• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제54권8호
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• pp.2960-2973
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• 2022

Since Fukushima nuclear power plant (NPP) accident in 2011, the importance of research on various severe accident phenomena has been emphasized. Particularly, detailed analysis of combustion risk is necessary following the containment damage caused by combustion in the Fukushima accident. Many studies have been conducted to evaluate the risk of local hydrogen concentration increases and flame propagation using computational code. In particular, the potential for combustion by local hydrogen concentration in specific areas within the containment has been emphasized. In this study, the process of flame propagation generated inside a reactor core to containment during a loss of coolant accident (LOCA) was analyzed using MELCOR 2.1 code. Later in the LOCA scenario, it was expected that hydrogen combustion occurred inside the reactor core owing to oxygen inflow through the cold leg break area. The main driving force of the oxygen intrusion is the elevated containment pressure due to the molten corium-concrete interaction. The thermal and mechanical loads caused by the flame threaten the integrity of the containment. Additionally, the containment spray system effectiveness in this situation was evaluated because changes in pressure gradient and concentrations of flammable gases greatly affect the overall behavior of ignition and subsequent containment integrity.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제49권7호
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• pp.1431-1441
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• 2017

The Fukushima accident reveals the vulnerability of existing active nuclear power plant (NPP) design against prolonged loss of external electricity events. The passive safety system is considered an attractive alternative to cope with this kind of disaster. Also, the passive safety system enhances both the safety and the economics of NPPs. The adoption of a passive safety system reduces the number of active components and can minimize the construction cost of NPPs. In this paper, reflecting on the experience during the development of the APR+ design in Korea, we propose the concept of an innovative Power Reactor (iPower), which is a kind of passive NPP, to enhance safety in a revolutionary manner. The ultimate goal of iPower is to confirm the feasibility of practically eliminating radioactive material release to the environment in all accident conditions. The representative safety grade passive system includes a passive emergency core cooling system, a passive containment cooling system, and a passive auxiliary feedwater system. Preliminary analysis results show that these concepts are feasible with respect to preventing and/or mitigating the consequences of design base accidents and severe accidents.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제52권1호
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• pp.69-77
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• 2020

After the Fukushima Daiichi accidents, public concerns on nuclear safety and the corresponding burden of nuclear power plant licensees are increasing. In order to secure public trust and enhance the rationality of current safety regulation, we develop a risk-informed decision making (RIDM) framework for the Korean regulatory body. By analyzing all the regulatory activities for nuclear power plants in Korea, eight action items are selected for RIDM implementation, with appropriate procedures developed for each. For two items in particular - the accident sequence precursor analysis (ASPA) and the significance determination process (SDP) - two customized risk evaluation software has been developed for field inspectors and probabilistic safety assessment experts, respectively. The effectiveness of the proposed RIDM framework is demonstrated by applying the ASPA procedure to 35 unplanned scrams and the SDP to 24 findings from periodic inspections.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제55권3호
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• pp.1167-1180
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• 2023

Due to the tightened regulatory environment since the Fukushima accident, the capacity factor of Korean nuclear power plants has been declining since 2011. To overcome this circumstance, a shift from 18-month to 24-month cycle operation is being considered in Korea. Therefore, in this study, loading patterns(LPs) for 24-month cycle operation of the Korean standard nuclear power plant(OPR-1000) are suggested and economic evaluations are performed. A single-zone LP with 89 fresh fuels was evaluated to be optimal for 24-month operation of OPR-1000 in terms of economic gain. The 24-month operation of OPR-1000 with this LP gives a profit of 7.073 million dollars per year compared to 18-month operation.

• 한국콘텐츠학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국콘텐츠학회 2015년도 춘계 종합학술대회 논문집
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• pp.439-440
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• 2015

There has been a big need of Safety Education for the power plants with a high risk due to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster and the tragic accident of Sewol Ferry. The object of this research is for studying ways of developing contents for customized Power Plants Safety Education applied with 'Story Viewing' technology in order to improve the present format of Power Plant Safety Education based on hard copied documents so as to prevent human mistakes because of lack of system and ability of initial response which come from safety frigidity shown in the case of Sewol Accident. 'Story-viewing' applied to Power Plant Safety Education is the methodology to enhance information communicability utilizing IT/Visualization technology combined with Story Telling that is an effective propagation way.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• 제46권4호
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• pp.178-183
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• 2021

Background: This study was carried out to provide environmental transfer parameter values to estimate activity concentrations of these radionuclides in agricultural crops when direct contamination occurred. Materials and Methods: Mass interception fractions (F_Bs) and weathering half-lives (T_ws) of ¹³¹I and radiocesium were calculated using openly available monitoring data obtained after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. F_B is the ratio between the initial radioactivity concentration of a radionuclide retained by the edible part of the plant (Bq·kg^-1 fresh weight [FW]) and the amount of deposited radionuclide in that area (Bq·m^-2). T_w values can be calculated using activity concentrations of crops decreased with time after the initial contamination. Results and Discussion: Calculated F_B and T_w values for ¹³¹I and radiocesium were mostly obtained for leafy vegetables. The analytical results showed that there was no difference of F_Bs between ¹³¹I and radiocesium by t-test; geometric mean values for leafy vegetables cultivated under outdoor conditions were 0.058 and 0.12 m²·kg^-1 FW, respectively. Geometric mean T_w value of ¹³¹I in leafy vegetables grown under outdoor conditions was 8.6 days, and that of radiocesium was 6.6 days; there was no significant difference between T_w values of these radionuclides by Wilcoxon rank sum test. Conclusion: There was no difference between ¹³¹I and radiocesium for F_Bs and T_ws. By using these factors, we would be able to carry out a rough estimation of the activity concentrations of ¹³¹I and radiocesium in the edible part of leafy crops when a nuclear accident occurred.

