• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.351-359
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• 2016

The Korean Prototype Gen-IV sodium-cooled fast reactor (PGSFR) is supposed to be loaded with a relatively-costly low-enriched U fuel, while its envisaged transuranic fuels are not available for transmutation. In this work, the U-enrichment reduction by improving the neutron economy is pursued to save the fuel cost. To improve the neutron economy of the core, a new reflector material, PbO, has been introduced to replace the conventional HT9 reflector in the current PGSFR core. Two types of PbO reflectors are considered: one is the conventional pin-type and the other one is an inverted configuration. The inverted PbO reflector design is intended to maximize the PbO volume fraction in the reflector assembly. In addition, the core radial configuration is also modified to maximize the performance of the PbO reflector. For the baseline PGSFR core with several reflector options, the U enrichment requirement has been analyzed and the fuel depletion analysis is performed to derive the equilibrium cycle parameters. The linear reactivity model is used to determine the equilibrium cycle performances of the core. Impacts of the new PbO reflectors are characterized in terms of the cycle length, neutron leakage, radial power distribution, and operational fuel cost.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.888-894
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• 1997

Two hulled and two hull-less barley varieties were investigated for ${\beta}-glucan$ enrichment. Hull-less barleys contained higher levels of total ${\beta}-glucan$ than hulled barleys, and were thus suitable as starting materials for preparing ${\beta}-glucan-rich$ fractions. Particularly, a waxy type (Suweon-291) of hull-less barley was found to have high soluble dietary fiber content containing primarily ${\beta}-glucan$, compared to the other non-waxy barley varieties. ${\beta}-Glucan$ content of barley during pearling process was measured, and the highest value was observed at the pearling yield of approximately $70{\sim}75%$. The pearled barley grains were ground and sieved to yield ${\beta}-Glucan$ enriched fractions containing up to 22% ${\beta}-glucan$. In the meanwhile, whole barley samples were directly milled by $B{\ddot{u}}hler$ mill to produce bran, shorts, break flour and reduction flour. ${\beta}-Glucan$ contents in the bran and shorts from the milled stream were relatively high, and further concentration of ${\beta}-glucan$ could be accomplished by successive sieving of the bran and shorts fractions. Pearled barley and milled stream could be used to prepare barley fractions with ${\beta}-glucan$ concentrations $2.4{\sim}3.1$ times those of the original barley grain. Water solubility of barley ${\beta}-glucan$ from pearled barley and the milled stream was in the range of $40{\sim}81%$.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.501-510
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• 2022

The nuclear criticality analyses considering burnup credit were performed for a spent nuclear fuel (SNF) disposal cell consisting of bentonite buffer and two different types of SNF disposal canister: the KBS-3 canister and small standardized transportation, aging and disposal (STAD) canister. Firstly, the KBS-3 & STAD canister containing four SNFs of the initial enrichment of 4.0wt% ²³⁵U and discharge burnup of 45,000 MWD/MTU were modelled. The k_eff values for the cooling times of 40, 50, and 60 years of SNFs were calculated to be 0.79108, 0.78803, and 0.78484 & 0.76149, 0.75683, and 0.75444, respectively. Secondly, the KBS-3 & STAD canister with four SNFs of 4.5wt% and 55,000 MWD/MTU were modelled. The k_eff values for the cooling times of 40, 50, and 60 years were 0.78067, 0.77581, and 0.77335 & 0.75024, 0.74647, and 0.74420, respectively. Therefore, all cases met the performance criterion with respect to the k_eff value, 0.95. The STAD canister had the lower k_eff values than KBS-3. The neutron absorber plates in the STAD canister significantly affected the reduction in k_eff values although the distance among the SNFs in the STAD canister was considerably shorter than that in the KBS-3 canister.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.613-623
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• 2016

