• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.434-440
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• 2014

Silicon carbide(SiC) layer is particularly important tri-isotropic (TRISO) coating layers because it acts as a miniature pressure vessel and a diffusion barrier to gaseous and metallic fission products in the TRISO coated particle. The high temperature deposition of SiC layer normally performed at $1500-1650^{\circ}C$ has a negative effect on the property of IPyC layer by increasing its anisotropy. To investigate the feasibility of lower temperature SiC deposition, the influence of deposition temperature on the property of SiC layer are examined in this study. While the SiC layer coated at $1500^{\circ}C$ obtains nearly stoichiometric composition, the composition of the SiC layer coated at $1300-1400^{\circ}C$ shows discrepancy from stoichiometric ratio(1:1). $3-7{\mu}m$ grain size of SiC layer coated at $1500^{\circ}C$ is decreased to sub-micrometer (< $1{\mu}m$) $-2{\mu}m$ grain size when coated at $1400^{\circ}C$, and further decreased to nano grain size when coated at $1300-1350^{\circ}C$. Moreover, the high density of SiC layer (${\geq}3.19g/cm^3$) which is easily obtained at $1500^{\circ}C$ coating is difficult to achieve at lower temperature owing to nano size pores. the density is remarkably decreased with decreasing SiC deposition temperature.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.31 no.10
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• pp.955-965
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• 2014

Transport phenomena of reactant and product are directly linked to intrinsic inhomogeneous random configurations of catalyst layer (CL) that consist of ionomer, carbon-supported catalyst (Pt/C), and pores. Hence, electrochemically active surface area (ECSA) of Pt/C is dominated by geometrical morphology of mass transport path. Undoubtedly these ECSAs are key factor of total fuel cell efficiency. In this study, non-deterministic micro-scale CLs were randomly generated by Monte Carlo method and implemented with the percolation process. To ensure valid inference about Pt/C catalyst utilization, 600 samples were chosen as the number of necessary samples with 95% confidence level. Statistic results of 600 samples generated under particular condition (20vol% Pt/C, 30vol% ionomer, 50vol% pore, and 20nm particle diameter) reveal only 18.2%~81.0% of Pt/C can construct ECSAs with mean value of 53.8%. This study indicates that the catalyst utilization in fuel cell CLs cannot be identical notwithstanding the same design condition.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.29 no.8
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• pp.881-888
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• 1996

The purpose of this study was to determine whether vitamin B6(B6) deficiency affects fuel utilization and blood cholesterol profile with exercise-training. Twenty-four rats were fed a B6 deficient(-B6) diet or a control (+B6) diet for 5 weeks and either exercised(EX) or nonexercised (NE). EX rats were exercised on treadmill(10$^{\circ}$, 0.5-0.8km/h) for 20 minutes everyday. Glucose(GLU), glycogen (GLY), protein(PRO), trglyceride(TG), free fatty acid(FFA), total cholesterl(TC), HDL-cholesterol(HDL-C) and LDL-choleterol(LDL-C) were compared in plasma(P), liver(L) and skeletal muscle(M) of rats. There was a vitamin effect on the level of P-GLU, P-TG, M-TG, L-GLY, L-PRO and an exercise effect on the level of P-PRO, P-FFA, M-PRO, L-GLY, L-TG, P-TC, P-HDL-C, P-LDL-C. Compared to +B6 rats were lower and there were no differences in P-GLU, P-FFA, P-TG. M-GLY, L-TG, P-TC and P-HDL-C. In EX group, the level of P-TG was higher and M-PRO was lower in -B6 rats. There were no differences in M-GLY, L-TG, P-TC and P-HDL-C. These results suggest that a lowered intake of vitamin B6 may impair the adaptation of animals to fuel metabolism related to a decrease of fatty acid oxidation and attenuates the exercise-traning effect on blood lipid profile.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 1997.07d
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• pp.1252-1254
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• 1997

Direct methanol fuel cell based on a proton-exchange membrane electrolyte was investigated. 60% Pt-Ru/C and 60%Pt/C catalysts were employed for methanol oxidation and oxygen reduction, respectively. Morphologies of the catalysts were investigated by x-ray power diffraction, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, and transmission microscopy. Electrochemical characteristics of the catalysts were tested by using cyclic voltametry technique. I-V characteristics of the fuel cell were tested by changing methanol concentration, temperature, and Nafion type as a proton-exchange membrane electrolyte. AC impedance technique was used to investigate the electrochemical performance of the fuel cell. The performance of single cell was enhance with increasing cell temperature. High operation temperature attributed to the combined effects of the reduction of ohmic resistance and polarization. High cell voltage was obtained from the concentration of 205M methanol. With Nafion 112, a current density of $230mA/cm^2$ at 0.55V was obtained from the concentration of 2.5M methanol.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.196-205
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• 2015

The aim of this study was to evaluate the fuel characteristics of thermally treated wood chips of the Larix kaempferi C. As torrefaction temperature was increased ($200^{\circ}C$ to $300^{\circ}C$), the carbon content, calorific value, and mass loss of torrefied wood chips increased significantly. The torrefied wood chips were shown to have hydrophobic properties even when only treated by mild torrefaction. The energy required to grind torrefied wood chips was reduced by the torrefaction process. Different sizes of wood chips were used in this study; however, this produced almost no difference in the fuel characteristics of processed Larix kaempferi C, except in the distribution of ground wood particles. Similar results were observed when the wood chips were torrefied for different lengths of time (15 min to 60 min) at a constant temperature. Torrefaction was shown to have positive effects on the fuel characteristics of Larix kaempferi C, including improved energy density, storage, and grindability.

