• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.52 no.12
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• pp.2939-2948
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• 2020

This paper presents an analytic solution procedure of the rotationally restrained hinged-hinged beam subjected to transverse motions at supports based on EBT (Euler-Bernoulli beam theory). The EBT solutions are compared with the solutions based on TBT (Timoshenko beam theory) for a wide range of the rotational restraint parameter (kL/EI) of slender beams whose slenderness ratio is greater than 100. The comparison shows the followings. The internal loads such as bending moment and shearing force of an extremely thin beam obtained by EBT show a good agreement with those obtained by TBT. But the discrepancy between two solutions of internal loads tends to increase as the slenderness ratio decreases. A careful examination shows that the discrepancy of the internal loads originates from their dynamic components whereas their static components show a little difference between EBT and TBT. This result suggests that TBT should be employed even for slender beams to consider the rotational effect and the shear deformation effect on dynamic components of the internal loads. The influence of the parameter on boundary conditions is examined by manipulating the spring stiffness from zero to a sufficiently large value.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.28 no.11
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• pp.671-679
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• 2018

Finite element analyses are carried out to understand the piezoelectric behaviors of ZnO nanowires. Three different types of ZnO nanowires, with aspect ratios of 1:2. 1:31, and 1:57, are analyzed for uniaxial compression, pure bending, and buckling. Under the uniaxial compression with a strain of $1.0{\times}10^{-4}$ as the reference state, it is predicted that all three types of nanowires develop the same magnitude of the piezoelectric fields, which suggests that longer nanowires exhibit higher piezoelectric potential. However, this prediction is not in agreement with the experimental results previously reported in the literature. Such discrepancy is understood when the piezoelectric behaviors under bending and buckling are considered. When only the strain field due to bending is present in bending or buckling, the antisymmetric nature of the through-thickness stain distribution indicates that two piezoelectric fields, the same in magnitude and opposite in sign, develop along the thickness direction, which cancels each other out, resulting in a zero net piezoelectric field. Once additional strain contribution due to axial deformation is superposed on the bending, such field cancelling is compensated for due to the axial component of the piezoelectric field. Such numerical predictions seem to explain the reported experimental results while providing a guideline for the design of nanowire-based piezoelectric devices.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.369-376
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• 2019

A complete solution for a soluble-boron-free (SBF) small modular reactor (SMR) is pursued with a new burnable absorber concept, namely centrally-shielded burnable absorber (CSBA). Neutronic flexibility of the CSBA design has been discussed with fuel assembly (FA) analyses. Major design parameters and goals of the SBF SMR are discussed in view of the reactor core design and three CSBA designs are introduced to achieve both a very low burnup reactivity swing (BRS) and minimal residual reactivity of the CSBA. It is demonstrated that the core achieves a long cycle length (~37 months) and high burnup (~30 GWd/tU), while the BRS is only about 1100 pcm and the radial power distribution is rather flat. This research also introduces a supplementary reactivity control mechanism using stainless steel as mechanical shim (MS) rod to obtain the criticality during normal operation. A further analysis is performed to investigate the local power peaking of the CSBA-loaded FA at MS-rodded condition. Moreover, a simple $B_4C$-based control rod arrangement is proposed to assure a sufficient shutdown margin even at the cold-zero-power condition. All calculations in this neutronic-thermal hydraulic coupled investigation of the 3D SBF SMR core are completed by a two-step Monte Carlo-diffusion hybrid methodology.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.325-336
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• 2019

The activity concentrations of $^{226}Ra$, $^{232}Th$, and $^{40}K$ from 102 building materials samples were determined using a high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector. The activity concentrations were evaluated for possible radiological hazards to the human health. The excess lifetime cancer risks (ELCR) were also estimated, and the average values were recorded as $0.42{\pm}0.24{\times}10^{-3}$, $3.22{\pm}1.83{\times}10^{-3}$, and $3.65{\pm}1.85{\times}10^{-3}$ for outdoor, indoor, and total ELCR respectively. The activity concentrations were further subjected to RESRAD-BUILD computer code to evaluate the long-term radiation exposure to a dweller. The indoor doses were assessed from zero up to 70 years. The simulation results were $92{\pm}59$, $689{\pm}566$, and $782{\pm}569{\mu}Sv\;y^{-1}$ for indoor external, internal, and total effective dose equivalent (TEDE) respectively. The results reported were all below the recommended maximum values. Therefore, the radiological hazards attributed to building materials under study are negligible.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.429-436
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• 2022

Investigations of retrospective dosimetry have shown that components of mobile phones are suitable as emergency dosimeters in case of radiological incidents. For physical dosimetry, components can be read out using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), thermoluminescence (TL) and phototransferred thermoluminescence (PTTL) methods to determine the absorbed dose. This paper deals with a feasibility study of display glass from modern mobile phones that are measured by thermally assisted (Ta) optically stimulated luminescence. Violet (VSL, 405 nm) and infrared (IRSL, 850 nm) LEDs were used for optical stimulation and two protocols (Ta-VSL and Ta-IRSL) were tested. The aim was to systematically investigate the luminescence properties, compare the results to blue stimulated Ta-BSL protocol (458 nm) and to develop a robust measurement protocol for the usage as an emergency dosimeter after an incident with ionizing radiation. First, the native signals were measured to calculate the zero dose signal. Next, the reproducibility and dose response of the luminescence signals were analyzed. Finally, the signal stability was tested after the storage of irradiated samples at room temperature. In general, the developed Ta-IRSL and Ta-VSL protocols indicate usability, however, further research is needed to test the potential of a new protocol for physical retrospective dosimetry.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.456-461
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• 2022

