• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.104-109
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• 2016

Candle fires do not occur frequently, but can easily result in death. In this study, the thermal characteristics of candles and conditions and debris of candle fires were investigated to determine the causes of candle fires. The rates of decrease in weight of 10 candles were measured and found to be between 2.6 g/h and 6.7 g/h. Most candle fires are caused by the ignitiong of combustible materials close to them. The temperature near a candle ranges from about $200^{\circ}C$ to $400^{\circ}C$ at a distance of 1 cm and low ignition temperature materials such as papers can easily catch fire. The melting temperature of candles ranges between $50^{\circ}C$ and $70^{\circ}C$ and their major chemical components are fatty acids and normal hydrocarbons (over C20). Using pretreatment conditions involving the use of activated charcoal strips at $150^{\circ}C$ for 16 hours, the fire debris including candle residues were analyzed using a Gas-chromatograph/Mass-spectrometer (GC/MS).

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.167-175
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• 2019

To effectively deal with the fire in tunnel which is mostly the vehicle fire, it's more important to suppress the fire at early stage. In urban tunnel, however, accessibility to the scene of fire by the fire fighter is very limited due to severe traffic congestion which causes the difficulty with firefighting activity in timely manner and such a problem would be further worsened in underground road (double-deck tunnel) which has been increasingly extended and deepened. In preparation for the disaster in Korea, the range of life safety facilities for installation is defined based on category of the extension and fire protection referring to risk hazard index which is determined depending on tunnel length and conditions, and particularly to directly deal with the tunnel fire, fire extinguisher, indoor hydrant and sprinkler are designated as the mandatory facilities depending on category. But such fire extinguishing installations are found inappropriate functionally and technically and thus the measure to improve the system needs to be taken. Particularly in a double-deck tunnel which accommodates the traffic in both directions within a single tunnel of which section is divided by intermediate slab, the facility or the system which functions more rapidly and effectively is more than important. This study, thus, is intended to supplement the problems with existing tunnel life safety system (fire extinguishing) and develop the remote-controlled automatic fire extinguishing system which is optimized for a double-deck tunnel. Consequently, the system considering low floor height and extended length as well as indoor hydrant for a wide range of use have been developed together with the performance verification and the process for commercialization before applying to the tunnel is underway now.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.105-114
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• 2008

This study investigated problems found with the installation of a descending life line which is one of the compulsory fire escape apparatuses required by the revised "Fire Service Act" of 2006 for multi-use facilities and multistory buildings. It presents an analysis of the causes and improvement details for the problems classified by type of item. To achieve the purpose, the total 367 problem points are indicated. The problems of Installation are unsuitable window glass using the descending life line(34%), required passage device is not attached(23.7%), the installation location is with required operation(20%) and damaged descending life line(20%) were investigated. In particular, the study looks at the stress analysis range for cracking window glass which is required for people to escape in an emergency. People have questioned unsuitable window glass for using the descending life line among the problems with the installation. As a result of stress analysis, window glass thickness of the place where the descending life line is installed must be 3 or 6 mm. In addition, this study indicates substantial improvement measures for installing the descending life line so I will actually be used as a fire escape apparatus to protect human lives, and not just to formally meet the Fire Service Act.

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.583-597
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• 2014

