Reactivity Initiated Accident Test Series RIA Scoping Test Experiment Predictions

The Reactivity 'Initiated Accident (RIA) test series to be conducted in the Power Burst Facility (PBF) has been designed.to determine fuel failure thresholds, modes, and consequences as a function of energy deposition, irradiation history, and fuel design. The RIA Scoping Test will be comprised of five single unirradiated rod sub-tests. The first rod will be subjected to a series of transient power bursts of increasing energy release to determine the energy deposition at cladding failure. The second and third rods will be subjected to energy depositions near that which caused failure of the first rod, to further define the failure threshold. Rods four and five will be subjected to large radially averaged energy depositions, 1990 and 2510 J/g respectively, to investigate facility safety concerns. Several analyses were performed to predict test fuel rod and system behavior during the five RIA Scoping Test phases. A reactor physics analysis was performed to obtain the relationship between test fuel rod and reactor core energy during a power transient. The calculations were made with the RAFFLE computer code. The thermal-hydraulic behavior of the test rod coolant was investigated for pellet surface energy depositions of 900, 1125, and 1350 J/g for the first three phases of the Scoping Test. The RELAP4 computer code was used for these thermal-hydraulic analyses. The results of the RELAP4 calculations provided input to the FRAP-T4 computer code for three fuel rod behavior analyses at pellet surface energy depositions of 815, 1020, and 1225 J/g. A cladding embrittlement analysis, using the results of the FRAP-T4 calculations as input, was made to investigate the cladding oxidation mode of rod failure for the lower energy phases. BUILD5 was the analytical tool used in this investigation. Finally, the pressure pulses generated as a result of failure of the test fuel rods in the final two high energy test phases were calculated using the SPIRT computer code. In previous reactivity initiated accident tests performed in the SPERT, TREAT, and NSRR facilities a pellet surface energy deposition of 12.350 x 10{sup 3} J/cm{sup 3} was identified as the failure threshold for unirradiated fuel rods with the ambient test conditions of 300 K, 0.1 MPa, and no forced flow. This volumetric energy deposition is equivalent to a pellet surface energy deposition of 1190 J/g (284 cal/g) when the RIA-ST fuel pellet density of 10.365 g/cm{sup 3} is considered. ·For no-flow conditions, it was further observed that the presence of a flow shroud caused a reduction of up to 10% in the failure threshold. The modes of failure seen in the previous tests were cladding embrittlement and low pressure rupture as the zircaloy melting temperature was approached. In general, the rod failures occurred only when a peak cladding temperature of 2073 K or above was reached. Based on the analyses, it is predicted that the test fuel rod energy deposition failure threshold will be 1035 J/g (247 cal/g) at the pellet surface for the fuel rods used in the initial three phases of the RIA Scoping Test. The initial coolant conditions for these cases are equivalent to a fuel enthalpy of 69 J/g (16.5 cal/g) at the fuel surface over ambient conditions. When the difference in initial coolant conditions is considered, the total fuel enthalpy increase leading to cladding failure observed in the previous RIA tests is equivalent to 1122 J/g (268 cal/g) at the fuel pellet surface. The difference between the predicted failure threshold value and that observed in previous tests (87 J/g) is believed to be a combined result of the presence of a flow shroud and uncertainies in the computer codes used to make the predictions. The mode of failure according to the analyses will be rupture due to high temperature cladding weakening. The consequences of these failures are predicted to he minimal. The mode of failure for the high energy phases of the Scoping Test will be cladding rupture due to internal rod pressurization from UO{sub 2} vaporization. The high energy rod failures were predicted by the SPIRT code to result in source pressure pulses of 24.1 and 24.8 MPa for the 1990 and 2510 J/g energy depositions, respectively. Pressure doubling will occur in each case with a rise time of 7 ms, resulting in maximum pressures of 31.7 and 34.5 MPa, respectively

