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Staff:

Prof. Dr. Yoichiro Shimazu P.E., Prof. Dr.Tadashi Narabayashi, Assist. Prof.Dr.Masashi Tsuji

Educational Responsibility:

 Graduate School of Engineering

Advanced Reactor Theory, Advenced Management Engineering of Energy Systems

Faculity of Engineering

Nuclear Engineering System、Introduction to Energy Technology、Environmental Issues and Nuclear Technology / Ethics (General Education）
Computer Lab、Measurement Engineering Experiment、Engineering Experimental Creation(General Education)、Technical English


Research projects


Development of ecological small reactors of next generation for district heating

Background

Recently, issues such as climatic abnormalities and price escalation of crude oil have been focused. In order to solve these problems, it is pointed out that effective utilization of clean nuclear energy must be pursued. Among all in Japan, since Hokkaido is located in the coldest northern most region, we should be most active to increase these efforts to be a model region. Thus, we believe that we should establish a key system following the Act of Nuclear Energy Nation, which is one of the national key policies.


Next generation small reactors

Small reactors have merits such as higher safety and easy deployment for distributed energy supply such as district heating, desalination and hydrogen production. From this point of view, we are developing following reactor concepts.

  1. Revised nuclear design of the reactor for the first Japanese Nuclear Ship “Mutsu” using the newest and proven nuclear fuel for the current PWRs to have long core life without on-site refueling

  2. Advanced nuclear fuel design based on dispersed coated particle fuel such as Cermet and Met-Met

  3. Development of new design concepts for the balance of plant for district heating

  4. Optimization of Small Molten Salt Reactors based on fast neutron spectrum with simplified reactor configuration

Objectives for future plant design

The flowing items are to be developed

  1. Refueling of all fuel assemblies within one cassette to reduce refueling outage

  2. Robotic nuclear power plant based on integrated mechanic-intelligent maintenance　system, which can detect abnormalities and also maintain safe and stable operation
 



Development of supporting systems for safety and assured operation of nuclear power plants

Stability diagnosis; It is very important to know true reactor characteristics for safe and effective operation of nuclear power plant. Thus, the following issues are investigated

  1. On-line evaluation of damping factors for BWRs based on neutron noise analyses

  2. Evaluation methods for moderator temperature coefficient and Doppler coefficient based on normal operation data using dynamic identification method. Good example has been obtained for evaluation of Doppler coefficient during hot zero power, which was first succeeded in the world.

  3. Optimum xenon oscillation control method based on simple but powerful method, which has been widely used in all Japanese PWRs.


Current activities

Development of advanced educational materials is pursued energetically such as compact simulators for PWR and BWR plants and critical assembly. Some of them are open on internet. Also, soft computing methods based on advanced signal processing and neural net works for stability analysis of BWRs.

Virtual Nuclear Reactor Stability analysis of BWRs
based on Self-Organizing Maps


 



Development of a large scale inter planetary space ship using nuclear propulsion system

Background

A project to develop a nuclear propulsion space ship to send human beings in one of the outer planets, Mars, has been underway in NASA, USA. Acceleration of a ship of 200m long to almost light speed is required to shorten the cruising time in the outer space using ion engine or plasma electro-magnetic compressor engine, which expects to give a safe, stable and high power electricity supplier based on nuclear energy.


Current activities

Feasibility study of a generation system using 24 Stirling engines which are power by a long life sodium cooled fast reactor and with heat sinks of a circular plane radiator of 50m diameter is underway. Calculation of orbits from the earth to Mars, design of Stirling engines and experiment of heat radiator panel will be carried out.


Main experimental facilities

Generator of high temperature and high pressure two phase flow of steam and water, Simulator of virtual rectors, device for liquid droplet erosion experiment, Heat transport experimental device for generating systems for space ships, Stirling engine( Maximum power; 3kWe)




 


Education


Nuclear engineering education in the faculty of engineering and in the graduate school of engineering division

Faculty of Engineering
Nuclear Engineering

Learning basic knowledge of nuclear reactor, designing a nuclear plant for electricity and district heat by group activities based on Project Based Learning



Graduate school of Engineering

Advanced Reactor Theory

Numerical analyses such as criticality search based on 2 energy group neutron diffusion equations and reactor kinetics based on one point reactor approximation are actually carried out by individual students producing FORTRAN program. Advanced nuclear power plants under development and the state of arts nuclear design codes are also introduced.

Advanced management engineering of energy systems

Current and advanced technology of Nuclear Core Management are discussed such as procedures and philosophy of licensing of nuclear plants, verification method of nuclear design in reactor physics tests, core management during normal operations, control procedures of xenon oscillations in PWRs, in-core and out-of-core nuclear fuel managements and fuel cycle cost.




 


Awards

Professor Shimazu has been awarded for Eminent Achievements in Nuclear Science and Technology from Atomic Energy Society of Japan in 2005 and 2007. One of them is awarded for “Study on Advanced Technology for Xenon Oscillation Control in PWRs.” The theory has been widely used in domestic PWRs.





Professor Narabayashi has been engaged in investigation of foreign nuclear regulation laws and maintenance technologies and also in actively talking about the necessity of saving earth environment and recycling plutonium to the audience in all over Hokkaido.



 


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Hokkaido University　 All Rights Reserved.