• Journal of the KSME
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.28-31
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• 2010

이 글에서는 제4세대(Generation-IV) 원자로시스템의 자원활용 측면에서 핵연료 주기와 관련하여 새롭게 부각되고 있는 소듐냉각고속로(SFR: Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor)의 개발 목적 및 설계 특성을 기술하고 원자로 구조관점에서 가압경수로(PWR)와 비교 설명한다.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.19-30
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• 2014

The leading countries in nuclear technology development are concentrating their efforts on the development of Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor, which is one of the Generation-IV nuclear reactor systems characterized by a sustainability, an enhanced safety, proliferation resistance, and improved economics. Especially, the Republic of Korea is developing a Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor equipped with metallic-fuel. This type of fast reactor has superior inherent safety and passive safety characteristics. Further, sodium-cooled fast reactors enable the reuse of spent fuel and the closing of fuel cycle, thus, it increases the sustainability of nuclear energy. Many countries are planning the deployment of sodium-cooled fast reactors before 2050 in their energy mix.

• Nuclear industry
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.70-79
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• 2016

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.21-26
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• 2012

Microstructural and mechanical property were evaluated at the medium-sized HT9 (12Cr-1MoWV) forged steel which was considered as primary candidate for the fuel cladding in sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR). Material was forged at $1170^{\circ}C$ after the induction melting to make round bar as 160mm diameter, 7000mm length then the radial distribution of microstructure as well as microhardness was evaluated. The results showed that overall microstructure exhibited as ferrite-martensite structure, where small amount (2~3%) of delta ferrite was formed throughout the specimen and maximum 15% of transformed ferrite was formed at the center, where it gradually decreased toward the radial direction. Sensitivity analysis of the cooling curve and Time-Temperature-Transformation (TTT) diagram revealed that formation of transformed ferrite could be avoided when the diameter was decreased down to 120mm.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Surface Engineering Conference
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• 2018.06a
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• pp.98.1-98.1
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• 2018

소듐냉각 고속로 (SFR)는 원자력 발전의 가장 시급한 문제점으로 부각되고 있는 사용 후 핵연료를 재활용 하여 가동하는 원자로 이다. Generation IV로 명명되는 차세대 원자로 중에 하나로 국제 공동연구와 자체 연구를 통해 우리나라 고유의 기술이 축적되고 개발되고 있다. 현재 소듐냉각 고속로의 가장 큰 문제점 중의 하나는 금속핵연료와 피복관의 상호반응이다. 상호반응이 일어나면 공융현상을 일으켜 피복관의 녹는점이 낮아지고 피복관의 두께가 얇아져 원자로의 안전에 치명적인 위협이 된다. 이러한 문제를 해결하기 위해 전해도금 (electro-plating)을 활용하여 HT9 피복관 내면에 크롬을 도금하여 금속핵연료와 피복관의 상호반응을 억제하는 연구가 본 연구팀에서 진행되고 있다. 크롬과 전해도금을 코팅 물질과 코팅 방법으로 선정한 이유는 튜브 내면에 적용하기 용이하고 경제적인 코팅 방법이기 때문이다. 본 연구에서는 여러 가지 전해도금 인자 중 온도와 pulse 전류의 파형이 상호반응 방지 효과에 미치는 영향에 대하여 고찰하였다. 도금액의 온도를 $50{\sim}80^{\circ}C$, 전류 파형 중 on/off time을 1:1, 10:1, 1:10으로 하여 여러 HT9 시편을 도금하였고 모의 금속 핵연료 합금인 Ce-Nd와 확산 반응 실험을 수행하여 상호반응 방지 효과를 분석하였다. 광학현미경과 전자현미경을 이용한 미세구조 분석 결과 도금액의 온도가 $65^{\circ}C$ 이하인 시편에서는 미세균열이 심하게 발생하였고 그 균열을 통해서 물질이 확산하고 상호반응을 한다는 것이 관찰되었다. $65^{\circ}C$보다 높은 도금액의 온도에서 형성된 크롬막은 균열이 없고 상호반응 방지 효과가 좋은 것이 확인되었다. 특히 전류 파형의 on/off time이 1:1일 때 상호반응 방지 효과가 가장 좋은 것을 확인하였다. 이러한 결과는 크롬 전해도금의 코팅 조건이 상호반응 방지 효과에 매우 중요한 요인으로 작용한다는 것을 말해주고 있다.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.375-380
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• 2017

This paper reports the results of an acceleration test to predict the contact-induced failure that could occur at the cylinder-to-hole joint for the fuel rod of a sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR). To incorporate the fuel life of the SFR currently under development at KAERI (around 35,000 h), the acceleration test method of reliability engineering was adopted in this work. A finite element method was used to evaluate the flow-induced vibration frequency and amplitude for the test parameter values. Five specimens were tested. The failure criterion during the life of the SFR fuel was applied. The S-N curve of the HT-9, the material of concern, was used to obtain the acceleration factor. As a result, a test time of 16.5 h was obtained for each specimen. It was concluded that the $B_{0.004}$ life would be guaranteed for the SFR fuel rods with 99％ confidence if no failure was observed at any of the contact surfaces of the five specimens.

• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
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• 2008.05a
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• pp.199-200
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• 2008

• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
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• 2009.06a
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• pp.249-250
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• 2009

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.77-84
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• 2010

Reduction of oxides has been investigated for the volume reduction and recycling of the spent oxide fuel from commercial nuclear power plants. Various oxide reduction methods were proposed and KAERI (Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute) is currently developing an electrochemical reduction process using a LiCl-$Li_2O$ molten salt as a reaction medium. The electrochemical reduction process, the front end of the pyroprocessing, can connect the PWR (Pressurized Water Reactor) oxide fuel cycle to a metal fuel cycle of the sodium cooled fast reactor. This paper summarizes KAERI efforts on the development, improvement, and scale-up of the oxide reduction process.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.279-288
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• 2014

Nuclear energy is expected to meet the growing energy demand while avoiding CO2 emission. However, the problem of accumulating spent fuel from current nuclear power plants which is mainly composed of uranium oxides should be addressed. One of the most practical solutions is to reduce the spent oxide fuel and recycle it. Next-generation fuel cycles demand innovative features such as a reduction of the environmental load, improved safety, efficient recycling of resources, and feasible economics. Pyroprocessing based on molten salt electrolysis is one of the key technologies for reducing the amount of spent nuclear fuel and destroying toxic waste products, such as the long-life fission products. The oxide reduction process based on the electrochemical reduction in a LiCl-$Li_2O$ electrolyte has been developed for the volume reduction of PWR (Pressurized Water Reactor) spent fuels and for providing metal feeds for the electrorefining process. To speed up the electrochemical reduction process, the influences of the feed form for the cathode and the type of anode shroud on the reduction rate were investigated.