high pressure helium. The pebbles contain thousands of fuel particles, which are coated with several pyrocarbon and silicon carbon layers that are designed to contain the fission products that are formed during operation of the reactor. The inherent safety concept has been demonstrated in small pebble-bed reactors in practice, but an increase in the reactor size and power is required for cost-effective power production. An increase of the power density in order to increase the helium coolant outlet temperature is attractive with regard to the efficiency and possible process heat applications. However, this increase leads in general to higher fuel temperatures, which could lead to a consequent increase of the fuel coating failure probability. This thesis deals with the pebble-bed type VHTR that aims at an increased coolant outlet temperature of 1000 degrees C and beyond. For the simulation of the neutronic and thermal-hydraulic behavior of the reactor the DALTON-THERMIX coupled code system has been developed and has been validated against experiments performed in the AVR and HTR-10 reactors. An analysis of the 400 MWth Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) design shows that the inherent safety concept that has been demonstrated in practice in the smaller AVR and HTR-10

Pebble pile-up and planetesimal formation at the snow line

Science.gov (United States)

Drazkowska, J.

2017-09-01

The planetesimal formation stage represents a major gap in our understanding of planet formation process. Because of this, the late-stage planet accretion models typically make arbitrary assumptions about planetesimals and pebbles distribution, while the state-of-the-art dust evolution models predict no or little planetesimal formation. With this contribution, I present a step toward bridging the gap between the early and late stages of planet formation by models that connect dust coagulation and planetesimal formation. With the aid of evaporation, outward diffusion, and re-condensation of water vapor, pile-up of large pebbles is formed outside of the snow line that facilitates planetesimal formation by streaming instability.

Effect of a flow-corrective insert on the flow pattern in a pebble bed reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Yu; Gui, Nan; Yang, Xingtuan [Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Nuclear Energy Technology, Key Laboratory of Advanced Reactor Engineering and Safety of Ministry of Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Tu, Jiyuan [Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Nuclear Energy Technology, Key Laboratory of Advanced Reactor Engineering and Safety of Ministry of Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); School of Aerospace, Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne 3083, VIC (Australia); Jiang, Shengyao, E-mail: shengyaojiang@sina.com [Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Nuclear Energy Technology, Key Laboratory of Advanced Reactor Engineering and Safety of Ministry of Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)

2016-04-15

Highlights: • Effect of an insert on improving flow uniformity and eliminating stagnant zone is studied. • Three values concerned with the stagnant zone, radial uniformity and flow sequence are used. • Outlet diameter is a critical parameter that determines balancing mechanism of the insert. • Height/location is varied to let the insert work in unbalanced region and avoid adverse effect. - Abstract: A flow-corrective insert is adopted in the pebble-bed high temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) to improve flow performance of the pebble flow for the first time. 3D discrete element method (DEM) modeling is employed to study this slow and dense granular flow. It is verified that locating a properly designed insert in the bed can help transform unsatisfactory flow field to the preferred flow pattern for pebble bed reactors. Three characteristic values on the stagnant zone, radial uniformity and flow sequence of pebble flow are defined to evaluate uniformity of the overall flow field quantitatively. The results demonstrate that the pebble bed equipped with an insert performs better than normal beds from all these three aspects. Moreover, based on numerical experiments, several universal tips for insert design on height, location and outlet diameter are suggested.

Formation and accumulation of radiation-induced defects and radiolysis products in modified lithium orthosilicate pebbles with additions of titanium dioxide

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zarins, Arturs, E-mail: arturs.zarins@lu.lv [University of Latvia, Institute of Chemical Physics, Jelgavas Street 1, LV-1004, Riga (Latvia); University of Latvia, Faculty of Chemistry, Jelgavas Street 1, LV-1004, Riga (Latvia); Valtenbergs, Oskars [University of Latvia, Institute of Chemical Physics, Jelgavas Street 1, LV-1004, Riga (Latvia); University of Latvia, Faculty of Chemistry, Jelgavas Street 1, LV-1004, Riga (Latvia); Kizane, Gunta; Supe, Arnis [University of Latvia, Institute of Chemical Physics, Jelgavas Street 1, LV-1004, Riga (Latvia); Knitter, Regina; Kolb, Matthias H.H.; Leys, Oliver [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Applied Materials (IAM-KWT), 76021, Karlsruhe (Germany); Baumane, Larisa [University of Latvia, Institute of Chemical Physics, Jelgavas Street 1, LV-1004, Riga (Latvia); Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Aizkraukles Street 21, LV-1006, Riga (Latvia); Conka, Davis [University of Latvia, Institute of Chemical Physics, Jelgavas Street 1, LV-1004, Riga (Latvia); University of Latvia, Faculty of Chemistry, Jelgavas Street 1, LV-1004, Riga (Latvia)

2016-03-15

Lithium orthosilicate (Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4}) pebbles with 2.5 wt.% excess of silicon dioxide (SiO{sub 2}) are the European Union's designated reference tritium breeding ceramics for the Helium Cooled Pebble Bed (HCPB) Test Blanket Module (TBM). However, the latest irradiation experiments showed that the reference Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} pebbles may crack and form fragments under operation conditions as expected in the HCPB TBM. Therefore, it has been suggested to change the chemical composition of the reference Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} pebbles and to add titanium dioxide (TiO{sub 2}), to obtain lithium metatitanate (Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3}) as a second phase. The aim of this research was to investigate the formation and accumulation of radiation-induced defects (RD) and radiolysis products (RP) in the modified Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} pebbles with different contents of TiO{sub 2} for the first time, in order to estimate and compare radiation stability. The reference and the modified Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} pebbles were irradiated with accelerated electrons (E = 5 MeV) up to 5000 MGy absorbed dose at 300–990 K in a dry argon atmosphere. By using electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy it was determined that in the modified Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} pebbles, several paramagnetic RD and RP are formed and accumulated, like, E' centres (SiO{sub 3}{sup 3−}/TiO{sub 3}{sup 3−}), HC{sub 2} centres (SiO{sub 4}{sup 3−}/TiO{sub 3}{sup −}) etc. On the basis of the obtained results, it is concluded that the modified Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} pebbles with TiO{sub 2} additions have comparable radiation stability with the reference pebbles. - Highlights: • Formation of RD and RP in modified Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} pebbles with additions of TiO{sub 2} is analysed for the first time. • Due to additions of TiO{sub 2}, concentration of paramagnetic RD slightly increased in modified Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} pebbles. • Modified Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} pebbles have good radiation stability compared to

Opening the black box: internal capital markets and managerial power in conglomerates

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Glaser, M.; Lopez-de-Silanes, F.; Sautner, Z.

2010-01-01

How do firms allocate capital internally across units? Do more powerful and better connected managers inside a conglomerate get larger capital allocations? To answer these questions, we put together a unique five-year business-unit panel data set on planned and actual capital allocations inside a

Postirradiation examination of beryllium pebbles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gelles, D.S.

1998-01-01

Postirradiation examinations of COBRA-1A beryllium pebbles irradiated in the EBR-II fast reactor at neutron fluences which generated 2700--3700 appm helium have been performed. Measurements included density change, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The major change in microstructure is development of unusually shaped helium bubbles forming as highly non-equiaxed thin platelet-like cavities on the basal plane. Measurement of the swelling due to cavity formation was in good agreement with density change measurements

Thermo-mechanical and neutron lifetime modelling and design of Be pebbles in the neutron multiplier for the LIFE engine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DeMange, P.; Marian, J.; Caro, M.; Caro, A.

2009-01-01

Concept designs for the laser inertial fusion/fission energy (LIFE) engine include a neutron multiplication blanket containing Be pebbles flowing in a molten salt coolant. These pebbles must be designed to withstand the extreme irradiation and temperature conditions in the blanket to enable a reliable and cost-effective operation of LIFE. In this work, we develop design criteria for spherical Be pebbles on the basis of their thermo-mechanical behaviour under continued neutron exposure. We consider the effects of high fluence and fast fluxes on the elastic, thermal and mechanical properties of nuclear-grade Be. Our results suggest a maximum pebble diameter of 30 mm to avoid tensile failure, coated with an anti-corrosive, high-strength metallic shell to avoid failure by pebble contact. Moreover, we find that the operation temperature must always be kept above 450 deg. C to enable creep to relax the stresses induced by swelling. Under these circumstances, we estimate the pebble lifetime to be at least 16 months if uncoated, and up to six years when coated. We identify the sources of uncertainty on the properties used and discuss the advantages of new intermetallic beryllides and their use in LIFE's neutron multiplier. To establish Be-pebble lifetimes with improved confidence, reliable experiments to measure irradiation creep must be performed.

Experimental performance and results of the critical pebble bed facility KAHTER

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krings, F. J.; Drueke, V.; Kirch, N.; Neef, R. D.

1974-10-15

The paper provides a description and results of critical experiments performed in KAHTER fueled with pebbles containing coated particles of HEU/Th oxide with a ratio of uranium-to-thorium of 1.1:5. Core loadings with varying amounts of fuel and solid graphite pebbles were tested with fuel-to-graphite pebble ratios of 3:1, 1:1, and 1:3. Tests included criticality for various fuel loadings with all control rods removed, control rod worths for reflector-mounted control as single rods and in a bank and control worths for a central control rod, reaction rates by flux wire activations (Dy, Mn, In, Au, and U-235) and detector measurements (BF3 and fission chamber), simulated xenon stability testing using the motions of a Cf-252 source and Cd-absorber observed by an externally-located BF3 detector, and the reactivity worth of a Hf burnable absorber. For calculations of the room-temperature zero-power critical experiment, the values for nitrogen and hydrogen contents of the graphite were taken from previous experiments in CESAR.

Benchmark Evaluation of HTR-PROTEUS Pebble Bed Experimental Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bess, John D.; Montierth, Leland; Köberl, Oliver

2014-01-01

Benchmark models were developed to evaluate 11 critical core configurations of the HTR-PROTEUS pebble bed experimental program. Various additional reactor physics measurements were performed as part of this program; currently only a total of 37 absorber rod worth measurements have been evaluated as acceptable benchmark experiments for Cores 4, 9, and 10. Dominant uncertainties in the experimental keff for all core configurations come from uncertainties in the 235 U enrichment of the fuel, impurities in the moderator pebbles, and the density and impurity content of the radial reflector. Calculations of k eff with MCNP5 and ENDF/B-VII.0 neutron nuclear data are greater than the benchmark values but within 1% and also within the 3σ uncertainty, except for Core 4, which is the only randomly packed pebble configuration. Repeated calculations of k eff with MCNP6.1 and ENDF/B-VII.1 are lower than the benchmark values and within 1% (~3σ) except for Cores 5 and 9, which calculate lower than the benchmark eigenvalues within 4σ. The primary difference between the two nuclear data libraries is the adjustment of the absorption cross section of graphite. Simulations of the absorber rod worth measurements are within 3σ of the benchmark experiment values. The complete benchmark evaluation details are available in the 2014 edition of the International Handbook of Evaluated Reactor Physics Benchmark Experiments

CFD investigation of thermal-hydraulic characteristics in a PBR core using different contact treatments between pebbles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferng, Y.M.; Lin, K.Y.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • It is important to study thermal-hydraulic characteristics in a PBR for a HTGR. • A CFD model is proposed to simulate flow and heat transfer in a segment of pebbles. • Area and point contact treatments for adjacent pebbles are adopted in this study. • Predicted dependences of Nu and friction factor agree with the correlations. - Abstract: A high temperature gas cooled reactor (HTGR) with a pebble bed core (PBR) can be considered as one of the possible energy generation sources in the incoming future due to its inherently safe performance, lower power density, and higher conversion efficiency, etc. It is important to study the thermal-hydraulic characteristics in a PBR for optimum design and safe operation of a HTGR. In this paper, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methodology is proposed to investigate the thermal-hydraulic behavior in a segment of pebbles representing the central region of a PBR. Two kinds of contact modeling between adjacent pebbles are adopted, namely area and point contact treatments. The former contact treatment is a geometric approximation modeling. Based on the comparisons of thermal-hydraulic characteristics in the pebbles predicted by both contact treatments, no significant difference is revealed except for the near-wall secondary flow pattern. In addition, compared with the calculated results from the well-known correlations, the present predicted dependence of Nu number and friction factor on the particle Reynolds number shows good agreement qualitatively and quantitatively

Monte Carlo Library Least Square (MCLLS) Method for Multiple Radioactive Particle Tracking in BPR

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zhijian; Lee, Kyoung; Gardner, Robin

2010-03-01

In This work, a new method of radioactive particles tracking is proposed. An accurate Detector Response Functions (DRF's) was developed from MCNP5 to generate library for NaI detectors with a significant speed-up factor of 200. This just make possible for the idea of MCLLS method which is used for locating and tracking the radioactive particle in a modular Pebble Bed Reactor (PBR) by searching minimum Chi-square values. The method was tested to work pretty good in our lab condition with a six 2" X 2" NaI detectors array only. This method was introduced in both forward and inverse ways. A single radioactive particle tracking system with three collimated 2" X 2" NaI detectors is used for benchmark purpose.

Random geometry capability in RMC code for explicit analysis of polytype particle/pebble and applications to HTR-10 benchmark

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Shichang; Li, Zeguang; Wang, Kan; Cheng, Quan; She, Ding

2018-01-01

Highlights: •A new random geometry was developed in RMC for mixed and polytype particle/pebble. •This capability was applied to the full core calculations of HTR-10 benchmark. •Reactivity, temperature coefficient and control rod worth of HTR-10 were compared. •This method can explicitly model different packing fraction of different pebbles. •Monte Carlo code with this method can simulate polytype particle/pebble type reactor. -- Abstract: With the increasing demands of high fidelity neutronics analysis and the development of computer technology, Monte Carlo method is becoming more and more attractive in accurate simulation of pebble bed High Temperature gas-cooled Reactor (HTR), owing to its advantages of the flexible geometry modeling and the use of continuous-energy nuclear cross sections. For the double-heterogeneous geometry of pebble bed, traditional Monte Carlo codes can treat it by explicit geometry description. However, packing methods such as Random Sequential Addition (RSA) can only produce a sphere packing up to 38% volume packing fraction, while Discrete Element Method (DEM) is troublesome and also time consuming. Moreover, traditional Monte Carlo codes are difficult and inconvenient to simulate the mixed and polytype particles or pebbles. A new random geometry method was developed in Monte Carlo code RMC to simulate the particle transport in polytype particle/pebble in double heterogeneous geometry systems. This method was verified by some test cases, and applied to the full core calculations of HTR-10 benchmark. The reactivity, temperature coefficient and control rod worth of HTR-10 were compared for full core and initial core in helium and air atmosphere respectively, and the results agree well with the benchmark results and experimental results. This work would provide an efficient tool for the innovative design of pebble bed, prism HTRs and molten salt reactors with polytype particles or pebbles using Monte Carlo method.

A Pebble Bed Reactor cross section methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hudson, Nathanael H.; Ougouag, Abderrafi M.; Rahnema, Farzad; Gougar, Hans

2009-01-01

A method is presented for the evaluation of microscopic cross sections for the Pebble Bed Reactor (PBR) neutron diffusion computational models during convergence to an equilibrium (asymptotic) fuel cycle. This method considers the isotopics within a core spectral zone and the leakages from such a zone as they arise during reactor operation. The randomness of the spatial distribution of fuel grains within the fuel pebbles and that of the fuel and moderator pebbles within the core, the double heterogeneity of the fuel, and the indeterminate burnup of the spectral zones all pose a unique challenge for the computation of the local microscopic cross sections. As prior knowledge of the equilibrium composition and leakage is not available, it is necessary to repeatedly re-compute the group constants with updated zone information. A method is presented to account for local spectral zone composition and leakage effects without resorting to frequent spectrum code calls. Fine group data are pre-computed for a range of isotopic states. Microscopic cross sections and zone nuclide number densities are used to construct fine group macroscopic cross sections, which, together with fission spectra, flux modulation factors, and zone buckling, are used in the solution of the slowing down balance to generate a new or updated spectrum. The microscopic cross-sections are then re-collapsed with the new spectrum for the local spectral zone. This technique is named the Spectral History Correction (SHC) method. It is found that this method accurately recalculates local broad group microscopic cross sections. Significant improvement in the core eigenvalue, flux, and power peaking factor is observed when the local cross sections are corrected for the effects of the spectral zone composition and leakage in two-dimensional PBR test problems.

Managing conflict with a subordinate or a superior : Effectiveness of conglomerated behavior

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van de Vliert, E.; Euwema, M.C.; Huismans, S.E.

Rather than a single behavior, handling conflict is a conglomeration of behavioral components characterized by a pattern of occurrence and by a pattern of covariation of its components. Theories (R. R. Blake & J. S. Mouton, 1964, 1970; R.E. Walton, 1969) have predicted (a) that the forcing component

Acceleration of coupled granular flow and fluid flow simulations in pebble bed energy systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Yanheng, E-mail: liy19@rpi.edu [Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 8th Street, Troy, NY (United States); Ji, Wei, E-mail: jiw2@rpi.edu [Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 8th Street, Troy, NY (United States)

2013-05-15

Highlights: ► Fast simulation of coupled pebble flow and coolant flow in PBR systems is studied. ► Dimension reduction based on axisymmetric geometry shows significant speedup. ► Relaxation of coupling frequency is investigated and an optimal range is determined. ► A total of 80% efficiency increase is achieved by the two fast strategies. ► Fast strategies can be applied to simulating other general fluidized bed systems. -- Abstract: Fast and accurate approaches to simulating the coupled particle flow and fluid flow are of importance to the analysis of large particle-fluid systems. This is especially needed when one tries to simulate pebble flow and coolant flow in Pebble Bed Reactor (PBR) energy systems on a routine basis. As one of the Generation IV designs, the PBR design is a promising nuclear energy system with high fuel performance and inherent safety. A typical PBR core can be modeled as a particle-fluid system with strong interactions among pebbles, coolants and reactor walls. In previous works, the coupled Discrete Element Method (DEM)-Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) approach has been investigated and applied to modeling PBR systems. However, the DEM-CFD approach is computationally expensive due to large amounts of pebbles in PBR systems. This greatly restricts the PBR analysis for the real time prediction and inclusion of more physics. In this work, based on the symmetry of the PBR geometry and the slow motion characteristics of the pebble flow, two acceleration strategies are proposed. First, a simplified 3D-DEM/2D-CFD approach is proposed to speed up the DEM-CFD simulation without loss of accuracy. Pebble flow is simulated by a full 3D DEM, while the coolant flow field is calculated with a 2D CFD simulation by averaging variables along the annular direction in the cylindrical and annular geometries. Second, based on the slow motion of pebble flow, the impact of the coupling frequency on the computation accuracy and efficiency is

Acceleration of coupled granular flow and fluid flow simulations in pebble bed energy systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Yanheng; Ji, Wei

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Fast simulation of coupled pebble flow and coolant flow in PBR systems is studied. ► Dimension reduction based on axisymmetric geometry shows significant speedup. ► Relaxation of coupling frequency is investigated and an optimal range is determined. ► A total of 80% efficiency increase is achieved by the two fast strategies. ► Fast strategies can be applied to simulating other general fluidized bed systems. -- Abstract: Fast and accurate approaches to simulating the coupled particle flow and fluid flow are of importance to the analysis of large particle-fluid systems. This is especially needed when one tries to simulate pebble flow and coolant flow in Pebble Bed Reactor (PBR) energy systems on a routine basis. As one of the Generation IV designs, the PBR design is a promising nuclear energy system with high fuel performance and inherent safety. A typical PBR core can be modeled as a particle-fluid system with strong interactions among pebbles, coolants and reactor walls. In previous works, the coupled Discrete Element Method (DEM)-Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) approach has been investigated and applied to modeling PBR systems. However, the DEM-CFD approach is computationally expensive due to large amounts of pebbles in PBR systems. This greatly restricts the PBR analysis for the real time prediction and inclusion of more physics. In this work, based on the symmetry of the PBR geometry and the slow motion characteristics of the pebble flow, two acceleration strategies are proposed. First, a simplified 3D-DEM/2D-CFD approach is proposed to speed up the DEM-CFD simulation without loss of accuracy. Pebble flow is simulated by a full 3D DEM, while the coolant flow field is calculated with a 2D CFD simulation by averaging variables along the annular direction in the cylindrical and annular geometries. Second, based on the slow motion of pebble flow, the impact of the coupling frequency on the computation accuracy and efficiency is

Burnup performance of OTTO cycle pebble bed reactors with ROX fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ho, Hai Quan; Obara, Toru

2015-01-01

Highlights: • A 300 MW t Small Pebble Bed Reactor with Rock-like oxide fuel is proposed. • Using ROX fuel can achieve high discharged burnup of spent fuel. • High geological stability can be expected in direct disposal of the spent ROX fuel. • The Pebble Bed Reactor with ROX fuel can be critical at steady state operation. • All the reactor designs have a negative temperature coefficient. - Abstract: A pebble bed high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (PBR) with rock-like oxide (ROX) fuel was designed to achieve high discharged burnup and improve the integrity of the spent fuel in geological disposal. The MCPBR code with a JENDL-4.0 library, which developed the analysis of the Once-Through-Then-Out (OTTO) cycle in PBR, was used to perform the criticality and burnup analysis. Burnup calculations for eight cases were carried out for both ROX fuel and a UO 2 fuel reactor with different heavy-metal loading conditions. The effective multiplication factor of all cases approximately equalled unity in the equilibrium condition. The ROX fuel reactor showed lower FIFA than the UO 2 fuel reactor at the same heavy-metal loading, about 5–15%. However, the power peaking factor and maximum power per fuel ball in the ROX fuel core were lower than that of UO 2 fuel core. This effect makes it possible to compensate for the lower-FIFA disadvantage in a ROX fuel core. All reactor designs had a negative temperature coefficient that is needed for the passive safety features of a pebble bed reactor

Column treatment of brewery wastewater using clay fortified with stone-pebbles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oladoja, N.A.; Ademoroti, C.M.A.; Idiaghe, J.A.; Oketola, A.A.

2006-01-01

The study aimed at providing a low-cost treatment for brewery wastewater, which was achieved by mixing clay with stone-pebbles to improve the low permeability of water through clay beds. The combination (clay/stone-pebbles) was used in columns for the treatment of brewery wastewater. The crystal chemistry of the clay samples was studied using X-ray diffractometer. Three principal clay minerals (kaolin, illite and smectite) were detected in the samples. Atomic absorption spectrophotometer was used to study the geochemistry of the clay samples. The results of the geochemical studies showed that all the samples were hydrated aluminosilicates. Performance efficiency studies were conducted to determine the best combination ratio of clay to stone-pebbles, which showed that combination ratio 3:1 (clay/stone pebbles, w/w) performed better. The flow-rate studies showed that brewery wastewater had longer residence time in non fortified clay than in fortified clay. The flow-rate of the wastewater in the percolating media varied from one medium to another. Two modes of treatment (batch and continuous) were used. The effluent passed through the continuous treatment mode had better quality characteristics as compared with the effluent passed through the batch treatment mode. The effect of repeated use of the fortified column on the performance efficiency was also studied. The pH, total solids, and the chemical oxygen demand (COD) of the effluent was monitored over time. The results of the COD monitored over time were analysed using breakthrough curves. The different columns were found to have different bed volumes at both the break through and exhaustion points. (author)

Parametric study for high conversion pebble bed reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Teuchert, E.; Ruetten, H. J.

1975-06-15

Tables are presented of fuel cycle costs, conversion ratios and accompanying variations in fuel element designs for a 3,00 MWth high conversion pebble bed reactor with initial high enriched uranium/thorium cycle and subsequent recycling of U-233, Pu-239 and Pu-241.

Research and application of packing density for pebble bed in HTR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu Fujiang; Xie Fei; Sun Ximing

2015-01-01

The pebble bed high temperature gas-cooled reactor is one of the major types of reactors developed by Chinese nuclear technology. The statistical analysis for packing density in the pebble bed is an important issue of physical-thermal calculation and safety analysis. Aimed to this problem, a new kind of method was set up to solve this problem. Compared with the traditional lattice-fill method and the experiment, its efficiency and accuracy were verified, while helping to find out the best length of unit in the traditional lattice-fill method. This method was used to analyze the boundary effects observed by experiments. (authors)

DEM-CFD simulation of purge gas flow in a solid breeder pebble bed

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Hao [School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027 (China); Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900 (China); Li, Zhenghong [Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900 (China); University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027 (China); Guo, Haibing [Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900 (China); Ye, Minyou [School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027 (China); Huang, Hongwen, E-mail: inpclane@sina.com [Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900 (China)

2016-12-15

Solid tritium breeding blanket applying pebble bed concept is promising for fusion reactors. Tritium bred in the pebble bed is purged out by inert gas. The flow characteristics of the purge gas are important for the tritium transport from the solid breeder materials. In this study, a randomly packed pebble bed was generated by Discrete Element Method (DEM) and verified by radial porosity distribution. The flow parameters of the purge gas in channels were solved by Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) method. The results show that the normalized velocity magnitudes have the same damped oscillating patterns with radial porosity distribution. Besides, the bypass flow near the wall cannot be ignored in this model, and it has a slight increase with inlet velocity. Furthermore, higher purging efficiency becomes with higher inlet velocity and especially higher in near wall region.

Nonproliferation and safeguard considerations: Pebble Bed reactor fuel cycle evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-09-01

Nuclear fuel cycles were evaluated for the Pebble Bed Gas Cooled Reactor under development in the Federal Republic of Germany. The basic fuel cycle specified for the HTR-K and PNP is well qualified and will meet the requirements of these reactors. Twenty alternate fuel cycles are described, including high-conversion cycles, net-breeding cycles, and proliferation-resistant cycles. High-conversion cycles, which have a high probability of being successfully developed, promise a significant improvement in resource utilization. Proliferation-resistant cycles, also with a high probability of successful development, conpare very favorably with those for other types of reactors. Most of the advanced cycles could be adapted to first-generation pebble bed reactors with no significant modifications

A comparative study on the effective thermal conductivity of a single size beryllium pebble bed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abou-Sena, A.; Ying, A.; Abdou, M.

2004-01-01

Solid breeder blankets generally use beryllium-helium pebble beds to ensure sufficient tritium breeding. The data of the effective thermal conductivity, k eff , of beryllium pebble beds is important to the design of fusion blankets. It serves as a database for benchmarking the models of pebble beds. The objective of this paper is to review and compare the available data (obtained by several studies) of the effective thermal conductivity of beryllium pebble beds in order to address the current status of these data. Two comparisons are presented: one for the data of k eff versus bed mean temperature and the second one for the data of k eff versus external applied pressures. The data (k eff versus bed temperature) reported by Enoeda et al., Dalle Donne et al., and UCLA, have a similar particle size and packing fraction. Despite their similarity, the standard deviation values of their data are around 32%. Also, the data of the effective thermal conductivity as a function of mechanical pressure have standard deviation values of ∼50%. From the presented comparisons, significant discrepancies among the available data of k eff of the beryllium pebble beds were observed. These discrepancies may be attributed to the apparent differences among available studies, such as experiment technique, packing fraction, particle characteristics, bed dimensions, and temperature range and gradient across the bed. (author)

Formation and accumulation of radiation-induced defects and radiolysis products in modified lithium orthosilicate pebbles with additions of titanium dioxide

Science.gov (United States)

Zarins, Arturs; Valtenbergs, Oskars; Kizane, Gunta; Supe, Arnis; Knitter, Regina; Kolb, Matthias H. H.; Leys, Oliver; Baumane, Larisa; Conka, Davis

2016-03-01

Lithium orthosilicate (Li4SiO4) pebbles with 2.5 wt.% excess of silicon dioxide (SiO2) are the European Union's designated reference tritium breeding ceramics for the Helium Cooled Pebble Bed (HCPB) Test Blanket Module (TBM). However, the latest irradiation experiments showed that the reference Li4SiO4 pebbles may crack and form fragments under operation conditions as expected in the HCPB TBM. Therefore, it has been suggested to change the chemical composition of the reference Li4SiO4 pebbles and to add titanium dioxide (TiO2), to obtain lithium metatitanate (Li2TiO3) as a second phase. The aim of this research was to investigate the formation and accumulation of radiation-induced defects (RD) and radiolysis products (RP) in the modified Li4SiO4 pebbles with different contents of TiO2 for the first time, in order to estimate and compare radiation stability. The reference and the modified Li4SiO4 pebbles were irradiated with accelerated electrons (E = 5 MeV) up to 5000 MGy absorbed dose at 300-990 K in a dry argon atmosphere. By using electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy it was determined that in the modified Li4SiO4 pebbles, several paramagnetic RD and RP are formed and accumulated, like, E' centres (SiO33-/TiO33-), HC2 centres (SiO43-/TiO3-) etc. On the basis of the obtained results, it is concluded that the modified Li4SiO4 pebbles with TiO2 additions have comparable radiation stability with the reference pebbles.

