• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.123-131
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• 2021

The buffer is a key component of an engineered barrier system that safeguards the disposal of high-level radioactive waste. Buffers are located between disposal canisters and host rock, and they can restrain the release of radionuclides and protect canisters from the inflow of ground water. Since considerable heat is released from a disposal canister to the surrounding buffer, the thermal conductivity of the buffer is a very important parameter in the entire disposal safety. For this reason, a lot of research has been conducted on thermal conductivity prediction models that consider various factors. In this study, the thermal conductivity of a buffer is estimated using the machine learning methods of: linear regression, decision tree, support vector machine (SVM), ensemble, Gaussian process regression (GPR), neural network, deep belief network, and genetic programming. In the results, the machine learning methods such as ensemble, genetic programming, SVM with cubic parameter, and GPR showed better performance compared with the regression model, with the ensemble with XGBoost and Gaussian process regression models showing best performance.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.19-26
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• 2021

The high-level radioactive waste (HLW) produced from nuclear power plants is disposed in a rock-mass at a depth of hundreds meters below the ground level. Since HLW is very dangerous to human being, it must be disposed of safely by the engineered barrier system (EBS). The EBS consists of a disposal canister, backfill material, buffer material, and so on. When the components of EBS are installed, gaps inevitably exist not only between the rock-mass and buffer material but also between the canister and buffer material. The gap can reduce water-retarding capacity and heat release efficiency of the buffer material, so it is necessary to investigate properties of gap-filling materials and to analyze gap spacing effect. Furthermore, there has been few researches considering domestic disposal system compared to overseas researches. In this reason, this research derived the peak temperature of the bentonite buffer material considering domestic disposal system based on the numerical analysis. The gap between the canister and buffer material had a minor effect on the peak temperature of the bentonite buffer material, but there was 40% difference of the peak temperature of the bentonite buffer material because of the gap existence between the buffer material and rock mass.

• Clean Technology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.93-103
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• 2021

As the seriousness and necessity of responding to climate change and reducing carbon emissions increases, countries around the world are continuing their efforts to reduce greenhouse gases. Among various efforts, research on CCUS, capturing and utilizing carbon dioxide generated when using carbon-based fuels, is actively being conducted. Studies on pressurized oxy-fuel combustion (POFC) that can be used with CCUS are also being conducted by many researchers. The purpose of this study is to analyze basic information related to the flame structure and pollutant emissions of pressurized oxy-fuel combustion. For this, a counter-flow diffusion flame model was used to analyze the combustion characteristics according to pressure and oxygen concentration. As the pressure increased, the flame temperature increased and the flame thickness decreased due to a reaction rate improvement caused by the activation of the chemical reaction. As oxygen concentration increased, both the flame temperature and the flame thickness increased due to an improvement to the reaction rate and diffusion because of a change in oxidizer momentum. Analyzing the related heat release reaction by dividing it into three sections as the oxygen concentration increased showed that the chemical reaction from the oxidizer side was subdivided into two regions according to the mixture fraction. In addition, the emission index of NO classified according to the NO formation mechanism was analyzed. The formation trend of NO according to each analysis condition was presented.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF PACKAGING SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.157-163
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• 2022

The demands for Home Meal Replacement (HMR) products are continuously increasing owing to the convenience of instant food and online food delivery. Ready-to-heat (RTH) products have received massive attention in the HMR industry because these products can be easily warmed using a microwave oven. However, the conventional microwave packaging should be opened before microwave heating to prevent bursting or food loss owing to the steam-pressure build-up inside the package. Open packaging might lead to non-uniform food heating and cross-contamination. Therefore, packaging materials that are able to release steam without opening are of interest to the HMR industry. In this study, polylactic acid(PLA)/polyethylene glycol(PEG)/nanoclay composite films were manufactured using an extrusion method as packaging materials with a smart steam-releasing function. The introduction of PEG to the PLA imparted a steam self-releasing feature to the composite films owing to the morphology change of composite films during microwave heating. Further, PEG increased the ductility of PLA, which in turn prevented bursting caused due to the steam-pressure build-up. The uniform dispersion of nanoclay obtained by a twin-screw extrusion led to stronger mechanical properties. Therefore, the smart composite films developed here can be applied as microwave packaging materials with a self-releasing function.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.397-405
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• 2023

