• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.87-92
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• 2009

An experimental investigation is conducted to study a 2-phase vertically upward hydraulic transport of solid particles by water and non-Newtonian fluids in a slim hole concentric annulus with rotation of the inner cylinder. Rheology of particulate suspensions in viscoelastic fluids is of importance in many applications such as particle removal from surfaces, transport of proppants in fractured reservoir and cleaning of drilling holes, etc. In this study, a clear acrylic pipe was used in order to observe the movement of solid particles. Annular velocities varied from 0.3 m/s to 2.0 m/s. The mud systems included fresh water and CMC solutions. Main parameters considered in the study were inner-pipe rotation speed, fluid flow regime and particle injection rate. A particle rising velocity and pressure drop in annulus have been measured for fully developed flows of water and of aqueous solutions. For both water and 0.2% CMC solutions, the higher the concentration of the solid particles is, the larger the pressure gradients become.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.157-165
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• 2023

In Korea, a major contaminant of farmland soils in the vicinity of abandoned mines is arsenic, for which the general soil reclamation method is contaminated soil stabilization and cover the stabilized soil with clean soil at a thickness of 40 cm. In a previous pot experiment study we confirmed the feasibility of a lower thickness (20 cm) of covering soil for such reclamation in abandoned coal mines, where arsenic contamination levels are generally lower than in metal mines. In this subsequent study a field experiment including rice plant cultivation in field test plots was conducted. For over 4 months, the transfer of arsenic from the contaminated soil to the unpolished rice grains was reduced by 44% when a clean soil covering with a thickness of 20 cm was applied. The maximum decrease (56%) was shown when the stabilization process was performed before the covering. These results reveal a lower thickness of clean soil covering has a high feasibility and it can increase cost-efficiency in the reclamation of an abandoned coal mine.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.289-296
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• 2014

A simple analytical approach for stability assessment of underground storage caverns against ground uplift of overburden rock above the rock caverns for high pressurized fluid such as compressed air energy storage (CAES) and compressed natural gas (CNG) was developed. In the developed approach, we assumed that failure plane of the overburden is straight upward to ground surface, and factor of safety can be calculated from a limit equilibrium analysis in terms of this cylindrical shape failure model. The frictional resisting force on the failure plane was estimated by Hoek-Brown strength criterion which replaces with Mohr-Coulomb criterion such that both intact rock strength and rock mass conditions can be considered in the current approach. We carried out a parametric sensitivity analysis of strength parameters under various rock mass conditions and demonstrated that the factor of safety againt ground uplift was more sensitive to Mohr-Coulomb strength criterion rather than Hoek-Brown criterion.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.561-566
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• 2012

PtRuW/C catalysts were prepared with the different molar ratios of Pt : Ru : W and their compositions were analyzed by energy dispersive X-ray (EDX). The uniform distribution of particles was observed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). An average crystalline size of 3.5~5.5 nm was calculated based on x-ray diffraction (XRD) data. The electrochemical properties such as electrochemically active surface areas, current densities, specific activities and poisoning rates, were analyzed via CO stripping, linear sweep voltammetry and chronoamperometry. From the analysis, we observed that ternary alloy catalysts, except $PtRu_2W_2/C$, have higher current densities, specific activities and stabilities than those of commercial binary catalysts. Among all in-house catalysts, Pt5Ru4W/C showed the highest specific activity of $121.05mA{\cdot}m^{-2}$ and the lowest poisoning rate of $0.01%{\cdot}s^{-1}$.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.349-358
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• 2010

For imaging complex subsurface structures such as salt dome, faults, thrust belt, and folds, seismic prestack reverse-time migration in depth domain is widely used, which is performed by the cross-correlation of shot-domain wavefield extrapolation with receiver-domain wavefield extrapolation. We apply the prestack reverse-time migration, which had been developed at KIGAM, to the seismic field data set of Block 5 in Jeju basin of Korea continental shelf in order to improve subsurface syncline stratigraphy image of the deep structures under the shot point 8km at the surface. We performed basic data processing for improving S/N ratio in the shot gathers, and constructed a velocity model from stack velocity which was calculated by the iterative velocity spectrum. The syncline structure of the stack image appears as disconnected interfaces due to the diffractions, but the result of the prestack migration shows that the syncline image is improved as seismic energy is concentrated on the geological interfaces.

