• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
• /
• v.13 no.3
• /
• pp.229-233
• /
• 2015

Developing novel anode materials to replace the Pt anode currently used in electrolytic reduction is an important issue on pyroprocessing. In this study, the electrochemical behavior of TiN was investigated as the conductive ceramic anode which evolves O₂ gas during the reaction. The feasibility and stability of the TiN anode was examined during the electrolytic reduction of UO₂. The TiN anode could electrochemically convert UO₂ to metallic U in a LiCl–Li₂O molten salt electrolyte. No oxidation of TiN was observed during the reaction; however, the formation of voids in the bulk section appeared to limit the lifetime of the TiN anode.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
• /
• v.13 no.2
• /
• pp.99-112
• /
• 2015

In this study, laboratory test equipment was designed and installed to evaluate the thermal behavior of bentonite, which is used as a buffer in high-level waste disposal systems. The thermal analysis was conducted to verify the test results using ABAQUS, a finite element analysis code. In view of the seasonal changes seen during the test, the thermal behavior of bentonite with a temperature of outside air was evaluated. Of the cases examined, the results of the analysis model using stainless steel (Case 3) approximates to the test results, showing an error of about 1℃. The results of the thermal analysis into seasonal temperature distributions are consistent with trends seen in lab-test results. These analyses show that the effects of the thermal conductivity of the material surrounding the buffer and outside air temperature, are very important factors in the thermal behavior of bentonite. In the future, it is expected that a moisture saturation test of a bentonite buffer containing a heat source will be carried out. Therefore, the development of a numerical analysis model is required for the prediction and verification of the laboratory test results.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
• /
• v.26 no.11
• /
• pp.2305-2311
• /
• 2002

The pressure tube is a major component of the CANDU reactor, which supports nuclear fuel bundle and heavy water coolant. Pressure tubes are installed horizontally inside the reactor and only selected samples are periodically examined during in-service inspection. In this respect, a probabilistic safety assessment method is more appropriate fur the assessment of overall pressure tube safety. The failure behavior of CANDU pressure tubes, however, is governed by delayed hydride cracking which is the major difference from pipings and reactor pressure vessels. Since the delayed hydride cracking has more widely distributed governing parameters, it is impossible to apply a general PFM methodology directly. In this paper, a PFM methodology for the safety assessment of CANDU pressure tubes is introduced by applying Monte Carlo simulation in determining failure probability Initial hydrogen concentration, flaw shape and depth, axial and radial crack growth rate and fracture toughness were considered as probabilistic variables. Parametric study has been done under the base of pressure tube dimension and hydride precipitation temperature in calculating failure probability. Unstable fracture and plastic collapse are used for the failure assessment. The estimated failure probability showed about three-order difference with changing dimensions of pressure tube.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
• /
• v.9 no.1
• /
• pp.1-11
• /
• 2011

Tetraethoxysilane(TEOS) as a silica precursor and hydrochloric acid as an acid catalyst have been used in a surfactant-template synthesis of micrometer-sized mesoporous silica microspheres based on the macroemulsion technique. Increase in the concentration of tetraethoxysilane of the reaction mixture has a serious destructive effect on the particle shape and pore structure. As the acid concentration increases, relatively small microspheres are formed without destroying their spherical morphology of the particles as well as the pore structures. However, due to the attractive interaction between particles in an acidic condition, strong silica agglomerates are formed, and therefore are subject to a post-ultrasonic treatment to separate into an individual single particle.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.65-82
• /
• 2017

The result of a preliminary safety assessment that was completed by applying the radionuclide inventory calculated on the basis of available data from radioactive waste generation agencies suggested that many difficulties are to be expected with regard to disposal safety and operation. Based on the results of the preliminary safety assessment of the entire disposal system, in this paper, a unit package exceeding the safety goal is selected that occupies a large proportion of radionuclides in intermediate-level radioactive waste. We introduce restrictions on the amount of radioactivity in a way that excludes the high surface dose rate of the package. The radioactivity limit for disposal will be used as the baseline data for establishing the acceptance criteria and the disposal criteria for each disposal facility to meet the safety standards. It is necessary to draw up a comprehensive safety development plan for the Gyeongju waste disposal facility that will contribute to the construction of a Safety Case for the safety optimization of radioactive waste disposal facilities.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.27-34
• /
• 2017

