• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.52 no.6
• /
• pp.1120-1130
• /
• 2020

The CREOLE experiment performed In the EOLE critical facility located In the Nuclear Center of CADARACHE - CEA have allowed us to get interesting and complete experimental information on the temperature effects in the light water reactor lattices. To analyze these experiments with accuracy an elaborate calculation scheme using the Monte Carlo method implemented in the MCNP6.1 code and the ENDF/B-VII.1 cross section library has been developed. We have used the ENDF/B-VII.1 data provided with the MCNP6.1.1 version in ACE format and the Makxsf utility to handle the data in the specific temperatures not available in the MCNP6.1.1 original library. The main purpose of this analysis is the qualification of the ENDF/B-VII.1 nuclear data for the prediction of the Reactivity Temperature Coefficient while ensuring the ability of the MCNP6.1 system to model such a complex experiment as CREOLE. We have analyzed the case of UO₂ lattice with 1166 ppm of boron in ordinary water moderator in specified temperatures. A detailed comparison of the calculated effective multiplication factors with the reference ones [1] in room temperature presented in this work shows a good agreement demonstrating the validation of our 3D calculation model. The discrepancies between calculations and the differential measurements of the Reactivity Temperature Coefficient for the analyzed configuration are relatively small: the maximum discrepancy doesn't exceed 1,1 pcm/℃. In addition to the analysis of direct differential measurements of the reactivity temperature coefficient performed in the poisoned UO₂ lattice configuration, we have also analyzed integral measurements in UO₂ clean lattice configuration using equivalency of the integral temperature reactivity worth with the driver core fuel reactivity worth and soluble boron reactivity worth. In this case both of the ENDF/B-VII.1 and JENDL.4 libraries were used in our analysis and the obtained results are very similar.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.52 no.4
• /
• pp.661-673
• /
• 2020

The quarter-core simulation of BEAVRS Cycle 2 depletion benchmark has been conducted using the MCS/CTF coupling system. MCS/CTF is a cycle-wise Picard iteration based inner-coupling code system, which couples sub-channel T/H (thermal/hydraulic) code CTF as a T/H solver in Monte Carlo neutron transport code MCS. This coupling code system has been previously applied in the BEAVRS benchmark Cycle 1 full-core simulation. The Cycle 2 depletion has been performed with T/H feedback based on the spent fuel materials composition pre-generated by the Cycle 1 depletion simulation using refueling capability of MCS code. Meanwhile, the MCS internal one-dimension T/H solver (MCS/TH1D) has been also applied in the simulation as the reference. In this paper, an analysis of the detailed criticality boron concentration and the axially integrated assembly-wise detector signals will be presented and compared with measured data based on the real operating physical conditions. Moreover, the MCS/CTF simulated results for neutronics and T/H parameters will be also compared to MCS/TH1D to figure out their difference, which proves the practical application of MCS into the BEAVRS benchmark two-cycle depletion simulations.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
• /
• v.27 no.3
• /
• pp.265-269
• /
• 2016

Ammonia gas as a hydrogen source has received great attention since the importance of hydrogen gas as a clean energy source increased. However, ammonia is toxic and corrosive to metal such that the absorbent that can store and transport ammonia became an important issue. As an effort to solve this, a large pored covalent organic framework, COF-10 was proposed as an adsorbent for storage and safe transportation of ammonia. During the ammonia adsorption process, boron in COF-10 structure can act as a Lewis acid site and bind with ammonia. In this study, COF was synthesized and its structure was identified by BET, XRD and FT-IR. The adsorption characteristics of COF were investigated by TPD and adsorption isotherm. The COF-10 showed an excellent adsorption capacity for ammonia (9.79 mmol/g) which could be utilized as an ammonia adsorbent.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.48 no.6
• /
• pp.1291-1302
• /
• 2016

This paper presents a new and efficient scheme to determine the optimal neutron source position in a model near-equilibrium pressurized water reactor, which is based on the OPR1000 Hanul Unit 3 Cycle 7 configuration. The proposed scheme particularly assigns importance of source positions according to the local adjoint flux distribution. In this research, detailed pin-by-pin reactor adjoint fluxes are determined by using the Monte Carlo KENO-VI code from solutions of the reactor homogeneous critical adjoint transport equations. The adjoint fluxes at each allowable source position are subsequently ranked to yield four candidate positions with the four highest adjoint fluxes. The study next simulates ex-core detector responses using the Monte Carlo MAVRIC code by assuming a neutron source is installed in one of the four candidate positions. The calculation is repeated for all positions. These detector responses are later converted into an inverse count rate ratio curve for each candidate source position. The study confirms that the optimal source position is the one with very high adjoint fluxes and detector responses, which is interestingly the original source position in the OPR1000 core, as it yields an inverse count rate ratio curve closest to the traditional 1/M line. The current work also clearly demonstrates that the proposed adjoint flux-based approach can be used to efficiently determine the optimal geometry for a neutron source and a detector in a modern pressurized water reactor core.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
• /
• v.16 no.5
• /
• pp.527-536
• /
• 2022

