• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
• /
• 2019.05a
• /
• pp.65-66
• /
• 2019

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.49 no.7
• /
• pp.1472-1482
• /
• 2017

Zirconium alloy cladding tube specimens were irradiated at $380^{\circ}C$ up to a fast neutron fluence of $7.5{\times}10^{24}n/m^2$ in a research reactor to investigate the effect of neutron irradiation on hydride reorientation and mechanical property degradation. Cool-down tests from $400^{\circ}C$ to $200^{\circ}C$ under 150 MPa tensile hoop stress were performed. These tests indicate that the irradiated specimens generated a smaller radial hydride fraction than did the unirradiated specimens and that higher hydrogen content generated a smaller radial hydride fraction. The irradiated specimens of 500 ppm-H showed smaller ultimate tensile strength and plastic strain than those characteristics of the 250 ppm-H specimens. This mechanical property degradation caused by neutron irradiation can be explained by tensile hoop stress-induced microcrack formation on the hydrides in the irradiation-damaged matrix and subsequent microcrack propagation along the hydrides and/or through the matrix.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
• /
• v.35 no.3
• /
• pp.281-287
• /
• 2011

We consider the uncertainty in the elastic buckling formula for a thin tube. We take into account the measurement uncertainty of Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio and the tolerance of the tube thickness and diameter. Elastic buckling must be prohibited for a thin tube such as a nuclear fuel rod that must satisfy a self-stand criterion. Since the predicted critical buckling pressure overestimated that found in the experiment, the determination of the minimum safety factor is crucial. The uncertainty in each parameter (i.e., Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio, thickness, and diameter) is mutually independent, so the safety factor is evaluated as the sum of the inverse of each uncertainty. We found that the thickness variation greatly affects the uncertainty. The minimum safety factor of a thin tube of Zirconium alloy is evaluated as 1.547 for a thickness of 0.87 mm and 3.487 for a thickness of 0.254 mm.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
• /
• 2005.10a
• /
• pp.995-996
• /
• 2005

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
• /
• v.23 no.4
• /
• pp.334-341
• /
• 2003

When the pressure tubes(f are in contact with the calandria tube(CT) in the pressurized heavy water reactor(PHWR), the temperature difference between inner and outer wall of W results in a thermal diffusion of hydrogen (deuterium) and hydride blisters are formed on the outer surface of PT. Because the hydride blisters and zirconium matrix are acoustically continuous, it is not easy to distinguish the blisters from the matrix with conventional ultrasonic method. An ultrasonic velocity ratio method was developed to detect small hydride blisters on the zirconium pressure tube. Hydride blisters were grown in the PT specimen using a steady state thermal diffusion device. The flight times of longitudinal echo and reflected shear echo from the outer surface were measured accurately. The velocity ratio of the longitudinal wave to the shear wave was calculated and displayed using contour plot. Compared to the conventional flight time method of longitudinal wave, the velocity ratio method shows superior sensitivity to detect smaller blisters as well as better images for the blister shapes. Detectable limit of the outer shape of the hydride blisters was conservatively estimated as $500{\mu}m$, with the same specifications of ultrasonic transducer used in the actual PHWR pressure tube inspection.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.29 no.8
• /
• pp.483-490
• /
• 2019

Currently, the Korean nuclear industry uses ZIRLO as material for nuclear fuel cladding(zirconium alloy). KEPCO Nuclear Fuel is in the process of developing a HANA alloy to enable domestic production of cladding. Cladding manufacture involves multistage heat treatments and pickling processes, the latter of which is vital for the removal of defects and impurities on the cladding surface. SMUT that forms on the cladding surface during such pickling process is a source of surface defects during heat treatment and post-treatment processes if not removed. This study analyzes ZIRLO, HANA-4, and HANA-6 alloy claddings to extensively study the SEM/EDS, XRD, and particle size characteristics of SMUT, which are second phase particles that are formed on the cladding surface during pickling processes. Using the analysis results, this study observes SMUT formation characteristics according to Nb concentration in Zr alloys during the washing process following the pickling process. In addition, this study observes SMUT removal characteristics on cladding surfaces according to concentrations of nitric acid and hydrofluoric acid in the acid solution.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
• /
• v.10 no.8
• /
• pp.1099-1103
• /
• 1999

