• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.7
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• pp.2625-2632
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• 2024

In this study, we investigated the possibility of employing accident tolerant fuel (ATF) in VVER-1200/V491 assembly without gadolinium-containing fuel rods using the Monte Carlo code Serpent 1.1.7 with ENDF/B-VII cross-section library. The analysis involves assembly design with reflective boundary conditions. To compare the neutronic performances, U-5Mo, U-7.5Mo, U-10Mo, and U-15Mo fuels were chosen in addition to ordinary UO₂ fuel. The concentration of ¹³⁵Xe, ¹⁴⁹Sm, fissile and fertile isotopes with burnup, reactivity feedback with fuel temperature variation, and β eff values were calculated. The results indicate that the fuel cycle length increases by 54.27% for U-5Mo, 32.6% for U-7.5Mo, and 13.8% for U-10Mo, while it decreases by 16.4% for U-15Mo fuel. Additionally, the effect of ⁹⁵Mo content in natural Mo was investigated by reducing the ⁹⁵Mo concentration. According to the results, each proposed fuel's fuel cycle length extended when the depletion ratio of ⁹⁵Mo increased. Additionally, the calculations for reactivity feedback guarantee safe operating conditions for all U-xMo fuels.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Groundwater Environment
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.103-115
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• 2000

The formation of brown-colored precipitates is one of the serious problems frequently encountered in the development and supply of groundwater in Korea, because by it the water exceeds the drinking water standard in terms of color. taste. turbidity and dissolved iron concentration and of often results in scaling problem within the water supplying system. In groundwaters from the Pajoo area, brown precipitates are typically formed in a few hours after pumping-out. In this paper we examine the process of the brown precipitates' formation using the equilibrium thermodynamic and kinetic approaches, in order to understand the origin and geochemical pathway of the generation of turbidity in groundwater. The results of this study are used to suggest not only the proper pumping technique to minimize the formation of precipitates but also the optimal design of water treatment methods to improve the water quality. The bed-rock groundwater in the Pajoo area belongs to the Ca-$HCO_3$type that was evolved through water/rock (gneiss) interaction. Based on SEM-EDS and XRD analyses, the precipitates are identified as an amorphous, Fe-bearing oxides or hydroxides. By the use of multi-step filtration with pore sizes of 6, 4, 1, 0.45 and 0.2 $\mu\textrm{m}$, the precipitates mostly fall in the colloidal size (1 to 0.45 $\mu\textrm{m}$) but are concentrated (about 81%) in the range of 1 to 6 $\mu\textrm{m}$in teams of mass (weight) distribution. Large amounts of dissolved iron were possibly originated from dissolution of clinochlore in cataclasite which contains high amounts of Fe (up to 3 wt.%). The calculation of saturation index (using a computer code PHREEQC), as well as the examination of pH-Eh stability relations, also indicate that the final precipitates are Fe-oxy-hydroxide that is formed by the change of water chemistry (mainly, oxidation) due to the exposure to oxygen during the pumping-out of Fe(II)-bearing, reduced groundwater. After pumping-out, the groundwater shows the progressive decreases of pH, DO and alkalinity with elapsed time. However, turbidity increases and then decreases with time. The decrease of dissolved Fe concentration as a function of elapsed time after pumping-out is expressed as a regression equation Fe(II)=10.l exp(-0.0009t). The oxidation reaction due to the influx of free oxygen during the pumping and storage of groundwater results in the formation of brown precipitates, which is dependent on time, $Po_2$and pH. In order to obtain drinkable water quality, therefore, the precipitates should be removed by filtering after the stepwise storage and aeration in tanks with sufficient volume for sufficient time. Particle size distribution data also suggest that step-wise filtration would be cost-effective. To minimize the scaling within wells, the continued (if possible) pumping within the optimum pumping rate is recommended because this technique will be most effective for minimizing the mixing between deep Fe(II)-rich water and shallow $O_2$-rich water. The simultaneous pumping of shallow $O_2$-rich water in different wells is also recommended.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.87-94
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• 2017

Monte Carlo simulations were used to assess dose enhancement effects for 60-, 90-, 120-, and 150-kV X-rays, and for 6- and 15-MV X-rays. The MCNPX code was used for a computer simulation of the ICRU slab phantom, and gold, gadolinium, and iron oxide (Fe2O3) were employed as dose enhancement agents. In consideration of the buildup region of the incident energy, agent concentrations of 5, 10, 15, and 20 mg/g were inserted on the surface of the phantom at a depth of 5 cm. Based on baseline values obtained in the absence of dose enhancement agents, a quantitative analysis was performed by evaluating depth-dependent changes in the absorbed energy and the dose enhancement factor (DEF). A higher concentration of dose enhancement agents led to a greater dose enhancement effect with iron oxide, gadolinium, and gold in descending order. For kilovoltage (kV) X-rays, as the incident energy was decreased and as the energy became closer to the ionization potential of the atoms in the enhancement agent, the dose enhancement effect increased. In the megavoltage (MV) X-ray range, dose enhancement was higher at 6 MV compared with 15 MV. However, the overall dose enhancements were significantly lower compared to the results obtained with kV X-rays.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.101-107
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• 1990

