• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제55권12호
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• pp.4408-4425
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• 2023

Alarm flood due to abnormality propagation is the most difficult alarm overloading problem in nuclear power plants (NPPs). Root-cause analysis is suggested to help operators in understand emergency events and plant status. Multilevel Flow Modeling (MFM) has been extensively applied in alarm management by virtue of the capability of explaining causal dependencies among alarms. However, there has never been a technique that can identify the actual root cause for complex alarm situations. This paper presents an automated root-cause analysis system based on MFM. The causal reasoning algorithm is first applied to identify several possible root causes that can lead to massive alarms. A novel root-cause ranking algorithm can subsequently be used to isolate the most likely faults from the other root-cause candidates. The proposed method is validated on a pressurized water reactor (PWR) simulator at HAMMLAB. The results show that the actual root cause is accurately identified for every tested operating scenario. The automation of root-cause identification and ranking affords the opportunity of real-time alarm analysis. It is believed that the study can further improve the situation awareness of operators in the alarm flooding situation.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제56권4호
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• pp.1398-1406
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• 2024

The control rod worth is a key safety parameter required to be measured in commercial pressurized water reactors (PWRs). Conventionally, the control rod worth is measured after reaching the critical state, which occupies the considerable time in the zero-power physics test. In this study, an efficient control-rod worth measurement technique has been proposed based on the improved neutron-source multiplication method, which can be implemented with the source-range detector count rates in the subcritical states. Moreover, the noise reduction technique has been adopted to smooth the large fluctuation existing in the original signals. In order to verify the engineering performance of the proposed measurement technique, the measured source-range detector count rates during the rod withdrawal process before reaching critical state in a CNP1000 reactor have been employed. It demonstrated that almost all estimated results of control rod worth satisfy the engineering acceptance criteria, except one control rod with the relative difference over 10 %, which indicates the capability of the proposed method in estimating control rod worth.

• Advances in Energy Research
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• 제5권2호
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• pp.91-105
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• 2017

Thermal hydraulic (TH) analysis of nuclear power reactors is utmost important. In this way, the numerical codes that preparing TH data in reactor core are essential. In this paper, a subchannel analysis of a Russian pressurized water reactor (WWER1000) core with enhanced numerical code is carried out. For this, in fluid domain, the mass, axial and lateral momentum and energy conservation equations for desired control volume are solved, numerically. In the solid domain, the cylindrical heat transfer equation for calculation of radial temperature profile in fuel, gap and clad with finite difference and finite element solvers are considered. The dependence of material properties to fuel burnup with Calza-Bini fuel-gap model is implemented. This model is coupled with Isotope Generation and Depletion Code (ORIGEN2.1). The possibility of central hole consideration in fuel pellet is another advantage of this work. In addition, subchannel to subchannel and subchannel to rod connection data in hexagonal fuel assembly geometry could be prepared, automatically. For a demonstration of code capability, the steady state TH analysis of a the WWER1000 core is compromised with Thermal-hydraulic analysis code (COBRA-EN). By thermal hydraulic parameters averaging Fuel Assembly-to-Fuel Assembly method, the one sixth (symmetry) of the Boushehr Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) core with regular subchannels are modeled. Comparison between the results of the work and COBRA-EN demonstrates some advantages of the presented code. Using the code the thermal modeling of the fuel rods with considering the fission gas generation would be possible. In addition, this code is compatible with neutronic codes for coupling. This method is faster and more accurate for symmetrical simulation of the core with acceptable results.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제23권3호
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• pp.352-362
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• 1991

