• Clean Technology
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.122-131
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• 2016

Caesium radioisotopes, ¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs which come from the atmospheric nuclear tests and discharges from nuclear power plants, are very important to study artificial radioactivity. In this work, in order to lower the minimum detection activity (MDA) we investigated environmental radioactivity according to the Environment Measurement Laboratory procedure by ¹³⁷Cs and ¹³⁴Cs which is similar to chemical and environmental behaviors of ¹³⁷Cs. The environmental soils in high mountain areas near nuclear power plant were collected, and an Ammonium Molybdophosphate (AMP) precipitation method, which showed high selectivity toward Cs⁺ ions, was applied to chemically extract and concentrate Caesium radioisotopes. Radioactivity was estimated by a gamma-ray spectrometry. In gamma energy spectrum, with an increasing of ⁴⁰K radioactivity, it increased the MDA of ¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs. Therefore, if the natural radionuclides were removed from the soil samples, the MDA of Caesium may be reduced, and the contents of ¹³⁷Cs of in the environmental soils can effectively be estimated. In the standard soil sample of Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, radioactivity of ⁴⁰K was removed more than 84% on average, and the MDA of ¹³⁴Cs was reduced 2 times. The content of ¹³⁷Cs was recovered over 84%. On the other hand, in environmental soils, AMP precipitation method showed removal ratio of ⁴⁰K up to 180 times, which reduced the MDA about 5 times smaller than those of Direct method. ¹³⁷Cs recovery ratio showed from 54.54% to 70.06%. When considering the MDA and recovery ratio, AMP precipitation method is effective for detection of Caesium radioisotopes in low concentration.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.57-62
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• 2010

Maintenance on the water chamber of steam generator, the change of pressurizer heater, the removal of pressure tube feeder, and so on during outage in nuclear power plants (NPPs) has a likelihood of high radiation exposure to whole body of workers even short time period due to the high radiation exposure rates. In particular, it is expected that hands would receive the highest radiation exposure because of its contact with radiation materials. In this study, field tests on extremity dose assessment of radiation workers for contact works with high radiation exposure were conducted during the maintenance periods in Korean pressurized water reactors (PWRs) and pressurized heavy water reactors (PHWRs). In this field test, radiation workers were required to wear additional TLDs on the back and wrist, and an extremity dosimeter on fingers including a main TLD on the chest, while performing maintenance. As a result, it was found that the equivalent dose for fingers was distributed in the fixed range of deep dose and the equivalent dose for wrists.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.595-603
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• 2012

International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) will be constructed in 2019 according to the JIA (Joint Implementation Agreement) of 7 countries. The ITER fusion fuel cycle consists of fusion vacuum vessel, tritium plant and fuelling system. The tritium plant provides the functions of storage, delivery, separation, removal and recovery of the deuterium and tritium used as fusion fuels for the ITER. The tritium plant systems supply deuterium and tritium from external sources and treat all tritiated fluids from ITER operation through Storage and Delivery System (SDS), Tokamak Exhaust Processing (TEP), Isotope Separation System (ISS), Water Detritiation System & Atmosphere Detritiation System (WDS & ADS) and Analysis System (ANS). In this paper, the functions and design requirements of the major systems in the tritium plant and the status of R&D are described. Korean party is developing the SDS for ITER tritium plant and partially attaining the WDS technology through the construction and operation experience of the Wolsong Tritium Removal Facility (WTRF). Now it is expected that researchers in other fields such as chemical engineering take part in the development of upcoming technologies for ISS and TEP.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2011.10a
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• pp.7-7
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• 2011