• 대한인간공학회지
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• 제35권2호
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• pp.75-84
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• 2016

Objective: The aim of this study is to suggest some improvement ideas based on the validity and the reliability analyses of the current safety culture measurement method applied to the Korean nuclear power industry. Background: Wrong safety culture is known as one of the major causes of the disasters such as the space shuttle Columbia disaster or the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant accident. Assessment of safety culture of an organization is important to build a safer organizational environment as well as to identify the risks hidden in the organization. Method: A face validity of the current safety culture measurement method was analyzed by comparison of the key factors of safety culture in the Korean nuclear power industry with those factors reviewed in the previous studies. The current interview method was analyzed to identify the problems which degrade the consistency of evaluation. Results: Most safety culture factors reviewed in the literatures are covered in the list of the Korean nuclear power industry safety culture factors. However the unstructured questions used in the interview may result in inconsistency of safety culture evaluation among interviewers. Conclusion: This study suggests some examples which might improve the consistency of interviewers' evaluation on safety culture such as a post interview evaluation form. Application: An extended post interview evaluation form might help to increase the accuracy of the interviewing method for Korean nuclear industry safety culture evaluation.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• 제47권3호
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• pp.143-151
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• 2022

Background: After the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident, biological alterations in the natural biota, including morphological changes of fir trees in forests surrounding the power plant, have been reported. Focusing on the terminal buds involved in the morphological formation of fir trees, this study developed a method for estimating the absorbed radiation dose rate using radionuclide distribution measurements from tree organs. Materials and Methods: A phantom composed of three-dimensional (3D) tree organs was constructed for the three upper whorls of the fir tree. A terminal bud was evaluated using Monte Carlo simulations for the absorbed dose rate of radionuclides in the tree organs of the whorls. Evaluation of the absorbed dose targeted ¹³¹I, ¹³⁴Cs, and ¹³⁷Cs, the main radionuclides subsequent to the FDNPP accident. The dose contribution from each tree organ was calculated separately using dose coefficients (DC), which express the ratio between the average activity concentration of a radionuclide in each tree organ and the dose rate at the terminal bud. Results and Discussion: The dose estimation indicated that the radionuclides in the terminal bud and bud scale contributed to the absorbed dose rate mainly by beta rays, whereas those in 1-year-old trunk/branches and leaves were contributed by gamma rays. However, the dose contribution from radionuclides in the lower trunk/branches and leaves was negligible. Conclusion: The fir tree model provides organ-specific DC values, which are satisfactory for the practical calculation of the absorbed dose rate of radiation from inside the tree. These calculations are based on the measurement of radionuclide concentrations in tree organs on the 1-year-old leader shoots of fir trees. With the addition of direct gamma ray measurements of the absorbed dose rate from the tree environment, the total absorbed dose rate was estimated in the terminal bud of fir trees in contaminated forests.

• 방사선산업학회지
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• 제5권2호
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• pp.185-189
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• 2011

As nuclear industry has been developed, a various types of radiological contamination has occurred. After 9.11 terror in U.S.A., it has been concerned that terrorists' active area has been enlarged to use nuclear or radioactive substance. Recently, the most powerful earth-quake stroke, which triggered a massive tsunami in Japan and then Fukushima nuclear power plant reactor has suffered from a serious accident in history. The Fukushima reactor accident has occurred an anxiety of radiation leaks and about 170,000 people have been evacuated from the accidental area near the nuclear power plant. For these reasons, a social chaos can be occurred if radiological contamination occurs to the supply system for the drinking water. As such, the establishment of the radiation monitoring system for the city main water system is compelling for the national security. In this study, a feasibility test of radiation monitoring system which consists of unified hybrid-type radiation detectors was experimented for multi detection system by using gamma-ray imaging. The hybrid-type radiation sensors were fabricated with CsI(Tl) scintillators and photodiodes. A preamplifier and amplifier was also fabricated and assembled with the sensor in the shielding case. For the preliminary test of detection of radiological contamination in the river, multi CsI(Tl)-PIN photodiode radiation detectors and $^{137}Cs$ gamma-ray source were used. The DAQ was done by Linux based ROOT program and NI DAQ system with Labview program. The simulated contamination was assumed to be occurred at Gapcheon river in Daejeon city. Multi CsI(Tl)-PIN photodiode radiation detectors were positioned at the Gapcheon river side. Assuming that the radiological contaminations flows in the river the $^{137}Cs$ gamma-ray source has been moved and then, the contamination region was reconstructed.

• 한국재난정보학회 논문집
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• 제17권3호
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• pp.500-511
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• 2021

연구목적: 후쿠시마 원자력 발전소 폭발사고 발생 당시의 재난상황, 주민보호를 위한 비상발령 상황, 주민 피난 상황에 대한 조사와 더불어 당시 주민보호 시스템에 있어서 제기된 문제점 및 조치사항에 대한 조사를 수행함으로서, 국내 원자력 재해를 대비한 주민 피난 대책 수립 과정에서 검토해야만 하는 시사점을 도출하고자 한다. 연구방법: 동일본 대지진 직후부터 현재까지 일본의 국가, 국회, 지자체 및 관련기관으로부터 발행된 보고서를 중심으로 문헌조사를 수행하였다. 연구결과: 후쿠시마 원자력발전소 폭발사고 발생 당시의 주민의 피난과정에서 도출된 문제점과 대응방안에 대한 조사 결과를 통하여 국내의 방사능 재해 대책 수립과정에 있어서 검토해야만 하는 사항을 도출하였다. 결론: 검토 사항을 크게 4가지로 분류하였으며 각 분류에 따른 상세 검토사항을 제시하였다.