• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.41 no.1
• /
• pp.11-20
• /
• 2009

Radiation effects on materials are inherently multiscale phenomena in view of the fact that various processes spanning a broad range of time and length scales are involved. A multiscale modeling approach to embrittlement of pressure vessel steels is presented here. The approach includes an investigation of the mechanisms of defect accumulation, microstructure evolution and the corresponding effects on mechanical properties. An understanding of these phenomena is required to predict the behavior of structural materials under irradiation. We used molecular dynamics (MD) simulations at an atomic scale to study the evolution of high-energy displacement cascade reactions. The MD simulations yield quantitative information on primary damage. Using a database of displacement cascades generated by the MD simulations, we can estimate the accumulation of defects over diffusional length and time scales by applying kinetic Monte Carlo simulations. The evolution of the local microstructure under irradiation is responsible for changes in the physical and mechanical properties of materials. Mechanical property changes in irradiated materials are modeled by dislocation dynamics simulations, which simulate a collective motion of dislocations that interact with the defects. In this paper, we present a multi scale modeling methodology that describes reactor pressure vessel embrittlement in a light water reactor environment.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 2014.02a
• /
• pp.478.2-478.2
• /
• 2014

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) provides self-limiting processes based on chemisorption-based reactions. Such unique features allow for superior step coverage, atomic-scale control in thickness, and surface-dependent reaction controls. Furthermore, the surface-limited deposition enables the artificial deposition of oxide and/or metallic materials onto the porous systems as long as the supply is guaranteed in terms of time in providing reactant species and removing the byproducts and redundant reactants. The unique feature of atomic layer deposition is applied to solid oxide fuel cells whose incorporates two porous cathode and anode compartments in addition to the ionic electrolyte. Specific materials are deposited to the surface sites of porous electrodes, with the aim to controlling the triple phase boundaries crucial for the optimized SOFC performances. The effect of ALD on the SOFC performance is characterized using current-voltage characteristics in addition to frequency-dependent impedance spectroscopy. The pros and cons of ALD-controlled SOFCs are discussed toward high-performance SOFC systems.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 2014.02a
• /
• pp.205.2-205.2
• /
• 2014

The effects of ion beam mixing of a SiC film coated on super alloys (hastelloy X substrates) were studied, aiming at developing highly sustainable materials at above $900^{\circ}C$ in decomposed sulfuric acid gas (SO2/SO3/H2O) channels of a process heat exchanger. The bonding between two dissimilar materials is often problematic, particularly in coating metals with a ceramics protective layer. A strong bonding between SiC and hastelloy X was achieved by mixing the atoms at the interface by an ion-beam: The film was not peeled-off at ${\geq}900^{\circ}C$, confirming excellent adhesion, although the thermal expansion coefficient of hastelloy X is about three times higher than that of SiC. Instead, the SiC film was cracked along the grain boundary of the substrate at above $700^{\circ}C$. At ${\geq}900^{\circ}C$, the film was crystallized forming islands on the substrate so that a considerable part of the substrate surface could be exposed to the corrosive environment. To cover the exposed areas and cracks multiple coating/IBM processes have been developed. An immersion corrosion test in 80% sulfuric acid at $300^{\circ}C$ for 100 h showed that the weight retain rate was gradually increased when increasing the processing time.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.41 no.10
• /
• pp.1275-1284
• /
• 2009

A directly heated $SO_3$ decomposer for the sulfur-iodine and hybrid-sulfur processes has been introduced and analyzed using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code CFX 11. The use of a directly heated decomposition reactor in conjunction with a very high temperature reactor (VHTR) allows for higher decomposition reactor operating temperatures. However, the high temperatures and strongly corrosive operating conditions associated with $SO_3$ decomposition present challenges for the structural materials of decomposition reactors. In order to resolve these problems, we have designed a directly heated $SO_3$ decomposer using RA330 alloy as a structural material and have performed a CFD analysis of the design based on the finite rate chemistry model. The CFD results show the maximum temperature of the structural material could be maintained sufficiently below 1073 K, which is considered the target temperature for RA 330. The CFD simulations also indicated good performance in terms of $SO_3$ decomposition for the design parameters of the present study.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.40 no.7
• /
• pp.581-592
• /
• 2008

In this study, a conceptual pyroprocess flowsheet has been devised by combining several dry-type unit processes; its applicability as an alternative fuel cycle technology was analyzed. A key point in the evaluation of its applicability to the fuel cycle was the recovery yield of fissile materials from spent fuels as well as the proliferation resistance of the process. The recovery yields of uranium and transuranic elements (TRU) were obtained from a material balance for every unit process composing the whole pyroprocess. The material balances for several elemental groups of interest such as uranium, TRU, rare earth, gaseous fission products, and heat generating elements were calculated on the basis of the knowledge base that is available from domestic and foreign experimental results or technical information presented in open literature. The calculated result of the material balance revealed that uranium and TRU could be recovered at 98.0% and 97.0%, respectively, from a typical PWR spent fuel. Furthermore, the anticipated TRU product was found to emit a non-negligible level of $\gamma$-ray and a significantly higher level of neutrons compared to that of a typical plutonium product obtained from the PUREX process. The results indicate that the product from this conceptual pyroprocessing should be handled in a shielded cell and that this will contribute favorably to retaining proliferation resistance.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.46 no.6
• /
• pp.857-862
• /
• 2014

