• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.124-129
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• 2018

Background: Effluent Concentration Limits (ECLs) were re-evaluated via direct calculation using dose coefficients based on radiation protection quantity introduced in Korea and the intrinsic breathing rates of Korean residents. Materials and Methods: The re-evaluated ECLs were compared with the domestic standards given in the Notice of the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC), as well as with ECLs specified in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). Results and Discussion: The relative ratios of the re-evaluated ECLs to the currently applied domestic standards differed depending on the radionuclide type, but it was clearly shown that, for tritium ($^3H$) and radiocarbon ($^{14}C$), which significantly affect radiological dose to the public during the normal operation of nuclear power plants, the re-evaluated ECLs were higher than the domestic standards. This implies that Korean standards are relatively conservative. Conclusion: The re-evaluated results for each age group showed that $^{131}I$ (radioiodine), one of the significant radionuclides, had the lowest values, but nonetheless, the domestic standards for radioiodine were lower than the ECLs given in the CFR and the re-evaluated ECLs via a method given in the CFR.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.73-90
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• 2004

The Reg. Guide 1.109 model was reviewed against its applicability to calculating radionuclide concentrations in agricultural products for operating nuclear facilities and an improved method was proposed. The model was so modified that the radionuclides deposited since the start of operation could be considered in assessing the root uptake. Translocation factors were introduced in the equation for calculating the concentrations in edible parts due to direct plant deposition. Values specific to Korea were set up for the input parameters of the modified model. The concentrations of $^{54}Mn,\;^{60}Co,\;^{90}Sr\;and\;^{137}Cs$ in rice seeds, Chinese cabbage and radish root were calculated for various hypothetical deposition histories using the Reg. Guide 1.109 model and the modified model with parameter values in the guide and those specific to Korea put in alternately. Through comparisons among the results, it could be expected that the use of the modified model with the input of parameter values specific to Korea would result In a more resonable and realistic assessment.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.101-112
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• 1990

For the performance assessment of the radioactive waste disposal system (repository), a biosphere model is suggested. This biosphere model is intended to calculate the annual doses to man caused by the contaminated river water for eight pathways and four radionuclides. This model can also be applied to assess the radiological effects of contaminated well water. To account for the uncertainties on the model parameter values, parameter distributions are assigned to these model parameters. Then, Monte Carlo simulation method with Latin Hypercube sampling technique is used. Also, sensitivity analysis is performed by using the Spearman rank correlation coefficients. It is found that these methods are a very useful tool to treat uncertainties and sensitivities on the model parameter values and to analyze the biosphere model. A conversion factor is proposed to calculate the annual dose rate to humans arising from a unit radionuclide concentration in river water. This conversion factor allows for the substitution of the biosphere model in a probabilistic performance assessment computer code by one single variable.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.127-146
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• 2002

A method of more realistically, predicting radionuclide concentrations in crop plants varying with time after a nuclear accident was established to estimate 50 years' concentrations of $^{90}Sr$ and $^{137}Cs$ in polished rice seeds and Chinese cabbage for unit dry deposition. After non-growing season accidents, concentrations of both nuclides decreased gradually with time and $^{90}Sr$ concentrations were higher than those of $^{137}Cs$ throughout the whole period. Radionuclide concentrations in the 1 st year after growing season accidents were on the whole higher than those after non-growing season accidents by factors of up to 30 for $^{90}Sr$ and up to 1,000 for $^{137}Cs$. In polished rice seeds, the 50 years-integrated concentration was higher for $^{90}Sr$ than for $^{137}Cs$ after non-growing season accidents, whereas the opposite was true after growing season accidents. In Chinese cabbage. however, it was higher for $^{90}Sr$ than for $^{137}Cs$ after both types of the accident. Generally speaking, the dominant pathway for the integrated concentration after the growing season accident was root uptake for $^{90}Sr$ and direct plant contamination for $^{137}Cs$. The effect of resuspension was negligible. Based on the predicted results. the direct]on of planning countermeasures was suggested for various accident conditions.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.223-230
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• 2015

