• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.119-125
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• 1997

PHWR achieves high neutron economy by adopting heavy water as its moderator and coolant. On the other hand it permits much tritium generation, compared to LWR, due to the neutron capture reaction of deuterium in heavy water. Meanwhile in the reactor core, $^3He formed as the result of-decay of tritium, captures a thermal neutron and transforms to tritium again. The existing calculation models on tritium generation in PHWR neglect the contribution of $^3He$ in both moderator and coolant due to its relatively low solubility. However the neutron capture cross-section of $^3He$ is almost $1.6{\times}10^7$ times as large as that of deuterium. That means that the dissolved amount of 0.03 ppm of $^3He$ in heavy water is enough to generate the same amount of tritium as that generated by the deuterium of total heavy water in the system. This study dealt with the contribution of $^3He$ to tritium generation. As a sample case, the contribution of $^3He$ to the tritium generation in Wolsong #1 was evaluated and compared to the measured values. According to the result of this study, it is concluded that $^3He$ in coolant contributes very much to the tritium generation but that in moderator shows negligible effects due to the low solubility and $^4He$ cover gas. At the beginning of the plant operation, the contribution of $^3He$ is slightly greater than the measured value but agrees well with the measured as the operating time increases.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.261-286
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• 2018

This paper evaluated the economic feasibility of the life extension of Kori unit 1 and Wolsong unit 1 according to the types of the nuclear power plants (NPPs) and the life extension period comparing to the levelized costs of energy (LCOE) of the new NPPs, coal-fired plants (CFPs), and combined cycle gas turbine (CCGTs) which proposed in the $7^{th}$ Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand. The economic feasibility of the life extension of NPPs using LCOE method is affected by the types of NPPs, lifetime extension periods, discount rate, and capacity factor. According to the analysis results, the pressurized light water reactor (PWR) is more economical than the pressurized heavy water reactor (PHWR). Comparing the economical efficiency between the life extension of NPPs and other alternatives, the operation of the PWR for 20 years is more economical than the one of new NPPs and CFPs. However, 20 years of life extension of PHWR is more economical than the CCGTs, but less economical than new NPPs and CFPs. In summary, the 20 years of life extension of the NPPs seems to be more, especially for the PWR, which is more cost effective than other generation alternatives. Therefore, the government policy of the life extension of NPPs need to be a selective approach that simultaneously considers both safety and economics rather than closing all NPPs.

• Nuclear industry
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• v.4 no.6 s.22
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• pp.19-23
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• 1984

현재 우리나라에는 3기의 원전이 운전중에 있으며 6기가 건설중에 있다. 즉, 2기의 가압경수로(PWR)의 1기의 가압중수로(HWR)가 운전중에 있으며 건설중인 것은 모두 PWR이다. 현재 추진되고 있는 원전계획을 수행하면, 1990년에는 사용후핵연료가 년간 약200톤씩 방출될 것이며, 2000년에는 500톤 정도가 방출되게 된다. 이와 같은 핵사용후연료는 현재 소내저장하고 있으나 '90년대 중반 부터는 소내저장용량이 한계에 달하게 될 것으로 전망되고 있다. 따라서 본교에서의 이와 같은 소내저장 한계성에 대처할 수 있는 가능한 방안을 검토하고, 이를 경제성 측면에서 분석하고자 하였다. 사용후핵연료의 관리방안에 대한 경제성 분석을 위해서는 장래의 원전계획, 원자로형 및 핵연료주기방식 등에 대한 여러 가지 가정이 필요하게 된다. 원전계획은 정부에서 발표한 $\ulcorner$5차5개년 수정계획$\lrcorner$에 의거하여 원전시설용량은 현재의 2GWe에서 2000년에는 22GWe로, 2025년에는 44GWe로 늘어나는 것으로 보았다. 이와 같은 원전계획을 바탕으로 6가지 핵연료주기에 관한 시나리오를 설정하였다. 즉, 사용후핵연료를 비순환방식으로 운영하는 2가지 경우, 순환방식으로 운영되는 3가지 경우 그리고 FBR에 활용하는 1가지의 경우에 대하여 검토하였다. 사용후핵연료의 관리방식에 따른 장기적인 안목에서의 경제성 분석은 핵연료주기비용 뿐만아니라 원전의 투자비도 함께 분석하는 것이 합리적이며, 따라서 본교에서는 계획기간 동안의 6가지 시나리로에 따른 원전 및 핵연료주기에 관한 총 투자비를 비교하였고, 1982년 가격으로 현가화한 단가도 비교${\cdot}$검토 하였다. 이와 같은 6가지 시나리오에 대한 경제성을 비교해 본 결과, 핵연료주기선택의 경제성평가에 큰 영향을 주는 핵연료주기요소는 재처리비, 재처리시 방출되는 폐기물의 처리${\cdot}$처분비 그리고 사용후핵연료 저장방식으로 판명되었으며 6가지 시나리오에 대한 경제성 비교평가 결과, 다음과 같은 결론을 얻었다. 단기적인 안목에서는 소내저장용량을 확장하는 방안이 가장 바람직하며, 중기적인 관점에서는 소외집중저장설비가 활발히 수행되는 시점에서는 사용후핵연료를 재처리하여 재활용하는 방안도 강구되어야 할 것이다.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.184-189
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• 2009

In pressurized heavy water reactors, workers who enter radiation controlled areas must submit their urine samples to health physicists after radiation work; these samples are then used to monitor internal radiation exposure from tritium intake. This procedure assumes that the samples submitted represent tritium concentration inside the body at equilibrium. According to both technical reports from the International Commission on Radiological Protection and experimental results from Canadian nuclear utilities, tritium inside the body generally reaches equilibrium concentration after approximately 2-3 hours of intake. In practice, urine samples can be submitted either before the 2 hours mark or after several hours of radiation work because of the numerous tasks that workers must perform and their frequent entries during nuclear power plant maintenance. In this paper, tritium concentration in workers' urine samples was measured as a function of time submitted after radiation work. Based on the measurement results, changes in the tritium concentration inside the body and its effect on internal dose assessment were then analyzed. As a result, it was found that tritium concentration reaches equilibrium concentration before the 2 hours mark for most workers' urine samples.

