• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.256-262
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• 2014

Cycle length of domestic nuclear power plants is determined by the demand-supply plan of utility company. The target cycle length is achieved by adjusting the number of feed fuel assembly and fuel enrichment. Traditionally, utility company first select the number of feed fuel assembly and then find out the fuel enrichment to achieve the special cycle length. But it is difficult to find out if this method is most economical than any other combinations of the enrichment and batch size satisfying the same cycle length. In this paper, core depletion calculation is performed to find out the optimum combination of the enrichment and batch size for given target cycle length in terms of fuel cycle cost using commercial core design code; CASMO/MASTER code. To minimize the uncertainty resulting from transition core analysis, levelized fuel cycle cost analysis was applied to the equilibrium cycle core in order to determine the optimum combination. The sensitivity study of discount rate was also carried out to analyze the levelized fuel cycle cost applicable to countries with different discount rates. From the levelized fuel cycle cost analysis results, the combination with smaller batch size and higher fuel enrichment becomes more economical as the discount rate becomes lower. On the other hand, the combination with higher batch size and lower fuel enrichment becomes more economical as the discount rate becomes higher.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.36 no.8
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• pp.829-833
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• 2012

SNG (synthetic natural gas or substitute natural gas) could contribute greatly toward energy security. In addition, HCNG (or $H_2CNG$) is expected to be used as a fuel gas for internal combustion engines and home appliances because it has extremely low emissions and high thermal efficiency. However, the hydrogen contained in SNG or HCNG can deteriorate the mechanical properties of the materials used in existing natural gas infrastructure. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the effect of hydrogen on the mechanical properties of such materials so that SNG or HCNG can be transported and distributed safely and reliably. In this study, the effect of highly pressurized hydrogen gas on the tensile properties of a low-alloy steel used for manufacturing CNG storage vessels was investigated using the so-called hollow tensile specimen technique.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.34-46
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• 2020

In order to supply stable natural gas in the future, it is necessary to forecast the demand in advance and secure the quantity of supply. In this paper, we propose a method of estimating the demand function of industrial natural gas, which is the core of the increase of domestic natural gas demand in the future. The cross-sectional data of 304 domestic industries were used to estimate the demand function of the industrial natural gas, and the effect of industry specific characteristics such as capital investment, manufacturing cost. Finally, the least absolute deviation estimation method which is robust to outliers and does not assume the homogeneity of the error term and the normality, And the results were derived. In addition, the economic value of industrial city gas was estimated using the price elasticity of industrial city gas. Therefore, it can be seen that the continuous expansion and supply of city gas to the industrial sector is beneficial at the national level, and the government needs to promote expansion through the industrial city gas support policy.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.70-77
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• 2023

In response to climate change, each country is proposing a goal to reduce greenhouse gases in its energy supply and demand plan, and the use of hydrogen gas is a topic that is always prioritized as an energy resource for implementation. A popular way to use this hydrogen gas is the use of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, and expansion of hydrogen charging stations is essential for using these hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. However, there are several limitations to the expansion of hydrogen refueling stations, the most representative of which is resident acceptance. Most of the hydrogen charging stations currently built in Korea are located in the outskirts with low population density, so the inconvenience to hydrogen fuel cell vehicle users has not been resolved, and as a result, there has been no progress in the spread of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. In this paper, we analyzed the consequences of accident damage to determine the risks of constructing a hydrogen charging station on a railroad site frequently used by citizens. The target hydrogen charging station site was a railroad depot in Busan, and there are trains, national highways, and commercial facilities around this site. Assuming the worst-case scenario, we would like to consider the safety of the hydrogen refueling station site by analyzing the area affected by the accident and its consequence.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.221-229
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• 2009

