• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.384-390
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• 2016

It is important to have a pipeline leak-detection system that determines the presence of a leak and quickly identifies its location. Current leak detection methods use a acoustic emission sensors, microphone arrays, and camera images. Recently, many researchers have been focusing on using cameras for detecting leaks. The advantage of this method is that it can survey a wide area and monitor a pipeline over a long distance. However, conventional methods using camera monitoring are unable to target an exact leak location. In this paper, we propose a method of detecting leak locations using leak-detection results combined with multi-frame analysis. The proposed method is verified by experiment.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• 2007.10a
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• pp.294-297
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• 2007

Steam and advection fogs are frequently observed in the Yellow Sea located between Korea and China during the periods of March-April and June-July respectively. This study uses the remote sensing (RS) data for monitoring sea fog. Meteorological data obtained from the Ieodo Ocean Research Station provided an informative synopsis for the occurrence of steam and advection fogs through a ground truth. The RS data used in this study was GOES-9, MTSAT-1R images and QuikSCAT wind data. A dual channel difference (DCD) approach using IR and near-IR channel of GOES-9 and MTSAT-1R satellites was applied to estimate the extension of the sea fog. For the days examined, it was found that not only the DCD but also the texture-related measurement and the weak wind condition are required to separate the sea fog from the low cloud. The QuikSCAT wind is used to provide a weak wind area less than threshold under stable condition of the surface wind around a fog event. The Laplacian computation for a measurement of the homogeneity was designed. A new combined method of DCD, QuikSCAT wind speed and Laplacian was applied in the twelve cases with GOES-9 and MTSAT-1R. The threshold values for DCD, QuikSCAT wind speed and Laplacian are -2.0 K, 8 m $s^{-1}$ and 0.1, respectively. The validation methods such as Heidke skill score, probability of detection, probability of false detection, true skill score and odds ratio show that the new combined method improves the detection of sea fog rather than DCD method.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.61-66
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• 2011

The integrity of the SG(Steam Generator) tubes has been challenged by numerous factors such as flaws, operation, atmosphere, inherently degraded materials, loose parts and even human errors. Of the factors, loose parts(or foreign materials) on the secondary side of the tubes can bring about volumetric defects and even leakage from the primary to the secondary side in a short period of time. More serious concerns about the loose parts are their unknown influx path and rapid growth rate of the defects affected by the loose parts. Therefore it is imperative to detect and characterize the foreign materials and the defects. As a part of the measures for loose part detection, TTS(Top of Tubesheet) MRPC(Motorized Rotating Pancake Coils) ECT has been carried out especially to the restricted high probability area of the loose part. However, in the presence of loose parts in the other areas, wide range loose part detection techniques are required. In this study, loose part standard tube was presented as a way to accurately detect and characterize loose part signals. And the SG tube ECT bobbin coil and MRPC ISI(In-service Inspection) data of domestic OPR-1000 and Westinghouse Model F(W_F) were reviewed and consequently, comprehensive loose part detection technique is derived especially by applying bobbin coil signals

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Telematics and Electronics S
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• v.35S no.2
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• pp.137-145
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• 1998

In this paper, we propose a tube-hole center detection vision algorithm verifying the position of a tele-controlled robot and providing visual information for increasing reliability and efficiency in the diagnosis of steam generator (SG) tubes in nuclear power plant. A tele-controlled robot plays a role in carrying the probe used in inspecting the integrity of SG tubes. Thus accurately locating a tele-controlled robot on the desired tube-hole center is important issue for reliability of inspection. To do this work, we have to find the tube-hole center locations from the input image. At first, we apply the three-class segmentation method modified for this application. WE extract minimum bounding rectangles (MBRs) in the theresholded binary image. Second, for discriminating between MBR by tube and MBR by noise, we introduce the MBR rejection rules as knowledge-based rule set. MBRs are divided into the very dark region MBRs and the very bright region MBRs. In order to describe the region of complete tube-hole, the MBRs need a process of pairing each other. We then can find the tube-hole center from the paired MBR. For more accurately finding the tube-hole center in several sequential images, the centers of some frames need to be averaged. We tested the performance of our method using hundreds of real images.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.295-299
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• 2016

Residual foreign objects at the secondary side (top of the tubesheet and tube support plates) of a steam generator are likely to cause a leak by causing wear in the tube. The extent of wear is significantly affected by the material, shape, and size of the foreign object, and the corrosion properties of the tube. The presence of foreign objects at the top of the tubesheet and tube support plates has been identified using remote visual inspection methods such as the foreign object search and retrieval and eddy current test (ECT). The detection of the residual foreign object at the secondary side of a steam generator has limitations that depend on the material properties and the condition of contact with the tube. In this study, which is vertical and horizontal from the upper tubesheet, the corresponding bobbin ECT signals were collected and analyzed to measure its ability to detect foreign objects.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.156-163
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• 2017

