• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.353-358
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• 2006

Alpha track analysis for the determination of the trace amount of alpha emitting nuclides in a very small particle was performed as an efficient and powerful technique during safeguard inspection. Metal particles with well-defined spherical shape, size and isotopic compositions as a reference material were used to correlate the number of tracks or track diameter with an isotopic composition eventually to identify the uranium enrichment in the environmental swipe samples. Slopes in the number of tracks versus the exposure time curve provide a simple insight into the uranium enrichment of an unknown particle. Low enriched uranium metal particles result in slopes still steeper than the depleted or natural uranium metal particles. In addition, a linear relationship between track diameter and particle size Is thought to be a useful first stage analytical tool as an efficient and convenient inspection guide. The significance of the simple linear model was also judged using the usual statistical tests.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.129-139
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• 1991

The method of etching tracks in PN-3 dosimeter has been applied to tracks of recoil protons from a neutron source. Both the etch and the detection response of PN-3 has been studied as a function of etched-track diameters against various parameters. We could obtain very useful informations about charge, energy, and mass of particles and the relationship between the track etching rate and the track forming procedure in order to analyze the particle recorded in the solid state track detector. The best etching condition could be found by means of changing the etching circumstances for various energies and particles in order to detect the charged particle accurately. It could be influenced widely that the polymer plastic detector could develep the detecting technique for the low energy level neutron and could be used as a neutron dosimeter in the radiation field such as the nuclear power station, the medical institute and the nondtructive testing institute.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.51-53
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• 2002

The results of the measured specific activities of Rn-222 in sewerage and drinking water of Ulaanbaatar City, Mongolia using the HP-Ge gamma-spectrometer, solid state nuclear track detector and liquid scintillator, are compared. The specific radioactivity for the Rn-222 in water of Ulaanbaatar City ranged 10-250 Bk/l, with an average of 110 Bk/l.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.77-90
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• 2015

The fission track registration techniques for accurate determinations of uranium in solid- and liquid-state geological materials were recommended and their applicability were examined. The determination of uranium can be achieved by optical counting of neutron-induced fission tracks of $^{235}U$ registered on solid-state track detectors under high magnification. In a dry registration method using powdered pellets of rocks (e.g., granite and coal) showing good uranium-affinity, it was not easy to decide an overall mean concentration over the total sample owing to track-clusters caused by frequent presence of uranium-bearing minerals. Separate scanning for homogeneous and track-clustered parts may be an alternative choice. Assuring the homogeneity over the whole sample, high reproducibilities were confirmed both from duplicate detections using mica and Lexan polycarbonate detectors and from multiple measurements at different thermal neutron fluences. The wet registration method using sealed quartz tubes is recommended to overcome the common heterogeneity in uranium concentrations of $10^1ppm$ and more. Adopting the wet registration, the uranium homogeneity was recovered below the $10^0ppm$ level and the lower detection limit was proved to reach without difficulty the $10^2ppb$ (i.e. $ng\;g^{-1}$) level.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.41-45
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• 2016

In this study, LET (Linear Energy Transfer) calibration of CR-39 SSNTD (Solid State Nuclear Track Detector) was performed using 500 MeV/u Fe heavy ions in HIMAC (Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator) for high LET radiation dosimetry. The irradiated CR-39 SSNDT were etched according JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) etching conditions. And the etched SSNTD were analyzed by using Image J. Determined dose-mean lineal energy ($\overline{y_D}$) of 500 MeV/u Fe is about 283.3 keV/um by using the CR-39 SSNTD. This value is very similar result compare to the results calculated by GEANT4 Monte Carlo simulation and measured with TEPC active radiation detector. We confirmed that the CR-39 SSNTD was useful for high LET radiation dosimetry such as heavy iron ions.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.44-51
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• 2013

