• Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.57-64
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• 2010

PHE(Process Heat Exchanger) is a key component required to transfer heat energy of $950^{\circ}C$ generated in a VHTR(Very High Temperature Reactor) to the chemical reaction that yields a large quantity of hydrogen. Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute established the gas loop for the performance test of components, which are used in the VHTR, and they manufactured a PHE prototype to be tested in the loop. In this study, as part of the high-temperature structural-integrity evaluation of the PHE prototype, which is scheduled to be tested in the gas loop, we carried out high-temperature structural-analysis modeling, thermal analysis, and thermal expansion analysis of the PHE prototype. The results obtained in this study will be used to design the performance test setup for the PHE prototype.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.749-755
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• 2023

A new approximation method was proposed for treating the non-resonant spatial self-shielding effects of double heterogeneous region such as the double heterogeneous effect of VHTR fuel compact in the thermal energy range and that of BP compact with BISO. The method was developed based on the effective homogenization method and a spherical unit cell model with explicit coated layers and a matrix layer. The self-shielding factor was derived from the relation between the collision probabilities for a double heterogeneous compact and the effective cross section for the homogenized compact. First, the collision probabilities and transmission probabilities for all layers of the spherical model were calculated using conventional collision probability solver. Then, the effective cross section for the homogenized sphere cell representing the homogenized compact was obtained from the transmission probability calculated using the probability density function of a chord length. The verification calculations revealed that the proposed method can predict the self-shielding factor with a maximum error of 2.3% and the double heterogeneous effect with a maximum error of 200 pcm in the typical VHTR problems with various packing fractions and BP compact sizes.

• Nuclear industry
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• v.24 no.9 s.259
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• pp.22-30
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• 2004

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.102-112
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• 2013

A very high-temperature gas reactor (VHTR) is one of the next generation nuclear reactors owing to its safety, high energy efficiency, and proliferation-resistance. Heat is transferred from the primary helium loop to the secondary helium loop through an intermediate heat exchanger (IHX). Under VHTR environment Alloy 617 is being considered a candidate Ni-based superalloy for the IHX of a VHTR, owing to its good creep resistance, phase stability and corrosion resistance at high temperature. In this study, high-temperature corrosion tests were carried out at 850 - $950^{\circ}C$ in air and impure helium environments. Alloy 617 specimens showed a parabolic oxidation behavior for all temperatures and environments. The activation energy for oxidation was 154 kJ/mol in helium environment, and 261 kJ/mol in an air environment. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) results revealed that there were a Cr-rich surface oxide layer, Al-rich internal oxides and depletion of grain boundary carbide after corrosion test. The thickness and depths of degraded layers also showed a parabolic relationship with the time. A corrosion rate of $950^{\circ}C$ in impure helium was higher than that in an air environment, caused by difference in the outer oxide morphology.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.178-185
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• 2014

Alloy 617 is considered as a candidate Ni-based superalloy for the intermediate heat exchanger (IHX) of a very high-temperature gas reactor (VHTR) because of its good creep strength and corrosion resistance at high temperatures. Helium is used as a coolant in a VHTR owing to its high thermal conductivity, inertness, and low neutron absorption. However, helium inevitably includes impurities that create an imbalance in the surface reactivity at the interface of the coolant and the exposed materials. As the Alloy 617 has been exposed to high temperatures at $950^{\circ}C$ in the impure helium environment of a VHTR, the degradation of material is accelerated and mechanical properties decreased. The high-temperature strength, creep, and corrosion properties of the structural material for an IHX are highly important to maintain the integrity in a harsh environment for a 60 year period. Therefore, an alloy superior to alloy 617 should be developed. In this study, the mechanical and high-temperature corrosion properties for Ni-Cr alloys fabricated in the laboratory were evaluated as a function of the grain boundary strengthening and alloying elements. The ductility increased and decreased by increasing the amount of Mo and Cr, respectively. Surface oxide was detached during the corrosion test, when Al was not added to alloy. However the alloy with Al showed improved oxide adhesive property without significant degradation and mechanical property. Aluminum seems to act as an anti-corrosive role in the Ni-based alloy.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.34 no.12
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• pp.1093-1099
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• 2010

For Very High Temperature Reactors (VHTR), the designs of the Intermediate Heat Transport Loop (IHTL) and the Intermediate Heat Exchanger (IHX) are particularly difficult because of the high-temperature operation (up to $950^{\circ}C$). In this study, Flinak molten salt, a eutectic mixture of LiF, NaF, and KF (46.5:11.5:42.0 mole %) is considered as the heat transporting fluid in the IHTL. To evaluate the flow and heat transfer performance of the Flinak molten salt in small channels with hydraulic diameters in the millimeter range, a double-pipe heat exchanger was constructed using small-diameter tubes for the heat exchange between the Flinak and the gas flow. The experimental data showed that, for laminar Flinak flow, the measured friction factors were close to the 64/Re curve and the Nusselt numbers were generally between 3.66 and 4.36.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.831-840
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• 2009

