• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.643-650
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• 2020

The materials with a high processiblity for radiation shielding, in particular for 3D printable materials, are highly demanding for producing robots working in nuclear plants and designing customized personal protection equipment. In this study, we suspend tungsten particles in a polymeric matrix of either PLA or ABS to compose tungsten-polymer composite filaments; PLA and ABS are widely used for conventional FDM-based 3D printing. The weight fraction of tungsten particles can be increased up to 50% without forming macroscopic aggregates. The composite filaments can be used to print 3D architectures with any shape and geometry. To demonstrate one of potential applications, we print parts for robot actuator and assemble them to protect PCB against gamma ray.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.103-111
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• 1984

A convenient method of $^{99m}Tc$-methyl-ethyl-ketone (MEK) extraction technique was developed and a mobile $^{99m}Tc$-extraction generator was designed. The MEK extraction and the phase separation of $^{99m}TcO^-{_4}$ were carried out with a simple procedure in the same container. The shielding of $^{99}Mo$ radioactivity was made with one lead container. The system was simplified by shielding $^{99m}TcO_4{^-}({\gamma}_e=0.14\;MeV)$ separately. $^{99m}TcO^-{_4}\;in\;^{99m}Tc-MEK$ extract was recovered by adsorption and elution only, and therefore, the possibility of volatilization was reduced. The volume of $^{99m}TcO^{-}{_4}$-saline product was reduced to 1 ml by using a small alumina column and the column operation time was shortened. The separation time of $^{99m}Tc$ was reduced to 30 minutes, and the operation was carried out at the outside of the shielding. The system was designed to operate under the condition of bacteria-free.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.9
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• pp.3440-3447
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• 2022

The accuracy of the photoatomic cross-section data is of great importance in the field of radiation protection, particularly in the characterization of radiation shielding materials. With the release of the latest and probably the most accurate photoatomic data library, EPDL2017, the need to re-evaluate all the existing and already established mass attenuation coefficients (MACs) of all radiation shielding materials arises. The MACs of several polymers, alloy-based, glasses, and building materials used in a nuclear medicine facility were investigated using the EPDL2017 library embedded in EpiXS software and were compared to MACs available in the literature. The relative differences between MAC_EpiXS and MACXCOM were negligible, ranging from 0.02% to 0.36% for most materials. However, for material like a glass comprising of elements Te and La evaluated near their corresponding K-edge energies, the relative differences in MACs increased up to 1.46%. On the other hand, a comparison with MACs calculated based on EPDL97 (a predecessor of EPDL2017) revealed as much as a 6.61% difference. Also, it would seem that the changes in MACs were more evident in the materials composed of high atomic number elements evaluated at x-ray energies compared to materials composed of low atomic number elements evaluated at gamma-ray energies.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.1966-1973
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• 2023

Virtual reality technology has been widely used in the field of nuclear and radiation safety, dose rate computing in virtual environment is essential for optimizing radiation protection and planning the work in radioactive-controlled area. Because the CPU-based gamma dose rate computing takes up a large amount of time and computing power for voxelization of volumetric radioactive source, it is inefficient and limited in its applied scope. This study is to develop an efficient gamma dose rate computing code and apply into fast virtual simulation. To improve the computing efficiency of the point kernel algorithm in the reference (Li et al., 2020), we design a GPU-based computing framework for taking full advantage of computing power of virtual engine, propose a novel voxelization algorithm of volumetric radioactive source. According to the framework, we develop the GPPK(GPU-based point kernel gamma dose rate computing) code using GPU programming, to realize the fast dose rate computing in virtual world. The test results show that the GPPK code is play and plug for different scenarios of virtual simulation, has a better performance than CPU-based gamma dose rate computing code, especially on the voxelization of three-dimensional (3D) model. The accuracy of dose rates from the proposed method is in the acceptable range.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.52 no.8
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• pp.1784-1791
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• 2020

The 14 MeV neutron generator facility is being developed by the Institute for Plasma Research India to conduct the lab scale experiments related to Indian breeding blanket system for ITER and DEMO. It will also be utilized for material testing, shielding experiments and development of fusion diagnostics. Occupational radiation exposure control is necessary for the all kind of nuclear facilities to get the operational licensing from governing authorities and nuclear regulatory bodies. In the same way, the radiation exposure for the 14 MeV neutron generator facility at the occupational worker area and accessible zones for general workers should be under the permissible limit of AERB India. The generator is designed for the yield of 10¹² n/s. The shielding assessment has been made to estimate the radiation dose during the operational time of the neutron generator. The facility has many utilities and constraints like ventilation ducts, accessible doors, accessibility of neutron generator components and to conduct the experiments which make the shielding assessment challenging to provide proper safety for occupational workers and the general public. The neutron and gamma dose rates have been estimated using the MCNP radiation transport code and ENDF -VII nuclear data libraries. The ICRP-74 fluence to dose conversion coefficients has been used for the assessment. The annual radiation exposure has been assessed by considering 500 h per year operational time. The provision of local shield near to neutron generator has been also evaluated to reduce the annual radiation doses. The comprehensive results of radiation shielding capability of neutron generator building and local shield design have been presented in the paper along with detailed maps of radiation field.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.49-55
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• 2017