Fabrication of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles using PVA–boric acid reaction for solid breeding materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Yi-Hyun, E-mail: yhpark@nfri.re.kr; Cho, Seungyon; Ahn, Mu-Young

2014-12-15

Highlights: • Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles were successfully fabricated by the slurry droplet wetting method. • Boron was used as hardening agent of PVA and completely removed during sintering. • Microstructure of fabricated Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebble was exceptionally homogeneous. • Suitable process conditions for high-quality Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebble were summarized. - Abstract: Lithium metatitanate (Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3}) is a candidate breeding material of the Helium Cooled Ceramic Reflector (HCCR) Test Blanket Module (TBM). The breeding material is used in pebble-bed form to reduce the uncertainty of the interface thermal conductance. In this study, Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles were successfully fabricated by the slurry droplet wetting method using the cross-linking reaction between polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and boric acid. The effects of fabrication parameters on the shaping of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} green body were investigated. In addition, the basic characteristics of the sintered pebble were also evaluated. The shape of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} green bodies was affected by slurry viscosity, PVA content and boric acid content. The grain size and average crush load of sintered Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebble were controlled by the sintering time. The boron was completely removed during the final sintering process.

Ionization efficiency of a COMIC ion source equipped with a quartz plasma chamber

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suominen, P.; Stora, T.; Sortais, P.; Medard, J.

2012-01-01

Increased ionization efficiencies of light noble gases and molecules are required for new physics experiments in present and future radioactive ion beam facilities. In order to improve these beams, a new COMIC-type ion source with fully quartz made plasma chamber was tested. The beam current stability is typically better than 1 % and beams are easily reproducible. The highest efficiency for xenon is about 15 %. However, the main goal is to produce molecular beam including radioactive carbon (in CO or CO 2 ), in which case the efficiency was measured to be only about 0.2%. This paper describes the experimental prototype and its performance and provides ideas for future development. This paper is followed by the associated poster. (authors)

Measurement of thermal expansion for a Li2TiO3 pebble bed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hisashi Tanigawa; Mikio Enoeda; Masato Akiba

2006-01-01

In the current design of the blanket with ceramic breeders, pebbles of breeding materials are packed into a container and used as a pebble bed. Thermal and mechanical conditions externally loaded on the bed affect thermal and mechanical properties of the bed. It is necessary to analyze thermo-mechanical properties of the bed under controlled thermal and mechanical conditions. In the present paper, thermal expansion of a Li 2 TiO 3 pebble bed was investigated. Our apparatus consists of a tensile test-apparatus and a measurement chamber. Pebbles of Li 2 TiO 3 with 2 mm diameter were used. They were packed into a container made of alumina. At first, thermal expansion of the apparatus was calibrated because the measured deformation included thermal expansions of the load rods and the container. Instead of the pebble bed, a column made of copper was installed and thermal expansion of the system was measured for the calibration. Taking into account the estimated thermal expansion of the column, thermal expansion of the rods and the container could be analyzed. Based on the correction, thermal expansion of the pebble bed was measured under compression of 0.1 MPa. Temperature of the bed was regulated from room temperature to 973 K. From the measured expansion of the bed, average thermal expansion coefficient was estimated. For the beds with different packing factors ranging from 65.5 to 68.5 %, thermal expansion coefficients were 1.4 ± 0. 10-5 K -1 . In the first measurement of the beds without pre-loading, expansion coefficients were larger for the cooling process than heating. When the beds were successively heated and cooled, the difference decreased. This means that relocation of the pebbles arises in the first heat treatment and progress of compaction is larger in the cooling process than heating. After a few heat treatments, packing states of the beds reach stable and expansion coefficients for both heat and cooling processes are close. In the case of the beds that

Improvement of burnup analysis for pebble bed reactors with an accumulative fuel loading scheme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simanullang, Irwan Liapto; Obara, Toru

2015-01-01

Given the limitations of natural uranium resources, innovative nuclear power plant concepts that increase the efficiency of nuclear fuel utilization are needed. The Pebble Bed Reactor (PBR) shows some potential to achieve high efficiency in natural uranium utilization. To simplify the PBR concept, PBR with an accumulation fuel loading scheme was introduced and the Fuel Handling System (FHS) removed. In this concept, the pebble balls are added little by little into the reactor core until the pebble balls reach the top of the reactor core, and all pebble balls are discharged from the core at the end of the operation period. A code based on the MVP/MVP-BURN method has been developed to perform an analysis of a PBR with the accumulative fuel loading scheme. The optimum fuel composition was found using the code for high burnup performance. Previous efforts provided several motivations to improve the burnup performance: First, some errors in the input code were corrected. This correction, and an overall simplification of the input code, was implemented for easier analysis of a PBR with the accumulative fuel loading scheme. Second, the optimum fuel design had been obtained in the infinite geometry. To improve the optimum fuel composition, a parametric survey was obtained by varying the amount of Heavy Metal (HM) uranium per pebble and the degree of uranium enrichment. Moreover, an entire analysis of the parametric survey was obtained in the finite geometry. The results show that improvements in the fuel composition can lead to more accurate analysis with the code. (author)

Neutron Fluence And DPA Rate Analysis In Pebble-Bed HTR Reactor Vessel Using MCNP

Science.gov (United States)

Hamzah, Amir; Suwoto; Rohanda, Anis; Adrial, Hery; Bakhri, Syaiful; Sunaryo, Geni Rina

2018-02-01

In the Pebble-bed HTR reactor, the distance between the core and the reactor vessel is very close and the media inside are carbon and He gas. Neutron moderation capability of graphite material is theoretically lower than that of water-moderated reactors. Thus, it is estimated much more the fast neutrons will reach the reactor vessel. The fast neutron collisions with the atoms in the reactor vessel will result in radiation damage and could be reducing the vessel life. The purpose of this study was to obtain the magnitude of neutron fluence in the Pebble-bed HTR reactor vessel. Neutron fluence calculations in the pebble-bed HTR reactor vessel were performed using the MCNP computer program. By determining the tally position, it can be calculated flux, spectrum and neutron fluence in the position of Pebble-bed HTR reactor vessel. The calculations results of total neutron flux and fast neutron flux in the reactor vessel of 1.82x108 n/cm2/s and 1.79x108 n/cm2/s respectively. The fast neutron fluence in the reactor vessel is 3.4x1017 n/cm2 for 60 years reactor operation. Radiation damage in stainless steel material caused by high-energy neutrons (> 1.0 MeV) will occur when it has reached the neutron flux level of 1.0x1024 n/cm2. The neutron fluence results show that there is no radiation damage in the Pebble-bed HTR reactor vessel, so it is predicted that it will be safe to operate at least for 60 years.

Transport and retention of strontium in surface-modified quartz sand with different wettability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yifei Li; Shuaihui Tian; Tianwei Qian

2011-01-01

Instead of radioactive 90 Sr, common strontium chloride was used to simulate the migration of radioactive strontium chloride in surface hydroxylated, silanized, and common quartz sand. The sorption and retardation characteristics of strontium (Sr 2+ ) in these surface modified quartz sands were studied by batch tests and column experiments. The equilibrium sorption data for Sr 2+ on different wettability sands were described by the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models, and the Langmuir model has been found to provide better correlation for hydrophilic sand. The breakthrough curves (BTCs) of Sr 2+ in these media were analyzed with the equilibrium convection-dispersion equation (CDE) and a non-equilibrium two-region mobile-immobile model (TRM) using a nonlinear least square curve-fitting program CXTFIT. The TRM model showed better fit to the measured BTCs of Sr 2+ , and the parameters of the fraction of mobile water indicated that significant preferential flow effected the non-equilibrium transport of Sr 2+ . Although TRM model could not fit the Sr 2+ BTCs very well, the parameter estimated by TRM model may be more reliable than those obtained from batch experiments because the transport of Sr 2+ in these kind of sand is non-equilibrium processes. (author)

Coronation Hill U-Au mine, South Alligator Valley, Northern Territory: an epigenetic sandstone-type deposit hosted by debris-flow conglomerate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Needham, R.S.; Stuart-Smith, P.G.

1987-01-01

The host rock at the Coronation Hill U-Au mine is a debris flow conglomerate, developed in a high-energy fluvial environment during deposition of the Coronation Sandstone of the El Sherana Group. Mineralisation took place by movement of low-temperature fluids from the U-enriched volcanics into the conduit sandstone and eventually into the reduced debris flow conglomerate and carbonaceous shale

Relationships between the Brook Street Terrane and Median Tectonic Zone (Median Batholith) : evidence from Jurassic conglomerates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tulloch, A.J.; Kimbrough, D.L.; Landis, C.A.; Mortimer, N.; Johnston, M.R.

1999-01-01

U-Pb zircon ages of 237-180 Ma and c. 280 Ma of seven granitoid clasts from the Rainy River Conglomerate which lies within the eastern Median Tectonic Zone (Median Batholith) in Nelson, and the Barretts Formation of the Brook Street Terrane in Southland, constrain the depositional ages of both units to be no older than c. 180-200 Ma (Early Jurassic). The minimum age of the Rainy River Conglomerate is constrained by the 147 +2 -1 Ma (Latest Jurassic) emplacement age of the One Mile Gabbronorite (new name: previously western Buller Diorite). The ages and chemistry of five of the granitoid clasts are broadly compatible with derivation from rocks that are now represented by Triassic plutons of the Median Tectonic Zone (Median Batholith), although ages as young as 180 Ma are slightly outside the range of the latter as currently exposed in New Zealand. The age (273-290 Ma, 237 +/- 3 Ma) and chemistry of the other two clasts (one each from Rainy River Conglomerate and Barretts Formation) suggest derivation from the Brook Street Terrane. Similarity in stratigraphic age, depositional characteristics, granitoid clast ages and composition between Rainy River Conglomerate and Barretts Formation suggests that they are broadly correlative and collectively overlapped a combined Brook Street Terrane - Median Batholith (MTZ) before the Late Jurassic (147 +2 -1 Ma). Sedimentary overlap may also have continued across to Middle Jurassic conglomeratic strata in the Murihiku Terrane to the east of the Brook Street Terrane. A U-Pb zircon age of 261 +/- 2 Ma is reported for Pourakino Trondhjemite of the Brook Street Terrane. (author). 56 refs., 10 figs., 4 tabs

Low radioactivity material for use in mounting radiation detectors

Science.gov (United States)

Fong, Marshall; Metzger, Albert E.; Fox, Richard L.

1988-01-01

Two materials, sapphire and synthetic quartz, have been found for use in Ge detector mounting assemblies. These materials combine desirable mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties with the radioactive cleanliness required to detect minimal amounts of K, Th, and U.

Consideration of emergency source terms for pebble-bed high temperature gas-cooled reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tao, Liu; Jun, Zhao; Jiejuan, Tong; Jianzhu, Cao

2009-01-01

Being the last barrier in the nuclear power plant defense-in-depth strategy, emergency planning (EP) is an integrated project. One of the key elements in this process is emergency source terms selection. Emergency Source terms for light water reactor (LWR) nuclear power plant (NPP) have been introduced in many technical documents, and advanced NPP emergency planning is attracting attention recently. Commercial practices of advanced NPP are undergoing in the world, pebble-bed high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) power plant is under construction in China which is considered as a representative of advanced NPP. The paper tries to find some pieces of suggestion from our investigation. The discussion of advanced NPP EP will be summarized first, and then the characteristics of pebble-bed HTGR relating to EP will be described. Finally, PSA insights on emergency source terms selection and current pebble-bed HTGR emergency source terms suggestions are proposed

Neutronic design of a Liquid Salt-cooled Pebble Bed Reactor (LSPBR)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Zwaan, S. J.; Boer, B.; Lathouwers, D.; Kloosterman, J. L.

2006-01-01

A renewed interest has been raised for liquid salt cooled nuclear reactors. The excellent heat transfer properties of liquid salt coolants provide several benefits, like lower fuel temperatures, higher coolant outlet temperatures, increased core power density and better decay heat removal. In order to benefit from the online refueling capability of a pebble bed reactor, the Liquid Salt Pebble Bed Reactor (LSPBR) is proposed. This is a high temperature pebble-bed reactor with a fuel design similar to existing HTRs, but using a liquid salt as a coolant. In this paper, the selection criteria for the liquid salt coolant are described. Based on its neutronic properties, LiF-BeF 2 (FLIBE) was selected for the LSPBR. Two designs of the LSPBR were considered: a cylindrical core and an annular core with a graphite inner reflector. Coupled neutronic-thermal hydraulic calculations were performed to obtain the steady state power distribution and the corresponding fuel temperatures. Finally, calculations were performed to investigate the decay heat removal capability in a protected loss-of-forced cooling accident. The maximum allowable power that can be produced with the LSPBR is hereby determined. (authors)

Tritium release kinetics in lithium orthosilicate ceramic pebbles irradiated with low thermal-neutron fluence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiao, Chengjian; Gao, Xiaoling; Kobayashi, Makoto; Kawasaki, Kiyotaka; Uchimura, Hiromichi; Toda, Kensuke; Kang, Chunmei; Chen, Xiaojun; Wang, Heyi; Peng, Shuming; Wang, Xiaolin; Oya, Yasuhisa; Okuno, Kenji

2013-01-01

Tritium release kinetics in lithium orthosilicate (Li 4 SiO 4 ) ceramic pebbles irradiated with low thermal-neutron fluence was studied by out-of-pile annealing experiments. It was found that the tritium produced in Li 4 SiO 4 pebbles was mainly released as tritiated water vapor (HTO). The apparent desorption activation energy of tritium on the pebble surface was consistent with the diffusion activation energy of tritium in the crystal grains, indicating that tritium release was mainly controlled by diffusion process. The diffusion coefficients of tritium in the crystal grains at temperatures ranging from 450 K to 600 K were obtained by isothermal annealing tests, and the Arrhenius relation was determined to be D = 1 × 10 −7.0 exp (−40.3 × 10 3 /RT) cm 2 s −1

Characterization of PEBBLEs as a Tool for Real-Time Measurement of Dictyostelium discoideum Endosomal pH

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Everett Moding

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The measurement of intracellular ion concentration change is important for understanding the cellular mechanisms for communication. Recently developed nanosensors, (Photonic Explorers for Biomedical use with Biologically Localized Embedding PEBBLEs, have a number of advantages for measuring ions in cells over established methods using microelectrodes, unbound fluorescent dyes, or NMR. PEBBLE sensors have been shown to work in principle for measuring dynamic ion changes, but few in vivo applications have been demonstrated. We modified the protocol for the fabrication of pH sensing PEBBLEs and developed a protocol for the utilization of these sensors for the monitoring of dynamic pH changes in the endosomes of slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum (D. discoideum. Oregon Green 514-CdSe Quantum Dot PEBBLEs were used to measure real-time pH inside D. discoideum endosomes during cAMP stimulation. Endosomal pH was shown to decrease during cAMP signaling, demonstrating a movement of protons into the endosomes of D. discoideum amoebae.

Colorado quartz: occurrence and discovery

Science.gov (United States)

Kile, D.E.; Modreski, P.J.; Kile, D.L.

1991-01-01

The many varieties and associations of quartz found throughout the state rank it as one of the premier worldwide localities for that species. This paper briefly outlines the historical importance of the mineral, the mining history and the geological setting before discussing the varieties of quartz present, its crystallography and the geological enviroments in which it is found. The latter include volcanic rocks and near surface igneous rocks; pegmatites; metamorphic and plutonic rocks; hydrothermal veins; skarns and sedimentary deposits. Details of the localities and mode of occurrence of smoky quartz, amethyst, milky quartz, rock crystal, rose quartz, citrine, agate and jasper are then given. -S.J.Stone

The application of radioactive isotopes to the study of motion of silt and pebbles in the rivers and in the sea; Application des isotopes radioactifs a l'etude des mouvements des sediments et des galets dans les cours d'eau et en mer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hours, R [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Saclay (France).Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires; Jaffry, P [Electricite de France (EDF), 78 - Chatou (France). Lab. National d' Hydraulique

1959-07-01

The application of radioactive tracers to the study of sediments drift has received considerable attention since 1954 in various countries. A comparative review is made of a number of techniques of labelling, immersing and detecting silts, sands, and pebbles. The influence of the burying of the active material is emphasized. The different experiments which have been so far carried out are described. (author) [French] L'application des traceurs radioactifs a l'etude des deplacements de sediments a fait depuis 1954 l'objet de travaux nombreux dans divers pays. On passe en revue et on compare differentes techniques de marquage, d'immersion et de detection des vases, sables et galets; on insiste sur l'influence de l'enfouissement du materiau actif. On decrit les differentes experiences effectuees jusqu'a ce jour. (auteur)

Performance Evaluation of a Pebble Bed Solar Crop Dryer ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Nigerian Journal of Technology ... The solar crop dryer consists of an imbedded pebble bed solar heat storage unit/solar collector ... The crop-drying chamber is made of drying trays of wire gauze while the roof is made of transparent glazing.

Revision of Drucker-Prager cap creep modelling of pebble beds in fusion blankets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hofer, D.; Kamlah, M.; Hermsmeyer, S.

2004-01-01

A continuum model commonly used in soil mechanics analysis is compiled by use of a finite element software and has been used to simulate the thermomechanical behaviour of pebble beds. The Drucker-Prager Cap theory accounts for inelastic volume change, cap hardening, nonlinear elasticity and pressure dependent shear failure. The hardening mechanism allows for defining the hydrostatic pressure yield stress as a function of the volumetric inelastic strain. Volumetric creep is considered in order to simulate the pebble bed behaviour at high temperatures. Here, the strain hardening option has been used for the consolidation creep mechanism. The model has been calibrated using the fitting curves of the oedometric test given by Reimann et al. The fitted data has been used to calculate a pebble bed with simplified boundary conditions loaded by non-uniform volumetric heating. This calculation demonstrated that the model is capable of representing creep behaviour under volumetric heating conditions. (author)

Hydrogen speciation in synthetic quartz

Science.gov (United States)

Aines, R.D.; Kirby, S.H.; Rossman, G.R.

1984-01-01

The dominant hydrogen impurity in synthetic quartz is molecular H2O. H-OH groups also occur, but there is no direct evidence for the hydrolysis of Si-O-Si bonds to yield Si-OH HO-Si groups. Molecular H2O concentrations in the synthetic quartz crystals studied range from less than 10 to 3,300 ppm (H/Si), and decrease smoothly by up to an order of magnitude with distance away from the seed. OH- concentrations range from 96 to 715 ppm, and rise smoothly with distance away from the seed by up to a factor of three. The observed OH- is probably all associated with cationic impurities, as in natural quartz. Molecular H2O is the dominant initial hydrogen impurity in weak quartz. The hydrolytic weakening of quartz may be caused by the transformation H2O + Si-O-Si ??? 2SiOH, but this may be a transitory change with the SiOH groups recombining to form H2O, and the average SiOH concentration remaining very low. Synthetic quartz is strengthened when the H2O is accumulated into fluid inclusions and cannot react with the quartz framework. ?? 1984 Springer-Verlag.

Tritium and helium release from beryllium pebbles neutron-irradiated up to 230appm tritium and 3000appm helium

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vladimir Chakin

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Study of tritium and helium release from beryllium pebbles with diameters of 0.5 and 1mm after high-dose neutron irradiation at temperatures of 686–968K was performed. The release rate always has a single peak, and the peak temperatures at heating rates of 0.017K/s and 0.117K/s lie in the range of 1100–1350K for both tritium and helium release. The total tritium release from 1mm pebbles decreases considerably by increasing the irradiation temperature. The total tritium release from 0.5mm pebbles is less than that from 1mm pebbles and remains constant regardless of the irradiation temperature. At high irradiation temperatures, open channels are formed which contribute to the enhanced tritium release.

Tritium release kinetics in lithium orthosilicate ceramic pebbles irradiated with low thermal-neutron fluence

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xiao, Chengjian; Gao, Xiaoling [Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Box 919-214, Mian Yang 621900 (China); Kobayashi, Makoto; Kawasaki, Kiyotaka; Uchimura, Hiromichi; Toda, Kensuke [China Academy of Engineering Physics, Box 919-1, Mian Yang 621900 (China); Kang, Chunmei; Chen, Xiaojun; Wang, Heyi; Peng, Shuming [Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Box 919-214, Mian Yang 621900 (China); Wang, Xiaolin, E-mail: xlwang@caep.ac.cn [China Academy of Engineering Physics, Box 919-1, Mian Yang 621900 (China); Oya, Yasuhisa; Okuno, Kenji [Radiochemistry Research Laboratory, Faculty of Science, Shizuoka University, 836 Ohya, Shizuoka 422-8529 (Japan)

2013-07-15

Tritium release kinetics in lithium orthosilicate (Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4}) ceramic pebbles irradiated with low thermal-neutron fluence was studied by out-of-pile annealing experiments. It was found that the tritium produced in Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} pebbles was mainly released as tritiated water vapor (HTO). The apparent desorption activation energy of tritium on the pebble surface was consistent with the diffusion activation energy of tritium in the crystal grains, indicating that tritium release was mainly controlled by diffusion process. The diffusion coefficients of tritium in the crystal grains at temperatures ranging from 450 K to 600 K were obtained by isothermal annealing tests, and the Arrhenius relation was determined to be D = 1 × 10{sup −7.0} exp (−40.3 × 10{sup 3}/RT) cm{sup 2} s{sup −1}.

Efficient Havinga–Kondepudi resolution of conglomerate amino acid derivatives by slow cooling and abrasive grinding

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Leeman, Michel; Noorduin, Wim L.; Millemaggi, Alessia; Vlieg, Elias; Meekes, Hugo; Enckevort, Willem J.P. van; Kaptein, Bernard; Kellogg, Richard M.

2010-01-01

The complete resolution of the conglomerate racemates of two amino acid derivatives susceptible to racemization in solution was achieved by slow crystallization from a supersaturated solution accompanied by cooling and abrasive grinding.

Tectonosedimentary model for the central Rand Goldfield, Witwatersrand basin, South Africa

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Stewart, RA

2004-12-01

Full Text Available is oligomictic consisting of approximately 90"/;! white and S'Mi smoky vein quartz cla.sts and 5">ii blue opale.scent quartz clasts- Locaiisetl (typically ranges of less than 10m) dark-grey, fine-grained quaitzite matrix occurs. On average, the Main Reef Leader....ssociitted with higher goki grades relaiive to the lower conglomerate and the Main Reef (I). Rolfe. personal communication, 2(KH)). The high proportion {1S%) of blue opale.scent t|uarlz cla.sts in the hangingwall conglomerate band is t haractcristic of the South Reef...

Quartz fiber calorimeter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akchurin, N.; Doulas, S.; Ganel, O.; Gershtein, Y.; Gavrilov, V.; Kolosov, V.; Kuleshov, S.; Litvinsev, D.; Merlo, J.-P.; Onel, Y.; Osborne, D.; Rosowsky, A.; Stolin, V.; Sulak, L.; Sullivan, J.; Ulyanov, A.; Wigmans, R.; Winn, D.

1996-01-01

A calorimeter with optical quartz fibers embedded into an absorber matrix was proposed for the small angle region of the CMS detector at LHC (CERN). This type of calorimeter is expected to be radiation hard and to produce extremely fast signal. Some results from beam tests of the quartz fiber calorimeter prototype are presented. (orig.)

Pebble bed reactor fuel cycle optimization using particle swarm algorithm

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tavron, Barak, E-mail: btavron@bgu.ac.il [Planning, Development and Technology Division, Israel Electric Corporation Ltd., P.O. Box 10, Haifa 31000 (Israel); Shwageraus, Eugene, E-mail: es607@cam.ac.uk [Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1PZ (United Kingdom)

2016-10-15

Highlights: • Particle swarm method has been developed for fuel cycle optimization of PBR reactor. • Results show uranium utilization low sensitivity to fuel and core design parameters. • Multi-zone fuel loading pattern leads to a small improvement in uranium utilization. • Thorium mixes with highly enriched uranium yields the best uranium utilization. - Abstract: Pebble bed reactors (PBR) features, such as robust thermo-mechanical fuel design and on-line continuous fueling, facilitate wide range of fuel cycle alternatives. A range off fuel pebble types, containing different amounts of fertile or fissile fuel material, may be loaded into the reactor core. Several fuel loading zones may be used since radial mixing of the pebbles was shown to be limited. This radial separation suggests the possibility to implement the “seed-blanket” concept for the utilization of fertile fuels such as thorium, and for enhancing reactor fuel utilization. In this study, the particle-swarm meta-heuristic evolutionary optimization method (PSO) has been used to find optimal fuel cycle design which yields the highest natural uranium utilization. The PSO method is known for solving efficiently complex problems with non-linear objective function, continuous or discrete parameters and complex constrains. The VSOP system of codes has been used for PBR fuel utilization calculations and MATLAB script has been used to implement the PSO algorithm. Optimization of PBR natural uranium utilization (NUU) has been carried out for 3000 MWth High Temperature Reactor design (HTR) operating on the Once Trough Then Out (OTTO) fuel management scheme, and for 400 MWth Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) operating on the multi-pass (MEDUL) fuel management scheme. Results showed only a modest improvement in the NUU (<5%) over reference designs. Investigation of thorium fuel cases showed that the use of HEU in combination with thorium results in the most favorable reactor performance in terms of

Pebble bed reactor fuel cycle optimization using particle swarm algorithm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tavron, Barak; Shwageraus, Eugene

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Particle swarm method has been developed for fuel cycle optimization of PBR reactor. • Results show uranium utilization low sensitivity to fuel and core design parameters. • Multi-zone fuel loading pattern leads to a small improvement in uranium utilization. • Thorium mixes with highly enriched uranium yields the best uranium utilization. - Abstract: Pebble bed reactors (PBR) features, such as robust thermo-mechanical fuel design and on-line continuous fueling, facilitate wide range of fuel cycle alternatives. A range off fuel pebble types, containing different amounts of fertile or fissile fuel material, may be loaded into the reactor core. Several fuel loading zones may be used since radial mixing of the pebbles was shown to be limited. This radial separation suggests the possibility to implement the “seed-blanket” concept for the utilization of fertile fuels such as thorium, and for enhancing reactor fuel utilization. In this study, the particle-swarm meta-heuristic evolutionary optimization method (PSO) has been used to find optimal fuel cycle design which yields the highest natural uranium utilization. The PSO method is known for solving efficiently complex problems with non-linear objective function, continuous or discrete parameters and complex constrains. The VSOP system of codes has been used for PBR fuel utilization calculations and MATLAB script has been used to implement the PSO algorithm. Optimization of PBR natural uranium utilization (NUU) has been carried out for 3000 MWth High Temperature Reactor design (HTR) operating on the Once Trough Then Out (OTTO) fuel management scheme, and for 400 MWth Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) operating on the multi-pass (MEDUL) fuel management scheme. Results showed only a modest improvement in the NUU (<5%) over reference designs. Investigation of thorium fuel cases showed that the use of HEU in combination with thorium results in the most favorable reactor performance in terms of

Typology and geographic/geotectonic distribution of uranium deposits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dahlkamp, F.J.

