Physics study of Canada deuterium uranium lattice with coolant void reactivity analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Jin Su; Lee, Hyun Suk; Tak, Tae Woo; Lee, Deok Jung [Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan (Korea, Republic of); Shin, Ho Cheol [Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Central Research Institute (KHNP-CRI), Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2017-02-15

This study presents a coolant void reactivity analysis of Canada Deuterium Uranium (CANDU)-6 and Advanced Canada Deuterium Uranium Reactor-700 (ACR-700) fuel lattices using a Monte Carlo code. The reactivity changes when the coolant was voided were assessed in terms of the contributions of four factors and spectrum shifts. In the case of single bundle coolant voiding, the contribution of each of the four factors in the ACR-700 lattice is large in magnitude with opposite signs, and their summation becomes a negative reactivity effect in contrast to that of the CANDU-6 lattice. Unlike the coolant voiding in a single fuel bundle, the 2 x 2 checkerboard coolant voiding in the ACR-700 lattice shows a positive reactivity effect. The neutron current between the no-void and voided bundles, and the four factors of each bundle were analyzed to figure out the mechanism of the positive coolant void reactivity of the checkerboard voiding case. Through a sensitivity study of fuel enrichment, type of burnable absorber, and moderator to fuel volume ratio, a design strategy for the CANDU reactor was suggested in order to achieve a negative coolant void reactivity even for the checkerboard voiding case.

Dependence of calculated void reactivity on film-boiling representation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Whitlock, J.; Garland, W.

1992-01-01

Partial voiding of a fuel channel can lead to complicated neutronic analysis, because of highly nonuniform spatial distributions. An investigation of the distribution dependence of void reactivity in a Canada deuterium uranium (CANDU) lattice, specifically in the regime of film boiling, was done. Although the core is not expected to be critical at the time of sheath dryout, this study augments current knowledge of void reactivity in this type of lattice

The use of graphite for the reduction of void reactivity in CANDU reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Min, B.J.; Kim, B.G.; Sim, K-S.

1995-01-01

Coolant void reactivity can be reduced by using burnable poison in CANDU reactors. The use of graphite in the fuel bundle is introduced to reduce coolant void reactivity by adding an appropriate amount of burnable poison in the central rod. This study shows that sufficiently low void reactivity which in controllable by Reactor Regulating System (RRS) can be achieved by using graphite used fuel with slightly enriched uranium. Zero void reactivity can be also obtained by using graphite used fuel with a large central rod. A new fuel bundle with graphite rods can substantially reduce the void reactivity with less burnup penalty compared to previously proposed low void reactivity fuel with depleted uranium. (author)

Three-dimensional core analysis on a super fast reactor with negative local void reactivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cao Liangzhi; Oka, Yoshiaki; Ishiwatari, Yuki; Ikejiri, Satoshi

2009-01-01

Keeping negative void reactivity throughout the cycle life is one of the most important requirements for the design of a supercritical water-cooled fast reactor (super fast reactor). Previous conceptual design has negative overall void reactivity. But the local void reactivity, which is defined as the reactivity change when the coolant of one fuel assembly disappears, also needs to be kept negative throughout the cycle life because the super fast reactor is designed with closed fuel assemblies. The mechanism of the local void reactivity is theoretically analyzed from the neutrons balance point of view. Three-dimensional neutronics/thermal-hydraulic coupling calculation is employed to analyze the characteristics of the super fast reactor including the local void reactivity. Some configurations of the core are optimized to decrease the local void reactivity. A reference core is successfully designed with keeping both overall and local void reactivity negative. The maximum local void reactivity is less than -30 pcm

Analysis of the reactivity coefficients of the advanced high-temperature reactor for plutonium and uranium fuels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zakova, Jitka [Department of Nuclear and Reactor Physics, Royal Institute of Technology, KTH, Roslagstullsbacken 21, S-10691, Stockholm (Sweden)], E-mail: jitka.zakova@neutron.kth.se; Talamo, Alberto [Nuclear Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, ANL, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, IL 60439 (United States)], E-mail: alby@anl.gov

2008-05-15

The conceptual design of the advanced high-temperature reactor (AHTR) has recently been proposed by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, with the intention to provide and alternative energy source for very high temperature applications. In the present study, we focused on the analyses of the reactivity coefficients of the AHTR core fueled with two types of fuel: enriched uranium and plutonium from the reprocessing of light water reactors irradiated fuel. More precisely, we investigated the influence of the outer graphite reflectors on the multiplication factor of the core, the fuel and moderator temperature reactivity coefficients and the void reactivity coefficient for five different molten salts: NaF, BeF{sub 2}, LiF, ZrF{sub 4} and Li{sub 2}BeF{sub 4} eutectic. In order to better illustrate the behavior of the previous parameters for different core configurations, we evaluated the moderating ratio of the molten salts and the absorption rate of the key fuel nuclides, which, of course, are driven by the neutron spectrum. The results show that the fuel and moderator temperature reactivity coefficients are always negative, whereas the void reactivity coefficient can be set negative provided that the fuel to moderator ratio is optimized (the core is undermoderated) and the moderating ratio of the coolant is large.

Analysis of the reactivity coefficients of the advanced high-temperature reactor for plutonium and uranium fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zakova, Jitka; Talamo, Alberto

2008-01-01

The conceptual design of the advanced high-temperature reactor (AHTR) has recently been proposed by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, with the intention to provide and alternative energy source for very high temperature applications. In the present study, we focused on the analyses of the reactivity coefficients of the AHTR core fueled with two types of fuel: enriched uranium and plutonium from the reprocessing of light water reactors irradiated fuel. More precisely, we investigated the influence of the outer graphite reflectors on the multiplication factor of the core, the fuel and moderator temperature reactivity coefficients and the void reactivity coefficient for five different molten salts: NaF, BeF 2 , LiF, ZrF 4 and Li 2 BeF 4 eutectic. In order to better illustrate the behavior of the previous parameters for different core configurations, we evaluated the moderating ratio of the molten salts and the absorption rate of the key fuel nuclides, which, of course, are driven by the neutron spectrum. The results show that the fuel and moderator temperature reactivity coefficients are always negative, whereas the void reactivity coefficient can be set negative provided that the fuel to moderator ratio is optimized (the core is undermoderated) and the moderating ratio of the coolant is large

Influence of void effects on reactivity of coupled fast-thermal system HERBE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ljubenov, V.; Milovanovic, S.; Milovanovic, T.; Cuknic, O.

1997-01-01

Coupled fast-thermal system HERBE at the experimental zero power heavy water reactor RB is a system with the significant effects of the neutron leakage and neutron absorption. Presence of a coolant void introduces a new structure in an extremely heterogeneous core. In those conditions satisfactory results of the calculation are acquired only using specified space-energy homogenization procedure. In order to analyze transient appearances and accidental cases of the reactor systems, a procedure for modeling of influence of moderator and coolant loss on reactivity ('void effect') is developed. Reduction of the moderator volume fraction in some fuel channels due to air gaps or steam generation during the accidental moderator boiling, restricts validity of the diffusion approximation in the reactor calculations. In cases of high neutron flux gradients, which are consequence of high neutron absorption, application of diffusion approximation is questionable too. The problem may be solved using transport or Monte Carlo methods, but they are not acceptable in the routine applications. Applying new techniques based on space-energy core homogenization, such as the SPH method or the discontinuity factor method, diffusion calculations become acceptable. Calculations based on the described model show that loss of part of moderator medium introduce negative reactivity in the HERBE system. Calculated local void reactivity coefficients are used in safety analysis of hypothetical accidents

Coolant Void Reactivity Analysis of CANDU Lattice

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Jin Su; Lee, Hyun Suk; Tak, Tae Woo; Lee, Deok Jung [UNIST, Ulsan (Korea, Republic of)

2016-05-15

Models of CANDU-6 and ACR-700 fuel lattices were constructed for a single bundle and 2 by 2 checkerboard to understand the physics related to CVR. Also, a familiar four factor formula was used to predict the specific contributions to reactivity change in order to achieve an understanding of the physics issues related to the CVR. At the same time, because the situation of coolant voiding should bring about a change of neutron behavior, the spectral changes and neutron current were also analyzed. The models of the CANDU- 6 and ACR-700 fuel lattices were constructed using the Monte Carlo code MCNP6 using the ENDF/B-VII.0 continuous energy cross section library based on the specification from AECL. The CANDU fuel lattice was searched through sensitivity studies of each design parameter such as fuel enrichment, fuel pitch, and types of burnable absorber for obtaining better behavior in terms of CVR. Unlike the single channel coolant voiding, the ACR-700 bundle has a positive reactivity change upon 2x2 checkerboard coolant voiding. Because of the new path for neutron moderation, the neutrons from the voided channel move to the no-void channel where they lose energy and come back to the voided channel as thermal neutrons. This phenomenon causes the positive CVR when checkerboard voiding occurs. The sensitivity study revealed the effects of the moderator to fuel volume ratio, fuel enrichment, and burnable absorber on the CVR. A fuel bundle with low moderator to fuel volume ratio and high fuel enrichment can help achieve negative CVR.

Experiments in ZED-2 to study the physics of low-void reactivity fuel in CANDU

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeller, M.B.; Celli, A.; McPhee, G.P.

1994-01-01

Prospective CANDU clients have indicated a desire for a zero or negative coolant void reactivity. In response to this market requirement AECL Research and AECL CANDU are jointly developing and testing a Low-Void Reactivity Fuel (LVRF) bundle, which will be retrofitable to the current generation of CANDU reactors. An important component of the LVRF program is the undertaking of reactor-physics experiments in the zero-energy ZED-2 lattice test facility at Chalk River Laboratories. Preliminary void-reactivity measurements have already been performed in ZED-2 using a limited amount of the prototype fuel. These experiments were to provide a proof-of-principle for the LVRF concept. A more comprehensive set of experiments are planned for later this year. Experiments to be performed include: measuring the critical buckling of CANDU-type lattices containing LVRF, with and without coolant in the channels; measuring the reactivity effect of heating the LVRF fuel and coolant in ZED-2 hot channels; and measuring detailed reaction rates and neutron density distributions across a LVRF bundle, in voided and D 2 O-cooled channels, by the foil activation method. This paper describes the experimental approach to be used for the study and presents calculations employing transport and diffusion theory to predict the results. The codes used for the simulations are the lattice code WIMS-AECL and the core code CONIFERS. Included in the paper are results from the preliminary measurement of void coefficient for LVRF in a ZED-2 lattice and a comparison of those results to predictions based on WIMS-AECL calculations. (author). 3 refs., 1 tab., 10 figs

Influence of the void fraction in the linear reactivity model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Castillo, J.A.; Ramirez, J.R.; Alonso, G.

2003-01-01

The linear reactivity model allows the multicycle analysis in pressurized water reactors in a simple and quick way. In the case of the Boiling water reactors the void fraction it varies axially from 0% of voids in the inferior part of the fuel assemblies until approximately 70% of voids to the exit of the same ones. Due to this it is very important the determination of the average void fraction during different stages of the reactor operation to predict the burnt one appropriately of the same ones to inclination of the pattern of linear reactivity. In this work a pursuit is made of the profile of power for different steps of burnt of a typical operation cycle of a Boiling water reactor. Starting from these profiles it builds an algorithm that allows to determine the voids profile and this way to obtain the average value of the same one. The results are compared against those reported by the CM-PRESTO code that uses another method to carry out this calculation. Finally, the range in which is the average value of the void fraction during a typical cycle is determined and an estimate of the impact that it would have the use of this value in the prediction of the reactivity produced by the fuel assemblies is made. (Author)

Void reactivity decomposition for the Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor in equilibrium fuel cycle

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sun Kaichao, E-mail: kaichao.sun@psi.ch [Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI), 5232 Villigen PSI (Switzerland); Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne (Switzerland); Krepel, Jiri; Mikityuk, Konstantin; Pelloni, Sandro [Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI), 5232 Villigen PSI (Switzerland); Chawla, Rakesh [Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI), 5232 Villigen PSI (Switzerland); Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne (Switzerland)

2011-07-15

Highlights: > We analyze the void reactivity effect for three ESFR core fuel cycle states. > The void reactivity effect is decomposed by neutron balance method. > Novelly, the normalization to the integral flux in the active core is applied. > The decomposition is compared with the perturbation theory based results. > The mechanism and the differences of the void reactivity effect are explained. - Abstract: The Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (SFR) is one of the most promising Generation IV systems with many advantages, but has one dominating neutronic drawback - a positive sodium void reactivity. The aim of this study is to develop and apply a methodology, which should help better understand the causes and consequences of the sodium void effect. It focuses not only on the beginning-of-life (BOL) state of the core, but also on the beginning of open and closed equilibrium (BOC and BEC, respectively) fuel cycle conditions. The deeper understanding of the principal phenomena involved may subsequently lead to appropriate optimization studies. Various voiding scenarios, corresponding to different spatial zones, e.g. node or assembly, have been analyzed, and the most conservative case - the voiding of both inner and outer fuel zones - has been selected as the reference scenario. On the basis of the neutron balance method, the corresponding SFR void reactivity has been decomposed reaction-, isotope-, and energy-group-wise. Complementary results, based on generalized perturbation theory and sensitivity analysis, are also presented. The numerical analysis for both neutron balance and perturbation theory methods has been carried out using appropriate modules of the ERANOS code system. A strong correlation between the flux worth, i.e. the product of flux and adjoint flux, and the void reactivity importance distributions has been found for the node- and assembly-wise voiding scenarios. The neutron balance based decomposition has shown that the void effect is caused mainly by the

Void reactivity decomposition for the Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor in equilibrium fuel cycle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun Kaichao; Krepel, Jiri; Mikityuk, Konstantin; Pelloni, Sandro; Chawla, Rakesh

2011-01-01

Highlights: → We analyze the void reactivity effect for three ESFR core fuel cycle states. → The void reactivity effect is decomposed by neutron balance method. → Novelly, the normalization to the integral flux in the active core is applied. → The decomposition is compared with the perturbation theory based results. → The mechanism and the differences of the void reactivity effect are explained. - Abstract: The Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (SFR) is one of the most promising Generation IV systems with many advantages, but has one dominating neutronic drawback - a positive sodium void reactivity. The aim of this study is to develop and apply a methodology, which should help better understand the causes and consequences of the sodium void effect. It focuses not only on the beginning-of-life (BOL) state of the core, but also on the beginning of open and closed equilibrium (BOC and BEC, respectively) fuel cycle conditions. The deeper understanding of the principal phenomena involved may subsequently lead to appropriate optimization studies. Various voiding scenarios, corresponding to different spatial zones, e.g. node or assembly, have been analyzed, and the most conservative case - the voiding of both inner and outer fuel zones - has been selected as the reference scenario. On the basis of the neutron balance method, the corresponding SFR void reactivity has been decomposed reaction-, isotope-, and energy-group-wise. Complementary results, based on generalized perturbation theory and sensitivity analysis, are also presented. The numerical analysis for both neutron balance and perturbation theory methods has been carried out using appropriate modules of the ERANOS code system. A strong correlation between the flux worth, i.e. the product of flux and adjoint flux, and the void reactivity importance distributions has been found for the node- and assembly-wise voiding scenarios. The neutron balance based decomposition has shown that the void effect is caused mainly

Analysis of void reactivity measurements in full MOX BWR physics experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ando, Yoshihira; Yamamoto, Toru; Umano, Takuya

2008-01-01

In the full MOX BWR physics experiments, FUBILA, four 9x9 test assemblies simulating BWR full MOX assemblies were located in the center of the core. Changing the in-channel moderator condition of the four assemblies from 0% void to 40% and 70% void mock-up, void reactivity was measured using Amplified Source Method (ASM) technique in the subcritical cores, in which three fission chambers were located. ASM correction factors necessary to express the consistency of the detector efficiency between measured core configurations were calculated using collision probability cell calculation and 3D-transport core calculation with the nuclear data library, JENDL-3.3. Measured reactivity worth with ASM correction factor was compared with the calculated results obtained through a diffusion, transport and continuous energy Monte Carlo calculation respectively. It was confirmed that the measured void reactivity worth was reproduced well by calculations. (author)

THE IMPACT OF POWER COEFFICIENT OF REACTIVITY ON CANDU 6 REACTORS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. KASTANYA

2013-10-01

Full Text Available The combined effects of reactivity coefficients, along with other core nuclear characteristics, determine reactor core behavior in normal operation and accident conditions. The Power Coefficient of Reactivity (PCR is an aggregate indicator representing the change in reactor core reactivity per unit change in reactor power. It is an integral quantity which captures the contributions of the fuel temperature, coolant void, and coolant temperature reactivity feedbacks. All nuclear reactor designs provide a balance between their inherent nuclear characteristics and the engineered reactivity control features, to ensure that changes in reactivity under all operating conditions are maintained within a safe range. The CANDU® reactor design takes advantage of its inherent nuclear characteristics, namely a small magnitude of reactivity coefficients, minimal excess reactivity, and very long prompt neutron lifetime, to mitigate the demand on the engineered systems for controlling reactivity and responding to accidents. In particular, CANDU reactors have always taken advantage of the small value of the PCR associated with their design characteristics, such that the overall design and safety characteristics of the reactor are not sensitive to the value of the PCR. For other reactor design concepts a PCR which is both large and negative is an important aspect in the design of their engineered systems for controlling reactivity. It will be demonstrated that during Loss of Regulation Control (LORC and Large Break Loss of Coolant Accident (LBLOCA events, the impact of variations in power coefficient, including a hypothesized larger than estimated PCR, has no safety-significance for CANDU reactor design. Since the CANDU 6 PCR is small, variations in the range of values for PCR on the performance or safety of the reactor are not significant.

An approach of SFR safety study through the most penalizing sodium void reactivity - 105

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tiberi, V.; Ivanov, E.; Pignet, S.

2010-01-01

Sodium void reactivity effects can affect the plant safety significantly during accidental transients. Accordingly, they have to be accurately investigated for any new sodium cooled fast reactor concept, even if a fuel with a melting point lower than the sodium boiling temperature is adopted. Thus all new reactor concepts should be compared to each - others adopting the value of the maximal possible sodium void reactivity as a discrimination parameter. However, taking into account that the sodium void worth is spatially depended, it is not evident which volume could be voided in order to obtain the maximal reactivity increase. Typically the complete active core voiding (zones initially loaded with 235 U or 239 Pu) is taken into account. This paper summarizes the extensive work carried-out in the IRSN to investigate the sodium-void reactivity spatial profiles of a fast sodium-cooled reactor core in the aim of defining a methodology to search for the area where the void contribution to the reactivity is strictly positive. Perturbation theory design approach available in the ERANOS 2.1 code has been adopted to evaluate the 'area of positive void worth'. To do that, the code has been previously validated against experimental based benchmarks (IRPhEP) and reference calculations. The evaluation of the absolute values of reactivity profiles can be improved later-on adopting more sophisticated methodologies to perform more accurate calculations of the sample with the voided area determined adopting the rough procedure described here. It has been demonstrated that even the non-reference way of ERANOS calculations could be used to provide the basis for different core concepts inter-comparison. (authors)

Dependence of calculated void reactivity on film boiling representation in a CANDU lattice

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Whitlock, J [McMaster Univ., Hamilton, ON (Canada). Dept. of Engineering Physics

1994-12-31

The distribution dependence of void reactivity in a CANDU (CANada Deuterium Uranium) lattice is studied, specifically in the regime of film boiling. A heterogeneous model of this phenomenon predicts a 4% increase in void reactivity over a homogeneous model for fresh fuel, and 11% at discharge. An explanation for this difference is offered, with regard to differing changes in neutron mean free path upon voiding. (author). 9 refs., 4 tabs., 6 figs.

Uncertainty Evaluation of Reactivity Coefficients for a large advanced SFR Core Design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khamakhem, Wassim; Rimpault, Gerald

2008-01-01

Sodium Cooled Fast Reactors are currently being reshaped in order to meet Generation IV goals on economics, safety and reliability, sustainability and proliferation resistance. Recent studies have led to large SFR cores for a 3600 MWth power plants, cores which exhibit interesting features. The designs have had to balance between competing aspects such as sustainability and safety characteristics. Sustainability in neutronic terms is translated into positive breeding gain and safety into rather low Na void reactivity effects. The studies have been done on two SFR concepts using oxide and carbide fuels. The use of the sensitivity theory in the ERANOS determinist code system has been used. Calculations have been performed with different sodium evaluations: JEF2.2, ERALIB-1 and the most recent JEFF3.1 and ENDF/B-VII in order to make a broad comparison. Values for the Na void reactivity effect exhibit differences as large as 14% when using the different sodium libraries. Uncertainties due to nuclear data on the reactivity coefficients were performed with BOLNA variances-covariances data, the Na Void Effect uncertainties are near to 12% at 1σ. Since, the uncertainties are far beyond the target accuracy for a design achieving high performance, two directions are envisaged: the first one is to perform new differential measurements or in a second attempt use integral experiments to improve effectively the nuclear data set and its uncertainties such as performed in the past with ERALIB1. (authors)

Nuclear Data Uncertainty Propagation to Reactivity Coefficients of a Sodium Fast Reactor

Science.gov (United States)

Herrero, J. J.; Ochoa, R.; Martínez, J. S.; Díez, C. J.; García-Herranz, N.; Cabellos, O.

2014-04-01

The assessment of the uncertainty levels on the design and safety parameters for the innovative European Sodium Fast Reactor (ESFR) is mandatory. Some of these relevant safety quantities are the Doppler and void reactivity coefficients, whose uncertainties are quantified. Besides, the nuclear reaction data where an improvement will certainly benefit the design accuracy are identified. This work has been performed with the SCALE 6.1 codes suite and its multigroups cross sections library based on ENDF/B-VII.0 evaluation.

Analysis of Differences in Void Coefficient Predictions for Mixed-Oxide-Fueled Tight-Pitch Light Water Reactor Cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Unesaki, Hironobu; Shiroya, Seiji; Kanda, Keiji; Cathalau, Stephane; Carre, Franck-Olivier; Aizawa, Otohiko; Takeda, Toshikazu

2000-01-01

Analysis of the benchmark problems on the void coefficient of mixed-oxide (MOX)-fueled tight-pitch cells has been performed using the Japanese SRAC code system with the JENDL-3.2 library and the French APOLLO-2 code with the CEA93 library based on JEF-2.2. The benchmark problems have been specified to investigate the physical phenomena occurring during the progressive voidage of MOX-fueled tight-pitch lattices, such as high conversion light water reactor lattices, and to evaluate the impact of nuclear data and calculational methods. Despite the most recently compiled nuclear data libraries and the sophisticated calculation schemes employed in both code systems, the k ∞ and void reactivity values obtained by the two code systems show considerable discrepancy especially in the highly voided state. The discrepancy of k ∞ values shows an obvious dependence on void fraction and also has been shown to be sensitive to the isotopic composition of plutonium. The observed discrepancies are analyzed by being decomposed into contributing isotopes and reactions and have been shown to be caused by a complicated balance of both negative and positive components, which are mainly attributable to differences in a limited number of isotopes including 239 Pu, 241 Pu, 16 O, and stainless steel

IAEA sodium void reactivity benchmark calculations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hill, R.N.; Finck, P.J.

1992-01-01

In this paper, the IAEA-1 992 ''Benchmark Calculation of Sodium Void Reactivity Effect in Fast Reactor Core'' problem is evaluated. The proposed design is a large axially heterogeneous oxide-fueled fast reactor as described in Section 2; the core utilizes a sodium plenum above the core to enhance leakage effects. The calculation methods used in this benchmark evaluation are described in Section 3. In Section 4, the calculated core performance results for the benchmark reactor model are presented; and in Section 5, the influence of steel and interstitial sodium heterogeneity effects is estimated

Fuel cycles with high fuel burn-up: analysis of reactivity coefficients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kryuchkov, E.F.; Shmelev, A.N.; Ternovykh, M.J.; Tikhomirov, G.V.; Jinhong, L.; Saito, M.

2003-01-01

Fuel cycles of light-water reactors (LWR) with high fuel burn-up (above 100 MWd/kg), as a rule, involve large amounts of fissionable materials. It leads to forming the neutron spectrum harder than that in traditional LWR. Change of neutron spectrum and significant amount of non-traditional isotopes (for example, 237 Np, 238 Pu, 231 Pa, 232 U) in such fuel compositions can alter substantially reactivity coefficients as compared with traditional uranium-based fuel. The present work addresses the fuel cycles with high fuel burn-up which are based on Th-Pa-U and U-Np-Pu fuel compositions. Numerical analyses are carried out to determine effective neutron multiplication factor and void reactivity coefficient (VRC) for different values of fuel burn-up and different lattice parameters. The algorithm is proposed for analysis of isotopes contribution to these coefficients. Various ways are considered to upgrade safety of nuclear fuel cycles with high fuel burn-up. So, the results obtained in this study have demonstrated that: -1) Non-traditional fuel compositions developed for achievement of high fuel burn-up in LWR can possess positive values of reactivity coefficients that is unacceptable from the reactor operation safety point of view; -2) The lattice pitch of traditional LWR is not optimal for non-traditional fuel compositions, the increased value of the lattice pitch leads to larger value of initial reactivity margin and provides negative VRC within sufficiently broad range of coolant density; -3) Fuel burn-up has an insignificant effect on VRC dependence on coolant density, so, the measures undertaken to suppress positive VRC of fresh fuel will be effective for partially burnt-up fuel compositions also and; -4) Increase of LWR core height and introduction of additional moderators into the fuel lattice can be used as the ways to reach negative VRC values for full range of possible coolant density variations

Models for coolant void reactivity evaluation in Candu Generation II and III+

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Popov, Alexi V.; Chambon, Richard P.; Le Tellier, Romain; Marleau, Guy; Hebert, Alain

2008-01-01

In the simulation of large-break loss-of-coolant accidents, homogenised cross-sections from trans- port calculations are used. These are usually computed in single cells or lattices representative for an infinite repeated pattern. Large coolant accidents in Candu, however, usually exhibit a checkerboard pattern of cooled and voided channels represented by lattices. It is reasonable, therefore, that homogenised cross-sections be produced in assemblies of lattices. This allows simulating the checkerboard voiding pat- tern and more realistically reproducing the lattice boundary conditions. The result is better simulation of the accident and more precise evaluation of coolant-void reactivity. For the present study, homogenised cross-sections are generated in a 2x2 heterogeneous assembly of four lattices for Generation II and III+ Candu designs. Results of reactivity calculations with the reactor code are compared to those using the traditional method. The difference is significant for Generation III+ Candu. (authors)

Fuel density effect on parameter of reactivity coefficient of the Innovative Research Reactor core

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rokhmadi; Tukiran S

2013-01-01

The multipurpose of research reactor utilization make many countries build the new research reactor. Trend of this reactor for this moment is multipurpose reactor type with a compact core to get high neutron flux at the low or medium level of power. The research reactor in Indonesia right now is already 25 year old. Therefor, it is needed to design a new research reactor as a alternative called it innovative research reactor (IRR) and then as an exchanger for old research reactor. The aim of this research is to complete RRI core design data as a requirement for design license. Calculation done is to get the RRI core reactivity coefficients with 5 x 5 core configuration and 20 MW of power, has more than 40 days cycle of length. The RRI core reactivity coefficient calculation is done for new U-"9Mo-Al fuel with variation of densities. The calculation is done by using WIMSD-5B and BATAN-FUEL computer codes. The result of calculation for conceptual design showed that the equilibrium RRI core with 5 x 5 configuration, 450 g, 550 g and 700 g of fuel loadings have negative reactivity coefficients of fuel temperature, moderator temperature, void fraction and density of moderator but the values of the reactivities are very variation. This results has met the safety criteria for RRI core conceptual design. (author)

Fuel cycles with high fuel burn-up: analysis of reactivity coefficients

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kryuchkov, E.F.; Shmelev, A.N.; Ternovykh, M.J.; Tikhomirov, G.V.; Jinhong, L. [Moscow Engineering Physics Institute (State University) (Russian Federation); Saito, M. [Tokyo Institute of Technology (Japan)

2003-07-01

Fuel cycles of light-water reactors (LWR) with high fuel burn-up (above 100 MWd/kg), as a rule, involve large amounts of fissionable materials. It leads to forming the neutron spectrum harder than that in traditional LWR. Change of neutron spectrum and significant amount of non-traditional isotopes (for example, {sup 237}Np, {sup 238}Pu, {sup 231}Pa, {sup 232}U) in such fuel compositions can alter substantially reactivity coefficients as compared with traditional uranium-based fuel. The present work addresses the fuel cycles with high fuel burn-up which are based on Th-Pa-U and U-Np-Pu fuel compositions. Numerical analyses are carried out to determine effective neutron multiplication factor and void reactivity coefficient (VRC) for different values of fuel burn-up and different lattice parameters. The algorithm is proposed for analysis of isotopes contribution to these coefficients. Various ways are considered to upgrade safety of nuclear fuel cycles with high fuel burn-up. So, the results obtained in this study have demonstrated that: -1) Non-traditional fuel compositions developed for achievement of high fuel burn-up in LWR can possess positive values of reactivity coefficients that is unacceptable from the reactor operation safety point of view; -2) The lattice pitch of traditional LWR is not optimal for non-traditional fuel compositions, the increased value of the lattice pitch leads to larger value of initial reactivity margin and provides negative VRC within sufficiently broad range of coolant density; -3) Fuel burn-up has an insignificant effect on VRC dependence on coolant density, so, the measures undertaken to suppress positive VRC of fresh fuel will be effective for partially burnt-up fuel compositions also and; -4) Increase of LWR core height and introduction of additional moderators into the fuel lattice can be used as the ways to reach negative VRC values for full range of possible coolant density variations.

Shock loading and reactive flow modeling studies of void induced AP/AL/HTPB propellant

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, P. J.; Lindfors, A. J.

1998-07-01

The unreactive Hugoniot of a class 1.3 propellant has been investigated by shock compression experiments. The results are analyzed in terms of an ignition and growth reactive flow model using the DYNA2D hydrocode. The calculated shock ignition parameters of the model show a linear dependence on measured void volume which appears to reproduce the observed gauge records well. Shock waves were generated by impact in a 75 mm single stage powder gun. Manganin and PVDF pressure gauges provided pressure-time histories to 140 kbar. The propellants were of similar formulation differing only in AP particle size and the addition of a burn rate modifer (Fe2O3) from that of previous investigations. Results show neglible effect of AP particle size on shock response in contrast to the addition of Fe2O3 which appears to `stiffen' the unreactive Hugoniot and enhances significantly the reactive rates under shock. The unreactive Hugoniot, within experimental error, compares favorably to the solid AP Hugoniot. Shock experiments were performed on propellant samples strained to induce insitu voids. The material state was quantified by uniaxial tension dialatometry. The experimental records show a direct correlation between void volume (0 to 1.7%) and chemical reactivity behind the shock front. These results are discussed in terms of `hot spot' ignition resulting from the shock collapse of the voids.

Fuel Temperature Coefficient of Reactivity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Loewe, W.E.

2001-07-31

A method for measuring the fuel temperature coefficient of reactivity in a heterogeneous nuclear reactor is presented. The method, which is used during normal operation, requires that calibrated control rods be oscillated in a special way at a high reactor power level. The value of the fuel temperature coefficient of reactivity is found from the measured flux responses to these oscillations. Application of the method in a Savannah River reactor charged with natural uranium is discussed.

Study on the effect of moderator density reactivity for Kartini reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Budi Rohman; Widarto

2009-01-01

One of important characteristics of water-cooled reactors is the change of reactivity due to change in the density of coolant or moderator. This parameter generally has negative value and it has significant role in preventing the excursion of power during operation. Many thermal-hydraulic codes for nuclear reactors require this parameter as the input to account for reactivity feedback due to increase in moderator voids and the subsequent decrease in moderator density during operation. Kartini reactor is cooled and moderated by water, therefore, it is essential to study the effect of the change in moderator density as well as to determine the value of void or moderator density reactivity coefficient in order to characterize its behavior resulting from the presence of vapor or change of moderator density during operation. Analysis by MCNP code shows that the reactivity of core is decreasing with the decrease in moderator density. The analysis estimates the void or moderator density reactivity coefficient for Kartini Reactor to be -2.17×10-4 Δρ/ % void . (author)

A feasibility study on wavelet transform for reactivity coefficient estimation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimazu, Yoichiro

2000-01-01

Recently, a new method using Fourier transform has been introduced in place of the conventional method in order to reduce the time required for the measurement of moderator temperature coefficient in domestic PWRs. The basic concept of these methods is to eliminate noise in the reactivity signal. From this point of view, wavelet analysis is also known as an effective method. In this paper, we tried to apply this method to estimate reactivity coefficients of a nuclear reactor. The basic idea of the reactivity coefficient estimation is to analyze the ratios themselves of the corresponding expansion coefficients of the wavelet transform of the signals of reactivity and the relevant parameter. The concept requires no inverse wavelet transform. Based on numerical simulations, it is found that the method can reasonably estimate reactivity coefficient, for example moderator temperature coefficient, with less length of time sequence data than those required for Fourier transform method. We will continue this study to examine the validity of the estimation procedure for the actual reactor data and further to estimate the other reactivity coefficients. (author)

Isothermal temperature reactivity coefficient measurement in TRIGA reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zagar, T.; Ravnik, M.; Trkov, A.

2002-01-01

Direct measurement of an isothermal temperature reactivity coefficient at room temperatures in TRIGA Mark II research reactor at Jozef Stefan Institute in Ljubljana is presented. Temperature reactivity coefficient was measured in the temperature range between 15 o C and 25 o C. All reactivity measurements were performed at almost zero reactor power to reduce or completely eliminate nuclear heating. Slow and steady temperature decrease was controlled using the reactor tank cooling system. In this way the temperatures of fuel, of moderator and of coolant were kept in equilibrium throughout the measurements. It was found out that TRIGA reactor core loaded with standard fuel elements with stainless steel cladding has small positive isothermal temperature reactivity coefficient in this temperature range.(author)

Core concept of fast power reactor with zero sodium void reactivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matveev, V.I.; Chebeskov, A.N.; Krivitsky, I.Y.

1991-01-01

The paper presents a core concept of BN-800 - type fast power reactor with zero sodium void reactivity (SVR). Consideration is given to the layout-and some design features of such a core. Some considerations on the determination of the required SVR value as one of the fast reactor safety criteria in accidents with coolant boiling are presented. Some methodical considerations an the development of calculation models that give a correct description of the new core features are stated. The results of the integral SVR calculation studies are included. reactivity excursions under different scenarios of sodium boiling are estimated, some corrections into the calculated SVR value are discussed. (author)

Coolant void reactivity adjustments in advanced CANDU lattices using adjoint sensitivity technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Assawaroongruengchot, M.; Marleau, G.

2008-01-01

Coolant void reactivity (CVR) is an important factor in reactor accident analysis. Here we study the adjustments of CVR at beginning of burnup cycle (BOC) and k eff at end of burnup cycle (EOC) for a 2D Advanced CANDU Reactor (ACR) lattice using the optimization and adjoint sensitivity techniques. The sensitivity coefficients are evaluated using the perturbation theory based on the integral neutron transport equations. The neutron and flux importance transport solutions are obtained by the method of cyclic characteristics (MOCC). Three sets of parameters for CVR-BOC and k eff -EOC adjustments are studied: (1) Dysprosium density in the central pin with Uranium enrichment in the outer fuel rings, (2) Dysprosium density and Uranium enrichment both in the central pin, and (3) the same parameters as in the first case but the objective is to obtain a negative checkerboard CVR-BOC (CBCVR-BOC). To approximate the EOC sensitivity coefficient, we perform constant-power burnup/depletion calculations using a slightly perturbed nuclear library and the unperturbed neutron fluxes to estimate the variation of nuclide densities at EOC. Our aim is to achieve a desired negative CVR-BOC of -2 mk and k eff -EOC of 0.900 for the first two cases, and a CBCVR-BOC of -2 mk and k eff -EOC of 0.900 for the last case. Sensitivity analyses of CVR and eigenvalue are also included in our study

Coolant void reactivity adjustments in advanced CANDU lattices using adjoint sensitivity technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Assawaroongruengchot, M. [Institut de Genie Nucleaire, Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal, P.O. Box 6079, stn. Centre-ville, Montreal, H3C3A7 (Canada)], E-mail: monchaia@gmail.com; Marleau, G. [Institut de Genie Nucleaire, Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal, P.O. Box 6079, stn. Centre-ville, Montreal, H3C3A7 (Canada)], E-mail: guy.marleau@polymtl.ca

2008-03-15

Coolant void reactivity (CVR) is an important factor in reactor accident analysis. Here we study the adjustments of CVR at beginning of burnup cycle (BOC) and k{sub eff} at end of burnup cycle (EOC) for a 2D Advanced CANDU Reactor (ACR) lattice using the optimization and adjoint sensitivity techniques. The sensitivity coefficients are evaluated using the perturbation theory based on the integral neutron transport equations. The neutron and flux importance transport solutions are obtained by the method of cyclic characteristics (MOCC). Three sets of parameters for CVR-BOC and k{sub eff}-EOC adjustments are studied: (1) Dysprosium density in the central pin with Uranium enrichment in the outer fuel rings, (2) Dysprosium density and Uranium enrichment both in the central pin, and (3) the same parameters as in the first case but the objective is to obtain a negative checkerboard CVR-BOC (CBCVR-BOC). To approximate the EOC sensitivity coefficient, we perform constant-power burnup/depletion calculations using a slightly perturbed nuclear library and the unperturbed neutron fluxes to estimate the variation of nuclide densities at EOC. Our aim is to achieve a desired negative CVR-BOC of -2 mk and k{sub eff}-EOC of 0.900 for the first two cases, and a CBCVR-BOC of -2 mk and k{sub eff}-EOC of 0.900 for the last case. Sensitivity analyses of CVR and eigenvalue are also included in our study.

The assessment of voce coefficient for WWR-c reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kochnov, O.Yu.; Rybkin, N.I.

2006-01-01

The air cavity effect in WWR-ts reactor core on the total reactivity is analyzed. The experimental data of void coefficient depending on the air cavity position inside the reactor core are obtained [ru

Spatial dependence of the void coefficient in the interstitial coolant channel positions of a stainless steel-clad TRIGA Mark I core

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spriggs, Gregory D.; Nelson, George W.; Doane, Harry J.

1982-01-01

A new top grid plate was manufactured and installed in the U of A TRIGA. The new grid plate was identical to the old grid plate with respect to the fuel element array, but included two minor modifications; 1) 3/8'' holes were drilled in six interstitial positions between fuel element rings to allow for insertion of a small diameter void rod for void coefficient measurements in the coolant channels, and 2) flux wire holes were drilled in all remaining interstitial positions. The purpose of this report is to update the previously reported void coefficient measurements with data taken in one of the coolant channel positions

Conclusive evidence of abrupt coagulation inside the void during cyclic nanoparticle formation in reactive plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wetering, F. M. J. H. van de; Nijdam, S.; Beckers, J.

2016-01-01

In this letter, we present scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results that confirm in a direct way our earlier explanation of an abrupt coagulation event as the cause for the void hiccup. In a recent paper, we reported on the fast and interrupted expansion of voids in a reactive dusty argon–acetylene plasma. The voids appeared one after the other, each showing a peculiar, though reproducible, behavior of successive periods of fast expansion, abrupt contraction, and continued expansion. The abrupt contraction was termed “hiccup” and was related to collective coagulation of a new generation of nanoparticles growing in the void using relatively indirect methods: electron density measurements and optical emission spectroscopy. In this letter, we present conclusive evidence using SEM of particles collected at different moments in time spanning several growth cycles, which enables us to follow the nanoparticle formation process in great detail.

Sensitivity and uncertainty analysis of reactivities for UO2 and MOX fueled PWR cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Foad, Basma [Research Institute of Nuclear Engineering, University of Fukui, Kanawa-cho 1-2-4, Tsuruga-shi, Fukui-ken, 914-0055 (Japan); Egypt Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority, 3 Ahmad El Zomar St., Nasr City, Cairo, 11787 (Egypt); Takeda, Toshikazu [Research Institute of Nuclear Engineering, University of Fukui, Kanawa-cho 1-2-4, Tsuruga-shi, Fukui-ken, 914-0055 (Japan)

2015-12-31

The purpose of this paper is to apply our improved method for calculating sensitivities and uncertainties of reactivity responses for UO{sub 2} and MOX fueled pressurized water reactor cells. The improved method has been used to calculate sensitivity coefficients relative to infinite dilution cross-sections, where the self-shielding effect is taken into account. Two types of reactivities are considered: Doppler reactivity and coolant void reactivity, for each type of reactivity, the sensitivities are calculated for small and large perturbations. The results have demonstrated that the reactivity responses have larger relative uncertainty than eigenvalue responses. In addition, the uncertainty of coolant void reactivity is much greater than Doppler reactivity especially for large perturbations. The sensitivity coefficients and uncertainties of both reactivities were verified by comparing with SCALE code results using ENDF/B-VII library and good agreements have been found.

Influence of the void fraction in the linear reactivity model; Influencia de la fraccion de vacios en el modelo de reactividad lineal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Castillo, J.A.; Ramirez, J.R.; Alonso, G. [ININ, 52045 Ocoyoacac, Estado de Mexico (Mexico)]. e-mail: jacm@nuclear.inin.mx

2003-07-01

The linear reactivity model allows the multicycle analysis in pressurized water reactors in a simple and quick way. In the case of the Boiling water reactors the void fraction it varies axially from 0% of voids in the inferior part of the fuel assemblies until approximately 70% of voids to the exit of the same ones. Due to this it is very important the determination of the average void fraction during different stages of the reactor operation to predict the burnt one appropriately of the same ones to inclination of the pattern of linear reactivity. In this work a pursuit is made of the profile of power for different steps of burnt of a typical operation cycle of a Boiling water reactor. Starting from these profiles it builds an algorithm that allows to determine the voids profile and this way to obtain the average value of the same one. The results are compared against those reported by the CM-PRESTO code that uses another method to carry out this calculation. Finally, the range in which is the average value of the void fraction during a typical cycle is determined and an estimate of the impact that it would have the use of this value in the prediction of the reactivity produced by the fuel assemblies is made. (Author)

Reactivity Coefficient Calculation for AP1000 Reactor Using the NODAL3 Code

Science.gov (United States)

Pinem, Surian; Malem Sembiring, Tagor; Tukiran; Deswandri; Sunaryo, Geni Rina

2018-02-01

The reactivity coefficient is a very important parameter for inherent safety and stability of nuclear reactors operation. To provide the safety analysis of the reactor, the calculation of changes in reactivity caused by temperature is necessary because it is related to the reactor operation. In this paper, the temperature reactivity coefficients of fuel and moderator of the AP1000 core are calculated, as well as the moderator density and boron concentration. All of these coefficients are calculated at the hot full power condition (HFP). All neutron diffusion constant as a function of temperature, water density and boron concentration were generated by the SRAC2006 code. The core calculations for determination of the reactivity coefficient parameter are done by using NODAL3 code. The calculation results show that the fuel temperature, moderator temperature and boron reactivity coefficients are in the range between -2.613 pcm/°C to -4.657pcm/°C, -1.00518 pcm/°C to 1.00649 pcm/°C and -9.11361 pcm/ppm to -8.0751 pcm/ppm, respectively. For the water density reactivity coefficients, the positive reactivity occurs at the water temperature less than 190 °C. The calculation results show that the reactivity coefficients are accurate because the results have a very good agreement with the design value.

Possibilities of achieving non-positive void reactivity effect in fast sodium-cooled reactors with increased self-protection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alekseev, P.N.; Zverkov, Yu.A.; Morozov, A.G.; Orlov, V.V.; Slesarev, I.S.; Subbotin, S.A.

1989-01-01

The problems of self-protection inhancement for the liquid-metal cooled fast reactors with intra-assembly heterogeneity of the core are studied. Possible approaches to arrangement of such reactors with various powers characterized by high levels of coolant natural circulation, minimum reactivity changes during fuel burn-up and non-positive void effect of reactivity are found. 10 refs.; 11 figs

Measurements and calculation of reactivity in the IEA-R1 nuclear reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferreira, P.S.B.

1988-01-01

Techniques and experimentals procedures utilized in the measurement of some nuclear parameters related to reactivity are presented. Measurements of reactivity coefficients, such as void, temperature and power, and control rod worth were made in the IEA-R1 Research Reactor. The techniques used to perform the measurements were: i) stable period (control rod calibration), ii) inverse kinetics (digital reactivity meter), iii) aluminium slab insertion in the fuel element coolant channels (void reactivity), iv) nuclear reactor core temperature changes by means of the changes in the coolant systems of reactor core (isothermal reactivity coefficient) and v) by making perturbation in the core through the control rod motions (power reactivity coefficient and control rod calibration). By using the computer codes HAMMER, HAMMER-TECHNION and CITATION, the experiments realized in the IEA-R1 reactor were simulated. From this simulation, the theoretical reactivity parameters were estimated and compared with the respective experimental results. Furthermore, in the second fuel load of Angra-1 Nuclear Power Station, the IPEN-CNEN/SP digital reactivity - meter were used in the lower power test with the aim to assess the equipment performance. Among several tests, the reacticity-meter were used in parallel with a Westinghouse analogic reativimeter-meter) to measure the heat additiona point, critical boron concentration, control rod calibration, isothermal and moderator reactivity coefficient. These tests, and the results obtained by the digital reactivity-meter are described. The results were compared with those obtained by Westinghouse analogic reactivity meter, showing excellent agreement. (author) [pt

Spectro-ellipsometric studies of sputtered amorphous Titanium dioxide thin films: simultaneous determination of refractive index, extinction coefficient, and void distribution

CERN Document Server

Lee, S I; Oh, S G

1999-01-01

Amorphous titanium dioxide thin films were deposited onto silicon substrates by using RF magnetron sputtering, and the index of refraction, the extinction coefficient, and the void distribution of these films were simultaneously determined from the analyses of there ellipsometric spectra. In particular, our novel strategy, which combines the merits of multi-sample fitting, the dual dispersion function, and grid search, was proven successful in determining optical constants over a wide energy range, including the energy region where the extinction coefficient was large. Moreover, we found that the void distribution was dependent on the deposition conditions, such as the sputtering power, the substrate temperature, and the substrate surface.

Burnup dependence of coolant void reactivity for ACR-1000 cell

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Le Tellier, R.; Marleau, G.; Hebert, A.; Roubstov, D.; Altiparmakov, D.; Irish, D.

2008-01-01

The Advanced Candu Reactor (ACR-1000) is light water cooled, fueled with enriched uranium and has a smaller lattice pitch than the Candu-6. As a result, the neutronic behavior of the ACR-1000 cell is expected to be somewhat different from that of the Candu-6 leading to a negative coolant void reactivity (CVR). Here we evaluate the CVR for the ACR-1000 cell using the lattice code DRAGON and compare our results with those obtained using the code WIMS-AECL. The differences observed between these two codes for the burnup dependence of the CVR is mainly explained in terms of the specific cell leakage model used by both codes. (authors)

Measurement and analysis of reactivity temperature coefficient of CEFR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Yiyu; Hu Yun; Yang Xiaoyan; Fan Zhendong; Zhang Qiang; Zhao Jinkun; Li Zehua

2013-01-01

The reactivity temperature coefficient of CEFR was calculated by CITATION program and compared with the results calculated by correlative programs and measured from experiments for temperature effects. It is indicated that the calculation results from CITATION agree well with measured values. The reactivity temperature coefficient of CEFR is about -4 pcm/℃. The deviation of the measured values between the temperature increasing and decreasing processes is about 11%, which satisfies the experiment acceptance criteria. The measured results can validate the calculation ones by program and can provide important reference data for the safety operation of CEFR and the analysis of the reactivity balance in the reactor refueling situation. (authors)

Validation of DRAGON4/DONJON4 simulation methodology for a typical MNSR by calculating reactivity feedback coefficient and neutron flux

Science.gov (United States)

Al Zain, Jamal; El Hajjaji, O.; El Bardouni, T.; Boukhal, H.; Jaï, Otman

2018-06-01

The MNSR is a pool type research reactor, which is difficult to model because of the importance of neutron leakage. The aim of this study is to evaluate a 2-D transport model for the reactor compatible with the latest release of the DRAGON code and 3-D diffusion of the DONJON code. DRAGON code is then used to generate the group macroscopic cross sections needed for full core diffusion calculations. The diffusion DONJON code, is then used to compute the effective multiplication factor (keff), the feedback reactivity coefficients and neutron flux which account for variation in fuel and moderator temperatures as well as the void coefficient have been calculated using the DRAGON and DONJON codes for the MNSR research reactor. The cross sections of all the reactor components at different temperatures were generated using the DRAGON code. These group constants were used then in the DONJON code to calculate the multiplication factor and the neutron spectrum at different water and fuel temperatures using 69 energy groups. Only one parameter was changed where all other parameters were kept constant. Finally, Good agreements between the calculated and measured have been obtained for every of the feedback reactivity coefficients and neutron flux.

Measurements and calculations of reactivity for the IEA-R1 reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferreira, P.S.B.; Maiorino, J.R.; Yamaguchi, M.

1988-01-01

This work shows a measurement of reactivity parameters, such as integral and diferential control rod worth, local void coefficient, and moderator temperature coefficient for the research reactor IEA-R1. The measured values were compared with those calculated through HAMMER-CITATION codes, having shown good agreement. (author) [pt

Modelling of power-reactivity coefficient measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strmensky, C.; Petenyi, V.; Jagrik, J.; Minarcin, M.; Hascik, R.; Toth, L.

