• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.167-174
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• 2005

The concentrations of natural and artificial radionuclides in soil and gamma ray dose rate in air at 233 locations in Korea have been determined. The national mean concentrations of $^{232}Th,\;^{226}Ra,\;^{40}K,\;^{137}Cs\;and\;^{90}Sr$ in soil were $60{\pm}31,\;33{\pm}14,\;673{\pm}238,\;35{\pm}9.3\;and\;5.0{\pm}3.4\;Bq\;kg^{-1}$, respectively. The mean gamma-ray dose rate at 1 m above the ground was $7918\;nGy\;h^{-1}$. $^{137}Cs$ concentration had highly significant correlation with organic matter content and cation exchange capacity. $^{90}Sr$ concentration had slightly coherent with pH. The results have been compared with other global radioactivity and radiation measurements.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.11-20
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• 1998

The effects of the major cations ($Ca^{2+}$, $Mg^{2+}$, $K^+$, $Na^+$), complex-forming anions ($SO_4{^{2-}}$, $HCO_3{^-}$), and solution pH on the adsorption of $^{137}Cs$ and $^{90}Sr$ by kaolinite in groundwater chemistry were investigated. Three-dimensional Kd modelling designed by a statistical method was attempted to compare the relative effect among hydrated radii, charge and concentration of competing cations on the adsorption of Cs and Sr. The modelling results indicate that the hydrated radii of competing cations is the most important factor, and then their charges and concentrations are also important factors in order. The property of zeta potential of kaolinite particles was discussed in terms of the amphoteric reactions of a kaolinite surface affecting the adsorption of Cs and Sr. The ionic strength of competing cations on the adsorption of Cs and Sr exerts a greater effect than the solution pH. The sorption behaviour of Sr on kaolinite is also highly dependent on the concentration of bicarbonate. The speciation of Sr and the saturation state of a secondary phase were thermodynamically calculated by a computer program, WATEQ4F. This indicates that the change in solution pH with the concentration of bicarbonate and the precipitation of a strontianite ($SrCO_3$) are major factors controlling Sr adsorption behaviour in the presence of bicarbonate ion.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.118-126
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• 2019

Background: Government conducts environmental radioactivity surveillance for verification purpose around nuclear facilities based on the Nuclear Safety Law and issues a surveillance report every year. This study aims to evaluate the short and the long-term fluctuation of radionuclides detected above MDC and their origins using concentration ratios between these radionuclides. Materials and Methods: Sample media for verification surveillance are air, rainwater, groundwater, soil, and milk for terrestrial samples, and seawater, marine sediment, fish, and seaweed for marine samples. Gamma-emitting radionuclides including $^{137}Cs$, $^{90}Sr$, Pu, $^3H$, and $^{14}C$ are evaluated in these samples. Results and Discussion: According to the result of the environmental radioactivity verification surveillance in the vicinity of nuclear power facilities in 2017, the anthropogenic radionuclides were not detected in most of the environmental samples except for the detection of a trace level of $^{137}Cs$, $^{90}Sr$, Pu, and $^{131}I$ in some samples. Radioactivity concentration ratios between the anthropogenic radionuclides ($^{137}Cs/^{90}Sr$, $^{137}Cs/^{239+240}Pu$, $^{90}Sr/^{239+240}Pu$) were similar to those reported in the environmental samples, which were affected by the global fallout of the past nuclear weapon test, and Pu atomic ratios ($^{240}Pu/^{239}Pu$) in the terrestrial sample and marine sample showed significant differences due to the different input pathway and the Pu source. Radioactive iodine ($^{131}I$) was detected at the range of < $5.6-190mBq{\cdot}kg-fresh^{-1}$ in the gulfweed and sea trumpet collected from the area of Kori and Wolsong intake and discharge. A high level of $^3H$ was observed in the air (Sangbong: $0.688{\pm}0.841Bq{\cdot}m^{-3}$) and the precipitation (Meteorology Post: $199{\pm}126Bq{\cdot}L^{-1}$) samples of the Wolsong nuclear power plant (NPP). $^3H$ concentration in the precipitation and pine needle samples showed typical variation pattern with the distance and the wind direction from the stack due to the gaseous release of $^3H$ in Wolsong NPP. Conclusion: Except for the detection of a trace level of $^{137}Cs$, $^{90}Sr$, Pu, and $^{131}I$ in some samples, anthropogenic radionuclides were below MDC in most of the environmental samples. Overall, no unusual radionuclides and abnormal concentration were detected in the 2017's surveillance result for verification. This research will be available in the assessment of environment around nuclear facilities in the event of radioactive material release.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.418-423
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• 2016

