• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.7
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• pp.2591-2603
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• 2023

Simulating the Corrosion-Related Unidentified Deposit (CRUD) on the surface of fuel assemblies is necessary to predict the axial offset anomaly and the localized corrosion induced by the CRUD during the operation of nuclear power plants. A new CRUD model was developed to predict the formation of the CRUD deposits, considering the deposition and erosion mechanisms. The heat transfer and capillary flow within the CRUD were also considered to evaluate the boiling amount within the CRUD layer. This model predicted a CRUD deposit thickness of 44 ㎛ during a one-cycle operation of the Seabrook nuclear power plant. The CRUD deposition tended to accelerate and decelerate during the simulation, by being related to boiling mechanism on the deposits surface. Additionally, during a three-cycle operation corresponding to the refueling period, the CRUD deposition was saturated at a thickness of 80 ㎛, which was in good agreement with the suggested thickness for CRUD buildupin pressurized water reactors. Surface boiling on the thin CRUD deposits enhanced the acceleration of the deposition, even when the wick boiling properties were not favorable for CRUD deposition. To ensure the certainty of the simulation results, sensitivity analyses were conducted for the porosity, chimney density, and the constants employed in the proposed model of the CRUD.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.5
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• pp.1676-1685
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• 2021

We develop a new high-fidelity multiphysics model to simulate boron chemistry in the porous Chalk River Unidentified Deposit (CRUD) deposits. Heat transfer, capillary flow, solute transport, and chemical reactions are fully coupled. The evaporation of coolant in the deposits is included in governing equations modified by the volume-averaged assumption of wick boiling. The axial offset anomaly (AOA) of the Seabrook nuclear power plant is simulated. The new model reasonably predicts the distributions of temperature, pressure, velocity, volumetric boiling heat density, and chemical concentrations. In the thicker CRUD regions, 60% of the total heat is removed by evaporative heat transfer, causing boron species accumulation. The new model successfully shows the quantitative effect of coolant evaporation on the local distributions of boron. The total amount of boron in the CRUD layer increases by a factor of 1.21 when an evaporation-driven increase of soluble and precipitated boron concentrations is reflected. In addition, the concentrations of B(OH)₃ and LiBO₂ are estimated according to various conditions such as different CRUD thickness and porosity. At the end of the cycle in the AOA case, the total mass of boron incorporated in CRUD deposits of a reference single fuel rod is estimated to be about 0.5 mg.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.179-187
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• 2002

The Ayu Trough, located in the southern end of the Philippine Sea, represents a divergent boundary between the Philippine Sea and the Caroline Plates. A detailed geophysical survey was carried out in the Ayu Trough by R/V Onnuri. Topographically, the Ayu Trough resembles an slow spreading ridge. The trough can be divided into three sections: the south $(0^{\circ}-1^{\circ}30'N),\;middle\;(1^{\circ}30'-4^{\circ}N)$, and north $(4^{\circ}-6^{\circ}30'N)$. The seafloor in the middle section is characterized by features asymmetric with respect to the axis. These features were probably produced by NW-SE and NNW-SSE extensions and seem to support the argument that the opening of the Ayu Trough occurred in an oblique fashion. Farther south, a long transform fault but with a short offset defines the boundary between middle and southern sections. The axial depth increases a stepwise to the south of $1^{\circ}30'N$. A clear difference can be seen between the southern and middle sections with the latter exhibiting much higher mantle Bouguer anomaly values in the axial region. The anomaly indicates that the axial crust perhaps experienced a much higher degree of extension in the middle than in the southern section. The analyses of magnetic field data reveal that the region beyond 100km exhibits considerable variations, whereas the magnetic anomalies within 100km from the trough axis are very much subdued. This observation suggests that the opening of the Ayu Trough involved an initial stage of rifting of existing volcanic arcs, followed by production of new seafloor.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.145-151
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• 2014

The objectives of this study are to investigate the effect of the concentration ratios of Ni and Fe ions on crud deposition onto the fuel cladding surface in the simulated primary environments of a pressurized water reactor. Crud deposition tests were conducted in the Ni and Fe concentration ratios of 20:20 ppm, 39:1 ppm and 1:39 ppm at $325^{\circ}C$ for 14 days. In the case of the same Ni and Fe ion ratio (20:20), nickel ferrite with a polyhedral shape was formed. Nickel oxide deposits with a needle shape were formed in the condition of high Ni to Fe ion ratio (39:1), While polyhedral iron oxide and needle-like nickel oxide formed in the condition of low Ni to Fe ion ratio (1:39). The amount of deposits increased, when Fe oxides were formed. This indicates that Fe rich oxides stimulated Ni oxide deposition.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.56-61
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• 2014

The purpose of this work is to investigate the effect of dissolved hydrogen concentration on crud deposition onto the fuel cladding surface in the simulated primary environments of a pressurized water reactor. Crud deposition tests were conducted in the dissolved hydrogen concentration range of 5~70 cc/kg at $325^{\circ}C$ for 14 days. Needle-shaped NiO deposits were formed in the hydrogen range of 5~25 cc/kg, while polygonal nickel ferrite deposits were observed at a hydrogen concentration above 35 cc/kg. However, the dissolved hydrogen content seems to have little effect on the amount of crud deposits.

