• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.71-79
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• 2016

Background: It is necessary to analyze radioactivity of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) in products to ensure radiological safety required by Natural Radiation Safety Management Act. The pretreatments for the existing analysis methods require high technology and time. Such destructive pretreatments including grinding and dissolution of samples make impossible to reuse products. We developed a rapid and simple procedure of radioactivity analysis for thorium series in the products containing NORM. Materials and Methods: The developed method requires non-destructive or minimized pretreatment. Radioactivity of the product without pretreatment is initially measured using gamma spectroscopy and then the measured radioactivity is adjusted by considering material composition, mass density, and geometrical shape of the product. The radioactivity adjustment can be made using scaling factors, which is derived by radiation transport Monte Carlo simulation. Necklace, bracelet, male health care product, and tile for health mat were selected as representative products for this study. The products are commonly used by the public and directly contacted with human body and thus resulting in high radiation exposure to the user. Results and Discussion: The scaling factors were derived using MCNPX code and the values ranged from 0.31 to 0.47. If radioactivity of the products is measured without pretreatment, the thorium series may be overestimated by up to 2.8 times. If scaling factors are applied, the difference in radioactivity estimates are reduced to 3-24%. Conclusion : The developed procedure in this study can be used for other products with various materials and shapes and thus ensuring radiological safety.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.258-270
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• 1987

A series of new thorium nitrate complexes with crown ethers have been synthesized from the reaction of the hydrated thorium nitrate, with the appropriate crown ethers of different cavity sizes in various solvents such as methanol, ethanol, butanol, methylacetate, acetone, tetrahydrofuran and acetylacetone. CHN elemental analysis, ICPAS, thermal analysis and Karl-Fischer method have been used to characterize their compositions, and the spectroscopic methods of IR, UV, $^1H-NMR$, and X-ray diffraction have been employed to determine the structures and solvolysis phenomena of these complexes. and the electrical conductances were measured in DMSO, and water solvent. The solvolysis have been observed only in the complexes synthesized in acetylacetone solvent. In the solvated complexes of 15-crown-5 and 18-crown-6, the mole ratio of $Th^{4+}$: ligand : acetylacetone is found to be 1:1:1, but in the non-solvated complexes of 12-crown-4 and 15-crown-5, the mole ratios of Th:L are 1:2 and 2:3, respectively, and that in the complexes of both 18-crown-6 and dicyclohexano-18-crown-6 is 1:1. All complexes which were not solvated have shown $n{\to}{\sigma}^{\ast}$ electronic transitions of crown ether whereas complexes solvated have exhibited both $n{\to}{\sigma}^{\ast}$ of crown ether and $n{\to}{\pi}^{\ast}$ transitions of acac. The dissociation mole ratio of $Th^{4+}$ and nitrate ion is found to be 1:1 in aprotic solvent, and 1:4 in protic solvent like water.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.239-246
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• 1985

Uranium-thorium separation technique from shallow sediment and ${\alpha}$-source electrodeposition technique are established in the present work, and uranium series disequilibrium dating method is applied to the quaternary piston core from Sangback-do, South Sea of Korean Peninsula. The age of the piston core (depth 200~300cm) sampled from Latitude $34^{\circ}06^{\prime}37^{{\prime}{\prime}}$, Longitude $127^{\circ}37^{\prime}37^{{\prime}{\prime}}$ was determined as ranging from $9.0{\pm}2.2$ to $22.9{\pm}3.3$ Ky B.P, i.e., Later Pleistocene, older than Holocene which was stratigraphically known in the previous study. The sedimentation rate in the area is regularly increased according to the depth of the sedimentation layer. Except a few split sections of the piston core the sedimentation rates are avarage 7.2cm/1,000 years. Where sedimentation layer is deeper, then sedimentation rate tend to be slower. It must be pointed in age calculation that initial $^{230}Th/^{234}U$ radioactivity ratio is much influenced when detrital material was introduced in the sample. The $^{230}Th/^{234}U$ activity ratio measured in the present work is 0.06 at $^{232}Th=0$, and this value shows higher analytical errors because of the low· radioactivity of $^{230}Th$ in the samples.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.181-190
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• 2012

Naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) in building materials are main sources of external radiation exposure to the general public. The objective of this study was to assess external radiation dose in Korean dwellings due to NORM in concrete walls. Reference room model for dose assessment was made by analyzing room structure and housing scale of Korean dwellings. In addition, dose assessments were made for varying room sizes. Absorbed doses to air and effective dose rates were calculated using radiation transport code MCNPX. Assuming a reference room of $3{\times}4{\times}2.8m^3$, absorbed dose rates in air were 0.80, 0.97, 0.08 nGy $h^{-1}$ per Bq $kg^{-1}$ for uranium series, thorium series, and $^{40}K$, respectively. Effective dose rates were 0.57, 0.69, 0.058 nSv $h^{-1}$ per Bq $kg^{-1}$, respectively. Radiation dose resulting from concrete of ceiling and floor increased with room area while radiation dose from concrete of walls decreased with room area. Therefore, total radiation doses were almost the same for the varying room area from 5 to $30m^2$. Effective dose in Korean dwellings was calculated based on measurement data of NORM concentration in concrete and occupancy fraction of Korean population by location. Annual effective dose was 0.59 mSv assuming that indoor occupancy fraction was 0.89 and concentrations of uranium series, thorium series and $^{40}K$ were 26, 39, 596 Bq $kg^{-1}$, respectively. Finally, annual effective dose in Korean dwellings can be calculated by the following equation: Effective dose=indoor occupancy fraction${\times}8760\;h\;y^{-1}{\times}(0.57C_U+0.69C_{Th}+0.058C_K)$.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.331-341
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• 2016

To evaluate the physicochemical and radiological properties of raw materials and by-products in domestic distribution, about 220 samples with 16 species were prepared. We measured the energy spectrum and the chemical content, such as U, Th, and K, using a $LaBr_3$ scintillation detector and ED-XRF. In addition, HPGe detector was used to analyze the radioac-tivity of $^{234}Th$, $^{234}mPa$, and $^{214}Bi$ in uranium decay series and $^{228}Ac$, $^{212}Pb$, and $^{208}Tl$ in thorium decay series, and $^{40}K$. The correlation between characteristic variables, such as the count rate in several ROIs, chemical content, and radioactivity, was assessed to infer the radioactivity of natural radionuclides through a rapid screening method. Based on the results, a characteristic database for raw material and by-product in domestic distribution was established and it will provide useful information in the analysis procedure and improve the accuracy and reproducibility in the analysis of natural radionuclides.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.179-190
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• 2008

The distribution characteristics of some major environmental radionuclides ($^{40}K$, $^{228}Ac$, $^{226}Ra$, $^{222}Rn$) and U in rocks, soils and soil gas were studied at Geumjeong-Gu, Busan, Korea. The activities of radionuclides in granitic rocks are decreased in the odor of $^{40}K$>thorium decay series>uranium decay series. This reveals that Th was relatively more enriched in granitic rocks than U. The U content and activity of $^{226}Ra$ and $^{228}Ac$, however, don't reflect the fractionation sequence of granitic rocks in the study area. The activities of all these radionuclides and U content in soils are generally higher than in rocks, and their distribution in rocks, soils and soil gas show very low co-relationship. These facts indicate that the activities of radionuclides in soil and soil gas were greatly affected by leaching and adsorption properties of the radionuclides and their parents during weathering and pedogenetic process rather than their concentrations in parent rocks.

• Journal of Radiation Industry
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.173-179
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• 2016

Coals and coal ashes, raw materials and by-products, in coal-fired power plants contain naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM). They may give rise to internal exposure to workers due to inhalation of airborne particulates containing radioactive materials. It is necessary to characterize radioactivity concentrations of the materials for assessment of radiation dose to the workers. The objective of the present study was to analyze radioactivity concentrations of coals and by-products at four coal-fired plants in Korea. High purity germanium detector was employed for analysis of uranium series, thorium series, and potassium 40 in the materials. Radioactivity concentrations of $^{226}Ra$, $^{228}Ra$, and $^{40}K$ were $2{\sim}53Bq\;kg^{-1}$, $3{\sim}64Bq\;kg^{-1}$, and $14{\sim}431Bq\;kg^{-1}$ respectively in coal samples. For coal ashes, the radioactivity concentrations were $77{\sim}133Bq\;kg^{-1}$, $77{\sim}105Bq\;kg^{-1}$, and $252{\sim}372Bq\;kg^{-1}$ in fly ash samples and $54{\sim}91Bq\;kg^{-1}$, $46{\sim}83Bq\;kg^{-1}$, and $205{\sim}462Bq\;kg^{-1}$ in bottom ash samples. For flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum, the radioactivity concentrations were $3{\sim}5Bq\;kg^{-1}$, $2{\sim}3Bq\;kg^{-1}$, and $22{\sim}47Bq\;kg^{-1}$. Radioactivity was enhanced in coal ash compared with coal due to combustion of organic matters in the coal. Radioactivity enhancement factors for $^{226}Ra$, $^{228}Ra$, and $^{40}K$ were 2.1~11.3, 2.0~13.1, and 1.4~7.4 for fly ash and 2.0~9.2, 2.0~10.0, 1.9~7.7 for bottom ash. The database established in this study can be used as basic data for internal dose assessment of workers at coal-fired power plants. In addition, the findings can be used as a basic data for development of safety standard and guide of Natural Radiation Safety Management Act.