• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제51권4호
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• pp.943-948
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• 2019

In this study, investigation of spent fuel was performed using six group delayed neutron parameters. Three used fuels (F1, F2, and F11) which are burnt over the years in the core of Missouri University of Science and Technology Reactor (MSTR), were investigated. F16 fresh fuel was used as plutonium free fuel element and compared with irradiated used fuels to develop burnup and Pu discrimination method. The fast fission factor of the MSTR was calculated to be 1.071 which was used for burnup calculations. Burnup values of F2 and F11 fuel elements were estimated to be 1.98 g and 2.7 g, respectively. $^{239}Pu$ conversion was calculated to be 0.36 g and 0.50 g for F2 and F11 elements, respectively.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제54권2호
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• pp.637-643
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• 2022

Uranium and plutonium are required to be accounted in spent fuel head-end and major recovery area in pyro-process for safeguards purpose. The possibility of neutron resonance technique, as a nondestructive analysis, was simulated on isotopic fissile analysis for large scale process. Neutron resonance technique has advantage to distinguish uranium from plutonium directly in mixture. Simulation was performed on U235 and Pu239 assay in spent fuel and for scoping examination of assembly type. The resonance energies were determined for U235 and Pu239. The linearity in the neutron transmission was examined for the selected resonance energies. In addition, the limit for detection was examined by changing sample density, thickness and content for actual application. Several factors were proposed for neutron production and the moderated neutron source was simulated for effective and efficient transmission measurement. From the simulation results, neutron resonance technique is promising to analyze U235 and Pu239 for spent fuel assembly. An accurate fissile assay will contribute to an increased safeguards for the pyro-processing system and international credibility on the reuse of fissile materials in the fuel cycle.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제52권12호
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• pp.2874-2879
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• 2020

Due to excess reactivity, fresh nuclear fuel often contains burnable poisons. This research looks at six different burnable poisons and their impacts on reactivity, material attractiveness, and waste management. An MCNP simulation of a PWR fuel pin was performed with a fuel burnup of 60 GWd/MTHM to determine when each burnable poison fuel type would decrease below a k_∞ of 1. For determining the plutonium material attractiveness in each burnable poison fuel type, the plutonium isotopic content of the used fuel was evaluated using Bathke's Figure of Merit formula. For the waste management analysis, the thermal output of each burnable poison fuel type was determined through ORIGEN decay simulations at 100 and 300 years after being discharged from the core. The performance of all six burnable poisons varied over the three criteria considered and no single burnable poison performed best in all three considerations.

• 방사성폐기물학회지
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• 제21권3호
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• pp.383-395
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• 2023

Since 1997, the Republic of Korea (ROK) has been developing pyro-processing (Pyro) technology to reduce the disposal burden of high-level radioactive waste by recycling spent nuclear fuel (SNF). Compared to plutonium and uranium extraction process, Korean Pyro technology has relatively excellent proliferation resistance that cannot separate pure plutonium owing to its intrinsic characteristics. Regarding Pyro technology development of ROK, the Bush administration considered that Pyro is not reprocessing under the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership, whereas the Obama administration considered that Pyro is subject to reprocessing. However, the Bush and Obama administrations did not allow ROK to conduct full Pyro activities using SNF, even though ROK had faithfully complied with international nonproliferation obligations. This is because the US nuclear nonproliferation policy to prevent the spread of sensitive technologies, such as enrichment and reprocessing, has a strong effect on ROK, unlike Japan, on a bilateral level beyond the NPT regime for non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.

