A cohesive zone model is employed to accurately simulate the initiation and propagation of cracks within uranium dioxide fuel under high-temperature and high-strain-rate conditions. This model incorporates two energy-based failure criteria to distinguish between normal and tangential modes of crack propagation. Furthermore, it explicitly takes into account the dependencies on temperature, strain rate, and porosity. The effectiveness of this cohesive zone model approach is validated through three-dimensional simulations of a uniaxial compression test conducted under high-temperature and high-strain-rate conditions. Notably, the critical cohesive energy value identified for the normal mode of crack propagation is found to be lower than that for the tangential mode of crack propagation.
The impact of oxic and thermal transient phases on corrosion of carbon steel in a cementitious environment was studied through three in situ experiments (Tournemire underground research laboratory, France). For 2 years, heated metallic samples (80°C) were placed in direct or indirect contact with two different cementitious materials: a low-pH bentonitic cement grout (BCG) and a Portland cement paste material (CEM I). Mineralogical and microstructural analyses were carried out in an attempt to identify the combined effects of pH, chemistry and microstructure properties associated with such specific cementitious media on steel corrosion mechanisms. Additionally, in situ electrical resistance corrosion sensors allowed continuous monitoring of the corrosion rates corresponding to each of the three field experiments. Post-mortem characterization indicated that metallic samples embedded in low-pH BCG were heavily damaged and exhibited high corrosion rates. Conversely, steel samples in contact with a highly alkaline CEM I environment appeared to be much less impacted by corrosion processes and revealed extremely low corrosion rate values. A comparison between these field experiments observations and results previously obtained through complementary laboratory mock-up tests finally enabled the evaluation of the impact that variations in geometrical/design aspect existing between in situ and laboratory tests can induce on material degradation.
We investigate convection in a thin cylindrical gas layer with an imposed flux at the bottom and a fixed temperature along the side, using a combination of direct numerical simulations and laboratory experiments. The experimental approach allows us to extend by two orders of magnitude the explored range in terms of flux Rayleigh number. We identify a scaling law governing the root-mean-square horizontal velocity and explain it through a dimensional analysis based on heat transport in the turbulent regime. Using particle image velocimetry, we experimentally confirm, for the most turbulent regimes, the presence of a drifting persistent pattern consisting of radial branches, as identified by Rein et al. (2023, J. Fluid Mech. 977, A26). We characterise the angular drift frequency and azimuthal wavenumber of this pattern as functions of the Rayleigh number. The system exhibits a wide distribution of heat flux across various time scales, with the longest fluctuations attributed to the branch pattern and the shortest to turbulent fluctuations. Consequently, the branch pattern must be considered to better forecast important wall heat flux fluctuations, a result of great relevance in the context of nuclear safety, the initial motivation for our study.
For Phase 2 of WEST, the lower divertor was entirely equipped with actively cooled ITER grade plasma-facing units made of chains of tungsten beveled monoblocks. In this configuration, dust particles were collected in 2023, after the first plasma campaign mainly dedicated to repetitive long pulses in the conditions of attached plasmas to the divertor. Due to a high particle fluence and a significant tungsten erosion, large quantities of dust were produced. In addition to those produced during off-normal events and the flaking of deposits which are typical of tokamak wall erosion, dust particles due to the flaking of pure tungsten thin layers deposited on the shadowed areas of beveled monoblocks were found. As specific characteristic, these thin layers may not adhere to the divertor and consequently, may be peeled off and mobilized during plasma operation
BackgroundGeant4, a Monte Carlo Simulation Toolkit extensively used in bio-medical physics, is in continuous evolution to include newest research findings to improve its accuracy and to respond to the evolving needs of a very diverse user community. In 2014, the G4-Med benchmarking system was born from the effort of the Geant4 Medical Simulation Benchmarking Group, to benchmark and monitor the evolution of Geant4 for medical physics applications. The G4-Med system was first described in our Medical Physics Special Report published in 2021. Results of the tests were reported for Geant4 10.5.PurposeIn this work, we describe the evolution of the G4-Med benchmarking system.MethodsThe G4-Med benchmarking suite currently includes 23 tests, which benchmark Geant4 from the calculation of basic physical quantities to the simulation of more clinically relevant set-ups. New tests concern the benchmarking of Geant4-DNA physics and chemistry components for regression testing purposes, dosimetry for brachytherapy with a 125I$<^>{125}I$ source, dosimetry for external x-ray and electron FLASH radiotherapy, experimental microdosimetry for proton therapy, and in vivo PET for carbon and oxygen beams. Regression testing has been performed between Geant4 10.5 and 11.1. Finally, a simple Geant4 simulation has been developed and used to compare Geant4 EM physics constructors and physics lists in terms of execution times.ResultsIn summary, our EM tests show that the parameters of the multiple scattering in the Geant4 EM constructor G4EmStandardPhysics_option3 in Geant4 11.1, while improving the modeling of the electron backscattering in high atomic number targets, are not adequate for dosimetry for clinical x-ray and electron beams. Therefore, these parameters have been reverted back to those of Geant4 10.5 in Geant4 11.2.1. The x-ray radiotherapy test shows significant differences in the modeling of the bremsstrahlung process, especially between G4EmPenelopePhysics and the other constructors under study (G4EmLivermorePhysics, G4EmStandardPhysics_option3, and G4EmStandardPhysics_option4). These differences will be studied in an in-depth investigation within our Group. Improvement in Geant4 11.1 has been observed for the modeling of the proton and carbon ion Bragg peak with energies of clinical interest, thanks to the adoption of ICRU90 to calculate the low energy proton stopping powers in water and of the Linhard-Sorensen ion model, available in Geant4 since version 11.0. Nuclear fragmentation tests of interest for carbon ion therapy show differences between Geant4 10.5 and 11.1 in terms of fragment yields. In particular, a higher production of boron fragments is observed with Geant4 11.1, leading to a better agreement with reference data for this fragment.ConclusionsBased on the overall results of our tests, we recommend to use G4EmStandardPhysics_option4 as EM constructor and QGSP_BIC_HP with G4EmStandardPhysics_option4, for hadrontherapy applications. The Geant4-DNA physics lists report differences in modeling electron interactions in water, however, the tests have a pure regression testing purpose so no recommendation can be formulated.
