• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.130-141
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• 2020

Background: Concrete activation in cyclotron vaults is a major concern associated with their decommissioning because a considerable amount of activated concrete is generated by secondary neutrons during the operation of cyclotrons. Reducing the amount of activated concrete is important because of the high cost associated with radioactive waste management. This study aims to investigate the capability of the neutron absorbing materials to reduce concrete activation. Materials and Methods: The Particle and Heavy Ion Transport code System (PHITS) code was used to simulate a cyclotron target and room. The dimensions of the room were 457 cm (length), 470 cm (width), and 320 cm (height). Gd₂O₃, B₄C, polyethylene (PE), and borated (5 wt% ^natB) PE with thicknesses of 5, 10, and 15 cm and their different combinations were selected as neutron absorbing materials. They were placed on the concrete walls to determine their effects on thermal neutrons. Thin B₄C and Gd₂O₃ were placed between the concrete wall and additional PE shield separately to decrease the required thickness of the additional shield, and the thermal neutron flux at certain depths inside the concrete was calculated for each condition. Subsequently, the optimum combination was determined with respect to radioactive waste reduction, price, and availability, and the total reduced radioactive concrete waste was estimated. Results and Discussion: In the specific conditions considered in this study, the front wall with respect to the proton beam contained radioactive waste with a depth of up to 64 cm without any additional shield. A single layer of additional shield was inefficient because a thick shield was required. Two-layer combinations comprising 0.1- or 0.4-cm-thick B₄C or Gd₂O₃ behind 10 cm-thick PE were studied to verify whether the appropriate thickness of the additional shield could be maintained. The number of transmitted thermal neutrons reduced to 30% in case of 0.1 cm-thick Gd₂O₃+10 cm-thick PE or 0.1 cm-thick B₄C+10 cm-thick PE. Thus, the thickness of the radioactive waste in the front wall was reduced from 64 to 48 cm. Conclusion: Based on price and availability, the combination of the 10 cm-thick PE+0.1 cmthick B₄C was reasonable and could effectively reduce the number of thermal neutrons. The amount of radioactive concrete waste was reduced by factor of two when considering whole concrete walls of the PET cyclotron vault.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.87-93
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• 2001

Pressure-balanced external Ag/AgCl electrode has been extensively used for both Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) and Boiling Water Reactor (PWR) environments. The use of KCI-based buffer solution often becomes the source of electrode potential drift due to slow leakage through its porous plug, typically made of zirconia. It is reported that results of our effort to improve the stability of electrode potential by using high purity water as the filling solution in which $Cl^-$ ion activity can be established and maintained at the solubility of AgCl even with the sustained leakage for a long period. Stability tests have been made in boron and lithium mixture solution at $288^{\circ}C$. The electrode potential remained stable within 10 mV over one week period. And after a thermal cycle between 288 to $240^{\circ}C$ the potential shift of Ag/AgCl electrodes did not exceed 15 mV By using the limiting equivalent ionic conductances and Agar's hydrodynamic theory, the thermal liquid junction potential (TLJP) of the electrode has been predicted. The calculated values for the water-fiued Ag/AgCl electrode potential, in which the chlorine concentration in the filling solution was derived from the measured data at ambient temperature, had a good agreement with the experimental values.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.115-120
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• 2009

Since 1990s, some events - detection of a dirty bomb in a Russian nation park in 1995, 9/11 terrorist attack to WTC in 2001, discovery of Al-Qaeda's experimentation to build a dirty bomb in 2003 etc - have showed that nuclear or radiological terrorism relating to radioactive materials (hereinafter "radioactive materials" is referred to as "nuclear material, nuclear spent fuel and radioactive source") is not incredible but serious and credible threat. Thus, to respond to the new threat, the international community has not only strengthened security and physical protection of radioactive materials but also established prevention of and response to illicit trafficking of radioactive materials. In this regard, our government has enacted or revised the national regulatory framework with a view to improving security of radioactive materials and joined the international convention or agreement to meet this international trend. For the purpose of prevention of nuclear/radiological terrorism, this paper reviews physical characteristics of nuclear material and existing detection instruments used for prevention of illicit trafficking. Finally, national detection regime against nuclear/radiological terrorism based on paths of the smuggled radioactive materials to terrorist's target building/area, national topography and road networks, and defence-in-depth concept is suggested in this paper. This study should contribute to protect people's health, safety and environment from nuclear/radiological terrorism.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.37-43
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• 2013

