• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.1485-1494
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• 2023

The bow of the nuclear fuel assembly is a well-known phenomenon. One of the vital criteria during the history of nuclear fuel development has been fuel assembly's mechanical stability. Once present, the fuel assembly bow can lead to safety issues like excessive water gap and power redistribution or even incomplete rod insertion (IRI). The extensive bow can result in assembly handling and loading problems. This is why the fuel assembly's bow is one of the most often controlled geometrical factors during periodic fuel inspections for VVER when compared e.g. to on-site fuel rod gap measurements or other instrumental measurements performed on-site. Our proposed screening method uses existing video records for fuel inspection. We establish video frames normalization and aggregation for the purposes of bow measurement. The whole process is done by digital image processing algorithms which analyze rotations of video frames, extract angles whose source is the fuel set torsion, and reconstruct torsion schema. This approach provides results comparable to the commonly utilized method. We tested this new approach in real operation on 19 fuel assemblies with different campaign numbers and designs, where the average deviation from other methods was less than 2 % on average. Due to the fact, that the method has not yet been validated during full scale measurements of the fuel inspection, the preliminary results stand for that we recommend this method as a complementary part of standard bow measurement procedures to increase measurement robustness, lower time consumption and preserve or increase accuracy. After completed validation it is expected that the proposed method allows standalone fuel assembly bow measurements.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.297-305
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• 2018

Fuel assembly (FA) bow in pressurized water reactor (PWR) cores is considered to be a complex process with a large number of influencing mechanisms and several unknowns. Uncertainty and sensitivity analyses are a common way to assess the predictability of such complex phenomena. To perform such analyses, a structural model of a row of 15 FAs in the reactor core is implemented with the finite-element code ANSYS Mechanical APDL. The distribution of lateral hydraulic forces within the core row is estimated based on a two-dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics model with porous media, assuming symmetric or asymmetric core inlet and outlet flow profiles. The influence of the creep rate on the bow amplitude is tested based on different creep models for guide tubes and fuel rods. Different FA initial states are considered: fresh FAs or FAs with higher burnup, which may be initially straight or exhibit an initial bow from previous cycles. The simulation results over one reactor cycle demonstrate that changes in the creep rate and the hydraulic conditions may have a considerable impact on the bow amplitudes and the bow patterns. A good knowledge of the specific creep behavior and the hydraulic conditions is therefore crucial for making reliable predictions.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.331-338
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• 1996

In the thermal-hydraulic design, the effect of fuel rod bow is quantified tv the rod bow DNBR penalty which is a key design parameter to assure the coolability of fuel assembly in the pressurized water reactor. In this work, a computer program for the evaluation of the rod bow DNBR penalty based on Westinghouse methodology is developed and its application procedure is proposed. The computer simulation is based on the Monte-Carlo method. The qualification of developed computer program is performed by a comparison of calculational result with that given by Westinghouse's document. A new application procedure is built using batch mean and batch standard deviation. The normality of sample population generated by the batch calculation is confirmed by means of a chi-square test for goodness of fit. On the view point of statistics it is effected that the more reliable design value may be produced by the new application procedure.

• Transactions of Materials Processing
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• v.15 no.4 s.85
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• pp.311-318
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• 2006

One of the most important quality problems in flat plate leveled from hot rolled coils in cut-to-Iength lines is bowing and cambering when they are cut in small width parts. It is verified analytically and experimentally that residual stress remained in plate is th ε source of the problem. In order to produce low residual stress flat plate from hot rolled coils, the proper conditions of leveling are studied and two things are implemented. One is proper plastic deformation area ratio to reduce residual stress within customer requirement by applying suitable plastic deformation and maintain leveling load within structural strength limit of leveler. The other is maintaining uniform plastic deformation along the width of the plate during leveling. Customer requirement for residual stress is met by applying above 70% of plastic deformation area ratio and uniform deformation along width of coil by adjusting back up rolls according to deformation analysis of work roll and back up roll assembly and leveling tests.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.20 no.2 s.69
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• pp.66-71
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• 2006

To develope a hull form of catamaran type dredging vessel, resistance characteristics is investigated to find the interaction effect of waves between the two hulls. Re fore body shape is simplified as two dimensional wedge shape for the maintenance and disassembly/assembly. Based on MAC method, numerical simulation is performed in staggered variable mesh system. Re conservation form of Euler equations and continuity equation are applied as governing equations. To verify numerical methods, the wive patterns along the hull surface are compared with the results of model tests. This study is performed as varying wedge shape of the bow and the distance between the two hulls. The wave interaction between two hulls are observed to investigate the relation the resistance performance and the flow characteristics. Suitable hull form and distance between two hulls are discussed.

• International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.39-46
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• 2008

The end plates of fuel cell assemblies are used to fasten the inner stacks, reduce the contact pressure, and provide a seal between Membrane-Electrode Assemblies (MEAs). They therefore require sufficient mechanical strength to withstand the tightening pressure, light weight to obtain high energy densities, and stable chemical/electrochemical properties, as well as provide electrical insulation. The design criteria for end plates can be divided into three parts: the material, connecting method, and shape. In the past, end plates were made from metals such as aluminum, titanium, and stainless steel alloys, but due to corrosion problems, thermal losses, and their excessive weight, alternative materials such as plastics have been considered. Composite materials consisting of combinations of two or more materials have also been proposed for end plates to enhance their mechanical strength. Tie-rods have been traditionally used to connect end plates, but since the number of connecting parts has increased, resulting in assembly difficulties, new types of connectors have been contemplated. Ideas such as adding reinforcement or flat plates, or using bands or boxes to replace tie-rods have been proposed. Typical end plates are rectangular or cylindrical solid plates. To minimize the weight and provide a uniform pressure distribution, new concepts such as ribbed-, bomb-, or bow-shaped plates have been considered. Even though end plates were not an issue in fuel cell system designs in the past, they now provide a great challenge for designers. Changes in the materials, connecting methods, and shapes of an end plate allow us to achieve lighter, stronger end plates, resulting in more efficient fuel cell systems.

• Journal of Platform Technology
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.10-31
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• 2021

The digital tax, recently referred to as the Google tax was finally agreed at the 31st General Assembly of the OECD (October 8, 2021) with full support by 136 countries and will take effect from 2023. The purpose of this study is to analyze the digital tax prepared by the OECD for global MNEs, and to suggest the impacts on the Korean industry and to present the Korean governmental countermeasures. As the first study, we analyzed the international agreement on digital tax. In results, we found that even if global MNEs do not set up a business operation in overseas countries, if sales and profits are generated, 25% of the excess profit is borne as tax (pillar 1), and when MNEs do business in all the countries, they are liable to at least a 15% tax (pillar 2). We think that countries around the world have prepared a minimum countermeasure to protect their companies in anticipation that global MNEs will easily encroach on their markets in the future. As the second study, in order to discover the reason why the MNEs are so strong, we investigated the trends of Google and B2B SaaS companies in details. In results, we discovered that the global MNEs establishes a digital platform partnership ecosystem that enables them to enter foreign markets easily and expand rapidly. In conclusion, as a countermeasure for the Republic of Korea, governmental policies were proposed at the corporate (startup nurturing), industry, and national level respectively.