The transportation of spent nuclear fuel between management stages is expected, and the transportation workers may be exposed to radiation. When transporting spent nuclear fuel, the ALARA principle must be observed for the workers. The objective of this study is to assess a radiation dose for workers transporting spent nuclear fuel using metal overpacks. For this objective, the cask to be handled was selected and the radiation source term was set. Then, the radiation exposure scenario for the transportation workers was defined. Finally, the dose rates for each location of operation were assessed using Monte Carlo simulations, and collective doses were derived for each operation considering the radiation exposure scenario. Each worker performed 11 operations to transport spent nuclear fuel to other facilities and was exposed to a total of 1.138 man-mSv. The operation of removing the bottom shield ring resulted in the highest radiation exposure at 0.503 man-mSv. In contrast, the operation of installing the impact limiter resulted in the lowest radiation exposure at 0.0009 man-mSv. The results of this study can be used to strengthen radiation protection measures for workers transporting spent nuclear fuel in dry storage facilities using metal overpacks.

Efficient and safe maritime navigation in complex and congested coastal regions requires advanced route optimization methods that surpass the limitations of traditional shortest-path algorithms. This study applies Deep Q-Network (DQN) and Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO) reinforcement learning (RL) algorithms to generate and refine optimal ship routes in East Asian waters, focusing on passages from Shanghai to Busan and Ulsan to Daesan. Operating within a grid-based representation of the marine environment and considering constraints such as restricted areas and Traffic Separation Schemes (TSS), both DQN and PPO learn policies prioritizing safety and operational efficiency. Comparative analyses with actual vessel routes demonstrate that RL-based methods yield shorter and safer paths. Among these methods, PPO outperforms DQN, providing more stable and coherent routes. Post-processing with the Douglas-Peucker (DP) algorithm further simplifies the paths for practical navigational use. The findings underscore the potential of RL in enhancing navigational safety, reducing travel distance, and advancing autonomous ship navigation technologies.

본 논문은 독일의 에너지 전환 정책이 경제성장과 화석연료 의존도에 미친 영향을 분석하며, 특히 그린플레이션과 화석연료플레이션에 중점을 둔다. 본 논문은 2010년부터 2022년까지의 분기별 데이터를 활용하여, 화석연료 가격(브렌트유 및 천연가스)과 주요 경제지표(가계 전기요금, 소비자물가지수, GDP 성장률) 간의 관계를 상관관계 분석과 다중회귀분 석으로 평가하였다. 분석 결과, 천연가스 가격과 가계 전기요금 간에는 0.85의 강한 양의 상관관계가 확인되어, 천연가스 가격 상승이 직접적으 로 전기요금 상승에 영향을 미쳤음을 보여준다. 또한, 천연가스 가격과 소비자물가지수 간에도 0.72의 유의미한 양의 상관관계가 나타나, 화석 연료 가격 상승이 물가상승 압력을 가중시킴을 시사하였다. 반면, 화석연 료 가격과 GDP 성장률 간에는 -0.56의 음의 상관관계가 나타나, 에너지 비용 상승이 경제성장에 부정적 영향을 미쳤음을 보여준다. 다중회귀분 석 결과, 천연가스 가격이 가계 전기요금에 미치는 영향은 브렌트유 가 격보다 더 강력한 것으로 확인되었으며, 이는 독일의 에너지 구조가 천 연가스 의존도가 높음을 반영한다. 이러한 결과는 에너지 공급망 다변화 와 재생 가능 에너지 확대를 통해 에너지 안보를 강화하고 화석연료 의 존도를 줄이는 것이 중요함을 시사한다.

