• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.365-372
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• 2006

A dynamic compartment model is presented to predict the contamination level of agricultural plant by $^{137}C_s$ as a result of a soil deposition. The model considered the processes of a percolation, soil mixing by a plowing before transplanting, plant uptake, leaching to a deep soil, and fixation to a clay mineral. The effects of the soil properties (pH, clay mineral, organic matter content, and exchangeable K), which are spatially varied, on a plant uptake and the leaching rates of $^{137}C_s$ in a root zone soil were modeled by the Absalom model. To test the validity of the model, the $^{137}C_s$ aggregated transfer factors(TFa) for rice plants were compared with those observed from some simulated $^{137}C_s$ soil deposition experiments, which were carried out with respect to rice plants cultivated in seventeen paddy soils of different properties for two consecutive years. Observed $^{137}C_s$ TFa values of the rice plants did not show an evident trend for the pH and clay content of the soil properties, while they increased with an increasing organic matter content or a decreasing exchangeable K concentration. Predicted $^{137}C_s$ TFa values of the rice plants were found to be comparable with those observed.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.373-384
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• 2006

Spent ion-exchanged resin generated from various purification systems in CANDU reactor was contaminated with high activity of $^{14}C$ radionuclide. This paper describes the results of fundamental study to develop the applicable technology for the treatment of this spent resin. Based on the adsorption capacity of inactive $HCO_3$ ion and other anions on IRN-150 mixed resin, the removal characteristics of $HCO_3$ ion adsorbed on to IRN-150 by various stripping solutions were evaluated. Maximum adsorption amount of the $HCO_3$ ion onto IRN-150 raw resin was about 11 mg-C/g-resin which agrees with the theoretical adsorption amount of this resin. Adsorption affinity of various anions such as $CS,\;CO,\;Na\;NH_4$ was analyzed in single and multi-component systems. From the results of removal characteristics of the $HCO_3$ ion adsorbed on IRN-150 by various stripping solutions, $NH_4H_2PO_4$ stripping solution is more effective than $NaNO_3,\;Na_3PO_3$ solutions for the complete removal of $^{14}C$ radionuclide from the IRN-150 spent resin.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.311-320
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• 2006

Removal characteristics of $H^{14}CO_3$ ion from IRN-150 mixed resin contaminated with $^{14}C$ radionuclide and a gasification behavior of $^{14}C$ radionuclide to $^{14}CO_2$ were investigated. The stripping solutions used for the removal of $^{14}C$ from spent resin were $NaNO_3,\;Na_3PO_4,\;NH_4H_2PO_4,\;H_3PO_4$. The influence of stripping solution concentration on the desorption characteristics of inactive $HCO_3$ ion into stripping solution from IRN-150 mixed resin and the gasification of this ion to $CO_2$ was analyzed. The gasification behavior to $CO_2$ by using NaOH, $HNO_3$, HCl was also compared to that of phosphate solution. Real spent resin stored in Wolsung nuclear power plant was used to evaluate the gasification characteristics of $^{14}C$ radionuclide to $^{14}CO_2$. Gamma radionuclides such as $^{137}Cs,\;^{60}Co$ in residual striping solutions after desorption experiment were analyzed.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.321-328
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• 2006

A basic research was conducted on the mineral weathering and geochemical characteristics in the KURT (KAERI Underground Research Tunnel), which was recently constructed at a site in KAERI. Some rock samples exposed during the KURT construction were examined using a microscope and chemical analysis for some micro-changes of the rocks caused by the chemical weathering. The weathered granite has some small and fine cracks around the rock-forming minerals. In particular, there are a characteristic weathering of feldspar mineral and a preferential leaching of Ca component from the mineral dissolution. In addition, by the dissolution of biotite containing $Fe^{2+}$ component there were iron-oxides precipitates as secondary products into the microcracks of around minerals. The results also show that the micro-cracks initiated from the mineral interior are extended and connected into the larger cracks along the grain boundary with the progress of the weathering. Thus, it is considered that some chemicals dissolved from the fresh rock would be involved in the formation of secondary minerals and migrate interacting with them.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.329-334
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• 2006

The depth distributions of total $^3H$ and $^{14}C$ activities were characterized for the activated shielding concrete from a decommissioning of KRR-2 using the commercially available tube furnace and a liquid scintillation counter. The correlation of measurement results between $^3H,\;^{14}C$ and gammer emitter was evaluated to apply for estimating radionuclide inventory of the concrete waste generated from decommissioning KRR-2. The detection limits for $^3H$ and $^{14}C$ are 0.048 and 0.028 Bq/g respectively. The specific activities of the $^3H$ and $^{14}C$ tend to decrease exponentially as the depth of the concrete becomes deeper from the surface. In addition, the $^3H$ and $^{14}C$ activities were in good correlation with the $^{60}CO$ activities analysed for the shielding concrete of KRR-2.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.133-141
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• 2009

