Impact Factor: 0.5

Published since January 1, 1987

Kerntechnik

Independent Journal for Nuclear Engineering

ISSN: 2195-8580

About this journal

Kerntechnik is an independent journal for nuclear engineering (including design, operation, safety and economics of nuclear power stations, research reactors and simulators), energy systems, radiation (ionizing radiation in industry, medicine and research) and radiological protection (biological effects of ionizing radiation, the system of protection for occupational, medical and public exposures, the assessment of doses, operational protection and safety programs, management of radioactive wastes, decommissioning and regulatory requirements). For more than 75 years Kerntechnik offers original scientific and technical contributions, review papers and conference reports.
All articles are subject to thorough, independent peer review.

History

In 1956, the publisher Karl Thiemig founded the journal ATOMKERNENERGIE after the Paris Treaties of May 1955 enabled the Federal Republic of Germany to re-enter nuclear technology. The dynamic scientific development that started at that time prompted Karl Thiemig to launch a second technical journal, KERNTECHNIK. At the end of 1970, the journal ATOMPRAXIS, published by Verlag Braun, was merged into KERNTECHNIK.

In 1979, the journals ATOMKERNENERGIE and KERNTECHNIK in turn merged into one journal with the ATOMKERNENERGIE/KERNTECHNIK. When the Thiemig publishing house ceased its operations in early 1986, Carl Hanser Verlag acquired the journal and continued to publish it under the title KERNTECHNIK from 1987.

KERNTECHNIK is the only independent German journal publishing scientific articles in English in the fields of nuclear technology and radiation protection. During the last decade, KERNTECHNIK has increasingly developed into a journal respected by international experts. In order to secure KERNTECHNIK for the future, in which high visibility of publications, the impact factor and open access play an increasingly decisive role, Carl Hanser Verlag has decided to place the journal KERNTECHNIK into the hands of the very renowned and successful scientific publisher Walter de Gruyter as of 01.01.2021.

De Gruyter publishes first-class research and has done so for more than 270 years and is an international, independent publisher headquartered in Berlin. The company publishes over 1,300 new book titles each year and more than 900 journals in the humanities, social sciences, medicine, mathematics, engineering, computer sciences, natural sciences, and law, and also offers a wide range of digital media, including open access journals and books.

The publishing house is represented in international markets by its own offices or partners. As an independent scientific publisher with a long-term strategy, de Gruyter offers an almost perfect environment for KERNTECHNIK to flourish and is an excellent strategic addition to its technology and natural sciences division.

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Supplementary Materials

Topics

Volume 88 Issue 6

December 2023

Publicly Available November 27, 2023

Frontmatter

Page range: i-iii

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October 9, 2023

CFD modeling of natural convection in pebble bed geometry with finite volume method

Salih Said Çatalbas, Ali Tiftikci

Page range: 617-631

Abstract

In this study, we used the finite volume method to computationally model natural convective flow in packed bed geometry. Using the OpenFOAM ® v2112 code, we performed the computational analysis. We successfully meshed the intricate packed bed flow geometry, which consists of several spheres positioned at random. The spheres have sizes of 0.006 and 0.01 m, and the associated Rayleigh numbers are 1.83 × 10 7 and 8.48 × 10 7 respectively. We used the packed bed heights of H / d = 5, 10, and 20 in the simulations. By comparing the results of the OpenFOAM ® v2112 simulations of the natural convection flow for all self-heating sphere in a packed bed, we demonstrated that the velocity distributions and Nusselt values are in good agreement with the experimental data. Additionally, it was evident from the velocity and temperature distributions in a packed bed core that there was a major temperature rise at nearby low velocity fields and a minor velocity rise in the intermediate and upper elevations. We showed that increasing the height of the pebble-bed core and correspondingly increasing the quantity of spheres inside it makes the flow more difficult and also generates local hot spots. This study is notable for using the finite volume method to evaluate natural convection flow in all self-heating packed beds and for simulating packed bed flow using a significant number of spheres. These two factors contribute to the originality of this work.

