• Journal of Energy Engineering
• /
• v.13 no.3
• /
• pp.181-190
• /
• 2004

Computational models for analyzing the in-reactor behavior of metallic fuel pins under transient conditions in liquid-metal reactors are developed and implemented in the TRAMAC (TRAnsient thermo-Mechanical Analysis Code) for a metal fuel rod under transient operation conditions. Not only the basic models for a fuel rod performance but also some sub-models used for transient condition are installed in TRAMAC. Among the models, a fission gas release model, which takes the multi-bubble size distribution into account to characterize the lenticular bubble shape and the saturation condition on the grain boundary and the cladding deformation model have been developed based mainly on the existing models in the MAC-SIS code. Finally, cladding strains are calculated from the amount of thermal creep, irradiation creep, and irradiation swelling. The cladding strain model in TRAMAC predicts well the absolute magnitudes and gen-eral trends of their predictions compared with those of experimental data. TRAMAC results for the FH-1,2,6 pins are more conservative than experimental data and relatively reasonable than those of FPIN2 code. From the calculation results of TRAMAC, it is apparent that the code is capable of predicting fission gas release, and cladding deformation for LMR metal fuel finder transient operation conditions. The results show that in general, the predictions of TRAMAC agree well with the available irradiation data.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.50 no.5
• /
• pp.724-730
• /
• 2018

Chromium and chromium nitride were selected as potential barriers to prevent fuel-clad chemical interaction (FCCI) between the cladding and the fuel material. In this study, ferritic/martensitic HT-9 steel and misch metal were used to simulate the reaction between the cladding and fuel fission product, respectively. Radio frequency magnetron sputtering was used to deposit Cr and CrN films onto the cladding, and the gas flow rates of argon and nitrogen were fixed at certain values for each sample to control the deposition rate and the crystal structure of the films. The samples were heated for 24 h at 933 K through the diffusion couple test, and considerable amount of interdiffusion (max. thickness: $550{\mu}m$) occurred at the interface between HT-9 and misch metal when the argon and nitrogen were used individually. The elemental contents of misch metal were detected at the HT-9 through energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy due to the interdiffusion. However, the specimens that were sputtered by mixed gases (Ar and $N_2$) exhibited excellent resistance to FCCI. The thickness of these CrN films were only $4{\mu}m$, but these films effectively prevented the FCCI due to their high adhesion strength (frictional force ${\geq}1,200{\mu}m$) and dense columnar microstructures.

• Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology
• /
• v.20 no.9
• /
• pp.1514-1524
• /
• 2006

This work presents the three-dimensional analysis of flow and heat transfer performed for a wire-wrapped fuel assembly of liquid metal reactor using Reynolds-averaged Wavier-Stokes analysis in conjunction with 557 model as a turbulence closure. The whole fuel assembly has been analyzed for one period of the wire-spacer using periodic boundary conditions at inlet and outlet of the calculation domain. Three different assemblies, two 7-pin wire-spacer fuel assemblies and one bare rod bundle, apart from the pressure drop calculations for a 19-pin case, have been analyzed. Individual as well as a comparative analysis of the flow field and heat transfer have been discussed. Also, discussed is the position of hot spots observed in the wire-spacer fuel assembly. The flow field in the subchannels of a bare rod bundle and a wire-spacer fuel assembly is found to be different. A directional temperature gradient is found to exist in the subchannels of a wire-spacer fuel assembly Local Nusselt number in the subchannels of wire-spacer fuel assemblies is found to vary according to the wire-wrap position while in case of bare rod bundle, it's found to be constant.

• Journal of ILASS-Korea
• /
• v.17 no.4
• /
• pp.192-196
• /
• 2012

This paper reports on breakup characteristics of fuel droplet which includes metal nanoparticles. In order to develop a new injection system for nanoparticle-coated layers overcoming the conventional flame spray system, fundamental experiments were conducted to examine the interaction between a fuel droplet with nanoparticles and the external energy induced by the laser. In the experiments, this study used nickel nanoparticles whose size was under 100 nm to mix with kerosene as the fuel, and utilized a syringe pump and a metal needle to inject a fuel droplet. In particular, the Nd-YAG laser was adopted to give additional energy to the nanoparticles for evaporation of a fuel droplet containing nanoparticles. When the laser energy as 96 mJ was irradiated during the injection, it was observed that such an explosive evaporation occurred to break up a fuel droplet including nanoparticles, making the rapid increase in the ratio surface area to liquid volume. From this work, we suggest the possibility that the laser energy can be used for rapid evaporation of a fuel droplet.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
• /
• 2007.05b
• /
• pp.2228-2231
• /
• 2007

Water gas shift reactor in fuel processing is an important part that converts carbon monoxide into hydrogen. Fuel processing system for PEMFC usually has two stages of WGS reactors, which are high temperature and low temperature shifter. In this study we prepared noble metal catalysts and compared their performances with that of a commercial iron chromium oxide catalyst. Noble metal catalysts and the commercial catalyst showed quite different temperature dependence of carbon monoxide conversion. The conversion of carbon monoxide at the commercial catalyst was very low at medium temperature(${\sim}300^{\circ}C$) and increased rapidly as temperature increased while the conversion at noble metal catalysts was high in the medium temperature range and decreased as temperature increased, which is thermodynamically expected. Their characteristics agreed well with the literature published, and we are accomplishing further study for improvement of the noble metal catalysts.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
• /
• v.45 no.3
• /
• pp.161-166
• /
• 2008