Although glutathione (GSH) has been shown to play an important role in the prevention of oxidative damage as an antioxidant, studies on immune regulation by it have not been properly conducted. In this study, we investigated whether luthione^®, a reduced GSH, has an immune enhancing effect in murine macrophage RAW 264.7 cells. The results of flow cytometry and immunofluorescence experiments indicated that luthione increased phagocytic activity, a representative function of macrophages, compared to the control cells. According to the results of the cytokine array, the expression of interleukin (IL)-5, IL-1β, and IL-27 was significantly increased in the luthione-treated cells. Luthione also enhanced the production of tumor necrosis factor-α and IL-1β through increased expression of their proteins, and increased release of the immune mediators such as nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E₂ was associated with increased expression of inducible NO synthase and cyclooxygenase-2. In addition, the expression of cluster of differentiation 86, an M1 macrophage marker, was dramatically enhanced in RAW 264.7 cells treated with luthione. Furthermore, as a result of heat map analysis, we found that cytokine signaling 1/3-mediated signal transducer and activator of transcription/Janus tyrosine kinase signaling pathway was involved in the immunomodulatory effect by luthione. In conclusion, our data suggested that luthione could act as a molecular regulator in M1 macrophage polarization and enhance immune capacity by promoting macrophage phagocytic function.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.335-345
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• 1996

A critical role of oxygen-derived free radicals has been implicated in ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced brain damage. In this study, we have produced experimental I/R to the brains of Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) by a transient occlusion and release of the common carotid arteries. We have attempted to determine whether the oxidative stress is generated upon I/R and whether this oxidative stress is linked to the cell damage. Since hippocampus has been suggested as one of the most vulnerable regions of the brain to the oxidative stress, we analyzed samples from hippocampus in comparison with those from cortex. In addition, we have examined the expression of heat shock protein 70kD species (HSP70) in these regions in order to evaluate a possible role of this protein in I/R-induced brain damage. To determine whether the oxidative stress is produced upon I/R, we measured the glutathione oxidation, GSSG/ (GSH + 2xGSSG), as an index of oxidative stress. We found an increase of the glutathione oxidation primarily in hippocampus upon I/R. To determine whether this oxidative stress is linked to the cell damage, we measured the degree of lipid peroxidation upon I/R. We found an increase of lipid peroxidation in both regions. However, the magnitude of increases was greater in hippocampus than in cortex. In addition, we found that changes in both the magnitude and the temporal patterns of glutathione oxidation closely correlated with those of lipid peroxidation. Our study provides biochemical evidences that the oxidative stress is generated upon I/R and this oxidative stress is linked to the oxidative cell damage. Our study also provides evidences that the degree of oxidative stress as well as oxidative cell damage is greater in hippocampus than in cortex. We could not find difference in the basal level of HSP70 expression between hippocampus and cortex, indicating that the intrinsic vulnerability of hippocampus cannot be explained by the lower level of HSP70 expression. We did find, however, that the induction of HSP70 expression upon I/R was impaired in the hippocampus. This impairment appeared to be at the transcriptional level. These results suggest that the measurement of HSP70 induction may be employed as a useful predictor of differential cellular susceptibilities to the I/R-induced brain damage.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.217-224
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• 2008

In deep geological disposal system, the integrity of a disposal canister having spent fuels is very important factor to assure the safety of the repository system. This disposal canister is one element of the engineered barriers to isolate and to delay the radioactivity release from human beings and the environment for a long time so that the toxicity does not affect the environment. The main requirement in designing the deep geological disposal system is to keep the buffer temperature below 100$^{\circ}C$ by the decay heat from the spent fuels in the canister in order to maintain the integrity of the buffer material. Also, the disposal canister can endure the hydraulic pressure in the depth of 500 m and the swelling pressure of the bentonite as a buffer. In this study, new concept of the disposal canister for the CANDU spent fuels which were considered to be disposed without any treatment was developed and the thermal stability and the structural integrity of the canister were analysed. The result of the thermal analysis showed that the temperature of the buffer was 88.9$^{\circ}C$ when 37 years have passed after emplacement of the canister and the spacings of the disposal tunnel and the deposition holes were 40 m and 3 m, respectively. In the case of structural analysis, the result showed that the safety factors of the normal and the extreme environment were 2.9 and 1.33, respectively. So, these results reveal that the canister meets the thermal and the structural requirements in the deep geological disposal system.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.438-444
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• 2016

This study was performed to determine the optimal freezing point for the reliable cold storage of Korean agricultural products, and to provide basic data for determining the storage temperature based on the quality characteristics. Additional supercooling temperature analysis was conducted to explore the possibility of supercooling storage. To determine the effects of quality characteristics on the freezing point, the hardness, acidity, moisture and sugar content were analyzed. The crops were frozen using customized cooling unit and their freezing and supercooling points were determined based on their heat release points. The freezing temperatures of garlic, leek, cucumber, hot pepper, grape, oriental melon, netted melon, peach, cherry tomato, plum, daikon, sweet persimmon, apple, sweet potato, mandarin, pear, and strawberry were -1.6, -0.5, -0.5, -0.7, -1.6, -1.6, -1.3, -0.8, -0.3, -1.1, -0.3, -1.7, -1.5, -1.5, -0.8, -1.5, and -$0.9^{\circ}C$, respectively; otherwise, supercooling points were -7.8, -3.7, -3.3, -4.9, -5.7, -4.6, -2.8, -3.3, -5.9, -4.2, -0.8, -4.7, -3.2, -3.7, -4.7, -4.2, and -$3.4^{\circ}C$, respectively. These results suggest that the ideal freezing temperature of crops could be estimated through freezing point depression because of their sugar content, and this technique should be used to maintain an optimum storage temperature. However, cold storage is complicated and further study is required because of the effects of long-term cold storage on the crops.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.603-616
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• 2007

