• Title/Summary/Keyword: Nuclear Fuels

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Behavour of Hold-down Springs in Kori Nuclear fuels

  • Chun, Yong-Bum;Park, Kwang-June
    • Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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    • 1995.05a
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    • pp.674-679
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    • 1995
  • The hold-down spring forces of Kori nuclear fuels were measured for seven fuel assemblies having 1 to 4 cycles of irradiation histories in the Kori Unit-1 and -2 reactor. The fuel assemblies examined had burnup from 17 to 38 GWD/MTU and the examination was conducted in KAERI PIEF spent fuel storage pool with the newly developed underwater hold-down suing force measuring device. The measurement was made within the elastic deformation ranges and the trends of hold-down spring force relaxation behavour were examined.

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1D AND 3D ANALYSES OF THE ZY2 SCIP BWR RAMP TESTS WITH THE FUEL CODES METEOR AND ALCYONE

  • Sercombe, J.;Agard, M.;Struzik, C.;Michel, B.;Thouvenin, G.;Poussard, C.;Kallstrom, K.R.
    • Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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    • v.41 no.2
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    • pp.187-198
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    • 2009
  • In this paper, three power ramp tests performed on high burn-up Re-crystallized Zircaloy2 - UO2 BWR fuel rods (56 to 63 MWd/kgU) within the SCIP project are simulated with METEOR and ALCYONE 3D. Two of the ramp tests are of staircase type up to Linear Heat Rates of 420 and 520 W/cm and with long holding periods. Failure of the 420 W/cm fuel rod was observed after 40 minutes. The third ramp test consisted of a more standard ramp test with a constant power rate of 80 W/cm/min up to 410 W/cm with a short holding time. The tests were first simulated with the METEOR 1D fuel rod code, which gave accurate results in terms of profilometry and fission gas releases. The behaviour of a fuel pellet fragment and of the cladding piece on top of it was then investigated with ALCYONE 3D. The size and the main characteristics of the ridges after base irradiation and power ramp testing were recovered. Finally, the failure criteria validated for PWR conditions and fuel rods with low-to-medium burn-ups were used to analyze the failure probability of the KKL rodlets during ramp testing.

Reference Spent Fuel and Its Characteristics for a Deep Geological Repository Concept Development

  • Choi, Jong-Won;Ko, Won-Il;Kang, Chul-Hyung
    • Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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    • v.31 no.6
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    • pp.23-38
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    • 1999
  • This study addresses the reference spent fuel and its characteristics for developing a geological repository concept. As a disposal capacity of the reference repository system to be developed, spent fuel inventories were projected based on the basis of the Nuclear Energy Plan of the Long-term National Power Program. The reference spent fuel encompassing a variability in characteristics of all existing and future spent fuels of interest was defined. Key parameters in the reference fuel screening processes were the nuclear and mechanical design parameters and the burnup histories for existing spent fuels as of 1996 and for future spent fuels with the more extended burnup the initial enrichment and its expected turnup. The selected reference fuel was characterized in terms of initial enrichment, bumup, dimension, gross weight and age. Also the isotopic composition and the radiological properties are quantitatively identified. This information provided in this study could be used as input for repository system development and performance assessment and applied in fuel material balance evaluation for the various types of back-end fuel cycle studies.

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Selection of Key Radionuclides for P&T Based on Radiological Impact Assessment for the Deep Geological Disposal of Spent PWR/CANDU/DUPIC Fuels

  • Lee, Dong-Won;Chung, Chang-Hyun;Kim, Chang-Lak;Park, Joo-Wan
    • Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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    • v.33 no.2
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    • pp.231-240
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    • 2001
  • When it is assumed that PWR, CANDU and DUPIC spent fuels are disposed of in deep geological repository, consequent annual individual doses are calculated, and it is shown that doses meet the regulatory limit. From these results, the hazardous radionuclides applicable to partitioning and transmutation are selected. These selected radionuclides such as Tc-99, Ⅰ-129, Cs-135 and Np-237 are then reviewed in terms of partitioning and transmutation. Separation of I-129, Np-237 and Tc-99 from spent fuels is considered desirable, and transmutation of these radionuclides results in remarkable hazard reduction. However, it is concluded that separation and transmutation of Cs-135 may be ineffective although it is classified into a hazardous radionuclide.

