• World Technopolis Review
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.59-70
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• 2019

Where is a better place to live? In the coming era, this should be more than simply a livable place. It should be an adaptable place that has a flexible system adaptable to any new situation in terms of diversity. Customization and real-time operation are needed in order to realize this technologically. We expect a smart city to have a flexible system that applies technologies of self-monitoring and self-response, thereby being a promising city model towards being a better place to live. Energy demand and supply is a crucial issue concerning our expectations for the flexible system of a smart city because it is indispensable to comfortable living, especially city living. Although it may seem that energy diversification, such as the energy mix of a country, is a matter of overriding concern, the central point is the scale of place to build grids for realizing sustainable urban energy systems. A traditional hard energy path supported by huge centralized energy systems based on fossil and nuclear fuels on a national scale has already faced difficult problems, particularly in terms of energy flexibility/resilience. On the other hand, an alternative soft energy path consisting of small diversified energy systems based on renewable energy sources on a local scale has limitations regarding stability, variability, and supply potential despite the relatively light economic/technological burden that must be assumed to realize it. As another alternative, we can adopt a holonic path incorporating an alternative soft energy path with a traditional hard energy path complimentarily based on load management. This has a high affinity with the flexible system of a smart city. At a system level, the purpose of all of the paths mentioned above is not energy itself but the service it provides. If the expected energy service is fixed, the conclusive factor in choosing a more appropriate system is accessibility to the energy service. Accessibility refers to reliability and affordability; the former encompasses the level of energy self-sufficiency, and the latter encompasses the extent of energy saving. From this point of view, it seems that the small diversified energy systems of a soft energy path have a clear advantage over the huge centralized energy systems of a hard energy path. However, some insuperable limitations still remain, so it is reasonable to consider both energy systems continuing to coexist in a multiplexing energy system employing a holonic path to create and maintain reliable and affordable access to energy services that cover households'/enterprises' basic energy needs. If this is embodied in a smart city concept, this is nothing else but smart energy inclusion. In Japan, following the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011, a trend towards small diversified energy systems of a soft energy path intensified in order to realize a nuclear-free society. As a result, the Government of Japan proclaimed in its Fifth Strategic Energy Plan that renewable energy must be the main source of power in Japan by 2050. Accordingly, Sony vowed that all the energy it uses would come from renewable sources by 2040. In this situation, it is expected that smart energy inclusion will be achieved by the Japanese version of a smart grid based on the concept of a minimum cost scheme and demand response.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.375-387
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• 2019

In this study, the radiation dose rates for the design basis fuel of 360 assemblies CANDU spent nuclear fuel transportation cask were evaluated, by measuring radiation source terms for the design basis fuel of a pressurized heavy water reactor. Additionally, radiological safety evaluation was carried out and the validity of the results was determined by radiological technical standards. To select the design basis fuel, which was the radiation source term for the spent fuel transportation cask, the design basis fuels from two spent fuel storage facilities were stored in a spent fuel transportation cask operating in Wolsung NPP. The design basis fuel for each transportation and storage system was based on the burnup of spent fuel, minimum cooling period, and time of transportation to the intermediate storage facility. A burnup of 7,800 MWD/MTU and a minimum cooling period of 6 years were set as the design basis fuel. The radiation source terms of the design basis fuel were evaluated using the ORIGEN-ARP computer module of SCALE computer code. The radiation shielding of the cask was evaluated using the MCNP6 computer code. In addition, the evaluation of the radiation dose rate outside the transport cask required by the technical standard was classified into normal and accident conditions. Thus, the maximum radiation dose rates calculated at the surface of the cask and at a point 2 m from the surface of the cask under normal transportation conditions were respectively 0.330 mSv·h^-1 and 0.065 mSv·h^-1. The maximum radiation dose rate 1 m from the surface of the cask under accident conditions was calculated as 0.321 mSv·h^-1. Thus, it was confirmed that the spent fuel cask of the large capacity heavy water reactor had secured the radiation safety.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.217-224
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• 2008

