• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제54권1호
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• pp.72-83
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• 2022

This paper presents a numerical investigation of two-phase natural circulation flows established when external reactor vessel cooling is applied to a severe accident of the APR1400 reactor for the in-vessel retention of the core melt. The coolability limit due to external reactor vessel cooling is associated with the natural circulation flow rate around the lower head of the reactor vessel. For an elaborate prediction of the natural circulation flow rate using a thermal-hydraulic system code, MARS-KS1.5, a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation is conducted to estimate the flow rate and pressure distribution of a liquid-state coolant at the brink of significant void generation. The CFD calculation results are used to determine the loss coefficient at major flow junctions, where substantial pressure losses are expected, in the nodalization scheme of the MARS-KS code such that the single-phase flow rate is the same as that predicted via CFD simulations. Subsequently, the MARS-KS analysis is performed for the two-phase natural circulation regime, and the transient behavior of the main thermal-hydraulic variables is investigated.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제55권1호
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• pp.144-155
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• 2023

The core catcher is used as a passive safety system in new generation nuclear power plants to create a space in the containment for the placing and cooling of the molten corium under various severe accidents. This research investigates the role of the core catcher in the VVER-1000 reactor containment system in mitigating the effects of core meltdown under various severe accidents within the context of the Ex-vessel Melt Retention (EVMR) strategy. Hence, a comparison study of three severe accidents is conducted, including Station Black-Out (SBO), SBO combined with the Large Break Loss of Coolant Accident (LB-LOCA), and SBO combined with the Small Break Loss of Coolant Accident (SB-LOCA). Numerical comparative simulations are performed for the aforementioned scenario with and without the EX-vessel core-catcher. The results showed that considering the EX-Vessel core catcher reduces the amount of hydrogen by about 18.2 percent in the case of SBO + LB-LOCA, and hydrogen production decreases by 12.4 percent in the case of SBO + SB-LOCA. Furthermore, in the presence of an EX-Vessel core-catcher, the production of gases such as CO and CO2 for the SBO accident is negligible. It was revealed that the greatest decrease in pressure and temperature of the containment is related to the SBO accident.

• 대한치과교정학회지
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• 제14권1호
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• pp.65-81
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• 1984

In order to observe the responses of the periodontal tissue on the tension side following the experimental tooth movement, 35 Guinea pigs were divided into the control group (5 animals) and 6 experimental groups (3 movement groups and 3 retention groups) consisting of each 5 animals. The experimental tooth movement of Guinea pig's upper incisors installing open helical loop were carried out by rendering continuous force : 5g (1st groups) 35g (2nd groups), 100g (3rd groups), respectively for 7 days. 3 movement groups (15 animals) were sacrificed soon after the continuous force, and 3 retention groups (15 animals) were sacrificed after the retention period of another 7 days. The following results were obtained from the observation of the surrounding tissues of teeth on the tension side through light microscopy any transmission electron microscopy. 1. The vessel walls in the experimental groups were thinner than those of the control group, the number of blood vessel had the tendency to increase. The greater the strong force applied to each group, the more the destruction of cells and fibers was found and the more the number of the red blood cell of vessel outside appeared. 2. New collagen fibers were produced from fibroblasts in the 1st groups (light force), but were produced rather less in the 2nd groups (medium force) and the 3rd groups (heavy force). 3. In the forming patterns of the new alveolar bone of the 3rd groups (heavy force), the bone trabeculae were formed towards the direction of the force to be applied, but the new alveolar bone in the 1st groups (light force) was produced evenly throughout the all surfaces of the alveolar bone rather than the patterns of bone trabeculae ; therefore, the patterns of new alveolar bone were observed differently according to the magnitude of the force applied. 4. In the retention group, it was observed that the collagen fibers were produced from the osteoblasts in the marginal areas of the periodontal ligaments being widely opened and were deposited on the alveolar bone surface but the production of collagen fibers from the osteoblasts in the other area of the periodontal ligaments was almost ceased, and a rest line on the new alveolar bone surface was found.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제55권8호
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• pp.3017-3029
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• 2023

