• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.159-169
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• 2016

Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the generating characteristics of VOCs and the exposure effect to chemicals among laundry workers and to identify the current status of occupational safety and health through health check-ups. Methods: During the six-month period from April to September 2015, this study quantitatively measured seven VOCs in ten laundries and carried out health examinations on 35 workers. Results: Comparing the monitoring results for the ten laundries, they were classified into three groups by ventilation system, dry-cleaning and size of shop. The average concentration of toluene, chlorobenzene, xylene, ethylbenzene, benzene, styrene and TCE were 23.9, 15.6, 5.5, 2.8, 0.9, 0.3 and $1.3{\mu}g/m^3$, respectively. During dry-cleaning, VOC concentrations were 1.3-8.9 times higher than usual. On the other hand, at night the concentrations of toluene, chlorobenzene, xylene, ethylbenzene, benzene, styrene and TCE were 64.3, 41.5, 12.2, 6.3, 1.1, 1.2 and $6.6{\mu}g/m^3$, respectively. The health checkup results for the 35 workers showed that 13 workers were diagnosed as normal, while 22 workers were diagnosed as requiring continuous monitoring or re-checkup of liver and hematogenous functions. Conclusions: Although the results of exposure evaluation to VOCs did not exceed reference value and items had a low correlation with health checkup items, it is necessary to improve indoor air quality due to VOC volatilization from clothes.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.406-417
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• 2011

Objectives: Exposure to bioaerosols in the indoor environment could be associated with a variety adverse health effects, including allergic disease such atopy. The objectives of this study were to assess children's exposure to bioaerosol in home indoor environments and to evaluate the association between atopy and bioaerosol, environmental, and social factors in Ulsan, Korea. Methods: Samples of viable airborne bacteria and fungi were collected by impaction onto agar plates using a Quick Take TM 30 and were counted as colony forming units per cubic meter of air (CFU/$m^3$). Bioaerosols were identified using standard microbial techniques by differential stains and/or microscopy. The environmental factors and possible causes of atopy based on ISAAC (International Study of Allergy and Asthma in Childhood) were collected by questionnaire. Results: The bioaerosol concentrations in indoor environments showed log-normal distribution (p < 0.01). Geometric mean (GM) and geometric standard deviation (GSD) of airborne bacteria and fungi in homes were 189.0 (2.5), 346.1(2.0) CFU/$m^3$, respectively. Indoor fungal levels were significantly higher than those of bacteria (p < 0.001). The concentration of airborne bacteria exceeded the limit recommended by the Korean Ministry of Environment, 800 CFU/$m^3$, in three out of 92 samples (3.3%) from 52 homes. The means of indoor to outdoor ratio (I/O) for airborne bacteria and fungi were 8.15 and 1.13, respectively. The source of airborne bacteria was not outdoors but indoors. GM of airborne bacteria and fungi were 217.6, 291.8 CFU/$m^3$ in the case's home and 162.0, 415.2 CFU/$m^3$ in the control's home respectively. The difference in fungal distributions between case and control were significant (p = 0.004) and the odds ratio was 0.996 (p = 0.027). Atopy was significantly associated with type of house (odds ratio = 1.723, p = 0.047) and income (odds ratio = 1.891, p = 0.041). Some of the potential allergic fungal genera isolated in homes were Cladosporium spp., Botrytis spp., Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp., and Alternatia spp. Conclusions: These results suggest that there this should be either 'was little' meaning 'basically no significant association was found' or 'was a small negative' mean that an association was found but it was minor. It's a very improtant distinction. Association between airborne fungal concentrations and atopy and certain socioeconomic factors may affect the prevalence of childhood atopy.

• KIEAE Journal
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.63-68
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• 2017

