• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.43 no.7 s.290
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• pp.439-444
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• 2006

Artificial graphite generally manufactured by carbonization sintering of shape-body of kneaded mixture using granular cokes as filler and pitch as binder, going through pitch impregnation process if necessary and finally applying graphitization heat treatment. Graphite materials are used for core internal structural components of the High-Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors (HTGR) because of their excellent heat resistibility and resistance of crack progress. The HTGR has a core consisting of an array of stacked graphite fuel blocks are machined from IG-110, a high-strength, fine-grained isotropic graphite. In this study, crack stabilization and micro-structures were measured by bend strength and fracture toughness of isotropic graphite grade IG-110. It is important to the reactor designer as they may govern the life of the graphite components and hence the life of the reactor. It was resulted crack propagation, bend strength, compressive strength and micro-structures of IG-110 graphite by scanning electron microscope and universal test machine.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.311-318
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• 2008

In modem power reactors, nuclear fuels have recently reached 55,000 MWd/MtU from the initial average burnup of 35,000 MWd/MtU to reduce the fuel cycle cost and waste volume. At such high burnups, a fuel pellet produces fission products proportional to the burnup and creates a typical high burnup structure around the periphery region of the pellet, producing the so called 'rim effect'. This rim region of a highly burnt fuel is known to be ca. $200\;{\mu}m$ in width and is known to affect the fuel integrity. To characterize the local burnup in the rim region, solid sampling in the micro meter region by laser ablation is needed so that the distribution of isotopes can be determined by ICP-MS. For this procedure, special radiation shielding is required for personnel safety. In this study, we installed a radiation shielded laser ablation ICP-MS system, and a performance test of the developed system was conducted to evaluate the safe operation of instruments.

• Korean Membrane Journal
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 1999

Pd-ceramic composite membranes and catalytic membrane reactors(CMR) have been studied for hydrogen and its isotopes (deuterium and tritium) purification and recovery in the fusion reactor fuel cycle. Particularly a closed-loop process has been studied for recovering tritium from tritiated water by means of a CMR in which the water gas shift reaction takes place. The development of the techniques for coating micro-porous ceramic tubes with Pd and Pd/Ag thin layers is described : P composite membranes have been produced by electroless deposition (Pd/Ag film of 10-20 $\mu$m) and rolling of thin metal sheets (Pd and Pd/Ag membranes of 50-70 $\mu$m). Experimental results of the electroless membranes have shown a not complete hydrogen selectivity because of the presence of some defects(micro-holes) in the metallic thin layer. Conversely the rolled thin Pd and Pd/ag membranes have separated hydrogen from the other gases with a complete selectivity giving rise to a slightly larger (about a factor 1.7) mass transfer resistance with respect to the electroless membranes. Experimental tests have confirmed the good performances of the rolled membranes in terms of chemical stability over several weeks of operation. Therefore these rolled membranes and CMR are adequate for applications in the fusion reactor fuel cycle as well as in the industrial processes where high pure hydrogen is required (i.e. hydrocarbon reforming for fuel cell)

• Proceedings of the KWS Conference
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• 2006.05a
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• pp.39-41
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• 2006

The weld quality of spacer grids in Pressurized Water Reactors(PWR) fuel is extremely important for the fuel assembly performance in the nuclear renter. The spacer grid welds are currently evaluated mainly by the metallographic examination although it reveals only cross-points which are welded by the laser beam. This experiment is also to compare the weldability of Zircaloy-4 spacer grids using by the GTA and laser beam. The effect of node geometries of spacer grids for GTAW and LBW has been studied and optimum conditions of spacer grid welding have been found. Microstructures and micro-hardness of GTA and laser beam welded zones have been also compared.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.423-440
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• 2001

For sodium cooling liquid metal reactors during the last 25 years, it was most important to verify the safety of the steam generator, which absolutely requires a water leak detection system with fine sensitivity and response. This study describes the structure and leak classification of the HAMMER (Korea Advanced Liquid Metal Reactor) steam generator, compared with other classifications, and explains the effects of leak development. The requirements and experimental situations for the development of the KALIMER acoustic leak detection system (KADS) which detects micro leaks, not intermediate leaks, are introduced. We proposed four frequency bands, 1∼8kHz, 8∼20kHz, 20∼40kHz and 40∼200kHz, split effectively for analyzing the detected acoustic leak signals obtained from the sodium-water reaction model or water model in the mock-up system.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.295-300
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• 2005