November 8, 2023

Experimental investigation of heat transfer characteristics of inclined aluminium two phase closed thermosyphon

Sachin V. Mutalikdesai, Ajit M. Kate, Tarang R. Shinde, Naveen Kumar Gupta, Hitesh Panchal, L. Natrayan, Radhey Shyam Meena, Md Irfanul Haque Siddiqui, Anand Patel, Abhinav Kumar

Page range: 632-641

Abstract

A reduction in the size of electronic equipment increases the heat generation rate. Failure of electronic equipment occurs if the heat is not dissipated properly. This paper examines the performance of aluminium two-phase closed thermosyphon for cooling electronic equipment. Acetone charged aluminium two-phase closed thermosyphon was fabricated with an inside diameter of 17.05 mm and 1 mm thickness. A series of experimentations were performed for inclination angles of 10°–90° at selected filling ratios of 30, 60 and 100 %, along with heat inputs of 100, 200 and 300 W. The condenser section flow rate of water was maintained constant. Minimum thermal resistance was obtained at a 30° inclination angle for all filling ratios and heat inputs. The evaporator and condenser sections have a maximum heat transfer coefficient at a 30° inclination angle. Thermosyphon, with a 30 % or 60 % filling ratio, performed better than a 100 % filling ratio for all inclination angles and heat inputs. As the heat input was increased, the heat transfer coefficients of the evaporator and condenser section were increased, whereas total thermal resistance decreased. For 300 W heat input and 30 % filling ratio, the minimum thermal resistance at a 30° inclination angle was 0.158 °C/W. It is found that, the same heat input and filling ratio, the maximum heat transfer coefficient value for the evaporator and condenser section at a 30° inclination angle was 1602 W/m 2  °C and 5652 W/m 2  °C, respectively.

October 30, 2023

Advances in triple tube heat exchangers regarding heat transfer characteristics of single and two-phase flows in comparison to double tube heat exchangers part 1

Dogan Akgul, Hatice Mercan, Ozgen Acikgoz, Ahmet Selim Dalkilic

Page range: 642-655

Abstract

Triple concentric-tube heat exchangers are used widely in refrigeration, drying, energy storage, chemical systems, and the food industry. To handle excessive temperature differences, the heat transfer area, as an option, the heat exchanger’s length, is necessary to be increased. Triple tubes have a significant advantage in this regard in comparison to double ones. The target of this review is to discuss the most recent publications, including the single-phase flows in these heat exchangers, focusing on the heat transfer and hydrodynamic characteristics, and to classify them with various contemporary aspects. The operating conditions, enhanced surfaces, and sizes, as well as the geometrical parameters, are categorized as being part of experimental, numerical, and analytical research. The studies indicate that the heat transfer characteristics of triple concentric-tube heat exchangers are better than those of double tube heat exchangers. In single-phase studies, the convective and overall heat transfer coefficients, Nusselt number, heat transfer rate, and effectiveness are greater in triple heat exchangers than in double heat exchangers, and the heat exchanger length required to achieve the same heat transfer performance is shorter in triple heat exchangers than in double heat exchangers. Heat transfer surface area increases by adding a concentric third tube. Advanced surfaces enhance heat transfer compared to smooth surfaces and flow turbulence in comparison to smooth surfaces. Heat transfer from triple-one enhanced surfaces is not well-analyzed. Design and use of triple ones as a double one’s alternative should advance shortly.

October 30, 2023

Advances in triple tube heat exchangers regarding heat transfer characteristics of single and two-phase flows in comparison to double tube heat exchangers part 2