In the case of nuclear medicine practitioners in medical institutions, a wide range of exposure dose to individual workers can be found, depending on the type of source, the amount of radioactivity, and the use of shielding devices in handling radioactive isotopes. In this regard, this study evaluated the organ dose on practitioners as well as the dose reduction effect of the L-block shielding device in handling the diagnostic radiation source through the simulation based on the Monte Carlo method. As a result, the distribution of organ dose was found to be higher as the position of the radiation source was closer to the handling position of a practitioner, and the effective dose distribution was different according to the ICRP tissue weight. Furthermore, the dose reduction effect according to the L-block thickness tended to decrease, which showed the exponential distribution, as the shielding thickness increased. The dose reduction effect according to each radiation source showed a low shielding effect in proportion to the emitted gamma ray energy level.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.12
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• pp.4329-4334
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• 2023

In this research, a prompt gamma neutron activation analysis (PGNAA) system is designed and constructed based on the use of a low power research reactor. For this purpose, despite the fact that this reactor did not include beam tubes, a thermal neutron beam line is installed inside the reactor tank. The extraction of the beam line from inside the tank made it possible to provide the neutron flux from the order of 106 n.cm^-2.s^-1. Also, because the beam line is installed in a tangential position to the reactor core, its gamma level has been minimized. Also, a suitable radiation shield is considered for the detector to minimize the background radiation and prevent radiation damage to the detector. Calculations and measurements are done in order to characterize this system, as well as spectrometry of several samples. The results of evaluations and experiments show that this system is suitable for performing PGNAA.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.12-24
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• 2003

For the design and set-up of neutron induced prompt ${\gamma}$-ray spectroscopy system using $^{252}Cf$ neutron source, the effects of shielding and moderator materials have been examined. The $^{252}Cf$ source being used for TLD badge calibration in Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute was utilized for this preliminary experiment. The ${\gamma}$-ray background and prompt ${\gamma}$-ray spectrum of the sample containing Cl were measured using HPGe (GMX 60% relative efficiency) located at the inside of the system connected to notebook PC at the outside of the system (about 20 meter distance). The background activities of neutron and ${\gamma}$-rays were measured with neutron survey meter as well as ${\gamma}$-ray survey meters, respectively and the system was designed to minimize the activities. Prompt ${\gamma}$-ray spectrum was measured using ${\gamma}$-${\gamma}$ coincident system for reduce the background and the continuum spectrum. The optimum system was designed and set up using the experimental data obtained.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.8
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• pp.2999-3005
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• 2022

The new experimental setup has been built at the 11b channel of the IBR-2 research reactor at FLNP, JINR, to study the elemental composition of samples by registration of prompt gamma emission during thermal neutron capture. The setup consists of a curved mirror neutron guide and a radiation-resistant HPGe high-purity germanium detector. The detector is surrounded by lead shielding to suppress the natural background gamma level. The sample is placed in a vacuum channel and surrounded by a LiF shield to suppress the gamma background generated by scattered neutrons. This work presents characteristics of the experimental setup. An example of hydrogen concentration determining in a diamond powder made by detonation synthesis is given and on its basis, the sensitivity of the setup is calculated being ~4 ㎍.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.225-229
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• 2001

In Korea, an advanced reactor system of 330MWt power called SMART (System integrated Modular Advanced ReacTor) is being developed by KAERI to supply energy for seawater desalination as well as electricity generation. A shielding design of the SMART core with 49 CEDM is established by a two-dimensional discrete ordinates radiation transport analyses. The DORT two-dimensional discrete ordinates transport code is used to evaluate the SMART shielding designs. Three axial regions represent the SMART reactor assembly, each of which is modeled in the R-Z geometry. The BUGLE-96 library is used in the analyses, which consists of 47 neutron and 20 gamma energy groups. The results indicate that the maximum neutron fluence at the bottom of reactor vessel is $5.89 {\times} 10^{17}\;n/cm^2$ and that on the radial surface of reactor vessel is $4.49 {\times} 10^[16}\;n/cm^2$. These results meet the requirement, $1.0 {\times} 10^{20}\;n/cm^2$, in 10 CFR 50.61 and the integrity of SMART reactor vessel during the lifetime of the reactor is confirmed.