• Journal of Magnetics
• /
• 제22권1호
• /
• pp.34-42
• /
• 2017

Material defects in the Steam Generator Tubes (SGT) of sodium cooled fast breeder reactor (PFBR) can lead to leakage of water into sodium. The water and sodium reaction will lead to major accidents. Therefore, the examination of steam generator tubes for the early detection of defects is an important requirement for safety and economic considerations. In this work, the Magnetic Flux Leakage (MFL) based Non Destructive Testing (NDT) technique is used to perform the defect detection process. The rectangular notch defects on the outer surface of steam generator tubes are modeled using COMSOL multiphysics 4.3a software. The obtained MFL images are de-noised to improve the integrity of flaw related information. Grey Level Co-occurrence Matrix (GLCM) features are extracted from MFL images and taken as input parameter to train the neural network. A comparative study on characterization have been carried out using feed-forward back propagation (FFBP) and cascade-forward back propagation (CFBP) algorithms. The results of both algorithms are evaluated with Mean Square Error (MSE) as a prediction performance measure. The average percentage error for length, depth and width are also computed. The result shows that the feed-forward back propagation network model performs better in characterizing the defects.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• 제26권2호
• /
• pp.237-246
• /
• 1994

KMRR 노심의 열수력 설계 및 안전 해석을 위한 고유량 CHF 상관식을 개발하였다. 상관식 개발에는 fin이 부착된 경우와 부착되지 않은 경우의 가열봉에 대한 단일봉 CHF 실험 자료를 사용하였다. 상관식은 Reynolds 수, 열역학 평형 건도, 액상과 기상의 밀도비 및 등가수력 직경비 등의 무차원 변수로 이루어져 있으며, fin이 있는 경우와 없는 경우의 가열 둘레비를 사용하여 fin의 영향을 고려하였다. 이처럼 단일봉에 대하여 개발된 상관식의 KMRR 핵연료 집합체에 대한 적용 타당성을 보이기 위하여 비가열면 및 축방향 비균일 출력 분포의 영향을 논의하였다. CHF 실험 자료 분석 결과, 상관식 한계 DNBR은 1.44로 결정되었다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• 제40권5호
• /
• pp.365-374
• /
• 2008

Dependability-critical systems, such as digital instrumentation and control systems in nuclear power plants, necessitate engineering techniques and tools to provide assurances of their safety and reliability. Determining system reliability at the architectural design phase is important since it may guide design decisions and provide crucial information for trade-off analysis and estimating system cost. Despite this, reliability and system engineering remain separate disciplines and engineering processes by which the dependability analysis results may not represent the designed system. In this article we provide an overview and application of our approach to build architecture-based, dynamic system models for dependability-critical systems and then automatically generate dynamic fault trees (DFT) for comprehensive, tool-supported reliability analysis. Specifically, we use the Architectural Analysis and Design Language (AADL) to model the structural, behavioral and failure aspects of the system in a composite architecture model. From the AADL model, we seek to derive the DFT(s) and use Galileo's automated reliability analyses to estimate system reliability. This approach alleviates the dependability engineering - systems engineering knowledge expertise gap, integrates the dependability and system engineering design and development processes and enables a more formal, automated and consistent DFT construction. We illustrate this work using an example based on a dynamic digital feed-water control system for a nuclear reactor.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• 제45권7호
• /
• pp.921-928
• /
• 2013

A future nuclear energy system is being developed at Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), the system involves a Sodium Fast Reactor (SFR) linked with the pyro-process. The pyro-process produces a source material to fabricate a SFR fuel rod. Therefore, an isotopic fissile content assay is very important for fuel rod safety and SFR economics. A new technology for an analysis of isotopic fissile content has been proposed using a lead slowing down spectrometer (LSDS). The new technology has several features for a fissile analysis from spent fuel: direct isotopic fissile assay, no background interference, and no requirement from burnup history information. Several calculations were done on the designed spectrometer geometry: detection sensitivity, neutron energy spectrum analysis, neutron fission characteristics, self shielding analysis, and neutron production mechanism. The spectrum was well organized even at low neutron energy and the threshold fission chamber was a proper choice to get prompt fast fission neutrons. The characteristic fission signature was obtained in slowing down neutron energy from each fissile isotope. Another application of LSDS is for an optimum design of the spent fuel storage, maximization of the burnup credit and provision of the burnup code correction factor. Additionally, an isotopic fissile content assay will contribute to an increase in transparency and credibility for the utilization of spent fuel nuclear material, as internationally demanded.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• 제27권2호
• /
• pp.165-175
• /
• 1995

가압경수로의 과압보호계통은 가장 심각한 비정상 과도운전시 원자로냉각재계통의 압력을 설계압력의 110% 이내로 유지시킬 수 있는 충분한 용량으로 설계되어져야 한다. 본 연구에서는 ABB-CE 설계의 2825 MWt 가압경수로에 기존의 스프링 탑재형 가압기 안전밸브 대신 SEBIM-POSRV를 채택할 경우 과압보호 기능 수행의 가능성을 연구하였다. 과압보호 기능을 수행하기 위한 SEBIM POSRV의 크기 및 작동 설정치를 영광 3, 4호기의 과압보호 해석에 사용했던 LTC 전산코드를 이용한 분석을 통해서 결정했다. 분석 결과 monobloc SEBIM POSRV를 이용한 과압보호계통은 원자로냉각재계통의 압력을 설계 압력의 110% 이내로 유지시킴으로써 ABB-CE 형태의 2825 MWt급 가압경수로에서 과압보호 기능을 수행할 수 있음이 입증되었다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• 제12권3호
• /
• pp.153-162
• /
• 1980

