• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.71-76
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• 2017

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the environmental factors that affect particulate matters (PM10) and to compare with outdoor PM10 concentrations in an underground subway stations. Methods: The PM10 level was determined from May 2013 to September 2013 in the Seoul subway stations in four lines. PM mini-vol portable sampler sampler was used to collect PM10 for 6 hrs. Arithmetic means of PM10 concentrations with standard deviation (SD) were calculated. Paired t-test was used to compare the differences between indoor PM10 and outdoor PM10 concentrations with correlation analysis which was used to identify the association between indoor PM10 concentrations and environmental factors. Results: There were no different PM10 concentrations significantly between line 1, 2, 3 and 4 in an underground subway stations. Passenger number was positively associated with PM10 concentration while construction year was negatively associated with PM10 concentrations. Indoor PM10 concentrations were significantly higher than those in outdoor PM10 concentrations. PM10 concentrations were higher in the stations which were constructed before 1990s rather than the stations constructed after 1990s. Conclusion: PM10 levels in the underground subway stations varied greatly depending on the construction year. Therefore, it might need to be more careful management to the stations which constructed in before 1990s.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.204-214
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• 2018

Indoor air quality was investigated in homes and daycares located in areas with heavy traffic in Seoul, South Korea from November 2013 to January 2014. Indoor and outdoor air quality measurements were collected for 48 hours in four children's homes and daycare centers. The I/O ratio (Indoor to outdoor ratio) for each major air pollutant ($NO_2$, black carbon, $PM_{10}$, and $PM_{2.5}$) was calculated, and $NO_2$ and $PM_{10}$ concentration profiles were analyzed based on indoor activity diaries recorded during the 48 hours. Most I/O ratios for $NO_2$, black carbon, $PM_{10}$, and $PM_{2.5}$ at daycare centers were less than one. At homes, I/O ratios for black carbon, $PM_{10}$, and $PM_{2.5}$ were less than one; however, most I/O ratios for $NO_2$ were greater than one due to the usage of gas stoves. The children's exposure to indoor air pollutants was calculated using a time-weighted average exposure method, and the daily intake level for each pollutant was determined.

• Journal of environmental and Sanitary engineering
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.134-141
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• 2000

The person' spending time in underground s[aces within indoor environment show a tendency to increase every year, but in Korea, levels and sources of pollutant in underground spaces have not been well-characterized. Therefore, as part or a larger indoor environmental study, conducted at subway station in Seoul, nitrogen dioxide was measured using passive samplers in 16 subway stations, 2 tunnels and 70 workers of subway station. The mean concentrations of nitrogen dioxide in subway stations were $27.87{\pm}7.15$ ppb at station office, $35.76{\pm}8.35$ ppb at platform, $52.60{\pm}13.04$ ppb at outdoor, respectively, and the Indoor/Outdoor ratio were 0.49~0.93. The mean concentrations of nitrogen dioxide in tunnels were $44.91{\pm}4.67$ ppb in Chunggye-Nowon tunnel with a single track, $42.55{\pm}3.33$ ppb in Mokkol-Taenung tunnel with double track, respectively, and as a result of t-test, a single track levels were higher than double track levels(p<0.05). The mean personal exposure of the subject of station workers was $29.40{\pm}9.75$ ppb.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.240-246
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• 2002

Bypass air conditioning systems are divided into three types; an outdoor air bypass, a mixed air bypass and a return air bypass system. What makes the return air by pass system more effective is that it directs all of moist outdoor air through the cooling coil. The bypass air conditioning system can maintain indoor R.H (Relative Humidity) less than a conventional CAV (Constant Air Volume) air conditioning system by adjusting face and bypass dampers at part load. When a design sensible load (the ratio of sensible load to total sensible load) is 70 percent (at this time, RSHF (Room Sensible Heat Factor) . 0.7), indoor R.H was maintained 59 percent by the return air bypass system, but 65 percent by the conventional CAV air conditioning system (valve control system). The bypass air conditioning system can also improve IAQ (Indoor Air Quality) in many buildings where the number of air change is high.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.111-118
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• 2017

Performance factors such as the EER(Energy Efficiency Ratio) and the COP (Coefficient of Performance) are being replaced by seasonal energy efficiency factors, like the SEER (Seasonal EER) and the SCOP (Seasonal COP) to evaluate the performance of a heat pump by the time of the year. Seasonal performance factors, such as the CSPF (Cooling Seasonal Performance Factor) and the HSPF (Heating Seasonal Performance Factor) are used to describe the heat pump's performance during the cool and hot seasons. In this study, the optimization of all heat pump's operating parameters was experimentally conducted to enhance the SEER based on the EU standard (EN 14825). Moreover, the SEER was improved by the compressor frequency, as well as indoor and outdoor fan speeds. In addition, the performance characteristics of the heat pump were studied under partial load conditions. As a result, the SEER was enhanced by 17% when the compressor frequency was optimized. An additional 2% improvement was achievable with the optimization of indoor and outdoor fan speeds.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2010

