• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.52 no.7
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• pp.1355-1366
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• 2020

A review of the documentation and an interpretation of the NEA-1517/74 and NEA-1517/80 shielding benchmarks (measurements of photon leakage flux from a hollow sphere with a central 14 MeV neutron source) from the SINBAD database with the Monte Carlo code MCS and the most up-to-date ENDF/B-VIII.0 neutron data library are conducted. The two analyzed benchmarks describe satisfactorily the energy resolution of the photon detector and the geometry of the spherical samples with inner beam tube, tritium target and cooling water circuit, but lack information regarding the detector geometry and the distances of shields and collimators relatively to the neutron source and the detector. Calculations are therefore conducted for a sphere model only. A preliminary verification of MCS neutron-photon calculations against MCNP6.2 is first conducted, then the impact of modelling the inner beam tube, tritium target and cooling water circuit is assessed. Finally, a comparison of calculated results with the libraries ENDF/B-VII.1 and ENDF/B-VIII.0 against the measurements is conducted and shows reasonable agreement. The MCS and MCNP inputs used for the interpretation are available as supplementary material of this article.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.9
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• pp.3320-3325
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• 2023

The scaled water-cooled Reactor Cavity Cooling System (RCCS) experimental facility reproduces a passive safety feature to be implemented in Generation IV nuclear reactors. It keeps the reactor cavity and other internal structures in operational conditions by removing heat leakage from the reactor pressure vessel. The present work uses Flownex one-dimensional thermal-fluid code to model the facility and predict the experimental thermal-hydraulic behavior. Two representative steady-state cases defined by the bulk volumetric flow rate are simulated (Re = 2,409 and Re = 11,524). Results of the cavity outlet temperature, risers' temperature profile, and volumetric flow split in the cooling panel are also compared with the experimental data and RELAP system code simulations. The comparisons are in reasonable agreement with the previous studies, demonstrating the ability of Flownex to simulate the RCCS behavior. It is found that the low Re case of 2,409, temperature and flow split are evenly distributed across the risers. On the contrary, there's an asymmetry trend in both temperature and flow split distributions for the high Re case of 11,524.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.893-899
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• 2024

In a secondary cooling system of a sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR), rapid detection of hydrogen due to sodium-water reaction (SWR) caused by water leakage from a heat exchanger tube of a steam generator (SG) is important in terms of safety and property protection of the SFR. For hydrogen detection, the hydrogen detectors using atomic transmission phenomenon of hydrogen within Ni-membrane were used in Japanese proto-type SFR "Monju". However, during the plant operation, detection signals of water leakage were observed even in the situation without SWR concerning temperature up and down in the cooling system. For this reason, the study of a new hydrogen detector has been carried out to improve stability, accuracy and reliability. In this research, the authors focus on the difference in composition of hydrogen and the difference between the background hydrogen under normal plant operation and the one generated by SWR and theoretically estimate the hydrogen behavior in liquid sodium by using ultra-accelerated quantum chemical molecular dynamics (UA-QCMD). Based on the estimation, dissolved H or NaH, rather than molecular hydrogen (H₂), is the predominant form of the background hydrogen in liquid sodium in terms of energetical stability. On the other hand, it was found that hydrogen molecules produced by the sodium-water reaction can exist stably as a form of a fine bubble concerning some confinement mechanism such as a NaH layer on their surface. At the same time, we observed experimentally that the fine H₂ bubbles exist stably in the liquid sodium, longer than previously expected. This paper describes the comparison between the theoretical estimation and experimental results based on hydrogen form in sodium in the development of the new hydrogen detector in Japan.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2001.11b
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• pp.735-740
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• 2001

In the nuclear power plant, emergency core coolant system(ECCS) is furnished at reactor coolant system(RCS) in order to cool down high temperature water in case of emergency. However, in this coolant system, it occurs thermal stratification phenomena in case that there is the mixing of cooling water and high temperature water due to valve leakage in ECCS. This thermal stratification phenomena raises excessive thermal stresses at pipe wall. Therefore, this phenomena causes the accident that reactor coolant flows in reactor containment in the nuclear power plant due to the deformation of pipe and thermal fatigue crack(TFC) at the pipe wall around the place that it exists. Hence, in order to fundamental identification of this phenomena, it requires the experimental research of modeling test in the pipe flow that occurs thermal stratification phenomena. So, this paper models RCS and ECCS pipe arrangement and analyzes the mechanism of thermal stratification phenomena by measuring of temperature in variance with leakage flow rate in ECCS modeled pipe and Reynold number in RCS modeled pipe. Besides, results of this experiment is compared with computational analysis which is done in advance.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.997-1004
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• 2018