2005-01-01

Report describes results of modeling of power-reactivity coefficient analysis on power-level. In paper we calculate values of discrepancies arisen during transient process. These discrepancies can be arisen as result of experiment evaluation and can be caused by disregard of 3D effects on neutron distribution. The results are critically discussed (Authors)

Nuclear data for the calculation of thermal reactor reactivity coefficients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1989-01-01

On its 15th meeting in Vienna, 16-20 June 1986, the International Nuclear Data Committee (INDC) considered it important to review the accuracy with which changes in thermal reactor reactivity resulting from changes in temperature and coolant density can be predicted. It was noted that reactor physicists in several countries had to adjust the thermal neutron cross-section data base in order to reproduce measured reactivity coefficients. Consequently, it appeared to be essential to examine the consistency of the integral and differential cross-section data and to make all the information available which has a bearing on reactivity coefficient prediction. Following the recommendation of the INDC, the Nuclear Data Section of the International Atomic Energy Agency, therefore, convened the Advisory Group Meeting on Nuclear Data for the Calculation of Thermal Reaction Reactivity Coefficients, in Vienna, Austria, 7-10 Dec. 1987. The Conclusions and Recommendations of the meeting together with the papers presented, are submitted in the present document. A separate abstract was prepared for each of these 12 papers. Refs, figs and tabs

Estimating temperature reactivity coefficients by experimental procedures combined with isothermal temperature coefficient measurements and dynamic identification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsuji, Masashi; Aoki, Yukinori; Shimazu, Yoichiro; Yamasaki, Masatoshi; Hanayama, Yasushi

2006-01-01

A method to evaluate the moderator coefficient (MTC) and the Doppler coefficient through experimental procedures performed during reactor physics tests of PWR power plants is proposed. This method combines isothermal temperature coefficient (ITC) measurement experiments and reactor power transient experiments at low power conditions for dynamic identification. In the dynamic identification, either one of temperature coefficients can be determined in such a way that frequency response characteristics of the reactivity change observed by a digital reactivity meter is reproduced from measured data of neutron count rate and the average coolant temperature. The other unknown coefficient can also be determined by subtracting the coefficient obtained from the dynamic identification from ITC. As the proposed method can directly estimate the Doppler coefficient, the applicability of the conventional core design codes to predict the Doppler coefficient can be verified for new types of fuels such as mixed oxide fuels. The digital simulation study was carried out to show the feasibility of the proposed method. The numerical analysis showed that the MTC and the Doppler coefficient can be estimated accurately and even if there are uncertainties in the parameters of the reactor kinetics model, the accuracies of the estimated values are not seriously impaired. (author)

Optimization of binary breeder reactor. 1. Sodium void reactivity and Doppler effect in a new model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nascimento, J.A. do; Dias, A.F.; Ishiguro, Y.

1985-01-01

A model for the Binary Breeder Reactor (BBR) is examined for the inherent safety characteristics, sodium void reactivity and Doppler effect in the beginning of cycle and a hypothetical end of cycle. In addition to the standard fueling mode of the BBR, two others are considered: U 238 /U 233 -alternate fueling, and U 238 /PU-normal fueling of LMFBRs. (Author) [pt

Computational benchmark on the void reactivity effect in MOX lattices. Contribution to a NEA-NSC benchmark study organized by the Working Party on Plutonium Recycling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Freudenreich, W.E.; Aaldijk, J.K.

1994-08-01

The Working Party on Plutonium Recycling of the Nuclear Science Committee of the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency has initiated a benchmark study on the calculation of the void reactivity effect in MOX lattices. The results presented here were obtained with the continuous energy, generalized geometry Monte Carlo transport code MCNP. The cross-section libraries used were processed from the JEF-2.2 evaluation taking into account selfshielding in the unresolved resonance ranges (selfshielding in the resolved resonance ranges is treated by MCNP). For an infinite lattice of unit cells a positive void reactivity effect was found only for the MOX fuel with the largest Pu content. For an infinite lattice of macro cells (voidable inner zone with different fuel mixtures surrounded by an outer zone of UO 2 fuel with moderator) a positive void reactivity effect was obtained for the three MOX fuel types considered. The results are not representative for MOX-loaded power reactor lattices, but serve only to intercompare reactor physics codes and libraries. (orig.)

Analysis of sodium-void-worths in ZPPR-3 modified phase 3 core

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Takeda, T.; Arai, K.; Otake, I. [Osaka Univ. (JP)

1980-09-15

The sodium-void-worths in the ZPPR-3 modified phase 3 core, in which singularities such as control-rods and sodium-followers were voided, have been analyzed using a unified diffusion coefficient. The unified diffusion coefficient is obtained by applying the Benoist formula to a super-cell consisting of different drawers, and is applicable not only to fuel drawers but also to control-rod drawers or sodium-followers. Using the coefficient the interference effect of neutron streaming between different drawers can be taken into account. The applicability of the unified diffusion coefficient to sodium-void-worth calculations has been checked in a slab model and a RZ model. The sodium-void-worths in the ZPPR-3 modified phase 3 core have been analyzed by carrying out 16-group three-dimensional diffusion calculations using the unified diffusion coefficient and the results have been compared with experimental data. The comparison indicates that the unified diffusion coefficient is useful in calculating the sodium-void-worth in a region including sodium-voided singularities.

Validation of moderator-level reactivity coefficient using station data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Younis, M.; Martchouk, I., E-mail: mohamed.younis@amecfw.com, E-mail: iouri.martchouk@amecfw.com [Amec Foster Wheeler, Toronto, ON (Canada); Buchan, P.D., E-mail: david.buchan@opg.com [Ontario Power Generation, Pickering, ON (Canada)

2015-07-01

The reactivity effect due to variations in the moderator level has been recognized as a reactor physics phenomenon of importance during normal operation and accident analysis. The moderator-level reactivity coefficient is an important parameter in safety analysis of CANDU reactors, e.g., during Loss of Moderator Heat Sink as well as in the simulation of Reactor Regulating System action in CANDU reactors that use moderator level for reactivity control. This paper presents the results of the validation exercise of the reactor-physics toolset using the measurements performed in Pickering Unit 4 in 2003. The capability of the code suite of predicting moderator-level reactivity effect was tested by comparing measured and predicted reactor-physics parameters. (author)

RELAP5-3D code validation of RBMK-1500 reactor reactivity measurement transients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaliatka, Algirdas; Bubelis, Evaldas; Uspuras, Eugenijus

2003-01-01

This paper deals with the modeling of transients taking place during the measurements of the void and fast power reactivity coefficients performed at Ignalina NPP. The simulation of these transients was performed using RELAP5-3D code model of RBMK-1500 reactor. At the Ignalina NPP void and fast power reactivity coefficients are measured on a regular basis and, based on the total reactor power, reactivity, control and protection system control rods positions and the main circulation circuit parameter changes during the experiments, the actual values of these reactivity coefficients are determined. Following the simulation of the two above mentioned transients with RELAP5-3D code, a conclusion was made that the obtained calculation results demonstrate reasonable agreement with Ignalina NPP measured data. Behaviors of the separate MCC thermal-hydraulic parameters as well as physical processes are predicted reasonably well to the real processes, occurring in the primary circuit of RBMK-1500 reactor. The calculated reactivity and the total reactor core power behavior in time are also in reasonable agreement with the measured plant data. Despite of the small differences, RELAP5-3D code predicts reactivity and the total reactor core power behavior during the transients in a reasonable manner. Reasonable agreement of the measured and the calculated total reactor power change in time demonstrates the correct modeling of the neutronic processes taking place in RBMK-1500 reactor core

Light Water Breeder Reactor (LWBR) flow coefficient of reactivity: (LWBR Development Program)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sarber, W.K.; Stout, J.W.; Atherton, R.

1987-06-01

This report discusses the results of an experimental program to measure and categorize the causes for increases in the magnitude of the LWBR flow coefficient of reactivity at 10,932 EFPH from previously measured near zero values to a value of about 6 x 10 -4 Δ rho for a flow decrease from 100 to 80% of full flow. Reactor protection analyses confirmed that existing protection systems were adequate for continued operation. Subsequently, the flow coefficient decreased in magnitude to approximately 2.25 x 10 -4 Δ rho at 20,000 EFPH and remained about constant through the remainder of core life, 29,047 EFPH. The increase in flow coefficient of reactivity is attributed to a flow-force dependent change in the effective core diameter such that an increase in core flow decreased the core diameter, resulting in an increase in fuel-to-water ratio and a consequent decrease in the reactivity of this relatively undermoderated core. This report discusses why the increased flow coefficient did not occur until after 10,932 EFPH and why the magnitude of flow coefficient reduced with continued core operation

Comparative sodium void effects for different advanced liquid metal reactor fuel and core designs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dobbin, K.D.; Kessler, S.F.; Nelson, J.V.; Gedeon, S.R.; Omberg, R.P.

1991-01-01

An analysis of metal-, oxide-, and nitride-fueled advanced liquid metal reactor cores was performed to investigate the calculated differences in sodium void reactivity, and to determine the relationship between sodium void reactivity and burnup reactivity swing using the three fuel types. The results of this analysis indicate that nitride fuel has the least positive sodium void reactivity for any given burnup reactivity swing. Thus, it appears that a good design compromise between transient overpower and loss of flow response is obtained using nitride fuel. Additional studies were made to understand these and other nitride advantages. (author)

Reactivity feedback coefficients of a low enriched uranium fuelled material test research reactor at end-of-life

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muhammad, Farhan

2011-01-01

Highlights: → The isotopic concentration in the fuel changes as soon as it starts its operation. → The neutronic properties of a reactor also change with fuel burnup. → The reactivity feedbacks at end-of-life of a material test reactor fuelled with low enriched uranium fuel are calculated. → Codes used include WIMS-D4 and CITATION. - Abstract: The reactivity feedback coefficients at end-of-life of a material test reactor fuelled with low enriched uranium fuel were calculated. The reactor used for the study was the IAEA's 10 MW benchmark reactor. Simulations were carried out to calculate the different reactivity feedback coefficients including Doppler feedback coefficient, reactivity coefficient for change of water temperature and reactivity coefficient for change of water density. Nuclear reactor analysis codes including WIMS-D4 and CITATION were employed to carry out these calculations. It was observed that the magnitude of all the reactivity feedback coefficients increased at end of life of the reactor by almost 2-5%.

Determination of thermal reactivity coefficients for the first fuel loading of MO34

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lueley, J.; Vrban, B.; Farkas, G.; Hascik, J.; Hinca, R.; Petriska, M.; Slugen, V.

2012-01-01

The article introduces determination of thermal reactivity coefficients, especially summarized (isothermal) and moderator (density) reactivity coefficients between 200 grad C and 260 grad C with 2 grad C step, - in compliance with the assignment - for the first fuel loading into the RC of NP Mochovce units using 2 nd generation fuel during the start-up using calculation code MCNP5 1.60. (authors)

Study on erbium loading method to improve reactivity coefficients for low radiotoxic spent fuel HTGR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fukaya, Y., E-mail: fukaya.yuji@jaea.go.jp; Goto, M.; Nishihara, T.

2015-11-15

Highlights: • We attempted and optimized erbium loading methods to improve reactivity coefficients for LRSF-HTGR. • We elucidated the mechanism of the improvements for each erbium loading method by using the Bondarenko approach. • We concluded the erbium loading method by embedding into graphite shaft is preferable. - Abstract: Erbium loading methods are investigated to improve reactivity coefficients of Low Radiotoxic Spent Fuel High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (LRSF-HTGR). Highly enriched uranium is used for fuel to reduce the generation of toxicity from uranium-238. The power coefficients are positive without the use of any additive. Then, the erbium is loaded into the core to obtain negative reactivity coefficients owing to the large resonance the peak of neutron capture reaction of erbium-167. The loading methods are attempted to find the suitable method for LRSF-HTGR. The erbium is mixed in a CPF fuel kernel, loaded by binary packing with fuel particles and erbium particles, and embedded into the graphite shaft deployed in the center of the fuel compact. It is found that erbium loading causes negative reactivity as moderator temperature reactivity, and from the viewpoint of heat transfer, it should be loaded into fuel pin elements for pin-in-block type fuel. Moreover, the erbium should be incinerated slowly to obtain negative reactivity coefficients even at the End Of Cycle (EOC). A loading method that effectively causes self-shielding should be selected to avoid incineration with burn-up. The incineration mechanism is elucidated using the Bondarenko approach. As a result, it is concluded that erbium embedded into graphite shaft is preferable for LRSF-HTGR to ensure that the reactivity coefficients remain negative at EOC.

Coolant void effect investigation - case of a na-cooled fast reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glinatsis, G.; Gugiu, D.

2013-01-01

In the frame of the last EURATOM-FP7 Program, a large sized Sodium-cooled FR (SFR) has been studied. Mixed carbides fuel (U, Pu)C has been adopted for the backup core solution and important work has been also performed in order to obtain an ''optimised'' backup configuration ''close'' to the reference one, which is fueled by mixed oxides fuel (U, Pu)Ox. The peculiarity of both core designs (the reference configuration and the optimised backup configuration) is the adoption of a 60 cm Plenum zone in the upper part of each fuel assembly (FA), that is filled by coolant, in order to mitigate (when emptied) the core positive coolant void effect. This paper presents some results of a detailed study of the coolant void effect for the above SFR with mixed carbides core. Many aspects, like geometric heterogeneity, the burnup state, the operating conditions, etc., have been taken into consideration in order to obtain information about the ''propagation'' and the behaviour of the coolant void effect itself. The performed study investigates also the coolant void effect consequences on some reactivity coefficients, which are important for a safe behaviour of the reactor. The investigation consisted in the steady state simulations of the reactor on different operating conditions in Monte Carlo approach. (authors)

Design comparisons of TRU burner cores with similar sodium void worth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sang Ji, Kim; Young Il, Kim; Young Jin, Kim; Nam Zin, Cho

2001-01-01

This study summarizes the neutronic performance and fuel cycle behavior of five geometrically-different transuranic (TRU) burner cores with similar low sodium void reactivity. The conceptual cores encompass core geometries for annular, two-region homogeneous, dual pin type, pan-shaped and H-shaped cores. They have been designed with the same assembly specifications and managed to have similar end-of-cycle sodium void reactivities and beginning-of-cycle peak power densities through the changes in the core size and configuration. The requirement of low sodium void reactivity is shown to lead each design concept to characteristic neutronics performance and fuel cycle behavior. The H-/pan-shaped cores allow the core compaction as well as higher rate of TRU burning. (author)

Monitoring temperature reactivity coefficient by noise method in a NPP at full power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aguilar, O.; Por, G.

1987-04-01

A new method based on noise measurement was used to estimate the temperature reactivity coefficient of the PAKS-2 reactor during the entire fuel cycle. Based on the measurements it is possible to measure the dependence of reactivity coefficient on boron concentration. Good agreement was found between the results obtained by the new method and by the conventional ones. Based on this method a new equipment can be develop which assures permanent measurements during operation. (author)

Measurements of fuel temperature coefficient of reactivity on a commercial AGR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Telford, A.; Bridge, M.J.

1978-01-01

Tests have been carried out on the commercial AGR at Hikley Point to determine the fuel temperature coefficient of reactivity, an important safety related parameter. Reactor neutron flux was measured during transients induced by movement of a bank of control rods from one steady position to another. An inverse kinetics analysis was applied to the measured flux to determine the change which occured in core reactivity as the fuel temperature changed. The variation of mean fuel temperature was deduced from the flux transient by means of a nine-plane thermal hydraulics representation of the AGR fuel channel. Results so far obtained confirm the predicted variation of fuel temperature coefficient with butn-up. (author)

Temperature reactivity coefficient of the RA reactor; Temperaturni koeficijenat reaktivnosti reaktora RA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Raisic, N; Strugar, P; Dobrosavljevic, N [Institute of Nuclear Sciences Boris Kidric, Vinca, Beograd (Serbia and Montenegro)

1961-12-15

Temperature reactivity coefficient of the RA reactor was determined as follows. Stabilization of moderator temperature and graphite reflector was achieved in the reactor operated at power levels of 20, 100, 500, 1000, 3000 and 5000 kW. Temperature change of the moderator was achieved by changing the water flow rate in the secondary cooling system. The fuel temperature was changed simultaneously. During the measurement at each power level the temperature change was between 30 - 50 deg C. Changing the position of the automated regulator is registered during moderator temperature change, and these changes were used for determining the total reactivity change by using the calibration curves for the automated regulator. In the measured temperature range the the reactivity change was linear and it was possible to determine the total temperature coefficient.

European benchmark on the ASTRID-like low-void-effect core characterization: neutronic parameters and safety coefficients - 15361

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bortot, S.; Mikityuk, K.; Panadero, A.L.; Pelloni, S.; Alvarez-Velarde, F.; Lopez, D.; Fridman, E.; Cruzado, I.G.; Herranz, N.G.; Ponomarev, A.; Sciora, P.; Vasile, A.; Seubert, A.; Tsige-Tamirat, H.

2015-01-01

A neutronic benchmark was launched with the participation of 8 European institutions using 10 codes and 4 data libraries, in order to study the main characteristics of a low-void-effect sodium-cooled fast spectrum core similar to the one of ASTRID at End-Of-Cycle conditions. The first results of this exercise are presented in this paper. As a major outcome of the study, the negative reactivity effect ensuing from the total voiding of the core was unanimously confirmed. Moreover, the code-to-code comparison allowed identifying a number of issues that require further clarifications and improvements. Some of them are mentioned here. The power generation in the non-fuel regions of the core was calculated by only 2 codes and the resulting result discrepancies reach 100%. Unexpected large discrepancies (up to 100 pcm) were observed in the Doppler constants predictions. The deviation of the Doppler effect's temperature dependence from a logarithmic law is also worth additional analysis. A discrepancy between nuclear data libraries (particularly between JEFF 3.1 and ENDF/B-VII.0) was observed in particular for the prediction of the CR worth

Effects contributing to positive coolant void reactivity in CANDU

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Whitlock, J.J.; Garland, W.J.; Milgram, M.S.

1995-01-01

The lattice cell code WIMS-AECL (Ref. 3) is used to model a typical CANDU lattice cell, using nominal geometric bucklings, the PIJ option, and 69-group Winfrith library. The effect of cell voiding is modeled as a 100% instantaneous removal of coolant from the lattice. This is conservative because of the neglect of time dependence and partial core voiding, considered more plausible in CANDU. Results are grouped into three spectral groups: fast neutrons (0.821 to 10 MeV), epithermal neutrons (0.625 eV to 0.821 MeV), and thermal neutrons (<0.625 eV)

A study of temperature coefficients of reactivity for a Savannah River Site tritium-producing charge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

George, D.L.; Frost, R.L.

1991-01-01

Temperature coefficients of reactivity have been calculated for the Mark 22 assembly in the K-14 charge at the Savannah River Site. Temperature coefficients are the most important reactivity feedback mechanism in SRS reactors; they are used in all safety analyses performed in support of the Safety Analysis Report, and in operations to predict reactivity changes with control rod moves. The effects of the radial location of the assembly in the reactor, isotope depletion, and thermal expansion of the metal components on the temperature coefficients have also been investigated. With the exception of the dead space coefficient, all of the regional temperature coefficients were found to be negative or zero. All of the temperature coefficients become more negative with isotopic depletion over the fuel cycle. Coefficients also become more negative with increasing radial distance of the assembly from the center of the core; this is proven from first principles and confirmed by calculations. It was found that axial and radial thermal expansion effects on the metal fuel and target tubes counteract one another, indicating these effects do not need to be considered in future temperature coefficient calculations for the Mark 22 assembly. The moderator coefficient was found to be nonlinear with temperature; thus, the values derived for accidents involving increases in moderator temperature are significantly different than those for decreases in moderator temperature, although the moderator coefficient is always negative

Temperature coefficients of reactivity in the fourth loading of ZENITH

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Caro Manso, R; Freemantle, R G; Rogers, J D [Graphite Reactor Physics Division, Atomic Energy Establishment, Winfrith, Dorchester, Dorset (United Kingdom)

1962-10-15

Measurements have been made of the temperature coefficients of reactivity associated with the core plus end reflectors and the side reflector of the fourth core loading of ZENITH, which had a carbon/U235 atomic ratio of 7788 and no other absorber. (author)

Temperature coefficients of reactivity in the fourth loading of ZENITH

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caro Manso, R.; Freemantle, R.G.; Rogers, J.D.

1962-10-01

Measurements have been made of the temperature coefficients of reactivity associated with the core plus end reflectors and the side reflector of the fourth core loading of ZENITH, which had a carbon/U235 atomic ratio of 7788 and no other absorber. (author)

Shock-induced hotspot formation and chemical reaction initiation in PETN containing a spherical void

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shan, Tzu-Ray; Thompson, Aidan P

2014-01-01

We present results of reactive molecular dynamics simulations of hotspot formation and chemical reaction initiation in shock-induced compression of pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) with the ReaxFF reactive force field. A supported shockwave is driven through a PETN crystal containing a 20 nm spherical void at a sub-threshold impact velocity of 2 km/s. Formation of a hotspot due to shock-induced void collapse is observed. During void collapse, NO 2 is the dominant species ejected from the upstream void surface. Once the ejecta collide with the downstream void surface and the hotspot develops, formation of final products such as N 2 and H 2 O is observed. The simulation provides a detailed picture of how void collapse and hotspot formation leads to initiation at sub-threshold impact velocities.

Estimation of coolant void reactivity for CANDU-NG lattice using DRAGON and validation using MCNP5 and TRIPOLI-4.3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karthikeyan, R.; Tellier, R. L.; Hebert, A.

2006-01-01

The Coolant Void Reactivity (CVR) is an important safety parameter that needs to be estimated at the design stage of a nuclear reactor. It helps to have an a priori knowledge of the behavior of the system during a transient initiated by the loss of coolant. In the present paper, we have attempted to estimate the CVR for a CANDU New Generation (CANDU-NG) lattice, as proposed at an early stage of the Advanced CANDU Reactor (ACR) development. We have attempted to estimate the CVR with development version of the code DRAGON, using the method of characteristics. DRAGON has several advanced self-shielding models incorporated in it, each of them compatible with the method of characteristics. This study will bring to focus the performance of these self-shielding models, especially when there is voiding of such a tight lattice. We have also performed assembly calculations in 2 x 2 pattern for the CANDU-NG fuel, with special emphasis on checkerboard voiding. The results obtained have been validated against Monte Carlo codes MCNP5 and TRIPOLI-4.3. (authors)

HELIOS/DRAGON/NESTLE codes' simulation of void reactivity in a CANDU core

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sarsour, H.N.; Rahnema, F.; Mosher, S.; Turinsky, P.J.; Serghiuta, D.; Marleau, G.; Courau, T.

2002-01-01

This paper presents results of simulation of void reactivity in a CANDU core using the NESTLE core simulator, cross sections from the HELIOS lattice physics code in conjunction with incremental cross sections from the DRAGON lattice physics code. First, a sub-region of a CANDU6 core is modeled using the NESTLE core simulator and predictions are contrasted with predictions by the MCNP Monte Carlo simulation code utilizing a continuous energy model. In addition, whole core modeling results are presented using the NESTLE finite difference method (FDM), NESTLE nodal method (NM) without assembly discontinuity factors (ADF), and NESTLE NM with ADF. The work presented in this paper has been performed as part of a project sponsored by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC). The purpose of the project was to gather information and assess the accuracy of best estimate methods using calculational methods and codes developed independently from the CANDU industry. (author)

The effect of core configuration on temperature coefficient of reactivity in IRR-1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bettan, M.; Silverman, I.; Shapira, M.; Nagler, A. [Soreq Nuclear Research Center, Yavne (Israel)

1997-08-01

Experiments designed to measure the effect of coolant moderator temperature on core reactivity in an HEU swimming pool type reactor were performed. The moderator temperature coefficient of reactivity ({alpha}{sub {omega}}) was obtained and found to be different in two core loadings. The measured {alpha}{sub {omega}} of one core loading was {minus}13 pcm/{degrees}C at the temperature range of 23-30{degrees}C. This value of {alpha}{sub {omega}} is comparable to the data published by the IAEA. The {alpha}{sub {omega}} measured in the second core loading was found to be {minus}8 pcm/{degrees}C at the same temperature range. Another phenomenon considered in this study is core behavior during reactivity insertion transient. The results were compared to a core simulation using the Dynamic Simulator for Nuclear Power Plants. It was found that in the second core loading factors other than the moderator temperature influence the core reactivity more than expected. These effects proved to be extremely dependent on core configuration and may in certain core loadings render the reactor`s reactivity coefficient undesirable.

Nuclear data propagation with burnup. Impact on SFR reactivity coefficients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buiron, Laurent; Plisson-Rieunier, Daniele

2017-01-01

For the next generation fast reactor design, the Generation IV International Forum (GIF) defined global objectives in terms of safety improvement, sustainability, waste minimization and non-proliferation. Among the possibilities studied at CEA, Sodium cooled Fast Reactor (SFR) are studied as potential industrial tools for next decade's deployment. Many efforts have been made in the last years to obtain advanced industrial core designs that comply with these goals. Concerning safety issues, particular efforts have been made in order to obtain core designs that can be resilient to accidental transients. The 'safety' level of such new designs is often characterized by their 'natural' behavior under unprotected transients such as loss of flow or hypothetical transient over power. Transient analysis needs several accurate neutronic input data such as reactivity coefficient and kinetic parameters. Beside estimation of the level of 'absolute' values, associated uncertainties have also to be evaluated for the whole set of relevant data. These estimations have to be performed for different core state such as end of cycle core for feedback coefficient. This means that uncertainties have to be obtained not only a fixed time but also have to be propagated all through irradiation. To do so, we need to couple Boltzman and Bateman equations at sensitivities level. The coupling process could be done with the help of the perturbation theory which gives adapted framework suited for deterministic calculation codes. This coupling is currently in progress in ERANOS code system. The actual implementation gives access to estimation of sensitivities for both reactivity coefficients and mass balance. After a brief theoretical description of Boltzman/Bateman coupling capabilities in ERANOS, the study presented in this paper focuses on sensitivity and uncertainties estimation for the main feedback coefficients involved in fast reactor transients: the

Effects of two-phase mixing and void drift models on subchannel void fraction predictions in vertical bundles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leung, K.H. [McMaster Univ., Hamilton, Ontario (Canada)], E-mail: leungk4@mcmaster.ca

2009-07-01

The evaluation of the subchannel code ASSERT against the OECD/NEA BFBT benchmark data demonstrated that at low pressures, the void fraction in the corner and side subchannels of a vertical bundle was over-predicted. Preliminary results suggest that this was due to the use of Carlucci's empirical correlation for void drift beyond its applicable range of pressure. Further examination indicates that the choice of the mixing and void drift models has a negligible effect on the error of the subchannel void fraction predictions. A single, isolated subchannel was simulated and results suggest that the root cause behind the over-prediction is inadequate mixing at the sides and corners of the bundle. Increasing the magnitude of the void drift coefficients in Carlucci's model at low pressure was found to improve the overall accuracy of the predictions. A simple correlation relating {omega} to the outlet pressure was found to increase the number of points falling within experimental error by 1.0%. (author)

Effects of two-phase mixing and void drift models on subchannel void fraction predictions in vertical bundles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leung, K.H.

2009-01-01

The evaluation of the subchannel code ASSERT against the OECD/NEA BFBT benchmark data demonstrated that at low pressures, the void fraction in the corner and side subchannels of a vertical bundle was over-predicted. Preliminary results suggest that this was due to the use of Carlucci's empirical correlation for void drift beyond its applicable range of pressure. Further examination indicates that the choice of the mixing and void drift models has a negligible effect on the error of the subchannel void fraction predictions. A single, isolated subchannel was simulated and results suggest that the root cause behind the over-prediction is inadequate mixing at the sides and corners of the bundle. Increasing the magnitude of the void drift coefficients in Carlucci's model at low pressure was found to improve the overall accuracy of the predictions. A simple correlation relating Ω to the outlet pressure was found to increase the number of points falling within experimental error by 1.0%. (author)

Reactivity feedback coefficients of a material test research reactor fueled with high-density U{sub 3}Si{sub 2} dispersion fuels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Muhammad, Farhan [Department of Nuclear Engineering, Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nilore, Islamabad 45650 (Pakistan)], E-mail: farhan73@hotmail.com; Majid, Asad [Department of Nuclear Engineering, Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nilore, Islamabad 45650 (Pakistan)

2008-10-15

The reactivity feedback coefficients of a material test research reactor fueled with high-density U{sub 3}Si{sub 2} dispersion fuels were calculated. For this purpose, the low-density LEU fuel of an MTR was replaced with high-density U{sub 3}Si{sub 2} LEU fuels currently being developed under the RERTR program. Calculations were carried out to find the fuel temperature reactivity coefficient, moderator temperature reactivity coefficient and moderator density reactivity coefficient. Nuclear reactor analysis codes including WIMS-D4 and CITATION were employed to carry out these calculations. It is observed that the average values of fuel temperature reactivity feedback coefficient, moderator temperature reactivity coefficient and moderator density reactivity coefficient from 20 deg. C to 100 deg. C, at the beginning of life, followed the relationships (in units of {delta}k/k x 10{sup -5} K{sup -1}) -2.116 - 0.118 {rho}{sub U}, 0.713 - 37.309/{rho}{sub U} and -12.765 - 34.309/{rho}{sub U}, respectively for 4.0 {<=} {rho}{sub U} (g/cm{sup 3}) {<=} 6.0.

Analysis of sodium-void experiments in ZPPR-3 modified Phase 3 core

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoshida, T.

1978-08-01

An analysis is presented of a series of sodium-void reactivity measurements performed in assembly 3 of Zero Power Plutonium Reactor (ZPPR-3), a mockup of the US Demoplant. In this series, large-zone sodium-void effects were studied in detail in the presence of many singularities, namely, control rods (CRs) and control rod positions (CRPs). The Karlsruhe data-and-method have been applied to an analysis of these experiments, and the results are presented. The work is aimed at complementing the sodium-void reactivity analysis based on the SNEAK experiments, where it was difficult to simulate a large plutonium-core of a prototype fast breeder reactor.

Monitoring of the temperature reactivity coefficient at the PWR nuclear plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kostic, Lj.

1996-01-01

For monitoring temperature coefficient of reactivity of pressurized water reactor a method based on the correction of fluctuation in signals of i-core neutron detectors and core-exit thermocouples and neural network paradigm is used it is shown that the moderator temperature coefficient of relativity can be predicted with the aid of the back propagation neural network technique by measuring the frequency response function between the in-core neutron flux and the core-exit coolant temperature

Three-dimensional simulations of void collapse in energetic materials

Science.gov (United States)

Rai, Nirmal Kumar; Udaykumar, H. S.

2018-03-01

The collapse of voids in porous energetic materials leads to hot-spot formation and reaction initiation. This work advances the current knowledge of the dynamics of void collapse and hot-spot formation using 3D reactive void collapse simulations in HMX. Four different void shapes, i.e., sphere, cylinder, plate, and ellipsoid, are studied. For all four shapes, collapse generates complex three-dimensional (3D) baroclinic vortical structures. The hot spots are collocated with regions of intense vorticity. The differences in the vortical structures for the different void shapes are shown to significantly impact the relative sensitivity of the voids. Voids of high surface area generate hot spots of greater intensity; intricate, highly contorted vortical structures lead to hot spots of corresponding tortuosity and therefore enhanced growth rates of reaction fronts. In addition, all 3D voids are shown to be more sensitive than their two-dimensional (2D) counterparts. The results provide physical insights into hot-spot formation and growth and point to the limitations of 2D analyses of hot-spot formation.

Application of bias factor method with use of virtual experimental value to prediction uncertainty reduction in void reactivity worth of breeding light water reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kugo, Teruhiko; Mori, Takamasa; Kojima, Kensuke; Takeda, Toshikazu

2007-01-01

We have carried out the critical experiments for the MOX fueled tight lattice LWR cores using FCA facility and constructed the XXII-1 series cores. Utilizing the critical experiments carried out at FCA, we have evaluated the reduction of prediction uncertainty in the coolant void reactivity worth of the breeding LWR core based on the bias factor method with focusing on the prediction uncertainty due to cross section errors. In the present study, we have introduced a concept of a virtual experimental value into the conventional bias factor method to overcome a problem caused by the conventional bias factor method in which the prediction uncertainty increases in the case that the experimental core has the opposite reactivity worth and the consequent opposite sensitivity coefficients to the real core. To extend the applicability of the bias factor method, we have adopted an exponentiated experimental value as the virtual experimental value and formulated the prediction uncertainty reduction by the use of the bias factor method extended by the concept of the virtual experimental value. From the numerical evaluation, it has been shown that the prediction uncertainty due to cross section errors has been reduced by the use of the concept of the virtual experimental value. It is concluded that the introduction of virtual experimental value can effectively utilize experimental data and extend applicability of the bias factor method. (author)

On the difference between DRAGON and WIMS-AECL calculations of the coolant void reactivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Altiparmakov, D.; Roubtsov, D.; Irish, J.D.

2009-01-01

A difference in the shape of the burnup dependence of the coolant void reactivity (CVR) has been observed between DRAGON and WIMS-AECL calculations. This paper discusses the root cause of the difference and assesses the impact on burnup and full-core reactor calculations. A Fortran procedure has been developed to run WIMS-AECL as necessary in order to mimic DRAGON burnup calculations with leakage effects included. The comparison of standard WIMS-AECL results and simulated DRAGON results demonstrated that the difference is due to different definitions of CVR. If the same CVR definition is used, then the results of both WIMS-AECL and DRAGON analyses are essentially indistinguishable. The discrepancies in the fuel composition and cell-averaged two-group cross sections that are due to differences in WIMS-AECL and DRAGON leakage treatments are insignificant. (author)

Temporary solutions for a conservative estimation of void reactivity insertion in CANDU reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dumitrache, I.

1997-01-01

One of the most difficult task of the CANDU Reactor Physics Analysis is related to the correct treatment of the deviations from the reference coolant properties. The most significant problem is the reactivity inserted by a given coolant density variation. From the practical Nuclear Safety Analysis point of view, the solution must be not only conservative, but also adaptable to the current chain of codes utilized for accident simulation. The first set of experimental data was obtained by AECL many years ago. The fuel was fresh, clean and cold. Some of the currently used computer codes offer accurate predictions of the measured void reactivities. Unfortunately, the existing experimental data do not cover and are not significant for the burned CANDU fuel. A specific benchmark problem was suggested by the Institute for Nuclear Research (ICN) Pitesti. The problem was analysed and slightly modified during an IAEA Vienna RCM (Research Coordinating Meeting), Buenos Aires, 1990. Afterwards, the problem was independently solved in several countries, interested by the CANDU reactor. The results were presented and analysed at the Bombay RCM, 1992. It was clear that the interval defined by the code predictions is much too broad. New experimental data are necessary. They must cover the fuel isotopic composition specific for the burned CANDU fuel. The work is in progress at the Chalk River Laboratory. Temporary solutions have been analysed at the ICN Pitesti. The first aim was to identify the reactivity numerical values that are conservative, but not too inaccurate. The WIMS code predictions have been compared against other estimations, including the Monte-Carlo based ones. The second aim was to force the currently used code, PPV, to offer cell cross sections that are correct from the Reactor Physics point of view, and compatible with the imposed reactivity. Physical and mathematical procedures were proposed and evaluated. An additional solution was also taken into account: to

Measurement of reactivity temperature coefficient by noise method in a power reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aguilar, O.

1986-07-01

The temperature reactivity coefficient was estimated on the basis of noise measurements performed in a PWR. The magnitude of the coefficient was evaluated by relating the values of the APSD and CPSD between ex-core neutron detector signals and fuel assembly outlet thermocouple in the low frequency range. Comparison with δρ/δT measurements performed in PWR by standard methods supports the validity of the results. (author)

Cure Cycle Design Methodology for Fabricating Reactive Resin Matrix Fiber Reinforced Composites: A Protocol for Producing Void-free Quality Laminates

Science.gov (United States)

Hou, Tan-Hung

2014-01-01

For the fabrication of resin matrix fiber reinforced composite laminates, a workable cure cycle (i.e., temperature and pressure profiles as a function of processing time) is needed and is critical for achieving void-free laminate consolidation. Design of such a cure cycle is not trivial, especially when dealing with reactive matrix resins. An empirical "trial and error" approach has been used as common practice in the composite industry. Such an approach is not only costly, but also ineffective at establishing the optimal processing conditions for a specific resin/fiber composite system. In this report, a rational "processing science" based approach is established, and a universal cure cycle design protocol is proposed. Following this protocol, a workable and optimal cure cycle can be readily and rationally designed for most reactive resin systems in a cost effective way. This design protocol has been validated through experimental studies of several reactive polyimide composites for a wide spectrum of usage that has been documented in the previous publications.

Design study on PWR-type reduced-moderation light water core. Investigation of core adopting seed-blanket fuel assemblies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shimada, Shoichiro; Kugo, Teruhiko; Okubo, Tsutomu; Iwamura, Takamichi [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment

2003-03-01

As a part of the design study on PWR-type Reduced-Moderation Water Reactors (RMWRs), a light water cooled core with the seed-blanket type fuel assemblies has been investigated. An assembly with seed of 13 layers and blanket of 5 layers was selected by optimization calculations. The core was composed with the 163 assemblies. The following results were obtained by burn-up calculations with the MVP-BURN code; The cycle length is 15 months by 3-batch refueling. The discharge burn-up including the inner blanket is about 25 GWd/t. The conversion ratio is about 1.0. The void reactivity coefficient is about-26.1 pcm/%void at BOC and -21.7pcm%void at EOC. About 10% of MA makes conversion ratio decrease about 0.05 to obtain the same burn-up. The void reactivity coefficient increased significantly and it is necessary to reduce it. FP amount corresponding to about 2 % of total plutonium weight makes reactivity decrease about 0.5 %{delta}k/k and void reactivity coefficient increase, however these changes are within the design margins. Capability of multi-recycling of plutonium was confirmed, using discharged plutonium for 4 cycles, if fissile plutonium of 15.5wt% is used. The conversion ratio increases by about 0.026 with recycling. However, void reactivity coefficient increases and some effort to obtain negative void reactivity coefficient is necessary. (author)

Critical mass, rod values and reactivity coefficients for Rapsodie; Masse critique, valeur des barres et coefficients de reactivite de rapsodie

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stevens, L; Gourdon, J [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Cadarache (France). Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

1967-07-01

Besides a brief general description, the report contains a description and discussion of the aims, the methods used and the results of critical mass, rod worth and static reactivity coefficient measurements on the Rapsodie reactor. (authors) [French] Apres une breve description generale, le rapport decrit et discute le but, les methodes employees et les resultats des mesures de masse critique, de reactivite des barres et des coefficients de reactivite statiques du reacteur RAPSODIE. (auteurs)

LFR safety features through intrinsic negative reactivity feedbacks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grasso, Giacomo

2012-01-01

The safety of Lead-cooled Fast Reactors can rely on intrinsic features such as: • the impossibility of Lead boiling, hence the unreliability of core (only) voiding; • the buoyancy of Control Rods in Lead, allowing their safe positioning also below the active region. For heightening the safety features of LFRs in safety analyses it could be required to approach the evaluation of the reactivity coefficients from a more physical point of view, including more elementary mechanisms, each one related to the proper driving temperature

submitter Thermal stability of interface voids in Cu grain boundaries with molecular dynamic simulations

CERN Document Server

Xydou, A; Aicheler, M; Djurabekova, F

2016-01-01

By means of molecular dynamic simulations, the stability of cylindrical voids is examined with respect to the diffusion bonding procedure. To do this, the effect of grain boundaries between the grains of different crystallographic orientations on the void closing time was studied at high temperatures from 0.7 up to 0.94 of the bulk melting temperature $(T_m)$. The diameter of the voids varied from 3.5 to 6.5 nm. A thermal instability occurring at high temperatures at the surface of the void placed in a grain boundary triggered the eventual closure of the void at all examined temperatures. The closing time has an exponential dependence on the examined temperature values. A model based on the defect diffusion theory is developed to predict the closing time for voids of macroscopic size. The diffusion coefficient within the grain boundaries is found to be overall higher than the diffusion coefficient in the region around the void surface. The activation energy for the diffusion in the grain boundary is calculate...

Sodium voiding analysis in Kalimer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, Won-Pyo; Jeong, Kwan-Seong; Hahn, Dohee

2001-01-01

A sodium boiling model has been developed for calculations of the void reactivity feedback as well as the fuel and cladding temperatures in the KALIMER core after onset of sodium boiling. The sodium boiling in liquid metal reactors using sodium as coolant should be modeled because of phenomenon difference observed from that in light water reactor systems. The developed model is a multiple -bubble slug ejection model. It allows a finite number of bubbles in a channel at any time. Voiding is assumed to result from formation of bubbles that fill the whole cross section of the coolant channel except for liquid film left on the cladding surface. The vapor pressure, currently, is assumed to be uniform within a bubble. The present study is focused on not only demonstration of the sodium voiding behavior predicted by the developed model, but also confirmation on qualitative acceptance for the model. In results, the model catches important phenomena for sodium boiling, while further effort should be made for the complete analysis. (author)

Diffusion in and around alginate and chitosan films with embedded sub-millimeter voids

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Patra, Subhajit; Bal, Dharmendra Kumar; Ganguly, Somenath, E-mail: snganguly@che.iitkgp.ernet.in

2016-02-01

Hydrogel scaffolds from biopolymers have potential use in the controlled release of drugs, and as 3-D structure for the formation of tissue matrix. This article describes the solute release behavior of alginate and chitosan films with embedded voids of sub-millimeter dimensions. Nitrogen gas was bubbled in a fluidic arrangement to generate bubbles, prior to the crosslinking. The crosslinked gel was dried in a vacuum oven, and subsequently, soaked in Vitamin B-12 solution. The dimensions of the voids immediately after the cross-linking of gel, and also after complete drying were obtained using a digital microscope and scanning electron microscope respectively. The porosity of the gel was measured gravimetrically. The release of Vitamin B-12 in PBS buffer on a shaker was studied. The release experiments were repeated at an elevated temperature of 37 °C in the presence of lysozyme. The diffusion coefficient within the gel layer and the mass transfer coefficient at the interface with the bulk-liquid were estimated using a mathematical model. For comparison, the experiment was repeated with a film that does not have any embedded void. The enhancement in diffusion coefficient due to the presence of voids is discussed in this article. - Highlights: • Formation of sub-millimeter voids in biopolymer films using fluidic arrangement • The retention of self-assembled bubbles in films after crosslinking, and drying • The enhancement observed in release of model drug with introduction of voids • The diffusion coefficients in and around biopolymer films from model regression • Use of classical model in explaining release profiles from dual porosity media.

Analysis on the Multiplication Factor with the Change of Corium Mass and Void Fraction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jeong, Hae Sun; Park, Chang Je; Song, Jin Ho; Ha, Kwang Soon [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2013-05-15

The neutron absorbing materials and fuel rods would be separately arranged and relocated, since the control materials in metallic structures have lower melting points than that of the oxide fuel (UO{sub 2}) rod materials. In addition, core reflood for a BWR is normally accomplished by supplying unborated water unlikely for a PWR. Therefore, a potential for a recriticality event to occur may exist, if unborated coolant injection is initiated with this configuration in the reactor core. The re-criticality in this system, however, brings into question what the uranium mass is required to achieve a critical level. Furthermore, the additional decay heat from molten fuel (corium) will produce an increase of void and eventually results in under-moderation of neutrons. The prior verification of these consequential physical variations in criticality eigenvalue (effective multiplication factor, k{sub eff}) should be greatly contributed to control and termination of re-criticality. Therefore, this study addresses what uranium mass of corium could achieve re-criticality of an accident core, and how effect the coolant void fraction has on eigenvalue (k{sub eff}) and its reactivity. To analyze the critical mass and the effect on criticality upon changing coolant density, k{sub eff} values were calculated using the MCNPX 2.5.0 code, and the reactivity change was also investigated. As a result, a large change in corium mass leads to a little change in k{sub eff} value, nevertheless, only about 60 kg of uranium is necessary to achieve a critical level. Thus, the amounts to reach a re-criticality are not fairly large, considering the actual uranium quantities loaded in the reactor core. Based on the condition with k{sub eff} greater than unity, the absolute values of k{sub eff} decrease rate and the coolant density coefficient were gradually increased due to the steady increments of coolant void (i.e., decrease in coolant density). In addition, the k{sub eff} value approaches the

Evaluation of temperature coefficients of reactivity for 233U--thorium fueled HTGR lattices. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Newman, D.F.; Leonard, B.R. Jr.; Trapp, T.J.; Gore, B.F.; Kottwitz, D.A.; Thompson, J.K.; Purcell, W.L.; Stewart, K.B.

1977-05-01

A comparison of calculated and measured neutron multiplication factors as a function of temperature was made for three graphite-moderated lattices in the High Temperature Lattice Test Reactor (HTLTR) using 233 UO 2 --ThO 2 fuels in varying amounts and configurations. Correlation of neutronic analysis methods and cross section data with the experimental measurements forms the basis for assessing the accuracy of the methods and data and developing confidence in the ability to predict the temperature coefficient of reactivity for various High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR) conditions in which 233 U and thorium are present in the fuel. The calculated values of k/sub infinity/(T) were correlated with measured values using two least-squares-fitted correlation coefficients: (1) a normalization factor, and (2) a temperature coefficient bias factor. These correlations indicate the existence of a negative (nonconservative) bias in temperature coefficients of reactivity calculated using ENDF/B-IV cross section data

Calculation of the fuel temperature coefficient of reactivity considering non-uniform radial temperature distribution in the fuel rod

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pazirandeh, Ali [Islamic Azad Univ., Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of). Science and Research Branch; Hooshyar Mobaraki, Almas

2017-07-15

The safe operation of a reactor is based on feedback models. In this paper we attempted to discuss the influence of a non-uniform radial temperature distribution on the fuel rod temperature coefficient of reactivity. The paper demonstrates that the neutron properties of a reactor core is based on effective temperature of the fuel to obtain the correct fuel temperature feedback. The value of volume-averaged temperature being used in the calculations of neutron physics with feedbacks would result in underestimating the probable event. In the calculation it is necessary to use the effective temperature of the fuel in order to provide correct accounting of the fuel temperature feedback. Fuel temperature changes in different zones of the core and consequently reactivity coefficient change are an important parameter for analysis of transient conditions. The restricting factor that compensates the inserted reactivity is the temperature reactivity coefficient and effective delayed neutron fraction.

Criticality coefficient calculation for a small PWR using Monte Carlo Transport Code

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Trombetta, Debora M.; Su, Jian, E-mail: dtrombetta@nuclear.ufrj.br, E-mail: sujian@nuclear.ufrj.br [Coordenacao dos Programas de Pos-Graduacao em Engenharia (COPPE/UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Chirayath, Sunil S., E-mail: sunilsc@tamu.edu [Department of Nuclear Engineering and Nuclear Security Science and Policy Institute, Texas A and M University, TX (United States)

2015-07-01

Computational models of reactors are increasingly used to predict nuclear reactor physics parameters responsible for reactivity changes which could lead to accidents and losses. In this work, preliminary results for criticality coefficient calculation using the Monte Carlo transport code MCNPX were presented for a small PWR. The computational modeling developed consists of the core with fuel elements, radial reflectors, and control rods inside a pressure vessel. Three different geometries were simulated, a single fuel pin, a fuel assembly and the core, with the aim to compare the criticality coefficients among themselves.The criticality coefficients calculated were: Doppler Temperature Coefficient, Coolant Temperature Coefficient, Coolant Void Coefficient, Power Coefficient, and Control Rod Worth. The coefficient values calculated by the MCNP code were compared with literature results, showing good agreement with reference data, which validate the computational model developed and allow it to be used to perform more complex studies. Criticality Coefficient values for the three simulations done had little discrepancy for almost all coefficients investigated, the only exception was the Power Coefficient. Preliminary results presented show that simple modelling as a fuel assembly can describe changes at almost all the criticality coefficients, avoiding the need of a complex core simulation. (author)

Experimental estimation of moderator temperature coefficient of reactivity of the IPEN/MB-01 research reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silva, Rubens C. da; Bitelli, Ulysses D.; Mura, Luiz Ernesto C.

2017-01-01

The aim of this article is to present the procedure for the experimental estimation of the Moderator Temperature Coefficient of Reactivity of the IPEN/MB-01 Research Reactor, a parameter that has an important role in the physics and the control operations of any reactor facility. At the experiment, the IPEN/MB-01 reactor went critical at the power of 1W (1% of its total power), and whose core configuration was 28 x 26 rectangular array of UO_2 fuel rods, inside a light water (moderator) tank. In addition, there was a heavy water (D_2O) reflector installed in the West side of the core to obtain an adequate neutron reflection along the experiment. The moderator temperature was increased in steps of 4 °C, and the measurement of the mean moderator temperature was acquired using twelve calibrated thermocouples, placed around the reactor core. As a result, the mean value of -4.81 pcm/°C was obtained for such coefficient. The curves of ρ(T) (Reactivity x Temperature) and α"M_T(T)(Moderator Temperature Coefficient of Reactivity x Temperature) were developed using data from an experimental measurement of the integral reactivity curves through the Stable Period and Inverse Kinetics Methods, that was carried out at the reactor with the same core configuration. Such curves were compared and showed a very similar behavior between them. (author)

Equations for calculating interfacial drag and shear from void fraction correlations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Putney, J.M.

1988-12-01

Equations are developed for calculating interfacial drag and shear coefficients for dispersed vapour flows from void fraction correlations. The equations have a sound physical basis and lead to physically correct coefficients in all flow situations. (author)

Integrity, behavior and proposal of CARA fuel irradiation with empty negative coefficient

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marino, Armando C.; Brasnarof, Daniel O.; Demarco, Gustavo L.; Agueda, Horacio C.