Dogan Akgul, Hatice Mercan, Ozgen Acikgoz, Ahmet Selim Dalkilic

Page range: 656-669

Abstract

Triple concentric-tube heat exchangers are often used in a variety of industries, including HVAC, food and beverage manufacturing, and chemical processing. They may also be utilized in applications requiring thermal homogeneity, such as food and pharmaceutical production. They are appropriate for a number of applications since they may be constructed to withstand a range of temperatures and pressures. The purpose of this study is to examine the most current papers, covering single- and two-phase flows having pure and nanofluids with a particular emphasis on the heat transfer and hydrodynamic properties. The use of advanced surfaces improves heat transfer with respect to smooth surfaces, and the use of nanofluids has a positive influence on heat transfer characteristics with the increase in nanoparticle volume concentration since nanoparticles rise thermal conductivity, heat transfer area, and Brownian motion. The practical calculation methodologies, proposed correlations for calculating the Nusselt number and friction factor in triple ones are shown. There are insufficient studies to comment on pressure drop features, and correlations for Nusselt numbers and friction factors that are only known for single-phase flows. The research indicates that the heat transfer characteristics of triple concentric-tube heat exchangers surpass those of double tube heat exchangers. Important progress is supposed to occur for the design and utilization of triple ones as a substitute for double ones soon. Finally, there are a limited number of experimental two-phase flow studies in triple ones. It is essential to work on this topic to meet the important lack in open sources.

November 9, 2023

Neutronic and thermal-hydraulic assessment of the TRR with new core designed based on tubular fuels

Rahman Gharari, Farrokh Khoshahval, Mostafa Hasanzadeh, M. Amin Mozaffari, M. Amin Amirkhani, Hasan Esmaili

Page range: 670-686

Abstract

Herein, the feasibility study of the Tehran Research Reactor (TRR) with a new core designed based on tubular fuels from the neutronic, thermal-hydraulic, safety, and operational points of are investigated using MCNPX, WIMS, CITATION, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), and RELAP codes. According to the results, the total neutron flux in the new core with tubular fuels is increased by more than 14.3 % compared with the current core of the TRR with plate-type fuels. Moreover, due to the higher fuel amount in the tubular compared with plate-type fuels (about 17 % in similar conditions), its effective multiplication factor is much higher than the TRR with plate-type fuels. Moreover, the results show that the maximum cladding temperature is sufficiently lower than 105 °C and the produced heat in the tubular fuel are removed without changing the current flow rate of the core. Furthermore, the maximum fuel temperature in tubular fuel is about 10 °C lower than the maximum fuel temperature in the current standard fuel element.

October 9, 2023

A non-dominated discrete differential evolution for fuel loading pattern optimization of a nuclear research reactor

Quang Binh Do

Page range: 687-696

Abstract

This paper presents a detailed description of a new variant of differential evolution for nuclear reactor refueling optimization problem. This variant combines the elitism strategy with a discrete differential evolution. The elitism strategy allows non-dominated solutions found during the search and stored in the archive to participate in the differential evolution operation. The population size is the same as the archive size, and the number of non-dominated solutions participating in the search at a particular generation is controlled by a specific probability. The proposed method is successfully applied to a nuclear research reactor for its first refueling time to search for optimal loading patterns that both maximize the effective multiplication k eff and minimize the power peaking factor PPF of the reactor. The optimal loading patterns can significantly improve the operational time and safety of the reactor compared to the loading pattern used in practice.

November 15, 2023

CFD and machine learning based hybrid model for passive dilution of helium in a top ventilated compartment

Pavan K. Sharma, Vishnu Verma, Jayanta Chattopadhyay

Page range: 697-709

Abstract

For hydrogen management in the containment of Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs), besides the Passive autocatalytic Recombiners (PAR), the passive dilution of lighter gas plays an important role. This could be an attractive option to optimize the containment design and to estimate the extent of dilution. Passive dilution has many other applications in nuclear industry. The experimental studies of air entrainment in the upward rising helium plume and the resulting dilution of helium gas by the Canadians in terms of Volume Flow Magnification Factor (VFMF) have been utilized for Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) validation. The CFD based Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) predicted values of VFMF found to be in good agreement with the test data. After FDS code validation, parametric study has been carried out to generate a data base of VFMF for range of hydrogen injection, side opening area and opening height. In present study various Machine Learning (ML) models are evaluated based on two-parameter relationship i.e. non dimensional hydrogen injection and VFMF using the CFD code generated database. The trained ML models were used for the predictions of the mass flow rate of gas entrainment (through opening) in the rising buoyant plume in terms of VFMF. The ML predictions were in good agreement with the predictions against test data. Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS) based ML model found to performed best and discussed in the paper. The paper highlights details of methodology of numerical simulation, results of the CFD studies and machine learning based predictions.

