• The KSFM Journal of Fluid Machinery
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.42-47
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• 2011

Measurement uncertainty analysis of fuel flow using turbine flowmeter was performed for the case of altitude engine test. SAE ARP4990 was used as the fuel flow calculation procedure, as well as the mathematical model for the measurement uncertainty assessment. The assessment was performed using Sensitivity Coefficient Method. 11 parameters involved in the calculation of the flow rate were considered. For the given equipment setup, the measurement uncertainty of fuel flow was assessed in the range of 1.19~1.86 % for high flow rate case, and 1.47~3.31 % for low flow rate case. Fluctuation in frequency signal from the flowmeter had the largest influence on the fuel flow measurement uncertainty for most cases. Fuel temperature measurement had the largest for the case of low temperature and low flow rate. Calibration of K-factor and the interpolation of the calibration data also had large influence, especially for the case of very low temperature. Reference temperature, at which the reference viscosity of the sample fuel was measured, had relatively small contribution, but it became larger when the operating fuel temperature was far from reference temperature. Measurement of reference density had small contribution on the flow rate uncertainty. Fuel pressure and atmospheric pressure measurement had virtually no contribution on the flow rate uncertainty.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.306-312
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• 2018

There is an increasing need in the United States and around the world to move used nuclear fuel from wet storage in fuel pools to dry storage in casks stored at independent spent fuel storage installations or interim storage sites. Under normal conditions, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission limits cladding temperature to $400^{\circ}C$ for high-burnup (>45 GWd/mtU) fuel, with higher temperatures allowed for low-burnup fuel. An analysis was conducted with FRAPCON-4.0 on three modern fuel designs with three representative used nuclear fuel storage temperature profiles that peaked at $400^{\circ}C$. Results were representative of the majority of US light water reactor fuel. They conservatively showed that hoop stress remains below 90 MPa at the licensing temperature limit. Results also show that the limiting case for hoop stress may not be at the highest rod internal pressure in all cases but will be related to the axial temperature and oxidation profiles of the rods at the end of life and in storage.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.660-672
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• 2016

In Part I of this paper, the two-temperature homogenized model for the fully ceramic microencapsulated fuel, in which tristructural isotropic particles are randomly dispersed in a fine lattice stochastic structure, was discussed. In this model, the fuel-kernel and silicon carbide matrix temperatures are distinguished. Moreover, the obtained temperature profiles are more realistic than those obtained using other models. Using the temperature-dependent thermal conductivities of uranium nitride and the silicon carbide matrix, temperature-dependent homogenized parameters were obtained. In Part II of the paper, coupled with the COREDAX code, a reactor core loaded by fully ceramic microencapsulated fuel in which tristructural isotropic particles are randomly dispersed in the fine lattice stochastic structure is analyzed via a two-temperature homogenized model at steady and transient states. The results are compared with those from harmonic- and volumetric-average thermal conductivity models; i.e., we compare $k_{eff}$ eigenvalues, power distributions, and temperature profiles in the hottest single channel at a steady state. At transient states, we compare total power, average energy deposition, and maximum temperatures in the hottest single channel obtained by the different thermal analysis models. The different thermal analysis models and the availability of fuel-kernel temperatures in the two-temperature homogenized model for Doppler temperature feedback lead to significant differences.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.1140-1151
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• 2023

Fully Ceramic Microencapsulated (FCM) fuel is emerging advanced fuel material for the future nuclear reactors. The fuel pellet in the FCM fuel is composed of matrix and a large number of TRistructural-ISOtopic (TRISO) fuel particles which are randomly dispersed in the SiC matrix. The minimum layer thickness in a TRISO fuel particle is on the order of 10^-5 m, and the length of the FCM pellet is on the order of 10^-2 m. Hence, the heat transfer in the FCM pellet is a multi-scale phenomenon. In this study, three multi-scale heat conduction models including the Multi-region Layered (ML) model, Multi-region Non-layered (MN) model and Homogeneous model for FCM pellet were constructed. In the ML model, the random distributed TRISO fuel particles and coating layers are completely built. While the TRISO fuel particles with coating layers are homogenized in the MN model and the whole fuel pellet is taken as the homogenous material in the Homogeneous model. Taking the results by the ML model as the benchmark, the abilities of the MN model and Homogenous model to predict the maximum and average temperature were discussed. It was found that the MN model and the Homogenous model greatly underestimate the temperature of TRISO fuel particles. The reason is mainly that the conventional equivalent thermal conductivity (ETC) models do not take the internal heat source into account and are not suitable for the TRISO fuel particle. Then the improved ETCs considering internal heat source were derived. With the improved ETCs, the MN model is able to capture the peak temperature as well as the average temperature at a wide range of the linear powers (165 W/cm~ 415 W/cm) and the packing fractions (20%-50%). With the improved ETCs, the Homogenous model is better to predict the average temperature at different linear powers and packing fractions, and able to predict the peak temperature at high packing fractions (45%-50%).