본 연구에서는 유기계 산화 방지제인 가려진 페놀이 그래프팅된 산화 그래핀(hindered phenol-grafted graphene oxide, HP-GO)을 합성하였고, 이를 도입한 나피온(Nafion) 기반의 복합 막을 제조하여 고분자 전해질 막 연료전지에 응용하 였다. HP-GO는 3,5-디-tert-뷰틸-4-히드록시페닐프로피오닐 클로라이드에 존재하는 염화 카보닐기(carbonyl chloride)와 GO에 존재하는 히드록시간의 치환 반응을 통해 합성되었으며, 합성된 HP-GO를 고분자 기지체 대비 0.01~0.5 wt%까지 포함하는 복합 막을 제조하여 순수 Nafion과의 물성 차이를 비교하였다. 특정 함량의 HP-GO가 첨가된 복합 막은 순수 Nafion에 비해 우수한 인장강도와 수분 흡수율 및 치수안정성을 나타내었다. 특히 HP-GO의 산화 방지 특성으로 인해 HP-GO가 첨가된 복 합 막은 장시간의 펜톤 평가(Fenton’s test) 이후 순수 Nafion 대비 높은 산화 안정성을 나타내었다. 또한 HP-GO에 의한 향상 된 수분 흡수율에 의해 복합 막은 전 습도 구간에서 순수 Nafion 대비 우수한 수소 이온 전도도를 나타내었다.

본 연구에서는 산화 방지 특성이 있는 가려진 페놀기를 도입한 산화 그래핀(hindered phenol-grafted graphene oxide, HP-GO)을 합성한 후 탄화수소계 고분자인 sulfonated poly(arylene ether sulfone) (SPAES)을 기지체로 사용한 복합 막을 제조하여 고분자 연료전지 시스템에 응용하고자 하였다. HP-GO는 GO 표면의 하이드록시기(hydroxy group)와 HP의 염화 카 보닐(carbonyl chloride) 간의 친핵성 아실치환 반응을 통해 합성되었으며, HP-GO의 비율을 다르게 첨가한 복합 막을 제조한 후 선형 SPAES 막과의 비교를 통해 성능 특성 변화를 확인하였다. 특정 함량의 HP-GO를 첨가한 복합 막의 경우 선형 SPAES 막에 비해 체적 안정성과 기계적 강도 및 수소 이온 전도도가 증가된 것을 확인할 수 있었으며, 펜톤 평가(Fenton’s test) 진행 후 막 분해 시간 및 잔여 막 무게 비율이 증가되는 경향을 통해 화학적 내구성 역시 증가한 것을 확인할 수 있었다.

세계적인 탄소중립 정책 추진과 수소 에너지 수요 증가에 따라 고분자 전해질 수전해 및 연료전지 기술 개발이 활발히 이루어지고 있다. 해당 기술의 핵심 소재인 과불소계 술폰산 이오노머는 우수한 전기화학적 특성과 화학적 안정성을 가지고 있지만, 높은 제조비용, 한정된 공급망, 강화되는 환경 규제와 같은 문제로 인해 효과적인 재활용 및 재제조 기술이 요구되고 있다. 본 연구에서는 초임계 분산 기술을 통해 전해질막 및 막-전극접합체의 제조과정에서 발생하는 고활성을 갖는 전해질막 스크랩을 연료전지 전극바인더로 재제조하는 방법을 제시하고자 한다.

고온 구동형 고분자 전해질 막 연료전지(high temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell, HT-PEMFC)는 구동 중 발생되는 불순물에 대한 내성이 높고 물관리가 용이하며 고순도의 가스를 연료로 사용하지 않아도 되는 장점을 갖는 다. HT-PEMFC는 인산이 도핑된 막을 통해 수소이온이 전도되기 때문에 전해질 막의 높은 인산의 유지율이 요구된다. 본 총 설에서는 인산의 침출을 방지하여 고성능의 HT-PEMFC용 고분자 전해질 막을 개발하기 위해 1) 인산이 도핑된 전해질 막의 인산 침출에 영향을 미치는 요소를 파악한 후, 이를 개선하기 위해 2) 폴리벤즈이미다졸 기반 막과 인산과의 상호작용을 강 화하여 인산 침출을 방지할 수 있도록 고분자 구조 설계를 진행한 연구와 3) 이오노머의 이온교환 작용기와 인산과의 이온 쌍 상호작용을 통해 인산의 침출을 방지할 수 있도록 이오노머 구조 설계를 진행한 연구들에 대해 살펴보고자 한다.

