• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.515-522
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• 2003

Tritium behavior in the solid breeder blanket is one of the key factors in determining tritium self-sufficiency, as well as safety, of fusion reactors. Recently, a model has been developed to describe the tritium behavior in solid breeder material, which can predict the tritium release and inventory in the blanket. However, the model has limitation to account for tritium solubility effects, mainly existing as LiOT, especially inside the $Li_{2}O$ solid breeder. In order to improve the capability of predicting the LiOT precipitation in $Li_{2}O$ solid breeder, a new logic is developed and integrated in the existing tritium release and inventory calculation code. With the logic developed in this work, the code can have capabilities to analyze tritium release and inventories in $Li_{2}O$ under steady and transient conditions. It can be found that tritium inventory as LiOT is an important mechanism under pulsed operation, and the amount of inventory becomes higher as the tritium generation rate increases and the temperature decreases. Also, the temperature limits for the generation of LiOT precipitation are determined. Therefore the developed logic helps understand the tritium transport mechanism in $Li_{2}O$ solid breeder.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2006.08a
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• pp.215-215
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• 2006

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.401-422
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• 2005

We review here research and development progress achieved in US Plasma Chamber technology roughly over the last decade. In particular, we focus on two major programs carried out in the US: the APEX project (1998-2003) and the US ITER TBM activities (2003-present). The APEX project grew out of the US fusion program emphasis in the late 1990s on more fundamental science and innovation. APEX was commissioned to investigate novel technology concepts for achieving high power density and high temperature reactor coolants. In particular, the idea of liquid walls and the related research is described here, with some detailed examples of liquid metal and molten salt magnetohydrodynamic and free surface effects on flow control and heat transfer. The ongoing US ITER Test Blanket Module (TBM) program is also described, where the current first wall/blanket concepts being considered are the dual coolant lead lithium concept and the solid breeder helium cooled concepts, both using ferritic steel structures. The research described for these concepts includes both thermofluid MHD issues for the liquid metal coolant in the DCLL, and thermomechanical issues for ceramic breeder packed pebble beds in the solid breeder concept. Finally, future directions for ongoing research in these areas are described.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.7
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• pp.2174-2183
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• 2021

Helium cooled solid breeder blanket as an important blanket candidate of the Tokamak fusion reactor uses ceramic pebble bed for tritium breeding. Considering the poor effective thermal conductivity of the ceramic breeder pebble bed, thin structure of tritium breeder pebble bed is usually adopted in the blanket design. The container wall has a great influence on the thin pebble bed packing structure, especially for the assembly of mono-sized particles, and thin pebble bed will appear anisotropic effective thermal conductivity phenomenon. In this paper, thin ceramic pebble beds composed of 1 mm diameter Li₄SiO₄ particles are generated by the EDEM 2.7. The effective thermal conductivity of different thickness pebble beds in the three-dimensional directions are analyzed by three-dimensional thermal network method. It is observed that thin Li₄SiO₄ pebble bed showing anisotropic effective thermal conductivity under the practical design size. Normally, the effective thermal conductivity along the bed vertical direction is higher than the horizontal direction due to the gravity effect. As the thickness increases from 10 mm to 40 mm, the effective thermal conductivity of the pebble bed gradually increases.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.8
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• pp.2966-2976
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• 2023

A tritium breeder is a lithium-based material capable of producing tritium. Many researchers designing nuclear-fusion energy are studying tritium production using pebbles, which are solid-type breeders. The sphericity and size of the pebbles are critical in obtaining pebbles with good tritium-breeding efficiency. Furthermore, tritium-release efficiency can be increased by using pebbles with appropriate porosities. Promising raw materials for tritium-breeding materials include Li₄SiO₄ and Li₂TiO₃. Li₄SiO₄ has a higher lithium density than Li₂TiO₃ and exhibits excellent tritium-breeding efficiency. However, it has the disadvantage of being easily decomposed during the Li₄SiO₄-green-pebble sintering process because of its low structural stability at high temperatures and high lithium density. In this study, we attempted to determine the optimal conditions for manufacturing Li₄SiO₄ pebbles using the droplet-freeze-drying method. The optimal Li₄SiO₄ slurry conditions and sintering temperatures were determined. The optimal Li₄SiO₄ slurry-fabrication conditions were 3 wt% polyvinyl alcohol and 75 wt% Li₄SiO₄ based on the deionized-water weight content. The sintering temperature at which Li₄SiO₄ did not decompose and exhibited the optimum porosity of 10.8% was 900 ℃.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.02a
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• pp.231-231
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• 2012

