• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제50권2호
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• pp.246-252
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• 2018

A series of simulated reactivity-initiated accident (RIA) tests on irradiated fully recrystallized boiling water reactor Zircaloy-2 cladding has been performed by means of the expansion-due-to-compression (EDC) test method. The EDC method reproduces fuel pellet-clad mechanical interaction (PCMI) conditions for the cladding during RIA transients with respect to temperature and loading rates by out-of-pile mechanical testing. The tested materials had a large variation in burnup and hydrogen content (up to 907 wppm). The results of the EDC tests showed variation in the PCMI resistance of claddings with similar burnup and hydrogen content, making it difficult to clearly identify ductile-to-brittle transition temperatures. The EDC-tested samples of the present and previous work were investigated by light optical and scanning electron microscopy to study the influence of factors such as azimuthal variation of the Zr-hydrides and the presence of hydride rims and radially oriented hydrides. Two main characteristics were identified in samples with low ductility with respect to hydrogen content and test temperature: hydride rims and radial hydrides at the cladding outer surface. Crack propagation and failure modes were also studied, showing two general modes of crack propagation depending on distribution and amount of radially oriented hydrides. It was concluded that the PCMI resistance of irradiated cladding under normal conditions with homogenously distributed circumferential hydrides is high, with good margin to the RIA failure limits. To further improve safety, focus should be on conditions causing nonfavorable hydride distribution, such as hydride reorientation and formation of hydride blisters at the cladding outer surface.

• 한국추진공학회지
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• 제20권5호
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• pp.84-89
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• 2016

THPP (Titanium Hydride Potassium Perchlorate)는 산화제로 potassium perchlorate, 금속원료로 titanium hydride, 결합제로 Viton을 사용한 점화제이다. THPP는 항공우주 유도탄, 자동화 산업 등 널리 사용되고 있다. 본 연구에서는 PMD (Pyrotechnic Mechanical Device)에 사용되는 THPP의 제조공정 및 형상/열량/압력값과 같은 특성을 분석하였다. 또한 CEA 프로그램으로 조성비를 설계하였다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제50권7호
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• pp.1138-1147
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• 2018

Delayed hydride cracking (DHC) is an important failure mechanism for Zircaloy tubes in the demanding environment of nuclear reactors. The threshold stress intensity factor, $K_{IH}$, and critical hydride length, $l_C$, are important parameters to evaluate DHC. Theoretical models of them are developed for Zircaloy tubes undergoing non-homogenous temperature loading, with new stress distributions ahead of the crack tip and thermal stresses involved. A new stress distribution in the plastic zone ahead of the crack tip is proposed according to the fracture mechanics theory of second-order estimate of plastic zone size. The developed models with fewer fitting parameters are validated with the experimental results for $K_{IH}$ and $l_C$. The research results for radial cracking cases indicate that a better agreement for $K_{IH}$ can be achieved; the negative axial thermal stresses can lessen $K_{IH}$ and enlarge the critical hydride length, so its effect should be considered in the safety evaluation and constraint design for fuel rods; the critical hydride length $l_C$ changes slightly in a certain range of stress intensity factors, which interprets the phenomenon that the DHC velocity varies slowly in the steady crack growth stage. Besides, the sensitivity analysis of model parameters demonstrates that an increase in yield strength of zircaloy will result in a decrease in the critical hydride length $l_C$, and $K_{IH}$ will firstly decrease and then have a trend to increase with the yield strength of Zircaloy; higher fracture strength of hydrided zircaloy will lead to very high values of threshold stress intensity factor and critical hydride length at higher temperatures, which might be the main mechanism of crack arrest for some Zircaloy materials.

