• 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.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.218-230
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• 2016

The effect of steam explosion coupled with alkali (1% sodium hydroxide, 1% potassium hydroxide and 15% sodium carbonate) or organosolv solvent (85% methanol, 70% ethanol and dioxane) on the production of sugar, changes in the chemical composition of M. sinensis were evaluated. The steam explosion coupled with 1% potassium hydroxide and dioxane were better as compared with other treatments based on the removals of acid insoluble lignin, and about 89.0% and 85.4%. Enzymatic hydrolysis of steam explosion with 1% potassium hydroxide and dioxane treated M. sinensis, gave a 98.0% and 96.5% of glucose conversion, respectively. These results suggested that pretreatment of M. sinensis with either potassium hydroxide or dioxane could be a promising pretreatment method for glucose production.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2007.05b
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• pp.3027-3032
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• 2007

To understand the complex phenomena performed in steam explosion, the fast and global measurement of the steam distribution is imperative for this extremely rapid transient stimulation of the bubble breakup and coalescence due to turbulent eddies and shock waves. TROI, the experimental facility requests more robust sensor system to meet this requirement. In Europe, researchers are prefer a X-ray method but this method is very expensive and has limited measurement range. There is an alternative technology such as ECT. Because of TROI's geometry, however, we need axial tomography method. This paper reviews image reconstruction algorethms for axial tomography, including Tikhonov regularization and iterative Tikhonov regularization. Axial tomography method is examined by simulation and experiment for typical permittivity distributions. Future works in axial tomography technology is discussed.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.179-182
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• 2003

Anaerobic fermentation was attempted to produce methane from the wood chip (Eucalyptus globulus). By the pretreatment of the wood chip using hot water with high temperature, NaOH, and steam explosion, the production of methane gas was enhanced. The pretreatment using Steam explosion resulted in more amount of methane gas produced than the treatment using either hot water or 1% (w/w) NaOH with high temperature, and the steam explosion at a steam pressure of 25 atm and a steaming time of 3 min was the most effective for the methane production. The amount of methane gas produced depended on the ratio of weight of Klason lignin, a high molecular weight lignin, in the treated wood chip.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.68-74
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• 1997

This research was studied dissolving pulp for rayon production, which is not KP, SP methods but steam explosion and oxygen alkali treatment. The variation of characterization in wood cellulose after steam explosion and oxygen alkali treatment this follows. In the oxygen alkali treatment of exploded pine wood, yield of dissolving pulp was lower than steam-exploded oak wood, and we have obtained dissolving pulp that high purity cellulose, but degree of polymerization was inclined to decrease less than 200. In the case of steam-exploded oak wood, degree of polymerization was higher than steam-exploded pine wood but purity of cellulose was lower than its.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.78-90
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• 2012

Soybean hull is an attractive feedstock for glucose production. To increase the glucose conversion in acid hydrolysis, a pretreatment method combined steam explosion with alkali pretreatment for soybean hull was studied. For first step pretreatment, steam explosion conditions (log Ro 2.45) were optimized to obtain maximum solid recovery and cellulose content. In the second step pretreatment, the conditions for potassium hydroxide pretreatment of steam exploded soybean hull were optimized by using RSM (response surface methodology). The optimum conditions for minimum lignin content were determined to be 0.6% potassium hydroxide concentration, $70^{\circ}C$ reaction temperature and 198 min reaction time. The predicted lignin content was 2.2% at the optimum conditions. Experimental verification of the optimum conditions gave the lignin content in similar value with the estimated value of the model. Finally, glucose conversion of pretreated soybean hull using acid hydrolysis resulted in $97.1{\pm}0.4%$. This research of two-step pretreatment was a promising method for increasing the glucose conversion in the cellulose-to-glucose process.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.11-20
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• 1992

Steam explosion is one of the most effective pretreatment for fractionating wood. This leads to the total utilization of wood basic components; cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. The amount of sugar and lignin extracted with the hot water method was very low. The lignin content of residues after extraction with using a sodium hydroxide treatment, increased delignification of carbohydrate as the concentration of alkali was increased. Oak, pretreated with steam exploded at 25kg/$cm^2$ for 6 min. then 1% alkali for 2hrs. showed a delignification rate up to 95%. A sodium chlorite treatment of steam exploded pine and oak also afforded a high deligninfication effect. Pine, treated 10% sodium chlorite for 2hrs. showed high delignification. However, by using a sodium hydroxide treatment, a 2% retreatment for Ihr. after a 2% for 2hrs. afforded remarkable delignification effect on exploded wood at 30kg/$cm^2$ for 9min. and at 35kg/$cm^2$ for 3-6min. In oak, an initial 2hrs. treatment of 2% sodium chlorite was followed by a second 2hrs. treatment at 10%. This showed a delignification rate of 96%.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.30-36
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• 1993

Wood chips of oak (Quercus mongolica) and larch (Larix leptolepis) were treated with a relatively low pressure steam(10~20 kg/$cm^2$) for 10~20 min (first-stage),and then increased pressure up to 30kg/$cm^2$ for 30 second (second-stage), and steam pressure was released intentionally to air. Main components of exploded wood were separated with 1% NaOH and hot water-methanol. In this work, the more effective low pressure explosion condition and separation method of wood main component were investigated. The results can be summarized as follows; 1. The yields of exploded wood were generally decreased with increasing steam pressure and reaction time. 2. The proper condition of steam explosion in low pressure for the separation of wood main components was 15kg/$cm^2$-10 min, in oak wood and 20kg/$cm^2$-10 min., then 30kg/$cm^2$-0.5 min, in larch wood. 3. The 23% of elude hemicellulose was obtained from the exploded oak wood which was treated with optimal condition. 4. In the case of hot water-methanol extraction, the ratio of delignification was 14~23% in the exploded larch wood and 42~55% in the exploded oak wood. 5. The methanol was more effective than 1% sodium hydroxide solution for extraction of lignin from exploded wood.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.14-21
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• 1991

Steam-exploded woods were delignified by two-stage with a 0.3% NaOH extraction and oxygen-alkali bleaching and were subjected to the enzymatic hydrolysis with cellulase enzyme. Also, an improved almost quantitative recycle process of cellulase enzyme was discussed. In enzyme recovery by affinity method, The first recycling showed relatively high hydrolysis rate of 96.4%. Even at the third recycle, hydrolysis rate was 87.0 percents. In the case of cellulase recovery by ultrafiltration method, first 2 recycling treatments resulted in very high hydrolysis rates, 96.8% and 95.0%, respectively. Even the third recycling showed about 93.6%. Steam-explosion treatment of oak wood followed by 2-stage delignification with alkali and oxygen-alkali produced a excellant substrate for the enzymatic hydrolysis that allowed almost quantitative recycle of cellulase.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.18-25
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• 1990

As polysaccharides in lignocellulosic materials are encrusted with aromatic lignin molecules and have high crystallinity, these require pretreatment to improve their digestability by cellulolytic enzymes. Though a number of pretreatment methods have been proposed, the steam explosion process is evaluated as a promising method. This study was performed to investigate the effect of delignification treatment by alkali, methanol and the others on the enzymatic hydrolysis. Delignification treatment resulted in great increase rate in enzymatic hydrolysis. Concerning to the effect of delignication reagents on the enzymatic hydrolysis, methanol treatment was more effective than alkali in the case of oak wood. In pine wood, the delignification did not showed any significant enhancement of hydrolysis rate. Complete delignification by Alkali-Oxygen. Alkali treatment showed high saccharification rate of 99.5%.