Assessment of sensitivity of neutron-physical parameters of fast neutron reactor to purification of reprocessed fuel from minor actinides

The work is devoted to computational investigation of the dependence of basic physical parameters of fast neutron reactors on the degree of purification of plutonium from minor actinides obtained as a result of pyroelectrochemical reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel and used for manufacturing MOX fuel to be reloaded into the reactors mentioned. The investigations have shown that, in order to preserve such important parameters of a BN-800 type reactor as the criticality, the sodium void reactivity effect, the Doppler effect, and the efficiency of safety rods, it is possible to use the reprocessed fuel without separation of minor actinides for refueling (recharging) the core.     

Pattern formation in the thiourea-iodate-sulfite system: Spatial bistability, waves, and stationary patterns

We present a detailed study of the reaction-diffusion patterns observed in the thiourea-iodate-sulfite (TuIS) reaction, operated in open one-side-fed reactors. Besides spatial bistability and spatio-temporal oscillatory dynamics, this proton autoactivated reaction shows stationary patterns, as a result of two back-to-back Turing bifurcations, in the presence of a low-mobility proton binding agent (sodium polyacrylate). This is the third aqueous solution system to produce stationary patterns and the second to do this through a Turing bifurcation. The stationary pattern forming capacities of the reaction are explored through a systematic design method, which is applicable to other bistable and oscillatory reactions. The spatio-temporal dynamics of this reaction is compared with that of the previous ferrocyanide-iodate-sulfite mixed Landolt system.     

Variants of Regenerated Fissile Materials Usage in Thermal Reactors as the First Stage of Fuel Cycle Closing

At present, 240 000 t of spent nuclear fuel (SF) has been accumulated in the world. Its long-term storage should meet safety conditions and requires noticeable finances, which grow every year. Obviously, this situation cannot exist for a long time; in the end, it will require a final decision. At present, several variants of solution of the problem of SF management are considered. Since most of the operating reactors and those under construction are thermal reactors, it is reasonable to assume that the structure of the nuclear power industry in the near and medium-term future will be unchanged, and it will be necessary to utilize plutonium in thermal reactors. In this study, different strategies of SF management are compared: open fuel cycle with long-term SF storage, closed fuel cycle with MOX fuel usage in thermal reactors and subsequent long-term storage of SF from MOX fuel, and closed fuel cycle in thermal reactors with heterogeneous fuel arrangement. The concept of heterogeneous fuel arrangement is considered in detail. While in the case of traditional fuel it is necessary to reprocess the whole amount of spent fuel, in the case of heterogeneous arrangement, it is possible to separate plutonium and ²³⁸U in different fuel rods. In this case, it is possible to achieve nearly complete burning of fissile isotopes of plutonium in fuel rods loaded with plutonium. These fuel rods with burned plutonium can be buried after cooling without reprocessing. They would contain just several percent of initially loaded plutonium, mainly even isotopes. Fuel rods with ²³⁸U alone should be reprocessed in the usual way.     

Design analysis of the molten core confinement within the reactor vessel in the case of severe accidents at nuclear power plants equipped with a reactor of the VVER type

The present paper reports the results of the preliminary design estimate of the behavior of the core melt in vessels of reactors of the VVER-600 and VVER-1300 types (a standard optimized and informative nuclear power unit based on VVER technology—VVER TOI) in the case of beyond-design-basis severe accidents. The basic processes determining the state of the core melt in the reactor vessel are analyzed. The concept of molten core confinement within the vessel based on the idea of outside cooling is discussed. Basic assumptions and models, as well as the results of calculation of the interaction between molten materials of the core and the wall of the reactor vessel performed by means of the SOCRAT severe accident code, are presented and discussed. On the basis of the data obtained, the requirements on the operation of the safety systems are determined, upon the fulfillment of which there will appear potential prerequisites for implementing the concept of the confinement of the core melt within the reactor in cases of severe accidents at nuclear power plants equipped with VVER reactors.     

Investigation of induction of air due to ultrasound source in the sonochemical reactors

A detailed investigation into the phenomena of induction of air using a novel arrangement of the ultrasonic horn (tip is located just above the liquid surface) has been made with the quantification of the extent of induction in terms of the air entrainment rate and the gas–liquid mass transfer coefficient for the transfer of air into the system. The measurement of air entrainment rate was found to be quite difficult and hence focus was kept on the quantification in terms of the gas–liquid mass transfer coefficient. The effect of ultrasonic power dissipation and type of the liquid medium (water, sodium chloride and sodium laruyl sulphate [surfactant] solution) on the mass transfer coefficient has been studied and correlations have been developed for the prediction of the same. Comparison with the mechanically agitated surface aerators has enabled us to understand the controlling mechanism in the induction and subsequent distribution of the air i.e. turbulence or convective motion. The present work should open an entirely new field of research in the area of design of sonochemical gas–liquid reactors operating possibly as a combination of gas-inducing reactors and cavitational reactors.     

