• Title/Summary/Keyword: Response to Disaster

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An Experiment Study on Electric Vehicle Fire and Fire Response Procedures (전기차 화재 실험 및 대응방안에 관한 연구)

  • Ki-Hun Nam;Jun-Sik Lee
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Industry Convergence
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    • v.27 no.1
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    • pp.63-70
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    • 2024
  • Lithium-ion batteries (LIB) are widely used in various sectors, such as transportation (e.g., electric vehicles (EV)) and energy (e.g., energy storage facilities) due to their high energy density, broad operating temperature (-20 ℃ ~ 60 ℃), and high capacities. LIBs are powerful but fragile on external factors, including pressure, physical damage, overheating, and overcharging, that cause thermal runaway causing fires and explosions. During a LIB fire, a large amount of oxygen is generated from the decomposition of ionogenic materials. A water fire extinguisher that helps with cooling and suffocating must be essentially required at the same time. In fact, however, it is difficult to suppress LIB fires in the case of EVs because a LIB is installed with a battery pack housing that interrupts direct extinguishing by water. Thus, this study aims to investigate effective fire extinguishing measurements for LIB fires by using an EV. Relevant documents, including research articles and reports, were reviewed to identify effective ways of LIBs fire extinguishing. A real-scale fire experiment generating thermal runaway was carried out to figure out the combustion characteristics of EVs. This study revealed that the most effective fire extinguishing measurements for LIB fires are applying fire blankets and water tanks. However, there is still a lack of adequate regulation and guidelines for LIB fire extinguishment. Taking this into account, developing functional fire extinguishment measurements and available regulatory instruments is an urgent issue to secure the safety of firefighters and citizens.

Comparison of Allowable Axial Stress Provisions of Cylindrical Liquid Storage Tanks under Seismic Excitation (지진 하중을 받는 원통형 플랜트 탱크 구조물의 축방향 허용압축응력 설계기준 비교 연구)

  • Oh, Chang Kook;Lee, So Ri;Park, Jang Ho;Bae, Doobyong
    • Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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    • v.28 no.4
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    • pp.293-301
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    • 2016
  • Stability of cylindrical liquid storage tanks under seismic excitation could prevent catastrophic disaster of human life and economic loss. Domestic provisions on allowable compressive stress in tank walls to prohibit buckling failure are either incomplete or inconsistent, so foreign specifications such as API 650, BS EN 1998-4:2006 or New Zealand Standards are employed in stability design. In this study, response spectrum analyses are performed for plant tanks having different ratios of height to diameter or diameter to thickness to calculate hydrodynamic pressure on tank walls. Then nonlinear buckling analyses are conducted to estimate magnitude of buckling stress. By comparing analysis results with those from foreign design specifications, appropriate domestic design provisions are suggested.

Potentiality of Using Vertical and Three-Dimensional Isolation Systems in Nuclear Structures

  • Zhou, Zhiguang;Wong, Jenna;Mahin, Stephen
    • Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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    • v.48 no.5
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    • pp.1237-1251
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    • 2016
  • Although the horizontal component of an earthquake response can be significantly reduced through the use of conventional seismic isolators, the vertical component of excitation is still transmitted directly into the structure. Records from instrumented structures, and some recent tests and analyses have actually seen increases in vertical responses in base isolated structures under the combined effects of horizontal and vertical ground motions. This issue becomes a great concern to facilities such as a Nuclear Power Plants (NPP), with specialized equipment and machinery that is not only expensive, but critical to safe operation. As such, there is considerable interest worldwide in vertical and three-dimensional (3D) isolation systems. This paper examines several vertical and 3D isolation systems that have been proposed and their potential application to modern nuclear facilities. In particular, a series of case study analyses of a modern NPP model are performed to examine the benefits and challenges associated with 3D isolation compared with horizontal isolation. It was found that compared with the general horizontal isolators, isolators that have vertical frequencies of no more than 3 Hz can effectively reduce the vertical in-structure responses for the studied NPP model. Among the studied cases, the case that has a vertical isolation frequency of 3 Hz is the one that can keep the horizontal period of the isolators as the first period while having the most flexible vertical isolator properties. When the vertical frequency of isolators reduces to 1 Hz, the rocking effect is obvious and rocking restraining devices are necessary.

