Site selection for nuclear power plant in Mersing Johor

Nuclear power is considered as energy source option for future power generation in the National New Energy Policy 2010. The first nuclear power plant (NPP) construction is expected to start at 2017, and officially operated in 2025. This paper aims to propose possible candidate site areas for NPP in Mersing District, Johor. The evaluation uses the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) guideline documents as main reference, supported by regulation documents from International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). 4 safety parameters are used in the assessment – geological characteristic, air dispersion (meteorological) analysis, population data and safety characteristics. This study ranked 4 proposed areas possible candidate site area for NPP in Mersing district

Determination of surface radiation dose-rate in the environment of Kelantan State, Malaysia

Measurements of environmental surface radiation dose rate in Kelantan state, Malaysia was carried out using a portable hand held radiation survey meter and Global Positioning System (GPS). The surface radiation dose rates ranged from 44 to 500 nGy h-1. The measurements were done based on geology and soil types of the area. The mean radiation dose rate was found to be 209 ± 8 nGy h-1. Few areas of relatively enhanced activity were located in Pasir Mas, Tanah Merah and Jeli districts which have external gamma dose rates between 300 to 500 nGy h_1. An Isodose map of the state was produced using ArcGIS10 software version 10.1. To evaluate the radiological hazard due to terrestrial gamma dose, the annual effective dose equivalent (AEDE), the mean population weighted dose rate and cancer risk factor were calculated and found to be relative excess lifetime cancer risks were 1.280 mSv y-1, 18 mSv and 1.04×10-3 respectively

Effect of surface roughness and temperature on the performance of low-temperature vacuum drying with induced nucleation boiling method in dewatering stingless bees honey

The Low-Temperature Vacuum Drying with Induced Nucleation Boiling (LTVD-NB) was developed to dewater honey. However, the effects of surface roughness (SR) and temperature of the LTVD-NB for honey are still unknown. Thus, the objective of this study is to investigate the effect of SR and temperature on dewatering rate and heat transfer performance. The honey sample was heated at 40-50 °C using heater pipes with SR 0.80-11.33 µm at a 5 kPa. It was found that the dewatering rate obtained at the highest SR and temperature was five times higher than the lowest SR and temperature. By increasing the SR from 0.80 to 11.33 µm, the Heat Transfer Coefficient (HTC) increased by 143% as more nucleation sites were present on the surface. Besides, when temperature increased heat flux, bubble frequency and HTC also increased. In conclusion, the dewatering rate increases when SR and temperature increase, which is correlated with nucleation sites and bubble frequency

Evaluation and comparison of the ergonomics, performance and economics of battery-powered and engine-powered palm oil harvesting tools:cantas elektro

The Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) has introduced an engine-powered palm oil harvesting tool called CANTAS that can double the conventional harvesting output. However, there are several issues that are affecting the endurance and comfort of the harvesters. This paper discusses the comparison in the context of ergonomics, performance, and ecconomics of a battery-powered CANTAS called CANTAS Elektro, which could overcome the issues of the engine-powered CANTAS. The prototype was tested in the laboratory and the field to investigate its ergonomic factors. Test results revealed that CANTAS Elektro was more ergonomic than CANTAS as the deflection, configuration, temperature, noise, and vibration levels of the former were 38%, 42%, 59.8%, 12.7%, and 45.8–65.2% less than those of the latter, respectively. The harvesting productivity increased by 26.5% from 5.63 to 7.04 t/day, with an estimated saving of operational cost of RM1013/machine/yr. The take-home pay of workers was increased by 29% from RM81 to RM107/man-day, apart from other fringe benefits. It was proven that the battery-powered machine was more cost-effective than the engine-powered machine, in addition to other advantages such as being carbon emission-free, clean, easy to maintain, less complicated and easy to handle

Natural radioactivity in major rivers of Kelantan state, Malaysia

Assessment of natural radionuclides (238U, 232Th, and 40K) and terrestrial gamma radiation dose rates (TGRD) in major rivers of Kelantan states, Malaysia were conducted. Measurements were carried out using a portable [NaI(TI)] micro roentgen (μR) survey meter and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) for in situ TGRD and the activity concentrations of 238U, 232Th, and 40K in water samples, respectively. The mean TGRD was found to be 312.98 nGy h-1 and from water samples analyzed, the mean activity concentrations of 238U, 232Th, and 40K was found to be 13.31 mBq L-1, 4.39 mBq L-1 and 1118.72 mBq L-1 which were about 3 times and slightly higher than the world average values of 5 mBq L-1 and 3 mBq L-1 respectively

