• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.53 no.4
• /
• pp.1119-1126
• /
• 2021

Spacer grid with mixing vane had been widely used in nuclear reactor core. One of the main feather of spacer grid with mixing vane was that strong swirl flow was formed after the spacer grid. The swirl flow not only changed the bubble generation in the near wall field, but also affected the bubble behaviors in the center region of the subchannel. The interaction between bubble and the swirl flow was one of the basic phenomena for the two phase flow modeling in fuel assembly. To obatin better understanding on the bubble behaviors in swirl flow, full three dimension numerical simulations were conducted in the present paper. The swirl flow was assumed in the cylindral calculation domain. The bubble interface was captured by Volume Of Fluid (VOF) method. The properties of saturated water and steam at different pressure were applied in the simulation. The bubble trajectory, motion, shape and force were obtained based on the bubble parameters captured by VOF. The simulation cases in the present study included single bubble with different size, at different angular velocity conditions and at different pressure conditions. The results indicated that bubble migrated to the center in swirl flow with spiral motion type. The lateral migration was mainly related to shear stress magnitude and bubble size. The bubble moved toward the center with high velocity when the swirl magnitude was high. The largest bubble had the highest lateral migration velocity in the present study range. The effect of pressure was small when bubble size was the same. The prelimenery simulation result would be beneficial for better understanding complex two phase flow phenomena in fuel assembly with spacer grid.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.54 no.5
• /
• pp.1549-1559
• /
• 2022

As an accident tolerant fuel (ATF) concept, oxide dispersion strengthened Zircaloy-4 (ODS Zry-4) cladding has been developed to enhance the mechanical properties of cladding using laser processing technology. In this study, a simulation technique was established to investigate the mechanical properties and effects of Y₂O₃ particles for the ODS Zry-4. A 3D representative volume element (RVE) model was developed considering the parameters of the size, shape, distribution and volume fraction (VF) of the Y₂O₃ particles. From the 3D RVE model, the Young's modulus, coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) and creep strain rate of the ODS Zry-4 were effectively calculated. It was observed that the VF of Y₂O₃ particles had a significant effect on the aforementioned mechanical properties. In addition, the predicted properties of ODS Zry-4 were applied to a simulation model to investigate cladding deformation under a transient condition. The ODS Zry-4 cladding showed better performance, such as a delay in large deformation compared to Zry-4 cladding, which was also found experimentally. Accordingly, it is expected that the simulation approach developed here can be efficiently employed to predict more properties and to provide useful information with which to improve ODS Zry-4.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.53 no.1
• /
• pp.188-198
• /
• 2021

A modern approach to nuclear energy involves reprocessing like transmutations of spent nuclear fuel products to reduce their radiotoxicity and time needed for their storage. For this purpose, they are immobilized in inert matrices made of zirconia and can be "burned" in fast neutron reactor or Accelerator Driven System. These matrices in spherical form can be obtained by sol-gel process. The paper presents a method of microspheres fabrication based on the combined Complex Sol-Gel Process and double extraction process consisting in the preparation of zirconium-ascorbate sol and simultaneous extraction of water and nitrates. The procedure allows obtaining gel microspheres with a diameter of 50 ㎛, which after heat treatment are processed into the final product. The synthesis of zirconia microspheres with Yttrium by internal gelation process is well known for over a decade now. However, the explanation and characterization of synthesis of such material by extraction of water process is rarely found. Parameters such as: pH, viscosity, shape, sphericity and crystal structure have been determined for synthesized products and semi-products. In addition, preliminary research consisting in irradiation of the obtained materials in fast and thermal neutron flux was carried out. The obtained results are presented and described in this work.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.52 no.12
• /
• pp.2743-2759
• /
• 2020

