• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2007.05b
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• pp.3491-3496
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• 2007

If a molten core is released from a reactor vessel into a reactor cavity during a severe accident, an important safety issue of coolability of the molten core from top-flooding and concrete ablation due to a molten core concrete interaction (MCCI) is still unresolved. The released molten core debris would attack the concrete wall and basemat of the reactor cavity, which will lead to inevitable concrete decompositions and possible radiological releases. In a OECD/MCCI project scheduled for 4 years from 2002. 1 to 2005. 12, a series of tests were performed to secure the data for cooling the molten core spread out at the reactor cavity and for the 2-D long-term core concrete interaction (CCI). The tests included not only separate effect tests such as a melt eruption, water ingression, and crust failure tests with a prototypic material but also 2-D CCI tests with a prototypic material under dry and flooded cavity conditions. The paper deals with the transient simulations on the CCI-2 test by using a severe accident analysis code, CORQUENCH, which was developed at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). Similar simulations had been already per for me d by using MELCOR 1.8.5 code. Unlike the MELCOR 1.8.5, the CORQUENCH includes a melt eruption mode I and a newly developed water ingression model based on the water ingression tests under the OECD/MCCI project. In order to adjust the geometrical differences between the CCI-2 test (rectangular geometry) and the simulations (cylindrical geometry), the same scaling methodology as used in the MELCOR simulation was applied. For the direct comparison of the simulation results, the same inputs for the MELCOR simulation were used. The simulation results were compared with the previous results by using MELCOR 1.8.5.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.207-211
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• 2002

This study was conducted to increase the shelf life of grape by edible coating material such as methyl cellulose (MC) with antimicrobial substances, n-capric acid isopropyl ester (ci) and sodium nitrate (sn), added by spraying method. The quality changes of packaged grapes with wrapping PE film on EPS tray were investigated for 16 days at $30{\circ}C$. The shelf-lives of C and MCci based on the weight reduction ratio of 7% were 6 days and 9 days, respectively. The reduction rate of acidity of C was higher value than those of treatments during 18 days of storage at $30{\circ}C$. The vitamin C reduction ratios of C, MCsn and MCci were 64.8, 51.5 and 49.8%, respectively, after 16 days at $30{\circ}C$. The reduction rates of firmness of C, MCsn and MCci after 16 days at $30{\circ}C$ were 44.2, 26.5, and 23,2%, respectively compared to that of initial storage grapes. The additions of ci and sn had much affected the reductions of bacteria and yeast counts especially early stage of storage. The hedonic sensory evaluation scores of MCci and MCsn had higher values than those of MC.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.261-272
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• 2012

Molten Core Concrete Interaction (MCCI) is a complex process characterized by concrete ablation and volatile generation; Thermal and solutal convection in a bubble-agitated melt; Physico-chemical evolution of the corium pool with a wide solidification range (of the order of 1000 K). Twelve experiments have been carried out in the VULCANO facility with prototypic corium and sustained heating. The dry oxidic corium tests have contributed to show that silica-rich concrete experience an anisotropic ablation. This unexpected ablation pattern is quite reproducible and can be recalculated, provided an empirical anisotropy factor is assumed. Dry tests with oxide and metal liquid phases have also yielded unexpected results: a larger than expected steel oxidation and unexpected topology of the metallic phase (at the bottom of the cavity and also on the vertical concrete walls). Finally, VULCANO has proved its interest for the study of mitigation solutions such as the COMET bottom flooding core catcher.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.575-602
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• 2009

In the wake of the Three Mile Island accident, vigorous research efforts were initiated to acquire a basic knowledge of the progression and consequences of accidents that involve a substantial degree of core degradation and melting. The primary emphasis of this research was placed on containment integrity, with: i) hydrogen combustion-detonation, ii) steam explosion, iii) direct containment heating (DCH), and iv) melt attack on the BWR Mark-I containment shell identified as energetic processes that could lead to early containment failure (i.e., within the first 24 hours of the accident). Should the core melt fail the reactor vessel, then non-condensable gas production from Molten Core-Concrete Interaction (MCCI) was identified as a mechanism that could fail the containment by pressurization over the long term. One signification question that arose as part of this investigation was the effectiveness of water in terminating an MCCI by flooding the interacting masses from above, thereby quenching the molten core debris and rendering it permanently coolable. Successful quenching of the core melt would prevent basemat melt through, as well as continued containment pressurization by non-condensable gas production, and so the accident progression would be successfully terminated without release of radioactivity to the environment. Based on these potential merits, ex-vessel corium coolability has been the focus of extensive research over the last 20 years as a potential accident management strategy for current plants. In addition, outcomes from this research have impacted the accident management strategies for the Gen III+LWR plant designs that are currently being deployed around the world. This paper provides: i) an historical overview of corium coolability research, ii) summarizes the current status of research in this area, and iii) highlights trends in severe accident management strategies that have evolved based on the findings from this work.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 1996.05b
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• pp.669-674
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• 1996

