• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.49-60
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• 2016

Distribution and behavior of baseline soil CO₂ were investigated in a candidate geologic CO₂ storage site in Pohang, with measuring CO₂ concentrations and carbon isotopes in the vadose zone as well as CO₂ fluxes and concentrations through ground surface. This investigation aimed to assess the baseline CO₂ levels and to build the CO₂ monitoring system before injecting CO₂. The gas in the vadose zone was collected using a peristaltic pump from the depth of 60 cm below ground surface, and stored at gas bags. Then the gas components (CO₂, O₂, N₂, CH₄) and δ¹³C_CO2 were analyzed using GC and CRDS (cavity ringdown spectroscopy) respectively in laboratory. CO₂ fluxes and CO₂ concentrations through ground surface were measured using Li-COR in field. In result, the median of the CO₂ concentrations in the vadose zone was about 3,000 ppm, and the δ¹³C_CO2 were in the wide range between −36.9‰ and −10.6‰. The results imply that the fate of CO₂ in the vadose zone was affected by soil property and vegetations. CO₂ in sandy or loamy soils originated from the respiration of microorganisms and the decomposition of C₃ plants. In gravel areas, the CO₂ concentrations decreased while the δ¹³C_CO2 increased because of the mixing with the atmospheric gas. In addition, the relation between O₂ and CO₂, N₂, and the relation between N₂/O₂ and CO₂ implied that the gases in the vadose zone dissolved in the infiltrating precipitation or the soil moisture. The median CO₂ flux through ground surface was 2.9 g/m²/d which is lower than the reported soil CO₂ fluxes in areas with temperate climates. CO₂ fluxes measured in sandy and loamy soil areas were higher (median 5.2 g/m²/d) than those in gravel areas (2.6 g/m²/d). The relationships between CO₂ fluxes and concentrations suggested that the transport of CO₂ from the vadose zone to ground surface was dominated by diffusion in the study area. In gravel areas, the mixing with atmospheric gases was significant. Based on this study result, a soil monitoring procedure has been established for a candidate geologic CO₂ storage site. Also, this study result provides ideas for innovating soil monitoring technologies.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.79-85
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• 2016

A concrete silo plays an important role in subsurface low- and intermediate-level waste facilities (LILW) by limiting the release of radionuclides from the silo geosphere. However, due to several physical and chemical processes the performance of the concrete structure decreases over time and consequently the concrete loses its effectiveness as a barrier against groundwater inflow and the release of radionuclides. Although a number of processes are responsible for degradation of the silo concrete, it is determined that the main cause is corrosion of the reinforcing steel. Therefore, the time it takes for the silo concrete to fail is calculated based on two factors: the initiation time of corrosion, defined as the time it takes for chloride ions to penetrate through the concrete cover, and the propagation time of corrosion. This paper aims to estimate the time taken for concrete to fail in a LILW disposal facility. Based on the United States Department of Energy (DOE) approach, which indicates that concrete fails completely once 50% of the volume of the reinforcing steel corrodes, the corrosion propagation time is calculated to be 640 years, which is the time it takes for corrosion to penetrate 0.640 cm into the reinforcing steel. In addition to the corrosion propagation time, a diffusion equation is used to calculate the initiation time of corrosion, yielding a time of 1284 years, which post-dates the closure time of the LILW disposal facility if we also consider the 640 years of corrosion propagation. The electrochemical conditions of the passive rebar surface were modified using an acceleration method. This is a useful approach because it can reduce the test time significantly by accelerating the transport of chlorides. Using instrumental analysis, the physicochemical properties of corrosion products were determined, thereby confirming that corrosion occurred, although we did not observe significant cracks in, or expansion of, the concrete. These results are consistent with those of Smartet al., 2006 who reported that corrosion products are easily compressed, meaning that cracks cannot be discerned by eye. Therefore, it is worth noting that rebar corrosion does not strongly influence the hydraulic conductivity of the concrete.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.37-47
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• 1999

