System and method for calculating amount of change in straightness of fuel rod

Abstract

The present technology discloses a system and method for calculating an amount of change in the straightness of a fuel rod. According to a specific embodiment of the present technology, respective contact points on the surface of a fuel rod are derived by using the distances between respective distance measurement sensors and the fuel rod, and reference points of the distance measurement sensors, a first center point is derived from the respective derived contact points and stored, and then after a predetermined time has elapsed, a second center point is derived from respective distances measured between the reference points of the respective distance measurement sensors and the fuel rod, and the contact points, and the straightness and bending angle of the fuel rod are derived by using an amount of change in movement of a center point derived between the derived second center point and the stored first center point. Therefore, the straightness and bending angle of the fuel rod are quantitatively calculated, and thus the reliability of a result of measurement of the straightness of the fuel rod may be improved and accordingly, the straightness quality of the fuel rod may be managed.

Description

System and method for calculating change in fuel rod straightness The present invention relates to a system and method for calculating a change in fuel rod straightness, and more specifically, to a technology that enables the calculation of straightness based on a change in the center point movement of a fuel rod using at least two distance measuring sensors. Generally, light water reactors use enriched uranium with a uranium-235 content of 2 to 5 percent, and to process it into nuclear fuel for use in the reactor, the uranium is formed into cylindrical nuclear fuel pellets weighing about 5 g. The sintered body formed in this manner is dried in a drying furnace, loaded into a tube-shaped cladding made of a special alloy with good corrosion resistance, and then sealed to be manufactured into a fuel rod. The manufactured fuel rods are formed into nuclear fuel assemblies in the form of bundles, loaded into the reactor core, and then combusted through a nuclear reaction. The cladding tubes constituting the fuel rods mentioned above are made of a material containing a zirconium alloy with low neutron absorption characteristics, and tubular products such as zirconium alloy cladding tubes or Inconel heat transfer tubes are generally manufactured by extruding rods obtained from ingots through forming and mechanical processing. At this time, the series of processes for manufacturing the cladding tube largely consists of molding.

