• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.2247-2257
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• 2024

To investigate the impact of the recently released pediatric reference voxel phantoms (0-, 1-, 5-, 10-, 15-year-old males and females) of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) on organ dose estimates for radioactive iodine (RAI) treatment in pediatric patients, we calculated and analyzed pediatric-specific iodine131 S values (r_T ← thyroid) for the 30 radiosensitive organs by conducting Monte Carlo simulations using the Geant4. The gender dependency in the S values was frequently seen for the 15-year-old phantoms with higher S values of female than male. In addition, the age dependency in the S values was observed for most target organs; that is, the S values tend to decrease for older ages (e.g., ~120 times for the gonads between the adult and newborn) due mainly to the inter-organ distances generally longer for older ages. Moreover, we observed that the iodine-131 S values tend to be significantly greater by up to ~145.5 times than those of the stylized phantoms that have been widely used for organ dose estimates of pediatric RAI patients. We believe that the pediatric-specific iodine-131 S values (r_T ← thyroid) of the ICRP pediatric reference voxel phantoms should be beneficial to improve the dosimetry of pediatric RAI patients.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.2050-2056
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• 2024

Handling of radioisotopes may cause external and internal contamination to occupational workers while using radiation for medical purposes. This research aims to monitor the internal hazard of occupational workers who handle ¹³¹I. Two methods are used: in vivo or direct method and in vitro or indirect method. The in vivo or direct method was performed by assessing thyroid intake with a thyroid uptake monitoring machine. The in vitro or indirect method was performed by assessing urine samples with the help of a gamma-ray spectroscopy practice using a High-Purity Germanium (HPGe) Detector. In this study, fifty-nine thyroid counts and fifty-nine urine samples were collected from seven occupational workers who were in charge of ¹³¹I at the National Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (NINMAS), Dhaka. The result showed that the average annual effective dose of seven workforces from thyroid counts were 0.0208 mSv/y, 0.0180 mSv/y, 0.0135 mSv/y, 0.0169 m Sv/y, 0.0072 mSv/y, 0.0181 mSv/y, 0.0164 mSv/y and in urine samples 0.0832 mSv/y, 0.0770 mSv/y, 0.0732 mSv/y, 0.0693 mSv/y, 0.0715 mSv/y, 0.0662 mSv/y, 0.0708 mSv/y.The total annual effective dose (in vivo and in vitro method) was found among seven workers in average 0.1039 mSv/y, 0.0950 mSv/y, 0.0868 mSv/y, 0.0862 mSv/y, 0.0787 mSv/y, 0.0843 mSv/y, 0.0872 mSv/y. Following the rules of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), the annual limit of effective dose for occupational exposure is 20 mSv per year and the finding values from this research work are lesser than this safety boundary.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.1830-1835
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• 2024

The current study aims to study the impacts of the substitution of magnesium with nickel concentrations on physical and γ-ray shielding capacity of magnesium alloys. The density of the magnesium alloys under study is varied from 3.677 g/cm³ to 5.652 g/cm³, with raising the nickel content from 26.7 wt% to 54.8 wt% and reducing the magnesium concentration from 72.6 wt% to 44.2 wt%, respectively. Additionally, the examination of the γ-ray shielding capacity using the Monte Carlo simulation code shows that the substitution of magnesium by nickel content in the magnesium alloys was associated with an enhancement in the γ-ray shielding capacity, where the linear attenuation coefficient for the studied alloys was enhanced by 53.22 %, 52.45 %, and 52.52 % at γ-ray energies of 0.662 MeV, 1.252 MeV, and 1.408 MeV, respectively, with raising the nickel concentration from 26.7 wt% to 54.8 wt%. Simultaneously, the half-value thickness for magnesium alloys was reduced from 2.47 cm to 1.62 cm (at gamma ray energy of 0.662 MeV), from 3.39 cm to 2.22 cm (at gamma ray energy of 1.252 MeV), and from 3.60 cm to 2.36 cm (at gamma ray energy of 1.408 MeV), raising the nickel concentration from 26.7 wt % to 54.8 wt%, respectively. The study shows that the substitution of magnesium for nickel greatly enhanced the radiation shielding capacity of the magnesium alloys.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.7
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• pp.2740-2747
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• 2024

