• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.1219-1225
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• 2017

In this work, a scalable algorithm for model calibration in nuclear engineering applications is presented and tested. The algorithm relies on the construction of surrogate models to replace the original model within the region of interest. These surrogate models can be constructed efficiently via reduced order modeling and subspace analysis. Once constructed, these surrogate models can be used to perform computationally expensive mathematical analyses. This work proposes a surrogate based model calibration algorithm. The proposed algorithm is used to calibrate various neutronics and thermal-hydraulics parameters. The virtual environment for reactor applications-core simulator (VERA-CS) is used to simulate a three-dimensional core depletion problem. The proposed algorithm is then used to construct a reduced order model (a surrogate) which is then used in a Bayesian approach to calibrate the neutronics and thermal-hydraulics parameters. The algorithm is tested and the benefits of data assimilation and calibration are highlighted in an uncertainty quantification study and requantification after the calibration process. Results showed that the proposed algorithm could help to reduce the uncertainty in key reactor attributes based on experimental and operational data.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.893-905
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• 2016

Numerous advanced reactor concepts have been proposed to replace light water reactors ever since their establishment as the dominant technology for nuclear energy production. While most designs seek to improve cost competitiveness and safety, the implausibility of doing so with affordable materials or existing nuclear fuel infrastructure reduces the possibility of near-term deployment, especially in developing countries. The organic nuclear concept, first explored in the 1950s, offers an attractive alternative to advanced reactor designs being considered. The advent of high temperature fluids, along with advances in hydrocracking and reforming technologies driven by the oil and gas industries, make the organic concept even more viable today. We present a simple, cost-effective, and safe small modular nuclear reactor for offshore underwater deployment. The core is moderated by graphite, zirconium hydride, and organic fluid while cooled by the organic fluid. The organic coolant enables operation near atmospheric pressure and use of plain carbon steel for the reactor tank and primary coolant piping system. The core is designed to mitigate the coolant degradation seen in early organic reactors. Overall, the design provides a power density of 40 kW/L, while reducing the reactor hull size by 40% compared with a pressurized water reactor while significantly reducing capital plant costs.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.41 no.7
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• pp.929-944
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• 2009

The present study is concerned with the extension of the Effective Convectivity Model (ECM) to the phase-change problem to simulate the dynamics of the melt pool formation in a Light Water Reactor (LWR) lower plenum during hypothetical severe accident progression. The ECM uses heat transfer characteristic velocities to describe turbulent natural convection of a melt pool. The simple approach of the ECM method allows implementing different models of the characteristic velocity in a mushy zone for non-eutectic mixtures. The Phase-change ECM (PECM) was examined using three models of the characteristic velocities in a mushy zone and its performance was compared. The PECM was validated using a dual-tier approach, namely validations against existing experimental data (the SIMECO experiment) and validations against results obtained from Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations. The results predicted by the PECM implementing the linear dependency of mushy-zone characteristic velocity on fluid fraction are well agreed with the experimental correlation and CFD simulation results. The PECM was applied to simulation of melt pool formation heat transfer in a Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) and Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) lower plenum. The study suggests that the PECM is an adequate and effective tool to compute the dynamics of core melt pool formation.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.445-449
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• 2000

Nickel ferrite $(Ni_{0.75}Fe_{2.25}O_4$ was synthesized by co-precipitation method in order to investigate its behavior under conditions of the reactor coolant system in pressurized light water nuclear power plants. Ammonia or potassium carbonate was used as a solution pH control agent, and aqueous ammonia or potassium carbonate solution or secondary distilled water was used as a co-precipitate washing agent. The effects of the pH control agent and the co-precipitate washing agent on the production yield on the basis of the Ni/Fe molar ratio and the particle characteristics of final products were investigated by XRD, SEM, EDX and XPS. The production yield was almost congruent with that of the initial aqueous mixture in case of using potassium carbonate as a pH control agent, while in case of using ammonia, it was quite changed. The difference seemed to be due to the effects of $Ni^{2+}{\leftarrow}NH_3$complexation in the aqueous solution and of the pH of co-precipitate washing agent.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2005.11a
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• pp.173.1-173.1
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• 2005

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.621-631
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• 2017