[0005] - Includes processing and inspection stages. In the forming stage, processes such as pilgering, heat treatment, and pickling are performed, and in the processing stage, processes such as straightening, polishing, and end finishing are performed. And, the inspection stage checks the final quality by determining whether the processed coating tubes are defective. Meanwhile, the straightening process of the above processing step is carried out through a separate straightening device, and a final verification is performed on the discharged coated tube after the straightening process is completed through the straightening device to determine whether the straightening has been properly performed. The final confirmation of whether the cladding tube is corrected is made by measuring the straightness of the cladding tube. To this end, multiple cladding tubes discharged through the calibration device are bundled and transported to a flat plate for straightness measurement. Afterward, the cladding tubes are laid out on a surface plate, and the operator visually checks the straightness of the tubes as they are rolled one by one. Specifically, for a clad tube that appears defective when visually measuring straightness, a filler gauge is inserted, and if the value is greater than the filler gauge value, it is determined to be a final defect. However, the aforementioned conventional method for verifying the straightness of a clad tube for quality inspection of clad tube correction had the following problems. First, there was a problem with reduced accuracy in straightness measurement because the straightness of the cladding tube was inspected through the operator's visual inspection and a feeler gauge. In other words, since tube straightness measurement was performed solely based on the worker's experience and manual labor, it was difficult to improve the reliability and accuracy of the measurement. Second, there was a problem with reduced efficiency in the straightness measurement process because the cladding tubes discharged through the calibration device were collected and transported to a separate surface plate for straightness inspection. [Prior Art Literature] [Patent Literature] (Patent Document 1) Korean Publication No. 10-2020-0015212 (Publication Date: February 12, 2020) The technical problem that the present invention aims to solve is to provide a system and method for calculating a change in straightness that can manage the quality of the straightness of a fuel rod by deriving the straightness and bending angle of a fuel rod using at least two distance measuring sensors, thereby objectively calculating the straightness of the fuel rod and improving the reliability of the straightness measurement results of the fuel rod. The objectives of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other objectives and advantages of the present invention not mentioned may be understood from the following description and will become more clearly known from the embodiments of the present invention. Furthermore, it will be readily apparent that the objectives and advantages of the present invention can be realized by the means and combinations thereof set forth in the claims. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a fuel rod straightness change amount calculation system according to one embodiment is, At least two distance measuring sensors for measuring the distance between fuel rods; A calculation unit that calculates the bending angle and straightness of a fuel rod using the respective distances between the distance measuring sensor and the fuel rod measured above; and One feature is that it includes a management unit that manages the straightness quality of the fuel rod using the bending angle and straightness of the above-mentioned calculation unit. Preferably, the above-mentioned operation unit is, A contact derivation module that derives contacts for the distance between each of the above distance measuring sensors and fuel rods; It may include a center point setting module that determines and stores the location where each of the above contacts meets as a first center point. Preferably, the above-mentioned operation unit is, It may include a straightness calculation module that converts the relative coordinates of the second center point derived based on the center point setting module and the stored first center point into absolute coordinates after a predetermined time has elapsed to derive a change in center point movement, and outputs the derived change in center point movement as the straightness of the fuel rod. Preferably, the above-mentioned operation unit is, It may further include a bending angle calculation module that converts the above-mentioned change in center point movement into an angle form and outputs the converted angle as the bending angle of the fuel rod. According to another embodiment of the present invention, a method for calculating the straightness of a fuel rod according to one embodiment is, A distance measurement step for measuring the distance between each distance measurement sensor and a fuel rod using a distance measurement sensor; A calculation step for calculating the bending angle and straightness of a fuel rod using the respective distances between the distance measuring sensor and the fuel rod; and One feature is that it includes a management step for managing the straightness quality of the fuel rod using the bending angle and straightness of the above-mentioned calculation unit. Preferably, the above operation step is, A step of deriving contact points regarding the distance between each of the above distance measuring sensors and fuel rods; and It may include a step of determining and storing the location where each of the above contacts meets as a first center point. Preferably, the above operation step is, After a predetermined time has elapsed, the method may include a step of converting the relative coordinates of the second center point derived based on the center point setting module and the stored first center point into absolute coordinates to derive the amount of change in center point movement, and outputting the derived amount of change in center point movement as the straightness of the fuel rod. Preferably, the above operation step is, The method may further include a step of converting the above-mentioned change in center point movement into an angle form and outputting the converted angle as the bending angle of the fuel rod. According to these features, a contact point on the surface of each fuel rod is derived from the distance between each distance measuring sensor and the fuel rod and the reference point of the distance measuring sensor, and a first center point is derived and stored from each derived contact point, and after a predetermined time has elapsed, a second center point is derived from each distance