• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.330-338
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• 2016

The U-Zr or U-TRU-Zr cylindrical metallic fuel slug used in fast reactors is known to swell significantly and to grow during irradiation. In neutronics simulations of metallic-fueled fast reactors, it is assumed that the slug has swollen and contacted cladding, and the bonding sodium has been removed from the fuel region. In this research, a realistic burnup-dependent fuel-swelling simulation was performed using Monte Carlo code McCARD for a single-batch compact sodium-cooled breed-and-burn reactor by considering the fuel-swelling behavior reported from the irradiation test results in EBR-II. The impacts of the realistic burnup-dependent fuel swelling are identified in terms of the reactor neutronics performance, such as core lifetime, conversion ratio, axial power distribution, and local burnup distributions. It was found that axial fuel growth significantly deteriorated the neutron economy of a breed-and-burn reactor and consequently impaired its neutronics performance. The bonding sodium also impaired neutron economy, because it stayed longer in the blanket region until the fuel slug reached 2% burnup.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers C
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• v.52 no.12
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• pp.545-552
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• 2003

When a Si PIN diode is exposed to fast neutrons, it results in displacement damage to the Si lattice structure of the diode. Defects induced from structural dislocation become effective recombination centers for carriers which pass through the base of a PIN diode. Hence, increasing the resistivity of the diode decreases the current for the applied forward voltage. This paper involves the development of a neutron sensor based on the phenomena of the displacement effect damaged by neutron exposure. The neutron effect on the semiconductor was analyzed. Several PIN diode arrays with various thickness and cross-section area of the intrinsic layer(I layer) were fabricated. Under irradiation tests with a neutron beam, the manufactured diodes have a good linearity to neutron dose and show that the increase of thickness of I layer and the decrease of cross-section of PIN diodes improve the sensitivity. Newly developed PIN diodes with thicker I layer and various cross section, were retested and then showed the best neutron sensitivity at the condition that the I layer thickness was similar to a side length. On the basis of two test results, final discrete PIN diodes with a rectangular shape were manufactured and the characteristics as neutron detectors were analyzed through the neutron beam test using on-line electronic dosimetry system. Developed PIN diode shows a good linearity as dosimetry in the range of 0 to 1,000cGy(Tissue) and its neutron sensitivity is 13mV/cGy at constant current of 5mA, that is three times higher than that of commercially available neutron detectors. And the device shows little dependency on the orientation of the neutron beam and a considerable stability in annealing test for a long period.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.411-416
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• 2006

The Advanced Test Reactor (ATR), at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), is one of the world's premier test reactors for providing the capability for studying the effects of intense neutron and gamma radiation on reactor materials and fuels. The physical configuration of the ATR, a 4-leaf clover shape, allows the reactor to be operated at different power levels in the comer 'lobes' to allow for different testing conditions for multiple simultaneous experiments. The combination of high flux (maximum thermal neutron fluxes of 1E15 neutrons per square centimeter per second and maximum fast [E>1.0 MeV] neutron fluxes of 5E14 neutrons per square centimeter per second) and large test volumes (up to 122 cm long and 12.7 cm diameter) provide unique testing opportunities. The current experiments in the ATR are for a variety of test sponsors - US government, foreign governments, private researchers, and commercial companies needing neutron irradiation services. There are three basic types of test configurations in the ATR. The simplest configuration is the sealed static capsule, which places the capsule in direct contact with the primary coolant. The next level of experiment complexity is an instrumented lead experiment, which allows for active control of experiment conditions during the irradiation. The most complex experiment is the pressurized water loop, in which the test sample can be subjected to the exact environment of a pressurized water reactor. For future research, some ATR modifications and enhancements are currently planned. This paper provides more details on some of the ATR capabilities, key design features, experiments, and future plans.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.9 no.12
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• pp.1240-1244
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• 1999

In order to assess the effects on the magnetic properties due to the defect in the material irradiated by fast neutron ranging $10^0-10^{18}n/cm^2$, the magnetic properties such as maximum magnetic induction, coercivity, remanence, Barkhausen Noise Amplitude(BNA), Barkhausen Noise Energy(BNE) and hardness were measured. It is shown that the magnetic properties and hardness do not change by the fast neutron irradiation under $10^{17}n/cm^2$. Therefore, in this experiment, it is understood that the magnetic properties decrease by the increase of hardness. This measurement method can be used to evaluate the neutron irradiation embrittlement nondestructively since the magnetic properties and hardness do change by the neutron irradiation over $10^{17}n/cm^2$ consistently.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.75-82
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• 1987

For evaluation of biological effect of $p^+(50.5MeV)$ Be neutron beam produced by Korea Cancer Center Hospital (KCCH) cyclotron the RBE had been measured in experimental tumor Walker 256 carcinosarcoma as well as normal tissue, mouse intestine and bone marrow, in single and fractionated irradiation. As pilot study, the RBE had been measured for the mouse jejunal crypt cells in single whole body irradiation of which the result was 2.8. The obtained RBE values of TCD 50 of Walker 256 tumor, bone marrow and intestine En single irraiation were 1.9, 1.9 and 1.5 respectively. In fractionated irradiation, the RBE value of tumor Walker 256 was decreased as increasing of fraction number and increased as increaing of fraction size.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.8
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• pp.2984-2996
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• 2023