The sintering process acquired ferromagnetic copper ferrite ceramic material with a small concentration of Ni ion at 1100 ℃ for 1 h. Previously, copper ferrite with Ni proportions powder was acquired by the wet chemical process according to the relation CuFe_2-xNi_xO₄ where x takes values 0.0, 0.015, 0.03, 0.04, and 0.05. The role of Ni ion in the copper ferrite structure was investigated by X-ray analysis, Scanning electron microscope, EDX analysis, and density measurements. The gamma-ray shielding properties for the fabricated CuFeNiO ceramics samples were evaluated using the Monte Carlo simulation method. The obtained results show an enhancement in the linear attenuation coefficient for the fabricated ceramics with increasing the insertions of Ni ions within the fabricated samples, where increasing the Ni ions concentration between 0 and 1.19 wt% increases the linear attenuation by between 1.581 and 1.771 cm^-1 (at 0.103 MeV), 0.304-0.338 cm^-1 (at 0.662 MeV), and 0.160-0.178 cm^-1 (at 2.506 MeV), respectively. Simultaneously, the radiation protection efficiency for a 1 cm thickness of the fabricated samples increased between 14.8 and 16.3% with increasing the Ni ions between 0 and 1.19 wt%. Although the Ni doping concentration does not exceed 1.5 wt% of the total composition of the fabricated ceramics, the shielding capacity of the fabricated ceramics was enhanced by more than 11%, along the studied energy interval. Therefore, the fabricated samples can be used in gamma-ray shielding applications.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.7
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• pp.2444-2451
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• 2024

This work demonstrates a new sol-gel approach for synthesizing PbO₂-doped zirconia using zircon mineral precursors. The streamlined methodology enables straightforward fabrication of the doped zirconia composites. Comprehensive materials characterization was performed using XRD, SEM, and TEM techniques to analyze the crystal structure, microstructure, and morphology. Quantitative analysis of the XRD data provided insights into the nanoscale crystallite sizes achieved, along with their relationship to lattice imperfections. Furthermore, the gamma-ray shielding capacity for the PbO₂-doped zirconia samples was estimated by the Monte Carlo simulation, which proves an increase in the gamma ray shielding properties by raising the Pb concentration. The linear attenuation coefficient increased between 0.467 and 0.499 cm^-1 (at 0.662 MeV) by increasing the Pb content between 11 and 21 wt%. By increasing the Pb content to 21 wt%, the synthesized composites' lead equivalent thickness reaches 2.49 cm. The radiation shielding properties for the synthesized composites revealed a remarkable performance against low and intermediate γ-ray photons, with radiation shielding capacity of 37.3 % and 21.4 % at 0.662 MeV and 2.506 MeV, respectively. As a result, the developed composites can be employed as an alternative shielding material in hospitals and radioactive zones.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.7
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• pp.2806-2820
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• 2024

Accurate reconstruction of radiation field and path planning are very important for the safety of operators in the process of dismantling nuclear facilities. Based on radial basis function (RBF) interpolation algorithm, this paper discussed the application of inverse multiquadric radial basis Function (IMRBF) interpolation method to the reconstruction of gamma radiation field, and proved the feasibility of reconstructing a radiation field with multiple γ sources. The average relative errors of IMRBF interpolation results were 4.28% and 8.76%, respectively, for the experimental scenarios with single and double gamma sources. After comparing the consistency between the simulated scene and the experimental scene, IMRBF method and Cubic Spline method were respectively used to reconstruct the gamma radiation field by Geant4 simulation data. The results showed that the interpolation accuracy of IMRBF method was superior to that of Cubic Spline method. Further, more RBF interpolation algorithms were used to reconstruct the multi-γ source radiation field, and then the Probabilistic Roadmap (PRM) algorithm was used to optimize the human walking path in the radiation field reconstructed by different interpolation methods. The optimal paths in radiation fields generated by multiple interpolation methods were compared. The results herein contribute to a comprehensive understanding of RBF interpolation methods in reconstructing γ radiation fields and their application in optimizing paths in radiation environments. The insights may provide valuable information for decision-making in radiation protection during the decommissioning of nuclear facilities.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.7
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• pp.2828-2834
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• 2024

This research intends to recycle bone and incorporate it into concrete for radiation shielding application using Phy-X/PSD software. Cement, sand and granite were mixed in proportion of 0.5 kg:1 kg:1 kg to obtain sample A. Other concretes composing of cement, sand, granite and bone ash was in proportion 0.45 kg:1 kg:1 kg:0.05 kg, 0.1 kg:1 kg:1 kg:0.4 kg and 0.35 kg:1 kg:1 kg:0.15 kg to obtain samples B, C and D respectively. 0.5 water-to-cement (W/C) ratio was adopted throughout the mixes because the control mix contain the normal water quantity for normal hydration of cement. Replacing the bone ash for the cement in the fabricated concretes enhances their densities where the fabricated concretes' density decreased from 2.33 g/cm³ to 2.22 g/cm³ by raising the reinforcing bones fly ash concentration from 0 to 0.15 kg. Additionally, increasing the bones fly ash concentration within the fabricated concretes increases their linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) where the fabricated concretes' μ values at 0.662 MeV reach 0.181 cm^-1, 0.178 cm^-1, 0.174 cm^-1, and 0.171 cm^-1, respectively for concretes A, B, C, and D. The use of other local materials is recommended, as it improves waste management being the major aim of the sustainable development goal.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.7
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• pp.2821-2827
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• 2024