• 대한안전경영과학회:학술대회논문집
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• 대한안전경영과학회 2000년도 춘계학술대회
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• pp.443-448
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• 2000

• 한국원자력학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국원자력학회 1999년도 춘계학술발표회요약집
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• pp.345-345
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• 1999

• 한국방사성폐기물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국방사성폐기물학회 2018년도 추계학술논문요약집
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• pp.592-593
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• 2018

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제52권3호
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• pp.499-507
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• 2020

Research reactors for radioisotope production, fuel and material testing and research activities are designed, constructed and operated based on the society's needs. In this study, neutronic and thermal hydraulic design of a high neutron flux research reactor core for radioisotope production is presented. Main parameters including core excess reactivity, reactivity variations, power and flux distribution during the cycle, axial and radial power peaking factors (PPF), Pu₂₃₉ production and minimum DNBR are calculated by nuclear deterministic codes. Core calculations performed by deterministic codes are validated with Monte Carlo code. Comparison of the neutronic parameters obtained from deterministic and Monte Carlo codes indicates good agreement. Finally, subchannel analysis performed for the hot channel to evaluate the maximum fuel and clad temperatures. The results show that the average thermal neutron flux at the beginning of cycle (BOC) is 1.0811 × 10¹⁴ n/㎠-s and at the end of cycle (EOC) is 1.229 × 10¹⁴ n/㎠-s. Total Plutonium (Pu₂₃₉) production at the EOC evaluated to be 0.9487 Kg with 83.64% grade when LEU (UO₂ with 3.7% enrichment) used as fuel. This designed reactor which uses LEU fuel and has high neutron flux and low plutonium production could be used for peaceful nuclear activities based on nuclear non-proliferation treaty concepts.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제15권4호
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• pp.267-279
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• 1983

우라늄 및 플루토늄을 핵연료로 이용하고 경수를 감속재로 쓰는 원자로에 대한 해석적 체제를 수립하였다. 이 체제는 두개의 주요 전산코드로 구성되어 있는 바, 하나는 단위격자 세포코드인 KICC로서 이는 GAM및 THERMOS의 이론적인 기초에 여러가지 현상을 적절하게 포현할 수 있는 근사식을 결합한 것이다. 다른 하나는 다차원 확산-연소 방정식코드인 KIDD이다. 이 체제는 다양한 종류의 임계실험로에 대하여 철저한 검증계산을 수행하므로써 그 신뢰성을 입증하였다. 즉 서로 다른 노심구조를 가진 19가지의 비균질 임계실실험로에 대하여 유효증배계수를 계산한 결과 이의 평균치 1.0006, 표준편차 0.0039로서 잘 일치하였다. 또한 우라늄과 플루토늄을 핵 연료로 사용하는 여러종류의 임계로에 대하여 출력분포를 계산하여 측정치와 비교하였으며 계산치는 최대 오차 $\pm$5%이내에서 측정치에 일치하였다. 이러한 사실은 KICC/KIDD체제가 경수로의 해석에 아주 유용한 도구가 됨을 밝혀 준다.

• 분석과학
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• 제16권3호
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• pp.191-197
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• 2003

플루토늄 표준물 (NBL, CRM No.122)을 이용하여 정확한 농도의 플루토늄 용액을 만들고 이 용액에 대하여 동위원소희석 질량분석법과 조절전위 전기량법으로 플루토늄을 정량하였다. 동위원소희석 질량분석법에 의한 결과는 약 $0.9{\mu}g$-Pu 시료량의 크기에서 모액 플루토늄의 농도에 대하여 얻어진 측정값의 비는 $1.002176{\pm}0.000452$이었으며, 상대 표준편차 0.045%(신뢰도 95%)의 좋은 정밀도를 보였다. 조절전위 전기량법에 의한 측정값은 사용한 시료량에 따라 0.9923~0.9960의 비를 보였다. 두 방법 간의 차이는 0.6~1% 범위 내에서 잘 일치하는 결과를 보였다. 따라서 조절전위 전기량법보다 좋은 결과를 보인 동위원소희석 질량분석법을 이용하여, 조사된 하나로 연소 핵연료봉을 상, 중 및 하단부분으로 구분하여 시료를 취하여 이를 용해하고 음이온교환 칼람을 사용 분리한 플루토늄을 각각 정량 하였다. 이 결과 각각 그람(fuel+clad) 시료당 1.155 mg, 2.483 mg 및 1.920 mg의 플루토늄 값을 얻었다.