Photoionization cross section of Xe+ ion in the pure 5p5 2P3/2 ground level

Coupling an ion trap with synchrotron radiation is shown here to be a powerful approach to measure photoionization cross sections on ionic species relaxed in their ground state. The photoionization efficiency curve of Xe+ ions stored in a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance ion trap was recorded at ELETTRA in the 20-23 eV photon energy range. Absolute cross sections were derived by comparison of the photoionization yield of Xe+ with measurements from the ASTRID merged-beam experiment. Multiconfiguration Dirac-Fock calculations were performed for the interpretation of these new data.     

基于FLUENT的核热耦合程序反应性反馈参数敏感性

将计算流体力学模型与中子动力学模型耦合来进行反应堆瞬态安全分析的方法,由于可以开展复杂几何结构的三维流动传热分析,因此受到很大的关注。基于FLUENT用户自定义功能（UDF）开发了一套可用于池式铅堆瞬态安全分析的核热耦合程序,程序耦合了临界/次临界点堆中子动力学模型和燃料棒模型。由于反应堆处于不同寿期时,随着燃料燃耗、可燃毒物积累等因素导致反应性反馈系数有较大变化,因此使用开发的核热耦合程序对中国科学技术大学提出的小型自然循环铅冷快堆进行不同关键反馈系数下无保护的瞬态超功率事故安全分析。调整点堆模块考虑到的四个反应性反馈系数,可以发现燃料多普勒系数对堆安全的影响最大,同时定量的分析结果表明超功率事故引入时间长短对事故演化有重要影响。     

A new pilot flow reactor for high-intensity ultrasound irradiation. Application to the synthesis of biodiesel

In recent years, chemistry in flowing systems has become more prominent as a method of carrying out chemical transformations, ranging in scale from microchemistry up to kilogram-scale processes. Compared to classic batch ultrasound reactors, flow reactors stand out for their greater efficiency and flexibility as well as lower energy consumption. This paper presents a new ultrasonic flow reactor developed in our laboratory, a pilot system well suited for reaction scale up. This was applied to the transesterification of soybean oil with methanol for biodiesel production. This reaction is mass-transfer-limited initially because the two reactants are immiscible with each other, then because the glycerol phase separates together with most of the catalyst (Na or K methoxide). In our reactor a mixture of oil (1.6 L), methanol and sodium methoxide 30% in methanol (wt/wt ratio 80:19.5:0.5, respectively) was fully transesterified at about 45 °C in 1 h (21.5 kHz, 600 W, flow rate 55 mL/min). The same result could be achieved together with a considerable reduction in energy consumption, by a two-step procedure: first a conventional heating under mechanical stirring (30 min at 45 °C), followed by ultrasound irradiation at the same temperature (35 min, 600 W, flow rate 55 mL/min).Our studies confirmed that high-throughput ultrasound applications definitively require flow reactors.     

On the absorption of ozone by organic solvents: the role played by gas transfer through the gas-liquid separation surface

The absorption of ozone by organic liquids (chloroform, heptane, and carbon tetrachloride) was studied in bubbling reactors and reactors without bubbling. After the “burning out” of solvent impurities reacting with ozone at high rates, a stationary regime was established with the ozone concentration different from that at the entrance of the reactor, which was indicative of the occurrence of a side reaction with ozone consumption. This reaction did not influence the results of the determination of the general unsaturation of the substances analyzed.     

A review and assessment of hydrodynamic cavitation as a technology for the future

In the present work, the current status of the hydrodynamic cavitation reactors has been reviewed discussing the bubble dynamics analysis, optimum design considerations, design correlations for cavitational intensity (in terms of collapse pressure)/cavitational yield and different successful chemical synthesis applications clearly illustrating the utility of these types of reactors. The theoretical discussion based on the modeling of the bubble dynamics equations aims at understanding the design information related to the dependency of the cavitational intensity on the operating parameters and recommendations have been made for the choice of the optimized conditions of operating parameters. The design information based on the theoretical analysis has also been supported with some experimental illustrations concentrating on the chemical synthesis applications. Assessment of the hydrodynamic cavitation reactors and comparison with the sonochemical reactors has been done by citing the different industrially important reactions (oxidation of toluene, o-xylene, m-xylene, p-xylene, mesitylene, o-nitrotoluene, p-nitrotoluene, m-nitrotoluene, o-chlorotoluene and p-chlorotoulene, and trans-esterification reaction i.e., synthesis of bio-diesel). Some recommendations have also been made for the future work to be carried out as well as the choice of the operating conditions for realizing the dream of industrial scale applications of the cavitational reactors.     

