In this study, flow analysis was performed using ANSYS CFX to evaluate the performance of the 30kg hydrogen fuel cell hexa-copter drone in hovering flight. In the case of a hydrogen fuel cell hexa-copter drone, a total of four cooling fans are mounted on the drone's body in two pairs on the left and right to cool the fuel cell module. In order to evaluate the effect of the air flow from the cooling fan on the aerodynamic properties of the hydrogen fuel cell drone as the mounted cooling fan operates, the change in thrust for the case where the cooling fan operates and does not operate was compared and analyzed. Looking at the analysis results, it was found that the presence or absence of the drone's cooling fan had little effect on the drone's thrust through the thrust results for the six wings.
The spent nuclear fuel, combusted and released in the nuclear power plant, is stored in the spent fuel pool (SFP) located in the fuel buildings interconnected with the reactors. In Korea, spent fuel has been stored exclusively in SFPs, prompting initiatives to expand storage capacity by either installing additional SFPs or replacing them with high-density spent fuel storage racks. The installation of these fuel racks necessitates obtaining a regulatory license contingent upon ensuring safe fuel handling and storage systems. Regulatory agencies mandate the formulation of various postulated accident scenarios and assessments covering criticality, shielding, thermal behavior, and structural integrity to ensure safe fuel handling and storage systems. This study describes an evaluation method for assessing the structural damage to storage racks resulting from fuel dropping as a part of the functional safety evaluation of these racks. A scenario was envisaged wherein fuel was dropped onto the base plates of the upper and lower sections of the storage racks, and the impact load was analyzed using the ABAQUS/Explicit program. The evaluation results revealed localized plastic deformation but affirmed the structural integrity and safety of the storage racks.
Interim dry cask storage systems comprising AISI 304 or 316 stainless steel canisters have become critical for the storage of spent nuclear fuel from light water reactors in the Republic of Korea. However, the combination of microstructural sensitization, residual tensile stress, and corrosive environments can induce chloride-induced stress corrosion cracking (CISCC) for stainless steel canisters. Suppressing one or more of these three variables can effectively mitigate CISCC initiation or propagation. Surface-modification technologies, such as surface peening and burnishing, focus on relieving residual tensile stress by introducing compressive stress to near-surface regions of materials. Overlay coating methods such as cold spray can serve as a barrier between the environment and the canister, while also inducing compressive stress similar to surface peening. This approach can both mitigate CISCC initiation and facilitate CISCC repair. Surface-painting methods can also be used to isolate materials from external corrosive environments. However, environmental variables, such as relative humidity, composition of surface deposits, and pH can affect the CISCC behavior. Therefore, in addition to research on surface modification and coating technologies, site-specific environmental investigations of various nuclear power plants are required.
Hydride analysis is required to assess the mechanical integrity of spent nuclear fuel cladding. Image segmentation, which is a hydride analysis method, is a technique that can analyze the orientation and distribution of hydrides in cladding images of spent nuclear fuels. However, the segmentation results varied according to the image preprocessing. Inaccurate segmentation results can make hydride difficult to analyze. This study aims to analyze the segmentation performance of the Otsu algorithm according to the morphological operations of cladding images. Morphological operations were applied to four different cladding images, and segmentation performance was quantitatively compared using a histogram, betweenclass variance, and radial hydride fraction. As a result, this study found that morphological operations can induce errors in cladding images and that appropriate combinations of morphological operations can maximize segmentation performance. This study emphasizes the importance of image preprocessing methods, suggesting that they can enhance the accuracy of hydride analysis. These findings are expected to contribute to the advancements in integrity assessment of spent nuclear fuel cladding.
