• Title/Summary/Keyword: Nuclear Accident

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Evaluation of Piping Failure Probability of Reactor Coolant System in Kori Unit 1 Considering Stress Corrosion Cracking (응력부식균열을 고려한 고리 1호기 원자로냉각재계통의 배관 파손확률 평가)

  • Park, Jeong Soon;Choi, Young Hwan;Park, Jae Hak
    • Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
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    • v.6 no.1
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    • pp.43-49
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    • 2010
  • The piping failure probability of the reactor coolant system in Kori unit 1 was evaluated considering stress corrosion cracking. The P-PIE program (Probabilistic Piping Integrity Evaluation Program) developed in this study was used in the analysis. The effect of some variables such as oxygen concentration during start up and steady state operation, and operating temperature, which are related with stress corrosion cracking, on the piping failure probabilities was investigated. The effects of leak detection capability, the size of big leak, piping loops, and reactor types on the piping failure probability were also investigated. The results show that (1) LOCA (loss of coolant accident) probability of Kori unit 1 is extremely low, (2) leak probability is sensitive to oxygen concentration during steady state operation and operating temperature, while not sensitive to the oxygen concentration during start up, and (3) the piping thickness and operating temperature play important roles in the leak probabilities of the cold leg in 4 reactor types having same inner diameter.

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Scaling Analysis of Thermal Hydraulics Phenomena in the Nuclear Reactor Vessel Downcomer during the Reflood Phase of LBLOCA (대형냉각재 상실사고 재관수 기간 동안, 차세대 원자로 강수부 내의 열수력 현상 모의를 위한 실험장치 척도해석)

  • Yun, B.J.;Song, C.H.;Kwon, T.S.;Euh, D.J.;Chu, I.C.;Yoon, Y.J.
    • Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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    • 2001.06d
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    • pp.821-827
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    • 2001
  • As one of the advanced design features of the Korea next generation reactor, direct vessel injection (DVI) system is being considered instead of conventional cold leg injection (CLl) system. It is known that the DVI system greatly enhances the reliability of the emergency core cooling (ECC) system. However, there is still a dispute on its performance in terms of water delivery to the reactor core during the reflood period of a large-break loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA). Thus, experimental validation is under progress. In this paper, a new scaling method, using time and velocity reduced linear scaling law, is suggested for the design of a scaled-down experimental facility to investigate the direct ECC bypass phenomena in PWR downcomer.

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Electricity Pricing Policy Alternatives to Control Rapid Electrification in Korea

  • Kim, Changseob;Shin, Jungwoo
    • Journal of Electrical Engineering and Technology
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    • v.11 no.2
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    • pp.285-299
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    • 2016
  • Although South Korea experienced a rolling blackout in 2011, the possibility of a blackout in South Korea continues to increase due to rapid electrification. This study examines the problems of energy taxation and price distortions as possible reasons for the rapid electrification in South Korea, which is occurring at a faster rate than in Japan, Europe, and other developed countries. Further, we suggest new energy taxation and price systems designed to normalize electricity prices. In order to do so, we consider two possible scenarios: the first imposes a tax on bituminous coal for electricity generation and the second levies a tax to provide compensation for the potential damages from a nuclear accident. Based on these scenarios, we analyze the effects of a new energy system on electricity price and demand. The results show that a new energy system could guarantee the power generation costs and balance the relative prices between energy sources, and could also help prevent rapid electrification. Therefore, the suggested new energy system is expected to be utilized as a basis for energy policy to decrease the speed of electrification, thus preventing a blackout, and to induce the rational consumption of energy in South Korea.

