• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제55권11호
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• pp.4295-4306
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• 2023

The vibration of fuel rods in axial flow is a universally recognized issue within both engineering and academic communities due to its significant importance in ensuring structural safety. This paper aims to thoroughly investigate the stability and nonlinear vibration of a fuel rod subjected to axial flow in a newly designed high temperature gas cooled reactor. Considering the possible presence of thermal expansion and large deformation in practical scenarios, the thermal effect and geometric nonlinearity are modeled using the von Karman equation. By applying Hamilton's principle, we derive the comprehensive governing equation for this fluid-structure interaction system, which incorporates the quadratic nonlinear stiffness. To establish a connection between the fluid and structure aspects, we utilize the Galerkin method to solve the perturbation potential function, while employing mode expansion techniques associated with the structural analysis. Following convergence and validation analyses, we examine the stability of the structure under various conditions in detail, and also investigate the bifurcation behavior concerning the buckling amplitude and flow velocity. The findings from this research enhance the understanding of the underlying physics governing fuel rod behavior in axial flow under severe yet practical conditions, while providing valuable guidance for reactor design.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제53권2호
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• pp.677-687
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• 2021

The tendency to renewables is one of the consequences of changing attitudes towards energy issues. As a result, solar energy, which is the leader among renewable energies based on availability and potential, plays a crucial role in full filing global needs. Significant problems with the solar thermal power plants (STPP) are the operation time, which is limited by daylight and is approximately half of the power plants with fossil fuels, and the capital cost. Exergy analysis survey of STPP hybrid with PCM storage carried out using Engineering Equation Solver (EES) program with genetic algorithm (GA) for three different scenarios, based on eight decision variables, which led us to decrease final product cost (electricity) in optimized scenario up to 30% compare to base case scenario from 28.99 $/kWh to 20.27 $/kWh for the case study. Also, in the optimal third scenario of this plant, the inner carbon dioxide gas cycle produces 1200 kW power with a thermal efficiency of 59% and also 1000 m3/h water with an exergy efficiency of 23.4% and 79.70 kg/h with an overall exergy efficiency of 34% is produced in the tetrageneration plant.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제53권8호
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• pp.2708-2715
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• 2021

The Multi-Purpose Overload Robot (CMOR) is a key subsystem of China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR) remote handling system. Due to the long cantilever and large loads of the CMOR, it has a large rigid-flexible coupling deformation that results in a poor position accuracy of the end-effector. In this study, based on the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm, the spatial grid, and the linearized variable load principle, a variable parameter compensation model was designed to identify the parameters of the CMOR's kinematics models under different loads and at different poses so as to improve the trajectory tracking accuracy. Finally, through Adams-MATLAB/Simulink, the trajectory tracking accuracy of the CMOR's rigid-flexible coupling model was analyzed, and the end position error exceeded 0.1 m. After the variable parameter compensation model, the average position error of the end-effector became less than 0.02 m, which provides a reference for CMOR error compensation.

• 한국진공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국진공학회 2013년도 제44회 동계 정기학술대회 초록집
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• pp.670-670
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• 2013

The concept of a fusion-driven transmutation reactor based on LAR (Low Aspect Ratio) tokamak as a neutron source is studied based on ITER physics and technology. The radial build of transmutation reactor components are self-consistently determined by coupling the systems analysis with radiation transport analysis and an optimal configuration of a transmutation reactor for aspect ratio, A in the range of 1.5 to 2.0 is found. The performance of a transmutation reactor is investigated and shows that a transmutation reactor with a neutron source producing fusion power less than 150 MW can destroy the transuranic actinides contained in the spent fuels produced from more than two 1 GWe PWRs with production of the fission power being greater than 2 GW.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제49권6호
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• pp.1250-1258
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• 2017

The multigroup transport theory is the basis for many neutronics modules. A significant point of the cross-section (XS) generation procedure is the choice of the energy groups' boundaries in the XS libraries, which must be carefully selected as an unsuitable energy meshing can easily lead to inaccurate results. This decision can require considerable effort and is particularly difficult for the common user, especially if not well-versed in reactor physics. This work investigates a genetic algorithm-based tool which selects an appropriate XS energy structure (ES) specific for the considered problem, to be used for the condensation of a fine multigroup library. The procedure is accelerated by results storage and fitness calculation speedup and can be easily parallelized. The extension is applied to the coupled code SIMMER and tested on the European Sustainable Nuclear Industrial Initiative (ESNII+) Advanced Sodium Technological Reactor for Industrial Demonstration (ASTRID)-like reactor system with different fitness functions. The results show that, when the libraries are condensed based on the ESs suggested by the algorithm, the code actually returns the correct multiplication factor, in both reference and voided conditions. The computational effort reduction obtained by using the condensed library rather than the fine one is assessed and is much higher than the time required for the ES search.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제49권7호
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• pp.1505-1512
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• 2017

