• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.47 no.7
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• pp.907-914
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• 2015

The energetic steam explosion caused by contact between the high temperature molten core and water is one of the phenomena that may threaten the integrity of the containment vessel during severe accidents of light water reactors (LWRs). We examined the dependence of steam explosion loads in a typical reactor cavity geometry on selected model parameters and initial/boundary conditions by using a steam explosion simulation code, JASMINE, developed at Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA). Among the parameters, we put an emphasis on the water pool depth that has significance in terms of accident mitigation strategies including cavity flooding. The results showed a strong correlation between the load and the premixed mass, defined as the mass of the molten material in low void zones (void fraction < 0.75). The jet diameter and velocity that comprise the flow rate were the primary factors to determine the premixed mass and the load. The water pool depth also showed a significant impact. The energy conversion ratio based on the enthalpy in the premixed mass was in a narrow range ~4%. Based on this observation, we proposed a simplified method for evaluation of the steam explosion load. The results showed fair agreement with JASMINE.

• ETRI Journal
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.400-413
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• 2021

This paper theoretically and empirically explores the reliability gain that can be obtained by installing multiple antennas in on-vehicle broadcasting receivers. Analytical derivations reveal that maximal-ratio-combining-based diversity allows a multi-antenna receiver (MR) to achieve significantly better coverage probability than a single-antenna receiver (SR). In particular, the notable MR gains for low-power reception and high-throughput services are highlighted. We also discuss various aspects of mobile MRs, including geometric coverage, volume of the users served, and impact of receiver velocity. To examine the feasibility of MRs in the real world, extensive field experiments were conducted, particularly with on-air ATSC 3.0 broadcast transmissions. Relying on the celebrated erroneous second ratio criterion, MRs with two and four antennas were verified to achieve notable reliability gains over SRs in practice. Furthermore, our results also prove that layered-division multiplexing can cope better with receiver mobility than traditional time-division multiplexing when multiple services are intended in the same radio frequency channel.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.57 no.4
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• pp.197-204
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• 2022

Recently, the demand has increased for protective clothing materials capable of shielding the wearer from bullets, fragment bullets, knives, and swords. It is therefore necessary to develop light and soft protective clothing materials with excellent wearability and mobility. To this end, research is being conducted on hybrid design methods for various highly functional materials, such as carbon nanotube (CNT) sheets, which are well known for their low weight and excellent strength. In this study, a hybrid protective material using CNT sheets was developed and its performance was evaluated. The material design incorporated a bonding method that used a binder for interlayer combination between the CNT sheets. Four types of binders were selected according to their characteristics and impregnated within CNT sheets, followed by further combination with aramid fabric to produce the hybrid protective material. After applying the binder, the tensile strength increased significantly, especially with the phenoxy binder, which has rigid characteristics. However, as the molecular weight of the phenoxy binder increased, the adhesive force and strength decreased. On the other hand, when a 25% lightweight-design and high-molecular-weight phenoxy binder were applied, the backface signature (BFS) decreased by 6.2 mm. When the CNT sheet was placed in the middle of the aramid fabric, the BFS was the lowest. In a stab resistance test, the penetration depth was the largest when the CNT sheet was in the middle layer. As the binder was applied, the stab resistance improvement against the P1 blade was most effective.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.529-542
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• 2023

Wave propagation with high transverse deflection could affect the stability of the ball in its trajectory. For low stiffness balls similar to soccer and volleyball balls, the waves are more noticeable in comparison to other balls like ping-pong ball. On the other hand, the soccer balls are under heavy impact loads from shoots and contacting different objects in the field. The maximum recorded speed of a soccer ball after kicking is the 211 km/hr and the average maximum speed is around 112 km/hr. Therefore, in such speeds the aerodynamic forces become important which are directly related to geometrical shape of the ball. In this regard, the wave propagation in soccer ball is examined in the current study using large deformation shear deformable formulations. Classical relations of stress-strain components are taken into consideration along with minimum total energy principle. The final derived relations were solved by using harmonic differential quadrature method. The results are generally presented ion term of phase velocity as function of different influencing parameters of the materials, geometry and mass of the ball.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.443-452
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• 2024

