• 한국정밀공학회지
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• 제30권1호
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• pp.113-119
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• 2013

To develop a new nuclear fuel, it needs to make a test fuel rod and carry out burn-up test in the test loop of a research reactor to check the irradiation characteristics of the nuclear fuel. At that time, several sensors such as thermocouples, LVDTs and SPNDs are needed to be attached in and out of the fuel rod and connect them with instrumentation cables. Then, the instrumentation cables deliver the signals measured by the sensors to the measuring device located outside of the reactor pool. In particular, to install a thermocouple in a fuel rod, it needs to drill off holes on the alumina blocks and sintered $UO_2$ pellets. However, because the hardness of a sintered $UO_2$ pellet is 700 Hv (or HRC 61) and that of an alumina block is 1480 Hv, a special drilling machine which adapts a diamond coated drill bit had developed. In this study, several case experiments have been carried out to find an optimal drilling condition of the drilling machine. And, using the optimal drilling condition, minimum numbers of the holes that a drill bit can drill off are verified.

• 한국자동차공학회논문집
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• 제12권2호
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• pp.45-53
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• 2004

An experimental study was carried out to obtain the fundamental data about the effects of radicals induced injection on premixture combustion. A constant volume combustor divided to the sub-chamber and the main chamber was used. The volume of the sub-chamber is set up to occupy less than 1.5％ of that of whole combustion chamber. Radial twelve narrow passage holes are arranged between the main chamber and the sub-chamber. The products including radicals generated by spark ignition in the sub-chamber will derive the simultaneous multi-point ignition in the main chamber. While the equivalence ratio of pre-mixture in the main chamber and the sub-chamber is uniform. We have examined the effects of the sub-chamber volume, the diameter of passage hole, and the equivalence ratio on the combustion characteristics by means of burning pressure measurement and flame visualization. In the case of radical ignition method(RI), the overall turning time including the ignition delay became very short and the maximum burning pressure was slightly increased in comparison with those of the conventional spark ignition method(SI), that is, single chamber combustion without the sub-chamber. The combustible lean limit by RI method is extended to more ER=0.25 than that by SI method. Therefore the decrease of every emission including NOx and the improvement of fuel consumption is anticipated due to lean burn.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제49권1호
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• pp.43-53
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• 2017

Increasing the operation cycle length can be an important goal in the fuel reload design of a nuclear reactor core. In this research paper, a new optimization approach, electromagnetism mechanism (EM), is applied to the fuel arrangement design of the Bushehr WWER-1000 core. For this purpose, a neutronic solver has been developed for calculating the required parameters during the reload cycle of the reactor. In this package, two modules have been linked, including PARCS v2.7 and WIMS-5B codes, integrated in a solver for using in the fuel arrangement optimization operation. The first results of the prepared package, along with the cycle for the original pattern of Bushehr WWER-1000, are compared and verified according to the Final Safety Analysis Report and then the results of exploited EM linked with Purdue Advanced Reactor Core Simulator (PARCS) and Winfrith Improved Multigroup Scheme (WIMS) codes are reported for the loading pattern optimization. Totally, the numerical results of our loading pattern optimization indicate the power of the EM for this problem and also show the effective improvement of desired parameters for the gained semi-optimized core pattern in comparison to the designer scheme.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제42권4호
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• pp.434-441
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• 2010

The activation products of aluminum and argon are key radionuclides for operational and environmental radiological safety during the normal operation of open-tank-in-pool type research reactors using aluminum-clad fuels. Their activities measured in the primary coolant and pool surface water of HANARO have been consistent. We estimated their sources from the measured activities and then compared these values with their production rates obtained by a core calculation. For each aluminum activation product, an equivalent aluminum thickness (EAT) in which its production rate is identical to its release rate into the coolant is determined. For the argon activation calculation, the saturated argon concentration in the water at the temperature of the pool surface is assumed. The EATs are 5680, 266 and 1.2 nm, respectively, for Na-24, Mg-27 and Al-28, which are much larger than the flight lengths of the respective recoil nuclides. These values coincide with the water solubility levels and with the half-lives. The EAT for Na-24 is similar to the average oxide layer thickness (OLT) of fuel cladding as well; hence, the majority of them in the oxide layer may be released to the coolant. However, while the average OLT clearly increases with the fuel burn-up during an operation cycle, its effect on the pool-top radiation is not distinguishable. The source of Ar-41 is in good agreement with the calculated reaction rate of Ar-40 dissolved in the coolant.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제34권3호
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• pp.187-201
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• 2002