In deep geological disposal system, the integrity of a disposal canister having spent fuels is very important factor to assure the safety of the repository system. This disposal canister is one element of the engineered barriers to isolate and to delay the radioactivity release from human beings and the environment for a long time so that the toxicity does not affect the environment. The main requirement in designing the deep geological disposal system is to keep the buffer temperature below 100$^{\circ}C$ by the decay heat from the spent fuels in the canister in order to maintain the integrity of the buffer material. Also, the disposal canister can endure the hydraulic pressure in the depth of 500 m and the swelling pressure of the bentonite as a buffer. In this study, new concept of the disposal canister for the CANDU spent fuels which were considered to be disposed without any treatment was developed and the thermal stability and the structural integrity of the canister were analysed. The result of the thermal analysis showed that the temperature of the buffer was 88.9$^{\circ}C$ when 37 years have passed after emplacement of the canister and the spacings of the disposal tunnel and the deposition holes were 40 m and 3 m, respectively. In the case of structural analysis, the result showed that the safety factors of the normal and the extreme environment were 2.9 and 1.33, respectively. So, these results reveal that the canister meets the thermal and the structural requirements in the deep geological disposal system.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.384-390
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• 2016

Tri-isotropic (TRISO) coatings on zirconia surrogate beads are deposited using a fluidized-bed vapor deposition (FB-CVD) method. The silicon carbide layer is particularly important among the coated layers because it acts as a miniature pressure vessel and a diffusion barrier to gaseous and metallic fission products in the TRISO-coated particles. In this study, we obtain a nearly stoichiometric composition in the SiC layer coated at $1400^{\circ}C$, $1500^{\circ}C$, and $1400^{\circ}C$ with 20 vol.% methyltrichlorosilane (MTS), However, the composition of the SiC layer coated at $1300-1350^{\circ}C$ shows a difference from the stoichiometric ratio (1:1). The density decreases remarkably with decreasing SiC deposition temperature because of the nanosized pores. The high density of the SiC layer (${\geq}3.19g/cm^2$) easily obtained at $1500^{\circ}C$ and $1400^{\circ}C$ with 20 vol.% MTS did not change at an annealing temperature of $1900^{\circ}C$, simulating the reactor operating temperature. The evaluation of the mechanical properties is limited because of the inaccurate values of hardness and Young's modulus measured by the nano-indentation method.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.201-211
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• 2005

In this study, conventional head-end processes of spent TRISO fuel have been reviewed to develope more effective treatment methods. The main concerns in the TRISO treatment are to effectively separate the carbon and SiC contained in the TRISO particles. The crush-burn scheme which was considered in the early stages of the development has been replaced by the crush-leach process because of $^{14}C$ problems as a second waste being generated during the process. However, there are still many obstacles to overcome in the reported processes. Hence, innovative thermomechanical concepts and a molten salt electrochemical approach to breach the coating layers of the TRISO particle with a minimized amount of second waste are proposed in this paper and their principles are described in detail.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.120-126
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• 2015

Recently, the ever-increasing use of fossil fuels for rapid industrial development and population significantly caused an environment pollution and global warming such as climate change. So research and development of sustainable and eco-friendly energy have been performed. Especially the interest in nuclear fusion fuel was significantly increased from the developed countries. The system of fusion energy production was tritium separation, storage and delivery, and purification. Republic of Korea is in charge of Storage and Delivery System (SDS) in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). Welding part of the SDS bottles for storing the tritium is known to be susceptible to hydrogen embrittlement. In this study, conducted a study for the relaxation of the stability and hydrogen embrittlement of the weld area. The hydrogen heat treatment was processed through the Pressure-Composition-Temperature (PCT) device according to the time variation. Also mechanical properties such as impact test and hardness test according to using the alkaline cleaning liquid for hydrogen embrittlement relief and the fracture was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) after the mechanical properties evaluation.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.114-119
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• 2015

