• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제48권2호
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• pp.572-594
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• 2016

As one of the Gen-IV nuclear energy systems, a sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) is being developed at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute. As a long-term national research project, advanced radiation resistant oxide dispersion strengthened steel (ARROS) is being developed as an in-core fuel cladding tube material for a SFR in the future. In this paper, the current status of ARROS development is reviewed and its future prospective is discussed.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제53권10호
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• pp.3207-3216
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• 2021

Three-dimensional structures of a vortical flow field and heat transfer characteristics in a partially blocked 7-pin fuel assembly mock-up of sodium-cooled fast reactor have been investigated through a numerical analysis using a commercial computational fluid dynamics code, ANSYS CFX. The simulation with the SST turbulence model agrees well with the experimental data of outlet and cladding wall temperatures. From the analysis on the limiting streamline at the wall, multi-scale vortexes developed in axial direction were found around the blockage. The vortex core has a high cladding wall temperature, and the attachment line has a low cladding wall temperature. The small-scale vortex structures significantly enhance the convective heat transfer because it increases the turbulent mixing and the turbulence kinetic energy. The large-scale vortex structures supply thermal energy near the heated cladding wall surface. It is expected that control of the vortex structures in the fuel assembly plays a significant role in the convective heat transfer enhancement. Furthermore, the blockage plate and grid spacer increase the pressure drop to about 36% compared to the bare case.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제51권1호
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• pp.31-44
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• 2019

This study simulated a control rod assembly (CRA), which is a part of reactor shutdown systems, in immersed and fluid flow conditions. The CRA was inserted into the reactor core within a predetermined time limit under normal and abnormal operating conditions, and the CRA (which consists of complex geometric shapes) drop behavior is numerically modeled for simulation. A full-scale prototype CRA drop test is established under room temperature and water-fluid conditions for verification and validation. This paper describes the details of the numerical modeling and analysis results of the several conditions. Results from the developed numerical simulation code are compared with the test results to verify the numerical model and developed computer code. The developed code is in very good agreement with the test results and this numerical analysis model and method may replace the experimental and CFD method to predict the drop behavior of CRA.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제53권3호
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• pp.932-941
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• 2021

This paper suggests a fracture simulation method for SFR metallic fuel pin under accident condition. Two major failure mechanisms - creep damage and eutectic penetration - are implemented in the suggested method. To simulate damaged element, stress-reduction concept to reduce stiffness of the damaged element is applied. Using the proposed method, the failure size of cladding can be predicted in addition to the failure time and failure site. To verify the suggested method, Whole-pin furnace (WPF) test and TREAT-M test conducted at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) are simulated. In all cases, predicted results and experimental results are overall in good agreement. Based on the simulation result, the effect of eutectic-penetration depth representing failure behavior on failure size is studied.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제56권3호
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• pp.772-784
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• 2024

The hexagonal nodal code RENUS has been enhanced to handle irregularly deformed hexagonal assemblies. The underlying RENUS methods involving triangle-based polynomial expansion nodal (T-PEN) and corner point balance (CPB) were extended in a way to use line and surface integrals of polynomials in a deformed hexagonal geometry. The nodal calculation is accelerated by the coarse mesh finite difference (CMFD) formulation extended to unstructured geometry. The accuracy of the unstructured nodal solution was evaluated for a group of 2D SFR core problems in which the assembly corner points are arbitrarily displaced. The RENUS results for the change in nuclear characteristics resulting from fuel deformation were compared with those of the reference McCARD Monte Carlo code. It turned out that the two solutions agree within 18 pcm in reactivity change and 0.46% in assembly power distribution change. These results demonstrate that the proposed unstructured nodal method can accurately model heterogeneous thermal expansion in hexagonal fueled cores.

• 원예과학기술지
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• 제32권6호
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• pp.753-761
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• 2014

Growth and flowering of Cymbidium 'Red Fire' and 'Yokihi' plants were examined in a greenhouse with cooling systems in summer, and with night interruption (NI) lighting in winter as a forcing culture system. The greenhouse was divided into two sections with separate cooling controls during the summer season. One section was cooled by a mist system (mist), while the other section was cooled by a shade screen (shade). During the winter, the greenhouse was redivided into three sections within each cooling system. Plants were grown with NI either at a low light intensity of $3-7{\mu}mol{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}s^{-1}$(LNI) or a high l ight intensity of $120{\mu}mol{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}s^{-1}$(HNI) u sing h igh-pressure sodium l amps during the 22:00-02:00 HR. The control plants were grown under 9 h short-day condition. NI for 16 weeks and cooling for 9 weeks were employed twice during the 2 years of the experimental period. The air temperature was approximately $2^{\circ}C$ lower in the mist than in the shade and the relative humidity was 80 ${\pm}5%$ in the mist compared to $55{\pm}5%$ in the shade. The daily light integral in the mist section was 48% higher than in the shade section. The time from initial planting to flowering pseudobulb emergence decreased with both LNI and HNI for both cultivars, regardless of the cooling treatments. Under NI conditions, however, between 60% and 1 00% of plants of both cultivars flowered in the mist, whereas no or 20% of 'Red Fire' or 'Yokihi' plants, respectively, flowered in the shade treatment over 2 years. Plants grown under the mist had bigger pseudobulbs than those grown in the shade under both NI treatments. These results show that commercial use of NI in winter and a mist cooling system in summer would decrease crop production time to 2 years and increase profits in Cymbidium forcing culture.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제53권2호
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• pp.423-429
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• 2021

