• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.1-15
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• 2018

Despite of safety issues related to radiological hazards, 31 countries around the world are operating more than 450 nuclear power plants (NPPs). To operate NPPs safely, safety regulations from radiation protection organizations were developed and adopted in many countries. However, many cases of radionuclide releases at foreign NPPs have been reported. Almost all commercial NPPs routinely release radioactive materials to the surrounding environments as liquid and gas phases under control. These releases are called 'planned releases' which are planned, regularly monitored, and well documented. Meanwhile, the releases focused in this review, called 'unplanned releases', are neither planned nor monitored by regulatory and/or protection organizations. NPPs are generally composed of various structures, systems and components (SSCs) for safety. Among them, the SSCs near reactors are closely related to safety of NPPs, and typically fabricated to comply with stringent requirements. However, some non-safety related SSCs such as underground pipes may be constructed only according to commercial standards, causing the leakage of radioactive fluids usually containing tritium ($^3H$). This paper discusses SSCs of NPPs and introduces several cases of unplanned releases at foreign NPPs. The current regulation on the environmental radiological surveillance and assessment around the NPPs in South Korea are also examined.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.124-131
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• 2013

Utilities have tried to ensure that radiological hazards to the environment and residents are kept as low as reasonably achievable by monitoring and controlling planned releases. However, since groundwater contamination was reported to occur due to unplanned releases mostly in the United States nuclear power plants, the interest of the stakeholders has increased to a point where it is now one of the most important issues in the United States nuclear power industry. This paper aims to help to implement an effective on-site groundwater monitoring program at domestic nuclear power plants by briefing the experiences of the United States nuclear power plants on groundwater contaminations and groundwater monitoring, and responses of the United States nuclear industry and regulator body for them.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.149-159
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• 2011

Nuclear power utilities should establish a site-specific groundwater monitoring program for early detection of unplanned radioactive material's releases which can occur due to degradation of systems, structures and components of the nuclear power plants in order to keep the impact of the unplanned releases on the environment and the residents as low as reasonably achievable. For this end, groundwater flow on site should be evaluated based on characterization of the hydrogeology of a site of concern. This paper aims to provide data necessary for establishing groundwater monitoring program which is currently considered at Kori nuclear power plant 1 by characterizing groundwater flow system on the site based on the existing hydrogeological studies and related documents, and by modeling tritium transport. The results showed that the major groundwater flow direction was south-west and that most of groundwater entered a southern and eastern seas. Although the tritium plume also released into the sea, its rate was delayed by dewatering sump.