• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
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• 2011.10a
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• pp.557-558
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• 2011

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.381-390
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• 2017

In Korea, commercial nuclear power plants and research reactors have on-site storage systems for the spent nuclear fuel, but it is difficult to expand the facilities used for the storage systems. If decommissioning of nuclear power plants starts, an amount of high level radioactive waste will be generated. In this study, a radiological impact assessment of the railroad transport of high level radioactive waste was carried out considering radiation workers and the public, using the developed transport container as the transport package. The dose rates for workers and the public during the transport period were estimated, considering anticipated transport scenarios, and the results compared with the regulatory limit. A sensitivity analysis was also carried out by considering the different release ratios of the radioactive materials in the high level radioactive waste, and different distances between the transport container and workers during loading and unloading phases and while attaching another freight car. For all the anticipated transport scenarios, the radiological impacts for workers and the public met the regulatory limits.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.53-72
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• 1991

An integrated model is developed in this paper for the performance assessment of high level radioactive waste repository. This integrated model consists of two simple mathematical models. One is a multiple-barrier failure model of the repository system based on constant failure rates which provides source terms to biosphere. The other is a biosphere model which has multiple pathways for radionuclides to reach to human. For the parametric uncertainty and sensitivity analysis for the risk assessment of high level radioactive waste repository, Latin hypercube sampling and rank correlation techniques are applied to this model. The former is cost-effective for large computer programs because it gives smaller error in estimating output distribution even with smaller number of runs compared to crude Monte Carlo technique. The latter is good for generating dependence structure among samples of input parameters. It is also used to find out the most sensitive, or important, parameter groups among given input parameters. The methodology of the mathematical modelling with statistical analysis will provide useful insights to the decision-making of radioactive waste repository selection and future researches related to uncertain and sensitive input parameters.

• 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.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.529-539
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• 2024

A high-level nuclear waste (HLW) repository is designed for the long-term disposal of high-level waste. Positioned at depths of 500-1000 meters, it offers an alternative to the insufficient storage space for spent fuels, providing a long-term solution. High-level waste emits heat and radiation, causing structural deterioration, including strength reduction and cracks. Therefore, the use of piezoelectric sensors for structural health monitoring is essential for evaluating the safety of the structure over time. Unlike other structures, the HLW repository restricts human access after the disposal of HLW, rendering sensor replacement impossible. Therefore, it is necessary to assess both the lifespan and suitability of sensors under the disposal conditions in the HLW repository. This study employed an accelerated life test (ALT) to assess the sensor's lifespan under disposal conditions. Failure modes, failure mechanisms, and operational limits were analyzed through accelerated stress test (AST). Additionally, the parameters of the Weibull life probability distribution and the Arrhenius accelerated life model were estimated through statistical methods, including the likelihood ratio test, maximum likelihood estimation, and hypothesis testing. Results confirmed that the sensor's lifespan decreases significantly with the increase in the temperature limit of the HLW repository. The findings of this study can be used for improving sensor lifespan through shielding, development of alternative sensors, or lifespan evaluation of alternative monitoring sensors.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.43 no.3 s.286
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• pp.148-151
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• 2006

In order to examine the process parameters for the vitrification of Low and Intermediate Level radioactive Waste (LILW) generated from nuclear power plants, measurements of several melt properties was performed for four selected glasses containing simulated waste. Electrical conductivity and viscosity were determined at temperatures ranging from 1123 to $1673^{\circ}C$. The temperature dependences of both properties in the molten state showed a similar behavior in which their values decrease as the temperature increases. The values of the electrical conductivity and viscosity at a temperature of 1423K adopted in an induction cold crucible melter process were $0.27{\sim}0.42$ S/cm and $9.8{\sim}42$ dPas, respectively.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.383-395
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• 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.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.489-502
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• 2023

This article presents the crucial role played by the French underground research laboratory (URL) in initiating the deep geological repository project Cigéo. In January 2023, Andra finalized the license application for the initial construction of Cigéo. Depending on Government's decision, the construction of Cigéo may be authorized around 2027. Cigéo is the result of a National program, launched in 1991, aiming to safely manage high-level and intermediate level long-lived radioactive wastes. This National program is based on four principles: 1) excellent science and technical knowledge, 2) safety and security as primary goals for waste management, 3) high requirements for environment protection, 4) transparent and open-public exchanges preceding the democratic decisions and orientations by the Parliament. The research and development (R&D) activities carried out in the URL supported the design and the safety demonstration of the Cigéo project. Moreover, running the URL has provided an opportunity to gain practical experience with regard to the security of underground operations, assessment of environmental impacts, and involvement of the public in the preparation of decisions. The practices implemented have helped gradually build confidence in the Cigéo project.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.1540-1554
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• 2023

To use nuclear energy sustainably, spent nuclear fuel, classified as high-level radioactive waste and inevitably discharged after electricity generation by nuclear power plants, must be managed safely and isolated from the human environment. In Korea, the land area is limited and the amount of high-level radioactive waste, including spent nuclear fuels to be disposed, is relatively large. Thus, it is particularly necessary to maximize disposal efficiency. In this study, a high-efficiency deep geological repository concept was developed to enhance disposal efficiency. To this end, design strategies and requirements for a high-efficiency deep geological repository system were established, and engineered barrier modules with a disposal canister for pressurized water reactor (PWR)-type and pressurized heavy water reactor type Canada deuterium uranium (CANDU) plants were developed. Thermal and structural stability assessments were conducted for the repository system; it was confirmed that the system was suitable for the established strategies and requirements. In addition, the results of the nuclear safety assessment showed that the radiological safety of the new system met the Korean safety standards for disposal of high-level radioactive waste in terms of radiological dose. To evaluate disposal efficiency in terms of the disposal area, the layout of the developed disposal areas was assessed in terms of thermal limits. The estimated disposal areas were 2.51 km² and 1.82 km² (existing repository system: 4.57 km²) and the excavated host rock volumes were 2.7 Mm³ and 2.0 Mm³ (existing repository system: 4.5 Mm³) for thermal limits of 100 ℃ and 130 ℃, respectively. These results indicated that the area and the excavated volume of the new repository system were reduced by 40-60% compared to the existing repository system. In addition, methods to further improve the efficiency were derived for the disposal area for deep geological disposal of spent nuclear fuel. The results of this study are expected to be useful in establishing a national high-level radioactive waste management policy, and for the design of a commercial deep geological repository system for spent nuclear fuels.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2016

In this study, thermal-hydrological-chemical modeling for the alteration of a bentonite buffer is carried out using a simulation code TOUGHREACT. The modeling results show that the water saturation of bentonite steadily increases and finally the bentonite is fully saturated after 10 years. In addition, the temperature rapidly increases and stabilizes after 0.5 year, exhibiting a constant thermal gradient as a function of distance from the copper tube. The change of thermal-hydrological conditions mainly results in the alteration of anhydrite and calcite. Anhydrite and calcite are dissolved along with the inflow of groundwater. They then tend to precipitate in the vicinity of the copper tube due to its high temperature. This behavior induces a slight decrease in porosity and permeability of bentonite near the copper tube. Furthermore, this study finds that the diffusion coefficient can significantly affect the alteration of anhydrite and calcite, which causes changes in the hydrological properties of bentonite such as porosity and permeability. This study may facilitate the safety assessment of high-level radioactive waste repositories.