• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.9
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• pp.3012-3017
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• 2021

The spatial distribution and the energy spectrum of the neutron yield were investigated with the neutron activation analysis and MCNP simulation was carried out to verify the analysis results and to extend the results to a 3D mapping of the neutron yield distribution in the KSTAR. High purity Ni specimen was selected in the neutron activation analysis. Total neutron yields turned out to be 3.76 × 10¹² n/s - 7.56 × 10¹² n/s at the outer vessel of the KSTAR, two orders of magnitude lower than those at the inner vessel of the KSTAR, which demonstrates the attenuation of neutron yield while passing through the different structural materials of the reactor. Based on the fully expanded 3D simulation results, 2D cross-sectional distributions of the neutron yield on XY and ZX planes of KSTAR were examined. The results reveal that the neutron yield has its maximum concentration near the center of blanket and decreases with increasing proximity to the vacuum vessel wall.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.201-210
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• 2006

This article presents a brief overview of an important area of neutron scattering: the general principles and techniques of elastic, quasielastic and inelastic scattering from a system composed predominately of incoherent scatterers. The methodology is then applied to the study of water, specifically when it is confined in nanometer-scale environments. The confined water exhibits uniquely anomalous properties in the supercooled state. It also nourishes biological functions, and supports essential chemical reactions in living systems. We focus on recent investigations of water encapsulated in nanoporous silica and carbon nanotubes, hydrated water in proteins and water or hydroxyl species incorporated in nanostructured minerals. Through these scientific examples, we demonstrate the advantages derived from the high sensitivity of incoherent neutron spectroscopy to hydrogen atom motions and hydrogen-bond dynamics, aided by rigorous data interpretation method using molecular dynamics simulations or theoretical modelling. This enables us to probe the inter-/intramolecular vibrations and relaxation/diffusion processes of water molecules in a complex environment.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.426-429
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• 2003

Neutron induced prompt gamma-ray spectroscopy (NIPS) system equipped with a $^{252}Cf$ neutron source and a n-type coaxial HPGe detector was installed for the quantitative analysis of aqueous samples in KAERI, Korea. Since the thermal neutron flux for the $^{252}Cf$ neutron source is relatively low compared to that for the reactor, the use of a thermal neutron reflector in the NIPS system may lead to improved results. The enhancement by using various reflectors was carried out by comparing the Cl peak with or without a cadmium plate between sample and the $^{252}Cf$ source. The use of pyrolitic graphite as a reflector provided a good result.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.11 no.12
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• pp.1074-1079
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• 2001

To study the distribution of boron and the boron effect for nucleation of graphite in high carbon steel, neutron induced autoradiography method is used. High carbon steel is easy to make the graphitization by addition of boron. It is easy to analysis of boron distribution using neutron radiography with neutron fluence of $1.9$\times${\times}10^{13}/cm^2$in the boron added high carbon steel. By the neutron induced autoradiography technique, it was found that the distribution of boron depended on boron content, graphitiging temperature and time. And by the analysis of secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) and electron probe micro analysis (EPMA), boron or boride were acted at nucleation site of graphite in high carbon steel.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetic Resonance Society
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.74-80
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• 2008

The local structure of defects in undoped, Si-doped, and neutron irradiated free standing GaN bulk crystals, grown by hydride vapor phase epitaxy, has been investigated by employing electron magnetic resonance(EMR), Raman scattering and cathodoluminescence. The GaN samples were irradiated to a dose of $2{\times}10^{17}$ neutrons in an atomic reactor at Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute. There was no appreciable change in the Raman spectra for undoped GaN samples before and after neutron irradiation. However, a forbidden transition, $A_1$(TO) mode, appeared for a neutron irradiated Si-doped GaN crystal. Cathodoluminescence spectrum for the neutron irradiated Si-doped GaN crystal became much broader or was much more broadened than that for the unirradiated one. The observed EMR center with the g value of 1.952 in a neutron irradiated Si-doped GaN may be assigned to a Si-related complex donor.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.52 no.9
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• pp.2138-2150
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• 2020

