• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.9
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• pp.3051-3057
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• 2021

The concrete is considered as an important radiation shielding material employed widely in nuclear reactors, particle accelerators, laboratory hot cells and other different radiation sources. The present research is dedicated to the shielding properties study of the ordinary concrete reinforced with different weight fractions of lead oxide micro/nano particles. Lead oxide particles were fabricated by chemical synthesis method and their properties including the average size, morphological structure, functional groups and thermal properties were characterized by XRD, FESEM-EDS, FTIR and TGA analysis. The gamma ray mass attenuation coefficient of concrete composites has been calculated and measured by means of the Monte Carlo simulation and experimental methods. The simulation process was based on the use of MCNP Monte Carlo code where the mass attenuation coefficient (μ/ρ) has been calculated as a function of different particle sizes and filler weight fractions. The simulation results showed that the employment of the lead oxide filler particles enhances the mass attenuation coefficient of the ordinary concrete, drastically. On the other hand, there are approximately no differences between micro and nano sized particles. The mass attenuation coefficient was increased by increasing the weight fraction of nanoparticles. However, a semi-saturation effect was observed at concentrations more than 10 wt%. The experimental process was based on the fabrication of concrete slabs filled by different weight fractions of nano lead oxide particles. The mass attenuation coefficients of these slabs were determined at different gamma ray energies using ²²Na, ¹³⁷Cs and ⁶⁰Co sources and NaI (Tl) scintillation detector. The experimental results showed that the HVL parameter of the ordinary concrete reinforced with 5 wt% of nano PbO particles was reduced by 64% at 511 keV and 48% at 1332 keV. Reasonable agreement was obtained between simulation and experimental results and showed that the employment of nano PbO particles is more efficient at low gamma energies up to 1Mev. The proposed concrete is less toxic and could be prepared in block form instead of toxic lead blocks.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.7
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• pp.2662-2669
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• 2023

For the precise measurements of special nuclear materials (SNM) including Pu and Am isotopes, we have used phoswich detector combination of two single crystal scintillators of Gd₃Ga₃Al₂O₁₂:Ce and CsI:Tl. High detection efficiency and sensitivity along with high figure of merit for the discrimination of these phoswich detectors ensures the detection and discrimination of thermal neutrons and gammas from spontaneous fission of Pu and other isotopes in presence of high gamma background. Using this detector, the low energy gammas, which is stopped completely in 1mm thick disc of GGAG, can be also discriminated from high energies gamma and shows linearity in wide range of sample quantities. By changing only the appropriate shielding, the similar setup was used for thermal neutron detection and shows a very good linearity over wide range. The quantity of a test sample was also calculated accurately by using the measured calibrated plot.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.42-51
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• 2015

In proton therapy, verification of proton dose distribution is important to treat cancer precisely and to enhance patients' safety. To verify proton dose distribution, in a previous study, our team incorporated a vertically-aligned one-dimensional array detection system. We measured 2D prompt-gamma distribution moving the developed detection system in the longitudinal direction and verified similarity between 2D prompt-gamma distribution and 2D proton dose distribution. In the present, we have developed two-dimension prompt-gamma measurement system consisted of a 2D parallel-hole collimator, 2D array-type NaI(Tl) scintillators, and multi-anode PMT (MA-PMT) to measure 2D prompt-gamma distribution in real time. The developed measurement system was tested with $^{22}Na$ (0.511 and 1.275 MeV) and $^{137}Cs$ (0.662 MeV) gamma sources, and the energy resolutions of 0.511, 0.662 and 1.275 MeV were $10.9%{\pm}0.23p%$, $9.8%{\pm}0.18p%$ and $6.4%{\pm}0.24p%$, respectively. Further, the energy resolution of the high gamma energy (3.416 MeV) of double escape peak from Am-Be source was $11.4%{\pm}3.6p%$. To estimate the performance of the developed measurement system, we measured 2D prompt-gamma distribution generated by PMMA phantom irradiated with 45 MeV proton beam of 0.5 nA. As a result of comparing a EBT film result, 2D prompt-gamma distribution measured for $9{\times}10^9$ protons is similar to 2D proton dose distribution. In addition, the 45 MeV estimated beam range by profile distribution of 2D prompt gamma distribution was $17.0{\pm}0.4mm$ and was intimately related with the proton beam range of 17.4 mm.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.41-47
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• 2021

Purpose There are many cyclotrons compared to the land area of the Republic of Korea. Because GMP certification is required and the nuclear medicine test does not apply for insurance, the number of examinations for nuclear medicine is decreasing. Therefore, there is a high probability of early decommissioning of the cyclotron. However, we do not unusually perform the radioactivation evaluation on concrete that can be classified as radioactive waste during the decommissioning of the cyclotron. In this study, we aim to confirm the radioactivation in the concrete surface using Handheld Radionuclide Identification Devices (RIDs). Materials and Methods Because there is no cyclotron being decommissioning in the Republic of Korea, it was impossible to perform the coring of concrete for radioactivation analysis. In this study, we used the KIRAMS-13 and analyzed the concrete surface in the target direction in the cyclotron room. After setting the target direction as the center, radionuclides were measured for about five months at thirty points with vertical and horizontal intervals of 30 cm. We used the RIIDEye(Detector: NaI(Tl) detector, manufacturer: Thermo) in this study and set the measurement time per point to one day (24 hours). Results Co-60 and Cs-137 were detected in some measurement points, and we confirmed the radioactivity of Co-60 detected at the most points. As a result, we found that the radioactivity of Co-60 was high in the diagonal direction (from the lower-left direction to the upper right direction) based on the center of the target. However, we think it is impossible to apply the corresponding results to all cyclotrons because we performed the study using only one cyclotron. Conclusion In thirty measurement points, we could confirm the radioactive nuclides and the relative radioactivity using the results of portable nuclides analyzer. Therefore, we expect that we can use the portable nuclides analyzer to select the coring position of concrete during the decommissioning of the cyclotron. Also, if we secure the radioactivation data for several years, we expect to make a more accurate estimate of radioactive waste during the preparation period of decommissioning of the cyclotron.