• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.37-48
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• 2011

Some industrial minerals used in domestic industries such as monazite, apatite, bauxite, and ilmenite belong to NORM (Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials) because they show a high radioactivity. Products, semi-products, wastes, and by-products which show higher radioactivity than NORM belong to TENORM (Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials). Apatite used for manufacturing phosphate fertilizer in Namhae Chemical company belongs to NORM, and its by-product, phospo-gypsum, belongs to TENORM. A geological investigation is needed for the future environmental impact assessment of the Namhae Chemical company's site. According to survey results of the Namhae Chemical company's site, soil mineral composition indicated the mixture of minerals derived from the country rock (quartz, feldspar, mica, $l4{\AA}$ mineral, kaolin and amphibole) and minerals from the gypsum open-air storage yard (gypsum and apatite). Soil samples showed average content of U 4.6 ppm and Th 10 ppm, which are similar to average crustal abundances. They also show average contents of $^{40}K$ 191-1,166 Bq/kg, $^{226}Ra$ 15.6-710 Bq/kg, and $^{232}Th$ 17.4-72.7 Bq/kg, which indicate moderate levels of radio nuclide. But $^{226}Ra$ anomaly in the gypsum open storage yard is clearly confirmed and $^{232}Th$ anomaly is also confirmed in the east road side of the factory and nearby mountain areas. Soil external hazard indices ranged 0.24-2.01 with the average 0.54. Although most external hazard indices were lower than 1, which means radiation hazard index to be negligible, 5 samples out of total 40 samples showed higher values than 1, and further detailed investigation is needed.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.13-20
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• 2008

The flow rate measurements in a multi-phase flow pipeline were evaluated quantitatively by means of a clamp-on sealed radioisotope based on a cross correlation signal processing technique. The flow rates were calculated by a determination of the transit time between two sealed gamma sources by using a cross correlation function following FFT filtering, then corrected with vapor fraction in the pipeline which was measured by the ${\gamma}$-ray attenuation method. The pipeline model was manufactured by acrylic resin(ID. 8 cm, L=3.5 m, t=10 mm), and the multi-phase flow patterns were realized by an injection of compressed $N_2$ gas. Two sealed gamma sources of $^{137}Cs$ (E=0.662 MeV, ${\Gamma}$ $factor=0.326\;R{\cdot}h^{-1}{\cdot}m^2{\cdot}Ci^{-1}$) of 20 mCi and 17 mCi, and radiation detectors of $2"{\times}2"$ NaI(Tl) scintillation counter (Eberline, SP-3) were used for this study. Under the given conditions(the distance between two sources: 4D(D; inner diameter), N/S ratio: $0.12{\sim}0.15$, sampling time ${\Delta}t$: 4msec), the measured flow rates showed the maximum. relative error of 1.7 % when compared to the real ones through the vapor content corrections($6.1\;%{\sim}9.2\;%$). From a subsequent experiment, it was proven that the closer the distance between the two sealed sources is, the more precise the measured flow rates are. Provided additional studies related to the selection of radioisotopes their activity, and an optimization of the experimental geometry are carried out, it is anticipated that a radioisotope application for flow rate measurements can be used as an important tool for monitoring multi-phase facilities belonging to petrochemical and refinery industries and contributes economically in the light of maintenance and control of them.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.312-326
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• 2020

Generation of weather forecasts at 100 m resolution through a statistical downscaling process was implemented by Korea Meteorological Administration Post- Processing (KMAPP) system. The KMAPP data started to be used in various industries such as hydrologic, agricultural, and renewable energy, sports, etc. Cheorwon area and Jeonbuk area have horizontal planes in a relatively wide range in Korea, where there are many complex mountainous areas. Cheorwon, which has a large number of in-situ and remotely sensed phenological data over large-scale rice paddy cultivation areas, is considered as an appropriate area for verifying KMAPP prediction performance in agricultural areas. In this study, the performance of predicting KMAPP temperature changes according to ecological changes in agricultural areas in Cheorwon was compared and verified using KMA and National Center for AgroMeteorology (NCAM) observations. Also, during the heat wave in Jeonbuk Province, solar radiation forecast was verified using Automated Synoptic Observing System (ASOS) data to review the usefulness of KMAPP forecast data as input data for application models such as livestock heat stress models. Although there is a limit to the need for more cases to be collected and selected, the improvement in post-harvest temperature forecasting performance in agricultural areas over ordinary residential areas has led to indirect guesses of the biophysical and phenological effects on forecasting accuracy. In the case of solar radiation prediction, it is expected that KMAPP data will be used in the application model as detailed regional forecast data, as it tends to be consistent with observed values, although errors are inevitable due to human activity in agricultural land and data unit conversion.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.437-445
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• 2019

