• Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.13 no.3
• /
• pp.125-130
• /
• 2008

Free ammonia ($NH_3$-N) inhibition of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) has been widely studied for partial nitrification (or nitrite accumulation) and denitrification via nitrite ($NO_2^-$-N) as a low-cost treatment of ammonium containing wastewater. The literature on $NH_3$-N inhibition of NOB, however, shows disagreement about the threshold $NH_3$-N concentration and its degree of inhibition. In order to clarify the confusion, a simple and cheap respirometric method was devised to investigate the effect of free ammonia inhibition of NOB. Sludge samples from an autotrophic nitrifying reactor were exposed to various $NH_3$-N concentrations to measure the maximum specific nitrite oxidation rate ($\hat{K}_{NO}$) using a respirometer. NOB biomass was estimated from the yield values in the literature. Free ammonia inhibition of nitrite oxidizing bacteria was reversible and the specific nitrite oxidation rate ($K_{NO}$) decreased from 0.141 to 0.116, 0.100, 0.097 and 0.081 mg $NO_2^-$-N/mg NOB h, respectively, as the $NH_3$-N concentration increased from 0.0 to 1.0, 4.1, 9.7 and 22.9 mg/L. A nonlinear regression based on the noncompetitive inhibition mode gave an estimate of the Inhibition concentration ($K_I$) of free ammonia to be 21.3 mg $NH_3$-N/L. Previous studies gave $\hat{K}_{NO}$ of Nitrobacter and Nitrospira as 0.120 and 0.032 mg/mg VSS h. The free ammonia concentration which inhibits Nitrobacter was $30{\sim}50\;mg$ $NH_3$-N/L and Nitrospira was inhibited at $0.04{\sim}0.08\;mg$ $NH_3$-N/L. The results support the fact that Nitrobacter is the dominant NOB in the reactor. The variations in the reported values of free ammonia inhibition may be due to the different species of nitrite oxidizers present in the reactors. The respirometric method provides rapid and reliable analysis of the behavior and community of the nitrite oxidizing bacteria.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
• /
• v.35 no.10
• /
• pp.737-742
• /
• 2013

The purpose of this study was to remove sediments obtained from breeding ground using supersonics and micro-air flotation method. Sediments from Tongyong breeding grounds showed no contaminations of heavy metals but had great amount of organics. Thus, efficient removal of sediments was required to preserve water quality near breeding ground. Supersonics treatment for sediments was determined to be essential because higher removal efficiency of sediments was obtained when supersonics treatment was used. In addition, application of coagulants increased removal efficiency because its usage increased particle size of sediments, which enabled easy trapping of sediments particle into micro-air bubbles. Removal efficiency of sediments slightly decreased from 95.8% (1 g/L) to 83.9% (8 g/L) at the tests for different amount of sediments, but most of tiny particles were removed from water where sand size particles were left in the bottom of reactors.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
• /
• v.14 no.3
• /
• pp.235-243
• /
• 2016

In the near future, many countries, including the Republic of Korea, will face a significant increase in low level radioactive waste (LLW) from nuclear power plant decommissioning. The purpose of this paper is to look at blending as a method for enhancing disposal options for low-level radioactive waste from the decommissioning of nuclear reactors. The 2007 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission strategic assessment of the status of the U.S. LLW program identified the need to move to a risk-informed and performance-based regulatory approach for managing LLW. The strategic assessment identified blending waste of varying radionuclide concentrations as a potential means of enhancing options for LLW disposal. The NRC's position is that concentration averaging or blending can be performed in a way that does not diminish the overall safety of LLW disposal. The revised regulatory requirements for blending LLW are presented in the revised NRC Branch Technical Position for Concentration Averaging and Encapsulation (CA BTP 2015). The changes to the CA BTP that are the most significant for NPP operation, maintenance and decommissioning are reviewed in this paper and a potential application is identified for decommissioning waste in Korea. By far the largest volume of LLW from NPPs will come from decommissioning rather than operation. The large volumes in decommissioning present an opportunity for significant gains in disposal efficiency from blending and concentration averaging. The application of concentration averaging waste from a reactor bio-shield is also presented.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.17 no.5
• /
• pp.346-353
• /
• 2016