• Geosystem Engineering
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.243-250
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• 2018

This study investigated nitrite ($NO_2{^-}$) accumulation due to FA (Free Ammonia: $NH_3$) inhibition in an anaerobic-aerobic-anoxic (AOA) process reactor to mainly treat wastewater containing 302-610 mg/L of $NH_3/NH_4{^+}-N$. Based on an experimental operation focusing on the nitrification, it was observed that $NO_2{^-}$ was accumulated in the aerobic nitrification zone as pH increased, due to inhibition of $NO_2{^-}$ conversion to $NO_3{^-}$ by FA. This result implied FA inhibition to NOB ($NO_2{^-}$-Oxidizing Bacteria) for converting $NO_2{^-}$ to $NO_3{^-}$. The objective of this study is to develop a feasible monitoring procedure for early detection of the FA inhibition toward $NO_2{^-}$ accumulation and poor nitrification. Thus, in order to rapidly assess FA concentrations, an $NH_3$ probe was utilized to measure $NH_3$ concentrations together with applying a simple model prediction using the measured $NH_4{^+}$ concentrations, the Henry's law constant of $NH_3$ and measured pH. The predictive model $NH_3$ levels were verified by a good correlation (89%) with the corresponding measured data, but the model prediction underestimated FA concentrations at less than 7.4 and a little overestimated at pH above 7.5. Interestingly, accumulated $NO_2{^-}$ levels were roughly correlated with FA levels that were observed at delayed time points. This reflects the detected FA levels can be good indicators of $NO_2{^-}$ levels with some delayed time. $NO_2{^-}$ accumulation started at measured FA concentrations of higher than approximately 3 mg/L and ceased below that FA level.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.421-430
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• 2014

In this study, a series of autoclave experiments were conducted in order to investigate the geochemical and mineralogical effects of carbon dioxide on deep subsurface environments. High pressure and temperature conditions of $50^{\circ}C$ and 100 bar, which are representative environments for geological $CO_2$ sequestration, were created in stainless-steel autoclaves for simulating the interactions in the $scCO_2$-groundwater-mineral reaction system. Zeolite, a widespread mineral in Pohang Basin where many researches have been focused as a candidate for geological $CO_2$ sequestration, and groundwater sampled from an 800 m depth aquifer were applied in the experiments. Geochemical and mineralogical alterations after 30 days of $scCO_2$-groundwater-zeolite sample reactions were quantitatively examined by XRD, XRF, and ICP-OES investigations. The results suggested that dissolution of zeolite sample was enhanced under the acidic condition induced by dissolution of $scCO_2$. As the cation concentrations released from zeolite sample increase, $H^+$ in groundwater was consumed and pH increases up to 10.35 after 10 days of reaction. While cation concentrations showed increasing trends in groundwater due to dissolution of the zeolite sample, Si concentrations decreased due to precipitation of amorphous silicate, and Ca concentrations decreased due to cation exchange and re-precipitation of calcite. Through the reaction experiments, it was observed that introduction of $CO_2$ could make alterations in dissolution characteristics of minerals, chemical compositions and properties of groundwater, and mineral compositions of aquifer materials. Results also showed that geochemical reactions such as cation exchange or dissolution/precipitation of minerals could play an important role to affect physical and chemical characteristics of geologic formations and groundwater.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.337-350
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• 1995

