• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.56 no.6
• /
• pp.1989-2001
• /
• 2024

Artificial intelligence (AI) techniques are now being considered in the nuclear field, but application faces with the lack of actual plant data. For this reason, most previous studies on AI applications in nuclear power plants (NPPs) have relied on simulators or thermal-hydraulic codes to mimic the plants. However, it remains uncertain whether an AI model trained using a simulator can properly work in an actual NPP. To address this issue, this study suggests the use of metadata, which can give information about parameter trends. Referred to here as robust AI, this concept started with the idea that although the absolute value of a plant parameter differs between a simulator and actual NPP, the parameter trend is identical under the same scenario. Based on the proposed robust AI, this study designs an event diagnosis algorithm to classify abnormal and emergency scenarios in NPPs using prototypical learning. The algorithm was trained using a simulator referencing a Westinghouse 990 MWe reactor and then tested in different environments in Advanced Power Reactor 1400 MWe simulators. The algorithm demonstrated robustness with 100 % diagnostic accuracy (117 out of 117 scenarios). This indicates the potential of the robust AI-based algorithm to be used in actual plants.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.56 no.9
• /
• pp.3826-3834
• /
• 2024

The main purposes of start-up tests in nuclear power plants (NPPs) are to ensure safe and reliable operation, verify system functionality, comply with regulatory requirements, optimize performance, and establish a foundation for ongoing plant operation and maintenance. However, the start-up tests of NPPs also could be used as a main part of the nuclear code validation procedure for several reasons including: realistic simulation, comprehensive evaluation, detection of code limitations, validation of safety margins and confidence in code predictions. The main purpose of the current study is to define and assess the validation procedure based on actual start-up test data. In this regard, the developed RELAP5 model has been validated against the actual data of VVER-1000 plant during a dynamic start-up test. The results of this full-scale validation show a good agreement between the developed RELAP5 model results and actual plant data. Finally, by defining a step by step validation procedure, it has been recommended to use the start-up phase test data as a more robust validation process which allow for full-scale validation of the nuclear code by comparing its predictions with actual plant measurements and also other advantages which have been demonstrated in the current study.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.48 no.4
• /
• pp.952-964
• /
• 2016

The prototype generation IV sodium-cooled fast reactor (PGSFR) has been developed by the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute. This reactor uses sodium as a reactor coolant to transfer the core heat energy to the turbine. Sodium has chemical characteristics that allow it to violently react with materials such as a water or steam. When a sodium-water reaction (SWR) occurs due to leakage or breakage of steam generator tubes, high-pressure waves and corrosive reaction products are produced, which threaten the structural integrity of the components of the intermediate heat-transfer system (IHTS) and the safety of the primary heat-transfer system (PHTS). In the PGSFR, SWR events are included in the design-basis event. This event should be analyzed from the viewpoint of the integrities of the IHTS and fuel rods. To evaluate the integrity of the IHTS based on the consequences of the SWR, the behaviors of the generated high-pressure waves are analyzed at the major positions of a failed IHTS loop using a sodium-water advanced analysis method-II code. The integrity of the fuel rods must be consistently maintained below the safety acceptance criteria to avoid the consequences of the SWR. The integrity of the PHTS is evaluated using the multidimensional analysis of reactor safety-liquid metal reactor code to model the whole plant.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
• /
• v.19 no.6
• /
• pp.62-66
• /
• 2015

Considering for plants and structure under extreme conditions is required for the successful design, especially temperature and pressure. The ductile-brittle transition temperature (DBTT) for the materials under extreme condition needs to be considered. In this study, A-grade mild steel for the LNG carrier and offshore plant was examined by performing low-temperature Charpy V-notch (CVN) impact tests to investigate DBTT and the fracture toughness. The absorbed energy decreased gradually with the experimental temperature, which showed an upper-shelf energy region, lower shelf energy region, and transition temperature indicating DBTT. In addition, the fracture surface morphologies of the mild steels indicated ductile fractures at the upper-shelf energy level, with wide and large-sized dimples, whereas a brittle fracture surface, where was observed at the lower-shelf energy level, with both large and small cleavage facets. Based on the experimental results, ductile brittle transition temperature was estimated in about $-60^{\circ}C$.

• 한국산학경영학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2006.06a
• /
• pp.147-170
• /
• 2006

Landfill gas is a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide produced by the bacterial decomposition of organic wastes, and it is considered to produce bad smells and pollute the environment. Economic trials and the developments of landfill gas, as an alternative energy resource, become known at the recent years, Resource development of landfill gas, which is managed by Korea up to now, is for the most part generation using gas engine. Medium BTU and High BTU are considered for the power generation as well. Most income of generation using gas engine is selling charge through a power plant. Expecting to manage the power plant for up to 10 years, the analysis based on revenue and expenditure shows when the unit price is 65.2 Won and the operating rate reaches 90%, it is possible to be into the black in 2012 without considering additional financial expense, It was also analyzed that the profit at a unit price of 85 Won under the anticipated rising unit price by the operating rate of 71% is larger than at the operating rate of 90% under limited unit price of 65.2 Won. It means to manage the power plant at a unit price of 65.2 Won and the operating rate must be higher than 90% for economic logicality. If we assume that the operating rate is 90% and it increases the unit price, the unit price must be higher than 85 Won for the management of a power plant. Analysis of changing a unit price, however, might be expected to have a gradual rise of prices. If there is no price rising and additional income related to CDM(Clean Development Mechanism) and emission trading upon Kyoto protocol, the management of a power plant using gas engine will get financial difficulties because of many operating expenses. However, since landfill gas is considered as a worthy energy resource for the guarantee of sustainable development and for the equity between recent generation and future generation, the development of it must be accomplished by the government's additional supporting and efforts under the interest of all stakeholder who are involved.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.46-51
• /
• 2016

