• Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.1-8
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• 2019

The integrity of the Reactor Pressure Vessel (RPV) is affected by the neutrons bombarding the vessel wall leading to embrittlement. This irradiation-induced embrittlement leads to reduction in the fracture toughness of RPV materials. This paper presents a comparative study of typical Optimized Power Reactor (OPR)1000 reactor pressure-temperature (P-T) limit curves using the pre-2006 American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) editions used in the power plant and the current ASME edition of 2010. The current ASME Code utilizes critical reference stress intensity factor based on the lower bound of static, while the Pre-2006 ASME editions are based the critical reference stress intensity factor based on the lower bound of static, dynamic and crack arrest. Model-Based Systems Engineering approach was used to evaluate ASME Code Section XI Appendix G for generating the P-T limit curves. The results obtained from this analysis indicate decrease in conservatism in P-T limit curves constructed using the current 2017 ASME code, which can potentially increase operational flexibility and plant safety. Hence it is recommended to use ASME code edition after 2006 be used in all operating nuclear power plants (NPPs) to establish P-T limit curve.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.249-254
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• 1998

In relation to the application of magnetic method to the evaluation of irradiation damage (embrittlement) changes in the magnetic parameters(hysteresis loop and Barkhausen noise) and Vickers microhardness due to neutron irradiation and heat treatment were measured and compared. In the case of irradiation $(2.3{\times}10^{19}\;n/cm^2,\; E{\ge}1\;Mev,\; 288{\circ}C)$ hysteresis loop measurements show that susceptibility decreases as coercivity increase. Saturation magnetization do not show any change. Barkhausen noise amplitude and Barkhausen noise energy have decreased while Vickers microhardness has increased. For isothermally heat treated condition of irradiated specimen at 470 $^{\circ}C$ and 540 $^{\circ}C$, Barkhausen noise energy has increased while Vickers microhardness has decreased. Results of BNE and Vickers microhardness are reversed to the results on irradiated condition. All these consistent changes in magnetic parameter and Vickers microhardness measurement, which are thought to be resulted from the interaction between irradiation-induced defects and dislocation, and magnetic domain, respectively, show a possibility that magnetic measurement may be used to the evaluation of material degradation and recovery due to neutron irradiation and heat treatment, respectively, if a relevant large database in prepared.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.364-376
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• 1998

The statistical analysis method was applied to the evaluation of fracture toughness in the ductile-brittle transition temperature region. Because cleavage fracture in steel is of a statistical nature, fracture toughness data or values show a similar statistical trend. Using the three-parameter Weibull distribution, a fracture toughness vs. temperature curve (K-curve) was directly generated from a set of fracture toughness data at a selected temperature. Charpy V-notch impact energy was also used to obtain the K-curve by a $K_{IC}$ -CVN (Charpy V-notch energy) correlation. Furthermore, this method was applied to evaluate the neutron irradiation embrittlement of reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steel. Most of the fracture toughness data were within the 95% confidence limits. The prediction of a transition temperature shift by statistical analysis was compared with that from the experimental data.

• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.168-171
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• 2003

The IMEF(Irradiated Materials Examination Facility), located in KAERI site, is a hot cell facility to test and evaluate the irradiation defects or embrittlement through post-irradiation examination(PIEs) of irradiated nuclear fuels and structural materials which are come from HANARO research reactor and commercial nuclear power plants. Therefore, to carry out its own function, the high level solid radioactive wastes, produced through PIEs, are periodically carried out and managed from hot cell to monolith. So far, approximately 30 drums which contains 50 liters are transported to monolith, and it is shown that the quantity is slowly increasing, In this paper, the procedures and work contents of the high level solid radwaste carrying out and management for IMEF are described in detail.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.9 no.12
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• pp.1240-1244
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• 1999

In order to assess the effects on the magnetic properties due to the defect in the material irradiated by fast neutron ranging $10^0-10^{18}n/cm^2$, the magnetic properties such as maximum magnetic induction, coercivity, remanence, Barkhausen Noise Amplitude(BNA), Barkhausen Noise Energy(BNE) and hardness were measured. It is shown that the magnetic properties and hardness do not change by the fast neutron irradiation under $10^{17}n/cm^2$. Therefore, in this experiment, it is understood that the magnetic properties decrease by the increase of hardness. This measurement method can be used to evaluate the neutron irradiation embrittlement nondestructively since the magnetic properties and hardness do change by the neutron irradiation over $10^{17}n/cm^2$ consistently.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.142-147
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• 2005

