• 방사성폐기물학회지
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• 제20권3호
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• pp.365-369
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• 2022

Operating and decommissioning nuclear power plants generates radioactive waste. This radioactive waste can be categorized into several different levels, for example, low, intermediate, and high, according to the regulations. Currently, low and intermediate-level waste are stored in conventional 200-liter drums to be disposed. However, in Korea, the disposal of intermediate-level radioactive waste is virtually impossible as there are no available facilities. Furthermore, large-sized intermediate-level radioactive waste, such as reactor internals from decommissioning, need to be segmented into smaller sizes so they can be adequately stored in the conventional drums. This segmentation process requires additional costs and also produces secondary waste. Therefore, this paper suggests repurposing the no-longer-used spent nuclear fuel casks. The casks are larger in size than the conventional drums, thus requiring less segmentation of waste. Furthermore, the safety requirements of the spent nuclear fuel casks are severer than those of the drums. Hence, repurposed spent nuclear fuel casks could better address potential risks such as dropping, submerging, or a fire. In addition, the spent nuclear fuel casks need to be disposed in compliance with the regulations for low level radioactive waste. This cost may be avoided by repurposing the casks.

• 방사성폐기물학회지
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• 제15권3호
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• pp.265-279
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• 2017

2014년 12월 사용 승인된 경주 중저준위 방사성폐기물 동굴처분시설은 중저준위 방사성폐기물의 처분을 위해 운영중이나 중준위 방사성폐기물을 처분할 수 없다. 왜나하면 기존 중준위 방사성폐기물이 원자력안전위원회 고시 2014-003호에 따라 방사성폐기물 준위가 세분화되었으며, 기존의 중저준위 방사성폐기물 핵종별 처분농도제한치 값이 변경되었으나 이를 고려하지 못하였기 때문이다. 중준위 방사성폐기물의 안전한 처분을 위해 IAEA에서 제시한 방법론과는 달리 방사능량 산출 시 적용된 가용데이터를 기반으로 기존의 설정된 극저준위 및 저준위 방사성폐기물의 처분농도제한치를 고려하여 1단계 동굴처분시설의 중준위 방사성폐기물에 대한 처분농도제한치를 설정하였다. 단, $^{14}C$의 경우 처분농도제한치 외에 추가적인 방사능량 제한이 필요함을 확인하고 우물이용시나리오를 통해 1단계 동굴처분시설의 총방사능량을 제한하였다. 설정된 중준위 방사성폐기물 처분농도제한치와 $^{14}C$의 총방사능량이 적용된 방사능량에 대해 운영 중 및 폐쇄 후 시나리오의 평가결과가 모두 성능목표치를 만족함을 확인하여, 도출된 중준위 방사성폐기물 처분농도제한치가 1단계 동굴처분시설의 중준위 방사성폐기물 처분농도제한치로 사용할 수 있음을 확인하였다. 처분 안전성 증진을 위해 방사성폐기물 발생기관의 데이터를 추가 확보하며, $^{14}C$의 누적방사능량을 관리해 나갈 계획이다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제40권6호
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• pp.511-516
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• 2008

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Ltd. (KHNP) developed new IP-2 packages to transport low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste (LILW) steel drums from nuclear power plants to a disposal facility in accordance with IAEA and Korean transport regulations of radioactive material. Radiation shielding evaluation of the packages was carried out to demonstrate compliance with the regulatory requirements for IP-2 packages of radioactive material. Dose rate limits of LILW drums contained in the packages were determined.

• 한국세라믹학회지
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• 제25권5호
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• pp.455-464
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• 1988

Concrete used for radwaste container should have excellent properties such as mechanical strength, water-tightness, durability, etc. In order to improve such properties of ordinary portland cement concrete, superplasticizer, steel fiber, and/or epoxy resin were added to ordinary portland cement concrete respectively. Various concrete specimens were prepared and the physical properties of each concrete specimen were tested. From the experimental results, the properties of steel fiber and epoxy resin reinforced concrete were proved to be better qualified than others for low-and intermediate-level radwaste container.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• 제29권1호
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• pp.41-48
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• 2004

A safety assessment code, called SAGE (Safety Assessment Groundwater Evaluation), has been developed to describe post-closure radionuclide releases and potential radiological doses for low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste (LILW) disposal in an engineered vault facility in Korea. The conceptual model implemented in the code is focused on the release of radionuclide from a gradually degrading engineered barrier system to an underlying unsaturated zone, thence to a saturated groundwater zone. The radionuclide transport equations are solved by spatially discretizing the disposal system into a series of compartments. Mass transfer between compartments is by diffusion/dispersion and advection. In all compartments, radionuclides ate decayed either as a single-member chain or as multi-member chains. The biosphere is represented as a set of steady-state, radionuclide-specific pathway dose conversion factors that are multiplied by the appropriate release rate from the far field for each pathway. The code has the capability to treat input parameters either deterministically or probabilistically. Parameter input is achieved through a user-friendly Graphical User Interface. An application is presented, which is compared against safety assessment results from the other computer codes, to benchmark the reliability of system-level conceptual modeling of the code.