In this study, flow analysis was performed using ANSYS CFX to evaluate the performance of the 30kg hydrogen fuel cell hexa-copter drone in hovering flight. In the case of a hydrogen fuel cell hexa-copter drone, a total of four cooling fans are mounted on the drone's body in two pairs on the left and right to cool the fuel cell module. In order to evaluate the effect of the air flow from the cooling fan on the aerodynamic properties of the hydrogen fuel cell drone as the mounted cooling fan operates, the change in thrust for the case where the cooling fan operates and does not operate was compared and analyzed. Looking at the analysis results, it was found that the presence or absence of the drone's cooling fan had little effect on the drone's thrust through the thrust results for the six wings.

The spent nuclear fuel, combusted and released in the nuclear power plant, is stored in the spent fuel pool (SFP) located in the fuel buildings interconnected with the reactors. In Korea, spent fuel has been stored exclusively in SFPs, prompting initiatives to expand storage capacity by either installing additional SFPs or replacing them with high-density spent fuel storage racks. The installation of these fuel racks necessitates obtaining a regulatory license contingent upon ensuring safe fuel handling and storage systems. Regulatory agencies mandate the formulation of various postulated accident scenarios and assessments covering criticality, shielding, thermal behavior, and structural integrity to ensure safe fuel handling and storage systems. This study describes an evaluation method for assessing the structural damage to storage racks resulting from fuel dropping as a part of the functional safety evaluation of these racks. A scenario was envisaged wherein fuel was dropped onto the base plates of the upper and lower sections of the storage racks, and the impact load was analyzed using the ABAQUS/Explicit program. The evaluation results revealed localized plastic deformation but affirmed the structural integrity and safety of the storage racks.

Interim dry cask storage systems comprising AISI 304 or 316 stainless steel canisters have become critical for the storage of spent nuclear fuel from light water reactors in the Republic of Korea. However, the combination of microstructural sensitization, residual tensile stress, and corrosive environments can induce chloride-induced stress corrosion cracking (CISCC) for stainless steel canisters. Suppressing one or more of these three variables can effectively mitigate CISCC initiation or propagation. Surface-modification technologies, such as surface peening and burnishing, focus on relieving residual tensile stress by introducing compressive stress to near-surface regions of materials. Overlay coating methods such as cold spray can serve as a barrier between the environment and the canister, while also inducing compressive stress similar to surface peening. This approach can both mitigate CISCC initiation and facilitate CISCC repair. Surface-painting methods can also be used to isolate materials from external corrosive environments. However, environmental variables, such as relative humidity, composition of surface deposits, and pH can affect the CISCC behavior. Therefore, in addition to research on surface modification and coating technologies, site-specific environmental investigations of various nuclear power plants are required.

Hydride analysis is required to assess the mechanical integrity of spent nuclear fuel cladding. Image segmentation, which is a hydride analysis method, is a technique that can analyze the orientation and distribution of hydrides in cladding images of spent nuclear fuels. However, the segmentation results varied according to the image preprocessing. Inaccurate segmentation results can make hydride difficult to analyze. This study aims to analyze the segmentation performance of the Otsu algorithm according to the morphological operations of cladding images. Morphological operations were applied to four different cladding images, and segmentation performance was quantitatively compared using a histogram, betweenclass variance, and radial hydride fraction. As a result, this study found that morphological operations can induce errors in cladding images and that appropriate combinations of morphological operations can maximize segmentation performance. This study emphasizes the importance of image preprocessing methods, suggesting that they can enhance the accuracy of hydride analysis. These findings are expected to contribute to the advancements in integrity assessment of spent nuclear fuel cladding.

