• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.96-110
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• 2024

Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are green energy conversion devices, for which commercial markets have been established, owing to their application in fuel cell vehicles (FCVs). Development of cathode electrocatalysts, replacing commercial Pt/C, plays a crucial role in factors such as cost reduction, high performance, and durability in FCVs. PtNi octahedral catalysts are promising for oxygen reduction reactions owing to their significantly higher mass activity (10-15 times) than that of Pt/C; however, their application in membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) is challenged by their low stability. To overcome this durability issue, various approaches, such as third-metal doping, composition control, halide treatment, formation of a Pt layer, annealing treatment, and size control, have been explored and have shown promising improvements in stability in rotating disk electrode (RDE) testing. In this review, we aimed to compare the features of each strategy in terms of enhancing stability by introducing a stability improvement factor for a direct and reasonable comparison. The limitations of each strategy for enhancing stability of PtNi octahedral are also described. This review can serve as a valuable guide for the development of strategies to enhance the durability of octahedral PtNi.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.156-165
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• 2017

This study quantitatively assessed the environmental impacts of fuel cell (FC) systems by performing life cycle assessment (LCA) and analyzed their energy efficiencies based on energy return on investment (EROI) and electrical energy stored on investment (ESOI). Molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC) system and polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) system were selected as the fuel cell systems. Five different paths to produce hydrogen ($H_2$) as fuel such as natural gas steam reforming (NGSR), centralized naptha SR (NSR(C)), NSR station (NSR(S)), liquified petroleum gas SR (LPGSR), water electrolysis (WE) were each applied to the FCs. The environmental impacts and the energy efficiencies of the FCs were compared with rechargeable batteries such as $LiFePO_4$ (LFP) and Nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH). The LCA results show that MCFC_NSR(C) and PEMFC_NSR(C) have the lowest global warming potential (GWP) with 6.23E-02 kg $CO_2$ eq./MJ electricity and 6.84E-02 kg $CO_2$ eq./MJ electricity, respectively. For the impact category of abiotic resource depletion potential (ADP), MCFC_NGSR(S) and PEMFC_NGSR(S) show the lowest impacts of 7.42E-01 g Sb eq./MJ electricity and 7.19E-01 g Sb eq./MJ electricity, respectively. And, the energy efficiencies of the FCs are higher than those of the rechargeable batteries except for the case of hydrogen produced by WE.

• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.707-716
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• 2008

The objective of this study was to analyze the effect of mixed fuel composition and mass fraction on spray inner structure in evaporating transient spray under the variant ambient conditions. Spray structure and spatial distribution of liquid phase concentration were investigated using a thin laser sheet illumination technique on the three component mixed fuels. A pulsed Nd:YAG laser was used as a light source. The experiments were conducted in a constant volume vessel with optical access. Fuel was injected into the vessel with electronically controlled common rail injector. Used fuel contains i-octane($C_8H_{18}$), n-dodecane($C_{12}H_{26}$) and n-hexadecane($C_{16}H_{34}$) that were selected as low-, middle- and high-boiling point fuel, respectively. Experimental conditions are 42 MPa, 72 MPa and 112 MPa in injection pressure, $5\;kg/m^3$, $15kg/m^3$ and $30kg/m^3$ in ambient gas density, 300 K, 500 K, 600 K and 700 K in ambient gas temperature, 300 K and 368 K in fuel temperature and different fuel mass fraction. Experimental results indicated that the multi-component fuels made two phase region mixed vapor and liquid so that it would are helpful to improve combustion, for the fuels of high boiling point component could accelerate evaporation very much according as low boiling point fuel was added to high boiling point fuel.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.485-491
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• 2009

In present work, NiO/YSZ anode functional layer was prepared by nano NiO powder and 8YSZ powder. The nano NiO powders were made by Pulsed wire evaporation (PWE) method. Nano NiO- YSZ functional layer was sintered at the temperature of $900-1400^{\circ}C$. The prepared functional layer was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The nano NiO- YSZ anode functional layer sintered at $1300^{\circ}C$ shows the lowest polarization resistance. Nano NiO- YSZ anode functional layer shows about two times smaller polarization resistance than the anode functional layer made by commercial NiO-YSZ powders. Based on these experimental results, it is concluded that the nano NiO-YSZ cermet is suitable as a anode functional layer operated at $800^{\circ}C$.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.1-6
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• 2009

