• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.261-270
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• 2018

In this study, to replace the 'J-slot joint', a joint device between a disposal canister and an emplacement jig in Deep Borehole Disposal process, a novel joint device was designed and tested. The novel joint device was composed of a wedge on top of a disposal canister and a hook box at the end of a winch system. The designed joint device had merits in that it can recombine an emplaced canister freely without the replacement of the joint component. Moreover, it can be applied to various emplacement jigs such as drill pipes, wire-lines, and coiled tubing. To demonstrate the designed joint device, the joint device (${\Phi}110mm$, H 148 mm), a twin canister string (${\Phi}140mm$, H 1,105 mm), and a water tube (${\Phi}150mm$, H 1,500 mm) as a borehole model were manufactured at 1/3 scale. As deployment muds, Na-type bentonite (MX-80) and Ca-type (GJ II) bentonite muds were prepared at solid contents of 7wt% and 28wt%, respectively. The manufactured joint device showed good performance in pure water and viscous muds, with an operation speed of $10m{\cdot}min^{-1}$. It was concluded that the newly developed joint device can be used for the emplacement and retrieval of a deep disposal canister, below 3~5 km, in the future.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.329-338
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• 2019

Suction of unsaturated bentonite buffers is a very important input parameter for hydro-mechanical performance assessment and design of an engineered barrier system. This study analyzed suction measurement techniques and constitutive models of unsaturated porous media reported in the literature, and suggested suction measurement techniques and constitutive models suitable for bentonite buffer in an HLW repository. The literature review showed the suction of bentonite buffer to be much higher than that of soil, as measured by total suction including matric suction and osmotic suction. The measurement methods (RH-Cell, RH-Cell/Sensor) using a relative humidity sensor were suitable for suction measurement of the bentonite buffer; the RH-Cell /Sensor method was more preferred in consideration of the temperature change due to radioactive decay heat and measurement time. Various water retention models of bentonite buffers have been proposed through experiments, but the van Genuchten model is mainly used as a constitutive model of hydro-mechanical performance assessment of unsaturated buffers. The water characteristic curve of bentonite buffers showed different tendencies according to bentonite type, dry density, temperature, salinity, sample state and hysteresis. Selection of water retention models and determination of model input parameters should consider the effects of these controlling factors so as to improve overall reliability.

• Journal of Korea Technology Innovation Society
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.788-818
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• 2009

Renewable energy refers to solar energy, biomass energy, hydrogen energy, wind power, fuel cell, coal liquefaction and vaporization, marine energy, waste energy, and liquidity fuel made out of byproduct of geothermal heat, hydrogen and coal; it excludes energy based on coal, oil, nuclear energy and natural gas. Developed countries have recognized the importance of these energies and thus have set the mid to long term plans to develop and commercialize the technology and supported them with drastic political and financial measures. Considering the growing recognition to the field, it is necessary to analysis up-to-now achievement of the government's related projects, in the standards of type of renewable energy, management of sectional goals, and its commercialization. Korean government is chiefly following suit the USA and British policies of developing and distributing renewable energy. However, unlike Japan which is in the lead role in solar rays industry, it still lacks in state-directed support, participation of enterprises and social recognition. The research regarding renewable energy has mainly examinedthe state of supply of each technology and suitability of specific region for applying the technology. The evaluation shows that the research has been focused on supply and demand of renewable as well as general energy and solution for the enhancement of supply capacity in certain area. However, in-depth study for commercialization and the increase of capacity in industry followed by development of the technology is still inadequate. 'Cost-benefit model for each energy source' is used in analysis of technology development of renewable energy and quantitative and macro economical effects of its commercialization in order to foresee following expand in related industries and increase in added value. First, Investment on the renewable energy technology development is in direct proportion both to the product and growth, but product shows slightly higher index under the same amount of R&D investment than growth. It indicates that advance in technology greatly influences the final product, the energy growth. Moreover, while R&D investment on renewable energy product as well as the government funds included in the investment have proportionate influence on the renewable energy growth, private investment in the total amount invested has reciprocal influence. This statistic shows that research and development is mainly driven by government funds rather than private investment. Finally, while R&D investment on renewable energy growth affects proportionately, government funds and private investment shows no direct relations, which indicates that the effects of research and development on renewable energy do not affect government funds or private investment. All of the results signify that although it is important to have government policy in technology development and commercialization, private investment and active participation of enterprises are the key to the success in the industry.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.183-202
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• 2019