Mechanical alloying under various gas atmospheres such as Ar, an Ar-$H_2$ mixture, and He gases were carried out, and its effects on the powder properties, microstructure and mechanical properties of ODS ferritic steels were investigated. Hot isostatic pressing and hot rolling processes were employed to consolidate the ODS steel plates. While the mechanical alloyed powder in He had a high oxygen concentration, a milling in Ar showed fine particle diameters with comparably low oxygen concentration. The microstructural observation revealed that low oxygen concentration contributed to the formation of fine grains and homogeneous oxide particle distribution by the Y-Ti-O complex oxides. A milling in Ar was sufficient to lower the oxygen concentration, and this led a high tensile strength and fracture elongation at a high temperature. It is concluded that the mechanical alloying atmosphere affects oxygen concentration as well as powder particle properties. This leads to a homogeneous grain and oxide particle distribution with excellent creep strength at high temperature.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.37 no.6
• /
• pp.587-594
• /
• 2005

In an effort to develop a thermal-hydraulic (TH) safety analysis code for Gas-cooled Reactors (GCRs), the MARS code, which was primarily developed for TH analysis of water reactor systems, has been extended here for application to GCRs. The modeling requirements of the system code were derived from a review of major processes and phenomena that are expected to occur during normal and accident conditions of GCRs. Models fur code improvement were then identified through a review of existing MARS code capability. Among these, the following priority models necessary fur the analysis of limiting high and low pressure conduction cooling events were evaluated and incorporated in MARS-GCR/V1 : 1) Helium (He) and Carbon Dioxide ($CO_2$) as main system fluids, 2) gas convection heat transfer, 3) radiation heat transfer, and 4) contact heat transfer models. Each model has been assessed using various conceptual problems for code-to-code benchmarks and it was demonstrated that MARS-GCR/V1 is capable of capturing the relevant phenomena. This paper describes the models implemented in MARS-GCR/V1 and their verification and validation results.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.30 no.6
• /
• pp.518-530
• /
• 1998

A natural analogue study has been performed for the Koongarra uranium ore deposit in Australia as an international agreement of the Analogue Studies in the Alligator Rivers Region (ASARR). Rocks obtained from the Koongarra deposit, Northern Territory of Australia, were examined in order to understand uranium migration processes of primary and secondary ore-body in both weathered and unweathered zones. Total alpha activities of rock samples were measured to compare the relative amount of uranium in the sample. Uranium distributions have been investigated by means of both the alpha-autoradiography and the fission track registration technique after irradiation in a flux of thermal neutrons (~10$\times$$10^{13}$nㆍ$cm^{-2}$ㆍs$^{-1}$) for 2 minutes. The mineral phases corresponding to the registered alpha-tracks and fission tracks were identified by petrological observation with optical microscope as well as X-ray diffraction and electron microprobe analysis (EPMA). Uranium was found mostly inside of the fracture of the quartzite and its mineral phase was identified as sklodowskite. The mineral phase associated with high uranium concentration was found as illeminite by petrological observation with optical microscope as well as EPMA.

• Journal of Radiation Industry
• /
• v.5 no.3
• /
• pp.227-230
• /
• 2011

Pulps were separated from wood chips using an Electron beam irradiation (EBI) treatment without a NaOH-AQ (anthraquinone) treatment for cooking. The methods were based on a hot water treatment after EBI and two-step bleaching processes. Chemical compositions and FT-IR spectroscopy demonstrated that the content of lignin and hemicellulose in the bleached wood pulps treated with various EBI dose decreased with an increase of EBI doses. Specifically, the lignin in the bleached with pulps treated at 600 kGy of EBI dose was almost completely removed. Moreover, TGA analysis showed that a thermal stability increased with increasing the content of cellulose but the lignin decomposed slowly over the wide region.

• Journal of Radiation Industry
• /
• v.5 no.4
• /
• pp.317-323
• /
• 2011

Radioisotopes have been widely used throughout industry to optimize processes, solve problems and improve product quality. A gamma scanning technique using radiation via sealed source (Co-60) was carried out in order to investigate vertical density profile of catalyst regenerator of RFCCU. Also through the radiotracer experiments, the flow characteristics of catalyst was measured. The catalyst samples were irradiated with neutron in HANARO reactor to produce lanthanum-140 to be used as radiotracer for tracing the catalyst itself in catalyst regenerator of RFCCU. The radiotracer was monitored around the catalyst regenerator using collimated NaI scintillation detectors. The results of the experiments were used to diagnose the performance of the RFCCU.