• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제55권11호
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• pp.4083-4095
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• 2023

Currently, various research institutes in Korea are conducting research to develop a safety case for deep geological repository for high-level radioactive waste (HLW). In the past, low and intermediate-level waste (LILW) was approved by a regulatory body by performing a post-closure safety assessment, but HLW has different disposal characteristics and safety objectives are different. Therefore, in the case of HLW, safety assessment should be performed based on these changed conditions, and specific procedures are also under development. In this paper, the regulatory status of prior research institutes, feature, event and process (FEP) and scenario development cases were investigated for well-organized FEP and scenario development methodologies. In addition, through the results of these surveys, the requirements and procedures necessary for the FEP and scenario development stage during the safety assessment of repository for HLW were presented. These review results are expected to be used to identify the overall status of previous studies in conducting post-closure risk assessment for HLW repository, starting with identifying regulatory requirements, the most basic element.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제39권6호
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• pp.683-690
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• 2007

Because of increasing concerns regarding global warming and the longevity of oil and gas reserves, the importance of nuclear energy as a major source of sustainable energy is gaining recognition worldwide. To make nuclear energy truly sustainable, it is necessary to ensure not only the sustainability of the fuel supply but also the sustained availability of waste repositories, especially those for high-level radioactive waste (HLW). From this perspective, the effort to maximize the waste loading density in a given repository is important for easing repository capacity problems. In most cases, the loading of a repository is controlled by the decay heat of the emplaced waste. In this paper, a comparison of the decay heat characteristics of HLW is made among the various fuel cycle options. It is suggested that, for a future fast breeder reactor (FBR) cycle, the removal and burning of minor actinides (MA) would significantly reduce the heat load in waste and would allow for a reduction of repository size by half.

• 방사성폐기물학회지
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• 제6권1호
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• pp.55-63
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• 2008

고준위폐기물처분장의 완충재 물질로 사용되는 팽윤성 점토는 방벽재로서 그 기능을 제대로 발휘하기 위해 오랫동안 물리 화학적으로 안정해야 한다. 팽윤성 점토의 장기건전성 관련인 자들을 검토하고, 처분장 성능에 대한 각 인자의 중요성을 평가하였다. 검토결과, 붕괴 열에 의한 온도상승, 지하수 화학, 콘크리트에 의한 pH 증가, 유기물과 미생물, 방사선 조사 및 기계적 교란은 완충재물질로서 팽윤성 점토의 장기건전성에 중요한 인자임을 확인하였다. 본 연구는 고준위폐기물 처분장에서 팽윤성 점토의 완충재 설계를 위한 기초자료로 유용하게 활용될 것이다.

• 터널과지하공간
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• 제30권2호
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• pp.136-148
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• 2020

우리나라는 1978년부터 원자력발전소를 운영해왔으며 그에 따른 고준위방사성폐기물 발생이 누적되고 있다. 이를 안전하게 처분하기 위한 영구 처분시설이 시급한 실정이나 처분 부지를 선정하는 과정에서 광범위하고 정밀한 부지조사가 요구되기 때문에 장기간에 걸친 조사가 선행되어야한다. 이러한 부지조사는 단계별로 진행되는 것이 일반적이며 이 과정에서 다학제적 평가가 이루어진다. 본 논문에서는 부지조사 과정에서 요구되는 암반공학적 요소를 중점으로 사례조사를 수행하였다. 단계별로 고려되는 암반공학적 평가요소와 그 적용 사례를 정리하였으며 이 과정에서 수행된 해외 연구 사례를 조사하였다. 동시에 국내 연구현황을 정리하였고 부지조사와 관련된 향후 연구 계획을 간략히 보고하였다. 향후 연구를 통해 부지조사 시 참고할 수 있는 기반자료를 생산하고자 하며 본 논문에서 수집된 사례 역시 활용할 예정이다.

• 한국방사성폐기물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국방사성폐기물학회 2005년도 Proceedings of The 6th korea-china joint workshop on nuclear waste management
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• pp.236-244
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• 2005

Radioactive wastes arising from a wide range of human activities are in many different physical and chemical forms, contaminated with varying radioactivity. Their common feature is the potential hazard associated with their radioactivity and the need to manage them in such a way as to protect the human environment. The geological disposal is regarded as the most reasonable and effective way to safely disposal high-level radioactive wastes in the world. The conceptual model of geological disposal in China is based on a multi-barrier system that combines an isolating geological environment with an engineered barrier system. The buffer is one of the main engineered barriers for HLW repository. The buffer material is expected to maintain its low water permeability, self-sealing property, radio nuclides adsorption and retardation property, thermal conductivity, chemical buffering property, overpack supporting property, stress buffering property over a long period of time. Benotite is selected as the main content of buffer material that can satisfy above. GMZ deposit is selected as the candidate supplier for Chinese buffer material of High Level Radioactive waste repository. This paper presents geological features of GMZ deposit and basic property of GMZ Na bentonite. GMZ bentonite deposit is a super large scale deposits with high content of Montmorillonite (about $75\%$) and GMZ-l, which is Na-bentonite produced from GMZ deposit is selected as reference material for Chinese buffer material study.

