• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.10
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• pp.3949-3956
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• 2022

Kori Unit 1 is planning a system decontamination project to reduce radiation exposure of decommissioning workers, prevent the spread of contamination and down-grade the level of classification of radioactive waste. The system decontamination range for Kori Unit 1 will be the entire primary system, including RCS, CVCS and RHRS. Some system design modifications are required for the system decontamination operation. In this paper, major system design modifications were evaluated based on the conditions that system restoration is needed after completion of system decontamination. The major system design modifications are CIDF connection location to system, system decontamination operating pressure control, RCP seal water injection and formation of letdown flow. It was evaluated that there was no negative effect on the system due to the system design modifications. However, as the RCP seal water is injected into the system in the oxidation process, the concentration of the oxidizing agent is diluted. Therefore, the oxidizing agent injection and system decontamination operation procedures should be developed to address the dilution effect of the oxidizing agent. The system design modifications dealt in this paper will be finally confirmed through on-site investigation in the future, and if necessary, the system design modifications will be re-evaluated.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.389-396
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• 2018

The Kori-1 Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), WH 2-Loop Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) operated for approximately 40 years in Korea, was permanently ceased on June 18, 2017. To reduce worker exposure to radiation by reducing the dose rate in the system before starting main decommissioning activities, the permanently ceased Kori-1 NPP will be subjected to full system decontamination. Generally, the range of system decontamination includes Reactor Pressure Vessels (RPV), Pressurizer (PZR), Steam Generators (SG), Chemical & Volume Control System (CVCS), Residual Heat Removal System (RHRS), and Reactor Coolant System (RCS) piping. In order to decontaminate these systems and equipment in an effective manner, it is necessary to evaluate the influence of the flow characteristics in the RCS during the decontamination period. There are various methods of providing circulating flow rate to the system decontamination. In this paper, the flow characteristics in Kori-1 NPP reactor coolant according to RHR pump operation were evaluated. The evaluation results showed that system decontamination using an RHR pump was not effective at decontamination due first to impurities deposited in piping and equipment, and second to the extreme flow unbalance in the RCS caused deposition of impurities.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.419-429
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• 2023

Ultraviolet C (UV-C, 200-280 nm) light has germicidal properties that inactivate a wide range of pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms. UV-C has been extensively studied as an alternative to thermal decontamination of fruit juices. Recent studies suggest that the efficacy of UV-C irradiation in reducing microorganisms in fruit juices is greatly dependent on the characteristics of the target microorganisms, juice matrices, and parameters of the UV-C treatment procedure, such as equipment and processing. Based on evidence from recent studies, this review describes how the characteristics of target microorganisms (e.g., type of microorganism/strain, acid adaptation, physiological states, single/composite inoculum, spore, etc.) and fruit juice matrices (e.g., UV absorbance, UV transmittance, turbidity, soluble solid content, pH, color, etc.) affect the efficacy of UV-C. We also discuss the influences on UV-C treatment efficacy of parameters, including UV-C light source, reactor conditions (e.g., continuous/batch, size, thickness, volume, diameter, outer case, configuration/arrangement), pumping/flow system conditions (e.g., sample flow rate and pattern, sample residence time, number of cycles), homogenization conditions (e.g., continuous flow/recirculation, stirring, mixing), and cleaning capability of the reactor. The collective facts indicate the immense potential of UV-C irradiation in the fruit juice industry. Existing drawbacks need to be addressed in future studies before the technique is applicable at the industrial scale.

• 제어로봇시스템학회:학술대회논문집
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• 1997.10a
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• pp.8-10
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• 1997

In recent years, the metal industry has become increasingly aware of an unwanted component in metal scrap-radioactive material. Worldwide, there have 38 instances where radioactive sources were unintentionally smelted in the course of recycling metal scrap. In some cases contaminated metal consumer products were distributed internationally. U.S. mill that have smelted a radioactive source face costs resulting from decontamination, waste disposal, and lost profits that range from 7 to 23 million U.S. dollars for each case. Despite radiation monitoring system does not provide 100% protection, POSCO has developed the system for the first time in the steel industry of KOREA.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.212-221
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• 2013

