• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.307-314
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• 2001

The changes of weight gain, structure, morphology and uranium oxidation states in l0wt% G $d_2$ $O_3$-doped U $O_2$ during the oxidation below 475$^{\circ}C$ and heat treatment at 130$0^{\circ}C$ in air were investigated using TGA, XRD, SEM, EPMA and XPS. The room temperature ( $U_{0.86}$G $d_{0.14}$) $O_2$Cubic Phase Converted to highly distorted ( $U_{0.86}$G $d_{0.14}$)$_3$ $O_{8}$ -type sing1e Phase by oxidation at 475 $^{\circ}C$ in air. This oxidized phase was reduced by annealing at 130$0^{\circ}C$ in air. The room temperature XRD pattern of the 130$0^{\circ}C$ annealed powder revealed that ( $U_{0.86}$G $d_{0.14}$)$_3$ $O_{8}$ -type single phase was separated into Gd-depleted $U_3$ $O_{8}$ and Gd-enriched ( $U_{0.7}$G $d_{0.3}$) $O_2$$_{+x}$ type cubic phase. The reduction and phase separation by the high temperature annealing of kinetically metastable and highly deformed ( $U_{0.86}$G $d_{0.14}$)$_3$ $O_{8}$ -type phase are interpreted in terms of cation size difference between G $d^3$$^{+}$ and U according to the oxidation state of U.U.U.U.U.te of U.U.U.U.U.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.131-137
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• 2007

The urania-gadolinia fuels were dissolved with nitric acid. The analytical conditions of ICP-AES for the direct determinations of gadolinium in the uranium matrices without separation process were investigated. Based on the effect of uranium on gadolinium intensity, the best wavelength for gadolinium was 336.223 nm. The relative deviation of two methods, direct and indirect measurements with anion exchange chromatography, was less than 5 %. Therefore it was possible for this procedure directly to measure 5~10 wt.% of gadolinium in urania-gadolinia fuels without separation by ICP-AES.

• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
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• 2005.11b
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• pp.149-155
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• 2005

The $ACP^1$ is under development for effective management of spent fuel by converting $UO_2$ into U-metal. For demonstration of this process, $\alpha-\gamma$ type new hotcell was built in the $IMEF^2$ basement. To secure against radiation hazard, this facility needs radiation monitoring system which will observe the entire operating area before the hotcell and service area at back of it. This system consists of 7 parts; Area Monitor for $\gamma$-ray, Room Air Monitor for particulate and iodine in both area, Hotcell Monitor for hotcell inside high radiation and rear door interlock, Duct Monitor for particulate of outlet ventilation, Iodine Monitor for iodine of outlet duct, CCTV for watching workers and material movement, Server for management of whole monitoring system. After installation and test of this, radiation monitoring system will be expected to assist the successful ACP demonstration.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.1277-1283
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• 2024

This study presents a radiation-induced thermal conductivity degradation (TCD) model of zirconium as compared to the conventional UO2 TCD model. We derived the governing factors of the radiation-induced TCD model, such as maximum TCD value and temperature range of TCD. The maximum TCD value was derived by two methods, in which 1) experimental result of 32 % TCD was directly utilized as the maximum TCD value and 2) a theoretical approach based on dislocation was applied to derive the maximum TCD value. Further, the temperature range of TCD was determined to be 437-837 K by 1) experimental results of post-annealing of irradiation hardening as compared to 2) the rate theory and thermal equilibrium. Consequently, the radiation-induced TCD model of zirconium was derived to be $f_r=1-{\frac{0.32}{1+{\exp}\,\{(T-637)/45\}}}$. Because the thermal conductivity of zirconium is one of the factors determining the storage and transport system, this newly proposed model could improve the safety analysis of spent fuel storage systems.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.499-507
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• 2020

Research reactors for radioisotope production, fuel and material testing and research activities are designed, constructed and operated based on the society's needs. In this study, neutronic and thermal hydraulic design of a high neutron flux research reactor core for radioisotope production is presented. Main parameters including core excess reactivity, reactivity variations, power and flux distribution during the cycle, axial and radial power peaking factors (PPF), Pu₂₃₉ production and minimum DNBR are calculated by nuclear deterministic codes. Core calculations performed by deterministic codes are validated with Monte Carlo code. Comparison of the neutronic parameters obtained from deterministic and Monte Carlo codes indicates good agreement. Finally, subchannel analysis performed for the hot channel to evaluate the maximum fuel and clad temperatures. The results show that the average thermal neutron flux at the beginning of cycle (BOC) is 1.0811 × 10¹⁴ n/㎠-s and at the end of cycle (EOC) is 1.229 × 10¹⁴ n/㎠-s. Total Plutonium (Pu₂₃₉) production at the EOC evaluated to be 0.9487 Kg with 83.64% grade when LEU (UO₂ with 3.7% enrichment) used as fuel. This designed reactor which uses LEU fuel and has high neutron flux and low plutonium production could be used for peaceful nuclear activities based on nuclear non-proliferation treaty concepts.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.40 no.9
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• pp.916-920
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• 2003