Quantum beam technology has been expected to develop breakthroughs for nanotechnology during the third basic plan of science and technology (2006~2010). Recently, Green- or Life Innovations has taken over the national interests in the fourth basic science and technology plan (2011~2015). The NIMS (National Institute for Materials Science) has been conducting the corresponding mid-term research plans, as well as other national projects, such as nano-Green project (Global Research for Environment and Energy based on Nanomaterials science). In this lecture, the research trends in Japan and NIMS are firstly reviewed, and the typical achievements are highlighted over key nanotechnology fields. As one of the key nanotechnologies, the quantum beam research in NIMS focused on synchrotron radiation, neutron beams and ion/atom beams, having complementary attributes. The facilities used are SPring-8, nuclear reactor JRR-3, pulsed neutron source J-PARC and ion-laser-combined beams as well as excited atomic beams. Materials studied are typically fuel cell materials, superconducting/magnetic/multi-ferroic materials, quasicrystals, thermoelectric materials, precipitation-hardened steels, nanoparticle-dispersed materials. Here, we introduce a few topics of neutron scattering and ion beam nanofabrication. For neutron powder diffraction, the NIMS has developed multi-purpose pattern fitting software, post RIETAN2000. An ionic conductor, doped Pr2NiO4, which is a candidate for fuel-cell material, was analyzed by neutron powder diffraction with the software developed. The nuclear-density distribution derived revealed the two-dimensional network of the diffusion paths of oxygen ions at high temperatures. Using the high sensitivity of neutron beams for light elements, hydrogen states in a precipitation-strengthened steel were successfully evaluated. The small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) demonstrated the sensitive detection of hydrogen atoms trapped at the interfaces of nano-sized NbC. This result provides evidence for hydrogen embrittlement due to trapped hydrogen at precipitates. The ion beam technology can give novel functionality on a nano-scale and is targeting applications in plasmonics, ultra-fast optical communications, high-density recording and bio-patterning. The technologies developed are an ion-and-laser combined irradiation method for spatial control of nanoparticles, and a nano-masked ion irradiation method for patterning. Furthermore, we succeeded in implanting a wide-area nanopattern using nano-masks of anodic porous alumina. The patterning of ion implantation will be further applied for controlling protein adhesivity of biopolymers. It has thus been demonstrated that the quantum beam-based nanotechnology will lead the innovations both for nano-characterization and nano-fabrication.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.105-110
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• 1979

In order to evaluate the effect of gamma ray irradiation to the soils added with several organic matters on release sad fixation of $^{65}Zn$, a soil incubation test was carried out by use of an acidic and a calcareous soil. The results obtained were summarized as follows : DTPA extractable $^{65}Zn$ decreased gradually with elapsed time of incubation owing to fixation of $^{65}$Zn by the soils but after four weeks DTPA extractable $^{65}Zn$ was reached an equilibrium state. The most parts of $^{65}Zn$ activity in the equilibrium state was found in the solid phase. The extent of zinc fixation in acidic Keumgok and calcareous Jecheon soils represented as activity basis was 89 and 93.7 per cent of applied $^{65}Zn$ respectively. Increased tendency of DTPA extractable zinc was shown by irradiating gamma ray to both soils because of $^{65}Zn$ fixation could be decreased by irradiation. The extractability of fixed $^{65}Zn$ by DTPA solution was 38.9 per cent in acidic Keumgok soil and only 9.5 per cent in calcareous Jecheon soil. Release of fixed $^{65}Zn$ by irradiation of gamma ray is closely related to pH of both soils. Much more $^{65}Zn$ could be released under low pH condition. Effect of gamma ray irradiation to organic matter sources on release of $^{65}Zn$ could not be differentiated. But in the case of nonirradiated soils, however, glucose treated soils couldrelease much more the extractable zinc as compared to those of the straw or cellulose treatment.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.259-269
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• 2013

Applicability of ammonium molybdophosphate/iron oxides-polyacrylonitrile (AMP/IO-PAN) composites on the removal of radionuclides in the radioactive wastewater generated from nuclear power plants was investigated. The composites were characterized using the following analytical techniques: X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourior transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), particle size analyzer (PSA), nitrogen adsorption-desorption and magnetic property measurement system (MPMS). 10wt% of AMP/IO-PAN composite has a saturation magnetization of 2.038 emu/g. Single-solute sorptions of Co, Sr and Cs onto 10wt% of AMP/IO-PAN composite were investigated. The maximum sorption capacities ($Q^0$) predicted by the Langmuir model on 10wt% of AMP/IO-PAN composite were 0.097, 0.086 and 0.66 mmol/g for Co, Sr and Cs, respectively. The maximum sorption capacities ($Q^0$) of Cs predicted by Langmuir model on 0, 10, 20 and 30wt% of AMP/IO-PAN composites were 0.702, 0.655, 0.602 and 0.559 mmol/g, respectively. The maximum sorption capacities ($Q^0$) of Cs decreased with increasing the iron oxide content in the AMP/IO-PAN composites.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.81-89
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• 1996

