• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.756-765
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• 2015

Background: Fibers have been used in cement mixture to improve its toughness, ductility, and tensile strength, and to enhance the cracking and deformation characteristics of concrete structural members. The addition of fibers into conventional reinforced concrete can enhance the structural and functional performances of safety-related concrete structures in nuclear power plants. Methods: The effects of steel and polyamide fibers on the shear resisting capacity of a prestressed concrete containment vessel (PCCV) were investigated in this study. For a comparative evaluation between the shear performances of structural walls constructed with conventional concrete, steel fiber reinforced concrete, and polyamide fiber reinforced concrete, cyclic tests for wall specimens were conducted and hysteretic models were derived. Results: The shear resisting capacity of a PCCV constructed with fiber reinforced concrete can be improved considerably. When steel fiber reinforced concrete contains hooked steel fibers in a volume fraction of 1.0%, the maximum lateral displacement of a PCCV can be improved by > 50%, in comparison with that of a conventional PCCV. When polyamide fiber reinforced concrete contains polyamide fibers in a volume fraction of 1.5%, the maximum lateral displacement of a PCCV can be enhanced by ~40%. In particular, the energy dissipation capacity in a fiber reinforced PCCV can be enhanced by > 200%. Conclusion: The addition of fibers into conventional concrete increases the ductility and energy dissipation of wall structures significantly. Fibers can be effectively used to improve the structural performance of a PCCV subjected to strong ground motions. Steel fibers are more effective in enhancing the shear performance of a PCCV than polyamide fibers.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.588-599
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• 2019

This research presents a structural design of high-level waste (HLW) container using ultra-high performance fiber reinforced concrete (UHP-FRC) material. The proposed design aims to overcome the drawbacks of the existing concrete containers which are heavy, difficult to fabricate, and expensive. In this study, the dry storage container (DSC) that commonly used at Canadian Nuclear facilities is selected to present the proposed design. The design has been performed such that the new UHP-FRC alternative has a structural stiffness equivalent to the existing steel-concrete-steel container under various loading scenarios. Size optimization technique is used with the aim of maximizing stiffness, and minimizing the cost while satisfying both the design stresses and construction requirements. Then, the integrity of the new design has been evaluated against accidental drop-impact events based on realistic drop scenarios. The optimization results showed: the stiffness of the UHP-FRC container (300 mm wall thick) is being in the range of 1.35-1.75 times the stiffness of existing DSC (550 mm wall thick). The use of UHP-FRC leads to decrease the container weight by more than 60%. The UHP-FRC container showed a significant enhancement in performance in comparison to the existing DSC design under considered accidental drop impact scenarios.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.2147-2157
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• 2023

The aggregate-forming minerals in concrete undergo volume swelling and microstructure change under neutron irradiation, leading to degradation of physical and mechanical properties of the aggregates and concrete. A comprehensive investigation of volume change and elastic property variation of major aggregate-forming minerals is still lacking, so molecular dynamics simulations have been employed in this paper to improve the understanding of the degradation mechanisms. The results demonstrated that the densities of the selected aggregate-forming minerals of similar atomic structure and chemical composition vary in a similar trend with deposited energy due to the similar amorphization mechanism. The elastic tensors of all silicate minerals are almost isotropic after saturated irradiation, while those of irradiated carbonate minerals remain anisotropic. Moreover, the elastic modulus ratio versus density ratio of irradiated minerals is roughly following the density-modulus scaling relationship. These findings could further provide basis for predicting the volume and elastic properties of irradiated concrete aggregates in nuclear facilities.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.149-158
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• 2002

The carbonation process is affected by both the concrete material properties such as W/C ratio, types of cement and aggregates, admixture characteristics and the environmental factors such as $CO_2$ concentration, temperature, humidity. Based on results of preliminary study on carbonation, this study is to develop a carbonation prediction model by taking account of $CO_2$ concentration, temperature, humidity ad W/C ratio among major factor affecting the carbonation process. And to constitute a model formula which correspond to the mix design of the nuclear power plant, test coefficient that correspond to the design of the nuclear power plant is obtained based on the results of accelerated carbonation test. Also a field coefficient which is obtained based on results of the field examination is included to improve the conformity of the actual structures of nuclear power plant.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Building Construction Conference
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• 2011.11a
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• pp.53-54
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• 2011

The facilities producing the nuclear energy chosen for resolving the recent global energy problem have been increasingly constructed, and hence more frequent durability tests on radiation shielding concrete are required due to NPP(Nuclear Power Plant) life extension and increase of radioactive waste repositories. Bulk dry density is one of the critical factors ensuring the durability and performance of the radiation shielding concrete because the design of the radiation shielding reinforced concrete structures for NPPs is based on the bulk dry density of the concrete. Bulk density of unconsolidated shielding concrete can be calculated utilizing a test assuring to satisfy the bulk dry density, or existing credible data set. This study evaluated correlation between bulk density and bulk dry density of the concrete used for Korean NPPs (y=1.0913X-0.2458) and developed a correlation expression considering standard deviation of bulk dry density (y=1.0913X-0.3358).

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.1051-1065
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• 2020

Safety analysis of nuclear power plant (NPP) especially in accident conditions is a basic and necessary issue for applications and commercialization of reactors. Many previous researches and development works have been conducted. However, most achievements focused on the safety reliability of primary pressure system vessels. Few literatures studied the structural safety of huge concrete structures surrounding primary pressure system, especially for the fourth generation NPP which allows existing of through cracks. In this paper, structural safety reliability of concrete structures of HTR-PM in accidental double-ended break of hot gas ducts was studied by Exceedance Probability Method. It was calculated by Monte Carlo approaches applying numerical simulations by Abaqus. Damage parameters were proposed and used to define the property of concrete, which can perfectly describe the crack state of concrete structures. Calculation results indicated that functional failure determined by deterministic safety analysis was decided by the crack resistance capability of containment buildings, whereas the bearing capacity of concrete structures possess a high safety margin. The failure probability of concrete structures during an accident of double-ended break of hot gas ducts will be 31.18%. Adding the consideration the contingency occurrence probability of the accident, probability of functional failure is sufficiently low.

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
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• 2004.11a
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• pp.735-738
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• 2004

In this study, it was founded to make the optimal mixture for producing concrete which is self-compacting, yet, and generates low heat of hydration by using fly ash, blast furnace slags and limestone powders as binders in addition to cement while using super-plasticizers and viscosity agents as admixture agents. The structural behaviors of the concrete produced with the selected mixture were compared with those of the concrete currently using for construction of nuclear power plants. The study shows that the blended high fluidity concrete including limestone is better in workability and durability than the concrete currently in use for nuclear power plants.

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
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• 2004.11a
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• pp.739-742
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• 2004

In this study, it was founded to make the optimal mixture for producing concrete which is self-compacting, yet, and generates low heat of hydration by using flyash, blast furnace slags and limestone powders as binders in addition to cement while using super-plasticizers and viscosity agents as admixture agents. The structural behaviors of the concrete produced with the selected mixture were compared with those of the concrete currently using for construction of nuclear power plants. The study shows that the blended high fluidity concrete including limestone is better in workability and durability than the concrete currently in use for nuclear power plants.

• Magazine of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.52-59
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• 1995

• Magazine of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.28-32
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• 2011