• 방사성폐기물학회지
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• 제22권1호
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• pp.55-66
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• 2024

In this study, we investigated the suppression of the corrosion of cast iron in a copper-cast iron double-layered canister under local corrosion of the copper layer. The cold spray coating technique was used to insert metals with lower galvanic activity than that of copper, such as silver, nickel, and titanium, between the copper and cast iron layers. Electrochemically accelerated corrosion tests were performed on the galvanic specimens in KURT groundwater at a voltage of 1.0 V for a week. The results revealed that copper corrosion was evident in all galvanic specimens of Cu-Ag, Cu-Ni, and Cu-Ti. By contrast, the copper was barely corroded in the Cu-Fe specimens. Therefore, it was concluded that if an inactive galvanic metal is applied to the areas where local corrosion is concerned, such as welding parts, the disposal canister can overcome local or non-uniform corrosion of the copper canister for long periods.

• 방사성폐기물학회지
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• 제18권spc호
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• pp.51-62
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• 2020

In this paper, an approach developed by the Finnish nuclear waste management organization, Posiva, for the construction license of a geological repository was reviewed. Furthermore, a computer program based on the approach was developed. By using the computer program, the lifetime of a copper disposal canister, which was a key engineered barrier of the geological repository, was predicted under the KAERI Underground Research Tunnel (KURT) geologic conditions. The computer program was developed considering the mass transport of corroding agents, such as oxygen and sulfide, through the buffer and backfill. Shortly after the closure of the repository, the corrosion depths of a copper canister due to oxygen in the pores of the buffer and backfill were calculated. Additionally, the long-term corrosion of a copper canister due to sulfide was analyzed in two cases: intact buffer and eroded buffer. Under various conditions of the engineered barrier, the corrosion lifetimes of the copper canister due to sulfide significantly exceeded one million years. Finally, this study shows that it is necessary to carefully characterize the transmissivity of rock and sulfide concentration during site characterization to accurately predict the canister lifetime.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제56권8호
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• pp.3385-3396
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• 2024

Copper canisters are commonly employed to contain HLW for the long-term, making it crucial to understand how corrosion affects the canister. This study conducted a comparative analysis of two widely used calculation methods for modeling canister corrosion within a 3-D DGR domain. The first method, termed transport-limited corrosion, assumes an immediate sulfide-copper reaction and has been traditionally used due to its conservative nature. The second method, known as the potential-limited corrosion, considers coupled redox reactions at the canister surface and computes corrosion rates through anodic current density. From the results, we found that the edge of the canister geometry and the omission of electrochemical kinetics impose critical limitations with the transport-limited corrosion method. These limitations include the singularity problem, excessive sensitivity to the curvature of the canister's edge, and an inability to evaluate the distribution of corrosion rate over the canister surface as a function of the sulfide concentration. On the other hand, the potential-limited corrosion method avoided the limitations found in the other method. Since the factors relating to these limitations are critical to the design and optimization of the copper disposal canister, careful consideration when selecting appropriate calculation methods for corrosion will be required.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제56권3호
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• pp.941-948
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• 2024

The effects of radiation on the corrosion of canister materials were investigated for the reliable disposal of high-level radioactive waste. The test specimens were gamma-irradiated at a very low dose rate of approximately 0.1 Gy/h for six and twelve months. The copper and cast iron species were less corroded when irradiated. It is hypothesized that gamma rays suppress the formation of lower-enthalpy species like metal oxides and activate reductive reactions. In contrast, it was difficult to evaluate the effect of radiation on the corrosion of titanium and stainless steel.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제43권6호
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• pp.557-566
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• 2011

