• 한국방사성폐기물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국방사성폐기물학회 2003년도 가을 학술논문집
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• pp.406-410
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• 2003

DUPIC 핵연료 제조시설은 PWR 사용후핵연료를 건식 재가공하여 CANDU 형 핵연료를 제조하는 시설이다. DUPIC 시설과 같이 사용후핵연료를 취급하는 시설에서 핵물질 안전조치를 위해 적용되는 연속 무인 감시시스템은 많은 양의 영상 및 방사선 감시 데이터를 생산하게 되며, 이러한 자료로부터 핵물질의 전용 여부를 분석하기 위해서는 상당한 시간과 인력이 소요된다. 따라서 핵물질 취급시설에서의 감시시스템은 시설로부터 취득한 감시 데이터를 자동적으로 검토ㆍ분석하여 비정상적인 상황을 추출해 낼 수 있는 기능이 요구된다. 이 연구에서는 이러한 관점에서 영상 및 방사선 데이터를 자동 분석할 수 있는 신경망을 이용한 지능형 핵물질 감시시스템을 개발하였다. DUPIC 시설의 안전조치를 위해 개발한 동 핵물질 감시시스템은 수차례의 성능 시험을 거쳐, 현재 시설에 설치되어 정상적으로 운영 중에 있다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제27권3호
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• pp.447-452
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• 1995

경·중수로 연계 핵연료 주기 (Direct Use of Spent PWR Fuel in CANDU : DUPIC ) 기술개발의 핵물질 보장조치(Safeguards)는 경수로 사용후 핵연료를 중수로에 재 활용하기 위한 DUPIC 공정에 대한 최적 보장조치 시스템을 구축하여, 국제 원자력 기구(IAEA) 및 국제 원자력 사회에서 핵 투명성확보 및 신뢰도를 향상시키는 것을 기술개발의 목적으로 하고 있다. DUPIC 공정은 고립된 차폐시설내의 고준위 방사선장 하에서 가동되므로 타 시설에 비해 핵 물질 전용 가능성은 희박하지만, 전 공정이 원격제어 되야 하고, 조업조건이 정복해야 하므로 기존의 보장조치 기술보다 더욱 발전된 계량관리시스템, 측정시스템 및 감시시스템 등을 개발하여야 한다. 이를 위해 본 연구에서는 각 항목에 대한 요소 분석 및 각 항목별 향후 연구방향에 대해 분석하였다. DUPIC 공정 전반에 대한 핵물질 계량관리를 위해 물질수지구역 (Material Balance Area : MBA) 및 주요측정 지점 (Key Measurement Point : KMP )을 설정하여 각 측정지점별 측정방법 및 재고검증(Inventory Verification) 방법을 분석하였다. 최적 측정시스템을 개발하기 위해 적용 가능한 비파괴분석 방법들을 분석한 결과, 핵분열성 물질 함량을 정량적으로 측정할 수 있는 수동적 중성자 측정법이 가장 적합하다는 결론을 얻었다. 또한, 감시시스템을 개발하기 위해 전용전략의 주요 요소 및 전용경로 등을 분석하였으며, 핵물질 및 시설에 대한 물리적 방호체제를 DUPIC시설에 적용하기 위하여 물리적 방호에 필요한 방호체제 요소를 분석하여 DUPIC 시설을 위한 가상적인 방호체제를 구축하였다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제39권6호
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• pp.691-696
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• 2007

Nuclear energy programs around the world increasingly find themselves at the nexus of potentially conflicting demands from both domestic and international stakeholders. On one side, the rapid growth in demand for electricity coupled with the goal of reducing carbon emissions calls for a significant expansion of nuclear energy. On the other, stakeholders are seeking ever greater safety, environmental, security, and nonproliferation assurances before consenting to the construction of new nuclear energy facilities. Satisfying the demand for clean energy supplies will require nuclear energy operators to find new and innovative ways to build confidence among stakeholders. This paper discusses two related concepts which can contribute to meeting the needs of key stakeholders in cost effective and efficient ways. Structured processes and tools for assessing stakeholder needs can build trust and confidence while facilitating the "designing-in" of information collection systems for new facilities to achieve maximum efficiency and effectiveness. Integrated approaches to monitoring facilities and managing the resulting data can provide stakeholders with continued confidence while offering operators additional facility and process information to improve performance.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• 제45권4호
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• pp.147-153
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• 2020