Investigations on seismic performance of nuclear power plants equipped with an optimal BIS-TMDI considering FSI effects

  • Shuaijun Zhang;Gangling Hou;Chengyu Yang;Zhihua Yue;Yuzhu Wang;Min He;Lele Sun;Xuesong Cai
    • Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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    • v.56 no.7
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    • pp.2595-2609
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    • 2024
  • This paper introduces a base isolation system-tuned mass damper inerter (BIS-TMDI) hybrid system to the AP1000 nuclear power plant (NPP), which reduces seismic damage potential of the NPP structure. The effects of fluid-structure interaction (FSI) caused by the passive containment cooling system water storage tank (PCCWST) on NPP's seismic performance are investigated. The FSI of water tank theoretical model is considered based on the Housner's model, and a series of time history analyses are performed to prove the rationality of the proposed model. Three single-objective optimization strategies are employed to minimize the relative displacement variance and absolute acceleration variance of the upper structure, as well as the filtered energy index (FEI). Furthermore, a multi-objective optimization strategy considering all these three indexes is proposed to obtain optimal parameters of vibration control. The influence of vibration control strategies on the relative deformation and acceleration of the upper structure is explored with various water level ratios. The analytical results indicate that the proposed BIS-TMDI strategy has significantly reduced the NPP structure's seismic response. The effectiveness of the vibration control strategy is influenced by the water level ratio, emphasizing the significance of designing an appropriate water level ratio to reduce NPP structure's seismic response.

Systems to prevent the load resistance loss of pallet racks exposed to cyclic external force

  • Heo, Gwanghee;Kim, Chunggil;Baek, Eunrim;Jeon, Seunggon
    • Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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    • v.83 no.6
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    • pp.745-756
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    • 2022
  • This study aims to determine the cause of the load resistance loss in storage racks that can be attributed to external forces such as earthquakes and to improve safety by developing reinforcement systems that can prevent load resistance loss. To this end, a static cyclic loading test was performed on pallet racks commonly used in logistics warehouses. The test results indicated that a pallet rack exposed to an external force loses more than 50% of its load resistance owing to the damage caused to column-beam joints. Three reinforcement systems were developed for preventing load resistance loss in storage racks exposed to an external force and for performing differentiated target functions: column reinforcement device, seismic damper, and viscoelastic damper. Shake table testing was performed to evaluate the earthquake response and verify the performance of these reinforcement systems. The results confirmed that, the maximum displacement, which causes the loss of load resistance and the permanent deformation of racks under external force, is reduced using the developed reinforcement devices. Thus, the appropriate selection of the developed reinforcement devices by users can help secure the safety of the storage racks.

Study of Quotations From Western Media in Disaster Report: Focusing on Covid-19 Outbreak

  • Hyun Ban
    • International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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    • v.12 no.2
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    • pp.1-6
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    • 2024
  • The Covid 19 pandemic officially broke out in Jan 2020 and ended in Mar.2023, following the WHO, claiming 7 million lives. For the three years, while the world made concerted effort to fight against the deadly virus, South Korea was praised as a model country in that the country effectively contained the spread of the virus. Given this, the paper aims to figure out how South Korea's story was quoted by looking at six editorials in the New York Times and the Washington Post. For this aim, we have analyzed linguistic expressions within White (2003)'s appraisal theory and then conducted a key word frequency analysis. The analysis results as follows: first South Korea's story was quoted to criticize the U.S. government of its wrong management to the Covid-19, also giving some lessons to the world; second, both newspapers attribute the South Korea's success to its swift and rapid response to the pandemic; and third, the Washington Post showed more positive attitude to South Korea than the New York Times by quoting the country's success more frequently with more positive words in evaluating the country's responses to the pandemic while both newspapers showed negative attitudes to the U.S. government to the issue. Thus, it can be concluded that linguistic expressions in quotations are effectively used in showing the newspapers' attitude toward South Korea and the U.S.

Dynamic Structural Response Characteristics of Stiffened Blast Wall under Explosion Loads (폭발 하중을 받는 보강된 방폭벽의 동적 구조 응답 특성에 관한 연구)

  • Kim, Sang Jin;Sohn, Jung Min;Lee, Jong Chan;Li, Chun Bao;Seong, Dong Jin;Paik, Jeom Kee
    • Journal of the Society of Naval Architects of Korea
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    • v.51 no.5
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    • pp.380-387
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    • 2014
  • Piper Alpha disaster drew attention to the damage likely to arise from explosions and fires on an offshore platform. And great concerns have been increased to prevent these hazards. Blast wall is one of the passive safety systems; it plays a key part of minimizing the consequences. However, a buckling due to explosion loads is a factor which can reduce the strength of blast wall. The buckling often occurs between web and flange at the center of blast wall. This study aims to find a solution for reinforcing its strength by installing a flat plate at the spot where the buckling occurs. First of all, ANSYS finite element method is adopted to numerically compute the structural resistance characteristic of blast wall by using a quasi-static approach. Sequentially, the impact response characteristics of blast wall are investigated the effect on thickness of flat plate by using ANSYS/LS-DYNA. Finally, pressure-impulse diagrams (P-I diagram) are presented to permit easy assessment of structural response characteristics of stiffened blast wall. In this study, effective use is made to increase structural intensity. of blast wall and acquired important insights have been documented.