For design and performance assessment of a high-level radioactive waste (HLW) disposal system, it is necessary to understand the characteristics of coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) behavior. However, in previous studies for the Korean Reference HLW Disposal System (KRS), thermal analysis was performed to determine the spacing of disposal tunnels and interval of disposition holes without consideration of the coupled THM behavior. Therefore, in this study, TOUGH2-MP/FLAC3D is used to conduct THM modeling for performance assessment of the Korean Reference HLW Disposal System (KRS). The peak temperature remains below the temperature limit of $100^{\circ}C$ for the whole period. A rapid rise of temperature caused by decay heat occurs in the early years, and then temperature begins to decrease as decay heat from the waste decreases. The peak temperature at the bentonite buffer is around $96.2^{\circ}C$ after about 3 years, and peak temperature at the rockmass is $68.2^{\circ}C$ after about 17 years. Saturation of the bentonite block near the canister decreases in the early stage, because water evaporation occurs owing to temperature increase. Then, saturation of the bentonite buffer and backfill increases because of water intake from the rockmass, and bentonite buffer and backfill are fully saturated after about 266 years. The stress is calculated to investigate the effect of thermal stress and swelling pressure on the mechanical behavior of the rockmass. The calculated stress is compared to a spalling criterion and the Mohr-Coulumb criterion for investigation of potential failure. The stress at the rockmass remains below the spalling strength and Mohr-Coulumb criterion for the whole period. The methodology of using the TOUGH2-MP/FLAC3D simulator can be applied to predict the long-term behavior of the KRS under various conditions; these methods will be useful for the design and performance assessment of alternative concepts such as multi-layer and multi-canister concepts for geological spent fuel repositories.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.117-131
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• 2006

A coupled T-H-M(Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical) analysis was carried out for KENTEX (KAERI Engineering-scale T-H-M Experiment for Engineered Barrier System), which is a facility for validating the coupled T-H-M behavior in the engineered barrier system of the Korean reference HLW(high-level waste) disposal system. The changes of temperature, water saturation, and stress were estimated based on the coupled T-H-M analysis, and the influence of the types of mechanical constitutive material laws was investigated by using elastic model, poroelastic model, and poroelastic-plastic model. The analysis was done using ABAQUS, which is a commercial finite element code for general purposes. From the analysis, it was observed that the temperature in the bentonite increased sharply for a couple of days after heating the heater and then slowly increased to a constant value. The temperatures at all locations were nearly at a steady state after about 37.5 days. In the steady state, the temperature was maintained at $90^{\circ}C$ at the interface between the heater and the bentonite and at about $70^{\circ}C$ at the interface between the bentonite and the confining cylinder. The variation of the water saturation with time in bentonite was almost same independent of the material laws used in the coupled T-H-M processes. By comparing the saturation change of T-H-M and that of H-M(Hydro-Mechanical) processes using elastic and poroelastic material mod31 respectively, it was found that the degree of saturation near the heater from T-H-M calculation was higher than that from the coupled H-M calculation mainly because of the thermal flux, which seemed to speed up the saturation. The stresses in three cases with different material laws were increased with time. By comparing the stress change in H-M calculation using poroelasetic and poroelasetic-plastic model, it was possible to conclude that the influence of saturation on the stress change is higher than the influence of temperature. It is, therefore, recommended to use a material law, which can model the elastic-plastic behavior of buffer, since the coupled T-H-M processes in buffer is affected by the variation of void ratio, thermal expansion, as well as swelling pressure.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.15-26
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• 2017