Purpose: Various studies to solve the problem of increased energy consumption in the buildings are being carried out recently. Especially, the economic feasibility and insulation performance of the air-cap have been verified so that various studies regarding the reduction of building energy consumption have been carried out. However, previous studies regarding the air-cap were only carried out based on the verification of its insulation performance according to the size and attachment position of the air-cap. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to suggest a detachable air-cap module for improving the performance of the windows, evaluate the performance based on cooling, heating and light environments and verify its effectiveness through a real-scale testbed. Method: In this study, the energy saving performance in the circumstance where there is no attachment of an air-cap (Case 1), the circumstance where there is the attachment of air-cap on the glass surface of window (Case 2) and the circumstance where there is the attachment of an air-cap on the window frame (Case 3) were compared in order to verify the performance of the detachable air-cap module (Case 4), and the electricity consumption of cooling, heating and lighting equipment to maintain the appropriate indoor temperature and Illuminance for each case was calculated and utilized as indicators for the performance evaluation. Result: The result of this study is as follows. 1) In this study, the detachable air-cap module which was easily detachable through the principle of the magnet was suggested. 2) When Case 4 is applied, the electricity consumption of cooling and heating equipment can be reduced by 27.5%, 13.2% and 3.4% in comparison with Case 1, Case 2 and Case 3 respectively. 3) When the air-cap is applied to the window, the lighting energy consumption increases by 4 % in comparison to the non application of the air-cap, and this factor or aspect should be considered when applying the air-cap. 4) According to the performance evaluation result in consideration of cooling, heating and light environments, Case 4 demonstrates an energy saving ratio of 22.6%, 10.6% and 2.7% in comparison to Case 1, Case 2 and Case 3 respectively, indicating that it is effective for improving the performance of windows.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.440-448
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• 2016

As recent buildings become more air tight, the natural ventilation rate is significantly reduced and it leads to difficulty in removing accumulated moisture in buildings. Hot and humid weather in summer and the large amount of moisture caused by indoor activity are the major factors of moisture problem in Korea. The hygrothermal behavior of building environment has to be considered carefully to reduce condensation risk and mold growth potential, and comfortable indoor environment. In this study, we evaluated hygrothermal behavior of Standard Wood-frame Structure published in the Korea Rural Community Corporation Using WUFI simulation program. The results indicated that the total water contents of wood wall measured in 2014 was lower than wood wall in 2010. As a result of evaluation by separating the farming and fishing areas, Moisture problems in fishing area became larger. The walls had a significant impact on the relative humidity than the temperature each areas. Furthermore, excessive water content problem of the wood-based material was reduced in the wall that could be applied in the fishing villages by changing the outdoor finishing materials. And Mold growth risk on the interior materials could be removed through the different setting of the indoor temperature during summertime.

• Journal of the Korean Solar Energy Society
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.83-91
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• 2006

As a demand for sustainable development rises, the preference for earth house (earth construction) increases gradually. However, there are few data for predicting and evaluating the thermal environment and indoor air quality of earth house. Thus, this study aims to measure thermal properties(thermal conductivity, density and specific heat) and pollutants emission intensities(formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds) of current main earth construction materials and make a comparison between earth and cement construction materials. As results, quantitative thermal properties and pollutants emission intensities of current main earth construction materials are shown.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Illuminating and Electrical Installation Engineers
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• v.28 no.12
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• pp.55-64
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• 2014

This paper presents a case study to investigate the monthly calculation method of ISO 13790 applied for a office building. The energy performance analysis according to improvement of insulation and air permeability of windows in K office buildings is investigated by means of building energy efficiency rating tool ($ECO_2-OD$). The K building energy system is tested experimently by the measurement of PMV(predicted mean vote) for the control of indoor thermal environment and heat transmission coefficient of windows and interior walls respectively, before and after the example K office building is remodeled passively. Therefore, Internet based energy assessment program of energy efficiency rating of office building can be applied as a program for the annual energy requirement and for evaluation of energy savings from the experimental and simulation results.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.113-120
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• 2011

Adsorbent combination studies have been carried out to remove nitrogen dioxide ($NO_2$) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs: BTEX) out of a subway environment characterized by high flow and low concentration. Optimal conditions for the high removal efficiency of the concerned target compounds were obtained through testing a series of control factors such as adsorbent sorts, thicknesses, and superficial velocity. It was found that the efficiencies increased as the specific surface area of activated carbon and its thickness increased, and external void fraction decreased. Furthermore, mixed activated carbon with granular and constructed contents was extensively tested to reduce pressure drop through the carbon bed. It was found that the performance of higher contents of granular activated carbon was better than that of higher contents of the constructed carbon. When the mixed carbon was applied to the subway ventilation system in order to eliminate $NO_2$ and VOC simultaneously, the removal efficiencies were found to be 75% and 85%, respectively.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.255-260
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• 2010