This study develops the optimized operation program which enables effective and economic operation between individual and connected branch offices by analyzing the current status and influential indicators of district heating companies' capital branch offices. Accordingly, the study examines the efficiency of optimized operation program. In doing so, this study has diagnosed and analyzed various factors, such as boilers, pumps, and relevant tags (temperature, pressure, fuel amount) through investigation of individual branch offices, and finally succeeded in developing wide-ranging data base by factor covering one-year time period. Additionally, after running the optimized operation program, different branch offices, optimum preference has turned out "incinerator receiving heat from KEPCO>CHP >PLBs>PLBw." Meantime, except the connected offices, there has been no big difference between actual and optimum operation program in branch offices. Meanwhile, the integrated optimum operation program has made it possible the most optimal result only via the connecting supply and demand heat without changing received Heat from KEPCO which is the same as total productive heat. The result has showed that the reduction percentage per day is 2.45~6.80%, and the reduction cost per day is 22,727~60,077 thousand won given the randomly selected sample days. In particular, winter time shows the highest demand with the largest reduction cost whereas summer time illustrates the lowest demand with the smallest reduction cost. Given this result, reduction cost per year compared to actual heat production cost for one year theoretically would be 84 hundred million won. Also, the economic effect showed that the reduction cost percentage per year is more than 2.74% on heat production cost per year for all capital branch offices.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.18-24
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• 2012

Lignocellulose is difficult to hydrolyze due to the presence of lignin and the technology developed for cellulose fermentation to ethanol is not yet economically viable. However, recent advances in the extremely new field of biotechnology for the ethanol production are making it possible to use of Agriculture residual biomass, e.q., Barley straw, because of their several superior aspects as Agriculture residual biomass; low lignin, high contents of carbohydrates. Barley straw consists of 39.78% cellulose (glucose), 22.56% hemicelluloses and 19.27% lignin. Pretreatment of barley straw using NaOH pretreatment solutions concentration with 2%, temperature $85^{\circ}C$ and reaction times 1 hr were investigates. $NH_4OH$ pretreatment condition was solutions concentration with 15%, temperature $60^{\circ}C$, and reaction times 24hr were investigates. Furthermore, enzymatic saccharification using cellulose at $50^{\circ}C$, pH 4.8, 180 rpm for conversion of cellulose contained in barley straw to monomeric sugar. The pretreatment of barley straw using NaOH and $NH_4OH$ can significantly improve enzymatic saccharification of barley straw by extract more lignin and increasing its accessibility to hydrolytic enzymes. The result showed NaOH pretreatment extracted yield of lignin was 24.15%. $NH_4OH$ pretreatment extracted yield of lignin was 29.09%. Shaccharification of barley straw pretreatment by NaOH for 72hr and pH 4.8 result in maximum glucose concentration 15.39g/L (58.40%) and by $NH_4OH$ for 72hr and pH 4.8 result in maximum glucose concentration 16.01g/L (64.78%).

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.125-148
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• 2014

This paper performs a historical analysis on the various factors contributing to the current carbon lock-in of Korean electricity industry by using techo-institutional complex. The possibilities of the industry's carbon lock-out toward more sustainable development are also investigated. It turns out that market, firm, consumer, and government factors are all responsible for the development of the carbon lock-in of Korean power industry; the Korean government consistently favoring large power plants based on the economy of scale; below-cost electricity tariff; inflation policy to suppress increases in power price; rapid demand growth in summer and winter seasons; rigidities of electricity tariff; and expansion of gas-fired and imported coal-fired large power plants. On the other hand, except for nuclear power generation and smart grid, environment laws and new and renewable energy laws are the other remaining factors contributing to the carbon lock-out. Considering three key points that Korea is an export-oriented economy, the generation mix is the most critical factor to decide the amounts of carbon emission in the power industry, and the share of industry and commercial power consumption is over 85%, it is unlikely that Korea will achieve the carbon lock-out of power industry in the near future. Therefore, there are needs for more integrated approaches from market, firm, consumer, and government all together in order to achieve the carbon lock-out in the electricity industry. Firstly, from the market perspective, it is necessary to persue more active new and renewable energy penetration and to guarantee consumer choices by mitigating the incumbent's monopoly power as in the OECD countries. Secondly, from the firm perspective, the promotion of distributed energy system is urgent, which includes new and renewable resources and demand resources. Thirdly, from the consumer perspective, more green choices in the power tariff and customer awareness on the carbon lock-out are needed. Lastly, the government shall urgently improve power planning frameworks to include the various externalities that were not properly reflected in the past such as environmental and social conflict costs.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.47-75
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• 2023