1980-01-01

In the last ten years, twenty new uranium deposits have been discovered. They provide nearly 50% of the known and reasonably assured resources. The most important deposits known in the past by size and ore grade were those found in oligomictic quartz pebble conglomerates, sandstones and, to a lesser extent, hydrothermal veins. The type found more recently, which are greater in quantity than the former ones, are of the vein type (Canada, Australia) as well as of the intrusive type (Roessing, Namibia) and in calcretes (Yeelirrie, Australia) and acid volcanic rocks (Mexico). Several classifications have been worked out in the past (E.W. Heinrich, 1958; M. Roubault, 1958; A. Mancher, 1962). More recently new data have enabled these classifications to be extended on a worldwide basis (Ruzicka, 1971; Ziegler, 1974; Dahlkamp, 1974, 1978) or on a regional basis (McMillan for Canada, 1978; Ingram for Australia, 1974). This classification attempt takes all available useful data into consideration to define different types of uranium deposits in as comprehensive and strict a manner as possible

Effect of heat source shape on the thermal field in the pebble bed core of High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (HTGR)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Leisheng; Lee, Jaeyoung [Handong Global University, Pohang (Korea, Republic of)

2015-10-15

In this study, in order to minimize the error brought by non-uniform heat flux, the spherical heaters are employed as heat source; subsequently, thermal field and heat transfer characteristics of the pebbles are investigated. The thermal field of the pebble surface in PBR is measured with heat source in different shapes. The HTGR design concept exhibits excellent safety features due to the low power density and the large amount of graphite present in the core which gives a large thermal inertia in an accident such as loss of coolant. However, the possible appearance of hot spots in the pebble bed cores of HTGR may affect the integrity of the pebbles, which has drawn the attention of many scientists to investigate the thermal field and to predict the maximum temperature locations in the pebbles using CFD method, Lee et.al has also done some experimental work on measuring the surface temperature of the pebbles as well as visualizing flow patterns of the coolant gas, and it was found that the temperature near the contacting points between pebbles was not higher than the flow stagnation points due to the higher thermal conductivity of the pebble. Certain error of temperature measurement might occur because of not very uniform heat flux in the pebbles since heater in cylindrical shape was utilized as heat source in previous experiment. More uniform heat flux and more complicated thermal profile are found in the result obtained using spherical heaters. The result shows that the temperature in contact point is higher than that in the top point, which is different from the previous results. The complex thermal phenomena observed in the lower-half side-sphere can be explained by the flow pattern near the surface.

Data release for intermediate-density hydrogeochemical and stream sediment sampling in the Vallecito Creek Special Study Area, Colorado, including concentrations of uranium and forty-six additional elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Warren, R.G.

1981-04-01

A sediment sample and two water samples were collected at each location about a kilometer apart from small tributary streams within the area. One of the two water samples collected at each location was filtered in the field and the other was not. Both samples were acidified to a pH of < 1; field data and uranium concentrations are listed first for the filtered sample (sample type = 07) and followed by the unfiltered sample (sample type = 27) for each location in Appendix I-A. Uranium concentrations are higher in unfiltered samples than in filtered samples for most locations. Measured uranium concentrations in control standards analyzed with the water samples are listed in Appendix II. All sediments were air dried and the fraction finer than 100 mesh was separated and analyzed for uranium and forty-six additional elements. Field data and analytical results for each sediment sample are listed in Appendix I-B. Analytical procedures for both water and sediment samples are briefly described in Appendix III. Most bedrock units within the sampled area are of Precambrian age. Three Precambrian units are known or potential hosts for uranium deposits; the Trimble granite is associated with the recently discovered Florida Mountain vein deposit, the Uncompahgre formation hosts a vein-type occurrence in Elk Park near the contact with the Irving formation, and the Vallecito conglomerate has received some attention as a possible host for a quartz pebble conglomerate deposit. Nearly all sediment samples collected downslope from exposures of Timble granite (geologic unit symbol ''T'' in Appendix I) contain unusually high uranium concentrations. High uranium concentrations in sediment also occur for an individual sample location that has a geologic setting similar to the Elk Park occurrence and for a sample associated with the Vallecito conglomerate

BRILLIANT PEBBLES: A METHOD FOR DETECTION OF VERY LARGE INTERSTELLAR GRAINS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Socrates, Aristotle; Draine, Bruce T.

2009-01-01

A photon of wavelength λ ∼ 1 μm interacting with a dust grain of radius a p ∼ 1 mm (a 'pebble') undergoes scattering in the forward direction, largely within a small characteristic diffraction angle θ s ∼ λ/a p ∼ 100''. Though millimeter-size dust grains contribute negligibly to the interstellar medium's visual extinction, the signal they produce in scattered light may be detectable, especially for variable sources. Observations of light scattered at small angles allow for the direct measurement of the large grain population; variable sources can also yield tomographic information of the interstellar medium's mass distribution. The ability to detect brilliant pebble halos requires a careful understanding of the instrument point-spread function.

On the Evaluation of Pebble Bead Reactor Critical Experiments Using the Pebbed Code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gougar, Hans D.; Sen, R. Sonat

2014-01-01

Critical experiments pose a particular but necessary challenge to validating pebble bed reactor design codes. Fuel and core heterogeneities, impurities in graphite, variable packing of pebbles, and moderately strong neutronic coupling are among the factors that inject uncertainty into the results obtained with lower fidelity core physics models. Some of these are addressed in this study. The PEBBED pebble bed reactor fuel management code under development at the Idaho National Laboratory is designed for rapid design and analysis of pebble bed high temperature reactors (PBRs). Embedded within the code are the THERMIX-KONVEK thermal fluid solver and the COMBINE-7 spectrum generation code for inline cross section homogenization. Because 1D symmetry can be found at each stage of core heterogeneity; spherical at TRISO and pebble levels, and cylindrical at the control rod and core levels, the 1-D transport capability of ANISN is assumed to be sufficient in most cases for generating flux solutions for cross section homogenization. Furthermore, it is fast enough to be executed during the analysis or the equilibrium core. Multi-group diffusion-based design codes such as PEBBED and VSOP are not expected to yield the accuracy and resolution of continuous energy Monte Carlo codes for evaluation of critical experiments. Nonetheless, if the preparation of multigroup cross sections can adequately capture the physics of the mixing of PBR fuel elements and leakage from the core, reasonable results may be obtained. In this paper, results of the application of PEBBED to two critical experiments (HTR Proteus and HTR-10) and associated computational models are presented. The embedded 1-D transport solver is shown to capture the double heterogeneity of the pebble fuel in unit cell calculations. Eigenvalue calculations of a whole core are more challenging, particularly if the boron concentration is uncertain. The sensitivity of major safety parameters to variations in modeling

Experimental study on single-phase convection heat transfer characteristics of pebble bed channels with internal heat generation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meng Xianke; Sun Zhongning; Zhou Ping; Xu Guangzhan

2012-01-01

The water-cooled pebble bed reactor core is the porous channels stacked with spherical fuel elements, having evident effect on enhancing heat transfer. Owing to the variability and randomness characteristics of it's interstice, pebble bed channels have a very complex heat transfer situation and have little correlative research. In order to research the heat transfer characters of pebble bed channels with internal heat source, electromagnetic induction heating method was adopted for overall heating the pebble bed which was composed of 8 mm diameter steel balls, and the internal heat transfer characteristics were researched. By comparing and analyzing the experimental data, the rule of power distribution and heat transfer coefficient with heat flux density, inlet temperature and working fluid's Re were got. According to the experimental data fitting, the dimensionless average heat transfer coefficient correlation criteria was got. The fitting results are good agreement with the experimental results within 12% difference. (authors)

In-pile test of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebble bed with neutron pulse operation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tsuchiya, K. E-mail: tsuchiya@oarai.jaeri.go.jp; Nakamichi, M.; Kikukawa, A.; Nagao, Y.; Enoeda, M.; Osaki, T.; Ioki, K.; Kawamura, H

2002-12-01

Lithium titanate (Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3}) is one of the candidate materials as tritium breeder in the breeding blanket of fusion reactors, and it is necessary to show the tritium release behavior of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebble beds. Therefore, a blanket in-pile mockup was developed and in situ tritium release experiments with the Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebble bed were carried out in the Japan Materials Testing Reactor. In this study, the relationship between tritium release behavior from Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebble beds and effects of various parameters were evaluated. The (R/G) ratio of tritium release (R) and tritium generation (G) was saturated when the temperature at the outside edge of the Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebble bed became 300 deg. C. The tritium release amount increased cycle by cycle and saturated after about 20 pulse operations.

Measurement of flow field in the pebble bed type high temperature gas-cooled reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Sa Ya; Lee, Jae Young

2008-01-01

In this study, flow field measurement of the Pebble Bed Reactor(PBR) for the High Temperature Gascooled Reactor(HTGR) was performed. Large number of pebbles in the core of PBR provides complicated flow channel. Due to the complicated geometries, numerical analysis has been intensively made rather than experimental observation. However, the justification of computational simulation by the experimental study is crucial to develop solid analysis of design method. In the present study, a wind tunnel installed with pebbles stacked was constructed and equipped with the Particle Image Velocimetry(PIV). We designed the system scaled up to realize the room temperature condition according to the similarity. The PIV observation gave us stagnation points, low speed region so that the suspected high temperature region can be identified. With the further supplementary experimental works, the present system may produce valuable data to justify the Computational Fluid Dynamics(CFD) simulation method

A study on Monte Carlo analysis of Pebble-type VHTR core for hydrogen production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Hong Chul

2005-02-01

In order to pursue exact the core analysis for VHTR core which will be developed in future, a study on Monte Carol method was carried out. In Korea, pebble and prism type core are under investigation for VHTR core analysis. In this study, pebble-type core was investigated because it was known that it should not only maintain the nuclear fuel integrity but also have the advantage in economical efficiency and safety. The pebble-bed cores of HTR-PROTEUS critical facility in Swiss were selected for the benchmark model. After the detailed MCNP modeling of the whole facility, calculations of nuclear characteristics were performed. The two core configurations, Core 4.3 and Core 5 (reference state no. 3), among the 10 configurations of the HTR-PROTEUS cores were chosen to be analyzed in order to treat different fuel loading pattern and modeled. The former is a random packing core and the latter deterministic packing core. Based on the experimental data and the benchmark result of other research groups for the two different cores, some nuclear characteristics were calculated. Firstly, keff was calculated for these cores. The effect for TRIO homogeneity model was investigated. Control rod and shutdown rod worths also were calculated and the sensitivity analysis on cross-section library and reflector thickness was pursued. Lastly, neutron flux profiles were investigated in reflector regions. It is noted that Monte Carlo analysis of pebble-type VHTR core was firstly carried out in Korea. Also, this study should not only provide the basic data for pebble-type VHTR core analysis for hydrogen production but also be utilized as the verified data to validate a computer code for VHTR core analysis which will be developed in future

Methodology of the On-Iine FoIIow Simulation of Pebble-bed High-temperature Reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xia Bing; Li Fu; Wei Chunlin; Zheng Yanhua; Chen Fubing; Zhang Jian; Guo Jiong

2014-01-01

The on-line fuel management is an essential feature of the pebble-bed high-temperature reactors (PB-HTRs), which is strongly coupled with the normal operation of the reactor. For the purpose of on-line analysis of the continuous shuffling scheme of numerous fuel pebbles, the follow simulation upon the real operation is necessary for the PB-HTRs. In this work, the on-line follow simulation methodology of the PB-HTRs’ operation is described, featured by the parallel treatments of both neutronics analysis and fuel cycling simulation. During the simulation, the operation history of the reactor is divided into a series of burn-up cycles according to the behavior of operation data, in which the steady-state neutron transport equations are solved and the diffusion theory is utilized to determine the physical features of the reactor core. The burn-up equations of heavy metals, fission products and neutron poisons including B-10, decoupled from the pebble flow term, are solved to analyze the burn-up process within a single burn-up cycle. The effect of pebble flow is simulated separately through a discrete fuel shuffling pattern confined by curved pebble flow channels, and the effect of multiple pass of the fuel is represented by logical batches within each spatial region of the core. The on-line thermal-hydraulics feedback is implemented for each bur-up cycle by using the real thermal-hydraulics data of the core operation. The treatment of control rods and absorber balls is carried out by utilizing a coupled neutron transport-diffusion calculation along with discontinuity factors. The physical models mentioned above are established mainly by using a revised version of the V.S.O.P program system. The real operation data of HTR-10 is utilized to verify the methodology presented in this work, which gives good agreement between simulation results and operation data. (author)

Quasi-direct numerical simulation of a pebble bed configuration, Part-II: Temperature field analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shams, A.; Roelofs, F.; Komen, E.M.J.; Baglietto, E.

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Quasi direct numerical simulations (q-DNSs) of a pebble bed configuration have been performed. ► This q-DNS database may serve as a reference for the validation of different turbulence modeling approaches. ► A wide range of qualitative and quantitative data throughout the computational domain has been generated. ► Results for mean, RMS of temperature and respective turbulent heat fluxes are extensively reported in this paper. -- Abstract: Good prediction of the flow and heat transfer phenomena in the pebble bed core of a high temperature reactor (HTR) is a challenge for available turbulence models, which still require to be validated. While experimental data are generally desirable in this validation process, due to the complex geometric configuration and measurement difficulties, a very limited amount of data is currently available. On the other hand, direct numerical simulation (DNS) is considered an accurate simulation technique, which may serve as an alternative for validating turbulence models. In the framework of the present study, quasi-direct numerical simulation (q-DNS) of a single face cubic centered pebble bed is performed, which will serve as a reference for the validation of different turbulence modeling approaches in order to perform calculations for a randomly arranged pebble bed. These simulations were performed at a Reynolds number of 3088, based on pebble diameter, with a porosity level of 0.42. Results related to flow field (mean, RMS and covariance of velocity) have been presented in Part-I, whereas, in the present article, we focus our attention to the analysis of the temperature field. A wide range of qualitative and quantitative data for the thermal field (mean, RMS and turbulent heat flux) has been generated

Fission Product Transport and Source Terms in HTRs: Experience from AVR Pebble Bed Reactor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rainer Moormann

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Fission products deposited in the coolant circuit outside of the active core play a dominant role in source term estimations for advanced small pebble bed HTRs, particularly in design basis accidents (DBA. The deposited fission products may be released in depressurization accidents because present pebble bed HTR concepts abstain from a gas tight containment. Contamination of the circuit also hinders maintenance work. Experiments, performed from 1972 to 88 on the AVR, an experimental pebble bed HTR, allow for a deeper insight into fission product transport behavior. The activity deposition per coolant pass was lower than expected and was influenced by fission product chemistry and by presence of carbonaceous dust. The latter lead also to inconsistencies between Cs plate out experiments in laboratory and in AVR. The deposition behavior of Ag was in line with present models. Dust as activity carrier is of safety relevance because of its mobility and of its sorption capability for fission products. All metal surfaces in pebble bed reactors were covered by a carbonaceous dust layer. Dust in AVR was produced by abrasion in amounts of about 5 kg/y. Additional dust sources in AVR were ours oil ingress and peeling of fuel element surfaces due to an air ingress. Dust has a size of about 1  m, consists mainly of graphite, is partly remobilized by flow perturbations, and deposits with time constants of 1 to 2 hours. In future reactors, an efficient filtering via a gas tight containment is required because accidents with fast depressurizations induce dust mobilization. Enhanced core temperatures in normal operation as in AVR and broken fuel pebbles have to be considered, as inflammable dust concentrations in the gas phase.

3D DEM simulation and analysis of void fraction distribution in a pebble bed high temperature reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Xingtuan; Gui, Nan; Tu, Jiyuan; Jiang, Shengyao

2014-01-01

Highlights: • We show a detailed analysis of void fraction (VF) in HTR-10 of China using DEM. • Radial distribution (RD) of VF is uniform in the core and oscillated near the wall. • Axial distribution (AD) is linearly varied along height due to effect of gravity. • Steady RD of VF in the conical base is Gaussian-like, larger than packing bed. • Joint linear and normal distribution of VF is analyzed and explained. - Abstract: The current work analyzes the radial and axial distributions of void fraction of a pebble bed high temperature reactor. A three-dimensional pebble bed corresponding to our test facility of pebble bed type gas-cooled high temperature reactor (HTR-10) in Tsinghua University is simulated via discrete element method, and the radial and axial void fraction profiles are calculated. It validates the oscillating characteristics of radial void fraction near the wall. Detailed calculations show the differences of void fraction profiles between the stationary packing bed and the dynamically discharging bed. Based on the vertically and circumferentially averaged radial distribution and horizontally averaged axial distribution of void fraction, a fully three-dimensional analytical distribution of void fraction throughout the bed is established. The results show the combined effects of gravity and void variation in the pebble bed caused by the pebble discharging. It indicates the linearly increased packing effect caused by gravity in the vertical (axial) direction and the normal distribution of void in the horizontal (radial) direction by pebble drainage. These two effects coexist in the conical base of the bed whereas only the former effect exists in the cylindrical volume of the bed

A safety re-evaluation of the AVR pebble bed reactor operation and its consequences for future HTR concepts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moormann, R.

2008-06-15

The AVR pebble bed reactor (46 MW{sub th}) was operated 1967-88 at coolant outlet temperatures up to 990 C. A principle difference of pebble bed HTRs as AVR to conventional reactors is the continuous movement of fuel element pebbles through the core which complicates thermohydraulic, nuclear and safety estimations. Also because of a lack of other experience AVR operation is still a relevant basis for future pebble bed HTRs and thus requires careful examination. This paper deals mainly with some insufficiently published unresolved safety problems of AVR operation and of pebble bed HTRs but skips the widely known advantageous features of pebble bed HTRs. The AVR primary circuit is heavily contaminated with metallic fission products (Sr-90, Cs-137) which create problems in current dismantling. The amount of this contamination is not exactly known, but the evaluation of fission product deposition experiments indicates that the end of life contamination reached several percent of a single core inventory, which is some orders of magnitude more than precalculated and far more than in large LWRs. A major fraction of this contamination is bound on graphitic dust and thus partly mobile in depressurization accidents, which has to be considered in safety analyses of future reactors. A re-evaluation of the AVR contamination is performed here in order to quantify consequences for future HTRs (400 MW{sub th}). It leads to the conclusion that the AVR contamination was mainly caused by inadmissible high core temperatures, increasing fission product release rates, and not - as presumed in the past - by inadequate fuel quality only. The high AVR core temperatures were detected not earlier than one year before final AVR shut-down, because a pebble bed core cannot yet be equipped with instruments. The maximum core temperatures are still unknown but were more than 200 K higher than calculated. Further, azimuthal temperature differences at the active core margin of up to 200 K were

A safety re-evaluation of the AVR pebble bed reactor operation and its consequences for future HTR concepts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moormann, R.

2008-06-01

The AVR pebble bed reactor (46 MW th ) was operated 1967-88 at coolant outlet temperatures up to 990 C. A principle difference of pebble bed HTRs as AVR to conventional reactors is the continuous movement of fuel element pebbles through the core which complicates thermohydraulic, nuclear and safety estimations. Also because of a lack of other experience AVR operation is still a relevant basis for future pebble bed HTRs and thus requires careful examination. This paper deals mainly with some insufficiently published unresolved safety problems of AVR operation and of pebble bed HTRs but skips the widely known advantageous features of pebble bed HTRs. The AVR primary circuit is heavily contaminated with metallic fission products (Sr-90, Cs-137) which create problems in current dismantling. The amount of this contamination is not exactly known, but the evaluation of fission product deposition experiments indicates that the end of life contamination reached several percent of a single core inventory, which is some orders of magnitude more than precalculated and far more than in large LWRs. A major fraction of this contamination is bound on graphitic dust and thus partly mobile in depressurization accidents, which has to be considered in safety analyses of future reactors. A re-evaluation of the AVR contamination is performed here in order to quantify consequences for future HTRs (400 MW th ). It leads to the conclusion that the AVR contamination was mainly caused by inadmissible high core temperatures, increasing fission product release rates, and not - as presumed in the past - by inadequate fuel quality only. The high AVR core temperatures were detected not earlier than one year before final AVR shut-down, because a pebble bed core cannot yet be equipped with instruments. The maximum core temperatures are still unknown but were more than 200 K higher than calculated. Further, azimuthal temperature differences at the active core margin of up to 200 K were observed

Sana experiments for self-acting removal of the after-heat in reactors with pebble bed fuel and their interpretation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Niessen, H.F.; Stoecker, Bernd; Amoignon, Olivier; Zuying, Gao; Jie, Liu

1997-01-01

For the confirmation of self-acting afterheat removal under hypothetical accident conditions from pebble bed reactors at the Research Center Juelich a test facility with an electrical heating input up to 30kW was erected and operated. A description of the test facility is given. Within the different tests the pebble diameter, the pebble material, the gas in the pebble bed, the heating-power and the arrangement of the heating were changed. Parts of the data were used within an IAEA Co-ordinated Research Program as benchmark problems for the code validation. All computer codes could simulate the test results with a sufficient good agreement, when the tests were executed with helium. For the tests with nitrogen the natural convection has to be taken into account. (author)

Flow characteristics analysis of purge gas in unitary pebble beds by CFD simulation coupled with DEM geometry model for fusion blanket

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Youhua [University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230027 (China); Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, 230031 (China); Chen, Lei [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, 230031 (China); Liu, Songlin, E-mail: slliu@ipp.ac.cn [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, 230031 (China); Luo, Guangnan [University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230027 (China); Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, 230031 (China)

2017-01-15

Highlights: • A unitary pebble bed was built to analyze the flow characteristics of purge gas based on DEM-CFD method. • Flow characteristics between particles were clearly displayed. • Porosity distribution, velocity field distribution, pressure field distribution, pressure drop and the wall effects on velocity distribution were studied. - Abstract: Helium is used as the purge gas to sweep tritium out when it flows through the lithium ceramic and beryllium pebble beds in solid breeder blanket for fusion reactor. The flow characteristics of the purge gas will dominate the tritium sweep capability and tritium recovery system design. In this paper, a computational model for the unitary pebble bed was conducted using DEM-CFD method to study the purge gas flow characteristics in the bed, which include porosity distribution between pebbles, velocity field distribution, pressure field distribution, pressure drop as well as the wall effects on velocity distribution. Pebble bed porosity and velocity distribution with great fluctuations were found in the near-wall region and detailed flow characteristics between pebbles were displayed clearly. The results show that the numerical simulation model has an error with about 11% for estimating pressure drop when compared with the Ergun equation.

Pebble bed reactors simulation using MCNP: The Chinese HTR-10 reactor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

SA Hosseini

2013-09-01

Full Text Available   Given the role of Gas-Graphite reactors as the fourth generation reactors and their recently renewed importance, in 2002 the IAEA proposed a set of Benchmarking problems. In this work, we propose a model both efficient in time and resources and exact to simulate the HTR-10 reactor using MCNP-4C code. During the present work, all of the pressing factors in PBM reactor design such as the inter-pebble leakage, fuel particle distribution and fuel pebble packing fraction effects have been taken into account to obtain an exact and easy to run model. Finally, the comparison between the results of the present work and other calculations made at INEEL proves the exactness of the proposed model.

The problem of dating quartz 2: Synchrotron generated X-ray excited optical luminescence (XEOL) from quartz

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

King, G.E.; Finch, A.A.; Robinson, R.A.J.; Taylor, R.P.; Mosselmans, J.F.W.

2011-01-01

The luminescence emission of quartz is used in optically stimulated luminescence dating (OSL), however the precise origins of the emission are unclear. A suite of quartz samples were analysed using X-ray excited optical luminescence (XEOL). Radiation dose effects were observed whereby the UV emissions (3.8 and 3.4 eV) were depleted to the benefit of the red emission (1.9-2.0 eV). Samples were excited at ∼7 keV. Understanding why some quartz emit light more brightly than others will increase the efficiency and precision of OSL analyses. - Highlights: → The X-ray excited optical luminescence (XEOL) emission of quartz is explored. → The XEOL of quartz of different provenances varies. → Radiation dosing causes UV emissions to deplete to the benefit of red emissions. → The 3.8 and 3.4 eV emissions deplete at the same rate. → The quartz luminescence emission exhibits anisotropic effects.

Quartz analysis in gravimetric sampling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rex, D.A.

1990-01-01

An overview of the methods employed in the assessment of quartz exposure is provided. The principles and some of the problems associated with each method is discussed. The methods reviewed include wet chemical methods, X-ray diffraction and infrared absorption of which the latter two methods are deemed appropriate for analysing quartz on personal gravimetric collected samples. The implications of combining area samples collected over a six month period, and performing only a single quartz analysis rather than separate analyses, are considered. Finally, various options open to mines with regard to their involvement with quartz analysis are also briefly discussed. 35 refs., 6 figs., 1 tab

The sedimentological characteristics of microbialites of the Cambrian in the vicinity of Beijing, China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yin-Ye Wu

2017-04-01

Full Text Available With oil and gas exploration transferring to deeper and more ancient marine strata, more researches have been conducted about the Meso–Neoproterozoic and Cambrian microbial carbonate rocks by petroleum geologists. The Cambrian deposits experienced the first transgression of the Paleozoic, with shallow marine facies depositing in most areas, which are favorable for different kinds of biological reproduction. The Lower Cambrian in Beijing area is lithologically dominated by purple red shales interbedded with limestones, the Middle Cambrian is mainly composed of thick oolitic limestones, and the Upper Cambrian consists of thin limestones and flat-pebble conglomerates. Two beds of microbial carbonate rocks were discovered in the Cambrian outcrops in the vicinity of Beijing. One is from the Zhangxia Formation of Middle Cambrian, and the other is from the Gushan Formation of Upper Cambrian. The microbialites are characterized by combination of multiple stromatolites forming different bioherms. The bioherms are mostly in oval shape and with different sizes, which are 3–4 m long, and 1–3 m high. The surrounding strata beneath the bioherms are oolitic limestones. A central core of flat-pebble conglomerates occurred within each bioherm. Wavy or columnar stromatolites grow on the basis of flat-pebble conglomerates, with dentate erosional surfaces. The bioherm carbonate rocks are interpreted as products from a deep ramp sedimentary environment where potential oil and gas reservoirs can be found. The analysis of sedimentological characteristics of bioherm carbonate rocks and its lithofacies palaeogeography has significant implication for petroleum exploration. Research on geological record of microbialites is beneficial to investigating the Earth evolution, biodiversity, palaeoenvironment and palaeoclimate change, as well as biological extinction event during geological transitions. It also gives warning to human beings of modern biological crisis.

Absorber rod for nuclear reactors in a pebble bed of spherical operating elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reinstein, D.; Gnutzmann, H.

1978-01-01

The claim refers to the constructional configuration of an absorber rod, whose and penetrating into the pebble bed has an opening to reduce the fracture rate, so that the operating elements can escape into a channel within the absorber rod. To suit this to the direction of movement of the elements a part of the end of the rod is flexibly connected to the hollow absorber rod via a joint. In this way the mechanical load of the element particles is reduced and simultaneously one achieves that much lower force is required to insert the absorber rod into the pebble bed. (UA) [de

Recovery and recycling of lithium value from spent lithium titanate (Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3}) pebbles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mandal, D., E-mail: dmandal10@gmail.com

2013-09-15

Graphical abstract: Effects of various process parameters on the recovery of Li-from spent Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles were investigated. From the experimental results it was observed that the leaching rate increases with speed of stirring till 450 rpm and then above 450 rpm; the increase in speed of stirring does not have any significant effect on the leaching rate as shown in the following figure. Effects of other parameters on the Li-recovery from spent Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles are discussed in this paper. Abstract: In the first generation fusion reactors the fusion of deuterium (D) and tritium (T) is considered to produce energy to meet the future energy demand. Deuterium is available in nature whereas, tritium is not. Lithium-6 (Li{sup 6}) isotope has the ability to produce tritium in the n, α nuclear reaction with neutrons. Thus lithium-based ceramics enriched by Li{sup 6} isotope are considered for the tritium generation for its use in future fusion reactors. Lithium titanate is one such Li-based ceramic material being considered for its some attractive properties viz., high thermal and chemical stability, high thermal conductivity, and low tritium solubility. It is reported in the literature, that the burn up of these pebbles in the fusion reactor will be limited to only 15–17 atomic percentage. At the end of life, the pebbles will contain more than 45% unused Li{sup 6} isotope. Due to the high cost of enriched Li{sup 6} and the waste disposal considerations, it is necessary to recover the unused Li from the spent lithium titanate pebbles. Till date, only the feasibilities of different processes are reported, but no process details are available. Experiments were carried out for the recovery of Li from simulated Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles and to reuse of lithium in lithium titanate pebble fabrication. The details of the experiments and results are discussed in this paper.