Numerical Evaluation of the Cooling Performance of a Core Catcher Test Facility

  • Lee, Dong Hun;Park, Ik Kyu;Yoon, Han Young;Ha, Kwang Soon;Jeong, Jae Jun
    • Journal of Energy Engineering
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    • v.22 no.1
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    • pp.8-16
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    • 2013
  • A core catcher is considered as a promising engineered system to stabilize the molten corium in the containment during a postulated severe accident in a nuclear power plant. Conceptually, the core catcher consists of a carbon steel body, sacrificial material, protection material, and engineered cooling channel. The cooling capacity of the engineered cooling channel should be guaranteed to remove the decay heat of the molten corium. The flow in ex-vessel core catcher is a combined problem of a two-phase flow in the engineered cooling channel and a single-phase natural circulation in the whole core catcher system. In this study, the analysis of the test facility for the core catcher using the CUPID code, which is a three-dimensional thermal-hydraulic code for the simulation of two-phase flows, was carried out to evaluate its cooling capacity.

Radiological Accident and Acute Radiation Syndrome (방사선 사고와 급성 방사선 증후군)

  • Roh, Hyung-Keun
    • Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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    • v.9 no.2
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    • pp.39-48
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    • 2011
  • In mass casualty situation due to radiological accidents, it is important to start aggressive management with rapid triage decisions. External contamination needs immediate decontamination and internal contamination should be treated with special expertise and equipment to prevent the rapid uptake of radionuclides by target organs. Acute radiation syndrome shows a sequence of events that varies with the severity of the exposure. More severe exposures generally lead to more rapid onset of symptoms and severe clinical findings. After the massive exposure, various systems of the body reflect their severe damages that can lead to death within hours or up to several months. The disease progression has classically been divided into four stages: prodromal, latent, manifest illness, and recovery or death. Three characteristic clusters of symptoms including the hematopoietic syndrome, the gastrointestinal syndrome and the cerebrovascular syndrome are all associated with the acute radiation syndrome. The standard medical management of the patients with a potentially survivable radiation exposure includes good medical, surgical and supportive measures. Specific treatment with cytokines and bone marrow transplantation should be considered. The management of internal contamination is much the same as the treatment of poisoning. The standard decontamination should be applied to reduce uptake, and the chelating agents can be administered to enhance the clearance of radioisotopes. Radioactive iodine ($^{131}I$) as one of the nuclear fission products can increase the incidence of thyroid cancer in children. Potential benefit of potassium iodide prophylaxis is greater especially in neonates, infants and small children.

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An Experiment on the Flow Control Characteristics of a Passive Fluidic Device (피동적 유체기구의 유동 조절 특성에 관한 실험)

  • Seo, Jeong-Sik;Song, Chul-Hwa;Cho, Seok;Chung, Moon-Ki;Choi, Young-Don
    • Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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    • v.24 no.3
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    • pp.338-345
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    • 2000
  • A model testing has been performed to investigate the flow characteristics of a vortex chamber, which plays a role of a flow switch and passively controls the discharge flow rate. This method of passive flow control is a matter of concern in the design of advanced nuclear reactor systems as an alternative to the active flow control to provide emergency water to the reactor core in case of postulated accidents like LOCA (Loss-Of-Coolant Accident). By changing the inflow direction in the vortex chamber and varying the flow resistance inside the chamber, the vortex chamber can control passively the injection flowrate. Fundamental characteristics such as discharge flow rate and pressure drop of the vortex chamber are measured, and its parametric effects on the performance of the vortex chamber are also systematically investigated.

Conceptual Design of a Magnetic Jack Type In-Vessel Control Element Drive Mechanism (자석잭 방식 내장형 제어봉구동장치 개념설계)

  • Park, Jinseok;Lee, Myounggoo;Chang, Sanggyoon;Lee, Daehee
    • Transactions of the KSME C: Technology and Education
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    • v.3 no.3
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    • pp.225-232
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    • 2015
  • The control element drive mechanism (CEDM) is an electro-mechanical device to control reactivity of the nuclear reactor. The conventional CEDM was installed on a nozzle of the reactor vessel closure head as an ex-vessel type. However, there have been demands for an in-vessel CEDM to fundamentally eliminate the rod ejection accident. Conceptual design of the in-vessel CEDM, which was developed based on the existing technology of the ex-vessel CEDM, is introduced in this paper.

