Press Release
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A green path to net zero carbon building A green path to net zero carbon buildingThe world's first application of CXP deck material for exterior useNATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGYimage: NZCB system test site (Gaho community center, Jinju city, Korea. view more Credit: Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building TechnologyThe Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT, President Kim, Byung-Suk) made a groundbreaking achievement in the field of ecological building technology with the development of new “Net Zero Carbon Building (NZCB) system”. This innovative system, designed to minimize both operating carbon and embodied carbon, holds the key to significantly reducing carbon emissions in the construction industry.Embodied carbon, which encompasses the carbon emissions generated during the production, transportation, construction and disposal of building materials, is a critical factor in addressing carbon neutrality. In addition to the well-known "operating carbon” emitted during the building's operational phase, the reduction of "embodied carbon” from the material production stage is essential. According to Global ABC’s 2019 report, operating and embedded carbon contribute to approximately 39% of global greenhouse gas emissions.Traditionally, the construction sector has primarily focused on optimizing operational energy, such as lighting and heating, to mitigate carbon emissions. However, minimizing embodied carbon is now recognized as a fundamental requirement for achieving carbon-neutral building. In response to this challenge, the Ecological Building Research Group at KICT (Dr. Hyeon Soo Kim, Dr. Soo-Young, Moon), has successfully developed a new NZCB system capable of simultaneously reducing both operational and embodied carbon. This groundbreaking system was recently tested in Jinju City, Korea.The research team, led by Dr. Hyeon Soo Kim, incorporated thirteen major technologies into the NZCB system. Among these technologies, the most noteworthy is the adoption of the eco-friendly cement (High Sulfated Calcium Silicate Cement, HSCSC), which has the remarkable capability of reducing CO2 emissions by more than 90% while minimizing environmental impact. Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), a commonly used concrete material, emits 1.2 kg of carbon per kg during production. In contrast, HSCSC emits only 0.07 kg of carbon per kg, resulting in a reduction of 1,130 kg of carbon emissions per ton compared to OPC.Another noteworthy advancement is the development of CXP (Cellulose X-linked Polymer), an eco-friendly thermoplastic composed solely of wood and natural resin. The research team pioneered the creation and application of CXP-based deck materials for exterior use, the first of its kind worldwide.To evaluate the efficacy of the NZCB system, the research team conducted monitoring of operational and embodied carbon reduction at the Gaho community center in Jinju City, Korea. A comparative analysis was carried out, comparing the environmental performance and embodied carbon emissions of the community center as a NZCB with that of a conventional Reinforced Concrete Building (RCB).Using the European Union's Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) guide, environmental performance was assessed across sixteen impact categories. The results indicated that the Gaho community center demonstrated superior environmental friendliness compared to steel concrete buildings. In particular, the impact on climate change, closely linked to carbon emissions, was nearly halved. Specifically, the embodied carbon impact was found to be 56.3% lower compared to the comparative RCB, resulting in a reduction of 25.7 tons of embodied carbon.Moreover, the recorded electrical energy consumption over a period of five months, starting from September 2022, suggests a potential yearly reduction of 2.2 tons of carbon emissions. This reduction is achieved by utilizing only half of the energy produced. Consequently, the Gaho community center in Jinju City emitted a total of 33.1 tons of carbon during its construction. However, the surplus electricity production is anticipated to offset 2.2 tons of embodied carbon emissions annually. This progress indicates that the Gaho community center aims to become a net zero carbon building within a span of 15 years.Dr. Hyeon Soo, Kim expressed, "The demonstration project's incorporation of thirteen innovative technologies will not only decrease carbon emissions and minimize environmental impacts in the construction industry but also make a significant contribution to the future growth of the ecological building market.” 작성일 2023/06/01
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No More Blind Spots in Building Energy Consumption Data
No More Blind Spots in Building Energy Consumption DataA newly developed affordable method of estimating heating and cooling energy consumption