This investigation developed a novel polyester composite based on the addition of zinc oxide (ZnO) of different sizes. We prepared nine samples Containing different percentages and sizes of ZnO as well as the control sample (Pol-ZnO0). The attenuation factors of Pol-micro ZnO were estimated using Phy-x software, while the HPGe detector and various gamma sources were used to experimentally measure the all-prepared composites. In terms of the two methods for micro composites, good agreement was observed. The linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) of Pol-ZnO20, Pol-ZnO40, and Pol-ZnO60, two more samples one with ZnO nanoparticles instead of microparticles, and the other with half microparticles and half nanoparticles (referenced as 0.5 M + 0.5 N) were determined. For all the Polyester composites and energies, the mixture of microparticles and nanoparticles had greater LAC values than each of the particles on their own. For example, the LAC values for the Pol-ZnO20 polymer at 1.330 MeV are 0.0836, 0.0888, and 0.0903 cm^-1 for the microparticles, nanoparticles, and mixture, respectively. The values of the prepared polymer samples' radiation protection efficiency (RPE) against energy with a thickness of 2 cm was determined experimentally. The Pol-ZnO60 0.5 M + 0.5 N sample has the highest RPE out of all the samples, followed by its nanoparticle counterpart, and then its microparticle counterpart. On the other hand, the Pol-ZnO0 sample, the polymer with no ZnO content, at all energies has the lowest RPE, followed by the three Pol-ZnO20 samples.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.67-76
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• 2013

Landfill require special care due to the dangers of nearby surface water and underground water pollution caused by leakage of leachate. The leachate does not leak due to the installation of the geomembrane but sharp wastes or landfill equipment can damage the geomembrane and therefore a means of protecting the geomembrane is required. In Korea, in accordance with the waste control act being modified in 1999, protecting the geosynthetics liner on top of the slope of landfill and installing a drainage layer to fluently drain leachate became mandatory, and technologies are being researched to both protect the geomembrane and quickly drain leachate simultaneously. Therefore, this research has its purpose in studying the drainage functions of leachate and protection functions of the geomembrane in order to examine the application possibilities of Geo-Multicell-Composite (GMC) as a Leachate Collection Removal and Protection System (LCRPs) at the slope on top of the geomembrane of landfill by observing methods of inserting filler with high-quality water permeability at the drainage net. GMC's horizontal permeability coefficient is $8.0{\times}10^{-4}m^2/s$ to legal standards satisfeid. Also crash gravel used as filler respected by vertical permeability is 5.0 cm/s, embroidering puncture strength 140.2 kgf. A result of storm drain using artificial rain in GMC model facility, maxinum flow rate of 1,120 L/hr even spray without surface runoff was about 92~97% penetration. Further study, instead of crash gravel used as a filler, such as using recycled aggregate utilization increases and the resulting construction cost is expected to savings.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.8-13
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• 2017

This study was conducted to develop an agent-based computing platform enabling simulation of on-farm produce contamination by enteric foodborne pathogens, which is herein called PPMCS (Preharvest Produce Microbial Contamination Simulator). Also, fecal contamination of preharvest produce was simulated using PPMCS. Although Agent-based Modeling and Simulation, the tool applied in this study, is rather popular in where socio-economical human behaviors or ecological fate of animals in their niche are to be predicted, the incidence of on-farm produce contamination which are thought to be sporadic has never been simulated using this tool. The agents in PPMCS including crop, animal as a source of fecal contamination, and fly as a vector spreading the fecal contamination are given their intrinsic behaviors that are set to be executed at certain probability. Once all these agents are on-set following the intrinsic behavioral rules, consequences as the sum of all the behaviors in the system can be monitored real-time. When fecal contamination of preharvest produce was simulated in PPMCS as numbers of animals, flies, and initially contaminated plants change, the number of animals intruding cropping area affected most on the number of contaminated plants at harvest. For further application, the behaviors and variables of the agents are adjustable depending on user's own scenario of interest. This feature allows PPMCS to be utilized in where different simulating conditions are tested.