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ESTIMATIONS OF HEAT CAPACITIES FOR ACTINIDE DIOXIDE: UO2, NpO2, ThO2, AND PuO2

  • Eser, E.;Koc, H.;Gokbulut, M.;Gursoy, G.
    • Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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    • v.46 no.6
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    • pp.863-868
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    • 2014
  • The evaluation of thermal properties of actinide oxide fuels is a problem of high importance for the development of new generation reactors. In the present study, an expression obtained for n-dimensional Debye functions is used to derive a simple analytical expression for the specific heat capacity of nuclear fuels. To test the validity and reliability of this expression, the analytical expression is applied to $UO_2$, $NpO_2$, $ThO_2$, and $PuO_2$. It is seen that the formula was in agreement with the experimental and theoretical results reported in the literature.

Analysis of Fuel Options in TRIGA Reactor

  • Lee, Un-Chul;Lee, Chang-Kun;Lee, Ji-Bok;Kim, Jin-Soo;Lee, Sang-Kun;Jun, Byung-Jin;Chung, Bub-Dong
    • Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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    • v.11 no.1
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    • pp.29-45
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    • 1979
  • In this paper. nuclear characteristics of TRIGA Mark-III has been analyzed in detail for six different fuel options. Presently, 70 w/o enriched FLIP fuels are adopted for TRIGA core to improve fuel lifetime. However, such highly enriched fuels are not easily obtained due to nonproliferation treaty. This research examines the possible substitution for FLIP fuels with high density fuels without reducing the nuclear performance. This work will provide long-time plan for TRIGA operation.

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A Study on a Fabrication of simulated Fuels for a design of a High-Capacity Vol-oxidizer (대용량 사용후핵연료 공기산화로 설계를 위한 모의연료 제조연구)

  • Hwang, J.S.;Won, J.H.;Kim, Y.H.;Jung, J.H.;Yoon, K.H.;Park, B.S.
    • Proceedings of the Korean Society for Technology of Plasticity Conference
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    • 2008.05a
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    • pp.488-490
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    • 2008
  • This study aims to design the high-capacity vol-oxidizer using simulated fuels instead of spent nuclear fuels. Simulated fuels are fabricated by blending tungsten powder with silicon carbide powder, and thereafter, paraffin coating covers simulated fuels to increase their strength. An oxidation experiment using simulated fuels have been carried out in order to analyze oxidation characteristics similar to spent fuels. After oxidation, simulated fuels were almost oxidized to be powders. Increased volume of simulated fuels approached to spent fuels. These results can be utilized as important informations for designing a high-capacity vol-oxidizer.

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Development of a Computer Program for the Analysis Logistics of PWR Spent Fuels (PWR 사용후핵연료 운반 물량 분석 프로그램 개발)

  • Choi, Heui-Joo;Cha, Jeong-Hun;Choi, Jong-Won
    • Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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    • v.6 no.2
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    • pp.147-154
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    • 2008
  • It is expected that the temporary storage facilities at the nuclear power plants will be full of the spent fuels within 10 years. Provided that a centralized interim storage facility is constructed along the coast of the Korean peninsula to solve this problem, a substantial amount of spent fuels should be transported by sea or by land every year. In this paper we developed a computer program for the analysis of transportation logistics of the spent fuels from 4 different nuclear power plant sites to the hypothetical centralized interim storage facility and the final repository. Mass balance equations were used to analyze the logistics between the nuclear power plants and the interim storage facility. To this end a computer program, CASK, was developed by using the VISUAL BASIC language. The annual transportation rates of spent fuels from the four nuclear power plant sites were determined by using the CASK program. The parameter study with the program illustrated the easiness of logistics analysis. The program could be used for the cost analysis of the spent fuel transportation as well.

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Review of Instant Release Fractions of Long-lived Radionuclides in CANDU and PWR Spent Nuclear Fuels Under the Geological Disposal Conditions

  • Choi, Heui Joo;Koo, Yang-Hyun;Cho, Dong-Keun
    • Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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    • v.20 no.2
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    • pp.231-241
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    • 2022
  • Several countries, including Korea, are considering the direct disposal of spent nuclear fuels. The radiological safety assessment results published after a geological repository closure indicate that the instant release is the main radiation source rather than the congruent release. Three Safety Case reports recently published were reviewed and the IRF values of seven long-lived radionuclides, including relevant experimental results, were compared. According to the literature review, the IRF values of both the CANDU and low burnup PWR spent fuel have been experimentally measured and used reasonably. In particular, the IRF values of volatile long-lived nuclides, such as 129I and 135Cs, were estimated from the FGR value. Because experimental leaching data regarding high burnup spent nuclear fuels are extremely scarce, a mathematical modelling approach proposed by Johnson and McGinnes was successfully applied to the domestic high burnup PWR spent nuclear fuel to derive the IRF values of iodine and cesium. The best estimate of the IRF was 5.5% at a discharge burnup of 55 GWd tHM-1.