The multi-films of a metallic film and a transparent conducting oxide (TCO, indium-tin oxide, ITO) film were formed on the stainless steel 316 and 304 plates by a sputtering method and an E-beam method and then the external metallic region of the stainless steel bipolar plates was converted into the metal nitride films through an annealing process. The multi-film formed on the stainless steel bipolar plates showed the XRD patterns of the typical indium-tin oxide, the metallic phase and the metal substrate and the external nitride film. The XRD pattern of the thin film on the bipolar plates modified showed two metal nitride phases of CrN and $Cr_2N$ compound. Surface microstructural morphology of the multi-film deposited bipolar plates was observed by AFM and FE-SEM. The metal nitride film formed on the stainless steel bipolar plates represented a microstructural morphology of fine columnar grains with 10 nm diameter and 60nm length in FE-SEM images. The electrical resistivity of the stainless steel bipolar plates modified was evaluated.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.53 no.7
• /
• pp.2268-2276
• /
• 2021

Spent nuclear fuel, which can degrade during long-term storage, must be transported intact in normal transport conditions. In this regard, many studies, including those involving Multi-Modal Transportation Test (MMTT) campaigns, have been conducted. In order to transport the spent fuel safely, a tie-down structure for supporting and transporting a cask containing the spent fuel is essential. To ensure its structural integrity, a method for finding an optimum conceptual design for the tie-down structure is presented. An optimized transportation test model of a tie-down structure for the KORAD-21 metal cask is derived based on the proposed optimization approach, and the transportation test model is manufactured by redesigning the optimized model to enable its producibility. The topology optimization approach presented in this paper can be used to obtain optimum conceptual designs of tie-down structures developed in the future.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.43 no.4
• /
• pp.317-328
• /
• 2011

Pyroprocessing technology was developed in the beginning for metal fuel treatment in the US in the 1960s. The conventional aqueous process, such as PUREX, is not appropriate for treating metal fuel. Pyroprocessing technology has advantages over the aqueous process: less proliferation risk, treatment of spent fuel with relatively high heat and radioactivity, compact equipment, etc. The addition of an oxide reduction process to the pyroprocessing metal fuel treatment enables handling of oxide spent fuel, which draws a potential option for the management of spent fuel from the PWR. In this context, KAERI has been developing pyroprocessing technology to handle the oxide spent fuel since the 1990s. This paper describes the current status of pyroprocessing technology development at KAERI from the head-end process to the waste treatment. A unit process with various scales has been tested to produce the design data associated with the scale up. A performance test of unit processes integration will be conducted at the PRIDE facility, which will be constructed by early 2012. The PRIDE facility incorporates the unit processes all together in a cell with an Ar environment. The purpose of PRIDE is to test the processes for unit process performance, operability by remote equipment, the integrity of the unit processes, process monitoring, Ar environment system operation, and safeguards related activities. The test of PRIDE will be promising for further pyroprocessing technology development.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.40 no.2
• /
• pp.139-146
• /
• 2008

This paper presents two of the fuel channel designs being considered for the CANDU-SCWR, a pressure-tube type supercritical water cooled reactor. The first is an insulated pressure tube design. The pressure tube is thermally insulated from the hot coolant by a porous ceramic insulator. Each pressure tube is in direct contact with the moderator, which operates at an average temperature of about $80^{\circ}C$. The low temperature allows zirconium alloys to be used. A perforated metal liner protects the insulator from being damaged by the fuel bundles and erosion by the coolant. The coolant pressure is transmitted through the perforated metal liner and insulator and applied directly to the pressure tube. The second is a re-entrant design. The fuel channel consists of two concentric tubes, and a calandria tube that separates them from the moderator. The coolant enters between the annulus of the two concentric fuel channel tubes, then exits the fuel channel through the inner tube, where the fuel bundles reside. The outer tube bears the coolant pressure and its temperature will be the same as the coolant inlet temperature, ${\sim}350^{\circ}C$. Advantages and disadvantages of these designs and the material requirements are discussed.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
• /
• v.18 no.5
• /
• pp.52-59
• /
• 2014

In general, sulfur containing odorants are added to fuel gases, such as LPG, and city gas, to prevent gas poisoning, ignition, explosion, or other accident caused by fuel gases, and to enable immediate and easy detection of fuel-gas leakage by emitting an offensive smell. In this study, sulfur free odorant for low sulfur fuel and prevention of metal corrosion were developed to replace current sulfur containing odorant for gas fuel. They were selected from 12 odorant containing non-sulfur organic compounds and evaluated by odor olfactory method (odor quality, odor intensity). Finally, selected mixture odorants were methyl isovalerate, methyl acrylate, 2-ethyl-3-methyl pyrazine with blending ratio of 50% : 40% : 10%. Final Sulfur free odorant was added 40 wt ppm in LPG fuels and evaluated fuel quality characteristics, metal corrosion test and long term stability of LPG fuel. It were limit in current LPG fuel standard in fuel quality characteristics. Final Sulfur free odorant also had no influence on metal corrosion and long term stability test with 60 days by adding in LPG fuels. Finally, they were shown to be warning agent candidates to reduce sulfur content and metal corrosion for LPG fuel.