2007-01-01

The main issues of the CARA fuel, CVN version, are its negative void reactivity coefficient and an extraction burnup of ∼20000 MWd/ton U. The analysis of the fuel rod behaviour, under the irradiation conditions of the Embalse, Atucha I and II NPPs, are the key to recognize their demanding under operation, to review the classic issues of the PHWR fuels and to prepare a programme of experimental irradiations in order to demonstrate the CARA concept, to assess the fuel integrity, to improve the performance and the enhancement of the safety margins. (author) [es

Flow map and measurement of void fraction and heat transfer coefficient using an image analysis technique for flow boiling of water in a silicon microchannel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, S G; Duttagupta, S P; Jain, A; Sridharan, A; Agrawal, Amit

2009-01-01

The present work focuses on the generation of the flow regime map for two-phase water flow in microchannels of a hydraulic diameter of 140 µm. An image analysis algorithm has been developed and utilized to obtain the local void fraction. The image processing technique is also employed to identify and estimate the percentage of different flow regimes and heat transfer coefficient, as a function of position, heat flux and mass flow rate. Both void fraction and heat transfer coefficient are found to increase monotonically along the length of the microchannel. At low heat flux and low flow rates, bubbly, slug and annular flow regimes are apparent. However, the flow is predominately annular at high heat flux and high flow rate. A breakup of the flow frequency suggests that the flow is bistable in the annular regime, in that at a fixed location, the flow periodically switches from single-phase liquid to annular and vice versa. Otherwise, the occurrence of three regimes—single-phase liquid, bubbly and slug are observed. These results provide several useful insights about two-phase flow in microchannels besides being of fundamental interest

Application of noise analysis technique for monitoring the moderator temperature coefficient of reactivity in pressurized water reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shieh, D.J.; Upadhyaya, B.R.; Sweeney, F.J.

1987-01-01

A new technique, based on the noise analysis of neutron detector and core-exit coolant temperature signals, is developed for monitoring the moderator temperature coefficient of reactivity in pressurized water reactors (PWRs). A detailed multinodal model is developed and evaluated for the reactor core subsystem of the loss-of-fluid test (LOFT) reactor. This model is used to study the effect of changing the sign of the moderator temperature coefficient of reactivity on the low-frequency phase angle relationship between the neutron detector and the core-exit temperature noise signals. Results show that the phase angle near zero frequency approaches - 180 deg for negative coefficients and 0 deg for positive coefficients when the perturbation source for the noise signals is core coolant flow, inlet coolant temperature, or random heat transfer

Experimental estimation of moderator temperature coefficient of reactivity of the IPEN/MB-01 research reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Silva, Rubens C. da; Bitelli, Ulysses D.; Mura, Luiz Ernesto C., E-mail: rubensrcs@usp.br, E-mail: ubitelli@ipen.br, E-mail: credidiomura@gmail.com [Universidade de Sao Paulo (PNV/POLI/USP), SP (Brazil). Arquitetura Naval e Departamento de Engenharia Oceanica; Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)

2017-07-01

The aim of this article is to present the procedure for the experimental estimation of the Moderator Temperature Coefficient of Reactivity of the IPEN/MB-01 Research Reactor, a parameter that has an important role in the physics and the control operations of any reactor facility. At the experiment, the IPEN/MB-01 reactor went critical at the power of 1W (1% of its total power), and whose core configuration was 28 x 26 rectangular array of UO{sub 2} fuel rods, inside a light water (moderator) tank. In addition, there was a heavy water (D{sub 2}O) reflector installed in the West side of the core to obtain an adequate neutron reflection along the experiment. The moderator temperature was increased in steps of 4 °C, and the measurement of the mean moderator temperature was acquired using twelve calibrated thermocouples, placed around the reactor core. As a result, the mean value of -4.81 pcm/°C was obtained for such coefficient. The curves of ρ(T) (Reactivity x Temperature) and α{sup M}{sub T}(T)(Moderator Temperature Coefficient of Reactivity x Temperature) were developed using data from an experimental measurement of the integral reactivity curves through the Stable Period and Inverse Kinetics Methods, that was carried out at the reactor with the same core configuration. Such curves were compared and showed a very similar behavior between them. (author)

Improvement the value of sodium void reactivity effect of the fast neutron reactor by the instrumentality of the Monte Carlo code

OpenAIRE

P.A. Maslov; V.I. Matveev; I.V. Malysheva

2015-01-01

To fulfill safety of fast sodium reactors in a beyond design-basis accident (BDBA) like unprotected loss of flow accident (ULOF), the sodium void reactivity effect (SVRE) should be close to zero. Its value depends on the fuel burnup – the higher burnup the higher value of SVRE. We analyze limitation of the fuel burnup in the core of a large sodium reactor imposed by SVRE. The model of a large sodium-cooled reactor core is chosen for analysis. Two fuel types are considered – MOX and nitride...

Effects of variable sticking coefficients on the stability of reactive sputtering process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Chuan; Hsieh Janghsing

2004-01-01

In reactive sputtering, the introduction of a reactive gas can lead to a hysteresis transition from metal to compounds in both the target and substrate. The hysteresis transition is characterized by a sudden change in partial pressure, sputtering rate, fraction of compound formation, etc. Therefore, stability is an important issue in the process control. In this paper, a mathematical model with variable sticking coefficients based on surface kinetics is used to study the stability of the process. The variable sticking coefficient represents different mechanisms for surface reactions from the Langmuir to precursor type. In order to facilitate the analysis, several nondimensional parameters are identified and used for formulation. Results show that an unsteady system converges to a steady state relatively fast at low inflow rates. With an eigenvalue analysis, the range of positive eigenvalues is consistent with the presence of a hysteresis loop. It is also found that when the chemical reaction on the substrate is moderate, a higher sputter yield of the compound leads to a more stable steady state at lower inflow rates. Regarding the sticking mechanism, for the type of precursors with the parameter k < 1, the compound is easier to form and saturate on the surface due to the higher default sticking coefficient and the lower operating conditions for the hysteresis transition

Determination of reactivity coefficients from measurable effects of small external perturbations using a bank of Kalman filters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Racz, A.

1990-12-01

The goal of this paper is to present a method for the determination of reactivity coefficients in a nuclear power reactor in operation. A method based on Kalman filtering technique and the Magill-Bogler test is proposed for the determination of reactivity coefficients from measured effects of small external perturbation introduced into a steady-state power reactor. Numerical experiments are presented to justify the procedure. A realistic problem is considered: the calculation of the control rod worth. Finally a possible way is given to check the goodness of the estimation. (author) 16 refs.; 4 figs

Chapter 10: Calculation of the temperature coefficient of reactivity of a graphite-moderated reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, G.; Richmond, R.; Stace, R.H.W.

1963-01-01

The temperature coefficients of reactivity of the BEPO, Windscale and Calder reactors are calculated, using the revised methods given by Lockey et al. (1956) and by Campbell and Symonds (1962). The results are compared with experimental values. (author)

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.

Analysis of sodium-void experiments in ZPPR-3 modified phase 3 core

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshida, T.

1978-08-01

In this work, large-zone sodium-void effects are studied in detail in the presence of many singularities, namely, control rods (CRs) and control rod positions (CRPs). The results of measurements and calculations are compared by CIE (calculation/experiment) values, which are 1.07 when the voided core region is free of singularities. When the void region includes CPRs, which are concurrently voided, the CIE value deteriorates and varies from 0.35 to 1.58. The agreement can be improved considerably by correcting the reactivity worth of the sodium contained in the CRPs with the aid of experimental data (CIE = 1.00 +- 0.15). The heterogeneity correction for the fuel elements was performed by the plate-cell vollision probability code KAPPER. (GL) [de

Reactivity feedback models for SSC-K

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Han, Do Hee; Kwon, Young Min; Kim, Kyung Du; Chang, Won Pyo [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejon (Korea)

1998-06-01

Safety of KALIMER is assured by the inherent safety of the core and passive safety of the safety-related systems. For the safety analysis of a new reactor design such as KALIMER, analysis models, which are consistent with the design, have to be developed for a plant-wide transient and safety analysis code. Efforts for the development of reactivity feedback models for SSC-K, which is now being developed for the safety analysis of KALIMER, is described in this report. Models for Doppler, sodium density/void, fuel axial expansion, core radial expansion, and CRDL expansion have been developed. Test runs have been performed for the unprotected accident for the verification of the models. Use of KALIMER reactivity coefficients and future development of models for GEM and PSDRS would make it possible to analyze the response of KALIMER under TOP as well as LOF and LOHS accident conditions using SSC-K. (author). 5 refs., 64 figs., 2 tabs.

JOYO MK-III performance test. Criticality test, excess reactivity measurement and burn-up coefficient measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maeda, Shigetaka; Sekine, Takashi; Kitano, Akihiro; Nagasaki, Hideaki

2005-03-01

The MK-III performance test began in June 2003 to fully characterize the upgraded core and heat transfer system of the experimental fast reactor JOYO. This paper describes the results of the approach to criticality, the excess reactivity evaluation and the burn-up coefficient measurement. In the approach to criticality test, the MK-III core achieved initial criticality at the control rod bank position of 412.8 mm on 14:03 July 2nd, 2003. Because the replacement of the outer two rows of reflector subassemblies with shielding subassemblies reduced the source range monitor signals by a factor of 3 at the same reactor power compared with those in the MK-II core, we measured the change of the monitor's response and determined the count rate 2x10 4 cps.' as an appropriate value judging the zero power criticality. In the excess reactivity evaluation, the zero power excess reactivity at 250degC was 2.99±0.10%Δk/kk' based on the measured critical rod bank position and the measured control rod worths. The predicted value by the JOYO core management code system HESTIA was 3.13±0.16%Δk/kk', showing good agreement with the measured value. The measured excess reactivity was within the safety requirement limit. In the burn-up coefficient measurement, the excess reactivity change versus the reactor burn-up was evaluated. The measurement method adopted was to measure the control rod positions during the rated power operation. A value of -2.12x10 -4 Δk/kk'/MWd was obtained as a measured burn-up coefficient. The value calculated by HESTIA was -2.12x10 -4 Δk/kk'/MWd, and it agreed well with the measured value. All technical safety requirements for MK-III core were satisfied and the calculation accuracy of the core management code system HESTIA was confirmed. (author)

Reactivity and neutron flux measurements in IPEN/MB-01 reactor with B4C burnable poison

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fer, Nelson Custodio; Moreira, Joao Manoel Losada

2000-01-01

Burnable poison rods, made of B 4 C- Al 2 O 3 pellets with 5.01 mg/cm 3 10 B concentration, have been manufactured for a set of experiments in the IPEN/MB-01 zero-power reactor. Several core parameters which are affected by the burnable poisons rods have been measured. The principal results, for the situation in which the burnable poison rods are located near the absorber rods of a control rod, are they cause a 29% rod worth shadowing, a reduction of 39% in the local void coefficient of reactivity, a reduction of 4.8% in the isothermal temperature coefficient of reactivity, and a reduction of 9% in the thermal neutron flux in the region where the burnable poison rods are located. These experimental results will be used for the validation of burnable poison calculation methods in the CTMSP. (author)

Effect of Contact Conditions on Void Coalescence at Low Stress Triaxiality Shearing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dahl, Jonas; Nielsen, Kim Lau; Tvergaard, Viggo

2012-01-01

, the deformed voids develop into shapes that closely resemble micro-cracks. It is found that the predictions using the frictionless pseudo-contact approach are in rather good agreement with corresponding simulations that fully account for frictionless contact. In particular, good agreement is found at close...... to zero stress triaxiality. Furthermore, it is shown that accounting for friction at the void surface strongly postpones the onset of coalescence, hence, increasing the overall material ductility. The changes in overall material behavior are here presented for a wide range of initial material and loading...... conditions, such as various stress triaxialities, void sizes, and friction coefficients....

Behaviour of the RBMK-1000 plant during reactivity disturbances under part load reduction - completing investigations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clemente, M.; Langenbuch, S.

1989-01-01

This report describes investigations of the behavior of a RBMK-1000 reactor core during reactivity initiated accidents and completes earlier studies of the Chernobyl accident. Special questions related to this accident are studied, e.g. the effect of Xenon dynamics during the delayed load reduction and the coarse of the experiment as planned with the coast-down of four main recirculaton pumps at nominal part load conditions. The main interest is the detailed analysis of reactivity initiated accidents in the low power range till 25% during start-up. In the calculations no reactor trip is taken into account. The results confirm the unfavourable effects of the positive void coefficient, which are amplified in the low power range. Finally the results are discussed in comparison to other positive reactivity effects. (orig.) [de

Development of perturbation theory expressions for the evaluation of reactivity effects and sensitivity coefficient of reactivity effect to the group cross-sections on the basis of improved coarse mesh method for 3D diffusion problem

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seregin, A.S.

2000-01-01

In the paper the formulae for perturbation theory functionals calculation are given and equations are based on improved coarse mesh discretization of diffusion problem in 3-dimensional geometry (Hex-Z). Expressions for the reactivity effect components and reactivity coefficients, written in the framework of the first order perturbation theory, are presented. On this basis the formulae for estimation of the sensitivity coefficients of different reactivity effects group cross-sections were derived. Expressions for the reactivity effect and its components obtained in the framework of the strict perturbation theory, are also presented in the paper. (author)

Void shape effects and voids starting from cracked inclusion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tvergaard, Viggo

2011-01-01

Numerical, axisymmetric cell model analyses are used to study the growth of voids in ductile metals, until the mechanism of coalescence with neighbouring voids sets in. A special feature of the present analyses is that extremely small values of the initial void volume fraction are considered, dow...

Void lattices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chadderton, L.T.; Johnson, E.; Wohlenberg, T.

1976-01-01

Void lattices in metals apparently owe their stability to elastically anisotropic interactions. An ordered array of voids on the anion sublattice in fluorite does not fit so neatly into this scheme of things. Crowdions may play a part in the formation of the void lattice, and stability may derive from other sources. (Auth.)

One-group Perturbation Theory Applied to Substitution Measurements with Void

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Persson, R

1962-06-15

Formulas suitable for evaluating substitution measurements or single-rod experiments by means of one-group perturbation theory are derived. The diffusion coefficient may depend on direction and position. By using the buckling concept the expressions derived are quite simple and the perturbed flux can be taken into account in a comparatively simple way. By using an unconventional definition of cells a transition region is introduced quite logically. Experiments with voids around metal rods, diam. 3.05 cm, have been analysed. The agreement between extrapolated and directly measured buckling values is excellent, the buckling difference between lattices with water-filled and voided shrouds being 0.263 {+-} 0.015/m{sup 2} and 0.274 {+-} 0.005 /m{sup 2} resp. The differences between diffusion coefficients are also determined, {delta}D{sub r}/D = 0.083 {+-} 0.004 and {delta}D{sub z}/D = 0.120 {+-} 0.018.

Investigations of the reactivity temperature coefficient of the Dresden Technical University training and research reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adam, E.; Knorr, J.

1982-01-01

Approximate formulas are derived for determining the temperature coefficient of reactivity of the training and research reactor (AKR) of the Dresden Technical University. Values calculated on the basis of these approximations show good agreement with experimentally obtained results, thus confirming the applicability of the formulas to simple systems

Feasible region of design parameters for water cooled thorium breeder reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Permana, Sidik; Takaki, Naoyuki; Sekimoto, Hiroshi

2007-01-01

The performances of a light water cooled thorium breeder reactor have been investigated. A feasible region of fresh fuel enrichment and moderator to fuel ratio (MFR) is found to satisfy the constrains of criticality, breeding, and negative void coefficient for several burnups of discharged fuel. The equilibrium fuel cycle burnup calculation has been performed which is coupled with the cell calculation. The MFR is changed to investigate its effect to the breeding capability and void reactivity coefficient profile for different average discharged burnups. For moderated cases, the conversion ratio (CR) decreases with increasing burnup and MFR. The ratio of fissile inventory in equilibrium core to the initial fissile loading (FIR) has the maximum value at certain burnups depending on the MFR and its value increases with the decreasing MFR. Considering to the breeding capability of the reactor, for burnups of equal to 30 GWd/t or higher, the MFR≤0.3 is needed. For the larger MFR and lower burnups, the void reactivity coefficient becomes more negative with an increasing void fraction. The most negative value of the void reactivity coefficient is obtained at MFR=0.3. (author)

A comparative neutronic analysis of KALIMER breeder core using Na or Pb-Bi coolant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoo, J. W.; Kim, S. J.; Kim, Y. I.

2000-01-01

A comparative neutronic study has been conducted on KALIMER breeder core according to the replacement of sodium coolant by Pb-Bi coolant. Since the atomic weight of Pb and Bi is about 9 times heavier than that of Na, the energy loss by neutron colliding with Pb-Bi nucleus will be very small. Therefore, the reactor with Pb-Bi coolant will have a harder neutron spectrum than that with Na coolant. Consequently, the breeding ratio and burnup reactivity swing is expected to be enhanced. In addition, when Pb-Bi coolant is voided, a negative coolant void coefficient can be obtained by the net effects of smaller spectrum hardening and large neutron leakage. As a result, the breeding ratio was increased from 1.18 to 1.23 and burnup reactivity swing was reduced from 631 pcm to 150 pcm. When the coolant in the whole region of active core is voided, the coolant void coefficient was found to be -539 and -264 pcm at BOEC and EOEC, respectively. In the local voided case, the smaller coolant void coefficient was obtained than that of Na coolant. Accordingly, the use of Pb-Bi coolant in KALIMER gives an advantage of higher breeding ratio, smaller burnup reactivity swing and negative coolant void coefficient without any significant degradation of nuclear performance

On Perturbation Components Correspondence between Diffusion and Transport

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

G. Palmiotti

2012-11-01

We have established a correspondence between perturbation components in diffusion and transport theory. In particular we have established the correspondence between the leakage perturbation component of the diffusion theory to that of the group self scattering in transport theory. This has been confirmed by practical applications on sodium void reactivity calculations of fast reactors. Why this is important for current investigations? Recently, there has been a renewed interest in designing fast reactors where the sodium void reactivity coefficient is minimized. In particular the ASTRID8,9 reactor concept has been optimized with this goal in mind. The correspondence on the leakage term that has been established here has a twofold implication for the design of this kind of reactors. First, this type of reactor has a radial reflector; therefore, as shown before, the sodium void reactivity coefficient calculation requires the use of transport theory. The minimization of the sodium reactivity coefficient is normally done by increasing the leakage component that has a negative sign. The correspondence established in this paper allows to directly look at this component in transport theory. The second implication is related to the uncertainty evaluation on sodium void reactivity. As it has shown before, the total sodium void reactivity effect is the result of a large compensation (opposite sign) between the scattering (called often spectral) component and the leakage one. Consequently, one has to evaluate separately the uncertainty on each separate component and then combine them statistically. If one wants to compute the cross section sensitivity coefficients of the two different components, the formulation established in this paper allows to achieve this goal by playing on the contribution to the sodium void reactivity coming from the group self scattering of the sodium cross section.

Reactivity coefficients by perturbation theory; Calcul des coefficients de re activite par la theorie des perturbations; Koehffitsienty reaktivnosti, opredelennye pri pomoshchi teorii vozmushchenij; Determinacion, de coeficientes de reactividad con ayuda de la teoria de las perturbaciones

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Webster, J W [International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (Austria)

1962-03-15

The development of the formulae of perturbation theory provides a good opportunity to use one of the principal devices of mathematical heuristics, i.e. proceeding by analogy from something that is simple to something that is more complicated. This paper: (a) Reviews the formulation of perturbation theory as a method of calculating reactivity coefficients; this consists mainly of developing the differential equation for the adjoint flux, as a continuous function of position and lethargy, by proceeding by analogy from the one-group differential equation for adjoint flux. (b) Presents an application of the two-group form of perturbation theory to a boiling-mercury-cooled fast-breeder reactor (MCBR). It is seen that the net Hg density coefficient of reactivity for the first-design-try for the MCBR is negative for some regions and positive for others. However, it is negative for regions of highest statistical weight and where the density change for a power change would be the greatest. The overall Hg density coefficient is thus negative, i.e. the void coefficient is positive-an unsafe condition. It can be easily seen from the two-group formulation what design changes had to be made to obtain a design which would have a negative void coefficient. It developed in subsequent investigations that there were such design changes that could be made and a design of the MCBR with a negative void coefficient was eventually achieved. (author) [French] La mise au points des formules de la theorie des perturbations fournit une bonne occasion d'employer en mathematiques une des principales regles de la methode heuristique, celle qui consiste a proceder par analogie du simple au complexe. L'auteur du memoire: a) Expose une methode permettant de calculer les coefficients de reactivite en utilisant les formules de la theorie des perturbations; en substance, cette methode consiste a developper l'equation differentielle relative au flux adjoint en fonction continue de la position et de la

The impact of fuel temperature reactivity coefficient on loss of reactivity control accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, J. H.; Ryu, E. H.; Song, Y. M.; Jung, J. Y.

2012-01-01

Nuclear reactors experience small power fluctuations or anticipated operational transients during even normal power operation. During normal operation, the reactivity is mainly controlled by liquid zone controllers, adjuster rods, mechanical control absorbers, and moderator poison. Even when the reactor power is increased abruptly and largely from an accident and when reactor control systems cannot be actuated quickly due to a fast transient, the reactor should be controlled and stabilized by its inherent safety parameter, such as a negative PCR (Power Coefficient of Reactivity) feedback. A PWR (Pressurized Water Reactor), it is well designed for the reactor to have a negative PCR so that the reactor can be safely shut down or stabilized whenever an abrupt reactivity insertion into the reactor core occurs or the reactor power is abruptly increased. However, it is known that a CANDU reactor has a small amount of PCR, as either negative or positive, because of the different design basis and safety concepts from a PWR. CNSC's regulatory and safety regime has stated that; The PCR of CANDU reactors does not pose a significant risk. Consistent with Canadian nuclear safety requirements, nuclear power plants must have an appropriate combination of inherent and engineered safety features incorporated into the design of the reactor safety and control systems. A reactor design that has a PCR is quite acceptable provided that the reactor is stable against power fluctuations, and that the probability and consequences of any potential accidents that would be aggravated by a positive reactivity feedback are maintained within CNSCprescribed limits. Recently, it was issued licensing the refurbished Wolsong unit 1 in Korea to be operated continuously after its design lifetime in which the calculated PCR was shown to have a small positive value by applying the recent physics code systems, which are composed of WIMS IST, DRAGON IST, and RFSP IST. These code systems were transferred

Partial discharges in spheroidal voids: Void orientation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

McAllister, Iain Wilson

1997-01-01

Partial discharge transients can be described in terms of the charge induced on the detecting electrode. The influence of the void parameters upon the induced charge is examined and discussed for spheroidal voids. It is shown that a quantitative interpretation of the induced charge requires...

Displacive stability of a void in a void lattice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brailsford, A.D.

1977-01-01

It has recently been suggested that the stability of the void-lattice structure in irradiated metals may be attributed to the effect of the overlapping of the point-defect diffusion fields associated with each void. It is shown here, however, that the effect is much too weak. When one void is displaced from its lattice site, the displacement is shown to relax to zero as proposed, but a conservative estimate indicates that the characteristic time is equivalent to an irradiation dose of the order of 300 displacements per atom which is generally much greater than the dose necessary for void-lattice formation

Critical velocities for deflagration and detonation triggered by voids in a REBO high explosive

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Herring, Stuart Davis [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Germann, Timothy C [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Jensen, Niels G [Los Alamos National Laboratory

2010-01-01

The effects of circular voids on the shock sensitivity of a two-dimensional model high explosive crystal are considered. We simulate a piston impact using molecular dynamics simulations with a Reactive Empirical Bond Order (REBO) model potential for a sub-micron, sub-ns exothermic reaction in a diatomic molecular solid. The probability of initiating chemical reactions is found to rise more suddenly with increasing piston velocity for larger voids that collapse more deterministically. A void with radius as small as 10 nm reduces the minimum initiating velocity by a factor of 4. The transition at larger velocities to detonation is studied in a micron-long sample with a single void (and its periodic images). The reaction yield during the shock traversal increases rapidly with velocity, then becomes a prompt, reliable detonation. A void of radius 2.5 nm reduces the critical velocity by 10% from the perfect crystal. A Pop plot of the time-to-detonation at higher velocities shows a characteristic pressure dependence.

Void reactivity feedback analysis for U-based and Th-based LWR incineration cycles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lindley, B.A.; Parks, G.T. [Cambridge University Engineering Department, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, CB2 1PZ (United Kingdom); Franceschini, F. [Westinghouse Electric Company LLC, Cranberry Township, PA (United States)

2013-07-01

In reduced-moderation LWRs, an external supply of transuranic (TRU) can be incinerated by mixing it with a fertile isotope ({sup 238}U or {sup 232}Th) and recycling all the actinides after each cycle. Performance is limited by coolant reactivity feedback - the moderator density coefficient (MDC) must be kept negative. The MDC is worse when more TRU is loaded, but TRU feed is also needed to maintain criticality. To assess the performance of this fuel cycle in different neutron spectra, three LWRs are considered: 'reference' PWRs and reduced-moderation PWRs and BWRs. The MDC of the equilibrium cycle is analysed by reactivity decomposition with perturbed coolant density by isotope and neutron energy. The results show that using {sup 232}Th as a fertile isotope yields superior performance to {sup 238}U. This is due essentially to the high resonance η of U bred from Th (U3), which increases the fissility of the U3-TRU isotope vector in the Th-fueled system relative to the U-fueled system, and also improves the MDC in a sufficiently hard spectrum. Spatial separation of TRU and U3 in the Th-fueled system renders further improvement by hardening the neutron spectrum in the TRU and softening it in the U3. This improves the TRU η and increases the negative MDC contribution from reduced thermal fission in U3. (authors)

The substitution technique applied for determining the parameters of a reactor with void

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zdravkovic, Z.; Ivkovic, M.; Sotic, O.

1965-12-01

The material buckling of D 2 O-enriched uranium (2% U 235 ) system with voided fuel assembly has been determined by means of the substitution technique. The experiments were carried out in the zero power reactor RB for various lattice pitches, namely: 11.3 cm, 14 cm, and 16 cm. As a reference core the D 2 O-enriched uranium (2%U 235 ) ) system without voids has been used. The results have been analysed by the modified one-group perturbation theory using three regions in a substituted reactor (test, intermediate and reference). The perturbations in axial and radial directions due to voided fuel assembly, are also considered. In order to determine the change between diffusion coefficients in various regions (δD), additional experiments with single test fuel element were made. The lattice pitches of reference and test regions were the same. According to the algorithms given in appendices, the programmes for the ZUSE Z-23 digital computer were made. These programmes include evaluations of the change between diffusion coefficients (δD), and the axial buckling of the test lattice (author)

One-Group Perturbation Theory Applied to Measurements with Void

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Persson, Rolf

1966-09-15

Formulas suitable for evaluating progressive as well as single rod substitution measurements are derived by means of one-group perturbation theory. The diffusion coefficient may depend on direction and position. By using the buckling concept one can derive expressions which are quite simple and the perturbed flux can be taken into account in a comparatively simple way. By using an unconventional definition of cells a transition region is introduced quite logically. Experiments with voids around metal rods, diam. 3.05 cm, have been analysed. The agreement between extrapolated and directly measured buckling values is excellent, the buckling difference between lattices with water-filled and voided shrouds being 0. 263 {+-} 0.015/m{sup 2} and 0.267 {+-} 0.005/m{sup 2} resp. From single-rod experiments differences between diffusion coefficients are determined to {delta}D{sub r}/D = 0.083 {+-} 0.004 and {delta}D{sub z}/D = 0.120 {+-} 0.018. With air-filled shrouds there is consequently anisotropy in the neutron diffusion and we have (D{sub z}/D{sub r}){sub air} = 1.034 {+-} 0.020.

One-Group Perturbation Theory Applied to Measurements with Void

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Persson, Rolf

1966-09-01

Formulas suitable for evaluating progressive as well as single rod substitution measurements are derived by means of one-group perturbation theory. The diffusion coefficient may depend on direction and position. By using the buckling concept one can derive expressions which are quite simple and the perturbed flux can be taken into account in a comparatively simple way. By using an unconventional definition of cells a transition region is introduced quite logically. Experiments with voids around metal rods, diam. 3.05 cm, have been analysed. The agreement between extrapolated and directly measured buckling values is excellent, the buckling difference between lattices with water-filled and voided shrouds being 0. 263 ± 0.015/m 2 and 0.267 ± 0.005/m 2 resp. From single-rod experiments differences between diffusion coefficients are determined to δD r /D = 0.083 ± 0.004 and δD z /D = 0.120 ± 0.018. With air-filled shrouds there is consequently anisotropy in the neutron diffusion and we have (D z /D r ) air = 1.034 ± 0.020

Sensitivity and Uncertainty Analysis for coolant void reactivity in a CANDU Fuel Lattice Cell Model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoo, Seung Yeol; Shim, Hyung Jin [Seoul National University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2016-10-15

In this study, the EPBM is implemented in Seoul National university Monte Carlo (MC) code, McCARD which has the k uncertainty evaluation capability by the adjoint-weighted perturbation (AWP) method. The implementation is verified by comparing the sensitivities of the k-eigenvalue difference to the microscopic cross sections computed by the DPBM and the direct subtractions for the TMI-1 pin-cell problem. The uncertainty of the coolant void reactivity (CVR) in a CANDU fuel lattice model due to the ENDF/B-VII.1 covariance data is calculated by its sensitivities estimated by the EPBM. The method based on the eigenvalue perturbation theory (EPBM) utilizes the 1st order adjoint-weighted perturbation (AWP) technique to estimate the sensitivity of the eigenvalue difference. Furthermore this method can be easily applied in a S/U analysis code system equipped with the eigenvalue sensitivity calculation capability. The EPBM is implemented in McCARD code and verified by showing good agreement with reference solution. Then the McCARD S/U analysis have been performed with the EPBM module for the CVR in CANDU fuel lattice problem. It shows that the uncertainty contributions of nu of {sup 235}U and gamma reaction of {sup 238}U are dominant.

Analysis of Moderator Temperature Reactivity Coefficient of the PWR Core Using WIMS-ANL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tukiran; Rokhmadi

2007-01-01

The Moderator Temperature Reactivity Coefficient (MTRC) is an important parameter in design, control and safety, particularly in PWR reactor. It is then very important to validate any new processed library for an accurate prediction of this parameter. The objective of this work is to validate the newly WIMS library based on ENDF/B-VI nuclear data files, especially for the prediction of the MTRC parameter. For this purpose, it is used a set of light water moderated lattice experiments as the NORA experiment and R1-100H critical reactors, both of reactors using UO 2 fuel pellet. Analysis is used with WIMSD/4 lattice code with original cross section libraries and WIMS-ANL with ENDF/B-VI cross section libraries. The results showed that the moderator temperatures reactivity coefficients for the NORA reactor using original libraries is - 5.039E-04 %Δk/k/℃ but for ENDF/B-VI libraries is - 2.925E-03 %Δk/k/℃. Compared to the designed value of the reactor core, the difference is in the range of 1.8 - 3.8 % for ENDF/B-IV libraries. It can be concluded that for reactor safety and control analysis, it has to be used ENDF/B- VI libraries because the original libraries is not accurate any more. (author)

Experimental determination of the total isothermal reactivity feedback coefficient for the University of Arizona TRIGA research reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spriggs, Gregory D.; Nelson, George W.

1976-01-01

An experiment was performed to measure the total isothermal (or bath) feedback coefficient of reactivity for the University of Arizona TRIGA Research Reactor (UARR). It was found that the bath coefficient was temperature-dependent and may be represented by the expression α iso .2634 x 10 -2 + .3428 x 10 -3 T - 2.471 x 10 -5 T 2 + 3.476 x 10 -7 T 3 for the temperature range of 7 C to 43 C. (author)

Determination of the void nucleation rate from void size distributions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brailsford, A.D.

1977-01-01

A method of estimating the void nucleation rate from one void size distribution and from observation of the maximum void radius at prior times is proposed. Implicit in the method are the assumptions that both variations in the critical radius with dose and vacancy thermal emission processes during post-nucleation quasi-steady-state growth may be neglected. (Auth.)

Cosmic void clumps

Science.gov (United States)

Lares, M.; Luparello, H. E.; Garcia Lambas, D.; Ruiz, A. N.; Ceccarelli, L.; Paz, D.

2017-10-01

Cosmic voids are of great interest given their relation to the large scale distribution of mass and the way they trace cosmic flows shaping the cosmic web. Here we show that the distribution of voids has, in consonance with the distribution of mass, a characteristic scale at which void pairs are preferentially located. We identify clumps of voids with similar environments and use them to define second order underdensities. Also, we characterize its properties and analyze its impact on the cosmic microwave background.

Investigation of the Buckling-Reactivity Conversion Coefficient using SRAC and MVP codes for UO2 Lattices in TCA experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Le Dai Dien

2008-01-01

Benchmark experiments for International Reactor Physics Benchmark Experiments (IRPhE) Project carried out at TCA, the temperature effects on reactivity were studied for light water moderated and reflected UO 2 cores with/without soluble poisons. The buckling coefficient method using the measured critical water levels was proposed by Suzaki et al. The temperature dependence of buckling coefficient of reactivity and its variance by the core configurations of the benchmark experiments was investigated using SRAC and MVP calculations. From the calculations by SRAC as well as by MVP it is seen that the K-value can be taken as an average value only for each core with temperature changes which are considered as perturbation parameter. The difference between our calculations and benchmark results which uses constant K-value for all cores proves that the results depend on K-value and it play important role in defining reactivity effect using the water level worth method. (author)

On void nucleation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Subbotin, A.V.

1978-01-01

Nucleation of viable voids in irradiated materials is considered. The mechanism of evaporation and absorption of interstitials and vacancies disregarding the possibility of void merging is laid down into the basis of the discussion. The effect of irradiated material structure on void nucleation is separated from the effect of the properties of supersaturated solutions of vacancies and interstitials. An analytical expression for the nucleation rate is obtained and analyzed in different cases. The interstitials are concluded to effect severely the nucleation rate of viable voids

Dynamics of a BWR with inclusion of boiling nonlinearity, clad temperature and void-dependent core power removal: Stability and bifurcation characteristics of advanced heavy water reactor (AHWR)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Verma, Dinkar, E-mail: dinkar@iitk.ac.in [Nuclear Engineering and Technology Program, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur 208 016 (India); Kalra, Manjeet Singh, E-mail: drmanjeet.singh@dituniversity.edu.in [DIT University, Dehradun 248 009 (India); Wahi, Pankaj, E-mail: wahi@iitk.ac.in [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur 208 016 (India)

2016-11-15

Highlights: • Simplified models with inclusion of the clad temperature are considered. • Boiling nonlinearity and core power removal have been modeled. • Method of multiple time scales has been used for nonlinear analysis to get the nature and amplitude of oscillations. • Incorporation of modeling complexities enhances the stability of system. • We find that reactors with higher nominal power are more desirable from the point of view of global stability. - Abstract: We study the effect of including boiling nonlinearity, clad temperature and void-dependent power removal from the primary loop in the mathematical modeling of a boiling water reactor (BWR) on its dynamic characteristics. The advanced heavy water reactor (AHWR) is taken as a case study. Towards this end, we have analyzed two different simplified models with different handling of the clad temperature. Each of these models has the necessary modifications pertaining to boiling nonlinearity and power removal from the primary loop. These simplified models incorporate the neutronics and thermal–hydraulic coupling. The effect of successive changes in the modeling assumptions on the linear stability of the reactor has been studied and we find that incorporation of each of these complexities in the model increases the stable operating region of the reactor. Further, the method of multiple time scales (MMTS) is exploited to carry out the nonlinear analysis with a view to predict the bifurcation characteristics of the reactor. Both subcritical and supercritical Hopf bifurcations are present in each model depending on the choice of operating parameters. These analytical observations from MMTS have been verified against numerical simulations. A parametric study on the effect of changing the nominal reactor power on the regions in the parametric space of void coefficient of reactivity and fuel temperature coefficient of reactivity with sub- and super-critical Hopf bifurcations has been performed for all

Extrapolation of ZPR sodium void measurements to the power reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beck, C.L.; Collins, P.J.; Lineberry, M.J.; Grasseschi, G.L.

1976-01-01

Sodium-voiding measurements of ZPPR assemblies 2 and 5 are analyzed with ENDF/B Version IV data. Computations include directional diffusion coefficients to account for streaming effects resulting from the plate structure of the critical assembly. Bias factors for extrapolating critical assembly data to the CRBR design are derived from the results of this analysis

The substitution technique applied for determining the parameters of a reactor with void

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zdravkovic, Z; Ivkovic, M; Sotic, O [Institute of nuclear sciences Boris Kidric, Vinca, Beograd (Yugoslavia)

1965-12-15

The material buckling of D{sub 2}O-enriched uranium (2% U{sub 235}) system with voided fuel assembly has been determined by means of the substitution technique. The experiments were carried out in the zero power reactor RB for various lattice pitches, namely: 11.3 cm, 14 cm, and 16 cm. As a reference core the D{sub 2}O-enriched uranium (2%U{sub 235}) ) system without voids has been used. The results have been analysed by the modified one-group perturbation theory using three regions in a substituted reactor (test, intermediate and reference). The perturbations in axial and radial directions due to voided fuel assembly, are also considered. In order to determine the change between diffusion coefficients in various regions ({delta}D), additional experiments with single test fuel element were made. The lattice pitches of reference and test regions were the same. According to the algorithms given in appendices, the programmes for the ZUSE Z-23 digital computer were made. These programmes include evaluations of the change between diffusion coefficients ({delta}D), and the axial buckling of the test lattice (author)

Effects of void anisotropy on the ignition and growth rates of energetic materials

Science.gov (United States)

Rai, Nirmal Kumar; Sen, Oishik; Udaykumar, H. S.

2017-06-01

Initiation of heterogeneous energetic materials is thought to occur at hot spots; reaction fronts propagate from sites of such hot spots into the surrounding material resulting in complete consumption of the material. Heterogeneous materials, such as plastic bonded explosives (PBXs) and pressed materials contain numerous voids, defects and interfaces at which hot spots can occur. Amongst the various mechanisms of hot spot formation, void collapse is considered to be the predominant one in the high strain rate loading conditions. It is established in the past the shape of the voids has a significant effect on the initiation behavior of energetic materials. In particular, void aspect ratio and orientations play an important role in this regard. This work aims to quantify the effects of void aspect ratio and orientation on the ignition and growth rates of chemical reaction from the hot spot. A wide range of aspect ratio and orientations is considered to establish a correlation between the ignition and growth rates and the void morphology. The ignition and growth rates are obtained from high fidelity reactive meso-scale simulations. The energetic material considered in this work is HMX and Tarver McGuire HMX decomposition model is considered to capture the reaction mechanism of HMX. The meso-scale simulations are performed using a Cartesian grid based Eulerian solver SCIMITAR3D. The void morphology is shown to have a significant effect on the ignition and growth rates of HMX.

Prediction of void fraction in subcooled flow boiling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petelin, S.; Koncar, B.

1998-01-01

The information on heat transfer and especially on the void fraction in the reactor core under subcooled conditions is very important for the water-cooled nuclear reactors, because of its influence upon the reactivity of the systems. This paper gives a short overview of subcooled boiling phenomenon and indicates the simplifications made by the RELAP5 model of subcooled boiling. RELAP5/MOD3.2 calculations were compared with simple one-dimensional models and with high-pressure Bartolomey experiments.(author)

On the abundance of extreme voids II: a survey of void mass functions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chongchitnan, Siri; Hunt, Matthew

2017-01-01

The abundance of cosmic voids can be described by an analogue of halo mass functions for galaxy clusters. In this work, we explore a number of void mass functions: from those based on excursion-set theory to new mass functions obtained by modifying halo mass functions. We show how different void mass functions vary in their predictions for the largest void expected in an observational volume, and compare those predictions to observational data. Our extreme-value formalism is shown to be a new practical tool for testing void theories against simulation and observation.

Neutronic characterization of cylindrical core of minor excess reactivity in the nuclear reactor IPEN/MB-01 from the measure of neutron flux distribution and its reactivity ratio

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bitelli, Ulysses d' Utra; Aredes, Vitor O.G.; Mura, Luiz E.C.; Santos, Diogo F. dos; Silva, Alexandre P. da, E-mail: ubitelli@ipen.br, E-mail: vitoraredes@ipen.br [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)

2013-07-01

When compared to a rectangular parallelepiped configuration the cylindrical configuration of a nuclear reactor core has a better neutron economy because in this configuration the probability of the neutron leakage is smaller, causing an increase in overall reactivity in the system to the same amount of fuel used. In this work we obtained a critical cylindrical configuration with the control rods 89.50% withdraw from the active region of the IPEN/MB-01 core. This is the cylindrical configuration minimum possible excess of reactivity. Thus we obtained a cylindrical configuration with a diameter of only 28 fuel rods with lowest possible excess of reactivity. For this purpose, 112 peripheral fuel rods are removed from standard reactor core (rectangular parallelepiped of 28x28 fuel rods). In this configuration the excesses of reactivity is approximated 279 pcm. From there, we characterize the neutron field by measuring the spatial distribution of the thermal and epithermal neutron flux for the reactor operating power of 83 watts measured by neutron noise analysis technique and 92.08± 0.07 watts measured by activation technique [10]. The values of thermal and epithermal neutron flux in different directions, axial, radial north-south and radial east-west, are obtained in the asymptotic region of the reactor core, away from the disturbances caused by the reflector and control bar, by irradiating thin gold foils infinitely diluted (1% Au - 99% Al) with and without (bare) cadmium cover. In addition to the distribution of neutron flux, the moderator temperature coefficient, the void coefficient, calibration of the control rods were measured. (author)

Void hierarchy and cosmic structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weygaert, Rien van de; Ravi Sheth

2004-01-01

Within the context of hierarchical scenarios of gravitational structure formation we describe how an evolving hierarchy of voids evolves on the basis of two processes, the void-in-void process and the void-in-cloud process. The related analytical formulation in terms of a two-barrier excursion problem leads to a self-similarly evolving peaked void size distribution

Doppler reactivity uncertainties and their effect upon a hypothetical LOF accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malloy, D.J.

1976-01-01

The statistical uncertainties and the major methodological errors which contribute to the Doppler feedback uncertainty were reviewed and investigated. Improved estimates for the magnitudes of each type of uncertainty were established. The generally applied reactivity feedback methodology has been extended by explicitly treating the coupling effect which exists between the various feedback components. The improved methodology was specifically applied to the coupling of Doppler and sodium void reactivities. In addition, the description of the temperature dependence of the Doppler feedback has been improved by the use of a two-constant formula on a global and regional basis. Feedback and coupling coefficients are presented as a first comparison of the improved and the currently applied methods. Further, the energy release which results from hypothetical disassembly accidents was simulated with a special response surface in the parametric safety evaluation code PARSEC. The impact of the improved feedback methodology and of Doppler coefficient uncertainties was illustrated by the usual parametric relationship between available work-energy and the Doppler coefficient. The work-energy was calculated with the VENUS-II disassembly code and was represented as a response surface in PARSEC. Additionally, the probability distribution for available work-energy, which results from the statistical uncertainty of the Doppler coefficient, was calculated for the current and the improved feedback methodology. The improved feedback description yielded about a 16 percent higher average value for the work-energy. A substantially larger increase is found on the high-yield end of the spectrum: the probability for work-energy above 500 MJ was increased by about a factor of ten

Pediatric Voiding Cystourethrogram

Science.gov (United States)

Scan for mobile link. Children's (Pediatric) Voiding Cystourethrogram A children’s (pediatric) voiding cystourethrogram uses fluoroscopy – a form of real-time x-ray – to examine a child’s bladder ...

Tradeoff of sodium void worth and burnup reactivity swing: Impacts on balance safety position in metallic-fueled cores

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wigeland, R.A.; Turski, R.B.; Pizzica, P.A.

1994-01-01

A study has been conducted to investigate the effect of a lower sodium void worth on the consequences of severe accidents in metallic-fueled sodium-cooled reactors. Four 900 MWth designs were used for the study, where all of the reactor cores were designed based on the metallic fuel of the Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) concept. The four core designs each have different sodium void worth, in the range of -3$ to 5$. The purpose of the investigation was to determine the differences in severe accident response for the four core designs, in order to estimate the improvement in overall safety that could be achieved from a reduction in the sodium void worth for reactor cores which use a metallic fuel form

Fuel assembly

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurihara, Kunitoshi; Azekura, Kazuo.

1992-01-01

In a reactor core of a heavy water moderated light water cooled pressure tube type reactor, no sufficient effects have been obtained for the transfer width to a negative side of void reactivity change in a region of a great void coefficient. Then, a moderation region divided into upper and lower two regions is disposed at the central portion of a fuel assembly. Coolants flown into the lower region can be discharged to the cooling region from an opening disposed at the upper end portion of the lower region. Light water flows from the lower region of the moderator region to the cooling region of the reactor core upper portion, to lower the void coefficient. As a result, the reactivity performance at low void coefficient, i.e., a void reaction rate is transferred to the negative side. Thus, this flattens the power distribution in the fuel assembly, increases the thermal margin and enables rapid operaiton and control of the reactor core, as well as contributes to the increase of fuel burnup ratio and reduction of the fuel cycle cost. (N.H.)

Study of reactivity feedbacks in a sodium-cooled fast reactor: new methodology based on perturbation theory for evaluating neutronic uncertainties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bouret, Cyrille

2014-01-01

Fast reactors (FR) can give value to the plutonium produced by the existing light water reactors and allow the transmutation of a significant part of the final nuclear waste. These features offer industrial prospects for this technology and new projects are currently studied in the world such as ASTRID prototype in France. Future FRs will have also to satisfy new requirements in terms of competitiveness, safety and reliability. In this context, the new core concept envisaged for ASTRID incorporate innovative features that improve the safety of the reactor in case of accident. The proposed design achieves a sodium voiding effect close to zero: it includes a fertile plate in the middle of the core and a sodium plenum in the upper part in order to increase the neutron leakage in case of sodium voiding. This heterogeneous design represents a challenge for the calculation tools and methods used so far to evaluate the neutronic parameters in traditional homogeneous cores. These methods have been improved over the thesis to rigorously treat the neutron streaming, especially at the mediums interfaces. These enhancements have consisted in the development of a specific analysis methodology based on perturbation theory and using a modern three dimensional Sn transport solver. This work has allowed on the one hand, to reduce the bias on static neutronic parameters in comparison with Monte Carlo methods, and, on the other hand, to obtain more accurate spatial distributions of neutronic effects including the reactivity feedback coefficients used for transient analysis. The analysis of the core behavior during transients has also allowed estimating the impact of reactivity feedback coefficients assessment improvements. In conjunction with this work, innovative methods based on the evaluation of local sensitivities coefficients have been proposed to assess the uncertainties associated to local reactivity effects. These uncertainties include the correlations between the different

The sink strengths of voids and the expected swelling for both random and ordered void distributions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Quigley, T.M.; Murphy, S.M.; Bullough, R.; Wood, M.H.

1981-10-01

The sink strength of a void has been obtained when the void is a member of a random or ordered distribution of voids. The former sink strength derivation has employed the embedding model and the latter the cellular model. In each case the spatially varying size-effect interaction between the intrinsic point defects and the voids has been included together with the presence of other sink types in addition to the voids. The results are compared with previously published sink strengths that have made use of an approximate representation for the size-effect interactions, and indicate the importance of using the exact form of the interaction. In particular the bias for interstitials compared with vacancies of small voids is now much reduced and contamination of the surfaces of such voids no longer appears essential to facilitate the nucleation and growth of the voids. These new sink strengths have been used, in conjunction with recently published dislocation sink strengths, to calculate the expected swelling of materials containing network dislocations and voids. Results are presented for both the random and the void lattice situations. (author)

Prediction of the Sodium Void Reactivity in the Metal-fueled SFR Using the ENDF/B-VII.0 Library

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yun, Sunghwan; Lim, Jae-Yong [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-10-15

The SVR (Sodium Void Reactivity) is one of the most important parameters in SFR (Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor) safety analysis. In this paper, to estimate the error of the SVR in metal-fueled SFR, three physics experiments named as BFS-75-1, BFS-109-2A, and BFS-84-1 were examined using recent cross-section library, ENDF/B-VII.0 and the MCNP code. In the MCNP6 calculation, two million histories/generation with 50 inactive/300 active generations are used with the continuous-energy ENDF/B-VII.0 library. We expect that accuracy of total cross-section of the sodium may play a dominant role in errors of SVRs at core peripheral and sodium plenum regions, whereas accuracy of capture cross-section of the sodium may play a dominant role for the results in errors of SVRs at core central region. In addition, capture cross-sections of the sodium in the ENDF/B-VII.0, the JEFF-3.2, and the JENDL-4.0 libraries show significant differences between each other, while total cross-sections of sodium in three libraries show good agreement.

Size-Effects in Void Growth

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Niordson, Christian Frithiof

2005-01-01

The size-effect on ductile void growth in metals is investigated. The analysis is based on unit cell models both of arrays of cylindrical voids under plane strain deformation, as well as arrays of spherical voids using an axisymmetric model. A recent finite strain generalization of two higher order...... strain gradient plasticity models is implemented in a finite element program, which is used to study void growth numerically. The results based on the two models are compared. It is shown how gradient effects suppress void growth on the micron scale when compared to predictions based on conventional...... models. This increased resistance to void growth, due to gradient hardening, is accompanied by an increase in the overall strength for the material. Furthermore, for increasing initial void volume fraction, it is shown that the effect of gradients becomes more important to the overall response but less...

Calculational benchmark comparisons for a low sodium void worth actinide burner core design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hill, R.N.; Kawashima, M.; Arie, K.; Suzuki, M.

1992-01-01

Recently, a number of low void worth core designs with non-conventional core geometries have been proposed. Since these designs lack a good experimental and computational database, benchmark calculations are useful for the identification of possible biases in performance characteristics predictions. In this paper, a simplified benchmark model of a metal fueled, low void worth actinide burner design is detailed; and two independent neutronic performance evaluations are compared. Calculated performance characteristics are evaluated for three spatially uniform compositions (fresh uranium/plutonium, batch-averaged uranium/transuranic, and batch-averaged uranium/transuranic with fission products) and a regional depleted distribution obtained from a benchmark depletion calculation. For each core composition, the flooded and voided multiplication factor, power peaking factor, sodium void worth (and its components), flooded Doppler coefficient and control rod worth predictions are compared. In addition, the burnup swing, average discharge burnup, peak linear power, and fresh fuel enrichment are calculated for the depletion case. In general, remarkably good agreement is observed between the evaluations. The most significant difference is predicted performance characteristics is a 0.3--0.5% Δk/(kk) bias in the sodium void worth. Significant differences in the transmutation rate of higher actinides are also observed; however, these differences do not cause discrepancies in the performing predictions

Air void structure and frost resistance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hasholt, Marianne Tange

2014-01-01

). This observation is interesting as the parameter of total surface area of air voids normally is not included in air void analysis. The following reason for the finding is suggested: In the air voids conditions are favourable for ice nucleation. When a capillary pore is connected to an air void, ice formation...... on that capillary pores are connected to air voids. The chance that a capillary pore is connected to an air void depends on the total surface area of air voids in the system, not the spacing factor.......This article compiles results from 4 independent laboratory studies. In each study, the same type of concrete is tested at least 10 times, the air void structure being the only variable. For each concrete mix both air void analysis of the hardened concrete and a salt frost scaling test...

