Submit to Energies Review for Energies Propose a Special Issue

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Nuclear Engineering and Technology

Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "B4: Nuclear Energy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 March 2023) | Viewed by 16952

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Oleg Leonidovich Tashlykov

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Nuclear Power Plants and Renewable Energy Sources, Ural Power Engineering Institute, Ural Federal University, St. Mira, 19, 620002 Yekaterinburg, Russia
Interests: exposure dose; optimization of radiation protection; nuclear power industry; fast neutron reactor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue on "Nuclear Engineering and Technology" aims to present a wide range of thematic areas across all aspects of nuclear engineering and technology, including safety. Meeting the global energy demand requires a significant increase in electricity production while reducing CO₂ emissions. Nuclear energy plays an important role in the development of Green Energy and can provide a reliable energy supply to the world’s population.

A promising large-scale nuclear power industry should have guaranteed safety, economic stability and competitiveness, the absence of limitations on the resource base for a long period of time, and environmental sustainability. These conditions are satisfied by two-component nuclear power systems (NES) with fast breeder reactors and thermal reactors of the VVER (PWR) type using a closed nuclear fuel cycle.

The main condition for the development of nuclear power is its safety. In accordance with the recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection, the task of radiation protection is to optimize and reduce the exposure of personnel or the public during the operation and decommissioning of nuclear power plants.

The implementation of the optimization principle should be carried out in all directions: optimization of the composition of radiation-protective materials, route optimization, etc.

Today, research has been conducted on the creation of new composite radiation-shielding materials with high protective properties, low toxicity, and compliance with the optimization principle. The route optimization of work in non-uniform radiation fields (i.e., determination of the optimal route of movement and the optimal sequence for dismantling equipment of radioactive systems) allows for reducing the dose load of personnel without significant material costs.

A promising direction for minimizing the exposure of personnel is the development of 3D models of radiation-hazardous premises and equipment.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

Design, operation, decommissioning of fast breeder reactors;
Two-component nuclear power system;
NPP with increased safety;
Systems of passive safety of nuclear installations;
Technologies for processing liquid radioactive waste;
Ion-Selective Purification of liquid radioactive waste;
Development of composite radiation-shielding materials (concrete, glass, polymer matrices, alloys, etc.);
Optimization of the composite radiation-shielding materials composition;
Route optimization of works in non-uniform radiation fields;
Technologies for decommissioning of NPP units;
Combined production of heat and electricity at nuclear power plants;
Improving the energy efficiency of nuclear power plants;
New technologies for the repair of radioactive equipment;
New technologies for decontamination of radioactive equipment;
Prolongation of NPP operation life;
The role of virtual simulations in personnel training and reducing their exposure to radiation.

Dr. Oleg Leonidovich Tashlykov
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

nuclear power plant
fast breeder reactor
closed nuclear fuel cycle
irradiation dose
optimization of radiation protection
route optimization
composite radiation protective material
decommissioning
radiation protection optimization
radioactive waste
liquid radioactive waste
ion-selective purification of liquid radioactive waste

Published Papers (9 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

Jump to: Review

24 pages, 8521 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Nuclear-Renewable Hybrid Energy System with Load Following for Fast Charging Stations

by Otavio Lopes Alves Esteves and Hossam A. Gabbar

Energies 2023, 16(10), 4151; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en16104151 - 17 May 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1206

Abstract

The transportation sector is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions. Electric vehicles (EVs) have gained popularity as a solution to reduce emissions, but the high load of charging stations poses a challenge to the power grid. Nuclear-Renewable Hybrid Energy Systems (N-RHES) present a promising alternative to support fast charging stations, reduce grid dependency, and decrease emissions. However, the intermittent problem of renewable energy sources (RESs) limits their application, and the synergies among different technologies have not been fully exploited. This paper proposes a predictive and adaptive control strategy to optimize the energy management of N-RHES for fast charging stations, considering the integration of nuclear, photovoltaics, and wind turbine energy with a hydrogen storage fuel cell system. The proposed dynamic model of a fast-charging station predicts electricity consumption behavior during charging processes, generating probabilistic forecasting of electricity consumption time-series profiling. Key performance indicators and sensitivity analyses illustrate the practicability of the suggested system, which offers a comprehensive solution to provide reliable, sustainable, and low-emission energy to fast-charging stations while reducing emissions and dependency on the power grid. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nuclear Engineering and Technology)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 5595 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Influence Mechanism of Neutron Kinetics of the Accelerator-Driven Subcritical Reactor Based on the Fast/Thermal Neutron Spectra by Monte Carlo Homogenization Method

by Nianbiao Deng, Chao Xie, Cheng Hou, Zhulun Li, Jinsen Xie and Tao Yu

Energies 2023, 16(8), 3545; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en16083545 - 19 Apr 2023