Background: This work was to get information about $^{90}Sr$ contamination of the environment by using soil and moss from selected areas in Jeju Island, Korea. Materials and Methods: The activities of $^{90}Sr$ in soil and moss samples were investigated at nine locations of Jeju island, Korea. The soil samples have been collected at 4 sites of Jeju island during June to August of 2013, analyzed for vertical distribution of $^{90}Sr$ activities. The moss samples have been collected at 5 sites of Jeju island during November of 2011 to June of 2012, and analyzed for radioactive $^{90}Sr$. Results and Discussion: The $^{90}Sr$ vertical concentrations in the investigated soil samples were 2.77 to $18.24Bq{\cdot}kg^{-1}$ in eastern part, 1.69 to $18.27Bq{\cdot}kg^{-1}$ in northern part, 3.76 to $13.46Bq{\cdot}kg^{-1}$ in the western part and 1.09 to $8.70Bq{\cdot}kg^{-1}$ in the southern part of the Mt. Halla in Jeju island, respectively. Activities of $^{90}Sr$ show the highest value at the surface soil and decrease with depth. The activity concentration measured was in the range of 79.6 to $363Bq{\cdot}kg^{-1}$ -dry moss. Conclusion: This material is expected to be basis reference for survey of environmental radioactivity in Jeju Island.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.194-203
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• 2021

Background: Surface soil radiation monitoring around nuclear facilities is important to classify and characterize the contaminated areas. A scanning and direct measurement technique can survey the sites rapidly before starting sampling analysis. Materials and Methods: Regarding this, we test and suggest a measurement technique for gross alpha/beta and ⁹⁰Sr activities in surface soil based on a mobile ZnS(Ag)/PVT (polyvinyltoluene) array and a handheld PVT rod, respectively. To detect ⁹⁰Sr selectively in soil mixed with naturally occurring radioactive materials, chosen energy channel counts from the multichannel analyzers were used instead of whole channel counts. Soil samples contaminated with exempt liquid ⁹⁰Sr with 1 Bq·g^-1, 3 Bq·g^-1, and 10 Bq·g^-1 were prepared and hardened by flocculation. Results and Discussion: The mobile ZnS(Ag)/PVT array could discriminate gross alpha, gross beta, and gamma radiation by the different pulse-shaped signal features of each sensor material. If the array is deployed on a vehicle, the scan minimum detectable concentration (MDC) range will be about 0.11-0.17 Bq·g^-1 at 18 km·h^-1 speed, highly sensitive to actual sites. The handheld PVT rod with 12 mm (Φ) × 20 mm (H) size can directly measure ⁹⁰Sr selectively if channels on which energies are from 1,470 and 2,279 keV are gated, minimizing crossdetection of other radionuclides. These methods were verified by measuring soil samples fabricated with homogeneous ⁹⁰Sr concentrations, showing static MDC of 2.16 Bq·g^-1 at a measurement time of 300 seconds. Conclusion: Based on the results, comprehensive procedures using these detectors are suggested to optimize soil sites survey.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.1259-1265
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• 2020

A beta ray scanner was proposed for in-situ discrimination of beta and gamma ray radioactivity. This scanner is based on the principle that gamma and beta rays experience different changes in detection efficiency in scintillators with different geometries, especially with regard to the scintillator thickness. The ratios of the counting rates of gamma rays (R_gamma), beta rays (R_beta), and sample measurements (R_total) in a thick scintillator to those in a thin one are reported. The parameter X_thick, which represents the counting rate contributed by beta rays to the total counting rate in the thick scintillator, was derived as a function of those ratios. The values of R_gamma and R_beta for ⁶⁰Co and ⁹⁰Sr sources were estimated as 3.2 ± 0.057 and 0.99 ± 0.0049, respectively. The estimated beta ray contributions had relative standard deviations of 2.05-4.96%. The estimated range of the beta rays emitted from ⁹⁰Sr was 19 mm as per the Monte Carlo N-Particle simulation, and this value was experimentally verified. Homogeneous and surface contaminations of ⁶⁰Co and ⁹⁰Sr-⁹⁰Y were simulated for application of the proposed method. The counting rate contributed by the beta rays was derived and found to be proportional to the concentration of ⁹⁰Sr-⁹⁰Y contamination.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.3-13
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• 2001

