A Review of Proposed Upgrades to the High Flux Isotope Reactor and Potential Impacts to Reactor Vessel Integrity
A Review of Proposed Upgrades to the High Flux Isotope Reactor and Potential Impacts to Reactor Vessel Integrity

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 2001

Total Pages:

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) was scheduled in October 2000 to implement design upgrades that include the enlargement of the HB-2 and HB-4 beam tubes. Higher dose rates and higher radiation embrittlement rates were predicted for the two beam-tube nozzles and surrounding vessel areas. ORNL had performed calculations for the upgraded design to show that vessel integrity would be maintained at acceptable levels. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) was requested by the U.S. Department of Energy Headquarters (DOE/HQ) to perform an independent peer review of the ORNL evaluations. PNNL concluded that the calculated probabilities of failure for the HFIR vessel during hydrostatic tests and for operational conditions as estimated by ORNL are an acceptable basis for selecting pressures and test intervals for hydrostatic tests and for justifying continued operation of the vessel. While there were some uncertainties in the embrittlement predictions, the ongoing efforts at ORNL to measure fluence levels at critical locations of the vessel wall and to test materials from surveillance capsules should be effective in dealing with embrittlement uncertainties. It was recommended that ORNL continue to update their fracture mechanics calculations to reflect methods and data from ongoing research for commercial nuclear power plants. Such programs should provide improved data for vessel fracture mechanics calculations.

Status of High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) Post-restart Safety Analysis and Documentation Upgrades
Status of High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) Post-restart Safety Analysis and Documentation Upgrades

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 1990

Total Pages: 15

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR), an experimental reactor located at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and operated for the US Department of Energy by Martin Marietta Energy Systems, was shut down in November, 1986 after the discovery of unexpected neutron embrittlement of the reactor vessel. The reactor was restarted in April, 1989, following an extensive review by DOE and ORNL of the HFIR design, safety, operation, maintenance and management, and the implementation of several upgrades to HFIR safety-related hardware, analyses, documents and procedures. This included establishing new operating conditions to provide added margin against pressure vessel failure, as well as the addition, or upgrading, of specific safety-related hardware. This paper summarizes the status of some of the follow-on (post-restart) activities which are currently in progress, and which will result in a comprehensive set of safety analyses and documentation for the HFIR, comparable with current practice in commercial nuclear power plants. 8 refs.

Upgrading Scientific Capabilities at the High Flux Isotope Reactor
Upgrading Scientific Capabilities at the High Flux Isotope Reactor

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 1997

Total Pages: 6

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Following termination of the Advanced Neutron Source (ANS) Project, a program of upgrades to the Department of Energy's High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) was devised by a team of researchers and reactor operators and has been proposed to the department. HFIR is a multipurpose research reactor, commissioned in 1965, with missions in four nationally important areas: isotope production, especially transuranic isotopes; neutron scattering; neutron activation analysis; and irradiation testing of materials. For neutron scattering, there are two major enhancements and several smaller ones. The first is the installation of a small, hydrogen cold neutron source in one of the four existing beam tubes: because of the high reactor power, and the use of new design concepts developed for ANS, the cold source will be as bright as, or brighter than, the Institute Laue Langevin liquid deuterium vertical cold source, although space limitations mean that there will be far fewer cold beams and instruments at HFIR. This project is underway, and the cold source is expected to come on line following an extended shutdown in 1999 to replace the reactor's beryllium reflector. The second major change proposed would put five thermal neutron guides at an existing beam port and construct a new guide hall to accommodate instruments on these very intense beams.

Evaluation of HFIR (High Flux Isotope Reactor) Pressure-vessel Integrity Considering Radiation Embrittlement
Evaluation of HFIR (High Flux Isotope Reactor) Pressure-vessel Integrity Considering Radiation Embrittlement

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 1988

Total Pages:

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) pressure vessel has been in service for 20 years, and during this time, radiation damage was monitored with a vessel-material surveillance program. In mid-November 1986, data from this program indicated that the radiation-induced reduction in fracture toughness was greater than expected. As a result, a reevaluation of vessel integrity was undertaken. Updated methods of fracture-mechanics analysis were applied, and an accelerated irradiations program was conducted using the Oak Ridge Research Reactor. Results of these efforts indicate that (1) the vessel life can be extended 10 years if the reactor power level is reduced 15% and if the vessel is subjected to a hydrostatic proof test each year; (2) during the 10-year life extension, significant radiation damage will be limited to a rather small area around the beam tubes; and (3) the greater-than-expected damage rate is the result of the very low neutron flux in the HFIR vessel relative to that in samples of material irradiated in materials-testing reactors (a factor of approx. 10/sup 4/ less), that is, a rate effect.

High Flux Isotope Reactor Power Upgrade Status
High Flux Isotope Reactor Power Upgrade Status

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 1997

Total Pages: 9

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A return to 100-MW operation is being planned for the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR). Recent improvements in fuel element manufacturing procedures and inspection equipment will be exploited to reduce hot spot and hot streak factors sufficiently to permit the power upgrade without an increase in primary coolant pressure. Fresh fuel elements already fabricated for future use are being evaluated individually for power upgrade potential based on their measured coolant channel dimensions.

Cold Source Moderator Vessel Development for the High Flux Isotope Reactor
Cold Source Moderator Vessel Development for the High Flux Isotope Reactor

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 1998

Total Pages: 8

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A project is underway at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to design, test, and install a cold neutron source facility in the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR). This new cold source employs supercritical hydrogen at cryogenic temperatures both as the medium for neutron moderation and as the working fluid for removal of internally-generated nuclear heating. The competing design goals of minimizing moderator vessel mass and providing adequate structural integrity for the vessel motivated the requirement of detailed multidimensional thermal-hydraulic analyses of the moderator vessel as a critical design subtask. This paper provides a summary review of the HFIR cold source moderator vessel design and a description of the thermal-hydraulic studies that were carried out to support the vessel development.

Radiation Effects on Reactor Pressure Vessel Supports
Radiation Effects on Reactor Pressure Vessel Supports

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 1996

Total Pages: 202

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The purpose of this report is to present the findings from the work done in accordance with the Task Action Plan developed to resolve the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Generic Safety Issue No. 15, (GSI-15). GSI-15 was established to evaluate the potential for low-temperature, low-flux-level neutron irradiation to embrittle reactor pressure vessel (RPV) supports to the point of compromising plant safety. An evaluation of surveillance samples from the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) had suggested that some materials used for RPV supports in pressurized-water reactors could exhibit higher than expected embrittlement rates. However, further tests designed to evaluate the applicability of the HFIR data to reactor RPV supports under operating conditions led to the conclusion that RPV supports could be evaluated using traditional method. It was found that the unique HFIR radiation environment allowed the gamma radiation to contribute significantly to the embrittlement. The shielding provided by the thick steel RPV shell ensures that degradation of RPV supports from gamma irradiation is improbable or minimal. The findings reported herein were used, in part, as the basis for technical resolution of the issue.