Natural gas liquefaction process which spends a huge amount energy is operated under cryogenic conditions. Thus, many researchers have studied on minimizing energy consumption of LNG plant. However, a few studied for cost optimization have performed. This study focused on the cost analysis for the single mixed refrigerant (SMR) process, one of the simplest natural gas liquefaction process, which has different capacity. The process capacity is increased from 1 million ton per annum (MTPA) to 2.5 MTPA by 0.5 MTPA steps. According to the increase of plant size, only flow rate of natural gas and mixed refrigerant are increased and other operating conditions are fixed. Aspen Economic Evaluator(v.8.7) is used for the cost analysis and six tenths factor rule is applied to obtain multi stream heat exchanger cost data which is not supplied by Aspen Economic Evaluator. Moreover, the optimal plant sizes for different sizes of gas wells are found as the result of applying plant cost to small scale gas wells, 20 million ton (MT), 40 MT, and 80 MT. Through this cost analysis, the foundation is built to optimize LNG plant in terms of the cost.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
• /
• v.26 no.4
• /
• pp.318-323
• /
• 1981

This study was conducted to establish an effective radiation treatment and selection method for induced mutants in M_1 population of soybean treated with gamma-ray. About 64% of total M_1 plants was reduced in plant height up to 50 - 60% and among which 60 - 70% of the plants were contained mutations in M_2 generation. About 60% of the MI plants have born 6 - 15 seeds per plant and 50 - 60% of their progenies produced mutants in M_2 generation. Positive correlation between plant height and number of seeds per plant in M_1 population was found. Higher visible macro-mutation rate in M_2 was observed in the groups of reduced plant height and seed number in the M_1 generation, whereas the frequency of chlorophyll mutation was increased in the group of less damaged plants. The size of mutation sector was increased with reduction in number of seeds per M_1 plant and the mutants were occurred at random in all the parts of M_1 plants. For the effective selection of mutants in soybean mutation breeding, the M_1 seeds should be harvested from the radiation damaged M_1 plants with the application of higher doses of mutagens, and handling M_2 generation by bulk population method is recommendable.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
• /
• v.9 no.4
• /
• pp.587-592
• /
• 2023

Plant growth is regulated by a variety of factors, including organic matter availability. Organic nutrients are carbohydrate molecules from photosynthetic products produced by tissues associated with carbon and energy fixation called "sources". These compounds flow through plant vascular bundles into non-photosynthetic or growing tissues called "sinks". Among these possible compounds, the disaccharide fructosyl glucose, sucrose, is the most representative. During the transport of sucrose, the pathway from the source to the sinks can include hydrolysis of sucrose into glucose and fructose derivatives or direct transfer of sucrose. Among the enzymes involved in this, β-D-fructofuranosidase is the most important. Soluble neutral β-D-fructofuranosidase, one of several isoenzymes, is located in intracellular protoplasts and helps plant cells metabolize sucrose to produce energy. In order to track the activity of this enzyme during the course of plant growth, histological methods were used for the most effective immunolocalization. As a result, the activity was higher in the phloem and epidermis than in the mesophyll tissue in the leaf. In the growing stem, activity was high in the phloem, epidermis, and cortex. The activity of the root, which is a sink tissue, was high in all parts, but especially the highest in the root tip part. It is thought that this is because it helps unloading of sucrose in sink tissues that require sucrose degradation and plays a role in hydrolysising sucrose.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.76-83
• /
• 2010

We(Hansol EME Co. Ltd.) proceeded anaerobic digestion test for domestic food wastewater applying to two operating method for increasing of OLR. The methods are as follows. One was the rapidity operating method which was increasing the OLR continuously and rapidly and the other was the terraced operating method which was increasing the OLR having adaptation period for each step. As a result of this tests, the ratio of VFA/Alkalinity of the process was very unstable under the rapidity operating method then the volume of produced biogas was dramatically decreased. However the process was shown stable performance under the terraced operating method maintaining the ratio of VFA/Alkalinity less than 0.4. Also, the process was performing the biogas recovery of $0.8Nm^3/kgVS_{rem}/d$ and the VS removal ratio of 85%. T-RFLP analysis about the community of bacteria and methanogen is also conducted to check the change of the microbial community according to the methods of OLR increasing operation. The microbial community was changed by the methods of OLR increasing operation according to the result of T-RFLP analysis. Although the anaerobic digestion test was executed by same pilot plant, the reactivity and the tolerance of microbial community for surrounding environment could be considerably changed by the operating method for the process.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
• /
• v.1 no.2
• /
• pp.44-55
• /
• 1998

This study was carried out to investigate the feasibility of OTEC(Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion) operation, in the East Sea of Korea. Accumulated cruise data of NFRDI (National Fisheries Research and Development Institute) over the period 1966~1995 were used to locate appropriate spot by season as well as by latitude which would show the difference at least $15^{\circ}C$ or more between the surface layer and each depth of 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 400 and 500m. Our results showed that the coastal areas of Pohang city met the requirement of more than $20^{\circ}C$ difference for OTEC plant from August to October. In contrast, in case that $15^{\circ}C$ would be possible thermal difference to operate OTEC plant, most coastal areas in the East Sea including Pohang from June to December are potential candidates for this future energy source. Therefore, we present in this paper the first option to locate the best place for OTEC plant operation using Geographical Information System (GIS), which is currently used for multi-dimensional space analysis.