담도 스텐트가 인접한 담도 주위 혈관에 손상을 주어 혈액 담즙증을 유발하거나 스텐트 제거 시 손상으로 발생할 수 있다고 드물게 보고된다. 스텐트 제거 시 활력징후가 불안정 해질 정도의 혈액 담즙증이 생기는 경우, 혈관조영술을 시행 하기 전 구조 요법으로 피막형 팽창성 금속 스텐트의 압박 효과를 통한 지혈을 기대하고 삽입할 수 있다. 본 두 증례는 간문부 담관암 환자에서 간문부 폐색에 대해 삽입한 담도 스텐트 그리고 간세포암종 환자에서 간동맥 화학색전술 이후 동반된 간농양의 내배액 목적으로 삽입한 담도 스텐트를 각각 교체 목적으로 제거 후 급격히 악화된 대량의 혈액 담즙증을 피막형 팽창성 금속 스텐트를 삽입하여 성공적으로 치료된 사례이다. 한편, 해당 상황에선 정확한 출혈 위치를 알기 어려워 예상되는 출혈 위치를 포함할 수 있을 만큼 높은 위치에 스텐트를 삽입해야 하며 적절한 위치에 삽입되었더라도 지혈이 되지 않을 수 있기에 일시적인 방안이며 스텐트 자체의 한계점들도 있다. 따라서, 기존의 스텐트 제거 시 혈액 담즙증이 발생할 수 있음을 인지하고, 그중 출혈의 위험성이 높은 환자에서는 제거 전 영상 검사를 고려해야 하며 출혈이 발생한 뒤 스텐트를 통해 성공적으로 지혈을 시행했더라도 출혈 및 가성동맥류와 같은 혈관 기형의 확인을 위한 영상 검사를 고려해야한다.

Noble metal precipitates are fission products that can be found as metallic alloys in used nuclear fuel. They do not exist homogenously inside the fuel pellets, but exists in grain boundaries in the form of immiscible particles. The first drawback that comes because they exist in grain boundaries is the degradation of mechanical integrity. The particles in the grain boundaries can be considered as defect n solid solution of uranium oxide pellets, and they can change the lattice volume. Therefore, it is known that it can cause stress corrosion cracking of fuel pellets. Furthermore, there is a negative effect from the perspective of used fuel management. However, they also have a positive effect on used fuel management. Since the noble metal has galvanic reduction effect, the particles serve as an oxidation inhibitor for uranium. There are many other effects regarding to the noble metal precipitates. However, in any case, quantifying the particles is important in order to quantitatively analyze these effects from the perspective of used fuel management. SCALE/TRITON code was applied to calculate the noble metal isotopes including Mo, Tc, Ru, Rh and Pd. In order to calculate the distribution inside the pin, the multiregion cell model was selected. In particular, a cylindrical geometry was used, and the pellet was divided into several layers. In addition, coolant and cladding surrounded the pellet. Finally, the radial distribution was evaluated using the computational code, along with neutron flux map.

The removal of aqueous pollutants, including dye molecules from wastewater remains one of the pressing problems in the world. Because of chemical stability and conjugated structure, dye molecules cannot be easy decomposed by heat with oxidizing reagents such as H2O2 and light. The most common representative of widespread organic pollutant is methylene blue (MB) with molecular formula C16H18ClN3S, which is important colorant and used in various chemical and biological production industries and causes serious environment problems. Porous materials, including MOFs (metal-organic frameworks) have been applied for efficient MB photocatalytic degradation. However, one of the main barriers to using most MOFs to break down aromatic organics is wide band gap energy, which means that the catalyst can exhibit high photocatalytic performance only under UVlight irradiation. Moreover, most MOFs usually show the poor water stability of frameworks, which tend to dissolve in water with total destruction. In this work we report about two new copper based MOFs with high photocatalytic properties for efficient MB degradation from wastewater under UV-light and natural sunlight. Time, required for 100% MB degradation, equals 7 minutes under UV (source 4 W 254 nm VL-4.LC UV-lamp) and 60 minutes under natural sunlight irradiation in the presence of H2O2. Crystal structure information is provided using single crystal X-ray diffraction data. The composition and comparative characteristics of MOFs are given using powder X-ray diffraction, UV–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, UVvisible spectroscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy.

