• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제55권6호
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• pp.2158-2165
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• 2023

Marine radioactivity monitoring is critical for taking immediate action in case of unexpected nuclear accidents at nuclear facilities located near coastal areas. Especially when the level of contamination is not predictable, mobile monitoring systems will be useful for wide-area ocean radiation survey and for determination of the level of radioactivity. Here, we used a silicon photomultiplier and a high-efficiency GAGG crystal to fabricate a compact, battery-powered gamma spectroscopy that can be used in an ocean environment. The developed spectroscopy has compact dimensions of 6.5 × 6.5× 8 cm³ and weighs 560 g. We used LoRa, a low-power wireless protocol for communication. Successful data transmission was achieved within 1.4 m water depth. The developed gamma spectroscopy was able to detect radioactivity from a ¹³⁷Cs point source (3.7 kBq) at a distance of 20 cm in water. Moreover, we demonstrated an unmanned radioactivity monitoring system in a real sea by combining unmanned surface vehicle with the developed gamma spectroscopy. A hidden ¹³⁷Cs source (3.07 MBq) was detected by the unmanned system at a distance of 3 m. After successfully testing the developed mobile spectroscopy in an ocean environment, we believe that our proposed system will be an effective solution for mobile real-time marine radioactivity monitoring.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• 제38권2호
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• pp.52-59
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• 2013

전베타 방사능 분석법을 이용한 내부오염 스크리닝법을 검증하였고 실제 의료용 동위원소 생산시설 종사자 내부오염을 판단하는데 적용하였다. 종사자의 작업 종료 후 첫 번째로 채취된 뇨시료(spot 시료)와 24시간 동안 취합된 뇨시료(24 h 시료)를 채취하여 측정하였다. 특정 종사자의 경우를 제외하고 대부분의 측정결과는 일반인 체내 기저준위인 100 Bq $kg^{-1}$을 기준으로 22% 이내로 변동폭이 작았다. 측정결과 작업종료 후 수 시간 이내 종사자 뇨시료의 전베타 농도가 전반적으로 35% 이상 상승하는 경향이 있었다. 또한 스크리닝 결과와 작업일지를 바탕으로 작업장내부 구조상 오염을 유발하는 요인을 추정 할 수 있었으며 추가 세부 핵종별 분석법을 바탕으로 내부피폭선량을 평가해야 할 것으로 판단되었다. 한편 사업장에서 신속히 적용 가능한 내부오염평가 절차를 수립하였다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제55권11호
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• pp.4039-4047
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• 2023

This contribution describes the application of HPGe detector for the airborne quantitative analysis. The hardware of the airborne HPGe system was designed from the commercial components with only exception of the newly designed AirHPGeSpec special software to control, measure and process the data. The system was calibrated for the local air kerma rates measured on helicopter board and its conversion to the air kerma rates at 1 m above the ground was proposed. Two examples of the air kerma rates measured over the former uranium mining areas are presented and compared with the results of other airborne system on the board. This airborne HPGe system could be also used for measuring the surface activities in a radiation event. The nuclides of ¹³¹I, ¹³²Te - ¹³²I, ¹³³I, ¹³⁴I, ¹³⁵I, ¹³⁷Cs, ¹³⁴Cs, ⁸⁸Rb and ¹⁰³Ru were selected from possible nuclear power plant emergency scenarios. The Monte Carlo simulation was used to calculate HPGe detector efficiencies for the flight altitudes from 25 to 300 m for the energies from 300 keV to 3 MeV of the nuclides in question. Also, the detection limits according to the Currie method as well as ISO 11929-2010 for selected nuclides are presented.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• 제34권4호
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• pp.170-175
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• 2009

감마선분광분석법을 이용하여 비상시 환경방사능 모니터링을 수행할 경우 스펙트럼 측정시 해당 시료의 종류에 따른 백그라운드 자료 확보와 이를 활용한 체계적인 핵종확인 과정이 선행되어야 한다. 비상시 환경방사능 모니터링을 고려하여 24시간 동안 포집 후 회화시킨 공기부유진 시료를 HPGe 감마선분광분석 시스템으로 계측하여 감마선에너지 스펙트럼을 얻었으며, 그 스펙트럼에서 보이는 피이크들의 핵종을 판별하기 위해 두 가지 방법 - 1) 반감기 추정 2) 핵자료를 이용한 축차우연동시합성피이크 확인 - 으로 접근하였다. 그 결과로서 공기부유진의 감마선에너지스펙트럼에 대한 핵종판별결과 자료를 산출하였다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제55권3호
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• pp.1052-1060
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• 2023

The airborne radiation monitoring has been used in geophysics for more than forty years and now it also has its important role in emergency monitoring. The aircraft background and the cosmic gamma-rays contribute to the measured gamma spectrum on the aircraft board. This adverse effect should be eliminated before the data processing. The paper describes two semiparametric methods to estimate the full spectrum aircraft background and cosmic gamma-ray contribution from spectra measured at altitudes where terrestrial contribution is negligible. The methods only assume to know possible peak positions in spectra and their full width at half maximum, that can be easily obtained e.g. from terrestrial measurement. The methods were applied to real experimental data acquired on Mi-17 and Bell 412 helicopter boards. The IRIS airborne gamma-ray spectrometer, with 4×4 L NaI(Tl) crystals, produced by Pico Envirotec Inc., Canada, was used on helicopters' boards. To obtain valid estimate of the aircraft background and the cosmic contribution, the measurements over sea and large water areas were carried out. However, the satisfactory results over inland were also achieved comparing with those acquired over large water areas.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• 제47권1호
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• pp.1-7
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• 2022