• 자원환경지질
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• 제55권1호
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• pp.1-17
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• 2022

암반의 역학적 및 열적 특성은 고준위방사성폐기물(high-level radioactive waste; HLW) 심지층 처분시스템 내 방사성 물질의 격리 및 이동 지연 능력과 관련된 성능에 영향을 미칠 수 있다. 이 연구는 HLW 처분시설 부지의 암반역학적 및 열적 특성과 관련된 부지설명모델에 필수적인 항목을 고찰하고 스웨덴과 핀란드의 선행 부지설명모델 사례를 통한 기술적 배경을 논의하였다. 스웨덴 SKB (Swedish Nuclear and Fuel Management Company)와 핀란드 Posiva는 암반역학적 및 열적 특성 조사·평가에 필수적인 항목을 제시하고 부지의 안전성 분석과 처분시설의 건설을 위한 암반역학 부지설명모델을 도출하였다. 암반역학 부지설명모델은 처분시설 부지 내 응력 분포와 더불어 신선암, 절리, 절리성 암반에 대한 강도 및 변형특성과 대규모 변형대의 기하학적 구조, 소규모 불연속면의 연결망 구조 및 암석의 열적 특성에 대한 조사·평가 결과를 포함한다. 또한, 암반역학 부지설명모델은 입력변수에 대한 민감도 분석결과와 입력변수의 불확실성에 대한 평가 결과를 제시하여야 한다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제54권11호
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• pp.4005-4012
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• 2022

As high-level radioactive waste (HLW) generated from nuclear power plants is harmful to the human body, it must be safely disposed of by an engineered barrier system consisting of disposal canisters and buffer and backfill materials. A gap exists between the canister and buffer material in a HLW repository and between the buffer material and natural rock-this gap may reduce the water-blocking ability and heat transfer efficiency of the engineered barrier materials. Herein, the basic characteristics and thermal properties of granular bentonite, a candidate gap-filling material, were investigated, and their effects on the temperature change of the buffer material were analyzed numerically. Heat transfer by air conduction and convection in the gap were considered simultaneously. Moreover, by applying the Korean reference disposal system, changes in the properties of the buffer material were derived, and the basic design of the engineered barrier system was presented according to the gap filling material (GFM). The findings showed that a GFM with high initial thermal conductivity must be filled in the space between the buffer material and rock. Moreover, the target dry density of the buffer material varied according to the initial wet density, specific gravity, and water content values of the GFM.

• 터널과지하공간
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• 제21권4호
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• pp.264-273
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• 2011

고준위폐기물처분장에서 벤토나이트완충재는 공학적방벽의 중요한 구성요소 중 하나이다. 벤토나이트완충재는 방사성폐기물로부터의 붕괴열, 주위 암반으로부터의 지하수 유입, 고밀도로 압축된 벤토나이트 자체의 높은 팽윤압에 의해 큰 영향을 받는다. 그러므로 벤토나이트완충재의 열-수리-역학적 특성 이해와 평가모델의 입력데이터 확보는 고준위폐기물처분장의 성능 및 안전성 평가를 위해서 선행되어야 할 중요한 과제이다. 본 논문에서는 우리나라 고준위폐기물처분장 완충재 후보물질을 대상으로 지금까지 수행된 열-수리-역학적 특성을 분석하고, 기준벤토나이트완충재 조건을 설정하여, 이 조건에 부합되는 벤토나이트완충재의 열-수리-역학적 특성치를 제시하였다.

• 한국방사성폐기물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국방사성폐기물학회 2004년도 학술논문집
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• pp.194-198
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• 2004

The thermo-hydro-mechanical (T-H-M) process is one of major issues in the performance assessment of a high level waste (HLW) repository. An engineering-scale test was planned and its experimental set-up has being installed, to validate the T-H-M behavior in the buffer of a reference disposal system. The experimental set-up consists of 4 major components: the confining cylinder with its hydration water tank, the bentonite block, the heating system, and the sensors and instruments. The monitoring and data acquisition system is employed to control the heater to maintain the temperature of $95^{\circ}C$ at the interface of the heater and bentonite blocks and to collect signals from sensors and instruments installed in the bentonite blocks.

• 한국방사성폐기물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국방사성폐기물학회 2004년도 Proceedings of the 4th Korea-China Joint Workshop on Nuclear Waste Management
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• pp.51-59
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• 2004

The geological research as a part of HLW disposal program in Korea is carried out to provide necessary data for the establishment of the reference repository system in term of design and safety assessment in the crystalline rock terrains. Six deep boreholes were drilled to obtain hydrogeological and hydrochemical data from Jurassic granites in the Yuseong area, Korea. The core observation, televiewer logging and hydraulic testing were carried out during and after drilling and multi-packer system were installed in the boreholes of 500m depth for hydraulic and hydrochemical monitoring including environmental isotopes. The integration of hydrogeochemical and hydrodynamic data would be built greater confidence for the understanding of groundwater system in fractured rock mass. This geoscientific program could be possible to suggest a general guideline to develop the reference disposal concept of high-level radioactive waste in Korea.