A detailed computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation analysis model was developed using ANSYS CFX 16.1 and analyzed to simulate the basic design and internal flow characteristics of a 180 MW small modular reactor (SMR) with a natural circulation flow system. To analyze the natural circulation phenomena without a pump for the initial flow generation inside the reactor, the flow characteristics were evaluated for each output assuming various initial powers relative to the critical condition. The eddy phenomenon and the flow imbalance phenomenon at each output were confirmed, and a flow leveling structure under the core was proposed for an optimization of the internal natural circulation flow. In the steady-state analysis, the temperature distribution and heat transfer speed at each position considering an increase in the output power of the core were calculated, and the conceptual design of the SMR had a sufficient thermal margin (31.4 K). A transient model with the output ranging from 0% to 100% was analyzed, and the obtained values were close to the T_hot and T_cold temperature difference value estimated in the conceptual design of the SMR. The K-factor was calculated from the flow analysis data of the CFX model and applied to an analysis model in RELAP5/MOD3.3, the optimal analysis system code for nuclear power plants. The CFX analysis results and RELAP analysis results were evaluated in terms of the internal flow characteristics per core output. The two codes, which model the same nuclear power plant, have different flow analysis schemes but can be used complementarily. In particular, it will be useful to carry out detailed studies of the timing of the steam generator intervention when an SMR is activated. The thermal and hydraulic characteristics of the models that applied porous media to the core & steam generators and the models that embodied the entire detail shape were compared and analyzed. Although there were differences in the ability to analyze detailed flow characteristics at some low powers, it was confirmed that there was no significant difference in the thermal hydraulic characteristics' analysis of the SMR system's conceptual design.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.54 no.4
• /
• pp.1421-1430
• /
• 2022

The computation of the solid angle and the detector efficiency is considering to be one of the most important factors during the measuring process for the radioactivity, especially the cylindrical γ-ray NaI(Tl) detectors nowadays have applications in several fields such as industry, hazardous for health, the gamma-ray radiation detectors grow to be the main essential instruments in radiation protection sector. In the present work, a generic numerical simulation method (NSM) for calculating the efficiency of the γ-ray spectrometry setup is established. The formulas are suitable for any type of source-to-detector shape and can be valuable to determine the full-energy peak and the total efficiencies and P/T ratio of cylindrical γ-ray NaI(Tl) detector setup concerning the truncated conical radioactive source. This methodology is based on estimate the path length of γ-ray radiation inside the detector active medium, inside the source itself, and the self-attenuation correction factors, which typically use to correct the sample attenuation of the original geometry source. The calculations can be completed in general by using extra reasonable and complicate analytical and numerical techniques than the standard models; especially the effective solid angle, and the detector efficiency have to be calculated in case of the truncated conical radioactive source studied condition. Moreover, the (NSM) can be used for the straight calculations of the γ-ray detector efficiency after the computation of improvement that need in the case of γ-γ coincidence summing (CS). The (NSM) confirmation of the development created by the efficiency transfer method has been achieved by comparing the results of the measuring truncated conical radioactive source with certified nuclide activities with the γ-ray NaI(Tl) detector, and a good agreement was obtained after corrections of (CS). The methodology can be unlimited to find the theoretical efficiencies and modifications equivalent to any geometry by essential sufficiently the physical selective considered situation.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.55 no.8
• /
• pp.2797-2801
• /
• 2023

CdZnTeSe (CZTS) has attracted attention for applications in X- and gamma-ray detectors owing to its improved properties compared to those of CdZnTe (CZT). In this study, we grew and processed single crystals of CZT and CZTS using the Bridgeman method to confirm the feasibility of using a dosimeter for high-energy X-rays in radiotherapy. We evaluated their linearity and precision using the coefficient of determination (R²) and relative standard deviation (RSD). CZTS showed sufficient RSD values lower than 1.5% of the standard for X-ray dosimetry, whereas CZT's RSD values increased dramatically under some conditions. CZTS exhibited an R² value of 0.9968 at 500 V/cm, whereas CZT has an R² value of 0.9373 under the same conditions. The X-ray response of CZTS maintains its pulse shape at various dose rates, and its properties are improved by adding selenium to the CdTe matrix to lower the defect density and sub-grain boundaries. Thus, we validated that CZTS shows a better response than CZT to high-energy X-rays used for radiotherapy. Further, the applicability of an onboard imager, a high-energy X-ray (>6 MV) image, is presented. The proposed methodology and results can guide future advances in X-ray dose detection.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.55 no.9
• /
• pp.3260-3267
• /
• 2023

Zr-Nb alloy have been widely used as fuel rods in nuclear power plants. However, from the Fukushima nuclear accident, the weakness of the rod was revealed under harsh conditions, and research on the safety of these types of rods was conducted after the disaster. The method of depositing chromium onto the existing Zr-Nb alloy fuel rods is being considered as a means by which to compensate for the weakness of Zr-Nb alloy rods because chromium is strong against oxidation at high temperatures and has high strength. In order to secure these advantages, it is important to maintain the Cr thickness of the rods and properly inspect the rods before and during their use in power generation. Eddy current testing is a typical means of evaluating the thickness of thin metals and detecting surface defects. Depending on the size and shape of the inspected object, various eddy current sensors can be applied. In particular, because pancake sensors can be manufactured in very small sizes, they can be used for inspections even in narrow spaces, such as a nuclear fuel assembly. In this study, an eddy current technique was developed to confirm the feasibility of Cr coating thickness evaluations. After determining the design parameters of the pancake sensor by means of a FEM simulation, a FPCB pancake sensor was manufactured and the optimal frequency was selected by measuring minute changes in the Cr-coating thickness using the developed sensor.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.54 no.11
• /
• pp.4244-4252
• /
• 2022

