• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.737-752
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• 2014

As condition-based maintenance (CBM) has risen as a new trend, there has been an active movement to apply information technology for effective implementation of CBM in power plants. This motivation is widespread in operations and maintenance, including monitoring, diagnosis, prognosis, and decision-making on asset management. Thermal efficiency analysis in nuclear power plants (NPPs) is a longstanding concern being updated with new methodologies in an advanced IT environment. It is also a prominent way to differentiate competitiveness in terms of operations and maintenance costs. Although thermal performance tests implemented using industrial codes and standards can provide officially trustworthy results, they are essentially resource-consuming and maybe even a hind-sighted technique rather than a foresighted one, considering their periodicity. Therefore, if more accurate performance monitoring can be achieved using advanced data analysis techniques, we can expect more optimized operations and maintenance. This paper proposes a framework and describes associated methodologies for in-situ thermal performance analysis, which differs from conventional performance monitoring. The methodologies are effective for monitoring, diagnosis, and prognosis in pursuit of CBM. Our enabling techniques cover the intelligent removal of random and systematic errors, deviation detection between a best condition and a currently measured condition, degradation diagnosis using a structured knowledge base, and prognosis for decision-making about maintenance tasks. We also discuss how our new methods can be incorporated with existing performance tests. We provide guidance and directions for developers and end-users interested in in-situ thermal performance management, particularly in NPPs with large steam turbines.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.8
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• pp.3054-3070
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• 2023

Nuclear Power Plants (NPP) are widely utilized around the globe from different base forms as it is one of the most dependable renewable resources that technological advancements have offered. However, different perceptions of the usage of NPPs emerged from different generations. The purpose of this study was to investigate the acceptance of nuclear energy as an alternative source of energy among Generation Z in the Philippines by utilizing an extended Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) approach. An online questionnaire which consisted of 31 items was distributed using a purposive sampling approach and 450 respondents of Generation Z voluntarily answered. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) showed that the knowledge regarding NPP had significant effects on risk perception and benefit perception which subsequently led to subjective norms. In addition, perceived behavioral control and subjective norms had significant effects on behavioral intention which led to nuclear acceptance. Interestingly, the respondents perceived the benefit of NPP as slightly higher than the perceived risk. With these, it was clear that the commissioning Nuclear Power Plant must consider as an alternative source of electric energy in the Philippines. Moreover, this study is one of the first studies that investigated the acceptance of NPP among Generation Z. Lastly, the model could be a basis to strengthen the acceptance strategy of opening NPP among Generation Z, particularly in developing countries.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.12 no.7
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• pp.85-93
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• 2014

The Press related Energy including nuclear energy has social responsibility that it should pass the scientific factors to the right. It is essential to ensure the accuracy and fairness. The general public, such as press releases and information obtained through indirect communication affects social acceptance of nuclear power, which is used to determine the direction of energy policy, the most important factor to be taken into account. Recent rapid increase coverage of NPP lose in balance of nuclear power plants. In this study the qualitative interviews were performed with the workers who stand directly in obtaining information about nuclear related organizations. By E-mail and FGI the data were collected from the workers' perception about domestic nuclear news. They perceived the NPP news that the negative aspects of nuclear power plants were too much dealt in nuclear news coverage, and risk of NPP is only exaggerated and distorted, the lack of expertise knowledge on nuclear power and recognize that the cause was a lack of understanding. 'Nuclear mah' for the event were aware that should dig more thoroughly. The Journal of Digital Policy & Management.

• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.113-118
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• 2016

Project management is a tool for smooth operation during a full cycle from the design to normal operation including the schedule, document, and budget management, and document management is an important work for big projects such as the JRTR (Jordan Research and Training Reactor). To manage the various large documents for a research reactor, a project management system was resolved, a project procedure manual was prepared, and a document control system was established. The ANSIM (Advanced Nuclear Safety Information Management) system consists of a document management folder, document container folder, project management folder, organization management folder, and EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) document folder. First, the system composition is a computerized version of the Inter-office Correspondence (IOC), the Document Distribution for Agreement (DDA), Design Documents, and Project Manager Memorandum (PM Memo) works prepared for the research reactor design. Second, it reviews, distributes, and approves design documents in the system and approves those documents to register and supply them to the research reactor user. Third, it integrates the information of the document system-using organization and its members, as well as users' rights regarding the ANSIM document system. Throughout these functions, the ANSIM system has been contributing to the vitalization of united research. Not only did the ANSIM system realize a design document input, data load, and search system and manage KAERI's long-period experience and knowledge information properties using a management strategy, but in doing so, it also contributed to research activation and will actively help in the construction of other nuclear facilities and exports abroad.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.575-602
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• 2009

In the wake of the Three Mile Island accident, vigorous research efforts were initiated to acquire a basic knowledge of the progression and consequences of accidents that involve a substantial degree of core degradation and melting. The primary emphasis of this research was placed on containment integrity, with: i) hydrogen combustion-detonation, ii) steam explosion, iii) direct containment heating (DCH), and iv) melt attack on the BWR Mark-I containment shell identified as energetic processes that could lead to early containment failure (i.e., within the first 24 hours of the accident). Should the core melt fail the reactor vessel, then non-condensable gas production from Molten Core-Concrete Interaction (MCCI) was identified as a mechanism that could fail the containment by pressurization over the long term. One signification question that arose as part of this investigation was the effectiveness of water in terminating an MCCI by flooding the interacting masses from above, thereby quenching the molten core debris and rendering it permanently coolable. Successful quenching of the core melt would prevent basemat melt through, as well as continued containment pressurization by non-condensable gas production, and so the accident progression would be successfully terminated without release of radioactivity to the environment. Based on these potential merits, ex-vessel corium coolability has been the focus of extensive research over the last 20 years as a potential accident management strategy for current plants. In addition, outcomes from this research have impacted the accident management strategies for the Gen III+LWR plant designs that are currently being deployed around the world. This paper provides: i) an historical overview of corium coolability research, ii) summarizes the current status of research in this area, and iii) highlights trends in severe accident management strategies that have evolved based on the findings from this work.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.505-534
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• 2006