• International Journal of Automotive Technology
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.493-500
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• 2006

Investigation on the fuel adhering on a wall was carried out experimentally to clarify the characteristics of impinging diesel sprays. Diesel sprays were injected into a high-pressure chamber of cold state and impinged to a wall having various impingement distances and ambient pressures. Photographs of both the fuel film and the post-impingement spray were taken through a transparent wall. Adhered fuel mass on a wall was measured by means of dividing into two types of fuel state: the fuel film itself; and sparsely adhered fuel droplets. Adhering fuel ratio was predicted and further the distribution of fuel mass for impinging diesel spray was analyzed as a function of time. As result, with an increase of the ambient pressure, both the maximum fuel film diameter and the adhered fuel ratio decreased. Based on some assumptions, the adhering fuel mass increased rapidly until the fuel film diameter approached the maximum value, and then increased comparatively gradually.

• Journal of ILASS-Korea
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.131-137
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• 2007

This is an experimental study on characteristics of engine performance and discharged materials in common-rail type diesel engine. The bio-diesel fuel is mixed with the diesel fuel in common use at the ratio of 20% or 100%. The diesel fuel and blended fuel is irradiated by ultrasonic wave energy. The diese1 fuel, blended fuel, reformed diesel fuel and reformed blended fuel by ultrasonic wave energy are applied to the experimental engine individually. The results are compared with one of the diesel fuel in common use and analyzed.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.167-179
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• 2024

This study explores the feasibility of employing (U, Th)-based accident tolerant fuels (ATFs), specifically (_0.8UO₂, _0.2ThO₂), (_0.8UN, _0.2ThN), and (_0.8UC, _0.2ThC). The investigation assesses the overall performance of these proposed fuel materials in comparison to the conventional UO₂, focusing on deep neutronic and thermal-hydraulic (Th) analyses. Neutronic analysis utilized the MCNPX code, while COMSOL Multiphysics was employed for thermal-hydraulic analysis. The primary objective of this research is to overcome the limitations associated with traditional UO₂ fuel by exploring alternative fuel materials that offer advantages in terms of abundance and potential improvements in performance and safety. Given the limited abundance of UO₂, long-term sustainable nuclear energy production faces challenges. From a neutronic standpoint, the U-Th based fuels demonstrated remarkable fuel cycle lengths, except (_0.8UN, _0.2ThN), which exhibited the minimum fuel cycle length and, consequently, the lowest fuel burn-up. Regarding thermal-hydraulic performance, (_0.8UN, _0.2ThN) exhibited outstanding performance with significant margins against fuel melting compared to the other materials. Overall, when considering the integrated performance, the most favourable results were obtained with the use of the (_0.8UC, _0.2ThC) fuel configurations. This study contributes valuable insights into the potential benefits of (U, Th)-based ATFs as a promising avenue for enhanced nuclear fuel performance.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.435-441
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• 2014

Silicon carbide-based ceramics and their composites have been studied for application to fusion and advanced fission energy systems. For fission reactors, $SiC_f$/SiC composites can be applied to core structural materials. Multilayered SiC composite fuel cladding, owing to its superior high temperature strength and low hydrogen generation under severe accident conditions, is a candidate for the replacement of zirconium alloy cladding. The SiC composite cladding has to retain its mechanical properties and original structure under the inner pressure caused by fission products; as such it can be applied as a cladding in fission reactor. A hoop strength test using an expandable polyurethane plug was designed in order to evaluate the mechanical properties of the fuel cladding. In this paper, a hoop strength test of the multilayered SiC composite tube for nuclear fuel cladding was simulated using FEA. The stress caused by the plug was distributed nonuniformly because of the friction coefficient difference between the inner surface of the tube and the plug. Hoop stress and shear stress at the tube was evaluated and the relationship between the concentrated stress at the inner layer of the tube and the fracture behavior of the tube was investigated.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.24 no.9
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• pp.474-480
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• 2014

Process conditions for the impregnation of polycarbosilane preceramic polymer into SiC-based composites were investigated. Two kinds of preceramic polymer (PCP) was impregnated into SiC-fiber fabrics with different solvents of n-hexane and divinylbenzene (DVB). Both microstructural observations and mechanical tests were conducted to evaluate the impregnation. The matrix phases were particulated in the case of hexane solvents. Apparent relative density of the matrix was about 78.8%. The density of matrix was increased to about 96.1-98.8% when the DVB was used; however, brittle fracture was observed during a bending test. The modulus of toughness was less than $0.74J/m^3$. The fabric impregnated with a mixed PCP-dissolved solution showed intermediate characteristics with relative high density of filling (apparent density of ~96.1%) as well as proper bending behavior. The modulus of toughness was increased to about $5.31J/m^3$. The composites developed by changing the precursor and solvent suggested the possibility of fabricating SiCf/SiC composites without a fiber to matrix interphase coating.