• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.55 no.9
• /
• pp.3291-3300
• /
• 2023

Recently molybdenum alloys have been introduced as accident tolerating materials for cladding of fuel rods. Molybdenum element has seven stable isotopes with different neutron absorption cross section used in various fields, including nuclear physics and radioisotope production. This study presents separation approaches for all intermediate isotopes of molybdenum element by squared-off cascades using a newly developed numerical code with Salp Swarm Algorithm (SSA) optimization algorithm. The parameters of cascade including feed flow rate, feed entry stage, cascade cut, input feed flow rate to gas centrifuges (GCs), and cut of the first stage are optimized to maximize both isotope recovery and cascade capacity. The squared off and squared cascades are studied, and the efficiencies are compared. The results obtained from the optimization showed that for the selected squared off cascade, Mo⁹⁴ in four separation steps, Mo⁹⁵ in five steps, Mo⁹⁶ in six steps, Mo⁹⁷ in seven steps, and Mo⁹⁸ in two steps are separated to the desired concentrations. The highest recovery factor is obtained 63% for Mo⁹⁴ separation and lowest recovery factor is found 45% for Mo⁹⁵.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
• /
• v.14 no.3
• /
• pp.279-287
• /
• 2016

Korea Radioactive Waste Agency (KORAD) began to operate the low and intermediate level radioactive waste disposal facility in Gyeongju and to transport the radioactive waste containing radioactive isotopes from Daejeon to the disposal facility for the first time at 2015. For this radioactive waste transportation, in this study, radiological impact assessment is carried out for workers and public. The dose rate to workers and public during the transportation is estimated with consideration of the transportation scenarios and is compared with the Korean regulatory limit. The sensitivity analysis is carried out by considering both the variation of release ratios of the radioactive isotopes from the waste and the variation of the distances between the radioactive waste drum and worker during loading and unloading of radioactive waste. As for all the transportation scenarios, radiological impacts for workers and public have met the regulatory limits.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.47 no.1
• /
• pp.47-58
• /
• 2015

Four recycling scenarios involving pyroprocessing of spent fuel (SF) have been investigated for a 600-MWe transmutation sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR), KALIMER. Performance evaluation was done with code system REBUS connected with TRANSX and TWODANT. Scenario Number 1 is the pyroprocessing of Canada deuterium uranium (CANDU) SF. Because the recycling of CANDU SF does not have any safety problems, the CANDU-Pyro-SFR system will be possible if the pyroprocessing capacity is large enough. Scenario Number 2 is a feasibility test of feed SF from a pressurized water reactor PWR. Thefsensitivity of cooling time before prior to pyro-processing was studied. As the cooling time sensitivity of cooling time before prior to pyro-processing was studied. As the cooling time increases, excess reactivity at the beginning of the equilibrium cycle (BOEC) decreases, thereby creating advantageous reactivity control and improving the transmutation performance of minor actinides. Scenario Number 3 is a case study for various levels of recovery factors of transuranic isotopes (TRUs). If long-lived fission products can be separated during pyroprocessing, the waste that is not recovered is classified as low- and intermediate-level waste, and it is sufficient to be disposed of in an underground site due to very low-heat-generation rate when the waste cooling time becomes >300 years at a TRU recovery factor of 99.9%. Scenario Number 4 is a case study for the recovery factor of rare earth (RE) isotopes. The RE isotope recovery factor should be lowered to ${\leq}20%$ in order to make sodium void reactivity less than <7$, which is the design limit of a metal fuel.

• Korean Journal of Optics and Photonics
• /
• v.3 no.2
• /
• pp.117-122
• /
• 1992

2-color 3-step resonance photoionization scheme has been used for selective photoionization of mercury isotopes. The levels of $6^3P_1$ and $6^1D_2$ were selected as intermediate excited levels, and the laser wavelengths used were 253.7 nm for the first excitation and 313.2 nm for the second excitation and ionization. Selective excitation for individual isotope was realized in the first excitation step with a single-longitudinal-mode (SLM) dye laser rrf ~700 MHz linewidth. For the second excitation and ionization step, a dye laser with relatively large linewidth of ~5 GHz was used. In this work the effect of laser intensities on isotope selectivity was analyzed from the mass spectra obtained in real time from the time-of-flight mass spectrometer.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
• /
• v.22 no.1
• /
• pp.1-7
• /
• 2024