A cold spray coating (CSC) of copper was studied for its application to a high-level radioactive waste (HLW) disposal canister. Several copper coatings of 10 mm thick were fabricated using two kinds of copper powders with different oxygen contents, and SS 304 and nodular cast iron were used as their base metal substrates. The fabricated CSC coppers showed a high tensile strength but were brittle in comparison with conventional non-coating copper, hereinafter defined to as "commercial copper". The corrosion behavior of CSC coppers was evaluated by comparison with commercial coppers, such as extruded and forged coppers. The polarization test results showed that the corrosion potential of the CSC coppers was closely related to its purity; low-purity (i.e., high oxygen content) copper exhibited a lower corrosion potential, and high-purity copper exhibited a relatively high corrosion potential. The corrosion rate converted from the measured corrosion current was not, however, dependent on its purity: CSC copper showed a little higher rate than that of commercial copper. Immersion tests in aqueous HCl solution showed that CSC coppers were more susceptible to corrosion, i.e., they had a higher corrosion rate. However, the difference was not significant between commercial copper and high-purity CSC copper. The decrease of corrosion was observed in a humid air test presumably due to the formation of a protective passive film. In conclusion, the results of this study indicate that CSC application of copper could be a useful option for fabricating a copper HLW disposal canister.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제55권11호
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• pp.4173-4180
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• 2023

The stability of engineered barriers in high-level radioactive waste disposal systems can be influenced by the decay heat generated by the waste. This study focuses on the thermal analysis of various canister designs to effectively lower the maximum temperature of the engineered barrier. A numerical model was developed and employed to investigate the heat dissipation potential of copper rings placed across the buffer. Various canister designs incorporating copper rings were presented, and numerical analysis was performed to identify the design with the most significant temperature reduction effect. The results confirmed that the temperature of the buffer material was effectively lowered with an increase in the number of copper rings penetrating the buffer. Parametric studies were also conducted to analyze the impact of technical gaps, copper thickness, and collar height on the temperature reduction. The numerical model revealed that the presence of gaps between the components of the engineered barrier significantly increased the buffer temperature. Furthermore, the reduction in buffer temperature varied depending on the location of the gap and collar. The methods proposed in this study for reducing the buffer temperature hold promise for contributing to cost reduction in radioactive waste disposal.

• 방사성폐기물학회지
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• 제21권1호
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• pp.1-8
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• 2023

The major concern in the deep geological disposal of spent nuclear fuels include sulfide-induced corrosion and stress corrosion cracking of copper canisters. Sulfur diffusion into copper canisters may induce copper embrittlement by causing Cu₂S particle formation along grain boundaries; these sulfide particles can act as crack initiation sites and eventually cause embrittlement. To prevent the formation of Cu₂S along grain boundaries and sulfur-induced copper embrittlement, copper alloys are designed in this study. Alloying elements that can act as chemical anchors to suppress sulfur diffusion and the formation of Cu₂S along grain boundaries are investigated based on the understanding of the microscopic mechanism of sulfur diffusion and Cu₂S precipitation along grain boundaries. Copper alloy ingots are experimentally manufactured to validate the alloying elements. Microstructural analysis using scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy demonstrates that Cu₂S particles are not formed at grain boundaries but randomly distributed within grains in all the vacuum arc-melted Cu alloys (Cu-Si, Cu-Ag, and Cu-Zr). Further studies will be conducted to evaluate the mechanical and corrosion properties of the developed Cu alloys.

• Carbon letters
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• 제13권2호
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• pp.109-114
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• 2012

A nuclear, biological, chemical (NBC) canister was indigenously developed using active carbon impregnated with ammoniacal salts of copper (II), chromium (VI) and silver (I), and high efficiency particulate aerosol filter media. The NBC canister was evaluated against carbon tetra chloride ($CCl_4$) vapours, which were used as a simulant for persistent chemical warfare agents under dynamic conditions for testing breakthrough times of canisters of gas masks in the National Approval Test of Respirators. The effects of $CCl_4$ concentration, test flow rate, temperature, and relative humidity (RH) on the breakthrough time of the NBC canister against $CCl_4$ vapour were also studied. The impregnated carbon that filled the NBC canister was characterized for surface area and pore volume by $N_2$ adsorption-desorption isotherm at liquid nitrogen temperature. The study clearly indicated that the NBC canister provides adequate protection against $CCl_4$ vapours. The breakthrough time decreased with the increase of the $CCl_4$ concentration and flow rate. The variation in temperature and RH did not significantly affect the breakthrough behaviour of the NBC canister at high vapour concentration of $CCl_4$, whereas the breakthrough time of the NBC canister was reduced by an increase of RH at low $CCl_4$ vapour concentration.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제55권11호
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• pp.4032-4038
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• 2023

