• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.8
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• pp.2629-2639
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• 2021

Within the frame of the EMPIrE test, four monolithic mini-plates were irradiated in the ATR reactor. In two of them, the monolithic U(Mo) foil had been PVD-coated with Zr before the plate manufacturing. Extensive microstructural characterizations were performed on a fresh archive mini-plate, using Optical Microscopy (OM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) combined with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), Electron Backscattered Diffraction (EBSD) and Focused Ion Beam (FIB)/Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) with nano EDS. A particular attention was paid to the examination of the U(Mo) foil, the PVD coating, the cladding/Zr and Zr/U(Mo) interfaces. The Zr coating has a thickness around 15 ㎛. It has a columnar microstructure and appears dense. The cohesion of the cladding/Zr and Zr/U(Mo) interfaces seems to be satisfactory. An almost continuous layer with a thickness of the order of 100-300 nm is present at the cladding/Zr interface and corresponds to an oxidized part of the Zr coating. At the Zr/U(Mo) interface, a thin discontinuous layer is observed. It could correspond to locally oxidized U(Mo). This work provides a basis for interpreting the results of characterizations on EMPIrE irradiated plates.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.159-168
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• 2014

In order to advance understanding of the breakaway swelling behavior of U-Mo/Al dispersion fuel under a high-power irradiation condition, the effects of fuel-matrix interaction on the fuel performance of U-Mo/Al dispersion fuel were investigated. Fission gas release into large interfacial pores between interaction layers and the Al matrix was analyzed using both mechanistic models and observations of the post-irradiation examination results of U-Mo dispersion fuels. Using the model predictions, advantageous fuel design parameters are recommended to prevent breakaway swelling.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.495-500
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• 2019

When a new fuel is developed, various mechanical properties are absolutely necessary for a safety analysis of the fuel for the licensing and prediction of its mechanical behavior during operation and accident conditions. In this paper, a mechanically equivalent surrogate plate of U-Mo dispersion fuel is presented using tungsten, substitute material of U-Mo particle. A surrogate plate, composed of tungsten/aluminum dispersion meat and aluminum alloy cladding, is manufactured with the same fabrication process with that of fuel plate except that a tungsten powder is used instead of U-Mo powder. A modal test showed that the surrogate plate and fuel plate have similar dynamic characteristics, and a tensile test demonstrated the similarity of the material property up to the yield strength range. The conducted tests proved that the surrogate tungsten plate has equivalent mechanical behaviors with that of a fuel plate, which leads to the acceptable use of a surrogate fuel assembly using tungsten/aluminum dispersion meat in various mechanical tests. The surrogate fuel assembly can be utilized for various out-of-pile characteristic tests, which are necessary for the licensing achievement of a research reactor that uses U-Mo dispersion fuel as a driver.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.645-650
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• 2017

This technical note demonstrates the feasibility of using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for the characterization of U-7Mo/Ale5Si dispersion fuel. Our measurements show 5.0% Relative Standard Deviation (RSD) for the reproducibility of measured $^{98}Mo/^{238}U$ ratios in fuel particles from spot analysis, and 3.4% RSD for $^{98}Mo/^{238}U$ ratios in a NIST-SRM 612 glass standard. Line scanning allows for the distinction of U-7Mo fuel particles from the Al-5Si matrix. Each mass spectrum peak indicates the presence of U-7Mo fuel particles, and the time width of each peak corresponds to the size of that fuel particle. The size of the fuel particles is estimated from the time width of the mass spectrum peak for $^{98}Mo$ by considering the scan rate used during the line scan. This preliminary application clearly demonstrates that laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry can directly identify isotope ratios and sizes of the fuel particles in U-Mo/Al dispersion fuel. Once optimized further, this instrument will be a powerful tool for investigating irradiated dispersion fuels in terms of fission product distributions in fuel matrices, and the changes in fuel particle size or shape after irradiation.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.49 no.5
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• pp.1044-1062
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• 2017

The construction project of the Kijang research reactor (KJRR), which is the second research reactor in Korea, has been launched. The KJRR was designed to use, for the first time, U-Mo fuel. Plate-type U-7 wt.% Mo/Al-5 wt.% Si, referred to as U-7Mo/Ale5Si, dispersion fuel with a uranium loading of $8.0gU/cm^3$, was selected to achieve higher fuel efficiency and performance than are possible when using $U_3Si_2/Al$ dispersion fuel. To qualify the U-Mo fuel in terms of plate geometry, the first miniplates [HANARO Miniplate (HAMP-1)], containing U-7Mo/Al-5Si dispersion fuel ($8gU/cm^3$), were fabricated at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute and recently irradiated at HANARO. The PIE (Post-irradiation Examination) results of the HAMP-1 irradiation test were analyzed in depth in order to verify the safe in-pile performance of the U-7Mo/Al-5Si dispersion fuel under the KJRR irradiation conditions. Nondestructive analyses included visual inspection, gamma spectrometric mapping, and two-dimensional measurements of the plate thickness and oxide thickness. Destructive PIE work was also carried out, focusing on characterization of the microstructural behavior using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Electron probe microanalysis was also used to measure the elemental concentrations in the interaction layer formed between the U-Mo kernels and the matrix. A blistering threshold test and a bending test were performed on the irradiated HAMP-1 miniplates that were saved from the destructive tests. Swelling evaluation of the U-Mo fuel was also conducted using two methods: plate thickness measurement and meat thickness measurement.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 1997.05a
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• pp.108-113
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• 1997

