• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제50권5호
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• pp.690-697
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• 2018

Criticality alarm systems (CASs) are mandatory in nuclear plants for prompt alarm in the event of any criticality incident. False criticality alarms are not desirable as they create a panic environment for radiation workers. The present article describes the design enhancement of the CAS at each stage and provides maximum availability, preventing false criticality alarms. The failure mode and effect analysis are carried out on each element of a CAS. Based on the analysis, additional hardware circuits are developed for early fault detection. Two different methods are developed, one method for channel loop functionality test and another method for dose alarm test using electronic transient pulse. The design enhancement made for the external systems that are integrated with a CAS includes the power supply, criticality evacuation hooter circuit, radiation data acquisition system along with selection of different soft alarm set points, and centralized electronic test facility. The CAS incorporating all improvements are assembled, installed, tested, and validated along with rigorous surveillance procedures in a nuclear plant for a period of 18,000 h.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제55권4호
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• pp.1287-1299
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• 2023

A new Monte-Carlo-based computer program (RDS-BASIC) is developed to simulate the transport of energetic ions in pure matter. This computer program is utilizing an algorithm that uses detailed numerical solutions for the classical scattering integral for evaluating the outcomes of the binary collision processes. This approach is adopted by several prominent similar simulation programs and is known to provide results with higher accuracy compared to other approaches that use approximations to shorten the simulation time. Furthermore, RDS-BASIC simulation program contains special methods to reduce the displacement energy threshold of surface atoms. This implementation is found essential for accurate simulation results for sputtering yield in the case of very low energy ions irradiation (near sputtering energy threshold) and also successfully solve the problem of simultaneously obtaining an acceptable number of atomic displacements per incident ions. Results of our simulation for several irradiation systems are presented and compared with their respective TRIM (SRIM-2013) and the state-of-the-art SDTrimSP simulation results. Our sputtering simulation results were also compared with available experimental data. The simulation execution time for these different simulation programs has also been compared.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제53권10호
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• pp.3344-3351
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• 2021

The Rare Isotope Science Project was launched in 2011 in Korea toward constructing the Rare isotope Accelerator complex for ON line experiments (RAON). RAON will house several experimental systems, including the Muon Spin Rotation/Relaxation/Resonance (μSR) facility in High Energy Experimental Building B. This facility will use 600-MeV protons with a maximum current of 660 pμA and beam power of 400 kW. The key μSR features will facilitate projects related to condensed-matter and nuclear physics. Typical experiments require a few million surface muons fully spin-polarized opposite to their momentum for application to small samples. Here, we describe the design of a muon transport beam line for delivering the requisite muon numbers and the electromagnetic-component specifications in the μSR facility. We determine the beam-line configuration via beam-optics calculations and the transmission efficiency via single-particle tracking simulations. The electromagnet properties, including fringe field effects, are applied for each component in the calculations. The designed surface-muon beamline is 17.3 m long, consisting of 2 solenoids, 2 dipoles affording 70° deflection, 9 quadrupoles, and a Wien filter to eliminate contaminant positrons. The average incident-muon flux and spin rotation angle are estimated as 5.2 × 10⁶ μ⁺/s and 45°, respectively.

• 비파괴검사학회지
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• 제28권5호
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• pp.427-435
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• 2008

Inspection of dissimilar metal welds using phased array ultrasound is not easy at all, because crystalline structure of dissimilar metal welds cause deviation and splitting of the ultrasonic beams. Thus, in order to have focusing and/or steering phased array beams in dissimilar metal welds, proper time delays should be determined by ray tracing. In this paper, we proposed an effective approach to solve this difficult problem. Specifically, we modify the Oglivy's model parameters to describe the crystalline structure of real dissimilar metal welds in a fabricated specimen. And then, we calculate the proper time delay and incident angle of linear phased array transducer in the anisotropic and inhomogeneous material for focusing and/or steering phased array ultrasonic beams on the desired position.

• 한국의학물리학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국의학물리학회 2002년도 Proceedings
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• pp.199-201
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• 2002

Cancer therapy using high-energy $^{12}$ C ions is successfully under way at HIMAC, Japan. An alternative beam to $^{12}$ C is $^{11}$ C ions. The merit of $^{11}$ C over $^{12}$ C is its capability for monitoring spatial distribution of the irradiated $^{11}$ C by observing the $\beta$$^{+}$ decay with a good position resolution. One of the several problems to be solved before its use for therapy is the amount of nuclear interaction that deteriorates the dose concentration owing to the Bragg curve. Utilizing the dedicated secondary beam course for R&D studies at HIMAC, we measured the total energy loss of $^{11}$ C ions in a scintillator block that simulates the soft tissue in human bodies. In addition to the total absorption $^{11}$ C peak, non-negligible bump-shaped contribution is observed in the energy spectrum. The origin of the bump contribution can be nuclear interaction of the incident $^{11}$ C ions with hydrogen and carbon atoms. Further studies to reduce the ambiguity in dose distribution are mentioned.