The Role of Garden Plants in Modern Culture - Focusing Japanese Garden Plants -

  • Koshio, Kaihei;Kim, Tae-Soon;Shin, Jeong-Hwa;Song, Won-Seob;Boo, Hee-Ock
    • Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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    • v.24 no.3
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    • pp.330-336
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    • 2011
  • The recent disaster of earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011 severely attacked East Japanese cities and people, and in addition, the accident of nuclear power station will inevitably damage the agricultural activities there. The economical depression influences on the horticulture and floriculture industry as well, through the reluctant consumption all over the country. Such a situation reflects a conventional perception that the garden plants or ornamental plants have been regarded as a symbol of capitalism, representing the success, luxury, beauty or other metaphors indicating the winners of business war. But as the word "culture" means "cultivation" originally, horti "culture" or flori "culture" should have played some roles in cultivating lands as well as cultivation of human minds, leading to develop a modern "culture" which may lay emphases on personality, originality, partnership, cooperation, diversity and so forth. In this article, a brief history of garden plants in Japan, as well as some current movements in Japanese horticulture and floriculture, is reviewed with some commodities which possess messages on creating a new humane culture.

Preliminary Experimental Study on the Two-phase Flow Characteristics in a Natural Circulation Loop (자연순환 루프에서 이상유동 특성에 관한 예비실험 연구)

  • Kim, Jae-Cheol;Ha, Kwang-Soon;Park, Rae-Joon;Hong, Seong-Wan;Kim, Sang-Baik
    • 한국전산유체공학회:학술대회논문집
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    • 2008.03b
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    • pp.308-311
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    • 2008
  • As a severe accident mitigation strategy in a nuclear power plant, ERVC(External Reactor Vessel Cooling) has been proposed. Under ERVC conditions, where a molten corium is relocated in a reactor vessel lower head, a natural circulation two-phase flow is driven in the annular gap between the reactor vessel wall and its insulation. This flow should be sufficient to remove the decay heat of the molten corium and maintain the integrity of the reactor vessel. Preliminary experimental study was performed to estimate the natural circulation two-phase flow. The experimental facility which is one dimensional, the half height, and the 1/238 channel area of APR1400, was prepared and the experiments were carried out to estimate the natural circulation two-phase flow with varying the parameters of the coolant inlet area, the heat rate, and the coolant inlet subcooling. In results, the periodic circulation flow was observed and the characteristics were varied from the experimental parameters. The frequency of the natural circulation flow rate increased as the wall heat flux increased.

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The Influence of Water Depth and Melt Composition on a Steam Explosion in Severe Accidents in a Nuclear Reactor (원자로에서 중대사고시 냉각수의 수심과 용융물 성분이 증기폭발에 미치는 영향)

  • Kim, Jong-Hwan;Park, Ik-Kyu;Hong, Seong-Wan;Min, Beong-Tae;Song, Jin-Ho;Kim, Hee-Dong
    • Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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    • 2003.11a
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    • pp.414-419
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    • 2003
  • In the recent TROI experiments, melts of zirconia and two different compositions of corium were used to observe the occurrence of a steam explosion when it came into contact with water at two different depths. The compositions of the corium were 70 : 30 and 80 : 20 in weight percent of $UO_{2}$ and $ZrO_{2}$, and the mass of the corium was about 10kg. The depth of water in the interaction vessel was 67cm and 130cm. A steam explosion did not occur in the interaction between 80 : 20 corium melt and water at 130cm depth, while steam spikes were observed in the interactions between corium melts of two different compositions and water at 67cm depth. A strong steam explosion occurred in the interaction between 5.43kg of zirconia melt and water at 67cm depth. This fact shows that the explosivity of zirconia is much greater than that of corium.

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