• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제56권2호
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• pp.552-557
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• 2024

The actual swelling of AgInCd absorber might exceed the predicted swelling value after years of service in pressurized water reactors, and the chemical and microstructural changes of AgInCd absorber induced by transmutation reactions are the main reason for the swelling acceleration of AgInCd absorber. In the present study, a model for calculating the irradiation swelling of AgInCd absorber in nuclear control rods is developed according to chemical and microstructural changes of AgInCd absorber. In this model, the chemical compositions of AgInCd absorber as a function of the thermal neutron fluence are firstly calculated, and then the volume of AgInCd absorber after irradiation is obtained on the basis of the crystallographic parameters of phases in the AgInCd absorber, and the irradiation swelling of AgInCd absorber is finally calculated. The crystallographic parameters can be obtained by preparing the simulated AgInCd alloys and fitting the experimental data. The model calculating results of irradiation swelling are in good agreement with the actual swelling data in literature. More importantly, the present model can well explain the EPRI results of the acceleration in the diametral swelling rate above 6-8 × 10²⁰ n/cm² and the decrease in the diametral swelling rate above about 2 × 10²¹ n/cm².

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제52권2호
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• pp.344-351
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• 2020

AgInCd alloy is widely used as neutron absorber in nuclear reactors. However, the AgInCd control rods may fail during service due to the irradiation swelling. In the present study, a calculational method is proposed to calculate the composition change of the AgInCd absorber. Calculated results show that neutron fluence has significant impact on the chemical compositions. Ag and In contents gradually decrease while Cd and Sn conversely increases from the center to the rim of AgInCd absorber due to the depression of neutron flux. The composition change at the surface is higher almost two times than that at the center. Based on the calculated compositions, six simulated AgInCdSn alloys were prepared and examined. With the increase of Cd and Sn, the simulated AgInCdSn alloys transform from a single fcc phase into the mixed fcc and hcp phases, and finally into the single hcp phase. The atomic volume of the hcp phase is obviously larger than the fcc phase. The fcc-hcp transformation results in considerable volume swelling of the AgInCd absorber. Moreover, the lattice parameters of the fcc and hcp phases gradually increase with Cd and Sn contents, which also can induce small volume swelling.

• 한국진공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국진공학회 2014년도 제46회 동계 정기학술대회 초록집
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• pp.461.1-461.1
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• 2014

본 연구진에서는 기존에 Ag2S 양자점을 흡광층으로 활용하여 양자점 감응형 태양전지(QDSC)를 제작, 그 성능과 특징을 분석하여 발표한 바 있다. 기존 연구에서 제작된 Ag2S QDSC는 11 mA/cm2의 비교적 높은 광전류와 260 mV의 비교적 낮은 전압으로 인해 1.2%의 광전환효율 성능을 나타내는 것으로 보고되었다. 추후 연구로 진행된 본 결과에서는, 기존에 Single absorber로 사용된 Ag2S의 한계를 보완하기 위해 CdS를 도입하여 co-sensitization을 활용하였다. CdS는 약 2.3 eV의 밴드갭 에너지를 갖는 물질로, 1.1 eV의 밴드갭을 갖는 Ag2S에 비해 흡광 영역은 좁지만 그만큼 전자-정공 재결합을 억제할 수 있는 장점을 가지고 있다. 또한, 전도층으로 사용한 n-type 물질인 ZnO 나노선과의 밴드구조가 매우 적합하게 조화되어, ZnO/CdS/Ag2S 순서로 이종구조를 접합시켰을 때 세 물질의 Conduction band level과 Valence band level이 순차적으로 연결되는 cascade-shaped 밴드구조를 이루게 된다. 빛을 받아 Ag2S와 CdS에서 생성된 전자는 이 cascade 모양의 conduction band를 따라 순차적으로 ZnO로 잘 전달되게 되어, 효율 향상에 큰 도움을 주었다. 이런 장점들로 인해, CdS-Ag2S co-sensitized QDSC는 Ag2S QDSC에 비해 2배나 향상된 효율인 2.4%를 기록하였으며, 이는 IPCE spectrum 측정 등으로 근거가 뒷받침되었다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제46권4호
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• pp.513-520
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• 2014

In this paper, three types of operational and industrial absorbers used at research reactors, including Ag-In-Cd alloy, $B_4C$, and Hf are selected for sensitivity analyses. Their integral effects on the main neutronic core parameters important to safety issues are investigated. These parameters are core excess reactivity, shutdown margin, total reactivity worth of control rods, thermal neutron flux, power density distribution, and Power Peaking Factor (PPF). The IAEA 10 MW benchmark core is selected as the case study to verify calculations. A two-dimensional, three-group diffusion model is selected for core calculations. The well-known WIMS-D4 and CITATION reactor codes are used to carry out these calculations. It is found that the largest shutdown margin is gained using the $B_4C$; also the lowest PPF is gained using the Ag-In-Cd alloy. The maximum point power densities belong to the inside fuel regions surrounding the central flux trap (irradiation position), surrounded by control fuel elements, and the peripheral fuel elements beside the graphite reflectors. The greatest and least fluctuation of the point power densities are gained by using $B_4C$ and Ag-In-Cd alloy, respectively.