• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.27 no.8
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• pp.1388-1397
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• 2003

Since the reliability of adhesively bonded joints for composite structures is dependent on many parameters such as the shape and dimensions of joints, type of applied load, and environment, so an accurate estimation of the fatigue life of adhesively bonded joints is seldom possible, which necessitates an in-situ reliability monitoring of the joints during the operation of structures. In this study, a self-sensor method for adhesively bonded joints was devised, in which the adhesive used works as a piezoelectric material to send changing signals depending on the integrity of the joint. From the investigation, it was found that the electric charge increased gradually as cracks initiated and propagated in the adhesive layer, and had its maximum value when the adhesively bonded joint failed. So it is feasible to monitor the integrity of the joint during its lifetime. Finally, a relationship between the piezoelectric property of the adhesive and crack propagation was obtained from the experimental results.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.186-192
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• 2022

Flow accelerated corrosion (FAC) is a type of pipe corrosion in which the pipe thickness decreases depending on the fluid flow conditions. In nuclear power plants, FAC mainly occurs in the carbon steel pipes of a secondary system. However, because the temperature of a secondary system pipe is over 150 ℃, in situ monitoring using a conventional ultrasonic non-destructive testing method is difficult. In our previous study, we developed a waveguide ultrasonic thickness measurement system. In this study, we applied a waveguide ultrasonic thickness measurement system to monitor the thinning of the pipe according to the change in pH. The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute installed FAC-proof facilities, enabling the monitoring of internal fluid flow conditions, which were fixed for ~1000 h to analyze the effect of the pH. The measurement system operated without failure for ~3000 h and the pipe thickness was found to be reduced by ~10% at pH 9 compared to that at pH 7. The thickness of the pipe was measured using a microscope after the experiment, and the reliability of the system was confirmed with less than 1% error. This technology is expected to also be applicable to the thickness-reduction monitoring of other high-temperature materials.

• Journal of Power System Engineering
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.39-44
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• 2007

The purpose of this study is to verify availability of the acoustic emission in-situ monitoring method to the internal leak and operating conditions of the major valves at nuclear power plants. In this study, acoustic emission tests are performed when the pressurized temperature water and steam flowed through glove valve(main steam dump valve) and check valve(main steam outlet pump check valve) on the normal size of 12 and 18". The valve internal leak monitoring system for practical field was designed. The acoustic emission method was applied to the valves at the site, and the background noise was measured for the abnormal plant condition. To improve the reliability, a judgment of leak on the system was used various factors which are AE parameters, trend analysis, frequency analysis, voltage analysis and amplitude analysis of acoustic signal emitted from the valve operating condition internal leak.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2000.07a
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• pp.75-78
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• 2000

This paper is estimated to enhance yield improvement and device reliability using PDM(plasma damage monitoring) system capable of in-suit detection about plasma nonuniformity. PDM Tool is the non-contact method of wafer and surface potential electrode(kelvin probe). Its tool measures Vox(oxide barrier) with charge created by plasma. It's possible to inspect the wafer damage generated by plasma charge and analysis of in-situ monitoring data. we obtained the good data which is continuously prevented from plasma damage using its tool for 10weeks. This tool is contributed to preventive steps contemporaneously inspecting the difference of inter-chamber.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.215-219
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• 2012

An attempt was made to evaluate creep reliability of two commercial Ni-based superalloys by using ultrasonic wave. The materials include fine-grained PM alloy fabricated by mechanical alloying and subsequent hot isostatic pressing, and IN738LC cast alloy with a grain size of a few cm. Microstructural parameters (fraction of creep cavity and size of ${\gamma}^{\prime}$ precipitates) and ultrasonic parameters (velocity, attenuation) were measured to try to find relationships between them. Ultrasonic velocity decreased with creep cavity formation in PM alloy. On the other hand, no distinct changing trend of ultrasonic velocity was observed for IN738LC alloy. Ultrasonic attenuation was found to have a linear correlation with the size of ${\gamma}^{\prime}$ precipitates and was suggested as a potential parameter for monitoring creep reliability of IN738LC alloy.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.261-273
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• 2020

This paper presents an efficient method utilizing user-defined computer functional codes to determine the reliability of an embankment slope with spatially varying soil properties in real time. The soils' mechanical properties varied with the soil layers that had different degrees of compaction and moisture content levels. The Latin Hypercube Sampling (LHS) for the degree of compaction and Kriging simulation of moisture content variation were adopted and programmed to predict their spatial distributions, respectively, that were subsequently used to characterize the spatial distribution of the soil shear strengths. The shear strength parameters were then integrated into the Geostudio command file to determine the safety factor of the embankment slope. An explicit metamodal for the performance function, using the Kriging method, was established and coded to efficiently compute the failure probability of slope with varying moisture contents. Sensitivity analysis showed that the proposed method significantly reduced the computational time compared to Monte Carlo simulation. About 300 times LHS Geostudio computations were needed to optimize precision and efficiency in determining the failure probability. The results also revealed that an embankment slope is prone to high failure risk if the degree of compaction is low and the moisture content is high.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
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• 2008.04a
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• pp.425-430
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• 2008

