• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.678-699
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• 2015

Although the harsh space environment imposes many severe challenges to space pioneers, space exploration is a realistic and profitable goal for long-term humanity survival. One of the viable and promising options to overcome the harsh environment of space is nuclear propulsion. Particularly, the Nuclear Thermal Rocket (NTR) is a leading candidate for nearterm human missions to Mars and beyond due to its relatively high thrust and efficiency. Traditional NTR designs use typically high power reactors with fast or epithermal neutron spectrums to simplify core design and to maximize thrust. In parallel there are a series of new NTR designs with lower thrust and higher efficiency, designed to enhance mission versatility and safety through the use of redundant engines (when used in a clustered engine arrangement) for future commercialization. This paper proposes a new NTR design of the second design philosophy, Korea Advanced NUclear Thermal Engine Rocket (KANUTER), for future space applications. The KANUTER consists of an Extremely High Temperature Gas cooled Reactor (EHTGR) utilizing hydrogen propellant, a propulsion system, and an optional electricity generation system to provide propulsion as well as electricity generation. The innovatively small engine has the characteristics of high efficiency, being compact and lightweight, and bimodal capability. The notable characteristics result from the moderated EHTGR design, uniquely utilizing the integrated fuel element with an ultra heat-resistant carbide fuel, an efficient metal hydride moderator, protectively cooling channels and an individual pressure tube in an all-in-one package. The EHTGR can be bimodally operated in a propulsion mode of $100MW_{th}$ and an electricity generation mode of $100MW_{th}$, equipped with a dynamic energy conversion system. To investigate the design features of the new reactor and to estimate referential engine performance, a preliminary design study in terms of neutronics and thermohydraulics was carried out. The result indicates that the innovative design has great potential for high propellant efficiency and thrust-to-weight of engine ratio, compared with the existing NTR designs. However, the build-up of fission products in fuel has a significant impact on the bimodal operation of the moderated reactor such as xenon-induced dead time. This issue can be overcome by building in excess reactivity and control margin for the reactor design.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.487-498
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• 2017

In this study, pervaporation performances of water/methanol and water/butanol mixture were evaluated using zeolite 4A membranes manufacutred by FINETECH by experimental works and numerical modeling. Permeation and separation characteristics, such as flux and separation factor, were analyzed by gas chromatography (TCD) and liquid nitrogen traps. Experiments have shown that water is selectively separated from a mixture of water and methanol (separation factor up to approximately 250) and water and butanol (separation factor up to approximately 1,500). Generalized Maxwell Stefan (GMS) theory was implemented to predict pervaporation behaviors of water/alcohol mixtures and diffusional coefficients of zeolite layer were obtained through parameter estimation using $MATLAB^{(R)}$ optimization toolbox. Since the pore size of zeolite 4A are much larger than kinetic diameter of water molecules and smaller than those of methanol and butanol, zeolite 4A membranes can be applied to in situ water removal process such as membrane reactors or hybrid reaction-dehydration process.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.19 no.6 s.89
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• pp.484-488
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• 2004

Fermentation studies were conducted in batch and continuous flow cell-recycle reactors with food by-products as substrates. The genus Propionibacterium acidipropionici ATCC 4965 was utilized in the production of organic acids. Good performance was achieved in the batch fermentation using hydrol as a carbon source and corn steep liquor (CSL) as nitrogen and vitamin sources. Product yields and productivity based on maximum values were 0.80 g total acids/g glucose and 0.26 g total acids/L/h, respectively, when $3\%$, (w/v) of hydrol and $2.5\%$, (w/v) of CSL were utilized. Continuous fermentation with cell-recycling system using the optimum amounts of substrates resulted in dramatic increase in cell concentration (X) and maximum productivity (P). Compared to the batch fermentation, X and P were increased by as much as 21 and 13 times, respectively, at the dilution ratio of $0.2\;hr^{-1}$, indicating that cell recycling fermentation of food by-products provides valuable means for the mass production of organic acids as well as utilizing cell mass as good nutrient resources.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.193-199
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• 1993

To find out the optimum conditions for indigo cell culture in air-lift bioreactor, effects of media composition including nutrients and precursors of the indigo colorants on the cell growth and characteristics of the cell growth under various cultural conditions were analyzed. Optimum cultural conditions were tested and the growth characteristics were analyzed in external and internal loop type air-lift bioreactors during 14-day culture. Better cell growth was obtained when the inoculum size was higher in the range of 0.5∼2.5% packed cell volume tested. In the sucrose concentration of 2 to 4%, the cell growth was better when the sucrose concentration was 4% (w/w) in both types of reactors. Sucrose was used up in the early stage of exponential phase of growth At the optimum concentration of a Precursor tryptophan at 1 U UW was 3.8 g/l in internal loop bioreactor, and 3.5 g/l in external one after 14 days of cultivation. Addition of indole showed negative effect on cell growth of suspension culture in air-lift biorector culture and cell mass of 2.5 g/l and 2.2 g/l were obtained in external and internal loop bioreactor, respectively. Selected inorganic nitrogen source potassium nitrate showed about 110% increase in cell growth than that of control. DCW was 16.34 g/l under optimum conditions during 14-day cultivation in internal loop bioreactor.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.33-42
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• 2010