냉각재상실사고의 재관수 단계중 연료봉 피복재의 온도거동 및 열전달 기구를 파악하는 것은 비상노심냉각계통 및 원자로의 안전성해석에 중요하다. 냉각재유동채널의 방위가 rewetting과정에 미치는 영향을 연구하기 위하여 수직 및 수경 유동채널을 이용한 실험을 수행하였으며, 노심이 수평압력관으로 구성되어 있는 CANDU원자로에 관한 실험을 중점적으로 수행하여 그 결과를 수직채널의 결과와 비교 하였다. 또한 rewetting현상을 육안관찰가기 위해 환상형 테스트부 및 외부에서 가열되는 석영관을 사용하였다. 실험결과로써 수평채널에서의 rewetting 속도는 유동의 층상 현상에 크게 영향을 받으나 그 평균값은 수직채널리 경우와 큰차이없음을 알 수 있었다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• 제48권2호
• /
• pp.386-403
• /
• 2016

The safety of nuclear power plants is analyzed by a probabilistic risk assessment, and the fault tree analysis is the most widely used method for a risk assessment with the event tree analysis. One of the well-known disadvantages of the fault tree is that drawing a fault tree for a complex system is a very cumbersome task. Thus, several graphical modeling methods have been proposed for the convenient and intuitive modeling of complex systems. In this paper, the reliability graph with general gates (RGGG) method, one of the intuitive graphical modeling methods based on Bayesian networks, is improved for the reliability analyses of dynamic systems that have various operation modes with time. A reliability matrix is proposed and it is explained how to utilize the reliability matrix in the RGGG for various cases of operation mode changes. The proposed RGGG with a reliability matrix provides a convenient and intuitive modeling of various operation modes of complex systems, and can also be utilized with dynamic nodes that analyze the failure sequences of subcomponents. The combinatorial use of a reliability matrix with dynamic nodes is illustrated through an application to a shutdown cooling system in a nuclear power plant.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• 제50권3호
• /
• pp.446-452
• /
• 2018

To improve the accuracy and safety of irradiation tests in High flux Advanced Neutron Application ReactOr (HANARO), the nuclear energy deposition rate, which is called nuclear heating, was estimated for an irradiation capsule with an iridium sample in the irradiation hole in order. The gamma rays emitted from the radioisotopes (RIs) of the structural materials such as flow tubes of fuel assemblies and heavy water reflector tank were considered as radiation source. Using the ORIGEN2.1 code, emission rates of delayed gamma rays were calculated in consideration of the activation procedure for 8 years and 2 months of HANARO operation. Calculated emission rates were used as a source term of delayed gamma rays in the MCNP6 code. By using the MCNP code, the nuclear heating rates of the irradiation capsules in the inner core, outer core, and heavy water reflector tank were estimated. Calculated nuclear heating in the inner core, outer core, and heavy water reflector tank were 200-260 mW, 80-100 mW, and 10 mW, respectively.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• 제52권1호
• /
• pp.87-100
• /
• 2020

Performance shaping factors (PSFs) in a human reliability analysis (HRA) are one that may influence human performance in a task. Most currently applicable HRA methods for nuclear power plants (NPPs) use PSFs to highlight human error contributors and to adjust basic human error probabilities (HEPs) that assume nominal conditions of NPPs. Thus far, the effects of PSFs have been treated independently. However, many studies in the fields of psychology and human factors revealed that there may be relationships between PSFs. Therefore, the inter-relationships between PSFs need to be studied to better reflect their effects on operator errors. This study investigates these inter-relationships using two data sources and also suggests a context-based approach to treat the inter-relationships between PSFs. Correlation and factor analyses are performed to investigate the relationship between PSFs. The data sources are event reports of unexpected reactor trips in Korea and an experiment conducted in a simulator featuring a digital control room. Thereafter, context-based approaches based on the result of factor analysis are suggested and the feasibility of the grouped PSFs being treated as a new factor to estimate HEPs is examined using the experimental data.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• 제42권4호
• /
• pp.434-441
• /
• 2010

The activation products of aluminum and argon are key radionuclides for operational and environmental radiological safety during the normal operation of open-tank-in-pool type research reactors using aluminum-clad fuels. Their activities measured in the primary coolant and pool surface water of HANARO have been consistent. We estimated their sources from the measured activities and then compared these values with their production rates obtained by a core calculation. For each aluminum activation product, an equivalent aluminum thickness (EAT) in which its production rate is identical to its release rate into the coolant is determined. For the argon activation calculation, the saturated argon concentration in the water at the temperature of the pool surface is assumed. The EATs are 5680, 266 and 1.2 nm, respectively, for Na-24, Mg-27 and Al-28, which are much larger than the flight lengths of the respective recoil nuclides. These values coincide with the water solubility levels and with the half-lives. The EAT for Na-24 is similar to the average oxide layer thickness (OLT) of fuel cladding as well; hence, the majority of them in the oxide layer may be released to the coolant. However, while the average OLT clearly increases with the fuel burn-up during an operation cycle, its effect on the pool-top radiation is not distinguishable. The source of Ar-41 is in good agreement with the calculated reaction rate of Ar-40 dissolved in the coolant.