To verify the system performance of portable AE leak diagnosis system which can measure with moving conditions, AE activities such as RMS voltage level, AE signal trend, leak rate degree according to AE database, FFT spectrum were measured during operation on total 11 valves of the secondary system in nuclear power plant. AE activities were recorded and analyzed from various operating conditions including different temperature, type of valve, pressure difference, valve size and fluid. The results of this field study are utilized to select the type of sensors, the frequency band for filtering and thereby to improve the signal-to-noise ratio for diagnosis for diagnosis or monitoring of valves in operation. As the final result of application study above, portable type leak diagnosis system by AE was developed. The outcome of the study can be definitely applied as a means of the diagnosis or monitoring system for energy saving and prevention of accident for power plant valve. The purpose of this study is to verify availability of the acoustic emission in-situ monitoring method to the internal leak and operating conditions of the major valves at nuclear power plants. In this study, acoustic emission tests are performed when the pressurized temperature water and steam flowed through glove valve(main steam dump valve) and check valve(main steam outlet pump check valve) on the normal size of 12 and 18 ". The valve internal leak monitoring system for practical field was designed. The acoustic emission method was applied to the valves at the site, and the background noise was measured for the abnormal plant condition. To improve the reliability, a judgment of leak on the system was used various factors which are AE parameters, trend analysis, frequency analysis, voltage analysis and amplitude analysis of acoustic signal emitted from the valve operating condition internal leak.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.543-558
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• 2023

Currently, Japan is undertaking a nationwide project to measure and map radioactive contamination around Fukushima, as part of the efforts to restore normalcy following the nuclear accident. The Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) manages the Fukushima Environmental Safety Center, located approximately 20 km north of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Minamisōma City, Fukushima Prefecture. In collaboration with the JAEA, this study involved conducting comparison experiments and analyses with radiation detectors in high radiation environments, a challenging task in Korean environments. Environmental radiation surveys were conducted using three types of detectors: CZT, NaI(Tl), and LaBr₃(Ce), across two contaminated areas. Dose rate values were converted using dose rate conversion factors for each detector type, and dose rate maps were subsequently created and compared. The detectors yielded similar results, demonstrating their feasibility and reliability in high radiation environments. The findings of this study are expected to be a crucial reference for enhancing the verification and supplementation of procedures and methods in future radiation measurements and mobile surveys in high-radiation environments, using these three types of radiation instruments.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.41-54
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• 2024

Regular monitoring plays a crucial role in ensuring the safety of geotechnical structures. Currently, nondestructive methods are employed to monitor such structures to minimize the impact, e.g., sensor-based accelerometers, displacement meters, image-based lasers, and drone imaging. These technologies can observe surface changes; however, they frequently suffer difficulties in terms of identifying changes in internal properties. To monitor changes in internal properties, in situ geotechnical investigations can be employed. A nondestructive test that can be used for this purpose is the spectral analysis of surface wave (SASW) test using geophones. The SASW test is a nondestructive method; however, due to the time required for data interpretation and the difficulty in analyzing the data, it is challenging to use the SASW test for monitoring applications that require frequent observations. However, it is possible to apply the first-step analysis, which yields the dispersion curve, for monitoring rather than the complete SASW analysis, which yields the shear wave velocity. Thus, this paper presents a fundamental study on the phase difference that derives the dispersion curve to utilize the SASW test for monitoring. The reliability of each phase difference interval is examined to determine the boundary to the subjected monitor. The study used phase difference data obtained using a geophone from a single-layered, homogeneous ground site to evaluate reliable boundaries. The findings of this study are expected to improve the utility of monitoring by identifying the ideal boundary for phase difference data.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.309-322
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• 2007

This study deals with the irradiation effects on some selected components which are being used in an Advanced Spent Fuel Conditioning Process (ACP). Irradiation test components have a higher priority from the aspect of their reliability because their degradation or failure is able to critically affect the performance of an ACP equipment. Components that we chose for the irradiation tests were the AC servo motor, potentiometer, thermocouples, accelerometer and CCD camera. ACP facility has a number of AC servo motors to move the joints of a manipulator and to operate process equipment. Potentiometers are used for a measurement of several joint angles in a manipulator. Thermocouples are used for a temperature measurement in an electrolytic reduction reactor, a vol-oxidation reactor and a molten salt transfer line. An accelerometer is installed in a slitting machine to forecast an incipient failure during a slitting process. A small CCD camera is used for an in-situ vision monitoring between ACP campaigns. We made use of a gamma-irradiation facility with cobalt-60 source for an irradiation test on the above components because gamma rays from among various radioactive rays are the most significant for electric, electronic and robotic components. Irradiation tests were carried out for enough long time for total doses to be over expected threshold values. Other components except the CCD camera showed a very high radiation hardening characteristic. Characteristic changes at different total doses were investigated and threshold values to warrant at least their performance without a deterioration were evaluated as a result of the irradiation tests.