• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제56권6호
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• pp.2395-2403
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• 2024

With the rapid development of DC high voltage accelerator, higher requirements have been raised for the design of DC high voltage power supply, requiring more stable high voltage with lower output ripple. Therefore, it also puts forward higher requirements for the parameter design of the voltage doubling rectifier circuit, which is the core component of the DC high voltage power supply. In order to obtain output voltage with better performance, the effects of the working frequency, the stage capacitance and the load resistance on the output voltage of the voltage doubling rectifier circuit are studied in detail by simulation. It can be concluded that the higher the working frequency of the transformer, the larger the stage capacitance, the larger the load resistance and the better the output voltage performance in a certain range. Based on this, a 2.5 MV voltage doubling rectifier circuit driven by a 120 kHz frequency transformer is designed, developed and tested for the power supply of the neutron source device towards BNCT. Experimental results show that this voltage doubling rectifier circuit can satisfy the design requirements, laying a certain foundation for the engineering design of DC high voltage power supply of neutron source device.

• 방사성폐기물학회지
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• 제21권3호
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• pp.303-313
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• 2023

Spent fuels (SFs) are stored in a storage pool after discharge from nuclear power plants. They can be transferred to for the further processes such as dry storage sites, processing plants, or disposal sites. One of important measures of SF is the burnup. Since the radioactivity of SF is strongly dependent on its burnup, the burnup of SF should be well estimated for the safe management, storage, and final disposal. Published papers about the methodology for the burnup estimation from the known activities of important radioactive sources are somewhat rare. In this study, we analyzed the dependency of the burnup on the important radiation source activities using ORIGEN-ARP, and suggested simple correlations that relate the burnup and the important source activities directly. A burnup estimation equation is suggested for PWR fuels relating burnup with total neutron source intensity (TNSI), initial enrichment, and cooling time. And three burnup estimation equations for major gamma sources, ¹³⁷Cs, ¹³⁴Cs, and ¹⁵⁴Eu are also suggested.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제52권5호
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• pp.1002-1007
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• 2020

The purpose of the current study was to evaluate a spectrum formulation set employed to modify the neutron spectrum of D-D fusion neutrons in a IS plasma focus device using GEANT4, MCNPX2.6, and FLUKA codes. The set consists of a moderator, reflector, collimator and filters of fast neutron and gamma radiation, which placed on the path of 2.45 MeV neutron energy. The treated neutrons eliminate cancerous tissue with minimal damage to other healthy tissue in a method called neutron therapy. The system optimized for a total neutron yield of 10⁹ (n/s). The numerical results indicate that the GEANT4 code for the cubic geometry in the Beam Shaping Assembly 3 (BSA3) is the best choice for the energy of epithermal neutrons.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• 제37권2호
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• pp.70-74
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• 2012

Silicon carbide (SiC) is a promising material for neutron detection at harsh environments because of its capability to withstand strong radiation fields and high temperatures. Two PIN-type SiC semiconductor neutron detectors, which can be used for nuclear power plant (NPP) applications, such as in-core reactor neutron flux monitoring and measurement, were designed and fabricated. As a preliminary test, MCNPX simulations were performed to estimate reaction probabilities with respect to neutron energies. In the experiment, I-V curves were measured to confirm the diode characteristic of the detectors, and pulse height spectra were measured for neutron responses by using a $^{252}Cf$ neutron source at KRISS (Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science), and a Tandem accelerator at KIGAM (Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources). The neutron counts of the detector were linearly increased as the incident neutron flux got larger.

• Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology
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• 제16권7호
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• pp.927-934
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• 2002

The HANARO ( High-flux Advanced Neutron Application Reactor) has been operated since 1995. The Cold Neutron (CN) hole was implanted in the reflector tank from the design stage. Before a vacuum chamber and a moderator cell for the cold neutron source are installed into the CN hole, it is necessary to measure exactly the size of the inside diameter and thickness of the CN hole to prevent the interference problem. Due to inaccessibility and high radiation field in the CN hole, a mechanical measurement method is not permitted. The immersed ultrasonic technique is considered as the best way to measure the thickness and the diameter of the CN hole. The 4-Axis manipulator was designed and fabricated for locating the ultrasonic sensors. The transducer of an ultrasonic sensor having 10 MHz frequency leads to high resolution as much as 0.03mm. The inside diameter and thickness of 550 points of the CN hole were measured using 2 channel ultrasonic sensors. The results show that the thickness and inside diameter of the CN hole is in the range of 3.3∼6.7mm and 156∼ 165mm, respectively. This data will be a good reference for the design of the cold neutron source facility.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제52권9호
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• pp.2072-2077
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility of sensing changes in a tumor during boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) using a Monte Carlo simulation tool. In the simulation, an epi-thermal neutron source and a water phantom including boron uptake regions (BURs) were simulated. Moreover, this simulation also included a detector for positron emission tomography (PET) scanning and an adaptively-designed collimator (ADC) for PET. After the PET scanning of the water phantom, including the 511 keV source in the BUR, the ADC was positioned in the PET's gantry. Single prompt gamma rays were collected through the ADC during neutron irradiation. Then, single prompt gamma ray-based tomography images of different sized tumors were acquired by a four-step process. Both the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and tumor size were analyzed from each step image. From this analysis, we identified a decreasing trend of both the SNR and signal intensity as the tumor size decreased, which was confirmed in all images. In conclusion, we confirmed the feasibility of sensing changes in a tumor during BNCT using PET and an ADC through Monte Carlo simulation.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제49권3호
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• pp.504-516
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• 2017

