• Title/Summary/Keyword: Reactor safety

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Flow Characteristics of a Primary Cooling System in 5 MW Research Reactor (5MW 연구용 원자로의 1차 냉각 계통 유동 특성)

  • Park, Young-Chul;Lee, Young-Sub
    • The KSFM Journal of Fluid Machinery
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    • v.13 no.5
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    • pp.5-10
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    • 2010
  • 5MW, open pool type research reactor, is commonly used to education and experimental purpose. It is necessary to prepare a standardization of system designs for considering a demand. HANARO has prepared the standardization of 5MW research reactor system designs based on the design, installation, commissioning and operating experiences of HANARO. For maintaining an open pool type reactor safety, a primary cooling system (after below, PCS) should remove the heat generated by the reactor under a reactor normal operation condition and a reactor shutdown condition. For removing the heat generated by the reactor, the PCS should maintain a required coolant flow rate. For a verification of the required flow rate, a flow network analysis of the PCS was carried under a normal operating condition. Based on the flow network analysis result, this paper describes the PCS flow characteristics of a 5MW open pool type research reactor. Through the result, it was confirmed that the PCS met design requirements including design flow rate without cavitation.

Validation of a New Design of Tellurium Dioxide-Irradiated Target

  • Fllaoui, Aziz;Ghamad, Younes;Zoubir, Brahim;Ayaz, Zinel Abidine;Morabiti, Aissam El;Amayoud, Hafid;Chakir, El Mahjoub
    • Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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    • v.48 no.5
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    • pp.1273-1279
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    • 2016
  • Production of iodine-131 by neutron activation of tellurium in tellurium dioxide ($TeO_2$) material requires a target that meets the safety requirements. In a radiopharmaceutical production unit, a new lid for a can was designed, which permits tight sealing of the target by using tungsten inert gaswelding. The leakage rate of all prepared targets was assessed using a helium mass spectrometer. The accepted leakage rate is ${\leq}10^{-4}mbr.L/s$, according to the approved safety report related to iodine-131 production in the TRIGA Mark II research reactor (TRIGA: Training, Research, Isotopes, General Atomics). To confirm the resistance of the new design to the irradiation conditions in the TRIGA Mark II research reactor's central thimble, a study of heat effect on the sealed targets for 7 hours in an oven was conducted and the leakage rates were evaluated. The results show that the tightness of the targets is ensured up to $600^{\circ}C$ with the appearance of deformations on lids beyond $450^{\circ}C$. The study of heat transfer through the target was conducted by adopting a one-dimensional approximation, under consideration of the three transfer modes-convection, conduction, and radiation. The quantities of heat generated by gamma and neutron heating were calculated by a validated computational model for the neutronic simulation of the TRIGA Mark II research reactor using the Monte Carlo N-Particle transport code. Using the heat transfer equations according to the three modes of heat transfer, the thermal study of I-131 production by irradiation of the target in the central thimble showed that the temperatures of materials do not exceed the corresponding melting points. To validate this new design, several targets have been irradiated in the central thimble according to a preplanned irradiation program, going from4 hours of irradiation at a power level of 0.5MWup to 35 hours (7 h/d for 5 days a week) at 1.5MW. The results showthat the irradiated targets are tight because no iodine-131 was released in the atmosphere of the reactor building and in the reactor cooling water of the primary circuit.

Design of a Mixed-Spectrum Reactor With Improved Proliferation Resistance for Long-Lived Applications

  • Abou-Jaoude, Abdalla;Erickson, Anna;Stauff, Nicolas
    • Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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    • v.16 no.3
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    • pp.359-367
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    • 2018
  • Long-lived Small Modular Reactors are being promoted as an innovative way of catering to emerging markets and isolated regions. They can be operated continuously for decades without requiring additional fuel. A novel configuration of long-lived reactor core employs a mixed neutron spectrum, providing an improvement in nonproliferation metrics and in safety characteristics. Starting with a base sodium reactor design, moderating material is inserted in outer core assemblies to modify the fast spectrum. The assemblies are shuffled once during core lifetime to ensure that every fuel rod is exposed to the thermalized spectrum. The Mixed Spectrum Reactor is able to maintain a core lifetime over two decades while ensuring the plutonium it breeds is below the weapon-grade limit at the fuel discharge. The main drawbacks of the design are higher front-end fuel cycle costs and a 58% increase in core volume, although it is alleviated to some extent by a 48% higher power output.

Numerical study on fluid flow by hydrodynamic loads in reactor internals

  • Kim, Da-Hye;Chang, Yoon-Suk;Jhung, Myung-Jo
    • Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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    • v.51 no.6
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    • pp.1005-1016
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    • 2014
  • Roles of reactor internals are to support nuclear fuel, provide insertion and withdrawal channels of nuclear fuel control rods, and carry out core cooling. In case of functional loss of the reactor internals, it may lead to severe accidents caused by damage of nuclear fuel assembly and deterioration of reactor vessel due to attack of fallen out parts. The present study is to examine fluid flows in reactor internals subjected to hydrodynamic loads. In this context, an integrated model was developed and applied to two kinds of numerical analyses; one is to analyze periodic loading effect caused by pump pulsation and the other is to analyze random loading effect employing different turbulent models. Acoustic pressure distributions and flow velocity as well as pressure and temperature fields were calculated and compared to establish appropriate analysis techniques.

