• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
• /
• 제47권5호
• /
• pp.401-406
• /
• 2010

For the lower-temperature preparation of calcium monoaluminate(CA, C:CaO, A:$Al_2O_3$) clinker which is hard to synthesize purely within its melting point, an equimolar hydrate was obtained and then used as a starting raw material of clinker burning. The hydrate was prepared from a mixture of waste oyster shell and industrial aluminium hydroxide by heating to $1200^{\circ}C$, grinding and mixing with water. The hydrate was composed of amorphous aluminium hydroxide and $C_3AH_6$(H:$H_2O$) formed by resolution-precipitation mechanism of the system C-A-H. By heating the hydrate, nearly pure and porous calcium monoaluminate clinker was formed at $1400^{\circ}C$ which is fairly lower temperature than that of its melting point. The formation of calcium monoaluminate was performed mainly by the reaction between amorphous alumina and $C_{12}A_7$ caused by the decomposition of $C_3AH_6$. The immediate and earlier formation of $C_{12}A_7$ seemed to be accelerated by not only high surface area and instability of the thermally decomposed hydrate but also the catalytic effect of water decomposed from the hydrate. The final calcium monoaluminate clinker was very porous because of the influence of highly porous shape of the thermally decomposed hydrate.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
• /
• 제36권6호
• /
• pp.147-158
• /
• 2008

In this study, fermentation characteristics of waste agricultural and forest biomass for production of heat energy were focused to be used in agricultural farm households. The purpose of this study was focused on seeking practical utilization of agricultural and forest biomass wastes in agricultural farm households in the form of thermal energy by means of simple fermentation process. Fermentation process was performed in terms of different raw-materials and their mixture with different ratios. Urea, lime, and bioaids were added as fermenting aids. Moisture contents of fermenting substrates were adjusted to 55~65%. In order to optimize the fermentation process various factors, such as raw-materials, moisture contents, amount of fermenting aids, and practical measurement of hot-water temperature during fermentation were carefully investigated. The optimum condition of fermenting process were obtained from hardwood only and hardwood: softwood (50 : 50) beds. In case of hardwood only the highest temperature was recorded between 60 to $90^{\circ}C$ the lowest temperature was determined to more or less $40^{\circ}C$ and the average temperature was ranged to $50{\sim}60^{\circ}C$ and this temperature ranges were maintained up to 20~30 days. The optimum amount of additives were estimated to ca. 15 kg of urea, 20 kg of bioaids, and 10 kg of lime for 1 ton of substrate. To reach the highest temperature the optimum moisture content of fermenting substrate was proved to 55% among three moisture content treatments of 45%, 55% and 65%. The temperature of hot-water tank installed in fermenting bed of hardwood : grass (50 : 50) showed very different patterns according to measuring positions. In general, temperatures in the mid- and upper-parts of substrate piling were relative higher than lower and surface parts during 45-day fermentation process. The maximum temperature of fermenting stage was determined to $65^{\circ}C$, minimum temperature, more or less $40^{\circ}C$, and average temperature was $60^{\circ}C$. The water temperature of tank exit was ranged to $33{\sim}48^{\circ}C$ during whole measuring periods. It could be concluded that fermentation process of waste agricultural and forest biomass produces a considerable amounts of heat, averaging about $50{\sim}60^{\circ}C$ for maximum 3 months by using the heat exchanger (HX-helical type).