Status of Research on Pebble Bed HTR Fuel Fabrication Technology in Indonesia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rachmawati, M.; Sarjono; Ridwan; Langenati, R.

2014-01-01

Research on pebble bed HTR fuel fabrication is conducted in Indonesia. One of the aims is to build a knowledge base on pebble bed HTR fuel element fabrication technology for fuel procurement. The steps of research strategies are firstly to understand the basic design research of TRISO fuel, properties, and requirements, and secondly to understand the TRISO fuel manufacturing technology, which comprises fabrication and quality control, including its facility. Both steps are adopted from research and experiences of the countries with HTR fuel element fabrication technology. From the knowledge gained in the research, an experimental design of the process and a set of prototype process equipment for fabrication are developed, namely kernels production using external gelation process, TRISO coating of the kernel, and pebble compacting. Experiments using the prototypes have been conducted. Characterization of the kernel product, i.e. diameter, sphericity, density and O/U ratio, shows that the kernel product is still not in compliance with the specification requirements. These are deemed to be caused mainly by the selected vibrating system and the viscosity adjustment. Another major cause is the selected NH3 and air feeding method for both NH3 and air layer in the preparation for spherical droplets of liquid. The FB-CVD TRISO coating of the kernel has been experimented but unsuccessful by using an FB-CVD once‐through continuous coating process. For the pebble compacting, the process is still in the early stage of setting-up compaction equipment. This paper summarizes the current status of research on HTR fuel fabrication technology in Indonesia, the proposed process and its equipment setting-up for improvement of the kernel production. The knowledge and lessons learned gained from the research is useful and can be an assistance in planning for fuel development laboratory facilities procurement, formulating User Requirement Document and Bid Invitation Specification for

Radiation-Hard Quartz Cerenkov Calorimeters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akgun, U.; Onel, Y.

2006-01-01

New generation hadron colliders are going to reach unprecedented energies and radiation levels. Quartz has been identified as a radiation-hard material that can be used for Cerenkov calorimeters of the future experiments. We report from the radiation hardness tests performed on quartz fibers, as well as the characteristics of the quartz fiber and plate Cerenkov calorimeters that have been built, designed, and proposed for the CMS experiment

Recent progress in the modelling of helium and tritium behaviour in irradiated beryllium pebbles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rabaglino, E.; Ronchi, C.; Cardella, A.

2003-01-01

One of the key issues of the European Helium Cooled Pebble Bed blanket is the behaviour under irradiation of beryllium pebbles, which have the function of neutron multiplier. An intense production of helium occurs in-pile, as well as a non negligible generation of tritium. Helium bubbles induce swelling and a high tritium inventory is a safety issue. Extensive studies for a better understanding, characterisation and modelling of the behaviour of helium and tritium in irradiated beryllium pebbles are being carried out, with the final aim to enable a reliable prediction of gas release and swelling in the full range of operating and accidental conditions of a Fusion Power Reactor. The general strategy consists in integrating studies on macroscopic phenomena (gas release) with the characterisation of corresponding microscopic diffusion phenomena (bubble kinetics) and the assessment of some fundamental diffusion parameter for the models (gas atomic diffusion coefficients). The present work gives a summary of the latest achievements in this context. By an inverse analysis of experimental out-of-pile gas release from weakly irradiated pebbles, coupled to the study of the characteristics of bubble population, it has been possible to assess the thermal diffusion coefficients of helium and tritium in and to improve and validate the classical model of gas precipitation into bubbles inside the grain. The improvement of the description of gas atomic diffusion and precipitation is the first step to enable a more reliable prediction of gas release

Pebble bed blanket design for deuterium burning tandem mirror reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grotz, S.P.; Dhir, V.K.

1983-01-01

The UCLA tandem mirror reactor, SATYR, was developed around the capability of tandem mirrors with thermal barriers to burn deuterium at reasonable efficiency levels. The pebble bed concept has been incorporated into our blanket design for the following reasons: 1) Large area-to-volume ratio for purposes of heat removal; 2) Large volume of structure for high thermal capacity thus increasing the safety margin during off-normal incidents; 3) Relatively inexpensive manufacturing costs because of large acceptable tolerances and lack of exotic materials (i.e., lithium). A simplified stress analysis of the blanket module was performed to optimize and simplify the design. The pre-specified stress intensity limitations used were based upon a 30-year predicted lifetime for each module. Along with stress analysis of the vessel a detailed thermal hydraulic analysis of the pebble bed has been completed. Parameters affecting the pebble bed design are fluidization velocity, pressure drop, heat transfer coefficient, thermally induced stress in the spheres and spatial variation of the power density. Although reasonable gross thermal efficiencies of the 2 designs has been achieved (28% for H 2 O and 39% for He) the high net recirculating power fraction for heating and neutral beams results in relatively low net plant efficiencies (21% and 27%). The results show that a blanket can be designed with good thermal efficiency and a relative-ly simple configuration. However, application of this concept to the high Q deuterium-tritium fuel cycle would have difficulties resulting from the need for continuous removal of the tritium. (orig./HP)

The effects of applying silicon carbide coating on core reactivity of pebble-bed HTR in water ingress accident

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zuhair, S.; Setiadipura, Topan [National Nuclear Energy Agency of Indonesia, Serpong Tagerang Selatan (Indonesia). Center for Nuclear Reactor Technology and Safety; Su' ud, Zaki [Bandung Institute of Technology (Indonesia). Dept. of Physics

2017-03-15

Graphite is used as the moderator, fuel barrier material, and core structure in High Temperature Reactors (HTRs). However, despite its good thermal and mechanical properties below the radiation and high temperatures, it cannot avoid corrosion as a consequence of an accident of water/air ingress. Degradation of graphite as a main HTR material and the formation of dangerous CO gas is a serious problem in HTR safety. One of the several steps that can be adopted to avoid or prevent the corrosion of graphite by the water/air ingress is the application of a thin layer of silicon carbide (SiC) on the surface of the fuel element. This study investigates the effect of applying SiC coating on the fuel surfaces of pebble-bed HTR in water ingress accident from the reactivity points of view. A series of reactivity calculations were done with the Monte Carlo transport code MCNPX and continuous energy nuclear data library ENDF/B-VII at temperature of 1200 K. Three options of UO{sub 2}, PuO{sub 2}, and ThO{sub 2}/UO{sub 2} fuel kernel were considered to obtain the inter comparison of the core reactivity of pebble-bed HTR in conditions of water/air ingress accident. The calculation results indicated that the UO{sub 2}-fueled pebble-bed HTR reactivity was slightly reduced and relatively more decreased when the thickness of the SiC coating increased. The reactivity characteristic of ThO{sub 2}/UO{sub 2}-fueled pebble-bed HTR showed a similar trend to that of UO{sub 2}, but did not show reactivity peak caused by water ingress. In contrast with UO{sub 2}- and ThO{sub 2}-fueled pebble-bed HTR, although the reactivity of PuO{sub 2}-fueled pebble-bed HTR was the lowest, its characteristics showed a very high reactivity peak (0.33 Δk/k) and this introduction of positive reactivity is difficult to control. SiC coating on the surface of the plutonium fuel pebble has no significant impact. From the comparison between reactivity characteristics of uranium, thorium and plutonium cores with 0

Thermal-hydraulic calculation and analysis on helium cooled ceramic breeder pebble bed assembly for in-pile irradiation and in-situ tritium extraction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo Chunqiu; Xie Jiachun; Liu Xingmin

2013-01-01

In-pile irradiation and in-situ tritium extraction experiment is one of associated domestic research projects in ITER special program. According to the technical requirements of in-pile irradiation experiment of helium cooled ceramic breeder (ceramic) pebble bed assembly in a research reactor, the feasibility of the design for the in-pile irradiation and in-situ tritium extraction experiment of ceramic pebble bed assembly was evaluated. By conducting thermal-hydraulic design calculation with different in-pile irradiation channels, locations and structure parameters for ceramic pebble bed assembly, a reasonable design scheme of ceramic pebble bed assembly satisfying the design requirements for in-pile irradiation was obtained. (authors)

Fabrication of Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} pebbles by gel-precipitation technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wen, Z.; Wu, X.; Gu, Z. [Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai (China)

2007-07-01

Full text of publication follows: Lithium orthosilicate (Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4}) is considered as a promising candidate as breeder material for fusion reactors due to its high lithium content, high stability and favorable tritium release behavior. The shape the breeder materials adopted was determined by many factors, such as the tritium breeding ratio, the ease of diffusion of tritium, the release of thermal stress and irradiation cracking etc. At present pebble configuration has been recognized as the preferred option in most blanket designs for tritium breeders. In the fabrication of spheres of a ceramic material, there are several methods available: the agglomeration of powders, melt-spraying method, sol-gel process and gel-precipitation process. Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} pebbles with satisfying quality have been fabricated by melt-spraying method. But expensive experimental equipment and high temperature restrict the extensive application of the method. Gel-precipitation can be operated at room temperature and no special equipment is needed. The technique has been successfully used to produce lithium aluminate ceramic spheres. In this work, fabrication of Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} pebbles by gel-precipitation technology was first time investigated systematically. LiOH, citric acid and SiO{sub 2} (aerosil) were used as raw materials. SiO{sub 2} (aerosil) was dispersed in the gel formed by LiOH and citric acid, milky suspension was then obtained and Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} pebbles were produced from the milky suspension. The pebbles obtained displayed pure Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} phase, exhibited high sphericity, uniform distribution in size, small amount of pores and cracks. Phase transformation with the molar ratio of SiO{sub 2}/LiOH was investigated. The effect of sintering temperature on microstructure was discussed. The water-based gel-precipitation method for fabrication of Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} spheres was simple and convenient to realize mass production. (authors)

The Pebble Bed Modular Reactor: An obituary

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thomas, Steve, E-mail: stephen.thomas@gre.ac.u [Public Services International Research Unit (PSIRU), Business School, University of Greenwich, 30 Park Row, London SE10 9LS (United Kingdom)

2011-05-15

The High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (HTGR) has exerted a peculiar attraction over nuclear engineers. Despite many unsuccessful attempts over half a century to develop it as a commercial power reactor, there is still a strong belief amongst many nuclear advocates that a highly successful HTGR technology will emerge. The most recent attempt to commercialize an HTGR design, the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR), was abandoned in 2010 after 12 years of effort and the expenditure of a large amount of South African public money. This article reviews this latest attempt to commercialize an HTGR design and attempts to identify which issues have led to its failure and what lessons can be learnt from this experience. It concludes that any further attempts to develop HTGRs using Pebble Bed technology should only be undertaken if there is a clear understanding of why earlier attempts have failed and a high level of confidence that earlier problems have been overcome. It argues that the PBMR project has exposed serious weaknesses in accountability mechanisms for the expenditure of South African public money. - Research highlights: {yields} In this study we examine the reasons behind the failure of the South African PBMR programme. {yields} The study reviews the technical issues that have arisen and lessons for future reactor developments. {yields} The study also identifies weaknesses in the accountability mechanisms for public spending.

Study of phosphorus retention in a quartz ferralitic u soil devoted to citrus cultivation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nuviola, A.; Garcia, A.; Vallin, G.; Gonzalez, A.; Alvarez, C.

1988-01-01

Samples of a ferralitic quartz yellow-reddish lixiviated soil cultivated with valencia late orange were taken at two depths. Five different doses of phosphorus fertilization were applied there. These samples were worked out in the laboratory by using P 32 radioactive tracers so as to know the characteristics of retention and release of phosphorus. The effect of fertilization on the phosphates forms present in the soil were studied and the influence of each considered variant could be established trough the main components analysis

The Vakkejokk Breccia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ormö, J.; Nielsen, Arne Thorshøj; Alwmark, C.

2017-01-01

and the uppermost quartz sandstone are considered resurge deposits. The top conglomerate may be caused by subsequent wave reworking and slumping of material from the elevated rim. Quartz grains showing planar deformation features are present in the graded polymict subunit and the upper sandstone, that is...

Quartz glass behavior at ultraviolet spectrum region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Braga, A.F.B.; Barbosa, L.C.; Evora, C.A.P.D.

1990-01-01

Melted quartz ingots were produced from raw materials of different sources. Behavior studies of these three different quartz glass were made at the eletromagnetic spectrum ultraviolet region. The atomic absorption spectroscopy was used as an analysis technique of the alkaline, transition and aluminum metal traces. It was found that the alkaline, transition and aluminum metals impurities present a great influence on the melted quartz spectral behavior at the ultraviolet region. It was stated that measurments at this spectrum region constitute an important characterization technique to natural quartz as well as melted quartz. (author) [pt

Study of the fracture behavior of mortar and concretes with crushed rock or pebble aggregates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sebastião Ribeiro

2011-03-01

Full Text Available The objective of this work was to compare the fracture energy of mortar and concretes produced with crushed rock and pebble aggregates using zero, 10, 20, 30 and 40% of aggregates mixed with standard mortar and applying the wedge splitting method to achieve stable crack propagation. The samples were cast in a special mold and cured for 28 days, after which they were subjected to crack propagation tests by the wedge splitting method to determine the fracture energies of the mortar and concrete. The concretes showed higher fracture energy than the mortar, and the concretes containing crushed rock showed higher resistance to crack propagation than all the compositions containing pebbles. The fracture energy varied from 38 to 55 J.m-2. A comparison of the number of aggregates that separated from the two concrete matrices with the highest fracture energies indicated that the concrete containing pebbles crumbled more easily and was therefore less resistant to crack propagation.

Experimental diagenesis of quartz with petroleum; Diagenese experimentale du quartz en presence d'hydrocarbures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Teinturier, St.

2002-11-01

Quartz cementation has a great impact on petroleum reservoir quality by controlling the porosity and thus the gas or oil storage. However, the possible cementation of quartz during petroleum emplacement is still debated. In most cases, the reconstitution and the understanding of diagenetic processes is based on fluid inclusions studies. However, many questions concerning the representativeness and the reading of the fluid inclusions still remains misunderstood. The experiments were carried out in a silica{+-}water{+-}salts{+-}oil{+-}gas system with the objective to simulate the siliceous diagenesis of natural petroleum reservoirs and to better understand the mechanisms of fluid inclusions formation and quartz cementation in a water and/or petroleum system. Calibration curves have been established using Raman micro-spectroscopy and synthetic reference inclusions to calculate the methane content of aqueous inclusions in the H{sub 2}O-CH{sub 4}-NaCl system. A quantitative procedure for FT-IR micro-spectrometry has been developed to obtain, from individual petroleum fluid inclusions, mole % concentrations of methane, alkanes and carbon dioxide as constraints to thermodynamic modelling. Synthetic aqueous inclusions were created within quartz micro-fractures, with methane (from 150 deg C-200 bar), with petroleum (from 184 deg C-163 bar) and inside quartz overgrowth with the presence of hydrocarbons (from 277 deg C-300 bar). Synthetic petroleum inclusions were created with different water/oil ratios (W/O) within quartz micro-fractures (0quartz overgrowth (10

Study of seed for synthetical quartz

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suzuki, C.K.; Torikai, D.

1988-01-01

Natural quartz blocks for seed (synthetic quartz technology) were studied by using various characterization techniques, such as X-ray topography, optical micrography, inspectoscopy, polariscopy and conoscopy, and etching. One of the most commonly found defect is the electrical or Dauphine twin. In The present research, we have developed a methodology to obtain a highly perfect seed for the synthetic quartz industries. (author) [pt

Kr-85m activity as burnup measurement indicator in a pebble bed reactor based on ORIGEN2.1 Computer Simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Husnayani, I.; Udiyani, P. M.; Bakhri, S.; Sunaryo, G. R.

2018-02-01

Pebble Bed Reactor (PBR) is a high temperature gas-cooled reactor which employs graphite as a moderator and helium as a coolant. In a multi-pass PBR, burnup of the fuel pebble must be measured in each cycle by online measurement in order to determine whether the fuel pebble should be reloaded into the core for another cycle or moved out of the core into spent fuel storage. One of the well-known methods for measuring burnup is based on the activity of radionuclide decay inside the fuel pebble. In this work, the activity and gamma emission of Kr-85m were studied in order to investigate the feasibility of Kr-85m as burnup measurement indicator in a PBR. The activity and gamma emission of Kr-85 were estimated using ORIGEN2.1 computer code. The parameters of HTR-10 were taken as a case study in performing ORIGEN2.1 simulation. The results show that the activity revolution of Kr-85m has a good relationship with the burnup of the pebble fuel in each cycle. The Kr-85m activity reduction in each burnup step,in the range of 12% to 4%, is considered sufficient to show the burnup level in each cycle. The gamma emission of Kr-85m is also sufficiently high which is in the order of 1010 photon/second. From these results, it can be concluded that Kr-85m is suitable to be used as burnup measurement indicator in a pebble bed reactor.

Gas reactor international cooperative program interim report. Pebble bed reactor fuel cycle evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-09-01

Nuclear fuel cycles were evaluated for the Pebble Bed Gas Cooled Reactor under development in the Federal Republic of Germany. The basic fuel cycle specified for the HTR-K and PNP is well qualified and will meet the requirements of these reactors. Twenty alternate fuel cycles are described, including high-conversion cycles, net-breeding cycles, and proliferation-resistant cycles. High-conversion cycles, which have a high probability of being successfully developed, promise a significant improvement in resource utilization. Proliferation-resistant cycles, also with a high probability of successful development, compare very favorably with those for other types of reactors. Most of the advanced cycles could be adapted to first-generation pebble bed reactors with no significant modifications

Safeguards Challenges for Pebble-Bed Reactors (PBRs):Peoples Republic of China (PRC)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Forsberg, Charles W. [Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); Moses, David Lewis [ORNL

2009-11-01

The Peoples Republic of China (PRC) is operating the HTR-10 pebble-bed reactor (PBR) and is in the process of building a prototype PBR plant with two modular reactors (250-MW(t) per reactor) feeding steam to a single turbine-generator. It is likely to be the first modular hightemperature reactor to be ready for commercial deployment in the world because it is a highpriority project for the PRC. The plant design features multiple modular reactors feeding steam to a single turbine generator where the number of modules determines the plant output. The design and commercialization strategy are based on PRC strengths: (1) a rapidly growing electric market that will support low-cost mass production of modular reactor units and (2) a balance of plant system based on economics of scale that uses the same mass-produced turbine-generator systems used in PRC coal plants. If successful, in addition to supplying the PRC market, this strategy could enable China to be the leading exporter of nuclear reactors to developing countries. The modular characteristics of the reactor match much of the need elsewhere in the world. PBRs have major safety advantages and a radically different fuel. The fuel, not the plant systems, is the primary safety system to prevent and mitigate the release of radionuclides under accident conditions. The fuel consists of small (6-cm) pebbles (spheres) containing coatedparticle fuel in a graphitized carbon matrix. The fuel loading per pebble is small (~9 grams of low-enriched uranium) and hundreds of thousands of pebbles are required to fuel a nuclear plant. The uranium concentration in the fuel is an order of magnitude less than in traditional nuclear fuels. These characteristics make the fuel significantly less attractive for illicit use (weapons production or dirty bomb); but, its unusual physical form may require changes in the tools used for safeguards. This report describes PBRs, what is different, and the safeguards challenges. A series of

Additives affecting properties of β-Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles in a modified indirect wet chemistry process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yu, Cheng-Long, E-mail: johnyucl@aliyun.com [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shaanxi University of Science & Technology, Xi' an 710021 (China); Research Laboratory of Hydrothermal Chemistry, Faculty of Science, The Kochi University, Kochi 780-8520 (Japan); Liu, Wei; Yang, Long-Tao; Wang, Dao-Yi; Wu, Kang [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shaanxi University of Science & Technology, Xi' an 710021 (China); Zhang, Zeng-Ping [Key Laboratory for Special Area Highway Engineering of Ministry of Education, Chang' an University, Xi' an 710064 (China); Wang, Xiu-Feng [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shaanxi University of Science & Technology, Xi' an 710021 (China); Yanagisawa, Kazumichi [Research Laboratory of Hydrothermal Chemistry, Faculty of Science, The Kochi University, Kochi 780-8520 (Japan)

2016-11-15

Lithium metatitanate (β-Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3}) pebbles were fabricated via the modified indirect wet chemistry method. Effect of varied additives, as polyvinyl alcohol, glycerol, and agar on the properties evolution was investigated. The highest density is obtained by adding 2 wt% (weight percent) polyvinyl alcohol, 3 wt% glycerol, and 3 wt% agar, respectively. β-Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles with relative sintered density of 92.4%T.D. (Theoretical Density), the ratio of the intensity of diffraction peak (002) to that of (−133) of about 2.93, about 1.58 mm in diameter, a better sphericity of 1.02, the particle size of 5–6 μm, and the well-developed surface layered structure are successfully fabricated with 3 wt% glycerol. Glycerol is beneficial to improving the properties by other fabrication method as well. - Highlights: • Polyvinyl alcohol, glycerol, and agar were used to prepare β-Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles. • Properties of the β-Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles were governed by the additives. • Glycerol is beneficial to improving the properties of β-Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles.

An exploration hydrogeochemical study at the giant Pebble porphyry Cu-Au-Mo deposit, Alaska, USA, using high-resolution ICP-MS

Science.gov (United States)

Eppinger, Robert G.; Fey, David L.; Giles, Stuart A.; Kelley, Karen D.; Smith, Steven M.

2012-01-01

A hydrogeochemical study using high resolution ICP-MS was undertaken at the giant Pebble porphyry Cu-Au-Mo deposit and surrounding mineral occurrences. Surface water and groundwater samples from regional background and the deposit area were collected at 168 sites. Rigorous quality control reveals impressive results at low nanogram per litre (ng/l) levels. Sites with pH values below 5.1 are from ponds in the Pebble West area, where sulphide-bearing rubble crop is thinly covered. Relative to other study area waters, anomalous concentrations of Cu, Cd, K, Ni, Re, the REE, Tl, SO42− and F− are present in water samples from Pebble West. Samples from circum-neutral waters at Pebble East and parts of Pebble West, where cover is much thicker, have anomalous concentrations of Ag, As, In, Mn, Mo, Sb, Th, U, V, and W. Low-level anomalous concentrations for most of these elements were also found in waters surrounding nearby porphyry and skarn mineral occurrences. Many of these elements are present in low ng/l concentration ranges and would not have been detected using traditional quadrupole ICP-MS. Hydrogeochemical exploration paired with high resolution ICP-MS is a powerful new tool in the search for concealed deposits.

A promising tritium breeding material: Nanostructured 2Li2TiO3-Li4SiO4 biphasic ceramic pebbles

Science.gov (United States)

Dang, Chen; Yang, Mao; Gong, Yichao; Feng, Lan; Wang, Hailiang; Shi, Yanli; Shi, Qiwu; Qi, Jianqi; Lu, Tiecheng

2018-03-01

As an advanced tritium breeder material for the fusion reactor blanket of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), Li2TiO3-Li4SiO4 biphasic ceramic has attracted widely attention due to its merits. In this paper, the uniform precursor powders were prepared by hydrothermal method, and nanostructured 2Li2TiO3-Li4SiO4 biphasic ceramic pebbles were fabricated by an indirect wet method at the first time. In addition, the composition dependence (x/y) of their microstructure characteristics and mechanical properties were investigated. The results indicated that the crush load of biphasic ceramic pebbles was better than that of single phase ceramic pebbles under identical conditions. The 2Li2TiO3-Li4SiO4 ceramic pebbles have good morphology, small grain size (90 nm), satisfactory crush load (37.8 N) and relative density (81.8 %T.D.), which could be a promising breeding material in the future fusion reactor.

Quartz gauge response in ion radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taylor, P.E.; Gilbert, P.H.; Kernthaler, C.; Anderson, M.U.

1995-01-01

This paper describes recent work to make high quality quartz gauge (temporal and spatial) shock wave measurements in a pulsed ion beam environment. Intense ion beam radiation, nominally 1 MeV protons, was deposited into material samples instrumented with shunted quartz gauges adjacent to the ion deposition zone. Fluence levels were chosen to excite three fundamentally different material response modes (1) strong vapor, (2) combined vapor and melt phase and (3) thermoelastic material response. A unique quartz gauge design was utilized that employed printed circuit board (PCB) technology to facilitate electrical shielding, ruggedness, and fabrication at sign e meeting the essential one dimensional requirements of the characterized Sandia shunted quartz gauge. Shock loading and unloading experiments were conducted to evaluate the piezoelectric response of the coupled quartz gauge/PCB transducer. High fidelity shock wave profiles were recorded at the three ion fluence levels providing dynamic material response data for vapor, melt and solid material phases

A Parallel Algorithm for the Counting of Ellipses Present in Conglomerates Using GPU

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Reyes Yam-Uicab

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Detecting and counting elliptical objects are an interesting problem in digital image processing. There are real-world applications of this problem in various disciplines. Solving this problem is harder when there is occlusion among the elliptical objects, since in general these objects are considered as part of the bigger object (conglomerate. The solution to this problem focusses on the detection and segmentation of the precise number of occluded elliptical objects, while omitting all noninteresting objects. There are a variety of computational approximations that focus on this problem; however, such approximations are not accurate when there is occlusion. This paper presents an algorithm designed to solve this problem, specifically, to detect, segment, and count elliptical objects of a specific size when these are in occlusion with other objects within the conglomerate. Our algorithm deals with a time-consuming combinatorial process. To optimize the execution time of our algorithm, we implemented a parallel GPU version with CUDA-C, which experimentally improved the detection of occluded objects, as well as lowering processing times compared to the sequential version of the method. Comparative test results with another method featured in literature showed improved detection of objects in occlusion when using the proposed parallel method.

A simulation of a pebble bed reactor core by the MCNP-4C computer code

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bakhshayesh Moshkbar Khalil

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Lack of energy is a major crisis of our century; the irregular increase of fossil fuel costs has forced us to search for novel, cheaper, and safer sources of energy. Pebble bed reactors - an advanced new generation of reactors with specific advantages in safety and cost - might turn out to be the desired candidate for the role. The calculation of the critical height of a pebble bed reactor at room temperature, while using the MCNP-4C computer code, is the main goal of this paper. In order to reduce the MCNP computing time compared to the previously proposed schemes, we have devised a new simulation scheme. Different arrangements of kernels in fuel pebble simulations were investigated and the best arrangement to decrease the MCNP execution time (while keeping the accuracy of the results, chosen. The neutron flux distribution and control rods worth, as well as their shadowing effects, have also been considered in this paper. All calculations done for the HTR-10 reactor core are in good agreement with experimental results.

Radioactive waste management plan for the PBMR (Pty) Ltd fuel plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Makgae, Mosidi E.