Software Verification & Validation for Digital Reactor Protection System (디지털 원자로 보호계통의 소프트웨어 확인 및 검증)

  • Park, Gee-Yong;Kwon, Kee-Choon
    • Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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    • 2005.05a
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    • pp.185-187
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    • 2005
  • The reactor protection system is the most important function for the safe operation of nuclear powerplants (NPPs) in that such system protects a nuclear reactor tore whose damage can cause an enormous disaster to the nuclear facility and the public. A digital reactor protection system (DRPS) is being developed in KAERI for use in the newly-constructed NPPs and also for replacing the existing analog-type reactor Protection systems. In this paper, an software verification and validation (V&V) activities for DRPS, which are independent of the DRPS development processes, are described according to the software development life cycle. The main activities of DRPS V&V processes are the software planning documentations, the verification of software requirements specification (SRS) and software design specification (SDS), the verification of codes, the tests of the integrated software and system. Moreover, the software safety analysis and the software configuration management are involved in the DRPS V&V processes. All of the V&V activities are described, in detail, in this paper.

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Development of Self-Actuated Shutdown System Using Curie Point Electromagnet

  • Kim, Tae-Ryong;Park, Jin-Ho
    • Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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    • v.31 no.6
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    • pp.1-7
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    • 1999
  • An innovative concept for a passive reactor shutdown system, so called self-actuated shutdown system(SASS), is inevitably required for the inherent safety in liquid metal reactor, which is designed with the totally different concept from the usual reactor shutdown system in LWR. SASS using Curie point electromagnet(CPEM) was selected as the passive reactor shutdown system for KALIMER (Korea Advanced Liquid MEtal Reactor). A mock-up of the SASS was designed, fabricated and tested. From the test it was confirmed that the mockup was self-actuated at the Curie point of the temperature sensing material used in the mockup. An articulated control rod was also fabricated and assembled with the CPEM to confirm that the control rod can be inserted into core even when the control rod guide tube is deformed due to earthquake. The operability of SASS in the actual sodium environment should be confirmed in the future. All the design and test data will be applied to the KALIMER design.

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Qualification Test of Main Coolant Pump for an Integral Type Reactor (일체형원자로 주냉각재펌프의 검증시험)

  • Park, Sang-Jin;Yoon, Eui-Soo;Heo, Pil-Woo;Kim, Duck-Jong;Oh, Hyoung-Woo
    • 유체기계공업학회:학술대회논문집
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    • 2005.12a
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    • pp.509-514
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    • 2005
  • Main coolant pump (MCP) is a canned-motor-type axial pump to circulate the primary coolant between nuclear fuel rods and steam generators in an integral type reactor. The reactor is designed to operate under condition of 310 oC and 14.7 MPa. Thus MCP has to be tested under same operating condition as reactor design condition in order to verify its performance and safety. In present work, a test loop to simulate real operating situation of the reactor has been designed and constructed to test MCP. And then, as a part of qualification test, canned motor functional test and pump hydraulic performance test have been carried out upon a prototype MCP. Canned motor efficiency and pump hydraulic characteristics including homologous curves and NPSH curves were obtained from the qualification test.

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MODAL CHARACTERISTIC ANALYSIS OF THE APR1400 NUCLEAR REACTOR INTERNALS FOR SEISMIC ANALYSIS

  • Park, Jong-Beom;Choi, Youngin;Lee, Sang-Jeong;Park, No-Cheol;Park, Kyoung-Su;Park, Young-Pil;Park, Chan-Il
    • Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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    • v.46 no.5
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    • pp.689-698
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    • 2014
  • Reactor internals are sensitive to dynamic loads such as earthquakes and flow induced vibration. Thus, it is essential to identify the dynamic characteristics to evaluate the seismic integrity of the structures. However, a full-sized system is too large to perform modal experiments, making it difficult to extract data on its modal characteristics. In this research, we constructed a finite element model of the APR1400 reactor internals to identify their modal characteristics. The commercial reactor was selected to reflect the actual boundary conditions. Our FE model was constructed based on scale-similarity analysis and fluid-structure interaction investigations using a fabricated scaled-down model.

A NEXT GENERATION SODIUM-COOLED FAST REACTOR CONCEPT AND ITS R&D PROGRAM

  • Ichimiya, Masakazu;Mizuno, Tomoyasu;Kotake, Shoji
    • Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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    • v.39 no.3
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    • pp.171-186
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    • 2007
  • Critical issues in the development targets for the future fast reactor(FR) cycle system, including sodium-cooled FR were to ensure safety assurance, efficient utilization of resources, reduction of environmental burden, assurance of nuclear non-proliferation, and economic competitiveness. A promising design concept of sodium-cooled fast reactor JSFR is proposed aiming at fully satisfaction of the development targets for the next generation nuclear energy system. A roadmap toward JSFR commercialization is described, to be followed up in a new framework of the Fast reactor Cycle Technology development(FaCT) Project launched in 2006.

Analysis of Core Disruptive Accident Energetics for Liquid Metal Reactor

  • Suk, Soo-Dong;Dohee Hahn
    • Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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    • v.34 no.2
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    • pp.117-131
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    • 2002
  • Core disruptive accidents have been investigated at Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute(KAERI) as part of the work to demonstrate the inherent and ultimate safety of conceptual design of the Korea Advanced Liquid Metal Reactor(KALIMER), a 150 MWe pool- type sodium cooled prototype fast reactor that uses U-Pu-Zr metallic fuel. In this study, a simple method and associated computer program, SCHAMBETA, was developed using a modified Bethe-Tait method to simulate the kinetics and thermodynamic behavior of a homogeneous spherical core over the period of the super-prompt critical power excursion induced by the ramp reactivity insertion. Calculations of the energy release during excursions in the sodium-voided core of the KALIMER were subsequently performed using the SCHAMBETA code for various reactivity insertion rates up to 100 S/s, which has been widely considered to be the upper limit of ramp rates due to fuel compaction. Benchmark calculations were made to compare with the results of more detailed analysis for core meltdown energetics of the oxide fuelled fast reactor. A set of parametric studies were also performed to investigate the sensitivity of the results on the various thermodynamics and reactor parameters.