• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.347-360
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• 2013

This paper presents an experimental investigation of the small-break loss-of-coolant accident (SBLOCA) and the loss-of-feedwater accident (LOFW) in a scaled integral test facility of REX-10. REX-10 is a small integral-type PWR in which the coolant flow is driven by natural circulation, and the RCS is pressurized by the steam-gas pressurizer. The postulated accidents of REX-10 include the system depressurization initiated by the break of a nitrogen injection line connected to the steam-gas pressurizer and the complete loss of normal feedwater flow by the malfunction of control systems. The integral effect tests on SBLOCA and LOFW are conducted at the REX-10 Test Facility (RTF), a full-height full-pressure facility with reduced power by 1/50. The SBLOCA experiment is initiated by opening a flow passage out of the pressurizer vessel, and the LOFW experiment begins with the termination of the feedwater supply into the helical-coil steam generator. The experimental results reveal that the RTF can assure sufficient cooldown capability with the simulated PRHRS flow during these DBAs. In particular, the RTF exhibits faster pressurization during the LOFW test when employing the steam-gas pressurizer than the steam pressurizer. This experimental study can provide unique data to validate the thermal-hydraulic analysis code for REX-10.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 1997.05a
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• pp.310-315
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• 1997

System-Integrated Modular Advanced Reactor (SMART), where major primary components such as modular helical steam generator and self regulating pressurizer are integrated into reactor vessel, is currently under development. The pressurizer is designed to control the primary pressure mainly with partial pressure of nitrogen gas and to maintain the fluid temperature as low as possible for the purpose of minimizing steam contribution. The steam generator (SG) is designed to produce super-heated steam inside tube at power operation. Because the in-vessel pressurizer and in-vessel SG are classified as the characteristic components of SMART, it is important to perform a steady state calculation of these components in order to evaluate the adoption of these components. A steady state analysis of the in-vessel pressurizer and in-vessel SG has been performed under normal power operation and the results show an acceptable performance of the components.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.439-458
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• 2013

REX-10 is a fully-passive small modular reactor in which the coolant flow is driven by natural circulation, the RCS is pressurized by a steam-gas pressurizer, and the decay heat is removed by the PRHRS. To confirm design decisions and analyze the transient responses of an integral PWR such as REX-10, a thermal-hydraulic system code named TAPINS (Thermal-hydraulic Analysis Program for INtegral reactor System) is developed in this study. Based on a one-dimensional four-equation drift-flux model, TAPINS incorporates mathematical models for the core, the helical-coil steam generator, and the steam-gas pressurizer. The system of difference equations derived from the semi-implicit finite-difference scheme is numerically solved by the Newton Block Gauss Seidel (NBGS) method. TAPINS is characterized by applicability to transients with non-equilibrium effects, better prediction of the transient behavior of a pressurizer containing non-condensable gas, and code assessment by using the experimental data from the autonomous integral effect tests in the RTF (REX-10 Test Facility). Details on the hydrodynamic models as well as a part of validation results that reveal the features of TAPINS are presented in this paper.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.3 no.5
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• pp.337-349
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• 1991

Heat and mass transfer rates to spray water droplets for spray transients in a high pressure vessel have been predicted by two different droplet models: the complete mixing model and the non-mixing model. In this process, the ambient fluid surrounding the droplets is a real-gas mixture composed of saturated steam and noncondensable hydrogen gas at high pressure. The physical properties of the mixture are estimated by applying the concept of compressibility factor and using appropriate correlations. A computer program, DROPHMT, to calculate the heat and mass transfer rates for two different droplet models has been developed. As an illustrative application of the computer program to engineering practices, heat and mass transfer rates to spray water droplets for spray transients in a Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) pressurizer have been calculated, and the typical results have been provided.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.457-467
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• 2001

It is well known that the performance of a fuzzy neural network strongly depends on the input features selected for its training. In its applications to sensor signal estimation, there are a large number of input variables related with an output As the number of input variables increases, the training time of fuzzy neural networks required increases exponentially. Thus, it is essential to reduce the number of inputs to a fuzzy neural network and to select the optimum number of mutually independent inputs that are able to clearly define the input-output mapping. In this work, principal component analysis (PCA), genetic algorithms (CA) and probability theory are combined to select new important input features. A proposed feature selection method is applied to the signal estimation of the steam generator water level, the hot-leg flowrate, the pressurizer water level and the pressurizer pressure sensors in pressurized water reactors and compared with other input feature selection methods.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 1995.10a
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• pp.403-410
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• 1995

