Development of M5 Cladding Material Correlations in the TRANSURANUS Code: Revision 1

The technical report is based on an earlier research on material properties of the M5 structural material. Complementing this research with new M5 data found in open literature, a set of correlations has been developed for the implementation to the TRANSURANUS code. This includes thermal, mechanical, and chemical (corrosion) properties of M5. As an example, thermal capacity or burst stress correlations have been proposed using the available experimental data. The open literature provides a wide range of experimental data on M5, but for some quantities they are not complete enough to be suitable for the implementation to the TRANSURANUS code. A balanced consideration of similarity of M5 characteristics to those of Zircaloy-4 (Zry-4) or E110 have therefore led to the recommendation to use some of these data selectively also for M5. As such, creep anisotropy coefficients of E110 are recommended to be used also for M5.JRC.G.I.4-Nuclear Reactor Safety and Emergency Preparednes

Revision of the Transuranus PUREDI Model

The Transuranus PUREDI model calculates the plutonium redistribution across the fuel pellet due to thermal diffusion. This phenomenon is particularly significant in oxide fuels for fast breeder reactors (FBR) where temperatures and temperature gradients are extremely high. The first version of PUREDI was developed and implemented as a stand-alone model. Since plutonium redistribution due to transport can lead to significant modifications of the radial power profile, a coupling of the PUREDI model with TUBRNP (recently extended for FBRs) is needed to correctly predict the fuel temperature. To this purpose, a revision of PUREDI has been proposed and the main features will be outlined in this report.JRC.E.3-Materials researc

Creep Simulations of Nuclear Fuel Cladding under long term Storage Conditions with TRANSURANUS

Within a joint research project between the Institute for Energy (IE) and the Institute for Transuranium Elements (ITU) on the integrity of spent nuclear fuel cladding the ITU code TRANSURANUS was used to simulate creep of Zircaloy cladding tubes under long term storage conditions. Since TRANSURANUS is designed to model the mechanical, thermal and physical behaviour of fuel rods during reactor operation it was the objective of this study firstly to explore the limitations of the present creep models in TRANSURANUS for the simulation of long term creep processes under dry storage conditions. If the present creep models in TRANSURANUS were found to be inappropriate then the next objective was to formulate the properties of an "ideal" creep model for dry storage. The creep models were compared with creep tests on unirradiated Zircaloy cladding tubes. It turned out that the standard creep model for Zircaloy cladding in TRANSURANUS, the model of Lassmann and Moreno, underestimated the creep strains of the tests significantly. The creep model of Mayuzumi and Onchi, which was designed to model long term creep processes under dry storage conditions, lead to reasonable agreement with the creep tests for temperatures of 350 degrees Celcius and above. It turned out that for the accurate prediction under low-temperature conditions (under 350 degrees Celcius) more sophisticated creep models, which account for a shift in creep mechanisms, are necessary.JRC.F.5-Safety of present nuclear reactor

Validation of Serpent-SUBCHANFLOW-TRANSURANUS pin-by-pin burnup calculations using experimental data from the Temelín II VVER-1000 reactor

This work deals with the validation of a high-fidelity multiphysics system coupling the Serpent 2 Monte Carlo neutron transport code with SUBCHANFLOW, a subchannel thermalhydraulics code, and TRANSURANUS, a fuel-performance analysis code. The results for a full-core pin-by-pin burnup calculation for the ninth operating cycle of the Temelín II VVER-1000 plant, which starts from a fresh core, are presented and assessed using experimental data. A good agreement is found comparing the critical boron concentration and a set of pin-level neutron flux profiles against measurements. In addition, the calculated axial and radial power distributions match closely the values reported by the core monitoring system. To demonstrate the modeling capabilities of the three-code coupling, pin-level neutronic, thermalhydraulic and thermomechanic results are shown as well. These studies are encompassed in the final phase of the EU Horizon 2020 McSAFE project, during which the Serpent-SUBCHANFLOW-TRANSURANUS system was developed