In the design conditions of some research reactors, the siphon phenomenon can cause continuous efflux of water during pipe rupture. A siphon breaker is a safety device that can prevent water efflux effectively. However, the analysis of the siphon breaking is complicated because many variables must be included in the calculation process. For this reason, a simulation program was developed with a user-friendly GUI to analyze the siphon breaking easily. The program was developed by MFC programming using Visual Studio 2012 in Windows 8. After saving the input parameters from a user, the program proceeds with three steps of calculation using fluid mechanics formulas. Bernoulli's equation is used to calculate the velocity, quantity, water level, undershooting, pressure, loss coefficient, and factors related to the two-phase flow. The Chisholm model is used to predict the results from a real-scale experiment. The simulation results are shown in a graph, through which a user can examine the total breaking situation. It is also possible to save all of the resulting data. The program allows a user to easily confirm the status of the siphon breaking and would be helpful in the design of siphon breakers.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.11 no.7
• /
• pp.2708-2712
• /
• 2010

Amines, ammonia or 3-methoxypropylamine (MPA), are used to maintain the optimized pH for the prevention of corrosion in the secondary side of Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs). They are differently dissociated as a function of temperature which is not same in each location of the water-steam cycle. pH at the operation temperature depends on temperature of fluid and equilibrium constants of water and amines. Thus, every amine provides the different pH in the entire secondary side so that pH is not only the sufficient parameter in corrosion control. The secondary parameter, i.e., buffer intensity, is the ability to maintain a stable pH when $H^+$ are added or removed due to the ingress of impurities or the reaction of corrosion. The buffer intensity is necessary to provide the selection criteria for the best pH control agent for secondary side and the basic understanding of the reason why the flow-accelerated corrosion(FAC) rate may demonstrate the bell-shape curve over temperature. The buffer intensities of ammonia and MPA were reviewed over the entire operation temperature of PWRs. The sufficient buffer intensity is provided for the inhibition of corrosion by ammonia in low temperature $(25{\sim}100^{\circ}C)$ and by DMA in high temperature $(150{\sim}250^{\circ}C)$. In terms of buffer intensity, i) the best pH control agent is an amine with $pK_a(T)$ range of pH(T)- $1{\leq}pK_a(T){\leq}pH(T)$ + 0.5 and ii) the amine solution should have sufficient buffer intensity, ${\beta}$ to inhibit corrosion, and iii) FAC rate may be maximum at the temperature, where ${\beta}_B/{\beta}$ ratio is lowest.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.39 no.1
• /
• pp.31-42
• /
• 2007

Energy supply is increasingly showing up as a major issue for electricity supply, transportation, settlement, and process heat industrial supply including hydrogen production. Nuclear power is part of the solution. For electricity supply, as exemplified in Finland and France, the EPR brings an immediate answer; HTR could bring another solution in some specific cases. For other supply, mostly heat, the HTR brings a solution inaccessible to conventional nuclear power plants for very high or even high temperature. As fossil fuels costs increase and efforts to avoid generation of Greenhouse gases are implemented, a market for nuclear generated process heat will be developed. Following active developments in the 80's, HTR have been put on the back burner up to 5 years ago. Light water reactors are widely dominating the nuclear production field today. However, interest in the HTR technology was renewed in the past few years. Several commercial projects are actively promoted, most of them aiming at electricity production. ANTARES is today AREVA's response to the cogeneration market. It distinguishes itself from other concepts with its indirect cycle design powering a combined cycle power plant. Several reasons support this design choice, one of the most important of which is the design flexibility to adapt readily to combined heat and power applications. From the start, AREVA made the choice of such flexibility with the belief that the HTR market is not so much in competition with LWR in the sole electricity market but in the specific added value market of cogeneration and process heat. In view of the volatility of the costs of fossil fuels, AREVA's choice brings to the large industrial heat applications the fuel cost predictability of nuclear fuel with the efficiency of a high temperature heat source tree of Greenhouse gases emissions. The ANTARES module produces 600 MWth which can be split into the required process heat, the remaining power drives an adapted prorated electric plant. Depending on the process heat temperature and power needs, up to 80% of the nuclear heat is converted into useful power. An important feature of the design is the standardization of the heat source, as independent as possible of the process heat application. This should expedite licensing. The essential conditions for success include: ${\bullet}$ Timely adapted licensing process and regulations, codes and standards for such application and design ${\bullet}$ An industry oriented R&D program to meet the technological challenges making the best use of the international collaboration. Gen IV could be the vector ${\bullet}$ Identification of an end user(or a consortium of) willing to fund a FOAK

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.34 no.4
• /
• pp.200-206
• /
• 1998

