• Title/Summary/Keyword: NPP

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Nondestructive Diagnosis of NPP Piping System Using Ultrasonic Wave Imaging Technique Based on a Pulsed Laser Scanning System (펄스 레이저 스캐닝 기반 초음파 영상화 기술을 활용한 원전 배관 비파괴 진단)

  • Kim, Hyun-Uk;Lee, Chang-Gil;Park, Seung-Hee
    • Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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    • v.18 no.1
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    • pp.166-173
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    • 2014
  • A noncontact nondestructive testing (NDT) method is proposed to detect the damage of pipeline structures and to identify the location of the damage. To achieve this goal, a scanning laser source actuation technique is utilized to generate a guided wave and scans a specific area to find damage location more precisely. The ND: YAG pulsed laser is used to generate Lamb wave and a piezoelectric sensor is installed to measure the structural responses. The measured responses are analyzed using three dimensional Fourier transformation (3DFT). The damage-sensitive features are extracted by wavenumber filtering based on the 3D FT. Then, flaw imaging techniques of a pipeline structures is conducted using the damage-sensitive features. Finally, the pipes with notches are investigated to verify the effectiveness and the robustness of the proposed NDT approach.

A Study and Analysis on Tritium Radioactivity and Environmental Behavior in Domestic NPPs (국내 원전 삼중수소 방사능 배출 및 환경 거동에 대한 분석 및 고찰)

  • Han, Sang Jun;Lee, Kyeong Jin;Yeom, Jeong Min;Shin, Dae Tewn
    • Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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    • v.40 no.4
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    • pp.267-276
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    • 2015
  • Several analyses on tritium that is the largest release of gas or liquid radioactive waste from domestic PWR and PHWR NPPs were carried out, such as release comparison, directional frequency of wind and tritium behavior changes in environmental samples. First of all, analysis result showed that tritium released from PHWR was more than ten times as gas and double to three times as liquid in comparison to PWR in 2013. Independent release management in NPP units is needed to precisely control and analyze tritium, since there were 2 units of some NPPs having the same amount of release during analysis. In analysis on frequency of wind direction, average range showed 1.7 to 11.5% by 16-point compass. In case of analysis on sampling points by wind direction, Result showed most of the sampling points are right in places. However, There are some areas needed to examine. In analysis on tritium concentration changes in environmental samples, tritium concentration near NPPs was higher than one far away from NPPs. In case of environmental samples far from PWR, a trace of tritium occur. While, tritium concentration near NPPs was more than or equal to one further from PHWR. In conclusion, tritium occurs considerably in PHWR and is lower than standard in samples. but, it is still detected. Therefore, it is needed to strengthen control in system in NPPs and to consistently monitor tritium in environment.

The Effect of Personality Type on Human Performance Tool Compliance and General Recommendations for Enhancement of the its Practical Utilization

  • Lee, Kyung-Sun;Lee, Jong-Hyun;Lee, Yong-Hee
    • Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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    • v.34 no.1
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    • pp.45-62
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    • 2015
  • Objective: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of personality type on human performance tool compliance in nuclear power plants (NPPs) and to propose general recommendations for an enhancement of its practical utilization. Background: Various guidelines, regulating criteria, and recommendations have been developed to prevent human errors in NPPs. Despite these efforts, the accidents sometimes caused by human errors have steadily occurred, and therefore, various human performance tools have been adopted as countermeasures against human errors. The major and inevitable contributing factors among the many hazards to human errors might be the trait and personality, which are considered to be the inner world of humans. Thus, we try to investigate the utilization of human performance tools by considering the different types of operating crew personalities, and we suggested more practical recommendations to prevent human errors according to the personality. Method: We developed the Questionnaire using the Big 6 (HEXACO) models, which are human performance tools for workers in NPPs, and individual (condition) variables to investigate the effect of personality types on human performance tools. We slightly modified them to help the survey respondents understand them better. A survey was conducted for ordinary people over the age of 20. SPSS 22.0 was used to perform a correlation analysis and a hierarchical regression analysis to find the relationship between personality types and human performance tools. Results: The utilization of human performance tools shows significant differences statistically by personality. The correlation result reveals that the types of Honesty (H), Extraversion (X), Conscientiousness (C), and Openness to experience (O) show a higher utilization of human performance tools. In hierarchical regression results, human performance tools of task preview, questioning attitude, stopping when unsure, self-checking, effective communication, and place-keeping show a higher utilization with personality types. However, the Agreeableness (A) type did not show significant differences statistically with human performance tools. Conclusion: We tried to investigate the utilization of human performance tools by considering the different types of human personality and provide more practical recommendations to prevent human errors according to the personality. These results will be able to prevent human errors owing to the characteristics (advantages and disadvantages) of personality types. Application: This information can be utilized as guidelines for proactive recommendations according to the workers' personalities for more practical human performance tools to prevent human errors in an NPP.

