• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.54 no.9
• /
• pp.3250-3259
• /
• 2022

A new approach to the use of rice straw as a difficult-to-recycle agricultural waste was proposed. Potassium aluminosilicate was obtained by spark plasma sintering as an effective material for subsequent immobilization of ¹³⁷Cs into a solid-state matrix. The sorption properties of potassium aluminosilicate to ¹³⁷Cs from aqueous solutions were studied. The effect of the synthesis temperature on the phase composition, microstructure, and rate of cesium leaching from samples obtained at 800-1000 ℃ and a pressure of 25 MPa was investigated. It was shown that the positive dynamics of compaction was characteristic of glass ceramics throughout the sintering. Glass ceramics RS-(K,Cs)AlSi₃O₈ obtained by the SPS method at 1000 ℃ for 5 min was characterized by a high density of ~2.62 g/cm³, Vickers hardness ~ 2.1 GPa, compressive strength ~231.3 MPa and the rate of cesium ions leaching of ~1.37 × 10^-7 g cm^-2·day^-1. The proposed approach makes it possible to safe dispose of rice straw and reduce emissions into the atmosphere of microdisperse amorphous silica, which is formed during its combustion and causes respiratory diseases, including cancer. In addition, the obtained is perspective to solve the problem of recycling long-lived ¹³⁷Cs radionuclides formed during the operation of nuclear power plants into solid-state matrices.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
• /
• v.41 no.5
• /
• pp.481-491
• /
• 2022

The active sonar transmission system consists of a transmitter that outputs an electrical signal and an underwater acoustic transducer that converts the amplified electrical signal into an acoustic signal. In general, the transmitter output characteristics are dependent on load impedance, and an underwater acoustic transducer, which is a transmitter load, has a characteristic that the electrical impedance varies largely according to frequency when driven. In such a variable impedance condition, the output of the active sonar transmission system may become unstable. Hence, this paper proposes a design and control technique of a sonar transmitter for transmitting a stable transmission signal even under variable impedance conditions of an underwater acoustic transducer in an active sonar transmission system. The electrical impedance characteristics of the underwater acoustic transducer are experimentally analyzed, and the sonar transmitter is composed of a single-phase full-bridge inverter, an LC filter, and a matching circuit. In this paper, the design and output control method of the sonar transmitter is proposed to protect the transmitter and transducer. It can secure stable output voltage characteristics even if it transmits the Linear Frequency Modulation (LFM) signal. The validity is verified through the simulation and the experiment.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
• /
• v.26 no.6
• /
• pp.45-51
• /
• 2022

Technologies for collecting and treating pollutants from point sources are steadily being developed, but Non-point sources, it is difficult to develop emission treatment technologies and effective emission coefficients. However, since non-point sources make up about 60% of domestic emissions, and first of all, the method of calculating emissions should be reasonable, and the workplace should develop emission reduction technologies based on this. This study suggest the effectiveness and improvement of the emission coefficient currently used for the petrochemical industry with high emissions. The emission characteristics of non-point sources emission were confirmed by analyzing the LDAR (Leak Detection And Repair) data of OO company located in Yeosu, Jeollanam-do over the past five years. As a result, there was no difference in discharge characteristics according to fluid phase, but it was confirmed that there was a difference in the size of the device and the characteristics of each manufacturer. In addition, it was confirmed that the emission coefficient applied in the petrochemical industry was larger than that of the refining industry, and improvement measures were suggested. Through these studies, it is expected that emission coefficients specialized in the petrochemical industry can be applied and that the workplace itself will contribute to the development of technologies that can drastically reduce them.

• Clean Technology
• /
• v.16 no.3
• /
• pp.191-197
• /
• 2010

Repair reaction of plasma damaged porous methyl doped SiOCH films was carried out with silylation agents dissolved in supercritical carbon dioxide ($scCO_2$) at various reaction time, pressure, and temperature. While a decrease in the characteristic bands at $3150{\sim}3560cm^{-1}$ was detectable, the difference of methyl peaks was not identified apparently in the FT-IR spectra. The surface hydrophobicity was rapidly recovered by the silylation. In order to induce effective repair in bulk phase, the wafer was heat treated before reaction under vacuum or ambient condition. The contact angle was slightly increased after the treatment and completely recovered after the subsequent silylation. Methyl groups were decreased after the plasma damage, but their recovery was not identified apparently from the FT-IR, spectroscopic ellipsometry, and secondary ion mass spectroscopy analyses. Furthermore, Ti evaporator was performed in a vacuum chamber to evaluate the pore sealing effect. The GDS analysis revealed that the open pores in the plasma damaged films were efficiently sealed with the silylation in $scCO_2$.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
• /
• v.9 no.5
• /
• pp.523-528
• /
• 2023

