• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제35권4호
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• pp.286-298
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• 2003

A steam explosion module, STX, has been developed using the mechanistic steam explosion analysis code, TEXAS-V, in order to estimate the dynamic load with steam explosion by implementing the module to the integrated safety analysis code, MELCOR. One of the difficulties in using mechanistic steam explosion codes is that they do not have any obvious criteria for defining some uncertain parameters such as triggering timing, triggering magnitude, mesh axial length and mesh cross-sectional area. These parameters have been user decision parts in the past. Steam explosion sample calculations and sensitivity studies on uncertain parameters were conducted to investigate those uncertain parameters. The TEXAS-V simulations were summarized in the format of a look-up table and a linear interpolation technique was adopted to calculate the steam explosion load between the data points in the table. The STX-module merged with MELCOR showed the same results as the original MELCOR and additionally it could estimate the steam explosion load in the reactor cavity.

• 대한기계학회:학술대회논문집
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• 대한기계학회 2007년도 춘계학술대회B
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• pp.3479-3484
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• 2007

Two steam explosion experiments were performed in the TROI facility by using metal-added molten corium (core material) which is produced during a postulated severe accident in the nuclear reactor. A triggered steam explosion occurred in a case, but no triggered steam explosion did in the other case. The dynamic pressure and the dynamic load measured in the former experiment show a stronger explosion that those performed previously with oxidic corium. A steam explosion is prohibited when the melt temperature is low, because the melt is easily solidified to prevent a liquid-liquid interaction.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제51권1호
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• pp.95-103
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• 2019

Vapor explosions can be classified in terms of modes of contact between the hot molten fuel and the coolant, since different contact modes may affect fuel-coolant mixing and subsequent vapor explosion energetics. It is generally accepted that most vapor explosion phenomena fall into three different modes of contact; fuel pouring into coolant, coolant injection into fuel and stratified fuel-coolant layers. In this study, we review previous stratified steam explosion experiments as well as recent experiments performed at the KTH in Sweden. While experiments with prototypic reactor materials are minimal, we do note that generally the energetics is limited for the stratified mode of contact. When the fuel mass involved in a steam explosion in a stratified geometry is compared to a pool geometry based on geometrical aspects, one can conclude that there is a very limited set of conditions (when melt jet diameter is small) under which a steam explosion is more energetic in a stratified geometry. However, under these limited conditions the absolute energetic explosion output would still be small because the total fuel mass involved would be limited.

• 펄프종이기술
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• 제33권3호
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• pp.75-83
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• 2001

The potential of oxygen delignification is a powerful tool to reduce detrimental environmental effects. This study was performed to investigate the effect of steam explosion treatment of chemically treated oak wood on oxygen-alkali pulping. Pulp yield during steam explosion treatment by ${Na_2}{O_3}$-NaOH impregnation was higher than the other impregnation chemicals. Also, NaOH extraction at room temperature after steam explosion treatment improved the kappa number from 140~116 to 90~64. Oxygen-alkali pulping of chemical steam explosion treated woods affected to pulp yields. ${Na_2}{O_3}$-NaOH impregnation was very effective to higher carbohydrate yields at same delignification level. Its carbohydrate yield seemed to be highly related to the effluent pH. Oxygen-alkali pulping after steam explosion treatment of ${Na_2}{O_3}$-NaOH impregnated wood was shown that carbohydrate yield was very high because its effluent pH was increase from natural to mild alkali. Even if oxygen bleaching limit the delignification to 50% in order to avoid unacceptable yield and viscosity losses, oxygen-alkali pulping after steam explosion by ${Na_2}{O_3}$-NaOH impregnation was possible to extend the delignification more than 80%. Considering high pulp yield with lower lignin content from steam explosion treated wood, it might be profitable to end the cook at a high kappa number instead of a low kappa number, and continuously apply the oxygen delignification, in order to better quality pulp.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제48권1호
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• pp.72-86
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• 2016

A steam explosion may occur during a severe accident, when the molten core comes into contact with water. The pressurized water reactor and boiling water reactor ex-vessel steam explosion study, which was carried out with the multicomponent three-dimensional Eulerian fuel-coolant interaction code under the conditions of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Steam Explosion Resolution for Nuclear Applications project reactor exercise, is presented and discussed. In reactor calculations, the largest uncertainties in the prediction of the steam explosion strength are expected to be caused by the large uncertainties related to the jet breakup. To obtain some insight into these uncertainties, premixing simulations were performed with both available jet breakup models, i.e., the global and the local models. The simulations revealed that weaker explosions are predicted by the local model, compared to the global model, due to the predicted smaller melt droplet size, resulting in increased melt solidification and increased void buildup, both reducing the explosion strength. Despite the lower active melt mass predicted for the pressurized water reactor case, pressure loads at the cavity walls are typically higher than that for the boiling water reactor case. This is because of the significantly larger boiling water reactor cavity, where the explosion pressure wave originating from the premixture in the center of the cavity has already been significantly weakened on reaching the distant cavity wall.