2009-01-01

The Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (Pty) Ltd Fuel Plant (PFP) radioactive waste management plan caters for waste from generation, processing through storage and possible disposal. Generally, the amount of waste that will be generated from the PFP is Low and Intermediate Level Waste. The waste management plan outlines all waste streams and the management options for each stream. It also discusses how the Plant has been designed to ensure radioactive waste minimisation through recycling, recovery, reuse, treatment before considering disposal. Compliance to the proposed plan will ensure compliance with national legislative requirements and international good practice. The national and the overall waste management objective is to ensure that all PFP wastes are managed appropriately by utilising processes that minimize, reduce, recover and recycle without exposing employees, the public and the environment to unacceptable impacts. Both International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Department of Minerals and Energy (DME) principles act as a guide in the development of the strategy in order to ensure international best practice, legal compliance and ensuring that the impact of waste on employees, environment and the public is as low as reasonably achievable. The radioactive waste classification system stipulated in the Radioactive Waste Management Policy and Strategy 2005 will play an important role in classifying radioactive waste and ensuring that effective management is implemented for all waste streams, for example gaseous, liquid or solid wastes.

Planet population synthesis driven by pebble accretion in cluster environments

Science.gov (United States)

Ndugu, N.; Bitsch, B.; Jurua, E.

2018-02-01

The evolution of protoplanetary discs embedded in stellar clusters depends on the age and the stellar density in which they are embedded. Stellar clusters of young age and high stellar surface density destroy protoplanetary discs by external photoevaporation and stellar encounters. Here, we consider the effect of background heating from newly formed stellar clusters on the structure of protoplanetary discs and how it affects the formation of planets in these discs. Our planet formation model is built on the core accretion scenario, where we take the reduction of the core growth time-scale due to pebble accretion into account. We synthesize planet populations that we compare to observations obtained by radial velocity measurements. The giant planets in our simulations migrate over large distances due to the fast type-II migration regime induced by a high disc viscosity (α = 5.4 × 10-3). Cold Jupiters (rp > 1 au) originate preferably from the outer disc, due to the large-scale planetary migration, while hot Jupiters (rp meaning that more gas giants are formed at larger metallicity. However, our synthetic population of isolated stars host a significant amount of giant planets even at low metallicity, in contradiction to observations where giant planets are preferably found around high metallicity stars, indicating that pebble accretion is very efficient in the standard pebble accretion framework. On the other hand, discs around stars embedded in cluster environments hardly form any giant planets at low metallicity in agreement with observations, where these changes originate from the increased temperature in the outer parts of the disc, which prolongs the core accretion time-scale of the planet. We therefore conclude that the outer disc structure and the planet's formation location determines the giant planet occurrence rate and the formation efficiency of cold and hot Jupiters.

Surficial origin of North American pitchblende and related uranium deposits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Langford, F.F.

1977-01-01

The ubiquitous association of pitchblende uranium deposits with terrestrial sediments is believed to be the natural result of formation of the orebodies by surficial processes operating under continental conditions. The major uranium deposits of North America illustrate this. The quartz-pebble conglomerate uranium deposits of Elliot Lake, Ontario, have thorium-rich uranium minerals that indicate a detrital origin. With the development of an oxygenic atmosphere before 1,700 m.y. ago, uranium was transported in solution in meteoric surface and near-surface ground water, and produced pitchblende veins in fractures in the basement and in lava flows in terrestrial environments. This accounts for the closee association of fluvial sediments with the pitchblende deposits at Beaverlodge, Rabbit Lake, Baker Lake, and Great Bear Lake, Canada. The development of land plants about 300 m.y. ago produced favorable environments within the terrestrial sandstones themselves, and resulted in the tabular uranium orebodies of the Colorado Plateau. The close relation of tabular orebodies to sedimentation is apparent when compared to recent fluvial sedimentation. In Wyoming, the stratigraphic restriction of the boundary-roll deposits to a few zones in Eocene rocks results from their being remobilized tabular deposits

NURE uranium deposit model studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crew, M.E.

1981-01-01

The National Uranium Resource Evaluation (NURE) Program has sponsored uranium deposit model studies by Bendix Field Engineering Corporation (Bendix), the US Geological Survey (USGS), and numerous subcontractors. This paper deals only with models from the following six reports prepared by Samuel S. Adams and Associates: GJBX-1(81) - Geology and Recognition Criteria for Roll-Type Uranium Deposits in Continental Sandstones; GJBX-2(81) - Geology and Recognition Criteria for Uraniferous Humate Deposits, Grants Uranium Region, New Mexico; GJBX-3(81) - Geology and Recognition Criteria for Uranium Deposits of the Quartz-Pebble Conglomerate Type; GJBX-4(81) - Geology and Recognition Criteria for Sandstone Uranium Deposits in Mixed Fluvial-Shallow Marine Sedimentary Sequences, South Texas; GJBX-5(81) - Geology and Recognition Criteria for Veinlike Uranium Deposits of the Lower to Middle Proterozoic Unconformity and Strata-Related Types; GJBX-6(81) - Geology and Recognition Criteria for Sandstone Uranium Deposits of the Salt Wash Type, Colorado Plateau Province. A unique feature of these models is the development of recognition criteria in a systematic fashion, with a method for quantifying the various items. The recognition-criteria networks are used in this paper to illustrate the various types of deposits

Principles of modern uranium exploration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

King, J.W.

1974-01-01

The Athens Symposium followed the recommendations of a panel meeting in April 1970 on uranium exploration geology. It was attended by 220 participants representing 40 countries and two international organizations; 43 papers were presented. An overview of the supply challenge of uranium was given by Mr. Robert D. Nininger, of the USAEC, who acted as chairman of the Symposium. He outlined the major topics and problems to be discussed during the conference, with the aim of meeting this challenge: 'Uranium deposits in sandstone and quartz pebble conglomerates presently represent the preponderance of uranium resources. Yet there is a question whether geologic limitations on the occurrence of such deposits may preclude their discovery in numbers sufficient to meet the eventual resource needs. New types of deposits, low in grade but larger in size, representing the equivalent of the porphyry copper deposits, may supply the bulk of future resource additions. Further investigation is needed on the characteristics of such deposits and the means of their identification. Similarly, additional investigation is needed to determine whether limits on the more conventional deposits do, in fact, exist, and, if not, what advanced approaches to rapid identification of additional such deposits may be employed'

Development and testing of analytical models for the pebble bed type HTRs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huda, M.Q.; Obara, T.

2008-01-01

The pebble bed type gas cooled high temperature reactor (HTR) appears to be a good candidate for the next generation nuclear reactor technology. These reactors have unique characteristics in terms of the randomness in geometry, and require special techniques to analyze their systems. This study includes activities concerning the testing of computational tools and the qualification of models. Indeed, it is essential that the validated analytical tools be available to the research community. From this viewpoint codes like MCNP, ORIGEN and RELAP5, which have been used in nuclear industry for many years, are selected to identify and develop new capabilities needed to support HTR analysis. The geometrical model of the full reactor is obtained by using lattice and universe facilities provided by MCNP. The coupled MCNP-ORIGEN code is used to estimate the burnup and the refuelling scheme. Results obtained from Monte Carlo analysis are interfaced with RELAP5 to analyze the thermal hydraulics and safety characteristics of the reactor. New models and methodologies are developed for several past and present experimental and prototypical facilities that were based on HTR pebble bed concepts. The calculated results are compared with available experimental data and theoretical evaluations showing very good agreement. The ultimate goal of the validation of the computer codes for pebble bed HTR applications is to acquire and reinforce the capability of these general purpose computer codes for performing HTR core design and optimization studies

Progress in the development of Li{sub 2}ZrO{sub 3} and Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lulewicz, J D; Roux, N [CEA Centre d` Etudes de Saclay, 91 - Gif-sur-Yvette (France)

1998-03-01

Li{sub 2}ZrO{sub 3} and Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles are being developed as ceramic breeder for the European Helium-cooled pebble bed DEMO blanket concept. Status is given of the fabrication work, and of the properties characteristics determination. (author)

THE ROLE OF PEBBLE FRAGMENTATION IN PLANETESIMAL FORMATION. I. EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Syed, M. Bukhari; Blum, J. [Institut für Geophysik und extraterrestrische Physik, Technische Universität zu Braunschweig, Mendelssohnstr. 3, D-38106 Braunschweig (Germany); Jansson, K. Wahlberg; Johansen, A. [Lund Observatory, Department of Astronomy and Theoretical Physics, Lund University, Box 43, SE-221 00 Lund (Sweden)

2017-01-10

Previous work on protoplanetary dust growth shows a halt at centimeter sizes owing to the occurrence of bouncing at velocities of ≳0.1 m s{sup −1} and fragmentation at velocities ≳1 m s{sup −1}. To overcome these barriers, spatial concentration of centimeter-sized dust pebbles and subsequent gravitational collapse have been proposed. However, numerical investigations have shown that dust aggregates may undergo fragmentation during the gravitational collapse phase. This fragmentation in turn changes the size distribution of the solids and thus must be taken into account in order to understand the properties of the planetesimals that form. To explore the fate of dust pebbles undergoing fragmenting collisions, we conducted laboratory experiments on dust-aggregate collisions with a focus on establishing a collision model for this stage of planetesimal formation. In our experiments, we analyzed collisions of dust aggregates with masses between 0.7 and 91 g mass ratios between target and projectile from 1 to 126 at a fixed porosity of 65%, within the velocity range of 1.5–8.7 m s{sup −1}, at low atmospheric pressure of ∼10{sup −3} mbar, and in free-fall conditions. We derived the mass of the largest fragment, the fragment size/mass distribution, and the efficiency of mass transfer as a function of collision velocity and projectile/target aggregate size. Moreover, we give recipes for an easy-to-use fragmentation and mass-transfer model for further use in modeling work. In a companion paper, we use the experimental findings and the derived dust-aggregate collision model to investigate the fate of dust pebbles during gravitational collapse.

Simulation of volumetrically heated pebble beds in solid breeding blankets for fusion reactors. Modelling, experimental validation and sensitivity studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hernandez Gonzalez, Francisco Alberto

2016-01-01

The Breeder Units contains pebble beds of lithium orthosilicate (Li_4SiO_4) as tritium breeder material and beryllium as neutron multiplier. In this dissertation a closed validation strategy for the thermo-mechanical validation of the Breeder Units has been developed. This strategy is based on the development of dedicated testing and modeling tools, which are needed for the qualification of the thermo-mechanical functionality of these components in an out-of-pile experimental campaign. The neutron flux in the Breeder Units induces a nonhomogeneous volumetric heating in the pebble beds that must be mimicked in an out-of-pile experiment with an external heating system minimizing the intrusion in the pebble beds. Therefore, a heater system that simulates this volumetric heating has been developed. This heater system is based on ohmic heating and linear heater elements, which approximates the point heat sources of the granular material by linear sources. These linear sources represent ''linear pebbles'' in discrete locations close enough to relatively reproduce the thermal gradients occurring in the functional materials. The heater concept has been developed for the Li_4SiO_4 and it is based on a hexagonal matrix arrangement of linear and parallel heater elements of diameter 1 mm separated by 7 mm. A set of uniformly distributed thermocouples in the transversal and longitudinal direction in the pebble bed midplane allows a 2D temperature reconstruction of that measurement plane by means of biharmonic spline interpolation. This heating system has been implemented in a relevant Breeder Unit region and its proof-of-concept has been tested in a PRE-test Mock-Up eXperiment (PREMUX) that has been designed and constructed in the frame of this dissertation. The packing factor of the pebble bed with and without the heating system does not show significant differences, giving an indirect evidence of the low intrusion of the system. Such low intrusion has been confirmed by in

Simulation of volumetrically heated pebble beds in solid breeding blankets for fusion reactors. Modelling, experimental validation and sensitivity studies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hernandez Gonzalez, Francisco Alberto

2016-10-14

The Breeder Units contains pebble beds of lithium orthosilicate (Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4}) as tritium breeder material and beryllium as neutron multiplier. In this dissertation a closed validation strategy for the thermo-mechanical validation of the Breeder Units has been developed. This strategy is based on the development of dedicated testing and modeling tools, which are needed for the qualification of the thermo-mechanical functionality of these components in an out-of-pile experimental campaign. The neutron flux in the Breeder Units induces a nonhomogeneous volumetric heating in the pebble beds that must be mimicked in an out-of-pile experiment with an external heating system minimizing the intrusion in the pebble beds. Therefore, a heater system that simulates this volumetric heating has been developed. This heater system is based on ohmic heating and linear heater elements, which approximates the point heat sources of the granular material by linear sources. These linear sources represent ''linear pebbles'' in discrete locations close enough to relatively reproduce the thermal gradients occurring in the functional materials. The heater concept has been developed for the Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} and it is based on a hexagonal matrix arrangement of linear and parallel heater elements of diameter 1 mm separated by 7 mm. A set of uniformly distributed thermocouples in the transversal and longitudinal direction in the pebble bed midplane allows a 2D temperature reconstruction of that measurement plane by means of biharmonic spline interpolation. This heating system has been implemented in a relevant Breeder Unit region and its proof-of-concept has been tested in a PRE-test Mock-Up eXperiment (PREMUX) that has been designed and constructed in the frame of this dissertation. The packing factor of the pebble bed with and without the heating system does not show significant differences, giving an indirect evidence of the low intrusion of the system. Such

A Preliminary Study of the Effect of Shifts in Packing Fraction on k-effective in Pebble-Bed Reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ougouag, Abderrafi Mohammed-El-Ami; Terry, William Knox

2001-01-01

A preliminary examination of the effect of pebble packing changes on the reactivity of a pebble-bed reactor (PBR) is performed. As a first step, using the MCNP code, the modeling of a PBR core as a continuous and homogeneous region is compared to the modeling as a collection of discrete pebbles of equal average fuel density. It is shown that the two modeling approaches give the same trends inasmuch as changes in keff are concerned. It is thus shown that for the purpose of identifying trends in keff changes, the use of a homogeneous model is sufficient. A homogeneous model is then used to assess the effect of pebble packing arrangement changes on the reactivity of a PBR core. It is shown that the changes can be large enough to result in prompt criticality. It is shown that for uranium fueled PBRs, thermal feedback could have the potential to offset the increase in activity, whereas for plutonium fueled systems, thermal feedback may not be sufficient for totally offsetting the packing-increase reactivity insertion and could even exacerbate the initial response. It is thus shown that a full study, including reactor kinetics, thermal feedback, and the dynamics of energy deposition and removal is warranted to fully characterize the potential consequences of packing shifts

Positron states and nanoobjects in proton-irradiated quartz single crystals: Positronium atom in quartz

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grafutin, V. I.; Zaluzhnyi, A. G.; Timoshenkov, S. P.; Britkov, O. M.; Ilyukhina, O. V.; Myasishcheva, G. G.; Prokop'ev, E. P.; Funtikov, Yu. V.

2008-01-01

The influence of proton bombardment and metal atom impurities on the structure of quartz single crystals has been studied. The related defects have been studied using positron annihilation spectroscopy (angular correlation of positron-annihilation photons), acoustic absorption, and optical absorption measurements. It is shown that the presence of a narrow component f in the angular distribution of annihilation photons (ADAP), which is related to the formation of parapositronium, determines a high sensitivity of this method with respect to features of the crystal structure of quartz. It is established that the defectness of the structure of irradiated quartz crystals can be characterized by the ratio f/f 0 of the relative intensities of narrow components in the ADAP curves measured before (f 0 ) and after (f) irradiation. Any process leading to a decrease in the probability of positronium formation (e.g., positron loss as a result of the trapping on defects and the interaction with impurity atoms and lattice distortions) decreases the intensity of the narrow component. Based on the ADAP data, estimates of the radii and concentrations of nanodefects in quartz have been obtained and their variation upon annealing at temperatures up to T = 873 K has been studied

Optimal study of a solar air heating system with pebble bed energy storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao, D.L.; Li, Y.; Dai, Y.J.; Wang, R.Z.

2011-01-01

Highlights: → Use two kinds of circulation media in the solar collector. → Air heating and pebble bed heat storage are applied with different operating modes. → Design parameters of the system are optimized by simulation program. → It is found that the system can meet 32.8% of the thermal energy demand in heating season. → Annual solar fraction aims to be 53.04%. -- Abstract: The application of solar air collectors for space heating has attracted extensive attention due to its unique advantages. In this study, a solar air heating system was modeled through TRNSYS for a 3319 m 2 building area. This air heating system, which has the potential to be applied for space heating in the heating season (from November to March) and hot water supply all year around in North China, uses pebble bed and water storage tank as heat storage. Five different working modes were designed based on different working conditions: (1) heat storage mode, (2) heating by solar collector, (3) heating by storage bed, (4) heating at night and (5) heating by an auxiliary source. These modes can be operated through the on/off control of fan and auxiliary heater, and through the operation of air dampers manually. The design, optimization and modification of this system are described in this paper. The solar fraction of the system was used as the optimization parameter. Design parameters of the system were optimized by using the TRNSYS program, which include the solar collector area, installation angle of solar collector, mass flow rate through the system, volume of pebble bed, heat transfer coefficient of the insulation layer of the pebble bed and water storage tank, height and volume of the water storage tank. The TRNSYS model has been verified by data from the literature. Results showed that the designed solar system can meet 32.8% of the thermal energy demand in the heating season and 84.6% of the energy consumption in non-heating season, with a yearly average solar fraction of 53.04%.

Accumulation of radiation defects and products of radiolysis in lithium orthosilicate pebbles with silicon dioxide additions under action of high absorbed doses and high temperature in air and inert atmosphere

Science.gov (United States)

Zarins, A.; Supe, A.; Kizane, G.; Knitter, R.; Baumane, L.

2012-10-01

One of the technological problems of a fusion reactor is the change in composition and structure of ceramic breeders (Li4SiO4 or Li2TiO3 pebbles) during long-term operation. In this study changes in the composition and microstructure of Li4SiO4 pebbles with 2.5 wt% silicon dioxide additions, fabricated by a melt-spraying process, were investigated after fast electron irradiation (E = 5 MeV, dose rate up to 88 MGy h-1) with high absorbed dose from 1.3 to 10.6 GGy at high temperature (543-573 K) in air and argon atmosphere. Three types of pebbles with different diameters and grain sizes were investigated. Products of radiolysis were studied by means of FTIR and XRD. TSL and ESR spectroscopy were used to detect radiation defects. SEM was used to investigate structure of pebbles. Experiments showed that Li4SiO4 pebbles with a diameter of 500 μm had similar radiation stability as pebbles with diameter <50 μm which were annealed at 1173 K for 128 h in argon and air atmosphere. As well as determined that lithium orthosilicate pebbles with size 500 (1243 K 168 h) and <50 μm (1173 K 128 h) have a higher radiation stability in air and argon atmosphere than pebbles with size <50 μm (1073 K 1 h). Degree of decomposition α10.56 of the lithium orthosilicate pebbles at an absorbed dose of 10.56 GGy in air atmosphere is 1.5% and 0.15% at irradiation in dry argon. It has been suggested that changes of radiation stability of lithium orthosilicate pebbles in air atmosphere comparing with irradiated pebbles in argon atmosphere is effect of chemical reaction of lithium orthosilicate surface with air containing - H2O and CO2 in irradiation process. As well as it has been suggested that silicon dioxide - lithium metasilicate admixtures do not affect formation mechanism of radiation defect and products of radiolysis in lithium orthosilicate pebbles.

Studi Awal Desain Pebble Bed Reactor Berbasis Htr-pm Dengan Skema Resirkulasi Bahan Bakar Once-through-then-out

OpenAIRE

Setiadipura, Topan; Pane, Jupiter Sitorus; Zuhair, Zuhair

2016-01-01

STUDI AWAL DESAIN PEBBLE BED REACTOR BERBASIS HTR-PM DENGAN RESIRKULASI BAHAN BAKAR ONCE-THROUGH-THEN-OUT. Reaktor nuklir tipe pebble bed reactor (PBR) adalah salah satu reaktor canggih dengan fitur keselamatan pasif yang kuat. Pada desain tipe ini berpotensi untuk dilakukan kogenerasi yang bermanfaat untuk pengolahan berbagai mineral di berbagai pulau di Indonesia. Operasi PBR dapat lebih disederhanakan dengan menerapkan skema pengisian bahan bakar once-through-then-out (OTTO) dimana bahan b...

Safeguards Challenges for Pebble-Bed Reactors (PBRs):Peoples Republic of China (PRC)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Forsberg, Charles W.; Moses, David Lewis

2009-01-01

The Peoples Republic of China (PRC) is operating the HTR-10 pebble-bed reactor (PBR) and is in the process of building a prototype PBR plant with two modular reactors (250-MW(t) per reactor) feeding steam to a single turbine-generator. It is likely to be the first modular high temperature reactor to be ready for commercial deployment in the world because it is a high priority project for the PRC. The plant design features multiple modular reactors feeding steam to a single turbine generator where the number of modules determines the plant output. The design and commercialization strategy are based on PRC strengths: (1) a rapidly growing electric market that will support low-cost mass production of modular reactor units and (2) a balance of plant system based on economics of scale that uses the same mass-produced turbine-generator systems used in PRC coal plants. If successful, in addition to supplying the PRC market, this strategy could enable China to be the leading exporter of nuclear reactors to developing countries. The modular characteristics of the reactor match much of the need elsewhere in the world. PBRs have major safety advantages and a radically different fuel. The fuel, not the plant systems, is the primary safety system to prevent and mitigate the release of radionuclides under accident conditions. The fuel consists of small (6-cm) pebbles (spheres) containing coated particle fuel in a graphitized carbon matrix. The fuel loading per pebble is small (∼9 grams of low-enriched uranium) and hundreds of thousands of pebbles are required to fuel a nuclear plant. The uranium concentration in the fuel is an order of magnitude less than in traditional nuclear fuels. These characteristics make the fuel significantly less attractive for illicit use (weapons production or dirty bomb); but, its unusual physical form may require changes in the tools used for safeguards. This report describes PBRs, what is different, and the safeguards challenges. A series of

The job market and temporary work programs. ANalysis of the case of the Greater La Plata conglomerate 2003-2008

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juliana Santa María

2009-01-01

Full Text Available This paper aims at looking into the job market situation in the Greater La Plata conglomerate, focusing its attention on the implementation of Temporary Work Programs as a clearly passive tool used by the State -especially during the last few decades- to deal with the population's employment issues. Based on the situation that the region presents, the specific situation of the municipality of Berisso which is part of the conglomerate will be looked into, in order to carry out an in-depth analysis of these types of policies' effective implementation forms and strategies on the municipal level. The Permanent Home Survey (EHP - INDEC, information provided by the Municipality and documents on Employment Policies and Programs will be used in order to complete this work.

FRASNIAN AND VISEAN-NAMURIAN CONODONT FAUNAS AT PRAPROTNO, SLOVENIA

OpenAIRE

KOLAR-JURKOVSEK, TEA; JURKOVSEK, BOGDAN

2017-01-01

Conodont faunas from the limestone pebbles of the Upper Paleozoic Conglomerate at Praprotno, Slovenia demonstrate the presence of two faunas. The older fauna, marked by Palmatolepis surecta and Polygnathus decorosus is indicative of the Frasnian stage (Upper Devonian). The younger fauna is dominated by Gnathodus bilineatus and contains Lochriea commutata and L. nodosa. This fauna is characteristic of the Late Visean-Namurian (Lower Carboniferous).

Dynamics of a small direct cycle pebble bed HTR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Verkerk, E.C.; Heek, A.I. van

2001-01-01

The Dutch market for combined generation of heat and power identifies a unit size of 40 MW thermal for the conceptual design of a nuclear cogeneration plant. The ACACIA system provides 14 MW(e) electricity combined with 17 t/h of high temperature steam (220 deg. C, 10 bar) with a pebble bed high temperature reactor directly coupled with a helium compressor and a helium turbine. To come to quantitative statements about the ACACIA transient behaviour, a calculational coupling between the high temperature reactor core analysis code package Panthermix (Panther-Thermix/Direkt) and the thermal hydraulic code RELAP5 for the energy conversion system has been made. This paper will present the analysis of safety related transients. The usual incident scenarios Loss of Coolant Incident (LOCI) and Loss of Flow Incident (LOFI) have been analysed. Besides, also a search for the real maximum fuel temperature (inside a fuel pebble anywhere in the core) has been made. It appears that the maximum fuel temperatures are not reached during a LOFI or LOCI with a halted mass flow rate, but for situations with a small mass flow rate, 1-0.5%. As such, a LOFI or LOCI does not represent the worst-case scenario in terms of maximal fuel temperature. (author)

Quartz crystal reinforced quartz glass by spark plasma sintering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Torikai, D.; Barazani, B.; Ono, E.; Santos, M.F.M.; Suzuki, C.K.

2011-01-01

The Spark Plasma Sintering presents fast processing time when compared to conventional sintering techniques. This allows to control the grain growth during sintering as well as the diffusion rate of a multi-material compounds, and make possible obtainment of functionally graded materials and nanostructured compounds. Powders of high purity silica glass and crystalline silica were sintered in a SPS equipment at temperatures around 1350° C, i.e., above the softening temperature of silica glass and below the melting temperature of quartz crystal. As a result, glass ceramics with pure silica glass matrix reinforced with crystalline alpha-quartz grains were fabricated at almost any desired range of composition, as well as controlled size of the crystalline reinforcement. X-ray diffraction and density measurements showed the possibility to manufacture a well controlled density and crystallinity glass-ceramic materials. (author)

Gas bubble network formation in irradiated beryllium pebbles monitored by X-Ray micro-tomography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bolier, E; Ferrero, C. [Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, Zimer 203, Gebaeude 451, Abteilung HVT-TL (Germany); Moslang, A. [Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH, FZK, Karlsruhe (Germany); Pieritz, R.A. [CNRS, Lab. de Glaciologie et Geophysique de l' Environnement, 38 - Saint Martin d' Heres (France)

2007-07-01

Full text of publication follows: The efficient and safe operation of helium cooled ceramic breeder blankets requires among others an efficient tritium release during operation at blanket relevant temperatures. In the past out-of-pile thermal desorption studies on low temperature neutron irradiated beryllium have shown that tritium and helium release peaks occur together. This phenomenon can be interpreted in terms of growth and coalescence of helium bubbles and tritium that either is trapped inside the helium bubbles in form of T{sub 2} molecules or in their strain field. With increasing temperature the bubble density and size at grain interfaces increase together with the probability of interconnected porosities and channel formation to the outer surface, leading to simultaneous helium and tritium release peaks in TDS. For a reliable prediction of gas release up to end-of-life conditions at blanket relevant temperatures, knowledge of the dynamics of bubble growth and coalescence as well as the 3D distribution of bubble network formation is indispensable. Such data could also be used to experimentally validate any future model predictions of tritium and helium release rates. A high resolution computer aided micro-tomography (CMT) setup has been developed at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility which allowed reconstructing 3-D images of beryllium pebbles without damaging them. By postprocessing the data a 3D rendering of inner surfaces and of interconnected channel networks can be obtained, thus allowing the identification of open porosities in neutron irradiated and tempered beryllium pebbles. In our case Beryllium pebbles of 2 mm diameter had been neutron irradiated in the 'Beryllium' experiment at 770 K with 1.24 x 10{sup 25} nxm{sup -2} resulting in 480 appm He and 12 appm Tritium. After annealing at 1500 K CMT was performed on the pebbles with 4.9 and 1.4 {mu}m voxel resolution, respectively, followed by morphological and topological post

Ornithopod and Sauropod Dinosaur Remains from the Maastrichtian Al-Khod Conglomerate, Sultanate of Oman

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ann S. Schulp

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Fieldwork in the Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian Al-Khod Conglomerates in the Sultanate of Oman led to the discovery of a large bone fragment tentatively identified as a partial distal left humerus of a sauropod and an ornithopod dorsal vertebra. The very fragmentary state of preservation of the dorsal vertebra makes specific attribution difficult, but it shows remarkable similarities to the rhabdodontid dinosaurs Rhabdodon and Zalmoxes.

