Organic scintillator is easy to manufacture a large size and the fluorescence decay time is short. However, it is not suitable for gamma measurement because it is composed of a low atomic number material. Organic scintillation detectors are widely used to check the presence or absence of radiation. The fluorescence of organic scintillators is produced by transitions between the energy levels of single molecules. In this study, an organic scintillator development study was conducted for use in gamma measurement, alternative materials for secondary solute used in basic organic scintillators were investigated, and the availability of alternative materials, detection characteristics, and neutron/gamma identification tests were performed. In other words, a secondary solute showing an improved energy transfer rate than the existing material was reported, and the performance was evaluated. 7-Diethylamino -4-methylcoumarin (DMC), selected as an alternative material, is a benzopyrone derivative in the form of colorless crystals, has high fluorescence and high quantum yield in the visible region, and has excellent light stability. In addition, it has a large Stokes shift characteristic, and solubility in solvent is good. Through this study, it was analyzed that the absorption wavelength range of DMC coincided with the emission wavelength range of PPO, which is the primary solute. Through this study, it was confirmed that the optimal concentration of DMC was 0.04wt%. As a result of performing gamma and neutron measurement tests using a DMC-based liquid scintillator, it showed good performance (FOM=1.42) compared to a commercial liquid scintillator. Therefore, the possibility of use as a secondary solute was demonstrated. Based on this, if studies on changes in the composition of secondary solute or the use of nanoparticles are conducted, it will be possible to manufacture and utilize a scintillator with improved efficiency compared to the existing scintillator.
It is essential to provide a safe working environment for radiation workers. At a research reactor decommissioning site in Seoul (KRR1 & KRR2), radioactive waste drum disposal work is in progress. Before performing radiation work, it is necessary to determine the radioactivity of the waste drum to ensure safety. In this reason, we conducted a study to determine the detection efficiency of waste drums using the EXVol code. Determination of the full energy absorption peak efficiency (detection efficiency) is one of the important processes of the gamma-ray activation analysis. For the large voluminous gamma-ray sources like waste drum, the geometrical and attenuation effect should be considered. EXVol (Efficiency calculator for eXtended Voluminous source) code is a detection efficiency calculation code using the effective solid angle method. EXVol can calculate both coaxial and asymmetric structure. In addition, the introduction of a collimator made it possible to reduce the radiation intensity of a high radiation source. And it is possible to determine the precise detection efficiency according to the energy of a gamma ray at a specific position of the volume source. To verify the performance of the EXVol, a high resolution gamma spectroscopy system was constructed and measurement and analysis were performed. Measurements were performed on coaxial, asymmetric and collimated structures with standard point source, standard 1 L liquid volume source and HPGe detector. The measured results were compared with the calculation results of EXVol. The relative deviation of the measurement and calculation in the coaxial and asymmetric structures was 10%, and that of the collimation structure was 20%. Results can be available in analysis of waste drums’ radioactivity determination at a specific position.