measured between the reference point of each distance measuring sensor and the fuel rod and the contact point, and the straightness and bending angle of the fuel rod are derived from the amount of change in the derived center point movement between the derived second center point and the stored first center point. As a result, the straightness and bending angle of the fuel rod are quantitatively calculated, thereby improving the reliability of the fuel rod straightness measurement result and thus having the effect of managing the straightness quality of the fuel rod. The following drawings attached to this specification illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention and serve to further enhance understanding of the technical concept of the present invention together with the detailed description of the invention provided below; therefore, the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited only to the matters described in such drawings. Figure 1 is a configuration diagram of a system for calculating the change in straightness of a fuel rod in one embodiment. Figure 2 is a detailed configuration diagram of the operation unit of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a conceptual diagram of deriving the amount of change in center point movement using the trigonometric functions of the operation unit of Figure 2. Figure 4 is an overall flowchart showing the process of calculating the straightness of a fuel rod in another embodiment. Embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the attached drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily implement them. However, the present invention may be embodied in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Furthermore, in order to clearly explain the present invention in the drawings, parts unrelated to the explanation have been omitted, and similar parts throughout the specification are denoted by similar reference numerals. One embodiment below specifically describes a system and method for calculating the change in straightness of a fuel rod. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a fuel rod straightness calculation system according to one embodiment, FIG. 2 is a detailed configuration diagram of the calculation unit of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a diagram explaining the process of deriving straightness and bending angle using trigonometric functions of the calculation unit of FIG. 2. Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, the fuel rod straightness calculation system according to one embodiment has a configuration for deriving the straightness and bending angle of the fuel rod using a center point displacement change amount calculated based on the distance between at least two distance measuring sensors and the fuel rod, and the system includes at least two distance measuring sensors (11)(12), a fuel rod (3), a calculation unit (5), and a management unit (7). Here, the distance measuring sensor (11)(12) measures the distance (A) from the fuel rod (3). n , B n ) measures, and each measured distance (A n , B n ) is supplied to the operation unit (5). Here, the distance measuring sensor (11)(12) can be implemented as an ultrasonic sensor, laser sensor, infrared sensor, ToF (Time of Flight) sensor, etc., but is not limited thereto. The calculation unit (5) derives and stores a first center point based on each measured distance and a reference point (installation location) of each distance measuring sensor (11)(12), derives a second center point based on each measured distance after a predetermined time has elapsed, calculates the change in movement and angle of movement of the center point based on the difference in distance between the derived first center point and the second center point, and calculates the straightness and bending angle of the fuel rod (3) respectively based on the calculated change in movement and angle of movement of the center point. Accordingly, the calculation unit (5) may include at least one of a contact point derivation module (51), a center point setting module (53), a straightness calculation module (55), and a bending angle calculation module (57), as shown in FIG. 2. Referring to FIG. 3, the contact extraction module (51) is a reference point of the distance measuring sensors (11)(12) and the respective measured distance (A n , B n Based on ), derive contact points P1 and P2, and derive the derived contact point coordinates P1(a1, b1) and P2(a2, b2). Here, contact P1 is the reference point of the first distance measuring sensor (11) and the measured distance (A n It is derived as the sum of ), and contact point P2 is the reference point of the second distance measuring sensor (12) and the measured distance (B n It is derived as the sum of ), and at this time, each contact point P1(a1, b1) and contact point P2(a2, b2) is derived by the following Equation 1. Here, contact points P1(a1, b1) and contact point P2(a2, b2) are points where the surface of each distance measuring sensor (11)(12) and the fuel rod (3) meet. [Equation 1] Here, the operator is a multiplication operation. For example, the angle 45° can be changed according to the installation angle set as the installation angle of the distance measuring sensor. These contact points (a1, b1)(a2, b2) are provided to the center point setting module (53). Referring to FIG. 3, the center point setting module (53) forms a straight line connecting two contact points P1 and P2, then forms a perpendicular bisector of the straight line, and then derives the intersection point of this perpendicular bisector and the circle formed using the radius R of the fuel rod (3) and contact points P1 and P2 as the first center point. Here, the first center point is stored as the center point of the fuel rod (3). After a predetermined amount of time has elapsed, the calculation unit (5) derives the second center point of the fuel rod (3). The first center point and the second center point of the center point setting module (53) are provided to the straightness calculation module (55). The straightness calculation module (55) sets the first center point (C(0,0)) as the origin to derive the relative coordinates of the second center point with respect to the first center point, and then converts the derived relative coordinates into absolute coordinates to determine the change in center point movement amount (X n , Y n derives ). That is, the straightness calculation module (55), referring to FIG. 3, is the distance between two contact points (P1, P2). and the length of the perpendicular bisector of the distance D between the two tangent points (P1, P2) After calculating each, the center point (X) is determined based on the calculated distance D and length H. n , Y n ) can be derived, and the center point (X n, Y n ) can be derived from the following Equations 2 and 