Heavy metal pollution is caused due to anthropogenic activities and is considered as a serious environmental problem which endangers human health and environment. The present study deals with biosorption, an eco-friendly technique for the removal of heavy metal Zn(II) from aqueous medium. Various natural materials have been explored for the uptake of metal ions, where most of them are physically or chemically enhanced. Dry cowdung powder (DCP) has been utilized as a low-cost, environmentally friendly humiresin without any pre-treatment, thus demonstrating the concept of Green Chemistry. Batch biosorption studies using ⁶⁵Zn(II) tracer were performed and the impact of different experimental parameters was studied. Results revealed that at pH 6, 94 ± 2% of Zn(II) was effectively biosorbed in 5 min, at 303 K. The process was spontaneous and exothermic, following pseudo-second-order reaction. The mechanism of heavy metal biosorption employing green adsorbent was therefore elucidated in order to determine the optimal method for removing Zn(II) ions. DCP has a lot of potential in the wastewater treatment industry, as seen by its ability to meet 3A's affordability, adaptability, and acceptability criteria. As a result, DCP emerges as one of the most promising challengers for green chemistry and the zero-waste idea.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.764-769
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• 2022

The United Arab Emirates is currently building and operating four units of the APR-1400 developed by a South Korean vendor, Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO). This paper attempts to perform APR-1400 reactor core analysis by using the well-known two-step method. The two-step method was applied to the APR-1400 first cycle using the open-source nodal diffusion code, KOMODO. In this study, the group constants were generated using CASMO-4 fuel transport lattice code. The simulation was performed in Hot Zero Power (HZP) at steady-state and transient conditions. Some typical parameters necessary for the Nuclear Design Report (NDR) were evaluated in this paper, such as effective neutron multiplication factor, control rod worth, and critical boron concentration for steady-state analysis. Other parameters such as reactivity insertion, power, and fuel temperature changes during the Reactivity Insertion Accident (RIA) simulation were evaluated as well. The results from KOMODO were verified using PARCS and SIMULATE-3 nodal core simulators. It was found that KOMODO gives an excellent agreement.

• Journal of Korean Association for Spatial Structures
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.35-43
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• 2023

This study aims to evaluate the structural safety of a structural thermal barrier, installed inside the structure of a building and performed the role of a load-bearing element and an insulation simultaneously, contributing to the realization of net-zero buildings. To ensure the reliability of the analysis model, the analysis results derived from LS-DYNA were compared with the experimental results. Based on the results shown through the flexural experiment, the reliability of the thermal cross-section insulation structure model for slabs was validated. In addition, the effect of the UHPC block on the load support performance and its contribution to vertical deflection was verified.

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2022.06a
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• pp.543-550
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• 2022

The U.S. Department of Energy conducts the Solar Decathlon competition as a student-based achievement that encourages sustainable design with energy efficiency and solar energy technologies. In the 2020 competition, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) team designed, fabricated, and constructed a net-zero modular house that applies innovative and highly efficient building technologies. This paper focused on the lessons learned during the early phases of this ongoing modular project. The research methodology included obtaining feedback from key project participants using a well-structured questionnaire. The results showed that the major items/challenges in the project's planning phase included selecting the modular size, planning the construction system, planning the materials and procurement, estimating costs and duration, selecting a fabricator, collaboration and communication, safety, and planning module transportation. These findings will help modular practitioners and future Solar Decathlon competition participants better understand how and what factors they should consider most during the early phases through the lessons learned.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.11
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• pp.3985-3995
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• 2022

The emergence of new nanoscale technologies has imposed significant challenges to designing reliable electronic systems in radiation environments. A few types of radiation like Total Ionizing Dose (TID) can cause permanent damages on such nanoscale electronic devices, and current state-of-the-art technologies to tackle TID make use of expensive radiation-hardened devices. This paper focuses on a novel and different approach: using machine learning algorithms on consumer electronic level Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) to tackle TID effects and monitor them to replace before they stop working. This condition has a research challenge to anticipate when the board results in a total failure due to TID effects. We observed internal measurements of FPGA boards under gamma radiation and used three different anomaly detection machine learning (ML) algorithms to detect anomalies in the sensor measurements in a gamma-radiated environment. The statistical results show a highly significant relationship between the gamma radiation exposure levels and the board measurements. Moreover, our anomaly detection results have shown that a One-Class SVM with Radial Basis Function Kernel has an average recall score of 0.95. Also, all anomalies can be detected before the boards are entirely inoperative, i.e. voltages drop to zero and confirmed with a sanity check.