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
• /
• 제22권7호
• /
• pp.492-507
• /
• 2010

This article reviews the papers published in the Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering during 2009. It is intended to understand the status of current research in the areas of heating, cooling, ventilation, sanitation, and indoor environments of buildings and plant facilities. Conclusions are as follows. (1) Research trends of thermal and fluid engineering have been surveyed as groups of general thermal and fluid flow, fluid machinery and piping, and new and renewable energy. Various topics were covered in the field of general thermal and fluid flow such as an expander, a capillary tube, the flow of micro-channel water blocks, the friction and anti-wear characteristics of nano oils with mixtures of refrigerant oils, etc. Research issues mainly focused on the design of micro-pumps and fans, the heat resistance reliability of axial smoke exhaust fans, and hood systems in the field of fluid machinery and piping. Studies on ground water sources were executed concerning two well type geothermal heat pumps and multi-heat pumps in the field of new and renewable energy. (2) Research works on heat transfer area have been reviewed in the categories of heat transfer characteristics and industrial heat exchangers. Researches on heat transfer characteristics included the heat transfer in thermoelectric cooling systems, refrigerants, evaporators, dryers, desiccant rotors. In the area of industrial heat exchangers, researches on high temperature ceramic heat exchangers, plate heat exchangers, frosting on fins of heat exchangers were performed. (3) In the field of refrigeration, papers were presented on alternative refrigerants, system improvements, and the utilization of various energy sources. Refrigeration systems with alternative refrigerants such as hydrocarbons, mixed refrigerants, and $CO_2$ were studied. Efforts to improve the performance of refrigeration systems were made applying various ideas of suction line heat exchangers, subcooling bypass lines and gas injection systems. Studies on heat pump systems using unutilized energy sources such as river water, underground water, and waste heat were also reported. (4) Research trend in the field of mechanical building facilities has been found to be mainly focused on field applications rather than performance improvements. In the area of cogeneration systems, papers on energy and economic analysis, LCC analysis and cost estimating were reported. Studies on ventilation and heat recovery systems introduced the effect on fire and smoke control, and energy reduction. Papers on district cooling and heating systems dealt with design capacity evaluation, application plan and field application. Also, the maintenance and management of building service equipments were presented for HVAC systems. (5) In the field of architectural environment, various studies were carried to improve indoor air quality and to analyze the heat load characteristics of buildings by energy simulation. These studies helped to understand the physics related to building load characteristics and to improve the quality of architectural environment where human beings reside in.

• Resources Recycling
• /
• 제16권3호
• /
• pp.19-26
• /
• 2007

The bottom ash of municipal solid waste incineration generated during incineration of municipal solid waste in metropolitan area consists of ceramics, glasses, ferrous materials, combustible materials and food waste and so on. Although the ferrous material was separated by the magnetic separation before the incineration process, of which content accounts for about $3{\sim}11%$ in bottom ash. The formation of a $Fe_3O_4-Fe_2O_3$ double layer(similar to pure Fe) on the iron surface was found during air-annealing in the incinerator at $1000^{\circ}C$. A strong thermal shock, such as that takes place during water-cooling of bottom ash, leads to the breakdown of this oxidation layer, facilitating the degradation of ferrous metals and the formation of corrosion products and it existed as $Fe_2O_3,\;Fe_3O_4\;and\;FeS_2$. So, many problems could occur in the use of bottom ash as an aggregate substitutes in construction field. Therefore, in this study, the separation of ferrous materials from municipal solid waste incineration bottom ash was investigated. In the result, the ferrous product(such as $Fe_2O_3,\;Fe_3O_4,\;FeS_2$ and iron) by magnetic separator at 3800 gauss per total bottom ash(w/w.%) accounted for about 18.7%, and 87.7% of the ferrous product was in the size over 1.18 mm. Also the iron per total bottom ash accounted for about 3.8% and the majority of it was in the size over 1.18 mm.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
• /
• 제36권7호
• /
• pp.711-719
• /
• 2012

A thermodynamic analysis and a feasibility study on the organic Rankine cycle (ORC) as a waste heat recovery system for a marine diesel engine were carried out. The ORC and its combined cycle with the engine were simulated, and its performance was estimated theoretically using R245fa. A parametric study on the performance of the ORC system was carried out under different temperature conditions of the heat transfer loop and specification of the heat exchanger. According to the thermodynamic analysis, ~10% of the thermal efficiency of the cycle was able to be realized with the low temperature heat source below $250^{\circ}C$. The electric power output of the ORC was estimated to be about 4% of the mechanical power output of the engine, considering additional pumps for cooling water and circulation of the heat transfer medium. According to the present study, the electric power generated by the ORC is about 59%-69% of the required power, and it is possible to reduce the fuel consumption under normal seagoing conditions.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• 제45권6호
• /
• pp.731-744
• /
• 2013