Objectives: Asbestos fibers are accumulated in negative pressure unit (NPU) or vacuum cleaner in asbestos removal. Failure of operation or poor use performance of the NPU or vacuum cleaner causes asbestos fibers to spread in the air. Asbestos contractors should have an NPU fitted with a HEPA , vacuum cleaner, decontamination area, respirators, wetting equipment, and differential pressure manometer to register with the Ministry of Employment and Labor. There should be performance criteria of equipment used in asbestos removal. But there are none such criteria used in asbestos removal. This study was performed to investigate international or national performance criteria of equipment used in asbestos removal. Methods: Regulations, approved code of practice, guidance and national standards of the UK, USA and Korea were reviewed. A survey was done to investigate the requirements for equipment used in asbestos removal in Korea. Results: Air flow of NPUs used in Korea usually covers from$500m^3/h$ to over $3000m^3/h$. Some requirements for NPUs used in Korea were missing compared to the requirements of British standards for NPUs. All NPUs have different missing requirements. The UK also has separate British standard for leak tests for NPUs. Highly hazardous class vacuum cleaners should be used in asbestos removal in the UK. It has national standards on the operation of vacuum cleaners used in asbestos removal. There is only a certification system for less than 2.5kw rated voltage vacuum cleaners for home use in Korea. Powered (-assisted) respirators with mask are recommended in asbestos removal. Type 5 coveralls should be used in asbestos removal in the UK. There are international standards for requirements and leak tests of type 5 coveralls. A manometer for measuring differential pressure is needed in asbestos removal. The manometer's measuring range should cover less than ${\pm}125$ Pa and the gradation of manometer should be less than 2.5 Pa. The definition of decontamination area should be corrected. Installation of airlock and minimum area should be considered in decontamination area. Conclusions: Equipment should be used in asbestos removal proper performance and no leaks. There should be a certification system for equipment used in asbestos removal. This study can help to a certification system for equipment used in asbestos removal in Korea.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.51 no.8
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• pp.1957-1963
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• 2019

A UVC photo-Fenton advanced oxidation process (AOP) was studied to develop a process for the decomposition of oxalic acid waste generated in the chemical decontamination of nuclear power plants. The oxalate decomposition behavior was investigated by using a UVC photo-Fenton reactor system with a recirculation tank. The effects of the three operational variables-UVC irradiation, H₂O₂ and Fenton reagent-on the oxalate decomposition behavior were experimentally studied, and the behavior of the decomposition product, CO₂, was observed. UVC irradiation of oxalate resulted in vigorous CO₂ bubbling, and the irradiation dose was thought to be a rate-determining variable. Based on the above results, the oxalate decomposition kinetics were investigated from the viewpoint of radical formation, propagation, and termination reactions. The proposed UVC irradiation density model, expressed by the first-order reaction of oxalate with the same amount of H₂O₂ consumption, satisfactorily predicted the oxalate decomposition behavior, irrespective of the circulate rate in the reactor system within the experimental range.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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• v.23 no.12
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• pp.1535-1541
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• 2019

To carry out safe and rapid decontamination in radiological accident areas, acquisition of various information on radiation sources is needed. In particular, to figure out the location and distribution of radiation sources is essential for rapid follow-up and removal of contaminants as well as minimizing worker damage. The radiation distribution detection device is used to obtain the position and distribution information of the radiation source. In the case of a radiation distribution detection device, a detection sensor unit is generally composed of a single sensor, and the detection range is limited due to the physical characteristics of the single sensor. We applied a calibration detector for controlling the detection sensitivity of a single sensor for radiation detection and improved the limited detection range of radiation dose rate. Also, gamma irradiation test confirmed the improvement of radiation distribution detection range.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.11-25
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• 2015

The accident at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in March 2011, caused by an earthquake and a subsequent tsunami, resulted in a failure of the power systems that are needed to cool the reactors at the plant. The accident progression in the absence of heat removal systems caused Units 1-3 to undergo fuel melting. Containment pressurization and hydrogen explosions ultimately resulted in the escape of radioactivity from reactor containments into the atmosphere and ocean. Problems in containment venting operation, leakage from primary containment boundary to the reactor building, improper functioning of standby gas treatment system (SGTS), unmitigated hydrogen accumulation in the reactor building were identified as some of the reasons those added-up in the severity of the accident. The Fukushima accident not only initiated worldwide demand for installation of adequate control and mitigation measures to minimize the potential source term to the environment but also advocated assessment of the existing mitigation systems performance behavior under a wide range of postulated accident scenarios. The uncertainty in estimating the released fraction of the radionuclides due to the Fukushima accident also underlined the need for comprehensive understanding of fission product behavior as a function of the thermal hydraulic conditions and the type of gaseous, aqueous, and solid materials available for interaction, e.g., gas components, decontamination paint, aerosols, and water pools. In the light of the Fukushima accident, additional experimental needs identified for hydrogen and fission product issues need to be investigated in an integrated and optimized way. Additionally, as more and more passive safety systems, such as passive autocatalytic recombiners and filtered containment venting systems are being retrofitted in current reactors and also planned for future reactors, identified hydrogen and fission product issues will need to be coupled with the operation of passive safety systems in phenomena oriented and coupled effects experiments. In the present paper, potential hydrogen and fission product issues raised by the Fukushima accident are discussed. The discussion focuses on hydrogen and fission product behavior inside nuclear power plant containments under severe accident conditions. The relevant experimental investigations conducted in the technical scale containment THAI (thermal hydraulics, hydrogen, aerosols, and iodine) test facility (9.2 m high, 3.2 m in diameter, and $60m^3$ volume) are discussed in the light of the Fukushima accident.