The radiation shielding characteristic of neutron shielding material has been studied as the preliminary study in order to design cosmic-ray shielding material. Specially, Soft Magnetic Material, known to be effective in EMP and radiation shielding, has been investigated to check if the material would be applicable to cosmic-ray shielding. In this work, thermal neutron shielding experiment was conducted and the Monte Carlo N-Particle(MCNP) was applied to employ skymap.dat, which is cosmic-ray data embedded in MCNP. As a result, polyethylene, borated polyethylene, and carbon nano tube, containing carbon or hydrogen, have been found to be effective in reduction of neutron flux below 20 MeV (including thermal, epithermal, evaporation). In contrast, the materials composed of iron such as SS316 and Soft Magnetic Material show a good shielding performance in the cascade energy range (above 20 MeV). Since Soft Magnetic Material is consisting of 13% of boron, it can also decrease thermal neutron flux, so it is expected that it would show a significant reduction on the entire range of neutron energy if the Soft Magnetic Material is used with hydrogen and carbon, so called low Z material.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.55 no.4
• /
• pp.1280-1286
• /
• 2023

MgF₂ as a moderator material has been extensively used in the beam shaping assembly (BSA) that plays an important role in the boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). Regarded as important for applications, the thermal neutron scattering data of MgF₂ were calculated, based on the phonon expansion model. The structural properties of MgF₂ were researched by the VASP code based on the ab-initio methods. The PHONOPY code was employed to calculate the phonon density of states. Furthermore, the NJOY code was used to calculate the thermal neutron scattering data of MgF₂. The calculated inelastic cross sections plus absorption cross sections are in agreement with the available experimental data. The neutron transport in the BSA has been simulated by using a hybrid Monte-Carlo-Deterministic code NECP-MCX. The results indicated that compared with the calculation of the free gas model, the thermal neutron flux and epithermal neutron flux at the BSA exit port calculated by using the thermal neutron scattering data of MgF₂ were reduced by 27.7% and 8.2%, respectively.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 2016.02a
• /
• pp.284-284
• /
• 2016

Topological insulator (TI) is a bulk-insulating material with topologically protected Dirac surface states in the band gap. In particular, $Bi_2Se_3$ attracted great attention as a model three-dimensional TI due to its simple electronic structure of the surface states in a relatively large band gap (~0.3 eV). However, experimental efforts using $Bi_2Se_3$ have been difficult due to the abundance of structural defects, which frequently results in the bulk conduction being dominant over the surface conduction in transport due to the bulk doping effects of the defect sites. One promising approach in avoiding this problem is to reduce the structural defects by heteroepitaxially grow $Bi_2Se_3$ on a substrate with a compatible lattice structure, while also preventing surface degradation by encapsulating the pristine interface between $Bi_2Se_3$ and the substrate in a clean growth environment. A particularly promising choice of substrate for the heteroepitaxial growth is hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), which has the same two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) layered structure and hexagonal lattice symmetry as $Bi_2Se_3$. Moreover, since h-BN is a dielectric insulator with a large bandgap energy of 5.97 eV and chemically inert surfaces, it is well suited as a substrate for high mobility electronic transport studies of vdW material systems. Here we report the heteroepitaxial growth and characterization of high quality topological insulator $Bi_2Se_3$ thin films prepared on h-BN layers. Especially, we used molecular beam epitaxy to achieve high quality TI thin films with extremely low defect concentrations and an ideal interface between the films and substrates. To optimize the morphology and microstructural quality of the films, a two-step growth was performed on h-BN layers transferred on transmission electron microscopy (TEM) compatible substrates. The resulting $Bi_2Se_3$ thin films were highly crystalline with atomically smooth terraces over a large area, and the $Bi_2Se_3$ and h-BN exhibited a clear heteroepitaxial relationship with an atomically abrupt and clean interface, as examined by high-resolution TEM. Magnetotransport characterizations revealed that this interface supports a high quality topological surface state devoid of bulk contribution, as evidenced by Hall, Shubnikov-de Haas, and weak anti-localization measurements. We believe that the experimental scheme demonstrated in this talk can serve as a promising method for the preparation of high quality TI thin films as well as many other heterostructures based on 2D vdW layered materials.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
• /
• v.4 no.3
• /
• pp.87-93
• /
• 2001

Pressure-balanced external Ag/AgCl electrode has been extensively used for both Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) and Boiling Water Reactor (PWR) environments. The use of KCI-based buffer solution often becomes the source of electrode potential drift due to slow leakage through its porous plug, typically made of zirconia. It is reported that results of our effort to improve the stability of electrode potential by using high purity water as the filling solution in which $Cl^-$ ion activity can be established and maintained at the solubility of AgCl even with the sustained leakage for a long period. Stability tests have been made in boron and lithium mixture solution at $288^{\circ}C$. The electrode potential remained stable within 10 mV over one week period. And after a thermal cycle between 288 to $240^{\circ}C$ the potential shift of Ag/AgCl electrodes did not exceed 15 mV By using the limiting equivalent ionic conductances and Agar's hydrodynamic theory, the thermal liquid junction potential (TLJP) of the electrode has been predicted. The calculated values for the water-fiued Ag/AgCl electrode potential, in which the chlorine concentration in the filling solution was derived from the measured data at ambient temperature, had a good agreement with the experimental values.