• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.164-175
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• 2009

CFD is used to analyze gas flow characteristics, power absorption, electron temperature, electron density and chemical species profile of an internal antenna type inductively coupled plasma system. An optimized grid generation technology is used for a complex real-scale models for industry. A bare metal antenna shows concentrated power absorption around rf a feeding line. Skin depth of power absorption for a system is modeled to 50 mm, which is reported 53 mm by experiments. For an application of bipolar plates for hydrogen fuel cells, multi-sheet loading ICP nitriding system is proposed using an internal ICP antenna. It shows higher atomic nitrogen density than reported simple pulsed dc nitriding systems. Minimum gap between sheets for uniform nitriding is modeled to be 39 mm.

• Proceedings of the Korea Society for Energy Engineering kosee Conference
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• 2008.04a
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• pp.101-108
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• 2008

Polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells are promising power generation devices which are ideal for residential and automobile applications, thanks to their fast transient characteristics. However, liquid water produced in PEM fuel cells should be properly managed to enhance the performances and durabilities of the cells. In this study, a visualization experiment was conducted to investigate the flow behavior of water droplets in cathode channels. The visualization experiment was done with four different model flow channels which were made by varying the material (Acrylic and Teflon) and the channel width (1 mm and 2 mm). Acrylic is hydrophilic (contact angle is about $80^{\circ}$) while Teflon is hydrophobic (contact angle is about $120^{\circ}$). A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis was also performed to compare the observed and the simulated two-phase water/air flow characteristics in cathode channels. The computational models were made to be consistent with the geometries and surface properties of the model flow channels. Both the experimental and numerical results showed that the Teflon cathode channel with 1 mm width has the best water management performance among four model flow channels considered. A close correlation was found between the experimental visualization results and the numerical CFD simulation results.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.18 no.8
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• pp.1199-1208
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• 2005

Abatement of greenhouse gas emitted from ruminants and promotion of biogas energy from animal effluent were comprehensively examined in each anaerobic fermentation reactor and animal experiments. Moreover, the energy conversion efficiency of biomass energy to power generation were evaluated with a gas engine generator or proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). To mitigate safely rumen methanogenesis with nutritional manipulation the suppressing effects of some strains of lactic acid bacteria and yeast, bacteriocin, $\beta$1-4 galactooligosaccharide, plant extracts (Yucca schidigera and Quillaja saponarea), L-cysteine and/or nitrate on rumen methane emission were compared with antibiotics. For in vitro trials, cumulative methane production was evaluated using the continuous fermented gas qualification system inoculated with the strained rumen fluid from rumen fistulated Holstein cows. For in vivo, four sequential ventilated head cages equipped with a fully automated gas analyzing system were used to examine the manipulating effects of $\beta$1-4 galactooligosaccharide, lactic acid bacteria (Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. mesenteroides), yeast (Trichosporon serticeum), nisin and Yucca schidigera and/or nitrate on rumen methanogenesis. Furthermore, biogas energy recycled from animal effluent was evaluated with anaerobic bioreactors. Utilization of recycled energy as fuel for a co-generator and fuel cell was tested in the thermophilic biogas plant system. From the results of in vitro and in vivo trials, nitrate was shown to be a strong methane suppressor, although nitrate per se is hazardous. L-cysteine could remove this risk. $\beta$1-4 galactooligosaccharide, Candida kefyr, nisin, Yucca schidigera and Quillaja saponarea are thought to possibly control methanogenesis in the rumen. It is possible to simulate the available energy recycled through animal effluent from feed energy resources by making total energy balance sheets of the process from feed energy to recycled energy.

• Current Photovoltaic Research
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.15-19
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• 2017

The fossil fuel power consumption generates $CO_2$, which causes the problems such as global warming. Also, the increase in energy consumption has accelerated the depletion of the fossil fuels, and renewable energy is attracting attention. Among the renewable energies, the solar energy gets a lot of attention as the infinite clean energy source. But, the supply level of solar cell is insignificant due to high cost of generation of electric power in comparison with fossil fuels. Thus several researchers are recently doing the research on ultra-low-cost solar cells. Also, $Cu_2O$ is one of the applied materials as an absorption layer in ultra-low-cost solar cells. Cuprous oxide ($Cu_2O$) is highly desirable semiconductor oxide for use in solar energy conversion due to its direct band gap ($E_g={\sim}2.1eV$) and a high absorption coefficient that absorbs visible light of wavelengths up to 650 nm. In addition, $Cu_2O$ has several advantages such as non-toxicity, low cost and can be prepared with simple and cheap methods on large scale. In this work, we fabricated the $Cu_2O$ thin films by reactive sputtering method. The films were deposited with a Cu target with variable parameters such as substrate temperature, rf-power, and annealing condition. Finally, we confirmed the structural properties of thin films by XRD and SEM.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.61 no.2
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• pp.202-207
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• 2023

In the case of driving water electrolysis by receiving surplus electricity from solar and wind power generation, operation and stopping must be repeated according to weather fluctuations. When the PEMWE(Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Water Electrolysis) is driven and stopped, the PEM fuel cell is in the same state as the PEM fuel cell due to the residual hydrogen and oxygen, and the high potential of the water electrolysis formed during operation is highly likely to cause degradation of the electrode and membrane even during stopping. In this study, in order to check how much degradation of the electrode and membrane progresses during the repeated driving/shutdown process of PEM water electrolysis, the performance decrease was measured by changing the number of driving/shutdown for 144 hours. Changes in electrode catalyst active area, hydrogen permeability and fluorine emision rate of membranes were analyzed to measure changes in the properties of electrodes and polymer membranes. Overall, the PEMWE performance decreased as the number of stops increased. When stopped 5 times in 144 hours, the IrO_x catalyst activity decreased by more than 30%, and the hydrogen permeability increased by 80%, confirming that both the electrode and the membrane were deteriorated.

