• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제55권11호
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• pp.4159-4166
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• 2023

Laser decontamination of radioactive surfaces is an innovative technology. Our contribution to improving this technology includes studies on laser beam decontamination with a pulsed laser of an average power of 150 W, equipped with a hand guided working head. Our investigations are focused on metallic surfaces typical in nuclear power plants, such as stainless steel, bright and rusted mild steel, galvanized steel, and painted steel. As typical nuclides of contaminated surfaces we chose Co-60 and Cs-137, the most frequently occurring nuclides in many nuclear plant components; Sr-85 as a representative of Sr-90, the potentially most harmful fission nuclide; and Am-241 as a representative of the minor alpha-radiation emitting actinides. Here, we present our results of decontamination and recovery ratios. Decontamination ratios of 90-100% were achieved on different surfaces.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제53권10호
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• pp.3367-3378
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• 2021

The design phase and safety assessment of Generation IV liquid metal-cooled fast reactors calls for the improvement of fuel pin performance codes, in particular the enhancement of their predictive capabilities towards uranium-plutonium mixed oxide fuels and stainless-steel cladding under irradiation in fast reactor environments. To this end, the current capabilities of fuel performance codes must be critically assessed against experimental data from available irradiation experiments. This work is devoted to the assessment of three European fuel performance codes, namely GERMINAL, MACROS and TRANSURANUS, against the irradiation of two fuel pins selected from the SUPERFACT-1 experimental campaign. The pins are characterized by a low enrichment (~ 2 wt.%) of minor actinides (neptunium and americium) in the fuel, and by plutonium content and cladding material in line with design choices envisaged for liquid metal-cooled Generation IV reactor fuels. The predictions of the codes are compared to several experimental measurements, allowing the identification of the current code capabilities in predicting fuel restructuring, cladding deformation, redistribution of actinides and volatile fission products. The integral assessment against experimental data is complemented by a code-to-code benchmark focused on the evolution of quantities of engineering interest over time. The benchmark analysis points out the differences in the code predictions of fuel central temperature, fuel-cladding gap width, cladding outer radius, pin internal pressure and fission gas release and suggests potential modelling development paths towards an improved description of the fuel pin behaviour in fast reactor irradiation conditions.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제47권3호
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• pp.380-387
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• 2015

A lead slowing-down spectrometer (LSDS) system is a promising nondestructive assay technique that enables a quantitative measurement of the isotopic contents of major fissile isotopes in spent nuclear fuel and its pyroprocessing counterparts, such as $^{235}U$, $^{239}Pu$, $^{241}Pu$, and, potentially, minor actinides. The LSDS system currently under development at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (Daejeon, Korea) is planned to utilize a high-flux ($>10^{12}n/cm^2{\cdot}s$) neutron source comprised of a high-energy (30 MeV)/high-current (~2 A) electron beam and a heavy metal target, which results in a very intense and complex radiation field for the facility, thus demanding structural shielding to guarantee the safety. Optimization of the structural shielding design was conducted using MCNPX for neutron dose rate evaluation of several representative hypothetical designs. In order to satisfy the construction cost and neutron attenuation capability of the facility, while simultaneously achieving the aimed dose rate limit (< $0.06{\mu}Sv/h$), a few shielding materials [high-density polyethylene (HDPE)eBorax, $B_4C$, and $Li_2CO_3$] were considered for the main neutron absorber layer, which is encapsulated within the double-sided concrete wall. The MCNP simulation indicated that HDPE-Borax is the most efficient among the aforementioned candidate materials, and the combined thickness of the shielding layers should exceed 100 cm to satisfy the dose limit on the outside surface of the shielding wall of the facility when limiting the thickness of the HDPE-Borax intermediate layer to below 5 cm. However, the shielding wall must include the instrumentation and installation holes for the LSDS system. The radiation leakage through the holes was substantially mitigated by adopting a zigzag-shape with concrete covers on both sides. The suggested optimized design of the shielding structure satisfies the dose rate limit and can be used for the construction of a facility in the near future.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제47권1호
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• pp.47-58
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• 2015

Four recycling scenarios involving pyroprocessing of spent fuel (SF) have been investigated for a 600-MWe transmutation sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR), KALIMER. Performance evaluation was done with code system REBUS connected with TRANSX and TWODANT. Scenario Number 1 is the pyroprocessing of Canada deuterium uranium (CANDU) SF. Because the recycling of CANDU SF does not have any safety problems, the CANDU-Pyro-SFR system will be possible if the pyroprocessing capacity is large enough. Scenario Number 2 is a feasibility test of feed SF from a pressurized water reactor PWR. Thefsensitivity of cooling time before prior to pyro-processing was studied. As the cooling time sensitivity of cooling time before prior to pyro-processing was studied. As the cooling time increases, excess reactivity at the beginning of the equilibrium cycle (BOEC) decreases, thereby creating advantageous reactivity control and improving the transmutation performance of minor actinides. Scenario Number 3 is a case study for various levels of recovery factors of transuranic isotopes (TRUs). If long-lived fission products can be separated during pyroprocessing, the waste that is not recovered is classified as low- and intermediate-level waste, and it is sufficient to be disposed of in an underground site due to very low-heat-generation rate when the waste cooling time becomes >300 years at a TRU recovery factor of 99.9%. Scenario Number 4 is a case study for the recovery factor of rare earth (RE) isotopes. The RE isotope recovery factor should be lowered to ${\leq}20%$ in order to make sodium void reactivity less than <7$, which is the design limit of a metal fuel.