November 8, 2023

Optimization strategy for SAM in nuclear power plants based on NSGA-II

Sikai Zhou, Mingliang Xie, Jianxiang Zheng, Huifang Miao

Page range: 710-724

Abstract

The Severe Accident Management Guide (SAMG) is an important component of nuclear safety regulations. Many studies are being conducted to optimize severe accident management (SAM) strategies. To ensure the safety of nuclear power plants, decision makers need to monitor multiple parameters with security threats. Therefore, it is particularly important to search optimal SAM strategies under different numbers of mitigation targets. The Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm-II (NSGA-II) is an evolutionary algorithm that does not require derivative differentiation and is capable of population search. In this study, a nuclear power plant accident optimization strategy is developed using the Modular Accident Analysis Program (MAAP) in conjunction with NSGA-II. The strategy enables decision makers to consider multiple mitigation objectives in a complex decision environment. Focusing on the CPR1000, this study applies the optimization strategy to automatically search for optimal mitigation strategies for small break loss of coolant accident (SBLOCA) and station blackout hot leg creep rupture accidents (SBOHLCR). Comparing the optimization results with the basic accident sequence, it is found that the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) failure time is delayed from 72,702 s to 128,730 s under SBLOCA and from 23,828 s to 28,363 s under SBOHLCR. This study has also verified that the optimal SAM strategy obtained by the strategy through dual objective optimization has better mitigation effects than a strategy that only considers one objective. This optimization strategy has the potential to be applied to other types of severe accident management studies in the future.

November 10, 2023

Probing ⁶He induced reactions with nuclear level density

Deniz Canbula, Bora Canbula, Halil Babacan

Page range: 725-736

Abstract

In this study, both elastic and inelastic cross sections of the light exotic nucleus 6 He on 12 C and 4 He at energies of 18 MeV, 30 MeV, 3.8 MeV, 4.2 MeV, 4.7 MeV, 5.1 MeV, 5.4 MeV, and 5.8 MeV, as well as the quasi-elastic cross section of 6 He on 9 Be at 16.2 MeV and 21.3 MeV, are calculated using the coupled-channel method. The deformation parameters of the first excited states of 6 He, 9 Be and 12 C are obtained through the collective nuclear level density. The results align well with the available experimental data. It is demonstrated that the collective nuclear level density is essential to reduce the uncertainty between the deformation parameter and the optical model parameters. Furthermore, it is shown that the first excited state of both the projectile and the target must be considered in calculations 6 He + 9 Be scattering at increasing energies.

November 8, 2023

An application for nonlinear heterogeneity-based isotherm models in characterization of niobium sorption on clay rocks and granite

Shih-Chin Tsai, Pei-Tung Hsueh, Kuan-Ying Hsieh, Hui-Min Chiu, Chuan-Pin Lee

Page range: 737-747

Abstract

The nonlinear heterogeneous adsorption behaviors of niobium (Nb) on clay rocks (bentonite and argillite) and granite in synthetic groundwater and seawater systems were evaluated by adsorption experiments, applying two heterogeneity-based isotherm models: the Langmuir–Freundlich (LF) and generalized-Freundlich (GF) models. According to the root mean square error (RMSE) between the experimental results and numerical simulation, the two heterogeneous sorption models (LF and GF), which correspond to a different heterogenous constant ( β ), were more adequate than Langmuir models for characterizing the Nb adsorption mechanism. The fitting results demonstrated that the sorption of Nb on granite, bentonite, and argillite exhibited a different adsorption affinity spectrum as a result of the heterogeneous mineral surface. Consequently, the Nb sorption capacity of bentonite and argillite was higher than that of granite and was estimated at 9.24E-01 mmol/g for bentonite, 8.44E-01 mmol/g for argillite, and 2.33E-02 mol/kg for granite.

