• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.5
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• pp.1416-1428
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• 2021

Pebble flow characteristics can be significantly affected by the configuration of pebble bed, especially for HTGR pebble beds. How to achieve a desired uniform flow pattern without stagnation is the top priority for reactor design. Pebbles flows inside some specially designed pebble bed with arc-shaped contraction configurations at the bottom, including both concave-inward and convex-outward shapes are explored based on discrete element method. Flow characteristics including pebble retention, residence-time frequency density, flow uniformity as well as axial velocity are investigated. The results show that the traditionally designed pebble bed with cone-shape bottom is not the most preferred structure with respect to flow pattern for reactor design. By improving the contraction configuration, the flow performance can be significantly enhanced. The flow in the convex-shape configuration featured by uniformity, consistency and less stagnation, is much more desirable for pebble bed design. In contrast, when the shape is from convex-forward to concave-inward, the flow shows more nonuniformity and stagnation in the corner although the average cross-section axial velocity is the largest due to the dominant middle pebbles.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2008.11b
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• pp.2088-2093
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• 2008

In this study, flow field measurement of the Pebble Bed Reactor(PBR) for the High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor(HTGR) was performed. Large number of pebbles in the core of PBR provides complicated flow channel. Due to the complicated geometries, numerical analysis has been intensively made rather than experimental observation. However, the justification of computational simulation by the experimental study is crucial to develop solid analysis of design method. In the present study, a wind tunnel installed with pebbles stacked was constructed and equipped with the Particle Image Velocimetry(PIV). We designed the system scaled up to realize the room temperature condition according to the similarity. The PIV observation gave us stagnation points, low speed region so that the suspected high temperature region can be identified. With the further supplementary experimental works, the present system may produce valuable data to justify the Computational Fluid Dynamics(CFD) simulation method.

• 유체기계공업학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2005.12a
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• pp.244-249
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• 2005

Flow distribution and pressure drop analysis for an inlet plenum of a Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) have been performed using Computational Fluid Dynamics. Three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations have been solved in conjunction with $k-{\epsilon}$ model as a turbulence closure. Non-uniformity in flow distribution is assessed for the reference case and parametric studies have been performed for rising channels diameter, Reynolds number and angle between the inlet ports. Also, two different shapes of the inlet plenum namely, rectangular shape and oval shape, have been analysed. The relative flow mal-distribution parameter shows that the flow distribution in the rising channels for the reference case is strongly non-uniform. As the rising channels diameter decreases, the uniformity in the flow distribution as well as the pressure drop inside the inlet plenum increases. Reynolds number is found to have no effect on the flow distribution in the rising channels for both the shapes of the inlet plenum. The increase in angle between the inlet ports makes the flow distribution in the rising channels more uniform.

• Textile Coloration and Finishing
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.39-46
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• 1997

In this study, Two types of polyester fabrics were hydrolysed with NaOH using the CDR m/c of pad-steam type and the Sofleena m/c of liquor-flow type to determine the alkali hydrolysis properties of polyester fabrics. The results were as follows: Under the same conditions, the weight loss of charmeuse was about 0.5% and 2~3% higher than that of pebble with CDR m/c and with Sofleena m/c, respectively. The weft density of pebble decreased about 14picks/inch with CDR m/c and 3picks/inch with Sofleena m/c comparing to the untreated sample at 18% of weight loss, while the weft density of charmeuse decreased about 5picks/inch with CDR m/c and 2picks/inch with Sofleena m/c at 20% of weight toss. K/S value decreased almost identically within about 11% weight loss of pebble and 8% of charmeuse processed with both CDR and Sofleena. However, in the above these weight losses, K/S value of the fabrics processed with Sofleena was higher than that of fabrics processed with CDR. The bending rigidity of warp direction of the fabrics ($2{\times}10^{-2}gf.cm^2 /cm$ higher for charmeuse and ($7{\times}10^{-3}gf.cm^2 /cm$ higher for pebble) processed with CDR m/c was higher than that of the fabrics processed with Sofleena m/c.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.289-300
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• 2002

The Lago Sofia conglomerates encased in the Cretaceous Cerro Toro Formation, southern Chile, represent a gigantic submarine channel system developed along a foredeep trough. The channel system consists of several tributaries along the trough margin and a trunk channel along the trough axis. Voluminous debris flows were generated ubiquitously along the tract of the submarine channel mainly by the failure of nearby channel banks or slopes. The flows transformed immediately into multiphase flows and resulted in very thick-bedded mass-flow deposits with a peculiar structure sequence. The mass-flow deposits commonly overlie fluted or grooved surfaces and consist of a lower division of clast-supported and imbricated pebble-cobble conglomerate with common basal inverse grading, and an upper division of clast- to matrix-supported and disorganized pebble conglomerate or pebbly mudstone with abundant intraformational clasts. The structure sequence suggests a temporal succession of a turbidity current, a bipartite hyperconcentrapted flow with active clast collisions near the flow base, and a cohesive debris flow probably with a rigid plug. The multiphase flow is interpreted to have resulted from transformation of clast-rich but cohesive debris flows. Cohesive debris flows appear to transform more easily into dilute flow types in subaqueous environments because they are apt to hydroplane. This is in contrast to the flow transitions in subaerial environments where noncohesive debris flows are dominant and difficult to hydroplane.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.339-352
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• 2023

