• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.111 no.1
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• pp.177-185
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• 2022

In this study, the economic feasibility of a local energy facility that uses forest biomass as an energy source was assessed. We analyzed profitability using data from the Forest Energy Self-sufficient Village Project financed by the Korea Forest Service. The energy facility has a cogeneration generator and wood chip boiler. Wood chip, which has lower heat value and is cheaper than wood pellets, is used as fuel. Revenue comes from the sale of electricity, heat, and renewable energy certificates. Additionally, we considered the sale of carbon credits as substitutes for fossil fuels. The expenditure consists of fuel costs and fixed costs, and the initial investment is treated as a sunk cost. Under the condition of a 55% operation rate and wood chip price of 95,000 KRW per ton, the annual net revenue is positive. Crucial factors for managing the facility sustainably are operation rate and fuel cost. A simulation in which two factors were changed showed that the annual net revenue is negative with a 50% operation rate and 100,000 KRW per ton of wood chip price. To improve net revenue, an increase in the operation rate or a decrease in the wood chip price is required. Additionally, selling carbon credits will make the operation of the facility more profitable. Furthermore, the payment required to procure wood chips could contribute to the rural economy. To foster the use of forest biomass for energy, the price for heat supplied from renewable energy sources should be subsidized.

• Journal of Applied Reliability
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.35-46
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• 2012

Wood pellet is one of biomass energy fuels, which is produced by compressing woody biomass such as sawdust, planer shavings, and whole-tree removal or tree tops and branches leftover after logging into cylindrical form. Latterly much attention has been paid to wood pellet boiler which is suitable for use at various scales in domestic and industrial furnaces for heat production to replace conventional fossil fuel energy sources since the use of wood pellet that is carbon neutral can alleviate global warming. This study presents the result of developing a high efficiency wood pellet boiler with 55MJ/h capacity. Efficiency has been improved by using a rotating disk burner with a shorter screw feeder. Special attention has been paid to the improvement of the safety of the wood pellet boiler from backfire by adopting a double protecting system composed of a shutter and an air curtain. The result shows that the efficiencies of the wood pellet boiler are 97.2% and 89.2% based on lower and higher heating values, respectively, at 15.1kW of heating output.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.122-134
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• 2015

This study was conducted to investigate the potential of torrefied larch wood as a raw material of pellets. First of all, larch chip was torrefied at the temperatures of 230, 250 and $270^{\circ}C$ for 30, 50 and 70 min. Secondly, moisture content, moisture absorption, higher heating value and ash content of the torrefied chip were measured to examine the effects of torrefaction conditions on the fuel characteristics of larch. Thirdly, surfaces of the torrefied chip were observed by light microscope (LM), field emission scanning microscope (FE-SEM) and SEM-energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDXS). With the increases of torrefied temperature and time, contents of lignin increased and those of hemicellulose reduced. Moisture content of torrefied larch chip was greatly lower than that of non-torrefied chip. Moisture absorption of the torrefied chip decreased as torrefaction temperature increased. As torrefaction temperature increased, higher heating value and ash content of larch chip increased. However, durability of torrefied-larch pellets was remarkably lower comparing to non-torrefied-larch pellets. When surface of larch chip was observed by LM and FE-SEM, surface color and cell wall of the chip was getting darker and more collapsed with the increases of torrefaction conditions. Through the analysis of SEM-EDXS, distribution and quantity of lignin existing on the surface of larch chip increased with the increases of torrefied conditions. In conclusion, $270^{\circ}C$/50 min might be an optimal condition for the torrefaction of larch with the aspect of fuel characteristics, but torrefaction condition of $230^{\circ}C$/30 min should be considered according to the durability of torrefied-larch pellets.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.917-935
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• 2020

In this study, an automated sensor to measure forest fire surface fuel moistures was developed to predict changes in the moisture content and risk of forest fire surface fuel, which was indicators of forest fire occurrence and spread risk. This measurement sensor was a method of automatically calculating the moisture content of forest fire surface fuel by electric resistance. The proxy of forest fire surface fuel used in this sensor is pine (50 cm long, 1.5 cm in diameter), and the relationship between moisture content and electrical resistance, R(R:Electrical resistance)=2E(E:Exponent of 10)+13X(X:Moisture content)-9.705(R²=0.947) was developed. In addition, using this, the software and case of the automated measurement sensor for forest fire surface fuel moisture were designed to produce a prototype, and the suitability (R²=0.824) was confirmed by performing field monitoring verification in the forest. The results of this study would contribute to develop technologies that can predict the occurrence, spread and intensity of forest fires, and are expected to be used as basic data for advanced forest fire risk forecasting technologies.