The PIXE (Proton Induced X-ray Emission) method is applied to the quantitative analysis of trace elements in tap water, red wine, urine and old black powder samples. Sample irradiations are performed with a 1.202 MeV proton beam from the SNU 1.5-MV Tandem Van de Graaff accelerator, and measurements of X-ray spectra are made by the Si(Li) spectrometer To increase the sensitivity of analysis tap water is preconcentrated by evaporation method. As an internal standard, Ni powder is mixed with black powder sample and yttrium solution is added to the other samples. The analyses of the PIXE spectra are carried out by using the AXIL (Analytical X-ray Analysis by Iterative Least-squares) computer code, in which the routine for least-squares method is based on the Marquardt algorithm. The elements such as Mg, Al, Si, Ti, Fe and Zn are analyzed at sub-ppm levels in the tap water sample. In the red wine sample prepared without preconcentration. the element Ti is detected in the amount of 3ppm. In conclusion, the PIXE method is proved to be appropriate for the analysis of liquid samples by relative measurements using the internal standard. and is expected to be improved by the use of evaluated X-ray production cross-sections and the development of sample preparation techniques.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.185-193
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• 1999

This paper presents results of dynamic analysis for a bridge in intersection part of two tunnels subjected to moving vehicle load. Since such a bridge system is very unusual due to the fact that it is located in tunnel, the dynamic characteristics of the structure can not be assumed as conventional one. The structure investigated in this study it a reinforced concrete bridge in the intersection part of Namsan Tunnel-1 and Tunnel-2 in Seoul. It is supported by temporary steel structure which shall be constructed during the period of replacing lining in Tunnel-2. Dynamic analysis was carried out for the system using a finite element model constructed by general purpose FE program SAP2000. For this purpose, the structure, lining of tunnels, and surrounding rock were represented by finite elements, while the rock region it truncated and on its outer boundary viscous dampers were placed to simulate radiation of elastic waves generated tunnels. Several types of vehicle with various driving velocities were considered in this analysis. The FE model including vehicle loadings was verified by comparing calculated peak particle velocity with the measured one. From the analysis, the impart factor for the bridge was estimated as 0.21, which indicates that the use of upper bound for the impact factor in design code is reasonable for this kind of bridge system.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.437-447
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• 2016

In a nuclear power plant, the fuel assembly, which is composed of fuel rods, burns, and the high temperature can generate power. The fuel rod consists of pellets and a cladding that covers the pellets. It is important to understand the pellet-cladding mechanical interaction with regard to nuclear safety. This paper proposes simulation of the PCMI. The gap between the pellets and the cladding, and the contact pressure are very important for conducting thermal analysis. Since the gap conductance is not known, it has to be determined by a suitable method. This paper suggests a solution. In this study, finite element (FE) contact analysis is conducted considering thermal expansion of the pellets. As the contact causes plastic deformation, this aspect is considered in the analysis. A 3D FE module is developed to analyze the PCMI using FORTRAN 90. The plastic deformation due to the contact between the pellets and the cladding is the major physical phenomenon. The simple analytical solution of a cylinder is proposed and compared with the fuel rod performance code results.

• Journal of Mushroom
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.127-139
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• 2004

Laccases are multicopper-containing enzymes which catalyze the oxidation of phenolic and nonphenolic compounds with the concomitant reduction of molecular oxygen. They often occur as isoenzymes, either constitutive or inducible, that oligomerize to multilateral complexes, what allow for penetration to the woody cell wall structure. White rot basidiomycete fungi may produce a number of laccase isoenzymes, some constitutively and others after induction. Fungal laccase is commonly induced by many ions, such as $Cu^{2+}$, $Cd^{2+}$ $Ca^{2+}$, $Li^+$, $Mn^{2+}$, $Ag^+$, $Hg^{2+}$, Mn and $Fe^{3+}$, phenolic compounds, some organic compounds, such as ethanol, isopropanol, cAMP, caffeine, p-anisidine, viscosinamide and paraquat, and nitrogens and even heat shock. A combination of Cu and pHB (p-hydroxybenzoic acid) made it possible to extend the inducible laccase activities over 30-fold. But the most effective inducer of laccase in the basidiomycete and other higher fungi is 2,5-xylidine, over 160-fold stimulation of laccase activity. The laccases are frequently encoded by gene families, as e.g. in Pycnoporus cinnabarinus, from which the lcc3-1 or the allelic form lac1 and lac3-2 have been cloned and sequenced. In the case of inducible forms the post-inductional laccase formation depends upon the synthesis of mRNA and the induction is due to the synthesis of a new protein.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.127-137
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• 1997

