• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제32권5호
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• pp.477-484
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• 2000

To estimate the degree of intake of $^{238}$ U and $^{232}$ Th through daily diet, a Korean mixed diet sample was prepared after the investigation of the amount of consumption of the daily diet which corresponds to the age of 20 to 60 years. For the analysis of U and Th, the RNAA method was applied. Two standard reference materials were used for quality control and assurance and the analytical results were compared with a certified value. The determination of U and Th in the Korean mixed diet sample was carried out under the same analytical conditions and procedures with SRM. It is found that the concentration of U and Th in a Korean mixed diet was about 35.4 ppb and 3.4 ppb. From these results, the daily intake of $^{238}$ U and $^{232}$ Th by diet is evaluated to be 6.98 and 0.67 $\mu\textrm{g}$ per day, respectively. Radioactivities related to the intake of $^{238}$ U and $^{232}$ Th were estimated to be about 86 mBq and 27 mBq per person per day and the annual dose equivalents from $^{238}$ U and $^{232}$ Th revealed as 3.18 $\mu$Sv and 0.29 $\mu$Sv per person, respectively.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• 제42권1호
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• pp.33-41
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• 2017

Background: Phosphate rock and its by-product are widely used in various industries to produce phosphoric acid, gypsum, gypsum board, and fertilizer. Owing to its high level of natural radioactive nuclides (e.g., $^{238}U$ and $^{226}Ra$), the radiological safety of workers who work with phosphate rock should be systematically managed. In this study, $^{238}U$, $^{232}Th$, $^{226}Ra$, and $^{40}K$ levels were measured to analyze the transport characteristics of these radionuclides in the production cycle of phosphate rock. Materials and Methods: Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence and gamma spectrometry were used to determine the activity of $^{238}U$, $^{232}Th$, $^{226}Ra$, and $^{40}K$. To evaluate the extent of secular disequilibrium, the analytical results were compared using statistical methods. Finally, the distribution of radioactivity across different stages of the phosphate rock production cycle was evaluated. Results and Discussion: The concentration ratios of $^{226}Ra$ and $^{238}U$ in phosphate rock were close to 1.0, while those found in gypsum and fertilizer were extremely different, reflecting disequilibrium after the chemical reaction process. The nuclide with the highest activity level in the production cycle of phosphate rock was $^{40}K$, and the median $^{40}K$ activity was $8.972Bq{\cdot}g^{-1}$ and $1.496Bq{\cdot}g^{-1}$, respectively. For the $^{238}U$ series, the activity of $^{238}U$ and $^{226}Ra$ was greatest in phosphate rock, and the distribution of activity values clearly showed the transport characteristics of the radionuclides, both for the byproducts of the decay sequences and for their final products. Conclusion: Although the activity of $^{40}K$ in k-related fertilizer was relatively high, it made a relatively low contribution to the total radiological effect. However, the activity levels of $^{226}Ra$ and $^{238}U$ in phosphate rock were found to be relatively high, near the upper end of the acceptable limits. Therefore, it is necessary to systematically manage the radiological safety of workers engaged in phosphate rock processing.

• 분석과학
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• 제30권5호
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• pp.252-261
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• 2017

천연방사성핵종을 함유한 물질들은 인간 활동에 의해 인위적인 조작과정을 거치면서 농축되는 경우 방사선 노출에 따른 위해를 증가시킬 수 있다. 본 연구는 다양한 전처리 방법 및 분석 방법 간 비교를 통해 분석정확도를 평가하고 실내 건축자재 중 $^{232}Th$, $^{235}U$, $^{238}U$의 천연방사성핵종을 분석하기 위한 최적의 분석 방법을 확립하고자 하였다. ICP-MS를 이용한 실내 건축자재 중 천연방사성핵종 분석방법을 확립하기 위하여, 인증표준물질 5종을 왕수, 불산, 과염소산의 습식산화법과 용융법의 전처리법에 따른 U, Th의 분석 정확도 및 정밀도를 평가하였고, 최적의 전처리법으로써 용융법과 $Fe(OH)_3$ 공침법을 선정하였다. 확립된 분석방법을 석고보드, 벽돌, 시멘트, 페인트, 타일과 벽지 총 51 종의 실내 건축자재 시료에 적용하여 천연방사성핵종의 농도를 정량 분석하였다. 또한 동일한 시료에 대해 감마분광분석법 중 간접측정법을 사용하여 $^{238}U$, $^{232}Th$의 농도를 정량하고 ICP-MS 분석 결과와 비교하였다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제52권7호
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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.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제50권1호
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• pp.140-144
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• 2018