Viewed by 758

Abstract

For the sake of understanding the mechanism of deep subcriticality and high heterogeneity of neutron fluence rate in time–space on the neutron kinetics of the Accelerator-driven Subcritical Reactor Subcritical Reactor (ADSR) under varied beam transients and neutron spectra. A Monte Carlo homogenization approach for the neutron time–space kinetics of the ADSR is proposed in this study, and the influence mechanism on the kinetic parameters of the ADSR under varied neutron spectra, subcriticality, and beam transients is examined. The results show that the Monte Carlo homogenization for the α eigenvalue mode is more adaptable to the subcriticality characteristics under varied subcriticality; under beam transients, the relative differences in the kinetic parameters of the different modes of the ADSR with fast/thermal spectra increase with the depth of subcriticality, and the differences in neutron generation time for varied modes are larger than those of effective fraction of delayed neutron. Thus, it is recommended to use a more adaptable Monte Carlo homogenization method for the time–space kinetics of ADSR, and the effects of the high heterogeneity of neutron fluence rate and deep subcriticality in time–space on the neutron generation time should be considered. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nuclear Engineering and Technology)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 6071 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of KLT-40S Fuel Assembly Design on Burnup Characteristics

by Zedong Zhou, Jinsen Xie, Nianbiao Deng, Pengyu Chen, Zhiqiang Wu and Tao Yu

Energies 2023, 16(8), 3364; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en16083364 - 11 Apr 2023

Viewed by 1607

Abstract

The KLT-40S is a small modular reactor developed by Russia based on the KLT-40 reactor with two fuel assembly designs: a four-ring and a five-ring. Few studies have been published on fuel assembly and power-flattening designs for the KLT-40S. In this paper, the effects of different fuel assembly designs on burnup and power flattening are investigated. This paper compares the effects of the two fuel assembly designs of the KLT-40S on its burnup characteristics, analyzes the effects of fuel rod diameter on burnup characteristics, and conducts a computational study on the ideal power-flattening design. The results show that the five-ring fuel assembly design has better burnup characteristics than the four-ring fuel assembly design. At a fuel rod diameter of 0.62 cm, the optimal burnup lattice is obtained. The 15.84% + 19.75% power-flattening design (uranium enrichment in the innermost and outermost rings + uranium enrichment in inner rings) reduces the local power peaking factor of the five-ring fuel assembly below 1.11 throughout the lifetime. Therefore, the KLT-40S five-ring fuel assembly has better burnup characteristics, and its optimal burnup lattice is at the 0.62 cm fuel rod diameter. The use of power-flattening designs can effectively reduce the local power peaking factor. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nuclear Engineering and Technology)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 7932 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Study on Creep-Fatigue Evaluation of Nuclear Cladded Components by ASME-III Division 5

by Gyeong-Hoi Koo, Sang-Yun Lee, Joo-Hwan Seo, Kang-Hyun Song, Geun-Suk Choi and Myong-Sung Sohn

Energies 2023, 16(6), 2898; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en16062898 - 21 Mar 2023

Viewed by 1168

Abstract

In this paper, a study on creep-fatigue evaluation on the cladded nuclear component subjecting to low pressure and high temperature services is carried out. To do this, the codes and standards presented by ASME-III Division 5 are reviewed, and a detailed evaluation procedure is presented step by step for practical applications. As an example of practical design application, a molten salt reactor vessel with a cladding thickness of 10% of the base material thickness is designed and four representative operation cycle types are established. The stress cycle types based on finite element stress analysis are determined from the operation cycle types having coolant temperature and pressure time history loads, and results of the creep-fatigue evaluation are described step by step according to the evaluation procedure. From the result of the creep-fatigue evaluation, it is found that the creep-fatigue evaluation for reactors such as molten salt reactor, sodium-cooled reactor, and so on, which are operated at low pressure and high temperature, is dominated by thermal loads. In this study, the effects of the cladding material and the thermal stresses on the creep-fatigue evaluation are investigated. In addition, as one of the design options to reduce the thermal stresses, the thickness of the exampled vessel is reduced, and the calculated creep-fatigue values are compared with the acceptance creep-fatigue envelope criteria of the ASME-III Division 5. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nuclear Engineering and Technology)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

