• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.215-229
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• 2019

This technical note describes the current status of Finnish radioactive waste disposal project which started to construct the repository for spent nuclear waste for the first time in the world. Finland started operating nuclear power plant in 1977 and is currently operating four nuclear power plants. After detailed site surveys started in 1993, Olkiluoto was finally selected by the parliament of Finland as the site for geological disposal in 2001 followed by a construction license in 2015. If the operating license is approved by the government in the 2020s, it would be the world's first case of geological disposal. In ONKALO, a site-specific underground research facility at the site of Olkiluoto, various studies were conducted to verify the safety of the repository. Finland uses the KBS-3 disposal concept, and Korea considers a similar disposal concept because of similar rock formations. The entire process in Finland including the operation status of intermediate and low-level waste disposal, site investigation and selection stages, and the latest rock mechanics and hydrogeological studies in ONKALO are presented. Suggestions for the radioactive waste disposal in Korea is given based on the Finnish case.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.561-577
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• 2021

The compacted bentonite buffer in a geological repository for high-level radioactive waste disposal is saturated due to groundwater inflow. Saturation of the bentonite buffer results in bentonite swelling and bentonite penetration into the rock discontinuities present around the disposal hole. The penetrated bentonite is exposed to groundwater flow and can be eroded out of the repository, resulting in bentonite mass loss which can affect the physical integrity of the engineered barrier system. Hence, the evaluation of buffer-rock interactions and coupled behavior due to groundwater inflow and bentonite penetration is necessary to ensure long-term disposal safety. In this study, the effects of the bentonite penetration and swelling on the physical properties of jointed rock mass were evaluated using the quasi-static resonant column test. Jointed rock specimens with bentonite penetration were manufactured using Gyeongju bentonite and hollow cylindrical granite rock discs obtained from the KAERI underground research tunnel. The effects of vertical stress and saturation were assessed using the P-wave and S-wave velocities for intact rock, jointed rock and jointed rock with bentonite penetration specimens. The joint normal and joint shear stiffnesses of each joint condition were inferred from the wave velocity results assuming an equivalent continuum. The joint normal and joint shear stiffnesses obtained from this study can be used as input factors for future numerical analysis on the performance evaluation of geological waste disposal considering rock discontinuities.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.623-646
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• 2021

As the demand for electric power increases with acceleration of electrification at home and abroad, the needs for coal-fired electrical power plant are accordingly increased. However, these coal-fired electrical power plants induce also many environmental problems such as increase of air pollutants, increase of possibility of land contamination by reclamation of coal ash, even though these power plants have a good economical efficiency. In case of a by-product of coal-fired electrical power plants, only 70% of them are recycled and the remaining 30% of by-product are fully buried in surrounding ground. Consequently, this study deals with coal ash backfilling mechanism in abandoned mine openings for the purposes of increasing the coal ash recycling rate as well as securing the mine area stability. In order to analyze the backfill and ground reinforcement by interaction between rock mass and backfills, the copying samples of discontinuous surface with different roughnesses were produced for bond strength tests and direct shear tests. And statistical analysis was also conducted to decide the characteristics of bond and shear behavior with joint roughness and their curing day. Numerical simulations were also analyzed for examining the effect of interface behavior on ground stability.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.228-243
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• 2023

Bentonite is widely recognized and utilized as a buffer material in high-level radioactive waste repositories, mainly due to its favorable characteristics such as swelling capability and low permeability. Bentonite buffers play an important role in ensuring the safe disposal of radioactive waste by providing a low permeability barrier and effectively preventing the migration of radionuclides into the surrounding rock. However, the long-term performance of bentonite buffers still remains a subject of ongoing research, and one of the main concerns is the erosion of the buffer induced by swelling and groundwater flow. The erosion of the bentonite buffer can significantly impact repository safety by compromising the integrity of buffer and leading to the formation of colloids that may facilitate the transport of radionuclides through groundwater, consequently elevating the risk of radionuclide migration. Therefore, it is very important to numerically quantify the erosion of bentonite buffer to evaluate the long-term performance of bentonite buffer, which is crucial for the safety assessment of high-level radioactive waste disposal. In this technical note, Two-region model is introduced, a proposed model to simulate the erosion behavior of bentonite based on a dynamic bentonite diffusion model, and quantitative evaluation is conducted for the bentonite buffer erosion with this model.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.250-261
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• 2023

