• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제37권4호
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• pp.317-326
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• 2005

The burning-out of excess plutonium from the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel and from the dismantlement of nuclear weapons is recently emphasized due to the difficulties in securing the final repository for the spent fuel and the necessity to consume the ex-weapons plutonium. An irradiation test in the Halden reactor was launched by the OECD Halden Reactor Project (HRP) to investigate the in-pile behavior of plutonium-embedded fuel as a form of mixed oxide (MOX) and of inert matrix fuel (IMF). The first cycle of irradiation was successfully accomplished with good integrity of test fuel rods and without any undesirable fault of instrumentations. The test results revealed that the MOX fuel is more stable under irradiation environments than IMF. In addition, MOX fuel shows lower thermal resistance due to its better thermal conductivity than IMF. The on-line measured in-pile performance data of attrition milled MOX fuel are used in the analysis of the in-pile performance of the fuel with the fuel performance code, COSMOS. The COSMOS code has been developed for the analysis of MOX fuel as well as $UO_2$ fuel up to high burnup and showed good capability to analyze the in-reactor behavior of MOX fuel even with different instrumentation.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제41권2호
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• pp.187-198
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• 2009

In this paper, three power ramp tests performed on high burn-up Re-crystallized Zircaloy2 - UO2 BWR fuel rods (56 to 63 MWd/kgU) within the SCIP project are simulated with METEOR and ALCYONE 3D. Two of the ramp tests are of staircase type up to Linear Heat Rates of 420 and 520 W/cm and with long holding periods. Failure of the 420 W/cm fuel rod was observed after 40 minutes. The third ramp test consisted of a more standard ramp test with a constant power rate of 80 W/cm/min up to 410 W/cm with a short holding time. The tests were first simulated with the METEOR 1D fuel rod code, which gave accurate results in terms of profilometry and fission gas releases. The behaviour of a fuel pellet fragment and of the cladding piece on top of it was then investigated with ALCYONE 3D. The size and the main characteristics of the ridges after base irradiation and power ramp testing were recovered. Finally, the failure criteria validated for PWR conditions and fuel rods with low-to-medium burn-ups were used to analyze the failure probability of the KKL rodlets during ramp testing.

• 한국분말재료학회지
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• 제6권3호
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• pp.209-214
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• 1999

The oxidation behavior of the simulated spent fuel of burn up 33 MWD/kgU was investigated to predict that of the spent fuel in the temperature ranges of 400 to $700^{\circ}C$ and was compared with those of $UO_2$. The forms of uranium oxides after the oxidation were conformed by XRD analyses. The oxidation rate at each the temperature and the activation energy were obtained. After complete oxidation, the simulated spent fuel was converted to $U_3O_8$ and pulverized to powder due to the density difference between the simulated spent fuel and uranium oxides. The activation energies were 85.35 and 30.77kJ/mol in the temperature ranges of 400$\leq$T($^{\circ}C$)$\leq$500 and 500$\leq$T($^{\circ}C$)$\leq$700, respectively.

• 한국원자력학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국원자력학회 1997년도 춘계학술발표회논문집(1)
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• pp.33-38
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• 1997

Criticality experiments with fixed neutron poison plates for water moderated and reflected low enriched(2.35 and 4.31 wt%) UO$_2$fuel rod clusters were evaluated to validate calculation techniques employed in analyzing fuel shipping and storage systems having steel, boral, or cadmium shield. Measurements were obtained for both the 2.35 wt% and the 4.31 wt% enriched rods in square pitched, water flooded lattices. The critical experiments with the 2.35 wt% enriched rods consists of three 20$\chi$ 16 or 20$\chi$ 17 fuel cluster. Critical separation were used in the experiments with the 4.31 wt% enriched fuel rods. In the experiments, the poison plates were placed on both sides of the centrally located fuel cluster. Critical separation between the three sub-critical fuel clusters were then measured for varying plate thicknesses and distances of the plates to the center fuel cluster. Calculations were performed for thirty eight critical configuration using KENO-V. a and MCNP. All of the results were within 1.23% in $\Delta$k when individually compared with the critical value of 1.0. Discrepancies of the code results are probably due to uncertainties in experiments and/or analytical modeling experiments. In general, MCNP predictions were observed to be in best agreement with the experiments.

• 방사성폐기물학회지
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• 제21권2호
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• pp.193-204
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• 2023

To ensure radiological safety margin in the transport and storage of spent nuclear fuel, it is crucial to perform source term and shielding analyses in advance from the perspective of conservation. When performing source term analysis on UO₂ fuel, which is mostly used in commercial nuclear power plants, uranium and oxygen are basically considered to be the initial materials of the new fuel. However, the presence of impurities in the fuel and structural materials of the fuel assembly may influence the source term and shielding analyses. The impurities could be radioactive materials or the stable materials that are activated by irradiation during reactor power operation. As measuring the impurity concentration levels in the fuel and structural materials can be challenging, publicly available information on impurity concentration levels is used as a reference in this evaluation. To assess the effect of impurities, the results of the source term and shielding analyses were compared depending on whether the assumed impurity concentration is considered. For the shielding analysis, generic cask design data developed by KEPCO-E&C was utilized.