11 pages, 4503 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Reducing the Exposure Dose by Optimizing the Route of Personnel Movement When Visiting Specified Points and Taking into Account the Avoidance of Obstacles

by Oleg L. Tashlykov, Alexey M. Grigoryev and Yuriy A. Kropachev

Energies 2022, 15(21), 8222; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15218222 - 03 Nov 2022

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 964

Abstract

The data on the collective dose reduction of a nuclear power plant’s personnel after the introduction of new dose limits by the International Commission for Radiological Protection (ICRP) (Publication 60) in 1990 are presented. The main methods of personnel irradiation reduction are formulated, which are namely: to impact on radiation parameters, to increase the distance between a radiation source and a person, and to reduce the exposure time in radiation fields. The ways to implement one of the basic principles of radiation safety, the principle of optimization, are described. The possibility of route optimization in minimizing the personnel dose costs when moving in heterogeneous radiation fields is shown. The results of the algorithm development for solving the “dosimetrist problem” using the Dijkstra algorithm and dynamic programming are presented, including determining the optimal route with visiting given points in the room and bypassing possible obstacles. An interpolation algorithm based on the method of radial basic functions for constructing a radiation map of a room is proposed and implemented. The results of a computational experiment using the “Uran” supercomputer and the assessment of the developed algorithm efficiency are given. The results of experimental verification of the developed algorithm for solving the “dosimetrist problem” using interpolation in the operating nuclear power plant conditions are presented. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nuclear Engineering and Technology)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

38 pages, 8304 KiB

Open AccessArticle

DYN3D and CTF Coupling within a Multiscale and Multiphysics Software Development (Part II)

by Sebastian Davies, Dzianis Litskevich, Bruno Merk, Andrew Levers, Paul Bryce and Anna Detkina

Energies 2022, 15(13), 4843; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15134843 - 01 Jul 2022

Viewed by 1748

Abstract

Traditionally, the complex coupled physical phenomena in nuclear reactors has resulted in them being treated separately or, at most, simplistically coupled in between within nuclear codes. Currently, coupling software environments are allowing different types of coupling, modularizing the nuclear codes or multi-physics. Several multiscale and multi-physics software developments for LWR are incorporating these to deliver improved or full coupled reactor physics at the fuel pin level. An alternative multiscale and multi-physics nuclear software development between NURESIM and CASL is being created for the UK. The coupling between DYN3D nodal code and CTF subchannel code can be used to deliver improved coupled reactor physics at the fuel pin level. In the current journal article, the second part of the DYN3D and CTF coupling was carried out to analyse a parallel two-way coupling between these codes and, hence, the outer iterations necessary for convergence to deliver verified improved coupled reactor physics at the fuel pin level. This final verification shows that the DYN3D and CTF coupling delivers improved effective multiplication factors, fission, and feedback distributions due to the presence of crossflow and turbulent mixing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nuclear Engineering and Technology)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

24 pages, 7116 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Thermochemical Modeling of Metal Composition and Its Impact on the Molten Corium–Concrete Interaction: New Insights with Sensitivity Analysis

by Ilyas Khurshid, Imran Afgan and Yacine Addad

Energies 2022, 15(9), 3387; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15093387 - 06 May 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1528

Abstract

The characterization of molten corium–concrete interaction (MCCI) has increasingly become a cause of concern because, in the case of a severe nuclear accident, the core could meltdown and release radiation into the environment. The objective of this study was to determine the thermochemical impact of metal content in the corium and analyze the effect of corium metal content on ablation depth, corium temperature, its viscosity and surface heat flux, and production of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide. The governing heat transfer equations were solved while considering the various thermochemical reactions in the existing numerical code in a comprehensive way. The developed MCCI model in CORQUENCH was validated against the data available in the literature. Our findings showed that the composition of corium, especially its metal content, has a noticeable effect on mitigating or aggravating the ablation depth and nuclear reactor integrity. We observed that during molten corium–concrete interaction, zirconium plays a significant role and its presence can increase the ablation depth exponentially from 18.5 to 139 cm in the investigated case study. It was found that the presence of zirconium in the corium instigated various thermochemical reactions continuously, and thus the injected water, instead of quenching the molten corium, enhances the temperature by facilitating exothermic reactions. Additionally, due to the presence of zirconium, the production of hydrogen and carbon monoxide increases by 45 and 52 times, respectively and the generation of carbon dioxide becomes zero because the zirconium reacts with carbon dioxide continuously, converting it to carbon monoxide. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nuclear Engineering and Technology)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

