• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
• /
• 제12권1호
• /
• pp.26-33
• /
• 1987

알파입자 검출을 위한 고체 비적 검출기인 CA 8-15와 LR 115-1은 그 부식조건이 검출기 제조 회사에서 이미 주어지고는 있으나 이들 검출기에 대한 최적부식에 관한 실험적 검토를 다시 행하였는바 최적부식시간에 현저한 차이가 있음을 발견하였다. 검출기의 방사선 조사는 이미 설정된 기하학적 배치조건하에서 $0.1{\mu}Ci$수준의 $^{241}Am$ 알파선원으로 수행하였다. 부식시간과 용액 농도의 함수로서의 비적크기에 대한 분석과 검출기에 검출된 단위면적당 비적의 이론적 기대치에 대한 비교 조사를 행하였으며, 입사 알파입자의 유효 에너지에 대한 검출효율의 변화에 대해서도 연구하였다.

• 한국환경보건학회지
• /
• 제45권6호
• /
• pp.668-674
• /
• 2019

Objectives: Modern people spend most of their day indoors. As the health impact of radon becomes an issue, public interest also has been growing. The primary route of potential human exposure to radon is inhalation. Long-term exposure to high levels of radon increases the risk of developing lung cancer. Radon exposure is known to be the second-leading cause of lung cancer, following tobacco smoke. This study measures the indoor radon concentrations in detached houses in area A of Chungcheongbuk-do Province considering the construction year, cracks in the houses, the location of installed detectors, and seasonal effects. Methods: The survey was conducted from September 2017 to April 2018 on 1,872 private households located in selected areas in northern Chungcheongbuk-do Province to figure out the year of building construction and the location of detector installed and identify the factors which affect radon concentrations in the air within the building. Radon was measured using a manual alpha track detector (Raduet, Hungary) with a sampling period of longer than 90 days. Results: Indoor radon concentrations in winter within area A was surveyed to be 168.3±193.3 Bq/㎥. There was more than a 2.3 times difference between buildings built before 1979 and those built after 2010. The concentration reached 195.4±221.9 Bq/㎥ for buildings with fractures and 167.2±192.4 Bq/㎥ for buildings without fractures. It was found that detectors installed in household areas with windows exhibited a lower concentration than those installed in concealed spaces. Conclusion: High concentrations of indoor radon were shown when there was a crack in the house. Also, ventilation seems to significantly affect radon concentrations because when the location of the detector in the installed site was near windows compared to an enclosed area, radon concentration variation increased. Therefore, it is considered that radon concentration is lower in summer because natural ventilation occurs more often than in winter.

• 한국환경보건학회지
• /
• 제45권6호
• /
• pp.658-667
• /
• 2019

Objective: This study was designed to compare construction types and seasonal radon concentrations in dwellings in Jeollabuk-do Province in Korea. Methods: The measurement of indoor radon concentrations in 79 dwellings using alpha-track detectors was performed every three months (seasonally) over one year between 2015 and 2016. Also, Radon concentrations in soil were measured in spring to investigate the correlations between the concentrations in soil and indoor air. Results: The annual average concentration of indoor radon for dwellings was 89.7±72.1(GM: 72.4) Bq/㎥, with a range (min-max) of 17.2 to 505.4 Bq/㎥. The highest indoor radon concentration was measured in winter and the lowest was shown in summer. The geometric mean of radon concentration in winter was 1.03-2.58 times higher than other seasons. Radon concentrations in soil were investigated at the depth of 1 m, and the concentrations ranged from 1,780 Bq/㎥ to 123,264 Bq/㎥. This showed low correlations with indoor radon concentrations.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• 제55권11호
• /
• pp.4096-4101
• /
• 2023

Radon is a radioactive gas produced from the uranium-238 series. Radon gas affects public health and is the second cause of lung cancer. The study samples were collected from one area of the city of Jazan, southwest of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The influence of engineering and physical parameters on the emanation coefficient of gas and other gas parameters was studied. Parameters for radon were measured using a CR-39 Solid-State Nuclear Track Detector (SSNTD) through a sealed emission container. The results showed that the emanation coefficient was affected directly by the change in the grain size of the soil. All parameters of measured radon gas have the same behavior as the emanation coefficient. The relationship between particle size and emanation coefficient showed a good correlation. The values of the emanation coefficient were inversely affected by the mass of the sample, and the rest of the parameters showed an inverse behavior. The results showed that increasing the volume of the container increases the accumulation of radon sons on the wall of the container, which increases the emission factor. The rest of the parameters of radon gas showed an inverse behavior with increasing container size. The results concluded that changing the engineering and physical parameters has a significant impact on both the emanation coefficient and all radon parameters. The emanation coefficient affects the values of the radiation dose of an alpha particle.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
• /
• 제20권2호
• /
• pp.79-83
• /
• 1995