Reactivity Initiated Accident Test Series RIA Scoping Test Quick Look Report

The Reactivity Initiated Accident Scoping Test (RIA-ST) was successfully completed August 30, 1978. The test was introductory to the RIA Series 1 tests and was designed to investigate and resolve several anticipated problem areas prior to performance of the first test of the series, Test RIA 1-1. The RIA Scoping Test, as performed, consisted of four separate single-rod experiment phases. The first three phases were performed with shrouded fuel rods of 5.8 wt.% enrichment. They were subjected to power bursts resulting in total fuel surface energies ranging from 205 to 261 cal/q at the axial peak elevation. The fourth phase consisted of a 20 wt.% enriched, shrouded fuel rod which was subjected to a power hurst that deposited a total radially averaged energy of 527 cal/g. The primary objectives of the Scoping Test were defined as follows: (1) Determine the applicability of extrapolating low-power steady state calorimetric measurements and self-powered neutron detector (SPND) output to determine fuel rod energy depositions during a power burst. (2) Determine the enerqy deposition failure threshold for unirradiated fuel rods at BWR hot-startup coolant conditions. (3) Determine the magnitudes of oossible pressure pulses resulting from rod failure. (4) Determine the sensitivity of the test instrumentation to high transient radiation exposures. In general, the energy deposition values for the Scoping Test derived from the SPND output were 25% higher than those obtained from the core ion chamber data. Determining which values are correct will require radiochemical analysis of the fuel rods which will take several months. At present, it apoears that the SPND derived energies are in error because of excellent agreement between the calculated and measured power calibration results and the agreement between the predicted failure threshold and that seen using the core ion chamber derived energies. Meeting the second objective was accomplished during the first three test phases by subjecting the fuel rods to energy depositions which bracketed the failure threshold. The failure threshold in terms of total pellet surface energy at the axial flux peak was found to be between 218 cal/g where no rod failure occurred and 256 cal/g where · rod failure did occur. The experiment predictions indicated that the failure threshold would be 262 cal/g at the pellet surface. Only the fourth experiment phase (527 cal/g) resulted in a pressure pulse upon rod failure. The best indication of source pressure was the reading from a 69 MPa EG&G pressure transducer at the flow shroud inlet. This pressure transducer indicated a pressure pulse upon rod failure of 28.2 MPa with a rise time of 1.6 ms. The source pressure was attenuated considerably outside the shroud region as indicated by pressure transducers in the upper plenum of the in-pile tube and in the flow bypass region. The maximum pressure indicated outside the flow shroud was 2.1 MPa. In general, instrumentation sensitivity to radiation was minimal. The most significant instrumentation problem during the power bursts was a false flowrate indication by the flow turbines. This problem is being examined. The Kaman and Bell & Howell pressure transducers showed the least sensitivity to radiation of the pressure measurement devices. The EG&G transducers were most sensitive. The locked linear variable differential transformer (LVDT) gave no indication of radiation sensitivity as its response during the burst was a straight line. The strain gages were very sensitive to radiation, indicating a strain increase of 70% with the second burst of RIA-ST-1. The Type S thermocouple did not exhibit significant radiation sensitivity. In addition, the RIA Scoping Test has provided data on the consequences of fuel rod failure during a RIA event at BWR hot startup conditions. Posttest examination of the fuel rods from the first two phases of the test revealed large quantities of UO{sub 2} fuel missing from the cladding. Fuel rod failures for energy depositions near the failure threshold in previous closed capsule tests without forced coolant flow resulted in only a slight amount of fuel loss

Synthesis: Discussion and Implications

This project was a formidable undertaking, necessary to position our community to achieve an important goal: to improve undergraduate teaching and learning about the Earth by focusing the power of Geoscience Education Research (GER) on a set of ambitious, high-priority, community-endorsed grand challenges. Working groups, through examination of the literature and with the aid of reviewers\u27 insights, identified two to five grand challenges for each of the ten research themes. The thematic grand challenges illuminate interconnected paths for future GER. Collective this creates a guiding framework to harness the power of GER to improve undergraduate teaching and learning about the Earth. While the individual theme chapters lay out the rationales for those large-scale grand challenge research questions and offer strategies for addressing them, here the purpose is to summarize and synthesize - to highlight thematic research priorities and synergies that may be avenues for research efficiencies and powerful outcomes

Low carbon technology performance vs infrastructure vulnerability: Analysis through the local and global properties space

