• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제53권10호
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• pp.3196-3206
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• 2021

For the Korean design of the PCCS (passive containment cooling system) in an innovative PWR, the overall thermal resistance around a condenser tube is dominated by the heat transfer coefficient of steam condensation on the exterior surface. It has been reported, however, that the calculated heat transfer coefficients by thermal-hydraulic system codes were much lower than measured data in separate effect tests. In this study, a new empirical model of steam condensation in the presence of a noncondensable gas was implemented into the MARS-KS 1.4 code to replace the conventional Colburn-Hougen model. The selected correlation had been developed from condensation test data obtained at the JERICHO (JNU Experimental Rig for Investigation of Condensation Heat transfer On tube) facility, and considered the effect of the Grashof number for naturally circulating gas mixture and the curvature of the condenser tube. The modified MARS-KS code was applied to simulate the transient response of the containment equipped with the PCCS to the large-break loss-of-coolant accident. The heat removal performances of the PCCS and corresponding evolution of the containment pressure were compared to those calculated via the original model. Various thermal-hydraulic parameters associated with the natural circulation operation through the heat transport circuit were also investigated.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제53권4호
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• pp.1134-1145
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• 2021

A design parameter study is presented for the closed-loop type passive containment cooling system (PCCS) which is equipped with two heat exchangers: one installed at the inside of the containment and the other submerged in the water pool at the outside of the containment. A GOTHIC code model for PCCS performance analyses was set up and the design parameters such as the heat exchanger sizes, locations, and water pool tank volumes were analyzed to investigate the feasibility of installing this type of PCCS in PWRs like OPR-1000 being operated in Korea. We identified the size of the circulation loop and heat exchangers as major design parameters affecting the performance of PCCS. The analyses showed that the heat exchangers in the inside of the containment would be more influential on the heat removal capability of PCCS than that installed in the water pool at the outside of the containment. Hence, it was recommended to down-size the heat exchangers in the water pool to optimize PCCS without compromising its performance. Based on the parametric study, it was demonstrated that a closed-loop type PCCS could be designed sufficiently compact for installation in the available space within the containment of PWRs like OPR-1000.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제53권12호
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• pp.3918-3929
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• 2021

In this study, we experimentally investigate of a two-phase natural circulation loop that functions as a passive containment cooling system (PCCS). The experimental apparatus comprises two loops: a hot loop, for simulating containment under severe accidents, and a natural circulation loop, for simulating the PCCS. The experiment is conducted by controlling the pressure and inlet temperature of the hot loop in the range of 0.59-0.69 MPa (abs) and 119.6-158.8 ℃, respectively. The heat balance of the hot loop is established and compared with a natural circulation loop to assess the thermal reliability of the experimental apparatus, and an additional system is installed to measure the vapor mass flow rate. Furthermore, the thermal-hydraulic characteristics are considered in terms of a temperature, mass flow rate, heat transfer coefficient (HTC), etc. The flow rate of the natural circulation loop is induced primarily by flashing, and a distortion is observed in the local HTC because of the fully develop as well as subcooled boiling. As a result, we present the amount of heat capacity that the PCCS can passively remove according to the experimental conditions and compared the heat transfer performance using Chen's and Dittus-Boelter correlation.

• 태양에너지
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• 제7권2호
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• pp.106-110
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• 1987

In the past few years, the subject of passive heating has been the major area of our concern due to the specific climate conditions prevailing in our region. More recently, however, other important issues such as retrofitting, passive cooling, optimized integration of conservation and passive solar, and daylighting have emerged as the areas of frequent discussions. KIER, the sole R&D organization in solar energy technologies, has accomplished significant results in passive building designs and actual demonstrations of experimental passive buildings. As a result of such endeavor by KIER, the passive solar buildings have been very well received by the Korean public. The current number of passive solar buildings in Korea is well over 1,600 (as of Dec. 1986). In this paper, broad aspects of the present status of passive solar technology utilization in Korea are presented.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제49권1호
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• pp.54-70
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• 2017

The accumulator is a passive safety injection device for emergency core cooling systems. As an important safety feature for providing a high-speed injection flow to the core by compressed nitrogen gas pressure during a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA), the accumulator injects its precharged nitrogen into the system after its coolant has been emptied. Attention has been drawn to the possible negative effects caused by such a nitrogen injection in passive safety nuclear power plants. Although some experimental work on the nitrogen injection has been done, there have been no comparative tests in which the effects on the system responses and the core safety have been clearly assessed. In this study, a new thermal hydraulic integral test facility-the advanced core-cooling mechanism experiment (ACME)-was designed and constructed to support the CAP1400 safety review. The ACME test facility was used to study the nitrogen injection effects on the system responses to the small break loss-of-coolant accident LOCA (SBLOCA) transient. Two comparison test groups-a 2-inch cold leg break and a double-ended direct-vessel-injection (DEDVI) line break-were conducted. Each group consists of a nitrogen injection test and a nitrogen isolation comparison test with the same break conditions. To assess the nitrogen injection effects, the experimental data that are representative of the system responses and the core safety were compared and analyzed. The results of the comparison show that the effects of nitrogen injection on system responses and core safety are significantly different between the 2-inch and DEDVI breaks. The mechanisms of the different effects on the transient were also investigated. The amount of nitrogen injected, along with its heat absorption, was likewise evaluated in order to assess its effect on the system depressurization process. The results of the comparison and analyses in this study are important for recognizing and understanding the potential negative effects on the passive core cooling performance caused by nitrogen injection during the SBLOCA transient.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제56권3호
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• pp.832-845
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• 2024