국제해사기구는 국제해운의 온실가스 배출을 줄이기 위한 전략을 채택하였으며, 선박 기인 온실가스 배출을 줄이기 위해 보다 강화된 목표를 설정하고 있다. 액체수소를 기화시켜 연료로 사용하는 고분자 전해질 연료전지는 이러한 규제를 준수하기 위한 유망한 기 술 중 하나로 평가받고 있다. 일반적으로 선박시스템 설계는 선급의 규정에 따라야 하지만 환경규제가 강화됨에 따라 새로운 연료와 시 스템의 도입이 가속화되고 있으며, 이로 인해 규정개발이 기술의 도입을 따라가지 못하는 경우도 발생하고 있다. 이러한 격차를 해소하기 위해, 본 연구에서는 수소 연료가스공급 시스템을 대상으로 위험요소 및 운전분석 기법(HAZOP)과 보호계층분석 기법(LOPA)을 결합하여 신기술의 안전성을 검증하는 방법을 제시하였다. 먼저 HAZOP을 통해 위험 시나리오를 식별하고, LOPA를 통해 정성적인 HAZOP 결과를 정량적으로 보완하였다. 초기사건의 빈도와 독립보호계층(IPL)들의 작동 요구시 고장 확률(PFD)을 계산하였다. 기존 IPL의 적절성을 결정 하기 위해, 예상되는 완화 정도를 가정한 허용기준과 비교하였으며, 필요한 경우, 추가 IPL을 권장하였다. 본 연구를 통해서 HAZOP-LOPA 기법이 조선해양 분야에서 신기술의 안전성을 평가할 수 있는 잠재력을 가지고 있음을 확인하였다.
암모니아는 지구 온난화의 주범인 이산화탄소 배출이 없는 선박용 친환경 연료이다. 그러나 암모니아는 독성가스이면서 동시에 폭발성 및 부식성 가스로서, 선박용으로 사용되려면 누출에 대비한 안전성이 충분히 확보되어야 한다. 본 연구에서는 선박 연 료 준비실에서 암모니아 누출이 발생한 경우, 급․배기구의 위치 변화에 따른 누출 특성에 대하여 해석을 수행하고 환기 거동을 분석 하였다. 누출량은 0.1kg/s로 하고 통풍량은 30 ACH로 하였다. 급기구가 Aft-Top-Stbd, 배기구가 Fwd-Top-Stbd 에 위치 할 경우(Case 1) 가 100 초뒤 평균 암모니아 농도가 가장 높았고 급기구가 Aft-Bottom-Stbd, 배기구가 Fwd-Bottom-Port에 위치하는 경우(Case 14)가 가 장 낮았다. 50초 이후 Case 1은 약 1500ppm 이상의 암모니아 가스가 Aft 쪽으로, Case 14는 Fwd 벽면으로 정체부가 일정하게 나타났 다. 급·배기구 위치와 장비의 배치와 크기에 따라 높이별 암모니아 농도 및 속도가 다르게 분포되고 속도가 상대적으로 느린 부분에 서 정체부가 발생되고 암모니아 농도가 높아졌다. 소량의 암모니아가 10초 동안 0.1kg/s로 누출할 경우 폭발가스의 범위가 높이 1m 정도로 누출 지점 근처에서 형성되어 소량의 암모니아 누출 시 폭발성은 매우 낮았다. 본 연구에서 최적의 급·배기구 위치 조합을 통 해 암모니아 농도를 효과적으로 제어할 수 있음을 확인하였다. 이는 암모니아를 선박 연료로 사용할 때 안전성을 확보하기 위한 설계 기준 마련에 기여할 것으로 기대된다.
Because most spent nuclear fuel storage casks have been designed for low burnup fuel, a safety-significant high burnup dry storage cask must be developed for nuclear facilities in Korea to store the increasing high burnup and damaged fuels. More than 20% of fuels generated by PWRs comprise high burnup fuels. This study conducted a structural safety evaluation of the preliminary designs for a high burnup storage cask with 21 spent nuclear fuels and evaluated feasible loading conditions under normal, off-normal, and accident conditions. Two types of metal and concrete storage casks were used in the evaluation. Structural integrity was assessed by comparing load combinations and stress intensity limits under each condition. Evaluation results showed that the storage cask had secured structural integrity as it satisfied the stress intensity limit under normal, off-normal, and accident conditions. These results can be used as baseline data for the detailed design of high burnup storage casks.
