• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.453-462
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• 1995

In connection with the safe storage of high level nuclear waste, effect of $H_2O$$_2$ on the corrosion behavior of 304L stainless steel was examined. Open circuit potentials and polarization curves were measured with and without $H_2O$$_2$. The experimental results show that $H_2O$$_2$ increased corrosion potential and decreased pitting potential. The passive range, therefore, decreased as $H_2O$$_2$ concentration increased, indicating that pitting resistance was decreased by the existence of $H_2O$$_2$ in the electrolyte. These effect of $H_2O$$_2$ on corrosion of 304L stainless steel are considered to be similar to those of ${\gamma}$-irradiation. To compare the effects of $H_2O$$_2$ with those of $O_2$, cathodic and anodic polarization curves ore made in three types of electrolyte such as aerated, deaerated, and stirred electrolyte. The experimental results show that the effects of $H_2O$$_2$ on the corrosion behavior were tory similar to those of $O_2$ such as increase of corrosion potential, decrease of pitting resistance, and increase of repassivation potential. In acid and alkaline media, the corrosion potential shifts by $H_2O$$_2$ were restricted by the large current density of proton reduction and by the le Chatelier's principle respectively.y.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.123-131
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• 2021

The buffer is a key component of an engineered barrier system that safeguards the disposal of high-level radioactive waste. Buffers are located between disposal canisters and host rock, and they can restrain the release of radionuclides and protect canisters from the inflow of ground water. Since considerable heat is released from a disposal canister to the surrounding buffer, the thermal conductivity of the buffer is a very important parameter in the entire disposal safety. For this reason, a lot of research has been conducted on thermal conductivity prediction models that consider various factors. In this study, the thermal conductivity of a buffer is estimated using the machine learning methods of: linear regression, decision tree, support vector machine (SVM), ensemble, Gaussian process regression (GPR), neural network, deep belief network, and genetic programming. In the results, the machine learning methods such as ensemble, genetic programming, SVM with cubic parameter, and GPR showed better performance compared with the regression model, with the ensemble with XGBoost and Gaussian process regression models showing best performance.

• Journal of the Korean Recycled Construction Resources Institute
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.387-394
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• 2020

In this research, a physical property test of CLSM, which can safely and effectively utilize a great number of industrial byproducts and waste types, was used to review the applicability of GBFS, FNS, and FGB, as well as their field applicabilities as cavity fillers, and the following conclusions have been reached. first, For CLSM utilizing GBFS, FNS, and FGB, it was revealed that a proper mixing of over 30% of GBFS and FNS or within 5% of FGB is effective in improving the fluidity for field application. second, It was revealed that GF15B5 can suppress bleeding at a similar level as the base, whereas GF30B5 can do so at about 0.17% compared to the base. It was also verified that GF15, GF30, and GF45 can suppress bleeding at about 0.2%, 0.26%, and 0.3%, respectively, compared to the base. third, Both GF15B5 and GF30B5 exceeded 0.4MPa in 7day strength tests to satisfy the field application and, also, the rates of increase of their initial strengths were found to be 323% and 233% higher than the base, respectively. Meanwhile, the 7day strength test of GF, which utilizes GBFS and FNS, also reached over 0.2MPa for field application, and it was revealed that GF15, GF30, and GF45 show 160%, 237%, and 185% higher strength increase rates, respectively, compared to the base.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.76-87
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• 2021

In this study, temporal trend of researches in earthquake with groundwater level, water quality, radon, remote sensing, electrical resistivity, gravity, and geomagnetism was searched from 2001 to 2020, using the journals indexed in Web of Science, and the number of articles published in international journals was counted in relation to the occurrences of earthquakes (≥Mw 5.0, ≥Mw 6.0, ≥Mw 7.0, ≥Mw 8.0, and ≥Mw 9.0). The number of articles shows an increasing trend over the studied period. This is explained by that studies on earthquake precursor and seismic monitoring becomes active in various fields with integrated data analysis through the development of remote sensing technology, progress of measurement equipment, and big data. According to Mann-Kendall and Sen's tests, gravity-related articles exhibit an increasing trend of 1.30 articles/yr, radon-related articles (0.60 articles/yr), groundwater-related articles (0.70 articles/yr), electrical resistivity-related articles (0.25 articles/yr), and remote-sensing-related articles (0.67 articles/yr). By cross-correlation analysis of the number of articles in each field with removing trend effect and the number of earthquakes of ≥Mw 5.0, ≥Mw 6.0, ≥Mw 7.0, ≥Mw 8.0, and ≥Mw 9.0, radon and remote sensing fields exhibit a high cross-correlation with a delay time of one year. In addition, large-scale earthquakes such as the 2004 and 2005 Sumatra earthquake, the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, the 2010 Haiti earthquake, and the 2010 Chile earthquake are estimated to be related with the increase in the number of articles in the corresponding periods.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.610-622
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• 2021