Cobalt ferrocyanide (CoFC) or nickel ferrocyanide (NiFC) magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) were fabricated for efficient removal of radioactive cesium, followed by rapid magnetic separation of the absorbent from contaminated water. The $Fe_3O_4$ nanoparticles, synthesized using a co-precipitation method, were coated with succinic acid (SA) to immobilize the Co or Ni ions through metal coordination to carboxyl groups in the SA. CoFC or NiFC was subsequently formed on the surfaces of the MNPs as Co or Ni ions coordinated with the hexacyanoferrate ions. The CoFC-MNPs and NiFC-MNPs possess good saturation magnetization values ($43.2emu{\cdot}g^{-1}$ for the CoFC-MNPs, and $47.7emu{\cdot}g^{-1}$ for the NiFC-MNPs). The fabricated CoFC-MNPs and NiFC-MNPs were characterized by XRD, FT-IR, TEM, and DLS. The adsorption capability of the CoFC-MNPs and NiFC-MNPs in removing cesium ions from water was also investigated. Batch experiments revealed that the maximum adsorption capacity values were $15.63mg{\cdot}g^{-1}$ (CoFC-MNPs) and $12.11mg{\cdot}g^{-1}$ (NiFC-MNPs). Langmuir/Freundlich adsorption isotherm equations were used to fit the experimental data and evaluate the adsorption process. The CoFC-MNPs and NiFC-MNPs exhibited a removal efficiency exceeding 99.09% for radioactive cesium from $^{137}Cs$ solution ($18-21Bq{\cdot}g^{-1}$). The adsorbent selectively adsorbed $^{137}Cs$, even in the presence of competing cations.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.35-44
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• 2017

A gamma-ray peak of $^{226}Ra$ (186.2 keV) overlaps with one of $^{235}U$ (185.7 keV) in a gamma-ray spectrometry system. Though reference peaks of $^{235}U$ can be used to correct the peak interference of $^{235}U$ in the analysis of $^{226}Ra$, this requires a complicated calculation process and a high limit of quantitation. On the other hand, evaluating $^{226}Ra$ using the correction constant in the overlapped peak can make a rapid measurement of $^{226}Ra$ without the complicated calculation process as well as overcome the disadvantage in the indirect measurement of $^{214}Bi$, which means the confinement of $^{222}Rn$ gas in a sample container and a time period to recover the secular equilibrium. About 93 samples with 6 species for raw-materials and by-products were prepared to evaluate the activity of $^{226}Ra$ using the correction constant. The results were compared with the activity of $^{214}Bi$, which means the indirect measurement of $^{226}Ra$, to validate the method of the direct measurement of $^{226}Ra$ using the correction constant. The difference between the direct and indirect measurement of $^{226}Ra$ was generally below about ${\pm}20%$. However, in the case of the phospho gypsum, a large error of about 50% was found in the comparison results, which indicates the disequilibrium between $^{238}U$ and $^{226}Ra$ in the materials. Application results of the contribution ratio of $^{226}Ra$ were below about ${\pm}10%$. The direct measurement of $^{226}Ra$ using the correction constant can be an effective method for its rapid measurement of raw materials and by-products because the activity of $^{226}Ra$ can be produced with a simple calculation without the consideration of the integrity of a sample container and the time period to recover the secular equilibrium.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.87-96
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• 2004

