• Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.1-6
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• 2008

Very High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor (VHTR) has been selected as a high energy heat source for nuclear hydrogen generation. The VHTR can produce hydrogen from heat and water by using a thermo-chemical process or from heat, water, and natural gas by steam reformer technology. A co-axial double-tube primary hot gas duct (HGD) is a key component connecting the reactor pressure vessel and the intermediate heat exchanger (IHX) for the VHTR. In this study, a preliminary design analysis for the primary HGD of the nuclear hydrogen system was carried out. These preliminary design activities include a determination of the size, a strength evaluation and an appropriate material selection. The determination of the size was undertaken based on various engineering concepts, such as a constant flow velocity model, a constant flow rate model, a constant hydraulic head model, and finally a heat balanced model.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.11
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• pp.4159-4166
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• 2023

Laser decontamination of radioactive surfaces is an innovative technology. Our contribution to improving this technology includes studies on laser beam decontamination with a pulsed laser of an average power of 150 W, equipped with a hand guided working head. Our investigations are focused on metallic surfaces typical in nuclear power plants, such as stainless steel, bright and rusted mild steel, galvanized steel, and painted steel. As typical nuclides of contaminated surfaces we chose Co-60 and Cs-137, the most frequently occurring nuclides in many nuclear plant components; Sr-85 as a representative of Sr-90, the potentially most harmful fission nuclide; and Am-241 as a representative of the minor alpha-radiation emitting actinides. Here, we present our results of decontamination and recovery ratios. Decontamination ratios of 90-100% were achieved on different surfaces.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.15 no.2 s.46
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• pp.127-137
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• 2006

To resolve the environmental and economics problems of fossil fuel energy, a hydrogen economy is promoted in many developed countries. Massive production of hydrogen using a nuclear power is a practical way to feed fuel required for the hydrogen economy. The author introduces a very high temperature reactor and its development status. He also reviews recent achievements and directions of research in hydrogen production process, such as sulfur-iodine thermochemical cycle, sulfur hybrid cycle, and high temperature electrolysis.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 1997.10a
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• pp.495-500
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• 1997

For hydrogen management in severe accidents with degraded nuclear core of PWR's, several experiments have been performed in the SNU hydrogen mixing facility. The objectives are understanding the extent of hydrogen mixing and analyzing the effects of factors which dominate uniform or non-uniform mixing at compartments in the containment building. The facility represents on a 1/11th linearly scaled model of the YGN unit 3&4, hydrogen was simulated by helium. Because there are the gaps between safety injection tank and compartment layers in the containment, the test facility was constructed in three dimentinal mode for analyzing of mixture behavior through the gaps. From the experimental results we could conclude that overall hydrogen concentration distributed uniformly in the free volume of the test compartment, but fluctuated in the gaps. This paper is focused on experimental result from several experiment.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.49 no.8
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• pp.1748-1751
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• 2017

Reduced activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steels are widely applied as structural materials in the nuclear industry. To investigate hydrogen's effect on RAFM steels' elastic properties and the mechanism of that effect, a procedure of first principles simulation combined with experiment was designed. Density functional theory models were established to simulate RAFM steels' elastic status before and after hydrogen's insertion. Also, experiment was designed to measure the Young's modulus of RAFM steel samples with and without hydrogen charging. Both simulation and experiment showed that the solubility of hydrogen in RAFM steels would decrease the Young's modulus. The effect of hydrogen on RAFM steels' Young's modulus was more significant in water-quenched steels than it was in tempering steels. This indicated that defects inside martensite, considered to be hydrogen traps, could decrease the cohesive energy of the matrix and lead to a decrease of the Young's modulus after hydrogen insertion.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.261-268
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• 2003

