• Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.73-80
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• 2000

Aerodynamics in a naturally ventilated multi-span greenhouse with plants was analyzed numerically by the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. To investigate the potential application of CFD techniques to greenhouse design and analysis, the numerical results of the CFD model were compared with the results of a steady-state mass and energy balance numerical model. Assuming the results of the mass and energy balance model as the standard, reasonably good agreement was obtained between the natural ventilation rates computed by the CFD numerical model and the mass and energy balance model. The steady-state CFD model during a sunny day showed negative errors as high as 15% in the morning and comparable positive errors in the afternoon. Such errors assumed to be due to heat storage in the floor, benches, and greenhouse structure. For a west wind of 2.5 m s$^{-1}$ , the internal nonporous shading screens that opened to the east were predicted to have a 15.6% better air exchange rate than opened to the west. It was generally predicted that the presence of nonporous internal shading screens significantly reduced natural ventilation if the horizontal opening of the screen for each span was smaller that the effective roof vent opening.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.11
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• pp.1965-1971
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• 2016

Livestock wastewater containing high concentrations of ammonium and nitrate ions was pretreated with microbubbles and an Fe/MgO catalyst prior to its application in microbial fuel cells because high ion concentrations can interfere with current generation. Therefore, tests were designed to ascertain the effect of pretreatment on current generation. In initial tests, the optimal amount of catalyst was found to be 300 g/l. When 1,000 ml/min $O_2$ was used as the oxidant, the removal of ammonium- and nitrate-nitrogen was highest. After the operating parameters were optimized, the removal of ammonium and nitrate ions was quantified. The maximum ammonium removal was 32.8%, and nitrate was removed by up to 75.8% at a 500 g/l catalyst concentration over the course of the 2 h reaction time. The current was about 0.5 mA when livestock wastewater was used without pretreatment, whereas the current increased to $2.14{\pm}0.08mA$ when livestock wastewater was pretreated with the method described above. This finding demonstrates that a 4-fold increase in the current can be achieved when using pretreated livestock wastewater. The maximum power density and current density performance were $10.3W/m^3$ and $67.5W/m^3$, respectively, during the evaluation of the microbial fuel cells driven by pretreated livestock wastewater.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.372-378
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• 2012

This study was carried out in order to determine the optimum length of a roll type PE pipe heat exchanger employed in the water-to-water heat pump system using the waste heat of the heated effluent flowed out from thermal power generation plants as a heat source. And the heat pump system of 30 RT for an experimental test was designed and manufactured. And also PE pipes were employed to recover the waste heat from the heated effluent. The inside diameter of PE pipe heat exchanger was 20 mm, the thickness was 2 mm and the diameter of a roll was 1,000 mm. And from the results of this study, we found that the optimum length of PE pipe heat exchanger was 75 m per the heat pump capacity of 1.0 RT (3.51 kW) and then the heating COP of heat pump system was 3.8.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.108-118
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• 2023

Objective: The objective of this experiment was to determine the net energy (NE) value of 6 wheat bran and 1 wheat shorts by indirect calorimetry and establish the NE prediction equations of wheat bran fed to growing barrows. Methods: Forty-eight growing barrows (28.5±2.4 kg body weight) were allotted in a completely randomized design to 8 dietary treatments that included a corn-soybean meal basal diet, 6 wheat bran diets and 1 wheat shorts diet. The inclusion level of wheat bran or wheat shorts in diets is 30%. Results: The addition of wheat bran reduced the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of nutrients (p<0.05). The ATTD of gross energy, crude protein (CP) and dry matter (DM) in the wheat shorts were greater than that in the wheat bran. Addition of wheat bran or wheat shorts had no effect on total heat production and fasting heat production. The NE of wheat bran was negatively correlated with neutral detergent fiber (r = -0.84; p<0.05) and acid detergent fiber (r = -0.83; p<0.05), while it was positively correlated with CP (r = 0.92; p<0.01). The NE values of wheat bran ranged from 6.79 to 8.15 MJ/kg DM, and the NE value of wheat shorts was 12.47 MJ/kg DM. The ratio of NE to metabolizable energy for wheat bran fed to growing pigs was from 66.0% to 71.7%, whereas the value for wheat shorts was 83.7%. Conclusion: The NE values of wheat bran ranged from 6.79 to 8.15 MJ/kg DM, and the NE value of wheat shorts was 12.47 MJ/kg DM. The NE value of wheat bran can be well predicted based on energy content and proximate analysis.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.296-301
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• 2012