November 2, 2023

Calendar of events

Page range: 748-748

Ahead of Print / Just Accepted

Ahead of Print / Just Accepted

Volume 88 (2023)

Volume 87 (2022)

Volume 86 (2021)

Volume 85 (2020)

Volume 84 (2019)

Volume 83 (2018)

Volume 82 (2017)

Volume 81 (2016)

Volume 80 (2015)

Volume 79 (2014)

Volume 78 (2013)

Volume 77 (2012)

Volume 76 (2011)

Volume 75 (2010)

Volume 74 (2009)

Volume 73 (2008)

Volume 72 (2007)

Volume 71 (2006)

Volume 70 (2005)

Volume 69 (2004)

Volume 68 (2003)

Volume 67 (2002)

Volume 66 (2001)

Volume 65 (2000)

Volume 64 (1999)

Volume 63 (1998)

Volume 62 (1997)

Volume 61 (1996)

Volume 60 (1995)

Volume 59 (1994)

Volume 58 (1993)

Volume 57 (1992)

Volume 56 (1991)

Volume 55 (1990)

Volume 54 (1989)

Volume 53 (1989)

Volume 52 (1988)

Volume 51 (1987)

Volume 50 (1987)

Journal Impact Factor	0.5	2022, Journal Citation Reports (Clarivate, 2023)
5-year Journal Impact Factor	0.3	2022, Journal Citation Reports (Clarivate, 2023)
Journal Citation Indicator	0.18	2022, Journal Citation Reports (Clarivate, 2023)
CiteScore	0.7	2022, Scopus (Elsevier B.V., 2023)
SCImago Journal Rank	0.191	2022, SJR (Scimago Lab, 2023; Data Source: Scopus)
Source Normalized Impact per Paper	0.370	2022, CWTS Journal Indicators (CWTS B.V., 2023; Data Source: Scopus)

More information about journal rankings

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Editorial

Editor-in-Chief　
Dr.-Ing. Anne Krüssenberg (Kerntechnik@degruyter.com)

Editorial Board　
Frank Apel, Heidelberg, Germany　
Attila Aszódi, Budapest, Hungary　
Xu Cheng, Karlsruhe, Germany　　
Yuri Kazansky, Obninsk, Russian Federation　
Sören Kliem, Dresden, Germany　
Horst-Michael Prasser, Zurich, Switzerland　
Piero Ravetto, Torino, Italy　
Andreas Schaffrath, Garching near Munich, Germany　
Chul-Hwa Song, Daejeon, South Korea　
Frank-Peter Weiß, Dresden, Germany　

(Deutsch)

Online ISSN: 2195-8580
Print ISSN: 0932-3902
Type: Journal
Language: English
Publisher: De Gruyter
First published: January 1, 1987
Publication Frequency: 6 Issues per Year

Kerntechnik

Independent Journal for Nuclear Engineering

Frontmatter

CFD modeling of natural convection in pebble bed geometry with finite volume method

Abstract

Experimental investigation of heat transfer characteristics of inclined aluminium two phase closed thermosyphon

Abstract

Advances in triple tube heat exchangers regarding heat transfer characteristics of single and two-phase flows in comparison to double tube heat exchangers part 1

Abstract

Advances in triple tube heat exchangers regarding heat transfer characteristics of single and two-phase flows in comparison to double tube heat exchangers part 2

Abstract

Neutronic and thermal-hydraulic assessment of the TRR with new core designed based on tubular fuels

Abstract

A non-dominated discrete differential evolution for fuel loading pattern optimization of a nuclear research reactor

Abstract

CFD and machine learning based hybrid model for passive dilution of helium in a top ventilated compartment

Abstract

Optimization strategy for SAM in nuclear power plants based on NSGA-II

Abstract

Probing 6He induced reactions with nuclear level density

Abstract

An application for nonlinear heterogeneity-based isotherm models in characterization of niobium sorption on clay rocks and granite

Abstract

Calendar of events

Probing ⁶He induced reactions with nuclear level density