• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.32-37
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• 2022

In a carbon-zero social atmospher, research is underway to reduce the use of fossil fuels. Interest in cleaner energy sources and their storage system is growing, and among them, research on effective energy storage is being actively conducted. Energy storage system(ESS) can be divided into secondary batteries, fuel cells, and capacitors, and the superiority of energy density of secondary batteries has a dominent influence on the ESS market. However, as problems with secondary batteries, charge/discharge speed, safety, and deterioration of electrodes are being highlighted. In this study, an electrode for supercapacitor with superior charge/discharge speed and specific capacitance is manufactured. The manufactured spinel nickel cobalt electrodes had specific capacitances of 1018.8 F/g, 690.8 F/g, and 475.1 F/g at 1 A/g in 1 M KOH electrolyte, and shows a performance retention rate of 77.48%, 63.30%, and 58.16% after 2000cycles at 7 A/g.

• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.1-8
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• 2022

This study aimed to determine the optimal conditions for fabricating pitch pine (PCP) and Mongolian oak (MOK) pellets using chestnut-shell tea waste (CSW) and castor oil (CSO) as additives. For pellets fabricated using a pilot-scale flat-die pellet mill, all moisture content (MC) was in line with A1 wood pellet standards for residential and small-scale commercial uses designated by the National Institute of Forest Science at the Republic of Korea (NIFOS), regardless of fabricating conditions; the durability of PCP pellets prepared using PCP particles with 10% MC, and CSW addition also satisfied these criteria. The moisture tolerance of PCP pellets improved with combination of 2 wt% CSW and 2-6 wt% CSO. Overall, use of 20 mesh CSW as an additive, PCP with 10% MC, and MOK with 12% MC was found to be optimal. Moreover, using CSO as an additive, high-quality PCP and MOK pellets can be fabricated by adjusting the particles to 12% MC. However, the durability of PCP and MOK pellets prepared using these conditions did not meet the wood pellet standards for residential and small-scale commercial use. Therefore, further research is needed to improve the durability of these pellets.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.589-600
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• 2022

Investigations on the molten-pool sloshing behavior are of essential value for improving nuclear safety evaluation of Core Disruptive Accidents (CDA) that would be possibly encountered for Sodium-cooled Fast Reactors (SFR). This paper is aimed at synthesizing the knowledge from our recent studies on molten-pool sloshing behavior with solid particles conducted at the Sun Yat-sen University. To better visualize and clarify the mechanism and characteristics of sloshing induced by local Fuel-Coolant Interaction (FCI), experiments were performed with various parameters by injecting nitrogen gas into a 2-dimensional liquid pool with accumulated solid particles. It was confirmed that under different particle-bed conditions, three representative flow regimes (i.e. the bubble-impulsion dominant, transitional and bed-inertia dominant regimes) are identifiable. Aimed at predicting the regime transitions during sloshing process, a predictive empirical model along with a regime map was proposed on the basis of experiments using single-sized spherical solid particles, and then was extended for covering more complex particle conditions (e.g. non-spherical, mixed-sized and mixed-density spherical particle conditions). To obtain more comprehensive understandings and verify the applicability and reliability of the predictive model under more realistic conditions (e.g. large-scale 3-dimensional condition), further experimental and modeling studies are also being prepared under other more complicated actual conditions.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.10
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• pp.1325-1334
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• 2022

Global warming has accelerated in recent decades due to the continuous consumption of petroleum-based fuels. Cyanobacteria-derived biofuels are a promising carbon-neutral alternative to fossil fuels that may help achieve a cleaner environment. Here, we propose an effective strategy based on the large-scale cultivation of a newly isolated cyanobacterial strain to produce phycobiliprotein and biodiesel, thus demonstrating the potential commercial applicability of the isolated microalgal strain. A native cyanobacterium was isolated from Goryeong, Korea, and identified as Pseudanabaena mucicola GO0704 through 16s RNA analysis. The potential exploitation of P. mucicola GO0704 was explored by analyzing several parameters for mixotrophic culture, and optimal growth was achieved through the addition of sodium acetate (1 g/l) to the BG-11 medium. Next, the cultures were scaled up to a stirred-tank bioreactor in mixotrophic conditions to maximize the productivity of biomass and metabolites. The biomass, phycobiliprotein, and fatty acids concentrations in sodium acetate-treated cells were enhanced, and the highest biodiesel productivity (8.1 mg/l/d) was achieved at 96 h. Finally, the properties of the fuel derived from P. mucicola GO0704 were estimated with converted biodiesels according to the composition of fatty acids. Most of the characteristics of the final product, except for the cloud point, were compliant with international biodiesel standards [ASTM 6761 (US) and EN 14214 (Europe)].

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.50 no.10
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• pp.739-745
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• 2022

In various environmental requirements of a fighter aircraft, the explosive atmosphere is a test to verify whether or not military products are ignited for the safety of the aircraft system and crew. For the test, the explosive atmosphere test chamber owned by the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KITECH) was applied, and n-hexane, which has more sensitive ignition characteristics than general fuel, was used to conduct the test conservatively. Based on Procedure I, Method 511.6, MIL-STD-810G w/Change 1, the US military environmental test specification, the scope of application, tailoring guide, and detailed test procedures are checked, and the necessity of this test for each subsystem of the fighter aircraft is considered. In this study, we present the correct tailoring method by analyzing the explosive atmosphere test results for the components installed in the fighter aircraft and sharing the derived essential points.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.10
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• pp.3795-3802
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• 2022

