• Title/Summary/Keyword: Simulated spent fuel

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Analysis of Remote Operation involved in Spent Nuclear Fuel Conditioning Process using its Virtual Mockup

  • Yoon, Ji-Sup;Kim, Sung-Hyun;Song, Tai-Gil
    • 제어로봇시스템학회:학술대회논문집
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    • 2004.08a
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    • pp.840-845
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    • 2004
  • The remote operation of the Advanced Spent Fuel Conditioning Process (ACP) is analyzed by using the 3D graphic simulation tools. Since the spent nuclear fuel, which is a high radioactive material, is processed in the ACP, the ACP equipment is operated in intense radiation fields as well as in a high temperature. Thus, the equipment is operated in a remote manner and should be designed with consideration for the remote handling and maintenance. Also suitable remote handling technology needs to be developed along with the design of the process concepts. For this we developed a graphic simulator, which provides the capability of verifying the remote operability of the ACP without the fabrication of the process equipment. In other words, by applying virtual reality to the remote maintenance operation, a remote operation task can be simulated in the graphic simulator, not in the real environment. The graphic simulator will substantially reduce the cost of the development of the remote handling and maintenance procedure as well as the process equipment, while at the same time developing a remote maintenance concept that is more reliable, easier to implement, and easier to understand.

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Analysis of loss of cooling accident in VVER-1000/V446 spent fuel pool using RELAP5 and MELCOR codes

  • Seyed Khalil Mousavian;Amir Saeed Shirani;Francesco D'Auria
    • Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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    • v.55 no.8
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    • pp.3102-3113
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    • 2023
  • Following the Fukushima nuclear disaster, the simulation of accidents in the spent fuel pool has become more noticeable. Despite the low amount of decay heat power, the consequences of the accidents in a spent fuel pool (SFP) can be severe due to the high content of long-lived radionuclides and lack of protection by the pressure vessel. In this study, the loss-of-cooling accident (LOFA) for the VVER-1000/V446 spent fuel pool is simulated by employing RELAP5 and MELCOR 1.8.6 as the best estimate and severe accident analysis codes, respectively. For two cases with different total power levels, decay heat of spent fuels is calculated by ORIGEN-II code. For modeling SFP of a VVER-1000, a qualified nodalizations are considered in both codes. During LOFA in SFP, the key sequences such as heating up of the pool water, boiling and reducing the water level, uncovering the spent fuels, increasing the temperature of the spent fuels, starting oxidation process (generating Hydrogen and extra power), the onset of fuel melting, and finally releasing radionuclides are studied for both cases. The obtained results show a reasonable consistency between the RELAP5 and MELCOR codes, especially before starting the oxidation process.

Application of the Digital Mockup to Preliminary Analysis the Remote Maintainability of ACP

  • Song, Tai-Gil;Kim, Sung-Hyun;Park, Byung-Suk;Yoon, Ji-Sup;Lee, Sang-Ho
    • 제어로봇시스템학회:학술대회논문집
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    • 2004.08a
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    • pp.363-366
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    • 2004
  • KAERI is developing the Advanced Spent Fuel Conditioning Process (ACP) as a pre-disposal treatment process for spent fuel. In this process, the management process must operate in intense radiation fields as well as in a high temperature. Therefore, remote maintenance has played a significant role in this process. Hence suitable remote handling and maintenance technology needs to be developed along with the design of the process concepts. To do this, we developed the digital mockup for the ACP. The digital mockup provides the capability of verifying the remote operability of the process without fabrication of the process equipment. In other words, by applying virtual reality to the remote maintenance operation, a remote operation task can be simulated in the digital mockup. Through utilizing this graphic simulation in this digital mockup, general guidelines can be established for designing equipment intended for remote handling and maintenance. Also, the designer of the equipment that must be remotely maintained should ensure that there is adequate access to the process equipment. The graphic simulator will substantially reduce the cost of the develo363pment of the remote handling and maintenance procedure as well as the process equipment.

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Reprocessing of simulated voloxidized uranium-oxide SNF in the CARBEX process

  • Boyarintsev, Alexander V.;Stepanov, Sergei I.;Kostikova, Galina V.;Zhilov, Valeriy I.;Chekmarev, Alexander M.;Tsivadze, Aslan Yu.
    • Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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    • v.51 no.7
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    • pp.1799-1804
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    • 2019
  • The concept of a new method, the CARBEX (CARBonate EXtraction) process, was proposed for reprocessing of spent uranium oxide fuel. The proposed process is based on use of water solutions of $Na_2CO_3$ or $(NH_4)_2CO_3$ and solvent extraction (SE) by the quaternary ammonium compounds for selective recovery and purification of U from the fission products (FPs). Applying of SE allows to reach high degree of purification of U from FPs. Carrying out the processes in poorly aggressive alkaline carbonate media leads to increasing safety of SNF's reprocessing and better selectivity of separation of lanthanides and actinides. Moreover carbonate reprocessing media allows to carry out a recycling and regeneration of reagents. We have been done laboratory scale experiments on the extraction components of simulated voloxidated spent fuel in the solutions of NaOH or $Na_2CO_3-H_2O_2$ and recovery of U from carbonate solutions by SE method using carbonate of methyltrioctylammonium in toluene. It was shown that the purification factors of U from impurities of simulated FPs reached values $10^3-10^5$. The received results support our opinion that CARBEX after the further development can become more safe, simple and profitable method of spent fuel reprocessing.

Experimental simulation of activity release from leaking fuel rods

  • Somfai, Barbara;Hozer, Zoltan;Nagy, Imre
    • Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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    • v.50 no.7
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    • pp.1148-1153
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    • 2018
  • The Leaking Fuel Experiment test facility was designed to simulate the activity release from spent leaking fuel rods under steady state and transient conditions in the spent fuel pool. The experimental rig included an electrically heated fuel rod with different defects and a cooling system. The fission product transport was simulated by potassium-chloride. The conductivity changes of the water in the cooling system were measured to provide information about the amount of released solution. Defects of different sizes and positions were applied, together with a wide range of rod powers to simulate decay heat. The produced data can be used for predicting the activity release from leaking fuel under storage conditions and for the interpretation of fuel examination procedures.

A Study on a Fabrication of simulated Fuels for a design of a High-Capacity Vol-oxidizer (대용량 사용후핵연료 공기산화로 설계를 위한 모의연료 제조연구)

  • Hwang, J.S.;Won, J.H.;Kim, Y.H.;Jung, J.H.;Yoon, K.H.;Park, B.S.
    • Proceedings of the Korean Society for Technology of Plasticity Conference
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    • 2008.05a
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    • pp.488-490
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    • 2008
  • This study aims to design the high-capacity vol-oxidizer using simulated fuels instead of spent nuclear fuels. Simulated fuels are fabricated by blending tungsten powder with silicon carbide powder, and thereafter, paraffin coating covers simulated fuels to increase their strength. An oxidation experiment using simulated fuels have been carried out in order to analyze oxidation characteristics similar to spent fuels. After oxidation, simulated fuels were almost oxidized to be powders. Increased volume of simulated fuels approached to spent fuels. These results can be utilized as important informations for designing a high-capacity vol-oxidizer.

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