• Title/Summary/Keyword: Decommissioning NPP

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Classification and consideration for the risk management in the planning phase of NPP decommissioning project

  • Gi-Lim Kim;Hyein Kim;Hyung-Woo Seo;Ji-Hwan Yu;Jin-Won Son
    • Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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    • v.54 no.12
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    • pp.4809-4818
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    • 2022
  • The decommissioning project of a nuclear facility is a large-scale process that is expected to take about 15 years or longer. The range of risks to be considered is large and complex, then, it is expected that various risks will arise in decision-making by area during the project. Therefore, in this study, the risk family derived from the Decommissioning Risk Management (DRiMa) project was reconstructed into a decommissioning project risk profile suitable for the Kori Unit 1. Two criteria of uncertainty and importance are considered in order to prioritize the selected 26 risks of decommissioning project. The uncertainty is scored according to the relevant laws and decommissioning plan preparation guidelines, and the project importance is scored according to the degree to which it primarily affects the triple constraints of the project. The results of risks are divided into high, medium, and low. Among them, 10 risks are identified as medium level and 16 risks are identified as low level. 10 risks, which are medium levels, are classified in five categories: End state of decommissioning project, Management of waste and materials, Decommissioning strategy and technology, Legal and regulatory framework, and Safety. This study is a preliminary assessment of the risk of the decommissioning project that could be considered in the preparation stage. Therefore, we expect that the project risks considered in this study can be used as an initial data for reevaluation by reflecting the detail project progress in future studies.

A Comparative Study on Effective One-Group Cross-Sections of ORIGEN and FISPACT to Calculate Nuclide Inventory for Decommissioning Nuclear Power Plant

  • Cha, Gilyong;Kim, Soonyoung;Lee, Minhye;Kim, Minchul;Kim, Hyunmin
    • Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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    • v.47 no.2
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    • pp.99-106
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    • 2022
  • Background: The radionuclide inventory calculation codes such as ORIGEN and FISPACT collapse neutron reaction libraries with energy spectra and generate an effective one-group cross-section. Since the nuclear cross-section data, energy group (g) structure, and other input details used by the two codes are different, there may be differences in each code's activation inventory calculation results. In this study, the calculation results of neutron-induced activation inventory using ORIGEN and FISPACT were compared and analyzed regarding radioactive waste classification and worker exposure during nuclear decommissioning. Materials and Methods: Two neutron spectra were used to obtain the comparison results: Watt fission spectrum and thermalized energy spectrum. The effective one-group cross-sections were generated for each type of energy group structure provided in ORIGEN and FISPACT. Then, the effective one-group cross-sections were analyzed by focusing on 59Ni, 63Ni, 94Nb, 60Co, 152Eu, and 154Eu, which are the main radionuclides of stainless steel, carbon steel, zircalloy, and concrete for decommissioning nuclear power plant (NPP). Results and Discussion: As a result of the analysis, 154Eu and 59Ni may be overestimated or underestimated depending on the code selection by up to 30%, because the cross-section library used for each code is different. When ORIGEN-44g, -49g, and -238g structures are selected, the differences of the calculation results of effective one-group cross-section according to group structure selection were less than 1% for the six nuclides applied in this study, and when FISPACT-69g, -172g, and -315g were applied, the difference was less than 1%, too. Conclusion: ORIGEN and FISPACT codes can be applied to activation calculations with their own built-in energy group structures for decommissioning NPP. Since the differences in calculation results may occur depending on the selection of codes and energy group structures, it is appropriate to properly select the energy group structure according to the accuracy required in the calculation and the characteristics of the problem.

A Pre-Study on the Estimation of NPP Decommissioning Radioactive Waste and Disposal costs for Applying New Classification Criteria (신 분류기준을 적용하기 위한 원전 해체폐기물량 및 처분 비용 산정에 대한 사전 연구)

  • Song, Jong Soon;Kim, Young-Guk;Lee, Sang-Heon
    • Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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    • v.13 no.1
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    • pp.45-53
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    • 2015
  • Since the commercial operation of Kori Unit #1 nuclear power plant(NPP) started in 1978, 23 units at present are operating in Korea. Radioactive wastes will be steadily generated from these units and accumulated. In addition, the life-extension of NPPs, construction of new NPPs and decontamination and decommissioning research facilities will cause radioactive wastes to increase. Recently, Korea has revised the new classification criteria as was proposed by IAEA. According to the revised classification criteria, low-level, very-low-level and exempt waste are estimated to about 98% of total disposal amount. In this paper, current status of overseas cases and disposal method with new classification criteria are analyzed to propose the most reasonable method for estimating the amount of decommissioning waste when applying the new criteria.

A Study on the Application of Standards for Clearance of Metal Waste Generated During the Decommissioning of NPP by Using the RESRAD-RECYCLE (RESRAD-RECYCLE을 활용한 원전 해체 시 발생하는 금속폐기물의 자체처분 기준 적용 연구)

  • Song, Jong Soon;Kim, Dong Min;Lee, Sang Heon
    • Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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    • v.14 no.4
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    • pp.305-320
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    • 2016
  • The metal waste generated during nuclear power plant decommissioning constitutes a large proportion of the total radioactive waste. This study investigates the current status of domestic and international regulatory requirements for clearance and the clearance experience of domestic institutions. The RESRAD-RECYCLE code was used for analyzing the clearance of the metal wastes generated during actual nuclear power plant decommissioning, and assessment of the exposure dose of twenty-six scenarios was carried out. The evaluation results will be useful in preliminary analysis of clearance and recycling during nuclear power plant decommissioning. As a next step, the effects of reducing disposal costs by clearance can be studied.

A Study on the Determinants of Decommissioing Cost for Nuclear Power Plant (NPP)

  • Cha, Hyungi;Yoon, Yongbeum;Park, Soojin
    • Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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    • v.19 no.1
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    • pp.87-111
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    • 2021
  • Nuclear power plants (NPPs) produce radioactive waste and decommissioning this waste entails additional cost; determining these costs for various types and specifications of radioactive waste can be challenging. The purpose of this study is to identify major determinants of the decommissioning cost and their impact on NPPs. To this end, data from defunct NPPs were gathered and 2SLS (Two Stage Least Squares) regression models were developed to investigate the major contributors depending on the reactor types, viz. PWR (Pressurized Water Reactors) and BWR (Boiling Water Reactors). Additionally, cost estimations and the Monte Carlo simulation were performed as part of performance validation. Our study established that the decommissioning costs are primarily influenced by the level of radioactivity in the decommissioned waste, which can be realized from operational factors like operation period, overall efficiency, and plant capacity, as well as from duration of decommissioning and labour cost. While our study provides an improved statistical approach to recognize these factors, we acknowledge that our models have limitations in forecasting accurately which we envisage to bolster in future studies by identifying more substantive factors.