• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
• /
• v.16 no.4
• /
• pp.491-505
• /
• 2018

As an alternative to deep geological disposal technology, which is considered as a reference concept, the domestic applicability of deep borehole disposal technology for high level radioactive waste, including spent fuel, has been preliminarily evaluated. Usually, the environment of deep borehole disposal, at a depth of 3 to 5 km, has more stable geological and geo-hydrological conditions. For this purpose, the characteristics of rock distribution in the domestic area were analyzed and drilling and investigation technologies for deep boreholes with large diameter were evaluated. Based on the results of these analyses, design criteria and requirements for the deep borehole disposal system were reviewed, and preliminary reference concept for a deep borehole disposal system, including disposal container and sealing system meeting the criteria and requirements, was developed. Subsequently, various performance assessments, including thermal stability analysis of the system and simulation of the disposal process, were performed in a 3D graphic disposal environment. With these analysis results, the preliminary evaluation of the domestic applicability of the deep borehole disposal system was performed from various points of view. In summary, due to disposal depth and simplicity, the deep borehole disposal system should bring many safety and economic benefits. However, to reduce uncertainty and to obtain the assent of the regulatory authority, an in-situ demonstration of this technology should be carried out. The current results can be used as input to establish a national high-level radioactive waste management policy. In addition, they may be provided as basic information necessary for stakeholders interested in deep borehole disposal technology.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.19 no.9
• /
• pp.279-287
• /
• 2018

Sealants are an important element of modern architecture and serve as a building protection against weathering by providing barriers against ingress of moisture, air, and other materials. Exposure to a variety of environments often reduces lifespan due to changes in physical, chemical and mechanical characteristics, and UV, humidity, and temperature expansion are important issues that are directly related to durability. In this study, a combined deterioration test chamber was developed to simulate the environment of the open air as an instrument for verifying the durability of structural sealing materials indoors. In order to replicate special weather conditions, such as yellow dust, acid rain, and contamination by microorganisms, it was deemed impossible to replicate the outdoor environment by 100 %, and the results of the results of the results of the external exposure test of the structural sealant and the combined deterioration testing device. As a result of the displacement test of the outdoor exposure test, it was determined that the sealant was breaking apart and that it would be smooth, and the displacement would be up to three times greater than the initial material value of 1 year. The displacement test results of the combined deterioration test device show the tendency to deteriorate, decreasing the elasticity and tensile characteristics. In the case of denatured silicon, the current 400 cycles have been completed to confirm 12 months of degradation of the external exposure. The deformation of the test specimen cannot be verified with the naked eye, so it is considered that the conditions of the specimen are more stable than the silicon sealant. As a result of the outdoor exposure test, if the combined deterioration test device is structured and proposed in the relevant guidance or specification, the anticipated lifespan of 12 months in the actual use environment can be verified indoors and below 3 months later, economically.

• Tribology and Lubricants
• /
• v.34 no.5
• /
• pp.197-207
• /
• 2018

Thermal deterioration of fuel due to long-term storage influences engine performance and causes malfunctions. Fuel stability is usually evaluated via heat resistance and thermal stability during a brief heat shock at high temperature; storage stability in this scenario means that there is very little change in the quality of the fuel during long-term storage. In addition, rubber-based products such as oil seals, O-rings, and rubber hoses can influence the quality of the fuel. When these rubber products are in contact with fuel, they can swell, mechanically weaken, and occasionally crack, thus leaking low molar weight rubber and additives including plasticizer and antioxidant into the fuel to degrade its properties and shorten its useful lifetime. This study determines the thermal stabilities of three kinds of synthetic fuels by evaluating their low temperature kinematic viscosities, chemical composition changes via GC analyses, gross heat of combustion, and color changes. We evaluate the compression set of O-rings by immersing one NBR and two FKM rubber O-rings in the three synthetic fuel samples in airtight containers at variable storage temperatures for six months; from this, we estimate the lifetimes of the O-rings using the Power law model. There were very little changes in the chemical compositions and gross heat of combustion after six months of the experiment. The lifetimes are thus dependent on the materials of the rubber products, and in particular, the FKM O-ring was calculated to have a theoretical lifetime of 200 to 5,700 years. These results indicate that the synthetic fuels maintain their physical properties even after long-term storage at high temperatures, and the FKM O-ring is suitable for long-term sealing of these fuels.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
• /
• v.13 no.3
• /
• pp.177-197
• /
• 2011

In this study, a series of fire experiments under $HC_{inc}$ and ISO834 (duration of 4 hour) fire scenarios were carried out for three different types of fire protection measures for the segment joint to evaluate their applicabilities to an immersed tunnel. The experimental results revealed that an expansion joint installed to allow relative movements between concrete element ends in an segment joint is the most vulnerable to a severe fire. For the fire protection measure where the originally designed steel plates at an expansion joint arc replaced by fire-resistant boards, the experiments showed that they cannot achieve good fireproofing performance under both $HC_{inc}$ fire scenario and ISO834 (4 hour) fire scenarios since the installation of fire-resistant boards results in the reduction of the sprayed fire insulation thickness. On the other hand, the application of modified bent steel plates replacing the original steel plates was proved to be very successful in fireproofing of the expansion joint due to more sprayed materials filled in bent steel plate than in the original design concept as well as higher adhesion between the steel plate and the sprayed fire insulation layer.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
• /
• v.22 no.1
• /
• pp.1-5
• /
• 2018