To investigate the matrix effect of sample for hydrogen analysis by inert gas fusion-thermal conductivity detection, calibration factor for the hydrogen analyser of the inert gas fusion-thermal conductivity detection method was measured with hydrogen standard materials in Ti, Zr-2.5Nb and by hydrogen gas dosing method. Also the hydrogen extraction efficiency for the different sample matrix, Ti and Zr-2.5Nb, was evaluated without adding tin flux. The calibration factor of the hydrogen analyser which was calibrated by hydrogen standard material in Zr-2.5Nb and Ti was 2~3% and 14% higher than that by hydrogen gas dosing method, respectively. Based on the results of calibration factor measurement, it could be concluded that the hydrogen extraction efficiency of the Ti matrix sample will be 12% lower than that of the Zr-2.5Nb. And according to the experimental results of hydrogen recovery test by no tin flux, the hydrogen recovery percentage of the Ti and Zr-2.5Nb matrix sample was about 70% but the recovery rate of Ti matrix sample was slightly lower than that of Zr-2.5Nb.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.26-32
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• 2015

During the course of a severe accident in a light water nuclear reactor, large amounts of hydrogen can be generated and released into the containment during reactor core degradation. Additional burnable gases [hydrogen ($H_2$) and carbon monoxide (CO)] may be released into the containment in the corium/concrete interaction. This could subsequently raise a combustion hazard. As the Fukushima accidents revealed, hydrogen combustion can cause high pressure spikes that could challenge the reactor buildings and lead to failure of the surrounding buildings. To prevent the gas explosion hazard, most mitigation strategies adopted by European countries are based on the implementation of passive autocatalytic recombiners (PARs). Studies of representative accident sequences indicate that, despite the installation of PARs, it is difficult to prevent at all times and locations, the formation of a combustible mixture that potentially leads to local flame acceleration. Complementary research and development (R&D) projects were recently launched to understand better the phenomena associated with the combustion hazard and to address the issues highlighted after the Fukushima Daiichi events such as explosion hazard in the venting system and the potential flammable mixture migration into spaces beyond the primary containment. The expected results will be used to improve the modeling tools and methodology for hydrogen risk assessment and severe accident management guidelines. The present paper aims to present the methodology adopted by Institut de Radioprotection et de $S{\hat{u}}ret{\acute{e}}$ $Nucl{\acute{e}}aire$ to assess hydrogen risk in nuclear power plants, in particular French nuclear power plants, the open issues, and the ongoing R&D programs related to hydrogen distribution, mitigation, and combustion.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.9-20
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• 2007

Design study on the Gas Turbine High Temperature Reactor 300-Cogeneration (GTHTR300C) aiming at producing both electricity by a gas turbine and hydrogen by a thermochemical water splitting method (IS process method) has been conducted. It is expected to be one of the most attractive systems to provide hydrogen for fuel cell vehicles after 2030. The GTHTR300C employs a block type Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) with thermal power of 600MW and outlet coolant temperature of $950^{\circ}C$. The intermediate heat exchanger (IHX) and the gas turbine are arranged in series in the primary circuit. The IHX transfers the heat of 170MW to the secondary system used for hydrogen production. The balance of the reactor thermal power is used for electricity generation. The GTHTR300C is designed based on the existing technologies of the High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor (HTTR) and helium turbine power conversion and on the technologies whose development have been well under way for IS hydrogen production process so as to minimize cost and risk of deployment. This paper describes the original design features focusing on the plant layout and plant cycle of the GTHTR300C together with present development status of the GTHTR300, IHX, etc. Also, the advantage of the GTHTR300C is presented.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.10
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• pp.3659-3664
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• 2023

The electrochemical behavior of dissolved hydrogen (H₂) was investigated at a Pt electrode in a high temperature LiOH-H₃BO₃ solution. The diffusion current of the H₂ oxidation was proportional to the concentration of the dissolved H₂ as well as the reciprocal of the temperature. In the polarization curve, a potential region in which the oxidation current decreases despite an increase in the applied potential between the H₂ oxidation and the water oxidation regions was observed. This potential region was interpreted as being caused by the formation of a Pt oxide layer. Using the properties of the Cl^- ion that reduces the growth rate of the Pt oxide layer, it was confirmed that there is a correlation between the Cl^- ion concentration and the transient current of the H₂ oxidation.

• Carbon letters
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.41-47
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• 2010