Fire caused by heater has various causes as many as the types of heater. also, lots of damage of human life and property loss are caused, since annually continuous fire accident by heater in traditional market is frequently occurring. There are not many cases of fire due to heater in most of residential facilities such as general house, apartments, etc., because they are supplied with heating boiler, however the restaurant, store and office of the market, sports center, factory, workplace, etc. still use heater, e.g. oilstove, electric heater, etc., so that they are exposed to fire hazard. Also, when investigating the number of fire due to heater, it was analyzed to occur in order of home boiler, charcoal stove, oilstove, gas heater/stove, electric stove/heater, the number of fire per human life damage was analyzed in order of gas heater/stove, oil heater/stove, electric heater/stove, briquette/coal heater. Also, gas and oil related heater were analyzed to have low frequency, however, with high fire intensity. Therefore, this research aimed at considering more scientific fire inspection and identification approach by reenacting and reviewing fire outbreak possibility caused by combustibles' contact and conductivity under the normal condition and abnormal condition in respect of ignition hazard, i.e. minimum ignition temperature, carbonization degree and heat flux along with it, due to oilstove and electric stove, which are still frequently used in public use facility, traditional market, and, of which actual fire occurrence is the most frequent. As the result of reenact test, ignition hazard appeared very small, as long as enough heat storage condition is not made in both test objects(oilstove/electric stove), however carbonization condition was analyzed to be proceeded per each part respectively. Eventually, transition to fire is the ignition due to heat storage, so that it was analyzed to ignite when minimum heat storage temperature condition of fire place is over $500^{\circ}C$. Particularly, in case of quartz pipe, the heating element of electric stove, it is rapidly heated over the temperature of $600^{\circ}C$ within the shortest time(10sec), so that the heat flux of this appears 6.26kW/m2, which was analyzed to result in damage of thermal PVC cable and second-degree burn in human body. Also, the researcher recognized that the temperature change along with Geometric View Factor and Fire Load, which display decrease of heat, are also important variables to be considered, along with distance change besides temperature condition. Therefore, the researcher considers that a manual of careful fire inspection and identification on this is necessary, also, expects that scientific and rational efforts of this research can contribute to establish manual composition and theoretical basis on henceforth fire inspection and identification.

• Journal of Korean Society of Disaster and Security
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.17-24
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• 2014

Recently, many accidents occur frequently because sprinklers aren't installed or don't work right when there are outbreak of fire in houses and aggregate buildings. Therefore, they can result in damage for humans and loss of property. Sprinklers are the most appropriate which can extinguish buildings' fire in the initial stages. Through lack of legal system, in domestic cases, sprinklers cannot operate their inherent performance. Domestic standard simply classifies installation objects according to types of business and forms of buildings, also divides into uses and floors of buildings. Especially it only regulates that sprinklers must be installed every floors in particular fire buildings that have more than eleven floors. While it doesn't need to install sprinklers below ten floors, so we are threatened the safety. In this study, we derived causes and implications by analyzing concepts of sprinklers facilities, installation standards in domestic and foreign legal system, and recent cases that expanded damages in fire accidents because of weak point of installation and control standards. In domestic cases, as a result, government has to provide an institutional strategy and law that regulate duty to install sprinklers to all aggregate buildings regardless of floors in terms of new buildings. Also, if someone who has existing buildings wanted to install them, government would guarantee subsidy to encourage installation. In addition, government supervises fire-fighting activities when there are fire by compensating standards about regular inspection by a qualified technician, operation and maintenance of sprinklers as well as reinforcement of administrative criteria.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.811-818
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• 2018

A fire and explosion accident caused by a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) welding and cutting torch gas leak occurred 10 m underground at the site of reinforcement work for bridge columns, killing four people and seriously injuring ten. We conducted a comprehensive investigation into the accident to identify the fundamental causes of the explosion by analyzing the structure of the construction site and the properties of propane, which was the main component of LPG welding and cutting work used at the site. The range between the lower and upper explosion limits of leaking LPG for welding and cutting work was examined using Le Chatelier's formula; the behavior of LPG concentration change, which included dispersion and concentration change, was analyzed using the fire dynamic simulator (FDS). We concluded that the primary cause of the accident was combustible LPG that leaked from a welding and cutting torch and formed a explosion range between the lower and upper limits. When the LPG contacted the flame of the welding and cutting torch, LPG explosion occurred. The LPG explosion power calculation was verified by the blast effect computation program developed by the Department of Defense Explosive Safety Board (DDESB). According to the fire simulation results, we concluded that the welding and cutting torch LPG leak caused the gas explosion. This study is useful for safety management to prevent accidents caused by LPG welding and cutting work at construction sites.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.27-34
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• 2023

