• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.453-461
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• 2022

A chemically sintered and binder-free paste of TiO₂ nanoparticles (NPs) was prepared using a binary-liquid mixture of 1-octanol and CCl₄. The 1:1 (v/v) complex of CCl₄ and 1-octanol easily interacted chemically with the TiO₂ NPs and induced the formation of a highly viscous paste. The as-prepared binary-liquid paste (P_BL)-based TiO₂ film exhibited the complete removal of the binary-liquid and residuals with the subsequent low-temperature sintering (~150℃) and UV-O₃ treatment. This facilitated the fabrication of TiO₂ photoanodes for flexible dye-sensitized solar cells (f-DSSCs). For comparison purposes, pure 1-octanol-based TiO₂ paste (P_O) with moderate viscosity was prepared. The P_BL-based TiO₂ film exhibited strong adhesion and high mechanical stability with the conducting oxide coated glass and plastic substrates compared to the P_O-based film. The corresponding low-temperature sintered P_BL-based f-DSSC showed a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 3.5%, while it was 2.0% for P_O-based f-DSSC. The P_BL-based low- and high-temperature (500℃) sintered glass-based rigid DSSCs exhibited the PCE of 6.0 and 6.3%, respectively, while this value was 7.1% for a 500℃ sintered rigid DSSC based on a commercial (or conventional) paste.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.7
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• pp.2395-2407
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• 2022

The sodium-cooled fast reactor is among the innovative nuclear technologies selected in the framework of the development of Generation IV concepts, allowing the irradiation of uranium-plutonium mixed oxide fuels (MOX). A fundamental step for the safety assessment of MOX-fuelled pins for fast reactor applications is the evaluation, by means of fuel performance codes, of the integral thermal-mechanical behaviour under irradiation, involving the fission gas behaviour and release in the fuel-cladding gap. This work is dedicated to the performance analysis of an inner-core fuel pin representative of the ASTRID sodium-cooled concept design, selected as case study for the benchmark between the GERMINAL and TRANSURANUS fuel performance codes. The focus is on fission gas-related mechanisms and integral outcomes as predicted by means of the SCIANTIX module (allowing the physics-based treatment of inert gas behaviour and release) coupled to both fuel performance codes. The benchmark activity involves the application of both GERMINAL and TRANSURANUS in their "pre-INSPYRE" versions, i.e., adopting the state-of-the-art recommended correlations available in the codes, compared with the "post-INSPYRE" code results, obtained by implementing novel models for MOX fuel properties and phenomena (SCIANTIX included) developed in the framework of the INSPYRE H2020 Project. The SCIANTIX modelling includes the consideration of burst releases of the fission gas stored at the grain boundaries occurring during power transients of shutdown and start-up, whose effect on a fast reactor fuel concept is analysed. A clear need to further extend and validate the SCIANTIX module for application to fast reactor MOX emerges from this work; nevertheless, the GERMINAL-TRANSURANUS benchmark on the ASTRID case study highlights the achieved code capabilities for fast reactor conditions and paves the way towards the proper application of fuel performance codes to safety evaluations on Generation IV reactor concepts.

• Advances in nano research
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.81-99
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• 2022

The aim of current work is to evaluate thermo-electrical characteristics of graphene nanoplatelets Reinforced Composite (GNPRC) coupled with magneto-electro-elastic (MEE) face sheet. In this regard, a cylindrical smart nanocomposite made of GNPRC with an external MEE layer is considered. The bonding between the layers are assumed to be perfect. Because of the layer nature of the structure, the material characteristics of the whole structure is regarded as graded. Both mechanical and thermal boundary conditions are applied to this structure. The main objective of this work is to determine critical temperature and critical voltage as a function of thermal condition, support type, GNP weight fraction, and MEE thickness. The governing equation of the multilayer nanocomposites cylindrical shell is derived. The generalized differential quadrature method (GDQM) is employed to numerically solve the differential equations. This method is integrated with Deep Learning Network (DNN) with ADADELTA optimizer to determine the critical conditions of the current sandwich structure. This the first time that effects of several conditions including surrounding temperature, MEE layer thickness, and pattern of the layers of the GNPRC is investigated on two main parameters critical temperature and critical voltage of the nanostructure. Furthermore, Maxwell equation is derived for modeling of the MEE. The outcome reveals that MEE layer, temperature change, GNP weight function, and GNP distribution patterns GNP weight function have significant influence on the critical temperature and voltage of cylindrical shell made from GNP nanocomposites core with MEE face sheet on outer of the shell.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.54 no.11
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• pp.863-873
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• 2021

The mechanical dispersion which dominates solute transport in porous media is caused by the difference in flow velocity within pores. Longitudinal dispersion coefficient and longitudinal dispersivity that are hydro-dispersive parameters of advection-dispersion equation can only be obtained by experiment. Hydraulic mean radius that represents the amount and intensity of flowing water within pores can be obtained by the formula using the factors for physical properties. A slug injection test was conducted and a power type empirical formula for obtaining a longitudinal dispersivity using a hydraulic mean radius in rockfill porous media was derived. It is possible to obtain the longitudinal dispersivity depending on transport distance because it contains a formula for a scale constant, and expected to be applicable to waterways filled with homogeneous gravel and small flow rate.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.9-13
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• 2022

Electric wheelchairs, the output from the motor is mainly applied to a speed reducer using a power transmission device such as a belt or a chain. However, although a speed reducer using a belt or chain is a simple device, it occupies a lot of space and has a space limitation, so it is not suitable for an electric wheelchair driving part. However, since the speed reducer of the planetary gear type is decelerated on the same axis, the volume can be reduced, so the space constraint is less than that of the belt or chain type reducer. Therefore, in this study, a driving part that can obtain great propulsion with a speed reducer using a planetary gear type was developed through a study on the driving part of a wheelchair that can be switched between manual and electric. Accordingly, the tooth shape of the planetary gear applied to the reducer was designed using the Kisssoft program. In addition, the drive part was designed to be applicable to the existing wheelchair wheels, and the mechanism was optimized for the manual/electric switching principle and operation principle of the drive part. Based on the research contents, the final design and manufacture of the wheelchair reducer drive unit in the form of a planetary gear having one sun gear, two planetary gears and one ring gear was carried out.

