• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.52 no.5
• /
• pp.937-946
• /
• 2020

The aim in the present work is to simulate accident scenarios of AP1000 during the small-break loss-of-coolant accident (SBLOCA) and investigate the performance and behavior of automatic depressurization system (ADS) during accidents by using MIDAC (The Module In-vessel Degradation severe accident Analysis Code). Four types of accidents with different hypothetical conditions were analyzed in this study. The impact on the thermal-hydraulic of the reactor coolant system (RCS), the passive core cooling system and core degradation was researched by comparing these types. The results show that the RCS depressurization becomes faster, the core makeup tanks (CMT) and accumulators (ACC) are activated earlier and the effect of gravity water injection is more obvious along with more ADS valves open. The open of the only ADS1-3 can't stop the core degradation on the basis of the first type of the accident. The open of ADS1-3 has a great impact on the injection time of ACC and CMT. The core can remain intact for a long time and the core degradation can be prevent by the open of ADS-4. The all results are significant and meaningful to understand the performance and behavior of the ADS during the typical SBLOCA.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
• /
• v.41 no.4
• /
• pp.399-406
• /
• 1997

The effects of different $K^+$ channel blockers were investigated on the non-adrenergic non-cholinergic (NANC) relaxations in the circular muscle of the rabbit proximal stomach. Non-selective blockers of $K^+$ channels, 4-aminopyridine (4-AP, 3~30${\mu}M$) and tetraethylammonium (TEA, 100~1000${\mu}M$) significantly enhanced the NANC relaxations in a concentration-dependent manner. The enhancement was more prominent for the NANC relaxations induced by the electric field stimulation (EFS) with lower frequencies. Blockers of large conductance $Ca^{2+}$-activated $K^+$ channels, charybdotoxin and iberiotoxin, a blocker of small conduntance $Ca^{2+}$-activated $K^+$ channels, apamin and a blocker of ATP-sensitive $K^+$ channels, glibenclamide had no effect on the NANC relaxations, respectively. Exogeneous administration of nitric oxide (NO, 1~30${\mu}M$) caused concentration-dependent relaxations which showed a similarity to those obtained with EFS. None of the $K^+$ channel blockers had an effect on the concentration-dependent relaxation in response to NO. These results suggest that prejunctional $K^+$ channels regulate the release of NO from the NANC nerve in the rabbit proximal stomach as the inhibition of prejunctional $K^+$ channels increases the NANC relaxation induced by the EFS.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.53 no.3
• /
• pp.763-775
• /
• 2021

The thermal hydraulic performances of Steam Generator (SG) under both steady and transient operation conditions are of great importance for the safety and economy in nuclear power plants. In this paper, based on our self-developed SG thermal hydraulic analysis code STAF (Steam-generator Thermalhydraulic Analysis code based on Fluent), an improved new version STAF-CT (fully Coupling and Transient) is developed and introduced. Compared with original STAF, the new version code STAF-CT has two main functional improvements including "Transient" and "Fully Three Dimensional Coupling" features. In STAF-CT, a three dimensional energy transferring module is established which can achieve energy exchange computing function at the corresponding position between two sides of SG. The STAF-CT is validated against the international benchmark experiment data and the results show great agreement. Then the U-shaped SG in AP1000 nuclear power plant is modeled and simulated using STAF-CT. The results show that three dimensional flow fields in the primary side make significant effect on the energy source distribution between two sides. The development of code STAF-CT in this paper can provide an effective method for further SG high fidelity research in the nuclear reactor system.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.55 no.3
• /
• pp.968-980
• /
• 2023

The dynamic structural responses are sensitive to the time-frequency content of seismic waves, and seismic input motions in time-history analysis are usually required to be compatible with design response spectra according to nuclear codes. In order to generate spectra-compatible input motions while maintaining the intrinsic non-stationarity of seismic waves, an improved time-domain approach is proposed in this paper. To maintain the nonstationary characteristics of the given seismic waves, a new time-frequency envelope function is constructed using the Hilbert amplitude spectrum. Based on the intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) obtained from given seismic waves through variational mode decomposition, a new corrective time history is constructed to locally modify the given seismic waves. The proposed corrective time history and time-frequency envelope function are unique for each earthquake records as they are extracted from the given seismic waves. In addition, a dimension reduction iterative technique is presented herein to simultaneously superimpose corrective time histories of all the damping ratios at a specific frequency in the time domain according to optimal weights, which are found by the genetic algorithm (GA). Examples are presented to show the capability of the proposed approach in generating spectra-compatible time histories, especially in maintaining the nonstationary characteristics of seismic records. And numerical results reveal that the modified time histories generated by the proposed method can obtain similar dynamic behaviors of AP1000 nuclear power plant with the natural seismic records. Thus, the proposed method can be efficiently used in the design practices.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.56 no.1
• /
• pp.9-18
• /
• 2024

