• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제46권4호
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• pp.557-568
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• 2014

This paper presents the results of an analysis of wind characteristics and atmosphere dispersion modeling that are based on computational simulation and part of a preliminary study evaluating environmental radiation monitoring system (ERMS) positions within the Barakah nuclear power plant (BNPP). The return period of extreme wind speed was estimated using the Weibull distribution over the life time of the BNPP. In the annual meteorological modeling, the winds from the north and west accounted for more than 90 % of the wind directions. Seasonal effects were not represented. However, a discrepancy in the tendency between daytime and nighttime was observed. Six variations of cesium-137 ($^{137}Cs$) dispersion test were simulated under severe accident condition. The $^{137}Cs$ dispersion was strongly influenced by the direction and speed of the main wind. A virtual receptor was set and calculated for observation of the $^{137}Cs$ movement and accumulation. The results of the surface roughness effect demonstrated that the deposition of $^{137}Cs$ was affected by surface condition. The results of these studies offer useful information for developing environmental radiation monitoring systems (ERMSs) for the BNPP and can be used to assess the environmental effects of new nuclear power plant.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• 제41권4호
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• pp.315-327
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• 2016

Background: This study evaluated the atmospheric dispersion of radioactive material according to local weather conditions and emission conditions. Materials and Methods: Local weather conditions were defined as 8 patterns that frequently occur around the Kori Nuclear Power Plant and emission conditions were defined as 6 patterns from a combination of emission rates and the total number of particles of the $^{137}Cs$, using the WRF/HYSPLIT modeling system. Results and Discussion: The highest mean concentration of $^{137}Cs$ occurred at 0900 LST under the ME4_1 (main wind direction: SSW, daily average wind speed: $2.8ms^{-1}$), with a wide region of its high concentration due to the continuous wind changes between 0000 and 0900 LST; under the ME3 (NE, $4.1ms^{-1}$), the highest mean concentration of $^{137}Cs$ occurred at 1500 and 2100 LST with a narrow dispersion along a strong northeasterly wind. In the case of ME4_4 (S, $2.7ms^{-1}$), the highest mean concentration of $^{137}Cs$ occurred at 0300 LST because $^{137}Cs$ stayed around the KNPP under low wind speed and low boundary layer height. As for the emission conditions, EM1_3 and EM2_3 that had the maximum total number of particles showed the widest dispersion of $^{137}Cs$, while its highest mean concentration was estimated under the EM1_1 considering the relatively narrow dispersion and high emission rate. Conclusion: This study showed that even though an area may be located within the same radius around the Kori Nuclear Power Plant, the distribution and levels of $^{137}Cs$ concentration vary according to the change in time and space of weather conditions (the altitude of the atmospheric boundary layer, the horizontal and vertical distribution of the local winds, and the precipitation levels), the topography of the regions where $^{137}Cs$ is dispersed, the emission rate of $^{137}Cs$, and the number of emitted particles.

• 한국대기환경학회지
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• 제31권6호
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• pp.573-584
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• 2015

In this study, the atmospheric dispersion of radioactive material ($^{137}Cs$) was simulated with regard to its impact within a 50-km radius from the Kori Nuclear Power Plant (NKPP) based on two different types of models (the non-steady-state puff model CALPUFF and the lagrangian model HYSPLIT) during the spring of 2012 (May 2012). The dispersion distribution of $^{137}Cs$ calculated in the CALPUFF model was similar to that of the HYSPLIT model, but the magnitudes of differences in its spatio-temporal concentrations between the two models were different. The $^{137}Cs$ concentrations simulated by the CALPUFF were significantly lower than those of the HYSPLIT due to a limitation of puff models (e.g. puff size growth over time). The CALPUFF had the advantage of determining the dispersion of radioactive materials and their impacts on the surrounding regions, compared with the HYSPLIT that had high concentrations of $^{137}Cs$ in only small local areas with the movement of air masses along the local winds.

