• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.30-58
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• 2022

The deep geological repository for high-level radioactive waste disposal is a multi barrier system comprised of engineered barriers and a natural barrier. The long-term integrity of the deep geological repository is affected by the coupled interactions between the individual barrier components. Erosion and piping phenomena in the compacted bentonite buffer due to buffer-rock interactions results in the removal of bentonite particles via groundwater flow and can negatively impact the integrity and performance of the buffer. Rapid groundwater inflow at the early stages of disposal can lead to piping in the bentonite buffer due to the buildup of pore water pressure. The physiochemical processes between the bentonite buffer and groundwater lead to bentonite swelling and gelation, resulting in bentonite erosion from the buffer surface. Hence, the evaluation of erosion and piping occurrence and its effects on the integrity of the bentonite buffer is crucial in determining the long-term integrity of the deep geological repository. Previous studies on bentonite erosion and piping failed to consider the complex coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical behavior of bentonite-groundwater interactions and lacked a comprehensive model that can consider the complex phenomena observed from the experimental tests. In this technical note, previous studies on the mechanisms, lab-scale experiments and numerical modeling of bentonite buffer erosion and piping are introduced, and the future expected challenges in the investigation of bentonite buffer erosion and piping are summarized.

• Atmosphere
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.223-246
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• 2023

This paper summarized the research papers on weather extremes that occurred in the Republic of Korea, which were published in the domestic and foreign journals during 1963~2022. Weather extreme is defined as a weather phenomenon that causes serious casualty and property loss; here, it includes typhoon, heavy rain, drought, heat wave, cold surge, heavy snow, and strong gust. Based on the 2011~2020 statistics in Korea, above 80% of property loss due to all natural disasters were caused by typhoons and heavy rainfalls. However, the impact of the other weather extremes can be underestimated rather than we have actually experienced; the property loss caused by the other extremes is hard to be quantitatively counted. Particularly, as global warming becomes serious, the influence of drought and heat wave has been increasing. The damages caused by cold surges, heavy snow, and strong gust occurred over relatively local areas on short-term time scales compared to other weather hazards. In particularly, strong gust accompanied with drought may result in severe forest fires over mountainous regions. We hope that the present review paper may remind us of the importance of weather extremes that directly affect our lives.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.1-8
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• 2020

Centrifugal pump is a facility that transfers energy to fluid through centrifugal force, which is usually generated by rotating the impeller at high speed, and is a major process facility used in many LNG production bases such as vaporization seawater pump, industrial water and fire extinguishing pump using seawater. to be. Currently, pumps in LNG plant sites are subject to operating conditions that vary depending on the amount of supply desired by the customer for a long period of time. Pumps in particular occupy a large part of the consumption strategy at the plant site, and if the optimum operation condition is not available, it can incur enormous energy loss in long term plant operation. In order to solve this problem, it is necessary to identify the performance deterioration factor through the flow analysis and the result analysis according to the fluctuations of the pump's operating conditions and to determine the optimal operation efficiency. In order to evaluate operation efficiency through experimental techniques, considerable time and cost are incurred, such as on-site operating conditions and manufacturing of experimental equipment. If the performance of the pump is not suitable for the site, and the performance of the pump needs to be reduced, a method of changing the rotation speed or using a special liquid containing high viscosity or solids is used. Especially, in order to prevent disruptions in the operation of LNG production bases, a technology is required to satisfy the required performance conditions by processing the existing impeller of the pump within a short time. Therefore, in this study, the rotation difference of the pump was applied to the ANSYS CFX program by applying the modified 3D modeling shape. In addition, the results obtained from the flow analysis and the curve fitting toolbox of the MATLAB program were analyzed numerically to verify the outer diameter correction theory.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.29-39
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• 2009

The influence of windbreak to minimize the ventilation velocity near the plant canopy of a greenhouse strawberry was thoroughly investigated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technology. Windbreaks were constructed surrounding the plant canopy to control ventilation and maintain the concentration of the supplied $CO_2$ from the soil surface close to the strawberry plants. The influence of no windbreak, 0.15 m and 0.30 m height windbreaks with varied air velocity of 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 m/s were simulated in the study. The concentrations of supplied $CO_2$ within the plant canopy of were measured. To simplify the model, plants were not included in the final model. Considering 1.0m/s wind velocity which is the normal wind velocity of greenhouses, the concentrations of $CO_2$ were approximately 420, 580 and 653 ppm ($1{\times}10^{-9}kg/m^3$) for no windbreak, 0.15 and 0.30 m windbreak height, respectively. Considering that the maximum concentration of $CO_2$ for the strawberry plants was around 600-800 ppm, the 0.30 m windbreak height is highly recommended. This study revealed that the windbreak was very effective in preserving $CO_2$ gas within the plant canopy. More so, the study also proved that the CFD technique can be used to determine the concentration of $CO_2$ within the plant canopy for the plants consumption at any designed condition. For an in-depth application of this study, the plants as well as the different conditions for $CO_2$ utilization, etc. should be considered.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.413-422
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• 2022