• Nuclear industry
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• no.9_10 s.9
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• pp.33-37
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• 1982

현재 우리나라는 고리원자력발전소 1호기 1기를 운전중에 있으며 8기를 건설하고 있는데 월성원자력발전소 (CANDU-PHW) 1기를 제외하면 모두 가압경수형원자로 (PWR)인바, 유일한 중수로인 월성원전의 상업운전개시가 금년말로 예상되고 있어 CANDU형원자로의 역사와 특성을 대략적으로 알아보고자 한다.

• Nuclear industry
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• v.17 no.3 s.169
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• pp.4-9
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• 1997

70만kW급 가압 중수로형 원전(CANDU-PHWR)으로 건설되고 있는 월성 원자력 2호기가 오는 6월의 상업 운전을 목전에 두고 있다. 월성 2호기가 준공되면, 우리 나라의 원전 설비 용량은 1천만kW를 돌파하게 된다. 한국전력공사의 종합사업 관리하에 건설 추진되어 온 월성 2호기는 충분한 운전 경험을 통해 그 안전성과 신뢰성이 입증된 CANDU-600과 동일한 노형으로, 월성 1호기 건설 이후의 설비 개선과 최신 기술 기준 및 강화된 인허가 요건을 적용하여 발전소 안전성과 신뢰성을 제고하였으며, 선행 호기의 건설 경험을 최대한 활용하여 공정 계획을 수립$\cdot$추진하여 왔다. 그간의 건설 경위 등을 특징별로 살펴 본다.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.57-62
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• 2010

Maintenance on the water chamber of steam generator, the change of pressurizer heater, the removal of pressure tube feeder, and so on during outage in nuclear power plants (NPPs) has a likelihood of high radiation exposure to whole body of workers even short time period due to the high radiation exposure rates. In particular, it is expected that hands would receive the highest radiation exposure because of its contact with radiation materials. In this study, field tests on extremity dose assessment of radiation workers for contact works with high radiation exposure were conducted during the maintenance periods in Korean pressurized water reactors (PWRs) and pressurized heavy water reactors (PHWRs). In this field test, radiation workers were required to wear additional TLDs on the back and wrist, and an extremity dosimeter on fingers including a main TLD on the chest, while performing maintenance. As a result, it was found that the equivalent dose for fingers was distributed in the fixed range of deep dose and the equivalent dose for wrists.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.495-499
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• 2010

In this paper, the regulatory guidelines for the continued operation of the CANDU reactor in Korea were introduced. Wolsong Unit 1, which is a CANDU 600 reactor in Korea, will reach its design life of 30 years in 2012. A licensee who wants to operate a nuclear power plant beyond its design life should submit reports of periodic safety reviews (PSRs) conducted on the basis of 11 safety factors. In addition, the licensee should provide the following: (1) scoping and screening results for aging management, (2) aging management program, (3) TLAA, including the continued operation term, (4) operation-experience feedback, and (5) important safety-research results. In this study, 54 regulatory guidelines for the five above-mentioned items for the CANDU reactor in Korea were developed.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.254-259
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• 2014

A pressurized heavy water reactor (PHWR) core has 380 fuel channels contained and supported by a horizontal cylindrical vessel known as the calandria, whereas a pressurized water reactor (PWR) has only a single reactor vessel. The pressure tube, which is a pressure-retaining component, has a 103.4 mm inside diameter ${\times}$ 4.19 mm wall thickness, and is 6.36 m long, made of a zirconium alloy (Zr-2.5 wt% Nb). This provides support for the fuel while transporting the $D_2O$ heat-transfer fluid. The simple tubular geometry invites highly automated inspection, and good approach for all inspection. Similar to all nuclear heat-transfer pressure boundaries, the PHWR pressure tube requires a rigorous, periodic inspection to assess the reactor integrity in accordance with the Korea Nuclear Safety Committee law. Volumetric-based nondestructive evaluation (NDE) techniques utilizing ultrasonic and eddy current testing have been adopted for use in the periodic inspection of the fuel channel. The eddy current testing, as a supplemental NDE method to ultrasonic testing, is used to confirm the flaws primarily detected through ultrasonic testing, however, eddy current testing offers a significant advantage in that its ability to detect surface flaws is superior to that of ultrasonic testing. In this paper, effectiveness of flaw detection and the depth sizing capability by eddy current testing for the inside surface of a pressure tube, will be introduced. As a result of this examination, the ET technique is found to be useful only as a detection technique for defects because it can detect fine defects on the surface with high resolution. However, the ET technique is not recommended for use as a depth sizing method because it has a large degree of error for depth sizing.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.40-44
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• 2015

Sensitivity on the reactor safety was evaluated for the safety margin and time delay applied to the opening pressure of liquid relief valve(LRV) of the primary heat transport system(PHTS) in the pressurized heavy water reactor(PHWR) type nuclear power plant. Since the LRV is the pressure boundary for the PHTS in the safety analysis, the operating of LRV has a significant effect on the safety analysis results. Therefore it is required during the regulatory review of Wolsong Unit 1 safety analysis to find the safety effect of the application of safety margin and time delay to the LRV opening pressure for the safety analysis of PHTS pressurizing events.