하나로(HANARO)를 이용하여 핵분열 방법으로 진단용 방사선원인 $^{99m}$ Tc의 모핵종인 Mo-99를 생산할 경우, HEU 및 LEU UO2 표적이 사용될 수 있다. 표적연료로서 HEU(93w/o $^{235}$ U)가 LEU(19.75w/o $^{235}$ U)에 비해 생성수율(Ci/gU)이 높게 나타났으며 제품의 질(quality)을 좌우하는 비방사능(Ci$^{99}$Mo/gMo)은 같게 나타났다. HEU가 같은 Mo-99의 방사능량을 얻기 위해서는 우라늄 장전량이 적어지므로 폐기물측면과 용해측면에서 이득이나 농축도를 고려하면, 큰 이득이 발생하지 않으므로 하나로에 LEU를 사용하는 것도 타당하다 할 수 있다.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.252-257
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• 2005

In single infection of Tobacco mosaic virus-U1 (TMV­U1) or Pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV), mosaic symptoms were produced on the chili pepper cultivars of 'Cheongyang' and 'Wangshilgun'. However, in cultivars of 'Manitta' and 'Bugang', no symptoms were occurred. In single infection of Pepper mottle virus (PepMoV), symptoms of mottle and malformation were produced on the tested cultivars of 'Manitta', 'Bugang', 'Cheongyang', and 'Wangshilgun'. In the cultivars of 'Cheongyang' and 'Wangshilgun', synergistic symptoms of stunt and lethal death were induced by mixed infections in the two combinations of TMV-U1 + PepMoV and PMMoV+PepMoV. However, in cultivars of 'Manitta' and 'Bugang', synergistic symptoms were not noted, but mottling which was milder than that of single infection was produced. Cells infected singly with TMV-U1 and PMMoV in the cultivars of 'Cheongyang' and 'Wangshilgun', respectively, had the typical ultra-structures of tobamovirus as the stacked-band structure and multiple spiral aggregate (SA). In the cells and tissues infected with PepMoV on the cultivars of 'Cheongyang', 'Wangshilgun', 'Manitta' and 'Bugang', the potyvirus inclusions of pinwheels, scrolls, lamminated aggregates and amorphous inclusion were observed. In the cells infected mixedly with combinations of TMV­U1+PepMoV and PMMoV+PepMoV, the virus particles and inclusions of the two different viruses were found simultaneously in the same cytoplasm. The amounts of virus particles in mixed infections were more abundant than in single infection. The angled-layer aggregates (ALA) were observed only in the cells infected with both TMV-U1 and PepMoV.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 1997.05b
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• pp.177-182
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• 1997

금속연료가 연소할 때 발생하는 Fission Gas는 주로 직경방향으로의 Swelling을 일으켜 낮은 연소도의 원인이 되어 왔다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 높은 연소도를 갖는 금속연료의 개발을 목적으로 Fission Gas가 Plenum으로 쉽게 방출하는 조직인 Laminar Structure를 갖는 합금의 설계를 연구하였다. 또한 조사 후의 조직안정성을 예측하기 위해 열처리 후의 미세조직의 변화를 관찰하여 조직안정성을 시험하였다. U-10wt.%Zr 합금 중 Zr 원소 대신에 2wt.% 및 3wt.%의 W 또는 Mo을 첨가한 합금을 제조하여 합금원소 첨가의 영향에 따른 미세조직의 변화를 조사하였다. 그 결과 모든 조성의 합금은 Matrix에 있어서 Laminar Structure를 나타내었다. 또한 U-10wt.%Zr에 비해 2wt.% 및 3wt.%W의 W 또는 Mo를 첨가한 합금의 lamina Thickness가 철면 미세해짐을 확인하였다. 특히 U-7wt.%Zr-3wt.%W의 경우는 U-10wt.Zr에 비해 Laminar Thickness가 1/2배까지 감소되었다. 합금원소(W, Mo) 첨가에 의한 Laminar Thickness의 감소는 Fission Gas의 Inter-connected Path가 보다 잘 형성되게 하여 Gas의 방출속도를 증가시켜 Swelling을 감소시킬 것으로 생각된다. 열처리한 금속연료의 미세조직을 비교한 결과를 보면 합금원소(W, Mo)를 첨가한 합금을 50$0^{\circ}C$에서 1000시간동안 열처리한 것을 U-Zr 2원계 합금을 열처리한 것과 비교했을 때 약 1/3배 정도의 Laminar Thickness를 유지하는 것으로 보아 합금원소를 첨가하면 조사 후의 조직안정성에도 크게 기여할 것으로 기대된다.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 1998.10a
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• pp.255-255
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• 1998

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.45 no.7
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• pp.847-858
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• 2013

Since 2001, a series of five irradiation test campaigns for atomized U-Mo dispersion fuel rods, KOMO-1, -2, -3, -4, and -5, has been conducted at HANARO (Korea) in order to develop high performance low enriched uranium dispersion fuel for research reactors. The KOMO irradiation tests provided valuable information on the irradiation behavior of U-Mo fuel that results from the distinct fuel design and irradiation conditions of the rod fuel for HANARO. Full size U-Mo dispersion fuel rods of 4-5 $g-U/cm^3$ were irradiated at a maximum linear power of approximately 105 kW/m up to 85% of the initial U-235 depletion burnup without breakaway swelling or fuel cladding failure. Electron probe microanalyses of the irradiated samples showed localized distribution of the silicon that was added in the matrix during fuel fabrication and confirmed its beneficial effect on interaction layer growth during irradiation. The modifications of U-Mo fuel particles by the addition of a ternary alloying element (Ti or Zr), additional protective coatings (silicide or nitride), and the use of larger fuel particles resulted in significantly reduced interaction layers between fuel particles and Al.