Energy security is a topic of high importance to many countries throughout the world. Countries with access to vast energy supplies enjoy all of the economic and political benefits that come with controlling a highly sought after commodity. Given the desire to diversify away from fossil fuels due to rising environmental and economic concerns, there are limited technology options available for baseload electricity generation. Further complicating this issue is the desire for energy sources to be sustainable and globally scalable in addition to being economic and environmentally benign. Nuclear energy in its current form meets many but not all of these attributes. In order to address these limitations, TerraPower, LLC has developed the Traveling Wave Reactor (TWR) which is a near-term deployable and truly sustainable energy solution that is globally scalable for the indefinite future. The fast neutron spectrum allows up to a ~30-fold gain in fuel utilization efficiency when compared to conventional light water reactors utilizing enriched fuel. When compared to other fast reactors, TWRs represent the lowest cost alternative to enjoy the energy security benefits of an advanced nuclear fuel cycle without the associated proliferation concerns of chemical reprocessing. On a country level, this represents a significant savings in the energy generation infrastructure for several reasons 1) no reprocessing plants need to be built, 2) a reduced number of enrichment plants need to be built, 3) reduced waste production results in a lower repository capacity requirement and reduced waste transportation costs and 4) less uranium ore needs to be mined or purchased since natural or depleted uranium can be used directly as fuel. With advanced technological development and added cost, TWRs are also capable of reusing both their own used fuel and used fuel from LWRs, thereby eliminating the need for enrichment in the longer term and reducing the overall societal waste burden. This paper describes the origins and current status of the TWR development program at TerraPower, LLC. Some of the areas covered include the key TWR design challenges and brief descriptions of TWR-Prototype (TWR-P) reactor. Selected information on the TWR-P core designs are also provided in the areas of neutronic, thermal hydraulic and fuel performance. The TWR-P plant design is also described in such areas as; system design descriptions, mechanical design, and safety performance.

• Clean Technology
• /
• 제19권4호
• /
• pp.355-369
• /
• 2013

Economic feasibility is one of the most important factors in energy production from regenerative biomass. From the aspect, biogas from anaerobic digestion of wastewater sludge is regarded as the most economical because of its cheap substrate and additional income from the disposal of waste sludge. Sludge hydrolysis has been regarded as the rate limiting step of anaerobic digestion and many sludge pre-treatment technologies have been developed to accelerate anaerobic sludge digestion for enhanced biogas production. Various sludge pre-treatment technologies including biological, thermo hydrolysis, ultrasonic, and mechanical methods have been applied to full-scale systems. Sludge pre-treatment increased the efficiency of anaerobic digestion by enhancing hydrolysis, reducing residual soilds, and increasing biogas production. This paper introduces the characteristics of various sludge pre-treatment technologies and the energy balance and economic feasibility of each technology were compared to prepare a guideline for the selection of feasible pre-treatment technology. It was estimated that thermophilic digestion and thermal hydrolysis were most economical technology followed by Cell rupture$^{TM}$, OpenCEL$^{TM}$, MicroSludge$^{TM}$, and ultrasound. The cost for waste sludge disposal shares the biggest portion in the economic analysis, therefore, water content of the waste sludge was the most important factor to be controlled.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
• /
• 제21권1호
• /
• pp.3-11
• /
• 2009

