• 방사성폐기물학회지
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• 제21권2호
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• pp.225-234
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• 2023

In the design of HLW repositories, it is important to confirm the performance and safety of buffer materials at high temperatures. Most existing models for predicting hydraulic conductivity of bentonite buffer materials have been derived using the results of tests conducted below 100℃. However, they cannot be applied to temperatures above 100℃. This study suggests a prediction model for the hydraulic conductivity of bentonite buffer materials, valid at temperatures between 100℃ and 125℃, based on different test results and values reported in literature. Among several factors, dry density and temperature were the most relevant to hydraulic conductivity and were used as important independent variables for the prediction model. The effect of temperature, which positively correlates with hydraulic conductivity, was greater than that of dry density, which negatively correlates with hydraulic conductivity. Finally, to enhance the prediction accuracy, a new parameter reflecting the effect of dry density and temperature was proposed and included in the final prediction model. Compared to the existing model, the predicted result of the final suggested model was closer to the measured values.

• 방사선산업학회지
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• 제10권4호
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• pp.173-179
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• 2016

Coals and coal ashes, raw materials and by-products, in coal-fired power plants contain naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM). They may give rise to internal exposure to workers due to inhalation of airborne particulates containing radioactive materials. It is necessary to characterize radioactivity concentrations of the materials for assessment of radiation dose to the workers. The objective of the present study was to analyze radioactivity concentrations of coals and by-products at four coal-fired plants in Korea. High purity germanium detector was employed for analysis of uranium series, thorium series, and potassium 40 in the materials. Radioactivity concentrations of $^{226}Ra$, $^{228}Ra$, and $^{40}K$ were $2{\sim}53Bq\;kg^{-1}$, $3{\sim}64Bq\;kg^{-1}$, and $14{\sim}431Bq\;kg^{-1}$ respectively in coal samples. For coal ashes, the radioactivity concentrations were $77{\sim}133Bq\;kg^{-1}$, $77{\sim}105Bq\;kg^{-1}$, and $252{\sim}372Bq\;kg^{-1}$ in fly ash samples and $54{\sim}91Bq\;kg^{-1}$, $46{\sim}83Bq\;kg^{-1}$, and $205{\sim}462Bq\;kg^{-1}$ in bottom ash samples. For flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum, the radioactivity concentrations were $3{\sim}5Bq\;kg^{-1}$, $2{\sim}3Bq\;kg^{-1}$, and $22{\sim}47Bq\;kg^{-1}$. Radioactivity was enhanced in coal ash compared with coal due to combustion of organic matters in the coal. Radioactivity enhancement factors for $^{226}Ra$, $^{228}Ra$, and $^{40}K$ were 2.1~11.3, 2.0~13.1, and 1.4~7.4 for fly ash and 2.0~9.2, 2.0~10.0, 1.9~7.7 for bottom ash. The database established in this study can be used as basic data for internal dose assessment of workers at coal-fired power plants. In addition, the findings can be used as a basic data for development of safety standard and guide of Natural Radiation Safety Management Act.

• 제어로봇시스템학회:학술대회논문집
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• 제어로봇시스템학회 2003년도 ICCAS
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• pp.2467-2470
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• 2003

In this paper, fault tolerant mechanisms are presented for a servo manipulator system designed to operate in a hot cell. A hot cell is a sealed and shielded room to handle radioactive materials, and it is dangerous for people to work in the hot cell. So, remote operations are necessary to handle radioactive materials in the hot cell. KAERI has developed a servo manipulator system to perform such remote operations. However, since electric components such as servo motors are weak to radiations, fault tolerant mechanisms have to be considered. For fault tolerance of the servo manipulator system, hardware and software redundancy have been considered. In case of hardware, radioactive resistant electric components such as cables and connectors have been adopted and motors driving a transport have been duplicated. In case of software, a reconfiguration algorithm accommodating one motor's failure has been developed. The algorithm uses redundant axis to recover the end effector's motion in spite of one motor's failure.