7개 나라가 참여해서 공동으로 제작하고 있는 국제핵융합실험로(ITER)는 2020년경에 제작 설치가 완료될 예정이다. ITER 장치에는 6개의 시험 블랑켓 모듈(Test Blanket Module : TBM)이 장착될 예정이며, 그 중에서 한국도 1개를 독자적으로 제작해서 설치할 예정이다. 한국형 헬륨 냉각 고체형 증식(Helium Cooled Solid Breeder : HCSB) TBM이며, 한국은 ITER 참여국 중 유일하게 중성자 반사 재료를 채택한 것이 특징이다. 중성자 반사재료로는 지름 1 mm 내외의 흑연 페블에 SiC를 코팅해서 사용할 예정이다. SiC는 고온저방사화 물질로 차세대 핵융합로의 구조 재료로도 개발되고 있는 물질로, 이렇게 하면 흑연의 단점인 기계적 특성 향상뿐만 아니라, 산화나 화재 등에 대한 사고의 부담도 크게 줄일 수 있는 장점이 있다. 흑연위에 SiC를 코팅하는 방법은 여러 가지가 있으며, 그 중에서 비교적 간단한 건식 방법은 RF Sputtering, PECVD 등이 있다. 건식은 코팅방법이 간단하고 비교적 쉬운 편이지만 페블표면에 양질의 SiC 박막을 얻기가 쉽지 않은 단점이 있다. 이들 방법보다 습식법은 코팅이 까다롭지만 양질의 코팅막을 비교적 쉽게 얻을 수 있는 장점이 있다. CVD의 경우 전구체 물질로 여러 가지 물질이 사용될 수 있으며 대표적으로 $SiH_4$, $Si(CH_3)_4$, $CH_3SiCl_3$ 등이 있으며, 캐리어 가스로는 $H_2$가 사용된다. 이렇게 얻어진 SiC 코팅페블은 흑연에 비해 파괴강도도 향상되고 마모 등에 강한 것을 확인할 수 있었다.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2010.08a
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• pp.324-324
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• 2010

핵융합의 고체형 증식(Helium Cooled Solid Breeder : HCSB) 블랑켓(Blanket Module)은 삼중수소 증식을 위해서 Li4SiO4, Li2TiO3, Li2O 및 Li2ZrO3 등의 페블이 고려되고 있다. 이러한 페블을 제조하기 위해서는 먼저 각각의 분말 제조가 선행되어야 한다. 한국의 Test Blanket Module(TBM)은 Li4SiO4 페블을 개발을 개발하여 사용할 예정이고 옵션으로 Li2TiO3 페블을 개발하는 것으로 되어 있다. Li4SiO4 페블을 개발하기 위해서 먼저 분말합성이 필수적이다. Li4SiO4 분말을 합성에 하기 위해서는 Lithium 금속염과 실리카 졸을 용매 및 폴리머 캐리어로서의 두 가지 기능을 하는 에틸렌글리콜에 첨가한 후 가열하여 완전히 용해시킨 후 혼합 용액을 건조시켜 겔형의 전구체를 제조한다. 이를 하소한 후 결정화시켜 Silicate 분말을 얻는데 이때의 건조, 하소 및 결정화 온도의 조건에 따른 분말의 크기 및 특성이 각각 다르다. 즉, 바인더 물질의 비율과 합성온도에 따라 특성이 약간씩 다른 분말을 얻을 수 있었다. 이렇게 얻어진 Silicate 분말은 지르코니아 볼을 이용하여 약 24 시간 동안 볼 밀링 과정을 통해 입도가 작은 미세한 Silicate 분말로 만들었다. 합성된 분말은 여러 가지 시험 및 분석을 통해서 검증되었으며, 불순물 등은 관찰되지 않았다.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.563-573
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• 2000