The Ministry of Environment simultaneously revised testing methods and emission standards of adhesives product on the "Law of indoor air quality management" for the effective management of the building materials releasing pollutants in great quantities. Accordingly, it is impossible to compare original standards with revised standards directly. The influences of each factor of the revised testing methods of adhesive product on the emission rate of pollutants are reviewed through comparing with the original testing method. Through this study, revised pollutant emission control standards were assessed. With the result that it is found that emission rate of adhesives product is weakened two and half times by changing test period and the emission rate resulting from changing drying time has little difference. As a result of comparing TVOC emission standards with the original testing method considering the modification of testing methods, it is found that the emission standard through this revision is strengthened about 2.1 times more than that of present testing method.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.27 no.8
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• pp.395-401
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• 2015

Recently, many research studies have been carried out on the efficiency of light-shelf daylighting systems, especially comparing performance improvements and the limitations of reflective surfaces and their lighting performance. In this study, a crystal face reflective surface is proposed. The objective of the study is to evaluate the lighting performance of a crystal face light-shelf through a performance study. The performance study was carried out in a full scale test-bed in order to calculate the light distribution and energy consumption utilizing the standard indoor illumination as an index. The conclusions of the performance study are as follows. 1) The optimal angle of incidence for daylighting for both the operable flat type light-shelf and the crystal face light-shelf are taken in the natural environment on the dates of the winter and summer solstices, as well as the autumn and spring equinoxes. 2) The application and installation of the crystal face light-shelf can produce a 29.9%~34.3% increase of light distribution within the indoor space. However, the increase of light distribution can also lead to a decrease in the uniformity ratio, a design challenge that should be considered when applying a crystal face light-shelf. 3) It is possible to achieve a 7.98%~13.3% greater reduction in energy consumption when applying a crystal face light-shelf than when applying a flat type light-shelf. The increase in the number of crystal faces should concur with the analysis of the energy reduction. A limitation of the study is that only one predetermined pattern was performance tested for a crystal face light-shelf. In order to carry out further research on crystal face light-shelves, additional performance studies are needed based on alternative patterns and designs.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.22 no.7
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• pp.492-507
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• 2010

This article reviews the papers published in the Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering during 2009. It is intended to understand the status of current research in the areas of heating, cooling, ventilation, sanitation, and indoor environments of buildings and plant facilities. Conclusions are as follows. (1) Research trends of thermal and fluid engineering have been surveyed as groups of general thermal and fluid flow, fluid machinery and piping, and new and renewable energy. Various topics were covered in the field of general thermal and fluid flow such as an expander, a capillary tube, the flow of micro-channel water blocks, the friction and anti-wear characteristics of nano oils with mixtures of refrigerant oils, etc. Research issues mainly focused on the design of micro-pumps and fans, the heat resistance reliability of axial smoke exhaust fans, and hood systems in the field of fluid machinery and piping. Studies on ground water sources were executed concerning two well type geothermal heat pumps and multi-heat pumps in the field of new and renewable energy. (2) Research works on heat transfer area have been reviewed in the categories of heat transfer characteristics and industrial heat exchangers. Researches on heat transfer characteristics included the heat transfer in thermoelectric cooling systems, refrigerants, evaporators, dryers, desiccant rotors. In the area of industrial heat exchangers, researches on high temperature ceramic heat exchangers, plate heat exchangers, frosting on fins of heat exchangers were performed. (3) In the field of refrigeration, papers were presented on alternative refrigerants, system improvements, and the utilization of various energy sources. Refrigeration systems with alternative refrigerants such as hydrocarbons, mixed refrigerants, and $CO_2$ were studied. Efforts to improve the performance of refrigeration systems were made applying various ideas of suction line heat exchangers, subcooling bypass lines and gas injection systems. Studies on heat pump systems using unutilized energy sources such as river water, underground water, and waste heat were also reported. (4) Research trend in the field of mechanical building facilities has been found to be mainly focused on field applications rather than performance improvements. In the area of cogeneration systems, papers on energy and economic analysis, LCC analysis and cost estimating were reported. Studies on ventilation and heat recovery systems introduced the effect on fire and smoke control, and energy reduction. Papers on district cooling and heating systems dealt with design capacity evaluation, application plan and field application. Also, the maintenance and management of building service equipments were presented for HVAC systems. (5) In the field of architectural environment, various studies were carried to improve indoor air quality and to analyze the heat load characteristics of buildings by energy simulation. These studies helped to understand the physics related to building load characteristics and to improve the quality of architectural environment where human beings reside in.