• 대한방사선방어학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2009.04a
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• pp.254-255
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• 2009

국내 경수로 원전의 경우, 원전의 효율적, 경제적 운영차원에서 장주기 운전으로 패턴을 바뀌면서 핵연료봉 표면상에 크러드(crud)의 침적량은 점점 증가하는 경향을 나타내고 있다. 이러한 경향은 원자로의 출력 제어와 직결되면서 이에 대한 문제 해결을 위한 대표성이 있는 시료의 채취와 재현성이 있는 부식 생성물의 측정이 요구되어져 왔다. 원자로 계통 내에서 부식생성물의 농도변화에 대한 평가, 특히 입자농도가 증가되어지면 축방향 출력편차(Axial Offset Anomaly, AOA)가 발생될 수 있는 위험에 노출되거나, 핵연료 교체를 위해 발전소 정지시(shut down) 부식생성물의 방출이 급격히 증가되는 것으로 나타났다. 특히 입자성을 띤 물질은 존재의 특성상 이들 물질에 대한 대표시료의 채취가 어려울 뿐 아니라 grab 채취로 인해, 분석결과에 대한 재현성이 낮으며 계통 선량율의 제어와 작업자 피폭관리에 많은 어려움이 뒤따르고 있어 선진 원전 운영국에서는 앞 다투어 대표시료를 채취 할 수 있는 capillary sampling 법이나 integrated sampling법을 적용해 오고 있다. 본 논문에서는 국내 경수로 원전에서 일반적으로 사용하고 있는 grab sampling 법에 대한 문제점 파악과 해외 원전에서 사용 중인 capillary sampling 법의 국내 적용 가능성에 대해 살펴보았다.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2020

Chalk River Unidentified Deposits (CRUDs) were collected from the Korean pressurized water reactor (PWR) plant (A, B, and C) where the axial offset anomaly (AOA) occurred. AOA, also known as a CRUD-induced power shift, is one of the key issues in maintaining stable PWR plant operations. CRUDs were sampled from spent nuclear fuel rods and analyzed using an electron probe micro-analyzer (EPMA). This paper describes the characteristics of boron-deposits from the CRUDs sampled from twice-burnt assemblies from the Korean PWR. The primary coolant of a PWR contains boron and lithium. It is known that boron deposition occurs in a thick CRUD layer under substantial sub-cooled nucleate boiling (SNB). The results of this study are summarized as follows. Boron was not found at the locations where the existence was confirmed in simulated CRUDs, in other words, the cladding and CRUD boundaries. Nevertheless, we clearly observed the presence of boron and confirmed that boron existed as a lump in crystalline form. In addition, the study confirmed that CRUD existed in a crystal form with a unique size of about 10 ㎛.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.549-558
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• 2004

TTo comply with increasingly strict regulations for protection against radiation exposure, many nuclear power plants have been working ceaselessly to reduce and control both the radiation sources within power plants and the radiation exposure experienced by operational and maintenance personnel. Many research studies have shown that deposits of irradiated corrosion products on the surfaces of coolant systems are the main cause of occupational radiation exposure in nuclear power plant. These corrosion product deposits on the fuel-clad surface are also known to be main factors in the onset of axial offset anomaly (AOA). Hence, there is a great deal of ongoing research on water chermistry and corrosion processes. In this study, a magnetic filter with permanent magnets was devised to remove the corrosion products in the coolant stream by taking advantage of the magnetic properties of the corrosion products demonstrated a removal efficiency of over 90% for particles above 5${\mu}m$. This finding led to the construction of an electromagnetic device that causes the metallic particulates to flocculate into larger aggregates of about 5${\mu}m$ in diameter by using a novel application of electromagnetic flocculation on radioactive corrosion products.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.9
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• pp.3164-3182
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• 2023

The CRUD on the fuel cladding under the pressurized water reactor (PWR) operating condition causes several issues. The CRUD can act as thermal resistance and increases the local cladding temperature which accelerate the corrosion process. The hideout of boron inside the CRUD results in axial offset anomaly and reduces the plant's shutdown margin. Recently, there are efforts to revise the acceptance criteria of emergency core cooling systems (ECCS), and additionally require the modeling of the thermal resistance effect of the CRUD during the performance analysis. There is an urgent need for the evaluation of the effect of the CRUD deposition on the cladding heat transfer under PWR operating conditions, but the experimental database is very limited. The experimental facility called DISNY was designed and constructed to analyze the CRUD-related multi-physical phenomena, and the performance analysis of the constructed DISNY facility was conducted. The thermal-hydraulic and water chemistry conditions to simulate the CRUD growth under PWR operating conditions were established. The design characteristics and feasibility of the DISNY facility were validated by the MARS-KS code analysis and separate performance tests. In the current study, detailed design features, design validation results, and future utilization plans of the proposed DISNY facility are presented.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.73-79
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• 2003

In a pressurized water reactor, radioactive corrosion products (CRUD) in primary coolant system are one of the major sources for the occupational radiation exposure of the personnel in a nuclear power plant. Through the recent trend of long term fuel cycle in a nuclear power Plant, radioactive corrosion products deposited in reactor core for a long time are also the cause of Axial Offset Anomaly (AOA) having m effect on reactor power by the hideout of boron. CRUD consist primarily of magnetite, nickel ferrite, cobalt ferrite, and so on. They have the characteristic of strong magnetism. Therefore it is performed the conceptual design to develop the filter which removes the CRUD by magnetic field that is generated by an arrangement of permanent and electric magnets. Contrary to the conventional filter, the proposed filter does not interrupt the fluid flow, so there is little pressure drop and it can be used continuously. It is expected to be applied as one of the technologies for removal of the CRUB.