• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.12
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• pp.4607-4616
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• 2023

We implement machine learning regression models to predict peak pressures of primary and secondary systems, a major safety concern in Loss Of Condenser Vacuum (LOCV) accident. We selected the Multi-dimensional Analysis of Reactor Safety-KINS standard (MARS-KS) code to analyze the LOCV accident, and the reference plant is the Korean Optimized Power Reactor 1000MWe (OPR1000). eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) is selected as a machine learning tool. The MARS-KS code is used to generate LOCV accident data and the data is applied to train the machine learning model. Hyperparameter optimization is performed using a simulated annealing. The randomly generated combination of initial conditions within the operating range is put into the input of the XGBoost model to predict the peak pressure. These initial conditions that cause peak pressure with MARS-KS generate the results. After such a process, the error between the predicted value and the code output is calculated. Uncertainty about the machine learning model is also calculated to verify the model accuracy. The machine learning model presented in this paper successfully identifies a combination of initial conditions that produce a more conservative peak pressure than the values calculated with existing methodologies.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.214-226
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• 2000

In an effort to assess the performance of KAERI's coupled 3D kinetics - system T/H code, MARS/MASTER, Exercise III of the OECD main steam line break benchmark is solved. The analysis model of the reference plant, TMI-1 - a 2772 MWth B&W plant, consists of three major components: a core neutronics model involving 241$\times$28 neutronic nodes, a vessel 3D T/H model consisting of 374 hydrodynamic volumes, and a 1D system T/H model containing 157 hydrodynamic volumes. The results show that there is a significant amount of flow mixing occurring in the upper and lower plenum regions and the core power distribution evolves to a highly localized shape due to the presence of a stuck rod, as well as the asymmetric flow distribution. It is judged that MARS/MASTER properly captures these drastic 3-dimensional effects. Comparisons with other results submitted to OECD confirm the accuracy of the MARS/MASTER solution.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.91-102
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• 2015

A thermal-hydraulic design and performance analysis computer code for a once-through steam generator using straight tubes is developed. To benchmark the developed physical models and computer code, an once-through steam generator developed by other designer is simulated and the calculated results are compared with the design data. Also, the same steam generator is analyzed with the best-estimate thermal-hydraulic system code, MARS, for the code-to-code validation. The overall characteristics of heat transfer area, pressure and temperature distributions calculated by the developed code show general agreements with the published design data as well as the analysis results of MARS. It is demonstrated that the developed code can be utilized for diverse purposes, such as, sensitivity analyses and optimum thermal design of a once-through steam generator.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.209.1-209
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• 2002

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.691-708
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• 2009

In order to analyze thermal hydraulic phenomena during a DVI (Direct Vessel Injection) line break LOCA (Loss-of-Coolant Accident) in the APR1400 (Advanced Power Reactor 1400 MWe), we performed experimental studies with the SNUF (Seoul National University Facility), a reduced-height and reduce-pressure integral test loop with a scaled down APR1400. We performed experiments dealing with eight test cases under varied tests. As a result of the experiment, the primary system pressure, the coolant temperature, and the occurrence time of the downcomer seal clearing were affected significantly by the thermal power in the core and the SI flow rate. The break area played a dominant role in the vent of the steam. For our analytical investigation, we used the MARS code for simulation of the experiments to validate the calculation capability of the code. The results of the analysis showed good and sufficient agreement with the results of the experiment. However, the analysis revealed a weak capability in predicting the bypass flow of the SI water toward the broken DVI line, and it was insufficient to simulate the streamline contraction in the broken side. We, hence, need to improve the MARS code.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.127-135
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• 2000

We investigate the effects of planetary rotation on the exospheres of the earth and Mars with simple collisionless models. We develope a numerical code that computes exospheric densities by integrating velocity functions at the exobase with a 10 point Gauss method. It is assumed in the model that atoms above the exobase altitude move collisionlessly on an orbit under the planet's gravity. Temperatures and densities at the exobase over the globe are adopted from MSIS-86 for the earth and from Bougher et al's MTGCM for Mars. For both the earth and Mars, the rotation affects the exospheric density distribution significantly in two ways: (1) the variation of the exospheric density distribution is shifted toward the rotational direction with respect to the variation at the exobase, (2) the exospheric densities in general increase over the non-rotating case. We find that the rotational effects are more significant for lower thermospheric temperatures. Both the enhancement of densities and shift of the exospheric distribution due to rotation have not been considered in previous models of Martian exosphere. Our non-spherical distribution with the rotational effects should contribute to refining the hot oxygen corona models of Mars which so far assume simple geometry. Our model will also help in analyzing exospheric data to be measured by the upcoming Nozomi mission to Mars.

