• Research Divisions
• Division of Nuclear Engineering Science
• Division of Quantum Beam Material Science
• Division of Radiation Life Science
• Research Center for Safe Nuclear System
• Nuclear Disaster Prevention System
• Accelerator Physics, Engineering and Applications
• Thermal Energy System
• Particle Radiation Oncology Research Center

Thermal Energy System

Professor

• SAITO Yasushi, e-mail: saito.yasushi.8r<atmark>kyoto-u.ac.jp

Associate Professors

• PYEON, Cheol Ho, e-mail: pyeon.cheolho.4z<atmark>kyoto-u.ac.jp
• ITO, Kei, e-mail: ito.kei.3n<atmark>kyoto-u.ac.jp

Assistant Professor

• ITO, Daisuke, e-mail: ito.daisuke.5a<atmark>kyoto-u.ac.jp
• ODAIRA, Naoya, e-mail: odaira.naoya.4e<atmark>kyoto-u.ac.jp

* replace <atmark> with ＠

This laboratory pursues safe and efficient use of high-density thermal energy produced in various next generation nuclear energy systems, such as an advanced nuclear reactor, fusion reactor and an accelerator-driven system (ADS). The research activity covers basic studies on the characteristics and the control of thermal-hydraulic phenomena and neutron behavior under various extreme conditions which are encountered in the next generation nuclear energy systems. In addition, study on the application of neutron imaging to multiphase fluid measurement is being performed taking advantage of KURNS in neutron utilization. On going research subjects are as follows:

1. Thermal-hydraulics of lead bismuth eutectic (LBE) for ADS development,
2. Development of high heat flux cooling method using micro-bubble emission boiling (MEB),
3. Application of Neutron Imaging for thermal-hydraulic study,
4. Development of innovative fluid measurement method,
5. Enhancement of boiling heat transfer by radiation induced surface activation (RISA),
6. Mechanism of subcooled boiling CHF and its modeling,
7. Thermal-hydraulics of multiphase flow under severe accident conditions of nuclear reactors,
8. High-precision numerical simulation of multi-phase flow,
9. Modeling of gas-liquid two-phase flows with highly-intensified vortices,

These researches are performed using mainly the Thermal Hydraulic Test Facility and its accessories, and cobalt-60 gamma ray source for RISA and neutron imaging facilities of KUR, J-PARC, JRR-3 in the Japan Atomic Energy Agency and HANARO in Korean Atomic Energy Research Institute.

Micro-Bubble Emission Boiling
2D-distributions of velocity and void fraction in a molten LBE two-phase flow measured using neutron imaging.	3D-distributions of bubbles measured by Wire Mesh Sensor (WMS) Left: bubbly flow Right: Slug flow

High-precision simulation result of dynamic interfacial deformation