Ensuring sufficient supplies of clean, economic and acceptable energy is a critical global challenge for the 21st century. There seems little alternative to a greatly expanded role for nuclear power, but implementation of this option will depend on ensuring that all resulting wastes can be disposed of safely. Although there is a consensus on the fundamental feasibility of such disposal by experts in the field, concepts have to be developed to make them more practical to implement and, in particular, more acceptable to key stakeholders. By considering global trends and using illustrative examples from Japan, key areas for future R&D are identified and potential areas where the synergies of international collaboration would be beneficial are highlighted.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.94-102
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• 2019

As the importance of first responses for fire accidents has grown in the safety management of nuclear power plants, a systematic approach to measure firefighters' psychological states and competence is needed. The current study investigated the construct of the risk perception of the firefighters working near nuclear power plant sites, and then developed and validated a new scale to measure firefighters' risk perception regarding nuclear power plant accidents. The scale items were developed on the basis of literature review and interviews with the firefighters working near nuclear power plant sites. In order to validate the new scale, we recruited 180 firefighters from five fire stations in the vicinity of the nuclear power plants in Jeonnam Province, Gyeongbuk Province, and Busan. The results of exploratory factor analyses revealed that the scale consisted of five factors: "manual" reflecting a lack of response guidelines and manuals for fire incidents and radioactive material release; "fear" reflecting a fear of fire incidents in the nuclear power plants and their catastrophic consequences; "resource" reflecting a lack of protective equipment and manpower for responding to fire incidents in the nuclear power plants; "trust" reflecting trust and cooperation with the counterpart institutions for firefighting in the nuclear power plants; and "knowledge" reflecting the knowledge of radioactivity and firefighting in the nuclear power plants. Further analyses provided statistical evidence supporting for the 15-item scale's internal consistency and construct validity. Finally, We discussed the implication and limitations of the current research.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.213-221
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• 2010

Objectives: Plasma lipid profiles and Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) are established risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). The knowledge of lipid profile may estimate the potential victims of cardiovascular disease before its initiation and progression and offers the opportunity for primary prevention. The most common ApoE polymorphism has been found to influence plasma lipid concentrations and its correlation with CVD has been extensively investigated in the last decade. Methods: The ApoE polymorphism and its influence on plasma lipid were investigated in healthy woman workers. The information on confounding factors was obtained through a self-administered questionnaire and ApoE polymorphism was investigated using PCR. Results: The relative frequencies of alleles E2, E3 and E4 for the study population (n = 305) were 0.127, 0.750 and 0.121, respectively. ApoE polymorphism was associated with variations in plasma HDL-cholesterol lipid profile. In order to estimate the independent effects of alleles E2 and E4, as compared with E3, on lipid profile, multiple regression was performed after adjustment for confounding variables such as age, BMI, blood pressure, education status, insulin, fasting glucose, HOMA-IR, menopause. ApoE2 had a negative association with HDL cholesterol and ApoE4 had a positive association with LDL cholesterol. Conclusions: This study identified that the ApoE and CVD risk factors contribute to the lipid profiles, similar to other studies. The analysis including dietary intake and other gene in further studies may help to identify clear effects on lipid profiles as risk factor for CVD.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.52 no.8
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• pp.1871-1880
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• 2020

Round robin analyses for vessel failure probabilities due to PTS events are proposed for plant-specific analyses of all types of reactors developed in Korea. Four organizations, that are responsible for regulation, operation, research and design of the nuclear power plant in Korea, participated in the round robin analysis. The vessel failure probabilities from the probabilistic fracture mechanics analyses are calculated to assure the structural integrity of the reactor pressure vessel during transients that are expected to initiate PTS events. The failure probabilities due to various parameters are compared with each other. All results are obtained based on several assumptions about material properties, flaw distribution data, and transient data such as pressure, temperature, and heat transfer coefficient. The realistic input data can be used to obtain more realistic failure probabilities. The various results presented in this study will be helpful not only for benchmark calculations, result comparisons, and verification of PFM codes developed but also as a contribution to knowledge management for the future generation.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.159-166
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was examine via a survey the knowledge related to radiation safety management (RSM) among radiation workers who operated or used a radiation generator or radioactive isotopes (radioactive isotopes, etc. hereinafter) for industrial use and to systematically analyze the changes in the survey results in order to promote a radiation safety culture for facilities where radiation is used. We administered a questionnaire to 861 radiation workers in the period from August 1 to September 5, 2011. As for the analysis method, a frequency analysis was made for the general characteristics and organization information of survey respondents, while the average and standard deviation were calculated and compared for the knowledge level of the RSM. According to the analysis results, the knowledge level of the RSM was evaluated to be high in all of the radiation workers. In conclusion, it is required to conduct a study on various factors in regards to the RSM among radiation workers. This can contribute to establishing educational programs in a timely manner to increase the awareness of safe and efficient use of radioactive materials and equipments by radiation workers.