• 한국환경과학회지
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• 제24권1호
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• pp.81-96
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• 2015

The characteristics of atmospheric dispersion of radioactive material (i.e. $^{137}Cs$) related to local wind patterns around the Kori nuclear power plant (KNPP) were studied using WRF/HYSPLIT model. The cluster analysis using observed winds from 28 weather stations during a year (2012) was performed in order to obtain representative local wind patterns. The cluster analysis identified eight local wind patterns (P1, P2, P3, P4-1, P4-2, P4-3, P4-4, P4-5) over the KNPP region. P1, P2 and P3 accounted for 14.5%, 27.0% and 14.5%, respectively. Both P1 and P2 are related to westerly/northwesterly synoptic flows in winter and P3 includes the Changma or typhoons days. The simulations of P1, P2 and P3 with high wind velocities and constant wind directions show that $^{137}Cs$ emitted from the KNPP during 0900~1400 LST (Local Standard Time) are dispersed to the east sea, southeast sea and southwestern inland, respectively. On the other hands, 5 sub-category of P4 have various local wind distributions under weak synoptic forcing and accounted for less than 10% of all. While the simulated $^{137}Cs$ for P4-2 is dispersed to southwest inland due to northeasterly flows, $^{137}Cs$ dispersed northward for the other patterns. The simulated average 137Cs concentrations of each local wind pattern are $564.1{\sim}1076.3Bqm^{-3}$. The highest average concentration appeared P4-4 due to dispersion in a narrow zone and weak wind environment. On the other hands, the lowest average concentration appeared P1 and P2 due to rapid dispersion to the sea. The simulated $^{137}Cs$ concentrations and dispersion locations of each local wind pattern are different according to the local wind conditions.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology
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• 제1권1호
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• pp.49-55
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• 2013

To characterize quantitatively the transport of $^{99}Tc$ and the global fallout ($^{137}Cs$, $^{90}Sr$, and $^{239+240}Pu$) for soils in Korea, the transport parameters of a convective-dispersion model, apparent migration velocity, and apparent dispersion coefficient were estimated from the vertical depth profiles of the radionuclides in soils. The vertical profiles of $^{99}Tc$ were measured from a pot experiment for paddy soil that had been sampled from a rice-field around the Gyeongju radioactive waste repository in Korea, and the vertical depth distributions of the global fallout $^{137}Cs$, $^{90}Sr$, and $^{239+240}Pu$ were measured from the soil samples that were taken from local areas in Korea. The front edge of the $^{99}Tc$ profiles reached a depth of about 12 cm in 138 days, indicating a faster movement than the fallout radionuclides. A weak adsorption of $^{99}Tc$ on the soil particles by the formation of Tc(VII) and a high water infiltration velocity seemed to have controlled the migration of $^{99}Tc$. The apparent migration velocity and dispersion coefficient of $^{99}Tc$ for the disturbed paddy soil were 2.88 cm/y and 6.3 $cm^2/y$, respectively. The majority of the global fallout $^{137}Cs$, $^{90}Sr$, and $^{239+240}Pu$ were found in the top 20 cm of the soils even after a transport of about 30 years. The transport parameters for the global fallout radionuclides were 0.01-0.1cm/y ($^{137}Cs$), 0.09-0.13cm/y ($^{90}Sr$), and 0.09-0.18cm/y ($^{239+240}Pu$) for the apparent migration velocity: 0.21-1.09 $cm^2/y$ ($^{137}Cs$), 0.12-0.7$cm^2/y$ ($^{90}Sr$), and 0.09-0.36$cm^2/y$ ($^{239+240}Pu$) for the apparent dispersion coefficient.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제22권1호
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• pp.20-28
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• 1990

처분 안전성 평가를 위해서는 지하매질을 통한 방사성핵종의 이동특성 규명과 신뢰성 있는 지하 핵종이동 모델의 확보가 무엇보다 중요하다. 본 연구에서는 지하핵종이동 모델 개발을 위한 기초연구로서 충전층 실험을 수행하고, 실험결과를 제안된 핵종이동모델과 비교ㆍ검토하였다. 실험에서는 분쇄응회암으로 충전된 칼럼에서의 핵종이동 현상을 규명하고, 모델 시뮬레이션을 통해서는 세공확산을 모델에 고려하여 핵종이동에서 세공확산의 역할을 검토하였다. 충전층 실험에서 수력학적 분산계수는 비흡착성의 iodine을 사용하여 측정하였으며, 이 때 측정한 분산계수는 공극율 $\varepsilon$=0.483, 평균유속 (equation omitted)=0.915$\times$$10^{-2}$ cm/min에서 D$_{L}$=0.11$\times$$10^{-2}$ $\textrm{cm}^2$/min이었다. 그리고 중ㆍ저준위 방사성폐기물의 대표 핵종으로 사용한 Cs-137은 응회암에 대해 높은 지연특성을 보였으며, 파과곡선은 비대칭 형태로서 단말현상이 길게 나타났다. 모델 시뮬레이션 결과, 매질 세공내 확산과정은 다공성의 지하매질을 통한 핵종이동에서 중요한 율속단계 역할을 하였다.다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제53권1호
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• pp.244-252
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• 2021

