• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.52 no.11
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• pp.2660-2666
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• 2020

Korea successfully achieved energy independence in the shortest period of time from being the poorest country in terms of energy 50 years ago through steady development of nuclear technology. In the past, the nuclear industry has been driven through government-centered policy development, public institution-based research, and industrial facility and infrastructure construction. Consequently, South Korea became a nuclear energy powerhouse exporting nuclear power plants to the UAE, surpassing the level of domestic technological independence. However, in recent years, the nuclear industry in Korea has experienced a decline in new plant construction since the Fukushima accident in Japan, which caused changes in public perspectives regarding nuclear power plant operation, more stringent safety standards on the operation of nuclear power plants, and a shift in governmental energy policy. These changes are expected to change the domestic nuclear industry ecosystem. Therefore, in this study, we investigate the priority of technology development investment from the perspective of experts in private nuclear power companies, shifting the focus from government-led nuclear R&D policies. To establish a direction in nuclear technology development, a survey was conducted by applying an analytic hierarchy analysis to experts who have worked in nuclear power plants for more than 15 years. The analysis items of focus were the 3 attributes of strategic importance, urgency, and business feasibility of four major fields related to nuclear energy: nuclear safety, decommissioning, radioactive waste management, and strengthening industrial competitiveness.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.609-613
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• 2014

The Korean Peninsula, located at the southeastern tip of the Eurasian Plate, is known to be tectonically stable, and no critical evidence has yet been found that would override the safety design of nuclear facilities in South Korea. Because a nuclear power plant, like other major social overhead capital facilities, could cause great damage to both the environment and society through an unexpected tectonic event, even one of extremely low probability, like the Fukushima accident, a defense-in-depth safety approach is required in geological and geotechnical site safety evaluation for nuclear projects. This paper introduces the regulatory procedures that are in place to confirm nuclear site safety and site monitoring (e.g., earthquakes and groundwater) systems applied to nuclear facilities in order to reduce inherent uncertainties within the site safety review of geological and seismological issues related with a NPP project.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 1998.05b
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• pp.441-446
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• 1998

As for safety assessment of a radioactive waste disposal facility, radiation dose to inadvertent intruders is evaluated according to scenarios related to intruder's postulated activities at the disposal site after the end of Institutional Control Period(ICP). Simple trench and Below Ground Vault(BGV) are considered for this study as alternative disposal systems, and different scenarios are applied to each disposal type. The results show that 300 years of ICP is needed for simple trench and 100 years for BGV. Even for BGV, concentration of long-lived radioactive nuclides should be limited considering degradation of BGV after 300 years.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 2006.10c
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• pp.500-502
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• 2006

Recently, nuclear power plants have been testing for application of wireless communication system to improve communication easier. Improving the availability of communication in NPPs, plant operation ability and good communication have contributed to the lower reactior trip frequency. In these regards, the possibilities of improvement in communication systems are reviewed detail. Especially, we reviewed the wire communication system, facility effect, regulation and new technologies. In this paper, we described the application of wireless in NPPs by studying EMI/RFI, EMC effect.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.147-154
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• 2008

It is expected that the temporary storage facilities at the nuclear power plants will be full of the spent fuels within 10 years. Provided that a centralized interim storage facility is constructed along the coast of the Korean peninsula to solve this problem, a substantial amount of spent fuels should be transported by sea or by land every year. In this paper we developed a computer program for the analysis of transportation logistics of the spent fuels from 4 different nuclear power plant sites to the hypothetical centralized interim storage facility and the final repository. Mass balance equations were used to analyze the logistics between the nuclear power plants and the interim storage facility. To this end a computer program, CASK, was developed by using the VISUAL BASIC language. The annual transportation rates of spent fuels from the four nuclear power plant sites were determined by using the CASK program. The parameter study with the program illustrated the easiness of logistics analysis. The program could be used for the cost analysis of the spent fuel transportation as well.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.12
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• pp.3892-3901
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• 2021