가압 경수로의 노심 설계에 있어서 제한된 우라늄 자원의 효율적인 이용을 위한 다양한 방안으로 장주기 운전, 고연소도 및 저누출 장전 모형 통을 강구하고 있는 추세이다. 이러한 노심들은 원자로 운전 주기 전반에 걸친 공간적 출력 분포 제어와 잉여 반응도 제어를 위해 가연성 독물질을 사용하고 있다. 이와 관련하여 가연성 독물질 관리의 최적화 연구가 다각도로 진행되고 있다. 본 연구에서는 1990년도부터 국내 가압 경수로에 국산 핵연료가 장전되기 시작하면서 가도리니아 독봉을 사용하고 있으며 장차 주된 가연성 독물질로 쓰일 예정이므로 이에 대해서 분석을 수행하였다. 분석 결과 가도리니아 독봉은 열중성자 흡수 단면적이 매우 큰데서 기인한 특이한 연소 특성을 보이고 있다. 특히 집합체 내에서의 가도리니아 독봉의 위치에 따라 매우 다양한 출력 분포를 보이고 있다. 이러한 다양한 출력 분포 중에서 노심의 반경 방향 첨두 출력을 가능한 낮게하는 집합체 내에서의 가도리니아봉 위치 최적 선정을 위한 방법론을 제시하였다.

• 에너지공학
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• 제24권2호
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• pp.40-44
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• 2015

중수로 일차냉각재계통 액체방출밸브의 개방압력에 대한 안전여유 및 시간지연을 반영하여 열수력코드로 경년열화가 반영된 노심에 대해 민감도를 평가하였다. 과거에는 안전해석을 수행할 때 안전여유와 시간지연을 반영하여 평가하지 않았으나, 월성1호기 안전해석 인허가 심사과정중 반영 평가하였다. 중수로 안전해석에서 압력경계는 일차냉각재계통 액체방출밸브이다. 따라서 액체방출밸브 응동이 안전해석에 직접적인 영향을 주므로 안전여유와 시간지연 부가가 안전해석 결과에 미치는 영향을 파악하고 해석에 반영하기 위해 일차냉각재계통 과압이 걸리는 사고들에 대해 평가하였다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제48권5호
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• pp.1184-1191
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• 2016

This paper introduces the development of a transient monitoring system to detect the early stage of a transient, to identify the type of the transient scenario, and to inform an operator with the remaining time to turbine trip when there is no operator's relevant control. This study focused on the transients originating from a secondary system in nuclear power plants (NPPs), because the secondary system was recognized to be a more dominant factor to make unplanned turbine-generator trips which can ultimately result in reactor trips. In order to make the proposed methodology practical forward, all the transient scenarios registered in a simulator of a 1,000 MWe pressurized water reactor were archived in the transient pattern database. The transient patterns show plant behavior until turbine-generator trip when there is no operator's intervention. Meanwhile, the operating data periodically captured from a plant computer is compared with an individual transient pattern in the database and a highly matched section among the transient patterns enables isolation of the type of transient and prediction of the expected remaining time to trip. The transient pattern database consists of hundreds of variables, so it is difficult to speedily compare patterns and to draw a conclusion in a timely manner. The transient pattern database and the operating data are, therefore, converted into a smaller dimension using the principal component analysis (PCA). This paper describes the process of constructing the transient pattern database, dealing with principal components, and optimizing similarity measures.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제16권1호
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• pp.36-46
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• 1984

가압경수로의 정상운전상태는 물론 예상 과도상태에서도 노심내에서 DNB가 발생하지 않아야 된다는 설계근거를 만족시키는 새로운 설계방법 즉, 통계처리에 의한 열설계 방법이 개발되어 이에 대하여 검토하였다. 이같은 설계방법을 사용하여 설계변수에 대한 불확실도를 통계적으로 처리함으로써 노심설계에 따른 설계여유도를 정량적으로 계산할 수 있어 원자로심의 안전성을 충분히 유지하면서도 DNB비례산에 따른 불필요한 보수성을 배제할 수 있다. 본 기술검토보고서는 미국의 Westing-house와 B & W원자로 제작회사가 개발한 통계적 열설계방법을 소개하고 본 설계방법의 특성을 설명하며 이어서 불확실도의 통계처리 과정, DNB설계 제한치 설정방법, 그리고 본 방법의 응용 결과를 비교하여 보여준다. 본 검토를 통하여 두 회사의 설계방법은 근본적으로 유사하나 통계처리를 위한 설계변수의 선택과 이들 불확실도의 처리방법이 다소 상이하다는 것을 알았으며 또한 본 방법의 사용으로 노심설계에 있어서 설계여유도가 현저히 증가한다는 것을 알았다.