Renewable energy technologies, necessary for low-carbon infrastructure networks, are being adopted to help reduce fossil fuel dependence and meet carbon mitigation targets. The evolution of these technologies has progressed based on the enhancement of technology-specific performance criteria, without explicitly considering the wider system (global) impacts. This paper presents a methodology for simultaneously assessing local (technology) and global (infrastructure) performance, allowing key technological interventions to be evaluated with respect to their effect on the vulnerability of wider infrastructure systems. We use exposure of low carbon infrastructure to critical material supply disruption (criticality) to demonstrate the methodology. A series of local performance changes are analyzed; and by extension of this approach, a method for assessing the combined criticality of multiple materials for one specific technology is proposed. Via a case study of wind turbines at both the material (magnets) and technology (turbine generators) levels, we demonstrate that analysis of a given intervention at different levels can lead to differing conclusions regarding the effect on vulnerability. Infrastructure design decisions should take a systemic approach; without these multilevel considerations, strategic goals aimed to help meet low-carbon targets, that is, through long-term infrastructure transitions, could be significantly jeopardized

Provenance of Cretaceous through Eocene strata of the Four Corners region: Insights from detrital zircons in the San Juan Basin, New Mexico and Colorado

Cretaceous through Eocene strata of the Four Corners region provide an excellent record of changes in sediment provenance from Sevier thin-skinned thrusting through the formation of Laramide block uplifts and intra-foreland basins. During the ca. 125–50 Ma timespan, the San Juan Basin was flanked by the Sevier thrust belt to the west, the Mogollon highlands rift shoulder to the southwest, and was influenced by (ca. 75–50 Ma) Laramide tectonism, ultimately preserving a >6000 ft (>2000 m) sequence of continental, marginal-marine, and offshore marine sediments. In order to decipher the influences of these tectonic features on sediment delivery to the area, we evaluated 3228 U-Pb laser analyses from 32 detrital-zircon samples from across the entire San Juan Basin, of which 1520 analyses from 16 samples are newly reported herein. The detrital-zircon results indicate four stratigraphic intervals with internally consistent age peaks: (1) Lower Cretaceous Burro Canyon Formation, (2) Turonian (93.9–89.8 Ma) Gallup Sandstone through Campanian (83.6–72.1 Ma) Lewis Shale, (3) Campanian Pictured Cliffs Sandstone through Campanian Fruitland Formation, and (4) Campanian Kirtland Sandstone through Lower Eocene (56.0–47.8 Ma) San Jose Formation. Statistical analysis of the detrital-zircon results, in conjunction with paleocurrent data, reveals three distinct changes in sediment provenance. The first transition, between the Burro Canyon Formation and the Gallup Sandstone, reflects a change from predominantly reworked sediment from the Sevier thrust front, including uplifted Paleozoic sediments and Mesozoic eolian sandstones, to a mixed signature indicating both Sevier and Mogollon derivation. Deposition of the Pictured Cliffs Sandstone at ca. 75 Ma marks the beginning of the second transition and is indicated by the spate of near-depositional-age zircons, likely derived from the Laramide porphyry copper province of southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. Paleoflow indicators suggest the third change in provenance was complete by 65 Ma as recorded by the deposition of the Paleocene Ojo Alamo Sandstone. However, our new U-Pb detrital-zircon results indicate this transition initiated ∼8 m.y. earlier during deposition of the Campanian Kirtland Formation beginning ca. 73 Ma. This final change in provenance is interpreted to reflect the unroofing of surrounding Laramide basement blocks and a switch to local derivation. At this time, sediment entering the San Juan Basin was largely being generated from the nearby San Juan Mountains to the north-northwest, including uplift associated with early phases of Colorado mineral belt magmatism. Thus, the detrital-zircon spectra in the San Juan Basin document the transition from initial reworking of the Paleozoic and Mesozoic cratonal blanket to unroofing of distant basement-cored uplifts and Laramide plutonic rocks, then to more local Laramide uplifts.National Science Foundation (NSF grant EAR-1649254

