• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.54 no.1
• /
• pp.11-18
• /
• 2022

In this research, curium oxide (CmO₂) is studied as fuel for VVER-1200 reactor to get an attention to its energy value and possibilities. For this purpose, CmO₂ is used in fuel rods or integrated burnable absorber (IBA) rods with and without UO₂ and then compared with the conventional fuel assembly of VVER-1200 reactor. It is burned to 60 GWd/t by using SRAC-2006 code and JENDL-4.0 data library. From these studies, it is found that CmO₂ is competent like UO₂ as a fuel due to higher fission cross-section of ²⁴³Cm and ²⁴⁵Cm isotopes and neutron capture cross-section of ²⁴⁴Cm and ²⁴⁶Cm isotopes. As a result, when some or all of the UO₂ of fuel rods or IBA rods are replaced by CmO₂, we get a similar k-inf like the reference even with lower enrichment UO₂ fuels. These studies show that the use of CmO₂ as IBA rods is more effective than the fuel rods considering the initially loaded amount, power peaking factor (PPF), fuel temperature and void coefficient, and the quality of spent fuel. From a detailed study, 3% CmO₂ with inert material ZrO₂ in IBA rods are recommended for the VVER-1200 reactor assembly from the once through concept.

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

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
• /
• 1999.10a
• /
• pp.248.1-248
• /
• 1999

Preliminary analysis of in-reactor thermal performance of three MOX fuel rods, which are going to be irradiated in the Halden reactor beginning in the first Quarter of the year 2000 under the framework of the OECD Halden Reactor Programme, have been conducted by using the computer code COSMOS to ensure their safe operation. Parametric studies have been carried out to investigate the effect of uncertainties on in-reactor behavior by considering the four kinds of uncertainties; thermal conductivity, linear power, manufacturing parameters, and model constants. The analysis shows that, in the case of annular MOX -1 fuel, calculation results for thermal performance vary widely depending on the selection of model constants for fission gas release (FGR). On the contrary, the thermal performance of solid MOX - 3 fuel does not depend on the choice of FGR constants to a large extent as MOX-I, because the fuel temperature is very high in the MOX-3 irrespective of the choice of FGR constants and hence the capacity of grain boundaries to retain gas atoms is not large enough to accommodate the number of gas atoms reaching the grain boundaries. It is planned that when the data on microstructure and thermal conductivity for each type of MOX fuel are available, new analysis will be made using these information. In addition, FGR model constants will be derived from the measured fuel centerline temperature, rod internal pressure and other related data.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
• /
• v.21 no.5
• /
• pp.561-564
• /
• 2001

The cladding area of HANARO Research Reactor fuel rods should be checked not to have any defects larger than the size required at QA documents by using eddy torrent testing method doting fabrication process. To apply eddy current testing inspection to the fuel rods, encircling differential probes and standard specimen were designed and fabricated. The impedance of the fabricated probes was measured with impedance analyzer in order to cheek that the probe has a suitable impedance for the inspection frequency, and with this probe and MIZ-40A eddy current equipment, the detectability of this probes was investigated. The developed probes could detect artificial notch with 2mm length 10% depth of cladding thickness in cladding area. In addition, the probe was successfully applied to detect the defects in cladding area doting fabrication of the research reactor rods.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
• /
• v.38 no.4
• /
• pp.443-449
• /
• 2014

To check the characteristics of nuclear fuels during an irradiation test, the nuclear fuel rod needs to be disassembled from the test rig located in the pool of the research reactor. Then, the disassembled fuel rod is delivered to the hot cell for intermediate examination. A fuel rod that passes the intermediate examination is delivered to the reactor pool to be reassembled into the test rig. The irradiation test is resumed with the reassembled test rig. Because nuclear fuel rods irradiated by neutrons are highly radioactive, all the disassembly and reassembly processes should be carried out in the pool of the research reactor to prevent operators being exposed to radiation. In particular, because a test rig is 5.4-m long and the reactor pool of HANARO is 6-m deep, special tools need to be developed for performing the disassembly and reassembly processes. In this study, a new assembly design of nuclear fuel rods for intermediate examination is introduced. Furthermore, tools for treating the irradiated fuel rod assembly are introduced, and their performance is verified by an out pile test.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.42 no.5
• /
• pp.576-581
• /
• 2010

