• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
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• 2004.06a
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• pp.407-417
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• 2004

This study is to verify radiation detection method by using $\alpha$-spectroscopy and ${\gamma}$-spectroscopy for concretes and components which will be generated during the decommissioning of the uranium conversion plant. Components and inside walls of the building were contaminated with natural uranium materials. Some parts of the stainless steel pipes and concretes of the walls were sampled and analyzed their alpha and gamma activities respectively. Alpha and gamma activities are well matched each other in the range of high activity region to 0.01 Bq/g and gamma activities are over estimated comparing alpha activities corresponded in below 0.005 Bq/g region for the natural uranium of AUC sample. The $^{238}U$ originated from natural products of conversion process could be distinguished by measuring $^{214}Pb$ or $^{214}Bi$ and $^{234}Th$ or $^{234m}Pa$. Uranium contaminations mainly are in the wall surface of the plant. Decontamination process of generating wastes which can be reached tp background level gamma activities measured by gamma spectroscopy can also be used to conservative assessment data.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.33-40
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• 2006

The characteristics of the aluminum waste melting and the distribution of the radioactive nuclides have been investigated for the estimation on the volume reduction and the decontamination of the aluminum wastes from the decommissioning of the TRIGA MARK it and III research reactors at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute(KAERI). The aluminum wastes were melted with the use of the fluxes such as flux $A:NaCl-KCl-Na_3AlF_6$, flux B:NaCl-NaF-KF, flux $C:CaF_2$, and flux $D:LiF-KCl-BaCl_2$ in the DC graphite arc furnace. For the assessment of the distribution of the radioactive nuclides during the melting of the aluminum, the aluminum materials were contaminated by the surrogate nuclides such as cobalt(Co), cesium(Cs) and strontium(Sr). The fluidity of aluminum melt was increased with the addition of the fluxes, which has slight difference according to the type of fluxes. The formation of the slag during the aluminum melting added the flux type C and D was larger than that with the flux A and B. The rate of the slag formation linearly increased with increasing the flux concentration. The results of the XRD analysis showed that the surrogate nuclide was transferred to the slag, which can be easily separated from the melt and then they combined with aluminum oxide to form a more stable compound. The distribution ratio of cobalt in ingot to that in slag was more than 40% at all types of fluxes. Since vapor pressures of cesium and strontium were higher than those that of the host metals at the melting temperature, their removal efficiency from the ingot phase to the slag and the dust phase was by up to 98%.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.95-104
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• 2005

Effects of the aluminum melting temperature, melting time and a kind of flux agents on the distribution of surrogate nuclide were investigated in the electric furnace at the aluminum melting including surrogate radionuclides(Co, Cs, Sr) in order to establish the fundamental research of the melting technology for the metallic wastes from the decommissioning of the TRIGA research reactor. It was verified that the fluidity of aluminum melt was increased by adding flux agent but it was slightly varied according to the sort of flux agents. The results of the XRD analysis showed that the surrogate nuclides move into the slag phase and then they were combined with aluminum oxide to form more stable compound. The weight of the slag generated from aluminum melting test increased with increasing melting temperature and melting time and the increase rate of the slag depended on the kind of flux agents added in the aluminum waste. The concentration of the cobalt in the ingot phase decreased with increasing reaction temperature but it increased in the slag phase up to 90$\%$according to the experimental conditions. The volatile nuclides such as Cs and Sr considerably transferred from the ingot phase to the slag and dust phase.