RIA 1-4 Experiment Specification Document

The Reactivity Initiated Accident (RIA) test series is being performed in the Power Burst Facility (PBF) to provide data for verifying analytical codes capable of predicting light water reactor fuel performance during hypothetical control rod drop (or ejection) accidents. The most important aspect of an RIA or an RIA test is the magnitude of energy deposited into the fuel, therefore the primary purpose of the RIA test series is to better define the relationship between e.nergy deposition and fuel rod behavior. In particular, the RIA research objectives are to determine failure thresholds, modes, and consequences with respect to total energy deposition, irradiation history, and fuel design. The most severe RIA is the postulated Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) control rod drop during reactor startup, therefore all the RIA tests will be conducted at BWR startup coolant conditions. Test RIA 1-4 will consist of a 4 x·4 array of rods positioned in a coolant flow shroud. Fourteen of the rods are unirradiated BWR/6-type fuel rods and two are water-filled rods. Two water rods will be interior rods positioned along one diagonal. The primary objective of Test RIA 1-4 will be to obtain data on clustered fuel rod behavior during a rapid power transient simulating a BWR control rod drop. This document provides a basis for understanding the test plan for Test RIA 1-4. Past RIA test experience and a review of the PBF-RIA tests which are scheduled for completion prior to Test RIA 1-4 are summarized. The fuel rod, water rod, grid spacer, flow channel, and bundle support structure specifications are described. The instrumentation required for this test is discussed. The preliminary reactor operation and posttest operation requirements are presented

Reactivity Initiated Accident Test Series RIA Scoping Test Experiment Predictions

The Reactivity 'Initiated Accident (RIA) test series to be conducted in the Power Burst Facility (PBF) has been designed.to determine fuel failure thresholds, modes, and consequences as a function of energy deposition, irradiation history, and fuel design. The RIA Scoping Test will be comprised of five single unirradiated rod sub-tests. The first rod will be subjected to a series of transient power bursts of increasing energy release to determine the energy deposition at cladding failure. The second and third rods will be subjected to energy depositions near that which caused failure of the first rod, to further define the failure threshold. Rods four and five will be subjected to large radially averaged energy depositions, 1990 and 2510 J/g respectively, to investigate facility safety concerns. Several analyses were performed to predict test fuel rod and system behavior during the five RIA Scoping Test phases. A reactor physics analysis was performed to obtain the relationship between test fuel rod and reactor core energy during a power transient. The calculations were made with the RAFFLE computer code. The thermal-hydraulic behavior of the test rod coolant was investigated for pellet surface energy depositions of 900, 1125, and 1350 J/g for the first three phases of the Scoping Test. The RELAP4 computer code was used for these thermal-hydraulic analyses. The results of the RELAP4 calculations provided input to the FRAP-T4 computer code for three fuel rod behavior analyses at pellet surface energy depositions of 815, 1020, and 1225 J/g. A cladding embrittlement analysis, using the results of the FRAP-T4 calculations as input, was made to investigate the cladding oxidation mode of rod failure for the lower energy phases. BUILD5 was the analytical tool used in this investigation. Finally, the pressure pulses generated as a result of failure of the test fuel rods in the final two high energy test phases were calculated using the SPIRT computer code. In previous reactivity initiated accident tests performed in the SPERT, TREAT, and NSRR facilities a pellet surface energy deposition of 12.350 x 10{sup 3} J/cm{sup 3} was identified as the failure threshold for unirradiated fuel rods with the ambient test conditions of 300 K, 0.1 MPa, and no forced flow. This volumetric energy deposition is equivalent to a pellet surface energy deposition of 1190 J/g (284 cal/g) when the RIA-ST fuel pellet density of 10.365 g/cm{sup 3} is considered. ·For no-flow conditions, it was further observed that the presence of a flow shroud caused a reduction of up to 10% in the failure threshold. The modes of failure seen in the previous tests were cladding embrittlement and low pressure rupture as the zircaloy melting temperature was approached. In general, the rod failures occurred only when a peak cladding temperature of 2073 K or above was reached. Based on the analyses, it is predicted that the test fuel rod energy deposition failure threshold will be 1035 J/g (247 cal/g) at the pellet surface for the fuel rods used in the initial three phases of the RIA Scoping Test. The initial coolant conditions for these cases are equivalent to a fuel enthalpy of 69 J/g (16.5 cal/g) at the fuel surface over ambient conditions. When the difference in initial coolant conditions is considered, the total fuel enthalpy increase leading to cladding failure observed in the previous RIA tests is equivalent to 1122 J/g (268 cal/g) at the fuel pellet surface. The difference between the predicted failure threshold value and that observed in previous tests (87 J/g) is believed to be a combined result of the presence of a flow shroud and uncertainies in the computer codes used to make the predictions. The mode of failure according to the analyses will be rupture due to high temperature cladding weakening. The consequences of these failures are predicted to he minimal. The mode of failure for the high energy phases of the Scoping Test will be cladding rupture due to internal rod pressurization from UO{sub 2} vaporization. The high energy rod failures were predicted by the SPIRT code to result in source pressure pulses of 24.1 and 24.8 MPa for the 1990 and 2510 J/g energy depositions, respectively. Pressure doubling will occur in each case with a rise time of 7 ms, resulting in maximum pressures of 31.7 and 34.5 MPa, respectively

