• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
• /
• 2011.05a
• /
• pp.15-15
• /
• 2011

As you know, boron compounds, borax ($Na_2B_4O_5(OH)_4{\cdot}8H_2O$) etc. were known thousands of years ago. As for natural boron, it has two naturally occurring and stable isotopes, boron 11 ($^{11}B$) and boron 10 ($^{10}B$). The neutron absorption $^{10}B$ is included about 19~20% with 80~81% $^{11}B$. Boron is similar to carbon in its capability to form stable covalently bonded molecular networks. The mass difference results in a wide range of ${\beta}$ values between the $^{11}B$ and $^{10}B$. The $^{10}B$ isotope, stable with 5 neutrons is excellent at capturing thermal neutrons. For example, it is possible to decrease a thermal neutron required for the nuclear reaction of uranium 235 ($^{235}U$). If $^{10}B$ absorbs a neutron ($^1n$), it will change to $^7Li+^1{\alpha}$ (${\alpha}$ ray, like $^4He$) with prompt ${\gamma}$ ray from $^{11}B$ $^{11}B$ (equation 1). $$^{10}B+^1n\;{\rightarrow}\;^{11}B\;{\rightarrow}\; prompt \;{\gamma}\;ray (478 keV), \;^7Li+4{\alpha}\;(4He)\;\;\;\;{\cdots}\; (1)$$ If about 1% boron is added to stainless steel, it is known that a neutron shielding effect will be 3 times the boron free steel. Enriched boron or $^{10}B$ is used in both radiation shielding and in boron neutron capture therapy. Then, $^{10}B$ is used for reactivity control and in emergency shutdown systems in nuclear reactors. Furthermore, boron carbide, $B_4C$, is used as the charge of a nuclear fission reaction control rod material and neutron cover material for nuclear reactors. The $B_4C$ powder of natural B composition is used as a charge of a control material of a boiling water reactor (BWR) which occupies commercial power reactors in nuclear power generation. The $B_4C$ sintered body which adjusted $^{10}B$ concentration is used as a charge of a control material of the fast breeder reactor (FBR) currently developed aiming at establishment of a nuclear fuel cycle. In this study for new boron compound, silicon boride ceramics for capturing thermal neutrons, preparation and characterization of both silicon tetraboride ($SiB_4$) and silicon hexaboride ($SiB_6$) and ceramics produced by sintering were investigated in order to determine the suitability of this material for nuclear power generation. The relative density increased with increasing sintering temperature. With a sintering temperature of 1,923 K, a sintered body having a relative density of more than 99% was obtained. The Vickers hardness increased with increasing sintering temperature. The best result was a Vickers hardness of 28 GPa for the $SiB_6$ sintered at 1,923K for 1 h. The high temperature Vickers hardness of the $SiB_6$ sintered body changed from 28 to 12 GPa in the temperature range of room temperature to 1,273 K. The thermal conductivity of the SiB6 sintered body changed from 9.1 to 2.4 W/mK in the range of room temperature to 1,273 K.

• Journal of Korea Port Economic Association
• /
• v.36 no.3
• /
• pp.21-38
• /
• 2020

Currently, in-port emissions are a serious problem in port cities. However, emissions, especially non-greenhouse gases, from the operation of cargo handling equipment (CHE) have received significant attention from scientific circles. This study estimates the amount of emissions from on-land port diesel-powered CHE in the Port of Incheon. With real-time activity data provided by handling equipment operating companies, this research applies an activity-based approach to capture an up-to-date and reliable diesel-powered CHE emissions inventory during 2017. As a result, 105.6 tons of carbon monoxide (CO), 243.2 tons of nitrogen oxide (NOx), 0.005 tons of sulfur oxide (Sox), 22.8 tons of particulate matter (PM), 26.0 tons of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and 0.2 tons of ammonia (NH3) were released from the landside CHE operation. CO and NOx emissions are the two primary air pollutants from the CHE operation in the Port of Incheon, contributing 87.71% of the total amount of emissions. Cranes, forklifts, tractors, and loaders are the four major sources of pollution in the Port of Incheon, contributing 84.79% of the total in-port CHE emissions. Backward diesel-powered machines equipped in these CHE are identified as a key cause of pollution. Therefore, this estimation emphasizes the significant contribution of diesel CHE to port air pollution and suggests the following green policies should be applied: (1) replacement of old diesel powered CHE by new liquefied natural gas and electric equipment; (2) the use of NOx reduction after-treatment technologies, such as selective catalytic reduction in local ports. In addition, a systematic official national emission inventory preparation method and consecutive annual in-port CHE emission inventories are recommended to compare and evaluate the effectiveness of green policies conducted in the future.