It is very important for ultrasonic test method to evaluate the integrity of the class I components in nuclear power plants. However, as the rltrasonic test is affected by internal structures and configurations of test materials, backscattering, that is, time invariant noise is generated in large grain size materials. Due to the above reason, the received signal results in low signal to noise(S/N) ratio. Split spectrum processing(SSP) technique is effective to suppress the grain noise. The conventional SSP technique. however, has been applied to unique algorithm. This paper shows that MPO(minimization and polarity threshold) algorithm which two algorithms are applied simulatancously, was utilized, the signal processing time was shorten by using the new constant-Q SSP with the FIR filter which frequency to bandwidth ratio is constant and the optimum parameters were analysed for the signal processing to longitudinal wave and shear wave with the same requirements of inspection on nuclear power plant site. Moreover, the new ultrasonic test instrument, the reference block of the same product form and material specification, stainless stell test specimens and copper test specimens block of the same fabricated for the application of new SSP technique. As the result of experimental test with new ultrasonic test instrument and test specimens, the signal to noise ratio was improved by appying the new SSP technique.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.7-13
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• 2009

This work is for the preliminary study for the calibration of an $^{192}Ir$ brachytherapy source based on an absorbed dose to water standards. In order to calibrate brachytherapy sources based on absorbed dose to water standards using a clyndirical ionization chamber, the beam quality correction factor $k_{Q,Q_0}$ is needed. In this study $k_{Q,Q_0}s$ were determined by both Monte carlo simulation and semiexperimental methods because of the realistic difficulties to use primary standards to measure an absolute dose at a specified distance. The 5 different serial numbers of the PTW30013 chamber type were selected for this study. While chamber to chamber variations ran up to maximum 4.0% with the generic $k^{gen}_{Q,Q_0}$, the chamber to chamber variations were within a maximum deviation of 0.5% with the individual $k^{ind}_{Q,Q_0}$. The results show why and how important ionization chambers must be calibrated individually for the calibration of $^{192}Ir$ brachytherapy sources based on absorbed dose to water standards. We hope that in the near future users will be able to calibrate the brachytherapy sources in terms of an absorbed dose to water, the quantity of interest in the treatment, instead of an air kerma strength just as the calibration in the high energy photon and electron beam.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.89-99
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• 1976

The grafting of acrylic acid in aqueous solution to polyvinyl chloride fibers tab been studied in the presence of ferrous, ferric, and cupric salts, The mutual irradiation technique was adopted using a Co-60 source or a Van do Graaff accelerator. The grafting and homopolymerization were suppressed by the cations. Particularly the grafting was suppressed by the cations in the following order of effectiveness : $Cu^{2+}$>$Fe^{2+}$>$Cu^{3+}$. The rate of grafting (in %/hr) was proportional to the 0.76th power of the dose rate over the range from 8.5f $10^3$ rad/hr to $1.4\times10^5$ rad/dr. The apparent activation energy for the grafting was determined to be 6.1 Kcal/mole between $25^{\circ}$ and $75^{\circ}C$ for the mixture of AA-HaO-$(CH_2Cl)_2$, containing Mohr's salt, $4\times10^{-3}$ mole/l. The increase of the grafting was observed when total dose and dose intensity were raised, or when ethylene dichloride as a swelling agent was saturated in the monomer mixture. The grafted polyvinyl chloride fibers showed considerable improvement in moisture regain, heat shrinkage, and melting properties, but tensile properties were not significantly affected by grafting.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.143-148
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• 2013

Operational nuclear facilities such as nuclear power plants and particle accelerators show various neutron spectra according to the type of facilities and specific position. Necessities of neutron dose management and neutron monitoring for radiation protection of radiation workers in such a kind of facilities have continuously increased in recent years. Bonner sphere spectrometers are widely used for measurement of neutron spectra. Data on response function of neutron detector, default neutron spectra and count rates of Bonner sphere spectrometer are required to obtain unfolded neutron spectra in specific workplaces. In this study, we carried out measurement of neutron spectra produced in MC50 cyclotron using Bonner sphere spectrometer with LiI scintillation detector. Additionally, we estimated quantitative data on neutron flux, mean neutron energy and ambient dose equivalent rate according to the incident proton energies and positions in MC50 cyclotron.