• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.35-42
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• 2012

We propose a probabilistic method to evaluate the uniform hazard spectra (UHS) of the soil of nuclear power plant(NPP) sites corresponding to that of a bedrock site. To do this, amplification factors on the surface of soil sites were estimated through site response analysis while considering the uncertainty in the earthquake ground motion and soil deposit characteristics. The amplification factors were calculated by regression analysis with spectral acceleration because these two factors are mostly correlated. The proposed method was applied to the evaluation of UHS for the KNGR (Korean Next Generation Reactor) and the APR1400 (Advanced Power Reactor 1400) nuclear power plant sites of B1, B4, C1 and C3. The most dominant frequency range with respect to the annual frequency of earthquakes was evaluated from the UHS analysis. It can be expected that the proposed method will improve the results of integrated risk assessments of NPPs rationally. We expect also that the proposed method will be applied to the evaluation of the UHS and of many other kinds of soil sites.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.9
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• pp.3409-3416
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• 2023

Licensing the next-generation of nuclear reactor designs requires extensive use of Modeling and Simulation (M&S) to investigate system response to many operational conditions, identify possible accidental scenarios and predict their evolution to undesirable consequences that are to be prevented or mitigated via the deployment of adequate safety barriers. Deep Learning (DL) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) can support M&S computationally by providing surrogates of the complex multi-physics high-fidelity models used for design. However, DL and AI are, generally, low-fidelity 'black-box' models that do not assure any structure based on physical laws and constraints, and may, thus, lack interpretability and accuracy of the results. This poses limitations on their credibility and doubts about their adoption for the safety assessment and licensing of novel reactor designs. In this regard, Physics Informed Neural Networks (PINNs) are receiving growing attention for their ability to integrate fundamental physics laws and domain knowledge in the neural networks, thus assuring credible generalization capabilities and credible predictions. This paper presents the use of PINNs as surrogate models for accidental scenarios simulation in Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs). A case study of a Loss of Heat Sink (LOHS) accidental scenario in a Nuclear Battery (NB), a unique class of transportable, plug-and-play microreactors, is considered. A PINN is developed and compared with a Deep Neural Network (DNN). The results show the advantages of PINNs in providing accurate solutions, avoiding overfitting, underfitting and intrinsically ensuring physics-consistent results.

• Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.249-256
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• 2010

For guaranteeing for security of nuclear power plant, ergonomic factors have been applied to design of main control room, core area for management and control of nuclear power plant, but design elements for performance of operators have been ignored. As the behaviors of operators are important for security of nuclear power plant, space design which makes them pleasant psychologically and makes them maintain attention on security equipments ceaselessly is required. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyze space characteristics of main control rooms according to regulations of nuclear power plant and general guidelines of space design, and to offer basic data for designing of main control room which makes operators pleasant psychologically and physically. At first, theoretical issues related with design of main control room are reviewed and several premises of space are developed by abstracting design elements from common space and regulations of nuclear power plant and, then integrating each design elements interactively. In short, the improvement of system environment based on human-machine interface space has brought about perceptual, cognitive, and spatial changes and has realized next generation of main control rooms. And, differences and similarities between ordinary space and main control room, which ergonomic sizes and regulations are applied and is VDT environment based on LDP, are discussed in relation to 13 design elements and 17 space premise.

• Journal of Climate Change Research
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.197-207
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• 2018

The Korean government views coal-fired power plants as the key cause of the fine dust generation, and is developing an energy policy to replace and demolish old coal-fired power plants. According to the Eighth Power Supply Base Plan (2017-2031), the maximum power capacity in 2030 is expected to be 100.5GW, which is 17.9% higher than the current level (85.2GW). The plan aims to reduce the facility size and power generation ratio from nuclear and coal resources to even lower levels than today, and to rapidly expand power generation from new and renewable energy. Despite that, the proportion of coal power generation is still much higher than other resources, and it is expected that the reliance on goal will maintain for next several decades. Under such circumstances, the development, supply, and expansion of clean coal technology (CCT) that is eco-friendly and highly efficient, is crucial to minimize the emission of pollutants such as carbon dioxide and fine dust, as well as maximize the energy efficiency. The Korean government designated the Yong-Dong Thermoelectric Power Plant in Gangneung to develop clean coal power generation, and executed related projects for three years. The current study aims to suggest a plan to develop parts, technologies, testing, evaluation, certification, and commercialization efforts for coal-fired power generation, In addition, the study proposes a strategy to vitalize local economy and connect the development with creation of more jobs.

• Proceedings of the Korean Operations and Management Science Society Conference
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• 1996.04a
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• pp.403-406
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• 1996

Since most human activities in a nuclear power plant are perfirmed in the main control room (MCR), it is important to have its design well human-engineered, both physically and cognitively. Much research efforts have been given for better, operator-centered designs of human-machine interface in MCR capitalizing today's advanced information technology. Korea is among those who are actively expending such research for the next-generation nuclear plants. This paper analyzes two forerunners among the emerging MCR designs, namely Nuplex 80+ and N4, from the perspective of cognitive systems engineering. Since the two show some fundamental differences in their design concepts, the principles with their pros and cons must be enumerated to benefit our own design of new control rooms. This paper also lists many other decision-making points that emerged due to the new availability of cognitively based on cognitive engineering principles. The future scope and directions of related research are suggested.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 1995.10a
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• pp.191-196
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• 1995