• Clean Technology
• /
• v.26 no.1
• /
• pp.55-64
• /
• 2020

According to the Korean Renewable Energy 3020 Implementation Plan, the installation capacity of renewable energy is expected to increase whereas technology for storing excess electricity and stabilizing the power supply of renewable energy sources is extremely required. Power-to-Gas is one of energy storage technologies where electricity is converted into gas fuel such as hydrogen and methane. Basically, Power-to-Gas system could be effectively utilized to store excess electricity generated by an imbalance between supply and demand. In this study, the economic feasibility analysis of Power-to-Gas reflecting the domestic situation was carried out. Total revenue requirement method was utilized to estimate the levelized cost of hydrogen. Validation on the economic analysis method in this study was conducted by comparison of the result, which is published by the International Energy Agency. The levelized cost of hydrogen of a 100-MW Power-to-Gas system reflecting the current economic status in Korea is 8,344 won kg^-1. The sensitivity analysis was carried out, applying the main analysis economic factors such as electricity cost, electrolyser cost, and operating year. Based on the sensitivity analysis, the conditions for economic feasibility were suggested by comparing the cost of producing hydrogen using renewable energy with the cost of producing natural gas reformed hydrogen with carbon capture and storage.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.3-23
• /
• 2014

TThe CCS, gathering attention as a practical measure against climate change, has various potential risks within itself. Identifying those risks and developing proper countermeasures for each one, therefore, is essential. Failure to take proper measures against such risks may result in significant damages and accidents, causing social anxiety and unwillingness to accept CCS. This study proposes the precautionary principle as a fundamental principle for CCS risk management. While the justifications for the precautionary principle are acceptable, there have been criticisms on its limitations including its impracticality. The purpose of this study was, therefore, to identify detailed application strategies to overcome those limitations. The risk factors related to CCS consist of quantifiable risk domains as well as a number of those with high uncertainty and ambiguity. Thus, there is a need to develop differentiated coping measures, meaning that the precautionary principle should be applied. The risk assessment and management applying the precautionary principle has implication of social appraisal based on wide participation and communication among the interested parties, which may be a useful approach for expanding social applicability.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
• /
• v.19 no.1
• /
• pp.90-102
• /
• 2017

In this study, various types of nutrient models were tested by using two tears's water quality data collected from the stormwater wetland in Korea. Based on results, most important factor influencing nitrogen removal was hydraulic loading rate, which indicates that surface area of wetland is more important than its volumetric capacity, and model proposed by WEF was found to give a least error between measured and calculated values. For the phosphorus, in case assuming a power relationship between rate constant and temperature, the best prediction result were obtained, but temperature was most sensitive parameter affecting phosphorus removal. In addition, denitrification was always a limiting step for the nitrogen removal in this particular wetland mostly due to the lack of carbon source and high dissolved oxygen concentration. In this paper, several alternatives to improve nitrogen removal, including proper arrangement and designation of wetland elements and use of floating plants or synthetic fiber mat to control oxygen level and to capture the algal particles were proposed and discussed.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
• /
• v.45 no.5
• /
• pp.460-465
• /
• 2007

Endosulfan-${\alpha}$ endosulfan-${\beta}$ and endosulfan-sulfate, which are classified as pesticides, were degraded by use of UV energy and ultrasonic irradiation. The degradation residuals were analysed by gas chromatography with an electron capture detector and TOC (total oragnic carbon) analysis. The reactions were conducted in a quartz annular reactor equipped with a low pressure mercury multilamp (8Wx2) and a sonic generator. All the aqueous solutions were concentrated as 10 mg/L initially. Endosulfans were degraded each to result in 48.2% (${\alpha}$), 50.0% (${\beta}$) and 76.5% (sulfate) of removal efficiency by UV energy, and 66.9% (${\alpha}$), 55.8% (${\beta}$) and 72.7% (sulfate) by ultrasonic irradiation, respectively. In contrast to the results of the single-component solutions, degradation of the endosulfan-sulfate was greatly suppressed to result in the lowest degradation rate and removal efficiency in the three-component solutions. This finding suggests that there should be a reversible reaction with a substantially low equilibrium constant between endosulfan-${\alpha}$ or -${\beta}$ and -sulfate in the coexistence of the three endosulfans. TOC data showed the endosulfans were decomposed by 20%~40% toward complete mineralization, producing a quantity of intermediates induced by the radical reactions. We found that all the decay reactions considered in this study nicely fell into pseudo first-order rate.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
• /
• v.39 no.6
• /
• pp.325-331
• /
• 2017

