• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.65-93
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• 2023

Several countries have been operating radioactive waste disposal (RWD) programs to construct their own repositories and have used natural analogues (NA) studies directly or indirectly to ensure the reliability of the long-term safety of deep geological disposal (DGD) systems. A DGD system in Korea has been under development, and for this purpose a generic NA study is necessary. The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute has just launched the first national NA R&D program in Korea to identify the role of NA studies and to support the safety case in the RWD program. In this article, we review some cases of NA studies carried out in advanced countries considering crystalline rocks as candidate host rocks for high-level radioactive waste disposal. We examine the differences among these case studies and their roles in reflecting each country's disposal repository design. The legal basis and roadmap for NA studies in each country are also described. However because the results of this analysis depend upon different environmental conditions, they can be only used as important data for establishing various research strategies to strengthen the NA study environment for domestic disposal system research in Korea.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.279-286
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• 1995

The amount of the high level radioactive wastes in Korea will be increased up to 14,297 MTU about 2010 year. Most of countries adopt the concept of deep burial repository in high level radioactive waste disposal. Because the high level radioactive wastes are very toxic in biosphere and to human, the data verifing its never return to the biosphere are requisite for the disposal. Presently, the evaluating techniques for the high level radioactive waste disposal are not fully developed. Therefore, in order to dispose the high level radioactive wastes in proper time the R & D of it is urged in our country. The R & D and/or the international joint research programme for the disposal of high level wastes have already been proceeded. In our country no plan for its disposal has been prepared. It is the time that the direction of the R & D is to be discused seriously. The R & D for the disposal of high level radioactive wastes in Korea is believed to be focused on developing the pecular techniques such as in situ characteristics of groundwater flowage, and change of properties of in situ rock mass at thermal effects.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.385-410
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• 2016

The disposal facility in Gyeongju is planning to dispose of 800,000 packages of low- and intermediate- level radioactive waste. This facility will be developed as a complex disposal facility that has various types of disposal facilities and accompanying management. In this study, based on the comprehensive development plan of the disposal facility, a preliminary post-closure safety assessment is performed to predict the phase development of the total capacity for the 800,000 packages to be disposed of at the site. The results for each scenario meet the performance target of the disposal facility. The assessment revealed that there is a significant impact of the inventory of intermediate-level radionuclide waste on the safety evaluation. Due to this finding, we introduce a disposal limit value for intermediate-level radioactive waste. With stepwise development of safety case, this development plan will increase the safety of disposal facilities by reducing uncertainties within the future development of the underground silo disposal facilities.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.429-438
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• 2008

The objective of the present study is the depth and layout optimizations of a single layer, high level radioactive waste repository in a discontinuous rock mass with special joint set arrangements. A single layer repository model, considering variations in the repository depths, pitches, and tunnel spacings, is used to analyze the thermomechanical interaction behavior. It is assumed that the repository is constructed in saturated granite with joints; the PWR spent fuel in a disposal canister is installed in a deposition drift which is then sealed with compacted bentonite; and the backfill material is filled in the repository tunnel. The decay heat generated by the high level radioactive wastes governs the thermomechanical behavior of the near field rock mass of the repository. The temperature and displacement behavior of the repository is influenced more by the pitch variations than the tunnel spacing and repository depth. However, the stress behavior is influenced more by the repository depth variations than the pitch and tunnel spacing. For the final selection of the tunnel spacing, pitch, and repository depth, other aspects such as the nuclide migration through a groundwater flow path, construction costs, operation costs, and so on should be considered.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.347-357
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• 2023

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.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.18 no.2_spc
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• pp.317-325
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• 2020