3. [Equation 2] [Equation 3] Accordingly, the straightness calculation module (55) calculates the derived center point movement change amount (X n , Y n ) is output as the straightness of the fuel rod (3). Also, the derived center point displacement change amount (X n , Y n ) is provided as a bending angle calculation module (57). The bending angle calculation module (57) calculates the change in center point movement amount (X n , Y n ) is converted into an angle form to output the center point movement angle as the bending angle of the fuel rod (3). That is, the bending angle is the amount of change in center point movement (X n , Y n The bending angle θ is derived using trigonometric functions for ), and the bending angle θ is the ratio of the change in center point displacement (Y n / X n It is derived as an arctan value for ). Accordingly, the degree of bending of the fuel rod (3) can be quantitatively quantified. The management department (7) can manage the fuel rod (3) based on the straightness and bending angle of the received fuel rod (3). Accordingly, in one embodiment, a contact point on the surface of each fuel rod is derived from the distance between each distance measuring sensor and the fuel rod and the reference point of the distance measuring sensor, and a first center point is derived and stored from each derived contact point, and after a predetermined time has elapsed, a second center point is derived from each distance measured between the reference point of each distance measuring sensor and the fuel rod and the contact point, and the straightness and bending angle of the fuel rod are derived from the amount of change in the derived center point between the derived second center point and the stored first center point, so that the straightness and bending angle of the fuel rod are quantitatively calculated, thereby improving the reliability of the straightness measurement result of the fuel rod and thereby managing the straightness quality of the fuel rod. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation process of the fuel rod straightness calculation system of FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 4, the process of calculating the straightness of a fuel rod according to another embodiment of the present invention will be explained. The method for calculating the straightness of a fuel rod may further include a computer program stored on a computer-readable recording medium to be combined with a computer and executed on the computer. Referring to FIG. 4, the method for calculating the straightness of a fuel rod in the computer program may include a distance measurement step (S100), a calculation step (S200), and a management step (S300). The distance measurement step (S100) measures the distance between the distance measurement sensor and the fuel rod and provides each measured distance and the reference point (position coordinates) of the distance measurement sensor to the calculation step (S200). The calculation step (S200) derives and stores a first center point of the fuel rod based on the received distance and reference point (indicated as S210 in FIG. 4), derives a second center point of the fuel rod after a predetermined time has elapsed (indicated as S220 in FIG. 4), and outputs the straightness and bending angle of the fuel rod as the amount of change in movement between the stored first center point and the derived second center point (indicated as S230 in FIG. 4). The management step (S300) that receives the straightness and bending angle of the fuel rod evaluates and manages the straightness quality of the fuel rod. For ease of understanding, the processor is sometimes described as being used as a single unit, but a person of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the processing unit may include multiple processing elements and / or multiple types of processing elements. For example, the processor may include multiple processors or one processor and one controller. In addition, other processing configurations, such as a parallel processor, are also possible. Here, software may include a computer program, code, instructions, or a combination of one or more of these, and may configure a processing unit to operate as desired or instruct the processing unit independently or collectively. Software and / or information, signals and data may be permanently or temporarily embodied in any type of machine, component, physical device, virtual equipment, computer storage medium or device, or transmitted signal wave in order to be interpreted by a control unit or to provide commands or data to a processing unit. Software may be distributed across networked computer systems and may be stored or executed in a distributed manner. Software and data may be stored on one or more computer-readable recording media. The method according to the embodiment may be implemented in the form of program instructions that can be executed through various computer means and recorded on a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, etc., either individually or in combination. The program instructions recorded on the medium may be those specifically designed and configured for the embodiment, or they may be those known and available to those skilled in the art of computer software. Examples of computer-readable recording media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tapes; optical media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs; magneto-optical media such as floptical disks; and hardware devices specifically configured to store and execute program instructions, such as ROM, RAM, and flash memory. Examples of program instructions include machine code, such as that generated by a compiler, as well as high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter, etc. The above-described hardware device may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operation of the embodiment, and vice versa. Although the embodiments have been described above with reference to limited examples and drawings, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations from the description above. For example, suitable results can be achieved even if the described techniques are performed in a different order than described, and / or the components of the described system, structure, device, circuit, etc. are combined or assembled in a form different from described, or replaced or substituted by other components or equivalents. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments, but should be defined by the claims set forth below as well as equivalents thereof. [Explanation of the symbol] 11, 12: Distance measuring sensors 3: Fuel rod 5 : Operation unit 51: Contact point derivation module 53 : Center point setting module 55 : Straightness Calculation Module 57 : Bending Angle Calculation Module 7 : Management Department