Molybdenum-99 ($^{99}Mo$) is the most important isotope because its daughter isotope, technetium-99m ($^{99m}Tc$), has been the most widely used medical radioisotope for more than 50 years, accounting for > 80% of total nuclear diagnostics worldwide. In this review, radiochemical routes for the production of $^{99}Mo$, and the aspects for selecting a suitable process strategy are discussed from the historical viewpoint of $^{99}Mo$ technology developments. Most of the industrial-scale $^{99}Mo$ processes have been based on the fission of $^{235}U$. Recently, important issues have been raised for the conversion of fission $^{99}Mo$ targets from highly enriched uranium to low enriched uranium (LEU). The development of new LEU targets with higher density was requested to compensate for the loss of $^{99}Mo$ yield, caused by a significant reduction of $^{235}U$ enrichment, from the conversion. As the dramatic increment of intermediate level liquid waste is also expected from the conversion, an effective strategy to reduce the waste generation from the fission $^{99}Mo$ production is required. The mitigation of radioxenon emission from medical radioisotope production facilities is discussed in relation with the monitoring of nuclear explosions and comprehensive nuclear test ban. Lastly, the $^{99}Mo$ production process paired with the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute's own LEU target is proposed as one of the most suitable processes for the LEU target.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.201-209
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• 2015

Currently, 23 nuclear power plants are in operation at Kori, Uljin, Younggwang and Wolsong site and a reference deep geological disposal system has been developed for the spent fuels generated by them. The reference spent fuel for this disposal system has 4.5wt% of initial enrichment, 55 GWd/MtU of burn-up, and 40 years of cooling time. In this paper, to improve disposal efficiency and economic feasibility, the characteristics of spent fuels from nuclear power plants, such as type and burn-up, were reviewed. A disposal canister concept for shorter length and relatively lower burn-up spent fuels than the reference spent fuels was developed. Based on this canister concept, thermal analyses were carried out and a deep geological disposal concept was proposed. Measures of disposal efficiency such as unit disposal area and disposal density were compared between this disposal system and the reference disposal system. Also, economic feasibility, such as the volume reduction of copper, cast iron, and bentonite, was analyzed and the results of these analyses showed that the disposal system proposed in this paper has an efficiency of at least 20%. These results could be used for establishing spent fuel management policy and designing practical disposal systems for spent fuels.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.67-83
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• 2012

In order to evaluate die geochemical characteristics of sediment in a semi-enclosed bay used as shellfish and fish farming area, the concentrations of metallic(V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co. Ni, Cu, Zn, Ag, Cd, Hg, Ph, As) and non-metallic(P, Se) elements and uranium were measured in the surface sediment samples collected from 19 stations of Gamak Bay in April 2010. Metal contamination status in the sediments were also evaluated using the sediment quality guidelines(SQGs) proposed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA) and the enrichment factor(EF). The concentrations of elements in sediment were mainly controlled by quartz-dilution effect(V, Cr, Fe, Co and Ni), the dilution effect of organic matter(Cd and U), and metal redistribution by the decomposition of organic matter(Mn, Ag, As, and Se). The concentrations of metals, except As and Ni, in sediments from all sampling stations were lower than ERL values of NOAA. Conclusively, the surface sediment of Gamak Bay was slightly polluted with Ni, Ag, Cd, and Cd but was not polluted with other elements on the basis of EF results. Our results suggest that the surface sediment in Gamak Bay is not polluted by metallic elements.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.227-237
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• 1994

This study was conducted to investigate the interaction of vitamins A and E on their transfer from diet to chicken eggs and the effect of vitamin A flood-dosing on its concentration in eggs and livers. In Experiment I, forty-two 45-wk-old brown layers (Bobeock) were divided into seven groups and fed one of seven diets: control, three vitamin A supplemented diets(8, OOO, 16, 000, and 64, 000 IU /kg diet) or three vitamin E supplemented diets (50, 100, and 200 IU/kg diet). In Experiment II, a total of thirty-two 35-wk-old white layers (Hy-ine) were divided into four groups and fed one of four diets :control, vitamin A 20, 00O+vitamin E 200 TU /kg, vitamin A 50, O00+vitamin E 200 IU /kg or vitamin A 100, OO0+vitamin E 200 lU/kg supplemented diets. In Experiment III, a total of fifty-six 35-wk-old white layers (Hy-line) was divided into four groups and fed one of four diets: control or three vitamin A supplemented diets (80, 000, 120, 000 and 160, 000 lU/kg diet). In Experiment I, vitamin E levels of egg yolk in hens fed the vitamin A supplemented diets decreased as dietary vitamin A level increased (P