10-May-2023 7:00 AM EDT, by National Research Council of Science and Technologyfavorite_borderCredit: Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building TechnologyThe Figure provides a research flowchart on the disaggregation performance comparison for heating and cooling energy use. It consists of four steps as follows.Newswise — The Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT, President Kim, Byung-Suk) developed an algorithm designed to help estimate heating and cooling consumption easily in buildings that cannot afford a building energy management system (BEMS).BEMS, which is a system designed to save energy, monitors in real time the energy consumption of buildings and provides building managers with optimized ways of energy management.The Korean government unveiled its “2050 Carbon Neutrality Roadmap for Land and Transportation” in December 2021 and set a challenging target of reducing emissions from 2018 levels by 80% by 2050. In line with the roadmap, the green remodeling of all buildings will become mandatory from 2025. However, most of the relevant regulations are focused on large, newly constructed, and energy-consuming buildings. Small-and medium-sized buildings below 1,000㎡, which account for at least 90% of existing buildings, are excluded.To reach carbon neutrality in buildings, technical support should be given to the relatively small buildings where maintenance is complex and expensive and therefore does not favour the adoption of BEMS. A more practical, realistic solution is required.Against this backdrop, a research team of the Department of Building Energy Research (Dr. Seung-Eon Lee, Dr. Deuk-Woo Kim) at KICT developed an algorithm that can easily separates and estimates the heating and cooling energy consumption from total consumption at lower cost than the existing method. It utilizes outdoor temperature data from the Korea Meteorological Administration and energy consumption data from the National Building Energy Database of the Korea Real Estate Board (REB).The algorithm uses the patterns of energy system operation, which vary across seasons; heating and cooling systems are used most in summer and winter and least in spring and autumn. Performance of the algorithm was compared and tested against extensive measurement data from 11 commercial buildings. The results showed that its error rate was within the low range between 5% and 17%.Application of the algorithm to the national energy database run by the REB will be discussed in the second half of this year. Then, a database of buildings’ heating and cooling energy consumption data will be established and make it available to all the buildings that pay energy bills. Benchmarking research on heating and cooling energy performance indicators will be conducted after the database is established.Dr. Seung-Eon Lee, who led the research, said, “The algorithm will help us quantitatively manage the progress toward carbon neutrality of buildings without a blind spot in energy consumption data.”This research accomplishment was a part of the project of the Ministry of Science and ICT, “Data-Centric Checkup Technique of Building Energy Performance (with Dr. Seung-Eon Lee as the project leader over the period from 2018 to 2022).”
작성일 2023/05/10
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Solving drought: providing consecutive water supply from advanced sand dam
Solving drought: providing consecutive water supply from advanced sand damVillagers in mountainous highlands no more suffer from water shortage during drought
27-Apr-2023 8:00 AM EDT, by National Research Council of Science and Technology1favorite_borderCredit: Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building TechnologyPhoto of the dam where water is retained by the dam and overflow.PreviousNextNewswise — The Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT, president Kim Byung-suk) announced the development of Korea’s first sand dam capable of supplying stable water to residents of mountainous highlands during periods of water shortage due to drought. Villagers no longer have to rely on water tank trucks during extreme drought.The coverage of waterworks for metropolitan and local water supply is nearly 97% in South Korea, but the remains are susceptible to experiencing water shortages during droughts. These regions not connected with waterworks are dependent on small-scale water supply facilities (5,920 facilities) that are sourced from valley water or groundwater. Water tank trucks often had to be mobilized to supply drinking water.In February 2016, water tank trucks and fire engines had to supply water to the nine villages in Chuncheon City, Korea because the valley water had frozen and the water sources had dried up. Residents in these regions suffer drinking water shortages in severe droughts because of their reliance on small-scale water sources. The Korean Ministry of Environment established a research group to study ways of utilizing groundwater in response to droughts. The group conducted research on new water supply for the water shortage areas, mainly located along the upstream reaches of rivers, from 2018 to 2022.Sand dams seem to be an effective solution for the valleys in mountainous areas in Korea. The technology that retains water in sand affords three advantages. Very little water is lost to evaporation; water quality improves as it passes through the sand bed; and the water does not freeze in winter.A sand dam stores water for later use in dry seasons in such arid regions as Africa where heavy rainfall occurs at rare intervals. During the flood, the dam traps turbid water and lets the sediment particles sink to the bottom for water to be stored in the sand. This primitive technology has been greatly modified and enhanced for drought solution in