• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.47-62
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• 2001

An experimental study was peformed to provide the numerical models to predict the physical fate of marine debris with the key information concerning their trifling and sinkage on the sea. For hygroscopic materials their floating times in a pseudo ocean environment were measured, and for non-hygroscopic objects their drifting limes in a certain wave condition were measured. For sinking materials or objects became to be sinkable free falling experiment was performed to evaluate their falling speed. Summarized information was condensed into a numerical model to predict the most possible region of a significant marine debris accumulation, and the seas connected to the Han river and the Nak-Dong river were considered for the simulation.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.400-414
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• 2021

Under high-level radioactive waste repository conditions, bentonite as an engineered barrier material undergoes thermal, hydrological, mechanical, and chemical processes. We report the applications of X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) imaging technique on the characterization and analysis of bentonite over the past decade to provide a reference of the utilization of this technique and the recent research trends. This overview of the X-ray CT technique applications includes the characterization of the bentonite either in pellets or powder form. X-ray imaging has provided a means to extract grain information at the microscale and identify crack networks responsible for the pellets' heterogeneity. Regarding samples of pellets-powder mixtures under hydration, X-ray CT allowed the identification and monitoring of heterogeneous zones throughout the test. Some results showed how zones with pellets only swell faster compared to others composed of pellets and powder. Moreover, the behavior of fissures between grains and bentonite matrix was observed to change under drying and hydrating conditions, tending to close during the former and open during the latter. The development of specializing software has allowed obtaining strain fields from a sequence of images. In more recent works, X-ray CT technique has served to estimate the dry density, water content, and particle displacement at different testing times. Also, when temperature was added to the hydration process of a sample, CT technology offered a way to observe localized and global density changes over time.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.13 no.7
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• pp.13-17
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• 2012

Recently, our ocean development paradigm is changing so that the development focus has been moved from the port facility developments to creating useful marine space. This paradigm accords well with the current green technology and helps the growth of service industries and the development from this paradigm can become a national land mark. Accordingly, the concept of creating marine waste landfill by the development of resource recycling technology has been introduced for eco-friendly space as an artificial island in future. Therefore, this study introduces the reactive vertical drainage method that is to pursue the purification of pollutants as well as stabilization of newly deposited soils in marine environments. To install the reactive vertical drainage piles for more effective feasibility and constructability, placements of drainage mid-layer are considered in the geotechnical viewpoint. Consolidation characteristics were evaluated by standard consolidation tests after several types of model test. As s result, the application of mid-layer drainage is strongly recommended in the reactive vertical drainage to quickly stabilize newly deposited soils. And vacuum consolidation method has better consolidation characteristic than vertical loading method in terms of the settlements predicted by additional stress for further use as an artificial island.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.491-501
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• 2022

Bentonite has been proposed as a buffer and backfill material for high-level radioactive waste repository. Under such repository environment conditions, bentonite is subjected to combined thermal, hydrological, mechanical, and chemical processes. This study evaluates the feasibility of applying X-ray CT technology on the characterization of bentonite under hydration conditions using a newly developed testing cell. The cylindrical cell is made of platic material, with a removable cap to place the sample, enabling to apply vertical pressure on the sample and to measure swelling pressure. The hydration test was carried out with a sample made of Gyeonju bentonite, with a dry density of 1.4 g/cm³, and a water content of 20%. The sample had a diameter of 27.5 mm and a height of 34 mm. During the test, water was injected at a constant pressure of 0.207 MPa, and lasted for 7 days. After one day of hydration, bentonite swelled and filled out the space inside the cell. Moreover, CT histograms showed how the hydration process induced an initial increase and later progressive decrease on the density of the sample. Detailed profiles of the mean CT value, CT standard deviation, and CT gradient provided more details on the hydration process of the sample and showed how the bottom and top regions exhibited a decrease on density while the middle region showed an increase, especially during the first two days of hydration. Later, the differences in CT values with respect to the initial state decreased, and were small at the end of testing. The formation and later reduction of cracks was also characterized through CT scanning.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.10 no.7
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• pp.125-133
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• 2009

Wastewater sludge had normally filled up in land before revising the law of waste material management in 2003, which does not permit landfill of organic sludge in Korea. After the law, most sludge has been littered in the ocean up to now. However, due to the London Convention 96 Protocol, littering sludge in the ocean will also be prohibited after 2011. This Protocol makes countries find out new methods to treat wastewater sludge. There is no exception in Korea too. Many researchers have urgently try to find out better ways to treat sludge. One of ways is to make sludge recycle energy and the success of it depends on drying method. Specifically, it really depends how to make sludge dry ecologic friendly and economic efficiently. Therefore, wastewater sludge produced in Youngdong was analyzed to make it energy resources in this study. The sludge was tested to analyze the drying and chemical characteristics of it by irradiating microwave. In the result, it is sure that the sludge has little heavy metals as like as others in country side. High calories, 3370 Kcal, shows that it has good potential to be recycle energy. Moreover, weight deduction of the sludge vs. time shows long S-curve and has same deduction ratio. Specifically, S-curve can be divided by three sections based on the curvature points. There are steady state reduction ratio of weight and approximately 80% of weight duction in the second section. This results can be used to estimate the amount of sludge reduction in the full-scale microwave dryer. Drying capacity of microwave shows approximately 1.0 kg/kw/hr. It makes sure that sludge recycle energy has the potential of economic efficiency too.