Mechanical Properties of Concrete Using Recycled Coarse Aggregate from Nuclear Power Plant Simulated Concrete (원자력발전소 모의 콘크리트로부터 생산된 순환 굵은 골재 활용 콘크리트 역학적 특성)

  • Lee, Seong-Cheol;Shin, Kyung-Joon;Kim, Chang-Lak
    • Journal of the Korean Recycled Construction Resources Institute
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    • v.8 no.2
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    • pp.167-174
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    • 2020
  • Many researches have been conducted to utilize recycled aggregates in Korea, but since most sources of recycled aggregates are not clear, there is a lot of uncertainty in applying the existing research results on recycle of aggregates generated from nuclear power plants. In this study, therefore, in order to investigate the possibility of recycling coarse aggregates generated through dismantling of nuclear power plants in Korea, recycled coarse aggregates were produced from concrete simulating nuclear power plants in Korea. Using the recycled coarse aggregates, concrete was mixed in consideration of the mixing ratio of the recycled coarse aggregates, and the mechanical properties were experimentally investigated. From the test results, as the mixing ratio of recycled coarse aggregates increased. concrete compressive strength, tensile strength, and elastic modulus generally decreased up to 36, 37, and 27% from the mechanical properties of normal concrete, respectively. Therefore, it can be concluded that limitation on the mixing ratio of recycled coarse aggregates is necessary when coarse aggregates are recycled through dismantling of nuclear power plants.

U.S. Policy and Current Practices for Blending Low-Level Radioactive Waste for Disposal (저준위 방사성폐기물의 혼합 관련 미국의 정책과 실제 적용)

  • Kessel, David S.;Kim, Chang-Lak
    • Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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    • v.14 no.3
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    • pp.235-243
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    • 2016
  • In the near future, many countries, including the Republic of Korea, will face a significant increase in low level radioactive waste (LLW) from nuclear power plant decommissioning. The purpose of this paper is to look at blending as a method for enhancing disposal options for low-level radioactive waste from the decommissioning of nuclear reactors. The 2007 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission strategic assessment of the status of the U.S. LLW program identified the need to move to a risk-informed and performance-based regulatory approach for managing LLW. The strategic assessment identified blending waste of varying radionuclide concentrations as a potential means of enhancing options for LLW disposal. The NRC's position is that concentration averaging or blending can be performed in a way that does not diminish the overall safety of LLW disposal. The revised regulatory requirements for blending LLW are presented in the revised NRC Branch Technical Position for Concentration Averaging and Encapsulation (CA BTP 2015). The changes to the CA BTP that are the most significant for NPP operation, maintenance and decommissioning are reviewed in this paper and a potential application is identified for decommissioning waste in Korea. By far the largest volume of LLW from NPPs will come from decommissioning rather than operation. The large volumes in decommissioning present an opportunity for significant gains in disposal efficiency from blending and concentration averaging. The application of concentration averaging waste from a reactor bio-shield is also presented.