Korea.A research team (Dr. Lee, JeongWoo, Dr. Chang, Sun Woo, Dr. Kim, MinGyu) led by Dr. Chung, Il-Moon of the Department of Hydro Science and Engineering Research at KICT built Korea’s first bypass sand dam in Chuncheon City. The team applied the bypass type, a modified version of a sand dam, to avoid any potential unsafe issues when the dam blocks the river that runs fast through the valley.The modified sand dam indirectly takes groundwater flow retained in the ground, gravel, or sand bed next to the flowing river. The team built the sand dam at the lower part of the small intake reservoir at the side of the main waterway and filled the space behind the dam with sand. A perforated pipeline that carries water passing through the sand bed was laid near the bottom of the sand dam. A new technique of filter pack screen in the pipeline was adopted to prevent clogging problem.The construction of the sand dam greatly increased the usual flow rate of water to 150 cubic meters per day on average and the water quality was proven to be adequate for drinking. The dam is expected to supply water for at least 10 consecutive days even during a severe drought, which is considered a long-lasting solution to a drought. Management of the bypass sand dam was transferred to Chuncheon City in 2022.Dr. Chung said, “The sand dam demonstrated that it could ensure consistent water supply even in harsh droughts driven by climate change or freezing of valley water in winter. The technology is expected to greatly improve the quality of life in the local area, and it will likely be used in other regions.”
작성일 2023/04/27
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KICT Develops 3D Liquefaction Hazard Map
KICT Develops 3D Liquefaction Hazard MapApplied to Korean local governments through linkage with Seoul spatial information platform S-Map
19-Apr-2023 12:00 AM EDT, by National Research Council of Science and Technology1favorite_borderCredit: Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technologythis figure is a capture of 3D liquefaction hazard map of Seoul applied to S-map.PreviousNextNewswise — Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT, president Kim Byung-suk), has successfully developed a “three-dimensional liquefaction hazard map” that visually presents ground liquefaction forecasts in the event of an earthquake.Liquefaction is a phenomenon in which the ground surface loses its stiffness and acts like a liquid due to the repeated application of large forces generated by an earthquake. It can cause buildings or other structures to tilt or collapse, taking a heavy toll in terms of lives and property. The phenomenon, which became widely known after the 1964 Niigata and Alaska earthquakes, wreaked havoc across a broader range of ground in the 2011 Christchurch and Great East Japan earthquakes. So far, liquefaction-related damage has been frequently reported around the world.A research team(Dr. Han, Jin-Tae, Dr. Kim, Jongkwan) at KICT’s Department of Geotechnical Engineering Research developed a 3D liquefaction hazard map that is connected to Korea’s geotechnical information portal, a database system for ground data. The map displays liquefaction risks by region in 3D upon the occurrence of an earthquake. Ground made up of soil tends to maintain its solid state up until becoming more liquid-like in the process of liquefaction, which is known as liquefaction resistance. Liquefaction resistance varies in different regions to each region’s distinct soil composition.The research team calculated the factor of safety against liquefaction by comparing the forces applied to the ground generated by an earthquake and the soil’s resistance to liquefaction. For the calculation of regional liquefaction resistance, the team used the database of the geotechnical information portal built by KICT. It then rendered the 3D liquefaction hazard map by visualizing the safety factors by ground depth.Typically, 2D liquefaction hazard maps are created because most structures are built on the ground surface. However, such maps are not sufficient in places like Korea that make the most of underground space due to limited land, as they are unable to accurately identify risks underground. However, the 3D map can determine the risks in underground spaces as well as those on the ground. The research team also improved the existing spatial interpolation method to apply it to the 3D map. Spatial interpolation is the process of estimating the values at unknown points by using points with known values.KICT integrated the 3D liquefaction hazard map with S-Map OpenLab, the spatial data platform of the Seoul Metropolitan Government. S-Map is a 3D virtual reality version of Seoul that was designed to help establish policies in various areas including safety, environment and city planning and solve urban issues. The integration of the 3D liquefaction map and S-Map is expected to enable the monitoring of risks to structures not only in underground spaces but also on the ground.Dr. Han, Jin-Tae, who led the research, said, “The 3D liquefaction hazard map in connection with the national geotechnical information portal system is expected to advance the related technology because the map includes 3D ground data for the safe management of underground spaces. The integration of the map with Seoul’s S-Map will serve as a model that can be applied to a variety of related areas.”
작성일 2023/04/19
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KICT Represents Korea in IEA’s Energy in Buildings
KICT Represents Korea in IEA’s Energy in BuildingsKorean representative in the IEA EBC Programme, world’s leading international research body on energy in buildings
11-Apr-2023 8:00 AM EDT, by National Research Council of Science and Technologyfavorite_borderCredit: Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building TechnologyThe 92th IEA EBC Executive Committee MeetingNewswise — The Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT, President Kim, Byung-suk) has been participating as Korea’s representative organization in the Energy in Buildings and Communities (EBC) programme, an Technical Cooperation Programme under the International Energy Agency (IEA), since 2005.The International Energy Agency Energy in Buildings and Communities Programme (IEA EBC) is an international research organization with 25 member countries including the United States, Japan, Germany, France, and, more recently, Brazil and Turkey. Established in 1977 in response to the global energy crisis, EBC aims to conduct research on conserving energy and boosting efficiency in buildings and communities through international cooperation. It has a long history of continued research on the construction of zero energy buildings and communities, as well as reliable energy efficiency technologies for existing buildings and communities.Dr. Lee, Seung-Eon of the KICT Department of Building Energy Research participated in the 92nd meeting of the Executive Committee of IEA EBC held in Istanbul, Nov 8-10, 2022 as the country representative of Korea. Discussions on the IEA EBC’s strategic plan for 2025-2029 were held, and four new projects (“Open BIM for Energy Efficient Buildings”, “Low Carbon High Comfort Integrated Lighting”, “Retrofitting Heat Pumps in Large Non-domestic Buildings”, “Implementing Net Zero Emissions Buildings”) were proposed. Korea expressed interest in the heat pump and net zero emissions building projects. In particular, it brought up the importance of researching the impact of human activities alongside system efficiency in net-zero emissions buildings. KICT is currently constructing building energy check-up service platform for wide area based on spatial information and public data, and plans to participate in EBC’s new projects based on this.With growing global interest in carbon neutrality in buildings as a climate change solution, recent EBC research has been focusing on ways to raise a building’s energy efficiency, as well as improving and efficiently distributing the energy production capacities of buildings and communities. For carbon neutrality in the building sector, the role of building codes is emphasized, and for this purpose, the Building Energy Code Working Group is being operated in EBC.KICT became a full member of IEA EBC in 2005 after first participating as an observer in 2003, and Dr. Lee, Seung-Eon of KICT has been Korea’s representative in the program since then. Korea has successfully hosted two Executive Committee Meetings (ExCo) of IEA EBC, the first in 2005 and second in 2015.Korea first participated in an EBC international joint research project in 2007, AIVC which specializes on building ventilation(KICT, Dr. Lee, Yun-Gyu)Many Korean experts including KICT have since participated in 12 international joint research projects under IEA EBC, including zero-energy buildings (Annex 52) in 2011, micro-generation (Annex 54) in 2012, and building LCA (Annex 72, KICT’s Dr. Chae, Chang U) in 2016.Dr. Lee, Seung-Eon commented, “Participation in international organizations in the various research fields could work as an effective way to share in advanced technologies and promote Korean technology to the world.”
작성일 2023/04/11
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KICT Develops a Ground & Structure Collapse Detection Sensor
KICT Develops a Ground & Structure Collapse Detection SensorA smart sensor and system capable of detecting imminent ground or structure collapses is now available
28-Mar-2023 12:00 AM EDT, by National Research Council of Science and Technologyfavorite_borderCredit: Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building TechnologyPhoto of the site attaching the developed sensor in the lava cave.PreviousNextNewswise — The Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT, President Kim Byung-suk) developed a smart sensor that detects signs of ground or structure collapses and a real-time remote monitoring system.The development of the sensor and system began with a search for a method of instant sensing of the collapse of slopes or buildings caused by ground movement for immediate response. This led to the development of a smart sensor that turns on a LED warning light upon detecting ground movement. The existing systems that measure the ground movement are not widely used because they are intended for use by experts and are costly and difficult to use.Dr. Baek, Yong at the Department of Geotechnical Engineering Research at KICT, thermal camera & image sensor venture company “emtake”, and KICT’s 1st Research-based Spin-off Company “JAK Co., Ltd”, jointly developed highly-efficient entry-level sensors and systems that can be deployed for continuous monitoring of ground movement in high-risk areas.The sensors can be easily installed 1m ~ 2m apart in areas susceptible to collapses. They detect changes in slope as subtle as 0.03°. Upon sensing signs of a collapse, they immediately turn on an LED light to give a warning. The sensors have highly-efficient optical transmitting lens technology, so the LED alert is visible to the naked eye even at a distance of 100 meters at day or night. When the warning light turns on, those in the situation room can remotely ascertain what is happening in the affected area in real time. This helps them take additional measures such as sharing the developments of the collapse with the appropriate authorities.The sensors are much easier to install and cost much less than the existing sensors, and their cost of installation and operation are more than 50% lower. What is more, they can run almost a year without battery replacement thanks to their ultra-low power consumption. The sensors are expected to be widely used in areas with distinct seasonal variations because they endure and function well even at extreme temperatures of −30℃ to 80℃.To prevent false alarms, an algorithm in the sensors analyzes and evaluates the risk based on the conditions of the monitored locations. The sensors can be used at sites of construction, public works, tunneling work, dilapidated buildings, and historical properties, as well as mines, underground structures, areas susceptible to landslides, and so forth.The sensors were installed on a pilot basis in lava tubes on Jejudo Island, cut slopes alongside national roads and slopes in mountainous areas, and alongside the GTX-A high-speed railways in the Seoul metropolitan area. It is expected that they will be installed at more and more sites of major construction projects as well as building demolitions.Dr. Baek said, “The current detection technology cannot respond very quickly to a collapse because it takes so much time to analyze and interpret the data.”“This new sensor technology will greatly reduce the time to take action and, therefore, do a great deal to help prevent and respond to collapses,” he added.This achievement is the outcome of research related to the “Development of A Countermeasure System against Jeju-type Subsidence for Safe Roads (from 2020 to 2022)” task, one of the KICT’s major projects (a project for inter-regional cooperation), supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT.
작성일 2023/03/28
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KICT Develops World’s First STF-based Stemming Solution for the Construction Blasting Industry
KICT Develops World’s First STF-based Stemming Solution for the Construction Blasting IndustryKICT developed a stemming material using shear thickening fluid, Up to 50% reduction of blasting vibrations in urban centers
21-Mar-2023 8:00 AM EDT, by National Research Council of Science and Technology5favorite_borderCredit: Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building TechnologyThe lower the measured ejection pressure value, the lower the loss of explosive pressure in the blast hole. The longer the duration of the explosive pressure, the greater the energy that can be used to fracture the rock.PreviousNextNewswise — Breaking news in the world of construction and mining; Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT, President Kim Byung-suk) has developed the world’s first shear thickening fluid (STF) based stemming solution. This is the first time that a STF has been developed into a blasting construction material or product for stemming, promising to revolutionize construction blasting with groundbreaking levels of efficiency and safety.Blasting is a crucial process in both mining and construction. However, low blasting efficiency has been an issue that has long plagued the blasting industry. Low blasting efficiency is when the target (most commonly rock) is not well broken down compared to the mass of explosives used. Selecting the right stemming material plays an important part in optimizing blasting operations, allowing reduced costs and enhancing the productivity and profitability of excavation and mining.Stemming is a process in industrial blasting in which a blasting hole is sealed with stemming materials to prevent the leaking of explosion gases from the blast hole. The use of inadequate stemming materials can lead to over 50% of the explosive energy being lost during a blasting operation. On top of the economic loss incurred by the waste of resources, the excess energy that leaks into the outward is converted to ground vibrations and noise, which may even cause environmental damage.This STF-based stemming solution has been named “SMART-STEM” by the team of KICT researchers who developed it. The research team at the KICT Department of Geotechnical Engineering Research (Dr. Moonkyung Chung, Dr. Younghun Ko, Dr. Seunghwan Seo) performed numerous tests over a period of 3 years from 2020 onward. The findings showed that “SMART-STEM” increased resistance to the eruption of explosive gases by 330% compared to the conventional sand-based stemming materials, while rock blasting performance was improved by more than 60%. On-site demonstration of tunnel blasting in urban centers with high population density was also completed through a third-party validation test conducted in August 2022 in a very deep underground urban expressway construction site in Busan, South Korea. The excavation rate per blast increased greatly, with a reduction in total explosive consumption of up to 20%, leading to a reduction of ground blasting vibration in residential area of up to 50%.The newly developed “SMART-STEM” offers consistently robust and uniform sealing performance, reducing explosive consumption in blasting sites by simply substituting the existing stemming material with an affordable STF-based material. Moreover, with enhanced tunnel excavation rate per blast and reduced secondary work time, it can help reduce construction costs by up to 17%.The lead researcher of the project, Dr. Moonkyung Chung, commented, “I anticipate ‘SMART-STEM’ to be utilized as a mainstay of tunnel construction and other blasting projects in the urban centers of Korea. The construction blasting industry will be able to achieve more efficiency and effectiveness in blasting projects, raising their productivity and profitability by adopting the ‘SMART-STEM’ technology.”“SMART-STEM” was developed by a research team (2020∼2022, Team Leader: Dr. Moonkyung Chung) at the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology as a task under one of the institute’s key projects, “Development of new stemming material and blasting method using shear thickening fluid by high shock wave reaction.”
작성일 2023/03/22
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Read the invisible pores in CT images
Read the invisible pores in CT imagesA novel method for estimating porosity and homogeneity of porous materials
14-Mar-2023 12:00 AM EDT, by National Research Council of Science and Technologyfavorite_borderCredit: Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building TechnologyThe concept of “Mixel” and its difference from the “black and white” in the traditional binarization methodCredit: Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology(left) The sintered lunar regolith simulant sample with its cross-sectional CT image ; (right) The SPF method tells local porosities suggesting inhomogeneous internal structurePreviousNextNewswise — Porous materials are ubiquitous—from ceramics to soils and rocks to human bone and various components, that are everywhere in daily life and are critical to virtually medical and all industrial construction and energy processes. Many construction materials are porous, such as typical concrete and cement. In recent years, with increasing interest in the lunar exploration and base construction, building materials manufactured through sintering of the in situ resources (i.e., lunar regolith) and characterization on the sintered porous materials have attracted more and more attention. Most porous materials are composed of matrix and pores at microscale or nanoscale which are invisible to human eyes.Most people heard of CT (Computed Tomography) scan, when they are getting the physical examination in the hospital. X-ray CT has been widely used to analyze porous materials for its major advantage of quantitative measurement of pore structures even at nanoscopic scale. The Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT, President Kim Byung-Suk) owns a high-tech multi-tube industrial CT scanner, which has been successfully applied in various research fields and provided services for many research entities and enterprise in domestic and overseas. Over years’ experience in running CT scanning and image processing lay a sound foundation for developing new analysis method of material characterization.The KICT announced that the research team led by Dr. Hyusoung Shin has developed a new method, named the statistical phase fraction (SPF) method, to estimate porosity and to evaluate homogeneity of porous materials dominated by sub-resolution pores via CT image analysis.A traditional and the simplest segmentation technique is the binarization method, where a threshold pixel intensity value is selected to divide the image into two portions and pores are usually grouped into the portion that has pixel values smaller than the threshold. However this approach can only deal with pore size that is great than or equal to 1 pixel. The research team introduces a new term of “Mixel” (Fig. 1), which represents a pixel or a voxel consisting of two or more phases. This method employs Gaussian function fitting on the CT histogram and the CT number for each single phase (e.g., air, water, pure solid) that was included in the sample. The total porosity for any given bulk volume with irregular shape can be estimated.Based on a lot of trial and error crossing many years, this method has been successfully applied in estimation of porosity and evaluation of homogeneity of sintered lunar regolith simulant, which is expected to be a candidate construction material for future moon construction (Fig. 2). Dr. Li Zhuang from KICT commented that “The SPF method has a big advantage over existent methods that it can estimate local porosity for any arbitrary part of a given sample without destroying the sample. This is extremely useful for evaluation of sample homogeneity.” The research team saw great potential in the newly developed SPF method for its applications to other porous fine-grained materials, such as bentonite and engineered cement used for construction materials of nuclear waste disposal facilities.
작성일 2023/03/15
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A Renewable Energy-Based Bi-directional Heat Trade System
A Renewable Energy-Based Bi-directional Heat Trade SystemReducing Carbon Emissions by Leveraging Excess Heat from Buildings
6-Mar-2023 7:00 AM EST, by National Research Council of Science and Technologyfavorite_borderCredit: Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building TechnologyPhoto of demonstration facilityPreviousNextNewswise — Global energy trends are shifting toward Digitalization, Decarbonization, and Decentralization. Global warming and climate anomalies attributable to environmental pollution featured in the daily news indicate that the threats of climate change are no longer far-fetched. According to a report published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), carbon emissions from urban areas in 2020 accounted for 67% to 72% of the total emissions. Globally, efforts are being made to reduce carbon emissions from urban areas and buildings through provision of renewable energy and construction of zero-energy buildings.A research team at the Department of Building Energy Research of the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT, President Kim Byung-suk), has developed a bi-directional heat trade system that utilizes excess heat from renewable energy including solar heat in an effort to achieve carbon neutrality in buildings.Solar heat, geothermal heat, and fuel cells are increasingly used either individually or together in hybrid systems to reduce the heating and cooling energy used in buildings. However, such systems are likely to produce excess heat due to mismatch between the building’s heat demand and the renewable-based heat supply. Excess heat, or waste heat, is heat that is not used after intermittent heat production. For example, during the spring in Korea when solar radiation is adequate, sufficient heat can be generated. However, the season does not require a high level of heating, thereby leading to waste of some of the heat. The research team, led by Research Fellow Yongki Kim, developed a system that helps buildings trade the excess heat bi-directionally via heating pipes after self-consumption in areas where there are high concentrations of buildings.The team configured a network of heating pipes for the three buildings of the KICT located in Ilsan, Korea and used an array of solar and geothermal heat and fuel cells as the sources of heat. Two 944m2 solar thermal collectors were installed in the outdoor parking lot and on the rooftop, and a heat pump for a 310kWth geo-thermal heat source, a 10kWp fuel-cell system and two thermal storage facilities of 40m3 and 10m3 capacities were built.The simulation and the proof of concept proved that the twin pipe is effective in the network of low-temperature heat pipes with about 10% heat loss. When there is enough sunlight, hot water for heating is supplied by solar heat to the secondary pipe of district heating through a heat exchanger. When there is insufficient sunlight, hot water can be supplied through the heat pump system of the geothermal source and the fuel-cell system. The bi-directional heat trade system can be controlled both manually and automatically at the integrated control center.Renewable heat energy applied to a building is usually for self-consumption. In a small-scale district heating system, supply and demand facilities are separated and heat is supplied unidirectionally. In this study, the bi-directional heat trade system was implemented, improving the utilization rate of renewable heat source facilities and system efficiency.Yongki Kim, the head of the research team said, “The system has potential to increase the use of renewable heat energy in cities and buildings, which will ultimately reduce their carbon emissions.”