Advantages of Production of New Fissionable Nuclides for the Nuclear Power Industry in Hybrid Fusion-Fission Reactors

A concept of a large-scale nuclear power engineering system equipped with fusion and fission reactors is presented. The reactors have a joint fuel cycle, which imposes the lowest risk of the radiation impact on the environment. The formation of such a system is considered within the framework of the evolution of the current nuclear power industry with the dominance of thermal reactors, gradual transition to the thorium fuel cycle, and integration into the system of the hybrid fusion-fission reactors for breeding nuclear fuel for fission reactors. Such evolution of the nuclear power engineering system will allow preservation of the existing structure with the dominance of thermal reactors, enable the reprocessing of the spent nuclear fuel (SNF) with low burnup, and prevent the dangerous accumulation of minor actinides. The proposed structure of the nuclear power engineering system minimizes the risk of radioactive contamination of the environment and the SNF reprocessing facilities, decreasing it by more than one order of magnitude in comparison with the proposed scheme of closing the uranium–plutonium fuel cycle based on the reprocessing of SNF with high burnup from fast reactors.     

Computational simulation of thermal hydraulic processes in the core and fuel assembly in the liquid-metal fast-breader reactor in the porous medium approximation

The results of numerical simulation of the sodium coolant flow in the fuel assembly with partial blocking of its cross section are presented. A comparison of the results obtained with experimental data confirmed the operability of the APMod module intended for simulating heat exchange processes in cores and heat exchange equipment of promising nuclear reactors.     

利用高能离子模拟研究反应堆结构材料中的辐照效应

简要介绍了载能粒子辐射损伤对反应堆结构材料性能的影响,阐述了载能粒子束特别是高能离子束开展模拟研究的优势,并举例说明了国内利用高能重离子模拟研究反应堆结构材料辐射效应取得的进展。实验结果和理论分析表明,载能离子特别是高能离子辐照非常适合用于模拟研究反应堆结构材料中由粒子辐射引起的材料微观结构和宏观性能变化,是模拟研究反应堆结构材料辐射效应的非常有效的手段。 Radiation damage in structural materials of fission/fusion reactors is mainly attributed to the evolution of intensive atom displacement damage induced by energetic particles （ n, α and/or fission fragments） and highrate helium doping by direct α particle bombardments and/or （n, α） reactions. It can cause severe degradation of reactor structural materials such as surface blistering, bulk void swelling, deformation, fatigue, embrittlement, stress erosion corrosion and so on that will significantly affect the operation safety of reactors. However, up to now, behavior of structural materials at the end of their service can hardly be fully tested in a real reactor. In the present paper, damage process in reactor structural materials is briefly introduced, then the advantages of energetic ion implantation/irradiation especially high-energy heavy ion irradiation are discussed, and several typical examples on simulation of radiation effects in reactor candidate structural materials using high-energy heavy ion irradiations are introduced. Experimental results and theoretical analysis suggested that irradiation with energetic particles especially high-energy heavy ions is a very useful technique for simulating the evolution of microstructures and macro-properties of reactor structural materials.     

High-resolution vacuum-ultraviolet spectroscopy of an electron-cooled D- beam

The shape parameters for the lowest-lying (1)P(o) resonance, (2)?0?-3, of D- have been measured using high-resolution vacuum-ultraviolet spectroscopy. The experiment was performed at the storage ring ASTRID, and the resonance was resolved by applying electron cooling to reduce the velocity spread of the ion beam. The resonance has a width of 37(3) microeV while the asymmetry parameter q of the Fano profile is -16(3). These values present the first critical test of a large number of theoretical calculations.     

Electric-arc plasma-chemical reactors of separated,single-chamber,and combined types

A wide variety of electric-arc reactors are involved in different areas of science and technologies. Therefore, a demand arose for their systematization. Here we present the classification of most existing types of electric-arc reactors regarding the mutual positioning of plasma-generation and reaction zones. There are three types of reactors: separated, single-chamber, and combined type. Different engineering solutions in each type led to some scatter in the thermal efficiency, power range, lifetime, and other results. No consideration has been given to the reactors of single-chamber heating. They are very special and require individual researches.     

