• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.10
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• pp.3367-3378
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• 2021

The design phase and safety assessment of Generation IV liquid metal-cooled fast reactors calls for the improvement of fuel pin performance codes, in particular the enhancement of their predictive capabilities towards uranium-plutonium mixed oxide fuels and stainless-steel cladding under irradiation in fast reactor environments. To this end, the current capabilities of fuel performance codes must be critically assessed against experimental data from available irradiation experiments. This work is devoted to the assessment of three European fuel performance codes, namely GERMINAL, MACROS and TRANSURANUS, against the irradiation of two fuel pins selected from the SUPERFACT-1 experimental campaign. The pins are characterized by a low enrichment (~ 2 wt.%) of minor actinides (neptunium and americium) in the fuel, and by plutonium content and cladding material in line with design choices envisaged for liquid metal-cooled Generation IV reactor fuels. The predictions of the codes are compared to several experimental measurements, allowing the identification of the current code capabilities in predicting fuel restructuring, cladding deformation, redistribution of actinides and volatile fission products. The integral assessment against experimental data is complemented by a code-to-code benchmark focused on the evolution of quantities of engineering interest over time. The benchmark analysis points out the differences in the code predictions of fuel central temperature, fuel-cladding gap width, cladding outer radius, pin internal pressure and fission gas release and suggests potential modelling development paths towards an improved description of the fuel pin behaviour in fast reactor irradiation conditions.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.455-472
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• 2018

It is important to study how to manage dry storage casks of spent nuclear fuels (SNF), because wet storage spaces for SNF will shortly be at full capacity in the Republic of Korea. The US has operated a dry storage cask system for several decades, and has carried out significant studies into how to successfully manage dry storage cask for SNF. This type of expertise and experience is currently lacking in the Republic of Korea. The degradation of dry casks is an important issue that must be considered. In particular, chloride-induced stress corrosion cracking (CISCC) is known to lead to the release of radioisotopes from canisters. The U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the Electric Power Research Institute have undertaken research into the CISCC mechanism. In addition, Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) has extensively researched CISCC and how to manage it in dry storage canisters. In this review paper, the probabilistic model proposed by the SNL is analyzed and, based on this model, US-based CISCC research is reviewed in detail. This paper will inform the management of dry cask storage of SNF from light water reactors in austenite stainless steel canisters in the Republic of Korea.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.82 no.4
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• pp.306-310
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• 2019

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is increasing in immigrants. We aimed to investigate the current status of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) treatment for North Korean Refugees (NKR) compared to South Koreans Contacts (SKC). Methods: TB close contacts in a closed facility of SKC and NKR who underwent LTBI screening in a settlement support center for NKR were analyzed retrospectively. Results: Among tuberculin skin test (TST) ${\geq}10mm$ (n=298) reactors, the males accounted for 72.2% in SKC (n=126) and 19.5% in NKR (n=172) (p<0.01). The mean age was higher in South Korea ($42.8{\pm}9.9years$ vs. $35.4{\pm}10.0years$, p<0.01). Additionally, the mean TST size was significantly bigger in NKR ($17.39{\pm}3.9mm$ vs. $16.57{\pm}4.2mm$, p=0.03). The LTBI treatments were initiated for all screened NKR, and LTBI completion rate was only 68.0%. However, in NKR, LTBI treatment completion rate was significantly increased by shorter 4R regimen (odds ratio [OR], 9.296; 95% confidence interval [CI], 4.159-20.774; p<0.01) and male (OR, 3.447; 95% CI, 1.191-9.974; p=0.02). Conclusion: LTBI treatment compliance must be improved in NKR with a shorter regimen. In addition, a larger study regarding a focus on LTBI with easy access to related data for NKR should be conducted.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.57 no.3
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• pp.420-424
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• 2019