The main objective of this study was to offer informations about the current conditions of stream sediments and to evaluate biochemical methane potentials of stream sediments from the urban streams in Busan city using conventional BMP tests. First we select total 5 urban streams and collect sediment samples. Then, COD, proximate analysis, volatile solid, organic carbon content and elemental analysis were conducted to determine characteristics of the sediments. Results show that COD, volatile solid and organic carbon content are determined in the range of $15.20{\sim}75.07mg\;g^{-1}$, 2.34~11.54% and 1.28~34.21%, respectively. Also, several biochemical methane potential tests were performed in a laboratory. As a result, pH values of the reactors generally increased and then stabilized at 7.11~7.35. In addition, C/N ratio, ultimate methane and carbon dioxide yield (mL/g VS) and biodegradability (%) were determined to 1.05~10.27, 10.1~179.4, 10.3~34.4 and 4.0~30.1, respectively. For the determination of the correlations between ultimate methane yield and ultimate carbon dioxide yield, C/N ratio, COD, volatile solid and organic carbon content, a linear model was fitted to the data using a least-squares algorithm. As a result, except for COD ($r^2=0.7586$) and volatile solid ($r^2=0.7876$), Linear model was well fitted to each data with good values of the correlation coefficient ($r^2=0.9795{\sim}0.9858$). Finally, we propose empirical equations, which contain C/N ratio or TOC, for the prediction of ultimate methane yield for the urban streams in Busan city.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.283-291
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• 1995

The characteristics of aminopeptidase M(ApM) immobilized covalently on Cellufine Formyl and the continuous production of authentic human growth hormone(hGH) from methionyl human growth hormono(met-hGH) using the column reactor packed with immobilized ApM were investigated. Immobilized ApM with the proportion of 2.3mg ApM per 1g Cellufine Formyl gel had the highest met-hGH conversion activity. The optimum pH(7.0) and temperature($55^{\circ}C$) showed no appreciable difference between free and immobilized enzymes and the optimum temperature in continuous operation of the column reactor was also found to be $55^{\circ}C$. Under the conditions at which met-hGH was converted completely to hGH, the yield and productivity were about 77% and 0.8mg hGH/ml$.$h, respectively. In two column reactors of different sizes, met-hGH was converted to hGH with the same conversion rates and hGH yields at the same space velocities. The half-life of the reactor systems at $45^{\circ}C$ and $55^{\circ}C$ were projected from the continuous operations for 90 days to be 225 days and 81 days, respectively.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.1-11
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• 1998

A quantitative risk assessment and consequence analysis for PBL(Poly Butadiene Latex) reaction processes were performed. As a result of the Quantitative risk assessment, for the accident probability of PBL reactors causing a reaction runaway, was calculated as $9.197{\times}10^{-5}/yr$ The most important factor that affected the accident probability of PBL reactor was the relief device. When the reactor exploded, peak overpressure at the target point was $5.066{\times}10^5(Pa)$ and the range of effects windows to be broken occurred in almost all of the factory areas. The maximum radius of effect was 27m, in which workers could be die by the direct for eardrum damage was calculated at 77m. When the PBL reactor exploded, the extent of structural damage to buildings was calculated from the center of the explosion to a range of 52m. The results of the study's assessment have provided a direction for facility's improvement as well as effective safety investment.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.52-64
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• 2016

The production of nuclear energy from thorium which is non-fissile material was a main issue until the middle of 1970's, because of the thorium's abundance as energy resources, its capability of breeding fissile material U233, and the reduction of long-lived actinides. However, to use thorium as nuclear fuel, some obstacles such as the necessities of external neutron source and long-term neutron irradiation for effective breeding, and the production of high radioactive isotopes in the course of thorium breeding cycle should be overcome. The difficulties to resolve these cons of thorium cycle became the reason of interruption of the related researches in the middle of 1970's. But in the 21st century, the change of societal perspective regarding nuclear energy and the appearance of accelerator-driven nuclear reactor shift those cons into pros and rehabilitate the study of thorium. The high activity of thorium cycle turned out to be a good option as higher resistance and easier detectibility of nuclear proliferation and the employment of subcritical accelerator-driven reactor as external neutron sources is considered to enhance the nuclear safety. In this study we compare the thorium cycle with the currently-used uranium cycle and analyze the technical status and perspective of thorium researches which use accelerator-driven reactors.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.11-19
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• 2000

In order to predict the performance of biological wastewater treatment plant, the kinetic parameters and stoichiometric coefficient must be known. The theories and experimental procedures for determining the biological kinetic parameters were discussed in this study. Respirometric analysis in the batch reactor was carried out for the experimental assessment of kinetic parameters. A simple procedure to estimate kinetic parameters of heterotrophs and autotrophs under aerobic condition was presented. The difficulties in the interpretation of COD and VSS measurements encouraged the conversion of respirometric data to growth data. Maximum specific growth rate, yield coefficient, half saturation constant and decay rate of heterotrophic biomass were obtained from OUR(Oxygen Uptake Rate) data. Maximum specific growth rate of autotrophic biomass was obtained from the increase of nitrate concentration. The aim of this paper is to estimate the kinetic parameters of heterotrophic and autotrophic biomass by means of the respirometric analysis of activated sludge behavior in the batch reactors. These procedures may be used for the activated sludge modeling with complex kinetic parameters.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.143-148
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• 2012

This study was performed to investigate the concentration variation of airborne bacteria and endotoxin by the temperature in the compost pile in order to identify the generation characteristics of biological factors in the exhaust gases generated from lab-scale sludge compositing reactors (0.06 $m^3$ of total reactor volume). Airborne bacteria showed the highest concentration of generation ($1.03{\times}10^5\;CFU/m^3$) in the composting reactor without mechanical agitation, and similar change tendency to temperature variation of composting, but somewhat lower statistical significance (p>0.05). In the compost reactor with mechanical agitation, endotoxin showed similar generation characteristic to temperature variation of composting (statistical significance; p<0.05) and the highest generation concentration to 1,415 EU/$m^3$. Mechanical agitation of the composting process affected activity of microorganism and positive generation of endotoxin in exhaust gases. Endotoxin and airborne bacteria showed similar tendency of generation, especially the highest statistical correlation was observed in the compost reactor without mechanical agitation (statistical significance: p<0.01).