Measurements of the fuel temperature coefficient of reactivity at Hinkley Point 'B': 1981

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

George, T.A.

1982-03-01

Measurements of the fuel temperature coefficient of reactivity made at Hinkley Point 'B' AGR in 1981 are described. These measurements follow earlier tests reported in e.g. RD/B/N4846 and are part of a series of measurements designed to support theoretical estimates of the change of fuel temperature coefficient as a function of core irradiation. Low and high power measurements were made at a mean core irradiation of 1170GWD. As previously, the measurements at both power levels show agreement with theoretical predictions to within the estimated experimental errors. Recent measurements (mean core irradiation >500GWD) show evidence of a small systematic difference between measured and theoretical values with the experimental values being approximately equal to 0.1mN/ 0 C more positive than the theoretical ones. The measured value of αsub(U) at high power was -0.64+-0.10mN/ 0 C and the low power value, corrected theoretically to normal operating conditions, was also -0.64+-0.10mN/ 0 C. (author)

Feasibility study on the thorium fueled boiling water breeder reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

PetrusTakaki, N.

2012-01-01

The feasibility of (Th,U)O 2 fueled, boiling water breeder reactor based on conventional BWR technology has been studied. In order to determine the potential use of water cooled thorium reactor as a competitive breeder, this study evaluated criticality, breeding and void reactivity coefficient in response to changes made in MFR and fissile enrichments. The result of the study shows that while using light water as moderator, low moderator to fuel volume ratio (MFR=0.5), it was possible to breed fissile fuel in negative void reactivity condition. However the burnup value was lower than the value of the current LWR. On the other hand, heavy water cooled reactor shows relatively wider feasible breeding region, which lead into possibility of designing a core having better neutronic and economic performance than light water with negative void reactivity coefficient. (authors)

CTF Void Drift Validation Study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Salko, Robert K. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Gosdin, Chris [Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States); Avramova, Maria N. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Gergar, Marcus [Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States)

2015-10-26

This milestone report is a summary of work performed in support of expansion of the validation and verification (V&V) matrix for the thermal-hydraulic subchannel code, CTF. The focus of this study is on validating the void drift modeling capabilities of CTF and verifying the supporting models that impact the void drift phenomenon. CTF uses a simple turbulent-diffusion approximation to model lateral cross-flow due to turbulent mixing and void drift. The void drift component of the model is based on the Lahey and Moody model. The models are a function of two-phase mass, momentum, and energy distribution in the system; therefore, it is necessary to correctly model the ow distribution in rod bundle geometry as a first step to correctly calculating the void distribution due to void drift.

Influence of silicon on void nucleation in irradiated alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Esmailzadeh, B.; Kumar, A.; Garner, F.A.

1984-01-01

The addition of silicon to pure nickel, Ni-Cr alloys and Fe-Ni-Cr alloys raises the diffusivity of each of the alloy components. The resultant increase in the effective vacancy diffusion coefficient causes large reductions in the nucleation rate of voids during irradiation. This extends the transient regime of swelling, which is controlled not only by the amount of silicon in solution but also by the precipitation kinetics of precipitates rich in nickel and silicon

Heat transfer coefficient between UO2 and Zircaloy-2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ross, A.M.; Stoute, R.L.

1962-06-01

This paper provides some experimental values of the heat-transfer coefficient between UO 2 and Zircaloy-2 surfaces in contact under conditions of interfacial pressure, temperature, surface roughness and interface atmosphere, that are relevant to UO 2 /Zircaloy-2 fuel elements operating in pressurized-water power reactors. Coefficients were obtained from eight UO 2 / Zircaloy-2 pairs in atmospheres of helium, argon, krypton or xenon, at atmosphere pressure and in vacuum. Interfacial pressures were varied from 50 to 550 kgf/cm 2 while surface roughness heights were in the range 0.2 x 10 -4 to 3.5 x 10 -4 cm. The effect on the coefficients of cycling the interfacial pressure, of interface gas pressure and of temperature were examined. The experimental values of the coefficients were used to test the predictions of expressions for the heat-transfer between two solids in contact. For the particular UO 2 / Zircaloy-2 pairs examined, numerical values were assigned to several parameters that related the surface roughnesses to either the radius of solid/solid contact spots or to the mean thickness of the interface voids and that accounted for the imperfect accommodation of the void gas on the test surfaces. (author)

Measurements of void fraction by an improved multi-channel conductance void meter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, Chul-Hwa; Chung, Moon Ki; No, Hee Cheon

1998-01-01

An improved multi-channel Conductance Void Meter (CVM) was developed to measure a void fraction. Its measuring principle is basically based upon the differences of electrical conductance of a two-phase mixture due to the variation of void fraction around a sensor. The sensor is designed to be flush-mounted to the inner wall of the test section to avoid the flow disturbances. The signal processor with three channels is specially designed so as to minimize the inherent error due to the phase difference between channels. It is emphasized that the guard electrodes are electrically shielded in order not to affect the measurements of two-phase mixture conductance, but to make the electric fields evenly distributed in a measuring volume. Void fraction is measured for bubbly and slug flow regimes in a vertical air-water loop, and statistical signal processing techniques are applied to show that CVM has a good dynamic resolution which is required to investigate the structural developments of bubbly flow and the propagation of void waves in a flow channel. (author)

Relation between the conditions of helium ion implantation and helium void equilibrium parameters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neklyudov, I.M.; Rybalko, V.F.; Ruzhitskij, V.V.; Tolstolutskaya, G.D.

1981-01-01

The conditions of helium thermodynamic equilibrium in a system of voids produced by helium ion bombardment of a metal sample are studied. As an initial equation for description of the equilibrium the Clapeyron equation was used. The equation is obtained relating basic parameters of helium voids (average diameter and density) to irradiation parameters (dose, ion energy (straggling)) and properties of the metal (surface tension coefficient, yield strength). Comparison of the calculations with experimental data on helium in nickel found in literature shows that the equation yields satisfactory resutls for the dose range 1.10 16 -1x10 17 cm -2 and temperatures T [ru

GAPER-1D, 1-D Multigroup 1. Order Perturbation Transport Theory for Reactivity Coefficient

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koch, P.K.

1976-01-01

1 - Description of problem or function: Reactivity coefficients are computed using first-order transport perturbation theory for one- dimensional multi-region reactor assemblies. The number of spatial mesh-points and energy groups is arbitrary. An elementary synthesis scheme is employed for treatment of two- and three-dimensional problems. The contributions to the change in inverse multiplication factor, delta(1/k), from perturbations in the individual capture, net fission, total scattering, (n,2n), inelastic scattering, and leakage cross sections are computed. A multi-dimensional prompt neutron lifetime calculation is also available. 2 - Method of solution: Broad group cross sections for the core and perturbing or sample materials are required as input. Scalar neutron fluxes and currents, as computed by SN transport calculations, are then utilized to solve the first-order transport perturbation theory equations. A synthesis scheme is used, along with independent SN calculations in two or three dimensions, to treat a multi- dimensional assembly. Spherical harmonics expansions of the angular fluxes and scattering source terms are used with leakage and anisotropic scattering treated in a P1 approximation. The angular integrations in the perturbation theory equations are performed analytically. Various reactivity coefficients and material worths are then easily computed at specified positions in the assembly. 3 - Restrictions on the complexity of the problem: The formulation of the synthesis scheme used for two- and three-dimensional problems assumes that the fluxes and currents were computed by the DTF4 code (NESC Abstract 209). Therefore, fluxes and currents from two- or three-dimensional transport or diffusion theory codes cannot be used

Development of a standard for calculation and measurement of the moderator temperature coefficient of reactivity in water-moderated power reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mosteller, R.D.; Hall, R.A.; Lancaster, D.B.; Young, E.H.; Gavin, P.H.; Robertson, S.T.

1998-01-01

The contents of ANS 19.11, the standard for ''Calculation and Measurement of the Moderator Temperature Coefficient of Reactivity in Water-Moderated Power Reactors,'' are described. The standard addresses the calculation of the moderator temperature coefficient (MTC) both at standby conditions and at power. In addition, it describes several methods for the measurement of the at-power MTC and assesses their relative advantages and disadvantages. Finally, it specifies a minimum set of documentation requirements for compliance with the standard

Design considerations for large heterogeneous liquid-metal fast breeder reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tzanos, C.P.; Barthold, W.P.

1977-01-01

A systematic method for designing heterogeneous configurations having a near-zero value of sodium void reactivity is presented. It is based on the following principles: (a) the thickness of the internal blanket zones should be such that the reactivity change resulting from voiding any core zone is practically independent of any further increase in the thickness of these zones, and (b) the sodium void reactivity of each core zone must have a near-zero value. Neutronic coupling among the core zones of heterogeneous configurations decreases as the thickness of the internal blanket zones increases. To quantify coupling, Avery's coupling coefficients are used. Reduced coupling among the core zones of a heterogeneous design, compared to a homogeneous design, results in (a) increased sensitivity of the power distribution to enrichment distribution perturbations, (b) reduced reactivity worth of local perturbations, and (c) higher cladding temperatures during operational transients initiated by local perturbations. Heterogeneous designs compared to equivalent homogeneous designs have (a) lower core Doppler coefficient values, (b) larger fuel compaction reactivities, and (c) higher maximum cladding temperatures

Cosmology with void-galaxy correlations.

Science.gov (United States)

Hamaus, Nico; Wandelt, Benjamin D; Sutter, P M; Lavaux, Guilhem; Warren, Michael S

2014-01-31

Galaxy bias, the unknown relationship between the clustering of galaxies and the underlying dark matter density field is a major hurdle for cosmological inference from large-scale structure. While traditional analyses focus on the absolute clustering amplitude of high-density regions mapped out by galaxy surveys, we propose a relative measurement that compares those to the underdense regions, cosmic voids. On the basis of realistic mock catalogs we demonstrate that cross correlating galaxies and voids opens up the possibility to calibrate galaxy bias and to define a static ruler thanks to the observable geometric nature of voids. We illustrate how the clustering of voids is related to mass compensation and show that volume-exclusion significantly reduces the degree of stochasticity in their spatial distribution. Extracting the spherically averaged distribution of galaxies inside voids from their cross correlations reveals a remarkable concordance with the mass-density profile of voids.

The dark matter of galaxy voids

Science.gov (United States)

Sutter, P. M.; Lavaux, Guilhem; Wandelt, Benjamin D.; Weinberg, David H.; Warren, Michael S.

2014-03-01

How do observed voids relate to the underlying dark matter distribution? To examine the spatial distribution of dark matter contained within voids identified in galaxy surveys, we apply Halo Occupation Distribution models representing sparsely and densely sampled galaxy surveys to a high-resolution N-body simulation. We compare these galaxy voids to voids found in the halo distribution, low-resolution dark matter and high-resolution dark matter. We find that voids at all scales in densely sampled surveys - and medium- to large-scale voids in sparse surveys - trace the same underdensities as dark matter, but they are larger in radius by ˜20 per cent, they have somewhat shallower density profiles and they have centres offset by ˜ 0.4Rv rms. However, in void-to-void comparison we find that shape estimators are less robust to sampling, and the largest voids in sparsely sampled surveys suffer fragmentation at their edges. We find that voids in galaxy surveys always correspond to underdensities in the dark matter, though the centres may be offset. When this offset is taken into account, we recover almost identical radial density profiles between galaxies and dark matter. All mock catalogues used in this work are available at http://www.cosmicvoids.net.

Void consolidation during open-die forging for ultralarge rotor shafts. (1. Formulation of void-closing behavior)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ono, Shin-ichi; Minami, Katsuyuki; Ochiai, Tomoyuki; Iwadate, Tadao; Nakata, Shin-ichi.

1995-01-01

Open-die forging experiments using different die geometries under hot isothermal conditions and three-dimensional simulations using rigid-plastic finite-element method were performed to formulate a void-closing behavior using only two factors; the integral of hydrostatic stress and the equivalent strain. First, upsetting, side-upsetting and V-shape die cogging of several cylinders with a spherical void at the center are carried out and the information on the void volume reduction is obtained. Seconds, the same forgings, but without voids is treated numerically and the development of stress and strain at the location of voids is investigated. Then, by combining these results, and using regression analysis, it is found that the void volume reduction is expressed as a polynomial function of the two factors. When the polynomial function is used, various forging methods can be evaluated quantitatively in terms of void-closing behavior. Therefore it is beneficial to optimize the forging process for a large rotor shaft. (author)

Physics calculations for the Clinch River Breeder Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kalimullah; Kier, P.H.; Hummel, H.H.

1977-06-01

Calculations of distributions of power and sodium void reactivity, unvoided and voided Doppler coefficients and steel and fuel worths have been performed using diffusion theory and first-order perturbation theory for the LWR discharge Pu-fueled CRBR at BOL, the FFTF-grade Pu-fueled CRBR at BOL and for the beginning and end of equilibrium cycle of the LWR-Pu-fueled CRBR. The results of the burnup and breeding ratio calculations performed for obtaining the reactor compositions during the equilibrium cycle are also reported. Effects of sodium and steel contents on the distributions of sodium void reactivity and steel worth have also been studied. Errors and uncertainties in the reactivity coefficients due to cross-sections and the two-dimensional geometric representations of the reactor used in the calculations have also been estimated. Comparisons of the results with those in the CRBR PSAR are also discussed

Evaluation of reactivity and Xe behavior during daily load following operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakamoto, Yasunori; Araki, Tsuneyasu; Yamamoto, Fumiaki

1992-01-01

A boiling water reactor (BWR) has an excellent load following capability provided by a core flow control, which is used for changing a reactor power level and for compensating the subsequent Xe concentration change. The core characteristics during load following operations are investigated in detail, using our reactor core simulator. Comparisons of changes of the Doppler reactivity, the void reactivity and the Xe reactivity during transients are performed. Also the features of Xe transient during load following operations are shown. It has been shown that the core flow change required to compensate the Xe reactivity change produces much greater change of the void reactivity than that required for power level changes, and that the resulting local power change in the lower part of the core is greater than that in the upper part, because the Xe concentration change in the lower part is hardly compensated by the core flow control. Also the effects of power level changes, cycle patterns, and initial concentration of Xe and I on the Xe transient behavior have been investigated. (author)

A core design study for 'zero-sodium-void-worth' cores

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kawashima, Masatoshi; Suzuki, Masao; Hill, R.N.

1992-01-01

Recently, a number of low sodium-void-worth metal-fueled core design concepts have been proposed; to provide for flexibility in transuranic nuclide management strategy, core designs which exhibit a wide range of breeding characteristics have been developed. Two core concepts, a flat annular (transuranic burning) core and an absorber-type parfait (transuranic self-sufficient) core, are selected for this study. In this paper, the excess reactivity management schemes applied in the two designs are investigated in detail. In addition, the transient effect of reactivity insertions on the parfait core design is assessed. The upper and lower core regions in the parfait design are neutronically decoupled; however, the common coolant channel creates thermalhydraulic coupling. This combination of neutronic and thermalhydraulic characteristics leads to unique behavior in anticipated transient overpower events. (author)

Void Reactivity Effects in the Second Charge of the Halden Boiling Water Reactor; Effets Cavitaires dans la Deuxieme Charge du Reacteur a Eau Lourde Bouillante de Halden (HBWR); Ehffekty pustotnoj reaktivnosti vo vtoroj zag HBWR; Effectos de Cavitacion en la Segunda Carga del Reactor de Agua Pesada Hirviente de Halden (HBWR)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lunde, J. E. [OECD Halden Reactor Project (Norway)

1964-02-15

The reactivity effect of voids caused by boiling inside the coolant channels in the second fuel charge of the Halden Boiling Heavy Water Reactor has been measured both in void-simulated zero-power experiments and under actual power conditions. The void-simulated experiments consisted of measuring the reactivity effect of introducing void columns inside thin-walled tubes to various depths. The tubes were placed at different positions between die stringers in a single 7-rod cluster element practically identical with the normal second-charge fuel elements. This experiment enables an investigation of the reactivity dependence upon void fraction, and also the reactivity dependence of steam-bubble position in the coolant channel. The experiment was carried out in the Norwegian zero-power facility NORA, with a core consisting of 36 second-charge elements and with a lattice geometry identical to the one in HBWR. The temperature dependence of the void effect was investigated in a zero-power experiment with the 100 fuel-element core of HBWR. In a single fuel element the water level inside the coolant channel was depressed to various depths, and the reactivity effect of this perturbation was measured at different temperatures in the temperature interval 50 Degree-Sign C-220 Degree-Sign C. The power void reactivity has been measured in HBWR as a function of nuclear power at different moderator temperatures between 150 Degree-Sign C and 230 Degree-Sign C at powers up to about 16 MW at the highest temperature. The power-void reactivity coefficient is an important quantity in determining the dynamic behaviour of a boiling- water reactor. The theoretical determination of this quantity is, however, complicated by the fact that knowledge about the void distribution in the core is required. The detailed power-void distribution is not easily amenable to experimental determination, and accordingly the void-simulated experiments represent a better case for testing the reactor physics

On cavitation instabilities with interacting voids

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tvergaard, Viggo

2012-01-01

voids so far apart that the radius of the plastic zone around each void is less than 1% of the current spacing between the voids, can still affect each others at the occurrence of a cavitation instability such that one void stops growing while the other grows in an unstable manner. On the other hand...

PRECISION COSMOGRAPHY WITH STACKED VOIDS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lavaux, Guilhem; Wandelt, Benjamin D.

2012-01-01

We present a purely geometrical method for probing the expansion history of the universe from the observation of the shape of stacked voids in spectroscopic redshift surveys. Our method is an Alcock-Paczyński (AP) test based on the average sphericity of voids posited on the local isotropy of the universe. It works by comparing the temporal extent of cosmic voids along the line of sight with their angular, spatial extent. We describe the algorithm that we use to detect and stack voids in redshift shells on the light cone and test it on mock light cones produced from N-body simulations. We establish a robust statistical model for estimating the average stretching of voids in redshift space and quantify the contamination by peculiar velocities. Finally, assuming that the void statistics that we derive from N-body simulations is preserved when considering galaxy surveys, we assess the capability of this approach to constrain dark energy parameters. We report this assessment in terms of the figure of merit (FoM) of the dark energy task force and in particular of the proposed Euclid mission which is particularly suited for this technique since it is a spectroscopic survey. The FoM due to stacked voids from the Euclid wide survey may double that of all other dark energy probes derived from Euclid data alone (combined with Planck priors). In particular, voids seem to outperform baryon acoustic oscillations by an order of magnitude. This result is consistent with simple estimates based on mode counting. The AP test based on stacked voids may be a significant addition to the portfolio of major dark energy probes and its potentialities must be studied in detail.

Statistics and geometry of cosmic voids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gaite, José

2009-01-01

We introduce new statistical methods for the study of cosmic voids, focusing on the statistics of largest size voids. We distinguish three different types of distributions of voids, namely, Poisson-like, lognormal-like and Pareto-like distributions. The last two distributions are connected with two types of fractal geometry of the matter distribution. Scaling voids with Pareto distribution appear in fractal distributions with box-counting dimension smaller than three (its maximum value), whereas the lognormal void distribution corresponds to multifractals with box-counting dimension equal to three. Moreover, voids of the former type persist in the continuum limit, namely, as the number density of observable objects grows, giving rise to lacunar fractals, whereas voids of the latter type disappear in the continuum limit, giving rise to non-lacunar (multi)fractals. We propose both lacunar and non-lacunar multifractal models of the cosmic web structure of the Universe. A non-lacunar multifractal model is supported by current galaxy surveys as well as cosmological N-body simulations. This model suggests, in particular, that small dark matter halos and, arguably, faint galaxies are present in cosmic voids

GPR identification of voids inside concrete based on the support vector machine algorithm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xie, Xiongyao; Li, Pan; Qin, Hui; Liu, Lanbo; Nobes, David C

2013-01-01

Voids inside reinforced concrete, which affect structural safety, are identified from ground penetrating radar (GPR) images using a completely automatic method based on the support vector machine (SVM) algorithm. The entire process can be characterized into four steps: (1) the original SVM model is built by training synthetic GPR data generated by finite difference time domain simulation and after data preprocessing, segmentation and feature extraction. (2) The classification accuracy of different kernel functions is compared with the cross-validation method and the penalty factor (c) of the SVM and the coefficient (σ2) of kernel functions are optimized by using the grid algorithm and the genetic algorithm. (3) To test the success of classification, this model is then verified and validated by applying it to another set of synthetic GPR data. The result shows a high success rate for classification. (4) This original classifier model is finally applied to a set of real GPR data to identify and classify voids. The result is less than ideal when compared with its application to synthetic data before the original model is improved. In general, this study shows that the SVM exhibits promising performance in the GPR identification of voids inside reinforced concrete. Nevertheless, the recognition of shape and distribution of voids may need further improvement. (paper)

Analysis of the BFS-62 critical experiment. A report produced for BNFL (Joint European contribution)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Newton, T.D.; Hosking, J.G.; Smith, P.J.

2004-01-01

A benchmark analysis for a hybrid UOX/MOX fuelled core of the BN-600 reactor was proposed during the first Research Co-ordination Meeting of the IAEA Co-ordinated Research Project 'Updated Codes and Methods to Reduce Calculational Uncertainties of LMFR Reactivity Effects'. Phase 5 of the benchmark focuses on validation of calculated sodium void coefficient distributions and integral reactivity coefficients by comparison with experimental measurements made in the critical facility BFS-62. The European. participation in Phase 5 of the benchmark analyses consists of a joint contribution from France (CEA Cadarache) and the UK (Serco Assurance Winfrith - sponsored by BNFL). Calculations have been performed using the ERANOS code and data system, which has been developed in the framework of the European collaboration on fast reactors. Results are presented in this paper for the sodium void reactivity effect based on calculated values of the absolute core reactivity. The spatial distribution of the void effect, determined using first order perturbation theory with the diffusion theory approximation, is also presented

The evolution of voids in the adhesion approximation

Science.gov (United States)

Sahni, Varun; Sathyaprakah, B. S.; Shandarin, Sergei F.

1994-08-01

We apply the adhesion approximation to study the formation and evolution of voids in the universe. Our simulations-carried out using 1283 particles in a cubical box with side 128 Mpc-indicate that the void spectrum evolves with time and that the mean void size in the standard Cosmic Background Explorer Satellite (COBE)-normalized cold dark matter (CDM) model with H50 = 1 scals approximately as bar D(z) = bar Dzero/(1+2)1/2, where bar Dzero approximately = 10.5 Mpc. Interestingly, we find a strong correlation between the sizes of voids and the value of the primordial gravitational potential at void centers. This observation could in principle, pave the way toward reconstructing the form of the primordial potential from a knowledge of the observed void spectrum. Studying the void spectrum at different cosmological epochs, for spectra with a built in k-space cutoff we find that the number of voids in a representative volume evolves with time. The mean number of voids first increases until a maximum value is reached (indicating that the formation of cellular structure is complete), and then begins to decrease as clumps and filaments erge leading to hierarchical clustering and the subsequent elimination of small voids. The cosmological epoch characterizing the completion of cellular structure occurs when the length scale going nonlinear approaches the mean distance between peaks of the gravitaional potential. A central result of this paper is that voids can be populated by substructure such as mini-sheets and filaments, which run through voids. The number of such mini-pancakes that pass through a given void can be measured by the genus characteristic of an individual void which is an indicator of the topology of a given void in intial (Lagrangian) space. Large voids have on an average a larger measure than smaller voids indicating more substructure within larger voids relative to smaller ones. We find that the topology of individual voids is strongly epoch dependent

Void nucleation at heterogeneities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seyyedi, S.A.; Hadji-Mirzai, M.; Russell, K.C.

The energetics and kinetics of void nucleation at dislocations and interfaces are analyzed. These are potential void nucleation sites only when they are not point defect sinks. Both kinds of site are found to be excellent catalysts in the presence of inert gas

An assessment of methods of calculating sodium voiding reactivity in plutonium fuelled fast reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Butland, A.T.D.; Simmons, W.N.; Stevenson, J.M.

1979-01-01

After a survey of the requirements an assessment of the accuracy of calculations of the sodium void effect using UK methods and data is made on the basis of the following work. First, the analysis of small and large sodium voids in the MOZART and Zebra 13 small (300 MW(E)) fast reactor mock-ups and the BIZET large fast reactor mock-ups, all of conventional design. The analysis was carried out using the UK FGL5 fine group nuclear data library, the MURAL cell code, whole reactor diffusion theory calculations of the neutron flux and perturbation theory methods. Exact perturbation theory was used in many cases, otherwise first order perturbation theory calculations were adjusted to give results equivalent to exact perturbation theory. Second, theoretical studies of some effects, including, the effects of extrapolating to fuel operating temperatures, fuel cycle and burn-up effects, and the heterogeneity effects of large fuelled subassemblies in pin geometry. Third, theoretical studies of approximations in the calculational methods including, the importance in the whole reactor calculation of the energy group structure and the spatial mesh, the importance of reactor material boundaries in the calculation of resonance shielding effects, and the use of neutron fluxes calculated using neutron diffusion theory rather than transport theory. (U.K.)

Influence of solutes on heavy ion induced void-swelling in binary copper alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leister, K.H.

1983-05-01

As radiation induced swelling of metals depends on their constitution, swelling of copper and copper alloys with low solute concentration is studied. Diffusion coefficients and solubility of solute in copper were used as criteria of selection of the alloys. The samples were irradiated by 200keV copper ions. Swelling and void densities were measured by transmission electron microscopy. The measurements show low dependence of swelling upon the diffusibility of the solute in the solvent and a strong dependence on their concentration. Alloys of 0.1at% solute show more swelling than pure copper, and alloys of 1at% show less swelling under the irradiation conditions. The different swelling behavior in Cu-Ni alloys is due to the different void densities. (orig.) [de

CT measurements of SAP voids in concrete

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Laustsen, Sara; Bentz, Dale P.; Hasholt, Marianne Tange

2010-01-01

X-ray computed tomography (CT) scanning is used to determine the SAP void distribution in hardened concrete. Three different approaches are used to analyse a binary data set created from CT measurement. One approach classifies a cluster of connected, empty voxels (volumetric pixel of a 3D image......) as one void, whereas the other two approaches are able to classify a cluster of connected, empty voxels as a number of individual voids. Superabsorbent polymers (SAP) have been used to incorporate air into concrete. An advantage of using SAP is that it enables control of the amount and size...... of the created air voids. The results indicate the presence of void clusters. To identify the individual voids, special computational approaches are needed. The addition of SAP results in a dominant peak in two of the three air void distributions. Based on the position (void diameter) of the peak, it is possible...

New proposal of moderator temperature coefficient estimation method using gray-box model in NPP, (1)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mori, Michitsugu; Kagami, Yuichi; Kanemoto, Shigeru; Enomoto, Mitsuhiro; Tamaoki, Tetsuo; Kawamura, Shinichiro

2004-01-01

The purpose of the present paper is to establish a new void reactivity coefficient (VRC) estimation method based on gray box modeling concept. The gray box model consists of a point kinetics model as the first principle model and a fitting model of moderator temperature kinetics. Applying Kalman filter and maximum likehood estimation algorithms to the gray box model, MTC can be estimated. The verification test is done by Monte Carlo simulation, and, it is shown that the present method gives the best estimation results comparing with the conventional methods from the viewpoints of non-biased and smallest scattering estimation performance. Furthermore, the method is verified via real plant data analysis. The reason of good performance of the present method is explained by proper definition of likelihood function based on explicit expression of observation and system noise in the gray box model. (author)

Study on Doppler coefficient for metallic fuel fast reactor added hydrogeneous moderator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hirakawa, Naohiro; Iwasaki, Tomohiko; Tsujimoto, Kazuhumi [Tohoku Univ., Sendai (Japan). Faculty of Engineering; Osugi, Toshitaka; Okajima, Shigeaki; Andoh, Masaki; Nemoto, Tatsuo; Mukaiyama, Takehiko

1998-01-01

A series of mock-up experiments for moderator added metallic fast reactor core was carried out at FCA to obtain the experimental verification for improvement of reactivity coefficients. Softened neutron spectrum increases Doppler effect by a factor of 2, and flatter adjoint neutron spectrum decreases Na void effect by a factor of 0.6 when hydrogen to heavy metal atomic number ratio is increased from 0.02 to 0.13. The experimental results are analyzed with SLALOM and CITATION-FBR, which is the standard design code system for a fast reactor at JAERI, and SRAC95 and CITATION-FBR. The present code system gives generally good agreement with the experimental results, especially by the use of the latter, the dependence of the Doppler effect to the hydrogen to fuel element atomic number density ratio is disappeared. Therefore, it looks possible to use the present code system for the conceptual design of a fast reactor system with hydrogeneous materials. (author)

Alignment of voids in the cosmic web

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Platen, Erwin; van de Weygaert, Rien; Jones, Bernard J. T.

2008-01-01

We investigate the shapes and mutual alignment of voids in the large-scale matter distribution of a Lambda cold dark matter (Lambda CDM) cosmology simulation. The voids are identified using the novel watershed void finder (WVF) technique. The identified voids are quite non-spherical and slightly

Temperature controlled 'void' formation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dasgupta, P.; Sharma, B.D.

1975-01-01

The nucleation and growth of voids in structural materials during high temperature deformation or irradiation is essentially dependent upon the existence of 'vacancy supersaturation'. The role of temperature dependent diffusion processes in 'void' formation under varying conditions, and the mechanical property changes associated with this microstructure are briefly reviewed. (author)

Dynamic void behavior in polymerizing polymethyl methacrylate cement.

Science.gov (United States)

Muller, Scott D; McCaskie, Andrew W

2006-02-01

Cement mantle voids remain controversial with respect to survival of total hip arthroplasty. Void evolution is poorly understood, and attempts at void manipulation can only be empirical. We induced voids in a cement model simulating the constraints of the proximal femur. Intravoid pressure and temperature were recorded throughout polymerization, and the initial and final void volumes were measured. Temperature-dependent peak intravoid pressures and void volume increases were observed. After solidification, subatmospheric intravoid pressures were observed. The magnitude of these observations could not be explained by the ideal gas law. Partial pressures of the void gas at peak pressures demonstrated a dominant effect of gaseous monomer, thereby suggesting that void growth is a pressure-driven phenomenon resulting from temperature-dependent evaporation of monomer into existing trapped air voids.

Software quality assurance plan for void fraction instrument

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gimera, M.

1994-01-01

Waste Tank SY-101 has been the focus of extensive characterization work over the past few years. The waste continually generates gases, most notably hydrogen, which are periodically released from the waste. Gas can be trapped in tank waste in three forms: as void gas (bubbles), dissolved gas, or absorbed gas. Void fraction is the volume percentage of a given sample that is comprised of void gas. The void fraction instrument (VFI) acquires the data necessary to calculate void fraction. This document covers the product, Void Fraction Data Acquisition Software. The void fraction software being developed will have the ability to control the void fraction instrument hardware and acquire data necessary to calculate the void fraction in samples. This document provides the software quality assurance plan, verification and validation plan, and configuration management plan for developing the software for the instrumentation that will be used to obtain void fraction data from Tank SY-101

Benchmark physics experiment of metallic-fueled LMFBR at FCA. 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iijima, Susumu; Oigawa, Hiroyuki; Ohno, Akio; Sakurai, Takeshi; Nemoto, Tatsuo; Osugi, Toshitaka; Satoh, Kunio; Hayasaka, Katsuhisa; Bando, Masaru.

1993-10-01

An availability of data and method for a design of metallic-fueled LMFBR is examined by using the experiment results of FCA assembly XVI-1. Experiment included criticality and reactivity coefficients such as Doppler, sodium void, fuel shifting and fuel expansion. Reaction rate ratios, sample worth and control rod worth were also measured. Analysis was made by using three-dimensional diffusion calculations and JENDL-2 cross sections. Predictions of assembly XVI-1 reactor physics parameters agree reasonably well with the measured values, but for some reactivity coefficients such as Doppler, large zone sodium void and fuel shifting further improvement of calculation method was need. (author)

Failure by void coalescence in metallic materials containing primary and secondary voids subject to intense shearing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Kim Lau; Tvergaard, Viggo

2011-01-01

Failure under intense shearing at close to zero stress triaxiality is widely observed for ductile metallic materials, and is identified in experiments as smeared-out dimples on the fracture surface. Numerical cell-model studies of equal sized voids have revealed that the mechanism governing...... this shear failure mode boils down to the interaction between primary voids which rotate and elongate until coalescence occurs under severe plastic deformation of the internal ligaments. The objective of this paper is to analyze this failure mechanism of primary voids and to study the effect of smaller...... secondary damage that co-exists with or nucleation in the ligaments between larger voids that coalesce during intense shearing. A numerical cell-model study is carried out to gain a parametric understanding of the overall material response for different initial conditions of the two void populations...

Elastic wave scattering from multiple voids (porosity)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thompson, D.O.; Rose, J.H.; Thompson, R.B.; Wormley, S.J.

1983-01-01

This paper describes the development of an ultrasonic backscatter measurement technique which provides a convenient way to determine certain characteristics of a distribution of voids (porosity) in materials. A typical ultrasonic sample prepared by placing the ''frit'' in a crucible in an RF induction heater is shown. The results of the measurements were Fourier transformed into an amplitude-frequency description, and were then deconvolved with the transducer response function. Several properties needed to characterize a void distribution are obtained from the experimental results, including average void size, the spatial extent of the voids region, the average void separation, and the volume fraction of material contained in the void distribution. A detailed comparison of values obtained from the ultrasonic measurements with visually determined results is also given

Using voids to unscreen modified gravity

Science.gov (United States)

Falck, Bridget; Koyama, Kazuya; Zhao, Gong-Bo; Cautun, Marius

2018-04-01

The Vainshtein mechanism, present in many models of gravity, is very effective at screening dark matter haloes such that the fifth force is negligible and general relativity is recovered within their Vainshtein radii. Vainshtein screening is independent of halo mass and environment, in contrast to e.g. chameleon screening, making it difficult to test. However, our previous studies have found that the dark matter particles in filaments, walls, and voids are not screened by the Vainshtein mechanism. We therefore investigate whether cosmic voids, identified as local density minima using a watershed technique, can be used to test models of gravity that exhibit Vainshtein screening. We measure density, velocity, and screening profiles of stacked voids in cosmological N-body simulations using both dark matter particles and dark matter haloes as tracers of the density field. We find that the voids are completely unscreened, and the tangential velocity and velocity dispersion profiles of stacked voids show a clear deviation from Λ cold dark matter at all radii. Voids have the potential to provide a powerful test of gravity on cosmological scales.

Dependence of hotspot initiation on void distribution in high explosive crystals simulated with molecular dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Herring, Stuart Davis

Microscopic defects may dramatically affect the susceptibility of high explosives to shock initiation. Such defects redirect the shock's energy and become hotspots (concentrations of stress and heat) that can initiate chemical reactions. Sufficiently large or numerous defects may produce a self-sustaining deflagration or even detonation from a shock notably too weak to detonate defect-free samples. The effects of circular or spherical voids on the shock sensitivity of a model (two- or three-dimensional) high explosive crystal are considered. We simulate a piston impact using molecular dynamics with a Reactive Empirical Bond Order (REBO) model potential for a sub-micron, sub-ns exothermic reaction in a diatomic molecular solid. In both dimensionalities, the probability of initiating chemical reactions rises more suddenly with increasing piston velocity for larger voids that collapse more deterministically. A void of even 10 nm radius (˜39 interatomic spacings) reduces the minimum initiating velocity by a factor of 4 (8 in 3D). The transition at larger velocities to detonation is studied in micron-long samples with a single void (and its periodic images). Reactions during the shock traversal increase rapidly with velocity, then become a reliable detonation. In 2D, a void of radius 2.5 nm reduces the critical velocity by 10% from the perfect crystal; a Pop plot of the detonation delays at higher velocities shows a characteristic pressure dependence. 3D samples are more likely to react but less to detonate. In square lattices of voids, reducing the (common) void radius or increasing the porosity without changing the other parameter causes the hotspots to consume the material faster and detonation to occur sooner and at lower velocities. Early behavior is seen to follow a very simple ignition and growth model; the pressure exponents are more realistic than with single voids. The hotspots collectively develop a broad pressure wave (a sonic, diffuse deflagration front

Morphological Segregation in the Surroundings of Cosmic Voids

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ricciardelli, Elena; Tamone, Amelie [Laboratoire d’Astrophysique, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1290 Sauverny (Switzerland); Cava, Antonio [Observatoire de Genève, Université de Genève, 51 Ch. des Maillettes, 1290 Versoix (Switzerland); Varela, Jesus, E-mail: elena.ricciardelli@epfl.ch [Centro de Estudios de Física del Cosmos de Aragón (CEFCA), Plaza San Juan 1, E-44001 Teruel (Spain)

2017-09-01

We explore the morphology of galaxies living in the proximity of cosmic voids, using a sample of voids identified in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7. At all stellar masses, void galaxies exhibit morphologies of a later type than galaxies in a control sample, which represent galaxies in an average density environment. We interpret this trend as a pure environmental effect, independent of the mass bias, due to a slower galaxy build-up in the rarefied regions of voids. We confirm previous findings about a clear segregation in galaxy morphology, with galaxies of a later type being found at smaller void-centric distances with respect to the early-type galaxies. We also show, for the first time, that the radius of the void has an impact on the evolutionary history of the galaxies that live within it or in its surroundings. In fact, an enhanced fraction of late-type galaxies is found in the proximity of voids larger than the median void radius. Likewise, an excess of early-type galaxies is observed within or around voids of a smaller size. A significant difference in galaxy properties in voids of different sizes is observed up to 2 R {sub void}, which we define as the region of influence of voids. The significance of this difference is greater than 3 σ for all the volume-complete samples considered here. The fraction of star-forming galaxies shows the same behavior as the late-type galaxies, but no significant difference in stellar mass is observed in the proximity of voids of different sizes.

ANL results for LMFR reactivity coefficients benchmark

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hill, Robert

2000-01-01

The fast reactor analysis methods developed at ANL were extensively tested in ZPR and ZPPR experiments, applied to EBR-2 and FFTF test reactors. The basic nuclear data library used was ENDF/B-V.2 with the ETOE-2 data processing code and the ENDF/B-VI. Multigroup constants were generated by Monte Carlo code MCNP 2 -2. Neutron flux calculation were done by DIF3D code applying neutron diffusion theory and finite difference method. The results obtained include basic parameters; fuel and structure regional Doppler coefficients; geometry expansion fuel coefficients; kinetics parameters. In general, agreement between phase 1 and 2 results were excellent

High-resolution simulations of cylindrical void collapse in energetic materials: Effect of primary and secondary collapse on initiation thresholds

Science.gov (United States)

Rai, Nirmal Kumar; Schmidt, Martin J.; Udaykumar, H. S.

2017-04-01

Void collapse in energetic materials leads to hot spot formation and enhanced sensitivity. Much recent work has been directed towards simulation of collapse-generated reactive hot spots. The resolution of voids in calculations to date has varied as have the resulting predictions of hot spot intensity. Here we determine the required resolution for reliable cylindrical void collapse calculations leading to initiation of chemical reactions. High-resolution simulations of collapse provide new insights into the mechanism of hot spot generation. It is found that initiation can occur in two different modes depending on the loading intensity: Either the initiation occurs due to jet impact at the first collapse instant or it can occur at secondary lobes at the periphery of the collapsed void. A key observation is that secondary lobe collapse leads to large local temperatures that initiate reactions. This is due to a combination of a strong blast wave from the site of primary void collapse and strong colliding jets and vortical flows generated during the collapse of the secondary lobes. The secondary lobe collapse results in a significant lowering of the predicted threshold for ignition of the energetic material. The results suggest that mesoscale simulations of void fields may suffer from significant uncertainty in threshold predictions because unresolved calculations cannot capture the secondary lobe collapse phenomenon. The implications of this uncertainty for mesoscale simulations are discussed in this paper.

Safety analysis of thorium-based fuels in the General Electric Standard BWR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Colby, M.J.; Townsend, D.B.; Kunz, C.L.

1980-06-01

A denatured (U-233/Th)O 2 fuel assembly has been designed which is energy equivalent to and hardware interchangeable with a modern boiling water reactor (BWR) reference reload assembly. Relative to the reference UO 2 fuel, the thorium fuel design shows better performance during normal and transient reactor operation for the BWR/6 product line and will meet or exceed current safety and licensing criteria. Power distributions are flattened and thermal operating margins are increased by reduced steam void reactivity coefficients caused by U-233. However, a (U-233/Th)O 2 -fueled BWR will likely have reduced operating flexibility. A (U-235/Th)O 2 -fueled BWR should perform similar to a UO 2 -fueled BWR under all operating conditions. A (Pu/Th)O 2 -fueled BWR may have reduced thermal margins and similar accident response and be less stable than a UO 2 -fueled BWR. The assessment is based on comparisions of point model and infinite lattice predictions of various nuclear reactivity parameters, including void reactivity coefficients, Doppler reactivity coefficients, and control blade worths

Post-void residual urine under 150 ml does not exclude voiding dysfunction in women

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Khayyami, Yasmine; Klarskov, Niels; Lose, Gunnar

2016-01-01

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: It has been claimed that post-void residual urine (PVR) below 150 ml rules out voiding dysfunction in women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and provides license to perform sling surgery. The cut-off of 150 ml seems arbitrary, not evidence-based, and so we sough...

Monitoring device for local power peaking coefficients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mihashi, Ishi

1987-01-01

Purpose: To determine and monitor the local power peaking coefficients by a method not depending on the combination of fuel types. Constitution: Representative values for the local power distribution can be obtained by determining corresponding burn-up degrees based on the burn-up degree of each of fuel assembly segments obtained in a power distribution monitor and by the interpolation and extrapolation of void coefficients. The typical values are multiplied with compensation coefficients for the control rod effect and coefficients for compensating the effect of adjacent fuel assemblies in a calculation device to obtain typical values for the present local power distribution compensated with all of the effects. Further, the calculation device compares them with typical values of the present local power distribution to obtain an aimed local power peaking coefficient as the maximum value thereof. According to the present invention, since the local power peaking coefficients can be determined not depending on the combination of the kind of fuels, if the combination of fuel assemblies is increased upon fuel change, the amount of operation therefor is not increased. (Kamimura, M.)

Monitoring device for local power peaking coefficient

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mitsuhashi, Ishi

1987-01-01

Purpose: To monitor the local power peaking coefficients obtained by the method not depending on the combination of fuel types. Method: A plurality of representative values for the local power distribution determined by the nuclear constant calculation for one fuel assembly are memorized regarding each of the burn-up degree and the void coefficient on every positions and fuel types in fuel rod assemblies. While on the other hand, the representative values for the local power distribution as described above are compensated by a compensation coefficient considering the effect of adjacent segments and a control rod compensation coefficient considering the effect due to the control rod insertion relative to the just-mentioned compensation coefficient. Then, the maximum value among them is selected to determine the local power peaking coefficient at each of the times and each of the segments, which is monitored. According to this system, the calculation and the working required for the fitting work depending on the combination of fuel types are no more required at all to facilitate the maintenance as well. (Horiuchi, T.)

Development of the impedance void meter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chung, Moon Ki; Song, Chul Hwa; Won, Soon Yeon; Kim, Bok Deuk [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

1994-06-01

An impedance void meter is developed to measure the area-averaged void fraction. Its basic principle is based on the difference in the electrical conductivity between phases. Several methods of measuring void fraction are briefly reviewed and the reason why this type of void meter is chosen to develop is discussed. Basic principle of the measurement is thoroughly described and several design parameters to affect the overall function are discussed in detail. As example of applications is given for vertical air-water flow. It is shown that the current design has good dynamic response as well as very fine spatial resolution. (Author) 47 refs., 37 figs.

Hot spot formation and chemical reaction initiation in shocked HMX crystals with nanovoids: a large-scale reactive molecular dynamics study.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Tingting; Lou, Jianfeng; Zhang, Yangeng; Song, Huajie; Huang, Fenglei

2016-07-14

We report million-atom reactive molecular dynamic simulations of shock initiation of β-cyclotetramethylene tetranitramine (β-HMX) single crystals containing nanometer-scale spherical voids. Shock induced void collapse and subsequent hot spot formation as well as chemical reaction initiation are observed which depend on the void size and impact strength. For an impact velocity of 1 km s(-1) and a void radius of 4 nm, the void collapse process includes three stages; the dominant mechanism is the convergence of upstream molecules toward the centerline and the downstream surface of the void forming flowing molecules. Hot spot formation also undergoes three stages, and the principal mechanism is kinetic energy transforming to thermal energy due to the collision of flowing molecules on the downstream surface. The high temperature of the hot spot initiates a local chemical reaction, and the breakage of the N-NO2 bond plays the key role in the initial reaction mechanism. The impact strength and void size have noticeable effects on the shock dynamical process, resulting in a variation of the predominant mechanisms leading to void collapse and hot spot formation. Larger voids or stronger shocks result in more intense hot spots and, thus, more violent chemical reactions, promoting more reaction channels and generating more reaction products in a shorter duration. The reaction products are mainly concentrated in the developed hot spot, indicating that the chemical reactivity of the hmx crystal is greatly enhanced by void collapse. The detailed information derived from this study can aid a thorough understanding of the role of void collapse in hot spot formation and the chemical reaction initiation of explosives.

Validation uncertainty of MATRA code for subchannel void distributions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hwang, Dae-Hyun; Kim, S. J.; Kwon, H.; Seo, K. W. [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2014-10-15

To extend code capability to the whole core subchannel analysis, pre-conditioned Krylov matrix solvers such as BiCGSTAB and GMRES are implemented in MATRA code as well as parallel computing algorithms using MPI and OPENMP. It is coded by fortran 90, and has some user friendly features such as graphic user interface. MATRA code was approved by Korean regulation body for design calculation of integral-type PWR named SMART. The major role subchannel code is to evaluate core thermal margin through the hot channel analysis and uncertainty evaluation for CHF predictions. In addition, it is potentially used for the best estimation of core thermal hydraulic field by incorporating into multiphysics and/or multi-scale code systems. In this study we examined a validation process for the subchannel code MATRA specifically in the prediction of subchannel void distributions. The primary objective of validation is to estimate a range within which the simulation modeling error lies. The experimental data for subchannel void distributions at steady state and transient conditions was provided on the framework of OECD/NEA UAM benchmark program. The validation uncertainty of MATRA code was evaluated for a specific experimental condition by comparing the simulation result and experimental data. A validation process should be preceded by code and solution verification. However, quantification of verification uncertainty was not addressed in this study. The validation uncertainty of the MATRA code for predicting subchannel void distribution was evaluated for a single data point of void fraction measurement at a 5x5 PWR test bundle on the framework of OECD UAM benchmark program. The validation standard uncertainties were evaluated as 4.2%, 3.9%, and 2.8% with the Monte-Carlo approach at the axial levels of 2216 mm, 2669 mm, and 3177 mm, respectively. The sensitivity coefficient approach revealed similar results of uncertainties but did not account for the nonlinear effects on the

38 CFR 3.207 - Void or annulled marriage.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Void or annulled marriage... Void or annulled marriage. Proof that a marriage was void or has been annulled should consist of: (a... marriage void, together with such other evidence as may be required for a determination. (b) Annulled. A...

An assessment of methods of calculating sodium-voiding reactivity in plutonium-fuelled fast reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Butland, A.T.D.; Simmons, W.N.; Stevenson, J.M.

1980-01-01

After a survey of the requirements an assessment of the accuracy of calculations of the sodium-void effect using UK methods and data is made on the basis of the following work: (a) The analysis of small and large sodium voids in the MOZART and Zebra 13 small (300 MW(e)) fast reactor mock-ups and the BIZET large fast reactor mock-ups, all of conventional design. The analysis was carried out using the UK FGL5 fine group nuclear data library, the MURAL cell code, whole reactor diffusion theory calculations of the neutron flux and perturbation theory methods. Exact perturbation theory was used in many cases, otherwise first-order perturbation theory calculations were adjusted to give results equivalent to exact perturbation theory. (b) Theoretical studies of some effects, including the following: (i) The effects of extrapolating to fuel operating temperature; (ii) Fuel-cycle and burnup effects, including the gradual replacement through a fuel cycle of control-rod absorption by fission product absorption, the loss of fissile material and the change in fuel nuclide relative composition; (iii) The heterogeneity effects of large fuelled subassemblies in pin geometry. (c) Theoretical studies of approximations in the calculational methods, including the following: (i) The importance in the whole reactor calculation of the energy group structure and the spatial mesh, including comparisons of calculations in two (RZ) and three-dimensional geometry; (ii) The importance of reactor material boundaries in the calculation of resonance shielding effects; (iii) The use of neutron fluxes calculated using neutron diffusion theory rather than transport theory. (author)

Measuring device for the temperature coefficient of reactor moderators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakano, Yuzo.

1987-01-01

Purpose: To rapidly determine by automatic calculation the temperature coefficient for moderators which has been determined so far by a log of manual processings. Constitution: Each of signals from a control rod position indicator, a reactor reactivity, instrument and moderator temperature meter are inputted, and each of the signals and designed valued for the doppler temperature coefficients are stored. Recurling calculation is conducted based on the reactivity and the moderator temperature at an interval where the temperature changes of the moderators are equalized at an identical control rod position, to determine isothermic coefficient. Then, the temperature coefficient for moderator are calculated from the isothermic coefficient and the doppler temperature coefficient. The relationship between the reactivity and the moderator temperature is plotted on a X-Y recorder. The stored signals and the calculated temperature coefficient for moderators are sequentially displayed and the results are printed out when the measurement is completed. According to the present device, since the real time processing is conducted, the processing time can be shortened remarkably. Accordingly, it is possible to save the man power for the test of the nuclear reactor and improve the reactor operation performance. (Kamimura, M.)

