• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.1-15
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• 2016

For a long time, a top priority in the nuclear industry was the safe, reliable, and economic operation of light water reactors. However, the development of accident-tolerant fuel (ATF) became a hot topic in the nuclear research field after the March 2011 events at Fukushima, Japan. In Korea, innovative concepts of ATF have been developing to increase fuel safety and reliability during normal operations, operational transients, and also accident events. The microcell $UO_2$ and high-density composite pellet concepts are being developed as ATF pellets. A microcell $UO_2$ pellet is envisaged to have the enhanced retention capabilities of highly radioactive and corrosive fission products. High-density pellets are expected to be used in combination with the particular ATF cladding concepts. Two concepts-surface-modified Zr-based alloy and SiC composite material-are being developed as ATF cladding, as these innovative concepts can effectively suppress hydrogen explosions and the release of radionuclides into the environment.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.191-198
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• 2008

The influence of fission products' contents on the DUPIC fuel powder and pellet properties was experimentally evaluated using SIMFUEL as a surrogate for actual spent PWR fuel due to the high radioactivity of spent fuel. Pure $UO_2$ and SIMFUEL pellets with fission products equivalent to a burn-up of 35,000 MWd/tU and 60,000 MWd/tU were used as impurities in this study. The specific surface area of the powder milled after the OREOX treatment increased and resulted in sintered pellets with a theoretical density (TD) higher than 95%, regardless of the impurity contents. However, the grain size of the sintered pellets decreased with the increasing impurity contents. As a result of the dissolved oxides in $UO_2$ from the impurity groups, the specific surface area of the OREOX powder increased with an increase of the impurities. The grain size of the sintered pellets was significantly decreased by the metallic and oxide precipitates.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.541-554
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• 1998

A computer code COSMOS has been developed based on the CARO-D5 for the thermal analysis of LWR UO$_2$ and MOX fuel rod under steady-state and transient operating conditions. The main purpose of the COSMOS, which considers high turnup characteristics such as thermal conductivity degradation with turnup and rim formation at the outer part of fuel pellet, is to calculate temperature profile across fuel pellet and fission gas release up to high burnup. A new mechanistic fission gas release model developed based on physical processes has been incorporated into the code. In addition, the features of MOX fuel such as change in themo-mechanical properties and the effect of microscopic heterogeneity on fission gas release have been also taken into account so that it can be applied to MOX fuel. Another important feature of the COSMOS is that it can analyze fuel segment refabricated from base irradiated fuel rods in commercial reactors. This feature makes it possible to analyze database obtained from international projects such as the MALDEN and RISO, many of which were collected from refabricated fuel segments. The capacity of the COSMOS has been tested with some number of experimental results obtained from the HALDEN, RISO and FIGARO programs. Comparison with the measured data indicates that, although the COSMOS gives reasonable agreement, the current models need to be improved. This work is being performed using database available from the OECD/NEA.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.259-266
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• 2004

Specific heat mechanism of oxide fuel is contributed by lattice vibration, dilatation, conduction electron and defect and excess specific heat. Model of oxide fuel for specific heat consists of specific heat at constant pressure term, dilatation specific heat term and defect specific heat term. In this study experimental and published data on the specific heats of oxide nuclear fuels have been reviewed and analyzed to recommend the best fitting model. The oxide fuels considered in this paper were UO$_2$, mixed (U, Pu) oxides and spent fuel. The specific heat data of spent fuel has been replaced by that of simulated fuel.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2019

One of proposed Accident Tolerant Fuel (ATF) concept is fully ceramic micro-encapsulated fuel (FCMF). FCMF using uranium mononitride (UN) has better safety aspects than $UO_2$ pellet fuel although it might not have a better neutronic performance due to the presence of matrix and high neutron-induced interaction of $^{14}N$. Before implementing UN-FCMF technology in Small-PWR, further research must be taken place to make sure the proposed design of fuel assembly has inherent safety features and maintain the fuel performance. This study focusses on the neutronic analysis of UN-FCMF based fuel assembly using Serpent and SCALE codes. It is shown in the proposed fuel assembly design has inherent safety features with respect to the fuel temperature reactivity coefficient, void reactivity coefficient, and moderator temperature reactivity coefficient. It is noted that the use of FCMF leads to a lower ratio of burnup to $^{235}U$ enrichment ratio compared to the $UO_2/Zr$ fuel.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.40 no.9
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• pp.916-920
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• 2003

