• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.61-66
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• 2013

Among the radioactive wastes generated from the nuclear power plant, a radioactive nuclide such as $^{129}I$ is classified as a difficult-to-measure (DTM) nuclide, owing to its low specific activity. Therefore, the establishment of an analytical procedure, including a chemical separation for $^{129}I$ as a representative DTM, becomes essential. In this report, the adsorption and recovery rate were measured by adding $^{125}I$ as a radio-isotopic tracer ($t_{1/2}$ = 60.14 d) to the simulation sample, in order to measure the activity concentration of $^{129}I$ in a pressurized-water reactor primary coolant. The optimum condition for the maximum recovery yield of iodine on the anion exchange resins (AG1 x2, 50-100 mesh, $Cl^-$ form) was found to be at pH 7. In this report, the effect of the boron content in a pressurized-water reactor primary coolant on the separation process of $^{129}I$ was examined, as was the effect of $^3H$ on the measurement of the activity of iodine. As a result, no influence of the boron content and of the simultaneous $^3H$ presence was found with activity concentrations of $^3H$ lower than 50 Bq/mL, and with a boron concentration of less than 2,000 ${\mu}g/mL$.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.51 no.8
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• pp.1951-1956
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• 2019

As a part of the preliminary decommissioning plan of KEPCO-NF fuel fabrication facility, DCGLs of three target radionuclides, ²³⁴U, ²³⁵U, and ²³⁸U, were derived using RESRAD-BUILD code and contaminated areas of the facility were classified based on contamination levels from the derived DCGLs. From code simulations, one-room modeling results showed that the grinding room in building #2 was the most restrictive (DCGL_gross = 10493.01 Bq/㎡). The DCGL_gross results in contaminated areas from one-room modeling were slightly more conservative than three-room modeling. Prior to the code simulation, field survey and measurements conducted by each survey unit. For a conservative approach, the most restrictive DCGL_gross in each survey unit was taken as a reference to classify the contaminated areas of the facility. Accordingly, seven rooms and 37 rooms in the nuclear-fuel buildings were classified as Class 1 and Class 2, respectively. As expected, fuel material handling and processing rooms such as the grinding room, sintering room, compressing room, and powder collecting room were included in the Class 1 area.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.130-136
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• 1985

The activity measurement of a solution of $^{133}Ba$ which is an electron capture nuclide was carried out by the ${\beta}-{\gamma}$ coincidence method. The counting rates at the ${\beta}-,\;{\gamma}-$, and coincidence-channels were measured using a $4{\pi}$ proportional counter and two NaI(Tl) scintillation detectors. The specific activity of the solution calculated by the efficiency extrapolation was $(1151.01{\pm}2.99)kBqg^{-1}$ at the reference time(00h UT, 03-15-84). According to an international comparison of activity measurements organized by the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures, this result showed the difference of 0.94% to the mean value derived from the comparison.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2009.05a
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• pp.44.1-44.1
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• 2009

최근 경조직 재생 (hard tissue regeneration) 에 대한 연구가 활발히 진행되고 있다. 그러나 이와같은 연구는 결손도입의 어려움 및 이차적인 골절의 위험성 때문에 대형동물을 중심으로 진행되고 있으며, 그 결과 동물실험에 있어서 시간적 경제적으로 큰 리스크를 수반한다. 그러나 유전자 변형동물의 대부분은 마우스이며, 분자생물학적 관점에서 골재생의 과정을 이해하기 위해서는 마우스를 이용한 골재생 모델의 확립이 필요하다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 마우스를 통해 경조직 재생모델의 제작방법을 검토함과 동시에, 골재생부위에 대한 골질 (bone quality) 및 골양 (bone quantity) 평가의 방법을 수립하는 것을 목적으로 하였다. 골결손은 생후 8주의 마우스에 시술하였다. 치과용 드릴을 이용하여 경골 (tibia) 길이의 30 % 부근의 내측(medial) 면에서 골수강 (marrow cavity) 방향으로 $500\;{\mu}m\varphi$의 원주형 결손을 도입하였다. 시술 후의 골재생과정을 관찰하기 위해 ${\mu}CT$ (SMX-100CT: Simazu) 를 이용하여 주기적으로 촬영하였으며, 골양 (BV/TV) 의 회복과정은3D-bon (RATOC) 을 이용하여 정량적인 해석을 수행하였다. 그리고 재생부의 골질 (아파타이트 배행성; BAp orientation) 평가는 투과형micro-beam XRD (R-AXIS BQ: Rigaku)를 이용하여 수행하였다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.121-126
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• 2004

3-PM liquid scintillation counting using the geometry-efficiency variation technique has been applied to the activity measurement of $^{204}T1$, which decays to $^{204}Hg\;and\;^{204}Pb\;by\;{\beta}^-$ and E.C., respectively. The TDCR values K have been derived over a wide range, 0.78 < K < 0.97, by displacing the detectors up to 50 mm away from an unquenched liquid scintillation sample $^{204}Tl$. The derived plots of the logic sums of double coincidences $N_D(K)$ very K vary linearly in the observed regions. The fractions of losses due to electron capture decay have been taken into account by employing a PENELOPE Monte Carlo simulation. The calibrated activity is 102.3 kBq at a reference date of July 1st, 2002 (UT) with a combined uncertainty of $0.63\%$. This is consistent with the value determined by means of the CIEMAT/NIST method at KRISS.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.453-461
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• 2018

