• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.776-783
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• 2020

As the refueling of a sodium-cooled fast reactor is conducted by rotating part of the reactor head without opening it, the monitoring of existing obstacles that can disturb the rotation of the reactor head is one of the most important issues. This paper deals with the ultrasonic ranging technique that directly monitors the existence of possible obstacles located in a lateral gap between the upper internal structure and the reactor core in a prototype generation IV sodium-cooled fast reactor (PGSFR). A 10 m long plate-type ultrasonic waveguide sensor, whose feasibility has been successfully demonstrated through preliminary tests, was employed for the ultrasonic ranging technique. The design of the sensor's wave radiating section was modified to improve the radiation performance, and the radiated field was investigated through beam profile measurements. A test facility simulating the lower part of the upper internal structure and the upper part of the reactor core with the same shapes and sizes as those in the PGSFR was newly constructed. Several under-water performance tests were then carried out at room temperature to investigate the applicability of the developed ranging technique using the plate-type ultrasonic waveguide sensor with the actual geometry of the PGSFR's internal structures.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.99-105
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• 2006

A digital ultrasonic image construction system was developed for the nondestructive detection of cracks in water distribution pipes. The system consists of PC based ultrasonic testing system and a scanning device. The PC based ultrasonic system has an ultrasonic pulse/receive board for the generation and reception of ultrasonic signals, an analogue to digital conversion board for the digitization of the received ultrasonic signals, and transducers for the ultrasonic sensors. Using this system, the digitized ultrasonic signals were properly constructed in accordance with the position information obtained by scanning device that moves an ultrasonic transducer along the outer surface of pipes. In the construction of the ultrasonic signals, signal processing concepts, such as spatial average and array concept, were considered to enhance the resolution of ultrasonic images of pipe wall. Using the developed system, crack detection experiments were performed in both laboratory and field, which shows promise for crack detection in the water distribution system.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.223-230
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• 2018

This study examines a non-contact laser scanning-based ultrasound system, called an angular scan pulse-echo ultrasonic propagation imager (A-PE-UPI), that uses coincided laser beams for ultrasonic sensing and generation. A laser Doppler vibrometer is used for sensing, while a diode pumped solid state (DPSS) Q-switched laser is used for generation of thermoelastic waves. A high-speed raster scanning of up to 10-kHz is achieved using a galvano-motorized mirror scanner that allows for coincided sensing and for the generation beam to perform two-dimensional scanning without causing any harm to the surface under inspection. This process allows for the visualization of longitudinal wave propagation through-the-thickness. A pulse-echo ultrasonic wave propagation imaging algorithm (PE-UWPI) is used for on-the-fly damage visualization of the structure. The presented system is very effective for high-speed, localized, non-contact, and non-destructive inspection of aerospace structures. The system is tested on an aluminum honeycomb sandwich with disbonds and a carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) honeycomb sandwich with a layer overlap. Inspection is performed at a 10-kHz scanning speed that takes 16 seconds to scan a $100{\times}100mm^2$ area with a scan interval of 0.25 mm. Finally, a comparison is presented between angular-scanning and a linear-scanning-based pulse-echo UPI system. The results show that the proposed system can successfully visualize defects in the inspected specimens.

• 제어로봇시스템학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2004.08a
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• pp.846-851
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• 2004

In this paper, we propose a global ultrasonic system for the self-localization and autonomous navigation of indoor mobile robots. The ultrasonic sensor is regarded as the most cost-effective ranging system among the possible alternatives, and it is widely used for general purpose, since it requires simple electronic drivers and has relatively high accuracy. The global ultrasonic system presented in this paper consists of four or more ultrasonic generators fixed at reference positions in the global coordinates of an indoor environment and two receivers mounted on the mobile robots. By using the RF (Radio Frequency) modules added to the ultrasonic sensors, the robot is able to control the ultrasonic generation and to obtain the critical distances from the reference positions, which are required in order to localize is position in the global coordinates. A kalman filter algorithm designed for the self-localization using the global ultrasonic system and the experimental results of the autonomous navigation are presented in this paper.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.283-292
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• 2009

Laser-based ultrasonic sensing requires the probe with fixed fecal length, but this requirement is not essential in laser-based ultrasonic generation. Based on this fact, we designed a pulsed laser-based ultrasonic wave propagation imaging (UWPI) system with a tilting mirror system for rapid scanning of target, and an in-line band-pass filtering capable of ultrasoaic mode selection. 1D-temporal averaging, 2D-spatial averaging, and 3D-data structure building algorithms were developed far clearer results allowing fur higher damage detectability. The imaging results on a flat stainless steel plate were presented in movie and snapshot formats which showed the propagation of ultrasound visible as a concentric wavefield emerging from the location of an ultrasonic sensor. A hole in the plate with a diameter of 1 mm was indicated by the scattering wavefields. The results showed that this robust UWPI system is independent of focal length and reference data requirements.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.67-75
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• 2024