Nuclear weapon generates huge amount of radioactive fallout which is extremely dangerous. The fallout gradually falls to the ground and then covers every surface in city and nature. A hydrogel decontamination medium has been developed to clean the surface polluted by the fallout. The hydrogel is soluble in water so the used hydrogel can be simply removed from the surface by washing. However, significant amount of waste water, containing the radioactive fallout, is generated with this process. In this respect, it is necessary to secure alternative technical options for the used hydrogel recovery. In this study, a steam-suction process was suggested for the used hydrogel recovery. Contaminated stainless steel surface, with fixed simulated fallout particles, was prepared for test. The simulated fallout particles were obtained by high-temperature treatment of a mixture of natural soil, used concrete, and Fe2O3. The hydrogel, composed of poly-vinyl alcohol and borax, was spread onto the contaminated stainless steel surface. The hydrogel was soft at first and it gradually becomes rigid with time. The used hydrogel was recovered by suction with a simultaneous steam spraying to soften the rigid gel. As a result, the clean surface of the stainless steel without the simulated fallout particles was obtained, showing the feasibility of this technique for the used hydrogel recovery.

During the decommissioning of a nuclear power plant, the structures must be dismantled to a disposal size. Thermal cutting methods are used to reduce metal structures to a disposal size. When metal is cut using thermal cutting methods, aerosols of 1 μm or less are generated. To protect workers from aerosols in the work environment during cutting, it is necessary to understand the characteristics of the aerosols generated during the cutting process. In this study, changes in aerosol characteristics in the working environment were observed during metal thermal cutting. The cutting was done using the plasma arc cutting method. To simulate the aerosols generated during metal cutting in the decommissioning of a nuclear power plant, a non-radioactive stainless steel plate with a thickness of 20 mm was cut. The cutting condition was set to plasma current: 80 A cutting speed: 100 mm/min. The aerosols generated during cutting were measured using a highresolution aerosol measurement device called HR-ELPI+ (Dekati®). The HR-ELPI+ is an instrument that can measure the range of aerodynamic diameter from 0.006 μm to 10 μm divided into 500 channels. Using the HR-ELPI+, the number concentration of aerosols generated during the cutting process was measured in real-time. We measured the aerosols generated during cutting at regular intervals from the beginning of cutting. The analyzed aerosol concentration increased almost 10 times, from 5.22×106 [1/cm3] at the start of cutting to 6.03×107 [1/cm3] at the end. To investigate the characteristics of the distribution, we calculated the Count Median Aerodynamic Diameter (CMAD), which showed that the overall diameter of the aerosol increased from 0.0848 μm at the start of cutting to 0.1247 μm at the end of the cutting. The calculation results were compared with the concentration by diameter over time. During the cutting process, particles with a diameter of 0.06 μm or smaller were continuously measured. In comparison, particles with a diameter of 0.2 μm or larger were found to increase in concentration after a certain time following the start of cutting. In addition, when the aerosol was measured after the cutting process had ended, particles with a diameter of 0.06 μm or less, which were measured during cutting, were hardly detected. These results show that the nucleation-sized aerosols are generated during the cutting process, which can explain the measurement of small particles at the beginning of cutting. In addition, it can be speculated that the generated aerosols undergo a process of growth by contact with the atmosphere. This study presents the results of real-time aerosol analysis during the plasma arc cutting of stainless steel. This study shows the generation of nucleation-sized particles at the beginning of the cutting process and the subsequent increase in the aerosol particle size over time at the worksite. The analysis results can characterize the size of aerosol particles that workers may inhale during the dismantling of nuclear power plants.