The increased demand and consumption of coal has intensified problems associated with disposal of solid waste generated in utilization of coal. Major utilization of coal by-products has been in construction-related applications. Since fly ash accounts for the part of the production of utility waste, the majority of scientific investigations have focused on its utilization in a multitude of use, while little attention has been directed to the use of bottom ash. As a consequence of this neglect, a large amount of bottom ash has been stockpiled. However, the need to obtain safe and economical solution for its proper utilization has been more urgent. The study presented herein is designed to ascertain the performance characteristics of bottom ash, as autoclaved lightweight foamed concrete product. The laboratory test results indicated that tobermorite was generated when bottom ash was used as materials for hydro-thermal reaction. According to the analysis of variance, at the fresh state, water ratio affects on flow and slurry density of autoclaved lightweight foamed concrete, but foam ratio influences on slurry density, while, at the hardened state, foam ratio affects on the density of dry and the compressive strength but doesn't affect on flexural and tensile strength. In the results of response surface analysis, to obtain target performance, the most suitable mix condition for lightweight foamed concrete using bottom ash was water ratio of 70$\sim$80% and foaming ratio of 90$\sim$100%.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
• /
• 제31권6호
• /
• pp.400-414
• /
• 2021

Under high-level radioactive waste repository conditions, bentonite as an engineered barrier material undergoes thermal, hydrological, mechanical, and chemical processes. We report the applications of X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) imaging technique on the characterization and analysis of bentonite over the past decade to provide a reference of the utilization of this technique and the recent research trends. This overview of the X-ray CT technique applications includes the characterization of the bentonite either in pellets or powder form. X-ray imaging has provided a means to extract grain information at the microscale and identify crack networks responsible for the pellets' heterogeneity. Regarding samples of pellets-powder mixtures under hydration, X-ray CT allowed the identification and monitoring of heterogeneous zones throughout the test. Some results showed how zones with pellets only swell faster compared to others composed of pellets and powder. Moreover, the behavior of fissures between grains and bentonite matrix was observed to change under drying and hydrating conditions, tending to close during the former and open during the latter. The development of specializing software has allowed obtaining strain fields from a sequence of images. In more recent works, X-ray CT technique has served to estimate the dry density, water content, and particle displacement at different testing times. Also, when temperature was added to the hydration process of a sample, CT technology offered a way to observe localized and global density changes over time.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
• /
• 제4권2호
• /
• pp.117-131
• /
• 2006

A coupled T-H-M(Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical) analysis was carried out for KENTEX (KAERI Engineering-scale T-H-M Experiment for Engineered Barrier System), which is a facility for validating the coupled T-H-M behavior in the engineered barrier system of the Korean reference HLW(high-level waste) disposal system. The changes of temperature, water saturation, and stress were estimated based on the coupled T-H-M analysis, and the influence of the types of mechanical constitutive material laws was investigated by using elastic model, poroelastic model, and poroelastic-plastic model. The analysis was done using ABAQUS, which is a commercial finite element code for general purposes. From the analysis, it was observed that the temperature in the bentonite increased sharply for a couple of days after heating the heater and then slowly increased to a constant value. The temperatures at all locations were nearly at a steady state after about 37.5 days. In the steady state, the temperature was maintained at $90^{\circ}C$ at the interface between the heater and the bentonite and at about $70^{\circ}C$ at the interface between the bentonite and the confining cylinder. The variation of the water saturation with time in bentonite was almost same independent of the material laws used in the coupled T-H-M processes. By comparing the saturation change of T-H-M and that of H-M(Hydro-Mechanical) processes using elastic and poroelastic material mod31 respectively, it was found that the degree of saturation near the heater from T-H-M calculation was higher than that from the coupled H-M calculation mainly because of the thermal flux, which seemed to speed up the saturation. The stresses in three cases with different material laws were increased with time. By comparing the stress change in H-M calculation using poroelasetic and poroelasetic-plastic model, it was possible to conclude that the influence of saturation on the stress change is higher than the influence of temperature. It is, therefore, recommended to use a material law, which can model the elastic-plastic behavior of buffer, since the coupled T-H-M processes in buffer is affected by the variation of void ratio, thermal expansion, as well as swelling pressure.