• Journal of Radiation Industry
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.93-100
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• 2023

This study analyzes the neutron shielding performance of Soft Magnetic Material and proposes a military application. In general, the military protection facility has been constructed with thick concrete, so Soft Magnetic Material, consisting of boron, was used with concrete in this study. To do so, Monte-Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) was applied to simulate the Watt-fission neutron spectrum of ²³⁵U and ²³⁹Pu. As a result, a configuration of polyethylene and Soft Magnetic Material is evaluated about four times better than borated polyethylene concerning the atomic weight of boron inside each shielding material. Also, when a nuclear weapon explosion is simulated in MCNP, 1 mm of Soft Magnetic Material with 20 cm of concrete shows about 55% more additional neutron shielding performance compared to when Soft Magnetic Material is not used. In this work, the neutron shielding performance of Soft Magnetic Material could be identified and Soft Magnetic Material would be useful for neutron shielding if applicable to concrete structure.

• Journal of the Korean Recycled Construction Resources Institute
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.269-275
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• 2016

In this study, the mechanical properties and the neutron shielding rate of concrete with the borosilicate glass and the amorphous boron steel fiber were investigated. The measures of this investigation includes air contents, slump loss, compressive strength, static modulus of elasticity, compressive toughness, flexural strength, flexure toughness and neutron shielding rate. As a result, the neutron shielding rate of the concrete with borosilicate glasses increased even though the compressive strength and flexural strength decreased in comparison with that of plain concrete. Also, the mechanical toughness and the neutron shielding rate of the concrete with amorphous boron steel fiber increased in comparison with that of plain concrete.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.20-28
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• 2018

Background: Heat energy produced in nuclear reactors and nuclear fuel cycle facilities interactions modifies the physical properties of the shielding materials containing water content. Therefore, in the present paper, effect of the heat on shielding effectiveness of the concretes is investigated for gamma and neutron. The mass attenuation coefficients, effective atomic numbers, fast neutron removal cross-section and exposure buildup factors. Materials and Methods: The mass attenuation coefficients, effective atomic numbers, fast neutron removal cross-section and exposure buildup factors of ordinary and heavy concretes were investigated using NIST data of XCOM program and Geometric Progression method. Results and Discussion: The improvement in shielding effectiveness for photon and reduction in fast neutron for ordinary concrete was observed. The change in the neutron shielding effectiveness was insignificant. Conclusion: The present investigation on interaction of gamma and neutron radiation would be very useful for assessment of shielding efficiency of the concrete used in high temperature applications such as reactors.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Building Construction Conference
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• 2017.11a
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• pp.155-156
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• 2017

Borosilicate glass was incorporated to improve the neutron shielding capability of concrete. Boron is a typical neutron shielding material, and it is contained in borosilicate glass. However, borosilicate glass causes alkali-silica reaction, which damages the concrete. Therefore, studied to reduce the expansion due to alkali-silica reaction and to improve the neuton shielding capability. The measurement of the expansion due to the alkali-silica reaction was based on ASTM C 1260. Experimental results show that the expansion due to alkali-silica reaction is reduced when borosilicate glass powder incorporated. In addition, the neutron shielding capability was significantly improved when the fine aggregate replaced with borosilicate glass.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.9
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• pp.3448-3451
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• 2022

Biochar is a novel carbon based material derived from waste that shows promising properties for several applications. In this paper we investigate its potential use as a low cost, greener alternative to commonly used aggregates employed to enhance the neutron shielding performance of concrete. Monte Carlo simulations are performed with the PHITS code to estimate the neutron attenuation of blank and biochar-reinforced concrete exposed to high energy neutrons. We find that the shielding performance of concrete with 15% biochar is comparable with commonly used materials such as Boron Carbide at 20% and exceeds that of Basalt fibers with the same concentration, making these composites an interesting greener alternative to current solutions. A combination of biochar and heavier fillers also show extremely promising performance.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.9-14
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• 2017