In case of neutron dose measurement using TLDs (thermo-luminescence dosimeters), because the neutron energy dependence of the TLD is very high, the calibration of the energy response according to the characteristics of the neutron spectrum of workplace is required. In the present study, the ambient dose equivalent rates inside and around the Long-Counter (neutron detector) with narrow and complex inside in the neutron field of $^{252}Cf$ were evaluated. The calibration factors to account for the neutron energy dependence of TLDs were established for both the bare and $D_2O$ modulated $^{252}Cf$ neutron beams, respectively. The values of the TLD's measurement were compared with the computational results of the MCNPX (Monte Carlo N-Particles transport code). When using the two calibration factors of the TLD than a single calibration factor, the measured and the calculated values at the point of verification outside and inside the Long-Counter were in more good agreement. This results show that TLD should be calibrated in the reference neutron field similar to workplace situation.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.306-312
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• 2020

This study was conducted to investigate cucumber plants response to greenhouse environments by solar shading in greenhouse in the summer. In order to estimate heat stress reduction of cucumber plants by solar shading in greenhouse, we measured and analyzed physiological conditions of cucumber plants, such as leaf temperature, leaf-air temperature, rubisco maximum carboxylation rate, maximum electron transport rate, thermal breakdown, light leaf respiration, etc. Shading levels were 90% mobile shading of full sunlight, 40% mobile shading of full sunlight and no shading(full sunlight). The 90% shading screen was operated when the external solar radiation is greater than 650 W·m^-2. Air temperature, solar radiation, leaf temperature, leaf-air temperature and light leaf respiration in the 90% shading of full sunlight was lower than those of 40% shading and no shading. Rubisco maximum carboxylation rate, arrhenius function value and light leaf respiration of the 90% shading were significantly lower than those of 40% shading and no shading. The thermal breakdown, high temperature inhibition, of 90% shading was significantly higher than that of 40% shading and no shading. Therefore, these results suggest that 90% mobile shading made a less stressful growth environment for cucumber crops.

• Solar Energy
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.70-83
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• 1992

The interaction between the surface radiation and the mixed convection transport from an isolated thermal source, with a uniform surface heat flux input and located in a rectangular enclosure, is stuied numerically. The enclosure simulates a practical system such an air cooled electric device, where an air-stream flows through the openings on the two vertical walls. The heat source represents an electric component located in such an enclosure. The size of this cavity is $0.1[m]{\times}0.1[m]$. The inlet velocity is assumed as 0.07[m/s] and the inlet temperature is maintained as $27^{\circ}C$. The inflow is kept at a fixed position. Laminar, two dimensional flow is assumed, and the problem lies in the mixed convection regime, governed by buoyancy force and surface readiation. The significant variables include the location of the out-flow opening, of the heat source and the wall emissivity. The basic nature of the resulting interaction betwwn the externally induced air stream and the buoyancy-driven flow generated by the source is investigated. As a result, the best location of the heat source to make the active heat transfer is 0.075[m] from the left wall on the floor. The trends observed are also discussed in terms of heat removal from practical systems such as electric circuitry.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.113-122
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• 1990

After four years of planning, equipment acquisition, facility construction and beam testing, the KCCH cyclotron facility was put into operation in November1986. Now the KCCH cyclotron(MC-50) has been used for four years in neutron therapy and radioisotope production. Up to December 1989, 179(1852 sessions) patient have undergone neutron therapy. Radioisotope production for nuclear medicine use was started from March 1989 after extensive work to overcome target transport, target melting, beam diagnostic and chemical processing problems. This status report introduces the cyclotron facility, and the experiences of neutron therapy and isotope production with the MC-50 cyclotron. Besides, the operation results and the general troubles of the MC-50 during 1989 are summarized. Total operation time was 1252.5 hours. Four hundred hours were used for neutron therapy of 599 treatment sessions and 832.5 hours for radioisotope production. Total amount of produced raioisotope was 1695 mCi(Ga-67 : 1478mCi, Tl-201 : 107 mCi, I-123 : 25mCi, In-111 : 85mCi). Twenty hours were used for scheduled beam testing. In 1989, 882% of the planned operation were performed on schedule and this rats is improved remarkably compared to 71.0% in 1988.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.27-39
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• 1991