ICRP recommended that cosmic ray exposure to the pilot and cabin crew would be considered as an occupational exposure due to their relatively high exposure. Since 2012 with the Act No. 10908 (Natural radiation management), the guideline of cosmic ray exposure to the pilot was established in Korea. The applicability of the solid-state nuclear track detector for personal dose assessment of pilot and cabin crew was evaluated. Dose linearity and angle dependence of dosimeters to the neutron were evaluated by $^{252}Cf$ neutron emitting source. The track density has a good agreement with the dose ($r^2$=0.99) and highly dependent on the degree of an angular of the dosimeter to the neutron source. In addition, the dosimeters (SSNTD) were exposed to cosmic ray in an aircraft during its cruising for more than two months in collaboration with Airline Pilots Association of Korea. Although the correlation between the track density from aircraft cruising altitude and expected neutron dose is low, however RSNS dosimeter could be used for personal neutron dosimeter. For application of RSNS as a personal dosimeter for pilot and cabin crew, additional studies are required.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.881-885
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• 2017

This work presents a new technique for discriminating between alpha particles of different energy levels. In a first study, two groups of alpha particles emitted from radium-226 and americium-241 sources were successfully separated using a CR-39 microfilm of appropriate thickness. This thickness was adjusted by chemical etching before and after irradiation so that lower-energy particles were stopped within the detector, while higher-energy particles were revealed on the back side of the detector. The number of tracks on the front side of the microfilm represented all alpha particles incident on that side from the two sources. However, the number of tracks on the back side of the microfilm represented only the long-range alpha particles of higher energy that arrived at that side. Therefore, by subtracting the number of tracks on the back side from the number of tracks on the front side, one could easily determine the number of tracks for the short-range alpha particles of lower energy that remained embedded in the microfilm. Discrimination of the two energy levels is thus achieved in a simple, fast, and reliable process.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.432-438
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• 2018

The occurrence of saturation in the CR-39 detector reduces and limits its detection dynamic range; nevertheless, this range could be extended using spectroscopic techniques and by measuring the net bulk rate of the saturated CR-39 detector surface. CR-39 detectors were irradiated by 1.5 MeV high alpha-particle fluence varying from $0.06{\times}10^8$ to $7.36{\times}10^8\;alphas/cm^2$ from Am-241 source; thereafter, they were etched in a 6.25N NaOH solution at a temperature of $70^{\circ}C$ for different durations. Net bulk etch rate measurement of the 1.5 MeV alpha-irradiated CR-39 detector surface revealed that rate increases with increasing etching time and reaches its maximum value at the end of the alpha-particle range. It is also correlated with the alpha-particle fluence. The measurements of UV-Visible (UV-Vis) absorbance at 500 and 600 nm reveal that the absorbance is linearly correlated with the fluence of alpha particles at the etching times of 2 and 4 hour. For extended etching times of 6, 10, and 14.5 hour, the absorbance is saturated for fluence values of $4.05{\times}10^8$, $5.30{\times}10^8$, and $7.36{\times}10^8\;alphas/cm^2$. These new methods pave the way to extend the dynamic range of polymer-based solid state nuclear track detectors (SSNTDs) in measurement of high fluence of heavy ions as well as in radiation dosimetry.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.18-22
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• 1989

In order to calibrate the CR-39 Solid State Nuclear Track Detector (SSNTD), a closed -circulation type SSNTD-Calibration-System containing a radon-cup with the Millipore filter has been set-up, and the tracks produced on the SSNTD were measured for the known amount of radon concentration. Calibration factor for the time integrated radon concentration as a function of the track density on CR-39 was estimated to be $0.24{\pm}0.09(pCi/l)\;day/(Tr/cm^2)$.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.26-33
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• 1987

An experimental study for an optimum etching of commercialized cellulose nitrate SSNTD, CA 80-15 and LR 115-1 for detecting alpha particles, was carried out. Alt-hough ordinary etching condition of the detectors has been recommended by the producer, a remarkable discrepancy in etching tine was found. The detectors were irradiated with a $0.1{\mu}Ci\;^{241}Am$ alpha source under a known geometrical arrangement. Analysis on the track size as functions of etching time and etchant concentration and comparative examination of theoretically predicted number of tracks per unit area with that recorded on the detectors were made, including a study on the variation of detection efficiency with the effective energy of the incident alpha particles.