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.153-156
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• 2009

Low temperature methane steam reforming to produce $H_2$ for fuel cells has been calculated thermodynamically considering both heat loss of the reformer and unreacted $H_2$ in fuel cell stack. According to the thermodynamic equilibrium analysis, it is possible to operate methane steam reforming at low temperatures. A scheme for the low temperature methane steam reforming to produce $H_2$ for fuel cells by burning both unconverted $CH_4$ and $H_2$ to supply the heat for steam methane reforming has been proposed. The calculated value of the heat balance temperature is strongly dependent upon the amount of unreacted $H_2$ and heat loss of the reformer. If unreacted $H_2$ increases, less methane is required because unreacted $H_2$ can be burned to supply the heat. As a consequence, it is suitable to increase the reaction temperature for getting higher $CH_4$ conversion and more $H_2$ for fuel cell stack. If heat loss increases from the reformer, it is necessary to supply more heat for the endothermic methane steam reforming reaction from burning unconverted $CH_4$, resulting in decreasing the reforming temperature. Experimentally, it has been confirmed that low temperature methane steam reforming is possible with stable activity.

• Journal of ILASS-Korea
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.18-25
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• 2021

The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of cryogenic intake air temperature on the injected fuel droplet behavior in a compression ignition engine under the different start of energizing timing. To achieve this, the intake air temperatures were changed from -18℃ to 18℃ in steps of 9℃, and the result of fuel evaporation rate, Sauter mean diameter, and equivalence ratio distributions were compared. When the intake air temperature decreased in steps of 9℃, less fuel was evaporated by about 3.33% because the cylinder temperature was decreased. In addition, the evaporated fuel amount was increased with retarding the start of energizing timing because the cylinder temperature raised. However, the difference was decreased according to the retarded start of energizing timing because the cylinder pressure was also increased at the start of fuel injection. The equivalence ratio was reduced by 5.94% with decreasing the intake air temperature. In addition, the ignition delay was expected to longer because of the deteriorated evaporation performance and the reduced cylinder pressure by the low intake air temperature.

• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.439-445
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• 2007

Proton exchange membrane Fuel Cells(PEMFCs) have been spotlighted because of their broad potential application for potable electrical devices, automobiles and residential usages. However, their utilization is limited to low temperature operation due to the electrolyte dehydration at high temperature. High temperature PEMFC operation offers high CO tolerance and easy water management. This review presents development of high temperature($120{\sim}200^{\circ}C$) PEMFC. Especially, PEMFC which is based on acid-doped PBI membrane is discussed.

• Journal of ILASS-Korea
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.24-34
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• 1997

This paper describes the investigation of combustion characteristics of gasoline-methanol blend in constant volume combustion chamber. A constant volume combustion chamber was used to elucidate a basic combustion characteristics and the premixer was installed to control temperature and equivalence ratio. And the maximum pressure, combustion duration and flame propagation according to the evaporation rate were measured to determine the optimal temperature range for evaporating a blend fuel. These experimental results indicate that the combustion characteristics such as combustion chamber pressure and combustion were deteriorated by decreasing surrounding temperature of fuel. These experimental results indicate that the combustion characteristics such as combustion chamber pressure and combustion were deter orated by decreasing surrounding temperature of fuel injected. It was also found that the overall gasification process for methanol blend fuel was influenced by a combustion chamber temperature rather than a premixer temperature.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.294-302
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• 1998

Ignition characteristics of a vertical solid fuel plate with block have been investigated experimentally. For low radiant heat flux, ignition does not occur in a vertical solid fuel plate without block. In the case with the block on a vertical fuel plate, however, ignition can occur by increasing the residence time and the time to absorb the incident radiation flux by fuel vapor in gas phase. The ignition occurs below block and the point varies according to the block location and the block height. As the block height increases, the block locates at higher position, and the hot wall temperature increases, the ignition delay time decreases. Also as the initial temperature of fuel plate rises, the ignition delay time of the solid fuel plate decreases. The temperature distribution of solid fuel plate with block is nearly proportional to the radiant heat flux distribution. Therefore, the effect temperature by natural convection heat transfer is of the same order as that of inhibition of temperature increase by pyrolysis.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.6
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• pp.1769-1785
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• 2021

The Integral Pressurized Water Reactors (IPWRs) as the innovative advanced and generation-III + reactors are under study and developments in a lot of countries. This paper is aimed at the thermal hydraulic study of the hot and average fuel sub-channel in a Generation III + IPWR by loose external coupling to the neutronic simulation. The power produced in fuel pins is calculated by the neutronic simulation via MCNPX2.6 then fuel and coolant temperature changes along fuel sub-channels evaluated by computational fluid dynamic thermal hydraulic calculation through an iterative coupling. The relative power densities along the fuel pin in hot and average fuel sub-channel are calculated in sixteen equal divisions. The highest centerline temperature of the hottest and the average fuel pin are calculated as 633 K (359.85 ℃) and 596 K (322.85 ℃), respectively. The coolant enters the sub-channel with a temperature of 557.15 K (284 ℃) and leaves the hot sub-channel and the average sub-channel with a temperature of 596 K (322.85 ℃) and 579 K (305.85 ℃), respectively. It is shown that the spacer grids result in the enhancement of turbulence kinetic energy, convection heat transfer coefficient along the fuel sub-channels so that there is an increase in heat transfer coefficient about 40%. The local fuel pin temperature reduction in the place and downstream the space grids due to heat transfer coefficient enhancement is depicted via a graph through six iterations of neutronic and thermal hydraulic coupling calculations. Working in a low fuel temperature and keeping a significant gap below the melting point of fuel, make the IPWR as a safe type of generation -III + nuclear reactor.