• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• 제54권7호
• /
• pp.2339-2358
• /
• 2022

The review discusses various alternative approaches for spent nuclear fuel (SNF) reprocessing in aqueous carbonate media. The main stages, schemes, and methods of the most well-known and well-described processes for reprocessing SNF and some high-level radioactive waste using carbonate systems developed by research groups in Japan, the United States of America, the Republic of Korea, and the Russian Federation described and compared. The main advantages of such methods are outlined compared to the SNF reprocessing in nitric acid media. The levels of development and proximity of the designed processes to the industrial implementation are shown. The main principle achievements, prospects, and routes for the refinement of such methods for the technology of SNF reprocessing and handling of high-level radioactive waste formulated.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
• /
• 제25권2호
• /
• pp.89-96
• /
• 2000

원자력 정책에서 안전성과 운영실적, 환경보전, 경제성 등은 매우 중요한 인자이다. 핵주기의 선택은 에너지정책, 연료의 다양성, 공급의 안정과 관련된 모든 사회적, 환경적 영향에 있어 매우 중요하다. 특히, 원전의 고준위 방사성폐기물인 사용후 핵연료 관리는 높은 방사선준위 뿐만 아니라 장기적인 관리기간이 소요되는 어려운 사업이다. 본 연구는 사용후 핵연료 관리방안인 재처리와 직접 처분의 비용분석, 안전성, 대국민 용인 측면을 살펴보았다. 직접 처분이 재처리에 비해 약 7%정도의 경제성이 있고, 직접 처분의 사용후 핵연료는 재처리폐기물보다 높은 위험도를 갖는다. 대국민 용인측면에서는 두 가지 처리방법 모두 찬성하지 않는다. 결론적으로, 사용후 핵연료관리는 모든 사회/환경적 영향과 경제성을 고려한 핵주기 정책과 병행하여 지속적인 기술개발을 통한 안전성확보가 필요하다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• 제53권8호
• /
• pp.2682-2695
• /
• 2021

This paper aims to evaluate the structural dynamic responses and damage/failure of the nuclear fuel reprocessing plant under the free drop impact of spent fuel cask (SFC) and fuel assembly (FA) during the on-site transportation. At the present Part I of this paper, the large-scale SFC model free drop test and the corresponding numerical simulations are performed. Firstly, a composite target which is composed of the protective structure, i.e., a thin RC plate (representing the inverted U-shaped slab in the loading shaft) and/or an autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) blocks sacrificial layer, as well as a thick RC plate (representing the bottom slab in the loading shaft) is designed and fabricated. Then, based on the large dropping tower, the free drop test of large-scale SFC model with the mass of 3 t is carried out from the height of 7 m-11 m. It indicates that the bottom slab in the loading shaft could not resist the free drop impact of SFC. The composite protective structure can effectively reduce the damage and vibrations of the bottom slab, and the inverted U-shaped slab could relieve the damage of the AAC blocks layer dramatically. Furthermore, based on the finite element (FE) program LS-DYNA, the corresponding refined numerical simulations are performed. By comparing the experimental and numerical damage and vibration accelerations of the composite structures, the present adopted numerical algorithms, constitutive models and parameters are validated, which will be applied in the further assessment of drop impact effects of full-scale SFC and FA on prototype nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in the next Part II of this paper.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• 제55권3호
• /
• pp.1097-1104
• /
• 2023

A preliminary criticality analysis for novel pyrochemical apparatuses for the reprocessing of mixed uranium-plutonium nitride spent nuclear fuel from the BREST-OD-300 reactor was performed. High-temperature processing apparatuses, "metallization" electrolyzer, refinery remelting apparatus, refining electrolyzer, and "soft" chlorination apparatus are considered in this work. Computational models of apparatuses for two neutron radiation transport codes (MCU-FR and MCNP) were developed and calculations for criticality were completed using the Monte Carlo method. The criticality analysis was performed for different loads of fissile material into the apparatuses including overloading conditions. Various emergency situations were considered, in particular, those associated with water ingress into the chamber of the refinery remelting apparatus. It was revealed that for all the considered computational models nuclear safety rules are satisfied.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
• /
• 제28권4호
• /
• pp.361-368
• /
• 2003