• Advances in aircraft and spacecraft science
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.239-256
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• 2019

This study develops a dual purpose: i) evaluating the effects of two different Mars atmosphere models (NASA Glenn and GRAM-2001) on aerodynamics of a capsule (Pathfinder) entering the Mars atmosphere, ii) verifying the feasibility of evaluating the ambient density and pressure by means of the methods by McLaughlin and Cassanto, respectively and therefore to re-build the values provided by the models. The method by McLaughlin relies on the evaluation of the capsule drag coefficient, the method by Cassanto relies on the measurement of pressure at a point on the capsule surface in aerodynamic shadow. The study has been carried out computationally by means of: i) a code integrating the equations of dynamics of the capsule for the computation of the entry trajectory, ii) a DSMC code for the solution of the flow field around the capsule in the altitude interval 50-100 km. The models show consistent differences at altitudes higher than about 40 km. It seems that the GRAM-2001 model is more reliable than the NASA Glenn model. In fact, the NASA Glenn model produces, at high altitude, temperatures that seem to be too low compared with those from the GRAM-2001 model and correspondingly very different aerodynamic conditions in terms of Mach, Reynolds and Knudsen numbers. This produces pretty different capsule drag coefficients by the two models as well as pressure on its surface, making not feasible neither the method by McLaughlin nor that by Cassanto, until a single, reliable model of the Mars atmosphere is not established. The present study verified that the implementation of the Cassanto method in Mars atmosphere should rely (such as it is currently) on pressure obtained experimentally in ground facilities.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.41 no.10
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• pp.1347-1360
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• 2009

A multi-dimensional component for the thermal-hydraulic system analysis code, MARS, was developed for a more realistic three-dimensional analysis of nuclear systems. A three-dimensional and two-fluid model for a two-phase flow in Cartesian and cylindrical coordinates was employed. The governing equations and physical constitutive relationships were extended from those of a one-dimensional version. The numerical solution method adopted a semi-implicit and finite-difference method based on a staggered-grid mesh and a donor-cell scheme. The relevant length scale was very coarse compared to commercial computational fluid dynamics tools. Thus a simple Prandtl's mixing length turbulence model was applied to interpret the turbulent induced momentum and energy diffusivity. Non drag interfacial forces were not considered as in the general nuclear system codes. Several conceptual cases with analytic solutions were chosen and analyzed to assess the fundamental terms. RPI air-water and UPTF 7 tests were simulated and compared to the experimental data. The simulation results for the RPI air-water two-phase flow experiment showed good agreement with the measured void fraction. The simulation results for the UPTF downcomer test 7 were compared to the experiment data and the results from other multi-dimensional system codes for the ECC delivery flow.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.1231-1240
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• 2019

Unlike land-based nuclear power plants, a marine or floating reactor is affected by external forces due to ocean conditions. These external forces can cause additional accelerations and affect each system and equipment of the marine reactor. Therefore, in designing a marine reactor and evaluating its performance and stability, a thermal hydraulic safety analysis code is necessary to consider the thermal hydrodynamic effects of ship motion. MARS, which is a reactor system analysis code, includes a dynamic motion model that can simulate the thermal-hydraulic phenomena under three-dimensional motion by calculating the body force term included in the momentum equation. In this study, it was verified that the dynamic motion model can simulate fluid motion with reasonable accuracy using conceptual problems. In addition, two modifications were made to the dynamic motion model; first, a user-supplied table to simulate a realistic ship motion was implemented, and second, the flow regime map determination algorithm was improved by calculating the volume inclination information at every time step if the dynamic motion model was activated. With these modifications, MARS could simulate the thermal-hydraulic phenomena under ocean motion more realistically.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.1126-1135
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• 2022

The MARS code has been assessed for the prediction of onset of flow instability (OFI) in a vertical channel. For assessment, we built an experiment database that consists of experiments under various geometry and thermal-hydraulic condition. It covers pressure from 0.12 to 1.73 MPa; heat flux from 0.67 to 3.48 MW/m²; inlet sub-cooling from 39 to 166 ℃; hydraulic diameters between 2.37 and 6.45 mm of rectangular channels and pipes. It was shown that the MARS code can predict the OFI mass flux for pipes reasonably well. However, it could not predict the OFI in a rectangular channel well with a mean absolute percentage error of 8.77%. In the cases of rectangular channels, the error tends to depend on the hydraulic diameter. Because the OFI is directly related to the subcooled boiling in a flow channel, we suggest a modified subcooled boiling model for better prediction of OFI in a rectangular channel; the net vapor generation (NVG) model and the modified wall evaporation model were modified so that the effect of hydraulic diameter and heat flux can be accurately considered. The assessment of the modified model shows the prediction of OFI mass flux for rectangular channels is greatly improved.