• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.125-133
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• 2012

Anaerobic digestion is an alternative method to digest food wastes and to produce methane that can be used as a renewable energy source. We investigated bacterial and archaeal community structures in a three-stage methane production process using food wastes with concomitant wastewater treatment. The three-stage methane process is composed of semianaerobic hydrolysis/acidogenic, anaerobic acidogenic, and strictly anaerobic methane production steps in which food wastes are converted methane and carbon dioxide. The microbial diversity was determined by the nucleotide sequences of 16S rRNA gene library and quantitative real-time PCR. The major eubacterial population of the three-stage methane process was belonging to VFA-oxidizing bacteria. The archaeal community consisted mainly of two species of hydrogenotrophic methanogen (Methanoculleus). Family Picrophilaceae (Order Thermoplasmatales) was also observed as a minor population. The predominance of hydrogenotrophic methanogen suggests that the main degradation pathway of this process is different from the classical methane production systems that have the pathway based on acetogenesis. The domination of hydrogenotrophic methanogen (Methanoculleus) may be caused by mesophilic digestion, neutral pH, high concentration of ammonia, short HRT, and interaction with VFA-oxidizing bacteria (Tepidanaerobacter etc.).

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.109-117
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• 2022

There has been an increasing number of studies on photovoltaic energy generation system in an offshore site with the largest energy generation efficiency, as increasing the researches and developments of renewable energies for use of offshore space and resources to replace existing fossil fuels and resolve environmental challenges. For installation and operation of floating photovoltaic systems in an offshore site with harsher environmental conditions, a stiffness of structural members comprising the total system must be reinforced to inland water spaces as dams, reservoirs etc., which have relatively weak condition. However, there are various limitations for the reinforcement of structural stiffness of the system, including producible size, total mass of the system, economic efficiency, etc. Thus, in this study, a floating breakwater is considered for reducing wave loads on the system and minimizing the reinforcement of the structural members. Wave reduction performances of floating breakwaters are evaluated, considering size and distance to the system. The wave loads on the system are evaluated using the higher-order boundary element method (HOBEM), considering the multi-body effect of buoys. Stresses on structural members are assessed by coupled analyses using the finite element method (FEM), considering the wave loads and hydrodynamic characteristics. As the maximum stresses on each of the cases are reviewed and compared, the effect of floating breakwater for floating photovoltaic system is checked, and it is confirmed that the size of breakwater has a significant effect on structural responses of the system.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2005.06a
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• pp.306-309
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• 2005

One of the most critical issues in sol id oxide fuel cell (SOFC)running on hydrocarbon fuels is the risk of carbon formation from the fuel gas. The simple method to reduce the risk of carbon formation from the reactions is to add steam to the fuel stream, leading to the carbon gasification react ion. However, the addition of steam to fuel is not appropriate for the auxiliary power unit (APU) and potable power generation (PPG) systems due to an increase of complexity and bulkiness. In this regard, many researchers have focused on so-called 'direct methane' operation of SOFC, which works with dry methane without coking. However, coking can be suppressed only by the operation with a high current density, which may be a drawback especially for the APU and PPG systems. The single chamber fuel cell (SC-SOFC) is a novel simplification of the conventional SOFC into which a premixed fuel/air mixture is introduced. It relies on the selectivity of the anode and cathode catalysts to generate a chemical potential gradient across the cell. Moreover it allows compact and seal-free stack design. In this study, we fabricated honeycomb type mixed-gas fuel cell (MGFC) which has advantages of stacking to the axial direction and increasing volume power density. Honeycomb-structured SOFC with four channels was prepared by dry pressing method. Two alternative channels were coated with electrolyte and cathode slurry in order to make cathodic reaction sites. We will discuss that the anode supported honeycomb type cell running on mixed gas condition.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.739-745
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• 2017

Many studies have been conducted to reduce environmental pollution by ships and reduce fuel consumption. As part of this effort, research on power conversion systems through DC distribution systems that link renewable energy with conventional power grids has been pursued as well. The diode rectifiers currently used include many lower harmonics in the input current of the load and distort supply voltage to lower the power quality of the whole system. This distortion of voltage waveforms causes the malfunctions of generators, load devices and inverter pole switching elements, resulting in a large number of switching losses. In this paper, a controller is presented to improve DC output waveforms, the input Power Factor and the THD of an AFE type PWM rectifier used for PLL. DC output voltage waveforms have been improved, and the input Power Factor can now be matched to the unit power factor. In addition, the THD of the input power supply has been proven by simulation to comply with the requirements of IEEE Std514-2014.

• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.79-105
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• 2023

Due to unprecedented extreme weather events such as global warming and climate change, many parts of the world suffer from severe pain, and economic losses are also snowballing. In order to address these problems, 'The Paris Agreement' was signed in 2016, and an intergovernmental consultative body was formed to keep the average temperature rise of the Earth below 1.5℃. Korea also declared 'Carbon Neutrality in 2050' to prevent climate catastrophe. In particular, it was found that the increase in temperature caused by greenhouse gas emissions hurts the environment and society as a whole, as well as the export-dependent economy of Korea. In addition, as the diversification of transportation types is accelerating, the change in means of choice is also increasing. As the development paradigm in the low-growth era changes to urban regeneration, interest in idle railway sites is rising due to reduced demand for routes, improvement of alignment, and relocation of urban railways. Meanwhile, it is possible to partially achieve the solar power generation goal of 'Renewable Energy 3020' by utilizing already developed but idle railway sites and take advantage of being free from environmental damage and resident acceptance issues surrounding the location; but the actual use and plan for these solar power facilities are still lacking. Therefore, in this study, using the big data provided by the Korea National Railway and the Renewable Energy Cloud Platform, we develop an algorithm to discover and analyze suitable idle sites where solar power generation facilities can be installed and identify potentially applicable areas considering conditions desired by users. By searching and deriving these idle but relevant sites, it is intended to devise a plan to save enormous costs for facilities or expansion in the early stages of development. This study uses various cluster analyses to develop an optimal algorithm that can derive solar power plant locations on idle railway sites and, as a result, suggests 202 'actively recommended areas.' These results would help decision-makers make rational decisions from the viewpoint of simultaneously considering the economy and the environment.

• Journal of the Microelectronics and Packaging Society
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.113-117
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• 2016

Recently, hydrogen is regarded as important energy in the future, because it is clean and renewable. The photoelectrochemical (PEC) system, which produce hydrogen using water splitting by solar energy, is one of the most promising energy systems because it has abundant energy sources and good theoretical efficiency. GaN has recently been regarded as suitable photoelectrode that could be used to split water to generate hydrogen without extra bias because its band edge position include water redox potential ($V_{redox}=1.23$ vs. SHE). GaN also shows considerable corrosion resistance in aqueous solutions and it is possible to control its properties, such as structure, band gap, and catalyst characteristics, in order to improve solar energy conversion efficiency. But, even if the band edge position of GaN make PEC reaction facilitate without bias, the overpotential of oxygen evolution reaction could reduce the efficiency of system. One of the ways to decrease overpotential is introduction of co-catalyst on photoelectrode. In this paper, we will investigate the effect of manganese dioxide ($MnO_2$) as a co-catalyst. $MnO_2$ particles were dispersed on GaN photoelectrode by spincoater and analyzed properties of the PEC system using potentiostat (PARSTAT4000). After coating $MnO_2$, the flat-band potential ($V_{fb}$) and the onset voltage ($V_{onset}$) were moved negatively by 0.195 V and 0.116 V, respectively. The photocurrent density increased on $MnO_2$ coated sample and time dependence was also improved. These results showed $MnO_2$ has an effect as a co-catalyst and it would enhance the efficiency of overall PEC system.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2010.06a
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• pp.58.1-58.1
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• 2010

In solar cell module manufacturing, single solar cells has to be joined electrically to strings. Copper stripes coated with tin-silver-copper alloy are joined on screen printed silver of solar cells which is called busbar. The bus bar collects the electrons generated in solar cell and it is connected to the next cell in the conventional module manufacturing by a metal stringer using conventional hot air or infrared lamp soldering systems. For thin solar cells, both soldering methods have disadvantages, which heats up the whole cell to high temperatures. Because of the different thermal expansion coefficient, mechanical stresses are induced in the solar cell. Recently, the trend of solar cell is toward thinner thickness below 180um and thus the risk of breakage of solar cells is increasing. This has led to the demand for new joining processes with high productivity and reduced error rates. In our project, we have developed a new method to solder solar cells with a laser heating source. The soldering process using diode laser with wavelength of 980nm was examined. The diode laser used has a maximum power of 60W and a scanner system is used to solder dimension of 6" solar cell and the beam travel speed is optimized. For clamping copper stripe to solar cell, zirconia(ZrO)coated iron pin-spring system is used to clamp both joining parts during a scanner system is traveled. The hot plate temperature that solar cell is positioned during lasersoldering process is optimized. Also, conventional solder joints after $180^{\circ}C$ peel tests are compared to the laser soldering methods. Microstructures in welded zone shows that the diffusion zone between solar cell and metal stripes is better formed than inIR soldering method. It is analyzed that the laser solder joints show no damages to the silicon wafer and no cracks beneath the contact. Peel strength between 4N and 5N are measured, with much shorter joining time than IR solder joints and it is shown that the use of laser soldering reduced the degree of bending of solar cell much less than IR soldering.

• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.70-79
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• 2015

With the rise of the interest in a renewable system, the importance of the Life Cycle Cost Analysis(LCCA), an economic evaluation tool, has been increasing. However, there is an inevitable gap between a real cost and an estimation from LCCA because of the uncertainty of the external environment in real world. As the input variables in an analysis, such as a real discount rate and an energy cost, ares subject to change as time goes by, strategic decision on the current operating system is made depending on the real cost. Current economic evaluation approaches have treated only the fluctuation of input variables without consideration of the flexibility in operation, which has consequently led to the impairment on the reliability of LCCA. Therefore, new approach needs to be proposed to consider both the uncertainty of input variables and operational flexibility. To address this issue, the application of the Real Option to LCCA is presented in this study. Through a case analysis of LCCA of a solar heating system, the limits and current status of LCCA are identified. As a result, quantitative presentation of strategic decisions has been added in the new approach to implement the traditional approach.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.20 no.11
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• pp.239-249
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• 2019

Recently, the Korean government has implemented a policy to expand renewable energy sources. Large-scale PV systems are being actively interconnected with the distribution system. On the other hand, when a large-scale PV system is installed and operated, the customer voltages could violate the allowable voltage limit due to reverse power flow of the PV system. To overcome these problems, an enhancement method for hosting the capacity of the PV system in a distribution system is being actively conducted. Therefore, to improve the hosting capacity of the PV system, this paper proposes a model of a reconfiguration of the distribution system, which is composed of three sections and three connections based on PSCAD/EMTDC S/W, and proposes an evaluation algorithm for the feeder reconfiguration to maximize an adaption of the PV system. In addition, this paper presents the optimal method of the feeder reconfiguration section to evaluate the maximum capacity of the PV system to keep customer voltages within the allowable voltage limits based on various operation scenarios, such as the capacity of a PV system and section of feeder reconfiguration. From the simulation results based on the PSCAD/EMTDC modeling and evaluation algorithm, it was confirmed that they are a useful and practical tool to enhance hosting the capacity of a PV system in a distribution system.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2011.05a
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• pp.193-193
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• 2011

현재까지 대부분의 지열원 열펌프 시스템에 관한 연구는 열펌프 유닛과 지중열교환기에 대해 개별적으로 수행되었으며, 열펌프 유닛과 지중열교환기 설계 및 최적화의 공통변수인 지중순환수 유량에 따른 시스템 전체에 대한 연구성과는 매우 미미한 실정이다. 본 연구에서는 현재 국내에서 인증되어 보급되고 있는 물매물 지열원 열펌프 유닛의 성능 자료를 분석하고, 지중순환수 유량 변화에 따른 물대물 열펌프 유닛의 성능 실험 및 지중열교환기 형상에 관한 설계 및 분석을 수행하여 지열원 열펌프 시스템 최적화에 관한 기반 기술 확보하고자 하였다. 현재 국내의 물대물 지열원 열펌프 유닛의 냉방 및 난방 조건에서의 최소 인증 COP는 각각 4.1과 3.45이다. 다양한 용량 및 성능을 갖는 국내 인증 물대물 지열원 열펌프 유닛에 대한 정량적 성능 분석을 위하여 3.5kW(1RT) 용량당의 지중순환수 유량과 COP를 고찰하였다. 냉방운전시 3.5kW 단위 용량당 열펌프 유닛의 지중순환수 유량은 10.73에서 18.52LPM을 나타냈으며, 난방운전에는 10.41에서 18.16LPM을 나타냈다. 이때, 냉방 COP는 4.1에서 5.4의 값을 나타냈으며, 난방 COP는 각각 3.5에서 4.2를 나타냈다. 인증 열펌프 유닛에서 지중순환수 유량과 열펌프 유닛의 냉난방 성능은 일정한 경향성을 나타내지 않았다. 지중순환수 유량에 따른 지열원 열펌프 유닛과 시스템의 성능을 정량적으로 분석하고자 지중순환수 유량 변화에 따른 물대물 지열원 열펌프 유닛 성능 실험을 수행하고 이를 기반으로 지중열교환기를 설계 및 분석하였다. 냉난방 각 운전모드에서 ISO 13256-2 규격과 NRGT 101 규격을 기준으로 지중순환수와 부하측 유량 6LPM 에서 36LPM 사이에서 변화시키며 성능 실험을 수행하였다. 냉방 및 난방모드 모두 유량이 증가함에 따라 열펌프 유닛 COP가 증가하였으나, 유량 증가에 따른 열펌프 유닛 COP 증가율은 감소하였다. 지중순환수 유량이 18LPM 이상에서는 COP 상승폭은 미소하였다. 기존문헌의 부하 산정자료와 열펌프 유닛 실험 성능 데이터를 이용하여 지식경제부 고시 2009-332호에 준하여 수직밀폐형 지중열교환기를 설계하고 순환펌프 소요동력을 이용하여 시스템 COP를 분석하였다. 지중열교환기 설계 시 국내에서 가장 많이 사용되고 있는 상용지중열교환기 설계프로그램인 GLD 프로그램을 사용하였다. 지중순환수와 부하측 2차 유체 유량 증가 시에 열펌프 유닛 COP 증가율 대비 시스템 COP 증가율은 감소하였으며, 난방모드에서는 일정 유량 이상에서는 열펌프 유닛 COP는 증가하였으나, 시스템 COP는 감소하였다. 또한, 지중순환수 유량 증가에 따라 지중열교환기 길이가 증가하였으며, 냉난방시의 지중열교환기 길이차이가 증가하였다. 지열원 열펌프 시스템의 고효율화 및 시공비 절감을 통한 경제성 확보를 위해서는 지열원 열펌프 유닛 성능과 지중열교환기 형상 공통 변수인 지중순환수 유량을 함께 고려하여 시스템을 설계하여야한다.