The pressure drop of a moisture separator in a steam generator is the important design parameter to ensure the successful performance of a nuclear power plant. The moisture separators have a wide range of operating conditions based on the arrangement of them. The prediction of the pressure drop in a moisture separator is challenging due to the complexity of the multi-dimensional two-phase vortex flow. In this study, the moisture separator test facility using the air/water two-phase flow was used to predict the pressure drop of a moisture separator in a Korean OPR-1000 reactor. The prototypical steam/water two-phase flow conditions in a steam generator were simulated as air/water two-phase flow conditions by preserving the centrifugal force and vapor quality. A series of experiments were carried out to investigate the effect of hydraulic characteristics such as the quality and liquid mass flux on the two-phase pressure drop. A new prediction model based on the scaling law was suggested and validated experimentally using the full and half scale of separators. The suggested prediction model showed good agreement with the steam/water experimental results, and it can be extended to predict the steam/water two-phase pressure drop for moisture separators.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.447-454
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• 2009

This paper is a technical review of the research and development results of the Korea Nuclear Instrumentation and Control System (KNICS) project and Nu-Tech 2012 program. In these projects man-machine interface system architecture, two digital platforms, and several control and protection systems were developed. One platform is a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) for a digital safety system and another platform is a Distributed Control System (DCS) for a non-safety control system. With the safety-grade platform PLC, a reactor protection system, an engineered safety feature-component control system, and reactor core protection system were developed. A power control system was developed based on the DCS. A logic alarm cause tracking system was developed as a man-machine interface for APR1400. Also, Integrated Performance Validation Facility (IPVF) was developed for the evaluation of the function and performance of developed I&C systems. The safety-grade platform PLC and the digital safety system obtained approval for the topical report from the Korean regulatory body in February of 2009. A utility and vendor company will determine the suitability of the KNICS and Nu- Tech 2012 products to apply them to the planned nuclear power plants.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.1652-1656
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• 2022

Fire tests were conducted on cables using fire-retardant paint employed in nuclear power plants that transmit electrical power, control and instrument signals. The failure criteria of various power and control cables coated with fire retardant coating at three different coating thicknesses (~0.5 mm, 1.0 mm & 1.5 mm) were studied under direct flame test using Container Fire Test Facility (CFTF) based on standard tests for bare cables. A direct flame fire test was conducted for 10 min with an LPG ribbon burner rated at ten by fixing the cable samples in a vertical cable track. Inner sheath temperature was measured until ambient conditions were achieved by natural convection. The cables are visually evaluated for damage and the mass loss percentage. Cable functionality is ascertained by checking for electrical continuity for each sample. The thickness of cable coating on fire exposure is also studied by comparing the transient variation of inner sheath temperature along the Cable length. This study also evaluated the adequacy of fire-retardant coating on cables used for safety-critical equipment in nuclear power plants.

• Proceedings of the Safety Management and Science Conference
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• 2011.11a
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• pp.85-91
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• 2011

Safety in the nuclear facility has been a growing interest due to recent recurrences of the fatal accidents such as Fukushima accident and Chernobyl accident. It is not easy to determine the extent to what technical requirements of nuclear facility such as nuclear power plant are be likely applicable to the laboratory for use of nuclear material. All of workers in nuclear shall be recognized for the generic features of safety according to the related laws. This study surveys a status of safety control laws to enhance safety in laboratory for use of nuclear material.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.55-62
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• 2013

Generally, the radioactivity from NPP(Nuclear Power Plants) operation can be released below 3% of DRLs(Derived Release Limits) to environment. It was tried to understand which plant was efficient for absorbing radioactivity in this study. Pinus thunbergii Parl. and Viburnum awabuki K. KOCH were analyzed for radioisotope absorption. The samples were collected at three different locations depending on the distance from NPP at the vicinity 10km away, and 30km away. Gamma radionuclide was not detected from the samples, which means that the direct transition into the plant was not significant. Meanwhile, the very low level of radioactive tritium was detected in the samples. One remark was that every plant has different ability for tritium absorption. These results are expected to be applied to propagation and transplanting in radioactively contaminated area or reducing radioactivity in the soil and water near the plants.