• 한국압력기기공학회 논문집
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• 제16권1호
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• pp.110-116
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• 2020

As the management plan for domestic spent nuclear fuel is delayed, the storage of the operating nuclear power plant is approaching saturation, and the Kori 1 Unit that has reached its end of operation life is preparing for the dismantling plan. The first stage of dismantling is the transfer of spent nuclear fuel stored in storage at plants. The spent fuel management process leads to temporary storage, interim storage, reprocessing and permanent disposal. In this paper, the technical issues to be considered when transporting spent fuel in this process are summarized. The spent fuels are treated as high-level radioactive waste and strictly managed according to international regulations. A series of integrity tests are performed to demonstrate that spent fuel can be safely stored for decades in a dry environment before being transferred to an intermediate storage facility. The safety of spent fuel transport container must be demonstrated under normal transport conditions and virtual accident conditions. IAEA international standards are commonly applied to the design of transport containers, licensing regulations and transport regulations worldwide. In addition, each country operates a physical protection system to reduce and respond to the threat of radioactive terrorism.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• 제37권4호
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• pp.197-201
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• 2012

경수로 사용후핵연료 중간저장시설의 부지면적을 산출하기 위하여 콘크리트 저장시설 개념모델의 연간선량을 계산하였다. 초기농축도 4.5 wt%, 연소도 45,000 MWd/MTU, 냉각기간 10년인 사용후핵연료를 대상으로 ORIGEN-ARP를 사용하여 선원항을 생산하였으며, MCNP 코드를 사용하여 저장시설에 대한 모델링 및 방사선차폐계산을 수행하였다. 연간선량은 저장시설의 용량별로 계산하였으며, 중앙집중식 저장시설의 경우, 반경 700 m 이상에서 10CFR72에서 권고하는 통제구역 경계에서의 연간선량 기준 0.25 mSv를 만족하였다.

• 한국방사성폐기물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국방사성폐기물학회 2003년도 가을 학술논문집
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• pp.168-171
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• 2003

조사재시험시설(IMEF : Irradiated Materials Examination Facility)은 원자력연구소 부지 내에 위치하고 있는 핫셀 시험시설로써, 하나로 연구용 원자로 및 상용 원자력발전소에서 중성자에 조사한 사용후핵연료 및 구조재료 등의 조사특성에 대한 시험 및 평가를 수행하고 있다. 따라서 핫셀 내부에서 시험을 완료한 고준위 고체폐기물들은 시설의 고유기능을 지속적으로 수행하기 위해서 정기적으로 핫셀 외부로 반출 및 원자력연구소 부지내의 저장시설에 옮겨 처리해야 한다. 시설준공(1993년 말) 후 현재까지 고준위폐기시설인 모노리스(monolith)로 반출 및 처리한 물량은 50리터용 폐기물처리용 통(bin)으로 약 30개이며, 해마다 그 양이 늘어나고 있는 추세이다. 본 논문에서는 조사재시험시설의 핫셀에서 고준위폐기시설인 모노리스(monolith)까지의 일련의 반출 및 처리에 대한 절차 및 작업내용을 간략하게 기술하고자 한다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제39권4호
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• pp.237-248
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• 2007

Sodium-cooled fast reactor is considered in France as a potential candidate for a prototype of 4th generation system to be built by 2020. A detailed working program has been launched recently to identify by 2012 the potential improvement tracks for later industrial development of these reactors. The goals for innovation are first identified: Progress of the safety with a special attention to severe accidents risk minimization and mitigation (defense in depth approach); Economic competitiveness of the system mainly by reducing the capital cost, the investment risks by enhancing in service inspection and repair capacities, and raising the availability; Sustainability with fissile material management while reducing the proliferation risk; capacity for long-lived waste transmutation.