Periodic outbreaks of Newcastle disease (ND) caused by velogenic viscerotropic ND virus (vvNDV) has become a major concern in Korea nowadays. Throughout last epidemic, the winter season in 2000, most chicken flocks infected early, under 2-4 weeks of age, showed high mortality up to 50-100%. Serum samples collected from 201 breeder, 284 layer and 112 broiler chicken flocks were examined to evaluate the efficacy of various vaccination methods and programs routinely used for mass vaccination in the field poultry farms. Despite repeated live vaccination, most poultry flocks vaccinated by drinking water route using nipple water supply system failed to produce solid active immune response to NDV during the growing time. In the present study, we applied the spray vaccination technique using Ulvavac or Desvac sprayer to the experimental poultry flocks and examined the efficacy of live vaccination effects induced by it under field condition. Measurable antibody to NDV as well as early protection against vvNDV challenge were found in poultry flocks vaccinated by spray route. Further, we did not found significant post vaccination reactions caused by spray vaccination if properly administered. These data indicate that the spray vaccination will be safe and reliable mass vaccination method for the prevention of ND.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.57-76
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• 2007

Marek's disease (MD) is caused by a ubiquitous, lymphotropic alphaherpesvirus, MD virus (MDV). MD has been a major concern in the poultry industry due to the emergence of increasingly virulent strains over the last few decades that were isolated in the face of comprehensive vaccination. MD is characterized by a variety of clinical signs, amongst them neurological symptoms, chronic wasting, and most notably the development of multiple lymphomas that manifest as solid tumors in the viscera and musculature. Much work has been devoted to study MD-induced oncogenesis and genes involved in this process. Among the many genes encoded by MDV, a number have recently been shown to affect the development of tumors in chickens, one protein directly causing transformation of cells (Meq) and another being involved in maintaining transformed cells (vTR). Other MDV gene products modulate and are involved in early lytic in vivo replication, thereby increasing the chance of transformation occurring. In this review, specific genes encoded by MDV that are involved in the initiation and/or maintenance of transformation were briefly summarized, and limits of current vaccination and new control strategies against MD, particularly how modem molecular biological methods may be used to improve strategies to combat the disease in the future, were discussed.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2011.02a
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• pp.415-415
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• 2011

국제핵융합실험로(ITER)에 장착되는 한국형 헬륨 냉각 고체형 증식(Helium Cooled Solid Breeder : HCSB) 시험 블랑켓(Test Blanket Module : TBM)은 ITER 참여국 중 유일하게 중성자 반사 재료를 채택한 것이 특징이다. 중성자 반사재료로는 지름 1 mm 내외의 흑연 페블을 사용 할 예정이다. 흑연은 중성자 반사특성은 우수하지만 기계적 특성이 비교적 좋지 않다는 단점이있다. 뿐만 아니라, 산화나 화재 등에 대해서도 취약하기 때문에 흑연이 노출된 상태로 사용하는 것은 위험부담이 클 수밖에 없다. 따라서 흑연을 코팅해서 사용하기 위한 연구개발이 진행 중이며, 코팅 후보물질로는 저방사화 및 고경도의 특성을 갖는 SiC가 유력시 되고 있다. 흑연위에 SiC를 코팅하는 방법은 여러 가지가 있으며, 그 중에서 비교적 간단한 RF Sputtering, PECVD를 이용해서 SiC를 코팅하고 그 특성을 평가했다. RF Sputtering에서 흑연의 온도를 상온으로 두었을 때는 SiC가 결정으로 성장되지 않는 것을 확인할 수 있었으며, $900^{\circ}C$ 이상의 온도에서 열처리과정을 거친 후 결정이 형성되는 것을 확인할 수 있었다. 그리고 열처리 온도가 $1200^{\circ}C$ 부근에서는 SiC nano-wire가 형성되는 것을 확인할 수 있었다. PECVD의 경우 전구체 물질로 사용된 $SiH_4$와 $CH_4$의 비율에 따라서 SiC의 형성비율이 다른 것을 알 수 있었으며, 결정 상태는 성장시 기판온도에 크게 의존하는 것을 확인할 수 있었다. 최근에는 보다 효율적으로 SiC를 코팅하기 위하여 흑연페블을 spouting시키면서 코팅할 수 있는 CVD 장치를 설계-제작했으며, 전구체 물질로는 $SiH_4$, $Si(CH_3)_4$, $CH_3$ $SiCl_3$ 등이 사용될 예정이다.