The distributions and characteristics of bacteria on the deodorizing biofilters were studied as a part of biofiltration research for odor gas removal. The odor gas originated from a currently operating nightsoil treatment plant were mainly nitrogenous compounds of ammonia and amines. The filter media were consisted various ratio of pine bark, nightsoil cast and compost, and were sampled before and after operation of 153 days. Before operation, the level of bacteria on nitrification agar medium, nutrient agar medium and thiosulfate agar medium were around $10^7{\sim}10^8cfu/g$ media. After operation, the level decreased but still high as $10^5{\sim}10^7cfu/g$ media. The bacteria from reactors before and after operations were either rod or coccus after growth on nitrification agar media. The 45 isolated heterotrophic bacteria were further characterized and Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Flavobacterium, Alcaligenes were dominant genera. Genus Alcaligenes was particularly dominant when the isolates were incubated on nitrification agar media first and then transfered to nutrient media. The portion of Alcaligenes in the biofilter increased after operation, and was higher in the media contained nightsoil cast, which showed better treatment than the media with pine bark only.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.29 no.11
• /
• pp.1294-1303
• /
• 2019

Perchlorate is an anionic pollutant that is very soluble and stable in water. It has been detected not only in soil/ground water but also in surface water, drinking water, food, fish, and crops. Perchlorate inhibits iodine uptake by the thyroid gland and reduces production of thyroid hormones that are primarily responsible for regulation of metabolism. Although various technologies have been developed to remove perchlorate from the environment, biodegradation is the method of choice since it is economical and environmentally friendly. However there is limited information on perchlorate biodegradation in salt environment such as salt water. Therefore this paper reviews biodegradation of perchlorate in salt water and related microorganisms. Most biodegradation research has employed heterotrophic perchlorate removal using organic compounds such as acetate as electron donors. Biodegradation research has focused on perchlorate removal from spent brine generated by ion exchange technology that is primarily employed to clean up perchlorate-contaminated ground water. Continuous removal of perchlorate at up to 10% NaCl was shown when bioreactors were inoculated with enriched salt-tolerant perchlorate-reducing bacteria. However the reactors did not show long-term stable removal of perchlorate. Microorganisms belonging to ${\beta}$- and ${\gamma}$-Proteobacteria were dominant in bioreactors used to remove perchlorate from salt water. This review will help our understanding of perchlorate removal from salt water to develop a decent biotechnology for the process.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.1 no.2
• /
• pp.91-101
• /
• 1969

Resistivity changes of n-type float-zone silicon crystals with 6.4$\times$10$^{14}$ to 1.25$\times$10$^{17}$ phosphorus atoms/㎤ due to irradiation by (1) 1 MeV electrons, (2) two types of research reactors, and (3) $Co^{60}$ ${\gamma}$-ray sources were investigated. The results were analyzed on the basis of a simple exponential formula derived by Buehler. While the formula gave a fair fit in the low fluence range in most cases, the deviation was quite appreciable in the case of 1 MeV electron irradiation, and a linear change gave better fit in some cases. The large change in the carrier removal rate in electron-irradiated samples in the high fluence range was analyzed in detail in terms of the Fermi level cross-over of the defect levels. Based on the damage constants evaluated from the initial portion of data where the formula was applicable, the relative effectiveness of various radiation sources in causing the resistivity change in n-type silicon was compared. The TRIGA Mark II reactor neutrons, for example, were found to be about 40 times more effective than 1 MeV electrons. The dependence of the damage constant on the initial carrier concentration was also examined. The physical basis of the exponential law and the effect of the Fermi level cross-over of the defect levels on the resistivity change in the high fluence ranges are discussed.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.53 no.10
• /
• pp.3367-3378
• /
• 2021

The design phase and safety assessment of Generation IV liquid metal-cooled fast reactors calls for the improvement of fuel pin performance codes, in particular the enhancement of their predictive capabilities towards uranium-plutonium mixed oxide fuels and stainless-steel cladding under irradiation in fast reactor environments. To this end, the current capabilities of fuel performance codes must be critically assessed against experimental data from available irradiation experiments. This work is devoted to the assessment of three European fuel performance codes, namely GERMINAL, MACROS and TRANSURANUS, against the irradiation of two fuel pins selected from the SUPERFACT-1 experimental campaign. The pins are characterized by a low enrichment (~ 2 wt.%) of minor actinides (neptunium and americium) in the fuel, and by plutonium content and cladding material in line with design choices envisaged for liquid metal-cooled Generation IV reactor fuels. The predictions of the codes are compared to several experimental measurements, allowing the identification of the current code capabilities in predicting fuel restructuring, cladding deformation, redistribution of actinides and volatile fission products. The integral assessment against experimental data is complemented by a code-to-code benchmark focused on the evolution of quantities of engineering interest over time. The benchmark analysis points out the differences in the code predictions of fuel central temperature, fuel-cladding gap width, cladding outer radius, pin internal pressure and fission gas release and suggests potential modelling development paths towards an improved description of the fuel pin behaviour in fast reactor irradiation conditions.