• 방사성폐기물학회지
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• 제6권3호
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• pp.233-244
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• 2008

본 연구에서는 경수로 사용후핵연료로부터 핵연료 물질(예: 차세대형 원자로의 연료)로 재사용할 수 있는 우라늄과 초우라늄원소군(TRU)을 분리, 회수하기 위한 파이로 처리공정(pyroprocess) 시설의 개념설계연구를 수행하였다. 이 시설의 목적은 공학적 실증시험을 통하여 상용 규모의 확대(scale-up) 자료를 확보하는 것과 운전 경험을 쌓을 수 있도록 하자는 것이고 그 용량은 비교적 작은 공학적 규모인 20 kg HM/batch 로 설정하였다. 처리 대상 핵연료로는 경수로의 전형적인 핵연료 형태인 3.5 % 농축우라늄, 35,000 MWd/tU 그리고 5년 냉각시킨 경수로 사용후핵연료를 선택하였다. 본 개념설계연구에서 고려한 주요 항목은 차폐셀을 포함한 파이로 처리공정 시설의 배치, 공정 운전에 대비한 시설 안전 관리, 방사선 안전, 차폐셀 내 불활성 분위기 관리, 연료 물질의 계량 관리, TRU 제품의 핵임계 관리 등이다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제43권4호
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• pp.317-328
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• 2011

Pyroprocessing technology was developed in the beginning for metal fuel treatment in the US in the 1960s. The conventional aqueous process, such as PUREX, is not appropriate for treating metal fuel. Pyroprocessing technology has advantages over the aqueous process: less proliferation risk, treatment of spent fuel with relatively high heat and radioactivity, compact equipment, etc. The addition of an oxide reduction process to the pyroprocessing metal fuel treatment enables handling of oxide spent fuel, which draws a potential option for the management of spent fuel from the PWR. In this context, KAERI has been developing pyroprocessing technology to handle the oxide spent fuel since the 1990s. This paper describes the current status of pyroprocessing technology development at KAERI from the head-end process to the waste treatment. A unit process with various scales has been tested to produce the design data associated with the scale up. A performance test of unit processes integration will be conducted at the PRIDE facility, which will be constructed by early 2012. The PRIDE facility incorporates the unit processes all together in a cell with an Ar environment. The purpose of PRIDE is to test the processes for unit process performance, operability by remote equipment, the integrity of the unit processes, process monitoring, Ar environment system operation, and safeguards related activities. The test of PRIDE will be promising for further pyroprocessing technology development.

• 화약ㆍ발파
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• 제35권3호
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• pp.31-54
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• 2017

원자로가 운영되는 국가에서는 고준위방사성폐기물 처분을 위한 관련 기술개발은 지속적인 원자력에너지의 이용을 위해 시급한 해결해야할 중요한 사안으로 여겨지고 있다. 이미 중저준위처분장이 운영 중인 국내에서는 고준위방사성폐기물의 관리에 대한 관심이 높아지면서 현장실증 연구를 위한 지하연구시설 건설에 대한 관심도도 높아지고 있다. 지하심부 암반에 고준위방사성 폐기물 처분장을 건설, 운영하기 위해서는 암반 안정성이 보장되어야 한다. 암반손상대는 처분장 암반 안정성에 영향을 미치는 요소로써 해외 각국의 지하연구시설에서는 다양한 암반손상대 연구가 수행되었다. 처분 환경에서 암반손상대의 특성과 영향을 정확히 평가하기 위해서는 유사한 환경에서 기 수행된 연구 결과의 분석을 바탕으로 신뢰도 높은 조사 방법의 사용이 요구된다. 본 연구에서는 세계 각국에 건설된 지하연구시설의 현황과 암반손상대의 규모, 특성, 영향에 대한 연구 방법 및 주요 연구결과를 조사, 보고하였다. 이는 고준위폐기물 관리기술 개발을 위해 수행될 지하연구시설을 활용한 국내 관련 연구의 수행에 기여할 것으로 판단된다.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• 제45권3호
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• pp.130-141
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• 2020