In this study, desorption characteristics of Cs from clay according to the hydrophobic alkyl chain length of the cationic surfactant were investigated. Alkyltrimethylammonium bromide was used as a cationic surfactant, and the length of the hydrophobic alkyl chain of the cationic surfactant was varied from -octyl to -cetyl. The adsorbed amount of the cationic surfactant on montmorillonite increased with the length of the hydrophobic alkyl chain, and intercalation of the cationic surfactant into the clay interlayer increased the interlayer distances. The Cs removal efficiency was also enhanced with increasing alkyl chain length, and the cationic surfactant with the cetyl group showed a maximum Cs removal efficiency of $992{\pm}2.9%$.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
• /
• v.2 no.2
• /
• pp.105-112
• /
• 2004

A waste container, one of the key components of a multi-barrier system in a potential high level radioactive waste (HLW) repository in Korea ensures the mechanical stability against the lithostatic pressure of a deep geologic medium and the swelling pressure of the bentonite buffer. Also, it delays potential release of radionuclides for a certain period of time, before it is corroded by intruding impurities. Even though the material of a waste container is carefully chosen and its manufacturing processes are under quality assurance processes, there is a possibility of initial defects in a waste container during manufacturing. Also, during the deposition of a waste container in a repository, there is a chance of an incident affecting the integrity of a waste container. In this study, the appropriate Features, Events, and Processes(FEP's) to describe these incidents and the associated scenario on radionuclide release from a container to the biosphere are developed. Then the total system performance assessment on the Initial waste Container Failure (ICF) scenario was carried out by the MASCOT-K, one of the probabilistic safety assessment tools KAERI has developed. Results show that for the data set used in this paper, the annual individual dose for the ICF scenario meets the Korean regulation on the post closure radiological safety of a repository.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
• /
• v.2 no.2
• /
• pp.145-153
• /
• 2004

H$_2$SO$_4$ and citric acid were used as additives for the electrokinetic remediation experiment to increase removal efficiency of $^{137}$ Cs and $^{60}$ Co from the radioactive soil waste stored for more than 10 years. The average effluent velocity discharged from the elctrokinectic remediation experimental column was 2.0${\times}$10$^{-2}$ cm/min and the discharged soil wastewater volume for 10 days is 3.6 pore volume of the column. 97% of $^{60}$ Co in the column was decontaminated for 10 days of operation, while only 54% of $^{137}$ Cs was decontaminated. These results are considered that the absorption equilibrium coefficient of $^{137}$ Cs is higher than that of $^{60}$ Co. The predicted values of the residual concentration by the proposed mathematical model were well coincided with the experimental results within the experimental error range

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
• /
• v.7 no.1
• /
• pp.17-23
• /
• 2009

Dihexyloctanamide(DHOA) was used as an extractant or phase modifier with the diamide extractants in a solvent extraction process for a radioactive liquid waste treatment. The degradation compounds of the DHOA extractant, irradiated with $^{60}Co$ gamma ray, were octanoic acid and dihexylamine which are identified by a Fourier transform infrared(FT-IR) and gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer(GC/MS) analysis, and determined by the GC/MS with selected ion monitoring(SIM) mode. Retention behavior of octanoic acid, tridecane (internal standard) and dihexylamine in total ion chromatogram (TIC) were 8.65 min., 9.79 min., and 10.27 min., respectively. With increasing the absorbed dose of the $\gamma$-ray irradiated DHOA, the concentration of octanoic acid was decreased and that of dihexylamine was increased.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
• /
• v.10 no.3
• /
• pp.199-208
• /
• 2012

To develop site characterization technologies for a radioactive waste disposal research in KAERI, the geological and hydrogeological investigations have been carried out since 1997. In 2006, the KURT (KAERI Underground Research Tunnel) was constructed to study a solute migration, a microbiology and an engineered barrier system as well as deeply to understand geological environments in in-situ condition. This study is performed as one of the site characterization works around KURT. Several investigations such as a lineament analysis, a borehole/tunnel survey, a geophyscial survey and logging in borehole, were used to construct the geological model. As a result, the geological model is constructed, which includes the lithological model and geo-structural model in this study. Moreover, from the results of the in-situ hydraulic tests, the hydrogeological properties of elements in geological model were evaluated.