KAERI (Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute) fabricated MOX (Mixed Oxide) fuel pellets as a cooperation project with PSI (Paul Scherrer Institut) for an irradiation test in the Halden reactor. The MOX pellets were fitted into fuel rods that included instrumentation for measurement in IFE (Institutt for Energiteknikk). The fuel rods were assembled into the test rig and irradiated in the Halden reactor up to 50 MWd/kgHM. The irradiated fuel rods were transported to the IFE, where ceramography was carried out. The fuel rods were cut transversely at the relatively higher burn-up locations and then the radial cross sections were observed. Micrographs were analyzed using an image analysis program and grain sizes along the radial direction were measured by the linear intercept method. Radial cracks in the irradiated MOX were observed that were generally circumferentially closed at the pellet periphery and open in the hot central region. A circumferential crack was formed along the boundary between the dark central and the outer regions. The inner surface of the cladding was covered with an oxide layer. Pu-rich spots were observed in the outer region of the fuel pellets. The spots were surrounded by many small pores and contained some big pores inside. Metallic fission product precipitates were observed mainly in the central region and in the inside of the Pu spots. The average areal fractions of the metallic precipitates at the radial cross section were 0.41% for rod 6 and 0.32% for rod 3. In the periphery, pore density smaller than 2 ${\mu}m$ was higher than that of the other regions. The grain growth occurred from 10 ${\mu}m$ to 12 ${\mu}m$ in the central region of rod 6 during irradiation.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.50 no.7
• /
• pp.1017-1023
• /
• 2018

The measurement and calculation of neutronic parameters in nuclear research reactors has an important influence on control and safety of the nuclear reactor. The power peaking factors, reactivity coefficients and kinetic parameters are the most important neutronic parameter for determining the state of the reactor. The position of the control shim safety rods in the core configuration affects these parameters. The main purpose of this work is to use the MTR_PC package to evaluate the effect of the partially insertion of the control rod on the neutronic parameters at the operating core of the Tehran Research Reactor. The simulation results show that by increasing the insertion of control rods (bank) in the core, the absolute values of power peaking factor, reactivity coefficients and effective delayed neutron fraction increased and only prompt neutron life time decreased. In addition, the results show that the changes of moderator temperature coefficients value versus the control rods positions are very significant. The average value of moderator temperature coefficients increase about 98% in the range of 0-70% insertion of control rods.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.33 no.1
• /
• pp.73-82
• /
• 2001

Pressurized water reactor(PWR) fuel rods. which are continuously supported by a spring system called a spacer grid(SG), are exposed to reactor coolant at a flow velocity of up to 6-8 m/s. It is known that the vibration of 3 fuel rod is generated by the coolant flow, a so-called flow-induced-vibration(FIV), and the relative motion induced by the FIV between the fuel rod and the SG can wear away the surface of the fuel rod, which occasionally leads to its fretting failure. It is, therefore, important to understand the vibration characteristics of the fuel rod and reflect that in its design. In this paper, vibration analyses of the fuel rod with two different SGs were performed using both analytical and experimental methods. Updating of the finite element(FE) model using the measured data was performed in order to enhance confidence in the FE model of fuel rods supported by an SG. It was found that the modal parameters are very sensitive to the spring constant of the SG.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
• /
• v.22 no.1
• /
• pp.9-13
• /
• 2002

A pool image processing measurement method has been developed to improve the examination efficiency and to minimize the errors of dimensional measurements of spent fuel assemblies in pool. Diameter and length measurements of mock-up fuel rods using the image processing system are $-0.24{\pm}0.03mm,\;0.34{\pm}0.06mm$ on the basis of the true value and their maximum errors are within -0.3 and 0.4mm, respectively, According to the result of dimensional measurement of spent fuels in pool, the upper and lower part diameter and mid part diameter of fuel rods of the J44 fuel assembly irradiated for 2 cycles in the Kori-2 nuclear reactor were decreased by about 2.0 and 3.0% in comparison with design values, respectively. The length of fuel rods was elongated by about 0.4%. The change behavior of diameter and length. of fuel rods of the F02 fuel assembly irradiated for 3 cycles in the Kori-1 nuclear reactor showed a trend similar to the results of J44.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.46 no.3
• /
• pp.423-430
• /
• 2014

An in-pile performance test of HANA claddings was conducted at up to 67 GWD/MTU in the Halden research reactor in Norway over a 6.5 year period. Four types of HANA claddings (HANA-3, HANA-4, HANA-5, and HANA-6) and a reference Zircaloy-4 cladding were used for the in-pile test. The evaluation parameters of the HANA claddings were the corrosion behavior, dimensional changes, hydrogen uptake, and tensile strength after the claddings were tested under the simulated operation conditions of a Korean commercial reactor. The oxide thickness ranged from 15 to 37 mm at a high flux region in the test rods, and all HANA claddings showed corrosion resistance superior to the Zircaloy-4 cladding. The creep-down rate of all HANA claddings was lower than that of the Zircaloy-4 cladding. In addition, the hydrogen content of the HANA claddings ranged from 54 to 96 wppm at the high heat flux region of the test rods, whereas the hydrogen content of the Zircaloy-4 cladding was 119 wppm. The tensile strength of the HANA and Zircaloy-4 claddings was similarly increased when compared to the un-irradiated claddings owing to the radiation-induced hardening.