Purpose: Combustion and fuel qualities of the animal-fats biodiesel as a heating fuel for agricultural hot air heater were studied. Methods: Biodiesel (BD) was made from animal-fats by reacting with methanol and potassium hydroxide in the laboratory. The biodiesel made in the laboratory was tested for fuel and combustion qualities. Results: The kinematic viscosity and the calorific values of the biodiesels were measured. Kerosene based biodiesel, BD20 (K) showed 18 cSt at $-20^{\circ}C$. It seemed that BD100 was not suitable for a heating fuel under some temperature. As BD content increased, the calorific value decreased up to 40,000 J/g for BD100, while the calorific value of light oil was 45,567 J/g showing difference of 5,567 J/g, about 12% difference. Several different fuels including BD20 (biodiesel 20% + light oil 80%), BD50 (biodiesel 50% + light oil 50%), BD100 (biodiesel 100%), and light oil were tested for fuel combustion qualities for agricultural hot air heater, and their combustion performances were compared and analyzed. Flame dimensions of biodiesels and light oils were almost the same shape at the same combustion condition. Generally, the $CO_2$ amounts of BDs were greater than light oil. However, in this study the differences were minor, so there was no significant difference existed between the BDs combustion and light oil. Conclusions: It seemed that quality was good for heating oil for agricultural hot air heater because of showing no barriers for continuous combustion and proper exhaust gas temperature and $CO_2$ amount discharged. But, for fuel fluidity for higher BD content fuel could be a detrimental problem in situations where the outdoor temperature is lowered. As BD content increased, calorific value decreased up to 40,000 J/g for BD100. Calorific value difference between BD20 and light oil was about 1,360 J/g.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.22 no.9
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• pp.1320-1327
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• 2009

This study examined the effects of nicotinamide on proliferation, differentiation, and energy metabolism in a primary culture of bovine adipocytes. After treatment of cells with 100-500 $\mu{M}$ nicotinamide, cell growth was measured using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT), and cellular lipid content was assessed by Oil Red O staining and a triglyceride (TG) assay. Several factors related to energy metabolism, namely adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) activity, nitric oxide (NO) content, nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity, the number of mitochondria and the relative expression of glyceraldehydes-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-$\gamma$ ($PPAR_{\gamma}$) and inducible NOS (iNOS), were also investigated. Results showed that nicotinamide induced both proliferation and differentiation in bovine preadipocytes. Nicotinamide decreased NO production by inhibiting NOS activity and iNOS mRNA expression, and controlled lipolytic activity by increasing ATPase activity and the number of mitochondria. The present study provides further evidence of the effects of nicotinamide on lipid and energy metabolism, and suggests that nicotinamide may play an important role in the development of bovine adipose tissue in vivo. This emphasizes the importance of investigating bovine adipose tissue to improve our understanding of dairy cow physiology.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.8-14
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• 2019

Background: Management of an agricultural food product system following a nuclear accident is indispensable for reducing radiation exposure due to ingestion of contaminated food. The present study analyzes the effect of agricultural countermeasures on ingestion dose following a nuclear accident. Materials and Methods: Agricultural countermeasures suitable for domestic farming environments were selected by referring to the countermeasures applied after the Fukushima accident in Japan. The avertable ingestion doses that could be obtained by implementing the selected countermeasures were calculated using the Korean Agricultural Countermeasure Analysis Program (K-ACAP) to investigate the efficiency of each countermeasure. Results and Discussion: Of the selected countermeasures, the management of crops was effective when radionuclide deposition occurred during the growing season of plants. Treatment by soil additive and topsoil removal was effective when deposition occurred during the nongrowing season of plants. The disposal of milk was not effective owing to the small contribution of milk to the overall ingestion dose. Clean feeding of livestock was effective when deposition occurred during the growing season of fodder plants such as pasture and rice-straw. Finally, the effect of food restriction increased with the soil deposition density of radionuclide. The practical effect of countermeasures was very small when the avertable ingestion dose was absolutely low. Conclusion: The agricultural countermeasures selected to reduce the radionuclide ingestion dose after a nuclear accident must be made appropriate by considering the accident situation, such as the soil deposition density of the radionuclide and the deposition date in relation to farming cycles.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2024