• Journal of Korea Foresty Energy
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.37-45
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• 1999

The greenhouse effect becomes the most serious environmental problem due to excessive emission of carbon dioxide. This effect is aggravated with the deforestation, particularly cleaning of tropical forest for agricultural use. As trees sequester carbon dioxide from atmosphere, forest and forest products play an important role in the use and reduction of carbon dioxide. Wood and wood products require far less energy than the alternatives such as steel, aluminium and concrete for production. Considering high probability of increasing costs in the use of fossil fuel, the relatively low energy requirement for wood processing to very important. Also wood and wood products perform as a long-term storage of carbon. Wood is therefore an environmentally desirable resource. Recently, many alternatives have been introduced for industrial use. In selecting resources, many aspects should be taken into consideration. Wood and wood products have less harmful effects on the environment than the alternatives. We should utilize wood and wood products more efficiently, which should be provided based on the sustainable forest management.

• 한국연소학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2000.12a
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• pp.236-245
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• 2000

A laboratory scale fluidized bed reactor was developed to treat the combustion characteristics of some fuels (wood, paper sludge, refuse derived fuel). The aims were to introduce the means of experiment and interpretation of the results and finally determine the particle characteristics on the pyrolysis and combustion process of the fuel. A single particle combustion process in the fluidized bed was closely observed. Understanding experimental facility characteristics and determining parameters were also carried out. The fuel combustion processes were observed by carbon conversion rate, recovery and mean carbon conversion time. They were estimated with the CO, $CO_2$ gas concentration monitored at the exit of the combustor. Fuel drying and pyrolysis process were governed by temperature distribution in the fuel particle. There was a significant overlap of the drying and devolatilization. However, transition process from devolatilization to char combustion seemed to be determined by mechanical solidity of the fuel particle after devolatilization process.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Industry Convergence
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.109-115
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• 2018

This paper proposes the method to develop the fuel of suljigemi pellet using agricultural by-products the occurred during the manufacturing of alcohol. The goal of the development of suljigemi using biomass is to make the pellet fuel of high calorie. The suljigemi pellet is difficult to recycle waste in the manufacture company of alcohol. suljigemi pellet has the effect of zero emission as the soil conditioner using ash after burning. Also suljigemi pellet has the reduction effect of carriage fee, fuel economy and low-cost high-efficiency effects, environmentally clean fuel as CO2 emissions savings. So the technologies of the suljigemi fuel pellet are developing low carbon, green growth renewable energy fuel through futuristic energy system will be. In experiments, suljigemi pellets confirmed the calories by about 10% higher than wood pellets with the same conditions.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.211-217
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• 2001

From wood to coal and petroleum, mankind has used various fuel. Since using such fuel, mankind has developed power source of mechanism. We obtain numerous power from caloric force. Present energy supply is based on the fossil fuel. Fossil fuel has high energy density and is convenient for transportation and storage. Human being prepared countermeasure of energy economy, high energy efficiency and substitution energy for limits of fossil fuel. High energy efficiency among them is very important. This research will improve total output by physical exergy recovery of $LH_2$-fuel cell system.

• Journal of ILASS-Korea
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.197-204
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• 2012

The vast stores of biomass available in the worldwide have the potential to displace significant amounts of fuels that are currently derived from petroleum sources. Fast pyrolysis of biomass is one of possible paths by which we can convert biomass to higher value products. The wood pyrolysis oil (WPO), also known as the bio crude oil (BCO), has been regarded as an alternative fuel for petroleum fuels to be used in diesel engine. However, the use of WPO in a diesel engine requires modifications due to low energy density, high water contents, low acidity, and high viscosity of the WPO. One of the easiest way to adopt WPO to diesel engine without modifications is emulsification of WPO with diesel or bio diesel. In this study, a DI diesel engine operated with diesel, bio diesel (BD), WPO/BD emulsion was experimentally investigated. Performance and gaseous & particle emission characteristics of a diesel engine fuelled by WPO/BD emulsion were examined. Results showed that stable engine operation was possible with emulsion and engine output power was comparable to diesel and bio diesel operation.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.13-19
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• 2015

The wood pellet is standardized of woody type fuel which of small cylindrical shape that is produced compress wood remnants in process of woody processing. The pellet is critical energy which expects to increase of the amount used in future. It consumes fuel which of home, common facilities stove and boiler, district heating, and CHP, etc. This study was to develop a movable pellet manufacturing equipment that can be mounted on a truck. The pellet production volume is approximately 309kg per hour, daily output is about 2ton. One days work based on the expected revenue of approximately \268,000 feasibility is considered sufficient.