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Target Study for the RACE HP Experiment

Article · January 2006

DOI: 10.1115/ICONE14-89689

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 DRAFT
Proceedings of ICONE14
International Conference on Nuclear Engineering
July 17-20, Miami, Florida, USA

ICONE14-89689

Target Study for the RACE HP Experiment

P. Agostini*, M. Ciotti, C. Petrovich^, G. Beneamati*, A. Bergeron~, N. Elmi*,
C. Krakowiak+, L. Sansone*, D. Beller-, M. Carta#

*ENEA CR Brasimone, 40032 Camugnano (BO) Italy

ENEA CR Frascati, Via Enrico Fermi, 40, 00044, Frascati (Roma), Italy
^
ENEA CR E. Clementel, via M. M. Sole, 4, 40129, Bologna, Italy
#
ENEA CR Casaccia, Via Anguillarese, 301, 00060, S. Maria di Galeria, (Roma), Italy
-
Idaho Accelerator Center, Idaho State University
+
CEA Cadarache, 13108, Saint-Paul-Lez-Durance, Cedex, France
~ CEA Saclay, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France

Abstract separated by layers of flowing coolant. The

The full development of a multi-disks uranium
target is described, including neutron production
analysis, power deposition distributions, thermo-
mechanical simulations and cooling schemes. A
detailed material choice and a geometrical
optimization were carried on in order to maximize
the neutron production.
1. Introduction
The RACE (Reactor-Accelerator Coupling
Experiments) project, which is being conducted
within the US Department of Energy’s Advanced
Fuel Cycle Initiative (AFCI) concerns a series of
experiments for accelerator-driven sub-critical
systems [1].
The general requirement for the RACE HP (High
Power) target is to produce neutrons, for
experiments in a Texas TRIGA reactor, by the
impact of an electron beam (25 MeV), carrying a
power in the range 20-30 kW, onto a target made
of high Z material. The neutrons are generated by
the bremsstrahlung photons through (n,gamma) -
reactions and subsequent fissions in uranium. The
goal of the design is to reach a neutron production
close to 1014 neutrons/s. The present paper deals
with a concept where the electrons and the
photons travel through a series of bodies
dimensions of the target and its cooling circuit will
be limited by the geometrical constraints of the
TRIGA core and structures.
2. Target Design
2.1 Neutron Production
The electron beam maximum reference power for
the project is 30 kW even if the expected
accelerator power will be in the range 20-30 kW.
Due to this uncertainty in the present work the
calculations have been performed for both values.
The total neutron yield depends on the electron
beam (power, particle energy, profile), on the
target material and on the target geometry. The
electron/neutron conversion efficiencies taken
from [2] for the candidate materials are reported in
Table 1. These values are approximate
evaluations for infinitely thick targets without
taking into account other effects such as the real
target geometry, the beam profile, the fissions
induced by the neutrons (for uranium) and the
neutron absorption (self-shielding). The accuracy
of these data is quoted to be within 20%.
Some simulations with MCNPX 2.5.0 [3] have
been performed, comparing the neutron sources
of different target solutions irrespectively of their
technological or heat removal limits.
30 kW, 25 MeV 20 kW, 20 MeV
Material electron beam electron beam
(neutr./s) (neutr./s)
Uranium 7.7*1013 4.0*1013
Tungsten 4.5*1013 2.1*1013
Tantalum 3.9*1013 1.8*1013
Table 1. Neutron Yields from [2]
It can be preliminary concluded (Table 2) that, for
a 30 kW and 25 MeV electron beam, even if the
maximum neutron yield of an ideal uranium target
is 9.8*1013 neutrons/s, the neutron source of the
real uranium target designs will be not higher than
8*1013 neutrons/s due to the neutron losses linked
with the real target geometry; taking into account
also the absorptions in the coolant and in the
structures the maximum value reduces to ~7*1013
neutrons/s. Excluding uranium as target material,
the maximum achievable neutron source is 4*1013
neutrons/s (infinite Tungsten geometry).
The uranium based solutions have the highest
gain and are the only ones that could fulfill the
requirement for the neutron source strength.
Evaluated solution Neutrons/s
Infinite uranium geometry
~ 9.8*1013
(including neutron fission)
Finite uranium geometry 13
~ 8.0*10
(cylinder r=3.25 cm, h=8 cm)
Infinite tungsten geometry ~ 4.0*1013
Multi-plates target (fig.4) ~ 5.7*1013
Table 2. Neutron Sources (MCNPX calculations)
for a 25 MeV, 30 kW Electron Beam.
2.2 Target Cooling
Since the issue of target cooling is very relevant to
the final solution, different possible configurations
for the target are examined and discussed
applying the same following criteria:
The maximum working temperature for
unalloyed uranium based target is as
941 K.
The coolant near the walls must remain
in “no-boiling” conditions.
The upper temperature limit is due to the
characteristics of the material and is usually
assumed for metallic uranium fuel elements.
The coolant velocity must be high enough as the
wall temperature must be low enough to avoid the
vapor bubbles generation during normal
operations due to sub-cooled boiling, and to
guarantee that during normal and accidental
