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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Sensitivity of ATF Experiments in the Center Flux Trap of the Advanced Test Reactor to Adjacent Experiments

Irradiation experiments conducted in the Idaho National Laboratory’s Advanced Test Reactor are typically assumed to have little effect on one another. This assumption does not hold true for certain experiments in close proximity. To evaluate the impacts on safety and programmatic parameters of experiments in the center flux trap, the contents of the adjacent H and inner-A positions were modeled with a range of possible irradiation targets. First, neutron flux maps with experiments in those positions were compared against a baseline configuration. Next, several safety and programmatic parameters for a generic accident-tolerant fuel test train were calculated. It was shown that these parameters can exhibit considerable sensitivity to the contents of the H and A experiment positions.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Accelerating Nuclear Fuels and Materials Qualification by Multi-Level Irradiation Experiment Campaign

The advanced reactor technologies feature fuels, coolants, and materials that promise safer operating conditions under normal and accident scenarios. However, the nuclear fuels and materials qualifications require several decades (for example, new reactor fuel qualification from conceptualization requires about 20 years). Therefore, accelerating nuclear fuels and materials qualification is essential, and it can be achieved by combining high through-put materials irradiation and testing, advanced post-irradiation examinations, and Multiphysics modeling. This paper addressed the associated challenges in accelerating nuclear fuels and material qualification for new and advanced reactor designs, which differ based on fuel, coolant, operating conditions, and structural materials. These challenges vary for radiation level, operating conditions (e.g., temperature and pressure), and coolant type (e.g., corrosion environment). In addition, the challenges and limitations in modeling tools, experimental facilities, and licensing guidelines are also discussed, and a general solution path forward is recommended.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Presentation: Accelerating Nuclear Fuels and Materials Qualification by Multi-Level Irradiation Experiment Campaign

The advanced reactor technologies feature fuels, coolants, and materials that promise safer operating conditions under normal and accident scenarios. However, the nuclear fuels and materials qualifications require several decades (for example, new reactor fuel qualification from conceptualization requires about 20 years). Therefore, accelerating nuclear fuels and materials qualification is essential, and it can be achieved by combining high through-put materials irradiation and testing, advanced post-irradiation examinations, and Multiphysics modeling. This paper addressed the associated challenges in accelerating nuclear fuels and material qualification for new and advanced reactor designs, which differ based on fuel, coolant, operating conditions, and structural materials. These challenges vary for radiation level, operating conditions (e.g., temperature and pressure), and coolant type (e.g., corrosion environment). In addition, the challenges and limitations in modeling tools, experimental facilities, and licensing guidelines are also discussed, and a general solution path forward is recommended.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Conceptual design of HFIR irradiation experiment for material compatibility study on liquid Sn divertor

Liquid Sn is one of the promising coolants for liquid surface divertor concept of fusion reactors. However, the compatibility between liquid Sn and structural materials is an important issue that has to be addressed, because liquid Sn is extremely corrosive to steels at high temperatures. The corrosion may be mitigated when a protective Al2O 3 layer is formed on the surface of alumina forming steels. However, the effect of neutron irradiation on the integrity of protective layer is not made clear so far. Japan and US joint research project “FRONTIER” started in 2019 to investigate the material compatibility under neutron irradiation. The purpose of the present study is to develop the conceptual design of the irradiation test capsule which enables material compatibility tests for the alumina forming steels - liquid metal systems under neutron irradiation in the High Flux Isotope Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN, USA. The three dimensional drawing of capsule structure was then developed. The validity of the material selections for the capsule design was investigated by means of corrosion tests of SiC, Si3N4, Ti, and Mo in liquid Sn at 773 K for 262 hr.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Structure and Process of Managing the UO2 Dry In-Pile Fracture Test Irradiation Experiment

The management and structure of a novel research and development (R&D) project can be hard to navigate. This is especially true when it involves nuclear fuel. Familiarity with institutional safety and procedural requirements, a well defined scope, and accurate cost estimates can all help ensure successful project management from start to finish. The Dry In-Pile Fracture Test (DRIFT) experiments performed at the Transient Test Reactor Facility are an excellent example of managing an R&D project within its scope and budget constraints. The objective of the DRIFT test was to develop fracture propagation data in a manner consistent with light-water reactors to validate and improve the fracture propagation models of uranium oxide fuels in the MOOSE (Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment)-BISON-Marmot code framework [1].

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Benchmarking MCNP models to support gamma irradiation experiments

Seismic isolators and damping devices have been used for 30+ years to reduce seismic forces and deployed in 10,000+ structures, including bridges, buildings, and mission-critical infrastructure. Studies have shown that seismic isolation of nuclear power plants can reduce the seismic risk by several orders of magnitude and substantially reduce the overnight capital cost. Advanced reactor developers are considering seismic isolation as an integral design feature in their reactor design. It can either be deployed at the building level, isolating the entire reactor building, or at the component level, isolating individual pieces of safety-class equipment, such as a reactor vessel or a steam generator. For equipment isolation, located close to the reactor vessel, the seismic isolators and/or damping devices may be exposed to gamma and neutron radiation, with a possible effect on their mechanical properties which would affect the response of the isolated equipment under earthquake shaking. The Department of Energy, as part of its Nuclear Energy University Program (NEUP), in collaboration with the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), is funding a project at the University at Buffalo (UB) to investigate the effect of gamma radiation on the mechanical properties of various seismic protective devices. (When isolating equipment, the seismic protective devices will be located outside the reactor vessel where the neutron exposure will be insignificant.

22 - GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Design of RUSL Irradiation Experiment with Free Standing Sample

During FY19, the MIMIC-RUSL TREAT test successfully measured the shift in resonance of a cantilever beam as it underwent a grain restructuring event in the TREAT reactor core. FY20 efforts focused on a new capsule design which would replace the cantilever beam with a free-free beam. The free-free beam configuration eliminates the cantilever boundary condition and enables internal friction measurements. A test capsule was designed which supported the sample beam at the nodal points of the first flexural vibration mode. Initial tests detected the resonance peak but the signal to noise level was not high enough for in-situ measurements. Several detection probes were tested and a significant increase in the signal to noise was achieved. Although adequate signals and clean resonance peaks were measured when the beam was centered, the beam did not self-center when displaced resulting in distorted and inconsistent resonance peaks. It was concluded that the free-free beam approach is likely not suited for in-situ measurements. Measurement of ZGV plate waves is another option for in-situ microstructure monitoring and should be considered for future work.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2023

Challenges and successes in establishing a multipurpose fuels and materials irradiation capsule [Slides]

This presentation discusses the challenges and success related to designing and fabricating multipurpose capsules for irradiation experiments for irradiation within the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) to be presented at tje DEVICE-MTR irradiation experiment design working group meeting hosted by the Japanese Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA). The information herein is limited to the design of the capsules only and no programmatic information from any project supporting the design of the multipurpose capsule is discussed. The intent of the design team was establish a capsule design that could accommodate multiple different irradiation project needs for the irradiation of nuclear fuel and materials of interest in the nuclear field. The main points of the presentation are as follows: use of tin as a molten thermal bond material was selected for the fueled capsule design and was found to be inadequate as it would corrode the stainless steel at high temperatures, this capsule design has high sensitivity to manufacturing of the gas gap and control of the gas mixture, and the fueled capsule has experienced welding challenges with the inner capsule material 800H Incoloy.

42 ENGINEERING↗