Adsorption experiments of carbon dioxide were performed on ZSM5 and Molecular Sieve 13X (MS13X) impregnated with Monoethanol Amine (MEA). Adsorption efficiency of $CO_2$ was investigated in a U type packed column with GC/TCD. The adsorption capacities of adsorbents are estimated in the temperature range of $30-80^{\circ}C$. The modified adsorbents was characterized by BET surface area, $N_2$ adsorption/desorption isotherms, X-ray diffraction and FT-IR. Surface analysis results showed that the impregnation method did not affect the crystallinity of any adsorbents. BET surface area of the MS13X impregnated amine decreased to $19.945m^2/g$ from $718.335m^2/g$. These reults showed that amine molecules were filled with the pore volume in MS13X, as a results restricting access of nitrogen into the pores. The MEA modified MS13X showed improvement in $CO_2$ adsorption capacity over the ZSM5 impregnated with MEA. The MS13X-MEA showed the highest adsorption capacity due to physical adsorption and chemical adsorption by amino-group content. This results also showed that adsorption capacity of MS13X-MEA increases with the temperature range of $60-80^{\circ}C$ compared with pristine MS13X.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.259-270
• /
• 2017

In this study, field-scale half-saturated bio-filter wetland equipped with recirculation system was operated with stormwater from the paved road, and its operational performance and functions of LID-BMP were analyzed and compared with other facilities. The reduction of TSS, COD, TN, and TP were 92%, 63%, 36%, and 75%, respectively. Comparison of the reduction efficiency were carried out with respect to ratio between surface and catchment areas(SA/CA). In addition, this LID-BMP facility can reduce about 70% of pollutant by treating only 18% of total rainfall runoff. The results show that LID used for this study gave similar efficiency although its ratio was smaller. In addition, comparison study was made between synthetic fiber as a filter media and organic media, which shows that there was not any significant difference between, TSS and TP reduction, but there were large difference in COD and TN removal due to the presence and absence of release of organic carbon. Meanwhile, wetland system in this study equipped with a first-flush capture gave a higher stability in terms of treatment performance.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
• /
• v.17 no.4
• /
• pp.241-246
• /
• 2008

Increase of $CO_2$ by using fossil fuels makes mainly global warming and the international efforts to reduce the $CO_2$ emission is being promoted. Absorption process using aqueous alkanolamine solution to remove acid components in the mixed gases has been used commercially. This method was used to remove $CO_2$ in the flue gas in recent years. $CO_2$ Absorption characteristics of several aqueous alkanolamine solutions such as MEA, DEA and AMP was studied by measuring vapor-liquid-equilibrium(VLE) and absorption velocity in this study. VLE measuring equipment, shell and reactor type, was used to acquire VLE data, equilibrium $CO_2$ pressure(${P_{CO_2}}^*$) and time at each pulse gas input. We also acquired the $CO_2$ absorption velocity by measuring the time to arrive the VLE at $40{\sim}80^{\circ}C$ and first gas input. The $CO_2$ absorption capacity of MEA 10wt% solution was higher than two alkanolamine solutions at $40^{\circ}C$ and the equilibrium $CO_2$ loading was 0.5. Absorption capacity was excellent as follows; AMP>DEA>MEA. But absorption velocity was fast as follows; MEA>AMP>DEA. Though good absorbent was considered by many variables, absorption velocity and capacity was more important factor.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
• /
• v.50 no.1
• /
• pp.135-140
• /
• 2012

In this study, the heats of absorption of $CO_2$ with aqueous solutions of primary, secondary and tertiary amine aqueous solutions were measured in the commercial reaction calorimeter SIMULAR (HEL, UK). The heats of absorption of 30 wt% amine aqueous solutions of MEA (monoethanolamine, primary amine), EAE(2-(ethylamino)ethanol, secondary amine), and MDEA (methyldiethanolamine, tertiary amine) were measured as function of the $CO_2$ loading ratio at $40^{\circ}C$, in each case. In addition, the heats of absorption of sterically-hindered amine aqueous solutions of AMP(2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol, primary amine), DEA(diethanolamine, secondary amine) and TEA(triethanolamine, tertiary amine) were measured to observe the steric hindrance effect. The heat of absorption is high in the following order regardless of the steric hindrance: primary amine > secondary amine > tertiary amine. The heats of absorption of amines having sterically-hindered substituents surrounding nitrogen atoms are relatively low compare to that of sterically-free amines, although the difference is very small.