Final Report on Utilization of TRU TRISO Fuel as Applied to HTR Systems Part I: Pebble Bed Reactors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brian Boer; Abderrafi M. Ougouag

2011-03-01

The Deep-Burn (DB) concept [ ] focuses on the destruction of transuranic nuclides from used light water reactor (LWR) fuel. These transuranic nuclides are incorporated into tri-isotopic (TRISO) coated fuel particles and used in gas-cooled reactors with the aim of a fractional fuel burnup of 60 to 70% in fissions per initial metal atom (FIMA). This high performance is expected through the use of multiple recirculation passes of the fuel in pebble form without any physical or chemical changes between passes. In particular, the concept does not call for reprocessing of the fuel between passes. In principle, the DB pebble bed concept employs the same reactor designs as the presently envisioned low-enriched uranium core designs, such as the 400 MWth Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR-400) [ ]. Although it has been shown in the previous Fiscal Year (FY) (2009) that a PuO2 fueled pebble bed reactor concept is viable, achieving a high fuel burnup while remaining within safety-imposed prescribed operational limits for fuel temperature, power peaking, and temperature reactivity feedback coefficients for the entire temperature range, is challenging. The presence of the isotopes 239Pu, 240Pu, and 241Pu that have resonances in the thermal energy range significantly modifies the neutron thermal energy spectrum as compared to a standard, UO2-fueled core. Therefore, the DB pebble bed core exhibits a relatively hard neutron energy spectrum. However, regions within the pebble bed that are near the graphite reflectors experience a locally softer spectrum. This can lead to power and temperature peaking in these regions. Furthermore, a shift of the thermal energy spectrum with increasing temperature can lead to increased absorption in the resonances of the fissile Pu isotopes. This can lead to a positive temperature reactivity coefficient for the graphite moderator under certain operating conditions. Regarding the coated particle performance, the FY 2009 investigations showed that no

Final Report on Utilization of TRU TRISO Fuel as Applied to HTR Systems Part I: Pebble Bed Reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boer, Brian; Ougouag, Abderrafi M.

2011-01-01

The Deep-Burn (DB) concept focuses on the destruction of transuranic nuclides from used light water reactor (LWR) fuel. These transuranic nuclides are incorporated into tri-isotopic (TRISO) coated fuel particles and used in gas-cooled reactors with the aim of a fractional fuel burnup of 60 to 70% in fissions per initial metal atom (FIMA). This high performance is expected through the use of multiple recirculation passes of the fuel in pebble form without any physical or chemical changes between passes. In particular, the concept does not call for reprocessing of the fuel between passes. In principle, the DB pebble bed concept employs the same reactor designs as the presently envisioned low-enriched uranium core designs, such as the 400 MWth Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR-400). Although it has been shown in the previous Fiscal Year (FY) (2009) that a PuO2 fueled pebble bed reactor concept is viable, achieving a high fuel burnup while remaining within safety-imposed prescribed operational limits for fuel temperature, power peaking, and temperature reactivity feedback coefficients for the entire temperature range, is challenging. The presence of the isotopes 239Pu, 240Pu, and 241Pu that have resonances in the thermal energy range significantly modifies the neutron thermal energy spectrum as compared to a standard, UO2-fueled core. Therefore, the DB pebble bed core exhibits a relatively hard neutron energy spectrum. However, regions within the pebble bed that are near the graphite reflectors experience a locally softer spectrum. This can lead to power and temperature peaking in these regions. Furthermore, a shift of the thermal energy spectrum with increasing temperature can lead to increased absorption in the resonances of the fissile Pu isotopes. This can lead to a positive temperature reactivity coefficient for the graphite moderator under certain operating conditions. Regarding the coated particle performance, the FY 2009 investigations showed that no significant

Three-Dimensional Analysis of the Hot-Spot Fuel Temperature in Pebble Bed and Prismatic Modular Reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In, W. K.; Lee, S. W.; Lim, H. S.; Lee, W. J.

2006-01-01

High temperature gas-cooled reactors(HTGR) have been reviewed as potential sources for future energy needs, particularly for a hydrogen production. Among the HTGRs, the pebble bed reactor(PBR) and a prismatic modular reactor(PMR) are considered as the nuclear heat source in Korea's nuclear hydrogen development and demonstration project. PBR uses coated fuel particles embedded in spherical graphite fuel pebbles. The fuel pebbles flow down through the core during an operation. PMR uses graphite fuel blocks which contain cylindrical fuel compacts consisting of the fuel particles. The fuel blocks also contain coolant passages and locations for absorber and control material. The maximum fuel temperature in the core hot spot is one of the important design parameters for both a PBR and a PMR. The objective of this study is to predict the hot-spot fuel temperature distributions in a PBR and a PMR at a steady state. The computational fluid dynamics(CFD) code, CFX-10 is used to perform the three-dimensional analysis. The latest design data was used here based on the reference reactor designs, PBMR400 and GTMHR60

A CFD Study on Inlet Plenum Flow Field of Pebble Bed Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Min Hwan; Lee, Won Jae; Chang, Jong Hwa

2005-01-01

High temperature gas cooled reactor, largely divided into two types of PBR (Pebble Bed Reactor) and PMR (Prismatic Modular Reactor), has becomes great interest of researchers in connection with the hydrogen production. KAERI has started a project to develop the gas cooled reactor for the hydrogen production and has been doing in-depth study for selecting the reactor type between PBR and PMR. As a part of the study, PBMR (Pebble Bed Modular Reactor) was selected as a reference PBR reactor for the CFD analysis and the flow field of its inlet plenum was simulated with computational fluid dynamics program CFX5. Due to asymmetrical arrangement of pipes to the inlet plenum, non-uniform flow distribution has been expected to occur, giving rise to non-uniform power distribution at the core. Flow fields of different arrangement of inlet pipes were also investigated, as one of measures to reduce the non-uniformity

Studies on crude oil removal from pebbles by the application of biodiesel.

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Wen-xiang; Xia, Yan; Li, Jin-cheng; Zhang, Dan-feng; Zhou, Qing; Wang, Xin-ping

2015-02-15

Oil residues along shorelines are hard to remove after an oil spill. The effect of biodiesel to eliminate crude oil from pebbles alone and in combination with petroleum degrading bacteria was investigated in simulated systems. Adding biodiesel made oil detach from pebbles and formed oil-biodiesel mixtures, most of which remained on top of seawater. The total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) removal efficiency increased with biodiesel quantities but the magnitude of augment decreased gradually. When used with petroleum degrading bacteria, the addition of biodiesel (BD), nutrients (NUT) and BD+NUT increased the dehydrogenase activity and decreased the biodegradation half lives. When BD and NUT were replenished at the same time, the TPH removal efficiency was 7.4% higher compared to the total improvement of efficiency when BD and NUT was added separately, indicating an additive effect of biodiesel and nutrients on oil biodegradation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Additive manufacturing of transparent fused quartz

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Junjie; Hostetler, John M.; Gilbert, Luke; Goldstein, Jonathan T.; Urbas, Augustine M.; Bristow, Douglas A.; Landers, Robert G.; Kinzel, Edward C.

2018-04-01

This paper investigates a filament-fed process for additive manufacturing (AM) of fused quartz. Glasses such as fused quartz have significant scientific and engineering applications, which include optics, communications, electronics, and hermetic seals. AM has several attractive benefits such as increased design freedom, faster prototyping, and lower processing costs for small production volumes. However, current research into glass AM has focused primarily on nonoptical applications. Fused quartz is studied here because of its desirability for use in high-quality optics due to its high transmissivity and thermal stability. Fused quartz filaments are fed into a CO2 laser-generated molten region, smoothly depositing material onto the workpiece. Spectroscopy and pyrometry are used to measure the thermal radiation incandescently emitted from the molten region. The effects of the laser power and scan speed are determined by measuring the morphology of single tracks. Thin walls are printed to study the effects of layer-to-layer height. This information is used to deposit solid pieces including a cylindrical-convex shape capable of focusing visible light. The transmittance and index homogeneity of the printed fused quartz are measured. These results show that the filament-fed process has the potential to print transmissive optics.

Failure analysis of pebble bed reactors during earthquake by discrete element method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keppler, Istvan

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► We evaluated the load acting on the central reflector beam of a pebble bed reactor. ► The load acting on the reflector beam highly depends on fuel element distribution. ► The contact force values do not show high dependence on fuel element distribution. ► Earthquake increases the load of the reflector, not the contact forces. -- Abstract: Pebble bed reactors (PBR) are graphite-moderated, gas-cooled nuclear reactors. PBR reactors use a large number of spherical fuel elements called pebbles. From mechanical point of view, the arrangement of “small” spherical fuel elements in a container poses the same problem, as the so-called silo problem in powder technology and agricultural engineering. To get more exact information about the contact forces arising between the fuel elements in static and dynamic case, we simulated the static case and the effects of an earthquake on a model reactor by using discrete element method. We determined the maximal contact forces acting between the individual fuel elements. We found that the value of the maximal bending moment in the central reflector beam has a high deviation from the average value even in static case, and it can significantly increase in case of an earthquake. Our results can help the engineers working on the design of such types of reactors to get information about the contact forces, to determine the dust production and the crush probability of fuel elements within the reactor, and to model different accident scenarios

Failure analysis of pebble bed reactors during earthquake by discrete element method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Keppler, Istvan, E-mail: keppler.istvan@gek.szie.hu [Department of Mechanics and Engineering Design, Szent István University, Páter K.u.1., Gödöllő H-2103 (Hungary)

2013-05-15

Highlights: ► We evaluated the load acting on the central reflector beam of a pebble bed reactor. ► The load acting on the reflector beam highly depends on fuel element distribution. ► The contact force values do not show high dependence on fuel element distribution. ► Earthquake increases the load of the reflector, not the contact forces. -- Abstract: Pebble bed reactors (PBR) are graphite-moderated, gas-cooled nuclear reactors. PBR reactors use a large number of spherical fuel elements called pebbles. From mechanical point of view, the arrangement of “small” spherical fuel elements in a container poses the same problem, as the so-called silo problem in powder technology and agricultural engineering. To get more exact information about the contact forces arising between the fuel elements in static and dynamic case, we simulated the static case and the effects of an earthquake on a model reactor by using discrete element method. We determined the maximal contact forces acting between the individual fuel elements. We found that the value of the maximal bending moment in the central reflector beam has a high deviation from the average value even in static case, and it can significantly increase in case of an earthquake. Our results can help the engineers working on the design of such types of reactors to get information about the contact forces, to determine the dust production and the crush probability of fuel elements within the reactor, and to model different accident scenarios.

Tritium release from Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} ceramic pebbles in high magnetic field

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ran, Guangming [School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027 (China); Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900 (China); Xiao, Chengjian; Chen, Xiaojun; Gong, Yu; Zhao, Linjie [Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900 (China); Wang, Xiaolin [School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027 (China); China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900 (China)

2015-12-15

Highlights: • Behavior of tritium release from Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} pebbles in MF up to 7 T was investigated. • The MF effect on tritium release is not significant according to the TPD results. • Tritium release from the BIG sample is much easier than that from the SMALL sample. • The MF effect on tritium diffusion was probably weakened by surface desorption. - Abstract: The behavior of tritium release from Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} ceramic pebbles in high magnetic field (MF) was investigated by temperature programmed desorption (TPD). Two batches of Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} pebbles produced by wet method were used as the experimental samples, one batch with an average pebble diameter of 0.8 mm (the SMALL samples), and the other 1.2 mm (the BIG samples). A superconducting magnet was applied to generate MF up to 7 T in the sample area during annealing. For both batches of samples, the tritium release curves within and without MF showed very similar characteristics, indicating that the effect of high MF on tritium release behavior is not significant. The tritium release peaks for the BIG samples were observed at much lower temperatures than that for the SMALL samples, even though the grain sizes of the BIG samples are much bigger than that of the SMALL samples. It is considered that surface desorption process dominates the overall tritium release behavior in this work, which probably weakened the MF effect.

Recycling of radioactive oil sludge waste into pavement brick

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meor Yusoff Meor Sulaiman; Hishamuddin Hussein; Choo Thye Foo; Nurul Wahida Ahmad Khairuddin; MAsliana MUslimin; Wilfred Sylvester Paulus

2010-01-01

Malaysia produces about 1450 tons of radioactive oil sludge waste per year and there is an urgent need to find a permanent solution to the storage and disposal of this radioactive waste problem. Several treatment methods such bacteria farming, ultracentrifuge, steam reforming and incineration are currently being used but the core issue of the radioactive material in the oil sludge had not been solved. The paper relates a study on utilizing the radioactive component of the oil sludge and turning them into pavement brick. Characteristic study of this radioactive component by XRD and XRF show that it mainly comprised of quartz and anorthite minerals. While the radioactivity analysis by gamma technique shows that more than 90 % of this radioactivity comes from this soil component with Ra-226 and Ra-228 as the main radionuclides. A vitrified brick was then produced from this sediment by mixing it with low radioactive local red clay. The result also shows that the formation of the vitrified layer may be due high content of K in the red clay. Tensile test on the brick shows that it has more than four times the strength of commercial clay brick. Long duration leaching test on the brick also shows that there is no dissolution of radionuclide from the brick. (author)

Integrated design approach of the pebble bed modular using models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Venter, P.J.

2005-01-01

The Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) is the first pebble bed reactor that will be utilised in a high temperature direct Brayton cycle configuration. This implies that there are a number of unique features in the PBMR that extend from the German experience base. One of the challenges in the design of the PBMR is managing the integrated design process between the designers, the physicists and the analysts. This integrated design process is managed through model-based development work. Three-dimensional CAD models are constructed of the components and parts in the reactor. From the CAD models, CFD models, neutronic models, shielding models, FEM models and other thermodynamic models are derived. These models range from very simple models to extremely detailed and complex models. The models are used in legacy software as well as commercial off-the-shelf software. The different models are also used in code-to-code comparisons to verify the results. This paper will briefly discuss the different models and the interaction between the models, showing the iterative design process that is used in the development of the reactor at PBMR. (author)

Power Peaking Effect of OTTO Fuel Scheme Pebble Bed Reactor

Science.gov (United States)

Setiadipura, T.; Suwoto; Zuhair; Bakhri, S.; Sunaryo, G. R.

2018-02-01

Pebble Bed Reactor (PBR) type of Hight Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (HTGR) is a very interesting nuclear reactor design to fulfill the growing electricity and heat demand with a superior passive safety features. Effort to introduce the PBR design to the market can be strengthen by simplifying its system with the Once-through-then-out (OTTO) cycle PBR in which the pebble fuel only pass the core once. Important challenge in the OTTO fuel scheme is the power peaking effect which limit the maximum nominal power or burnup of the design. Parametric survey is perform in this study to investigate the contribution of different design parameters to power peaking effect of OTTO cycle PBR. PEBBED code is utilized in this study to perform the equilibrium PBR core analysis for different design parameter and fuel scheme. The parameters include its core diameter, height-per-diameter (H/D), power density, and core nominal power. Results of this study show that diameter and H/D effectsare stronger compare to the power density and nominal core power. Results of this study might become an importance guidance for design optimization of OTTO fuel scheme PBR.

Some aspects of the genesis of heavy mineral assemblages in Lower Proterozoic uranium-gold conglomerates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clemmey, H.

1982-01-01

Some genetic models for Lower Proterozoic gold- and uranium-bearing pyritic conglomerates favour a modified placer origin in which low levels of atmospheric oxygen are used to account for the survival of uraninite and pyrite. There are many difficulties with such models. New evidence concerning the genesis of the deposits is derived from a clast of ferric iron clay thought to represent a precursor sediment of the Witwatersrand Basin. Reworking of such clays and transport of a magnetite and ferric clay assemblage with subsequent sulphidation, could account for the porous pyrites, the absence of magnetite and the lack of hydraulic equivalence of the mineral grains in the conglomerates. The presence of oxygen, as indicated by the ferric iron clasts, would account for the evidence of mobility of uranium and of gold and would enhance their extraction from source rocks; particularly the release of gold from a precursor auriferous iron formation source. It is suggested that some aspects of the genesis of uranium deposits of the Witwatersrand and Elliott Lake may be similar to those of the Phanerozoic 'Roll Front' ores involving interaction between oxidizing uraniferous groundwaters and previously sulphidized and reduzate facies sediments. (author)

Quartz-Enhanced Photoacoustic Spectroscopy: A Review

Science.gov (United States)

Patimisco, Pietro; Scamarcio, Gaetano; Tittel, Frank K.; Spagnolo, Vincenzo

2014-01-01

A detailed review on the development of quartz-enhanced photoacoustic sensors (QEPAS) for the sensitive and selective quantification of molecular trace gas species with resolved spectroscopic features is reported. The basis of the QEPAS technique, the technology available to support this field in terms of key components, such as light sources and quartz-tuning forks and the recent developments in detection methods and performance limitations will be discussed. Furthermore, different experimental QEPAS methods such as: on-beam and off-beam QEPAS, quartz-enhanced evanescent wave photoacoustic detection, modulation-cancellation approach and mid-IR single mode fiber-coupled sensor systems will be reviewed and analysed. A QEPAS sensor operating in the THz range, employing a custom-made quartz-tuning fork and a THz quantum cascade laser will be also described. Finally, we evaluated data reported during the past decade and draw relevant and useful conclusions from this analysis. PMID:24686729

Quartz-Enhanced Photoacoustic Spectroscopy: A Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pietro Patimisco

2014-03-01

Full Text Available A detailed review on the development of quartz-enhanced photoacoustic sensors (QEPAS for the sensitive and selective quantification of molecular trace gas species with resolved spectroscopic features is reported. The basis of the QEPAS technique, the technology available to support this field in terms of key components, such as light sources and quartz-tuning forks and the recent developments in detection methods and performance limitations will be discussed. Furthermore, different experimental QEPAS methods such as: on-beam and off-beam QEPAS, quartz-enhanced evanescent wave photoacoustic detection, modulation-cancellation approach and mid-IR single mode fiber-coupled sensor systems will be reviewed and analysed. A QEPAS sensor operating in the THz range, employing a custom-made quartz-tuning fork and a THz quantum cascade laser will be also described. Finally, we evaluated data reported during the past decade and draw relevant and useful conclusions from this analysis.

Aberrant thermoluminescence dates obtained from primary volcanic quartz

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guerin, Gilles; Samper, Agnes

2007-01-01

This study deals with the dating by thermoluminescence (TL) of quartz from six volcanic formations of the Saint Lucia Island (Lesser Antilles Arc). Quartz microcrystals up to one millimetre in size were extracted from dacites and pumice flows and prepared in a way similar to the well-known inclusion technique. The TL properties of these quartz were used to estimate apparent palaeodoses using the multi-aliquot protocol. The quartz TL was studied in three different spectral domains: red, green and ultraviolet/blue. The calculated annual dose-rates yielded a set of 18 age-estimates. For some samples complementary dates were obtained using high temperature TL (HTTL) of plagioclase feldspars. These latter dates combined with previously determined radiocarbon and unspiked K-Ar dates were used to explore the validity of ages computed from the TL of quartz. Individual values for quartz appear to be scattered and do not match ages deduced from 14 C, unspiked K-Ar or HTTL on plagioclase dates. These results indicate that when conventional TL methodologies derived from the inclusion method are applied to volcanic quartz major dating problems are to be expected

Aberrant thermoluminescence dates obtained from primary volcanic quartz

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guerin, Gilles [Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l' Environnement, CEA-CNRS, avenue de la Terrasse, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France)], E-mail: gilles.guerin@u-psud.fr; Samper, Agnes [Laboratoire de geochronologie multitechnique (UPS-IPGP), Universite de Paris-Sud Orsay, 91405 Orsay Cedex (France)

2007-10-15

This study deals with the dating by thermoluminescence (TL) of quartz from six volcanic formations of the Saint Lucia Island (Lesser Antilles Arc). Quartz microcrystals up to one millimetre in size were extracted from dacites and pumice flows and prepared in a way similar to the well-known inclusion technique. The TL properties of these quartz were used to estimate apparent palaeodoses using the multi-aliquot protocol. The quartz TL was studied in three different spectral domains: red, green and ultraviolet/blue. The calculated annual dose-rates yielded a set of 18 age-estimates. For some samples complementary dates were obtained using high temperature TL (HTTL) of plagioclase feldspars. These latter dates combined with previously determined radiocarbon and unspiked K-Ar dates were used to explore the validity of ages computed from the TL of quartz. Individual values for quartz appear to be scattered and do not match ages deduced from {sup 14}C, unspiked K-Ar or HTTL on plagioclase dates. These results indicate that when conventional TL methodologies derived from the inclusion method are applied to volcanic quartz major dating problems are to be expected.

The ESKOM pebble bed modular reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gittus, J.H.

1999-01-01

An audit has been made of the design, construction, safety, economics and marketability of the ESKOM pebble bed modular reactor (PBMR). In this paper that audit is briefly summarized. The principal conclusions of the audit are as follows. The design is sound. It is a logical development of the designs proposed for other, modern, high-temperature gas-cooled reactors. More than 80% of the cost of constructing and commissioning a series of PBMRs would be spent in South Africa. The PBMR is much safer than existing nuclear power reactors and for many practical purposes it may be treated as a conventional chemical plant. The PBMR is economically competitive with thermal power stations. There is a substantial global market for the PBMR. (author)

Accumulation of radiation defects and products of radiolysis in lithium orthosilicate pebbles with silicon dioxide additions under action of high absorbed doses and high temperature in air and inert atmosphere

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zarins, A.; Supe, A. [Laboratory of Radiation Chemistry of Solids, Institute of Chemical Physics, University of Latvia, Kronvalda Bulvaris 4, LV-1010 Riga (Latvia); Kizane, G., E-mail: gunta.kizane@lu.lv [Laboratory of Radiation Chemistry of Solids, Institute of Chemical Physics, University of Latvia, Kronvalda Bulvaris 4, LV-1010 Riga (Latvia); Knitter, R. [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Applied Materials (IAM-WPT), POB 3640, 76021 Karlsruhe (Germany); Baumane, L. [Laboratory of Radiation Chemistry of Solids, Institute of Chemical Physics, University of Latvia, Kronvalda Bulvaris 4, LV-1010 Riga (Latvia)

2012-10-15

One of the technological problems of a fusion reactor is the change in composition and structure of ceramic breeders (Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} or Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles) during long-term operation. In this study changes in the composition and microstructure of Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} pebbles with 2.5 wt% silicon dioxide additions, fabricated by a melt-spraying process, were investigated after fast electron irradiation (E = 5 MeV, dose rate up to 88 MGy h{sup -1}) with high absorbed dose from 1.3 to 10.6 GGy at high temperature (543-573 K) in air and argon atmosphere. Three types of pebbles with different diameters and grain sizes were investigated. Products of radiolysis were studied by means of FTIR and XRD. TSL and ESR spectroscopy were used to detect radiation defects. SEM was used to investigate structure of pebbles. Experiments showed that Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} pebbles with a diameter of 500 {mu}m had similar radiation stability as pebbles with diameter <50 {mu}m which were annealed at 1173 K for 128 h in argon and air atmosphere. As well as determined that lithium orthosilicate pebbles with size 500 (1243 K 168 h) and <50 {mu}m (1173 K 128 h) have a higher radiation stability in air and argon atmosphere than pebbles with size <50 {mu}m (1073 K 1 h). Degree of decomposition {alpha}{sub 10.56} of the lithium orthosilicate pebbles at an absorbed dose of 10.56 GGy in air atmosphere is 1.5% and 0.15% at irradiation in dry argon. It has been suggested that changes of radiation stability of lithium orthosilicate pebbles in air atmosphere comparing with irradiated pebbles in argon atmosphere is effect of chemical reaction of lithium orthosilicate surface with air containing - H{sub 2}O and CO{sub 2} in irradiation process. As well as it has been suggested that silicon dioxide - lithium metasilicate admixtures do not affect formation mechanism of radiation defect and products of radiolysis in lithium orthosilicate pebbles.

Production of quartz plates for CMS-CASTOR Experiment

CERN Document Server

Adiguzel, Aytul; Ayhan, Aydin; Bakirci, Mustafa Numan; Basegmez, Suzan; Beaumont, Willem; Borras, Kerstin; Campbell, Alan; De Paula Carvalho, W; Çerçi, Salim; De Jesus Damiao, Dilson; Dogangün, O; Dumanoglu, Isa; d'Enterria, David; Erchov, Y; Eskut, Eda; Figueiredo, D; Girgis, Semiray; Göttlicher, P; Gouskos, Loukas; Gurpinar, Emine; Hos, Ilknur; Katkov, Igor; Katsas, Panagiotis; Khein, Lev; Knutsson, Albert; Kuznetsov, Andrey; Lebeau, Michel; Van Mechelen, Pierre; Muhl, Carsten; Musienko, Yuri; Ochesanu, Silvia; Onengüt, G; Onengut, G Jr; Ozdemir, Kadri; Panagiotou, Apostolos; Polatoz, A; Ripert, Marion; Shileev, K; Sogut, Kenan; Tiflov, B TaliV; Kayis-Topaksu, A; Uzun, Dilber

2008-01-01

Light transmission rate performance of $102$ irradiated quartz samples was measured to select the best quartz plates for CMS-CASTOR calorimeter. All the produced quartz plates were originally used in a previous CERN experiment, DELPHI. Three different doses of $^{60}$Co source were used with the collaboration of PSI (Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen PSI, Switzerland.) to study the transmission rate performance of the quartz samples after irradiation for different incident light, ranging from $250$ to $700$ nm in $5$ nm increasing steps. All samples show different decrease in the rate with wavelength for different doses. Three different steps were followed before irradiation to find out the best way of cleaning the original DELPHI Cu/Cr tracks on the samples. Results of these measurements presented here correspond to the quartz plates that will be used in one hadronic sector of CASTOR calorimeter until end of 2008. For the full calorimeter new quartz plates will be installed. We also present the light transmi...

Changes in the metallicity of gas giant planets due to pebble accretion

Science.gov (United States)

Humphries, R. J.; Nayakshin, S.

2018-06-01

We run numerical simulations to study the accretion of gas and dust grains on to gas giant planets embedded into massive protoplanetary discs. The outcome is found to depend on the disc cooling rate, planet mass, grain size, and irradiative feedback from the planet. If radiative cooling is efficient, planets accrete both gas and pebbles rapidly, open a gap, and usually become massive brown dwarfs. In the inefficient cooling case, gas is too hot to accrete on to the planet but pebble accretion continues and the planets migrate inward rapidly. Radiative feedback from the planet tends to suppress gas accretion. Our simulations predict that metal enrichment of planets by dust grain accretion inversely correlates with the final planet mass, in accordance with the observed trend in the inferred bulk composition of Solar system and exosolar giant planets. To account for observations, however, as many as ˜30-50 per cent of the dust mass should be in the form of large grains.

Stability analysis of the high temperature thermal pebble bed nuclear reactor concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vondy, D.R.

1981-02-01

A study was made of the stability of the high temperature gas-cooled pebble bed core against xenon-driven oscillation. This generic study indicated that a core as large as 3000 MW(t) could be stable. Several aspects present a challenge to analysis including the void space above the pebble bed, the effects of possible control rod configurations, and the temperature feedback contribution. Special methods of analysis were developed in this effort. Of considerable utility was the scheme of including an azimuthal buckling loss term in the neturon balance equations admitting direct solution of the first azimuthal harmonic for a core having azimuthal symmetry. This technique allows the linear stability analysis to be done solving two-dimensional (RZ) problems instead of three-dimensional problems. A scheme for removing the fundamental source contribution was also implemented to allow direct iteration toward the dominant harmonic solution, treating up to three dimensions with diffusion theory

Mechanical and optical nanodevices in single-crystal quartz

Science.gov (United States)

Sohn, Young-Ik; Miller, Rachel; Venkataraman, Vivek; Lončar, Marko

2017-12-01

Single-crystal α-quartz, one of the most widely used piezoelectric materials, has enabled a wide range of timing applications. Owing to the fact that an integrated thin-film based quartz platform is not available, most of these applications rely on macroscopic, bulk crystal-based devices. Here, we show that the Faraday cage angled-etching technique can be used to realize nanoscale electromechanical and photonic devices in quartz. Using this approach, we demonstrate quartz nanomechanical cantilevers and ring resonators featuring Qs of 4900 and 8900, respectively.