In this study, we constructed a process simulation model for an agricultural by-products based Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) combined heat and power generation system as part of the introduction of technology for energy self-sufficiency in the agricultural sector. The aim was to reduce the burden of increasing fuel and electricity consumption due to rapid fluctuations in international oil prices and the expansion of smart farming in domestic farms, while contributing to the national greenhouse gas reduction goals. Based on the experimental results of 0.3 ton/day torrefied agricultural by-product gasification experiment, a model for an agricultural by-product-based SOFC cogeneration system was constructed, and optimization of the heat exchange network was conducted for SOFC capacities ranging from 4 to 20 kW. The results indicated that an 8 kW agricultural by-product-based SOFC cogeneration system was optimal under the current system conditions. It is anticipated that these research findings can serve as foundational data for future commercial facility design.

• Journal of Korean Society of Rural Planning
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.187-196
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• 2015

Among the factors of living environment, the one that is the most closely related with our living is the building. It is one of the biggest reasons for energy consumption as it forms 36% of the total energy consumption. Technologies equipped with excellent energy performance can hardly be applied to rural areas that are relatively poorer. Still, 89.8% rural residents are living in detached houses, and backward houses increase their financial burden and result in reduced insulation performance. Accordingly, this study is going to review the latest research written after 2000 dealing with rural houses and their insulation. The purpose of this study is to analyze the factors of insulation and how to improve insulation performance, conduct field research to find out how to apply low energy technologies applicable to houses with the subjects of experimental houses, the passive houses located in Jecheon City, Hongcheon Saldun zero energy houses, and energy independence villages, and find out how to perform follow-up research on insulation for rural houses. According to the findings, the latest research on insulation for rural houses is mostly focused on walls as well as windows and doors. Also, as ways to improve insulation performance, it suggests us to use high performance insulators, introduce new regeneration energy technology, and secure hermeticity. In addition, through field research, this author could find out low energy technologies applicable to houses such as solar energy facilities and heat recovery systems. Advanced research on insulation for rural houses has been focused on how to use materials or new regeneration energy, so follow-up research will have to consider the types of farming area or the residents' mode of living.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.243-254
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• 2019

With the recent accelerated policy-making and interests in new renewable energy, plans to develop and supply the new renewable energy have been devised across multiple regions in Korea. Solar energy, in particular, is being applied to small-scale power supply in provincial areas, as solar cells are used to convert solar energy into electric energy to produce electric power. Nonetheless, in the case of solar power plants, the need for a large stretch of land and considerable sum of financial support implies that the planning step should take into consideration the most suitable meteorological and geographical factors. In this study, the proxy variables of meteorological and geographical factors associated with solar energy were considered in analyzing the vulnerable areas regarding the photovoltaic power generation facility across the nation. GIS was used in the spatial analysis to develop a map for assessing the optimal location for photovoltaic power generation facility. The final vulnerability map developed in this study did not reveal any areas that exhibit vulnerability level 5 (very high) or 1 (very low). Jeollanam-do showed the largest value of vulnerability level 4 (high), while a large value of vulnerability level 3 (moderate) was shown by several administrative districts including Gwangju metropolitan city, Jeollabuk-do, Chungcheongbuk-do, and Gangwon-do. A value of vulnerability level 2 (low) was shown by the metropolitan cities including Daegu, Ulsan, and Incheon. When the 30 currently operating solar power plants were compared and reviewed, most were found to be in an area of vulnerability level 2 or 3, indicating that the locations were relatively suitable for solar energy. However, the limited data quantity for solar power plants, which is the limitation of this study, prevents the accuracy of the findings to be clearly established. Nevertheless, the significance of this study lies in that an attempt has been made to assess the vulnerability map for photovoltaic power generation facility targeting various regions across the nation, through the use of the GIS-based spatial analysis technique that takes into account the diverse meteorological and geographical factors. Furthermore, by presenting the data obtained for all regions across the nation, the findings of this study are likely to prove useful as the basic data in fields related to the photovoltaic power generation.