• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제54권9호
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• pp.3516-3525
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• 2022

The high capture cross-section (𝜎_c) of Gadolinium (Gd-155 and Gd-157) causes reactivity penalty and swing at the initial stage of fuel burnup in Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR). The present study is concerned with the feasibility of the combination of mixed burnable poison with both low and high 𝜎_c as an approach to minimize these effects. Two considered reference designs are fuel assemblies with 24 IBA rods of Gd₂O₃ and Er₂O₃ respectively. Models comprise nuclear fuel with a homogeneous mixture of Er₂O₃, AmO₂, SmO₂, and HfO₂ with Gd₂O₃ as well as the coating of PaO₂ and ZrB₂ on the Gd₂O₃ pellet's outer surface. The infinite multiplication factor was determined and reactivity was calculated considering 3% neutron leakage rate. All models except Er₂O₃ and SmO₂ showed expected results namely higher values of these parameters than the reference design of Gd₂O₃ at the early burnup period. The highest value was found for the model of PaO₂ and Gd₂O₃ followed by ZrB₂ and HfO₂. The cycle burnup, discharge burnup, and cycle length for three batch refueling were calculated using Linear Reactivity Model (LRM). The pin power distribution, energy-dependent neutron flux and Fuel Temperature Coefficient (FTC) were also studied. An optimization of model 1 was carried out to investigate effects of different isotopic compositions of Gd₂O₃ and absorber coating thickness.

• 전기화학회지
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• 제4권3호
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• pp.125-131
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• 2001

용융탄산염 연료전지의 장기 운전시 각 전극별 분극의 변화를 Au, $CO_2/O_2$ 기준전극이 부착된 단위전지를 이용하여 성공적으로 해석하였다. 서로 다른 구성요소로 조합된 네 가지 단위 전지를 운전하며 각 전극의 분극을 해석한 결과, 이미 알려진 바와 같이 공기극의 분극 크기가 연료극의 경우보다 큰 것을 실험적으로 측정할 수 있었다. 고온 부식 방지를 위해 cell frame의 wet seal부분에 Al코팅을 한 전지는 6,000시간까지 성능을 유지하여 부식이 전지 성능 저하에 큰 역할을 하고 있음을 알 수 있었다. 한편, $LiCoO_2$가 코팅된 안정화 공기극은 일반적으로 사용되는 NiO 공기극보다 lithiation에 필요한 시간이 길어 운전 초기에 공기극 분극이 크고 성능이 낮았으나 지속적인 운전으로 공기극이 충분히 lithiation되면서 공기극의 분극이 작아지고 성능도 점차 증가하였다. $Li_2CO_3/Na_2CO_3$ 전해질을 사용한 전지는 운전 중 성능이 하락과 상승을 반복하는 진동현상을 보였는데 이는 연료극보다는 공기극의 영향으로 해석되었다. 대부분의 단위전지들이 급격한 성능 하락을 보였을 경우의 공기극 분극은 급격히 증가하였으며 이로써 용융탄산염 연료전지의 수명 향상을 위해서는 공기극의 개선이 필수적이라는 것을 알 수 있었다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제37권1호
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• pp.91-100
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• 2005

Kyung-hee Thorium Fuel (KTF), a heterogeneous thorium-based seed and blanket design concept for pressurized light water reactors, is being studied as an alternative to enhance proliferation resistance and fuel cycle economics of PWRs. The proliferation resistance characteristics of the KTF assembly design were evaluated through parametric studies using neutronic performance indices such as Bare Critical Mass (BCM), Spontaneous Neutron Source rate (SNS), Thermal Generation rate (TG), and Radio-Toxicity. Also, Fissile Economic Index (FEI), a new index for gauging fuel cycle economy, was suggested and applied to optimize the KTF design. A core loaded with optimized KTF assemblies with a seed-to-blanket ratio of 1: 1 was tested at the Korea Next Generation Reactor (KNGR), ARP-1400. Core design characteristics for cycle length, power distribution, and power peaking were evaluated by HELIOS and MASTER code systems for nine reload cycles. The core calculation results show that the KTF assembly design has nearly the same neutronic performance as those of a conventional $UO_2$ fuel assembly. However, the power peaking factor is relatively higher than that of conventional PWRs as the maximum Fq is 2.69 at the M$9^{th}$ equilibrium cycle while the design limit is 2.58. In order to assess the economic potential of a heterogeneous thorium fuel core, the front-end fuel cycle costs as well as the spent fuel disposal costs were compared with those of a reference PWR fueled with $UO_2$. In the case of comprising back-end fuel cycle cost, the fuel cycle cost of APR-1400 with a KTF assembly is 4.99 mills/KWe-yr, which is lower than that (5.23 mills/KWe-yr) of a conventional PWR. Proliferation resistance potential, BCM, SNS, and TG of a heterogeneous thorium-fueled core are much higher than those of the $UO_2$ core. The once-through fuel cycle application of heterogeneous thorium fuel assemblies demonstrated good competitiveness relative to $UO_2$ in terms of economics.

• 터널과지하공간
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• 제7권1호
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• pp.39-50
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• 1997

Reference concepts for the disposal of spent nuclear fuel and the current status of underground rock laboratory were studied. An analysis to simulate the deep disposal of spent nuclear fuel in saturated rock mass was conducted. Main input parameters for numerical study were determined based on the KBS-3 concept. A series of results showed that the temperature distribution around a cavern reached the maximum value at about 10 years after the emplacement of spent fuel. The maximum temperature at the surface of canister was more than about 12$0^{\circ}C$ at about 4 years. This temperature was not much higher than the temperature criteria to meet the performance criteria of an artificial barrier in the KBS-3 concept. The maximum upward displacement due to the heat generation of spent fuel was about 0.9cm at about 10 years after the emplacement of spent fuel. It turned out that the vertical displacement became smaller with the decrease in heat generation of a canister. The quantity of groundwater inflow into a disposal tunnel increased by about 1.6 times at 20 years after the emplacement of spent fuel with the increase of pore pressure around a cavern.