Background: Malawi's 2018 National Energy Policy includes nuclear power as an energy option with an operational 100 MW targeted for 2035. Materials and Methods: This paper challenges the scope of the policy on nuclear power by reviewing its implementation strategy and comparing it to: the strategy established for coal in the same policy; some experiences from other countries; and documents by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) relating to establishing a national position on nuclear power and infrastructural requirements for a nuclear power program. Results and Discussion: It is found that the pro-nuclear position is uninformed, and targets are unrealistic owing to a lack of understanding of nature of nuclear power including the requirements for safety, security and safeguards, and nuclear infrastructure. It is apparent that neither consultation nor a proper analysis were comprehensively conducted for nuclear. Though the national energy policy suggests a national position for nuclear energy, the content does not demonstrate that the position was arrived at knowledgeably. Conclusion: Thus, nuclear power may presently be viewed as a potential energy option that is yet to be seriously considered. It is important to build an appropriate level of literacy on nuclear science and technology for policy makers, key stakeholders, and the public to be better positioned for strategizing on nuclear power.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제53권5호
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• pp.1652-1657
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• 2021

Nuclear materials can be utilized not only for peaceful uses, but also for military purposes; hence, the international community has devoted itself to the control, management and safeguarding of nuclear materials. Nuclear materials are of varying degrees of usability for development of nuclear weapons. Thus, several methods for assessing the attractiveness of nuclear materials for nuclear weapons purposes have been proposed. When these methods are applied to unirradiated depleted, natural, and low-enriched uranium (DU, NU, and LEU), they are certainly classified as non-attractive nuclear materials. However, when nuclear material attractiveness is to be evaluated for potential radiological dispersal device (RDD) uses, it is required to develop a different method for the different aspects and factors. In the present study, we derived a novel method for evaluating nuclear material attractiveness for use in RDD development. To this end, the specific activity and dose coefficient were identified as the two sub-factors, and, in consideration of those, the mass causing detrimental health effects was determined to be the main factor impacting on nuclear materials attractiveness. Based on this factor, the attractiveness of unirradiated DU, NU, and LEU for RDD use was qualitatively compared with that of ¹³⁷Cs.

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• 제4권3호
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• pp.51-54
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• 2013

Isotopic analysis using thermal ionization mass spectrometry coupled with scanning electron microscopy (SEM-TIMS) was performed to determine the isotopic ratios of uranium contained in micro-particles in the 6th Nuclear Signatures Interlaboratory Measurement Evaluation Programme (NUSIMEP-6) sample. Elemental analysis by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) was conducted on uranium-bearing mirco-particles, which were transferred to rhenium filaments for TIMS loading using a micromanipulation system in a SEM. A multi-ion-counter system was utilized to detect the ion signals of the four isotopes of uranium simultaneously. The isotope ratios of uranium corrected by bracketing using a reference material showed excellent agreement with the certified values. The measurement accuracy for $n(^{234}U)/n(^{238}U)$ and (b) $n(^{235}U)/n(^{238}U)$ was 10% and 1%, respectively, which met the requirements for qalification for the NetWork of Analytical Laboratories (NWAL).