The ability to both assay the presence of, and to selectively remove ions in a solution is an important tool for waste water treatment in many industrial sectors, especially the nuclear industry. Nuclear waste streams contain high concentrations of heavy metals ions and radionuclides, which are extremely toxic and harmful to the environment, wildlife and humans. For the UK nuclear industry alone, it is estimated that there will be 4.9 million metric tonnes of radioactive waste by 2125, which contains a significant number of toxic radionuclides and heavy metals. This is exacerbated further by increased international growth of nuclear new build and decommissioning. Efforts to remove radionuclides have been focused on the development and optimisation of current separation and sequestering techniques as well as new technologies. Due to the large volumes of waste the techniques must be economical, simple to use and highly efficient in application. Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) offer a powerful enhancement of normal ion exchange materials in that they can be navigated to specific places using external magnetic fields and hence can be used to investigate challenges such as, pipework in preparation of decommissioning projects. They also have the potential to be fine-tuned to extract a variety of other radionuclides and toxic heavy metals. It has been demonstrated that with the right functional groups these particles become very strongly selective to radionuclides, such as Uranium. However, this new technology also has the potential to effectively aid nuclear waste remediation at a low cost for the separation of both radionuclides and heavy metals. In this work, we investigate the origin of the selectivity of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) to Uranium by making systematic changes to the existing surface chemistry and determining how these changes influence the selectivity. Identifying the mechanism by which selected common nuclear related metals, such as Na(I), K(I), Cs(I), Ca(II), Cu(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cd(II), Mg(II), Sr(II), Pb(II), Al(III), Mn(II), Eu(III) and Fe(III), are sorbed will allow for specific NP-target (nanoparticle) ion interactions to be revealed. Ultimately this understanding will provide guidance in the design of new targeted NP-ligand constructs for other environmental systems.

Some of the metal waste generated from KEPCO NF is being disposed of in the form of ingots. An ingot is a metal that is melted once and then poured into a mold to harden, and it is characterized by a uniform distribution of radioactive material. When measuring the uranium radioactivity in metal ingot with HPGe detector, 185.7 keV of U-235 is used typically because most gamma rays emitted at U-235 are distributed in low-energy regions below 200 keV. To analyze radioactivity concentration of U-235 with HPGe detector more accurately, self-attenuation due to geometrical differences between the calibration source and the sample must be corrected. In this study, the MCNP code was used to simulate the HPGe gamma spectroscopy system, and various processes were performed to prove the correlation with the actual values. First an metal ingottype standard source was manufactured for efficiency calibration, and the GEB coefficient was derived using Origin program. And through the comparison of actual measurements and simulations, the thickness of the detector’s dead layers were defined in all directions of Ge crystal. Additionally instead of making an metal ingot-type standard source every time, we analyzed the measurement tendency between commercially available HPGe calibration source (Marinelli beaker type) and the sample (metal ingot type), and derived the correction factor for geometry differences. Lastly the correction factor was taken into consideration when obtaining the uranium radioactivity concentration in the metal ingot with HPGe gamma spectroscopy. In conclusion, the U-235 radioactivity in metal ingot was underestimated about 25% of content due to the self-attenuation. Therefore it is reasonable to reflect this correction factor in the calculation of U-235 radioactivity concentration.

When the recycling technology of spent nuclear fuels (SNF) for future nuclear reactor systems and the treatment technology of SNF for disposing of in a disposal site use a molten salt such as LiCl-KCl eutectic as a processing medium one of the essential unit processes is a distillation process that remove the salt component mixed with fission products recovered. Especially, in case of Pyro-SFR recycling system the recovered nuclear fuel materials such as U, TRU and some of rare earths come from main three processes (electro-refining, electro-winning, and drawdown processes) for recycling of SNF. These recovered fuel materials contain large portion of molten salt or liquid cadmium which requires removal of them by distillation. In spent nuclear fuels discharged from PWR the portion of composing element is as follows. Uranium is about 95%, other actinides such as transuranic elements (TRU; Np, Pu, Am, Cm) is about 1%, the rare earths (lanthanides) is about 1%, and the other elements is about 3%. For example, americium (Am) in the recovered fuel materials has a problem that the reported loss of Am inevitably occurs during the vacuum salt distillation operation. A new segregation method of AMM (actinide metal mixture)–salt system is based on the difference in melting point of the actinide elements. It is possible to apply this segregation method to recovering other actinides from AMM with accompanied salt because of relatively large amount and lower melting point of a specific element in other actinides avoiding vacuum salt distillation. This new segregation method successfully tested using a surrogate element such as aluminum due to its similar melting point with a specific element. The segregation principle is solid-liquid separation, thus the solidified actinides mixture ingot can take out of a molten salt medium.

