A Fusion Neutron Source Driven Sub-Critical Nuclear Energy System: A Way for Early Application of Fusion Technology

This paper proposes a sub-critical nuclear energy system driven by fusion neutron source, FDS, which can be used to transmute long-lived radioactive wastes and to produce fissile nuclear fuel as a way for early application of fusion technology. The necessity and feasibility to develop that system in China are illustrated on the basis of prediction of the demand of energy source in the first half of the 21th century, the status of current fission energy supply and the progress in fusion technology in the world. The characteristics of fusion neutron driver and the potential for transmutation of long-lived nuclear wastes and breeding of fissile nuclear fuel in a blanket are analyzed. A scenario of development steps is proposed.

Recovery of oil and free fatty acids from spent bleaching earth using sub-critical water technology supported with kinetic and thermodynamic study

This work represents the extraction of oil with high free fatty acid content from spent bleaching earth using sub-critical water technology as a greener production pathway. The extraction efficiencies under different conditions were investigated. The studied parameters include temperatures in the range of 180 to 270°C, the feed to solventfeed-to-solvent (in this case water) ratio (1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 1:4 and 1:5) and extraction times in the range of 5-60 minutes. The results showed that the optimum temperature, feed to solventfeed-to-solvent ratio, and extraction time were 270°C, 1:3, and 20 minutes, respectively. In another experiment, the extracted free fatty acids were converted into mono-, di-, and triglycerides through esterification with glycerol to increase the value added of the extracted products. The kinetics of the extraction process was found to be corresponding to an irreversible consecutive unimolecular-type first order reaction, consisting of the extraction step followed by the decomposition reaction step. Both reaction rates of extraction and decomposition were estimated using the reaction rate equations utilizing the nonlinear regression method. The apparent activation energy was calculated to be 46.1 kJ·mol-1. This result indicates a diffusion controlled reaction. For more exploration and deep understanding of the extraction mechanism, other thermodynamic parameters were also calculated and analyzed including,ΔH#, ΔS#, and ΔG# of the extraction step.

Fouling process and anti-fouling mechanisms of dynamic membrane assisted by photocatalytic oxidation under sub-critical fluxes

Membrane fouling is often considered as a hindrance for the application of microfiltration/ultrafiltration(MF/UF) for drinking water production. A novel process of photocatalytic membrane reactor/dynamic membrane(PMR/DM), operating in a continuous mode under sub-critical flux, was proposed for the mitigation of membrane fouling caused by humic acids(HAs) in water. The mechanism of membrane fouling alleviation with synergistic photocatalytic oxidation and dynamic layer isolating effect was comprehensively investigated from the characterization of foulant evolution responsible for the reversible and irreversible fouling. The results showed that the PMR/DM utilized photocatalytic oxidation to enhance the porosity and hydrophilicity of the fouling layer by converting the high molecular weight(MW) and hydrophobic HA molecules with carboxylic functional groups and aromatic structures into low-MW hydrophilic or transphilic fractions, including tryptophan-like or fulvic-like substances. The fouling layer formed in the PMR/DM by combination of photocatalytic oxidation and DM running at a sub-critical flux of 100 L·h^-1·m^-2, was more hydrophilic and more porous, resulting in the lowest trans-membrane pressure(TMP) growth rates, as compared to the processes of ceramic membrane(CM), DM and PMR/CM.Meanwhile, the dynamic layer prevented the foulants, particularly the high-MW hydrophobic fractions,from contacting the primary membrane, which enabled the membrane permeability to be restored easily.

In-plane shear(ModeⅡ) crack sub-critical propagation of rock at high temperature

In-plane shear crack sub-critical propagation of rock at high temperature was studied by finite element method and shear-box(i.e.compression-shear) test with newly designed electrically conductive adhesive method.Numerical and experimental results show that the normalized shear(Mode Ⅱ) stress intensity factors,K ⅡT/KT0 is decreased as the temperature increases because high temperature can improve stress distribution at crack tip and reduce the Mode Ⅱ stress intensity factor.Microscopic features of fractured surface are of little pits and secondary micro-cracks in the vicinity(1.5-4.0 mm) of the crack tip.The chevron-shape secondary cracks gradually merge in the length of about 4-5 mm and disappear along the direction of crack propagation.Stable shear crack propagation time is increased with the increasing temperature while the stable shear crack propagation rate is decreased with the increasing temperature,since high temperature can increase the shear(Mode Ⅱ) fracture toughness and prevent the crack growth.It is necessary to ensure the ligament of specimen long enough to measure the maximum unstable crack propagation rate of rock.