Roy Huddle, having invented the coated particle in Harwell 1957, stated in the early 1970s that we know now everything about particles and coatings and should be going over to deal with other problems. This was on the occasion of the Dragon fuel performance information meeting London 1973: How wrong a genius be! It took until 1978 that really good particles were made in Germany, then during the Japanese HTTR production in the 1990s and finally the Chinese 2000-2001 campaign for HTR-10. Here, we present a review of history and present status. Today, good fuel is measured by different standards from the seventies: where $9*10^{-4}$ initial free heavy metal fraction was typical for early AVR carbide fuel and $3*10^{-4}$ initial free heavy metal fraction was acceptable for oxide fuel in THTR, we insist on values more than an order of magnitude below this value today. Half a percent of particle failure at the end-of-irradiation, another ancient standard, is not even acceptable today, even for the most severe accidents. While legislation and licensing has not changed, one of the reasons we insist on these improvements is the preference for passive systems rather than active controls of earlier times. After renewed HTGR interest, we are reporting about the start of new or reactivated coated particle work in several parts of the world, considering the aspects of designs/ traditional and new materials, manufacturing technologies/ quality control quality assurance, irradiation and accident performance, modeling and performance predictions, and fuel cycle aspects and spent fuel treatment. In very general terms, the coated particle should be strong, reliable, retentive, and affordable. These properties have to be quantified and will be eventually optimized for a specific application system. Results obtained so far indicate that the same particle can be used for steam cycle applications with $700-750^{\circ}C$ helium coolant gas exit, for gas turbine applications at $850-900^{\circ}C$ and for process heat/hydrogen generation applications with $950^{\circ}C$ outlet temperatures. There is a clear set of standards for modem high quality fuel in terms of low levels of heavy metal contamination, manufacture-induced particle defects during fuel body and fuel element making, irradiation/accident induced particle failures and limits on fission product release from intact particles. While gas-cooled reactor design is still open-ended with blocks for the prismatic and spherical fuel elements for the pebble-bed design, there is near worldwide agreement on high quality fuel: a $500{\mu}m$ diameter $UO_2$ kernel of 10% enrichment is surrounded by a $100{\mu}m$ thick sacrificial buffer layer to be followed by a dense inner pyrocarbon layer, a high quality silicon carbide layer of $35{\mu}m$ thickness and theoretical density and another outer pyrocarbon layer. Good performance has been demonstrated both under operational and under accident conditions, i.e. to 10% FIMA and maximum $1600^{\circ}C$ afterwards. And it is the wide-ranging demonstration experience that makes this particle superior. Recommendations are made for further work: 1. Generation of data for presently manufactured materials, e.g. SiC strength and strength distribution, PyC creep and shrinkage and many more material data sets. 2. Renewed start of irradiation and accident testing of modem coated particle fuel. 3. Analysis of existing and newly created data with a view to demonstrate satisfactory performance at burnups beyond 10% FIMA and complete fission product retention even in accidents that go beyond $1600^{\circ}C$ for a short period of time. This work should proceed at both national and international level.

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.634-643
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• 2023

Purpose: Underground common duct fires are steadily occurring, and the proportion of property damage is particularly large among property and human casualties caused by fires. Especially, cable fires that occur in common areas can spread vertically quickly and pose a great risk. This paper aims to scientifically analyze the nature of the fire by reproducing the fire through experiments. Method: To analyze the characteristics of cable fires in underground common duct, heat release rate and temperature changes were measured through Room-corner (ISO 9705) test, and the vertical and horizontal propagation of cable fires was quantitatively compared and analyzed. Result: The Room Corner Test (ISO 9705) was used to compare the temperature changes at each data logger point. The results showed that the time it took for the fire to reach the ignition temperature in the horizontal and vertical directions from the center point of the first-tier cable was 589 seconds and 536 seconds, respectively, which means that the vertical fire propagation is 53 seconds faster than the horizontal propagation. This proves that the vertical propagation of fire is relatively faster than the horizontal propagation. The horizontal propagation speed of the fire was also compared for each floor cable tray. The results showed that the third-tier cable propagated at 3.4 times the speed of the second-tier cable, and the second-tier cable propagated at 1.5 times the speed of the first-tier cable. This means that the higher the cable is located, the faster the fire spreads and the larger the fire becomes. Conclusion: This study identified the risks of cable fires and analyzed the risks of vertical fire propagation during cable fires based on the results of the Room Corner Test. Studies to prevent the spread of fire and fire response policies to prevent vertical fire propagation are required. The results of this study are expected to be used to assess the fire risk of common areas and other fires.