• Clean Technology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.96-101
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• 2020

In this paper, the commercial feasibility of trigeneration, producing heat, power, and hydrogen (CHHP) and using biogas derived from macroalgae (i.e., seaweed biomass feedstock), are investigated. For this purpose, a commercial scale trigeneration process, consisting of three MW solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), gas turbine, and organic Rankine cycle, is designed conceptually and simulated using Aspen plus, a commercial process simulator. To produce hydrogen, a solid oxide fuel cell system is re-designed by the removal of after-burner and the addition of a water-gas shift reactor. The cost of each unit operation equipment in the process is estimated through the calculated heat and mass balances from simulation, with the techno-economic analysis following through. The designed CHHP process produces 2.3 MW of net power and 50 kg hr^-1 of hydrogen with an efficiency of 37% using 2 ton hr^-1 of biogas from 3.47 ton hr^-1 (dry basis) of brown algae as feedstock. Based on these results, a realistic scenario is evaluated economically and the breakeven electricity selling price (BESP) is calculated. The calculated BESP is ¢10.45 kWh^-1, which is comparable to or better than the conventional power generation. This means that the CHHP process based on SOFC can be a viable alternative when the technical targets on SOFC are reached.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.527-534
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• 2015

This study offers a novel method for improving the physical contact between the anode and fuel in a direct carbon fuel cell (DCFC): a direct generation of carbon in a porous Ni anode through the thermal decomposition of gaseous hydrocarbons. Three kinds of alkane hydrocarbons with different carbon numbers (CH4, C2H6, and C3H8) are tested. From electron microscope observations of the carbon particles generated from each hydrocarbon, we confirm that more carbon spheres (CS), carbon nanotubes (CNT), and carbon nanofibers (CNF) were identified with increasing carbon number. Raman scattering results revealed that the carbon samples became less crystalline and more flexible with increasing carbon number. DCFC performance was measured at $700^{\circ}C$ with the anode fueled by the same mass of each carbon sample. One-dimensional carbon fuels of CNT and CNF more actively produced and had power densities 148 and 210 times higher than that of the CS, respectively. This difference is partly attributed to the findings that the less-crystalline CNT and CNF have much lower charge transfer resistances than the CS.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.641-648
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• 2011

Off-gases emitted from the anode of a molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC) at high temperatures for power generation are used as fuel in catalytic combustion. The heat generated in the catalytic combustor is utilized as the heat for the endothermic reaction required for steam reforming. Among the various operational conditions of the integrated reactor, we varied the inlet gas compositions of the catalytic combustor according to fuel utilization in the MCFC and the ratio of steam to carbon in the reformer. Subsequently, the thermal behaviors and reaction characteristics of the integrated reactor were investigated experimentally. The fundamental data from this experimental study will be useful for the design and fabrication of a more practical integrated reactor in the future.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.55-62
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• 1992

To improve the MCFC performance it is important to distingush between polarization losses occuring in the individual electrodes and other components. In this study a current interruption technique has been applied to a MCFC unit cell having a reference electrode to separately study the contributions of IR loss and other polarization losses. At a current density of $150mA/cm^2$ the IR-free polarization of a Ni anode was about 60mV while that of a NiO cathode was 130mV and the Ohmic loss of the cell was as large as 170mV suggesting that both the cathode and the cell structure need further improvement. The thin-film electrode model was used to simulate the performance of the electrodes. Both andoe data and cathode data were successfully fitted.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2005.06a
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• pp.339-344
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• 2005

A PEMFC system model for FCEV was constructed and simulated numerically to examine the heat/water flow of the system and air/fuel humidification process for various operation conditions (ambient pressure /temperature/humidity, operating temperature, power load). We modeled PEMFC stack which can generate maximum electricity of about 80 kW. This stack consists of 400 unit cells and each unit cell has $250cm^2$ reacting area. Uniform current density and uniform operating voltage per each cell was assumed. The results show the flow characteristics of heat and water at each component of PEMFC system in macro-scale. The capacity shortage of the radiator occurred when the ambient was hot $(over\;40^{\circ}C)$ and power level was high (over 50 kW). In spite of some heat release by evaporation of water in stack, heat unbalance reached to 20kW approximately in such a severe operating condition. This heat unbalance could be recovered by auxiliary radiators or high speed cooling fan with additional cost. In cold environment, the capacity of radiator exceeded the net heat generation to be released, which may cause a problem to drop the operating temperature of stack. We dealt with this problem by regulating mass flow rate of coolant and radiator fan speed. Finally, water balance was not easily broken when we retrieved condensed and/or unused water.