In the late in-vessel phase of a nuclear reactor severe accident, the internal heat transfer and crust evolution during the debris bed melting process have important effects on the thermal load distribution along the vessel wall, and further affect the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) failure mode and the state of melt during leakage. This study coupled the phase change model and large eddy simulation to investigate the variations of the temperature, melt liquid fraction, crust and heat flux distributions during the debris bed melting process in the hypothetical severe accident of HPR1000. The results indicated that the heat flow towards the vessel wall and upper surface were similar at the beginning stage of debris melting, but the upward heat flow increased significantly as the development of the molten pool. The maximum heat flux towards the vessel wall reached 0.4 MW/m². The thickness of lower crust decreased as the debris melting. It was much thicker at the bottom region with the azimuthal angle below 20° and decreased rapidly at the azimuthal angle around 20-50°. The maximum and minimum thicknesses were 2 and 90 mm, respectively. By contrast, the distribution of upper crust was uniform and reached stable state much earlier than the lower crust, with the thickness of about 10 mm. Moreover, the sensitivity analysis of initial condition indicated that as the decrease of time interval from reactor scram to debris bed dried-out, the maximum debris temperature and melt fraction became larger, the lower crust thickness became thinner, but the upper crust had no significant change. The sensitivity analysis of in-vessel retention (IVR) strategies indicated that the passive and active external reactor vessel cooling (ERVC) had little effect on the internal heat transfer and crust evolution. In the case not considering the internal reactor vessel cooling (IRVC), the upper crust was not obvious.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제47권3호
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• pp.240-252
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• 2015

In the original licensing application for the prototype fast-breeder reactor, MONJU, the event progression during an unprotected loss of flow (ULOF), which is one of the technically inconceivable events postulated beyond design basis, was evaluated. Through this evaluation, it was confirmed that radiological consequences could be suitably limited even if mechanical energy was released. Following the Fukushima-Daiichi accident, a new nuclear safety regulation has become effective in Japan. The conformity of MONJU to this new regulation should hence be investigated. The objectives of the present study are to conduct a preliminary evaluation of ULOF for MONJU, reflecting the knowledge obtained after the original licensing application through CABRI experiments and EAGLE projects, and to gain the prospect of in-vessel retention for the conformity of MONJU to the new regulation. The preliminary evaluation in the present study showed that no significant mechanical energy release would take place, and that thermal failure of the reactor vessel could be avoided by the stable cooling of disrupted-core materials. This result suggests that the prospect of in-vessel retention against ULOF, which lies within the bounds of the original licensing evaluation and conforms to the new nuclear safety regulation, will be gained.

• 시스템엔지니어링학술지
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• 제19권2호
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• pp.32-45
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• 2023

Implementing Severe Accident Management (SAM) strategies is crucial for enhancing a nuclear power plant's resilience and safety against severe accidents conditions represented in the analysis of Station Blackout (SBO) event. Among these critical approaches, the In-Vessel Retention (IVR) through External Reactor Vessel Cooling (IVR-ERVC) strategy plays a key role in preventing vessel failure. This work is designed to evaluate the efficacy of the IVR strategy for a high-power density reactor APR1400. The APR1400's plant is represented and simulated under steady-state and transient conditions for a station blackout (SBO) accident scenario using the computer code, ASYST. The APR1400's thermal-hydraulic response is analyzed to assess its performance as it progresses toward a severe accident scenario during an extended SBO. The effectiveness of emergency operating procedures (EOPs) and severe accident management guidelines (SAMGs) are systematically examined to assess their ability to mitigate the accident. A group of associated key phenomena selected based on Phenomenon Identification and Ranking Tables (PIRT) and uncertain parameters are identified accordingly and then propagated within DAKOTA Uncertainty Quantification (UQ) framework until a statistically representative sample is obtained and hence determine the uncertainty bands of key system parameters. The Systems Engineering methodology is applied to direct the progression of work, ensuring systematic and efficient execution.

