• Progress in Medical Physics
• /
• v.10 no.1
• /
• pp.23-32
• /
• 1999

Combined MRI and Relaxogram approach was introduced as a very useful tool for fat study. The phantoms simulating homogeneous mixture of fat and non-fat environments were measured with spin echo pulse sequence on a 0.15 T whole body imager. From 45 scans, the Tl values were obtained by fitting the data to continuous distribution (CONTIN) of relaxation time. This relaxogram gives broad distributions of relaxation time, which are characterized by a number of peaks with characteristic T1 values. Two distinct peaks in relaxogram were observed and identified as signals from com oil and gelatin gel. This model system can be served as simulating the distribution of fat in muscle. Also the relative ratio of two components, which is proportional to the area under the peak, is estimated and compared to nominal values. Based on the good agreement between two predictions, the values from our proposed method agreed with nominal values within $\pm$7 % error. The effects of different concentration of contrast agent and different region of interest are presented. To optimize total scan times, the minimum required data points and so further reduction in total scan times are discussed.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
• /
• v.34 no.3
• /
• pp.107-114
• /
• 2009

A Compton camera, which is based on Compton kinematics, is a very promising gamma-ray imaging device in that it could overcome the limitations of the conventional gamma-ray imaging devices. In the present study, the image quality of a rotating Compton camera was evaluated by using 4-D Monte Carlo simulation technique and the applicability to nuclear industrial applications was examined. It was found that Compton images were significantly improved when the Compton camera rotates around a gamma-ray source. It was also found that the 3-D imaging capability of a Compton camera could enable us to accurately determine the 3-D location of radioactive contamination in a concrete wall for decommissioning purpose of nuclear facilities. The 4-D Monte Carlo simulation technique, which was applied to the Compton camera fields for the first time, could be also used to model the time-dependent geometry for various applications.

• Progress in Medical Physics
• /
• v.12 no.2
• /
• pp.185-191
• /
• 2001

The virtual compensator which are realized using a multileaf collimator(MLC) and three-dimensional radiation therapy Planning(3D RTP) system was designed. And the feasibility study of the virtual compensator was done to verify that it can do the function of the conventional compensator properly. As a model for the design of compensator, styrofoam phantom and mini water phantom were prepared to simulate the missing tissue area and the calculated dose distribution was produced through the 3D RTP system. The fluence maps which are basic materials for the design of virtual compensator were produced based on the dose distribution and the MLC leaf sequence file was made for the realization of the produced fluence map. Ma's algorithm were applied to design the MLC leaf sequence and all the design tools were programmed with IDL5.4. To verify the feasibility of the designed virtual compensator, the results of irradiation with or without a virtual compensator were analyzed by comparing the irradiated films inserted into the mini water phantom. The higher dose area produced due to the missing tissue was removed and intended regular dose distribution was achieved when the virtual compensator was applied.

• Progress in Medical Physics
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.99-107
• /
• 2003

This study was performed to prepare the verification film for localizing beam-target position with the Photon Knife radiosurgery system (PKRS) using linear accelerator(Mitsubishi, Model ML-15MDX). We developed a laser calibration system using a reticle of transparent lucite to detect Inlet and outlet beams. We verified fixation of the second collimator with film mounted on a holder in the shape of an octagon block 5cm apart from the isocenter. The film was exposed to photon beams of linear accelerator at an interval of 45 degrees during the gantry movement. There were no shifts in the beam of the second collimator during gantry movement. We used a position marker which is designed a head-shaped small lead block and a 10 mm in diameter of steel bead in the plastic tube. The position marker helped to verify the beam directions with patient position in multi-arc and trans-multi-arc of PKRS The verification of beam alignments showed an average 0.8$\pm$0.26 mm discrepancy in LINAC-gram images of PKRS. In our study, the couch movement was $\pm$5 mm laterally, while it shook $\pm$ 2 mm toward the couch axis. The couch, however, was immediately returned to the initial site after shaking. Thus, we postulate that the beam-target position(s) should be verified with LINAC-gram in a stereotactic radiosurgery system to achieve the accuracy of beam-target alignment.

• Progress in Medical Physics
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.112-117
• /
• 2015

In order to establish the quality control on patient safety following the guideline presented by American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) TG-100 committee, we aim to analyze the modes based on errors occurred during treatment of patients at the radiation oncology department at Yeungnam University Hospital and establish a quality control guideline for patient safety when patient-centered radiation treatment is conducted. We aim to analyze the errors that can occur during radiation treatment at the radiation department, and assess the frequency of error, the severity of error affecting patients, and probability of proceeding without noticing error, with scores. The places where errors can take place were divided into CT simulation treatment room, treatment planning room, and treatment room for the analysis. In CT simulation treatment room, an error from using the immobilization device showed the highest Risk Priority Number (RPN) value of 60, and an error from simulation treatment information input showed the lowest of 6. In treatment planning room, an error from selecting the radiation dose calculation model showed the highest RPN value of 168, and an error of patient treatment start date showed the lowest of 36. In treatment room, a Table Bar error showed the highest RPN value of 252, a weight change error showed 190, and a Pillow error showed the lowest of 24.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.55 no.11
• /
• pp.4274-4281
• /
• 2023