Shaft stations of underground uranium mines in China are not only utilized as waiting space for loaded mine-cars queuing to be hoisted but also as the principal channel for fresh air taken to working places. Therefore, assessment of how mine-car queuing processes affect shaft station radon concentration was carried out. Queuing network of mine-cars has been analyzed in an underground uranium mine, located in Quzhou, Zhejiang province of Eastern China. On the basis of mathematical analysis of the queue network, a MATLAB-based quasi-random number generating program utilizing Monte-Carlo methods was worked out. Extensive simulations were then implemented via MATALB operating on a DELL PC. Thereafter, theoretical calculations and field measurements of shaft station radon concentrations for several working conditions were performed. The queuing performance measures of interest, like average queuing length and waiting time, were found to be significantly affected by the utilization rate (positively correlated). However, even with respect to the "worst case", the shaft station radon concentration was always lower than $200Bq/m^3$. The model predictions were compared with the measuring results, and a satisfactory agreement was noted. Under current working conditions, queuing-induced variations of shaft station radon concentration of the study mine are not remarkable.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.886-889
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• 2018

This article presented two-staged chemical precipitation for radioactive wastewater decontamination by using chemical agents. The total amount of radioactive wastewater was $35m^3$, and main radionuclides were Cs-137, Cs-134, and Co-60. Initial radioactivity concentration of the liquid waste was 2264, 17, and 9 Bq/L for Cs-137, Cs-134 and Co-60, respectively. Potassium ferrocyanide, nickel nitrate, and ferrum nitrate were selected as chemical agents at high pH levels 8-10 according to the laboratory jar tests. After the process, radioactivity was precipitated as sludge at the bottom of the tank and decontaminated clean liquid was evaluated depending on discharge limits. By this precipitation method decontamination factors were determined as 66.5, 8.6, and 9 for Cs-137, Cs-134, and Co-60, respectively. By using the potassium ferrocyanide, about 98% of the Cs-137 was removed at pH 9. At the bottom of the tank, radioactive sludge amount from both stages was totally $0.98m^3$. It was transferred by sludge pumps to cementation unit for solidification. By chemical processing, 97.2% of volume reduction was achieved. The potassium ferrocyanide in two-staged precipitation method could be used successfully in large-scale applications for removal of Cs-137, Cs-134, and Co-60.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.395-400
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• 2005

An environmental radon monitoring system, comprising a radon-cup, an etching system, and a track counting system, was constructed. The radon cup is a cylindrical chamber with a radius of 2.2 cm and a height of 3.2 cm in combination with a CR-39 detector. Carbon is impregnated in the bodies of the detector chamber to avoid problem of an electrostatic charge. The optimized etching condition for the CR-39 exposed to a radon environment turned out to be a 6 N NaOH solution at 70^{\circ}$ over a 7hour period. The bulk etch rate under the optimized condition was $1.14{\pm}0.03\;{\mu}m\;h^{-1}$. The diameter of the tracks caused by radon and its progeny were found to be in the range of $10\~25\;{\mu}m$ under the optimized condition. The track images were observed with a track counting system, which consisted of an optical microscope, a color charged couple device (CCD) camera, and an image processor. The calibration factor of this system is obtained to be $0.105{\pm}0.006$ tracks $cm^2$ per Bq $m^{-3}$ d.

• Yonsei Medical Journal
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• v.59 no.9
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• pp.1123-1130
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• 2018

Purpose: Exposure to indoor radon is associated with lung cancer. This study aimed to estimate the number of lung cancer deaths attributable to indoor radon exposure, its burden of disease, and the effects of radon mitigation in Korea in 2010. Materials and Methods: Lung cancer deaths due to indoor radon exposure were estimated using exposure-response relations reported in previous studies. Years of life lost (YLLs) were calculated to quantify disease burden in relation to premature deaths. Mitigation effects were examined under scenarios in which all homes with indoor radon concentrations above a specified level were remediated below the level. Results: The estimated number of lung cancer deaths attributable to indoor radon exposure ranged from 1946 to 3863, accounting for 12.5-24.7% of 15623 total lung cancer deaths in 2010. YLLs due to premature deaths were estimated at 43140-101855 years (90-212 years per 100000 population). If all homes with radon levels above $148Bq/m^3$ are effectively remediated, 502-732 lung cancer deaths and 10972-18479 YLLs could be prevented. Conclusion: These findings suggest that indoor radon exposure contributes considerably to lung cancer, and that reducing indoor radon concentration would be helpful for decreasing the disease burden from lung cancer deaths.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.99-110
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• 2022

In decommissioning a nuclear power plant, numerous concrete structures need to be demolished and decontaminated. Although concrete decontamination technologies have been developed globally, concrete cutting remains problematic due to the secondary waste production and dispersion risk from concrete scabbling. To minimize workers' radiation exposure and secondary waste in dismantling and decontaminating concrete structures, the following conceptual designs were developed. A micro-blast type scabbling technology using explosive materials and a multi-dimensional contamination measurement and artificial intelligence (AI) mapping technology capable of identifying the contamination status of concrete surfaces. Trials revealed that this technology has several merits, including nuclide identification of more than 5 nuclides, radioactivity measurement capability of 0.1-10⁷ Bq·g^-1, 1.5 kg robot weight for easy handling, 10 cm robot self-running capability, 100% detonator performance, decontamination factor (DF) of 100 and 8,000 cm²·hr^-1 decontamination speed, better than that of TWI (7,500 cm²·hr^-1). Hence, the micro-blast type scabbling technology is a suitable method for concrete decontamination. As the Korean explosives industry is well developed and robot and mapping systems are supported by government research and development, this scabbling technology can efficiently aid the Korean decommissioning industry.