Mechanical properties and neutron shielding performance of concrete with amorphous boron steel fiber have been investigated in this study. The measurement of this investigation includes air contents, slump loss, compressive strength, flexural strength, flexural toughness and neutron shielding rate. Four different fiber volume fractions were selected ranging from 0.25% to 1.0% by volume for the amorphous boron steel fibers. The testing results showed that the flexural toughness and the neutron shielding rate were increase with the increase of volume fraction for amorphous boron steel fiber. Based on the result, it is concluded that the concrete with the amorphous boron steel fiber can be effectively applied to shield the neutron and to improve mechanical properties.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Building Construction Conference
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• 2015.05a
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• pp.160-161
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• 2015

Borosilicate glass can be used for improving neutron shielding of concrete. The well known expansion of borosilicate glass caused by expansion of mortar bar was can cause serious damage to the concrete. In this research, borosilicate glass was powdered to reduce the particle size similar to that of cement, and 20% cement replacement set was reduced expansion rate about 30%. But aggregate replacement set was damaged because of Alkali-Silica Reaction expansion.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.380-387
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• 2015

A lead slowing-down spectrometer (LSDS) system is a promising nondestructive assay technique that enables a quantitative measurement of the isotopic contents of major fissile isotopes in spent nuclear fuel and its pyroprocessing counterparts, such as $^{235}U$, $^{239}Pu$, $^{241}Pu$, and, potentially, minor actinides. The LSDS system currently under development at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (Daejeon, Korea) is planned to utilize a high-flux ($>10^{12}n/cm^2{\cdot}s$) neutron source comprised of a high-energy (30 MeV)/high-current (~2 A) electron beam and a heavy metal target, which results in a very intense and complex radiation field for the facility, thus demanding structural shielding to guarantee the safety. Optimization of the structural shielding design was conducted using MCNPX for neutron dose rate evaluation of several representative hypothetical designs. In order to satisfy the construction cost and neutron attenuation capability of the facility, while simultaneously achieving the aimed dose rate limit (< $0.06{\mu}Sv/h$), a few shielding materials [high-density polyethylene (HDPE)eBorax, $B_4C$, and $Li_2CO_3$] were considered for the main neutron absorber layer, which is encapsulated within the double-sided concrete wall. The MCNP simulation indicated that HDPE-Borax is the most efficient among the aforementioned candidate materials, and the combined thickness of the shielding layers should exceed 100 cm to satisfy the dose limit on the outside surface of the shielding wall of the facility when limiting the thickness of the HDPE-Borax intermediate layer to below 5 cm. However, the shielding wall must include the instrumentation and installation holes for the LSDS system. The radiation leakage through the holes was substantially mitigated by adopting a zigzag-shape with concrete covers on both sides. The suggested optimized design of the shielding structure satisfies the dose rate limit and can be used for the construction of a facility in the near future.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.45-53
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• 2019

This study is a neutron activation for concrete that shields medical linear accelerator facilities. Comparison of general concrete and low activation concrete. The simulation method was simulated using MCNPX (Ver. 2.5.0) and FISPACT-2010, and the shielding ability for photon and neutron beams was calculated and neutron activation evaluation was carried out. As a result, the shielding capacity was 20 ~ 50 cm efficient in general concrete, and activate evaluation in low activation concrete was calculated to be low in radioactivity concrete, but all were estimated to not exceed their own allowable concentration in self - disposal. As a result of the comprehensive analysis, it is considered effective to use ordinary concrete.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.197-204
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• 2016

Concrete walls of neutron generating facilities such as fusion reactors and fission reactors become radioactive by neutron irradiation. Both low-activation and neutron shielding are a critical concern at the dismantling stage after the shutdown of facilities with a requirement of radioactive waste management. To tackle this, two types of additives were investigated in fabricating mortar specimens: synthetic high polymers and boron carbide. It is well known that a hydrogen atom is effective in neutron shielding by an elastic scattering because its mass is almost the same as that of the neutron. And boron is an effective neutron absorber with a big neutron absorption cross section. In this study, the effect of the type, shape, and size of polymers were investigated as well as that of boron carbide. Total 16 mix designs were prepared to reveal the effect of polymers on mechanical properties and neutron shielding performance. The neutron does equivalent of polymers-based mortar for fast neutrons decreased by 36 %, and the count rate of boron carbide-based mortar with regard to thermal neutrons decreased by 90 % compared to conventional mortar. These results showed that a combination of polymers and boron carbide compounds has potential to reduce the thickness of neutron shields as well as radioactive waste from reactors.