The Korea Radioactive Waste Agency plans to expand the storage capacity of radioactive waste by constructing a radioactive waste inspecting building to solve the problem of the lack of inspection space and drum-handling space in the radioactive waste receipt and storage building for the first-stage disposal facility. In this study, the exposure doses of radiation workers that handle new disposal containers for decommissioning waste in the storage areas of the radioactive waste inspecting building were calculated using the Monte Carlo N-particle transport code. The annual collective dose was calculated as a total of 84.8 man-mSv for 304 new disposal containers and an estimated annual 306 working hours for the radiation work. When the 304 new disposal containers (small/medium type) were stored in the storage areas, it was found that 25 radiation workers should be involved in acceptance/disposal inspection, and the estimated exposure dose per worker was calculated as an average annual value of 3.39 mSv. When the radiation workers handle the small containers in high-radiation dose areas, the small containers should be shielded further by increasing the concrete liner thickness to improve the work efficiency and radiation safety of the radiation workers. The results of this study will be useful in establishing the optimal radiation working conditions for radiation workers using the source term and characteristics of decommissioning waste based on actual measurements.

• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
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• 2005.11a
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• pp.143-152
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• 2005

There certainly exists the radioactive inventory that exceeds the waste acceptance criteria for final disposal of the low and intermediate-level radioactive waste. In this paper, current disposal status of the long-lived radioactive waste in several nations are summarized and the basic procedures for disposal approach are suggested. With this suggestion, intensive discussion and research activities can hopefully be launched to set down the possible resolutions to dispose of the long-lived radioactive waste.

• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
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• 2005.06a
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• pp.205-210
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• 2005

The proposed regulation for low and intermediate level radioactive waste disposal facility, scheduled to be revised, recommends that the waste generator should verify the radioactive waste conforms to the disposal requirements before disposing of it. According to the regulation, the radionuclide concentration of the radioactive waste, and its physical and chemical characteristics and safety must be confirmed prior to the disposal of low and intermediate level radioactive wastes, and the waste generator is required to deliver this information to the disposal facility operator. In addition, the disposal facility operator must assess the safety of the disposal site to establish the SWAC (Site Specific Waste Acceptance Criteria) in consideration of the characteristics of the site, whereas the waste generator must comply with the criteria in managing, disposing of and delivering low and intermediate level radioactive wastes. To abide by the afore-mentioned regulation and criteria, the waste generator must verify that the radioactive wastes to be disposed of are suitable for disposal before they are transported to the disposal facility, and to this end a radioactive waste certification program must be developed. This study conducted an in-depth analysis of the radioactive waste certification programs enforced in countries advanced in atomic energy to develop a draft of a certification program applicable to local power plants, and the program is currently applied as pilot to Uljin Power Plants No. 1 & 2 to prove its applicability. This study is going to analyze the results of the pilot application with a view to developing a radioactive waste certification program suitable to local conditions.

• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
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• 2017.05a
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• pp.187-188
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• 2017

• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
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• 2005.11a
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• pp.126-133
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• 2005

Securing of radioactive waste disposal site and the related operations for disposal of low and intermediate level radioactive waste is being actively carried out in Korea. For disposal of radioactive wastes, physicochemical and radiological status and integrity of radioactive wastes must be secured first. Also, waste generators must provide this information to disposers. In addition, to secure the safety of waste disposal, waste acceptance criteria (WAC) and site specific waste acceptance criteria (SWAC) to consider characteristics of the disposal site are required. Radioactive wastes must be processed, generated, managed and transferred in accordance with these criteria. [1] For this, evaluation of properties on each of the radioactive wastes must be performed. However, in reality, atomic power plants are experiencing difficulties in relation to this due to the large quantity of radioactive waste generation. In order to solve this problem, IAEA and major overseas countries have developed, thus are using waste certification program (WCP) and quality assurance program (QAP) [2,3]. On the basis of these programs, radioactive waste certification program has been developed for safe disposal of radioactive wastes in Korea to satisfy the provisions specified in 'low and intermediate level radioactive waste transfer guidelines' of announcement No. 2005-18 from the Ministry of Science and Technology and specific site waste acceptance criteria (tentative plan). In addition, it is being planned to administer amendment on commercial atomic power plant related procedures and ensile staff training in order for early introduction and operation of radioactive waste certification system.