Nuclear Engineering and Technology

Korean Nuclear Society (한국원자력학회)
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Design and construction of fluid-to-fluid scaled-down small modular reactor platform: As a testbed for the nuclear-based hydrogen production

  • Ji Yong Kim (Department of Nuclear Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST)) ;
  • Seung Chang Yoo (Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety) ;
  • Joo Hyung Seo (Department of Nuclear Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST)) ;
  • Ji Hyun Kim (Department of Nuclear Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST)) ;
  • In Cheol Bang (Department of Nuclear Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST))
  • Received : 2023.08.06
  • Accepted : 2023.12.21
  • Published : 2024.03.25
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Abstract

This paper presents the construction results and design of the UNIST Reactor Innovation platform for small modular reactors as a versatile testbed for exploring innovative technologies. The platform uses simulant fluids to simulate the thermal-hydraulic behavior of a reference small modular reactor design, allowing for cost-effective design modifications. Scaling analysis results for single and two-phase natural circulation flows are outlined based on the three-level scaling methodology. The platform's capability to simulate natural circulation behavior was validated through performance calculations using the 1-D system thermal-hydraulic code-based calculation. The strategies for evaluating cutting-edge technologies, such as the integration of a solid oxide electrolysis cell for hydrogen production into a small modular reactor, are presented. To overcome experimental limitations, the hardware-in-the-loop technique is proposed as an alternative, enabling real-time simulation of physical phenomena that cannot be implemented within the experimental facility's hardware. Overall, the proposed versatile innovation platform is expected to provide valuable insights for advancing research in the field of small modular reactors and nuclear-based hydrogen production.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This work was supported by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power company through the project "Nuclear Innovation Center for Haeoleum Alliance" and partially supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government (MSIT) (No.2021M2D2A1A03048950).

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