The use of sand-tire chip mixtures in construction industry is a sustainable and environmentally friendly approach that addresses both waste tire disposal and soil improvement needs. However, the addition of tire chip particles to natural soils decreases maximum shear modulus (G_max), but increases compressibility, which can be potential drawbacks. This study examines the effect of overconsolidation stress history on the maximum shear modulus (G_max) of rigid-soft mixtures with varying size ratios (SR) and tire chip contents (TC) by measuring the wave velocity through a 1-D compression test during loading and unloading. The results demonstrate that the G_max of tested mixtures in the normally consolidated state increased with increasing SR and decreasing TC. However, the tested mixtures with a smaller SR exhibited a greater increase in G_max during unloading because of the active pore-filling behavior of the smaller rubber particles and the consequent increased connectivity between sand particles. The SR-dependent impact of the overconsolidation stress history on G_max was verified using the ratio between the swelling and compression indices. Most importantly, this study reveals that the excessive settlement and lower G_max of rigid-soft mixtures can be overcome by introducing an overconsolidated state in sand-tire chip mixtures with low TC.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.245-262
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• 2019

The objectives of this study were to construct a three-dimensional water quality model (EFDC) for the river reach between Chilgok Weir and Gangjeong-Goryong Weir (GGW) located in Nakdong River, and evaluate the effect of hydraulic changes, such as water level and flow velocity, on the control of water quality and algae biomass. After calibration, the model accurately simulated the temporal changes of the upper and lower water temperatures that collected every 10 minutes, and appropriately reproduced changes in organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorus, and cyanobacteria. However, the simulated values were overestimated for the diatoms and green algae cell density, possibly due to the uncertainties of the parameters associated with algae metabolism and the lack of zooplankton predation function in the simulations. As a result of scenario simulation of running the water level of GGW from EL. 19.44 m to EL. 14.90 m (4.54 m drop), Chl-a and algae cell density decreased significantly.In particular,the cyanobacteria on the surface layer, which causes algal bloom, declined by 56.1% in the low water level scenario compared to the existing management level. The results of this study are in agreement with the previous studies that maintenance of critical flow velocity is effective for controlling cyanobacteria, and imply that hydraulic control such as decrease of water level and residence time in GGW is an alternative to limit the overgrowth of algae.

• Composites Research
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.277-282
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• 2022

In this study, a smart material applicable to speed bumps was developed using low-cost starch and waterbased suspensions, and their properties were investigated. Viscosity and shear stress according to the shear rate was measured by a rheometer to observe shear thickening behavior according to starch concentration. The shear thickening phenomenon and applicability to speed bumps were identified macroscopically via drop weight test and bike driving test, measuring the vibration after impact with a driving speed of 5-25 km/h. As a result of the viscosity measurement, shear thickening occurred after the shear thinning region at the beginning, and the critical strain causing the shear thickening phenomenon decreased as the concentration of starch increased. Also, the viscosity and shear stress increased significantly with the increase of the starch concentration. As a result of the drop weight test and the bike driving test, the suspension was changed to a solid-like state in a short time, and the impact energy was absorbed in the fluid. The shear thickening phenomenon easily occurred as the concentration of the fluid and the applied impact (velocity) increased. Therefore, it can be proposed the development of a smart speed bump material that operates in the range of 5-25 km/h with a Non-Newtonian fluid based on water and starch.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.433-445
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• 2021