Claims

1. At least two distance measuring sensors for measuring the distance between fuel rods; A calculation unit that calculates the bending angle and straightness of a fuel rod using the respective distances between the distance measuring sensor and the fuel rod measured above; and A fuel rod straightness change amount calculation system characterized by including a management unit that manages the straightness quality of the fuel rod using the bending angle and straightness of the above-mentioned calculation unit.

2. In paragraph 1, the above-mentioned operation unit is, A contact derivation module that derives contacts for the distance between each of the above distance measuring sensors and fuel rods; A center point setting module that determines and stores the location where each of the above contacts meets as a first center point, and A fuel rod straightness change amount calculation system comprising a straightness calculation module that, after a predetermined time has elapsed, converts the relative coordinates of the second center point derived based on the center point setting module and the stored first center point into absolute coordinates to derive a center point movement change amount, and outputs the derived center point movement change amount as the straightness of the fuel rod.

3. In paragraph 2, the above-mentioned operation unit is, A fuel rod straightness change amount calculation system further comprising a bending angle calculation module that converts the above-mentioned center point displacement change amount into an angle form and outputs the converted angle as the bending angle of the fuel rod.

4. In a method for calculating the change in straightness of a fuel rod performed based on the fuel rod straightness change amount calculation system of claim 1, At least one processor included in the fuel rod straightness calculation system described above is, A distance measurement step for measuring the distance between each distance measurement sensor and a fuel rod using a distance measurement sensor; A calculation step for calculating the bending angle and straightness of a fuel rod using the respective distances between the distance measuring sensor and the fuel rod; and A method for calculating the change in fuel rod straightness, characterized by including a management step for managing the straightness quality of the fuel rod using the bending angle and straightness of the above-mentioned calculation unit.

5. In paragraph 4, the above operation step is, A step of deriving contact points regarding the distance between each of the above distance measuring sensors and fuel rods; A step of determining and storing the location where each of the above contacts meets as a first center point; and A method for calculating a change in fuel rod straightness, comprising the step of converting the relative coordinates of the second center point derived based on the center point setting module and the stored first center point into absolute coordinates after a predetermined time has elapsed to derive a change in center point movement, and outputting the derived change in center point movement as the straightness of the fuel rod.

6. In paragraph 5, the above operation step is, A method for calculating the change in fuel rod straightness, further comprising the step of converting the above-mentioned change in center point movement into an angle form and outputting the converted angle as the bending angle of the fuel rod.

7. A computer-readable recording medium characterized by having a program recorded thereon for executing on a computer the method for calculating the change in fuel rod straightness according to any one of paragraphs 4 to 6.

8. A computer program stored on a computer-readable recording medium for executing a method for calculating the change in fuel rod straightness in a computer combined with a computer, The above method for calculating the change in fuel rod straightness is, A distance measurement step of measuring the distance between each distance measurement sensor and a fuel rod from a distance measurement sensor installed at a predetermined location within a nuclear fuel facility; A calculation step for calculating the bending angle and straightness of a fuel rod using the respective distances between the distance measuring sensor and the fuel rod; and An operation program for a fuel rod straightness change amount calculation system including a management step for managing the straightness quality of a fuel rod using the bending angle and straightness of the above-mentioned calculation unit.

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