Prediction of the time-related traits of pebble flow inside pebble-bed HTGRs is of great significance for reactor operation and design. In this work, an image-driven approach with the aid of a convolutional neural network (CNN) is proposed to predict the remaining time of initially loaded pebbles and the time interval of paired flow images of the pebble bed. Two types of strategies are put forward: one is adding FC layers to the classic classification CNN models and using regression training, and the other is CNN-based deep expectation (DEX) by regarding the time prediction as a deep classification task followed by softmax expected value refinements. The current dataset is obtained from the discrete element method (DEM) simulations. Results show that the CNN-aided models generally make satisfactory predictions on the remaining time with the determination coefficient larger than 0.99. Among these models, the VGG19+DEX performs the best and its CumScore (proportion of test set with prediction error within 0.5s) can reach 0.939. Besides, the remaining time of additional test sets and new cases can also be well predicted, indicating good generalization ability of the model. In the task of predicting the time interval of image pairs, the VGG19+DEX model has also generated satisfactory results. Particularly, the trained model, with promising generalization ability, has demonstrated great potential in accurately and instantaneously predicting the traits of interest, without the need for additional computational intensive DEM simulations. Nevertheless, the issues of data diversity and model optimization need to be improved to achieve the full potential of the CNN-aided prediction tool.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.25-33
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• 1996

Stable isotopic ratios of the carbonate rocks and chemical compositions of the matrix of pebble bearing phyllitic rocks known as the Hwanggangri Formation, which are in hot debate on their origin such as tillite, debris flow and turbidite, were determined to interpret their depositional environment. Argillaceous matrix of the pebble bearing phyllitic rocks has a high content of CaO (av. 19.5%) and MgO (av. 8.3%), corresponding to calcareous sandy shale. No difference of chemical compositions including trace elements and REE is in the matrices between the Hwanggangri and the Kunjasan Formations. Carbonate rocks from the Okchon zone and outside of the zone range $-2.5{\sim}+6.1$‰ in ${\delta}^{13}C$ and $+5.8{\sim}+25.9$‰ in ${\delta}^{18}O$, indicating normal marine limestone. However, unusally $^{13}C$ enriched carbonate rocks might be deposited in the highly evaporated sedimentary basin. A wide variation of ${\delta}^{18}O$ values is responsible for metamorphism with a $^{18}O$ depleted meteoric water. Isotopic equilibrium temperatures by graphite-calcite geothermometer show a higher metamorphic temperature ($547{\sim}589^{\circ}C$) in the Okchon zone than those ($265{\sim}292^{\circ}C$) in the Samtaesan Formation of the Chosun group. Rhythmic alternation of relatively thin shale with thin limestone in the Kounri Formation is not cherty layer but thin limesilicate bed by metasomatic replacement. Judging from the isotopic and chemical compositions of the carbonate rocks and calcareous matrix of the pebble bearing phyllitic rocks, the Hwangganari Formation was deposited in the shallow marine environment favorable to debris flow.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.31-32
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• 2005

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.959-965
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• 2024

The High Temperature Test Unit (HTTU) was an experimental set-up to conduct separate and integral effects tests of the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) core. The annular core consisted of a randomly packed bed of uniform spheres. Natural convection tests using both nitrogen and helium, and forced convection tests using nitrogen, were conducted. The maximum material temperature achieved during forced convection testing was 1200 ℃. This paper presents the numerical analysis of the flow and temperature distribution for a forced convection test using 3D CFD as well as a 1D systems-CFD computer code. Several modelling approaches are possible, ranging from a fully explicit to a semi-implicit method that relies on correlations of their associated phenomena. For the comparison between codes, the analysis was performed using a porous media approach, where the conduction and radiative heat transfer were lumped together as an effective thermal conductivity and the convective heat transfer was correlated between the solid and gas phases. The results from both codes were validated against the experimental measurements. Favourable results were obtained, in particular by the systems-CFD code with minimal computational and time requirements.

• 한국전산유체공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2010.05a
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• pp.187-194
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• 2010

Shape optimization of an upper plenum of PBMR type gas cooled nuclear reactor has been performed by using three-dimensional Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) analysis and surrogate modeling technique. The objective function is defined as a linear combination of uniformity of flow distribution in the core and pressure drop in the upper plenum and the core. The ratio of thickness of slot to diameter of rising channels, ratio of height of upper plenum to diameter of rising channels, and ratio of eight of the slot at inlet to outlet, are used as design variables for optimization. Design points are selected through Latin-hypercube sampling. The optimal point is determined through surrogate-based optimization method which uses 3-D RANS analyses at design points. The results show that the optimum shape represent remarkably improved performance in flow uniformity and friction loss than the reference shape.