Studies were conducted to select the candidate buffer material for a high-level waste (HLW) repository in Korea. This paper presents the hydraulic properties, the swelling properties, the thermal properties, and the mechanical properties as well as the radionuclide release-retarding capacity of Kyungju bentonite as part of those studies. Experimental results showed that the hydraulic conductivities of the compacted bentonite were very low and less than $10^{-11}$m/s. The values decreased with increasing the dry density of the compacted bentonite. The swelling pressures were in the range of 0.66 MPa to 14.4 ㎫ and they increased with increasing the dry density. The thermal conductivities were in the range of 0.80 ㎉/m $h^{\circ}C$ to 1.52 ㎉/m $h^{\circ}C$. The unconfined compressive strength, Young's modulus and Poison's ratio showed the range of 0.55 ㎫ to 8.83 ㎫, 59 ㎫ to 1275 ㎫, and 0.05 to 0.20, respectively, when the dry densities of the compacted bentonite were 1.4 Ms/㎥ to 1.8 Mg/㎥. The diffusion coefficients in the compacted bentonite were measured under an oxidizing condition. The values were $1.7{\times}10^{-10}$m^2$/s to 3.4{\times}10^{-10}$m^2$/s for electrically neutral tritium (H-3), 8.6{\times}10^{-14}$m^2$/s to 1.3{\times}10^{-12}$m^2$/s for cations (Cs, Sr, Ni), 1.2{\times}10^{-11}$m^2$/s to 9.5{\times}10^{-11}$m^2$/s for anions (I, Tc), and 3.0{\times}10^{-14} $m^2$/s to 1.8{\times}10^{-13}$m^2$/s $for actinides (U, Am), when tile dry densities were in the range of 1.2 Mg/㎥ to 1.8 Mg/㎥. The obtained results will be used in assessing the barrier properties of Kyungju bentonite as a buffer material of a repository in Korea.n Korea.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.11-23
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• 2003

A study on the electrolytic dissolution of SUS-304 and Inconel-600 specimen was carried out in neutral salt electrolyte to evaluate the applicability of electrochemical decontamination process for recycle or self disposal with authorization of large amount of metallic wastes contaminated with uranium compounds generated by dismantling a retired uranium conversion plant in Korea. Although the best electrolytic dissolution performance for the specimens was observed in a Na2s04 electrolyte, a NaNO$_3$ neutral salt electrolyte, in which about 30% for SUS-304 and the same for Inconel-600 in the weight loss was shown in comparison with that in a Na$_2$SO$_4$ solution, was selected as an electrolyte for the electrochemical decontamination of metallic wastes with the consideration on the surface of system components contacted with nitric acid and the compatibility with lagoon wastes generated during the facility operation. The effects of current density, electrolytic dissolution time, and concentration of NaNO$_3$ on the electrolytic dissolution of the specimens were investigated. On the basis of the results obtained through the basic inactive experiments, electrochemical decontamination tests using the specimens contaminated with uranium compounds such as UO$_2$, AUC (ammonium uranyl carbonate) and ADU (ammonium diuranate) taken from an uranium conversion facility were performed in 1M NaNO$_3$ solution with the current density or In mA/$\textrm{cm}^2$. it was verified that the electrochemical decontamination of the metallic wastes contaminated uranium compounds was quite successful in a NaNO$_3$ neutral salt electrolyte by reducing $\alpha$ and $\beta$ radioactivities below the level of self disposal within 10 minutes regardless of the type of contaminants and the degree of contamination.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.357-365
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• 2016

We observed the ${\gamma}-ray$ shielding characteristics and compressive strength of five types of concrete using general aggregates and high-weight aggregates. The aggregates were classified into fine aggregate and coarse aggregate according to the average size. The experimental results obtained an attenuation coefficient of $0.371cm^{-1}$ from a concrete with the oxidizing slag sand (OSS) and oxidizing slag gravel (OSG) for a ${\gamma}-ray$ of $^{137}Cs$, which is improved by 2% compared with a concrete with typical aggregates of sand and gravel. In the unit weight measurement, a concrete prepared by iron ore sand (IOS) and OSG had the highest value of $3,175kg{\cdot}m^{-3}$. Although the unit weight of the concrete with OSS and OSG was $3,052kg{\cdot}m^{-3}$, which was lower than the maximum unit weight condition by $123kg{\cdot}m^{-3}$, its attenuation coefficient was improved by $0.012cm^{-1}$. The results of chemical analysis of aggregates revealed that the magnesium content in oxidizing slag was lower than that in iron ore, while the calcium content was higher. The concrete with oxidizing slag aggregates demonstrated enhanced ${\gamma}-ray$ shielding performance due to a relatively high calcium content compared with the concrete with OSS and OSG in spite of a low unit weight. All sample concretes mixed with high-weight aggregates had higher compressive strength than the concrete with typical sand and gravel. When OSS and IOS were used, the highest compressive strength was 50.2 MPa, which was an improvement by 45% over general concrete, which was achieved after four weeks of curing.