Effect of holes on in-plane shear(Mode Ⅱ) crack sub-critical propagation of rock

Shear-box(i.e.compression-shear) test and newly designed electrically conductive adhesive method were used to measure shear crack sub-critical propagation time and rate of sandstone specimen.Different cubic specimens with and without holes were tested to study the effect of holes on the shear crack sub-critical propagation.Numerical and experimental results show that three independent variables of hole,the interval distance S,the distance between the center of hole and the crack tip L,and hole radius R,have different contribution to the ratio of stress intensity factor of the specimen with holes to that of the specimen without hole,KⅡ/KⅡ0.Increasing S and decreasing L and R will result in the decrease of KⅡ/KⅡ0 and help crack arrest.The weight relation of the independent variables for KⅡ/KⅡ0 is S>L>R.The specimen DH3 with the largest value of S and the smallest values of L and R has the longest sub-critical crack propagation time and the smallest sub-critical crack propagation rate.Adding two suitable holes symmetrically to the original crack plane in rock specimen is considered to be a potential method for crack arrest of rock.

Law governing strata and ground movement due to sub-critical extraction

The strata movement induced by sub-critical extraction is a problem not receiving due attention because of its relatively small magnitude of deformation. However, with the increase of mining depth, sub-critical extraction has become a general phenomenon. This calls for an in-depth investigation into the characteristics of ground movements observed under different extents of sub-critical extraction, so as to determine the appropriate mining technique for use. Following a discussion of the factors influencing the extent of super-critical extraction, the super-critical extraction extent evaluation criteria was presented, the characteristics and laws of the strata and ground movements caused by such an extraction condition were systematically analyzed, and the mechanism of surface subsidence induced by sub-critical extraction was revealed. The result of study may serve as a basis for the development of the strata and ground movement prediction model and the mining techniques appropriate for use at depth beneath surface structures and buildings.

Sub-Criticality Measurement with Source Term for Research Reactor in Inverse Kinetics Method

In reactor physics tests, it is important to monitor sub-criticality continuously during criticality approach. Reactivity measurements by the inverse kinetics method are widely used during the operation of a nuclear reactor. This technique is successfully applied at sufficiently high power level or to a core without an external neutron source where the neutron source term in point reactor kinetics equations may be neglected. For operation at low power levels or in the sub-critical domain, the increase in the fluctuation of the neutron signal may cause difficulties in the evaluation of reactivity and the effect of direct emission from the external neutron source may not be neglected. Therefore, contribution of the neutron source must be taken into account and this implies knowledge of a quantity proportional to the source strength, which calls the source term and then it should be determined. The research work has been conducted to measure reactivity with source term using a dedicated reactivity measurement system by the Least Square Inverse Kinetics Method (LSIKM). Application to a simulator of HANARO research reactor, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), with known source strength and reactivity worth has showed consistent and satisfactory agreement.

Hydrothermal Liquefaction of Wheat Straw in Sub-critical Water/Ethanol with Ionic Liquid for Bio-oil Production

Hydrothermal liquefaction of wheat straw in sub-critical water with ionic liquid was investigated in an autoclave. The product distribution at different temperatures and pressures was studied. The liquid oil and the residuals were tested by 1H NMR, FTIR and SEM techniques. The results indicated that under the same conditions, the oil yield from liquefaction of wheat straw in water/ethanol was higher than that in sub-critical water. The result also showed that under the investigated conditions, adding 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride([Bmim]Cl) could increase the total conversion and gas yield, while at the same time the yield of n-hexane insoluble fraction and the tetrahydrofuran soluble fraction was reduced. Moreover, the results also showed that upon adding [Bmim]Cl the contents of the aliphatic hydrogen and phenols in liquid oil also increased along with improved oil quality.

