• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제41권1호
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• pp.53-62
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• 2009

A set of experiments has been conducted on the performance sensitivity of the passive residual heat removal system (PRHRS) for an advanced integral type reactor, SMART, by using a high temperature and high pressure thermal-hydraulic test facility, the VISTA facility. In this paper the effects of the opening delay of the PRHRS bypass valves and the closing delay of the secondary system isolation valves, and the initial water level and the initial pressure of the compensating tank (CT) are investigated. During the reference test a stable flow occurs in a natural circulation loop that is composed of a steam generator secondary side, a secondary system, and a PRHRS; this is ascertained by a repetition test. When the PRHRS bypass valves are operated 10 seconds later than the secondary system isolation valves, the primary system is not properly cooled. When the secondary system isolation valves are operated 10 or 30 seconds later than the PRHRS bypass valves, the primary system is effectively cooled but the inventory of the PRHRS CT is drained earlier. As the initial water level of the CT is lowered to 16% of the full water level, the water is quickly drained and then nitrogen gas is introduced into the PRHRS, resulting in the deterioration of the PRHRS performance. When the initial pressure of the PRHRS is at 0.1MPa, the natural circulation is not performed properly. When the initial pressures of the PRHRS are 2.5 or 3.5 MPa, they show better performance than did the reference test.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제31권1호
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• pp.17-28
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• 1999

A thermal-hydraulic analysis is conducted on the loss-of-coolant-accident (LOCA) during shutdown operation of YGN Units 3/4. Based on the review of plant-specific characteristics of YGN Units 3/4 in design and operation, a set of analysis cases is determined, and predicted by the RELAP5/MOD3.2 code during LOCA in the hot-standby mode. The evaluated thermal-hydraulic phenomena are blowdown, break flow, inventory distribution, natural circulation, and core thermal response. The difference in thermal-hydraulic behavior of LOCA at shutolown condition from that of LOCA at full power is identified as depressurization rate, the delay in peak natural circulation timing and the loop seal clearing (LSC) timing. In addition, the effect of high pressure safety injection (HPSI) on plant response is also evaluated. The break spectrum analysis shows that the critical break size can be between 1% to 2% of cold leg area, and that the available operator action time for the Sl actuation and the margin in the peak clad temperature (PCT) could be reduced when considering uncertainties of the present RELAP5 calculation.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제56권3호
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• pp.1037-1051
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• 2024

This paper presents the construction results and design of the UNIST Reactor Innovation platform for small modular reactors as a versatile testbed for exploring innovative technologies. The platform uses simulant fluids to simulate the thermal-hydraulic behavior of a reference small modular reactor design, allowing for cost-effective design modifications. Scaling analysis results for single and two-phase natural circulation flows are outlined based on the three-level scaling methodology. The platform's capability to simulate natural circulation behavior was validated through performance calculations using the 1-D system thermal-hydraulic code-based calculation. The strategies for evaluating cutting-edge technologies, such as the integration of a solid oxide electrolysis cell for hydrogen production into a small modular reactor, are presented. To overcome experimental limitations, the hardware-in-the-loop technique is proposed as an alternative, enabling real-time simulation of physical phenomena that cannot be implemented within the experimental facility's hardware. Overall, the proposed versatile innovation platform is expected to provide valuable insights for advancing research in the field of small modular reactors and nuclear-based hydrogen production.

• 대한기계학회논문집B
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• 제28권12호
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• pp.1475-1483
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• 2004

Loop thermosyphon(LTS) has many good characteristics such as low thermal resistance, no power consumption, noiseless operation and small size. To investigate the overall performance of LTS, we have performed various experiments varying three parameters: input power of the heater, working fluid(water, ethanol, FC3283) and filling ratio of the working fluid. At a combination of these parameters, temperature measurements are made at many locations of the LTS. The temperature difference between the evaporator and the condenser is used to obtain the thermal resistance. In addition, flow visualization using a high speed camera is carried out. The thermal resistance is not constant. It is lower at higher input power, which is one of the distinct merits of LTS. Flow instabilities are frequently observed when changing the working fluid, the input power and the filling ratio. The results show that the LTS can be readily put into practical use. Future practical application in electronic cooling is recommended.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• 제11권4호
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• pp.275-282
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• 2020