The objective of this study is to identify the radionuclide distribution in public water by carrying out the analysis of artificial radionuclides($^{134}Cs$, $^{137}Cs$, $^{239+240}Pu$), natural radionuclide($^{210}Pb$) and TOC in the lake Euiam sediment in Chuncheon, South Korea. The $^{134}Cs$ concentration in all lake sediments showed below MDA values, and the $^{137}Cs$ concentration in lake sediment were ranged from MDA to $8.79Bq{\cdot}kg^{-1}-dry$. The $^{137}Cs$ concentrations in surface sediment were reported to be 2.4 to $4.2Bq{\cdot}kg^{-1}-dry$. The lowest concentration of $^{137}Cs$ was reported at St. 4 and the highest concentration was reported at St. 3, respectively. The $^{239+240}Pu$ concentration in lake sediment were ranged from 0.049 to $0.47Bq{\cdot}kg^{-1}-dry$. The lowest concentration was reported at St. 2 and the highest concentration was reported at St. 3. The correlation(r) between the $^{239+240}Pu$ concentration and $^{137}Cs$ concentration in lake sediment presented higher values (0.54 to 0.97) and this suggests the behavior and origin of $^{137}Cs$ is identical to the $^{239+240}Pu$ in the sediment. The $^{134}Cs$ concentration below MDA value and the $^{239+240}Pu/^{137}Cs$ ratio(mean value of 0.041) indicated that the artificial radionuclides in the sediment were originated from global fallout by the atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons conducted by former USSR and U.S.A, but not from the Fukushima Daiichi NPP accident. The sedimentation rate derived from $^{210}Pb$ age-dating method at St. 2 is calculated to be $0.31{\pm}0.06cm{\cdot}y^{-1}$. This value is similar to the value ($0.41{\pm}0.05cm{\cdot}y^{-1}$) estimated from the $^{137}Cs$ maximum peak produced from early 1960's. The content of TOC in lake Euiam sediments varied from 0.20 to 13.01%. While the highest correlation between TOC and $^{137}Cs$ concentration in the sediment were found at St. 1, the others presented the low correlation.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.7
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• pp.2452-2457
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• 2024

To obtain site-specific values of the Derived Concentration Guideline Levels (DCGLs) for decommissioning of KRR-1&2, the soil density and distribution coefficient values for Cs-137, a major contaminant radionuclide, were determined. The soil density was evaluated according to the test method established by the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards of the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy (KATS). The distribution coefficient was evaluated using a batch test. The validity of using the evaluated soil density and distribution coefficient as site-specific values was assessed through radiation dose assessment reflecting these values. Average soil density value obtained was 1.738 g/cm³, which was within the typical range of normal soil density, 1.0-1.8 g/cm³. The average distribution coefficient value was 7,754 mL/g. Applying the maximum, average, and minimum values of the evaluated soil density and distribution coefficient showed similar radiation dose results, thus suggesting that it is reasonable to use the average values of each parameter as site-specific values. Findings of this study can help determine DCGLs that reflect the characteristics of the research reactor site.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.257-264
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• 2017

For the safe disposal of intermediate level radioactive waste according to the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission's notice and KORAD's management plan for low and intermediate level radioactive waste, the disposal concentration limit was derived based on the IAEA methodology. The evaluation of the derived disposal concentration limit revealed that it is not suitable as a practical limit for intermediate level radioactive waste. This is because the disposal concentration limit according to the IAEA methodology is derived using a single value of radioactive waste density and the disposal facility's volume. The IAEA methodology is suitable for setting the concentration limit for vault type disposal, which consists of a single type of waste, whereas an underground silo type disposal facility is composed of several types of radioactive waste, and thus the IAEA methodology has limitations in determining the disposal concentration limit. It is necessary to develop and apply an improved method to derive the disposal concentration limit for intermediate level radioactive waste by considering the radioactivity of various types of radioactive waste, the corresponding scenario evaluation results, and the regulatory limit.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.102-107
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• 2012