국제해사기구는 국제해운의 온실가스 배출을 줄이기 위한 전략을 채택하였으며, 선박 기인 온실가스 배출을 줄이기 위해 보다 강화된 목표를 설정하고 있다. 액체수소를 기화시켜 연료로 사용하는 고분자 전해질 연료전지는 이러한 규제를 준수하기 위한 유망한 기 술 중 하나로 평가받고 있다. 일반적으로 선박시스템 설계는 선급의 규정에 따라야 하지만 환경규제가 강화됨에 따라 새로운 연료와 시 스템의 도입이 가속화되고 있으며, 이로 인해 규정개발이 기술의 도입을 따라가지 못하는 경우도 발생하고 있다. 이러한 격차를 해소하기 위해, 본 연구에서는 수소 연료가스공급 시스템을 대상으로 위험요소 및 운전분석 기법(HAZOP)과 보호계층분석 기법(LOPA)을 결합하여 신기술의 안전성을 검증하는 방법을 제시하였다. 먼저 HAZOP을 통해 위험 시나리오를 식별하고, LOPA를 통해 정성적인 HAZOP 결과를 정량적으로 보완하였다. 초기사건의 빈도와 독립보호계층(IPL)들의 작동 요구시 고장 확률(PFD)을 계산하였다. 기존 IPL의 적절성을 결정 하기 위해, 예상되는 완화 정도를 가정한 허용기준과 비교하였으며, 필요한 경우, 추가 IPL을 권장하였다. 본 연구를 통해서 HAZOP-LOPA 기법이 조선해양 분야에서 신기술의 안전성을 평가할 수 있는 잠재력을 가지고 있음을 확인하였다.

암모니아는 지구 온난화의 주범인 이산화탄소 배출이 없는 선박용 친환경 연료이다. 그러나 암모니아는 독성가스이면서 동시에 폭발성 및 부식성 가스로서, 선박용으로 사용되려면 누출에 대비한 안전성이 충분히 확보되어야 한다. 본 연구에서는 선박 연 료 준비실에서 암모니아 누출이 발생한 경우, 급․배기구의 위치 변화에 따른 누출 특성에 대하여 해석을 수행하고 환기 거동을 분석 하였다. 누출량은 0.1kg/s로 하고 통풍량은 30 ACH로 하였다. 급기구가 Aft-Top-Stbd, 배기구가 Fwd-Top-Stbd 에 위치 할 경우(Case 1) 가 100 초뒤 평균 암모니아 농도가 가장 높았고 급기구가 Aft-Bottom-Stbd, 배기구가 Fwd-Bottom-Port에 위치하는 경우(Case 14)가 가 장 낮았다. 50초 이후 Case 1은 약 1500ppm 이상의 암모니아 가스가 Aft 쪽으로, Case 14는 Fwd 벽면으로 정체부가 일정하게 나타났 다. 급·배기구 위치와 장비의 배치와 크기에 따라 높이별 암모니아 농도 및 속도가 다르게 분포되고 속도가 상대적으로 느린 부분에 서 정체부가 발생되고 암모니아 농도가 높아졌다. 소량의 암모니아가 10초 동안 0.1kg/s로 누출할 경우 폭발가스의 범위가 높이 1m 정도로 누출 지점 근처에서 형성되어 소량의 암모니아 누출 시 폭발성은 매우 낮았다. 본 연구에서 최적의 급·배기구 위치 조합을 통 해 암모니아 농도를 효과적으로 제어할 수 있음을 확인하였다. 이는 암모니아를 선박 연료로 사용할 때 안전성을 확보하기 위한 설계 기준 마련에 기여할 것으로 기대된다.

Because most spent nuclear fuel storage casks have been designed for low burnup fuel, a safety-significant high burnup dry storage cask must be developed for nuclear facilities in Korea to store the increasing high burnup and damaged fuels. More than 20% of fuels generated by PWRs comprise high burnup fuels. This study conducted a structural safety evaluation of the preliminary designs for a high burnup storage cask with 21 spent nuclear fuels and evaluated feasible loading conditions under normal, off-normal, and accident conditions. Two types of metal and concrete storage casks were used in the evaluation. Structural integrity was assessed by comparing load combinations and stress intensity limits under each condition. Evaluation results showed that the storage cask had secured structural integrity as it satisfied the stress intensity limit under normal, off-normal, and accident conditions. These results can be used as baseline data for the detailed design of high burnup storage casks.