The KN-12 cask is designed to transport 12 PWR spent nuclear fuels and to comply with the requirements of Korea Atomic Energy Act, IAEA Safety Standards Series No.57-1 and US 10 CFR Part 71 for a Type B(U)F package. It provides containment, radiation shielding, structural integrity, criticality control and heat removal for normal transport and hypothetical accident conditions. W.H 14$\times$14, 16$\times$16 and 17$\times$17 fuel assemblies with maximum allowable initial enrichment of 5.0 wt.%, maximum average burn-up of 50,000 MWD/MTU and minimum cooling time of 7 years being used in Korea will be loaded and subsequently transported under dry and wet conditions. A forged cylindrical cask body which constitutes the containment vessel is closed by a cask lid. Polyethylene rods for neutron shielding are arranged in two rows of longitudinal bore holes in the cask body wall. A fuel basket to accommodate up to 12 PWR fuel assemblies provides support of the fuels, control of criticality and a path to dissipate heat. Impact limiters to absorb the impact energy under the hypothetical accident conditions are attacked at the top and at the bottom side of the cask during transport. Handling weight loaded with water is 74.8 tons and transport weight loaded with water with the impact limiters is 84.3 tons. The cask will be licensed in accordance with Korea Atomic Energy Act 3nd fabricated in Korea in accordance with ASME B&PV Code Section 111, Division 3.

• 한국가스학회지
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• 제14권1호
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• pp.8-14
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• 2010

본 연구에서는 LPG/바이오디젤 혼합연료의 직접분사식 디젤엔진 적용성에 관한 실험을 수행하였다. 특히, 혼합연료를 엔진에 적용하는 경우 엔진성능, 배출가스 (미연탄화수소, 일산화탄소, 질소산화물, 이산화탄소), 연소안정성에 대한 실험을 1,500 rpm의 엔진회전수 조건에서 수행하였다. 바이오디젤은 질량대비 20-60% 범위로 LPG에 혼합하였다. 바이오디젤을 40% 이상 혼합하는 경우 엔진은 모든 부하영역에서 매우 안정적으로 연소되었다. 바이오디젤의 혼합율이 증가할수록 혼합연료의 세탄가가 향상되어 연소시작 시점이 진각되었다. 혼합연료를 사용하면 저부하에서는 과혼합에 의한 부분연소로 인하여 THC와 CO의 배출량이 급증하였으며, NOx의 경우 저부하에서는 배출량이 디젤연료에 비해서 낮았으며 고부하에서는 더 많이 배출되었다.

• 방사성폐기물학회지
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• 제5권1호
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• pp.53-64
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• 2007

고연소도 경수로사용후핵연료를 이용하여 voloxidation 및 소결 열처리 공정으로부터 세슘의 시간에 따른 방출 거동을 실험적으로 평가하였다. 사용후핵연료 voloxidation 공정에서는 fragment 형태의 시편을 사용하여 최대 $1,500^{\circ}C$의 산화 및 환원 분위기에 따른 세슘 방출 거동을 상호 비교하였으며, 소결 공정에서는 압분체를 이용하여 4% H2/Ar 환원분위기 에서 열처리 온도 변화에 따른 세슘방출 특성 변화를 분석하였다. 산화 분위기에서 fragment 형태의 사용후핵연료로부터 세슘 방출 온도 구간은 $800{\circ}C{\sim}1,200^{\circ}C$였으며, 환원 분위기에서 압분체로부터 방출 온도 구간은 $1,100{\circ}C{\sim}1,400^{\circ}C$로서, 산화에 의한 사용후핵 연료의 분말화가 세슘 방출 거동에 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 아울러 사용후핵 연료로부터 세슘 방출 거동에 영향을 미치는 주요 인자는 사용후핵 연료내 세슘 화합물의 화학적 형태뿐만 아니라 결정립 및 핵연료 표면으로의 확산 속도에 지배를 받음을 알 수 있었다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제43권2호
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• pp.149-158
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• 2011