Void Measurement by the ({gamma}, n) Reaction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rouhani, S Zia

1962-09-15

It is proposed to use the ({gamma}, n) reaction for the measurement of the integrated void volume fraction in two phase flow of D{sub 2}O inside a duct. This method is applicable to different channel geometries, and it is shown to be insensitive to the pattern of void distribution over the cross-sectional area of the channels The method has been tested on mock-ups of voids in a round duct of 6 mm inside diameter. About 40 m.c. {sup 24}Na was used as a source of gamma-rays. The test results show that the maximum measured error in this arrangement is less than 2.5 % (net void) for a range of 2.7 % to 44.44 % actual void volume fractions.

Void Measurement by the (γ, n) Reaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rouhani, S. Zia

1962-09-01

It is proposed to use the (γ, n) reaction for the measurement of the integrated void volume fraction in two phase flow of D 2 O inside a duct. This method is applicable to different channel geometries, and it is shown to be insensitive to the pattern of void distribution over the cross-sectional area of the channels The method has been tested on mock-ups of voids in a round duct of 6 mm inside diameter. About 40 m.c. 24 Na was used as a source of gamma-rays. The test results show that the maximum measured error in this arrangement is less than 2.5 % (net void) for a range of 2.7 % to 44.44 % actual void volume fractions

Development of a non-intrusive method for the determination of the moderator temperature coefficient of reactivity (MTC)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Demaziere, C.

2000-01-01

The Moderator Temperature Coefficient of reactivity (MTC) plays an important role in the feedback mechanism and thus in the inherent stability of Pressurised Water Reactors (PWRs). Due to the inaccuracy of the traditional at-power MTC measurement techniques, many power utilities nowadays only measure the zero-power MTC since its determination is relatively straightforward and accurate. For the at-power MTC determination during the remaining fuel cycle, core calculations are assumed to be reliable enough. Nevertheless, these calculations were never benchmarked and most importantly, the use of high burnup fuel might induce a slightly positive MTC at Beginning Of Cycle (BOC) due to the high initial boron concentration. Even if in such a case the Doppler effect would still insure a negative reactivity feedback, monitoring the MTC throughout the cycle could become crucial. In this respect, not only the sign of the MTC is of importance, but also its magnitude. Consequently, developing a method that would permit monitoring the MTC during the fuel cycle is of great interest. One of the main disadvantages of the traditional at-power MTC measurement techniques is that the reactor has to be perturbed in order to induce a change of the moderator temperature. The modification of other parameters that can only be estimated by core calculation represents also a severe drawback of these methods, both for their precision and their reliability. A measurement performed at Ringhals-4 by using the so-called boron dilution method revealed that the uncertainty associated to the MTC estimation could even be much larger than previously expected due to the calculated reactivity corrections. These corrections are very sensitive to the input parameters chosen for the core simulation, and slight mis-estimations of these have large reactivity effects. It is known that if the reactivity noise and the moderator temperature noise could be measured, the MTC could be determined without disturbing

Development of a non-intrusive method for the determination of the moderator temperature coefficient of reactivity (MTC)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Demaziere, C

2000-07-01

The Moderator Temperature Coefficient of reactivity (MTC) plays an important role in the feedback mechanism and thus in the inherent stability of Pressurised Water Reactors (PWRs). Due to the inaccuracy of the traditional at-power MTC measurement techniques, many power utilities nowadays only measure the zero-power MTC since its determination is relatively straightforward and accurate. For the at-power MTC determination during the remaining fuel cycle, core calculations are assumed to be reliable enough. Nevertheless, these calculations were never benchmarked and most importantly, the use of high burnup fuel might induce a slightly positive MTC at Beginning Of Cycle (BOC) due to the high initial boron concentration. Even if in such a case the Doppler effect would still insure a negative reactivity feedback, monitoring the MTC throughout the cycle could become crucial. In this respect, not only the sign of the MTC is of importance, but also its magnitude. Consequently, developing a method that would permit monitoring the MTC during the fuel cycle is of great interest. One of the main disadvantages of the traditional at-power MTC measurement techniques is that the reactor has to be perturbed in order to induce a change of the moderator temperature. The modification of other parameters that can only be estimated by core calculation represents also a severe drawback of these methods, both for their precision and their reliability. A measurement performed at Ringhals-4 by using the so-called boron dilution method revealed that the uncertainty associated to the MTC estimation could even be much larger than previously expected due to the calculated reactivity corrections. These corrections are very sensitive to the input parameters chosen for the core simulation, and slight mis-estimations of these have large reactivity effects. It is known that if the reactivity noise and the moderator temperature noise could be measured, the MTC could be determined without disturbing

Sacral Herpes Zoster Associated with Voiding Dysfunction in a Young Patient with Scrub Typhus.

Science.gov (United States)

Hur, Jian

2015-06-01

When a patient presents with acute voiding dysfunction without a typical skin rash, it may be difficult to make a diagnosis of herpes zoster. Here, we present a case of scrub typhus in a 25-year-old man with the complication of urinary dysfunction. The patient complained of loss of urinary voiding sensation and constipation. After eight days, he had typical herpes zoster eruptions on the sacral dermatomes and hypalgesia of the S1-S5 dermatomes. No cases of dual infection with varicella zoster virus and Orientia tsutsugamushi were found in the literature. In the described case, scrub typhus probably induced sufficient stress to reactivate the varicella zoster virus. Early recognition of this problem is imperative for prompt and appropriate management, as misdiagnosis can lead to long-term urinary dysfunction. It is important that a diagnosis of herpes zoster be considered, especially in patients with sudden onset urinary retention.

Vesicoureteral reflux in children: comparison of contrast - enhanced voiding ultrasonography with radiographic voiding cystourethrography - preliminary report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoon, Chong Hyun; Kim, Hyun Joo; Goo, Hyun Woo; Kim, Hungy; Lee, Jung Joo; Kim, Ellen Ai-Rhan; Kim, Ki Soo; Park, Young Seo; Pi, Soo Young [Ulsan Univ. College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2001-01-01

To compared the usefullness of contrst-enhanced voiding ultrasonogrphy (US) with that of radiogrphic voiding cystourethrography (VCUG) for the diagnosis of vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) in children. Ninety-five kidney-ureter units of 47 patients referred for investigation of VUR underwent contrast -enhanced voiding US followed by radiographic VCUG. After baseline US examination of the urinaru tract, residual urine in the bladder was drained through an inserted Foley catheter and the bladder was gravityfilled at a height of 1 m with normal saline. A galactose-based, microbubble-containning echo-enhancing agent (Lvovist; Dchering, Berlin, Germany) was then administered. The amount of this was approximately 10% of bldder capacity, and VUR was diagnosed when microbubbles appeared in the ureter or pelvocalyceal system. Using radiographic VCUG as a reference point, the accuracy with which contrst-enhanced voiding US detected VUR was calcilated. In 87 of 95 kidney-ureter units (91.6%), the two methods showed similiar results regarding the diagnosis or exclusion of VUR, which was detected by both in 12 units, but by neither in 75. VUR was shown to occcur in a total of 20 units, but in eight of these by one method only. In two units, VUR detected by contrast-enhanced voiding US was was not demostarted by radiographic VCUG; in six units, the resverse was true. In the detection of VUR, contrast-enhanced voiding us showed a sensitivity of 66.7%, a sprcificity of 97.4%, a positive predictive value of 85.7%, and a negative predictive value of 92.6%. Contrst-enhanced voiding US is highly specific and has high positive and nagative predictive values; its sensitivity, however, is not sufficiently high. The modality appears to be a useful diagnostic tool for the detection of VUR without exposure to ionizing radiation, though to be certain of its value, more experience of its use its first required.

Vesicoureteral reflux in children: comparison of contrast - enhanced voiding ultrasonography with radiographic voiding cystourethrography - preliminary report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoon, Chong Hyun; Kim, Hyun Joo; Goo, Hyun Woo; Kim, Hungy; Lee, Jung Joo; Kim, Ellen Ai-Rhan; Kim, Ki Soo; Park, Young Seo; Pi, Soo Young

2001-01-01

To compared the usefullness of contrst-enhanced voiding ultrasonogrphy (US) with that of radiogrphic voiding cystourethrography (VCUG) for the diagnosis of vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) in children. Ninety-five kidney-ureter units of 47 patients referred for investigation of VUR underwent contrast -enhanced voiding US followed by radiographic VCUG. After baseline US examination of the urinaru tract, residual urine in the bladder was drained through an inserted Foley catheter and the bladder was gravityfilled at a height of 1 m with normal saline. A galactose-based, microbubble-containning echo-enhancing agent (Lvovist; Dchering, Berlin, Germany) was then administered. The amount of this was approximately 10% of bldder capacity, and VUR was diagnosed when microbubbles appeared in the ureter or pelvocalyceal system. Using radiographic VCUG as a reference point, the accuracy with which contrst-enhanced voiding US detected VUR was calcilated. In 87 of 95 kidney-ureter units (91.6%), the two methods showed similiar results regarding the diagnosis or exclusion of VUR, which was detected by both in 12 units, but by neither in 75. VUR was shown to occcur in a total of 20 units, but in eight of these by one method only. In two units, VUR detected by contrast-enhanced voiding US was was not demostarted by radiographic VCUG; in six units, the resverse was true. In the detection of VUR, contrast-enhanced voiding us showed a sensitivity of 66.7%, a sprcificity of 97.4%, a positive predictive value of 85.7%, and a negative predictive value of 92.6%. Contrst-enhanced voiding US is highly specific and has high positive and nagative predictive values; its sensitivity, however, is not sufficiently high. The modality appears to be a useful diagnostic tool for the detection of VUR without exposure to ionizing radiation, though to be certain of its value, more experience of its use its first required

Power coefficient anomaly in Joyo, (2)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishikawa, Makoto; Yamashita, Yoshioki; Sasaki, Makoto; Nara, Yoshihiko.

1981-12-01

In this report, the presumption about the mechanism having caused the power coefficient anomaly in Joyo during the 75 MW power-raising test in 1979 is described. After the previous report, the new information about the results of the post-irradiation examination and the analysis of the power coefficient of Joyo were able to be obtained. From these information, the mechanism of causing the anomaly was presumed as follows. In 50 MW operation, the fuel burnup reached about 10,000 MWD/ton at the end of second cycle, and produced fission gas was almost retained in fuel pellets. When the power was raised from 50 MW to 75 MW for the first time, the fission gas began to be released when 50 MW was somewhat exceeded. The fission gas release caused the temperature rise and cracking of fuel pellets, and elongated fuel stack length abruptly. These phenomena induced to enlarge the fuel expansion reactivity effect and Doppler reactivity effect, and caused the anomalous behavior of power coefficient. After reaching 75 MW, the fuel stack length did not respond normally to reactor power change, and the magnitude of power coefficient became smaller. The reactivity was lost considerably from the core after the anomaly. (Kako, I.)

Assessment of Loss-of-Coolant Effect on Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Won Young; Park, Joo Hwan; Kim, Bong Ghi

2009-01-01

A CANDU reactor is a heavy-water-moderated, natural uranium fuelled reactor with a pressure tube. The reactor contains a horizontal cylindrical vessel (calandria) and each pressure tube is isolated from the heavy-water moderator in a calandria. This allows the moderator system to be operated of a high-pressure and of a high-temperature coolant in pressure tube. This causes the pressurized liquid coolant in the channel to void and therefore give rise to a reactivity transient in the event of a break or fault in the coolant circuit. In particular, all CANDU reactors are well known to have a positive void reactivity coefficient and thus this phenomenon may lead to a positive feedback, which can cause a large power pulse. We assess the loss-of-coolant effect by coolant void reactivity versus fuel burnup, four factor parameters for fresh fuel and equilibrium fuel, reactivity change due to the change of coolant density and reactivity change in the case of half- and full-core coolant

Negative power coefficient on PHWRs with CARA fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lestani, H.A.; González, H.J.; Florido, P.C.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • A PHWR fuel was optimized to obtain a negative power coefficient. • Fuel cost, being a measure of design investment efficiency, was optimized. • Influence on power coefficient of geometrical and economical parameters’ was studied. • Different neutronic absorbers were studied; pure absorbers can be used. • Thermal and economical models were developed to complement neutronic assessment. - Abstract: A study of power coefficient of reactivity in heavy water reactors is made analyzing the reactivity components of fuels with several modifications oriented at reducing the coefficient. A cell model is used for neutronics calculations; a non-linear two dimensional model is used to evaluate the thermal changes that follow a power change; and a levelized unit energy cost model is used to assess the economical feasibility of the design changes introduced to reduce power coefficient. The necessity of modelling all the aforementioned quantities in a coupled scheme is stressed, as a strong interdependence was found. A series of design changes complied with a negative power coefficient of reactivity, with a feasible power radial distribution and with low refuelling cost. Some investigation lines that exceed the fuel cell study and deal with the plant operation are marked as potentially addressing the stable operation of big heavy water reactors

Reactivity feedbacks of a material test research reactor fueled with various low enriched uranium dispersion fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muhammad, Farhan; Majid, Asad

2009-01-01

The reactivity feedbacks of a material test research reactor using various low enriched uranium fuels, having same uranium density were calculated. For this purpose, the original aluminide fuel (UAl x -Al) containing 4.40 gU/cm 3 of an MTR was replaced with silicide (U 3 Si-Al and U 3 Si 2 -Al) and oxide (U 3 O 8 -Al) dispersion fuels having the same uranium density as of the original fuel. Calculations were carried out to find the fuel temperature reactivity feedback, moderator temperature reactivity feedback, moderator density reactivity feedback and moderator void reactivity feedback. Nuclear reactor analysis codes including WIMS-D4 and CITATION were employed to carry out these calculations. It was observed that the magnitudes all the respective reactivity feedbacks from 38 deg. C to 50 deg. C and 100 deg. C, at the beginning of life, of all the fuels were very close to each other. The fuel temperature reactivity feedback of the U 3 O 8 -Al was about 2% more than the original UAl x -Al fuel. The magnitudes of the moderator temperature, moderator density and moderator void reactivity feedbacks of all the fuels, showed very minor variations from the original aluminide fuel.

Pores and Void in Asclepiades’ Physical Theory

Science.gov (United States)

Leith, David

2012-01-01

This paper examines a fundamental, though relatively understudied, aspect of the physical theory of the physician Asclepiades of Bithynia, namely his doctrine of pores. My principal thesis is that this doctrine is dependent on a conception of void taken directly from Epicurean physics. The paper falls into two parts: the first half addresses the evidence for the presence of void in Asclepiades’ theory, and concludes that his conception of void was basically that of Epicurus; the second half focuses on the precise nature of Asclepiadean pores, and seeks to show that they represent void interstices between the primary particles of matter which are the constituents of the human body, and are thus exactly analogous to the void interstices between atoms within solid objects in Epicurus’ theory. PMID:22984299

A NEW STATISTICAL PERSPECTIVE TO THE COSMIC VOID DISTRIBUTION

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pycke, J-R; Russell, E.

2016-01-01

In this study, we obtain the size distribution of voids as a three-parameter redshift-independent log-normal void probability function (VPF) directly from the Cosmic Void Catalog (CVC). Although many statistical models of void distributions are based on the counts in randomly placed cells, the log-normal VPF that we obtain here is independent of the shape of the voids due to the parameter-free void finder of the CVC. We use three void populations drawn from the CVC generated by the Halo Occupation Distribution (HOD) Mocks, which are tuned to three mock SDSS samples to investigate the void distribution statistically and to investigate the effects of the environments on the size distribution. As a result, it is shown that void size distributions obtained from the HOD Mock samples are satisfied by the three-parameter log-normal distribution. In addition, we find that there may be a relation between the hierarchical formation, skewness, and kurtosis of the log-normal distribution for each catalog. We also show that the shape of the three-parameter distribution from the samples is strikingly similar to the galaxy log-normal mass distribution obtained from numerical studies. This similarity between void size and galaxy mass distributions may possibly indicate evidence of nonlinear mechanisms affecting both voids and galaxies, such as large-scale accretion and tidal effects. Considering the fact that in this study, all voids are generated by galaxy mocks and show hierarchical structures in different levels, it may be possible that the same nonlinear mechanisms of mass distribution affect the void size distribution.

Reactor kinetics revisited: a coefficient based model (CBM)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ratemi, W.M.

2011-01-01

In this paper, a nuclear reactor kinetics model based on Guelph expansion coefficients calculation ( Coefficients Based Model, CBM), for n groups of delayed neutrons is developed. The accompanying characteristic equation is a polynomial form of the Inhour equation with the same coefficients of the CBM- kinetics model. Those coefficients depend on Universal abc- values which are dependent on the type of the fuel fueling a nuclear reactor. Furthermore, such coefficients are linearly dependent on the inserted reactivity. In this paper, the Universal abc- values have been presented symbolically, for the first time, as well as with their numerical values for U-235 fueled reactors for one, two, three, and six groups of delayed neutrons. Simulation studies for constant and variable reactivity insertions are made for the CBM kinetics model, and a comparison of results, with numerical solutions of classical kinetics models for one, two, three, and six groups of delayed neutrons are presented. The results show good agreements, especially for single step insertion of reactivity, with the advantage of the CBM- solution of not encountering the stiffness problem accompanying the numerical solutions of the classical kinetics model. (author)

Nonlocal plasticity effects on interaction of different size voids

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tvergaard, Viggo; Niordson, Christian Frithiof

2004-01-01

A nonlocal elastic-plastic material model is used to show that the rate of void growth is significantly reduced when the voids are small enough to be comparable with a characteristic material length. For a very small void in the material between much larger voids the competition between...... dimensional array of spherical voids. It is shown that the high growth rate of very small voids predicted by conventional plasticity theory is not realistic when the effect of a characteristic length, dependent on the dislocation structure, is accounted for. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved....

Effect of helium on void formation in nickel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brimhall, J.L.; Simonen, E.P.

1977-01-01

This study examines the influence of helium on void formation in self-ion irradiated nickel. Helium was injected either simultaneously with, or prior to, the self-ion bombardment. The void microstructure was characterized as a function of helium deposition rate and the total heavy-ion dose. In particular, at 575 0 C and 5 X 10 -3 displacements per atom per second the void density is found to be proportional to the helium deposition rate. The dose dependence of swelling is initially dominated by helium driven nucleation. The void density rapidly saturates after which swelling continues with increasing dose only from void growth. It is concluded that helium promotes void nucleation in nickel with either helium implantation technique, pre-injection or simultaneous injection. Qualitative differences, however, are recognized. (Auth.)

Analysis Of Temperature Effects On Reactivity Of The Rsg-Gas Core Using Silicide Fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Surbakti, Tukiran; Pinem, Surian

2001-01-01

RSG-GAS has been operating using new silicide fuels so that it is necessary to estimate and to measure the effect of temperature on reactivity of the core. The parameters to be determined due to temperature effect are reactivity coefficient of moderator temperature, temperature coefficient of fuel element and power reactivity coefficient. By doing a couple compensation method, determination of reactivity coefficient as well as the reactivity coefficient of moderator temperature can be obtained. Furthermore, coefficient of the reactivity was successfully estimated using the combination of WIMS-D4 and Batan-2DIFF. The cell calculation was done by using WIMS-D4 code to get macroscopic cross section and Batan-2DIFF code is used for core calculation. The calculation and experimental results of reactivity coefficient do not show any deviation from RSG-GAS safety margin. The results are -2,84 sen/ o C, -1,29 sen/MW and -0,64 sen/ o C for reactivity coefficients of temperature, power, fuel element and moderator temperature, respectively. All of 3 parameters are absolutely met with safety criteria

A comparative neutronic analysis of 150MWe TRU burner according to the coolant alteration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoo, J. W.; Kim, S. J.; Kim, Y. I.

2000-01-01

A comparative neutronic analysis has been conducted for the small TRU burner according to their coolant material. The use of Pb-Bi coolant gave a low burnup reactivity swing and negative or less positive coolant void coefficient with harder neutron spectrum. By a lower burnup reactivity swing and higher conversion ratio of Pb-Bi cooled core, the total amount of TRU consumption was found to be small compared with Na cooled core despite of the higher MA consumption ratio of Pb-Bi cooled core. However, Pb-Bi cooled reactor have a lager margin in the coolant void coefficient, so that a variable MA composition can be loaded in the core. Accordingly, even though the Pb-Bi cooled TRU burner has not effectiveness on TRU burning in the same geometry and material condition, a flexible MA loading is envisaged to result in 10 times larger MA burning amount, still preserving a low coolant void worth

Contribution to the study of the temperature reactivity coefficient for light water reactors; Contribution a l`etude du coefficient de temperature des reacteurs a eau legere

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mounier, C.

1994-05-01

In this work, we looked for the error sources in the calculation of the isothermal temperature coefficient for light water lattices. We studied three fields implied: the nuclear data, the calculation methods and the temperature coefficient measurement. About the measurement, we pointed out the difficulties of he interpretation. So we used an indirect approach by the mean of critical states at various temperatures. In that way, we can say that if the errors in the effective multiplication factor are constants with temperature then the temperature coefficient is correctly calculated. We studied the neutronic influence of light water models which are used in the thermal scattering cross-section computation. This cross-section determines the thermalization process of neutrons. We showed that the actual model (JEF2) is satisfactory of the needs of the reactors physics. Concerning the majors isotopes ({sup 235}U, {sup 238}U, {sup 239}Pu), the uncertainties on the nuclear data do not seem as a preponderant cause of errors, without to be totally negligible. We also studied, with the neutron transport code Apollo-2, the influence of difference approximations for cell calculation . The new possibilities of the code has been used to represent the critical experiments, particularly the improvement of the resonance self-shielding formalism. The calculation scheme adopted permits to remove partially the fundamental mode approximation by the mean of a two-dimensional transport calculation with the SN method, the axial leakage being treated as an absorption in DB{sup 2}{sub Z}. The agreement between theory and experiment is good both for the reactivity and the temperature coefficient. (author). 114 refs., 40 figs., 163 tabs., 1 append.

Voiding dysfunction in children aged five to 15 years

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karaklajić Dragana

2004-01-01

Full Text Available Voiding dysfunction in children was analyzed in 91 patients in a period from January 1st to October 1st 1998. Most of the patients had functional voiding disorder (92.31%, and only 7.69% manifested monosymptomatic night enuresis. The number of girls was bigger in the group of patients with voiding dysfunction while the boys were predominant in the group with mono-symptomatic nocturnal enuresis. More than a half of children with functional voiding disorder had repeated urinal infections (58.23%, incontinence (93.49%, need for urgent voiding (68.13%, and vesicoureteral reflux (47.61%. The most common type of voiding dysfunction was urge syndrome/urge incontinence. The incidence of dysfunctional voiding disorder was more often in children with scaring changes of kidney which were diagnosed by static scintigraphy.

Parallel computation of multigroup reactivity coefficient using iterative method

Science.gov (United States)

Susmikanti, Mike; Dewayatna, Winter

2013-09-01

One of the research activities to support the commercial radioisotope production program is a safety research target irradiation FPM (Fission Product Molybdenum). FPM targets form a tube made of stainless steel in which the nuclear degrees of superimposed high-enriched uranium. FPM irradiation tube is intended to obtain fission. The fission material widely used in the form of kits in the world of nuclear medicine. Irradiation FPM tube reactor core would interfere with performance. One of the disorders comes from changes in flux or reactivity. It is necessary to study a method for calculating safety terrace ongoing configuration changes during the life of the reactor, making the code faster became an absolute necessity. Neutron safety margin for the research reactor can be reused without modification to the calculation of the reactivity of the reactor, so that is an advantage of using perturbation method. The criticality and flux in multigroup diffusion model was calculate at various irradiation positions in some uranium content. This model has a complex computation. Several parallel algorithms with iterative method have been developed for the sparse and big matrix solution. The Black-Red Gauss Seidel Iteration and the power iteration parallel method can be used to solve multigroup diffusion equation system and calculated the criticality and reactivity coeficient. This research was developed code for reactivity calculation which used one of safety analysis with parallel processing. It can be done more quickly and efficiently by utilizing the parallel processing in the multicore computer. This code was applied for the safety limits calculation of irradiated targets FPM with increment Uranium.

Voids and superstructures: correlations and induced large-scale velocity flows

Science.gov (United States)

Lares, Marcelo; Luparello, Heliana E.; Maldonado, Victoria; Ruiz, Andrés N.; Paz, Dante J.; Ceccarelli, Laura; Garcia Lambas, Diego

2017-09-01

The expanding complex pattern of filaments, walls and voids build the evolving cosmic web with material flowing from underdense on to high density regions. Here, we explore the dynamical behaviour of voids and galaxies in void shells relative to neighbouring overdense superstructures, using the Millenium simulation and the main galaxy catalogue in Sloan Digital Sky Survey data. We define a correlation measure to estimate the tendency of voids to be located at a given distance from a superstructure. We find voids-in-clouds (S-types) preferentially located closer to superstructures than voids-in-voids (R-types) although we obtain that voids within ˜40 h-1 Mpc of superstructures are infalling in a similar fashion independently of void type. Galaxies residing in void shells show infall towards the closest superstructure, along with the void global motion, with a differential velocity component depending on their relative position in the shell with respect to the direction to the superstructure. This effect is produced by void expansion and therefore is stronger for R-types. We also find that galaxies in void shells facing the superstructure flow towards the overdensities faster than galaxies elsewhere at the same relative distance to the superstructure. The results obtained for the simulation are also reproduced for the Sky Survey Data Release data with a linearized velocity field implementation.

Void migration, coalescence and swelling in fusion materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cottrell, G.A.

2003-01-01

A recent analysis of the migration of voids and bubbles, produced in neutron irradiated fusion materials, is outlined. The migration, brought about by thermal hopping of atoms on the surface of a void, is normally a random Brownian motion but, in a temperature gradient, can be slightly biassed up the gradient. Two effects of such migrations are the transport of voids and trapped transmutation helium atoms to grain boundaries, where embrittlement may result; and the coalescence of migrating voids, which reduces the number of non-dislocation sites available for the capture of knock-on point defects and thereby enables the dislocation bias process to maintain void swelling. A selection of candidate fusion power plant armour and structural metals have been analysed. The metals most resistant to void migration and its effects are tungsten and molybdenum. Steel and beryllium are least so and vanadium is intermediate

VIDE: The Void IDentification and Examination toolkit

Science.gov (United States)

Sutter, P. M.; Lavaux, G.; Hamaus, N.; Pisani, A.; Wandelt, B. D.; Warren, M.; Villaescusa-Navarro, F.; Zivick, P.; Mao, Q.; Thompson, B. B.

2015-03-01

We present VIDE, the Void IDentification and Examination toolkit, an open-source Python/C++ code for finding cosmic voids in galaxy redshift surveys and N-body simulations, characterizing their properties, and providing a platform for more detailed analysis. At its core, VIDE uses a substantially enhanced version of ZOBOV (Neyinck 2008) to calculate a Voronoi tessellation for estimating the density field and performing a watershed transform to construct voids. Additionally, VIDE provides significant functionality for both pre- and post-processing: for example, VIDE can work with volume- or magnitude-limited galaxy samples with arbitrary survey geometries, or dark matter particles or halo catalogs in a variety of common formats. It can also randomly subsample inputs and includes a Halo Occupation Distribution model for constructing mock galaxy populations. VIDE uses the watershed levels to place voids in a hierarchical tree, outputs a summary of void properties in plain ASCII, and provides a Python API to perform many analysis tasks, such as loading and manipulating void catalogs and particle members, filtering, plotting, computing clustering statistics, stacking, comparing catalogs, and fitting density profiles. While centered around ZOBOV, the toolkit is designed to be as modular as possible and accommodate other void finders. VIDE has been in development for several years and has already been used to produce a wealth of results, which we summarize in this work to highlight the capabilities of the toolkit. VIDE is publicly available at http://bitbucket.org/cosmicvoids/vide_public and http://www.cosmicvoids.net.

Reactive solute transport in physically and chemically heterogeneous porous media with multimodal reactive mineral facies: the Lagrangian approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Soltanian, Mohamad Reza; Ritzi, Robert W; Dai, Zhenxue; Huang, Chao Cheng

2015-03-01

Physical and chemical heterogeneities have a large impact on reactive transport in porous media. Examples of heterogeneous attributes affecting reactive mass transport are the hydraulic conductivity (K), and the equilibrium sorption distribution coefficient (Kd). This paper uses the Deng et al. (2013) conceptual model for multimodal reactive mineral facies and a Lagrangian-based stochastic theory in order to analyze the reactive solute dispersion in three-dimensional anisotropic heterogeneous porous media with hierarchical organization of reactive minerals. An example based on real field data is used to illustrate the time evolution trends of reactive solute dispersion. The results show that the correlation between the hydraulic conductivity and the equilibrium sorption distribution coefficient does have a significant effect on reactive solute dispersion. The anisotropy ratio does not have a significant effect on reactive solute dispersion. Furthermore, through a sensitivity analysis we investigate the impact of changing the mean, variance, and integral scale of K and Kd on reactive solute dispersion. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Enhancing Reactivity in Structural Energetic Materials

Science.gov (United States)

Glumac, Nick

2017-06-01

In many structural energetic materials, only a small fraction of the metal oxidizes, and yet this provides a significant boost in the overall energy release of the system. Different methodologies to enhance this reactivity include alloying and geometric modifications of microstructure of the reactive material (RM). In this presentation, we present the results of several years of systematic study of both chemical (alloy) and mechanical (geometry) effects on reactivity for systems with typical charge to case mass ratios. Alloys of aluminum with magnesium and lithium are considered, as these are common alloys in aerospace applications. In terms of geometric modifications, we consider surface texturing, inclusion of dense additives, and inclusion of voids. In all modifications, a measurable influence on output is observed, and this influence is related to the fragment size distribution measured from the observed residue. Support from DTRA is gratefully acknowledged.

Using Directional Diffusion Coefficients for Nonlinear Diffusion Acceleration of the First Order SN Equations in Near-Void Regions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schunert, Sebastian; Hammer, Hans; Lou, Jijie; Wang, Yaqi; Ortensi, Javier; Gleicher, Frederick; Baker, Benjamin; DeHart, Mark; Martineau, Richard

2016-11-01

The common definition of the diffusion coeffcient as the inverse of three times the transport cross section is not compat- ible with voids. Morel introduced a non-local tensor diffusion coeffcient that remains finite in voids[1]. It can be obtained by solving an auxiliary transport problem without scattering or fission. Larsen and Trahan successfully applied this diffusion coeffcient for enhancing the accuracy of diffusion solutions of very high temperature reactor (VHTR) problems that feature large, optically thin channels in the z-direction [2]. It is demonstrated that a significant reduction of error can be achieved in particular in the optically thin region. Along the same line of thought, non-local diffusion tensors are applied modeling the TREAT reactor confirming the findings of Larsen and Trahan [3]. Previous work of the authors have introduced a flexible Nonlinear-Diffusion Acceleration (NDA) method for the first order S N equations discretized with the discontinuous finite element method (DFEM), [4], [5], [6]. This NDA method uses a scalar diffusion coeffcient in the low-order system that is obtained as the flux weighted average of the inverse transport cross section. Hence, it su?ers from very large and potentially unbounded diffusion coeffcients in the low order problem. However, it was noted that the choice of the diffusion coeffcient does not influence consistency of the method at convergence and hence the di?usion coeffcient is essentially a free parameter. The choice of the di?usion coeffcient does, however, affect the convergence behavior of the nonlinear di?usion iterations. Within this work we use Morel’s non-local di?usion coef- ficient in the aforementioned NDA formulation in lieu of the flux weighted inverse of three times the transport cross section. The goal of this paper is to demonstrate that significant en- hancement of the spectral properties of NDA can be achieved in near void regions. For testing the spectral properties of the NDA

Development of quick-response area-averaged void fraction meter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watanabe, Hironori; Iguchi, Tadashi; Kimura, Mamoru; Anoda, Yoshinari

2000-11-01

Authors are performing experiments to investigate BWR thermal-hydraulic instability under coupling of neutronics and thermal-hydraulics. To perform the experiment, it is necessary to measure instantaneously area-averaged void fraction in rod bundle under high temperature/high pressure gas-liquid two-phase flow condition. Since there were no void fraction meters suitable for these requirements, we newly developed a practical void fraction meter. The principle of the meter is based on the electrical conductance changing with void fraction in gas-liquid two-phase flow. In this meter, metal flow channel wall is used as one electrode and a L-shaped line electrode installed at the center of flow channel is used as the other electrode. This electrode arrangement makes possible instantaneous measurement of area-averaged void fraction even under the metal flow channel. We performed experiments with air/water two-phase flow to clarify the void fraction meter performance. Experimental results indicated that void fraction was approximated by α=1-I/I o , where α and I are void fraction and current (I o is current at α=0). This relation holds in the wide range of void fraction of 0∼70%. The difference between α and 1-I/I o was approximately 10% at maximum. The major reasons of the difference are a void distribution over measurement area and an electrical insulation of the center electrode by bubbles. The principle and structure of this void fraction meter are very basic and simple. Therefore, the meter can be applied to various fields on gas-liquid two-phase flow studies. (author)

Development of a perturbation code, PERT-K, for hexagonal core geometry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Taek Kyum; Kim, Sang Ji; Song, Hoon; Kim, Young Il; Kim, Young Jin [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejon (Korea)

1999-01-01

A perturbation code for hexagonal core geometry has been developed based on Nodal Expansion Method. By using relevant output files of DIF3D code, it can calculate the reactivity changes caused by perturbation in composition or/and neutron cross section libraries. The accuracy of PERT-K code has been validated by calculating the reactivity changes due to fuel composition change, the sodium void coefficients, and the sample reactivity worths of BFS-73-1 critical experiments. In the case of 10% reduction in all fuel isotopics at a assembly located in the outer core, PERT-K computation agrees with the direct computation by DIF3D within 60 pcm. The sample reactivity worths of BFS-73-1 critical experiments are predicted with PERT-K code within the experimental error bounds. For 100% sodium void occurrence at the inner core, the maximum difference of reactivity changes between PERT-K and direct DIF3D computations is less than 40 pcm. On the other hand, the same sodium void condition at the outer core leads to a difference of reactivity change greater than 400 pcm. However, as sodium voiding becomes near zero value, the difference becomes less and rapidly falls within the acceptable bound, i.e. 40 pcm. (author). 11 refs., 9 figs., 6 tabs.

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

Nucleation of voids - the impurity effect

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, I-W; Taiwo, A.

1984-01-01

Nucleation of voids under irradiation in multicomponent alloys remains an unsolved theoretical problem. Of particular interest are the effects of nonequilibrium solute segregation phenomena on the critical nucleus and the nucleation rate. The resolution of the multicomponent nucleation in a dissipative system also has broader implication to the field of irreversible thermodynamics. The present paper describes a recent study of solute segregation effects in void nucleation. We begin with a thermodynamic model for a nonequilibrium void with interfacial segregation. The thermodynamic model is coupled with kinetic considerations of solute/solvent diffusion under a bias, which is itself related to segregation by the coating effect, to assess the stability of void embryos. To determine nucleation rate, we develop a novel technique by extending the most probable path method in statistical mechanics for nonequilibrium steady state to simulate large fluctuation with nonlinear dissipation. The path of nucleation is determined by solving an analogous problem on particle trajectory in classical dynamics. The results of both the stability analysis and the fluctuation analysis establish the paramount significance of the impurity effect via the mechanism of nonequilibrium segregation. We conclude that over-segregation is probably the most general cause for the apparently low nucleation barriers that are responsible for nearly ubiquitous occurrence of void swelling in common metals

The Metallicity of Void Dwarf Galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Kreckel, K.; Croxall, K.; Groves, B.; van de Weygaert, R.; Pogge, R. W.

2015-01-01

The current ΛCDM cosmological model predicts that galaxy evolution proceeds more slowly in lower density environments, suggesting that voids are a prime location to search for relatively pristine galaxies that are representative of the building blocks of early massive galaxies. To test the assumption that void galaxies are more pristine, we compare the evolutionary properties of a sample of dwarf galaxies selected specifically to lie in voids with a sample of similar isolated dwarf galaxies in average density environments. We measure gas-phase oxygen abundances and gas fractions for eight dwarf galaxies (Mr > -16.2), carefully selected to reside within the lowest density environments of seven voids, and apply the same calibrations to existing samples of isolated dwarf galaxies. We find no significant difference between these void dwarf galaxies and the isolated dwarf galaxies, suggesting that dwarf galaxy chemical evolution proceeds independent of the large-scale environment. While this sample is too small to draw strong conclusions, it suggests that external gas accretion is playing a limited role in the chemical evolution of these systems, and that this evolution is instead dominated mainly by the internal secular processes that are linking the simultaneous growth and enrichment of these galaxies.

Development of a standard database for FBR core nuclear design (XI). Analysis of the Experimental Fast Reactor 'JOYO' MK-I start-up test and operation data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yokoyama, Kenji; Numata, Kazuyuki

2000-03-01

As a recent research, Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute (JNC) develops a database of integral data in addition to the JUPITER experiments, aiming at further improvement for accuracy and reliability. In this report, the authors describe the evaluation of the C/E values and the sensitivity analysis for the Experimental Fast Reactor 'JOYO' MK-I core. The minimal criticality, sodium void reactivity worth, fuel assembly worth and burn-up coefficient were analyzed. The results of both the minimal criticality and the fuel assembly worth, which were calculated by the standard analytical method for JUPITER experiments, agreed well with the measured values. On the other hand, the results of the sodium void reactivity worth have a tendency to overestimate. As for the burn-up coefficient, it was seen that the C/E values had a dispersion among the operation cycles. The authors judged that further investigation for the estimation of the experimental error will increase the applicability of the integral data to the adjusted library. Furthermore, sensitivity analyses for the minimal criticality, sodium void reactivity worth and fuel assembly worth showed the characteristics of 'JOYO' MK-I core in comparison with ZPPR-9 core of JUPITER experiments. (J.P.N.)

Effect of void cluster on ductile failure evolution

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tvergaard, Viggo

2016-01-01

The behavior of a non-uniform void distribution in a ductile material is investigated by using a cell model analysis to study a material with a periodic pattern of void clusters. The special clusters considered consist of a number of uniformly spaced voids located along a plane perpendicular...

Friction stir welding process to repair voids in aluminum alloys

Science.gov (United States)

Rosen, Charles D. (Inventor); Litwinski, Edward (Inventor); Valdez, Juan M. (Inventor)

1999-01-01

The present invention provides an in-process method to repair voids in an aluminum alloy, particularly a friction stir weld in an aluminum alloy. For repairing a circular void or an in-process exit hole in a weld, the method includes the steps of fabricating filler material of the same composition or compatible with the parent material into a plug form to be fitted into the void, positioning the plug in the void, and friction stir welding over and through the plug. For repairing a longitudinal void (30), the method includes machining the void area to provide a trough (34) that subsumes the void, fabricating filler metal into a strip form (36) to be fitted into the trough, positioning the strip in the trough, and rewelding the void area by traversing a friction stir welding tool longitudinally through the strip. The method is also applicable for repairing welds made by a fusing welding process or voids in aluminum alloy workpieces themselves.

On nonlinear excitation of voids in dusty plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nebbat, E.; Annou, R.; Bharuthram, R.

2007-01-01

The void, which is a dust-free region inside the dust cloud in the plasma, results from a balance of the electrostatic force and the ion-drag force on a dust particulate that has numerous forms, some of which are based on models whereas others are driven from first principles. To explain the generation of voids, K. Avinash, A. Bhattacharjee, and S. Hu [Phys. Rev. Lett. 90, 075001 (2003)] proposed a time-dependent nonlinear model that describes the void as a result of an instability. We augment this model by incorporating the grain drift and reintroducing the velocity convective term as well as by replacing the modeled ion-drag force by a more accurate one. The analysis is conducted in a spherical configuration. It is revealed that the void formation is a threshold phenomenon, i.e., it depends on the grain size. Furthermore, the void possesses a sharp boundary beyond which the dust density decreases and may present a corrugated aspect. For big size grains, the use of both ion-drag forces leads to voids of the same dimension, though for grains of small sizes, the Avinash force drives voids of a higher dimension. The model shows good agreement with the experiment

On the effect of different placing ZrH moderator material on the performance of a SFR core

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Merk, B. [Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institut fuer Sicherheitsforschung, Postfach 51 01 19, 01314 Dresden (Germany); Weiss, F. P. [Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit GRS MbH Forschungszentrum, Boltzmannstr. 14, 85748 Garching (Germany)

2012-07-01

This study describes the development of a sodium fast reactor fuel assembly design with reduced void reactivity coefficient, achieved through the use of the ZrH moderating material. In the study the sodium void effect, as well as the major feedback coefficients are analyzed. Besides the feedback coefficients, the influence on the operational parameters like neutron flux distribution, power distribution, and burnup distribution is investigated for the different possibilities of arranging the moderating material in the fuel assembly. Additionally, the fuel cycle parameters - breeding and minor actinide production - are analyzed. For a first evaluation of the behavior during transients the influence of temperature changes in the ZrH is studied. (authors)

Critical Void Volume Fraction fc at Void Coalescence for S235JR Steel at Low Initial Stress Triaxiality

Science.gov (United States)

Grzegorz Kossakowski, Paweł; Wciślik, Wiktor

2017-10-01

The paper is concerned with the nucleation, growth and coalescence of microdefects in the form of voids in S235JR steel. The material is known to be one of the basic steel grades commonly used in the construction industry. The theory and methods of damage mechanics were applied to determine and describe the failure mechanisms that occur when the material undergoes deformation. Until now, engineers have generally employed the Gurson-Tvergaard- Needleman model. This material model based on damage mechanics is well suited to define and analyze failure processes taking place in the microstructure of S235JR steel. It is particularly important to determine the critical void volume fraction fc , which is one of the basic parameters of the Gurson-Tvergaard-Needleman material model. As the critical void volume fraction fc refers to the failure stage, it is determined from the data collected for the void coalescence phase. A case of multi-axial stresses is considered taking into account the effects of spatial stress state. In this study, the parameter of stress triaxiality η was used to describe the failure phenomena. Cylindrical tensile specimens with a circumferential notch were analysed to obtain low values of initial stress triaxiality (η = 0.556 of the range) in order to determine the critical void volume fraction fc . It is essential to emphasize how unique the method applied is and how different it is from the other more common methods involving parameter calibration, i.e. curve-fitting methods. The critical void volume fraction fc at void coalescence was established through digital image analysis of surfaces of S235JR steel, which involved studying real, physical results obtained directly from the material tested.

Bowing-reactivity trends in EBR-II assuming zero-swelling ducts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meneghetti, D.

1994-01-01

Predicted trends of duct-bowing reactivities for the Experimental Breeder Reactor II (EBR-II) are correlated with predicted row-wise duct deflections assuming use of idealized zero-void-swelling subassembly ducts. These assume no irradiation induced swellings of ducts but include estimates of the effects of irradiation-creep relaxation of thermally induced bowing stresses. The results illustrate the manners in which at-power creeps may affect subsequent duct deflections at zero power and thereby the trends of the bowing component of a subsequent power reactivity decrement

Simulation of dust voids in complex plasmas

Science.gov (United States)

Goedheer, W. J.; Land, V.

2008-12-01

In dusty radio-frequency (RF) discharges under micro-gravity conditions often a void is observed, a dust free region in the discharge center. This void is generated by the drag of the positive ions pulled out of the discharge by the electric field. We have developed a hydrodynamic model for dusty RF discharges in argon to study the behaviour of the void and the interaction between the dust and the plasma background. The model is based on a recently developed theory for the ion drag force and the charging of the dust. With this model, we studied the plasma inside the void and obtained an understanding of the way it is sustained by heat generated in the surrounding dust cloud. When this heating mechanism is suppressed by lowering the RF power, the plasma density inside the void decreases, even below the level where the void collapses, as was recently shown in experiments on board the International Space Station. In this paper we present results of simulations of this collapse. At reduced power levels the collapsed central cloud behaves as an electronegative plasma with corresponding low time-averaged electric fields. This enables the creation of relatively homogeneous Yukawa balls, containing more than 100 000 particles. On earth, thermophoresis can be used to balance gravity and obtain similar dust distributions.

Void formation and its impact on Cu−Sn intermetallic compound formation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ross, Glenn; Vuorinen, Vesa; Paulasto-Kröckel, Mervi

2016-01-01

Void formation in the Cu−Sn system has been identified as a major reliability issue with small volume electronic interconnects. Voids form during the interdiffusion of electrochemically deposited Cu and Sn, with varying magnitude and density. Electroplating parameters include the electrolytic chemistry composition and the electroplating current density, all of which appear to effect the voiding characteristics of the Cu−Sn system. In addition, interfacial voiding affects the growth kinetics of the Cu_3Sn and Cu_6Sn_5 intermetallic compounds of the Cu−Sn system. The aim here is to present voiding data as a function of electroplating chemistry and current density over a duration (up to 72 h) of isothermal annealing at 423 K (150 °C). Voiding data includes the average interfacial void size and average void density. Voids sizes grew proportionally as a function of thermal annealing time, whereas the void density grew initially very quickly but tended to saturate at a fixed density. A morphological evolution analysis called the physicochemical approach is utilised to understand the processes that occur when a voided Cu/Cu_3Sn interface causes changes to the IMC phase growth. The method is used to simulate the intermetallic thickness growths' response to interfacial voiding. The Cu/Cu_3Sn interface acts as a Cu diffusion barrier disrupting the diffusion of Cu. This resulted in a reduction in the Cu_3Sn thickness and an accelerated growth rate of Cu_6Sn_5. - Highlights: • Average void size is proportional linearly to thermal annealing time. • Average void density grows initially very rapidly followed by saturation. • Voids located close to the Cu/Cu_3Sn interface affect IMC growth rates. • Voids act as a diffusion barrier inhibiting Cu diffusion towards Sn. • Voids located at the interface cause Cu_3Sn to be consumed by Cu_6Sn_5.

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.

Safety aspect of long-life small safe power reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zaki, S.; Sekimoto, H.

1995-01-01

Safety aspects of several design options of long-life small safe fast power reactors using nitride fuel and lead-bismuth as coolant are discussed. In the present study hypothetical accidents are simulated for these reactors, i.e., unprotected simultaneous ULOF (total loss of primary pumping system) and UTOP (rod run out transient over power) accidents, caused by the simultaneous withdrawal of all control rods. The proposed designs have some important safety characteristics as low reactivity swing (only 0.2-0.25$), and negative coolant void coefficient over whole burnup period. Effectively negative value of all components of reactivity during an accident is observed. The safety performances of the balance, pancake, and tall slender type of core, each of them satisfy reactivity and negative coolant void coefficient constraint, against the above accident are compared. The simulation results show that all of the design options can survive the above accidents without the help of reactor scram and without the need of operator actions. (author)

Program package for determining the boundary of NPP stability region in the space of reactivity coefficients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Znyshev, V.V.; Nikolaev, M.Ya.; Novikova, L.V.; Sinyavskij, V.V.

1987-01-01

The GOUKOR program package (FORTRAN, BESM-6 computer), allowing one to calculate stability region boundary in the space of NPP reactivity coefficients, is developed. Transfer functions, which may be obtained experimentally or by calculating the NPP mathematical model under low perturbations, when the model nonlineary effect becomes disregardingly low, are necessary for the package operation. Transfer functions are assigned at several points and in the package they are interpolated either in piecewise manner or by cubical splines. Evaluation of the error effect in the transfer function representation on the transmission function calculation error is performed. It is shown, that transfer function interpolation by cubical splines as compared to the piecewise interpolation allows one to reduce the number of points, assigning the transfer functions without reducing the transmission function calculation accuracy

Learning from errors: analysis of medication order voiding in CPOE systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Kannampallil, Thomas G; Abraham, Joanna; Solotskaya, Anna; Philip, Sneha G; Lambert, Bruce L; Schiff, Gordon D; Wright, Adam; Galanter, William L

2017-07-01

Medication order voiding allows clinicians to indicate that an existing order was placed in error. We explored whether the order voiding function could be used to record and study medication ordering errors. We examined medication orders from an academic medical center for a 6-year period (2006-2011; n  = 5 804 150). We categorized orders based on status (void, not void) and clinician-provided reasons for voiding. We used multivariable logistic regression to investigate the association between order voiding and clinician, patient, and order characteristics. We conducted chart reviews on a random sample of voided orders ( n  = 198) to investigate the rate of medication ordering errors among voided orders, and the accuracy of clinician-provided reasons for voiding. We found that 0.49% of all orders were voided. Order voiding was associated with clinician type (physician, pharmacist, nurse, student, other) and order type (inpatient, prescription, home medications by history). An estimated 70 ± 10% of voided orders were due to medication ordering errors. Clinician-provided reasons for voiding were reasonably predictive of the actual cause of error for duplicate orders (72%), but not for other reasons. Medication safety initiatives require availability of error data to create repositories for learning and training. The voiding function is available in several electronic health record systems, so order voiding could provide a low-effort mechanism for self-reporting of medication ordering errors. Additional clinician training could help increase the quality of such reporting. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

JNC results of BFS-62-3A benchmark calculation (CRP: Phase 5)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishikawa, M.