• 대한기계학회:학술대회논문집
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• 대한기계학회 2003년도 추계학술대회
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• pp.1464-1469
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• 2003

In this paper, fault tolerant mechanisms are presented for a servo manipulator system designed to operate in a hot cell. A hot cell is a sealed and shielded room to handle radioactive materials, and it is dangerous for people to work in the hot cell. So, remote operations are necessary to handle the radioactive materials in the hot cell. KAERI has developed a servo manipulator system to perform such remote operations. However, since electric components such as servo motors are weakened with radiation, fault tolerant mechanisms have to be considered. For fault tolerance of the servo manipulator system, hardware and software redundancy has been considered. In the case of hardware, radioactive resistant electric components such as cables and connectors have been adopted and motors driving a transport have been duplicated. In case of software, a reconfiguration algorithm accommodating one motor's failure has been developed. The algorithm uses redundant axes to recover the end effector's motion in spite of one motor's failure.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제53권7호
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• pp.2195-2206
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• 2021

In order to mitigate the damage caused by accidents in nuclear power plants (NPPs), evacuation strategies are usually managed on the basis of off-site effects such as the diffusion of radioactive materials and evacuee traffic simulations. However, the interactive behavior between evacuees and the accident environment has a significant effect on the consequential gap. Agent-based modeling (ABM) is a method that can control and observe such interactions by establishing agents (i.e., the evacuees) and patches (i.e., the accident environments). In this paper, a radiological emergency evacuation model is constructed to realistically check the effectiveness of an evacuation strategy using NetLogo, an ABM toolbox. Geographic layers such as radiation sources, roads, buildings, and shelters were downloaded from an official geographic information system (GIS) of Korea, and were modified into respective patches. The dispersion model adopted from the puff equation was also modified to fit the patches on the geographic layer. The evacuees were defined as vehicle agents and a traffic model was implemented by combining the shortest path search (determined by an A ^* algorithm) and a traffic flow model incorporated in the Nagel-Schreckenberg cellular automata model. To evaluate the radiological harm to the evacuees due to the spread of radioactive materials, a simple exposure model was established to calculate the overlap fraction between the agents and the dispersion patches. This paper aims to demonstrate that the potential of ABM can handle disaster evacuation strategies more realistically than previous approaches.

• 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.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제31권1호
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• pp.9-16
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• 1999

A 330 MWt-sized multi-purpose integral-type reactor, SMART is under development in Korea for the use of nuclear energy other than electricity generation. In this study, various radioactive source terms are estimated for SMART. SMART is different from conventional reactor concepts in operation and design. Therefore Specific Calculation method namely recurrence model is used. This model is based on the change rate in the RC radioactivity materials and operational characteristics of SMART Calculation results show tremendously increase of the levels of RC activity because no cleanup of RC and long term operation.

• 한국재료학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국재료학회 2003년도 춘계학술발표강연 및 논문개요집
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• pp.232-232
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• 2003

• 한국자기학회:학술대회 개요집
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• 한국자기학회 2008년도 Asian Magnetics Conference
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• pp.245.2-245.2
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• 2008

• 한국방사성폐기물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국방사성폐기물학회 2003년도 가을 학술논문집
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• pp.109-116
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• 2003

국내 원자력 산업의 급속한 성장과 더불어 하나로 시설의 본격적인 가동 및 핵연료주기시험과 관련한 연구의 증가로 인하여 방사성폐기물의 발생량 및 누적량이 지속적으로 증가될 전망이며, 이에 따라 방사성폐기물의 안전성 확보 및 감용 처리를 위한 노력이 더욱 강조되고 있다. 조사후시험시설에서는 원자력발전소에서 발생하는 사용후핵연료봉의 결함원인 규명과 건전성 평가를 위한 조사후시험을 수행하고 있으며, 본 연구에서는 조사후시험시설에 설치되어 있는 방사성고체폐기물 처리설비를 활용하여 조사후시험에서 발생하는 폐기물의 압축, 파쇄, 절단기술 및 경험사례에 대하여 기술하였다. 고준위 방사성고체폐기물 처리는 특수 제작하여 핫셀에 설치되어 있는 100톤 압축기로 방사성고체폐기물을 압축하여 폐기물의 양을 1/12정도로 감용 처리하였으며, 중ㆍ저 위 방사성고체폐기물은 인터벤션에 설치된 60톤 압축기를 사용하여 가연성폐기물을 1/8정도로 압축 감용 처리하였다. 폐플라스틱 통은 파쇄기를 사용하여 절단처리 함으로써 1/5, 폐 필터는 1/6의 감용 비를 얻었으며, 비 가연성물질인 금속류 물질 또한 절단 처리하여 드럼의 양을 줄일 수 있었다.