In-vessel retention through external reactor vessel cooling (IVR-ERVC) is a severe accident management (SAM) strategy that has been adopted and used in many nuclear reactors such as AP1000, APR1400, and light water reactor etc. Some reactor accidents have raised concerns about nuclear reactors among residents, leading to a decrease in residents' acceptability and many studies on SAM are being conducted. Experiments on IVR-ERVC are almost impossible due to its specificity, so fluid characteristics are analyzed through BALI experiments with similar condition. In this study, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) via Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) and large eddy simulation (LES) for BALI experiments were performed. Steady-state CFD analysis was performed on three turbulence models, and SST k-ω model was in good agreement with the experimental measurement temperature within the maximum error range of 1.9%. LES CFD analysis was performed based on the RANS analysis results and it was confirmed that the temperature and wall heat flux for depth was consistent within an error range of 1.0% with BALI experiment. The LES CFD analysis results were compared with those of the Lagrangian-based solver. LES matched the temperature distribution better than SOPHIA, but SOPHIA calculated the position of boundary between stratified layer and convective layer more accurately. On the other hand, Lagrangian-based solver predicted several small eddy behaviors of the convective layer and LES predicted large vortex behavior. The vibration characteristics near the cooling part of the BALI experimental device were confirmed through Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) investigation. It was found that the power spectral density for pressure at least 10 times higher near the side cooling than near the top cooling.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
• /
• v.33 no.1
• /
• pp.25-34
• /
• 2006

Fluoride released from dental restorative materials effectively declines the incidence and activity of dental caries and inhibits tooth demineralization. This study investigated the fluoride release and uptake characteristics of one composite resin $(Z-250^{TM})$ three glass ionomer-based restorative material ($Dyract^{(R)}$ AP, Fuji II $LC^{(R)}$, Fuji IX GP $Fast^{(R)}$) Forty discs(6mm diameter and 1mm height) were prepared for each material. Each disc was immersed in 5ml of distilled water within polyethylene vial and stored at $37^{\circ}C$. The distilled water was changed every 24 hours and the release of fluoride was measured for 31 days. At the end of this period, each specimen was subjected to one of four treatments : (A) no fluoride treatment (control), (B) application of a fluoride dentifrice (500ppm) for three minutes three times; (C) application of the 1.23% acidulated phosphate fluoride(APF) foam for one minute once, (D) the same regimen as (B), plus application of the APF foam for one minute once. Then, all samples were reassessed for an additional 7 days. For all samples, the greatest fluoride release was observed after the first day of the study but diminished with time. On the 7th day of the study, fluoride release level was stabilized. Fuji II $LC^{(R)}$ and Fuji IX GP $Fast^{(R)}$ released higher amount of fluoride than other materials ; however, no statistically significant difference was found from Fuji II $LC^{(R)}$ and Fuji IX GP $Fast^{(R)}$. The amount of fluoride of $Dyract^{(R)}$ AP, Fuji II $LC^{(R)}$ and Fuji IX GP $Fast^{(R)}$ was increased after fluoride treatment, and diminished with time.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.171-180
• /
• 2011

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess changes in neuropeptide Y (NPY) immunoreactivity in the hypothalamus and interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) in the small intestine of rats fed high-fat diets (HFD). Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats (200~250 g body weight) were randomly divided into two groups, which were the control group (normal chow diet for 6 weeks), and the HFD group (rodent diet with 60% kcal fat for 6 weeks). The immunoreactivity of NPY in the hypothalamus and ICC in the small intestine was evaluated after every feed for 6 weeks. Results: NPY immunoreactivity was observed strongly in the hypothalamic nuclei in the HFD group compared to the control group. The numbers of NPY-immunoreactive (IR) cells were significantly higher in the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus in the HFD group than in the control group. In the region of Auerbach's plexus (AP) of small intestine, the staining intensity of the ICC-IR cells was reduced in the HFD group compared to the control group. The numbers of ICC in the small intestine with HFD, including ICC in the inner circular and outer longitudinal muscle were significantly lower than in the control group. Conclusion: This study suggested that increasing NPY-IR cells in the hypothalamus may reflect resistance of NPY action after a HFD, and decreasing ICC-IR cells in the small intestine after a HFD is functionally significant in gastrointestinal motility.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
• /
• v.17 no.3
• /
• pp.327-336
• /
• 1996