• 한국정밀공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국정밀공학회 2003년도 춘계학술대회 논문집
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• pp.776-779
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• 2003

To reduce the storage space of spent fuel used at the atomic power plants in the over the world, the uranium elements contained in the spent fuel is being extracted and effectively stored. For this, the spent fuel are oxidized and deoxidized. In this study, it is produced the heat-resisting methods about the spent fuel management technology research and test facility for the spent fuel waste for spent fuel minimized. The first considered processes in the facility are the electrolytic metal reduction reactor process. Since the electrolytic metal reduction reactor is operated at the high temperature range, we have to consider the heat-resisting methods for the devices. For the heat-resisting methods, we have searched and analyzed technical reference for the heat-resisting methods. We have calculated thermal stress and strain of each devices by the commercial analysis software, ANSYS. D.S. It is experimented for inspecting confidence rate of analysis results. By using the results, we have analyzed the problems of parts and determined the heat-resisting material, commercial parts, and the size of parts and O-ring. Based on these results, it is produced the heat-resisting methods of magnesia filter, cathode, and reactor for the electrolytic metal reduction reactor.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제51권8호
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• pp.1951-1956
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• 2019

As a part of the preliminary decommissioning plan of KEPCO-NF fuel fabrication facility, DCGLs of three target radionuclides, ²³⁴U, ²³⁵U, and ²³⁸U, were derived using RESRAD-BUILD code and contaminated areas of the facility were classified based on contamination levels from the derived DCGLs. From code simulations, one-room modeling results showed that the grinding room in building #2 was the most restrictive (DCGL_gross = 10493.01 Bq/㎡). The DCGL_gross results in contaminated areas from one-room modeling were slightly more conservative than three-room modeling. Prior to the code simulation, field survey and measurements conducted by each survey unit. For a conservative approach, the most restrictive DCGL_gross in each survey unit was taken as a reference to classify the contaminated areas of the facility. Accordingly, seven rooms and 37 rooms in the nuclear-fuel buildings were classified as Class 1 and Class 2, respectively. As expected, fuel material handling and processing rooms such as the grinding room, sintering room, compressing room, and powder collecting room were included in the Class 1 area.

• 한국수소및신에너지학회논문집
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• 제32권5호
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• pp.324-330
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• 2021

In recent years, polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) based cogeneration system has received more and more attention from energy researchers because beside electricity, the system also meets the residential thermal demand. However, the low-quality heat exited from PEMFC should be increased temperature before direct use or storage. This study proposes a method to utilize the heat exhausted from a 10 kW PEMFC by coupling a heat pump. Two different configuration using heat pump and a reference layout with heater are analyzed in term of thermal and total efficiency. The system coefficient of performance (COP) increases from 0.87 in layout with heaters to 1.26 and 1.29 in configuration with heat pump and cascade heat pump, respectively. Lastly, based on system performance result, another study in economics point of view is proposed.

• 제어로봇시스템학회:학술대회논문집
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• 제어로봇시스템학회 2001년도 ICCAS
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• pp.123.3-123
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• 2001

To recycle the uranium resources in the spent nuclear fuels, all the fuel rods are extracted from the spent fuel assemblies. The remaining components of the spent fuel assembly after extracting all the rods, so called a NFBC(Non-Fuel Bearing Components), should be compacted to minimize the waste volume. To this present, KAERI (Korea Atomic Research Institute) has developed he NFBC compactor by introducing a new concept of cutting and compaction, In this paper, to achieve he maximum compaction ration of the NFBC volume while reducing compactor size, an fuzzy controller, which determines the reference force of the compactor, is proposed with using he fuzzy-inference.

• 대한기계학회:학술대회논문집
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• 대한기계학회 2002년도 학술대회지
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• pp.353-356
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• 2002

Planar laser induced fluorescence(PLIF) has been widely used to obtain two dimensional fuel distribution. Preliminary investigation was performed to measure quantitative air excess ratio distribution in an engine fueled with LPG. It is known that fluorescence signal from acetone as a fluorescent tracer is less sensitive to oxygen quenching than other dopants. Acetone was excited by KrF excimer laser (248nm) and its fluorescence image was acquired by ICCD camera with a cut-of filter to suppress Mie scattering from the laser light. For the purpose of quantifying PLIF signal, an image processing method including the correction of laser sheet beam profile was suggested. Raw images were divided by each intensity of laser energy and profile of laser sheet beam. Inhomogeneous fluorescence images scaled with the reference data, which was taken by a calibration process, were converted to air excess ratio distribution. This investigation showed instantaneous quantitative measurement of planar air excess ratio distribution for gaseous fuel.

• 한국자동차공학회논문집
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• 제9권6호
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• pp.57-64
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• 2001

This study presents an self tuning regulator(STR) to improve the air-fuel ratio control of performance of gasoline engine. The STR is designed based on the nonlinear dynamic engine model, and the performance of the STR is evaluated through the simulation and experiments. The STR shows better performance than a conventional PI controller in terms of the response time and disturbance rejection. Since the STR has less calculation load than the complex nonlinear controller, this algorithm can be easily applied to on-board engine controller.