과거 물분자와 전리방사선과의 상호작용에 의하여 생성된 방사능 극소입자에 관한 많은 연구결과가 보고되어 왔다. 특히 최근연구에서는 물분자의 방사성분해 에 의해 발생한 높은 농도의 수산화래디칼은 실내의 유기가스와 반응 후 저증기압의 화합물로 변하여 극소입자를 형성한다고 알려져왔다. 본 연구에서는 라돈의 첫째딸핵종인 Po-218에 대한 대기가스와 물분자와의 상호의존성을 조사할 목적으로, 실내가스의 최적제어가 가능한 라돈챔버를 사용하여 일련의 실험을 수행하였다. 제작된 정전기분광계를 사용하여 라돈의 첫째딸핵종인 Po-218이온에 대해 $0.07-5.0cm^2/V\;sec$ 범위의 이동도스펙트럼을 측정하였으며, 대기가스로 0.5ppm에서 5ppm까지의 $SO_2$가스를 사용하여 실험결과를 분석하였다. 라돈챔버내에 물분자의 첨가와 동 물분자의 방사성분해에 의하여 생성된 수산화래디칼에 의한 극소입자들의 형성과정을 확인하였으며 $PoO_x^+$ 이온 주변에 $SO_2$가스가 부착하면서 일어나는 화학반응에 대한 화학적 동특성연구를 수행하였다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• 제56권5호
• /
• pp.1781-1795
• /
• 2024

This study investigated the levels of radioactivity in soil surrounding a phosphate fertilizer factory in Egypt, aiming to assess potential risks to the population exposed to radiation. Concentrations of ²³⁸U, ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, and ⁴⁰K were measured in soil samples collected from two subsites: one near the factory (subsite 1) and another further away (subsite 2). Two different systems were used for measuring radioactivity, a high-purity gamma ray spectroscopy system with an HPGe detector for gamma-emitting isotopes and a CR-39 solid nuclear track detector for alpha-emitting radon gas. Subsite 1, located close to the factory, displayed significantly elevated levels of ²²⁶Ra compared to global background levels (514 and 456 Bq/kg vs. 35 Bq/kg). Additionally, the concentrations of ²³⁸U (241.06 Bq/kg vs. global average 35 Bq/kg), ²³²Th (16.15 Bq/kg vs. global average 30 Bq/kg), and ⁴⁰K (146.36 Bq/kg vs. global average 400 Bq/kg) were all above global averages. Furthermore, a high concentration of radon gas (337.06 μSv/y) was measured at subsite 1. The strong positive correlation observed between ²²⁶Ra and ²³⁸U (0.96256) provides further evidence of potentially elevated radioactivity levels near the factory. In contrast, subsite 2, situated farther from the factory, exhibited natural radioactive background levels within international limits. Quantitative analysis revealed that gamma ray absorbed doses for ²²⁶Ra and ²³²Th exceeded global averages in some samples. Specifically, ²²⁶Ra doses ranged from 7.8 to 46.26 ppm (exceeding the 20 ppm global average in some cases), and ²³²Th doses ranged from 1.98 to 9.14 ppm (exceeding the 10 ppm global average in some cases). The concentration of ⁴⁰K, however, remained within the global range (0.07%-0.69 %). The observed imbalances in the ratios of Th/U (0.17-0.24 Bq/kg and 0.73-0.24 ppm) and U/Ra (0.81-0.73 Bq/kg and 0.73-0.17 ppm), both of which are significantly lower than their respective global averages of 4 and 2.4, point towards the presence of fertilizer-derived contamination. This conclusion is further supported by the high phosphate concentrations detected in the samples. Overall, this study suggests that radioactive contamination near the phosphate fertilizer factory significantly exceeds global background levels and international limits in some cases. This raises concerns about potential risks posed to surrounding agricultural land and crops.

• 한국재료학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 한국재료학회 2011년도 춘계학술발표대회
• /
• pp.5-5
• /
• 2011