Isotopic analyses of plutonium and low-enriched uranium mixtures with particle sizes of $0.6-3.3{\mu}m$ were performed using thermal ionization mass spectrometry with a continuous heating method to verify its effectiveness for the accurate analysis of minor isotopes without sample pretreatment. The mixed particles used in this study were prepared from a mixed solution of plutonium (SRM 947) and uranium (U010, $^{235}U$ 1% enriched) reference materials. The isotope ratios for plutonium in the individual mixed particles, including $^{238}Pu/^{239}Pu$, $^{241}Pu/^{239}Pu$ as well as $^{240}Pu/^{239}Pu$, and $^{242}Pu/^{239}Pu$, were in good agreement with the certified values despite the isobaric interference of $^{238}U$ and $^{241}Am$. The isotope ratios for uranium in the mixed particles also agreed well with the certified values within the range of error. However, the isotope ratios for minor isotopes, such as $^{234}U$ and $^{236}U$, in the particles with diameters of less than approximately $1.8{\mu}m$ could not be measured because numbers of $^{234}U$ and $^{236}U$ atoms in analyzed particles are too low. These results indicate that thermal ionization mass spectrometry with a continuous heating method is applicable for the analysis of trace amounts of plutonium isotopes, including $^{238}Pu$ and $^{241}Pu$, despite the presence of the respective isobars $^{238}U$ and $^{241}Am$ in the microsamples.

• 한국산학기술학회논문지
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• 제15권6호
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• pp.3658-3666
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• 2014

본 논문에서는 대한민국의 제2의 도시인 부산지역의 일반토양을 대상으로 천연방사성핵종인 $^{238}U$, $^{232}Th$, $^{40}K$을 분석하고 이를 바탕으로 일반토양에 의한 거주민의 방사선피폭을 평가하였다. 측정방법으로는 부산지역의 토양 내 천연 방사성 핵종을 정밀 분석하기 위하여 16개의 행정구역을 중심으로 각 지역에서 세 개의 지점을 격자구조로 분리하였으며 이후 총 48개의 토양 시료를 2012년 7월부터 2013년 4월까지 채취하였다. 토양 중 $^{238}U$, $^{232}Th$는 ICP-MS를 사용하여 방사능 농도를 분석하고, $^{40}K$는 감마선 분석 검출기인 HpGe 검출기를 사용하여 방사능 농도를 분석하였다. 이 후 이를 바탕으로 동아시아 지역의 방사능 농도와 비교해 본 결과 $^{238}U$ 핵종은 우리나라가 평균보다 낮은 농도를 나타낸 반면 $^{232}Th$, $^{40}K$핵종은 높은 값을 나타냈다. 이는 한국의 지질대가 천연방사성핵종이 많이 포함되어 있는 화강암지대가 많기 때문이라 판단된다.

• 분석과학
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• 제20권6호
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• pp.460-467
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• 2007

자연계에 존재하는 $^{238}U$, $^{235}U$, $^{232}Th$ 그리고 $^{40}K$의 감마선과 베타선에 대해 토양의 흡수선량을 평가하기 위한 유효 흡수선량 환산인자를 계산하였다. 이 때 감마선과 베타선에 대한 붕괴당 에너지, 반감기, 분기율등의 핵자료들은 National Nuclear Data Center (NNDC)의 최근 자료들을 이용하였다. 본 연구에서 계산한 흡수선량 인자 및 이를 이용하여 얻은 $^{238}U$, $^{232}Th$ 그리고 $^{40}K$의 베타선과 감마선에 유효흡수선량은 1998년 Aitken의 결과와 비교적 잘 일치하였지만, $^{235}U$의 경우는 많은 차이가 있음을 확인하였다. 한국 충북 청원군 오성에 있는 선사유적지(만수리) 내의 토양에 대해 고 분해능 감마선 분광 분석 장치(HP Ge 검출기)로 지각 방사선의 감마선 스펙트럼을 측정하고, 계산된 유효 흡수선량 환산인자를 이용하여 연간방사선량을 평가하였는데, 연간방사선량이 3.8~5.9 mGy/year으로 평가되었다. 또한 Rn 이하의 붕괴 핵종을 포함하여 연간방사선량을 평가하는 경우와, 이를 포함하지 않고 연간방사선량을 평가하는 경우는 9~30 % 차이를 나타내었다. 이 흡수선량 환산인자로 토양에 존재하는 자연 방사성 동위원소들의 베타선과 감마선에 대한 유효 흡수선량 평가법이 확립하였다.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• 제24권4호
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• pp.187-193
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• 1999