Hranfa's marl, a local natural mineral, is selected for the decontamination by adsorption of aqueous effluents in textile industry. Its physicochemical characterization is first performed. It is composed mainly of Calcite, Quartz, Ankerite and Muscovite. Its specific surface area is 40 ㎡ g^-1. Its adsorption performance is then tested in batch conditions using an industrial organic dye, Bemacid Red E-TL, as a model pollutant. The measured adsorption capacity of Hranfa's marl is 16 mg g^-1 which is comparable to that of other types of natural adsorbents. A hybrid process is tested coupling adsorption of the dye on marl in suspension and microfiltration. An adsorption reactor is inserted into the circulation loop of a microfiltration pilot using ceramic membranes. This makes possible a continuous extraction of the treated water provided that a periodic replacement of the saturated adsorbent is done. The breakthrough curve obtained by analyzing the dye concentration in the permeate is close to the ideal one considering that no dye will cross the membrane as long as the adsorbent load is not saturated. These first experimental data provide proof of concept for such a hybrid process.

• 대한기계학회:학술대회논문집
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• 대한기계학회 2002년도 학술대회지
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• pp.725-728
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• 2002

A separate type thermosyphon can be utilized as a cooling device of electronic equipments (such as CPU of a personal computer or notebook). This study was carried out to investigate the cooling effect of separate type thermosyphon and to find the adequate parameters affecting the separate type thermosyphon. The heat transfer characteristics of separate type thermosyphon were obtained from experimental results. A $50{\times}50{\times}2 mm$ heat source was copied after CPU for the experiments. The results indicate that the device is capable of dissipating 60W of thermal energy and keeping the heat plate surface temperature under 50'E and the device can transfer heat from the evaporator to the condenser through natural circulation (without any external driving forces). Some transport phenomena of the working fluid and the heat transfer characteristics of the loop were observed in the experiments and are discussed in detail below.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제56권3호
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• pp.803-811
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• 2024

Nuclear accidents such as Fukushima Daiichi have highlighted the potential of passive safety systems to replace or complement active safety systems as part of the overall prevention and/or mitigation strategies. In addition, passive systems are key features of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), for which they are becoming almost unavoidable and are part of the basic design of many reactors available in today's nuclear market. Nevertheless, their potential to significantly increase the safety of nuclear power plants still needs to be strengthened, in particular the ability of computer codes to determine their performance and reliability in industrial applications and support the safety demonstration. The PASTELS project (September 2020-February 2024), funded by the European Commission "Euratom H2020" programme, is devoted to the study of passive systems relying on natural circulation. The project focuses on two types, namely the SAfety COndenser (SACO) for the evacuation of the core residual power and the Containment Wall Condenser (CWC) for the reduction of heat and pressure in the containment vessel in case of accident. A specific design for each of these systems is being investigated in the project. Firstly, a straight vertical pool type of SACO has been implemented on the Framatome's PKL loop at Erlangen. It represents a tube bundle type heat exchanger that transfers heat from the secondary circuit to the water pool in which it is immersed by condensing the vapour generated in the steam generator. Secondly, the project relies on the CWC installed on the PASI test loop at LUT University in Finland. This facility reproduces the thermal-hydraulic behaviour of a Passive Containment Cooling System (PCCS) mainly composed of a CWC, a heat exchanger in the containment vessel connected to a water tank at atmospheric pressure outside the vessel which represents the ultimate heat sink. Several activities are carried out within the framework of the project. Different tests are conducted on these integral test facilities to produce new and relevant experimental data allowing to better characterize the physical behaviours and the performances of these systems for various thermo-hydraulic conditions. These test programmes are simulated by different codes acting at different scales, mainly system and CFD codes. New "system/CFD" coupling approaches are also considered to evaluate their potential to benefit both from the accuracy of CFD in regions where local 3D effects are dominant and system codes whose computational speed, robustness and general level of physical validation are particularly appreciated in industrial studies. In parallel, the project includes the study of single and two-phase natural circulation loops through a bibliographical study and the simulations of the PERSEO and HERO-2 experimental facilities. After a synthetic presentation of the project and its objectives, this article provides the reader with findings related to the physical analysis of the test results obtained on the PKL and PASI installations as well an overall evaluation of the capability of the different numerical tools to simulate passive systems.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제56권3호
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• pp.900-906
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• 2024