The DECOVALEX project is one of the representative international cooperative projects to enhance the understanding of the complex Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical-Chemical(THMC) coupled behavior in the high-level radioactive waste disposal system based on the numerical simulation. DECOVALEX-2023 is the current phase consisting of 7 tasks, and Task C aims to model the THM coupled behavior in the disposal system based on the Full-scale Emplacement (FE) experiment at the Mont-Terri underground rock laboratory. This study performs the numerical simulation based on the OGS-FLAC developed for the current study. In the numerical model, we emplaced the heater with constant power horizontally based on the FE experiment and monitored the pressure development, temperature increase, and mechanical deformation at the specific monitoring points. We monitored the capillary pressure as the primary effect inducing the flow in the buffer system, and thermal stress and pressurization were dominant in the surrounding rocks' area. The results will also be compared and validated with the other participating groups and the experimental data further.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.42-56
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• 2023

In deep geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste (HLW), the natural barrier must physically support the disposal facility and delay the movement of radionuclides for at least hundreds of thousands of years. To evaluate the long-term geological evolution of the natural barriers, it is essential to analyze the long-term behavior of rock joints, including the frictional healing behavior. This study aimed to experimentally analyze the frictional healing behavior of rock joints under hydro-mechanical (H-M) conditions through the slide-hold-slide (SHS) test. The SHS tests were performed under mechanical and H-M conditions for joint specimens of different roughness. In the H-M conditions, the frictional healing rate tended to increase, which was more evident in the specimens with large roughness. In addition, it was confirmed that the effect of the hydro-mechanical conditions was more significant when the effective normal stress acting on the joint surface was small. These results are expected to be used as fundamental data to understand the frictional healing behavior of rock joints in the natural barriers.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.109-125
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• 2023

Disposal repository for high-level radioactive waste secures its safety by means of engineered and natural barriers. The performance of these barriers should be tested and verified through various aspects in terms of short and/or long-term. KAERI has been conducting various in-situ demonstrations in KURT (KAERI Underground Research Tunnel). After completing previous experiment, a conceptual design of an improved in-situ experiment, i.e. K-COIN (KURT experiment of THMC COupled and INteraction), was established and detailed planning for the experiment is underway. Preliminary characterizations were conducted in KURT for siting a K-COIN test site. 15 boreholes with a depth of about 20 m were drilled in three research galleries in KURT and intact rock specimens were prepared for laboratory tests. Using the specimens, physical measurements, uniaxial compression, indirect tension, and triaxial compression tests were conducted. As a result, specific gravity, porosity, elastic wave velocities, uniaxial compressive strength, Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio, Brazilian tensile strength, cohesion, and internal friction angle were estimated. Statistical analyses revealed that there did not exist meaningful differences in intact rock properties according to the drilled sites and the depth. Judging from the uniaxial compressive strength, which is one of the most important properties, all the specimens were classified as very strong rock so that mechanical safety was secured in all the regions.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.515-532
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• 2023

Bentonite, predominantly consists of expandable clay minerals, is considered to be the suitable buffering material in high-level radioactive waste disposal repository due to its large swelling property and low permeability. Additionally, the bentonite has large cation exchange capacity and specific surface area, and thus, it effectively retards the transport of leaked radionuclides to surrounding environments. This study aims to review the thermodynamic sorption models for four radionuclides (U, Am, Se, and Eu) and eight bentonites. Then, the thermodynamic sorption models and optimized sorption parameters were precisely analyzed by considering the experimental conditions in previous study. Here, the optimized sorption parameters showed that thermodynamic sorption models were related to experimental conditions such as types and concentrations of radionuclides, ionic strength, major competing cation, temperature, solid-to-liquid ratio, carbonate species, and mineralogical properties of bentonite. These results implied that the thermodynamic sorption models suggested by the optimization at specific experimental conditions had large uncertainty for application to various environmental conditions.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.348-372
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• 2023

In relation to the high-level radioactive waste disposal project in deep fractured rock aquifer environments, it is essential to evaluate hydrogeological characteristics for evaluating the suitability of the site and operational stability. Such subsurface hydrogeological data is obtained through in-situ tests using boreholes excavated at the target site. The accuracy and reliability of the investigation results are directly related to the selection of appropriate test methods, the performance of the investigation system, standardization of the investigation procedure. In this report, we introduce the detailed procedures for the representative test method, the constant pressure injection test (CPIT), which is used to determine the key hydrogeological parameters of the subsurface fractured rock aquifer, namely hydraulic conductivity and storativity. This report further refines the standard test method suggested by the KSRM in 2022 and includes practical field application case conducted in volcanic rock aquifers where this investigation procedure has been applied.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.15-27
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• 2024

In this case study, detailed survey of the Excavation Damaged Zone (EDZ) evaluation for the deep geological repository for high level nuclear waste was conducted. Oversea and Domestic case studies were compiled and investigated. EDZ is considered a crucial factor in the performance assessment of spent fuel disposal, leading to numerous studies worldwide aiming to understand the characteristics of the EDZ and quantitatively assessment of its extent through field and laboratory tests at Underground Research Laboratory (URL) sites. To enhance the understanding of EDZ, this study begins with defining and exploring the history of EDZ, compiling factors influencing EDZ, and summarizing the impacts caused by EDZ. Subsequently, an analysis of EDZ and rock properties is performed, followed by presenting generalized outcomes, limitations drawn from previous research, and proposing future research directions.