Evaluation of Separation Distance from the Temporary Storage Facility for Decontamination Waste to Ensure Public Radiological Safety after Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Accident (후쿠시마 원전 사고 이후 일반인의 방사선학적 안전성 확보를 위한 제염폐기물 임시저장시설 이격거리 평가)

  • Kim, Min Jun;Go, A Ra;Kim, Kwang Pyo
    • Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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    • v.14 no.3
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    • pp.201-209
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    • 2016
  • The object of this study was to evaluate the separation distance from a temporary storage facility satisfying the dose criteria. The calculation of ambient dose rates took into account cover soil thickness, facility size, and facility type by using MCNPX code. Shielding effects of cover soil were 68.9%, 96.9% and 99.7% at 10 cm, 30 cm and 50 cm respectively. The on-ground type of storage facility had the highest ambient dose rate, followed by the semi-ground type and the underground type. The ambient dose rate did not vary with facility size (except $5{\times}5{\times}2m\;size$) due to the self-shielding of decontamination waste in temporary storage. The separation distances without cover soil for a $50{\times}50{\times}2m\;size$ facility were evaluated as 14 m (minimum radioactivity concentration), 33 m (most probably radioactivity concentration), and 57 m (maximum radioactivity concentration) for on-ground storage type, 9 m, 24 m, and 45 m for semi-underground storage type, and 6 m, 16 m, and 31 m for underground storage type.

Biomass and Net Primary Production of Quercus variabilis Natural Forest Ecosystems in Gongju, Pohang, and Yangyang Areas (공주(公州), 포항(浦港), 그리고 양양(襄陽) 지역(地域) 굴참나무 천연림(天然林) 생태계(生態系)의 물질생산(物質生産)에 관(關)한 연구(硏究))

  • Park, Gwan-Soo;Lee, Sung-Woo
    • Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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    • v.90 no.6
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    • pp.692-698
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    • 2001
  • This study has been carried out to estimate aboveground biomass and net primary production(NPP) in an average 41-years-old Quercus variabilis stand of Gongju area, 45-years-old Quercus variabilis stand of Pohang area, and 54-years-old Quercus variabilis stand of Yangyang area. Ten sample trees were cut in each forest and soil samples were collected in July to August, 2000. Estimation for aboveground biomass and net primary production were made by the equation model $Wt=aD^b$ where Wt is oven dry weight in kg and D is DBH in cm. Total aboveground biomass was 91.31ton/ha in Gongju area, 207.6ton/ha in Pohang area, and 71.39ton/ha in Yangyang area. The aboveground biomass 207.6ton/ha in Pohang area is the highest biomass production among the amount of biomass in Quercus variabils stands reported in Korea. The proportion of each tree component to total aboveground biomass was high in order of bolewood, bolebark, branches and leaves in the three forests. Aboveground total net primary production was estimated at 7.8ton/ha in Gongju area, 11.5ton/ha in Pohang area, and 6.40ton/ha in Yangyang area. There were at least 2 times higher total aboveground biomass in Pohang area than in the Gongju and Yangyang areas because of climate difference among the study areas.

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Assessment of Temporal Trend of Radiation Dose to the Public Living in the Large Area Contaminated with Radioactive Materials after a Nuclear Power Plant Accident (원전사고 후 광역의 방사성 오염부지 내 거주민에 대한 시간에 따른 피폭방사선량 평가)