This paper presents the fuel consumption effects of LPG vehicle depending on the atmospheric temperature, LP gas leakage of vaporizer, viscosity of engine oil and engine load conditions. The fuel consumption test results show that when the temperature of engine temperature rises, the fuel consumption efficiency increases in general. The fuel consumption efficiency for an atmosphere temperature of $24.2^{\circ}C$ is 13.6% high compared to that of $1^{\circ}C$. No leak vaporizer on fuel consumption efficiency is 5.3% high compared to that of the LP gas leak vaporizer. The fuel economy of new engine oils is just 1.1% high compared to that of used oils with a LPG vehicle mileage of 9,500km. This is not an influential factor compared with an atmospheric temperature and a LP gas leakage. The more important factors on the fuel consumption efficiency are driving conditions such as a rapid braking, abrupt start and fast acceleration. The test results indicate that the normal start is 32.3% high compared to that of an abrupt start and the fast acceleration is 10.8% high compared with that of an abrupt start. And the fuel consumption efficiency for a rapid braking is 18.3% higher than that of an abrupt start. These indicate that the driving condition is very important to reduce the fuel consumption rate.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.95-105
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• 2015

In the present work, Carbon supported Pt₁₀₀, Pt₈₀Sn₂₀, Pt₈₀Ni₂₀ and Pt₈₀Sn₁₀Ni₁₀ electrocatalysts with different atomic ratios were prepared by ethylene glycol-reduction method to study the electro-oxidation of ethanol in membraneless fuel cell. The electrocatalysts were characterized in terms of structure, morphology and composition by using XRD, TEM and EDX techniques. Transmission electron microscopy measurements revealed a decrease in the mean particle size of the catalysts for the ternary compositions. The electrocatalytic activities of Pt₁₀₀/C, Pt₈₀Sn₂₀/C, Pt₈₀Ni₂₀/C and Pt₈₀Sn₁₀Ni₁₀/C catalysts for ethanol oxidation in an acid medium were investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry (CA). The electrochemical results showed that addition of Ni to Pt/C and Pt-Sn/C catalysts significantly shifted the onset of ethanol and CO oxidations toward lower potentials. The single membraneless ethanol fuel cell performances of the Pt₈₀Sn₁₀Ni₁₀/C, Pt₈₀Sn₂₀/C and Pt₈₀Ni₂₀/C anode catalysts were evaluated at room temperature. Among the catalysts investigated, the power density obtained for Pt₈₀Sn₁₀Ni₁₀/C (37.77 mW/cm² ) catalyst was higher than that of Pt₈₀Sn₂₀/C (22.89 mW/cm² ) and Pt₈₀Ni₂₀/C (16.77 mW/ cm² ), using 1.0 M ethanol + 0.5 M H₂SO₄ as anode feed and 0.1 M sodium percarbonate + 0.5 M H₂SO₄ as cathode feed.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.384-390
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• 2016

Tri-isotropic (TRISO) coatings on zirconia surrogate beads are deposited using a fluidized-bed vapor deposition (FB-CVD) method. The silicon carbide layer is particularly important among the coated layers because it acts as a miniature pressure vessel and a diffusion barrier to gaseous and metallic fission products in the TRISO-coated particles. In this study, we obtain a nearly stoichiometric composition in the SiC layer coated at $1400^{\circ}C$, $1500^{\circ}C$, and $1400^{\circ}C$ with 20 vol.% methyltrichlorosilane (MTS), However, the composition of the SiC layer coated at $1300-1350^{\circ}C$ shows a difference from the stoichiometric ratio (1:1). The density decreases remarkably with decreasing SiC deposition temperature because of the nanosized pores. The high density of the SiC layer (${\geq}3.19g/cm^2$) easily obtained at $1500^{\circ}C$ and $1400^{\circ}C$ with 20 vol.% MTS did not change at an annealing temperature of $1900^{\circ}C$, simulating the reactor operating temperature. The evaluation of the mechanical properties is limited because of the inaccurate values of hardness and Young's modulus measured by the nano-indentation method.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.453-458
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• 2014