• 한국수소및신에너지학회논문집
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• 제2권1호
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• pp.39-46
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• 1990

In order to improve the power of hydride heat pump, prototype heat pump was constructed using $Zr_{0.95}Ti_{0.05}Cr_{0.9}Fe_{1.1}$-$Zr_{0.9}Ti_{0.1}Cr_{0.6}Fe_{1.4}$ which had very good hydrogenation properties. The power changed with operating parameter such as cycle time, air flow rate, and temperature of hot air was investigated. The power shows maximum value with cycle time. The power increased with air flow rate and temperature of hot air. The power of the heat pump was $65-72 Kcal/Kg-alloy{\cdot}h$ under optimum operating condition, which was superior to that the system using $LaNi_{0.9}Al_{0.3}-MmNi_{4.15}Al_{0.66}Fe_{0.2}$ alloy pairs.

• 한국재료학회지
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• 제12권4호
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• pp.304-307
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• 2002

A zinc oxide (ZnO) single crystal was used as a substrate in the hydride vapor-phase epitaxy (HVPE) growth of GaN and the structural and optical properties of GaN layer were characterized by x- ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, secondary ion mass spectrometry, and photoluminescence (PL) analysis. Despite a good lattice match and an identical structure, ZnO is not an appropriate substrate for application of HVPE growth of GaN. Thick film could not be grown. The substrate reacted with process gases and Ga, being unstable at high temperatures. The crystallinity of ZnO substrate deteriorated seriously with growth time, and a thin alloy layer formed at the growth interface due to the reaction between ZnO and GaN. The PL from a GaN layer demonstrated the impurity contamination during growth possibly due to the out-diffusion from the substrate.

• 한국분말재료학회지
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• 제17권5호
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• pp.385-389
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• 2010

Titanium powders have been usually produced by de-hydrogenating treatment in vacuum with titanium hydride ($TiH_2$) powders prepared by milling of hydrogenated sponge titanium, $TiH_x$. The higher stoichiometry of x in $TiH_x$, whose maximum value is 2, is achieved, crushing behavior is easier. $TiH_x$ powder can be, therefore, easy to manufactured leading to obtain higher recovery factor of it. In addition, contamination of the powder can also minimized by the decrease of milling time. In this study, the hydrogenation behavior of sponge titanium was studied to find the maximum stoichiometry. The maximum stoichiometry in hydride formation of sponge titanium could be obtained at $750^{\circ}C$ for 2 hrs leading to the formation of $TiH_{{\sim}1.99}$ and the treating temperatures lower or higher than $750^{\circ}C$ caused the poor stoichiometries by the low hydrogen diffusivity and un-stability of $TiH_x$, respectively. Such experimental behavior was compared with thermodynamically calculated one. The hydrogenated $TiH_{1.99}$ sponge was fully ball-milled under -325 Mesh and the purity of pure titanium powders obtained by de-hydrogenation was about 99.6%.

• 한국수소및신에너지학회논문집
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• 제14권2호
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• pp.146-154
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• 2003

The hybrids of zeolite and metal hydride were prepared to improve the absorption properties as media for hydrogen storage. The zeolites which was deposited on the surface by metal hydride vapor showed excellent absorption properties and sodalite was proved to be better than zeolite-A in the reaction velocity and hydrogen storage capacity. This suggests the metal hydride could be used effectively as catalytic active material for enhancing the hydrogen storage in zeolite containing $\alpha$-cages and furthermore the hydrogen molecules have preference tobe occluded in their cavities containing $\alpha$-cages more effectively than that containing a and $\beta$-cages.

