• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.85-94
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• 2007

The Korean nuclear fuel cycle was modeled by the dynamic analysis method, which was applied to the once-through and alternative fuel cycles. First, the once-through fuel cycle was analyzed based on the Korean nuclear power plant construction plan up to 2015 and a postulated nuclear demand growth rate of zero after 2015. Second, alternative fuel cycles including the direct use of spent pressurized water reactor fuel in Canada deuterium uranium reactors (DUPIC), a sodium-cooled fast reactor and an accelerator driven system were assessed and the results were compared with those of the once-through fuel cycle. The once-through fuel cycle calculation showed that the nuclear power demand would be 25 GWe and the amount of the spent fuel will be ${\sim}65000$ tons by 2100. The alternative fuel cycle analyses showed that the spent fuel inventory could be reduced by more than 30% and 90% through the DUPIC and fast reactor fuel cycles, respectively, when compared with the once-through fuel cycle. The results of this study indicate that both spent fuel and uranium resources can be effectively managed if alternative reactor systems are timely implemented along with the existing reactors.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.2288-2297
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• 2023

Current designs of both large reactor units and small modular reactors utilize a nuclear fuel with increasing enrichment. This increasing demand for better nuclear fuel utilization is a challenge for nuclear fuel handling facilities. The operation with higher enriched fuels leads to reduced reserves to legislative and safety criticality limits of spent fuel transport, storage and final disposal facilities. Design changes in these facilities are restricted due to a boron content in steel and aluminum alloys that are limited by rolling, extrusion, welding and other manufacturing processes. One possible solution for spent fuel pools and casks is the burnup credit method that allows decreasing very high safety margins associated with the fresh fuel assumption in spent fuel facilities. This solution can be supplemented or replaced by an alternative solution based on placing the neutron absorber material directly into the fuel assembly, where its efficiency is higher than between fuel assemblies. A neutron absorber permanently fixed in guide tubes decreases system reactivity more efficiently than absorber sheets between the fuel assemblies. The paper summarizes possibilities of fixed neutron absorbers for various nuclear fuel and fuel handling facilities. Moreover, an absorber material was optimized to propose alternative options to boron. Multiple effective absorbers that do not require steel or aluminum alloy compatibility are discussed because fixed absorbers are placed inside zirconium or steel cladding.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.498-506
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• 2002

Improvements of fuel properties have become essential for exhaust emission reduction as well as for optimization of directly-related design factors and exhaust gas aftertreatment. In this study, the potential possibility of oxygenated fuel such as ethylene glycol mono-n-butyl ether(EGBE) was investigated for the sake of smoke reduction from diesel engine. Because EGBE include oxygen content approximately 27%, it is a kind of effective oxygenated fuel that the smoke emission of EGBE is reduced remarkably in comparison with commercial diesel fuel, that is, it can supply oxygen component sufficient at high load and speed in diesel engine. And, it was tried to analyze the quantities of the low and high boiling point hydrocarbon among the exhaust emissions in diesel engine. It have been investigated by the quantitative analysis of the hydrocarbon $C_1$~ $C_{6}$ using the gas chromatography. This study was carried out by comparing the chromatogram with diesel fuel and diesel fuel blended EGBE 20vo1-%. The results of this study show that the hydrocarbon $C_1$~C$_{6}$ among the exhaust emission of the mixed fuels are exhausted lower than those of the diesel fuel at the all load and speed. In particular, high boiling point hydrocarbons such as $C_{5}$ and $C_{6}$ were reduced remarkably at high speed and load.d.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.115-121
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• 2009

The effects of thermal treatment conditions on ADU (ammonium diuranate) prepared by SOL-GEL method, so-called GSP (Gel supported precipitation) process, were investigated for $UO_2$ kernel preparation. In this study, ADU compound particles were calcined to $UO_3$ particles in air and Ar atmospheres, and these $UO_3$ particles were reduced and sintered in 4%-$H_2$/Ar. During the thermal calcining treatment in air, ADU compound was slightly decomposed, and then converted to $UO_3$ phases at $500^{\circ}C$. At $600^{\circ}C$, the $U_3O_8$ phase appeared together with $UO_3$. After sintering of theses particles, the uranium oxide phases were reduced to a stoichiometric $UO_2$. As a result of the calcining treatment in Ar, more reduced-form of uranium oxide was observed than that treated in air atmosphere by XRD analysis. The final phases of these particles were estimated as a mixture of $U_3O_7$ and $U_4O_9$.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.43-48
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• 2008

The exhaust emissions of diesel engine are recognized as a major cause influencing environment strongly. In this study, the possibility of biodiesel fuel and oxygenated fuel(dimethoxy methane; DMM) was investigated as an alternative fuel for a naturally aspirated direct injection diesel engine. The smoke emission of blending fuel(biodiesel fuel 90vol-%+DMM 10vol-%) was reduced approximately 70% at 2500rpm, full load, in comparison with the diesel fuel. But, power, torque and brake specific energy consumption showed no significant differences. But, NOx emission of biodiesel fuel and DMM blended fuel increased compared with commercial diesel fuel due to the oxygen component in the fuel. It was needed a NOx reduction counterplan that EGR method was used as a countermeasure for NOx reduction. It was found that simultaneous reduction of smoke and NOx emission was achieved with BDF(95 vol-%) and DMM(5 vol-%) blended fuel and cooled EGR method(15%).

