• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.48 no.2
• /
• pp.448-456
• /
• 2016

Severe accident scenarios in nuclear reactors, such as nuclear meltdown, reveal that an extremely hot molten core may fall into the nuclear reactor cavity and seriously affect the safety of the nuclear containment vessel due to the chain reaction caused by the reaction between the molten core and concrete. This paper reports on research focused on the type and amount of vapor produced during the reaction between a high-temperature molten core and concrete, as well as on the erosion rate of concrete and the heat transfer characteristics at its vicinity. This study identifies themass fraction and melting temperature as the most influential properties of concrete necessary for a safety analysis conducted in relation to the thermal interaction between the molten core and the basemat concrete. The types of concrete that are actually used in nuclear reactor cavities were investigated. The $H_2O$ content in concrete required for the computation of the relative amount of gases generated by the chemical reaction of the vapor, the quantity of $CO_2$ necessary for computing the cooling speed of the molten core, and the melting temperature of concrete are evaluated experimentally for the molten core-concrete interaction analysis.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
• /
• v.17 no.4
• /
• pp.389-403
• /
• 2019

Large amounts of concrete waste are likely to arise from the decommissioning of a Kori-1 nuclear power plant. Several studies have been conducted on decommissioning concrete waste in recent decades, however, they have been limited to contaminated concrete issues or were small pilot-scale experiments. This study constructed two industrial-scale models of on-site concrete waste management for clean as well as contaminated concrete. To evaluate the performance of both the models, simulations were conducted using the Flexsim software. The concrete particle size distribution of Kori-1 and concrete processor properties based on widely used construction equipment were used as sources of input data for the simulations. It was observed that it may take over two years to complete the on-site concrete management processes owing to the performance of existing processors. In addition, it was demonstrated that it is essential to identify bottlenecks in the system and enhance the performance of the relevant processors to avoid delays of the decommissioning schedule. Our results suggest that this novel approach can contribute to developing schedules or expediting delayed activities in the Kori-1 decommissioning project.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.46 no.1
• /
• pp.73-80
• /
• 2014

A concrete cask is an option for spent nuclear fuel interim storage. A concrete cask usually consists of a metallic canister which confines the spent nuclear fuel assemblies and a concrete overpack. When the overpack undergoes a missile impact, which might be caused by a tornado or an aircraft crash, it should sustain an acceptable level of structural integrity so that its radiation shielding capability and the retrievability of the canister are maintained. A missile impact against a concrete overpack produces two damage modes, local damage and global damage. In conventional approaches [1], those two damage modes are decoupled and evaluated separately. The local damage of concrete is usually evaluated by empirical formulas, while the global damage is evaluated by finite element analysis. However, this decoupled approach may lead to a very conservative estimation of both damages. In this research, finite element analysis with material failure models and element erosion is applied to the evaluation of local and global damage of concrete overpacks under high speed missile impacts. Two types of concrete overpacks with different configurations are considered. The numerical simulation results are compared with test results, and it is shown that the finite element analysis predicts both local and global damage qualitatively well, but the quantitative accuracy of the results are highly dependent on the fine-tuning of material and failure parameters.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.349-356
• /
• 2022

Nuclear power plant decommissioning generates significant concrete waste, which is slightly contaminated, and expected to be classified as clearance concrete waste. Clearance concrete waste is generally crushed into rubble at the site or a satellite treatment facility for practical disposal purposes. During the process, workers are exposed to radiation from the nuclides in concrete waste. The treatment processes consist of concrete cutting/crushing, transportation, and loading/unloading. Workers' radiation exposure during the process was systematically studied. A shielding package comprising a cylindrical and hexahedron structure was considered to reduce workers' radiation exposure, and improved the treatment process's efficiency. The shielding package's effect on workers' radiation exposure during the cutting and crushing process was also studied. The calculated annual radiation exposure of concrete treatment workers was below 1 mSv, which is the annual radiation exposure limit for members of the public. It was also found that workers involved in cutting and crushing were exposed the most.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.44 no.3
• /
• pp.331-342
• /
• 2012

Since the opening of the Shin-Kori #1,2 in 2005, fly ash mixed concrete has been used for NPP concrete structures under construction in Korea with the aim of preventing aging and improving durability. In this paper, the quality suitability of fly ash manufactured in Korea is assessed and the basic physical properties of fly ash mixed concrete and its durability against primary causes of aging are verified through experimental methods. Because of the internal structure filling effect from the pozzolanic reaction of fly ash and the resulting improvements in mechanical performance in such areas as strength and salt damage resistance, the durability of fly ash mixed concrete is shown to be superior. It is judged that this result can be applied in measures not only for improving the safety of NPP structures in operation in Korea but also for implementing effective structure life management should extending the life of structures be needed in the future.