As regulations on carbon emissions increase, the interest in renewable energy is also increasing. However, the efficiency of renewable energy generation is highly low and has limitations in replacing existing energy consumption. In terms of this view, nuclear power generation is highlighted because it has the advantage of not emitting carbon. And accordingly, the amount of spent nuclear fuel is going to increase naturally in the future. Therefore, it will be important to obtain the reliability of containers for transporting safely and storing spent nuclear fuel. In this study, a method for verifying the integrity and airtightness of a metal cask for the safe transportation and storage of spent nuclear fuel was studied. Non-destructive testing, thermal stability, leakage stability, and neutron shielding were demonstrated, and as a result, suitable quality for loading spent nuclear fuel could be obtained. Furthermore, it is meaningful in that it has secured manufacturing technology that can be directly applied to industrial field by verifying actual products.

Micro-electronic gas sensor devices were developed for the detection of carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), ammonia (NH3), and formaldehyde (HCHO), as well as binary mixed-gas systems. Four gas sensing materials for different target gases, Pd-SnO2 for CO, In2O3 for NOx, Ru-WO3 for NH3, and SnO2-ZnO for HCHO, were synthesized using a sol-gel method, and sensor devices were then fabricated using a micro sensor platform. The gas sensing behavior and sensor response to the gas mixture were examined for six mixed gas systems using the experimental data in MEMS gas sensor arrays in sole gases and their mixtures. The gas sensing behavior with the mixed gas system suggests that specific adsorption and selective activation of the adsorption sites might occur in gas mixtures, and allow selectivity for the adsorption of a particular gas. The careful pattern recognition of sensing data obtained by the sensor array made it possible to distinguish a gas species from a gas mixture and to measure its concentration.

As a filler metal for lowering the melting point of Ag, many alloy metal candidates have emerged, such as cadmium, with zinc, manganese, nickel, and titanium as active metals. However, since cadmium is known to be harmful to the human body, Cd-free filler metals are now mainly used. Still, no study has been conducted comparing the characteristics of joints prepared with and without cadmium. In addition, studies have yet to be conducted comparing the typical characteristics of brazing filler metals with special structures, and the joint characteristics of brazing filler metals with available frames. In this study, the characteristics of junctions of silver-based intercalation metals were compared based on the type of filler metal additives, using a special structure, a filler metal sandwich structure, to protect the internal base metal. The general filler metal was compared using the structure, and the thickness of the filler metal according to the thickness was reached. A comparison of the characteristics of the junction was conducted to identify the characteristics of an intersection of silver-based brazing filler metal and the effect on joint strength. Each filler metal’s collective tensile strength was measured, and the relationship between joint characteristics and tensile joint strength was explored. The junction was estimated through micro strength measurement, contact angle measurement with the base metal when the filler metal was melted, XRD image observation, composition analysis for each phase through SEM-EDS, and microstructure phase acquisition.

The volatilization of alkali ions in (K,Na)NbO3 (KNN) ceramics was inhibited by doping them with alkaline earth metal ions. In addition, the grain growth behavior changed significantly as the sintering duration (ts) increased. At 1,100 °C, the volatilization of alkali ions in KNN ceramics was more suppressed when doped with alkaline earth metal ions with smaller ionic size. A Ca2+-doped KNN specimen with the least alkali ion volatilization exhibited a microstructure in which grain growth was completely suppressed, even under long-term sintering for ts = 30 h. The grain growth in Sr2+-doped and Ba2+-doped KNN specimens was suppressed until ts = 10 h. However, at ts = 30 h, a heterogeneous microstructure with abnormal grains and small-sized matrix grains was observed. The size and number of abnormal grains and size distribution of matrix grains were considerably different between the Sr2+-doped and Ba2+-doped specimens. This microstructural diversity in KNN ceramics could be explained in terms of the crystal growth driving force required for two-dimensional nucleation, which was directly related to the number of vacancies in the material.

