• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제49권5호
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• pp.1010-1018
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• 2017

The European Treatment and Disposal of Irradiated Graphite and other Carbonaceous Waste project sought to develop best practices in the retrieval, treatment, and disposal of irradiated graphite including other irradiated carbonaceous waste such as structural material made of graphite, nongraphitized carbon bricks, and fuel coatings. Emphasis was given on legacy irradiated graphite, as this represents a significant inventory in respective national waste management programs. This paper provides an overview of the characteristics of graphite irradiated during its use, primarily as a moderator material, within nuclear reactors. It describes the potential techniques applicable to the retrieval, treatment, recycling/reuse, and disposal of these graphite wastes. Considering the lifecycle of nuclear graphite, from manufacture to final disposal, a number of waste management options have been developed. These options consider the techniques and technologies required to address each stage of the lifecycle, such as segregation, treatment, recycle, and ultimate disposal in a radioactive waste repository, providing a toolbox to aid operators and regulators to determine the most appropriate management strategy. It is noted that national waste management programs currently have, or are in the process of developing, respective approaches to irradiated graphite management. The output of the Treatment and Disposal of Irradiated Graphite and other Carbonaceous Waste project is intended to aid these considerations, rather than dictate them.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology
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• 제1권1호
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• pp.1-7
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• 2013

The safe management of radioactive waste is a national task required for sustainable generation of nuclear power and for energy self-reliance in Korea. Since the initial introduction of nuclear power to Korea in 1978, rapid growth in nuclear power has been achieved. This large nuclear power generation program has produced a significant amount of radioactive waste, both low- and intermediate-level waste (LILW) and spent nuclear fuel (SNF); and the amount of waste is steadily growing. For the management of LILW, the Wolsong LILW Disposal Center, which has a final waste disposal capacity of 800,000 drums, is under construction, and is expected to be completed by June 2014. Korean policy about how to manage the SNF has not yet been decided. In 2004, the Atomic Energy Commission decided that a national policy for SNF management should be established considering both technological development and public consensus. Currently, SNF is being stored at reactor sites under the responsibility of plant operator. The at-reactor SNF storage capacity will run out starting in 2024. In this paper, the fundamental principles and steps for implementation of a Korean policy for national radioactive waste management are introduced. Korean practices and prospects regarding radioactive waste management are also summarized, with a focus on strategy for policy-making on SNF management.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제53권2호
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• pp.549-561
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• 2021

Indonesia has policies and strategies for the management of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel that arises from the use of nuclear research and development facilities, including three research reactors, and the use of radioisotopes in medicine and industries. The Indonesian government has provided extensive facilities such as an independent regulatory organization (BAPETEN) and a centralized radioactive waste management organization (CRWT-BATAN). Further, the presence of regulations and several international conventions guarantee the protection of the public from all risks due to handling radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel. However, the sustainability of radioactive waste management in the future faces various challenges, such as disposal issues related to not only to site selection but also financing of radioactive waste management. Likewise, the problem of transportation persists; as an archipelago country, Indonesia still struggles to manage the infrastructure required for the transport of radioactive materials. The waste from the production of the radioisotopes, especially from the production of 99Mo, requires special attention because BATAN has never handled it. Indonesia should also resolve the management of NORM from various activities. In Indonesia, the definition of radioactive waste does not include NORM. Therefore, the management of this waste needs revision and improvement on the regulations, infrastructure, and technology.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제55권2호
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• pp.516-522
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• 2023

The co-precipitation process plays a key role in the decontamination of radionuclides from low and intermediate levels of liquid waste. For that reason, the removal of Cs ions from waste solution by the co-precipitation method was carried out. A simulated liquid waste (¹³³Cs) was prepared from a 0.1 M CsCl solution, while wastewater generated by washing steel ash served as a representative of radioactive cesium solution (¹³⁷Cs). By co-precipitation, potassium ferrocyanide was applied for the adsorption of Cs ions, while nickel nitrate and iron sulfate were selected for supporting the precipitation. The amount of residual Cs ions in the CsCl solution after precipitation and filtration was determined by ICP-OES, while the radioactivity of ¹³⁷Cs was measured using a gamma-ray spectrometer. After cesium removal, the amount of cesium appearing in both XRD and SEM-EDS was analyzed. The removal efficiency of ¹³³Cs was 60.21% and 51.86% for nickel nitrate and iron sulfate, respectively. For the ash-washing solution, the removal efficiency of ¹³⁷Cs was revealed to be more than 99.91% by both chemical agents. This implied that the co-precipitation process is an excellent strategy for the effective removal of radioactive cesium in waste solution treatment.