Nowdays, fossil fuels have been used as an important resource in development of industry. But it is limited and caused climate change such as pollution and global warming. So nuclear fusion research is being issued with tritium to develop eco-friendly and sustainable energy. Republic of Korea is in charge of Storage and Delivery System (SDS) in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), weld present in the SDS bottles are easily exposed to the hydrogen embrittlement of special characteristics of the hydrogen in hydrogen atmosphere, When the hydrogen embrittlement is rapidly progresses, the cracking is generated in the weld zone. Due to this cracking, the risk of leakage of tritium into the atmosphere occurs. In this study, hydrogen heat treatment was processed through the Pressure-Composition-Temperature (PCT) device according to the time variation. Also mechanical properties such as rupture strength test, three point bend test and hardness test in accordance with the respective time have been conducted and the fracture was observed by scanning electron microscopy(SEM) after the mechanical properties evaluation.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.24 no.8
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• pp.434-442
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• 2014

Serious environmental problems have been caused by the greenhouse effect due to carbon dioxide($CO_2$) or nitrogen oxides($NO_x$) generated by the use of fossil fuels, including oil and liquefied natural gas. Many countries, including our own, the United States, those of the European Union and other developed countries around the world; have shown growing interest in clean energy, and have been concentrating on the development of new energy-saving materials and devices. Typical non-fossil-fuel sources include solar cells, wind power, tidal power, nuclear power, and fuel cells. In particular, organic solar cells(OSCs) have relatively low power-conversion efficiency(PCE) in comparison with inorganic(silicon) based solar cells, compound semiconductor solar cells and the CIGS [$Cu(In_{1-x}Ga_x)Se_2$] thin film solar cells. Recently, organic cell efficiencies greater than 10 % have been obtained by means of the development of new organic semiconducting materials, which feature improvements in crystalline properties, as well as in the quantum-dot nano-structure of the active layers. In this paper, a brief overview of solar cells in general is presented. In particular, the current development status of the next-generation OSCs including their operation principle, device-manufacturing processes, and improvements in the PCE are described.

• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.647-669
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• 2013

Depletion of fossil fuels and sharp rise of international oil price as well as climate worming and frequent environmental disasters have required to strengthen resource(esp. energy) and environmental policy and discourse. And hence highly influential discourses and policies such as the concept of sustainable development and strategy for carbon regulation have been developed and pursued world-widely. But these concept and strategy have seemed to be subsumed in the process of neoliberalism, so as to have little effective results. This leads us to energy transition and energy autonomy or autarky as alternative strategic and normative concepts. Daegu has shown strong interests in urban energy problems relatively earlier than other cities, and developed the so-call 'Solar City' project. But it could not properly tackled with the problems, while tending to meet with the global imperatives. This paper considers urban energy problems and energy policy of Daegu with its significance and limitations, and suggests 4 principles for urban energy transition and autonomy with some concrete alternative measures; that is, the transition from fossil and nuclear energy to renewable energy, the transition from supply-led policy to demand side focusing policy, the transition from central governing energy system to locally distributed one, and the transition from market-dependent management to citizen-participatory energy governance.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.49 no.7
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• pp.549-556
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• 2011

This study aimed to evaluate the performance of diffusion barriers in order to prevent fuel-cladding chemical interaction (FCCI) between the metallic fuels and the cladding materials, a potential hazard for nuclear fuel in sodium-cooled fast reactors. In order to prevent FCCI, Zr or V metal is deposited on the ferritic-martensitic stainless steel surface by physical vapor deposition with a thickness up to $5{\mu}m$. The diffusion couple tests using uranium alloy (U-10Zr) and a rare earth metal such as Ce-La alloy and Nd were performed at temperatures between 660~800$^{\circ}C$. Microstructural analysis using SEM was carried out over the coupled specimen. The results show that significant interdiffusion and an associated eutectic reaction ocurred in the specimen without a diffusion barrier. However, with the exception of the local dissolution of the Zr layer in the Ce-La alloy, the specimens deposited with Zr and V exhibited superior eutectic resistance to the uranium alloy and rare earth metal.