Barnea manilensis is a bivalve which bores soft rocks, such as, limestone or mudstone in the low intertidal zone. They make burrows which have narrow entrances and wide interiors and live in these burrows for a lifetime. In this study, the morphology and the microstructure of the valve of rock-boring clam B. manilensis were observed using a stereoscopic microscope and FE-SEM, respectively. The chemical composition of specific part of the valve was assessed by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis. 3D modeling and structural dynamic analysis were used to simulate the boring behavior of B. manilensis. Microscopy results showed that the valve was asymmetric with plow-like spikes which were located on the anterior surface of the valve and were distributed in a specific direction. The anterior parts of the valve were thicker than the posterior parts. EDS results indicated that the valve mainly consisted of calcium carbonate, while metal elements, such as, Al, Si, Mn, Fe, and Mg were detected on the outer surface of the anterior spikes. It was assumed that the metal elements increased the strength of the valve, thus helping the B. manilensis to bore sediment. The simulation showed that spikes located on the anterior part of the valve received a load at all angles. It was suggested that the anterior part of the shell received the load while drilling rocks. The boring mechanism using the amorphous valve of B. manilensis is expected to be used as basic data to devise an efficient drilling mechanism.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.603-618
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• 2023

This study focused on evaluating the suitability of the WRK (waste repository Korea) bentonite as a buffer material in the SNF (spent nuclear fuel) repository. The U (uranium) adsorption/desorption characteristics and the adsorption mechanisms of the WRK bentonite were presented through various analyses, adsorption/desorption experiments, and kinetic adsorption modeling at various pH conditions. Mineralogical and structural analyses supported that the major mineral of the WRK bentonite is the Ca-montmorillonite having the great possibility for the U adsorption. From results of the U adsorption/desorption experiments (intial U concentration: 1 mg/L) for the WRK bentonite, despite the low ratio of the WRK bentonite/U (2 g/L), high U adsorption efficiency (>74%) and low U desorption rate (<14%) were acquired at pH 5, 6, 10, and 11 in solution, supporting that the WRK bentonite can be used as the buffer material preventing the U migration in the SNF repository. Relatively low U adsorption efficiency (<45%) for the WRK bentonite was acquired at pH 3 and 7 because the U exists as various species in solution depending on pH and thus its U adsorption mechanisms are different due to the U speciation. Based on experimental results and previous studies, the main U adsorption mechanisms of the WRK bentonite were understood in viewpoint of the chemical adsorption. At the acid conditions (＜pH 3), the U is apt to adsorb as forms of UO₂²⁺, mainly due to the ionic bond with Si-O or Al-O(OH) present on the WRK bentonite rather than the ion exchange with Ca²⁺ among layers of the WRK bentonite, showing the relatively low U adsorption efficiency. At the alkaline conditions (>pH 7), the U could be adsorbed in the form of anionic U-hydroxy complexes (UO₂(OH)₃^-, UO₂(OH)₄^2-, (UO₂)₃(OH)₇^-, etc.), mainly by bonding with oxygen (O^-) from Si-O or Al-O(OH) on the WRK bentonite or by co-precipitation in the form of hydroxide, showing the high U adsorption. At pH 7, the relatively low U adsorption efficiency (42%) was acquired in this study and it was due to the existence of the U-carbonates in solution, having relatively high solubility than other U species. The U adsorption efficiency of the WRK bentonite can be increased by maintaining a neutral or highly alkaline condition because of the formation of U-hydroxyl complexes rather than the uranyl ion (UO₂²⁺) in solution,and by restraining the formation of U-carbonate complexes in solution.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.58 no.1
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• pp.39-50
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• 2015

Stabilization of heavy metals such as Pb, Cd, Zn, and Cu was evaluated in contaminated soil treated with poultry manure (PM) as well as its biochars pyrolyzed at $300^{\circ}C$ (PBC300) and $700^{\circ}C$ (PBC700) at the application rates of 2.5, 5.0, and 10.0 wt% along with the control, prior to 21-days incubation. After incubation, soil pH was increased from 6.94 (control) to 7.51, 7.24, and 7.88 in soils treated with PM 10 wt%, PBC300 10 wt%, and PBC700 10 wt% treatments, respectively, mainly due to alkalinity of treatments. In the soil treated with PM, the concentrations of the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP)-extractable Pb, Cd, Zn, and Cu were increased by up to 408, 77, 24, and 955%, respectively, compared to the control. These increases may possibly be associated with an increased dissolved organic carbon concentration by the PM addition. However, in the soil treated with PBC700, TCLP-extractable Pb, Cd, Zn, and Cu concentrations were reduced by up to 23, 38, 52, and 36%, respectively, compared to the control. Thermodynamic modelling using the visual MINTEQ was done to predict the precipitations of $Pb(OH)_2$, $Cu(OH)_2$ and P-containing minerals, such as chloropyromorphite [$Pb_5(PO_4)_3Cl$] and hydroxypyromorphite [$Pb_5(PO_4)_3OH$], in the PBC700 10 wt% treated soil. The SEM-elemental dot mapping analysis further confirmed the presence of Pb-phosphate species via dot mapping of PBC700 treated soil. These results indicate that the reduction of Pb concentration in the PBC700 treated soil is related to the formations of chloropyromorphite and hydroxypyromorphite which have very low solubility.