Study on the chemical speciation of uranium(VI) species, ${UO_2}^{2+}$, $UO_2(OH)^+$, ${(UO_2)}_2{(OH)_2}^{2+}$, ${(UO_2)}_3{(OH)_5}^+$, has been peformed by using time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy. Speciation sensitivity which depends on the excitation wavelength was investigated. We obtained the speciation sensitivity in the order of $10^{-9}$ M concentration of U(VI) compounds at the excitation wavelength of 266 nm. The fluorescence spectrum and lifetime of ${UO_2}^{2+}$ were carefully measured at pH 1 and ion strength of 0.1 M. The spectrum showed the four characteristic peaks located around 488, 509, 533, 559nm and the fluorescence lifetime of $1.92{\pm}0.17{\mu}s$. The wavelength shifts of fluorescence peaks and the change of lifetimes for uranium hydrolysis compounds were compared with those of ${UO_2}^{2+}$. We report on the characteristic features, the shifts of peaks to the longer wavelength direction and the prolonged lifetimes, in the fluorescence of the U(VI) hydrolysis compounds.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.175-182
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• 2009

The spent cationic exchange resins and anionic exchange resins were separated from mixed spent exchange resins by a fluidized bed gravimetric separator. The separated resins were identified by an elemental analysis and thermogravimetric analysis. The each test sample was prepared by diluting the slurry made by wet ball milling the cationic exchange resins and the anionic exchange resins separated as a spherical granular form for 24 hours. The resulting test samples showed a slurry form of less than $75{\mu}m$ of particle size and 25,000ppm of $COD_{cr}$. The decomposition conditions of each test samples from a thermal power plant were obtained with a lab-scale(reactor volume : 220mL) supercritical water oxidation(SCWO) facility. Then pilot plant(reactor volume : 24 L) tests were performed with the test samples from a thermal power plant and a nuclear power plant successively. Based on the optimal decomposition conditions and the operation experiences by lab-scale facility and the pilot plant, a commercial plant(capacity : 150kg/h) can be installed in a nuclear power plant was designed.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.153-160
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• 2009

Vertical electrokintic-flushing remediation equipment was developed for the remediation of a radioactive soil near nuclear facilities. An optimum reagent was selected to decontaminate the radioactive soil near nuclear facilities with the developed vertical electrokintic-flushing remediation equipment, and the optimum remediation conditions were established to obtain a higher remediation efficiency. Namely, acetic acid was selected as an optimum reagent due to its higher remediation efficiency. When the electrokinetic remediation and the electrokinetic-flushing remediation results were compared, the removal efficiency of 4.6% and the soil waste solution volume of 1.5 times were increased in the electrokinetic remediation. When the potential gradient within an electrokinetic soil cell was increased by two times (4.0 V/cm), the removal efficiencies of $Co^{2+}$ and $Cs^+$ were increased by about 4.3%($Co^{2+}$ : 98.9%, $Cs^+$ : 96.7%). Also, when the reagent concentration was increased from 0.01M to 0.05M, the removal efficiency of $Co^{2+}$ was increased but that of $Cs^+$ was decreased. Therefore, the optimum remediation conditions were that the acetic concentration was $0.01M{\sim}0.05M$, the potential gredient was 4 V/cm, the injection of reagent 2.4ml/g, and the remediation period was 20days.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.169-178
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• 2016

The properties of wastes for melting need to be considered to minimize the maintenance of refractory and to discharge the molten slags smoothly from a plasma torch melter. When the nonflammable wastes from nuclear facilities such as concrete debris, glass, sand, etc., are melted, they become acid slags with low basicity since the chemical composition has much more acid oxides than basic oxides. A molten slag does not have good characteristics of discharge and is mainly responsible for the refractory erosion due to its low liquidity. In case of a stationary plasma torch melter with a slant tapping port on the wall, a fixed amount of molten slags remains inside of tapping hole as well as the melter inside after tapping out. Nonmetallic slags keep the temperature higher than melting point of metal because metallic slags located on the bottom of melter by specific gravity difference are simultaneously melted when dual mode plasma torch operates in transferred mode. In order to minimize the refractory erosion, the compatible refractories are selected considering the temperature inside the melter and the melting behavior of slags whether to contact or noncontact with molten slags. An acidic refractory shall not be installed in adjacent to a basic refractory for the resistibility against corrosion.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.91-100
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• 2016

The neutron activation inventories in reactor vessel and its internals, and bio-shield of a PWR nuclear power plant were calculated to evaluate the effect of impurity elements contained in the structural materials on the activation inventory. Carbon steel is, in this work, used as the reactor vessel material, stainless steel as the reactor vessel internals, and ordinary concrete as the bio-shield. For stainless steel and carbon steel, one kind of impurity concentration was employed, and for ordinary concrete five kinds were employed in this study using MCNP5 and FISPACT for the calculation of neutron flux and activation inventory, respectively. As the results, specific activities for the cases with impurity elements were calculated to be more than twice than those for the cases without impurity elements in stainless and carbon steel. Especially, the specific activity for the concrete material with impurity elements was calculated to be 30 times higher than that without impurity. Neutron induced reactions and activation inventories in each material were also investigated, and it is noted that major radioactive nuclide in steel material is Co-60 from cobalt impurity element, and, in concrete material, Co-60 and Eu-152 from cobalt and europium impurity elements, respectively. The results of this study can be used for nuclear decommissioning plan during activation inventory assessment and regulation, and it is expected to be used as a reference in the design phase of nuclear power plant, considering the decommissioning of nuclear power plants or nuclear facilities.