2004-01-01

The present work is the results of JNC, Japan, for the Phase 5 of IAEA CRP benchmark problem (BFS-62-3A critical experiment). Analytical Method of JNC is based on Nuclear Data Library JENDL-3.2; Group Constant Set JFS-3-J3.2R: 70-group, ABBN-type self-shielding factor table based on JENDL-3.2; Effective Cross-section - Current-weighted multigroup transport cross-section. Cell model for the BFS as-built tube and pellets was (Case 1) Homogeneous Model based on IPPE definition; (Case 2) Homogeneous atomic density equivalent to JNC's heterogeneous calculation only to cross-check the adjusted correction factors; (Case 3) Heterogeneous model based on JNC's evaluation, One-dimensional plate-stretch model with Tone's background cross-section method (CASUP code). Basic diffusion Calculation was done in 18-groups and three-dimensional Hex-Z model (by the CITATION code), with Isotropic diffusion coefficients (Case 1 and 2), and Benoist's anisotropic diffusion coefficients (Case 3). For sodium void reactivity, the exact perturbation theory was applied both to basic calculation and correction calculations, ultra-fine energy group correction - approx. 100,000 group constants below 50 keV, and ABBN-type 175 group constants with shielding factors above 50 keV. Transport theory and mesh size correction 18-group, was used for three-dimensional Hex-Z model (the MINIHEX code based on the S4-P0 transport method, which was developed by JNC. Effective delayed Neutron fraction in the reactivity scale was fixed at 0.00623 by IPPE evaluation. Analytical Results of criticality values and sodium void reactivity coefficient obtained by JNC are presented. JNC made a cross-check of the homogeneous model and the adjusted correction factors submitted by IPPE, and confirmed they are consistent. JNC standard system showed quite satisfactory analytical results for the criticality and the sodium void reactivity of BFS-62-3A experiment. JNC calculated the cross-section sensitivity coefficients of BFS

Air void clustering.

Science.gov (United States)

2015-06-01

Air void clustering around coarse aggregate in concrete has been identified as a potential source of : low strengths in concrete mixes by several Departments of Transportation around the country. Research was : carried out to (1) develop a quantitati...

Void formation and its impact on Cu−Sn intermetallic compound formation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ross, Glenn, E-mail: Glenn.Ross@aalto.fi; Vuorinen, Vesa; Paulasto-Kröckel, Mervi

2016-08-25

Void formation in the Cu−Sn system has been identified as a major reliability issue with small volume electronic interconnects. Voids form during the interdiffusion of electrochemically deposited Cu and Sn, with varying magnitude and density. Electroplating parameters include the electrolytic chemistry composition and the electroplating current density, all of which appear to effect the voiding characteristics of the Cu−Sn system. In addition, interfacial voiding affects the growth kinetics of the Cu{sub 3}Sn and Cu{sub 6}Sn{sub 5} intermetallic compounds of the Cu−Sn system. The aim here is to present voiding data as a function of electroplating chemistry and current density over a duration (up to 72 h) of isothermal annealing at 423 K (150 °C). Voiding data includes the average interfacial void size and average void density. Voids sizes grew proportionally as a function of thermal annealing time, whereas the void density grew initially very quickly but tended to saturate at a fixed density. A morphological evolution analysis called the physicochemical approach is utilised to understand the processes that occur when a voided Cu/Cu{sub 3}Sn interface causes changes to the IMC phase growth. The method is used to simulate the intermetallic thickness growths' response to interfacial voiding. The Cu/Cu{sub 3}Sn interface acts as a Cu diffusion barrier disrupting the diffusion of Cu. This resulted in a reduction in the Cu{sub 3}Sn thickness and an accelerated growth rate of Cu{sub 6}Sn{sub 5}. - Highlights: • Average void size is proportional linearly to thermal annealing time. • Average void density grows initially very rapidly followed by saturation. • Voids located close to the Cu/Cu{sub 3}Sn interface affect IMC growth rates. • Voids act as a diffusion barrier inhibiting Cu diffusion towards Sn. • Voids located at the interface cause Cu{sub 3}Sn to be consumed by Cu{sub 6}Sn{sub 5}.

Modification and validation of the natural heat convection and subcooled void formation models in the code PARET

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hainoun, A.; Alhabit, F.; Ghazi, N.

2008-01-01

Two new modifications have been included in the current PARET code that is widely applied in the dynamic and safety analysis of research reactors. A new model was implemented for the simulation of void formation in the subcooled boiling regime, the other modification dealt with the implementation of a new approach to improve the prediction of heat transfer coefficient under natural circulation condition. The modified code was successfully validated using adequate single effect tests covering the physical phenomena of interest for both natural circulation and subcooled void formation at low pressure and low heat flux. The validation results indicate significant improvement of the code compared to the default version. Additionally, to simplify the code application an interactive user interface was developed enabling pre and post-processing of the code predictions. (author)

Development of a three dimensional homogeneous calculation model for the BFS-62 critical experiment. Preparation of adjusted equivalent measured values for sodium void reactivity values. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Manturov, G.; Semenov, M.; Seregin, A.; Lykova, L.

2004-01-01

The BFS-62 critical experiments are currently used as 'benchmark' for verification of IPPE codes and nuclear data, which have been used in the study of loading a significant amount of Pu in fast reactors. The BFS-62 experiments have been performed at BFS-2 critical facility of IPPE (Obninsk). The experimental program has been arranged in such a way that the effect of replacement of uranium dioxied blanket by the steel reflector as well as the effect of replacing UOX by MOX on the main characteristics of the reactor model was studied. Wide experimental program, including measurements of the criticality-keff, spectral indices, radial and axial fission rate distributions, control rod mock-up worth, sodium void reactivity effect SVRE and some other important nuclear physics parameters, was fulfilled in the core. Series of 4 BFS-62 critical assemblies have been designed for studying the changes in BN-600 reactor physics from existing state to hybrid core. All the assemblies are modeling the reactor state prior to refueling, i.e. with all control rod mock-ups withdrawn from the core. The following items are chosen for the analysis in this report: Description of the critical assembly BFS-62-3A as the 3rd assembly in a series of 4 BFS critical assemblies studying BN-600 reactor with MOX-UOX hybrid zone and steel reflector; Development of a 3D homogeneous calculation model for the BFS-62-3A critical experiment as the mock-up of BN-600 reactor with hybrid zone and steel reflector; Evaluation of measured nuclear physics parameters keff and SVRE (sodium void reactivity effect); Preparation of adjusted equivalent measured values for keff and SVRE. Main series of calculations are performed using 3D HEX-Z diffusion code TRIGEX in 26 groups, with the ABBN-93 cross-section set. In addition, precise calculations are made, in 299 groups and Ps-approximation in scattering, by Monte-Carlo code MMKKENO and discrete ordinate code TWODANT. All calculations are based on the common system

Performance of Transuranic-Loaded Fully Ceramic Micro-Encapsulated Fuel in LWRs Final Report, Including Void Reactivity Evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pope, Michael A.; Sen, R. Sonat; Boer, Brian; Ougouag, Abderrafi M.; Youinou, Gilles

2011-01-01

The current focus of the Deep Burn Project is on once-through burning of transuranics (TRU) in light-water reactors (LWRs). The fuel form is called Fully-Ceramic Micro-encapsulated (FCM) fuel, a concept that borrows the tri-isotropic (TRISO) fuel particle design from high-temperature reactor technology. In the Deep Burn LWR (DB-LWR) concept, these fuel particles are pressed into compacts using SiC matrix material and loaded into fuel pins for use in conventional LWRs. The TRU loading comes from the spent fuel of a conventional LWR after 5 years of cooling. Unit cell and assembly calculations have been performed using the DRAGON-4 code to assess the physics attributes of TRU-only FCM fuel in an LWR lattice. Depletion calculations assuming an infinite lattice condition were performed with calculations of various reactivity coefficients performed at each step. Unit cells and assemblies containing typical UO2 and mixed oxide (MOX) fuel were analyzed in the same way to provide a baseline against which to compare the TRU-only FCM fuel. Then, assembly calculations were performed evaluating the performance of heterogeneous arrangements of TRU-only FCM fuel pins along with UO2 pins.

LOG-NORMAL DISTRIBUTION OF COSMIC VOIDS IN SIMULATIONS AND MOCKS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Russell, E.; Pycke, J.-R., E-mail: er111@nyu.edu, E-mail: jrp15@nyu.edu [Division of Science and Mathematics, New York University Abu Dhabi, P.O. Box 129188, Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates)

2017-01-20

Following up on previous studies, we complete here a full analysis of the void size distributions of the Cosmic Void Catalog based on three different simulation and mock catalogs: dark matter (DM), haloes, and galaxies. Based on this analysis, we attempt to answer two questions: Is a three-parameter log-normal distribution a good candidate to satisfy the void size distributions obtained from different types of environments? Is there a direct relation between the shape parameters of the void size distribution and the environmental effects? In an attempt to answer these questions, we find here that all void size distributions of these data samples satisfy the three-parameter log-normal distribution whether the environment is dominated by DM, haloes, or galaxies. In addition, the shape parameters of the three-parameter log-normal void size distribution seem highly affected by environment, particularly existing substructures. Therefore, we show two quantitative relations given by linear equations between the skewness and the maximum tree depth, and between the variance of the void size distribution and the maximum tree depth, directly from the simulated data. In addition to this, we find that the percentage of voids with nonzero central density in the data sets has a critical importance. If the number of voids with nonzero central density reaches ≥3.84% in a simulation/mock sample, then a second population is observed in the void size distributions. This second population emerges as a second peak in the log-normal void size distribution at larger radius.

Void growth to coalescence in a non-local material

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Niordson, Christian Frithiof

2008-01-01

of different material length parameters in a multi-parameter theory is studied, and it is shown that the important length parameter is the same as under purely hydrostatic loading. It is quantified how micron scale voids grow less rapidly than larger voids, and the implications of this in the overall strength...... of the material is emphasized. The size effect on the onset of coalescence is studied, and results for the void volume fraction and the strain at the onset of coalescence are presented. It is concluded that for cracked specimens not only the void volume fraction, but also the typical void size is of importance...... to the fracture strength of ductile materials....

Void nucleation at elevated temperatures under cascade-damage irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Semenov, A.A.; Woo, C.H.

2002-01-01

The effects on void nucleation of fluctuations respectively due to the randomness of point-defect migratory jumps, the random generation of free point defects in discrete packages, and the fluctuating rate of vacancy emission from voids are considered. It was found that effects of the cascade-induced fluctuations are significant only at sufficiently high total sink strength. At lower sink strengths and elevated temperatures, the fluctuation in the rate of vacancy emission is the dominant factor. Application of the present theory to the void nucleation in annealed pure copper neutron-irradiated at elevated temperatures with doses of 10 -4 -10 -2 NRT dpa showed reasonable agreement between theory and experiment. This application also predicts correctly the temporal development of large-scale spatial heterogeneous microstructure during the void nucleation stage. Comparison between calculated and experimental void nucleation rates in neutron-irradiated molybdenum at temperatures where vacancy emission from voids is negligible showed reasonable agreement as well. It was clearly demonstrated that the athermal shrinkage of relatively large voids experimentally observable in molybdenum at such temperatures may be easily explained in the framework of the present theory

Influence of void ratio on thermal performance of heat pipe receiver

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gui Xiaohong; Tang Dawei; Liang Shiqiang; Lin Bin; Yuan Xiugan

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► The temperature gradient increases significantly and the utility ratio of PCM decreases obviously as void ratio increases. ► Void cavity influences the process of phase change greatly. ► PCM melts slowly during sunlight periods and freezes slowly during eclipse periods as void ratio increases. ► The temperature gradient of PCM zone is very significant with the effect of void cavity. - Abstract: In this paper, influence of void ratio on thermal performance of heat pipe receiver under microgravity is numerically simulated. Accordingly, mathematical model is set up. Numerical method is offered. The temperature field of Phase Change Material (PCM) canister is shown. Numerical results are compared with numerical ones of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Numerical results show that the temperature gradient increases significantly and the utility ratio of PCM decreases obviously as void ratio increases. Void cavity influences the process of phase change greatly. PCM melts slowly during sunlight periods and freezes slowly during eclipse periods as void ratio increases. The thermal resistance of void cavity is much bigger than that of PCM canister wall. Void cavity prevents the heat transfer between PCM zone and canister wall. The temperature gradient of PCM zone is very significant with the effect of void cavity. So the thermal stress of heat pipe receiver may increase, and the lifetime may decrease as void ratio increases.

Void growth and coalescence in metals deformed at elevated temperature

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Klöcker, H.; Tvergaard, Viggo

2000-01-01

For metals deformed at elevated temperatures the growth of voids to coalescence is studied numerically. The voids are assumed to be present from the beginning of deformation, and the rate of deformation considered is so high that void growth is dominated by power law creep of the material, without...... any noticeable effect of surface diffusion. Axisymmetric unit cell model computations are used to study void growth in a material containing a periodic array of voids, and the onset of the coalescence process is defined as the stage where plastic flow localizes in the ligaments between neighbouring...... voids. The focus of the study is on various relatively high stress triaxialties. In order to represent the results in terms of a porous ductile material model a set of constitutive relations are used, which have been proposed for void growth in a material undergoing power law creep....

Effect of the critical size of initial voids on stress-induced migration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aoyagi, Minoru

2004-01-01

The stress-induced migration phenomenon is one of the problems related to the reliability of metal interconnections in semiconductor devices. This phenomenon causes voids and fractures in interconnections. The basic feature of this phenomenon is vacancy migration to minute initial voids. Expanding initial voids grow into larger voids and fractures. The purpose of this work is to theoretically clarify the effects of residual thermal stress and void surface stress on the behavior of the initial voids which exist immediately after a passivation process. Using a spherical metal sample with a spherical void under external stress, vacancy absorption or emission was investigated between the void surface and the sample surface. The behavior of vacancies and atoms was also investigated in interconnections under residual thermal stress. We show that the void or sample surface becomes a vacancy sink or source, depending on the mutual relationship between the surface stress due to the surface-free energy and the residual thermal stress. We also reveal that the initial voids, which exist immediately after a passivation process, grow into larger voids and fractures when the size of the initial voids exceeds the critical size. If the size of the initial void can be controlled to below the critical size, voids and fractures do not occur

Void growth to coalescence in a non-local material

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Niordson, Christian Frithiof

of different material length parameters in a multi-parameter theory is studied, and it is shown that the important length parameter is the same as under purely hydrostatic loading. It is quantified how micron scale voids grow less rapidly than larger voids, and the implications of this in the overall strength...... of the material is emphasized. It is concluded that for cracked specimens not only the void volume fraction, but also the typical void size is of importance to the fracture strength of ductile materials....

Stability of void lattices under irradiation: a kinetic model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benoist, P.; Martin, G.

1975-01-01

Voids are imbedded in a homogeneous medium where point defects are uniformly created and annihilated. As shown by a perturbation calculation, the proportion of the defects which are lost on the cavities goes through a maximum, when the voids are arranged on a translation lattice. If a void is displaced from its lattice site, its growth rate becomes anisotropic and is larger in the direction of the vacant site. The relative efficiency of BCC versus FCC void lattices for the capture of point defects is shown to depend on the relaxation length of the point defects in the surrounding medium. It is shown that the rate of energy dissipation in the crystal under irradiation is maximum when the voids are ordered on the appropriate lattice

Stability of void lattices under irradiation: a kinetic model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benoist, P.; Martin, G.

1975-01-01

Voids are imbedded in a homogeneous medium where point defects are uniformly created and annihilated. As shown by a perturbation calculation, the proportion of the defects which are lost on the cavities goes through a maximum, when the voids are arranged on a translation lattice. If a void is displaced from its lattice site, its growth the rate becomes anisotropic and is larger in the direction of the vacant site. The relative efficiency of BCC versus FCC void lattices for the capture of point defects is shown to depend on the relaxation length of the point defects in the surrounding medium. It is shown that the rate of energy dissipation in the crystal under irradiation is maximum when the voids are ordered on the appropriate lattice [fr

Kinetics parameter measurements on RSG-GAS, a low-enriched fuel reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jujuratisbela, U; Arbie, B; Pinem, S.; Tukiran; Suparlina, L.; Singh, O.P.

1995-01-01

Kinetics parameter measurements, such as reactivity worths of control rods and fuel elements, beam tube void reactivity, power reactivity coefficient and xenon poisoning reactivity have been performed on different cores of Reaktor Serba Guna G.A. Siwabessy (RSG-GAS). In parallel, a programme was also initiated to measure the other kinetics parameters like effective delayed neutron life time, prompt neutron decay constant, validation of period reactivity relationship and zero power frequency response function. The paper provides the results of these measurements. (author)

Automated air-void system characterization of hardened concrete: Helping computers to count air-voids like people count air-voids---Methods for flatbed scanner calibration

Science.gov (United States)

Peterson, Karl

Since the discovery in the late 1930s that air entrainment can improve the durability of concrete, it has been important for people to know the quantity, spacial distribution, and size distribution of the air-voids in their concrete mixes in order to ensure a durable final product. The task of air-void system characterization has fallen on the microscopist, who, according to a standard test method laid forth by the American Society of Testing and Materials, must meticulously count or measure about a thousand air-voids per sample as exposed on a cut and polished cross-section of concrete. The equipment used to perform this task has traditionally included a stereomicroscope, a mechanical stage, and a tally counter. Over the past 30 years, with the availability of computers and digital imaging, automated methods have been introduced to perform the same task, but using the same basic equipment. The method described here replaces the microscope and mechanical stage with an ordinary flatbed desktop scanner, and replaces the microscopist and tally counter with a personal computer; two pieces of equipment much more readily available than a microscope with a mechanical stage, and certainly easier to find than a person willing to sit for extended periods of time counting air-voids. Most laboratories that perform air-void system characterization typically have cabinets full of prepared samples with corresponding results from manual operators. Proponents of automated methods often take advantage of this fact by analyzing the same samples and comparing the results. A similar iterative approach is described here where scanned images collected from a significant number of samples are analyzed, the results compared to those of the manual operator, and the settings optimized to best approximate the results of the manual operator. The results of this calibration procedure are compared to an alternative calibration procedure based on the more rigorous digital image accuracy

Design and safety aspect of lead and lead-bismuth cooled long-life small safe fast reactors for various core configurations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zaki, S.; Sekimoto, Hiroshi

1995-01-01

Design and safety aspects of long-life small safe fast reactors using liquid lead or lead-bismuth coolant with metallic or nitride fuel are discussed. Neutronic analyses are performed to investigate the effect of core height to diameter ratio (H/D) on design performance of the proposed reactors. All reactors are subjected to the constraint of 12 years operation without refueling and shuffling with constant 150 MWt reactor power and also to the requirement of maximum excess reactivity during burnup to be less than 0.1%Δk. The results show that the pancake design with H/D of ∼2/3 gives the most negative coolant void coefficient under the requirements for excess reactivity. Modified designs with the central region axially fulfilled with fertile material are proposed to improve the coolant void coefficient. Thermal-hydraulic analysis results show the possibility to operate the reactors up to the end of life without changing their orifice pattern, necessary pumping power for the proposed design smaller than the conventional large sodium cooled FBR, and the natural circulation contribution of 25-40% at the normal operating condition. The reactivity feedback coefficients are also estimated and appeared to be negative for all the components including the coolant density coefficient. (author)

Closure behavior of spherical void in slab during hot rolling process

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Rong; Zhang, Jiongming; Wang, Bo

2018-04-01

The mechanical properties of steels are heavily deteriorated by voids. The influence of voids on the product quality should be eliminated through rolling processes. The study on the void closure during hot rolling processes is necessary. In present work, the closure behavior of voids at the center of a slab at 800 °C during hot rolling processes has been simulated with a 3D finite element model. The shape of the void and the plastic strain distribution of the slab are obtained by this model. The void decreases along the slab thickness direction and spreads along the rolling direction but hardly changes along the strip width direction. The relationship between closure behavior of voids and the plastic strain at the center of the slab is analyzed. The effects of rolling reduction, slab thickness and roller diameter on the closure behavior of voids are discussed. The larger reduction, thinner slab and larger roller diameter all improve the closure of voids during hot rolling processes. Experimental results of the closure behavior of a void in the slab during hot rolling process mostly agree with the simulation results..

Evaluation of the Air Void Analyzer

Science.gov (United States)

2013-07-01

concrete using image analysis: Petrography of cementitious materials. ASTM STP 1215. S.M. DeHayes and D. Stark, eds. Philadelphia, PA: American...Administration (FHWA). 2006. Priority, market -ready technologies and innovations: Air Void Analyzer. Washington D.C. PDF file. Germann Instruments (GI). 2011...tests and properties of concrete and concrete-making materials. STP 169D. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM International. Magura, D.D. 1996. Air void

On the observability of coupled dark energy with cosmic voids

Science.gov (United States)

Sutter, P. M.; Carlesi, Edoardo; Wandelt, Benjamin D.; Knebe, Alexander

2015-01-01

Taking N-body simulations with volumes and particle densities tuned to match the sloan digital sky survey DR7 spectroscopic main sample, we assess the ability of current void catalogues to distinguish a model of coupled dark matter-dark energy from Λ cold dark matter cosmology using properties of cosmic voids. Identifying voids with the VIDE toolkit, we find no statistically significant differences in the ellipticities, but find that coupling produces a population of significantly larger voids, possibly explaining the recent result of Tavasoli et al. In addition, we use the universal density profile of Hamaus et al. to quantify the relationship between coupling and density profile shape, finding that the coupling produces broader, shallower, undercompensated profiles for large voids by thinning the walls between adjacent medium-scale voids. We find that these differences are potentially measurable with existing void catalogues once effects from survey geometries and peculiar velocities are taken into account.

Void formation in irradiated binary nickel alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shaikh, M.A.; Ahmed, M.; Akhter, J.I.

1994-01-01

In this work a computer program has been used to compute void radius, void density and swelling parameter for nickel and binary nickel-carbon alloys irradiated with nickel ions of 100 keV. The aim is to compare the computed results with experimental results already reported

Comparative study of void fraction models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borges, R.C.; Freitas, R.L.

1985-01-01

Some models for the calculation of void fraction in water in sub-cooled boiling and saturated vertical upward flow with forced convection have been selected and compared with experimental results in the pressure range of 1 to 150 bar. In order to know the void fraction axial distribution it is necessary to determine the net generation of vapour and the fluid temperature distribution in the slightly sub-cooled boiling region. It was verified that the net generation of vapour was well represented by the Saha-Zuber model. The selected models for the void fraction calculation present adequate results but with a tendency to super-estimate the experimental results, in particular the homogeneous models. The drift flux model is recommended, followed by the Armand and Smith models. (F.E.) [pt

Is abdominal wall contraction important for normal voiding in the female rat?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Boone Timothy B

2007-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Normal voiding behavior in urethane-anesthetized rats includes contraction of the abdominal wall striated muscle, similar to the visceromotor response (VMR to noxious bladder distension. Normal rat voiding requires pulsatile release of urine from a pressurized bladder. The abdominal wall contraction accompanying urine flow may provide a necessary pressure increment for normal efficient pulsatile voiding. This study aimed to evaluate the occurrence and necessity of the voiding-associated abdominal wall activity in urethane-anesthetized female rats Methods A free-voiding model was designed to allow assessment of abdominal wall activity during voiding resulting from physiologic bladder filling, in the absence of bladder or urethral instrumentation. Physiologic diuresis was promoted by rapid intravascular hydration. Intercontraction interval (ICI, voided volumes and EMG activity of the rectus abdominis were quantified. The contribution of abdominal wall contraction to voiding was eliminated in a second group of rats by injecting botulinum-A (BTX, 5 U into each rectus abdominis to induce local paralysis. Uroflow parameters were compared between intact free-voiding and BTX-prepared animals. Results Abdominal wall response is present in free voiding. BTX preparation eliminated the voiding-associated EMG activity. Average per-void volume decreased from 1.8 ml to 1.1 ml (p Conclusion The voiding-associated abdominal wall response is a necessary component of normal voiding in urethane anesthetized female rats. As the proximal urethra may be the origin of the afferent signaling which results in the abdominal wall response, the importance of the bladder pressure increment due to this response may be in maintaining a normal duration intermittent pulsatile high frequency oscillatory (IPHFO/flow phase and thus efficient voiding. We propose the term Voiding-associated Abdominal Response (VAR for the physiologic voiding-associated EMG

Molecular dynamics modeling and simulation of void growth in two dimensions

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, H.-J.; Segurado, J.; Rodríguez de la Fuente, O.; Pabón, B. M.; LLorca, J.

2013-10-01

The mechanisms of growth of a circular void by plastic deformation were studied by means of molecular dynamics in two dimensions (2D). While previous molecular dynamics (MD) simulations in three dimensions (3D) have been limited to small voids (up to ≈10 nm in radius), this strategy allows us to study the behavior of voids of up to 100 nm in radius. MD simulations showed that plastic deformation was triggered by the nucleation of dislocations at the atomic steps of the void surface in the whole range of void sizes studied. The yield stress, defined as stress necessary to nucleate stable dislocations, decreased with temperature, but the void growth rate was not very sensitive to this parameter. Simulations under uniaxial tension, uniaxial deformation and biaxial deformation showed that the void growth rate increased very rapidly with multiaxiality but it did not depend on the initial void radius. These results were compared with previous 3D MD and 2D dislocation dynamics simulations to establish a map of mechanisms and size effects for plastic void growth in crystalline solids.

Molecular dynamics modeling and simulation of void growth in two dimensions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, H-J; Segurado, J; LLorca, J; Rodríguez de la Fuente, O; Pabón, B M

2013-01-01

The mechanisms of growth of a circular void by plastic deformation were studied by means of molecular dynamics in two dimensions (2D). While previous molecular dynamics (MD) simulations in three dimensions (3D) have been limited to small voids (up to ≈10 nm in radius), this strategy allows us to study the behavior of voids of up to 100 nm in radius. MD simulations showed that plastic deformation was triggered by the nucleation of dislocations at the atomic steps of the void surface in the whole range of void sizes studied. The yield stress, defined as stress necessary to nucleate stable dislocations, decreased with temperature, but the void growth rate was not very sensitive to this parameter. Simulations under uniaxial tension, uniaxial deformation and biaxial deformation showed that the void growth rate increased very rapidly with multiaxiality but it did not depend on the initial void radius. These results were compared with previous 3D MD and 2D dislocation dynamics simulations to establish a map of mechanisms and size effects for plastic void growth in crystalline solids. (paper)

Minor actinide burning in dedicated lead-bismuth cooled fast reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hejzlar, P.; Driscoll, M.J.; Kazimi, M.S.; Todreas, N.E.

2001-01-01

The destruction of minor actinides (MA) in dedicated burners is of contemporary interest in Europe and Japan because it requires the deployment of smaller number of special transmutation facilities. A major fraction of Pu from spent LWR fuel can be then burned in PWRs (or fast reactors) using dedicated fertile-free fuel assemblies. However, the design of MA burning fast spectrum cores poses significant challenges because of deterioration of key safety parameters, in particular of the coolant void coefficient. This study proposes the concept of an lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE)-cooled dedicated MA burner having metallic fuel (MA-Pu-Zr) and streaming assemblies to attain acceptable coolant void worth performance. It is shown that a large 1800 MWth fertile-free core containing 37 wt% TRU with very high fraction of MA(59 wt%) from LWR spent fuel can be burned in a first cycle for 700 EFPDs with a very small reactivity swing: less than β eff . Moreover, the reactivity void worth is negative for a fully voided core when all surrounding coolant is kept at reference density. However, the core reactivity increases as coolant density falls from the reference value of 10.25 to 6 g/cm 3 . Because its coolant density coefficient value is less than that of a sodium cooled IFR, the concept provides good potential for the achievement of self-regulation characteristics in unprotected events, provided that small negative fuel temperature feedback can be maintained. (authors)

Alignment of galaxy spins in the vicinity of voids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Slosar, Anže; White, Martin

2009-01-01

We provide limits on the alignment of galaxy orientations with the direction to the void center for galaxies lying near the edges of voids. We locate spherical voids in volume limited samples of galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey using the HB inspired void finder and investigate the orientation of (color selected) spiral galaxies that are nearly edge-on or face-on. In contrast with previous literature, we find no statistical evidence for departure from random orientations. Expressed in terms of the parameter c, introduced by Lee and Pen to describe the strength of such an alignment, we find that c0.11(0.13) at 95% (99.7%) confidence limit within a context of a toy model that assumes a perfectly spherical voids with sharp boundaries

Structure-dependent behavior of stress-induced voiding in Cu interconnects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Zhenyu; Yang Yintang; Chai Changchun; Li Yuejin; Wang Jiayou; Li Bin; Liu Jing

2010-01-01

Stress modeling and cross-section failure analysis by focused-ion-beam have been used to investigate stress-induced voiding phenomena in Cu interconnects. The voiding mechanism and the effect of the interconnect structure on the stress migration have been studied. The results show that the most concentrated tensile stress appears and voids form at corners of vias on top surfaces of Cu M1 lines. A simple model of stress induced voiding in which vacancies arise due to the increase of the chemical potential under tensile stress and diffuse under the force of stress gradient along the main diffusing path indicates that stress gradient rather than stress itself determines the voiding rate. Cu interconnects with larger vias show less resistance to stress-induced voiding due to larger stress gradient at corners of vias.

Void Fraction Instrument operation and maintenance manual

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borgonovi, G.; Stokes, T.I.; Pearce, K.L.; Martin, J.D.; Gimera, M.; Graves, D.B.

1994-09-01

This Operations and Maintenance Manual (O ampersand MM) addresses riser installation, equipment and personnel hazards, operating instructions, calibration, maintenance, removal, and other pertinent information necessary to safely operate and store the Void Fraction Instrument. Final decontamination and decommissioning of the Void Fraction Instrument are not covered in this document

Monte Carlo based diffusion coefficients for LMFBR analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Rooijen, Willem F.G.; Takeda, Toshikazu; Hazama, Taira

2010-01-01

A method based on Monte Carlo calculations is developed to estimate the diffusion coefficient of unit cells. The method uses a geometrical model similar to that used in lattice theory, but does not use the assumption of a separable fundamental mode used in lattice theory. The method uses standard Monte Carlo flux and current tallies, and the continuous energy Monte Carlo code MVP was used without modifications. Four models are presented to derive the diffusion coefficient from tally results of flux and partial currents. In this paper the method is applied to the calculation of a plate cell of the fast-spectrum critical facility ZEBRA. Conventional calculations of the diffusion coefficient diverge in the presence of planar voids in the lattice, but our Monte Carlo method can treat this situation without any problem. The Monte Carlo method was used to investigate the influence of geometrical modeling as well as the directional dependence of the diffusion coefficient. The method can be used to estimate the diffusion coefficient of complicated unit cells, the limitation being the capabilities of the Monte Carlo code. The method will be used in the future to confirm results for the diffusion coefficient obtained of the Monte Carlo code. The method will be used in the future to confirm results for the diffusion coefficient obtained with deterministic codes. (author)

Large-Scale Reactive Atomistic Simulation of Shock-induced Initiation Processes in Energetic Materials

Science.gov (United States)

Thompson, Aidan

2013-06-01

Initiation in energetic materials is fundamentally dependent on the interaction between a host of complex chemical and mechanical processes, occurring on scales ranging from intramolecular vibrations through molecular crystal plasticity up to hydrodynamic phenomena at the mesoscale. A variety of methods (e.g. quantum electronic structure methods (QM), non-reactive classical molecular dynamics (MD), mesoscopic continuum mechanics) exist to study processes occurring on each of these scales in isolation, but cannot describe how these processes interact with each other. In contrast, the ReaxFF reactive force field, implemented in the LAMMPS parallel MD code, allows us to routinely perform multimillion-atom reactive MD simulations of shock-induced initiation in a variety of energetic materials. This is done either by explicitly driving a shock-wave through the structure (NEMD) or by imposing thermodynamic constraints on the collective dynamics of the simulation cell e.g. using the Multiscale Shock Technique (MSST). These MD simulations allow us to directly observe how energy is transferred from the shockwave into other processes, including intramolecular vibrational modes, plastic deformation of the crystal, and hydrodynamic jetting at interfaces. These processes in turn cause thermal excitation of chemical bonds leading to initial chemical reactions, and ultimately to exothermic formation of product species. Results will be presented on the application of this approach to several important energetic materials, including pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) and ammonium nitrate/fuel oil (ANFO). In both cases, we validate the ReaxFF parameterizations against QM and experimental data. For PETN, we observe initiation occurring via different chemical pathways, depending on the shock direction. For PETN containing spherical voids, we observe enhanced sensitivity due to jetting, void collapse, and hotspot formation, with sensitivity increasing with void size. For ANFO, we

Relationship between voided volume and the urge to void among patients with lower urinary tract symptoms.

Science.gov (United States)

Blaivas, Jerry G; Tsui, Johnson F; Amirian, Michael; Ranasinghe, Buddima; Weiss, Jeffrey P; Haukka, Jari; Tikkinen, Kari A O

2014-12-01

The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between voided volume (VV) and urge to void among patients with lower urinary tract symptoms. Consecutive adult patients (aged 23-90 years) were enrolled, and completed a 24 h bladder diary and the Urgency Perception Scale (UPS). Patients were categorized as urgency or non-urgency based on the Overactive Bladder Symptom Score. The relationship between UPS and VV (based on the bladder diary) was analyzed by Spearman's rho and proportional odds model. In total, 1265 micturitions were evaluated in 117 individuals (41 men, 76 women; 56 individuals in the urgency and 61 in the non-urgency group). The mean (± SD) VV and UPS were 192 ± 127 ml and 2.4 ± 1.2 ml in the urgency group and 173 ± 124 ml and 1.7 ± 1.1 ml in the non-urgency group, respectively. Spearman's rho (between UPS and VV) was 0.21 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.13-029, p < 0.001] for the urgency group, 0.32 (95% CI 0.25-0.39, p < 0.001) for the non-urgency group, and 0.28 (95% CI 0.23-0.33, p < 0.001) for the total cohort. Urgency patients had higher UPS [odds ratio (OR) 3.1, 95% CI 2.5-3.8]. Overall, each additional 50 ml VV increased the odds of having a higher UPS with OR 1.2 (95% CI 1.2-1.3). The relationship between VV and UPS score was similar in both groups (p = 0.548 for interaction). Although urgency patients void with a higher UPS score, among both urgency and non-urgency patients there is only a weak correlation between VV and the urge to void. This suggests that there are factors other than VV that cause the urge to void.

Comparison of MCNP calculations against measurements in moderator temperature experiments with CANFLEX-LEU in ZED-2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watts, D.G.; Adams, F.P.; Zeller, M.B.; Bromley, B.P.

2008-01-01

This paper summarizes sample calculations of MCNP5 compared against measurements of moderator temperature coefficient experiments in the ZED-2 critical facility with CANFLEX-LEU fuel. MCNP5 is tested for key parameters associated with various reactor physics phenomena of interest for CANDU/ACR-1000) reactors, including reactivity changes with coolant density, moderator density, and moderator temperature, and also normalized flux distributions. The experimental data for these comparisons were obtained from critical experiments in AECL's ZED-2 critical facility using CANFLEX-LEU fuel in a 24-cm square lattice pitch. These comparisons establish biases/uncertainties in the calculation of k-eff, coolant void reactivity, and moderator temperature coefficient of reactivity. Results show very little bias in the moderator temperature coefficient of reactivity, and very good agreement in the calculation of normalized flux distributions. (author)

Mechanism of Void Prediction in Flip Chip Packages with Molded Underfill

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Kuo-Tsai; Hwang, Sheng-Jye; Lee, Huei-Huang

2017-08-01

Voids have always been present using the molded underfill (MUF) package process, which is a problem that needs further investigation. In this study, the process was studied using the Moldex3D numerical analysis software. The effects of gas (air vent effect) on the overall melt front were also considered. In this isothermal process containing two fluids, the gas and melt colloid interact in the mold cavity. Simulation enabled an appropriate understanding of the actual situation to be gained, and, through analysis, the void region and exact location of voids were predicted. First, the global flow end area was observed to predict the void movement trend, and then the local flow ends were observed to predict the location and size of voids. In the MUF 518 case study, simulations predicted the void region as well as the location and size of the voids. The void phenomenon in a flip chip ball grid array underfill is discussed as part of the study.

Reliability Impact of Stockpile Aging: Stress Voiding; TOPICAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

ROBINSON, DAVID G.

1999-01-01

The objective of this research is to statistically characterize the aging of integrated circuit interconnects. This report supersedes the stress void aging characterization presented in SAND99-0975, ''Reliability Degradation Due to Stockpile Aging,'' by the same author. The physics of the stress voiding, before and after wafer processing have been recently characterized by F. G. Yost in SAND99-0601, ''Stress Voiding during Wafer Processing''. The current effort extends this research to account for uncertainties in grain size, storage temperature, void spacing and initial residual stress and their impact on interconnect failure after wafer processing. The sensitivity of the life estimates to these uncertainties is also investigated. Various methods for characterizing the probability of failure of a conductor line were investigated including: Latin hypercube sampling (LHS), quasi-Monte Carlo sampling (qMC), as well as various analytical methods such as the advanced mean value (Ah/IV) method. The comparison was aided by the use of the Cassandra uncertainty analysis library. It was found that the only viable uncertainty analysis methods were those based on either LHS or quasi-Monte Carlo sampling. Analytical methods such as AMV could not be applied due to the nature of the stress voiding problem. The qMC method was chosen since it provided smaller estimation error for a given number of samples. The preliminary results indicate that the reliability of integrated circuits due to stress voiding is very sensitive to the underlying uncertainties associated with grain size and void spacing. In particular, accurate characterization of IC reliability depends heavily on not only the frost and second moments of the uncertainty distribution, but more specifically the unique form of the underlying distribution

The association of age of toilet training and dysfunctional voiding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hodges SJ

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Steve J Hodges, Kyle A Richards, Ilya Gorbachinsky, L Spencer KraneDepartment of Urology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USAObjective: To determine whether age of toilet training is associated with dysfunctional voiding in children.Materials and methods: We compared patients referred to the urologic clinics for voiding dysfunction with age-matched controls without urinary complaints. Characteristics including age and reason for toilet training, method of training, and encopresis or constipation were compared between both groups.Results: Initiation of toilet training prior to 24 months and later than 36 months of age were associated with dysfunctional voiding. However, dysfunctional voiding due to late toilet training was also associated with constipation.Conclusion: Dysfunctional voiding may be due to delayed emptying of the bowel and bladder by children. The symptoms of dysfunctional voiding are more common when toilet training early, as immature children may be less likely to empty in a timely manner, or when training late due to (or in association with constipation.Keywords: voiding dysfunction, constipation

Structural control of void formation in dual phase steels

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Azuma, Masafumi

The objective of this study is to explore the void formation mechanisms and to clarify the influence of the hardness and structural parameters (volume fraction, size and morphology) of martensite particles on the void formation and mechanical properties in dual phase steels composed of ferrite...... and (iii) strain localization. The critical strain for void formation depends on hardness of the martensite, but is independent of the volume fraction, shape, size and distribution of the martensite. The strain partitioning between the martensite and ferrite depends on the volume fraction and hardness...... of the martensite accelerates the void formation in the martensite by enlarging the size of voids both in the martensite and ferrite. It is suggested that controlling the hardness and structural parameters associated with the martensite particles such as morphology, size and volume fraction are the essential...

Void fraction fluctuations in two-phase gas-liquid flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ulbrich, R.

1987-01-01

Designs of the apparatus in which two-phase gas-liquid flow occurs are usually based on the mean value of parameters such as pressure drop and void fraction. The flow of two-phase mixtures generally presents a very complicated flow structure, both in terms of the unsteady formation on the interfacial area and in terms of the fluctuations of the velocity, pressure and other variables within the flow. When the gas void fraction is near 0 or 1 / bubble or dispersed flow regimes / then oscillations of void fraction are very small. The intermittent flow such as plug and slug/ froth is characterized by alternately flow portions of liquid and gas. It influences the change of void fractions in time. The results of experimental research of gas void fraction fluctuations in two-phase adiabatic gas-liquid flow in a vertical pipe are presented

A variational void coalescence model for ductile metals

KAUST Repository

Siddiq, Amir

2011-08-17

We present a variational void coalescence model that includes all the essential ingredients of failure in ductile porous metals. The model is an extension of the variational void growth model by Weinberg et al. (Comput Mech 37:142-152, 2006). The extended model contains all the deformation phases in ductile porous materials, i.e. elastic deformation, plastic deformation including deviatoric and volumetric (void growth) plasticity followed by damage initiation and evolution due to void coalescence. Parametric studies have been performed to assess the model\\'s dependence on the different input parameters. The model is then validated against uniaxial loading experiments for different materials. We finally show the model\\'s ability to predict the damage mechanisms and fracture surface profile of a notched round bar under tension as observed in experiments. © Springer-Verlag 2011.

Atomistic simulations of void migration under thermal gradient in UO2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Desai, Tapan G.; Millett, Paul; Tonks, Michael; Wolf, Dieter

2010-01-01

It is well known that within a few hours after startup of a nuclear reactor, the temperature gradient within a fuel element causes migration of voids/bubbles radially inwards to form a central hole. To understand the atomic processes that control this migration of voids, we performed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations on single crystal UO 2 with voids of diameter 2.2 nm. An external temperature gradient was applied across the simulation cell. At the end of the simulation run, it was observed that the voids had moved towards the hot end of the simulation cell. The void migration velocity obtained from the simulations was compared with the available phenomenological equations for void migration due to different transport mechanisms. Surface diffusion of the slowest moving specie, i.e. uranium, was found to be the dominant mechanism for void migration. The contribution from lattice diffusion and the thermal stress gradient to the void migration was analyzed and found to be negligible. By extrapolation, a crossover from the surface-diffusion-controlled mechanism to the lattice-diffusion-controlled mechanism was found to occur for voids with sizes in the μm range.

Reactive dispersive contaminant transport in coastal aquifers: Numerical simulation of a reactive Henry problem

KAUST Repository

Nick, H.M.

2013-02-01

The reactive mixing between seawater and terrestrial water in coastal aquifers influences the water quality of submarine groundwater discharge. While these waters come into contact at the seawater groundwater interface by density driven flow, their chemical components dilute and react through dispersion. A larger interface and wider mixing zone may provide favorable conditions for the natural attenuation of contaminant plumes. It has been claimed that the extent of this mixing is controlled by both, porous media properties and flow conditions. In this study, the interplay between dispersion and reactive processes in coastal aquifers is investigated by means of numerical experiments. Particularly, the impact of dispersion coefficients, the velocity field induced by density driven flow and chemical component reactivities on reactive transport in such aquifers is studied. To do this, a hybrid finite-element finite-volume method and a reactive simulator are coupled, and model accuracy and applicability are assessed. A simple redox reaction is considered to describe the degradation of a contaminant which requires mixing of the contaminated groundwater and the seawater containing the terminal electron acceptor. The resulting degradation is observed for different scenarios considering different magnitudes of dispersion and chemical reactivity. Three reactive transport regimes are found: reaction controlled, reaction-dispersion controlled and dispersion controlled. Computational results suggest that the chemical components\\' reactivity as well as dispersion coefficients play a significant role on controlling reactive mixing zones and extent of contaminant removal in coastal aquifers. Further, our results confirm that the dilution index is a better alternative to the second central spatial moment of a plume to describe the mixing of reactive solutes in coastal aquifers. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.

Close correlation of herpes zoster-induced voiding dysfunction with severity of zoster-related pain: A single faculty retrospective study.

Science.gov (United States)

Fujii, Mizue; Takahashi, Ichiro; Honma, Masaru; Ishida-Yamamoto, Akemi

2015-11-01

Herpes zoster (HZ), a common vesiculo-erythematous skin disease associated with reactivation of varicella zoster virus in the cranial nerve, dorsal root, and autonomic ganglia, is accompanied by several related symptoms represented by postherpetic neuralgia. Among them, involvement of vesicorectal dysfunction is relatively rare. The vesicorectal symptom can usually be recovered in transient course, but is quite important in terms of impaired quality of life. Male individuals affected with HZ and skin lesions on sacral dermatome have been reported as independent risk factors of zoster-related voiding dysfunction. In this study, urinary symptoms were focused upon and six patients with zoster-related voiding dysfunction at a single faculty of dermatology in Japan from 2009 to 2014 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients showed HZ lesions on the sacral area and the urinary symptom recovered in approximately 2 months (14 days to 7 months). The term of treatment for zoster-associated urinary dysfunction was positively correlated with that for zoster-related pain without significance (r = 0.661, P = 0.153). Average treatment term for pain relief of sacral HZ accompanied by voiding dysfunction (91.3 ± 76.44 days) was significantly longer than that of sacral HZ without urinary symptom (18.9 ± 20.42 days) (P = 0.032). These results suggested that zoster-related voiding dysfunction would mainly be involved in sacral HZ and closely associated with severity of zoster-related pain. Dermatologists should be aware that severe zoster-related pain accompanied by sacral HZ, which is related to prolonged treatment of pain relief, can be a predictive factor of voiding dysfunction. © 2015 Japanese Dermatological Association.

Influence of vibrations and rotations of diatomic molecules on their physical properties: II. Refractive index, reactivity and diffusion coefficients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharipov, Alexander S; Loukhovitski, Boris I; Starik, Alexander M

2016-01-01

The influence of the excitation of vibrational and rotational states of diatomic molecules (H 2 , N 2 , O 2 , NO, OH, CO, CH, HF and HCl) on refractive index, reactivity and transport coefficients was analyzed by using ab initio calculated data on the effective state-specific dipole moment and static polarizability obtained in the preceding paper of the present series. It has been revealed that, for non-polar molecules, the excitation both of vibrational and rotational degrees of freedom increases the averaged polarizability and, as a consequence, the refractive index. Meanwhile, for polar molecules, the effect of molecule excitation is more complex: it can either increase or decrease the refractive index. It was also shown that the excitation of molecules slightly influences the rate constants of barrierless chemical reactions between neutral particles; whereas, for ion–molecule reactions, this effect can be more pronounced. Analysis of the variation of diffusion coefficients, taking into account the effect of molecule excitation both on the collision diameter and on the well depth of intermolecular potential, exhibited that, for non-polar molecules, the effect associated with the change of collision diameter prevails. However, for polar molecules, the effect of the excitation of vibrational states on the well depth of intermolecular potential can compensate or even exceed the decrease of diffusion coefficient due to the averaged collision diameter rise. (paper)

Studies of void formation in pure metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lanore, J.M.; Glowinski, L.; Risbet, A.; Regnier, P.; Flament, J.L.; Levy, V.; Adda, Y.

1975-01-01

Recent experiments on the effect of gases on the final configuration of vacancy clustering (void or loop), and on the local effects at dislocations are described. The contribution of this data to a general knowledge of void formation will be discussed, and Monte Carlo calculations of swelling induced by irradiation with different particles presented [fr

Studies of void formation in pure metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lanore, J.M.; Glowinski, L.; Risbet, A.; Regnier, P.; Flament, J.L.

1975-01-01

Recent experiments on the effect of gases on the final configuration of vacancy clustering (void or loop), and on the local effects at dislocations are described. The contribution of this data to our general knowledge of void formation will be discussed, and Monte Carlo calculations of swelling induced by irradiation with different particles presented

Measurement of local void fraction in a ribbed annulus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Steimke, J.L.

1992-01-01

The computer code FLOWTRAN-TF is used to analyze hypothetical hydraulic accidents for the nuclear reactor at the Savannah River Site. During a hypothetical Large Break Loss-of-Coolant Accident (LOCA), reactor assemblies would contain a two-phase mixture of air and water which flows downward. Reactor assemblies consist of nested, ribbed annuli. Longitudinal ribs divide each annulus into four subchannels. For accident conditions, air and water can flow past ribs from one subchannel to another. For FLOWTRAN-TF to compute the size of those flows, it is necessary to know the local void fraction in the region of the rib. Measurements have previously been made of length-average void fraction in a ribbed annulus. However, no direct measurements were available of local void fraction. Due to the lack of data, a test was designed to measure local void fraction at the rib. One question addressed by the test was whether void fraction at the rib is solely a function of azimuthal-average void fraction or a function of additional variables such as pressure boundary conditions. This report provides a discussion of this test

Revised Mark 22 coolant temperature coefficients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Graves, W.E.

1987-01-01

Coolant temperature coefficients for the Mark 22 charge published previously are non-conservative because of the neglect of a significant mechanism which has a positive contribution to reactivity. Even after correcting for this effect, dynamic tests made on a Mark VIB charge in the early 60's suggest the results are still non-conservative. This memorandum takes both of these sources of information into account in making a best estimate of the prompt (coolant plus metal) temperature coefficient. Although no safety issues arise from this work (the overall temperature coefficient still strongly contributes to reactor stability), it is obviously desirable to use best estimates for prompt coefficients in limits and other calculations

Partial discharges within two spherical voids in an epoxy resin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Illias, H A; Mokhlis, H; Tunio, M A; Chen, G; Bakar, A H A

2013-01-01

A void in a dielectric insulation material may exist due to imperfection in the insulation manufacturing or long term stressing. Voids have been identified as one of the common sources of partial discharge (PD) activity within an insulation system, such as in cable insulation and power transformers. Therefore, it is important to study PD phenomenon within void cavities in insulation. In this work, a model of PD activity within two spherical voids in a homogeneous dielectric material has been developed using finite element analysis software to study the parameters affecting PD behaviour. The parameters that have been taken into account are the void surface conductivity, electron generation rate and the inception and extinction fields. Measurements of PD activity within two spherical voids in an epoxy resin under ac sinusoidal applied voltage have also been performed. The simulation results have been compared with the measurement data to validate the model and to identify the parameters affecting PD behaviour. Comparison between measurements of PD activity within single and two voids in a dielectric material have also been made to observe the difference of the results under both conditions. (paper)

A sharp interface model for void growth in irradiated materials

Science.gov (United States)

Hochrainer, Thomas; El-Azab, Anter

2015-03-01

A thermodynamic formalism for the interaction of point defects with free surfaces in single-component solids has been developed and applied to the problem of void growth by absorption of point defects in irradiated metals. This formalism consists of two parts, a detailed description of the dynamics of defects within the non-equilibrium thermodynamic frame, and the application of the second law of thermodynamics to provide closure relations for all kinetic equations. Enforcing the principle of non-negative entropy production showed that the description of the problem of void evolution under irradiation must include a relationship between the normal fluxes of defects into the void surface and the driving thermodynamic forces for the void surface motion; these thermodynamic forces are identified for both vacancies and interstitials and the relationships between these forces and the normal point defect fluxes are established using the concepts of transition state theory. The latter theory implies that the defect accommodation into the surface is a thermally activated process. Numerical examples are given to illustrate void growth dynamics in this new formalism and to investigate the effect of the surface energy barriers on void growth. Consequences for phase field models of void growth are discussed.