The economic and environmental friendliness analysis of the nuclear fuel cycle options that can be expected in Korea were performed. Options considered are direct disposal, reprocessing and DUPIC (Direct Use of Spent PWR Fuel In CANDU Reactors). By considering the result of calculation of the annual uranium requirement and nuclear spent fuel generation by analysis of nuclear fuel material flows in the nuclear fuel cycle options, we decided the time of back-end nuclear fuel cycle processes and the volume. Then we can analyze the economic and environmental friendliness by applying the unit cost and unit value of each process, respectively.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• 제55권2호
• /
• pp.391-407
• /
• 2023

This article provides a survey of wet (aqueous) methods for recovery, separation, and purification of uranium from fission products in carbonate solutions during the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel and methods for removal of radionuclides from alkaline radioactive waste. The main methods such as selective direct precipitation, ion exchange, and solvent extraction are considered. These methods were compared and evaluated for reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel in carbonate media according to novel alternative non-acidic methods and for treatment processes of alkaline radioactive waste.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• 제51권7호
• /
• pp.1799-1804
• /
• 2019

The concept of a new method, the CARBEX (CARBonate EXtraction) process, was proposed for reprocessing of spent uranium oxide fuel. The proposed process is based on use of water solutions of $Na_2CO_3$ or $(NH_4)_2CO_3$ and solvent extraction (SE) by the quaternary ammonium compounds for selective recovery and purification of U from the fission products (FPs). Applying of SE allows to reach high degree of purification of U from FPs. Carrying out the processes in poorly aggressive alkaline carbonate media leads to increasing safety of SNF's reprocessing and better selectivity of separation of lanthanides and actinides. Moreover carbonate reprocessing media allows to carry out a recycling and regeneration of reagents. We have been done laboratory scale experiments on the extraction components of simulated voloxidated spent fuel in the solutions of NaOH or $Na_2CO_3-H_2O_2$ and recovery of U from carbonate solutions by SE method using carbonate of methyltrioctylammonium in toluene. It was shown that the purification factors of U from impurities of simulated FPs reached values $10^3-10^5$. The received results support our opinion that CARBEX after the further development can become more safe, simple and profitable method of spent fuel reprocessing.

• 한국원자력학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 한국원자력학회 1999년도 춘계학술발표회요약집
• /
• pp.329-329
• /
• 1999

• 방사성폐기물학회지
• /
• 제21권3호
• /
• pp.383-395
• /
• 2023

Since 1997, the Republic of Korea (ROK) has been developing pyro-processing (Pyro) technology to reduce the disposal burden of high-level radioactive waste by recycling spent nuclear fuel (SNF). Compared to plutonium and uranium extraction process, Korean Pyro technology has relatively excellent proliferation resistance that cannot separate pure plutonium owing to its intrinsic characteristics. Regarding Pyro technology development of ROK, the Bush administration considered that Pyro is not reprocessing under the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership, whereas the Obama administration considered that Pyro is subject to reprocessing. However, the Bush and Obama administrations did not allow ROK to conduct full Pyro activities using SNF, even though ROK had faithfully complied with international nonproliferation obligations. This is because the US nuclear nonproliferation policy to prevent the spread of sensitive technologies, such as enrichment and reprocessing, has a strong effect on ROK, unlike Japan, on a bilateral level beyond the NPT regime for non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.

• 한국방사성폐기물학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 한국방사성폐기물학회 2005년도 Proceedings of The 6th korea-china joint workshop on nuclear waste management
• /
• pp.156-164
• /
• 2005

The challenges China is facing in energy security are briefly discussed. Then, the development of nuclear power in China in the first half of 21 st century is envisioned, and it is expected that Generation-3 PWR nuclear power plants (NPPs) would be the leading units of nuclear power in the coming $30\~40$ years. As part of the nuclear power program, the R&D work on nuclear fuel cycle is generally proposed.