• 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.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제28권1호
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• pp.72-78
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• 1996

단면적 평가를 위한 회귀분석 프로그램 COVAFIT를 개발하고 이를 실험 결과로서 보고되는 단면적을 평가하는데 적용하였다. 가중 최소제곱 선형 회귀 방법을 적용하였는데 이 때 새로 유도한 고차 다항식을 사용하였다. 점증하는 핵자료의 공분산에 대한 요구에 부응하여, 이 프로그램은 단면적 실험치와 함께 제공되는 분산-공분산 자료를 평가에 반영할 수 있다는 특징을 가지고 있다. MeV 에너지 영역에서 천연 산소 및 $O^{16}$의 중성자 전단면적과 세 가지 $C^{11}$ 생산 반응의 양성자 반응 단면적 평가를 통하여 사용방법론의 적절성과 COVAFIT의 유용성을 확인하였다.

• KNOM Review
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• 제22권3호
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• pp.31-39
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• 2019

본 논문에서는 일본 후쿠시마 원전 사태와 같은 지진, 해일 등 극한 자연재해 상황 하에서 원자력발전소 등 산업시설의 기존 유·무선 통신망이 파괴되었을 때, 기존 통신망과는 별개로 통신 비전문가인 산업시설의 운용자가 장비운반 및 설치 시간을 포함해 수십분 이내에 구축할 수 있는 신속성, 편리성, 휴대성, 신뢰성, 안전성을 모두 갖춘 유·무선 통합 통신망 및 음성/데이터 서비스 자율구축 기술을 제안한다. 또한 연구 결과로 개발된 PoC (Proof of Concept) 시스템과 기능 검증 및 시험 결과를 소개한다.

• 방사선산업학회지
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• 제5권4호
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• pp.337-345
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• 2011

In order to provide an effective preparedness for a nuclear or radiological emergency happening in the domestic or neighborhood countries and to solve the vague fear of the people for the ingestion of radioactive livestock products, the establishment of national guideline level for radionuclides in feed is urgently necessary. This is because it is important to secure the safety and to manage the crisis in the agricultural, fishery and food sector by performing the effective safety control during and after nuclear incident. This study was performed to investigate the report cases of international organizations and foreign countries to set up a domestic control standard for managing radioactive substances that may be contaminated in animal feeds due to the nuclear power plant incident. In addition, an attempt was made to provide a useful reference that can help prepare a domestic control standard, using a coefficient that can consider the transfer into livestock through the intake of radioactive contaminated animal feeds. The standard radioisotopes investigated were confined to radioactive cesium ($^{137+134}Cs$) and iodine ($^{131}I$). Guideline level for the radionuclides was calculated by using the transfer coefficient factor and the maximum daily intake of animal feed provided by IAEA. For example, the maximum daily intake of animal feed was set as $25kg\;d^{-1}$ for dairy cows, $10kg\;d^{-1}$ for beef cattle, $3.0kg\;d^{-1}$ for pigs and $0.15kg\;d^{-1}$ for chickens. The result values for radioactive cesium were calculated as $8,696Bq\;kg^{-1}$, $4,545Bq\;kg^{-1}$, $1,667Bq\;kg^{-1}$ and $2,469Bq\;kg^{-1}$, respectively. The results for radioactive iodine showed the ranges between $741Bq\;kg^{-1}$ and $76,628Bq\;kg^{-1}$. These data can be utilized as a scientific reference for the preparation of a crisis management manual for the emergency control due to nuclear power plant accident in Korea and neighboring country. These results will contribute to establish the safe feed management system at national level as manual for responding the radioactive exposure of agricultural products and animal feeds, which are currently not established.

• Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia
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• 제12권2호
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• pp.19-34
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• 2013

Previous research assessed media reporting on nuclear accidents and risks, whilst studies about the Fukushima accident focused on the impact of the Internet on coverage of the incident. However, little research has addressed news framing or comparisons of the perceptions of journalists in relation to reporting nuclear accidents. The aim of this study is to apply framing analysis to news content in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and USA Today about the Fukushima accident. It explores the question of how journalists view reporting on complex events. Content analysis of these three newspapers shows that conflict, responsibility, and economic consequences were the most frequently used frames. According to the journalists interviewed, the biggest problem was the inability to assess information due to contrary positions held by experts. It is argued that the Fukushima accident was framed as a conflict of experts and officials' opinions, utility and government officials' responsibility, and economic consequences for the United States. Adherence to professional norms of objectivity and impartiality was signified as the best approaches to risk reporting.