The analysis for the coolability of the reactor cavity in typical Korean 1000 MWe Nuclear Unit under severe accidents is performed using MELCOR 1.8.3 code. The key parameters molten core-concrete interaction(MCCI) such as melt temperature, concrete ablation history and gas generation are investigated. Total twenty cases are selected according to ejected debris fraction and coolant mass, The ablation rate of concrete decreases as mass of the melt decreases and coolant mass increases. Heat loss from molten pool to coolant is comparable to total decay heat, so concrete ablation is delayed until water is absent and crust begins to remove. Also, overpressurization due to non-condensible gases generated during corium and concrete interacts can cause to additional risk of containment failure. It is concluded that flooded reactor cavity condition is very important to minimize the cavity ablation and pressure load by non-condensible gases on containment.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.1172-1179
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• 2020

As a Lagrangian particle method, Moving Particle Semi-implicit (MPS) method has great capability to capture interface/surface. In recent years, the multiphase flow simulation using MPS method has become one of the important directions of its developments. In this study, some key methods for multiphase flow have been introduced. The interface tension model in multiphase flow is modified to maintain the smooth of the interface and suitable for the three-phase flow. The mass transfer at immiscible liquid interface entrained by single bubble which could occur in Molten Core-Concrete Interaction (MCCI) has been investigated using this particle method. With the increase of bubble size, the height of entrainment column also increases, but the time of film rupture is slightly different. With the increase of density ratio between the two liquids, the height of entrained column decreases significantly due to the decreasing buoyancy of the denser liquid in the lighter liquid. In addition, the larger the interface tension coefficient is, the more rapidly the entrained denser liquid falls. This study validates that the MPS method has shown great performance for multiphase flow simulation. Besides, the influence of physical parameters on the mass transfer at immiscible interface has also been investigated in this study.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.596-606
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• 1998

Thermophysical properties and the compressive strength of concrete used in nuclear power plants in Korea were measured. The chemical composition of the concrete was also analyzed. The measured thermophysical properties include the density, the thermal conductivity, the thermal diffusivity and the specific heat for a wide temperature range of 20.deg. C to 1100.deg. C. The chemical composition of Korean concrete is similar to that of US basaltic concrete and the thermophysical properties are strongly temperature dependent. The density, the conductivity and the diffusivity decrease with an increase in temperature, and particularly the conductivity and the diffusivity are a 50-perdent decrease at 900.deg. C as compared with these values at room temperature. The specific heat increases until 500.deg. C, decreases from 700.deg. C to 900 .deg. C, and then increases again when temperature is above 900.deg. C. The measurement beyond 1100.deg. C is not acceptably accurate because the concrete decomposes to a liquid phase from a solid phase at that temperature. The results of this study can be applied, for example, to an analysis of the molten core-concrete interaction (MCCI) phenomenon of concrete structures at high temperature will also require those property data, especially for high temperature ranges.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.336-347
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• 1997

During postulated severe accidents in Light water Reactors, molten corium which was ejected from the reactor vessel bottom, may erode the concrete basemat of the containment and there by threaten the containment integrity. This study experimentally examines the molten core-concrete interaction (MCC) using 20kg of thermite melt (Fe + $Al_2$O$_3$) and the concrete, used in Yonggwang Nuclear Power Plant Units 3 and 4 (YGN 3 & 4) in Korea. The measured data are the downward heat fluxes, concrete erosion rate, gases and particle generation rates during MCCI. Transient results ore compared with those of TURCIT experiment conducted by SNL in USA. The peak downward heat flux to the concrete was measured to be about 2.1㎿/$m^2$. The initial concrete erosion rate was 175cm per hour, decreasing to 30cm per hour. It was shown from the post-test that the erosion was progressed downward up to 18mm in the concrete slug.

• Design & Manufacturing
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.51-56
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• 2019

Due to industrial development, the importance of GD&T tolerance is growing day by day. Roundness measurement means the size deviated from the ideal circle. Roundness evaluation methods include LSCI, MZCI, MCCI, and MICI. Generally, A is used a lot at industrial evaluation. In this experiment, we studied the variations in table velocity, filter values, and detector angles, which can cause errors in roundness measurements. The measurement conditions were table speeds of 10, 30 and 60 mm/s, probe angles of 10, 20 and 30 degrees and frequency filter settings of 15, 150 and 500 upr and The number of experiments was measured 30 and the average value was chosen as a representative value. The hypothesis test showed that the p-value for the frequency filter was greater than 0.05, and the experiment rejected the null hypothesis and adopted the alternative hypothesis.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.10
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• pp.3264-3274
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• 2021

In a severe accident of light water reactor (LWR), molten core material (corium) can be released into the wet cavity, and a fuel-coolant interaction (FCI) can occur. The molten jet with high speed is broken and fragmented into small debris, which may cause a steam explosion or a molten core concrete interaction (MCCI). Since the premixing stage where the jet breakup occurs has a large impact on the severe accident progression, the understanding and evaluation of the jet breakup phenomenon are highly important. Therefore, in this study, the jet breakup simulations were performed using the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) method which is a particle-based Lagrangian numerical method. For the multi-fluid system, the normalized density approach and improved surface tension model (CSF) were applied to the in-house SPH code (single GPU-based SOPHIA code) to improve the calculation accuracy at the interface of fluids. The jet breakup simulations were conducted in two cases: (1) jet breakup without structures, and (2) jet breakup with structures (control rod guide tubes). The penetration depth of the jet and jet breakup length were compared with those of the reference experiments, and these SPH simulation results are qualitatively and quantitatively consistent with the experiments.