Technical Study on Extraction of Procyanidins in Lycium ruthenicum Murr. Using Sub-critical Fluid 1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane( R134a)and Content Determination from Different Producing Areas

[Objectives] To study the optimal conditions for extracting procyanidins fromLycium ruthenicum Murr. with sub-critical fluid R134 a( 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane) in 1 L extraction kettle. [Methods]Taking the extraction rate of procyanidins as an indicator,the influence of pressure,temperature,and extraction time on extraction rate of procyanidins fromL. Ruthenicum Murr. was studied by single factor experimental methods and orthogonal array design. [Results]The order of factors affecting extraction rate of procyanidins was extraction temperature > extraction pressure > extraction time. The optimum extraction conditions were as follows: the extraction rate of procyanidins fromL. ruthenicum Murr. was the highest with extraction pressure of 1. 2 MPa,extraction temperature of 50℃ and extraction time of 90 min. The content of procyanidins in L. ruthenicum Murr. from different producing areas was determined by vanillin-HCl method under the optimal conditions. [Conclusions] The method has the advantages of easy operation,good selectivity,low extraction temperature and high extraction efficiency,which is suitable for extraction of procyanidins in L. ruthenicum Murr.

Co-liquefaction of Cotton Seed and Flos Populi in Sub-critical Water/Ethanol Solvent for Bio-oil with Medical Stone Based Additives

The co-liquefaction behaviors of cotton seed(CS)and flos populi(FP)were investigated in the sub-critical water/ethanol mixed solvent using the medical stone(MS)based additives.Oil products were characterized using FTIR,GC-MS,1HNMR,and 13CNMR techniques.The test results showed that the synergistic effect of co-liquefaction was obvious when the ratio of cotton seed and flospopuli was 1:1 without additives.The additives,such as 12-phosphotungstic acid(PW12),HZSM-5,PW12/HZSM-5 and modified medical stone(MS),PW12/MS,Ni/MS,Co/MS,Mo/MS and Co-Mo/MS,could increase the bio-oil yield;and the modified MS resulted in higher liquefied oil yield than that achieved by MS.Furthermore,additives such as Ni/MS,Mo/MS,and Co-Mo/MS also could increase the yield of aliphatic hydrocarbons in liquefied oil.The addition of Co-Mo/MS could lead to a highest liquefied oil yield of 28.8%,while the additive of PW12/HZSM-5 could result in a highest total conversion of 81.6%.Results also revealed that additives,such as PW12/MS,PW12,PW12/HZSM-5,Ni/MS,Co/MS,Mo/MS,and Co-Mo/MS,could increase the H2 production and decrease the CO2 production in gas products.

Application of Sub-Critical Water Extraction in Pharmaceutical Industry

Sub-critical water extraction is a brand-new separation technology. This paper mainly discussed the principle, advantages of sub-critical water extraction, and its applications ranging from the medicinal plants traditionally used in Europe and Asia to produce pharmaceutical extracts (such as volatile oil, tannins, flavonoids, anthraquinone, lactone, etc.). Meanwhile, the prospect of sub-critical water extraction in plant extractives is also explored. It will be widely used in the field of medical plants, bringing huge economic benefits, environmental benefits and social benefits.

A novel ground surface subsidence prediction model for sub-critical mining in the geological condition of a thick alluvium layer

A substantial number of the coal mines in China are in the geological condition of thick alluvium layer. Under these circumstances, it does not make sense to predict ground surface subsidence and other deformations by using conventional prediction models. This paper presents a novel ground surface subsidence prediction model for sub-critical mining in the geological condition of thick alluvium layer. The geological composition and mechanical properties of thick alluvium is regarded as a random medium, as are the uniformly distributed loads on rock mass; however, the overburden of the rock mass in the bending zone is looked upon as a hard stratum controlling the ground surface subsidence. The different subsidence and displacement mechanisms for the rock mass and the thick alluvium layer are respectively considered and described in this model, which indicates satisfactory performances in a practical prediction case.