In this research, a detailed analysis of the decay heat contributions of both actinides and non-actinides (fission fragments) from spent nuclear fuel (SNF) was made after 50 GWd·tHM^-1 burnup of fresh uranium fuel with 4.5% enrichment lasted for 1,350 days. The calculations were made for a long storage period of 300 years divided into four sections 1, 10, 100, and 300 years so that we could study the decay heat and physical disposal ratios of radioactive waste in medium- and long-term storage periods. Fresh fuel burnup calculations were made using the code MCNP, while isotopic content and then decay heat were calculated using the built-in stiff equation solver in the MATLAB code. It is noted that only around 12 isotopes contribute more than 90% of the decay heat at all times. It is also noted that the contribution of actinides persists and is the dominant ether despite decreasing decay heat, while the effect of fission products decreases at a very rapid rate after about 40 years of storage.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• /
• v.27 no.4
• /
• pp.404-412
• /
• 1994

Radium isotopes were measured together with oceanographical parameters in the southern coastal region of the Korean East Sea during the period of September $2{\sim}8$, 1991. In September, there were various water masses vertically distributed in this region due to formation of strongly seasonal thermoclines. These water masses were characterized by activity of radium isotopes as well as water temperature and dissolved oxygen. Among the water masses, Japan Sea Proper Water(JSPW) below $1^{\circ}C$ had the highest Ra-226 activities but the lowest Ra-228 concentrations. However, Tsushima Surface Water (TSW) above $20^{\circ}C$ in water temperature had the highest Ra-228 which decreased sharply with depth. In TSW, Ra-228 activities were in the range of $194{\sim}270$ dpm/kl, which were approximately 10 times higher than JSPW. Activity ratios(A.R's) of Ra-228/Ra-226 were $1.9{\sim}2.6$ for TSW, $0.7{\sim}1.1$ for Tsushima Middle Water(TMW) of $12{\sim}17^{\circ}C\;to\;0.4{\sim}0.7$ for North Korea Cold Water(NKCW) with $1{\sim}7^{\circ}C$ and below 0.2 for JSPW. The Ra-228/Ra-226 ranged from 0.6 to 0.9 in the cold waters of $2{\sim}6^{\circ}C$, which were observed at depth of $65{\sim}120\;m$ in this study area. Radium isotopes provided a useful means of identifying origins of the cold water which occurred annually at intermediate or bottom layers in the southern coastal zone of the Korean East Sea. By plotting radium isotopes against water temperature, it could be observed clearly that the cold waters between $2{\sim}6^{\circ}C$ did not originate from the mixed water of JSPW and TMW but from NKCW.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
• /
• v.22 no.3
• /
• pp.10-17
• /
• 2017

In this study, the evolution and origin of major dissolved constituents of crystalline bedrock groundwater in a coastal area were evaluated using multivariate statistical and groundwater quality analyses. The groundwater types mostly belonged to the $Na(Ca)-HCO_3$ and $Ca-HCO_3$ types, indicating the effect of cation exchange. Stable isotopes of water showed two areas divided by first and secondary evaporative effects, indicating a pattern of rapid hydrological cycling. Saturation indices of minerals showed undersaturation states. Thus, the degree of evolution of groundwater is suggested as in the low to intermediate stage, based on field and laboratory analytical conditions. According to the principal component analysis (PCA) results, the chemical components of EC, $Ca^{2+}$, $Mg^{2+}$, $K^+$, $HCO_3{^-}$, $SO{_4}^{2-}$ (PCA 1), $F^-$ (PCA 3), $SiO_2$ (PCA 4), and $Fe^{2+}$ (PCA 5) are derived from various water-rock interactions. However, $NO_3{^-}$, $Na^+$, and $Cl^-$ (PCA 2) represented the chemical characteristics of both anthropogenic sources and natural sea spray.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.47 no.3
• /
• pp.380-387
• /
• 2015

A lead slowing-down spectrometer (LSDS) system is a promising nondestructive assay technique that enables a quantitative measurement of the isotopic contents of major fissile isotopes in spent nuclear fuel and its pyroprocessing counterparts, such as $^{235}U$, $^{239}Pu$, $^{241}Pu$, and, potentially, minor actinides. The LSDS system currently under development at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (Daejeon, Korea) is planned to utilize a high-flux ($>10^{12}n/cm^2{\cdot}s$) neutron source comprised of a high-energy (30 MeV)/high-current (~2 A) electron beam and a heavy metal target, which results in a very intense and complex radiation field for the facility, thus demanding structural shielding to guarantee the safety. Optimization of the structural shielding design was conducted using MCNPX for neutron dose rate evaluation of several representative hypothetical designs. In order to satisfy the construction cost and neutron attenuation capability of the facility, while simultaneously achieving the aimed dose rate limit (< $0.06{\mu}Sv/h$), a few shielding materials [high-density polyethylene (HDPE)eBorax, $B_4C$, and $Li_2CO_3$] were considered for the main neutron absorber layer, which is encapsulated within the double-sided concrete wall. The MCNP simulation indicated that HDPE-Borax is the most efficient among the aforementioned candidate materials, and the combined thickness of the shielding layers should exceed 100 cm to satisfy the dose limit on the outside surface of the shielding wall of the facility when limiting the thickness of the HDPE-Borax intermediate layer to below 5 cm. However, the shielding wall must include the instrumentation and installation holes for the LSDS system. The radiation leakage through the holes was substantially mitigated by adopting a zigzag-shape with concrete covers on both sides. The suggested optimized design of the shielding structure satisfies the dose rate limit and can be used for the construction of a facility in the near future.