To non-destructively determine the burnup of a spent nuclear fuel assembly, it is essential to analyze the nuclear isotopes present in the assembly and detect the neutrons and gamma rays emitted from these isotopes. Specifically, gamma-ray measurement methods can utilize a single radiation measurement value of 137Cs or measure based on the energy peak ratio of Cs isotopes such as 134Cs/137Cs and 154Eu/137Cs. In this study, we validated the extent to which the results of gamma-ray measurements using cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) sensors based on 137Cs could be accurately simulated by implementing identical conditions on MCNP. To simulate measurement scenarios using a lead collimator, we propose equations that represent radiation behavior that reaches the detector by assuming “Direct hit” and “Penetration with attenuation” situations. The results obtained from MCNP confirmed an increase in measurement efficiency by 0.47 times when using the CZT detector, demonstrating the efficacy of the measurement system.
The 300 concrete silo systems installed and operated at the site of Wolsong nuclear power plant (NPP) have been storing CANDU spent nuclear fuel (SNF) under dry conditions since 1992. The dry storage system must be operated safely until SNF is delivered to an interim storage facility or final repository located outside the NPP in accordance with the SNF management policy of the country. The silo dry storage system consists of a concrete structure, liner steel plate in the inner cavity, and fuel basket. Because the components of the silo system are exposed to high energy radiation owing to the high radioactivity of SNF inside, the effects of irradiation during long-term storage must be analyzed. To this end, material specimens of each component were manufactured and subjected to irradiation and strength tests, and mechanical characteristics before and after irradiation were examined. Notably, the mechanical characteristics of the main components of the silo system were affected by irradiation during the storage of spent fuel. The test results will be used to evaluate the long-term behavior of silo systems in the future.
This study presents a systematic causal analysis of the fuel consumption rate reduction phenomenon observed in mortar-carrier tracked vehicles during driving tests. The investigation focused on identifying the root causes and developing effective improvement measures. Through comprehensive inspections and tests of the chassis and power pack components, along with data analysis, the study identified the damage of the engine flywheel housing gasket and the clogging of the transmission exhaust pump strainer as the main causes of the reduced fuel consumption rate. The causal relationship between the two phenomena was empirically proven using material composition analysis and statistical techniques, enhancing the reliability and validity of the diagnosis. Based on the root cause analysis results, improvements were implemented, including the replacement of the engine gasket and the cleaning of the transmission exhaust pump strainer. The effectiveness of the improvements was quantitatively verified, confirming a significant enhancement in fuel consumption rate and cruising range. By employing a systematic and scientific analysis methodology, this study provides a foundation for improving the reliability and maintenance efficiency of similar weapon systems and power transmission systems in general.
In this study, the design of fuel tank for SUVs (sports utility vehicles) was addressed through structural FE-simulation. For safety evaluation, we performed a shape analysis of fuel tank, discovered improvement measures for weak areas, and reflected them in the fuel tank design. Additionally, a strength analysis was conducted and the analysis results were reflected in the design. As a result of analysis through various design changes, it was possible to propose an appropriate fuel tank shape. Additionally, the effect of changes in the shape of the reinforcement and mounting bracket on the stiffness and strength of the fuel tank bracket was investigated.
PURPOSES : This study analyzed the amount of fuel consumption and atmospheric emissions by type of asphalt concrete mixtures. METHODS : Asphalt concrete mixture was produced directly at the plant, fuel consumption was measured compared to daily production, and atmospheric emissions emitted during the production process were measured. Hot and warm asphalt mixtures were produced, and analyses were conducted according to weather conditions and production volume. RESULTS : The fuel use per ton was confirmed to reduce energy by approximately 23.5% in WMA compared to HMA due to differences in the production temperature during the production of asphalt mixtures. Additionally, HMA production yielded 1.6 times higher atmospheric emissions for CO2 and 3.8 times higher for NOx than that for WMA, indicating that CO2 and NOx emissions tended to increase as fuel consumption increased. CONCLUSIONS : When producing asphalt mixtures, the production temperature, production volume, atmospheric conditions, and site conditions have a significant impact on fuel usage and atmospheric emissions.