The diffusion of Sr-85, Cs-137, Co-60 and Am-241 in compacted domestic bentonite was studied, using a diffusion cell unit in which diffusion took place axially from the center of cylindrical bentonite sample body. The effects of compaction density and heat-treated bentonite on diffusion were analysed. And the diffusion mechanism of radionuclide was also analysed by evaluating the measured diffusivity of anion Cl-36. The apparent diffusivities obtained for Sr-85, Cs-137, Co-60 and Am-241 were $l.07{\times}10^{-11},\;6.705{\times}10^{-13},\;l.226{\times}10^{-13}\;and\; l.310{\times}10^{-14}m^2/sec$, respectively. When the as-pressed density of bentonite increased from $1.8\;to\;2.0g/cm^3$, the apparent diffusivity of Cs-137 decreased by quarter. In the case of bentonite heat-treated to $150^{\circ}C$, no significant change in diffusivity was observed, which showed the possibility that the domestic bentonite could be used as a chemical barrier to retard the radionuclide migration at below $150^{\circ}C$. From the calculated pore and surface diffusivity, the surface diffusion due to the concentration gradient of radionuclide sorbed on the solid phase was found to dominate greatly in total transport process.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.43-56
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• 1992

As one of the methods to ameliorate the ray effects which are the nature of anomalous computational effects due to the discretization of the angular variable in discrete ordinates approximations, a computational program, named TWODET (TWO dimensional Discrete Element Transport), has developed in 2 dimensional cartesian coordinates system using the discrete elements method, in which the discrete angle quadratures are steered by the spatially dependent angular fluxes. The results of the TWODET calculation with K-2, L-3 discrete angular quadratures, in the problem of a centrally located, isotropically emitting flat source in an absorbing square, are shown to be more accurate than that of the DOT 4.3 calculation with S-10 full symmetry angular quadratures, in remedy of the ray effect at the edge flux distributions of the square. But the computing time of the TWODET is about 4 times more than that of the DOT 4.3. In the problem of vacuum boundaries just outside of the source region in an absorbing square, the results of the TWODET calculation are shown severely anomalous ray effects, due to the sudden discontinuity between the source and the vacuum, like as the results of the DOT 4.3 calculation. In the probelm of an external source in an absorbing square in which a highly absorbing medium is added, the results of the TWODET calculation with K-3, L-4 show a good ones like as, somewhat more than, that of the DOT 4.3 calculation with S-10.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.167-175
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• 2021

Far-infrared rays (FIR) are known to have various effects on atoms and molecular structures within cells owing to their radiation and vibration frequencies. The present study examined the effects of FIR on gene expression related to glucose transport through microarray analysis in rat skeletal muscle cells, as well as on mitochondrial biogenesis, at high and low glucose conditions. FIR were emitted from a bio-active material coated fabric (BMCF). L6 cells were treated with 30% BMCF for 24 h in medium containing 25 or 5.5 mM glucose, and changes in the expression of glucose transporter genes were determined. The expression of GLUT3 (Slc2a3) increased 2.0-fold (p < 0.05) under 5.5 mM glucose and 30% BMCF. In addition, mitochondrial oxygen consumption and membrane potential (ΔΨm) increased 1.5- and 3.4-fold (p < 0.05 and p < 0.001), respectively, but no significant change in expression of Pgc-1a, a regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis, was observed in 24 h. To analyze the relationship between GLUT3 expression and mitochondrial biogenesis under FIR, GLUT3 was down-modulated by siRNA for 72 h. As a result, the ΔΨm of the GLUT3 siRNA-treated cells increased 3.0-fold (p < 0.001), whereas that of the control group increased 4.6-fold (p < 0.001). Moreover, Pgc-1a expression increased upon 30% BMCF treatment for 72 h; an effect that was more pronounced in the presence of GLUT3. These results suggest that FIR may hold therapeutic potential for improving glucose metabolism and mitochondrial function in metabolic diseases associated with insufficient glucose supply, such as type 2 diabetes.