The Jordan Research and Training Reactor (JRTR) is the first research reactor in Jordan, the commissioning of which is ongoing. The reactor is a 5-MWth, open-pool type, light-water-moderated, and cooled reactor with a heavy water reflector system. The neutron measurement system (NMS) applied to the JRTR employs a wide-range fission chamber that can cover from source range to power range. A high-sensitivity boron trifluoride counter was added to obtain more accurate measurements of the neutron signals and to calibrate the log power signals; the NMS has a major role in the entire commissioning stage. However, few case studies exist concerning the application of the NMS to a research reactor. This study introduces the features of the NMS and the boron trifluoride counter in the JRTR and shares valuable experiences from lessons learned from the system installation to its early commissioning. In particular, the background noise relative to the signal-to-noise ratio and the NMS signal interlock are elaborated. The results of the count rates with the neutron source and the effects of the discriminator threshold are summarized.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제56권5호
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• pp.1813-1821
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• 2024

Beam shaping assembly (BSA) is a vital component in Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) for obtaining epithermal neutron beams. Several feasible designs of BSA for accelerator-based BNCT (AB-BNCT) neutron source are carried out based on neutrons by bombarding a natural lithium target with 10 mA, 2.8 MeV proton beams. The calculation results demonstrate that a thickness of 45 cm is appropriate for general moderators referring to the therapeutic parameter of Advanced Depth (AD). A series of optimizations are performed and two results are confirmed: One is that employing the configuration of MgF₂ and FLUENTAL combined by 1:1 could improve the therapeutic rate (TR) of tumors at a depth of middle region, and the other one is that the TR of superficial tumors can be increased by adding a 5 cm thick boron-11 secondary moderator at the end of general moderators. As a result, an innovative conception of an adjustable moderator is recommended to BNCT. Compared to the MgF₂ moderator with a fixed thickness of 45 cm, the TR value can be improved by a maximum of 47.7 % by using the adjustable moderator. Furthermore, the configuration of adjustable moderator has been designed with regulation method for treating tumors of different depths.

• 센서학회지
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• 제22권3호
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• pp.223-226
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• 2013

We designed a single polyethylene bonner sphere with several thermo-luminescence dosimeters (TLD), for measurement of neutron energy spectrum. For the separation of the neutron dosage in the neutron-gamma mixed field, we used 21 ea TLD-600s and TLD-700s, respectively. Because, TLD-600 is sensitive to neutron and gamma rays, and, TLD-700 is sensitive only to gamma-rays, we could determine the each dose by neutron and gamma rays. The neutron response function of the bonner sphere with TLDs was calculated by MCNPX (ver. 2.5.0) Monte Carlo simulation in the energy range from $10^{-1}$ to 20 MeV. For the Cf-252 standard neutron source in KRISS, we could estimate the neutron energy spectrum by unfolding method using the response function.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제56권2호
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• pp.402-409
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• 2024

High energy neutron irradiations impact on structural and electrical properties of alumina are studied with particular emphasis on real time in-situ radiation induced conductivity measurement in low flux region. Polycrystalline Al₂O₃ samples are subjected to high energy neutrons produced from D-T neutron generator and Am-Be neutron source. 14 MeV neutrons from D-T generator are chosen to study the role of fast neutron irradiation in the structural modification of samples. Real time in-situ electrical measurement is performed to investigate the change in insulation resistance of Al₂O₃ due to radiation induced conductivity at low flux regime. During neutron irradiation, a significant transient decrease in insulation resistance is observed which recovers relative higher value just after neutron exposure is switched off. XRD results of 14 MeV neutron irradiated samples suggest annealing effect. Impact of relatively low energy neutrons on the structural properties is also studied using Am-Be neutrons. In this case, clustering is observed on the sample surface after prolonged neutron exposure. The structural characterizations of pristine and irradiated Al₂O₃ samples are performed using XRD, SEM, and EDX. The results from these characterizations are analysed and interpreted in the manuscript.