  • Go, A Ra;Kim, Min Jun;Cho, Nam Chan;Seol, Jeung Gun;Kim, Kwang Pyo
    • Journal of Radiation Industry
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    • v.9 no.4
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    • pp.209-216
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    • 2015
  • It has been about 5 years since the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident, which contaminated large area with radioactive materials. It is necessary to assess radiation dose to establish evacuation areas and to set decontamination goal for the large contaminated area. In this study, we assessed temporal trend of radiation dose to the public living in the large area contaminated with radioactive materials after the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident. The dose assessment was performed based on Chernobyl model and RESRAD model for two evacuation lift areas, Kawauchi and Naraha. It was reported that deposition densities in the areas were $4.3{\sim}96kBq\;m^{-2}$ for $^{134}Cs$, $1.4{\sim}300kBq\;m^{-2}$ for $^{137}Cs$, respectively. Radiation dose to the residents depended on radioactive cesium concentrations in the soil, ranging $0.11{\sim}2.4mSv\;y^{-1}$ at Kawauchi area and $0.69{\sim}1.1mSv\;y^{-1}$ at Naraha area in July 2014. The difference was less than 5% in radiation doses estimated by two different models. Radiation dose decreased with calendar time and the decreasing slope varied depending on dose assessment models. Based on the Chernobyl dosimetry model, radiation doses decreased with calendar time to about 65% level of the radiation dose in 2014 after 1 year, 11% level after 10 years, and 5.6% level after 30 years. RESRAD dosimetry model more slowly decreased radiation dose with time to about 85% level after 1 year, 40% level after 10 years, and 15% level after 30 years. The decrease of radiation dose can be mainly attributed into radioactive decays and environmental transport of the radioactive cesium. Only environmental transports of radioactive cesium without consideration of radioactive decays decreased radiation dose additionally 43% after 1 year, 72% after 3 years, 80% after 10 years, and 83% after 30 years. Radiation doses estimated with cesium concentration in the soil based on Chernobyl dosimetry model were compared with directly measured radiation doses. The estimated doses well agreed with the measurement data. This study results can be applied to radiation dose assessments at the contaminated area for radiation safety assurance or emergency preparedness.

Analysis of the Application Method of Cyber Security Control to Develop Regulatory Requirement for Digital Assets in NPP (원전디지털자산 사이버보안 규제 요건 개발을 위한 보안조치 적용 방안에 대한 분석)

  • Kim, In-kyung;Byun, Ye-eun;Kwon, Kook-heui
    • Journal of the Korea Institute of Information Security & Cryptology
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    • v.29 no.5
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    • pp.1077-1088
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    • 2019
  • As the cyber threats of nuclear power plants become more necessary to systematically prepare against the cyber attack, the international community and the domestic government are urged to apply proper security controls for Critical Digital Assets (CDA) through cyber security regulatory guidelines. In this study, we suggests the application of security controls to develop the regulatory requirements of the graded approach through the analysis of domestic and foreign cyber security regulation guidelines and best practices for digital assets directly related to nuclear accidents. In order to apply the regulatory requirements based on the consequence(impact of infringement) of the regulated facility, which is a basic consideration of the graded approach, we will classify two methods and describe details of each method. By reanalyzing existing security controls, it is introduced that the method of demanding digital assets directly related to accident to enhance security controls required for existing CDA or develop additional security controls and requiring minimum security controls for CDA that are not directly related to accident.

Study on the Experiences of Subsurface Soil Remediation at Commercial Nuclear Power Plants in the United States (미국 원전의 심층토양 제염사례 연구)

  • Lee, Hyoung-Woo;Kim, Ju-Youl;Kim, Chang-Lak
    • Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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    • v.17 no.2
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    • pp.213-226
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    • 2019
  • Regulatory agency and licensee are preparing for the site restoration of Kori unit 1, the first commercial NPP in Korea, scheduled for 2031. Developing regulatory guidelines and strategies is essential for effective restoration work. Unfortunately, Korea does not have experience of site restoration of commercial NPPs. Therefore, it is important to review cases from experienced countries to establish a strategy and regulatory standards. The U.S. has had numerous soil remediation experiences using RESRAD and MARSSIM. However, formalized evaluation methodologies for subsurface soil have not yet been established in MARSSIM. This survey focused on subsurface soil remediation by reviewing the five decommissioned NPPs under regulation of the US NRC. Overall process of remediating a contaminated subsurface soil and groundwater was reviewed to identify considerations and lessons that could be applicable in Korea. In addition, an applied methodology for evaluation of contaminated subsurface soil and related major issues between regulatory agency and licensees were reviewed in detail to support establishment of remediation strategy for Kori unit 1.