• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.103-111
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• 2002

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 2002.05a
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• pp.322.2-322
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• 2002

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 2002.05a
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• pp.274-274
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• 2002

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 2005.05a
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• pp.307-308
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• 2005

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.155-161
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• 2015

Technetium-99m (^99mTc) is an important, short-lived decay product of molybdenum-99 (⁹⁹Mo), and it is considered the backbone of the modern nuclear diagnostic procedures. Since fission of ²³⁵U is the main source of production of ⁹⁹Mo, either highly-enriched uranium (HEU) targets or low-enriched uranium (LEU) targets are irradiated in the research reactors. The use of LEU targets is being promoted by the international community to avoid the proliferation issues linked with the use of HEU. In order to define the waste management strategy at the planning stage of establishment of an LEU based ⁹⁹Mo production facility, the impact of the use of LEU targets on the radioactive waste stream of the ⁹⁹Mo production facility was analyzed. Because the volume of uranium waste is estimated to increase six times, the use of high uranium density targets and the utilization of hot isostatic pressing were recommended to reduce the increased waste volume from the use of LEU based targets.

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.80-83
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• 2011

Isotope ratio analysis of nuclear materials in individual particles is of great importance for nuclear safeguards. Although secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) are utilized for the analysis of individual uranium particles, few studies were conducted for the analysis of individual uranium-plutonium mixed oxide particles. In this study, we applied SIMS and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to the isotope ratio analysis of individual U-Pu mixed oxide particles. In the analysis of individual U-Pu particles prepared from mixed solution of uranium and plutonium standard reference materials, accurate $^{235}U/^{238}U$, $^{240}Pu/^{239}Pu$ and $^{242}Pu/^{239}Pu$ isotope ratios were obtained with both methods. However, accurate analysis of $^{241}Pu/^{239}Pu$ isotope ratio was impossible, due to the interference of the $^{241}Am$ peak to the $^{241}Pu$ peak. In addition, it was indicated that the interference of the $^{238}UH$ peak to the $^{239}Pu$ peak has a possibility to prevent accurate analysis of plutonium isotope ratios. These problems would be avoided by a combination of ICP-MS and chemical separation of uranium, plutonium and americium in individual U-Pu particles.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.289-298
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• 1984

Uraniferous black slates of the Okchon sequence occur in Koesan (northeast) through Miwon-Boun (middle) to the southwest off Taejon (southwest) within the Okchon fold belt. The Uraniferous balck slates in the southwest off Taejon are particularly well developed in Chubu (northeast) and Moksso-ri (middle) areas whereas they are less developed in Jinsan (southwest) area. The uraniferous beds range from less than a meter to 40 meters in thickness and range from less than 0.02% $U_3O_8$ (cut-off-grade) to 0.05% $U_3O_8$ in the southwestern district off Taejon. Electron microprobe analysis of uranium-minerals found in graphitic slate samples enables to estimate their major compositions semi-quantitatively so that uraninite, ferro-uranophane and chlopinite are tentatively identified. Uranium-minerals are closely associated with carbon and metal sulfides. Correlation analysis of trace element concentrations revealed that U and F.C., and U and Mo are lineary correlative respectively and their correlation coefficients are positively high whereas those of U and V, U and Mn, and U and Zr are negatively low, implying that uranium mineralization has been closely related with concentrations of carbon and molybdenum. Stable isotope analyses of pyrite sulfur range widely from +11.5% to -23.3% in ${\delta}^{34}S$ values whereas those of graphite carbon fall within a narrow range between -23.3% and -28.9% in ${\delta}^{13}C$ values. The wide range of ${\delta}^{34}S$ values suggests that the sulfur could be of meteoric origin rather than of igneous source. The narrow range of ${\delta}^{13}C$ values, which are close to those of coal, indicates that the graphite is organic carbon in origin. Therefore, it is concluded that the uranium mineralization in the Okchon sequence took place primarily in sedimentary environment rich in organic matter and sulfide ion, both of which served as the reducing agents to convert soluble uranyl complex to insoluble uranium dioxide.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.52 no.7
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• pp.1532-1536
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• 2020

For ensuring nuclear safeguards, we report the analytical signal-detection performance of thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) with continuous heating for the measurement of isotopic ratios in samples containing ultra-trace amounts of uranium. As methods for detecting uranium signals, peak-jumping mode using a single detector and static mode using multiple detectors were examined with U100 (10% ²³⁵U-enriched) uranium standard samples in the femtogram-to-picogram range. Uranium isotope ratios, n(²³⁵U)/n(²³⁸U), were measured down to levels of 1 fg and 3 fg in static and peak-jumping modes, respectively, while n(²³⁴U)/n(²³⁸U) and n(²³⁶U)/n(²³⁸U) values were measured down to levels of 100 fg in both modes. In addition, the dependency of the ²³⁸U signal intensity on sample quantity exhibited similar tendencies in both modes. The precisions of the isotope ratios obtained in the static mode over all sample ranges used in this study were overall slightly higher than those obtained in peak-jumping mode. These results indicate that isotope ratio measurements by TIMS with continuous heating are almost independent of the detection method, i.e., peak-jumping mode or static mode, which is characteristic of isotope-ratio measurements using the TIMS method with continuous heating. TIMS with continuous heating is advantageous as it exhibits the properties of multiple detectors within a single detector, and is expected to be used in various fields in addition to ensuring nuclear safeguards.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.320-325
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• 1978

In order to elucidate the mechanism associated with the solvent extraction of uranium(VI) using DEPA and DPPA as extractant the uranium(VI) complexes formed during the solvent extraction were isolated and characterized by means of IR, NMR, chemical analysis and molecular weight determination. It has been found that uranium(VI) replaces the acidic hydrogen ions of the extractants DEPA and DPPA to form chelated polynuclear complexes, the molecular weight of U(VI)-DEPA complex being $2.1{\times}10^4$. The isolated U(VI)-DEPA complex has been found to be the same chemical species as is formed during the solvent extraction process. In case of DEPA the distribution coefficient of uranium is the largest of the pure aqueous uranium solution and is increasing for the acidic solutions in the order of $H_3PO_4.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.16-23
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• 2011

Accurate measurement of uranium enrichment is very important in nuclear material accountability. The analysis uncertainty of the uranium enrichment measurement with gamma-ray analysis was studied in the present work. FRAM (Fixed energy Response function Analysis with Multiple efficiencies) code was used to determine the uranium enrichment. If the shield materials were placed between the detector and the sample, the error was measured and analyzed. Measurement time was varied and the dependency of the analysis uncertainty on the measurement time was studied. Transmitted gamma-ray intensities and FWHMs of the peaks in the energy spectrum were measured as the shield thickness was varied. The transmitted gamma-ray intensity follows shape of the exponential function, and the FWHM was almost independent of the shield thickness. The uncertainty of FRAM analysis was studied when the thick shield material was placed between the detector and the sample. Our work could be helpful in analysis of the fissile material in uranium sample.