Because accelerator-based boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) systems are planned for use in hospitals, entry into the medical room should be controlled as hospitals are generally assumed to be public and safe places. In this paper, computational investigation of the medical staff effective dose during BNCT has been performed in different situations using Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP4C) code and two voxel based male phantoms. The results show that the medical staff effective dose is highly dependent on the position of the medical staff. The results also show that the maximum medical staff effective dose in an emergency situation in the presence of a patient is ${\sim}25.5{\mu}Sv/s$.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제49권1호
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• pp.189-195
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• 2017

Gel dosimeters have unique advantages in comparison with other dosimeters. Until now, these gels have been used in different radiotherapy techniques as a reliable dosimetric tool. Because dose distribution measurement is an important factor for appropriate treatment planning in different radiotherapy techniques, in this study, we evaluated the ability of the N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) polymer gel to record the dose distribution resulting from the mixed neutron-gamma field of boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). In this regard, a head phantom containing NIPAM gel was irradiated using the Tehran Research Reactor BNCT beam line, and then by a magnetic resonance scanner. Eventually, the $R_2$ maps were obtained in different slices of the phantom by analyzing T2-weighted images. The results show that NIPAM gel has a suitable potential for recording three-dimensional dose distribution in mixed neutron-gamma field dosimetry.

• 한국원자력학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국원자력학회 1997년도 추계학술발표회논문집(1)
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• pp.152-157
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• 1997

To test the viability of CANFLEX-SEU bundles in an existing CANDU 6 reactor, core follow-up simulation has been carried out using the reactor fueling simulation program of the CANDU 6, RFSP computer code, and a lattice physics code, WIMS-AECL. During the core follow-up, bundle and channel powers and zone levels have been checked against their operating limits at each simulation. It is observed from the simulation results that an equilibrium core loaded with 0.9 w/o CANFLEX-SEU bundles could be refueled ,and maintained for 550 FPD without any significant violations in the channel and bundle power limits and the permissible operating range of the liquid zone controllers.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제40권2호
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• pp.133-138
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• 2008

The use of Supercritical Fluids(SCF) has been proposed for numerous power cycle designs as part of the Generation IV advanced reactor designs, and can provide for higher thermal efficiency. One particular area of interest involves the behavior of SCF during a blowdown or depressurization process. Currently, no data are available in the open literature at supercritical conditions to characterize this phenomenon. A preliminary computational analysis, using a homogeneous equilibrium model when a second phase appears in the process, has shown the complexity of behavior that can occur. Depending on the initial thermodynamic state of the SCF, critical flow phenomena can be characterized in three different ways; the flow can remain in single phase(high temperature), a second phase can appear through vaporization(high pressure low temperature) or condensation(high pressure, intermediate temperature). An experimental facility has been built at the University of Wisconsin to study SCF depressurization through several diameter breaks. The preliminary results obtained show that the experimental data can be predicted with good agreement by the model for all the different initial conditions.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제55권10호
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• pp.3725-3731
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• 2023

Thorium dioxide (ThO₂)-silicon carbide (SiC) composite fuel pellets were fabricated via the spark plasma-sintering (SPS) method to investigate the role of the addition of SiC in enhancing the thermal conductivity of ThO₂ fuel. SiC particles with an average size of 1㎛ in 10 and 15 vol% were used to manufacture the composite pellets. The changes in the composites' densification, microstructure and thermal conductivity were explored by comparing them with pure ThO₂ pellets. The structural and microstructural characterization of the composite pellets has revealed that SPS could manufacture high-quality composite pellets without having any reaction products or intermetallic. The density measurement by the Archimedes principles and the grain size from the electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD) analysis has indicated that the composites have higher densities and smaller grain sizes than the pellets without SiC addition. Finally, thermal conductivity as a function of temperature has revealed that sintered ThO₂-SiC composites showed an increase of up to 56% in thermal conductivity compared to pristine ThO₂ pellets.