Monitoring method for neutron flux for a spallation target in an accelerator driven sub-critical system

In this paper, we study a monitoring method for neutron flux for the spaUation target used in an accelerator driven sub-critical （ADS） system, where a spallation target located vertically at the centre of a sub-critical core is bombarded vertically by high-energy protons from an accelerator. First, by considering the characteristics in the spatial variation of neutron flux from the spallation target, we propose a multi-point measurement technique, i.e. the spallation neutron flux should be measured at multiple vertical locations. To explain why the flux should be measured at multiple locations, we have studied neutron production from a tungsten target bombarded by a 250 MeV-proton beam with Geant4-based Monte Carlo simulations. The simulation results indicate that the neutron flux at the central location is up to three orders of magnitude higher than the flux at lower locations. Secondly, we have developed an effective technique in order to measure the spallation neutron flux with a fission chamber （FC）, by establishing the relation between the fission rate measured by FC and the spallation neutron flux. Since this relation is linear for a FC, a constant calibration factor is used to derive the neutron flux from the measured fission rate. This calibration factor can be extracted from the energy spectra of spallation neutrons. Finally, we have evaluated the proposed calibration method for a FC in the environment of an ADS system. The results indicate that the proposed method functions very well.

Numerical Simulation of Dendrite Evolution during Solidification Process

The effect of manganese on the as-cast structure and hardening behavior of high chromium white cast iron subjected to sub-critical treatment was studied. The results indicate that the fraction of retained austenite and the manganese distribution in as-cast alloys are controlled by manganese content. The manganese distribution in as-cast alloys is not homogeneous. The manganese content in carbide is higher than that in matrix. Whether the secondary hardening occurs or not and the peak hardness of secondary hardening is controlled by manganese content in retained austenite in as-cast structure. Higher manganese content can cause more retained austenite. The secondary hardening occurs in sub-critical treating process if the fraction of retained austenite is high.

Effect of Manganese on As-Cast Microstructure and Hardening Behavior of High Chromium White Cast Iron

The effect of manganese on the as-cast structure and hardening behavior of high chromium white cast iron subjected to sub-critical treatment was studied.The results indicate that the fraction of retained austenite and the manganese distribution in as-cast alloys are controlled by manganese content.The manganese distribution in as-cast alloys is not homogeneous.The manganese content in carbide is higher than that in matrix.Whether the secondary hardening occurs or not and the peak hardness of secondary hardening is controlled by manganese content in retained austenite in as-cast structure.Higher manganese content can cause more retained austenite.The secondary hardening occurs in sub-critical treating process if the fraction of retained austenite is high.

Preliminary Analysis of Liquid Metal MHD Pressure Drop in the Blanket for the FDS

Preliminary analysis and calculation of liquid metal Li17Pb83 magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) pressure drop in the blanket for the FDS have been presented to evaluate the significance of MHD effects on the thermal-hydraulic design of the blanket. To decrease the liquid metal MHD pressure drop, Al2O3 is applied as an electronically insulated coating onto the inner surface of the ducts. The requirement for the insulated coating to reduce the additional leakage pressure drop caused by coating imperfections has been analyzed. Finally, the total liquid metal MHD pressure drop and magnetic pump power in the FDS blanket have been given.

Neutronic analysis of deuteron-driven spallation target

Deuteron-driven spallation targets have garnered attention recently because they can provide high-energy neutrons to transmute long-lifetime fission products.In this study,the Geant4 toolkit was used to simulate the inter-action between a deuteron beam at 500 MeV and a com-posite target composed of alternating lead-bismuth eutectic(LBE)and water.The water was used because it may be employed as a target coolant.The energy spectrum,neu-tron yield,average energy,and total energy of the emitted neutrons were calculated for different thicknesses and thickness ratios between the LBE and water.For a constant target thickness,the neutron yield increases with an increasing thickness ratio of LBE to H 2 O,while the aver-age energy of the emitted neutrons decreases with an increasing in the aforementioned thickness ratio.These two aspects support the use of a pure target,either LBE or water.However,with an increasing LBE-to-H 2 O thickness ratio,the total energy of the emitted neutrons increases and then decreases.This result supports the addition of water into the LBE target.The angular distributions of the emitted neutrons show that the rear of the target is suit-able for loading nuclear waste containing minor actinides and long-lifetime fission products.