The research and development of hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) and electric vehicle (EV) are intensified due to the energy crisis and environmental concerns. In order to meet the challenging requirements of powering HEV, PHEV and EV, the current lithium battery technology needs to be significantly improved in terms of the cost, safety, power and energy density, as well as the calendar and cycle life. One new technology being developed is the utilization of composite cathode by mixing two different types of insertion compounds [e.g., spinel $LiMn_2O_4$ and layered $LiMO_2$ (M=Ni, Co, and Mn)]. Recently, some studies on mixing two different types of cathode materials to make a composite cathode have been reported, which were aimed at reducing cost and improving self-discharge. Numata et al. reported that when stored in a sealed can together with electrolyte at $80^{\circ}C$ for 10 days, the concentrations of both HF and $Mn^{2+}$ were lower in the can containing $LiMn_2O_4$ blended with $LiNi_{0.8}Co_{0.2}O_2$ than that containing $LiMn_2O_4$ only. That reports clearly showed that this blending technique can prevent the decline in capacity caused by cycling or storage at elevated temperatures. However, not much work has been reported on the charge-discharge characteristics and related structural phase transitions for these composite cathodes. In this presentation, we will report our in situ x-ray diffraction studies on this mixed composite cathode material during charge-discharge cycling. The mixed cathodes were incorporated into in situ XRD cells with a Li foil anode, a Celgard separator, and a 1M $LiPF_6$ electrolyte in a 1 : 1 EC : DMC solvent (LP 30 from EM Industries, Inc.). For in situ XRD cell, Mylar windows were used as has been described in detail elsewhere. All of these in situ XRD spectra were collected on beam line X18A at National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) at Brookhaven National Laboratory using two different detectors. One is a conventional scintillation detector with data collection at 0.02 degree in two theta angle for each step. The other is a wide angle position sensitive detector (PSD). The wavelengths used were 1.1950 ${\AA}$ for the scintillation detector and 0.9999 A for the PSD. The newly installed PSD at beam line X18A of NSLS can collect XRD patterns as short as a few minutes covering $90^{\circ}$ of two theta angles simultaneously with good signal to noise ratio. It significantly reduced the data collection time for each scan, giving us a great advantage in studying the phase transition in real time. The two theta angles of all the XRD spectra presented in this paper have been recalculated and converted to corresponding angles for ${\lambda}=1.54\;{\AA}$, which is the wavelength of conventional x-ray tube source with Cu-$k{\alpha}$ radiation, for easy comparison with data in other literatures. The structural changes of the composite cathode made by mixing spinel $LiMn_2O_4$ and layered $Li-Ni_{1/3}Co_{1/3}Mn_{1/3}O_2$ in 1 : 1 wt% in both Li-half and Li-ion cells during charge/discharge are studied by in situ XRD. During the first charge up to ~5.2 V vs. $Li/Li^+$, the in situ XRD spectra for the composite cathode in the Li-half cell track the structural changes of each component. At the early stage of charge, the lithium extraction takes place in the $LiNi_{1/3}Co_{1/3}Mn_{1/3}O_2$ component only. When the cell voltage reaches at ~4.0 V vs. $Li/Li^+$, lithium extraction from the spinel $LiMn_2O_4$ component starts and becomes the major contributor for the cell capacity due to the higher rate capability of $LiMn_2O_4$. When the voltage passed 4.3 V, the major structural changes are from the $LiNi_{1/3}Co_{1/3}Mn_{1/3}O_2$ component, while the $LiMn_2O_4$ component is almost unchanged. In the Li-ion cell using a MCMB anode and a composite cathode cycled between 2.5 V and 4.2 V, the structural changes are dominated by the spinel $LiMn_2O_4$ component, with much less changes in the layered $LiNi_{1/3}Co_{1/3}Mn_{1/3}O_2$ component, comparing with the Li-half cell results. These results give us valuable information about the structural changes relating to the contributions of each individual component to the cell capacity at certain charge/discharge state, which are helpful in designing and optimizing the composite cathode using spinel- and layered-type materials for Li-ion battery research. More detailed discussion will be presented at the meeting.

• 대한환경공학회지
• /
• 제28권6호
• /
• pp.588-595
• /
• 2006

본 연구는 서울지역 지하철역 실내 공기 중 라돈분포를 조사하여 그 발생원을 추적 확인하기 위하여 수행되었다. 1998년부터 2004년까지 232개 역사를 대상으로 알파비적검출기를 사용하여 실내 공기 중 장기라돈을 측정하였으며 지하수중 라돈농도는 알파입자계수법에 의하여 측정하였다. 라돈의 주 발생원을 추적하기 위하여 8개 역사를 선정하여 각 역사의 승강장과 인접터널에 대한 공기 중 라돈농도를 조사하였다. 전체역사에 대한 라돈농도 분석결과 기하평균 및 산술평균은 각각 $1.40{\pm}1.94pCi/L,\;1.65{\pm}1.07$였으며, 승강장과 매표소의 기하평균은 각각 $1.54{\pm}1.96pCi/L,\;1.23{\pm}1.88pCi/L$로 승강장에서의 라돈농도가 매표소의 농도보다 더 높게 나타났다. 지질구조와 지하역사의 라돈분포는 밀접한 상관성을 보였으며 터널내부와 지하수중의 라돈농도는 역사 승강장의 라돈농도에 크게 영향을 미치고 있었다. 또한 역사의 승강장이 위치하고 있는 깊이 정도에 따라 라돈농도의 차이를 보였다(p<0.05).