NaI(Tl) scintillation materials are considered to be one of many materials that are used exclusively for γ-ray detection and spectroscopy. The gamma-ray spectrometer is not an easy-to-use device, and the accuracy of the numerical values must be carefully checked based on the rules of the calibration technique. Therefore, accurate information about the detection system and its effectiveness is of greater importance. The purpose of this study is to estimate, using an analytical-numerical formula (ANF), the purely geometric solid angle, geometric efficiency, and total efficiency of a cylindrical NaI(Tl) γ-ray detector with a side-through hole. This type of detector is ideal for scanning fuel rods and pipelines, as well as for performing radio-immunoassays. The study included the calculation of the complex solid angle, in combination with the use of various points like gamma sources, located axially and non-axially inside the through detector side hole, which can be applied in a hypothetical method for calibrating the facility. An extended γ-ray energy range, the detector, source dimensions, "source-to-detector" geometry inside the side-through hole, path lengths of γ-quanta photons crossing the facility, besides the photon average path length inside the detector medium itself, were studied and considered. This study is very important for an expanded future article where the radioactive point source can be replaced by a volume source located inside the side-trough hole of the detector, or by a radioactive pipeline passing through the well. The results provide a good and useful approach to a new generation of detectors that can be used for low-level radiation that needs to be measured efficiently.

• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.23-31
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• 2022

This study evaluated the potential of coffee waste (CW) and used frying oil (UFO) as an additive in the production of pitch pine (PIP) and Mongolian oak (MOK) pellets. Ash contents obtained from CW and UFO were 0.5% and <0.1%, respectively. The calorific values of UFO (31.4 MJ/kg) and CW (26.3 MJ/kg) are higher than PIP (20.6 MJ/kg) and MOK (19.1 MJ/kg). For pellets fabricated using a pilot-scale flat-die pellet mill, regardless of fabricating conditions, moisture content (MC) and bulk density of PIP and MOK pellets satisfied the A1 wood pellet standard for residential and small-scale commercial uses, as designated by the National Institute of Forest Science (NIFOS) of the Republic of Korea. When CW was used as an additive, durability of PIP pellets made with 12%-MC sawdust and MOK pellets increased. The optimal conditions for producing PIP and MOK pellets could be by adding 20 mesh CW as an additive and the using of 12%-MC sawdust. However, durability of PIP pellets and ash content MOK pellets did not satisfy the A1 wood pellet standard of NIFOS. Thus, further research is needed to improve the properties of wood pellets with additives.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.860-866
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• 2022

An accurate prediction of the pressure drop along the flow paths is crucial in the design of advanced passive systems cooled by heavy liquid metal coolants. To date, a generic pressure drop correlation over spacer grids by Rehme has been applied extensively, which was obtained from substantial experimental data with multiple types of components. However, a few experimental studies have reported that the correlation may give large discrepancies. To provide a more reliable correlation for ring-type spacer grids, the current numerical study aims at figuring out the most critical factor among four hypothetical parameters, namely the flow area blockage ratio, number of fuel rods, type of fluid, and thickness of the spacer grid in the flow direction. Through a set of computational fluid dynamics simulations, we observed that the flow area blockage ratio dominantly influences the pressure loss characteristics, and thus its dependence should be more emphasized, whereas the other parameters have little impact. Hence, we suggest a new correlation for the drag coefficient as C_B = C_ν,m/ε^2.7, where C_ν,m is formulated by a nonlinear fit of simulation data such that C_ν,m = -11.33 ln(0.02 ln(Re_b)).

• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.10-22
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• 2022

Forest biomass energy is based on scientific evidence in response to carbon neutrality and the climate crisis, international consensus, and environmental-geographic characteristics of each nation. In this study, the authors aimed to analyze macroscopic forest biomass energy policies for ten major countries. They categorized them into six detailed categories (Sustainable utilization, Cascading Uutilization, Replacement of fossil fuel/Carbon intensive products, Utilization of forest by-products/residues as the source of energy, Contribution to carbon-neutral/climate change, and Biomass combined with CCS/CCUS ). In addition, the surveyed nations have developed a policy consensus on the active use of forest biomass with sustainable forest management except for the cascading utilization category. Furthermore, the authors evaluated the mid to long-term plans of the Korean government for improvements in the policy and legal aspects. As a result, the authors derived four major directions that South Korea should approach strategically in the future (1) secure financial resources for sustainable forest management and stimulating investment in the timber industry, (2) promote unified policies to establish a bio-economy, (3) enhancement of the forest biomass energy system, and (4) reorganization and promotion of strategy centered on the opinions of field experts in internal and external instability.

• International Journal of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.641-649
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• 2021

Fuel oil consumption (FOC) must be minimized to determine the economic route of a ship; hence, the ship power must be predicted prior to route planning. For this purpose, a numerical method using test results of a model has been widely used. However, predicting ship power using this method is challenging owing to the uncertainty of the model test. An onboard test should be conducted to solve this problem; however, it requires considerable resources and time. Therefore, in this study, a deep feed-forward neural network (DFN) is used to predict ship power using deep learning methods that involve data pattern recognition. To use data in the DFN, the input data and a label (output of prediction) should be configured. In this study, the input data are configured using ocean environmental data (wave height, wave period, wave direction, wind speed, wind direction, and sea surface temperature) and the ship's operational data (draft, speed, and heading). The ship power is selected as the label. In addition, various treatments have been used to improve the prediction accuracy. First, ocean environmental data related to wind and waves are preprocessed using values relative to the ship's velocity. Second, the structure of the DFN is changed based on the characteristics of the input data. Third, the prediction accuracy is analyzed using a combination comprising five hyperparameters (number of hidden layers, number of hidden nodes, learning rate, dropout, and gradient optimizer). Finally, k-means clustering is performed to analyze the effect of the sea state and ship operational status by categorizing it into several models. The performances of various prediction models are compared and analyzed using the DFN in this study.