• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2001.06e
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• pp.57-62
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• 2001

Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) launched an intermediate scale steam explosion experiment named Test for Real cOrium Interaction with water (TROI) using reactor material to investigate whether the corium would lead to energetic steam explosion when interacted with cold water at low pressure. The melt-water interaction is confined in a pressure vessel with the multi-dimensional fuel and water pool geometry. The cold crucible technology, where the mixture of powder in a water-cooled cage is heated by high frequency induction, is employed. In this paper, results of the first series of tests ($TROI-1{\sim}5$) were discussed. The ZrO2 jets with 5kg mass and 5cm diameter were poured into the 67cm deep water pool at $30{\sim}95^{\circ}C$. Either spontaneous steam explosions or quenching was observed. The morphology of debris and pressure wave profiles clearly indicates the each case.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.253-261
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• 2016

Xanthoceras sorbifolia seed coat (XSSC) is a processing residue of the bioenergy crop. This work aimed to evaluate the applicability of using the steam explosion to modify the residue for dye biosorption from aqueous solutions by using methylene blue as a model cationic dye. Equilibrium, kinetic and thermodynamic parameters for the biosorption of methylene blue on the steam-exploded XSSC (SE-XSSC) were evaluated. The kinetic data followed the pseudo-second-order model, and the rate-limiting step was the chemical adsorption. Intraparticle diffusion was one of the rate-controlling factors. The equilibrium data agreed well with the Langmuir isotherm, and the biosorption was favorable. The steam-explosion pretreatment strongly affected the biosorption in some respects. It reduced the adsorption rate constant and the initial sorption rate of the pseudo-second-order model. It enhanced the adsorption capacity of methylene blue at higher temperatures while reduced the capacity at lower ones. It changed the biosorption from an exothermic process driven by both the enthalpy and the entropy to an endothermic one driven by entropy only. It increased the surface area and decreased the pH point of zero charge of the biomass. Compared with the native XSSC, SE-XSSC is preferable to MB biosorption from warmer dye effluents.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.603-616
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• 2009

The past two decades were mainly devoted to model validation and computer code verification against global corium experiments, code application to reactor situations, and investigation of the role of melt properties in steam explosion energetics. Corium data were essentially provided by JRC-Ispra in the FARO and KROTOS facilities and by KAERI in the TROI facility. Verification of code applicability to reactor situations was performed essentially in the frame of the international OECD/SERENA programme. The paper makes a synthesis of the findings made during the above-mentioned period and expresses a personal view of the author with respect to the progress made and expected for the resolution of the steam explosion issue for light water reactors.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2007.05b
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• pp.3027-3032
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• 2007

To understand the complex phenomena performed in steam explosion, the fast and global measurement of the steam distribution is imperative for this extremely rapid transient stimulation of the bubble breakup and coalescence due to turbulent eddies and shock waves. TROI, the experimental facility requests more robust sensor system to meet this requirement. In Europe, researchers are prefer a X-ray method but this method is very expensive and has limited measurement range. There is an alternative technology such as ECT. Because of TROI's geometry, however, we need axial tomography method. This paper reviews image reconstruction algorethms for axial tomography, including Tikhonov regularization and iterative Tikhonov regularization. Axial tomography method is examined by simulation and experiment for typical permittivity distributions. Future works in axial tomography technology is discussed.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.346-352
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• 2005

The chemical characteristics, enzymatic saccharification, and ethanol fermentation of autohydrolyzed lignocellulosic material that was exposed to steam explosion were investigated using bagasse as the sample. The effects of the steam explosion on the change in pH, organic acids production, degrees of polymerization and crystallinity of the cellulose component, and the amount of extractive components in the autohydrolyzated bagasse were examined. The steam explosion decreased the degree of polymerzation up to about 700 but increased the degree of crystallinity and the micelle width of the cellulose component in the bagasse. The steam explosion, at a pressure of 2.55 MPa for 3 mins, was the most effective for the delignification of bagasse. 40 g/L of glucose and 20 g/L of xylose were produced from 100 g/L of the autohydrolyzed bagasse by the enzymatic saccharification using mixed cellulases, acucelase and meicelase. The maximum ethanol concentration, 20 g/L, was obtained from the enzymatic hydrolyzate of 100 g/L of the autohydrolyzed bagasse by the ethanol fermentation using Pichia stipitis CBS 5773; the ethanol yield from sugars was 0.33 g/g sugars.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.30-36
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• 1993