• 대한기계학회:학술대회논문집
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• 대한기계학회 2004년도 춘계학술대회
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• pp.2041-2046
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• 2004

Recently series of steam explosion experiments have been performed in the TROI facility to identify the influence of corium compositions on the occurrence of a spontaneous steam explosion varying corium melt composition. The compositions of the corium were 0 : 100, 50 : 50, 70 : 30, 80 : 20 and 87 : 13 at weight percent of $UO_2$ to $ZrO_2$, and the mass of the corium was about 10kg. Corium melt at 0 : 100 weight percent (pure zirconia) caused a strong spontaneous steam explosion, and melt at 70 : 30 weight percent(eutectic corium) led to a weak steam spike, while melts at other compositions did not result in spontaneous steam explosions, when they came into contact with 67cm deep water pool at room temperature. It seems that the explosivity of pure zirconia is stronger than that of corium at other compositions and a steam explosion is not likely to occur with corium melts at non-eutectic compositions which are included in mushy zone region.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제36권6호
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• pp.571-581
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• 2004

A methodology is proposed for the evaluation of a steam explosion load on a reactor scale by evaluating the steam explosion model against the experimental data. Being part of the OECD/SERENA program,, appropriate data was selected by international experts and the analytical model of TEXAS-V was chosen. The procedure consists of two steps. the pre-mixing model was verified against the FARO L-14 and FARO L-28 data. The explosion model was verified against the experimental data of KROTOS-44, FARO L-33, TROI-13, and TROI-34. The capabilities and deficiencies of the fundamental models of the TEXAS-V are reviewed in terms of their adequacy in a simulation of steam explosion on a reactor scale.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• 제44권2호
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• pp.218-230
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• 2016

The effect of steam explosion coupled with alkali (1% sodium hydroxide, 1% potassium hydroxide and 15% sodium carbonate) or organosolv solvent (85% methanol, 70% ethanol and dioxane) on the production of sugar, changes in the chemical composition of M. sinensis were evaluated. The steam explosion coupled with 1% potassium hydroxide and dioxane were better as compared with other treatments based on the removals of acid insoluble lignin, and about 89.0% and 85.4%. Enzymatic hydrolysis of steam explosion with 1% potassium hydroxide and dioxane treated M. sinensis, gave a 98.0% and 96.5% of glucose conversion, respectively. These results suggested that pretreatment of M. sinensis with either potassium hydroxide or dioxane could be a promising pretreatment method for glucose production.

• 대한기계학회:학술대회논문집
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• 대한기계학회 2002년도 학술대회지
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• pp.407-410
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• 2002

A series of steam explosion experiments using real core materials of $ZrO_2$ and corium(a mixture of $ZrO_{2}\;and\;UO_{2}$) has been performed to evaluate the risk of steam explosion load in nuclear power plants. Surprisingly, spontaneous steam explosions are observed far both materials, which have been thought to be inexplosive so far. The dynamic pressure and morphology of the debris clearly indicate the evidence of an explosion. The experimental results also indicate that $ZrO_2$ is more explosive than corium.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제47권7호
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• pp.907-914
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• 2015

The energetic steam explosion caused by contact between the high temperature molten core and water is one of the phenomena that may threaten the integrity of the containment vessel during severe accidents of light water reactors (LWRs). We examined the dependence of steam explosion loads in a typical reactor cavity geometry on selected model parameters and initial/boundary conditions by using a steam explosion simulation code, JASMINE, developed at Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA). Among the parameters, we put an emphasis on the water pool depth that has significance in terms of accident mitigation strategies including cavity flooding. The results showed a strong correlation between the load and the premixed mass, defined as the mass of the molten material in low void zones (void fraction < 0.75). The jet diameter and velocity that comprise the flow rate were the primary factors to determine the premixed mass and the load. The water pool depth also showed a significant impact. The energy conversion ratio based on the enthalpy in the premixed mass was in a narrow range ~4%. Based on this observation, we proposed a simplified method for evaluation of the steam explosion load. The results showed fair agreement with JASMINE.