The applicability as a material to improve solar cell performance was reviewed by synthesizing a phosphor that emits red wavelengths by a liquid synthesis method using a metal salt aqueous solution and a polymer medium as a starting material. An aqueous solution was prepared using nitrate of metals such as Ca, Zn, Al, and Eu, and a precursor impregnated with starch, a natural polymer, was sintered to synthesize CaZnAlO:Eu phosphor powder. The surface structure and composition analysis of the synthesized CaZnAlO:Eu phosphor powder were analyzed by scanning electron microscope(SEM) and energy-dispersed X-ray spectroscopy(EDS). The crystal structure of CaZnAlO:Eu phosphor particles was analyzed by an X-ray diffraction analyzer (XRD). As a result of measuring the photoluminescence(PL) characteristics of the phosphor, it was confirmed that a red phosphor with a light emitting wavelength of 650-780nm was successfully synthesized. According to SEM and EDS analysis, the synthesized Ca₁₄Zn₆Al_9.93O₃₅:Eu³⁺_0.07 phosphor powder has a uniform particle size, and Eu ions used as an activator are present. The synthesized CZA:Eu³⁺ phosphor can be used as a material that can increase the light absorption efficiency of the solar cell by converting ultraviolet or visible light down conversion into a wavelength in the near-infrared region.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
• /
• v.22 no.7
• /
• pp.1185-1193
• /
• 2021

Objective: Clear cell sarcoma of the kidney (CCSK) is the second-most common but extremely rare primary renal malignancy in children after Wilms' tumor. The aims of this study were to evaluate the imaging features that could distinguish between CCSK and Wilms' tumor and to assess the features with diagnostic value for identifying CCSK. Materials and Methods: We reviewed the initial contrast-enhanced abdominal-pelvic CT scans of children with CCSK and Wilms' tumor between 2010 to 2019. Fifty-eight children (32 males and 26 females; age, 0.3-10 years), 7 with CCSK, and 51 with Wilms' tumor, were included. The maximum tumor diameter, presence of engorged perinephric vessels, maximum density of the tumor (Tmax) of the enhancing solid portion, paraspinal muscle, contralateral renal vein density, and density ratios (Tmax/muscle and Tmax/vein) were analyzed on the renal parenchymal phase of contrast-enhanced CT. Fisher's exact tests and Mann-Whitney U tests were conducted to analyze the categorical and continuous variables, respectively. Logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curve analyses were also performed. Results: The age, sex, and tumor diameter did not differ between the two groups. Engorged perinephric vessels were more common in patients in the CCSK group (71% [5/7] vs. 16% [8/51], p = 0.005). Tmax (median, 148.0 vs. 111.0 Hounsfield unit, p = 0.004), Tmax/muscle (median, 2.64 vs. 1.67, p = 0.002), and Tmax/vein (median, 0.94 vs. 0.59, p = 0.002) were higher in the CCSK compared to the Wilms' group. Multiple logistic regression revealed that engorged vessels (odds ratio 13.615; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.770-104.730) and Tmax/muscle (odds ratio 5.881; 95% CI, 1.337-25.871) were significant predictors of CCSK. The cutoff values of Tmax/muscle (86% sensitivity, 77% specificity) and Tmax/vein (71% sensitivity, 86% specificity) for the diagnosis of CCSK were 1.97 and 0.76, respectively. Conclusion: Perinephric vessel engorgement and greater tumor enhancement (Tmax/muscle > 1.97 or Tmax/vein > 0.76) are helpful for differentiating between CCSK and Wilms' tumor in children aged below 10 years.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
• /
• v.83 no.3
• /
• pp.620-631
• /
• 2022

Purpose This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic performance of features suggestive of nodal metastasis on preoperative MRI in patients with invasive breast cancer. Materials and Methods We retrospectively reviewed the preoperative breast MRI of 192 consecutive patients with surgically proven invasive breast cancer. We analyzed MRI findings of axillary lymph nodes with regard to the size, long/short ratio, cortical thickness, shape and margin of the cortex, loss of hilum, asymmetry, signal intensity (SI) on T2-weighted images (T2WI), degree of enhancement in the early phase, and enhancement kinetics. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, chi-square test, t test, and McNemar's test were used for statistical analysis. Results Increased shorter diameter, uneven cortical shape, increased cortical thickness, loss of hilum, asymmetry, irregular cortical margin, and low SI on T2WI were significantly suggestive of metastasis. ROC analysis revealed the cutoff value for the shorter diameter and cortical thickness as 8.05 mm and 2.75 mm, respectively. Increased cortical thickness (> 2.75 mm) and uneven cortical shape showed significantly higher sensitivity than other findings in McNemar's test. Irregular cortical margins showed the highest specificity (100%). Conclusion Cortical thickness > 2.75 mm and uneven cortical shape are more sensitive parameters than other findings, and an irregular cortical margin is the most specific parameter for predicting axillary metastasis in patients with invasive breast cancer.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
• /
• v.21 no.6
• /
• pp.670-683
• /
• 2020