The intelligent human-machine interface (HMI) has been developed to enhance the safety and availability of a nuclear power plant by improving operational reliability The key elements of the HMI are the large display panels which present synopsis of the plant status and the compact, digital work stations for the primary operator control and monitoring functions. The work station consists of four consoles such as a dynamic alarm console (DAC), a system information console (SIC), a computerized operating-procedure console (COC), and a safety related information console (SRIC). The DAC provides clean alarm pictures, in which information overlapping is excluded and alarm impacts are discriminated, for quick situation awareness. The SIC covers a normal operation by offering all necessary plant information and control functions. In addition, it is closely linked with the DAC and the COC to automatically display related system information under the request of these consoles. The COC aids the operator with proper emergency operation guidelines so as to shutdown the plant safely, and it also reduces his physical/mental burden by automating the operating procedures. The SRIC continuously displays safety related information to allow the operator to assess the plant status focusing on plant safety. The proposed HMI has been validated and demonstrated with on-line data obtained from the full-scope simulator for Yonggwang Units 1,2.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.249-256
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• 2019

The 9Cr-1Mo ferritic-martensitic ODS steel is a promising structural material for the next generation nuclear power plants including fast reactors for application in reactor vessels and nuclear fuel. The ODS steel was cooled down by furnace cooling, air cooling, oil quenching and water quenching, respectively, after normalizing it at $1150^{\circ}C$ for 1 h and then tempering at $780^{\circ}C$ for 1 h. It is found that grain size, a relative portion of ferrite and martensite, martensitic lath configuration, behaviors of carbide precipitates, and hardness of the ODS steel are strongly dependent on a cooling rate. The grain size and martensitic lath width become smaller with the increase in a cooling rate. The carbides were precipitated at the grain boundaries formed between the ferrite and martensite phases and at the martensitic lath interfaces. In addition, the carbide precipitates become smaller and more widely dispersed with the increase in a cooling rate, resulting in that the faster cooling rate generated the higher hardness of the ODS steel.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Intelligent Systems Conference
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• 2003.05a
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• pp.129-133
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• 2003

The work described in this paper deals with the proposed application of an Artificial Neural Network Model for the Advanced Pressurized Water Reactor APR-1400 transient identification. The approach adopted for testing the network take note of the expectation which should be fulfilled by a network for real-time application, like testing with data in on-line mode and use of actual or real-life patterns for training. The recall test performed demonstrates that use of neural network for transient identification is indeed an attractive preposition.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.29-36
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• 2015

Base isolation is considered as a seismic protective system in the design of next generation Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs). If seismic isolation devices are installed in nuclear power plants then the safety under a seismic load of the power plant may be improved. However, with respect to some equipment, seismic risk may increase because displacement may become greater than before the installation of a seismic isolation device. Therefore, it is estimated to be necessary to select equipment in which the seismic risk increases due to an increase in the displacement by the installation of a seismic isolation device, and to perform research on the seismic performance of each piece of equipment. In this study, modified NRC-BNL benchmark models were used for seismic analysis. The numerical models include representations of isolation devices. In order to validate the numerical piping system model and to define the failure mode, a quasi-static loading test was conducted on the piping components before the analysis procedures. The fragility analysis was performed by using the results of the inelastic seismic response analysis. Inelastic seismic response analysis was carried out by using the shell finite element model of a piping system considering internal pressure. The implicit method was used for the direct integration time history analysis. In addition, the collapse load point was used for the failure mode for the fragility analysis.

• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
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• 2004.02a
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• pp.140-142
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• 2004

Since the April of 1978, Korea has strongly relied on the nuclear energy for electricity generation. As of today, eighteen nuclear power plants are in operation and ten are to be inaugurated by 2015. The installed nuclear capacity is 15, 716 MW as of the end of 2002, representing 29.3% of the nation's total installed capacity. The nuclear share in electricity remains around 38.9 at the end of 2002, reaching at the level of 119 billion kWh's. New power reactors, KSNP's (Korea Standard Nuclear Power Plant) are fully based on the domestic technologies. More advanced reactors such as KNGR (Korea Next Generation Reactor) will be commercialized soon. Even though the front end nuclear cycle enjoys one of the best positions in the world, there have been some chronical problems in the back end fuel cycle. That's the one of the reason why we need more active R&D programs in Korea and active international and regional cooperation in this area. The everlasting NIMBY problem hinders the implementation of the nation's radioactive waste management program. We expect that the storage capacity for the LILW(Low and Intermediate Level radioactive Waste) will be dried out soon. The situation for the spent fuel storage is also not so favorable too. The storage pools for spent fuel are being filled rapidly so that in 2008, some AR pools cannot accommodate any more new spent nuclear fuels. The Korean Government in strong association with utilities and national academic and R&D institutes have tried its best effort to secure the site for a LILW repository and a AFR site. Finally, one local community, Buan in Jeonbook Province, submitted the petition for the site. At the end of the last July, the Government announced that the Wido, a small island in Buan, is suitable for the national complex site. The special force team headed by Dr IS Chang, president of KAERI teamed with Government officials and many prominent scholars and journalists agreed that by the evidences from the preliminary site investigation, they could not find any reason for rejecting the local community's offer.