• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제23권3호
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• pp.352-362
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• 1991

가압 경수로의 노심 설계에 있어서 제한된 우라늄 자원의 효율적인 이용을 위한 다양한 방안으로 장주기 운전, 고연소도 및 저누출 장전 모형 통을 강구하고 있는 추세이다. 이러한 노심들은 원자로 운전 주기 전반에 걸친 공간적 출력 분포 제어와 잉여 반응도 제어를 위해 가연성 독물질을 사용하고 있다. 이와 관련하여 가연성 독물질 관리의 최적화 연구가 다각도로 진행되고 있다. 본 연구에서는 1990년도부터 국내 가압 경수로에 국산 핵연료가 장전되기 시작하면서 가도리니아 독봉을 사용하고 있으며 장차 주된 가연성 독물질로 쓰일 예정이므로 이에 대해서 분석을 수행하였다. 분석 결과 가도리니아 독봉은 열중성자 흡수 단면적이 매우 큰데서 기인한 특이한 연소 특성을 보이고 있다. 특히 집합체 내에서의 가도리니아 독봉의 위치에 따라 매우 다양한 출력 분포를 보이고 있다. 이러한 다양한 출력 분포 중에서 노심의 반경 방향 첨두 출력을 가능한 낮게하는 집합체 내에서의 가도리니아봉 위치 최적 선정을 위한 방법론을 제시하였다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제56권3호
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• pp.907-915
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• 2024

Various core designs with multi-batch fuel management (FM) are proposed and optimized for an innovative small modular reactor (iSMR), focusing on enhancing the inherent safety and neutronic performance. To achieve soluble-boron-free (SBF) operation, cylindrical centrally-shielded burnable absorbers (CSBAs) are utilized, reducing the burnup reactivity swing in both two- and three-batch FMs. All 69 fuel assemblies (FAs) are loaded with 2-cylindrical CSBA. Furthermore, the neutron economy is improved by deploying a truly-optimized PWR (TOP) lattice with a smaller fuel radius, optimized for neutron moderation under the SBF condition. The fuel shuffling and CSBA loading patterns are proposed for both 2- and 3-batch FM with the aim to lower the core leakage and achieve favorable power profiles. Numerical results show that both FM configurations achieve a small reactivity swing of about 1000 pcm and the power distributions are within the design criteria. The average discharge burnup in the two-batch core is comparable to three-batch commercial PWR like APR-1400. The proposed checker-board CR pattern with extended fingers effectively assures cold shutdown in the two-batch FM scenario, while in the three-batch FM, three N-1 scenarios are failed. The whole evaluation process is conducted using Monte Carlo Serpent 2 code in conjunction with ENDF/B-VII.1 nuclear library.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제54권9호
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• pp.3478-3487
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• 2022

In this study, we incorporate an anisotropic scattering scheme involving spherical harmonics into the method of characteristics (MOC). The neutron transport solution in a light water reactor can be significantly improved because of the impact of an anisotropic scattering source with the MOC flat source approximation. Several problems are selected to verify the proposed scheme and investigate its effects and accuracy. The MOC anisotropic scattering source is based on the expansion of spherical harmonics with Legendre polynomial functions. The angular flux, scattering source, and cross section are expanded in terms of the surface spherical harmonics. Later, the polynomial is expanded to achieve the odd and even parity of the source components. Ultimately, the MOC angular and scalar fluxes are calculated from a combination of two sources. This paper presents various numerical examples that represent the hot and cold conditions of a reactor core with boron concentration, burnable absorbers, and control rod materials, with and without a reflector or baffle. Moreover, a small critical core problem is considered which involves significant neutron leakage at room temperature. We demonstrate that an anisotropic scattering source significantly improves solution accuracy for the small core high-leakage problem, as well as for practical large core analyses.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제52권8호
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• pp.1756-1763
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• 2020

The paper studies spark plasma sintering (SPS) of industrially used UO₂-based fuel containing integral fuel burnable absorber (IFBA) of neutrons Gd₂O₃. Densification dynamics of pristine UO₂ powder and the one added with 2 and 8 wt% of Gd₂O₃ under ultrasonication in liquid has been studied under SPS conditions at 1050, 1250, and 1450 ℃. Effect of sintering temperature on phase composition as well as on O/U stoichiometry has been investigated for UO₂ SPS ceramics. Sintering of uranium dioxide added with Gd₂O₃ yields solid solution (U,Gd)O₂, which is isostructural to UO₂. SEM with EDX and metallography were implemented to analyze the microstructure of the obtained UO₂ ceramics and composite UO₂-Gd₂O₃ one, particularly, open porosity, defects, and Gd₂O₃ distribution were studied. Microhardness, compressive strength and density were shown to reduce after addition of Gd₂O₃. Obtained results prove the hypothesis on formation of stable pores in the system of UO₂-Gd₂O₃ due to Kirkendall effect that reduces sintering efficiency. The paper expands fundamental knowledge on pros and cons of fuel fabrication with IFBA using SPS technology.