The present study investigated the characteristics of vertical sagging down of high temperature in chamber and characteristics of vertical sagging down in the outdoor asphalt sheet and asphalt seal under korea ltimate condition using asphalt seal products of solvent based type, solventless type, water dispersion type, and heat melting type, which are currently applied in Korea. Prior to the investigation of outdoor vertical sagging down characteristics, the assessment of sagging down performance of single use of sealing products at $20^{\circ}C$, $40^{\circ}C$, $60^{\circ}C$ was conducted and the result showed that sagging down did not occur at $20^{\circ}C$ but some solventless type, water dispersion type specimens at $40^{\circ}C$ had sagging down up to 10 mm. In addition, some solventless type, water dispersion type specimens had sagging down up to 55 mm at $60^{\circ}C$. For specimens to which asphalt seal and renovated asphalt sheet were layered over the outdoor concrete vertical surface, sheet sagging and sagging down occurred up to 50 mm in water dispersion specimens after three month later since the construction in summer.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.20 no.6
• /
• pp.74-79
• /
• 2019

The military vehicle produces electric power through an engine-integrated serial hybrid generator that is connected to the engine and does not have a separate generator installation space. However, depending on the mechanical characteristics of the connection between the generator and the engine, iron oxide for internal rusting and lubrication grew scattered. The iron oxide is adhered to the starter to deteriorate the starting performance, and there is a problem that the noise of the leg due to wear of the gear is increased. To solve this problem, the connection spline material and the surface treatment of the engine were improved and the shape was changed to a grease sealing type to prevent the generation of iron oxide inside. As the shape of the generator connector composing the shafting system was changed, the integrity of the structure was confirmed through the torsional endurance test. In addition, through the actual vehicle load test, it was verified that no corrosion occurred during the target life span without internal corrosion. It was confirmed that the anti-scattering structure of the grease effectively suppresses the generation of iron oxide, thereby reducing the noise generated from the generator. In this paper, we propose a fundamental solution to the degradation of the starter and the noise generation by preventing the back corrosion caused by the serial hybrid generator installed between the engine and the transmission.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.34 no.4
• /
• pp.449-459
• /
• 2023

The design and development of underground nuclear waste repositories should cover the performance evaluation of the different components such as the construction materials because the long term stability will depend on their response to the surrounding conditions. In South Korea, Gyeonju bentonite has been proposed as a candidate to be used as buffer and backfilling material, especially in the form of blocks to speed up the construction process. In this study, various cylindrical samples were prepared with different dry density and water content, and their physical and mechanical properties were analyzed and correlated with X-ray CT observations. The main objective was to characterize the samples and establish correlations for non-destructive estimation of physical and mechanical properties through the utilization of X-ray CT images. The results showed that the Uniaxial Compression Strength and the P-wave velocity have an increasing relationship with the dry density. Also, a higher water content increased the values of the measure parameters, especially for the P-wave velocity. The X-ray CT analysis indicated a clear relation between the mean CT value and the dry density, Uniaxial Compression Strength, and P-wave velocity. The effect of the higher water content was also captured by the mean CT value. Also, the relationship between the mean CT value and the dry density was used to plot CT dry densities using CT images only. Moreover, the histograms also provided information about the samples heterogeneity through the histograms' full width at half maximum values. Finally, the particle size and heterogeneity were also analyzed using the Madogram function. This function identified small particles in uniform samples and large particles in some samples as a result of poor mixing during preparation. Also, the μ_max value correlated with the heterogeneity, and higher values represented samples with larger ranges of CT values or particle densities. These image-based tools have been shown to be useful on the non-destructive characterization of bentonite samples, and the establishment of correlations to obtain physical and mechanical parameters solely from CT images.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
• /
• v.33 no.6
• /
• pp.445-471
• /
• 2023

Long-term safety over millennia is the top priority consideration in the construction of disposal sites. However, ensuring the mechanical stability of deep geological repositories for spent fuel, a.k.a. radwaste, disposal during construction and operation is also crucial for safe operation of the repository. Imposing restrictions or limitations on tunnel support and lining materials such as shotcrete, concrete, grouting, which might compromise the sealing performance of backfill and buffer materials which are essential elements for the long-term safety of disposal sites, presents a highly challenging task for rock engineers and tunnelling experts. In this study, as part of an extensive exploration to aid in the proper selection of disposal sites, the anticipation of constructing a deep geological repository at a depth of 500 meters in an unknown state has been carried out. Through a review of 2D and 3D numerical analyses, the study aimed to explore the range of properties that ensure stability. Preliminary findings identified the potential range of rock properties that secure the stability of central and disposal tunnels, while the stability of the vertical tunnel network was confirmed through 3D analysis, outlining fundamental rock conditions necessary for the construction of disposal sites.