The investigation of the utilization of enriched ²⁰⁸Pb as a coolant to enhance the performance of a long-life fast reactor with a Modified CANDLE (Constant Axial shape of Neutron flux, nuclide densities, and power shape During Life of Energy production) burnup scheme has performed. The analyzes were performed on a reactor with thermal power of 800 MegaWatt Thermal (MWTh) with a refueling process every 15 years. Uranium Nitride (enriched ¹⁵N), ²⁰⁸Pb, and High-Cr martensitic steel HT-9 were employed as fuel, coolant, and cladding materials, respectively. One of the Pb-nat isotopes, ²⁰⁸Pb, has the smallest neutron capture cross-section (0.23 mb) among other liquid metal coolants. Furthermore, the neutron-producing cross-section (n, 2n) of ²⁰⁸Pb is larger than sodium (Na). On the other hand, the inelastic scattering energy threshold of ²⁰⁸Pb is the highest among Na, ^natPb, and Bi. The small inelastic scattering cross-section of ²⁰⁸Pb can harden the neutron energy spectrum. Therefore, ²⁰⁸Pb is a better neutron multiplier than any other liquid metal coolant. The excess neutrons cause more production than consumption of ²³⁹Pu. Hence, it can reduce the initial fuel loading of the reactor. The selective photoreaction process was developing to obtain enriched ²⁰⁸Pb. The neutronic was calculated using SRAC and JENDL 4.0 as a nuclear data library. We obtained that the modified CANDLE reactor with enriched ²⁰⁸Pb as coolant and reflector has the highest k-eff among all reactors. Meanwhile, the ^natPb cooled reactor has the lowest k-eff. Thus, the utilization of the enriched ²⁰⁸Pb as the coolant can reduce reactor initial fuel loading. Moreover, the enriched ²⁰⁸Pb-cooled reactor has the smallest power peaking factor among all reactors. Therefore, the enriched ²⁰⁸Pb can enhance the performance of a long-life Modified CANDLE fast reactor.

• 대한기계학회논문집A
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• 제38권12호
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• pp.1421-1426
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• 2014

소듐냉각고속로(Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor, SFR)의 안전성 향상을 위해 고온 증기 Rankine 싸이클 대신 초임계 이산화탄소(Supercritical $CO_2$, $S-CO_2$) Brayton 싸이클을 전력변환 시스템에 사용하는 방안이 제시되고 있다. 이 경우, 중간 열교환기로는 확산 접합(Diffusion Bonding)에 의해 제작되는 미소채널형 열교환기인 PCHE(Printed Circuit Heat Exchanger)가 고려되고 있다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 PCHE 형 열교환기 후보재료인 다양한 오스테나이트계 합금의 확산접합 특성을 평가하였다. 후보재료별로 다양한 조건에서 확산접합부를 제작하고 상온에서 $650^{\circ}C$까지의 인장 특성을 평가하였다. 평가 결과 SS 316H와 SS 347H는 $550^{\circ}C$까지 모재와 유사한 특성을 보였지만 Fe-Ni-Cr 합금인 Incoloy 800HT는 모든 온도에서 인장특성이 감소하였다. 연신율 저하의 원인을 이해하기 위해 접합부 부근의 미세조직을 분석하였다.

• 대한기계학회논문집A
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• 제38권12호
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• pp.1415-1420
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• 2014

소듐냉각고속로(Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor, SFR)의 증기 Rankine 싸이클 발전시스템을 높은 열효율과 안전성을 가지는 초임계 이산화탄소(Supercritical carbon dioxide, $S-CO_2$) Brayton 싸이클로 대체하는 방안이 고려되고 있다. 다양한 오스테나이트계 합금이 고온 $S-CO_2$ 환경 열교환시스템 구조재료로 제시되고 있다. 구조재료는 장시간 고온 $S-CO_2$ 환경에 노출됨에 따라 미세구조에 변화가 일어나고, 나아가 기계적 특성의 저하가 발생할 수 있다. 본 연구에서는 오스테니틱 스테인리스강들과 Alloy 800HT를 고온 $S-CO_2$ 환경에 노출시키고, 그에 따른 부식특성 및 인장특성을 평가하였다. 그 결과 $650^{\circ}C$, 250시간 노출 후 316H SS와 800HT에서 큰 연신율 감소를 보였다. $S-CO_2$ 환경이 인장특성 변화에 미치는 영향을 표면 산화막 및 탄화거동을 통해 분석한 결과, 316H 와 800H 의 거동이 큰 차이를 보였다.

• 대한기계학회논문집A
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• 제35권9호
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• pp.1083-1090
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• 2011

소듐냉각 고속로를 개발함에 있어 최대 현안 중 하나가 증기발생기에서의 소듐-물 반응사고 가능성이다. 이를 개선하기 위해 지금까지 수십 종 이상 연구개발 되었지만 국가마다 그 사양이 다르고, 동일한 기종이 후속기에 다시 활용되지 못할 정도로 기술이 안정화 상태에 도달하지 못하였다. 최근 개발되고 있는 증기발생기의 공통적 목표는 소듐-물 반응사고의 조기감지 및 제어, 증기발생기의 검사 및 보수가 쉽게 용접개수를 줄이고 경제성을 높인 Benson 증기사이클을 적용하는 것이다. 이 논문에서는 지금까지 설계 또는 활용한 증기발생기들의 사양과 문제점을 비교, 분석하였고, 이를 토대로 현안 극복방안을 제시하였다.