11 pages, 4545 KiB

Open AccessReview

Development of Methods for Route Optimization of Work in Inhomogeneous Radiation Fields to Minimize the Dose Load of Personnel

by Oleg L. Tashlykov, Alexander N. Sesekin, Alexander G. Chentsov and Alexei A. Chentsov

Energies 2022, 15(13), 4788; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15134788 - 29 Jun 2022

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 945

Abstract

The importance of the optimization principle implementation in ensuring the radiation protection of NPP personnel was emphasized. The potential of route optimization in reducing the dose load of the personnel of nuclear power plants and other nuclear facilities is shown. The paper considers the main directions of the authors’ development of the theory and algorithms of route optimization of work in inhomogeneous radiation fields during maintenance, repair, modernization, dismantling of NPP equipment, and elimination of the radiation accident consequences. The results of the computational experiments that were carried out with the “Uran” supercomputer of the IMM UB RAS for the checking of the developed algorithms are presented. The article provides an overview of the developed methods of route optimization of work using the dynamic programming method, including consideration of the constraints in the form of precedence conditions, which means the requirement to perform certain tasks only after the completion of others. Dijkstra’s method was used to solve the “dosimetrist’s problem”, where the optimal route for the dosimetrist’s movement is being constructed, including obstacles bypassing and visiting specified points in the room where it is necessary to perform work to determine the radiation environment characteristics such as measuring the radiation dose rate, taking samples, etc. The routing of movements with the non-additive aggregation of costs is considered. The content of the problem is shown on the example of the radiation accident consequences eliminating on a locality, where, as a result of radioactive fragments scattering, a system of emitting elements appears, which must be deactivated, i.e., dismantled or screened. This task must be carried out in consecutive cycles with a definite threshold level of personnel exposure per shift. A characteristic feature is the dependence of cost functions (here, dosimetric cost) on the list of tasks: only sources that have not been dismantled yet continue emitting at the moment. Precedence conditions are also possible. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nuclear Engineering and Technology)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

43 pages, 34842 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Review of Nanomaterial Based Scintillators

by Sujung Min, Hara Kang, Bumkyung Seo, JaeHak Cheong, Changhyun Roh and Sangbum Hong

Energies 2021, 14(22), 7701; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14227701 - 17 Nov 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 5680

Abstract

Recently, nanomaterial-based scintillators are newly emerging technologies for many research fields, including medical imaging, nuclear security, nuclear decommissioning, and astronomical applications, among others. To date, scintillators have played pivotal roles in the development of modern science and technology. Among them, plastic scintillators have a low atomic number and are mainly used for beta-ray measurements owing to their low density, but these types of scintillators can be manufactured not in large sizes but also in various forms with distinct properties and characteristics. However, the plastic scintillator is mainly composed of C, H, O and N, implying that the probability of a photoelectric effect is low. In a gamma-ray nuclide analysis, they are used for time-related measurements given their short luminescence decay times. Generally, inorganic scintillators have relatively good scintillation efficiency rates and resolutions. And there are thus widely used in gamma-ray spectroscopy. Therefore, developing a plastic scintillator with performance capabilities similar to those of an inorganic scintillator would mean that it could be used for detection and monitoring at radiological sites. Many studies have reported improved performance outcomes of plastic scintillators based on nanomaterials, exhibiting high-performance plastic scintillators or flexible film scintillators using graphene, perovskite, and 2D materials. Furthermore, numerous fabrication methods that improve the performance through the doping of nanomaterials on the surface have been introduced. Herein, we provide an in-depth review of the findings pertaining to nanomaterial-based scintillators to gain a better understanding of radiological detection technological applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nuclear Engineering and Technology)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Nuclear Engineering and Technology

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Published Papers (9 papers)

Research

Review

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI