• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• 제34권4호
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• pp.195-200
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• 2009

원전에서는 많은 종류의 방사성물질이 생성되어 일부는 환경으로 방사성유출물로서 배출되고 있다. 이러한 방사성유출물 중에서 탄소 동위원소인 Carbon-14는 자연에서 이미 높은 준위의 백그라운드를 형성하고 있기 때문에, 원전에서 Carbon-14가 배출되더라도 환경이나 일반인의 피폭방사선량에 미치는 영향이 미미하여 과거에는 배출감시와 환경감시를 수행하지 않았다. 그런데, 핵연료 제조기술 발달과 운전방법 개선으로 핵연료로부터 불활성기체와 입자방사성물질의 방출이 계속 감소하고 있다. 또한 방사선계측기술의 향상에 따라 삼중수소와 Carbon-14 같은 저준위 베타방사능 핵종의 검출준위가 낮아져, 이들 핵종이 일반인 선량평가에서 미치는 비율이 상대적으로 높아지고 있다. 본 논문은 원자력시설에서 발생하는 Carbon-14에 대해 미국의 기술보고서와 논문 등을 검토하여 배출관리와 환경 영향평가에 대한 방사선감시의 기술적 배경을 조사하였다. 이를 바탕으로 Carbon-14 방사성핵종의 배출감시 방안에 대한 타당성을 제시하고자 하였다.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• 제34권2호
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• pp.55-64
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• 2009

In a pressurized heavy water reactor (PHWR), radiation workers who have access to radiation controlled areas submit their urine samples to health physicists periodically; internal radiation exposure is evaluated by the monitoring of these urine samples. Internal radiation exposure at PHWRs accounts for approximately 20 $\sim$ 40% of total radiation exposure; most internal radiation exposure is attributed to tritium. Carbon-14 is not a dominant nuclide in the radiation exposure of workers, but it is one potential nuclide to be necessarily monitored. Carbon-14 is a low energy beta emitter and passes relatively easily into the body of workers by inhalation because its dominant chemical form is radioactive carbon dioxide ($^{14}CO_2$). Most inhaled carbon-14 is rapidly exhaled from the worker's body, but a small amount of carbon-14 remains inside the body and is excreted by urine. In this study, a method for dual analysis of tritium and carbon-14 in urine samples of workers at nuclear power plants is developed and a method for internal dose assessment using its excretion rate result is established. As a result of the developed dual analysis of tritium and carbon-14 in urine samples of radiation workers who entered the high radiation field area at a PHWR, it was found that internal exposure to carbon-14 is unlikely to occur. In addition, through the urine counting results of radiation workers who participated in the open process of steam generators, it was found that the likelihood of internal exposure to either tritium or carbon-14 is extremely low at pressurized water reactors (PWRs).

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• 제28권3호
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• pp.207-213
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• 2003

$^{14}C$은 중수로원전에서 연돌(Stack)을 통해 방출되는 중요한 방사성 핵종중의 하나로, 대략 95% 가량이 이산화탄소의 형태로 발생되고 방출되고 있다. 방사성탄소는 발생에너지가 낮은 베타 방출체로서 외부피폭은 크게 영향을 미치지 않는다. 따라서 중수로에서 탄소는 흡입이나 섭취를 통해 작업자 체내로 유입되는 경우에만 내부피폭을 일으키고 있다. 일반적으로 탄소는 신체에서 불활성 기체와 같은 거동을 보이기 때문에 섭취경로에 의한 피폭이 흡입경로에 의한 피폭보다 훨씬 높은 것으로 알려져 있다. 따라서 작업장에서 탄소의 흡입에 의한 방사선 피폭은 거의 일어나지 않으나 캐나다 원전의 압력관 교체 작업시 아주 소량의 피폭을 일으킨 경험이 있다. 본 논문은 원전 작업장에서 일어날 수 있는 방사성탄소의 흡입에 대비하여 방사선 피폭평가를 위한 방사선방호 프로그램을 수립할 목적으로 방사성탄소의 인체 대사모델 등에 대한 분석을 수행하였다.

• 한국환경과학회지
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• 제5권4호
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• pp.429-440
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• 1996

A global carbon cycle model (GCCM), that incorporates interaction among the terrestrial biosphere, ocean, and atmosphere, was developed to study the carbon cycling aid global carbon budget, especially due to anthropogenic $CO_2$ emission. The model that is based on C, 13C and 14C mass balance, was calibrated with the observed $CO_2$ concentration, $\delta$13C and $\Delta$14C in the atmosphere, Δ14C in the soil, and $\Delta$14C in the ocean. Also, GCCM was constrained by the literature values of oceanic carbon uptake and CO, emissions from deforestation. Inputs (forcing functions in the model) were the C, 13C and 14C as $CO_2$ emissions from fossil fuel use, and 14C injection into the stratosphere by bomb-tests. The simulated annual carbon budget of 1980s due to anthropoRenic $CO_2$ shows that the global sources were 5.43 Gt-C/yr from fossil fuel use and 0.91 Gt-C/yr from deforestation, and the sinks were 3.29 Gt-C/yr in the atmosphere, 0.90 Gt-C/yr in the terrestrial biosphere and 2.15 Gt-C/yr in the ocean. The terrestrial biosphere is currently at zero net exchange with the atmosphere, but carbon is lost cia organic carbon runoff to the ocean. The model could be utilized for a variety of studies in $CO_2$ policy and management, climate modeling, $CO_2$ impacts, and crop models.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제49권4호
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• pp.873-880
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• 2017

To identify the feasibility of disposing of spent activated carbon as a clearance level waste, we performed characterization of radioactive pollution for spent activated carbon through radioisotope analysis; results showed that the C-14 concentrations of about half of the spent activated carbon samples taken from Korean NPPs exceeded the clearance level limit. In this situation, we selected thermal treatment technology to remove C-14 and analyzed the moisture content and thermal characteristics. The results of the moisture content analysis showed that the moisture content of the spent activated carbon is in the range of 1.2-23.9 wt% depending on the operation and storage conditions. The results of TGA indicated that most of the spent activated carbon lost weight in 3 temperature ranges. Through py-GC/MS analysis based on the result of TGA, we found that activated carbon loses weight rapidly with moisture desorption reaching to $100^{\circ}C$ and desorbs various organic and inorganic carbon compounds reaching to $200^{\circ}C$. The result of pyrolysis analysis showed that the experiment of C-14 desorption using thermal treatment technology requires at least 3 steps of heat treatment, including a heat treatment at high temperature over $850^{\circ}C$, in order to reduce the C-14 concentration below the clearance level.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• 제44권1호
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• pp.99-111
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• 2022

Together with the development of measurement techniques, radiocarbon (¹⁴C) has been increasingly used as a key tool to investigate carbon cycling and associated biogeochemistry in the ocean. In this paper, the current status of radiocarbon studies in the East Sea (Japan Sea) is reviewed. Previously, spatiotemporal distribution and change of the water masses in the East Sea from 1979 to 1999 were investigated by using the ¹⁴C in the dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). Researches on sinking particulate organic carbon (POC) revealed that POC in the deep ocean has more complex and heterogeneous origins than we expected. In particular, since 2011, Korean researchers have been collecting sinking particle samples for more than 10 years, so it is expected that ¹⁴C of POC will provide important information to understand carbon cycling in relation to climate change. Although the quantity of ¹⁴C data published in the East Sea is still limited, the importance and the future direction of using ¹⁴C to understand the biogeochemical mechanisms of carbon cycling and its role as a carbon reservoir in the East Sea are detailed herein.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제45권2호
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• pp.211-218
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• 2013