The Hwacheon-ri mineralized area is located within the Cretaceous Gyeongsang Basin of the Korean peninsula. The mineralized area includes the Hwacheon, Daeweon, Kuryong and Cheongryong mines. Each of these mines occurs along copper-bearing hydrothermal quartz veins that crosscut late Cretaceous volcanic rocks, although some disseminated ores in host rocks also exist locally. Mineralization can be separated into three distinct stages (I, II, and III) which developed along preexisting fracture zones. Stage I is ore-bearing, whereas stages II and III are barren. The main phase of ore mineralization, stage I, can be classified into three substages (Ia, Ib and Ic) based on ore mineral assemblages and textures. Substage Ia is characterized by pyrite-arsenopyrite-molybdenite-pyrrhotite assemblage and is most common at the Hwacheon deposit. Substage Ib is represented by main precipitation of Cu, Zn, and Pb minerals. Substage Ic is characteristic of hematite occurrence and is shown only at the Kuryong and Cheongryong deposits. Some differences in the ore mineralization at each mine in the area suggest that the evolution of hydrothermal fluids in the area varied in space (both vertically and horizontally) with respect to igneous rocks relating the ore mineralization. Fluid inclusion data show that stage I ore mineralization mainly occurred at temperatures between ${\approx}350^{\circ}$ and ${\approx}200^{\circ}C$ from fluids with salinities between 9.2 and 0.5 wt.% eq. NaCl. In the waning period of substage Ia, the high temperature and salinity fluid gave way to progressively cooler, more dilute fluids of later substage Ib and Ic (down to $200^{\circ}C$, 0 wt.% NaCl). There is a systematic decrease in the calculated ${\delta}^{18}O_{H2O}$ values with paragenetic time in the Hwacheon-ri hydrothermal system from values of ${\approx}2.7$‰ for substage Ia, through ${\approx}-2.8$‰ for substage Ib, to ${\approx}-9.9$‰ for substage Ic. The ${\delta}D$ values of fluid inclusion water also decrease with decreasing temperature (except for the Daeweon deposit) from -62‰ (substage Ia) to -80‰ (substage Ic and stage III). These trends are interpreted to indicate the progressive cooler, more oxidizing unexchanged meteoric water inundation of an initial hydrothermal system which is composed of highly exchanged meteoric water. Equilibrium thermodynamic interpretation of the mineral assemblages with the variation in amounts of chalcopyrite through the paragenetic time, and the evolution of the Hwacheon-ri hydrothermal fluids indicate that the solubility of copper chloride complexes in the hydrothermal system was mainly controlled by the variation of temperature and $fo_2$ conditions.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.271-305
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• 2020

An effect of coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical and chemical (THMC) behavior is an essential part of the performance and safety assessment of geological disposal systems for high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel. Furthermore, numerical models and modeling techniques are necessary to analyze and predict the coupled THMC behavior in the disposal systems. However, phenomena associated with the coupled THMC behavior are nonlinear, and the constitutive relationships between them are not well known. Therefore, it is challenging to develop numerical models and modeling techniques to analyze and predict the coupled THMC behavior in the geological disposal systems. It is also difficult to verify and validate the development of the models and techniques because it requires expensive laboratory tests and in-situ experiments that need to be performed for a long time. DECOVALEX was initiated in 1992 to efficiently develop numerical models and modeling techniques and validate the developed models and techniques against the lab and in-situ experiments. In Korea, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute has participated in DECOVALEX-2011, DECOVALEX-2015, and DECOVALEX-2019 since 2008. In this study, all tasks in the three DECOVALEX projects were introduced to the researcher in the field of rock mechanics and geotechnical engineering in Korea.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.203-213
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• 2022

To understand an underlying geological structure via seismic imaging, the velocity information of the subsurface medium is crucial. Although the full-waveform inversion (FWI) method is considered useful for estimating subsurface velocity models, 3D FWI needs a lot-of computing power and time. Herein, we compare the calculation efficiency and accuracy of frequency-domain 2D and 3D acoustic FWIs. Thereafter, we demonstrate that the artifacts from 2D approximation can be partially suppressed via frequency-domain 2D FWI by employing diffraction angle filtering (DAF). By applying DAF, which employs only big reflection angle components, the impact of noise and out-of-plane reflections can be reduced. Additionally, it is anticipated that the DAF can create long-wavelength velocity structures for 3D FWI and migration.