• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.12
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• pp.4695-4702
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• 2023

Nuclear power plants play a pivotal role in the global energy infrastructure, fulfilling a substantial share of the world's energy requirements in a sustainable way. The management of these facilities, especially the handling of spent nuclear fuel (SNF), necessitates meticulous inspections to guarantee operational safety and efficiency. However, the prevailing inspection methodologies lean heavily on human operators, which presents challenges due to the potential hazards of the SNF environment. This study introduces the design of a novel Pre-Batched Inspection Strategy (PBIS) that integrates robotic automation and image processing techniques to bolster the inspection process. This methodology deploys robotics to undertake tasks that could be perilous or time-intensive for humans, while image processing techniques are used for precise identification of SNF targets and regulating the robotic system. The implementation of PBIS holds considerable promise in minimizing inspection time and enhancing worker safety. This paper elaborates on the structure, capabilities, and application of PBIS, underlining its potential implications for the future of nuclear energy inspections.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.78 no.1
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• pp.31-39
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• 2021

To investigate numerically the effect of all parameters on the outcome of an aircraft impact into robust engineering structures like nuclear power plant containments is a tedious task. In order to reduce the problem to a manageable size, we propose a single dimensionless parameter, the damage potential, to characterize the main features of the impact. The damage potential, which is the ratio of the initial kinetic energy of the aircraft to the work required to crush it, enables us to find the crucial parameter settings that need to be modelled numerically in detail. We show in this paper that the damage potential is indeed the most important parameter of the impact that determines the time-dependent reaction force when either finite element (FE) modelling or the Riera model is applied. We find that parameters that do not alter the damage potential, like elasticity of the target, are of secondary importance and if parameters are altered in a way that the damage potential remains the same then the course of the impact remains similar. We show, however, that the maximum value of the reaction force can be higher in case of elastic targets than in case of rigid targets due to the vibration of the target. The difference between the Riera and FE model results is also found to depend on the damage potential.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.102-106
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• 2015

The performance of Li-B alloy as anode for molten salt electrolysis was firstly investigated. The crystalline phase of the prepared Li-B alloy was identified as $Li_7B_6$. The potential profile of Li-B alloy anode was monitored during the electrodeposition of $Nd^{3+}$ onto an LCC (liquid cadmium cathode) in molten LiCl-KCl salt at $500^{\circ}C$. The potential of Li-B alloy was increased from -2.0 V to -1.4 V vs. Ag/AgCl by increasing the applied current from 10 to $50mA{\cdot}cm^{-2}$. It was found that not only the anodic dissolution of Li to $Li^+$ but also the dissolution of the atomic lithium ($Li^0$) into the LiCl-KCl eutectic salt was observed, following the concomitant reduction of $Nd^{3+}$ by the $Li^0$ in Li-B alloy. It was expected that the direct reduction could be restrained by maintaining the anode potential higher that the deposition potential of neodymium.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Intelligent Systems Conference
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• 1993.06a
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• pp.1058-1061
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• 1993

Fuzzy set theory has been extensively researched in various fields of engineering. In nuclear science, a significant influence of fuzzy sets can be noticed. However, applications of fuzzy set theory to nuclear engineering is novel. In this paper, we start with a basic statement of the decision-making process based on fuzzy set theory, and then apply it to nuclear science with some practical applications (a fuzzy decision making in an accidental release to the atmosphere as well as in a problem of land suitability classification). We believe that the use of fuzzy set theory in nuclear science has potential advantages.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.8
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• pp.3117-3129
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• 2022

Deeply understanding the phase change of thin liquid sodium film inside wick pore is very important for further studying high-temperature sodium heat pipe's heat transfer. For the first time, the evaporation and condensation of thin liquid sodium film are investigated by the Lennard-Jones potential of molecular dynamics. Based on the startup and normal operation of the sodium heat pipe, three different cases are simulated. First, the equilibrium is achieved and the Mass Accommodation Coefficients of the three cases are 0.3886, 0.2119, 0.2615 respectively. Secondly, the non-equilibrium is built. The change of liquid film thickness, the number of gas atoms, the net evaporation flux (J_net), the heat transfer coefficient (h) at the liquid-gas interface are acquired. Results indicate that the magnitude of the J_net and the h increase with the basic equilibrium temperature. In 520-600 K (the startup of the heat pipe), the h has approached 5-6 W m^-2 K^-1 while liquid film thickness is in 11-13 nm. The fact shows that during the initial startup of the sodium heat pipe, the thermal resistance at the liquid-gas interface can't be negligible. This work is the complement and extension for macroscopic investigation of heat transfer inside sodium heat pipe. It can provide a reference for further numerical simulation and optimal design of the sodium heat pipe in the future.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.95-106
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• 2019