To non-destructively determine the burnup of a spent nuclear fuel assembly, it is essential to analyze the nuclear isotopes present in the assembly and detect the neutrons and gamma rays emitted from these isotopes. Specifically, gamma-ray measurement methods can utilize a single radiation measurement value of 137Cs or measure based on the energy peak ratio of Cs isotopes such as 134Cs/137Cs and 154Eu/137Cs. In this study, we validated the extent to which the results of gamma-ray measurements using cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) sensors based on 137Cs could be accurately simulated by implementing identical conditions on MCNP. To simulate measurement scenarios using a lead collimator, we propose equations that represent radiation behavior that reaches the detector by assuming “Direct hit” and “Penetration with attenuation” situations. The results obtained from MCNP confirmed an increase in measurement efficiency by 0.47 times when using the CZT detector, demonstrating the efficacy of the measurement system.

The 300 concrete silo systems installed and operated at the site of Wolsong nuclear power plant (NPP) have been storing CANDU spent nuclear fuel (SNF) under dry conditions since 1992. The dry storage system must be operated safely until SNF is delivered to an interim storage facility or final repository located outside the NPP in accordance with the SNF management policy of the country. The silo dry storage system consists of a concrete structure, liner steel plate in the inner cavity, and fuel basket. Because the components of the silo system are exposed to high energy radiation owing to the high radioactivity of SNF inside, the effects of irradiation during long-term storage must be analyzed. To this end, material specimens of each component were manufactured and subjected to irradiation and strength tests, and mechanical characteristics before and after irradiation were examined. Notably, the mechanical characteristics of the main components of the silo system were affected by irradiation during the storage of spent fuel. The test results will be used to evaluate the long-term behavior of silo systems in the future.

This study presents a systematic causal analysis of the fuel consumption rate reduction phenomenon observed in mortar-carrier tracked vehicles during driving tests. The investigation focused on identifying the root causes and developing effective improvement measures. Through comprehensive inspections and tests of the chassis and power pack components, along with data analysis, the study identified the damage of the engine flywheel housing gasket and the clogging of the transmission exhaust pump strainer as the main causes of the reduced fuel consumption rate. The causal relationship between the two phenomena was empirically proven using material composition analysis and statistical techniques, enhancing the reliability and validity of the diagnosis. Based on the root cause analysis results, improvements were implemented, including the replacement of the engine gasket and the cleaning of the transmission exhaust pump strainer. The effectiveness of the improvements was quantitatively verified, confirming a significant enhancement in fuel consumption rate and cruising range. By employing a systematic and scientific analysis methodology, this study provides a foundation for improving the reliability and maintenance efficiency of similar weapon systems and power transmission systems in general.

In this study, the design of fuel tank for SUVs (sports utility vehicles) was addressed through structural FE-simulation. For safety evaluation, we performed a shape analysis of fuel tank, discovered improvement measures for weak areas, and reflected them in the fuel tank design. Additionally, a strength analysis was conducted and the analysis results were reflected in the design. As a result of analysis through various design changes, it was possible to propose an appropriate fuel tank shape. Additionally, the effect of changes in the shape of the reinforcement and mounting bracket on the stiffness and strength of the fuel tank bracket was investigated.

PURPOSES : This study analyzed the amount of fuel consumption and atmospheric emissions by type of asphalt concrete mixtures. METHODS : Asphalt concrete mixture was produced directly at the plant, fuel consumption was measured compared to daily production, and atmospheric emissions emitted during the production process were measured. Hot and warm asphalt mixtures were produced, and analyses were conducted according to weather conditions and production volume. RESULTS : The fuel use per ton was confirmed to reduce energy by approximately 23.5% in WMA compared to HMA due to differences in the production temperature during the production of asphalt mixtures. Additionally, HMA production yielded 1.6 times higher atmospheric emissions for CO2 and 3.8 times higher for NOx than that for WMA, indicating that CO2 and NOx emissions tended to increase as fuel consumption increased. CONCLUSIONS : When producing asphalt mixtures, the production temperature, production volume, atmospheric conditions, and site conditions have a significant impact on fuel usage and atmospheric emissions.