Motomi Odamura

Numerical Analysis Method for Orientation Structures of Surface-Stabilized Ferroelectric Liquid Crystals

A computer simulation method for analyzing the dynamic orientation structures of surface-stabilized ferroelectric liquid crystals is presented. This method is based on a free-energy theory in which electrostatic, elastic distortion and surface interaction energies are taken into account. Some results of one-dimensional simulations which analyzed the relationships between the threshold of an applied electric field, material constants, bounding surface conditions and cell thickness are also presented and compared to theoretical considerations.

A New Operation Mode of a Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal Cell with an Asymmetrical Surface Condition

The results of theoretical and numerical analyses are presented for the dynamic behavior of a ferroelectric liquid crystal cell which has two substrates with different surface interaction characteristics. On the basis of these results, a new operation mode is proposed which has bistability between a uniform state and a splayed one. This new operation mode provides both bistability and high image quality in thick (4 µm) cells.

Decomposition Principle for Refueling Optimization in Fast Breeder Reactors

A decomposition principle has been proposed for refueling optimization in fast breeder reactors (FBRs). In refueling optimization a total multistage decision problem with nonlinear programming is decomposed into many partial problems with solvable size and linear programming by taking advantage of the FBR physics. First, the problem is decomposed into determinations of the number of refueling subassemblies in concentric annular core zones and the subassembly-by-subassembly refueling patterns. Second, the latter process is further decomposed into the determination of the refueling patterns in the equilibrium cycles and the transition cycles. Third, the simultaneous determination of the refueling patterns throughout multicycles over the plant lifetime is decomposed into a consecutive cycle-by-cycle determination. Fourth, the linear programming problems are decomposed into a sequence of smaller ones by using a decomposition algorithm for solving large-size programming. The number of fresh fuel subassemblies added at each cycle in the initial loading core through the equilibrium cycles is optimized in concentric annular refueling zones of the core. The optimization is carried out so as to maximize the average discharge burnup subject to nuclear and thermal constraints by using linear programming with an application of a revised simplex method. The refueling pattern at each cycle is determined by treating each fuel subassembly separately and by minimizing power peaking subject to the number of refueling subassemblies determined in the previous step. After optimizing the refueling patterns in the equilibrium cycles, the transition cycle patterns are determined cycle by cycle to match the equilibrium cycle patterns by means of an implicit enumeration method. An explicit formulation is worked out for the implicit enumeration method, which makes it possible to determine the refueling patterns cycle by cycle. The refueling optimization method based on the decomposition principle was applied to a typical 300-MW(electric) FBR core. It successfully affords the numbers of fresh fuel subassemblies and optimal refueling patterns from the initial loading cycle to the equilibrium cycles. The optimized refueling patterns lower the power-peaking factor by ∼ 5% and increase the average discharge burnup by ∼ 3% compared with a trial-and-error method. This method has the flexibility to handle the unexpected alteration of refueling patterns in the cases of fuel failure and the expected alteration for burnup increase through batch size extension within the transition period of several cycles.