From Voids to Yukawaballs And Back

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Land, V.; Goedheer, W. J.

2008-01-01

When dust particles are introduced in a radio-frequency discharge under micro-gravity conditions, usually a dust free void is formed due to the ion drag force pushing the particles away from the center. Experiments have shown that it is possible to close the void by reducing the power supplied to the discharge. This reduces the ion density and with that the ratio between the ion drag force and the opposing electric force. We have studied the behavior of a discharge with a large amount of dust particles (radius 3.4 micron) with our hydrodynamic model, and simulated the closure of the void for conditions similar to the experiment. We also approached the formation of a Yukawa ball from the other side, starting with a discharge at low power and injecting batches of dust, while increasing the power to prevent extinction of the discharge. Eventually the same situation could be reached.

Thermal-hydraulics and neutronics studies on the FP7 CP-ESFR oxide and carbide cores

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ammirabile, L.; Tsige-Tamirat, H. [European Commission, JRC, Inst. for Energy, Petten (Netherlands)

2011-07-01

In the framework of the the Collaborative Project on European Sodium Fast Reactor (CP-ESFR) two core designs that are currently being proposed for the 3600 MWth sodium-cooled reactor concept: one is based on oxide fuel and the other on carbide fuel. Using the European Safety Assessment Platform (ESAP), JRC-IE has conducted static calculation on neutronics (incl. reactivity coefficients) and thermal-hydraulic characteristics for both oxide and carbide reference cores. The quantities evaluated include: keff, coolant heat-up, void, and Doppler reactivity coefficients, axial and radial expansion reactivity coefficients, pin-by-pin calculated power profiles, average and peak channel temperatures. This paper presents the ESAP models applied in the study together with the relevant results for the oxide and carbide core. (author)

Thermal-hydraulics and neutronics studies on the FP7 CP-ESFR oxide and carbide cores

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ammirabile, L.; Tsige-Tamirat, H.

2011-01-01

In the framework of the the Collaborative Project on European Sodium Fast Reactor (CP-ESFR) two core designs that are currently being proposed for the 3600 MWth sodium-cooled reactor concept: one is based on oxide fuel and the other on carbide fuel. Using the European Safety Assessment Platform (ESAP), JRC-IE has conducted static calculation on neutronics (incl. reactivity coefficients) and thermal-hydraulic characteristics for both oxide and carbide reference cores. The quantities evaluated include: keff, coolant heat-up, void, and Doppler reactivity coefficients, axial and radial expansion reactivity coefficients, pin-by-pin calculated power profiles, average and peak channel temperatures. This paper presents the ESAP models applied in the study together with the relevant results for the oxide and carbide core. (author)

A variational void coalescence model for ductile metals

KAUST Repository

Siddiq, Amir; Arciniega, Roman; El Sayed, Tamer

2011-01-01

We present a variational void coalescence model that includes all the essential ingredients of failure in ductile porous metals. The model is an extension of the variational void growth model by Weinberg et al. (Comput Mech 37:142-152, 2006

Archaeology of Void Spaces

Science.gov (United States)

Look, Cory

The overall goal of this research is to evaluate the efficacy of pXRF for the identification of ancient activity areas at Pre-Columbian sites in Antigua that range across time periods, geographic regions, site types with a variety of features, and various states of preservation. These findings have important implications for identifying and reconstructing places full of human activity but void of material remains. A synthesis for an archaeology of void spaces requires the construction of new ways of testing anthrosols, and identifying elemental patterns that can be used to connect people with their places and objects. This research begins with an exploration of rich middens in order to study void spaces. Midden archaeology has been a central focus in Caribbean research, and consists of an accumulation of discarded remnants from past human activities that can be tested against anthrosols. The archaeological collections visited for this research project involved creating new databases to generate a comprehensive inventory of sites, materials excavated, and assemblages available for study. Of the more than 129 Pre-Columbian sites documented in Antigua, few sites have been thoroughly surveyed or excavated. Twelve Pre-Columbian sites, consisting of thirty-six excavated units were selected for study; all of which contained complete assemblages for comparison and soil samples for testing. These excavations consisted almost entirely of midden excavations, requiring new archaeological investigations to be carried out in spaces primarily void of material remains but within the village context. Over the course of three seasons excavations, shovel test pits, and soil augers were used to obtain a variety of anthrosols and archaeological assemblages in order to generate new datasets to study Pre-Columbian activity areas. The selection of two primary case study sites were used for comparison: Indian Creek and Doigs. Findings from this research indicate that accounting for the

Doppler coefficient measurements in Zebra Core 5

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baker, A.R.; Wheeler, R.C.

1965-11-01

Measurements using a central hot loop in Zebra Core 5 are described. Results are given for the Doppler coefficients found in a number of assemblies with PuO 2 and 16% PuO 2 /84% depleted UO 2 pins, loaded with different combinations of steel, sodium or void pins. The mixed oxide results are in general about 20% more negative than was calculated using the FD2 data set, but agreement is good if the plutonium contributions in the calculations are omitted. The small positive Doppler coefficient calculated for Pu239 was not observed, and two measurements indicated instead a small negative effect. The Doppler effect in the mixed oxide systems was found to vary approximately as 1/T. The results from the empty loop and non-fissile assemblies indicate either a small negative Doppler effect in steel or alternatively the presence of an unexplained expansion effect. (author)

Effect of voids-controlled vacancy supersaturations on B diffusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marcelot, O.; Claverie, A.; Cristiano, F.; Cayrel, F.; Alquier, D.; Lerch, W.; Paul, S.; Rubin, L.; Jaouen, H.; Armand, C.

2007-01-01

We present here preliminary results on boron diffusion in presence of pre-formed voids of different characteristics. The voids were fabricated by helium implantation followed by annealing allowing the desorption of He prior to boron implantation. We show that under such conditions boron diffusion is always largely reduced and can even be suppressed in some cases. Boron diffusion suppression can be observed in samples not containing nanovoids in the boron-rich region. It is suggested that direct trapping of Si(int)s by the voids is not the mechanism responsible for the reduction of boron diffusion in such layers. Alternatively, our experimental results suggest that this reduction of diffusivity is more probably due to the competition between two Ostwald ripening phenomena taking place at the same time: in the boron-rich region, the competitive growth of extrinsic defects at the origin of TED and, in the void region, the Ostwald ripening of the voids which involves large supersaturations of Vs

Effect of voids-controlled vacancy supersaturations on B diffusion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marcelot, O. [CEMES/CNRS, 29 rue Jeanne Marvig, 31055 Toulouse (France)]. E-mail: marcelot@cemes.fr; Claverie, A. [CEMES/CNRS, 29 rue Jeanne Marvig, 31055 Toulouse (France); Cristiano, F. [LAAS/CNRS, 7 av. du Col. Roche, 31077 Toulouse (France); Cayrel, F. [LMP, Universite de Tours, 16 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, BP 7155, 37071 Tours (France); Alquier, D. [LMP, Universite de Tours, 16 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, BP 7155, 37071 Tours (France); Lerch, W. [Mattson Thermal Products GmbH, Daimlerstr. 10, D-89160 Dornstadt (Germany); Paul, S. [Mattson Thermal Products GmbH, Daimlerstr. 10, D-89160 Dornstadt (Germany); Rubin, L. [Axcelis Technologies, 108 Cherry Hill Drive, Beverly MA 01915 (United States); Jaouen, H. [STMicroelectronics, 850 rue Jean Monnet, 38926 Crolles (France); Armand, C. [LNMO/INSA, Service analyseur ionique, 135 av. de Rangueil, 31077 Toulouse (France)

2007-04-15

We present here preliminary results on boron diffusion in presence of pre-formed voids of different characteristics. The voids were fabricated by helium implantation followed by annealing allowing the desorption of He prior to boron implantation. We show that under such conditions boron diffusion is always largely reduced and can even be suppressed in some cases. Boron diffusion suppression can be observed in samples not containing nanovoids in the boron-rich region. It is suggested that direct trapping of Si(int)s by the voids is not the mechanism responsible for the reduction of boron diffusion in such layers. Alternatively, our experimental results suggest that this reduction of diffusivity is more probably due to the competition between two Ostwald ripening phenomena taking place at the same time: in the boron-rich region, the competitive growth of extrinsic defects at the origin of TED and, in the void region, the Ostwald ripening of the voids which involves large supersaturations of Vs.

On the formation of voids in internal tin Nb$_{3}$Sn superconductors

CERN Document Server

Scheuerlein, C; Haibel, A

2007-01-01

In this article we describe three void growth mechanisms in Nb$_{3}$Sn strands of the internal tin design on the basis of combined synchrotron micro-tomography and x-ray diffraction measurements during in-situ heating cycles. Initially void growth is driven by a reduction of void surface area by void agglomeration. The main void volume increase is caused by density changes during the formation of Cu3Sn in the strand. Subsequent transformation of Cu-Sn intermetallics into the lower density a-bronze reduces the void volume again. Long lasting temperature ramps and isothermal holding steps can neither reduce the void volume nor improve the chemical strand homogeneity prior to the superconducting A15 phase nucleation and growth.

Void shrinkage in stainless steel during high energy electron irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, B.N.; Foreman, A.J.E.

1976-03-01

During irradiation of thin foils of an austenitic stainless steel in a high voltage electron microscope, steadily growing voids have been observed to suddenly shrink and disappear at the irradiation temperature of 650 0 Cthe phenomenon has been observed in specimens both with and withoutimplanted helium. Possible mechanisms for void shrinkage during irradiation are considered. It is suggested that the dislocation-pipe-diffusion of vacancies from or of self-interstitial atoms to the voids can explain the shrinkage behaviour of voids observed during our experiments. (author)

Core design study on reduced-moderation water reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hiroshi, Akie; Yoshihiro, Nakano; Toshihisa, Shirakawa; Tsutomu, Okubo; Takamichi, Iwamura

2002-01-01

The conceptual core design study of reduced-moderation water reactors (RMWRs) with tight-pitched MOX-fuelled lattice has been carried out at JAERI. Several different RMWR core concepts based on both BWR and PWR have been proposed. All the core concepts meet with the aim to achieve both a conversion ratio of 1.0 or larger and negative void reactivity coefficient. As one of these RMWR concepts, the ABWR compatible core is also proposed. Although the conversion ratio of this core is 1.0 and the void coefficient is negative, the discharge burn-up of the fuel was about 25 GWd/t. By adopting a triangular fuel pin lattice for the reduction of moderator volume fraction and modifying axial Pu enrichment distribution, it was aimed to extend the discharge burn-up of ABWR compatible type RMWR. By using a triangular fuel lattice of smaller moderator volume fraction, discharge burn-up of 40 GWd/t seems achievable, keeping the high conversion ratio and the negative void coefficient. (authors)

Interfacial area, velocity and void fraction in two-phase slug flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kojasoy, G.; Riznic, J.R.

1997-01-01

The internal flow structure of air-water plug/slug flow in a 50.3 mm dia transparent pipeline has been experimentally investigated by using a four-sensor resistivity probe. Liquid and gas volumetric superficial velocities ranged from 0.55 to 2.20 m/s and 0.27 to 2.20 m/s, respectively, and area-averaged void fractions ranged from about 10 to 70%. The local distributions of void fractions, interfacial area concentration and interface velocity were measured. Contributions from small spherical bubbles and large elongated slug bubbles toward the total void fraction and interfacial area concentration were differentiated. It was observed that the small bubble void contribution to the overall void fraction was small indicating that the large slug bubble void fraction was a dominant factor in determining the total void fraction. However, the small bubble interfacial area contribution was significant in the lower and upper portions of the pipe cross sections

On hydrogen-induced plastic flow localization during void growth and coalescence

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ahn, D.C.; Sofronis, P. [Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1206 West Green Street, Urbana, IL 61801 (United States); Dodds, R.H. Jr. [Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 205 North Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801 (United States)

2007-11-15

Hydrogen-enhanced localized plasticity (HELP) is recognized as a viable mechanism of hydrogen embrittlement. A possible way by which the HELP mechanism can bring about macroscopic material failure is through hydrogen-induced accelerated void growth and coalescence. Assuming a periodic array of spherical voids loaded axisymmetrically, we investigate the hydrogen effect on the occurrence of plastic flow localization upon void growth and its dependence on macroscopic stress triaxiality. Under a macroscopic stress triaxiality equal to 1 and prior to void coalescence, the finite element calculation results obtained with material data relevant to A533B steel indicate that a hydrogen-induced localized shear band forms at an angle of about 45 {sup circle} from the axis of symmetry. At triaxiality equal to 3, void coalescence takes place by accelerated hydrogen-induced localization of plasticity mainly in the ligament between the voids. Lastly, we discuss the numerical results within the context of experimental observations on void growth and coalescence in the presence of hydrogen. (author)

Comment on theories for helium-assisted void nucleation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Russell, K.C.

1976-01-01

Voids form by agglomeration of irradiation-induced vacancies which remain after preferential absorption of self interstitials at dislocation lines. Helium which is formed by (n,α) transmutations and, in simulation studies, may be ion-implanted, often plays an important, but puzzling role. In some materials, very few voids form in the absence of helium, even after intense irradiation. In many other materials , voids form readily under a variety of irradiation conditions, even in the absence of helium. Why some materials require helium - typically in the 10 -6 apa (atom per atom) range - and others do not, and the reason for that particular level are by no means clear. The physics of void nucleation, particularly the role of helium, have been the subject of several theoretical papers. This note presents a critique of these theories, and then briefly outlines a new analysis which is not subject to their limitations. (Auth.)

Nucleation and growth of voids by radiation. Pt. 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mayer, R.M.; Brown, L.M.

1980-01-01

The original model of Brown, Kelly and Mayer [1] for the nucleation of interstitial loops has been extended to take into account the following: (i) mobility of the vacancies, (ii) generation and migration of gas atoms during irradiation, (iii) nucleation and growth of voids, and (iv) vacancy emission from voids and clusters at high temperatures. Using chemicalrate equations, additional expressions are formulated for the nucleation and growth of vacancy loops and voids. (orig.)

Conceptual designing of reduced-moderation water reactor with heavy water coolant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hibi, Kohki; Shimada, Shoichiro; Okubo, Tsutomu E-mail: okubo@hems.jaeri.go.jp; Iwamura, Takamichi; Wada, Shigeyuki

2001-12-01

The conceptual designing of reduced-moderation water reactors, i.e. advanced water-cooled reactors using plutonium mixed-oxide fuel with high conversion ratios more than 1.0 and negative void reactivity coefficients, has been carried out. The core is designed on the concept of a pressurized water reactor with a heavy water coolant and a triangular tight lattice fuel pin arrangement. The seed fuel assembly has an internal blanket region inside the seed fuel region as well as upper and lower blanket regions (i.e. an axial heterogeneous core). The radial blanket fuel assemblies are introduced in a checkerboard pattern among the seed fuel assemblies (i.e. a radial heterogeneous core). The radial blanket region is shorter than the seed fuel region. This study shows that the heavy water moderated core can achieve negative void reactivity coefficients and conversion ratios of 1.06-1.11.

Radiation-induced void swelling in metals and alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zelinskij, V.F.; Neklyudov, I.M.; Ozhigov, L.S.; Reznichenko, Eh.A.; Rozhkov, V.V.; Chernyaeva, T.T.

1979-01-01

Main regularities in the development of radiation-induced void swelling are considered. Special attention is paid to consideration of a possibility to obtain information on material behaviour under conditions of reactor irradiation proceeding from the data of simulation experiments and to methods of rate control, for the processes which occur in material during irradiation and further annealing by the way of rationalized alloying, of thermomechanical treatment and programmed change of irradiation conditions under operation. Problems of initiation and growth of voids in irradiated materials are discussed as well as the ways to decrease the rate of radiation-induced void swelling

Numerical simulation of void growth under dynamic loading

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iqbal, A.

1996-01-01

Following a brief general review of developments in material behavior under high strain rates, a cylindrical cell surrounding a spherical void in OFHC copper is numerically simulated by Zerri-Armstrong model. This simulation results show that the plastic deformation tends to be concentrated in the vicinity of voids either in the axial or transverse direction depending upon the stress state. This event is associated with the accelerated void through accompanying coalescence causing ductile fracture. A3-node triangular mesh generation code used as input for finite element code is developed by a 'Central Generation' technique. (author)

Method of simulating spherical voids for use as a radiographic standard

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Foster, B.E.

1977-01-01

A method of simulating small spherical voids in metal is provided. The method entails drilling or etching a hemispherical depression of the desired diameter in each of two sections of metal, the sections being flat plates or different diameter cylinders. A carbon bead is placed in one of the hemispherical voids and is used as a guide to align the second hemispherical void with that in the other plate. The plates are then bonded together with epoxy, tape or similar material and the two aligned hemispheres form a sphere within the material; thus a void of a known size has been created. This type of void can be used to simulate a pore in the development of radiographic techniques of actual voids (porosity) in welds and serve as a radiographic standard

Size-effects at a crack-tip interacting with a number of voids

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tvergaard, Viggo; Niordson, Christian Frithiof

2008-01-01

A strain gradient plasticity theory is used to analyse the growth of discretely represented voids in front of a blunting crack tip, in order to study the influence of size effects on two competing mechanisms of crack growth. For a very small void volume fraction the crack tip tends to interact...... of the characteristic material length relative to the initial void radius. For a case showing the multiple void mechanism, it is found that the effect of the material length can change the behaviour towards the void by void mechanism. A material model with three characteristic length scales is compared with a one...

New insight on bubble-void transition effects in irradiated materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dubinko, V.I.

1993-01-01

An account of elastic interaction between cavities and point defects is shown to result in new critical quantities for bubblevoid transition effects in irradiated cubic crystals. In contrast to previous theories, the present one gives not only critical quantities which determine the onset of bias-driven void swelling but the maximum stationary number density and the corresponding mean radius of voids as well as the duration of the bimodal regime. The void density and swelling rate are shown to be independent from the gas level. In the region of low temperatures/high dose rates, the void density appears to be independent from irradiation parameters as well. The relationships among material constants are found at which the stabilization of gas bubbles occurs via the dislocation loop punching mechanism resulting in a drastic change in the cavity behaviour under irradiation such as the saturation (or even suppression) of void swelling and void lattice formation. The theoretical results are compared with experimental data and further experimental tests are proposed. (author). 38 refs., 1 tab., 11 figs

Small liquid metal reactor for an initial phase of fast breeder reactor introduction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishiguro, Y.; Nascimento, J.A. do.

1985-01-01

Safety and burnup characteristics of a 1000 MWth liquid metal reactor have been examined for various fuel types. With metallic Pu/Th fuel containing a small amount of zirconium hydride, low sodium-void reactivity, a high Doppler coefficient, and small burnup reactivity swings can be achieved. A conservative design is considered for an initial phase of fast breeder reactor development and possible modifications are discussed. (Author) [pt

Spanish contribution in the design of the ASTRID reactor inside the ESNII+ Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alvarez-Velarde, F.; López, D.; García-Herranz, N.; García-Cruzado, I.; Romojaro, P.

2015-07-01

Significant efforts are being devoted in order to boost R&D on advanced nuclear reactors due to their sustainability and improved safety characteristics. Numerous benchmarks, whose aim is to assess and improve the methodologies and computer codes used to calculate neutronic parameters and reactivity coefficients in SFRs, have been set up. Amongst them, as a contribution to the ESNII+ Project, a benchmark exercise evaluating the safety coefficients of an ASTRID-like reactor was performed. The objective of this work is to assess the safety coefficients of an ASTRID-like reactor in order to identify the capabilities and possible limitations of the methodologies, codes and nuclear data employed in the calculations. Furthermore, these results will be compared and validated against the results of other partners. The ASTRID-like core was modelled at operating conditions with the SCALE system and MCNP code, using ENDF/B-VII.0 and JEFF-3.1.1 libraries respectively. Core multiplication factor, power peaking factors, kinetic parameters, reactivity feedback coefficients and control system worth were calculated. Nine voiding scenarios were studied, confirming the negative reactivity effect from the total voiding of the core. A comparison between the participants in the benchmark was carried out, providing an evaluation of the performance of the current state-of-the art neutronic codes for Gen-IV SFR reactor safety analyses. (Author.

Dislocation and void segregation in copper during neutron irradiation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Singh, Bachu Narain; Leffers, Torben; Horsewell, Andy

1986-01-01

); the irradiation experiments were carried out at 250 degree C. The irradiated specimens were examined by transmission electron microscopy. At both doses, the irradiation-induced structure was found to be highly segregated; the dislocation loops and segments were present in the form of irregular walls and the voids...... density, the void swelling rate was very high (approximately 2. 5% per dpa). The implications of the segregated distribution of sinks for void formation and growth are briefly discussed....

Stress Voiding in IC Interconnects - Rules of Evidence for Failure Analysts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

FILTER, WILLIAM F.

1999-09-17

Mention the words ''stress voiding'', and everyone from technology engineer to manager to customer is likely to cringe. This IC failure mechanism elicits fear because it is insidious, capricious, and difficult to identify and arrest. There are reasons to believe that a damascene-copper future might be void-free. Nevertheless, engineers who continue to produce ICs with Al-alloy interconnects, or who assess the reliability of legacy ICs with long service life, need up-to-date insights and techniques to deal with stress voiding problems. Stress voiding need not be fearful. Not always predictable, neither is it inevitable. On the contrary, stress voids are caused by specific, avoidable processing errors. Analytical work, though often painful, can identify these errors when stress voiding occurs, and vigilance in monitoring the improved process can keep it from recurring. In this article, they show that a methodical, forensics approach to failure analysis can solve suspected cases of stress voiding. This approach uses new techniques, and patiently applies familiar ones, to develop evidence meeting strict standards of proof.

"Dark energy" in the Local Void

Science.gov (United States)

Villata, M.

2012-05-01

The unexpected discovery of the accelerated cosmic expansion in 1998 has filled the Universe with the embarrassing presence of an unidentified "dark energy", or cosmological constant, devoid of any physical meaning. While this standard cosmology seems to work well at the global level, improved knowledge of the kinematics and other properties of our extragalactic neighborhood indicates the need for a better theory. We investigate whether the recently suggested repulsive-gravity scenario can account for some of the features that are unexplained by the standard model. Through simple dynamical considerations, we find that the Local Void could host an amount of antimatter (˜5×1015 M ⊙) roughly equivalent to the mass of a typical supercluster, thus restoring the matter-antimatter symmetry. The antigravity field produced by this "dark repulsor" can explain the anomalous motion of the Local Sheet away from the Local Void, as well as several other properties of nearby galaxies that seem to require void evacuation and structure formation much faster than expected from the standard model. At the global cosmological level, gravitational repulsion from antimatter hidden in voids can provide more than enough potential energy to drive both the cosmic expansion and its acceleration, with no need for an initial "explosion" and dark energy. Moreover, the discrete distribution of these dark repulsors, in contrast to the uniformly permeating dark energy, can also explain dark flows and other recently observed excessive inhomogeneities and anisotropies of the Universe.

Void growth suppression by dislocation impurity atmospheres

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weertman, J.; Green, W.V.

1976-01-01

A detailed calculation is given of the effect of an impurity atmosphere on void growth under irradiation damage conditions. Norris has proposed that such an atmosphere can suppress void growth. The hydrostatic stress field of a dislocation that is surrounded by an impurity atmosphere was found and used to calculate the change in the effective radius of a dislocation line as a sink for interstitials and vacancies. The calculation of the impurity concentration in a Cottrell cloud takes into account the change in hydrostatic pressure produced by the presence of the cloud itself. It is found that void growth is eliminated whenever dislocations are surrounded by a condensed atmosphere of either oversized substitutional impurity atoms or interstitial impurity atoms. A condensed atmosphere will form whenever the average impurity concentration is larger than a critical concentration

Two-dimensional void reconstruction by neutron transmission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zakaib, G.D.; Harms, A.A.; Vlachopoulos, J.

1978-01-01

Contemporary algebraic reconstruction methods are utilized in investigating the two-dimensional void distribution in a water analog from neutron transmission measurements. It is sought to ultimately apply these techniques to the determination of time-averaged void distribution in two-phase flow systems as well as for potential usage in neutron radiography. Initially, projection data were obtained from a digitized model of a hypothetical two-phase representation and later from neutron beam traverses across a voided methacrylate plastic model. From 10 to 15 views were incorporated, and decoupling of overlapped measurements was utilized to afford greater resolution. In general, the additive Algebraic Reconstruction Technique yielded the best reconstructions, with others showing promise for noisy data. Results indicate the need for some further development of the method in interpreting real data

Nucleation of voids in materials supersaturated with mobile interstitials, vacancies and divacancies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wolfer, W.G.; Si-Ahmed, A.

1982-01-01

In previous void nucleation theories, the void size has been allowed to change only by one atomic volume through vacancy or interstitial absorption or through vacancy emission. To include the absorption of divacancies, the classical nucleation theory is here extended to include double-step transitions between clusters. The new nucleation theory is applied to study the effect of divacancies on void formation. It is found that the steady-state void nucleation rate is enhanced by several orders of magnitude as compared to results with previous void nucleation theories. However, to obtain void nucleation rates comparable to measured ones, the effect of impurities, segregation and insoluble gases must still be invoked. (author)

Effect of Dark Energy Perturbation on Cosmic Voids Formation

Science.gov (United States)

Endo, Takao; Nishizawa, Atsushi J.; Ichiki, Kiyotomo

2018-05-01

In this paper, we present the effects of dark energy perturbation on the formation and abundance of cosmic voids. We consider dark energy to be a fluid with a negative pressure characterised by a constant equation of state w and speed of sound c_s^2. By solving fluid equations for two components, namely, dark matter and dark energy fluids, we quantify the effects of dark energy perturbation on the sizes of top-hat voids. We also explore the effects on the size distribution of voids based on the excursion set theory. We confirm that dark energy perturbation negligibly affects the size evolution of voids; c_s^2=0 varies the size only by 0.1% as compared to the homogeneous dark energy model. We also confirm that dark energy perturbation suppresses the void size when w -1 (Basse et al. 2011). In contrast to the negligible impact on the size, we find that the size distribution function on scales larger than 10 Mpc/h highly depends on dark energy perturbation; compared to the homogeneous dark energy model, the number of large voids of radius 30Mpc is 25% larger for the model with w = -0.9 and c_s^2=0 while they are 20% less abundant for the model with w = -1.3 and c_s^2=0.

Severe Embrittlement of Neutron Irradiated Austenitic Steels Arising from High Void Swelling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neustroev, V.S.; Garner, F.

2007-01-01

Full text of publication follows: Data are presented from BOR-60 irradiations showing that significant radiation-induced swelling causes severe embrittlement in austenitic stainless steels, reducing the service life of structural components. Similar loss of ductility is expected when swelling arises in fusion and light water reactor environments. Above 7-16% swelling there is complete loss of ductility, with the onset of ductility loss beginning at lower swelling in ring-pull tensile tests than for flat tensile specimens. For steels that develop extensive precipitation during irradiation, the critical swelling level is even lower. A model is presented to demonstrate the effect of voids acting alone to produce the embrittlement. Although voids are not very effective hardeners, they are very effective to generate stress concentrations between voids. The stress concentration ratio increases strongly when the void diameter exceeds ∼40% of the void-to-void separation distance. When the volume fraction of voids is rather high (about 16 % and higher), a geometric situation develops where it is possible to create an intense field of deformation glide planes residing at an angle of 45 deg. to the void-to-void axis. Significant localized flow then proceeds on these planes for specimen stress levels that are significantly lower than the yield stress. Voids also segregate nickel to their surfaces such that flow localization occurs in the low-nickel inter-void regions to produce strain-induced martensite, which is further accelerated by stress concentrations at the advancing crack tip, leading to catastrophic failure. (authors)

Void coalescence mechanism for combined tension and large amplitude cyclic shearing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Kim Lau; Andersen, Rasmus Grau; Tvergaard, Viggo

2017-01-01

Void coalescence at severe shear deformation has been studied intensively under monotonic loading conditions, and the sequence of micro-mechanisms that governs failure has been demonstrated to involve collapse, rotation, and elongation of existing voids. Under intense shearing, the voids are flat...

The effect of voids on the hardening of body-centered cubic Fe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nakai, Ryosuke, E-mail: ryosuke.nakai@jupiter.qse.tohoku.ac.jp [Department of Quantum Science and Energy Engineering, Tohoku University, 6-6-01-2, Aramaki-Aza-Aoba, Aobaku, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8579 (Japan); Yabuuchi, Kiyohiro, E-mail: k-yabuuchi@iae.kyoto-u.ac.jp [Department of Quantum Science and Energy Engineering, Tohoku University, 6-6-01-2, Aramaki-Aza-Aoba, Aobaku, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8579 (Japan); Institute of Advanced Energy, Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji, Kyoto, 611-0011 (Japan); Nogami, Shuhei, E-mail: shuhei.nogami@qse.tohoku.ac.jp [Department of Quantum Science and Energy Engineering, Tohoku University, 6-6-01-2, Aramaki-Aza-Aoba, Aobaku, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8579 (Japan); Hasegawa, Akira, E-mail: akira.hasegawa@qse.tohoku.ac.jp [Department of Quantum Science and Energy Engineering, Tohoku University, 6-6-01-2, Aramaki-Aza-Aoba, Aobaku, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8579 (Japan)

2016-04-01

The mechanical properties of metals are affected by various types of defects. Hardening is usually described through the interaction between dislocations and obstacles, in the so-called line tension theory. The strength factor in the line tension theory represents the resistance of a defect against the dislocation motion. In order to understand hardening from the viewpoint of the microstructure, an accurate determination of the strength factor of different types of defects is essential. In the present study, the strength factor of voids in body-centered cubic (BCC) Fe was investigated by two different approaches: one based on the Orowan equation to link the measured hardness with the average size and density of voids, and the other involving direct observation of the interaction between dislocations and voids by transmission electron microscope (TEM). The strength factor of voids induced by ion irradiation estimated by the Orowan equation was 0.6, whereas the strength factor estimated by the direct TEM approach was 0.8. The difference in the strength factors measured by the two approaches is due to the positional relationship between dislocations and voids: the central region of a void is stronger than the tip. Moreover, the gliding plane and the direction of dislocation may also affect the strength factor of voids. This study determined the strength factor of voids in BCC Fe accurately, and suggested that the contribution of voids to the irradiation hardening is larger than that of dislocation loops and Cu-rich precipitates. - Highlights: • The strength factor of voids in BCC Fe was experimentally investigated. • The strength factor of voids estimated by the line tension theory was 0.6. • The strength factor of voids estimated by the bowing angle of dislocations was 0.8. • The different strength factors are due to the positional relationship.

Void Fraction Measurement in Subcooled-Boiling Flow Using High-Frame-Rate Neutron Radiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kureta, Masatoshi; Akimoto, Hajime; Hibiki, Takashi; Mishima, Kaichiro

2001-01-01

A high-frame-rate neutron radiography (NR) technique was applied to measure the void fraction distribution in forced-convective subcooled-boiling flow. The focus was experimental technique and error estimation of the high-frame-rate NR. The results of void fraction measurement in the boiling flow were described. Measurement errors on instantaneous and time-averaged void fractions were evaluated experimentally and analytically. Measurement errors were within 18 and 2% for instantaneous void fraction (measurement time is 0.89 ms), and time-averaged void fraction, respectively. The void fraction distribution of subcooled boiling was measured using atmospheric-pressure water in rectangular channels with channel width 30 mm, heated length 100 mm, channel gap 3 and 5 mm, inlet water subcooling from 10 to 30 K, and mass velocity ranging from 240 to 2000 kg/(m 2 .s). One side of the channel was heated homogeneously. Instantaneous void fraction and time-averaged void fraction distribution were measured parametrically. The effects of flow parameters on void fraction were investigated

ON THE STAR FORMATION PROPERTIES OF VOID GALAXIES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moorman, Crystal M.; Moreno, Jackeline; White, Amanda; Vogeley, Michael S. [Department of Physics, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (United States); Hoyle, Fiona [Pontifica Universidad Catolica de Ecuador, 12 de Octubre 1076 y Roca, Quito (Ecuador); Giovanelli, Riccardo; Haynes, Martha P., E-mail: crystal.m.moorman@drexel.edu [Center for Radiophysics and Space Research, Space Sciences Building, Cornell University Ithaca, NY 14853 (United States)

2016-11-10

We measure the star formation properties of two large samples of galaxies from the SDSS in large-scale cosmic voids on timescales of 10 and 100 Myr, using H α emission line strengths and GALEX FUV fluxes, respectively. The first sample consists of 109,818 optically selected galaxies. We find that void galaxies in this sample have higher specific star formation rates (SSFRs; star formation rates per unit stellar mass) than similar stellar mass galaxies in denser regions. The second sample is a subset of the optically selected sample containing 8070 galaxies with reliable H i detections from ALFALFA. For the full H i detected sample, SSFRs do not vary systematically with large-scale environment. However, investigating only the H i detected dwarf galaxies reveals a trend toward higher SSFRs in voids. Furthermore, we estimate the star formation rate per unit H i mass (known as the star formation efficiency; SFE) of a galaxy, as a function of environment. For the overall H i detected population, we notice no environmental dependence. Limiting the sample to dwarf galaxies still does not reveal a statistically significant difference between SFEs in voids versus walls. These results suggest that void environments, on average, provide a nurturing environment for dwarf galaxy evolution allowing for higher specific star formation rates while forming stars with similar efficiencies to those in walls.

Modelling the void deformation and closure by hot forging of ingot castings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christiansen, Peter; Hattel, Jesper Henri; Kotas, Petr

2012-01-01

by mechanical deformation. The aim of this paper is to analyze numerically if and to what degree the voids areclosed by the forging. Using the commercial simulation software ABAQUS, both simplified model ingots and physically manufactured ingots containing prescribed void distributions are deformed and analyzed....... The analysis concernsboth the void density change and the location of the voids in the part after deformation. The latter can be important for the subsequent reliability of the parts, for instance regarding fatigue properties. The analysis incorporates the Gurson yield criterion for metals containing voids...... and focuses on how the voids deform depending on their size and distribution in the ingot as well ashow the forging forces are applied....

Convex-based void filling method for CAD-based Monte Carlo geometry modeling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, Shengpeng; Cheng, Mengyun; Song, Jing; Long, Pengcheng; Hu, Liqin

2015-01-01

Highlights: • We present a new void filling method named CVF for CAD based MC geometry modeling. • We describe convex based void description based and quality-based space subdivision. • The results showed improvements provided by CVF for both modeling and MC calculation efficiency. - Abstract: CAD based automatic geometry modeling tools have been widely applied to generate Monte Carlo (MC) calculation geometry for complex systems according to CAD models. Automatic void filling is one of the main functions in the CAD based MC geometry modeling tools, because the void space between parts in CAD models is traditionally not modeled while MC codes such as MCNP need all the problem space to be described. A dedicated void filling method, named Convex-based Void Filling (CVF), is proposed in this study for efficient void filling and concise void descriptions. The method subdivides all the problem space into disjointed regions using Quality based Subdivision (QS) and describes the void space in each region with complementary descriptions of the convex volumes intersecting with that region. It has been implemented in SuperMC/MCAM, the Multiple-Physics Coupling Analysis Modeling Program, and tested on International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) Alite model. The results showed that the new method reduced both automatic modeling time and MC calculation time

Controlling Interfacial Separation in Porous Structures by Void Patterning

Science.gov (United States)

Ghareeb, Ahmed; Elbanna, Ahmed

Manipulating interfacial response for enhanced adhesion or fracture resistance is a problem of great interest to scientists and engineers. In many natural materials and engineering applications, an interface exists between a porous structure and a substrate. A question that arises is how the void distribution in the bulk may affect the interfacial response and whether it is possible to alter the interfacial toughness without changing the surface physical chemistry. In this paper, we address this question by studying the effect of patterning voids on the interfacial-to-the overall response of an elastic plate glued to a rigid substrate by bilinear cohesive material. Different patterning categories are investigated; uniform, graded, and binary voids. Each case is subjected to upward displacement at the upper edge of the plate. We show that the peak force and maximum elongation at failure depend on the voids design and by changing the void size, alignment or gradation we may control these performance measures. We relate these changes in the measured force displacement response to energy release rate as a measure of interfacial toughness. We discuss the implications of our results on design of bulk heterogeneities for enhanced interfacial behavior.

Void migration in fusion materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cottrell, G.A.

2002-01-01

Neutron irradiation in a fusion power plant will cause helium bubbles and voids to form in the armour and blanket structural materials. If sufficiently large densities of such defects accumulate on the grain boundaries of the materials, the strength and the lifetimes of the metals will be reduced by helium embrittlement and grain boundary failure. This Letter discusses void migration in metals, both by random Brownian motion and by biassed flow in temperature gradients. In the assumed five-year blanket replacement time of a fusion power plant, approximate calculations show that the metals most resilient to failure are tungsten and molybdenum, and marginally vanadium. Helium embrittlement and grain boundary failure is expected to be more severe in steel and beryllium

Void migration in fusion materials

Science.gov (United States)

Cottrell, G. A.

2002-04-01

Neutron irradiation in a fusion power plant will cause helium bubbles and voids to form in the armour and blanket structural materials. If sufficiently large densities of such defects accumulate on the grain boundaries of the materials, the strength and the lifetimes of the metals will be reduced by helium embrittlement and grain boundary failure. This Letter discusses void migration in metals, both by random Brownian motion and by biassed flow in temperature gradients. In the assumed five-year blanket replacement time of a fusion power plant, approximate calculations show that the metals most resilient to failure are tungsten and molybdenum, and marginally vanadium. Helium embrittlement and grain boundary failure is expected to be more severe in steel and beryllium.

A void fraction model for annular two-phase flow

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tandon, T.N.; Gupta, C.P.; Varma, H.K.

1985-01-01

An analytical model has been developed for predicting void fraction in two-phase annular flow. In the analysis, the Lockhart-Martinelli method has been used to calculate two-phase frictional pressure drop and von Karman's universal velocity profile is used to represent the velocity distribution in the annular liquid film. Void fractions predicted by the proposed model are generally in good agreement with a available experimental data. This model appears to be as good as Smith's correlation and better than the Wallis and Zivi correlations for computing void fraction.

Electromigration of intergranular voids in metal films for microelectronic interconnects

CERN Document Server

Averbuch, A; Ravve, I

2003-01-01

Voids and cracks often occur in the interconnect lines of microelectronic devices. They increase the resistance of the circuits and may even lead to a fatal failure. Voids may occur inside a single grain, but often they appear on the boundary between two grains. In this work, we model and analyze numerically the migration and evolution of an intergranular void subjected to surface diffusion forces and external voltage applied to the interconnect. The grain-void interface is considered one-dimensional, and the physical formulation of the electromigration and diffusion model results in two coupled fourth-order one-dimensional time-dependent PDEs. The boundary conditions are specified at the triple points, which are common to both neighboring grains and the void. The solution of these equations uses a finite difference scheme in space and a Runge-Kutta integration scheme in time, and is also coupled to the solution of a static Laplace equation describing the voltage distribution throughout the grain. Since the v...

Void nucleation in spheroidized steels during tensile deformation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fisher, J.R. Jr.

1980-04-01

An investigation was conducted to determine the effects of various mechanical and material parameters on void formation at cementite particles in axisymmetric tensile specimens of spheroidized plain carbon steels. Desired microstructures for each of three steel types were obtained. Observations of void morphology with respect to various microstructural features were made using optical and scanning electron microscopy

Tank SY-101 void fraction instrument functional design criteria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McWethy, L.M.

1994-01-01

This document presents the functional design criteria for design, analysis, fabrication, testing, and installation of a void fraction instrument for Tank SY-101. This instrument will measure the void fraction in the waste in Tank SY-101 at various elevations

Risk management of low air void asphalt concrete mixtures.

Science.gov (United States)

2013-07-01

Various forms of asphalt pavement distress, such as rutting, shoving and bleeding, can be attributed, in many cases, to low air voids in : the mixtures during production and placement. The occurrence of low air void contents during plant production m...

Estimating Reaction Rate Coefficients Within a Travel-Time Modeling Framework

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gong, R [Georgia Institute of Technology; Lu, C [Georgia Institute of Technology; Luo, Jian [Georgia Institute of Technology; Wu, Wei-min [Stanford University; Cheng, H. [Stanford University; Criddle, Craig [Stanford University; Kitanidis, Peter K. [Stanford University; Gu, Baohua [ORNL; Watson, David B [ORNL; Jardine, Philip M [ORNL; Brooks, Scott C [ORNL

2011-03-01

A generalized, efficient, and practical approach based on the travel-time modeling framework is developed to estimate in situ reaction rate coefficients for groundwater remediation in heterogeneous aquifers. The required information for this approach can be obtained by conducting tracer tests with injection of a mixture of conservative and reactive tracers and measurements of both breakthrough curves (BTCs). The conservative BTC is used to infer the travel-time distribution from the injection point to the observation point. For advection-dominant reactive transport with well-mixed reactive species and a constant travel-time distribution, the reactive BTC is obtained by integrating the solutions to advective-reactive transport over the entire travel-time distribution, and then is used in optimization to determine the in situ reaction rate coefficients. By directly working on the conservative and reactive BTCs, this approach avoids costly aquifer characterization and improves the estimation for transport in heterogeneous aquifers which may not be sufficiently described by traditional mechanistic transport models with constant transport parameters. Simplified schemes are proposed for reactive transport with zero-, first-, nth-order, and Michaelis-Menten reactions. The proposed approach is validated by a reactive transport case in a two-dimensional synthetic heterogeneous aquifer and a field-scale bioremediation experiment conducted at Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The field application indicates that ethanol degradation for U(VI)-bioremediation is better approximated by zero-order reaction kinetics than first-order reaction kinetics.

Microscopic Void Detection for Predicting Remaining Life in Electric Cable Insulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horvath, David A.; Avila, Steven M.

2003-01-01

A reliable method of testing for remaining life in electric cable insulation has continued to elude the nuclear industry as it seeks to extend the life and license of its nuclear stations. Until recently, a trendable, measurable electrical property has not been found, and unexpected cable failures continue to be reported. Most reliable approaches to date rely on monitoring mechanical properties, which are assumed to degrade faster than the insulation's electrical properties. This paper introduces a promising technique based on void characterization, which is dependent on an electrical property related to dielectric strength. A relationship between insulation void characteristics (size and density) and the onset of partial discharge is known to exist. A similar relationship can be shown between void characteristics and unacceptable leakage currents (another typical cable failure criterion). For low-voltage cables, it is believed void content can be correlated to mechanical property degradation.This paper will report on an approach for using void information, research results showing the existence of trendable void characteristics in commonly used electric insulation materials, and techniques for detecting the voids (both laboratory- and field-based techniques). Acoustical microscopy was found to be potentially more suitable than conventional ultrasound for nondestructive in situ detection and monitoring of void characteristics in jacketed multiconductor insulation while ignoring the jacket. Also, optical and scanning electron microscope techniques will play an essential role in establishing the database necessary for continued development and implementation of this promising technique

Effect of initial void shape on ductile failure in a shear field

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tvergaard, Viggo

2015-01-01

For voids in a shear field unit cell model analyses have been used to show that ductile failure is predicted even though the stress triaxiality is low or perhaps negative, so that the void volume fraction does not grow during deformation. Here, the effect of the void shape is studied by analyzing...... with circular cross-section, i.e. the voids in shear flatten out to micro-cracks, which rotate and elongate until interaction with neighboring micro-cracks gives coalescence. Even though the mechanism of ductile failure is the same, the load carrying capacity predicted, for the same initial void volume fraction...

Analysis of loss-of-coolant accidents in pressurized water reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moldaschl, H.

1982-01-01

Analysis of loss-of-coolant accidents in pressurized water reactors -Quantification of the influence of leak size, control assembly worth, boron concentration and initial power by a dynamic operations criterion. Neutronic and thermohydraulic behaviour of a pressurized water reactor during a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) is mainly influenced by -change of fuel temperature, -void in the primary coolant. They cause a local stabilization of power density, that means that also in the case of small leaks local void is the main stabilization effect. As a consequence the increase of fuel temperature remains very small even under extremely hypothetical assumptions: small leak, positive reactivity feedback (positive coolant temperature coefficient, negative density coefficient) at the beginning of the accident and all control assemblies getting stuck. Restrictions which have been valid up to now for permitted start-up conditions to fulfill inherent safety requirements can be lossened substantially by a dynamic operations criterion. Burnable poisons for compensation of reactivity theorefore can be omitted. (orig.)

Measurements of void fraction in a heated tube in the rewetting conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Freitas, R.L.

1983-01-01

The methods of void fraction measurements by transmission and diffusion of cold, thermal and epithermal neutrons were studied with cylindrical alluminium pieces simulating the steam. A great set of void fraction found in a wet zone was examined and a particulsar attention was given to the sensitivity effects of the method, mainly for high void fraction. Several aspects of the measurement techniques were analyzed, such as the effect of the phase radial distribution, neutron energy, water tempeture, effect of the void axial gradient. The technique of thermal neutron diffusion measurement was used to measure the axial profile of void fraction in a steady two-phase flow, where the pressure, mass velocity and heat flux are representative of the wet conditions. Experimental results are presented and compared with different void fraction models. (E.G.) [pt

Discrete modelling of ductile crack growth by void growth to coalescence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tvergaard, Viggo

2007-01-01

of the ligaments between the crack-tip and a void or between voids involves the development of very large strains, which are included in the model by using remeshing at several stages of the plastic deformation. The material is here described by standard isotropic hardening Mises theory. For a very small void...

Studies of the composition, tribology and wetting behavior of silicon nitride films formed by pulsed reactive closed-field unbalanced magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yao, Zh.Q.; Yang, P.; Huang, N.; Wang, J.; Wen, F.; Leng, Y.X.

2006-01-01

Silicon nitride films were formed by pulsed reactive closed-field unbalanced magnetron sputtering of high purity Si targets in an Ar-N 2 mixture. The effects of N 2 fraction on the chemical composition, and tribological and wetting behaviors were investigated. The films deposited at a high N 2 fraction were consistently N-rich. The surface microstructure changed from continuous granular surrounded by tiny void regions to a homogeneous and dense microstructure, and densitied as the N 2 fraction is increased. The as-deposited films have a relatively low friction coefficient and better wear resistance than 316L stainless steel under dry sliding friction and experienced only abrasive wear. The decreased surface roughness and increased nitrogen incorporation in the film give rise to increased contact angle with double-stilled water from 24 deg. to 49.6 deg. To some extent, the silicon nitride films deposited are hydrophilic in nature

Effective void fraction for a BWR assembly with boiling in the bypass region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Galperin, A.; Segev, M.; Knoglinger, E.

1991-09-01

Average BWR assembly cross-sections for nominal conditions, namely for zero bypass void, can be utilised in the analysis of transient conditions with boiling in the bypass. A model is developed to yield an effective channel void for such conditions. The use of this void in conjunction with the 'nominal conditions' cross section library approximately preserves the assembly K-infinity corresponding to the true channel and bypass voids. The effective void is an augmentation of the actual channel void. The augment is proportional to the bypass-to-channel volume ratio, to the bypass void, and to a weight W which is introduced to quantify the fact that a water molecule in the bypass has a different assembly criticality worth than one in the channel. The formula developed is superior to the practice of choosing W=1, namely a simple, non-weighted, transfer of water from channel to bypass. The use of this approximate effective channel void reproduces actual K-infinity values of assemblies to better than 5 mk, whereas the use of a simple model sometimes misspredicts the assembly K-infinity by 40 mK. The effective void model cannot handle cases in which both channel and bypass void value are high, simply because then the effective void α ch eff becomes meaningless. A method to treat the α eff >1 domain is developed by which corrections to cross sections are provided. Such corrections are synthesised as functions of the assembly parameters. (author) figs., tabs., refs

Force field inside the void in complex plasmas under microgravity conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kretschmer, M.; Khrapak, S.A.; Zhdanov, S.K.; Thomas, H.M.; Morfill, G.E.; Fortov, V.E.; Lipaev, A.M.; Molotkov, V.I.; Ivanov, A.I.; Turin, M.V.

2005-01-01

Observations of complex plasmas under microgravity conditions onboard the International Space Station performed with the Plasma-Kristall experiment-Nefedov facility are reported. A weak instability of the boundary between the central void (region free of microparticles) and the microparticle cloud is observed at low gas pressures. The instability leads to periodic injections of a relatively small number of particles into the void region (by analogy this effect is called the 'trampoline effect'). The trajectories of injected particles are analyzed providing information on the force field inside the void. The experimental results are compared with theory which assumes that the most important forces inside the void are the electric and the ion drag forces. Good agreement is found clearly indicating that under conditions investigated the void formation is caused by the ion drag force

Direct evidence of void passivation in Cu(InGa)(SSe)2 absorber layers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Dongho; Kim, Young-Su; Mo, Chan B.; Huh, Kwangsoo; Yang, JungYup; Nam, Junggyu; Baek, Dohyun; Park, Sungchan; Kim, ByoungJune; Kim, Dongseop; Lee, Jaehan; Heo, Sung; Park, Jong-Bong; Kang, Yoonmook

2015-01-01

We have investigated the charge collection condition around voids in copper indium gallium sulfur selenide (CIGSSe) solar cells fabricated by sputter and a sequential process of selenization/sulfurization. In this study, we found direct evidence of void passivation by using the junction electron beam induced current method, transmission electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The high sulfur concentration at the void surface plays an important role in the performance enhancement of the device. The recombination around voids is effectively suppressed by field-assisted void passivation. Hence, the generated carriers are easily collected by the electrodes. Therefore, when the S/(S + Se) ratio at the void surface is over 8% at room temperature, the device performance degradation caused by the recombination at the voids is negligible at the CIGSSe layer

Theory of void swelling, irradiation creep and growth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wood, M.H.; Bullough, R.; Hayns, M.R.

Recent progress in our understanding of the fundamental mechanisms involved in swelling, creep and growth of materials subjected to irradiation is reviewed. The topics discussed are: the sink types and their strengths in the lossy continuum; swelling and void distribution analysis, including recent work on void nucleation; and, irradiation creep and growth of zirconium and zircaloy are taken as an example

AIREKMOD-RR, Reactivity Transients in Nuclear Research Reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baggoura, B.; Mazrou, H.

