• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.345-355
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• 2019

Use of the reconstructed fuel assemblies from partially burnt nuclear fuel pins is analyzed. This reutilization option is a potential candidate technique to make better use of the nuclear resources. Standard two step method is used to calculate node i.e. fuel assembly average burnup and then pin by pin ${\eta}$ values are reconstructed to ascertain the residual reactivity in the used fuel pins. Fuel pins with ${\eta}$ > 1:0 are used to reconstruct to-be-reused fuel assemblies. These reconstructed fuel assemblies are burnt during the cycle 3, 4, 5 and 6 of a 1000 MW PWR core by replacing fresh, once burnt and twice burnt fuel assemblies of the reference core configurations. It is concluded that using reconstructed fuel assemblies for the fresh fuel affect dearly on the cycle length (>50 EFPD) when more than 16 fresh fuel assemblies are replaced. However, this loss is less than 20 days if the number of fresh fuel assemblies is less than eight. For the case of replacing twice burned fuel, cycle length could be increased slightly (10 days or so) provided burnt fuel pins from other reactors were also available. Reactor safety parameters, like axial off set (< ${\pm}10%$), Doppler temperature coefficient (<0), moderator temperature coefficient at HFP (<0) are always satisfied. Though, 2D and 3D pin peaking factors are satisfied (<1:55) and (<2:52) respectively, for the cases using eight or less reconstructed fuel assemblies only.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.2062-2066
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• 2022

Nuclear energy sources are indispensable in cost effectively achieving carbon neutral economy, where public opinion is critical to adoption as the consequences of nuclear accident can be catastrophic. In this context, discussion on spent nuclear fuel is a prerequisite to expanding nuclear energy, as it leads to the issue of radioactive waste disposal. Given the dearth of study on spent nuclear fuel public acceptance, we use text mining and big data analysis on the news article and public comments data on Naver news portal to identify the Korean public opinion on spent nuclear fuel. We identify that the Korean public is more interested in the nuclear energy policy than spent nuclear fuel itself and that the alternative energy sources affect the position towards spent nuclear fuel. We recommend relating spent nuclear fuel issue with nuclear energy policy and environmental issues of alternative energy sources to further promote spent nuclear fuel.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2011.05a
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• pp.99-99
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• 2011

Fuel cell systems are a completely different form of electricity source that has been used so far and is an aggregation of multiple technologies with multidisciplinary features that can be operated safely only when gas and electrical safety are being considered. Since fuel cells generate through electrochemical reactions there are difficulties in ensuring electricity safety, power quality assessment, effective control and reliability standards for system faults using conventional inspection techniques and even though they are necessary as a primary means for reduction of CO2 owing to the Climate Convention, electrical safety assessment and measures are required for the prevention of faults in residential facilities. Although small-scaled distributed power supplies can be utilized as important means of peak control and energy management measures, research is required for observing the effects on the system and the development of inspection technology to ensure stable operation, and the electrical safety of residential fuel cell systems need to be assessed and the problems derived for establishing electrical safety standards. From the year 2002, Japan has established laws on technical safety standards and development and rules on the product specifications and standards for the industrialization of hydrogen fuel cells. Also, a lot of effort have been made for the commercialization of fuel cells by building one-stop certification services. Internationally, the IEC TC 105 has established international standards based on fuel cells. In order to protect the national interest, the country should be able to respond accordingly meet global standards. In fact, in Korea, to comply with the international trend, Korea Energy Management Corporation is establishing a certified agenda for fuel cells and Korean Agency for Technology and Standards is enacting technical standards for fuel cells. The current terms of fuel cells are that research has been focused more on the quality and performance of manufactured products rather than stable power operation and maintenance over time. In this paper, by considering the household fuel cell as a power device, the safety standards of the fuel cell system for a reliable operation with the existing power system is being proposed.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.469-488
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• 2022

Technology for high-level-waste disposal employing a multibarrier concept using engineered and natural barrier in stable bedrock at 300-1,000 m depth is being commercialized as a safe, long-term isolation method for high-level waste, including spent nuclear fuel. Managing heat generated from waste is important for improving disposal efficiency; thus, research on efficient heat management is required. In this study, thermal management methods to maximize disposal efficiency in terms of the disposal area required were developed. They efficiently use the land in an environment, such as Korea, where the land area is small and the amount of waste is large. The thermal effects of engineered barriers and natural barriers in a high-level waste disposal repository were analyzed. The research status of thermal management for the main bedrocks of the repository, such as crystalline, clay, salt, and other rocks, were reviewed. Based on a characteristics analysis of various heat management approaches, the spent nuclear fuel cooling time, buffer bentonite thermal conductivity, and disposal container size were chosen as efficient heat management methods applicable in Korea. For each method, thermal analyses of the disposal repository were performed. Based on the results, the disposal efficiency was evaluated preliminarily. Necessary future research is suggested.