Examination of the potential for diversion or clandestine dual use of a pebble-bed reactor to produce plutonium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ougouag, A.M.; Terry, W.K.; Gougar, H.D.

2002-01-01

This paper explores the susceptibility of Pebble-Bed Reactors (PBRs) to be used overtly or covertly for the production of plutonium for nuclear weapons. The basic assumption made for the consideration of overt production is that a country would purchase a PBR with the ostensible motive of producing electric power; then, after the power plant was built, the country would divert the facility entirely to the production of weapons material. It is assumed that the country would then have to manufacture production pebbles from natural uranium. The basic assumption made for covert production is that the country would obtain and use a PBR for power production, but that it would clandestinely feed plutonium production pebbles through the reactor in such small numbers that the perturbation on power plant operation would be very difficult to detect. This paper shows the potential rate of plutonium production under such constraints. It is demonstrated that the PBR is a very poor choice for either form of proliferation-intent use. (author)

A High Sensitivity Preamplifier for Quartz Tuning Forks in QEPAS (Quartz Enhanced PhotoAcoustic Spectroscopy Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tomasz Starecki

2017-11-01

Full Text Available All the preamplifiers dedicated for Quartz Enhanced PhotoAcoustic Spectroscopy (QEPAS applications that have so far been reported in the literature have been based on operational amplifiers working in transimpedance configurations. Taking into consideration that QEPAS sensors are based on quartz tuning forks, and that quartz has a relatively high voltage constant and relatively low charge constant, it seems that a transimpedance amplifier is not an optimal solution. This paper describes the design of a quartz QEPAS sensor preamplifier, implemented with voltage amplifier configuration. Discussion of an electrical model of the circuit and preliminary measurements are presented. Both theoretical analysis and experiments show that use of the voltage configuration allows for a substantial increase of the output signal in comparison to the transimpedance circuit with the same tuning fork working in identical conditions. Assuming that the sensitivity of the QEPAS technique depends directly on the properties of the preamplifier, use of the voltage amplifier configuration should result in an increase of QEPAS sensitivity by one to two orders of magnitude.

A High Sensitivity Preamplifier for Quartz Tuning Forks in QEPAS (Quartz Enhanced PhotoAcoustic Spectroscopy) Applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Starecki, Tomasz; Wieczorek, Piotr Z

2017-11-03

All the preamplifiers dedicated for Quartz Enhanced PhotoAcoustic Spectroscopy (QEPAS) applications that have so far been reported in the literature have been based on operational amplifiers working in transimpedance configurations. Taking into consideration that QEPAS sensors are based on quartz tuning forks, and that quartz has a relatively high voltage constant and relatively low charge constant, it seems that a transimpedance amplifier is not an optimal solution. This paper describes the design of a quartz QEPAS sensor preamplifier, implemented with voltage amplifier configuration. Discussion of an electrical model of the circuit and preliminary measurements are presented. Both theoretical analysis and experiments show that use of the voltage configuration allows for a substantial increase of the output signal in comparison to the transimpedance circuit with the same tuning fork working in identical conditions. Assuming that the sensitivity of the QEPAS technique depends directly on the properties of the preamplifier, use of the voltage amplifier configuration should result in an increase of QEPAS sensitivity by one to two orders of magnitude.

Quartz exposure and increased respiratory symptoms among coal ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Quartz has been an inevitable composition of different type of coal mined. The quartz exposures among coalmine workers has been attributed to activities such as cutting the adjacent rock, the roof, the floor and the intrusions. Objective: The aim of the study is to determine the associations between quartz exposures and ...

Uranium-bearing and associated minerals in their geochemical and sedimentological context, Elliot Lake, Ontario

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Theis, N.J.

1979-01-01

The depositional energy environment of the Rio Algom-Denison ore reef was investigated on a regional scale using several parameters including pebble size. Regional trends of decreasing pebble size coincide with the regional direction of sediment transport. Pebble size was also used to characterize the depositional energy environment at the sample level. Quartz-pebble size and pyrite-grain size as determined from the same samples have a correlation coefficient of 0.93 which indicates that the coarse granular pyrite is detrital. Bulk chemical analyses of selected elements (U, Th, Pb, Ti, Ce, La, Y and Zr) which were chosen to reflect specific minerals (uraninite, brannerite, monazite and zircon), showed strong correlation with quartz-pebble size of the respective samples. Electron microprobe analyses of uraninite and brannerite are reported. The uraninites have typical pegmatitic compositions. Several types of brannerite are described; the conclusion reached is that although some brannerite may be detrital, most of it formed by adsorption of uranium onto titania collectors. Redistribution of some of the uranium has not changed the placer nature of the ore reef. Genesis of individual minerals (pyrite, uraninite, brannerite, zircon and monazite) is discussed. It is concluded that the mineralogy and its geochemical expression have been controlled by processes of fluvial deposition. As a result of the regional patterns in depositional environment, the ore reef shows a broad mineralogical zoning. Fluctuations in depositional energy have also produced lithologically related mineral zoning on a smaller scale. (author)

Microwave GaAs Integrated Circuits On Quartz Substrates

Science.gov (United States)

Siegel, Peter H.; Mehdi, Imran; Wilson, Barbara

1994-01-01

Integrated circuits for use in detecting electromagnetic radiation at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths constructed by bonding GaAs-based integrated circuits onto quartz-substrate-based stripline circuits. Approach offers combined advantages of high-speed semiconductor active devices made only on epitaxially deposited GaAs substrates with low-dielectric-loss, mechanically rugged quartz substrates. Other potential applications include integration of antenna elements with active devices, using carrier substrates other than quartz to meet particular requirements using lifted-off GaAs layer in membrane configuration with quartz substrate supporting edges only, and using lift-off technique to fabricate ultrathin discrete devices diced separately and inserted into predefined larger circuits. In different device concept, quartz substrate utilized as transparent support for GaAs devices excited from back side by optical radiation.

Experimental study of quartz inclusions in garnet at pressures up to 3.0 GPa: evaluating validity of the quartz-in-garnet inclusion elastic thermobarometer

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Jay B.; Spear, Frank S.

2018-05-01

Garnet crystals with quartz inclusions were hydrothermally crystallized from oxide starting materials in piston-cylinder apparatuses at pressures from 0.5 to 3 GPa and temperatures ranging from 700 to 800 °C to study how entrapment conditions affect remnant pressures of quartz inclusions used for quartz-in-garnet (QuiG) elastic thermobarometry. Systematic changes of the 128, 206 and 464 cm-1 Raman band frequencies of quartz were used to determine pressures of quartz inclusions in garnet using Raman spectroscopy calibrations that describe the P-T dependencies of Raman band shifts for quartz under hydrostatic pressure. Within analytical uncertainties, inclusion pressures calculated for each of the three Raman band frequencies are equivalent, which suggests that non-hydrostatic stress effects caused by elastic anisotropy in quartz are smaller than measurement errors. The experimental quartz inclusions have pressures ranging from - 0.351 to 1.247 GPa that span the range of values observed for quartz inclusions in garnets from natural rocks. Quartz inclusion pressures were used to model P-T conditions at which the inclusions could have been trapped. The accuracy of QuiG thermobarometry was evaluated by considering the differences between pressures measured during experiments and pressures calculated using published equation of state parameters for quartz and garnet. Our experimental results demonstrate that Raman measurements performed at room temperature can be used without corrections to estimate garnet crystallization pressures. Calculated entrapment pressures for quartz inclusions in garnet are less than 10% different from pressures measured during the experiments. Because the method is simple to apply with reasonable accuracy, we expect widespread usage of QuiG thermobarometry to estimate crystallization conditions for garnet-bearing silicic rocks.

Characterization of color centers in quartz induced by gamma irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guttler, Rainer A.S.

2009-01-01

The availability of gamma ray irradiators in Brazil increased the possibilities of treatments of gemstones for color enhancements. One of the minerals with a very high potential of these treatments is quartz, a very widespread mineral with much colored commercial varieties. Quartz occurs in Brazil mainly in two geological environments, called pegmatitic and hydrothermal. The detailed mechanism of color center formation of these two types of quartz will be investigated by spectroscopic and chemical analysis. Until yet, it can be shown that due to chemical differences of the nature of mineral forming fluids, the two types behave differently. All quartzes contain mainly traces of Iron, Aluminum, Lithium and some amounts of Water. The quartz of hydrothermal origin incorporated much structurally bound water, and despite some similarities with the chemical composition of pegmatitic quartz, this high water content is the reason for the formation of Silanol radicals, giving the green color to the quartz. The main difference in chemical composition of pegmatitic quartz is the presence of higher amounts of Al and Li , responsible for the brownish and yellowish colors formed by irradiation. Since each pegmatite is different, the quartz will behave differently. This explains the formation of the famous 'Green Gold' of quartz from Sao Jose da Safira , and the more yellowish, Citrine type, color of quartz from the Coluna deposit, near Itamarandiba, Minas Gerais. (author)

Characterization of color centers in quartz induced by gamma irradiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guttler, Rainer A.S., E-mail: rainersg@usp.b [Universidade de Sao Paulo (USP), SP (Brazil). Inst. de Geociencias; Enokihara, Cyro T.; Rela, Paulo R., E-mail: prela@ipen.b, E-mail: cteiti@ipen.b [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)

2009-07-01

The availability of gamma ray irradiators in Brazil increased the possibilities of treatments of gemstones for color enhancements. One of the minerals with a very high potential of these treatments is quartz, a very widespread mineral with much colored commercial varieties. Quartz occurs in Brazil mainly in two geological environments, called pegmatitic and hydrothermal. The detailed mechanism of color center formation of these two types of quartz will be investigated by spectroscopic and chemical analysis. Until yet, it can be shown that due to chemical differences of the nature of mineral forming fluids, the two types behave differently. All quartzes contain mainly traces of Iron, Aluminum, Lithium and some amounts of Water. The quartz of hydrothermal origin incorporated much structurally bound water, and despite some similarities with the chemical composition of pegmatitic quartz, this high water content is the reason for the formation of Silanol radicals, giving the green color to the quartz. The main difference in chemical composition of pegmatitic quartz is the presence of higher amounts of Al and Li , responsible for the brownish and yellowish colors formed by irradiation. Since each pegmatite is different, the quartz will behave differently. This explains the formation of the famous 'Green Gold' of quartz from Sao Jose da Safira , and the more yellowish, Citrine type, color of quartz from the Coluna deposit, near Itamarandiba, Minas Gerais. (author)

Thermo-mechanical Modelling of Pebble Beds in Fusion Blankets and its Implementation by a Return-Mapping Algorithm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gan, Yixiang; Kamlah, Marc

2008-01-01

In this investigation, a thermo-mechanical model of pebble beds is adopted and developed based on experiments by Dr. Reimann at Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe (FZK). The framework of the present material model is composed of a non-linear elastic law, the Drucker-Prager-Cap theory, and a modified creep law. Furthermore, the volumetric inelastic strain dependent thermal conductivity of beryllium pebble beds is taken into account and full thermo-mechanical coupling is considered. Investigation showed that the Drucker-Prager-Cap model implemented in ABAQUS can not fulfill the requirements of both the prediction of large creep strains and the hardening behaviour caused by creep, which are of importance with respect to the application of pebble beds in fusion blankets. Therefore, UMAT (user defined material's mechanical behaviour) and UMATHT (user defined material's thermal behaviour) routines are used to re-implement the present thermo-mechanical model in ABAQUS. An elastic predictor radial return mapping algorithm is used to solve the non-associated plasticity iteratively, and a proper tangent stiffness matrix is obtained for cost-efficiency in the calculation. An explicit creep mechanism is adopted for the prediction of time-dependent behaviour in order to represent large creep strains in high temperature. Finally, the thermo-mechanical interactions are implemented in a UMATHT routine for the coupled analysis. The oedometric compression tests and creep tests of pebble beds at different temperatures are simulated with the help of the present UMAT and UMATHT routines, and the comparison between the simulation and the experiments is made. (authors)

Surface complexation modelling: Experiments on sorption of nickel on quartz, goethite and kaolinite and preliminary tests on sorption of thorium on quartz

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Puukko, E.; Hakanen, M. [Univ. of Helsinki (Finland). Dept. of Chemistry. Lab. of Radiochemistry

1997-09-01

The aim of the work was to study the sorption behaviour of Ni on quartz, goethite and kaolinite at different pH levels and in different electrolyte solutions of different strength. In addition preliminary experiments were made to study the sorption of thorium on quartz. The MUS quartz and Nilsiae quartz were analysed for MnO{sub 2} by neutron activation analysis (NAA) and the experimental results were modelled with the HYDRAQL computer model. 9 refs.

Geology and geochemistry of giant quartz veins from the ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Numerous younger thin quartz veins with somewhat similar orientation cut across the giant quartz .... Angular fragments of quartz are set in ... places along grain boundaries. ... Oxide values are in wt%, and trace element concentrations are.

Review of PSI studies on reactor physics and thermal fluid dynamics of pebble bed reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prasser, Horst-Michael

2014-01-01

Switzerland is member of the Generation IV International Forum (GIF). The related work takes entirely place at PSI in the working groups of Gas-Cooled Fast Reactors and Very High Temperature Reactors. In the past, PSI has performed experimental and theoretical studies on criticality issues of pebble beds at the PROTEUS reactor, as well as a preliminary risk assessment of a prototypal HTR as an input for a comparison of energy supply options. PROTEUS was a critical assembly with an annular driver zone. The central region was filled by arrangements of fuel spheres. The reactivity effect of a water ingress was investigated by simulating the water by polyethylene rods of different diameter inserted into the gaps of a regular package. For sub-criticality measurements in pebble beds, a built-in pulsed neutron source was used. The experimental results were used to validate diffusion and higher order neutron transport models. Concerning thermal hydraulics of gas flows, the vast experience of PSI is focused on hydrogen transport, accumulation, and dispersion in containments of light water reactors. The phenomena are comparable in many aspects to the fluid dynamic issues relevant to HTR. Experiments on hydrogen flows are performed for numerous scenarios in the large-scale containment test facility PANDA. Hydrogen is substituted by helium as a model fluid. An important generic aspect is turbulent mixing in the presence of strong stratification, which is relevant for HTR as well. In a parallel project, generic small-scale mixing experiments with a high density ratio of 1:7 are carried out in a horizontal rectangular channel, where helium and nitrogen flows are brought into contact downstream of the rear edge of a splitter plate. Due to the high density ratio, turbulent mixing is affected by strong non-Boussinesq effects. The measurements taken by Particle Imaging Velocimetry (PIV) and Laser Induced Fluorescence techniques are compared to RANS and LES simulations. Similar large

Identifying well-bleached quartz using the different bleaching rates of quartz and feldspar luminescence signals

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Murray, A.S.; Thomsen, Kristina Jørkov; Masuda, N.

2012-01-01

When dating older sedimentary deposits using quartz, there are no unambiguous methods for identifying the presence of incomplete bleaching. Current statistical analysis of dose distributions depends entirely on the assumption that incomplete bleaching and mixing are the main causes of any excess...... dispersion in the distribution; the only existing way to test this assumption is using independent age control. Here we suggest a new approach to this question, based on the differential bleaching rates of quartz and feldspar luminescence signals. We first present data that confirm the differences...... in relative bleaching rates of quartz optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and feldspar luminescence stimulated at 50 °C by infrared light (IR50) and feldspar luminescence stimulated at 290 °C by infrared light after a stimulation at 50 °C (pIRIR290), and use recently deposited samples to determine...

Analytical calculation of the fuel temperature reactivity coefficient for pebble bed and prismatic high temperature reactors for plutonium and uranium-thorium fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Talamo, Alberto

2007-01-01

We analytically evaluated the fuel coefficient of temperature both for pebble bed and prismatic high temperature reactors when they utilize as fuel plutonium and minor actinides from light water reactors spent fuel or a mixture of 50% uranium, enriched 20% in 235 U, and 50% thorium. In both cores the calculation involves the evaluation of the resonances integrals of the high absorbers fuel nuclides 240 Pu, 238 U and 232 Th and it requires the esteem of the Dancoff-Ginsburg factor for a pebble bed or prismatic core. The Dancoff-Ginsburg factor represents the only discriminating parameter in the results for the two different reactors types; in fact, both the pebble bed and the prismatic reactors share the same the pseudo-cross-section describing an infinite medium made of graphite filled by TRISO particles. We considered only the resolved resonances with a statistical spin factor equal to one and we took into account 267, 72, 212 resonances in the range 1.057-5692, 6.674-14485, 21.78-3472 eV for 240 Pu, 238 U and 232 Th, respectively, for investigating the influence on the fuel temperature reactivity coefficient of the variation of the TRISO kernel radius and TRISO particles packing fraction from 100, 200 to 300 μm and from 10% to 50%, respectively. Finally, in the pebble bed core, we varied the radius of the pebble for setting a fuel temperature reactivity coefficient similar to the one of a prismatic core

Investigating effects of BCC and FCC arrangements on flow and heat transfer characteristics in pebbles through CFD methodology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ferng, Yuh Ming, E-mail: ymferng@ess.nthu.edu.tw [Department of Engineering and System Science, Institute of Nuclear Engineering and Science, National Tsing Hua University, 101, Sec. 2. Kuang-Fu Rd., Hsingchu 30013, Taiwan, ROC (China); Lin, Kun-Yueh [Department of Engineering and System Science, Institute of Nuclear Engineering and Science, National Tsing Hua University, 101, Sec. 2. Kuang-Fu Rd., Hsingchu 30013, Taiwan, ROC (China)

2013-05-15

Highlights: ► An HTGR would be one of the possible energy generation sources. ► We propose a CFD model to study effects of pebble arrangements for a PRB core. ► The entrance effect on the Nu number can be reasonably captured. ► The present predicted Nu versus Re{sub p} shows good agreement with data and correlation. ► Using FCC lattice in a core, simulation results may be non-conservative. -- Abstract: A high temperature gas cooled reactor (HTGR) would be one of the possible energy generation sources due to its advantages of inherently safety performance and higher conversion efficiency, etc. However, safety is the most important issue for its commercialization in energy industry. It is very crucial for safety design and operation of an HTGR to investigate its thermal–hydraulic characteristics. In this article, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methodology is proposed to investigate effects of different arrangements on these characteristics for an HTGR with a pebble bed (PB) core. Two kinds of arrangement: body-centered cubic (BCC) and face-centered cubic (FCC) are studies herein. Based on the simulation results, higher heat transfer capability and lower pebble temperature are predicted in the pebbles with the FCC-arrangement. The thermally fully-developed flow condition may be reached, which is shown in the result that the predicted average Nussel (Nu) number decreases from the 1st layer and reaches to an asymptotic value as the gas passes through the 6th layer of pebbles. This entrance effect reveals that the system codes using the correlations developed from the fully-developed flow condition can be appropriately applied in the entire PBR core. In addition, the present predicted dependence of Nu number on the inlet Reynolds (Re) number shows good agreement with that obtained from the well-known KTA. Measured data of Nu number versus Re number are also used to validate the CFD model.

Geochemical Data for Samples Collected in 2007 Near the Concealed Pebble Porphyry Cu-Au-Mo Deposit, Southwest Alaska

Science.gov (United States)

Fey, David L.; Granitto, Matthew; Giles, Stuart A.; Smith, Steven M.; Eppinger, Robert G.; Kelley, Karen D.

2008-01-01

In the summer of 2007, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) began an exploration geochemical research study over the Pebble porphyry copper-gold-molydenum (Cu-Au-Mo) deposit in southwest Alaska. The Pebble deposit is extremely large and is almost entirely concealed by tundra, glacial deposits, and post-Cretaceous volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks. The deposit is presently being explored by Northern Dynasty Minerals, Ltd., and Anglo-American LLC. The USGS undertakes unbiased, broad-scale mineral resource assessments of government lands to provide Congress and citizens with information on national mineral endowment. Research on known deposits is also done to refine and better constrain methods and deposit models for the mineral resource assessments. The Pebble deposit was chosen for this study because it is concealed by surficial cover rocks, it is relatively undisturbed (except for exploration company drill holes), it is a large mineral system, and it is fairly well constrained at depth by the drill hole geology and geochemistry. The goals of the USGS study are (1) to determine whether the concealed deposit can be detected with surface samples, (2) to better understand the processes of metal migration from the deposit to the surface, and (3) to test and develop methods for assessing mineral resources in similar concealed terrains. This report presents analytical results for geochemical samples collected in 2007 from the Pebble deposit and surrounding environs. The analytical data are presented digitally both as an integrated Microsoft 2003 Access? database and as Microsoft 2003 Excel? files. The Pebble deposit is located in southwestern Alaska on state lands about 30 km (18 mi) northwest of the village of Illiamna and 320 km (200 mi) southwest of Anchorage (fig. 1). Elevations in the Pebble area range from 287 m (940 ft) at Frying Pan Lake just south of the deposit to 1146 m (3760 ft) on Kaskanak Mountain about 5 km (5 mi) to the west. The deposit is in an area of

Development of local heat transfer and pressure drop models for pebble bed high temperature gas-cooled reactor cores - HTR2008-58296

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McLaughlin, B.; Worsley, M.; Stainsby, R.; Grief, A.; Dennier, A.; Macintosh, S.; Van Heerden, E.

2008-01-01

This paper describes pressure drop and heat transfer coefficient predictions for a typical coolant flow within the core of a pebble bed reactor (PBR) by examining a representative group of pebbles remote from the reflector region. The three- dimensional steady state flow and heat transfer predictions utilized in this work are obtained from a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model created in the commercial software ANSYS FLUENT TM . This work utilizes three RANS turbulence models and the Chilton-Colburn analogy for heat transfer. A methodology is included in this paper for creating a quality unstructured mesh with prismatic surface layers on a random arrangement of touching pebbles. The results of the model are validated by comparing them with the correlations of the German KTA rules for a PBR. (authors)

Using the OSL single-aliquot regenerative-dose protocol with quartz extracted from building materials in retrospective dosimetry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bøtter-Jensen, L.; Solongo, S.; Murray, A.S.

2000-01-01

We report on the application of the single-aliquot regenerative-dose (SAR) protocol to the optically stimulated luminescence signal from quartz extracted from fired bricks acid unfired mortar in retrospective dosimetry. The samples came from a radioactive materials storage facility, with ambient...... dose rates of about 0.1 mGy/h. A detailed dose-depth profile was analysed from one brick, and compared with dose records from area TL dosemeters. Small-aliquot dose-distributions were analysed from the mortar samples; one associated with the exposed brick, and one from a remote site exposed only...

Preliminary Core Design Analysis of a 200MWth Pebble Bed-type VHTR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jo, Chang Keun; Noh, Jae Man

2007-01-01

This paper intends to suggest the preliminary core design analysis of a VHTR for a hydrogen production. The nuclear hydrogen system that utilizes the high temperature heat generated from the VHTR is a promising candidate for a cost effective, safe and clean supply of hydrogen in the age of hydrogen economy. Among two candidate VHTR cores, that is, a prismatic modular reactor (PMR) and a pebble bed-type reactor (PBR), we focus on the design of a 200MWth PBR (hereinafter PBR200) in this paper. Here, the 200MWth power is selected for a demonstration plant. The core configuration of the PBR200 is similar to the PBMR (Pebble Bed Modular Reactor, 400MWth) of South Africa, but the overall dimension of the reactor system is scaled-down. This paper is to suggest two candidate PBR200 cores. One is an annular core with an inner reflector (PBR200-CD1) which was presented at IWRES07, and the other is a cylindrical core without an inner reflector (PBR200-CD2)

Red and blue colouration of thermoluminescence from natural quartz sands

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hashimoto, T; Hayashi, Y; Koyanagi, A; Yokosaka, K; Kimura, K

1986-01-01

Quartz extracts, from a pegmatite rock, volcanic ashes and beach sands, were exposed to X-rays or gamma-rays upto 8.8kGy. The irradiated sands were observed through a thermoluminescence colour image technique (abbreviated to TLCI by the authors) using highly sensitive colour photographic system. The quartz sands from volcanic ash layers, containing ..beta..-quartz (mineralized at high temperature), always indicate a red TLCI, whereas the quartz rocks from pegmatite origin and granite strata, containing ..cap alpha..-quartz (mineralized at low temperature), gave a typical blue TLCI, being consistent with the well known quartz TL colour. Quartz fractions from the beach sands showed a mixture of both red and blue TLCI, probably reflecting the respective mixtures of ..beta..-(in their origin) and ..cap alpha..-quartz fractions along the riverside area. The search using X-ray diffractometry and instrumental neutron activation analysis proved that the cause of distinctly different colourations was attributable to the impurity atoms: light rare earth elements (Eu and/or Sm) bringing on red TLCI, while structural defects yielding the blue TLCI).

A constitutive model for the thermo-mechanical behaviour of fusion-relevant pebble beds and its application to the simulation of HELICA mock-up experimental results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vella, G.; Maio, P.A. Di; Giammusso, R.; Tincani, A.; Orco, G. Dell

2006-01-01

Within the framework of the activities promoted by European Fusion Development Agreement on the technology of the Helium Cooled Pebble Bed Test Blanket Module to be irradiated in one of the ITER equatorial ports, attention has been focused on the theoretical modelling of the thermo-mechanical constitutive behaviour of both beryllium and lithiated ceramics pebble beds, that are envisaged to act respectively as neutron multiplier and tritium breeder. The thermo-mechanical behaviour of the pebble beds and their nuclear performances in terms of tritium production depend on the reactor relevant conditions (heat flux and neutron wall load), the pebble sizes and the breeder cell geometries (bed thickness, pebble packing factor, bed overall thermal conductivity). ENEA-Brasimone and the Department of Nuclear Engineering (DIN) of the Palermo University have performed intense research activities intended to investigate fusion-relevant pebble bed thermo-mechanical behaviour by adopting both experimental and theoretical approaches. In particular, ENEA has carried out several experimental campaigns on small scale mock-ups tested in out-of-pile conditions, while DIN has developed a proper constitutive model that has been implemented on commercial FEM code, for the prediction of the thermal and mechanical performances of fusion-relevant pebble beds and for the comparison with the experimental results of the ENEA tests. In that framework, HELICA mock-up has been set-up and tested to investigate the behaviour of pebble bed in reactor-relevant geometries, providing useful data sets to be numerically reproduced by means of the DIN constitutive model, contributing to its assessment. The paper presents the constitutive model developed and the main experimental results of two test campaigns on HELICA mock-up carried out at HE-FUS 3 facility of ENEA Brasimone, the geometry of the mock-up, the adopted thermal and mechanical boundary conditions and the test operating conditions. The most

Gamma irradiation of quartz from Pannier basin, South America

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Enokihara, Cyro T.; Rela, Paulo R. [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)], E-mail: cteiti@ipen.br, E-mail: prela@ipen.br; Guttler, Rainer A.S. [Universidade de Sao Paulo (USP), SP (Brazil). Inst. de Geociencias

2007-07-01

The use of gamma radiation to induce or enhance color centers in gemstones is a widespread technique and applied worldwide on a industrial scale since at least 1970. The presence of defects and defect structures in quartz from a border region of southern Brazil and Uruguay are the reason for the creation of a new color variety of quartz called 'Prasiolite' in the gem trade. This quartz has a pleasant green color produced by gamma irradiation. The procedures of irradiation at IPEN show that the activation of these color producing defects can be monitored by detailed chemical and spectroscopic analysis. For the first time UV-VIS-NIR spectra of this new color variety of quartz are shown. They revealed special features of these quartz crystals coming from basaltic terranes of the Parana Basin. Contrary to most specimen of quartz from other parts of Brazil, they have such a high water and OH content that they resemble more chalcedony or opal, but not highly crystalline quartz specimens. The cause of the color are broken bonds of Si-OH defining the so-called dangling bonds. (author)

Torques Induced by Scattered Pebble-flow in Protoplanetary Disks

Science.gov (United States)

Benítez-Llambay, Pablo; Pessah, Martin E.

