• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.446-450
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• 2013

TRISO coated particles with a ZrC barrier layer were fabricated by a fluidized-bed chemical vapor deposition (FBCVD) method for a use in a very high temperature gas-cooled reactor (VHTR). The ZrC layer was deposited by the reaction between $ZrCl_4$ and $CH_4$ gases at $1500^{\circ}C$ in an $Ar+H_2$ mixture gas. The amount of free carbon codeposited with in ZrC was changed by controlling the dilution gas ratio. Near-stoichiometric ZrC phase was also deposited when an impeller was employed to a $ZrCl_4$ vaporizer which effectively inhibited the agglomeration of $ZrCl_4$ powders during the deposition process. A near-stoichiometric ZrC coating layer had smooth surface while ZrC containing the free carbon had rough surface with tumulose structure. Surface roughness of ZrC increased further as the amount of free carbon increased.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.21 no.11
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• pp.596-603
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• 2011

The very high temperature gas reactor (VHTR) is one of the next generation nuclear reactors for its safety, long-term stability, and proliferation-resistance. The high operating temperature of over 800$^{\circ}C$ enables various applications with high energy efficiency. Heat is transferred from the primary helium loop to the secondary helium loop through the intermediate heat exchanger (IHX). The IHX material requires creep resistance, oxidation resistance, and corrosion resistance in a helium environment at high operating temperatures. A Ni-based superalloy such as Alloy 617 is considered as a primary candidate material for the intermediate heat exchanger. In this study, the microstructures of Alloy 617 crept in pure helium and air environments at 950$^{\circ}C$ were observed. The rupture time in helium was shorter than that in air under small applied stresses. As the exposure time increased, the thickness of outer oxide layer of the specimens clearly increased but delaminated after a long creep time. The depth of the carbide-depleted zone was rather high in the specimens under high applied stress. The reason was elucidated by the comparison between the ruptured region and grip region of the samples. It is considered that decarburization caused by minor gas impurities in a helium environment caused the reduction in creep rupture time.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.366-372
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• 2009

Creep life prediction has been commonly used by a time-temperature parameter (TTP) which is correlated to an applied stress and temperature, such as Larson-Miller (LM), Orr-Sherby-Dorn (OSD), Manson-Haferd (MH) and Manson-Succop (MS) parameters. A stress-temperature linear model (STLM) based on Arrhenius, Dorn and Monkman-Grant equations was newly proposed through a mathematical procedure. For this model, the logarithm time to rupture was linearly dependent on both an applied stress and temperature. The model parameters were properly determined by using a technique of maximum likelihood estimation of a statistical method, and this model was applied to the creep data of Alloy 617. From the results, it is found that the STLM results showed better agreement than the Eno’s model and the LM parameter ones. Especially, the STLM revealed a good estimation in predicting the long-term creep life of Alloy 617.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.193-198
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• 2017

Alloy 617 is one of the primary candidate materials to be used in a very high temperature reactor (VHTR) system as an intermediate heat exchanger (IHX). To investigate the low cycle fatigue behavior of Alloy 617 weldments at a high temperature of $850^{\circ}C$, fully reversed strain-controlled fatigue tests were conducted with the total strain values ranging from 0.6~1.5％. The weldment specimens were machined using the weld pads fabricated with a single V-grove configuration by gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) process. The fatigue life is reduced as the total strain range increases. For all testing conditions, the cyclic stress response behavior of the Alloy 617 weldments exhibited the initial cyclic strain hardening phenomenon during the initial small number of cycles. Furthermore, the overall fatigue cracking and the propagation or cracks showed a transgranular failure mode.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.36 no.10
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• pp.1289-1295
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• 2012

A process heat exchanger (PHE) in a nuclear hydrogen system is a key component for transferring the considerable heat generated in a very high temperature reactor (VHTR) to a chemical reaction that yields a large quantity of hydrogen. A performance test on a small-scale PHE prototype made of Hastelloy-X is underway in a small-scale gas loop at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute. Previous research on the high-temperature structural analysis of the small-scale PHE prototype had been performed using base material properties. In this study, a high-temperature structural analysis considering the mechanical properties in the weld zone was performed, and the obtained results were compared with those of the previous research.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.36 no.9
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• pp.1095-1101
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• 2012

A process heat exchanger (PHE) in a nuclear hydrogen system is a key component that transfers the large amount of heat generated in a very high temperature reactor (VHTR) to a chemical reaction that yields a large quantity of hydrogen. A performance test on a small-scale and a medium-scale PHE prototype made of Hastelloy$^{(R)}$-X is being conducted on in a small-scale nitrogen gas loop at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute. Previous research on the macroscopic high-temperature structural analysis of PHE prototypes had been performed using base material properties owing to a lack of weld material properties. In this study, macroscopic high-temperature structural analyses considering the weld material properties were performed and the results were compared with those of a previous study.