With the technological development of the semiconductor industry, the roles of electrical and thermal energy supply and control of semiconductor equipment in ultrafine processes have become very important. However, instances of electrical fires in the chiller heater, which is used for cooling in the semiconductor manufacturing process, are increasing. A fire occurs in combustibles due to high heat at the connection part of the chiller heater, that is, when the number of electrical wires in the connection part is reduced or when the wires are completely disconnected. In this study, the temperature characteristics were compared and analyzed through experiments and 3D simulations. The number of electrical wires, which is the connection part of the chiller heater, was reduced by 90%, 50%, 30%, 10%, and 5%, and the wires were completely disconnected. When the number of electrical wires was reduced by 5%, heat of up to 80℃ was generated, which is a relatively high temperature but insufficient to cause a fire in combustibles. Complete disconnection occurred due to the vibration of the motor and other components, and sparks and arcs were generated, resulting in a rapid increase in temperature to up to 680℃. When completely disconnected, the temperature increase was sufficient to cause a fire in the combustibles covering the terminal block. Therefore, in this study, the causes of electrical fires in chiller heaters were investigated and preventive measures were proposed by analyzing abnormal signals and thermal characteristics caused by the electrical wiring being reduced and completely disconnected.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.590-602
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• 2019

Objectives: This study was conducted to prevent asphyxiation of firefighters during confined space rescue. The specific purpose was to identify the magnitude of the problem, identify the cause of the accidents, and suggest measures to ensure safety of confined space rescues. Methods: We collected data from National Fallen Firefighters Memorial, press releases, and other sources In order to identify the current situation of asphyxiation incidents among firefighters from 1945 to 2019. In addition, an incident investigation was conducted for each case, and the processes, causes, and control measures of the incidents were described as a narrative data entry. Results: Over the past 73 years, eight incidents involving firefighter in Korea have occurred. In these incidents, five firefighters were killed, and eight were injured. The confined spaces incidents occurred were water supply tanks, wastewater treatment tanks, pickling pits, septic tanks, and more. The causes were three cases of hydrogen sulfide poisoning, one of oxygen deficiency, one of carbon monoxide poisoning, and three unclassifiable asphyxiations. The people in need were all workers in various industries. Conclusions: The number of firefighters' deaths and injuries during rescues in confined spaces was severe and the risks have not been completely eliminated. By establishing and implementing a precise incident investigation system, according control measures should be initiatedin order to prevent a recurrence of the same type of disaster and reflected in the SOP. In particular, due to the high risk of occurrence at workplaces, cooperation between fire and rescue authority and relevant agencies such as the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the KOSHA should be strengthened.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.241-247
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• 2023

Erwinia amylovora , which causes fire blight disease on apple and pear trees, is one of the most important phytopathogens because of its devastating impact. Currently, the only way to effectively control fire blight disease is through the use of antibiotics such as streptomycin, kasugamycin, or oxytetracycline. However, problems with the occurrence of resistant strains due to the overuse of antibiotics are constantly being raised. It is therefore necessary to develop novel disease control methods through an advanced understanding of the pathogenesis mechanism of E. amylovora . To better understand the pathogenesis of E. amylovora , we investigated unknown virulence factors by random mutagenesis and screening. Random mutants were generated by Tn5 transposon insertion, and the pathogenicity of the mutants was assessed by inoculation of the mutants on apple fruitlets. A total of 17 avirulent mutants were found through screening of 960 random mutants. Among them, 14 mutants were already reported as non-pathogenic strains, while three mutants, TS3128_M2899 (ΔSUFU ), TS3128_M2939 (ΔwcaG ), and TS3128_M3747 (ΔrecB ), were not reported. Further study of the association between E. amylovora pathogenicity and these 3 novel genes may provide new insight into the development of control methods for fire blight disease.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 2007.07a
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• pp.371-372
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• 2007

The major causes of electrical fire are classified to short circuit fault, overload fault, electric leakage and electric contact failure. The occurrence factor of the fire is electric arc or spark accompanied with electrical faults. Residual Current Protective Device (RCD), that is Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker(ELB) and Molded_case Circuit Breaker (MCB), of high sensitivity type used at low voltage wiring cuts off earth leakage and overload, but the RCD can't cut off electric arc or spark to be a major factor of electrical fire. As the RCDs which are applied low voltage distribution panel are prescribed to rated breaking time about 30[ms] (KS C 4613), the RCDs can't perceive to the periodic electric arc or spark of more short wavelength level. To be improved on such problem, this research development is proposed to a auxiliary control apparatus for RCD trip on electric arc or spark due to electrical fire. Some experimental results of the proposed apparatus is confirmed to the validity of the analytical results.