• 에너지공학
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• 제28권4호
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• pp.103-110
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• 2019

국내에서 개발 중인 차세대 혁신형 안전경수로인 iPOWER는 피동용융노심냉각계통의 도입을 통해 중대사고시 노심용융물을 원자로 하부에서 장기간 냉각하고 안정화시키고자 한다. 아직 피동용융노심냉각계통의 최종 설계개념이 확정되기 전이나, 원자로용기 외벽냉각을 통한 노심용융물의 노내 억류 역시 주요 중대사고 대처 전략의 하나로 검토되고 있다. 본 연구에서는 국내에서 개발된 열수력 계통해석코드인 MARS-KS를 이용하여 원자로용기와 단열체 사이에서 형성되는 2상 자연순환 유동을 모의하였다. 냉각수의 유로를 일차원으로 모델링하고, 노심용융물의 열부하에 따른 경계조건을 정의하여 자연순환 유량을 계산하였다. 또한 냉각수의 온도 및 수위, 원자로용기 하반구 주변 기포율 및 외벽에서의 열전달모드 등 주요 열수력 변수의 과도거동을 평가하였다.

• 대한기계학회논문집A
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• 제38권4호
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• pp.355-361
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• 2014

신규 원전에서 추진중인 외벽침수냉각 방식의 적용이 실패할 경우 노심용융물과 원자로공동 내유체의 상호작용으로 인해 증기폭발이 발생하며, 이는 격납건물 및 관통부 배관을 포함한 각 구조물의 건전성을 위협할 수 있다. 본 논문에서는 선행연구 분석결과를 토대로 증기폭발 현상을 모사할 수 있는 개선된 해석기법을 도출하고 알루미나 실험 모사를 통해 타당성을 확인하였다. 또한 동일한 기법을 원자로공동 해석에 적용하여 가상 파손위치에 따른 증기폭발 압력이력을 예측하였으며, 측면파손에 의한 최대압력 값이 하부파손에 의한 것보다 최대 70% 정도 높음을 보였다.

• 에너지공학
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• 제23권3호
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• pp.21-26
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• 2014

유럽 원전 시장 개척을 위해 개발 중인 EU-APR1400은 중대사고 대처설비로 노외 노심용융물 보유 및 냉각을 위한 소위 Core catcher라 불리는 노외 노심용융물 냉각설비를 개발 중이며, Core catcher body를 노심용융물로부터 보호하기 위하여 노심용융물의 물성 및 상태를 변화시켜 냉각 및 보유에 유리하게 하는 희생물질을 설치한다. 중대사고 시 원자로 압력용기의 틈으로부터 노심용융물이 분출되어 희생물질에 충돌 시 열 전달량이 매우 증가하게 되므로, 이 때 노심용융물 제트의 충돌에 의한 희생물질의 침식율을 정확하게 예측하는 것은 매우 중요하다. 이 논문에서는 경계층 이론을 기반으로 한 희생물질 침식 모형을 제안하고 KAERI에서 수행한 실험결과와 비교하였다.

• 비파괴검사학회지
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• 제20권4호
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• pp.314-321
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• 2000

모의 원자로내 용융물 냉각 실증 실험 결과 용융물 $Al_2O_3/Fe$ thermite 와 lower head vessel사이에 간극이 발생된다. 간극을 정량적으로 측정하기 위한 기존의 초음파 방법은 구조물의 복잡성과 $2300^{\circ}C$ 에서 용융되는 thermite $Al_2O_3/Fe,\;Al_2O_3$의 영향으로 발생되는 lower head의 열영향부위(HAZ)의 금속학적인 결정입자 크기의 변화로 결정 계면으로부터 발생되는 잡음신호와 초음파 산란, 감쇠, 모드 변환 등이 발생되어 신뢰성이 떨어지고 있다. 간극을 정량적으로 측정하기 위해서 thermite와 lower head 사이에 물이 채워진 형태의 즉 고체, 액체, 고체의 다층구조에서 초음파의 진행 및 반사 형태를 분류 및 분석하였다. 결정립의 잡음을 억제하기 위하여 주파수대역의 확률 처리 방식인 PT(polarity threshold) 알고리즘을 이용하여 약 6dB 신호 대 잡음비의 개선효과를 가져왔다.