transient the boiling crisis will not be reached not
to burn the wall surface and not to release
materials into the cooling circuit.
To avoid boiling at the wall surface the Onset of
Nucleate Boiling (ONB) must not be reached.
ONB occurs as soon as the wall surface
temperature is equal to the sum of the saturation
temperature and the overheat. In this phase the
overheating has been neglected considering the
saturation temperature as the maximal allowable
wall surface temperature.
At first glance, simple single-phase heat transfer
correlations are employed to evaluate the wall-to-
fluid heat transfer as a function of the coolant flow
rate. These correlations are well known and are
conservatives with respect to developing flows. In
the present phase the engineering approach
remains very powerful to select a relevant flow
rate for normal operations.
The Critical Heat Flux can only be addressed
through experimental correlations for low
pressures and small hydraulic diameters [6, 7].
2.3 The Multi plate Configuration
Due to the penetrating range of the beam and to
the slight interaction of the electrons with water, a
separated plate configuration was addressed. The
solution is based on a pile of clad uranium plates
disposed in horizontal position cooled by water
flowing in the horizontal channels which lay
between one plate and the other.
In the TRADE project [5] such a concept was
rejected because the cooling water, when
exposed to intense proton beam, could lead to the
formation of radio–isotopes. This risk is strongly
reduced in case of electron beam and such an
approach can be considered for RACE-HP.
Calculations show that the cooling is effective
enough in case of four plates generating about 6
kW power with a water flow of 3 m/s. It has to be
noted that the remaining beam power is deposited
in water, aluminum and outside the target.
The cooling flow between the plates may be
channeled in parallel (1b) or in serial (1a)
geometry.
The parallel flow requires lower pumping head but
presents the risk of insufficient flow in one or more
channels if major deformations arise. In order to
assure the correct natural circulation in case of
Loss Of Flow Accident (LOFA), a slight inclination
 (a)
Fig. 1. Concept of Water Cooled Multi-plates Target with Serial Flow (a) and with Parallel Flow (b).
of the plates must be foreseen. This inclination is
also important to face the problem of Critical Heat
Flux. The CHF on downward horizontal facing
plates, for pool boiling, tends to be very small [4].
The serial flow requires a larger pumping head,
but the flow-rate in each channel remains always
the same and off-normal pressure-drop changes
can be early monitored. In case of LOFA, the
correct natural circulation is established,
nevertheless the CHF considerations have to be
carefully analyzed during the design phase.
The cooling flow of each plate with direction from
one side to the other is preferred with respect to a
centrifugal/centripetal flow configuration which
would present too many velocity changes and a
Fig. 2. Power density of aluminium -Clad U-Core
single disk 1.4 mm thick at 6 kW power (W/m3).
The beam is impinging from the top; due to the
symmetry half disk is shown in the figures. The
horizontal internal lines represent the
uranium/aluminium separation.
(b)
complex channeling that would enhance the
parasite absorptions of electrons in the structures.
2.4.Preliminary Evaluation of the Concept for
RACE-HP
The multiplate conpet has been applied to the
case of the RACE experiment. It has been
considered an aluminum window and the first and
second uranium plates having about 1.4 mm
thickness and 65 mm diameter. All the plates
must be clad. The cladding must be in aluminum
or Zircalloy or other low Z materials. We assumed
that the 6 kW power is distributed as 5.75 kW in
the uranium core and 0.25 kW in the 1 mm thick
aluminum clad and that the external convection
coefficient amounts to 15000 W/m2.
Fig. 3. Temperatures increase (K) of aluminium-
Clad U-Core single disk 1.4 mm thick at 6 kW
power. External water temperature 293K;
convection coefficient 15000 W/m2 K.
In case of a Gaussian beam of 30 kW, 25 MeV
and having sigma = 1 cm, it was found (fig. 2 and
3) that the cladding external temperature is 438 K
and the maximum temperature of uranium is 507
K if the thermal contact between uranium and
aluminium is tight.
In case of loose contact and presence of helium in
the gap between uranium and cladding, the
maximum uranium temperature is 543 K. These
values are both respecting the criterion of
maximum uranium temperature.
The power of the plates was determined on the
basis of the maximum average heat flux criterion,
applied to a 3 m/s water velocity. Due to non-
uniform wall heat flux on plates the 15000 W/m2/K
heat transfer coefficient (corresponding to a 3 m/s
velocity) has to be increased in order to reduce
the wall temperature below the saturation
temperature corresponding to the pressure range
of the core (1.6 bars)
3.Multi-plate Solution Simulations
The multi-plate assembly presently proposed was
optimized in order to generate in each disk a
power lower or equal to 6 kW, which was
demonstrated as a suitable value for the correct
heat removal by two disk sides of 65 mm
diameter.