To verify the usefulness of a steam sterilizer equipped with an electronic Bowie-Dick test system, this study was carried out using two methods, utilizing both a steam sterilizer and an electronic Bowie-Dick tester. The first method is to confirm the error detection of the chemical Bowie-Dick test pack and the electronic Bowie-Dick tester in a malfunctioning sterilizer environment. For this purpose, the Bowie-Dick test program for the steam sterilizer was used to test three types of test packs commonly used in hospitals and the electronic Bowie-Dick tester by changing the set values of temperature, time, and vacuum frequency. The second is an experiment to check the sterilizer's normal operation with the electronic Bowie-Dick tester and the usefulness of grasping the cause of the malfunction. The results showed that the sterilization temperature was the same as that of the test pack at a temperature $1{\sim}6^{\circ}C$ lower than the reference temperature of $134^{\circ}C$. In the test with the sterilization exposure time as a variable, there was a normal discoloration at a time difference of 30~90 s. In the experiment using the number of vacuum cycles, the test was correct by performing the normal discoloration only at the normal condition of 3 times. The test results of 30 hospitals were 100 failure tests by a total of 291 Bowie-Dick tests. Of these, the failure factors related to an internal temperature that the chemical test packs could not detect were the greatest, and the four factors related to temperature, including the internal temperature, were found to be 71.18% of total malfunctions. In addition, the Bowie-Dick tester was provided within 30 min after the start of the Bowie-Dick test to confirm the performance of the sterilizer and the detailed cause. A steam sterilizer equipped with an electronic Bowie-Dick test system is used to manage individual sterilizers. In the current steam sterilizer with many temperature-related errors, it is possible to check the malfunction of the temperature difference that the test pack cannot detect, and the cause of error for the sterilizer is immediately detected after the test. The steam sterilizer equipped with the electronic Bowie-Dick test system assists with infection control with accurate sterilizer performance assurance.

• 제어로봇시스템학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.772-777
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• 2003

A vision-based tool position estimation system for the inspection and maintenance manipulator working inside the steam generator bowl of nuclear power plants can help human operators ensure that the inspection probe or plug are inserted to the targeted tube. Some previous research proposed a simplified tube position verification system that counts the tubes passed through during the motion and displays only the position of the tool. In this paper, by using a general camera calibration approach, tool orientation is also estimated. In order to reduce the computation time and avoid the parameter bias problem in an ellipse fitting, a small number of edge points are collected around the large section of the ellipse boundary. Experiment results show that the camera calibration parameters, detected ellipses, and estimated tool position are appropriate.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 1999.05a
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• pp.124-124
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• 1999

An ultrasonic method is developed for the measurement of the two-phase mixture level in the reactor vessel or steam generator. The ultrasonic method is selected among the several non¬nuelear two-phase mixture level measurement methods through two steps of selection procedure. A commercial ultrasonic level measurement method is modified for application into the high temperature, pressure, and other conditions. The calculation method of the ultrasonic velocity is modified to consider the medium as the homogeneous mixture of air and steam. and to be applied into the high temperature and pressure conditions. The cross-correlation technique is adopted as a detection method to reduce the effects of the attenuation and the dif.JUsed reflection caused by suface fluctuation. The waveguides are developed to reduce the loss of echo and to remove the effects of obstructs. The present experimental study shows that the developed ultrasonic method measures the two-phase mixture level more accurately than the conventional methods do.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.377-385
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• 1998

Many nuclear power plants have experienced unscheduled shutdown due to the leakage of steam generator tubes. The leakages are normally due to the crack, possibly stress corrosion cracking (SCC) near the tube expansion at the top of tubesheet or at the tangential point of the row-1 U-bend region. The conventional eddy current technique, which makes use of a differential bobbin coil, has been found to be inadequate for the early detection of SCC. During the in-service inspection, therefore, it is a general practice that the rotating pancake coil (RPC) is used for detecting the cracks. Even in using RPC, however, it is difficult to determine the depth of the cracks quantitatively. This paper attempts to determine the detectability and sizing ability of RPC technique for axial or circumferential cracks at the tube expansion region. The simulated cracks with various dimensions were fabricated by electro-discharge machining (EDM) method. Experimental results are discussed with theoretical calculations.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.151-155
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• 2011

The iron oxide particles could be resulted from the corrosion of the circulating water system of a power plant. Because it may be one of the trouble materials which affect the power generation efficiency due to the deposition on steam generator tube and turbine blade, the continuous observation of its concentration is very important. The laser induced break-down detection (LIBD) technology was applied to monitor continuously the concentration of corrosion products with the detection limit of ppb level. The measurement system consists of a Nd:YAG pulsed laser, a polarizing beam splitter, a flow-type sample cell, an acoustic emission sensor, a high speed data acquisition board, a personal computer, etc.. The performance test results confirmed that this technology can be effective to monitor the corrosion product concentration of the circulating water system of a power plant.