Blanket is of vital importance for engineering application of the fusion reactor. Nuclear heat deposition in materials is the main heat source in blanket structure. In this paper, the three-dimensional method for thermal-hydraulics/neutronics coupling analysis is developed and applied for the full-scale module of the helium-cooled ceramic breeder tritium breeding blanket (HCCB TBB) designed for China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR). The explicit coupling scheme is used to support data transfer for coupling analysis based on cell-to-cell mapping method. The coupling algorithm is realized by the user-defined function compiled in Fluent. The three-dimensional model is established, and then the coupling analysis is performed using the paralleled Coupling Analysis of Thermal-hydraulics and Neutronics Interface Code (CATNIC). The results reveal the relatively small influence of the coupling analysis compared to the traditional method using the radial fitting function of internal heat source. However, the coupling analysis method is quite important considering the nonuniform distribution of the neutron wall loading (NWL) along the poloidal direction. Finally, the structure optimization of the blanket is carried out using the coupling method to satisfy the thermal requirement of all materials. The nonlinear effect between thermal-hydraulics and neutronics is found during the blanket structure optimization, and the tritium production performance is slightly reduced after optimization. Such an adverse effect should be thoroughly evaluated in the future work.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
• /
• v.41 no.3
• /
• pp.238-247
• /
• 2020

This study simulated strong ground motion waveforms in the southern Korean Peninsula, based on the physical earthquake modeling of the Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) BroadBand Platform (BBP). Characteristics of intensity attenuation were investigated for M 6.0-7.0 events, incorporating the site effects. The SCEC BBP is software generates broadband (0-10 Hz) ground-motion waveforms for earthquake scenarios. Among five available modeling methods in the v16.5 platform, we used the Song Model. Approximately 50 earthquake scenarios each were simulated for M 6.0, 6.5, and 7.0 events. Representative metrics such as peak ground acceleration (PGA) and peak ground velocity (PGV) were obtained from the synthetic waveforms that were simulated before and after the consideration of site effects (V_S30). They were then empirically converted to distribution of instrumental intensity. The intensity that considers the site effects is amplified at low rather than high V_S30 zones.

• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
• /
• v.23 no.4
• /
• pp.26-35
• /
• 2022

The 7th education reform in 1997 has led changes in the way buildings were constructed and such changes drove educational facilities to steadily consume more energy every year. Also, these facilities take several years' estimated expenditure as well as the increased unit price of electricity into account when planning their annual operating budget. Such circumstances may adversely affect the establishment of their budget plan since improper allocation of operating costs could take place. To propose educational facilities' operating budget management plan on electrical energy consumption, this study developed a model that help oversee the facilities' consumption of electrical energy. For the model development, the primary core variables related to electrical energy factors from the aspects of surroundings, physics, policy, etc. were derived from taking both literature research and the characteristics of these facilities into account. The secondary core variables were then derived using the correlation analysis. Lastly, the electric energy use prediction model was developed by performing regression analysis based on the derived secondary core variables.

• Clean Technology
• /
• v.10 no.1
• /
• pp.9-17
• /
• 2004

Direct methanol fuel cell(DMFC) with proton exchange membrane (PEM) has advantages over the conventional power source (e.g. vehicle). DMFC, however, has a problem to be solved such as methanol crossover, high anodic overpotential and limiting current density, etc. The physicochemical phenomena in DMFC can be described by coupled PDEs (partial differential equations), which can be solved by a PDE solver. In this paper, we utilized a commercial software FEMLAB to solve the PDEs. The FEMLAB is one of the software programs available which are developed as a solver for building physics problems based on PDEs and is designed to simulate systems of coupled PDEs which may be 1D, 2D, 3D, non-liner and time dependent. We performed simulation using the Tafel equation as an electrochemical reaction model to analyze methanol concentration profile in DMFC system. We confirm that the rapid decrease of methanol concentration at anodic catalyst layer with the increase of the current density is a main reason of the low performance in DMFC through simulation results.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
• /
• v.23 no.3
• /
• pp.276-285
• /
• 2003

In the earlier study, Park (2002) described the process of student' conceptual change as a successive refinement and articulation of their conceptual framework. In this study, the process of conceptual change for three university students were analyzed more in depth. As results, six types of conceptual change through successive refinement and articulation were observed: (1) original conception was elaborated in detail, (2) conception was differentiated according to the context, (3) some conceptions were re-explained theoretically after construction it based on experimental data, (4) non-coherent conceptions in the early stage get to have coherency in the later stage, (5) model of explanation gets to be complicated by excluding ideal conditions, (6) qualitative explanations were changed into quantitative ones.