In the context of Korean residential heating systems, Ondol pipelines are a prevalent choice. However, the maintenance of these pipelines becomes a complex task once they are embedded within concrete structures. As time progresses, the accumulation of sludge, corrosive oxides, and microorganisms on the inner surfaces of these pipelines diminishes their heating efficiency. In extreme scenarios, this accumulation can induce corrosion and scale formation, compromising the system's integrity. Consequently, this research introduces an ultrasonic generation system tailored for the upkeep of Ondol pipelines, with the objective of empirically assessing its practicality. This investigation delineates three variants of ultrasonic generating apparatuses: those employing surface vibration, external generation, and internal generation techniques. To emulate the presence of contaminants within the pipelines, substances in powder, slurry, and liquid forms were employed. The efficacy of the cleaning process post-ultrasonic wave application was scrutinized over time, with image analysis methodologies being utilized to evaluate the outcomes. The findings indicate that ultrasonic waves, whether generated externally or internally, exert a beneficial effect on the cleanliness of the pipelines. Given the inherent characteristics of Ondol pipelines, external generation proves impractical, thereby rendering internal generation a more viable solution for pipeline maintenance. It is anticipated that future endeavors will pave the way for innovative maintenance strategies for Ondol pipelines, particularly through the advancement of internal generation technologies for pipeline applications.

• Journal of Power System Engineering
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.142-148
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• 2013

High-power ultrasonic promotes a chemical reaction by its own energy, thus it has been used for sonochemistry applications. For example, it has been mostly used for mixing, reaction catalyst, dispersion and disintegration. High-power ultrasonic transducer is made with structure based on a Bolt-clamped Langevin type Transducer (BLT), But it has difficulty in the development because degradation of piezoelectric ceramic by the heat generation of BLT. In this study, for a development of the transducer of 25 kHz and 1000 W used in sonochemistry and industrial cleaning, BLT with a hole in its center and tubular type waveguide of the transducer were designed based on finite element method (FEM). The transducer was fabricated based on the design parameter, and the impedance characteristics are measured experimentally and compared with the numerical results.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2003.04a
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• pp.1512-1517
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• 2003

Augmentation of CHF by ultrasonic is experimentally studied under subcooling pool boiling condition. Experiment is carried out for downward-facing plate with and without the ultrasonic. The working fluid is distilled water. Experimental apparatus is composed of a bath, power supply, test section, ultrasonic generator, DAQ system. Experiment is performed with the subcooling temperature of $5^{\circ}C$, $20^{\circ}C$, $40^{\circ}C$ and the inclined angle of $0^{\circ}$, $10^{\circ}$, $20^{\circ}$, $45^{\circ}$, 90. From the experimental results, it is found that ultrasonic effect enhances CHF of the downward-facing plate. As increasing the degree of subcooling, the rate of CHF increase is enhanced. As increasing the inclined angle, the rate of CHF increase decreases. Also, we can see that the heat transfer mechanism of CHF augmentation is closely connected with the dynamic behavior of bubble generation and departure.

• Journal of the korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.47-54
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• 1993

This paper describes briefly the effect of ultrasonic fuel supply device on the performance of four stroke cycle gasoline engine. Experiments were carried out to clarify the effect of ultrasonic fuel supply device on the engine output, traveling fuel consumption ratio, exhaust emissions. The results were obtained as follows: 1.Engine output was increased 9-14% in comparison with that of the conventional injector. 2.Travelling fuel consumption ratio was improved 17-29% in comparison with that of the conventional injector. 3. CO, HC exhaust emissions was decreased compared to the value of the conventional injector. 4.Fuel consumption ratio in highway driving test was improved about 10% in comparison with that of the conventional injector.

• Composites Research
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.288-292
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• 2016

In this paper, a novel ultrasonic propagation imaging system, called a full-field pulse-echo ultrasonic propagation imaging (FF PE UPI) system is introduced. The system nondestructively inspected targets with two-axis translation stage. The coincident laser beams for ultrasonic sensing and generation are scanned and pulse-echo mode laser ultrasounds are captured. This procedure makes it possible to generate full-field ultrasound in through-the-thickness direction as large as the scan area. Structural inspection results in the form of full-field ultrasonic wave propagation videos are introduced, which are painted sandwich control surfaces. In addition, the inspection results of FF PE UPI system are compared with conventional ultrasonic testing methods such as waterjet and portable C-scan.