The change of structure and morphology in ( $U_{0.913}$G $d_{0.087}$) $O_2$ during oxidation at 475$^{\circ}C$ and heat treatment at 130$0^{\circ}C$ in air were investigated using XRD, SEM, and EPMA. The ( $U_{0.913}$G $d_{0.087}$) $O_2$ cubic phase converted to ( $U_{0.913}$G $d_{0.087}$)$_3$ $O_{8}$ orthorhombic phase by oxidation at 475$^{\circ}C$ in air. The XRD and EPMA result of the 130$0^{\circ}C$ heat treated powder revealed that ( $U_{0.913}$G $d_{0.087}$)$_3$ $O_{8}$ orthorhombic phase was separated into $U_3$ $O_{8}$ and ( $U_{0.67}$G $d_{0.33}$) $O_{2+}$x/ cubic phase. The weight variations of (U,Gd) $O_2$ with various Gd contents were measured using TGA at the same heat treated condition. The weight variation during the heat treatment of Gd dissolve (U,Gd) $O_2$ in air can be expressed in terms of phase reaction equations related with oxidation and phase separation. Based on these phase reaction, a initial content of Gd dissolved in (U,Gd) $O_2$ can be exactly calculated by measuring the weight change during the heat treatment.

• Proceedings of the Korean Powder Metallurgy Institute Conference
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• 2005.04a
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• pp.50-51
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• 2005

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.402-410
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• 2010

New complexes cis-[$Mo_2O_5(Hapdhba)_2$], trans-[$UO_2(Hapdhba)_2$], [Pd(Hapdhba)Cl($H_2O$)], [Pd(bpy)(Hapdhba)]Cl, [Ag(bpy)(Hapdhba)], [$Ru(Hapdhba)_2(H_2O)_2$], [$Rh(Hapdhba)_2Cl(H_2O)$] and [Au(Hapdhba)$Cl_2$] are reported, where $H_2$apdhba is the Schiff-base derived from 2-aminopyrimidine and 2,4-dihydroxy benzaldehyde. The complexes were characterized by IR, electronic, $^1H$ NMR and mass spectra, conductivity, magnetic and thermal measurements. The inhibitive effect of $H_2$apdhba for the corrosion of copper in 0.5 M HCl was also determined by potentiodynamic polarization measurements.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 2004.10a
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• pp.1039-1040
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• 2004

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.78-84
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• 2002

New pyrochlore-type phases($A_2$$B_2$$O_{7}$) were synthesized in the systems: CaO-C$eO_2$-T$iO_2$, CaO-$UO_2$(T$hO_2$)-Z$rO_2$, CaO-$UO_2$(T$hO_2$)-$Gd_2$$O_3$-T$iO_2$-Z$rO_2$, 및 CaO-T$hO_2$-S$nO_2$. The starting materials were pressed with the pressure of 200~400 MPa and sintered at 1500~ 155$0^{\circ}C$ for 4~8 hours in air and at 1300~ 135$0^{\circ}C$ for 5 ~50 hours under oxygen atmosphere. The products were characterized using XRD, SEM/EDS and TEM. In the bulk compositions of CaCe$Ti_2$$O_{7}$, CaTh$Zr_2$$O_{7}$,($Ca_{0.5}$ Gd$Th_{0.5}$)(ZrTi)$O_{7}$) ($Ca_{0.5}$Gd$Th_{0.5}$)(ZrTi)$O_{7}$, ($Ca_{0.5}$G$dU_{0.5}$)(ZrTi)$O_{7}$ and CaTh$Sn_2$$O_{7}$ , pyrochlore was the major phase, together with other oxide phase $of_2$$O_{7}$ fluorite structure. In the samples with target compositions CaU$Zr_2$$O_2$및 $Ca_{0.5}$ G$dU_{0.5}$)$Zr_2$T$iO_{7}$ pyrochlore was not identified, but a fluorite-structured phase was detected. The formation factor as the stable phase depended on crystal chemical characteristics of the actinide and lanthanide elements of the system concerned.