• 자원환경지질
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• 제38권2호
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• pp.187-196
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• 2005

석류석 구조에서, 양이온이 점할 수 있는 구조적 위치는 사면체, 팔면체 및 이들과 능을 공유하고 있는 배위다면체의 중심 등이다. 이들 중, 사면체의 자리를 차지하는 양이온의 크기는 석류석의 단위포의 크기와 밀접한 관계를 가진다. 따라서 4-배위 자리에 비교적 이온반경이 큰 철을 함유하고 있는 석류석은 방사성 폐기물 내에 함유된 비교적 이온반경이 큰 악티나이드 원소를 고정시키기 위한 유망한 매트릭스로써 고려될 수 있다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 $Ca_{1.5}GdCe_{0.5}ZrFeFe_3O_{12}$인 조성을 가진 석류석을 합성하여 이들의 상평형 관계 및 특성을 연구하였다. 혼합된 시료는 $200{\~}400{\cal}kg/{\cal}cm^2$의 압력으로 성형한 후, $1100{\~}1400^{\circ}C$ 범위에서 온도 및 분위기를 변화시키면서 소결하였으며, 합성된 시료는 XRD 및 SEM/EDS를 사용하여 상분석과 정량분석을 실시하였다. 실험결과, 석류석은 소결온도 $1300^{\circ}C$에서 최적의 합성상을 얻을 수 있었지만, 미량의 페로브스카이트 및 미지의 상이 공존하였다. 석류석과 페로브스카이트의 화학조성은 각각 $[Ca_{l.2-1.8}Gd_{0.9-1.4}Ce_{0.3-0.5}]^{VIII}[Zr_{0.8-1.3}Fe_{0.7-1.2}]^{VI}[Fe_{2.9-3.1}]^{IV}O_{12}$ 및 $Ca_{0.1-0.5}Gd_{0.0-0.8}Ce_{0.1-0.5}\;Zr_{0.0-0.2}Fe_{0.9-1.1}O_3$ 이었다. 특히 화학양론적 조성과 비교 시, 합성된 석류석의 8-배위 자리를 점하고 있는 Ca의 초과 및 Ce의 결핍된 양상을 보였다. 이는 6-배위 자리에서의 Zr 및 Fe의 화학조성과 밀접한 관계를 지닌다.

• 한국광물학회지
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• 제16권4호
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• pp.307-320
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• 2003

Fe­석류석인 경우, 사면체 배위를 하는 Fe의 이온반경이 Si보다 크기 때문에 고준위 방사성 폐기물에 다량 함유되어 있는 악티나이드 원소들을 고정화시킬 수 있는 매트릭스로 고려되고 있다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 $Ca_{2,5}$C $e_{0.5}$Z $r_2$F $e_3$ $O_{12}$ 및 $Ca_2$CeZrFeF $e_3$ $O_{12}$인 조성을 가진 석류석을 합성하여 이들의 상평형 관계 및 특성을 연구하였다. 혼합된 시료는 200∼400 kg/$\textrm{cm}^2$의 압력으로 성형한 후, 1100∼140$0^{\circ}C$ 범위에서 온도 및 분위기를 변화시키면서 소결하였으며 합성된 시료는 XRD, SEM/EDS를 사용하여 상분석과 정량분석을 실시하였다. 실험결과, 이들 조성을 가진 석류석들은 130$0^{\circ}C$로 가열하였을 때, 최적 합성상을 얻을 수 있었지만 소량의 페롭스카이트 등 부수상이 공존하였다. $Ca_{2,5}$C $e_{0.5}$Z $r_2$F $e_3$ $O_{12}$ 및 $Ca_2$CeZrFeF $e_3$ $O_{12}$인 조성으로부터 합성된 Fe­석류석의 조성이 각각 $Ca_{2.5­3.2}$C $e_{0.3­0.7}$Z $r_{1.8­2.8}$F $e_{1.9­3.2}$ $O_{12}$ 및 $Ca_{2.2­2.5}$C $e_{0.8­1.0}$Z $r_{1.3­1.6}$F $e_{0.4­.07}$ F $e_{3­3.2}$ $O_{12}$였다. 특히 화학양론적 조성과 비교시, 합성된 석류석의 8배위 자리를 점하고 있는 Ca이 초과된 양상을 보였고, Ce의 함량은 초과 또는 결핍된 양상을 보였다. 이는 8배위 자리에서의 Ca과 Ce의 이온반경의 상대적인 차이 및 전하보상적 차원에서 비롯된 것으로 해석된다.에서 비롯된 것으로 해석된다.