• Journal of Advanced Technology Convergence
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.17-24
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• 2023

I am designing a research paper with the aim of studying hybrid vehicles. Hybrid vehicles, as the next-generation automobiles, feature a combination of internal combustion engines and battery engines, resulting in a revolutionary reduction in fuel consumption and harmful gas emissions compared to conventional vehicles. The electric motor in hybrid cars derives power from a high-voltage battery installed within the vehicle, which is recharged during vehicle motion. In contrast to traditional cars, which often experience energy losses due to idling caused by traffic congestion, hybrid systems optimize efficiency by skillfully managing the interplay between the internal combustion engine and the electric motor. This approach effectively addresses the inherent drawbacks of gasoline or diesel engines.Hybrid cars offer an array of benefits, including improved fuel efficiency, environmental friendliness, cost-effectiveness, and reduced noise emission. Consequently, they are progressively becoming a favored alternative among a growing number of individuals. This research endeavor has the potential to contribute towards curbing environmental pollution and dedicating efforts to future automotive research.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.139-147
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• 2023

Cavitation phenomena observed during the operation of a submerged plain journal bearing (PJB) can affect bearing performance parameters such as dynamic coefficients, whirl frequency ratio, and critical mass. This study presents numerical solutions of the Reynolds equation for steadily and dynamically loaded submerged PJBs with half-Sommerfeld (HS), Reynolds, and Jakobsson-Floberg-Olsson (JFO) cavitation models when the supply pressure is larger or equal to the cavitation pressure. The loads at various eccentricity ratios are identical; however, the attitude angle is approximately 6% smaller when the eccentricity ratio is between 0.2 and 0.7 and the JFO model is used, compared to that when the Reynolds model is used. Dynamic coefficients obtained with the HS and Reynolds model show good agreement with each other, except for k_xz, which is sensitive to changes in the force normal to the rotor weight, and is attributed to the difference in the attitude angle obtained with each cavitation model. Stiffness coefficients are determined using the pressure distribution in the film, and therefore, when the JFO model is used, the direct stiffness coefficients are affected and show opposite signs for most eccentricity ratios. The mass-conservative JFO model can predict at least a 30% smaller critical mass compared to that using the HS and Reynolds models. Thus, the instability analysis results can change based on the cavitation model used in a submerged PJB. The results of this research indicate that the JFO model should be used when designing a rotor system supported by submerged PJBs.

• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.743-748
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• 2022

The initial operation stability of hydrogen-fueled, solid oxide fuel cell with Ni thin-film anode fabricated by direct current sputtering was evaluated in terms of electrochemical properties such as peak power density, open circuit voltage, overpotential, and alternating current impedance at 500℃. Hydrogen and air were used as anode fuel and cathode fuel, respectively.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.21-28
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• 2023

The electromembrane process, which has advantages such as scalability, sustainability, and eco-friendliness, is used in renewable energy fields such as fuel cells and reverse electrodialysis power generation. Most of the research to visualize the internal flow in the electromembrane process has mainly been conducted on heterogeneous ion exchange membranes, because of the non-uniform swelling characteristics of the homogeneous membrane. In this study, we successfully visualize the electro-convective vortices near the Nafion homogeneous membrane in PDMS-based microfluidic devices. To reinforce the mechanical rigidity and minimize the non-uniform swelling characteristics of the homogeneous membrane, a newly developed swelling supporter was additionally adapted to the Nafion membrane. Thus, a clear image of electroconvective vortices near the Nafion membrane could be obtained and visualized. As a result, we observed that the heterogeneous membrane has relatively stronger electroconvective vortices compared to the Nafion homogeneous membranes. Regarding electrical response, the Nafion membrane has a higher limiting current and less overlimiting current compared to the heterogeneous membrane. Based on our visualization, it is assumed that the heterogeneous membrane has more activated electroconvective vortices, which lower electrical resistance in the overlimiting current regime. We anticipate that this work can contribute to the fundamental understanding of the ion transport characteristics depending on the homogeneity of ion exchange membranes.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.81 no.2
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• pp.179-194
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• 2022

The bending, buckling and free vibration responses of functionally graded material (FGM) beams are investigated semi-analytically by the scaled boundary finite element method (SBFEM) in this paper. In the concepts of the SBFEM, the dimension of computational domain can be reduced by one, therefore only the axial dimension of the beam is discretized using the higher order spectral element, which reduces the amount of calculation and greatly improves the calculation efficiency. The governing equation of FGM beams is derived in detail by the means of the principle of virtual work. Compared with the higher-order beam theory, fewer parameters and simpler control equations are used. And the governing equation is transformed into a first-order ordinary differential equation by introducing intermediate variables. Analytical solutions of the governing equation can be obtained by pade series expansion in the direction of thickness. Numerical example are compared with the numerical solutions provided by the previous researchers to verify the accuracy and applicability of the proposed method. The results show that the proposed formulations can quickly converge to the reference solutions by increasing the order of higher order spectral elements, and high accuracy can be achieved by using a small number of the elements. In addition, the influence of the structural sizes, material properties and boundary conditions on the mechanical behaviors of FG beams subjected to different load types is discussed.