• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2011.08a
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• pp.70-70
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• 2011

The prospects of current and coming solar-photovoltaic (PV) technologies are envisioned, arguing this solar-electricity source is beyond a tipping point in the complex worldwide energy outlook. Truly, a revolution in both the technological advancements of solar PV and the deployment of this energy technology is underway; PV is no longer an outlier. The birth of modern photovoltaics (PV) traces only to the mid-1950s, with the Bell Telephone Laboratories' development of an efficient, single-crystal Si solar cell. Since then, Si has dominated the technology and the markets, from space through terrestrial applications. Recently, some significant shift toward technology diversity have taken place. Some focus of this presentation will be directed toward PV R&D and technology advances, with indications of the limitations and relative strengths of crystalline (Si and GaAs) and thin-film (a-Si:H, Si, Cu(In,Ga)(Se,S)2, CdTe). Recent advances, contributions, industry growth, and technological pathways for transformational now and near-term technologies (Si and primarily thin films) and status and forecasts for next-generation PV (nanotechnologies and non-conventional and "new-physics" approaches) are evaluated. The need for R&D accelerating the now and imminent (evolutionary) technologies balanced with work in mid-term (disruptive) approaches is highlighted. Moreover, technology progress and ownership for next generation solar PV mandates a balanced investment in research on longer-term (the revolution needs revolutionary approaches to sustain itself) technologies (quantum dots, multi-multijunctions, intermediate-band concepts, nanotubes, bio-inspired, thermophotonics, ${\ldots}$ and solar hydrogen) having high-risk, but extremely high performance and cost returns for our next generations of energy consumers. This presentation provides insights to the reasons for PV technology emergence, how these technologies have to be developed (an appreciation of the history of solar PV)-and where we can expect to be by this mid-21st century.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.925-936
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• 2020

To ascertain the characteristics of pool sloshing behavior that might be encountered during a core disruptive accident of sodium-cooled fast reactors, in our earlier work several series of experiments were conducted under various scenarios including the condition with mono-sized solid particles. It is found that under the particle-bed condition, three typical flow regimes (namely the bubble-impulsion dominant regime, the transitional regime and the bed-inertia dominant regime) could be identified and a flow-regime model (base model) has been even successfully established to estimate the regime transition. In this study, aimed to further understand this behavior at more realistic particle-bed conditions, a series of simulated experiments is newly carried out using mixed-size particles. Through analyses, it is verified that for present scenario, by applying the area mean diameter, our previously-developed base model can provide the most appropriate predictive results among the various effective diameters. To predict the regime transition with a form of extension scheme, a correction factor which is based on the volume-mean diameter and the degree of convergence in particle-size distribution is suggested and validated. The conducted analyses in this work also indicate that under certain conditions, the potential separation between different particle components might exist during the sloshing process.

• International Journal of Computer Science & Network Security
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.255-263
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• 2021

Smart grid is a fully-automated, bi-directional, power transmission network based on the physical grid system, which combines sensor measurement, computer, information communication, and automatic control technology. Blockchain technology, with its security features, can be integrated with Smart Grids to provide secure and efficient power management and transmission. This paper dicusses the deployment of Blockchain technology in Smart Grid. It presents application areas and protocols in which blockchain can be applied to in securing smart grid. One application of each area is explored in detail, such as efficient peer-to-peer transaction, lower platform costs, faster processes, greater flexibility in power generation to transmission, distribution and power consumption in different energy storage systems, current barriers obstructing the implementation of blockchain applications with some level of maturity in financial services but concepts only in energy and other sectors. Wide range of energy applications suggesting a suitable blockchain architecture in smart grid operations, a sample block structure and the potential blockchain technicalities employed in it. Also, added with efficient data aggregation schemes based on the blockchain technology to overcome the challenges related to privacy and security in the smart grid. Later on, consensus algorithms and protocols are discussed. Monitoring of the usage and statistics of energy distribution systems that can also be used to remotely control energy flow to a particular area. Further, the discussion on the blockchain-based frameworks that helps in the diagnosis and maintenance of smart grid equipment. We have also discussed several commercial implementations of blockchain in the smart grid. Finally, various challenges have been discussed for integrating these technologies. Overall, it can be said at the present point in time that blockchain technology certainly shows a lot of potentials from a customer perspective too and should be further developed by market participants. The approaches seen thus far may have a disruptive effect in the future and might require additional regulatory intervention in an already tightly regulated energy market. If blockchains are to deliver benefits for consumers (whether as consumers or prosumers of energy), a strong focus on consumer issues will be needed.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers P
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.202-208
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• 2008