The surge in food delivery systems during the coronavirus 2019 pandemic necessitated this study of heavy metal migration from food contact materials (FCMs). A total of 104 samples of FCMs, comprising 51 polypropylene (PP), 21 polyethylene (PE), and 32 polystyrene (PS) samples of six different types of FCMs (containers, covers, table utensils, cups, pouches, and wrappers) used for food delivery distributed in Korea, were collected and investigated for migration of three heavy metals (Pb, Cd, and As) using inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to determine whether they complied with Korea’s Standards and Specifications for Utensils, Containers, and Packages. Acetic acid (4%, v/v) was used as the food simulant, and tests were performed at 100oC (in harsh conditions) for 30 min. Linearity of Pb, Cd, and As showed acceptable results with a coefficient of determination (R2) value of 0.9999. Limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) of Pb, Cd, and As were 0.001, 0.001, and 0.001 μg/L and 0.002, 0.003, and 0.003 μg/L, respectively. Accuracy and precision results complied with the criteria presented in the European Commission Joint Research Centre guidelines. The average concentration of Pb, Cd, and As migration detected in a total of 104 samples was 0.009–0.260 μg/L, which was very low compared with the migration specification set in the Standards and Specifications for Utensils, Containers, and Packages. The maximum level of Pb corresponded to 0.23% of the migration limit. There were no samples exceeding the limit. Thus, this study confirmed that the heavy metal contents of FCMs used for delivery food distributed in Korea were safely managed. The data from this study represent an invaluable source for science-based safety management of hazardous heavy metals migrating from FCMs used in the food delivery industry.

Metal material production process machinery is becoming larger due to the development of industry. Since there are many overseas manufacturers of large machines used in industrial fields, there are limitations in investigating the manufacturer's noise prediction method and measurement method. A noise map was prepared to obtain information necessary for noise reduction and to effectively manage noise companies. It was modeled with the drawings provided to prepare the noise map and the results of the actual measurement of the site. In order to improve the noise environment of workers, there was a noise reduction effect when a soundproof wall was installed between the noise source and the worker's workplace.

To investigate the effect of the catalyst and metal–support interaction on the methane decomposition behavior and physical properties of the produced carbon, catalytic decomposition of methane (CDM) was studied using Ni/SiO2 catalysts with different metal–support interactions (synthesized based on the presence or absence of urea). During catalyst synthesis, the addition of urea led to uniform and stable precipitation of the Ni metal precursor on the SiO2 support to produce Ni-phyllosilicates that enhanced the metal–support interaction. The resulting catalyst upon reduction showed the formation of uniform Ni0 particles (< 10 nm) that were smaller than those of a catalyst prepared using a conventional impregnation method (~ 80 nm). The growth mechanisms of methane-decomposition-derived carbon nanotubes was base growth or tip growth according to the metal–support interaction of the catalysts synthesized with and without urea, respectively. As a result, the catalyst with Ni-phyllosilicates resulting from the addition of urea induced highly dispersed and strongly interacting Ni0 active sites and produced carbon nanotubes with a small and uniform diameter via the base-growth mechanism. Considering the results, such a Ni-phyllosilicate-based catalyst are expected to be suitable for industrial base grown carbon nanotube production and application since as-synthesized carbon nanotubes can be easily harvested and the catalyst can be regenerated without being consumed during carbon nanotube extraction process.

Spin-off pyroprocessing technology and inert anode materials to replace the conventional carbon-based smelting process for critical materials were introduced. Efforts to select inert anode materials through numerical analysis and selected experimental results were devised for the high-throughput reduction of oxide feedstocks. The electrochemical properties of the inert anode material were evaluated, and stable electrolysis behavior and CaCu generation were observed during molten salt recycling. Thereafter, CuTi was prepared by reacting rutile (TiO2) with CaCu in a Ti crucible. The formation of CuTi was confirmed when the concentration of CaO in the molten salt was controlled at 7.5mol%. A laboratory-scale electrorefining study was conducted using CuTi(Zr, Hf) alloys as the anodes, with a Ti electrodeposit conforming to the ASTM B299 standard recovered using a pilot-scale electrorefining device.