Reactivity Initiated Accident Test Series RIA Scoping Test Quick Look Report

The Reactivity Initiated Accident Scoping Test (RIA-ST) was successfully completed August 30, 1978. The test was introductory to the RIA Series 1 tests and was designed to investigate and resolve several anticipated problem areas prior to performance of the first test of the series, Test RIA 1-1. The RIA Scoping Test, as performed, consisted of four separate single-rod experiment phases. The first three phases were performed with shrouded fuel rods of 5.8 wt.% enrichment. They were subjected to power bursts resulting in total fuel surface energies ranging from 205 to 261 cal/q at the axial peak elevation. The fourth phase consisted of a 20 wt.% enriched, shrouded fuel rod which was subjected to a power hurst that deposited a total radially averaged energy of 527 cal/g. The primary objectives of the Scoping Test were defined as follows: (1) Determine the applicability of extrapolating low-power steady state calorimetric measurements and self-powered neutron detector (SPND) output to determine fuel rod energy depositions during a power burst. (2) Determine the enerqy deposition failure threshold for unirradiated fuel rods at BWR hot-startup coolant conditions. (3) Determine the magnitudes of oossible pressure pulses resulting from rod failure. (4) Determine the sensitivity of the test instrumentation to high transient radiation exposures. In general, the energy deposition values for the Scoping Test derived from the SPND output were 25% higher than those obtained from the core ion chamber data. Determining which values are correct will require radiochemical analysis of the fuel rods which will take several months. At present, it apoears that the SPND derived energies are in error because of excellent agreement between the calculated and measured power calibration results and the agreement between the predicted failure threshold and that seen using the core ion chamber derived energies. Meeting the second objective was accomplished during the first three test phases by subjecting the fuel rods to energy depositions which bracketed the failure threshold. The failure threshold in terms of total pellet surface energy at the axial flux peak was found to be between 218 cal/g where no rod failure occurred and 256 cal/g where · rod failure did occur. The experiment predictions indicated that the failure threshold would be 262 cal/g at the pellet surface. Only the fourth experiment phase (527 cal/g) resulted in a pressure pulse upon rod failure. The best indication of source pressure was the reading from a 69 MPa EG&G pressure transducer at the flow shroud inlet. This pressure transducer indicated a pressure pulse upon rod failure of 28.2 MPa with a rise time of 1.6 ms. The source pressure was attenuated considerably outside the shroud region as indicated by pressure transducers in the upper plenum of the in-pile tube and in the flow bypass region. The maximum pressure indicated outside the flow shroud was 2.1 MPa. In general, instrumentation sensitivity to radiation was minimal. The most significant instrumentation problem during the power bursts was a false flowrate indication by the flow turbines. This problem is being examined. The Kaman and Bell & Howell pressure transducers showed the least sensitivity to radiation of the pressure measurement devices. The EG&G transducers were most sensitive. The locked linear variable differential transformer (LVDT) gave no indication of radiation sensitivity as its response during the burst was a straight line. The strain gages were very sensitive to radiation, indicating a strain increase of 70% with the second burst of RIA-ST-1. The Type S thermocouple did not exhibit significant radiation sensitivity. In addition, the RIA Scoping Test has provided data on the consequences of fuel rod failure during a RIA event at BWR hot startup conditions. Posttest examination of the fuel rods from the first two phases of the test revealed large quantities of UO{sub 2} fuel missing from the cladding. Fuel rod failures for energy depositions near the failure threshold in previous closed capsule tests without forced coolant flow resulted in only a slight amount of fuel loss