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
• /
• 2000.04a
• /
• pp.629-634
• /
• 2000

Comparing with single structure constructed with reinforced concrete or steel, composite structures have a great advantage. However, in case of nuclear power structure, the application of a conventional single structure (reinforced concrete or steel structure) inflicts a heavy loss on a economical and constructive efficiency. But, the application of composite slab to nuclear power structure could compensate these deficiency. Therefore, in this study, the structural behavior of composite slab in nuclear power structure is observed to assure economical and constructive efficiency.

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
• /
• 2006.05b
• /
• pp.253-256
• /
• 2006

For nuclear concrete structures on the coast, the prevention and management against salt damage is needed because they are being under the influence of the sea water at all times. In general, the deterioration of the concrete is generated in concrete surface firstly and then extended into concrete gradually as its service life increases. Therefore, the protective layer on the concrete surface is needed to establish and manage the durability of concrete. To enhance the durability performance of the existing and new concrete, the development and application of a high-performance penetration sealer is needed. The sealer has to have the functions that are able to prevent the attack of the moisture, carbon dioxide, and harmful substance from the outside. Therefore, the aim of this project is to guarantee the long service-life and waterproof performance of a nuclear concrete structures by increasing the density of the existing and new concrete surface layer, and to enhance the dust-proof performance of the uncoating part of the nuclear safety-relative structures.

• Computers and Concrete
• /
• v.26 no.5
• /
• pp.429-438
• /
• 2020

To shorten the construction times of nuclear facility structures, three high-strength concrete mixtures were developed with specific consideration given to their curing temperatures, their economic efficiency, and the practicality of their quality control. This study was conducted to examine the temperature rise profiles of these three concrete mixtures and the potential for early-age thermal cracking in the primary containment vessel of a nuclear reactor with a wall thickness of 1200 mm. The one-layer placement height of the concrete for the primary containment vessel was increased from the conventional 3 m to 3.5 m. A nonlinear finite element analysis (FEA) was conducted using the thermal properties of concrete determined from the isothermal hydration and adiabatic hydration tests, and tuned through comparisons made with temperature rise profiles obtained for 1200-mm-thick mock-up wall specimens cured at temperatures of 5, 20, and 35℃. The hydration heat performance of the three concrete mixtures and their potential to produce thermal cracking in nuclear facilities indicate that the mixtures have considerable potential for practical application to the primary containment vessel of a nuclear reactor at various curing temperatures, fulfilling the minimum requirements of the ACI 301 and minimizing the likelihood of the occurrence of thermal cracks.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.56 no.2
• /
• pp.485-497
• /
• 2024

Ring beam is the main anchorage zone of the tendons in the nuclear power prestressed concrete containment vessel (PCCV). Its safety is crucial and has a great influence on the overall performance of PCCV. In this paper, two half-scale ring beams were tested to investigate the mechanical performance of the anchorage zone in the PCCV under multidirectional pressure. The effect of working condition with different tension sequences was investigated. Additionally, a half axisymmetric plane model of the containment was established by the finite element simulation to further predict the experimental responses and propose the local reinforcement design in the anchorage zone of the ring beam. The results showed that the ultimate load of the specimens under both working conditions was greater than the nominal ultimate tensile force. The original reinforcement design could meet the bearing capacity requirements, but there was still room for optimization. The ring beam was generally under pressure in the anchorage area, while the splitting force appeared in the under-anchor area, and the spalling force appeared in the corner area of the tooth block, which could be targeted for local strengthening design.

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
• /
• 2004.11a
• /
• pp.821-824
• /
• 2004

For nuclear concrete structures on the coast, the prevention and management against salt damage is needed because they are being under the influence of the sea water at all times. In general, the deterioration of the concrete is generated in concrete surface firstly and then extended into concrete gradually as its service life increases. Therefore, the protective layer on the concrete surface is needed to establish and manage the durability of concrete. To enhance the durability performance of the existing and new concrete, the development and application of a high-performance penetration sealer is needed. The sealer has to have the functions that are able to prevent the attack of the moisture, carbon dioxide, and harmful substance from the outside. Therefore, the aim of this study is to development of a sealer for the long service-life and waterproof performance of a nuclear concrete structures.