Cu, which exhibits excellent corrosion resistance in underground environments, has been investigated as a canister material for use in the deep geological disposal of spent nuclear fuels. In this study, the technical viability of atmospheric plasma spraying for producing Cu-coated canisters was investigated. A high-purity Cu film (millimeter scale) was deposited onto a stainless-steel substrate using a plasma gun with a shroud structure. Potentiodynamic polarization studies revealed that the Cu film exhibited a sufficiently low corrosion rate in the groundwater electrolyte. In addition, no pitting corrosion was observed on the Cu film surface after accelerated corrosion studies. A prototype cylindrical Cu film was fabricated on a 1/20 scale on a stainless-steel tube to demonstrate the scalability of atmospheric plasma spraying in producing Cu-coated canisters.

• 자원환경지질
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• 제56권4호
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• pp.421-433
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• 2023

원자력발전소의 사용후핵연료(Spent Nuclear Fuel: SNF)에 대한 최종처분은 지하 심부의 지질학적 저장소에서 이루어진다. 사용후핵연료를 감싸는 금속처분용기는 주철과 구리 등으로 제작되어 방사성핵종을 장기간 격리할 예정이며, 공학적방벽과 천연방벽으로 구성된 다중방벽처분시스템에 의해 보호를 받도록 설계된다. 지하 심부의 환경(심층처분환경)은 점차 무산소의 환원환경으로 바뀌게 되며, 이러한 환경에서 구리처분용기의 부식을 일으킬 수 있는 유력한 물질 중 하나는 황화물이다. 황화물에 의한 응력균열부식은 구리처분용기의 안정성을 크게 저하시켜 처분장의 장기안전성에 큰 영향을 미칠 수 있다. 심층처분환경에는 황산염이 다양한 형태로 존재 또는 유입될 수 있으며, 황산염환원미생물에 의해 황화물로 전환되어 구리처분용기의 부식에 기여할 수 있다. 완충재와 뒤채움재의 유력한 후보물질인 벤토나이트에는 주로 석고(CaSO₄)와 같은 산화형태의 황산염 광물이 포함되어 있다. 심층처분환경 내에 미생물이 생장할 만한 공간이 있고 유기 탄소 등 전자공여체가 충분히 공급된다면 미생물 활동에 의해 황산염이 황화물로 환원될 수 있다. 하지만 근계영역에서 생성된 황화물과 지권으로부터 유입되는 황화물 중 대부분은 완충재에 의해 차단되어 극히 일부만이 처분용기에 도달할 것이다. 처분환경에서 존재가능한 황화철 광물 중 하나인 황철석은 용해과정에서 황산염을 발생시켜 구리처분용기의 부식에 기여할 수 있다. 하지만 황철석의 극히 낮은 용해도로 인해 산화 생성물의 양은 매우 적을 것이고 포화된 벤토나이트의 낮은 수리전도도로 인해 처분용기로 산화 생성물의 이동은 제한될 것이다. 우리는 심층처분환경에서 황산염의 존재와 환원 그리고 황화물과 황철석의 형성 및 거동 특성 등에 관한 주요 연구 사례 등을 종합적으로 분석, 정리하였고, 고준위방사성폐기물 처분장의 장기안전성에 대한 황산염과 황화물의 영향을 이해하고자 하였다.