• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.7
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• pp.2418-2426
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• 2022

The grouping analysis is a method guided by the Korea Radioactive Waste Agency for efficient analysis of radioactive waste for disposal. In this study, experiments to verify the adequacy of grouping analysis were conducted with radioactive soil, concrete, and dry active waste in similar environments. First, analysis results of the major radionuclide concentrations in individual waste samples were reviewed to evaluate whether wastes from similar environments correspond to a single waste stream. As a result, the soil and concrete waste were identified as a single waste stream because the distribution range of radionuclide concentrations was "within a factor of 10", the range that meet the criterion of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a single waste stream. On the other hand, the dry active waste was judged to correspond to distinct waste streams. Second, after analyzing the composite samples prepared by grouping the individual samples, the population means of the values of "composite sample analysis results/individual sample analysis results" were estimated at a 95% confidence level. The results showed that all evaluation values for soil and concrete waste were within the set reference values (0.1-10) when five-package and ten-package grouping analyses were conducted, verifying the adequacy of the grouping analysis.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.79-86
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• 2009

Concrete materials in nuclear facilities may become contaminated or activated by various radionuclides through different mechanism. Decommissioning and dismantling of these facilities produce considerable quantities such as concrete structure, rubble. In this paper, the characteristics distribution of the radionuclide have been investigated for the effects of the heating and grinding test for aggregate size such as gravel, sand and paste from decommissioning of the TRIGA MARK II research reactor and uranium conversion plant. The experimental results showed that most of the radionuclide could be removed from the gravel, sand aggregate and concentrated into a paste. Especially, we found that the heating temperature played an important role in separating the radionuclide from the concrete waste. Contamination of concrete is mainly concentrated in the porous paste and not in the dense aggregate such as the gravel and sand. The volume reduction rate could be achieved about 80% of activated concrete waste and about 75% of dismantled concrete waste generated from UCP.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.93-105
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• 2018

In Korea, a huge amount of radioactive concrete waste will be generated through decommissioning of nuclear facilities in the near future; therefore, optimum technology for the treatment of concrete waste should be reviewed thoroughly and the future direction of technology development should be discussed. In this paper, many domestic and foreign examples of generation of radioactive concrete waste were pieced together and the characteristics of radioactive concrete waste were examined. Moreover, we reviewed trends in technology development by analyzing the examples of various studies and practical applications of treatment technologies, such as mechanical decontamination, chemical decontamination, volume reduction, recycling and solidification, and also tried to understand the limitations of existing technologies and determine a direction for technical improvement.

• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
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• 2018.11a
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• pp.410-411
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• 2018

• Journal of the Korean Society of Systems Engineering
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.65-75
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• 2021

When the decommissioning of South Korea nuclear power plants is promoted in earnest with the permanent shutdown of Kori Unit 1 in 2017, a large amount of various types of radioactive waste will be generated. For minimal generation and safe management of decommissioning waste, the waste should be made by appropriate classification of the dismantling waste characteristics in accordance with physical, chemical and radiological characteristics to meet the acceptance criteria of disposal facilities. Replacing the preliminary inspection at the site for the compliance of the waste acceptance criteria (WAC) of medium and low-level radioactive waste with the generator's own radioactive waste certification program (WCP), from the perspective of disposal, the optimization of waste management at the national level contributes to the efficient availability of disposal, such as the processing of non-conforming radioactive wastes at the site. To this end, it is important to evaluate radioactivity in each system and area such as nuclear reactors before decommissioning is carried out in earnest, and the prior removal of harmful wastes is important. From waste collection to waste disposal, decommissioning waste should be managed at each stage in consideration of the acceptance criteria of disposal facilities to minimize the generation of non-conforming waste.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.1210-1217
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• 2021

The analysis of ⁴¹Ca in concrete generated from the nuclear facilities decommissioning is critical for ensuring the safe management of radioactive waste. An analytical method for the determination of ⁴¹Ca in concrete is described. ⁴¹Ca is a neutron-activated long radionuclide, and hence, for accurate analysis, it is necessary to completely extract Ca from the concrete sample where it exists as the predominant element. The decomposition methods employed were the acid leaching, microwave digestion, and alkali fusion. A comparison of the results indicated that the alkali fusion is the most suitable way for the separation of Ca from the concrete sample. Several processes of hydroxide and carbonate precipitation were employed to separate ⁴¹Ca from interferences. The method relies on the differences in the solubility of the generated products. The behavior of Ca and the interfering elements such as Fe, Ni, Co, Eu, Ba, and Sr is examined at each separation step. The purified ⁴¹Ca was measured by a liquid scintillation counter, and the quench curve and counting efficiency were determined by using a certified reference material of known ⁴¹Ca activity. The recoveries in this study ranged from 56 to 68%, and the minimum detectable activity was 50 mBq g^-1 with 0.5 g of concrete sample.

• Magazine of RCR
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.45-51
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• 2020

• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
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• 2004.06a
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• pp.43-51
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• 2004

In order to decommission the shielding concrete of KRR(Korea Research Reactor) -1＆2, it must be exactly determined activated level and range by neutron irradiation during operation. To determine the activated level and range, it must be sampled and analyzed the core sample. But, there are difficulties in sample preparation and determination of the measurement efficiency by self-absorption. In the study, the full energy efficiency of the HPGe detector was compared with the measured value using standard source and the calculated one using Monte Carlo simulation. Also. self-absorption effects due to the density and component change of the concrete were calculated using the Monte Carlo method. Its results will be used radioactivity analysis of the real concrete core sample in the future.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.87-92
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• 2011

This paper introduces the policy and regulations on very low level waste (VLLW) management in China. Given the important decommissioning and site restoration program of the old facility, it is considered necessary to create a new disposal facility dedicated to VLLW. Many general design principles are in common with to the disposal facility for low and intermediate level waste (LILW), namely the isolation of the waste by means of a multibarrier system, but using bentonite and/or high density polyethylene membranes instead of the generalized use of concrete barriers. The design of the facility is consistent with the design of disposal facilities for hazardous waste. The engineering design of two VLLW disposal facilities is introduced.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.18 no.2_spc
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• pp.317-325
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• 2020

The Korea Radioactive Waste Agency plans to expand the storage capacity of radioactive waste by constructing a radioactive waste inspecting building to solve the problem of the lack of inspection space and drum-handling space in the radioactive waste receipt and storage building for the first-stage disposal facility. In this study, the exposure doses of radiation workers that handle new disposal containers for decommissioning waste in the storage areas of the radioactive waste inspecting building were calculated using the Monte Carlo N-particle transport code. The annual collective dose was calculated as a total of 84.8 man-mSv for 304 new disposal containers and an estimated annual 306 working hours for the radiation work. When the 304 new disposal containers (small/medium type) were stored in the storage areas, it was found that 25 radiation workers should be involved in acceptance/disposal inspection, and the estimated exposure dose per worker was calculated as an average annual value of 3.39 mSv. When the radiation workers handle the small containers in high-radiation dose areas, the small containers should be shielded further by increasing the concrete liner thickness to improve the work efficiency and radiation safety of the radiation workers. The results of this study will be useful in establishing the optimal radiation working conditions for radiation workers using the source term and characteristics of decommissioning waste based on actual measurements.