• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제54권1호
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• pp.11-18
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• 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
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• 제45권7호
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• pp.847-858
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• 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.

• 한국원자력학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국원자력학회 1999년도 추계학술발표회요약집
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• pp.248.1-248
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• 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.

• 비파괴검사학회지
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• 제21권5호
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• pp.561-564
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• 2001

연구로인 하나로의 핵연료봉은 제조 시 피복층에 품질 관리 절차에서 규정한 크기 이상의 결함이 없도록 와전류탐상 검사를 하도록 되어 있다. 와전류탐상검사 절차를 수립하기 위하여 외삽 차동형 와전류탐촉자 및 표준시험편을 제작하였다. 임피던스 분석기를 사용하여 제작된 탐촉자에 대한 임피던스값을 측정하여 검사주파수 영역에서 최대감도를 얻도록 제작되었는지를 조사하였고, 이 탐촉자 및 MIZ-40A 와전류탐상기를 사용하여, 요구되는 결함 크기를 검출할 수 있는가를 조사하였다. 그 결과 이 탐촉자를 사용하여 길이 2mm 피복 두께 대비 깊이 10%인 인공 노치를 검출할 수 있었으며, 연구로용 핵연료봉의 제조 시 피복층에 존재하는 결함을 성공적으로 검사할 수 있었다.

• 대한기계학회논문집A
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• 제38권4호
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• pp.443-449
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• 2014

조사시험 도중 핵연료의 특성변화를 확인하기 위하여 원자로 수조내에 위치한 조사리그로부터 핵연료봉을 분리한 후 핫셀로 이송하여 중간검사를 진행한다. 또한 중간검사를 마친 핵연료봉은 원자로의 작업 수조로 이동시켜 조사리그에 재장착을 하게 되며, 재조립된 조사리그는 원자로 노심의 조사리그에 장착시켜 조사시험을 계속 진행한다. 그러나 중성자 조사가 진행된 핵연료봉은 높은 에너지의 방사선을 방출하기 때문에 작업자가 방사선에 피폭되지 않게 하기 위하여 핵연료봉 장탈착 공정은 원자로 작업수조수 내에서 이루어져야 한다. 특히 조사리그의 길이가 5.4 미터이고, 핵연료봉의 장탈착 작업이 이루어질 하나로 작업수조수의 깊이는 6 미터로 매우 깊어 장탈착 작업을위한 특수한 장치가 필요하다. 본 연구에서는 중간검사가 가능한 새로운 핵연료봉 조립체를 설계하고, 조사 핵연료봉 조립체의 장탈착용 툴을 개발하여 노외 성능시험을 통해 그 성능을 검증하였다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제42권5호
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• pp.576-581
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• 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
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• 제50권7호
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• pp.1017-1023
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• 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
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• 제33권1호
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• pp.73-82
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• 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.

• 비파괴검사학회지
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• 제22권1호
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• pp.9-13
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• 2002

수중에서 사용후 핵연료 제원측정 시험의 효율성을 높이고 측정오차를 줄이기 위하여 수중 영상측정방법을 개발하였다. 이 시스템의 모의 핵연료봉 직경 및 길이 측정치는 실제값 기준으로 할 때, 각각 $-0.24{\pm}0.03mm,\;0.34{\pm}0.06mm$이고 측정 최대오차는 각각 -0.3mm 및 0.4mm이내였다. 실제 사용후핵연료에 대한 수중 제원측정결과 고리원자력 2호기에서 2주기 동안 연소한 핵연료 집합체 J44의 핵연료봉 직경은 설계치 기준으로 할 때 핵연료봉 상 하단부 직경은 2.0%, 중앙부의 직경은 3.0% 정도 감소하였으나 핵연료봉의 길이는 0.4% 정도 신장하였다. 고리원자력 1호기에서 3주기 동안 연소한 핵연료 집합체 F02의 핵연료봉의 직경 및 길이는 핵연료 집합체 J44의 결과와 비슷한 경향을 나타내었다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제46권3호
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• pp.423-430
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• 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.