• 비파괴검사학회지
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• 제26권2호
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• pp.69-76
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• 2006

차세대 원자로로 부각되고 있는 고온가스로에서는 윈자로에서는 고온 안정성 및 핵분열생성물 차단 성능이 우수한 TRISO(tri-isotropic) 핵연료를 사용하고 있다. TRISO 핵연료 입자는 직경이 약 1mm인 구 형태로 입자의 중심에는 직경 0.5mm의 핵연료 커널(kernel)이 포함되며 커널 외곽을 코팅 층이 에워싸고 있다. 이 코팅 층은 완충(buffer) PyC(pyrolytic carbon)층, 내부 PyC층, SiC층, 그리고 외부 PyC층으로 구성되어 있다. 각 코팅 층의 두께는 수십-백${\mu}m$ 범위이고 사양으로 정해져 있으며, 본 연구에서는 각 코팅 층의 두께를 비파괴적으로 측정하기 위하여 마이크로포커스 X-선 발생장치와 고해상도 X-선 평판(flat panel) 검출기초 구성된 정밀한 X-선 래디오그래피 장치를 개발하였다. 개발된 마이크로 X-선 래디오그래피 장치를 이용하여 $UO_2$ 핵물질 $ZrO_2$를 커널로 사용한 모의 TRISO 핵연료 입사에 대한 투과 영상을 획득한 후 디지털 영상처리 기술을 이용하여 코팅 층 사이의 경계선이 구분 가능하도록 영상을 개선하고 디지털 영상처리 알고리듬을 개발하여 코팅 층의 두께를 파동으로 측정하였다.

• 공업화학
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• 제7권6호
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• pp.1164-1173
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• 1996

현재 국내에서 가동중인 원자력발전소 공급용 핵연료 분말제조 공정에서 발생되는 폐액의 물성과 처리방법에 대한 연구가 수행되었다. 중수로형과 경수로형 발생 폐액에 함유된 우라늄을 회수/처리하기 위하여, 공히 폐액 속의 탄산이온의 제거가 필수적이다. 중수로형은 ADU 형태로 경수로형의 경우 $UO_4$ 화합물 형태로 처리하는 것이, 최종 폐액의 우라늄 농도를 최소화할 수 있었다. 처리후 폐액의 우라늄 농도는 중수로형 폐액의 경우, 폐액을 가열하여 ADU를 제조한 후 여액에 lime을 처리하는 방법으로 1ppm까지, 경수로형 폐액의 경우 $UO_4{\cdot}2NH_4F$형태로 우라늄을 침전시킬 경우 0.8ppm까지 여액중의 우라늄 농도를 낮출 수 있었다. 최적 처리조건은 중수로형 폐액의 경우 $101^{\circ}C$까지 단순 가열방법이, 경수로형 폐액의 경우 가열한 후 $60^{\circ}C$에서 암모니아로 pH를 9.5로 조절한 후 과산화수소 용액을 첨가하여 1시간 반응시키는 경우로 나타났다. 폐액으로부터 회수된 우라늄 화합물은, 중수로형 폐액인 경우 pH가 낮을수록 회수된 ADU 입자의 크기가 증가하였으며, 경수로형 폐액인 경우 회수된 uranium peroxide 화합물을 공기분위기에서 열분해시킨 결과 기존의 AUC 분말이 열분해되어 나타내는 특성과 동일한 특성을 보임에 따라 핵연료분말 제조공정으로 recycle이 가능한 것으로 판단되었다.

• 공업화학
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• 제8권3호
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• pp.430-437
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• 1997

핵연료 분말제조 공정에서 발생하는 여액중의 미량 우라늄과 과산화수소 용액을 반응시켜 uranyl-peroxide 화합물을 제조하였다. 여액에 $CO_3{^{2-}}$가 공존할 경우에는 용해되어 있는 $UO_2{^{2+}}$가 침전되지 않기 때문에, 여액을 $98^{\circ}C$로 가열하여 $CO_3{^{2-}}$를 우선 제거하였다. Uranyl-peroxide 화합물 제조시 최적조건으로는 암모니아 가스로 여액의 pH를 9.5로 조절한 후 과량의 과산화수소 용액을 10ml/lit.-filtrate로 첨가하여 1시간 ageing시킬 때이며, 처리후 여액중의 우라늄농도는 3ppm 이하로 나타났다. 제조된 uranyl-peroxide 화합물을 FT-IR, X-ray, TG 및 화학분석 등을 통해 분석한 결과 화합물의 조성은 $UO_4{\cdot}2NH_4F$로 나타났으며, 초기 생성된 $1{\sim}2{\mu}m$의 $UO_4{\cdot}2NH_4F$ 입자들은 반응온도 $60^{\circ}C$ 및 pH 9.5에서 약 $4{{\mu}m}$로 성장하였다. 최적조건에서 제조된 입자들의 고/액 분리효율은 pH의 증가 및 반응온도의 상승에 따라 증가하는 경향으로 나타났다. 한편, 제조된 입자들의 결정형태는 SEM 및 XRD에 의한 분석결과 octahedral 형태로 나타났으며, 이 분말을 공기분위기에서 $650^{\circ}C$까지 열분해한 결과 $U_3O_8$으로 판명되어 핵연료 분말제조 공정으로 재순환이 가능하였다.

• 한국방사성폐기물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국방사성폐기물학회 2005년도 춘계 학술대회
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• pp.344-349
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• 2005

Neutron count rate measurements to assay fissile content of uranium powder have been carried out in a neutron counter. The induced fission neutrons by Cf-252 neutron source are counted as the variation of fissile material in fuel material. The measured counts are compared with equivalent results obtained from calculation. It shows that the measured neutron counts versus quantity of $UO_2$ powder enrichment agreed reasonably well with the calculated values.

• 한국원자력학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국원자력학회 1997년도 춘계학술발표회논문집(2)
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• pp.67-73
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• 1997

By introducing the concept of overpressurization of rim pores due to dislocation punching, the total pressure exerted on the rim pores is estimated. Then this concept is combined with the assumption that all the fission gases produced in the rim region are retained in the rim region to calculate the rim porosity. Rim porosities calculated in this way are compared with measured data, which produces reasonable agreement. Finally a correlation for the thermal conductivity of the rim region is obtained using the hypothesis that the rim region consists of pores and fully dense material of UO$_2$.