• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.9
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• pp.3553-3557
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• 2024

This manuscript describes a neutron counting system based on cylindrical fission counters that can monitor neutron activity for high-energy neutron flux above 10 MeV under electrically noisy environments with intense gamma rays. Miniature fission counters with depleted uranium as sensitive material and modular electronics were built for digital signal processing and high-countrate operation. The counters are 9.5 mm in diameter and 71.1 mm in active length. The author presents the results of Monte Carlo simulations of the fission-counter response for selected neutron sources and energies based on ENDF7.1, JENDL-5, and TENDL-2021 nuclear data libraries from 1 meV to 200 MeV. For a white neutron beam (Ē = 16.36 MeV) that irradiates the front face of a counter, the intrinsic efficiency is evaluated to be (2.24 ± 0.02) × 10^-5 counts/n, while the efficiency of the counter in the array appears to increase by at most 6.7%.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.6 no.5
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• pp.385-391
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• 1997

An objection of this study is to develop a measuring circuit of a gauge using radioisotope for compaction control. The gauge developed in this study makes use of radioisotope with the activity exempted from domestic atomic law and consists of measuring circuits for gamma-rays and thermal neutrons, a high voltage supply unit, and a microprocessor. To obtain meaningful numbers of pulse counts, parallel five and two circuits are provided for gamma-rays and thermal neutrons, respectively. Being simple in electrical characteristics of G-M detector for gamma-rays, pulses are counted through only a shaping circuit. Very small pulses generated from He- 3 proportional detector for thermal neutrons are amplified to the maximum of 50 [dB] and a window comparator accepts only pulses with meaning. To minimize effects of natural environmental radiation and electrical noise, circuits are electrostatically shielded and pulses made by ripples are eliminated by taking frequency of high voltage supplied to the circuit and pulse height of ripples into consideration. One-chip microprocessor is applied to process various counts, results are stored and the gauage is made capable to communicate with PC. Enough and meaningful numbers of pulses are counted with the prototype gauage for compaction control.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.229-233
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• 2002

We have tested a combined CT/SPECT system with a single CZT detector for x-ray and gamma-ray medical imaging. The size of detector is 10$\times$10$\times$5 ㎣, and the anodes are pixellated as a 4$\times$4 array with a pixel dimension of $1.5\times$1.5 $\textrm{mm}^2$. The cathode was coated with a continuous Au-plated. We have characterized the system performance by scanning a radiographic resolution phantom and the Hoffman Brain phantom. Pulse counting electronics with very short shaping time (50 ㎱) are used to satisfy high photon rates in x-ray imaging, and response linearity up to 3$\times$10$^{5}$ counts per second per detector element is achieved. Energy resolution of 10.4% and 5.3% FWHM at Tc-99m 140 keV peak are obtained for the 50 ㎱ and 2 $mutextrm{s}$ shaping times, respectively. The spatial resolutions of CT and SPECT are about 1mm and 9mm, respectively. Photopeak efficiency of detector systems are 41.0% for 50㎱ and 72.5% for 2 $mutextrm{s}$ shaping time.

• 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.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.650-658
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• 2013

Apple juices were sterilized by continuous pulsed electric field (PEF) treatments of pulse width of 25 ${\mu}s$ at electric field intensity of 20.0 kV/cm, and with the varied pulse frequencies of 35 Hz (40 kJ/L), 55 Hz (70 kJ/L), 72 Hz (100 kJ/L) and 85 Hz (130 kJ/L). The PEF treatments of apple juice reduced the microbial counts from 5.3 log CFU/mL of initial state to 3.0 log CFU/mL after PEF treatment at energy density of 130 kJ/L. Also yeast and fungi after PEF treatments were reduced from 5.3 log CFU/mL to 3.0 log CFU/mL and Escherichia coli were from 5.3 log CFU/mL of initial state to 4.7 log CFU/mL to < $10^1$ CFU/mL. The soluble solids and free sugars did not significantly differ (p<0.05) depending on conditions of PEF treatment. The total phenolic contents and antioxidant activity such as the DPPH and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) by PEF treatments were significantly partly reduced, but the PEF-reduced value came in smaller quantities than the heat treatment at $65^{\circ}C$. The iterative PEF treatments with pulse width of 25 ${\mu}s$ and pulse frequency of 85 Hz at electric field intensity of 20.0 kV/cm showed limited in microbial reduction. Also, total phenolic contents and antioxidant activity such as DPPH and FRAP, significantly decreased depending on treatment numbers of PEF (p<0.05).

