• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.28 no.9
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• pp.1066-1074
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• 2004

With a diode corona charger, which is a component of ELPI(Electrical Low Pressure Impactor), aerosol particles are charged to make electrical detection possible before they are collected by the impactor. We designed and evaluated two cylindrical corona chargers, each of which had a central corona needle electrode. For the performance evaluation of each corona charger the polydisperse dioctyl sebacate(DOS) particles, with diameters of 0.1∼0.8 $\mu$m and NaCl particles, smaller than 0.1$\mu$m, were used. The particles were then led through an electrostatic classifier (TSI model 3081) to classify monodisperse aerosol with minimal size deviation. After evaluating the wall loss of the particles in the corona charger, we measured the product of penetration and number of charges, Pㆍn, to evaluate the corona charger efficiency at high positive voltages of 4, 5, 6 kV.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.184-190
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• 2012

Objectives: This study aimed to characterize the nanoparticles produced by welding and grinding processes. Methods: The number concentrations of particles were mapped to determine the distribution of welding fumes in a workplace atmosphere using a hand-held condensation particle counter. An electrical low-pressure impactor was used for measuring the number concentration and particle size distribution. Results: High number concentrations were found around arc cutting and welding (grinding) processes. In the worker's breathing zone, the mean number concentration was 655,000 particles/cm3 and the count median diameter (CMD) was 84 nm with several multi peak distributions (~20, 70, 300 nm). However, at a distance of 3 m from the welding position, the number concentration decreased to 153,000 particles/cm3 with a 70 nm single peak size distribution. During a grinding process, peaks with high concentrations of nanoparticles were temporarily observed. The mean number concentration was 1,520,000 particles/cm3, and the CMD was 30 nm. Nanoparticles (<100 nm) made up 58% and 92% of the aerosols produced by welding and grinding processes, respectively.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.7
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• pp.2277-2288
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• 2021

To regulate the safety protocols in nuclear facilities, radioactive aerosols have been extensively researched to understand their health impacts. However, most measured particle-size distributions remain at low resolutions, with the particle sizes ranging from nanometer to micrometer. This study combines the high-resolution detection of 500 size classes, ranging from 6 nm to 10 ㎛, for aerodynamic diameter distributions, with a regional lung deposition calculation. We applied the new approach to characterize particle-size distributions of aerosols generated during the plasma arc cutting of simulated non-radioactive steel alloy wastes. The high-resolution measured data were used to calculate the deposition ratios of the aerosols in different lung regions. The deposition ratios in the alveolar sacs contained the dominant particle sizes ranging from 0.01 to 0.1 ㎛. We determined the distribution of various metals using different vapor pressures of the alloying components and analyzed the uncertainties of lung deposition calculations using the low-resolution aerodynamic diameter data simultaneously. In high-resolution data, the changes in aerosols that can penetrate the blood system were better captured, correcting their potential risks by a maximum of 42%. The combined calculations can aid the enhancement of high-resolution measuring equipment to effectively manage radiation safety in nuclear facilities.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.8-15
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• 2017

Most fire victims succumb to smoke inhalation, and fire smoke toxicity from interior materials is increasing with increased use of plastics. Large amounts of hazardous effects of smoke are related to deposition of smoke particles in respiratory tracts, and deposition characteristics are influenced by size distribution of particles. Thus, it is essential to know the size distribution of smoke particles from plastics for hazard analysis of fire smoke. In a recent study, it has been shown that size distributions of smoke particles from PP are different from wood in many aspects. In order to know whether other plastics show the same characteristics as PP, size distributions of smoke particles from four plastic materials (LDPE, PA66, PMMA, and PVC) were measured in real time under each fire type with various temperature and oxygen supply. In this study, smoke particles from different plastics were generated uniformly by using steady-state tube furnace method provided in ISO/TS 19700. Their size distributions were measured by using an electrical low pressure impactor (ELPI). Results of measurements showed that size distributions of smoke particles from these four plastic materials were similar to those from PP in many aspects. However, they were distinctively different from those of wood.