The surface of an ${\alpha}$-alumina tube was coated with zirconium modified polycarbosilane(PZC) by dip-coating method. Then the tube was pyrolyzed at 573~823 K. The prepared inorganic composite membrane was in $1{\mu}m$ thickness and had no pinholes larger than several nm. For the pyrolyzed inorganic composite membrane, the permeation test of He, $N_2$, $CO_2$, and $O_2$ was performed at 303~423 K. The gas permeation and separation factor were increased with increasing permeation temperature. The permeation for gases was controlled by the activated diffusion mechanism. The separation factor of $CO_2$, to $N_2$was 4.9 at 363 K on the composite membrane pyrolyzed at 823 K and its value was higher than that of He and $O_2$.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.40 no.2
• /
• pp.139-146
• /
• 2008

This paper presents two of the fuel channel designs being considered for the CANDU-SCWR, a pressure-tube type supercritical water cooled reactor. The first is an insulated pressure tube design. The pressure tube is thermally insulated from the hot coolant by a porous ceramic insulator. Each pressure tube is in direct contact with the moderator, which operates at an average temperature of about $80^{\circ}C$. The low temperature allows zirconium alloys to be used. A perforated metal liner protects the insulator from being damaged by the fuel bundles and erosion by the coolant. The coolant pressure is transmitted through the perforated metal liner and insulator and applied directly to the pressure tube. The second is a re-entrant design. The fuel channel consists of two concentric tubes, and a calandria tube that separates them from the moderator. The coolant enters between the annulus of the two concentric fuel channel tubes, then exits the fuel channel through the inner tube, where the fuel bundles reside. The outer tube bears the coolant pressure and its temperature will be the same as the coolant inlet temperature, ${\sim}350^{\circ}C$. Advantages and disadvantages of these designs and the material requirements are discussed.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.47 no.6
• /
• pp.746-755
• /
• 2015

To investigate the effect of hydrogen and oxygen contents on hydride reorientations during cool-down processes, zirconium-niobium cladding tube specimens were hydrogen-charged before some specimens were oxidized, resulting in 250 ppm and 500 ppm hydrogen-charged specimens containing no oxide and an oxide thickness of $0.38{\mu}m$ at each surface. The nonoxidized and oxidized hydrogen-charged specimens were heated up to $400^{\circ}C$ and then cooled down to room temperature at cooling rates of $0.3^{\circ}C/min$ and $8.0^{\circ}C/min$ under a tensile hoop stress of 150 MPa. The lower hydrogen contents and the slower cooling rate generated a larger fraction of radial hydrides, a longer radial hydride length, and a lower ultimate tensile strength and plastic elongation. In addition, the oxidized specimens generated a smaller fraction of radial hydrides and a lower ultimate tensile strength and plastic elongation than the nonoxidized specimens. This may be due to: a solubility difference between room temperature and $400^{\circ}C$; an oxygen-induced increase in hydrogen solubility and radial hydride nucleation energy; high temperature residence time during the cool-down; or undissolved circumferential hydrides at $400^{\circ}C$.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
• /
• 2001.06d
• /
• pp.834-839
• /
• 2001

Calandria tube wrapping each pressure tube is one of the key structural components of CANDU reactor(Calandria) which is consisted of many pressure tubes containing nuclear fuel assemblies. As the Calandria tube(made of zirconium alloy) is sagging due to its thermal and irradiation creep during the plant operation, it possibly contacts with liquid injection nozzle crossing beneath the Calandria tube, which subsequently results in difficulties on the safe operation. It is therefore necessary to check the gap for the confirmation of no contacts between the two tubes, Calandria tube and liquid injection tube, with a proper measure during the life of plant. In this study, an ultrasonic measurement method was selected among several methods investigated. The ultrasonic device being developed for the measurement of the gap was introduced and its preliminary performance test results were presented here. The gap between LIN and CT at site was measured using by this ultrasonic device at site.