Reactor cavity cooling systems (RCCSs) comprising passive safety features use the atmosphere as a coolant, which cannot be lost. However, their drawback is that they are easily affected by atmospheric disturbances. To realize the commercial application of the two types of passive RCCSs, namely RCCSs based on atmospheric radiation and atmospheric natural circulation, their safety must be evaluated, that is, they must be able to remove heat from the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) surface at all times and under any condition other than under normal operating conditions. These include both expected and unexpected natural phenomena and accidents. Moreover, they must be able to eliminate the heat leakage emitted from the RPV surface during normal operation. However, utilizing all of the heat emitted from the RPV surface increases the degree of waste heat utilization. This study aims to understand the characteristics and degree of passive safety features for heat removal by comparing RCCSs based on atmospheric radiation and atmospheric natural circulation under the same conditions. It was concluded that the proposed RCCS based on atmospheric radiation has an advantage in that the temperature of the RPV could be stably maintained against disturbances in the ambient air.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제26권2호
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• pp.161-167
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• 1994

본 논문은 비상노심냉각계통을 필요로 하지 않는 압력관형 피동 수냉각로 개념을 제시한다. 여기서는 사고시 핵연료에서 생성되는 열을 감속재로 효과적으로 전달시키기 위해 금속 핵연료 매트릭스를 사용하는 핵연료 채널을 채택한다. 정상 운전시에는 보통의 냉각재가 핵연료를 냉각시키지만, 냉각재상실사고를 포함하여 정상적인 냉각계통의 작동이 이루어지지 않을 경우에는 피동 감속재냉각계통에 의해 핵연료가 냉각된다. 유한요소 코드를 이용한 해석 결과, 정상 상태 및 사고시 핵연료 온도를 허용 한도 이내로 유지할 수 있는 것으로 나타났다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제49권3호
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• pp.476-483
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• 2017

The decay heat that is produced by nuclear reactor spent fuel must be cooled in a spent fuel storage pool. A wickless heat pipe or a vertical two-phase closed thermosyphon (TPCT) is used to remove this decay heat. The objective of this research is to investigate the thermal performance of a prototype model for a large-scale vertical TPCT as a passive cooling system for a nuclear research reactor spent fuel storage pool. An experimental investigation and numerical simulation using RELAP5/MOD 3.2 were used to investigate the TPCT thermal performance. The effects of the initial pressure, filling ratio, and heat load were analyzed. Demineralized water was used as the TPCT working fluid. The cooled water was circulated in the water jacket as a cooling system. The experimental results show that the best thermal performance was obtained at a thermal resistance of $0.22^{\circ}C/W$, the lowest initial pressure, a filling ratio of 60%, and a high evaporator heat load. The simulation model that was experimentally validated showed a pattern and trend line similar to those of the experiment and can be used to predict the heat transfer phenomena of TPCT with varying inputs.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제56권3호
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• pp.1066-1080
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• 2024

SMART100 has a containment pressure and radioactivity suppression system (CPRSS) for passive containment cooling system (PCCS). This prevents overheating and over-pressurization of a containment through direct contact condensation in an in-containment refueling water storage tank (IRWST) and wall condensation in a CPRSS heat exchanger (CHX) in an emergency cool-down tank (ECT). The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) constructed scaled-down test facilities, SISTA1 and SISTA2, for the thermal-hydraulic validation of the SMART100 CPRSS. Three separate effect tests were performed using SISTA1 to confirm the heat removal characteristics of SMART100 CPRSS. When the low mass flux steam with or without non-condensable gas is released into an IRWST, the conditions for mitigation of the chugging phenomenon were identified, and the physical variables were quantified by the 3D reconstruction method. The local behavior of the non-condensable gas was measured after condensation inside heat exchanger using a traverse system. Stratification of non-condensable gas occurred in large tank of the natural circulation loop. SISTA2 was used to simulate a small break loss-of-coolant accident (SBLCOA) transient. Since the test apparatus was a metal tank, compensations of initial heat transfer to the material and effect of heat loss during long-term operation were important for simulating cooling performance of SMART100 CPRSS. The pressure of SMART100 CPRSS was maintained below the design limit for 3 days even under sufficiently conservative conditions of an SBLOCA transient.

• 에너지공학
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• 제28권4호
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• pp.103-110
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• 2019

국내에서 개발 중인 차세대 혁신형 안전경수로인 iPOWER는 피동용융노심냉각계통의 도입을 통해 중대사고시 노심용융물을 원자로 하부에서 장기간 냉각하고 안정화시키고자 한다. 아직 피동용융노심냉각계통의 최종 설계개념이 확정되기 전이나, 원자로용기 외벽냉각을 통한 노심용융물의 노내 억류 역시 주요 중대사고 대처 전략의 하나로 검토되고 있다. 본 연구에서는 국내에서 개발된 열수력 계통해석코드인 MARS-KS를 이용하여 원자로용기와 단열체 사이에서 형성되는 2상 자연순환 유동을 모의하였다. 냉각수의 유로를 일차원으로 모델링하고, 노심용융물의 열부하에 따른 경계조건을 정의하여 자연순환 유량을 계산하였다. 또한 냉각수의 온도 및 수위, 원자로용기 하반구 주변 기포율 및 외벽에서의 열전달모드 등 주요 열수력 변수의 과도거동을 평가하였다.