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.163-172
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• 2008

Hydrologic regimes play a major role in determining the biotic composition, structure, and function of river ecosystem. In this study, hydrologic regimes were analyzed on down stream effects of the Young-Chun dam construction using the Indicators of Hydrologic Alterations(IHA). The analysis results were as follows ; (1) Monthly mean flows were decreased during drought and flood season on the pre and post dam, (2) Magnitude and Duration of Annual Exterm Conditions, annual minima 1-day means was $3.48m^3/sec$, $0.89m^3/sec$ and annual maxima 1-day mean was $833.1m^3/sec$, $672.1m^3/sec$ on the pre and post dam (3) Timing of Annual Exterm conditions, Julian date of the annual minima 1-day means was 180th(June) in the pre dam, 257th(September) in the post dam, Julian date of the annual maxima 1-day means was 209th(July) in the pre dam, 217th(August) in the post dam, (4) Frequency and Duration of High and Low Pulse, Low Puls counts and duration were 3 times and 23 days in the pre dam, High Pulse counts and duration were 4 times and 2 days in the pre dam. (5) Rate and Frequency of Water Condition Changes, rise rates was 39.27 %, 19.36 % and fall rates -15.85 %, -8.16 % in the pre and post dam, respectively (6) Coefficient of Variation, annual exteram water conditions were decreased from 0.9054 to 0.6314 and from 1.0440 to 0.9617, Timing of Annual Exterm conditions were incereased for minima flow from 0.269 to 0.282, for maxima form 0.069 to 0.153.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.30-39
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• 2014

This paper studies a new three-level pulse-width modulation (PWM) resonant converter for high input voltage and high load current applications. In order to use high frequency power MOSFETs for high input voltage applications, a three-level DC converter with two clamped diodes and a flying capacitor is adopted in the proposed circuit. For high load current applications, the secondary sides of the proposed converter are connected in parallel to reduce the size of the magnetic core and copper windings and to decrease the current rating of the rectifier diodes. In order to share the load current and reduce the switch counts, three resonant converters with the same active switches are adopted in the proposed circuit. Two transformers with a series connection in the primary side and a parallel connection in the secondary side are adopted in each converter to balance the secondary side currents. To overcome the drawback of a wide range of switching frequencies in conventional series resonant converters, the duty cycle control is adopted in the proposed circuit to achieve zero current switching (ZCS) turn-off for the rectifier diodes and zero voltage switching (ZVS) turn-on for the active switches. Finally, experimental results are provided to verify the effectiveness of the proposed converter.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.147-158
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• 2020

In this paper, we will review the thruster based reaction wheel momentum dumping method for low Earth orbit satellite. Thruster based momentum dumping is widely used in GEO satellites by performing momentum dumping and attitude control using thrusters at the specific time. LEO satellite should perform momentum dumping at any time, thus it is not appropriate to use GEO satellite's momentum dumping method. In this research, we will review the method for LEO satellite, which perform momentum dumping always and use reaction wheels for attitude control during dumping. To reduce thruster's valve on and off counts, we propose to use the maximum pulse width for thruster operation. To prevent attitude error increase by thrusters, we adjust the thruster operation interval. Through simulation, we verify the proposed method's effects.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Medical Physics Conference
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• 2002.09a
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• pp.379-381
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• 2002

A single CdZnTe detector is tested for suitability in a prototype CT/ SPECT system designed to acquire both emission and transmission data. The detector has the size of 1${\times}$l-cm$^2$ with 4${\times}$4 1.5${\times}$l.5mm$^2$ pixellated anodes. Since the detector is smaller than imaged object, we translated it in an arc centered at the x-ray tube to image larger objects. Pulse counting electronics with very short shaping time (50 ns) are used to satisfy high photon rates in x-ray imaging, and response linearity up to 3${\times}$10$\^$5/ counts per second per detector element is achieved. The energy resolution of 122-keV gamma-ray is measured to be 14%. We have characterized the system performance by scanning a radiographic resolution phantom .and the Hoffman brain phantom. The spatial resolution of CT and SPECT are about 1 mm and 7 mm, respectively.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.70-74
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• 2012

Silicon carbide (SiC) is a promising material for neutron detection at harsh environments because of its capability to withstand strong radiation fields and high temperatures. Two PIN-type SiC semiconductor neutron detectors, which can be used for nuclear power plant (NPP) applications, such as in-core reactor neutron flux monitoring and measurement, were designed and fabricated. As a preliminary test, MCNPX simulations were performed to estimate reaction probabilities with respect to neutron energies. In the experiment, I-V curves were measured to confirm the diode characteristic of the detectors, and pulse height spectra were measured for neutron responses by using a $^{252}Cf$ neutron source at KRISS (Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science), and a Tandem accelerator at KIGAM (Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources). The neutron counts of the detector were linearly increased as the incident neutron flux got larger.