Background: In Japan, new regulations that revise the dose limit for the lens of the eye (hereafter the lens), operational quantities, and measurement positions for the lens dose were enforced in April 2021. Based on the international safety standards, national guidelines, the results of the Radiation Safety Research Promotion Fund of the Nuclear Regulation Authority, and other studies, the Working Group of Radiation Protection Standardization Committee, the Japan Health Physics Society (JHPS) developed a guideline for radiation dose monitoring for the lens. Materials and Methods: The Working Group of the JHPS discussed the criteria of non-uniform exposure and the management criteria set not to exceed the dose limit for the lens. Results and Discussion: In July 2020, the JHPS guideline was published. The guideline consists of three parts: main text, explanations, and 26 examples. In the questions, the corresponding answers were prepared, and specific examples were provided to enable similar cases to be addressed. Conclusion: With the development of the guideline on radiation dose monitoring of the lens, radiation managers and workers will be able to smoothly comply with revised regulations and optimize radiation protection.

• 한국방사선학회논문지
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• 제11권3호
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• pp.171-175
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• 2017

비파괴검사 분야에서는 작업자들의 안전을 확보하기 위해 방사선원에 대한 시스템 개발에 많은 시간과 재원을 투자하고 있으나 아직까지 사고 발생 확률은 높은 실정이다. 방사선에 대한 잠재적 사고를 미연에 방지하기 위해서는 방사선원의 위치를 직접적으로 검증하는 것이지만 아직까지 연구가 미흡한 실정이다. 이에 본 연구에서는 감마선조사기의 선원 가이드 튜브에서 방사선원의 위치를 감지할 수 있는 모니터링 시스템 개발을 위한 선행연구로써 몬테카를로 시뮬레이션을 통해 방사선 검출기에 대한 특성을 모의 추정하였다. 연구 결과, Ir-192의 감마선 에너지에 대한 방사선 검출기는 반도체 소재에 무관하게 $150{\mu}m$에서 2차 전자평형이 이루어지는 것으로 분석되었으며, 감마선 응답 특성은 $HgI_2$가 가장 우수할 것으로 기대된다. 이러한 결과는 차후 모니터링 시스템의 검출부에 위치하는 방사선 검출기의 최적화 두께를 결정하는데 기초자료로써 활용될 수 있을 것으로 기대되며, 이를 바탕으로 모니터링 시스템을 개발 시 방사선작업종사자가 위험을 쉽게 인지하여 안전을 확보할 수 있을 뿐만 아니라 잠재적인 방사선 사고에 대한 예방 및 선제적 대응이 가능함으로써 사회 안전망 구축 에 기여할 수 있을 것이다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제53권5호
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• pp.1705-1716
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• 2021

Bangladesh, as a newcomer country, is expecting to start her nuclear power journey by 2022. Due to evident reasons, newcomer nuclear countries face several key challenges concerning the development of national nuclear safety infrastructure. The paper investigates the status of the 7 key safety infrastructure issues out of the 19 and readiness of the supportive organizations, laboratories, and workforces following the International Atomic energy Agency's status evaluation guide at milestone 3 and foreign countries' practice. Much progress has been achieved at phase 3 regarding the establishments of a few Acts, a regulator, and an operator. However, comprehensive regulatory frameworks, skilled workforces, establishments of a few supportive organizations, and laboratories for managing environmental radioactivity, radiological accidents, and radioactive wastes are yet to ready. Several suggestions are made for establishing and expediting radiation monitoring laboratories, a radiological emergency management center, a radioactive waste management company, and technical support organizations for the safety infrastructure. To avoid perceived risks, policymakers and competent authorities need to emphasize creating an optimized safety infrastructure before commissioning and operating the 1^st nuclear power plant safely, securely, and cost-sustainably.

• 한국환경농학회지
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• 제26권2호
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• pp.186-191
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• 2007

1998년부터 2006년까지 국내 방사능 교차분석에 참여하여 제주지역의 환경방사능 감시를 위한 방사능 분석 기술의 능력 검증과 신뢰도를 확보하기 위하여 수행되었다. 전베타 방사능 분석 시료는 공기부유진 필터와 물이었고, 감마 분석은 토양과 물 시료 중 자연 및 인공 방사성 핵종들이었다. 전베타 방사능 분석 값은 1998년과 1999년 물 시료를 제외하고는 모두 신뢰도 범위내의 값을 가졌고, 감마 핵종은 토양 시료 중의 $^{40}K$와 $137^{CS}$ 그리고 물 시료 중 몇 개의 핵종을 제외하고는 대부분 매우 우수한 평가를 받았다. 따라서 방사선 이상 사고시 원자력 안전을 위한 제주지역의 환경방사능 감시를 위한 신뢰도를 확보하여 자체적으로 환경방사능을 분석할 수 있는 능력을 함양하였다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제54권2호
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• pp.770-780
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• 2022

In 1993 the University of Extremadura initiated the design, construction and management of the Radiological Alert Network of Extremadura (RAREx). The goal was to acquire reliable near-real-time information on the environmental radiological status in the surroundings of the Almaraz Nuclear Power Plant by measuring, mainly, the ambient dose equivalent. However, the phased development of this network has been carried out from two points of view. Firstly, there has been an increase in the number of stations comprising the network. Secondly, there has been an increase in the number of monitored parameters. As a consequence of the growth of RAREx network, large data volumes are daily generated. To face this big data paradigm, software applications have been developed and implemented in order to maintain the indispensable real-time and efficient performance of the alert network. In this paper, the description of the current status of RAREx network after 30 years of design and performance is showed. Also, the performance of the graphing software for daily assessment of the registered parameters and the automatic on real time warning notification system, which aid with the decision making process and analysis of values of possible radiological and non-radiological alterations, is briefly described in this paper.