The performances of electroflotation (EF) on the thickening of activated sludge were investigated using laboratory scale batch flotation reactors. Four activated sludges including bulking sludges were tested. After 30minutes of EF operation, 57-84 % of sludge volume reduction could be achieved by EF, while only about 1.5-14% could be obtained by gravity thickening for the same period. After thickening the effluent water quality in terms of TCOD, SS, and turbidity was improved by EF operation for all sludge samples. It is induced that the air bubbles entrapped in the thickened sludge play a key role in the observed improvement of sludge thickening and effluent quality.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.546-553
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• 2022

Narrow rectangular channels are employed in nuclear research reactors that use plate-type nuclear fuels, high heat-flux compact heat exchangers, and high-performance micro-electronics cooling systems. Two-phase flow in narrow rectangular channels is important, and it needs to be better understood because it is considerably different than that in round tubes. In this study, mechanistic models were developed for the flow regime transition criteria for various flow regimes in co-current air-water two-phase flow for vertical downward flow inside a narrow rectangular channel. The newly developed criteria were compared to a flow regime map of downward air-water two-phase flow inside a narrow rectangular channel with a 2.35-mm gap width under ambient temperature and pressure conditions. Overall, the proposed model showed good agreement with the experimental data.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.83-91
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• 2006

Reduction kinetics and the behaviour of intermediate of three high explosives (HMX, RDX, and TNT) were studies in batch reactors using nano- or micro- size zero valent iron(nZVI or mZVI) as reducing agent. The kinetic constants normalized by the mass of iron ($k_M$) or by the surface area ($k_{SA}$) were measured and compared along with the changes in the concentrations of intermediates. Results showed that $k_M$ and $k_{SA}$ values were not suitable to fully explain the behaviour of mother compounds and reduced intermediates in the batch reactor. The concentrations of initial explosives degradation products, such as nitroso-RDXs, nitroso-HMXs, and hydroxylamino-TNTs, were higher in mZVI treated reactor than in nZVI treated reactor, whereas more reduced polar intermediates such as TAT were accumulated in the nZVI reactor. Therefore, a new parameter, which accounted for the intermediates reduction, needs to be developed.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.9
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• pp.3051-3057
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• 2021

The concrete is considered as an important radiation shielding material employed widely in nuclear reactors, particle accelerators, laboratory hot cells and other different radiation sources. The present research is dedicated to the shielding properties study of the ordinary concrete reinforced with different weight fractions of lead oxide micro/nano particles. Lead oxide particles were fabricated by chemical synthesis method and their properties including the average size, morphological structure, functional groups and thermal properties were characterized by XRD, FESEM-EDS, FTIR and TGA analysis. The gamma ray mass attenuation coefficient of concrete composites has been calculated and measured by means of the Monte Carlo simulation and experimental methods. The simulation process was based on the use of MCNP Monte Carlo code where the mass attenuation coefficient (μ/ρ) has been calculated as a function of different particle sizes and filler weight fractions. The simulation results showed that the employment of the lead oxide filler particles enhances the mass attenuation coefficient of the ordinary concrete, drastically. On the other hand, there are approximately no differences between micro and nano sized particles. The mass attenuation coefficient was increased by increasing the weight fraction of nanoparticles. However, a semi-saturation effect was observed at concentrations more than 10 wt%. The experimental process was based on the fabrication of concrete slabs filled by different weight fractions of nano lead oxide particles. The mass attenuation coefficients of these slabs were determined at different gamma ray energies using ²²Na, ¹³⁷Cs and ⁶⁰Co sources and NaI (Tl) scintillation detector. The experimental results showed that the HVL parameter of the ordinary concrete reinforced with 5 wt% of nano PbO particles was reduced by 64% at 511 keV and 48% at 1332 keV. Reasonable agreement was obtained between simulation and experimental results and showed that the employment of nano PbO particles is more efficient at low gamma energies up to 1Mev. The proposed concrete is less toxic and could be prepared in block form instead of toxic lead blocks.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.501-507
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• 2017

The heavy metal such as Nikel (Ni) in industrial wastewater is one of the major reasons of decreasing nitrification efficiency in municipal wastewater treatment plants (MWTPs). In this study, laboratory scale reactors were operated in order to analyse of nitrification efficiency and improvement measures. As a result, nitrification efficiency during high Ni concentration (0.295 mg/L) was about 20%. However nitrification efficiency during low Ni concentration (0.114 mg/L) was over 70%. The changes of the micro-organism activity according to Ni concentration was investigated as being the major reason behind the gap of nitrification efficiency through analysing AUR and SNR. Increasing the HRT in high Ni concentration also increased the nitrification efficiency. Thus, maintenance of microorganisms and increasing the HRT in nitrification reactors suggests that measures taken to treat wastewater is positively correlated with high concentration of heavy metal.