Artificial ground freezing (AGF) is a commonly used geotechnical support technique that can be applied in any soil type and has low environmental impact. Experimental and numerical investigations have been conducted to optimize AGF for application in diverse scenarios. Precise simulation of groundwater flow is crucial to improving the reliability these investigations' results. Previous experimental research has mostly considered horizontal seepage flow, which does not allow accurate calculation of the groundwater flow velocity due to spatial variation of the piezometric head. This study adopted vertical seepage flow-which can maintain a constant cross-sectional area-to eliminate the limitations of using horizontal seepage flow. The closure time is a measure of the time taken for an impermeable layer to begin to form, this being the time for a frozen soil-ice wall to start forming adjacent to the freeze pipes; this is of great importance to applied AGF. This study reports verification of the reliability of our experimental apparatus and measurement system using only water, because temperature data could be measured while freezing was observed visually. Subsequent experimental AFG tests with saturated sandy soil were also performed. From the experimental results, a method of estimating closure time is proposed using the inflection point in the thermal conductivity difference between pore water and pore ice. It is expected that this estimation method will be highly applicable in the field. A further parametric study assessed factors influencing the closure time using a two-dimensional coupled thermo-hydraulic numerical analysis model that can simulate the AGF of saturated sandy soil considering groundwater flow. It shows that the closure time is affected by factors such as hydraulic gradient, unfrozen permeability, particle thermal conductivity, and freezing temperature. Among these factors, changes in the unfrozen permeability and particle thermal conductivity have less effect on the formation of frozen soil-ice walls when the freezing temperature is sufficiently low.

• Clean Technology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.39-45
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• 2023

To investigate the effects of Mg addition at different aging times and temperatures, Cu/MgO/Al₂O₃ catalysts were synthesized for the low-temperature water gas shift (LT-WGS) reaction. The co-precipitation method was employed to prepare the catalysts with a fixed Cu amount of 30 mol% and varied amounts of Mg/Al. Synthesized catalysts were characterized using XRD, BET, and H₂-TPR analysis. Among the prepared catalysts, the highest CO conversion was achieved by the Cu/MgO/Al₂O₃ catalyst (30/40/30 mol%) with a 60 ℃ aging temperature and a 24 h aging time under a CO₂-rich feed gas. Due to it having the lowest reduction temperature and a good dispersion of CuO, the catalyst exhibited around 65% CO conversion with a gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) of 14,089 h-1 at 300 ℃. However, it has been noted that aging temperatures greater or less than 60 ℃ and aging times longer than 24 h had an adverse impact, resulting in a lower surface area and a higher reduction temperature bulk-CuO phase, leading to lower catalytic activity. The main findings of this study confirmed that one of the main factors determining catalytic activity is the ease of reducibility in the absence of bulk-like CuO species. Finally, the long-term test revealed that the catalytic activity and stability remained constant under a high concentration of CO₂ in the feed gas for 19 h with an average CO conversion of 61.83%.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.386-404
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• 2022

From April 29 to 30, 2011, under the influence of Asian dust originated from Mongolia, a high concentration of Asian dust was observed nationwide for 4 days in Korea. This study investigated the causes and characteristics of and weather conditions associated with Asian dust at high concentrations at its source in Mongolia. For analysis, Asian dust weather data, Asian dust monitoring tower data, satellite data, backward trajectory data, observation data (PM₁₀ and OPC data), and ECMWF reanalysis data were used. In the synoptic analysis, it was observed that the intervals of isobars were densely distributed in the central region of Mongolia and the pressure gradient force was strong. It could be inferenced that Asian dust occurred due to strong winds. The temperature was relatively high, above 10℃, just before the occurrence of Asian dust, and it decreased sharply at the onset of the dust. The relative humidity had a low value of less than approximately 40%. After the occurrence of Asian dust, it increased sharply to over 50% and then showed a tendency to decrease. In the aerosol index shown by the COMS satellite, a high concentration value of over 25 was detected in Inner Mongolia, and it was consistent with the observations made with naked eyes. In the 72-hour backward trajectory, the northwest airflow streamed into Korea, and on May 2, Heuksando showed the highest PM₁₀ concentration of 1,025 ㎍ m^-3(times the average). Especially, in kinematic vertical analysis, it was observed that low pressure on the ground was strengthened by cyclonic relative vorticity developed in the upper layer. Also, the vertical velocity development is considered to have played a major role in the occurrence of high concentration Asian dust.