• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.2147-2155
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• 2022

Nuclear safety-related underground liquid storage tanks, such as those used to store fuel for emergency diesel generators, are critical components for safety of hundreds of existing nuclear power plants (NPP) worldwide. Since most of those NPP will continue to operate for decades, a beyond design base (BDB) seismic screening of safety-related underground tanks in those NPP is beneficial and essential to public safety. The analytical methodology for buried tank subjected to seismic effect, including a BDB seismic evaluation, needs to consider both soil-structure and fluid-structure interaction effects. Comprehensive analysis of such a soil-structure-fluid system is costly and time consuming, often subjected to availability of state-of-art finite element tools. Simple, but practically and reasonably accurate techniques for seismic evaluation of underground liquid storage tanks have not been established. In this study, a mechanics based solution is proposed for the evaluation of a cylindrical underground liquid storage tank using hand calculation methods. For validation, a practical example of two underground diesel fuel tanks in an existing nuclear power plant is presented and application of the proposed method is confirmed by using published results of the computer-aided System for Analysis of Soil Structural Interaction (SASSI). The proposed approach provides an easy to use tool for BDB seismic assessment prior to making decision of applying more costly technique by owner of the nuclear facility.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.97-111
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• 1974

The adsorption mechanism of Cs-137 in low level radioactive solution by vermiculite treated with Na ion is studied in order to investigate its effective utilization for the radioactive effluent treatment. The beneficial role of Na-vermiculite is that Na ion can induce the wider c-axis spacing in which Cs ion can be sorbed in vermiculite. Cation exchange capacity and distribution coefficient of cesium seems to be influenced by the variation of c-axis spacing of vermiculite. Comparative identification and detection with the characteristic analyses of X-ray diffraction and electron diffraction patterns, diffrential thermal analysis and electron microscopy of Na-, K- and Cs-vermiculite are studied for the phemomena of Cs adsorption by vermiculite. This importance of the utilization in terms of adsorption and fixation of cesium involving vermiculite is discussed. It is found that the Na-vermiculite is valuable outside charging material for high level radioactive liquid waste storage tank of underground to protect the pollution of the underground water.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.217-222
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• 2011

This study was carried out in order to reduce the amount of underground water which is used in the double layered single span plastic greenhouse for retaining heat. For this research, two plastic green houses of the double layered single span plastic greenhouse were installed. There was equipped of internal small tunnel for keeping warm air in the interior of the house. Then the internal small tunnel for keeping warm air was fitted with PVC duct of 50 cm in diameter filled with subsurface water. The surplus solar energy in the greenhouse was stored in the water in the PVC duct. Four FCUs (Fan Coil Unit), which has the capacity of 8,000 kcal per hour, were installed in the middle of the house, and a circulation motor in heat storage water tank was operated from 10:30 a.m. to 16:00 p.m. in order to circulate water between the water tank and the FCUs. Consequently about 5 degrees celsius could be maintained in the interior of the internal small tunnel for keeping warm air with the external temperature of lower than minus 5 degrees celsius. It appeared that the alteration of an internal temperature of the house was flexible depending on the sunlight during daytime. To prevent the water freezing, mixing antifreezing liquid in the water or operating FCU continuously was needed. Also, in order to use the surplus solar thermal energy on plastic green house of water curtain system efficiently, storing the surplus heat during daytime simultaneously finding a method of using water curtain systematic underground water happened to be important. As a result of this research, when the house's interior temperature is below zero the operation of FCU appeared to be impossible. Considering the amount of water used in the house with water-curtain-heating system is 150~200 ton per day, using the system mentioned in this research showed that reducing the underground water more than 80% in order to maintain the internal temperature as the level of 5 degree celsius at the extreme temperature of minus 5 degrees celsius.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2010.06a
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• pp.200.2-200.2
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• 2010

This study was carried out in order to reduce the amount of underground water which is used in the water curtain system for retaining heat. To proceed to the research, two plastic green houses of water curtain system were installed. One was equipped of internal small tunnel for keeping warm air in the interior of the house. Then the internal small tunnel for keeping warm air was fitted with PVC duct of 50cm in diameter filled with subsurface water. Storing surplus solar energy in the water filled in PVC duct was the method used to this house. Another was installed with FCU in the middle of the house, and was fitted a circulation motor in water tank for heat storage which was operated from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in order to interchange heat with FCU. The latter was installed with four FCUs which has a capacity of 8000kcal per hour. Consequently about 5 degrees celsius could be maintained in the interior of the internal small tunnel for keeping warm air with the external temperature of more than minus 5 degrees celsius. It appeared that the alteration of an internal temperature of the house was flexible depending on the sunlight during daytime. It happened that to prevent the water from freezing, mixing antifreezing liquid in the flowing water of FCU or changing the operating method of FCU was a suitable measure. Also, in order to use the surplus solar thermal energy on plastic green house of water curtain system efficiently, storing the surplus heat during daytime simultaneously finding a method of using water curtain systematic underground water happened to be important. As a result of this research, when the house's interior temperature is below zero the operation of FCU appeared to be impossible. Therefore when supposed that the amount of water used in the house is 150~200ton for stable operation of FCU, using the system mentioned in the above research happened to be appropriate of reducing the amount of subsurface water from 80% to 100% when maintaining the interior of internal small tunnel's temperature for keeping warm air of 5 degrees celsius at the extreme temperature of minus 5 degrees celsius.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.67-72
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• 2005

To investigate the feasibility of a new concept of storing Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) in a lined hard rock cavern, and to develop essential technologies for constructing underground LNG storage facilities, a small pilot plant storing liquid nitrogen (LN2) has been constructed at the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM). The LN2 stored in the cavern will subject the host rock around the cavern to very low temperatures, which is expected to cause the development of an ice ring and the change of ground condition around the storage cavern. To investigate and monitor changes in ground conditions at this pilot plant site, geophysical, hydrogeological, and rock mechanical investigations were carried out. In particular, geophysical methods including borehole radar and three-dimensional (3D) resistivity surveys were used to identify and monitor the development of an ice ring, and other possible changes in ground conditions resulting from the very low temperature of LN2 in the storage tank. We acquired 3D resistivity data before and after storing the LN2, and the results were compared. From the 3D images obtained during the three phases of the resistivity monitoring survey, we delineated zones of distinct resistivity changes that are closely related to the storage of LN2. In these results, we observed a decrease in resistivity at the eastern part of the storage cavern. Comparing the hydrogeological data and Joint patterns around the storage cavern, we interpret this change in resistivity to result from changes in the groundwater flow pattern. Freezing of the host rock by the very low temperature of LN2 causes a drastic change in the hydrogeological conditions and groundwater flow patterns in this pilot plant.