국내 석탄화력발전소에서 발생되는 비산석탄회의 방사능 농도 분석을 수행하였고 재활용을 위한 방사능 함량의 유해도를 평가하였다. TBP 용매추출법과 알파스펙트로베타를 사용하여 비산석탄회에 존재하는 우라늄 동위원소($^{238}U,\;^{235}U,\;^{234}U$)의 방사능 농도를 측정하였으며, 감마스펙트로메타를 사용하여 $^{226}Ra,\;^{232}Th,\;^{40}K$ 등의 방사능 농도를 결정하였다. 우라늄 동위원소의 농도측정 결과 $^{238}U,\;^{235}U,\;^{234}U$의 방사능 농도는 평균적으로 각각 116.1, 5.01, 및 121.2 Bq $kg^{-1}$으로 나타났으며, $^{234}U/^{238}U$의 방사능 농도비는 $1.04\;{\pm}\;0.03$ 로서 자연상태의 토양중 방사능 농도 비인 1.14 와 유사하였다. 동일시료에 대한 감마측정 결과 $^{226}Ra,\;^{292}Th$ 및 $^{40}K$의 방사능 농도는 각각 $101.7\;{\sim}\;113.9,\;39.5\;{\sim}\;54.2$, 및 $315.0\;{\sim}\;990.6$ Bq $kg^{-1}$ 으로 나타났다. $^{226}Ra,\;^{292}Th$ 및 $^{40}K$ 동위원소의 농도를 사용하여 재활용 목적으로서의 비산석탄회의 방사능 함량 유해도를 평가하였고, 그 결과 본 연구의 대상물질인 비산석탄회의 방사능 함량은 허용기준치 이하로 나타났다.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• 제41권4호
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• pp.359-367
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• 2016

Background: As new legislation has come into force implementing radiation safety management for the use of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM), it is necessary to establish a rapid and accurate measurement technique. Measurement of $^{238}U$ and $^{232}Th$ using conventional methods encounter the most significant difficulties for pretreatment (e.g., purification, speciation, and dilution/enrichment) or require time-consuming processes. Therefore, in this study, the applicability of ED-XRF as a non-destructive and rapid screening method was validated for raw materials and by-product samples. Materials and Methods: A series of experiments was conducted to test the applicability for rapid screening of XRF measurement to determine activity of $^{238}U$ and $^{232}Th$ based on certified reference materials (e.g., soil, rock, phosphorus rock, bauxite, zircon, and coal ash) and NORM samples commercially used in Korea. Statistical methods were used to compare the analytical results of ED-XRF to those of certified values of certified reference materials (CRM) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Results and Discussion: Results of the XRF measurement for $^{238}U$ and $^{232}Th$ showed under 20% relative error and standard deviation. The results of the U-test were statistically significant except for the case of U in coal fly ash samples. In addition, analytical results of $^{238}U$ and $^{232}Th$ in the raw material and by-product samples using XRF and the analytical results of those using ICP-MS ($R^2{\geq}0.95$) were consistent with each other. Thus, the analytical results rapidly derived using ED-XRF were fairly reliable. Conclusion: Based on the validation results, it can be concluded that the ED-XRF analysis may be applied to rapid screening of radioactivities ($^{238}U$ and $^{232}Th$) in NORM samples.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제3권2호
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• pp.77-97
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• 1971

1970년 말까지 보고된 U-238, Np-237 및 Th-232의 고속중성자에 대한 핵분열단 면적 및 그 실험오차를 조사 분석하여 최소자숭직교다항식적합법에 의하여 단면적의 최적치와 95%신뢰도에 대응하는 오차범위를 계산하고 이 결과를 사용하여 분열스펙트럼에 대한 평균단면적치를 추정하였다.