• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.368-378
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• 2018

Understanding of turbulent flow in the reactor coolant pump (RCP) is a premise of the optimal design of the RCP. Flow structures in the RCP, in view of the specially devised spherical casing, are more complicated than those associated with conventional pumps. Hitherto, knowledge of the flow characteristics of the RCP has been far from sufficient. Research into the nonintrusive measurement of the internal flow of the RCP has rarely been reported. In the present study, flow measurement using particle image velocimetry is implemented to reveal flow features of the RCP model. Velocity and vorticity distributions in the diffuser and spherical casing are obtained. The results illuminate the complexity of the flows in the RCP. Near the lower end of the discharge nozzle, three-dimensional swirling flows and flow separation are evident. In the diffuser, the imparity of the velocity profile with respect to different axial cross sections is verified, and the velocity increases gradually from the shroud to the hub. In the casing, velocity distribution is nonuniform over the circumferential direction. Vortices shed consistently from the diffuser blade trailing edge. The experimental results lend sound support for the optimal design of the RCP and provide validation of relevant numerical algorithms.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.148-156
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• 2015

Several vendors have recently been actively pursuing the development of integral pressurized water reactors (iPWRs) that range in power levels from small to large reactors. Integral reactors have the features of minimum vessel penetrations, passive heat removal after reactor shutdown, and modular construction that allow fast plant integration and a secure fuel cycle. The features of an integral reactor limit the options for placing control and safety system instruments. The development of instrumentation and control (I&C) strategies for a large 1,000 MWe iPWR is described. Reactor system modeling-which includes reactor core dynamics, primary heat exchanger, and the steam flashing drum-is an important part of I&C development and validation, and thereby consolidates the overall implementation for a large iPWR. The results of simulation models, control development, and instrumentation features illustrate the systematic approach that is applicable to integral light water reactors.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.245-250
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• 2010

The procedure for estimating the gas (rotational) temperature of an air discharge in supersonic flows is presented in detail. Since direct measurement of the temperature in a supersonic flow is difficult, a nonintrusive measurement was performed by optical emission spectroscopy based on the emission spectra of nitrogen molecular ions. A detailed explanation, including the equations for emission line intensity, is presented in order to understand the structure of the emission spectra of nitrogen molecular ions. Using the obtained representation for emission spectrum, a synthetic spectrum of the first negative system of $N_2^+$ is obtained, and it is compared with the experimentally measured spectrum. Within a relative error of approximately 6.8% for the overall band spectra, the synthetic and measured spectra agree well. In the case of a 25-mA DC air discharge in a supersonic (Mach 3) flow, the gas temperature profile shows an approximately linear variation and a peak temperature of approximately 350 K.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.78-84
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• 2012

An in-situ optical monitoring method for real-time process monitoring of electrochemical copper deposition (CED) is presented. Process variables to be controlled in achieving desired process results are numerous in the CED process, and the importance of the chemical bath conditions cannot be overemphasized for a successful process. Conventional monitoring of the chemical solution for CED relies on the pH value of the solution, electrical voltage level for the reduction of metal cations, and gravity measurement by immersing sensors into a plating bath. We propose a nonintrusive optical monitoring technique using three types of optical sensors such as chromatic sensors and UV/VIS spectroscopy sensors as potential candidates as a feasible optical monitoring method. By monitoring the color of the plating solution in the bath, we revealed that optically acquired information is strongly related to the thickness of the deposited copper on the wafers, and that the chromatic information is inversely proportional to the ratio of $Cu$ (111) and {$Cu$ (111)+$Cu$ (200)}, which can used to measure the quality of the chemical solution for electrochemical copper deposition in advanced interconnection technology.