WASTE MANAGEMENT IN DECOMMISSIONING PROJECTS AT KAERI

Two decommissioning projects are carried out at the KAERI (Korean Atomic Energy Research Institute), one for the Korea research reactors, KRR-1 and KRR-2, and another for the uranium conversion plant (UCP). The concept of the management of the wastes from the decommissioning sites was reviewed with a relation of the decommissioning strategies, technologies for the treatment and the decontamination, and the characteristics of waste. All the liquid waste generated from KRR-1 and KRR-2 decommissioning site is evaporated by a solar evaporation facility and all the liquid waste from the UCP is treated together with lagoon sludge waste. The solid wastes from the decommissioning sites are categorized into three groups; not contaminated, restricted releasable and radioactive waste. The not-contaminated waste will be reused and/or disposed at an industrial disposal site, and the releasable waste is stored for the future disposal at the KAERI. The radioactive waste is packed in containers, and will be stored at the decommissioning sites till they are sent to a national repository site. The reduction of the radioactive solid waste is one of the strategies for the decommissioning projects and could be achieved by the repeated decontamination. By the achievement of the minimization strategy, the amount of radioactive waste was reduced and the disposal cost will be reduced, but the cost for manpower, for direct materials and for administration was increased.