Wood chips of oak (Quercus mongolica) and larch (Larix leptolepis) were treated with a relatively low pressure steam(10~20 kg/$cm^2$) for 10~20 min (first-stage),and then increased pressure up to 30kg/$cm^2$ for 30 second (second-stage), and steam pressure was released intentionally to air. Main components of exploded wood were separated with 1% NaOH and hot water-methanol. In this work, the more effective low pressure explosion condition and separation method of wood main component were investigated. The results can be summarized as follows; 1. The yields of exploded wood were generally decreased with increasing steam pressure and reaction time. 2. The proper condition of steam explosion in low pressure for the separation of wood main components was 15kg/$cm^2$-10 min, in oak wood and 20kg/$cm^2$-10 min., then 30kg/$cm^2$-0.5 min, in larch wood. 3. The 23% of elude hemicellulose was obtained from the exploded oak wood which was treated with optimal condition. 4. In the case of hot water-methanol extraction, the ratio of delignification was 14~23% in the exploded larch wood and 42~55% in the exploded oak wood. 5. The methanol was more effective than 1% sodium hydroxide solution for extraction of lignin from exploded wood.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.54-60
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• 1995

This paper reports on the changes of equilibrium moisture contents and specific surface areas of Poplar wood(Populus euramericana) for various steam explosion treatments. Equilibrium moisture contents(EMC) and specific surfaces of steam exploded woods were measured under the moisture adsorption course at 25$^{\circ}C$, and compared with those of other materials and wood meals. The EMCs of steam exploded wood meal were 1~5% less in comparison with that of wood meal. In the case of delignified steam exploded wood meal and delignified wood meal, the same tendency was appeared too. But absolute values of EMCs for delignified wood meals were larger than those of the wood meal. For the changes of EMC by the steam exploded conditions, the EMC decreased with the increase of the steam explosion pressure. On the other hand, specific surface areas were calculated from BET plots based on amounts of monomolecular vapor adsorption of various wood meals. Specific surface areas of the wood meal and delignified wood meal were 90~145, 34~90($m^2/g$) respectively, and which were greater in comparison with those of steam exploded wood meals and delignified steam exploded wood meals. From these results, it is considered that the amount of water vapor adsorption was decreased by the increase of the crystallinity, effect of heat treatment, and coating by melted lignin in during the steam explosion.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.11-20
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• 1992

Steam explosion is one of the most effective pretreatment for fractionating wood. This leads to the total utilization of wood basic components; cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. The amount of sugar and lignin extracted with the hot water method was very low. The lignin content of residues after extraction with using a sodium hydroxide treatment, increased delignification of carbohydrate as the concentration of alkali was increased. Oak, pretreated with steam exploded at 25kg/$cm^2$ for 6 min. then 1% alkali for 2hrs. showed a delignification rate up to 95%. A sodium chlorite treatment of steam exploded pine and oak also afforded a high deligninfication effect. Pine, treated 10% sodium chlorite for 2hrs. showed high delignification. However, by using a sodium hydroxide treatment, a 2% retreatment for Ihr. after a 2% for 2hrs. afforded remarkable delignification effect on exploded wood at 30kg/$cm^2$ for 9min. and at 35kg/$cm^2$ for 3-6min. In oak, an initial 2hrs. treatment of 2% sodium chlorite was followed by a second 2hrs. treatment at 10%. This showed a delignification rate of 96%.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 1995.05a
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• pp.509-516
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• 1995

The uncertainty analysis for the in-vessel steam explosion during severe accidents at a nuclear power plant is performed using a probabilistic approach. This approach consists of four steps; 1) screening, 2) quantification of uncertainty 3) propagation of uncertainty, and 4) output analysis. And the specific methods which satisfy the sub-objectives of each step are prepared and presented. Compared with existing ones, the unique feature of this approach is the improved estimation of uncertainties through quantification, which ensures the defensibility of the resultant failure probability distributions. Using the approach, the containment failure probability due to in-vessel steam explosion is calculated. The results of analysis show that 1) pour diameter is the most dominant factor and slug condensed phase fraction is the least and 2) fraction of core molten is the second most dominant factor, which is identified as distinct feature of this study as compared with previous studies.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.37-42
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• 1997

This study was carried out to track the heated-air flows within the tree disk through measuring the distribution of wood temperatures during explosing the 7.5mm-thick Japanese cedar disk and to investigate the effects of the time for the first explosion cycle and the number of explosion cycles on the improvement of permeability of tree disk. If the tree disk are explosed when the temperatures of the shell and core of it are not equilibrium yet, all of the inflated airs in the shell after explosion don't flow out toward the autoclave and some of them flow into the core of which the air pressures are lower than those of the shell. It is very effective for the improvement of permeability of tree disk to make the first explosion cycle when the temperatures of the shell and the core equilibrate at the setting temperature of steam in the autoclave. The more tree disks were explosed under the same conditions of first explosion, the more their permeabilities were improved.