Condition monitoring technologies allow achieving this goal by minimizing downtime through the integrated planning and scheduling of repairs indicated by condition monitoring techniques. Thermal runaways induced by conduction problems deteriorate insulating material and cause disruptive dielectric discharges resulting in arcing faults. Therefore, having the ability to directly measure the temperature of the contacts while in service will provide more information to determine the true condition of the equipment. It allows connective measures to be taken to prevent upcoming failure. Continuous temperature monitoring and event recording provides information on the energized equipment's response to normal and emergency conditions. On-line temperature monitoring helps to coordinate equipment specifications and ratings, determine the real limits of the monitored equipment and optimize facility operations. Using wireless technique eliminates any need for special cables and wires with lower installation costs if compared to other types of online condition monitoring equipment. In addition, wireless temperature monitoring works well under difficult conditions in strategically important locations. Wireless technology for on -line condition monitoring of energized equipment is applicable both as stand alone system and with an interface for power quality monitoring system. The paper presents the results of wireless temperature monitoring: of electrical equipment at a power plant.

• Journal of Information Display
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.5-10
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• 2011

A novel architecture and proprietary electronic inks were developed to provide disruptive digital-media solutions based on an electrokinetic technology platform. The flexible reflective electronic media (eMedia) was fabricated by imprinting three-dimensional microscale structures with a roll-to-roll manufacturing platform. The HP technologies enable the required attributes for eMedia, such as low power, transparency, print-quality color, continuous levels of gray, and lowcost scalability. Pixelation was also demonstrated by integrating with the prototype oxide thin-film transistor backplane, and the system architecture was further developed by stacking primary-colorant layers for color reflective-display application. The innovations described in this paper are currently being developed further for the eSkins, eSignage, and ePaper applications.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.752-762
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• 2021

The Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics is one of the most widely used mesh-free numerical method for thermo-fluid dynamics. Due to its Lagrangian nature and simplicity, it is recently gaining popularity in simulating complex physics with large deformations. In this study, the 3D single/two-phase numerical simulations are performed on the Liquid Metal Reactor (LMR) centralized sloshing benchmark experiment using the SPH parallelized using a GPU. In order to capture multi-phase flows with a large density ratio more effectively, the original SPH density and continuity equations are re-formulated in terms of the normalized-density. Based upon this approach, maximum sloshing height and arrival time in various experimental cases are calculated by using both single-phase and multi-phase SPH framework and the results are compared with the benchmark results. Overall, the results of SPH simulations show excellent agreement with all the benchmark experiments both in qualitative and quantitative manners. According to the sensitivity study of the particle-size, the prediction accuracy is gradually increasing with decreasing the particle-size leading to a higher resolution. In addition, it is found that the multi-phase SPH model considering both liquid and air provides a better prediction on the experimental results and the reality.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.12
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• pp.3930-3943
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• 2021

To improve the capability of the SAS4A code, which simulates the initiating phase of core disruptive accidents for MOX-fueled Sodium-cooled Fast Reactors (SFRs), the authors have investigated in detail the physical phenomena under unprotected loss-of-flow (ULOF) conditions in a previous paper (Kawada and Suzuki, 2020) [1]. As the conclusion of the last article, fuel stub motion, in which the residual fuel pellets would move toward the core central region after fuel pin disruption, was identified as one of the key phenomena to be appropriately simulated for the initiating phase of ULOF. In the present paper, based on the analysis of the experimental data, the behaviors related to the stub motion were evaluated and quantified by the author from scratch. A simple model describing fuel stub motion, which was not modeled in the previous SAS4A code, was newly proposed. The applicability of the proposed model was validated through a series of analyses for the CABRI experiments, by which the stub motion would be represented with reasonable conservativeness for the reactivity evaluation of disrupted core.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.902-907
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• 2023