The embrittlement of fast neutron-irradiated reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels was investigated by X-ray diffraction patterns at room temperature and $M\ddot{o}ssbauer$ spectroscopy at room- and liquid nitrogen-temperature. Neutron fluence on the samples were $10^{12},\;10^{13},\;10^{14},\;10^{15},\;10^{16},\;10^{17},\;10^{18}\;n/cm^2$. The X-ray diffraction patterns showed that the structure of the neutron unirradiated sample was bcc type, where as but the neutron irradiated samples with the fluence higher than $10^{17}\;n/{\cal}cm^2$ were so severely damaged, that bcc type structure disappeared. The $M\ddot{o}ssbauer$ spectra of all samples showed superposition of two or more sextets. In this paper all $M\ddot{o}ssbauer$ spectra were fitted by three set of sextet. The isomer shift and quadrupole splitting values were found around zero. At liquid nitrogen temperature, magnetic hyperfine field and absorption area increase rapidly S 1 sextet in the samples of $10^{17}\~10^{18}\;n/{\cal}cm^2$ neutron fluences. And at room temperature, magnetic hyperfine field and absorption increased rapidly at SI sextet in the samples of $10^{17}\~10^{18}\;n/{\cal}cm^2$ neutron fluences. This rapid increase of magnetic hyperfine field and absorption area were inferred to be caused by the change of $^{56}Fe,\;^{55}Mn$ into $^{57}Fe$ due to by neutron irradiation.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2011.10a
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• pp.7-7
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• 2011

Quantum beam technology has been expected to develop breakthroughs for nanotechnology during the third basic plan of science and technology (2006~2010). Recently, Green- or Life Innovations has taken over the national interests in the fourth basic science and technology plan (2011~2015). The NIMS (National Institute for Materials Science) has been conducting the corresponding mid-term research plans, as well as other national projects, such as nano-Green project (Global Research for Environment and Energy based on Nanomaterials science). In this lecture, the research trends in Japan and NIMS are firstly reviewed, and the typical achievements are highlighted over key nanotechnology fields. As one of the key nanotechnologies, the quantum beam research in NIMS focused on synchrotron radiation, neutron beams and ion/atom beams, having complementary attributes. The facilities used are SPring-8, nuclear reactor JRR-3, pulsed neutron source J-PARC and ion-laser-combined beams as well as excited atomic beams. Materials studied are typically fuel cell materials, superconducting/magnetic/multi-ferroic materials, quasicrystals, thermoelectric materials, precipitation-hardened steels, nanoparticle-dispersed materials. Here, we introduce a few topics of neutron scattering and ion beam nanofabrication. For neutron powder diffraction, the NIMS has developed multi-purpose pattern fitting software, post RIETAN2000. An ionic conductor, doped Pr2NiO4, which is a candidate for fuel-cell material, was analyzed by neutron powder diffraction with the software developed. The nuclear-density distribution derived revealed the two-dimensional network of the diffusion paths of oxygen ions at high temperatures. Using the high sensitivity of neutron beams for light elements, hydrogen states in a precipitation-strengthened steel were successfully evaluated. The small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) demonstrated the sensitive detection of hydrogen atoms trapped at the interfaces of nano-sized NbC. This result provides evidence for hydrogen embrittlement due to trapped hydrogen at precipitates. The ion beam technology can give novel functionality on a nano-scale and is targeting applications in plasmonics, ultra-fast optical communications, high-density recording and bio-patterning. The technologies developed are an ion-and-laser combined irradiation method for spatial control of nanoparticles, and a nano-masked ion irradiation method for patterning. Furthermore, we succeeded in implanting a wide-area nanopattern using nano-masks of anodic porous alumina. The patterning of ion implantation will be further applied for controlling protein adhesivity of biopolymers. It has thus been demonstrated that the quantum beam-based nanotechnology will lead the innovations both for nano-characterization and nano-fabrication.