• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.70-79
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• 2004

We have examined the applicability of the triaxial drill-bit VSP method (TAD-VSP) to the geological survey of possible sites for a high-level radioactive waste disposal repository. The seismic energy generated by a drill bit is measured by a downhole multi-component detector, and the resulting signals are processed to image the geological structure deep underground. In order to apply the TAD-VSP method to civil-engineering-scale drilling, we have developed a small but highly sensitive and precise three-component downhole seismic measurement system, and recorded drill-bit signals at a granite quarry. We have successfully imaged discontinuities in the granite, possibly related to fractures, as highly reflective zones. The discontinuities imaged by the TAD-VSP method correlate well with the results of other borehole observations. In conclusion, the TAD-VSP method is usable in geological investigations for civil engineering because the equipment is compact and it is simple to acquire the drill-bit signal.

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

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.87-93
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• 2006

Inventories, and characteristics such as dimension, fuel rod array, weight, $^{235}U$ enrichment, and discharge burnup of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) generated from existing and planed nuclear power plants based on National 2nd Basic Plan for Electric Power Demand and Supply were investigated and projected to support geological disposal system design. The historical and projected inventory by the end 2057 is expected to be 20,500 and 14,800MTU for PWR and CANDU spent nuclear fuel, respectively. The quantity of SNF with initial $^{235}U$ enrichment of 4.5 wt.% and below was shown to be 96.5% in total. Average burnup of SNF revealed $\sim36$ GWD/MTU and $\sim40$ GWD/MTU for the period of 1994-1999 and 2000-2003, respectively. It is expected that the average burnup of SNF will be $\sim45$ GWD/MTU at the end of 2000's. From the comprehensive study, it was concluded that the imaginary SNF with $16\times16$ Korean Standard Fuel Assembly, cross section of $21.4cm\times21.4cm$, length of 453cm, mass of 672 kg, initial $^{235}U$ enrichment of 4.5 wt.%, discharge burnup of 55 GWD/MTU could cover almost all SNFs to be produced by 2057.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.165-173
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• 2023

Various linear system solvers with multi-physics analysis schemes are compared focusing on the near-field region considering thermal-hydraulic-chemical (THC) coupled multi-physics phenomena. APro, developed at KAERI for total system performance assessment (TSPA), performs a finite element analysis with COMSOL, for which the various combinations of linear system solvers and multi-physics analysis schemes should to be compared. The KBS-3 type disposal system proposed by Sweden is set as the target system and the near-field region, which accounts for most of the computational burden is considered. For comparison of numerical analysis methods, the computing time and memory requirement are the main concerns and thus the simulation time is set up to one year. With a single deposition hole problem, PARDISO and GMRES-SSOR are selected as representative direct and iterative solvers respectively. The performance of representative linear system solvers is then examined through a problem with an increasing number of deposition holes and the GMRES-SSOR solver with a segregated scheme shows the best performance with respect to the computing time and memory requirement. The results of the comparative analysis are expected to provide a good guideline to choose better numerical analysis methods for TSPA.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.143-149
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• 2012

Groundwater flow simulations were performed to obtain data of groundwater flow used in a safety assessment for a hypothetical geological disposal facility assumed to be located in the KURT (KAERI Underground Research Tunnel) site. A regional scale modeling of the groundwater flow system was carried out to make boundary conditions for a local scale modeling. And, fracture zones identified at the study site were involved in the local scale groundwater flow model. From the results of the local scale modeling, a hydraulic head distribution was indicated and it was used in a particle tracking simulation for searching pathway of groundwater from the location of the hypothetical disposal facility to the surface where the groundwater reached. The flow distance and discharge rate of the groundwater in the KURT site were calculated. It was thought that the modeling methods used in this study was available to prepare the data of groundwater flow in a safety assessment for a geological disposal facility of radioactive wastes.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.104-126
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• 2024

Buffer and backfill play an essential role in isolating high-level radioactive waste and retard the migration of leaked radionuclides in deep geological disposal system. A bentonite mixture, which exhibits a swelling property, is considered for buffer and backfill materials, and excessive groundwater inflow from surrounding rock mass may affect stability and efficiency of their role as an engineered barrier. Therefore, stringent quality control as well as in-situ installation management and inflow water constrol for buffer and backfill are required to ensure the safety of deep disposal facilities. In this study, we analyzed the design requirements of buffer and backfill by examining various laboratory tests and a field study of the Steel Tunnel Test at the Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory in Sweden. We introduced how to control the quality of buffer and backfill construction in-field, and also presented how to handle excessive groundwater inflow into disposal caverns, validating the groundwater retention capacity of bentonite pellets and the effectiveness of geotexile use.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.191-198
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• 2014