In this study, the noise contributions by the duct, stator and rotor, which are the propulsor components, are evaluated to identify the flow noise source in cavitation and non-cavitation conditions on pumpjet propulsion and the noise levels in both conditions are compared. The unsteady incompressible Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equation based on the homogeneous mixture assumption is applied on the suboff submarine hull and pumpjet propeller in the cavitation tunnel, and the Volume of Fluid (VOF) method and Schnerr-Sauer cavitation model are used to describe the two-phase flow. Based on the flow simulation results, the acoustic analogy formulated by Ffowcs Williams and Hawkings (FW-H) equation is applied to predict the underwater radiated noise. The noise contributions are evaluated by using the three types of impermeable integral surface on the duct, stator and rotor, and the two types of permeable integral surface surrounding the propulsor. As a result of noise prediction, the contribution by the stator is insignificant, but it affects the generation of flow noise source due to flow separation in the duct and rotor, and the noise is predominantly radiated into the upward and right where the flow separations are. Also, the noise is radiated into the thrust direction due to pressure fluctuation between suction and pressure sides on the rotor blades, and the it can be seen that the cavitation effect into the noise can be considered through the permeable integral surface.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.30 no.1C
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• pp.45-51
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• 2010

In urban area, design and construction of civil engineering structures such as subway tunnel, underground space and deep excavation is impeded by unreliable site investigation. Variety of embedded objects, electric noises and traffic vibrations degrades the quality of site investigation, whatever the site-investigation technique would be. In this research, a preliminary research was performed to develop a dedicated site investigation technique for urban geotechnical sites, which can overcome the limitations of urban sites. HiRAS (Hybrid Integration of Surface Waves and Resistivity) technique which is the first outcome of the preliminary research was proposed in this paper. The technique combines surface wave as well as electrical resistivity. CapSASW method for surface-wave technique and PDC-R technique for electrical resistivity survey were incorporated to develop HiRAS technique. CapSASW method is a good method for evaluating material stiffness and PDC-R technique is a reliable method for determination of underground stratification even in a site with electrical noise. For the inversion analysis of HiRAS techniuqe, a site-specific relationship between stress-wave velocity and resistivity was employed. As for outgrowth of this research, the 2-D distribution of Poisson's ratio could be also determined.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.483-494
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• 2023

Measurement of the physical properties of rocks or minerals is an important factor in determining the distribution of the underground medium as well as mineral resource investigations. Resistivity and induced polarization, which are widely used in Korea, are methods for measuring electrical properties, which are representative properties of obtaining subsurface information. In order to precisely analyze the exploration data obtained from various sites, it is important to accurately measure the material properties. Electrical properties of rock is measured using two-electrode or four-electrode method. Compared to the four-electrode method, the two-electrode method is generally used because it is very easy to contact the sample and the electrode, but there is a problem in that the impedance of the electrode and the sample is measured together. In this study, the time-domain the induced polarization effects were measured using the 2-electrode method and the 4-electrode method for artificial samples mixed with graphite and cement having induced polarization characteristics, and the results were compared. Although the 4-electrode method has difficulties in installing potential electrodes, it was confirmed that it is effective in measuring electrical properties because it can reduce the problem caused by the impedance of potential electrodes compared to the 2-electrode method.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.217-224
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• 2008

