• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.11-25
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• 2015

The accident at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in March 2011, caused by an earthquake and a subsequent tsunami, resulted in a failure of the power systems that are needed to cool the reactors at the plant. The accident progression in the absence of heat removal systems caused Units 1-3 to undergo fuel melting. Containment pressurization and hydrogen explosions ultimately resulted in the escape of radioactivity from reactor containments into the atmosphere and ocean. Problems in containment venting operation, leakage from primary containment boundary to the reactor building, improper functioning of standby gas treatment system (SGTS), unmitigated hydrogen accumulation in the reactor building were identified as some of the reasons those added-up in the severity of the accident. The Fukushima accident not only initiated worldwide demand for installation of adequate control and mitigation measures to minimize the potential source term to the environment but also advocated assessment of the existing mitigation systems performance behavior under a wide range of postulated accident scenarios. The uncertainty in estimating the released fraction of the radionuclides due to the Fukushima accident also underlined the need for comprehensive understanding of fission product behavior as a function of the thermal hydraulic conditions and the type of gaseous, aqueous, and solid materials available for interaction, e.g., gas components, decontamination paint, aerosols, and water pools. In the light of the Fukushima accident, additional experimental needs identified for hydrogen and fission product issues need to be investigated in an integrated and optimized way. Additionally, as more and more passive safety systems, such as passive autocatalytic recombiners and filtered containment venting systems are being retrofitted in current reactors and also planned for future reactors, identified hydrogen and fission product issues will need to be coupled with the operation of passive safety systems in phenomena oriented and coupled effects experiments. In the present paper, potential hydrogen and fission product issues raised by the Fukushima accident are discussed. The discussion focuses on hydrogen and fission product behavior inside nuclear power plant containments under severe accident conditions. The relevant experimental investigations conducted in the technical scale containment THAI (thermal hydraulics, hydrogen, aerosols, and iodine) test facility (9.2 m high, 3.2 m in diameter, and $60m^3$ volume) are discussed in the light of the Fukushima accident.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.97-106
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• 1970

Radiation accidents which occured in the A.E.R.I. during last ten years are described (table 1). It seemed to the authors that some of these accidents were considered to be hazardous to man body and associated installations. This report deals with the following four major accidents involving body contamination incidents that our health physicists have been experienced. 1. Over-exposures (up to 130 rem) to the total body due to the mismanipulation in the Cobalt-60 gamma irradiation facility. 2. Floor surface contamination (up to 13 mrad/hr) and its spread out due to the mishandling of radioiodine contained in the bottle. 3. Body surface contamination and 0.36 uCi radioactivity accumulated in the thyroid gland of a worker due to the inhalation of gaseous iodine-131. 4. A void capsule due to the leakage out of the radium therapeutic source (3mg\ulcorner) These accidents were treated by definitely prompt action to protect the workers and associated installations from any radiation hazards and every possible efforts were made to confine the spread of radioactive contamination as small area as possible by means of elaborate decontamination work and monitoring.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.75-81
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• 1977

This experiment has been carried out to determine the pH dependent cation exchange capacity concerning the sorption phenomenon of long-lived radionuclides contained in low-level liquid radioactive waste on various clay minerals. The pH dependent cation exchange capacity determined by Sawhney's method are used to the analysis of sorption phenomenon. About 70 percent of the total cation exchange capacity is contributed by the pH dependent CEC due to the negative charge originated naturally in clays in case of clinoptilolite, vermiculite and sodalite. It is sugested in this test that the high neutral salt CEC, that is, highly charged clays would show good fixation yield. The removal of radionuclides at the pH range more than pH 9 is considered the hydroxide precipitation of metal ion rather than the cation exchange. The Na-clay prepared by the method of successive isomorphic substitution with electrolyte showed a considerable improvement in removal efficiency for the decontamination.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.187-196
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• 2021

Chemical equilibrium calculations for multicomponent aqueous systems involving the reductive dissolution of magnetite (Fe₃O₄) with oxalic acid (H₂C₂O₄) were performed using the HSC Chemistry® version 9. They were conducted with an aqueous solution model based on the Pitzer's approach of one molality aqueous solution. The change in the amounts and activity coefficients of species and ions involved in the reactions as well as the solution pH at equilibrium was calculated while changing the amounts of raw materials (Fe₃O₄ and H₂C₂O₄) and the system temperature from 25℃ to 125℃. In particular, the conditions under which Fe₃O₄ is completely dissolved at high temperatures were determined by varying the raw amount of H₂C₂O₄ and the temperature for a given raw amount of Fe₃O₄ fed into the aqueous solution. When the raw amount of H₂C₂O₄ added was small for a given raw amount of Fe₃O₄, no undissolved Fe₃O₄ was present in the solution and the pH of the solution increased significantly. The formation of ferrous oxalate complex (FeC₂O₄) was observed. The equilibrium amount of FeC₂O₄ decreased as the raw amount of H₂C₂O₄ increased.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.203-212
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• 2019

Disposal nonconformity of radioactive wastes refers to radioactive wastes that need to be treated, solidified and packaged during operation or decommissioning of NPPs, and are typically exemplified by particulate radioactive wastes with dispersion characteristics. These wastes include the dried powders of concentrated wastes generated in the process of operating NPPs, slurry and sludge, various powdered wastes generated in the decommissioning process (crushed concrete, decontamination sludge, etc.), and fine radioactive soil, which is not easy to decontaminate. As these particulate wastes must be packaged so that they become non-dispersive, they are solidified with solidification agents such as cement and polymer. If they are treated using existing solidification methods, however, the volume of the final wastes will increase. This drawback may increase the disposal cost and reduce the acceptability of disposal sites. Accordingly, to solve these problems, this study investigates the pelletization of particulate radioactive wastes in order to reduce final waste volume.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.1098-1108
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• 2019