Metal waste generated from the pyroprocessing of 10 MtU of spent fuel was classified by comparing the specific activity of a relevant radionuclide with the limit value of the specific activity specified in the Korean acceptance criteria for a lowand intermediate-level waste repository. A Korean Optimized Fuel Assembly design with a 17${\times}$17 array, an initial enrichment of 4.5 weight-percent, discharge burn-up of 55 GWD/MtU, and a 10-year cooling time was considered. Initially, the mass and volume of each structural component of the assembly were calculated in detail, and a source term analysis was subsequently performed using ORIGEN-S for these components. An activation cross-section library generated by the KENO-VI/ORIGEN-S module was utilized for top-end and bottom-end pieces. As a result, an Inconel grid plate, a SUS plenum spring, a SUS guide tube subpart, SUS top-end and bottom-end pieces, and an Inconel top-end leaf spring were determined to be unacceptable for the Gyeongju low- and intermediate-level waste repository, as these waste products exceeded the acceptance criteria. In contrast, a Zircaloy grid plate and guide tube can be placed in the Gyeongju repository. Non-contaminated Zircaloy cladding occupying 76% of the metal waste was found to have a lower level of specific activity than the limit value. However, Zircaloy cladding contaminated by fission products and actinides during the decladding process of pyroprocessing was revealed to have 52 and 2 times higher specific activity levels than the limit values for alpha and $^{90}Sr$, respectively. Finally, it was found that 88.7% of the metal waste from the 17${\times}$17 Korean Optimized Fuel Assembly design should be disposed of in a deep geological repository. Therefore, it can be summarized that separation technology with a higher decontamination factor for transuranics and strontium should be developed for the efficient management of metal waste resulting from pyroprocessing.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국신재생에너지학회 2010년도 춘계학술대회 초록집
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• pp.132.1-132.1
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• 2010

Anode off-gas of high temperature fuel cells such as MCFC still contain combustible components such as hydrogen, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon. Thus, it's very important to fully burn anode off-gas and use the generated heat in order to increase system efficiency. In the present study, catalytic combustors have been applied to high temperature MCFC system so that the combustion of anode-off gas can be boosted up. Since the performance of catalytic combustor directly depends on the combustion catalyst, this study has been focused on the experimental investigation on the combustion characteristics of multiple commercial catalysts having different structures and compositions. In order to determine the design conditions of the catalytic combustor, parameters such as inlet temperature, space velocity and excess air ratio have been varied and optimized for combustor design. Results show that $H_2$ in off-gas assists $CH_4$ combustion in a way that it decreases minimum inlet temperature limit and increases maximum space velocity while keeping high fuel conversion efficiency.

• 한국연소학회지
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• 제12권4호
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• pp.8-13
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• 2007

Plasma assisted combustion is an old subject for the combustion society, but recently, the subject is refocused partly because techniques for non-thermal plasmas are progressed significantly, and partly because there are lots of applications which need to be overcome by a new reaction technology. In the present study, we have developed plasma assisted burner (plasma burner), which can be used as a heating source in a diesel particulate filter system. The burner can burn 20-60 cc/min of diesel fuel with 50 lpm of fresh air in an exhaust pipe of 2.0 liter diesel engine. Using 20 cc/min of diesel fuel, an exhaust temperature for 2.0 liter diesel engine can be raised up to around $600^{\circ}C$ for a wide range of engine speed (idle-3,000 rpm). The characteristics of the plasma burner are reported, and the possible operating mechanism of it will be discussed based on the effects of an electric field and a plasma on flames.