A loss of the residual heat removal (RHR) accident during mid-loop operation of Yong-gwang Nuclear Units 3/4 was analyzed using the RELAP5/MOD3.1.2 code. In this work the following assumptions are used; (i) initially the reactor coolant system (RCS) above the hot leg center line is filled with nitrogen gas, (ii) two 3/4-inch diameter vent valves on the reactor vessel head and the top of pressurizer in the reactor coolant system are always open, and a level indicator is connected to the RMR suction line, (iii) the two steam generators are in wet layup status and the steam generator atmospheric dump valve assemblies are removed so that the secondary side pressure remains at nearly atmospheric condition throughout the accident, and (iv) the loss of RHR is presumed to occur at 48 hours after reactor shutdown. Findings from the RELAP5 calculations are (i) the core boiling begins at ∼5 min, (ii) the peak RCS pressure is ∼3.0 bar, which implies a possibility of temporary seal break, (iii) ∼94 % of the decay heat is removed by reflux condensation in the steam generator U-tubes in spite of the presence of noncondensable gas, (iv) the core uncovery time is evaluated to be 7.2 hours. Significant mass errors were observed in the calculations.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 1997.05a
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• pp.551-556
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• 1997

A present study addresses a loss-of-RHR event as an initiating event under specific low power or shutdown conditions. Two typical plant configurations, cold leg opening case with water-filled steam generators and pressurizer opening case with emptied steam generators, were evaluated using the RELAP5/ MOD3.2 code. The calculation was compared with the experiment conducted at ROSA-IV/LSTF in Japan. As a result, the code was capable of simulating the system transient behavior following the event. Especially, thermal hydraulic transport processes including non-condensable gas behavior were reasonably predicted with an appropriate time step and CPU time. However, there were some code deficiencies such as too large system mass errors and severe flow oscillations in core region.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.183-199
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• 1991

Transient response of temperature distributions in a Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) pressurizer vessel wall for the Inadvertent Auxiliary Spray transient has been analyzed with conservatism accounted for the resulting thermal stresses in the regions of the vessel wall which are wetted by the spray water droplets. In order to determine the forced convective heat transfer coefficient at the inner boundary surface of vessel wall where the droplets impinge on and flow down, the transient temperatures of spray droplets when they reach the inner surface of the vessel wall after travelling from the spray nozzle through the pressurizer interior space occupied with the saturated steam-noncondensable hydrogen gas mixture have been predicted. The transient temperature distributions in the vessel wall have been obtained by using the finite element method, and the typical results have been provided. It has been shown that the results of thermal analysis are consistent with representation of the input transient and have plausible physical meaning.

• The KSFM Journal of Fluid Machinery
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.104-108
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• 2014

The recent Fukushima nuclear power plant accidents shows that the core make up at high RCS pressure condition is very important to prevent core melting. The core make up flow at high pressure condition should be driven by gravity force or passive forces because the AC-powered safety features are not available during a Station Black Out (SBO) accident. The reactor Coolant System (RCS) mass inventory is continuously decreased by releasing steam through the pressurizer safety valves after reactor trip during a SBO accident. The core will be melted down within 2~3 hours without core make up action by active or passive mode. In the new design concept of a Hybrid Safety Injection Tank (Hybrid SIT) both for low and high RCS pressure conditions, the low pressure nitrogen gas serves as a charging pressure for a LBLOCA injection mode, while the PZR high pressure steam provides an equalizing pressure for a high pressure injection mode such as a SBO accident. After the pressure equalizing process by battery driven initiation valve at a high pressure SBO condition, the Hybrid SIT injection water will be passively injected into the reactor downcomer by gravity head. The SBO simulation by MARS code show that the core makeup injection flow through the Hybrid SIT continued up to the SIT empty condition, and the core heatup is delayed as much.