The change of structure and morphology in ( $U_{0.913}$G $d_{0.087}$) $O_2$ during oxidation at 475$^{\circ}C$ and heat treatment at 130$0^{\circ}C$ in air were investigated using XRD, SEM, and EPMA. The ( $U_{0.913}$G $d_{0.087}$) $O_2$ cubic phase converted to ( $U_{0.913}$G $d_{0.087}$)$_3$ $O_{8}$ orthorhombic phase by oxidation at 475$^{\circ}C$ in air. The XRD and EPMA result of the 130$0^{\circ}C$ heat treated powder revealed that ( $U_{0.913}$G $d_{0.087}$)$_3$ $O_{8}$ orthorhombic phase was separated into $U_3$ $O_{8}$ and ( $U_{0.67}$G $d_{0.33}$) $O_{2+}$x/ cubic phase. The weight variations of (U,Gd) $O_2$ with various Gd contents were measured using TGA at the same heat treated condition. The weight variation during the heat treatment of Gd dissolve (U,Gd) $O_2$ in air can be expressed in terms of phase reaction equations related with oxidation and phase separation. Based on these phase reaction, a initial content of Gd dissolved in (U,Gd) $O_2$ can be exactly calculated by measuring the weight change during the heat treatment.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2001.06e
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• pp.51-56
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• 2001

Vapor explosion is one of the most important problems encountered in severe accident management of nuclear power plants. In spite of many efforts, a lot of questions still remain for the fundamental understanding of vapor explosion phenomena. Therefore, KAERI launched a real material experiment called TROI using 20 kg of UO2 and ZrO2 to investigate the vapor explosion phenomena. In addition, a small-scale experiment with molten-tin/water system was performed to quantify the characteristics of vapor explosion and to understand the phenomenology of vapor explosion. A number of instruments were used to measure the physical change occurring during the vapor explosion. In this experiment, the vapor explosion generated by molten fuel water interaction is visualized using high speed camera and the pressure behavior accompanying the explosion is investigated.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.249-257
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• 2015

A fuel assembly consists of fuel rods composed of pellets (UO2) and a cladding tube (Zircaloy). The role of the fuel rods in the reactor is to generate heat by nuclear fission, as well as to retain fission products during operation. A simulation method using a computer program was used to evaluate the safety of the nuclear fuel rods. This computer program has been called the fuel performance code. In the analysis of a light water reactor fuel rod, the gap conductance, which depended on the distance between the pellets and cladding tube, mainly influenced the thermomechanical behavior of the fuel rod. In this work, a 3D gap element was proposed to simulate the thermo-mechanical behavior of the nuclear fuel rod, considering the gap conductance. To implement the proposed 3D gap element, a 3D thermo-mechanical module was also developed using FORTRAN90. The asymmetric characteristics of the nuclear fuel rod, such as the MPS (missing pellet surface) and eccentricity, were simulated to evaluate the proposed 3D gap element.

• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
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• 2005.06a
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• pp.426-427
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• 2005

Advanced Spent Fuel Conditioning Process (ACP) is a pyrochemical process in which the spent fuel of PWR is transformed into the uranic metal ingot. Through this process, which has been developed in KAERI since 1998, the radioactivity, the radiotoxicity, the heat and the volume of the PWR spent fuel are reduced by a quarter of the original. To demonstrate a lab-scale process and extract the data for the later pilot-scale process, a demonstration facility of ACP (ACPF) is under construction and the lab-scale demonstration is slated for 2006. To establish the safeguardability of ACPF, a safeguards system including a neutron counter based on non-destructive assay, which is named as ACP Safeguards Neutron Counter (ASNC), the ACP Safeguards Surveillance System (ASSS) which consists of two neutron monitors and five IAEA cameras, and Laser Induced Breakdown System (LIBS) have been developed and are ready to be installed at ACPF. The target materials of ACP to assay with ASNC are categorized into three types among which the first is the uranic metal ingot, the second is the salt waste and the last is $UO_2$ and $U_{3}O_8$ powders, rod cuts and hulls. The Pu content of process nuclear materials can be accounted with ASNC. The ASSS is integrated in the ACP Intelligent Surveillance Software (AISS) in which the IAEA camera images and background signals at the rear doors of ACPF are displayed. The composition of special nuclear materials of ACP can be measured with LIBS which can be a supporting measurement tool for ASNC. The conceptual picture of safeguards system of ACPF is shown in Fig. 1.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.7
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• pp.2367-2375
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• 2022

In this work, we propose a new mechanistic model for the treatment of helium behaviour at the grain boundaries in oxide nuclear fuel. The model provides a rate-theory description of helium inter-granular behaviour, considering diffusion towards grain edges, trapping in lenticular bubbles, and thermal resolution. It is paired with a rate-theory description of helium intra-granular behaviour that includes diffusion towards grain boundaries, trapping in spherical bubbles, and thermal re-solution. The proposed model has been implemented in the meso-scale software designed for coupling with fuel performance codes SCIANTIX. It is validated against thermal desorption experiments performed on doped UO₂ samples annealed at different temperatures. The overall agreement of the new model with the experimental data is improved, both in terms of integral helium release and of the helium release rate. By considering the contribution of helium at the grain boundaries in the new model, it is possible to represent the kinetics of helium release rate at high temperature. Given the uncertainties involved in the initial conditions for the inter-granular part of the model and the uncertainties associated to some model parameters for which limited lower-length scale information is available, such as the helium diffusivity at the grain boundaries, the results are complemented by a dedicated uncertainty analysis. This assessment demonstrates that the initial conditions, chosen in a reasonable range, have limited impact on the results, and confirms that it is possible to achieve satisfying results using sound values for the uncertain physical parameters.