• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
• /
• 2003.11a
• /
• pp.306-314
• /
• 2003

Engineered barrier test facility is specially designed to demonstrate the performance of engineered barrier system for the near-surface disposal facility under the domestic environmental conditions. Comprehensive measurement systems for the water content, temperature, matric potential are installed within each test cell. In this study, short-term monitoring of the behavior of multi-layered cover system is implemented with artificial rainfall system. The periodic measurement data are collected and analyzed by a dedicated database management system, and provide a basis for performance verification of the disposal cover design.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.55 no.11
• /
• pp.4173-4180
• /
• 2023

The stability of engineered barriers in high-level radioactive waste disposal systems can be influenced by the decay heat generated by the waste. This study focuses on the thermal analysis of various canister designs to effectively lower the maximum temperature of the engineered barrier. A numerical model was developed and employed to investigate the heat dissipation potential of copper rings placed across the buffer. Various canister designs incorporating copper rings were presented, and numerical analysis was performed to identify the design with the most significant temperature reduction effect. The results confirmed that the temperature of the buffer material was effectively lowered with an increase in the number of copper rings penetrating the buffer. Parametric studies were also conducted to analyze the impact of technical gaps, copper thickness, and collar height on the temperature reduction. The numerical model revealed that the presence of gaps between the components of the engineered barrier significantly increased the buffer temperature. Furthermore, the reduction in buffer temperature varied depending on the location of the gap and collar. The methods proposed in this study for reducing the buffer temperature hold promise for contributing to cost reduction in radioactive waste disposal.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
• /
• v.12 no.2
• /
• pp.137-143
• /
• 2023

The use of Engineered Wood Systems (EWS), especially mass-timber, as a structural alternative or complement to steel and concrete is gaining interest and acceptance across different sectors of architecture, engineering, and construction, including in high-rise buildings. Focussing on the Australian context, this study examines the levels of adoption and barriers to using timber as a primary structural material in multi-storey buildings. Data collected from semi-structured interviews with stakeholders at the forefront of adoption in structural design, construction, and property development indicates that timber in multi-storey projects in Australia still faces industry-wide challenges. Designers' awareness and attitudes towards timber adoption are generally positive and suitable for flagship projects, including tall buildings, but for enduring and widespread impact, long-term investment in education within and outside the range of stakeholders already committed to promoting timber adoption is needed.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
• /
• 2009.11a
• /
• pp.53-53
• /
• 2009

Charge trap flash memory devices with modified tunneling barriers were fabricated using the tunneling barrier engineering technique. Variable oxide thickness (VARIOT) barrier and CRESTED barrier consisting of thin $SiO_2$ and $Si_3N_4$ dielectric layers were used as engineered tunneling barriers. The VARIOT type tunneling barrier composed of oxide-nitride-oxide (ONO) layers revealed reliable electrical characteristics; long retention time and superior endurance. On the other hand, the CRESTED tunneling barrier composed of nitride-oxide-nitride (NON) layers showed degraded retention and endurance characteristics. It is found that the degradation of NON barrier is associated with the increase of interface state density at tunneling barrier/silicon channel by programming and erasing (P/E) stress.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.2 no.3
• /
• pp.213-227
• /
• 2010

Compacted layers of sand-bentonite mixtures have been proposed and used in a variety of geotechnical projects as engineered barriers for the enhancement of impervious landfill liners, cores of zoned earth dams and radioactive waste repository systems. This paper presents a study on the valorization of local materiel such as dune sand from Laghouat region and mine bentonite intended for the realization of liner base layers in the conception of insulation barriers for hazardous waste centers. In the practice we try to get an economical mixture that satisfies the hydraulic and mechanical properties specified by regulation rules. The effect of the bentonite additions on the mixture is reflected by its capability of clogging the matrix pores upon swelling. In order to get an adequate dune sand-bentonite mixture, an investigation on hydraulic and mechanical behaviours is carried out in this study for different mixtures. Using oedometer test, the adequate bentonite addition to the mixture, which satisfies the conditions on permeability, is found to be around 12% to 15%. These results are also confirmed by direct measurement using triaxial cell.

• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
• /
• 2005.11b
• /
• pp.236-244
• /
• 2005

Radioactive wastes arising from a wide range of human activities are in many different physical and chemical forms, contaminated with varying radioactivity. Their common feature is the potential hazard associated with their radioactivity and the need to manage them in such a way as to protect the human environment. The geological disposal is regarded as the most reasonable and effective way to safely disposal high-level radioactive wastes in the world. The conceptual model of geological disposal in China is based on a multi-barrier system that combines an isolating geological environment with an engineered barrier system. The buffer is one of the main engineered barriers for HLW repository. The buffer material is expected to maintain its low water permeability, self-sealing property, radio nuclides adsorption and retardation property, thermal conductivity, chemical buffering property, overpack supporting property, stress buffering property over a long period of time. Benotite is selected as the main content of buffer material that can satisfy above. GMZ deposit is selected as the candidate supplier for Chinese buffer material of High Level Radioactive waste repository. This paper presents geological features of GMZ deposit and basic property of GMZ Na bentonite. GMZ bentonite deposit is a super large scale deposits with high content of Montmorillonite (about $75\%$) and GMZ-l, which is Na-bentonite produced from GMZ deposit is selected as reference material for Chinese buffer material study.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.49 no.3
• /
• pp.298-304
• /
• 2021

Photosynthetic conversion through cyanobacteria and microalgae is an increasingly serious concern in the global warming crisis. Many value-added substances are produced through strain improvement, and much research and development is being conducted to determine its potential as an actual industrial strain. Economic barriers throughout processing production can be overcome to produce value-added chemicals by microalgal strains. In this study, we engineered cyanobacteria strains for the photosynthetic production of squalene and confirmed the continuous cultivation of CO₂ and light conditions. The free-inducer system of gene expression was developed at the cyanobacterial strains. Then, the squalene production level and growth of the recombinant cyanobacteria were analyzed and discussed. For bio solar-cell factories, the ability to regulate genes based on the free-inducer gene expression system promotes metabolic engineering research and construction to produce value-added chemicals.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.26 no.1
• /
• pp.78-89
• /
• 1994

The radionuclide release rates from the engineered barrier composed of concrete structure and clay-based backfill in a low and intermediate level waste repository were assessed. Four types of release pathway were considered, and the contribution of each pathway to the total release were analyzed. To quantify the effect of uncertainties of input parameter values on the assessment of radionuclide release rates, the Latin Hypercube sampling method was used, and the resulting release rate distribution were determined through a goodness-of-fit test. Finally, the ranges of maxi-mum release rates ore estimated statistically with a confidence level of 95%.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.73-86
• /
• 2015

The use of complimentary indicators, other than radiation dose and risk, to assess the safety of radioactive waste disposal has been discussed in a number of publications for providing the reasonable assurance of disposal safety and convincing the public audience. In this study, the radionuclide flux was selected as performance indicator to appraise the performance of engineered barriers and natural barrier in the Wolsong low- and intermediate-level waste disposal facility. Radionuclide flux showing the retention capability by each compartment of the disposal system is independent of assumptions in biosphere model and exposure pathways. The scenario considered as the normal scenario of disposal facility has been divided into intact or degraded silo concrete conditions. In the intact silo concrete, the radionuclide flux has been assessed with respect to the radionuclide retardation performance of each engineered barrier. In the degraded silo concrete, the radionuclide flux has been explored based on the performance degradation of engineered barriers and the relative significance of natural barrier quantitatively. The results can be used to optimally design the near-surface disposal facility being planned as the second project phase. In the future, additional complimentary indicators will be employed for strengthening the safety case for improving the public acceptance of low- and intermediate-level waste disposal facility.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
• /
• v.33 no.4
• /
• pp.725-736
• /
• 2023

The compliance of deep geological disposal facilities for high-level radioactive waste with safety objectives requires consideration of uncertainties owing to temporal changes in the disposal system. A comprehensive review and analysis of the characteristics of this evolution should be undertaken to identify the effects on multiple barriers and the biosphere. We analyzed the evolution of the buffer, backfill, plug, and closure regions during the early phase of the post-closure period as part of a long-term performance assessment for an operating license application for a deep geological repository in Finland. Degradation mechanisms generally expected in engineered barriers were considered, and long-term evolution features were examined for use in performance assessments. The importance of evolution features was classified into six categories based on the design of the Finnish case. Results are expected to be useful as a technical basis for performance and safety assessment in developing the Korean deep geological disposal system for high-level radioactive waste. However, for a more detailed review and evaluation of each feature, it is necessary to obtain data for the final disposal site and facility-specific design, and to assess its impact in advance.