• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.52 no.10
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• pp.743-752
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• 2019

The flow in the meandering channel is characterized by the spiral motion of secondary currents that typically cause the erosion along the outer bank. Hydraulic structures, such as spur dike and groyne, are commonly installed on the channel bottom near the outer bank to mitigate the strength of secondary currents. This study is to investigate the effects of submerged vanes installed in a $90^{\circ}$ meandering channel on the development of secondary currents through three-dimensional numerical modeling using the hybrid RANS/LES method for turbulence and the volume of fluid method, based on OpenFOAM open source toolbox, for capturing the free surface at the Froude number of 0.43. We employ the second-order-accurate finite volume methods in the space and time for the numerical modeling and compare numerical results with experimental measurements for evaluating the numerical predictions. Numerical results show that the present simulations well reproduce the experimental measurements, in terms of the time-averaged streamwise velocity and secondary velocity vector fields in the bend with submerged vanes. The computed flow fields reveal that the streamwise velocity near the bed along the outer bank at the end section of bend dramatically decrease by one third of mean velocity after the installation of vanes, which support that submerged vanes mitigate the strength of primary secondary flow and are helpful for the channel stability along the outer bank. The flow between the top of vanes and the free surface accelerates and the maximum velocity of free surface flow near the flow impingement along the outer bank increases about 20% due to the installation of submerged vanes. Numerical solutions show the formations of the horseshoe vortices at the front of vanes and the lee wakes behind the vanes, which are responsible for strong local scour around vanes. Additional study on the shapes and arrangement of vanes is required for mitigate the local scour.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.285-297
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• 2022

We report results of Extended Leak-Off Test (XLOT) conducted in a large diameter borehole, which is drilled for installation of deep borehole geophysical monitoring system to monitor micro-earthquakes and fault behavior of major fault zones in the southeastern Korean Peninsula. The borehole was planned to secure a final diameter of 200 mm (or more) at a depth of ~1 km, with 12" diameter wellbore to intermediate depths, and 7-7/8" (~200 mm) to the bottom hole depth. We drilled first the 12" borehole to approximately 504 m deep and installed American Petroleum Institute standard 8-5/8" casing, then annulus between the casing and bedrock was fully cemented. XLOT was carried out for several purposes such as confirming casing and cementing integrity, measuring rock stress states. To that end, we drilled additional 4 m long open hole interval to directly inject water and pressurize into the rock mass using the upper API casings. During the XLOT, flow rates and interval pressures were recorded in real time. Based on the logs we tried to analyze hydraulic conductivity of the test interval.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.421-433
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• 2023

The final disposal of spent nuclear fuel(SNF) from nuclear power plants takes place in a deep geological repository. The metal canister encasing the SNF is made of cast iron and copper, and is engineered to effectively isolate radioactive isotopes for a long period of time. The SNF is further shielded by a multi-barrier disposal system comprising both engineering and natural barriers. The deep disposal environment gradually changes to an anaerobic reducing environment. In this environment, sulfide is one of the most probable substances to induce corrosion of copper canister. Stress-corrosion cracking(SCC) triggered by sulfide can carry substantial implications for the integrity of the copper canister, potentially posing a significant threat to the long-term safety of the deep disposal repository. Sulfate can exist in various forms within the deep disposal environment or be introduced from the geosphere. Sulfate has the potential to be transformed into sulfide by sulfate-reducing bacteria(SRB), and this converted sulfide can contribute to the corrosion of the copper canister. Bentonite, which is considered as a potential material for buffering and backfilling, contains oxidized sulfate minerals such as gypsum(CaSO4). If there is sufficient space for microorganisms to thrive in the deep disposal environment and if electron donors such as organic carbon are adequately supplied, sulfate can be converted to sulfide through microbial activity. However, the majority of the sulfides generated in the deep disposal system or introduced from the geosphere will be intercepted by the buffer, with only a small amount reaching the metal canister. Pyrite, one of the potential sulfide minerals present in the deep disposal environment, can generate sulfates during the dissolution process, thereby contributing to the corrosion of the copper canister. However, the quantity of oxidation byproducts from pyrite is anticipated to be minimal due to its extremely low solubility. Moreover, the migration of these oxidized byproducts to the metal canister will be restricted by the low hydraulic conductivity of saturated bentonite. We have comprehensively analyzed and summarized key research cases related to the presence of sulfates, reduction processes, and the formation and behavior characteristics of sulfides and pyrite in the deep disposal environment. Our objective was to gain an understanding of the impact of sulfates and sulfides on the long-term safety of high-level radioactive waste disposal repository.