The Passively-Cooled Molten Salt Fast Reactor (PMFR) is one of the advanced design concepts of the Molten Salt Fast Reactor (MSFR) which utilizes a natural circulation for the primary loop and aims to attain a long-life operation without any means of fuel reprocessing. For an extended operation period, it is necessary to have enough fissile material, i.e., high excess reactivity, at the onset of operation. Since the PMFR is based on a fast neutron spectrum, direct implementation of a burnable absorber concept for the control of excess reactivity would be ineffective. Therefore, a localized moderator concept that encircles the active core has been envisioned for the PMFR which enables the effective utilization of a burnable absorber to achieve low reactivity swing and long-life operation. The modified PMFR design that incorporates a moderator and burnable absorber is presented, where depletion calculation is performed to estimate the reactor lifetime and reactivity swing to assess the feasibility of the proposed design. All the presented neutronic analysis has been conducted based on the Monte Carlo Serpent2 code with ENDF/B-VII.1 library.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제56권8호
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• pp.2893-2905
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• 2024

Passive safety systems are integrated into the latest generation of Light Water Reactors (LWRs), including small modular reactors. This paper employs the US-NRC TRACE thermal hydraulic code to examine the performance of a passive safety condenser known as SACO, designed to serve as the ultimate heat sink for dissipating decay heat during accident scenarios. The TRACE model is constructed with reference to the PKL/SACO test facility. The safety condenser (SACO) is interconnected with the PKL facility via the secondary side of steam generator 1, effectively serving as a third natural circulation cooling loop during accident scenarios. In the present research, the thermal-hydraulic behavior of the PKL facility is investigated in the presence of the SACO passive safety system during an extended SBO with Loss of AC Power accident scenario. This SBO can be categorized into three distinct phases depending on the activation of the SACO system and the refilling process of the SACO pool. The first phase is depressurizing using primary and secondary relief valves, the second phase is cooling down using SACO system, and the third phase is the refilling of SACO pool. The findings indicate that the SACO system effectively manages to dissipate all decay heat, even though there is temporary evaporation of the SACO water pool. Furthermore, this study provides sensitivity analysis for the assessments of system codes on the selection of maximum time step.

• 청정기술
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• 제17권1호
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• pp.69-77
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• 2011

[ $CO_2$ ]원천 분리 수소제조 반응시스템은 금속 산화물의 산화/환원 반응을 이용하여 기존의 수증기-메탄 개질 반응을 3단계의 반응시스템으로 분리함으로써 메탄 연소 시 발생되는 $CO_2$를 원천적으로 분리함과 동시에 고순도 수소를 별도의 후단 공정없이 직접 생산해 내는 신 개념의 수소 생산 기술이다. 반응 시스템은 크게 연료(즉, $CH_4$)가 공급되는 연료반응기(FR: Fuel Reactor), 수증기가 공급되는 수증기반응기(SR: Steam Reactor) 및 공기가 공급되는 공기반응기(AR: Air Reactor)로 구성되며, 다른 반응기와 비교하여 반응 매체의 전환율과 선택도를 높이기 위하여 긴 체류 시간을 확보할 수 있는 두 개의 이동 층(FR, SR)으로 구성되었다. 본 연구에서는 200 L/h의 수소를 생산할 수 있는 매체 순환식 이동층 반응기 제작을 목적으로 수소발열량 기준 0.55kW급 이동 층 반응기의 개념 설계 및 cold model을 설계 제작하고 주요 운전 변수에 따른 수력학적 특성을 결정하였다. 개념 설계 결과 원하는 매체 전환율을 얻기 위해 필요한 고체 순환속도범위($20{\sim}100kg/m^2s$)를 결정하였다. Cold-model 실험 결과, loop-seal의 유속이 증가함에 따라 고체 순환 속도가 증가하였으며 이를 통하여 고체 순환속도 조절이 가능하였다. 반응시스템의 안정적인 조업을 위해서는 이동층(FR, SR) 조업 조건을 최소 유동화 속도 부근으로 유지하는 것이 좋은 것으로 나타났다. 이동층 내 고체 체류 량은 기상유속 및 고체 순환 속도 종가에 따라 감소하였다. 본 연구를 통하여 조업조건에서 개념 설계에서 원하는 고체 순환 속도 및 흐름 특성을 얻을 수 있음을 확인하였다.