Compared to the EU, which legislates the Carbon Border Adjustment System (CBAM), the United States' carbon border adjustment policy movement is still relatively slow. Recently, however, a related bill has been proposed in the United States, and research institutes have been presenting research results on how to introduce an upstream carbon tax rather than an emission trading system and carry out carbon border adjustment based on it. Therefore, in this study, we looked at the economic and environmental effects of introducing this type of upstream carbon tax and carbon border adjustment in Korea. If an upstream carbon tax of KRW 30,000 per ton of CO₂ is applied to the net supply of domestic fossil energy, the expected carbon tax revenue is approximately KRW 22.9961 trillion, equivalent to about 5.7% of the total revenue of the Korean government of KRW 402 trillion in 2019. In addition, the carbon dioxide content of the steel sector, calculated based on the energy supply and demand status of the steel sector, which emits the most greenhouse gas emissions in Korea and has a considerable amount of overseas exports, was 106.22 million tons of CO₂. On the other hand, assuming that the upstream carbon tax of 30,000 won per ton of CO₂ embodied is directly passed on to the production cost of the steel sector, the carbon tax burden in the steel sector is estimated to reach approximately KRW 3.1865 trillion. Even after deducting KRW 1.1599 trillion in export refunds estimated by using the share of exports of steel products, the net carbon tax burden on steel products for domestic demand amounts to KRW 2.0266 trillion, which is analyzed to act as a factor in increasing the price of steel products.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.35 no.7
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• pp.464-471
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• 2013

In this study, the resource efficiency and future metal resource requirement in photovoltaic (PV) production system were evaluated by using material balance data and life cycle assesment (LCA) method. As a result, in the resource efficiency of ferrous and non-ferrous metal, lead and tin had higher resource efficiency than other materials in all PV systems (SC-Si, MC-Si, CI(G)S, CdTe). In the resource efficiency of rare metals, gallium and rhenium in silicon system and rhenium and rhodium in thin-film system ranked as the first and second high resource efficiency. In case of rare earth metal, gadolinium and samarium took higher resource efficiency. The results of the future metal resource requirement in PV systems showed that 2,545,670 ton of aluminium, 92,069 ton of zinc, 22,044 ton of copper, 1,695 ton of tin and 31 ton of nickel will be needed by 2030 in South Korea, except resource recycling supplement.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics and Information Engineers
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.129-134
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• 2017

In the present society, our current technology associated with bakery industry has been improved as much as technical development can get abreast of the Western one where the bread has originated and has been awarded and ranked in the highest level of many bakery or pastry competitions. In these trends, many people are running for high value added business such as bakery industry and bakery $caf{\acute{e}}$, etc. with big interest. However, high labor cost of technician and difficulties in human resource management become obstruction factors in the growth of the bakery industries. Therefore, in this paper, the designed system for both dividing and rounding dough quickly and exactly at the same time was studied. The main function of this system is to divide the original dough into 3 tracks and then, to place 4 doughs in the inner track, 12 doughs in the mid track, 20 doughs in the outer track, totally 36 doughs in a routine. It takes much energy because 36 doughs can be completed in a routine. Therefore, this system uses hydraulic pressure and a 0.75Kw induction motor is used for dough rounding. This system can make primarily fermented dough into 36 divided doughs very quickly and exactly on a guide panel at the desired weight by dividing it within 1-9 seconds and by rounding each within 1-9 seconds. This system is very effective in bakery industry to minimize labor cost and it is expected to supply more hygienic products to the customers.