• Journal of ILASS-Korea
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.94-99
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• 2012

The characteristics of spray behavior and injected amount were studied with two types of nozzles for using in a compression ignition engine with dual fuel technology for construction machines. A penetration length of spray tends to shorten due to a decrease of injected amount of a diesel fuel with dual fuel engine application. In order to ignite the gaseous fuel premixed with air during intake process, a diesel fuel, which was compression ignited, needs to penetrate somehow similar depth compared with the case of a diesel fuel-only-injection. In this work, a nozzle with reduced hole diameter and increased number of holes was tested and demonstrated that, compared to diesel 100% case, its penetration lengths are comparable to 74% and 79%, respectively, of those of 100% and 50% supply of a diesel fuel with the baseline nozzle that has four holes and 30.4% increased diameter. This will presumably enhancement the combustion in a dual fuel engine. A design suggestion was also made in this work to achieve similar penetration length of spray with diesel 100% case to prevent combustion from being deteriorated in a dual fuel engine.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.135-139
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• 2009

Harmful exhaust emissions of diesel engines are recognized as main causes of air pollution in these days. But, the direct injection diesel engine is widely used for sake of minimization on energy consumption. Because biodiesel fuel is a renewable and alternative fuel for a diesel engine, its usability is expanded. To investigate the effect of biodiesel fuel(extracted from rapeseed oil) on the characteristics of performance and exhaust emissions in an agricultural diesel engine, the biodiesel fuel derived from rapeseed oil was applied in this study. Smoke emission of esterified rapeseed oil was reduced remarkably by approximately 44.5% at 1500 rpm, full load in comparison with the commercial diesel fuel. The power, torque and brake specific energy consumption of the diesel engine showed very slight differences. It was concluded that esterified rapeseed oil could be utilized effectively as an alternative and renewable fuel for agricultural direct injection diesel engines.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.469-474
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• 2010

Gasoline engines have proven their utility in light, medium and heavy duty vehicles. Concern about long term availability of petroleum and the environment norms by the increased vehicular emission have mandated the search for safe fuel. CNG is an environmentally clean alternative to the existing spark ignition engines with the advantages of minimum change. A higher octane number and a higher self ignition temperature make it an attractive gaseous fuel. The thermal efficiency is better than gasoline for the same engine. The reduced carbon mono oxide, carbon di-oxide, hydrocarbon emissions is a favorable outcome along with a slight increase in $NO_x$ emission when compared with gasoline fuel to a dual fuel mode in the existing spark ignition engines. The result from the experiment shows that CNG could be a potential substitute fuel that maintains performance and emissions characteristics in gasoline engines.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.101-110
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• 2002

In this paper, the effects of oxygen component in blended fuel on the exhaust emissions have been investigated far direct injection diesel engine. It was tested to estimate change of engine performance and exhaust emission characteristics for th? commercial diesel fuel and oxygenated blended fuels which have three kinds of fuels and various mixed rates. And, it was tried to analyze not only total hydrocarbon but individual hydrocarbons(C$_1$∼ C$\_$6/) in exhaust gases using gas chromatography to seek the reason far remarkable reduction of smoke emission on various oxygenated fuels. This study carried out by comparing the chromatogram with diesel fuel and diesel fuel blended DGM(diethylene glycol dimethyl ether), MTBE(methyl tart-butyl ether) and EGBE(ethylene glycol mono-n-butyl ether). The results of this study show that individual hydrocarbons as well as total hydrocarbon of oxygenated fuel are reduced remarkably compared with commercial diesel fuel.

• Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology
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• v.18 no.11
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• pp.2049-2057
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• 2004

In this study, the combustion characteristics and durability of a diesel engine using emulsified fuel was investigated. Water was used in oil type emulsified fuel. In order to understand the effect of emulsified fuel in a wide range of engine running conditions, D-13 mode was selected as a test condition, and a durability test was included to understand the long-term effect of water. Combustion pressure in a cylinder, exhaust emissions, specific fuel consumption, sound level and maximum torque were measured. NOx and PM were simultaneously reduced and the specific fuel consumption was increased and decreased at low and high loads, respectively. There was no trouble and any damage on the parts of the cylinder during a 500 hour durability test.