This study was performed to investigate the effec% of immersion in water and thermal cycling on the mechanical peoperties of light cured restorative composite resins. Five commerically available light-cured composite resins(Photo Clearfil A : CA, Lite-Fil A . LF, Clearril Photo Posterior CP, Prisms AP.H.. PA, 2100 : ZH) were unto The specimens of 12 m in diameter and 0.7 m in thickness were made, and an immersion in $37^{\circ}C$ water for 7 days and a thermal cycling of 1000 cycles at 15 second dwell time each in $5^{\circ}C$ and $55^{\circ}C$ baths were performed. Biaxial flexure test was conducted using the ball-on-three-ball method at the crosshead speed of 0.5mm/min. In order to investigate the deterioration of composite resins during the thermal cycling test, Weibull analysis for the biaxial flexure strengths was done. Fracture surfaces and the surfaces before and after the thermal cycling test were examined by SEM. The highest Weibull modulus value of 10.09 after thermal cycling tests which means the lowest strength variation, was observed in the CP group, and the lowest value of 4.47 was obsered in the LF Group. Biaxial flexure strengths and Knoop hardness numbers significantly decreased due to the thermal cycling ($\textit{p}$< 0.01), however, they recovered when specimens were drie4 The highest biaxial flexure strength of 125.65MPa was observed in the ZH group after the thermal cycling test, and the lowest value of 64.86MPa was observed in the CA group. Biaxial flexure strengths of ZH and CP groups were higher than those of PA, CF, and CA groups after thermal cycling test($\textit{p}$< 0.05). Knoop hardness numbers of CP group after the thermal cycling test was the highest(95.47 $\pm$ 7.35kg/$mm^2$) among the samples, while that of CA group was the lowest(30.73 $\pm$ 2.58kg/$mm^2$). Knoop hardness numbers showed the significant differences between the CP group and others after the thermal cycling test(($\textit{p}$< 0.05). Fracture surfaces showed that the composite resin failure developed along the matrix resin and the filler/resin interface region, and the cracks propagated in the conical shape from the maximum tensile stress zone.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers
• /
• v.13 no.5
• /
• pp.1032-1043
• /
• 1989

The heat transfer characteristics of the drag reducing polymer solutions are investigated experimentally in the thermal entrance region of circular tube flows. Fluids used in experiments are the aqueous solutions of high molecular polymer, polyacrylamide Separan AP-273 and the range of polymer concentrations is from 20 to 1000 wppm. Two stainless steel tubes with inside diameter 8.5mm(L/D=712) and 10.3mm(L/D=1160) are used for the heat transfer flow loops. The flow loop is set up to measure friction factors and heat transfer coefficients of test sections in two different modes; the recirculating flow system and once-through flow system. The test tubes are heated directly by electricity to apply the constant heat flux boundary conditions to the wall. Three different types of adaptors are used to observe the effects of the upstream flow conditions of the heat transfer test sections. The viscosity and characteristic relaxation time of the test fluids circulating in the flow system are measured by the capillary tube viscometer and falling ball viscometer at regular time intervals. The installed adaptors exhibit slight effect on the entrance heat transfer of Newtonian fluid. However, no noticeable effects are observed for the entrance heat transfer of the drag reducing fluids. The order of magnitude of the thermal entrance lengths of the drag reducing fluids which follow the minimum friction asymptote is much longer than that of Newtonian fluids in turbulent flows. A new dimensionless parameter, the viscoelastic Graetz number, is defined and all the experimental data are recasted in terms of the viscoelastic Graetz number. The local Nusselt number of the viscoelastic fluids is represented as a function of flow behavior index n and the viscoelastic Graetz number. As degradation continues the viscosity and the characteristic relaxation time of the testing fluids decrease. Weissenberg number defined by the relaxation time and D/V appears to be a proper dimensionless parameter in describing degradation effects on heat transfer of the viscoelastic fluids.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.53 no.8
• /
• pp.2534-2546
• /
• 2021

Nuclear emergency preparedness and response is an essential part to ensure the safety of nuclear power plant (NPP). Key support technologies of nuclear emergency decision-making usually consist of accident diagnosis, source term estimation, accident consequence assessment, and protective action recommendation. Source term estimation is almost the most difficult part among them. For example, bad communication, incomplete information, as well as complicated accident scenario make it hard to determine the reactor status and estimate the source term timely in the Fukushima accident. Subsequently, it leads to the hard decision on how to take appropriate emergency response actions. Hence, this paper aims to develop a method for rapid source term estimation to support nuclear emergency decision making in pressurized water reactor NPP. The method aims to make our knowledge on NPP provide better support nuclear emergency. Firstly, this paper studies how to build a Bayesian network model for the NPP based on professional knowledge and engineering knowledge. This paper presents a method transforming the PRA model (event trees and fault trees) into a corresponding Bayesian network model. To solve the problem that some physical phenomena which are modeled as pivotal events in level 2 PRA, cannot find sensors associated directly with their occurrence, a weighted assignment approach based on expert assessment is proposed in this paper. Secondly, the monitoring data of NPP are provided to the Bayesian network model, the real-time status of pivotal events and initiating events can be determined based on the junction tree algorithm. Thirdly, since PRA knowledge can link the accident sequences to the possible release categories, the proposed method is capable to find the most likely release category for the candidate accidents scenarios, namely the source term. The probabilities of possible accident sequences and the source term are calculated. Finally, the prototype software is checked against several sets of accident scenario data which are generated by the simulator of AP1000-NPP, including large loss of coolant accident, loss of main feedwater, main steam line break, and steam generator tube rupture. The results show that the proposed method for rapid source term estimation under nuclear emergency decision making is promising.