2018-03-01

Fast inward migration of planetary cores is a common problem in the current planet formation paradigm. Even though dust is ubiquitous in protoplanetary disks, its dynamical role in the migration history of planetary embryos has not been assessed. In this Letter, we show that the scattered pebble-flow induced by a low-mass planetary embryo leads to an asymmetric dust-density distribution that is able to exert a net torque. By analyzing a large suite of multifluid hydrodynamical simulations addressing the interaction between the disk and a low-mass planet on a fixed circular orbit, and neglecting dust feedback onto the gas, we identify two different regimes, gas- and gravity-dominated, where the scattered pebble-flow results in almost all cases in positive torques. We collect our measurements in a first torque map for dusty disks, which will enable the incorporation of the effect of dust dynamics on migration into population synthesis models. Depending on the dust drift speed, the dust-to-gas mass ratio/distribution, and the embryo mass, the dust-induced torque has the potential to halt inward migration or even induce fast outward migration of planetary cores. We thus anticipate that dust-driven migration could play a dominant role during the formation history of planets. Because dust torques scale with disk metallicity, we propose that dust-driven outward migration may enhance the occurrence of distant giant planets in higher-metallicity systems.

TL response to quartz and aluminum oxide grain for α-irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pan Baolin; Wei Mingjian; Li Dongxu; Liu Zhaowen; Liu Chao; Zhao Shiyuan

2009-01-01

Thermoluminescence (TL) response for an α-ray irradiation system ( 241 Am) was examined with quartz grains of 11-40 μm. Quartz grains of different sizes, i.e. 137 Cs), before they were irradiated to different doses by the α-ray irradiation system. TL response to the quartz grain samples was measured. TL response of the quartz grains smaller than 4 μm and 11-40 μm to α-ray irradiation is the best, as the α-rays cannot penetrate quartz larger than 40 μm. The TL response characteristic is related with quartz grain surface area. TL responses to α-irradiation of 11-40 μm quartz and aluminum oxide grains were compared. The α-irradiation TL response of aluminum oxide (330 degree C) is better than the quartz (375 degree C). (authors)

Optimized core design and fuel management of a pebble-bed type nuclear reactor

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boer, B.

2009-01-01

The core design of a pebble-bed type Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) is optimized, aiming for an increase of the coolant outlet temperature to 1000 C, while retaining its inherent safety features. The VHTR has been selected by the international Generation IV research initiative as one of the

Radiation resistivity of quartz core fiber, 3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gozen, Toshikazu; Suzuki, Toshiya; Hayashi, Tokuji; Tanaka, Hiroyuki; Okamoto, Shinichi.

1985-01-01

Radiation resistance characteristics were evaluated for a multi-mode quartz core fiber in low temperature region together with photobleaching effect depending on the incident light power and dependency on the wavelength of measuring rays. This report describes the results of the abovementioned items and the next step study of trial manufacturing of a pure-quartz single-mode fiber for the employment of longer wavelength rays and greater capacity in light transmission communication system. Quartz core fiber specimens were irradiated by 60 Co γ-ray source at -55 deg C to 80 deg C in a constant temperature bath and light transmission loss was determined under irradiation conditions. Low temperature characteristics were superior in an MRT (modified rod-in tube) pure quartz fiber prepared by the plasma method as compared to VAD quartz and Ge-GI fibers. The MRT fiber showed better quality than the Ge-GI fiber also in the photobleaching effect examination. As for the wavelength dependency, light transmission loss of the MRT fiber was less than that of the Ge-GI fiber. The MRT fiber also showed a superior quality in the wide range of irradiation temperatures. Based on the above-mentioned understandings, a pure-quartz single-mode fiber of both BF 3 -doped and F-doped cladding types were developed for longer wavelengths uses. The fibers could attain low light transmission loss of less than 1.0 dB/km at 1.30 μm of wavelength. At the standpoint of radiation resistivity, the BF 3 -doped fiber was found superior. (Takagi, S.)

Analytical calculation of the fuel temperature reactivity coefficient for pebble bed and prismatic high temperature reactors for plutonium and uranium-thorium fuels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Talamo, Alberto [Department of Nuclear and Reactor Physics, Royal Institute of Technology - KTH, Roslagstullsbacken 21, S-10691 Stockholm (Sweden)]. E-mail: alby@anl.gov

2007-01-15

We analytically evaluated the fuel coefficient of temperature both for pebble bed and prismatic high temperature reactors when they utilize as fuel plutonium and minor actinides from light water reactors spent fuel or a mixture of 50% uranium, enriched 20% in {sup 235}U, and 50% thorium. In both cores the calculation involves the evaluation of the resonances integrals of the high absorbers fuel nuclides {sup 240}Pu, {sup 238}U and {sup 232}Th and it requires the esteem of the Dancoff-Ginsburg factor for a pebble bed or prismatic core. The Dancoff-Ginsburg factor represents the only discriminating parameter in the results for the two different reactors types; in fact, both the pebble bed and the prismatic reactors share the same the pseudo-cross-section describing an infinite medium made of graphite filled by TRISO particles. We considered only the resolved resonances with a statistical spin factor equal to one and we took into account 267, 72, 212 resonances in the range 1.057-5692, 6.674-14485, 21.78-3472 eV for {sup 240}Pu, {sup 238}U and {sup 232}Th, respectively, for investigating the influence on the fuel temperature reactivity coefficient of the variation of the TRISO kernel radius and TRISO particles packing fraction from 100, 200 to 300 {mu}m and from 10% to 50%, respectively. Finally, in the pebble bed core, we varied the radius of the pebble for setting a fuel temperature reactivity coefficient similar to the one of a prismatic core.

Pebble bed reactor with one-zone core

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mueller-Frank, U.; Lohnert, G.

1977-01-01

The claim deals with measures to differentiate the flow rate and to remove spherical fuel elements in the core of a pebble bed reactor. Hence the vertical rate of the fuel elements in the border region is for example twice as much as in the centre. A central funnel-shaped outlet on the floor of the core container over which a conical body is placed with its peak pointing upwards, or also the forming of several outlets can be used to adjust to a certain exit rate for the fuel elements. The main target of the invention is a radially extensively constant coolant outlet temperature at the outlet of the core which determines the effectiveness of the connected heat exchanger and thus contributes to economy. (UA) [de

Microbes: uranium miners, money makers, problem solvers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Williamson, A.L., E-mail: awilliamson@mirarco.org [MIRARCO, Sudbury, ON (Canada); Laurentian Univ., Sudbury, ON (Canada); Payne, R.; Kerr, F. [Pele Mountain Resources Inc., Toronto, ON (Canada); Hall, S. [Laurentian Univ., Sudbury, ON (Canada); Spiers, G.A. [MIRARCO, Sudbury, ON (Canada); Laurentian Univ., Sudbury, ON (Canada)

2010-07-01

Bioleaching, the microbial dissolution of minerals, is potentially useful in exploiting a variety of ore deposits, including the lower-grade uraniferous quartz-pebble conglomerate beds of the Quirke Syncline, Elliot Lake, Ontario. The metabolism of chemolithotropic bacterium Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans is dependent on its ability to derive energy and reducing power from the oxidation of ferrous iron. The characteristics of this bacterium, in particular the ability to oxidize both iron and sulphur with an associated high tolerance of low acidity, allow the organism to contribute significantly to bioleaching processes. Under ideal conditions, A. ferrooxidans promotes the oxidation of iron-containing sulphide ore materials, breaking their crystal structure and promoting the dissolution of iron, base metals, as well as uranium, rare earth elements and associated elements of toxicological interest such as arsenic and selenium. The current study documents an overview of the recovery of uranium and rare earth elements to solution, plus investigates the acid generating potential of the solid residues from a series of environmentally controlled, biologically-mediated uranium ore extraction experiments. The findings will be used in the design of larger scale bioleaching experiments to further assess the potential for success of bioleaching as a metallurgical extraction technique potentially leading to minimum maintenance decommissioning strategies for the ore deposits of the Quirke Syncline. (author)

Evaluation of uranium anomalies in the McCaslin Syncline, northeastern Wisconsin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blackburn, W.H.; Mathews, G.W.

1982-01-01

On the basis of this investigation, the McCaslin area does not demonstrate sufficient recognition criteria to be considered favorable for the occurrence of uranium deposits that are analogous to quartz-pebble conglomerate deposits or unconformity-related deposits. Neither model is applicable because: (1) More often than not the conglomeratic lenses of the McCaslin Quartzite are polymictic. (2) Pyrite and chlorite are essentially lacking; (3) Pervasive chloritic and hematitic alteration are not present in the McCaslin district; (4) The maximum estimated age of the McCaslin is 1.9 b.y.; (5) The notable absence of anomalous uranium values in the basal McCaslin Quartzite, and especially where known faulting intersects the McCaslin, suggests that a process for concentrating uranium has not been effective in the area; (6) The Waupee Volcanics are not known to contain any extensive graphitic or chloritic schists, nor do they have more than normal amounts of uranium; (7) Uranium anomalies in stream-water, stream-sediment, and aerial surveys may be explained by uranium derived from the relatively uraniferous Hager Rhyolite, or other granitic intrusives related to the Wolf River batholith. The McCaslin area warrants no further investigation; it will not contribute any significant new potential the the NURE resource base. 3 figures, 3 tables

Uranium deposits in Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilpolt, R.H.; Simov, S.D.

1979-01-01

Africa is not only known for its spectacular diamond, gold, copper, chromium, platinum and phosphorus deposits but also for its uranium deposits. At least two uranium provinces can be distinguished - the southern, with the equatorial sub-province; and the south Saharan province. Uranium deposits are distributed either in cratons or in mobile belts, the first of sandstone and quartz-pebble conglomerate type, while those located in mobile belts are predominantly of vein and similar (disseminated) type. Uranium deposits occur within Precambrian rocks or in younger platform sediments, but close to the exposed Precambrian basement. The Proterozoic host rocks consist of sediments, metamorphics or granitoids. In contrast to Phanerozoic continental uranium-bearing sediments, those in the Precambrian are in marginal marine facies but they do contain organic material. The geology of Africa is briefly reviewed with the emphasis on those features which might control the distribution of uranium. The evolution of the African Platform is considered as a progressive reduction of its craton area which has been affected by three major Precambrian tectonic events. A short survey on the geology of known uranium deposits is made. However, some deposits and occurrences for which little published material is available are treated in more detail. (author)

Microbes: uranium miners, money makers, problem solvers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Williamson, A.L.; Payne, R.; Kerr, F.; Hall, S.; Spiers, G.A.

2010-01-01

Bioleaching, the microbial dissolution of minerals, is potentially useful in exploiting a variety of ore deposits, including the lower-grade uraniferous quartz-pebble conglomerate beds of the Quirke Syncline, Elliot Lake, Ontario. The metabolism of chemolithotropic bacterium Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans is dependent on its ability to derive energy and reducing power from the oxidation of ferrous iron. The characteristics of this bacterium, in particular the ability to oxidize both iron and sulphur with an associated high tolerance of low acidity, allow the organism to contribute significantly to bioleaching processes. Under ideal conditions, A. ferrooxidans promotes the oxidation of iron-containing sulphide ore materials, breaking their crystal structure and promoting the dissolution of iron, base metals, as well as uranium, rare earth elements and associated elements of toxicological interest such as arsenic and selenium. The current study documents an overview of the recovery of uranium and rare earth elements to solution, plus investigates the acid generating potential of the solid residues from a series of environmentally controlled, biologically-mediated uranium ore extraction experiments. The findings will be used in the design of larger scale bioleaching experiments to further assess the potential for success of bioleaching as a metallurgical extraction technique potentially leading to minimum maintenance decommissioning strategies for the ore deposits of the Quirke Syncline. (author)

Proterozoic events recorded in quartzite cobbles at Jack Hills, Western Australia: New constraints on sedimentation and source of > 4 Ga zircons

Science.gov (United States)

Grange, Marion L.; Wilde, Simon A.; Nemchin, Alexander A.; Pidgeon, Robert T.

2010-03-01

Rare heavy mineral bands within quartzite cobbles were identified in two conglomerate units within the Jack Hills belt, Western Australia. Seven zircon-bearing cobbles were analysed from one location (site 152) and three from another (site 154), both approximately 1 km west of the site where zircons in excess of 4 Ga are abundant (W74 'discovery' site). Individual pebbles from the 152 site reveal three distinctive features, containing either zircons > 3.0 Ga in age, 4 Ga was discovered from the entire suite of pebbles, in contrast to the well-studied W74 site. A single detrital zircon with an age of 1220 ± 42 Ma from location 152 is the youngest grain so far reported from sedimentary rocks at Jack Hills. It shows magmatic oscillatory zoning and thus implies at least two sedimentary cycles within the Proterozoic; requiring erosion of an igneous precursor, incorporation into a clastic sediment, induration and subsequent erosion and transport to be hosted in the conglomerate. The nearest source for rocks of this age is the Bangemall Supergroup in the Collier Basin, ˜ 100 km northeast in the Capricorn Orogen. This would imply tectonic interleaving of originally more extensive Bangemall rocks, possibly related to activity along the Cargarah Shear Zone that traverses the Jack Hills belt. The lack of > 4.1 Ga zircons in the pebbles is highly significant, suggesting the immediate source of ancient zircons was no longer present at the Earth's surface. This equates with a general lack of ancient crystals noted in rocks that contain Proterozoic zircons from previous studies and implies that such grains diminish in number as earlier sedimentary rocks were successively recycled.

Fabrication of a novel quartz micromachined gyroscope

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Liqiang; Xing, Jianchun; Wang, Haoxu; Wu, Xuezhong

2015-04-01

A novel quartz micromachined gyroscope is proposed in this paper. The novel gyroscope is realized by quartz anisotropic wet etching and 3-dimensional electrodes deposition. In the quartz wet etching process, the quality of Cr/Au mask films affecting the process are studied by experiment. An excellent mask film with 100 Å Cr and 2000 Å Au is achieved by optimization of experimental parameters. Crystal facets after etching seriously affect the following sidewall electrodes deposition process and the structure's mechanical behaviours. Removal of crystal facets is successfully implemented by increasing etching time based on etching rate ratios between facets and crystal planes. In the electrodes deposition process, an aperture mask evaporation method is employed to prepare electrodes on 3-dimensional surfaces of the gyroscope structure. The alignments among the aperture masks are realized by the ABM™ Mask Aligner System. Based on the processes described above, a z-axis quartz gyroscope is fabricated successfully.

Asymmetric adsorption of alanine by quartz powder from ethanol solution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Furuyama, Shozo; Sawada, Michio; Hachiya, Kinji; Morimoto, Tetsuo (Okayama Univ. (Japan). Faculty of Science)

1982-11-01

The asymmetric adsorption of the racemic alanine by the optically active quartz from ethanol solution at 8/sup 0/C was studied by the /sup 14/C-tracer method and the newly developed /sup 14/C-tracer ninhydrin-colorimetry combination method. The preferential adsorption of L-alanine by levorotatory quartz (l-quartz) and D-alanine by dextrorotatory quartz (d-quartz) was confirmed. The asymmetric adsorptivity (Asub(s)) falls in the range of 1.1 - 1.3, which is comparable with the value determined at - 80/sup 0/C in the previous paper. The effects of water content in the ethanol solution and of the adsorption temperature upon the adsorption affinity of alanine to quartz were also measured. The cause for the asymmetric adsorption is discussed from the crystallographic point of view.

Dynamic analysis and application of fuel elements pneumatic transportation in a pebble bed reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Hongbing; Du, Dong; Han, Zandong; Zou, Yirong; Pan, Jiluan

2015-01-01

Almost 10,000 spherical fuel elements are transported pneumatically one by one in the pipeline outside the core of a pebble bed reactor every day. Any failure in the transportation will lead to the shutdown of the reactor, even safety accidents. In order to ensure a stable and reliable transportation, it's of great importance to analyze the motion and force condition of the fuel element. In this paper, we focus on the dynamic analysis of the pneumatic transportation of the fuel element and derive kinetic equations. Then we introduce the design of the transportation pipeline. On this basis we calculate some important data such as the velocity of the fuel element, the force between the fuel element and the pipeline and the efficiency of the pneumatic transportation. Then we analyze these results and provide some suggestions for the design of the pipeline. The experiment was carried out on an experimental platform. The velocities of the fuel elements were measured. The experimental results were consistent with and validated the theoretical analysis. The research may offer the basis for the design of the transportation pipeline and the optimization of the fuel elements transportation in a pebble bed reactor. - Highlights: • The kinetic equations of the fuel element in pneumatic transportation are derived. • The dynamic characteristics of the fuel element are analyzed. • Some important parameters are calculated based on the kinetic equations. • The experimental results were consistent with the analysis and verified the analysis. • This paper may offer an important guide to the research of a pebble bed reactor

Preliminary Safeguards Assessment for the Pebble-Bed Fluoride High-Temperature Reactor (PB-FHR) Concept

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Disser, Jay; Arthur, Edward; Lambert, Janine

2016-09-01

This report examines a preliminary design for a pebble bed fluoride salt-cooled high temperature reactor (PB-FHR) concept, assessing it from an international safeguards perspective. Safeguards features are defined, in a preliminary fashion, and suggestions are made for addressing further nuclear materials accountancy needs.

A solid target for SINQ based on a Pb-shot Pebble-bed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Atchison, F.; Heidenreich, G.

1991-01-01

Preliminary results from scoping calculations examining the possibilities of implementing a Pebble-bed of Pb-shot as a target for SINQ are presented. The primary design objects are set out and estimates of heating and activation given. Cooling circuit parameters are discussed and estimates for operating conditions presented. A short discussion of problems associated with a realisation is included. (author)

Localization of the Hot Spot in the Gap of Pebble Bed of Very High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor(VHTGR)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Sa Ya; Hong, Sung Je; Lee, Jae Young

2010-01-01

Pebble Bed Reactor(PBR) has been investigated intensively due to its benefits in management, but its complicated flow geometry requests reliable analytical methods. Hassan and Lee et al. have been made three dimensional computational methods. Hassan also measured local velocity fields with Particle Tracking Velocimetry(PTV), in small sized packed bed using liquid coolant, and Lee et al. measured flow field in the 2-dimensional wind tunnel with a hot wire system. In the present study, we develop the scaled up wind tunnel of pebble bed to use air as coolant in the same Reynolds number condition, as 21614, of the PBMR-250MWth. In order to measure the local surface temperature, the heating system and temperature measurement system were installed and heat transfer analogy was performed. The local surface temperature data shows that the predicted hot spots by Lee et al. at the top and bottom of the pebble by the velocity field measurement are reasonable, but the heat conduction is prior than contact effect at contact points

Luminescence sensitivity changes in quartz

CERN Document Server

Wintle, A G

1999-01-01

In the luminescence dating of sedimentary or heated quartz, some heat treatment is usually applied to the sample immediately prior to the measurement of the optically stimulated luminescence. In this paper we report experiments on a 30,000-year-old sedimentary quartz, in which we use the luminescence response to a test dose to monitor the changes in sensitivity that are caused by holding the quartz at temperatures from 160 to 280 deg. C for times from 10 s to 22 h. For an optically bleached sample, the monitoring is by both optically stimulated luminescence and the 110 deg. C TL peak; both luminescence signals are shown to have the same sensitisation (i.e. activation energy) characteristics. For natural or laboratory irradiated samples only the 110 deg. C TL peak can be used; sensitivity increases of up to a factor of 1.3 and 3 are observed for the natural and laboratory irradiated aliquots, respectively. Up to four exponential components are used to deconvolve the sensitivity change data; the dominant compon...

{sup 226}Ra, {sup 228}Ra and {sup 210}Pb determination in surface water and groundwater by liquid scintillation counting

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Faria, Ligia S.; Moreira, Rubens M., E-mail: ligsfaria@gmail.com, E-mail: rubens@cdtn.br [Centro de Desenvolvimento da Tecnologia Nuclear (CDTN/CNEN-MG), Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil)

2015-07-01

The municipalities of Brumadinho and Nova Lima are located in the metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte city, in the State of Minas Gerais. These two sites are important due to being located inside an Environmental Protection Area inserted in the Iron Quadrangle. In addition to the mineral wealth, the region has geological features that include quartz conglomerates associated with uranium and a significant groundwater potential exhibiting quite peculiar and complex hydrogeological features, such as the quartzite aquifer itself. Nuclear techniques applied to hydrology, such as Liquid Scintillation Counting technique (LSC), make possible the evaluation of natural radioactivity in surface water and groundwater. The objectives of this study were the determination of the activities of the long half-life radionuclides of the uranium and thorium series, such as {sup 226}Ra, {sup 228}Ra and {sup 210}Pb, and provide an effective methodology to define if the direct consumption of these waters can cause risk to health due to its radioactivity. The results were compared with the recommendations of the Ministry of Health. (author)

Pebble fabrication of super advanced tritium breeders using a solid solution of Li2+xTiO3+y with Li2ZrO3

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tsuyoshi Hoshino

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Lithium titanate with excess lithium (Li2+xTiO3+y is one of the most promising candidates among advanced tritium breeders for demonstration power plant reactors because of its good tritium release characteristics. However, the tritium breeding ratio (TBR of Li2+xTiO3+y is smaller than that of e.g., Li2O or Li8TiO6 because of its lower Li density. Therefore, new Li-containing ceramic composites with both high stability and high Li density have been developed. Thus, this study focused on the development of a solid solution with a new characteristic. The solid-solution pebbles of Li2+xTiO3+y with Li2ZrO3 (Li2+x(Ti,ZrO3+y, designated as LTZO, were fabricated by an emulsion method. The X-ray diffraction patterns of sintered LTZO pebbles are approximately the same as those of Li2+xTiO3+y pebbles, and no peaks attributable to Li2ZrO3 are observed. These results demonstrate that LTZO pebbles are not a two-phase material but rather a solid solution. Furthermore, LTZO pebbles were easily sintered under air. Thus, the LTZO solid solution is a candidate breeder material for super advanced (SA tritium breeders.

Design and research on the measurement platform of the effective thermal conductivity for Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} and Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebble bed

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Yuanjie, E-mail: yuanjli@ustc.edu.cn; Yang, Wanli; Jin, Cheng; Zhao, Pinghui; Chen, Hongli

2015-10-15

China is carrying out the conceptual design of Chinese Fusion Engineering Testing Reactor (CFETR), and the Helium Cooled Pebble Bed (HCPB) blanket concept is one of the main choices for tritium production. Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} and Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} are the candidate breeder materials for the HCPB blanket concept. In the HCPB blanket, breeding pebbles with the diameter range of 0.6–1.2 mm are placed between two plates and the bed shall be cooled. Accordingly, effective thermal conductivity of pebble beds needs to be determined for the heat transfer calculation. Measurements of the heat transfer parameters of Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} and Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebble beds are being performed at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC). Two measurement methods are being used. One is the steady state method with the use of thermocouples to measure the temperature distribution of the pebble bed. Another is transient thermal probe method using the temperature variation of the thermal probe and Monte Carlo inversion method to calculate the heat transfer parameters of the pebble bed. This paper will report on the progress of these measurement platforms.

Microbially induced separation of quartz from hematite using sulfate reducing bacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Prakasan, M R Sabari; Natarajan, K A

2010-07-01

Cells and metabolic products of Desulfovibrio desulfuricans were successfully used to separate quartz from hematite through environmentally benign microbially induced flotation. Bacterial metabolic products such as extracellular proteins and polysaccharides were isolated from both unadapted and mineral-adapted bacterial metabolite and their basic characteristics were studied in order to get insight into the changes brought about on bioreagents during adaptation. Interaction between bacterial cells and metabolites with minerals like hematite and quartz brought about significant surface-chemical changes on both the minerals. Quartz was rendered more hydrophobic, while hematite became more hydrophilic after biotreatment. The predominance of bacterial polysaccharides on interacted hematite and of proteins on quartz was responsible for the above surface-chemical changes, as attested through adsorption studies. Surface-chemical changes were also observed on bacterial cells after adaptation to the above minerals. Selective separation of quartz from hematite was achieved through interaction with quartz-adapted bacterial cells and metabolite. Mineral-specific proteins secreted by quartz-adapted cells were responsible for conferment of hydrophobicity on quartz resulting in enhanced separation from hematite through flotation. 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The activation analysis of gold in small refractory pebbles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bibby, D.M.; Chaix, R.P.

1975-08-01

The gold content of a suite of small pebbles, residual to the milling and leach of a gold bearing ore, has been investigated by means of neutron activation analysis (NAA). An NAA technique presenting a sensitivity of 0.02μgm gold, was used as being appropriate to the samples under investigation. An alternative NAA technique developed with the same sample suite showed a sensitivity of the order of 10 -4 to 10 -5 μgm gold. The NAA techniques developed, are appropriate to the determination of gold in small samples of ore not normally amenable to milling and/or dissolution

Thermal quenching of thermoluminescence in quartz samples of various origin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Subedi, B.; Oniya, E.; Polymeris, G.S.; Afouxenidis, D.; Tsirliganis, N.C.; Kitis, G.

2011-01-01

The effect of thermal quenching stands among the most important properties in the thermoluminescence (TL) of quartz on which many applications of TL are based. Since the quartz samples used in various applications are all of different origin it is useful to investigate whether the values of the thermal quenching parameters, i.e. the activation energy for thermal quenching W and a parameter C which describes the ratio of non-radiative to radiative luminescence transitions, evaluated mainly in specific quartz samples can be extrapolated to quartz samples of unknown origin as well as to quartz samples which are annealed at high temperatures. In the present work the TL glow curve of a series of un-annealed and annealed natural and synthetic quartz samples were studied as a function of the heating rate between 0.25 K/s and 16 K/s. Using an indirect fitting method it was found that the thermal quenching parameters W and C in most of the quartz samples are very similar to the values accepted in the literature. Furthermore, in some cases the thermal quenching parameters W and C are not the same for all TL glow-peaks in the same glow-curve. Finally, the strong external treatment of annealing the quartz samples at very high temperature can also influence at least one of the thermal quenching parameters.

Quartz exsolution topotaxy in clinopyroxene from the UHP eclogite of Weihai, China

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Haijun; Zhang, Junfeng; Zong, Keqing; Liu, Liang

2015-06-01

Abundant oriented silica precipitates of α-quartz (4.0 ± 1.0 vol.%), in part coexisting with calcic amphiboles (topotactic relationships with their host clinopyroxenes. Three types of crystallographic topotactic relationship have been identified between quartz and host clinopyroxene: (1) 52% quartz precipitates share the same orientation for the c-axes with [0001]qz//[001]cpx; (2) 34% quartz precipitates share the same orientation for the a-axes with [11 2 bar0]qz//[001]cpx; and (3) 11% quartz precipitates share the same orientation for the s-planes with (11 2 bar1)qz//(100)cpx. Other quartz axes and planes disperse in large or small girdles around the shared axes or planes. Many quartz rods/needles are elongated parallel to the [001]cpx with the long axes of quartz being either [0001]qz or [11 2 bar0]qz. Amphibole precipitates have also a strong crystallographic relationship with host clinopyroxene, i.e., (100)amp//(100)cpx, [010]amp//[010]cpx, and [001]amp//[001]cpx. These results provide quantitative microstructural evidence supporting an exsolution origin for oriented quartz needles/rods in clinopyroxene and demonstrate that the exsolution of quartz from clinopyroxene occurred within the stability field of α-quartz rather than coesite. The oriented precipitates of α-quartz, in part coexisting with calcic amphiboles, in host clinopyroxene are probably promoted by supercritical fluid or partial melting during the early exhumation of eclogites. Our results suggest that oriented quartz precipitates in clinopyroxene cannot be used as an indisputable UHP-indicator.