After the permanent shutdown of K1 in 2017, decommissioning processes have attracted great attention. According to the current decommissioning roadmap, the dismantling of the activated components of K1 may start in 2026, following the removal of its spent fuel. Since the reactor vessel (RV) and reactor vessel internal (RVI) of K1 contain massive components and are relatively highly activated, their decommissioning process should be conducted carefully in terms of radiological and industrial safety. For achieving maximum efficiency of nuclear waste management processes for K1, we present activation analysis of the segmentation process and waste classification of the RV and RVI components of K1. For RVI, the active fuel regions and some parts of the upper and lower active regions are classified as intermediate-level waste (ILW), while other components are classified as low-level waste (LLW). Due to the RVI's complex structure and high activation, we suggest various underwater segmentation techniques which are expected to reduce radiation exposure and generate approximately nine ILW and nineteen very low level waste (VLLW)/LLW packages. For RV, the active fuel region and other components are classified as LLW, VLLW, and clearance waste (CW). In this case, we suggest in-situ remote segmentation in air, which is expected to generate approximately forty-two VLLW/LLW packages.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.115-121
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• 2012

Sapphire single crystals have been highlighted for epitaxial gallium nitride films in high-power laser and light emitting diode (LED) industries. Among the many crystal growth methods, the Kyropoulos process is an excellent commercial method for growing larger, high-optical-quality sapphire crystals with fewer defects. Because the properties and growth behavior of sapphire crystals are influenced largely by the temperature distribution and convection of molten sapphire during the manufacturing process, accurate predictions of the thermal fields and melt flow behavior are essential to design and optimize the Kyropoulos crystal growth process. In this study, computational fluid dynamic simulations were performed to examine the effects of the crucible geometry aspect ratio on melt convection during Kyropoulos sapphire crystal growth. The results through the evolution of various growth parameters on the temperature and velocity fields and convexity of the crystallization interface based on finite volume element simulations show that lower aspect ratio of the crucible geometry can be helpful for the quality of sapphire single crystal.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.17 no.9
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• pp.126-132
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• 2016

This study numerically investigates the characteristics of chemical reactions and thermal deformation in a steam reformer. These phenomena are significantly affected by the high-temperature burner gas and the process gas conditions. Because the high temperature of the burner gas ranges from 800 to 1000 K, the reformer tubes undergo substantial thermal deformation, eventually resulting in structural failure. Thus, it is necessary to understand the characteristics of the reaction and thermal deformation under the operating conditions to evaluate the reformer tubes for sustainable, stable operation. Extensive numerical simulations were carried out using commercial CFD code (ANSYS FLUENT/MECHANICA Ver. 13.0) while considering three-dimensional turbulent flows and combined heat transfer including conduction, convection, and radiation. Structural analysis considering conjugated heat transfer between solid tubes and fluid flows was conducted using the Fluid-Solid Interaction (FSI) method. The results show that when the injection temperature of the process gas and burner gas decreased, the hydrogen production rate decreased significantly, and thermal deformation decreased by at least 15 to 20%.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.163-170
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• 2019

In recent years, various types of industrial wastes are rapidly increasing with the development of high-tech industries. Specially, high-density waste glass of CRT TV containing heavy metals are buried or disposed of due to reprocessing costs and environmental pollution problems. Thus, more basic research is needed to recycle waste such as CRT waste glass such. In this study, the fundamental properties and radiation shielding performance of mortar specimens substituted CRT waste glass as a fine aggregate were analyzed and their application to shielding materials was evaluated. According to the results, the bulk density of mortar specimen replaced with CRT waste glass was increased and the compressive strength and flexural strength were decreased. Meanwhile, the CRT waste glass substitute specimen containing a large amount of lead component showed a higher shielding performance than the general mortar specimen. Especially, the linear attenuation coefficient of CRT waste glass in $122KeV{\cdot}^{57}Co$ of the low energy field was 2.5 times higher than that of normal specimen.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Systems Engineering
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.85-96
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• 2021