• 방사성폐기물학회지
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• 제19권2호
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• pp.197-204
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• 2021

In this study, the well-known non-destructive acoustic emission (AE) and electrical resistivity methods were employed to predict quantitative damage in the silo structure of the Wolsong Low and Intermediate Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Center (WLDC), Gyeongju, South Korea. Brazilian tensile test was conducted with a fully saturated specimen with a composition identical to that of the WLDC silo concrete. Bi-axial strain gauges, AE sensors, and electrodes were attached to the surface of the specimen to monitor changes. Both the AE hit and electrical resistance values helped in the anticipation of imminent specimen failure, which was further confirmed using a strain gauge. The quantitative damage (or damage variable) was defined according to the AE hits and electrical resistance and analyzed with stress ratio variations. Approximately 75% of the damage occurred when the stress ratio exceeded 0.5. Quantitative damage from AE hits and electrical resistance showed a good correlation (R = 0.988, RMSE = 0.044). This implies that AE and electrical resistivity can be complementarily used for damage assessment of the structure. In future, damage to dry and heated specimens will be examined using AE hits and electrical resistance, and the results will be compared with those from this study.

• 한국세라믹학회지
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• 제43권3호
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• pp.148-151
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• 2006

In order to examine the process parameters for the vitrification of Low and Intermediate Level radioactive Waste (LILW) generated from nuclear power plants, measurements of several melt properties was performed for four selected glasses containing simulated waste. Electrical conductivity and viscosity were determined at temperatures ranging from 1123 to $1673^{\circ}C$. The temperature dependences of both properties in the molten state showed a similar behavior in which their values decrease as the temperature increases. The values of the electrical conductivity and viscosity at a temperature of 1423K adopted in an induction cold crucible melter process were $0.27{\sim}0.42$ S/cm and $9.8{\sim}42$ dPas, respectively.

• 한국압력기기공학회 논문집
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• 제7권4호
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• pp.26-30
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• 2011

In order to ship low & Intermediate level radioactive waste drums, which have been temporarily stored on site, to a disposal facility, their physical and chemical properties should be evaluated and proven to meet the acceptance guideline prior to their shipment. Ultrasonic velocity method, which has been used to estimate the strength of concrete, can be suggested to evaluate the compressive strength of solidified radioactive waste, which is one of the evaluated properties. The strength is estimated from acoustic velocity. However, a guided wave traveling along a drum is generated when applying ultrasonic method to the drum, and this makes it difficult to analyze the signal due to overlap between transmitted wave through the contents in drum and the guided wave. This paper reported feasibility of ultrasonic method to evaluate of the compressive strength of the solidified LLW. It is observed that the guide wave is greater than transmitted wave, and ultrasonic velocity could be estimated from transmitted wave signal arriving prior to the guided wave

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제41권4호
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• pp.477-492
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• 2009

In this paper, we discuss the experiences during the preparation of the Wolsong Low- and Intermediate-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Center. These experiences have importance as a first implementation for the national LILW disposal facility in the Republic of Korea. As for the progress, it relates to the area of selected disposal site, the disposal site characteristics, waste characteristics of the disposal facility, safety assessment, and licensing process. During these experiences, we also discuss the necessity for new organization and change for a radioactive waste management system. Further effort for the safe management of radioactive waste needs to be pursued.

• 한국방사성폐기물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국방사성폐기물학회 2005년도 추계 학술대회 논문집
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• pp.143-152
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• 2005

중저준위 방사성폐기물 중 장반감기핵종의 농도가 처분시설의 인수기준을 초과하는 경우에 대비한 처분방안이 필요하다. 본 논문에서는 장반감기 중저준위폐기물의 처분을 수행하고 있거나 계획하고 있는 대표적인 국가들의 사례를 정리하였으며, 각 국의 사례를 중심으로 장반감기 중저준위 방사성폐기물의 처분방안 설정을 위한 기본절차를 도출하였다. 국내에서도 장반감기 중저준위 방사성폐기물의 처분을 위한 활발한 논의가 필요하다고 하겠다.