• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
• /
• 1996.05a
• /
• pp.556-561
• /
• 1996

원자력발전소에서 표준주기는 장주기운전에 비해 상대적으로 잦은 연차보수로 인한 발전소 안전관리 및 경제성 측면에서 불리하여 점차 장주기 운전으로 전환하고 있는 것이 세계적 추세이다. 영광 3호기를 시작으로 국내에서 본격 가동되고 있는 1000MWe급 한국형표준원전은 12개월 주기로 운전되고 있으나 미국내 CE형 동급 발전소는 이미 18개월 주기가 상용 채택되고 있다. 국내 CE형 발전소에도 장주기 운전방침을 채택할 경우 발전소 이용률 향상은 물론이고 단주기의 취약점을 개선할 수 있는 효과를 기대할 수가 있다. 따라서 본 논문은 영광 3,4호기 원자력발전소에서의 장주기 운전에 따른 계통설계 안정성 평가를 통하여 장주기운전 적용 타당성 분석을 수행하였다.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.129-143
• /
• 2012

This paper demonstrates the effectiveness of advanced spatial modeling techniques for environmental monitoring and impact assessment through a case study of Chernobyl nuclear accident occurred in 1986. Land-cover types changed after the accident are analysed by a post classification comparison method using bi-temporal Landsat TM data acquired in 1986 and 1992 near the accident site. Spatial modeling including various kriging algorithms are also applied to analyze the relationships between Cesium concentrations in soil and thyroid cancer incidence rates in Belarus, which was greatly damaged by the accident. The change detection results clearly showed the decrease of croplands and the increase of abandoned lands, and concrete structures were newly built around the nuclear plant to prevent the spread of radioactive contamination. In Belarus, high Cesium concentrations were observed in southern areas with high thyroid cancer risk estimated by Poisson kriging. Geographically weighted regression, which could account for geographic variations of independent variables including Cesium concentrations and distances from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, was applied to extract the relationships between the independent variables and the thyroid cancer risk. The estimated risk values showed a correlation coefficient value of 0.98 with respect to the thyroid cancer risk values, which implied that the thyroid cancer risk in Belarus was affected by the accident. In conclusion, it is expected that advanced spatial modeling techniques applied in this study would be useful for environmental impact assessment and public health research.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
• /
• v.27 no.2
• /
• pp.261-286
• /
• 2018

This paper evaluated the economic feasibility of the life extension of Kori unit 1 and Wolsong unit 1 according to the types of the nuclear power plants (NPPs) and the life extension period comparing to the levelized costs of energy (LCOE) of the new NPPs, coal-fired plants (CFPs), and combined cycle gas turbine (CCGTs) which proposed in the $7^{th}$ Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand. The economic feasibility of the life extension of NPPs using LCOE method is affected by the types of NPPs, lifetime extension periods, discount rate, and capacity factor. According to the analysis results, the pressurized light water reactor (PWR) is more economical than the pressurized heavy water reactor (PHWR). Comparing the economical efficiency between the life extension of NPPs and other alternatives, the operation of the PWR for 20 years is more economical than the one of new NPPs and CFPs. However, 20 years of life extension of PHWR is more economical than the CCGTs, but less economical than new NPPs and CFPs. In summary, the 20 years of life extension of the NPPs seems to be more, especially for the PWR, which is more cost effective than other generation alternatives. Therefore, the government policy of the life extension of NPPs need to be a selective approach that simultaneously considers both safety and economics rather than closing all NPPs.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.87-100
• /
• 2022

Unit capacity factor (utilization rate) of nuclear power plants (NPPs) is an important performance indicator. Since the first commercial operation of Kori Unit 1 began in April 1978, the utilization rate of domestic NPPs has gradually increased, reaching 90% from the end of the 1990s. However, due to various issues such as the Fukushima accident in 2011, corrosion of the CLP, the utilization rate dropped to 65~80%. In the early 1980s, the utilization rate of the U.S. NPPs was around 60%. However, since 2004, it has been consistently maintained above 90%. Therefore, in this study, we first examined the causes of declining the utilization rate in domestic NPPs. Next, the significances of the utilization rates are reviewed in five aspects: investment capability, electricity rate, safety and export, etc., with discussion on the current status of the utilization rates in the U.S. Based on this, three key factors are derived as the reasons of the increasing: equipment reliability program, on-line maintenance and the pursuit of institutional rationality. And finally, by synthesizing above results, the measures for increasing the utilization rate of domestic NPPs are proposed in terms of equipment management, institutional improvements, and personnel resources.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.26 no.1
• /
• pp.140-148
• /
• 1994

A qualification test was performed for the iron removal chemical cleaning of the secondary side of nuclear steam generators at the selected temperature, 1$25^{\circ}C$, higher than the standard application temperature, 93$^{\circ}C$. The field cleaning condition for a nuclear unit was tested in a bench scale test loop including a SUS 316 stainless steel autoclave with one gallon capacity as a test vessel. The kinetics of sludge dissolution, corrosion of the secondary side materials and change of solvent chemistry were monitored. Test results indicated that more thorough cleaning was accomplished in less than half of the cleaning time required at 93$^{\circ}C$. And the total corrosions of the secondary side materials were found to be less than the values at 93$^{\circ}C$. While the solvent is recirculated and heated by an external chemical cleaning equipment for the conventional 93$^{\circ}C$ process, the secondary side is heated by the lateral heat of the primary coolant without the recirculation of the cleaning solution, and the solvent is mixed by vigorous boiling induced by periodic ventilation for the high temperature process. The requirement that the reactor coolant pumps should be running during the cleaning operation is the major disadvantage of the high temperature process which also should be considered when chemical cleaning is planned for steam generators under operation.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
• /
• v.10 no.1
• /
• pp.50-63
• /
• 1985