In SNG (synthetic natural gas) process by proposed RIST(Research Institute of Industrial Science & Technology)-IAE(Institute for Advanced Engineering) (including three adiabatic reactors and one isothermal reactor), the methanation reaction and water gas shift (WGS) reaction take place simultaneously, and the supply of steam with syngas might control the temperature in catalyst bed and deactivate the catalyst. In this study for development of SNG process, the characteristics of the methanation reaction with a Ni-based catalyst by prepared RIST and using a low $H_2/CO$ mole ratio (including $CO_2$ 22%) are evaluated. The operating conditions ($H_2O/CO$ ratio of the $1^{st}$ adiabatic reactor, operating temperature range of $4^{th}$ isothermal reactor, etc.) were reflected the results from previous studies and in the same condition a pilot scale SNG process is carried out. As a results, the pilot scale SNG process is stable and the CO conversion and $CH_4$ selectivity are 100% and 96.9%, respectively, while the maximum $CH_4$ productivity is $660ml/g_{cat}{\cdot}h$.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.403-413
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• 2020

A mathematical model comprised with eight simultaneous quasi-linear partial differential equations was suggested to provide optimal chlorination strategy. Upstream weighted finite element method was employed to construct multidimensional numerical code. The code was verified against measured concentrations in three type of reactors. Boundary conditions and reaction rate were calibrated for the sixteen cases of experimental results to regenerate the measured values. Eight reaction rate coefficients were estimated from the modeling result. The reaction rate coefficients were expressed in terms of pH and temperature. Automatic optimal algorithm was invented to estimate the reaction rate coefficients by minimizing the sum of squares of the numerical errors and combined with the model. In order to minimize the concentration of chlorine and pollutants at the final usage sites, a real-time predictive control system is imperative which can predict the water quality variables from the chlorine disinfection process at the water purification plant to the customer by means of a model and operate the disinfection process according to the influent water quality. This model can be used to build such a system in water treatment plants.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Systems Engineering
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.65-75
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• 2021

When the decommissioning of South Korea nuclear power plants is promoted in earnest with the permanent shutdown of Kori Unit 1 in 2017, a large amount of various types of radioactive waste will be generated. For minimal generation and safe management of decommissioning waste, the waste should be made by appropriate classification of the dismantling waste characteristics in accordance with physical, chemical and radiological characteristics to meet the acceptance criteria of disposal facilities. Replacing the preliminary inspection at the site for the compliance of the waste acceptance criteria (WAC) of medium and low-level radioactive waste with the generator's own radioactive waste certification program (WCP), from the perspective of disposal, the optimization of waste management at the national level contributes to the efficient availability of disposal, such as the processing of non-conforming radioactive wastes at the site. To this end, it is important to evaluate radioactivity in each system and area such as nuclear reactors before decommissioning is carried out in earnest, and the prior removal of harmful wastes is important. From waste collection to waste disposal, decommissioning waste should be managed at each stage in consideration of the acceptance criteria of disposal facilities to minimize the generation of non-conforming waste.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.31-38
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• 2021

The aim of this study is to evaluate the possibility of treating slaughterhouse by-products using microbial electrolysis cells (MECs). The diluted pig liver was fed to MEC reactors with the influent COD concentrations of 772, 1,222, and 1,431 mg/L, and the applied voltage were 0.3, 0.6, and 0.9 V. The highest methane production of 5.9 mL was obtained at the influent COD concentration of 1,431 mg/L and applied voltage of 0.9 V. In all tested conditions, COD removal rate was increased as the influent COD concentration increased with average removal rate of 62.3~81.1%. The maximum methane yield of 129~229 mL/g COD was obtained, which is approximately 80% of theoretical maximum value. It might be due to the bioelectrochemical reaction greatly increased the biodegradability of pig liver. Future research is required to improve the methane yield and digestibility through optimizing the reactor design and operating conditions.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.322-328
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• 2011