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제37권3호
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• pp.273-278
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• 2005

Key concepts in South Korean nuclear safety regulation are safety and risk. Nuclear regulation in South Korea has required reactor designs and safeguards that reduce the risk of a major accident to less than one in a million reactor-years-a risk supposedly low enough to be acceptable. To date, in South Korean nuclear safety regulation has involved the establishment of many technical standards to enable administration enforcement. In scientific lawsuits in which the legal issue is the validity of specialized technical standards that are used for judge whether a particular nuclear power plant is to be licensed, the concept of uncertainty law is often raised with regard to what extent the examination and judgment by the judicial power affects a discretion made by the administrative office. In other words, the safety standards for nuclear power plants has been adapted as a form of the scientific technical standards widely under the idea of uncertainty law. Thus, the improvement of nuclear safety regulation in South Korea seems to depend on the rational lawmaking and a reasonable, judicial examination of the scientific standards on nuclear safety.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제56권7호
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• pp.2666-2675
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• 2024

This study explores the potential for tritium production in North Korea's 5MWe graphite-moderated reactor, a facility primarily associated with nuclear weapons material production. While existing research on these reactors has largely centered on plutonium, our focus shifts to tritium, a crucial element in boosted fission bombs. Utilizing the MCNP6 code for simulations, the results estimate that North Korea can possibly produce approximately 7-12 g of tritium annually. This translates to the potential production of 1-3 boosted fission bombs each year. By incorporating tritium production into assessments of North Korea's nuclear capabilities, our methodology provides insights into the dynamics of the country's nuclear force, revealing a more diversified and complex composition than previously assumed. The findings significantly aid policymakers, regulatory bodies, and researchers in comprehending potential proliferation risks associated with graphite-moderated reactors and in developing strategies to address the nuclear threat emanating from North Korea.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제37권3호
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• pp.207-220
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• 2005

Nuclear power plants (NPP) are complex socio-technological systems that rely on the success of both hardware and human components. Empirical studies of plant operating experience show that human errors are important contributors to accidents and incidents, and that organizational factors play an important role in creating contexts for human errors. Current probabilistic safety assessments (PSA) do not explicitly model the systematic contribution of organizational factors to safety. As some countries, like the United States, are moving towards increased use of risk information in the regulation and operation of nuclear facilities, PSA quality has been identified as an area for improvement. The modeling of human errors, and underlying organizational weaknesses at the root of these errors, are important sources of uncertainty in existing PSAs and areas of on-going research. This paper presents a review of research into the following questions: Is there evidence that organizational factors are important to NPP safety? How do organizations contribute to safety in NPP operations? And how can these organizational contributions be captured more explicitly in PSA? We present a few past incidents that illustrate the potential safety implications of organizational deficiencies, some mechanisms by which organizational factors contribute to NPP risk, and some of the methods proposed in the literature for performing root-cause analyses and including organizational factors in PSA.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제51권2호
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• pp.510-517
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• 2019

Increasing proliferation resistance of plutonium by way of increased $^{238}Pu$ content is of interest to the nuclear nonproliferation and international safeguards community. Considering the high alpha decay heat of $^{238}Pu$, increasing the isotopic fraction leads to a noticeably higher amount of heat generation within the plutonium. High heat generation is especially unattractive in the scenario of weaponization. Upon weaponization of the plutonium, the plutonium may generate enough heat to elevate the temperature in the high explosives to above its self-explosion temperature, rendering the weapon useless. In addition, elevated temperatures will cause thermal expansion in the components of a nuclear explosive device that may produce thermal stresses high enough to produce failure in the materials, reducing the effectiveness of the weapon. Understanding the technical limit of $^{238}Pu$ required to reduce the possibility of weaponization is key to reducing the current limit on safeguarded plutonium (greater than 80 at. % $^{238}Pu$). The plutonium vector evaluated in this study was found by simulating public information on Lightbridge's fuel design for pressurized water reactors. This study explores the temperature profile and maximum stress within a simple (first generation design) hypothetical nuclear explosive device of four unique scenarios over time. Analyzing the transient development of both the temperature profile and maximum stress not only establishes a technical limit on the $^{238}Pu$ content, but also establishes a time limit for which each scenario would be useable.