We report the status of the cold neutron triple-axis spectrometer (Cold TAS) and thermal neutron triple-axis spectrometer (Thermal TAS) installed at HANARO. Cold TAS, whose specifications are standard across the world, is in the final phase of commissioning. Proper instrument operation was confirmed through a feasibility study of phonon measurements and data analyses with resolution convolution. In contrast, Thermal TAS is in the initial phase of commissioning, and improvement of the monochromator drum is now in progress from the viewpoint of radiation shielding. In addition, we report recent activities in the development of neutron basic elements, that is, film-coated Si-wafer collimators, which are promising for use in triple-axis spectroscopy, particularly in Cold TAS.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.433-436
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• 2006

The implementation of multiplexing techniques combined with advances in neutron optics make the neutron three-axis spectrometers (TAS) an efficient tool to map inelastic response from single crystals over momentum transfer ranges comparable to the size of a single Brillouin zone. Thanks to recent progress in polarization techniques such experiments can be combined relatively easily with neutron polarization analysis, which does not only provide unambiguous separation of response corresponding to structural and magnetic degrees of freedom, but permits a quantitative analysis of the magnetic response anisotropy, often of crucial importance to test theoretical predictions. In the forthcoming decade we therefore expect a further development of the complementary use, rather than competition, of the reactor-based TAS's with time-of-flight (TOF) instruments for single crystal spectroscopy at the existing (ISIS) as well as at the newly built (SNS, J-PARK) pulsed sources.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.117-122
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• 2020

The effects of fast neutron irradiation on the electrical and optical properties of Li (3 at%) doped ZnSnO (ZTO) thin films fabricated using a sol-gel process are investigated. From the results of Li-ZTO TFT characteristics according to change of neutron irradiation time, the saturation mobility is found to increase and threshold voltage values shift to a negative direction from 1,000 s neutron irradiation time. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis of the O 1s core level shows that the relative area of oxygen vacancies is almost unchanged with different irradiation times. From the results of band alignment, it is confirmed that, due to the increase of electron carrier concentration, the Fermi level (E_F) of the sample irradiated for 1,000 s is located at the position closest to the conduction band minimum. The increase in electron concentration is considered by looking at the shallow band edge state under the conduction band edge formed by fast neutron irradiation of more than 1,000 s.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.126-130
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• 2017

The dielectric relaxation characteristics of composites with different concentrations of carbon nanotubes loaded in an epoxy polymer matrix has been studied as a function of frequency over a wide range (1 Hz~10 MHz) at room temperature. Two characterization techniques were used in this work to measure and calculate the dimensionality parameters: small angle neutron scattering and impedance spectroscopy. The results obtained from both methods are in good agreement, indicating the reliability of the estimated fractal dimension, despite of the difference in the length scales accessed by the two techniques.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.820-828
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• 2018

The growing nuclear threat has amplified the need for developing diverse and accurate nuclear forensics analysis techniques to strengthen nuclear security measures. The work presented here is part of a research effort focused on developing a methodology for reactor-type discrimination of weapons-grade plutonium. To verify the developed methodology, natural $UO_2$ fuel samples were irradiated in a thermal neutron spectrum at the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR) and produced approximately $20{\mu}g$ of weapons-grade plutonium test material. Radiation transport simulations of common thermal reactor types that can produce weapons-grade plutonium were performed, and the results are presented here. These simulations were needed to verify whether the plutonium produced in the natural $UO_2$ fuel samples during the experimental irradiation at MURR was a suitable representative to plutonium produced in common thermal reactor types. Also presented are comparisons of fission product and plutonium concentrations obtained from computational simulations of the experimental irradiation at MURR to the nondestructive and destructive measurements of the irradiated natural $UO_2$ fuel samples. Gamma spectroscopy measurements of radioactive fission products were mostly within 10%, mass spectroscopy measurements of the total plutonium mass were within 4%, and mass spectroscopy measurements of stable fission products were mostly within 5%.