Stochastic finite element based seismic analysis of framed structures with open-storey

  • Manjuprasad, M.;Gopalakrishnan, S.;Rao, K. Balaji
    • Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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    • v.15 no.4
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    • pp.381-394
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    • 2003
  • While constructing multistorey buildings with reinforced concrete framed structures it is a common practice to provide parking space for vehicles at the ground floor level. This floor will generally consist of open frames without any infilled walls and is called an open-storey. From a post disaster damage survey carried out, it was noticed that during the January 26, 2001 Bhuj (Gujarat, India) earthquake, a large number of reinforced concrete framed buildings with open-storey at ground floor level, suffered extensive damage and in some cases catastrophic collapse. This has brought into sharp focus the need to carry out systematic studies on the seismic vulnerability of such buildings. Determination of vulnerability requires realistic structural response estimations taking into account the stochasticity in the loading and the system parameters. The stochastic finite element method can be effectively used to model the random fields while carrying out such studies. This paper presents the details of stochastic finite element analysis of a five-storey three-bay reinforced concrete framed structure with open-storey subjected to standard seismic excitation. In the present study, only the stochasticity in the system parameters is considered. The stochastic finite element method used for carrying out the analysis is based on perturbation technique. Each random field representing the stochastic geometry/material property is discretised into correlated random variables using spatial averaging technique. The uncertainties in geometry and material properties are modelled using the first two moments of the corresponding parameters. In evaluating the stochastic response, the cross-sectional area and Young' modulus are considered as independent random fields. To study the influence of correlation length of random fields, different correlation lengths are considered for random field discretisation. The spatial expectations and covariances for displacement response at any time instant are obtained as the output. The effect of open-storey is modelled by suitably considering the stiffness of infilled walls in the upper storey using cross bracing. In order to account for changes in soil conditions during strong motion earthquakes, both fixed and hinged supports are considered. The results of the stochastic finite element based seismic analysis of reinforced concrete framed structures reported in this paper demonstrate the importance of considering the effect of open-storey with appropriate support conditions to estimate the realistic response of buildings subjected to earthquakes.

A Study on the Accessibility Requirements Analysis Model for the Preventive Safety and Disaster Service Information System - Focusing on the Communication Ability (정보시스템을 통한 생활안전 위험의 예방·대응을 위한 안전약자 요구사항 분석모델 연구 : 의사소통기능을 중심으로)

  • Lee, Yong-Jick;Ji, Seok-yeon;Kim, Sang-hwa
    • The Journal of Korean society of community based occupational therapy
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    • v.10 no.3
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    • pp.1-13
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    • 2020
  • Objective : The purpose of this study is to present an analysis model in developing an inclusive response for safety hazards and disaster preventive information system for vulnerable people to the disaster including persons with disabilities, and those with specific needs. Methods : In this study, the persona analysis method is used to analyze fictitious characters that correspond to various characteristics such as age, disability, environment, occupation, etc. in terms of the scenario of some particular disaster subjects. Based on the user's communication problems derived from the persona analysis, focused group interview and ICF based analysis were implemented to identify needs and arbitration methods. Results : The needs from persona analysis and ICF-based communication items analysis identifies the factors that make each fictitious character difficult in terms of communication in obtaining the benefits consistent with the purpose of the service. The study derives service requirements that can provide arbitration or facilitation methods to increase communication ability of the users. Conclusion : Through the persona analysis method, difficulties that could occur when receiving disaster information using communication devices were identified and analyzed in conjunction with communication problems described in the ICF. In building information services for the prevention of safety hazards and disasters, this study presented a model that uses the persona analysis method and the ICF classification system to derive user requirements for accessible information system.

Educational Program for Radiation Emergency Medicine at the Hirosaki University Graduate School of Health Sciences: A Training Course for Medical Personnel

  • Saito, Yoko;Nakamura, Toshiya;Urushizaka, Mayumi;Kitajima, Yu;Itaki, Chieko;Terashima, Shingo;Hosokawa, Yoichiro
    • Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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    • v.41 no.4
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    • pp.436-441
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    • 2016
  • Background: Although nuclear disaster is considered rare, its effects are serious, and we must prepare a system to enable an effective response. Materials and Methods: Since 2010, we have been offering a two-day seminar to provide current nurses and radiological technologists with basic knowledge and train them in radiation emergency medicine (REM) techniques. This training offers lectures to deepen each specialty from the perspective of REM, as well as exercises on ways to handle irradiated and/or contaminated patients. Participants were expected to treat patients according to the concept of REM. Results and Discussion: All participants learn to assess and decontaminate contaminated wounds through drills. The questionnaire survey for participants indicated that participants were satisfied with this training and wanted to attend again. Conclusion: We believe that this training course will provide a valuable opportunity for medical professionals to gain knowledge and expertise in REM.