To understand the eutectic reaction mechanism and the relocation behavior of the core debris is indispensable for the safety assessment of core disruptive accidents (CDAs) in sodium-cooled fast reactors (SFRs). This paper addresses reaction products and their distribution of the eutectic melting/solidifying reaction of boron carbide (B₄C) and stainless-steel (SS). The influence of the existence of carbon on the B₄C-SS eutectic reaction was investigated by comparing the iron boride (FeB)-SS reaction by Raman spectroscopy with Multivariate Curve Resolution (MCR) analysis. The scanning electron microscopy with dispersive X-ray spectrometer was also used to investigate the elemental information of the pure metals such as Cr, Ni, and Fe. In the B₄C-SS samples, a new layer was formed between B₄C/SS interface, and the layer was confirmed that the formed layer corresponded to amorphous carbon (graphite) or FeB or Fe₂B. In contrast, a new layer was not clearly formed between FeB and SS interface in the FeB-SS samples. All samples observed the Cr-rich domain and Fe and Ni-rich domain after the reaction. These domains might be formed during the solidifying process.

• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.283-300
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• 2015

Visual condition inspections remain paramount to assessing the current deterioration status of a bridge and assigning remediation or maintenance tasks so as to ensure the ongoing serviceability of the structure. However, in recent years, there has been an increasing backlog of maintenance activities. Existing research reveals that this is attributable to the labour-intensive, subjective and disruptive nature of the current bridge inspection method. Current processes ultimately require lane closures, traffic guidance schemes and inspection equipment. This not only increases the whole-of-life costs of the bridge, but also increases the risk to the travelling public as issues affecting the structural integrity may go unaddressed. As a tool for bridge condition inspections, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or, drones, offer considerable potential, allowing a bridge to be visually assessed without the need for inspectors to walk across the deck or utilise under-bridge inspection units. With current inspection processes placing additional strain on the existing bridge maintenance resources, the technology has the potential to significantly reduce the overall inspection costs and disruption caused to the travelling public. In addition to this, the use of automated aerial image capture enables engineers to better understand a situation through the 3D spatial context offered by UAV systems. However, the use of UAV for bridge inspection involves a number of critical issues to be resolved, including stability and accuracy of control, and safety to people. SLAM (Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping) is a technique that could be used by a UAV to build a map of the bridge underneath, while simultaneously determining its location on the constructed map. While there are considerable economic and risk-related benefits created through introducing entirely new ways of inspecting bridges and visualising information, there also remain hindrances to the wider deployment of UAVs. This study is to provide a context for use of UAVs for conducting visual bridge inspections, in addition to addressing the obstacles that are required to be overcome in order for the technology to be integrated into current practice.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.669-681
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• 2019

Bridge collapses may deliver a huge impact on our society in a very negative way. Out of many reasons why bridges collapse, poor maintenance is becoming a main contributing factor to many recent collapses. Furthermore, the aging of bridges is able to make the situation much worse. In order to prevent this unwanted event, it is indispensable to conduct continuous bridge monitoring and timely maintenance. Visual inspection is the most widely used method, but it is heavily dependent on the experience of the inspectors. It is also time-consuming, labor-intensive, costly, disruptive, and even unsafe for the inspectors. In order to address its limitations, in recent years increasing interests have been paid to the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which is expected to make the inspection process safer, faster and more cost-effective. In addition, it can cover the area where it is too hard to reach by inspectors. However, this strategy is still in a primitive stage because there are many things to be addressed for real implementation. In this paper, a typical procedure of bridge inspection using UAVs consisting of three phases (i.e., pre-inspection, inspection, and post-inspection phases) and the detailed tasks by phase are described. Also, three major challenges, which are related to a UAV's flight, image data acquisition, and damage identification, respectively, are identified from a practical perspective (e.g., localization of a UAV under the bridge, high-quality image capture, etc.) and their possible solutions are discussed by examining recently developed or currently developing techniques such as the graph-based localization algorithm, and the image quality assessment and enhancement strategy. In particular, deep learning based algorithms such as R-CNN and Mask R-CNN for classifying, localizing and quantifying several damage types (e.g., cracks, corrosion, spalling, efflorescence, etc.) in an automatic manner are discussed. This strategy is based on a huge amount of image data obtained from unmanned inspection equipment consisting of the UAV and imaging devices (vision and IR cameras).