Performance of Rubberized Concrete-filled Hollow Steel Column under Monotonic and Cyclic Loadings

Concrete-filled hollow steel (CFHS) has become more popular due to its advantages and benefits compared to reinforced concrete. This paper presents the experimental investigation on the performance of rubberized pozzolanic concrete-filled hollow steel column (RuPCFHS) under monotonic and cyclic lateral load in comparison to bare hollow steel column and normal concrete-filled hollow steel column (NCFHS). The test parameters included the type of concrete infill and the level of axial load. Modified rubberized pozzolanic concrete with comparable compressive strength to that of normal concrete was used. Two types of axial load conditions: no axial load and 20% axial load were considered in the testing. The test results indicate that the performance of the columns improved when concrete infill was introduced in the hollow steel. The application of axial loading also increased the capacity of the column specimens. RuPCFHS behaved with comparable performance with NCFHS in both monotonic and cyclic testing. RuPCFHS recorded the highest increment in the energy dissipation capability when 20% axial load was applied to the column when compared to the other specimens. The comparable performance indicated the possibility of RuPC as an infill material of CFHS and RuPCFHS as a structural component

Antifungal susceptibility patterns among candida species isolated from blood at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre

Many challenges arise in candidaemia treatment which involves emergence of antifungal resistance. New species have been identified due to improved methods of detection and some are resistant to commonly prescribed antifungal agents such as fluconazole and amphotericin B. Therefore, the objective of the study was to observe any changes in the susceptibility patterns and distribution of Candida species. This cross sectional study was conducted at the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology in UKMMC, a tertiary teaching hospital. One hundred and fifty one data were collected from the department’s laboratory records from January 2008 to December 2010. The yeasts were identified using ID32C carbohydrate assimilation tests whilst the antifungal susceptibility test was performed using Sensititre® YeastOne® broth microdilution method. Antifungal agents tested included amphotericin B, fluconazole, itraconazole, voriconazole, 5-flucytosine and caspofungin. Out of 151 blood isolates, 47 (31.1%) were Candida albicans and 104 (68.9%) were non-albicans Candida species. Candida tropicalis has surpassed C. albicans as the most commonly isolated Candida species from blood. Overall susceptibility (as compared to 2005-2006 data in brackets) to caspofungin was 99.3% (n/a), 5-flucytosine 97.4% (98%), amphotericin B 94.7% (100%), voriconazole 92.7% (98%), fluconazole 86.8% (90%) and itraconazole 39.1% (40%). In conclusion, although the isolates were generally still susceptible to amphotericin B and fluconazole, resistance to these drugs is increasing

Natural environmental radioactivity in the soil of Terengganu State, Malaysia

The activity concentrations of naturally occurring radionuclides in environmental medium such as soil play an important role in setting national and international average doses to public for radiation protection purposes. This work measures the activity concentrations of the naturally occurring radionuclides (226 Ra, 232Th and 40K) in soil samples of Terengganu state, Malaysia using hyper pure germanium (HPGe) spectrometry. The mean (range) activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K in the soil samples 79 ± 3 (20 ± 1 - 151 ± 5) Bq kg-1 with the mean value of Bq kg-1 for 226Ra; 84 ± 3 (8 ± 1 - 182 ± 6) Bq kg-1 for 232Th, and 545 ± 55 (47 ± 5 - 1056 ± 107) Bq kg-1 for 40K. Upon comparing these values with the world averages for 226Ra, 232Th and 40K, which are 33, 36 and 474 Bq kg-1, respectively. It is therefore, evidently seen that the mean activity concentrations of 226Ra and 232Th in the soil of Terengganu are slightly more than twice their corresponding global averages. The mean activity concentration of 40K in the soil of Terengganu is ~ 15% higher than the world average

Assessment of terrestrial gamma radiation dose rate (TGRD) of Kelantan State, Malaysia: relationship between the geological formation and soil type to radiation dose rate

Terrestrial gamma radiation dose rates (TGRD) of Kelantan State were measured in situ using a portable [NaI(TI)] micro roentgen (µR) survey meter. The TGRD rates ranged between 44 and 500 nGy h−1 with a mean value of 209 ± 8 nGy h−1. The distribution of these measurements in various districts of the state shows the statistically the influence of geology and soil types on the dose rate values. The data obtained could be used in formulating safety standard and radiological guidelines