작성일 2023/03/07
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Safety technology for hydrogen infrastructure in underground space Safety technology for hydrogen infrastructure in underground spaceActive control system to minimize impact from hydrogen leaks and blastsPeer-Reviewed PublicationNATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGYPrintEmail App IMAGE: HYDROGEN EXPLOSION TEST WAS CONDUCTED IN ENCLOSURE. HERE, ENCLOSURE IS COMPRISED OF REINFORCED CONCRETE AND ALMOST SEALED. HYDROGEN SUPPLIED INTO ENCLOSURE WAS 20%. THIS SERIES OF PHOTO SHOWS STRUCTURE DAMAGE DUE TO EVOLUTION OF DEFLAGRATION IN ENCLOSURE JUST AFTER IGNITION. view more CREDIT: KOREA INSTITUTE OF CIVIL ENGINEERING AND BUILDING TECHNOLOGYAs an energy source that would help countries achieve carbon neutrality and energy security, hydrogen energy is being sought after globally as the energy source of the future. To this end, the European Union(EU) has introduced its strategy on hydrogen, implementing its plan to invest €470 billion(623 trillion Korean won) in 10 years to build a hydrogen-based society in the region. Germany, one of the most ardent supporters of global green initiatives, has put forward a national hydrogen strategy to invest a total of 1.2 trillion Korean won by 2030. The South Korean government is also investing in hydrogen city projects and infrastructure construction to inch closer to getting the hydrogen economy up and running.The Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT, President Kim Byung-suk) announced its plan to develop technologies pertaining to the entire course of an underground hydrogen infrastructure project, from its design and construction to its operation and management. Such technologies would fundamentally improve the safety of hydrogen facilities. The construction of new infrastructure in the CBD area may bring a more efficient integration with other renewable energy networks and help the development of source technologies for hydrogen infrastructure construction, technologies for which South Korea has depended on sourcing from other advanced countries. Safe and reliable infrastructure is crucial to the establishment of a hydrogen ecosystem. However, any ground-level hydrogen facility project tends to face fierce opposition from local residents, and the alternative of building them peripherally makes the project less cost-effective and efficient. Dr. Kim Yangkyun of the Hydrogen-infrastructure Research Cluster at KICT has developed the core safety engineering technologies for building reliable hydrogen infrastructure underground along with an active control system to mitigate the impact of possible hydrogen leaks and blasts. The new system can help control the ambient hydrogen concentration within an underground facility at all times via forced ventilation and can reduce risk up to 80% compared with similar above-ground facilities thanks to the introduction of roof-type vents that minimize blast overpressure in times of an emergency. Basically, any underground hydrogen infrastructure is an enclosed space. All risks of a potential blast should be eliminated by keeping the ambient hydrogen concentration below the Lower Flammable Limit (LFL) whenever a leak occurs. The active control system that Dr. Kim Yangkyun’s research team proposed maintains the quality of the atmosphere of the enclosed space to a normal level and can prevent blast accidents at times of emergency hydrogen gas leaks. An optimized interpretation was used, including multiple factors (shape, location, intake, and outtake capacities of the inlet/outlet) to formulate the conditions for ordinary times and for an emergency where the concentration of hydrogen gas in the facility is kept below the LFL or 4% of hydrogen by volume. If the active control system malfunctions and an explosion occurs, such an impact should be minimal. The roof-type vent of the deflagration venting system can reduce damage from blast overpressure inside the facility to a 20th. The real-scale experiment of vented deflagration conducted at KICT in 2021 showed that the maximum overpressure reduction effect could be obtained due to a sudden drop in blast overpressure when the explosion vent is bigger than the vent coefficient standard of 2.2. The effectiveness remained constant regardless of the hydrogen concentration or point of the deflagration. Another model was presented to calculate the size of the roof-type vent for the safe design of the underground hydrogen facility. The improved model was built on the minimum vent size model specified in guide NFPA68 of the US National Fire Protection Association to apply to underground hydrogen facilities. The research team focused on the fusion of functions: ventilations in normal time and after a blast accident. Dr. Kim Yangkyun, the head of the research team said, “The dual system of active control ventilation and the roof type vent is an integrated security technology for both emergency and non-emergency situations responding to all risks incurred in an accident by making the most of the limited cross-section area of the vent.” 작성일 2023/02/27
