Code Development

We are developing and upgrading MUST (Multi-group Unstructured geometry SN Transport) code for analyzing radiation transport for complicated geometries.

It solves multi-group neutral particle (neutron/gamma) transport equation by using Tetrahedral Meshes for Complicated Geometrical Problems.

Unstructured mesh generation with CAD-based models is used.

Now, we are developing acceleration method to reduce computing time.

Theoretical analysis of the convergence of the acceleration methods

Advanced SFR Core Designs

We are performing projects on “new safe Sodium cooled Fast Reactor (SFR) having high burning rate of LWR spent fuel TRU” for supporting KAERI.

Effective Use of Thorium Blankets for Burner Core

Use of Uranium-Free Fuels

We have designed new advanced burner SFRs (400MWe) to have TRU burning rate with small sodium void worth. The core uses uranium-free fuelled (inner) and uranium-based metallic fuelled (outer) regions to mitigate the degradation of safety parameters.

We have peformed equilibrium cycle and initial-transition-equilibrium cycle analyses.

Ultra-Long-Life Fast Reactors

Ultra-Long-Life Small-Safe Fast Reactors are developed for operation of ~50 Years without refueling.

Axial Blanket-Driver-Blanket (ABDB) Burnup Strategy with Thorium Blanket

TRU burning and retention over ultra-long-life

Use of heterogeneous fuel assemblies with driver and blanket fuels allowing power shift within fuel assemblies

Partial recycling concept for multi-recycling in Ultra-Long-Life Core

PWR-based SMRs : Boron-Free Long-Cycle SMR

Ultra-Long-Life Small-Safe Fast Reactors are developed for operation of ~50 Years without refueling.

Non-fuel BP rods containing BISO BP particles (B4C kernel) are employed to reduce excess reactivity.

They do not only give low excess reactivity but also flat variation of reactivity.

PWR-based SMRs : TRU Multi-Recycling

We suggested new TRU recycling option using PWR fuel assemblies with MOX(TRU) and FCM fuel rods to consume PWR spent fuel TRUs with electricity generation

TRUs from MOX fuels are recycled but TRUs from FCM fuels are not recycled (FCM fuels have good FP retension capability).

This concept has considerable net TRU consumption rate.

Spent Fuel Mangement

We are developing a code (called ‘Amores’) for automatically estimating spent fuel characteristics and source-terms of a huge amount of spent fuels.

Automatic preparation of ORIGEN-S inputs and executions for a huge number of spent fuels.

Automatic estimation of source-terms and characteristics for a huge number of spent fuels with spent fuel database.

Projection of future spent fuel generation and accumulation

Criticality safety analysis for spent fuel storage and transportation facilities is actively studied with burnup credit.

Consideration of the realistic axial burnup distribution with core analysis

Uncertainty evaluation of criticality analysis