A 100 kW thermal power pool-type light water reactor and Pu(Be) as a fast neutron source were used to determine the appropriate carrier for irradiating boron-containing samples with neutron beams. The tested materials (carriers) were subjected to neutron beams in the reactor's tangential channel. The geometrical arrangement of experimental facilities relative to the neutron beam trajectory, as well as the effect of sample thickness on the count rate, were investigated. The majority of the detectable charged particles emitted by the neutron beam's interaction with tested materials and the detector's detecting layer are protons (recoiled hydrogen) and particles generated in nuclear reactions (protons and alpha particles), respectively. Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter (SRIM) software was used to do theoretical calculations for the range of expected released particles in various materials, including human tissue. The results of measurement and calculation are in good agreement. According to experiments and theoretical calculations, the number of protons emitted by tissue-like materials may commit a dose comparable to that of boron capture reactions. Furthermore, the range of protons is significantly larger than that of alpha particles, which most probably changes dose distribution in healthy cells surrounding the tumor, which is undesirable in the BNCT approach.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.183-190
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• 2000

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the magnetic property change of the nuclear reactor vessel steel irradiated by fast neutrons using $M{\ddot{o}}ssbauer$ spectroscopy, and the effects of the defects produced by neutron irradiation on the changes using X-ray diffraction. The specimens, fabricated with the dimension of $23mm{\times}18mm{\times}70{\mu}m$, were irradiated by neutron fluence from $10^{12}n/cm^2\;to\;10^{18}n/cm^2$ at 343K. Throughout the experiments, it is understood that (1) the X-ray diffraction measurement shows that the change of crystal nature is started at the irradiation of $10^{16}n/cm^2$ and a crystal structure has been severely damaged at the irradiation over $10^{17}n/cm^2$, (2) the analysis of the $M{\ddot{o}}ssbauer$ spectra has shown that magnetic transition phenomena occur at the irradiation over $10^{17}n/cm^2$ and (3) both methods can be utilized as nondestructive test methods for the embrittlement evaluation of materials irradiated by fast neutrons.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Medical Physics Conference
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• 2002.09a
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• pp.161-163
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• 2002

The BNCT(Boron Neutron Capture Therapy) facility has been developed in Hanaro(High-flux Advanced Neutron Application Reactor), a research reactor of Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute. A typical tangenial beam port is utilized with this BNCT facility. Thermal neutrons can be penetrated within the limits of the possible maximum instead of being filtered fast neutrons and gamma rays as much as possible using the silicon and bismuth single crystals. In addition to, the liquid nitrogen (LN$_2$) is used to cool down the silicon and bismuth single crystals for the increase of the penetrated thermal neutron flux. Neutron beams for BNCT are shielded using the water shutter. The water shutter was designed and manufactured not to interfere with any other subsystem of Hanaro when the BNCT facility is operated. Also, it is replaced with conventional beam port plug in order to cut off helium gas leakage in the beam port. A circular collimator, composed of $\^$6/Li$_2$CO$_3$ and polyethylene compounds, is installed at the irradiation position. The measured neutron flux with 24 MW reactor power using the Au-198 activation analysis method is 8.3${\times}$10$\^$8/ n/cm$^2$ s at the collimator, exit point of neutron beams. Flatness of neutron beams is proven to ${\pm}$ 6.8% at 97 mm collimator. According to the result of acceptance tests of the water shutter, the filling time of water is about 190 seconds and drainage time of it is about 270 seconds. The radiation leakages in the irradiation room are analyzed to near the background level for neutron and 12 mSv/hr in the maximum for gamma by using BF$_3$ proportional counter and GM counter respectively. Therefore, it is verified that the neutron beams from BNCT facility in Hanaro will be enough to utilize for the purpose of clinical and pre-clinical experiment.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Veterinary Pathology Conference
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• 2004.10a
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• pp.16-16
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• 2004

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.142-147
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• 2005

The embrittlement of fast neutron-irradiated reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels was investigated by X-ray diffraction patterns at room temperature and $M\ddot{o}ssbauer$ spectroscopy at room- and liquid nitrogen-temperature. Neutron fluence on the samples were $10^{12},\;10^{13},\;10^{14},\;10^{15},\;10^{16},\;10^{17},\;10^{18}\;n/cm^2$. The X-ray diffraction patterns showed that the structure of the neutron unirradiated sample was bcc type, where as but the neutron irradiated samples with the fluence higher than $10^{17}\;n/{\cal}cm^2$ were so severely damaged, that bcc type structure disappeared. The $M\ddot{o}ssbauer$ spectra of all samples showed superposition of two or more sextets. In this paper all $M\ddot{o}ssbauer$ spectra were fitted by three set of sextet. The isomer shift and quadrupole splitting values were found around zero. At liquid nitrogen temperature, magnetic hyperfine field and absorption area increase rapidly S 1 sextet in the samples of $10^{17}\~10^{18}\;n/{\cal}cm^2$ neutron fluences. And at room temperature, magnetic hyperfine field and absorption increased rapidly at SI sextet in the samples of $10^{17}\~10^{18}\;n/{\cal}cm^2$ neutron fluences. This rapid increase of magnetic hyperfine field and absorption area were inferred to be caused by the change of $^{56}Fe,\;^{55}Mn$ into $^{57}Fe$ due to by neutron irradiation.