Many developing countries considering the introduction of nuclear power find that large-scale reactor plants in the range of 1,000 MWe to 1,600 MWe are not grid appropriate for their current circumstance. By contrast, small modular reactors are generally too small to make significant contributions toward rapidly growing electricity demand and to date have not been demonstrated. This paper proposes a radically simplified re-design for the nuclear steam cycle for a medium-sized reactor plant in the range of 600 MWe. Historically, balance of plant designs for units of this size have emphasized reliability and efficiency. It will be demonstrated here that advances over the past 50 years in component design, materials, and fabrication techniques allow both of these goals to be met with a less complex design. A disciplined approach to reduce component count will result in substantial benefits in the life cycle cost of the units. Specifically, fabrication, transportation, construction, operations, and maintenance costs and expenses can all see significant reductions. In addition, the design described here can also be expected to significantly reduce both construction duration and operational requirements for maintenance and inspections.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2001.06d
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• pp.343-347
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• 2001

Advanced Pressurized Reactor 1400(APR-1400), which is a standard evolutionary advanced light water reactor(ALWR), has been developed from 1992 as one of long-term Government Project(G-7). The APR-1400 is designed to operate at the rated output of 4000MWt to produce an electric power output of around 1450MWe. The balance of plant (BOP) for the secondary system consists of main steam, feedwater, condensate, turbine generator and auxiliary system. In this paper, we describe the major design features of secondary component, balance of plant configuration, and then the turbine cycle thermal performance evaluation using PEPSE code.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.878-888
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• 2020

This paper presents the validation of UNIST in-house Monte Carlo code MCS used for the high-fidelity simulation of commercial pressurized water reactors (PWRs). Its focus is on the accurate, spatially detailed neutronic analyses of startup physics tests for the initial core of the Watts Bar Nuclear 1 reactor, which is a vital step in evaluating core phenomena in an operating nuclear power reactor. The MCS solutions for the Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors (CASL) Virtual Environment for Reactor Applications (VERA) core physics benchmark progression problems 1 to 5 were verified with KENO-VI and Serpent 2 solutions for geometries ranging from a single-pin cell to a full core. MCS was also validated by comparing with results of reactor zero-power physics tests in a full-core simulation. MCS exhibits an excellent consistency against the measured data with a bias of ±3 pcm at the initial criticality whole-core problem. Furthermore, MCS solutions for rod worth are consistent with measured data, and reasonable agreement is obtained for the isothermal temperature coefficient and soluble boron worth. This favorable comparison with measured parameters exhibited by MCS continues to broaden its validation basis. These results provide confidence in MCS's capability in high-fidelity calculations for practical PWR cores.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.44-50
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• 2014

There were many flaw issues of reactor vessel head penetration in USA fleets. USNRC issued 10CFR50.55a to implement reactor vessel head penetration ultrasonic examination performance demonstration(PD) in US for enhancement of inspection reliability. After September 2009, all US utilities inspected their RVHP with PD qualified system. Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Company(KHNP) have developed reactor vessel head penetration performance demonstration system for ultrasonic test to apply for pressurized light-water reactor power plants in accordance with 10CFR50.55a since September 2011. RVHP configuration surveying and analysis, code requirement analysis, and performance demonstration specimen design were performed up to this day. Fingerprinting of manufactured specimen, development of test data management program, development of operation procedure, input of flawed data, and development of final report will be performed for the next step. This paper describes the development status of the performance demonstration system for reactor vessel head penetration ultrasonic examination in Korea.

• 한국전산유체공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2008.03b
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• pp.444-447
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• 2008

A nuclear fuel test loop (after below, FTL) is installed in IR1 of an irradiation hole in HANARO for testing neutron irradiation characteristics and thermo hydraulic characteristics of a fuel loaded in a light water power reactor (PWR) or a heavy water power reactor (CANDU). There is an in-pile section (IPS) and an out-pile section (OPS) in this test loop. When HANARO is normally operated, the fuel loaded in the IPS has a nuclear reaction heat generated by a neutron irradiation. To remove the generated heat and to maintain an operation condition of the test fuel, a main cooling water system (MCWS) is installed in the OPS of the FTL. The pump can not continuously suck a fluid and not pressurize the fluid during a cold function test. To verify the flow characteristics of the MCWS, a flow net work analysis has been conducted. When the higher elevation pipelines wholly filled with coolant, it was confirmed through the analysis results that the pump pressurized the coolant normally. And the analysis results described the system characteristics with operation temperature and pressure variation satisfactorily.