Equilibrium concentrations of major elements in an underground repository with a capacity of 100,000 drums have been simulated using the geochemical computer code (EQMOD). The simulation has been carried out at the conditions of pH 12 to 13.5, and Eh 520 and -520 mV. Solubilities of magnesium and calcium decrease with the increase of pH. The solubility of iron increases with pH at Eh -520 mV of reducing environment while it almost entirely exists as the precipitate of Fe(OH)$_3$(s) at Eh 520 mV of oxidizing environment. All of cobalt and nickel are predicted to be dissolved in the liquid phase regardless of pH since the solubility limit is greater than the total concentration. In the case of cesium and strontium, all forms of both ions are present in the liquid phase because they have negligible sorption capacity on cement and large solubility under disposal atmosphere. And thus the total concentration determines the equilibrium concentration. Adsorbed amount of iodide and carbonate are dependent on adsorption capacity and adsorption equilibrium constant. Especially, the calcite turns out to be a solubility-limiting phase on the carbonate system. In order to validate the model, the equilibrium concentrations measured for a number of systems which consist of iron, cement, synthetic groundwater and radionuclides are compared with those predicted by the model. The concentrations between the model and the experiment of nonadsorptive elements cesium, strontium, cobalt nickel and iron, are well agreed. It indicates that the assumptions and the thermodynamic data in this work are valid. Using the adsorption equilibrium constant as a free parameter, the experimental data of iodide and carbonate have been fitted to the model. The model is in a good agreement with the experimental data of the iodide system.

• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
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• v.29 no.8
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• pp.938-945
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• 2005

The microstructure evolution in hot forging process is composed of dynamic recrystallization during deformation as well as grain growth during dwell time. Therefore, the control of forging parameters such as strain, strain rate. temperature and holding time is important because the microstructure change in hot working affects the mechanical properties. Modeling equations are developed to represent the flow curve. grain size. recrystallized volume fraction and grain growth phenomena by various tests. The developed modeling equations were combined with thermo-viscoplastic finite element modeling to predict the microstructure change evolution during hot forging process. The large exhaust valve spindle (head diameter of 512mm) was simulated by closed die forging with hydraulic press and cooled in air after forging. The preform was heated to each 1080 and 1150$^{\circ}C$. Numerical calculation was performed by DEFORM-2D. a commercial finite element code. Heat transfer can be coupled with the deformation analysis in a non-isothermal deformation analysis. In order to obtain the fine and homogeneous microstructure and good mechanical properties in forging. the FEM would become a useful tool in the simulation of the microstructure development. In forging, appropriate temperature, strain and strain rate and rapid cooling are required to obtain the fine grain microstructure The optimal forging temperature and effective strain range of Nimonic 80A for large exhaust valve spindle are about 1080$\∼$l120$^{\circ}C$ and 150$\∼$200$\%$.

• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
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• v.29 no.8
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• pp.891-898
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• 2005

Inertia welding is a solid-state welding process in which butt welds in materials are made in bar and in ring form at the joint race, and energy required lot welding is obtained from a rotating flywheel. The stored energy is converted to frictional heat at the interface under axial load. The quality of the welded joint depends on many parameters, including axial force, initial revolution speed and energy amount of upset. working time, and residual stresses in the joint. Inertia welding was conducted to make the large exhaust valve spindle for low speed marine diesel engine. superalloy Nimonic 80A for valve head of 540mm and high alloy SNCrW for valve stem of 115mm. Due to different material characteristics such as, thermal conductivity and flow stress. on the two sides of the weld interface, modeling is crucial in determining the optimal weld geometry and Parameters. FE simulation was performed by the commercial code DEFORM-2D. A good agreement between the Predicted and actual welded shape is observed. It is expected that modeling will significantly reduce the number of experimental trials needed to determine the weld parameters. especially for welds for which are very expensive materials or large shaft. Many kinds of tests, including macro and microstructure observation, chemical composition tensile , hardness and fatigue test , are conducted to evaluate the qualify of welded joints. Based on the results of the tests it can be concluded that the inertia welding joints of the superalloy exhaust valve spindle are better properties than the material specification of SNCrW.