• Journal of the Korean Solar Energy Society
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.118-123
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• 2012

Water balance has a significant impact on the overall fuel cell performance. Maintenance of proper water management should provide an adequate membrane hydration and avoidance of water flooding in the catalyst layer and gas diffusion layer. Considering the important of advanced water management in PEM fuel cell, this study proposes a simple one dimensional water transportation model of PEM fuel cell for use in a dynamic condition. The model has been created by assumption that the output is the water liquid saturation difference. The liquid saturation change is the total difference between the additional water and the removal water on the system. The water addition is obtained from fuel cell reaction and the electro osmotic drag. The water removal is obtained from capillary transport and evaporation process. The result shows that the capillary water transport of low temperature fuel cell is high because the evaporation rate is low.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.90-97
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• 2016

Sunken vessels accidents have harmful impacts on the marine environment because of oils and chemicals in the vessels. The government has managed them and developed risk assessment which can evaluate potential risk quantitatively since 1999. But the grades of present risk assessment has changed greatly depending on quantity of remaining fuel oils, and the list of remaining fuel oils omitted in status report of sunken vessels. Therefore, the aim of the study is to estimate and develop model for quantity of remaining fuel oils and verify the remaining fuel estimation comparison with active vessels. To accomplish the purpose of the study, apply this verified estimation model to current risk assessment and recommend guideline for an accurate sunken vessels risk assessment.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.269-277
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• 2010

Various multilateral approaches to the nuclear fuel cycle have been proposed in order to suppress the expansion of sensitive fuel cycle technology. In order to prepare for the future multilaterallization of the nuclear fuel cycle, existing multilateral spent fuel management programs are analyzed. A trial multilateralization of a domestic R&D facility for the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle is proposed and its challenges, possibilities and implementation strategy are discussed.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.327-362
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• 2005

The design, construction, and operation of a light water reactor (LWR) are subject to compliance with safety criteria specified for accident situations, such as loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) and reactivity-initiated accident (RIA). Because reactor fuel is the primary source of radioactivity and heat generation, such a criterion is established on the basis of the characteristics and performance of fuel under the specific accident condition. As such, fuel behavior under accident situations impact many aspects of fuel design and power generation, and in an indirect manner, even spent fuel storage and management. This paper provides a comprehensive review of: the history of the current LOCA criteria, results of LOCA-related investigations on conventional and new classes of fuel, and status of on-going studies on high-burnup fuel under LOCA situations. The objective of the paper is to provide a better understanding of important issues and an insight helpful to establish new LOCA criteria for modem LWR fuels.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.46-51
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• 2012

Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicles (FCHVs) have become a major topic of interest in the automotive industry owing to recent energy supply and environmental problems. Several types of power management strategies have been developed to improve the fuel economy of FCHVs including optimal control strategy based on optimal control theory, rule-based strategy, and equivalent consumption minimization strategy (ECMS). The ECMS is applied in this study. This strategy is based on the heuristic concept that the usage of the electric energy can be exchanged to equivalent fuel consumption. This strategy is known as one of the promising solutions for real-time control of hybrid vehicles. The ECMS for an FCHV is introduced in this paper as well as the equivalent fuel consumption parameter. The relationship between the battery final state of charge (SOC) and the fuel consumption while changing the equivalent fuel consumption parameter is obtained for three different driving cycles. The function of the equivalent fuel consumption parameter is also discussed.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.7
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• pp.2578-2590
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• 2023

In this work, a 24-month two-batch fuel management strategy for the APR1400 using LEU + has been investigated, where enrichments of 5.9 and 5.2 w/o are utilized in lieu of the conventional 4-5 w/o UO₂ fuel. In addition, an Accident Tolerant Fuel (ATF) clad based on the swaging technology is applied to APR1400 fuel assemblies. In this special ATF clad design, both outer and inner SS316 layers protect the conventional zircaloy clad. Erbia (Er₂O₃) is introduced as a burnable absorber with two-fold goals to lower the critical boron concentration in the long-cycle LEU + loaded core as well as to handle the LEU + fuel in the existing front-end fuel facilities without renewing the license. Two types of fuel assemblies with different loading of gadolinia (Gd₂O₃) are considered to control both the reactivity and the core radial power distribution. The erbia burnable absorber is uniformly admixed with UO₂ in all fuel pins except for the gadolinia-bearing ones. In this study, two core designs were devised with different erbia loading, and core performance and safety parameters were evaluated for each case in comparison with a core design without any burnable absorbers. The core analysis was done using the two-step method. First, cross-sections are generated by the SERPENT 2 Monte Carlo code, and the 3-D neutronic analysis is performed with an in-house multi-physics nodal code KANT.