• 대한기계학회논문집A
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• 제35권2호
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• pp.201-206
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• 2011

지지격자체는 경수로 핵연료집합체의 특성과 성능에 영향을 주는 가장 중요한 핵심 구조부품 중에 하나이다. 지지격자체 설계시의 우선적으로 고려해야할 사항은 핵연료가 원자로에 장전되어 있는 동안 내내 연료봉이 기계적인 원인에 의해 손상되지 않도록, 즉 연료봉의 기계적 지지건전성이 유지되도록 설계하는 것이다. 연료봉이 유동기인진동에 의해서 진동할 때 연료봉과 연료봉 지지부 사이에서 상대변위 발생을 완화해 줌으로서 연료봉의 프레팅 마모 손상 가능성이 감소될 수 있는 것으로 알려져 있다. 본 연구에서는 이동 가능한 연료봉 지지부로 구성된 새로운 지지격자체 형상을 제안하였고, 제안된 이동 가능 지지부의 연료봉 지지특성을 유한요소해석을 통해 분석하였다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제55권4호
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• pp.1563-1570
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• 2023

In this study, a DeCART/MIG uncertainty quantification (UQ) analysis code system with a multicorrelated cross section stochastic sampling (S.S.) module was established and verified through the UAM (Uncertainty Analysis in Modeling) and the BEAVRS (Benchmark for Evaluation And Validation of Reactor Simulations) benchmark calculations. For the S.S. calculations, a sample of 500 DeCART multigroup cross section sets for two major actinides, i.e., ²³⁵U and ²³⁸U, were generated by the MIG code and covariance data from the ENDF/B-VII.1 evaluated nuclear data library. In the three pin problems (i.e. TMI-1, PB2, and Koz-6) from the UAM benchmark, the uncertainties in k_inf by the DeCART/MIG S.S. calculations agreed very well with the sensitivity and uncertainty (S/U) perturbation results by DeCART/MUSAD and the S/U direct subtraction (S/U-DS) results by the DeCART/MIG. From these results, it was concluded that the multi-group cross section sampling module of the MIG code works correctly and accurately. In the BEAVRS whole benchmark problems, the uncertainties in the control rod bank worth, isothermal temperature coefficient, power distribution, and critical boron concentration due to cross section uncertainties were calculated by the DeCART/MIG code system. Overall, the uncertainties in these design parameters were less than the general design review criteria of a typical pressurized water reactor start-up case. This newly-developed DeCART/MIG UQ analysis code system by the S.S. method can be widely utilized as uncertainty analysis and margin estimation tools for developing and designing new advanced nuclear reactors.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제56권2호
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• pp.552-557
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• 2024

The actual swelling of AgInCd absorber might exceed the predicted swelling value after years of service in pressurized water reactors, and the chemical and microstructural changes of AgInCd absorber induced by transmutation reactions are the main reason for the swelling acceleration of AgInCd absorber. In the present study, a model for calculating the irradiation swelling of AgInCd absorber in nuclear control rods is developed according to chemical and microstructural changes of AgInCd absorber. In this model, the chemical compositions of AgInCd absorber as a function of the thermal neutron fluence are firstly calculated, and then the volume of AgInCd absorber after irradiation is obtained on the basis of the crystallographic parameters of phases in the AgInCd absorber, and the irradiation swelling of AgInCd absorber is finally calculated. The crystallographic parameters can be obtained by preparing the simulated AgInCd alloys and fitting the experimental data. The model calculating results of irradiation swelling are in good agreement with the actual swelling data in literature. More importantly, the present model can well explain the EPRI results of the acceleration in the diametral swelling rate above 6-8 × 10²⁰ n/cm² and the decrease in the diametral swelling rate above about 2 × 10²¹ n/cm².