Korea's first commercial nuclear power plant at Kori site was permanently shut down in 2017 and is currently in transition stage. Preparatory activities for decommissioning such as historical site assessment, characterization, and dismantling design are being actively carried out for successful D&D (Dismantling and Decontamination) at Kori site. The ultimate goal of decommissioning will be to ensure the safety of workers and residents that may arise during the decommissioning of nuclear facilities and, thereby finally returning the site to its original status in accordance with the release criteria. Upon completion of decommissioning, the resident's safety at a site released will be assessed from the evaluation of dose caused by radionuclides expected to be present or detected at the site. Although the U.S. commercial nuclear power plants with decommissioning experience use different site release criteria, most of them are 0.25 mSv/y. In Korea, both the unrestricted and restricted release criteria have been set to 0.1 mSv/y by the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission. However, since the dose is difficult to measure, measurable concentration guideline levels for residual radionuclides that result in dose equivalent to the site release criteria should be derived. For this derivation, site reuse scenario, selection of potential radionuclides, and systematic methodology should be developed in planning stage of Kori site decommissioning. In this paper, for calculation of a preliminary site-specific Derived Concentration Guideline Levels (DCGLs) for the Nuclear Power Plant site, a novel approach has been developed which can fully reflect practical reuse plans of the Kori site by taking into account multiple site reuse scenarios sequentially, thereby striking a remarkable distinction with conventional approaches which considers only a single site scenario.

• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.31-35
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• 2019

Andong-dam was built up in 1967 and it is one of the biggest dams in Korea. Previous studies showed that the sediments are highly contaminated with heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, and lead. Many research projects are going on to find out the source of the contamination, to evaluate the toxicities to ecosystem, to estimate the volume of sediment to be treated and to find out a good remediation method. Reports show that the sediment is highly contaminated and the main contamination source is supposed to be abandoned mines and a zinc refinery located upper stream of the river. A magnetic separation has been tested as a treatment method for the dredged sediment. Lab scale test showed that the magnetically captured portion is about 10% in weight but the contamination of heavy metal is much higher than the contamination of the passed portion. This indicates that a magnetic separation could be applied for the purpose of reduction of sediment to be treated and for increasing the volume of low toxic sediments which can be dumped as general waste. A magnetic separation using a HGMS has been tested for the sediment with variable magnetic field and the results showed the higher magnetic field increase the captured portion but the concentrating effect of heavy metal was weakened. Further study is needed to establish a useful technology and optimization between decontamination and reduction of sediment volume.

• 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.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.54-64
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• 2021

The chemical warfare agents (CWAs) have been developed for offensive or defensive purposes and used as chemical weapons in war and terrorism. The CWAs are exposed to the natural environment, transported through the water system and then eventually contaminate soil and groundwater. Therefore, effective decontamination technology to remediate CWAs are needed. The CWAs are extremely dangerous and prodution is strictly prohibited, therefore, it is difficult to use CWAs even in experimental purpose. In this study, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) was chosen as a model representative CWA because it is a simulant of anti-plant CWAs and one of the major component of agent orange. The optimum degradation conditions such as oxidant:activator ratio were determined. The effects of hydroxylamine and chelating agents such as citric acid (CA), oxalic acid (OA), malic acid (MA), and EDTA addition to increase Fe2+ activation were also investigated. Scavenger experiments using tert-butyl alcohol (TBA) and ethanol confirmed that although both sulfate (SO4•-) and hydroxyl radical (•OH) existed in Fe2+-persulfate system, sulfate radical was the predominant radical. To promote the Fe2+ activator effect, the effect of hydroxylamine as a reducing agent was investigated. In chelating agents assisted Fe2+-persulfate oxidation, the addition of 2 mM of CA and MA enhanced 2,4-D degradation. In contrast, EDTA and OA inhibited the 2,4-D removal due to steric hindrance effect.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.431-436
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• 2004

Associated with microbial decontamination and quarantine treatment of dried red pepper, the samples was gamma-irradiated (5, 10 kGy) and fumigated (methyl bromide/MeBr, phosphine/$PH_3$) to compare their Hunter's color (L, a, b, ${\Delta}E$) and sensory properties by types (whole, powder, pericarp, seed) during storage under room conditions($18{\pm}12^{\circ}C$). Whole pepper maintained higher lightness (L value) than other groups, while powdered pepper showed higher redness (a value) during storage. Immediately after treatments there was little difference in the overall color difference (${\Delta}E$) among the groups. After 8 months, a higher redness was observed in $PH_3$ group of whole pepper and 5 kGy group of powdered pepper, respectively(p<0.05). Redness of irradiated pericarps was apparently reduced following 8 months of storage and a similar pattern was found in fumigated samples. The yellowness (b value) of pepper seed was lowest in 10 kGy sample (p<0.05), but insignificant difference was observed among treatment groups with storage time. Sensory properties of whole and powdered peppery were little changed by both treatments under commercial conditions. Sensory scores of irradiated or fumigated samples were higher than that of non-treated control with storage time, which was more significant in the powdered than in the whole samples.