Influences of copper on solidification structure and hardening behavior of high chromium cast irons

The influences of copper on microstructure and the hardening behavior of high chromium cast irons subjected to sub-critical treatment were investigated. The results show that the microstructure of the as-cast high chromium cast irons consists of retained austenite, martensite and M1C3 type eutectic carbide. When copper is added into high chromium cast irons, austenite and carbide contents are increased. The increased addition of copper content from 0% to 1.84% leads to the increase of austenite and carbide from 15.9% and 20. 0% to 61.0% and 35.5% , respectively. In the process of sub-critical treatment, the retained austenite in the matrix can be precipitated into secondary carbides and then transforms into martensite in cooling process, which causes the secondary hardening of the alloy under sub-critical treatment. High chromium cast irons containing copper in sub-critical treatment appear the second hardening curve peak due to the precipitation of copper from supersaturated matrix.

Morphological stability of three-dimensional cementite rods in polycrystalline system:A phase-field analysis

Transformations accompanying shape-instability govern the morphological configuration and distribution of the phases in a microstructure.Owing to the influence of the microstructure on the properties of a material,in the present work,the stability of three-dimensional rods in a‘representative'polycrystalline system is extensively analysed.A multiphase-field model,which recovers the physical laws and sharpinterface relations,and includes grain boundary diffusion,is adopted to investigate the morphological evolution of the precipitate.Moreover,the efficiency of the numerical approach is ensured by establishing the volume-preserving chemical equilibrium through the incorporation TCFe8(CALPHAD)data and solving phase-field evolution in the Allen-Cahn framework.The morphological evolution of the rod in the representative multiphase system exhibits a unique transformation mechanism which is significantly different from the evolution of an isolated finite-structure.It is realised that,in a polycrystalline arrangement,irrespective of the initial size of the rod,the shape-change begins with the energy-minimising events at the triple junctions.This early transformation renders a characteristic morphology at the longitudinal ends of the structure,which introduces sufficient driving-force through the curvature-difference for the subsequent morphological changes.The continued mass transfer to the terminations,ultimately,breaks-off the rod into separate entities that are entangled in the grain boundary.With increase in the aspect ratio of the rod,it is identified that the source of mass transfer,which turns into the ovulation site,shifts from the centre.This increases the number of fragmentation events and introduces satellite particle.The size of the satellite particle is dictated by a definite ovulation criterion,which is ascertained by examining the transformation of different-sized rods.A comprehensive understanding of the transformation kinetics and mechanism governing the morphological evolution of the rods in a polycrystalline system is rendered in this work.

Design of machine protection system for CAFe facility

Background In an accelerator-driven sub-critical system(ADS),a strong proton beam from a high-power proton accelerator irradiates a spallation target to produce very intense neutrons for driving a reactor.Currently,the China ADS front-end demo linac(CAFe)facility is being built to provide strong beam with the beam intensity of several mAs.Purpose This paper reports the machine protection system(MPS)of the CAFe facility,which prevents or minimizes the beam-induced damages or the damages from other sources to the machines in the accelerator.Method The MPS of CAFe facility works under the framework of experimental physics and industrial control system(EPICS).The developed machine protection system includes fast protection function and slow interlock function,where the fast function is performed by FPGA controller and the slow function is performed by PLC controller.Results Based on the reports on the status of all relevant subsystems,MPS will either perform an emergency shutdown of the beam or machine or will permit normal operation.When an emergency shutdown of the beam is needed,MPS switches off the ion source or switches on the chopper.In addition to its protective role,MPS will also trace the origin of an emergency shutdown.Conclusions The developed MPS has played an important role during the commissioning and successful operation of the CAFe facility at the end of 2019.