This study was performed to investigate the characteristics of nutrient removal of municipal wastewater in the membrane bioreactor system with the different types of membrane. Membrane bioreactor consists of three reactors such as two intermittent anaerobic and the submerged membrane aerobic reactor with flat sheet and hollow fiber membrane, respectively. The removal efficiencies of $COD_{cr}$, BOD, SS, TN and TP on the flat sheet membrane bioreactor were 94.3%, 99.0%, 99.9%, 70.3% and 63.1%, respectively. In addition, The removal efficiencies of $COD_{cr}$, BOD, SS, TN and TP on the hollow fiber membrane bioreactor were 94.0%, 99.3%, 99.9%, 69.9% and 66.9%, respectively. The estimated true biomass yield, specific denitrification rate (SDNR), specific nitrification rate (SNR) and phosphorus removal content on the flat sheet membrane bioreactor were $0.33kgVSS/kgBOD{\cdot}d$, $0.043mgNO_3-N/mgVSS{\cdot}d$, $0.031mgNH_4-N/mgVSS{\cdot}d$, and 0.144 kgP/d, respectively. In addition, the estimated true biomass yield, specific denitrification rate (SDNR), specific nitrification rate (SNR) and phosphorus removal content on the hollow fiber membrane bioreactor were $0.30kgVSS/kgBOD{\cdot}d$, $0.067mgNO_3-N/mgVSS{\cdot}d$, $0.028mgNH_4-N/mgVSS{\cdot}d$, and 0.121 kgP/d, respectively. There was little difference between the flat sheet and hollow fiber on the nutrient removal efficiencies except SNR and SDNR. These differences between them were caused by the air demand to prevent the membrane fouling. The flux and oxygen demand for air scouring were $19.0L/m^2/hr$ and $2.28m^3/min$ for the flat sheet membrane, and $20.7L/m^2/hr$ and $1.77m^3/min$ for the hollow fiber membrane on an average.

• Explosives and Blasting
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.22-33
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• 2021

Recently, the frequent occurrence of ground subsidence in urban areas has caused increasing anxiety in residents and incurred significant social costs. Among the causes of ground subsidence, the rupture of old water and sewer pipes not only halts the operation of the buried pipes, but also leads to ground and water pollution problems. However, because most pipes are buried after construction and cannot be seen with the naked eye, the importance of maintenance has underestimated compared to other structures. In recent years, integrated physical exploration has been applied to the maintenance of underground pipes and structures. Currently, to investigate the internal conditions and vulnerable portions of the ground, consolidated physical surveys are executed. Consolidated physical surveys are analysis techniques that obtain various material data and add existing data using multiple physical surveys. Generally, in geotechnical engineering, consolidated physical surveys including electrical and surface wave surveys are adopted. However, it is difficult to investigate time-based changes in under ground using these surveys. In contrast, surveys using cosmic-ray muons have been used to scan the inner parts of nuclear reactors with penetration technology. Surveys using muons enable real-time observation without the influence of vibration or electricity. Such surveys have great potential for available technology because of their ability to investigate density distributions without requiring as much labor. In this paper, survey technologies using cosmic ray muons are introduced, and the possibilities of applying such technologies as new physical survey technologies for underground structures are suggested.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.7-13
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• 2021

Various research has been done on fires and explosions at gas stations at home and abroad. However, only studies of off-site damage in the event of fire at the gas station were conducted, and research on fire at the auxiliary facilities in the gas station was insufficient. The gas station is a place where anyone can easily access dangerous goods. As the risk of fire increases due to the recent increase of auxiliary facilities such as convenience stores and car repair shops in gas stations, it is important to detect the effects of fire on the main oil refinery in case of fire and to verify the validity of existing regulations. In this thesis, we conducted a study to find out the effect of radiation heat on the separation between fixed and fixed oil reactors in the event of fire at an auxiliary facility. Simulation was modelled using FDS 5.5.3 Version, and the size of the fire source was configured with 13 fire assessment devices and the heat emission rate per unit area was entered. Simulation shows that the separation distance of 2 m does not secure the safety of the gas pump in the event of fire at the auxiliary facilities, and radiation heat does not damage at the separation distance of at least 4 m. Accordingly, facilities that can block radiant heat in the event of fire at auxiliary facilities, and measures to limit the use of auxiliary facilities or to re-impose the separation between buildings and fixtures will be needed.