• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.401-407
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• 1999

We have performed two experiments in the fast critical assembly BFS to measure the effective delayed neutron fraction $\beta$$_{eff}$ values and compared the results to validate the $\beta$$_{eff}$ computation code, BETA-K. Measurements of $\beta$$_{eff}$ were carried out in a metallic plutonium core and a metallic uranium core with Cf$^{252}$ source pseudo-reactivity method. Fission integrals and correction factors, which were used to obtain the experimental $\beta$$_{eff}$ values, were calculated by using the LMR core design computation code system of KAERI. BETA-K has been developed consistently with the hexagonal Nodal Expansion Method (NEM) and it used delayed neutron data of ENDF/B-VI. By comparing the computed $\beta$$_{eff}$ values with the measured ones, we found that the results from BETA-K agreed with the experimental values within the experimental error bound.ror bound.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.327-339
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• 2018

This article presents a new global-local hybrid coarse-mesh finite difference (HCMFD) method for efficient parallel calculation of pin-by-pin heterogeneous core analysis. In the HCMFD method, the one-node coarse-mesh finite difference (CMFD) scheme is combined with a nodal expansion method (NEM)-based two-node CMFD method in a nonlinear way. In the global-local HCMFD algorithm, the global problem is a coarse-mesh eigenvalue problem, whereas the local problems are fixed source problems with boundary conditions of incoming partial current, and they can be solved in parallel. The global problem is formulated by one-node CMFD, in which two correction factors on an interface are introduced to preserve both the surface-average flux and the net current. Meanwhile, for accurate and efficient pin-wise core analysis, the local problem is solved by the conventional NEM-based two-node CMFD method. We investigated the numerical characteristics of the HCMFD method for a few benchmark problems and compared them with the conventional two-node NEM-based CMFD algorithm. In this study, the HCMFD algorithm was also parallelized with the OpenMP parallel interface, and its numerical performances were evaluated for several benchmarks.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.7
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• pp.2104-2125
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• 2021

This paper presents the verification and validation (V&V) of a calculation module for isotope inventory prediction to control the back-end cycle of spent nuclear fuel (SNF). The calculation method presented herein was implemented in a two-step code system of a lattice code STREAM and a nodal diffusion code RAST-K. STREAM generates a cross section and provides the number density information using branch/history depletion branch calculations, whereas RAST-K supplies the power history and three history indices (boron concentration, moderator temperature, and fuel temperature). As its primary feature, this method can directly consider three-dimensional core simulation conditions using history indices of the operating conditions. Therefore, this method reduces the computation time by avoiding a recalculation of the fuel depletion. The module for isotope inventory calculates the number densities using the Lagrange interpolation method and power history correction factors, which are applied to correct the effects of the decay and fission products generated at different power levels. To assess the reliability of the developed code system for back-end cycle analysis, validation study was performed with 58 measured samples of pressurized water reactor (PWR) SNF, and code-to-code comparison was conducted with STREAM-SNF, HELIOS-1.6 and SCALE 5.1. The V&V results presented that the developed code system can provide reasonable results with comparable confidence intervals. As a result, this paper successfully demonstrates that the isotope inventory prediction code system can be used for spent nuclear fuel analysis.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.44-60
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• 2021

In this paper, we validate the decay heat calculation capability via a two-step method to analyze spent nuclear fuel (SNF) discharged from pressurized water reactors (PWRs). The calculation method is implemented with a lattice code STREAM and a nodal diffusion code RAST-K. One of the features of this method is the direct consideration of three-dimensional (3D) core simulation conditions with the advantage of a short simulation time. Other features include the prediction of the isotope inventory by Lagrange non-linear interpolation and the use of power history correction factors. The validation is performed with 58 decay heat measurements of 48 fuel assemblies (FAs) discharged from five PWRs operated in Sweden and the United States. These realistic benchmarks cover the discharge burnup range up to 51 GWd/MTU, 23.2 years of cooling time, and spanning an initial uranium enrichment range of 2.100-4.005 wt percent. The SNF analysis capability of STREAM is also employed in the code-to-code comparison. Compared to the measurements, the validation results of the FA calculation with RAST-K are within ±4%, and the pin-wise results are within ±4.3%. This paper successfully demonstrates that the developed decay heat calculation method can perform SNF back-end cycle analyses.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2022

For surveying shallow gas reservoirs in the Pohang basin, we proposed a seismic exploration method applicable to the transition zone in which land and marine areas are connected. We designed the seismic acquisition geometry considering both environments. We installed land nodal receivers on the ground and employed vibroseis and airgun sources in both land and marine areas. For seismic exploration in the transition zone, specific acquisition and processing techniques are required to ensure precise matching of reflectors at the boundary between the onshore and offshore regions. To enhance the continuity of reflection events on the seismic section, we performed amplitude and phase corrections with respect to the source types and applied a static correction. Following these processing steps, we obtained a seismic section showing connected reflectors around the boundary in the transition zone. We anticipate that our proposed seismic exploration method can also be used for fault detection in the transition zone.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.531-541
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• 2020

In this study, a computed tide of a real tide was introduced to improve the numerical solutions for tides and tidal flow simulations. The real tide was defined considering the nodal modulation amplitude, phase correction factor, astronomical argument, and tidal harmonic constants of all the constituents. The numerical simulation was performed using the real tide parameters for the west-south coastal waters of Korea, where the observation data for tides, tidal currents, waves, and winds over two seasons exist. The tidal flow simulation of the real tide was simulated successfully. The correlation coefficient between the observed and calculated values was 1.0, which indicated both accurate amplitude and phase. The U- and V-components of the tidal current obtained for the real tide had average valid correlations of 0.83 and 0.936, respectively. The speed error for the residual current was 0.006 m/s on the average, which indicated an insignificant difference, and the directional behavior of the residual current was very similar. In addition, the velocity error was attributed to various weather effects, such as high waves and wind storms. Therefore, this model is expected to improve current solutions provided that weathering forces, such as waves and winds, are considered.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.388-393
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• 1999

Background: Correct preoperative staging of esophageal cancer is a prerequisite for adequate treatment. We prospectively compared the accuracy of positron emission tomography (PET) with [fluorine-18]FDG in the staging of esophageal cancer to that of computed tomography (CT). Material and Method: The findings of FDG PET and of chest CT including lower neck and the upper abdomen of 20 biopsy-proven squamous cell carcinoma patients (male, 19; female, 1; mean age, 61) were compared with the pathologic findings obtained from a curative esophagectomy with lymph node dissection. Result: The sensitivities of FDG PET and CT for diagnosis of primary tumor were the same, 90.0% (18/20). Both FDG PET and CT failed to show the primary tumor in 2 of 20 patients; one had a 1cm sized carcinoma in situ and the other had T1 stage cancer. By using the results of the pathologic examinations of 193 removed lymph node groups, we calculated the diagnostic sensitivities, specificities and accuracies of PET and CT (*$\chi$2 p < 0.005). Sensitivity** Specificity Accuracy* PET 55.6%(30/54) 97.1%(135/139) 85.5%(165/193) CT 13.0%(7/54) 98.6%(137/139) 74.6%(144/193) One of four patients with a false-positive for PEThad had active pulmonary tuberculosis. Among the 24 tumor involved lymph node groups, PET failed to show tumor metastasis in 5 lymph node groups abutting the tumor and in 14 lymph node groups located where the decay correction was not performed. Conclusion: Based on the above findings, it is suggested that [F-18]FDG-PET is superior to CT in the detection of nodal metastases and in the staging of patients with esophageal cancer.