The spreading fire of very small floating particles after they are ignited is fast and t therefore dangerous. The research on this area has been limited to experiments and global simulations which treat them as dusts or gaseous fuel with certain concentration well m mixed with air. This research attempted micro-scale analysis of ignition of those particles modeling them as liquid droplets. For the beginning, the in-line array of fuel droplets is modeled by two-dimensional, unsteady conservation equations for mass, momentum, energy and species transport in the gas phase and an unsteady energy equation in the liquid phase. They are solved numerically in a generalized non-orthogonal coordinate. The single step chemical reaction with reaction rate controlled by Arrhenius’ law is assumed to a assess chemical reaction numerically. The calculated results show the variation of temperature and the concentration profile with time during evaporation and ignition process. Surrounding oxygen starts to mix with evaporating fuel vapor from the droplet. When the ignition condition is met, the exothermic reactions of the premixed gas initiate a and burn intensely. The maximum temperature position gradually approaches the droplet surface and maximum temperature increases rapidly following the ignition. The fuel and oxygen concentration distributions have minimum points near the peak temperature position. Therefore the moment of ignition seems to have a premixed-flame aspect. After this very short transient period minimum points are observed in the oxygen and fuel d distributions and the diffusion flame is established. The distance between droplets is an important parameter. Starting from far-away apart, when the distance between droplets decreases, the ignition-delay time decreases meaning faster ignition. When they are close and after the ignition, the maximum temperature moves away from the center line of the in-line array. It means that the oxygen at the center line is consumed rapidly and further supply is blocked by the flame. The study helped the understanding of the ignition of d droplet array and opened the possibility of further research.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.49 no.8
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• pp.693-705
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• 2016

In this study, the effects of sediment supply on the downstream of a large dam are investigated using a numerical model. The model simulation shows a good agreement with laboratory experiment results of sediment transport and diffusion from sediment pulses. The water surface changes from the various sediment bed elevations are also simulated using the model. The site which has a relatively stiff bed slope and meandering of a channel is selected as an appropriate location for sediment supply because of its shear stress enough to supply the sediment downstream. The model simulation shows the decrease of channel bed elevation through the simulation period with time. The well-deposition of sediment supplied from the downstream of dam is found in the location where the flow rate is relatively low. A bed relief index is increased with time and it is relatively greater in downstream compared to upstream. The channel bed variability increases as flow rate increases with a greater bed relief index. The results of this study demonstrate the importance of increasing water discharge of a large dam to increase the dynamic of channel bed and thus to enhance the efficiency of channel bed restoration by sediment supply.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.28 no.6B
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• pp.731-741
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• 2008

Previous studies on the numerical simulation at the tidal reach of Han River tend to restrict downstream boundary as Jeon-ryu station due to difficulties in gaining cross section data and tidal elevation values at Yu-do. But, in this study, geometries beyond the confluence of Gok-reung stream and Im-jin River are constructed based on the numerical sea map; tidal elevation at the downstream boundary, Yu-do is estimated by harmonic analysis of In-cheon tide gage station so that hydrodynamic and diffusion behavior have been analyzed. The domain ranging from Shin-gok submerged weir to Yu-do is selected (which is 36.8 km in length). RMA-2 and RAM4 developed by Il Won Seo (2008) are applied to simulate flow and diffusion behavior, respectively. Numerical results of flow characteristic are compared with the measured data at Jeon-ryu station. Simulation is carried out from June 23 to 25 in 2006 on the ground that hydrologic data is satisfactory and tidal difference is huge during that period. The result shows that reverse flow occurs 5 times according to the tidal elevation at Yu-do and the maximum reverse flow is observed up to Jang-hang IC, which is 32.9 km in length. Also analysis is focused on the process of generation and disappearance of reverse flow, the distribution of water surface elevation and velocity along the maximum velocity line, and the transport of nonconservative pollutant. Pollutant injected from Gul-po stream spreads widely across the river; however, the size of BOD cloud entering from Gok-reung stream is relatively small because water depth at the mid and left side becomes deeper and maximum velocity occurs along the right bank so that transverse mixing is completed quickly. Finally, mixing characteristic of horizontal salinity distribution is obtained by estimating the salinity input with analytical solution of 1D advection-dispersion equation.