Radioactive mixed waste (RMW) means waste mixed with radioactive substances and hazardous substances. In Korea, there are definitions and disposal restrictions on RMW in the Nuclear Safety Management Act, but it is difficult to apply because the contents are insufficient, so this paper proposed applicable management standards. The main RMW generated from nuclear power plants is waste oil, waste asbestos, PCB, and waste fluorescent liquid, and their radiation characteristics are mostly at very low levels and some are estimated at low levels. In addition to nuclear power plants, RMW also occurs in research institutes, industries, and hospitals. The acceptance criteria of all disposal facilities in the world basically prohibit disposal of RMW unless the hazardous substances of RMW are removed or mitigated below the standard value. Cases in Korea, the United States, Japan and Europe were reviewed to propose the RMW management standards in Korea. With reference to the results of the above review, this paper clearly defined RMW and proposed detailed management standards for the separation, storage, treatment and disposal of hazardous substances by applying the Waste Control Act. It also mentioned legislation of management standards, regulatory methods, and acceptance criteria of disposal facility operator.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.33 no.7
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• pp.593-604
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• 2023

The ocean accounts for over 70% of the Earth's surface and is a space of largely unexplored unknowns and opportunities. Korea is a peninsula surrounded by the sea on three sides, emphasizing the importance of marine research. The ocean has an extremely complex environment with immense biological diversity. In terms of microbiology, the marine environment has varying factors like extreme temperature, pressure, solar radiation, salt concentration, and pH, providing ecologically unique habitats. Due to this variety, marine organisms have very different phylogenetic classifications compared with terrestrial organisms. Although various microorganisms inhabit the ocean, studies on the diversity, isolation, and cultivation of marine microorganisms and the secondary metabolites they produce are still insufficient. Research on bioactive substances from marine microorganisms, which were rarely studied until the 1990s, has accelerated in terms of natural products from marine Actinomycetes since the 2000s. Since then, industries for bioplastic and biofuel production, carbon dioxide capture, probiotics, and pharmaceutical discovery and development of antibacterial, anticancer, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory drugs using bacteria, archaea, and algae have significantly grown. In this review, we introduce current research findings and the latest trends in life science and biotechnology using marine microorganisms. Through this article, we hope to create consumer awareness of the importance of basic and applied research in various natural product-related discovery fields other than conventional pharmaceutical drug discovery. The article aims to suggest pathways that may boost research on the optimization and application of future marine-derived materials.

• Journal of Navigation and Port Research
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.174-181
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• 2023

Five local governments along the Korea-Japan Sea (Jeju, Jeonnam, Gyeongnam, Busan, Ulsan) operate a joint countermeasure committee regarding the marine discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant by Japan's Tokyo Electric Power Plant. This study compared and analyzed citizen surveys, response strategies, and detailed action plans conducted by the Jeju Research Institute, Busan Research Institute, and Ulsan Research Institute as part of a study on countermeasures for the marine discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan. The purpose was to present basic data for the preparation of effective measures. As a result of the perception survey, all citizens of local governments showed a strong negative perception of marine discharge regardless of scientific research results, and it is expected that future fisheries and tourism industries will suffer great damage. In response strategies for each local government, building a control tower was found to be the most urgent task common to all local governments. It is judged that this is because it is necessary to break away from the organization-centered system and to respond to the function-centered system for effective response. In terms of response methods, while Jeju and Busan established response plans for each sector, Ulsan City focused on practical responses with step-by-step response measures according to the release time. In terms of content, the establishment of a marine product radiation inspection system and publicity to relieve public anxiety were important. As the marine discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant is scheduled to continue until 2030, strengthening the network for sharing research results and achievements among local government research institutes was deemed necessary.