• 대한공업교육학회지
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• 제35권2호
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• pp.204-223
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• 2010

본 연구는 이방성 재료인 Zr-2.5%Nb가 수소화물을 함유할 때, 고온 크리프 거동 특성을 규명하고자 한다. 이를 위해 50 ppm, 100 ppm, 200 ppm의 수소화물을 장입한 Zr 합금을 이방성의 영향을 최소화하고 실제 하중 조건인 2축 응력을 구현하기 위해서 $300^{\circ}C$에서 SP 크리프 시험을 행하였다. 이 시험을 통해 SP 크리프 곡선을 얻었으며, 각각의 시험편의 경향을 비교하였다. 50, 100 ppm의 경우에는 수소화물에 의한 고온 크리프의 열화 거동을 확연히 구분할 수 있었다. 반면에 200 ppm의 경우에는 크리프의 열화가 발생하지 않았다. 이런 사실은 SP 크리프 상수와 응력지수의 비교에 의해서도 확인할 수 있었다. 50 ppm과 100 ppm의 경우에는 크리프 상수가 감소하고, 응력지수는 증가하는 것으로부터 Zr 합금의 열화를 확인할 수 있으나, 반면에 200 ppm의 경우에는 크리프 상수가 도리어 증가하고, 응력지수는 감소하였다. 이런 사실로부터 수소화물이 Zr 합금의 고온 크리프 거동의 특성을 좌우하는 매우 중요한 인자임을 확인하였다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제42권3호
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• pp.249-258
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• 2010

Recently, many utilities have considered interim dry storage of spent nuclear fuel as an option for increasing spent fuel storage capacity. Foreign nuclear regulatory committees have provided some regulatory and licensing requirements for relatively low- and medium-burned spent fuel with respect to the prevention of spent fuel degradation during transportation and interim dry storage. In the present study, the effect of cladding creep and hydride distribution on spent fuel degradation is reviewed and performance tests with high-burned Zircaloy-4 and advanced Zr alloy spent fuel are proposed to investigate the effect of burnup and cladding materials on the current regulatory and licensing requirements. Creep tests were also performed to investigate the effect of temperature and tensile hoop stress on hydride reorientation and subsequently to examine the temperature and stress limits against cladding material failure. It is found that the spent fuel failure is mainly caused by cladding creep rupture combined with mechanical strength degradation and hydride reorientation. Hydride reorientation from the circumferential to radial direction may reduce the critical stress intensity that accelerates radial crack propagation. The results of cladding creep tests at $400^{\circ}C$ and 130MPa hoop stress performed in this study indicate that hydride reorientation may occur between 2.6% to 7.0% strain in tube diameter with a hydrogen content range of 40-120ppm. Therefore, it is concluded that hydride re-orientation behaviour is strongly correlated with the cladding creep-induced strain, which varies as functions of temperature and stress acting on the cladding.

• 비파괴검사학회지
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• 제23권4호
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• pp.334-341
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• 2003

중수로 압력관이 주위를 둘러싸고 있는 칼란드리아관과 접촉될 경우, 압력관의 내면과 외면의 온도차로 인하여 수소(중수소)의 열 확산이 발생하며 결과적으로 압력관 외면에 수소화물 블리스터가 형성된다. 수소화물 블리스터는 음향학적으로 지르코늄 매질과 연속성을 가지기 때문에 일반적인 초음파 검사법으로는 탐지하기가 어렵다. 지르코늄 압력관 외면에 발생한 작은 수소화물 블리스터를 압력관 내면에서 탐지하기 위하여 초음파 모드 변환 및 속도비 방법을 개발하였다. 정적인 열확산 실험 장치를 사용하여 압력관 외면에 수소화물 블리스터를 성장시켰다. 종파 에코의 비행시간과 모드 변환된 반사 횡파 에코의 비행시간을 측정하여 종파 대 횡파 속도비를 계산하였으며 이를 속도비를 수정된 등고선 표현 방식으로 나타냈다. 초음파 속도비 방법이 일반적인 종파 비행시간방법보다 수소화물 블리스터 탐지 감도가 우수하며 블리스터 형상화 측면에서도 실제 형상과 유사하게 재현하고 있음을 알 수 있었다. 또한 중수로 압력관 초음파 검사사양과 동일하게 최적화 조건에서 수소화물 블리스터 탐지한계는 보수적인 관점에서 압력관 외면에 나타나는 크기를 기준으로 약 $500{\mu}m$로 평가되었다.