The conventional research trend on spent fuel was safety analysis based on mechanical perspective. Analysis of spent fuel cladding is based on the temperature of cladding and pressure inside cladding. To improve fuel cladding analysis, precise and accurate thermal safety evaluation is required. In this study a database which is about thermal conductivity and emissivity for the thermal modeling was established for a long-term safety analysis of spent fuel. As a result, we confirmed that the thermal conductivity of zirconium hydride was not accounted in conventional model such as FRAPCON and MATPRO. The conductivity of zirconium and its oxide was evaluated only as a function of temperature. However, the behavior of heat conductivity and emissivity is determined by the change of the material properties. The material properties depend on the microstructural characteristic. It can be seen that this conventional approach does not consider the microstructure change behavior according to vacuum drying process or burn-up induced degradation phenomena. To improve the thermal properties of spent nuclear fuel cladding, the measurement experiments of heat conduction and emissivity are required according to spent fuel experience and status such as the number of vacuum drying, cooling rate, burn up, hydrogen concentration and oxidation degree. In previous domestic reports and papers, we found that relative data between thermal properties and spent fuel experience and status does not exist. Recently, in order to understand the failure mechanism of hydrogen embrittlement, many studies have been conducted by accounting and spent fuel experience and status in a mechanical perspective. If microstructure information could be obtained from these studies, the modeling of thermal conductivity and emissivity will be possible indirectly. According to a recent abroad paper, it was confirmed that the thermal conductivity decreased by about 30% due to irradiation damage. The radiation damage effects on thermal conductivity also has not been studied in zirconium oxide and hydride. These un-revealed phenomena will be considered for the thermal safety model of spent fuel.

온실에서 겨울철 야간에는 열손실을 줄이기 위한 목적으로, 여름철 주간에는 차광을 위한 목적으로 스크린을 사용하고 있다. 온실의 냉난방 에너지 절감효과에 큰 영향을 미치는 스크린의 장파복사 방사율과 흡수 율은 온실에 설치할 적절한 스크린을 선택하는데 있어서 중요한 요소가 되며 이러한 특성값들을 정확하게 측 정할 수 있는 방법이 필요하다. 외부 환경조건에서 스크린의 장파복사 특성의 측정과 관련된 연구가 일부 수 행된 바 있지만 모든 종류의 스크린에 적용할 수 있는 방법은 아니고 공극이 있는 스크린 자재에만 적용이 가능한 방법이다. 본 연구에서는 순복사계 및 야간복사계를 사용하여 온실 스크린의 장파복사 흡수량과 방사량을 측정하고, 방사율, 흡수율 및 투과율을 결정하는 새로운 방법을 제시하였다. 특성값의 측정은 공극이 0인 4가 지 종류의 스크린 자재에 대하여 수행하였다. 모든 자재가 장파복사 방사량이 흡수량보다 높게 나타났다. PE, LD-13, LD-15 and PH-2의 장파복사 방사율은 각각 0.439±0.020, 0.460±0.010, 0.454±0.004, and 0.499±0.006 범위로 나타났다.

We study the relationships between the thermal emissivity of nuclear graphites (IG-110, PCEA, IG-430 and NBG-18) and their surface structural change by oxidation using scanning electron microscope and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The nonoxidized (0% weight loss) specimen had the surface covered with glassy materials and the 5% and 10% oxidized specimens, however, showed high roughness of the surface without glassy materials. During oxidation the binder materials were oxidized first and then graphitic filler particles were subsequently oxidized. The 002 interlayer spacings of the non-oxidized and the oxidized specimens were about 3.38~3.39a. There was a slight change in crystallite size after oxidation compared to the nonoxidized specimens. It was difficult to find a relationship between the thermal emissivity and the structural parameters obtained from the XRD analysis.

Recent high efficiency electronic devices have been found to have heat emission problems. As for LEDs, an excessive increase in the device temperature causes a drop of the luminous efficiency and circuit lifetime. Therefore, heat release in the limited space of such electronic parts is very important. This is a study of the possibility of using a coating of carbon materials as a solution for the thermal emission problem of electronic devices. Powdered carbon materials, cokes, carbon blacks, amorphous graphite, and natural flakes were coated with an organic binder on an aluminum sheet and the subsequent thermal emissivity was measured with an FT-IR spectrometer and was found to be in the range of 5~20 μm at 50˚C. The emissivity of the carbon materials coated on the aluminum sheet was shown to be over 0.8 and varied according to carbon type. The maximum thermal emissivity on the carbon black coated-aluminum surface was shown to be 0.877. The emissivity of the anodized aluminum sheets that were used as heat releasing materials of the electronic parts was reported to be in the range of 0.7~0.8. Therefore, the use of a coating of carbon material can be a potential solution that facillitates heat dissipation for electronic parts.

Thermal emissivity of nuclear graphite was measured with its oxidation degree. Commercial nuclear graphites (IG-110, PECA, IG-430, and NBG-18) have been used as samples. Concave on graphites surface increased as its oxidation degree increased, and R value (Id/Ig) of the graphites decreased as the oxidation degree increased. The thermal emissivity increased depending on the decrease of the R (Id/Ig) value through Raman spectroscopy analysis. It was determined that the thermal emissivity was influenced by the crystallinity of the nuclear graphite.

Thermal emissivity of commercial nuclear graphites (IG-110, PCEA, IG-430 and NBG-18) following changes in oxidation degrees were examined. Specimens were oxidized to 0%, 5%, and 10% in air flow of 5l/min at 600℃ using a furnace, and the thermal emissivities were measured using an infrared spectrum analyzer. The measuring temperatures for the thermal emissivity were 100℃, 200℃, 300℃, 400℃ 500℃. Also density and porosity of the specimens were observed to compare with thermal emissivity. Results showed that emissivity increased with oxidation, and the 10% oxidized NBG-18 showed the highest emissivity (0.890) which value is larger for 24% than the value of as-received specimen. Investigation of factors affecting the emissivity revealed that increases in the surface roughness and porosity due to oxidation were responsible for the increase in emissivity after oxidation.

Graphite for the nuclear reactor is used to the moderator, reflector and supporter in which fuel rod inside of nuclear reactor. Recently, there are many researches has been performed on the various characteristics of nuclear graphite, however most of them are restricted to the structural and the mechanical properties. Therefore we focused on the thermal property of nuclear graphite. This study investigated the thermal emissivity following the oxidation degree of nuclear graphite with IG-11 used as a sample. IG-11 was oxidized to 6% and 11% in air at 5 l/min at 600˚C. The porosity and thermal emissivity of the sample were measured using a mercury porosimeter and by an IR method, respectively. The thermal emissivity of an oxidized sample was measured at 100˚C, 200˚C, 300˚C, 400˚C and 500˚C. The porosity of the oxidized samples was found to increase as the oxidation degree increased. The thermal emissivity increased as the oxidation degree increased, and the thermal emissivity decreased as the measured temperature increased. It was confirmed that the thermal emissivity of oxidized IG-11 is correlated with the porosity of the sample.