• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.528-539
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• 2004

It is essential in commercial reactors that the safety limits imposed on the fuel pellets and fuel clad barriers, such as the linear power density (LPD) and the departure from nucleate boiling ratio (DNBR), are not violated during reactor operations. In order to accurately monitor the safety limits of current reactor states, a detailed three-dimensional (3D) core power distribution should be estimated from the in-core detector signals. In this paper, we propose a calculation methodology for detailed 3D core power distribution, using in-core detector signals and core monitoring constants such as the 3D Coupling Coefficients (3DCC), node power fraction, and pin-to-node factors. Also, the calculation method for several core safety parameters is introduced. The core monitoring constants for the real core state are promptly provided by the core design code and on-line MASTER (Multi-purpose Analyzer for Static and Transient Effects of Reactors), coupled with the core monitoring program. through the plant computer, core state variables, which include reactor thermal power, control rod bank position, boron concentration, inlet moderator temperature, and flow rate, are supplied as input data for MASTER. MASTER performs the core calculation based on the neutron balance equation and generates several core monitoring constants corresponding to the real core state in addition to the expected core power distribution. The accuracy of the developed method is verified through a comparison with the current CECOR method. Because in all the verification calculation cases the proposed method shows a more conservative value than the best estimated value and a less conservative one than the current CECOR and COLSS methods, it is also confirmed that this method secures a greater operating margin through the simulation of the YGN-3 Cycle-1 core from the viewpoint of the power peaking factor for the LPD and the pseudo hot pin axial power distribution for the DNBR calculation.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.319-328
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• 2011

In this study, the measurements of the dielectric constants of soil at 900 MHz and 1 GHz were made to relate those properties to the moisture content of the soil. This study's intention was to use the relationship between the dielectric constant and the moisture content to develop a landslide prediction system. By monitoring the change of the moisture content within the soil using ground penetrating radar (GPR) systems in the field, the possibility of a landslide is expected to be detected. To establish a database for the dielectric constants and the moisture content, the measurements of soil samples were made using both an open-ended dielectric coaxial probe and the GPR. Based on the measurement results, correlations between the GPR and reflector for each frequency at 900 MHz and 1 GHz were found for the dielectric constants and the moisture content. Finally, the mechanism of the measurement device to be implemented in the field is suggested.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.138-148
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• 2016

Measurement of elastic constants is crucial for engineering aspects of predicting the behavior of materials under load as well as structural health monitoring of material degradation. Ultrasonic velocity measurement for material properties has been broadly used as a nondestructive evaluation method for material characterization. In particular, pulse-echo method has been extensively utilized as it is not only simple but also effective when only one side of the inspected objects is accessible. However, the conventional technique in this approach measures longitudinal and shear waves individually to obtain their velocities. This produces a set of two data for each measurement. This paper proposes a simultaneous sensing system of longitudinal waves and shear waves for elastic constant measurement. The proposed system senses both these waves simultaneously as a single overlapped signal, which is then analyzed to calculate both the ultrasonic velocities for obtaining elastic constants. Therefore, this system requires just half the number of data to obtain elastic constants compared to the conventional individual measurement. The results of the proposed simultaneous measurement had smaller standard deviations than those in the individual measurement. These results validate that the proposed approach improves the efficiency and reliability of ultrasonic elastic constant measurement by reducing the complexity of the measurement system, its operating procedures, and the number of data.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.371-382
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• 2022

Carbonates are inorganic ligands that are abundant in natural groundwater. They strongly influence radionuclide mobility by forming strong complexes, thereby increasing solubility and reducing soil absorption rates. We characterized the spectroscopic properties of Am(III)-carbonate species using UV-Vis absorption and time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy. The deconvoluted absorption spectra of aqueous Am(CO₃)₂^- and Am(CO₃)₃^3- species were identified at red-shifted positions with lower molar absorption coefficients compared to the absorption spectrum of aqua Am³⁺. The luminescence spectrum of Am(CO₃)₃^3- was red-shifted from 688 nm for Am³⁺ to 695 nm with enhanced intensity and an extended lifetime. Colloidal Am(III)-carbonate compounds exhibited absorption at approximately 506 nm but had non-luminescent properties. Slow formation of colloidal particles was monitored based on the absorption spectral changes over the sample aging time. The experimental results showed that the solubility of Am(III) in carbonate solutions was higher than the predicted values from the thermodynamic constants in OECD-NEA reviews. These results emphasize the importance of kinetic parameters as well as thermodynamic constants to predict radionuclide migration. The identified spectroscopic properties of Am(III)-carbonate species enable monitoring time-dependent species evolution in addition to determining the thermodynamics of Am(III) in carbonate systems.

• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.285-291
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• 2004

Early detection of an internal malfunction of machinery plays a very important part in all condition monitoring programs. Sensors to detect amplitude. velocity and acceleration are widely used in vibration detection and control. Piezoceramic materials are largely used in sensors and actuators for vibration monitoring and control due to their relatively large output from an induced strain and their arguable self powering characteristics. In this paper a cheap and yet reliable sensors/actuators were developed to detect vibration. The results show that low cost PZT can be designed for optimum detection of bearing vibration. This paper presents the experimental results of a number of piezoceramics characteristics in terms of resonant frequencies and variation of PZT constants with temperature.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society For Composite Materials Conference
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• 2002.05a
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• pp.188-191
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• 2002

3-D orthogonal woven carbon/Al composites were fabricated using a pressure infiltration casting method. Especially, to minimize geometrical deformation of fiber pattern and $Al_4C_3$ formation, the process parameters of the minimum pressurizing force, melting temperature, delay and holding time of molten aluminum pressurizing was optimized through the PC-controlled monitoring system. Resonant ultrasound spectroscopy (RUS) was utilized to measure the effective elastic constants of 3-D orthogonal woven carbon/Al composites. The CTE measurement was conducted using strain gages in a heating oven.

• Communications for Statistical Applications and Methods
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.265-273
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• 2005

In this paper, we proposed multivariate EWMA control charts for both combine-accumulate and accumulate-combine approaches to monitor dispersion matrix of multiple quality variables. Numerical performance of the proposed charts are evaluated in terms of average run length(ARL). The performances show that small smoothing constants with accumulate-combine approach is preferred for detecting small shifts of the production process.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.189-206
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• 2011

In this study, the subspace stochastic realization theories (SSR model I and SSR model II) have been applied to a real bridge for estimating its dynamic characteristics (natural frequencies, damping constants, and vibration modes) under ambient vibration. A numerical simulation is carried out for an arch-type steel truss bridge using a white noise excitation. The estimates obtained from this simulation are compared with those obtained from the Finite Element (FE) analysis, demonstrating good agreement and clarifying the excellent performance of this method in estimating the structural dynamic characteristics. Subsequently, these methods are applied to the vibration induced by both strong and weak winds as obtained by remote monitoring of the Kabashima bridge (an arch-type steel truss bridge of length 136 m, and situated in Nagasaki city). The results obtained with this experimental data reveal that more accurate estimates are obtained when strong wind vibration data is used. In contrast, the vibration data obtained from weak wind provides accurate estimates at lower frequencies, and inaccurate accuracy for higher modes of vibration that do not get excited by the wind of lower intensity. On the basis of the identified results obtained using both simulated data and monitored data from a real bridge, it is determined that the SSR model II realizes more accurate results than the SSR model I. In general, the approach investigated in this study is found to provide acceptable estimates of the dynamic characteristics of highway bridges as well as for the vibration monitoring of bridges.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.21 no.7
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• pp.685-689
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• 2000

The complexation reaction between Pb2+,TI and Cd2+ions and macrocyclic ligands, 18-crown-6 ( 18C6) and dibenzo- 18-crown-6 (DB 18C6), was studied in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO)-nitromethane (NM) and dimethyl-formamide (DMF)-nitromethane binary system s by square wave polarography (SWP) technique. The stoichiometry and stability of the complexes were determined by monitoring the shifts in half-waves or peak potentials of the polarographic waves of metal ions against the Iigand concentration. In most cases, the stability constants of complexes increase with increasing amounts of the nitromethane in mixed binary solvents used in this study. The complexes formed between 18C6 and DB18C6 and these metal cations in all cases had a stoichiometry of 1 : 1. The results obtained show that there is an inverse relationship between the formation constant of complexes and the donor number of solvents based on a Gatmann donocity scale and the stability constants show a high sensitivity to the composition of the mixed solvent systems. A linear behavior was observed for variation of log Kf of I8C6 complexes vs the composition of the mixed solvent systems in NM/DMSO and NM/DMF,but a non-linear behavior was observed in the case of DB 18C6 complexes in these binary systems. In most of the systems investigated, the Pb2+ cation forms a more stable complex with the 18C6 than other two cations and the order of selectivity of this Iigand for cations is: Pb2+ > TI+,Cd2+.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.205-215
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• 2019

A flexible polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composite prototype with high piezoelectricity and force sensitivity was constructed, and its huge potential for applications such as biomechanical energy harvesting, self-powered health monitoring system, and pressure sensors was proved. The crystallization, piezoelectric, and electrical properties of the composites were characterized using an X-ray diffraction (XRD) experiment and customized experimental setups. The composite can sustain up to 100% strain, which is a huge improvement over monolithic PVDF fibers and other PVDF-based composites in the literature. The Young's modulus is 1.64 MPa, which is closely matched with the flexibility of the human skin, and shows the possibility for integrating PVDF/PDMS composites into wearable devices and implantable medical devices. The $300{\mu}m$ thick composite has a 14% volume fraction of PVDF fibers and produces high piezoelectricity with piezoelectric charge constants $d_{31}=19pC/N$ and $d_{33}=34pC/N$, and piezoelectric voltage constants $g_{31}=33.9mV/N$ and $g_{33}=61.2mV/N$. Under a 10 Hz actuation, the output voltage was measured at 190 mVpp, which is the largest output signal generated from a PVDF fiber-based prototype.