Large quantities of irradiated graphite waste from graphite-moderated nuclear reactors exist and are expected to increase in the case of High Temperature Reactor (HTR) deployment [1,2]. This situation indicates the need for a graphite waste management strategy. Of greatest concern for long-term disposal of irradiated graphite is carbon-14 ($^{14}C$), with a half-life of 5730 years. Fachinger et al. [2] have demonstrated that thermal treatment of irradiated graphite removes a significant fraction of the $^{14}C$, which tends to be concentrated on the graphite surface. During thermal treatment, graphite surface carbon atoms interact with naturally adsorbed oxygen complexes to create $CO_x$ gases, i.e. "gasify" graphite. The effectiveness of this process is highly dependent on the availability of adsorbed oxygen compounds. The quantity and form of adsorbed oxygen complexes in pre- and post-irradiated graphite were studied using Time of Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) and Xray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) in an effort to better understand the gasification process and to apply that understanding to process optimization. Adsorbed oxygen fragments were detected on both irradiated and unirradiated graphite; however, carbon-oxygen bonds were identified only on the irradiated material. This difference is likely due to a large number of carbon active sites associated with the higher lattice disorder resulting from irradiation. Results of XPS analysis also indicated the potential bonding structures of the oxygen fragments removed during surface impingement. Ester- and carboxyl-like structures were predominant among the identified oxygen-containing fragments. The indicated structures are consistent with those characterized by Fanning and Vannice [3] and later incorporated into an oxidation kinetics model by El-Genk and Tournier [4]. Based on the predicted desorption mechanisms of carbon oxides from the identified compounds, it is expected that a majority of the graphite should gasify as carbon monoxide (CO) rather than carbon dioxide ($CO_2$). Therefore, to optimize the efficiency of thermal treatment the graphite should be heated to temperatures above the surface decomposition temperature increasing the evolution of CO [4].

• Carbon letters
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• 제14권1호
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• pp.1-13
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• 2013

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are increasingly attracting scientific and industrial interest because of their outstanding characteristics, such as a high Young's modulus and tensile strength, low density, and excellent electrical and thermal properties. The incorporation of CNTs into polymer matrices greatly improves the electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties of the materials. Surface modification of CNTs can improve their processibility and dispersion within the composites. This paper aims to review the surface modification of CNTs, processing technologies, and mechanical and electrical properties of CNT-based epoxy composites.

• Carbon letters
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• 제14권2호
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• pp.99-104
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• 2013

We investigated the effects of parametric synthesis conditions of catalysts such as sintering temperature, sorts of supports and compositions of catalysts on alignment and length-control of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) using catalyst powders. To obtain aligned CNTs, several parameters were changed such as amount of citric acid, calcination temperature of catalysts, and the sorts of supports using the combustion method as well as to prepare catalyst. CNTs with different lengths were synthesized as portions of molybdenum and iron using a chemical vapor deposition reactor. In this work, the mechanisms of alignment of CNTs and of the length-control of CNTs are discussed.

• 한국방사성폐기물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국방사성폐기물학회 2005년도 추계 학술대회 논문집
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• pp.317-320
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• 2005

방사선방호 신개념(ICRP-60)이 국내에서 법제화되어 2003년부터 시행됨에 따라 원자력발전소에 대한 보다 엄격해진 방사선방호 기준이 적용되고 있다 특히, 중수로 원자력발전소의 경우 $^{14}C$와 삼중수소로 인한 방사선작업종사자에 대한 방사선 위해가 경수로 원자력발전소보다 상대적으로 의기 때문에 작업종사자의 내부피폭 선량을 정확하게 측정하고 평가하여 내부피폭을 예방하는 노력이 필요하다. 본 보고서에는 중수로 원자력발전소에서 발생된 $^{14}C$의 체내 흡입으로 인한 방사선 작업종사자의 내부피폭 선량평가 방법을 정립하기 위해 예비적으로 $^{14}C$로 인한 인체대사모델을 분석하였고 $^{14}C$에 대한 내부피폭 선량평가 방법을 기술하였다.