• 방사성폐기물학회지
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• 제19권1호
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• pp.141-160
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• 2021

Unit 1 of the Kori Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) and Unit 1 of the Wolsong NPP are being prepared for decommissioning; their decommissioning is expected to generate large amounts of intermediate-level, low-level, and very low level Waste. Mixed waste containing both radioactive and hazardous substances is expected to be produced. Nevertheless, laws and regulations, such as the Korean Nuclear Safety Act and Waste Management Act, do not define clear regulatory guidelines for mixed waste. However, the United States has strictly enforced regulations on mixed waste, focusing on the human health and environmental effects of its hazardous components. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the U.S. Department of Energy regulate the radioactive components of mixed waste under the Atomic Energy Act. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulates the hazardous waste component of mixed waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. In this study, the laws, regulations, and authorities pertaining to mixed waste in the United States are reviewed. Through comparison and analysis with waste management laws and regulations in Korea, a treatment direction for mixed waste is suggested. Such a treatment for mixed waste will increase the efficiency of managing mixed waste when decommissioning NPPs in the near future.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제41권4호
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• pp.477-492
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• 2009

In this paper, we discuss the experiences during the preparation of the Wolsong Low- and Intermediate-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Center. These experiences have importance as a first implementation for the national LILW disposal facility in the Republic of Korea. As for the progress, it relates to the area of selected disposal site, the disposal site characteristics, waste characteristics of the disposal facility, safety assessment, and licensing process. During these experiences, we also discuss the necessity for new organization and change for a radioactive waste management system. Further effort for the safe management of radioactive waste needs to be pursued.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제51권4호
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• pp.1037-1040
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• 2019

For the past 50 years, graphite has been widely used as a moderator, reflector and fuel matrix in different kinds of gas-cooled reactors. Resulting in approximately 250,000 metric tons of irradiated graphite waste. One of the most significant long-lived radioisotope from graphite reactors is carbon-14 ($^{14}C$) with a half-life of 5730 years, this makes it a huge concern for deep geologic disposal of nuclear graphite (NG). Considering the lifecycle of NG a number of waste management options have been developed, mainly focused on the achievement the radiological requirements for disposal. The existing approaches for recycling depend on the cost to be economically viable. In this new study, an affordable process to remove $^{14}C$ has been proposed using samples taken from the Nuclear Power Plant in Latina (Italy) which have been used to investigate the capability of organic and inorganic solvents in removing $^{14}C$ from exfoliated nuclear graphite, with the aim to design a practicable approach to obtain graphite for recycling or/and safety disposed as L& LLW.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제53권4호
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• pp.1224-1235
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• 2021

An integrated waste management approach for irradiated graphite was developed during the European Commission project 'Treatment and Disposal of Irradiated Graphite and other Carbonaceous Waste'. This included the identification of potential options for the management of irradiated graphite, taking account of storage, retrieval, treatment and disposal methods. This paper describes how these options can be assessed using multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) for a case study relating to a generic power reactor. Criteria have been defined to account for safety, environmental, economic and socio-political factors, including radiological impact, resource usage, economic costs and risks. The impact of each option against each criterion has been assessed using data from the project and the wider literature. A linear additive approach has been used to convert the calculated impacts to scores. To account for the relative importance of the criteria, example weightings were allocated. This application has shown that MCDA approaches can be used to support complex decisions regarding irradiated graphite management, accounting for a wide range of criteria. Use of this approach by individual countries or organisations will need to account for the specific options, scores, weightings and constraints that apply, based on their national strategies, regulatory requirements and public acceptability.

• 방사성폐기물학회지
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• 제20권3호
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• pp.339-347
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• 2022

Major accidents at nuclear power plants generate huge amounts of radioactive waste in a short period of time over a wide area outside the plant boundary. Therefore, extraordinary efforts are required for safe management of the waste. A well-established remediation plan including radioactive waste management that is prepared in advance will minimize the impact on the public and environment. In Korea, however, only limited plans exist to systematically manage this type of off-site radioactive waste generating event. In this study, we developed basic strategies for off-site radioactive waste management based on recommendations from the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) and NCRP (National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements), experiences from the Fukushima Daiichi accident in Japan, and a review of the national radioactive waste management system in Korea. These strategies included the assignment of roles and responsibilities, development of management methodologies, securement of storage capacities, preparation for the use of existing infrastructure, assurance of information transparency, and establishment of cooperative measures with international organizations.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제15권3호
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• pp.207-217
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• 1983

A brief review is presented for the state-of-art waste treatment technologies, siting issues, and regulatory requirements in geologic disposal of nuclear wastes. Key technical issues that need to be solved by waste management research program are also presented.