• Journal of Power System Engineering
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.115-121
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• 2014

Alloy 617 is the one of the leading candidate materials for intermediate heat exchangers(IHX) of a very high temperature reactor(VHTR) system. Some of the components are joined by many welding techniques and therefore the welded joints are inevitable in the construction of systems. In the present paper, the low cycle fatigue(LCF) behaviors of Alloy 617 base metal(BM) and the gas tungsten arc welded (GTAWed) weld joints(WJ) are investigated experimentally under strain controlled LCF tests. Fully axial total-strain controlled tests have been conducted at room temperature with total strain ranges of 0.6, 0.9, 1.2 and 1.5%. The weld joints have shown a lower fatigue lives compared with base metals at all the testing conditions. The weld joints have shown a higher cyclic stress response behavior than base metal. Both BM and WJ exhibited cyclic strain hardening behavior, depending on the total strain range. In addition, the strain-life parameters for BM and WJ were determined, based on Coffin-Manson equations.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Surface Engineering Conference
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• 2012.11a
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• pp.35-50
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• 2012

$900^{\circ}C$이상 초고온 He-gas 분위기 또는 용융불화염 (molten salts, FLINAK) 환경에서 사용될 VHTR(Very High Temperature Reactor)의 IHX(Intermediate heat exchanger)용 열수송 구조재료로 가장 가능성이 높은 합금인 Inconel 617 및 Hastelloy X 상에 습식화학적, 물리적기상합성법(Vacuum arc-plasma과 RF magnetron sputtering) 및 pack cementation에 의한 표면개질 및 마이크로 초내열(refractory ceramics) 코팅층(TiN, TiCN, TiAlN, $Al_2O_3$, $TiO_2$)을 형성시켰다. 고온 장기사용 시 문제가 될 수 있는 고온에서의 조직변화, 미세구조와 상(phase)형성, 고온 부식 및 그에 따른 마모(wear resistance) 손상 등 이들 소재의 내열, 내식 및 내마모 물성을 개선하는 연구를 수행하였다. TiAlN 박막의 경우 공기분위기에서 N이 분해되나 치밀한 산화물($TiO_2/Al_2O_3$ layer)을 형성하여 내식성 있는 보호피막을 형성함으로 기판과의 열팽창 계수로 인한 박리가 발생하지 않아 보호피막으로 적합하였다. Pack cementation법에 의한 aluminiding(Al-Ni합금)도 He 및 공기분위기에서 고온물성의 저하를 가져오는 $Cr_2O_3$의 생성을 충분히 억제하고 있었으며 He 및 air 분위기에서 사용이 가능한 박막으로 여겨진다. 내열 및 내식성에 대한 실험을 종합한 결과, 공기분위기에서 사용할 수 없는 박막은 He-gas 및 FLINAK(LiF-NaF-KF) 용융염 분위기에서도 사용할 수 없었으며, He-gas, FLINAK 및 air 분위기에서 모두 사용이 가능한 박막으로는 Inconel 617에서는 $(TiO_2-)Al_2O_3$, TiAlN 및 Al-Ni이었고 Hastelloy에서는 Al-Ni 및 $Al_2O_3$가 가장 적당하였다.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.37-43
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• 2007

Iodine sulfur (IS) process is one of the promising processes for a hydrogen production by using a high temperature heat generated by a very high temperature gas cooled reactor(VHTR) in the nuclear power industries. Even though the IS process is very efficient for a hydrogen production and it is not accompanied by a carbon dioxide evolution, the highly corrosive environment of the process limits its application in the industry. Corrosion tests of selected materials were performed in sulfuric acid to select appropriate materials compatible with the IS process. The materials used in this work were Fe-Cr alloys, Fe-Ni-Cr alloys, Fe-Si alloys, Ni base alloys, Ta, Ti, Zr, SiC, Fe-Si, etc. The test environments were 50 wt% sulfuric acid at $120^{\circ}C$ and 98 wt% at $320^{\circ}C$. Corrosion rates were measured by using a weight change after an immersion. The surface morphologies and cross sectional areas of the corroded materials were examined by using SEM equipped with EDS. Corrosion behaviors of the materials were discussed in terms of the chemical composition of the materials, a weight loss, the corrosion morphology, the precipitates in the microstructure and the surface layer composition.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.398-404
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• 2012

This paper describes the spherical ammonium diuranate gel particles which are the intermediated material of the $UO_2$ microsphere for an VHTR(very high temperature reactor) nuclear fuel. The characteristics of the intermediate-ADU gel particles prepared by AWD(ageing, washing, and drying) and FB(fluidized-bed) apparatus were examined and compared in a sol-gel fabrication process. The electrical conductivity of washing filtrate from the FB treating and the surface area of dried-ADU gel particles were higher than those of AWD treating. Also, an internal pore volume in dried-ADU gel particles showed a more decrease in AWD treatment than FB treatment because of decomposition of PVA affected by the washing time. However, the internal microstructures of ADU gel particles were similar regardless of the process variation.