The accuracy of Monte Carlo (MC) simulations in estimating the computed tomography radiation dose is highly dependent on the accuracy of CT scanner model. A system was developed to observe the 3D model intuitively and to calculate the X-ray energy spectrum and the bowtie (BT) filter model more accurately in Monte Carlo N-particle (MCNP). Labview's built-in Open Graphics Library (OpenGL) was used to display basic surfaces, and constructive solid geometry (CSG) method was used to realize Boolean operations. The energy spectrum was calculated by simulating the process of electronic shooting and the BT filter model was accurately modeled based on the calculated shape curve. Physical data from a study was used as an example to illustrate the accuracy of the constructed model. RMSE between the simulation and the measurement results were 0.97% and 0.74% for two filters of different shapes. It can be seen from the comparison results that to obtain an accurate CT scanner model, physical measurements should be taken as the standard. The energy spectrum library should be established based on Monte Carlo simulations with modifiable input files. It is necessary to use the three-segment splicing modeling method to construct the bowtie filter model.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.55 no.7
• /
• pp.2628-2641
• /
• 2023

Nuclear safety is the lifeline for the development and application of nuclear energy. In severe accidents of pressurized water reactor (PWR), aerosols, as the main carrier of fission products, are suspended in the containment vessel, posing a potential threat of radioactive contamination caused by leakage into the environment. The gas-phase aerosols suspended in the containment will settle onto the wall or sump water through the natural deposition mechanism, thereby reducing atmospheric radioactivity. Aiming at the low accuracy of the aerosol model in the ISAA code, this paper improves the natural deposition model of aerosol in the containment. The aerosol dynamic shape factor was introduced to correct the natural deposition rate of non-spherical aerosols. Moreover, the gravity, Brownian diffusion, thermophoresis and diffusiophoresis deposition models were improved. In addition, ABCOVE, AHMED and LACE experiments were selected to validate and evaluate the improved ISAA code. According to the calculation results, the improved model can more accurately simulate the peak aerosol mass and respond to the influence of the containment pressure and temperature on the natural deposition rate of aerosols. At the same time, it can significantly improve the calculation accuracy of the residual mass of aerosols in the containment. The performance of improved ISAA can meet the requirements for analyzing the natural deposition behavior of aerosol in containment of advanced PWRs in severe accident. In the future, further optimization will be made to address the problems found in the current aerosol model.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• /
• v.26 no.12
• /
• pp.715-725
• /
• 2023

Microplastic (MP) pollution in aquatic environments is a growing concern worldwide. This study investigated the abundance, types, and attributes of MPs in the surface water at two industrial sites (Avoimitro Ghat and Kalurghat) along the Karnaphuli River in Chattogram, Bangladesh. Sampling was conducted over eight months across three transects encompassing a total area of 500 m at each site. A manta net of 200 ㎛ mesh size was used to sample MPs. The obtained samples were subsequently filtered, enumerated, and characterized using a stereo microscope and imaging software. The mean abundance of MP particles (per km² ) was found higher in Avoimitro Ghat (94,861 ± 57,126) than in Kalurghat (31,343 ± 23,183). A significant statistical difference (p < 0.05) was observed in the mean abundance of MP particles between the wet and dry seasons. The fragment group of MP exhibited the most abundant category, whereas the pellet category displayed the lowest. MPs with an elongated shape prevailed at both locations throughout all seasons. At Avoimitro Ghat, blue-colored MPs demonstrated the highest mean count, while in Kalurghat, the highest mean count belonged to brown-colored MPs. The size distribution of MPs differed between the two sites, with 1-2 mm MPs being plentiful in both seasons and Avoimitro Ghat, whereas MPs ranging from 500 ㎛ to less than 1 mm were abundant in Kalurghat. Ten (10) polymer types were found from Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis with high levels of polypropylene atactic in both Avoimitro Ghat (32%) and Kalurghat (17%). The findings provide important insights into MP pollution in the Karnaphuli River, which may aid in developing effective strategies to mitigate the impacts of MP pollution on the aquatic ecosystem and human health.