In order to evaluate the start-up behavior and to identify, through abnormal operation occurrences, the transient behaviors of the Sulfur Iodine(SI) process, which is a nuclear hydrogen process that is coupled to a Very High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor (VHTR) through an Intermediate Heat Exchanger (IHX), a dynamic simulation of the process is necessary. Perturbation of the flow rate or temperature in the inlet streams may result in various transient states. An understanding of the dynamic behavior due to these factors is able to support the conceptual design of the secondary helium loop system associated with a hydrogen production plant. Based on the mass and energy balance sheets of an electrodialysis-embedded SI process equivalent to a 200 $MW_{th}$ VHTR and a considerable thermal pathway between the SI process and the VHTR system, a dynamic simulation of the SI process was carried out for a sulfuric acid decomposition process (Second Section) that is composed of a sulfuric acid vaporizer, a sulfuric acid decomposer, and a sulfur trioxide decomposer. The dynamic behaviors of these integrated reactors according to several anticipated scenarios are evaluated and the dominant and mild factors are observed. As for the results of the simulation, all the reactors in the sulfuric acid decomposition process approach a steady state at the same time. Temperature control of the inlet helium is strictly required rather than the flow rate control of the inlet helium to keep the steady state condition in the Second Section. On the other hand, it was revealed that the changes of the inlet helium operation conditions make a great impact on the performances of $SO_3$ and $H_2SO_4$ decomposers, but no effect on the performance of the $H_2SO_4$ vaporizer.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2010.06a
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• pp.228.2-228.2
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• 2010

In this work, the hydrogen production costs of the nuclear energy sources are estimated in the necessary input data on a Korean specific basis. G4-ECONS was appropriately modified to calculate the cost for hydrogen production of HTE process with Very High Temperature nuclear Reactor (VHTR) as a thermal energy source rather than the LUEC (Levelized Unit Electricity Cost). The general ground rules and assumptions follow G4-ECONS. Through a preliminary study of cost estimates, we wished to evaluate the economic potential for hydrogen produced from nuclear energy, and, in addition, to promptly estimate the hydrogen production costs for an updated input data for capital costs. The estimated costs presented in this paper show that hydrogen production by the VHTR could be competitive with current techniques of hydrogen production from fossil fuels if $CO_2$ capture and sequestration is required. Nuclear production of hydrogen would allow large-scale production of hydrogen at economic prices while avoiding the release of $CO_2$. Nuclear production of hydrogen could thus become the enabling technology for the hydrogen economy. The major factors that would affect the cost of hydrogen were also discussed.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.218-224
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• 2018

Alloy 617 is a candidate Ni-based superalloy for intermediate heat exchanger (IHX) of a high-temperature gas reactor (VHTR), because of its good creep strength and corrosion resistance at high temperature. Small amount of impurities such as $H_2O$, $H_2$, CO and $CH_4$ are introduced inevitably in helium, as a coolant during operation of a VHTR. Reactions of material and impurities are accelerated with increase of temperature to $950^{\circ}C$ of operating temperature of a VHTR, leading to material corrosion aggravation. In this circumstance, high-temperature corrosion tests were performed at $950^{\circ}C$ in air and impure helium environments, up to 250 hours in this study. Oxidation rate of $950^{\circ}C$ in an air environment was higher than that of impure helium, explained by difference in outer oxide morphology and microstructure as a function of oxygen partial pressure. An equiaxed Cr-rich surface oxide layer was formed in an air environment, and a columnar Cr-rich oxide was formed in an impure helium environment.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.1-6
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• 2011

PHE(Process Heat Exchanger) is a key component required to transfer heat energy of $950^{\circ}C$ generated in a VHTR(Very High Temperature Reactor) to the chemical reaction that yields a large quantity of hydrogen. Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute established a small-scale gas loop for the performance test of components, which are used in the VHTR, and they manufactured a PHE prototype made of Hastelloy-X to be tested in the small-scale gas loop. Results from the elastic structural analysis on the PHE prototype were reported in the previous article. In order to investigate the macroscopic structural characteristics and behavior of the PHE prototype under the test condition of the small-scale gas loop far more in detail, elastic-plastic high-temperature structural-analysis of the PHE prototype was carried out in this study.