Using results of groundwater flow system modeling for a hypothetical deep geological repository site, a distribution of groundwater flow rates at the disposal depth was analyzed and a method of applying this distribution to a safety assessment for a disposal of radioactive wastes was suggested. The distribution of groundwater flow rates was produced by hydraulic heads simulated from regional and local scale groundwater flow models for the hypothetical disposal site. The flow rates at the locations where deposition holes would be located were estimated. These rates were normalized by the maximum of the flow rates in order to probabilistically illustrate a possibility of canister failures at the deposition holes. From the normalized distribution, probabilistic expectations for mass discharges of radionuclides released from the canisters assumed to be failed were calculated and compared with those deterministically estimated under the assumption that the canisters at the same deposition holes were definitely failed. The suggested method can be contributed to constructing a methodology for safety assessment of a geological repository by reflecting natural conditions of a disposal site in more detail.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.435-444
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• 2023

In the licensing application for the deep geological disposal system of high-level radioactive waste in Finland, the disposal tunnel backfilling has been changed from the block/pellet (for the construction) to the granular type (for the operation). Accordingly, for establishing the design concept for backfilling, it is necessary to examine applicability to the domestic facility through analyzing problems of the existing method and improvements in the alternative design. In this paper, we first reviewed the principal studies conducted for changing the backfill method in the licensing process of the Finnish facility, and identified the expected problems in applying the block/pellet backfill method. In addition, we derived the evaluation factors to be considered in terms of technical and operational aspects for the backfilling solution, and then conducted a comparative analysis for two types of backfill methods. This analysis confirmed the overall superiority of the design change. It is expected that these results could be utilized as the technical basis for deriving the optimum design plan in development process of the Korean-specific deep disposal facility. However, applicability should be reviewed in advance based on the latest technical data for the detailed evaluation factors that must be considered for selecting the backfilling method.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.29-38
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• 2021

This study investigated the mineralogical properties of bentonite and illite and evaluated the Cs sorption at various concentrations (C_w≈1-10⁵ ㎍/L). Bentonite samples, collected from South Korea and USA, majorly consisted of Ca- and Na-montmorillonite, showed large cation exchange capacity (CEC, 91.4 and 47.3 meq/100 g) and specific surface area (SSA, 46.1 and 39.7 m²/g). In contrast, illite sample (USA) had relatively low values for 14.4 meq/100g of CEC and 29.3 m²/g of SSA, respectively. Bentonite and illite had different non-linear sorption for Cs along with C_w. At low C_w<10 ㎍/L, illite showed higher sorption capacity than bentonite despite low CEC because of the existence of specific sorption sites at the weathered mineral edge. However, as C_w increased, bentonite represented high sorption capacity because the cation exchange between Cs and interlayer cations was effective at high C_w conditions. These results implicated that the Cs concentration is important to evaluate the sorption performance of bentonite and illite. Finally, the Cuadros' kinetic model for illitization using various K concentrations (2×10^-5 and 1.7×10^-3 mol/L) and temperature (100-200℃) showed that up to 50% of the montmorillonite in bentonite could be converted to illite, suggesting that the illitization should be considered to evaluate the sorption performance of the bentonite in deep geological disposal repository.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.43-49
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• 2020

An engineered barrier system (EBS) for the geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste (HLW) consists of a disposal canister packed with spent fuel, buffer material, backfill material, and gap-filling material. The buffer material fills the space between the canister and the near-field rock, thus serving to restrain the release of radionuclides and protect the canister from groundwater penetration. Furthermore, as significant amounts of heat energy are released from the canister to the surrounding rock, the thermal conductivity of the buffer plays an important role in maintaining the safety of the entire disposal system. Therefore, given the high levels of heat released from disposal canisters, this study measured the thermal conductivities of compacted bentonite buffers from Gyeongju under temperature variations ranging 25 to 80~90℃. There was a 5~20% increase in thermal conductivity as the temperature increased, and the temperature effect increased as the degree of saturation increased.