• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
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• 2009.11a
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• pp.51-52
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• 2009

Recently, several industrial countries using the fission energy have given attention to the Gen-IV SFR (sodium-cooled fast reactor) for achieving sustainable nuclear energy systems. In this context, an SFR is currently developed at the design concepts study stage in the Republic of Korea [Kim & Hahn 200909]. The sustainability of systems means economic, environment-friendly, proliferation-resistant, and safer systems. More specifically, this sustainability can be accomplished in terms of resource recycling and radioactive waste reduction. In the present work, the objective of fuel cycle cost modeling is to identify the impact of various conceptual options as a cost reduction measure for the Gen-IV SFR at the design concepts study stage. It facilitates the selection of several reasonable fuel cycle pathways for the future Gen-IV SFR from an economic viewpoint.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.221-227
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• 1996

The objectives of this study are to examine combustion characteristics of E.V.A. and rubber wastes by fixed-bed incinerator, The results are as follows. Combustion temperature with time rises rapidly, and mass of E.V.A. reduces at short time in E.V.A. combustion. In variation of air-fuel ratio (m), ice ideal values of m of E.V.A. and rubber are 2.5, 1.5 respectively. Mixed-waste combustion is more economic than single E.V.A. combustion, because we can get high combustion efficiency (94.0~99.0%) at 2.0 air-fuel ratio of mixed-waste combustion. Removal efficiencies of SO2 at cooling tower are about 20%. The combustion efficiencies of rubber are over 98.0% according to the experimental conditions.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2018

A simplified flowsheet for pyroprocessing commercial spent fuel is proposed in which the only salt treatment step is actinide drawdown from electrorefiner salt. Actinide drawdown can be performed using a simple galvanic reduction process utilizing the reducing potential of gadolinium metal. Recent results of equilibrium reduction potentials for Gd, Ce, Nd, and La are summarized. A description of a recent experiment to demonstrate galvanic reduction with gadolinium is reviewed. Based on these experimental results and material balances of the flowsheet, this new variant of the pyroprocessing scheme is expected to meet the objectives of minimizing cost, maximizing processing rate, minimizing proliferation risk, and optimizing the utilization of geologic repository space.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.7
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• pp.2339-2358
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• 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 computational fluids engineering
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.54-61
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• 2016

When spent fuel assemblies from the reactor of nuclear power plants(NPPs) are transported, the assemblies are exposed to short-term operations that can affect the peak cladding temperature of spent fuel assemblies. Therefore, it needs to perform the analysis of heat transfer on spent fuel dry cask during the operation. For 3 dimensional computational fluid dynamnics(CFD) simulation, it is proposed that the short-term operation is divided into three processes: Wet, dry, and vacuum drying condition. The three processes have different heat transfer mode and medium. Metal transportation cask, which is Korea Radioactive Waste Agency(KORAD)'s developing cask, is evaluated by the methods proposed in this work. During working hours, the boiling at wet process does not occur in the cask and the peak cladding temperatures of all processes remain below $400^{\circ}C$. The maximum peak cladding temperature is $173.8^{\circ}C$ at vacuum drying process and the temperature rise of dry, and vacuum drying process occurs steeply.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.351-357
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• 2007

The Japanese Government selected Mutsu, Aomori Prefecture as a provisional spent-fuel repository site. This comes as a result of the prefecture's five-year campaign to host the site since 2000. Korea stores spent nuclear fuel within sites of nuclear power plants, and expects the storage capacity to reach its limit by the year 2016. This compels Korea to learn the cases of Japan. Having successfully hosted Gyeongju as a site for low-to-intermediate-level nuclear waste repository, Korea has already learned the potential process of hosting spent fuel storage site. The striking difference between the two countries in the process of hosting the site is that the Korean government had to offer the local city a large amount of subsidy for hosting through competitive citizens' referendum among candidate cities while it was the leadership of the local municipality that enabled the controversial decision in Japan. It is also a distinguishable characteristics of Japan that not a huge subsidy is provided to the local host city. I hope this study offers an idea to Korea's future effort to select a spent-fuel host site.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.141-154
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• 2015

In general, conventional criticality analysis for spent fuel transport/storage systems have been performed based on the assumption of fresh fuel concerning the potential uncertainties from number density calculations of actinide nuclides and fission products in spent fuel. However, these evaluation methods cause financial losses due to an excessive criticality margin. In order to overcome this disadvantage, many studies have recently been conducted to design and commercialize a transportation and storage cask applied to the Burnup Credit (BUC). This study conducted an assessment to ensure criticality safety for reactor operating parameters, axial burn-up profiles and misload accident conditions, which are the factors that are likely to affect criticality safety when the BUC is applied to the dual-purpose cask under development at the KOrea RADioactive waste agency (KORAD). As a result, it was found that criticality resulting from specific power, changed substantially and relied on conditions of low enrichment and high burn-up. Considering the end effect in the case of high burn-up produced a positive-definite result. In particular, the increment of maximum effective multiplication factors due to misloading was 0.18467, confirming that misload is a factor that must be taken into account when applying the BUC. The results of this study may therefore be utilized as references in developing technologies to apply the BUC to domestic models and operational procedures or preventing any misload accidents during the process of spent fuel loading.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.1-6
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• 2015

The rapid industrial development is facing problem due to energy depletion in Korea. So that, it can be necessary to develop alternative energy sources. Alternative energy like biofuels can be produced by using waste fuel, which is ecofriendly. As we know, the organic waste was banned to dump in landfill and ocean dumping. The most practicable method usually used to reduce organic waste is getting feedstuff or composting, considering the discharge characteristics of agricultural by-products waste treatment were selected. In this study, bio-coal was made using agriculture by product. Biocoal was prepared by adding 50 g of uniformly mixture into reactor and was carbonized at low temperatures 210, 220, and 230℃. The time of reaction was 1, 2 and 3 hours. Bio-coal approximately was similar to the standard of solid fuels. Other characteristics of fuel were also studied. The experiments which were analyzed were moisture content and calorific value, ash, chlorine, sulfur and heavy metals analysis as mercury, cadmium, lead, arsenic, and chromium. As a result, bio-coal 220℃, 2 hours was the optimal conditions while heating.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.271-279
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• 2018

During the seven years from 2009 to 2016, PWR SNF (spent nuclear fuel) transportation and storage systems suitable for domestic conditions were developed by the government to cope with the saturation of wet storage capacity in NPPs. One of the developed systems is a multipurpose metal cask applicable for transportation/storage; the other is a concrete cask dedicated to storage. Efficient cask technologies were secured utilizing the characteristics and experience of relevant industrial, academic and research institutes. Technological independence was also achieved through several patent registrations of research outcomes. To prepare for a rapid increase of demand in the near future, technology transfer of secured patents and technologies to the domestic industry was carried out twice in the years of 2016 and 2017.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.99-105
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• 2002

About 70% of energy input to internal combustion engine is rejected to atmosphere by heat. By utilizing this waste heat, a plenty of energy can be conserved in nationwide. One of possible ways is the thermoelectric generation to utilize engine's waste heat to provide auxiliary electric power. Under th is concept, we have been developing the thermoelectric generation system to replace the alternator by converting the waste heat in the engine's exhaust directly to electricity This system may reduce the shaft horse power of the engine, then improves the vehicle fuel economy and the exhaust emissions. In the present study, the characteristics of the electric energy and exhaust heal energy in city and highway mode driving conditions are analysed by using a gasoline passenger car. These results would be used to determine the optimum design parameters of the thermoelectric generation system.