SiC and its composites have been considered for use as nuclear fuel cladding materials of pressurized light water reactors. In this study, a $SiC_f$/SiC composite as a constituent layer of SiC triplex fuel cladding was fabricated using a chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) process in which tubular SiC fiber preforms were prepared using a filament winding method. To enhance the matrix density of the composite layer, winding patterns, deposition temperature, and gas input ratio were controlled. Fiber arrangement and porosity were the main parameters influencing densification behaviors. Final density of the composites decreased as the SiC fiber volume fraction increased. The CVI process was optimized to densify the tubular preforms with high fiber volume fraction at a high $H_2$/MTS ratio of 20 at $1000^{\circ}C$; in this process, surface canning of the composites was effectively retarded.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.1-8
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• 1982

The objective of this study was to find out the technical feasibility of ethanol-diesel fuel blends as a diesel engine fuel. Fuel properties essential to the proper operation of a diesel engine were determined for blends containing several concentrations of ethanol in No. 2 diesel fuel. A single-cylinder diesel engine for a power tiller was used for the engine tests, in which load, speed and fuel consumption rate were measured. The fuels used in tests were No. 2 diesel fuel and a blend containing 10-percent ethanol and 90-percent No. 2 diesel fuel. The results of the study are summarized as follows. 1. It was not possible to blend ethanol and No. 2 diesel fuel as a homogeneous solution even though anhydrous ethanol was used. The problem of blending ethanol in No. 2 diesel fuel could be solved by adding butanol about 5% of the amount of ethanol in the blends. 2. Because ethanol had a much lower boiling point ($78.3^{\circ}C$ under atmospheric pressure) than a diesel fuel, it was necessary to store ethanol-diesel fuel blends airtight in order to prevent them from evaporation losses of ethanol. 3. The addition of ethanol to No. 2 diesel fuel lowered the fuel viscosity and the cetane rating, but a blend of 10% ethanol and 90% diesel fuel had a viscosity and a cetane rating well above the KS minimum values for No. 2 diesel fuel. 4. At the rated speed, the specific fuel consumption of No.2 diesel fuel was lower than that of the 10% ethanol blend for the almost entire range of load. However, under the overload condition the specific fuel consumption was lower for the 10% ethanol blend. 5. Under the variable-speed full-load tests, both fuels produced approximately the same torque and power. At the speeds of 1600rpm or below, the specific fuel consumption of No. 2 diesel fuel was lower than that of the 10% ethanol blend. At the speeds of 1600rpm or above, however, the specific fuel consumption was lower for the 10% ethanol blend. 6. At the ambient temperature above $15^{\circ}C$, the use of the 10% ethanol blend in the engine created a vapor lock in the fuel injection pump and stalled the engine. The vapor locking problem was overcome by chilling the surroundings of the fuel injection pump and the cylinder head with water.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.187-198
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• 2009

In this paper, three power ramp tests performed on high burn-up Re-crystallized Zircaloy2 - UO2 BWR fuel rods (56 to 63 MWd/kgU) within the SCIP project are simulated with METEOR and ALCYONE 3D. Two of the ramp tests are of staircase type up to Linear Heat Rates of 420 and 520 W/cm and with long holding periods. Failure of the 420 W/cm fuel rod was observed after 40 minutes. The third ramp test consisted of a more standard ramp test with a constant power rate of 80 W/cm/min up to 410 W/cm with a short holding time. The tests were first simulated with the METEOR 1D fuel rod code, which gave accurate results in terms of profilometry and fission gas releases. The behaviour of a fuel pellet fragment and of the cladding piece on top of it was then investigated with ALCYONE 3D. The size and the main characteristics of the ridges after base irradiation and power ramp testing were recovered. Finally, the failure criteria validated for PWR conditions and fuel rods with low-to-medium burn-ups were used to analyze the failure probability of the KKL rodlets during ramp testing.