A simulation by means of MCNPX 2.5.0 has been
performed for the multi-plate target in the following
configuration:
- electron beam of 25 MeV, 30 kW (1.2
mA);
- diameter of the disks = 65 mm;
- gaussian beam (x-y dependent) with
σx=σy=1.33 cm. With this value about 95% of the
electron beam is included in a diameter of 65 mm.
Fig. 4. Multi-plate Target. uranium is in Yellow,
Water in Blue, Tantalum Window in Red.
Furthermore, the ratio between the maximum
value and the average value of the power density
in the first disk is max/avg ∼ 3;
- 1 mm window in Tantalum, ρ=16.48 g/cm3
(“red” in figure 4);
- 2 mm of water between the disks (“blue”
in the figure);
- 1 mm of aluminium for the cladding, ρ
=2.7 g/cm3 (“green” in the figure);
- 4 disks of Depleted uranium (“yellow” in
the figure) with ρ =19.07 g/cm3, having the
following thicknesses: 1 mm, 1.7 mm, 12 mm,
20 mm.
The thicknesses of the uranium disks have been
chosen in order to obtain about 6 kW of power
deposited in each disk (uranium + aluminium
cladding).
The power deposited in the disks turns out to be:
- Window (1 mm of Ta): 3.1 kW
- disk n.1 (1 mm of uranium + aluminium
cladding): 6.6 kW
- disk n.2 (1.7 mm of uranium + aluminium
cladding): 6.1 kW
- disk n.3 (12 mm of uranium + aluminium
cladding): 5.7 kW
- disk n.4 (20 mm of uranium + aluminium
cladding): 1.7 kW
- in the total layers of water: 1.5 kW
The total power deposited in this target is thus
24.7 kW (while the beam power is 30 kW).
The first disk has slightly more than 6 kW, but, for
manufacturing reasons, it has been excluded, for
the moment, to use uranium thicknesses below 1
mm.
The total neutron source (neutron escaping from
the target) turns out to be 5.7*1013 n/s (95% are
neutrons created by photonuclear reactions, 5%
from fission induced by neutrons).
As for the thermo-mechanics, the maximum
temperature and stress of the upper uranium disk
were calculated assuming the thermal conductivity
of uranium as 27.5 W/m K.
The results are reported in fig. 5-6-7-8
It turns out that the maximum power density
amounts to 4 kW/cm3 which, in presence of a
cooling coefficient of 15000 W/m2 K, induces a
maximum temperature of 447 K in the uranium
and of 416 K in the aluminium claddings. The
uranium temperature appears compatible with the
criterion of its maximum temperature. As
previously discussed, due to non uniform
repartition of wall heat flux on plates the 15000
W/m2/K heat transfer coefficient should be
increased to lower the wall temperature below the
saturation temperature corresponding to the
pressure range of the core (1.6 bars)
Fig.5. Power density of the upper disk (W/m3).
Fig. 7. Von Mises stresses of the upper disk (Mpa)
The maximum Von Mises stress of the cladding is
150 MPa which might be acceptable for some
aluminium alloys, but more careful evaluations are
necessary to choose the cladding alloy and
assure to satisfy the thermo-mechanical criteria.
In particular, creep will have to be taken into
account for clad temperatures above 323 to 348 K
depending on the chosen alloy. As an example,
the time to rupture under a 150 MPa stress at 416
K ranges from 1000 h for the 6061-T6 alloy to 0
for the 5754-oxigen-aluminium alloy [8]
On the other side the uranium meat results less
stressed than the cladding.
The beam window is 1 mm thick in Ta. This
window material is preferred to aluminium
because it contributes to the neutron production
and has better mechanical properties. The power
deposition is about one half than that of the first
uranium disk, consistently with the reduction of
the cooling surface which consists of only one
side.
Due to the poor conductivity of uranium, even for
the third disk, which is 12 mm thick, a full
simulation was performed.
Fig. 6. Temperature increase (K) of the upper disk.
Fig. 8.Thermal deformations of the upper disk.
The figures from 9 to 12 report the calculated
values.
The power density is ten times lower than that of
the upper disk, nevertheless the maximum
temperature, due to the significant thickness,
amounts to 419 K, which corresponds to a
maximum stress of 137 MPa in the uranium meat
and a negligible stress in the aluminium cladding.
Conclusively the third disk resulted less critical
than the upper disk.
4.Conclusion
The multi-plates solution was fully addressed
leading to a viable configuration. The total neutron
production is slightly below maximum theoretical
value but this is mainly due to the geometrical
constrains. For higher production rates much
thicker uranium material has to be used and the
multi-plate concept has to be abandoned due to
its poor ability to be cooled. Temperatures at the
disk surface are under control, while thermal
stresses are critical only for the cladding of the
first disk.
 Fig. 9. Power Density of the Third Disk (W/m3).
Fig. 11. Von Mises Stresses of the Upper
Disk (Mpa).
References
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reactor accelerator coupling experiments
(RACE) project, proceedings of the Eigth
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View publication stats
Fig. 10. Temperature increase (K) of the Third Disk.
Fig. 12.Thermal Deformations of the Upper Disk.
International Journal of Heat and Mass
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