Informaticawetenschappen in het leerplichtonderwijs

Dit standpunt bepleit en beargumenteert de noodzaak om elke jongere een opleiding informaticawetenschappen aan te bieden die toelaat om ’informaticavaardig’ te worden. Informaticavaardigheid gaat verder dan louter ‘digitale geletterdheid’, en houdt ook in dat de jongere in staat moet zijn ‘computationeel’ te denken. Computers zijn onmisbaar geworden, zowel in het professionele leven als in de privésfeer. Om de technologische evolutie te kunnen volgen is het van groot belang dat alle jongeren niet alleen de bestaande technologie leren gebruiken, maar ook de onderliggende werking leren begrijpen. Om de technologische evolutie te kunnen sturen, is het nodig dat voldoende jongeren in staat en gemotiveerd zijn om nieuwe technologie te creëren. Om deze doelstellingen te realiseren, dient het onderwijs van de informatica in het leerplichtonderwijs grondig hervormd te worden. In het basis- en secundair onderwijs dient een basisopleiding informaticawetenschappen opgenomen te worden, waarop in specifieke STEM richtingen voortgebouwd wordt. Een nieuw leerprogramma, goed opgeleide leraars en een goede informatica-infrastructuur zijn broodnodig. Ons leerplichtonderwijs is de belangrijkste actor om volgende generaties voor te bereiden op het leven, zowel professioneel als privé. De digitalisering van onze maatschappij kan haar voordelen alleen waarmaken als het onderwijs aangepast is aan deze digitale realiteit. Informatica- wetenschappen is een autonome wetenschap geworden met haar eigen manier van denken, en haar eigen basisbegrippen, te vergelijken met wiskunde, natuurkunde, en andere wetenschap- pen, die haar plaats in het onderwijs verdient. Het moet duidelijk zijn dat het hier niet gaat over het onderwijs van de traditionele vakken met de steun van informaticahulpmiddelen maar wel over de informaticawetenschappen zelf als vormend vak. Dit standpunt kwam tot stand binnen een werkgroep, opgericht door de KVAB en de Jonge Academie en samengesteld met leden uit diverse academische disciplines, onderwijsdeskundi- gen en actoren uit de bedrijfswereld

The contribution of office work to sedentary behaviour associated risk

Background: Sedentary time has been found to be independently associated with poor health and mortality. Further, a greater proportion of the workforce is now employed in low activity occupations such as office work. To date, there is no research that specifically examines the contribution of sedentary work to overall sedentary exposure and thus risk. The purpose of the study was to determine the total exposure and exposure pattern for sedentary time, light activity and moderate/vigorous physical activity (MVPA) of office workers during work and non-work time.Methods: 50 office workers from Perth, Australia wore an Actical (Phillips, Respironics) accelerometer during waking hours for 7 days (in 2008–2009). Participants recorded wear time, waking hours, work hours and daily activities in an activity diary. Time in activity levels (as percentage of wear time) during work and non-work time were analysed using paired t-tests and Pearson’s correlations.Results: Sedentary time accounted for 81.8% of work hours (light activity 15.3% and MVPA 2.9%), which was significantly greater than sedentary time during non-work time (68.9% p 30 minutes) and significantly less brief duration (0–10 minutes) light intensity activity during work hours compared to non-work time (p < 0.001). Further, office workers had fewer breaks in sedentary time during work hours compared to non-work time (p < 0.001).Conclusions: Office work is characterised by sustained sedentary time and contributes significantly to overall sedentary exposure of office workers

THE POTENTIAL OF THE TRANSURANUS CODE FOR SOURCE TERM CALCULATION OF SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL

TRANSURANUS is a computer program for the thermal and mechanical analysis of fuel rods during various operating conditions, generally referred to as a fuel performance code. Emphasis lies on assessing both the temperature and the stress levels in a fuel pin, since they are linked to the crucial safety criteria, set by the regulators, to be fulfilled during the entire in-pile lifetime of the fuel rod.JRC.E.5-Nuclear chemistr