• Geosciences Journal
• /
• v.22 no.6
• /
• pp.975-987
• /
• 2018

Stable isotope ratios of $^{18}O/^{16}O$ and $^{13}C/^{12}C$ and rare earth elements geochemistry of the Upper Triassic carbonates from the Baluti Formation in Kurdistan Region of Northern Iraq were studied in two areas, Sararu and Sarki. The aim of the study is to quantify the possible diagenetic processes that postdated deposition and the paleoenvironment of the Baluti Formation. The replacement products of the skeletal grains by selective dissolution and neomorphism probably by meteoric water preserved the original marine isotopic signatures possibly due to the closed system. The petrographic study revealed the existence of foraminifers, echinoderms, gastropods, crinoids, nodosaria and ostracods as major framework constituents. The carbonates have micritic matrix with microsparite and sparry calcite filling the pores and voids. The range and average values for twelve carbonate rocks of ${\delta}^{18}O$ and ${\delta}^{13}C$ in Sararu section were -5.3‰ to -3.16‰ (-4.12‰) and -2.94‰ to -0.96‰ (-1.75‰), respectively; while the corresponding values for the Sarki section were -3.69‰ to -0.39‰ (-2.08‰) and -5.34‰ to -2.70‰ (-4.02‰), respectively. The bivariate plot of ${\delta}^{18}O$ and ${\delta}^{13}C$ suggests that most of these carbonates are warm-water skeletons and have meteoric cement. The average ${\Sigma}REE$ content and Eu-anomaly of the carbonates of Sararu sections were 44.26 ppm and 1.03, respectively, corresponding to 22.30 ppm and 0.93 for the Sarki section. The normalized patterns for the carbonate rocks exhibit: (1) non-seawater-like REE patterns, (2) positive Gd anomalies (average = 1.112 for Sararu and 1.114 for Sarki), (3) super chondritic Y/Ho ratio is 31.48 for Sararu and 31.73 for Sarki which are less than the value of seawater. The presence of sparry calcite cement, negative $^{13}C$ and $^{18}O$ isotope values, the positive Eu anomaly in the REE patterns (particularly for Sararu), eliminated Ce anomaly ($Ce/Ce^{\ast}$: 0.916-1.167, average = 0.994 and 0.950-1.010, average = 0.964, respectively), and Er/Nd values propose that these carbonates have undergone meteoric diagenesis. The REE patterns suggest that the terrigenous materials of the Baluti were derived from felsic to intermediate rocks.

• Ocean Science Journal
• /
• v.40 no.3
• /
• pp.167-176
• /
• 2005

A time-series sediment trap was deployed at 1,034 m water depth in the eastern Bransfield Strait for a complete year from December 25, 1998 to December 24, 1999. About 99% of total mass flux was trapped during an austral summer, showing distinct seasonal variation. Biogenic particles (biogenic opal, particulate organic carbon, and calcium carbonate) account for about two thirds of annual total mass flux $(49.2\;g\;m^{-2})$, among which biogenic opal flux is the most dominant (42% of the total flux). A positive relationship (except January) between biogenic opal and total organic carbon fluxes suggests that these two variables were coupled, due to the surface-water production (mainly diatoms). The relatively low $\delta^{13}C$ values of settling particles result from effects on C-fixation processes at low temperature and the high $CO_2$ availability to phytoplankton. The correspondingly low $\delta^{l5}N$ values are due to intense and steady input of nitrates into surface waters, reflecting an unlikely nitrate isotope fractionation by degree of surface-water production. The $\delta^{l5}N$ and $\delta^{l3}C$ values of sinking particles increased from the beginning to the end of a presumed phytoplankton bloom, except for anomalous $\delta^{l5}N$ values. Krill and the zooplankton fecal pellets, the most important carriers of sinking particles, may have contributed gradually to the increasing $\delta^{l3}C$ values towards the unproductive period through the biomodification of the $\delta^{l3}C$ values in the food web, respiring preferentially and selectively $^{12}C$ atoms. Correspondingly, the increasing $\delta^{l5}N$ values in the intermediate-water trap are likely associated with a switch in source from diatom aggregates to some remains of zooplankton, because organic matter dominated by diatom may be more liable and prone to remineralization, leading to greater isotopic alteration. In particular, the tendency for abnormally high $\delta^{l5}N$ values in February seems to be enigmatic. A specific species dominancy during the production may be suggested as a possible and speculative reason.