The decommissioning of nuclear power plants should be prepared by quantitative and qualitative risk assessment. Radiological and non-radiological hazards arising during decommissioning activities must be assessed to ensure the safety of decommissioning workers and the public. Decommissioning experiences by U.S. operators have mainly focused on deterministic risk assessment, which is standardized by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory commission (NRC) and focuses only on the consequences of risk. However, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has suggested an alternative to the deterministic approach, called the risk matrix technique. The risk matrix technique considers both the consequence and likelihood of risk. In this study, decommissioning stages, processes, and activities are organized under a work breakdown structure. Potential accidents in the decommissioning process of NPPs are analyzed using the composite risk matrix to assess both radiological and non-radiological hazards. The levels of risk for all potential accidents considered by U.S. NPP operators who have performed decommissioning were estimated based on their consequences and likelihood of events.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.93-101
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• 2013

The object of this work is to establish an electrochemical noise(EN) measurement technique combined with a direct current potential drop(DCPD) method for monitoring of localized corrosion cracking of nickel-based alloy, and to analyze its mechanism. The electrochemical current and potential noises were measured under various conditions of applied stress to a compact tension specimen in a simulated primary water chemistry of a pressurized water reactor. The amplitude and frequency of the EN signals were evaluated in both time and frequency domains based on a shot noise theory, and then quantitatively analyzed using statistical Weibull distribution function. From the spectral analysis, the effect of the current application in DCPD was found to be effectively excluded from the EN signals generated from the localized corrosion cracking. With the aid of a microstructural analysis, the relationship between EN signals and the localized corrosion cracking mechanism was investigated by comparing the shape parameter of Weibull distribution of a mean time-to-failure.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.61-67
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• 2015

3D FEM modeling based on 3D CAD data has been performed to evaluate the efficiency of CP system in a real operating nuclear power plant. The results of it successfully produced sophisticated profiles of electrolytic potential and current distributions in the soil of an interested area. This technology is expected to be a breakthrough for detection technology of damages on buried pipes when it comes into combining with a brand of area potential earth current (APEC) and ground penetrated radar (GPR) technologies. 2D current distribution and 2D current vectors on the earth surface from the APEC survey will be used as boundary conditions with exact 3D geometry data resulting in visualization of locations and extents of corrosion damages on the buried pipes in nuclear power plants.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.23-34
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• 2004

To validate the previous conceptual design of cover system, construction of the engineered barrier test facility is completed and the performance tests of the disposal cover system are conducted. The disposal test facility is composed of the multi-purpose working space, the six test cells and the disposal information space for the PR center. The dedicated detection system measures the water content, the temperature, the matric potential of each cover layer and the accumulated water volume of lateral drainage. Short-term experiments on the disposal cover layer using the artificial rainfall system are implemented. The sand drainage layer shows the satisfactory performance as intended in the design stage. The artificial rainfall does not affect the temperature of cover layers. It is investigated that high water infiltration of the artificial rainfall changes the matric potential in each cover layer. This facility is expected to increase the public information about the national radioactive waste disposal program and the effort for the safety of the planned disposal facility.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.784-790
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• 2020

The accelerated corrosion by Flow Accelerated Corrosion (FAC) has caused unexpected rupture of piping, hindering the safety of nuclear power plants (NPPs) and sometimes causing personal injury. For the safety, it may be necessary to select some pipes in terms of condition monitoring and to measure the change in thickness of pipes in real time. Direct current potential drop (DCPD) method has advantages in on-line monitoring of pipe wall thinning. However, it has a disadvantage in that it is difficult to quantify thinning due to various thinning shapes and thus there is a limitation in application. The machine learning approach has advantages in that it can be easily applied because the machine can learn the signals of various thinning shapes and can identify the thinning using these. In this paper, finite element analysis (FEA) was performed by applying direct current to a carbon steel pipe and measuring the potential drop. The fundamental machine learning was carried out and the piping thinning model was developed. In this process, the features of DCPD to thinning were proposed.