The brine leakage is a tough problem in artificial freezing engineering. This paper takes the common soft clay in Wujiang District as the study object, and calcium chloride solutions with six salinity levels were considered. The 'classic' cooling curve method was employed to measure the freezing point of specimens after freeze-thaw. Results indicate that four characteristic stages can be observed including supercooling, abrupt transition, equilibrium and continual freezing, strongly dependent on the variation of unfrozen water content. Two characteristic points were found from the cooling curves, i.e., freezing point and initial crystallization temperature. A critical value for the former exists at which the increment lowers. The higher the saline content approximately linearly, lower the freezing point. In the initial five cycles, the freezing point increases and then stabilizes. Besides, the degree of supercooling was calculated and its correlations with water, salt and freeze-thaw cycles were noted. Finally, an empirical equation was proposed for the relationship of freezing point and three main factors, i.e., water content, saline content and freeze-thaw cycles. Comparison of calculated and measured data proves that it is reliable and may provide guidance for the design and numerical analysis in frozen soil engineering.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.153-156
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• 2009

The water cooling system for VFD (Variable Frequency Drive) of a fossil fuel power plant was reported to be shut down due to a water leak at the metal connection of the heat-sink to the hoses. In order to identify the cause of the failure, the system was visually inspected, and corrosion products were analyzed with SEM equipped with EDX. The failure was observed repeatedly at the nipples of certain location, suggesting galvanic corrosion. In a U-shaped heat sink with two nipples, for inlet and outlet, only one nipple was corrosively damaged at the tip, while the other was not. Most of the corrosion products were observed at the sound nipple and in the filter, identified as $Cu(OH)_2$. Some other corrosion products, composed of mostly $Cu_2O$, were found at the corrosively attacked nipple. A fair amount of Cl was also detected on the surface of the damaged nipple. It was concluded that galvanic corrosion was occurred due to a current leakage over the whole system, and the damage was accelerated by the accumulated chlorine ions in the cooling water.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.70-79
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• 2018

A heat pump system using the thermal effluent from the Jeju thermal power plant of KOMIPO was constructed with the capacity of 300 RT to supply cool or hot water to greenhouse facilities located 3 km from the power station. The way of transporting heat from the thermal effluent to greenhouses at a long distance was optimized, and a monitoring system to measure the water temperature and detect a leakage in a pipe conduit was also installed. This paper presents the system configuration of the constructed heat pump system for air conditioning and heating of greenhouse facilities in Jeju, and the characteristics of major components deployed in the system. The preoperational tests of the heat pump system were conducted during the summer season in 2018 for evaluation of its cooling performance. The operational stability and cooling performance of the heat pump system were confirmed by investigating the measured fluid temperature and flow rate, and COP of the heat pump in a cooling mode.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.201-208
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• 2005

This paper presents the FEM analysis on the contact behavior characteristics of mechanical face seals in a small hydro-power turbine. Especially, the axial displacement and contact normal stress between a seal ring and a seal seat of a primary sealing unit have been analyzed as functions of rotating speed of a hydro-turbine, sealing gap, water and cooling fluid temperature. Those are strongly related to a leakage of water and wear between a seal ring and a seal seat. The FEM computed results present that the rotating speed of a hydro-turbine may be kept less than 800 rpm, and the sealing gap in a primary sealing unit is restricted $0.5\~5$. The coolant temperature in which is most influential parameter to the contact behaviors of a sealing unit may be kept less than $15^{\circ}C$ for a safe operation of a sealing unit without a leakage and wear.

• International Journal of Fluid Machinery and Systems
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.49-55
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• 2013

Water lubricated guide bearing was newly released and has been applied to actual hydro turbines with vertical shaft. As a result, they can have not only high bearing performance but environmental advantages in meeting the demand for reducing river pollution by oil leakage from oil lubricated guide bearing. The PTFE composite guide bearing was tested by experimental equipment operated under conditions similar to those of actual hydro turbines. Circumferential and axial tilting bearing segments help to improve the bearing performance and efficiency due to low friction loss in the bearing system. Furthermore, bearing cooling systems could be eliminated and maintenance periods could be extended, thus the initial investment and operating costs of the hydroelectric power plant are reduced.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.39-48
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• 1989

The concrete temperature in mass concrete rises rapidly above the placing temperature owing to the heat given off by the hydrating cement. This temperature rise produces tensile stress and cracks which later become the cause of water leakage in concrete structures. It is essential, therefore, to reduce the interior heat of concrete dam given off by hydrating cement by artificial cooling. The present study aiming to study the temperature variations in mass concrete by pipe cooling, compars the actual measurements of Chungju Dam with the temperature calculated by Finite Difference Method(FDM), and it found that the results closely agree with each other. Based on these results, the analyses are performed simulate the interior temperature history of concerte dam made of type II (moderate heat) portland cement under various coditions.