板状燃料组件流道部分堵塞的安全边界研究

为掌握板状燃料组件内多个流道堵塞下的流动换热特性,获得流动堵塞致传热恶化的触发边界,以提高板状燃料反应堆的运行安全性,以典型板状燃料堆JRR-3M的标准燃料组件为对象,基于定性分析将流道堵塞事故分为非相邻流道堵塞与相邻流道堵塞两类,采用计算流体动力学软件ANSYS Fluent对两类流道堵塞事故下的流动换热特性进行模拟。模拟结果表明:非相邻流道完全堵塞或相邻流道最大堵塞率低于35%,流道内不会发生局部沸腾且燃料最高温度低于许用温度。基于上述结果,可确定JRR-3M反应堆在堵流事故下的安全运行边界。     

Experimental and modeling study on centimeter pine char combustion in fast-heating Macro TGA

Biomass energy is an important renewable resource, and thermochemical conversion, including pyrolysis and combustion, is one of the main methods of biomass energy utilization. In industrial reactors, the biomass particles will experience a fast heating (∼1000 °C/min) process during pyrolysis. The particle size of biomass applied in industry has a wide range (from millimeter to centimeter scale). The study of the reaction characteristics of biomass pyrolysis and combustion is helpful for optimizing furnace design and working condition selection. In this research, the combustion of centimeter-scale pine char was studied with a newly built fast-heating Macro Thermal Gravimetric Analyzer (Macro TGA). This Macro TGA is able to conduct the pyrolysis and combustion of large biomass samples (up to 40 mm) with a fast heating rate (∼1000 °C/min), which is able to reflect the working conditions in industrial-scale reactors such as grate furnaces and dual fluidized beds. This Macro TGA can measure the online sample weight, temperature and sample size simultaneously during pyrolysis and combustion experiments. The combustion characteristics of different sizes of pine chars were investigated at various temperatures and oxygen concentrations. A zero-dimensional model was established to predict the sample weight loss, temperature change and sample shrinkage during the pine char combustion process. Three kinetic parameters α, A and E were applied in the model, and the values of the kinetic parameters were optimized by a genetic algorithm. The model prediction and experimental results are consistent with each other. Compared with previous studies, this study developed a new experimental method to measure the reaction characteristics (including sample weight, temperature and size) of centimeter-scale biomass under similar pyrolysis and combustion reaction conditions compared to industrial reactors, and a zero-dimensional model was established to describe the pine char combustion process.     

Frequency dependence of acoustic resonances on blockage Position in a fast reactor subassembly wrapper

Monitoring changes of the acoustic resonance frequencies in the subassemblies of sodium cooled fast reactors is a potential method for blockage detection. The dependence of the resonance frequencies on blockage position along the subassembly has been investigated experimentally and the results compared with model predictions.     

A new code for modelling the near field diffusion releases from the final disposal of nuclear waste

The canisters with spent nuclear fuel produced during the operation of WWER reactors at the Czech power plants are planned, like in other countries, to be disposed of in an underground repository. Canisters will be surrounded by compacted bentonite that will retard the migration of safety-relevant radionuclides into the host rock. A new code that enables the modelling of the critical radionuclides transport from the canister through the bentonite layer in the cylindrical geometry was developed. The code enables to solve the diffusion equation for various types of initial and boundary conditions by means of the finite difference method and to take into account the non-linear shape of the sorption isotherm. A comparison of the code reported here with code PAGODA, which is based on analytical solution of the transport equation, was made for the actinide chain 4N+3 that includes ²³⁹Pu. A simple parametric study of the releases of ²³⁹Pu, ¹²⁹I, and ¹⁴C into geosphere is discussed.     

Combustion chemistry probed by synchrotron VUV photoionization mass spectrometry

Combustion is directly related to energy conversion and the environment. Gas-phase chemical reactions such as thermal decomposition, oxidation and recombination play a critical role in combustion processes. Here we review six applications of synchrotron vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV) photoionization mass spectrometry (PIMS) in fundamental studies of combustion chemistry. These applications range from the use of flow reactors to probe elementary reaction kinetics, studies of pyrolysis in plug-flow reactors and oxidation in jet-stirred reactors, studies of spatial evolution of species concentrations in premixed and non-premixed flames, product distributions in pyrolysis of biomass, and analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) formation. These experiments provide valuable data for the development and validation of detailed chemical kinetic models. Furthermore, some additional potential applications are proposed.