Wind plays an important role in cases of unexpected radioactive pollutant dispersion, deciding distribution and concentration of the leaked substance. The accurate prediction of wind has been challenging in numerical weather prediction models, especially near the surface because of the complex interaction between turbulent flow and topographic effect. In this study, we investigated the characteristics of atmospheric dispersion of radioactive material (i.e. ¹³⁷Cs) according to the simulated boundary layer around the HANARO research nuclear reactor in Korea using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF)-Mesoscale Model Interface (MMIF)-California Puff (CALPUFF) model system. We examined the impacts of orographic drag on wind field, stability calculation methods, and planetary boundary layer parameterizations on the dispersion of radioactive material under a radioactive leaking scenario. We found that inclusion of the orographic drag effect in the WRF model improved the wind prediction most significantly over the complex terrain area, leading the model system to estimate the radioactive concentration near the reactor more conservatively. We also emphasized the importance of the stability calculation method and employing the skillful boundary layer parameterization to ensure more accurate low atmospheric conditions, in order to simulate more feasible spatial distribution of the radioactive dispersion in leaking scenarios.

• 방사성폐기물학회지
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• 제20권3호
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• pp.321-338
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• 2022

The transport of radionuclides at oceanic scales can be assessed using a Lagrangian model. In this review an application of such a model to the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans is described. The transport model, which is fed with water currents provided by global ocean circulation models, includes advection by three-dimensional currents, turbulent mixing, radioactive decay and adsorption/release of radionuclides between water and bed sediments. Adsorption/release processes are described by means of a dynamic model based upon kinetic transfer coefficients. A stochastic method is used to solve turbulent mixing, decay and water/sediment interactions. The main results of these oceanic radionuclide transport studies are summarized in this paper. Particularly, the potential leakage of ¹³⁷Cs from dumped nuclear wastes in the north Atlantic region was studied. Furthermore, hypothetical accidents, similar in magnitude to the Fukushima accident, were simulated for nuclear power plants located around the Indian Ocean coastlines. Finally, the transport of radionuclides resulting from the release of stored water, which was used to cool reactors after the Fukushima accident, was analyzed in the Pacific Ocean.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제56권9호
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• pp.3914-3924
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• 2024

The release source term of radioactivity becomes a critical foundation for emergency response and accident consequence assessment after a nuclear accident Rapidly and accurately inverting the source term remains an urgent scientific challenge. Today source term inversion based on meteorological data and gamma dose rate measurements is a common method. But gamma dose rate actually includes all nuclides information, and the composition of radioactive nuclides is generally uncertain. This paper introduces a novel nuclear accident source term inversion model, which is Improve Snow Ablation Optimizer-Sensitivity Analysis Pruning Extreme Learning Machine (ISAO-SAELM) model. The model inverts the release rates of 11 radioactive nuclides (I-131, Xe-133, Cs-137, Kr-88, Sr-91, Te-132, Mo-99, Ba-140, La-140, Ce-144, Sb-129). It does not require the use of the physical field of the reactor to obtain prior information and establish a dispersion model. And the robustness is validated through noise analysis test. The mean absolute errors of the release rates of 11 nuclides are 15.52 %, 15.28 %, 15.70 %, 14.99 %, 14.85 %, 15.61 %, 15.96 %, 15.42 %, 15.84 %, 15.13 %, 17.72 %, which show the significant superiority of ISAO-SAELM. ISAO-SAELM model not only achieves notable advancements in accuracy but also receives validation in terms of practicality and feasibility.

• 환경영향평가
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• 제22권1호
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• pp.89-97
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• 2013

RADCONS Ver. 1.0 (RADiological CONSequence Assessment Program) was developed for radiological risk assessment in this study. A Gaussian plume model was used to analyze the fate and transport of radionuclides released into the air in case of accidents. Both single meterological data and time series meterological data can be used in RADCONS. To assess the radiological risk of the early phase after an accident, ED (Effective Dose) estimated by both deterministic and probabilistic approaches are presented. These EDs by deterministic and probabilistic will be helpful to efficient decision making for decision makers. External doses from deposited materials by time are presented for quantifying the effects of mid and late phases of an accident. A radiological risk assessment was conducted using RADCONS for an accident scenario of 1 Ci of Cs-137. The maximum of ED for radii of 1,000 meters from the accident point was 8.51E-4 mSv. After Monte-Carlo simulation, considering the uncertainty of the breathing rate and dispersion parameters, the average ED was 8.49E-4, and the 95 percentile was 1.10E-3. A data base of the dose coefficients and a sampling module of the meteorological data will be modified to improve the user's convenience in the next version.