2001-01-01

1 - Description of program or function: AIREMOD-RR is a point kinetics code which can simulate fast transients in nuclear research reactor cores. It can also be used for theoretical reactor dynamics studies. It is used for research reactor kinetic analysis and provides a point neutron kinetic capability. The thermal hydraulic behavior is governed by a one-dimensional heat balance equation. The calculations are restricted to a single equivalent unit cell which consists of fuel, clad and coolant. 2 - Method of solution: For transient reactor kinetic calculations a modified Runge Kutta numerical method is used. The external reactivity insertion, specified as a function of time, is converted in dollar ($) unit. The neutron density, energy release and feedback variables are given at each time step. The two types of reactivity feedback considered are: Doppler effect and moderator effect. A new expression for the reactivity dependence on the feedback variables has been introduced in the present version of the code. The feedback reactivities are fitted in power series expression. 3 - Restrictions on the complexity of the problem: The number of delayed neutron groups and the total number of equations are limited only by computer storage capabilities. - Coolant is always in liquid phase. - Void reactivity feedback is not considered

Temperature feedback of TRIGA MARK-II fuel

Science.gov (United States)

Usang, M. D.; Minhat, M. S.; Rabir, M. H.; M. Rawi M., Z.

2016-01-01

We study the amount of temperature feedback on reactivity for the three types of TRIGA fuel i.. ST8, ST12 and LEU fuel, are used in the TRIGA MARK II reactor in Malaysia Nuclear Agency. We employ WIMSD-5B for the calculation of kin f for a single TRIGA fuel surrounded by water. Typical calculations of TRIGA fuel reactivity are usually limited to ST8 fuel, but in this paper our investigation extends to ST12 and LEU fuel. We look at the kin f of our model at various fuel temperatures and calculate the amount reactivity removed. In one instance, the water temperature is kept at room temperature of 300K to simulate sudden reactivity increase from startup. In another instance, we simulate the sudden temperature increase during normal operation where the water temperature is approximately 320K while observing the kin f at various fuel temperatures. For accidents, two cases are simulated. The first case is for water temperature at 370K and the other is without any water. We observe that the higher Uranium content fuel such as the ST12 and LEU have much smaller contribution to the reactivity in comparison to the often studied ST8 fuel. In fact the negative reactivity coefficient for LEU fuel at high temperature in water is only slightly larger to the negative reactivity coefficient for ST8 fuel in void. The performance of ST8 fuel in terms of negative reactivity coefficient is cut almost by half when it is in void. These results are essential in the safety evaluation of the reactor and should be carefully considered when choices of fuel for core reconfiguration are made.

Understanding void fraction in steady state and dynamic environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chexal, B.; Maulbetsch, J.; Harrison, J.; Petersen, C.; Jensen, P.; Horowitz, J.

1997-01-01

Understanding void fraction behavior in steady-state and dynamic environments is important to accurately predict the thermal-hydraulic behavior of two-phase or two-component systems. The Chexal-Lellouche (C-L) void fraction mode described herein covers the full range of pressures, flows, void fractions, and fluid types (steam-water, air-water, and refrigerants). A drift flux model formulation is used which covers the complete range of concurrent and countercurrent flows. The (1996) model revises the earlier C-L void fraction correlation, improves the capability of the model in countercurrent flow based on the incorporation of additional data, and improves the characteristics of the correlation that are important in transient programs. The model has been qualified with data from a number of steady state two-phase and two-component tests, and has been incorporated into the transient analysis code RELAP5 and RETRAN-3D and evaluated with a variety of transient and steady state tests. A 'plug-in' module for the void fraction correlation has been developed and implemented in RELAP5 and RETRAN-3D. The module is available as source code for inclusion into other thermal-hydraulic programs and can be used in any program that utilizes the same interface variables

Reactivity and reaction rate ratio changes with moderator voidage in a light water high converter reactor lattice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chawla, R.; Gmuer, K.; Hager, H.; Seiler, R.

1986-01-01

Integral reaction rate ratios and other k ∞ related parameters have been measured in the first three cores of the experimental program on light water high converter reactor (LWHCR) test lattices in the PROTEUS reactor. The reference tight-pitch lattice consisted of two rod types, with an average fissile-plutonium enrichment of 6% and a fuel/moderator ratio of 2.0. The moderators were H 2 O, Dowtherm (simulating an H 2 O voidage of 42.5%), and air (100% void). Comparisons of the measured parameters have been made with calculational results based mainly on the use of two separate codes and their associated data libraries, namely, WIMS-D and EPRI-CPM. A reconstruction of individual components of the k-infinity void coefficient has been carried out on the basis of the measured changes with voidage of the various reaction rate ratios, as well as of k-infinity itself. The subsequent more detailed comparisons between experiment and calculation should provide a useful basis for resolving the conflicting calculational results that have been reported in the past for the void coefficient characteristics of LWHCRs. (author)

Video Voiding Device for Diagnosing Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction in Men.

Science.gov (United States)

Shokoueinejad, Mehdi; Alkashgari, Rayan; Mosli, Hisham A; Alothmany, Nazeeh; Levin, Jacob M; Webster, John G

2017-01-01

We introduce a novel diagnostic Visual Voiding Device (VVD), which has the ability to visually document urinary voiding events and calculate key voiding parameters such as instantaneous flow rate. The observation of the urinary voiding process along with the instantaneous flow rate can be used to diagnose symptoms of Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction (LUTD) and improve evaluation of LUTD treatments by providing subsequent follow-up documentations of voiding events after treatments. The VVD enables a patient to have a urinary voiding event in privacy while a urologist monitors, processes, and documents the event from a distance. The VVD consists of two orthogonal cameras which are used to visualize urine leakage from the urethral meatus, urine stream trajectory, and its break-up into droplets. A third, lower back camera monitors a funnel topped cylinder where urine accumulates that contains a floater for accurate readings regardless of the urine color. Software then processes the change in level of accumulating urine in the cylinder and the visual flow properties to calculate urological parameters. Video playback allows for reexamination of the voiding process. The proposed device was tested by integrating a mass flowmeter into the setup and simultaneously measuring the instantaneous flow rate of a predetermined voided volume in order to verify the accuracy of VVD compared to the mass flowmeter. The VVD and mass flowmeter were found to have an accuracy of ±2 and ±3% relative to full scale, respectively. A VVD clinical trial was conducted on 16 healthy male volunteers ages 23-65.

Neutron gauging to detect voids in polyurethane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsang, F.Y.; Alger, D.M.; Brugger, R.M.

1978-01-01

Thermal-neutron radiography and fast-neutron gauging measurements were made to evaluate the feasibility of detecting voids in a polyurethane block placed between steel plates. This sandwich of polyurethane and steel simulates the walls of a canister being designed to hold explosive devices. The polyurethane would act as a shock absorber in the canister. A large fabrication cost saving would result by casting the polyurethane, but a nondestructive testing (NDT) method is needed to determine the uniformity of the polyurethane fill. The radiography measurements used a beam of thermal neutrons, while the gauging used filtered beams of 24 keV and fission spectrum neutrons. For the 83-mm-thick polyurethane and 130-mm-thick steel matrix, the thermal-neutron radiography was able to detect only those voids equal to about one-half the polyurethane thickness. The gauging detected voids in the path of the neutron beam of a few millimetres thickness in seconds to minutes. The gauging is feasible as an NDT method for the canister application

Voids and the Cosmic Web: cosmic depression & spatial complexity

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van de Weygaert, Rien; Shandarin, S.; Saar, E.; Einasto, J.

2016-01-01

Voids form a prominent aspect of the Megaparsec distribution of galaxies and matter. Not only do theyrepresent a key constituent of the Cosmic Web, they also are one of the cleanest probesand measures of global cosmological parameters. The shape and evolution of voids are highly sensitive tothe

Blind void filling in LR-EPONs: How efficient it can be?

KAUST Repository

Elrasad, Amr; Shihada, Basem

2015-01-01

This work proposes a novel blind void (idle periods) filling in Long-Reach Ethernet Passive Optical Networks (LR-EPONs) namely Size Controlled Batch Void Filling (SCBVF). We emphasize on reducing grant delays and hence reducing the average packet delay. SCBVF delay reduction is achieved by early flushing data during the idle time periods (voids) between allocated grants. The proposed approach can be integrated with almost all of the previously reported dynamic bandwidth allocation schemes. SCBVF is less sensitive to differential distance between ONUs and can work well in case of small differential distances compared to previously reported void filling schemes. We support our work by extensive simulation study considering bursty traffic with long range dependency. Numerical results show a delay reduction up to 35% compared to non-void filling scheme outperforming its main competitors that can achieve up to 7% delay reduction.

Blind void filling in LR-EPONs: How efficient it can be?

KAUST Repository

Elrasad, Amr

2015-07-01

This work proposes a novel blind void (idle periods) filling in Long-Reach Ethernet Passive Optical Networks (LR-EPONs) namely Size Controlled Batch Void Filling (SCBVF). We emphasize on reducing grant delays and hence reducing the average packet delay. SCBVF delay reduction is achieved by early flushing data during the idle time periods (voids) between allocated grants. The proposed approach can be integrated with almost all of the previously reported dynamic bandwidth allocation schemes. SCBVF is less sensitive to differential distance between ONUs and can work well in case of small differential distances compared to previously reported void filling schemes. We support our work by extensive simulation study considering bursty traffic with long range dependency. Numerical results show a delay reduction up to 35% compared to non-void filling scheme outperforming its main competitors that can achieve up to 7% delay reduction.

Effect of main stream void distribution on cavitating hydrofoil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ito, J.

1993-01-01

For the safety analysis of a loss of coolant accident in a pressurized water reactor, it is important to establish an analytical method which predicts the pump performance under gas-liquid two-phase flow condition. J.H. Kim briefly reviewed several major two-phase flow pump models, and discussed the parameters that could significantly affect two-phase pump behavior. The parameter pointed out to be of the most importance is void distribution at the pump inlet. This says that the pipe bend near the pump inlet makes the void distribution at the pump inlet nonuniform, and this matter can have a significant effect on the impeller blade performance. This paper proposes an analytical method of solution for a partially cavitating hydrofoil placed in the main stream of incompressible homogeneous bubbly two-phase flow conditions whose void fraction is exponentially distributed normal to chordline. The paper clarifies the effect of main stream void distribution parameter on the partially cavitating hydrofoil characteristics

On localization and void coalescence as a precursor to ductile fracture.

Science.gov (United States)

Tekoğlu, C; Hutchinson, J W; Pardoen, T

2015-03-28

Two modes of plastic flow localization commonly occur in the ductile fracture of structural metals undergoing damage and failure by the mechanism involving void nucleation, growth and coalescence. The first mode consists of a macroscopic localization, usually linked to the softening effect of void nucleation and growth, in either a normal band or a shear band where the thickness of the band is comparable to void spacing. The second mode is coalescence with plastic strain localizing to the ligaments between voids by an internal necking process. The ductility of a material is tied to the strain at macroscopic localization, as this marks the limit of uniform straining at the macroscopic scale. The question addressed is whether macroscopic localization occurs prior to void coalescence or whether the two occur simultaneously. The relation between these two modes of localization is studied quantitatively in this paper using a three-dimensional elastic-plastic computational model representing a doubly periodic array of voids within a band confined between two semi-infinite outer blocks of the same material but without voids. At sufficiently high stress triaxiality, a clear separation exists between the two modes of localization. At lower stress triaxialities, the model predicts that the onset of macroscopic localization and coalescence occur simultaneously. © 2015 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

Fluid intake and voiding; habits and health knowledge in a young, healthy population.

Science.gov (United States)

Das, Rebekah N; Grimmer-Somers, Karen A

2012-01-01

Health professionals commonly advise patients with incontinence and other lower urinary tract symptoms about modifiable contributing factors such as drinking and voiding habits. Poor drinking and voiding habits may begin early in life, before symptoms emerge. However, little is known about the habits and knowledge young people have regarding healthy drinking and voiding behaviors. This research aimed to assess the habits and health knowledge of young people regarding fluid intake and voiding. A questionnaire was used to assess the drinking and voiding behaviors of first year university students and their knowledge about healthy fluid intake and voiding. The average daily fluid intake was >2 L/day for both genders. Poor drinking and voiding habits (such as high consumption of caffeinated drinks and alcohol, or nocturia) were common. Widely reported myths about the benefits of a high fluid intake were commonly believed. More informed public education regarding healthy fluid intake, and drinking and voiding habits, is required as part of the effort to reduce the development of lower urinary tract symptoms, including incontinence.

Validation of coupled Relap5-3D code in the analysis of RBMK-1500 specific transients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Evaldas, Bubelis; Algirdas, Kaliatka; Eugenijus, Uspuras

2003-01-01

This paper deals with the modelling of RBMK-1500 specific transients taking place at Ignalina NPP. These transients include: measurements of void and fast power reactivity coefficients, change of graphite cooling conditions and reactor power reduction transients. The simulation of these transients was performed using RELAP5-3D code model of RBMK-1500 reactor. At the Ignalina NPP void and fast power reactivity coefficients are measured on a regular basis and, based on the total reactor power, reactivity, control and protection system control rods positions and the main circulation circuit parameter changes during the experiments, the actual values of these reactivity coefficients are determined. Graphite temperature reactivity coefficient at the plant is determined by changing graphite cooling conditions in the reactor cavity. This type of transient is very unique and important from the gap between fuel channel and the graphite bricks model validation point of view. The measurement results, obtained during this transient, allowed to determine the thermal conductivity coefficient for this gap and to validate the graphite temperature reactivity feedback model. Reactor power reduction is a regular operation procedure during the entire lifetime of the reactor. In all cases it starts by either a scram or a power reduction signal activation by the reactor control and protection system or by an operator. The obtained calculation results demonstrate reasonable agreement with Ignalina NPP measured data. Behaviours of the separate MCC thermal-hydraulic parameters as well as physical processes are predicted reasonably well to the real processes, occurring in the primary circuit of RBMK-1500 reactor. Reasonable agreement of the measured and the calculated total reactor power change in time demonstrates the correct modelling of the neutronic processes taking place in RBMK- 1500 reactor core. And finally, the performed validation of RELAP5-3D model of Ignalina NPP RBMK-1500

Breaking the vicious circle: Onabotulinum toxin A in children with therapy-refractory dysfunctional voiding

NARCIS (Netherlands)

L.A. 't Hoen (Lisette); J. van den Hoek (Joop); K.P. Wolffenbuttel (Katja); F. van der Toorn; J.R. Scheepe (Jeroen)

2015-01-01

textabstractIntroduction An increased activity of the external urethral sphincter or pelvic floor muscles during voluntary voiding leads to dysfunctional voiding. Frequently reported symptoms are urinary incontinence, urinary tract infections and high post-void residuals. Dysfunctional voiding is a

Void fraction instrument software, Version 1,2, Acceptance test report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gimera, M.

1995-01-01

This provides the report for the void fraction instrument acceptance test software Version 1.2. The void fraction will collect data that will be used to calculate the quantity of gas trapped in waste tanks

Air void clustering : [technical summary].

Science.gov (United States)

2015-06-01

Air void clustering around coarse aggregate in concrete has been : identified as a potential source of low strengths in concrete mixes by : several Departments of Transportation around the country. Research : was carried out to (1) develop a quantita...

Characteristics of dust voids in a strongly coupled laboratory dusty plasma

Science.gov (United States)

Bailung, Yoshiko; Deka, T.; Boruah, A.; Sharma, S. K.; Pal, A. R.; Chutia, Joyanti; Bailung, H.

2018-05-01

A void is produced in a strongly coupled dusty plasma by inserting a cylindrical pin (˜0.1 mm diameter) into a radiofrequency discharge argon plasma. The pin is biased externally below the plasma potential to generate the dust void. The Debye sheath model is used to obtain the sheath potential profile and hence to estimate the electric field around the pin. The electric field force and the ion drag force on the dust particles are estimated and their balance accounts well for the maintenance of the size of the void. The effects of neutral density as well as dust density on the void size are studied.

Experimental study of average void fraction in low-flow subcooled boiling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun Qi; Wang Xiaojun; Xi Zhao; Zhao Hua; Yang Ruichang

2005-01-01

Low-flow subcooled void fraction in medium pressure was investigated using high-temperature high-pressure single-sensor optical probe in this paper. And then average void fraction was obtained through the integral calculation of local void fraction in the cross-section. The experimental data were compared with the void fraction model proposed in advance. The results show that the predictions of this model agree with the data quite well. The comparisons of Saha and Levy models with low-flow subcooled data show that Saha model overestimates the experimental data distinctively, and Levy model also gets relatively higher predictions although it is better than Saha model. (author)

The metallurgical approach on the solder voids behaviour in surface mount devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohabattul Zaman Bukhari

1996-01-01

Solder voids are believed to cause poor heat dissiption in the Surface Mount devices and reduce the reliability of the devices at higher operating services. There are a lot of factors involved in creating voids such as gas/flux entrapment, wettability, outgasseous, air bubbles in the solder paste, inconsistency of solder coverage and improper metal scheme selection. This study was done to observe the behaviour of the solder voids in term of flux entrapmentt and wettability. It is believed that flux entrapment and wettability are verify this hypothesis. Two types of metal scheme were chosen which are Nickel (Ni) plated and Tin (Sn) plated heatsink. X-ray techniques such as Radiographic Inspection Analysis and EDAX were used to detect the minute solder voids. The solder voids observed on the heatsinks and Copper shims after the reflow process are believed to be a non contact voids that resulted from some portion of the surface not wetting properly

(100) faceted anion voids in electron irradiated fluorite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, E.

1979-01-01

High fluence electron irradiation of fluorite crystals in the temperature range 150 to 320 K results in formation of a simple cubic anion void superlattice. Above 320 K the damage structure changes to a random distribution of large [001] faceted anion voids. This voidage behaviour, similar to that observed in a range of irradiated metals, is discussed in terms points defect rather than conventional colour centre terminology. (Auth.)

Partial discharges in ellipsoidal and spheroidal voids

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Crichton, George C; Karlsson, P. W.; Pedersen, Aage

1989-01-01

Transients associated with partial discharges in voids can be described in terms of the charges induced on the terminal electrodes of the system. The relationship between the induced charge and the properties which are usually measured is discussed. The method is illustrated by applying it to a s......Transients associated with partial discharges in voids can be described in terms of the charges induced on the terminal electrodes of the system. The relationship between the induced charge and the properties which are usually measured is discussed. The method is illustrated by applying...

Fuzzy Reasoning to More Accurately Determine Void Areas on Optical Micrographs of Composite Structures

Science.gov (United States)

Dominquez, Jesus A.; Tate, Lanetra C.; Wright, M. Clara; Caraccio, Anne

2013-01-01

Accomplishing the best-performing composite matrix (resin) requires that not only the processing method but also the cure cycle generate low-void-content structures. If voids are present, the performance of the composite matrix will be significantly reduced. This is usually noticed by significant reductions in matrix-dominated properties, such as compression and shear strength. Voids in composite materials are areas that are absent of the composite components: matrix and fibers. The characteristics of the voids and their accurate estimation are critical to determine for high performance composite structures. One widely used method of performing void analysis on a composite structure sample is acquiring optical micrographs or Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images of lateral sides of the sample and retrieving the void areas within the micrographs/images using an image analysis technique. Segmentation for the retrieval and subsequent computation of void areas within the micrographs/images is challenging as the gray-scaled values of the void areas are close to the gray-scaled values of the matrix leading to the need of manually performing the segmentation based on the histogram of the micrographs/images to retrieve the void areas. The use of an algorithm developed by NASA and based on Fuzzy Reasoning (FR) proved to overcome the difficulty of suitably differentiate void and matrix image areas with similar gray-scaled values leading not only to a more accurate estimation of void areas on composite matrix micrographs but also to a faster void analysis process as the algorithm is fully autonomous.

Development of quick-response area-averaged void fraction meter. Application to BWR condition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Iguchi, Tadashi; Watanabe, Hironori; Kimura, Mamoru; Anoda, Yoshinari [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment

2001-05-01

Authors have been developed a practical conductance-type void fraction meter to measure instantaneously area-averaged void fraction in rod bundle. The principle of the meter is based on the fact that the electrical conductance changes with the change of void fraction in gas-liquid two-phase flow. According to air/water two-phase flow experiment, the void fraction was approximated by {alpha}=1-I/I{sub 0}, where {alpha} and I are void fraction and current (I{sub 0} is current at {alpha}=0). Authors investigated the performance of the void fraction meter under high temperature/high pressure conditions (BWR condition; 290degC, 7MPa). The results indicated that the void fraction was approximated by {alpha}=1-I/I{sub 0} even under high temperature/high pressure condition of stem/water flow. However, it is necessary to take account of temperature dependency of water specific conductance. Therefore, authors derived a correction equation for temperature dependency. Further, for applying the void fraction meter to a large-scale facility, it was found to be necessary to reduce the capacitance of the circuit. Then, authors developed the method to reduce the capacitance effect. Finally, authors succeeded to measure the void fraction in 2 x 2 bundle flow path at the range of 0% - 70% in the error of 10% under high temperature/high pressure and mass flux of less than 133 kg/m{sup 2}s. Developed void fraction meter is theoretically not affected by flow rate. Therefore, it can be applied to the condition of oscillating flow. (author)

Parallel Void Thread in Long-Reach Ethernet Passive Optical Networks

KAUST Repository

Elrasad, Amr; Shihada, Basem

2015-01-01

This work investigates void filling (idle periods) in long-reach Ethernet passive optical networks. We focus on reducing grant delays and hence reducing the average packet delay. We introduce a novel approach called parallel void thread (PVT), which

Void formation by annealing of neutron-irradiated plastically deformed molybdenum

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petersen, K.; Nielsen, B.; Thrane, N.

1976-01-01

The positron annihilation technique has been used in order to study the influence of plastic deformation on the formation and growth of voids in neutron irradiated molybdenum single crystals treated by isochronal annealing. Samples were prepared in three ways: deformed 12-19% before irradiation, deformed 12-19% after irradiation, and - for reference purposes -non-deformed. In addition a polycrystalline sample was prepared in order to study the influence of the grain boundaries. All samples were irradiated at 60 0 C with a flux of 2.5 x 10 18 fast neutrons/cm 2 . After irradiation the samples were subjected to isochronal annealing. It was found that deformation before irradiation probably enhanced the formation of voids slightly. Deformation after irradiation strongly reduced the void formation. The presence of grain boundaries in the polycrystalline sample had a reducing influence on the growth of voids. (author)

Investigation of CTF void fraction prediction by ENTEK BM experiment data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoang Minh Giang; Hoang Tan Hung; Nguyen Phu Khanh

2015-01-01

Recently, CTF, a version of COBRA-TF code is reviewed to validate its simulation models by several experiments such as Castellana 4x4 rod bundle, EPRI 5x5 bundle tests, PSBT bundle tests and TPTF experiment. These above experiments provide enthalpy, mass flux (Castellana), temperature (EPRI) and void fraction (PSBT, TPTF) at exit channel only. In order to simulate PWR rod bundle flow behavior, it is necessary to review CTF with more experiment in high pressure condition and it is found that the ENTEK BM facility is suitable for this purpose. The ENTEK BM facility is used to simulate Russia RBMK and VVER rod bundle two phase flow with pressure at 3 and 7 MPa and it gives measured void fraction distribution along the channel. This study focus on two points: (a) accuracy assessment between CTF void fraction distribution predictions versus experiment void fraction distributions and (b) investigation of void fraction prediction uncertainty from propagation of input deviations caused by measured accuracy. (author)

The Effects of Void on Natural Ventilation Performance in Multi-Storey Housing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fakhriah Muhsin

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Enhancing natural ventilation performance in multi-storey housing is very important for the living environment in terms of health and thermal comfort purposes. One of the most important design strategies to enhance natural ventilation in multi-storey housing is through the provision of voids. A void is a passive architectural feature, which is located in the middle of deep plan buildings. It is very crucial to consider the configurations of voids in the buildings for enhancing natural ventilation, especially for multi-storey housing. In this study, Malaysian Medium Cost Multi-Storey Housing (MMCMSH, which is an example of multi-storey housing located in a suburban area, has been selected in this study. This study aims to investigate the potential of void for enhancing natural ventilation performance in multi-storey housing by the comparison of two different void configurations. Field measurement of MMCMSH has been conducted to validate Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD model and Atmospheric Boundary Layer (ABL is an important parameter for setting up the CFD Model’s domain. Ventilation rate (Q, which is necessary for comfort and health reasons, is an important parameter for the comparison of the different void configurations. This study revealed that the provision of void can enhance natural ventilation performance in multi-storey housing with an increase in the value of Q, from 3.44% to 40.07%, by enlarging the void’s width by 50% compared to the existing void.

Void distributions in liquid BiBr{sub 3}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maruyama, K [Faculty of Science, Niigata University, Niigata 950-2181 (Japan); Endo, H [Faculty of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8224 (Japan); Hoshino, H [Faculty of Education, Hirosaki University, Hirosaki 036-8560 (Japan); Kawakita, Y [Faculty of Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 810-8560 (Japan); Kohara, S; Itou, M [Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute(JASRI), Sayo-cho 679-5198 (Japan)

2008-02-15

The X-ray diffraction experiments and the reverse Monte Carlo analysis for liquid BiBr{sub 3} have been performed to clarify the distribution of Bi and Br ions around voids, comparing with previous results derived in the neutron diffraction experiments. The hexagonal cages involving voids are formed by the corner-sharing of the trigonal pyramidal BiBr{sub 3} blocks. The neighboring cages are linked together in highly correlated fashion. The observed pre-peak in S(Q) at 1.3A{sup -1} is related to the pre-peak of the void-based S'{sub CC} (Q) due to an intermediate chemical order in the structure. The pre-peak intensity increases with increasing temperature. This characteristic change for the pre-peak intensity is discussed by considering the modifications of the topology and stacking in the hexagonal cages.

X-ray Computed Tomography Assessment of Air Void Distribution in Concrete

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Haizhu

Air void size and spatial distribution have long been regarded as critical parameters in the frost resistance of concrete. In cement-based materials, entrained air void systems play an important role in performance as related to durability, permeability, and heat transfer. Many efforts have been made to measure air void parameters in a more efficient and reliable manner in the past several decades. Standardized measurement techniques based on optical microscopy and stereology on flat cut and polished surfaces are widely used in research as well as in quality assurance and quality control applications. Other more automated methods using image processing have also been utilized, but still starting from flat cut and polished surfaces. The emergence of X-ray computed tomography (CT) techniques provides the capability of capturing the inner microstructure of materials at the micrometer and nanometer scale. X-ray CT's less demanding sample preparation and capability to measure 3D distributions of air voids directly provide ample prospects for its wider use in air void characterization in cement-based materials. However, due to the huge number of air voids that can exist within a limited volume, errors can easily arise in the absence of a formalized data processing procedure. In this study, air void parameters in selected types of cement-based materials (lightweight concrete, structural concrete elements, pavements, and laboratory mortars) have been measured using micro X-ray CT. The focus of this study is to propose a unified procedure for processing the data and to provide solutions to deal with common problems that arise when measuring air void parameters: primarily the reliable segmentation of objects of interest, uncertainty estimation of measured parameters, and the comparison of competing segmentation parameters.

The dipole moment of a wall-charged void in a bulk dielectric

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

McAllister, Iain Wilson

1993-01-01

The dipole moment of a wall-charged void is examined with reference to the spatial extent of the surface charge density σ and the distribution of this charge. The salient factors influencing the void dipole moment are also examined. From a study of spherical voids, it is shown that, although the σ......-distribution influences the dipole moment, the spatial extent of σ has a greater influence. This behavior is not unexpected. For a void of fixed dimensions, the smaller the charged surface area, the greater is the charges, and thus the greater the dipole moment...

Uroflowmetry in neurologically normal children with voiding disorders

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, K M; Nielsen, K.K.; Kristensen, E S

1985-01-01

of neurological deficits underwent a complete diagnostic program including intravenous urography, voiding cystography and cystoscopy as well as spontaneous uroflowmetry, cystometry-emg and pressure-flow-emg study. The incidence of dyssynergia was 22%. However, neither the flow curve pattern nor single flow...... variables were able to identify children with dyssynergia. Consequently uroflowmetry seems inefficient in the screening for dyssynergia in neurological normal children with voiding disorders in the absence of anatomical bladder outlet obstruction....

Direct evidence of void passivation in Cu(InGa)(SSe){sub 2} absorber layers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Dongho; Kim, Young-Su; Mo, Chan B.; Huh, Kwangsoo; Yang, JungYup, E-mail: jungyupyang@gmail.com, E-mail: ddang@korea.ac.kr; Nam, Junggyu; Baek, Dohyun; Park, Sungchan; Kim, ByoungJune; Kim, Dongseop [PV Development Team, Energy Solution Business Division, Samsung SDI, 467 Beonyeong-ro, Seobuk-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungcheongnam-do 331-330 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Jaehan [Core Technology Laboratory, Battery Research Center, Samsung SDI, 130 Samsung-ro, Yeongtong-gu Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do 443-803 (Korea, Republic of); Heo, Sung; Park, Jong-Bong [Analytical Engineering Group, Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology, 130 Samsung-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do 443-803 (Korea, Republic of); Kang, Yoonmook, E-mail: jungyupyang@gmail.com, E-mail: ddang@korea.ac.kr [KUKIST Green School, Graduate School of Energy and Environment, Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-701 (Korea, Republic of)

2015-02-23

We have investigated the charge collection condition around voids in copper indium gallium sulfur selenide (CIGSSe) solar cells fabricated by sputter and a sequential process of selenization/sulfurization. In this study, we found direct evidence of void passivation by using the junction electron beam induced current method, transmission electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The high sulfur concentration at the void surface plays an important role in the performance enhancement of the device. The recombination around voids is effectively suppressed by field-assisted void passivation. Hence, the generated carriers are easily collected by the electrodes. Therefore, when the S/(S + Se) ratio at the void surface is over 8% at room temperature, the device performance degradation caused by the recombination at the voids is negligible at the CIGSSe layer.

Internal Nano Voids in Yttria-Stabilised Zirconia (YSZ Powder

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chen Barad

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Porous yttria-stabilised zirconia ceramics have been gaining popularity throughout the years in various fields, such as energy, environment, medicine, etc. Although yttria-stabilised zirconia is a well-studied material, voided yttria-stabilised zirconia powder particles have not been demonstrated yet, and might play an important role in future technology developments. A sol-gel synthesis accompanied by a freeze-drying process is currently being proposed as a method of obtaining sponge-like nano morphology of embedded faceted voids inside yttria-stabilised zirconia particles. The results rely on a freeze-drying stage as an effective and simple method for generating nano-voided yttria-stabilised zirconia particles without the use of template-assisted additives.

Voids in the Cosmic Web as a probe of dark energy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B. Novosyadlyj

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The formation of large voids in the Cosmic Web from the initial adiabatic cosmological perturbations of space-time metric, density and velocity of matter is investigated in cosmological model with the dynamical dark energy accelerating expansion of the Universe. It is shown that the negative density perturbations with the initial radius of about 50 Mpc in comoving to the cosmological background coordinates and the amplitude corresponding to the r.m.s. temperature fluctuations of the cosmic microwave background lead to the formation of voids with the density contrast up to -0.9, maximal peculiar velocity about 400 km/s and the radius close to the initial one. An important feature of voids formation from the analyzed initial amplitudes and profiles is establishing the surrounding overdensity shell. We have shown that the ratio of the peculiar velocity in units of the Hubble flow to the density contrast in the central part of a void does not depend or weakly depends on the distance from the center of the void. It is also shown that this ratio is sensitive to the values of dark energy parameters and can be used to find them based on the observational data on mass density and peculiar velocities of galaxies in the voids.

Fast and interrupted expansion in cyclic void growth in dusty plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van de Wetering, F M J H; Brooimans, R J C; Nijdam, S; Beckers, J; Kroesen, G M W

2015-01-01

Low-pressure acetylene plasmas are able to spontaneously form dust particles. This will result in a dense cloud of solid particles that is levitated in the plasma. The formed particles can grow up to micrometers. We observed a spontaneous interruption in the expansion of the so-called dust void. A dust void is a macroscopic region in the plasma that is free of nanoparticles. The phenomenon is periodical and reproducible. We refer to the expansion interruption as ‘hiccup’. The expanding void is an environment in which a new cycle of dust particle formation can start. At a certain moment in time, this cycle reaches the (sudden) coagulation phase and as a result the void will temporarily shrink. To substantiate this reasoning, the electron density is determined non-intrusively using microwave cavity resonance spectroscopy. Moreover, video imaging of laser light scattering of the dust particles provides their spatial distribution. The emission intensity of a single argon transition is measured similarly. Our results support the aforementioned hypothesis for what happens during the void hiccup. The void dynamics preceding the hiccup are modeled using a simple analytical model for the two dominant forces (ion drag and electric) working on a nanoparticle in a plasma. The model results qualitatively reproduce the measurements. (paper)

Void worths in subcritical cores cooled by lead-bismuth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wallenius, Janne; Tucek, Kamil; Gudowski, Waclaw

2001-01-01

The introduction lead-bismuth coolant in accelerator driven transmutation systems (ADS) was: good neutron economy (higher source efficiency); natural circulation possible (decay heat removal); synergy with spallation target (simplified coolant management); high temperature of boiling (larger overpower margin); smaller void worths (operation at higher k-values). This paper deals with different aspects of the void worths in JAERI ADS

Analysis on small long life reactor using thorium fuel for water cooled and metal cooled reactor types

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Permana, Sidik

2009-01-01

for relatively higher excess reactivity at the beginning of operation and it reduces along the core operation time. The effect of internal blanket region of liquid metal cooled reactor types has more significant effect for reducing excess reactivity at the beginning of operation and for increasing fissile production capability than water-cooled reactor. Void reactivity change during reactor operation of all reactor type cases has been investigated for several voided fraction conditions. It shows that all reactor types obtain negative void reactivity along the reactor operation time and higher voided fraction gives more negative void reactivity coefficient at the beginning of operation and it becomes less negative after 1 year operation. Thorium based reactor with different water cooled and liquid metal cooled types, can be used for obtaining long life reactor and negative void reactivity coefficient during reactor operation. (author)

Shallow Reflection Method for Water-Filled Void Detection and Characterization

Science.gov (United States)

Zahari, M. N. H.; Madun, A.; Dahlan, S. H.; Joret, A.; Hazreek, Z. A. M.; Mohammad, A. H.; Izzaty, R. A.

2018-04-01

Shallow investigation is crucial in enhancing the characteristics of subsurface void commonly encountered in civil engineering, and one such technique commonly used is seismic-reflection technique. An assessment of the effectiveness of such an approach is critical to determine whether the quality of the works meets the prescribed requirements. Conventional quality testing suffers limitations including: limited coverage (both area and depth) and problems with resolution quality. Traditionally quality assurance measurements use laboratory and in-situ invasive and destructive tests. However geophysical approaches, which are typically non-invasive and non-destructive, offer a method by which improvement of detection can be measured in a cost-effective way. Of this seismic reflection have proved useful to assess void characteristic, this paper evaluates the application of shallow seismic-reflection method in characterizing the water-filled void properties at 0.34 m depth, specifically for detection and characterization of void measurement using 2-dimensional tomography.

Estimation of moderator temperature coefficient of actual PWRs using wavelet transform

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Katsumata, Ryosuke; Shimazu, Yoichiro

2001-01-01

Recently, an applicability of wavelet transform for estimation of moderator temperature coefficient was shown in numerical simulations. The basic concept of the wavelet transform is to eliminate noise in the measured signals. The concept is similar to that of Fourier transform method in which the analyzed reactivity component is divided by the analyzed component of relevant parameter. In order to apply the method to analyze measured data in actual PWRs, we carried out numerical simulations on the data that were more similar to actual data and proposed a method for estimation of moderator temperature coefficient using the wavelet transform. In the numerical simulations we obtained moderator temperature coefficients with the relative error of less than 4%. Based on this result we applied this method to analyze measured data in actual PWRs and the results have proved that the method is applicable for estimation of moderator temperature coefficients in the actual PWRs. It is expected that this method can reduce the required data length during the measurement. We expect to expand the applicability of this method to estimate the other reactivity coefficients with the data of short transient. (author)

Plasticity size effects in voided crystals

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hussein, M. I.; Borg, Ulrik; Niordson, Christian Frithiof

singularities in an elastic material. The lattice resistance to dislocation motion, dislocation nucleation, dislocation interaction with obstacles and annihilation are incorporated through a set of constitutive rules. Over the range of length scales investigated, both the discrete dislocation and strain......The shear and equi-biaxial straining responses of periodic voided single crystals are analysed using discrete dislocation plasticity and a continuum strain gradient crystal plasticity theory. In the discrete dislocation formulation the dislocations are all of edge character and are modelled as line...... predictions of the two formulations for all crystal types and void volume fractions considered when the material length scale in the non-local plasticity model chosen to be $0.325\\mu m$ (around ten times the slip plane spacing in the discrete dislocation models)....

Plasticity size effects in voided crystals

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hussein, M.I.; Borg, Ulrik; Niordson, Christian Frithiof

2008-01-01

as line singularities in an elastic material. The lattice resistance to dislocation motion, dislocation nucleation, dislocation interaction with obstacles and annihilation are incorporated through a set of constitutive rules. Over the range of length scales investigated, both the discrete dislocation......The shear and equi-biaxial straining responses of periodic voided single crystals are analysed using discrete dislocation plasticity and a continuum strain gradient crystal plasticity theory. In the discrete dislocation formulation, the dislocations are all of edge character and are modelled...... between predictions of the two formulations for all crystal types and void volume fractions considered when the material length scale in the non-local plasticity model is chosen to be 0.325 mu m (about 10 times the slip plane spacing in the discrete dislocation models)....

Idiopathic detrusor sphincter dyssynergia in neurologically normal patients with voiding abnormalities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, T M; Djurhuus, J C; Schrøder, H D

1982-01-01

Symptomatology and clinical manifestations of detrusor sphincter dyssynergia are described in 23 patients without neurological disease. Their cardinal symptoms were recurrent cystitis, enuresis, frequent voiding, back pain during voiding and anal discomfort. The major objective finding was vesico......Symptomatology and clinical manifestations of detrusor sphincter dyssynergia are described in 23 patients without neurological disease. Their cardinal symptoms were recurrent cystitis, enuresis, frequent voiding, back pain during voiding and anal discomfort. The major objective finding...... was vesicoureteral reflux in 11 cases with kidney scarring in 10. Bladder trabeculation was found in 13 patients, bladder hyperreflexia in 8, and significant residual urine in 16 patients. The etiology of detrusor sphincter dyssynergia in non-neurological patients is discussed. By means of exclusion it is most...

The uncertainty analysis of a liquid metal reactor for burning minor actinides from light water reactors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Choi, Hang Bok [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

1999-12-31

The neutronics analysis of a liquid metal reactor for burning minor actinides has shown that uncertainties in the nuclear data of several key minor actinide isotopes can introduce large uncertainties in the predicted performance of the core. A comprehensive sensitivity and uncertainty analysis was performed on a 1200 MWth actinide burner designed for a low burnup reactivity swing, negative doppler coefficient, and low sodium void worth. Sensitivities were generated using depletion perturbation methods for the equilibrium cycle of the reactor and covariance data was taken ENDF-B/V and other published sources. The relative uncertainties in the burnup swing, doppler coefficient, and void worth were conservatively estimated to be 180%, 97%, and 46%, respectively. 5 refs., 1 fig., 3 tabs. (Author)

The uncertainty analysis of a liquid metal reactor for burning minor actinides from light water reactors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Choi, Hang Bok [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

1998-12-31

The neutronics analysis of a liquid metal reactor for burning minor actinides has shown that uncertainties in the nuclear data of several key minor actinide isotopes can introduce large uncertainties in the predicted performance of the core. A comprehensive sensitivity and uncertainty analysis was performed on a 1200 MWth actinide burner designed for a low burnup reactivity swing, negative doppler coefficient, and low sodium void worth. Sensitivities were generated using depletion perturbation methods for the equilibrium cycle of the reactor and covariance data was taken ENDF-B/V and other published sources. The relative uncertainties in the burnup swing, doppler coefficient, and void worth were conservatively estimated to be 180%, 97%, and 46%, respectively. 5 refs., 1 fig., 3 tabs. (Author)

Local void and slip model used in BODYFIT-2PE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, B.C.J.; Chien, T.H.; Kim, J.H.; Lellouche, G.S.

1983-01-01

A local void and slip model has been proposed for a two-phase flow without the need of fitting any empirical parameters. This model is based on the assumption that all bubbles have reached their terminal rise velocities in the two-phase region. This simple model seems to provide reasonable calculational results when compared with the experimental data and other void and slip models. It provides a means to account for the void and slip of a two-phase flow on a local basis. This is particularly suitable for a fine mesh thermal-hydraulic computer program such as BODYFIT-2PE

How institutional voids influence Brazilian foreign direct investment in Angola

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Renato Virches

2017-04-01

Full Text Available How do institutional voids influence emerging market multinationals (EMNEs foreign direct investment (FDI in developing countries? In this article we respond to this question by examining Brazilian FDI in Angola as our analytical setting. We focus on the host country’s institutions and its institutional voids as essential factors that attract the FDI of EMNES to developing countries. The research indicates that Brazilian companies fill in much of these voids within the market intermediaries, often creating a point of competitive advantage, and also creating advantages in relation to FDI from other economies that invest in Angola. The scarce literature on FDI in Africa has been largely dedicated to the analysis of Chinese investment in the region. We aim to complement recent research on the influence of the host country’s institutions on the behavior of FDI in developing countries, explaining how some EMNEs are able to use the institutional voids of developing countries as market opportunities. Our findings should provide also implications for EMNEs managers from other emerging markets by providing a better understanding of how Brazilian multinationals expand their business in less developed countries, handle institutional voids and manage relationships with local and foreign institutions in the host country.

Magnetic resonance voiding cystography in the diagnosis of vesicoureteral reflux: comparative study with voiding cystourethrography.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Sang Kwon; Chang, Yongmin; Park, Noh Hyuck; Kim, Young Hwan; Woo, Seongku

2005-04-01

To evaluate the feasibility of magnetic resonance voiding cystography (MRVC) compared with voiding cystourethrography (VCUG) for detecting and grading vesicoureteral reflux (VUR). MRVC was performed upon 20 children referred for investigation of reflux. Either coronal T1-weighted spin-echo (SE) or gradient-echo (GE) (fast multiplanar spoiled gradient-echo (FMPSPGR) or turbo fast low-angle-shot (FLASH)) images were obtained before and after transurethral administration of gadolinium solution, and immediately after voiding. The findings of MRVC were compared with those of VCUG and technetium-99m ((99m)Tc) dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) performed within 6 months of MRVC. VUR was detected in 23 ureterorenal units (16 VURs by both methods, 5 VURs by VCUG, and 2 VURs by MRVC). With VCUG as the standard of reference, the sensitivity of MRVC was 76.2%; the specificity, 90.0%; the positive predictive value, 88.9%; and the negative predictive value, 78.3%. There was concordance between two methods regarding the grade of reflux in all 16 ureterorenal units with VUR detected by both methods. Of 40 kidneys, MRVC detected findings of renal damage or reflux nephropathy in 13 kidneys, and (99m)Tc DMSA renal SPECT detected findings of reflux nephropathy in 17 kidneys. Although MRVC is shown to have less sensitivity for VUR than VCUG, MRVC may represent a method of choice offering a safer nonradiation test that can additionally evaluate the kidneys for changes related to reflux nephropathy. Copyright 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Irradiation creep and void swelling of two LMR heats of HT9 at ∝400 C and 165 dpa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toloczko, M.B.; Garner, F.A.

1996-01-01

Two nominally identical heats of HT9 ferritic-martensitic steel were produced, fabricated into pressurized tubes, and then irradiated in FFTF, using identical procedures. After reaching 165 dpa at ∝400 C, small differences in strains associated with both phase-related changes in lattice parameter and void swelling were observed in comparing the two heats. The creep strains, while different, exhibited the same functional dependence on swelling behavior. The derived creep coefficients, the one associated with creep in the absence of swelling and the one directly responsive to swelling, were essentially identical for the two heats. Even more significantly, the creep coefficients for this bcc ferritic-martensitic steel appear to be very similar and possibly identical to those routinely derived from creep experiments on fcc austenitic steels. (orig.)

A variational constitutive model for the distribution and interactions of multi-sized voids

KAUST Repository

Liu, Jinxing

2013-07-29

The evolution of defects or voids, generally recognized as the basic failure mechanism in most metals and alloys, has been intensively studied. Most investigations have been limited to spatially periodic cases with non-random distributions of the radii of the voids. In this study, we use a new form of the incompressibility of the matrix to propose the formula for the volumetric plastic energy of a void inside a porous medium. As a consequence, we are able to account for the weakening effect of the surrounding voids and to propose a general model for the distribution and interactions of multi-sized voids. We found that the single parameter in classical Gurson-type models, namely void volume fraction is not sufficient for the model. The relative growth rates of voids of different sizes, which can in principle be obtained through physical or numerical experiments, are required. To demonstrate the feasibility of the model, we analyze two cases. The first case represents exactly the same assumption hidden in the classical Gurson\\'s model, while the second embodies the competitive mechanism due to void size differences despite in a much simpler manner than the general case. Coalescence is implemented by allowing an accelerated void growth after an empirical critical porosity in a way that is the same as the Gurson-Tvergaard-Needleman model. The constitutive model presented here is validated through good agreements with experimental data. Its capacity for reproducing realistic failure patterns is shown by simulating a tensile test on a notched round bar. © 2013 The Author(s).

Effective neutron temperature measurements in well moderated reactor by the reactivity coefficient method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raisic, N.; Klinc, T.

1968-11-01

The ratio of the reactivity changes of a nuclear reactor produced by successive introduction of two different neutron absorbers in the reactor core, has been measured and information on effective neutron temperature at a particular point obtained. Boron was used as a l/v absorber and cadmium as an absorber sensiti ve to neutron temperature. Effective neutron temperature distribution has been deduced by moving absorbers across the reactor core and observing the corresponding reactivity changes. (author)

PD-related stresses in the bulk dielectric for ellipsoidal voids

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Aage; Crichton, George C; McAllister, Iain Wilson

1994-01-01

In a previous study, the existence of a field enhancement in the solid dielectric in the vicinity of void undergoing PD activity was established. That study was undertaken with reference to a spherical void. In this paper, a more general investigation of this phenomenon of field enhancement...

Use of electrical resistivity to detect underground mine voids in Ohio

Science.gov (United States)

Sheets, Rodney A.

2002-01-01

Electrical resistivity surveys were completed at two sites along State Route 32 in Jackson and Vinton Counties, Ohio. The surveys were done to determine whether the electrical resistivity method could identify areas where coal was mined, leaving air- or water-filled voids. These voids can be local sources of potable water or acid mine drainage. They could also result in potentially dangerous collapse of roads or buildings that overlie the voids. The resistivity response of air- or water-filled voids compared to the surrounding bedrock may allow electrical resistivity surveys to delineate areas underlain by such voids. Surface deformation along State Route 32 in Jackson County led to a site investigation, which included electrical resistivity surveys. Several highly resistive areas were identified using axial dipole-dipole and Wenner resistivity surveys. Subsequent drilling and excavation led to the discovery of several air-filled abandoned underground mine tunnels. A site along State Route 32 in Vinton County, Ohio, was drilled as part of a mining permit application process. A mine void under the highway was instrumented with a pressure transducer to monitor water levels. During a period of high water level, electrical resistivity surveys were completed. The electrical response was dominated by a thin, low-resistivity layer of iron ore above where the coal was mined out. Nearby overhead powerlines also affected the results.

Void formation in ODS EUROFER produced by hot isostatic pressing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ortega, Y.; Monge, M.A.; Castro, V. de; Munoz, A.; Leguey, T.; Pareja, R.

2009-01-01

Positron annihilation experiments were performed on oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) and non-ODS EUROFER prepared by mechanical alloying and hot isostatic pressing. The results revealed the presence of small voids in these materials in the as-HIPed conditions. Their evolution under isochronal annealing experiments was investigated. The coincidence Doppler broadening spectra of ODS EUROFER exhibited a characteristic signature attributed to positron annihilation in Ar-decorated voids at the oxide particle/matrix interfaces. The variation of the positron annihilation parameters with the annealing temperature showed three stages: up to 623 K, between 823 and 1323 K, and above 1323 K. In the temperature range 823-1323 K void coarsening had effect. Above 1323 K some voids annealed out, but others, associated to oxide particles and small precipitates, survived to annealing at 1523 K. Transmission electron microscopy observations were also performed to verify the characteristics of the surviving defects after annealing at 1523 K.

Void formation in ODS EUROFER produced by hot isostatic pressing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ortega, Y. [Departamento de Fisica, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, 28911 Leganes (Spain)], E-mail: yanicet@fis.ucm.es; Monge, M.A. [Departamento de Fisica, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, 28911 Leganes (Spain); Castro, V. de [Department of Materials, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PH (United Kingdom); Munoz, A.; Leguey, T.; Pareja, R. [Departamento de Fisica, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, 28911 Leganes (Spain)

2009-04-30

Positron annihilation experiments were performed on oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) and non-ODS EUROFER prepared by mechanical alloying and hot isostatic pressing. The results revealed the presence of small voids in these materials in the as-HIPed conditions. Their evolution under isochronal annealing experiments was investigated. The coincidence Doppler broadening spectra of ODS EUROFER exhibited a characteristic signature attributed to positron annihilation in Ar-decorated voids at the oxide particle/matrix interfaces. The variation of the positron annihilation parameters with the annealing temperature showed three stages: up to 623 K, between 823 and 1323 K, and above 1323 K. In the temperature range 823-1323 K void coarsening had effect. Above 1323 K some voids annealed out, but others, associated to oxide particles and small precipitates, survived to annealing at 1523 K. Transmission electron microscopy observations were also performed to verify the characteristics of the surviving defects after annealing at 1523 K.