A derivation of new release limit, named Derived Release Limit(DRL), into the atomsphere from a reference nuclear power plant has been performed on the basis of the new system of dose limitation recommended by the ICRP, instead of the (MPC)a limit which has been currently used until now as a general standard for radioactive effluents in Korea. In DRL Calculation, a Concentration Factor Method was applied, in which the concentrations of long-term routinely released radionuclides were in equilibrium with dose in environment under the steady state condition. The analytical model used in the exposure pathway analysis was the one which has been suggested by the USNRC and the exposure limits applied in this analysis were those recommended by the USEPA lately. In the exposure pathway analysis, all of the pathways are not considered and some may be excluded either because they are not applicable or their contribution to the exposure is insignificant compared with other pathways. In case, the environmental model developed in this study was applied to the Kori nuclear power plant as the reference power plant, the highest DRL value was calculated to be as $9.10{\times}10^6Ci/yr$ for Kr-85 in external whole body exposure from the semi-infinite radioactive cloud, while the lowest DRL value was observed 3.64Ci/yr for Co-60 in external whole body exposure from the contaminated ground, by the radioactive particulates. The most critical exposure pathway to an individual in the unrestricted area of interest (Kilchun-Ri, 1.3 km to the north of the release point) seems to be the exposure pathway from the contaminated ground and the most critical radionuclide in all pathways appears to be Co-60 in the same pathway. When comparing the actual release rate from KNU-l in 1982 with the DRL's obtained here the release of radionuclides from KNU-1 were much lower than the DRL's and it could be conclued that the exposure to an individual had been kept below the exposure limits recommended by the USEPA.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
• /
• v.24 no.4
• /
• pp.215-223
• /
• 1999

Characteristics of radiation field in the steam generator(S/G) water chamber of a PWR were investigated and the anticipated effective dose rates to the worker in the S/G chamber were evaluated by Monte Carlo simulation. The results of crud analysis in the S/G of the Kori nuclear power plant unit 1 were adopted for the source term. The MCNP4A code was used with the MIRD type anthropomorphic sex-specific mathematical phantoms for the calculation of effective doses. The radiation field intensity is dominated by downward rays, from the U-tube region, having approximate cosine distribution with respect to the polar angle. The effective dose rates to adults of nominal body size and of small body size(The phantom for a 15 year-old person was applied for this purpose) appeared to be 36.22 and 37.06 $mSvh^{-1}$) respectively, which implies that the body size effect is negligible. Meanwhile, the equivalent dose rates at three representative positions corresponding to head, chest and lower abdomen of the phantom, calculated using the estimated exposure rates, the energy spectrum and the conversion coefficients given in ICRU47, were 118, 71 and 57 $mSvh^{-1}$, respectively. This implies that the deep dose equivalent or the effective dose obtained from the personal dosimeter reading would be the over-estimate the effective dose by about two times. This justifies, with possible under- or over- response of the dosimeters to radiation of slant incidence, necessity of very careful planning and interpretation for the dosimetry of workers exposed to a non-regular radiation field of high intensity.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
• /
• v.20 no.2
• /
• pp.154-162
• /
• 2011

PMT(Preventive Maintenance Template) is a standardized maintenance program that describes maintenance items & period as operation condition to increase component reliability at the component level. The existing maintenance programs are focused on time based maintenance to inspect and repair component depend on fixed period. But recently, we have developed advanced maintenance program(named PMT) to increase reliability and optimize maintenance program of the plant significant component. This paper presents how to develop the PMT for nuclear power plant's static exciter.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
• /
• v.40 no.6
• /
• pp.539-546
• /
• 2016

In this paper, the effect of J-R curve changes on the determination of parameters in a failure model owing to the presence or absence of a side groove in a C(T) specimen is investigated. A stress-modified fracture strain model is implemented for FE damage simulations. C(T) specimens were taken from SA508 grade 1a low-alloy steel piping material, and some of them were processed with a side groove. Fracture toughness tests were performed at room temperature and at $316^{\circ}C$. The parameters of the failure model were determined by damage simulations using the J-R curves obtained from the tests. Finally, the results show that the determination of failure model parameters is not affected by variations in J-R curves owing to the presence or absence of a side groove.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.147-176
• /
• 2019

This paper uses research on the Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) in South Korea to conduct a simulation analysis on the impact of nuclear power dependency and usage rates on the social costs of power generation. We compare the $7^{th}$ basic plan for long-term electricity supply and demand, which was designed to increase nuclear power generation, to the $8^{th}$ basic plan for long-term electricity supply and demand that decreased nuclear power generation and increased renewable energy generation in order to estimate changes in social costs and electricity rates according to the power generation mix. Our environmental generation mix simulation results indicate that social costs may increase by 22% within 10 years while direct generation cost and electricity rates based on generation and other production costs may increase by as much as 22% and 18%, respectively. Thus we confirm that the power generation mix from the $8^{th}$ basic plan for long-term electricity supply and demand compared to the $7^{th}$ plan increases social costs of generation, which include environmental external costs.