• Journal of Magnetics
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.342-347
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• 2013

Local wall thinning in pipelines affects the structural integrity of industries, such as nuclear power plants (NPPs). In the present study, a development of pulsed eddy current (PEC) technology that detects the wall thinning of pipelines covered with insulation is reviewed. The methods and experimental results, which have two kinds of probe with a single and double core, were compared. For this purpose, the single and double core probes having one and two excitation coils have been devised, and the differential probe with two Hall sensors has been fabricated to measure the wall thinning in insulated pipelines. The test sample is a stainless steel having different thickness, laminated by plastic insulation to simulate the pipelines in NPPs. The excitation coils in the probe is driven by a rectangular current pulse, the difference of two Hall sensors has been measured as a resultant PEC signal. The peak value of the detected signal is used to describe the wall thinning. The double core probe has better performance to detect the wall thinning covered with insulation; the single core probe can detect the wall thinning up to an insulation thickness of 18 mm, whereas the double probe can detect up to 25 mm. The results show that the double core PEC probe has the potential to detect the wall thinning in an insulated pipeline of the NPPs.

• Proceedings of the Optical Society of Korea Conference
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• 2007.07a
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• pp.35-36
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• 2007

We report a probe using a single double clad fiber (DCF) for fluorescence spectroscopy. Bidirectional separate transmission for excitation and fluorescence light in a single fiber was implemented. A DCF coupler made by side-polished method could extract none but the collected fluorescence signals propagating in inner cladding mode, thereby diminishing the interference of silica background generated by the excitation in core mode. The experimental results show that the fluorescence spectra of biological tissues obtained using the DCF probes have much less silica background than using a standard multiple-mode fiber.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2014.02a
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• pp.401-401
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• 2014

In this study, graphene, the most attractive material today, has been applied to the wavelength-modulated surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor. The optical fiber sensor technology is the most fascinating topic because of its several benefits. In addition to this, the SPR phenomenon enables the detection of biomaterials to be label-free, highly sensitive, and accurate. Therefore, the optical fiber SPR sensor has powerful advantages to detect biomaterials. Meanwhile, Graphene shows superior mechanical, electrical, and optical characteristics, so that it has tremendous potential to be applied to any applications. Especially, grapheme has tighter confinement plasmon and relatively long propagation distances, so that it can enhance the light-matter interactions (F. H. L. Koppens, et al., Nano Lett., 2011). Accordingly, we coated graphene on the optical fiber probe which we fabricated to compose the wavelength-modulated SPR sensor (Figure 1.). The graphene film was synthesized via thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. Synthesized graphene was transferred on the core exposed region of fiber optic by lift-off method. Detected analytes were biotinylated double cross-over DNA structure (DXB) and Streptavidin (SA) as the ligand-receptor binding model. The preliminary results showed the SPR signal shifts for the DXB and SA binding rather than the concentration change.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.535-550
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• 2014

The origins and varieties of natural radioactive materials, including uranium and radon-222, were examined in a drilled borehole extending to a depth of 120 m below the surface in the Goesan area. In addition to core samples, eight groundwater samples were collected at different depths, using a double packer system and bailer, and their geochemical characteristics were determined. Most of the rock samples from the drilled core consisted of granite porphyry, with sedimentary rocks (slate, carbonate, or lime-silicates) and pegmatite occurring in certain sections. The pH of samples varied from 7.8 to 8.4, and the groundwater was of a Na-$HCO_3$type. Uranium and thorium concentrations in the core were < 0.2-14.8 ppm and 0.56-45.0 ppm, respectively. Observations by microscope and an electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA) showed that the mineral containing the natural radioactive materials was monazite contained in biotite crystals. The uranium, which substituted for major elements in the monazite, appeared to have dissolved and been released into the groundwater in a shear zone. Concentrations of Radon-222 in the borehole showed no close relationship with levels of uranium. The isotopes of noble gases, such as helium and neon, would be useful for analyzing the origins and characteristics of the natural radioactive materials.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.163-178
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• 2011

A test borehole was drilled in the Cheongwon area to investigate the relationship between geochemical environment and the natural occurrence of radioactive materials (uranium and Rn-222) in borehole groundwater. The borehole encountered mainly biotite schist and biotite granite, with minor porphyritic granite and basic dykes. Six groundwater samples were collected at different depths in the borehole using the double-packed system. The groundwater pH ranges from 5.66 to 8.34, and the chemical type of the groundwater is Ca-$HCO_3$. The contents of uranium and Rn-222 in the groundwater are 0.03-683 ppb and 1,290-7,600 pCi/L, respectively. The contents of uranium and thorium in the rocks within the borehole are 0.51-23.4 ppm and 0.89-62.6 ppm, respectively. Microscope observations of the rock core and analyses by electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA) show that most of the radioactive elements occur in the biotite schist, within accessory minerals such as monazite and limenite in biotite, and in feldspar and quartz. The high uranium content of groundwater at depths of -50 to -70 m is due to groundwater chemistry (weakly alkaline pH, an oxidizing environment, and high concentrations of bicarbonate). The origin of Rn-222 could be determined by analyzing noble gas isotopes (e.g., $^3He/^4He$ and $^4He/^{20}Ne$).