Dissolved /sup 137/Cs, /sup 239.240/Pu, /sup 238/Pu and /sup 90/Sr contents in winter and spring of the Yellow Sea were determined to describe the distribution of artificial radionuclides. Surface water samples (100 liter) were collected by using a submerged pump, and subsurface samples (>10m depth) were collected using a 10L Niskin water sampler mounted to the Rosette sampler. The levels in the surface water ranged between 1.78～3.38 mBq kg/sup -1/ for /sup 137/Cs, 2.17～13.35 μBq kg/sup -1/ for /sup 239,240/Pu, and 1.97～3.96 mBq kg/sup -1/ for /sup 90/Sr, respectively. In particular, the concentration of /sup 239.240/Pu were 1/10 of those in the vicinity of Changjiang estuary (61～83 μBq kg/sup -1/). The difference of /sup 238.240/Pu concentration between surface and bottom water was <3.0 μBq kg/sup -1/in the Yellow Sea. It suggests that in the Yellow Sea which has shallow and high suspended sediments, /sup 239.240/Pu is preferentially removed from the water columm. The water column inventory of /sup 239.240/Pu in the Yellow Sea constitute about 0.7～0.9 % of the estimated fallout input to the area. The activity ratios of /sup 239.240/Pu//sup 137/Cs and /sup 137/Cs//sup 90/Sr ranged between 0.001～0.005, 0.79～1.65, respectively, and similar to those of open ocean which global fallout is the only source of artificial radionuclides. Therefore, it suggests that most of these artificial radionuclides in the Yellow Sea may be controlled by the atmospheric input.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.113-121
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• 1985

For the safety assessment of radwaste treatment and disposal, the leaching characteristics of $Cs^+\;and\;Sr^{++}$ from the cement-solidified radwastes was investigated by means of the survey and analysis of the activity leach rate and cumulative leach fraction of $^{137}Cs\;and\;^{90}Sr$ leaching from solidified radwastes. The cylindrical cement-solidified samples were made by the sodium silicate method and neutralization method changing the mole density of simulated liquid radwaste, type of cement, adding material and concentration of boric acid. The leaching study was carried out by the method using simulated PWR concentrated liquid radwaste solidified in cement that had been processed following the recommendations of IAEA. All the experimental results are in well accordance with the research data reported previously, but the watertight cement-solidified radwastes show rather high leach rate of radioactivity. It is learned, therefore, that the watertight cement is not adequate as the material for the solidified radwastes.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.15 no.7
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• pp.689-694
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• 2006

To examine inshore radioactive contamination caused by nuclear power plants, nuclear testing, hospital and laboratory, both gross ${\beta}$-radioactivity and ${\upsilon}$-spectrometry were measured. The measurements were taken with the Abalone and Top shell, which had been collected from the four different sites at the coast in Jeju-do (Seongsan, Deajeong, Wimi, Dodu). The activity ranges of concentration were respectively 0.11-0.29 Bq/kg-wet for $^{90}Sr$, 0.01-0.04 Bq/kg-wet for $^{137}Cs$, 36 - 53 Bq/kg-wet for $^{40}K$ in shellfish on the Jeju island. The radioactivities of $^{90}Sr$, $^{137}Cs$ and $^{40}K$ were similar to those in sampling location of shellfish in the coastal on the Jeju island. The radioactivity of $^{90}Sr$ for the Abalone was lower level than that for Top shell. The radio- activity of $^{137}Cs$ for the Abalone was similar to that for the Top shell. But the radioactivity of $^{40}K$ for the Abalone was higher level than that for the Top shell. As a result, the gross ${\beta}$-radioactivity observed was similar to that in nature. Among radionuclides, only $^{90}Sr$, $^{137}Cs$ and $^{40}K$ were detected in a very small amount, and each was also close to the natural levels.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.57-63
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• 2010

Layer crystallization process was tested for the separation(or concentration) of cesium and strontium fission products in a LiCl waste salt generated from an electrolytic reduction process of a spent oxide fuel. In a crystallization process, impurities (CsCl and $SrCl_2$) are concentrated in a small fraction of the LiCl salt by the solubility difference between the melt phase and the crystal phase. Based on the phase diagram of LiCl-CsCl-$SrCl_2$ system, the separation possibility by using crystallization was determined and the molten salt temperature profile during layer crystallization operation was predicted by using mathematical calculation. In the layer crystallization process, the crystal growth rate strongly affects the crystal structure and therefore the separation efficiency. In the conditions of about 20-25 l/min cooling air flow rate and less than 0.2g/min/$cm^2$ crystal flux, the separation efficiency of both CsCl and $SrCl_2$ showed about 90% by the layer crystallization process, assuming a LiCl salt reuse rate of 90wt%.