Background: Concrete activation in cyclotron vaults is a major concern associated with their decommissioning because a considerable amount of activated concrete is generated by secondary neutrons during the operation of cyclotrons. Reducing the amount of activated concrete is important because of the high cost associated with radioactive waste management. This study aims to investigate the capability of the neutron absorbing materials to reduce concrete activation. Materials and Methods: The Particle and Heavy Ion Transport code System (PHITS) code was used to simulate a cyclotron target and room. The dimensions of the room were 457 cm (length), 470 cm (width), and 320 cm (height). Gd₂O₃, B₄C, polyethylene (PE), and borated (5 wt% ^natB) PE with thicknesses of 5, 10, and 15 cm and their different combinations were selected as neutron absorbing materials. They were placed on the concrete walls to determine their effects on thermal neutrons. Thin B₄C and Gd₂O₃ were placed between the concrete wall and additional PE shield separately to decrease the required thickness of the additional shield, and the thermal neutron flux at certain depths inside the concrete was calculated for each condition. Subsequently, the optimum combination was determined with respect to radioactive waste reduction, price, and availability, and the total reduced radioactive concrete waste was estimated. Results and Discussion: In the specific conditions considered in this study, the front wall with respect to the proton beam contained radioactive waste with a depth of up to 64 cm without any additional shield. A single layer of additional shield was inefficient because a thick shield was required. Two-layer combinations comprising 0.1- or 0.4-cm-thick B₄C or Gd₂O₃ behind 10 cm-thick PE were studied to verify whether the appropriate thickness of the additional shield could be maintained. The number of transmitted thermal neutrons reduced to 30% in case of 0.1 cm-thick Gd₂O₃+10 cm-thick PE or 0.1 cm-thick B₄C+10 cm-thick PE. Thus, the thickness of the radioactive waste in the front wall was reduced from 64 to 48 cm. Conclusion: Based on price and availability, the combination of the 10 cm-thick PE+0.1 cmthick B₄C was reasonable and could effectively reduce the number of thermal neutrons. The amount of radioactive concrete waste was reduced by factor of two when considering whole concrete walls of the PET cyclotron vault.

• 방사성폐기물학회지
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• 제14권4호
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• pp.385-410
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• 2016

경주 방사성폐기물 처분시설은 향후 80만 포장물을 처분할 계획이며 다양한 처분방식 및 관리형태를 가진 복합계가 될 것이다. 본 논문에서는 전체부지 처분용량(80만 포장물) 처분시설의 단계별 개발에 따른 영향을 평가하기 위하여 처분시설 종합개발계획(안)에 따른 예비안전성평가를 수행하였다. 각 시나리오에 대한 안전성평가결과 처분시설의 성능목표치를 만족하였다. 다만, 전체처분시설의 안전성 평가결과에 중준위 방사성폐기물로 인하여 1단계 동굴 처분시설이 가장 크게 영향을 미치므로 처분시설의 안전성 향상을 위하여 처분방사능량제한 설정 등 관리방안이 필요하다. Safety Case 단계별 구축을 통하여 중 저준위 방사성폐기물 처분시설 종합개발 과정에서 인지된 불확실성을 저감하여 안전성을 증진 시킬 수 있을 것으로 판단된다.

• 방사선산업학회지
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• 제18권2호
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• pp.133-140
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• 2024

The Korean 2^nd basic plan for management of high-level radioactive waste presented a plan to manage spent nuclear fuel through dry storage facilities in NPP on-site. For the construction and operation of the facility, it is necessary to develop the monitoring system of the integrity of spent nuclear fuel before operation. NUREG-1536 recommends that the theoretical cask array, typically in the 2×10 array, should account for shadowing effect among the dry storage casks. The objective of this study was to evaluate neutron flux accounting for shadowing effect among dry storage casks. The neutron release rate was evaluated using ORIGEN based on the design basis fuel condition. And the simulation of dry storage casks and evaluation of the shadowing effect were performed using MCNP. Shadowing effect of other dry storage casks was the highest at the center of the dry storage facility of the 2×10 array compared with the outside of the cask. The shadowing effect of neutron flux on the surface among the metal casks was approximately 18% at point 1, 23% at point 2, and 43% at point 3. For the concrete casks, the shadowing effect of neutron flux on the surface was approximately 46% at point 1, 51% at point 2, and 52% at point 3. This means that correction is necessary to monitor the integrity of spent nuclear fuel in each dry storage cask through evaluation of shadowing effect. The results of this study will be used for comparative analysis of neutron measurement data from spent nuclear fuels in dry storage cask. Additionally, the neutron flux evaluation procedure used in this study could be used as the basic data of safety assessment of dry storage cask and development of safety guide.