Only limited information is available on the measured exposure levels of residents according to the construction age of apartments. As such, present study was conducted to measure and to compare the bedroom, living-room, and outdoor air levels of MTBE and benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene and m,p-xylene(BTEX) in both newer and older apartments. For both newer and older apartments, all the compounds except for MTBE showed significantly higher levels in bedrooms or living-rooms as compared to the outdoor concentrations. The ratio of bedroom or living-room median concentration to outdoor concentration was close to 1 for MTBE, whereas it was larger than 1 for other target compounds. It was also found that the bedroom and living-room appeared to have similar indoor sources and sinks for BTEX, but not for MTBE. The median concentration ratios of the newer apartments to the older apartments ranged from 1.63 to 1.81, depending upon the compounds. In contrast, the MTBE concentrations did not differ significantly between the newer and older apartments, thereby suggesting that although newer buildings could emit more VOCs, this is not applicable to all VOCs. Conclusively, the findings of present study should be considered, when designing exposure studies associated with VOC emissions in buildings and/or managing indoor air quality according to construction age of buildings.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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• v.7 no.1 s.23
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• pp.91-98
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• 2007

In this study, the property and plastic cracking pattern of concrete were compared and analyzed with the replacement ratio of fly ash 0, 5, 10, 15, 20% by cement weight. And curing conditions of concrete were given variously such as indoors(with wind speed as 0, 300, 500m/min), outdoors and chamber. The hydration temperature had a tendency to decrease as the replacement ratio of fly ash increased, and in the case of the wind speed 0m/min, it was showed that the moment that the amount of evaporation of water from surface of reference concrete was more than the volume of bleeding was 90 min since casting concrete. The time that the crack initiated had a tendency to be more quickly as the replacement ratio of fly ash increased. The number, length, width and area of crack in the indoor curing, exposed outdoor curing, enclosed outdoor curing had a tendency to decrease as the replacement ratio of fly ash increased. The crack had a tendency to decrease in sequence of exposed outdoor, enclosed outdoor curing, indoors curing. The outbreak of cracking by the change of temperature and humidity was affected by relative humidity more than temperature and the cracking had a tendency to increase as relative humidity lowered.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.175-187
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• 2014

The subways play an important part in serious traffic problems. Almost seven million citizens a day are using subways as a means of traffic communication in the Seoul metropolitan city in 2012. However, the subway system is a semi-closed environment, so many serious problems occurred in subway stations and injured passengers' health. Platform screen doors (PSD) are expected to prevent negligent accident such as injury or death from falling and improve the air quality of the subway station. Installation of PSD at stations in Seoul metropolitan subway had been completed in December 2009. Consequently, the underground transportation system became a closed environment, so the air quality has improved the platforms, but it has deteriorated in the tunnels. Especially, the subway cabin has many doors, and the doors are frequently opened and closed. For this reason, the effect of door opening on subway cabin, dust flow inside the subway cabin. In this process, the maintenance work may influence the health of people who work underground, as well as that of subway users (passengers). In this study, we measured air quality inside and outside of the subway cabin line 2 in Seoul, Korea. This study focused on the investigation of Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and measurement target pollutants are PM10, CO, $CO_2$, $NO_2$, $O_3$. It was found that levels of PM10, $CO_2$, and $NO_2$ inside subway cabin line 2 exceeded the Korea IAQ standard. Concentrations of PM10, $CO_2$, and $NO_2$ inside of the cabin are higher than outside of the cabin (Indoor Outdoor ratio is higher than 1.). Concentrations of CO, $O_3$ inside of the cabin are lower than outside of the cabin (Indoor Outdoor ratio is lower than 1.). There is a high correlation between $CO_2$ and passengers inside of the cabin and PM10 is only the weakest correlation with passengers. Therefore, it is important to find out the emission source of $NO_2$. The results of this study will be useful as fundamental data to study indoor air quality of a subway cabin.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.207-214
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• 2006

This study was designed to assess the level of nitrogen dioxide from several microenvironments including inside the home, outdoors near the home, inside the school, outdoors near the school, and on the road for 42 primary schoolchildren during the month of December 2002 in Seoul, Korea. The average personal, indoor, outdoor $NO_2$ levels, and indoor/outdoor ratio were 45.08 ppb, 27.89 ppb, 30.96 ppb, and 0.89, respectively. The indoor $NO_2$ concentrations were significantly associated with the presence of a smoker with a gas stove. The estimated personal $NO_2$ exposure using time-weighted average equation of $34.64{\pm}5.29$ ppb was significantly lower than the measured personal exposure of $45.08{\pm}5.50$ ppb. Our results indicate that indoor $NO_2$ levels were associated with the presence of a smoker and a gas stove. Moreover, personal $NO_2$ exposure with a gas stove in the house was significantly higher than those without a gas stove.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.1913-1920
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• 1996

The purpose of this study was to reduce the airborne noise emitted from the package air-conditioner(PAC) therefore, the optimim design melthods of the fans and the flow-paths were investigated experimentally through the anlaysis of the nose problems caused by the conventional PAC system, and the fan performance tests and the systme resistance measurements of the parts which belong to the flow-paths of the PACwere used to study these noise problems. As a results, through the optimized flow-paths of the new PAC system with the lowset system resistance, and by adjusting and matching the operating point of each fan to each PAC system, the airborne noise reductions from the new indoor PAC and the outdoor one were achieved upto 5.5 dBA and 6.6 dBA respectively in overall noise level as compared with the conventional PAC system.