Purpose : Because of the rapid physical decay of the short half-lived radionuclide, counting of event for image is very limited. In this reason, long scan duration is applied for more accurate quantitative analysis in the relatively low sensitive examination. The aim of this study was to evaluate the difference according to scan duration and investigate the resonable scan duration using the radionuclide of 11C and 18F in PET scan. Materials and Methods : 1994-NEMA Phantom was filled with 11C of $30.08{\pm}4.22MBq$ and 18F of $40.08{\pm}8.29MBq$ diluted with distilled water. Dynamic images were acquired 20frames/1minute and static image was acquired for 20minutes with 11C. And dynamic images were acquired 20frames/2.5minutes and static image was acquired for 50minutes with 18F. All of data were applied with same reconstruction method and time decay correction. Region of interest (ROI) was set on the image, maximum radioactivity concentration (maxRC, kBq/mL) was compared. We compared maxRC with acquired dynamic image which was summed one bye one to increase the total scan duration. Results : maxRC over time of 11C was $3.85{\pm}0.45{\sim}5.15{\pm}0.50kBq/mL$ in dynamic image, and static image was $2.15{\pm}0.26kBq/mL$. In case of 18F, the maxRC was $9.09{\pm}0.42{\sim}9.48{\pm}0.31kBq/mL$ in dynamic image and $7.24{\pm}0.14kBq/mL$ in static. In summed image of 11C, as total scan duration was increased to 5, 10, 15, 20minutes, the maxRC were $2.47{\pm}0.4$, $2.22{\pm}0.37$, $2.08{\pm}0.42$, $1.95{\pm}0.55kBq/mL$ respectively. In case of 18F, the total scan duration was increased to 12.5, 25, 37.5, and 50minutes, the maxRC were $7.89{\pm}0.27$, $7.61{\pm}0.23$, $7.36{\pm}0.21$, $7.31{\pm}0.23kBq/mL$. Conclusion : As elapsed time was increased after completion of injection, the maxRC was increased by 33% and 4% in dynamic study of 11C and 18F respectively. Also the total scan duration was increased, the maxRC was reduced by 50% and 20% in summed image of 11C and 18F respectively. The percentage difference of each result is more larger in study using relatively shorter half-lived radionuclide. It appears that the accuracy of decay correction declined not only increment of scan duration but also increment of elapsed time from a starting point of acquisition. In study using 18F, there was no big difference so it's not necessary to consider error of quantitative evaluation according to elapsed time. It's recommended to apply additional decay correction method considering decay correction the error concerning elapsed time or to set the scan duration of static image less than 5minutes corresponding 25% of half life in study using shorter half-lived radionuclide as 11C.

• 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.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.867-874
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• 2009

Solubility of a radionuclide is important for defining the release source term of a radioactive waste in the safety and performance assessments of a radioactive waste repository. When the pH and redox potential of the KURT groundwater were changed by an electrical method, the concentrations of uranium and thorium released from $UO_2$(cr) and $ThO_2$(cr) at alkali pH(8.1 ${\sim}$ 11.4) and reducing potential (Eh < -0.2 V) conditions were less than $10^{-7}mole/L$. Unexpectedly, the concentration of tetravalent thorium is slightly higher than that of uranium at pH = 8.1 and Eh= -0.2 V conditions, and this difference may be due to the formation of hydroxide-carbonate complex ions. When $UO_2$(s) and $UO_2$(am, hyd.), and $ThO_2$(s) and $Th(OH)_4(am)$ were assumed as solubility limiting solid phases, the concentrations of uranium and thorium in the KURT groundwater calculated by the PHREEQC code were comparable to the experimental results. The dominating aqueous species of uranium and thorium were presumed as $UO_2(CO_3)_3^{4-}$ and $Th(OH)_3CO_3^-$ at pH = 8.1 ${\sim}$ 9.8, and $UO_2(OH)_3^-$ and $Th(OH)_4(aq)$ at pH = 11.4.