In deep geological disposal system, the integrity of a disposal canister having spent fuels is very important factor to assure the safety of the repository system. This disposal canister is one element of the engineered barriers to isolate and to delay the radioactivity release from human beings and the environment for a long time so that the toxicity does not affect the environment. The main requirement in designing the deep geological disposal system is to keep the buffer temperature below 100$^{\circ}C$ by the decay heat from the spent fuels in the canister in order to maintain the integrity of the buffer material. Also, the disposal canister can endure the hydraulic pressure in the depth of 500 m and the swelling pressure of the bentonite as a buffer. In this study, new concept of the disposal canister for the CANDU spent fuels which were considered to be disposed without any treatment was developed and the thermal stability and the structural integrity of the canister were analysed. The result of the thermal analysis showed that the temperature of the buffer was 88.9$^{\circ}C$ when 37 years have passed after emplacement of the canister and the spacings of the disposal tunnel and the deposition holes were 40 m and 3 m, respectively. In the case of structural analysis, the result showed that the safety factors of the normal and the extreme environment were 2.9 and 1.33, respectively. So, these results reveal that the canister meets the thermal and the structural requirements in the deep geological disposal system.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.429-440
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• 2014

Since the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks in 2001, terror, military attack, or man-made disaster caused impact, explosion, and fire accident have frequently occured on civil infrastructures. However, structural behavior researches on major Prestressed Concrete (PSC) infrastructures such as bridges, tunnels, Prestressed Concrete Containment Vessel (PCCVs), and LNG tanks under extreme loading are significantly lacking. Especially, researches on possible secondary fire scenarios after terror, bombing, collision of vehicles and vessels on concrete structures have not been performed domestically where most of the past researches related to extreme loadings on structures focused on an independent isolated extreme loading scenario. Due to the outcry of public concerns and anxiety of potential terrorist attacks on major infrastructures and structures, a study is urgently needed at this time. Therefore, in this study, the bi-directional prestressed concrete $1400{\times}1000{\times}300mm$ panels applied with 430 kN prestressing force using unbonded prestressing thread bars were experimentally evaluated under impact, fire, and impact-fire combined loadings. Due to test site restrictions, impact tests were performed with 14 kN impactor with drop heights of 10m and 3.5 m to evaluate impact resistance capacity. Also, fire and impact-fire combined loading were tested using RABT fire loading curve. The measured residual strength capacities of PSC and RC specimens applied with impact, fire, impact-fire combined loadings were compared with the residual strength capacity of undamaged PSC and RC specimens for evaluation. The study results can be used as basic research data for related research areas such as protective design and numerical simulation under extreme loading scenarios.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.169-179
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• 2011

There are two types of nuclear reactors in Korea and they are PWR type and CANDU type. The safe management of the spent fuels from these reactors is very important factor to maintain the sustainable energy supply with nuclear power plant. In Korea, a reference disposal system for the spent fuels has been developed through a study on the direct disposal of the PWR and CANDU spent fuel. Recently, the research on the demonstration and the efficiency analyses of the disposal system has been performed to make the disposal system safer and more economic. PWR spent fuels which include a lot of reusable material can be considered being recycled and a study on the disposal of HLW from this recycling process is being performed. CANDU spent fuels are considered being disposed of directly in deep geological formation, since they have little reusable material. In this study, based on the Korean Reference spent fuel disposal System (KRS) which was to dispose of both PWR type and CANDU type, the more effective CANDU spent fuel disposal systems were developed. To do this, the disposal canister for CANDU spent fuels was modified to hold the storage basket for 60 bundles which is used in nuclear power plant. With these modified disposal canister concepts, the disposal concepts to meet the thermal requirement that the temperature of the buffer materials should not be over $100^{\circ}C$ were developed. These disposal concepts were reviewed and analyzed in terms of disposal effective factors which were thermal effectiveness, U-density, disposal area, excavation volume, material volume etc. and the most effective concept was proposed. The results of this study will be used in the development of various wastes disposal system together with the HLW wastes from the PWR spent fuel recycling process.