Objective: The presence of coagulative necrosis (CN) in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) indicates a poor prognosis, while the absence of CN indicates a good prognosis. The purpose of this study was to build and validate a radiomics signature based on preoperative CT imaging data to estimate CN status in ccRCC. Materials and Methods: Altogether, 105 patients with pathologically confirmed ccRCC were retrospectively enrolled in this study and then divided into training (n = 72) and validation (n = 33) sets. Thereafter, 385 radiomics features were extracted from the three-dimensional volumes of interest of each tumor, and 10 traditional features were assessed by two experienced radiologists using triple-phase CT-enhanced images. A multivariate logistic regression algorithm was used to build the radiomics score and traditional predictors in the training set, and their performance was assessed and then tested in the validation set. The radiomics signature to distinguish CN status was then developed by incorporating the radiomics score and the selected traditional predictors. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to evaluate the predictive performance. Results: The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of the radiomics score, which consisted of 7 radiomics features, was 0.855 in the training set and 0.885 in the validation set. The AUC of the traditional predictor, which consisted of 2 traditional features, was 0.843 in the training set and 0.858 in the validation set. The radiomics signature showed the best performance with an AUC of 0.942 in the training set, which was then confirmed with an AUC of 0.969 in the validation set. Conclusion: The CT-based radiomics signature that incorporated radiomics and traditional features has the potential to be used as a non-invasive tool for preoperative prediction of CN in ccRCC.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Electromagnetic Engineering and Science
• /
• v.17 no.5 s.108
• /
• pp.461-475
• /
• 2006

In this paper, it is described about the tri-band mobile antenna system design to provide broadband multimedia and direct broadcasting services using goo-stationary Koreasat 3, simultaneously operated in Ka/K/Ku band. The radiating part of the antenna system with a fan beam characteristic in the elevation plane is composed of the quasi-offset dual shaped reflector and the tri-band feeder. The tri-band feeder is also composed of the Ka/K dual band feeder with the protruding dielectric rod, the circular polarizer, the ortho-mode transducer and the circular-polarized Ku band feed array. Especially, the Ka/K dual band circular polarizer was realized firstly using the comb-type structure. For fast satellite-tracking on the movement, the Ku band feed array has the structure of the $2{\times}2$ active phased array which can make electrical beams. And, the circular-polarized characteristic in the feed array was improved by $90^{\circ}$ rotating arrangement of four radiating elements polarized circularly by a $90^{\circ}$ hybrid coupler, respectively. Four beam forming channels to make electrical beams at Ku band are divided into the main beam channel and the tracking beam channel in the output, and noise temperature characteristics of each channel were analyzed on the basis of the contributions of internal sub_units. From the fabricated antenna system, the output power at $P_{1dBc}$ of Ka_Tx channel was measured more than 34.1 dBm and the measured noise figures of K/Ku_Rx channels were less than 2.4 dB and 1.5 dB, respectively, over the operating band. The radiation patterns with co- and cross-polarization in the tri-band were measured using a near-field measurement in the anechoic chamber. Especially, Ku radiation patterns were measured after correcting each initial phase of active channels with partial radiation patterns obtained from the independent excitation of each channel. The antenna gains measured in Ka/K/Ku band of the antenna system were more than 39.6 dBi, 37.5 dBi, 29.6 dBi, respectively. And, the antenna system showed good system performances such as Ka_Tx EIRP more than 43.7 dBW and K/Ku_Rx G/T more than 13.2 dB/K and 7.12 dB/K, respectively.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
• /
• v.7 no.1
• /
• pp.1-7
• /
• 2009

This study has been focused on determining the chemical composition of $^{14}C$ - in terms of both organic and inorganic $^{14}C$ contents - in reactor coolant from 3 different PWR's reactor type. The purpose was to evaluate the characteristic of $^{14}C$ that can serve as a basis for reliable estimation of the environmental release at domestic PWR sites. $^{14}C$ is the most important nuclide in the inventory, since it contributes one of the main dose contributors in future release scenarios. The reason for this is its high mobility in the environment, biological availability and long half-life(5730yr). More recent studies - where a more detailed investigation of organic $^{14}C$ species believed to be formed in the coolant under reducing conditions have been made - show that the organic compounds not only are limited to hydrocarbons and CO. Possible organic compounds formed including formaldehyde, formic acid and acetic acid, etc. Under oxidizing conditions shows the oxidized carbon forms, possibly mainly carbon dioxide and bicarbonate forms. Measurements of organic and inorganic $^{14}C$ in various water systems were also performed. The $^{14}C$ inventory in the reactor water was found to be 3.1 GBq/kg in PWR of which less than 10% was in inorganic form. Generally, the $^{14}C$ activity in the water was divided equally between the gas- and water- phase. Even though organic $^{14}C$ compound shows that dominant species during the reactor operation, But during the releasing of $^{14}C$ from the plant stack, chemical forms of $^{14}C$ shows the different composition due to the operation conditions such as temperature, pH, volume control tank venting and shut down chemistry.