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Proposal of Application Method for Concentration Averaging of Radioactive Waste in Korea by Using CA BTP of US NRC

  • Received : 2023.01.18
  • Accepted : 2023.05.26
  • Published : 2023.09.30

Abstract

United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (U.S. NRC) specifies regulations on obtaining licenses and describes the technical position on the average waste concentration, also known as Concentration Averaging and Encapsulation Branch Technical Position (CA BTP); CA BTP helps classify blendable waste and discrete items and address concentration averaging. The technical position details are reviewed and compared in a real environment in Korea. A few cases of concentration averaging based on the application of CA BTP to domestic radioactive waste are presented, and the feasibility of the application is assessed. The radioactive waste considered herein does not satisfy the Disposal Concentration Limit (DCL) of the second-phase disposal facility while applying the preliminary classification. However, if CA BTP is applied when the radioactive waste is mixed with other radioactive waste items in a large and heavy container, it can be disposed of at the second-phase disposal facility in Gyeongju Repository. To apply the CA BTP of the U.S. NRC, it is necessary to investigate the safety assessment conditions of the US and Korea.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This study was supported by the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning (KETEP No. 20204010600130) and the Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy (MOTIE) of the Republic of Korea.

References

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